PRINCESS Diana was murdered because she planned to expose Britain’s role in the deadly arms trade, a leading defence lawyer claimed yesterday.
Michael Mansfield QC said she intended publishing an “explosive” diary to unmask those most closely involved with British land-mine manufacturing.
Mr Mansfield told the Hay Festival in Powys, Wales: “Everyone remembers she raised the profile of the land mines.
“Everybody is aware that the British involvement in the arms trade, particularly land mines, is and was a huge vested interest.
“It seems to me she had planned various visits. She had already been to Angola and she was going to Cambodia.
“A large number of land mines had been manufactured by the British. She claimed she had an explosive diary in which she was going to expose the people most closely involved in the British arms trade.”
Britain's youngest mum, now fights for her baby.
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Pregnant at 11 and a parent by the age of 12, this is Britain's youngest mother holding her newborn baby.
Still a child herself, Tressa Middleton looks scared as she stares into the camera.
Now 16, Miss Middleton told yesterday how she is banned from seeing her daughter, who has been adopted by strangers.
She said she spiralled into depression and turned to alcohol, drugs and self-harm after giving birth.
But she said: 'I'm not a big drinker now and I don't smoke hash any more. In the past I've cut myself, but I don't any more. I'm going to give myself a couple of years to get my life sorted then fight for access to my little girl.'
Miss Middleton's pregnancy shocked Britain when it emerged she had conceived after having sex with a teenage boy while drunk at a party.
Forget free coupon, cell phones to rescue.
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Every time we shop and get discount through various paper coupons but who has time to keep all those papers in your wallet and what about if you forget ???
But worry technology i mean cell phones are there for the rescue.
Some start-ups, like CardStar and CardBank, store existing loyalty cards on cellphones with scannable barcodes. And companies including Motorola and a start-up called mFoundry are providing retailers with the technology to build cellphone loyalty cards.
Loopt is one of several start-ups — including Foursquare, Shopkick and Gowalla — that are experimenting with ways to use cellphones to bridge the digital and physical worlds and turn the tasks of everyday life, like buying coffee and running errands, into a game.
But worry technology i mean cell phones are there for the rescue.
Some start-ups, like CardStar and CardBank, store existing loyalty cards on cellphones with scannable barcodes. And companies including Motorola and a start-up called mFoundry are providing retailers with the technology to build cellphone loyalty cards.
Loopt is one of several start-ups — including Foursquare, Shopkick and Gowalla — that are experimenting with ways to use cellphones to bridge the digital and physical worlds and turn the tasks of everyday life, like buying coffee and running errands, into a game.
Google kicks Windows on security concerns.
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Google is phasing out the internal use of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating system because of security concerns, according to several Google employees.
The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google's Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally.
"We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort," said one Google employee.
"Many people have been moved away from [Windows] PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks," said another.
Src: [edition.cnn]
The directive to move to other operating systems began in earnest in January, after Google's Chinese operations were hacked, and could effectively end the use of Windows at Google, which employs more than 10,000 workers internationally.
"We're not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort," said one Google employee.
"Many people have been moved away from [Windows] PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks," said another.
Src: [edition.cnn]
Study finds iPads cost most in Europe and UK, cheapest in U.S.
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(Reuters) - Britain and Europe are the world's costliest places to buy Apple Inc's new iPad computer, with prices around a quarter higher than in the United States, a new study has found.
"In the UK, Germany, France and Italy an iPad costs 20-25 per cent more than in the U.S.," said Craig James, chief economist at the CommSec share trading division of Australia's Commonwealth Bank.
"The question is whether Apple has priced its product too high for the European market, or whether the UK pound and euro need to depreciate further to bring global pricing into line."
CommSec's index is a modern variation on the long-running Big Mac index compiled by The Economist magazine and compares the price of iPads in 10 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada.
"In the UK, Germany, France and Italy an iPad costs 20-25 per cent more than in the U.S.," said Craig James, chief economist at the CommSec share trading division of Australia's Commonwealth Bank.
"The question is whether Apple has priced its product too high for the European market, or whether the UK pound and euro need to depreciate further to bring global pricing into line."
CommSec's index is a modern variation on the long-running Big Mac index compiled by The Economist magazine and compares the price of iPads in 10 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada.
Secret, sorry no more secret door to inside earth is open !!!!
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environment,
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Sorry, i was just kiddin !!! This might be looking a Digital photo effect but its true, nature formation at Ciudad de Guatemala.
This sinkhole appeared yesterday, May 30, in a street intersection located in Zone 2 of Ciudad de Guatemala.
These happen from time to time during major storms in part because of unstable geology.
A sinkhole is a natural depression caused by the removal of underground soil by water. This process can happen slowly, but sometimes the land just cracks open. In this case, it happened suddenly. The cause: Massive underground water torrents created by tropical storm Agatha.
Why teenagers can't concentrate: too much grey matter.
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UK research into teenagers' brains shows their mental processes are like those of younger children.
New research has found that teenagers' brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than previously thought. Adolescents may look like young adults but their brain structure resembles that of much younger children, according to the study to be published in the Journal of Neuroscience on Wednesday.
"It is not always easy for adolescents to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger sibling when trying to solve a maths problem," said Dr Iroise Dumontheil of University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, one of the authors of the research. "But it's not the fault of teenagers that they can't concentrate and are easily distracted. It's to do with the structure of their brains. Adolescents simply don't have the same mental capacities as an adult."
Using MRI scans, the brain activity of adolescents were monitored as they tried to solve a problem in their heads while ignoring environmental distractions.
New research has found that teenagers' brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than previously thought. Adolescents may look like young adults but their brain structure resembles that of much younger children, according to the study to be published in the Journal of Neuroscience on Wednesday.
"It is not always easy for adolescents to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger sibling when trying to solve a maths problem," said Dr Iroise Dumontheil of University College London's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, one of the authors of the research. "But it's not the fault of teenagers that they can't concentrate and are easily distracted. It's to do with the structure of their brains. Adolescents simply don't have the same mental capacities as an adult."
Using MRI scans, the brain activity of adolescents were monitored as they tried to solve a problem in their heads while ignoring environmental distractions.
China develops fastest super computer.
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China has developed a super computer that runs at more than one quadrillion (one thousand million million) calculations per second, making it the fastest one in the country, experts have said.
The super computer named "Xingyun", has been developed in Tianjin, and works at double the speed of "Tianhe-1", the previous fastest machine in China.
The Tianhe-1 was developed by the National University of Defence Technology in October 2009, Li Jun, president of the Dawning Information Industry Co. Ltd., was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
"Its peak performance reaches nearly three quadrillion calculations per second, three times the peak speed of Tianhe-1," Li said.
Experts say one second of its work may take a whole day for a dual-core personal computer.
The super computer named "Xingyun", has been developed in Tianjin, and works at double the speed of "Tianhe-1", the previous fastest machine in China.
The Tianhe-1 was developed by the National University of Defence Technology in October 2009, Li Jun, president of the Dawning Information Industry Co. Ltd., was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
"Its peak performance reaches nearly three quadrillion calculations per second, three times the peak speed of Tianhe-1," Li said.
Experts say one second of its work may take a whole day for a dual-core personal computer.
Are 5,001 Facebook friends one too many?
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The British anthropologist and Oxford professor Robin Dunbar has posed a theory that the number of individuals with whom a stable interpersonal relationship can be maintained (read: friends) is limited by the size of the human brain, specifically the neocortex. "Dunbar's number," as this hypothesis has become known, is 150.
Facebook begs to differ.
What would be an impressive, even exhaustive, number of friends in real life is bush league for Facebook's high rollers, who have thousands. Other social networks use less-intimate terminology to portray contacts (LinkedIn has "connections," Twitter has "followers"), but Facebook famously co-opted the word "friend" and created a new verb.
Friending "sustains an illusion of closeness in a complex world of continuous partial attention," said Roger Fransecky, a clinical psychologist and executive coach in New York (2,894 friends). "We get captured by Facebook's algorithms. Every day 25 new people can march into your living room. I come from a failed Presbyterian youth, and there was a part of me that first thought it was impolite not to respond. Then I realized I couldn't put them all in a living room -- I needed an amphitheater."
Facebook begs to differ.
What would be an impressive, even exhaustive, number of friends in real life is bush league for Facebook's high rollers, who have thousands. Other social networks use less-intimate terminology to portray contacts (LinkedIn has "connections," Twitter has "followers"), but Facebook famously co-opted the word "friend" and created a new verb.
Friending "sustains an illusion of closeness in a complex world of continuous partial attention," said Roger Fransecky, a clinical psychologist and executive coach in New York (2,894 friends). "We get captured by Facebook's algorithms. Every day 25 new people can march into your living room. I come from a failed Presbyterian youth, and there was a part of me that first thought it was impolite not to respond. Then I realized I couldn't put them all in a living room -- I needed an amphitheater."
Asus joins tablet race, launches app store.
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Netbook PC pioneer Asustek Computer Inc has become the latest technology company to jump on the tablet PC bandwagon on Monday.
The tablet PC, to be called the Eee Pad, will run on Intel Corp or ARM Holdings chips, and use Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system, Chairman Jonney Shih said ahead of the Computex fair, the world's second-largest PC exhibition.
"The Eee Pad can display Adobe flash for the full web experience, has a USB port and a camera," Shih said. "We looked at how we could best address the needs of users from all walks of life, and I believe this is the product."
Anil Ambani to launch entertainment TV channels.
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Anil Ambani's Reliance Media World will form an equal joint venture with iconic American media company CBS Corporation to launch a potentially disruptive network of television channels under the brand BIG CBS, a report in Economic Times said. The companies have reached an agreement on the JV and an announcement is expected to be made this week.
The joint venture will start operations from January next year and will launch a slew of channels, starting with those featuring syndicated content from CBS, which owns several hit shows such as NCIS, The Young and the Restless, CSI and America's Top Model, as well as sitcoms such as Two and a Half Men.
The joint venture will start operations from January next year and will launch a slew of channels, starting with those featuring syndicated content from CBS, which owns several hit shows such as NCIS, The Young and the Restless, CSI and America's Top Model, as well as sitcoms such as Two and a Half Men.
Spice Girls for second comeback?
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London (PTI) The Spice Girls are hoping to regroup for another comeback tour but the bandmembers are struggling to convince Victoria Beckham. The ''Wannabe'' hitmakers thrilled fans when they returned for a sold-out world trek in 2007 and 2008, the first time the original line-up had performed together since Geri Halliwell quit to go solo in 1998, Daily Mirror online reported.
Following the jaunt, Beckham vowed to hang up her microphone to concentrate on her fashion ventures. The girl group is now reportedly eager to get back on stage - but singers Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm are struggling to persuade Beckham to join them.
"The girls are so excited. They are buzzing about getting back together and each have so many new ideas and so much to bring to the table.
Following the jaunt, Beckham vowed to hang up her microphone to concentrate on her fashion ventures. The girl group is now reportedly eager to get back on stage - but singers Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm are struggling to persuade Beckham to join them.
"The girls are so excited. They are buzzing about getting back together and each have so many new ideas and so much to bring to the table.
'How to fake six pack' - Youtube sensation
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A university student has become one of the most viewed people in the world on YouTube after her 'How to fake a six-pack' video gathered over 20 million hits.
Natalie Tran entered the list of the 20 most-watched videos of all time on YouTube with the parody of an ad that showed how women could achieve the look of a six-pack under the guise of make-up products.
Her site, Community Channel, was said to be the most-subscribed YouTube site in Australia with more than 600,000 viewers, News.com.au reported.
Near-death experiences 'explained': Scientists believe it's the last gasp of a dying brain.
A study of the brains of critically ill men and women revealed a brief burst of activity moments before death.
Researcher Lakhmir Chawla, an intensive care doctor, said: 'We think that near-death experiences could be caused by a surge of electrical energy as the brain runs out of oxygen.
As blood flow slows down and oxygen levels fall, the brain cells fire one last electrical impulse.
'It starts in one part of the brain and spreads in a cascade and this may give people vivid mental sensations.'
Dr Chawla, of the George Washington University medical centre in Washington DC, monitored the brain activity of seven terminally-ill people to ensure the painkillers they were being given were working.
In each case, the gradual tailing off of brain activity in the hour or so before death was interrupted by a brief spurt of action, lasting from 30 seconds to three minutes.
Researcher Lakhmir Chawla, an intensive care doctor, said: 'We think that near-death experiences could be caused by a surge of electrical energy as the brain runs out of oxygen.
As blood flow slows down and oxygen levels fall, the brain cells fire one last electrical impulse.
'It starts in one part of the brain and spreads in a cascade and this may give people vivid mental sensations.'
Dr Chawla, of the George Washington University medical centre in Washington DC, monitored the brain activity of seven terminally-ill people to ensure the painkillers they were being given were working.
In each case, the gradual tailing off of brain activity in the hour or so before death was interrupted by a brief spurt of action, lasting from 30 seconds to three minutes.
Mobile TV becoming fastly popular.
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In South Korea, free-to-air mobile TV is a five-year-old fact of life. According to the country’s broadcasters, 27 million people — 56 percent of the population — watch regularly.
While South Koreans are the world leaders in mobile TV viewing, the technology is also catching on in China, southeast Asia, India, Africa and Latin America, where 80 million people now have cellphones that can receive free, live TV broadcasts.
“There have been a lot of hype cycles with mobile TV technology,” said Anna Maxbauer, an analyst at IMS Research in Austin, Texas. “But with recent advances in battery life, and consumer acceptance, there is real potential for widespread viewing.”
While South Koreans are the world leaders in mobile TV viewing, the technology is also catching on in China, southeast Asia, India, Africa and Latin America, where 80 million people now have cellphones that can receive free, live TV broadcasts.
“There have been a lot of hype cycles with mobile TV technology,” said Anna Maxbauer, an analyst at IMS Research in Austin, Texas. “But with recent advances in battery life, and consumer acceptance, there is real potential for widespread viewing.”
Acupuncture does work as it stimulates a natural pain killer, scientists find.
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Acupuncture works by stimulating a natural painkiller in the body that swells arteries and allows more blood to flow through, scientists have discovered.
Scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of simply sticking needles in mice by adding a leukaemia medication that increased their amounts of the molecule.
Dr Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester, New York, said: "Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained sceptical.
Scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of simply sticking needles in mice by adding a leukaemia medication that increased their amounts of the molecule.
Dr Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester, New York, said: "Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained sceptical.
Kingfisher, Finnair voted among best airlines.
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Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines has been voted the best Indian carrier and Finnair the best in north Europe in a global survey by an independent research agency - often called the Oscars of airline industry.
Kingfisher got the honours under three categories - best airline in India and Central Asia, best economy class seats and excellent staff service, while the Nordic carrier was awarded for its overall performance as a "four-star" airline.
London-based Skytrax announced the results after a survey among 18 million air passengers from some 100 different countries that was carried out between July 2009 and April 2010.
"Being recognised by Skytrax is an honour and we would like to thank our valued guests who chose to fly Kingfisher Airlines," said Mallya, whose business interests span airlines and Formula 1 racing to spirits and beer.
Kingfisher Airlines is one of just six airlines worldwide that currently meet the rigorous quality criteria which Skytrax set for this prestigious, top tier 5-Star airline ranking.
"The greatest attribute behind five-star status is an airline's ability to deliver the combination of product and service," said Skytrax chief executive Edward Plaisted.
"The renewal of the five-star ranking to Kingfisher Airlines reaffirms its standing as the only airline in India and one of only six airlines in the world which has been awarded this status."
Kingfisher got the honours under three categories - best airline in India and Central Asia, best economy class seats and excellent staff service, while the Nordic carrier was awarded for its overall performance as a "four-star" airline.
London-based Skytrax announced the results after a survey among 18 million air passengers from some 100 different countries that was carried out between July 2009 and April 2010.
"Being recognised by Skytrax is an honour and we would like to thank our valued guests who chose to fly Kingfisher Airlines," said Mallya, whose business interests span airlines and Formula 1 racing to spirits and beer.
Kingfisher Airlines is one of just six airlines worldwide that currently meet the rigorous quality criteria which Skytrax set for this prestigious, top tier 5-Star airline ranking.
"The greatest attribute behind five-star status is an airline's ability to deliver the combination of product and service," said Skytrax chief executive Edward Plaisted.
"The renewal of the five-star ranking to Kingfisher Airlines reaffirms its standing as the only airline in India and one of only six airlines in the world which has been awarded this status."
Now its Bangladesh turn to ban facebook.
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After banning popular social networking sites like twitter and facebook and partial ban on video sharing site Youtube by pakistan over religious sentiments, now its turn of the brother country to ban the social networking facebook.
No official announcement was made yet on the decision but the Daily Star newspaper quoted an unnamed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission official as saying that "part of the reason (of blocking the network) is the posting of some anti-religious and porn links by users across the globe".
"We have blocked all access to Facebook temporarily... It was done in line with a decision of government high-ups," the official said, adding some users had posted anti-Islamic content about Prophet Mohammad, which the government took seriously.
No official announcement was made yet on the decision but the Daily Star newspaper quoted an unnamed Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission official as saying that "part of the reason (of blocking the network) is the posting of some anti-religious and porn links by users across the globe".
"We have blocked all access to Facebook temporarily... It was done in line with a decision of government high-ups," the official said, adding some users had posted anti-Islamic content about Prophet Mohammad, which the government took seriously.
Queen to miss Commonwealth Games in India.
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The Queen will not attend the Commonwealth Games in India in October, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
It will be the first time in decades she will not be at the sporting event - previously she has attended at some point during the games, either for the opening or closing ceremony.
Prince Charles will represent the Royal Family instead.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen would not be able to attend because of the volume of her engagements this autumn.
The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, which marked its 60th anniversary in 2009.
It will be the first time in decades she will not be at the sporting event - previously she has attended at some point during the games, either for the opening or closing ceremony.
Prince Charles will represent the Royal Family instead.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen would not be able to attend because of the volume of her engagements this autumn.
The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, which marked its 60th anniversary in 2009.
New material for higher storage for the disk found by japanese team.
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A Japanese research team has found a material that could be used to make a low-price super disc with data storage capacity thousands of times greater than a DVD, the lead scientist has said.
The material transforms from a black-colour metal state that conducts electricity into a brown semiconductor when hit by light, according to Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, chemistry professor at the University of Tokyo.
The material, a new crystal form of titanium oxide, can switch back and forth between the metal and semiconductor states at room temperature when exposed to light, creating an effective on-off function for data storage.
The material transforms from a black-colour metal state that conducts electricity into a brown semiconductor when hit by light, according to Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, chemistry professor at the University of Tokyo.
The material, a new crystal form of titanium oxide, can switch back and forth between the metal and semiconductor states at room temperature when exposed to light, creating an effective on-off function for data storage.
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