KABUL: Afghan and NATO forces foiled a series of suicide attacks on Kabul planned for Sunday when they captured five insurgents allegedly linked to militants in Pakistan, officials said.
The group was "finalizing plans for an attack in the capital" and a large cache of explosives, suicide vest parts, weapons and ammunition were seized in the overnight operation, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
The "sophisticated suicide attacks" would have targeted the Afghan parliament and the residence of Second Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said.
One of the five was a Pakistani national and the group was in possession of Afghan army uniforms and Pakistani identity documents, currency and cellphone numbers, the National Directorate for Security said.
"The evidence indicates they had connections with the terrorists beyond the border with Pakistan," the agency said.
Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of harbouring Taliban Islamist insurgents fighting to overthrow the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
Earlier this month, Afghan officials said five insurgents planning a major attack on an area of Kabul home to Western embassies were killed in a pre-dawn gunbattle in the capital.
YANGON: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi held talks with the country's president on Sunday in their first official meeting since she took up her role as a member of parliament.
The democracy champion met Myanmar leader Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw early Sunday, according to Zaw Htay of the president's office, who was unable to give details of the subjects under discussion.
He added that railway minister Aung Min, a key figure in efforts to resolve the country's ethnic conflicts, was among those present at the talks.
It is the third official meeting between Myanmar's Nobel laureate and the president since Suu Kyi was released from house arrest following a controversial election in November 2010.
A new quasi-civilian government with close links to the former ruling junta has earned plaudits -- and the easing of Western sanctions -- for a series of reforms since taking power last year, including freeing hundreds of political prisoners.
Suu Kyi, who won her seat in April by-elections, has been named as the head of a parliamentary committee on the rule of law as she marks her dramatic transformation from detained dissident to a key figure in the budding reform process.
In her maiden speech to the legislature last month she called for laws to protect the rights of the strife-torn nation's ethnic minorities.
She also warned that the "flames of war are not completely extinguished" in the country, which has seen ongoing fighting in Kachin state in the north that has displaced tens of thousands of people.
Recent clashes between Buddhist ethnic Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya have left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless in Rakhine state in the west of the country.
Suu Kyi has disappointed some rights campaigners by not offering stronger support to Myanmar's estimated 800,000 Rohingya, described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
Myanmar has come under international pressure over the conflict, after the United Nations voiced concerns of a crackdown on Muslims and Human Rights Watch issued a report alleging abuses by security forces in the region.
The government, which denies the rights group's claims, has given the go ahead for Organization of Islamic Cooperation to deliver aid to affected areas after talks last week, the pan-Islamic body said on Saturday.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: A health official says the death toll in multiple suicide bombings in southwestern Afghanistan has risen to 27.
The head of the Nimroz provincial health department says 110 people were wounded in Tuesday's attacks in different parts of the city of Zaranj. Health director Noor Ahmad Shirzada cited reports from four hospitals.
Police say at least three of the attackers' suicide vests exploded but several more bombers were involved. Nimroz police chief Musa Rasouli says authorities killed two would-be bombers Monday night, captured three more Tuesday morning and killed several others in the afternoon before they could detonate their explosives.
Taliban insurgents and their allies have been ratcheting up attacks as international troops increasingly hand over security responsibility to Afghan forces.
KANDAHAR: Suicide attackers and a remotely-controlled bomb killed more than 40 people in Afghanistan Tuesday as the nation prepared to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan, officials said.
Three suicide bombers killed 36 people, mostly civilians shopping for Eid celebrations, in a bazaar in the capital of Afghanistan's southwestern Nimroz province on the border with Iran, the provincial governor said.
Hours later in the northern province of Kunduz, a bomb attached to a motorcycle killed up to 10 people in the market of Archi district near the border with Tajikistan, provincial spokesman Enayatullah Khaliq told AFP.
"A bomb rigged to a motorcycle was remotely detonated in the market of Archi district Tuesday evening killing 10 civilians and injuring over 30," he said. A police spokesman put the toll at nine adding that Taliban insurgents were responsible for the attack. The earlier attack on Zaranj city, capital of Nimroz, was the biggest in recent memory in the relatively peaceful province.
At least 66 people were injured. Three suicide attackers out of an original group of 11 blew themselves up in separate areas of the city, one outside a hospital, police said.
ISLAMABAD: Militant gunmen attacked a key Pakistani air force base before dawn Thursday, sparking an intense exchange of fire, officials said.
Security forces were returning fire and special forces commandos were scrambled to respond to the attack at the base in the northwestern town of Kamra, 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Islamabad.
Witnesses said they could hear gun and rocket fire coming from the facility, which contains a number of aircraft factories.
There was no immediate confirmation of the number of attackers or whether there were any casualties.
The Kamra base, between the capital and and the main northwestern city of Peshawar, was previously targeted on December 10, 2007 when a suicide car bomber struck a school bus, wounding at least five children of base employees.
ISLAMABAD: A group of heavily-armed militants stormed a key Pakistan air force base in Punjab province that is believed to house nuclear weapons, triggering an intense gun battle that left six attackers and two security personnel dead.
The terrorists, some of whom were reportedly wearing military uniforms, sneaked into Kamra airbase at about 2am despite a state of high alert at the facility.
About nine to 10 attackers breached at least three barriers and tried to target Saab-2000 surveillance aircraft, TV news channels reported.
Following a gun battle that lasted over three hours, state-run PTV reported that six terrorists had been gunned down by commandos.
Private TV news channels reported two security personnel were killed and several others, including an air commodore, were injured.
The military's media arm told reporters that the situation at the Kamra airbase was under control and that troops were conducting a search operation to ascertain if any more terrorists were inside the complex.
There was no official word on whether some attackers had escaped.
The attack came just two days after Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani reiterated the country's commitment to the war on terrorism.
Amidst speculation about a new campaign against the Taliban in the tribal belt, Kayani said the war on terrorism was Pakistan's "own war and a just war too".
ISLAMABAD: A group of terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and suicide vests stormed a key Pakistan Air Force base in Punjab province that is believed to house nuclear weapons, triggering an intense gun battle that left seven attackers and a security personnel dead.
The terrorists, some of whom were reportedly wearing military uniforms, sneaked into Kamra airbase at about 2am on Thursday despite a state of high alert at the facility.
The attackers breached at least three barriers and tried to target Saab-2000 surveillance aircraft, news channels reported.
Following a gun battle that lasted over three hours, seven terrorists were gunned down by commandos, a PAF spokesman told the media.
He said eight terrorists were involved in the attack. There was no word on the fate of the remaining attacker.
The spokesman said explosives were strapped to the body of one attacker. He said the attackers were engaged by two teams of commandos.
The spokesman said one security personnel was killed and several others, including base commander Air Commodore Muhammad Azam, were injured.
Azam, who was leading the operations, was hit by a bullet but he is "safe and stable", the spokesman said.
Earlier reports had said two security personnel were killed.
The military's media arm told reporters that the situation at the Kamra airbase was under control and troops were conducting a search operation to ascertain if any more terrorists were inside the complex.
The PAF spokesman said one aircraft was damaged when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the attackers. He did not give details of the extent of the damage.
WASHINGTON: For the first time in two decades, a woman journalist will moderate one of the three US presidential debates scheduled in October this year, the commission on presidential debates said.
Candy Crowley, the chief political correspondent of CNN and anchor of its state of the union programme will moderate the presidential debate on Oct 16 at Hofstra University, Hempstead in New York, the announcement said. Incumbent Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney will appear for three face to face 90-minute debates in Oct ahead of the Nov presidential elections.
The other two debates on Oct 3 and Oct 22 will be respectively moderated by Jim Lehrer of the PBS News Hour and Bob Schieffer of the CBS News. Martha Raddatz from the ABC News will moderate the only vice-presidential debate on Oct 11 at Centre College, Danville in Kentucky. "The new formats chosen for this year's debates are designed to focus big time blocks on major domestic and foreign topics," said Frank Fahrenkopf & Michael McCurry, co-chairmen of commission on presidential debates.
NEW YORK: It's about freakin' time. The term "F-bomb" first surfaced in newspapers more than 20 years ago but will land on Tuesday for the first time in the mainstream Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, along with sexting, flexitarian, obesogenic, energy drink and life coach.
In all, the company picks about 100 additions for the 114-year-old dictionary's annual update, gathering evidence of usage over several years in everything from media to the labels of beer bottles and boxes of frozen food. So who's responsible for lobbing F-bomb far and wide?
Kory Stamper, an associate editor for Merriam-Webster, said she and her fellow word spies at the Massachusetts company traced it back to 1988, in a Newsday story that had the now-dead Mets catcher Gary Carter talking about how he had given them up, along with other profanities. But the word didn't really take off until the late 90s, after Bobby Knight went heavy on the F-bombs during a locker room tirade. ap
WASHINGTON: Columnist and TV host Fareed Zakaria, who acknowledged copying parts of a magazine article last week, appears to have also published a passage from a 2005 book without attribution.
Indian-American journalist Zakaria's 2008 book, "The Post-American World," contains a quote from former Intel Corp chief executive Andy Grove about the nation's economic power.
"America is in danger of following Europe down the tubes, and the worst part is that nobody knows it," Grove said in Zakaria's book, adding: "They're all in denial, patting themselves on the back as the Titanic heads straight for the iceberg full speed ahead." According to the Washington Post, the first edition of Zakaria's book, which became a bestseller, makes no mention of the comment's source, nor does a paperback version of "Post-American World" which was published in 2009.
In fact, Grove's comment was published three years earlier in "Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Power to the East," by former commerce department official Clyde V Prestowitz. Zakaria finally acknowledged Prestowitz in the footnotes of "The Post-American World 2.0".
Zakaria defended the practice of not attributing quotes in a popular book. "As I write explicitly (in the book), this is not an academic work where everything has to be acknowledged and footnoted," he said.
HOUSTON: Three people, including a policeman, were killed and four others injured in a deadly shootout near a top Texas university, the fourth mass shooting in the US in less than a month, including the Wisconsin gurdwara carnage.
The incident took place on Monday in College Station area near Texas A&M University when Brazos county constable Brian Bachmann went to a house to serve an eviction notice, triggering the suspect, who was inside, to open fire on him and leading the officer to call for backup, police said.
After the call from Bachmann, who later succumbed to his injuries, officers rushed to the scene and exchanged fire with the gunman, identified as 35-year-old Thomas Alton Caffall, over a 30 minute-period before he was fatally shot.
A 43-year-old man, identified as Chris Northcliff, was the third person killed in the shooting, College Station assistant police chief Scott McCollum said, adding that three other officers and a woman were injured.
"We're told the suspect was renting that house," he said. Police did not release a possible motive for the shooting, but confirmed that Caffall opened fire while the constable was serving him an eviction notice.
An eviction document, known as a forcible entry detainer, was filed against Caffall last Thursday, according to the County court records.
Constable Bachmann, who was pronounced dead at an area hospital shortly after he was shot, was a 19-year veteran of the Brazos county sheriff's department.
Among the injured was 55-year-old Barbara Holdsworth of Houston, who was in College Station to help her daughter move ahead at the start of the school year.
Holdsworth was shot in the shoulder and underwent a surgery. She is now listed in critical condition. College Station police Officer Justin Oehlke was shot in the calf and listed as stable, while two other officers - Brad Smith and Phil Dorsette - were hit by shrapnel and their injuries were not serious.
Caffall's sister Courtney Clark says her family is shocked by what her brother has done. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families, and this is just a senseless tragedy." The shooting scene is a few blocks from the university campus' football stadium. Texas A&M spokeswoman Sherylon Carroll said most students were not on campus on Monday as the fall semester does not begin until August 27.
WASHINGTON: A new release of stolen corporate e-mails by WikiLeaks has set off a flurry of concern and speculation around the world about a counterterrorist software program called TrapWire, which analyses images from surveillance cameras and other data to try to identify terrorists planning attacks.
"US government is secretly spying on EVERYONE using civilian security cameras, say WikiLeaks," read a headline on Monday at the British newspaper Web site Mail Online. The article included a photograph from the movie "The Bourne Identity." PC Magazine described TrapWire as "a secret, comprehensive US surveillance effort."
Though TrapWire Inc, the Virginia company that sells the software, would not comment on Monday, the reports appear to be wildly exaggerated. TrapWire was tried out on 15 surveillance cameras in Washington and Seattle by the homeland security department, but officials said it ended the trial last year because it did not seem promising. A claim in the leaked e-mails that 500 cameras in the New York subway were linked to TrapWire is false, said Paul J Browne, the New York police department's chief spokesman. "We don't use TrapWire." TrapWire is discussed in dozens of e-mails from Stratfor Global Intelligence, a private security firm in Austin, Texas, that were posted online last week by WikiLeaks. The e-mails were part of a large cache captured late last year and early this year by hackers associated with the loose-knit international collective called Anonymous, which gave the e-mails to WikiLeaks. The WikiLeaks web site has been shut down by unidentified hackers in recent days, leading to speculation that it might be retaliation for the e-mail leaks.
TrapWire was originally developed in 2004 by the Abraxas Corporation, which was founded by several former CIA. employees. It later spun off TrapWire, but the CIA connection, along with the company's vague but impressive descriptions of the program's capabilities, appears to have fuelled the furore on web that it was a sort of automated Big Brother.
TrapWire's marketing materials say it uses video cameras and observations by security guards to develop a 10-point description of people near a potential terrorist target and an eight-point description of vehicles. It also records "potential surveillance activity, such as photographing, measuring and signaling," combining in a TrapWire database "this human- entered data with information collected by sensors." If the same person or car is picked up in multiple locations engaging in suspicious behaviour, the software is supposed to make the connection. But a privacy statement on the TrapWire Web site says the software does not capture "personal information."
Jay Stanley, who studies threats to privacy at the American Civil Liberties Union, said many companies had tried to use technology "to find terrorist plots in an ocean of information about everyday activities."
WASHINGTON: A group of former US intelligence and Special Forces operatives is set to launch a media campaign , including TV ads, that scolds President Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and argues that high-level leaks are endangering American lives.
Leaders of the group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, say it is nonpartisan and unconnected to any political party or presidential campaign. It is registered as a so-called social welfare group, which means its primary purpose is to further the common good and its political activities should be secondary.
The OPSEC group first public salvo is a 22-minute film that includes criticism of Obama and his administration . The film, to be released on Wednesday.
"Mr President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden . You did not," Ben Smith, identified as a navy SEAL, says in the film.
"As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy," Smith continues. "It will get Americans killed."
NEW YORK: Chelsea Clinton, who on earlier occasions has ruled out stepping into politics, is now giving less definitive answers on her political ambitions. Asked if she would consider jumping into politics, the 32-year-old daughter of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton said, "I don't know."
"Before my mom's campaign I would have said no. Not because it was something I had thought a lot about but because people have been asking me that my whole life," Chelsea, speaking of her mother's unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid, said in an interview for the September issue of Vogue. "And now I don't know... I mean, I have voted in every election that I have been qualified to vote in since I turned 18," Chelsea said.
Chelsea, who is working on a doctorate in international relations, is committed to building a more just and more equitable world. Chelsea Clinton is also a contributor for NBC News.
WASHINGTON: Thousands of young, undocumented immigrants including Indians have began applying for relief under President Barack Obama's mini DREAM Act that allows them to work without fear of deportation for at least two years.
There are some 30,000 Indians among as many as 1.7 million youths who entered the US illegally as children who may qualify for the programme announced by Obama through an executive order in June, according to the Pew Research Centre.
Long lines formed at help centres and lawyers' office across America on Wednesday as illegal immigrants came forward to take advantage of one of the biggest immigration policy changes announced by Obama to, as critics suggest, woo Latino voters ahead of the November poll.
When he signed the order, Obama said the changes under the "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" will make immigration policy "more fair, more efficient and more just".
"This is not amnesty," Obama said. "This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure."
However, Republicans denounced the measure, saying the move amounts to amnesty and usurps congressional authority.
Under the new policy, people younger than 30 who arrived in the US before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military, can get a two-year deferral from deportation and apply for work permits.
Participants must prove they have been living in the country continuously for at least five years.
The move addresses a concern of the Latino community and includes some of the provisions of a Democratic proposal called the DREAM Act (acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) that failed to win enough Republican support to gain congressional approval.
Story travels with dual screen play of enjoyable school life and the enthusiastic love life. At the end of the first half parallel running screen plays meets at the point with terrific changes in the lovable couple life
Later the couples comes across horrible moments by avenger of school life who suggested his life path in tragic manner at the blooming of teenage. At the end story streamlines with outrageous on the guy’s life with terrific culmination by energetic couples after a long time struggling at the fierce dense forest surrounding
It also offers a clearer and more detailed picture of its genetic composition, providing an initial roadmap in the development of pharmaceuticals and vaccines to combat malaria.
They focus on Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax), a species of malaria that afflicts humans and the most prevalent human malaria parasite outside Africa, and Plasmodium cynomolgi (P. cynomolgi), a close relative that infects Asian Old World monkeys.
"The bad news is there is significantly more genetic variation in P. vivax than we'd thought, which could make it quite adept at evading whatever arsenal of drugs and vaccines we throw at it," said Professor Jane Carlton, senior author on both studies and part of New York University's Center for Genomics and Systems Biology.
"However, now that we have a better understanding of the challenges we face, we can move forward with a deeper analysis of its genomic variation in pursuing more effective remedies," Professor Carlton added.
In one study, the researchers examined P. vivax strains from different geographic locations in West Africa, South America, and Asia, providing the researchers with the first genome-wide perspective of global variability within this species.
Their analysis showed that P. vivax has twice as much genetic diversity as the world-wide Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) strains, revealing an unexpected ability to evolve and, therefore, presenting new challenges in the search for treatments.
The second study, performed jointly with Professor Kazuyuki Tanabe at Osaka University, Japan, sequenced three genomes of P. cynomolgi. The researchers compared its genetic make-up to P. vivax and to Plasmodium knowlesi (P. knowlesi), a previously sequenced malaria parasite that affects both monkeys and humans in parts of Southeast Asia.
Their work marked the first time P. cynomolgi genomes have been sequenced, allowing researchers to identify genetic diversity in this parasite. Its similarity to P. vivax means that their results will also benefit future efforts to understand and fight against forms of malaria that afflict humans.
"We have generated a genetic map of P. cynomolgi, the sister species to P. vivax, so we can now push forward in creating a robust model system to study P. vivax. This is important because we can't grow P. vivax in the lab, and researchers desperately need a model system to circumvent this," explained Tanabe.
The research appears in two studies published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Genetics.
With party season round the corner, use these nifty little home-exercises to zip into shape
To tone up those flabby arms for sleeveless dresses or to get that extra bit of love handles in check, here's a quick and easy workout to be done three to five times a week for sure shot speedy results. These five exercises work on the whole body, improve strength and muscle tone. It's also a great way to raise the heart rate which will burn calories and release the much needed feel-good chemical, serotonin.
Squat it out
This is great for toning the legs and bum and gives great shape to the shoulders.
Stand with legs hip-width apart. Put your hands by your shoulders, holding a bottle of water in each hand. Keeping your back straight, bend both knees and lower yourself into a deep squat. Finish by pushing back up to standing while straightening your arms above your head. Repeat 15 times.
Side plank
Fantastic for toning up the sides of your stomach. Lie out on your side with elbows directly below your shoulder and with your legs outstretched. From this position raise your hips so you are forming a bridge from your feet to your lower arm. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.
Step up into bicep curl
This helps burns calories and firms the legs and tone arms. Stand opposite some stairs or a chair, arms straight, holding a bottle of water in each hand. Keeping your right leg on top of the stairs or chair at all times, step up, curling your arms towards your chest. Finish by stepping back down and straightening your arms. Repeat 15 times on your right leg then repeat on the left.
Tricep extention
Rid flabby arms by attacking fat. Holding a bottle of water in each hand, lie on your back, arms straight directly above your head. Bend both your elbows and slowly lower the cans to the floor by the side of each ear. Repeat this 15 times.
Press up
Firm up the bust area and arms. Go on to all fours on the floor. Keep your arms where they are and move your knees away from your body until your legs are straight and your toes tucked under your feet.
From this position bend both elbows and lower your chest and bum to the floor. Pause. For an easier option, keep knees on the floor. Push yourself back up to finish, then repeat 15 times.
Giving a teaspoon of honey to a child with a cough before they go to bed can ease their symptoms and help them sleep more soundly, a new study has found.
The researchers reported that children aged one to five who suffering from throat infections coughed less often and slept better after taking 10g of honey before bedtime.
Honey's high levels of antioxidants could make it a better alternative to cough syrups, many of which are not proven to work and which can be dangerous if parents administer accidental overdoses.
The study involved almost 300 Israeli children with throat infections, the Telegraph reported.
Three quarters of them were given a teaspoon of either eucalyptus honey, citrus honey or labiatae honey before bed, while the rest took a placebo.
Before and after the treatment, parents were asked to score the severity and frequency of their child's cough, how much it appeared to bother them, and how much it impacted on the child's and their own sleep, each on a scale from one to five.
The children on the placebo improved by an average of six points across all five categories after the treatment, possibly because they were already getting better, but for each type of honey they improved by nine to ten points overnight.
The researchers emphasised that honey is not safe for young infants because of the risk of infantile botulism, a rare but fatal infection, but said it could be a "preferable treatment" for children older than one.
The study has been published in Pediatrics.
You need tons of energy to cope with your hectic lifestyle, especially if you are into sports. Here's a list of foods that give you enough stamina to keep you active throughout the day.
While certain foods in your diet can actually reduce stamina, healthy foods help to build up your stamina and increase your energy levels, especially if you're interested in sports and athletics. As a sportsperson, you need foods that are designed to not only give you energy but also keep you feeling full all day long.
Says nutritionist Smruti Gokhale, "Nutrients like complex carbs, proteins, fibre and vitamin C is crucial for those who are into sports. These nutrients keep you active and feeling energetic."
Essential nutrients
Complex carbs: When you are talking about building stamina, you just cannot miss out on complex carbs. Carbs are the main source of fuel for your body and brain. Says Priya Kathpal, nutritionist, "Carbs are the food that the body uses to get glucose, which provides energy. Complex carbs are present in foods like bread, pasta and rice, which unlike simple carbs, keep you feeling energetic all day long."
Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps strengthen your immune system and protects you from infections like cold and cough, which sap your energy. Also, when you are outdoors, you are more susceptible to bacterial infections which hamper your health. Thus ensure that you consume foods and fruits rich in vitamin C.
Proteins: Protein is an important nutrient for the growth, development and repair of muscle and body tissues. Protein has a higher metabolic rate than fat, so an individual can burn more calories. It is also said to increase satiety, which prevents a person from overeating. Healthy sources of protein include lean chicken, fish, eggs and nuts.
Iron: Lack of iron in your diet can cause loss of stamina. You can get iron from meat, beans, nuts and some vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. Consult your doctor about taking iron supplements.
Foods that build stamina
Oatmeal: Oatmeal is an unprocessed carb, which gets digested slowly and hence keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time. Says Kathpal, "A power-packed cereal, oatmeal provides sustained energy for hours. Due to high content of complex carbs, it breaks down slowly in your body and keeps the blood sugar at optimum level."
Beans: Rich in mineral and iron which helps your body to generate RBCs (Red Blood Cells) that carry oxygen to the muscles when you are exercising and also builds stamina.
Coffee: Coffee is known to be an instant energy provider. It is known to help fight against fatigue, as it triggers the central nervous system. Coffee keeps you energised and active throughout the day.
Green leafy vegetables: Packed with micronutrients, it is essential for building stamina and also to improve your RBC count. Green leafy veggies are rich in fibre and digest slowly while maintaining your blood-glucose level.
Bananas: Bananas are a particularly good energy source and these are best eaten a few hours before you intend to exert yourself. Along with being great sources of carbs, they are also effective because they trigger the release of 'dopamine' — a chemical that builds your concentration and focus.
Peanut butter: Peanuts are said to contain Omega 3 fatty acids that helps in reducing pain, boost heart health and develop your brain. Peanut butter is also excellent for building stamina. It is high in calories and digests slowly. Consume peanut butter in combination with complex carbs.
Lean meat, fish, chicken and eggs: Says Gokhale, "Rich in protein, these foods are important for growth and development, muscle building and repair. Meat takes a longer time to digest and thus keeps you feeling full and active all day long."
Red grapes: Red grapes contains 'resveratol' which provides increased energy. These grapes contain a very small amount of sugar, which gives you instant energy and helps build stamina.
Beetroot juice: Consuming a glass of beetroot juice before exercising will make your body work for long hours without feeling exhausted. Beetroot is rich in vitamin A and C — both help in building stamina and reducing fatigue.
Quinoa: Quinoa (Bathua) was declared to be a sacred grain by the Inca Empire and was fed to the warriors so that they could get energy! It contains eight essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fibre. It gives instant energy and keeps you active. It's easy to cook and can be cooked like rice in only 10 minutes.You need tons of energy to cope with your hectic lifestyle, especially if you are into sports. Here's a list of foods that give you enough stamina to keep you active throughout the day.
While certain foods in your diet can actually reduce stamina, healthy foods help to build up your stamina and increase your energy levels, especially if you're interested in sports and athletics. As a sportsperson, you need foods that are designed to not only give you energy but also keep you feeling full all day long.
Says nutritionist Smruti Gokhale, "Nutrients like complex carbs, proteins, fibre and vitamin C is crucial for those who are into sports. These nutrients keep you active and feeling energetic."
Essential nutrients
Complex carbs: When you are talking about building stamina, you just cannot miss out on complex carbs. Carbs are the main source of fuel for your body and brain. Says Priya Kathpal, nutritionist, "Carbs are the food that the body uses to get glucose, which provides energy. Complex carbs are present in foods like bread, pasta and rice, which unlike simple carbs, keep you feeling energetic all day long."
Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps strengthen your immune system and protects you from infections like cold and cough, which sap your energy. Also, when you are outdoors, you are more susceptible to bacterial infections which hamper your health. Thus ensure that you consume foods and fruits rich in vitamin C.
Proteins: Protein is an important nutrient for the growth, development and repair of muscle and body tissues. Protein has a higher metabolic rate than fat, so an individual can burn more calories. It is also said to increase satiety, which prevents a person from overeating. Healthy sources of protein include lean chicken, fish, eggs and nuts.
Iron: Lack of iron in your diet can cause loss of stamina. You can get iron from meat, beans, nuts and some vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. Consult your doctor about taking iron supplements.
Foods that build stamina
Oatmeal: Oatmeal is an unprocessed carb, which gets digested slowly and hence keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time. Says Kathpal, "A power-packed cereal, oatmeal provides sustained energy for hours. Due to high content of complex carbs, it breaks down slowly in your body and keeps the blood sugar at optimum level."
Beans: Rich in mineral and iron which helps your body to generate RBCs (Red Blood Cells) that carry oxygen to the muscles when you are exercising and also builds stamina.
Coffee: Coffee is known to be an instant energy provider. It is known to help fight against fatigue, as it triggers the central nervous system. Coffee keeps you energised and active throughout the day.
Green leafy vegetables: Packed with micronutrients, it is essential for building stamina and also to improve your RBC count. Green leafy veggies are rich in fibre and digest slowly while maintaining your blood-glucose level.
Bananas: Bananas are a particularly good energy source and these are best eaten a few hours before you intend to exert yourself. Along with being great sources of carbs, they are also effective because they trigger the release of 'dopamine' — a chemical that builds your concentration and focus.
Peanut butter: Peanuts are said to contain Omega 3 fatty acids that helps in reducing pain, boost heart health and develop your brain. Peanut butter is also excellent for building stamina. It is high in calories and digests slowly. Consume peanut butter in combination with complex carbs.
Lean meat, fish, chicken and eggs: Says Gokhale, "Rich in protein, these foods are important for growth and development, muscle building and repair. Meat takes a longer time to digest and thus keeps you feeling full and active all day long."
Red grapes: Red grapes contains 'resveratol' which provides increased energy. These grapes contain a very small amount of sugar, which gives you instant energy and helps build stamina.
Beetroot juice: Consuming a glass of beetroot juice before exercising will make your body work for long hours without feeling exhausted. Beetroot is rich in vitamin A and C — both help in building stamina and reducing fatigue.
Quinoa: Quinoa (Bathua) was declared to be a sacred grain by the Inca Empire and was fed to the warriors so that they could get energy! It contains eight essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fibre. It gives instant energy and keeps you active. It's easy to cook and can be cooked like rice in only 10 minutes.
After a long day at work, don't you yearn to be agile and playful like a child. For those of you who feel that age is catching up, here's some good news - yoga can effectively bring about longlasting 'feel good' effect.
Actress Rani Mukerji is a firm believer of yoga and practices it regularly. She says, "Yoga is by far the best thing you can do for your body and mind. Since it massages your internal organs, it gives a youthful glow to the skin. It's little wonder why men and women who practice yoga look about 10 years younger."
Swami Ramdev Baba, who's been preaching yoga as a way of life believes that yoga can keep the body free of diseases. Interestingly, yoga has swept across the globe like never before. The US Army has introduced yoga for the first time in its physical fitness regimen. The changes in its 'combat readiness test' are being made as part of an overhaul of its fitness programme in 30 years, it was recently reported. Their training has already included elements of yoga and benefits of rest among other workouts.
Mickey Mehta feels that in the modern day world, the traditional practice of yoga can still integrate and harmonise different aspects of us humans. He preaches that with yoga comes balance, health and energy to our mind, body and spirit. He also follows various types of yoga, which helps one beat stress and unwind completely. To Bharat Thakur, yoga is the way ahead. He says, "Yoga can be initiated early in life. So that the benefits can last long."
As more and more nutritional facts come to light, it is being established over and over again that the state of internal health is reflected externally, on the skin, hair, nails and eyes. Unbalanced diets and wrong foods not only create deficiencies, but lead to a build-up of toxins and wastes in the body. This, in turn, hampers the efficient functioning of the various systems in our body, undermining the health.
The condition can be reflected externally on the skin, in the form of beauty problems, like acne, spots, dark under-eye circles, dehydrated skin, and so on. On the other hand, a healthy, balanced diet, supplies the body with the essential nutrients, promotes both good health and beauty. Smooth skin, lustrous hair, bright eyes, slim figures and vitality owe much more to our diets than we realise.
There is enough evidence to show that a deficiency of vitamins and minerals is an important factor in early wrinkling of the skin. Vitamin C, for instance, strengthens the immune system and delays early aging. It also helps to maintain healthy collagen, the supportive tissue of the skin. Vitamin B is important for the formation of healthy new skin cells. Similarly, Vitamin A and E play significant roles in maintaining the softness and smoothness of the skin texture.
Constipation and the improper elimination of wastes can lead to clogged pores and acne. If you have an oily skin that is prone to blackheads, spots and pimples, you should ensure that your diet contains enough fibre. Cut down your intake of sugar, starch and fried foods and increase your intake of raw foods, like fresh fruits, raw salads and sprouts. Stick to whole grains and drink enough water and fresh fruit juices. Take the juice of one lemon first thing in the morning to cleanse the system.
Reduce your intake of fats, sugar and red meats. Increase your intake of whole grains, eliminating refined cereals and flours. You can get all the natural sugar you need from fruits. Honey can also be used as a sweetener. A part of your daily diet must consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, eaten raw, with the skin, as far as possible. Yoghurt is also a wonderful beauty food, while skimmed milk and paneer can be included. Vegetables should be lightly cooked. Take enough green leafy vegetables, like spinach. Fruit and vegetable juices, freshly extracted are ideal. They not only ensure a supply of valuable nutrients, but are assimilated and absorbed by the body very easily.
They also help to cleanse and purify the system and prevent the accumulation of toxic residues. Fruit and vegetable juices are best taken freshly extracted, with the addition of water.
Splashes of quirky creativity brought to life at an otherwise tired fashion week
Call it un-wearable, but you can't deny the creative rebellion behind some pieces seen on the ramp at the ongoing fashion week. After all, there is only so much net, velvet, lace and embroidered roses your closet can contain before it throws up in protest. On the last day of the fashion bonanza, we round up some of the quirkiest pieces we've seen so far that could stir up the pieces in our wardrobes.
Bauble sole
Rohan Arora's foot fetish delights us. His expertise is handmade shoes, and we like these platforms built out of spikes, sequins and brocade (and they are still wearable).
Lungi lunge
Artist-turned-designer Payal Khandwala has taken a depressed gothic lungi and twirled it around to give us a complicated but fluid twist. Banish the little black dress. If you want to make an impression without sacrificing comfort, this is the ensemble to wear.
Yellow riding hood
Aastha Sethi & Siddharth Arora were among debutant designers showing at the fashion week, and being unburdened by reputation, these guys gave creativity a free run. We love the structure and the ribbed detail, and quite frankly, if Sethi and Arora would make this in water repellent fabric, it would be the hottest rain-chaser this season.
Colour-coated
With her colour wheel-panel saris over doodle-print blouses and dress, AartiVijay Gupta won us over. If your parents insist you wear a sari for the next festival or family wedding, register your protest by draping one of these.
The metal harness
Here's a piece of jewellery that will establish your cool value among descendents. Designed by Kaabia and Sasha Grewal, the metal collar extends down to your waist, which means you have to have a decidedly flat terrain for it to travel smoothly. Awkward, but worthy.
Mitali Parekh@timesgroup.com
A growing tribe of Indian diplomats is seeking emotional refuge in poetry and creative literature to battle workplace blues and the stress of decision making. They pour out their heart in their creativity, which often borders on the spirit of rebellion.
While more and more Indian diplomats like Vikas Swarup, Navtej Sarna and Navdeep Suri have taken to creative writing, both novels and short stories, the genre of "diplomatic poetic literature" recently added one more to its kitty when Amarendra Khatua, the newly-appointed Indian ambassador to Argentina, launched his new collection of love poetry "Love Abracadabra".
Khatua, a native of Odisha, is at the forefront of reviving contemporary Odiya poetry. "I have been writing and publishing for the last 45 years. Poetry is not connected to my professional work - it is my personal world," Khatua said.
Khatua began to write poetry decades before he knew about diplomacy and over the years built up a formidable body of 20 publications - 14 in Odiya, three in English, two in Hindi and one in Telugu. His poetry has been translated in all major Indian languages and in Spanish and Russian.
"I was 10 when I wrote my first poem. Most of my poems are about love and exile from Orissa (Odisha) mostly in English. I wrote in English till I joined the Indian Foreign Service. But after joining the services, I began to wtite in Oriya because of the growing disconnect between my state and myself," he said.
During his stay in Moscow 2005-2007, emerging poet Abhay K. wrote over 200 poems which he had organised into three themes - love, nature and thoughts. It led to four lyrical collections: "Enigmatic Love - Love Poems From the Fairytale city of Moscow", "Fallen Leaves of Autumn - Poems on Nature", "Candling the Light - Meditation, Reflections and Reminiscences" and "Remains".
"Nature, life, emotions, people, beauty, history and heritage - these all inspire me. But what inspires me the most is the blue image of our planet from the space - so fragile, so tender, all life. All joy is here. If heaven exists anywhere; it exists here. Our planet earth, full of life, is my foremost inspiration," Abhay K. said.
Abhay compromises on his "television watching" time to write. "I write poems almost every day, wherever possible. Writing poetry is like doing mathematics or playing bridge, it is a cerebral affair, yet much more than that," Abhay said.
For Nirupama Rao, ambassador to the US, poetry is a way of "coming up for oxygen that lifts her spirit". Her collection of poetry, "Rain Rising" about her travel around the world and her Indian heritage has been translated into Russian and Chinese.
The anthology puts the poems into three thematic threads - remembrance, reflections and exploration. Her poetry negotiates nostalgia and memories with powerful lines like: "I freeze in this sheet of memory/Waiting in this roomful of strangers/To cross-check the miles I've clocked."
Former UN diplomat, minister of state for external affairs and now MP Shashi Tharoor shows his felicity with humorous rhyme and limericks in his best-selling book, "The Great Indian Novel", a reinterpretation of the Mahabharata, where he explains the plight of the ailing King Pandu. The prose is interspersed with the writer's musings in verse in the book.
"It was a time of great grief and much sorrow/When Pandu rose up from the dead/For starting today (not tomorrow)/He must renounce the joys of the bed...
"To young Pandu you can imagine, it came as painful wrench
He could enjoy life's great pageant/But he could lay hand on a wench."
The list of diplomats with a penchant for poetics runs on...
Women who look for ways to have bigger assets may now not have to look further than Thailand, where a new craze in the form of breast slapping has emerged.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand is promoting a "body slapping" technique that it claims can boost breast size, and one beauty shop in Bangkok has even been licensed to perform the non-surgical treatment.
The technique involves kneading, massaging and hitting of the breasts, as well as buttock slapping to firm the rear, News reported.
Shop owner Khemmikka Na Songkhla, better known as Khunying Tobnom, has for more than two decades been practising the traditional therapy, and she claims the slapping shifts fat from one area to another, while kneading works excess fat towards the breasts.
She has approval from the Thai Government to carry out the technique after a study by the Thai Health Ministry reportedly found vigorous massage left volunteers' breasts noticeably bigger.
The Ministry went so far as to sponsor a program that urged women to learn how to slap their own breasts.
Tobnom said clients can expect to gain about 5cm after the painful treatment. However some are turned away as their breasts are too small.
The clinic charges 380 dollars for six 10-minute slapping sessions.
Whose love life (not sex life - yes, they are two different things altogether!) doesn't need a makeover? Well, maybe not a makeover exactly, but a whiff of romance and of course, all that kissing.
If you are bored of making out in the walls of your bedroom or if PDA at the beach is not really your scene, here are a few whacky places you can make out.
Revolving chair: We bet 90% of you reading this would be sitting in one right now. When it comes to making out, can it get any better than doing so on a revolving chair? Not only do they revolve, but they can also be pushed back! Think about it, you can literally go into a tizzy (with all the revolving) and who knows, your make out session might just lead into something else altogether.
Washing machine: Are you wondering why? Why not?, we ask! It's about time you ditched the kitchen counter and the study table in your house and make out on the washing machine. Firstly, you can turn it 'on' (read between the lines) and then of course, set it to spin mode, where it vibrates, and ah well... the rest we leave to your imagination.
Water tank: Ever had a date on a terrace? Well, its about time you've had one! The night sky, the cool breeze and some fine wine to boot - it can't get more romantic than that can it? Turn it up a notch. You know that rusty ladder that leads up to your overhead water tank? Climb it. Once you are up there, you can make out all you want with the stars shining down upon you. Hum a song together. Go wild.
Library: No, it's not nerdy. It is in fact, a super cool place where no one in their right minds would ever look. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be discreet. Remember Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S made out with his girlfriend in the anthropology section? Now, that's the kind of discreetness that we are talking about. Choose deserted portions of the library. History works best, we think!
Roller coaster: Instead of screaming your lungs out, try making out on the roller coaster instead. The rush that you'd experience would increase manifold and no, not just because you're going down the ride. Sounds like a fantasy? Live it out, we say.
If your lover is taking too long to peak, you need to hone your skills a bit. Here are a few tricks to make her moan with pleasure in just no time!
If your lover is taking too long to peak, you need to hone your skills a bit. Here are a few tricks to make her moan with pleasure in just no time!
Stroke the sexy parts: A woman's PC muscle is one of the most sensitive areas. If she clenches and unclenches them, rhythmically, while you are busy elsewhere, she will be close to peaking.
Mission possible: Pillows come in handy all the time. Place one under her hips so that her pelvis also goes up. This gives you more room to touch the erotic areas and she, well, will enjoy the touch.
Tease her: Be slow, be gradual. That's the trick while thrusting your member in her. Kiss her slow as well and she will be close, very close to the Big O.
Emotional seduction: Do up your room, light up a few candles, have pretty satin sheets and soft music playing. Talk to her sexily , tell her what all you plan to do and how...the content of the conversation will stimulate her senses most. Work on her emotions and do what she would love you to do.
Erotic touch: there will be pleasure spots on your woman that she would like you to touch and feel more than the rest. Discover those pulse points. She will feel so relaxed and stimulated that peaking will not be an issue at all.
Be sensitive: Understand her moans, whether they are of pleasure or pain, when she tenses and when she is relaxed. Get her to tell you her pleasure spots and do as she feels. She will love you more for it.
"In recent years, we have come to see a gradual normalization of independent escort prostitution, where sexual encounters have come to resemble quasi-dating relationships," stated study author Christine Milrod.
"Our study shows that regular clients of a particular sex provider often come to experience feelings of deep affection, which can progress into an authentic love story," Milrod said.
In this new study, Milrod and co-author Ronald Weitzer analyzed 2,442 postings on an online discussion board from a sex provider review site where more than a million clients of sex workers read and post about their experiences.
Approximately one-third included a discussion about emotional intimacy between sex workers and their clients, many of whom expressed a desire to grow their relationships beyond the physical level in the form of sharing private feelings and mutual love.
"These relationships follow a conventionally romantic script that normalizes the liaison and destigmatizes both provider and client," stated Milrod.
"The study shows that this kind of normalization may manifest itself in a merger of finances, families and finally monogamous partnerships - the provider is no longer just a supplier of the girlfriend experience, but a real-life romantic partner," Milrod added.
The study is published in a recent edition of Men and Masculinities, a SAGE journal.