Pope gets personal Twitter handle: @Pontifex

Pope Benedict XVI will start tweeting in six languages from his own personal handle @Pontifex on December 12, 2012.

The Vatican said on Monday the pope will be using a question and answer format in his first tweet, focussing on answering questions about faith in 140 characters.

The pope sent his first tweet last year from a Vatican account to launch the Holy See’s news information portal. The Vatican’s communications adviser Greg Burke told a press conference that the handle @Pontifex was chosen for the pope’s personal account because it not only means pope in Latin, but also bridge-builder, suggesting unity. How often will the pope tweet? Mr. Burke said, “as often as he wants.”

The Vatican has been increasing its presence in social media to try to spread the faith, particularly among the young.

Pope Benedict XVI will start tweeting in six languages from his own personal handle @Pontifex on December 12, 2012.

The Vatican said on Monday the pope will be using a question and answer format in his first tweet, focussing on answering questions about faith in 140 characters.

The pope sent his first tweet last year from a Vatican account to launch the Holy See’s news information portal. The Vatican’s communications adviser Greg Burke told a press conference that the handle @Pontifex was chosen for the pope’s personal account because it not only means pope in Latin, but also bridge-builder, suggesting unity. How often will the pope tweet? Mr. Burke said, “as often as he wants.”

The Vatican has been increasing its presence in social media to try to spread the faith, particularly among the young.

Vallarpadam and Kochi terminals still at sea

A year ago there were expectations that container movement would be revolutionised with the country’s first ICTT at Vallarpadam and Kochi would become the hub of shipping activities. But things are just like before. DC looks at what plagues the terminal.
It is a year now since the country’s first ever international container transshipment terminal went on stream at Vallarpadam. Around Rs 3,500 crore has been invested in the project that is yet to make any substantial revenue.
Massive container-laden ships were supposed to use the terminal, but that has not happened. Growth in container traffic between February 2011, when the terminal was commissioned, and January 2012, was a mere five per cent.
courtecy deccan chronicle

DMRC likely to join as Kochi Metro consultant

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which has ruled out participating in a global tender for Kochi Metro, may don the role of a principal consultant.
“Chennai and Bangalore metro projects are being carried out with DMRC as prime consultant. If Kerala Government requests us, we may heed that,” DMRC project director, Mr P Sriram, said.
The Kochi Metro Rail Ltd MD, Mr Tom Jose, said such an option was possible.“Kerala has been saying all the while that it’s following the Chennai metro model. Since Chennai has availed services of DMRC as a prime consultant, we too are happy to follow suit,” he said.

Action plan for city development handed over

The 100day action plan prepared by the Indian Professional Congress was handed over to Mayor Tony Chammany on Wednesday.The action plan, which includes 15 projects, was prepared by experts in various sectors on the Mayor's instructions.Patchwork of roads, mosquito eradication, solution for traffic blocks, public toilets and traffic lights are the major issues included in the projects. The action plan also suggests constituting an expert committee for the speedy implementation of the projects.Professional Congress president Rajan George handed over the action plan to the Mayor at a function held at the Mayor's chamber.

Bangalore girl is Miss South India

KOCHI: Subha, of Bangalore, was crowned Miss South India at the HairOmax Miss South India 2010 contest held here on Saturday. Subha beat 15 other contestants to win the crown.Keralite Geethu Christy, and Nikitha Narayan, of Hyderabad, were adjudged the first and second runner-up respectively. A panel comprising former Miss India and actor Swetha Vijay, actors Aditi Chibber and Kaushal Prasad, model Simer Mottiani, model-groomer Manish Khullar, media personalities Vijay Babu and Thoshma Biju, and fashion designer Sajimon Parayil chose the winners.

Indu Thampi Miss Kerala 2010

Indu Thampi from Trivandrum crowned Miss Kerala 2010 crown in a grand function held at Kochi Le Meridien Hotel Yesterday.

Manju Raj from Palakkad selected as the first runner up and Sonal Devraj from Kannur the second runner up.

Miss Kerala beauty pageant is contest to find out the most beautiful Malayalam girl conducted every year in Kerala.

Hairomax Miss Kerala 2010 was organized by event management Impresario. There were 22 contestants. Miss Kerala 2009 Archana Nair presented the crown to Indhu Tampi.

In Miss Kerala 2009 Archana Nair from Thiruvananthapuram won the Miss Kerala 2009 pageant.

Contestants had come from various parts of India and abroad.

No decision on Kochi team yet

NEW DELHI: Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has not taken any decision on the fate of Kochi IPL team in its meet on Wednesday, according to board official.

Governing Council also disclosed that the fourth edition of the league will have eight teams and the auction of players will take place in Mumbai on 8th and 9th January of next year.

“We haven’t discuss on Kochi as their deadline is yet to expire on 27 November,” said Rajiv Shukla, BCCI vice-president.

Amidst indications that the investors group of the Kochi team is not too keen in running the franchisee, the Governing Council was likely to take a call on scrapping the team during its meeting.

The BCCI last month gave a 30-day notice to the Kochi IPL consortium to sort out its internal differences and get its ownership structure in order.

However, the investor group of the consortium has reportedly not come to an understanding with the promoters Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited and is likely to request the BCCI to let them withdraw from the franchisee.

Why Rest is Important

1) Engage in a Physical Activity
"Break out of the rut; take up a physical activity," she says. Avoid watching television, surfing the net or reading. "These keep the brain active and will tire you out again," Agarwal explains. Go for a trek, swim, run or simply pedal your way around the neighbourhood. A dose of fresh air and sunlight will do wonders for you. It will perk you up and energise you instantly.

2) Pursue a Hobby
"Set aside some time every week to pursue your hobbies," Agarwal says. Take up something you have never tried before like cooking, photography or craft. Learning something new will help you break out of the routine and refresh your mind.

3) Switch Off and Sleep
"Sufficient sleep will recharge you in a jiffy," says Dr Pahuja. Lack of sleep could lead to forgetfulness adding to the distress. So simply switch off your computer, phone, and television and lull yourself into deep sleep. Try some aromatherapy with scented oils like jasmine or lavender. Either add a few drops of these in your bath water or apply some on your temples or soles of your feet. Even better- spend a Sunday under the sheets cuddled with your spouse or partner.

4) Take a Vacation
The best remedy for chronic fatigue is to take a holiday. "Yearly holidays are very important. They give your mind and body time to recoup," explains Dr Pahuja. Explore a new place every year with your friends, family or your partner. Short weekend breaks work well too. Try new things like learning the local language and eating local cuisine.

SmartCity official visited the site

KOCHI: Jawed Sulaiman, executive director, Project Development and Planning, SmartCity Dubai, visited the site of the proposed SmartCity Kochi project at Edachira near here on Friday.Mr. Sulaiman evaluated the progress of the fencing works and other land development works under way at the site. He also held discussions with the geo-technical team from the United Kingdom entrusted with land development.

volvo race: photo finish ahead

Ericsson 3 crossed the finish line off Cochin at 07:36 GMT (13:00 local time) to earn third place in leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race. The team will earn six points, taking them to 14.5 points overall. That's good enough for a short-term hold on third place. But as the boats behind finish, Ericsson 3 will slide down the table. How far they slide will depend upon the finishing order of the chasing pack.Ericsson 3 looks set to fill out the podium this morning as they had just 26 miles to run on the 04:00 GMT report. If they hold that position, it will be a great result for Anders Lewander and his crew, sailing for the first time in this race without the threat of a measurement penalty looming over their heads. They'll be allowed to keep each of the six points they're due for a third place result and depending on what happens behind them, this will move them up the points table.

Navy Queen Contest 2008

It’s time for yet another Navy Week with promises of unlimited fun and entertainment. The weeklong celebrations which culminate in The Navy Ball and the Navy Queen Contest 2008 are scheduled to conclude on December 6 on the lawns of The Southern Naval Command. The Navy Queen Contest 2008 will see many interesting additions as well.
To provide opportunities to more contestants, the preliminaries of the contest will be held at six destinations - Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai, Kannur, Kozhikode and Kochi - this year.
The winners in these contests will walk the ramp for the finals.
Women in the age group 16 to 35 can participate. Many gifts and hampers await the winner of the Navy Queen Contest. “A three-day London trip and an Alto car were some of the gifts won by the former Navy Queen.
The logo of the Navy Ball 2008 was released by Captain V K Garg during a press meet at Kataribagh the other day.Commander P V S Sathish, Commander Navneeth, Defence PRO Commander Roy Francis, Pax Events & Promotions CEO Sunil Joseph and BDM Santhosh Kumar attended the press meet.
Those who wish to participate in the Navy Queen Contest can contact Pax Events at 9895712963

Volvo race web site a hit

Considering the popularity of the website of Volvo ocean race, the Kochi stopover team has made the site available to GPRS mobile phone users.The site is available at wap.cochinoceanrace.com.The website has been attracting a large number of visitors since its launch in April this year, claimed a press release from the Cochin Port Trust here. The site, powered and re-launched by Primmero Technologies, Kochi, registered 30,000 hits in August, the press release said. The hits registered in September (till the 28th) were 1,09,805, the press release said.It said that visitors could download wallpapers, register as volunteers and access the race updates on mobile phones. A press release from Portsmouth, England, on Monday quoted Volvo Ocean Race chief executive Knut Frostad as saying, “Our audience demands content that is exciting, accessible and immediate.”The press release was issued in connection with the launch of the Volvo Ocean Race mobile channel.

Kochi Corporation dumped in waste

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation is going to have a tough time with the waste management as the issue of non-biodegradable waste is again becoming a headache for the civic body. The Corporation is still unable to find an alternative place to dump the non-biodegradable waste, mainly the plastic waste, generated in the all the 21 health circles under its jurisdiction.
Earlier, when there was a crisis soon after the Brahmapuram plant was commissioned, what the Corporation asked the councillors was to bury the plastic waste within their division. As it is not an effective way of handling the waste, heaps of plastic waste and non-biodegradable materials have been dumped on the road sides. The people also do not know what to do with this waste, as it is not collected by the labourers. Non-biodegradable waste stored in sacks can be seen on all the major road sides. Around a truck load of plastic waste is piling up near the tourist information centre of the KTDC near Menaka Junction. Situation on Banerji Road and Market is also not different. Near the tourist information centre, the waste is being dumped just below the board installed by the Corporation reminding the people that ‘plastic is banned’.With the Onam round the corner, the issue is likely to become worse. The Corporation has just invited the Expression of Interest for the RDF Plant, another component of the Brahamapuram plant.Though a US-based company which is being operated from the Gulf and an Indian company have submitted their EoI, it will take months or years to complete the construction of the plant, which will be able to treat all types non-biodegradable waste.

711 traffic cases in July

KOCHI: The Ernakulam Regional Transport Office registered a total of 711 traffic cases in July and imposed fines to the tune of Rs.7.87 lakh on the offenders.

Proceedings were initiated to suspend 31 driving licences during the month.

Seventeen of the cases registered related to using mobile phones while driving. A total of 117 cases were registered against those riding two-wheelers without wearing helmets.

Dangerous driving

Thirty-three cases were registered against dangerous driving and 11 against traffic signal violations. Forty-three cases were related to driving without using seat belts. Eighty cases related to instances of vehicles without headlights and brake lights.

Till August 13, a total of 155 cases have been registered and a fine of Rs.1.07 lakh imposed. Nineteen cases against those driving without licence and six cases of dangerous driving were registered.

Twelve cases related to non-payment of taxes and six to driving without seat belts. Thirty cases were against those riding two-wheelers without helmets.

Seventy-three other cases were also registered for various offences.

suicide in youngsters increase

Children today are under much pressure — at home and in school. And a number of times the young minds are not able to take in much stress. Childline, an autonomous organisation working for children’s welfare, believes that an awareness regarding a support system for children is lacking among the general public.

students welcome to ukraine

Ukraine has become the hub of European students thanks to its reasonable course fee and quality education matching world standards, Irina Petrova, International Students’ Head of Lugansk State Medical University has said.
Addressing a press conference http://http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/07/stories/2008070754750600.htmin kochi , Dr. Petrova said the country also offers high standards of living. About 2,000 students from India are pursuing various higher education programmes in Ukraine.

gautami on relationship

How did she fall in love with Kamal Haasan?

“He was Kamal Sir to me. He still is, but in a different way. He was one person I looked up to and thought the world of. With every level that I’ve gotten to know him, from the audience to star to his co-star to… I’ve seen him as a writer, I’ve seen him as a director, I’ve seen him on the sets, I’ve seen him with his kids, and my respect for him has only grown. He’s an immensely strong person, very, very compassionate. These are things that are never seen or heard because he never speaks of himself and people who know him don’t speak much. It is about sharing little joys, every moment, every day, it’s about the 24 hours… I think both of us felt that and it grew to the next stage.”

Is it a relationship that’s beyond marriage?

“No, I’m not going to classify my relationship. I don’t feel the need to define it.”

That’s Gautami. She does not believe in definitions.

new born

hi frnds , here's a new born to this world