How to cure sinus infection: Take a dose of 'good' bacteria

Adding a dose of the 'good' bacteria to the sinuses may help treat some chronic conditions of the disease, a new study has claimed. So, you are suffering from sinus infection and want to know how to cure sinus infection, read on.

In a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers discovered that some chronic sinus problems may be caused by a depletion of 'good' bacteria and the presence of 'bad' bacteria in the sinuses.

Adding back good bacteria to the sinuses will work to treat the condition analogous to the way probiotics may treat certain intestinal problems, MyHealthNewsDaily reported.

The study analysed the populations of bacteria present in the sinuses of 10 people with chronic sinus problems, known as chronic rhinosinusitis, and 10 healthy people.

They identified the bacteria species by looking at their genes.

People with chronic sinus problems had fewer types of bacteria in their sinuses compared with healthy people, and a significant reduction in bacteria that produce lactic acid.

In addition, they had an increase in a bacteria species called C tuberculostearicum.

When the researchers gave mice antibiotics to eliminate the normal bacteria in their sinuses, and then gave them C tuberculostearicum, the mice developed symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis.

However, mice that received the lactic acid bacteria L sakei in addition to C tuberculostearicum did not develop symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis.

The results add to a growing body of research showing that the bacterial community in the human body as a whole, and not the presence of a single harmful species, is responsible for the development of certain diseases, the researchers said.

The study suggested that L sakei could be used to treat or prevention of chronic sinus problems, the researchers said.

Patients commonly receive antibiotics for sinus infections, but the findings suggest a more appropriate therapy would be providing them with 'good' bacteria, the researchers added.

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25 ridiculously clichéd Hindi film dialogues that tell you the even more clichéd story of an Indian girl

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I don't have 6,000 boyfriends: Emma Watson

"Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson says she gets upset when she is linked to every boy she is photographed with.

The 22-year-old, who is currently dating an American student Will Adamowicz, said she is no serial romancer as opposed to what people think, reported Daily Mail.

"It's difficult on my dating life, because anyone I get photographed with is automatically my boyfriend. So it just makes it look as if I've had, like, 6,000 boyfriends," she said.

The actress says she tried her best not to be spotted with boyfriend Adamowicz at the Coachella music festival earlier this year, but still hit the headlines when they were spotted kissing.

"My friend got me tickets for my birthday, and what am I going to say? 'No, I'm not going to go because I don't want to be photographed'? But it was a huge crowd, and I thought there was no way anyone could get pictures of me, but somehow they found me," Watson added. 

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E-cigarettes can damage your lungs: study

Electronic cigarettes used by smokers trying to quit the lethal habit of smoking can actually cause lung damage, a new study has claimed.

Scientists warn that the devices can trigger changes to the lungs, despite the fact that they are being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes.

The study also added new evidence to the debate over the safety of alternative nicotine-delivery products.

Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a vapour, rather than smoke. There is no combustion involved but the nicotine in the device is still derived from tobacco.

There has been much debate over the safety and efficiency of the products, but little scientific evidence to support either claim.

Researchers from the University of Athens in Greece aimed to investigate the short-term effects of using e-cigarettes on different people, including people without any known health problems and smokers with and without existing lung conditions.

The study included 8 people who had never smoked and 24 smokers, 11 with normal lung function and 13 people with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.

Each person used an electronic cigarette for 10 minutes. The researchers then measured their airway resistance using a number of tests, including a spirometry test.

The results showed that for all people, the e-cigarette caused an immediate increase in airway resistance, lasting for 10 minutes. In healthy subjects (never smokers) there was a statistically significant increase in airway resistance from a mean average of 182 to 206 per cent.

In smokers with normal spirometry (measuring of breath) there was a statistically significant increase from a mean average of 176 to 220 per cent.

In COPD and asthma patients the use of one e-cigarette seemed to have no immediate effect to airway resistance.

"We do not yet know whether unapproved nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, are safer than normal cigarettes, despite marketing claims that they are less harmful. This research helps us to understand how these products could be potentially harmful," Professor Christina Gratziou, one of the authors and Chair of the ERS Tobacco Control Committee, said.

"We found an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device. More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term," Gratziou said.

The result was presented at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Vienna.

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More than 50% men rely on women to pick their clothing

Behind every man's wardrobe there is a woman!

According to a new survey, more than half of British men confessed that they depend on the women in their life to pick out their outfits for the next day.

A poll of 1,000 men by a menswear brand found that every one in four men asks their girlfriend or wife to shop for clothes for them, the Daily Mail reported.

Only 6 per cent of British men said they enjoy clothes shopping.

On the rare occasions men do choose their own outfits, half admit they still ask their partner or mother to 'approve' the ensemble before they leave the house.

One in 20 even ask their mothers to shop for their latest gear.

When shopping for themselves, one in three pick their new clothes for comfort alone. Only 9 per cent will choose according to the latest trends.

The survey by Jacamo also found that when men are left alone with their wardrobe one in six admitted they do not care about how they look and throw on any old item.

One in three said they get dressed in less than two minutes.

A quarter said they ponder over an outfit for 20 minutes while one in 20 take more than an hour trying to figure out what they are going to wear.

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Man couriers himself to girlfriend as a prank, almost dies

A Chinese man who decided to surprise his girlfriend by couriering himself to her almost suffocated to death when the delivery was delayed.

Hu Seng, from Chongqing city in southwest China, made a friend tape him into a box that he had paid a courier firm to deliver to his girlfriend, Li Wang, the Daily Mail reported.

Another friend was waiting at his girlfriend's office to film the surprise when he jumped out.

However, the joke was on him when the address was mixed up and instead of 30 minutes in the sealed box, Seng was trapped inside for nearly three hours.

The box had very little air inside and was too thick for Seng to make a hole in it.

By the time the package had arrived at his girlfriend's office, Seng had passed out and had to be revived by paramedics.

"I didn't realise it would take so long," admitted Seng.

"I tried to make a hole in the cardboard but it was too thick and I didn't want to spoil the surprise by shouting," Seng was quoted as saying by the paper.

"If he'd told us what he was doing at the start we would not have taken the parcel. Even when we accept animals they have to go in special containers so they can breathe," a spokesman for the courier firm said.

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Chocolate may protect the brain from strokes: study

Eating a small bar of chocolate every week can dramatically slash the risk of stroke in men, a new study has claimed.

A study on more than 37,000 Swedish men showed those eating chocolates were the least likely to have a stroke.

It follows on from other studies that have suggested eating chocolate can improve the health of the heart, the 'BBC News' reported.

The participants were asked about their eating habits and their health was monitored for a decade.

They were split into four groups based on the amount of chocolate, with the bottom group eating, on average, no chocolate each week and the top group having 63 grams, slightly more than an average bar.

The study found those eating the most chocolate were 17 per cent less likely to have a stroke.

"The beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on stroke may be related to the flavonoids in chocolate," said Prof Susanna Larsson, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

"Flavonoids appear to be protective against cardiovascular disease through antioxidant, anti-clotting and anti-inflammatory properties," said Larssonon, who is one of the researchers.

"It's also possible that flavonoids in chocolate may decrease blood concentrations of bad cholesterol and reduce blood pressure."

The study also noted that while dark chocolate had been linked to benefits for the heart in the past, milk chocolate was the preferred option in Sweden and in the study.

"Past research has shown that eating dark chocolate might go some way to reducing your stroke risk if it is eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet," said Dr Clare Walton, from the Stroke Association, UK.

"This study suggests that eating a moderate amount of other types of chocolate could also be beneficial in men," Walton said.

However, the authors warned of the high sugar and fat content of chocolate.

"It should be consumed in moderation," they said. The study was published in the journal 'Neurology'.

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There is no anger against Gandhi family: Bachchan

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whose relationship with the Gandhi family have been strained over the years, says in his mind there is no change in feelings about them and that there is "no anger, no angst" from his side.

"It's not a question of reaching out. So long you understand, I don't have to necessarily meet you every day to tell you I am your friend. We have spent time together. In a relationship these things don't matter," he told Aaj Tak channel.

When asked if he was still friends with the Gandhi family, Bachchan said, "Of course, In my mind there is no change. I will always respect them. We meet them sometimes at public functions. There is no anger, no angst. We're still pretty normal."

The 69-year-old actor entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 and successfully contested from Allahabad Lok Sabha seat, only to resign three years later after his family was dragged into the Bofors scam.

Bachchan, however, denies that the fallout between the two families can be blamed on the scam.

Recalling the days following the Bofors controversy, Bachchan said it was difficult to walk on the streets without being called names.

"I would be walking on the street or shooting and people would abuse me. They would call me a traitor. We have been through all that. I could take it because I had a family that stood strong by my side.

"We could finally overcome the allegations when the Royal Court of London ruled in our favour. And many of those who made some of the sharpest accusations met us outside the court. They said this a closed chapter and let's settle outside and so we settled outside of court."

Bachchan, however, wants to put the bitter incident behind and is not keen to know the name of the person who dragged his name in the scam.

"Other than changing a few lines in the history books, it is not going to change anything. What can you do even if you came to know? You can't do anything. It didn't take a toll on just my life. I am an ordinary human being. It changed the political scenario of the entire country."

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Infants given anaesthesia may face learning difficulties

Children who are given anaesthetic before the age of three are at a higher risk of developing learning difficulties, according to a new study.

Researchers led by the University of Western Australia found that children exposed to anaesthesia before the age of three were twice as likely to develop language impairment and three times more likely to have problems with abstract reasoning in childhood.

The study analysed long-term effects of anaesthesia on young children - using the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, which is studying 2868 children born in Western Australia between 1989 and 1992.

"We looked at 321 children from the Raine study who were exposed to anaesthesia for surgery and diagnostic testing before the age of three and found they were about twice as likely to develop a significant language impairment and three times more likely to have problems with abstract reasoning by the age of 10, when compared to children who were not exposed to anaesthesia and surgery," Professor Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg from the university said.

"But the study does not allow us to determine if the cause of these increased impairments were due to anaesthesia, surgery or the medical condition that required the intervention," she added.

"Parents should consult their surgeon to see if the procedure is necessary. Any concerns regarding anaesthesia and potential anaesthetic implications for their child should be discussed with their anaesthetist before surgery," she said in a statement.

The study was published in the US journal Pediatrics.

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'Chocolates and red wine don't help cure heart disease'

Scientists say there is no proof that chocolate and red wine protect the heart, even though a recent study suggested that they lower the cardiac risk by 37 per cent.

According to heart specialists, the mechanisms by which they could make a difference have still to be explained, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

This was only a 'sign', however, and not proof because the study was flawed, said Steffen Desch from the University of Leipzig Heart Centre in Germany.

Desch said a more conclusive trial could be difficult because the real thing would have to be tested against a 'dummy' substance that looked and tasted like chocolate.

Some small studies have claimed that chocolate lowers blood pressure and reduces inflammation in the body.

"Despite the studies I couldn't yet recommend dark chocolate as a prevention or treatment in cardiovascular disease," said Desch.

"There's no strong evidence of a benefit and no clear explanation of an effective mechanism." The calories contained in chocolate are likely to offset any protection to the heart, he added.

His reservations came as Dutch researchers dampened down speculation about the benefits of red wine on the heart.

Even though it is also supposed to help heart health, there is no single ingredient which appears to work, they said.

They have tested resveratrol, which is found in the skin of red grapes and is believed to have a range of life-enhancing properties.

Eric Sijbrands, of Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, led a series of studies which failed to replicate the findings of heart benefits from taking resveratrol.

Using it in capsules for four weeks did not lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, he said.

"Certainly I would never actively prescribe red wine for a heart condition and, even if I was asked about it, I would be cautious," Sijbrands said.

If red wine does work, the explanation is likely to be 'complex', he said.

These findings were presented at the European Congress of Cardiology in Munich.

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Advanced scanner can spot people who need bypass surgery

Scientists have developed an ultra-fast, advanced scanner that can spot people with chest pain who need invasive procedures such as bypass surgery to restore blood flow to the heart.

The 320-detector computed tomography (CT) scanner was developed by a team of researchers including the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Instituto do Coracao in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"The CORE 320 study is the first prospective, multicenter study to examine the diagnostic accuracy of CT for assessing blockages in blood vessels and determining which of those blockages may be preventing the heart from getting adequate blood flow," Joao A C Lima, senior author of the study, said.

"We found an excellent correlation in results when we compared the 320-detector CT testing with the traditional means of assessment using a stress test with imaging and cardiac catheterisation," Lima added.

The study involved 381 patients at 16 hospitals in eight countries.

The patients who completed the study had traditional SPECT tests and invasive angiography.

SPECT is a nuclear medicine stress test with imaging, which shows reduced blood flow to the heart without indicating the number or specific location of blockages.

They also had two types of tests with a non-invasive 320-detector CT scanner. In the first CT test, the scanner was used to see the anatomy of vessels to assess whether and where there were blockages.

That test is known as CTA, in which the "A" stands for angiography. Then, in a second CT test with the same machine, patients were given a vasodilator, a medicine that dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow to the heart in ways similar to what happens during a stress test.

The second test is called CTP, with the "P" standing for perfusion.

"We found that the 320-detector CT scanner allowed us to see the anatomy of the blockages as well as determine whether the blockages were causing a lack of perfusion to the heart. We were therefore able to correctly identify the patients who needed revascularisation within 30 days of their evaluation," lead author Carlos E Rochitte, said in a statement.

"Many patients are sent for an angioplasty when they may not need it. Our ultimate goal is to have more certainty about which patients having chest pain - without evidence of a heart attack - need an invasive procedure to open an arterial blockage," said cardiologist Richard George, co-author of the study.

"The CTP test added significant information about the patients' conditions and boosted our ability to identify those whose blockages were severe enough to reduce blood flow to the heart," George added.

The study was presented in the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich, Germany.

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Micronutrients could improve sperm quality in older men

 Healthy intake of micronutrients such as vitamin C, E, folate and zinc could improve the sperm DNA quality significantly in older men, a new study has claimed.

The study led by scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, however, found that in younger men a higher intake of micronutrients did not improve the sperm DNA.

An analysis of 80 healthy male volunteers between 22 and 80 years of age, found that men older than 44 who consumed the most vitamin C had 20 per cent less sperm DNA damage compared to men older than 44 who consumed the least vitamin C. The same was true for vitamin E, zinc, and folate.

"It appears that consuming more micronutrients such as vitamin C, E, folate and zinc helps turn back the clock for older men. We found that men 44 and older who consumed at least the recommended dietary allowance of certain micronutrients had sperm with a similar amount of DNA damage as the sperm of younger men," said Andy Wyrobek of Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division.

"This means that men who are at increased risk of sperm DNA damage because of advancing age can do something about it. They can make sure they get enough vitamins and micronutrients in their diets or through supplements," added Wyrobek.

Although the scientists found a clear and strong link between higher vitamin intake and improved sperm DNA quality in older men, they don't know whether this link extends to male fertility and the health of offspring.

The report was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

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Penetration of ATMs, card usage very low in India, says RBI

Penetration of ATMs in the country is still very low compared to other emerging markets even as the number of automated teller machines is increasing by nearly 25% every year, the Reserve Bank said today.

"Although there has been a steady year-on-year 25% growth in the number of ATMs in the country, their penetration as measured by the number of ATMs per million population is still very low when compared to other emerging markets," RBI Governor D Subbarao said in his keynote address at at the IDRBT Banking Technology Awards Function.

In proportional terms, India has one of the lowest numbers of ATMs and PoS (Point of Sales) terminals - 63 ATMs and 497 PoS per million population, he said.

"Disappointingly, the penetration of debit cards has been shallow. One disincentive is the business cost to merchants," he added.

Subbarao said in order to increase the penetration of ATMs, RBI has permitted non-bank entities to deploy 'White Label ATMs', especially in the smaller centres on own and operate basis.

The regulatory guidelines prescribe a proportion of ATMs to be necessarily installed in Tier III to Tier VI centres (towns/villages with population of less than 50,000), thereby extending anytime, and anywhere banking facility to a wider segment of population.

Subbarao said as the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) for debit and credit cards has been uniform in India, the RBI has decided to introduce new payment charges for debt card usage.

"The Reserve Bank decided to introduce a differential MDR for debit card transactions. Under this recently announced policy, the MDR for usage of debit cards should not exceed 0.75% of the transaction value for transactions up to Rs 2000, and not exceed 1% for transactions above Rs 2000," the banking regulator said.

Speaking on mobile banking penetration, Subbarao said as of June, 2012, as many as 50 banks were providing mobile banking services with an aggregate customer base of 14.75 million.

Both the volume and value of mobile banking transactions are witnessing a remarkable growth.

As of June 2012, a year-on-year growth in terms of volume was 143% while that in terms of value was 213%, he added.

The RBI Governor said when compared with other emerging markets like Brazil, Mexico and Russia, the value of banknotes and coins in circulation in India, at 12% of GDP, is high.

The number of non-cash transactions per person in India stands at just 6 per year, which again is very low in comparison with other emerging economies.

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World's most powerful dam opens in China

The giant and controversial Three Gorges Dam in China has launched the last of its generators, just as it hits its annual flood peak.

The final 32 generators went into operation this week, making it the world's largest hydropower project, built on the Yangtze River in the Hubei Province.

It is designed to decrease the risk of flooding during the current peak rainfall season, as well as store and distribute water during the dry periods.

A series of incredible photos show the sheer force of the flood water released from seven spillways after heavy downpours in the upper reaches of the dam caused the highest flood peak of the year.

Water from the Yangtze River upper gushed at up 70,000 cubic metres per second into the dam's reservoir yesterday.

The dam is working to take the edge off the fierce flood and reduce its impact on the river's lower reaches by storing at least 26,000 cubic meters of flood water every second, the Yangtze River flood control and drought relief, according to the Global Times.

Water outflow from the dam currently measures 43,000 cubic meters per second.

So far the forces of flood has been been the highest in recent memory, worse that the devastating 1998 Yangtze flood which cause a large amount of damage with a flow rate of 50,000 cubic meters per second.

The ongoing flood is therefore the biggest challenge the dam has faced since it started storing water, the headquarters said.

Weekend floods in Beijing caused 'significant losses' and casualty numbers are still being tallied, the head of the worst-hit district has said.

The heavy rains have left nearly 100 people dead, state media has said, although those figures have been questioned by international observers, who believe the death toll could be higher.

'The full operation of the generators makes the Three Gorges Dam the world's largest hydropower project and largest base of clean energy,' said Zhang Cheng, general manager of China Yangtze Power, the operator of the generators.

The dam, which first went into operation in 2003 at a cost of $22.5 billion, has a combined generating capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts (22,500 megawatts), the equivalent of fifteen nuclear reactors.

The construction of the dam, which forced the relocation of 1.4 million people, has been heavily criticised by experts worldwide, and residents of nearby areas.

Beijing has long held up the dam as a symbol of its engineering prowess, a solution to the frequent floods of China's longest river and a source of badly-needed electricity.

But in May last year Beijing admitted the dam had spawned a range of problems.

The project began in 1993 despite warnings the weight of the reservoir would dangerously alter central China's geology, uproot millions of people, poison water supplies by trapping pollution and disrupt the Yangtze watershed.

The dam has created a reservoir stretching up to 600 kilometres (370 miles) through the scenic Three Gorges region, which is criss-crossed by geological faultlines.

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Kristen Stewart's grovelling apology to Robert Pattinson ver married director affair

A tearful Kristen Stewart emerges for the first time since issuing grovelling apology to Robert Pattinson over married director affair

• Twilight actress issued public apology to Robert Pattinson after her affair with Rupert Sanders emerged
• Kristen is planning to write a private letter to his model wife Liberty Ross
• Ross played Stewart's mother in film directed by her husband
• Robert has failed to respond to Kristen's grovelling but he's said to be 'devastated'
• R-Patz recently hinted he planned to marry Kristen... and has said he 'never understood' people who cheat
• Stewart is said to be convinced she can win Pattinson back

She issued a grovelling apology to boyfriend Robert Pattinson last night after her affair with married director Rupert Sanders emerged.

And now Kristen Stewart has been spotted for the first time since the cheating claims came to light.

The Twilight star was seen walking around Los Angeles as the effects of her infidelity continue to spiral to the surface.

And the intense scrutiny she now faces seems to be taking its toll as she looked weary and miserable as she drew attention to herself.

Kristen even seemed to plead with photographers to leave her in peace as she tried to brush off the glares following her since the affair hit news stands at the start of the week.

She looked disturbed as she rubbed her head and her eye as she appeared to be crying.

Stewart issued a grovelling public apology to Robert Pattinson following revelations of her affair with married director Rupert Sanders last night.

Pictures have since emerged of the Twilight actress, 22, in the arms of the 41-year-old Snow White And The Huntsman filmmaker - who has two young children with model wife Liberty Ross.

According to People, Kristen said: 'I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected.

'This momentary indiscretion has jeopardised the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry.'

There was no response, at least publicly, from Robert.

And while she mentioned Robert in her public apology, it was noted she missed Liberty out of her statement, despite affecting her marriage as a result of her actions.

But according to RadarOnline, the actress is intending to write a private letter to the British catwalk star to attempt to make amends, as she didn't feel it was right to speak in public to her.

A source told the website: 'Kristen didn’t feel it was appropriate to issue a public apology to Liberty once the story of her affair with Rupert broke.

'Instead, she’s going to do the decent thing and write Liberty a private letter expressing her deepest regret for her actions.

'She was thinking of including Liberty, Rupert and the kids in her public apology – but Kristen was so desperate to save her relationship with Rob she decided to concentrate on that first.'

Kristen is said to be taking action as it has now 'dawned on he' the director has two children whose lives are also at stake due to their tryst.

Rupert too has reportedly followed suit with an apology, telling People: 'I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family.

'My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.'

And reports are also suggesting that Kristen is 'confident' she can win back Robert because she knows how much he loves her.

A source told RadarOnline: 'Kristen is pulling out all the stops with Rob, completely apologizing and trying to make things right with him, but she is very confident that she is going to win his trust back.

'Kristen is doing everything in her power to keep Rob from breaking up with her. She knows how much he loves her and she really believes that she is going to keep him from dumping her.'

As Kristen prepared to spread her wings from the vampire franchise, she joined forces with the father-of-two to work on his $170m feature debut - which was released just last month.

Wife Liberty, 33, played Queen Eleanor - Stewart's mother in the box office hit.

Yesterday it was reported that last Tuesday, Kristen was caught in the arms of Rupert - with celebrity magazine Us Weekly claiming to have photographic evidence.

Kristen can be seen wrapped in the arms of a man alleged to be Sanders on the cover of this week's issue of the American magazine.

In another snap, Rupert appears to nestle into Kristen's shoulder, even nibbling or offering a kiss as they were captured at Pacific View Trail - a lookout point with a view of the Hollywood sign.

A series of shots sees the pair caught in an embrace as the smiling actress leans against a ledge, while clutching her baseball cap, with Rupert gravitating towards her with open arms.

But perhaps the most unsettling pictures are those taken from inside a parked car, where Stewart and Sanders seem to be kissing.

While the brunette's face is turned from the camera, her hairstyle and profile resemble the real K-Stew, with her white tank top and neon yellow bra strap showing, as in the other pictures.

Kristen's head is tilted as Rupert's eyes are closed and their heads come together.

As they drive away, Kristen puts her baseball cap back on and both cover their faces in shades.

A photographer told Us Weekly: 'He was all over her. (They) would only take a break when they thought someone was walking by. It seemed like they couldn't get enough.'

It is believed Kristen may have avoided being photographed if not for the timing of a phone call.

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How to beat prostate cancer: Eat fish

A fish on table is better than one in water! Eating oily fish regularly can significantly increase your chance of surviving prostate cancer, a new Harvard study has found.

The findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found patients who regularly ate the highest amounts of omega-3 fish oil were between 34 to 40 per cent less likely to die from the disease.

A 20-year-long study at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston also found that patients who consumed very high amounts of saturated fats were twice as likely to die from their tumour compared to those who ate less, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

According to the study, the risks of prostate cancer increase with age and men over 50 are more likely to develop a tumour, which has a strong genetic element to it.

Scientists tracked 525 men with an average age of 70 who had signed up to a long-term study back in 1989 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Patients were quizzed on their dietary habits, including consumption of different types of fats.

For the next 20 years, all the men were followed up to monitor survival rates.

The results showed that, by March 2011, 222 of the men had died from prostate cancer and 268 from other causes.

When researchers compared the causes of death with dietary habits they found men who regularly ate fish with high oil content were between 34 and 40 per cent less likely to have died from their prostate cancer.

The researchers said diet appears to have a powerful effect on tumours that are in the early stages of development.

"Fish consumption may have a modest protective effect on prostate cancer risk and progression, as well as disease specific mortality. These results suggest early stage tumours may be more responsive to dietary factors and that diet may influence prognosis following a diagnosis of early stage prostate cancer," the researchers were quoted by the paper as saying.

Last year's study, carried out at the University of California found fish oil reduced the number of rapidly dividing cells in the prostate cancer tissue, potentially reducing the chances of the disease spreading to other parts of the body.

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Dictionary that allows users to contribute their own words

Want to whet your wordy appetite? A popular publishing house is allowing users to coin new words and submit them on-line.

If the word is accepted, the submitter will be offered the chance to be permanently credited in the Collins' English dictionary website, www.Collinsdictionary.Com, below their word's definition.

Collins said opening the normally closed process would make the way the English language is recorded more democratic.

The site was launched last year and is based in Glasgow, where Collins English dictionary print editions and other best-selling reference titles are produced.

Collins editors have already submitted a selection of words, including 'omnishambles', originally from The Thick Of It and more recently used by Ed Miliband, 'superphone', tash-on', a word for kissing, popularised by reality TV show Geordie Shore, and 'twitlit'.

"We know people are passionate about the preservation and evolution of the English language, and we want to tap into that as new words continue to capture the public imagination," Alex Brown, head of digital at Collins, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.

"For Collins on-line dictionary, it was essential that we keep our ear close to the ground listening out for new words emerging from pop culture, science and technology 'Most dictionaries are static. By allowing the public to truly participate, we're ensuring that we stay on top of the evolving English language," Brown said.

All words submitted will go through the same review process by the Collins dictionary editors.

According to publishers, the criteria for inclusion of words ranges from frequency of use, number of sources and staying power.

Evidence will be based on the publisher's 4.5 billion-word database of language called the Collins Corpus, which takes words from a wide range of spoken and written English sources, including newspapers, radio and social media.

Editors will provide the feed back on a submitted word within two or three weeks, and words that are not initially accepted will continue to be monitored and reviewed over the following year.

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Man holds waitress hostage to draw her 'Titanic' style nude

A wannabe British artist allegedly held a waitress prisoner in his flat, trying to "recreate" the famous Titanic scene in which Kate Winslet allows Leonardo Di Caprio to sketch her in nude.

Edflar Mendes, 26, is said to have told her co-worker, Beata Lipska that she was his 'muse' and threatened to keep her "so he could draw her for ever," the Inner London Crown Court was told.

The bizarre incident took place after Mendes and Beata Lipska, who worked together at a nightclub in south London, had completed their shift, the Daily Mail reported.

Lipska, 29, claimed that Mendes offered to sketch her, telling her it would be just like the scene in the 1997 film in which Winslet allows Leonardo, who plays an impoverished artist, to draw her in nude.

However, after Mendes completed his sketch, he first refused to show it to Lipska and then pinned her to the bed, the jury was told.

Lipska explained in the court that she agreed to go to Mendes' flat after work in the early hours of August last year.

"He convinced me to come upstairs. He said he really wanted my opinion on his work and he really wanted me to see his art. There was no pressure, he was very friendly, he just invited me to see his work," she told the jury.

"When we were up there he started talking about trying to draw me. I meant he could make a picture of me from a photo, and sometime in the future. I started showing him photos and he offered to do a preliminary sketch. Eddy asked me to move on to the bed because it was easier for him to use his pallet and brushes. I wasn't posing though," she said.

Defending barrister Derek Barry, however, denied that there was a mention about doing it like Titanic.

Unsatisfied with his sketch, Mendes refused to show it to the waitress, the court heard.

"He was on the bed, sitting on top of me, holding my arms," Lipska said, adding, "he was saying no one would see me again, I was fighting for my life."

Lipska said she managed to push Mendes away before he blocked her at the door. Lipska was able to escape and call police, the court heard.

Mendes denies common assault and false imprisonment.

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Mona Lisa's skeleton found?

Archaeologists have inched closer to unravelling the secret behind Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, as they believe to have discovered the skeleton of the model who posed for Da Vinci's masterpiece.

Archaeologists in Italy have found a skeleton buried beneath the floor of a convent in Florence, which they believe belonged to Lisa Gherardini, the model who posed for Leonardo's da Vinci's painting, 'The Mona Lisa', the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Lisa Gherardini, was the wife of a rich silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo.

Most modern historians agree that the lady depicted in the Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo, who became a nun after her husband's death. She died at the age of 63 at the Convent of Saint Ursula on July 15, 1542.

An archaeological team began digging at the abandoned convent last year. They had found a crypt believed to have been Lisa's final resting place and soon after they unearthed a female-sized human skull.

The skull was unearthed five feet under the convent's original floor along with other fragments of human ribs and vertebrae.

The dig which resumed last month, found a human skeleton this week.

The bones will undergo tests to establish if they match the skull found last year. The DNA in the bones will be compared with the remains of the model's two children.

Once the scientists have verified that the skeleton and skull belong to the model, forensic artists will attempt to reconstruct her face and see how it compares to the 500-year-old version painted by da Vinci - and perhaps solve the riddle of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile in the process, the report said.

"We don't know yet if the bones belong to one single skeleton or more than one. But this confirms our hypothesis that in St. Ursula convent there are still human bones and we cannot exclude that among them there are bones belonging to Lisa Gherardini," archaeologist Silvano Vinceti, who is in charge of the dig was quoted as saying by the paper.

The painting is in oil on panel, started by Da Vinci in 1503 or 1504 and finished in 1519, shortly before his death, and after he had moved to France.

Known in Italy as La Gioconda, it is considered the most famous painting in the world. The Mona Lisa is owned by the French government.

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Did Sage Stallone overdose on painkillers?

Sylvester Stallone's son Sage, who was found dead on Friday in his LA apartment, had undergone extensive dental surgery and may have overdosed on painkillers, according to his mother.

Sasha Czak, in her first public comment since Sage's death, said her son had five teeth extracted two weeks before he was found dead.

Czak, Stallone's first wife, also said that she had begged him not to have so much dental work carried out in one day, the New York Post reported.

The Los Angeles coroner has confirmed pill bottles were recovered from the 36-year-old filmmakers's Hollywood home and it is widely believed that he died of an overdose.

Toxicology results are expected within four to six weeks.

"I told him not to do that. I've heard about people dying having multiple procedures done to you mouth. Do not have more than one tooth (pulled)," she said.

When asked if her son would be taking pain medication, she added, "Wouldn't you be."

Los Angeles coroner Ed Winter has denied reports that Sage was living in squalor when his body was found as per some reports.

"Sage Stallone wasn't living in squalor. His home wasn't inordinately messy. It seemed to be a typical male messiness. Stallone did have a housekeeper," Winter said.

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Rajesh Khanna, the man who brought superstardom to Hindi films

Rajesh Khanna, whose romantic persona in songs like 'Mere sapno ki raani', 'O mere dil ke chain' and 'Roop tera mastana' made many a young woman's heart skip a beat, was Hindi film world's first actor to attain superstar status.

His mannerism, his unique style of dancing, dialogue delivery and gestures added to his onscreen persona and have been imitated countless number of times.

The 69-year-old actor breathed his last at his Mumbai residence today.

At the peak of his career, Khanna, popularly called Kaka, would be mobbed during public appearances as fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks. They lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in blood.

His predecessors Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar broke hearts in their time no doubt, but the hysteria connected with Khanna was unprecedented.

Born as Jatin Khanna on December 29, 1942, he was adopted and raised by foster parents. He began taking interest in acting while in school and performed in a number of plays. It was his uncle who changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to join films.

In 1965, he won an all India talent contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare and as a result made his debut the next year in "Aakhri Khat", directed by Chetan Anand. His second film "Raaz" was also a part of his predetermined prize for winning the competition.

He found success with films like "Baharon Ke Sapne", "Aurat", "Doli" and "Ittefaq", but it was the 1969 film "Aradhana" opposite Sharmila Tagore that catapulted Khanna to superstardom.

The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Khanna and the actor-singer duo delivered a number of hit songs subsequently, memorable among them being 'Mere sapno ki raani', 'Roop tera mastana', 'Kuch to log kahenge' and 'Jai jai shiv shankar'.

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Moti Mahal Delux New Restaurant Opened in Aashima Mall Bhopal

Bhopal,  June 2012: Famous all over the world for its tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and even many vegetarian dishes, Moti Mahal Delux restaurant opened in Aashima Mall, Hoshangabad road, here today.

The new outlet at Aashima Mall, with a seating capacity for nearly 100 people, will cater the rich ethnic North Indian food of the legendary Moti Mahal to the people in Bhopal.

The grand opening was graced by Ms. Krishna Gaur, Mayor, BMC, Bhopal along with Ravi Jaisinghani, Franchisee owner of Moti Mahal Delux Bhopal, Directors of Aashima Mall, several other esteemed guests and VIPs.

The venue was flocked with admirers and people who wanted to taste the succulent, famous dishes of Moti Mahal Delux. The dishes that can be tried consist of a wide range of starters, main course meals including the Moti Mahal signature dishes, great thalis, kebabs, and irresistible desserts. It is undoubtedly a great dining experience to quench ones taste for Indian food. The ambience is a blend of what is expected out of an ethnic Indian restaurant.

Ms.Krishna Gaur, Mayor, BMC, Bhopal looked quite pleased with the whole ambience of the restaurant. “It is great to witness the opening of such a famous restaurant in Bhopal. It has the perfect atmosphere for a family-quality time.”

Monish Gujral, CMD, Moti Mahal Restauants shared his views and vision for Moti Mahal by saying "This cuisine is a tradition to follow, a culture to preserve and a legacy to inherit. We are very happy to bring the nearly hundred year tradition of Moti Mahal to Bhopal." Grandson to Shri Kundan Lal Gujral, Monish has always been passionate and extremely creative about Indian culinary. He added "We will be dispatching the best of our services and management team to maintain the taste and trust of Moti Mahal Delux."

Ravi Jaisinghani, Franchisee owner of Moti Mahal Delux Bhopal“A good location for a fine dining restaurant can prove to be a major aspect in the success of the restaurant. Aashima Mall, the new shining star of Bhopal, is the perfect place to have this restaurant, given the huge residential catchment around this mall. Moti Mahal will add to the ever increasing variety being offered to the patrons of Aashima Mall."

Jaisooraj Nambiar, Director, Aashima Mall, said “Moti Mahal Delux is a brand name which is not only famous in India but also overseas. And, we are very happy to have our name attached to their brand name. We look forward to bring many more famous brand names to the people of Bhopal.”

T Anupam, Chief Executive, Lotus Pi Mall Advisory of Aashima Mall, Said "Of all the malls that we have worked with so far across India,  Aashima mall is special, as the menu is very diverse and not repetitive. The center will also serve as a great community space where patrons can come and spend valuable time with their families. There are many occasions for patrons to participate in events and festivals where they can have lots of fun and win prizes. Aashima Mall will organize regular activities and events for women, youth & kids to make an emotional connect with the community."

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'Six out of 10 Britons regularly wake up in a bad mood'

London, Jun 21 (PTI) A UK study has found that on an average at least two mornings every week one wakes up in a grumpy mood which makes it over 6,000 such days in a lifetime.

Six out of ten Britons regularly wake up in a bad mood, according to a research in the UK.

The study found that on an average, at least two mornings a week are blighted by black moods. That equates to 6,292 strops over the course of a lifetime.

The biggest cause for grumpiness is a bad night's sleep, followed by a heavy workload to face in the office.

One in ten admitted they were "shattered" when they woke up, while another 10 per cent said work issues made them stroppy in the mornings, the Daily Mail reported.

One in four of those polled by Triton Showers said they automatically woke up in a grumpy mood, often for no reason.

Triton spokesman Tina Simpson said: "Waking up in a foul mood is something we can all relate to, but over 6,000 mornings of our lives ruined by a shocking mood does sound rather high."

"Many families will be able to relate to all the grumbles that are in this list, such as queuing to get in the bathroom, having no milk for a hot drink and waking up to bad weather," she said.

But it's not all doom and gloom, with nearly half of the 2,000 adults polled said their first tea or coffee of the day made them feel automatically better.

A hot shower also lifts a third of the people from the dark mood, but 21 per cent said a colder, refreshing shower was more likely to do the trick.

Of the 2,000 adults polled 14 per cent said bathroom politics was a problem in their household and 16 per cent said there was always a race to the bathroom.

Nearly half of those surveyed said they took their bad mood out on their partner, although one in four said their kids bore the brunt of it.

A brave one in ten said they always took out their bad mood on their boss.

But the black mood doesn't last long with most people saying their frostiness had thawed by 8:15 in the morning.

Three in ten said a bright sunny morning automatically lifted their spirits.

And surprisingly 26 per cent of people said their mood improved once they got to work.

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An alligator in the bathroom of a UK home!

London, Jun 21 (PTI) Police raided a secluded house in the UK in search for cannabis but to their surprise found a giant 8ft long alligator splashing around in the bathroom.

The potentially lethal American reptile was found wriggling and snapping in a bath when officers went to the address after uncovering a cannabis factory at a nearby property.

It is believed the alligator had been bought from a dealer before being taken to the 125,000 pound three-bed house in Runcorn, Cheshire.

Officers also found a king cobra, three monocled cobras and a rattlesnake during searches of the reptile dealer's shop in neighbouring Warrington, the Daily Mail reported.

In the first raid at another house in Runcorn, police seized a poisonous snake while uncovering a cannabis factory in an upstairs bedroom.

Officers seized around 60 plants and equipment for heating and lighting the plants and a number of tanks housing snakes in the property.

Cheshire Police said yesterday that a 33-year-old man was arrested in Widnes on suspicion of cultivating cannabis, abstracting electricity and possessing dangerous wild animals.

He was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

"This operation was initiated by information we received from members of the community. We were concerned for the safety of the public, so swift and decisive action was taken," Inspector Dave Gordon said.

"The animals were seized as part of a joint operation involving local police, Halton Borough Council staff, wildlife officers and reptile experts. Some of the animals seized are extremely dangerous, indeed potentially lethal," he said.

"They have been taken to a safe location where they will remain for the time being in the care of reptile specialists," he added.

A search of a business premises in Widnes revealed some minor breaches of legislation under the Pet Animals Act that were dealt with by Halton Borough Council staff.

But during the search at the house in Runcorn, officers found the alligator, a snake and other reptiles.

The alligator, classified as a dangerous and wild animal, was removed from the property by the council using its powers under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

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Eat less meat to save planet, researchers say

London, Jun 21 (PTI) Want to save the planet? Then cut down your meat intake by half to prevent global warming caused by agriculture, scientists say.

Researchers at the Exeter University in the UK have suggested that eating less meat, particularly beef, recycling more waste and devoting more farmland to crops which can generate biofuels are essential if the world is to combat climate change.

Failure to make our farms more efficient would leave us unable to feed the growing world population and potentially lead to an ecological disaster with ever more dangerous levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they warned.

Drawing up models of how changes in our diet could impact on farming by 2050, the researchers found that a "high-meat, low-efficiency" situation would increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 55 parts in a million.

In contrast, a "low-meat, high-efficiency" scenario would lower carbon dioxide levels by 25 ppm -- enough to keep the rise in global temperature below the two-degree threshold which is seen by climate experts as the maximum "safe" increase, the Daily Telegraph reported.

This would mean reducing the average world meat consumption down from 16.6 per cent to 15 per cent of our daily intake of calories to about half of the meat we currently eat.

This would mean that despite the expected global population increase to 9.3 billion by 2050, less farmland would be required for livestock and more could be used for the growth of bio-energy crops.

Although they are not as efficient energy sources as fossil fuels, plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere meaning they would have an overall benefit in tackling global warming, according to the study in the Energy and Environmental Science journal.

Tom Powell, who led the project, said: "Our global agricultural system is so inefficient that we harvest about a quarter of everything that grows on the land, but only about seven to eight per cent of what we harvest ends up as food, so there are huge losses there.

"By focusing on making agriculture more efficient and encouraging people to reduce the amount of meat they eat, we could keep global temperatures within the two degrees threshold."

Co-author Professor Tim Lenton added: "With livestock production accounting for 78 per cent of agricultural land use today, this is the area where change could have a significant impact."

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Kareena Kapoor will always be my first choice: Shabina

Mumbai, May 21 (PTI) Designer-turned-producer Shabina Khan says that Kareena Kapoor will always be her first choice for the films she would be producing.

Kareena appears in a song in Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer 'Rowdy Rathore', co-produced by Shabina.

"I wanted her to be a part of my first film for emotional reasons. She is my close friend. Obviously I wanted her to be a part of my first film but she had three-four films with her. I wanted to start my film, so if she could not be a part of the film then I thought she can be a part of the song," Shabina told PTI.

"I would definitely offer her every film, it is up to her whether to do it or not. Our friendship does not mean she has to do every film that I offer to her. If she likes the script I am sure she will do it."

'Rowdy Rathore', jointly produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shabina, is set to release on June 1.

"As Sanjay and I have a great rapport I went to him with this project and it all happened. We both always wanted to make movies together. I have assisted him in 'Black' and made costumes for many of his films. While we were discussing about movies, this film came up and that is how things fell into place," Shabina said

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Kalki Koechelin: I was told to look ugly in 'Shanghai'

New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Kalki Koechelin had to go through quite a transformation for her role in 'Shanghai" as director Dibakar Banerjee wanted her to look ugly yet adorable.

The brief given by her director was quite simple - 'Look ugly'. However, it was nothing short of a nightmare to actually realise the filmmaker's vision.

"Dibakar wanted me to look ugly and vulnerable. The first thing that he did was chop my hair and make it really short. Then he gave me these clothes that were really grungy with jagged T-shirts and all. I wasn't allowed to look very comfortable or feminine.

"The idea was to bring on certain vulnerability and awkwardness to my character. There is not an ounce of glamour that I bring in 'Shanghai'. Dibakar said that I had to be ugly, but adorable. Now that was a strange mix I had to bring on screen," Kalki told PTI.

Though she has played troubled characters in films like 'Shaitan', 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' as well as 'Dev D', 'Shanghai' turned out to be a different experience as she had to enact the part of a complete outsider.

"Dibakar is presenting me as someone who is not an accepted person; she is an outsider. So basically everybody stares at her and people just think that she doesn't belong to their world," says Kalki.

Dibakar encourgaed the actress to change her looks by giving the examples of Emraan Hashmi and Abhay Deol who have gone through a similar transformation for their roles.

"Abhay is such a cool person in real life but here is shown as a stoic middle aged suited-booted character. Emraan has this paunch and blackened his teeth, which is a complete opposite of his romantic image. We were convinced by Dibakar's thought process and decided to take the plunge," she says.

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Our aim is to recover pre-crisis growth momentum: Pranab

Manila, May 4 (PTI) Amid perception of policy paralysis in the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today assured the global financial community of reverting the Indian economy to recovery path by creating conditions for revival of private investment.

"For the current fiscal year, we have set our objective to focus on recovering our pre-crisis growth momentum, create conditions for rapid revival of high growth in private investment and address supply bottlenecks in agriculture, energy and transport sectors," he said at the ADB Governor�s business session here.

The Finance Minister said despite adverse international environment, India managed to maintain GDP growth rate of about 7% in 2011-12.

"I am confident that the strong fundamentals of our economy will help us return to a sustained growth path of 8 to 10% per annum in the coming years," Mukherjee added.

Indian economy was expanding at over 9% before the global crisis of 2008 pulled down the growth rate to 6.7% in 2008-09.

He exuded confidence about rapid revival of growth in the private investment at a time when the government is facing charges of paralysis in policy making, and criticism over the proposed changes to tax laws with retrospective effect to bring in net Vodafone-Hutchison like deals that involve assets in India.

He further said India's banking has remained robust and the regulatory environment and environment in the financial sector have stood test of time.

Mukherjee told the gathering that the country's external commercial borrowings policy has been successful in maintaining external debt at sustainable levels.

At a time when public debt has emerged as major worry for several governments in Europe, India has managed well on this count. Indian government's outstanding internal debt at Rs 32,27,288 crore constituted 36.2% of GDP at the end of March 2012.

Bulk of India's GDP is domestic demand driven, and savings drives much of it investment rates of 35-37% of GDP.

Mukherjee's assertion on India's economic prospects comes at a time when uncertainty and risks in the global economy remain, though there are some welcome sings.

In 2011, developing Asia grew at an average rate of 7.2%.

"To sustain our economic growth, we need to keep our focus on the development agenda...Find new and renewable technologies to fuel our growth and invest in education and skill development" the minister said.

He laid emphasis on infrastructure development. India has planned USD 1 trillion investment in the sector for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) period, with half of it coming from the private sector.

Highlighting the role of ADB, Mukherjee said that with the help of the multilateral lending agency, Indian government has successfully pioneered a number of development innovations across the country.

He further said that for developing new sources of growth within Asia, deepening of South-South ties is vital.

"Policy makers will need to remove barriers to trade and investment within the developing South. ADB should take up South-South cooperation as a priority..," the minister added.

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Now, a spray that makes you instantly drunk!

London, May 4 (PTI) No need to booze to get drunk. Researchers claim to have come up with a spray that can make you instantly drunk -- but wears off after a few seconds.

A team, led by David Edwards and designer Philippe Starck, says it has created WA|HH Quantum Sensations, a spray canister that puffs a whiff of alcohol that mimics the effects of a martini for just a moment, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

The duo unveiled their product on Wednesday in Paris and promise that the "food spray for the future" won't leave their customers with splitting headaches.

"We asked ourselves whether we might provide the same agreeable sensation as comes with a sip of alcohol without running the risk of drunkenness.A spray of WA|HH and the shock is immediate, like a sensorial alarm," Starck said.

Each WA|HH canister, which contains two millimeters of alcohol, delivers just 0.075 millimeters per dose, a thousand times less than a cocktail. People who puff will even be able to pass a breathalyzer test moments after ingesting the spray.

They promise that their product allows people to enjoy the "the pleasure of alcohol without worrying about negative consequences".

Users will feel instantly light-headed when the vapor hits the mouth, but the feeling will pass as quickly as it came. They hope that WA|HH will be more like an experience or memory, rather than a late-night foray, say the researchers.

Flash Quantum and Demon Quantum, the two WA|HH flavors, each cost 26 pounds.

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Valeria Lukyanova: Is something wrong with her?

 Valeria Lukyanova: A Model who Seeks To Be Real-Life Barbie Doll

Valeria Lukyanova is a living Barbie doll. She has big glassy eyes, a tiny waist, straight platinum blonde hair and large breasts. She doesn’t have the exact measurements of the famous girl from Mattel, but in the real world, she comes as close as you can get.

Lukyanova claims to be the “the most famous Russian woman on the Russian-language Internet.” Her Youtube page, Amatue, has millions of views and her Facebook page has a few thousand likes.

The International Business Times reports that the 21-year-old model has had plastic surgery to achieve her real-life Barbie doll look. She also spends a lot of time in the makeup chair to achieve the flawless skin and glassy, wide-eyed look of a doll.

Lukyanova’s strange appearance has some people claim that she’s an elaborate photo-shop hoax. Her Facebook page, however, is full of photos of the model without her makeup so it seems that the model is indeed real.

But that doesn’t mean people are a fan of her looks.

One Twitter user wrote: ”She looks not only ugly, but ridiculous.”

Another asked: “Isn’t unhealthy obsession on looking like a Barbie doll a part of her identity though?”

Another wrote: “A woman with completely perfect features is a boring woman.”

According to a Huffing Post article from 2011, if Barbie were an actual woman she’d have unrealistic proportions and would most likely be anorexic. Galia Slayen wrote:

“If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5’9″ tall, have a 39″ bust, an 18″ waist, 33″ hips and a size 3 shoe. Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia…. If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.”

What do you think of Valeria Lukyanova? Is she beautiful? Strange looking?

Here are some more photos of the real-life Barbie doll.

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Kim Kardashian shows hourglass figure in orange bikini

Poolside is your catwalk! Kim Kardashian sashays to the pool in a bright orange bikini

Standing at just 5ft 2in, Kim Kardashian is a bit too small to be a supermodel.

But in these latest snaps taken on her recent holiday to the Dominican Republic, it looks like she treats the walk to the pool like a catwalk.

Showing off her hourglass curves in a bright orange bikini, the reality star looks toned and tanned.

The sexy shots are the latest in a selection of photos taken during the recent Kardashian-Jenner family holiday to the Dominican Republic.

The large clan rented a $6,000-per-night 35,000-square-foot villa at the Casa De Campo complex on the Caribbean island.

The trip marked the Kardashian's annual family holiday following on from their trip to Bora Bora last year.

At the time, Kim was accompanied by her now-estranged-husband Kris Humphries, who ended up proposing to her weeks later.

Although Kim has been dating rapper Kanye West since before going to the Dominican, it may be a bit too early for him to join her on holiday.

No doubt it will be a bit overwhelming for Kanye to be subjected to scrutiny by the protective family so soon into a relationship.

And of course, as Kim is still legally married, the hip-hop star may well be biding his time out of respect.

Ahead of her trip to the Dominican, Kim embarked on a quick fix diet to get her figure bikini ready.

She lost 10lbs in 10 days after following the Sunfare's 1,300 calorie-a-day meal-delivery programme.

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Type 'Zerg Rush' in Google Search and see what happens

Try typing the word 'Zerg Rush' in the search engine Google. Look at what happens on the screen.

Later when the user double-clicking on the Google page, will drop a lot of the letter "O" of the small size, which then, destroy all the search results, until finally the formation of the letters "GG" are large.

As quoted from Mashable, this is an easter egg feature the latest of the themed Zerg Rush.

Easter egg refers to the game StarCraft 2 made ​​by Blizzard, developer game World of Warcraft.

In the game of Starcraft 2, there are three types of occupants, the Protoss, Terran and Zerg. Zerg is an alien nation. The Zergs has a unique force with the name "Zergling" is a small alien whose job it attacked a building in groups.

If a player has the Zergling troops in large numbers and attack towards the enemy barrage, then this is called "Zergling Rush".

Zerg Rush After typing in the Google search box, you will be faced with a bunch of aliens in the form of the letter "O".

User's task is to protect the results of alien attacks "O" is. Point your mouse pointer to click on them and to destroy it.

The letter "O" will try to destroy every part of the search results, including the menu on the left. [mor]

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Monte Carlo forays into overseas market

Kolkata: Punjab-based Nahar group's company Monte Carlo Fashions has ventured into the overseas market in an attempt to increase global visibility.

"This year (2012-13) we have decided to sell Monte Carlo branded products in global markets in Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand," Monte Carlo Fashions Ltd President (Retail) Swapan Dutta told PTI.

"We will open a flagship store in Dubai and in the rest of the Middle East gradually. We have decided to use shop-in-shop model in several south of African countries like Cameroon and Nigeria. We have also tied up with stores in Australia and New Zealand," he said.

The company is planning to raise Rs 330-380 crore through a mix of private equity and Initial Public Offer (IPO).

"Monte Carlo was valued at Rs 850 crore when it was hived off from the parent. We are planning to raise funds by way of PE and IPO, but details are not yet finalised," Dutta said.

The company, carved out from Oswal Woolen Mills last year to unlock value through private placement and IPO, had said in November it proposed to dilute up to 25-30 per cent stake through private equity and public issue for raising Rs 330-380 crore from PE funds and IPO.

The company which was known primarily for its winter wear garments was now planning to focus aggressively on the non-winter category and lifestyle garments.

"Winter wear accounts for almost 75 per cent of the company's total sales and in future we hope both will contribute equally," Dutta said.

He added the turnover in 2001-12 stood at Rs 400 crore and in the current fiscal it was likely expand to Rs 550 crore.

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UGC-NET Online June 2012 - UGC NET Application Form 2012 Download

Apply for UGC NET June 2012 Online Application in www.ugcnetonline.in 

National Eligibility Test will be commenced under University Grants Commission to award Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for the eligible fellows who are willing to settle in teaching profession & research. UGC NET Online is completely different from SLET (State Level Eligibility Test) or STET. This will be conducted National wide while STET will be conducted State wide. This Written Test will taken place in various areas in Humanities, Social Sciences, Forensic Science, Environmental Sciences, Computer Science and Applications and Electronic Science.

What’s new in UGC NET Online June 2012?

There are many changes done in the pattern of National Eligibility Test. Primarily from this year, UGC NET will be conducted in Objective mode by eliminating Negative marks too. This was really a bonus gift to the candidates who are now attending to write the test. As per the official notification, there will be no negative marking in both Paper 1 and Paper 2 as those are in conducting in objective mode. The UGC NET June 2012 Written Test is scheduled to be held on 24th June, 2012.

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SSLC results 2012: You can check it here

The results of the Kerala SSLC examinations were announced on April 27, 2012. All you need to do to check your results is to enter your registration number after logging on to the following websites:

www.results.itschool.gov.in
www.keralaresults.nic.in


The SSLC is obtained by passing a public examination, i.e., an examination that has been formulated by the regional board of education that the school is affiliated with, and not by members of the faculty of the school.

The performance of a student in the SSLC examination is the key factor in obtaining admission to a higher secondary school of choice, where acceptance is typically based on the results of the SSLC examination. Therefore, the SSLC is often regarded as the first important examination that a student undertakes.

The Indian system of education fundamentally consists of five years of primary schooling, followed by five years of secondary schooling. The SSLC must be obtained at the end of term of study at the secondary school, after which a student can study at a higher secondary school, which is sometimes called a Pre-University Course (PUC), for two years.

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Marie and Jay Coulbeck: Online & in reality

Couple who met and got engaged in a computer game marry in real life despite looking nothing like their online alter-egos  

On computer screen they were like a movie-star couple.

She with her toned, tanned body, enviable curves and a penchant for not wearing very much. He with an impressive tattoo, rock-god locks and abs you could bounce a 50 pence piece off.

But when Marie and Jay Coulbeck decided to exchange real photographs after their alter egos got engaged in 3D chat room IMVU, the couple from Rugeley found they had bent the truth some what.

With a dress size of 28 – 30 Mrs Coulbeck admits she looked nothing like her size eight alter ego - Goddess of the Orient. But then again divorced fork lift truck driver Jay Coulbeck, 41, didn't much resemble his avatar Gunner, either.

None of it mattered. The couple fell in love and married - for real - in September.

Mother of two grown up daugthers, Mrs Coulbeck, 44, joined IMVU after becoming sad, lonely and depressed after a string of disastrous relationships.

The programme describes itself as a 3d chatroom where users can create an avatar to represent themselves by selecting features like, face, hair and bodies and design and create a virtual hang out to meet and speak to friends.

Mrs Coulbeck said: 'My confidence and self-esteem was rock bottom but this programme allowed me to leave that behind and be the person I wanted to be.

‘I designed the Goddess to be everything I felt I wasn’t in real life: slim, sexy and confident. Being her was a way of escaping the usual drudgery and I actually started to prefer my online life to my real one.'

Some days Mrs Coulbeck would spend up to 16 hours online as the Goddess. 'It was like my real life didn’t exist anymore and the fantasy one had taken over,' she admitted.

Then in August 2010 Goddess clapped eyes on Gunner for the first time. Showing off his toned torso through a sexy tight shirt, Goddess - and the single Mrs Coulbeck - was instantly smitten.

‘It sounds odd to admit that I had a crush on an avatar. I thought he was gorgeous and he said the same about me,' she said.

‘He kept coming into the room I was furnishing and in the end we got chatting and he started helping me. As well as being attracted to his avatar his personality shined through and because of that there was a big connection between us pretty much straight away.'

Within days they had become partners on IMVU and eventually got engaged using credits to buy engagement rings for their avatars and make it official to other IMVU users too.

Then father-of-one Mr Coulbeck asked Goddess to send him a real picture of herself.

Mrs Coulbeck said: ‘I warned him I was a big girl. My avatar was a size eight and in real life I’m a size 28 to 30.

'I was terrified when I sent him my photo. I was in love with him and he said he felt the same but I knew it was make or break when I sent the picture and yes I was a bit worried because Goddess was nothing like me.

‘I created her to represent the slim gorgeous woman I want to be but thankfully Jay said I looked beautiful anyway.

Mrs Coulbeck also relaxed when Gunner's real picture arrived showing he also bore little resemblance to his avatar.

‘He wasn’t Gunner just like I wasn’t the Goddess,' she said. 'But I still found him really attractive so it was a huge relief when he said he liked my picture too.

‘We were already engaged online before he came to see me so it felt natural for him to stay and he moved in that day.

The couple had met at Mrs Coulbeck's home in Staffordshire 90 miles away from her future husband's in Lincoln. But first they pledged their love by buying each other wedding outfits for their avatars.

Mrs Coulbeck admits she was nervous when Mr Coulbeck turned up at her door but after presenting her with a huge bunch of roses and a teddy the couple were instantly at ease with each other.

Then when it came to going home time Mr Coulbeck couldn't find his car keys. Mrs Coulbeck said: 'I was helping him look but secretly I was delighted because I didn’t want him to leave. I knew I didn’t want to be apart from him again.’

Mr Coulbeck was still there a week later when he stunned Mrs Coulbeck by proposing for the second time on one knee. She said: 'I’ve never been married and thought those days were behind me, I was smiling from ear to ear.

‘My parents were concerned when I told them I was marrying a man from the computer game  because it’s their job to worry and they didn’t understand how you can fall in love on a computer game without meeting, but once they got to know Jay they thought he was wonderful and still do.’

A year later on September 3rd they married again – this time for real in front of 50 family and friends.

Mr Coulbeck said: ‘No we haven’t been back on the game since, why do I need to now I’ve got her for real?

‘We actually think the game is a bit silly now, but thank God we both joined or we would never have found each other.’

Mrs Coulbeck added: 'Using IMVU was a fantasy escape for me but it became a reality. I don’t need it anymore because my real life is good at last but I’ll always be grateful that it brought us together.

‘I created Goddess for a bit of fun and it changed my life. I wasn’t trying to mislead anyone with her appearance because I never expected to really meet anyone from the game in real life.

‘I’m pretty sure that if I’d made my avatar a big girl it wouldn’t have been as much fun and we would never have met.

‘He (Mr Coulbeck) was my dream man in IMVU and he’s turned out to be my dream man in real life too. I never thought when I created that avatar it would lead me to love.’

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Rupert Murdoch to face inquiry over media influence

Rupert Murdoch makes a keenly anticipated appearance before a high-profile media inquiry on Wednesday to confront charges that he used his powerful stable of British newspapers to influence politicians for the benefit of his business interests.

The 81-year-old mogul - his media empire already under fire from many sides in Britain - will testify before the Leveson inquiry a day after his son James appeared in a highly charged session that revealed how a government minister had advised Murdoch's News Corp in its bid to buy the successful pay-TV group BSkyB last year.

The minister, media secretary Jeremy Hunt, briefed News Corp on the thinking of regulators and leaked confidential information, while at the same time acting for the government in deciding whether to approve the controversial $12 billion Sky deal.

Allegations that the government had sought to help Murdoch in his business dealings go to the heart of the issue in Britain, that Murdoch wields too much influence and that this resulted in a company culture which rode roughshod over rules and regulations.

Prime Minister David Cameron appointed judge Brian Leveson to examine Britain's press standards after journalists at Murdoch's News of the World tabloid admitted hacking into phones on a massive scale to generate exclusives.

The revelations last July convulsed Murdoch's media empire, exposed the close ties between the upper echelons of Britain's establishment and provoked a wave of public anger.

US-based News Corp, owner of Fox Television and the Wall Street Journal, eventually pulled its bid to buy the 61 percent of satellite broadcaster BSkyB that it did not already own amid the intense political and public pressure.

Murdoch is likely to face questions over how the phone hacking came about but he will also face detailed questioning about his relationship with politicians.

Living in fear

Murdoch was the first newspaper boss to visit Cameron after he took office in 2010 - entering via the back door - and politicians from all parties have lived in fear for decades of his press and what they might reveal about their personal lives.

Labour politician Chris Bryant, who accepted damages from Murdoch's British newspaper group after the paper admitted hacking his phone, said the media mogul had dominated the political landscape for decades.

"You have only got to watch Rupert Murdoch's staff with him to see how his air of casual violence intimidates people," he told Reuters. "His presence in the British political scene has similarly intimidated people by offering favour to some and fear to all."

Murdoch's influence over prime ministers goes back decades: papers released this year showed that he held a secret meeting with then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1981 to secure his acquisition of the Times of London.

Tony Blair was godfather to one of Murdoch's daughters, Gordon Brown was a personal friend of the Australian-born businessman and Cameron employed as his personal spokesman a former Murdoch editor who was himself implicated in the hacking scandal.

"Ever since the Sun claimed they won it in 1992 there's been an almost pathological fear of Murdoch's ability to influence an electorate," Liverpool University's political professor Jonathan Tonge told Reuters, in reference to the 1992 election.

"It's hugely unhealthy."

Staff who have worked alongside Murdoch say he is hard to brief for such occasions and Murdoch watchers have been hugely anticipating the hearing at the Victorian gothic courtroom.

During a parliamentary hearing last year, memorable for the actions of a protester who hit Murdoch in the face with a foam pie, he sat alongside James and spoke often in monosyllables but on occasion hit the table with his fist in frustration at the line of questioning.

He will have to face potentially another day and a half of questioning starting on Wednesday from prosecutor Robert Jay, who in the five months of the inquiry so far has shown little deference for the status of those he interrogates.

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Britain's most beautiful face: Florence Colgate

Cod-damn gorgeous! The girl who works in a chip shop who has 'Britain's most beautiful face'
Leonardo Da Vinci spent a lifetime trying to paint one. Scientists and mathematicians have puzzled for centuries over what makes one, while cosmetic surgeons have amassed fortunes striving to create one.

And Florence Colgate? Well, she simply has one.

The 18-year-old student is blessed with what is described as the perfect face. It matches an international blueprint for the optimum ratio between eyes, mouth, forehead and chin, endowing her with flawless proportions.

In theory, that needn't necessarily cause her to appear anything more than symmetrical (in which department, incidentally, she is also faultless).

But the blue-eyed blonde's mathematical dimensions have just added up to success in a competition to find Britain's most naturally beautiful face.

Florence, who has a Saturday job in a seaside chip shop in between studying for her A-levels, beat 8,000 entrants to win the title. Contestants were judged without make-up and were barred entry if they had had plastic surgery or chemical enhancement.

Locals wryly suggested it was the sea air in the Dover Grammar schoolgirl's home town of Deal, Kent, which contributed to her success, or possibly a secret ingredient in Middle Street Fish Bar's chips.

But it is the scientific definition of beauty – not to mention a healthy portion of beauty genes from her mother – which gave Florence the crown.

A woman's face is said to be most attractive when the space between her pupils is just under half the width of her face from ear to ear. Florence scores a 44 per cent ratio. Experts also believe the relative distance between eyes and mouth should be just over a third of the measurement from hairline to chin. Florence's ratio is 32.8 per cent.

Singer Shania Twain and actresses Liz Hurley and Jessica Alba are ranked among perfectly formed celebrities. Samantha Brick, who caused an international debate after proclaiming women hate her because she is beautiful, is not.

And to top it off, Florence's face is almost perfectly symmetrical, which is also scientifically linked with beauty.

The proportional beauty theory has been around ever since Da Vinci applied visionary thinking and mathematical genius to describing the perfect face more than half a millennium ago.

For Florence, it became reality when friends, family and chip shop customers persuaded her to enter a competition run by ITV's Lorraine programme to highlight natural beauty and encourage women to be proud of their natural look.

Florence, who normally wears light foundation and mascara and admits to using concealer and Vaseline, won a trip to a London model agency and will appear on billboards and posters in Superdrug stores across the country.

She says she would love to have a career in modelling (model Agyness Deyn once worked in a chip shop too) – but is currently studying business, geography and psychology and intends to do business management at university.

'Women should not have to feel that they have to wear make-up,' she said. 'I hope people will look at me and think they don't need to. I'm very happy with the way I look and I would never have any plastic surgery or Botox.'

Carmen Lefèvre, from the University of St Andrews perception laboratory in the School of Psychology, said beauty is strongly linked to symmetry. 'Florence has all the classic signs of beauty,' she added. 'She has large eyes, high cheekbones, full lips and a fair complexion. Symmetry appears to be a very important cue to attractiveness.

'Although we don't realise it in everyday interactions, in most people's faces the right and left half are actually quite different.'

Symmetry alone was not a substitute for beauty, she conceded. On the face of it, however, it seems to work perfectly for Florence.

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