The Daily Indian

We totally sympathise with Nostradamus, even though quite a few of his predictions have been as close to reality as US is to Venezuela! It is terribly nerve racking and mentally exhausting to predict the future with so much as a reasonable degree of certainty. As times change and newer trends emerge, the world only seems to grow in complexity. Indeed, in 2010, the world could well have a new set of challenges to confront, providing media with new piquant news to broadcast and analyze. But at the IIPM Think Tank, we are unanimous (well, almost!) on the prediction that certain fundamental issues will remain a challenge before policy makers and will continue to dominate the headlines even in the year 2010; irrespective of our aversion to them. Issues like terror atrocities and their perilous impact, human rights violations and the hue and cry associated with them, migration and violence, crime on the roads and domestic violence, disputes for water and last, but certainly not the least; global warming, which will continue to be discussed and debated in ‘mini-Copenhagens’ around the world. Interestingly, the Austin, Texas-based Global Language Monitor has found from its research that the top terms/phrases of the present decade on Internet and media are climate change, 9/11 or War on Terror, Tsunami, refugees/migration, and swine flu.

These issues will remain fundamental to the world even in this year because the severity of their impact is unfortunately quite global in nature. A few statistics will reveal more. There are 56.5 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO); 60% of the death toll is because of diseases which are direct or indirect implications of global warming, migration et al. Climate change is to blame for some 150,000 deaths each year; which is estimated to reach 300,000 by 2030, according to the UN health agency. Horrifyingly, domestic violence claims the lives of two women per hour. One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute. Thousands die and millions suffer from terror attacks and atrocities.

And then, media and technology have colluded and made the world much smaller. Local issues take precious little time to grab global attention; especially when we have governments like the one in China to filter news. Still, the globalisation of media has served to remind nations that issues that keep them together are far greater in number than issues that set them apart.

As our think tank was pondering over how these pressing problems were getting tougher to cope with, the first few days of 2010 have supported our fears. The world saw media reporting and broadcasting terror attacks in Pakistan and recently in Kabul, where Taliban has let loose a squad of suicide bombers. A child has been severely beaten, almost to death in a remote school of Maharasthra as more students of Indian origin are brutalised by some Australians. Every day, the media and the intellectual community are blaming global warming for unbearable heat in summer and brazen cold in winter or sudden droughts and floods. Global warming has such an epic fear factor that noted actor Danny Glover managed to blame it for the devastating Haiti earthquake. As all this happens, an accused of Indian origin in a Pakistani prison seeks Obama’s help for his rights. Indeed, there’s a lot in this world that needs to, but hardly changes.

After eco-friendly bulbs and cars, wondering what more you can do to help the planet? Well, go green between the sheets. Intimacy in the bedroom is not only healthy for your relationship but it can be good for the environment, too, if you use the following tips, reports Fox News.

Here are 8 ways to make your sex life a little more eco-friendly:

1] Eco-lingerie: Slippery and stylish, eco-undies and other fine undergarments are now made of hemp silk, organic cotton, bamboo, and other renewable fibers.

2] Bamboo sheets: Make over your bed with silky bamboo fabric. These eco-friendly, luxury sheets come from a renewable source and are usually grown without pesticides and harsh chemicals.

3] Sustainable wooden paddles: Coco de Mer makes top of the line sustainable wooden paddles complimented with fair-trade leather wrist cuffs.

4] Local flowers: Try to use locally grown or seasonal flowers when wooing your lover. They’re right there and don’t require using as many fossil fuels by coming from miles away.

5] Organic wine: When wining and dining each other, go for wines made from certified organically grown grapes. These are grown without any chemical fertilizers, insecticides, weed killers and other synthetic chemicals.

6] Organic lubricants, vibrators: Companies are starting to make lubricants free of parabens and petro-chemicals, like Babeland Naturals Organic Lube. Sex toy industry has also started to make vibrators out of elastomer, a latex-free material that doesn’t contain phthalate – which can cause birth defects.

7] Environmentally friendly condoms: Consider using the sheepskin condom, for it is biodegradable.

Gatorade has ended its marketing deals with Tiger Woods, joining the list of sponsors to drop the superstar golfer in the wake of a sex scandal.

“We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship,” Gatorade spokeswoman Jennifer Schmit said. “We wish him all the best.”

The spokeswoman for the sports drink, sold by PepsiCo, said
Gatorade would continue its relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation, the golfer’s charitable organisation that focuses on offering educational opportunities to disadvantaged children.

Gatorade discontinued its Tiger Woods-brand drinks in November, a decision that was made before the star’s marital infidelity sparked a media frenzy.

The scandal erupted after Woods crashed his car in mysterious circumstances outside his Florida home in the early hours of November 27.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the suicide attack in Kabul, in which 16 people including six Indians were killed, for which Taliban has claimed responsibility.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attacks that took place in Kabul this morning, which caused the death and injury of many Afghan and foreign residents,” Ban’s spokesperson Martin Nesirky said in a statement.

“This deliberate targeting of civilians demonstrates once again a senseless disregard for human life on the part of the perpetrators,” he added.

Yesterday, Taliban targeted hotels, killing six Indians associated with development work in the country, including two Major-rank Army officers.

At least 10 others, including five Indian Army officers, were injured in a coordinated strike that killed 11 others, including locals and nationals from other countries.
Taliban have long opposed New Delhi’s presence in Afghanistan.

The deceased were identified as Major Dr Laishram Jyotin Singh of the Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of the Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram, tabla player Nawab Khan, staffer of the Kandahar Consulate Nitish Chibber and ITBP constable Roshan Lal.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the death of medical personnel in the Kabul blast defined the risks Indian medical teams have to face while serving in Afghanistan.

“The medical fraternity in our country has been serving our people under very difficult conditions with great distinction,” Singh said inaugurating the annual meeting of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons here.

“…My thought goes to those members of the Indian Medical Mission in Kabul who, while serving the people of Afghanistan, particularly the women and children, used to visit Indira Gandhi Hospital there, perished in the terror attack yesterday,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the incident shows the measure of uncertainty that Indian doctors work under and pointed out the risks faced by them while serving the people of Afghanistan.
“It is a measure of the commitment to relief of human suffering that the medical fraternity is known for all over the world,” he said.

Taliban carried out coordinated suicide attacks at two hotels in Kabul killing up to nine Indians.

UPA ally DMK today demanded an immediate rollback of fuel price hike, saying it would have a ‘cascading effect’ on food prices at a time when the Centre and states were ‘grappling with high food inflation.’

In identical letters to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sought their immediate intervention for a rollback, at least on the price of diesel to ‘protect farmers and the common man.’

He said he wanted to draw their attention to the ‘far reaching implications’ of the hike.

“You are fully aware that the Centre and the states are grappling with the issue of high food inflation in recent months,” the Chief Minister said “Any increase in the price of diesel will have a cascading effect on food prices as well as prices of other essential commodities.

Therefore, I seek your immediate intervention for a rollback atleast on the price of diesel so as to protect the farmers and the common man”.

DMK, on previous occasions had opposed fuel price hike, with party’s senior leader and MP T R Baalu protesting against it in Parliament last year.

The budgetary proposal on hike in central excise duty on petrol and diesel and all non-petroleum products has already sparked a demand for a rollback from another UPA ally, the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee.

Popstar Jessica Simpson is dancing to the tunes of samba now a days, all for her new TV show ”The Price of Beauty”. The blonde beauty dressed up in carnival gear for the Brazilian leg of the show and quickly learnt some moves, reported Sun online.

”The Dukes of Hazard” star travels the world to examine how different cultures perceive beauty in the series and one of her first stops was Brazil. The 29-year-old dons a shimmery show girl costume and a feathered headpiece for her samba routine and she honed her moves by balancing a tray of candles on her head.

Jessica will be promoting the series on ”The Oprah Winfrey Show” and it’’s rumoured the chat show queen will quiz her on recent comments made by ex-boyfriend John Mayer. The outspoken singer had said that having sex with her was like taking “crack cocaine” in an interview with Playboy magazine.

Indian stock markets, which were in stasis for much of this week, reacted positively to the budget, with a benchmark index breaking free to close 237 points higher than its previous weekly close.

The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) moved up 237.92 points or 1.47 percent to end Friday at 16,429.55 points, 237 points above its previous weekly close at 16,191.63 points.

The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) too posted gains to end the week at 4,922.3 points, up 77.4 points or 1.57 percent.

Broader market indices, however, ended the week in the red with the BSE midcap index closing 0.54 percent down and the BSE smallcap index 1.67 percent lower.

“Though it is not possible to keep everyone happy, the finance minister has done a commendable job. This was evident from the way markets reacted to the announcements,” said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, the equity head for brokerage firm SMC Capitals.

“The budget did help in breaking from the side-ways movement, but it is not going to help much going forward. A lot of the budget news has been factored in and one should not expect a major rally,” he added.

The top gainers during the week included Hindalco (up 7.7 percent), Maruti Suzuki (up 6.8 percent), L&T (up 6.2 percent), Hero Honda (up 5.5 percent) and ICICI Bank (up 5 percent).

Among top losers were ITC (down 6.5 percent), Reliance Communications (down 2.8 percent), Tata Power (down 2.2 percent), Hindustan Unilever (down 2.2 percent) and Reliance Industries (down 0.6 percent).

Data with markets watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) showed that foreign funds were net buyers during the week, having bought scrips worth $313.56 million.

Benchmark indices in the US ended slightly lower this week with Dow Jones industrial average dipping 0.8 percent, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index 500 down 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq composite falling 0.3 percent.

India’s market will be able to absorb record government borrowing announced in the budget, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Saturday, despite an initial negative reaction from bondholders.

Ahluwalia, one of the country’s most powerful economic advisers, said reforms such as opening up the insurance sector would pick up after a slow period in which the government has focused more on managing the impact of the global economic crisis.

Toyota Motor Corp’s president will hold a news conference in Beijing on Monday to explain its recent recalls, Kyodo news agency reported, citing an announcement by the automaker’s local unit.

No one at Toyota in Japan could be reached for comment.

The briefing by Akio Toyoda in China would follow his appearance this week in Washington, where he was grilled by U.S. lawmakers for a series of recalls that have tarnished the carmaker’s brand and reputation for quality.