Oscar Fernandes, Girija Vyas and Sisram Ola may get Cabinet berths in reshuffle today

NEW DELHI: In an exercise influenced by Rahul Gandhi, a much-awaited Congress organizational revamp on Sunday saw the elevation of leaders seen to be close to him, removal of some non-performers while trusted hands continue to retain charge of important party tasks.

Changes in the organization are linked to a comprehensive ministerial reshuffle scheduled for Monday evening aimed at filling vacancies like railways, highways, housing and urban development.

Taken together, the AICC and ministerial reshuffles aim to set Congress's election machinery in motion with a focus on poll preparations in states and filling of important Cabinet berths. Sources said eight new names - four each in cabinet and MoS level — could be inducted.

Oscar Fernandes, Birender Singh, Girija Vyas and Sisram Ola could be the cabinet picks while Manikrao Gavit, J D Seelam, EMS Natchiappan and Santosh Choudhury could be junior ministers. Besides, cabinet minister for labour Mallikarjuna Kharge could be shifted to the key railways ministry. Fernandes could be in the highways ministry vacated by CP Joshi who was inducted as general secretary in AICC in the Sunday reshuffle.

The Congress leadership seems intent on beaming a business-like message of a party getting down to the brass tacks while its main rival BJP remains uneasy with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's elevation as campaign head.

Congress's organizational changes have been in the works since Rahul was named vice-president and heir imminent at the Jaipur 'chintan shivir' in January.

Senior leader Ambika Soni, who left the government in October last year, has been given charge of a newly created Congress president's office. This gives her a role in Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's interface with the party as well as government.

Ahmed Patel continues to be political secretary to the Congress president with an overarching role as a key aide to Sonia.

Ajay Maken and C P Joshi, who quit the government, have been given significant assignments. Maken replaces long time media incharge Janardan Dwivedi as head of communications and Joshi is in charge of Assam, Bihar and West Bengal.

Rahul's vote of confidence in the two leaders is being read with a diminished role for Dwivedi and the exit of veteran Oscar Fernandes from AICC.

There was some speculation on Jitin Prasada being considered for independent charge. The changes may see some seniors like health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad given a new portfolio.

Elevation of younger leaders like Milind Deora to independent charge and induction of Mandsaur MP Meenakshi Natarajan is also seen as a possibility. There are numerous vacancies at the minister of state level in the wake of DMK pullout of UPA.

The fairly exhaustive organizational exercise touches management of states deeply, with Rahul seen to have got rid of some of the deadwood. Care, however, has been taken in ensuring tried and trusted organizational hands like Mukul Wasnik, B K Hariprasad and Digvijay Singh retain key jobs. Shakeel Ahmed has got the charge of Delhi and neighbouring Haryana and Punjab.

On the other hand, non-performers like Gulchain Charak and Birender Singh were shown the door. Delhi leader Jagdish Tytler is also out. Gujarat's Madhusudan Mistry has got a leg up as has Mumbai leader Gurudas Kamat who has been rehabilitated.

AICC also announced screening panels to select candidates for MP, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram, a rare urgency by party standards for polls scheduled for November.

The changes are linked to Congress's bid to appear focused ahead of election. Many attached importance to the Congress decision to effect the AICC rejig on the day BJP faced a high-voltage divorce with its old ally in Bihar, JD(U), and ouster from the state government.

To observers, it makes political sense that Rahul is seen to have complete control of the ruling dispensation while there are differences in BJP over Modi's elevation as poll mascot.

Assigning the tricky Andhra Pradesh to Digvijay Singh also bears the trust of Rahul although he has been kept away from UP.  

Indians overstaying visa in Saudi Arabia to face action: Embassy

 DUBAI: The Indian embassy in Riyadh has warned its citizens not to overstay their visa in Saudi Arabia and leave the country immediately once they have obtained Emergency Certificates to avoid penal action over Nitaqat law.
"Anyone who overstays their visa in Saudi Arabia beyond the grace period will face penal action including jail sentence, penalty and deportation with a ban on re-entry," the embassy said in a statement.
"The embassy again urges all overstaying Indian nationals to avoid such a situation by availing the 'concessions' announced by the Saudi authorities during the grace period which ends on July 3, 2013," it added.
According to the embassy, all those who have obtained ECs from the embassy will have their original passports cancelled. They will not be able to travel out of India using their old passports, even if the date of expiry on their passports shows validity.
"Anyone wanting to change their jobs (Tanazul) in Saudi Arabia could obtain new passports after following the necessary procedures," said the statement.
The embassy urged all Indian nationals who have applied for ECs to collect the same from the embassy on the dates allotted to them, on or before June 20, 2013.
Earlier, the embassy had said that its officials would undertake EC verification and distribution tours to different parts of the country in order to reach out to Indian nationals staying in other cities.
The new Saudi labour law, 'Nitaqat', and the ongoing drive to identify workers who are overstaying in the Arab Kingdom was one of the main areas of focus during the recent talks held between external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and his Saudi counterpart.
The 'Nitaqat' law makes it mandatory for local companies to hire one Saudi national for every 10 migrant workers.
As a result of this law, a number of people who were working without valid work permits and runaways have come under the scanner.
Once the three-month grace period ends on July 3, all those expatriates who are found in Saudi Arabia without valid papers will be jailed and heavily penalized. As of May 20, 75,000 Indians have registered with the Indian embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah to be processed and be send back with 'emergency certificate'. There are over two million Indians in Saudi Arabia.

Samsung Galaxy S4 sales estimates cut by 30%

SEOUL: Analysts fell under Samsung's marketing spell when they made what they now admit were hopelessly optimistic forecasts for its smartphone sales.

Samsung's huge share of the high-end smartphone market also persuaded some analysts to downplay industry data pointing to a fast-saturating segment, a reality that is already eating into sales of Apple's iPhone 5.

Woori Investment & Securities, one of South Korea's largest securities firms, cut its outlook for Samsung's earnings and target share price on June 5. It was the first to adjust its view.

A massive wave of downgrades has since followed, with forecasters including JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs taking a harder look at their assumptions of how well the S4, Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone, would actually do.

Sales estimates for the S4 were slashed by as much as 30%, stirring investor concerns over Samsung's mobile devices division - the company's biggest profit generator.

Investors in the South Korean IT giant have paid dearly. Samsung lost nearly $20 billion in market value in a week as shares plunged following the downgrades.

"I'd say most forecasters including myself had this conviction that they'll outperform again - because it's Samsung," said Byun Hanjoon, an analyst at KB Investment & Securities. "They had beaten expectations before, which led many to believe they are bound to excel again with the S4."

The S4 sold 10 million sets in just one month of its debut in late April, outperforming its predecessor, the S III.

Yet analysts now say the high-end smartphone segment is slowing, citing lacklustre prospects in Europe and South Korea in particular.

The S4, in reality, also lacks any real wow factor, they say.

"The Street, including Goldman Sachs, admittedly extrapolated the first-quarter earnings momentum through the year," Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Bang said in a report. "This resulted in very optimistic earnings expectations."

Most analysts have reduced their estimates for S4 shipments to around 7 million units a month from their previous average expectation of 10 million.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has lowered its S4 sales estimate for this year by 5 million to 65 million units.

Some analysts say a loss in potential sales of 5 million S4 units would cut around $1 billion of Samsung's operating profit.

"S4 sales are solid. It's just that some analysts had higher expectations and then they lowered them," JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile devices division, told reporters last week.

Over the past month, 17 out of 43 analysts have downgraded their earnings estimates for Samsung, leading to a 0.6% drop in their average forecast for the company's April-to-June earnings to 10.4 trillion won ($9 billion), according to Thomson Reuters StarMine.

The lowered forecast, however, would still be a quarterly record.

Many analysts say weaker-than-expected S4 sales will not necessarily stop Samsung from posting record quarterly profits. The company has diversified into many segments of the smartphone market, Merrill Lynch says.

Mid-tier phones
Still, the scale of the downgrades has cast a shadow on Samsung's dominance in the $250 billion smartphone market.

Doing it no favour, Chinese rivals are aggressively growing their market share, aided by strong sales of mid-tier models - a segment in which Samsung has relatively weak positioning, according to analysts.

The mid-tier segment accounted for less than 15% of Samsung's total shipments last year.

Analysts say Samsung has to focus on this lower tier in the medium term.

The high-end segment is losing momentum, with manufacturers struggling to differentiate themselves and consumers calling for a leap in innovation, they say.

To be sure, Samsung has not sat idle.

It has gradually expanded its offerings. Among four varieties of the S4 introduced in recent weeks, there was one stripped-down version called the Galaxy Mini.

By comparison, Apple has had no new offerings since the iPhone 5 hit the market in September last year.

Samsung bulls are also pinning their hopes on product launches later this year including the Galaxy Note III, a phone-tablet hybrid.

Some analysts say conservative forecasts will prevail.

"Expectations for innovation have been lowered, and I don't think there'll be as much buzz surrounding new product launches as it used to be," said Byun at KB.

Samsung's stock, which slumped to a six-month low on Thursday, inched up 0.9% on Friday.

Rafael Nadal predicts top 10 ranking for Kei Nishikori

Paris:  Rafael Nadal predictably proved a clay court bridge too far for Kei Nishikori on Monday at the French Open but predicted the Japanese will be a top 10 player soon.

The Spaniard, looking to become the first man to win the same Grand Slam singles crown for an eighth time, was celebrating his 27th birthday.

And Nishikori was unable to spoil the Mallorcan's centre court party as the 23-year-old from Shimane could manage only eight games in going down to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 defeat.

Yet Nadal still had praise for his efforts and offered some crumbs of comfort.

"He's a player with a lot of talent," said the Mallorcan.

"Now he's in the top of the ranking and he's improving; playing round of 16 here in Roland Garros is great. He had a good tournament in Madrid, too, quarterfinals.

"I think he's a candidate to be top 10 without any doubt."

Nishikori failed in his quest to become just the second Japanese man to reach the last eight after Jiro Satoh, who made the quarter-finals in 1931 and 1933.

He said afterwards he wished he had been more aggressive.

"The second set, I think I was a little bit, you know, too passive or like defensive. He was hitting more forehands. I was running side to side more than the first set," the Japanese conceded.

Nishikori, who last year became the first Japanese man to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in 80 years before falling to Andy Murray, became Nadal's 56th victim in 57 matches at Roland Garros as the 13th-seed proved unable to go one better than Fumiteru Nakano, who reached the last 16 on the Parisian clay in 1938.

Despite his loss, Nishikori, whose Australian exploit saw him emulate 1995 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Shuzo Matsuoka as the only Japanese man to reach the last eight at a Slam, improved greatly on two previous second round losses in Paris.

Last year he missed the event with an abdominal strain but came in this time having seen off Roger Federer in Madrid to show his burgeoning clay prowess.

BlackBerry says majority of top US firms testing its new devices

Sixty percent of US Fortune 500 companies are already testing or using the system to manage BlackBerry's new line of devices, the company said on Wednesday, as U.S. carriers began to roll out its new keyboard-equipped Q10 smartphone.The Q10, which comes with the tiny physical keyboard that many BlackBerry fans admire, is the second device powered by the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
The touchscreen Z10 launched earlier this year.
The U.S. market is crucial for Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry as it seeks to win back market share ceded to Apple Inc's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and other devices powered by Google's Android operating system.
"This is a very exciting day for us, launching with all four major U.S. carriers," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said in an interview.
Tear said BlackBerry, which has long had a strong base of corporate and government users, expected the Q10 to allow it to win back customers who have been using other devices.
He believed demand for the smartphones would be helped by the fact that a majority of top U.S. companies were testing or installing the BlackBerry Enterprise Service system that would allow them to manage the new devices on their internal networks.
"Since everybody is migrating toward this, we expect it will definitely create pull for our (smartphone) products," he said.
"There are a lot of very loyal BlackBerry keyboard users out there who have been waiting for this and I think, with the Q10, we will also be able to win back prior BlackBerry customers, who are now trying other platforms."
The Q10 launched in Canada, Britain and a few other countries two months ago. The U.S. launch was delayed due to a longer carrier-testing process.
The device is already on sale through T-Mobile in the United States, while rivals Verizon and AT&T have begun to accept pre-orders for shipping later this month. Sprint plans to begin selling the devices this summer.

Top 10 changes that Microsoft Windows 8.1 will bring

After several rumours hinting at the new features that Microsoft's Windows 8.1 would bring, the Redmond giant has officially announced some of them through a new blog post taking a "first look."According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1 will not just respond to customer feedback, will add new features and functionality to improve the touch experience and the operating system's mobile computing potential.
"The Windows 8.1 update will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity," the company said.
1. New Start tip
The biggest change that the update brings is the Windows Logo at the left hand corner in place of the Start screen "tip" that comes up when one hovers the mouse pointer in Windows 8. The Windows Logo is more recognisable according to Microsoft. It also gives the ability to users to choose between booting to the desktop directly. At the moment, only the Start screen shows up when one boots the PC.
2. Desktop wallpapers for Start screen
Microsoft will now allow users to turn their PCs or tablets into a photo frame when it's locked. Users can choose to show a slideshow of pictures stored locally in their devices or in the cloud via SkyDrive. It will also add the ability to take pictures from the lock screen via the device's camera directly from the lock screen.
In addition to this, the update will bring more colours and backgrounds including animated ones for the Windows Start screen and will even allow users to set their desktop background as their Start screen background. As reported previously, the Windows 8.1 Start screen would features new tile sizes including a new large and new small size.
3. Updated Search
According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1's Search charm will offer global search results powered by Bing in "a rich, simple-to-read, aggregated view of many content sources to provide the best "answer" for the user's query." Search will also offer "Quick actions" that include actions users would like to take, for example, play songs or videos. Results from local files, apps, and settings would be accessible in the same was as they are on Windows 8.
4. App Updates
Microsoft will be updating native apps to offer new functionality. The company mentions that the Pictures app will offer the ability to edit pictures and the Music app has been completely redesigned to offer a better experience and adds that it will also be introducing new apps shortly.
5. New multitasking experience
Following the Windows 8.1 update, users will be able to snap apps in variable sizes, as reported earlier. It will allow users to run three apps simultaneously on one screen and run different Modern UI/ Metro apps on different displays if connected, while keeping the Start screen on one display. Users will also be able to snap multiple windows of the same application.
6. Updated Store
Microsoft is also revamping the Windows Store to show more information with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks on the homepage.
7. SkyDrive improvements
Windows 8.1 will allow users to save files directly to SkyDrive and will offer an updated SkyDrive app that allows offline access to files.
8. Better PC Settings menu
Another issue that a lot of users faced with Windows 8 was that a lot of system settings were not available in the PC settings and they had to still go to the Control Panel on the desktop to access them.
Users will now be able to change their display resolution, set power options, see the make and model of their PC, change the product key, run Windows Update, and even join a domain directly from PC Settings.
9. New Internet Explorer
The Windows 8.1 update will bring a new version of the Internet Explorer browser. Internet Explorer 11 would be built for touch and would offer faster page load times in addition to several other new personalisation features.
10. Better handling of tiles
Users will be able to group and rearrange tiles more conveniently. They'll now be able to select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them on the Start screen. Windows 8.1 will require users to press and hold or right click to move tiles around to prevent accidental movement of tiles. The update also brings the ability to filter apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. 

Gael Monfils beats Ernests Gulbis at French Open

Paris:  Gael Monfils advanced to the third round of the French Open by defeating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 Wednesday.

A former top 10 player, Monfils missed the French Open last year because of a right knee injury. His best showing at Roland Garros was a semifinal finish in 2008.

Monfils warmed up for the tournament by reaching the final of the Open de Nice last Saturday.

The last Frenchman to win at Roland Garros was Yannick Noah in 1983.

Railway bribery case: BJP protests against top CBI officer in Chandigarh

Chandigarh: At least 10 BJP activists were injured today after police used water cannons to stop them from marching towards CBI office in Chandigarh to protest against a top officer whom they accused of shielding former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal in the railway bribery case.

Several local party workers, led by BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan, protested against Chandigarh's CBI deputy inspector general Mahesh Aggarwal in Chandigarh alleging that he had close family links with Mr Bansal and had shielded the former railway minister after the arrest of his nephew in a multi-crore graft case.

The protesters tried to take their march towards the local CBI office but were stopped by police, following which the BJP activists tried to break the barricades.

Police then used water canons to disperse the BJP activists, in which at least ten of them, including a woman, received minor injuries, sources said.

"Our's was a peaceful protest...without provocation police used water cannons against us," Mr Dhawan said.

Mr Dhawan claimed that a CBI officer had submitted an affidavit before the Central Administrative Tribunal on May 15 against Mr Aggarwal alleging that he had tried to influence the investigation in two cases involving relatives of Mr Bansal.

Demanding Mr Aggarwal's immediate suspension and a high-level probe against him, Mr Dhawan also alleged that the CBI officer had leaked the information on Delhi CBI team's raid at Mr Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla's house on May 3 in connection with the railway scandal.

Mr Aggarwal, a 1994 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer, came to Chandigarh as a superintendent of police in 2006 and was later promoted to DIG rank

Top 10 points from India-China's joint statement

New Delhi:  Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held formal talks in New Delhi today and briefed the press. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to areas of mutual concern with particular focus on border issues. Dr Singh said that there had been an agreement that peace at the border must be preserved and that lessons had been learnt from the recent incident on Western sector, referring to the incursion in Ladakh. Premier Li stressed on the need for sincere dialogue.

Here are the top 10 points from their joint statement:

1. Both sides reaffirmed mutual sensitivities for each other's concerns and aspirations.
2. Both countries view each other as partners for mutual benefit and not as rivals or competitors.
3. India and China consider the potential for a bilateral Regional Trade Arrangement and review the state of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
4. While striving to realise the trade turnover target of $100 billion by 2015, the two countries agreed to take measures to address the issue of the trade imbalance.
5. The Chinese side shall provide greater facilitation to Indian pilgrims for the Gang Renpoche and Mapam Yun Tso Pilgrimage (Kailash Manasarovar Yatra).
6. Two sides agreed to consult the other parties with a view to establishing a Joint Study Group on strengthening connectivity in the BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar) region.
7. The leaders expressed satisfaction over the work done so far by special representatives of the two countries on the boundary question and encouraged them to push forward the process of negotiations and seek a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement in accordance with the agreement on political parameters and guiding principles.
8. Two sides shall work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas in line with the previous agreements.
9. The two sides will further strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers.
10. Support for an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" reconciliation process. 

Top 10 stocks to track in trade today

The BSE Sensex opened in the green on Wednesday after closing at its lowest level in a week on Tuesday. The Sensex has gained nearly 11 per cent since mid-May, raising prospects of a near-term correction. Market analyst Sarvendra Srivastava says the bullish setups are intact and markets may be range bound in a band of 6,100-6,200. The rupee, which has hit its lowest in 2013, continues to be an overhang on markets though.

1. Larsen & Toubro: Q4 sales seen up 14 per cent at Rs. 21,015 crore, while adjusted net profit is seen up 11 per cent at Rs. 2,041 crore.
2. Tata Motors: CLSA recommends buy with a target of 360 saying fundamentals are supportive of double digit growth in China.
3. United Spirits: Morgan Stanley initiates coverage with buy rating and a target of 3,115 expecting greater focus on profitable growth.
4. Tech Mahindra reported higher than estimated net profit in the March quarter. Sales rose 1.7 per cent sequentially to Rs. 1822 crore, while net profit jumped 18 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs. 327 crore.
5. Maruti Suzuki: LIC has sold 2.5 per cent stake in the car maker over the last six months. It still holds around 8.247 per cent in the company.
6. Oracle Financial Services' offer for sale will start today with floor price at Rs. 2,275.
7. JSW Energy's offer for sale will start today with floor price at Rs. 61.5.
8. Ranbaxy: India's health ministry will reportedly initiate a probe in the drugmaker after it settled a long-pending issue with the US Department of Justice, agreeing to pay a penalty of $500 million.
9. Zydus Wellness goes ex-dividend by Rs. 6 today.
10. SREI Infra's board has approves raising up to Rs. 1,500 crore via debentures and preferential issue of up to Rs. 500 crore.

Top 10 stocks to track in trade today

The BSE Sensex slipped below the key 20,000 in early trade on Thursday tracking weakness in Asian stocks. China's factory activity hit the lowest in seven months, dampening upbeat sentiments about the recovery in the world's second largest economy. Market analyst Sarvendra Srivastava advised traders to book profits after three consecutive days of losses have hit bullish sentiments on the Street.

1. State Bank of India Q4 net interest income is seen down 0.9 per cent at Rs. 11,602 crore, while net profit is seen falling 9.5 per cent at Rs. 3,664 crore. Fresh restructuring of Rs. 8,000 crore expected in this quarter.
2. Mphasis: HP has lifted its full-year earnings guidance, which is a positive for the IT firm.
3. ONGC: CLSA has upgraded the stock to outperform and raised its 12-month target to Rs. 360 citing lower subsidy sharing burden.
4. Ranbaxy: Owners Daichi Sankyo is exploring legal remedies to sue ex-promoters of Ranbaxy for misrepresenting critical information about U.S. Department of Justice and FSA probes.
5. Voltas: UBS maintains buy with a target of Rs. 125, says macro improvement a key catalyst to the stock.
6. AB Nuvo: Morgan Stanley maintains overweight, while raising target price to Rs. 1,459, saying risk-reward is very compelling for the stock.
7. Bharti Airtel goes ex-dividend by Rs. 1 per share today.
8. Kotak has upgraded Bajaj Auto to add with a target price of Rs. 2,000 saying Africa will be a key driver for the company.
9. LIC Housing: Kotak re-initiates coverage with add rating and a target price of Rs. 300. LIC Housing finance loan book is well-placed to benefit from decline in bulk borrowings rates. Kotak also retained its sell call on HDFC.
10. Jet Airways: Market regulator Sebi has reportedly written to Jet raising objections over parts of its agreement with Etihad.

Samsung Galaxy S4 hits 10 million units shipped

Samsung Electronics Co said sales of the latest version of its flagship Galaxy S smartphone have reached 10 million since its launch in late April, making the model its fastest selling smartphone.
The S4, the South Korean firm's challenge to Apple Inc's iPhone, is already selling in 60 countries and Samsung plans to expand sales to 327 carriers in 155 countries by next month, the world's biggest smartphone maker said on Thursday.

Solid sales have come even as supply issues have snarled the U.S. rollout through some carriers.

Analysts expect strong sales of the fourth version of the Galaxy, which has propelled Samsung to the top of the $225 billion smartphone market since its debut in 2010, will help the firm report record earnings in the current quarter.

Despite mixed reviews of the S4 by gadget experts, Samsung is benefiting from heavy marketing as it bids to gain market share in the absence of new competing models from Apple.

Samsung won a record 33 percent of the smartphone market in the first quarter, and JP Morgan analysts expect its operating profit to top Apple's this quarter for the first time in years.

BlackBerry says majority of top US firms testing its new devices

Sixty percent of US Fortune 500 companies are already testing or using the system to manage BlackBerry's new line of devices, the company said on Wednesday, as U.S. carriers began to roll out its new keyboard-equipped Q10 smartphone.The Q10, which comes with the tiny physical keyboard that many BlackBerry fans admire, is the second device powered by the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.
The touchscreen Z10 launched earlier this year.
The U.S. market is crucial for Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry as it seeks to win back market share ceded to Apple Inc's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and other devices powered by Google's Android operating system.
"This is a very exciting day for us, launching with all four major U.S. carriers," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said in an interview.
Tear said BlackBerry, which has long had a strong base of corporate and government users, expected the Q10 to allow it to win back customers who have been using other devices.
He believed demand for the smartphones would be helped by the fact that a majority of top U.S. companies were testing or installing the BlackBerry Enterprise Service system that would allow them to manage the new devices on their internal networks.
"Since everybody is migrating toward this, we expect it will definitely create pull for our (smartphone) products," he said.
"There are a lot of very loyal BlackBerry keyboard users out there who have been waiting for this and I think, with the Q10, we will also be able to win back prior BlackBerry customers, who are now trying other platforms."
The Q10 launched in Canada, Britain and a few other countries two months ago. The U.S. launch was delayed due to a longer carrier-testing process.
The device is already on sale through T-Mobile in the United States, while rivals Verizon and AT&T have begun to accept pre-orders for shipping later this month. Sprint plans to begin selling the devices this summer.

Top 8 firms' m-cap drops by Rs. 36,555 crore in a week

Mumbai: Eight of the top 10 most valued companies of the country saw a plunge of Rs. 36,555 crore in their combined market valuation last week, with mortgage lender HDFC and energy major RIL taking the steepest hit.

While eight of them, including HDFC, RIL, ONGC and HDFC Bank, saw losses in their market capitalisation (m-cap), the valuations of TCS and Infosys surged.

The m-cap of HDFC plunged Rs. 7,615 crore to Rs. 1,29,770 crore, while that of RIL dropped by Rs. 6,796 crore to Rs. 2,53,926 crore.

State-run ONGC's valued dipped by Rs. 5,946 crore to Rs. 2,73,690 crore, while HDFC Bank lost Rs. 5,582 crore to Rs. 1,61,097 crore from its m-cap.

The market cap of ITC slipped by Rs. 4,346 crore to Rs. 2,64,197 crore, Coal India shed Rs. 3,158 crore from its valuation to Rs. 2,02,092 crore.

State Bank of India's (SBI) value went down by Rs. 1,679 crore to Rs. 1,38,390 crore and the m-cap of ICICI Bank fell by Rs. 1,433 crore to Rs. 1,31,754 crore.

In contrast, TCS added Rs. 4,600 crore to Rs. 2,98,104 crore in its market cap, while Infosys saw a rise of Rs. 2,256 crore to Rs. 1,40,509 crore in its value.

In the ranking of top-10 companies, TCS continued to remain at number one position, followed by ONGC, ITC, RIL, CIL, HDFC Bank, Infosys, SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC.

The BSE benchmark Sensex ended the week 1.67 per cent lower at 19,429.23.

Gael Monfils sends Milos Raonic packing in Halle

Currently ranked 67th in the world, Monfils is unseeded in the grass-court season-opener but he reproduced the kind of form that once took him into the world's top 10 to win 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour on court.


Halle:  Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic was knocked out of the ATP Halle Open at the first-round stage on Tuesday, going down in straight sets to France's Gael Monfils.

Currently ranked 67th in the world, Monfils is unseeded in the grass-court season-opener but he reproduced the kind of form that once took him into the world's top 10 to win 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour on court.

"I felt good and read his game well. When you are feeling good, you need to make the most of it," said Monfils, who beat world number six Tomas Berdych on his way to the third round of the French Open at Roland Garros.

Monfils broke Raonic three times altogether, including in the second game on his way to winning the opening set in just 26 minutes. A semi-finalist in Halle in 2011, Monfils will face Czech qualifier Jan Hernych next.

Raonic was not the only seed to fall on Tuesday, with Polish seventh seed Jerzy Janowicz suffering a shock defeat in three sets at the hands of Bosnian outsider Mirza Basic.

The 21-year-old Basic, ranked 240th in the world, is taking part in Halle as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of Philipp Petzschner due to a shoulder problem and his meeting with Janowicz was his first match on the ATP World Tour circuit.

Basic was broken twice but eventually prevailed in a deciding tie-break after just over two hours on court, winning 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).

"It was just my eighth match on grass," admitted Basic, who was only told he would be replacing Petzschner late on Tuesday morning.

Basic will face German wild card Mischa Zverev in the second round, with top seed and five-time champion Roger Federer likely to await the winner.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Ernests Gulbis of Latvia beat former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in three sets to set up a second-round meeting with third seed and defending champion Tommy Haas.

Neymar scores, Brazil top Japan 3-0 at Confederations Cup

Brasilia:  Only three minutes into the match, Neymar got the job done.

The Brazil striker scored early to help Brazil beat Japan 3-0 in the opening match of the Confederations Cup on Saturday, knocking in a firm shot from outside the penalty area.

Neymar connected with the ball after Fred controlled a long cross from Marcelo with his chest. The ball bounced only once before Neymar whacked it in.

"It was a very quick moment where Fred was able to control the ball and I was very lucky to get a fantastic kick and score a goal," said Neymar, who went off in the 74th minute with what appears to be a minor injury.

"Everything's OK," Neymar said. "Not to worry."

For the two minutes following the goal, most of the 67,432 fans at the National Stadium chanted Neymar's name, reveling in the knowledge that their poster boy is already starting to deliver for the national team with one year to go before the World Cup.

Paulinho added the second goal for Brazil in the 48th, deftly controlling a cross from Dani Alves before turning inside and shooting. Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima got his hands to the ball, but it was too powerful for him to stop. Jo got the third, latching onto a through ball from Oscar and sliding it past Kawashima in injury time.

The win puts Brazil at the top of Group A with three points. Italy and Mexico will play in the other group match on Sunday.

"The reason we were not able to do what we normally do on the pitch is because we went one goal down in the third minute of the first half," Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said. "This probably shocked us."

Neymar entered Saturday's match facing a minor wave of criticism. He has become something of an idol in Brazil, but a nine-match scoreless streak had heaped pressure on the 21-year-old striker heading into the Confederations Cup.

The fickle Brazilian fans, who had taken to booing their team in recent weeks, were firmly behind the "Selecao" and its star this time, however.

"We are building an environment that is even better than then one we had 15 days ago," said Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led his national team to the 2002 World Cup title. "I believe this is something everybody wants for us to reach the final, and win it."

With his hair long on top and short on the sides, Neymar has already started to transcend the game in Brazil, like David Beckham nearly everywhere else. His picture is plastered around the country in underwear and phone ads, to name a few. He has also appeared on Brazilian TV, appearing as himself in one of the country's biggest soap operas.

That's just off the field. On it, Neymar has earned himself a massive transfer from local club Santos to Barcelona, where he will be teammates with Lionel Messi next season.

The match against Japan was likely something Neymar was looking forward to. The Japanese have never beaten Brazil in 10 games, earning only two draws - both at the Confederations Cup, first in 2001 and then again in 2005.

The last time they played, in a friendly in Poland in October, Neymar scored two goals. This time, he was named "Man of the Match."

Japan had its chances in the match, with Keisuke Honda getting some in the first half and Ryoichi Maeda had a couple in the second.

But Zaccheroni again said Brazil was a superior team to his, and wondered if it was the long flight to Brazil or Neymar's quick strike that beat his team.

"Either the early goal we conceded made the team too worried or maybe the physical fitness was not enough," the Italian said.

Not everything was perfect for Neymar on Saturday, however. In the 15th minute, Neymar was stuck on the sidelines fiddling with the socks on his right foot. He came back on the field about two minutes later - after the fans took a moment to boo referee Pedro Proenca for not letting their star back on more quickly.

Midway through the second half, he was briefly knocked down. When he got back up, the fans started chanting his name once again.

And then, about six minutes later, Neymar was taken off and replaced by Lucas. The decision halted the Neymar chants, but not the cheers for Brazil from the yellow-clad faithful.

"He had a good game," Scolari said, "and he only left because he had an injury."

 The Top 10 most wacko Jacko stories ever

Controversial ... Jacko made headlines throughout his life

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/4971372/The-Top-10-most-wacko-Jacko-stories-ever.html#ixzz2WSwMCvcF

 Elite universities taking fewer state-educated pupils than a decade ago

Government’s social mobility commission calls for higher targets to close the ‘access gap’

Top universities have been warned they must change their “elitist” image after a study found that they are awarding places to fewer students from state schools and poor families than a decade ago.

Alan Milburn, the Government’s social mobility tsar, told The Independent  he believed the main factor in the “unacceptable” decline was that pupils from low income families feel the universities in the 24-strong Russell Group are “not for them.”  He said: “They have to do more to dispel any notion  that they are elitist.”
Mr Milburn believed the £9,000 maximum tuition fees introduced by the Coalition might be deterring students “in fear of debt” from applying to university but said the figures were inconclusive. He called on universities, schools and the Government to close the “fair access gap.”
In a report published on Monday, the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission chaired by Mr Milburn, reveals there were 126 fewer students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds at Russell Group universities in 2011-12 than in 2002-03. When the exam grades of applicants were taken into account, there were 3,700 “missing” state-educated students in these institutions.
The commission calls for more ambitious targets to close the gap, saying that the number of “missing” students would be cut by only a quarter even if the top 24 universities hit their targets for 2016-17.
Mr Milburn, a former Labour Cabinet minister, acknowledged that universities are now more determined to make Britain more socially mobile. He said those outside the Russell Group had made“great progress” in admitting  more state school and low income pupils, but  leading institutions now needed to follow suit.
“The biggest factor is not tuition fees but more a feeling among low income kids that the leading universities are not for them,” he said. “It is as much about what the universities do to dispel that notion as about the kids and their teachers aspiring to them.”
He said America’s top universities had shown that “excellence and equity can be friends rather than enemies.” He warned the Treasury it would be  “premature” to lower the income threshold at which graduates start to repay student loans from £21,000 to £18,000, a proposal being discussed in the public spending review. “Fear of debt is a barrier for low income families,” he said. “Although the numbers are not as bad as people might have expected [after the fees rise] there are some grounds for concern, particularly the number of working class and mature students applying to university.”
Today’s report proposes  clear statistical targets to improve “fair access”; greater use of “contextual data”, such as postcodes and whether students’ parents went to university, in the admissions process and urgent action by the Government to improve the national scholarship
The commission says: “In contrast to the overall progress made by the higher education sector in becoming more socially representative over the last decade, the most selective universities have, overall, become more socially exclusive.”
The odds of a state secondary school pupil  eligible for free school meals being admitted to Oxford or Cambridge is almost 2,000 to 1 against. In contrast, the odds of a privately-educated pupil is 20 to 1, says the report.
Although the number of state-educated pupils entering Russell Group universities rose by 2.6 per cent (1,464) between 2002-03 and 2011-12, almost half the new places created at these institutions went to privately-educated children (up by 7.9 per cent or 1,426). The proportion of entrants from state schools dropped from 75.6  to 74.6 per cent over the same period, and among pupils from  less advantaged backgrounds it fell from 19.9  to 19 per cent.
The commission says one of the possible explanations is an “applications gap” in which students with the right A level grades do not apply to the most selective universities.
In the report, Mr Miliburn and his deputy Baroness (Gillian) Shephard, a former Conservative Education Secretary, say: “The blame game –where universities blame schools, schools blame parents and everyone blames the Government—must stop.”
Replying to Mr Milburn’s remarks about elitism, Dr Wendy Piatt, the Russell Group’s director general, said:“A huge amount of time, effort and resources goes into outreach work to persuade students, parents and teachers that our doors are wide open to all those with the qualifications and potential to succeed, and that all able and talented students can thrive at a Russell Group university, whatever their background.”
She accepted that more progress must be made but said under-representation could not be solved by universities alone. “This is an entrenched problem and there is no quick fix – it will take time to raise aspirations, attainment and improve advice and guidance offered to students in some schools,” she said.

Top 10 Bollywood roof-top songs

Bollywood music is something which makes Bollywood unique. Hero-Heroines are usually seen singing songs in the gardens, roads, beaches and one should not forget the notorious roof tops. Here are few songs which are sung on the roof tops.

The theme 'Roof Top' is well existing in this song. ‘On the roof in the rain’ is the song from the movie Masti when the leads are enjoying the rains on the roof top.

Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna… is famous song from the movie Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, where the female lead is getting engaged and the male lead narrates her the song.

Chand Chupa Badal Mein is the song from the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which is picturized on the situation where the female lead recalls her Karwa Chauth spent with her ex flame before marriage on the roof top.

Dheel De Dheel De De is again from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, when the entire family is enjoying the festival of kites on the roof top. 

Hum Do Premi from the movie Tu Chor Mein Sipahi is a very naughty song where the leads are romancing on the roof top forgetting all the rules made by the society.

Mere Rang Mein from movie Maine Pyaar Kiya is a sensual song where the male lead surprises the female lead with a beautiful birthday night held on the roof top. Listen to this song on Gaana.com

Mujhse Mohabbat Ka is the song from the movie Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke. In the song, the leads are enjoying the first rain on their roof top.

Bindiya Chamkegi from the movie Do Raaste is a song where the female lead tries to convince the male lead who is upset on the roof top.

Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein from the movie Ajnabee is again a sensual song where the leads are enjoying the rains on the roof top. Listen to this song on Gaana.com

Dekho Na from the movie Fanaa is a corporeal song where the leads enjoy the rains on the roof top in the midst of having their dinner. Listen to this song on Gaana.com

Top 10 Blog Websites to Create Free Blogs

It’s a great idea to create a blog. Maybe you want to write sometog websites are the most popular ones among millions of active bhing to share your knowledge, your discovery or just for fun. The first thing about blogging is to choose a website to create a blog and then host it. The following 10 blloggers.
1. Blogger
Blogger is one of the most popular blog websites and now it is owned by Google. Blogger is a great starting site to get to know blogging and its user dashboard is very user friendly.
2. WordPress
WordPress is another major blog website besides blogger. With its own blogging platform WordPress, you can easily choose your favorite theme and blog layout.
3. Livejournal
Livejournal is not only a great blogging website but also a social networking website where you can search people by interests and school and participate in community discussions.
4. Blog.com
Blog.com offers free blog hosting with unlimited bandwidth for free members, more benefits for paid members.
5. Tumblr
Tumblr is a micro-blogging website where users can post text, images, videos, and more to their tumblelog.
6. Blogsome
Another blog website offering free web hosting for blogs. Blogsome is powered by wordpress.
7. Open Diary
Offers unlimited storage and posts, low cost subscription rates for advanced features.
8. Blogetery
Blogetery is a blog website that offers you payment to write blogs. You will get 90% of the profit, which is much more higher than other sites.
9. Blogster
Blogster offers free blogs as well as free image hosting.
10. Weebly.com
Weebly is one of TIME’s 50 Best Websites, which  has an easy, drag & drop interface

Top 10 Firsts That Weren’t Actually First

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There are some things in life that everybody just knows, like where the Eiffel Tower is, or why it’s okay to catch a butterfly with your hands, but not a bee. These are examples of the kind of knowledge that is so basic, you just pick it up naturally throughout your life and couldn’t possibly remember where you first heard it. As a result of this, a lot of things we hear are often taken for granted as truth, and some mistakes become so widespread that saying otherwise would make people think you were lying, or stupid. Well here are ten examples of people who are wrongfully accredited with being the first to accomplish something.

 10. First Non-stop Transatlantic flight

If you asked someone who the first person to cross the Atlantic was, most would say Charles Lindbergh. And they’d be right. Except that, no, they wouldn’t. While he did fly solo before anyone else, he is often accredited with being “the first person to fly across the Atlantic”. In reality, John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown were, just short of 8 years ahead of Lindbergh. Leaving from Newfoundland on July 14, 1919, they two had a pretty rough flight. On 6 separate occasions, Brown had to climb out onto the wings and knock off ice, as well as Alcock having to fly dangerously low in the hopes of preventing the engines from freezing over more. Sixteen hours later, the two of them landed in Ireland. Locals tried to wave them on to a landing strip, but the two men just waved back and crashed into the bog. Not because they’re stupid, because Brown had removed the front wheel to reduce weight and they couldn’t have landed on the runway.

9. The Inventor of the Telephone

Almost everyone still believes that Alexander Graham Bell is the inventor of the telephone. While Bell did patent the telephone in 1876, and started up the first telecommunications business, named after himself, he was nothing more than the inventor of plagiarism (or so he (probably) said). The designs that Bell patented were those of Antonio Meucci, who demonstrated his telephone a full 16 years before Bell patented it. At the time, the Italian immigrant couldn’t afford to pay the $250 fee to patent his designs, and he only grew poorer as time passed. He had showed his design to the Western Union telegraph company, but the executives didn’t want to meet him. He was told his materials were lost and couldn’t be returned, and then 2 years later, his old lab partner Bell had patented them. Meucci sued Bell, but died before a verdict was reached. In 2002, US congress officially recognized him as the inventor, but still he goes largely unknown.

8. Columbus Discovering America

Everybody who has ever taken a history lesson knows that in 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain with his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, and “discovered” America. Only the new world wasn’t really that new to some Europeans . Around the year 1000, a group of Vikings, led by a man named Leif Ericson, landed in Newfoundland, which they called Vinland after its grapes. It is most likely that they set sail from a settlement in Iceland, and this site currently remains they only confirmed Viking settlement in North America. There is no shortage of evidence that this is a Viking settlement either: The style of the houses, iron, pottery, a Norse-style pin head and ring for cloaks and much more all confirm Viking settlement. It is estimated that they stayed no longer than a decade, but various expeditions occurred, including one of 160 men and women. Although he only led the first expedition, there is no doubt that Leif Ericson led Vikings to North America around 500 years before Columbus.

7. The Theory of Evolution

A lot of people will probably want to call bull on this one. Darwin must have developed the theory of evolution. That’s why the leading theory is called “Darwinian Evolution”. The truth is not far off really. Charles Darwin was largely influenced by his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin. Erasmus could not really pinpoint how life evolved, but he did believe that all life had a common ancestor, and that we changed over time. He wrote a poem to this effect:
“Organic life beneath the shoreless waves
Was born and nurs’d in ocean’s pearly caves;
…These, as successive generations bloom,
New powers acquire and larger limbs assume”
So where Erasmus said change occurred over generations, Charles, in more detail, said that beneficial mutations build up over generations and eventually result in a completely different organism. While it was Charles who developed the idea of natural selection, Erasmus did believe that sexual selection caused change in species. He wrote that “…the strongest and most active animal should propagate the species which should thus be improved”, a concept we know Charles described as “survival of the fittest”.

6. The First Printing Press

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This is another one a lot of us will know from history class. The printing press was probably the biggest driving force of the renaissance, as it allowed information to be spread at an exponential rate (at least back then. Now we have instant access to a greater amount of more accurate information on this site alone). This press was developed in 1439 by Johannes Guttenberg, and could make about 240 pages an hour, with fewer mistakes and better quality. But, as revolutionary as it was, it’s a pity the rest of the world didn’t take a printed leaf out of Korea’s book 200 years earlier, because that’s when the Goryeo dynasty started printing books. The printing press was developed for the first time in 13th Century Korea, when the Mongols were destroying their religious texts, and the Koreans were trying desperately to save them. Now, we only have one volume of one book left, called Jikji, but it is still almost 100 years older than Guttenberg’s famous 42 lined Bible. There are some who believed Guttenberg took the technology from Korea, but there’s no way to be sure.

5. The First SOS Distress Call

The Titanic is famous for a lot of things, like sinking on the maiden voyage, not having enough lifeboats for everyone on board, and James Cameron. One thing it should not be famous for is being the first to use SOS to call for help, because it wasn’t. Yet many people believe it was, possibly because it is the most famous ship that has had to call for help, or because there is a certain tragedy in it not working the first time it was used. The truth is, the first wireless distress call was by the East Goodwin Lightship on March 17 1899, and that worked. But that call was “CQD”, not SOS, which was introduced later. But despite that, SOS was not even used first by Titanic. It was used in 1909, by the SS Slavonia, and that was also a successful distress call. Sorry, Titanic. Unlike that iceberg, you just don’t quite make the cut.

4. First Man to Circumnavigate the Globe

Clearly it’s time to replace history books with the internet, because they really are just a big collection of lies. One of the major explorers of his time, most people who know Magellan will think of him as the first man to circumnavigate the world. While his ship did eventually come full circle around the globe, Magellan himself died in the Philippines before the journey was done. While there is really no way of knowing how much of the crew was on board for the whole journey, we can be pretty sure that Enrique De Malacca was. He was a slave of Magellan’s, who was used as an interpreter. While he interpreted Malay, and was picked up in the Malay Peninsula, many people believe he was actually Filipino, where he is viewed as a hero.

3. The First Light Bulb

Yet another entry that seems painfully obvious. Even if you know nothing else about Thomas Edison, you know that he invented the light bulb, and that’s enough. Well, you’re about to know a bit more about him than a lot of people. Edison was nowhere near the first to come up with light bulbs. There were a lot of earlier versions of light bulbs that used platinum, but were consequently very expensive. Sir Humphry Davy (pictured) passed electricity through platinum to create light as early as 1801, 78 years before Edison’s bulb. But Warren de la Rue used platinum in a vacuum, like modern day bulbs, for the first time in 1840. They lasted longer, but were still too expensive to be practical. The first modern bulb was developed by Heinrich Göbel in 1854, and ten months before Edison, Joseph Wilson Swan patented a bulb almost exactly like Edison’s. Yeah, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say he was first.

2. The Big Bang Theory

This one will undoubtedly make a lot of readers angry, and as former US Secretary of State Dean Rusk said “The best way to persuade people is with a long, angry comment on the internet”, so go wild. A Belgian priest, Fr. Georges Lemaitre, proposed the theory of the expanding Universe in 1927, but was unsure about how this could occur, so he met with Einstein to discuss it. Einstein was not convinced and apparently told Lemaitre “Your calculations are good, but your physics is terrible”. In 1931, Lemaitre suggested that the universe had begun from a minuscule point that contained all matter, which he called the primeval atom, which exploded at the moment of creation. That same year, he visited Einstein, who this time was convinced, and said that rejecting it the first time was the biggest mistake of his life. The name “Big Bang” was used first by skeptic physicist, Fred Hoyle, who was actually using the name as a way to make the whole theory sound ridiculous.

1. The First President of the United States

This one is not so much a case of mistaken achievement or a result of the truth being lost to time as it is a technicality. George Washington is and most likely always will be officially recognized as the first president of the United States. But Peyton Randolph was the first president of the Continental Congress, which governed the “United Colonies of America” during the American Revolution, which would go on to become the United States (obviously). A letter to Washington from one of the so called “forgotten presidents,” John Hancock, was signed “President,” and Washington’s reply was addressed to “The President of the United States”. There were no fewer than 14 presidents before Washington. The reason he is considered the first is because the rest never served under the current constitution. But it was because of many of the other forgotten presidents that the US gained independence in the first place, and it hardly seems fair that they be forgotten just because they had to be a confederation to do this. Should every president prior to the entrance of Hawaii be dropped to, since technically they were only president of some United States?

Read more: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-firsts-that-werent-actually-first.php#ixzz2UWGfQFqZ

Top 10 Biggest Meteor Strikes In History

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Our beloved blue planet gets pelted with debris from space all the time but, since most of it burns up or break apart in the atmosphere, it’s usually not a problem. Even when one does make it to the ground, they are rarely much larger than a small rock, minimizing the damage they’re capable of inflicting.
Then, of course, there is that once-in-an-eon occasion  where something very very large makes it through intact, and this can really do some damage. Fortunately, such hits are extremely rare, but they are worth noting, if only to serve as reminders of the power of the stars to undo the normal routine here on Earth, with little more than a few minutes’ warning. So where — and when — did these monsters hit? Let’s take a look at the geological records, and see.

10. Barringer Crater, Arizona, USA

Already the home of the Grand Canyon, around 50,000 years ago Arizona decided to add yet another tourist attraction, when a 160-foot diameter meteorite landed in the northern desert, leaving an impact crater nearly a mile wide and 600 feet deep. Scientists believe the meteorite that caused the crater was traveling at over 28,000 miles per hour when it struck, causing an explosion about 150 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Some scientists initially rejected the idea that the crater was caused by a meteor when no meteorite was found, but the modern consensus is that the rock melted in the explosion, spreading a mist of molten nickel and iron across the surrounding landscape.
Though at a mile across, the crater is not all that large, the lack of erosion makes it an especially impressive site. In fact, it’s one of the few meteor craters that actually looks like what it is, making it a first-class tourist attraction — precisely as the Universe intended.

9. Lake Bosumtwi Crater, Ghana

When one stumbles upon a natural lake that is almost perfectly round, that’s a little suspicious. Such is the case with Lake Bosumtwi, a five-mile diameter body of water that lies some twenty miles southeast of Kumasi, Ghana. This was created when a 500-foot diameter meteorite hit the region some 1.3 million years ago. Efforts to study the crater closer have been complicated by the fact that the lake is difficult to get to, because of the thick rainforest that surrounds it, and the fact that the local Ashanti people consider it to be sacred (they consider it forbidden to touch the water with iron or use metal boats, making drilling for nickel on the bottom problematic.) Still, it remains one of the best-preserved craters on the planet today, and an example of the destructive power of megarocks from the stars.

8. Mistastin Lake, Labrador, Canada

At a “mere” 38 million years old, the Mistastin crater from Labrador, Canada, is an impressive eleven-by-seven mile hole in the ground which, due to erosion from the many glaciers that has scoured that part of Canada over millions of years, was likely originally far larger than it is today. What’s unique about this crater is that, unlike most meteor impacts, this one is elliptical in nature rather than circular, suggesting that the rock hit at a shallow angle, rather than straight on like most big impacts. Even more unusual is that there is a small island in the middle of the lake which could be the central uplift of a complex crater structure, making it even cooler.

7. Gosses Bluff, Northern Territory, Australia

Equally impressive from both the ground and the air, this 142-million-year old, 15-mile diameter crater, near the center of Australia, was created when an asteroid, estimated to have been a good 15 miles in diameter, hit the surface at an impressive 40,000 MPH, gouging out a hole some 16,000 feet deep. That’s the energy equivalent to 22,000 megatons of TNT, suggesting that life on the continent likely had a difficult time in the immediate aftermath of this little incident. Now one of the most significant impact structures in the world, the highly eroded crater stands as a stark reminder of the power one big rock can have.

6. Clearwater Lakes, Quebec, Canada

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It’s cool enough to find one meteor crater, but to find two of them side-by-side is twice as cool. This is exactly what happened when an asteroid split in two upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere some 290 million years ago, creating two monster impact craters on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay. Since then, erosion and glaciers have eroded much of the original craters away, but what remains is still impressive. One lake is some twenty miles in diameter and the other just under fourteen. Given the amount of erosion that has occurred over the last 290 million years, one can only speculate how much larger they must’ve been when first created.

5. The Tunguska Explosion, Siberia, Russia

This one is a little controversial, as it didn’t leave any pieces of itself, making it a source of debate as to what exactly it was that hit this little corner of Siberia a mere 105 years ago. The only thing that’s known for certain is that something pretty big, and moving very fast, exploded near Russia’s Tunguska River in June of 1908, leaving over 800 square miles of forest flatter than a squirrel on the freeway at rush hour. So large was the explosion in fact, that it was detected on instruments as far away as Great Britain!
Since no bits of meteorite have ever been found, some believe the object may not have been a meteor at all, but a small chunk off a comet (which, if true, would account for the lack of meteoric material.) To further muddy the waters, there are also those who contend that what actually exploded was an alien spaceship. While completely unsubstantiated and totally speculative, we gotta admit it’s a pretty fun theory.

4. Manicouagan Crater, Canada

Manicouagan Reservoir, also known as the “eye of Quebec,” was created some 212 million years ago, when a 3-mile wide asteroid hit the Earth. The 62-mile-wide hole that it left has been worn away by the passing of glaciers and other erosive processes, but it remains impressive nonetheless. What’s especially unique about this particular crater is that, instead of just filling with water to become a near-perfect circular lake, this one is mostly dry land, ringed by a natural mote. That would make it a great place to build a castle, one might imagine.

3. Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada

What’s with Canada and impact craters? It appears that Alanis Morrisette’s beloved homeland has an inordinate number of meteor craters, with the one near Sudbury, Ontario being the largest of the bunch. 40 miles long, 16 miles wide, and 9 miles deep, this 1.85 billion year old crater is actually home to some 162,000 people and a number of mining companies, who discovered over a century ago that the bottom of the basin is super rich in nickel because of the asteroid. Rich enough, in fact, to provide about 10% of the world’s nickel supply!

2. Chicxulub Crater, Mexico

This is the one that may have done in the dinosaurs, and is one of the largest meteor strikes in Earth’s history. The impact happened roughly 65 million years ago, when an asteroid the size of a small city crashed onto Earth with the destructive power of 100 teratons of TNT. That’s one billion kilotons for those of you keeping score. Compare that to the Hiroshima bomb, which released the equivalent of just 20 kilotons of TNT and you get the idea.
Not only did it leave a 105-mile diameter hole in the ground, but it created mega-tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions around the globe, that dramatically altered the environment and doomed our reptilian friends (along with a lot of other critters, it appears.) Buried beneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico near the village of Chicxulub (after which it is named,) this vast crater can only be discerned from space, which is why it took so long for scientists to find it.

1. Vredefort Dome, South Africa

While the Chicxulub Crater is better known, it’s a mere pothole compared to the 186-mile-wide Vredefort Dome in South Africa, which currently holds the record for being the largest impact crater on Earth. Fortunately, in hitting over two billion years ago, the meteor/asteroid (estimated to be about six miles in diameter) didn’t do a lot of damage to life on Earth, as there were no multi-cellular organisms around at the time, or things could have gotten dicey. No doubt it adversely affected Earth’s climate at the time — not that anyone noticed, of course.
Today, the original crater is mostly eroded away, but what remains is still impressive when seen from space, and serves as a graphic reminder of just how scary our little corner of the Universe can be.

Read more: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-biggest-meteor-strikes-in-history.php#ixzz2UWGS7J24