Free Facebook for Airtel subscribers

Bharti Airtel on Monday said it would offer the full mobile website of popular social networking service Facebook free of charge to its subscribers across the country. Valid for two-months (till August 31), Airtel mobile customers will be able to access the Facebook's full mobile site faster and at no data cost via m.facebook.com.

The Facebook's mobile site will be initially available in English and Hindi, while five more languages — Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam — would be rolled out globally for the first time on Airtel by July 15. Customers accessing the mobile internet for the first time need to simply SMS ‘FACEBOOK' to 54321 to take advantage of this special offer.

“Our mobile customers will also be the first in the world to enjoy Facebook on their Airtel mobile in five vernacular languages. All these reiterate our commitment to customers to offer the best value-for-money services that enable their lifestyles,” said Bharti Airtel CMO (Mobile Services) Shireesh Joshi.

Facebook Head of Mobile Business Henri Moissinac, said “working closely with Bharti Airtel is a great opportunity to bring our full mobile experience to its 13-crore customers across India. Today, more than 10-crore Facebook users around the world access the site through their mobile devices.”

The Indian government is to allow a new state to be carved out of part of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Home Minister P Chidambaram said the process of forming Telangana state would begin soon. Campaigners say the region has long been neglected.

Supporters of the state are celebrating after days of violent protests. One of their leaders ended a hunger strike.

But many in India fear acceding to the protesters' wishes could fuel demands for other new states across India.

India's 'Tiger of Telangana' feted Biswas: New states needed?

Dozens of Andhra Pradesh assembly members and at least one Indian MP with a seat in the state have announced they are resigning in protest at the move.

Analysts say the flurry of resignations, mostly from the governing Congress party, could lead to a political crisis in Andhra Pradesh.

MELT LAKE

Early in the twentieth century the prevailing notion was that people could alter climates locally, for example cutting down forests and ploughing fields, but not on a global scale.

A few pioneering thinkers suggested the increasing amount of pollution produced by Industrial revolution could cause global warming.

Thirty-one out of forty-seven African countries scored less than three out of ten in Transparency International's Perception Index Report for this year. Thirteen countries scored between three and five indicating that Corruption is perceived as a serious challenge. However three countries Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde scored more than five.Presenting this year's Report in Accra, the Executive - Secretary of the Ghana Integrity Initiative Local chapter of Transparency International said the overall picture of perceived corruption in Africa remains a serious challenge.

KABUL/NEW DELHI: Without naming Pakistan or its spy agency ISI, India on Saturday said the attack on its embassy in Kabul earlier this week was the handiwork of the enemies of India-Afghan friendship and their "patrons across the border".

NOBEL PRIZE

By Ed Henry CNN Senior White House Correspondent



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Yes he can win the Nobel Peace Prize. Even on the same day that President Obama met with his war council yet again to consider sending up to 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

President Obama speaks about his Nobel award at the White House on Friday.

The confluence of events -- some might even call it irony -- was a stark reminder that this award was more about the promise of change than actual change. Peace is not at hand in Iraq or Afghanistan, and while the president has articulated a new approach to the world it will be difficult to translate that vision into some actual victories.
"Even as we strive to seek a world in which conflicts are resolved peacefully and prosperity is widely shared, we have to confront the world as we know it today," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden. "I am the commander in chief of a country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies."
Let me be clear that I don't buy into any of this silliness from some pundits about how winning such a prestigious honor could backfire on Obama. Becoming only the fourth U.S. president to ever win the Nobel can hardly be spun into a negative.
But it's important to note that the award does not create one job in the U.S. economy. It does not provide one Republican vote on Capitol Hill for the president's health care push. And the challenges are clearly not just on the domestic front.

NASA

Internet News
Nasa successfully bombs the Moon
But is LCROSS's lunar mission watertight?
By Marc Chacksfield
37 minutes ago Tell us what you think [ 1 comments ]

LCROSS - not to be mistaken for Lacrosse, as that would be silly

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Nasa has been successful in its bid to bomb the moon in its search for water, with its LCROSS spacecraft smashing a rocket into the lunar surface earlier today.
Although we are yet to hear if there is actual water beneath the surface of the moon, Nasa streamed the whole explosive affair live on its Nasa TV service, showing workers for the space company whooping and clapping for joy when the empty rocket hit.
Travelling at speeds of 1.6 miles a second the rockets were propelled from Nasa's Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft (LCROSS), swiftly followed by a probe rocket.
The probe will be sniffing around to see if any