Serie A: Hot-shot Keisuke Honda Fires AC Milan up to Fourth

AC Milan are now only five points behind leaders Juventus, held 1-1 at Sassuolo on Saturday, while Roma put three unanswered goals past Chievo to reinforce their grip on second spot and reduce their deficit to a point.

Milan: Japan international Keisuke Honda struck a brace in a 3-1 win at Verona to go top of the Serie A scoring charts on Sunday as AC Milan moved up to fourth.

Milan travelled to the Bentegodi stadium looking for their second successive win having accounted for another Verona-based side, Chievo, two weeks ago.

The visitors were missing injured French forward Jeremy Menez, but Honda was in scintillating form.

"He's the consummate professional and a great player, I already said that back in August," Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

"He rarely misses a scoring chance and deserves all the credit he gets."

Inzaghi added: "We're happy, these were three really important points, but we still have 

improvements to make especially in defence."

Milan were given a helping hand in the 21st minute when Brazilian Rafael Marques, one half of a centre-back pairing which also included Mexican international Rafa Marquez, skewed a volley into his own net from Ignazio Abate's cross from the right.

"It can happen to anyone," said Verona coach Andrea Mandorlini.

Milan were 2-0 up six minutes later when Stephan El Shaarawy, given a rare start on the left of a three-man forward line spearheaded by Spaniard Fernando Torres, found Honda in space on the right with a long ball from midfield.

Honda had time to run unmarked towards goal before curling a first-time shot past Verona 'keeper Rafael.

Verona striker Luca Toni came close to reducing the arrears with an acrobatic effort minutes later but Christian Abbiati pulled off a remarkable save to parry at his near post.

Abbiati was at full stretch again just after the half hour to push away Bosko Jankovic's header.

If Verona's defence had been conspicuously absent at Honda's first goal, they were even more so 10 minutes after the restart when the Japan international was left in acres of space.

French defender Adil Rami fired a low pass from just over the halfway line and Honda ran in practically unhindered to dink another left-footed shot over Rafael.

Verona grabbed a late consolation when Nico Lopez powered past Sulley Muntari before cutting in to beat Abbiati.

Milan are now only five points behind leaders Juventus, held 1-1 at Sassuolo on Saturday, while Roma put three unanswered goals past Chievo to reinforce their grip on second spot and reduce their deficit to a point.

Sampdoria are three points behind Roma in third after they drew 2-2 at Cagliari despite Manolo 

Gabbiadini and Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang giving them a 2-0 interval lead.

"We didn't draw, we lost," Samp coach Sinisa Mihajlovic told Sky. "We can't afford to give away points like we did today.

"The only positive is that we're still in third place and still unbeaten."

Cagliari were given hope 13 minutes into the second half when Fabrizio Cacciatore saw red for a second bookable offence and defender Danilo Avelar stepped up to slam the resulting spot-kick into the top right-hand corner of Emiliano Viviano's net.

The pressure on Cagliari coach Zdenek Zeman eased somewhat when Marco Sau fired a late leveller after superbly controlling Avelar's quickfire pass into the area.

"It wasn't easy to claw back two goals from Sampdoria," said Sau, who now has three goals in seven games.

Elswhere, Palermo moved off bottom spot after Giancarlo Gonzalez's precision header secured a 2-1 home win for the Sicilians against Cesena.

Fabio Quagliarella's 62nd-minute strike was enough to secure a 1-0 home win for Torino against Udinese, while in Bergamo Yiadom Boakye bundled home a 90th-minute winner to secure a 1-0 win for Atalanta against Parma.

Parma now sit bottom of Serie A with six defeats and just one win in seven games.

Earlier, Serbian international Filip Djordjevic scored his fifth goal in three games as Lazio won 2-0 away to misfiring Fiorentina.

Lazio sit sixth, seven points off top spot, with Fiorentina in ninth place, 10 points off the pace.

Fernando Alonso Leaving Ferrari, Says Outgoing Team Chief

Fernando Alonso was said to have lost faith in Ferrari's inability to produce a winning car. With three races of the championship remaining, he sits third in the drivers' championship standings.

    

Spaniard Fernando Alonso is leaving Ferrari because he "can't wait much longer" if he wants to win another world title, outgoing Ferarri chief Luca de Montezemolo confirmed on Thursday.

Former two-time world champion Alonso was widely rumoured to be leaving the Italian giants at the end of the current season, two years before his contract ends.

De Montezemolo, who recently quit his post as president of the company, confirmed to Italian television Rai that the Spaniard was leaving "for two reasons".

"He's leaving for two reasons. One is he want to test himself in another environment, and two because he's at an age where he can't wait much longer if he wants to triumph again."

Alonso was said to have lost faith in Ferrari's inability to produce a winning car. With three races of the championship remaining, he sits third in the drivers' championship standings.

"It hurt him that he didn't win this year and he needs fresh motivation," added De Montezelomo.
Alonso's contract with Ferrari was set to expire at the end of 2016, meaning he would leave two years short of its expiry.

While speculation over the Spaniard's future destination continues, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull is rumoured to be heading to Ferrari.

Vettel announced last week he was quitting Red Bull.

Saeed Ajmal-Less Pakistan Seek to End 20-Year Australia Drought

Saeed Ajmal, who has been suspended due to an illegal bowling action, has single-handedly ruled the dry and slow tracks of Pakistan's neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, especially at Dubai where he has 37 wickets in six Tests, three of which Pakistan won.

Pakistan hope to end a 20-year drought against Australia when they meet in the first of two Tests in Dubai from Wednesday but they are hobbled by the absence of spin king Saeed Ajmal.

Ajmal, who has been suspended due to an illegal bowling action, has single-handedly ruled the dry and slow tracks of Pakistan's neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, especially at Dubai where he has 37 wickets in six Tests, three of which Pakistan won. 

That includes 24 wickets in a 3-0 rout of England in 2012.

Pakistan have also lost frontline seamers Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz -- both through knee injuries -- and have to rely on uncapped leg-spinner Yasir Shah and two-Test left-armer Zulfiqar Babar, both of whom are likely to play.

Captain Misbah-ul Haq, under pressure to score runs after managing nought and 15 in the preceding 3-0 one-day series defeat, admitted Ajmal's absence is significant.

"Ajmal has left a big hole," said Misbah, who skippers a team whose last Test series win over Australia was back in 1994.

"But we have youngsters who should grab the chance and I am confident they can."

The return of veteran batsman Younis Khan and Azhar Ali will boost Pakistan's fragile batting as they seek to remain unbeaten in a Test series in the UAE since they were forced to decamp in 2009 due to security fears in their country.

Australia will also look to include both spinners in Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe despite their unimpressive record of losing five of the last six Tests (one draw) in which they played with two spinners.

But they have dominated Pakistan, winning 13 out of the last 14 Tests against them.

Australia will hope skipper Michael Clarke, top Test run getter in 2013 with 1,093, anchors the batting after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained two months ago.

Clarke failed to get much-needed practice in the 153-run defeat in the four-day tour game against Pakistan 'A' on Sunday, managing just ten and five.

Clarke admitted Ajmal will be missed by Pakistan.

"I think there is no doubt that Ajmal is an amazing bowler. I think obviously Pakistan wish they had him available for selection," said Clarke.

"I have always said that Pakistan have always had a lot of talent in any form of the game and I am sure the Test eleven that they put on the field is very talented and know these conditions."

Australia will hope all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, will be able to fill in for the more experienced Shane Watson who is out of the tour due to a calf injury.

Australia's pace attack will be led by Mitchell Johnson who bowled with venom in the two one-dayers he played -- taking six wickets -- and supported by the hard-working Peter Siddle.

A 2-0 cleansweep would return Australia to the top of the Test rankings.

The second Test will be played in Abu Dhabi from October 30.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shan Masood, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah.

Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan, Steven Smith, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Steve O'Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon.

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Marais Erasmus (RSA)

TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)             

La Liga: Atletico Madrid Beat Espanyol 2-0, Move Within Five Points of Barcelona

Atletico Madrid had been beaten by an early three-goal blitz at Valencia last time out and they set out to make amends early on against Espanyol on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid's Portuguese midfielder Tiago (R) celebrates with Atletico Madrid's Turkish midfielder Arda Turan (C) after scoring during the Spanish league football match Club Atletico de Madrid vs RCD Espanyol at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid on October 19, 2014.

© AFP

Madrid: Atletico Madrid moved back to within five points of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 2-0 win over Espanyol on Sunday thanks to goals from Tiago and Mario Suarez.

Tiago opened the scoring with a wonderful looping header into the far corner from Gabi's cross two minutes before half-time to settle the hosts' nerves.

The Portuguese midfielder then limped off early in the second half, making him a doubt for Atletico's Champions League game against Malmo in midweek.

However, his replacement Suarez had the easy task of tapping home the second from Jose Gimenez's header 20 minutes from time.

"The team played the way they had to," said Atletico boss Diego Simeone.

"We played with a good tempo and with patience until the first goal arrived. Then, in the second half, we controlled the game."

Simeone's men had been beaten by an early three-goal blitz at Valencia last time out and they set out to make amends early on as Kiko Casilla denied Arda Turan from point-blank range before the Turkish midfielder had a goal ruled out for offside.

Casilla also turned behind a fierce drive from Koke, but Atletico were thankful to their own 'keeper Miguel Angel Moya moments later as he smothered Lucas Vazquez's effort at the back post.

The home side continued to enjoy the majority of the play, though, and made the breakthrough just before half-time when Gabi's cross to the far post was looped back across goal and over the helpless Casilla from Tiago.

Sergio Garcia could have punished some slack defending by Atletico with the last kick of the half as he blasted over from a narrow angle.

And the champions were dealt a blow at the start of the second period as Tiago hobbled off to be replaced by Suarez.

Espanyol had claims for a penalty waved away 25 minutes from time when Christian Stuani tumbled under pressure from Gimenez in the box, but within 60 seconds it was Casilla who was forced into action once more as he repelled Mario Mandzukic's low drive.

Atletico made the game safe on 70 minutes as Espanyol struggled to defend a corner and Gimenez's header across goal was tapped home by Suarez for his first goal in two years.

22 Injured as Flight From Singapore to Mumbai Hit Turbulence

Singapore:  Twenty-two passengers and crew were injured when an Airbus A380 plane operated by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and travelling from the city-state to Mumbai hit sudden turbulence during descent, the carrier said Sunday.

There were 408 passengers and 25 crew on board.

The extent of the injuries during the turbulence aboard Flight SQ 424 on Saturday evening were not given, but SIA said all the injured were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at the Mumbai airport.

Eight passengers and 14 crew were hurt, the airline said in a statement.

All eight passengers were also taken to hospital and six have been discharged, the airline added.

SIA said the plane "experienced sudden turbulence during descent".

Ten of the injured crew members required hospitalisation but all have been discharged, SIA said.

Japan Industry Minister Resigns over Make-Up Scandal: Reports

Tokyo:  Japan's industry minister resigned on Monday over claims she spent political donations on make-up and other items unconnected to politics, reports said, in a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Yuko Obuchi, who had been tipped to potentially become the country's first female prime minister, handed Abe her letter of resignation during a 30-minute meeting with the premier, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press news agency said.

Abe accepted her resignation, according Jiji.

Obuchi said she would hold a news conference soon. She would be the first minister to resign since Abe took power in December 2012.

Obuchi was a star minister when Abe reshuffled his cabinet in September, becoming the country's first woman in charge of economy, trade and industry -- a powerful portfolio that includes oversight of the energy sector.

The clean-cut 40-year-old was the most prominent of a new wave of women promoted to leading Cabinet positions.

But she is now facing claims that, over the five years to 2012, her political funding body spent more than 10 million yen ($95,000) on things unconnected to politics, including cosmetics and accessories at a department store.

Her political group has also invited residents in her electoral district in central Japan on bus tours to see theatre performances in Tokyo at fees below actual costs -- a move opposition lawmakers have called "vote-buying".

Story First Published: October 20, 2014 07:13 IST    

Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali Critically Ill

Rumours about legendary boxer Muhammad Ali's poor health started circulating when he did not attend a Hollywood premiere of a new movie about his life, 'I am Ali', last week.

Reported by: NDTVSports

Muhammad Ali, who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for almost 30 years now, maybe counting his last days if sources in the boxing legend's family are to be believed. The 72-year-old American is critically ill.

Rumours about Ali's poor health started circulating when he did not attend a Hollywood premiere of a new movie about his life, 'I am Ali', last week.

Interestingly, news of Ali struggling for life comes at the same time when two of his strongest rivals, Britain's Joe Bugner, 64 and Leon Spinks, 61, struggle with serious heart and stomach ailments. Spinks has undergone multiple surgeries recently.

Joe Frazier, one of Ali's rivals during his boxing days, had once said, "The trouble with him is that he doesn't know how to die," at the time Ali refused to retire.

The good part about Ali's story, however, is that he has managed to outlive most of the 53 opponents he has faced during his career. In fact, many of Ali's opponents died a brutal death. While Sonny Liston died from a drugs overdose, Argentinian Oscar Bonavena was shot dead outside a brothel in the US state of Nevada.

Ali's daughter Hana is optimistic that the legendary boxer is going to live.

"I call him in the mornings, every morning, he speaks the best in the mornings. You could actually hear his soft sweet voice," Hana had recently told the Telegraph.

"He jokes, he kids around about making a comeback even now today. So he would want the world to know that he enjoys being Muhammad Ali."

Pakistan Women's Cricket Captain Leads Team to New Highs

Bolstered after winning the Asian Games gold medal for the second consecutive time, captain Sana Mir says her side has gone from strength to strength.

Pakistan recently suffered a humiliating ODI whitewash against Australia. That was the men's team. The women's team though is on a completely different level with success bolstering confidence in the camp.

Fresh from successfully defending their gold medal at Asian Games in Incheon, the women's team is on a high. Captain Sana Mir is especially pleased with how the team performed and predicted that the side can be more consistent if facilities are further improved in the country. "It really has been a wonderful experience because winning the gold medal was really important to us," she was quoted as saying by a Pakistan-based cricket website - Pakpassion.net. "However, let us also not forget that teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and India are well established teams with good infrastructure to back them up. We started quite late in our development of women's cricket. Although, we've been able to lessen the gap between the top teams and us, but the pressure has definitely been on us."

Appointed captain in 2009 - just four years after her debut, the 28-year-old cricketer said that she has seen expectations from her team rise with time. "People just want us to win and we've done it against the odds in 2010 and we knew that we could do it 2014 as well. But please remember that unlike the men's game, teams like Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly. They have had a lot more international exposure compared to Pakistan women and they also have international cricket at home which makes a huge difference," said leg-spinner Mir, who has 79 wickets from 70 ODI matches.

While there are questions about Misbah-ul-Haq's ability to lead the men's team, Mir has silenced her critics successfully - both as a player and as a captain. Adjudged  Player of the Tournament at the 2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Mir feels Pakistan Cricket Board has helped her players defy the notion that conservative elements threaten development of Pakistan women cricketers. "The PCB has played a tremendous role in the evolution and development of women's cricket in Pakistan," she said. "Wherever we go, whichever countries we tour we get positive feedback."

Mir is currently ranked seventh in International Cricket Council's ODI rankings for bowlers. There is no other Pakistani player in the top-10 batting or bowling list.             

Congress Faces Political Storm as Rahul Gandhi Visits Cyclone-Hit Areas

New Delhi: It almost seemed ironical. As Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was taking stock of the areas hit by Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam on Sunday, a political storm hit the party.

The BJP moved a step closer towards their political goal of a 'Congress-mukt bharat' by ending the party's rule in Maharashtra and Haryana.

In the past couple of years, the Congress has lost crucial states like Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and the newly-created Telangana. The latest round of results forced Congress' top leadership to reach out to their supporters.  

Mr Gandhi, in a statement, said, "I congratulate the BJP on their success. I thank our supporters for having stood by us and party workers for their commitment to the party. The Congress Party will work hard on the ground to once again earn the confidence of the people."

Congress President Sonia Gandhi too promised to play a vigilant role, after the party was voted out of power. But the numbers don't add up for the party to be even an effective Opposition.  

In Maharashtra, the party struggled for the third place, getting just one seat more than its former ally Nationalist Congress Party or NCP. 

In Haryana, the Congress witnessed a repeat of the rout the party had earlier faced in states like Rajasthan, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, that has led to a constant questioning of Mr Gandhi's leadership. 

But the party seemed prepared with its answers. Spokespersons claimed that these elections had more to do with anti-incumbency than with leadership.  

"Different leaders have different styles of leadership and every leader finds his big moment; I am sure we will come back. When the BJP had two MPs, we didn't say 'BJP-mukt' India. Similarly, we will not be wiped out," said Rajeev Gowda, a former professor of IIM Bangalore who is now a spokesperson for the Congress.

Shobha Ojha, another spokesperson, pointed out, "In 1998, we were ruling only in three states, but by 2003-04, we had governments in 11 states." 

The Congress' worst performance in the Lok Sabha elections, in May this year, forced the top leadership to talk about revamping the grand old party. Five months later, changes are yet to happen and time seems to be running out.

Story First Published: October 19, 2014 23:44 IST    

The Top 5 Largest Aircraft in the World

Let’s take a look at top five world’s largest aircrafts up to this day. These immense flying objects really impress!

The first prize goes fairly to Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya which is acknowledged to be the world’s largest plane up to date. The plane made its first flight in 1988, on December 21. This really huge thing was built exceptionally for military purposes, in particular for carrying the Buran orbiter (Russian Space Shuttle). The developers of An-225 aircraft used a base of An-124 and increased sufficiently its engine capacity. 6 engines are used in the An-225 instead of 4 in An-124 as well as twin nail. The aircraft is the heaviest up to date: its maximum takeover weight is more than 640 tons.

Today there is only one An-225 in service.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is the Mozart of football, says Mauricio Pochettino

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that watching Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero play is like listening to Mozart.

Pochettino said Spurs would aim to stop Aguero from scoring in their league fixture against City, at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Aguero already has six goals in 2014, and also scored 28 goals, as City clinched the title in 2013-14.

The Spur's boss further elaborated that his side would do what it takes to stop the Argentine from scoring, and also labeled him as the 'best striker in the world'.

Aguero and Yaya Toure, recently scored in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa, to lift City into second spot behind leaders Chelsea. 

Aishwarya is my anchor

Abhishek Bachchan gets candid about work, family and how he feels he will always be in his father's shadow.

Being happy in whatever he does is most important for Abhishek Bachchan. And that's something that comes across in his interview with Niranjan Iyengar on Look Who's Talking.

The actor elaborates, "I was really sad when Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se didn't get the response it deserved. I believed that freedom fighter deserved a better response. At that time, what the film's director Ashutosh Gowariker told me, really hit me. He said, 'Set a goal for yourself and be happy when you achieve it. Be happy when you do your work perfectly. Don't care about the world. You can't lose yourself in quests of pleasing others. It's of no use.' "

"Going back to a happy, healthy family at the end of the day is more important than being successful," says AB Jr. He confesses that he's more like his mother than his father and even acts like her. "I am a people's person like her. I am very outgoing. My dad is a loner. He likes to have us around. He would call us in his study and we used to sit there for hours without saying a word. We were never brought up as star kids. We were any other normal family," he admits.

About his soulmate, Abhishek says they were meant to be. "Aishwarya is like an anchor for me. My parents had always given me the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I was carefree. After marriage and my daughter's arrival, I have become more responsible. She is my buddy, a friend. I can discuss anything with her. Our relationship is not based on her being the Aishwarya Rai or me coming from an illustrious family. It is just about two people falling in love which was organically grown. We shot three films back-to-back for a year at that time. It started during Guru. We were meant to be, it's destiny."

And about his daughter, Abhishek says that, at times, Aaradhya behaves older than him! "She is a very easy, very happy, very loving kid. Aishwarya has to be given the credit for the same. She is always around for Aaradhya. Even when Aishwarya will start working, there won't be any problem as she is very organised. She thinks about everything beforehand. I have only once changed a diaper as Aishwarya is so prompt that she hardly gives anyone else a chance to do anything. I will never do anything that will bring shame to my daughter today or 10 years down the line."

Shyness is a trait that comes easily to him. "I cannot walk into a room alone (restaurants, public spaces). So, the mobile phone is a boon. I pretend that I am on call if I have to be alone in public spaces!"

One has rarely spotted him without a beard. The face fuzz has been a constant feature since he was studying abroad he had long hair and a beard. "I look very innocent and immature without a stubble," he grins.

And no, he is not obsessed about looking good on screen. "I am not a vain person. I am in the wrong profession, I guess. I feel I don't have to look good onscreen all the time. I should look the character," he shares. It's the same about skin show. He feels that one doesn't have to take out his shirt just because he has a good physique. "If it's the need of the character then fine. I give a lot of importance to physicality as it's an important part of getting into character. That is why I had put on a lot of weight for Guru," he says.

What was his most difficult scene, Abhishek said that Kabhi Alvida Na Kehnaa (KANK) was a challenging film. "Hrishi's character was really difficult. I had to play a man who's innocent like a kid. In a particular scene where I meet Rani (Mukerji) for the first time after we split up and I have to inform her that my dad is dead and hand over his photo. My dad (Amitabh) is playing that character and it's his photo I am holding in my hand. It was most difficult scene of my life. There are few moments in every actor's life where it's more personal than acting. The scene started and I was holding my dad's picture and say that he is dead. After the scene I just broke down and started crying. I was sitting in a corner and Karan came up to me as he understood what I was feeling. He just hugged me as he too was missing his dad. He teared up too; even Rani started crying looking at us. It was too special. Micky (Contractor) took me for a long drive after that where I told I am in love with Aishwarya. We were not dating then."

Abhishek is sensitive to criticism. Ravan, he said, was a very tough film for him both physically and mentally. "Media criticism after the film was disheartening. I lost my confidence after that. There were times when I did not want to go home as I used to feel that I am not worthy of father's name. I am still picking pieces after that. I understand as public figures we are subjected to public scrutiny. But we actors are human beings too with real feelings. One doesn't need to be shown mirror in public on weekly basis."

But this serious side aside, he's a known prankster who loves to fool around and have fun. "I am free-spirited. I have worked on different levels of film-making, so I am comfortable with people on set. I too have lot of inhibitions as an actor. Mingling with others on the set and having fun helps me manage that," he says, adding that it bothers him when people think he is not serious about his work because he is funny.

A Roadmap to the Future of Marketing

Nailed it. That’s what I thought as soon as I saw the image below from MediaPlant’s report sponsored by Microsoft, Dollars, Bits, and Atoms: A Roadmap to the Future of Marketing. It’s a well-thought out and practical look at how technology is evolving to enable more effective marketing strategies. One diagram stood out as we’ve been assisting companies develop their online marketing strategies so I’ve included it below.

Marketing is in a state of transition, driven by changes in technology, demographics, and society. This map visualizes trends identified by industry leaders and experts, showing relationships between technologies and marketing tactics, and where the industry is headed.

I didn’t want to share too much – be sure to read through the entire collection of reports at MediaPlant. MediaPlant is a communications firm specializing in B2B marketing, strategy, and technical development. Author Rob Salkowitz is an internationally recognized author and expert in entrepreneurship, innovation, and the disruptive effects of technology on business. Be sure to read this report and others at MediaPlant.

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood accused of plagiarism

Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has been accused of plagiarism in her self-titled biography which was released earlier this week.

According to the author of The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, Paul Gorman, the Birt-born designer has copied numerous passages almost verbatim from the work in her self-titled biography which was released last week, counting 29 instances of plagiarism altogether, reported The Independent.

The book was written in collaboration with historian and biographer Ian Kelly and is also said to include both grammatical and factual errors, including false claims the fashion legend thought up the idea and title for punk rockers, the Sex Pistols' track Sons of Anarchy.

Both the 73-year-old fashion designer and the publishers Pan MacMillan are yet to respond to the accusations surrounding the work through which Ian claimed he was pleased to have finally told the 'truth' about the 'huge-hearted' designer.

The biography follows the life of the fashion legend from her upbringing in rural Derbyshire, her career and her relationships with her husband and business partner Malcolm McLaren, as well as her second marriage to her former student Andreas Kronthal.

The work also features heartfelt letters from Vivienne's close friends - which throughout her life have included Pamela Anderson, Prince Charles, human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabati, models Naomi Campbell and Jerry Hall, Bob Geldof and Julian Assange

Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi clarifies 'Chopping hands' remark, calls it a Hindi idiom

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday said that his 'chopping hands off' comment was not literal, and added that he was using an idiom to say that he would restrict the powers of doctors if they treated patients unfairly. "They should have knowledge about Hindi idioms, chopping off hands means restricting rights. I did not mean literally chopping hands off. By cutting hands, I meant restricting their powers," said Manjhi.

Earlier today, Manjhi had said that he will cut off the hands of those found playing with the lives of the poor, referring to doctors who have been treating those injured in the recent Gandhi Maidan stampede. The Bihar Chief Minister's comment garnered criticism from various political parties with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Siddharth Nath asking the leader to apologize.

"It is unfortunate that the chief minister is making such statements. It is not easy to become a doctor and saying that we will chop their hands is very disappointing. He should apologize of such a thing," Singh said. Thirty-three people lost their lives and several injured in the stampede that took place at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna on October 3 during the Dussehra celebrations.

All the patients are provided free of cost treatment at the PMCH. 

Australian professor suspended over racist email

An Australian professor has been suspended by The University of Sydney for sending racist emails. According to the BBC, Prof Barry Spurr referred to Aboriginal people as "human rubbish tips" and used racist terms to refer to Muslims and Asians in Australia.

The professor of poetry, however, maintains that the emails sent were part of a "whimsical" game, but students are calling for termination of his services. The emails procured by Australian magazine New Matilda, were sent to a lot of people at the university, including officials and academics, between September 2012 and late 2014. Prof Spurr, in his emails, referred to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott an "Abo-lover" - an offensive term for Aborigines - and to Nelson Mandela as a "darky", the report says.

The university said in a statement "racist, sexist or offensive language is not tolerated at the University of Sydney." 

Hoax caller threatens to blow up Jaipur police station

An unidentified person made a hoax call threatening to blow up the Gandhi Nagar police station here, police said on Saturday. "The caller on Friday threatened to blow up the police station in 10 minutes. A thorough checking was done, but no suspicious object was found around the police station," SHO of Gandhi Nagar Bhanwar Lal said on Friday.

"The call was made to the landline number of the police station. The number displayed was from Pakistan. The Anti-Terrorist Squad has been informed about the matter and it is probing the incident," he said. 

Angelina Jolie `totally transformed` for `Maleficent`

Costume designer of 'Maleficent', Justin Smith, has revealed that the entire crew had been struck by Angelina Jolie's complete transformation for the role.

Smith said that the 39-year-old star was very involved during the designing of her iconic and fabulous look for the Disney film, Daily Express reported.

The 'Tomb Raider' actress had been no stranger to controversy or bold creative experiments and 'Maleficent's' spectacular horns were famously a passion project for her. The designer also said that Jolie's children had taken a while to get used to their mother's new look. But then Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne, were equally involved and so was hubby Brad Pitt.

Smith added that Jolie was a very loyal artist and her team shall be very much a family from now on. 

Alexander Wang wants to design sportswear

Designer Alexander Wang wants to design more sportswear.

The 30-year-old fashion designer, who recently unveiled his new active wear-inspired collection for high street label H&M, has revealed he is keen to continue his foray into sportswear and wants to make the styles a more permanent feature in his collections, reported Vogue.

"Approaching active wear was exciting for me as I've always wanted to do it, but having that access to the resources - the factories and the garment mills - was a completely different process to what I usually do," Wang said. "It's a whole new skill set. 

You have to do your due diligence and testing, but it is something that I have so much passion and love for, that I'd love to have a future opportunity to do something like this that is more permanent." 

Dia Mirza Puts A Ring On Sahil Sangha

Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha pose for the photographers at their engagement in Delhi.

Dia Mirza got engaged to her long time beau and business partner Sahil Sangha, in a private ceremony in New Delhi's Chhatarpur Farms on October 17

  Bollywood actress Dia Mirza got engaged to her long time beau and business partner Sahil Sangha, in a private ceremony in New Delhi's Chhatarpur Farms on October 17. The couple will get married on October 18 in the Capital.

 

Dia looked radiant in a blue and gold Anita Dongre lehenga, which she accesorised with matching kundan jewellery, while she interacted with the media joined by her fiance.

 

The ceremony was attended by her family and close friends. Dia is likely to host a lavish reception for her colleagues in Mumbai.

Sahil had proposed to Dia in New York in April this year, after their visit to an award show in Tampa Bay.

 

The duo co-own a production house called Born Free Entertainment, which released its second project Bobby Jasoos earlier this year, featuring actress Vidya Balan in the lead role.

'I'm Still Here': This 113-Year-Old Had to Lie About Her Age to Facebook

At 113, Anna Stoehr is probably the oldest woman in Minnesota, United States. She was born even before her family home had a phone or electric lights. But if you think she is infirm or incapable in any way, you couldn't be more wrong.

Anna's zest for life is heartening and her readiness to embrace modern technology is adorable beyond words. She is learning how to send e-mails, FaceTime and use Facebook.

However, before she could get on to the social networking site, she had to lie about her age. Yup! Since Facebook's year of birth option starts from 1905, Anna, who was born in 1900, had to fake her age to create a profile.

"I'm still here," she wrote in a letter to Facebook.

Unbelievable Kitchen Appliances You'll Love - Part II

I think I just fell in love with technology a little more. 

When gadgets work in tandem with your kitchen needs, it's a match made in technology heaven. 

I tip my hat to the inventors for coming up with these handy devices, considerably decreasing our work load and making life a tad easier. 

If you're worried about handling a gadget, these are simple and klutz-proof and it's safe to say anyone can use them. 

Cooked too much spaghetti as usual? Let that be a thing of the past with a nifty Spaghetti Measurer. It tells you how much Spaghettiis enough for one to four people. 

Another variant is the aptly named 'I Could Eat a Horse' measurer, which does the same job whilst adding a dash of humour. 

Tea for two please. Green tea for Mrs. Sharma and a red one for her husband? Fear not when you have a teapot that holds two different kinds of tea!

Securely stick an iPad to your fridge to listen to music in the kitchen, jot down shopping lists or view a recipe while cooking.

A One-Step Corn Kerneler that removes all the corn kernels in one swift motion!

Take your everyday water up a notch with this flavor-infusing water bottle.

Finally a coffee cup that tells people when it's safe to talk to you in the morning.

Imagine a machine that churns out rotis at will. Just add flour, water and oil to dedicated slots in the Rotimatic machine, and it kneads, rolls and makes rotis automatically! There are also options for oil, thickness and roast levels.

White salt is so 2013. Colored Margarita Salt to the rescue. Pretty colours for pretty drinks.

If you watch what you eat, this Digital Nutrition Scale computes calories, calories from protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates and so much more.

A toaster that not only comes with a message board to write notes on but with the ability to toast the message on the bread itself!

In the unlikely event of you not finishing a bag of chips, this tool re-seals the bag and locks in the flavour and freshness. 

Nevermind the reasons, sometimes you just need a shot glass. This mold makes it all possible by giving you four fully-formed shot glasses made of ice in no time!

Burnt toast no more! All hail the See-Through Toaster.

Moms will love this. Keep an item in the safe, set the timer and the safe won't open till the timer reaches zero. Time to build that much hated practice of self-control, kids. 

Not all of us are lucky enough to have efficient house-help at hand, but we can have the next best thing - smart kitchen gadgets that take the load off. 

These aren't 'save your salary for three months and then some' kind of tools, just simple ones that come with one clear idea to solve the most annoying kitchen problems. 

I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.

The Never-Soggy Cereal Bowl

Get that crunch back: A bowl with separate compartments for milk and cereal, genius!

Desk Microwave Oven

Good things do come in small packages. Warm up your lunch right at your desk using a USB cable. That's right. 

A Plate Clip For Your Wine Glass

Life's good when you're holding a plate full of food and a wine glass at a party, except when a handshake comes your way. Here's to no more awkward juggling and wobbling.

Ramen Spoon and Fork

Spork: A spoon for the broth and a fork for noodles in one!

Spice Book

You can buy, wash, chop, grind and store spices, or you can just tear-and-use them out of a book!

Pineapple Peeler 

Like a lot of other people, if I have to peel and core a pineapple, I'd rather skip eating it altogether. Introducing, this God-sent peeler, which does the job in seconds.  

Chopping Board and Scale

Chop and weigh your veggies at the same time!

Floating Mug

The no-coaster-required coffee mug: I'd buy it just for the design, but it eliminates ugly rings on the table too!

Toasted Selfie

Toast bread with your selfie on it because why not?

Heated Butter Knife

World's first knife that solves the world's biggest problem - cold butter that's impossible to spread on toast.

Egg Yolk Separator

No more sticky, gooey hands, everyone. Sorry, but I have to say- egg-cellent! 

Dumb-Bell Cutlery

Want to lose weight but not prepared to stop eating? Work out with each bite with these 1kg knives & forks and 2kg dessert spoons.  

Knife, Spoon and Fork Pen Covers

Not even a minute to waste? Turn your pen into cutlery in less than three seconds. 

There you have it, folks! So immensely glad that with time, kitchen gadgets are getting more snazzy and cutting edge. Now, the only thing left to do is to wait for them to come out with a Jetsons-style kitchen, ah.