Home Remedy for Acidity

What is Acidity?

Digestive acid which is created by stomach is essential in digestive process. But when this acid is produced in excess it creates problem which is normally known as acidity. When the gastric juice is released in abundant quantity, it is known as Gastric Hyperacidity. There can be several reasons behind acidity/hyper acidity.

Causes of Acidity:

Acidity may happen due to abnormal food intake, spicy food, oily food and other metabolism issue in the body. Mostly acidity comes into picture because of wrong food intake. As per normal requirement of the body, at least 80% food should be of alkaline in nature. Like green vegetables, fruits, salads etc. and at most 20% from acidic food like, oily food, spicy food and all non-vegetarian food. When this balance is disturbed, acid secretion increases in the stomach resulting in acidity/hyper acidity.

Not only food, rather study says, negative emotions like anger, stress etc is also a major reason of acidity problem. That’s the reason a cool and calm personality seldom has the need to face any disease.

Home Remedy of Acidity:

1. Avoid all types of fast food, non-vegetarian food and oily/spicy food.
2. Take as much fruit as possible. This will help to increase alkaline in the body, neutralizing the acidity affects. Banana, Water Melon and cucumber are few recommended fruits which are proved helpful in acidity.
3. Drink sufficient water (At least 3 ltr). Take water more frequently.
4. Almond helps in quick control over heart burn. Whenever you feel like heart burn, take few pieces of Almonds.
5. Jaggery(gur) is a proven home remedy for acidity. Put one piece in mouth and suck it slowly.
6. Green coconut water is very helpful in acidity.
7. Sleep sufficient. Do not work till late night.
8. Fresh mint juice helps in reducing the side effects of acidity. You can have a glass of mint juice after food for a fast relief.
9. Take a small piece of raw garlic; this is a very good digestive element. But don’t take overdose, or else it will have negative effect on acidity.

Sound Sleep Naturally for a Healthy Life

Lack of sleep is a common problem for the modern people. Extreme mental work and pressure and lack of physical work and modern life style is the main reason behind sleep disorder.

Symptoms:

Insomnia or sleeping difficulties has several symptoms. If you are facing the below symptoms of insomnia, you should be careful from the beginning.

Sleep should bring energy in your body. If you are feeling tired after sleep, you might be a victim of insomnia. Because of Insomnia, you might feel sleepy throughout the day. Loss of concentration and getting irritated easily are few more symptoms of insomnia.

What to do?

Insomnia is a curable diseases, so there is no need to worry. Just you have to change your life style for a better future.Follow below discussed points to avoid lack of sleep.

1. Morning should start with regular exercise. Little physical work daily will keep your body active during day time and at night it will bring a good night sleep.
2. Try all kinds of alcohol and tobacco etc. If you can’t live without it, don’t take 4-5  hours before sleep.
3. Go to bed in time daily. Don’t go to bed too early or too late than your planned time or go to bed immediately when you are feeling sleepy and tired at night.
4. Cool temperature and silent environment encourage a good sleep.
5. Don’t over eat at night.
6. Do not watch TV, work on computer at night just before going to bed.
7. Do not sleep during day time.
8. Never worry about lack of sleep. It will only make the situation worse.
9. Never try hard to sleep.

Healthy Diet

What is a Healthy Diet?

The opinions of doctors and nutritional experts vary widely, leading to a huge amount of conflicting data and statistics. In frustration most people give up trying to diet, or lean toward one of the ‘official’ low fat, high carbohydrate diets.

For some basic guidelines it is wise to listen to and observe what other people or populations have done in the past. There are several that exist in which the population in general reaches a ripe old age, at the same time maintaining a record of good health both physically and mentally.

The Hunza people are such an example. They live in the Kashmir valley in Pakistan and are known for their extreme longevity, living up to between 120 and 140 years of age. The main causes of death are old age, disease or poverty, and not degenerative diseases as is the case in the West.

The traditional Hunza diet consists of unprocessed whole foods which are rich in fibre: 40% calories from whole grains, 30% calories from vegetables, 15% from fruits, 10% from beans, 4% nuts and seeds and only 1% from animal products. The Hunza people eat 80% of their vegetables and 100% of their fruit raw. A combination of their low-fat diet and the fact that they are very active, a result of living in the rugged mountains, means that the Hunzakuts are not obese.

And ... they are happy! They have a certain relish and passion for life - perhaps brought on to some extent by their daily rigorous exercise and simple lifestyle.

What can we learn from the Hunzakuts? Three things:
• eat raw fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds
• exercise daily
• have a positive outlook on life

In our hectic lives it sometimes pays to give the body a rest and to follow a cleansing diet for a couple of weeks. The simple guidelines below will help you to feel the difference.

Basic Cleansing Diet

Breakfast:
1 glass of lemon water or water with apple cider vinegar (1Tbsp)
Fruit salad with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and a few almonds
or
1 bowl of porridge
or
1 slice of sour-dough bread with avocado or a little butter
Herbal tea
No coffee or dairy products

Mid morning: 1 glass of fresh fruit juice (apple, pear, grapefruit..)

Lunch:
Salad (Lettuce with celery, tomatoes, cucumber or anything else that you want) or a
salad sandwich with or without a small can of tuna (in spring water)

Dinner:
Any vegetarian meal, for example vegetables with brown rice or brown noodles, chickpeas, beans, lentils, vegetable bakes, stir fries or soups.
Dishes can be made with any vegetables except potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn.

No alcohol, dairy products, coffee or refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, soft drinks etc.)

Drink at least 2 litres of water a day

Snacks in between meals are allowed, and can include fruit (no oranges) or dry crackers with avocado, humus or tahini.

After 2 weeks you may introduce chicken or fish 2 times a week.

Supplements:

Vit C 2000-3000 mg with meals
Vit.E 500-800 mg with meals
Lipoic Acid (at the health food store, aids fat metabolism)
Taurine 500 (at the health food store, supports your liver)

Vegetarian pizza

Potato and Thyme Pizza

 

We all love a classic margherita pizza, but sometimes it’s worth venturing into unfamiliar territory to find unexpected gems. Maybe it happens by accident, maybe by sheer blind luck, but whatever its origin story, this potato pie is definitely a refreshing shake up from the status quo. Aside from your standard pizza ingredients, you will need thyme, potatoes and a desire to try unlikely combinations.

sweet pizza

Pizza Hut

Mobile technology has made it possible to contact someone with access to cutting-edge pizza recipes regardless of your location — except the airport lounge on Christmas eve, but that’s another story. For those who enjoy their comfort foods served to them, there’s the zenith of the pizza establishment, Pizza Hut. All of the pizza deliciousness without any of the pizza trial and error. Pizza success! Ask about their hot dog infused crust.

Red Grape and Honey Pizza

 

As a kid, dessert was my meat and potatoes. Nothing has changed as an adult. That’s why I’m fascinated by meals that blur the line between main course and dessert. This red grape and honey pizza is perfect for a light summer snack. I can’t guarantee you will know what meal you’re eating, but you will definitely be pleased that you’re doing so.

Pizza Exotic

Salmon and Caviar Pizz

Urban Dictionary defines “baller” as someone who has made it. This pizza will have you tossing around that epitaph in the most profligate of manners with your most intimate of cohorts. And using words like profligate. Break the bank for this vocabulary expanding pizza.

The Basic 2.0 Pizza

Having a recipe for a basic pizza is imperative to winning friends and getting ahead. Ask any successful person the reason for their success and they’re likely to rattle off a long list of things that have nothing to do with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. But, what they’re really trying to tell you is that early on they snagged a basic pizza recipe and they learned how to make it to perfection. That’s it! Master the process of making this pie and share it with others if you like the idea of success.

 

Fried Pizza

 In thousands of years when culinary historians are combing through the annals of American history, they’ll observe that one cooking method was representative of Americana. It’s not a stretch to say that deep fried food is a birth right, and that entitlement is a delicious privilege. This fritta pizza will have you wondering what other things you a deep fry. Consider it a jumping point to a world of crunchy bliss.

The Basic Pizza

 Everyone needs a pizza in their recipe book that’s versatile, working just as well for a mid-week night-in as it does entertaining the gang on the weekend. What’s great about the basic pizza is that once you’ve mastered it, you can express your creativity and build on it in all kinds of unique ways. Got a little basil? Throw it on there. Few strips of bacon in the fridge? Put it on there. An alternate — but albeit longer — moniker for this pie could very well be the “whatever you got lying around that you think will be delicious on a pizza” pizza.

The Hummus and Mint Masterpiece Pizza

 Pizza comes in all shapes and sizes, so don’t be fooled into thinking it has to have tomato sauce and mozzarella to qualify. This Middle Eastern inspired pizza will have you thinking outside of the proverbial box, and you’ll be glad you did so.

Holy Yolk Pizza

 Jamie Oliver doesn’t disappoint with this signature pizza. He spices up a standard prosciutto and artichoke pie with by putting an egg on top. If you choose to do the key sunny side up, you get all that wonderful yolk blending into all the salty flavours. This isn’t an eat on a park bench with your best Sunday attire kind of pizza. A fork and knife is a must.

he ‘Lion Whisperer’ Kevin Richardson plays with a White Lion.

Interesting

This 40-foot-long sliver of granite on Half Dome, named the Thank God Ledge, is the only way to get beyond the Visor, a massive roof that looms over the Regular Northwest Face route. Most people crawl, says Alex Honnold, but he prefers to walk it, face out, since that’s “cooler.” The 30 seconds it takes to get across requires absolutely no technical climbing skill, but even Honnold admits it’s sobering to look at 1,800 feet of air.

Those are beautful

that is so beautiful.

Love this installation, does anyone know where it comes from?

Ashes: Stuart Broad leaves Adam Gilchrist as moral man apart

Decision not to walk was sadly predictable and in stark contrast to example set by a former Ashes great.

Modern sport is peppered with examples of players declining to turn themselves into the authorities. Moral self-policing is rare.
If there was ever a true Spirit of Cricket, it took the day off at Trent Bridge when Stuart Broad blatantly nicked a delivery to first slip but chose not to walk. Social media erupted with an amazing array of verdicts, ranging from cheat to sensible, from skulduggery to understandable opportunism.
Not for the first time the argument veered off in the direction of moral equivalence. Would an Australian batsman say he would walk in those circumstances? If no, presumably, the problem goes away because we are all as cynical as each other. If yes, the Aussies are telling porkies. A vital moral question soon became another Ashes bunfight.
Temperatures were already running high here from the Jonathan Trott dismissal the day before. Not that personal rectitude was at stake when a not-out lbw call against Trott was overturned, despite Hot Spot being unavailable. That decision by Marais Erasmus, the third umpire, cast doubt on the protocols for the use of technology.
But it was an arcane procedural argument compared to the furore over Broad, which was witnessed by millions on television and unleashed a kind of Twitter hell. Watching Broad stand his ground after Aleem Dar had failed to hear or see a thick edge off an Ashton Agar delivery was Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, who played in the game made famous by Adam Gilchrist's walk, 10 years ago, in a semi-final against Sri Lanka of the Cricket World Cup. Gilchrist is the starting point on walking, which is defined as "the act of a batsman giving himself out, without waiting for an umpire's decision".
In his autobiography, which he even called Walking to Victory, Gilchrist recalled the moment an Aravinda de Silva ball popped off his bat and into the wicketkeeper's gloves. "Then, to see the umpire shaking his head, meaning, 'Not out', gave me the strangest feeling," Gilchrist wrote. "I don't recall what my exact thoughts were, but somewhere in the back of my mind, all that history from the Ashes series was swirling around. Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain and other batsmen, both in my team and against us, who had stood their ground in those "close" catching incidents were definitely a factor in what happened in the following seconds. "I had spent all summer wondering if it was possible to take ownership of these incidents and still be successful. I had wondered what I would do. I was about to find out. The voice in my head was emphatic. Go. Walk. And I did. "It was a really weird sensation to go against the grain of what 99 per cent of cricketers do these days, and what we've been doing for our whole careers. I was annoyed because I felt like I was batting well and had the chance to lay the foundation for a big team score - and it was me taking that away from myself." Some hailed Gilchrist as a groundbreaker. But everyone knows many in his team were livid, and turned on him, for a supposedly needless show of honesty.
Ethics aside, the counter-case against Gilchrist's noble act was he had performed the umpire's job for him when his real obligation was to help Australia win the match. He described his team-mates as "flabbergasted" but said: "I kept going back to the fact that, well, at the end of the day, I had been honest with myself. I felt it was time that players made a stand to take back responsibility for the game. I was at ease with that. The more I thought about it, the more settled I became with what I'd done." The heart soars to read this. But we know it does not correspond to the modern world of sport. Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, who took the Broad catch, has himself apologised for not walking in a match (he was dismissed on review). Similarly it could be argued that Clarke frittered away his reviews and was thus unable to challenge Aleem Dar's inexplicable failure to see that Broad was out.
An absorbing moral ping-pong match ensued. What if it had been the thinnest of edges instead of a thick one? Was it the obviousness of deflection that stained Broad's reputation? Should we expect one man to walk if he has seen countless others stand their ground? An example that flew to mind, at another Nottinghamshire venue, was Liverpool's Luis Suarez handling the ball in an FA Cup tie against Mansfield and then walking it into the net. At first, Suarez was excoriated as a villain. Then some claimed that it was the duty of the three match officials to see the offence, not the player to own up. Most ex-players at Trent Bridge saw this as a particularly flagrant example of an ingrained habit, ie not walking.
Of course Dar should have seen it. Of course Australia should have had a review left to ensure justice. And of course Broad should have walked, in the strictly moral sense, rather than staying to score 10 more runs and help strengthen England's hold on this first Test. In the age of match and spot fixing, though, we already knew cricket is no Utopia.

Verbal war over Modi's ‘puppy’ remark turns bitter

The verbal volleys between Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s supporters and opponents following his comments allegedly drawing an analogy between a puppy and the victims of the 2002 Godhra riots hit a shriller pitch on Saturday.

The surprise element in the ongoing bitter verbal exchanges was Modi getting the backing of a Bahujan Samaj Party MP, Vijay Bahadur Singh, who said that he saw nothing wrong in the Gujarat chief minister’s remarks and even called him a “sensitive person”. 

“If he (Modi) says that he feels bad if a puppy gets crushed under the wheels of his car, then it shows that he is a sensitive and compassionate person,” Vijay Bahadur Singh said. “These are my personal views, but his remarks should not be misinterpreted. He is not referring to any community.”
The Congress kept up its attack on Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countered it in an equally aggressive tone.
While minority affairs minister K Rahman Khan termed Modi as an “unstable” person, his party colleague Digvijaya Singh criticised Modi for attempting to “divide” the nation. “Shouldn’t we all be nationalist Indians rather than Hindu nationalist or Muslim nationalist or Sikh nationalist or Christian nationalist,” he posted on Twitter.

BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad said the Congress and other parties were scared of Modi and “that is why we are seeing that they are in the habit of twisting their statements”. BJP’s Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the Congress had a “devilish mind”.

FREE 'NO WIFI' ZONE

Free WiFi is available almost everywhere we go. People are constantly online, busy with their 

electronic gadgets all the time. Kit Kat have seen an opportunity to give people a break. So instead of offering Free WiFi like every other brand, the company created a Free No-WiFi Zone. A big sign with a small WiFi jammer that blocked all signals within a five meter radius. People was also encouraged to read a newspaper, a real book or have a genuine conversation again. All while munching on a Kit Kat.

Literally giving people a break!

So beautiful.

UNDYING LOVE South Carolina man, 78, wears sandwich board to help wife of 57 yrs in search for life-saving kidney.

Larry Swilling is truly devoted to his wife, Jimmie Sue, they have been married for 57 years he is looking for a kidney to give his 76-year-old wife, the life-saving organ she needs. Larry Swilling and his wife Jimmie Sue have been happily married 57 years. So happily, in fact, that Larry has now come to realize the downside of loving someone so much you can’t live without them. Jimmie Sue needs a kidney donor and no one in the family is a suitable match, so Larry has taken to the streets to try to find one.

“She’s my heart,” he said. Heart has never been an issue for these two.
What’s always been lacking is a kidney. Jimmie Sue was born with only one, and now that one is shot. She needs a transplant but neither her husband, nor anyone tested in her family, is a suitable match. Jimmie Sue is on a donor list, but the wait is about two or three years long and that’s for a kidney from a deceased
donor. Transplant patients who get their kidneys from living donors tend to live longer. Which is why Larry decided to try a completely radical approach to
securing a kidney: asking for it, from total strangers. “I don’t care what people think,” Larry said. He tells his wife, “I’m going to get you a kidney.” Never mind that most people won’t give panhandlers their pocket change, let alone their vital organs. A few months ago, Larry, at 77, has been walking all over his hometown of
Anderson, S.C. and the surrounding towns basically begging for a kidney. And on out on the street, wearing a signboard — “Need kidney 4 wife” — he’s not shy in asking passersby: “I sure could use your kidney.

Glass Bottom Skywalk, Grand Canyon, Arizona

Black wolf hybrid or may be called wolfdog

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT WARREN BUFFET 3rd RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

1) Warren bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2) He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3) He still lives in the same small 3 bedroom house in mid-town Omaha, that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4) He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5) He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6) His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.

7) Warren Buffet has given his CEO's only two rules.

Rule number 1: Do not lose any of your share holder's money.

Rule number 2 : Do not forget rule number 1.

He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch television.

9) Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

10) Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

11) His advice to young people: Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself.

12) He has donated $31 billion (85% of his fortune) to charity.

A mother (97 years old) in China

A mother (97 years old) in China, feeding and taking care of her paralyzed son (60 years old) everyday for more than 19 years. A reminder of the amazing spirit of human compassion and more importantly, motherly love!

The world's largest stallion, named Brooklyn Supreme, weighed 3,200 pounds

puffin bird

Interesting Facts About Windows from the History

More than 70.39% of Internet users are currently running Windows, and there are 1,693,244,385 users. (As per 2012)

Bill Gates started Microsoft with Paul Allen in Gates’ 500-square-foot garage in 1975 with a huge vision—a computer on every desktop and in every home.

Microsoft currently employs 88,180 people who work across 32,404,796 square feet of Microsoft’s premises.

Microsoft shipped out the first copy of Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985. Its TV commercial featured current CEO Steve Ballmer as an enthusiastic salesman.

Windows 1.0 only required a minimum of 256 kilobytes (KB), two double-sided floppy disk drives, and a graphics adapter card.

Control Panel made its first appearance in Windows 2.0.

Windows XP was compiled from 45 million lines of code.

Vik, Iceland

West Coast Choppers Radial

South Africa rest Steyn for Sri Lanka tour

Johannesburg: Star South African fast bowler Dale Steyn was excluded from two national squads on Thursday for an 18-day tour of Sri Lanka.

The Proteas play five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches between July 20 and August 6 in capital city Colombo, Kandy and Hambantota.

"We are resting Steyn as we have a very important and crowded Test season ahead," Cricket South Africa selection convener Andrew Hudson told reporters here.

"We want to be absolutely certain that Dale, as the leader of our attack, is properly rested and fit.

"Graeme Smith could not be considered because of his long-term recovery process following surgery."

Steyn helped South Africa reach the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals in England last month, while a recurring ankle injury sidelined star batsman Smith.

The tour marks the debut of new Proteas coach Russell Domingo and he will be in charge of 16-strong ODI and T20 squads with 12 cricketers included in both.

Hashim Amla, Colin Ingram, Alviro Petersen and Robin Peterson play only in the five-ODI series spread over 12 days at three venues.

Henry Davids, recalled Imran Tahir, Wayne Parnell and uncapped David Wiese were picked exclusively for three T20 games over five days.

"David impressed when the national emerging squad toured Namibia, having previously done well in the Champions League tournament," said Hudson.

"We feel he is the sort of player who could make an explosive impact in the T20 squad."

Adrian Birrell has been named assistant coach to Domingo and Claude Henderson specialist spin bowling coach, and Allan Donald has been retained as specialist bowling coach.

Domingo was promoted after assisting former India World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten, who did not renew his two-year contract.

Squads

ODI: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

T20: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, David Wiese.

Tri-series: West Indies vs India - Preview

Port of Spain: Their campaign in tatters after two consecutive defeats, India need to regroup quickly as they go into a must-win match against hosts West Indies in the cricket tri-series here on Thursday.

The Champions Trophy winners have suddenly looked vulnerable as the young Indian players found it tough to come to terms with the challenging conditions.

As if the two-paced Caribbean wickets were not enough to trouble the Indians, injury to charismatic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has only made the job tough for them.

Tomorrow`s contest comes as a huge challenge and test for the leadership quality of Virat Kohli, who is being considered as a future captain of the country.

Kohli`s tactics during the big-defeat against Sri Lanka did not work and it will be interesting to see how he leads the young pack in the pressure match, where a defeat will virtually ensure their elimination.

West Indies are best placed so far with nine points, courtesy two wins from as many matches while Sri Lanka are second with five points. Both the teams have managed to win a bonus point.

A victory tomorrow will keep India alive in the competition. Their defeat would send the hosts into the final and from there, India`s chances to qualify for the final will depend on a lot of ifs and buts.

First and foremost, India would need a favour from the West Indies that the hosts beat Sri Lanka in their final league match on Sunday and then India will have to beat the Asian neighbours on Tuesday in a certain number of overs to make it to the summit clash.

India`s victory tomorrow will keep the tournament open as all three teams will have a chance to book a place in the title clash.

Considering the grim situation, India need stroke-maker Shikhar Dhawan to yet again provide a solid opening along with Rohit Sharma, who is the only one so far from the side to score a half-century.

In the first two matches, their partnership has not gone beyond five overs. It`s crucial that the two batsmen click as India thrives on good starts.

The players are in form and they need to apply better acording to conditions. The bowlers struggled to find length against Sri Lanka and repeat of the same will be suicidal against the big-hitting Caribbean players.

Chris Gayle is always a big threat and his opening partner Johnson Charles has also given a good account of himself. Kieron Pollard in the middle and Darren Sammy in the lower order are also capable of taking the game away from the opposition on their day.

India may leave out Shami Ahmed and bring back Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. It is also unlikely that Ambati Rayudu will get his debut match in the crucial game.

For West Indies, captain Dwayne Bravo is likely to come back to side, having missed the India match due to a groin strain.

Teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Uadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Shami Ahmed and R Vinay Kumar.
West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (Capt), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Jason Holderm, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, and Devon Smith.

India on standby for 2014 ICC World T20: Dalmiya

Kolkata: India are ready to host few matches of the next year`s ICC World T20 if Bangladesh are not able to meet the ICC`s August deadline to prepare two of the four proposed venues, BCCI interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said here on Thursday.

"We have given a guarantee that if need be, we will help them by having stand-bye venues," Dalmiya, who returned from attending the ICC annual conference in London on Wednesday, said.

"Two of the four venues -- in Cox`s Bazar and Sylhet -- in Bangladesh are doubtful. In case they are not able to get them ready in time, we are ready to host the matches," he added.

Dalmiya however said they were not "rejoicing" at such a situation.

"It`s a difficult situation but I`m not rejoicing. But we`re definitely there for them if we are informed six months` in advance."

India by the way will host three major world tournaments till 2023 beginning with World T20 in 2016, the second World Test Championship in 2021 and then the World Cup.

Dalmiya was excited to have got the major "share of the cake" and said, "It`s a good news that we would keep you busy in coming years."

"India would play a major role in the global events from 2016-2023. The credit goes to the BCCI. We have got the major share of the cake."

Having inspected the Bangladesh venues in June, the ICC`s International Development (IDI) board has set another inspection in August to take a final decision for the March 16-April 6 event next year.

According to an ICC statement, there`s concern regarding the progress of construction and improvements to playing facilities in Cox`s Bazar and Sylhet.

The venues need to be ready six months ahead of the tournament, including adequately meeting the accommodation requirements for the teams.

Among other decision in London, India again had its way with the Decision Review System (DRS), with no specific discussions being held on the issue.

"A lot was talked about DRS but it did not trouble us. The major point we took was DRS was not 100 per cent foolproof so there`s no point discussing about it.”

"The ICC held that the status quo on DRS should be maintained. But please note that only during a bilateral series DRS is implemented with mutual consent."

"It is in bilateral series only. We are not bulldozing anybody and we`re quite clear about it," Dalmiya concluded.

World Cup 2015: Seniors set to make a comeback?

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The Indian squad for World Cup 2015 might see a comeback of veteran players. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might form a team mix of experienced seniors and talented youngsters for the World Cup 2015 to be held in Australia.

This has given hopes to seniors like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. Sources claimed on Thursday that nine out of fifteen players have already been decided for the team. The remaining six slots will be filled on the basis of performance and fitness.

Seeing the current form of skipper MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, B Kumar and Ishant Sharma, they are most likely to be included in the 2015 squad.

“The selectors have an open mind on senior players, but they will have to prove their form and fitness. The selectors have decided to give some of the youngsters a longer rope till the World Cup," a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by a leading cricket website.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have fitted into the scheme of things on top of the order but there is a need for an extra opening batsman. It remains to be seen who occupies the slot, Gambhir or Sehwag?

Zaheer Khan can also contemplate a return. "You need experience in the bowling department, something which Zaheer has in abundance. He was left out of the Indian team because he was struggling with his fitness and was far from his best. If he is match-fit and bowling well, there is no reason to leave him out,” a source close to the selectors said.

Captain Bravo looks for bright homecoming against India

PORT OF SPAIN: Their campaign in tatters after two consecutive defeats, India need to regroup quickly as they go into a must-win match against hosts West Indies in the Tri-series on Friday.

The Champions Trophy winners have suddenly looked vulnerable as the young Indian players found it tough to come to terms with the challenging conditions.                                                                                                             

As if the two-paced Caribbean wickets were not enough to trouble the Indians, injury to charismatic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has only made the job tough for them.

Friday's contest comes as a huge challenge and test for the leadership quality of Virat Kohli, who is being considered as a future captain of the country.

Kohli's tactics during the big-defeat against Sri Lanka did not work and it will be interesting to see how he leads the young pack in the pressure match, where a defeat will virtually ensure their elimination.

West Indies are best placed so far with nine points, courtesy two wins from as many matches while Sri Lanka are second with five points. Both the teams have managed to win a bonus point.

A victory on Friday will keep India alive in the competition. Their defeat would send the hosts into the final and from there, India's chances to qualify for the final will depend on a lot of ifs and buts.

First and foremost, India would need a favour from the West Indies that the hosts beat Sri Lanka in their final league match on Sunday and then India will have to beat the Asian neighbours on Tuesday in a certain number of overs to make it to the summit clash.

India's victory on Friday will keep the tournament open as all three teams will have a chance to book a place in the title clash.

Considering the grim situation, India need stroke-maker Shikhar Dhawan to yet again provide a solid opening along with Rohit Sharma, who is the only one so far from the side to score a half-century.

In the first two matches, their partnership has not gone beyond five overs. It's crucial that the two batsmen click as India thrives on good starts.

The players are in form and they need to apply better according to conditions. The bowlers struggled to find length against Sri Lanka and repeat of the same will be suicidal against the big-hitting Caribbean players.

Chris Gayle is always a big threat and his opening partner Johnson Charles has also given a good account of himself. Kieron Pollard in the middle and Darren Sammy in the lower order are also capable of taking the game away from the opposition on their day.

India may leave out Shami Ahmed and bring back Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. It is also unlikely that Ambati Rayudu will get his debut match in the crucial game.

For West Indies, captain Dwayne Bravo is likely to come back to side, having missed the India match due to a groin strain.

Teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, Shami Ahmed and R Vinay Kumar.

West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (Capt.), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Jason Holderm, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, and Devon Smith.

Vodafone Rs 5 free incoming plan now available

After Airtel and Idea Cellular, it is Vodafone who has announced a new roaming pack that will allow users to answer incoming calls in different states in India, free of charge. Similar to Airtel, Vodafone has also introduced a Rs 5 plan for receiving free calls for an entire day.
This Special Tariff Voucher (STV) of Rs 5 is only available for pre-paid customers and is applicable for 24 hours only. When using this daily plan on national roaming, customers can make outgoing calls for 1.5 paisa per second. All they need to do to activate this plan is dial *444*500# and it will do the needful.

Apart from this, the network operator has introduced another plan for pre-paid users which requires them to shell out at least Rs 71. Unlike the STV mentioned above, this plan offers free incoming calls for an entire month. For those who have post-paid connections, the company has monthly schemes starting at Rs 75 to receive calls when not in their home states without shelling out a single penny.
Moreover, the network operator’s Roaming Tariff Plan (RTP) that starts at Rs 196 for pre-paid connections and at Rs 149 for post-paid numbers have also gone live. It should be noted that the prices may vary in different states across the nation. The basic plan proffers a discount on incoming call rates, while the FR plan does not incur incoming charges at all when roaming.
While TRAI or the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had revealed that it was not possible to completely do away with incoming call charges while roaming, the board did slash these rates considerably. Owing to this, the rates are down by 25 percent and local SMS are now cheaper by around 33 percent. The authority had even asked all mobile operators to introduce packs and recharge coupons for free incoming.

The Vodafone STVs are now available for subscribers roaming in the country.

One pint of beer 'improves heart health'

Greek Scientists concluded that the state of the arteries was improved by the combination of alcohol and antioxidants in beer.

Drinking just one pint of beer is enough to boost the condition of the blood vessels around the heart, a new study has revealed.
Arteries become more flexible and blood flow improves within hours, the report said.
However vodka and alcohol-free beer did not have the same effect in a study of 17 men, the Mirror reported.
Greek Scientists concluded that the state of the arteries was improved by the combination of alcohol and antioxidants in beer.
Harokopio University experts asserted in the study that function was significantly improved only after beer.
Other studies have claimed that a pint a day can cut the risk of heart attack by 30%.
The study was published in the Nutrition journal.

Ranveer hates tags, ‘I’m the Dabangg girl’

Actor Ranveer Singh seems more charmed with the idea of exploring Janpath than his latest movie, Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera, which also stars actor Sonakshi Sinha. But once he starts talking about the movie, he doesn’t lose focus. When we asked him what it was like working on the film, he

replied, “I wanted to collaborate with Vikram, and when we came about Lootera, I thought it will be challenging for me as an actor to do this film. When we got down to shooting it, I got cold feet. But Vikram gave me a scolding, and pushed me to push my limits. The man is a genius.” And on his experience on working with Sonakshi, he added, “She was a tempering force. She works very well under pressure and keeps her cool. So, while Vikram and I would be edgy, her presence would ease things out.”If you ask him about his Casanova image, he comes up with an interesting defence. “I have a problem with tags, as I think they are limiting. I live life on my own terms. There are a few things that I do which raise eyebrows, but people who are close to me, know who I am and that is what matters,” he says. 


Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who started off her career with actor Salman Khan’s Dabangg (2010), might not play a role in the third part of the series, but claims that she will always be associated with the film. “I will always be the Dabangg Girl. That’s how I got my breakthrough in this industry and it will still give me recognition in years to come. Dabangg and me will always be synonymous with each other,” said Sonakshi who was in the Capital to promote her upcoming film Lootera. The 26-year-old actor who was rumoured to have rejected Welcome 2 because of a busy schedule, clarified, “I don’t discuss films I haven’t signed, but then, I have four releases scheduled for this year. I am shooting for three of them and I really don’t have time to fit in another one.” Reacting to the rumours that her mother Poonam Sinha had objected to some intimate scenes between Ranveer and her in Lootera, she said, “She knows what I do and why I do it. Plus she is my biggest critic and admirer. She has loved my role in this film so much that she has seen it twice in one day and is already planning to watch it again.”

India refuses Edward Snowden's request for asylum

New Delhi: India has refused a request for asylum from former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

Mr Snowden faces espionage charges in the United States and is believed to be staying in a transit area at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

Anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, has taken up his cause and released a statement saying that Mr Snowden, who is 30, has asked for asylum in several countries, including Russia, China, Brazil, India and Ireland.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in India said, "I can confirm that earlier today our Embassy in Moscow did receive a communication dated 30 June from Mr Edward Snowden. That communication did contain a request for asylum. We have carefully examined the request.Following that examination we have concluded that we see no reason to accede to the request."

The requests for asylum were given to a Russian official at the airport and were to be delivered to the appropriate embassies in Moscow.

In a statement posted on WikiLeaks, Mr Snowden accused the Obama administration of deception in a campaign to prevent him from finding political asylum and of "leaving me a stateless person" by revoking his US passport.

He flew to Moscow from Hong Kong, where he had first taken refuge after fleeing Hawaii.
Snowden has sought asylum in Ecuador and in an undated letter sent to Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa seen by Reuters, said the United States was illegally persecuting him for revealing its electronic surveillance programme, Prism, but made it clear he did not intend to be muzzled.

"I remain free and able to publish information that serves the public interest," Snowden, who had been a contract employee for the US National Security Agency, said in the letter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said  Mr Snowden could stay in Russia on one condition.

"He must stop his work aimed at harming our American partners, as strange as that sounds coming from my lips," he told reporters after a gas exporters' conference in Moscow.

Putin said he suspected that Snowden would continue leaking information because "he feels himself to be a human rights activist."

"So he must choose a country of destination and go there," he said, speaking before the asylum request to Russia was reported. "Unfortunately, I don't know when this will happen."
Putin said Russia was not working with Snowden and had no intention of handing him over to the United States.

Other cricket boards too objected to DRS, say BCCI sources

Mumbai: It was not only the Indian cricket board but few other boards too expressed reservations on implementing the much-debated Decision Review System (DRS) uniformly in all matches during the annual conference of International Cricket Council in London, sources said on Monday.

"Not only India, but other countries too (objected to its compulsory implementation) because it is not foolproof and there is a financial issue (related to it)," BCCI sources said.

The ICC conference concluded on Saturday.

According to the sources, the cost involved in implementing the DRS is USD 15,000-16,000 per day and the broadcast right holders are not willing to bear this extra cost.

As such, it will be the countries involved in bilateral series who would continue to take a call on whether to have DRS or not, the sources added.

The BCCI has steadfastly refused to have DRS in any series involving Indian team barring events organized by the International Cricket Council like the World Cup, Champions Trophy and World T20 Championship.

Meanwhile, the probe by BCCI`s Anti Corruption Unit chief Ravi Sawani into the alleged involvement of a few Rajasthan Royals` players in the IPL spot-fixing scandal is nearing completion and he`s expected to submit his report to the Board after examining Ajit Chandila, who is in jail at the moment.

"Sawani has completed (probing) four (players). Ajit Chandila is still in jail. His bail application may take a couple of days (to be approved). So we are expecting it in a couple of days` time. Others have all deposed," sources said.

Those who have deposed are S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Sidharth Trivedi and alleged player-turned-bookie Amit Singh.