Going Bananas to Reduce Heart Disease and Boost Energy

Banana is the most valuable food crop, rank fourth worldwide behind rice, wheat and potatoes. Other than tasty and rich in fiber, banana is very popular healthy snack for fitness minded and athletes as it is sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free fruits that contains high-grade protein with three of the essential amino acids, high level of sucrose, glucose, fructose and potassium to boost energy.

It is one of the few fruits which contain both easily digested complex and simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrate give you endurance energy and simple carbohydrate give you quick energy.

Eating just two bananas might provide enough energy for an intense 90 minute workout.Banana contains five times the vitamin A and iron, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus and four times protein than found in apples.

Anemia – Contains high iron Alzheimer – Protect neuron cells against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity and may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders Baby Food & Growing kids – Help supply the energy needs of growing, active children. Blood Pressure – contains low in salt and yet high in potassium to reduce high blood pressure and stroke. Adding bananas to your diet is not only great for boosting energy.Fascinating Facts About the Natural Healing Power of Bananas.

Bone health – contains high potassium benefits to muscles and helps promote bone health. Brain Power Enhancement – More Alert and Focus. Constipation – High in fiber Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – Contain natural mood enhancer tryptophan make you relax and feeling happier. Digestion – Riper bananas help relieve diarrhea.

Eye health – Lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration ( ARMD ) in older adults. Hangover – Calm the stomach, sooth and re-hydrate the body. Heart Burn – Acts as antacid Heart disease – High fiber foods help prevent heart disease.

Morning sickness – Calms the stomach and increases blood sugar levels. Mosquito bites – Reduce the swelling and irritation of an insect bite. Nerves – High in Vitamin B that calms the nervous system. Overweight – To avoid panic-induced food cravings, control the blood sugar levels to keep the carving away. PMS – Contain vitamin B6 that regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Stress – Potassium helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we got stress , our metabolic rate rises hence reducing potassium levels. Strokes – Reduce the risk of death from strokes by 40%. Quit Smoking – Recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Temperature control – A ‘cooling’ fruit to lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers.

Amazing Benefits Of Guava For Skin

Guavas are a very common type of fruit but are often neglected because of their hardness & presence of seeds. But it is what I call as super food! It contains goodness that will make you definitely want to eat this fruit but we are not talking about having sugar rich guava jams or jellies. For getting these super benefits of guava, you need to grab a fresh one and bite on it.

Guava contains Vit C and it helps protect cells and lower cancerous damage to them.Fibre is important for lowering blood sugar levels. At the same time, it is good in cleansing digestive system and maintaining free bowel movement. Guavas are rich in fibres. The more your system stays clean, the happier you will be from inside.Potassium in guavas helps normalise blood pressure levels. A banana and a guava contains almost the same amount of potassium.

RIO Olympics Operating Budget Rises by 27 Percent

RIO DE JANEIRO: The operating budget for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 was announced at 7 billion reals ($2.9 billion) by organizers on Thursday, an increase of 27 percent over the figure submitted in the 2009 bid.

The operating budget is only for organizing the games themselves, and has been delayed for months with Brazil’s three levels of government debating over who pays what.

A separate and much larger capital budget – a mix of private and public funds – will be unveiled next week and could top $11 billion. This is for building roads, subway lines and other improvements triggered by the games.

Organizers moved many costs from the operating budget to the public treasury, making comparisons to the original submission in 2009 difficult.

In addition, the Brazilian currency, the real, has fallen in value against the dollar. The real was calculated at $1 equals 2 reals in the 2009 bid document. On Thursday, $1 equaled 2.4 reals.

Organizers said inflation in Brazil from January 2009 to December 2013 was 39 percent.

”There was a negotiation process with the government,” said Leo Gryner, the chief operating officer of the organizing committee. ”They signed off on our budget. … They agreed that this is a good use of the 7 billion reals, so you are going to spend that. Everything else will be covered by us (government).”

IOC President Thomas Bach called it a ”very reasonable” operating budget after meeting on Tuesday in Brasilia with President Dilma Rousseff.

”All the recent games, in the operational budget, have delivered a profit,” Bach said.

However, Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, who studies the Olympics, said Bach’s use of the word ”profit” was misleading.

”This (operating budget) is a small portion of the investment that gets made,” Zimbalist said. ”They can talk about it all they want. More often than not there is a deficit. Sometimes it’s balanced, though it can be balanced by accounting chicanery. And a few times there have been modest surpluses. But it just doesn’t mean a heck of a lot.”

Income in the operating budget comes from the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee, and from marketing, tickets sales and local sponsorship sales.

The size of Rio’s operating budget, in line with the budgets of recent Summer Olympic hosts, has come under increased scrutiny since demonstrations seven months ago during the Confederations Cup, the warm-up for the World Cup.

Protesters, initially upset about rising bus fares, took aim at the billions being spent on the World Cup in a country with poor schools and hospitals, and stark social inequality.

Overall spending for the Olympics is expected to be slightly more than the World Cup.

The 2009 bid document showed $700 million in subsidies from the national and local governments. That funding is out of the latest operating budget.

The IOC requires that host cities and governments cover any deficit.

A recent study by Said Business School at Oxford University of Olympic Games since 1960 showed each one has had cost overruns.

”The games overrun with 100 percent consistency,” authors Bent Flyvberg and Allison Stewart wrote. ”No other type of megaproject is this consistent regarding cost overrun. Other project types are typically on budget from time to time, but not the Olympics.”

They concluded: ”The data thus show that for a city and nation to decide to host the Olympic Games is to take on one of the most financially risky type of megaproject that exists, something that many cities and nations have learned to their peril.”

Facebook Shares Leap with Profit Jump

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said Wednesday that profit soared in 2013 on the back of sizzling mobile ad revenue as the social network’s membership swelled.

The world’s biggest social network reported that profit in the fourth quarter jumped eightfold from a year earlier to $523 million, raising its net income for the year to $1.5 billion.

Revenues in the past quarter rose to $2.58 billion and $7.87 billion for the year.

Facebook shares rallied more than 12 percent in after-hours trading to a new high of $60.05 after release of the earnings figures.

“It was a great end to the year for Facebook,” said Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

“We’re looking forward to our next decade, and to helping connect the rest of the world.”

The Menlo Park, California-based company will mark its 10th birthday on February 4.

Facebook said the number of monthly active users rose 16 percent from a year ago to 1.23 billion, with 945 million using mobile devices.

Revenue from advertising surged to $2.34 billion in the quarter, up 76 percent over the past year. Mobile advertising revenue represented some 53 percent of that figure, an increase from 23 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Pakistan Steel Mills Privatization still undecided Pakistan Steel Mills Privatization still undecided

ISLAMABAD: The government is undecided about privatizing the financially troubled Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM). The entity needs an injection of over Rs100 billion for restructuring and revival before it can be put for sale within 12 months.

According to sources, the government has realized that the accumulated liabilities of PSM are too big to be met through the sale of its current assets and any financial commitment to its revival carries a high degree of risk.

It is also considering carrying out a technical audit of the machinery and plants to verify claims that with financial support the mill would be able to run at 80% of its capacity, compared to the current 3%.

The audit would not only determine the status of the machinery but also suggest whether aged plants would be attractive enough for potential investors.

Sources disclosed that five options were placed before the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet in a meeting on January 16. These included maintaining the status quo, selling assets, making attempts to revive the mill with no decision on privatization, keeping the mill ticking and privatizing within 12 months, or restructure and revive and privatize in one year.

A comparative statement covering all these possibilities in terms of cash and non-cash facilities was also presented to the ECC.

The last option is aimed at utilizing the time between now and the final phase of privatization to revive PSM’s activities. It also offers a chance to keep the mill in the public sector if restructuring is done properly.

In order to opt for this option, the government would need to pump Rs19.1 billion into PSM in a single tranche, provide sovereign guarantees (non-cash) for 120 days of letters of credit with National Bank amounting to Rs11 billion, undertake financial restructuring through parking Rs50.712 billion, offer voluntary separation scheme to 4,000 employees worth Rs14.167 billion and waive SSGC surcharge worth Rs6.56 billion.

Meeting participants told the ECC that PSM losses would start declining after restructuring and the mill would be able to return to profit by 2016. Debt-to-equity ratio would gradually improve, enabling PSM to borrow funds on its own instead of banking on the government.

Current ratios would also improve steadily and by 2018 current assets will exceed current liabilities.

They were of the view that rationalization of manpower would lead to savings of Rs15.5 billion over seven years, making PSM more attractive for privatization.

Depending on the management’s capability and a qualified and capable workforce, PSM’s revival could be possible, they remarked. The government will then have a choice either to sell or keep it as a state-owned enterprise.

The ECC was told that besides mitigating the government’s high risk exposure, the privatization should also bring dividends in the form of economic efficiency, better supply of products to the domestic industry and privatization proceeds for the government.

The ECC agreed that bad governance, overstaffing and financial and technical mismanagement had brought PSM to its present condition.

It was of the view that the PSM board of governors should consider all proposals for the revival and restructuring of the mill and share the plan with the Privatization Commission and the Ministry of Industries and Production.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce decides to set up Anti-extortion Cell

KARACHI: Deputy Inspector General of Police, CIA, Sultan Khawaja, has agreed to establish an anti-extortion cell at Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on complaints of small traders about increasing threats from extortion mafia. Speaking at a meeting of Special Committee of the small traders of KCCI, he said that the cell would be manned by a sub-inspector and an ASI and he would monitor the progress of the cell.

He assured that representation will be given to KCCI in the existing anti-extortion cell at CIA centre and their input would be taken for evolving an action plan to eradicate extortion. He said that the cell would receive complaints on daily basis and take prompt action. He said that identity of complainant will be kept secret.

He assured the traders that all their complaints will be forwarded to CCPO for prompt action. Sultan Khawaja advised business community that they must register their complaints with police so that prompt action could be taken against criminals. He said that three groups of Bhatta mafia were operating in the city. One of them operate through phone and made threatening call demanding extortions.

He advised traders to provide the phone numbers of those making these calls to police so that these phones should be blocked. Closure of phone will help reduce number of calls, he added. “The second group is a well organised group comprising some powerful elements. This group operating in paper market, cloth market etc. Action has already been initiated against this group,” he added.
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Top Fitness Trends for 2014

If you're one of the many people who made a New Year's resolution to up the ante on your health and fitness, take a look below at what experts believe will be 2014's biggest fitness trends in the Los Angeles area.

From virtual personal trainers to a new variation of SUP Yoga, these trends could help you in whatever fitness resolutions you take on.

A new variation of SUP Yoga

Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga may have been a popular fitness trend in 2013, but this year you won't have to get into the water to get the same kind of workout. The Indo Yoga Board, developed by Hunter Joslin, is a 6-foot-long board on four rockers that provides the same instability as SUP Yoga, requiring you to engage your muscles even more than traditional yoga in order to keep your balance.

With classes already on the East Coast, Indo Yoga Board is making its debut in Los Angeles this month with a class at Yoga Loft in Manhattan Beach. Or you can purchase the board for home use for about $375.

SurfSet Boards are slightly different than Indo Yoga Boards but the concept is the same. Classes are offered at a variety of locations throughout the Los Angeles area, including SURFSET LA in Hermosa Beach, 220 Fit in Santa Monica, and a variety of Crunch gyms. Donna Cyrus, senior vice president of programming for Crunch, says they were the first to have the program and confirms it's becoming incredibly popular. "It's going to pop up everywhere pretty soon," she says.

H.I.I.T.

High-intensity interval training continues to be a popular exercise method this year. H.I.I.T. sessions can last four to 30 minutes with short, intense bursts of cardio followed by a period of recovery. In October, the American College of Sports Medicine said H.I.I.T.would be 2014's top fitness trends. The P90X and Insanity workouts, which were popular the last couple years, are good examples of this form of exercise.

Christine Bullock, a Los Angeles fitness, nutrition and wellness expert whose DVD "10 Minute Solution: Butt Lift" was released in 2013, says H.I.I.T. is popular because people's busy lifestyles leave them wanting a quick but effective workout.

Cyrus agrees - many of Crunch's classes are now this style of workout - citing the popularity of CrossFit has made an impact on programming for gyms and personal trainers. She also notes a popular H.I.I.T. workout is Jillian Michael's 3-2-1 interval system, which is a 24-minute workout mixing two minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abs.

How to Land more Fish on your Table this Year 2014

Eating more seafood can be a key to a healthful diet. But it also can seem easier said than done. The hurdles? The people you cook for, and with, might not like fish. You might not know how to cook it. The cost can be daunting, and environmental questions can be confusing. Thankfully, each obstacle can be overcome.

For the fish-phobic: Start with mild, white-fleshed fish, such as tilapia, cod and sole. Avoid the oily choices with darker flesh, such as mackerel and bluefish. Dark-fleshed fish have more healthful omega-3 fatty acids, but they're an acquired taste. Mild fish, meanwhile, can take on the flavor of whatever spices, seasonings and sauces you desire, and they absorb marinades in minutes.

For the novice: Overcooking can render a delicate fillet tough and unappealingly fishy, and it can happen in a flash because fish cooks so quickly — but that's also one of its best qualities. Your job is to keep an eye on it. Quickly pan-fry thin fillets, browning them on each side until just opaque. Finish larger, thicker pieces in the oven or on the stove top in a vibrant broth or stew.

For the budget-minded: Shop wisely, control portion sizes and extend the seafood with other ingredients. Mix a handful of shrimp with vegetables, pastas, grains, beans. If the fish is particularly pricey, remember: A mere pound can yield four servings. Shop for sales, get to know your fishmonger and don't forget cold storage. Mild fish takes particularly well to freezing, so you can buy when the price is right, with no pressure to cook it right away.

For the environmentally conscious: Turn to such sources as the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program and the Blue Ocean Institute, both of which use color-coded rankings online to help you make smart choices. (The Natural Resources Defense Council, meanwhile, can help you identify fish that are low in mercury.)

Keep those strategies in mind, and you can make the most important change of all: no more excuses.

Condemnatory Reactions Pouring in over Altaf Hussain's Statement

KARACHI: The mainstream political parties of Pakistan have taken strong exception to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader, Altaf Hussain’s demand of a separate province for Urdu-speaking residents of Sindh if the government deems they so intolerable, Geo News reported.

Following the London-based MQM supremo’s fiery telephonic broadcast, condemnatory reactions started pouring in from all the political schools of thought.

The keenest of counter-statements came form Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, Bilawal Bhuotto Zardari.

Bilawal, on his Twitter account, posted: Marsoon Marsoon, Sindh na Ddaisun ("We will die, we will die, but won't give Sindh [to others]").

It is a famous quote by Hoshu Sheedi --General Hosh Muhammad Sheedi-- Supreme Commander of Sindh's Talpur army, who fought with valor against the British in the Battle of Dabbo and laid down his life in defense of his country.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari posted this message on Twitter shortly after MQM chief Altaf Hussain statement, but not without drawing fire from many sides.

The firebrand PPP chief also responded to his critics rather curtly.

He tweeted: "If my tweets freak you out so much wait and see what I can do from Parliament."

On the other hand PPP leader Sharjeel Memon expressed grave concern over Hussain's separatist demands.

"No one shall have even a single part of Sindh", said he..

PPP’s Khurshid Shah brushed aside MQM leader's statement saying, Altaf Hussain was like a king, who could say anything to anyone, but he should mind his ramblings.

"Someone is always incurring Hussain's wrath, but today he rained all his ire over Sindh."

Jamat e Islami (JI) Chief Syed Munawar Hasan did not stay behind in slamming Hussain's statement.

In a statement, JI chief said that the statement reeked of a conspiracy to divide the country on top of fanning anarchy.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Arif Alvi said Altaf Hussain should refrain from issuing such statements.

Awami National Party's (ANP) Zahid Khan in his statement stressed that his party had always been against Sindh's division.

Ayaz Paleejo, the leader of Qaumi Awami Movement, went a step further ans demanded of Altaf Hussain to withdraw his statement or else his party would take to streets against it. He also announced to stage protest demonstrations on Monday, February 6, 2013.

Sharjeel Memon Reacts to Altaf Hussain’s Speech

KARACHI: Responding to Altaf Hussain’s speech, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said that even an inch of Sindh province would not be given to anybody.

He said it seemed that Hussain’s statement was aimed at joining the provincial government. Memon said that there was no difference between the common people living in Sindh.

The minister said: “Such statement also seems to be a ploy to divert attention from on going targeted operation in Karachi”

He said that MQM had its governor in Sindh for 11 years and it should contact him for its demands.

“It is not appropriate to create ethnic division through public meetings, everybody knows who is behind hooliganism,” he said and added that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would not allow creating law and order situation.

Munawar sees Conspiracy to Split Country in Altaf Hussain’s Statement

KARACHI: Jamat e Islami (JI) Chief Syed Munawar Hasan has slammed the statement of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief, 'demanding' to form a new province in Sindh.

In a statement, JI chief said that the statement is a part of the conspiracy being hatched to spread anarchy and to split the country.

Bangladesh to Hold Elections Sunday Despite Boycott

DHAKA: Bangladesh is expected to hold its scheduled national elections Sunday, despite a boycott by opposition candidates.

While the ruling Awami League is assured a victory in a field devoid of challengers, analysts still expect the election to deepen the south Asian nation's political turmoil.

Winners have already been declared without a contest in more than half of the national assembly seats because of the opposition's boycott.

The opposition, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has stayed away from the polls, saying the election process is too heavily tilted in favor of the ruling party.

Opposition groups accuse Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League of standing in the way of fair elections by scrapping a neutral interim-administration system that has overseen elections since 1996.

In 2011, the Awami League changed the constitution to get rid of the caretaker system, allowing the ruling party to stay in power until elections ended.

Ms. Hasina denies that she is attempting to influence the election. "We took an oath as an elected government to uphold democracy," she said in a televised speech Thursday. "That is why the elections will take place on January fifth in accordance with the constitution."

For decades, Ms. Hasina, the 65-year-old daughter of Bangladesh's first president and independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has alternated in power with the BNP and its 67-year-old leader Begum Khaleda Zia —the widow of Ziaur Rahman, a former president and military commander during the country's 1971 war of independence.

With the election just days away, opposition leaders say police in riot gear have blocked Ms. Zia from leaving her house in Dhaka to take part in opposition rallies.

"The police have kept her house cordoned off for days and she is under de facto house arrest," said Selima Rahman, a senior BNP leader.

The government denies Ms. Zia is under house arrest. On Friday, police maintained a heavy presence in front of the opposition leader's walled compound. Police officials said the measures had been taken for Ms. Zia's protection.

The U.S. and the European Union have declined to send election observers to Bangladesh, casting further doubt on the credibility of the elections.

"We're disappointed that the major political parties have not yet reached a consensus on a way to hold free, fair, and credible elections," a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said in a statement Friday.

Human rights groups say more than 200 people have died in political violence since November, when opposition parties started sometimes-violent street protests to try to force Ms. Hasina to reinstate the caretaker system.

Ms. Hasina has responded by cracking down on her opponents. The police have arrested dozens of opposition leaders and rounded up thousands of opposition activists.

The strikes called by the opposition have hurt the economy, especially the $20 billion garment industry, which was already struggling to recover from a series of deadly industrial accidents.

Political analysts say Sunday's election is unlikely to improve conditions in Bangladesh.

"If the country is closed for political dialogue, it will be difficult to convince the world that it is open for business," said Shahiduzzaman, a professor of security studies and international relations at Dhaka University who uses one name.

Chinese Ship used in Antarctic Rescue Stuck in Ice

SYDNEY: A Chinese icebreaker that went to the aid of a Russian ship stuck in heavy floes in Antarctica has now itself become trapped by ice, officials said Saturday, sparking anger about the impact of the rescue on polar expeditions.

The Xue Long, which on Thursday used its helicopter to ferry dozens of passengers on the stranded Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy to the safety of an Australian vessel, has been unable to free itself, authorities said.

"Xue Long has confirmed to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority it is beset by ice," the authority said in a statement.

Speculation about whether the Xue Long was stuck had mounted for several days given the ship had hardly moved after its failed attempt to cut through the ice to reach the Shokalskiy.

By late Friday, Australian officials said the Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, had reported that it had concerns about the heavy ice that surrounded it and would attempt to free itself early Saturday.

AMSA said while this attempt had failed, the master of the Chinese ship had confirmed that the vessel was safe, was not in immediate distress and did not require assistance. The ship has food supplies for several weeks.

The Shokalskiy remains stuck in ice 100 nautical miles from the French Antarctic base of Dumont d´Urville with 22 crew on board.

Several attempts by icebreakers to reach the Russian ship failed, including by the Xue Long and the Australian Antarctic supply ship the Aurora Australis, while poor weather initially delayed helicopter rescue plans.

The 22 scientists, 26 paying passengers and four journalists on board the Shokalskiy who were helicoptered off the ship are now on the Aurora Australis, which had been asked to remain on standby in the area to help the Xue Long.

However, AMSA said Saturday the Aurora Australis was now free to continue its journey to Australia´s Antarctic base Casey, where it is due to deliver supplies before heading to the Australian city of Hobart.

"The masters of both Akademik Shokalskiy and Xue Long agree that further assistance from Aurora Australis is no longer required and they will be able to provide mutual support to each other," AMSA said.

Australian authorities have said that any inquiry into how the Shokalskiy came to be stranded would have to be conducted by Russian authorities but have acknowledged that the incident could impact guidelines for polar expeditions.

The rescue mission, which also initially involved the French ship the Astrolabe, has also impacted some Antarctic research programmes, according to Yves Frenot, director of the French Polar Institute.

The rescue mission forced French scientists to scrap a two-week oceanographic campaign this month using the Astrolabe, he said.

"But we are relatively lucky. The Chinese have had to cancel all their scientific programme, and my counterpart in Australia is spitting tacks with anger, because their entire summer has been wiped out," he said.

The Aurora was forced to suspend its resupply of the Australian base to rush to the aid of the Shokalskiy, but authorities said it was not yet known what impact the incident would have on scientific programmes.

Deadly Freeze Hits Northern US

NEW YORK: A fierce winter storm brought chaos to the northern United States on Friday, killing at least 11 people and forcing the cancelation of thousands of flights.

More than 24 inches (61 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of Massachusetts town as a state of emergency was declared in New York and New Jersey states.

One worker was killed when a 100-foot pile of salt being prepared to treat roads in the Philadelphia region fell on him, media reports said.

A 71-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimers disease froze to death after walking out into the cold and getting lost in northern New York state, authorities said.

At least nine other deaths were blamed on the storm -- named Hercules -- that caused traffic accidents and other disruption across 22 states and parts of Canada.

Hercules closed major roads for several hours with snowdrifts built up by Arctic winds of up to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour.

Weather experts said the windchill temperature would plummet to -13 Fahrenheit (-25 Celsius) in New York state.

More than 4,200 international and domestic flights were cancelled at airports along the east coat and as far as Chicago on Thursday night and Friday. Thousands more were delayed.

New York´s John F. Kennedy Airport closed for several hours because of poor visibility and high winds.

Flights were also canceled at Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and other key airports.

Boston woke up to a temperature of about three degrees Fahrenheit (minus 16 Celsius) but with the wind chill, it felt much worse.

Essex county in Massachusetts recorded 24 inches (61 centimetres) of snow. Much of the state´s Atlantic coastline was put on flood alert.

The New York and New Jersey governors ordered major roads closed during the worst of the blizzard, but they were reopened on Friday morning.

Government leaders still appealed for people to stay home unless they had urgent business.

The storm was the first big test for New York City´s new Mayor Bill de Blasio, who only took up his job Wednesday.

De Blasio had vowed a "laser focus" on the storm. But the mayor also urged residents to stay indoors and warned against going out in the freezing temperatures.

De Blasio shoveled snow from in front of his Brooklyn house Friday before repeating appeals for drivers to stay off the streets to help the city clear its 6,200 miles (9,900 kilometers) of roads.

"If you want safe, clear streets, stay home," he said.

Tourists lobbed snowballs at each other in Times Square and more than six inches of snow fell on Central Park.

But 450 salt spreaders were out across the city and 1,700 refuse trucks had been fitted with plows in a bid to keep New York moving. The city set up a special website and app, PlowNYC, so residents could follow street clearances in real time.

Many metro trains were canceled or delayed however and schools and many businesses remained closed in all the affected states.

And sub-freezing temperatures are expected as far south as Florida, the National Weather Service said.

Officials backed de Blasio´s warning about going out in the cold as night fell again and temperatures plummeted. Experts said that winds of 30 miles per hour could cause frostbite in about 30 minutes. (AFP)

One More Polio Case Surfaces in Karachi

KARACHI: One more fresh case of polio has been reported in Karachi with the beginning of New Year, thus, proving that the virus has not been eradicated completely in the country, Geo News reported Wednesday.

The victim child named Fatima belongs to Karachi and is the resident of Gadap area. The National Institute of Health has verified the virus attack. The samples of the affected girl were collected on December 19.

It may be mentioned that a total number of 85 polio cases were reported in the year 2013.

China says Vaccines didn’t Cause 9 Kids Deaths

BEIJING: Vaccines did not cause the deaths of nine children shortly after they were inoculated for hepatitis in a Chinese government program and no links have been found in eight other cases still being investigated, health officials said Friday after safety concerns arose.

At the same time, China's national product safety watchdog said three drug makers - one of whom was scrutinized over the recent deaths - had suspended production because they failed to meet new manufacturing standards.

Public confidence in Chinese health authorities and the country's drug safety regime is shaky at best, though improvements have been made in recent years since government agencies withheld information about the spread of SARS and bird flu.

Concerns over vaccine safety have surfaced after reported problems with vaccines for encephalitis, hepatitis B and other diseases. In those cases, the health ministry said the vaccines had been improperly stored but were unrelated to subsequent illnesses that were reported.

In the recent cases, China's National Health and Family Planning Commission investigated 17 deaths of children between Dec. 13 and Tuesday shortly after they received shots for the liver disease hepatitis B, the commission said in a statement on its website.

Nine were clearly unrelated to the vaccines, the commission said, while a preliminary investigation found no links in the remaining cases. The cause of those eight deaths would only be confirmed after autopsies are completed.

The causes of the deaths instead were acute pneumonia, suffocation, kidney failure, severe diarrhea, death of intestinal tissue, sudden infant death, congenital heart disease and so on, the commission said. The children were all younger than 5 and lived in nine provinces across China, the commission said without further details.

Late last month after the first few deaths were reported, Chinese authorities sent health experts to investigate the manufacturer of most of the hepatitis B vaccines, Biokangtai, a drug maker based in the southern city of Shenzhen.

The China Food and Drug Administration said Friday that Biokangtai and two other manufacturers of hepatitis B vaccines had to suspend production because they failed to meet new safety and quality standards for manufacturing. It said the companies could resume production after obtaining the new certification.

Australia Experiences Hottest Year On Record

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia experienced its hottest year on record in 2013, the Bureau of Meteorology said Friday, enduring the longest heatwave ever recorded Down Under as well as destructive bushfires.

"2013 was Australia s warmest year since records began in 1910," the bureau said in its annual climate statement, released as inland areas of the country suffer scorching heatwave conditions.

"Mean temperatures across Australia have generally been well above average since September 2012. Long periods of warmer-than-average days have been common, with a distinct lack of cold weather."

The bureau said that Australia s 2012-2013 summer was the warmest on record, and included a prolonged national heatwave which ended on January 19, 2013 -- the first day since 31 December, 2012 that it did not reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 F) somewhere in the nation.

Spring was also the warmest on record and winter the third warmest, meaning that overall, the annual national mean temperature was 1.20 degrees Celsius above average.

The bureau pointed to destructive fires, in the island state of Tasmania in early 2013, which were followed by a record warm and dry winter across the country.

Spring appeared to arrive early and culminated in "the most destructive fires in the Sydney region since at least 1968".

The weather authority, which last year introduced new colours on its temperature scale to cater for more extreme highs, said the Australian warming was very similar to that seen on the global scale.

"And the past year emphasises that the warming trend continues," it said.

This year is also starting warmly, with records already under threat in some Outback towns. In Moomba in northern South Australia, the temperature topped 48 degrees Celsius on Thursday. The highest temperature ever recorded in Australia was 50.7 Celsius in Oodnadatta in 1960.

Sarah Perkins, a climate system science researcher at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said the report confirmed that the impacts of global warming were starting to be felt.

"While records are occasionally broken here and there, the amount of temperature records broken in the last year is extraordinary," she said.

"Studies have already shown that the risk of summers like 2013 occurring have increased by up to five-fold, because of human induced climate change."

Professor Roger Jones, a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change s Working Group II Fifth Assessment Report to be released later this year, said the findings should concern all Australians.

"While the increases in average temperatures may seem to be benign -- heat waves are increasing faster than those averages," said Jones, a research fellow at Victoria University in Melbourne.

"Why heat waves are longer and hotter than anticipated is not yet clear, but they are contributing to greater fire danger and heat stress than projected by climate impact studies, affecting animals, plants and humans."

University of Melbourne climate scientist David Karoly said the record high average temperature was remarkable because it did not occur in an "El Nino" year, when conditions in Australia are usually drier and warmer.

He said that in climate modelling experiments conducted so far it was not possible to reach such a temperature record due to natural climate variations alone.

"Hence, this record could not occur due to natural variability alone and is only possible due to the combination of greenhouse climate change and natural variability on Australian average temperature," he said.

Ian Lowe, emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Queensland s Griffith University and president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the report confirmed expectations.

"2013 was the hottest year on record for Australia, showing that there is no rational basis for the claim that warming has slowed in recent years," he said.

Academics Petition Against America's 'Blanket Surveillance

250 academics around the world signed an online petition calling for an end to "blank surveillance.

WASHINGTON: (AFP) - More than 250 academics from around the world signed an online petition this week calling for an end to "blanket mass surveillance" by intelligence agencies.
The petition said revelations of mass surveillance in documents leaked by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden violate "a fundamental right" protected by international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights.
"This has to stop," said the petition (academicsagainstsurveillance.net), an initiative of four academics from the University of Amsterdam.
"Without privacy people cannot freely express their opinions or seek and receive information. Moreover, mass surveillance turns the presumption of innocence into a presumption of guilt... secret and unfettered surveillance practices violate fundamental rights and the rule of law, and undermine democracy.
"The signatories of this declaration call upon nation states to take action. Intelligence agencies must be subjected to transparency and accountability. People must be free from blanket mass surveillance conducted by intelligence agencies from their own or foreign countries."
The signatories include academics in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany and the United States.
Among them are Oxford University's Joss Wright, Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie Mellon University, Aleecia McDonald of the Center for Internet & Society at Stanford University and Bruce Schneier of the Berkman Institute for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School.
Other signatories were from as far as Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
On Thursday, a report indicated that the NSA is making strides toward building a "quantum computer" that could break nearly any kind of encryption.
The Washington Post said leaked documents from Snowden indicate the computer would allow the secret intelligence agency to break encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government records around the world.
Quantum computing has been a goal among commercial firms such as IBM because it could harness the power of atoms and molecules, vastly increasing speed and security of computers and other devices.
Snowden leaked explosive details of the secret surveillance schemes to media including The Washington Post and The Guardian.
After fleeing the United States, he ultimately landed in Russia, where he has been granted temporary asylum. US federal prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint against Snowden, charging him with espionage and felony theft of government property.

Drone Bombs?: US Drones to make Decisions on their Own

(Web Desk) - Despite international criticism, US has planned to arm military drones with stronger chemical weapons that will act as ‘drone-bombs’. It has also aimed to equip drones with improved sensors and navigation equipment in order to cut down expenses.

According to a report published in UK newspaper, the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) revealed its Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap, setting out its technology aims for the next 25 years.

Drones that can choose to deviate from a set mission and hunt in ‘swarms’ could be patrolling skies within the next 25 years, according to a new roadmap.

Unmanned aircraft carrying stronger chemical weapons could also be on the horizon, the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) revealed in its Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap.

While the document sets out plans for unmanned maritime, land and air vehicles, there is a lot of focus on the future capability of controversial drones, which, if the plans come to fruition, could deviate from mission commands set by humans if they spot a better target.

Current drones require intensive manpower on the ground to fly, which is expensive and the DoD plans on cutting costs by letting the machines make more decisions themselves.

At the moment drones follow precise commands to complete a predetermined step-by-step mission, but the unmanned aircraft of the future could deviate from tasks, informed by ‘laws’ that govern their behaviour, laid out in algorithms and machine learning, as well as advanced sensors.

While drones, or unmanned aircraft, currently use GPS to navigate war zones and remote areas, the satellite signals used by the systems can be jammed easily, so the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on jam-proof ‘inertial guidance systems’.

The DoD s roadmap also features plans for deadly ‘swarms’ of drone-bombs that are launched from an unmanned ‘mothership’ to circle the skies while a human operator searches for targets for the drones to crash into, guided by the bots’ on-bard cameras.

Thanks to the unmanned mothership, the kamikaze drones could have a range of over 250 nautical miles (463km) the roadmap said.

The weapons dropped by more traditional drones are also set to get more deadly under the plans, as researchers are working on ‘energetic nanoparticles’ with a larger surface areas so that the chemicals within the ammunition reach faster and create a more powerful explosion.

The technologies combined are intended to help the U.S. military be ‘more effective through greater automation and greater performance,’ the report says.

Now we can all Watch Earth in HD | First Public Video of our Planet is Beamed back from Space

While satellites frequently beam down mesmerising images of Earth, detailed video footage of our planet has, up until now, been lacking.

Now one San Francisco-based start-up is aiming to change this by using its own low-cost satellite to provide the first ever public high-definition video of Earth from space.

The footage reveals details down to the metre-scale, such as cars moving on roads and vessels travelling through shipping lanes – all from a satellite positioned 600 kms above the planet.

The video was taken by the SkySat-1 satellite and showcases high-resolution views of Tokyo, Bangkok, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Aleppo, Syria.

While it’s currently available for free, the group, Skybox Imaging, plans to sell the footage to businesses in the near future.

SkySat-1, which was launched in November, captured up to 90-second video clips at 30 frames per second to create the footage.

The U.S. group is now planning a constellation of 24 satellites that will be able to cover almost the entire expanse of the Earth.

Its larger goal is to sell what it can analyse about the global economy to companies, providing details such as supply chain monitoring and the movement of humanitarian aid.

‘The most revolutionary fact is that SkySat-1 was built and launched for more than an order of magnitude less cost than traditional sub-meter imaging satellites,’ said Tom Ingersoll, chief executive of Skybox.

Satellites today are capable of taking imagery better than a metre in resolution, but they weigh thousands of kilograms. SkySat-1 is 20 times smaller than traditional satellites.

The circuitry that drives it is about the size of a phone book and consumes less power than a 100w light bulb.

‘Their small size means we can afford to launch lots of satellites, and provide you lots of timely, sub-meter imagery and video, along with powerful derived analytics,’ the group said on their website.

SkySat-2, an identical version of SkySat-1, is scheduled to launch in early 2014.

It competitor, Vancouver-based UrtheCast, is also planning to mount both a still and video camera onto the International Space Station to provide a similar service.

Bluetooth Vibrating Smart Fork Aims to Coach you Back to Health

Hapifork, launched earlier this year, helps you maintain perfect timing between your bites so that you can remain healthy without counting steps on.

Hapifork, the vibrating Bluetooth fork was launched on Kickstarter earlier this year and is now available exclusively at Brookstone for 99.99 dollars.

The device has got two modes, Alarm and Coaching, and it issues vibrational feedback and a glowing red or green light at the end of its handle to tell whether the user has timed the bites properly,reports.

The device could be paired with an Android or iOS device to send feedback, can be USB synced to a PC or Mac, and has a built-in accelerometer to track hand motion, the report added.

First Private Supersonic Jet Promised in 2018

For billionaire executives, a 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo is just too damn long to spend out of pocket. The Spike Aerospace S-512 promises to cut that time in half, and it won’t cost more than a measly $80 million.

The Boston-based Spike crew is made up of former Airbus, Bombardier, and Gulfstream engineers, along with a handful of entrepreneurs and investors that have set out to create the world’s first supersonic private jet.

Their goal is to create a new breed of business aircraft that can reach a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,218 mph) and a top speed of Mach 1.8 (1,370 mph). At those speeds, the S-512 is theoretically capable of flying from New York to London in less than four hours, all while carrying up to 18 passengers in the opulence they’re accustomed to.

It’s no accident that Spike is quoting flight times over oceans and not the continental U.S.  The FAA prohibits supersonic flight over land, with few exceptions. But Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and even NASA have been working on ways to redesign supersonic aircraft to reduce the boom when breaking the speed of sound, but to no avail.

And Spike isn’t the first to promise a supersonic jet. Aerion announced plans in 2009 to create its own 12-seat supersonic business jet (which, ironically, was pegged to cost $80 million). That jet was supposedly due in 2015 — and Spike’s is promised to take off in December 2018.

Death Ray Drone Bot

In a move that wouldn’t look out of place in an Austin Powers movie, a student from Illinois has fitted a spider-shaped robot with laser beams.

The remote-controlled Death Ray Laser Drone Bot is fitted with a beam so powerful it can pop balloons and make paper and card burst into flames.

It was created by 20-year-old Drake Anthony who demonstrated the full force of his creation on his Styropyro YouTube channel.

To build the device, Anthony, 20, modified an Attacknid robot.

An Attacknid toy traditionally fires foam darts and disks, can walk around, and is designed to battle against other robots.

By removing the top of the robot and tweaking the firing mechanism, Anthony was able to replace the foam thrower with a 2W blue laser diode.

By connecting the laser to existing wires, Anthony was able to move the Attacknid using the robot’s remote control.

This control can make the Attacknid walk, spin the lasers 360-degrees, and fire the laser at targets.

He then fires the laser at a piece of paper, which bursts into flames within three seconds.

According to Anthony: ‘I present my most terrifying laser creation as of yet – the remote controlled death ray drone bot!

‘This beast packs a potent 2W blue laser that fries anything in it’s path. It can walk around and shoot its death ray at the touch of a button.’

Anthony posts videos under the username the DIY Laser Guy and has previously created other laser-powered devices.

For example, in May, the chemistry student from Southern Illinois University created a handheld lightsaber.

A video, created by Anthony, showed the invention cutting through paper, tape and cardboard – and even melting a ping pong ball.

This laser used a 9mm 450nm diode that was powered by two 18650 Li Ion batteries.

Drivers Distracted 10 per cent of the Time behind the Wheel

Drivers eat, reach for the phone, text, or otherwise take their eyes off the road about 10 per cent of the time they are behind the wheel, according to a new US study.

The risks of distracted driving were greatest for newly licensed teen drivers, who were substantially more likely than adults to be involved in a crash or near miss while texting or engaging in tasks secondary to driving, according to the researchers from the National Institutes of Health and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in the US.

“Anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road can be dangerous,” said study co-author Bruce Simons-Morton, of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the NIH institute where the study was conducted.

“But our study shows these distracting practices are especially risky for novice drivers, who haven’t developed sound safety judgement behind the wheel,” Simons-Morton said.

The study analysed video from cameras installed in the cars of about 150 drivers in the Washington, DC, area and in southwestern Virginia.

About one-quarter of the drivers were novices, having had their license for no more than three weeks. The remaining drivers had, on average, 20 years of experience and ranged in age from 18 to 72.

Experienced adults were more than twice as likely to crash or have a near miss when dialling a cell phone as when they did not dial and drive, but did not have an increased risk while engaging in other tasks secondary to driving.

However, the researchers found that distracted driving substantially increased the risks for new drivers. Compared to when they were not involved in secondary tasks, novice teen drivers were eight times more likely to crash or have a near miss when dialling, seven to eight times more likely when reaching for a phone or other object, almost four times more likely when texting, and three times more likely when eating.

Talking on a cell phone did not increase risk among the adult or teenage drivers However, because talking on a cell phone is preceded by reaching for the phone and answering or dialling – which increase risk greatly – the study authors concluded that their results provide support for licensing programmes that restrict electronic device use, particularly among novice drivers. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Beat High Blood Pressure with Dal or Lentils

A new study has found that adding lentils to your daily diet can help reduce high blood pressure. The study, led by Dr Peter Zahradka from the University of Manitoba, also suggested that consuming pulses like beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas can reverse the changes that happen in blood vessels due to high BP, report.

Zahradka said that the results of the study are amazing, since they provide a non-pharmacological way of treating diseases associated with blood vessel dysfunction. Zahradka added that the most notable finding of the study was the fact that lentils could alter the physical properties of blood vessels so that they resembled the vessels found in healthy animals.

Health benefits of various dals or lentils

Toor dal: A very popular and preferred dal in India, toor dal is light and yummy. Apart from protein and fibre, it contains folic acid which helps prevent anaemia and is also important for pregnant women as it is essential for foetal development and can help prevent neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. It is low in calories so is good for people who are on weight loss diets. It also helps control blood sugar levels.

Moong dal: When you think of dal rice, the first thing that comes to your mind is moong dal which is commonly known as yellow dal. It is used for making the legendary dal tadka and dal fry. It is eaten on a regular basis in every indian household in combination with rice and vegetables. Moong dal is a dieter-friendly dal rich in iron and potassium. Iron helps maintain haemoglobin levels and potassium helps reduce blood pressure, a boon for hypertensive people. It is extremely light and can be easily eaten when you fall ill and even by pregnant women. Moong dal is used for making soups, stews and purees. Boiled moong dal is also used for making delicious spicy parathas.

Chana dal: A variety of dal which is deliciously thick. Chana dal is rich in B-vitamins which help energise you. It is full of fibre which helps diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. It also has potassium and folic acid. The fibre in it helps lower cholesterol levels preventing heart problems.

Masoor dal: Just like the other dals, masoor dal helps reduce blood sugar levels especially controlling the blood sugar spikes after a meal, controls hypertension, prevents anaemia and lowers cholesterol. It can be cooked with vegetables, spinach, pulao or added in your chicken or vegetable soup.

Urad dal: It is most commonly used by south Indians to make dosa, idlis, etc along with rice making it a complete source of protein. Urad dal is rich in iron, folate, fibre, potassium. It is also a good source of calcium which is important for vegetarians and elderly people who require high amounts of calcium for maintaining bone health. It also boosts your energy and keeps you active.

In order to gain maximum benefits of these dals, have 2 servings of dals/pulses per day. You can also add dals to your soups, rotis, tikkis, salads, etc. Alternate between the various types to get essential nutrients from all of them.

Good Night’s Sleep Crucial for Brain Health

Lack of a good night’s sleep may damage your brain in a similar way to being hit on the head, a new study has warned.

The study from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that one night of sleep deprivation increases morning blood concentrations of molecules NSE and S-100B in healthy young men.

These molecules are typically found in the brain. Thus, their rise in blood after sleep loss may indicate that a lack of sleep may result in loss of brain tissue, researchers said.

Fifteen normal-weight men participated in the study. In one condition they were sleep-deprived for one night, while in the other condition they slept for approximately 8 hours.

“We observed that a night of total sleep loss was followed by increased blood concentrations of NSE and S-100B. These brain molecules typically rise in blood under conditions of brain damage,” said sleep researcher Christian Benedict at the Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, who led the study.

“Thus, our results indicate that a lack of sleep may promote neuro degenerative processes,” said Benedict. “In conclusion, the findings of our trial indicate that a good night’s sleep may be critical for maintaining brain health,” said Benedict. The findings are published in the journal SLEEP.

The Advantages of Honey for Losing Weight

Studies have shown that, as a natural sweetener, honey should be included in your healthy weight-loss program. Honey contains fructose and glucose which is akin to sugar. However, in the case of sugar, the manufacturing process destroys the majority of vitamins, enzymes, nitrogen elements and organic acids.

Honey and Weight Loss

First thing in the morning, it is recommended that you drink a glass of lemon juice with a little honey as an anti-cellulite treatment and to increase your metabolism. It should also be included in a healthy weight-loss program.

You could also combine honey with cinnamon and water: one cup of boiling water mixed with a teaspoon of cinnamon powder. After the ingredients are properly mixed, you should cover it and leave it for about half an hour. Filter the mixture. Afterwards, add a teaspoon of honey and you are done. It is important to drink it 30 minutes before eating breakfast, on an empty stomach.

Because honey is good for your body’s digestive function, a teaspoon should be consumed after eating, especially when you eat too much.

Many people think that if they stop eating, they will lose weight faster. However, nutrition is important because your body needs fibre, vitamins, calories and minerals for proper functioning. By doing this, the only thing that you will succeed in is to weaken your immune system. A healthy weight-loss program should reduce the daily calorie intake and focus on how to burn additional calories through physical exercise.

Sleep Less and You’ll Eat More Junk Food

You’re probably wondering how sleeping less could affect what foods you want to eat, but recent science points in the direction that the less you sleep, the more you’re body will want unhealthy foods. After studying 25 normal-weight volunteers who underwent sleep deprivation for five nights scientists were surprised to find the link between lack of sleep and junk food cravings.

The pleasure-seeking areas of the brain reacted much more strongly when shown images of unhealthy food when sleep was limited, however when participants had a “normal” night of sleep their brains reacted the same to both healthy and unhealthy food images.

That’s most likely because when your body undergoes extreme sleep changes it craves foods that will give it the highest caloric intake, or extremely unhealthy foods, resulting in late night, unhealthy binges.

Bangladesh :Bomb Blasts near Khaleda Zia’s House

Dhaka: Crude bombs exploded near the Gulshan residence of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday despite recent “security” measures around her house.

Four crude bombs exploded in succession about 30 yards away from her residence on road-70 in the evening around 6:45pm, witnesses said.

However, police said the location of the blasts was “far away” from the opposition chief’s house.

The blasts took place during a nationwide blockade of the BNP-led 18-party alliance. The agitation is expected to continue until January 5 polls.

The blasts took place near two sand-laden trucks, which were stationed on either side of the road leading away from Khaleda Zia’s house.

After the explosions, the trucks moved away immediately. Gulshan police Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam said the bombs exploded near the American Club on road-70. “It is far away from Khaleda’s residence.”

The official denied comment on how the miscreants managed to flee the spot despite presence of a huge number of law enforcers.

Defence Minister Calls on Prime Minister to Discusses Musharraf Issue

 
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday and discussed situation created after Musharraf’s ailment.

Both leaders met at Prime Minister House and discussed treason case and Musharraf ‘s ailment.

Sources told Abbtakk that PM expressing regret over former President ailment directed provision of all treatment facilities to Musharraf.

While talking at the occasion, Khawaja Asif said that there was no decision made sending Musharraf abroad for treatment. He said that only the court could provide him relief.

Musharraf Likely to be Sent Abroad, Hearing to Resume on January 6th, 2014

ISLAMABAD: (Dunya News) – Former President Pervez Musharraf is reportedly out of danger and will spend next couple of days at AFIC hospital. Special court conducting his treason trial ruled not to issue arrest warrants for failing to appear before the court. 

Furthermore, reports of transferring Musharraf abroad for treatment purposes are also circulating however Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated no such decision has been taken.  Pervez Musharraf was being escorted to court from his farm house in Chak Shahzad under strict security -- with over fifteen hundred security personnel deployed on the route and another hundreds outside court. Musharraf complained of cardiac pain just as his envoy reached Rawal dam at which point the envoy was diverted towards Rawalpindi where doctor ruled it as heart attack.   

The earlier reports suggested that Musharraf’s transfer abroad for further treatment was under consideration; however, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif ruled out the possibility saying no such decision is under consideration. He maintained that the only relief that can be given is through court.   

After meeting with the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Asif added that all medical facilities are available in the country however government will not object if court permits the transfer abroad.   Following his failure to appear before the court, judges of the special court deliberated in their chambers for several hours and ruled not to issue arrest warrants. 

Special prosecutor Akram Sheikh had sought arrest warrant of the former president and special court’s ruling in this regard was highly anticipated.   Musharraf failed to appear before court also on Wednesday and on December 24 after explosive material was found near his home on the way to court.   Musharraf is under treatment for heart attack in military hospital AFIC (Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology) and is expected to stay under observation for at least four more days, Dunya News reported.   

Special prosecutors insist the final say will be of the court which ruled hours ago, as per sources. Special registrar of the court briefed the media about the ruling.   Reportedly, Defense Counsels had complained about the alleged harassments and threats ever since the treason case started. Former president Pervez Musharraf is on trial for treason under article 6 of the constitution for his steps taken on November 3, 2007.   

The hearing had resumed in the special court headed by Justice Faisal Arab earlier today and former president was supposed to appear before the court. Special prosecutor Akram Sheikh, in his arguments alleged that Pervez Musharraf’s heart problem was played out to avoid his appearance in court and that a court notice was due in this regard. At which point, the prosecutors pleaded the court to issue non bailable arrest warrants against the former dictator.   

One of the defense counsels‚ Khalid Ranjha rebutted the prosecutor by assuring the court that his client was taken to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology following his severe cardiac pain. The court adjourned the hearing until Monday January 6, and following the deliberation in their chambers, resolved not to issue arrest warrants for Pervez Musharraf.   

Reportedly, court had made it clear at the beginning of proceedings that a needful order will be issued if Musharraf failed to appear before the court today. It merits mentioning here that Musharraf had failed to appear before the court a number of times before as well and on Wednesday’s hearing, court ordered to ensure his appearance on Thursday, failing which, the court was to issue arrest warrants.   

Defense counsels have constantly sought exemption for Musharraf from appearing before court on security grounds. However the court had refused to grant exemption and instead sanctioned appropriate security on his way to court.   

Former president was being escorted under court sanctioned foolproof security that consisted on box security protocol with over fifteen hundred security personnel deployed on the way to court and hundreds of them outside court. Security plan also included CCTV cameras on the said route and a bomb disposal squad with the convoy.   

During the course of court proceedings, defense counsel Anwar Mansoor submitted before the court that he was allegedly being harassed and threatened, rendering him unable to sleep at night. Mansoor added that someone has constantly been ‘banging’ his door and ringing his door bell from 1 AM till five in the morning.   

The court asked who was threatening the counsel, upon which Mansoor accused government to be behind the alleged scare tactics. The court assured to order investigation in the matter but the counsel appeared to be uneasy upon which he walked out of the court along with another member of defense counsels.   Former military dictator is being tried for imposing emergency rule in November 2007 which suspended constitution and government institutions.

Over a Thousand Candidates Shortlisted for Life on Mars

(Reuters) - A mission to put humans on Mars that drew 200,000 applicants has selected more than a thousand candidates who will now be tested to come up with a final list of 24 would-be Mars-dwellers.

Mars One was set up in 2011 by two Dutch men with the goal of establishing permanent human life on Mars in 2025. They hope the project will be funded by investors and the rights from the documentary-cum-reality TV broadcasting of the tests, training and final selection.

The 1,058 candidates who got through to the first round come from all over the world. By far the largest number - 297 - are American, followed by 75 Canadians and 62 Indians.

They must now undergo rigorous tests, including simulations of life on Mars and coping with isolation, co-founder Bas Lansdorp said.

"The challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously," Lansdorp said.

Factbox: Cricket Top 10 Fastest One Day International Centuries

Anderson breaks Afridi's record, cracks fastest century in ODI.

QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand (AFP) - Factbox of the fastest centuries in one day international cricket after New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson set a new record Wednesday of 36 deliveries.

(Batsman, balls, 4s, 6s, innings, fixture)

C. Anderson 36, 6, 14, 131 not out. New Zealand v West Indies Jan 1, 2014

S. Afridi 37, 6, 11, 102. Pakistan v Sri Lanka April 10, 1996

M. Boucher 44, 8, 10, 147 not out. South Africa v Zimbabwe Sept 20, 2006

B. Lara 45, 18, 4, 117. West Indies v Bangladesh Oct 9, 1999

S. Afridi 45, 10, 9, 102. Pakistan v India April 15, 2005

J. Ryder 46, 12, 5, 104. New Zealand v West Indies Jan 1, 2014

S. Jayasuriya 48, 11,11, 134. Sri Lanka v Pakistan April 2, 1996

K. O'Brien 50, 13, 6, 113. Ireland v England March 2, 2011

V. Kohli 52, 8, 7, 100 not out. India v Australia October 16, 2013

S. Afridi 53, 17, 4, 124. Pakistan v Bangladesh June 21, 2010

Syrian group Hacks Skype's Social Media Accounts

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Syrian Electronic Army hacker group set its sights on Skype s social media accounts Wednesday to accuse Microsoft of spying on user data.

Microsoft-owned Skype s Twitter account displayed the message: "Don t use Microsoft emails(hotmail,outlook),They are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments.

It was posted around 1030 GMT but was removed less than two hours later. Microsoft could not immediately be reached for comment.

The SEA account belongs to the Syrian Electronic Army, which backs the Damascus government.

In a posting on its own Twitter account, the SEA said "You can thank Microsoft for monitoring your accounts/emails using this details," and listed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer s contact information.

The group has previously hacked accounts of The New York Times, Agence France-Presse and other media organizations.

The SEA s latest attack appears to be linked to documents released by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, which revealed the PRISM surveillance program.

PRISM is said to give the NSA and FBI easy access to the systems of nine of the world s top Internet companies including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo and Skype.

The program apparently allowed the NSA to spy on audio and video calls using so-called secret backdoors. Skype has denied the existence of such access.

Tech blogs said that at one point, the Skype blog had the headline: "Hacked by Syrian Electronic Army.. Stop Spying!"

Skype s Twitter account was also said to have posted the message: "Stop spying on people! via Syrian Electronic Army."

But links provided by the SEA s Twitter account to Skype s blog and Facebook account did not work, and no SEA message appeared on those sites around 0030 GMT, having apparently been removed.