India has stepped up its efforts to assist half a million people displaced by severe flooding in Bihar state.

Reports say the military has poured fresh troops, doctors and medical equipment into the devastated north.

Tens of thousands of survivors have crowded into unsanitary relief camps, where tensions are growing over the desperate lack of emergency supplies.

Monsoon rains caused a river to change course cutting across Bihar, affecting areas not normally prone to floods.

At least 75 people have been killed in Bihar - but officials have warned that the death toll could climb once the situation in remote areas becomes clear.

Reports suggest that some villages have simply been washed away by strong currents.

In the north-eastern state of Assam, monsoon rains have caused the Brahmaputra river to burst its banks, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

More than 100 villages have been completely submerged in the past 24 hours, officials said.

Across the border in Nepal, tens of thousands of people have also been displaced.

Disorganisation

More than half a million people have been evacuated from the disaster zone, and officials hope to rescue the other 500,000 in the next few days, disaster management officials said.

The military said it was sending thousands more troops as well as helicopters and boats to Bihar, which is one of India's poorest states.

Uncertainty in India flood camp
How we rescued survivors
In pictures: Flood rescue effort
See how the river changed course

With the numbers of people in the camps expected to nearly double in the coming days, there are fears that poor conditions could lead to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera.

The United Nations warned that "the heat, combined with limited supplies of safe drinking water and poor hygiene conditions, poses a great risk of water and vector-borne diseases".

The temporary camps are being supported by volunteers and community groups, but a lack of central co-ordination is hampering efforts.

Visiting the Bageecha relief camp in Purnea, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder could find no camp co-ordinator or government official in charge of distributing aid.

Trucks and vans carrying aid stood parked on the highway as volunteers waited to be organised, he said.

The situation was symptomatic of what was happening across Bihar's flood-affected areas, our correspondent says.

Massive costs

The disaster began on 18 August when a dam burst on the Saptakoshi river in Nepal.

The Saptakoshi, which becomes the Kosi when it enters India, subsequently broke its banks in Bihar.

Officials in Nepal say hundreds of people there have been hit by illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, and an estimated 50,000 are homeless.

They say nearly 1,000 houses have been completely destroyed, and that power supplies and transport have been severely affected.

The costs to the economy are now estimated at one billion Nepalese rupees ($14.25m).

1:09 PM
Categories: India. Author: SacHu

Customers can now connect to powerful BlackBerry services on select Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Asus handsets.

BPL Mobile and Research In Motion have announced the availability of BlackBerry Connect software v4.0 on a range of handsets from BPL Mobile in India. With the BlackBerry Connect software, users will be able to access BlackBerry services with support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service.

“We are delighted to extend the choice of smartphones supporting the powerful BlackBerry wireless solution,” said Sunzay Passari, vice president, VAS and devices, BPL Mobile. “BlackBerry Connect software enables users to enhance their mobile communications and productivity by connecting to the feature-rich and sophisticated BlackBerry services.”

“The popularity of the BlackBerry solution continues to grow in India and around the world as customers embrace its many communications, productivity and convenience benefits,” said Frenny Bawa, vice president, India, Research In Motion. “We’re very pleased to be working with BPL Mobile to provide BlackBerry Connect to customers in India with a broad choice of handsets.”

BlackBerry Connect software provides support for 'push'-based wireless e-mail access, wireless e-mail reconciliation and attachment viewing.

Additional features supported by BlackBerry Connect v4.0 on BlackBerry Enterprise Server include: integration with IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise to enable secure,push-based wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data; complete, two-way wireless synchronisation of e-mail, calendar, address book and task information; enhanced attachment handling capabilities, enabling users to view images, footnotes and tracked changes; remote look-up of corporate e-mail address directory; triple DES or AES wireless encryption; Internet and corporate intranet access via the BlackBerry Mobile Data System; wireless device provisioning to allow devices to be activated wirelessly; remote control of e-mail settings to allow users to wirelessly configure out-of-office replies, e-mail filters and auto-signatures directly from their device; and wireless IT policy enforcement and commands.

Click here for a complete listing of the handsets from BPL Mobile for which BlackBerry Connect is available and from where customers can download the software.

12:20 PM
Categories: India, Latest Tech. Author: SacHu

This news completely amazed the big community of B school graduates in India. Kaushalendra is a 27 years old MBA graduate from IIM Ahmedabad. It is one of the prestigious B schools of world. He got exciting job offers after completing the MBA degree but he decided to hawk vegetables on the streets of Patna, capital of Bihar. He is famous in the Kankarbagh market as the “MBA sabziwalla”. He is not an ordinary vendor. He uses a self-developed handcraft for carrying vegetables. There is also a weighing machine attached to cart. There is cooling facility also available in the cart. He gives a brand name “Samridhi” - to his vegetables. His vegetable prices are lower than the normal prices in the market.

Actually he has dream to make Bihar India’s vegetable hub. Kaushalendra has already tied up with more than 250 vegetable farmers in villages of Bihar. He is now getting media attention. However he has still a big way to cover. After topping his class of IIM-A in 2007, he says he did extensive fieldwork to gauge the market, meet the local farmers and minutely study cultivation techniques before finely calibrating his unique business model. Only after he was convinced of the immense potential of his plan, did he apply for a bank loan of Rs 4 million to flag off his project. He has a dream to make Bihar a rich and prosperous state.

“I am here to do something. It was my childhood dream to contribute to the development of rural Bihar, I have opted to make vegetables the new brand of Bihar.”

12:10 PM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Google ( NSDQ: GOOG) has posted about the new browser on its official blog, and it has posted the comic-book describing the browser online here.. It will launch tomorrow in about 100 countries. From the post: "What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build...Under the hood, we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today's complex web applications much better. By keeping each tab in an isolated "sandbox", we were able to prevent one tab from crashing another and provide improved protection from rogue sites. We improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of web applications that aren't even possible in today's browsers." For now, this is Windows version only, and Google is working on Mac and Linux versions too.
ad_icon

On open-sourcing it: "We've used components from Apple's ( NSDQ: AAPL) WebKit and Mozilla's Firefox, among others?and in that spirit, we are making all of our code open source as well."

Original post: Google is going after the fundamental underpinning of how users access the Internet: it is going to launch a new web browser called Chrome, according to various reports ( first reported here). It may come as soon as tomorrow, reports ATD.

This despite Google's continued support of the other open source browser Mozilla...just last week it extended its support of the Mozilla foundation until 2011.

Chrome will feature enhanced address-bar features, including a new format for tabs, the ability to view Web pages as thumbnails, and other new features meant to make web browsing faster. The browser, of course, will integrate various Google services in it, something that rivals has accused Microsoft ( NSDQ: MSFT) of doing over the years when invoking the monopoly claims against the software giant.

A Google browser has been rumored for many years now, as the company moves closer to developing services rivaling MSFT, including its core constituency of MSFT Office products...Google did launch its Google Docs product, which while popular among a sub-set, has not caught on in the mainstream yet. The development of a Google browser will help allay fears that MSFT could wean away search share through its IE8 browser?

As to how it got leaked out, through a comic book (yes!) mailed by Google to some users. The full comic book explaining the features is posted here. Check out its use of "multi-process design" to help speed up loading pages with multiple javascript apps on it, which is common these days. Remains to be seen how much faster the browser is?

As for the already-overloaded web designers, another browser that they now have to optimize web pages too...hurray.

10:18 AM
Categories: General Info. Author: SacHu

A keen-eyed Wiganer has captured this UFO in the skies above Wigan on his video camera. The man in his 30s, who only revealed his first name as Geoff, filmed the strange object hovering near to junction 27 of the M6 at Shevington Moor last month. So shocked at what he saw he didn't know who to tell or what to do with his footage until he showed it to a friend, who urged him to contact the local press to see if anyone else had reported it. The footage clearly shows a strange object hovering in the sky for several minutes before vanishing into thin air. Geoff said: "I was driving through Shevington when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye hovering above some houses. My first thought was that it was a helicopter, but after a while I noticed it wasn't moving at all and wasn't making any sound. And it looked to be in two pieces. "I pulled over and kept watching it and it was the strangest thing. Then a chinook helicopter flew close by, followed by another type of helicopter – it might be me but they seemed to be checking it out. "I had my video camera in my car with me, so I took some footage of the object. It was there in the sky perfectly visible then it just disappeared from my viewfinder.

" This sighting is the latest in a long line of sightings from across the country of strange objects in the sky, but it is made all the remarkable because it is captured on film. Last year a young man from Hindley captured a UFO on his mobile phone whilst standing outside his local pub, but the footage is poor compared to Geoff's amazing video. "I've shown it to a few people," said Geoff.

10:05 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's limited-overs captain, has moved to the top spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen after his consistent performance with the bat in the recent series against Sri Lanka. The other big mover is Andrew Flintoff, who is now ranked as the No. 1 allrounder in ODIs.

Dhoni's 193 runs helped India to a 3-2 series triumph, their first in a bilateral series in Sri Lanka. He was the highest run-getter in the five-ODI contest and also won the series prize. Dhoni displaces Graeme Smith, the South African captain, from the No. 1 spot. He had been on top of the rankings briefly for a week in April 2006, and had pushed up to second place earlier this year following the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

With both Smith and Ricky Ponting ruled out of the forthcoming ODIs for South Africa and Australia respectively, Michael Hussey, behind them in fourth spot, could make his way up with good scores in the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, has broken into the top ten and is currently in seventh place, behind Mohammad Yousuf and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Pietersen, who is targeting a 5-0 whitewash against South Africa, could better Yousuf and Chanderpaul with impressive showings in the remaining two games.

Two of Pietersen's team-mates have also gained in the charts after England secured a winning 3-0 lead. Flintoff, back in England colours in nearly a year, climbed six places to topple Shoaib Malik while Jacques Kallis, who's had a torrid time in England, drops two places to No. 5. In the three ODIs, Flintoff has taken seven wickets and made 156 runs, with scores of 78 and 78 not out.

Stuart Broad, who took career-best figures of 5 for 23 in the second ODI at Trent Bridge, has jumped to No. 4 in the rankings for bowlers, which is led by Nathan Bracken.

9:44 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Already weakened without three of their stars, Australia have sent Andrew Symonds home for undisclosed reasons.

The all-rounder, who was disciplined by Cricket Australia during Australia's ill-fated tour of England three years ago for arriving on the morning of a game drunk, will not play any part in the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh.

With skipper Ricky Ponting (wrist), opener Matthew Hayden (Achilles) and fast bowler Brett Lee (personal reasons) all unavailable, stand-in skipper Michael Clarke would have been looking to the likes of Symonds to lead the charge.

But CA released a statement on Saturday morning, just hours before the opening match of the series at Darwin's TIO Stadium, revealing that Symonds was sent packing 'following a recommendation by the team leadership group ... late on Friday night'.

With no replacement immediately named, CA will hold a media conference after Saturday's match in which they will provide 'details relating to Symonds' departure'.

The explosive batsman, who earlier this week was dubbed by Australian coach Mike Young as the Usain Bolt of cricket for his athleticism in the field, was left out of Australia's team in 2005 when it went on to suffer a shock loss to Bangladesh in Cardiff.

This is Australia's first match since the team's successful tour of the West Indies in July.

Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association, said the latest incident was unexpected but the ACA would do everything it could to get him back into the Australia team. "It was a surprise," Marsh said, "but there were issues last summer that have been well documented.

"Our role is obviously we're here to support Andrew. We've been in discussion with his manager and look to put in place the best possible support for him."

Australia maintain that a break from the game is in Symonds' best interests as well as for the good of the team, although nobody knows how long his lay-off will be. His attitude over the past few months has troubled the squad's senior figures and the coach Tim Nielsen said the fishing expedition was simply a trigger point.

"They [usually] don't miss a thing and they are always early and presented as well as they possibly can," Nielsen said. "When somebody hasn't got the information that they need or hasn't turned up on time it's usually due to the fact they're away from us and the group a little bit, mentally. That always raises concerns."

While Cricket Australia said it would do whatever it could to help Symonds, the unusual situation means it is not clear what he must do to prove his commitment. "There's no prescribed, exact process for these sorts of things," Marsh said. "We just need to get to the bottom of things and work out what's the best way to move forward."

9:33 AM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu

Without the benefit of handlers, publicists or even a stylist, Bigfoot once again wandered into the spotlight. Even though the half-man, half-ape’s latest comeback in Georgia ended badly, don’t assume we’ve seen the last of him. The creature, or at least the myth, endures, in spite of all the wannabe P.T. Barnums who have tried to cash in on his fame. “It’s amazing to me that people made such a big of deal out of it as they did,” said Bradd Shore, director of the Emory Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life. “But our myths and stories are so populated by the part-man, part-animal, and Bigfoot represents that. It attracts and repels at the same time.” For lay people, the mystery of Sasquatch" as he was known among the Indian tribes of southwest British Columbia " is too compelling to ignore, said Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “In this MapQuested, GPS nation of ours, that there could be something like this out there in the woods is fascinating,” Thompson said. But in this case the thing out in the woods is also a celebrity, particularly for the children of baby boomers who grew up fearing Bigfoot, the go-to bogeyman of the 1970s. While he never quite reached the A-List, Bigfoot was ubiquitous through much of the decade, appearing in several movies and television shows. He famously battled the “Six-Million Dollar Man” and even starred in a short-lived Saturday morning series (alongside D-lister Wildboy, who has yet to resurface). “There is a nostalgic quality to it,” Thompson said. “The idea of Bigfoot as something that scares us is kind of quaint in this time when there are such real fears out there.

We would be so lucky if Bigfoot was our biggest fear.” To a growing number of enthusiasts, Sasquatch is no myth. The scientific community is generally dismissive of Bigfoot and his believers, though some prominent names have spoken out in his defense, including famed primatologist Jane Goodall. “Well now, you’ll be amazed when I tell you that I’m sure that they exist,” Goodall told National Public Radio in a 2002 interview. “I’ve talked to so many Native Americans who all describe the same sounds, two who have seen them.”

9:27 AM
Categories: Something Interesting. Author: SacHu