Bollywood Breakings

Madhuri's confession about beauty regime creates controversy
Madhuri Dixit-Nene fans were in a rude surprise when she revealed that the product she has been using for her beautiful skin wasn't the one she has been endorsing for years.

Aaradhya Bachchan not used to paparazzi
Aaradhya Bachchan throws tantrum at Mumbai airport.

Revealed: Why Kareena remained absent from 'Udta...' promotions
Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is gearing up for Shashanka Ghosh's directorial 'Veere Di Wedding', has recently opened up about her absence from 'Udta Punjab' promotions.

Technology 365-News Updates

New York State Senate passes anti-Airbnb bill

The New York State Senate has passed a bill that would make it illegal to advertise short-term rentals (less than 30 days) for entire homes on... Read More…

CRUNCH NETWORK | DESMOND LIM

Startups and immigration: Myths, lies and half-truths

Immigrants play a significant role in job creation, entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem in the U.S. However, the U.S. has a strict immigration policy and... Read More…

NASA’s new X-plane and the future of electric aircraft

The world is on a quest to create cleaner, quieter airplanes that could replace the fuel-guzzling, roaring commercial aircraft in use today. NASA is leading... Read More…

BRIAN HEATER

Nintendo talks mobile gaming, VR and its future at E3

Nintendo has never been afraid to go against the grain of prevailing industry trends. In fact, the refusal to follow the pack has become a defining aspect of... Read More…

CRUNCH NETWORK | G. NAGESH RAO

As the smartphone wars reheat, the threat of chilling innovation looms

Bill Gates recently penned an open letter to the 2016 presidential candidates, imploring them to support something he hopes “every candidate will agree on in... Read More…

Man in court over killing of MP Jo Cox

Thomas Mair, charged with MP Jo Cox's murder, gives his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" to UK court.

BBC World

Virginia Raggi may become Rome's 1st woman mayor!

3 dead, 45 hurt in Mexico labour union-cops clash
A violent clash between members of a dissident teachers' union and police in southern Mexico on Sunday has left three dead and 45 injured, as law enforcement attempts to dislodge the protesters from blocking a local highway.

U.S. to release partial transcripts of Orlando killer calls to police: Lynch
U.S. officials will on Monday release partial transcripts of three phone conversations the man who killed 49 people in a Florida gay nightclub last week had with police as the massacre unfolded, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Sunday.

Microsoft bringing Cortana on Android and iOS devices soon: reports

Microsoft is working on an advanced
version of its competitor to Apple’s Siri,
using research from an artificial
intelligence project called “Einstein.”
Microsoft has been running its “personal
assistant” Cortana on its Windows phones
for a year, and will put the new version on
the desktop with the arrival of Windows 10
this autumn.
Later, Cortana will be
available as a standalone app, usable on
phones and tablets powered by Apple Inc’s
(AAPL.O) iOS and Google Inc’s (GOOG.O)
Android, people familiar with the project
said.
“This kind of technology, which can read
and understand email, will play a central
role in the next roll out of Cortana, which
we are working on now for the fall time
frame,” said Eric Horvitz, managing
director of Microsoft Research and a part
of the Einstein project, in an interview at
the company’s Redmond, Washington,
headquarters.

The plan to put Cortana on machines
running software from rivals such as Apple
and Google, as well as the Einstein
project, have not been reported. Cortana
is the name of an artificial intelligence
character in the video game series “Halo.”
They represent a new front in CEO Satya
Nadella’s battle to sell Microsoft software
on any device or platform, rather than
trying to force customers to use Windows.

Success on rivals’ platforms could create
new markets and greater relevance for the
company best known for its decades-old
operating system.
The concept of ‘artificial intelligence’ is
broad, and mobile phones and computers
already show dexterity with spoken
language and sifting through emails for
data, for instance.
Still, Microsoft believes its work on speech
recognition, search and machine learning
will let it transform its digital assistant
into the first intelligent ‘agent’ which
anticipates users needs. By comparison,
Siri is advertised mostly as responding to
requests. Google’s mobile app, which
doesn’t have a name like Siri or Cortana,
already offers some limited predictive
information ‘cards’ based on what it
thinks the user wants to know.
Microsoft has tried to create digital
assistants before, without success.
Microsoft Bob, released in 1995, was
supposed to make using a computer easy,
but ended up being the butt of jokes. The
Office Assistant nicknamed ‘Clippy’
suffered a similar fate a few years later.
“We’re defining the competitive
landscape… of who can provide the most
supportive services that make life easier,
keep track of things, that complement
human memory in a way that helps us get
things done,” said Horvitz.
Outside his door stands “The Assistant”, a
monitor showing a woman’s face that can
converse with visitors, has access to
Horvitz’s calendar and can book meetings.
On his desktop, Horvitz runs ‘Lifebrowser’,
a program that stores everything from
appointments to photos and uses machine
learning to identify the important
moments. A keyword search for his
university professor instantly brings up
photos and video from the last time they
met.

Cortana could tell a mobile phone user
when to leave for the airport, days after it
read an email and realized the user was
planning a flight. It would automatically
check flight status, determine where the
phone is located using GPS, and checking
traffic conditions.
None of the individual steps are a
breakthrough, but creating an artificial
intelligence that can stitch together the
processes marks a breakthrough in
usefulness, Microsoft says.
Rivals are on the same track. Google’s
latest mobile app uses the predictive
power generated from billions of searches
to work out what a user is doing, what
they are interested in, and sending relevant
information, such as when a favorite
sports team is playing next.
Apple is also pushing Siri, which uses
Microsoft’s Bing search engine in the
background, into new areas with its
CarPlay and HomeKit platforms, as well as
the recently unveiled Apple Watch.
The key to Cortana’s success will be
knowing where a user is, what time it is,
and what they are trying to do. Albert
Einstein’s work on the relationship
between space and time gave rise to
Microsoft’s secret project name, said
Horvitz.
“Einstein was brilliant about space and
time,” he said. “It’s using brilliance about
space and time generally in our agents.”

Maharashtra to tell HC if nightlife proposal considered women safety

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is
expected to tell the Bombay High Court on
Friday whether it has considered the safety of
women while proposing to allow "bars and
pubs" to stay open all night.
On March 5 a bench of Justice Abhay Oka and
Justice Anil Menon specifically asked, "Whether
State government has taken into consideration
the safety of women? The bench then expressed
its apprehension that in a city like Mumbai a
situation will arise."

'He Stabbed Me, Darling,' Indian Techie Killed in Sydney Told Husband on the Phone

Mar 09, 2015
Sydney:

An Indian IT professional was stabbed
to death in a Sydney park on Saturday
night while she was on the phone with
her husband, say reports.

Prabha Arun Kumar, 41, was attacked
as she took a shortcut home through
Parramatta Park in the city's west at
around 9.30 pm. "He stabbed me,
darling," she told her husband Arun
Kumar, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph
reported, as the conversation abruptly
ended.

By the time she was found by a passer-
by and taken to hospital, she had lost too
much blood and doctors were unable to
save her. She had been just 300 metres
from home.

"It is a horrific attack without any
stretch of the imagination," said a senior
police officer, Wayne Cox.

"Sydney murder - I am in constant touch
with our Consulate in Sydney. The
Consulate is providing all help," tweeted
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Ms Kumar's flatmate in Sydney, Sarada,
was quoted as saying that she had
repeatedly warned her friend not to
walk through the park after dark.
"She worked late regularly so felt bad to
ask for a lift. I told her that it is not a
safe way to come through because there
are people that stop and ask you for
money, like $2," she told The Daily
Telegraph .
"I don't know how I am going to face he
husband. She is very close to her
husband and her daughter. She talks to
them every day, as soon as she finishes
work, she calls her husband and keeps
talking. She has a good family," added Sarada.

There were a series of attacks on Indian
in Australia in 2010, including the fatal
stabbing of 21-year-old Nitin Garg from
Punjab in Melbourne. But since then, th
number of Indian visitors to Australia
has picked up, and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi described warmer
relations between the nations as
"natural" during his visit last year.

Two British tourists found dead on Thai island of Koh Tao

BANGKOK: The naked bodies of two British
tourists were found beaten to death on a Thai
beach Monday, police said, sparking a murder
hunt on the popular resort island of Koh Tao.
The unidentified man and woman, both aged 24,
were found with several wounds near a
beachside bungalow on the island, a diving hot-
spot near Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand.
A bloodied hoe was found 35 metres (115 feet)
from the murder scene, local police official
Jakkrapan Kaewkhao said.
"They were murdered and found naked on the
beach. The woman had three wounds on her
face and the man had four wounds on his
back," he added.
"Their bodies were found 30 metres from (the)
bungalow," he said, adding the pair arrived in
Thailand on August 25.
Police were told at 6:30 am (2330 GMT
Sunday) and are interviewing witnesses but
have yet to identify a suspect or motive, he
added.
Distraught friends of the victims gathered at the
local police station, another officer said.
Checkpoints have been set up at the island's
piers although the ferries are still running.
"This is a very cruel crime," Prachum
Ruangthong, superintendent of Koh Phangan
police station, told AFP, adding the bodies
would be sent for forensic examination in
Bangkok.
Witnesses tod police the pair were earlier seen
dancing at a local bar, Prachum said.
In a statement the British Embassy in Bangkok
said officials are "urgently seeking information
from local authorities".
"Consular staff stand ready to provide
assistance to friends and family at this tragic
time," it added.
A shocked employee at the budget seaside
resort where they were staying told AFP the
bodies were found behind large rocks on the
beach.
"It was the first time this has happened on the
island, I have never seen anything like this," the
staff member added, requesting anonymity.
Koh Tao is popular with tourists but draws
fewer travellers than the neighbouring Koh
Phangan, home to the hedonistic "full moon"
party.
Thailand's lucrative tourism industry has been
battered in recent months after a prolonged
political crisis ended in a coup which saw the
army blanket the country with a curfew and
strict martial law.
Although the curfew was swiftly lifted from key
tourist hotspots, visitor numbers have yet to
rebound.
Military leaders have vowed to restore the
nation's reputation as the "Land of Smiles" with
a clean-up targeting tourist resorts after a
series of complaints about scams, assaults and
even police extortion.
Britain says Thailand is the country where its
citizens are second most likely to require
consular assistance if they visit, behind the
Philippines.
There were 389 deaths of British nationals in
Thailand in the year to March 2013 -- about
one for every 2,400 British visitors or residents
-- although that figure includes natural causes.
But it is rare for tourists to be murdered in
Thailand, although visitors frequently perish in
accidents.
In July last year a 51-year-old American tourist
was stabbed to death after an apparent row in
a bar in Krabi, another popular tourist haven.
His death came just weeks after another
American was slashed to death by a taxi driver
in Bangkok after an apparent argument over the
fare.
A 59-year-old Australian woman was killed in
June 2012 in an attempted bag snatch on
Phuket.
Two Thai men were later sentenced to life
imprisonment for her murder.

CLT20 captains search for the ultimate prize

Twelve teams will be eyeing a $6 million
purse of the Champions League T20 to be
held from September 13 to October 4. Such
is the format of the tournament that it allows
no scope of laxity at any stage. Champions in
2013, Mumbai Indians are not secure of a
place in the main draw and will have to earn
their right to defend the title by doing well in
the qualifiers. Unavailability of their captain
Rohit Sharma due to injury has also done no
good to the Mumbai-based team.
Gocricket.com takes a look at the captains of
the respective teams:

Rayad Emrit [Barbados Tridents]

Rayad Emrit is not a name that other teams
in the CL T20 would fear, but the 33-year-old
is a useful allrounder and a regular feature of
his team in West Indies' domestic leagues.
Emrit will lead Barbados Tridents in the
absence of regular skipper Kieron Pollard,
who is leading Mumbai Indians in the
tournament. Rayad has also received
encouragement from former West Indian
opening batsman and current coach Desmond
Haynes. Haynes has called Rayad as a
"natural leader" who takes "straight-forward"
decisions.

Justin Ontong [Cape Cobras]

Ontong last represented South Africa in a
Twenty20 international in March 2013 against
Pakistan at Centurion. He had failed to open
his account in the match which Pakistan won
by 95 runs. He never played for South Africa
again, but he has put his past behind and
made a comeback in the domestic game. His
solid scores in South Africa's domestic
leagues forced the selectors to hand him the
South Africa 'A' team's captaincy. Ontong
has also led Cobras to two successive
domestic titles, the most emphatic being an
innings and 165-run victory over Lions, in
which Ontong scored a sparkling century.
However, come the CL T20 and he will face
stiff opposition from this year's IPL runners-
up - the Kings XI Punjab. Cobras will rely on
Ontong's form and captaincy for a successful
tournament.

MS Dhoni [Chennai Super Kings]

In the eye of a storm over his captaincy in
the recently-concluded Test series and the
one-off T20I at Edgbaston against England,
MS Dhoni will try to put the past behind at
the CLT20. By refusing singles in Edgbaston,
Dhoni also demonstrated the not-so-cool
aspect of his captaincy. One might argue that
he decided to take the responsibility upon
himself but it also revealed the other aspect -
his lack of faith in his batting partner. For a
man who is renowned for his ultra-cool head
and for soaking up pressure in demanding
situations, the 2014 Champions League T20
might just present an opportunity to reinvent.
Chennai Super Kings would hope that their
skipper returns to some home comfort and
enjoys captaincy more than ever. More than
the opposition, Dhoni's fight against his own
demons would determine CSK's fate in the
tournament.

Adam Voges [Perth Scorchers]

Australian batsman Adam Voges was handed
the captaincy of the Perth Scorchers just
days before the tournament was to begin.
Voges has been handed the task of delivering
more silverware to the WACA trophy cabinet.
Voges replaces the recently retired Simon
Katich, and believes his side is capable of
continuing the run of success the Twenty20
outfit has experienced in their brief history.
Voges is also getting good support from his
coach Justin Langer, who in an interview has
already made it clear that they will be go
with just one thing in mind: "win the CLT20."

Tim Paine [Hobart Hurricanes]

Coming back from multiple injuries, Tim
Paine will be hoping to regain the touch that
once saw him represent Australia in Tests,
ODIs and T20Is from 2009 to 2011. Paine is
a fantastic batsman and an athletic
wicketkeeper. Once considered the natural
successor to Brad Haddin, Paine's career has
been hit by injuries. He will lead a team
which includes the likes of Xavier Doherty,
Ben Dunk, Ben Hilfenhaus and Shoaib Malik
among others. It would be interesting to see
how he marshals his resources during the
CLT20.

George Bailey [Kings XI Punjab]

The ever smiling Kings XI Punjab captain was
one of his team's driving forces in their run
to the IPL final. Bailey, along with coach
Sanjay Bangar were instrumental in the rise
of fringe players like Wridhimann Saha,
Manan Vohra, Sandeep Sharma and Akshar
Patel. One of the trademarks of his captaincy
during the IPL was his encouragement of
untested players. Recently, Bailey quit as
Australia's T20 captain in order to focus on
his career in the longer format and it would
be an interesting face-off when he leads
KXIP against home team Hobart Hurricanes
on September 19.

Gautam Gambhir [Kolkata Knight Riders]

One man who would be waiting for the
commencement of CLT20 more than anyone
else would be Gautam Gambhir. After the
high of IPL 2014, where he led Kolkata Knight
Riders to their second title, Gambhir had a
forgettable tour of England and would be
itching to set things right. Success in the
Tests against England would have given him
much more satisfaction, but Gambhir would
eye it as a platform to once again stake
claim for a spot in India's 2015 World Cup
team, though that may be a distant dream
right now. Gambhir leads a bunch of
enthusiastic players in the form of Robin
Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar
Yadav among others and has proven his
credentials as a captain. KKR under
Gambhir's leadership will be a tough nut to
crack.

Morne van Wyk [Dolphins]

South Africa's Morne van Wyk is a vital cog
in the Dolphins team. Van Wyk brings with
him all-round capabilities needed to guide a
young team that is less on international
experience. The 35-year-old Bloemfontein-
born player is a right-hand batsman who
also bowls slow left-arm when not donning
the keeping gloves. The former Kolkata
Knight Riders player was the captain of the
team which won the South African domestic
T20 championship and if form is anything to
go by, Dolphins will pose a tough challenge
for the more fancied sides in this tournament.

The Qualifiers:

Among the four teams in the qualification,
Lahore Lions enjoy the most settled
leadership at the helm in the form of
Mohammad Hafeez . Hafeez quit as
Pakistan's T20 skipper after his team's
group-stage exit in the ICC World T20 held in
Bangladesh earlier in the year. By taking the
responsibility upon himself, Hafeez proved
that team interest was always his first
priority. He led the Lions to victory in the
domestic T20 tournament in Pakistan which
gave them a chance to showcase their talent
in the Champions League. Leading Pakistan
is not an easy task but his 18 wins in 29
T20Is as Pakistan captain is likely to hold
him good.
On the other hand, the much fancied
defending champions Mumbai Indians will be
led by West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard ,
who has got this chance because of an injury
to regular captain Rohit Sharma. However, it
will be a huge chance for Pollard to showcase
his captaincy skills to the world.
Another team in the qualification round is
Northern Knights from New Zealand. The
Knights will be led by Daniel Flynn, a
powerful left-hand batsman. Captaincy is not
new to Flynn as he led the New Zealand
Under-19 team in the 2004 World Cup. Sri
Lanka's Southern Express will also aim to
make it to the main draw under Jehan
Mubarak's leadership. Mubarak, a left-hand
batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler, has
represented his national team in 16 T20Is. At
33, Mubarak will aim to prove his credentials
as a captain in the CLT20.

Hero MotoCorp plans to invest Rs 16 billion in new plant: Source

NEW DELHI: Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HROM.NS),
India's top maker of motorcycles and scooters,
plans to invest 16 billion rupees ($262 million)
to set up a new manufacturing plant in south
India, a source directly involved in the matter
said.
Hero has signed a preliminary agreement with
the Andhra Pradesh government to set up the
plant, to be spread across 600 acres, which can
produce upto 1.8 million vehicles annually, the
source said.
Hero, which has three operational plants and
one under construction across India, did not
have an immediate comment.
The company also plans to set up a plant in the
western state of Gujarat, where construction is
expected to begin soon, the company's annual
report showed.

Google unveils Android One phones with Spice, Karbonn and Micromax

Google has unveiled its first set of
Android One low-cost smartphones in the
Indian market, partnering with Indian hardware
vendors Spice, Micromax and Karbonn. The
three phones will be available online on Flipkart,
Amazon and Snapdeal and via Reliance Digital,
Croma and The Mobile Store, offline.
The phones will be available for purchase online
starting September 15, 3:30pm IST.
Under the Android One programme Google
partners with local phone makers to create and
sell affordable yet feature-packed Android
phones. Google essentially provides hardware
reference boards and software support to
partner vendors under the programme.

David Beckham on Scottish independence: Save union that is the 'envy of the world'

In a last ditch attempt to preserve the United
Kingdom, Olympic ambassador David Beckham
has weighed in on the Scottish independence
debate.
The former England football captain urged
Scots to vote 'No' and to save the Union on
September 18.
"The achievement that gave me the most pride
was to captain and play for my country," he
wrote in an open letter, recalling the now
famous Euro 2000 qualifier that saw Scotland
beat England 1-0 at Wembley.
Ultimately, they lost due to the 2-0 deficit from
the first leg match at Hampden.
"I saw that same pride and passion in every
Scottish player and fan whenever we played
each other, it was a common bond that I have
always related to and admired," he continued.
"Representing the United Kingdom with our
Olympic bid I felt that same pride and passion.
We worked together to bring the greatest
sporting event of them all to our nation and I
was thrilled to watch us competing together
against the world.
"I took as much satisfaction in seeing Sir Chris
Hoy or Andy Murray win gold as I did watching
Jess Ennis and Mo Farah do the same in the
Olympic Stadium."
He went on to admit that it is not his place to
tell Scots how to vote, but warned the "huge
effect" the results of the referendum could have
on "each and every one of us in the United
Kingdom".
He added: "We want to let you know how very
much we value our relationship and friendship.
"Of course regardless of your decision that will
never change, however, my sincere hope is that
you will vote to renew our historic bond which
has been such a success over the centuries and
the envy of the entire world.
"What unites us is much greater than what
divides us. Let's stay together."
He was joined by two more Olympic legends, Sir
Steve Redgrave and Baroness Grey-Thompson,
who released the following joint statement to
the Scottish Daily Mail: "It is clear, in
competing side by side, that we are so much
greater than the sum of our parts."
Their words follow that of the Queen, who
apparently told a member of the public that she
hoped "people will think very carefully about the
future" when they headed to the polls later this
week.
Piers Morgan, on the other hand, offered an
incredibly tempting deal to voters in Scotland -
mark 'No' and he'll move back to the United
States indefinitely.