Twitter redesigns

Twitter Inc. has redesigned its website for the first time in its four-year history to draw more users and get them to stay longer as it competes for advertising dollars with Internet rivals Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. The redesign, which will roll out to the website's 160 million users over the next several weeks, is intended to make the site easier and faster to use and to serve up more relevant content to users, executives said at a news conference at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters. Company Chief Executive Evan Williams said that the changes would allow users to get "more out of Twitter in a lot less time." As Twitter's popularity has spread since its 2006 introduction, the website has gotten a reputation for being difficult to use and for crashing too frequently. Twitter has been a victim of its own popularity — 370,000 new users sign up each day.

Twitter has lagged in finding ways to boost revenue. It recently launched new advertising formats and ramped up its sales force. Executives hope the redesign, which will make ads easier to view, will help Twitter better compete with Google and Facebook for advertisers. Users of the redesigned site will be able to see more information about the authors of Tweets — the Twitter messages that can be no more than 140 characters in length. Also, conversations between users will be able to be viewed, as will photos and videos referenced in updates. One of the biggest changes to the Twitter site is that users will be able to see two panes instead of a single timeline of updates. They will be able to scroll through the timeline in the left pane without clicking back and forth to see more information about updates or their authors. Twitter executives said deals had been crafted with 16 photo and video sites, including YouTube and Flickr, to have their visual content embedded on Twitter.com.

Flush with venture capital funding that valued the 250-employee company at $1 billion, top executives have been focusing their efforts on making the Twitter experience simpler and better. Williams said he has spent much of his time over the last five months on the redesign. "This is a complete revamp," he said. Twitter's audience growth in the United States has tapered off in the last year, but internationally has continued to grow at a rapid clip, ComScore Inc. analyst Andrew Lipsman said. Twitter also continues to show strong user engagement, Lipsman said. Forrester Research social media analyst Augie Ray called the announcement a "significant evolution." "The long-term effects could be substantial as Twitter focuses on powering growth by improving Twitter consumption," Ray said.

U.S President Barack Obama Sends Best Wishes to Muslims for Eid-al-Fitr

U.S. President Barack Obama has sent best wishes to Muslims worldwide on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In a statement Thursday, President Obama said the holiday is a time of self-reflection, focusing on values that Muslims and people of all faiths share.

Mr. Obama said this year's Eid is also an occasion to reflect on the importance of religious tolerance. President Obama said that this year, those affected by the devastated floods in Pakistan will be on the minds of many around the world. He said all Americans can participate in the relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts by donating to the Pakistan Relief Fund at www.state.gov.

The holiday comes as plans to build an Islamic community center and mosque near the site of New York City's former World Trade Center have sparked intense opposition in the United States. Also, a minister in the state of Florida is threatening to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Most Gulf Arab states have announced they will celebrate the Muslim holiday Friday. Like most major Islamic events, the start of the Eid festival depends on a lunar sighting. Muslims look for a new moon to proclaim the start of the month in Islam's lunar calendar.

The timing of Eid can vary in different countries accordingly. Eid al-Fitr celebrates the purification achieved by a month of sunrise-to-sunset fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam, and is marked by several days of festivities. The timing of Eid can vary in different countries accordingly.

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the purification achieved by a month of sunrise-to-sunset fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam, and is marked by several days of festivities.

Facts

• The biggest disco ball in the world has a total diameter of 2.41 meters and weighs around 137.89 kilograms. It also has 6,900 mirrors squares on it.

• In the weightlessness of space a frozen pea will explode if it comes in contact with any aerated dink like Pepsi or coke.

• If garlic is rubbed in the sole of one’s feet, it would be absorbed by the body and would eventually show up on one’s breath.

• Food passes through the small intestine in just two hours. However inside the large intestine, it takes about 14 hours to travel the entire organ.

• During warm weather, hippopotamus secrete a reddish, oily fluid, called pink sweat, which acts as a skin conditioner and keeps their skin moist.

• In 1915, before becoming the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill fought in the front line trenches before he became the minister of Munitions.

• The renowned Greek Philosopher Socrates became famous for asking questions about almost everything.

• There is air in space. It is equivalent to a marble in a box five miles wide. Most of the gas is captured by the gravitational pull of celestial bodies.

• Abdul Kassam Ismael, Ruler of Persia in the tenth century, carried his library with him wherever he went. Four hundred camels carried the 117,000 volumes.

• The Burramundy, a peculiar type of fish, grows up as a male, but after 2 years or so, it turns into a female to breed and reproduce.

Spain reign at the World Cup

(Johannesburg): More than half a century of hurt, Andres Iniesta's goal gave Spain their first World Cup triumph, but not in the way they would have wanted. As 84,490 fans, including Nelson Mandela watched, after 116 minutes of a slow, bruising blur of a final, the midfielder kept looking back at linesman Michael Mullkarkey before slotting in Cesc Fabregas pass past a Dutch defence depleted by the expulsion of John Heitinga. This was the classic that never happened. Such was the tedium that you could argue that Jimmy Jump, the Spanish pitch invader, provided the greatest thrill of the evening when he pulled off the most audacious gatecrash in the history of sport, rushing the World Cup trophy just before the start.

Pitch invasion came after a stunning closing ceremony where the dapper Fabio Canavarro, captain of the victorious 2006 Italian side, had smartly walked up midpitch, and showed around the trophy. After a soulless, goalless regulation time, extra time brought some urgency but by then it was too late to salvage this game. Substitute Fabregas squandered the chance to etch his name into Spanish immortality when he hesitated in an open chance, put through by Iniesta.

Minute later, the man who had provided the pass himself hesitated. Despite having assumed a cold, killer-like persona of late, Iniesta then did a Fabregas. It was as if Spain were doing their familiar choke once again. Then Jesus Navas hit the side netting. The Dutch finally paid for their stifling game when Heitinga earned his second yellow and was told to leave. Arjen Robben was saved by the skin of his teeth when he capped a frustrating evening after being denied twice by Iker Casillas he petulantly hit the ball in after being ruled offside. It was that kind of tedium. The Beautiful Game, so much the subject of talk in the build-up to Sunday, seemed forgotten the moment the two teams kicked off the final. While Spain tried in vain to restore it, the Netherlands never had anything to do with it. All talk, all these days, proved it was just talk. But what the Dutch managed in their own beautiful way, was to upset Spain's rhythm. It worked and then they continued to peck away in a dour 90 minutes of regulation play. Someone called them a card-carrying team. With their thuggish ways, they were proving the observation so right. Fives minutes past the hour, Maarten Stekelenburg saved off his line a David Villa chance that the Spanish striker has been putting away, seemingly in his sleep, here.

Day of final Sunday, he had lost his appetite for the spectacular, even the ordinary. The reason was Nigel de Jong, with his Hispanic gangsta looks and Mark Van Bommel, who managed to squeeze all the creativity that the Spaniards were capable of, thus giving the Dutch the crucial upper hand. De Jong escaped with a sure red early in the game for a feet-up into the chest foul on Xabi Alonso. Ten minutes from the end, Robben beat an uncharacteristically lax Carles Puyol for pace, only to be denied a clear goal by Iker Casillas who was the busier of the two goalkeepers as the evening wore on. It showed how Bert van Marwijk's men were winning the battle, even as they were collecting those bookings. Just past the hour, Wesley Sneijder won his little battle with Sergio Busquets and found Arjen Robben in the centre with a pass which just eluded Gerard Pique. It had goal written all over it and as Robben raced to the Spanish goal with Puyol and Sergio Ramos in tow, it was Casillas to the rescue. But it was to end at that after a bruising 90 minutes.

Team Spain began early, attacking in waves. It frustrated the Dutch, who took some time getting into the game. Arjen Robben worked his way in and around the Spanish box, defenders trailing him feeder fish on the tail of a big one. But as the fouls began coming in, all the talk of beautiful football was under the threat of vanishing when Nigel de Jong struck his leg out into the chest of Xabi Alonso. It was a clear expulsion but referee Howard Webb chose to understand the magnitude of the occasion and let him off with a yellow. The game was losing its rhythm. Villa was missing for most part and it was left to little Pedro, in only his second full start for Spain, to carry out the raiding. Then a minute into first-half stoppage time, Robben forced a save off Iker Casillas.

Successful PSLV launch

Thanking ISRO for its success in placing the Cartosat -2B and four other satellites in orbit, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Monday said the space agency had made India proud. “Congratulations to all of you on a perfect take off”, he said, adding that this was the first time he was witnessing a launch despite being associated with ISRO as a member of the Space Commission many years ago. “This is the first time I am actually seeing a launch.. not just from the Control Centre but also rushed out to get a visual (of the PSLV soaring into the skies)... wonderful experience,” he said. Mr. Ahluwalia said ISRO has made the country proud by its continuous success in various missions.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) today successfully placed into orbit remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites.

MY NEW BIKE

INFORMATIVE FACTS

• BLUETOOTH - Name of the King of Norway in 10th century.

• NOKIA – Name of a river in Finland.

• OFOTO – old name of Kodak.

• BIG BLUE- Nick name of IBM.

• BENQ - Bringing enjoyment in quality. Name of a telecom comp.

• INTEL – Integrated Electronics.

• MITSUBISHI – Synonym three diamonds.

• BPL – British physical Laborites.

• CNN – Cable News Network.

• NDTV – New Delhi television.

• BMW – British mechanical works.

Gas leak in Orissa 35 fall ill

Berhampur (Orissa), Jun 21 (PTI) At least 35 people were today taken ill, some even falling unconscious, after chlorine gas leaked from a cylinder of urban water supply department here. The affected persons included some school children, women and employees of the drinking water supply department.

Report "They were admitted to MKCG Medical College Hospital here and their condition is improving," Sub-collector of Berhampur, Ajit Mishra told PTI. The cylinder, procured from neighbouring Paralakhemundi division to purify water, leaked when someone allegedly tried to remove the brass nozzle, executive engineer of urban water supply (Berhampur) D S Mohapatra said.

Public people complained of respiratory problem following the gas leak. The tree leaves had turned yellow after the incident. The district administration has ordered closure of all schools in nearby area and officials of the chlorine supplier have been informed, sources said.

South Africa hosts first FIFA WC 2010 with Excellent Fireworks

The world's largest sporting spectacle starts on Friday as it is Bafana Bafana against Mehico in the first match and later Uruguay takes on France in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Ahead of the opening ceremony, fireworks lit up the sky over Soweto in Johannesburg as 30,000 people watched local and international superstars in a concert. Security was tight, but the atmosphere was jovial as Cape Town opened its official Fan Fest for the World Cup. Crowds queued up for hours to enter the Grand Parade in the heart of the city, where matches will be shown live and musical acts will entertain South Africans and tourists alike. Police kept a close eye on fans in the park while hired security screened the thousands of people who entered the facility. Nearly 4,00,000 tourists visiting South Africa are expected to put the 'Mother City' of Western Cape on their itinerary.

Month-long event kicks off on Friday with the opening match between hosts South Africa and Mexico which will take place at 7.30 pm Indian time. And trust the Soccer City stadium to be an ocean of colour with loud local horns called Vuvuzelas. South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela is set to attend part of the opening ceremony and the opening game. He will be present on Friday, but will not attend the entire opening game as his family is worried about his health. The World Cup kicks off with a 40-minute opening ceremony at Soccer City. American R'n'B star R Kelly is one of 1,581 performers who will perform in the opening ceremony ahead of the game between the hosts South Africa and Mexico.

SA has never progressed beyond the group stage at the World Cup, though they have only taken part in two previous tournaments, in 1998 and 2002. Defending champions Italy start on Monday with a match against Paraguay, Brazil face North Korea in their first game on Tuesday and Euro 2008 winners Spain start their bid for a first World Cup win by taking on Switzerland on Wednesday. Some of the world's best players like Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa and Fernando Torres will feature in this edition of the World Cup. But some big names will be missing because of injury, such as England duo Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, Germany skipper Michael Ballack, Ghana midfielder Michael Essien and Porugal winger Nani. In all, 32 teams will participate in this year's World Cup with total of 64 games to be played. The final will take place on July 11 at the Soccer City stadium here.

President Mr Obama to meet families of oil rig workers

US President Barack Obama is due to meet relatives of the 11 workers killed in an explosion on the BP oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. A presidential spokesman said he would express his condolences to relatives. BP shares in the UK have fallen to their lowest level since 1997 amid fears of huge US penalties. US Attorney General Eric Holder said Americans would "not pay a dime" for the clean-up and BP would be held responsible for all damages. In another development, the Obama administration said BP had agreed to expedite the payment of claims to businesses and individuals whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the spill. US Pres Mr Obama has himself come under mounting political pressure over his handling of the crisis. Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing the 11 workers.
'Not a dime'
US President Obama will express his "heartfelt condolences" to their families during the private meeting at the White House, his spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "And I think he's eager to discuss with them what their family was telling them about safety conditions and what type of changes can and must be made in the regulatory framework to ensure that deepwater drilling that goes forward is done in a way that is safe and not life-threatening," Mr Gibbs added. Mr Obama said on Thursday that he and congressional leaders had agreed at a meeting that they should look at how to update US law to ensure victims of the Gulf oil spill were protected. Pollution legislation was written before the industry had developed ultra-deep water exploration and ought be brought up to date to ensure the people of the Gulf "are made whole", he added, in remarks quoted by Reuters.
Rapidly growing public anger in the US, Mr Obama is keen to show he is on top of the situation and will make his fourth visit to the region on Monday. His administration has been steadily applying more pressure on BP, and the US justice department is considering legal action to make sure BP has enough funds to cover the damage and compensate those affected by the slick. "I can make this pledge to the American people that the American people will not pay a dime for the clean-up of the Gulf region and that BP will be held responsible for all the damages that have occurred," Mr Holder told reporters in Washington. "We will take the necessary steps to make sure that that occurs."

Tracy Wareing, an official at the US National Incident Command office, said an understanding on expediting the payment of claims had been reached at a meeting with BP executives including CEO Tony Hayward. Administration officials had raised a "pressing concern" about the time BP was taking to provide relief payments, particularly to businesses in the stricken area, she added.
BP says a containment cap system placed on the blown-out well last week collected 15,800 barrels of oil on Wednesday - slightly up on the 15,010 barrels collected in the previous 24-hour period. The company has come under increasingly sharp attack by some US politicians for its handling of the spill, described as the worst environmental disaster the US has faced. Shares in the British oil giant have nearly halved over the last couple of months. The UK government on Thursday sought to play down fears expressed by some senior figures of "anti-British rhetoric" in the US. Prime Minister David Cameron, who will discuss BP with President Obama this week, said he understood the US government's "frustration". BBC News