SPORTS - CRICKET - MS Dhoni's Test captaincy under scanner, selectors ask him to prepare blueprint for 2015 World Cup

A wake-up call for MS Dhoni. His captaincy in Tests is under review, and he has been asked by the national selectors to draw up a blue-print to ensure that India successfully defends the One-Day International World Cup in 2015. This follows a very long dry spell for the Men in Blue, who have not notched up any win of significance since the series win against the West Indies last year. Watch VideoSources have told NDTV that the selectors have conveyed their disappointment to Dhoni after India lost the home Test series this month to Engand. His continuing to lead the Test side, even for the series against Australia in February, will depend heavily on how he leads the team in the ongoing ODI and T20 series against Pakistan, the sources said,...

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Posted in: SPORTS - CRICKET

BOLLYWOOD - Have Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra called a truce?

Most Bollywood heroines over the ages have stayed true to the adage that two actresses of the same league can never be friends. However, looks like Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra could prove it as a thing of the past. If rumours are to be believed, the two ladies could well be on their way to call for truce. But questions is, ultimately will they or won't they?Both PC and Bebo have often engaged in a war of words, whether be it in front of the media and even telly chat shows. They have been at loggerheads about not just their professional lives but also their personal lives. The two have apparently even shared boyfriends (read Shahid Kapoor). However, a source present at Imran Khan's recent housewarming party, where both Kareena and...

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Posted in: BOLLYWOOD

BOLLYWOOD - Salman Khan - Dabangg 2 mints Rs 100.78 crore in first week

After Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger, actor Salman Khan has done it once again. Within six days of its release, Dabangg 2 has entered the Rs 100 crore-club with collections amounting to Rs 100.78 crore.Dabangg 2 is the sequel to the 2010 release Dabangg, which was set in a village and had the rustic, rural flavour of Uttar Pradesh. The story of the sequel has shifted to a posh metropolitan city.Made under the banner of Arbaaz Khan Productions, Dabangg 2 has been written by Dilip Shukla. This is Arbaaz's first film as a director. The film released in over 3,500 screens across India on December 21.This year has been very lucky for Salman. Kabir Khan-directed Ek Tha Tiger was an...

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Posted in: BOLLYWOOD - Salman Khan

TECH - ZTE launches Nubia Z5 smartphone with 5-inch 1080p display

We've reported earlier about ZTE's plans to launch two phablets this year and the company is now a step closer to accomplishing those plane. The Nubia Z5 has now been officially announced by the company. The Black and White models of the device will go on sale in China beginning January 2013 for 3,456 yuan (about $555 US). There is no word on availability in other regions as of now.The Nubia Z5 comes with Android 4.1.1 and touts impressive hardware. The device sports a 5-inch (1920x1080 pixels) IPS display and features a huge 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing one.At 138 x 69.2 x 7.6mm and weighing in at 126 grams, the Nubia Z5 is being claimed as the thinnest full-HD smartphone yet. Under the belly, the Nubia...

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Posted in: TECH

TECH - How Facebook, Twitter are helping companies pitch to consumers

Legal hassles, poor 3G coverage and patchy broadband haven't stopped the rapid growth of social media across India— both for people at home and for businesses looking to build digital campaigns to reach increasingly networked consumers.If Facebook has crossed some 65 million users in India, others such as LinkedIn and Twitter, with more than 15 million and between 10 and 33 million users (depending on whom you ask), respectively, and newer sites such as Pinterestand Quora too have grown sharply in the past 12 months.Even as millions of these users log into these sites from their computers, tablets and most visibly from their mobile phones, businesses are graduating from being hesitant adopters of marketing on social media to being full-blown...

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Posted in: TECH

GADGETS - TABLETS - Intex launches budget 7 inch tablet with voice calling feature

Intex Mobile has launched a new 7 inch tablet in the budget range, the iBuddy Connect. The tablet runs Android Ice cream sandwich operating system on a five-point multi-touch capacitative touchscreen 7 inch display. The tablet will have a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The internal memory of the tablet is 4 GB and the RAM is 512 MB. You can expand the memory up to 32 GB with a microSD card. The tablet runs on a 1 GHz Boxchip A13 processor and a Mali 400 graphics processor clocked at 350 MHz. ...

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Posted in: GADGETS - TABLETS

MOBILES - Karbonn launches dual-SIM A30 with Android 4.0, massive 5.9-inch display

Karbonn Mobiles has launched its 5.9-inch Karbonn A30 - Ta Fone in India for Rs. 12,990.The device sports a huge 5.9-inch capacitive touch display with 480x800 pixels and runs on Android 4.0. It features an 8-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. There's a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera on-board as well.On the inside, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor. It comes with 4GB of internal storage with external expansion options of up to 32GB.Connectivity options on the Karbonn A30 - Ta Fone include, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and USB. The device also has Wi-Fi hotspot and USB tethering support.The device supports dual-SIM functionality (3G+2G) and comes with a 2,500 mAh battery claiming up to 10 hours of talk time. Apps such...

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Posted in: MOBILE - KARBONN

MOBILES - Samsung's Galaxy Note to get Android 4.1 Premium Suite

The first Galaxy Note is due for a taste of Jelly Bean along with other premium features, from Multi Windows to Popup Notes. Owners of the original Galaxy Note can soon look forward to a host of new features courtesy of Samsung's Android 4.1 Premium Suite. Touted on the Galaxy Note Web page, the upgrade will deliver Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, to the original Note. But the Premium Suite kicks in several of its own options. A Multi Window feature lets you view and perform multiple tasks on the same screen. A Popup Note helps you write down information while on a call, while a Popup Video and a Popup Browser allow you to catch a video or surf the Web while doing something else. With the Photo Note and Photo Frame...

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Posted in: MOBILE - SAMSUNG

SCIENCE - Last full moon of 2012 rises Friday

The last full moon of 2012 will rise into the night sky this week in a year-ending lunar treat. The full moon is actually an instantaneous event when the moon is exactly opposite the sun in the Earth's sky, and this month that occurs on Friday morning, Dec. 28, at 5:21 a.m. EST (1021 GMT). But, to the naked eye, the moon "looks" full for a couple of days on either side of that time, so the exact date doesn't matter. Many owners of new telescopes are disappointed when they look at the planets. At its largest, the planet Venus is just barely one arc minute in diameter, about 1/30th of the diameter of the sun or the moon, and all the other planets appear smaller than that. Telescope owners complain that the planets...

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Posted in: SCIENCE

SCIENCE - Scientists decode why universe is dominated by matter

Scientists have solved the puzzle of the universe being dominated by matter rather than its close relative anti-matter. Physicists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison made a precise measurement of elusive, nearly massless particles, and obtained a crucial hint as to why the universe is dominated by matter. The particles, called anti-neutrinos, were detected at the underground Daya Bay experiment, located near a nuclear reactor in China. Anti-particles are almost identical twins of sub-atomic particles (electrons, protons and neutrons) that make up our world. When an electron encounters an anti-electron, for example, both are annihilated in a burst of energy. Failure to see these bursts in the universe tells physicists that anti-matter...

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Posted in: SCIENCE

HEALTH - How Brain Training Can Make You Significantly Smarter

As many people hit middle age, they often start to notice that their memory and mental clarity are not what they used to be.  We suddenly can't remember where we put the keys just a moment ago, or an old acquaintance's name, or the name of an old band we used to love.  As the brain fades, we euphemistically refer to these occurrences as "senior moments." While seemingly innocent, this loss of mental focus can potentially have a detrimental impact on our professional, social, and personal well-being.  It happens to most of us, but is it inevitable?  Neuroscientists are increasingly showing that there's actually a lot that can be done.  It turns that the brain needs exercise in much the same way our muscles...

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Posted in: HEALTH

HEALTH - Expressing Anger Can Add 2 Years To Your Lifespan

"If you`re angry, for the benefit of your health, you need to let it all out, according to a new study that revealed that being hot-tempered and expressing your anger could be a key to enjoying a long and healthy life. Researchers Marcus Mund and Kristin Mitte at the University of Jena in Germany claim that the latest findings may explain why the hotheaded Italians and Spanish live almost two years longer than the cool English who  `keep calm and carry on`....

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Posted in: HEALTH

HEALTH - ‘Carrot’ is the new ‘apple’!

Carrot was recently declared the new ‘apple’ as it too – if had once in a day, can keep doctors away. It contains rich vitamins and minerals, along with other nutrients. A leading English daily DNA reported that, “Carrot is good for stomach and gastrointestinal health, which also solves a variety of digestive problems. Carrot is useful in different cases like stomach disorder, peptic ulcers, gastritis, diarrhoea, celiac disease etc,” said Dr Mian Iftikhar, a medical specialist. It is an excellent source of pro-vitamin A, vitamins C, D, E, K, B1 and B6, biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, organic sodium and some trace minerals, he added. Carrot juice with spinach and a lemon juice can treat constipation as it cleans bowels. Carrot...

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Posted in: HEALTH - FOOD

HEALTH - Ultrasound safer than CT scans or X-rays to confirm or rule out appendicitis

A recent American study reveals ultrasound scans relying on sound waves are a safer option than CT scans or X-rays which uses radiation to confirm or rule out surgery to remove the appendix. It is a finger-shaped pouch that extends from the large intestine. Infection or blockage of the appendix causes appendicitis, which can lead to abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. Children suspected of appendicitis are more likely to undergo CT scans if they are evaluated at a general hospital, a new study by Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis has revealed, the journal Paediatrics reports. Use of either technique can potentially reduce the occurrence of unnecessary surgeries and speed up the diagnosis of appendicitis, according to a Washington statement. But recent reports have suggested...

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Posted in: HEALTH

MOBILE, --Galaxy Music Duos Samsung

Samsung seems to have silently launched Galaxy Music Duos smartphone in the Indian market at Rs 9,199. Samsung seems to have silently launched Galaxy Music Duos smartphone in the Indian market. The company had unveiled it internationally in October 2012 and begun taking pre-orders in India in the first week of December. The official cost of the device in India is Rs 9,199, though the street price is Rs 8,990. The all-new Galaxy Music Duos is a dual-sim smartphone aimed at music lovers and comes with two speakers in the front, a dedicated music key and audio technologies like Sound Alive and SRS. This device has a 3-inch LCD touchscreen with 240x320-pixel resolution and runs on an 850MHz processor with...

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Posted in: --Galaxy Music Duos,MOBILE