Israel celebrated 61st independece day

Israel began celebrating 61 years of statehood at sundown on Tuesday in an abrupt and symbolic break from the commemoration of Remembrance Day.

The celebrations were officially launched with the lighting of torches at a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem attended by hundreds of Israeli and foreign dignitaries.

Thousands of police and army forces were deployed across the country and Israel sealed off the occupied West Bank ahead of the Remembrance Day and Independence Day events, fearing Palestinian militant attacks.

Independence Day ceremonies will continue on Wednesday with air force and naval parades to the mark the 61st anniversary under the Jewish calendar of the end of the British mandate in Palestine on May 14, 1948.

Remembrance Day honours soldiers and civilians killed since Jews first settled outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City in 1860.

In one disc, pack 100 DVDs

DVD junkies over- whelmed by the challenges of filing and sorting their discs may find their problem cut to manageable size in four years.

The content of nearly 100 DVDs, or 500 gigabytes, can be packed into a single new type of disc through a significant advance in information storage technology by General Electric (GE), the US multinational.

The microholographic disc, representing the next generation of optical storage technology, will be able to be recorded and read on systems very similar to the conventional DVD players, the company said.

“The day when you can store your entire high-definition movie collection on one disc... is closer than you think,” Brian Lawrence, who leads the GE holographic storage programme, said in a statement issued in the US.

A GE spokesperson told The Telegraph that the laboratory-scale technology is expected to be commercialised in three years. “This is likely to be made available as a commercial product first to archival industry in 2012, and to consumers about a year later,” Todd Alhart said.

“I would call this a breakthrough — no one has achieved this,” said Joby Joseph, associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, who has in the past worked on holographic storage systems, but is not associated with GE.

A DVD stores digital information on its surface, but the holographic technology makes use of the entire volume of the disc, thus extracting more storage space.

The digital information — audio and video coded in zeroes and ones — is stored in the form of three dimensional patterns, or holograms, etched into the disc and read out with an appropriate device, just as DVDs are read out by laserbased readers.

The microholographic storage of 500 gigabytes is about 100 times the 4.7 gigabytes of conventional DVDs.

“You could store 20 days of non-stop audio or nearly 50 hours of digital cinema on a single microholographic disc,” Joseph said.

A GE research team has pursued holographic storage technology for six years. The development of materials to support 500 gigabytes of capacity is a major milestone towards the goal of discs that could store up to 1,000 gigabytes, the company said.

“Bottlenecks in materials science have posed a big challenge in this field,” Joseph said. “The scientists would have had to find the material with just the right optical properties that would hold holographic images in thin layers within its volume.”

Biscuit maker Britannia looking to control its joint ventures in the dairy and bakery

Biscuit maker Britannia Industries Ltd is looking to fully control its joint ventures in the dairy and bakery businesses by buying out stakes held by venture partners.

The Wadia group-promoted Britannia has decided to buy Fonterra Brands (Mauritius Holding) Ltd’s 49% stake in Britannia New Zealand Food Pvt. Ltd for an undisclosed sum. This follows the Wadia group buying French firm Groupe Danone SA’s 25.48% stake in Britannia earlier this month, ending a decade-old partnership.

Chief executive officer Vinita Bali said that Britan nia is working on making the biscuit brand Tiger its own. “Britannia owns the Tiger brand and will continue to use it wherever it is present,” she said, adding that Danone has already exited the biscuits business globally and so will not be using the brand name anymore.

Britannia is looking at aggressively expanding its bakery business to ensure the company continues to clock double-digit growth.

The company has seen an annual growth rate of 22% for the past four years. Britannia has also lined up several new products for its dairy business, especially cheese, a product segment it leads. These products will be launched over the next few months.

Bali also said that even though the company is constantly looking out for newer business opportunities, it will focus on its core business of dairy and bakery products in the short term.

India to host 2011 World Cup final

India all set to host the majority of matches in 2011 world cup that is to be played in south asia.

India would host 29 of the tournament's 49 matches, including a semi-final and the final. Sri Lanka will host the other semi-final. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will remain as co-hosts of the quadrennial event after Pakistan was dropped over uncertainty created by last month's ambush on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus by armed gunmen in Lahore.

The 2011 World Cup Secretariat had also been shifted from Lahore to the Indian board's offices in Mumbai. Pakistan was initially allotted 14 matches, while the World Cup final stays in India as was originally planned.The matches in India will be played across eight venues, Sri Lanka has 12 matches at three venues and Bangladesh eight at two venues.

There is also planning for two quarter-finals in Bangladesh, one in India and one in Sri Lanka. The re-organising of the central organising committee is actually quite simple. Pakistan falls out of that. The remaining three host countries will form the central organising committee with the ICC represented on that as well.

Susan Byle could be a American Idol

Britain’s Got Talent’s singing sensation Susan Boyle has become so popular in the US, that it is now being rumoured she will be making a guest appearance on American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest, 34, was asked on the Twitter website if Boyle, 48, whose performance has been watched 118 million times, would be making an appearance on the American Idol show.

“Genius idea... I’m gonna shoot email to producers now,” the Mirror quoted him as writing.

Though no date has been set, a source has revealed that there is every possibility of her appearing on the show. “If she is not on Idol before this series ends in May, she will probably end up there next year as the Britain’s Got Talent winner,” the source said.

“It would give the show a ratings boost,” the source added. Meanwhile, Susan Boyle has told show bosses that she would like to start her singing career and earn cash in the US before the end of the show.

Boyle is not allowed to perform on any other show until Britain’s Got Talent has finished.

Osama Bin Laden dead: Zardari

Pakistan President Zardari said that Pakistani intelligence believes Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is dead but acknowledged they had no evidence.

“The Americans tell me they don’t know, and they are much more equipped than us to trace him. And our own intelligence services obviously think that he does not exist any more, that he is dead,” Mr Zardari told reporters here. “But there is no evidence, you cannot take that as a fact. We are between facts and fiction,” he said.

Mr Zardari was responding to reports that the pro Taliban in the troubled Swat Valley have said they would welcome bin Laden if he wants to visit the former Pakistani hill resort which is now in the hands of militants.

“The question is whether he is alive or dead. There is no trace of him,” the President said.

Mr Zardari further said that the nuclear assets of the country have been in safe hands and under extraordinary security and that there was no danger of the Taliban getting hold of its nuclear arsenal. “I want to assure the world that the nuclear capability of Pakistan is under safe hands,” he said.

Strike at airports to begin on May 1

The Airports Authority of India Employees Union on Monday called for a strike at all airports from May 1 in protest against “unjust transfers” at Delhi and Mumbai airports.

Flight services are unlikely to be greatly affected at the privately-run Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports, but passengers might face difficulties at AAI-run airports, such as in Kolkata and Chennai.

Kolkata airport, in particular, has seen complete disruption during earlier strikes.

A senior AAI official, who claimed the union’s demands were “unjustified”, told this newspaper: “We will ensure passengers are not inconvenienced, and there is no disruption of flights.” Union leader M.K. Ghoshal said a large number of AAI’s 2,000-odd employees at Delhi airport were being transferred to other AAI-run airports across the country since they had not accepted the voluntary retirement scheme. Scores at Mumbai airport were also affected.

DIAL, which runs Delhi airport, said it had earlier offered to absorb all AAI employees there, but only eight per cent of staff took up this offer. The three year agreement under which AAI provides support to DIAL ends on May 2, after which AAI staff will have no work at Delhi airport.

Tata Consultancy Services got Rs $6 billion

India’s largest software services exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reported a 23 per cent annual growth in fiscal year 2009, crossing the $6 billion revenue milestone in the process. However, the results also had its share of disappointments.

Like Infosys, TCS reported sequential revenue and profit degrowth — TCS said its revenues dipped 1.5 per cent in the March quarter compared to the year ago period, reflective of the tough business climate where customers are postponing IT purchase decisions.

TCS’ annual net inched up 5 per cent to Rs 5,256 crore or Rs 53.63 per share, up from Rs 51.36 a share of the previous year.

CEO and managing director S. Ramadorai while expressing satisfaction over the firm’s performance amidst the global crisis warned of hard times ahead. “The current fiscal would be tough and net profits growth would remain in single digit in percentage terms. During 2008-09, the company has delivered a healthy growth in revenues. TCS has a cash balance of Rs 4,300 crore,” he said. The board of directors has recommended a dividend of Rs 14 per share and a 1:1 bonus share issue, he added.

“Cost reduction by rationalising of manpower and travel costs, besides offshore leverage which increased by 2.27 per cent during the last fiscal, have boosted efficiency. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on operational improvements and look to leverage our established client base for volume growth in major and new growth markets,” COO and executive director of TCS N.Chandrasekaran said.

Though retail and BPO sectors have shown a growth of 60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively, certain sectors such as manufacturing and telecom have not performed well.

Chandrasekaran said that 45 per cent of the firm’s clients from the manufacturing and telecom sector have witnessed a decline in revenues while more than 50 per cent from these sectors have witnessed pressure on the net profits. As a result, discretionary projects have not started off; clients are renegotiating contracts.

World's first cloned camel born in Dubai

A camel reproduction centre in Dubai has claimed to have pro duced world's first cloned camel. The world's first cloned camel a female calf named Injaz was born last Wednesday, Dubai's Camel Reproduction Centre (CRC) has said.

A team of doctors at the CRC, headed by Dr Lulu Skidmore and Dr Ali Redha, said Injaz was created from cumulus cells harvested from the ovary of a female adult camel, which were grown in culture before being frozen into liquid nitrogen. "We all are very excited at the birth of Injaz as she is the result of great skill and teamwork of everyone at this center," Dr Skidmore, Scientific Director of the CRC said. Cloning is a method of reproduction used to copy a cell or an individual from their DNA. A clone is genetically identical to the original by virtue of having the same DNA. "This significant breakthrough gives a means of preserving the valuable genetics of our elite racing and milk producing camels in the future," Skidmore told reporters.

The DNA of Injaz's cells were compared to the ovarian cells of the original female camel used for cloning and were confirmed to be identical by the Molecular Biology and Genetics Laboratory in Dubai.

The CRC was founded 20 years ago and is supported and financed by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Charity gets $7,47,000 from Slumdog makers

The makers of the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire have donated $747,500 to a charity devoted to improving the lives of street children in Mumbai, the filmmakers said on Thursday.

The money will be given to Plan, an international children’s charity that has been working in India since 1979. The aim is to help educate 5,000 slum kids over the next five years.

“Having benefited so much from the hospitality of the people of Mumbai, it is only right that some of the success of the movie be ploughed back into the city in areas where it is needed most and where it can make a real difference to some lives,” director Danny Boyle said in a statement.

Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches tale of a slum kid who makes it big, won eight Oscars and grossed over $200 million worldwide.

Some criticised the filmmakers for failing to share those riches with Mumbai’s millions of slum dwellers.

Others accused them of exploiting two of the movie’s child stars, Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who grew up in a Mumbai slum just minutes from a posh Bollywood enclave.

The filmmakers’ initial efforts to help the families of Rubina, 9, and Azharuddin, 10, were thwarted by excessive media attention, the changing demands of family members and the runaway success of the film.

Here’s how April Fool’s Day began

Although April Fool’s Day is not an official holiday but plenty of pranksters and joke-lovers dupe friends and loved ones throughout the day. However, no one knows exactly when or how this tradition began.

It is believed that the day coincided with the coming of spring since the time of the Ancient Romans and Celts, who celebrated a festival of mischief-making.

The first mentions of an All Fool’s Day (as it was formerly called) came in Europe in the Middle Ages, reports Live science.

According to some people, the fun-loving day can be traced back to Roman mythology, particularly the story of Ceres, Goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Proserpina. However, the most widespread theory of the origin of the day is the switch from the old Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the late 16th century.

Under the Julian calendar, the New Year was celebrated during the week between March 25 and April 1, but under the Gregorian calendar, it was moved to January 1.

Those who were not noti fied of the change, or stubbornly kept to the old tradition, were often mocked and had jokes played on them on or around the old New Year.

In Scotland, the butts of April Fool’s jokes were known as April “Gowks,” another name for a cuck oo bird.