Narendra Modi to be BJP's PM candidate, announcement before crucial assembly polls: sources

New Delhi: The BJP looks all set to anoint Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections and make a formal announcement to that effect by September. Mr Modi was elevated to head BJP election campaign last month. A crucial meeting of the BJP's top leadership with the RSS is scheduled for tomorrow. After the RSS nod, the BJP expects to reconcile differences over Mr Modi's appointment by the end of August. The announcement on Mr Modi's name is likely to be made before the notification for assembly polls to be held in November in five states - including Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Sources say the party wants to cash in on Mr Modi's popularity for the crucial assembly polls. The timing of the announcement is also expected to give Mr Modi six months to campaign; in the BJP's assessment Lok Sabha elections will not be held before February 2014. Earlier this month the BJP has announced Team Modi 2014, a fleet of 20 star-studded committees to manage different aspects of the party's election campaign. (Read: 20 committees, power balanced between big hitters) All stakeholders, including the BJP's ideological parent, the RSS and its affiliate, the VHP, came on board after an exercise by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to iron out crinkles in the weeks after the elevation of Mr Modi as the BJP's election campaign chief. Quite in the driver's seat, Mr Bhagwat, who had intervened to end Mr Advani's public sulk over Mr Modi's promotion last month, had also reportedly advised that the party must base its campaign on collective leadership.

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Sony Xperia Z Ultra smartphone with 6.4-inch full-HD screen launched for Rs. 46,990

Sony has launched its biggest-ever smartphone, the Xperia Z Ultra, at a price point of Rs. 46,990. The phone will be available starting August 2, in Black, White and Purple colours.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra sports a sleek look with a thickness of 6.5mm, and weighs 212 grams. It features a 6.4-inch full-HD display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. It is the first smartphone display that integrates Sony's Triluminos technology, which the company introduced at CES with its Bravia televisions. Sony claims that through the technology the display reproduces a greater range of rich, natural colours to deliver true, natural shades. The technology also includes X-Reality for mobile, Sony's intelligent super resolution display technology which as per the company, analyses each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimise quality for the sharpest videos.

Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. It offers 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card.

The Xperia Z Ultra sports an 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. The device includes LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, 3G, DLNA and Bluetooth connectivity options. It has a 3,000mAh battery that Sony claims could deliver up to 14 hours of talktime and 768 hours of standby time.

Just like the Xperia Z and Xperia Z Tablet, the Xperia Z Ultra is also dust and water proof and comes with IP55 and IP58 certification. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra comes with handwriting recognition support and the device's screen can work with a pencil or a stylus/ pen that has a tip of more than 1mm(in diameter). It also comes with new and updated Sony Media Applications that include apps like Walkman, Movies and Album, in addition to apps related to handwriting recognition and some India specific apps such as Sony LIV catch up tv app and Sony Music Jive app. The phone will also bundle a month's access to BigFlix movie streaming app and the full version of the Asphalt 7 game.

Sony also announced some accessories including a stereo Bluetooth headset, magnetic charging dock and a cover with an additional battery, all available for an extra cost.


Mobiles launched in July 2013

Sony Xperia Z Ultra key specifications

• 6.4-inch TFT Triluminos display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass
• 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor
• 2-megapixel front facing camera
• 16GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 4G LTE/ NFC/ Bluetooth 4.0/ Wi-Fi
• 3000mAh battery

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 launched: India and Pakistan grouped together, face off on February 15

"The 2015 tournament will mark 40 years since the first World Cup in 1975 and that history of great contests and heroes helps make the tournament what it is - the most sought-after prize in our increasingly global game," said ICC chief executive David Richardson.

"I'm absolutely confident that the success of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will further strengthen the status of 50-over cricket as a successful and viable format alongside Tests and Twenty20 Internationals."

Australia and New Zealand, whose prime ministers attended launches at simultaneous events in Melbourne and Wellington, are grouped with England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and two qualifiers in the contest, held once every four years.

Title-holders India are pooled with Pakistan, South Africa, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland and one other qualifying team.

"This is one of the biggest events in world sport," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said of the tournament, which is expected to draw a global television audience of close to one billion people.

"It will attract cricket fans from around the globe and also promote Australia and our close friend New Zealand internationally -- especially in India and other parts of south Asia."

Forty-nine matches will be played in 14 venues across the two host nations, with Australia staging 26 games at grounds in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

New Zealand will host 23 games in seven cities, including Christchurch where international cricket is set to return for the first time since the 6.3-magnitude quake which killed 185 people in 2011.

The tournament, which was last staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1992, will also visit the cities of Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington.

The top four sides from each pool will go through to the knockout stage..

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said he was encouraged by the draw.

"We've had recent success over both Sri Lanka and England in one-dayers, so to face them and a qualifying team in the first three matches is certainly an encouraging draw for us," he said.

Ireland has already qualified but the other three other teams will be determined by the ICC World Cricket League Championship 2011-2013 in October and a qualifier to be hosted in New Zealand in January and February 2014.

Pool A

England, Australia (co-host), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand (co-host), Qualifier 2 (TBD), Qualifier 3 (TBD)

Pool B

South Africa, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Qualifier 1 (Ireland), Qualifier 4 (TBD)

Matches scheduled for February and March 2015

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Salman Khan to earn Rs 5 cr per episode in Bigg Boss 7

Bigg Boss's season8

New Delhi : Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is really a money minting machine; Sallu Bhai will reportedly get Rs 5 crore per episode for Bigg Boss's season 7.

The superstar who was earning Rs 2.5 crore per episode in the last season of Bigg Boss has increased his fee by double. Salman who will be seen in a double role this year in the reality show has signed a 26 episodes contract with the channel.

According to reports, Salman Khan will be shooting two episodes in a day to finish the shooting before his trial for his 2002 hit-and-run case draws to a close.

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Bhaag Milkha Bhaag continues its run, to touch R100 crore mark

Farhan Akhtar starrer Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which is a bio-pic of athlete Milkha Singh, has been getting rave reviews since its release. Now three weeks after the film hit the screens, the film still continues its run at the Box Office. With various states declaring it tax-free, the film has collected Rs 92 crore till now and is expected to soon hit Rs 100 crore mark. Click to see read Success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has proved that sports films are a fast rising genre in Bollywood Trade analyst Taran Adarsh has put out a list of Box Office hits this year. According to the list, other films that are among the top grossers this year are: Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani leads the list with Rs 188.57 crore, Race 2 comes in at the second spot with Rs 100.45 crore and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag comes in third. Farhan's film is still running in theatres. Aashiqui 2 and Raanjhanaa have collected Rs 78.4 crore and Rs 60.35 crore respectively.

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Your passport status? Use the new app to find out

New Delhi: Have an android or iOS platforms phone? Then tracking your passport application will be just a matter of pushing some buttons with Ministry of External Affairs today launching a mobile application. In the next couple of months, people will be able to even apply for passport through their phone. For the first time in the world, a country's foreign ministry has been able to integrate and consolidate its entire digital presence in one's hand, thanks to 'MEAIndia' app. The MEA envisages the application be a "one-stop shop" for you. From getting updates from all the 124 Indian missions in the world, to getting information for consular access in case you are abroad, to booking yourself for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, everything is now available on your fingertips. "It's a one stop shop to give you all you need to know," said outgoing Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai after inaugurating the app at an event here. He retires July 31. And in what could be a record of sort, the mobile application project was completed in just a little under six months. The MEA is the first government department to have a mobile app for smartphone users. It will provide details of all citizen-centric services of the MEA like passport, visa for those travelling to India and Haj related details among others. "We were a little reticent when we started this process about six months ago... and it is over in little less than six months," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. The main people behind the creation are two young techies from Silver Touch Technologies -Prakash Srivastava and Sarla Meghnani - and young IFS officer Vishnu Vardhan Reddy besides Akbaruddin and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. Besides providing a vast information on India's foreign policies and activities, one can even take part in quiz and win Rs 1000 e-vouchers for buying books.

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Formula One may drop Indian Grand Prix in 2014

New Delhi: The Indian Grand Prix may be dropped from the 2014 Formula One calendar. This, after F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as saying the problem of hosting the race at Greater Noida was "very political." Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix - held in Budapest on Sunday -Ecclestone said that the Indian leg of F1 may not take place from next year. "Is India going to happen next year? Probably not," he said, hinting that political reasons made the event a nightmare. The Buddh International Circuit has hosted two F1 races since its debut in 2011 - both won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. While the initial response to the track was positive, there have been niggling issues, including imposing tax on cars and machines which are brought in for the race. And with two other venues -Sochi in Russia and Austria - being strong contenders in getting a race each from next year, India's chances of retaining its October date with the motorsport does not appear too bright. (What is your take on the future of Indian GP? Comment below or here) Ecclestone plans the F1 calendar and usually presents it to the International Automobile Federation in September for ratification. He currently has a possible 22 races jostling for space. Teams prefer a maximum of 20. (Flashback: Pics - Grid girls at the Indian Grand Prix in 2011) "It would be a pity if for these (tax) reasons we don't go there," Sauber's Indian-born principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. "India is an important market for partners who are already in Formula One or who could get into Formula One because of that market so it really would be a pity if we would not manage to sort out these problems."

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Hackers compromise messaging app Viber's App Store listing

After targeting the website of popular messaging app Viber earlier this week, hackers seem to have compromised app's listing on the App Store as well. The Description and What's New section of Viber 3.0 on the App Store has been modified to to read "We created this app to spy on you, PLEASE DOWNLOAD IT!", as first reported by 9to5mac. The compromised listing was still live in the App Store at the time of filing this report. It's not clear if the damage is limited to app's description only, or if the app itself has been compromised in some way as well. It's not clear at this point if this latest attack is the work of the same group that compromised Viber's website earlier this week. On Tuesday, reports emerged that Syrian Electronic Army had defaced Viber's support forum and placed the following message: Dear All Viber Users, The Israeli-based "Viber" is spying and tracking you We weren't able to hack all Viber systems, but most of it is designed for spying and tracking Screenshot of a hacked system: [screenshot] Viber later responded that one of its employee's fell victim to a phishing attach and attackers could gain access to customer support panel and support administration system, insisting that no sensitive user data was exposed. Here's Viber's statement in full: Today the Viber Support site was defaced after a Viber employee unfortunately fell victim to an email phishing attack. The phishing attack allowed access to two minor systems: a customer support panel and a support administration system. Information from one of these systems was posted on the defaced page. It is very important to emphasize that no sensitive user data was exposed and that Viber's databases were not "hacked". Sensitive, private user information is kept in a secure system that cannot be accessed through this type of attack and is not part of our support system. We take this incident very seriously and we are working right now to return the support site to full service for our users. Additionally, we want to assure all of our users that we are reviewing all of our policies to make sure that no such incident is repeated in the future.

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Man survives for record two years without heart

London: A British man has set a record after he lived without a heart for two years - surviving with the help of an external blood pump. 42-year-old Matthew Green a married pharmaceutical consultant with a seven-year-old son, received a donor heart early last month having lived for two years with an external blood pump after the removal of his own fatally diseased organ. The heart transplant was carried out at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. Green remains in hospital but doctors are hopeful he will be able to return home soon, 'The Sunday Times' reported. "I feel incredibly lucky that I have been given a third lease of life as a result of my heart transplant," said Green. In July 2011, both main chambers of Green's heart failed as a result of an unusual form of the condition cardiomyopathy that causes the electrical impulses controlling the heart to go out of rhythm. He underwent an experimental procedure at Papworth to remove the diseased organ altogether, and instead connect his blood vessels to an external pump. After the procedure his heart function was taken over by a large pump on a trolley. A rechargeable battery powered pump in a backpack allowed him to leave the house for up to three hours at a time. However, Green was warned against relying on it for longer than two years because of a risk that it may cause fatal blood clots. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches, Green needed a sufficiently powerful heart from a similar-sized donor. He was just within this two-year cutoff when a suitable organ became available last month. "I am delighted that we were able to find a suitable donor heart for Matthew to have a heart transplant and I expect him to go home very soon," Steven Tsui, clinical director of transplant services at Papworth, said.

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Shahid Kapoor plays Salman Khan fan in Phata Poster Nikla Hero

Mumbai: Actor Shahid Kapoor says his character in the forthcoming film Phata Poster Nikla Hero is a fan of Bollywood star Salman Khan, who has also done a cameo in the movie. "There's a little scene in the film where Salman sir is there...Salman sir was kind enough to do a special appearance in the film," the 32-year-old said here Friday at a press meet for the film. Phata Poster Nikla Hero is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, who had earlier roped in Salman for a special appearance in his film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahaani as well. Talking about his character's fascination with Salman, Shahid said: "He (Shahid's character) is a very big fan of Salman Khan and in one scene we have even worn a 'Being Human' t-shirt and in another scene, the character has gone to buy vegetables with his mother and his hands are full and he is eating a banana standing and watching the poster of Dabangg 2'." Being Human is Salman's NGO. Phata Poster Nikla Hero also stars Ileana D'Cruz and is slated to release on August 23.

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Menthol cigarettes not good for health

Menthol or mint-flavoured cigarettes pose a greater health risk than non-menthol ones, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a scientific review. "While there is little evidence to suggest that menthol cigarettes are more or less toxic or contribute to more disease risk to the user than non-menthol cigarettes, adequate data suggest that menthol use is likely associated with increased smoking initiation by youth and young adults," Xinhua quoted the FDA as saying. Further, menthol in cigarettes is likely associated with greater addiction. Menthol smokers show greater signs of nicotine dependence and are less likely to successfully quit smoking, it said. According to the FDA, more than 400,000 deaths per year in the US are caused by tobacco use. About 30 percent of all adult smokers and more than 40 percent of all youth smokers in the country report smoking menthol cigarettes. "Menthol cigarettes raise critical public health questions," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement. "The FDA is committed to a science-based approach that addresses the public health issues raised by menthol cigarettes, and public input will help us make more informed decisions about how best to tackle this important issue moving forward." The agency said a notice will be available for public comment for 60 days and that it will consider all comments, data, research, and other information submitted to the docket to determine what, if any, regulatory action with respect to menthol in cigarettes is appropriate. If the agency decides to issue a rule, the first step in that process would be a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which would give the public an opportunity to weigh in on the specifics of the proposed rule, the FDA said. The FDA said it will also support new research on the differences between menthol and non-menthol cigarettes as they relate to menthol's likely impact on smoking cessation and attempts to quit, as well as assessing the levels of menthol in cigarette brands and sub-brands. Other menthol-related studies the FDA is now funding include -- whether genetic differences in taste perceptions explain why certain racial and ethnic populations are more likely to use menthol comparing exposure to smoke-related toxins and carcinogens from menthol and non-menthol cigarettes, and examining the effects of menthol and non-menthol compounds in various tobacco products on both tobacco addiction and toxicants of tobacco smoke.

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Amitabh Bachchan crowned greatest Bollywood star in UK poll

Amitabh Bachchan has emerged as the greatest Bollywood star in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema. The multi-award winning actor of countless classics bagged major share of votes from critics, fans and the film fraternity to be named on top in the survey '100 Greatest Bollywood Stars' published by British Asian weekly newspaper 'Eastern Eye'. Amitabh Bachchan has emerged as the greatest Bollywood star in aUK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema. In a career spanning an incredible 40 years, 70-year-old Bachchan blockbusters like 'Sholay' and 'Deewar'. He is also credited with bridging the gap between Bollywood and TV by hosting popular game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'. Referred to as Big B by his fans, Bachchan was also the first Bollywood star to be honoured with a statue at Madame Tussauds and recently represented India as the Olympic torch-bearer at the London 2012 Games. "If you take longevity, impact, number of fans and varied body of work into account then Amitabh Bachchan is the greatest movie star in the history of global cinema. No other movie star has remained at the very top for as long as he has or made a positive impact on the lives of so many," said Asjad Nazir, showbiz editor of the magazine. The survey was compiled via a combination of audience votes through social media, box-office figures, cinematic impact and critical acclaim. Bachchan's own choice and yesteryear's acting legend Dilip Kumar came in second with Shah Rukh Khan coming in a close third. Actor Dilip Kumar came in second with Shah Rukh Khan coming in a close third. Madhuri Dixit topped the survey among Bollywood's female actresses and was placed fourth in the overall list. "I am proud to be a part of that and I am also proud to be a part of the whole movement where cinema is getting better and we are trying to do something different," Madhuri said. "It's wonderful to be highly placed, but it also comes with a great sense of responsibility on my shoulders where I have to do better every time when I am doing something. So I love it and I love what I do," she added. Madhuri Dixit topped the survey among Bollywood's female actor and was placed fourth in the overall list. The others who made it to the top 10 included names like Raj Kapoor (5), Nargis (6), Dev Anand (7), Waheeda Rehman (8), Rajesh Khanna (9) and Sridevi (10). Other notable stars to make the cut include Salman Khan (11), Aamir Khan (14), Dharmendra (15), Hema Malini (18), Madhubala (24), Kajol (30), Hrithik Roshan (32), Rani Mukerji (38), Kareena Kapoor (43), Mumtaz (50), Saif Ali Khan (59), Priyanka Chopra (86) and Katrina Kaif (93).

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Samsung overtakes Apple to become world's most profitable smartphone maker

The global smartphone market showed healthy growth in the second quarter, but Apple's iPhone was squeezed by competition from Samsung and other Asian manufacturers, surveys showed Friday. Apple's share of the global smartphone market fell to 13.1 percent in the April-June period, according to research firm IDC. A separate report by Strategy Analytics gave Apple 13.6 percent, but noted that it was the US firm's lowest share since 2010. Samsung extended its dominance, capturing nearly one-third of all smartphones sold worldwide, according to the surveys, while South Korea's LG and China's Lenovo and ZTE showed accelerating growth. Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said Apple is being squeezed on both the high and low ends of the smartphone market, by manufacturers using the free Google Android operating system. "Apple is at risk of being trapped in a pincer movement between rival three-inch Android models at the low-end and five-inch Android models at the high-end," he said. Mawston noted Samsung sales grew 56 percent from a year ago to 76 million smartphones, while Apple's growth was just 20 percent, less than half the industry pace of 47 percent. Strategy Analytics said Apple was not only beaten on sales, but overtaken by Samsung as the world's most profitable smartphone maker. The research group said Samsung's operating profit for its handset division was $5.2 billion in the second quarter of 2013 to $4.6 billion for Apple. "Apple's reign as the world's most profitable handset vendor lasted almost four years," Mawston said. "Apple's profit margin for its handset division has been fading recently due to lackluster iPhone 5 volumes and tougher competition from rivals. Samsung is performing well in the US market, while Huawei, ZTE and other local brands are growing vigorously in China. "Apple is now under intense pressure to launch more iPhone models at cheaper price-points or with larger screens to fend off the surging competition." Ramon Llamas at IDC said Apple's sales appeared to have been hurt by people waiting for new iPhone models in the second half of the year. He predicted the California firm will bounce back. "This is the cyclicality of Apple," Llamas said. "By September or October we will see a new iPhone and unit sales are going to go through the roof again." He said Apple did better than expected in the past quarter with sales of 31 million iPhones, as it added carriers in the US and other markets. "There is still demand. They are still adding operators," he said. "I'm pretty patient with Apple." IDC's figures showed 52 percent growth in smartphones with shipments totalling 237.9 million. It showed Samsung on top with 30.4 percent to 13.1 percent for Apple, with LG third at 5.1 percent, followed by Lenovo (4.7 percent) and ZTE (4.2 percent). Strategy Analytics said growth was 47 percent annually to 230 million units. Its survey gave Samsung 33.1 percent to 13.6 percent for Apple, with LG at 5.3 percent, ZTE and 5.0 percent and Chinese maker Huawei in fifth place at 4.8 percent. The reports included no breakdown of smartphones by operating system, but suggested Android made further gains, after holding some 75 percent of the market earlier in the year. Llamas said BlackBerry, which saw its share shrink to some three percent earlier this year, "is still in relaunch mode" and has yet to come up with "a deeper and broader portfolio." He noted that Windows Phone sales are picking up, with Nokia's Lumia - the most important brand using the Microsoft operating system - showing some gains with around seven million units sold.

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Samsung Galaxy Note III to sport 5.7-inch display, Snapdragon 800 processor: Report

Samsung's next generation Galaxy Note smartphone, the Galaxy Note III has been in the news now for quiet some time though there's been no official word from the company, yet. The latest rumour claims that the alleged Galaxy Note III will feature a 5.7-inch display, 3GB of RAM and the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS, as per Korean publication MK News. The publication claims that the company first tested the Galaxy Note III with a 5.99-inch display but finalised a 5.7-inch one, considering the market response to the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3. The site also suggests that the phablet will be powered by a Snapdragon 800 Chipset that supports LTE-A and would offer twice the speed of conventional LTE. Prior to this, a couple of sketches that revealed the design and specifications of the Galaxy Note III were leaked online. The sketches confirmed the model number of the alleged Galaxy Note III as SM-N900 and suggested that the phablet will feature a Xenon Flash and a physical camera key. The Samsung Galaxy Note III is said to sport a Super AMOLED panel similar to Samsung's other high-end devices. Earlier rumours suggested that the device will sport a full-HD display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The latest leak has also indicated that the next iteration of the Note series will run the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box. Other rumoured specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note III include an Exynos 5 Octa processor with a clock speed of 2.3 GHz. Recently, Samsung also unveiled its next generation Exynos 5 Octa processor. However, the new rumour contradicts this. It has been reported that Samsung is likely to unveil the Galaxy Note III on September 4, 2013.

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Why Sonakshi Sinha is not a good dance teacher

Mumbai: Dabangg star Sonakshi Sinha tried teaching dance moves to actor Akshay Kumar, but ended up forgetting her own steps. The Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara actors recently shot for Eid special TV show Jashan-E-Eid. While rehearsing together, Sonakshi tried to teach Akshay his steps and she constantly corrected him when he made mistakes. Though the 26-year-old wanted the act to be perfect, the camera caught her forgetting the same step twice, said a statement. This amused Akshay who kept pulling her leg after the shoot.

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14-year-old Varun Jain gets perfect SAT score with just one night's study

A precocious middle school going teenager from East Bay has breezed through the SAT exam in Unites States. Varun Jain got a perfect 2400 score on the trio of tests that make up the SATs- the exam that leaves hundreds of high schoolers across the nation cringing, the ABC News reported. Vivek Jain- father of Varun- told the publication that if anybody in the United States can get a perfect score in middle school, it has to be his son. Only 360 students did it in 2012 out of more than 1.6 million high school students, who took the tests that year. Varun was in eighth grade when he took the tests and he will be a high school freshman this fall. The teenager, who did not stress over the test, started preparing for the math, writing and critical thinking segments after his father reminded him the night before that he was to take the exam the following morning. Just a few days before the SAT was administered, Varun took the AP Calculus BC exam- a course usually offered to the most mathematically advanced high school seniors- and he took the course online in a month. He is also the highest scoring point guard for his school, and has won a scholarship from John's Hopkins University to take classes at a community college. He plays the sitar and the violin and has trophies for chess and debate. According to Vivek, his son wants to do something technology related that improves peace in the world and makes everyone thrive. Varun looks forward to join either Harvard or MIT after he graduates early.

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Virat Kohli slams record 15th ODI ton, says pleased with his knock vs Zimbabwe

Harare: As Virat Kohli yet again scored a century in India's victory, the young skipper was ecstatic at beginning the Zimbabwe tour in tremendous fashion. Scorecard | Match highlights Kohli scored a magnificent hundred in India's comprehensive six-wicket win over the hosts while chasing a modest 228 to win. (India vs Zimbabwe: match report) "It's always good to kick off a tour with a win and personally I was happy with the way I played. The ball was moving around a bit early on and it was all about percentage cricket, rotating the strike and then playing your shots at the end," Kohli, man-of-the-match, said. (All the stats from the match) Kohli had struck a century in the West Indies when he led India in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Must read: Kohli not your average Indian guy, says RCB coach Jennings) The young skipper credited his bowlers for setting up the easy chase. (Suggested read: Blog - Kohli, Indian cricket's heir apparent?) "Our bowlers did a very good job up front. The new ball was doing quite a bit in the morning and with two new balls you can't count any team out," he said. Kohli also acknowledged debutant Ambati Rayudu's effort as he came up with an unbeaten half-century. Kohli and Rayudu added 159 runs for the third wicket. (Seen the India vs Zimbabwe match gallery yet?) "Congratulations to Ambati Rayudu, he's got an India call-up after a long time and he's grabbed his opportunity very well," he said. (Also read: Kohli on how coach Fletcher has galvanised the Indian team) Rayudu, who played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, seemed a satisfied man after spending a sleepless night before making his India debut. "It's been a long wait for me. When I came to know about my debut, I couldn't sleep last night. I was totally blank. My only aim today was to go out there and enjoy myself. I decided that I will play each ball on its merit. It was great to play with Virat who is the best batsman in ODI cricket. My job was to play alongside him," he said. Losing skipper Brendon Taylor was not disappointed with the effort of his side but wished they had scored some more runs against a formidable batting line-up. "First hour was vital, we didn't lose any wickets but we could have been a bit more proactive. Against a quality side like India we needed 270 on the board," he said. Taylor also derived satisfaction from performance of two players -- opener Skinadar Raza, who scored 82 and off-spinner Prosper Utseya, who took two of the four Indian wickets that fell. Utseya accounted for Kohli and Suresh Raina, who could not even open his account. "Sikandar Raza played very well, showing good composure despite having hardly played any games. Prosper Utseya was good with the ball and hopefully next time we can come out and express ourselves a little better," Taylor said.

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Royal baby named George Alexander Louis: palace

London: Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate have named their new baby boy George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday. "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce that they have named their son George Alexander Louis. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge," the palace said in a statement.

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Facebook earnings preview: Mobile in focus

Investors are focusing on signs that Facebook can keep growing advertising revenue, especially on mobile devices, when the world's largest social media company reports second-quarter results on Wednesday after the stock market closes. What to watch for Facebook's transition to mobile had plagued the company in the months leading up to and shortly after its May 2012 initial public stock offering. But analysts are now optimistic about Facebook's mobile prospects. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Youssef Squali thinks mobile growth "should continue unabated," accounting for about 34 percent of total advertising revenue in the second quarter, up from 30 percent in the first. But he warned that a weaker ad market in Europe could hurt Facebook's international revenue. Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia also sees promise in video ads for Facebook, though the company has not started offering those yet. Facebook recently added a video service to its photo-sharing app Instagram, a "first step" before video ads, Bhatia said. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter is also betting on video ads coming soon to Instagram. "We believe many Internet and mobile device users have become accustomed to seeing ads before, during, or after accessing video content," he wrote in a note to investors. Why it matters Facebook is the world's No. 1 social media company, with more than 1.1 billion users. Its results can help assess the health of the overall online and mobile advertising environment. What's expected Analysts, on average, are expecting earnings of 14 cents per share on revenue of $1.62 billion, according to a poll by FactSet. Facebook has not provided earnings or revenue guidance for the quarter. Last year's quarter In its first quarter reporting as a public company, Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook posted a loss of $157 million, or 8 cents per share, on revenue of $1.18 billion.

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West splurge on gold toilets

500,000 pounds on gold-plated toilets. The couple- who became parents for the first time on June 15 when Kim gave birth to daughter North- have reportedly splashed out on four luxury lavatories to be installed in their 7.1 million pounds mansion in Bel Air, Los Angeles, which is currently undergoing renovation work However, the couple's spending is not limited to the loo, and Kanye has also put in an order for six special-edition beds costing 114,000 pound each, supplied by the company that fits out rooms at London's luxurious Savoy Hotel. The reality TV star and the rapper are also thought to be splashing out 500,000 pounds on their kitchen including a Swarovski-encrusted fridge freezer. A source told The Sun newspaper: "They expect the interior to cost twice as much as the property. They're spending more than a million on a security system alone." The new parents had been living with Kim's mother-and-manager Kris Jenner but have recently found a mansion to rent while work continues on their estate. A source said: "Kim and Kanye have finally settled on a temporary mansion for their family to move into. It should be ready for them to move in the next two weeks. It's over 8,000 square feet and offers complete privacy, which was a big concern of Kanye's." 'New Slaves' star Kanye moved out of his apartment in New York City to start his family life with Kim in California.

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World awaits first glimpse of Britain's new prince

London: The world was awaiting the first glimpse of Britain's new prince on Tuesday with camera crews poised to photograph Prince William and his wife, Kate, leaving a London hospital with their baby son. Kate, 31, gave birth to the couple's first child, who is third in line to the British throne, on Monday afternoon, ending weeks of feverish anticipation about the arrival and surprising royal watchers, who were widely expecting a girl. The baby's name will be announced later but George and James, both traditional royal names, were favoured choices with British bookmakers for the child, who could one day be king. The popular couple sidestepped tradition by announcing the birth via a press release but were expected to adhere to protocol by giving the public the first sight of the royal baby on the steps as they leave St. Mary's Hospital in west London. "All we will probably see is a glimpse of the top of the baby's head but they will stick to this tradition," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. "After that we won't see them for some time. Having a baby is a very private moment and they are a private couple so the next time we see the baby will be the official photo and that could be weeks." Kensington Palace announced the arrival of a boy weighing 8 lbs 6 oz (3.8 kg) at about 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) on Monday, four hours after his birth, saying Kate and her child were doing well and would remain in hospital overnight. Prince William was with them. Their son is third in line to the throne after grandfather Prince Charles and father Prince William, 31, and pushes the fun-loving Prince Harry, William's brother, into fourth place. BOOST FOR BRITAIN Congratulations flooded in from all over the world after the announcement of the birth, which was followed moment-by-moment by the world media as well as the British press with the excitement seen as a boost for Britons facing economic austerity. British tabloid newspaper The Sun temporarily renamed itself The Son in honour of the baby while the left-leaning Guardian newspaper provided readers of its website with a "Republican" button so that they could filter out the barrage of royal news if they wanted. The birth fuels a new wave of popularity for the House of Windsor led by the younger royals, William and Harry, who were both born to the late Princess Diana at St. Mary's Hospital. Support for the royals dipped after Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, a year after her divorce from Prince Charles, as the royals were accused of being out of touch with modern Britain in the way they handled the death of the popular princess. But last year's celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne showed the affection with which she is held by most of the population despite a small Republican movement. Hordes of TV crews and photographers, and royal fans wrapped in Union Jacks, remained camped outside the hospital overnight Monday, waiting for the first photo of the baby, who will be called the Prince of Cambridge. Prince William and Kate, who met when they were students at St. Andrews University in Scotland about 10 years ago, have officially been known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their sumptuous royal wedding in April 2011. Tourists in London were reveling in the celebrations that top a run of British sporting victories and an unusual heatwave. "For me it's a wonderful, historic event. You spend a lot of time studying these things. To actually get to be here to witness one is tremendous," said George Boudreau, 48, a history professor from Philadelphia, outside Buckingham Palace. © Thomson Reuters 2013

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First Look: Ek Salman do avatar in Bigg Boss

Bigg Boss is known for its out-of-the-box concepts and with Salman. in it, it has to be bigger and better. With the next season of India's most loved reality show starting soon on Colors, there is a lot that the audiences can expect. The message is simple - pleasure of heaven or pain of hell which you will see on the show this year. In each season, the actor has added charm to the show with his wit and humor, however, this season, he will be seen in a double role. Well, who doesn't want double dose of Salman in one show? Sallu mian is all set to become the angel and a devil in Bigg Boss-7. So get set to experience both heaven and hell this season. While the angel Salman will represent the 'Wow' of heaven, his devil form will depict 'Aow' of hell. And the viewer will get to see both his avatars 'saath saath' only on Bigg Boss Season Saath! About the promo Manisha Sharma, Weekend Programming Head, Colors says, "This season Bigg Boss will make sure that you get to see both heaven and hell at the same place. The message is simple - pleasure of heaven or pain of hell which you will see on the show this year."

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Nokia's 'big' Tuesday launch rumoured to be 4.7-inch Lumia 625

Nokia Lumia 625 smartphone from the house of Nokia. It is a GSM Windows smartphone which runs on the Microsoft Windows Phone 8 OS. The smartphone is powered by Dual-core 1.2 processing and smartphone consist of 4.7 inch Capacitive touchscreen with the resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. So get ready to experience a new Windows smartphone from the Nokia Lumia series which is Nokia Lumia 625 and comes with all new features and specifications. Nokia Lumia 625 smartphone comes with 5 MP primary camera and 1.3 MP secondary camera for video calling facility. The smartphone consist of 1 GB RAM and 4 GB internal memory which can be expandable up to 32 GB through microSD cards. In terms of connectivity, the smartphone comes equipped with 2G, 3G, GPRS, EDGE, WiFi, WiFi hotspot, Connectivity features. Now no need of worrying while travelling to long distances, as it comes with A-GPS feature support smartphone consist of 2000 lasting battery support facility. Features of Nokia Lumia 625 : 3G Microsoft Windows Phone 8 OS Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait Processor 4.7 inch Capacitive touchscreen 5 MP Primary Camera 1.3 MP Secondary Camera 1 GB RAM 4 GB Internal Memory 32 GB Expandable Memory Bluetooth WiFi Enabled 2000 mAh Battery Specifications of Nokia Lumia 625 : GENERAL Brand : Nokia Model : Nokia Lumia 625 SIM : GSM 2G : GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G : HSDPA DISPLAY 4.7 inch Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Resolution : 480 x 800 pixels Multitouch SOUND Alert Types : Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker 3.5 mm Jack MEMORY Internal : 1 GB RAM, 4 GB ROM Card Slot : microSD, up to 32 GB CONNECTIVITY 2G 3G GPRS EDGE Speed : HSDPA, HSUPA WLAN : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth USB : microUSB v2.0 CAMERA Primary : 5 MP Features : Xenon flash, autofocus, touch focus, Carl zeiss optics, and geo-tagging Video : Yes Secondary : 1.3 MP OS Microsoft Windows Phone 8 CPU Dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait CHIPSET Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon GPU Adreno 225 SENSORS Accelerometer, proximity MESSAGING SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM BROWSER HTML5 RADIO No GPS Yes, with A-GPS support JAVA No OTHER FEATURES - SNS integration - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player - MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - Document viewer - Video/photo editor - Voice memo/dial - Predictive text input BATTERY Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery Price : The Nokia Lumia 625 smartphone price in India will be around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000/- with the color option of Black. So stay updated to the website to know the accurate price.

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Royal baby: the wait is nearly over with Kate in labour

London: The wait is almost over. News that Prince William's wife Kate is in labour invigorated the makeshift encampment outside St. Mary's Hospital - a melange of journalists, photographers, curious onlookers and a few die-hard royalists. Reporters filed updates in a dozen languages outside the Lindo Wing, although no news has emerged since Kate was admitted early Monday. Tourists photographed the plain, 5-story brick building, its front door flanked by four police officers, and snapped the scurrying, coffee-swilling photographers and journalists. Terry Hutt, a 78-year-old carpenter from Cambridge in eastern England, sensed an end to the vigil he has kept for 12 days, sleeping outside the hospital on a bench covered with a Union Jack blanket. Hutt, who is proud to have met every royal from the late Queen Mother on, said he was doing his bit for Britain by camping outside the hospital in his red, white and blue Union Jack suit, holding flags and congratulatory banners. "To me, the royal family play a very, very important role," he said. "Visitors from all over the world haven't got a king and queen. It's a plus for us." As London commuters rushed past the hospital to work, Pascal Faure, a maintenance contractor originally from South Africa, stopped to snap a picture on his phone for friends at home and in Australia. "It's part of their heritage, I guess, their culture," said Faure, who claimed his own tenuous royal connection: "Apparently my third cousin once removed is Chelsy" Davy, Prince Harry's former girlfriend. He also had more insight than most into the 5,000-pound ($8,000) -a-night private wing where the Duchess of Cambridge is giving birth. He fixed the air-conditioning there last week - a good thing, too, as Monday is scheduled to be the hottest day of the year in London. "If the air-con stops working, I'll probably be the one to go in," he said, Some bystanders were bemused by the scale of the media throng, but many were happy to enjoy the sense of occasion. "It's probably quite good for the whole country and likewise for the rest of the world," said Matt Hicks, an event manager from Australia's Gold Coast. "I love the royals - what it's all about, the history behind it," he said. "I know this country is quite divided about it, but back in Australia we love the royals." Whether a boy or a girl, the baby will be third in line to the British throne. Most bystanders expressed no preference about the baby's gender. "A girl maybe, if it's as beautiful as Kate," said Katya Im-Albon, a tourist from Switzerland.

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Yo Yo Honey Singh wants to rap in regional languages

New Delhi: Rapper-musician Hirdesh Singh, popularly known as Yo Yo Honey Singh, who made quirky Punjabi-Hindi rap songs, now wants to go regional and rap in local languages. Songs like Angrezi beat, Dope shop, Brown rang and Achko machko have made the 30-year-old a big name in the music world. "My target for this year is to sing in regional languages of India," said Singh, who recently rapped in Gujarati in the song Achko machko. He added: "When I used to sing Punjabi songs, I saw people in Bangalore singing it, loving it, even though they did not understand it. So, I thought why not sing in their language and make things easier for them?" Singh's music was slammed for being "vulgar". He denies writing anything obscene or socially unacceptable, but accepts that certain things were mismanaged on his part. "During that particular time I made some mistakes. The first mistake was that my management was weak. What generally big people do, which I did not do, was to have constant communication with the media. Because my management did everything, I was just making music and doing shows. Big people in the industry and media called, but the calls never reached me," he said. The rapper proudly calls himself a "dreamer" and has now braced himself for all kinds of challenges. He says that he can't dump those people who have been loyal to him since the beginning of his career. "I know problems will come up and in order to fight them, I am streamlining things. I cannot leave old people (his loyal team members)... but I have asked them to forward all the important calls and messages to me and keep me in the loop." He became a bigger sensation after entering Bollywood and rapping in movies like Cocktail, Khiladi 786, Race 2 and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. Singh also has a record label by the name of Mafia Mundeer and he plans to launch new artists under it.

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Sony Xperia Z and ZL prices slashed, decks cleared for Xperia Z Ultra launch

Here is some good news for smartphone users, especially for the youth looking for either some good exchange offer or a new reasonably priced phone. According to reports, Sony Xperia Z which was initially priced at Rs. 38,990 is now available at Rs. 33,990 and Xperia ZL which was for Rs. 34490 can now be purchased at Rs. 29,490. The reason for reducing the prices of Xperia Z and Xperia ZL is not without reasons. According to gadget experts, this is a strategic move on the part of Sony as it would soon be coming out with 6.4 inch display size Xperia Z Ultra. The company is preparing a sound ground for the launch of its new product. To entice the users Sony is offering 12 months and 6 months EMI offers on Citibank, HDFC and ICICI credit cards with 0 per cent Interests. Furthermore, the Xperia Z customer can avail a free premium case worth Rs. 1,990 while the Xperia ZL buyers can have a free snap-on cover worth Rs. 1,490. Launched earlier this year the Xperia Z and ZL were well received in the Indian market. Both the smartphones are equipped with a 5-inch Full HD Reality display and are powered by 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). In addition to this, it is supported by 2GB RAM which is fairly adequate for smartphone users. The 13 MP rear camera accompanied by LED flash and 2 MP front facing camera have especially been applauded by the users. Powered by Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery both the phones have 16 GB internal memory expandable up to 32 GB. Both the phones have connectivity options in phablets which include, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WiFi, DLNA, USB and Bluetooth. Sony seems to have been following the strategies of 0 per cent EMI plans of BlackBerry and the Rs. 10,000 discount on exchange of select smartphones in Samsung Galaxy Note 2 buying. It seems it is a good time, both for the users and the company.

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Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan end feud, hug each other at Mumbai iftar party

Mumbai: Two of Bollywood's biggest superstars, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, have ended one of the film industry's most-talked-about feuds. Both the actors hugged each other at an Iftar party hosted by Congress leader and Bandra MLA Baba Siddique on Sunday. They had not spoken to each other after a fight at actor Katrina Kaif's birthday party in 2008. "Salman and Shah Rukh are my childhood friends. They themselves met each other," said Mr Siddique. Both Shah Rukh and Salman seemed perfectly fine, the latter being the one who took the initiative to shake hands and hug Shah Rukh. The Iftar party took place at Taj Lands End in Bandra.

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The Kargil victors: 8 Mountain division, 'Forever in Operations'

Fifty years ago, the Indian Army raised a new formation, primarily to combat insurgency in the north-east. Today, not only it has accomplished its missions in the north-east along with Jammu and Kashmir, but more importantly, won the Kargil conflict for India in 1999. This is the story of the formation, the 8 Mountain division, which is 'Forever in Operations'. Headquartered in Khumbathang behind a huge mountain feature, the 8 Mountain Division, ever since it was raised in 1963, has mostly operated in the mountains and delivered results every time. There are numerous tales of valour and dedication of the Indian Army, but what makes 8 Mountain Division stand out is its adaptability. Under Major General KV Krishna Rao, who later became Chief of Army Staff, the Division moved to fight in east Pakistan to help create Bangladesh. Besides General Rao, this division has produced two more Army Chiefs--General BC Joshi and General VP Malik. For the first 27 years, it operated in the states of Nagaland and Manipur combating insurgencies, earning the soubriquet -'Forever in Operations'. As trouble erupted in Kashmir in the late 80s, the Army headquarters decided to fall back upon the 8 Mountain Division. Major General VP Malik moved it to the Kashmir Valley, making it the spearhead of the counter-insurgency operations. However, the formation is equated with the 1999 Kargil conflict. Captain Vikram Batra, Anuj Nayyar, Vikrant Thapar and many other became household names for their daring exploits at impossible heights. During this month 14 years ago, last of the Pakistani intruders were evicted from the heights of Kargil-Drass and Batalik underlining the importance of 8 Mountain Division. Hastily rushed into this sector from Kashmir Valley, it took the might of the Bofors guns and the raw courage of the soldiers to earn a hard-earned victory in the forbidding mountains. Its current General Officer Commanding, Major General Shokin Chauhan, says: "The posts are high, the altitude is difficult, the mountains are treacherous, the wind is bad and we have an enemy on the Line Of Control, which has not yet stabilized. So all in all it makes for a very difficult job for our boys to do, but they do it commendably. And I hope, very strongly, that people will recognize the valour of the soldiers of 8 mountain division and accept that the Indian Army soldier is better than the best." The 1999 conflict was also one of those rare battles in which the infantry soldier and artillery guns played almost equal role in overcoming the adversary. At such altitude, the artillery will remain a vital element of warfare. While the 1999 war may never be repeated, it is essential to keep the memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice alive. Every year on July 26, the Indian Army remembers its heroes, who won the Kargil conflict.

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China ready to invest $160 billion in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: China is ready to invest about $160 billion in different sectors in Andhra Pradesh and improve bilateral ties with India, according to economic advisor to the President of China. Shoosan Maa, the economic advisor to Xi Jinping and also the Member of Parliament, met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in Hyderabad and discussed plans to invest in sectors like food processing, small-scale industries, infrastructure and education, among others, a CMO release said. While quoting Shoosan on China's intention of pumping in $160 billion in the state, the release did not state any timeframe or phases in which such a huge investment could materialise. "The Chief Minister invited proposals and asked Shoosan to spell out the areas in which they were interested in investing. Shoosan said he would make efforts for promoting investments and improving relations between the two countries," the release said. Shoosan said his country would send 10,000 students to Hyderabad for education in various streams, according to the release.

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Bombs, bullets, arson mark West Bengal panchayat polls

New Delhi: Bombs, guns and knives flaunted openly in angry flag marches. Opponents shot or hacked to death. Houses vandalised and torched. Allegations followed by denials. The familiar yet volatile story of large-scale violence that accompanies any election in West Bengal continues. At least 100 homes of Left Front supporters were set on fire in three villages in Basanti area in South 24 Parganas district this morning, allegedly by the ruling Trinamool Congress supporters. The TMC has denied the allegation. 13 people have died in the past week in various poll-related clashes across West Bengal even as two more phases of voting are left in the five-phase panchayat elections that began on July 11. In Murshidabad, which votes tomorrow, three Congress supporters were killed today. Police say two Congress supporters were killed early today in Kapashdanga village in the Beldanga police station area while making bombs at the house of one Majid Ali, who has fled the area with his family. A third person -- Congress supporter Ripon Sheikh -- was killed when bombs were hurled at him at Geet village in the Bharatpur police station area. Another person was injured and rushed to hospital. Murshidabad also witnessed two deaths yesterday. Jitesh Sheikh of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was killed by bombs at Sunderpur village. In Mirzapur Dakshinpara, Yasin Sheikh of the Congress was shot and hacked to death. Murshidabad is one of four districts going to the polls in the fourth phase of panchayat elections; Birbhum, Nadia and Malda being the other three. In another incident, the TMC alleges two of its workers were attacked by CPI-M men last night with choppers in Raidighi police station area. The Left party has denied the allegation. On Friday, during the third phase of polling, three people died in clashes at Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts. The fifth phase of voting will be held on July 25 while the votes will be counted on July 29.

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Sanjay Dutt undergoes health check-up at Yerawada jail

Pune: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt underwent a health check up at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune for the first time in more than two months, official sources said on Saturday. A team of doctors from Sassoon Hospital visited the actor in the jail, where he underwent a full general medical check-up. Unofficial reports claimed that Mr Dutt was had been ill, but jail authorities and hospital officials remained tight-lipped about the details of the actor's medical check-up, which lasted around three hours. Mr Dutt surrendered before a Mumbai Special Court on May 16 to serve the remainder of the sentence after his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. On May 22, he was shifted out of Mumbai's Arthur Road Central Jail and whisked off to Yerawada Central Jail to serve the sentence that remained. During his hearing before the Special TADA Court, Mr Dutt had sought home-cooked food, medicines and other facilities, which he was permitted for a month. However, the Yerawada jail authorities objected to these privileges, citing the jail manual, since Mr Dutt was serving time in prison as a convict, and was not an undertrial. Subsequently, Mr Dutt was taught to make paper bags, a tedious indoor chore, that security personnel thought would be best for his safety. He is paid around Rs.25 each day for the bags.

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Hansika and Simbu confirm relationship

Southern actress Hansika Motwani and Tamil actor Silambarasan aka Simbu have confirmed that they are in a relationship. However, Simbu says any decision related to their marriage will be taken by their respective families. Hanskika had been rubbishing rumours about her link-up with Simbu, but she has finally opened up on micro-blogging site Twitter. "(I have) been hearing many rumours about my personal life, so just want to clear (the air).Yes, I'm seeing STR (Simbu) and hence I wouldn't like to talk about my personal life," Hansika posted on her Twitter page. Confirming the news, Simbu posted on Twitter: "Yes, I'm with Hansika and right now she is doing really good and marriage will be decided by our family. (I) hope you will respect our privacy". Ever since the duo started shooting for Tamil films "Vaalu" and "Vettai Mannan", it was reported that they had developed fondness for each other. While Simbu is busy shooting for "Vaalu", Hansika is now busy wrapping up Tamil comedy "Biriyani" and Telugu untitled multi-starrer with Vishnu Manchu.

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Poonam Pandey's film publicity irks political party

The Shiv Sena has objected to Poonam Pandey's skin show in her upcoming film, Nasha. The party has forced the film's publicity posters to be taken down in Lower Parel and Borivali. Says producer Aditya Bhatia, "My outdoor publicist called up to say that Shiv Sainiks had made him pull down the hoarding. They found Poonam's posture objectionable. But my publicity stills have been approved by the Western India Film Producers' Association. So, I am not going to pull the other hoardings down. I am even thinking of filing a complaint." Bhatia adds, "I am a responsible citizen. If I think the posters are objectionable, I would pull them down myself. Maybe I will keep them away from children's view." Says Akshay Bardapurkar, the general secretary of Shiv Sena Chitrapat Sena, "We find the poster highly vulgar and derogatory and won't allow such hoardings. We are trying to pull down hoardings all across the city."

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RCom has reduced the monthly tariff for 1GB dataon 3G to Rs 123 from Rs 250.

NEW DELHI: Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications (RCom) unleashed a tariff war in the 3G data segment on Thursday as the company slashed monthly tariff by 50%, offering high-speed mobile internet at half the price of competitors like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular. The move by the country's third-biggest mobile operator comes a few weeks after its rivals lowered 2G and 3G rates, but only for data usage beyond standard package limits. Data adoption in India has been slow, but is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as sales of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets boom with users consuming more online content. RCom has reduced the monthly tariff for 1GB data on 3G to Rs 123 from Rs 250. This is even cheaper than the company's 2G monthly tariff that of Rs 125. "We want a data tsunami and want to liberate customers from high prices and slow speed," RCom president and CEO (wireless) Gurdeep Singh said. When contacted, most of the other companies refused to comment. However, industry analysts say that a price cut may not be far away as companies are scouting for heavy data users. 3G adoption in India has been slow as high prices and not-so-efficient services have kept users away. Only about 5% of the country's 850 million mobile users have subscribed to 3G services, which are estimated to account for 3% of mobile revenue of telecom carriers. Companies are also fighting hard in the data space as voice tariffs - one of the lowest in the world - have remained more-or-less muted over the last many months and operators have rather done away with freebies and discounts here to shore up revenues. Airtel, Vodafone and Idea had last month cut the prices of their internet data plans, but the lower rates were valid only beyond the stipulated standard package prices. Currently, Vodafone charges Rs 250 monthly for 1GB data package of 3G and Idea and Bharti also offer a near-similar plan. Their reductions had come for data usage beyond the 1GB limit. Jaideep Ghosh, who tracks the telecom sector at KPMG, said operators will increasingly offer lucrative data plans to latch on to the rapidly-increasing users of smart phones and tablets. HDFC Securities said "a fresh war" in data tariffs after RCom's reduction could be negative for the sector, as it may depress margins. However, it doubted the success of RCom even with lower tariffs, saying that the operator's "poor perception of brand and service" as well as "inferior 3G network presence" may hamper its progress. RCom has 3G services in 13 circles that include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and North East. The lower tariffs are for all kind of connections - pre-paid, post-paid, new and old. RCom has also reduced prices for 2GB and 4GB pack on 3G network.

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Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41MP camera appears on India site

NEW DELHI: Nokia has listed its Lumia 1020 smartphone, which has a 41MP rear camera, on its India website. This handset was unveiled just a week ago at an even in London and is said to have the best camera among all smartphones. Nokia India's official website has listed Lumia 1020 in 'Coming Soon' section. However, the company has not given any details on its pricing or launch date. A listing on e-commerce website eBay India shows that the handset has been unofficially priced at Rs 51,450, with launch date of September-October 2013. The 41MP camera of Lumia 1020 records more details than other camera phones and even tops many point-and-shoot cameras, Nokia says. More pixels mean more sensors for capturing the light that forms an image. Lumia 1020 smartphone features a technology called Dual Capture, which takes two shots at the same time, one at 38MP resolution and the other at 5MP. The former is meant for photo editing, while the latter is ideal for social media uploads, said Nokia. The 41MP Zeiss camera has six lenses and features Nokia's PureView imaging technology, along with two types flash - one LED and the other Xenon. Other hardware specs of the Lumia 1020 include 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ Amoled display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 2,000mAh battery and 32GB internal storage. The company said the smartphone will arrive in US on July 26 on AT&T, priced at $299. After the US launch, Lumia 1020 will be headed to China and key European markets. Nokia listed its Lumia 925 smartphone on its India website in May this year, but is yet to launch the device or give any word on its price. The company also slashed the price of Lumia 920 from Rs 38,199 to Rs 31,999. It has also started EMI and insurance schemes for its smartphones in the Indian market.

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Katrina Kaif visits Salim Chishti's dargah; wants to shoot song

Fatehpur Sikri: Actress Katrina Kaif made a early morning trip to seek the blessings of Sheikh Salim Chishti at his dargah and expressed her desire to shoot a song sequence here. The 30-year-old actress visited the dargah at 6 in the morning and tied the sacred red thread for a wish there. It was Katrina's fifth trip to the dargah, Arshad Faridi, son of peerzada Rais Mian Chishti, the sajdanashin (religious head) of the Sheikh Salim Chishti dargah said. Arshad said the actress is a devotee of Sheikh Salim Chishti and visits the dargah often to pray for the success of her films. Katrina also expressed a desire to shoot a film at the dargah, he said, adding they would gladly grant her permission. The holy shrine has featured in films like Garm Hawa and Sunny Deol's film Yateem.

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Nelson Mandela said to be 'steadily improving' on 95th birthday

Pretoria: South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela is "steadily improving", the government said today as the former president celebrated his 95th birthday in hospital amid tributes from around the country and the world. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, globally admired as a symbol of struggle against injustice and of racial reconciliation, has been under treatment since June 8 for a recurring lung infection that has led to four hospital stays in the past six months. "Madiba remains in hospital in Pretoria, but his doctors have confirmed that his health is steadily improving," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement, using Mandela's traditional clan name. "On behalf of government and all the people of South Africa, we wish Madiba a joyous 95th birthday." In celebrations across the country, schoolchildren and admirers gathered to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mandela. He was elected South Africa's first black president in 1994 when the country's first multiracial elections put an end to the apartheid system. Four years earlier, he was released from 27 years spent in prison under white minority rule. In 2009, the United Nations declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day. This is commemorated in South Africa and abroad with 67 minutes of charitable acts to mark the 67 years that Mandela actively fought for an end to apartheid. Mandela, described by his doctors as being in a critical but stable condition in recent weeks, is expected to spend his birthday in hospital with visits from his close family. His faltering health has reinforced a realisation among South Africans that the father of their post-apartheid 'rainbow nation' will not be around forever. Mandela's former wife Winnie said today his birthday was a "gift to the nation" and she urged South Africans to celebrate the day with acts of kindness to others.

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The Ashes: Queen Elizabeth II to watch second Test at Lord's

London: Queen Elizabeth II will be present at the Lord's Cricket Ground to watch opening day of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia, here tomorrow. The Queen would be introduced to the captains and the players as well as match officials before the start of play. She will also visit the Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) famous Long Room, and meet the coaching staff of both teams before taking a seat on the MCC balcony to watch some of the day's play, according to the 'Daily Telegraph'. The 87-year-old British monarch is patron of the MCC and will be guided around the ground by its secretary Derek Brewer and president Mike Griffith. During her last visit to Lord's, the England team went on to dominate their Australian opponents and the local supporters would be hoping for the same tomorrow with the presence of the special spectator. On that day in July 2009, Australia suffered a batting collapse late in the day and were left with the unedifying prospect of following on. England went on to win the match by 115 runs - only the second time the Australians had ever lost a Test at Lord's.

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WhatsApp for iPhone now a free download, brings iCloud backups and more

WhatsApp, the popular mobile messaging service has updated its iPhone app adding support for iCloud chat history backup and restore functionality and sending multiple images at the same time, in addition to bringing URL schema support for third-party apps. With the update, WhatsApp is also changing its monetization model for the service on iPhone. It will now offer the app as a free download, however, new users will be charged $0.99 every year after getting one year of free access to the service, similar to how the service is offered on other platforms. Existing users of the WhatsApp iPhone app, though, will get the service free for life. With the iCloud backup functionality, users will now have the option to backup their message history to iCloud, Apple's cloud service. To activate the iCloud backups, users will need to enable 'Chat Backup' through their WhatsApp settings. This would essentially allow users to restore their chat history from iCloud if the delete and reinstall the app on their device or install the app on a device on which they're signed in with the same Apple ID. Users will be prompted to restore from iCloud, while setting up the app. Support for sending multiple pictures has also been included through a new image interface that comes up after the user selects the first image that is intended to be sent. The update also includes URL schema support for third-party apps. This means that apps can contain a link or button that directly opens a WhatsApp chat with a contact. If the third-party app wants to add sharing using WhatsApp, the developer can use the Document Interaction API to send media to WhatsApp contacts and groups. iOS doesn't feature WhatsApp integration in its system wide sharing menu, so individual apps can add the functionality through the API. As WhatsApp gains more popularity, more developers would want close integration with it. What's New in Version 2.10.1 - multi-send UI: can send multiple photos at the same time - URL schema support for 3rd party apps - iCloud chat history backup and restore: WhatsApp > Settings > Chat Settings > Chat Backup

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