Tsonga eliminates Wimbledon's Six—time champion Roger Federer in Wimbledon quarterfinal

Six—time champion Roger Federer was eliminated in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the second straight year, wasting a two-set lead before losing 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.

Federer looked to be heading for another routine victory on Centre Court after dominating the second-set tiebreaker. But the Frenchman broke once in each set to level the match, and broke again to start the fifth.

Federer never recovered, and will have to wait another year for a chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record of seven Wimbledon titles. The third-ranked Swiss lost to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals last year.

Djokovic through

Novak Djokovic overcame a scare from his protege, before advancing to the semifinals for the third time in his career with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over 18-year-old Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic.

Djokovic has been practicing with Tomic on-and-off since the two became friends last year in Australia, but this was the first meeting between the two in a competitive match.

In the semifinals, Djokovic will face either six-time champion Roger Federer or 2008 Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao face for WBC Welterweight World Champion

It seems Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be forever linked, regardless of whether they ever face each other in the ring.

The two have danced around the richest fight in boxing for several years, unable to come to terms. Meanwhile, their animosity has grown to the point that Pacquiao has a pending defamation lawsuit alleging Mayweather unfairly accused him of using performance—enhancing drugs.

So it’s not surprising that Mayweather spent just as much time answering questions about Pacquiao on Tuesday as he did about Victor Ortiz, the welterweight champion whom he’ll face in his next fight on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’ve never said that Manny Pacquiao was taking steroids, I never said he was taking enhancement drugs,” said Mayweather, who failed to turn up for a court—ordered deposition in Las Vegas earlier this month involving the defamation suit.

“I want to fight the best they got out there, not just him, the best they got out there,” Mayweather said, “and if he’s on the list as one of the best guys, then absolutely.”

Mayweather said he’s willing to fight Pacquiao if there is random blood and urine testing, which is more stringent than the protocol used by most state athletic associations. Mayweather said Pacquiao’s team would only agree to blood and urine testing at certain times.

“It’s not just Pacquiao, it’s sports, period,” Mayweather said. “If you look at sports in the Olympics, they’re cheating. Everyone is cheating. And I never once said Manny Pacquiao was cheating, only thing I said was this- Me and any other opponent I face must take the test.”

Mayweather will be returning to the ring for the first time since defeating Shane Mosley in May 2010, though the undefeated former champion has made plenty of news since then.

Last Friday, 21—year—old Anthony Cliff filed a lawsuit accusing Mayweather of ordering his bodyguards to attack the man outside the Palms Casino Resort on March 27, 2010.

The lawsuit accuses Mayweather of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention of employees.

Mayweather also faces felony charges stemming from a domestic argument and misdemeanor harassment and battery charges in separate cases.

“When you’re young, black and rich, you go through things in life,” Mayweather said. “But I’m a strong individual. I can survive through anything.”

Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, declined to discuss the litigation.

“We focus on the business part and the boxing part,” Ellerbe said. “We let the attorneys handle the legal stuff.”

Mayweather and Ellerbe joined several hundred fans inside the Hudson Theater in New York City to kick off a promotional tour for the fight against Ortiz, who is coming off a career—defining victory over Andre Berto that made him the WBC welterweight champion.

Ortiz said he doesn’t mind that people want to talk about Pacquiao - even if that person is Mayweather - because he’s staring at the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I’m supposed to be a piece of nothing, I’m not supposed to be here, according to the statistics,” said Ortiz, whose parents abandoned him when he was young, forcing him and his five siblings to live in foster care. “I’m tired of, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’”

Early in his career, Ortiz was anointed the next Mexican—American superstar by Oscar De La Hoya, whose company promotes him. But his meteoric rise met a wall when he fought Marcos Maidana two years ago. Ortiz was losing after six rounds and essentially quit in the ring, one boxing’s cardinal sins, and fans and the media were quick to write him off.

Ortiz has been spectacular on the slow road to redemption, though, and in April climbed off the canvas twice to beat Berto as the heavy underdog and win the welterweight championship.

“I realize he’s a great fighter, but since I was 9 years old, I always said I’d fight Mayweather one day as champion of the world, and check it out,” Ortiz said. “It’s crazy.”

Ortiz said he asked to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao after his most recent fight, even though he heard whispers from people - including some in his own promotional company - who said he was overmatched or out of his mind. But he wanted to fight the best in the world, and depending who you ask, he may have achieved that by landing a shot at Mayweather.

As for Mayweather’s plan to fight Pacquiao next?

“There’s only one problem,” Ortiz said. “I’m fighting Pacquiao next.”

Skype brings video calling to Android phones

Skype on Thursday announced an updated version of its Skype for Android app — Skype for Android 2.0, bringing Skype video calling to the currently fastest growing mobile OS1.

With the new version, users will be able to make and receive free one-to-one video calls over Skype between their Android phone and other Skype contacts on the iPhone, Mac, Windows PCs and even TVs3. Skype for Android with video works over Wi-Fi or 3G data connections and can be downloaded for free from the Android Market or Skype.com using any phone browser.

“We are committed to bring Skype video calling to as many platforms as possible and are delighted to deliver on this with our new updated Skype for Android app,” said Neil Stevens, Skype’s vice president and general manager for product and marketing. “With approximately 30 million concurrent users logging into Skype at any given time and making up to half a million simultaneous video calls, Skype for Android with video makes it even easier for users to share moments with their contacts wherever they are.”

In addition to video calls, users can also make calls to landlines and mobiles around the world, as well as send SMSes to friends and family anywhere in the world at great Skype rates. All this comes with a complete redesign of the Skype for Android user interface. There’s a new main menu on the Skype app for Android where users can navigate easily through their contacts, access their Skype profile to change personal details or see the balance of their Skype Credit. Finally a new mood message box at the top of the Skype app menu makes it easier than ever for users to share how they are feeling, what they’ve seen, or what they’re up to.

For this first phase of launch, handsets that support video calling include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.

Google unveils social network to challenge Facebook

Gurmukh Singh


New York, June 29 (IANS) Google Tuesday unveiled its new social networking service to take on Facebook.

The Internet search engine introduced Google+ social network for what it called 'real-life sharing.' To be available first by invitation only, Google said its social network will meet the most basic human needs to connect with others.

Aiming to take advantage of flaws in networking on Facebook, Google said, 'Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools. In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.''





Google said, 'We'd like to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. We want to make Google better by including you, your relationships, and your interests. And so begins the Google+ project.''


'The debut of Google+ will test whether Google can overcome its past flops in social networking, like Buzz and Orkut, and deal with one of the most pressing challenges facing the company,'' said the New York Times.

'At stake is Google's status as the most popular entry point to the Web. When people post on Facebook, which is mostly off-limits to search engines, Google loses valuable information that could benefit its Web search, advertising and other products.''

But Google+ might be already too late, the paper said.

'In May, 180 million people visited Google sites, including YouTube, versus 157.2 million on Facebook, according to comScore. But Facebook users looked at 103 billion pages and spent an average of 375 minutes on the site, while Google users viewed 46.3 billion pages and spent 231 minutes.


(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)

Bullet train between Beijing-Shanghai with 300 kmph

Builders of China's fast-growing bullet train network conducted a test run of its showcase Beijing-to-Shanghai line Monday amid controversy over the prestige project's high cost.

A train carrying government officials, managers of the companies that built the line and reporters left Beijing for the 1,318-kilometer (824-mile) trip. It was due to take about five hours, or half the time of conventional rail.

The communist government is building thousands of miles (kilometers) of high-speed rail to link together China's far-flung regions and show off its rising wealth and technological prowess.

The multibillion-dollar plan has provoked complaints that it is too expensive for a country where millions of people still live in poverty. The government announced in April the top speed of the fastest lines would be reduced from 350 kph (220 mph) to 300 kph (190 mph) and ticket prices would be cut.

Official plans call for the network to expand to 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of track this year and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.

China's trains are based on Japanese, French and German technology but its manufacturers are trying to sell to Latin America and the Middle East. That has prompted complaints Beijing is violating the spirit of licenses with foreign providers by reselling technology that was meant to be used only in China.

Monday's test run comes ahead of celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party on July 1.

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said it made extensive preparations for safety and security. They include plans for daily inspections of tracks and other facilities and an earthquake monitoring system.

The Beijing-Shanghai line crosses seven provinces that include some of China's most densely populated and economically developed areas.

The railway ministry says the line will run 63 pairs of trains a day at 300 kph (190 mph) and 27 at 250 kph (155 mph). Ticket prices range from 1,750 yuan ($269) for a business class seat on the fastest train to 410 yuan ($63) for second-class on slower trains.

Government plans call for spending 700 billion yuan ($106 billion) on railway building this year. The railway ministry says the Beijing-Shanghai line cost 215 billion yuan ($32.5 billion).

Critics say railway officials have diverted too much money to high-speed rail and should be expanding lower-cost traditional rail.

During the Lunar New Year holiday in February, working class travelers complained they couldn't afford high-speed tickets and regular trains were sold out. A migrant worker became an Internet sensation when he stripped to his underwear to protest outside a ticket office after he waited 14 hours in line but couldn't get tickets for his family.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said earlier this year that construction of one line and operation of another already completed, both in China's east, must stop until they receive environmental approval.

Federer knows a lot about cricket: Tendulkar

It takes a lot to bowl over Sachin Tendulkar as bowlers around the world would confess, but tennis ace Roger Federer managed to do just that by his knowledge of cricket when the two legends caught up during the Wimbledon Championship here.

Tendulkar, a self-confessed Federer fan, met the winner of 16 Grand Slams at the All- England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club after the World No. 3 beat David Nalbandian to advance to the fourth round.

Tendulkar chatted for an hour with the Swiss and posed with him for the shutterbugs.

“Spent an hour with Roger Federer, chatting on the balcony of the Wimbledon Royal box. What a humble guy! And by the way, he knows a lot about cricket!!” Tendulkar tweeted later.

The two also had dinner together after Federer's match.

Federer also talked about his meeting with Tendulkar on his Facebook page. “Today was a special day, played a good match and had the chance to catch up with the great Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar,” read the status message on his Facebook page.

Bus-sized asteroid stone to narrowly miss Earth

A newly discovered asteroid, at least the size of a bus and orbiting the sun, will pass in close proximity to the Earth on Monday.

The asteroid 2011 MD will pass only 12,000 km (7,500 miles) above the Earth's surface at around 6.56 p.m., Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators Director C. B. Devgun said.

At closest approach, 2011 MD will pass in the day over the southern Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Antarctica. As the asteroid recedes from the Earth, it will pass through the zone of geosynchronous satellites.

Measuring 10 metres, the asteroid, for a brief period of time, may be bright enough to be seen even with a modest-sized telescope, Mr. Devgun said.

Asteroids are a class of small solar system bodies in the orbit around the sun. The larger asteroids have also been called planetoids. The asteroid 2011 MD was recently discovered by the LINEAR Near-Earth Object Discovery Team scanning the sky from Socorro, New Mexico.

NASA analysts believe that since the asteroid is small, it does not pose any risk to the Earth. In case it enters the Earth's atmosphere, it will get burnt up and only the asteroid's ashes will reach the planet's surface.

However, the encounter is close enough to sharply perturb the asteroid's trajectory by the Earth's gravity.

The asteroid orbits the Earth in 396 days. It will come close to the Earth next on May 10, 2023.

On an average, objects of this size can come this close to the Earth once in about every six years, NASA said on its website.

Vettel won European GP 2011

Runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull secured his sixth win of the 2011 Formula One season on Sunday with a comfortable victory from pole in the European Grand Prix.

Vettel held off the challenges of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber to register his second victory in succession at the Valencia street circuit and also extend his lead in the overall standings.

The 23-year-old German has now amassed 186 points from eight races, 77 clear of McLaren’s Jenson Button and Webber.

Lewis Hamilton took fourth place after a poor start, followed by Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, Button and Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.

Hamilton cautious

Starting from pole for the seventh time this year, Vettel never looked back after staying ahead of Webber going into the first corner while Hamilton started cautiously from third, dropping behind the Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa.

Hamilton was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 13 and snatched back fourth spot three laps later when Massa came out behind the Briton following after his pit-stop.

Alonso, meanwhile, was clearly quicker than second-placed Webber during his second stint and the Spaniard eventually passed the Red Bull driver at Turn 12 on lap 21.

However, the Ferrari driver was unable to close the gap on Vettel, who continued to maintain a steady three-second lead at the front of the field.

Hamilton pitted on lap 25, returning in seventh spot while Webber made his second stop of the race four laps later, coming back in fourth with a clear track in front of him.

Alonso pitted on lap 30 in an effort to avoid upcoming traffic but the tactic backfired as he returned to find himself behind Webber once again. Vettel had no such problems, coming in a lap later and retaining top spot.

The top three cars remained within approximately six seconds of each other while fifth-placed Massa began closing down Hamilton in fourth by around one second a lap.

Webber came in on lap 43 for his final stop but the Australian was held up by Vitaly Petrov and Rubens Barrichello on his return, allowing Alonso to reclaim second place after his stop three laps later.

Vettel held a nine-second lead over Alonso after his third visit to the pits and maintained that gap over the remaining 10 laps to continue his total dominance this season.

The win also made up for the recent disappointment of being passed on the final lap of the Canadian Grand Prix by Button.

Google translation service adds 5 more Indian languages

Internet search engine giant Google on Tuesday announced the expansion of its translation services to include five more Indian languages — Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu — thus increasing its reach to a potential half a million population.

“Beginning today, you can explore the linguistic diversity of the Indian sub—continent with Google translate, which now supports five new experimental alpha languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu,” said Ashish Venugopal, research scientist at Google.

“In India and Bangladesh alone, more than 500 million people speak these five languages. Since 2009, we’ve launched a total of 11 alpha languages, bringing the current number of languages supported by Google Translate to 63,” he wrote in a Google Blog.

Mr. Venugopal said one can expect translations for these new alpha languages to be less fluent and include many more untranslated words than some of the more mature languages —— like Spanish or Chinese —— which have much more of the web content that powers its statistical machine translation approach.

“Despite these challenges, we release alpha languages when we believe that they help people better access the multilingual web. If you notice incorrect or missing translations for any of our languages, please correct us; we enjoy learning from our mistakes and your feedback helps us graduate new languages from alpha status,” the Google research scientist said.

“Since these languages each have their own unique scripts, we have enabled a transliterated input method for those of you without Indian language keyboards,” he said and hoped that the launch of these new alpha languages will help one better understand the Indic (Indo—Aryan languages) web and encourage the publication of new content in Indic languages, taking Google five alpha steps closer to a web without language barriers.

Australia takes billion-dollar step towards national broadband

The government cleared a major hurdle towards creating a high—speed national internet network Thursday with a multibillion—dollar deal with Australia’s biggest telecommunications company to use its existing cable network.

Telstra Corp said it had signed a deal worth 11 billion Australian dollars (11.59 billion US dollars) with the government—owned NBN Co to use Telstra’s existing underground cable network and infrastructure for the next 35 to 40 years.

Telstra agreed to spend 2 billion Australian dollars upgrading its infrastructure as part of the deal. The company still needs the approval of its shareholders at a meeting on October 18.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard told reporters the deal would accelerate the rollout of the national broadband network and avoid unnecessary duplication.

The aim of the 36—billion—Australian—dollar project is to connect 93 per cent of the population to high—speed broadband by 2018.

The majority of the network would consist of fibre—optic cables with remote areas connected by wireless and satellite services. The rollout of cables has already begun in Tasmania and some regional centres of the mainland.

5 Ways TV Can Hurt Your Health:: By Lisa Collier Cool

By Lisa Collier Cool

Couch potatoes beware: Watching the tube for two to three hours a day or more is linked to higher risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and higher rates of early death from all causes, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The culprit is the couch potato lifestyle that frequently accompanies excessive viewing, the researchers report. With the average American logging five hours a day in front of the tube, sitting is replacing exercise.

TV viewing is associated with unhealthy eating, setting the stage for weight gain, the study indicates. Packing on pounds, in turn, boosts risk for diabetes, heart attacks, and a shorter life. Studies also link excessive tube time to sleep deprivation (another heart health hazard) and even nearsightedness in kids. Don’t blame the TV - it can’t shove you onto the couch or serve up a fast food meal. If your main form of physical activity is pushing buttons on the remote, take a look at how these habits can impact your health:

Follow these type 2 diabetes tips to help manage your blood sugar level.

1. Type 2 Diabetes. About 26 million Americans have diabetes, which quadruples risk for heart attack and stroke. The main risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being overweight, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet (too many fried foods, too much processed meat and sugar-laden beverages), and family history. The JAMA study, which pooled results from earlier studies of 175,938 people, found that two hours of TV viewing daily ups risk by 20 percent.

Best prevention strategies: If you’re heavy, dropping even a few pounds can make a dramatic difference. In a study of people who already had pre-diabetes, those who shed 5 to 7 percent of their body weight (10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person) and exercised 150 minutes per week trimmed risk of progressing to full-blown diabetes by 58 percent. Exercise and weight loss also improve insulin resistance, the problem that leads to diabetes.

2. Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). This includes heart attacks, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain due to reduced blood supply to the heart), stroke and heart failure. The JAMA study found a 15 percent increased risk for fatal or nonfatal CVD among those who watched TV two hours a day. A recent Australian study found that the more screen exposure kids get, the higher the risk that arteries in their eyes will narrow, which could mean CVD later in life.

Best prevention strategies: Avoid smoking, exercise at least 30 minutes for five or more days a week, have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked, and if they’re high, get them under control via diet, exercise and, if necessary, medication. Maintain a healthy weight and reduce stress (exercise helps with both).

Try these 10 surprisingly simple ways to burn calories - without even leaving the house.

3. All-Cause Mortality. The JAMA study found that watching two hours of TV daily boosted risk of death from all causes during the study period by 13 percent. Worse: the risks appeared to rise with TV viewing of more than three hours daily, due to the couch potato lifestyle linked to excessive screen time.

Best prevention strategies: The same healthy habits listed for fighting diabetes and CVD.

4. Sleep Deprivation. We need between seven and eight hours of sleep daily but most adults don’t get that much. According to a National Sleep Foundation study watching the tube in bed or near bedtime is partly to blame. Skimping on slumber lifts risk for obesity, heart attacks, and car accidents. Multiple studies show that light at night, including light from the TV, boosts women’s risk of breast cancer.

Best prevention strategies: Turn off the TV at least one hour before bedtime, since the bright light from the screen stimulates the brain, making it harder to doze off. Develop good sleep hygiene.

5. Nearsightedness in Kids. Myopia (nearsightedness) affects 1.6 billion people globally. By 2020, the number is expected to hit 2.5 billion. Rates are highest in countries where kids watch the most TV and play computer games instead of playing outdoors. In Tokyo and Hong Kong, 30 to 50 percent of kids are myopic, versus 20 percent in the US. Myopic kids spend an average of 4.3 fewer hours per week outside than kids with normal vision and logged about four more hours of TV time weekly, a 2009 study found.

Best prevention strategies: Spending two hours a day outdoors reduces kids’ risk of nearsightedness by encouraging them to focus on objects in the distance, which helps strengthen their eyesight. Outdoor play also helps kids maintain a healthy weight.

Airbus to be release transparent airplane

The sun doesn’t set on the Indian Republic::By Nitin Pai

By Nitin Pai

It all started because the Indian government, reeling from the Great Fiscal Crisis of 2014, decided to tax the foreign income of Indian nationals. All Indian citizens--from the rich taxi driver in Sydney to the poor investment banker on Wall Street--were told to get their PAN numbers forthwith and start paying taxes. The Non-Resident Indian income tax rate was set at 15% and to increase to 22% over the next five years. It was decided to impose severe penalties on non-payment, at the time of passport renewal. Passports would be valid for no more than five years. The legislation effecting this change sailed through parliament, without any debate, within seconds, surprising and infuriating the global community of pravasi bharatiyas and their deshvasi families.

It was Jagmohan Mehta, a bright spark from Navi Pune (then called Boston) who first raised the famous slogan, "No Taxation Without Representation!" If the Indian government wanted to tax NRIs, he argued, it must also give them the right to vote, and seats in the Indian Parliament. Such was the simple force of this argument that in less than a week, it was a ubiquitous banner on the blogs (a quaint early twenty-first century form of self-indulgence) of NRIs around the world. In sympathy, activists fighting for the independent sovereign Liberal Republic of Bombay suspended their agitation and lit their perfumed candles for the NRI Cause instead. Members of New Delhi's civil society--some say as many as fifty--turned up in large numbers to express support for India's growth to be inclusive of NRI taxes. The third United Progressive Alliance (UPA 3) government, under Prime Minister Kapil Sibal, immediately constituted a Empowered Group of Ministers with Civil Society Participation (EGOM) to study the demands and propose recommendations in a time bound manner.

The EGOM supported the idea of creating a new type of political unit called the Extra-territorial State of India. It was a remarkable idea: the Extra-territorial State need not be part of the sovereign territory of the Union of India. It could be just about anywhere. As long as there were sufficient numbers of NRIs located in any geographical region anywhere in the world, that region qualified to be an Extra-territorial State of India. It was decided, over a particularly animated tea-break, that a sufficient number of NRIs for this purpose was 96,580.

It was decided that Extra-territorial States would be treated on par with territorial States in every way. They would form their own governments, have past-their-prime-but-loyal-to-party politicians as Governors, the authority to legislate over subjects in the State and Concurrent lists and participate in Ranji and Duleep trophy tournaments. (IPL, as you know, follows a different process of admitting teams). They would get funds from the Centre to implement programmes named after Nehru and various Gandhis, including NREGA. They would also elect representatives to the Lok Sabha based on the population, with one Lok Sabha MP for every 96,580 persons. Rajya Sabha seats were calculated by some weird logic no one really understood, but since each Extra-territorial State would get at least one Rajya Sabha seat, no one really complained.

Thus was created the first modern global nation-state of which there are so many today. But in the early 21st century it was a novel experiment. Most people agreed it would collapse within a decade. How could a nation with so much diversity and so vast a spread hold together? Little did they know how wrong they would be.

The first five Extra-territorial States thus created were Puthiya Keralam, New Jullundur, Jersey Pradesh, Paschima Kannada and Kizhakku Tamilnad.

Puthiya Keralam, on the southern side of the Persian Gulf, chose New Kottayam--located between the 120th-150th floors of Burj Khalifa--as its capital.

The state of New Jullundur had to let London and Birmingham take turns to be capital. There was a demand for trifurcation of this state, with both the Gujjuland Mukti Morcha and Sindhi Samaj calling for separate feasts until death, causing intense speculation in the prices of flour, onions and potatoes. However, a political crisis was averted when eleventh-hour negotiations succeeded in creating autonomous district councils for each NRI community with more than 50,000 members.

Jersey Pradesh was born in controversy too. A strong and vocal segment of NRIs wanted to name it West Andhra but were outvoted in the internet poll--people suspect that this was due to the Telangana factor. To assuage these raw feelings, its capital, located a few miles south of Newark, was named Entiarnagar.

Surprisingly, Paschima Kannada was not only set up peacefully, but decided to retain Sacramento as its capital. It even purchased much of the Sacramento capitol district, which actually went down well with local Californians who were grateful that someone bailed their bankrupt state out---"not at all a bad exit, given the P/E ratio."

Kizhakku Tamilnad is still the only Extra-territorial State east of the Indian mainland. Its bustling 24X7 capital, as you know, is located inside Mustafa Centre, which at that time was the only building in the world with its own rooftop airport.

So, dear children, this was how our great Republic was forged. Today we have more Extra-territorial States than territorial States, with unrestricted flow of people, money and ideas among them. But don't take for granted the unprecedented ease with which you hop continents while still remaining in India. It might not even have happened if not for our ability to turn a crisis into opportunity.

Chennai Rhinos Won Celebrity cricket Leauge (CCL)

The much hyped Celebrity cricket league matches came to an end on Sunday evening at the Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. The final match was between Chennai celebrity cricket team 'Chennai Rhinos' and Karnataka star team 'Karnataka Bulldozers'.

Chennai Rhinos won the final match and took away the trophy. Stars from Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood and Sandalwood were present at Uppal stadium to witness the matches.

Bollywood film maker Subhash Ghai, Hindi star Shatrughan Sinha, Tamil star Sarath Kumar, Kannada star Ambarish, Radhika Sarath Kumar, actress Sridevi and her husband Boney Kapoor were present at the finals match.

Sridevi gave away the finals trophy to Tamil star team Chennai Rhinos. Actor Abbas and Sarath Kumar recieved the CCL trophy from Sridevi.

Priyamani, Madhushalini, Tashu Kaushik et al were there to cheer the teams. Shriya Saran performed dance after the final match at the stadium.

Chennai Rhinos 188/8 in 20 overs
Karnataka Bulldozers 165/9 in 20 overs
Match Result: Chennai Rhinos won by 23 runs
Man of the Match : Vikranth(Chennai Rhinos)
Cell Champion of the Day: Soniya Agarwal(Chennai Rhinos)

Batsman of the Series : Viishnu Vishal(Chennai Rhinos)
Man of the Series : Dhruva(Karantaka Bulldozers)

Google buying Admeld to boost ad revenues

Internet giant Google Inc, which cashes in on a good portion of the internet’s advertising revenue, on Monday confirmed that it was acquiring Admeld Inc, a team that helps major publishers manage their ad space.

In a blog post, Neal Mohan, Google’s vice president of display advertising, said the acquisition would push it into an “improved era of flexible ad management tools for major publishers.” No price was named, but the Wall Street Journal reported that Google is laying out $400 million for the company.

World's Shortest Man: 23.5-Inch Filipino Man Wins Guinness World Records Title

A 23.5-inch Filipino is the shortest man in the world, Guinness World Records' editor in chief said Sunday, the man's 18th birthday.

Junrey Balawing of Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte province had the title of world's shortest man bestowed on him after a final measurement in front of his townspeople, ABS-CBN News reported.

"I can't imagine anyone else being quite so small," the Philippines news network quoted Guinness Editor in Chief Craig Glenday as saying.

The Manila Bulletin said Balawing, whose parents and three siblings are of normal heights, has a hard time walking and can't stand for very long. He was frequently sick as an infant and his growth virtually stopped at the age of 2, the newspaper said.

Doctors have been unable to find a medical remedy for his physical condition, the newspaper said.

Vettlel's last lap Slip makes win for Jenson Button on Canadian Grand Prix

Jenson Button celebrated his greatest victory on Sunday after overtaking Red Bull's Formula One World champion Sebastian Vettel on the last lap of a rain-delayed Canadian Grand Prix thriller.

Vettel, who skidded wide under relentless pressure just a few corners from the finish, recovered from his error to take second place ahead of Australian teammate Mark Webber.

The race, a chaotic epic packed with incidents that will be remembered as a highlight of any season, had earlier been halted for more than two hours as rain lashed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Button had to fight through from the back of the field to deny the runaway championship leader a sixth victory in seven races.

Collision

Along the way he squeezed McLaren teammate and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton into the wall and out of the race and also collided with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, ending the Spaniard's hopes when his car spun and was stuck on a kerb.

Despite his error, Vettel stretched his overall championship lead to 60 points with the 23-year-old German now on 161 to Button's 101.

“It's definitely my best race ... I'll remember this for a long time,” said Button, the 2009 World champion who had never before won in North America.

Button made six visits to the pit lane — five regular stops and one drive-through penalty — before storming back into contention as the track dried.

The race, punctuated by five safety car periods as well as the rain delay, finished more than four hours after it started.

“We did a lot of things to contribute to the show today but at the end of the day that was just fantastic,” said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.

“We knew we had to put pressure on Sebastian and he made a mistake. You can forgive him for that. He's driven so well this year but Jenson was just incredible. That's the stuff of champions, that's the stuff of dreams.

“He had the confidence, he went for it, he just attacked and attacked. What a fantastic result for him and the team.”

Schumacher fourth

Seven-time World champion Michael Schumacher, a seven-time winner in Canada, narrowly missed out on the first podium of his comeback by bringing his Mercedes home in fourth place.

Russian Vitaly Petrov finished fifth for Renault while Brazilian Felipe Massa forced his way past Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi on the line in a virtual photo-finish.

Jaime Alguersuari was eighth for Toro Rosso, a big boost for the Spaniard whose teammate Sebastien Buemi was 10th, with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello scoring points for Williams for the second race running.

The stewards, one of them Brazil's former World champion Emerson Fittipaldi, had their hands full with a list of incidents under scrutiny but decided no further action was required and the results stood.

That allowed the 31-year-old Button to celebrate one of Formula One's greatest charges to secure his 10th career victory.

The race was one of two parts, first water-logged with drivers urging for it to be halted on safety grounds and the next exploding into action after the halt as the rain lifted and a dry line emerged.

Vettel, starting on pole for the sixth time this season and behind the safety car, was leading when the race was red-flagged and cars ordered to park on the starting grid after just 24 of the scheduled 70 laps had been completed.

Long delay

After one of the longest delays in Formula One, he was back in front again but under pressure after Button made the right tyre call at the right time and began to take huge chunks of time out of the German's lead.

The race was the first run in wet weather this season, a new challenge for tyre supplier Pirelli, and the heavy spray and standing water made for a tough afternoon as cars skidded and spun out around the circuit. Hamilton's bid for a Canadian GP hat-trick, after winning on two of his previous three visits, ended after just eight laps when he tried to get past Button along the pit straight and they collided.

“What's he doing?” Button asked over the team radio while Hamilton parked his damaged car on the track, bringing out the safety car.

Hamilton, who was involved in two collisions in the previous race in Monaco, had also tangled earlier with Webber. “I think Lewis thought the chequered flag was in Turn Three,” joked the Australian.

HRT's best result

Hispania (HRT) chalked up its best result to date. Both drivers — Vitantonio Liuzzi, who finished 13th and Narain Karthikeyan 17th — overtook cars. Narain Karthikeyan lost positions after being unaware the team had switched him to dry tyres and slipping on the wet.

No points for Force India

Points eluded Force India as Paul di Resta ended 18th and Adrian Sutil failed to even finish the race. di Resta and Sutil raced hard but were unable to convert their effort into points finishes.

The results:

1. Jenson Button (McLaren) 2:04:39.537, 2. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) 2:04:42.246, 3. Mark Webber (Red Bull), 2:04:53.365, 4. Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) 2:04:53.756, 5. Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 2:04:59.932, 6. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 2:05:12.762, 7. Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) 2:05:12.807, 8. Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) 2:05:15.501, 9. Rubens Barrichello (Williams) 2:05:24.654, 10. Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) 2:05:26.593, 11. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 2:05:29.991, 12. Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) 2:05:43.144, 13. Vitantonio Liuzzi (HRT) +1 lap, 14. Jerome d'Ambrosio (Virgin), +1 lap, 15. Timo Glock (Virgin) +1 lap, 16. Jarno Trulli (Team Lotus) +1 lap, 17. Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) +1 lap, 18. Paul di Resta (Force India) +3 laps retired, 19. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) retired, 20. Nick Heidfeld (Renault) accident, 21. Adrian Sutil (Force India) retired, 22. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) accident, 23. Heikki Kovalainen (Team Lotus) retired, 24. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) accident.

World championship standings: Drivers: 1. Sebastian Vettel 161 pts., 2. Jenson Button 101, 3. Mark Webber 94, 4. Lewis Hamilton 85, 5. Fernando Alonso 69, 6. Felipe Massa 32, 7. Vitaly Petrov 31, 8. Nick Heidfeld 29, 9. Michael Schumacher 26, 10. Nico Rosberg 26, 11. Kamui Kobayashi 25, 12. Adrian Sutil 8, 13. Sebastien Buemi 8, 14. Jaime Alguersuari 4, 15. Rubens Barrichello 4, 16. Sergio Perez 2, 17. Paul di Resta 2.

Constructors: 1. Red Bull 255 pts., 2. McLaren 186, 3. Ferrari 101, 4. Lotus-Renault 60, 5. Mercedes GP 52, 6. Sauber 27, 7. Toro Rosso 12, 8. Force India 10, 9. Williams 4.

Tablet war hots up, By launch Playbook this month

After mobile phones, the competition is hotting up for “tablets” in India with BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) all set to launch its PlayBook in the country later this month, to face the likes of Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

The Canadian firm will launch PlayBook in Indian markets and some other countries this month, sources said. According to the company’s website, the PlayBook is scheduled to be launched in 16 countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, UAE and India.

“The price is going to be competitive with the other products and in line with the global pricing as well,” they said.

The price in India could range between Rs 22,000 and Rs 32,000, depending upon its storage capacity, from 16 GB to 64 GB.

Globally, PlayBook is available at USD 499, USD 599 and USD 699 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, respectively.

Since the launch of Apple’s iPad, the tablet market is witnessing huge competition, with new contenders launching their devices. A tablet PC, though smaller in size, has PC-like functionalities.

Apple’s rival in the computing space, Dell had launched the ‘Streak’ last year in India, while homegrown telecom handset makers like Spice and Olive have also launched similar devices at much lower price points.

The BlackBerry tablet has received a mixed response from the markets where it has been launched. According to reports, unlike rival iPad, which sold like hot cakes on its launch in April last year, the PlayBook just sold 50,000 copies in the first week of its launch on April 19 in the US and Canada.

BlackBerry has over one million users in India and RIM would target them.

The PlayBook is a seven-inch tablet that runs on a new operating system built by QNX Software Systems - a RIM unit that makes software used to run everything from cars to nuclear reactors.

On a PlayBook, users can go online only using a Wi-Fi network or by synchronising the device to their BlackBerry smartphones.

According to analysts, sales in the tablet PC segment in India are expected to touch one million units over the next 12 months.

With 3G (high-speed internet services) being rolled out aggressively, the opportunity has only expanded, they said.

Andy Murray beats Tsonga in Queen's final

Andy Murray clinched his second Queen's title with a 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final on Monday.

Murray, who also won the Wimbledon warm-up event in 2009, is the first Briton to lift the Queen's trophy twice since Francis Gordon Lowe achieved his second of three titles in 1914.

It was also Murray's first ATP title since beating Roger Federer at the Shanghai Masters in October.

This gutsy victory was the perfect confidence boost for the world number four ahead of Wimbledon, which starts in a week's time.

Murray arrived in west London to begin his grass-court campaign nursing serious concerns over the ankle ligament injury he suffered at Roland Garros. But the second seed has been able to put aside those fears as the ankle held up well and the manner of this come-from-behind win will have pleased him even more.

Tsonga had beaten Murray in a friendly game of table-tennis as they waited in vain for the rain to relent on Sunday, but it was not a lucky omen for the fifth seed in the rescheduled final.

He started well and staved off a break point in the third game when his volley clipped the top of the net and dropped beyond Murray's reach. Tsonga took advantage of that narrow escape to land the first blow as he broke for a 4-2 lead when he correctly challenged that his forehand was in.

The flamboyant Frenchman has a well-deserved reputation as one of the game's great entertainers and he showed off his trademark diving volley, as well as an athletic overhead smash, to keep Murray at bay in the next game.

Murray was struggling to find the majestic form that demolished three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick in less than an hour in the semifinals. Roddick had pleaded with Murray to “keep it social” during that rout but Tsonga was a far more obdurate opponent.

Even when Murray produced a sublime pass on the run to bring up two break points at 3-5, Tsonga came up with a perfect forehand followed by a big serve to get out of trouble and clinch the first set.

To his credit, Murray kept battling away. He had four break points for a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Tsonga found a way out of trouble each time. Tsonga had two break points of his own at 5-5 and this time Murray caught a break as a net cord saved the second.

Both players were at their best now and Murray's remarkable forehand through his legs was met with more Tsonga acrobatics as the Frenchman held serve to set up a tie-break. Murray would not be denied though. He kept the pressure on and, aided by some wayward Tsonga ground-strokes, he easily won the breaker to earn a final set decider.

It was Murray who threatened first at 1-1, but the Scot squandered his ninth and 10th break points of the match. There was no sign of Murray easing off, however, and he finally broke for the first time when Tsonga drifted a forehand wide in the fifth game.

Murray's confidence was sky-high and he moved 5-3 ahead with a between-the-legs winner from an acute angle near the net.

There was no way back for Tsonga and he finally seemed to surrender as Murray served out the win

Mini spy satellites to track terrorists from space

The U.S. military will soon be using mini satellites called CubeSats, which can be quickly and inexpensively built and operated, to keep tabs on terrorists and other suspects.

“Orbital assets can provide persistent, worldwide coverage — anywhere, anytime,” Discovery News quoted Wes Ticer, spokesman with the U.S. Special Operations Command at Florida’s MacDill Air Force Base, as saying.

The miniature satellites, which are small enough to fit in the palm of the hand, were first launched in December, and data from that debut run is still being analysed by U.S. Special Operations Command.

They were launched aboard the Space Exploration Technologies’ Falcon 9 rocket, the same vessel that carried the company’s first Dragon capsule into orbit.

“This effort was a proof-of-concept technology demonstration,” Ticer wrote in an email.

Apple plans new spaceship headquarters

Apple is planning a new headquarters shaped like a spaceship, which it hopes will be the best office building in the world.

The ambitious plans were unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs before the Cupertino City Council. Jobs broke into his indefinite medical leave to showcase the new design, which is planned to house 12,600 workers in a four-storey, ring-shaped building with a massive garden in its centre.

“It’s a little like a spaceship landed,” Jobs told the council.

“There is not a single straight piece of glass in this building. I think we do have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I really do think architecture students will come here to see this, I think it can be that good.”

Jobs said that Apple “is growing like a weed” as the success of its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers make it the world’s most valuable tech company.

“We’ve got almost 12,000 people in the area,” said Jobs. “So we’re renting buildings, not very good buildings either, at an ever greater radius from our campus and we’re putting people in those. It’s clear that we need to build a new campus.”

Apple has occupied its current campus, Infinite Loop, since 1993, but that holds just 2,600 workers. Jobs said that Apple hopes to break ground on its new headquarters next year and move in by 2015.

Rafael Nadal Won his sixth French Open against Federer

Rafael Nadal held off an inspired fightback from Roger Federer to win a record-levelling sixth title at the French Open Sunday as he beat the Swiss 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1 in a final, interrupted briefly by rain.

Top seed Nadal moved alongside Bjorn Borg, who won his six at Roland Garros between 1974 and 1981.

Federer has not beaten Nadal in five meetings at the event, with the Spaniard winning finals from 2006-2008 and lifting a 2005 semi-final.

Nadal’s victory saved his world number one ranking and keeps Novak Djokovic from seizing the top honour for a first time. Federer remains third.

Nadal stands 45-1 at the event, with his only loss coming in 2009 against Swede Robin Soderling in the fourth round, the year Federer won the trophy.

“This is more than a tennis tournament to me,” said an emotional Nadal, who fell to his knees on the clay as Federer sent a forehand long to end the exciting confrontation after three hours, 40 minutes.

“It’s much more special than that. I’m filled with emotion, I’m very satisfied, I’m very fortunate.” Nadal was presented his trophy by Jim Courier, who won the title in Paris 20 years ago, over Andre Agassi.

Federer, who has lost four Paris finals to his rival, admitted disappointment but was pleased with his own showing over the fortnight.

“Rafa has proved again that he’s the best on clay,” said the Swiss native. “I’m sorry to lose but I played a good match.

“It’s disappointing to lose another one, but I’m proud of my two weeks here and how I played.” Federer went to the attack from the start, with his 53 winners in symmetry with 56 unforced errors. He fired 11 aces to four for Nadal and broke on five of his 15 chances. Nadal converted seven of 15.

Federer got off a flyer with a 5-2 lead in the opening set, but missed his chance to grab an early command as Nadal saved a set point in the eighth game in a clawback, which would eventually land him the set after 62 minutes, as he broke Federer’s last two times at serve.

Nadal consolidated despite brilliant strategy from Federer, who moved him well around the court, firing deep into the corners. But the Spaniard’s incredible retrieving powers saved him.

The Spaniard eventually earned a two-sets-to-love lead in a set which began with a break of the Swiss-third seed, included a Federer recovery, but ended in a tiebreaker with which Nadal ran away.

The second set was interrupted for 12 minutes after Federer saved a set point and resumed as he saved another before Nadal won in the decider.

The world number three Swiss again fought back in the third, winning his first set of the afternoon to end a streak of 19 straight for Nadal over the course of the fortnight.

Federer trailed 4-2, but steadily gained ground and broke Nadal for a 6-5 lead at the three-hour mark. But the fourth set was a blowout as Nadal swept it in 32 minutes with two breaks and a victory on first match point.

Li Na makes First Title for China

China’s long wait for a Grand Slam champion ended Saturday when Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6—4, 7—6 (0) in the French Open final.

The Australian Open runner—up fell flat on her back in the red clay after Schiavone hit a backhand long on match point.

The crowd at Roland Garros was dotted with red Chinese flags and a small vocal group supporting Schiavone. And despite dropping her serve for the only time late in the second set, Li won the final nine points of the match to earn her first major title.

On Sunday, five—time champion Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer in the men’s final.

The title was only Li’s fifth in her career, and first on clay.

She was broken only once by the defending champion, while she converted two of her eight break points - one in each set. She finished with 31 winners, while Schiavone had only 12.

Li took a 3—2 lead in the first when Schiavone sent a forehand wide. She held at love in the next two games, and then won the set when Schiavone sent a forehand long.

The Chinese player opened the second set with her second break of the match, and then saved Schiavone’s first break point in the next game with an ace. But Schiavone broke back in the eighth game to even the score at 4—4.

Both players held the rest of the way, but Schiavone came within two points of winning the set on five occasions, three times at 5—5 and two more at 6—6.

Although Li has said she is not a big fan of playing on clay, her power and precision worked well against Schiavone, who last year became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.

For Li, the year started well but soon took a dip.

After losing to Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open final, the 29—year—old Li lost her next four matches. But she recovered her form shortly before the French Open, reaching the semifinals in Madrid.

By winning Saturday, Li is expected to jump to No. 4 in the women’s rankings, equaling the record for the highest ranking by a woman from Asia. Japanese player Kimiko Date—Krumm has also been ranked No. 4.

Both Li and Schiavone came into the final with plenty of experience. Combined, they were the oldest pair in a women’s Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 1998, when Jana Novotna, 29, beat Nathalie Tauziat, 30.