Life in a Russian Prison

By MASHA GESSEN

Sergei Karpukhin/ReutersNadezhda Tolokonnikova.

MOSCOW — “I am declaring a hunger strike starting Sept. 23. I refuse to take part in slave labor in the camp until the penal colony authorities start to conduct themselves in accordance with laws and start treating women inmates like people rather than cattle.” After a year-and-a-half behind bars, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has given up her struggle to keep the peace and has declared war on her jailers.  But only after they threatened to kill her.

Banks to pay for credit card frauds, RBI says

The Reserve Bank of India has refused to extend the deadline for upgrading security on credit card swipe machines and has ordered banks to compensate cardholders in seven days if any fraud occurs on non-compliant terminals.

If the bank fails to refund the disputed amount in seven days, it has to compensate the cardholder with a penalty of Rs 100 per day until the date of payment. At present, dispute resolution is a cumbersome process and takes several weeks in case of credit card frauds.

Could Apple be going gold with its iPads too?

The two new rumored devices will follow hot on the heels of the new iPhone models released to great fanfare last Friday. On Monday, Apple said Monday that sales for its new iPhone had set a record, with consumers snapping up 9 million smartphones within the first few days of its launch, prompting the company to hike its revenue guidance.

5 Herbs and Veggies that Love Growing Indoors

Photo by Flickr user jorge zapico

Among its many proven health benefits, gardening fights stress and gets your blood pumping. But what if you live in a small, indoor space? Not to worry! We're here to make sure that anyone can reap the benefits – and the fruits – of gardening, with the right plant choices and placement. Enjoy!

PlayStation Plus: Five new games for October 2013

Far Cry 3 and Street Fighter X TEKKEN are the games of the month on PlayStation Plus.

Boost your Instant Game Collection at no extra cost with this month's titles, right here.

On PlayStation 3

Far Cry 3

Sony Xperia Z1 with 20.7MP camera launched at Rs 44,990

Sony has unveiled its Xperia Z1 in India, bringing its latest handset in the country within two weeks of being showcased globally.

NEW DELHI: Sony has unveiled its Xperia Z1 in India, bringing its latest handset to the country within two weeks of its global unveiling. The smartphone maker unveiled Xperia Z1 at IFA 2013 in Berlin. The phone's key feature is its 20.7MP camera, which will help it take on the likes of Nokia Lumia 1020 and Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom. The company has priced the new Xperia Z1 at Rs 44,990.

Email, SMS stealing Android virus prowling in Indian cyberspace

A potentially damaging virus, which steals SMSes and personal details of an Android-enabled gadget-user, has been detected in Indian cyberspace and internet security sleuths have asked mobile phone and tablet users to exercise caution while operating. The malware is affecting all the versions of Android prior to version 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean).

Micromax launches first Canvas tablet @ Rs 16,500

Micromax has launched its first tablet under the Canvas brand at Rs 16,500.

NEW DELHI: Riding high on the success of its Canvas series of smartphone, Micromax has launched its first tablet under the Canvas brand. The new Canvas Tab P650 tablet has an 8-inch display, similar in size to the Apple iPad mini and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (311). The company has priced the new tablet at Rs 16,500 and is available in stores across India as of now.

Fergie and Josh Duhamel share first pictures of baby Axl

(This picture was posted on Twitter by @joshduhamel)

Singer Fergie and husband Josh Duhamel have shared the first pictures of their newborn son Axl on Twitter.

World's first ethically sourced smartphone unveiled

Dutch company Fairphone is introducing its ethically sourced phone while industry leaders, including Samsung and Apple, continue to face criticism over factory conditions and mineral sourcing

Dutch company Fairphone is introducing its ethically sourced phone while industry leaders, including Samsung and Apple, continue to face criticism over factory conditions and mineral sourcing.

Here's how inflation will affect economy and market

CNBC-TV18's Executive Editor Latha Venkatesh explains the impact of a hike in the wholesale price index (WPI) inflation on the economy and the market

The wholesale price index (WPI) inflation rose to 6.1 percent for August from 5.79 percent. CNBC-TV18’s Executive Editor Latha Venkatesh explains what the data means to the economy and the market.

Top 5 BlackBerry 10 Questions

I picked a great time to start blogging for BlackBerry. The anticipation for BlackBerry 10 has been so exciting for us community managers, and we know how excited you are too! We’ve received a lot of questions about BlackBerry 10 recently, and while I’d love to answer all of them, I focused on the five questions that kept coming up.

Here’s a list of the top five questions for BlackBerry 10:

Meet the New BlackBerry Z30 Smartphone with BlackBerry 10.2 OS

I’m pleased to introduce you to the new BlackBerry Z30 smartphone. It is our biggest, fastest and most advanced smartphone, and easily my favorite BlackBerry smartphone to date.

Samsung Unveils GALAXY Note 3 The new GALAXY Note 3

The new GALAXY Note 3 comes with enhanced privacy and security protection provided by Samsung KNOX.

Samsung Electronics has introduced GALAXY Note 3, the latest update to the Note product line. Samsung GALAXY Note 3 delivers a larger and better screen for the best viewing experience and more powerful multitasking, and introduces significant S Pen improvements that make everyday life easier and faster. 

Samsung GALAXY Note 3 comes with a larger (5.7inch) full HD Super AMOLED display, yet slimmer (8.3mm) and lighter (168g) hardware design, and more powerful and longer lasting (3,200mAh) battery. Also, equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera with Smart Stabilization and high CRI LED flash, Samsung GALAXY Note 3 enables users to crisply capture every visual story in their lives, even in low light and active situations. Incorporating 3GB RAM, the GALAXY Note 3 also provides faster and more powerful performance. 

Read More>>

ERP 9 For BlackBerry Now Available For Tally.ERP 9 Users

ERP 9 for BlackBerry, the latest application for the Tally software series is now available on the BlackBerry World storefront giving existing Tally.ERP 9 customers enhanced business capabilities on their BlackBerry smartphones.� ERP 9 for BlackBerry offers real-time access to critical business information on Tally.ERP 9 through Tally.NET framework.

Click here for full story

Toyota Kirloskar launches limited edition Etios and Liva

CHENNAI: Festival season is just round the corner and Motown is in launch mode. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has launched the New Etios Xclusive and Etios Liva Xclusive Limited Edition on Monday to mark the one lakh sales of the Etios and the second anniversary of the Etios Liva. Only 2000 exclusive units of the limited edition vehicle will be sold till the month of November 2013, the company said in a statement.

Feeling tipsy? New apps read blood alcohol levels, hail a taxi

Toronto: Before getting behind the wheel after a night out, a driver can test his blood alcohol level with new apps that not only give a reading but can call a cab.

Breathometer, for iPhones and Android smartphones, and BACtrack, for iPhones, display a user's blood alcohol level within seconds on smartphone-connected breathalyzers.

"People think, 'Oh, I'm driving around the corner,' but it's not until they get pulled over that they realize they're over the limit," said Charles Michael Yim, chief executive of Breathometer, based in Burlingame, California.

Vaastu and Auspicious Colours

Get colour guidance for your personal and office space and enhance your luck by following the age old principles of Vaastu Shastra. Which colours are considered auspicious and which are not? Find out more about Vaastu and colour practices here!

As far as colours are concerned, Vaastu considers the colour black to be inauspicious and colours like pink, red, white, green and yellow are considered auspicious. Depending upon the direction the rooms are located in, the colour recommendations may vary. But, overall, these shades are considered auspicious for most homes.

The best colour for your porch is White, Yellow or any other light colour. However, avoid colouring the porch in any dark shades.

Read More>>

Terrific Travel Tips: Nutrition on the Road!

be a wonderful experience (especially when heading on vacation), it sure can play havoc on our nutrition and diet plans.  High quality food choices out there in the big world can be hard to find, the servings are enormous, and it is often a giant pile of fat and salt!

But there are lots of ways to stay focused and keep on track!

Bikini-Ready Vegetable Soup

Enjoy this spicy detoxifying soup to keep your body lean, healthy and beach-confident.

Ready in 45 minutes • Makes 6 cup servings

Graphic: Compare iPhone 5S vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Nokia Lumia 925 vs BlackBerry Z10

Graphic: Compare iPhone 5S vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Nokia Lumia 925 vs BlackBerry Z10

Source:Indianexpress

Disruptive Apple Inc. iPhone 5S set to go free

Steve Jobs loved to have his clients over a barrel to impose his will on them.

The day Apple Inc unveiled its next-generation flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5S, at its high-profile launch event in Cupertino, California, long-time antagonist NTT DOCOMO announced that both iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will be available on its network beginning Friday, September 20. NTT DOCOMO, Japan's largest cellular provider, would start selling Apple's smartphones for the first time and that also meant the country's three major carriers (DOCOMO, SoftBank and KDDI) now have jumped onto the iPhone bandwagon.

Nokia unveils camera mobile phones priced at USD 29

Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM have a recommended retail price of Rs 1,800. (Reuters)

With an eye on people wanting to buy their first-ever camera phone, Finnish handset maker Nokia on Monday unveiled the Nokia 108 and the Nokia 108 Dual SIM priced at USD 29 (Rs 1,800) excluding taxes.

Vengaboys - We're Going to Ibiza!

Eminem - Berzerk (Official) (Explicit)

RAGINI MMS - 2 (Teaser) - Film Releases on January 17, 2014

10 new things that come to the iPhone with Apple iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c

New Delhi: Two new iPhones in an array of colours and a redesigned operating system to run them were among the major announcements from Apple on Tuesday. The company also announced it will release a previously announced overhaul of its operating system for iPhones and iPads on September 18. Here are the 10 new things that come to the iPhone with the Apple iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c

 1. The iPhone 5s contains a 64-bit chip instead of the 32-bit chip used in most smartphones. That will enable it to run applications and play games at speeds twice as fast as the iPhone 5. 

Hackers come up with new tricks to attack bank accounts

New Delhi: Delhi police have stumbled upon a new modus operandi of e-banking fraudsters in which they first hack the Internet banking account of the target and then get mobile number blocked to prevent the bank customer from receiving SMS alerts about illegal transactions made by them.

In a recent case, two Nigerians were arrested by the staff of South Delhi police for allegedly swindling Rs 70 lakh from the bank account of an NRI based in Japan.

Sukkot and the Single Woman: A Holiday of Thankfulness and Self-Invention

I never felt comfortable in my Orthodox neighborhood on Sukkot until I made a sukkah of my own—from the most unlikely materials

Sukkot was coming. Or, as the Municipal Parking Bureau of New York City calls it, the Festival of the Booths.

I was 30, single, working as a secretary, and living in Brooklyn just a scant block

Bigg Boss 7: Reality TV virgins vs veterans

Will the 8 contestants with experience in reality TV shows rule the roost or will novices turn the tables?

Actor Salman Khan is the host for Bigg Boss 7

What’s up with flop Yash Raj heroines who started their Bollywood careers with Uday Chopra? Is the Bigg Boss house the only place where they find work?

History of economic crisis and reforms: Deja Vu?

The fourth volume of RBI’s history is an exciting read, particularly when the govt is grappling with a critical phase of the economy

The fourth volume of RBI’s history (1981-1997), is much more than the story of central banking—it’s the economic history of India during that period. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

In the past few years, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor D. Subbarao repeatedly urged the government to address structural issues in the Indian economy. He was not the first one to do so. In May 1989, then RBI governor R. N. Malhotra wrote to the finance ministry: “From all accounts,

Angry tweets question Indian-origin winner of Miss America

Nina Davuluri is a native of Syracuse

Nina Davuluri, 24, had this to say after winning the Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City on September 15, 2013: "I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity. I'm thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America."

Ayushmann Khurrana: My new single is a happy song

Ayushmann launched his new single on Saturday (September 14, 2013).

Actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana has released his single O Heeriye and says it is unlike his previous songs Paani Da Rang and Saddi Gali which were more about heartbreak.

"This song is very special. Paani Da Rang and Saddi Gali, there was a lot of catharsis behind those songs and lot of heartbreaks. This one (O Heeriye) is a very happy and romantic song," the 29-year-old said.

The song's tagline says "However messy it is...always be in love."

Gauhar Khan: I wish I knew some strategies to win Bigg Boss

Gauhar has participated in shows like The Khan Sisters and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.

Reality TV star Gauhar Khan is upbeat about winning the seventh season of Bigg Boss and says she plans to be herself on the show without getting involved in cheap stunts to grab the eye-balls.

Gauhar, 32, is not new to the world of reality shows having participated in shows like The Khan Sistersand Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.

Grand Theft Auto V :What we know

Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS3 in September 2013 – if you can't wait that long, here's everything we know about the game so far.

Jump into a living, breathing online world

The World Before Her: women learning to kill or wear a bikini in India

Extracts from award-winning film-maker Nisha Pahuja's new feature-length documentary, The World Before Her. Pahuja's film examines the contradictory realities between a Hindu nationalist training camp where girls are trained to kill in self-defence and the bikini-clad women of the Miss India pageant. Tradition and modernity are on collision course.

Read More>>

Should I be more emotional?

Some studies have found that a positive mental attitude and not bottling up feelings can lead to a longer life, but the evidence is not conclusive

There has long been a debate about whether stress is a cause of ­cancer. Photograph: Alamy

I found a message in a bottle from my dead daughter

'It felt like discovering buried treasure. It was a beautiful message for a mother to get'

Mimi Ferry: 'It felt like discovering buried treasure. It also felt as if she was telling me everything was all right.' Photograph: Carroll Tavares for the Guardian

My daughter Sidonie was 10 when she put a message in a bottle and threw it into the sea. We were visiting friends in Long Island, New York, at the time and she always disappeared with their children immediately, engrossed in some project or other. I knew what they were doing, but didn't think much about it.

World’s first ‘ethical’ smartphone to be unveiled this week

Sebastian Salek

The world's first fair-trade smartphone will be unveiled to the public in London this week, marking a leap forward in ethical technology. The Dutch firm behind the phone said it had worked closely with pressure groups to ensure the smartphone, called Fairphone, was the most ethically sourced product available.

The world’s first fair-trade smartphone will be unveiled to the public in London this week, marking a leap forward in ethical technology.

Samsung to launch smartphones priced below Rs 15,000 this month

BERLIN: Samsung will launch twosmartphones in India this month for less than Rs 15,000, intensifying competition in the mid-segment mobile market. 

The Korean company, which has a 49 per cent share in India's smartphone segment, will offer options in local languages to attract non-English speaking customers. 

Michael Jackson: 15 things you didn't know

n the lexicon of pop culture, Michael Jackson is legend. In an extraordinary career that began when he was five, Michael Jackson notched up milestones including recording the most successful album of all time (Thriller) and winning eight Grammys in a single year, a record. To celebrate his 55th birth anniversary, here are 15 things about MJ only a true fan would know. 

1.Michael Jackson described his own voice as a pre-teen singing with The Jackson 5 as sounding "like Minnie Mouse."

Michael Jackson wanted to achieve movie stardom, reveals secret diary

Michael Jackson also wanted to launch a line of soda and cookies

Michael Jackson wanted to achieve movie stardom in a bid to immortalise his fame, according to a secret diary that he kept before his death.

Micromax Bolt A40 pops up on the company website

The Bolt A40 is the latest gadget from the Micromax stables to hit India and looking at the specifications, we can safely say that it falls in the entry-level category. Although it has been listed on the official company website, nothing has been mentioned about the price and availability details of this smartphone.

Ansa app lets you text without leaving trace

MELBOURNE: A new messaging app called Ansa has been developed for those who take their online footprint seriously.

Ansa, the new messaging app, launched at Disrupt SF, which is one of the biggest hackathon events of the year hosted by tech blog TechCrunch, allows people to chat "off the record", which enables the phone to delete all messages sent within 60 seconds of it being read, News.com.au reported.

Nokia tested Android on Lumia phones: Report

NEW DELHI: Nokia could have switched loyalty to Google's Android operating system after 2014, according to a blog on New York Times. According to Nick Wingfield's blog on NYT's Bits Blog, "Before Microsoft reached a deal to buy Nokia's phone business, there was a possibility that Nokia could have switched its smartphones to Google's Android operating system sometime after late 2014." 

A Nokia team reportedly began testing Android OS on the company's Lumia handsets long before the company signed the dotted line on acquisition by Microsoft of its mobile business. The blog suggests that these efforts were underway sometime between 2012 and early 2013. The blog quotes two people briefed on the plan. The testing of Android OS on Lumia phones is believed to be the company's "plan B", to negotiate better with partners. 

According to the blog, Nokia using Android OS wasn't a part of Microsoft's acquisition discussions with the company, however, Microsoft executives were aware of the existence of the project. Analysts believe that it is likely the plan impacted Microsoft's decision to acquire Nokia. 

According to another report in The Verge, Nokia had plans of unveiling an Android-powered Asha device in 2014. 

Nokia and Microsoft made the deal to use Windows Phone OS in 2011 and the former had the option to exit the partnership at the end of 2014. Nokia has long been criticised for choosing Windows Phone over Android, which many believe led to the slump in its global market share. 

Both Nokia and Microsoft refused a comment on the blog. 

Source: TOI

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear Up For Pre-Booking In India At Rs 2,000

A couple of days ago GizBot exclusive story said that Galaxy Note 3 would come by September 17, and guess what, the invites followed soon with the same date. Now the same Note 3 is already up on Samsung India eStore for pre-booking at Rs. 2,000. In fact, the massive phablet is also accompanied by Galaxy Gear which is also under pre-booking at the same price of Rs 2,000. Although there are complex reactions on the Note 3's UI, the device is sure to make some remarkable profit in India. Although the, price of Galaxy Note 3 has not been confirmed officially but GizBot believes that it would come around Rs. 47,900. While the Galaxy Gear would cost close to Rs. 23,900.

Must-Try: Yummy Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Images courtesy: © Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images

's simple to have a bite of chocolate, isn't it? Buy the bar, take the wrapper off and then just bite into it. But chocolate has the most demanding and complex ingredients. It requires patience, precision and accuracy. A confectioner will have to watch while working with chocolate, any slight deviation from the recipe and it could go haywire. Because of the complexity of chocolate, I think I can study and work with it for a lifetime and still not learn all the secrets.

Here in India, chocolate for most of us is Dairy Milk's Plain, Fruit and Nut and Crackle. At least that is my perception. Anything that is in the range of 55% cocoa is considered dark chocolate and the real dark chocolate is too bitter for a lot of people.

Well, that's why it's a good idea to read the label of the chocolate (and the manufacturing date too).

Chocolate comprises 7 ingredients:

Chocolate Liquor: It's another name for cocoa beans that are ground into paste and found in dark and milk chocolate which provides chocolate flavour.

Cocoa butter: On pressing the chocolate liquor and then filtering and deodorising it, the residual product is cocoa butter. It is what we call the desirable fat in the chocolate.

Sugar: It is the second most prevalent ingredient.

Milk solids: It is a defining component of milk and white chocolate that makes the chocolate more creamy and smooth.

Dairy fat: It's the milk fat/butter fat and saves the chocolate from blooming.(Now that's a big topic in itself - blooming of chocolate.)

Flavouring: Vanilla is the natural flavour added when chocolate is manufactured.

Lecithin: All chocolates have traces of lecithin that is one of the best emulsifiers.

Here is a chocolate sauce recipe that is commonly used with cakes, desserts and of course ice cream!

Chocolate Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups whipping cream

180 gms butter

1 1/3 cup white sugar

1 1/3 cup brown sugar

2 cups sifted cocoa

A pinch of salt

1 cup coffee

1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Method

Bring cream, butter, and both sugars to a boil.  

Whisk in cocoa and salt until smooth.  Remove from heat.  

Add chopped chocolate and coffee and stir until chocolate is melted.

Kishi Arora

A foodie by passion and a pastry chef by profession, Kishi Arora spends her day dreaming up new ways to delight and indulge the taste buds of discerning foodies. Her company Foodaholics caters to those obsessive compulsive food addicts who settle for nothing but the best and the finest a culinary experience can offer.

Source:IDiva

The Ultimate Homemade Chocolate Recipe

Celebrate Chocolate Day!

Today is International Chocolate Day. In other words, you have a license to let go and sin to your heart’s content. While it would be a delight to indulge in chocolate delicacies offered by your favourite patisserie, wouldn’t you rather bring the party home? That’s why we have come up with a simple step-by-step guide for kitchen rookies to make chocolate at home.

7 Quick Fix Recipes for the Fast You

Your alarm clock didn’t go off and you have exactly 30 minutes to get to that really important meeting. You’re running late! As always. And you rush to work without breakfast.

Threads of Many Cultures, Embroidering a World

‘Interwoven Globe,’ a 300-Year Survey of Textiles at the Met

‘Interwoven Globe’: Images from the Met’s sweeping new exhibition about the textile trade.

Mind your footwear. Few New York art seasons are fully under way until the Metropolitan Museum of Art rolls out a fall exhibition with enough visual thrills and historical insights to knock your socks off. Yet this year’s offering may be even more outstanding than usual.“Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800,”opening on Monday, is a staggering overview of more than three centuries of art, commerce, craft and cross-cultural fertilization.

Read More>>

Can belief in God predict how someone responds to mental health treatment? A recent study suggests it might.

Researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., enrolled 159 men and women in a cognitive behavioral therapy program that involved, on average, 10 daylong sessions of group therapy, individual counseling and, in some cases, medications. About 60 percent of the participants were being treated for depression, while others had bipolar disorder, anxiety or other diagnoses.

Caring for a Mind in Crisis

Angelika Schwarz/Getty Images

One afternoon at a school not far from the hospital where I was working, a teacher opened a utility closet and found a staff member passed out on the floor. He was clutching a small bloody mass in one hand, a sharp knife in the other, she reported, a red stain spreading rapidly at his middle.

He had amputated his genitals.

Ask Well: Gap Toothed By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

Seth Joel/Getty Images

Q-I used to have beautiful teeth but for the past year my two front teeth are separating and I now have a space between them that’s growing wider. What is happening and what can I do?

Asked by Anne •