Updates for you

Microsoft Corp unveiled faster, more powerful versions of its Surface tablet computer in an effort to boost poor sales of its flagship hardware product and mount a stronger challenge to Apple Inc's iPad. The Surface is key to Microsoft's plan to reinvent itself as a devices and services company, but the revamp comes less than a year after it brought out its own computers for the first time and failed to put a dent in the market. It has racked up only $853 million in sales while generating a $900 million charge for unsold inventory. At an event in New York on Monday, Microsoft unveiled two new machines and a range of accessories promising faster processing, better battery life and more apps. The new Surface 2, which runs on a low-power chip designed by ARM Holdings Plc, starts at $449 for the 32 GB version, not including a snap-on keyboard starting at $120. That is slightly less than Apple's latest wifi-only 32GB iPad, which costs $599. The new Surface

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to ask Sachin Tendulkar to retire after his 200th Test against West Indies in November. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, sources within the BCCI have confirmed that since Tendulkar has not given any indication of announcing his Test retirement, he will be asked by the board to make way for younger blood. However, given Tendulkar’s experience and seniority, the officials are in a puzzle to who could take up the topic with the batting maestro. The report mentions that, it will be a BCCI administrator and not the selectors who are likely to raise the topic. The top BCCI official who spoke to the newspaper has said that the selection committee cannot drop him as long as he keeps himself available for the selection. "At the same time his batting frailties have become too stark to ignore. He could not face a bowler like Monty Panesar in home conditions. He was further exposed in the series against Austral

Indian women account for 15 % of the global burden of heart disease which kills about 15 million people every year. The focus of the World Heart Day (marked Sep 29) this year is on women and children, as heart diseases have emerged as the number one killer for Indian women, according to doctors. "Till recent times, it was believed that heart diseases are mostly confined to males, but statistics and reports from various medical studies have established that cardiac ailments are claiming more women (victims)," said LK Jha, senior cardiologist at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. Indian women account for 15 % of the global burden of heart disease which kills about 15 million people every year. "Heart disease is actually the num

More than 2,000 participants took part in a walkathon organised by Narayana Health to mark the World Heart Day on Sunday. The event emphasised the importance of walking for a healthy heart. Doctors, clinical and hospital staff took part in the walkathon. It was flagged off by Additional Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant. It started off at St Martha’s Heart Centre. Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Health, also participated in the walkathon. On the occasion, he stressed on the benefits of walking and said it improves blood circulation and keeps blood pressure at bay. Earlier, BGS Global Hospitals had held a free cardiac check-up camp for police personnel on Friday to mark the occasion. DG&IGP Lal Rokhuma Pachuau and Inspector General of Police Grievances and Human Rights Alok Kumar were among those participated in this event. Dr Anand Subrahmanyam, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, BGS Global Hospitals, said that police were under tremendous stress, the

Not a fan of the salt and pepper look? Try potato peel, black tea, henna and more to hide grey strands. Celebrity hairstylist Asgar Saboo reveals tricks to get your natural hair colour back: Henna pack: To prepare the pack, collect henna leaves from henna plant. Then make a fresh paste by grinding the leaves. Add three teaspoons of amla powder into it. You can also add one teaspoon of coffee powder. Take a small amount of curd and mix all the ingredients. Apply the pack on hair and leave it till it dries. Then wash it off with a mild shampoo. Potato peel rinse: Take around five potatoes and peel them. Put the peels in a cup. Take a pan and pour two cups of cold water then add the peels. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for five minutes. Place the pan away from stove and then let it cool. After it completely cools down, strain the liquid out and save it. Add a few drops of sandalwood oil for aroma and pour the cool mixture into a glass container with tight fit

A new study suggests that eating walnuts may cut the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease of overweight adults. Dr. David Katz, lead author of the study and director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, and his colleagues recruited 46 adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) higher than 25 with waist circumferences exceeding 40 inches for men and 35 for women. They were also non-smokers and candidates of diabetes and heart disease. The participants were divided into two groups based on the diet: walnut diet and without walnut. Those who were chosen for the walnut diet consumed 56 grams of walnuts per day during the eight-week monitoring period. They have the discretion to eat it as a snack or include it in their meal. After eight weeks, the researchers evaluated the participants’ health indicators for diabetes and heart disease. They measured the flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of the arteries, serum lipid panel, glucose

Apple on Monday announced that it had sold 9 million new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models, just three days after the launch of the new devices on 20 September. The iPhone 5 had sold over 5 million devices over the launch weekend. Apple’s latest sales number is big, given that analysts had predicted that Apple would sell between 6 million and 8 million models during the first weekend. In addition to that Apple’s new iOS 7 has seen over 200 million downloads, and Apple claims that the rate of upgrades from iOS 6 to iOS 7 is its fastest ever. Apple's iPhone 5s is seen in this file photo. Reuters Apple’s iPhone 5s is seen in this file photo. Reuters Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO said in a press release. “The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we’ve sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly.” Incidentally Tim Cook has just recently joined Twitter and he tweeted out about the success of the iPhone,

People who spend too much time browsing social media could be squandering their memories or losing important information, a new study has warned. Contrary to common wisdom, an idle brain is in fact doing important work - and in the age of constant information overload, it's a good idea to go offline on a regular basis, according to a researcher from Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Erik Fransen, whose research focuses on short-term memory and ways to treat diseased neurons, said that a brain exposed to a typical session of social media browsing can easily become hobbled by information overload. The result is that less information gets filed away in your memory. The problem begins in a system of the brain commonly known as the working memory, or what most people know as short-term memory. That's the system of the brain that we need when we communicate, Fransen said. "Working memory enables us to filter out inf

READ MORE safe sex | Obesity | junk food | infertility | adulthood Beat infertility before turning an adult What you sow in your teens, you reap in adulthood. Here's what you need to know to beat infertility Every year, between 15 and 20 million young couples across the world suffer from infertility, says the 2012 report of the International Institute of Population Sciences. Notwithstanding its ever-surging population, India too is witnessing a worrisome spike in infertility rates. Experts tell us that the seeds of infertility are sown in the teenage years; reasons range from a diet seeped in junk food to promiscuity. Here's what you should be wary of to avoid infertility when your grows up. Fat chance Most teenagers, who like to indiscriminately indulge their taste buds and don't bother piling on the kilos, should know that obesity is notorious for interfering with fertility in men and women. Dr Kaustubh Kulkarni, IV

L’Oreal, the world’s largest beauty and cosmetic company, has acquired Cheryl’s Cosmeceuticals, a Mumbai-based professional skincare brand, for an undisclosed amount. Jean-Christophe Letellier (pictured), managing director, L’Oreal India, said the company is bullish on the Indian market and plans to grow the professional division of the company, which currently accounts for 20% of the turnover. About 70% of the revenues comes from consumer products and 10% from luxury & active cosmetics, which includes brands such as Vichy,  Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren fragrances. “We plan to go deeper into the market every year. And for this we will increase the number of salons by 5,000 every year.” The acquisition would h

Manila: Super Typhoon Usagi, the most powerful storm of the year, brought torrential rain and strong winds to the Philippines and Taiwan on Saturday, uprooting trees and knocking out power as it barrelled towards Hong Kong. The typhoon battered the Batanes island group in the far north of the Philippines overnight with gusts of up to 250 kilometres per hour, affecting communication lines and damaging crops, officials said. "The winds are very strong. I cannot even go out now," Batanes governor Vicente Gato told DZBB radio in Manila. "Many trees have been uprooted and we have no electricity," he said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center issued its highest alert, with flooding recorded in four regions of the main island of Luzon, the country's most populous area, while several roads and bridges were rendered impassable by overflowing rivers or landslides. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, although eme

The biggest health issue of the developed world – obesity is catching up with our urban population in India.  A survey conducted by Fitho – an online weight loss diet plan service company, found that almost three out of four respondents were overweight.  46% (almost half) were obese with a BMI higher than 25 and that both men and women were equally overweight. It also found that women tended to become overweight two years before men. The average BMI of the respondents was 25.5. Not just about looking pretty It’s important to remember that obesity isn’t just about aesthetics; it is a direct indicator of various health-related ailments like diabetes, heart disease and other lifestyle disorders. In fact, India has already been bestowed the title of the ‘diabetes capital of the world’ and the problem is compounded by the fact that Indians are far more prone to cardiovascular illnesses due to the environment we live in and genetic mutation ----------------------------

  Science is peppered with stories of discovery, with some of the biggest breakthroughs coming from seemingly everyday occurrences. One of the oldest and well-known tale revolves around Archimedes' legendary “Eureka!” moment when he realised the principle of buoyancy while taking a bath. But did the event actually happen, or was it an ancient story that got misinterpreted as the years went by? Let's have a closer look into this discovery story. The story Archimedes's tale takes place some 2,200 years ago when King Hieron II of Syracuse in Sicily gave a jeweller a bar of gold and ordered him to make it into a crown. The king, however, suspected that the jeweller had substituted some of the gold for cheaper metal like silver, while pocketing the leftover gold. The king had no way of proving his suspicions, so he asked Archimedes – a Greek  mathematician, engineer, inventor, and astronomer – to find a definitive answer. Archimedes had spent a long time t

Two senior Pakistani military officers and a soldier have been killed in a roadside bomb close to the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban have said they were responsible for the deaths. One of the men who died was a major general - a rare high-ranking casualty in Pakistan's war against militants. The blast happened as the Taliban outlined a number of pre-conditions it wants met before it will take part in peace talks with the government. Senior figure The three men were returning from inspecting the army's border posts in Khyber Paktunkhwa province when the blast happened. According to the Associated Press news agency, the most senior of them - Maj Gen Sanaullah Niazi - was the top commander in Swat Valley, where the military carried out a major offensive against the Taliban in 2009. Pakistani political parties have endorsed peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban to end a decade of fighting.

Drinking orange juice every day may help prevent cancer, new research has claimed. Orange juice has many potential positive effects when it comes to cancer, particularly because it is high in antioxidants from flavonoids such as hesperitin and naringinin, researchers said. Biological effects of orange juice in vitro are largely influenced by the juice's composition, which is dependent on physiological conditions of the oranges such as climate, soil, fruit maturation, and storage methods post-harvest. The review article, published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, summarises several biological effects of orange juice that can contribute to chemo-prevention, including antioxidant, antimutagenic and antigenotoxic, cytoprotective, hormonal, and cell signalling modulating effects. Orange juice has antimicrobial and antiviral action and modulates the absorption of xenobiotics, researchers said. "Orange juice could contribute to chemo-prevention at every stage of c

LONDON: Move over, passwords . US-based scientists have developed a new software that can enable your touch screen smart phone to identify you simply by the unique way you tap and swipe on the device. The software, Silent-Sense , developed by Cheng Bo and his colleagues at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has demonstrated 99% accuracy in tests. It uses the phone's built-in sensors to record the unique patterns of pressure, duration , fingertip size and position of each user when interacting with their phone or tablet, Bo said. Machine learning algorithms then turn this information into a signature that identifies the user — and will lock out anyone whose usage patterns do not match, New Scientist reported. The system's accuracy can be further enhanced by enabling the smartphone's accelerometer and gyroscope to measure how much the screen moves when you are jabbing at it. They can also pick up on your unique gait as you walk while using the scre

London: A new study suggests that mixing alcohol with energy drinks such as Red Bull could be even worse for your heart and nervous system than it was previously thought. Research has linked high- caffeine cocktails with heart problems and anxiety, and a top brain expert fears the drinks could be a health disaster, the Daily Star reported. Professor Peter Miller, from Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, said that most research has only looked at the effects of one shot and one energy drink. That ignores the fact that many party-goers knock back several in a night. People who have energy drinks tend to stay out longer and so get through more alcohol, studies revealed. Others found those who neck them are more likely to drink-drive, get in a fight or injure themselves while

Beijing: At least 180 students fell ill after having milk and cookies at an elementary school in central China's Hunan Province. Students from a school in Xinhua County were hospitalised after they reported having headaches, stomachache and vomiting in the last four days, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today. They have been sent to local hospitals for treatment. So far 168 students had been discharged from hospital, while 12 remain for further observation, the report quoted county government as saying. The milk and cookies supplied to the students have been sealed and samples have been sent to the provincial disease control and prevention centre for investigation, it said. According to the county government, preliminary investigation shows that milk might have caused the incident. Further investigation into the matter is underway. source:Zee News

Why obesity cases have shot up in Mumbai Mumbai has seen a 100 per cent rise in Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome cases. We break down the lifestyle disorder by talking to an entrepreneur who overcame it While driving to his relative's Thane residence on a winter afternoon, Anand Premani, a 31-year-old Kurla-based textile businessman, suddenly dozed off. Premani says, "Thank God I did not crash into someone." That particular drive, a year and a half ago, pulled him down with sleep so uncontrollable that he had to halt every 10 minutes to recover. Unfortunately for Premani, this was not meant to be a one-off episode. Soon, he realised he could not sit at his shop for more than 20 minutes because he would doze off. At family functions, Premani would be found napping in a corner. "I was perpetually fatigued. After climbing two flights of stairs, I had to wait 10 minutes to just be able to talk," he says. A blood test inform

A study of healthcare costs by Tobacco in India estimated that in 2004, the direct medical costs of treating smokeless tobacco-related diseases in the country amounted to $285 million. About 250 million adults consume smokeless tobacco in the 11 countries of the WHO's south-east Asia region, which constitutes 90% of global smokeless tobacco users. India lays claim to 32% men and 18.4% women, who consume smokeless tobacco costing the country $389 million. A study of healthcare costs by Tobacco in India estimated that in 2004, the direct medical costs of treating smokeless tobacco-related diseases in the country amounted to $285 million. The indirect morbidity costs of smokeless tobacco use which includes the cost of caregivers and value of work loss due to illness amounted to $104 million taking the total cost of diseases caused by smokeless tobacco use was $89 million (about Rs 17.9 billion) in 2004. This figure is in addition to the 250