Adai (Dhal Dosa)

Ingredients
1 cup chana dhal
1 cup tuvar dhal
1/4 cup urad dhal
1/4 cup moong dhal
1/4 cup rice
2 green chilli
4 red chilli (dry)
1" piece finely cut ginger
a pinch or two hing
salt to taste
1/2 cup (finely cut) onion
1/2 cup (finely cut) coriander
10-12 curry leaves
1/4 cup grated coconut
oil for frying dosa

Method
Soak the dhals together &rice separately for 1 hour. Grind the rice, chillies, curry leaves
& ginger together
Then add the dhals &grind .The mixture should be a thick & smooth dosa batter. Pour in a
vessel &then add hing,salt,onion,coriander & coconut. Mix well.
Heat a tava or pan & pour laladle ful of batter & spread in a circular motion. Spread a
spoon of oil around the dosa turn & cook both sides till well done or crisp (in low flame).
Serve plain or with any sweet/spicy chutney.
A Tips:
To avoid sticking of the dosa (of any kind) add a few drops of oil to the hot pan,then
sprinkle salt & rub well with the cut potion of an onion. Dust the pan free of any traces of
salt. Now make dosas.

Soyabean Dosa

Ingredients
soyabean-soaked in water for 8 hours,
followed by sprouting which increases their vitamin e content.
ginger
salt
chillies
rice flour-1-2 tsp, to increase the spreadability, optional.

Method
Grind the soyabeans in a grinder, with ginger, salt and chillies to taste.
Add water till the consistency is of idli-atta.
Heat the coated pan. Pour soya mixture on the hot pan, about 2 large spoonful. Spread
with a spoon. Cover. Cook for 2 min, on medium heat.
Invert and cook other side, without cover.
Your soya dosa is ready!
Additions:
Adding Onions, Tomatoes, Grated Carrots, Grated Radish, Cumin seeds make the dosa
more delicious. Oil can be sprayed on pan while cooking, but is not a must.

Colored Dosa

Ingredients
Gram Flour(besan) 2tbsp.
Sooji (cream of wheat) 1 cup
Finely cut tomato, onion, green chili, bell peppers, shredded carrot.(half cup)
Yogurt 2 tbsp.
Water (half cup)
Spices:
salt, powdered red chili, black pepper.

Method
Take a pot, mix gram flour, sooji, finely cut vegetables and spices in it.
Add yogurt and water in the mixture and mix it well. (mixture should be dilute like pancake
mix).
Take a non-stick skillet and put some oil on it. Now put a spoon full of mix on the skillet and
spread it round.
Fry it until it becomes brown from the down side. Turn it with the spatula and make it
brown from other side. Now serve this with tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice.
Note:
You can also serve this with the sambhar and coconut chutney.

Egg Dosa

Ingredients
1 egg per dosa
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup parboiled rice
salt as per taste
black pepper powder as per taste
oil
Method
Wash and Soak urad dal and rice for 3 hours .Grind in to thin paste .Cover and keep
aside for 8-10 hours to ferment
Add salt to taste and mix it well .Heat the dosa griddle .Spread the dosa of the 1 big spoon
batter
Break one egg on the dosa .Spread a little .Sprinkle salt and pepper powder .Spread 1 tsp
oil around the dosa
Cook till golden brown .Remove and serve with coconut chutney .Repeat the process from
point 6 for the rest of the batter

Crispy Rawa Dosai Instant

Ingredients
rawa 500g
rice 500g
salt to taste
cumin seeds 1 tsp
curry leaves
onion 1 big
green chillies 2nos
sunflower oil
Method
Mix rawa and rice and grind finely in the machine.
Whenever dosa is required, mix 2 cups of rawa rice mixture.
Add 1 table spoon of cumin seeds, little salt and water (note: water is added such that a
liquid mixture is formed so as to make dosa).
Coarsely grind onion, green chillies and add to the batter.
Finely added curry leaves and make dosa in the pan with sunflower oil.
Keep in the pan till it gets roasted.

Haiti aid won't be suspended says Hilary

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told reporters the US would not be suspending aid to Haiti.

She rejected suggestions that the US would cut off aid to pressure Haiti into accepting the recommendations made by the Organisation of American States (OAS) to settle the electoral crisis.

Mrs Clinton was speaking after meeting the three leading candidates and the outgoing President Rene Preval.

Final results of the first round of the election are expected on Wednesday.

Mrs Clinton stressed she wanted to see the recommendations made by the OAS enacted.

"We want to see the voices and votes of the Haitian people acknowledged and recognised," she said shortly after landing at Port-au-Prince airport.

Electoral crisis

The OAS has called for the government-backed candidate, Jude Celestin, to pull out of the race after monitors accused his supporters of rigging the first round of the election in his favour.

His party has withdrawn its backing, but Mr Celestin has refused to confirm that he is pulling out.

Asked if the Obama Administration was considering an embargo or a suspension of aid, Mrs Clinton answered that they were "not talking about any of that".

"We have a deep commitment to the Haitian people," she added.

Last month, US Senator Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who oversees foreign aid for Haiti, called for a halt to funds until the crisis was resolved.

At the time, Mrs Clinton said that Haitian officials should heed Senator Leahy's warning and ensure a fair outcome to the election.

Preliminary results of the first round put former first lady Mirlande Manigat in first place and Jude Celestin in second, edging out the third-placed candidate, Michel Martelly.

Mr Martelly's supporters said the poll had been rigged in Mr Celestin's favour, an allegation which was later backed up by international monitors.

Under pressure from the United Nations, the OAS and the US, Mr Celestin's party withdrew its backing, but Mr Celestin has not yet confirmed whether he will bow out.

On Friday, the electoral commission said it would announce the results of the disputed first round on Wednesday, and set the date for the second and final round for 20 March 2011.

Egypt protesters step up pressure on President Mubarak to step down

Tens of thousands are protesting in central Cairo for a seventh day, defying the start of a new curfew and calling for a general strike.

President Hosni Mubarak has now announced a new cabinet that removes Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, who is widely despised by protesters.

They want the president to step down after 30 years in power and are planning a huge march for Tuesday.

Police who abandoned their posts on Friday are back in some parts of Cairo.

Mr Mubarak has ordered new Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to push through democratic reforms and create new jobs.

There are few major changes in the new cabinet line-up, with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Defence Minister Gen Mohamed Hussein Tantaw both keeping their posts.

Policeman directing traffic Some police have been seen directing traffic

A number of businessmen holding economic posts have been removed. Some Egyptians have resented the influence of the tycoons.

However, correspondents say all the signs continue to suggest that the only change the protesters will settle for is Mr Mubarak's removal from office.

Meanwhile, Moody's Investor Services has downgraded Egypt's bond rating and changed its outlook from stable to negative, following a similar move by Fitch Ratings last week. Both cited the political crisis.
'Protest of millions'

As demonstrations enter their seventh day, correspondents say there are at least 50,000 people on Tahrir Square in the centre of the city.

Many protesters dismissed the new cabinet appointments.

One, Rifat Ressat, told Agence France-Presse: "We want a complete change of government, with a civilian authority."

But he did welcome the replacement of Interior Minister Adly, who he said was "responsible for all the violence".

The military, who have cordoned off the square with tanks, are very relaxed and letting people come and go.

Elsewhere the streets are busy and things appear to be returning to normal, with some police returning and seen directing traffic.

But there are no riot police, and our correspondent says the government is being quite clever in keeping the unpopular police force out of contact with the protesters.

There are plans for a "protest of the millions" march on Tuesday.

Our correspondent says this is an attempt to reinvigorate the movement, as many are wondering what to do next if Mr Mubarak stays in power, as he is showing every sign of doing.

There have been some signs of disagreement within the opposition, with the largest group, the Muslim Brotherhood, appearing to go back on its endorsement of leading figure Mohamed ElBaradei as a negotiator with Mr Mubarak.

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsy, told the BBC: "The people have not appointed Mohamed ElBaradei to become a spokesman of them.

"The Muslim Brotherhood is much stronger than Mohamed ElBaradei as a person. And we do not agree on he himself to become representing [sic] this movement, the movement is represented by itself, and it will come up with a committee... to make delegations with any government."

Thousands have rallied in Alexandria, and there have also been sizeable demonstrations in Mansoura, Damanhour and Suez.

Economic impact

The unrest is having an impact on the Egyptian economy, beyond the closure of shops and businesses and the call for a general strike.

Egypt's crisis

Most populous Arab nation, with 84.5 million inhabitants
Authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak has ruled for 30 years
Protests against corruption, lack of democracy, inflation, unemployment
Triggered by overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia

Many countries including the US, China and the Netherlands are evacuating their citizens, leading to chaotic scenes at Cairo airport as air traffic becomes congested and flights are cancelled or delayed.

Tourism is a vital sector in the Egyptian economy, accounting for about 5-6% of GDP.

International pressure is growing for some kind of resolution.

In the strongest language yet, both US President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about the need for an "orderly transition" to a democratic future for Egypt.

The White House says Mr Obama made a number of calls about the situation over the weekend to foreign leaders including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The protests in Egypt are top of the agenda of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

The unrest in Egypt follows the uprising in Tunisia which ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali two weeks ago after 23 years in power.

Jairam Ramesh clears Posco project, with 60 conditions

After putting it on hold, the environment ministry today granted conditional clearance for South Korean major Posco's $12 billion steel mill project in Orissa which also includes a captive port, setting 60 additional conditions.

The Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh sought categorical assurance from the Naveen Patnaik government stating that the Forest Rights Act (FRA) has not been violated in the land acquisition process for the single biggest foreign direct investment project in India comprising a steel mill, a captive power plant and a minor port.

"Environmental clearance for the steel-cum-captive power plant is being accorded with 28 additional conditions over and above stipulated in the original environmental clearance of July 19, 2007," Mr Ramesh said in his order.

"The environmental clearance for captive port is being accorded with 32 additional conditions over and above stipulated in the original environmental clearance of May 15, 2007," the order signed by the Minister said.

Mr Ramesh inked the final approval for diversion of 1,253 hectares of forest land for the project with the assurance from the state government that those claiming to be dependent on or cultivating the land in the project area do not belong to the other traditional forest dwellers (OTFD) category under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

"Final approval of diversion of 1253 hectares of forest land for the Posco project would be granted as soon as this assurance of the state government is received by the MoEF," the Minister said.

Forest rights activists had claimed that the state government had violated the FRA by contending that the project area was free from non-tribal and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFD).

In August last year, the environment ministry had directed the Orissa government to stop land acquisition for the project.

The step was taken on the basis of a ground report submitted by a three-member committee set up by the environment and tribal affairs ministries.

"Undoubtedly, projects such as that of POSCO have considerable economic, technological and strategic significance for the country," Mr Ramesh said.

At the same time, the Minister also adopted a middle path to ensure economic growth and also maintain green balance, saying, "Laws on environment and forests must be implemented seriously."

Sex tape star is Jailed in Indonesia

A court in Indonesia has sentenced one of South East Asia's best known pop stars to three-and-a-half years in prison for making and distributing sex videos on the internet.

The tapes of Nazril Irham, or Ariel as he is known, and two other celebrities, were made public last June.

He is the first celebrity to be charged under Indonesia's strict pornography law that came into effect in 2008.

Ariel denied distributing the videos, saying they had been stolen.

Ariel had made three sex videos featuring him and separately, two female celebrities.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of "giving an opportunity for others to spread, produce and prepare a pornographic video", according to the verdict.

"As a public figure, the defendant should be aware that fans might imitate his behaviour," said Judge Singgih Budi Prakoso.

He said that Ariel had done nothing to prevent the wide distribution of the videos.
Cultural divide

Ariel was speechless on hearing the verdict, and his teenage fans who filled the court room broke down in tears, says the BBC's Alice Budisatrijo, who was at the court in Bandung.

The singer's lawyer said he would appeal against the sentence and criticised the judges' admission that they were influenced by public pressure.

Outside the court, hundreds of protesters had gathered calling for a harsher punishment.

The charge carried a maximum 12-year sentence and a fine of more than $600,000 (£403,000).

The trial has become a target for protests by hard-line Muslim groups who have adopted pornography as a banner issue, claiming it symbolises what they have called the nation's moral decline.

The Blackberry telephone provider, Research In Motion (RIM), has also been asked by the government to prevent pornographic content from being made available through their devices if they wish to maintain distribution in Indonesia.

The case has exposed the deep cultural divide in the country, our correspondent says.

Indonesia is a secular state with a long tradition of tolerance, but with more democracy in the past decade, Muslim political groups have tested their strength through morality and corruption campaigns.

Court slapped fine of Rs.2Lacs on ICICI Bank for false claim

Acting on a judge's complaint, a city court has convicted ICICI Bank Ltd and its Authorised Representative (AR) for "dishonestly making a false claim in court," furnishing "false information" and making "false charge" with the intent to prompt a judge to take actions against a man.
While the court slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on ICICI Bank, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma also kept the errant employee standing in the court for the entire day as penalty.

"It is a banking company and cannot be sentenced to imprisonment, but can only be sentenced to pay a fine," said Sharma.

The complaint was moved by Commercial Civil Judge Pulastya Pramachala. In December 2007, the bank, with a sanction from its AR, had filed a civil suit against one Mohammed Irfan for the recovery of Rs 44,000 on account of non-payment of a loan. The bank also moved an application seeking the court's permission to seize Irfan's vehicle.

The judge allowed the AR to take the vehicle's possession from Irfan but restrained them from selling it. The court then asked the bank to file a report on February 7, 2008.

The twist in the tale, however, came when Irfan appeared before the court. He said the vehicle was picked up by the bank officials in December 2007 — days before the case was filed. Irfan also claimed that not only he did not possess the vehicle anymore, the bank had also sold it on February 7, 2008.

Infuriated, Civil Judge Pramachala then sought an affidavit from the bank on the sequence of events. An "unconditional apology" was filed by the AR, but the judge decided to lodge a complaint with a criminal court.

At the stage of the framing of the charges, the bank and its official Rajeev Sharma pleaded "not guilty and claimed trial", following which ACMM Sharma went on to record the testimony of Civil Judge Pramachala, who took the witness box and adduced several incriminating documents.

ACMM Sharma then held the bank and its AR guilty of the charges. As the judge heard the arguments on the quantum of punishment, the bank claimed that "it is the largest private sector banking company of the nation with lots of litigations as well and sometimes due to some communication gap or errors, these bonafide mistakes do occur."

ACMM Sharma, however, trashed the argument and said: "...The larger the size of an organisation, the greater is the sense of responsibility expected from it. The boards of courts of this nation are already over-burdened and such so-called bonafide mistakes add to the burden of the courts."

Google's Android topples Nokia's Symbian

HELSINKI: Google's Android dethroned Nokia's Symbian as the most popular smartphone platform in the last quarter of 2010, ending a reign that began with the birth of the industry 10 years ago.

Research firm Canalys said on Monday phone makers sold a total of 32.9 million Android-equipped phones in the last quarter, compared with Symbian's total sales of 31 million. The landmark piles pressure on Nokia as it struggles to reassert itself at the top end of the mobile handsets market.

Following Apple's 2007 entrance into smartphones, Google rolled out its open-source Android operating system, which has become the standard for smaller phone makers.

Hit models from Samsung Electronics, HTC and LG Electronics helped Android in the quarter, while Symbian suffered from troubles of its owner and main user, Nokia.

"We have seen some strong products from a number of vendors," said Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd.

Android performs well in tablet segment

Google Inc's Android software won a 22 percent share of the tablet computer market in the fourth quarter, biting at the heels of Apple Inc's iPad, which still has a massive market lead.

Research firm Strategy Analytics said Apple's share of the global market for tablets fell to 75 percent in the fourth quarter from 95 percent in the third quarter while the overall market increased 120 percent to almost 10 million units.

The Galaxy tablet from Samsung Electronics was the main competitor to iPad in the quarter as it was on sale in dozens of countries, according to the research firm.

Samsung has said it sold 2 million Galaxy tablets in the last three months, still putting it far behind Apple, which sold more than 7 million iPads in the last quarter. It was not immediately clear whether both companies were referring to the exact same time period.

Strategy Analytics expects Android to increase its tablet market share further in the first half of this year as new devices such as the Xoom from Motorola Mobility are expected to go on sale during that time.

However, Canada's Research In Motion will add yet more competition to the burgeoning market when it launches its PlayBook tablet toward the end of this quarter.

The United States was the biggest tablet market by far in the fourth quarter, Strategy Analytics said.

Chess: Viswanathan Anand settles at second place in Tata Chess

Five times winner Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a second place finish following a draw with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the 13th and final round of 73rd Tata Steel Chess tournament here.

The World Champion could draw a big consolation from the fact that he would be the number one ranked player all over again as the results here proved that he will be overtaking world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the next rating list.

Hikaru Nakamura of United States own the title after drawing his final round game with Wang hao of China.

For the records, Nakamura tallied 9 points in all, a half point more than Anand in this category-20 super tournament between 14-players.

The American not only performed way beyond his rating of 2751 but also finished ahead of the world's top four ranked players.

Anand got the better position with his black pieces but could not find a breakthrough AS Nepomniachtchi simply got an impregnable position in the endgame arising out of a Sicilian defense game.

The Indian ace settled for a draw in 37 moves.

"Disappointing," Anand said after the final results were out.

"When I reached a plus-four score (Four wins and rest draws), I felt I was well on my way to a final victory but Hikaru just kept winning, picking up six points in a row, which was quite amazing.

"But I'm not unhappy; it's difficult to be unhappy with a plus-four score. It's a pity I didn't manage to win the tournament but I think I performed above my rating, which isn't bad at all," the World Champion said.

The third place was shared by Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian of Armenia who both scored 8 points apiece. The last round of the tournament turned out to be a damp with all the games ending in draws for the first time in the event this year.

n Group 'B' Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished with 5.5 points after drawing quickly with with Vietnam's Le Quang Liem. England's Luke McShane and Czech Republic's David Navara tied for the title at 8.5 points and the former won the title on better tiebreak qualifying for the 'A' group of 2012.

Tania Sachdev started out as the lowest ranked player in the 'C' group but her performance was way above expectation.

The Indian finished with 6.5 points in all to finish joint sixth after losing to Germany's Sebastian Siebrecht in her final round game. Italy's Daniele Vocaturo won the title and a promotion to the next year's 'B' group with 9 points after drawing with main rival Illya Nyzhnyk of Ukraine.

Football: Real Madrid shocked defeat to Osasuna by 0-1

Real Madrid fell seven points behind leader Barcelona in the Spanish league on Sunday after a 1-0 loss at Osasuna.

Javier Camunas scored in the 62nd minute at Reyno de Navarra stadium. Osasuna striker Carlos Aranda slipped the ball through two Madrid defenders and the forward's shot hit the post and bounced into Iker Casillas' goal.

Barcelona had put extra pressure on its fierce rivals through its record-equaling 15th straight league win on Saturday and Madrid failed to respond, losing its second league match this season.

"It is difficult but we have to remain positive," said Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. "We fought against a team that knows its role: physical play and long balls up the pitch."

Madrid's new striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, made his debut in coming off the bench in the 65th, along with Xabi Alonso and Kaka. But none of the trio could help stop Madrid having now dropped five of its past nine possible points.

Barcelona has 58 points after equaling Madrid's consecutive win record that had stood since 1960-61 on Saturday. Madrid is in second place with 51.

"With the loss, the distance to Barcelona is larger," Alonso said. "But there is a long way to go and we have to keep fighting."

Elsewhere, Giuseppe Rossi gave Villarreal a 1-0 win at Espanyol and Gaizka Toquero scored twice to lead Athletic Bilbao to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Atletico Madrid.

Early on, Osasuna showed why it had lost only once at home this season. Jose Camacho's team kept the better share of the action on Madrid's side of the pitch and winter reinforcement Ferran "Coro" Corominas shot just past the left post four minutes in.

Madrid had trouble withstanding Osasuna's pressure without Alonso to direct the flow of possession and tempo. Osasuna's Walter Pandiani saw his header float over Iker Casillas' crossbar in the 33rd in the hosts' most clear-cut chance of the first half.

Madrid almost went ahead two minutes later when striker Karim Benzema, who had scored winners in the last two games, grazed the right post with a low strike.

The visitors pressed for the breakthrough as Osasuna's legs tired and goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez denied Cristiano Ronaldo from close range two minutes from halftime.

Madrid continued to control possession in the second half but the hosts' defence held firm before Camunas put them in front.

"We had chances but we did not score due to the merit of a team that closes well in defence," said Madrid coach Jose Mourinho. "I prefer to lose that way, when the opponent has done a lot (to win) as opposed to my team giving the game away."

The Portuguese manager sent on reinforcements to look for the equaliser. Benzema's header hit the top of the netting in the 73rd but Osasuna came closer to scoring its second goal when Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa barely cleared Krisztian Vadocz's shot off the line in the 85th.

"We have it much more difficult than the leaders," Mourinho said. "But we are here to work and fight until the end."

With its first win in nine weeks, Osasuna moved into 16th place on 21 points.

In Barcelona, Rossi capped an electric first half with a spectacular blast from a very tight angle for Villarreal's winner. The Italy forward received a pass on the left flank and surprised goalkeeper Carlos Kameni with a hard rising shot that went in just under the crossbar at the near post.

Earlier, Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez made a great dive to deny Sergio Garcia, while Kameni made an excellent save of a close-range shot by Marco Ruben.

Third-place Villarreal has 45 points after a fifth win in its past six games, five points more than Valencia, which plays Racing on Monday.

Espanyol remained fifth on 37 points after failing to win at home for only the second time this season.

At Vicente Calderon stadium, Toquero raced unmarked into the area to volley home Andoni Iraola's cross right on halftime. He stabbed in another cross by Iraola to double Bilbao's lead in the 64th.

Toquero's goals were his first of the season.

Bilbao could have gone in front in the 40th from the penalty spot after Atletico defender Luis Perea had been shown a red card for bringing Fernando Llorente down with only the keeper to beat. But Llorente sent his spot kick wide.

"This type of result gives you confidence in your possibilities," Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros said. "It helps both your individual and collective self-esteem."

Sixth-place Bilbao's third straight victory marked its longest winning streak of the season, lifting the team to within five points of the Champions League positions and five points clear of struggling seventh-place Atletico.

Atletico continued its poor start to 2011. Quique Sanchez Flores' team has won only one of seven games in all competitions.

The Great Pyramid of Giza may have two secret rooms

The Great Pyramid of Giza may house two secret rooms at its heart, claims a French architect known for his theories on how the 4,500-year-old structure was built.

Jean-Pierre Houdin, who has been asking for a probe into how the great structure was built, said 3-D simulation and data from American egyptologist Bob Brier pointed to two secret chambers in the heart of the structure.

The rooms would have held furniture meant to be taken into the afterlife by the Pharaoh Khufu, also known as Cheops in Greek, he said.

"I am convinced there are antechambers in this pyramid. What I want is to find them," Houdin was quoted as saying by LiveScience.

The French architect has been arguing for decades that the Great Pyramid was not built using ramps around the outside, but from the inside out.

The prevailing theory is that Egyptians might have built the foundation of the pyramid using an outside ramp to pull blocks up from the ground.

Then, about a third of the way up, they would have dismantled the ramp and used an inner corkscrew ramp to finish the structure. The original outside ramp would have been dismantled and the stones used to top off the pyramid.

In 2008, Houdin told National Geographic that L-shaped rooms in the pyramid support his theory. The rooms would have provided space for workers to manoeuvre large blocks, he said.

Houdin said the theory remains unproven, though a Canadian research team plans to seek permission from Egypt's antiquities department to investigate further with thermal imaging of the pyramid, according to an article published in Physorg.com.

The construction debate isn't limited to how the Egyptians moved the blocks: Some researchers question where the blocks came from. Some tests suggest that at least few blocks were made of poured concrete instead of quarried a controversial theory.

Houdin's secret room proposal is based upon similar rooms found in the pyramid of Khufu's father Snefru, a king known for numerous pyramid-building projects.

Based on blocks found in the king's chamber of the Great Pyramid, Houdin suspects Egyptologists have overlooked a passageway leading to the secret rooms.

CWG Scam: Shunglu panel blames Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli for broadcasting rights

The Justice VK Shunglu Committee appointed to look into the Commonwealth Games irregularities on Monday submitted its first set of reports on the investigations conducted so far.

The first report submitted by the Shunglu panel deals with the scam in broadcasting rights.
The panel has laid the blame squarely at door of Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli for causing loss worth Rs 135 crore to the exchequer.

Lalli has been accused of favouring private firms in awarding broadcast contracts during the Commonwealth Games.

Prasar Bharati gave contract worth Rs 246 crore to SIS Live, which is in turn being accused of subletting it to Zoom Communications.

Zoom Communications got contract for Rs 177 crore but did work for only Rs 111 crore.

Shunglu Panel is also examining the role of sacked Organising Committee Chief Suresh Kalmadi very closely.

Formula 1: Team Lotus aims for high in 2011 season

Team Lotus have set their sights on regular points-scoring finishes in only their second year in Formula One.

In a case of one-upmanship, Team Lotus opted for an online launch to ensure they revealed their car ahead of Lotus Renault's official first running of their challenger at Valencia's Circuito Ricardo Tormo.

The two marques are heading to the High Court at the end of March to determine who has the rights to use the Lotus name.

The Lotus-sponsored Renault will run in gold and black livery, whilst the Team Lotus car that has Renault engines is again green and yellow.

As for their targets, Team Lotus have made no bones about the fact they intend to take a considerable stride forward.

Running under the name Lotus Racing last season, the marque were the best of the F1 newcomers, finishing ahead of Hispania Racing and Virgin Racing, although none of the trio scored a point.

This year, however, Team Lotus are convinced they have a car that will seriously push for points at every race, with the intention of rising from 10th in the constructors' championship to at least eighth.

"This year's car is a much more contemporary design," said technical director Mike Gascoyne of the T128.

"The car really will be a midfield runner. It's a modern F1 car and I'm very confident it is a big step up.

"It's the start of a process that takes Team Lotus back to the front of the grid.

"With last year's car, and especially the first half of the season, it was just an exercise in survival.

"Whereas from the middle of last year it was about building the team up. That's when we started working on this car.

"I think the thing that was a challenge this year was that the 2010 car really was a one-off because of the way it was done with the design team and the time we had.

"There's been almost no carry-over of parts for the 2011 car, whereas normally you'd have a substantial carry-over and the chance to optimise last year's parts.

"It looks substantially different from last year's car. It has a much more current feel about it, and it's the basis of our cars for the future."

Driver Jarno Trulli has no doubts he will be back in the points this year rather than scrabbling around at the back of the pack looking for respectability.

"Sitting on the grid in Bahrain this year (for the opening grand prix on March 13) will feel very different - a different tension," said the veteran Italian.

"Last year we were just aiming to finish the race. This year we'll be aiming to finish in the points. But with the package we have, that should be achievable."

Chief operating officer Keith Saunt believes the team can score 30 to 40 points, which would be a stunning success.

"I doubt there'll be a lot between sixth, seventh and eighth," said Saunt.

"Depending on how the other guys are doing, seventh could be achievable."

Unlike the majority of the other teams, however, Team Lotus will not be running with KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) that has been reintroduced to the sport for this season.

Girls loves bad boys, Why?

They're famed as much for their work and talent as they are for their dark traits, then be it their womanising behaviour or for being moody, aggresive and tempremental. Yet there's something about such 'bad boys' that makes them insanely likeable to the opposite sex. Check this out. Be it Shane Warne or Salman Khan or Sanjay Dutt or Colin Farrell, they continue to enjoy an ever growing female fan following.

As most experts will tell you, women associate these 'bad' traits with masculinity. From time immemorial, it's been men like warriors, gladiators, soldiers, etc, who've set feminine pulses racing. The intersting thing about bad boy is that they exude a kind of untamed masculinity, confidence and independence that women absolutely dig. And just like a woman's feminine charms turn a man on, this overt masculinity is almost like a natural aphrodisiac for the ladies.

"Some women love men with unconventional traits. Not only do these traits make them attractive, it also makes them more sexually appealing. Women get the feeling that these 'macho' men can satisfy them better than the usual, run-of-the-mill kind of men will be able to," explains clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany. According to her, these kind of men give women an adrenaline rush.

"That apart, bad boys are famous and these women find it enjoyable and exciting to be in their company and be known as their friends," Seema adds.

Dr Kanan Khatau Chikhal, clinical and health psychologist says, "Most of these women who fall for these kind of men are intimidated by the outside world. They are shy by nature and are instantly attracted to someone who can take on the world, protect them and take care of them."

The interesting thing about bad boys is that they are a potent mix of confidence, indifference, mystery, intrigue and most importantly, excitement. Nothing they do is conventional or as per the rule book. As for their women, these bad boy knows how to tell her just what she wants to hear.

Seema, however, quickly warns that this fascination is just a passing phase and that as women mature and start thinking of long-term relationships and marriage, stability is the most important quality they look for.

Here are seven reasons why girls love bad boys:

They are confident
Yes, bad boys wouldn't be able to pull off half their antics if they weren't brimming with confidence. The intersting this is that this attitude of confidence overflows into everything that they do, be it the friends they make, the food they eat, the car or bike they drive, the way they drive, the way they order their drinks and even the way they talk to other women, even though the girlfriend may be just a step behind. And no matter what, such overt confidence is a major major turn on for women.

They are indifferent
They just don't give a damn. Rule books are not applicable to them and when it comes to getting things done, it's either their way of the highway. You can't expect to change him, or set him straight as they make their rules and believe that life is to be lived on the edge. Take it or leave it, that's the attitude they flaunt and that's one reason why they fare so well with women.

They are exciting and adventurous
Among the most prominent characteristics you'd find abundantly in bad boys is their love for excitement and adventure. According to them, if they aren't living on the wild side, they aren't living at all. Bad boys are always testing the boundaries and pushing the envelope when it comes to their life and women just can't get enough of this attitude. They find it intriguing and extremely exciting. And when you put exciting and adventurous beside the other rebellious traits, it sends women into a tizzy.

They are challenging and mysterious
Remember, if your behaviour becomes routine, women are bound to find you boring. women dig men who are a good challenge. As for the mysterious streak, contrary to popular belief that women love the tried and tested, the guessing game actually given them a high like no other.

They are very masculine
This often goes hand-in-hand with being confident, indifferent, exciting, adventurous... etc. Bad boys are often rugged and in-control. That doesn't mean that they are controlling, they just know how to get what they want without breaking into a sweat. They speak clearly and confidently, they look you in the eye, they are passionate about what they believe in... but most importantly, they still know how to treat a lady and make her feel good.

They give women a feeling of power
It's rightly said that the illusion of control is often more powerful than power itself. And when it comes to bad boys, they exude an air of power like no other, thus giving their women an air of strength and togetherness. Also, this power high does eventually rub off, even if just a bit, on their woman, too... and she laps it up!

They know how to talk to women
One of the main reasons why these macho men are such chick magnets is because they are so confident, especially when it comes to chatting up females. They give out this 'don't give a damn' attitude and are knowledgeable of almost every topic under the sun. That's not all, they are not afraid of putting across their opinion or making their point. Most importantly, they know how to woo a woman and her feel good with words. Smooth-talkers, they can waltz their way in and out of situation is style and panache and consequently set hearts racing.

Makara Jyothi is man-lit, says TDB

Seeking to downplay the debate over 'Makara Jyothi' of Sabarimala temple, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) today said it was known to most believers that it was a man lit-fire, but there was a Hindu belief behind it.

"It is known to everybody that Makara Jyothi is a fire lit up by men at Ponnabalamedu and TDB also recognises this',TDB President M Rajagoplan Nair told reporters here today.

However, he said the board was not going to run a campaign to propogate that it was man-made as there was a belief behind it into which the temple board did not intend interfere , he said.

Kerala High Court had recently asked TDB to clarify whether the Makarajyothi is man lit light or celestial phenonemon, in the wake of the Pullumedu stampede in which 102 devotees died on Janauary 14 while returning after witnessing the jyothi.

Nair was briefing media after the discussions the board had with high priests, members of the Travancore and Pandalam Royal Houses and authorities on temple rituals and architecture.

The TDB president said it was not the Makara Jothi question which was the main topic of discussion of the meeting, but other issues like whether the temple should be opned for throughout the year for deovtees to offer prayers and avoid huge rush during the two-month pilgrimage season starting from mid-November

The unaimous opnion of the meeting was that keeping the temple open all through the year as it was against the unique traditions and customs of the Hill shrine of lord Ayyappa.

The authorities concerned were also against the proposal to broaden the " holy 18 steps" leading to the shrine since altering it was against principles of temple design.

It was pointed out by authorities concerned that the "18steps" itself has divinity attached to it and making any alteration would not be right.

The views that emerged out of the meeting would be discussed and finalised by the Board, and, based on it, a report would be submitted the High court.

The High Court had also sought the opinion of the TDB if the temple could be opened throughout the year to reduce the rush. According the custom followed by the forest temple, the shrine opened only five days every month of Malayalam calendar besides the November- January 'mandala pooja' and 'makaravilakku' pilgrimage season.

Temple High Priest Kandararu Rajivaru and Vasuthu Expert Kannipayur Narayanan Namboothri were among those present at the meeting.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Cricket World Cup 2011: India - England match to be held in Bangladesh after Kolkata ban

The ICC on Monday approved BCCI's proposal to hold the India-England World Cup tie at Bangalore after Eden Gardens was stripped of the right to host it and said the match will be held on the scheduled date of February 27.

The Indian Cricket Board had on Sunday recommended Bangalore as the alternate venue after the ICC decided to shift the match out of Eden Gardens after an inspection team of the world body had found the stadium to be under-prepared for the tie.

"The ICC today confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India v England match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which had been originally scheduled for Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 27 February. It will now take place in Bengaluru on the same date," the ICC said in a media release.

ICC Chief Executive Officer Haroon Lorgat said with Monday's decision to re-locate tie, the stakeholders can now start working on the logistics to hold the match in Bangalore.

"The BCCI has responded to the ICC nominating Bengaluru as its preferred alternate venue for the India v England match, a recommendation the ICC agrees to.

"This decision now clarifies and gives us certainty over the fixture. We can now work with our various partners and stakeholders to make sure that match - along with the rest of the tournament - is all it should be," Lorgat said in the statement.

The world body said an inspection team will visit Eden Gardens to assess the readiness of the stadium for the remaining three matches of the World Cup.

"There will be an inspection of Eden Gardens on 7 February to assess progress ahead of remaining three scheduled fixtures in Kolkata," the statement said.

"In a letter to the BCCI yesterday, the ICC outlined a schedule of works that needed to be carried out at Eden Gardens ahead of the ground's other scheduled fixtures on 15, 18 and 20 March. As such, an inspection team will visit Kolkata again on 7 February to assess progress in line with that schedule," it said.

The three other matches allotted to Eden Gardens are South Africa vs Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs Ireland (March 18) and Zimbabwe vs Kenya (March 20).

A special flight brings back 200 Indians from Egypt

A special Air India flight with 320 Indians from Cairo has landed at the Mumbai airport.

The arrangement for the special flight was made at the request of the Indian community in Egypt in view of the prevailing situation there, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement
on Sunday.

The Indian Embassy at Cairo has already made special arrangements to airlift all Indian nationals living in the country who wanted to return home.

Another special flight is expected to bring back over 200 Indians from Cairo tonight.

The arrangements are being coordinated by the Indian Ambassador to Egypt R Swaminathan.

The Embassy officials are in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs here, which is closely monitoring the situation.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said, "The Government of India is doing everything to safeguard and we are also taking steps for those who are keen to come back to India"

There are about 3,600 Indians in Egypt of which 2,200 are in Cairo. Some Indian tourists are stranded in Sharm-el-Sheikh and efforts were underway to transport them.

Police constable arrested for raping 17 year old girl

Jalgaon, Maharashtra: A police constable named Arun Wani has been arrested on charges of rape in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. He is accused of raping a 17-year-old-girl.

An FIR has been lodged at Yawal police station in Jalgaon district and the constable has been suspended.

The constable picked up the girl on the pretext of giving her a lift to her house and then took her to a secluded spot and raped her.

The girl was returning home from her friend's house when the incident took place.

2G Scam: Justice Patil submits reports, Raja blamed for several procedural wrongdoings

The crucial report on the 2G spectrum scam submitted today names former telecom minister A Raja, who has been accused of several procedural wrongdoings. The report also names Raja's aides such as R K Chandolia and Sidharth Behuria.

While submitting his report to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Justice Shivraj Patil said that he had fixed responsibility on certain officials and named them. "One of the terms of reference is if there is any shortcomings, lapse or deficiency in procedure, applying or following, who are the public officials they must be identified which I have done." Justice Patil

Mr Sibal described the report as "fearless."

"Some officials have been named and some procedures have been commented upon... What the future course of action should be for the grant of spectrum has been commented upon," Sibal said after receiving the report.

The 1500 page report which also suggests measures for the telecom ministry to follow in the future has not been made public.

In November, DMK leader A Raja was forced to resign as Telecom Minister after a report by the government's auditor declared that he had undersold frequency to benefit companies who were ineligible for mobile licenses. The resultant losses, according to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) could add upto Rs. 1.76 lakh crore.

While Justice Patil did not go into the criminal culpability of the case, he did look into telecom policies dating back to 2001. So the report is also expected to state whether there were instances of any wrongdoing in the NDA years.

The CBI is investigating criminal conspiracy and other aspects of the telecom scam, but they have only registered a preliminary enquiry report till now.

14.5% up in Indians Per Capita Income in 2009-10

Per capita income of Indians grew by 14.5 per cent to Rs 46,492 in 2009-10 from Rs 40,605 in the year-ago period, as per the revised data released by the government today.

The new per capita income figure estimates on current market prices is over Rs 2,000 more than the previous estimate of Rs 44,345 calculated by the Central Statistical Organisation.

Per capita income means earnings of each Indian if the national income is evenly divided among the country's population at 117 crore.
However, the increase in per capita income was only about 6 per cent in 2009-10 if it is calculated on the prices of 2004-05 prices, which is a better way of comparison and broadly factors inflation.

Per capita income (at 2004-05 prices) stood at Rs 33,731 in FY10 against Rs 31,801 in the previous year, the latest data on national income said.

The size of the economy at current prices rose to Rs 61,33,230 crore in the last fiscal, up 16.1 per cent over Rs 52,82,086 crore in FY'09.

Based on 2004-05 prices, the Indian economy expanded by 8 per cent during the fiscal ended March 2010. This is higher than 6.8 per cent growth in fiscal 2008-09.

The country's population increased to 117 crore at the end of March 2010, from 115.4 crore in fiscal 2008-09.

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi doesn't care about her baby's father

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi, who is embroiled in a legal battle over the custody of her baby, has said that she doesn't care whose baby it is.

"I don't care if Hitler himself had impregnated me. It's a miracle I got pregnant and that Krishna's here," the New York Post quoted Lakshmi as telling a friend.

Since giving birth to her daughter, Krishna, last February, Lakshmi has been at war with the girl's father, venture capitalist Adam Dell.

According to Dell, 41, since the baby was born, Lakshmi has allowed him only 9 days of visitation a month, at 3 ½ hours per day.

The war went public last week as Dell filed for full custody in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Lakshmi, said a friend, doesn't know why Dell has gone to court, and "has never denied Adam the agreed time with the baby."

Bird Flu again, around 40,000 chickens killed in Japan

About 40,000 chickens were killed Monday at a poultry farm in southern Japan after dead chickens found there were confirmed as infected with the bird-flu virus, news reports said.

At the farm in Miyazaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, 90 chickens were found dead Sunday in the winter's sixth outbreak of bird flu in the prefecture and the ninth in the country.

In November, avian flu was found in the western prefecture of Shimane and also has been confirmed in wild birds across the country.

In Miyazaki, more than 500,000 chickens had been culled over 10 days as authorities attempt to control the disease.

Miyazaki had been already devastated by last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic, which led to the slaughter of about 290,000 cows and pigs.

Super star Rajini's next film "Rana"

It has been officially announced that 'Rana' will be the next film of super star Rajinikanth and the air is getting filled with the movements in Rana's camp.

In the official statement sent by the production house a few days ago, it came to light that almost the entire whiz kid team that was part of the phenomenon 'Endhiran' is being retained for 'Rana'. AR Rahman, 'Randy' Ratnavelu, Antony, Rajeevan and others will work for the Eros film also.

Now there are some more credits that have been finalised. Noted writer S. Ramakrishnan will be writing the dialogues of 'Rana'. S. Ramakrishnan is not new to Rajini camp as he has already written the dialogues for Rajini in the film 'Baba'. His other notable films include 'Album', 'Sandakozhi', 'Unnale Unnale', 'Dhaam Dhoom' and most recently 'Chikku Bhukku'.

On the musical front, AR Rahman is the music director. Vaali, Vairamuthu, Thamarai, Na. Muthukumar and Madhan Karky are writing a song each.

England team is not smart enough as a batting unit admits Skipper Strauss

Skipper Andrew Strauss has blamed his batsmen for the series loss to Australia saying they were not ''smart enough as a batting unit''.

England embarked on their Australian tour successfully and won the Ashes but failed to retain that form in the one-day internationals, conceding a decisive 4-1 lead in the seven-match series after a 51-run loss in the fifth game at the Gabba in Brisbane.

''One of the improvements we have made in one-day cricket over the past 12 or 18 months was a lot of our batsmen getting bigger scores more consistently, but we've fallen into bad habits in this series,'' Strauss was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.

''Twenties and thirties and soft dismissals, that has been plaguing us all the way through this series and ultimately that is what has lost us the series.

''Our decision-making has been not very good on these wickets.

In one-day cricket you have got to decide when is the right time to attack (and) who is the right bowler to attack. We just have not done that well enough. We have not been smart enough as a batting unit. There has been a lot of talking but talking does not bring results - guys have to bring it to the middle,'' he said.

''We cannot hide away from it, we have got to take it on the chin, accept it and try and remedy it for these last two games and try and get some momentum heading into the World Cup,'' he added.

Black and Cool Aishwarya in 'Vogue' cover

Last month, 'Vogue' gave a treat to all its viewers with the topless photo shoot of sexy Mandira Bedi and this month, the magazine is out again to flatter its viewers with 37 year old Bachchan Bahu adorning its cover page in the replica of a black swan drawing an inspiration from Natalie Portman. The all very gorgeous Aishwarya flaunts a black Roksanda Ilincic jacket with feather shoulders draped in her auburn tresses which spread carelessly over her shoulders. She poses gracefully with her hands positioned magnetically on her slim waist inviting with a slight show of cleavage.

Aishwarya Rai looks stylish and more like international icon on the cover. Check out graceful Rai on the covers of Vogue

Highly talented Pooja quits films, settled in Bangalore

She was one of the most promising among the actresses who were introduced in the last decade. She was one rare breed of good looks and great talent together. But it seems that the film industry has lost Pooja Umashankar to the corporate business world.

Pooja, after her first film 'Jay Jay' did make heads turn and was doing films with known big stars like 'Attagasam' with Ajith, 'Thambi' with Madhavan, 'Pori' with Jeeva,' Oram Po' with Arya and more. She was even gaining popularity in Malayalam and Sinhala films.

Now news has come saying she has quit films and settled in Bangalore. Sources assume the reason to call it a day in Kollywood must have evolved after her much expected 'Naan Kadavul' failed to give her the much deserving big break. She was even expected to win the National Award for her character as the blind girl Hamsavalli. In her last film in Tamil, 'Drohi' she was seen in a special appearance.

All the disappointments have together pushed her to leave cinema behind and take up a job as the Business Development Manger of a world famous IT firm in Bangalore. She is also rumored to have even married a software professional and her husband wanted her to quit cinema.

Pooja always clarifies her position if a story appears on her that is not true. We hope the lovely lady tells her side of this story.

Shirdi visit made 'Peace' Shilpa tweets

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is happy after getting a chance to visit the holy town of Shirdi in Maharashtra.

"Visited Shirdi aftr tryin hard a few times this year, and then it just happnd! Jus goes to show, there has to b a 'calling' frm God. At Peace (sic)," Shilpa posted on her Twitter page after a visit to the Sai Baba shrine in Shirdi .

The 35-year-old, who is married to businessman Raj Kundra, has been missing from action for sometime - both on the big as well as small screen.

Pakistan struggles with Economy collapse

Pakistan is not only wrestling with a problem of law and order, but struggling to get its collapsing economy back on rails.

The country's commercial capital, Karachi, which accounts for nearly 45 percent of Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (180 million dollars per day) and tax related revenue of a billion rupees per day, is facing a host of systemic problems.

Poor financial and economic management has been compounded by flood-related devastation. This has adversely affected the country's agricultural growth, and damaged its infrastructure (which is already groaning under years of mismanagement).

Given this abysmal scenario, it is extremely doubtful that the Pakistan economy will improve on its 2010-11 growth rate of two percent in fiscal 2011-12.

With the growth rate expected to be low, rampant inflation is likely to prevent the income of the common man from increasing.

A report on Pakistan suggests that 40 percent of Pakistan's 175-million-strong population (approximately 70 million) will continue to live in absolute poverty.

According to the report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommended Reforms General Sales Tax (RGST) of 15 percent would only increase inflationary pressure and prices. Tax levies such as the Flood Relief Surcharge and the increased Special Excise Duty on imports and domestic produce will add to the inflationary pressure.

It is being predicted that the Government of Pakistan will have to resort to taking bank loans to reduce the gap between revenue and expenditure.

Another issue that cannot be ignored is the fact that an already distressed Pakistan economy is caught in the vicious cycle of having to borrow externally to pay off existing foreign debt.

In the first quarter of 2010-11, debt servicing amounted to 1.169 million US dollars as per State Bank of Pakistan figures. Since then, the size of debt servicing has increased by about 49 percent as compared to the same period last year.

In 2008, Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves touched rock bottom because of the oil price increase. Consequently, the Government of Pakistan had to borrow 11.3 billion US dollars from the IMF, but with the usual stringent conditions.

The state of the Pakistan economy can be judged by the fact that high prices continue to erode foreign exchange reserves and the government's inability to repay loans.

Pakistan had to pay 5.641 billion US dollars as debt servicing in fiscal 2009-10, which accounts for more than 33 percent of the country's total foreign exchange reserves.

The total foreign debt and liabilities of Pakistan reached 58.512 billion US dollars, up from 47 billion US dollars two years ago.

Pakistan's balance of trade shortfall was over 11.4 billion US dollars last year, despite receiving 8.9 billion US dollars as remittances from overseas Pakistanis.

According to the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for Peace "Fewer than three million of Pakistan's 175 million citizens pay any income taxes, and the country's tax-to-GDP ratio is only nine percent."

This is one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world. In comparison, Sri Lankans pay 15 per cent of their GDP in taxes, Indians pay 17 per cent, Turks pay 24 per cent, Americans pay 28 per cent and Swedes pay as much as 50 per cent."

The main reason for this low ratio is tax evasion by the country's elite.

Federal officials, including ministers (even the Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani), only pay taxes on their government salaries and not on their personal assets.

This has provoked Washington to take a tough stance.

Secretary of State Clinton told the US Global Leadership Coalition Conference in London, that, "Countries that will not tax their elites, but expect us to come in and help them serve their people are just not going to get the kind of help from us that they have been getting. Pakistan cannot have a tax rate of nine percent of [gross domestic product] when landowners and all of the other elites do not pay anything, or pay so little it's laughable..."

Therein hangs the sorry tale of a downward spiraling economy of a country that has an upward spiraling graph of violence.

Telegram

Man receives telegram: Wife dead - should be buried or Cremated?
Man: Don't take any chances. Burn the body and bury the ash.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------

Fact of life: One woman brings you into this world crying &
another one ensures you continue to do so for the rest of your Life!

Great wall of China

The Great Wall of China, one of the most awe-inspiring man-made projects in the world, lies across the northern part of China like a great sleeping dragon, winding its way through China's vast northern territory. With a history of over 2,500 years, the Great Wall attracts visitors from all over the world. In 1987, the Great Wall was listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The Great Wall of China was selected as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a global poll announced on July 7, 2007. It is often said "If you haven't climbed the Great Wall, you haven't seen China." Most people in the world have seen photos of The Great Wall, but photos are but poor imitations of the beauty and grandeur that is China's Great Wall. No China tour is complete without seeing the Great Wall. Visiting it is the experience of lifetime.

The legend of Meng Jiangnu bringing down a section of the Great Wall with her tears
Many legends have survived about the construction of the Great Wall. Among them, the most popular is the story about Lady Meng Jiangnu.
On the night of their wedding, Meng Jiangnu's husband was conscribed to work on the Great Wall by the Qin soldiers. Before he went away, Lady Meng broke her white jade hairpin in two and gave her husband one half as a token of love. One day, lady Meng dreamed that her husband was constantly yelling "Cold, cold". She recalled that her husband was wearing very thin clothes. She made some padded clothes for her husband and left home to look for her husband. She didn't realize that her husband had already died of exhaustion. Upon hearing this, she burst into tears. The Great Wall was moved and more than 20 Kilometers collapsed, revealing the body of her husband and many others. On seeing this, she committed suicide by jumping into the sea. A temple can be found at Shanhai Pass near the sea in memory of this loyal lady.

Sections of the Great Wall

The Great Wall Near Beijing
Factors, such as season, accessibility, safety, health condition, should be taken into account when visiting the Great Wall. The view as you climb to the top is stunning. Badaling and Juyong Pass is the most visited and most easily accessible part of the Wall. The section between Jinshanling and Simatai requires more physical stamina to climb. The scenery of Mutianyu Great Wall is extremely beautiful in autumn when the trees covering the mountainsides have turned golden.

Badaling Great Wall
The best-preserved and most imposing section of the Great Wall is at Badaling, which is located 72 kilometers (45 miles) away at the northwest of Beijing. In Chinese, 'Bada' means 'giving access to every direction'. The name itself suggests its strategic importance. This section is made of large blue bricks. The wall has an average height of 7 meters (24 feet) and a width of 6 meters (19 feet) at the bottom, and 5 meters (16 feet) at the top. It is wide enough to allow ten soldiers to march side by side along the wall. The highest point here is more than 731 meters (2,400 feet) above sea level.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Suggested Beijing tours including Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall is located 70kilometers (43 miles) from the center of Beijing. It is much steeper than Badaling Great Wall, and a more challenging climb. This section, older than Badaling, is considered by Chinese and foreign tourists as the best part of the Great Wall. There are fewer people here because the location is less accessible than Badaling. Surrounded by woodland and streams, this section takes on a different look in each season. Blossoming flowers in spring, flowing streams in summer, red leaves in autumn and white snow in winter make this one of the Great Walls most photographic spots.

Simatai Great Wall
The Simatai Great Wall is located 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Beijing. It is often described with the following three words: perilous, diverse, and peculiar. This section has not been restored as much as Badaling and much of the section is in a state of ruin with exposed bricks and the ruins of watch towers. A famous specialist of Great Wall history has stated: "The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai Section is the best of the Great Wall." This section has been named as one of the most "excellent cultural relics of the world" by UNESCO.

Jinshanling Great Wall

Suggested Beijing tours including hiking route of Jinshanling-Simatai Great Wall
The Jinshanling Great Wall is located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Beijing. It features complicated and well preserved fortification systems. The walls are more solid, the watchtowers are taller and it retains its original Ming Dynasty appearance. Here you can see the Wall relatively undisturbed and in its original condition. The wall follows the contours of the mountains, and stretches off into the distance. The wall has not been restored, so it has a special beauty. It is the section that foreign visitors like the most.

Shanhai Pass
The Shanhaiguan Great Wall, locates at Qinhuangdao which is in Hebei Province, is the east starting point of the Great Wall. It was first built in 1381 in Ming dynasty. It has the reputation of "the first pass in the world". The walls are 14 meters tall and 7 meters thick. It has very complete defense system. Standing on the Great Wall can command a panoramic view of the grand ocean and the winding Great Wall. This section is known as the Old Dragon's Head because it is the easternmost end of the Great Wall.

You can visit http://www.chinaodysseytours.com to get more information about the Great Wall.

Slim Rules

All these days you have spent listening to the fact that you are overweight. So why not give your body a chance to be slim? At least give being slim an opportunity to impress you once. Who knows you might just build a liaison with it. Do not get confused by my statements, I was just trying to be a little witty. Alright if my wit does not work, I hope that my golden rules will. So here they go…

Rule 1

I have noticed that people who are overweight have this strange tendency of trying to portray that they cannot eat much. I would like to say that this would not make you look slim, you would look bulky anyway. So better realise that if you are overweight then you are definitely eating more than the required amount (unless you are suffering from thyroid and such diseases). The body uses food as fuel and the extra food is stored as fat. So to reduce weight you need to eat less than the required amount.

Rule 2

Patience is a virtue that human beings do not posses. If you have worked hard for two years to put on so much then you cannot expect to lose the excess in two weeks. Remember that even if you go on crash diets, they won't work. The initial results of crash diets are just illusions. In the long term, they are counter-productive. The trick is to be under a sensible and nutritious diet regime.

Rule 3

The belief that potatoes, pasta, bread and other carbohydrates are always fattening is not but a myth. Rather they can actually be beneficial when trying to lose weight. The way you cook them and what you put on them is important. Of course you cannot expect mashed potatoes with full fat cream and mayonnaise to be healthy. If you have oats in the similar manner then that will also add to your cellulite content. But if you have plain boiled potatoes with other boiled vegetables then you would feel less hungry as potato takes time to digest. I guess now I sound like a real dietician. Let me go to the next rule.

Rule 4

Sloth is a sin that we commit every day I am sure. So stop being lazy and relying only on a diet regime. It is extremely important to workout. Regular exercise is prescribed to slim people as well as it takes care of your overall constitution. For those who are overweight brisk walking and spot jogging can also be extremely fruitful. But obviously I do not mean that working out for two hours one day and hogging the rest of the days of the week would help. The situation should rather be vice versa.

Rule 5

Learn to abstain from temptation. Temptation is not just a devil in disguise but is the devil in full form. Once you overcome this enormous hurdle, you can be assured that you would reduce weight consistently.

Rule 6

Finally let me give a tricky idea. This strategy might work for those who love to shop and have a love for fashion and style. Buy a nice branded pair of jeans with a waist size small than your by at least three inches. Trust me if you harbour a love for all these, then that pair of jeans will lead you to your destination.

Missing Letter

Crack the mystery code to discover the missing letter.
Hint: A=1, Z=26

Market Today 31 Jan 2011

SENSEX 18327.76 (-68.21) Jan 31 3:59PM

NIFTY 5505.90 (-6.25) Jan 31 4:00PM

Masala Dosa

Ingredients
1 cup plain rice.
1 cup parboiled rice.
1/4 cup white urad dal.
1/2 tsp. methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 /2 tsp soda bi carbonate
1/2 cup curds the batter.
10-12 tsps. ghee or oil as preferred
water for grinding

Method
For masala:
2 large onions in vertical slices 2 large potatoes boiled and peeled 4-5 green chillies 1
tbsp. chopped coriander 8-10 cashews halved 1/2 tsp. each urad dal, cumin & mustard
seeds 2 tbsp. oil 1/4 tsp. turmeric salt to taste
Wash the rice and dal together. Add plenty of water and methi seeds. Allow to soak for 7-
8 hours or overnight. Re wash the rice by draining the water 2-3 times. Grind to a paste.
Rawa-like grains should be felt in Add soda bicarb and salt and mix well. Keep aside in a
warm place for 8-10 hours. Beat the curds well.
Add to the batter, add more water if required. The consistency of the batter should be
enough to thickly coat on a spoon when dipped. Heat the iron griddle or non-stick tawa
well. Pour a spoonful of batter in the centre, spread with the back of the spoon to a thin
round.
Pour a tsp. of ghee or oil over it. Spread chutney spread over dosa. Place a tbsp. masala
in the centre. Fold into triangle to cover masala. Remove with spatula when crisp. Serve
hot with chutney and/or sambar.
Chop potatoes coarsely. Chop green chillies. Heat oil, add cashews and brown lightly.
Add dal, seeds and splutter. Add chillies and onions. Fry till tender. Add turmeric, salt,
potatoes, coriander. Mix well.

Spinach Dosa

Ingredients
wheat flour - 1 cup
besan - 1 cup
chopped spinach - 200 gms.
onion - 1 (big)
green chillies - 5 (chopped)
curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
salt to taste
Method
In a mixing bowl, put all the ingredients and mix them well with water to form a thin batter.
Then keep it aside for 5-10 mts.
Heat a non stick pan. Pour the batter to form a dosa. Drop a spoon of oil on the sides to
make it crisper. Once its cooked on one side, turn the dosa to the other side so that it gets
cooked well.
Repeat the same process for other dosas also.
Serve the dosa with butter.

General knowledge 32

1.What is the new name of Defence Ministry of India?

2.What is the expansion of ICRA?

3.Who was the police officer in Asia to win the Magsaysay Award?

4.How many acres of land im Oregon,U.S.A.,in which Rajneeshpuram was set up by Rajneesh?

5.where was the headquarters of the Coffee Board situated?

6.Which President of America was assassinated in the theatre while watching a play?

7.Since when has Washington been capital of U.S.A?

8.What is Mt.Everest called in Tibetan?

9.Which post in the world a person is elected for in the current year and taking office next year?

10.What was the name of the African state that existed from 1967 to 1970?














Answers:
1.Integrated Headquarters of Defence
2.International credit Rating Agency
3.Kiran Bedi
4.64000 acres
5.Bangalore
6.Abraham Lincoln
7.1789
8.Chemolungma
9.American President
10.Biafra.

General knowledge 31

1. the measurement of seismology was named after a seismologist.Name him.

2.What does equinox mean?

3.Where is water gate?

4.Which is the Britain's longest river?

5.Who was the first person to fly to space 7 times?

6.Which planet has a satellite by name Charon?

7.What did Issac Newton teach at Cambridge University?

8.What is the name of the support on which a handset of the telephone rest?

9.Who is a vexillologist?

10.Whta shape is meant by sigmoid?














Answers:
1.Charles Richter
2.Equal day and night
3.Washington
4.The Severn
5.Jerryross
6.Pluto
7.Mathematics
8.Cradle
9.Person who studies about flags
10.Shape of letter S.

General knowledge 30

1.The train Balance-on-wheels departs every Wednesday from---------railway station?

2.Who was the scientist whose body was cremated in the premises of institute he founded?

3.Which is the India's first Weather Satellite?

4.Who erected the iron pillar near Qutub Minar?

5.Green is the colour symbolised in the vegetarian food packages.What is the colour for non-vegetarians?

6.What are the two version of Norwegian official language?

7.What was the former name of Newyork state?

8.Who was the last Soviet Presidents?

9.Which American State gave birth to eight President?

10.Who became the PM of Britain at the age of 24?















Answers:
1.Delhi Cantonment
2.Sir C.V.Raman
3.METSAT
4.King Chadraverman
5.Brown
6.Riksmel and Landsmal
7.Fort Orange
8.Mikhali Gorbacheve
9.Virginia
10.William Pitt.

General knowledge 30

1.The train Balance-on-wheels departs every Wednesday from---------railway station?

2.Who was the scientist whose body was cremated in the premises of institute he founded?

3.Which is the India's first Weather Satellite?

4.Who erected the iron pillar near Qutub Minar?

5.Green is the colour symbolised in the vegetarian food packages.What is the colour for non-vegetarians?

6.What are the two version of Norwegian official language?

7.What was the former name of Newyork state?

8.Who was the last Soviet Presidents?

9.Which American State gave birth to eight President?

10.Who became the PM of Britain at the age of 24?















Answers:
1.Delhi Cantonment
2.Sir C.V.Raman
3.METSAT
4.King Chadraverman
5.Brown
6.Riksmel and Landsmal
7.Fort Orange
8.Mikhali Gorbacheve
9.Virginia
10.William Pitt.

Train crash kills 10 people in Magdeburg - Germany

At least 10 people are reported to have died in a train crash in eastern Germany.

A local passenger train and a goods train collided head-on in the state of Saxony-Anhalt late on Saturday, near the city of Magdeburg.

The passenger train, the HarzElbeExpress, was travelling on a single track section between Magdeburg and Halberstadt.

The cause of the crash, which left 33 injured, is unclear.

Several carriages were derailed after the collision near the village of Hordorf at about 2230 (2130 GMT).


"Rescue operations are still ongoing. The death toll may well rise further," said regional police spokesman Frank Kuessner said.

More than 150 firemen, police and rescue workers were at the scene, AFP reported.

The passenger train "was the last train of the evening out of Magdeburg" on the line - a single track on which overnight engineering work was scheduled.

A spokesman for Veolia, the company which runs the HarzElbeExpress service, said that the train had a capacity of about 100 people. About 45 people were on board at the time of the crash.

Egypt Protest: Cairo taken over by protesters

Protesters have taken over the centre of the Egyptian capital Cairo on the sixth day of demonstrations against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

The police, who have been involved in violent clashes with protesters in recent days, have largely disappeared from the streets.

There is a heavy military presence in the city, but soldiers are not intervening.

Meanwhile, al-Jazeera's broadcasts via an Egyptian satellite have been halted.

The Egyptian government had earlier ordered the Arabic TV channel, which has been showing blanket coverage of the protests, to shut down its operations in the country.

Clashes between protesters and the security forces - mostly riot police - are reported to have left at least 100 people dead across Egypt since rallies began on Tuesday. Thousands have been injured as violence has flared in cities including Cairo, Suez and Alexandria.

In Cairo, many protesters defied an overnight curfew to camp out in Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the focal point of the demonstrations in the city.Sunday provided some of the most amazing images of this uprising so far. In central Cairo, an army officer was carried aloft on the soldiers of cheering protestors.

With tanks still on the streets, no one yet knows if President Mubarak will order the army to turn against the protestors, But scenes like these are potent and powerful.

Just off the main square we found a reminder that people are still being killed and injured - a makeshift field hospital where volunteers were treating people shot by police; no anaesthetic and basic medical to treat severe gunshot wounds.

One doctor told me that 50 people had been killed in Cairo alone in the last 24 hours.

Chants of "Mubarak, Mubarak, the plane awaits" could be heard on Sunday morning, a reference to protesters' hopes that President Mubarak will step down and leave Egypt.

Many protesters once again climbed onto tanks and armoured vehicles around the square, with many soldiers apparently on friendly terms with the anti-Mubarak demonstrators.

Sunday is the start of the working week in the Middle East, but many businesses in the capital are closed. Internet access remains intermittent.

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen says that although key government buildings are under heavy guard, there appears to be a vacuum of authority in large areas of the city.

Throughout the city, armed citizens' groups have formed to respond to the widespread looting and disorder that has accompanied the growing sense of lawlessness.

Across Egypt, thousands of prisoners are reported to have escaped from jails after overpowering their guards.

Travel advice
Western leaders have urged President Mubarak to avoid violence and enact reforms.

Mr Mubarak has appointed a vice-president - intelligence chief Omar Suleiman - as he struggles to regain control. Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq has been appointed prime minister.

Sunday saw a number of Egyptian political movements issue a joint statement calling on leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei to form a transitional government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his government is watching events in Egypt carefully, and hoping to maintain peaceful relations with its Arab neighbour.

The Rafah crossing between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip is closed, Palestinian officials say.

The US government, which previously had advised US citizens against non-essential travel to Egypt, is now advising Americans in Egypt to consider leaving the country as soon as possible.

The UK has advised against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez.

A number of other European countries have also advised against visiting the country.

The unrest in Egypt follows an uprising in Tunisia two weeks ago which toppled President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali after 23 years in power.

The Tunisian upheaval began with anger over rising food prices, high unemployment and anger at official corruption - problems which have also left many people in Egypt feeling frustrated and resentful of their leadership.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Misbah likely to replace Afridi as ODI captain of Pakistan

Pakistan are likely to announce a captain for the World Cup within the next few days, possibly even before the fourth ODI of the current series against New Zealand scheduled for February 1. Indications, for the moment, lean towards the Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq taking over from Shahid Afridi, the current ODI skipper, for cricket's showpiece event. But the situation remains fluid and Misbah's chances were far greater a few days ago; a comfortable win over New Zealand on Saturday, with a starring role from Afridi, will no doubt impact on the final decision.

The PCB announced a 15-man World Cup squad earlier this month, but much to the surprise of almost everyone, didn't name a skipper for the event. Afridi has been Pakistan's ODI captain over the last year but just before the New Zealand tour began, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement.

Expectedly the decision has been slammed by a number of ex-players, most notably Inzamam-ul-Haq; the broad feeling of discontent doesn't revolve around the personalities as much as the instability inherent in such a situation. The board and the chairman Ijaz Butt, it is believed, have no real issue with Afridi remaining captain, but such are the nature of the concerns the players and team management have, that the board has found itself having to choose sides.

It is understood that players are mostly unhappy with Afridi's regular and very public assessments of his side's performances, mostly when they have been critical. In addition, Afridi's statements to the ICC with reference to the spot-fixing case involving three Pakistani players have also been felt by some players in the current squad to have been incendiary and unnecessary. Though local reports suggested that a group of senior players had thrown their support behind Afridi, players such as Kamran Akmal and Misbah still hold reservations.

The inability of Afridi and vital members of the team management to gel with each other has not helped matters; one important management official is thought to have pushed particularly forcefully for Misbah's elevation to the captaincy over the last few weeks in New Zealand.

The delay has allowed the board chairman to travel to New Zealand to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials before making a decision. In a meeting before the team departed Butt also advised Afridi to try and improve his interaction with players over the course of the series. These meetings will ultimately decide who is to be appointed.

On paper, Afridi's record as captain is not hugely impressive, with seven wins and 10 losses in 18 games (and one no-result). He averages nearly 36 with the bat in that time, including two hundreds in Sri Lanka, and well over his career numbers. And though the 25-ball 65 against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday was his first fifty in 12 ODIs, he has, on five occasions, made scores between 24-49, which given the way Afridi bats and the position he bats at, are often vital hands.

His bowling has not been as incisive, taking only 17 wickets in that span and generally going for runs. But in pushing ODI series against England and South Africa to the final game each time, in overseeing several fightbacks in tough circumstances Afridi would seem to have built up some credit.

Misbah's case for captaincy, on paper, is weaker. He has not been part of the ODI set-up for much of the last year; in fact, he only played two ODIs in 2010 and was dropped midway through the series against South Africa. His often poor strike-rate also works against him, and if Younis Khan is in the playing XI, robs Pakistan of some power in the middle. But he has built up momentum from his Test exploits, where he has been in exceptional form with the bat and has just led Pakistan to a drought-breaking Test series win.

Formula 1: Ferrari not interested in singing defending champion Vettel

Ferrari have no interest in signing Sebastian Vettel, according to president Luca di Montezemolo.

Di Montezemolo suggested last month that the team might be pursuing Vettel when he said that the 2010 world champion was "fast, smart and young" and that "sooner or later he will be driving a red car."

Further speculation was sparked when Vettel then said that "Ferrari is a myth, just like Mercedes, and every driver wants to race for a myth once in his career."

The duo's comments raised eyebrows, with reports suggesting that the German could head to Ferrari as early as next season to replace Felipe Massa.

But Vettel has since insisted he is happy to stay at Red Bull Racing "because Red Bull give me the fastest car."

And Di Montezemolo downplayed the rumours, insisting there was "absolutely nothing" behind them and stating he was keen for the next driver to come from the Ferrari Driver Academy.

"There is absolutely nothing going on with Vettel," he said. "Apart from the congratulations for a wonderful season and the fact that he knew how to benefit from the last race in Abu Dhabi

"I hope that (the the next driver) will come from the Ferrari Driver Academy, because that would mean that he's a 'top star.'

"Naturally Ferrari puts a driver in the car able to win. One of the ideas of the Academy is to have the next Scuderia driver in-house."

4 years old Indian Girl won 4 Kg gold in Dubai Shopping Festival

A four-year-old Indian girl has won half a kilogramme of gold at a promotional draw lined up for the Dubai Shopping Festival.

Jase Elma Mathew won the prize in the ongoing 'Bag of Fortune' campaign launched by Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
Her father, Saju Mathew, entered Jase's name on several raffle coupons that he received on purchase of gold jewellery.

"This is the first time that anyone in our family has won in a raffle draw of the DSF. Needless to say, our happiness is beyond words and little Jase is excited too. We look forward to taking part in more such winning opportunities that make the DSF so special," Mathew said. Jase's mother, Elma Mathew, plans to save the gold for her future and perhaps for Jase's wedding one day.
"Gold is an important part of Indian weddings and Jase is lucky to have won gold. We are very happy for her," Elma said.

A Bangladeshi was another winner in the promotion. 'Bag of Fortune', the DSF campaign by Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group, runs till February 20, offering jewellery customers a chance to win 21kg of gold through raffle draws.

CWG Scam: CVC directs govt depts to put contract details online

Aimed at speeding up its probe into the alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games (CWG) projects, the Central Vigilance Commission has directed government offices concerned to upload details of their works for the mega sporting event on its website.

Sources said directions in this regard have been issued to the CWG Organising Committee, MCD, NDMC, DDA, PWD and Central Public Works Departments among others.

Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) of all these departments have been asked to immediately comply with the directives and supervise the process, they said.

"It was taking lot of time for our investigators to go to every department and collect documents related to the probe. Hence, we decided to use Information Technology and provided user name and password to CVOs for our official website to upload contract details.

"The exercise will save time and bring transparency. Later, we may open these tender details to public domain," a CVC official said.

CVOs have been directed to give details of each and every contracts executed by them in the run up to the CWG held here in October last year.

The anti-corruption watchdog is investigating over 30 complaints of alleged corruption and criminal conspiracy in the projects carried out by several government departments.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also on October 25 last year appointed a High Level Committee to enquire and report financial and managerial lapses within three months.
The Committee is headed by former CAG V K Shunglu and Former Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training Shantanu Consul is the member of the panel.

Projects done by MCD, NDMC, DDA, PWD, CPWD, RITES, Sports Ministry, Urban Development Ministry and OC among others are under the scanner of enforcement, investigation and vigilance agencies for alleged bungling.

Meanwhile, OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Secretary General Lalit Bhanot have been removed from their posts to ensure impartial multi-agency probe into these charges.

The Indian Air Force bagged the 'Best Marching Contingent' award

The Indian Air Force has bagged the 'Best Marching Contingent' award amongst the three Services at this year's Republic Day Parade while the Indo-Tibetan Border Police has been adjudged the best amongst the paramilitary.

More than 10 contingents of the three Services marched on the Rajpath and included horse-mounted columns of Army's 61 Cavalry, Punjab Regiment, Grenadiers Regiment, Rajputana Rifles Regiment, Rajput Regiment, Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, 3 Gorkha Rifles and the Territorial Army along with a column each of the navy and the Air Force.

The marching contingents of paramilitary and other auxiliary civil forces included Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Coast Guard, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Railway Protection Force, Delhi Police, National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme.

Among the 23 tableaux showcasing their respective states and ministries, the tableau from Delhi, with its theme of cultural and religious harmony in the national capital, has bagged the coveted first prize.

The awards to the winning contingents would be given away by Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday.
The Karnataka tableau, depicting the exotic handicraft of Bidriware from Bidar region, and Jammu & Kashmir tableau, portraying the Bhand Pather folk theatre from Kashmir Valley, has won the Second and Third Prize respectively in this category.

Among the five School Children Items that took part in the Parade, the Bhangra dance from Punjab, performed by children from the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala has been adjudged the best.
Rangeelo Rajasthan , presented by Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Amalwas, Delhi, has been given a consolation prize.

WTO members seek to end Doha Round by 2011

Trade ministers from key WTO member countries, including India, on Saturday agreed that efforts needed to be stepped up to conclude a multilateral trade deal this year under the Doha Round.

"In the meeting lasting three hours, there was an optimism that a window of opportunity (for concluding the deal) in 2011 can be accessed," India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said after the deliberations.

Besides India, about two dozen ministers from the US, European Union, Brazil, China, South Africa, Australia and Japan were present at the informal meeting of WTO members hosted by Swiss Federal Councillor of Economic Affairs Johann N Schneider-Ammann.

On the US demands that developing countries should contribute more for conclusion of the Doha deal, Sharma said, "the demands have to be reasonable".

Meanwhile, the Swiss minister is believed to have said at the meeting that 'those who asked for more should be prepared to pay more'.

Differences between rich and developing nations have been a stumbling block in the conclusion of the talks. India and other developing nations are defending their agricultural markets to protect millions of subsistence farmers from easy imports that may result from the multilateral agreement.

The US and the other developed countries, however, seek more market access in developing nations, including India.

Doha round of talks under the aegis of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) started in the Qatari capital in 2001 for
achieving a global trade deal, but a breakthrough has not emerged as yet.

On the eve of the meeting on the sidelines of annual World Economic Forum (WEF), India, Brazil, South Africa and China had met Friday.

Parleys were also made last evening by the Group of Seven including India, South Africa and Brazil to give a push to the
Doha Round of talks.

Sharma said that among the members "there is a consensus that we should try and conclude the deal this year".

While the ministers said that the talks were held in a frank atmosphere, sources said that the US persisted with the same old demands.

The sources added that several ministers said that efforts should be made that the drafts (on agriculture and industrial goods) are ready by April and an agreement is reached by July.

There was no specific proposal discussed in the meeting and everybody was stocking with their old demands, they said.