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Why sex is important Asking why sex is important in marriage is like asking why water is important for our environment. The answer is simple, water is an essential component without which we will be parched and finally die; similarly, a marriage without sex will first become dry, with no excitement whatsoever, and then finally succumb.
Sex is that important 'water' that keeps the marital environment full of life.

Let's talk about sex

This said, sex is not the only thing that keeps the marriage alive. It's one component, like communication or understanding, but its absence in marriage can destroy it.

In our society, sex is still considered taboo, which makes it difficult for people to talk about it openly either with their partners or with their friends.

However, there are couples who are trying to come out of their shells and understanding the importance of not just sex, but sexual intimacy to keep their marriages young forever.

Considering how much we are told that sex is not an important part of a relationship as children, we grow up all the more confused. So it's necessary to properly educate people that having sex is not bad for marriage.

It's about communication

Couples should understand the need for communication for greater intimacy in the bedroom. If the husband and wife are not comfortable outside bedroom they can never be comfortable in the bedroom.

They need to understand that sex is important to a marriage because it creates a bond not only at a physical level but also at spiritual level. And it does not necessarily mean intercourse, which is what most of us understand when we talk about sex.

If we look at sex, it is all about a touch that arouses us to a level where we feel liberated; touch the sky (metaphorically) and come back to the earth feeling tired but refreshed after a bad day at work.

It's in the touch

Doesn't everybody enjoy being touched? In fact, lots of types of therapies rely on our sense of touch. Also, touching is a way to show another person he/she is appreciated, loved and needed.

That is what sex is all about. It's the way couples appreciate each other, love, and revel in each other.

That's why marriage without sex is a body without a soul. And moreover couples who enjoy good sexual intimacy can face any storm that befalls on their marriage.

Source:iDiva

Sex on the beach The cocktail Sex on the Beach may be considered a chick drink, but the act is something both men and women fantasise about. And believe us, it is not like sex anywhere else.

Keep these tips in mind while you plan a day/night of wild sex on the beach.

Stay secluded

Yes, honey. Trying out new things is good but some new things won't be fun on Juhu beach (Mumbai's most crowded sea shore). Your best bet is going to a private beach.

You could ask a friend who owns a beach bungalow or rent one with it's one stretch of sand, for the night.

Keep it clean

Making out on plastic bags, garlands and horse poop isn't anyone's idea of a romantic romp. And no, don't look for a clean patch on an otherwise dirty beach. Having good hygiene standards didn't kill anyone.

Water-logged?

Don't get too close to the sea. You don't want to get swept away on a beach where there are no other people to rescue you. Find out about the tide on the day you plan the outing.

And remember, condoms don't work as well in the water.

Stay protected

Can there be any sex story without a point on contraception? No! If you are going to a secluded place where finding condoms will be a task, make sure you're carrying enough.

Unsafe sex is not an option and not doing it just because you don't have protection is a very sad excuse.

Sleeping on the beach

Imagine waking up to a beautiful morning on a clean beach with pristine water as well as a dog (and maybe it's 7-year-old master) staring down at the two of you. Not romantic, right? We thought so. Keep the cuddling and sleeping for your bed in your room.

Have a happy vacation!

Source:iDiva

Eeeek! Mom's on Facebook You log on to Facebook and there's a friend request. It's your mom. What do you do? Reactions come in stages.
Stage 1

'Oh, how cool. My parents are getting net-savvy!' This stage lasts for 30 seconds.

Stage 2

'Aaaarghh!! They can see everything - my photos, my friends, my profile pictures, what my friends have said about my pictures, my wall!'

Stage 3

Deep breathing. 'It's okay. I won't accept the request.'

Stage 4

Later that evening: 'Beta you didn't accept my friend request? I sent it to you this morning, will you please accept, abhi?'

Stage 5

For the first time in your life, you take an in-depth look at Facebook's privacy settings. You realize that it's very, very inscrutable. Two days later, your girlfriend posts the pictures of you and her at the party you went for last week.

Stage 6

Mom posts a comment on the picture/your wall, asking if this is how she behaves in public. Your friends shriek with laughter and you hide under the bed for a week. When you come out, you find your girlfriend has dumped you and will never face you, your parents, or any other friends in that party again.

Stage 7

You spend three days scanning every photo you put up, comment you made, note you posted, and quiz you took, deleting, deleting, deleting.

Stage 8

Mom discovers quizzes! The world finds out that she has a 98 per cent dirty mind; she is Surma Bhopali from Sholay; sings 'Who let the dogs out' in the bathroom; and her stripper name is Hot Chocolate.

You don't log in for a month.

Stage 9

You finally log in again, and find that her entire friend circle - including your aunts and your dad - has joined the social networking site. They have been, via your cousins, going through your profile with a fine toothcomb. There are 17 friend requests pending.

Stage 10

Dad becomes a fan of Megan Fox. It's followed by intensely aggressive reaction from mom. Aunts support her. Friends start taking screenshots of the discussion and forwarding it around among each other. You throw your computer out of the window.

On the serious side Should parents be on Facebook? The immediate reaction is negative, because we've got used to a certain level of privacy and freedom out here, and we'd rather not have someone looking over our shoulder disapprovingly.

But are you doing something that you'd be ashamed to share with your parents? If yes, why are you doing it at all? It may take some getting used to, but in the long run, it can be an opportunity to bond with your parents in a way that you had never thought of before.

Remember, they did figure it out on their own - doesn't that deserve some respect? And won't it be a lot more fun if you can help them through this, without embarrassing them or you? And once you know they're around, thinking - even for 5 seconds - before posting is not such a bad habit. It can save you from making the blooper of a lifetime.

Source:iDiva

Can Bill Gates stop hurricanes? Scientists doubt it (CNN) -- Hurricane experts are throwing cold water on an idea backed by billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates aimed at controlling the weather. Gates and a dozen other scientists have raised eyebrows by submitting patent applications for a technology to reduce the danger of approaching hurricanes by cooling ocean temperatures.

It's a noble idea, given the horrible memories from Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the Gulf Coast four years ago this week.

The storm, which rated a frightening Category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana, was blamed for $81 billion in damaged and destroyed property and the deaths of more than 1,800 men, women and children.

Skeptics applaud the motive of the concept but question its feasibility.

"The enormity of it, in order to do something effective, we'd have to do something at a scale that humans have never really done before," said Gabriel Vecchi, a research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

How exactly would this hurricane-zapping technology work? Hurricanes are fueled by warm water, and cooling the waters surrounding a storm would slow a storm's momentum.

According to the patents, many tub-like barges would be placed directly in the path of an oncoming storm. Each barge would have two conduits, each 500 feet long.

One conduit would push the warm water from the ocean's surface down. The other would bring up cold water where it lies deep undersea.

World reknowned hurricane expert William Gray, who's been studying and predicting the storms for a half-century, also doubts whether the proposal would work.

"The problem is the storms come up so rapidly," said Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. "You only get two to three days warning. It's very difficult to bring up enough cold water in two to three days to have much effect."

The idea itself isn't groundbreaking, according to Gray, who said it could only be feasible if the barges were put into place at the beginning of hurricane season with the idea that storms will come.

"But you might do all that, and perhaps no storms would come. That's an economic problem," Gray said.

Even if the technology does work, Gray said it won't completely halt a hurricane.

"There is no way to stop it. The storm might weaken in the center, but the outer areas wouldn't be affected much."

And flooding and storm surges are determined by these outer winds, Gray said.

When word of Gates' five patent applications first made headlines in July, alarmed bloggers lit up the Internet, expressing fears that playing with ocean temperatures could lead to catastrophe, possibly forcing a storm in a different direction.

That's not likely, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor in atmospheric sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"You're doing something to the ocean that the hurricane would have done anyway," Emanuel said.

Cold water that churns up during a storm slows down a hurricane naturally. But the coldest water is usually at the rear of the storm, so sometimes it's too late to weaken [the storm], Emanuel said.

"The key is doing it a little sooner than the storm itself does it and make [the hurricane] weaker than it would have been," he said. "There are enough experiments to find out whether hurricanes' natural cooling could steer the storm in a different location, and the answer is no, or it's a very small chance."

While Emanuel believes the physics are conceivable, he says the cost of implementing the system shouldn't outweigh the benefit.

"This would only be practical if the amount [of money] you spend doing this would be less than the damage caused by the hurricane," Emanuel said.

Gates and scientist Ken Caldeira, both listed as inventors on the patents, did not respond to CNN's requests to comment about their venture.

The patents, which were only made public last month by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, were filed in January by Searete LLC. The company is a subsidiary of Intellectual Ventures, an invention firm run by Microsoft's former chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold.

A spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, which holds about 27,000 technology patents, didn't elaborate on the cost associated with the patent.

"At this point, there are no plans for deployment, so there is no talk of funding," she said, adding that it could take up to 18 months for the patent application to be approved.

Regardless, inventors say that this technology is not something they'll be rushing to use anytime soon.

"This type of technology is not something humankind would use as a 'Plan A' or 'Plan B,'" Paul "Pablos" Holman, an inventor in the Intellectual Ventures laboratory, wrote on the company blog.

"These inventions are a 'Plan C,' where humans decide that we've exhausted all our behavior changing and alternative energy options and need to rely on mitigation technologies. If our planet is in this severe situation, then our belief is that we should not be starting from scratch at investigating mitigation options."

Hurricane expert Gray agrees.

"I don't think this is anything that's going to be done in the next few decades in a practical sense, but maybe further down the line," Gray said. "I would love to see Bill Gates, with all his money, use some of it to experiment."

Source:iDiva

Simple guide to sexy legs Envy Bipasha’s super-toned legs? Or Beyonce’s shapely ones?

Unfortunately, most women have to think twice before sporting a sexy mini, thanks to cellulite, varicose veins and excess fat. But you can proudly flaunt your limbs too; just follow this guide.

BEAUTY TRICKS
Brush off cellulite: The hormone oestrogen is partly to blame for fatty deposits, as well as lack of exercise and poor circulation. So give nature a helping hand with a body brush. In the shower, massage your calves and thighs with a brush that has rounded teeth. Have a close shave: Waxing is all very well, but the easiest and cheapest way to keep legs fuzzfree is with a razor. Shave downwards in the direction that the hair grows, then upwards for a close finish. Prevent ingrowth by massaging with an exfoliating cloth every day.

FOOD FOR FIRMER PINS
Beat salt: A high salt diet is known to cause fluid retention, so ditch sodium-rich foods such as crisps, ready meals and Chinese take-out. Eat away the bumps: Oily fish such as salmon, fresh tuna and mackerel are packed with omega-3 fats, which help the body shift flab while maintaining muscle tone. Get your greens: Spinach, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables help beat cellulite. Oats so simple: Tucking into oats in the form of porridge or cereal each morning can help beat the bloat. This is because they’re packed with soluble fibre, which boosts digestion and encourages the body to eliminate excess fluid.

LIMB-HONING EXERCISE MOVES
Squat for slimmer thighs: Try these ball squats everyday...
1. Place a full water bottle on the floor with feet wide apart. 2. Bend down and pick up bottle up.
3. Bend again, place bottle on floor.
Repeat in sets of six.

Skip for better SHAPE
Skipping with a rope for 10 minutes every other day is a great way to create some attractive curves, not to mention it’s a fun exercise.

FASHION FIXES
Get high and waisted: Skirts, shorts and cuffed pants that sit high on your waist will make your legs look longer and your bottom trimmer.

Be well-heeled: Strappy sandals visually cut the leg at the ankle and make it look shorter. Go for pumps and strappy sandals with no ankle straps.

Raise your hemline: If you don’t love your legs it can be tempting to hide them under calf-length skirts or shorts. But cuts that end on the widest part of your calf actually make your legs look thicker. So try and avoid that pitfall. Hemlines that end an inch or two above the knee create the illusion of slimmer legs without flashing too much thigh. Just the thing that you want.
Choose neutral shoes: To elongate the line of your legs, choose shoes in a neutral colour that’s similar to your natural skin tone. Actually, these days, you can even find sandals with sheer straps. Otherwise you can try pearl, beige, tan and brown. Even metallics make the legs look like they go on forever. Silver works for those with fair skin, while those with tanned or wheatish complexion can try bronze and silver.

Eat melons to lower your BP People suffering from high blood pressure are advised to eat lots of potassium-rich vegetables and fruits such as melons, oranges, say nutrition experts at UT Southwestern Medical Centre. “Melons like cantaloupe and watermelon are particularly high in potassium,” said Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

“One fourth a cantaloupe contains 800 to 900 milligrams of potassium, roughly 20 percent of the recommended daily value,” she added.

Dried apricots, avocados, figs, kiwi, oranges, raisins, dates, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and even grapefruit are other good sources of potassium.

Nepal's Hindi war leads to Terai shutdown KATHMANDU: Nepal's Hindi belt, the Terai plains along the Indo-Nepal border, erupted in fresh violence on Saturday as protesters called a 48-hour
general strike in support of embattled Vice-President Paramanada Jha, who has been ordered by the Supreme Court to take his oath of office and secrecy once again by Sunday or be removed.

Sunsari, Siraha, Dhanusha and Nawalparasi districts were hard-hit by the bandh spearheaded by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum party with cadres clashing with police. Janakpur, a major pilgrim destination in Nepal famed for its Janaki temple, remained tense as protesters pelted police with stones and were baton-charged. More than a dozen people were hurt with police reportedly arrested two demonstrators from hospital.

The violence came after an obscure armed group exploded a bomb near Jha's residence on Friday night, injuring a woman. The Kirat Janabadi Workers' Party, an underground organisation that is demanding a Kirat state in eastern Nepal, said it had engineered the attack and warned more would follow if Jha refused to take his oath of office and secrecy in Nepali.

Alarmed at the simmering violence from both the pro- and anti-Hindi groups, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Saturday rushed to Jha's residence to condemn the bomb attack and promise stern action against the perpetrators. Nepal has also been urging Jha to end the row – that began last year when the latter took his oath in Hindi – by being sworn in again in Nepali.

So far, Jha has refused to toe the line and on Friday, filed two petitions against the controversial Supreme Court verdict that has slapped the ultimatum on him, calling it biased and unconstitutional.

The three-month-old Nepal government is in its worst dilemma over the language row. On Sunday, it faces the option of either removing Jha and facing the wrath of the Hindi belt or continuing with status quo and angering the anti-Hindi hill community.

Jha however says neither the court nor the government has the power to sack him. According to him, the interim constitution authorises his impeachment only if two-third of Nepal's 601-member parliament vote for the motion.

Pak court adjourns 26/11 trial till Sep 1, bars media coverage ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of five LeT operatives accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks on Saturday
ordered a blackout on the media coverage of the proceedings, though sources said the in-camera hearing had been adjourned till September 1.

Judge Baqir Ali Rana of anti-terrorism court no 2, who is conducting the trial in the high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, issued the gag order for the media on Saturday morning.

Though the order itself was not made public, sources told it stated that the proceedings would be kept totally secret and "not published" in any manner as the case had implications for national security and national interests.

The order said the media blackout was also necessary for the security of witnesses and the judge. Sources also said the next hearing was set for September 1 though there was no official word on this.

The five LeT operatives being tried by the anti-terrorism court are the outfit's operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, communications expert Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq and Shahid Jamil Riaz.

A sixth suspect, Jamil Ahmed, who was arrested for allegedly facilitating the Mumbai attacks, was also produced in the anti-terrorism court on Saturday. The judge ordered the federal investigation agency to submit his complete records.

Ahmed's petition to be granted bail was put off by the court till September 1, sources said.

No delink of terror from talks with Pakistan: India M K Narayanan is a taciturn man. In a rare interview to Indrani Bagchi, he opened up on a host of
issues. Excerpts:

After the political storm over the India-Pakistan joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh, is India still going ahead with a meeting between the two foreign ministers at UNGA?

I would presume so. We have never fought shy of meeting Pakistan’s leaders. That’s why Prime Minister met Asif Zardari in Yekaterinburg, and Gilani in Sharm el-Sheikh. The Indian standpoint has been that we will not resume the composite dialogue until we see concrete evidence that Pakistan has acted against terrorism in a manner that we feel comfortable. That position remains. I don’t see any change in that position at any time. People have tried to misinterpret the Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement.

But the statement delinked dialogue from action on terrorism, apart from a controversial reference to Balochistan. Wasn’t that a departure?

It doesn’t delink. That’s a wrong reading of the document. It’s possible that somebody may read it that way but that’s certainly not the intention. I don’t think there has been any change in our position. There was a reference to Balochistan in the document because it found a mention in the discussions. It’s possible that someone could read a meaning into it. I don’t think there is any particular meaning.

Are we heeding the Pakistan request to send the foreign secretary to Islamabad before the UNGA?

I think since the external affairs minister will be in New York for the UNGA. That would be the more appropriate place for the foreign secretaries to meet.

What are the expected highlights of PM’s Washington visit in November?

We’re looking for that one big idea that will symbolize the relationship, just as we had a major achievement like the civil nuclear agreement in 2005. That was then the one big idea. It’s not that the deal alone was important. I think that far more than the deal, the fact that a country like the US and a country like India could reach an agreement like this reflected the maturing of the relationship.

So, we need to one such big ticket item now to show a continuity of that relationship with the new US administration?

I think the relationship itself is very warm. The PM has had very positive meetings with leaders of the new administration. I don’t see any problem with the relationship. The previous administration was extremely accommodative of India. We need to see whether the new administration will see us in the same way. Across the world, there is a great deal of respect for India and for the Indian leadership. Since this is the first state visit arranged by the Obama administration, we are keen to cement it with something substantial.

You have just completed the 13th round of boundary talks with China. While there is no progress on that front, will the talks now be embedded in the larger strategic dialogue?

The Chinese side showed keen interest in widening the ambit of the dialogue. But it didn’t detract from what we discussed on the border. We had 14 hours of discussions. There’s always progress. Certainly we haven’t yet settled the border issue. But each time we meet there is greater understanding.

What is the state of play on the nuclear deal?

There are two issues. First, we have to file a declaration in the IAEA. We are taking things cautiously, doing things step by step. If we take a step we cannot retrace that would make things difficult. We’ve now reached a stage when we are comfortable and we will file the declaration. And we will fill in the Annexure, which is part of the Separation plan. Once you enter into an international agreement we do not back out. The declaration is the final step as far as the IAEA is concerned. With the US, discussions are underway on the reprocessing agreement under 6(iii) of the 123 agreement.

What are your view on the Afghanistan election? Do you think the US could be tempted to cut and run since the war appears to be going so badly for them?

The very fact that elections could be held, despite the violence and threats and with so many contenders, is no mean achievement. Its more than many other countries have done.

Nuclear scientist, K Santhanam says we need to test our thermonuclear weapon again because Pokharan II was a “fizzle”. Is that correct?

It’s untrue. This is a matter that has been examined in great detail. Several measurements have been applied, specific observations have been made. The fact that we had a 45-kiloton successful thermonuclear test is now well proven the world over. We don’t need to carry out another test.

Hughes seeks Tendulkar's advice to aid comeback SYDNEY: Dumped Australian opening batsman Phillip Hughes is seeking a meeting with Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar as he attempts to resurrect his stalled Test career, reports said on Saturday.

The dashing 20-year-old went into the recent Ashes series against England as a rising star of the team, only to be dropped after the opening two Tests.

The unorthodox left-hander posted 36 in the drawn first Test in Cardiff and scores of four and 17 in England's victory at Lord's before his place was taken by all-rounder Shane Watson.

Hughes could have travelled home this week, but instead he stopped off in India to work on his game with his coach Neil D'Costa and catch up with Tendulkar.

He intends to fly to Mumbai on Monday and hopes to have dinner with Tendulkar.

"I'll chew his ear off," Hughes told The Australian newspaper.

"I've got questions about a lot of things that I want to ask him. I like getting around and talking to the guys who have been around for a long time.

"Sachin has been around and I've been watching him since I was a youngster.

"He hardly ever seemed to miss out, he always seems to be scoring runs and not just on one or two parks, he gets them everywhere. His consistency is so great and I still love watching him now."

Hughes will also get in some work on his batting technique with his coach D'Costa, who is in India to help out at the newly built cricket academy in Nagpur.

"The goal is to always get better," Hughes said. "I had always planned to catch up with Neil no matter what happened. I wanted to get in the nets with him and keep working on my game."

D'Costa, who also works with Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke, said batting was about mechanics.

"We aren't working on specifics, but one thing I know from working with kids, through adolescence and into their early adulthood, is that your technique does change and you need to keep addressing the biomechanics of it to understand how you are playing," D'Costa told the newspaper.

Hughes said his plans were to return to Australia, play in the Champions League
for New South Wales and then start scoring runs at Sheffield Shield level in a bid to force his way back into the Test side.

Holding of major events before CWG annoys Gill NEW DELHI: Sports Minister MS Gill, on Saturday, lashed out at national Federations for overburdening the government by hosting mega events, suchas hockey World Cup and shooting World Cup ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games
.

"We are hosting the hockey World Cup, the shooting World Cup, a four-nation hockey tournament early next year before the Commonwealth Games but these events could have been avoided till the Games," Gill said at a function to mark hockey legend Major Dhyanchand's birthday, celebrated as National Sports Day.

"I am not against test events but the Commonwealth Games is a huge burden and bringing more world events into the country is not sensible.

"I have seen all over the world the test events hardly have any significance. These are just to check whether the doors, timers of the stadiums are working. I am little disappointed with the Federations because they could have avoided bringing these events to the country before the Commonwealth Games," he said.

"It has put additional pressure on all the concerned authorities associated with the Games because now we have to complete the infrastructure of some of the stadiums by December-January," he added.

The organizers of the Commonwealth Games, scheduled from October 3 to 14 next year, are running against time and are facing a tough challenge to complete all the infrastructure required for the Games within the deadline.

Even the construction work of the National Stadium, the main venue for hockey during the Commonwealth Games, was far from over and the World Cup scheduled to be held there from February 28-March 13 and the four-nation test event in January has further compounded the problem.

The capital is also scheduled to host the shooting test event -- the Commonwealth championship from February 17 followed by the World Cup in rifle and pistol competitions in March but the contruction work at the venue -- Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range -- was way behind schedule.

Last month, the Wrestling Federation of India was forced to move the December-slated Commonwealth Wrestling event out of the capital to Jalandhar because of the delay in construction of the venue.

Even though construction work at most of the venues were running behind schedule, the Sports Minister assured that everything will be completed in time and the Games will be an overwhelming success.

"We are constantly working to ensure the smooth conduct of the Games and we will do whatever it takes to make it a success," Gill said.

Gill also said he would ensure that from now onwards all other athletes representing India apart from the Asian Games and Olympic-bound athletes were provided with daily allowance during international tournaments.

"After I took up the position, I felt embarrassed to see that government doesn't give daily allowance to other athletes who represent India apart from those who participate in Asian Games and in Olympics.

"It is disgusting. I am going to take up the matter with the government in a day or two and ensure that they get $20-25 as daily allowance," he said.

On reports about Indian Weightlifting Federation threatening to close down the training camp for lifters preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games if the Sports Authority of India failed to provide enough barbells, Gill said, "He will look into the matter and ensure that such a situation never arises."

H1N1 vaccine ready, India napping NEW DELHI: The first batches of swine flu vaccine rolled out from Baxter Inc labs on Friday but there’s little to cheer for India. While the
first supplies from Baxter went to the British health network, subsequent batches from Baxter and other pharma companies have been booked by countries such as US and UK which are stockpiling the vaccine to ward off a harsher bout of swine flu.

While huge quantities — 195 million and 90 million doses respectively are going to the US and UK — India is still miles from getting vaccines because the government has not entered into any pre-booking contracts with Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline or any others. India also may not have its indigenous vaccine ready before May 2010.

China has 20-odd companies racing to make the vaccine, with Sinovac Biotech perhaps the first company worldwide to complete clinical trials for swine flu vaccine.

WHO said recently that countries in the northern hemisphere had ordered more than a billion doses, sparking warnings about shortages.

Developing a vaccine is the only way to protect people from the disease, which may become severe with the onset of winter and the dire possibility of the H1N1 virus mutating.

Despite the swine flu toll touching 90, Indian health authorities have failed to move fast enough.

The government has also not placed any orders with domestic manufacturers — Serum Institute, Panacea Biotec and Bharat Biotec which are developing the vaccine. (Cadila Pharma is also developing a vaccine in collaboration with US company Novavax).

Serum Institute executive director SS Jadhav told TOI, ‘‘No talks have been held with procurement agencies regarding their plans of stockpiling the vaccine, including the quantity required and target group of population.’’

As a result, companies aren’t sure about the quantities of vaccine they must produce.

When contacted, Dr VM Katoch DG, ICMR, said, ‘‘We have asked global companies like Novartis to include Indians in their clinical trials to test efficacy of the vaccine on our population. We are waiting for their reply.’’

Schoolgirl paraded without top over fee row CHANDIGARH: In a shocking incident, a Class III student was allegedly humiliated by her class teacher and stripped of her top for not paying the tuition fee. The victim, who is entitled to full fee concession, was made to move from one classroom to another to cries of "shame, shame'', it has been alleged. ( Watch Video )

The incident happened at Faridabad Model School on Friday. The nine-year-old daughter of an autorickshaw driver who had been sanctioned full fee concession by the district education department under a scheme for underpriveleged children told her teacher that she had not paid the school fee.

"The teacher then took off her T-shirt and tried to pull the skirt too. When she failed in her attempt, she paraded my daughter from room to room and made the children say shame, shame,'' the mother said. She claimed she came to know of the incident only when the distraught girl returned from school.

Though school principal H S Malik denied the matter was related to fee, she said the teacher has been suspended. The police, too, took cognizance of the complaint made by the victim's mother against the teacher, Neetu. "We came to know about this incident in the afternoon. I have instructed the police station to register a case,'' police commissioner P K Aggarwal said.

Faridabad's district education officer K Bala claimed ignorance but assured immediate probe and appropriate action against the school management and the teacher. According to reports, the victim was made to pay the fee regularly. Her parents had approached the district administration regarding this and invited the school management's ire.

N L Jangid, president of Parent's Association of Faridabad, said the government had failed to implement fee-related instructions of Punjab and Haryana High Court and Supreme Court.

Chandrayaan-1: ISRO loses contact, claims mission 'over' BANGALORE: Ten months after it was launched, India's maiden moon mission the ambitious Chandrayaan-1 came to an abrupt end on Saturday after ISRO
lost communication with the spacecraft, cutting short the dream odyssey that was expected to last two years.

"The mission is definitely over. We have lost contact with the spacecraft," Project Director of the Chandrayaan-1 mission M Annadurai said.

However, he said: "It (Chandrayaan-1) has done its job technically...100 per cent. Scientifically also, it has done almost 90-95 percent of its job".

The two-year mission, launched on October 22 last year with much fanfare, was abandoned early today after the after radio contact with the mooncraft was abruptly lost at 0130 hours.

The Deep Space Network at Byalalu near here received the data from the 1,380 kg Chandrayaan-1, which carried 11 instruments on board, including six from overseas, during the previous orbit up to 0025 hours.

ISRO is conducting detailed review of the telemetry data from the spacecraft. "We will analyse as to what happened," Annadurai said.

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, launched by homegrown PSLV-C11 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, has completed 312 days in orbit, making more than 3,400 orbits around the moon.

It has provided large volume of data from sophisticated sensors such as terrain mapping camera, hyper-spectral imager and moon mineralogy mapper, meeting most of the scientific objectives of the mission.

ISRO said last month Chandrayaan-1 had sent more than 70,000 images of the lunar surface which provide breathtaking views of lunar mountains and craters, especially craters in the permanently shadowed areas of the Moon's polar region.

Chandrayaan-1 was also collecting valuable data pertaining to the chemical and mineral content of the Moon, ISRO said on July 17.

Significantly, on August 21, ISRO and NASA performed a unique joint experiment that the Indian space agency said could yield additional information on the possibility of existence of ice in a permanently shadowed crater near the North Pole of the moon.

The end to the Chandrayaan-1 mission comes just over four months after the onboard star sensor for determining the orientation of the spacecraft started malfunctioning on April 26, and one of the bus management units failed.

Source: TOI

Danny could produce dangerous surf along East Coast (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Danny quickened its pace northward Friday night, as forecasters warned it could produce dangerous surf conditions and rip currents along the U.S. coast over the next day or two.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for the North Carolina coast extending from Cape Lookout, just south of Pamlico Sound, north to Duck, just north of Albermarle Sound, the National Hurricane Center said.

A tropical storm warning -- meaning winds of 39 to 73 mph (63 to 118 km/hr) are likely within 24 hours -- may be required for portions of the North Carolina coast Friday night.

Large swells from Danny were expected to produce "dangerous surf conditions and life-threatening rip currents" along the coast during the next day or two, forecasters said.

Danny's maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph (65 kph), making it barely a tropical storm, the hurricane center said. Some "slight strengthening" was possible Friday night, it said, but the storm's intensity was not expected to change much on Saturday.

Forecasters predicted that the storm would become extratropical Saturday night. Extratropical storms differ from subtropical ones in various technical characteristics relating to temperature and winds.

As of 11 p.m. ET, Danny was centered about 265 miles (425 kilometers) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving north-northeast at about 12 mph (19 kph), forecasters said, and was expected to speed up and turn north-northeast over the next few days.

Tracking maps still showed Danny brushing North Carolina's coast early Saturday before nearing New England later in the day.

The hurricane center said that interests from the Carolinas northward to New England and the Canadian Maritimes should monitor the storm's progress.

Sen. Ted Kennedy to be laid to rest Saturday CNN) -- Sen. Ted Kennedy will be buried Saturday at Arlington National Cemetery after a private funeral Mass.

The senator's funeral is scheduled for Saturday at Boston's Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston's Mission Hill section. Dozens of Kennedy's fellow senators are scheduled to attend as well as three former presidents -- Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

President Obama, who called Kennedy the "greatest U.S. senator of our time," will deliver a eulogy at the funeral, according to several sources. Prime Minister Brian Cowen of Ireland, the Kennedy ancestral homeland, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are also expected to attend, a family spokesman said.

Kennedy will be buried Saturday evening at Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington, 95 feet south of the grave of Sen. Robert Kennedy, which is in turn just steps away from John Kennedy's burial site.

Friends, family and colleagues paid tribute to Kennedy on Friday evening with a three-hour wake at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

Earlier, thousands of people filed past his flag-draped casket that had been at the library since Thursday afternoon.

Dubbed the "Lion of the Senate," Kennedy died Tuesday after being ill with brain cancer for 15 months. The 77-year-old senator had represented Massachusetts since 1962.

He became the patriarch of the first family of Democratic politics after the assassinations of his brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, during the 1960s.

Kennedy was famous for his close friendships with colleagues across the Senate aisle. Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch said the Kennedy name was "my very best fundraiser," but that he developed "a strong working relationship with and love for the man I came to fight."

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential candidate, said Kennedy "taught me to be a better senator."

"He was the most reliable, the most prepared and the most persistent member of the Senate," McCain said. "He took the long view, and he never gave up."

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential candidate, said Kennedy "taught me to be a better senator."

"He was the most reliable, the most prepared and the most persistent member of the Senate," McCain said. "He took the long view, and he never gave up."

Shuttle Discovery blasts off to space station (CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery launched just before midnight Friday on a mission to the international space station.

The crew of seven astronauts includes one from Mexico and another from Sweden. One of those seven, Nicole Stott, will remain on the station as a flight engineer, while astronaut Timothy Kopra is to return home aboard the shuttle.

Also on board: The Leonardo logistics module, science experiments and the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), named for fake newsman Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

Colbert won an online poll conducted by NASA to name the newest space station compartment, but Colbert and the space agency compromised to give the moniker to the treadmill. The new compartment was given the name Tranquility.

NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said the treadmill is an essential addition to the space station.

"We have the treadmill now to keep them healthy, which is really part of being able to come home in one piece. So it is an essential part," Coleman said.

Discovery's liftoff, originally set for Tuesday, had been postponed three times -- first for bad weather, and twice more while mission managers checked out indications of a faulty valve.

Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis over fallout with brother LONDON, England (CNN) -- Oasis front man Noel Gallagher has quit the rock group after a fallout with his bandmate brother, he announced late Friday.

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight," Noel Gallagher said in a brief statement on the band's Web site. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

Noel Gallagher is the band's lead guitarist and songwriter, and Liam Gallagher is the lead singer.

The band is currently on a European tour for its album, "Dig Out Your Soul." Noel Gallagher apologized to fans who had bought tickets for upcoming gigs in France, Germany and Italy.

Oasis had to cancel its headlining performance at the V Festival in Britain over the weekend because Liam Gallagher said he was sick and couldn't sing.

He later apologized for the cancellation and quashed rumors that it was the band's last-ever British gig.

Disputes between the brothers have been in the public eye in the past, but never before has one of the brothers gone so far as to leave the band.

Oasis shot to stardom with its 1994 album, "Definitely Maybe," which contained the band's first major hit, "Supersonic."

The follow-up, "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" produced one of group's most famous tracks, "Wonderwall."

The Manchester band was one of the pioneers of the Britpop movement of the early '90s, along with British band Blur.

Experts: Media today would demand Chappaquiddick answers (CNN) -- Sen. Ted Kennedy would have had a "very, very difficult" time politically surviving the drowning death of a young woman if it happened in the era of blogs, talk radio and 24-hour news cycles, experts said.

Mary Jo Kopechne, 28, drowned after Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile off a bridge following a regatta party in July 1969. The incident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, helped dash the youngest Kennedy brother's chances at the Oval Office in 1972 and 1980.

Massachusetts was more forgiving than the rest of the nation, however, backing Kennedy by a 3-to-2 margin in his 1970 bid to keep his Senate seat. That his brothers, John and Robert, had been assassinated in recent years may have been a factor, experts said.

"Great expectations and great tragedy has always been the storyline of the Kennedys," said Christopher Arterton, dean of George Washington University's graduate school of political management. "The people of Massachusetts were prepared to forgive a lot of transgressions."

Kennedy vanished to the family compound for days after the incident, huddling with advisers before emerging the following week to plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. A judge suspended his two-month jail sentence.

Critics saw the plea as an attempt to stifle details that would have emerged during a trial.

In a display of the senator's legendary oratory, he delivered a nationally televised explanation and apology, saying it was "indefensible" that he hadn't called police until the day after the accident.

"If at any time, the citizens of Massachusetts should lack confidence in their senator's character or his ability, with or without justification, he could not in my opinion adequately perform his duty and should not continue in office," Kennedy said.

Jim Baughman, author of "The Republic of Mass Culture: Journalism, Filmmaking, and Broadcasting in America since 1941," said he recalls Kennedy's address being "less an explanation to the country than to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

The nation's response was tepid. According to a Time-Harris poll in August 1969, about 44 percent of respondents said Kennedy failed "to tell the real truth," 51 percent said his explanation was inadequate and 77 percent said he was wrong not to report the accident immediately.

However, 58 percent of respondents said "he has suffered, been punished and should be given the benefit of the doubt."
"I think the national repercussions would have been more severe [today]," Baughman said.

In 1969, the national media were dominated by three TV networks and a handful of magazines and newspapers. New media and talk radio would be a "much more ferocious force" today, he said.

Media reports from the time indicate few mysteries were solved by Kennedy's address.

Then-Edgartown Police Chief Jim Arena was often lambasted for his handling of the case. He said Thursday he would handle it no differently today except that he would charge Kennedy with vehicular homicide, a charge that did not exist in 1969.

"I will always contend that what happened that night was an accident. What happened afterward has never been completely explained," said Arena, who is now 79.

In his national address, Kennedy said he was driving Kopechne to a ferry landing because she was tired. He denied "widely circulated suspicions of immoral conduct" and also refuted reports that he was "driving under the influence of liquor."

Kennedy said his unfamiliarity with the bridge, which had no guardrails and met the road at an awkward angle, caused him to drive off the side and into Poucha Pond.

"The car overturned in a deep pond and immediately filled with water," Kennedy said. "Water entered my lungs and I actually felt the sensation of drowning, but somehow I struggled to the surface alive."

Kopechne did not. Kennedy said he dived back into the water several times, "but succeeded only in increasing my state of utter exhaustion and alarm."

Conceding he did not seek a telephone, Kennedy said he returned to the party and summoned a cousin and friend to the scene. They, too, failed in saving Kopechne, he said.

"All kinds of scrambled thoughts -- all of them confused, some of them irrational, many of them which I cannot recall, and some of which I would not have seriously entertained under normal circumstances -- went through my mind during this period," he said.

He asked to be taken to the ferry slip, he said, where he jumped into the water, swam the 500-foot channel back to Edgartown, returned to his hotel room and collapsed.

It wasn't until morning that he called police, and then, only after he called legal adviser Burke Marshall, he said.

The media clamored with questions: Why had Kopechne left her purse and room key at the cottage and told no one she was going home? How did Kennedy get lost on a one-turn trip to the ferry? Was the ferry operating when Kennedy and Kopechne left?

"The larger anger about it was the 10-hour lag [in reporting the accident], that he was more concerned about his reputation than this young woman's life," Baughman said. "He didn't take enough time to blame himself and take responsibility."

Today, Baughman said, Kennedy could still survive a Chappaquiddick -- largely because of the Kennedys' clout and because Massachusetts is so enamored with the family -- but it would be tougher with the Slate.coms and Drudge Reports of the world hounding him.

George Washington University's Arterton concurs that, like Jesse Helms' North Carolina or Strom Thurmond's South Carolina, Massachusetts would likely forgive one of its favorite sons today.

If Kennedy survived his first re-election, as he did in 1970, he likely would have prevailed in later ones, though it would have been "very, very difficult to remain in office," Arterton said. He also doubts Kennedy would have been able to isolate himself with advisers for days without making a statement.

"In the cable news era, that would not have been possible," he said, explaining that blogs and other new media would have prodded the networks and newspapers. "There would have been much more effort to dig into that story nationally."

At the least, Baughman said, "you'd have maybe a more diverse conversation about Kennedy's culpability and judgment."

Then-Chief Arena remembers the intense criticism of his investigation from his own counterparts.

Diver John Farrar, who pulled Kopechne from the car, told media outlets she may have lived had Kennedy called police immediately, and George Killen, a detective-lieutenant with the State Police, alleged at the time that Kennedy "killed that girl the same as if he put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger."

Kennedy's explanation was a "weak defense," Arena acknowledges, but he insists there was no evidence of negligence to facilitate manslaughter charges.

Arena said the Kennedys never pressured him during the investigation. He also never obfuscated details to benefit Kennedy -- in part, because of a paternal adage he has always held dear.

"When you tell the truth, you don't have to worry about what you said the first time," he said. "The charge I came up with was the only one I thought we could prove. ... I did what I could, and I'll stick by it."

Woman's frantic 911 call helps convict her killer (CNN) -- A Florida plumber was found guilty Friday of kidnapping and murdering a police detective's daughter at a trial in which his victim's voice filled the courtroom as her desperate 911 call was played to the jury.

Jurors deliberated just two hours before finding Michael L. King, 38, guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in the January 17, 2008 abduction and slaying of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old mother of two.

Lee's family, including her father, Charlotte County Sheriff's Det. Rick Goff, cried as the verdict was announced; King showed no reaction.

The jury must next decide whether King, who was a stranger to Lee, should be executed for his crimes.

According to testimony during the weeklong trial, Lee was taken from her home sometime after 2 p.m., driven to King's home, sexually assaulted, then shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave in a marshy vacant lot.

King's attorney, Jerry Meisner, did not present any witnesses. But prosecutors told the jury that Lee's ring was found in King's car, and hair matching hers was found on duct tape found at King's house.

According to testimony and court records, Lee fought frantically for her life, banging on the windows of King's green Camaro, screaming for help and begging one witness, "Call the cops."

Several people reported seeing something suspicious and called 911. But authorities didn't find Lee in time, and allegations that dispatchers mishandled the calls have led to criticism of the local 911 system.

Lee's body was found on January 19 near where police stopped King's car some six hours after the abduction.

The jury heard two 911 calls -- Lee's and one from a concerned witness.

Lee used one of King's cell phones to call 911 as she was driven across three counties. As the six-minute tape was played for the jury, her voice sounded tremulous at times, and frantic at others.

The call came in at 6:14 p.m. on January 17. A 911 operator repeatedly said "Hello," and Lee was heard pleading with her captor: "I'm sorry. I just want to see my family. ... I just want to see my family again. Please. ... Oh please, I just want to see my family again. Let me go."

The man, whose voice was identified in court as King's, cursed at her for trying to attract attention. A radio played loudly in the background. The 911 operator asked her address. Eventually, Lee managed to say, "My name is Denise. I'm married to a beautiful husband and I just want to see my kids again. ... Please, God, please protect me."

The 911 operator asked where she was, and then whether she knew the man. The operator asked if she knew her location. "Please just take me to my house. Can you take me home?" Lee said. The connection was then lost.

Sixteen minutes later, driver Jane Kowalski called 911 to report what she thought was a child abduction. She said she was stopped at a light and could hear screaming from another car "and not a happy scream, a get-me-out-of-here scream."

She testified that she saw someone banging on the car window, slapping her hand hard to demonstrate. "It was very loud," she told the jury. "It was completely horrific, terrified, panicky. I can't think of enough words, it was terrible."

She followed the car for a while, but lost it.

Police quickly traced Lee's call to King's cell phone, and were looking for him. But Kowalski's call was never passed on to officers.

The breakdown was blamed on a shift change and two dispatchers were suspended, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Other witnesses also helped establish the timeline for the terrifying final hours of Lee's life.

Lee's former neighbor, Jennifer Eckert, 24, testified that she saw the green Camaro circle the block three or four times between 1 and 2 p.m. and pull into the Lees' driveway. She said she was certain of the time, because she was watching her favorite TV soap.

King's cousin, Harold Muxlow, testified that King stopped by his house between 5:30 and 6 p.m., and asked to borrow a flashlight, a gas can, and a shovel.

He testified that a "girl's voice" from the car asked him to "call the cops" but Muxlow said King told him, "Don't worry. It's nothing."

Lee's husband, Nathan, has launched a foundation bearing her name that works toward 911 reform. He plans to file a lawsuit next month, a family spokesman said.

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