Google offers respite from inbox overload

If you hate your inbox, if the very thought of it makes you fretful and nauseous, you're not alone. Plenty of people who use e-mail on a daily basis feel the same.

Now Google is trying to come to the rescue with a new Gmail feature announced Tuesday called Priority Inbox, which monitors your messages and tries to organize your inbox based on a number of criteria, like how often you correspond with a particular sender.

Google explains that the first thing Priority Inbox does is split your inbox into three sections: "important and unread," "starred" and "everything else."

"Important" messages are judged to be the most significant, and sit at the top of your Gmail window. Next is the "starred" area, the messages you say are important. Finally, "everything else" includes those messages that can probably be dealt with later, or completely ignored -- the ones that aren't quite spam, but don't need to clutter up your screen or your brain right now.

Keith Coleman, Google's product management director, told me in an interview that Google has been working to solve the e-mail overload problem for the better part of a decade.

"Features like Priority Inbox were in the prerelease version of Gmail but were not ready for the public," Mr. Coleman said. "We finally figured out how to organize and categorize e-mail in a simple and intuitive way using three different criteria."

Surprisingly, Mr. Coleman said that one of the tools put to use in the new inbox organization is taken from the programming and algorithms used to categorize mail as spam. He said Gmail looks for terms and people that you categorize as important, or not, and decides whether those messages make it into your priority inbox accordingly.
Priority InboxGoogle

The system also looks for the people you interact with on a daily basis, pushing their messages higher up the ladder. Finally the new inbox looks to see if a new e-mail was sent "directly to you, or if it is sent to other people too."

Although Mr. Coleman said the Priority Inbox doesn't work on mobile devices, he said people can expect it at some point in the future.

The new feature will begin appearing in beta mode on Tuesday and will be available as an option for Gmail users as it rolls out across the service. Users will begin seeing an alert allowing them to switch to Priority Inbox.

There are other services with similar approaches to the inbox problem, including Sanebox, which prioritizes Gmail's inbox with new folders, and Xobni, which works with Microsoft's Outlook software.

I've written several times before about the frustrations and anxiety my inbox causes me as messages drop into place uncontrollably.

For the past week I've been using Priority Inbox in test mode, and although it doesn't solve the problem of e-mail overload completely, it definitely eases the pain.

Users definitely need to keep an eye out for messages that slip into the unwanted netherworld of "everything else." There were times that I felt like I was training my inbox, as if I was trying to teach a puppy to sit still for a few minutes.

But who knows? As Priority Inbox starts to learn more about my e-mail reading habits and who I interact with regularly, maybe my inbox will feel a little less terrifying.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/technology/google-offers-respite-from-inbox-overload-48431?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/technology/google-offers-respite-from-inbox-overload-48431?cp

Thousands flee as Sumatran volcano erupts after 400 years

A volcano erupted spectacularly on the Indonesian island of Sumatra early yesterday morning, sending plumes of ash, sand and steam 1500 metres into the sky and prompting the evacuation of 12,000 nearby residents.

Mount Sinabung has not erupted for more than 400 years and authorities admitted yesterday they had not been monitoring it closely and knew little about its potential for further explosions.

The 2460-metre volcano in the north of Sumatra began fizzing and spitting smoke for several hours on Friday, emitting loud noises and panicking residents.

Grey ash continued to gush from the volcano on Saturday but authorities remained confident that it would not erupt. Those calculations proved misplaced when it did just that after midnight on Sunday.

While there were no serious lava flows, hot sand and ash blanketed vegetation and farms up to 30 kilometres away, setting trees alight near the mountain's top.

A six-kilometre exclusion zone has been set up around the volcano. Residents of 14 villages were moved from the area and into government buildings, mosques and other buildings as they prepare for further large discharges.

There were no casualties from the eruption, although a woman died of an existing illness during the evacuation. Some villagers had stayed behind to prevent looting, Indonesian media reports said.

''The last time the volcano erupted was back in 1600,'' Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency, said.

''Therefore we have limited data on what kind of eruption we can expect from it. We have a team now there to research and compile data of what type of volcanic eruption we might expect, should it erupt again.''

Mr Priyadi said the volcanic activity appeared to be decreasing but the highest level of warning would remain in place for the next week due to the uncertainty.

Indonesia is situated on the ''ring of fire'', one of the world's more tectonically active areas.

The eruptions of Mount Tambora in Sumbawa and Mount Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait are among the biggest volcanic blasts in recent history, both leading to a temporary cooling of the Earth's temperature as debris from their explosions travelled around the atmosphere.

About 70,000 years ago on Sumatra, a supervolcano at Toba erupted, creating a ''mega-colossal'' event that is thought to have produced a decade-long global winter and to have reduced the world's population to just 10,000.

Its crater is now a 100-kilometre-long lake and is a popular tourist destination.

Iraq on highest alert for terror attacks

Iraq's Prime Minister has put the nation on top alert for terror attacks days before US forces formally end their combat mission in the country.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Iraq's security forces have information that al Qaeda in Iraq and members of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party are planning attacks. He gave no details.

Al-Maliki said Iraqi troops and police are on the highest alert and asked citizens to be on guard.

The alert was issued days before the August 31 deadline for US forces to end combat operations and transition to primarily training and advising Iraqi troops.

Al-Maliki is locked in a power struggle to keep his job nearly six months after his political party came in second in Iraq's Parliamentary Election.

Why Bangalore Metro project is causing heartburn

It is not just the city of Delhi which is facing turmoil due to mega construction projects. Even Bangalore has paid a high price with the loss of hundreds of trees and dug up roads that make the traffic in city even worse.

The city's Metro project is inching along - and like all megaprojects it is leaving in its wake hundreds of people whose property had to make way for what authorities say is the greater good.

In Bangalore's South End circle, business owners insist that despite the fact that they had a stay on the demolition, the authorities still went ahead with it.

"The metro officials have no respect nor do they apply or abide by the human rights act. They literally pulled us and almost all the property owners were taken to the Basavanagudi police station and they were kept there. They started demolishing here where all the owners were in the police station," said Shilpa M., a building owner.‬‪ ‬‪

A restaurant owner's daughter, Dr Priyanka adds that all they asked for was for the authorities to show them the order and carry on with the demolition.

"We never said we won't give. We are not against Metro is what we are trying to say but still we wanted it to go according to the order - that's it. And after that around three or four buildings were demolished yesterday and our building New Shanti Sagar is now getting demolished," she said.‬‪ ‬‪

The Metro authorities insist they have the paperwork in order - and the state government seems to feel you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.‬‪ ‬‪

Karnataka Chief Minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa says, "If at all you want Metro you must take risk na.. Without demolishing few houses, trees, how can you expect me to complete the metro work?'‬‪

Change can be difficult - and the upheaval caused by megaprojects can get people wondering if they are worth it. While many, who struggle with Bangalore's often nightmarish traffic, hope the Metro will make things better, others still doubt the efficacy of the project.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/why-bangalore-metro-project-is-causing-heartburn-47441?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/why-bangalore-metro-project-is-causing-heartburn-47441?cp

Hot Weather Worsens Growing Wildfires in 3 States

A wind-whipped wildfire burned through 11 homes outside an Oregon college town as hot, dry weather -- with temperatures near 100 degrees -- also helped fires spread in Idaho and Southern California, where homes were evacuated.The fire on the outskirts of Ashland, a tourist destination best known as home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ignited a string of homes one after the other, setting off explosions Tuesday afternoon. "It was just inferno -- black smoke, RV, things blowing up, gas tanks, tires," neighborhood resident Cindy Walker said. "Propane tanks, I don't know. It sounded like bombs going off. Like tornadoes of black smoke coming out of garages and backyards." Three other houses were damaged and homes along four streets in the 1970s-era neighborhood were evacuated. The flames were finally controlled at around dusk and no injuries were reported. Officials were tallying the damage Wednesday and looking for the cause of the blaze, which burned less than 20 acres.

In southern Idaho, firefighters hoped calmer, cooler weather would help them gain ground on a wildfire that scorched more than 510 square miles. The lightning-sparked fire was fueled by strong winds Sunday and Monday, blackening more than 327,000 acres and becoming the nation's largest actively battled wildfire since it started Saturday. So far, crews have contained 10 percent of the fire burning across a desolate, flat landscape of sagebrush and cheatgrass. Meanwhile, firefighters planned an aerial attack on a 1,300-acre wildfire that temporarily forced the evacuation of 200 homes in Kern County, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. County fire Cmdr. Mark Geary says low temperatures and higher humidity allowed crews to close in on the two-square-mile fire overnight.

Temperatures in the area Wednesday are expected to reach triple digits, making it miserable for crews digging trenches and clearing vegetation. About 200 homes were evacuated Tuesday but those orders were lifted later in the day. Elsewhere in California, a lightning-sparked blaze burning in Yosemite National Park since Aug. 9 blackened a total of 160 acres in the Lake Vernon area north of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The National Park Service said crews were managing the fire for ecological benefits. Firefighters had mostly contained a blaze east of Mount Diablo State Park in Contra Costa County by Wednesday morning. The fire -- covering 375 acres, or a little more than half a square mile -- initially threatened six homes and 20 outbuildings, but no evacuations were ordered.

In Ashland, officials haven't determined the fire's cause and were unsure whether it was two fires or one that jumped Interstate 5 on the edge of the town of about 21,000 people. Firefighters were busy earlier Tuesday battling a six-acre grass fire across the freeway that destroyed two shacks, a trailer and an old barn when they got the call that flames were running up a grassy hill and igniting a line of homes, city Fire Marshal and Division Chief Margueritte Hickman said. Firefighters and engines from two counties rushed to the neighborhood and started dousing homes, said Dennis Keife, chief of Lake Creek Rural Fire Department. "It was just surround and drown," he said. Two helicopters also responded and dropped water on the blaze.

Cindy Walker said many people recently stopped watering their lawns and landscaping due to drought conditions and the high price of city water. That may have contributed to the dry conditions that fueled the fire, she said. Hickman added some of the burned homes had shake roofs, which ignite easily. "We are in extreme fire danger," she said, noting some of the landscaping close to homes could have contributed to them catching fire. "The reason we have restrictions are fires like this." By dark, a line of burned homes stretched along the freeway side of the street, some gutted and some burned to the ground, flames still burning the interiors. Cars sped by on the freeway behind them. "It looks like a war zone has gone through here," said District Fire Marshal Don Hickman, Margueritte Hickman's husband.

Dogs trained to sniff out prison cell phones

They've been finding hidden bombs, drugs and corpses for years, using their sense of smell to locate what their human handlers would otherwise have to see in plain sight.

Now dogs are being deployed in prisons to help curb one of the most serious problems confronting corrections officials: smuggled cell phones.

It turns out that cell phones smell. And their distinct odour can lead a well-trained canine to a device hidden under a mattress, stashed into a wall or tucked into a fan or radio.

Inmates use them to arrange drug deals, plot escapes and attacks, coordinate riots and harass victims.

"They have 24 hours a day to figure out how to hide these from us," said Sgt. Wayne Conrad, who leads the K-9 program in California. "I couldn't tell you how long it would take me to go through every nook and cranny in a cell. But when these dogs work, they pick up the odor and go right to it."

For security reasons, Conrad won't say what the scent is, but says dogs can find it whether the phone is on or off, broken into pieces or concealed in another electronic device.

Cell phone sniffing dogs have been dispatched in prisons in a handful of states, including California, Florida, Texas, Virginia and Maryland, as other methods to heel the problem have fallen short or run into regulatory or budgetary constraints.

There are currently 14 dogs working in California's 33 prisons. Five of them are specifically trained as cell phone sleuths. By the end of the summer, the K-9 unit will have 23 dogs trained, about half in finding cell phones, the other half in narcotics.

The program continues to grow despite California's $19 billion budget deficit because it's cheap: the dogs are donated by rescue groups and trained onsite for eight weeks at a facility in Galt, about 20 miles south of Sacramento.

As of May of this year, California prison officials had already confiscated 4,800 cell phones through the K-9 program and other random searches. They seized nearly 7,000 last year, up from just 261 in 2006.

Cell phones are smuggled into prisons through visitors and staff. They're stuffed in cakes, hidden in hollowed out books, thrown over prison walls in garbage bags, transported in laundry delivery, broken apart and brought in bit by bit and disguised as wristwatches or radios.

"They have hidden them inside a body cavity," Conrad said.

A smuggler can fetch up to $1,000 for a phone, and prisoners rent them out to other inmates for $50 a day, said Richard Subia, California's associate director for adult prisons.

California lawmakers recently passed legislation that would make cell phone smuggling a misdemeanor and fine the offender up to $5,000. The bill is currently on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.

The U.S. House last month passed a bill that would ban the use or possession of cell phones or wireless devices in federal prisons and classify those devices as contraband. The U.S. Senate also has passed a similar bill, sponsored by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who noted that one fired guard admitted making close to $150,000 in a year smuggling cell phones. The legislation would subject anyone trying to provide a cell phone to an inmate to up to a year in prison

Concerned about safety, more than 20 states last year petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to allow them to jam cell phone signals at state prisons. The high tech solution is currently prohibited because any disruption would also affect neighboring communities.

"So that's when it came back to dogs," Subia said. "We found our resources weren't enough to keep up with the discovery of cell phones."

Another problem is that cell phones are getting smarter, and their uses more sinister.

"Inmates take pictures of security procedures and drills and send them to people on the outside," Conrad said. "Sex offenders communicate with young kids by posting videos on YouTube and MySpace. This isn't just about safety in prisons. It's safety for the outside, too."

At a recent training demonstration, Conrad and another handler, Brian Pyle, brought 7-year-old Caesar and 2-year-old Drako into a mock prison dorm to search for contraband. To the dogs, Belgian Malinois, it's all fun and games.

They search for their toy, and when they find it, they bark at it, bite and scratch.

Caesar goes first and locates a phone tucked into a vacuum. Drako finds a phone hidden in a light socket.

Taking turns they go across the room and uncover phones under mattresses, in shoes, in a VCR, in a locker.

The door to the demonstration is shut so inmates working on the grounds don't see the dogs in action. Nevertheless, their reputation has spread beyond these walls.

"We did a random search at a prison one day and when we started coming toward the dorm with the dogs all these phones started flying out the windows," said Conrad.

The dogs are apparently having an effect. And in that case, they didn't have to smell a thing.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/dogs-trained-to-sniff-out-prison-cell-phones-47022?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/dogs-trained-to-sniff-out-prison-cell-phones-47022?cp

14 killed as plane crashes on way to Mount Everest

A small passenger plane heading to the Mount Everest region crashed in heavy rain Tuesday outside Nepal's capital, killing all 14 people aboard, including four Americans, a Briton and a Japanese national, officials said.

The private Agni Air plane went down near Shikharpur village, about 80 kilometres south of Kathmandu, area police chief Ram Bahadur Shrestha said.

The German-built Dornier turboprop airplane was carrying 11 passengers and three crew members. It was headed to Lukla – a popular stop for trekkers and mountaineers – when cloud cover there forced it to turn back to Kathmandu.

Tri Ratna Manandhar of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal confirmed there were no survivors. Mr. Manandhar said there were four Americans, one Briton and one Japanese aboard, while the remaining passengers and crew were Nepalese.

Agni Air said the foreigners were tourists. It identified the Americans as Irina Shekhets, 30, Levzi Cordoso, 49, Heather Finch, 40, and Kendra Fallon, 18. The Japanese passenger was Yuki Hayashe, 19, and the British, Jeremy Taylor, 30.

MPs’ allowances hiked by Rs. 10,000 per month

In a bid to placate Members of Parliament demanding higher pay packages, the government on Monday agreed to further hike their monthly allowances by Rs. 10,000.

The Union Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to increase the office and constituency allowances of MPs by Rs. 5000 each per month.

The decision comes against the backdrop of a section of lawmakers expressing unhappiness over the increase proposed by the Cabinet last week.

The Cabinet had not accepted the proposal of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to hike their salaries from Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 80,000 and instead pegged it at Rs. 50,000 per month.

Besides, it had hiked the office and constituency allowances from Rs. 20,000 per month each to Rs. 40,000 per month each.

Now, the constituency and office allowance of MPs would be Rs. 45,000 each per month, sources in the government said.

The Lok Sabha had witnessed uproar last week by RJD, SP and JD(U) members over government’s decision with agitated members of these parties dubbing it as an insult to Parliament.

BJP, RJD, SP and JD(U) leaders had a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday over the issue after which the government had assured them to take appropriate steps.

How Muslims cope in touchy-feely Cuba

Every Friday, Pedro Lazo Torres, clears the furniture out of his second-storey apartment in a potholed Havana suburb and lines the floors and balcony with carpets. For Havana's Muslims, he is Imam Yahya, and the home that he shares with his wife and two adult children, is their place of worship. "You can be a Chinese, Cuban or Russian Muslim and the laws are the same for everyone," Yahya told CNN. "The cultures can be different, but someone who embraces Islam must accept what Allah orders, it's that simple."There are about 1,500 Muslims in Cuba, but no mosques. That's why, at the end of each week, Yahya, dressed in an immaculate white cap and tunic, welcomes people for Friday prayer. Women head inside, sitting on the living room floor, while men tend to kneel on the shady balcony.

Most Muslims in Cuba are international college students from countries like Pakistan and Indonesia. Three medical students from Guyana were among those gathered at Yahya's house for Friday prayer. Cuba is traditionally Catholic, but many don't actively practice the religion and others adhere to Afro-Caribbean beliefs like Santeria. Yahya was introduced to Islam by exchange students and converted more than a decade ago.

Cubans are generally very tolerant of religions, Yahya told CNN. But Muslims do sometimes encounter some of the same prejudices found in other countries. "Sometimes even friends say things jokingly, like 'terrorist,'" Yahya said. Muslims in Cuba also face some unique challenges. Pork, for example, is the most popular meat here. "Pork has the problem that it's very attractive," Yahya said. "Just like all things that are bad."

The faithful say they have to be flexible. Before Friday prayer, they perform ablutions, or cleansing of the body, in Yahya's small bathroom. But the water supply is often turned off in Havana and adherents have to scoop water out of buckets filled in the shower for these kinds of emergencies. Noalia Gladys Carmen Perez, who wears a headscarf, told CNN she and other adults have encountered some resistance to their faith.

"I've had good reactions, people who greet with you respect, and people who don't like it," she told CNN. "They'll say, 'It must be so hot,' [and] comments like that as a form of criticism." Headscarves have never been an issue in schools, in part because Islam is relatively new in the country. However, few can pray at work, either because their schedules or social norms won't allow it. Many also find it hard to adopt certain Muslim customs here in the touchy-feely tropics. In Cuba, men and women usually greet each other with a kiss.

Ibrahim Kinsan, a physical therapist, says most of his co-workers are women. "Now I've converted to Islam, but I can't just turn into an alien," he told CNN. "Most of them greet me with a kiss and that tradition isn't going to disappear." Many Muslim countries have offered to donate the money for a mosque, but Yahya wants the gesture to come from Cuba. The country inaugurated its first Russian Orthodox Church in 2008. "I think we could see something similar for Muslims in the near future," he said.

Match referee gives clean chit to Sangakkara

The ICC on Saturday gave a clean chit to Kumar Sangakkara, who was involved in an unsavoury incident with New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum during a tri-series match, saying the Sri Lanka captain was found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.

Match referee Alan Hurst gave Sangakkara the benefit of doubt after watching video recording of the incident in which he had collided with McCullum, trying to ground his bat while taking a run during the washed out match in Dambulla. "I looked at video footage of the incident from various angles and considered the detailed evidence of the umpires. I found that video evidence that was put forward by the player provided reasonable doubt as to whether the contact was deliberate," Hurst said.

Sangakkara was charged with a Level 2 offence, contrary to clause 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players or Team Officials, which relates to "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play," the game's world body said in a release.

2 Indians killed, 1 injured in car accident in Massachusetts

Two Indians were killed and one was injured when the car they were travelling in had a head on collision with another vehicle in Auburn in central Massachusetts. The two who died in the collision have been identified as Anup Suri, 25 and Dinesh Goyal, 28 of Rhode Island. While Suri was sitting in the front-seat of the car, Goyal was a passenger in the back seat, spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Timothy Connolly said.

Connolly said no further information would be released immediately. Authorities are still investigating the crash that happened Sunday morning. Amit Gupta, 25, who was driving the car was injured in the accident. California resident Sandeep Rikhi, a relative of Suri's, said Suri came to the US from New Delhi in February, while Goyal arrived on August 11.

Rikhi said both of the victims' families are "traumatised," and are waiting to hear more information from authorities on what caused the collision.

UN to meet to boost aid to flood-hit Pakistan

The UN is set to hold an emergency session to boost international aid to flood-hit Pakistan. It says it has raised nearly half of the $460m (£295m) needed for initial flood relief efforts but that the response remains slow.The number of people in need of immediate assistance in Pakistan has now risen to eight million.

The rise comes amid fears of new flooding, as water continues to surge south along the Indus River. The UN's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the special session after visiting Pakistan last week to assess the disaster.He described the situation as "heart-wrenching" and said he had never seen a disaster on such a scale.The member states are expected to adopt a resolution urging the international community "to extend full support and assistance" to Pakistan in its efforts "to mitigate the adverse impacts of the floods and to meet the medium- and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction needs".

The BBC's Kim Ghattas at the UN says the resolution will not produce any concrete action plan but is a sign of how nervous the US and the UN are about the level of international assistance given to Pakistan so far. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to announce an increase in US donations, said White House officials.

The session is a clear attempt to build a sense of urgency about a natural disaster that will have a lasting impact on a country that is key to the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, says our correspondent. A UN spokesman said on Wednesday that there had been an improvement in the speed of donations from the international community, after a sluggish response in the first days of the appeal.

"Donors are realizing the scale of the disaster," Maurizio Giuliano told Reuters, "but the challenges are absolutely massive and the floods are not over." "The size of this disaster is equivalent to Austria, Switzerland and Belgium combined. That's pretty scary." On Wednesday, the European Union promised an extra $39m following higher commitments from Australia and Japan, while the Islamic Development Bank pledged $11.2m.

'Alarming' rate of drug use among women, children

The 18 women sit cross-legged on metal beds, wearing long, loose dresses and nightgowns, their heads completely covered with shawls. They do not want us to see them. Some of them are holding babies in their laps.They are addicted to heroin and opium, products of Afghanistan's richest and cruelest crop, poppies. Some of their infants are addicted, too. We are in a treatment center hidden away in a back street of Kabul. It is administered by the Afghan government and funded by the U.S. State Department, through the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The U.S. is the primary and largest donor for drug treatment programs in Afghanistan.

The physician in charge, Dr. Latifa Hamidi, tells me that most of these women got hooked because their husbands smoked heroin. Injecting heroin is not as common here in Afghanistan as it is in the West. The children, the staff tells us, became addicted when their mothers blew heroin smoke at them to calm them down when they cried. "Because all their family members are addicted, their child also gets addicted," the doctor says. "When their child is in pain the family doesn't give them medicine, they use the narcotics."

Children as young as two are hooked. It's the youngest drug-addicted group ever identified worldwide, according to the U.S. State Department. There are no established protocols for treating children this young. I talk with 22-year-old Zainab. She nervously shifts her scarf so I can barely see her eyes. She tells me she got hooked when she and her husband were refugees in Iran. "My husband got me addicted," she says, "When I was feeling pain or had a cough I would smoke."

It's a story counselors are hearing more and more. The U.S. State Department calls the prevalence of drug use in Afghanistan "alarming." It quotes tribal chiefs who, in some cases, report that half the population of their villages consumes opiates. Heroin and opium are cheap and readily available in Afghanistan, a country that produces 94 percent of the world's opiates. The United Nations estimates there are close to a million drug addicts in the country, more than seven percent of the population. Yet there are only 40 residential drug treatment centers in the entire country, helping a little more than 10,000 users per year.

The women in this center go through a 45-day program which the physicians are considering increasing to 90 days. It's voluntary; counselors and social workers go into the community, promoting an awareness campaign about the dangers of narcotics. They encourage women who are addicted to enter the treatment program. Some must go through detox; the doctors say they do not use Methadone, only drugs that might be needed to help someone suffering from the pains of physical withdrawal such as vomiting.

Detox lasts for 10 days and then the patient moves on to Rehab. Children who are addicted are treated in an adjoining child care center. Prior to U.S.-funded treatment centers, the relapse rate was close to 100 percent, the State Department says. The doctors say the rate at this center is relatively low. The goal of U.S.-funded programs is to cut relapse rates in half over the next two years so that 50 percent of all clients will be drug-free. Zainab peeks out through a slit in her scarf. She tells me she is feeling better, that the doctors are helping her. I ask her what she is hoping for, what will happen to her when she finishes treatment and goes home? "I won't go back to smoking heroin," she tells me. "I want to start a new and better life."

Key Satyam fraud accused Ramalinga Raju gets bail

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to prime accused Ramalinga Raju in India's biggest corporate scam, the Rs 10,000-crore Satyam fraud case. Earlier on July 20, the Andhra High Court had granted bail to five former Satyam Computer executives, including the brother of former chairman B Ramalinga Raju.

The country's biggest corporate scandal came to light on January 6, 2009, when Raju admitted that he had been cooking the books of the country's fourth largest IT services firm that he founded for years.

Pentagon Sounds Alarm at China's Military Buildup

The Pentagon voiced alarm over China's military buildup, saying it was expanding its advantage over Taiwan and investing heavily in ballistic and cruise missile capabilities that could one day pose a challenge to U.S. dominance in the western Pacific.

In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities, the Pentagon also cited China's advances in electronic warfare. The U.S. government has been the target of cyber intrusions the report says appear to have originated in China and aimed to steal military secrets. "These intrusions focused on exfiltrating information, some of which could be of strategic or military utility," the report said. Though their two countries are increasingly interlinked economically, ties between the U.S. military and the People's Liberation Army of China have deteriorated since January, when the Obama administration notified Congress of a plan to sell Taiwan up to $6.4 billion in arms. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has appealed to the Chinese to re-engage to reduce the risk of any military miscommunications. But U.S. officials say they have seen few signs of a thaw.

Washington has long voiced alarm over China's military buildup opposite Taiwan. In this year's report, which was delivered months behind schedule, the Pentagon said China's military edge over Taiwan was continuing to "shift in the mainland's favor," the main argument used by the Obama administration in approving the arms deal. A particular concern for the U.S. is China's development of an antiship ballistic missile with a projected range of nearly 1,000 miles. The missile is meant to give the PLA the capability of attacking ships, including aircraft carriers, in the western Pacific, the report said.

India to target Google and Skype messaging next: report

India may shut down Google and Skype Internet-based messaging services over security concerns, the Financial Times reported on Friday, as the government threatened a similar crackdown on BlackBerry services.

The Financial Times quoted from the minutes of a July 12 meeting between telecommunication ministry security officials and operator associations to look at possible solutions to "intercept and monitor" encrypted communications.

"There was consensus that there more than one type of service for which solutions are to be explored. Some of them are BlackBerry, Skype, Google etc," according to the department's minutes. "It was decided first to undertake the issue of BlackBerry and then the other services."

On Thursday, the Indian government became the latest of several nations that have threatened to cut off Research In Motion's encrypted BlackBerry email and instant messaging services if the Canadian company does not address national security concerns. [nSGE67B09R]

India has set an Aug 31. deadline for RIM. It wants access in a readable format to encrypted BlackBerry communication, on grounds it could be used by militants. Pakistani-based militants used mobile and satellite phones in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.

India's demands follow a deal with Saudi Arabia, where a source said Research In Motion agreed to give authorities codes for BlackBerry Messenger users. The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria also seek access.

Officials say RIM had proposed tracking emails without sharing encryption details, but that was not enough.

The Financial Times report said representatives from two of the telecom operator associations present confirmed the details of the meeting earlier this month.

"At the last security meeting, the agencies were talking about BlackBerry. They were also coming out heavily on Skype and Google," said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India.

A shutdown would affect one million users in India out of the smartphone's 41 million users. India is one of RIM's fastest growing markets.

RIM, unlike rivals Nokia and Apple, operates its own network through secure servers located in Canada and other countries, such as Britain.

RIM's shares ended more than 2 percent lower at C$56.44 in the Toronto market.

In a matter of a few weeks, the BlackBerry device -- long the darling of the world's CEOs and politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama -- has become a target for its sealed email and messaging services with governments around the world.

Cameron accused of hampering Pakistan flood aid effort with terror criticism

David Cameron’s attack on Pakistan’s approach to tackling terrorism is hampering aid efforts for the flood-stricken country, a senior official claimed last night.

Abdullah Hussein Haroon, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, said his country had ‘suffered’ as a result of the row in which the Prime Minister accused his country of ‘ exporting terror’.

The Disasters Emergency Committee has raised £9.5million from the British public for Pakistan, but experts have warned this is less than was raised for comparable disasters, such as the Haiti earthquake.

Mr Haroon told Radio 4’s World Tonight: ‘Yes, Pakistan has suffered because of what David Cameron has said, because the British people will listen to their Prime Minister.’

Mr Cameron’s words sparked a diplomatic row.

He later insisted that he stood by his comments, but also stressed the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown made an impassioned plea yesterday for Britons to keep donating money to the victims of Pakistan’s floods – and called on the Government to match whatever they give.

Solutions available on a country-to-country basis: RIM to US

Canadian company RIM, the manufacturers of BlackBerry device, has told the United States that there are solutions available on a country-to-country basis to address security concerns regarding its service.

Research In Motion (RIM) officials conveyed the message to the US State Department at a meeting on Monday.

Following the concerns being raised by countries like India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the United States is in discussion with both RIM officials and these countries on the security related issues and uninterrupted access to the BlackBerry devices by people across the globe.

"It was very helpful for RIM officials to help us understand their global perspective. They indicated that their services are offered in almost every country in the world. There might be a handful that they do not have a presence,"State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at a daily news conference.

"So they were giving us that kind of global perspective on the issues that have been raised in negotiations with multiple countries. They did not go into details of any specific negotiation," he said.

"It was very useful for us and I think at the end of the meeting, their perspective was that they believe that there are, again broadly speaking, solutions available that on a country-by-country basis can satisfactorily address and balance the regulatory security and access issues that are at stake," Crowley said.

The US and RIM recognise that there were a range of interests and it is important to balance these competing interests, the senior official added.

Read more at: http://profit.ndtv.com/news/show/solutions-available-on-a-country-to-country-basis-rim-to-us-88391?cp

GlasyAds-The New Dimension for Classifieds Syndication

GlasyAds has turned on a new feature in Classified Syndication era that lets the Online Sellers to place their property listings in many classified portals. Basically Ad Syndication allows users to create an ad in one place and automatically have it syndicated to multiple places across the web. Once a listing is posted into the glasyads, that listing is posted automatically into more than 100 classifieds sites, reducing the users with out running in to risk of searching for several classified sites and posting in the respective portals. Its main aim is to provide users with a helpful, noncommercial way to connect with other people in their communities. GlasyAds stipulate users to create their own templates and let their templates to be viewed on many classifieds portals so that they can grab the attention of customers for their product. Using GlasyAds is very easy for online sellers to come up with their ads infront of the customers with enchanting templates that best suites their business promotions.

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Japan apologizes to SKorea for colonial rule

Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized Tuesday to South Korea for Japanese colonial rule as part of an effort to strengthen ties between the two countries ahead of the 100th anniversary of Japanese aggression against Korea.

During Japan's occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910-45, many Koreans were forced to fight as front-line soldiers, work in slave-labor conditions, or serve as prostitutes in brothels operated by the military. The issue of Japanese wartime aggression against its Asian neighbors is still a sensitive one more than half a century later.

"For the enormous damage and suffering caused by this colonization, I would like to express once again our deep remorse and sincerely apologize," Kan said in a statement approved by the Cabinet.

The statement apologized specifically to Koreans, in contrast to earlier apologies by Japan for wartime actions made broadly to the country's Asian neighbors.

Seoul accepted the apology, although President Lee Myung-bak does not plan an official response, said presidential spokesman Cho Hyun-jin.

"We hope that through proper recognition and reflection of the unfortunate history, close bilateral relations can further develop into a partnership for the future," said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun in a statement.

Some victims of Japan's rule called Tokyo's apology insufficient, saying there should be reparations for victims, prosecution of wrongdoers and a record of the Japanese military's history of sexual slavery in Japan's textbooks.

"Kan says Japan apologizes and repents but they are just words," said Kang Joo-hye with the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

"He didn't mention the victims once or pledge any action to heal their hurt and pain," Kang said.

The apology comes ahead of the 100-year anniversary of Tokyo's annexation of the Korean peninsula on Aug. 29. Kan said he spoke to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the phone, and the two leaders agreed that their countries would continue to build relations and work to stabilize Asia.

The Japanese leader also said his country would soon return Korean cultural artifacts to the country, including historical documents, that it acquired while ruling the region.

Despite their troubled history, Tokyo and Seoul remain closely tied economically and militarily. Both countries host tens of thousands of U.S. troops, and Japan was quick to stand by South Korea after it accused North Korea of sinking one of its warships in March, killing 46 sailors.

"The Asian economy is expanding very rapidly. Through the cooperation of Japan and Korea, plus the U.S., the increased stability of the region can be achieved by these three nations, and this is very meaningful," Kan told reporters after the apology had been issued.

Tokyo has repeatedly apologized in the past for aggression against its Asian neighbors. An apology in 1995 marking the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII has become the government's official stance.

Mumbai oil slick spreads; pesticide bottles at sea

The oil slick after Saturday's ship collision off the Mumbai harbour is spreading fast and thick and all coastal districts of the state are on high alert.

"It's a serious concern and we are trying our best to contain the damage," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan told NDTV as an environmental disaster threatened the state's coast. He has also warned against eating fish.

"This is a serious issue. The Coastguard and the defence people are looking into it. We have already filed cases against the captains of the two ships which are from abroad. Today I am going to do an aerial survey of the site but I would say the state and the Union government is doing its best. Definitely it is a matter of concern and we have advised the people in that area not to go in for fishing because fishes and the marine life in that area is bound to be affected by this oil slick. We are trying to contain it as far as possible."

Two merchant ships, MSC Chitra and Khalijia, collided on Saturday at the mouth of the Mumbai harbour. The MSC Chitra tilted sharply under the impact, resulting in the oil spill. The other ship, Khalijia was at the harbour for over a fortnight for repair work when the collision took place.

When the MSC Chitra collided it had a cargo of 1219 containers. The cargo contained 2662 tonnes of fuel, 283 tonnes of diesel and 88040 litres of lubricant oil.

The oil slick has now spread to the Alibaug and Uran areas. Swathes of oil are also approaching the Elephanta caves and may affect the mangrove belt along the coastline. Coast guards have said it will be tough to contain the oil spill because of tidal conditions.

The Mumbai Port is currently shut for business and fishermen have been asked not to go out. The Maharashtra government is meeting with all forces involved in rescue efforts today to assess the situation.

Besides the oil, the floating containers that came off one of the ships also pose a navigational hazard. A case has been registered against the captain and crew of both ships. The Director General of Shipping has also ordered an inquiry.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mumbai-oil-slick-spreads-pesticide-bottles-at-sea-43039?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mumbai-oil-slick-spreads-pesticide-bottles-at-sea-43039?cp

Zardari claims 'victory' after talks with Cameron

Did Prime Minister David Cameron blink first during talks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari at Chequers yesterday? According to British media he did. In their face-to-face at Chequers after Cameroon sparked off a storm with his comment that Pakistan was looking both ways on the issue of terrorism, a triumphant Zardari – dubbed the 'artful dodger' in the British media – claimed that he won the latest war of attrition. According to Zardari, "we had some straight talk and we became friends".

He claimed to have convinced Cameron that Pakistan was doing all it could to stop militant jihadi groups "exporting terror" to Afghanistan and Britain. At the same time, he appeared to rule out a new crackdown or any specific additional security measures to satisfy Cameron's demand that Pakistan do more to close down terror groups on Pakistan soil. Calling Zardari the 'artful dodger of Pakistan', The Guardian said in an editorial: "In the eyeball-to-eyeball session, it was Mr Cameron who blinked first.

"Zardari got a bland communique declaring that the relationship between the two countries was unbreakable, a British commitment to a Marshall plan for Afghanistan, and above all, no hint of anyone in the Pakistan security establishment 'facing two ways'.

"As a result, a beaming Zardari could claim afterwards that there had never been any problem in the relationship". In an interview to The Guardian titled 'Zardari claims win in terror row with UK', he said: "We are already fighting all of these groups, I have lost my wife (Benazir Bhutto) to these terrorists, we have lost 30,000 of our population.I think we are fighting every possible way we can."

Zardari went on to say: "We are already doing quite a bit and we are always trying to do more and get closer, better. It's not something that I need to be told to do. We do it on our own. I think Cameron and the British government are looking at Pakistan and understand that Pakistan is doing its best."

During his visit to India, Cameron said: "We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country (Pakistan) is allowed to look both ways, in any way, to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world".