Microsoft has spent the past two years developing Windows 8, the next edition of its flagship computer operating system, which will for the first time run on both desktop computers and tablet devices.

The company is putting the finishing touches on the software before shipping it to manufacturers, which will load it on devices slated to hit stores in October or November, in time for the holiday-sales season.

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s best hope for competing with devices running Google Inc.’s GOOG -0.35% Android operating system and with Apple Inc.’s AAPL -0.22% iPad and iPhone products. Microsoft has almost no presence in the tablet market, which is expected to double in size, with sales of 118.9 million units this year, according to research firm Gartner Inc.

Apple’s iPad is expected to account for a little less than two-thirds of those sales and Android machines for nearly a third.

Microsoft’s quest to steal some of that market share will likely be slow going. By the end of the year, Windows 8 tablets are expected to account for just 4% of tablet sales, according to Carolina Milanesi, who co-authored a Gartner report on the tablet market.

But the effort is critical for Microsoft as it tries to compensate for flagging personal-computer sales. In its fiscal second quarter, revenue from Windows products fell 6.3% from a year earlier to $4.7 billion.

The stock market is already counting on Windows 8. Microsoft’s shares have risen 20% this year on prospects for “a rich year of new products,” said Nomura Securities analysts Rick Sherlund, who also expects promising new versions of Windows Server 8 to manage networks and updates to Microsoft Office this year.

On Monday, Microsoft said it would simplify the Windows product line by offering just three versions—Windows 8 for most people, Windows Pro for professionals and businesses, and the preinstalled Windows RT for tablets.

It isn’t clear whether Microsoft will make Windows 8 available for smartphones, a market in which the company has struggled.

Windows 8 has received positive early reviews since Microsoft released a preliminary version to software developers in September and a preview of new features that consumers could start downloading in February.

The features include an updated version of the Internet Explorer Web browser, Web-based storage and a single-password sign-on to allow users to access their email, address books and documents across a range of Windows-powered computers and mobile phones.

Like Apple and Google, Microsoft is also wooing the legions of developers who create apps, the tiny downloadable programs that run on tablets and smartphones.

To appeal to a new generation of developers, Microsoft expanded the number of programming languages developers can use to write Windows 8 applications. That might help the company avoid the app shortage that has hobbled its current phone software, Windows Phone 7, which has failed to catch on, even though it received strong reviews.

To entice developers, Microsoft is offering them a bigger cut of sales than they get from Apple or Google. Developers who sell apps through the Windows Store get to keep 80% of sales after an app hits $25,000 in revenue, a higher margin than competitors offer.

Microsoft also allows developers to work more freely with customers, said Jonathan Sasse, marketing chief at Slacker Inc. Clients who download its Slacker Radio app to a Windows device can pay by credit card or through their network carrier. IPhone users pay through iTunes, which is more costly for Slacker.

“We have a better margin on Windows Phone than on iPhone subscribers,” said Mr. Sasse, who expects to reap similar returns from Windows 8 tablet users.

Microsoft’s tactics seem to be working. In January, Appcelerator, a Los Angeles firm that helps create tools for developers, conducted a survey of its 300,000 clients.

The survey found that 66% of respondents said they were developing or planning to develop Android applications and 88% said the same about Apple’s iOS, the operating system that runs the iPad and iPhone. But it also found that 37% were developing apps, or were planning on doing so, for Windows 8.

“The fact that many developers are interested in developing for a system that isn’t even out yet is striking,” said Mike King, Appcelerator’s mobile strategist.

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Agni V, an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, was launched from Wheeler Island, off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, said Sitanshu Kar, a spokesman for India’s defense ministry.

“It was a perfect launch which took place at 0807 hours,” said Mr. Kar. “It has achieved all the parameters and goals set for it.” He didn’t elaborate, but Indian media is saying it reached its intended target 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) out in the Indian Ocean, and was visually tracked along its whole path.

Avinash Chander, chief controller (Missiles and Strategic Systems) of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, described the launch as a “marvelous achievement” in an interview on news channel NDTV. “We achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve.” He said the team has “full confidence in the missile capability” and the missile landed “exactly where it was supposed to land. ”

The launch of the locally built Agni V is part of India’s broader missile-development program, a key aspect of the country’s nuclear strategy. Its range of over 5,000 kilometers means it could reach as far as Beijing, Tehran or Pyongyang.

Experts say this makes it the most advanced missile in India’s missile inventory. But though a successful test fire is a positive sign, it could take a few more years of tests to make the ballistic missile operationally ready.

Poornima Subramaniam, an Asia-Pacific armed-forces analyst with IHS Jane’s, a global think tank specializing in security issues, said by email that Agni V would boost India’s strategic position against China while improving its deterrence system against its other regional rival, Pakistan.

“The Agni V can strike targets across the depth of China, potentially freeing up other short- and intermediate-range missiles for use against Pakistan and much of west and south-central China,” she added. “While India maintains a no-first-use policy, it views this road-mobile ICBM capability as technologically narrowing the missile gap between India and China.”

The launch offers a rare glimpse into India’s broader nuclear strategy, largely focused on improving its delivery vehicles.

“Because there is so little public discussion on the nuclear weapons themselves, the frequent testing of a diverse array of ballistic missiles, of increasingly longer range, is the most visible reminder of India’s growing nuclear capability,” explained M.V. Ramana, a security expert, in a recent report.

India is aiming to complete a “nuclear triad”—the capacity to deliver nuclear weapons by airborne, land-based and sea-based vehicles.

The missiles in the Agni series, which take their name from the Hindi word for fire, are the cornerstone of India’s mobile land-based nuclear delivery system. In November India test-launched Agni IV, which has a range of 3,500 kilometers.

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A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry asked Rinkle Kumari alias Faryal Bibi, Lata Kumari alias Hafsa Bibi and Asha Kumari alias Haleema Bibi to inform the court registrar’s office whether they want to live with their husbands or their families.

The bench ordered police to provide complete security to the women and warned that police officials would be held responsible for negligence if they were harmed.

The court said the women were old enough to make the right decisions for themselves.

The women were later taken to the registrar’s office for recording their statements.

The Supreme Court also directed authorities to submit a report in two weeks on the implementation of its orders in the case.

The parents of the three women expressed disappointment at the judgment, saying they had been denied justice.

The three women have been at the centre of a controversy over the alleged abduction and forcible conversion of Hindu girls and women in southern Sindh province.

In the case of 19-year-old Rinkle Kumari, rights groups and civil society activists have alleged that she was abducted by persons with links to Pakistan People’s Party parliamentarian Mian Abdul Haq alias Mian Mithoo.

Mithoo and his brother have been accused of kidnapping and converting several Hindu women in Ghotki area of Sindh.

Rights activists have alleged that these women were forcibly married to Muslim men.

Matters were further compounded when Rinkle made different statements during news conferences and her appearances in court. The apex court had earlier sent Rinkle and Lata Kumari to a women’s shelter in Karachi to give them time to decide about their future free from pressure.

The court gave its ruling today in response to a Constitutional petition filed by the Pakistan Hindu Council.

Ramesh Kumar, patron-in-chief of the Council, had approached the court to direct authorities to recover the three Hindu women.

Rinkle’s family has said that she was abducted and forced to convert and marry a Muslim man. A similar claim was made by Lata’s family.

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You can apply these natural packs to get rid of the tan from your face, arms, hands, neck, back and feet the natural way. These age old home treatments need at least a week of regular use to obtain noticeable results against the tan and to get your natural colour back.

We tend to use fairness cream which contain bleach that are harmful to the skin in the long run and should be avoided.

- A mixture of lemon juice, rose water and cucumber juice should be applied on the face as a face pack. Lemon juice is citric acid that helps remove the tan and the cucumber and rose water are cooling agents.

- Mixing together some honey and lemon juice and applying it on the affected area can be one of the best anti tan pack mixtures.

- Preparing a paste of some raw milk, turmeric and some lemon juice. This mixture should then be applied on the skin and be allowed to remain till it dries up. Thereafter, it should be washed with some cool water.

- Prepare a mixture of oats and buttermilk. This mixture should be rubbed onto the tanned area as the oats will help in exfoliating the skin and on the other hand the butter milk is known to be extremely soothing for the skin.

- Mixing together some gram flour, lime juice and some curd on the affected area on a regular basis gives best results against tanning.

- Applying some fresh lemon juice and allowing it to remain for at least 15 minutes on the elbows, knees or patchy areas helps remove the tan and making it fair.

- A regular use of fresh coconut water on the hands and face is known to be very effective in getting rid of a tan as well as making the skin supple and soft.

- Aloe Vera gel is an excellent remedy for taking care of dark tans. It will lighten the skin in as little as a week, if applied everyday to the affected area. However, aloe has the property of making your skin photosynthetic and can darken it if you go out in the sun without sunscreen lotion. This makes it important to remember to use sunscreen every time you go out.

- A cream with equal parts of milk powder, lemon juice, honey and almond oil can be applied and left on for 20 minutes. This will help lighten your tan. You can store this for about a week and use it thrice daily for best results.

- Apply a paste made with turmeric powder and lime juice thrice a week. This will lighten the skin colour considerably and remove the tan.

- Soak almonds overnight and grind them into a fine paste the next morning. Add equal quantities of milk cream to the paste and apply on the affected area to make the skin fair.

- Apply a paste of oatmeal, yogurt, a few drops of lime and tomato juice. Wash this with cold water after half an hour and see the difference.

- Mash the papaya pulp and massage the sun tanned area. Papaya is excellent for the skin and also helps in anti-aging.

- Combining ash gourd juice with multan mitti and applying it all over the face helps reduce the tan considerably.

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The result offers new hope for tens of thousands of men with prostate cancer.

It is hoped the new treatment, which involves heating only the tumours with a highly focused ultrasound, will mean men can be treated without an overnight stay in hospital and avoiding the distressing side effects associated with current therapies.

In a study, the scientists found that focal HIFU, high-intensity focused ultrasound, provides the ‘perfect’ outcome of no major side effects and free of cancer 12 months after treatment, in nine out of ten case,” the Telegraph reported.

Traditional surgery or radiotherapy can only provide the perfect outcome in half of cases currently.

Experts have said the results are ‘very encouraging’ and were a ‘paradigm’ shift in treatment of the disease.

It is hoped that large-scale trials can now begin so the treatment could be offered routinely on the NHS within five years.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will say in new guidance next week that the treatment is safe and effective and larger scale trials should go ahead.

Focal HIFU involves careful selection of tumours, as small as a grain of rice, within the prostate gland and targeting them with highly focused ultrasound to heat them and destroy them.

The advantage over previous HIFU and other treatments is that damage to surrounding tissue is minimised, meaning there are far fewer side effects.

In the study, 41 men were treated with focal HIFU. After 12 months, none were incontinent and one in ten suffered impotence. The majority, 95 per cent, were free of cancer after 12 months.

“This changes the paradigm. By focusing just on the areas of cancer we reduce the collateral damage to surrounding tissue,” said Dr Hashim Ahmed, who led the study at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London.

“Our results are very encouraging. We’re optimistic that men diagnosed with prostate cancer may soon be able to undergo a day case surgical procedure, which can be safely repeated once or twice, to treat their condition with very few side-effects. That could mean a significant improvement in their quality of life.

“This study provides the proof-of-concept we need to develop a much larger trial to look at whether focal therapy is as effective as the current standard treatment in protecting the health of the men treated for prostate cancer in the medium and long term,” he stated.

He said after Nice guidance is issued next week, he expected other doctors to consider using the treatment.

The study was published in the journal Lancet Oncology.

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Climaxing issues keeping you off sex? Hitting the so-called ‘Big O’ remains a dream for you? Well, a major reason for your poor sexual prowess can be what lies on your platter.

Nutritionist, Ishi Khosla explains, “Everything that can be summed up as good sex depends to a great extent on your body’s blood circulation, which is made or marred by the food that you consume. Food that facilitates the proper pumping of blood in the body adds to your sexual prowess.”

So, if you are still searching for the right ingredients to constitute a ‘sex-friendly’ platter, here’s the low down on foods that facilitate the Big O!

1. Go green
And you thought, Popeye, the sailor man gulped cans of cans of spinach just like that! Well, it won’t be wrong if we tag spinach as a natural Viagra. This green leafy vegetable is loaded with sexual benefits. “It is rich in Vitamin E, which is a major catalyst in the production of sex hormones in the body. It is also rich in manganese, which facilitates the production of the female hormone estrogen. A deficiency of magnesium also affects a woman’s fertility levels,” informs nutritionist Aishwarya Rajan. “Green leafy veggies are also loaded with zinc, which is known for its libido and sperm production qualities men,” holds dietician Charu Dua.

2. Seeds of fertility
Seeds like flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, chickpeas and sunflower seeds etc. are again friends of sexual hormones. “Consuming one tablespoon of flaxseed every day helps to increase the testosterone level in the body. These seeds are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, a drop in which affects hormone levels leading to a plummeting sex drive. Pumpkin seeds are also rich in zinc which is a mineral needed to produce testosterone,” suggests Delhi-based nutritionist Sanjana Saikia.

3. S for Sea-food
If you have an aversion towards the aqua-species, you better start loving them as they guarantee a smooth sailing sex drive. Be it fish or oysters, they contain the wonder sex drug in them! “Fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which fires up your metabolism, keeping you fresh. It’s also found to boost the hormone dopamine that lights up the brain’s pleasure system. Besides, it even contains Vitamin B that is linked to fertility. Oysters known for their aphrodisiacal traits are the richest source of zinc which nourish the prostate gland and boosts testosterone production in men,” explains Aishwarya.

4. Go nutty
“All kinds of nuts provide one with energy that’s directly proportional to your stamina while having sex,” suggests Sanjana. So, feel free to consume your daily dose of nuts, including almonds, pistachios, walnuts, groundnuts etc. After all, stamina and energy are the driving force behind a satisfying sex life.

5. Fruity Pleasure
All fruits, especially those rich in vitamin C can be vital in sexual gratifications. “The body needs vitamin C to keep the sexual organs fine tuned. Tests reveal that consuming 500-1,000 milligrams of vitamin C in a day increases the number and quality of sperm produced,” holds nutritionist Aishwarya. Some fruits which fall in this category include citrus fruits, specially kiwi, blackcurrants and strawberries.

6. Spice it up!
The right kind of spices not only spice up your palette, but also your bedroom. “Chilli pepper, red chillies and ginger perk up blood circulation,” says Sanjana. So, dig into some spicy food when spicing up things between the sheets.

7. Dark chocolate
You’ve got another reason to fall in love with chocolates, specially the darker varirties. Studies reveal that women who eat chocolate daily lead more sexually satisfying sex lives. “Chocolate contains a chemical called phenethylamine that triggers feelings of relaxation, intoxication and pleasure. It releases mood-boosting, stress-reducing serotonin and stimulates physical contact desires and lowers inhibitions,” explains endocrinologist Dr Pankaj Aggarwal. So, shun those weighty issues for a while and don’t shy away from gorging upon a piece or two of dark chocolate daily.

8. Bananas
Bananas are a great sex food. “Bananas are ideal to give you endurance in the bedroom as they are a rich source of vitamin B that converts carbohydrates into energy. It also helps your body to produce sex hormones such as testosterone, “suggests Aggarwal. Having a banana a few hours before getting into action can keep you pepped up!

9. Olive oil
Orgasm worries in women find an answer in olive oil, which triggers the production of the testosterone hormone. “A lack of this hormone can lead to lack of desire and sexual pleasure and an inability to achieve an orgasm. So, be liberal with monounsaturated fats like olive oil,” suggests Charu.

10. Garlic
Though, you’ll have to take special care of your breathe before you get into some steamy action after having this wonder sex booster, but a “regular consumption of garlic in food can bring a marked difference in your sexual prowess,” suggests Sanjana.

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By contrast, friends and relatives in India, his native country, all in their early-to-mid-20s, were telling him about their lives in that newly surging nation. One was creating an e-commerce business, another a public relations company, still others a magazine, a business incubator and a gossip and events Web site.

“I’d sit there on Facebook and on the phone and hear about them starting all these companies and doing all these dynamic things,” recalled Mr. Kapadia, 25, who was born in India but grew up in the United States. “And I started feeling that my 9-to-5 wasn’t good enough anymore.”

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The situation in the university was tense as violence continued in the campus past midnight with a group of students attacking the ‘C’ hostel and stabbing a student for supporting the beef festival. Police said the injured student was admitted to Gandhi Hospital here.

Protestors set afire a bus of state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

The clashes broke out Sunday night after some Dalit and left-wing student groups organised a beef festival on the campus, to highlight their demand for including beef in the hostel menu. Over 200 students and some professors attended the festival and ate various dishes made of beef.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists staged a protest against the festival and clashed with the organisers. The two groups attacked each other with stones and sticks. Five students were injured in the clashes. Two vehicles were also set afire.

Police used teargas shells and batons to disperse the clashing groups. The campus, which witnessed many violent protests over separate Telangana state during last two years, turned into a battlefield.

The beef festival was organised by Telangana Students Association, Progressive Democratic Student Union, Student Federation of India and student groups from English and Foreign Languages University.

The organisers claimed that beef is the part of their cultural identity and an affordable source of nutrition. They said the festival was to oppose ‘food fascism’ in university hostels.

Supporting the demand, P L Visweswara Rao, former professor of communication and journalism at the university, said students have a right to seek a particular food. He alleged that the police and the university administration failed to protect the students participating in the festival.

Th ABVP, which opposed the beef festival, called for university shutdown Monday.

Police have sealed all the routes leading to the university and deployed additional police and paramilitary forces on the campus to prevent further clashes.

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The Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman along with team owner Sidhartha Mallya met the 11-year-old Tia undergoing treatment for nasal bone fracture at a private hospital.

A butcher of bowlers, one saw the ‘Gentle Giant’ really touched about his short conversation with the kid where she told him not to be sad and keep hitting them in the stands.

“It was a touching moment … I pray for her speedy recovery,” Gayle said.

Nisha, an eyewitness to the incident, said: “It was an accident. Once my friends saw her nose bleeding profusely and they rushed her to the hospital immediately.”

The doctors at the Mallya Hospital informed that Tia is well and truly on her way to recovery.

“Tia has come out of the surgery beautifully. She is absolutely alright,” Mallya Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Kanchan Sanyal said.

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It is rumoured that his people are peeved and want to make it clear that Charan flies high with a 12 cr remuneration and PC lags behind with a reported 5.5 cr price tag.

Says an industry source, “It is ridiculous to even suggest that PC will get a price higher than that of Charan’s. Charan is getting 10 crore in Andhra Pradesh and has been signed on for 12 cr now for his Bollywood debut. Whoever is responsible for these stories should do some serious re-thinking.”

Sources say that her PR machinery is allegedly working overtime on these remuneration stories to give the impression that she has scored over Kareena. We also hear the film corporation that is making Zanjeer is trying to clear the air. However, their spokesperson didn’t respond to our query.

Well, it looks like some people are just not amused with PC’s claim.

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