The Mind-Boggling Numbers Behind India's Election

By The Associated Press: With more than 800 million eligible voters and close to a million polling stations across the country, everything about India's general elections promises to be huge. For six weeks beginning Monday, Indians will head to the polls in nine phases for parliamentary elections in the world's biggest democracy.

Some of the mind-boggling numbers:

• 1.2 billion: India's population.
• 814.5 million: Eligible voters.
• 543: Constituencies where elections are being held.
• 11 million: Election officials, paramilitary officers and police who will preside over the voting process.
• 1.4 million: Electronic voting machines set up for the election.
• $600 million: What the government will spend to conduct the election.
• $72,800 to $113,250: What each political candidate is allowed to spend on his or her election campaign.
• 935,000: Polling stations.
• 28,000: Transgender voters who registered. For the first time, India offered a third gender choice — "other" on voter registration forms.

Courtesy: http://abcnews.go.com/, Source: flickr.com

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33% girls worldwide denied education

About one third of all girl population in the world are denied opportunities to education, Rudi Klausnitzer, a board member of children's development organization Plan International, said on Thursday. Klausnitzer made the comments on the first United Nations International Day of the Girl Child, as he presented a report entitled "Because I Am a Girl 2012," on the plight of girls around the world, the APA reported. Plan International examined seven African nations to determine the causes of the lack of schooling and highlighted a lack of funds for books, pencils, and school uniforms among others In many countries girls were also victims of sexual abuse, with early pregnancies another reason why many girls stop going to school. In Liberia, about two-thirds of those surveyed knew of at least one girl who had become pregnant over the previous two school years. In Ghana 83 percent of parents said they feared their daughters could become pregnant after beginning at school. Plan also said many girls needed to work up to eight hours a day at home. Hunger and extreme poverty were two other major problems, and there are instances where parents often prefer to send sons rather than daughters to school if given the choice. The "Because I Am a Girl" report recommended nine years of education for girls to break intergenerational problems stemming from poverty.Source: China.org.cn

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Cnooc making China's largest acquisition with Canada's Nexen for $15.1 bn

China National Offshore Oil Corp (Cnooc), the country's largest offshore oil producer, yesterday struck a deal to acquire Canada's sixth-largest oil producer Nexen Inc for about $15.1 billion in cash. If the deal goes through, it would mark the largest ever overseas hydrocarbon acquisition by a Chinese entity. Beijing-based Cnooc will pay $27.50 per share in cash, representing a premium of 61 per cent to the Calgary-based company's 20 July closing price on the New York Stock Exchange. The deal value of approximately $15.1 billion will be paid by Cnooc through existing cash resources and external financing. Nexen's current debt of around $4.3 billion will remain outstanding, and both companies expect the transaction to close in the fourth quarter of 2012, subject to government approvals. The agreement provides Cnooc to match a superior proposal and a break-up fee of $425 million if Nexen withdraws or modifies the agreed deal, while Cnooc will the pay the same amount if Chinese regulators turn down the deal. The transaction has to be approved by regulators in Canada, the US, the EU (if required) and China. However, the deal could fall through as the Canadian government can block any investment worth over C$330 million if it thinks the deal is not in Canada's best interests. Highlighting the transaction benefits to Canada and to soothe its regulators, Cnooc said that it will establish Calgary as its North and Central American headquarters, which will manage Nexen's global operations and Cnooc's $8 billion worth of existing operations in the region. It will continue with Nexen's current management team and employees, enhance capital expenditures on Nexen's assets, and plans to list Cnooc on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The acquisition of Nexen expands Cnooc's overseas businesses and complements its large offshore production footprint in China. It also extends its global presence with a high-quality asset base in many of the world's most significant producing regions focused on conventional oil and gas, oil sands and shale gas, Cnooc said in a statement. Wang Yilin, chairman of Cnooc said, "The acquisition reflects our strong belief in Nexen's rich and diverse portfolio of assets and world-class management and employees. This is an exciting opportunity for us to build on our existing joint venture relationship with Nexen in Canada, and to acquire a leading international platform in the process. We strongly believe that this acquisition will create long-term value for CNOOC Limited's shareholders." Both companies are familiar with each other, having formed a joint venture late last year, which gave Cnooc a stake in up to six deepwater exploration wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Nexen currently produces approximately 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the top leaseholders in the deepwater Gulf. It also has a significant discovery at Appomattox, 2,200 meters of water in Mississippi Canyon blocks 391 and 392, containing at least 250 million barrels of contingent recoverable resource. It has a 20-per cent interest in Appomattox, while the remaining is held by Shell - the operator of the blocks. Shell and Nexen had made an initial discovery in the deepwater eastern Gulf of Mexico in 2003 with the Shiloh discovery. A second discovery followed in 2007 at Vicksburg located about 10km east of Appomattox. Nexen has recently been looking for partners to fund the development of its oil and gas assets. Late last year, it sold a 40-per cent stake in its northeast British Columbia shale gas assets to Japan's Inpex Corp led consortium, for C$700 million ($678.7 million). (See: Canada's Nexen to sell 40-% stake in shale gas assets to Japan's Inpex for C$700 mn). Nexen has global operations in the oilsands, natural gas region of Western Canada and in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Africa and the Middle East. The company had 900 mmboe of proved reserves and 1,122 mmboe of probable reserves as of 31 December, 2011, and produced an average of 213,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the second quarter of this year. Analysts expected Cnooc to make a move on Nexen after the Chinese oil giant in November 2011 acquired bankrupt oil sands developer Opti Canada for C$2.1-billion ($2.04 billion). The deal gave Cnooc a 35-per cent stake in the Long Lake oil sands project, which can produce 58,500 barrels of oil per day, and three other oil sands leases located in the Athabasca region of Alberta. The Long Lake project and three other oil sands leases are jointly owned by Opti and Nexen, where Nexen is the sole operator of the Long Lake project. Oil sands are deposits of heavy oil, or bitumen, found in sand and clay, which requires treating and upgrading for use in refineries to produce gasoline and diesel fuels. Cnooc has already invested C$2.8 billion in Canada since 2005, which includes a stake in MEG Energy, OPTI Canada, and a 60 per cent interest in Northern Cross (Yukon) Ltd. China has been scouting for oil and mineral assets around the globe and its oil companes have recently invested more than C$18 billion through joint ventures and partial stakes in the Alberta oil sands region, the largest known crude deposit outside the Middle East. Source: domain-b

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1 in 2 countries struggling to deal with cancer: WHO

A recent survey conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) for the World Cancer Day warns more than half of all countries worldwide are struggling to prevent cancer and provide treatment and chronic care to cancer patients. The survey revealed that 7.6 million People died from cancer worldwide in 2008 and every year almost 13 million cancer cases are newly diagnosed. And already more than two-thirds of these new cancer cases and deaths occur in developing countries where cancer incidence continues to increase at alarming rates. Currently many countries do not have a functional cancer control plan that includes prevention, early detection, treatment and care. Research suggests that currently a third of all cancer deaths are due to modifiable risks including tobacco use, obesity, harmful use of alcohol and infections. If detected early many types of cancer such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer can be successfully cured. In a statement, Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO Assistant Director-General for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health Unit said "Cancer should not be a death sentence anywhere in the world, as there are proven ways to prevent and cure many cancers". The recent survey on national capacity for non-communicable diseases, which included responses from 185 countries also revealed major gaps in cancer control planning and services. Even if countries developed cancer plans or policies, many countries are struggling to move from commitment to action. Only 17% of the African countries and 27% of the low-income countries have cancer control plans with a budget to support implementation. World Cancer Day will be observed on 4 February. This year, the campaign focuses on improving general knowledge around cancer and dispelling misconceptions about the disease.  Source: Current Affairs

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Seal Beach Marathoner helps in New York

CLEANUP DUTY. Kristen Boscia helps pile up debris on Staten Island instead of running in the New York Marathon, Photo courtesy Kristen Boscia

By Ashleigh Ruhl: “You may have cancelled the marathon, but not my spirit,” Kristen Boscia says she told New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Wearing her orange race jersey, Boscia, 38, met the mayor on Staten Island the weekend the New York City Marathon was originally scheduled to take place — the weekend after Superstorm Sandy made landfall. Although the race had been canceled, Boscia donned her bright orange race jersey and decided to lend a helping hand and a backpack full of donations to the victims in Sandy’s wake. The Seal Beach resident and world traveler was hoping to complete her third full marathon (she has also run in 24 half marathons and a handful of triathlons and other related athletic feats, including hiking to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa — earlier this year). She said it was devastating to hear that the race had been canceled, especially considering that she had been on a waiting list to participate in the marathon for more than three years. “While I was on my flight Friday afternoon to New York, I saw on television that the marathon had been cancelled,” she explained. “At first, I was shocked … the race was only a day-and-a-half away, and I wished they would have cancelled it earlier so that I could have avoided flying out. But then I started to think there must be a bigger reason why I was flying out.” Bosica searched online until she found information about a group of runners — some from other states or even other countries who had come to NYC for the marathon — who planned to help the victims of the natural disaster. So, she joined more than 1,200 marathoners who packed their backpacks with batteries and packaged food and headed to Staten Island. She spent the weekend meeting victims and helping clean out damaged homes or distribute donations to those in need. “It looked like a war zone,” Boscia said about Staten Island. “There were fallen trees and power lines and people were out — neighbors were coming together and helping each other and cleaning up.” She said the experience was life changing — more so than any marathon, even one that had been on her bucket list. She said what most impressed her was the way that people came together in a crisis to support one another. “It was the best race I never ran,” she said. Source: Gazettes.com

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Google rolls out Street View's biggest ever update

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While Apple is apologizing for its new flop Maps app service in the latest iPhone, Google is hitting the nail in the coffin as hard as it can, by announcing its plans to release the biggest update ever to its Street View feature. The Internet search giant has announced that it will release a new update of its map service that would give users a view of what places actually look like from cars dispatched by the firm to photograph everything they pass. According to ABC news, Google has doubled the number of images in Street View images, adding 250,000 miles of road from around the world. Listed on Google''s blog are places where they have added more Street View coverage. Some are in the U.S., but most are abroad, in places like South Africa, Denmark, Japan, and Spain, the report said. The move come as Apple continues to apologise for its new maps app in iOS 6, and tries to mend the omissions and errors made in it. Apple introduced the new maps app after replacing Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad. It was quickly criticized by many users for its lack of certain features, mistaken locations and jumbled images.Source: Hindustan Times, Image: flickr.com

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US to back India’s leadership role in Indian Ocean, South Asia, says top military commander

Seeking a “long-term security relationship” with India, a top US military commander has said his country will support New Delhi’s “leadership role” in the Indian Ocean and South Asia. The US Pacific Command (PACOM) “will increase its efforts to nurture the strategic partnership and expand engagement with India as well as support her leadership role in the Indian Ocean and South Asia,”PACOM Commander, Admiral Sameul J Locklear III, said in an address to the Asia Society here. “We will improve our interoperability,” Locklear said. Referring to his maiden trip to India in October, he said he witnessed firsthand the invaluable perspective of the world’s largest democracy and one of the world’s most rapidly growing economies. “Our two nations share and embrace the same values: a love of freedom and an entrepreneurial spirit that fuels the potential of the global economy,” he said. Earlier in the day at a Pentagon news conference, Locklear said he has been directed by US President Barack Obama to seek a long-term relationship with India. “I have been directed by the President to seek a – as all of the parts of our government have — long-term security relationship, a partnership with India. And that covers a lot of different areas; but in the military area, we look for opportunities to interoperate with each other,” he said. “We are headed in that direction,” Locklear sad. “We very much support India’s military, India taking a leadership in the security issues in and around the Indian Ocean. And we are looking for opportunities to participate and interoperate with them where we can,” said Locklear, whose jurisdiction expands over the entire Asia-Pacific region. “The Asia-Pacific has been described as stretching from ‘Hollywood to Bollywood’ and that’s really the area of my focus, from California to India. It encompasses over half the earth’s surface and well more than half of its population… the Pacific Ocean itself is the largest physical feature on the planet,” he said. If all the world’s landmasses were placed in the Pacific, there would still be room left over for an additional Africa, Canada, United States, and Mexico, Locklear said. “So that gives you an idea of the size of it…it’s like taking a ship from San Diego to Hawaii or Norfolk to England.”Source: Astrashastra

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India will soon be in the geothermal energy business

India will soon start a project to produce electricity through earth heat or geothermal energy, according to a report in the Hindu Business Line. The news service quotes Union Minister of New & Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah as saying the country was planning to produce 80 per cent renewable energy through biomass, sun and ethanol, to reduce dependence on coal imports from Australia, Africa and Indonesia. Abdullah spoke to the Business Line during the kick off of the two-day Northern Regional Science Congress in New Delhi. He said wind energy was another area where there were plans to increase generation by 300 MW every year. Abdullah suggest that for this to happen, linkages to Denmark are being considered. Source: Renewable Energy Magazine

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Ethiopia’s lions are genetically unique

ADDIS ABABA: Many visitors come to Ethiopia annually to witness lions in their natural habitat. New research published this week has revealed that Ethiopia’s lions might be even more unique than previously thought. European researchers reported that they have used DNA to determine the Addis Ababa lion in Ethiopia is genetically unique and are urging immediate conservation action. And they are getting responses already. On Friday, a group of student activists told that they are planning to petition the government to move quickly to ensure the country’s lions are protected. “We don’t have any worry that the government will take this matter to heart as it is very exciting to know these lions are unique from any other,” said one of the activists as they planned to head to the tourism industry to urge them to intervene on their behalf. It has been believed that many lions in the country are a bit different than their fellow African brothers and sisters, where they have a large, dark mane, extending from the head, neck and chest to the belly, as well as being smaller and more compact than other lions, it was not known it they represented a genetically distinct population. The team of researchers, led by the University of York in the UK and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany used DNA to show captive lions at the Addis Ababa Zoo are, in fact, genetically distinct from all lion populations for which similar data exists, both in Africa and Asia. “To our knowledge, the males at Addis Ababa Zoo are the last existing lions to possess this distinctive [dark] mane,” researcher Michi Hofreiter said in a University of York release. “Both microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data suggest the zoo lions are genetically distinct from all existing lion populations for which comparative data exist.” Lion numbers in Africa are in serious decline and two significant populations of lion, the North African Barbary lions and the South African Cape lions, have already become extinct in the wild, researchers said. “We therefore believe the Addis Ababa lions should be treated as a distinct conservation management unit and are urging immediate conservation actions, including a captive breeding program to preserve this unique lion population.” And Ethiopians are ready to make the push to save their native lion populations.Source: Bikyamasr, ***

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Google Earth helps to find possibly largest Egyptian pyramid

The biggest pyramid has allegedly been found in Egypt, Russia Today reports.

This groundbreaking discovery has been made an American archeologist, Angela Micol from North Carolina, who spotted two unusual shaped mounds in the Nile basin via Google Earth. This programme gives computer images of the relief on the Earth’s surface. Ms. Micol noticed two unusually-shaped mounds in the Nile Valley. One is located 20 kilometers away from the city of Abu-Sidhum and the second 145 kilometers away from the first. Angela Micol has been searching the popular Google resource for years, before she came across two areas, one of which looks like a triangular plateau, the largest ever found. The American archeologist is now ready to hit the road in order to prove her assumptions. Russia Today, TASS, Source: Voice of Russia

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Farmsecure Fruit heads to Fruit Logistica Asia

As one of the top six fruit growers in South Africa, Farmsecure Fruit is setting its sights high as it prepares to be a diverse new supplier of a wide variety of top-quality fruit to the Asian market. Farmsecure Fruit will be exhibiting its first-rate produce at Fruit Logistica Asia in September this year. With five farms spread across South Africa, Farmsecure Fruit produces a larger variety of fruit than many other fruit suppliers, and boasts an impressive variety of citrus, apples, pears and stone fruit. Because Farmsecure Fruit deals with such a variety of fruit types, its fruit producing season is also effectively longer and thus fruit can be produced for export nearly year-round. The aim of Farmsecure Fruit is to grow a minimum of 20 million cartons of fruit a year which can then be sold to export agents. Farmsecure Fruit is the fruit division of the larger Farmsecure company. As its logo states, Farmsecure is all about sustainability and profitability in agriculture. It is a privately owned South African company that was founded in 2004 and it is involved in every aspect of agriculture, from the farm right through to the shelf in the shop. In one sense, Farmsecure is using its fruit 

division to “practice what it preaches” by using all the science and technology at its disposal to grow top quality fruit. The larger Farmsecure company was founded on four operational principles: scientific farming, working capital, risk mitigation and price guarantees. It offers services in all areas relating to agriculture, which amongst others includes primary agriculture, agricultural technologies, agricultural inputs, insurance, financial support, processing and education and training. With over 4300 employees, the Farmsecure family of companies operates throughout South Africa’s nine provinces. With its contribution to every part of the agricultural value chain, it ensures that its farmer partners and farming operations are truly sustainable and profitable, achieving its vision to contribute to world food security. In order to present itself to the international market, Farmsecure Fruit exhibited at Fruit Logistica, the world’s largest fresh produce market, in Germany at the beginning of 2012. The next stop is Fruit Logistica Asia in September, where Farmsecure Fruit hopes to secure its place as a major fruit supplier to the Asian market. The Far East is a crucial market and Farmsecure Fruit is confident that it can meet the demand for high quality fruit from retailers and the many niche markets in Asia. Asia has a big market spread and due to the fact that it is a fixed-price market, it is a safer market for producers, who can accurately anticipate their returns when they ship their produce. Fruit Logistica Asia will attract all the large importers in Asia, as well as many produce exporters from around the world. According to Bradley Yazbek, the Marketing Manager of Farmsecure Fruit, Fruit Logistica Asia will also serve as a “post-harvest get-together” where the real quality of the fruit can be seen on display. If there is a need to improve on any aspect, Farmsecure Fruit will be able to establish this through interactions with various role players in the industry at Fruit Logistica. Fruit Logistica Asia promises to be an exciting and valuable experience for Farmsecure Fruit as it seeks to expand its market and show the world the high quality fruit it produces when combining the vast array of science and technology that the Farmsecure family of companies has to offer. Visit Farmsecure at Fruit Logistica Asia Stand 2G-15, For more information: Cherise Collins, Farmsecure, Tel: +27 (0) 21 974 1950, Cherise.Collins@farmsecure.co.za, www.farmsecure.co.za, Farmsecure, Source: Fresh Plaza

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Raising the Bar on Education in Nigeria

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Thursday bemoaned the current educational framework in the country. Okonjo-Iweala, made this remark while delivering the 2012 Isaac Moghalu Foundation Leadership Lecture tagged: "Education and Development: Paradigm Shift," in Lagos. According to her, the existing framework for the sector is unclear, saying that the roles of the various tiers of government in the system are not clearly laid out. She also argued that the fact that education is on the Concurrent List of the 1999 Constitution makes its administration complex. "The regulatory system in the sector is largely ineffective, and this reflects on the curriculum, especially in many private schools of foreign origin. Pupils in many of these schools are taught little or nothing in Nigeria. "Take also the duplication we see in the administration of Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). Why should there be two parallel examination bodies - the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) - conducting the same type of examinations for the same level of students within same academic session, making it difficult to maintain standards at the same level? Surely, there is need for a rethink here," the finance minister declared. Okonjo-Iweala also pointed out that although government had made basic education through junior secondary school free and compulsory; the country was yet to record increase in enrolment rates found in many countries. According to her, the national primary net enrolment rate which stood at 64 per cent in 1999 fell to 58 per cent in 2010. "The quality of education and associated learning outcomes are poor. We see mass failures in SSCE conducted by WAEC and NECO year in year out. For instance, only 5.75 per cent of the 803,360 private candidates that sat the WASSCE exams in May/June 2010 received five credits and above (including English Language), while 10 per cent received five credits and above (including mathematics) "Several universities are producing graduates that lack the right skills needed to perform tasks required in their chosen fields, making it difficult for them to get employment. If you look hard enough, you may even find graduates who have never used a computer before. Academic infrastructure in many of our premier institutions is dilapidated. Nigerian universities are no longer the citadels of learning we once knew them to be. "They have lost their place in global rankings. Now in facts, Nigerian parents are sending their children to other African countries like Ghana and South Africa to study, spending hundreds of millions of dollars in tuition fees alone, not talk of those that send their wards to the United States or the United Kingdom, at significant costs. Imagine the benefits of investing these in our own university system," she said. The minister called for a paradigm shift, saying there was need for quality education to drive the country's growth. "That is what Korea did to transform their economy. Korea Developed a programme of 'education for economic growth' in 1948, focused on the supply of technical manpower as needed for economic development," she added. In his remarks, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said: "We have societies where there is corruption, but they have leaders who are very competent. There is corruption in Asia. Now as we talk about merit, let's look at our constitution." Our constitution says you must appoint a minister from every state of the federation, which is fine. But does it set the minimum qualification that is expected? "As a country, do we ask the right question? In Malaysia, before you are presented to parliament to be considered for consideration, there is a screening process. So, we should never sacrifice merit on the altar of diversity," Sanusi added. Earlier, the chairman of the event, Chief Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, stated that only an improved educational system will address the current challenges faced by the country. Source: Sam Daily Times

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Greatest of ’em all

Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympian ever when he helped the United States to the gold medal in the men's 4x200 metres freestyle relay at the London Games on Tuesday, winning the 19th medal of his storied career. Phelps, who had equalled Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina's haul of 18 medals earlier when he won silver in the men's 200 butterfly final, swum the anchor leg in the relay for the Americans. The 27-year-old had already set the record for gold medals, winning six in Athens in 2004 and an unprecedented eight in Beijing four years ago. The relay victory was his first gold in London. France took the silver in the relay, while China won the bronze. Earlier, South Africa’s Chad le Clos upset Phelps to win the 200 metres butterfly final at the London Olympics on Tuesday. Phelps, who was bidding to became the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three Olympics, led all the way but messed up his touch allowing le Clos to get his hands on the wall first in a time of one minute, 52.96 seconds. Phelps took the silver medal in 1:53.01 while Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda was third in 1:53.21. The 200 butterfly is one of the most physically demanding events in swimming but is also Phelps’ favourite and ironically, he is known as the best finisher in the business, famously winning the 100 butterfly final in 2004 and 2008 when he was behind. He swam the 200 at the Sydney Olympics when he was just a 15-year-old and set his first world record and won his first world title in the exhausting four-lap race. Only two swimmers have ever won the same individual event at three Olympics, Australia’s Dawn Fraser, in 100 freestyle in 1956, 1960 and 1964, and Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi in 200 backstroke in 1988, 1992 and 1996. It is a feat that has eluded generations of the best male swimmers until Phelps, who had the chance of doing it in four different events in London. He failed at his first attempt when he came fourth in the 400 individual medley but still has the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly to come. Meanwhile, Allison Schmitt of the United States won the women's 200 metres freestyle final at the London Olympics on Tuesday. The American, who trains in Baltimore with Michael Phelps, stormed to the front on the second of four laps and was unchallenged as she won the gold in a time of one minute 53.61 seconds. Frenchwoman Camille Muffat, who just held off Schmitt to win the 400 final on Sunday, took silver in a time of 1:55.58. Australia's Bronte Barratt, a relay gold medallist in Beijing four years ago and the fastest qualifier for the final, finished third in 1:55.81, just edging out Missy Franklin for the bronze. The 17-year-old from Colorado won the 100 backstroke gold the previous night and also picked up a relay bronze on Saturday but missed out on another medal by just 0.01 Ruta creates history Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte became the first 15-year-old Olympic swimming champion for 40 years as she powered to the 100m breaststroke gold medal here on Monday. Meilutyte held off fast-finishing American world champion Rebecca Soni to become the youngest winner of an Olympic swimming gold since Australia great Shane Gould enjoyed a triple triumph at the 1972 Munich Games. The blonde schoolgirl was emotional about her achievement and shed tears on the podium after her country’s national anthem was played to sustained applause from the crowd at the Aquatics Centre. Meilutyte also became the first swimmer to win a gold medal for Lithuania, once part of the former Soviet Union. “I put all my strength into that race. I still can’t believe it. I’m shocked, but in a good way. I started crying on the podium, that’s when it started to sink in. “I can’t believe it. It’s too much for me. It was hard and difficult. But it means a lot to me and I’m so proud,” she said. She surged clear off the starting blocks and led all the way to beat Soni in one minute 05.47 seconds, prevailing by just eight-hundredths of a second. Japan’s Satomi Suzuki was third. Meilutyte, coached in Plymouth, south-west England, arrived at the Games with a best time of 1:07.20 and whittled it down by 1.73secs to become Olympic champion. Her coach, Jon Rudd, said: “She goes to a British school, swims for a British club and has a British coach. We should feel really proud of her: she is a product of our nation’s work.” Soni believes Meilutyte will have a great future in swimming. “It was definitely a surprise, but after her prelim swim, I knew she would be a great competitor. It is amazing to be able to do that at 15. IOC vouch for Ye The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hinted on Tuesday that gold medallist swimmer Ye Shiwen of China had not tested positive for any drugs as the doping controversy triggered by her sensational performances refused to abate. The 16-year-old Ye won the women’s 400 individual medley in world record time, with her final length of the freestyle faster than men’s champion Ryan Lochte. She was also the fastest qualifier for the 200 individual medley final later on Tuesday, setting an Olympic record in qualifying. Asked whether Ye's doping test following her first victory at the Games had come in positive or negative, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “We would only comment if we had any adverse finding. I am not commenting, so you can draw your own conclusions.” The top-five athletes in all events are undergoing drugs tests following their competitions. Ringside view Stay away, Mr. PM British media has suggested that Prime Minister David Cameron should stay away from events where the hosts are hopeful of medals. Since he made an appearance at Wimbledon last month to watch Andy Murray lose to Roger Federer in the final, his visits are being termed the "curse of Cameron", the latest victims to it being divers Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield. Cameron also saw Britain's Mark Cavendish finish 29th in the road race, instead of the predicted first place. All in the family You expect family members to support you from the sidelines but New Zealand kayaker Mike Dawson's mother penalised him instead. He made the semifinals of the kayak slalom despite a two-second penalty by his mother Kay, who is a judge at the games. Dawson joked that he was tempted to get his coach to put in a protest “about that particular judge.” It would have made dinner time at the Dawsons even more awkward. His coach is father Les. “That would've had all sorts of ramifications ... and besides, I like mum's cooking too much!'' Dawson wrote. “I'll be trying my hardest to keep mum unoccupied in my semifinal run,” he added. Made in Japan Don't be amazed if organisers have to spot check for Japanese robots clinching the swimming medals at the next Olympics. For a team at the Tokyo University of Technology has created a 'Swumanoid' robot using a 3D scanner to perfectly map a human swimmer's physique, which has perfected the back-stroke and tries freestyle swimming. The robot can currently swim the backstroke and the front crawl, but he will need a new pair of legs before he can tackle the breaststroke. Teenager arrested A teenager has been arrested for posting malicious Tweets directed at British diver Tom Daley, UK police said. "You let your dad down i hope you know that," was sent to Daley. Daley's father died of brain cancer a year ago and the 18-year-old hoped to win a medal "for myself and my dad." But he finished fourth on Monday. In Britain, tweeting messages considered menacing, offensive or indecent can lead to prosecution.  Queen likes hip-hop? Prime Minister David Cameron revealed that during the opening ceremony, Prince William leaned over and said: “I don't know if you know this, prime minister, but my grandmother is a big fan of Dizzee Rascal.” The queen's musical tastes run more to classical than to Rascal, who came to fame through London's gritty grime scene and is best known for his hit ‘Bonkers.’Source: Indian Express

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Researchers claim quantum computer breakthrough

Hindustan Times: ANI, Melbourne, Australian scientists along with other international team claim to have designed a tiny crystal, made of just 300 atoms, capable to run a quantum computer so powerful that it would take a computer of the size of the known universe to match it. According to ABC report, the details of the ion crystal which has been designed by Australia, South Africa and US, have been published in the journal Nature today. "We've surpassed the computational potential of this system relative to classical computers by something like 10 to the [power of] 80, which is 80 orders of magnitude, a really enormous number," the University of Sydney's Michael Biercuk said. Quantum computing is a kind of information science that is based on the notion that if one performs computations in a fundamentally different way than the way your classical desktop computer works, there's a huge potential to solve a variety of problems that are very, very hard or near impossible for standard computers, he said. Biercuk added, "If you wanted to think how big a classical computer would need to be in order to solve this problem of roughly 300 interacting quantum particles, it turns out that that computer would need to be the size of the known universe - which is clearly something that's not possible to achieve". He said that the central element is something like a millimetre in diameter, 300 atoms that are suspended in space. "But of course everything depends on a huge amount of technical infrastructure around it. So there are vacuum chambers and pumps and lasers, and all of that takes up something like a room. "The quantum computer will move to a stage where it is so far out in front and performing such complex tasks it will be difficult to check if it is working accurately. "They're not easily checked by a classical computer which opens a whole variety of problems," Biercuk said. Source: Hindustan Times,

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Sex workers in Asia 29 times more likely to be HIV infected

Press Trust Of India, London: Women engaged in sex trade in most developing countries, especially in Asia, are nearly 14 times more likely to get infected by HIV compared to general women population, a new study has claimed. The research, an analysis of over 100 studies involving nearly 100,000 female sex workers in 50 low and medium-income countries, found that overall prevalence of HIV in these women was 12%. But, they are at 14 time increased risk of being infected compared to the general women population, said the authors who detailed their findings in The Lancet. In 26 countries deemed to have a high HIV prevalence, the researchers found that about 31 per cent of female sex workers were HIV positive and they were 12 times more likely to be infected than women from the general population. The region where sex workers have greater risk of getting HIV infected was Asia (29-times increases risk) compared to a 12-times increased risk in Africa and Latin America, said the researchers led by Dr Stefan Baral of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. "We identified consistent evidence of substantially higher levels of HIV among female sex workers compared with all women of reproductive age in low-income and middle-income countries in all regions with data," the authors said. "Although female sex workers have long been understood to be a key affected population, the scope and breadth of their disproportionate risk for HIV infection had to date not been systematically documented," they said. "These findings suggest an urgent need to scale up access to quality HIV-prevention programming and services among female sex workers because of their heightened burden of disease and likelihood of onward transmission through high numbers of sexual partners as clients," they concluded. In view of the heightened HIV burden female sex workers carry in these countries, the researchers said improvement of linkages to antiretroviral treatment, retention in care and ongoing prevention for sex workers with HIV is crucial. "Considerations of the legal and policy environments in which sex workers operate and the important role of stigma, discrimination and violence targeting sex workers globally will be required to reduce the disproportionate disease burden among these women," they said. Commenting on the findings, Dr Kate Shannon and Dr Julio Montaner of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver said: "As the epidemic matures in many settings, with some countries already reporting over 50 per cent of sex workers living with HIV, comprehensive initiatives simultaneously targeting HIV prevention, ART access, and care are increasingly vital. "As highlighted in a recent report by the UNAIDS advisory on sex work and HIV, removal of structural barriers (such as criminalised laws and policies, violence) remains a necessary precondition to an effective HIV response in sex work worldwide," they added. Source: Hindustan Times, ***

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Prince Harry 'banned from pubs' during Apache pilot training

News Track India , London, (ANI): Prince Harry has been banned from pubs 

and social events, and told to concentrate on his helicopter training, or risk being dropped from his dream second tour of Afghanistan. Army chiefs have warned the partying Royal, 27, that once he returns from his Commonwealth tour he must not be seen outside of his Apache pilot training course as he is made battle-ready. And he has been also told he can have no more time away from training - including Royal duties - if he wants to ensure he can fly the deadly attack helicopters on the front line in Helmand. "Harry has been told that his

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whole life is now dedicated to the Apache. If it isn't, he won't go to war - it's as simple as that. It's black and white and the choice is his," the Sun quoted a source as saying. "He's been told that he can't spend every spare moment down the pub and can't risk spending more time on another Royal tour. "Harry has taken those orders on board and assured the people who need to know that he will knuckle down and give absolutely everything to the final weeks of his Apache training.  "He is determined to get back to Afghanistan - and to do it in the Apache. He wants to serve his Queen and country more than anything," the source added. A spokesman for the prince confirmed last night the Harry would be focusing on his military duties and his commitments to the Army Air Corps were now his "priority". As an Apache pilot Harry will be deployed for up to four months in Afghanistan, where he had served ten weeks in 2008 as a forward air controller, operating out of Camp Bastion in the Afghan desert.  This summer he and his unit will be made battle-ready during training in Kenya, where the intense heat will prepare them for the climate of the Afghan badlands. Harry's skills as a foot soldier will be honed as he yomps at night, lives off "ratpacks" and practises escape and evasion drills. Until then, his intensive training will resume at Army Air Corps base RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. (ANI) Source: News Track India 

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No Indian university in world’s top 200: report

Indian Express, Press Trust of India, London: Not a  single  Indian  university

 - not even the celebrated IITs and IIMs - figure in the Times Higher Education magazine’s ranking of the world’s top 200 universities, with American varsities dominating the list. US institutions have grabbed seven spots in the top 10 despite President Barack Obama warning American students of stiff competition from their counterparts in India and China. Three British universities, Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, continue to make the cut with a university in China also making the grade. The magazine places 75 US universities in the top 200. UK has 32 universities in the list, followed by Germany (12), the Netherlands (12) and Canada (9). The list of top 200 includes universities in Taiwan, Brazil, Singapore, South Africa and China, but this year repeats earlier trends about India — no Indian university is deemed good enough to be included in the elite list, inspite of India claiming to have substantially increased its spending on higher education in recent years. The top 10 in the list of 200 universities are: California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley. Britain’s Universities Minister David Willetts said the list showed that relative to its size, the UK’s university system was the “world’s best-performing”. “With as many as seven million students predicted to be studying outside their home country within the next few years, and with international research collaboration at the top of government agendas, these world university rankings are more important than ever,” said Ann Mroz, editor of Times Higher Education. No Indian university in world’s top 200: report - Indian Express

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India taken off polio endemic list by WHO

The Asian Age, PTI, New Delhi: India, which has been polio - free  for  over  a

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year now, was on Saturday taken off the list of polio endemic countries by the World Health Organisation. This announcement was made by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at the polio summit 2012 here in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Azad said he has received a letter on Saturday morning stating that the "WHO has taken India's name off the list of polio endemic countries in view of the remarkable progress that we have made during the past  one year." There were only four countries in the WHO endemic list, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. After being removed from the list, India will have to remain polio free for the next two years to achieve the polio-free status with concerted efforts and an emergency preparedness and response plan, WHO representative in India Natela Menabde said. The Prime Minister, while lauding the achievement, said the real credit goes to 23 lakh volunteers who repeatedly vaccinated children even in the most remote areas. He said the success of the effort shows that 'team work pays'. Singh said, "This gives us hope that we can finally eradicate polio not only from India but from the face of the earth." Menabde said it was a major public health achievement globally. She said it is not just an achievement for India but a major progress for global polio eradication. Though many countries have achieved this goal, every country is still under the threat of polio as long as the virus existed, she warned. Countries have to keep administering vaccination and keep the immunity level of children high, besides stepping up surveillance to ensure polio virus does not enter the country again. For the first time since November 2010, most of the environmental samples tested to know if the polio virus is circulating in the air, have been found to be negative.Source: The Asian Age

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Millions in lottery money unclaimed - including R16m jackpot

BusinessDay, SAPA: Five jackpots went unclaimed last year, says Gidani, the South African lottery operator, More than R25m in lottery winnings remains unclaimed, including a R16,45m jackpot, national South African lottery operator Gidani said on Thursday. Five jackpots went unclaimed last year, said Thembi Tulwana, spokeswoman for Gidani. The R16,45m jackpot was won on March 2 by a ticket bought in Limpopo. A R1,31m jackpot was won on October 15 by a ticket bought in Eastern Cape; a R5m jackpot on July 30 by a KwaZulu-Natal ticket; and a R1,36m jackpot on June 15 and a R1,23m jackpot on November 15 by Gauteng tickets. Ms Tulwana urged people to check their lottery tickets and claim their winnings at any one of Gidani’s eight regional offices. "Tickets are valid for 365 days, literally from the minute after the draw is made," she said. Unclaimed jackpot money is reused by Gidani for marketing and for guaranteed jackpots. Ms Tulwana said Gidani provided emotional counselling and offered financial advice through recognised financial institutions to ticket holders who won R60000 and more. "Their job is to ensure the winnings are sustainable and that the investment vehicles used will earn more interest for the winners," she said. Source: BusinessDay

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Nigerians use IPL name to run fake lottery scam

New Delhi, Hindustan Times: An organised gang of ‘phishing’ fraudsters, with no connection to the game of cricket per se, and being run by four Nigerians from two south Delhi flats, found a unique use for the popular IPL franchise. Chhaya Sharma, DCP (south) said Onwutalobi Martin Oluchukwu, 30, Nneke John Odikpo,29, Sunday Chukwulota, 33, and Benjamin, 35, had cheated several victims on the pretext of a bogus, non-existent lottery by sending fake text and email messages with official logos of the International Cricket Council (DLF-IPL). They were arrested from two flats rented-out at exorbitant rates and replete with Sony Playstation gaming consoles for entertainment on Tuesday. The arrests came following investigations into a complaint filed by a Netaji Nagar resident in late December. “The gang was busted after one Prem Chand approached us late last month and claimed that a fraud text message, claiming that he had won a huge amount from a UK-based lottery, was received by his son,” DCP Sharma said. Prem Chand claimed that his son had already deposited Rs 48,000 in two separate SBI bank accounts as per the instructions of the caller and the gang was insisting that he pay another Rs 1.85 lakh for realising the complete lottery money. Investigations revealed that the gang had misused the official logos of DLF-IPL, the Mumbai International Airport, the Airport Authority of India, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Board of Excise and Customs and even the United Nations (UN) to allure victims. “The gang used to send text messages or emails at random claiming that the victim had won a certain amount in the IPL lottery or a similar scheme and asked them to send personal details to their UK office,” said an investigating officer. Source: Hindustan Times, Image: http://i42.photobucket.com

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