Google revives it Google+ social platform

Internet giant, Google has significantly revived it social networking platform, `Google +’ in order to attract more users to the service that competes with the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Experts say that the update leaves Google + look

ing much more like its larger rival Facebook. Google unveiled a refresh of Google+, which boasts 170 million members but is much behind Facebook, which is the world’s largest social networking site with close to 800 million active users from around the world and with an aim to touch one billion user mark soon.

Google, which is already the world’s biggest online search company, is increasingly focusing on the social networking space. The Google + social networking initiative from the company, is becoming a fundamental part of the company’s strategy, after it created a lot of buzz on the internet.

The new Google + will feature icons the left side of the main screen allowing users to drag apps up or down to create their preferred order. They can also show or hide apps by moving them over to “More” tab.

The company has also upgraded the popular Hangouts feature that allows users to come together though video conferencing. The site will now have a dedicated Hangouts page that will feature an updated list of invitations from the people in a user’s circles and access to all public and On Air hangout. The page will also allow users to watch a live broadcast and a rotating billboard of popular hangouts, pro tips and other items.

Google senior vice president Vic Gundotra wrote in a company blog post said, “Simply put, we’re hoping to make sharing more awesome by making it more evocative. You know that feeling you get when a piece of art takes your breath away, or when a friend stops by with unexpected gifts? We want sharing to feel like that, every single time.”

Microvision Receives $8.5 Million Purchase Order for New PicoP Laser Projection Display Engine

REDMOND, Wash.–(Business Wire)–
Microvision (NASDAQ:MVIS), a leading developer of ultra-miniature projection
display products, announced today that it has received an $8.5 million purchase
order for its new ultra-miniature PicoP laser projection display engine from a
consumer electronics customer. The OEM plans to embed the PicoP engine inside a
high-end mobile media player for release in late 2010 and plans to announce its
launch at that time.

Microvision recently announced the completion and shipment of initial samples of
its new display engine that incorporates a proprietary ASIC chipset half the
original size and weight and that consumes one third less power than its
predecessor while delivering uniformly bright, vivid color WVGA (848 X 480)
images up to 200 inches. It also provides a 5000:1 contrast ratio – 5 times
greater than other pico projector engines in the market today and is always in
focus without the need for focusing dials or optics – an especially desirable
benefit for mobile consumers.

“We are very pleased to receive the first purchase order for our new display
engine,” said Alexander Tokman, President and CEO of Microvision. “This embedded
application in a high-end mobile media player is part of our strategy to develop
multiple premium distribution channels as we continue to advance the PicoP
engine design and mature production capacity to meet anticipated demand across a
variety of consumer electronic products including handsets.”

About Microvision (www.microvision.com)

Microvision provides the PicoP display technology platform designed to enable
next-generation display and imaging products for pico projectors, vehicles
displays, and wearable displays that interface to mobile devices. The company`s
projection display engine uses highly efficient laser light sources which can
create vivid images with high contrast and brightness. For more information,
visit the company`s website (www.microvision.com) and corporate blog
(www.microvision.com/displayground).

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements contained in this release, including those relating to OEM
new product introduction are forward-looking statements that involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in the Company’s forward-looking statements
include the following: our ability to raise additional capital when needed; our
financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our
ability to keep up with rapid technological change; government regulation of our
technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and
protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract
awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays in product
development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products;
dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market our
products; and potential product liability claims and other risk factors
identified from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Except as expressly
required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events, changes in circumstances or any other reason.

Microvision
Media:
Matt Nichols, 206-940-4318
or
Maria Vetrano, 617-876-2770
or
Investors:
Tiffany Bradford, 425-936-6847
or
Linda Decker, 212-564-4700

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Selecta Closes $15 Million Series C Financing

-Company To Advance New Class of Synthetic Vaccines into Clinical Development
based on targeted Synthetic Vaccine Particle (tSVP) platform-
WATERTOWN, Mass.–(Business Wire)–
Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing synthetic
nanoparticle vaccines, today announced that it has raised $15 million in a
Series C financing round. OrbiMed Advisors LLC led the round, with participation
from existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures,
NanoDimension and Leukon Investments. The Series C financing brings the total
capital raised by Selecta over the past 15 months to more than $30 million.

Proceeds from the Series C financing will be used to expand Selecta`s
development of a new class of synthetic vaccines for prophylactic and
therapeutic indications based on the company`s proprietary targeted Synthetic
Vaccine Particle (tSVP) platform. The company`s lead product candidate will
enter first-in-human clinical evaluation in 2011. The tSVP platform is based on
biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles that fully-integrate all the vaccine
components for targeting to immune cells for optimal cellular or humoral immune
response.

“We are delighted by the strong investor interest in this Series C financing
which reflects the value created since our last round and speaks volumes to the
potential of Selecta`s platform and product pipeline,” said Robert L. Bratzler,
Ph.D., Executive Chairman of Selecta.

“This new financing will advance our breakthrough tSVP platform and take our
lead product candidate through the initial clinical proof of concept
evaluations,” said Lloyd Johnston, Ph.D., Vice President of Pharmaceutical
Research and Development of Selecta.

“Selecta`s tSVP platform enables the development of targeted and fully
integrated prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines and represents a truly
revolutionary platform with the potential to leapfrog existing vaccine
technologies,” said Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., founding General Partner of OrbiMed.
“We believe Selecta`s synthetic nanoparticle approach will have the potential to
deliver safe and more effective vaccines for a broad range of diseases.”

In connection with this financing, Dr. Gordon of OrbiMed will join the Board of
Directors of Selecta, which is comprised of Robert Bratzler, Ph.D., Executive
Chairman, Selecta Biosciences; Douglas Cole, M.D., General Partner, Flagship
Ventures; Omid Farokhzad, M.D., Selecta Founder and Associate Professor, Harvard
Medical School; Peter Hutt, Senior Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP; Robert
Langer, Sc.D., Selecta Founder and Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology; Amir Nashat, Ph.D., General Partner, Polaris Venture Partners;
Aymeric Sallin, Managing Director and Founder, NanoDimension; and George Siber,
M.D., Former Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Wyeth
Vaccines.

About Selecta Biosciences

Selecta Biosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing
first-in-class synthetic nanoparticle vaccines using its proprietary targeted
Synthetic Vaccine Particle (tSVP) technology. The tSVP platform enables
full-integration of the key vaccine components, antigens and adjuvants, for
highly-effective targeting to immune cells to produce an optimal immune
response. The tSVP vaccines mimics the structure of natural pathogens with
regards to size, shape and the sequence of immunological information that it
delivers to immune cells, thus harnessing the body`s defense system to produce a
robust immune response. The unique attributes of full-integration, targeting and
natural structure conferred by the tSVP platform create synthetic nanoparticle
vaccines that are engineered for unprecedented safety and efficacy. This novel
approach enables expanded opportunities for tSVP vaccines, and the company is
pursuing opportunities across a range of clinical applications, including
infectious, metabolic, CNS and inflammatory diseases.

Selecta was founded in 2008 by three academic pioneers in the fields of
nanotechnology and immunology: Professor Robert Langer (MIT), and Professors
Omid Farokhzad and Ulrich von Andrian (Harvard Medical School). Selecta is
backed by leading venture investors including, Polaris Venture Partners,
Flagship Ventures, NanoDimension, OrbiMed Advisors and Leukon Investments. For
more information please visit the company website at www.selectabio.com.

The Yates Network
Adriana Jenkins, 617-744-1713

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Dollar pauses after hitting 7-month high vs yen

(Reuters) – The dollar eased against the yen on Monday with traders pocketing profits after the greenback vaulted to its highest in more than seven months earlier in the day.

In holiday-thinned early Asian trade, the dollar rose to near the 95 yen mark, adding to a 2.8 percent climb last week, after generally upbeat jobs data indicated the U.S. economic recovery is on a solid footing.

But traders said speculators trimmed yen shorts after having turned their positions against the yen aggressively, providing a floor for the Japanese currency which had earlier hit a 10-week low against the euro and a 18-month trough versus the Australian dollar.

Still, overall trading remained subdued with markets in Australia, New Zealand and China closed for holidays.

“After breaking decisively above the January high of 93.78 yen and other strong chart resistance, technically dollar/yen is clearly in a bullish trend,” said Minoru Shioiri, chief manager of foreign exchange trading at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.

“But for many players the dollar looks too high to bet more on the currency, unless you are a medium-term trader expecting it to rise to 100 yen,” he said.

The dollar earlier rose as high as 94.78 yen on trading platform EBS, the highest since late August 2009, before easing to 94.38 yen, down about 0.2 percent from midday trading in New York on Friday.

Analysts said the dollar is likely to find new resistance around 95.10 yen — a 61.8 percent retracement of its fall from a high in April 2009 of 101.45 to a 14-year low of 84.82 yen hit in late November.

Traders said rises in long-term Treasury yields after the jobs report, with the benchmark 10-year yield climbing to a nine-month high near 4 percent, also boosted the dollar’s yield appeal compared with the low-yielding yen.

A solid rise in private-sector hiring in the jobs report has led traders to believe the Federal Reserve may raise the discount rate again on Monday when it holds a meeting, providing support to the dollar.

Many analysts downplayed the significance of the upcoming Fed board meeting since it is held every other Monday and is not the closely watched Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. But it stirred chatter of another increase in the discount rate, or the emergency rate at which it lends to banks.

On February 18, the Fed surprised the market when it hiked the discount rate by a quarter point to 0.75 percent.

Markets in the UK and many euro zone countries are also on holiday.

The U.S. stock market will reopen after closing on Friday for the Good Friday holiday.

“The dollar looks already high enough against the yen to take profits,” said a senior trader at a Japanese bank.

“But the currency’s strength since Friday without a major corrective move down suggests that it may stay on a firm footing at least until the market sees the result of the Fed meeting today,” the trader said.

The dollar index, a gauge of the greenback’s performance against six other major currencies, stood at 81.014 .DXY, off Friday’s high of 81.324 when it rose about 0.8 percent.

The euro rose to $1.3523, up from $1.3476 in midday trading hours in U.S. on Friday when it fell about 0.7 percent.

The euro was steady at 127.65 yen after reaching as high as 127.93 yen earlier on EBS, the highest since January 26.

The Australian dollar advanced as far as around 87.10 yen, according to Reuters data, the highest since late September 2008, before retreating to 86.91 yen.

(Additional reporting by Rika Otsuka; Editing Chris Gallagher)

Miss Fresh Face of North East contest a major draw for youth

Guwahati, Sep.18 (ANI): With the growing number of fashion conscious youngsters present in the northeast region of the country, the fashion and beauty industry is gaining popularity here.

This was recently noticed when Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 contest was held in Guwahati and it received an enthusiastic response from people of the region.

Dabur Gulabari organized the Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 for which a model hunt was conducted across colleges and institutes in the region to discover fresh new faces from the northeast.

The organisers of the contest received an overwhelming response with over 700 entries of which 150 girls were short-listed for the auditions.

After extensive screening and audition, 18 participants were selected for the Grand Finale.

It was a unique way of spreading awareness among the beauty conscious women of the North East and provides them a platform to enter the world of mainstream modelling.

“Northeast is full of talent. We don’t get into big celebrities. We take fresh faces from the common public and make them a celebrity. We want to associate with fresh talents and bring them to the national platform so that they can grow,” said Dyas Anand, the organizer.

“It is gradually increasing and I believe that it will go on increasing and the reputation will also keep on going up as good upcoming models are also there. I feel it is very good,” said Bidisha Baruah, the winner.

Bidisha Baruah, a resident of Guwahati, was awarded one-year modelling contract with Dabur Gulabari and a cash prize of rupees 50,000.

The first and second runner-up, Wanda Mary of Shillong and Nabanita Sarma of Guwahati also received cash prize of rupees 30,000 and rupees 20,000 respectively. By Peter Alex Todd (ANI)

Extremely tough to win a Grand Slams now, says Murray

London, Sep.17 (ANI): World Number three Andy Murray is of the view that winning a Grand Slam title in the present day and age is far more tougher than it was before, given the kind of talent on show in the tennis circuit.

He said that when players are competing against the likes of Roger Federer, Raphael Nadal and now Juan Martin Del Potro, winning a title was not easy.

“It’s really, really tough to win the slams now so Del Potro’s effort was pretty good. There’s no question that Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) are two of the best ever. Roger’s people say he’s the best of all time; that’s not really up for debate. And Rafa, providing he stays healthy, I’d expect to get to double figures on slam wins,” The Telegraph quoted Murray, as saying.

“That’s better than any two rivals have managed together and then behind them the standard is very high. There are guys like (Andy) Roddick who’s only managed to win one slam right at the start of that career and he’s a great player,” he added.

Murray, who exited from the US Open in the fourth-round, also said that he wanted to take his mind off his disappointment and move on.

For the moment, he is only concerned about defeating a couple of Polish journeymen to provide Britain with the platform for a victory which would ensure they do not get demoted to the Davis Cup’s third tier for the first time in 13 years. (ANI)

SunTec wins two strategic customers in Middle East

Trivandrum/United Arab Emirates, Sept 16 (ANI/Business Wire India): SunTec, the leading provider of Relationship-based Pricing and Centralized Billing solutions, has announced two strategic wins in the Middle East region, one of which has helped the company to gain a foothold in Port Operations Billing – its fifth operating domain.

One of the largest banks in UAE has invested in SunTec’s Relationship-based and Centralized Billing solution, while a leading Port Operator of the region has signed up to SunTec to automate and centralize the pricing and billing operations for their vessels as well as cargo operations, helping them to offer a convergent bill to customers and effectively manage multiple contracts.

The solution will be implemented in multiple phases at the leading bank, and by the end of phase-I in December 2009 their ‘Customer Benefits Program’ will go live for retail banking.

The bank will thus be among the first few in UAE offering comprehensive customer benefits programs. SunTec’s solution being the pivot, the bank will be able to scale up their benefits programs to customer with ease.

Furthermore, in future, the bank will leverage SunTec’s solution for streamlining and automating their pricing and billing functions across enterprise.

The solution offers pertinent pricing innovations for the leading port operator also.

The complex multi-national operations of modern-day ports call for streamlined Relationship-based Pricing. New models like cost-based billing have become more relevant, as containerised trade is gaining prominence across the globe.

The situation demands differential pricing to be offered to customers based on the value they bring in.

“With these wins, SunTec has not only gained considerable footprint in the Middle East region, but also established its multi-industry compatibility,” said Nanda Kumar, CEO of SunTec.

“We conceptualized and created our core pricing and billing platform, horizontal in nature and flexible enough to address the pricing and billing requirements of any transaction-based vertical, all the while, helping our customers to imbibe best practices from multiple industries,” added Kumar. (ANI)

Chidambaram says Maoists seeking alliance with north-east insurgent groups

New Delhi, Sep 14 (ANI): Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that Maoists are seeking an alliance with northeast insurgent groups.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day conference on internal security threats, Chidambaram said the Maoists have been sought alliances with secessionists and insurgentse also said that terrorist groups, including the LeT and the JeM, are persisting with their endeavours to launch terror attacks.

“The Communist Party of India-Maoist besides targeting inimical forces was laying a greater emphasis on targeting infrastructure like roads, bridges,” he added

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will address the conference on Tuesday. He will also present police medals for meritorious services.

The conference provides an interactive platform for senior police professionals and security administrators to freely discuss and debate diverse national security related issues, as also the various operational, infrastructural and welfare related problems faced by them.

Its deliberations would also include formulation and sharing of professional practices and processes in tackling challenges relating to crime control and law and order management.

The conference offers opportunities for generation and exchange of new ideas on capacity building for the police in respect of manpower, training, logistics and advanced technology.

The Intelligence Bureau organised the first ever conference of IGPs in India in 1920 and since then, these conferences have been held regularly at New Delhi in the post-independence period. The first conference was organised in 1950.

To begin with, it was a biennial event, but after 1973, it became an annual meeting for the Heads of Police Organisations in the States/Union Territories and of the Central Police Organisations. Director, Intelligence Bureau, is the ex-officio Chairman of the conference. (ANI)

Spitzer call girl Ashley Dupre wants to make a comeback

New York, September 14 (ANI): Ashley Dupre, the former high-class call girl at the centre of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, is tired of hiding and wants a comeback.

The 24-year-old was dubbed as an ‘informant’ during the scandal that saw the politician patronising a prostitution service that subsequently led to his resignation from the post of New York Governor.

And eighteen months after the storm, Dupre, who is recording pop songs and wooing a record deal, is seeking to get her life back on track.

“Everyone likes an underdog story, and everyone likes a comeback. I’m the poster child for redemption,” the New York Post quoted her as saying.

Dupre, who is also working on a book she calls a “cautionary tale,” further laughed at the idea that she was after the limelight.

She added: “I didn’t ask for it, but now that I have it, it’s up to me to take advantage of this platform and do something amazing. I have a voice now.” (ANI)

DGPS/IGPs conference to deliberate on major internal security issues

New Delhi, Sep 14 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram will inaugurate the DGPs/IGPs Confernce-2009 here today.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will address the conference on the second day and also present police medals for meritorious services.

The conference is expected to deliberate on major internal security threats, including left wing extremism, terrorism, coastal security, insurgency in the north-east and circulation of fake currency notes in the country.

The agenda also includes presentations on important policing issues such as the National Police Mission, corporate fraud and security arrangements being planned for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010.

The conference provides an interactive platform for senior police professionals and security administrators to freely discuss and debate diverse national security related issues, as also the various operational, infrastructural and welfare related problems faced by them.

Its deliberations would also include formulation and sharing of professional practices and processes in tackling challenges relating to crime control and law and order management.

The conference offers opportunities for generation and exchange of new ideas on capacity building for the police in respect of manpower, training, logistics and advanced technology.

The intelligence Bureau organised the first ever conference of IGPs in India in 1920 and since then, these conferences have been held regularly at New Delhi in the post-independence period. The first conference was organised in 1950.

To begin with, it was a biennial event, but after 1973, it became an annual meeting for the Heads of Police Organisations in the States/Union Territories and of the Central Police Organisations. Director, Intelligence Bureau, is the ex-officio Chairman of the conference. (ANI)

Now, computers become lawyers!

Washington, September 13 (ANI): European researchers have created a legal analysis query engine that combines artificial intelligence, game theory and semantics to offer advice, conflict prevention and dispute settlement for European law.

European law is complex, many layered and expanding. There are thousands of regulations, so many that compliance is difficult, time-consuming and expensive.

While harmonization is underway, the process itself demands that individuals, companies and law firms often have to relearn the system.

Meanwhile, areas like intellectual property rights (IPR) and digital rights regulation that seek to combat piracy are becoming evermore complex to understand and apply consistently across Europe.

Now, the ALIS Project has developed a computerized platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI), game theory and semantic technologies to ‘understand’ and track the regulations in a large, and expanding area of expertise – in this case IPR.

ALIS sought to develop a working system in IPR to tackle the fundamental technological challenges before expanding it to more areas later on.

The system is much more than a simple database of relevant legal regulations.

It uses insights from game theory to help contentious parties come to an amicable agreement, either through conflict prevention or dispute resolution, and it can assist lawmaking as well.

Game theory looks at how strategic interactions between rational people lead to outcomes reflecting real player preferences.

It can be used to develop algorithms that find equilibria in games, markets, computational auctions, peer-to-peer systems, security and information markets.

Now, with ALIS, it is available for legal systems too.

This concept of equilibria supports conflict prevention, dispute resolution and offers decision support for lawmaking.

A key factor in the system is its test for regulatory compliance.

This is very powerful. It can help citizens, companies and lawyers quickly scan the relevant legal corpus to discover if they are compliant. It is a key factor for the other roles in the ALIS system as well.

For conflict prevention, dispute resolution and lawmaking, the ALIS first establishes if the parties, or the proposed legislation, are compliant with current law.

Once compliance is established, the system can present a series of options based on an analysis of the potential conflict or dispute, or it can provide information to further assist lawmakers to formulate policy.

Similarly, the tool aims to rapidly speed up the work done by lawyers, helping to resolve relatively straightforward cases faster, so they can concentrate on more complex problems. (ANI)

Bridging gap between youth and police in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 12 (ANI): Youth in Srinagar got a chance to voice their views and grievances against the security forces at a pro-active meet held recently here.

Jointly hosted by the All India Centre for Rural and Urban Development (AICURD), the New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation and the Kashmir University’s Department of Students Welfare, the meet was aimed to bridge the gap as well as mistrust between the youth and the security forces in the valley.

Since last year, there has been rising anger amongst the people of Kashmir against the police.he meet addressed vital issues to lessen that anger, hatred and contempt.

“The attempt was to tell these people the truth and arouse their conscience and listen to their views about us so that we can improve ourselves,” said Hemant Kumar Lohia, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Central Range, Kashmir.

The students got ample scope to speak out their concerns and complaints before the top brass of the police and allied security forces.

The meet turned out to be an ideal platform for the youth to speak out their minds freely.

“The police are a force which is meant for protection of people. For the first time we got such a platform where we could interact with the police and put forth our views, it is a very good platform,” said Feroze Parry, a student.

The organisers of the meet were confident that the meet would help to dispel the hatred to a great extent.

“We hope that these discussions will help in lessening the hatred amongst the youth towards the security forces. And we can hope for a better Kashmir,” said Anupama Behen of AICURD. (ANI)

DGPS/IGPs conference to deliberate on major internal security issues

New Delhi, Sep 11 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram will inaugurate the DGPs/IGPs Confernce-2009 on September 14.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will address the conference on the second day and also present police medals for meritorious services.

The conference is expected to deliberate on major internal security threats, including left wing extremism , terrorism, coastal security, insurgency in the north-east and circulation of fake currency notes in the country.

The agenda also includes presentations on important policing issues such as the National Police Mission, corporate fraud and security arrangements being planned for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010.

The conference provides an interactive platform for senior police professionals and security administrators to freely discuss and debate diverse national security related issues, as also the various operational, infrastructural and welfare related problems faced by them.

Its deliberations would also include formulation and sharing of professional practices and processes in tackling challenges relating to crime control and law and order management.

The conference offers opportunities for generation and exchange of new ideas on capacity building for the police in respect of manpower, training, logistics and advanced technology.

The intelligence Bureau organised the first ever conference of IGPs in India in 1920 and since then, these conferences have been held regularly at New Delhi in the post-independence period. The first conference was organised in 1950.

To begin with, it was a biennial event, but after 1973, it became an annual meeting for the Heads of Police Organisations in the States/Union Territories and of the Central Police Organisations. Director, Intelligence Bureau, is the ex-officio Chairman of the conference. (ANI)

MIC CWC candidate urges Indian businessmen to think big

Petaling Jaya (Malaysia), Sep. 9 (ANI): Malaysian Indian Congress’s CWC seat hopeful Jaspal Singh has urged Malay-Indian businessmen to think big and incorporate technology into their ventures for more profit.

Singh said Indians should be prepared to work hard and take up challenges to compete at a global platform.

“Investors will come to Malaysia to open business here and we cannot be asking for protection. We must prepare ourselves to stand on our own two feet,” the Star Online quoted Singh, as saying.

Singh has been given the task of coordinating the construction of two 18-storey tower blocks in Bandar Utama which will become the new MIC headquarters.

During his campaign, Jaspal said he would strive for excellence, bring innovation to deliver change effectively and efficiently and be result-oriented.

Singh, who born in Bedong in 1962, enrolled for a engineering degree course at Universiti Malaya.

The secretary of the MIC economic bureau is credited for a development programme to assist new entrepreneurs. (ANI)

Broad not keen on taking Flintoff’s place in Test team

London, Sep 8 (ANI): England’s Ashes hero Stuart Broad doesn’t want to replicate all rounder Andrew Flintoff in his life and is not even that keen on taking Flintoff’s place at No.7 in the Test team.

“No one can replace Fred. It is important that I focus on my qualities and don’t try to be someone I’m not,” Broad said.

Despite scoring five fifties in his 22-Test career, two of them in the Ashes, and having a respectable batting average of 31, Broad plays down that side of his game.

“My aim is to become a good No 8. If the top six build a platform that allows me and Graeme Swann to come and play with freedom as we did at the Oval. I just want to be awkward to bowl at,” The Times quoted Broad, as saying.

Flintoff has said that Broad’s batting is good enough to play as a specialist batsman and Geoff Boycott, praising the straight play of Broad, compared him to a young Garry Sobers, saying that Broad could make the same journey as Sobers from tailender.

“I don’t think I can average 40 in Test cricket. That’s a huge ask, even for recognised batsmen,” Broad said.

The modest Nottinghamshire all-rounder really wants is to spend a night in his own bed and maybe hang a shelf or two.

“I bought a house six months ago and I’ve only spent about 20 nights there. When we have finished with these one-day games and the Champions Trophy, all I’m looking forward to is 2-3 weeks at home and a bit of decorating before we go to South Africa.”

Andrew Flintoff is reportedly having six feet mosaics of the Ashes urn installed in the swimming pools, but Broad’s ambition extends no farther than getting house painted.

Nor does he plan to decorate his body, Flintoff-style. “My mum would never let me in the house again if I had a tattoo,” he said. (ANI)

Promoting kids’ talent for music in Nagaland

Kohima (Nagaland), Sep 7(ANI): With an aim to promote the inherent musical talent of Nagaland, a musical competition was organized in the State.

The theme of the competition was ‘Discovering talents to a higher level’ and was organized by Pheto Music Association, an initiative by music enthusiast Kasheto Kiba.

Kiba had started the musical competition way back in 2007 to encourage young talent from the age group of 9 to 15 years and this year twelve participants mesmerized the audience with their favorite songs in one of its auditions at State Academy Hall in Kohima.

“I believe that kids for fame would bring peace in our land. Through this entertainment, many talented youth will be promoted not only in Nagaland but I believe they will go further even in national and international level. We are trying our best to help out in such a way that our kids will be promoted and we have this vision that one day our kids will definitely benefit themselves through singing and hope they will bring great change in our society,” Kiba said.

This was a fabulous opportunity for students to showcase their talent.

“I am grateful to the organizers for giving me this platform to expose my talent to the people,” said Tumchobeni Tsopoe, a participant.

The winner will be awarded a cash prize of Rs.2 lakhs in addition to a one-year educational scholarship and music training at Hope Centre in Dimapur.

Nagaland is rich in talent and if given proper opportunity there is no doubt that the state can produce musicians of international repute in the times to come. By Vibhou Ganguly (ANI)

‘Musharraf to participate in Pak politics after November 30′

Islamabad, Sep 7 (ANI): Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would actively participate in politics after November 30 when a two-year constitutional bar on him holding public office comes to an end, according to a former minister.

Addressing reporters in Islamabad, former federal minister and central leader of the PML-Q, Chaudhry Shahbaz, said on Sunday that he held several meetings with the former president in London and also met him recently in Jeddah.

“Musharraf would unite various factions of the PML-Q and participate in politics from that platform,” said Shahbaz who served as Minister for Population Welfare in the Musharraf regime.

He said the two-year constitutional restriction, which prevents Musharraf from participating in politics, would end on November 30, after which he would announce his future strategy, the Daily Times reported.

Shahbaz termed Musharraf a “visionary leader whose services are required by the nation.

“After Benazir Bhutto, we have no leader … who can deliver lectures in 17 countries. Musharraf is recognised all over the world,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said he was part of the Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain-led faction of the PML-Q.

Asked about differences between Musharraf and the Chaudhry brothers, he said, “Sometimes, even brothers can develop differences. But these differences can be settled.”

Asked if any mutual friends were trying to resolve differences between the two sides, he said an effort could be launched.

“It would not be an uphill task,” he said. He said a trial for the former president could open a Pandora’s box. (ANI)

Scientists using laser light to generate underwater sound

Washington, September 6 (ANI): The United States Naval Research Laboratory is working on a new technology that uses flashes of laser light to remotely create underwater sound.

Researchers behind the project say that the new technology has the potential to expand and improve both Naval and commercial underwater acoustic applications, including undersea communications, navigation, and acoustic imaging.

Dr. Ted Jones, a physicist in the Plasma Physics Division, is leading a team of researchers from the Plasma Physics, Acoustics, and Marine Geosciences Divisions in developing this acoustic source.

The researchers used a 532 nm laser pulse for their study at the Salt Water Tank Facility.

They also used air bubblers and controlled water and air temperatures to create ocean-like conditions in the laboratory.

The research team could efficiently convert light into sound by concentrating the light sufficiently to ionize a small amount of water, which then absorbed laser energy and superheats.

They said that the result was a small explosion of steam that could generate a 220 decibel pulse of sound.

Given that the driving laser pulse has the ability to travel through both air and water, the researchers say that a compact laser on either an underwater or airborne platform can be used for remote acoustic generation.

They believe that their method would be a significant addition to traditional direct backscattering acoustic data. (ANI)

Gene linked with language, speech, reading disorders identified

Washington, August 28 (ANI): An international group of American and Spanish researchers have identified a new candidate gene for Specific Language Impairment.

Mabel Rice at the University of Kansas, Shelley Smith of University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Javier Gayan of Seville-based Neocodex in Spain have shed light on the KIAA0319 in the current issue of the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

The researchers have revealed that the gene found on Chromosome 6 was associated with variability in language abilities in a study of children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and their family members.

They say that the gene was also found to be linked with variability in speech and reading abilities.

According to the researchers, the children they selected for the study had no hearing loss, general intellectual deficit or autism

Language ability involves vocabulary and grammar, whereas speech involves the accuracy of sound production. Both language and speech ability contribute to a child’s ability to read.

The researchers say that the finding that a candidate gene could influence all three abilities suggests a common pathway that could contribute to overlapping strengths or deficiencies across speech, language and reading.

Rice said: “We don’t understand the biological mechanisms yet but it’s important that we have identified the first gene that could be involved across these three different dimensions of development.”

The study involved 322 individuals, including children with SLI, their parents, siblings, and other family members.

“We have come to realize that language really sets the platform for reading to emerge and to thrive. Without a solid language system, it’s much harder to get reading going,” said Rice. (ANI)

Premiere of Bollywood film ‘Kisaan’ held in Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 27 (ANI): Premiere of Bollywood flick, ‘Kisaan’, a film dedicated to the country’s farmers, took place here last evening.

While speaking to the media, the director of the film Puneet Israar appealed to the media for its support so that the film does well at box office.

“I am hoping that the film does well. It’s a film that needs a platform and I hope that with the support of the media, we get that platform,” said Israar.

‘Kisaan’, a joint effort of Sohail Khan and UTV Spot Boys Productions, set in the Punjab heartland deals with how successive generations of farmers have farmed, toilled, bled and perspired for their precious land and how conflicts between the members of the family split the social fabric.

As a treat for the music lovers, the film also has one of the most popular patriotic songs of Bollywood from the 1967 movie of Manoj Kumar, ‘Upkaar’, ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti’, that has been remixed with a modern day club beat.

Sohail Khan, director and actor of the movie said that he enjoyed making the film.

“The film is primarily a Hindi film, but we have tried our best to come closer to the Punjabi dialect. We chose the actual locations. The costumes were almost similar to what the actual farmers and villagers wear. So I enjoyed making the film,” said Sohail.

The star cast includes Arbaaz Khan, Jackie Shroff, Diya Mirza, Nauheed Cyrus, Dalip Tahil, and Sarfaraz Khan.

Kisaan is slated to hit the theatres tomorrow. (ANI)