Traffic Cops in Gurgaon to go Hi-Tech With Project 3rd Eye

Project 3rd Eye, India’s first traffic violation tracking system will be coming to Gurgaon first, followed by other cities depending on the success of the project. Traffic cops will now carry a GPS-enabled mobile phone fitted with a special software called Tselina, so whenever there is a traffic violation, the cop has to simply snap a photo which is then automatically uploaded on a server along with the offender's licence plate and co-ordinates of the location. Now, this would work well for parking violations and such but I’m not sure if this would work for, let’s say, jumping a red light.

Say cheeese (Image Courtesy : MediaNama)

The first leg of the project involves equipping 300 traffic cops with a Nokia E5. Now, we’ve reviewed the E5 and the camera isn’t one of its strong suits. It’s a fixed focus camera to begin with and also it takes a while to for the image to be processed once you hit the shutter button so if the offender is in motion, it's going to be almost impossible to get a clear shot. The trial runs have already begun in June along the National Highway 8 and the east and west traffic zones. Once the photo is uploaded, a challan will be dispatched to the offenders along with the co-ordinates of where the offence was committed. While this is good attempt at making the roads safer, I just don’t see it working. To capture an offence, the constable would have to be ready with the phone at all times which is not practical. Let’s see how well this pans out. 

File Your IT Returns Online, Before 31st July, 2011

Those following the news regularly, especially around this time would know that the last date for filing their Income Tax Returns is fast approaching - 31st July, 2011. Being constantly re-iterated by the government as a fundamental duty of every salaried citizen to file his or her income tax returns, this date and the days preceding this one hold much significance. Usually, income tax return filing in India is associated with long queues, excessive documentations – a hassle, in short.

Rush now!

Taking a cue from institutions like banks and travel agencies that carry out their transactions and other activities online, the Government of India began the concept of e-filing some time back. Over the years, the concept has picked up fairly well with the urban masses, owing to the considerable load that it has taken off the shoulders of anxious citizens looking to file their returns. Before proceeding to file one's taxes, all tax dues need to be cleared. Then post successful payment of one’s taxes, an acknowledgment, a lot like a challan issued by a bank can be obtained. This detail of the acknowledgment has to be mentioned during the process of e-filing of returns.

Users can log on to www.incometaxindia.gov.in, and if they’re a new user, they’ll have to register their PAN (Permanent Account Number) number on the site to create their account. Once registered, a link is sent via email to the id provided at the time of the registration. It is only on the clicking of this link that the said account can be activated. With the help of an XML file then generated, from the ITR form, the XML file needs to be uploaded to the website by logging onto it. Once done, an acknowledgement in Form ITR V is generated, which is also automatically sent to the e-mail address provided by the user while filling his form. This form then needs to be printed and signed manually by the user and sent to the Income Tax office in Bangalore for attestation.

True blue: The Lakes of Ladakh

"So is it Pangong Tso tomorrow or Tso Moriri?" asked Dorjee, my guide and driver as I stretched my legs and gulped another cup of green tea. Most tour operators recommend just one of these high altitude lakes, but I was greedy. I wanted to visit not just two, but the third lake, Tso Kar as well. Dorjee grinned when I told him our plans and he suggested that we camp at Pangong. On an impulse, we agreed.

It was barely dawn when we drove from Leh. The mountains reveled in the golden light. The sky was fast changing colours as the clouds showed up in the horizon. It was bright and sunny within a few hours. The weather, I realized in Ladakh is downright moody. I went there expecting some snow and all I got was some harsh sunlight burning my skin.

The journey however was a dream. Our jeep was packed with our tents and we had a new travel companion, our personal cook who brought in some hot steaming momos.  We stopped by a mountain stream amidst the mountains and out came tiny chairs and a dining table. It was breakfast time.

The landscape changed drastically as we gained altitude. We crossed Changla Pass at 17590 feet and stopped for tea .and then plunged a few feet downhill to about 14270 feet.  We saw the marmots and had a close encounter with a pair of black necked cranes on the way. But there were no roads. The mountains circled us. And then we saw it! A thin sheet of blue, almost like a mirage, appearing out of the various shades of greys and browns. It was the first view of the lake.

Pangong is one massive stretch of blue, except that one can see various shades of blue. The colours kept changing by the minute. We were there rather early and had the lake to ourselves for a while, until the tourists finally arrived. We drove down, looking for a place to pitch our tents as we crossed Spangmik, the smallest settlement and possibly one of the last Indian villages which housed less than ten families. It was like almost being on the edge of the world for the Line of Control does pass through the lake itself.  In fact locals told me that only one third of the saline lake lies in India and the remaining in Tibet.

Dorjee decided to pitch a tent in a small enclosure, located right on the banks of the lake. I looked around and saw some fields in the distance and a small house further away. And the tents came up – there were four of them, one for the bedroom, another for the dining, third for the kitchen and the last for the dry toilet. It was our private piece of paradise. The sky was clear as we walked along. A soldier with a prayer wheel guarded the border at the further end. The villagers brought their precious pashmina goats home. The stars came up as the lake was bathed in moonlight, the mountains beaming with a glow. A sumptuous meal was waiting for us, as we tucked into our sleeping bags for the night.

We drove back to Leh the following day, took a break and then continued onto the next lake, Tso Moriri . A different village, a different lake .Korzuk, the village had one of the most charming monasteries in all of Ladakh and it was getting ready for its festival.

We spotted birds and beasts and loads of the Changpa nomads grazing their cattle. Tsomoriri is indeed a birder’s paradise. The saline lake is one of the breeding grounds for a variety of birds, most of them rare and endangered. The mountains reflected in the bright blue waters, their tips glistening with ice and snow. The landscape was vivid with colours . Most of my friends prefer Tsomoriri to Pangong , but my favourite however remains the latter .

Meanwhile the weather changed. The bright blue skies turned dark as the rains lashed the mountains. The waters drenched the lake. The temperature suddenly dropped and the tented camps where I was staying had no heaters. We shivered and quivered, finally putting the thermals to use as the temperatures slid below zero.

Dorjee predicted it would snow and we decided to leave early the following day stopping by at Tso Kar, the third lake which seemed more like a wetland to me. The colours had turned into a monotone and all the blues had melted into shades of white. We stopped at a local shop for lunch-a quick bite of noodles and momos and just as we neared Tanglang La at 17580 feet, it started snowing. And before we knew it, the snowstorm interrupted our journey as a truck, stuck in the heaps of snow stalled all the vehicles.

We were still very far from Leh and we remained there, high up in a mountain road surrounded by snow. Finally Dorjee got bit impatience and walked out into the snow storm, in his thin jacket and shoes to remove the snow with bare hands. Soon a crowd gathered to help and many hours later we were back on the road. I did want to see snow capped mountains, but I had no idea it would be a stormy experience.

Soon we were back on familiar territory. It was not the bright blue sky that welcomed me to the plains but the blue of the River Indus that greeted us. My tryst with the mountains was heading to an end as it was my last day in the Land of high passes.

Lakshmi Sharath is a media professional, a traveler, travel writer and blogger. After 15 years of sitting in front of a desk in several media organizations, she decided to travel and see the world. Since then she has covered 20 countries across five continents; her passion lies in exploring the nooks of India.

Bareilly baby boy with 34 fingers and toes sets new Guinness record

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), July 20 (ANI): Akshat, a baby boy over the age of one, registered his name in the Guinness world records for having a total of 34 fingers and toes.

He has set the record for having the highest number of fingers and toes and hails from the Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.

Amrita Saxena, the mother of the child, said it was difficult for her to believe that her son broke the world record, until a family friend convinced her.

"He (family friend) read on the internet about the baby born in China with 31 fingers. Then he said that my boy has broken the record of having 34 fingers. At first, I was not convinced at all. It was hard to believe that my son has broken the record. But later, he along with my husband and my younger sister registered the data in the Internet. Then I was asked to submit certain documents after which his name was in the Guinness World Records," added Saxena.

Doctors attending to the child informed the mediapersons that it was a rare phenomenon and diagnosed it as polydactyly.

"The person who is diagnosed with it is polydactylic. It is due to certain defects in the bone development of the uterus. The reason behind this defect can be either developmental congenital formation or chromosomal anomalies, which is due to maternal infection or drugs," said Dr. Parul Gupta, a gynaecologist.

Gupta further explained that this congenital physical anomaly could be easily cured by performing a surgery.

"Yes, it is absolutely curable. Mostly people go for plastic surgery. And sometimes when polydactyly is minimal, it can be cured normally, without an operation. And if there is a major problem, then people prefer to go for a plastic surgery," added Gupta.

Meanwhile Saxena was a little worried for her son's future. She aspires for her son to lead a 'normal' life and wants him to undergo proper treatment for it.

It is quite interesting to know that Polydactyly or polydactylism is also known as hyperdactyly. It is a congenital physical anomaly in humans, dogs, and cats having supernumerary fingers or toes. (ANI)

1.3 Million User Details Leaked as Washington Post Suffers Hack

In an official announcement on their website, it Is learned that the Online Jobs section on Washington Post's website was hacked last week between June 27 and June 28. Although the section was shut down with immediate effect, it has been found that the unidentified miscreant had accessed nearly 1.3 million email addresses, in addition to the user IDs.

Hacked.. 

However having said that, Washington Post clarified that the personal data, and passwords remained untouched. In a detailed report posted on their website, Washington Post revealed that it had informed all its users about the data breach via email, and also assured that the website had implemented extra security measures to avoid a hack in the future.

Washington Post is one of the most widely read, and subsequently the largest newspaper in Washington D.C. That perhaps, explains that huge size of their user base, on their online portal. This hack comes in the wake of security breaches affecting governmental, financial social sites, and hence is a worrying trend.

Leh, a sight-seeing paradise

You’re in Leh embraced by its beauty and charm. Basking in nature and serenity. Falling in love with its rustic exquisiteness. But now enough admired, its time to get out and explore the fun side of this tranquil town.

Read on to find out more about the fun sight-seeing spots you must visit when in Leh.

Monastry

Leh Palace, Namgyal Tsemo Hill

The nine-storey high Leh Palace is one magnificent edifice, which was built by King Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century with an uncanny resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. With the Ladakh mountain range as its backdrop towards the north, the Leh Palace is an architectural marvel that opens up sprawling views of the entire town and its surrounding areas from the rooftop.

Further up from the Leh Palace, the Namgyal Tsemo Hill rises over it like a kingly ceremonial headgear and is the resting ground for an ancient fort ruin. This fort is said to have been the earliest royal residence of the Namgyal dynasty and is flanked by some temples built in veneration of the guardian deities.

Excursion to Khardung La Top
Khardung La or Khardung Pass – a much romanticized high altitude adventure trail – happens to be the gateway to Nubra and Shyok Valleys. Standing proud at an altitude of 5359 meters (17,582 feet), contrary to the signage and the local voice claiming it to be 5602 meters (18,380 feet) high, Khardung Pass is the road that’s sporadically trod by adventure-streaked bikers. Known by locals as Khardong La and even Khardzong La, it has a mesmerizing effect on people who visit it. So much so that sometimes tourists hang around patiently for days, waiting for the accursed road-blocking snow to shy away and leave the stage for some breathtaking tripping.

Shanti Stupa
This is an astonishingly unique structure that rests at an altitude of 4,267 meters (14,000 feet) on a hilltop in Changspa village, about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Leh. Overlooking the Leh Palace from the steep hill (which can be reached by treading 500 steps), the white domed structure heralds the spread of a noble spiritual effort that began way back in 1914 in Japan.

Choglamsar SOS Village, Stok Palace
The SOS Tibetan children’s village (TCV), a milestone achievement and an enthusiastic foray into social development, is an institutional effort at spreading child education initiated through a joint collaboration of his Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Indian Govt.

A Conversation with PKX Thomas, COO, Cleartrip.com

A read-up on their swanky new app on the iOS platform, and a look-see at their impressive website later, we were sure of where we were headed. Cleartrip.com is a name that instantly brings to mind the image of pocket-friendly holidays tickets - that you might've indulged in too.

A quick rush through the busy lanes of Mumbai, and some interesting bits on the city’s mill days, courtesy an enterprising cabbie, we reached the Cleartrip office. We were ushered in, and in the walk through the large space we could see dozens of heads, buried in work, probably helping ‘you’ make that trip memorable, and of course, keeping their motto in mind, simple.  We were there to meet Mr. PKX Thomas, and were eager to know more about him and the popular site. Below is our tete-a-tete with Mr. PKX Thomas, COO, Cleartrip.com.

PKX Thomas, COO, Cleartrip.com

Could you tell us a bit more about the profile you manage at Cleartrip?
Well! My profile at Cleartrip is multi-faceted.  In a way you could say what jobs nobody else does, is done by me (chuckles).  Technology has been an integral part of my profile here at Cleartrip, and fascinatingly it has been my steady passion, too. Apart from that, I do look after the business side of things, too. I look at the things on the product side, too. Also, HR operations are taken care of by me. So, in that sense, I don lots of hats.

What idea led to the beginning of Cleartrip?
Cleartrip was started between Stuart (Stuart Crighton, CEO), Hrush (Hrush Bhatt, Founder & Director), and a few others. At the time we began operating, the space was virtually empty. Booking a ticket, for most parts was a paid thing. If I wanted to book a ticket to some place I would have look out for a travel agent, whom I would expect to do the needful. I joined Cleartrip, somewhere around the same time as Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers joined as investors to Cleartrip, i.e. end of July, 2006.

In India, the concept of booking a ticket online is still in its infancy stages, in such a situation, what were the risks you had in your mind before taking the plunge?
People are now changing their view pertaining to the idea of buying a ticket. We are experiencing a growth rate, which is currently higher than that of the airline industry.  More and more people are now looking at websites like that of ours as a convenient option to buy their tickets from. The transition from offline to online is happening steadily.

Book while on the go..

Also, users have now understood that the online medium adds more transparency to the whole buying process. Like earlier, if you approach a travel agent to book your ticket, you were forced to believe the price he quoted, simply because there was no way you could cross-check. However now, that is not the situation. If the agent quotes you one price, you can visit us, and get the same trip costing you much lesser.  However, having said that, these dual markets will continue to exist. The online medium is self-serviceable – you search, you pay.

However, the challenge that remains is that people have got used to conventional means of buying a ticket. The risk here was that when booked online, the ticket comes in an email, the print out of which has to be produced at the counter at the railway station, or the airport. It most definitely lacks the look, and feel of the good old ticket. Initially there was a lot of uncertainty about whether that particular format would be accepted. But, today, it is accepted everywhere. Also, the ease of the usage of our travel website instills the confidence in the user.  In many ways, during the pre-purchase period, we empower the user to make the decision.  Then comes the decision, in that, you will always pick something that’s more cost-effective, and not something that’s plain exorbitant.

Additionally, if for any reason, the user feels the need to change his purchase decision, then the quality of the services provided, refund given for the same, et al further helps us to build the confidence of the user.3
What edge can I expect while booking my tickets via Cleartrip vis-à-vis the conventional ‘standing in a queue’?
These days, like I mentioned before, users have the option to check with the prices on our portal before they decide to approach a travel agent. This way the agent would find it difficult to make the customer agree to a pre-decided price, since the users will be armed with the knowledge that the fare is lesser, elsewhere.  This helps to keep the prices down, and empowers the customer. So this way, even if a particular user is not an online travel booker, he will turn into one sooner or later, due to the confidence that we instill into his psyche.

What probably keeps the customer away from making a transition into the online space is the provision of security, or the lack of it that one usually experiences in the online space. A goof-up, or a glaring error in the online space can only be addressed via an email, on the other hand, in the offline scenario he has the benefit of reprimanding someone, even physically if need be. That’s probably the only difference.

Especially in times like these where you get to hear about hacking, what is the kind of security that Cleartrip promises to its users? What has been the most recent security addition that Cleartrip has added?
Security has been our prime concern since day one of our operations. For starters, we don’t make the user put down his credit card number during the transaction. Instead, he is directed through the whole process using an IVR number.  Only then is he asked to punch in his credit card number. However, the information that reaches our database is encrypted. We store in the masked number of the user’s credit card, which is virtually worthless for a hacker, as using that he would gain nothing.  It’s essential for us to store the masked credit number in our database, since it’ll help us redirecting any grievance queries of the user using the masked number provided.

You recently introduced your services, and optimized them for use on the iPhone, complete with Retina Display. Will the experience be just the same, like it would be while using Cleartrip on the conventional PC? What has the response been like?

With Retina Display..

Well, the experience isn’t exactly the same. In my view, a mobile device is meant to enable the customer. Usually, our travel decisions are on the spur of the moment. Suppose, I want to book my return to Mumbai, from Delhi, and I’m not in the confines of my room, or don’t have access to internet, at such times, the only thing that most of us have ready access to is a mobile phone. So, using our iPhone-optimized website and the Express Checkout feature enabled for HTML5, users can book their tickets directly using that. The best part is that except for the first time, users don’t have to punch in any details for any bookings, thereafter. So, the idea is that the mobile-optimized website will help the user make the purchase decision, and once he’s done deciding he can then log onto the site on his desktop and make the purchase. Currently, we have over 5,000 users using the mobile platform to make their searches.

So, currently, we have domestic flight searches made available, as well as trains. International will come soon, too. However, we plan to include hotel searches towards the end, since that’ll require a lot of bandwidth, and with the lack of 3G connectivity for the major part, it seems difficult now. Also, people don’t find it comfortable to book a hotel without seeing it, unless it’s someone who travels frequently. Also, the style sheets on our mobile platform optimize themselves, according to the phone.

Do you see people, especially in India, managing their entire trip (flights, hotels, and trains) on an online portal, like yours?

Truly, a SMALL WORLD!

Yes, to that effect, we have a new service that we launched – Small World - wherein the user gets all the information he wants to know about the place he wishes to visit. Using the Small World service, users can avail information on -  currency v/s rupee rates, places of interest, weather updates, photo gallery, maps, traveller ratings and reviews, flights, hotels, time zone details and other details.

What concept, technology would you tout as the next big thing for Cleartrip?

Now, on your smartphone..

When travel and technology converge, it is the end user who’s set to benefit, for sure. Suppose, last few seats are available in a particular flight, the airline will never want to sell it at a cheaper cost. So, we are working on a way to get around that – convincing the airlines on how to do it. That way you will have the customer choosing a flight over his frequented mode of traveling, thereby adding more value to the entire chain. We’re planning to add a car booking service, too.

Lightly guarded India temple holds $22B treasures

NEW DELHI (AP) — A vast treasure trove of gold coins, jewels and precious stones unearthed at a lightly guarded Hindu temple in India was expected to grow further in value Monday as the last two secret vaults sealed for nearly 150 years are opened.
The government has increased security since the treasure's discovery in recent days, which has instantly turned the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple into one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the country.
Four vaults recently opened at the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty that unofficial estimates peg at $22 billion.
The treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries.
The volume of gold and silver coins was so enormous that the investigators weighed the coins by the sackful, rather than counting them, officials said.
The temple, built by the maharajas who ruled the then-kingdom of Travancore, remained under the control of the erstwhile royal family after India's independence in 1947.
India's Supreme Court ordered the inspection of the vaults after a lawyer petitioned a local court asking the state government to take over the temple, citing inadequate security. The current Maharaja of Travancore had appealed to the Supreme Court against the petition.
The inventory began last week and the final vaults were to be unlocked Monday afternoon. The public knew the temple had treasures but not the quantum.
Before the trove was uncovered, there was almost no visible security at the temple, save for a few local security guards patrolling the complex with batons, mainly for crowd control.
Kerala's police chief, Jacob Punnoose, said he sent extra police officers to guard the temple and is planning a high-tech security system to protect the treasure.
"We plan to enhance security in a manner which will not interfere with the activities of the temple or devotees," Punnoose said.
The security plans include the installation of digital electronic networks, closed circuit cameras and metal detectors at the entrance and exits of the temple.
Manoj Abraham, city police commissioner, said two battalions of special armed police would provide security outside the temple complex.
"Later, we will discuss with temple authorities and members of the former royal family what kind of permanent security system should be put in place," Abraham said.
Every year, devout Hindus donate millions of rupees worth of cash, gold and silver to temples. Some temples in India are so wealthy, they have formed trusts which run schools, colleges and hospitals that offer free treatment to the poor.
The discovery has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove.
Vellappally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, said the wealth should remain with the temple authorities.
Some social activists in Kerala have demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the poor.
Kerala's top elected official, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, however, assured the people that the wealth would remain with the temple.
"It is the property of the temple. The government will protect the wealth at the temple."
Chandy said the government would bear the cost of stepping up security at the temple and ensure that worshippers were not inconvenienced.

SatNav GPS Systems to Monitor Rickshaws in New Delhi Soon

Public travel in the three-wheeler i.e. the country's colorful rickshaw, at least when in the capital, is all set to get a much needed facelift. If you’re a frequent rickshaw-rider (for want of a better term) in Delhi, chances that you encountered an unreasonably rude driver must be quite high. Not that it's any different in any other city of course. But in the capital we often also hear about the plight of the female travelers, who fear for their safety when commuting via this mode.

Under the scanner..

A recent report in The Telegraph, has added a shade of optimism to the bleak reality. By the end of this week, as many as 250 rickshaws plying on the streets of New Delhi will have GPS from SatNav installed, a number which by the end of this month will soar to a good 55,000 rickshaws. These GPS devices will further be connected to a government server. Among the many purposes it is expected to serve, the device will track the journeys the rickshaw covers, thereby giving officials a way to check if the drivers are taking the easiest, fastest routes. Also, considering the increasing instances of indecent, rude behavior of the drivers towards the customers, especially female travelers, the monitoring will help the officials nail the guilty.

Appreciatively, the rickshaws will also include a panic button which female passengers can press to raise an alarm, to alert the cops if they sense danger. The move, for now at least has met with stiff resistance from the rickshaw drivers, owing to the high costs of the device. However, the officials have offered them an option of ‘renting’ the SatNav systems. This move comes as an attempt to improve the services of the three-wheelers in the busy metro of New Delhi, which accounts for good manners, professional behavior, personal hygiene, vehicle maintenance, among others.

Although this does seem to be a great move, considering the amount of dependency that metro dwellers have on their services, it remains to be seen if these services reach the other metros too.

Lightly guarded India temple holds $22B treasures

NEW DELHI (AP) — A vast treasure trove of gold coins, jewels and precious stones unearthed at a lightly guarded Hindu temple in India was expected to grow further in value Monday as the last two secret vaults sealed for nearly 150 years are opened.

The government has increased security since the treasure's discovery in recent days, which has instantly turned the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple into one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the country.
Four vaults recently opened at the temple in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern state of Kerala, held a vast bounty that unofficial estimates peg at $22 billion.
The treasures unearthed so far include statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces, all given as gifts to the temple over the centuries.
The volume of gold and silver coins was so enormous that the investigators weighed the coins by the sackful, rather than counting them, officials said.
The temple, built by the maharajas who ruled the then-kingdom of Travancore, remained under the control of the erstwhile royal family after India's independence in 1947.
India's Supreme Court ordered the inspection of the vaults after a lawyer petitioned a local court asking the state government to take over the temple, citing inadequate security. The current Maharaja of Travancore had appealed to the Supreme Court against the petition.
The inventory began last week and the final vaults were to be unlocked Monday afternoon. The public knew the temple had treasures but not the quantum.
Before the trove was uncovered, there was almost no visible security at the temple, save for a few local security guards patrolling the complex with batons, mainly for crowd control.
Kerala's police chief, Jacob Punnoose, said he sent extra police officers to guard the temple and is planning a high-tech security system to protect the treasure.
"We plan to enhance security in a manner which will not interfere with the activities of the temple or devotees," Punnoose said.
The security plans include the installation of digital electronic networks, closed circuit cameras and metal detectors at the entrance and exits of the temple.
Manoj Abraham, city police commissioner, said two battalions of special armed police would provide security outside the temple complex.
"Later, we will discuss with temple authorities and members of the former royal family what kind of permanent security system should be put in place," Abraham said.
Every year, devout Hindus donate millions of rupees worth of cash, gold and silver to temples. Some temples in India are so wealthy, they have formed trusts which run schools, colleges and hospitals that offer free treatment to the poor.
The discovery has sparked a debate over the future of the treasure trove.
Vellappally Nateshan, a Hindu leader, said the wealth should remain with the temple authorities.
Some social activists in Kerala have demanded the treasure be handed to a national trust to help the poor.
Kerala's top elected official, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, however, assured the people that the wealth would remain with the temple.
"It is the property of the temple. The government will protect the wealth at the temple."
Chandy said the government would bear the cost of stepping up security at the temple and ensure that worshippers were not inconvenienced.

NSG Website Suffers Breach

Adding to the string of high-security breaches is the data breach of the official website of India’s foremost, special-trained counter terror and anti-hijack commando force, the NSG (National Security Guards). The officials of the NSG unit, although not completely sure, suspect a hacking attempt most likely to have hit their systems.

Secure?

According to a report in Hindustan Times' Delhi edition, the website, www.nsg.gov.in, in addition to the official e-mail domains are feared to be compromised. The website, however, is being claimed to be the least affected, and as a safety precaution, the passwords of the official emails of NSG units are being reset. Although, there hasn’t been any confirmation on the miscreants behind the breach, initial probe carried out by the NSG unit have traced the links to outside the country.

Headquartered in Delhi, the NSG unit is presently one of the most elite anti-terror units. The NSG site is being maintained by the technical wing of the NSG force, in association with the National Informatics Centre (NIC). You will recollect that the famous hacking outfit, Anonymous had breached the data of the NIC, too, sometime last month. This was in addition to the hack at the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) website.

Increasing instances of data breach on the official website of various government units pose a serious threat to the flawed claims of security, and has in the process discovered many loopholes.

Top 5 Exercises that can be Done at Home

We understand that you have an extremely busy schedule. We also understand that there is not a good gym where you live or maybe you don’t really like going to one. So we tell about the top 5 exercises which can be
easily done at home. No excuses now!
Here are 5 great exercises that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment:

 

Push-ups

This is one of the most useful exercises that can be easily done at home. If done correctly it can rev up your stamina and build your pecs and triceps.
How to do it: Lie face down with your palms on the floor about shoulder width apart from each other. Push your whole body up with your back and legs in a straight line and then lower yourself back down towards the floor. To strengthen your chest more place your arms wider apart. To strengthen your triceps and back more, move your arms closer together.
Muscles involved: Chest muscles and triceps

Sit-ups

This is another great exercise to do in the house and can be done almost everywhere. This can help in the strengthening of the hip flexors and abdominal muscles.
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms across your chest and raise your body up to try and meet your knees. This can cause strain on the back, so if you have a weak back it may be better to do a crunch instead.
Muscles involved: Abdominal muscles and back muscles

Jumping on the Spot

This might sound a bit silly but it’s a great workout and is used to get the heart pumping and build stamina. This can also build your leg muscles.
How to do it: Literally just jump up and down raising your whole body off the ground by at least 5-6 inch or more.
Muscles involved: Calf muscles and thigh muscles

Squats

It is another easy but very useful exercise for your thighs and buttocks. It helps to shape your buttocks, strengthen thighs and build stamina.
How to do it: Stand up straight , bend your knees with your arms stretched outright parallel to the floor. Bend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Muscles involved: Thigh muscles and buttocks muscles.

Back Extension

Back extension is a strength training exercise. It is done for strengthening lower back muscles.
How to do it: Lie face down with your arms at your side. Slowly lift your head toward the ceiling and look up as far as you can go. You can extend this by lifting your legs and your head up as far as you can and hold for 5 seconds and release.
Muscles involved: Stomach muscles and Back muscles. (MensXP.com)

Evergreen bollywood heroines: Bhagyashree

Bhagyashree made her sensational debut in 1990 against Salman Khan in Sooraj Barjatya's super duper hit film 'Maine Pyar Kiya'.

The directors and producers could not believe this madness but tried out that also. This proved to be quite expensive for them as all the films with Bhagyashree and Himalaya, like 'Qaid Mein Hain Bulbul' and 'Payal' fared miserably on the boxoffice. It proved to be a bad gamble.

Kerala temple a treasure trove

   

Kerala's Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is guarded in heavy security as a team appointed by the Supreme Court opened chambers which have been locked for centuries. Photo by Lekshmikanth PS

According to unofficial sources, so far, gold and precious stones worth thousands of crores have been unearthed. Photo by Lekshmikanth PS

on Thursday an 18 feet long necklace weighing 10.5 kg was found. On Friday a 536 kg of 18th century gold coins and about 20 kg of the British East India Company’s gold coins were found. Photo by Lekshmikanth PS

With these findings, Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is now one of the richest temples in the country

Mysterious Motorola Droid HD Reveals Itself...Accidentally

Could this be a mischievous prank or the real deal? We’ll only know for sure with time. PocketNow stumbled upon the EXIF data of some Flickr images that reveal a mysterious Motorola Droid HD. The photographs were taken somewhere in Libertyville, Illinois, where Motorola just happens to have a campus.

Real or fake?

Going by the name of the phone alone, it may just have an HD ready screen. This could make it better than the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and even some qHD screens found on high end Android handsets. As far as we are aware, the next jump in screen resolution would come in the form of the Nexus 4G that would feature a 1280 x 720 resolution touch screen and will run Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich. For now, let’s just wait and watch.

Quick Look at Google+ on the HTC Flyer

The Google+ enthusiasm stays on, and we took to it like fish to water.  Well, we checked out Google's new social bee on the all new, new to the shelves HTC Flyer Android powered tablet and thought we'd give you a quick insight into what the new social networking craze felt like on a tablet device. Head over to our image section here for a quick look.

Already gone mobile

Kangna - Haute or not

Al-Qaeda Hacked!-Now what left

The online communication platform of the global militant, Sunni Islamist group, Al-Qaeda was brought down by a group of ‘seasoned’ computer hackers. The militant group has since been unable to manage their flow of videos, and other communications.

Caught off guard..!

According to a report in msnbc.com, Evan Kohlmann, from Flashpoint Global Partners, the firm monitoring Al-Qaeda’s communications, stated that, “Al-Qaeda's online communications have been temporarily crippled and it does not have a single trusted distribution channel available on the Internet.” It was further learned that, the nature of the hack wasn’t like the usual modes, which were observed. Instead, the hack was almost an ‘unusual cocktail of relatively sophisticated techniques’, in Kohlmann’s words. Although, any kind of detail about the hacker(s) is still out of the reach of the investigators, it is for sure that the militant group will take long to get their systems up and running again.

This attack comes a year after Al-Qaeda’s online system suffered a hack attack of a similar nature. At that time, it was found that the U.K. government had replaced the bomb-making recipe on the site, with that of a cup cake. And, even then, it took a while for the militant group to put their site back on track.

Google leverages its cloud expertise to expand its SMB footprint

With so many active cloud players in the market, Google Cloud has much to offer in the enterprise space. The search engine giant, which garners maximum revenue from web advertising, now tends to push its cloud services to the SMBs.
Unlike on-premises, hosted and "software plus services" technologies, Google's multi-tenant, Internet-scale infrastructure offers faster access to innovation, superior reliability and security, and maximum economies of scale.
Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office brings collaborative multi-person editing to the familiar Microsoft® Office experience. You can share, backup and simultaneously edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint®, and Excel® documents with coworkers.
With around 100,000 users across India, around 500,000 in the Asia-Pacific region and over two million globally, Google claims to achieve much success in this segment. Prominent clients include the Indian Youth Congress (around 28,000 users), India Infoline (around 17,000 users) and Punj Lloyd (around 24,000 users).
Globally, Google charges its clients around $50 per month, per head (also referred to as a licence). While the price is similar in India, sources say there are many resellers who offer discounts and hence, make the proposition more attractive for enterprises.
SMBs have limited resources and they focus on offerings that help them save costs and boost revenue. Cloud computing is seen as the next big trend in the IT industry, setting to redefine ways, and Asia Pacific has a high potential for growth in the cloud computing market.
According to research firm IDC, the cloud computing industry in the Asian-Pacific region (excluding Japan) is expected to expand by about 40 per cent per year until 2014. However, Japan has become the second-largest IT market in the world, poised to grow to $29.2 billion by 2015.
Though Asian businesses look to cloud as a cost-effective solution, limitations of budget, bandwidth, and local legislation still persists.

Google Street View told to halt filming in India

Police in southern India have halted Google from taking pictures of streets for its popular Street View services until it gets approval from the federal government.
T.Sunil Kumar, a senior police official in the technology hub of Bangalore, told The Associated Press late Tuesday that the Mountain View, California-based company would be allowed to resume filming only after it produced security clearances from the Home Ministry and Ministry of Defense.
India is especially sensitive to detailed photographs and locations of key buildings being made public since the 2008 Mumbai attacks where 10 armed gunmen rampaged through iconic city landmarks including two five-star hotels and a Jewish center killing 166 people.
Google India officials did not immediately comment.
Street View has raised privacy concerns in many countries.