India VS Pakistan T20 World Cup 2012 results

India beats Pakistan by 8 wickets to stay in semis hunt.

India attained 129-run target in just 17 overs with Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh unbeaten on 78 and 19 respectively.

Kohli and Yuvraj put on an unbeaten 54-run stand for the third wicket to comfortably guide India home.

Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli stitched a crucial 74-run partnership for the second wicket to lay the foundation for Indian victory.

Kohli's fine half-century came off in 41 balls. Kohli slammed 8 boundaries and 2 sixes during his winning knock.

Sehwag, who scored a 24-ball 29, was sent back to hut by Shahid Afridi after the Delhi dasher tried to loft Afridi's slower ball over the ropes but it was eventually caught by Umar Gul at long off.

India lost Gautam Gambhir early as he played a lose shot straight back to the bowler Raza Hasan who made no mistake in taking a simple catch to rid India of its opener.

Earlier, Indian bowlers fired in unison as they restricted Pakistan to 128. Pakistan's innings were bundled up in 19.4 overs after L Balaji dismissed Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal in successive deliveries.

Pakistan got a terrible start as they lost Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Nasir Jamshed and Kamran Akmal inside 50 runs against India after opting to bat.

Ravichandran Ashwin too joined the party as he struck twice to dent Pakistan's brief recovery.

Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal added crucial 47 runs for the sixth wicket to give some respite to Pakistan after early jolts.

Ashwin first got rid of the perilous Shoaib Malik, who played a decent cameo of 28 runs with the help of 3 boundaries. Malik was caught at midwicket by Rohit Sharma while trying to drive.

Soon after dismissing Malik, Ashwin claimed his second wicket in the form of Umar Akmal after the right-hander was brilliantly caught deep in the field by Suresh Raina.

Virat Kohli got rid of skipper Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan lost half of their side at the score of 59 in 9.5 overs.

Yuvraj Singh's double strike gave denting blows to Pakistan after getting early blows from the seamers.

Yuvraj first dismissed Nasir Jamshed behind the wicket and then picked up his second wicket in the form of Kamran Akmal, who in an effort to strike a slightly offside pitched ball through covers could only find the gloves of MS Dhoni.

Paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji gave India second breakthrough in the form of dangerous Shahid Afridi.

Seamer Irfan Pathan gave India crucial early breakthrough as he dismissed dangerous Pakistani opener Imran Nazir in their Super Eight game.

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez won the toss and decided to bat first against arch-rivals India.

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag returned to the playing XI after missing last two matches against England and Australia.

Seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji also made his way back in to the team. Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh were left out for today's match.

On the other hand Pakistan have retained the same playing XI which beat South Africa in their first Super Eight game.

Teams:

India:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh.

Pakistan:

Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal
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Reforming indian army

NEW DELHI: Indian armed forces are now finally mulling the creation of three new unified commands to effectively tackle the rapidly expanding security threats and challenges in the fields of space, cyberspace and special operations.

The brass of Army, Navy and IAF are "informally'' discussing the "contours'' of the cyber, aerospace and special operations commands, which will synergize efforts and assets of the three services in these "critical areas'', sources said.

Once the "formal joint proposal'' of the three Services is finalized, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne will take it up with the government in his capacity as the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee. In fact, the "urgent need'' for the three new commands is likely to come up during the Combined Commanders' Conference to be addressed by the Prime Minister on October 19.

The prevalent view is that a three-star Army officer (Lt General) should head the Special Operations Command, while an equivalent rank from IAF (Air Marshal) can steer the Aerospace Command. The Cyber Command, in turn, will be headed by a Vice-Admiral from the Navy.

This means the commanders-in-chief of the three new commands will "not be rotated'' among the Army, Navy and IAF. India's two existing tri-Service commands - the Strategic Forces Command and the Andaman & Nicobar Command - as well as the integrated defence staff follow a "rotational'' policy at present.

"It will ensure the new command in question can be 'mothered' by a single Service on a continuous basis. The Army, after all, has domain expertise in special operations, IAF in aerospace and Navy in cyber and information technology. The commands will draw elements, assets and manpower from all the three services as well as the government below the three-stars,'' said a source.

The Indian defence establishment certainly needs to be geared for battles in space and cyberspace after the first three military domains of land, air and sea. It also needs to bring together the disparate special forces in Army, Navy, IAF and other forces under a unified command and control structure to execute strategic operations in tune with national security objectives.

China, for instance, is taking huge strides on the space and cyberspace fronts.

Cyber warfare, too, is a frontline military priority for China, with its "hacker brigades'' regularly breaking into computer networks of countries like India, US, the UK and Germany.

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Upgrade to new IPhone 5

Deciding when to upgrade is a funny, sometimes expensive thing. Carrier contracts that subsidize the cost of a new iPhone are usually for two years, so it's traditional to upgrade every other model or less. You also want to time it just right, during the iPhone development cycle, so you don't buy a phone months before it's outdated.

If you are an iPhone owner who is pondering an upgrade to the new iPhone 5, here are some things to consider:

Do you long for more screen space/watch a lot of movies?

Perhaps you've heard that the iPhone 5 is taller. This is true. After testing its tallness we've found that there is more space on the screen, which is no longer as short as the previous iPhone screens.

The phone retains its width but is now 9 millimeters taller -- that's one extra row of icons. The dimensions are perfect for watching widescreen movies, which were previously smaller and letter-boxed. The space also gives all other apps a bit more breathing room. Third-party applications must now redesign their apps to fix the new aspect ratio -- which requires time and resources -- so until then, older apps will be shown at normal size, the bar of unused screen space cloaked in mourning-black.

There is a market for much larger smartphone screens, and companies like Samsung have delivered with spacious, high-resolution smartphones. This is largely a matter of preference, but if you find that the iPhone 5's screen is still just too small for you, you may need to defect to something like the Samsung Galaxy S3 which has a 4.8-inch screen.

Does your current phone feel slow?

Each iPhone is typically faster than its predecessor, and phones tend to slow down over time. Apple has added a speedier processor to the iPhone 5 in the form of an A6 chip. The company claims it is up to twice as fast, and after testing, the difference is definitely noticeable.

Holding on to a slightly slower iPhone might not be much of an issue if you primarily use it for common tasks -- calls and texts, e-mailing, Twitter and Facebook, reading, even watching movies. If you don't find yourself grumbling at how slow your phone is, and you're still reeling from the speed improvements over the last iPhone you bought, you can probably carry on blissfully unaware of the difference.

However, if you use your iPhone for bigger tasks like playing graphic games, the speed is a very welcome bump indeed. Another place it's a noticeable improvement is the camera (more on that in a moment).

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John Terry announced retirement from international football

John Terry

Former England captain John Terry has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect.

The Chelsea defender, who won 78-caps for his country, was scheduled to attend an FA hearing on Monday for allegedly racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

Terry was cleared of the allegations by a London court in July.

Terry, who lost the armband on two separate occasions for off-field incidents, says the FA has made his 'position with the national team untenable.'

And the 31-year-old has now confirmed that he will be unavailable to represent England in their quest to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

In a statement, he said: "I am today announcing my retirement from international football.

"I would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78 caps.

"I have had great pleasure in sharing that honour with all the players that I've played with.

"I would like to thank them, the fans and my family for their support and encouragement during my international career.

"Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour.


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Ex-police chief jailed for 15 years

Hong Kong (CNN) - The former Chinese police chief who attempted to defect to the U.S. triggering one of China's biggest political scandals has been jailed for 15 years.

Wang Lijun, who was tried last week, was found guilty by the Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court of bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking, state-run Xinhua news agency said Monday.

The 52 year old could have faced execution as bribe-taking carries the death penalty in China, depending on the amount involved and the seriousness of the case. Wang was accused in court of accepting bribes and property worth around 3.05 million yuan (around U.S.$480,00) for personal favors.

Until he sought refuge in the consulate back in February, he had served as the right-hand man of disgraced Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai, who was stripped of his titles in April due to an unspecified "serious breach of party discipline." Bo has not been in public since.

Wang didn't contest the charges, according to Xinhua, which published full details of the case against him -- including the first suggestion that Bo knew as early as January that his wife, Gu Kailai, was suspected of murder.

After a one-day trial in August, Gu was found guilty of poisoning British businessman Neil Heywood in a hotel room in Chongqing last November. During her trial, she admitted pouring poison into his mouth, provided by a family aide who was also convicted of the crime.

According to Xinhua, prosecutors said Wang knew "perfectly well" that Gu was suspected of murder, but deliberately covered up for her so she would not be held legally responsible for Heywood's death.

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Climbers killed by avalanche at Nepal peak

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) - At least 11 climbers were killed in an avalanche Sunday morning on Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak, a pilot who took part in the rescue effort said.

Steve Bruce Bokan of Fishtail Air said that those coordinating the rescue report as many as 38 people missing.

A French mountaineering official put the number lower at 15, but said it had been difficult to get exact figures from authorities in Nepal.

Four French citizens are among the dead, with another three missing, said Christian Trommsdorff, vice president of the National Syndicate of High Mountain Guides in Chamonix, France.

He said that rescuers in helicopters focused on evacuating the injured. They also found the bodies of the four Frenchmen.

One of the survivors -- according to the website for EpicTV, a film company that make features on skiing, climbing and other adventure sports -- is Glen Plake, who with two other ski mountaineers had planned to descend from the summit on skis without the aid of oxygen.

EpicTV said it spoke to Plake by satellite phone and the skier told them: "It was a major, major accident. There are up to 14 people missing. There were 25 tents at Camp 3 and all of them were destroyed; 12 tents at Camp 2 were banged up and moved around."

Two of his colleagues were missing, including the man with whom he shared a tent, Plake told EpicTV.

The avalanche, which took place Sunday at about 5 a.m. local time, was likely caused by a huge piece of ice that fell from a glacier above the camp, Trommsdorff said.

Most of the mountaineers had set up tents at 6,600 meters (21,650 feet), said Yograj Kadel of Simrik Air, which was also involved in the rescue. The other mountaineers were apparently 500 meters (1,640 feet) below the camp that was destroyed, according to the EpicTV report.


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Killers battling to top UK album charts

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. rock band The Killers notched up their fourth UK number one album on Sunday after storming straight to the top of the charts.

The Las Vegas band's "Battle Born" became the third-fastest selling album of the year as it edged out another new entry "The Truth About Love" by U.S. singer Pink, according to the Official Charts Company.

Irish rock band The Script dropped a place to third with "Number 3", while last week's chart topper "Coexist" by English pop band The xx, was in fourth.

British singer Emeli Sande was unchanged in fifth place with "Our Version Of Events", with the 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's seminal 1987 release "Bad" entering the charts in sixth place.

The Script stayed at number one in the singles chart with "Hall of Fame", a collaboration with the American rapper will.i.am, keeping ahead of "Say Nothing" by south London rapper Example.

South Korean pop star Psy, real name Park Jai-sang, was in third with "Gangnam Style", the video for which has been a massive global Internet phenomenon attracting some 253 million hits on YouTube thanks mainly to Psy's horse riding dance.

With sales rocketing weeks before the planned UK release date, the K-pop star is tipped to take the top spot next week.

U.S. R&B singer Ne-Yo fell to fourth with "Let Me Love You", while Pink was fifth with "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)".
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Sharon Stone at Milan fashion week

MILAN (Reuters) - U.S. actress Sharon Stone bounced back from a hospital admission at Milan fashion week to chair a star-studded fundraising gala on Saturday.

Stone, 55, was admitted to hospital with a migraine after attending a runway show by Italian fashion house Fendi on Friday, raising questions over whether she could chair the Saturday AIDS research fundraiser as planned.

The "Basic Instinct" star suffered a health scare in 2001 when she was hospitalized for a brain aneurysm - bleeding in the brain that can cause stroke - after suffering severe headaches.

Dressed in a deeply plunged long black draped dress, the actress smiled at cameras and reassured reporters outside the event about her condition.

"Thank you. I feel fine and I'm good and I've got a clean bill of health and I'm happy to be here," Stone told Reuters Television.

"I'm totally happy to be here for something so meaningful to me."

The American Foundation for AIDS Research said in a statement: "She was examined and given a clean bill of health. And as she said, wild horses couldn't keep her away."

The gala was attended by Italian designers Silvia Venturini Fendi and Roberto Cavalli and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann. It featured performances by DJ Mark Ronson and rapper Theophilus London.


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Lisa Whelchel is divorced

As she left her Texas home to compete on Survivor: Philippines, Lisa Whelchel was hiding a secret that only her close friends knew: Her 24-year marriage to Steve Cauble was ending.

"The divorce was final on March 1, and went out to be on Survivor on March 10," Whelchel tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Going out to Survivor was helpful for me, to divert my attention and not just dwell on the loss."

"I just never thought it would happen to me," says Whelchel, who has worked in Christian ministry with Cauble since The Facts of Life ended in 1988. "It was painful to realize that it wasn't going to work out."

Whelchel, 49, and Cauble, 61, have three grown children. Despite the divorce, they remain close – even watching the premiere of the show together with their kids.

"We will always be friends," Whechel says. "And we will always be family, too."
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Manchester United defeat Liverpool

Manchester United came from behind to deny Liverpool on an emotional day as Anfield paid tribute to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

Robin van Persie's 81st minute penalty gave Sir Alex Ferguson's men all three points against a Liverpool side which played for most of the game with ten men.

Jonjo Shelvey was shown a straight red card in the 39th minute following a two-footed tackle on Jonny Evans.

And although Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard gave the hosts a 46th minute lead, goals from Rafael and van Persie won it for United.


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Pakistan VS New Zealand T20 match result

After blowing hot and cold in the warm-up matches where they beat arch-rivals India but lost to England, Pakistan get ready for serious business today. They take on New Zealand, who, after having handing Bangladesh a 59-run thrashing, start the match very much in the ascendancy. Mohammad Hafeez's men, meanwhile, will look to hit their straps immediately if they are avoid a possible knockout situation in their next game against Bangladesh.

Pakistan win by 14 runs. Ajmal, once again, struck crucial blows and even though there were some scares for Pakistan, the chase was too much for New Zealand. For Pakistan the most heartening bit would be their batting. Captain Hafeez and Jamshed put their side into a solid position and the rest of the order contribute in bits. Afridi got a few out of the middle but looked like he was back to his best with the ball. the unsung hero, though, was Hafeez who scored 43 and gave away just 15 from his 4 overs. Tanvir and Gul could do well with a few extra sessions with Mohammad Akram. Yasir Arafat too seemed harmless, so possible changes for the Bangladesh game?

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'Barfi' for oscars

Ranbir Kapoor's deaf and mute act in Anurag Basu's recent release 'Barfi' has beaten 19 other films to be named India's official entry to the Oscars in February 2013.

A love story, the film revolves around a happy-go-lucky Barfi played by Ranbir as he goes through love and heartbreak.

Priyanka Chopra plays an autistic girl in the film, which also marks the Bollywood debut of Southern star Ileana D'Cruz.

"Barfi is the Indian entry to the Oscars. We selected it to represent the country out of 20 films," Supran Sen, secretary general of the Film Federation of India, told .

Released on September 14, the film, which has minimal dialogues, has been lauded by the critics as well as audience.

The movie, released on September 14, was made at a budget of Rs 30 crore.

It minted Rs 34.6 crore during the weekend, and amassed a total of Rs 58.6 crore over the week - September 14 (Rs 9.2 crore), September 15 (Rs 11.5 crore), September 16 (Rs 13.9 crore), September 17 (Rs 6.5 crore), September 18 (Rs 6 crore), September 19 (Rs 7.25 crore) and September 20 (Rs 4.25 crore).

The film, about love between differently-abled -- a deaf and mute boy and an autistic girl -- opened in approximately 700 screens in India, September 14.

The romantic comedy has touched viewers and critics alike with its simple, but powerful narrative. The movie, which also stars Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor, marked the Bollywood debut of southern actress Ileana D'Cruz, who has been appreciated for her performance.

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Dua e qunoot

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Pakistani minister offers bounty for anti-islam film maker

A scene in the 13-minute video "Innocence of Muslims" shows a distinctive interior front door that is nearly indistinguishable from the exterior door at U.S.-based Egyptian Coptic Christian activist Nakoula Basseley Nakoula's house. (Youtube screengrab)

A Pakistani minister offered $100,000 on Saturday to anyone who kills the maker of an online video which insults Islam, as sporadic protests rumbled on across parts of the Muslim world.
"I announce today that this blasphemer, this sinner who has spoken nonsense about the holy Prophet, anyone who murders him, I will reward him with $100,000," Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told a news conference, to applause.
A spokesman for Pakistan's prime minister said the government disassociated itself from the minister's statement.


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Shakira is pregnant

Colombian superstar Shakira has announced she is pregnant.
The Hips Don't Lie hitmaker took to her Facebook.com page on Wednesday to confirm reports she is expecting a baby with her boyfriend, Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique.
She writes, "As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At this time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the promotional activities planned over the next few days... I'd like to thank... my fans for their constant love and understanding."
The singer is pulling out of her scheduled performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas this weekend.
The baby announcement comes just two days after Shakira was unveiled as a new judge/coach on U.S. TV talent show The Voice.
She will replace Christina Aguilera in the upcoming fourth series, which is set for next spring.

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Burberry's new collection

Burberry's new collection.

Burberry's new collection.

Burberry's new collection.

Burberry's new collection.

Burberry's new collection.

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Film "Rockstar" heroine Nargis Fakhri says she never wanted to be an actress

Nargis Fakhri says she was never inclined towards acting, but the "beautiful" script of "Rockstar", her debut movie, propelled her to change her mind.

"I wasn't supposed to be an actress, but when I heard the story of 'Rockstar', I was like 'Oh my god! I so wanted to do this'. (So) acting happened by accident," Nargis told IANS.

The 32-year-old, who played Ranbir Kapoor's love interest in "Rockstar", was recently named the brand ambassador of a computer products manufacturing company.

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Brad Pitt may work in an Indian beauty

Hollywood's reigning star Brad Pitt missed the opportunity of romancing Indian beauty Aishwarya Rai in "Troy", but with the growing presence of Indian films on the world stage, he says he might just decide to surprise fans by grooving in true Bollywood style any time.

"Indian cinema seems to be growing very well at its own pace. I would love to work in a Bollywood film as there is so much drama and colour in the films there," Pitt told IANS in an email interview.

"The filmmaking, I hear, has evolved a lot in India and of late we have witnessed some good films making a presence at the Oscars and the world stage," added the actor.

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Salman Khan is bored of actor,s life

He lives life on his own terms and when he signs a film he rewrites the box-office rules everytime. He breaks all possible records and makes it look so easy. His mass appeal has to be seen to be believed. On a muggy evening in Ahmedabad, thousands lined up in front of a plush hotel he was staying in and stood for hours just to have a dekko at the man called Salman Khan.

Inside the hotel room, sitting on a chair near a tinted glass window, Salman looked content with the way life has rolled its carpet for him. Dressed in a blue shirt and ripped jeans, he settles down for a chat. Ask him about the all pervasive and aggressive promotion of films now, he says, "Few years back, life was simple. There was only one TV channel called Doordarshan. There was All India Radio.... no FM channels. I remember doing an interview with Amin Sayani for Maine Pyaar Kiya. Today life is more hectic. There's much more awareness, there are so many news channels, magazines. People's attention span is limited."

Does he think aggressive marketing of a film really helps its BO status? "No. I don't think that the stars talking about their films really helps. What stays in mind of the audience is the date of release. If the promo is slick, then it's going to definitely attract people. Even as an actor, I get attracted to promos of Hollywood films. Previously my friends and I used to decide on what films to watch by catching on the trailers."

In his long career span, Salman has seen the Hindi film industry going through sea changes. Talking about it, he says, "Today, everything is entertainment driven. Entertainment and sports are the two things that are consuming a lot of space. It's time to bring in an element of objectivity."

With massive hits like Dabangg, Bodyguard and now Ek Tha Tiger, how does it feel to be 'The Khan' in the end? So, what's the biggest USP of being Salman Khan? He laughs and says, "Am I the one?" and then adds, "I really can't say." He says, "I am one guy who doesn't want to live the life of a star. I want to eat, enjoy with my friends and travel around — I don't want the trappings that come with being a star." But then not many actors can boast of having such fan frenzy. What makes him click with both children and adults? He pauses for a while, "Yes, it feels wonderful to see so much of people appreciating my work. I think, it's the way I speak that acts as a bond with people. I am honest and I speak from my heart. That's why I connect with people."

His films have taken box office collection to new heights and fans actually stand in queue for hours to get a ticket. But does the star who attract million of movie-goers watch films? "Yes, I do watch a lot of films. I watch two/three films in a week. There was a time when I used to watch two/three films in a day. There are times when I don't have time to watch films because of my hectic shooting schedules. But then I make a list of films to watch. I love watching back-to-back films. Right now, I have two films to watch — one is an action flick and the other is a rom com." He laughs and adds, " If there's a rona-dhona kind of film, I might just postpone watching it. However I must say that, the same could be a nice film in the end. But my first choice is action."

Salman Khan had also written the script of the film Veer though the film didn't do well commercially. Is he planning to write another script? "I am getting great scripts to work on. So, I'm really happy doing such films. The day I will not get exciting scripts, I will write one for me." Does he enjoy the process of writing? "I love the process of writing but not the physical process of writing. My handwriting is bad and sometimes I find it difficult to read my own writing." And then he adds, "Computers are big no for me."

Today he is happy to be where he is. "The present is fine. So, I am happy. You never know what life has in store for you. I am trying to be as right as I can be but then I don't know when I will slip and it might go all wrong," he says. In the midst of all this contentment, where does a relationship figure in? He smiles, "Relationships just happen without any plans. Right now, no relationships for me."
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How to find a job in Australia or in a new country

How to find a job in Australia - if you're new here, you need to read this

You've filled out the forms, jumped through the migration hoops and arrived in Australia with your skill in demand. Now come the job offers – or not? You may hear from employers and recruitment consultants, that the only experience that matters is "local experience." While some professionals need an understanding of local practice and law, the obvious question for anyone else is – where do you gain local experience if you can't get your first break?

"No local experience" can mean that you don't have knowledge of local laws and regulations, but it also can mean that an employer or recruiter has no idea about how the work you have done, or the organisations you've worked in, have any relevance to them. They may make judgments about you and your experience, based on what they think they know about your country, good or bad.

Make it easy for employers to understand your resume

The first thing to do is to make it easy for employers. Any sort of stereotyping comes out of ignorance. Put context on your resume. In a paragraph above where you list each job, include succinct lines about the places you've worked, the markets you've worked in, or the competitiveness and demands of the working environment. Make some comparisons to well known Australian companies. Depending on what you do, it may help if you start your job search with organisations that are similar to places where you've worked previously.

On all your applications make sure your spelling, grammar, phrasing and expression are more than perfect. Potential employers will see your name, country of origin and can make assumptions about your communication skills. Adopt local expressions. Even if your English is text book, often an employer can hear someone's accent by the way they write and the expression they use. So if you have any doubts about your English, ask someone who was born here (and whom you trust) to review your resume.

Find a professional to review your resume

An even better idea is to hunt through the websites of professional resume writers. You'll see that many offer a free 20 minute review of your resume. I do this also. If there's no obligation attached to use the professional writer's services, then take advantage of this. It's also one way to test that the resume writer knows their stuff.

Be persistent in your job search

In searching for a job online, you will need to be more persistent and curious than you may think is necessary. Don't just email an application and hope for the best. By doing that you are allowing assumptions about you to go unchallenged, when what you really want to be doing is picking the brains of your recruitment consultant or potential employer. Build a relationship. If you find someone helpful at the end of the phone you can refine your knowledge of re-training you may need or experience you may need to gain.

If you do not feel confident over the phone, call someone you trust to practice. Ask them whether they can understand you and want to have a conversation with you. The way you ask questions and the tone that you use in asking questions is important. Australians are often less direct in their questioning style than other cultures. Also slow down. Body language contributes to a great deal of meaning in communication. All you have over the phone is your tone and your words.

Be creative in the way you find your job

Be more creative in your job search. If you are not finding the ideal role then you will need to be pragmatic. Find a job that lets you socialise with the "locals." I've been helping one person from Korea. He worked casually at a gym, made friends with one of the patrons and told him about his experience. It turned out this person needed help in his accounting firm. Opportunities pop up if you are looking for them but put yourself out there.

Register with agencies for temp work. Often consultants are less fussy with finding someone with the perfect background if it's just for short term assignments. These can lead to longer assignments, particularly if you're reliable. This is a great way to build up your networks. Again you'll need to be pleasantly persistent with the agency and keep in regular contact. Often speed is the essence in filling temp assignments and if the consultant knows you are easily available, you'll be the first person they think of when they're trying to fill an assignment. They'll love you more and want to help you if take on the harder to fill jobs.

Meet the locals

Create some networks through volunteering, sport or hobbies. First make some friends, then ask around for who may know of a job. Many jobs are found this way, where someone hasn't been a perfect match on paper, yet the employer has gone on the recommendation someone. It saves them money on recruitment and advertising. Be warned with this approach, though. Asking people for a job immediately when you meet them can be off-putting. The friendship is the most important thing. An offer to help you will often come afterwards.

Do some quality research. Find some people in your profession whom you can ask for advice on how your overseas experience translates, and where you should start your search. In my experience few people do this. Yet explaining how your skills translate is a great way to overcome the objection "no local experience." By doing this you're showing some great research and networking skills that even many locals don't have. There are plenty of professional networking sites and forums out there that make it easy to contact people.

Finally be patient. You're not alone in your experience and taking it personally will impact your self confidence. And that's a success killer in any job search.
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Actress Cindy Lee sues man behind ani-islam movie

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man behind the anti-muslim video is being escorted by policemen while being taken for questioning.        — Photo by Reuters

LOS ANGELES: An actress in an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests across the Muslim world sued a California man linked to its production on Wednesday for fraud and slander, saying she had received death threats after the video was posted on YouTube.
Actress Cindy Lee Garcia, who also named Google Inc and its YouTube unit as defendants, asked that the film be removed from YouTube and said her right to privacy had been violated and her life endangered, among other allegations.
It was the first known civil lawsuit connected to the making of the video, which helped generate a torrent of violence across the Muslim world last week.
The violence included an attack on US diplomatic facilities in Benghazi in which the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed. US and other foreign embassies were also stormed in cities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by furious Muslims.
Garcia accused a producer of the movie, whom she identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and said he used the alias Sam Bacile, of duping her into appearing in a "hateful" film that she had been led to believe was a simple desert adventure movie.
"There was no mention of 'Mohammed' during filming or on set. There were no references made to religion nor was there any sexual content of which Ms Garcia was aware," said the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is blasphemous. Caricatures deemed insulting in the past have provoked protests and drawn condemnation from officials, preachers, ordinary Muslims and many Christians.
"This lawsuit is not an attack on the First Amendment nor on the right for Americans to say what they think, but does request that the offending content be removed from the Internet," the lawsuit said.
A representative for Nakoula's criminal attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. A Google spokesman said the company was reviewing the complaint and "will be in court tomorrow."
Apparent dubbing
Garcia, who had a relatively small part in a trailer available online, has said that her character was forced to give away her child to a character named "Master George" in one scene. An expired casting call available online describes a character named George as a "strong leader" and a "tyrant."
But in the English-language trailer at YouTube, Garcia's character appears to be dubbed over in that scene, with a voice-over for her character referring to Mohammad (PBUH)  instead of George.
Garcia's lawsuit said her voice was also "dubbed into Arabic" in another version of the trailer.
She said the film, which has circulated online as a 13-minute trailer, had prompted her family to refuse to allow her to see or babysit her grandchildren, fearing for their safety.
The suit accuses Nakoula, Google and YouTube of invasion of privacy, unfair business practices, the use of Garcia's likeness without permission and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
US officials have said authorities were not investigating the film project itself and that even if it was inflammatory or led to violence, simply producing it cannot be considered a crime in the United States, which has strong free speech laws.
But Nakoula, a Coptic Christian California man who pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2010, was interviewed by federal probation officers on Saturday probing whether he violated the terms of his release while making the film.
Nakoula, who was released from prison in 2011, is prohibited from accessing the Web or assuming aliases without the approval of his probation officer, court records show. Violations could result in him being sent back to prison.
Nakoula, 55, did not return to his house in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos following his interview with federal probation officers, and his whereabouts are unknown. Last week, he denied involvement in the film in a phone call to his Coptic bishop in Los Angeles.

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Dual nationality holder lawmakers declared disqualified

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was on Thursday ruled that lawmakers holding dual nationalities were not eligible to hold any public officers and declared all such lawmakers as disqualified, DawnNews reported.
A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry which had reserved its ruling in the case relating to legislators holding dual nationality.
The 11 disqualified lawmakers include Zahid Iqbal, Farahnaz Ispahani, Muhammad Ikhlaq, Ashraf Chauhan, Nadia Gabol, Amina Buttar, Jameel Awan, Waseem Qadir, Farhat Mahmood Khan, Nadeem Khadim and Ahmed Ali Shah.
Four among the disqualified legislators were from the National Assembly, five from the Punjab Assembly and two from the Sindh Assembly. The bench further directed that the verdict be sent to the speakers of the concerned assemblies and the Senate's chairman.
Disqualified MNAs include Pakistan People's Party's Farahnaz Ispahani, Zahid Iqbal, Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Farhat Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Farhat Mahmood Khan and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz's Jameel Awan.
Lawmakers disqualified from the Punjab Assembly include PML-N's Muhammad Ikhlaq, Ashraf Chauhan, Waseem Qadir, Nadeem Khadim and PPP's Amina Buttar.
Legislators disqualified from the Sindh Assembly include PPP's Ahmed Ali Shah and MQM's Nadia Gabol.
The bench said the lawmakers were being disqualified under Article 62 and Article 63 of the Constitution.
The court moreover directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to initiate proceedings against the said lawmakers who it said had committed perjury with respect to their oaths.
The court also ordered the government to withdraw the amount spent on the salaries and perks on the disqualified lawmakers from them and deposit the amount in the national treasury.
It also directed the Senate and National Assembly secretaries to submit a progress report on the matter in two weeks' time.
Ruling that Rehman Malik was a British citizen until May 29, 2012, the verdict stated that the PPP leader was not transparent with respect to his statements and could no longer be considered 'sadiq' and 'ameen'.
The bench also directed the ECP to initiate legal proceedings against Malik. It ordered that a criminal case be registered against the leader, who, it said, had submitted an erroneous affidavit for the 2008 Senate elections in violation of election laws.
The bench ruled the withdrawal of the amount spent on Malik's salaries and perks from him and its deposition in the national treasury.
The Senate's chairman should send a reference against Malik, the court ruled, adding that, the minister's affidavit for the Senate's election was not transparent.

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World Richest men of 2012

WASHINGTON: Forbes magazine's annual list of the richest people in America with Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates retaining his top spot with $66 billion, up $7 billion from 2011.

He is followed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s Warren Buffett (No. 2) with $46 billion, also up $7 billion from last year, and Oracle Corp's Larry Ellison (No. 3) with $41 billion, up $8 billion - and the biggest dollar gainer this year.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been pushed down in the rankings to the no. 36 spot with his estimated net worth falling by about $8 billion to $9.4 billion since Facebook went public in May.

The Indian-Americans' list is topped by Bharat Desai and family with a net worth of $2 billion in the 239th place. Kenya-born Bharat Desai started as a programmer for Tata Consultancy Services, only to leave the company four years later to start Syntel with his wife.

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Anti-Islam filmmaker abused freedom of expression says Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday the maker of an anti-Islam film that triggered violent protests across the Muslim world abused his right to freedom of expression by making the movie, which he called a "disgraceful and shameful act."
The film, posted on the Internet under several titles including "Innocence of Muslims," mocked the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
It sparked days of deadly anti-American violence in many Muslim countries, including an assault on the US consulate in Benghazi in Libya in which the US ambassador died.
"Freedoms of expression should be and must be guaranteed and protected, when they are used for common justice, common purpose," Ban told a news conference.
"When some people use this freedom of expression to provoke or humiliate some others' values and beliefs, then this cannot be protected in such a way."
"My position is that freedom of expression, while it is a fundamental right and privilege, should not be abused by such people, by such a disgraceful and shameful act," he said.
A California man convicted of bank fraud was taken in for questioning on Saturday by US authorities investigating possible probation violations stemming from the making of the video. He has denied involvement in the film and has now gone into hiding.

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IPhone 5 features and specifications

SAN FRANCISCO: Gadget lovers have flooded Apple with pre-orders and set up camp outside the company's real-world stores to get their hands on the new generation iPhone 5 set for release on Friday.
"The fact that the iPhone 5 is doing as well as it is opposed to other phones is a tribute to Apple marketing," Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP.
"They are really good at this." The analyst dismissed efforts by Apple adversary Samsung to poke fun at iPhone fanatics and the lack of innovative handset features in print and video ads.
"I had to laugh at the Samsung ads," Baker said. "It's hardware geeks throwing rocks at Apple; but Apple has a good sense of what is important to include and when."
Aspiring iPhone 5 owners started a queue outside the Apple store in Manhattan last week and similar vigils have begun outside the California Company's shops at other spots around the world.
Apple said that it received more than two million orders for its new iPhone 5 in the 24 hours after it began pre-sales online on September 14.
"iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.
Apple unveiled the new version of its iconic smartphone at a San Francisco media event on September 12 and promised that it would be available in 100 countries by year's end.
The first customers are expected to get the device on Friday, but Apple has pushed the delivery date for new orders out several weeks due to fierce demand.
The notion iPhone 5 being tough to get was expected to spur more people to lay siege to stores for the hotly anticipated release.
The iPhone 5 will be available at Apple retail outlets, and for US customers through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, Walmart stores and other resellers.
Some analysts say Apple could sell 10 million units in the opening days and 50 million before the end of 2012.
Apple shares broke the $700 mark this week and stood at $701.60 in after-market trade on Wednesday.
The iPhone 5, with a bigger screen and slimmer body, was quickly branded by analysts as a sure hit.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook called the launch "the biggest thing to happen to iPhone since the iPhone."
The California company called the iPhone 5 "the thinnest smartphone in the world," with a glass and aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S.
The new iPhone has a rich four-inch (10-centimeter) display prime for the red-hot smartphone market, in which screen size is a key factor for buyers.
The iPhone 5 will debut Friday in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Pricing for US customers will start at $199 with a two-year telecom service contract.
Apple earlier rolled out its new iOS 6 mobile gadget operating system with new features, including a custom mapping service branded a disappointment by some reviewers.
"Seems pretty clear the new Maps is going to be the biggest problem with iOS 6," Apple fan John Gruber wrote on his Daring Fireball blog.
"It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for Google to release a standalone Google Maps apps in the iOS App Store."
Apple's custom mapping program replaced Google Maps in the operating system.
An iPhone change with the potential to irk fans is a new "Lightning" connector to replace 30-pin connections, the piece that connects devices to computers, power outlets or docking stations.
Apple will sell adaptors for plugging new generation iPhone and iPod touch devices into accessories already owned, such as stereo speakers or car sound systems.
The big-screen iPhone 5 compatible with high-speed "LTE" telecom networks has been among the most keenly anticipated products in the tech world.
"Apple is meeting all expectations," analyst Baker said. "Everything was getting great reviews until they started rolling out iOS 6 today."
The US Federal Trade Commission warned that scammers were already seeking to cash in on iPhone mania, with emails offering a chance to get one.
"Don't reply, and don't click on links provided in the message," the FTC said. "Links can install malware on your computer and take you to spoof sites that look real but whose purpose is to steal your information."

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Sola Aoi seeks 'friendship' between China and Japan

BEIJING: Japanese porn actress , Sola Aoi, who has been a rage in China for over three years, has become the target of a rising hate campaign against Japanese personalities and products after she posted a friendship note in a Chinese micro-blogging site.

Her post on Weibo read, "Japanese-Chinese Friendship" . She commented: "I hope there are good relations between we common people ...I am here in the same world as you. Hurt..."

The post by the adult film actress, who has 13 million followers on Weibo, touched a raw nerve as thousands demonstrated outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

Many hit back calling Sola a "Japanese dog" . She replied replacing the word "Japanese" with "Chinese" along with her own photograph. Sola's messages have been was retweeted over 120,000 times and attracted over 130,000 comments, the local media said. "Japan's gov (sic) should hurry up and nationalize Sola Aoi before China makes a move... If Japan loses those assets .., " a tweet said referring to Tokyo's decision to nationalize the Diaoyu islands.
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Weibo.cn

Sina Weibo is a Chinese micro-blogging (weibo) website, launched by SINA Corporation on 14 August 2009, and has more than 300 million registered users as of February 2012. (Chinese: pinyin: Xīnlàng Wēibó, Akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users, with a similar market penetration that Twitter has established in the USA. About 100 million messages are posted each day on Sina Weibo.

It was considered to be an opportunity to Sina's CEO Charles Chao. SINA Corporation when it launched the tested version of Sina Weibo on 14 August 2009.
After the July 2009 Ürümqi riots. China had shut down most of the domestic microblogging services including the first weibo service Fanfou. Many popular non China-based microblogging services like Twitter, Facebook and Plurk have been blocked from viewing since then. Basic functions including message, private message, comment and re-post were made possible in September, 2009.

Features :

Sina Weibo implements many features from Twitter. Users may post with a 140-character limit, mention or talk to other people using "@UserName" format, add hashtags with "#HashName#" format, follow other people to make his/her posts appear in users' own timeline, re-post with "//@UserName" similar to Twitter's retweet function "RT @UserName", put a post into the favorite list, verify the account if the user is a celebrity. URLs are automatically shortened using the domain name t.cn like Twitter's t.co. Official and third-party applications make users able to access Sina Weibo from other websites or platforms.

Additionally, users are allowed to insert graphical emoticons or attach own image, music, video files in every post. Comments to a post can be shown as a list right below the post, the commenter can also choose whether to re-post the comment, quoting the whole original post, to commenter's own page.

Unregistered users can only browse a few posts by verified accounts. Neither unverified account pages nor comments to the posts by verified accounts are accessible to unregistered users.
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Apple IPhone 5 launched

The long awaited device IPhone 5 has been launched finally. Apple announced that online orders for the phone exceeded two million on Friday, the first day consumers could makes purchases over the web.

The performance more than doubled the one million mark for first-day online sales set by the iPhone 4S last year.

According to the Telegraph, shares in Apple touched a fresh high of 700 dollars, closing up 1.2 percent at 699.78 dollars.

They have soared 70pc this year, punishing those who believed that a company that was close to bankruptcy in the late 1990s could not sustain its growth, the paper said.

According to the report, with a value of 650 billion dollars Apple is now comfortably the world's biggest company.

The iPhone 5 will be available in shops in the UK, the US and seven other countries from Friday, with a further 22 countries getting the device a week later.

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Apple IPhone 5 launched

The long awaited device IPhone 5 has been launched finally. Apple announced that online orders for the phone exceeded two million on Friday, the first day consumers could makes purchases over the web.

The performance more than doubled the one million mark for first-day online sales set by the iPhone 4S last year.

According to the Telegraph, shares in Apple touched a fresh high of 700 dollars, closing up 1.2 percent at 699.78 dollars.

They have soared 70pc this year, punishing those who believed that a company that was close to bankruptcy in the late 1990s could not sustain its growth, the paper said.

According to the report, with a value of 650 billion dollars Apple is now comfortably the world's biggest company.

The iPhone 5 will be available in shops in the UK, the US and seven other countries from Friday, with a further 22 countries getting the device a week later.

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Twilight couple together again

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have become an item again, just months after he walked out on her for cheating on him with married director Rupert Sanders, it has been revealed.
The 26-year-old actor is said to have had a heart-to-heart conversation with the tearful Hollywood beauty and forgiven her "stupid mistake". According to a source, the 'Twilight' hunk had set up home with the brunette once more. According to a report in Times of India.
"They pretty much decided they couldn't live without each other," the Sun quoted the source as saying. "Kristen poured her heart out to Robert and told him it was a one-off and a mistake," the source said.
The betrayed actor quit their Hollywood home in June after snaps of his girlfriend cheating on him with her 'Snowhite and the Huntsman' director surfaced.
He went to stay at Reese Witherspoon's California ranch, where Stewart's dad John begged him to patch things up with his daughter.Just days ago, Kristen jetted back to join him at the ranch.
"Rob sees it as Kristen made a really stupid mistake. After a lot of long tearful talks, they've worked it out," the source said. "Rob can see how truly sorry Kristen is and has totally forgiven her.They really do love each other," the source added.
The Hollywood A-list couple have now moved into a secluded pad in the same Los Angeles compound where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a place and are due to appear on the red carpet together in November for the final 'Twilight' film 'Breaking Dawn – Part 2′.

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Pakistan team for World Cup T20

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Sami, Nasir Jamshed, Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat.

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Teams for india and pakistan for T20 World Cup

Teams (from):

India: MS Dhoni (captain/wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Sami, Nasir Jamshed, Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat.

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Samsung Galaxy Beam

A smartphone's screen is way too small when you want to share a video or photo with friends. That's why fitting a pico projector into a phone has been tried so many times with varying degrees of success. The problem is that doing this considerably increases bulk and noticeably decreases battery life.

Plus, all the projector phones available so far have been feature phones — not based on a smartphone operating system. The LED-based projection system has so far been more of a gimmick rather than a usable feature. The Galaxy Beam is different though. It is south Asia,s first smartphone with built in projector.

Right at the outset, we think that the Beam is a good attempt at keeping things simple, attractive and making it perfectly usable as a day-to-day phone. That the projection quality is impressive is just icing on the cake. Look at it from the side and you won't be able to tell that there's a projector in there. The projector lens is on top of the phone, covered by a glass panel (but there is no lens cap). It has a total brightness of 15 lumens and a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels.

These numbers may not seem that impressive, but you need to consider that we're talking about a phone that weighs just 145 grams and is just 12.5mm thick. Under the right conditions (with low ambient lighting and with a flat white surface ), the phone can project an image up to 50-inchs in size (diagonal size).

Interestingly, the projector can also double up as a flashlight — one that projects a perfectly rectangular lightbeam and in your choice of colour. To start the projector up, you need to press the dedicated button on the side of the phone. It starts up almost immediately and you can proceed to adjust the various settings, starting with the focus and orientation (landscape or portrait). A nice bedside stand is included in the box, which also serves as a charger for an additional battery.

The battery life when using it as a phone is roughly a day or two. Running it solely as a projector, you should get about three and a half hours of use. Two of our main complaints with the Beam are that it does not come with a stand, tripod or mount of any kind for projector use.

You'll have to figure out a way to prop it up to get the ideal height and angle to display on a wall. And secondly, the loudspeaker is far too feeble to be of any use when you're using it as a projector. To use it with multimedia, you will necessarily need some sort of external powered speaker system (either a wired or Blueooth speaker will do).

It boils down to this — as a phone, you're not getting the best spec there is — but it is the best projector phone out there. If you prefer to keep things separate, you could get a standalone projector like 3M's MP180 ( 29,990) which can project videos or photos from internal memory or micro SD card and a separate Android smartphone.

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Vidya Balan : New projects

Despite speculations of her marriage, Vidya Balan says she is not in a hurry to tie the knot. "I am not going any where. When marriage happens, which is not on the cards anytime soon, I'll inform the world about it," she says with a mischievous smile.

"There is a world of time for me, that's the reason I am not on signing spree after the success of The Dirty Picture. Even before the film became a success I preferred doing one film at a time. Ghanchakkar is the project I am currently working on. I have teamed up with my earlier director of No One Killed Jessica, Raj Kumar Gupta and my co-star of The Dirty Picture Emraan Hashmi. We have completed a major chunk of shooting of the film. Next year, I will be part of Shaadi Ke Side Effects. This is all I am doing right now," she says when asked about what's keeping her busy work-wise.

And while we're talking about trends in the industry, the size zero fad refuses to go. Even then, Vidya's stood by her more curvy Indian figure. So, what does she have to say about a recent comment by Kareena Kapoor on fat not being sexy? "Voluptuous is beautiful. Ask the men, and you will get the answer. Indian women have the kind of face and a certain body structure that makes them voluptuous. I flaunt my features and structure. And why not," she asks.

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Kate Middleton's topless photos cause new storm for UK royals

PARIS/LONDON: French magazine Closer unleashed a new media tornado on Britain's royal family on Friday with a five-page splash of photos showing the duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, sunbathing topless with Prince William in the south of France.

Closer, a weekly round-up of celebrity gossip, ran a dozen shots of the duchess as she slipped off her bikini top, relaxed on a sun lounger and at one point pulled down the back of her bikini bottoms as William rubbed sun cream on her lower back.

Under the headline "Oh my God!", the photos show the couple, whose regal yet natural conduct since their April wedding has won them fans worldwide, soaking up the sun on the balcony of a 19th century hunting lodge, oblivious to lurking paparazzi.

The spread is a blow to Buckingham Palace as it tries to move on from a scandal over naked shots of Prince Harry that tarred an image bolstered by Kate and William's wedding, the queen's 2012 Diamond Jubilee and her Olympic Games appearance.

While Closer defended its decision to publish the photographs, a royal spokesperson called it a "grotesque" move that had upset the royal couple, currently touring southeast Asia, and said Buckingham Palace was consulting lawyers.

"Their royal highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner," a spokesperson for St James' Palace said.

"Their royal highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."

British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokeswoman also said the royal couple should be entitled to their privacy.

Closer's editor-in-chief Laurence Pieau described the photos as a "beautiful series" that showed a couple in love and were in no way degrading. She said the magazine had more intimate shots from the same series that it opted not to publish.

"There's been an over-reaction to these photos. What we see is a young couple, who just got married, who are very much in love, who are splendid," Pieau told French BFM television.

"She's a real 21st century princess," she added: "It's a young woman who is topless, the same as you can see on any beach in France or around the world."

Windsors take their clothes off

Closer is published by Mondadori, an Italian company partly owned by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and chaired by his daughter Marina. It would likely lose any legal case over invasion of privacy, although profits from the issue would likely far exceed any fine faced, probably just a few thousand euros.

"It's without a doubt an invasion of privacy," said Christopher Mesnooh, a US lawyer who practices in France.

"They were on vacation in a friend's chateau. There was no expectation the press would be there. So visibly they have been damaged by the fact the pictures were taken and it is likely a French court would rule in that direction."

The publication -- which set off a stream of mostly angry commentary on twitter -- reopens a debate over the privacy of Britain's royal family and the freedom of the press weeks after a US website published grainy photos of William's younger brother Harry cavorting naked in a Las Vegas hotel room.

"Harry started the fashion: these days the Windsors take their clothes off," the French magazine quipped in the photo spread, which it claimed as a world exclusive on the couple's mini-vacation in early September.

Many in Britain felt there was a difference, however, between exposing laddish antics by a royal in Las Vegas and intruding on William and Kate's private holiday.

"If she had taken her top off during a public engagement, it would be fair game, but they were on holiday, having personal time and so deserve privacy," said Shelley Brunton, 22, an office receptionist in London's financial district.

The editor of the Sun tabloid, the only British paper to run the nude Prince Harry photos, said that for the same reason it would not publish the shots of Kate. "The Sun has no intention of breaching the royal couple's privacy by publishing these intrusive pictures," editor Dominic Mohan said.

A torrent of twitter commentary on both sides of the Channel mostly chided Closer for running the shots.

"Utter disgrace that a mid-market French rag has invaded Kate Middleton's privacy like this. Gutter press morality," tweeted billionaire media magnate Evgeny Lebedev, who owns British daily The Independent and London's Evening Standard.

'Anger and disbelief'

The photos of Harry stained a positive image the Royal family has carefully crafted as it worked to turn the page on Princess Diana's death in 1997 and a raft of scandals at the time including Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson having her toes sucked by a US businessman as she sunbathed topless.

Royal sources said the photo spread felt like a flashback to the paparazzi chases of Princess Diana, William's mother, making it even more painful for him. "There is a feeling of anger and disbelief," one source said. "We feel there has been a red line crossed with regard to publishing these images."

"Have the paparazzi learnt nothing from Diana's death," Britain's MailOnline tweeted.

William and Kate were staying at the Chateau d'Autet near Aix-en-Provence in the Luberon region, whose picture-postcard villages, rolling lavender fields and vineyards have made it a favourite getaway spot for wealthy foreigners.

At one point the duchess, clearly recognizable in the slightly fuzzy images, stands up and partly peels down her bikini bottoms as William rubs sun lotion on her back.

"The last time we saw Kate and William on a balcony it was for their wedding. But they had more clothes on," reads one photo caption. Another says: "People always say she doesn't need to dress up to look good. Well ... Kate is proving this."

Many in France -- where topless sunbathing is commonplace and Britain's royals are regarded with a mixture of fascination and bemusement given the French deposed their last monarch in 1870 -- could not see what all the fuss was all about.

"It doesn't shock me at all," said a newspaper vendor called Sylvie, selling the magazine in central Paris. "Like any woman in a private place, she should be able to do what she likes."

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Princess Catherine,s topless pictures published

LONDON: Prince William's wife Catherine on Saturday faced growing embarrassment over topless photos after an Italian magazine said it would follow its French sister publication in printing them.
The British royals launched legal action on Friday against French magazine Closer – which is part of the media empire of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi – after it published paparazzi snaps of Catherine sunbathing with her husband.
The royal family may have hoped to contain the scandal by swiftly suing Closer – but Chi, an Italian weekly also published by Berlusconi's Mondadori Group, announced late Friday that it plans to print a special issue on Monday devoting 26 pages to the candid pictures of the former Kate Middleton.
The pictures were taken while she was on holiday with her husband, the second-in-line to the British throne, in France this month.
Closer's editor Laurence Pieau was quoted by British tabloid The Sun on Saturday as saying her magazine had more pictures that it had not printed yet.
"Intimate pictures exist that we haven't published and will not publish," she told the newspaper.
"Probably other newspapers will choose to publish them."
A version of the front cover of Chi showed some of the photos with the headline "The Queen is Naked!"
"The fact that these are the future rulers of England makes the article more interesting and topical," editor Alfonso Signorini told reporters.
"This is a deserving topic because it shows in a completely natural way the daily life of a very famous, young and modern couple in love," he said.
Closer is published under a licensing agreement between Bauer Media and Mondadori, which bought the title in 2006.
Berlusconi, who part-owns the Mondadori Group, is himself no stranger to scandals involving revealing photos taken by paparazzi.
He launched legal action against the Spanish newspaper El Pais in 2009 over pictures of topless women lounging at his holiday villa.
William and Catherine, both 30, are suing Closer for invasion of privacy over the pictures.
The images evoked memories of the press harassment of William's mother Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash as she was pursued through Paris by paparazzi.
William is believed to blame the paparazzi for his mother's death.
Palace officials said the royals, who are currently visiting Malaysia, considered the pictures published by Closer to be a "grotesque" breach of privacy.
"Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner," their office at St James's Palace said.
"The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so."
Later, the royal family confirmed that "legal proceedings for breach of privacy have been commenced today in France by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge against the publishers of Closer Magazine France".
Pieau has insisted Closer has no regrets about printing the pictures.
"These photos are not in the least shocking. They show a young woman sunbathing topless, like the millions of women you see on beaches," she told AFP.
Closer said the pictures were taken on the terrace of the Autet Chateau in Provence, southern France. The magazine said the chateau is owned by Viscount Linley, the son of Queen Elizabeth II's late sister Princess Margaret.
The palace said the royal couple "remain focused" on their tour of Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and the tiny Pacific island of Tuvalu to mark the diamond jubilee of William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
The pictures are a further headache for the royal family, following the publication last month of nude photos of William's younger brother Harry in a Las Vegas hotel.
Comparing the pictures to those of Harry cavorting naked with a mystery woman as he played strip billiards, the magazine said: "Here there is no question of alcohol, of strip billiards or compromising positions, but simply a spouse at ease with her body, who has nothing to hide from her husband.
"Moments of grace, of complicity. Of love in its purest. Images of cloudless happiness."
Rupert Murdoch's top-selling British tabloid The Sun, the only British paper to publish the pictures of Harry, said it would not print the photographs of Catherine, and there was no sign of any other British publication doing so.
"The Sun has no intention of breaching the royal couple's privacy. The circumstances are very different to those relating to the photos of Prince Harry in Las Vegas," editor Domini Mohan said.

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