Obama cites India to plug 'open government'|News

Obama cites India to plug 'open government'|News

Citing the example of Indian villages getting their voices heard with new information technology tools, President Barack Obama has urged emerging and established democracies to make their governments more transparent. The US will also launch a new online tool that will allow Americans to petition the White House directly.

He said the technology will be made available to other governments.

"From Tanzania to Indonesia - and as I saw firsthand during my visit to India - rural villages are organizing and making their voices heard, and getting the public services that they need," he said Tuesday at the United Nations.

"Governments from Brazil to South Africa are putting more information online, helping people hold public officials accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars," Obama said inaugurating an "Open Government Partnership" co-chaired by the US and Brazil.

Eight founding members in the partnership, including Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, the Philippines, have pledged to be more transparent, allow greater citizen participation in government, and increase access to technology.

Obama said the moment is ripe for the initiative, with people across the Middle East and North Africa pushing for their governments to represent and benefit their citizens, and with emerging democracies across the world showing how "innovations in open government" can increase prosperity and justice.

He said an additional 40 countries have begun working toward joining the partnership next year.

The US was also joining a global initiative in which oil, gas and mining companies disclose more information about how much they're paying to extract natural resources.

Source: IANS

Top 10 new production cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

Top 10 new production cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

For all the mad concept cars at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, this is also the place to see real new cars - the ones that'll be appearing in car showrooms over the next few months.

And this year saw a particularly strong crop too, across all sectors. Yes, there were supercars. But there were also city cars, MPVs and regular hatchbacks all worthy of merit. Here are our 10 favourites.

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Porsche 911

Even more powerful, even more efficient, the brand new Porsche 911 even has even more gears, as it debuts the world's first seven-speed manual gearbox. Worth it for the new interior alone, the 911's position as the complete sports car is simply reinforced.

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Volkswagen Up!

After a mildly ludicrous number of concepts, VW has finally unveiled the production version of the Up!, a fun yet practical, tiddly city car powered by efficient three-cylinder engines, the best of which achieves just 79g/km.

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BMW M5

The latest iteration of the world's most famous super saloon takes its public bow - now complete with 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 power delivering 560hp. Performance is truly in the supercar league, with 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 190mph with the optional Driver's Package.

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Hyundai i30

Set to squeeze rivals on style and performance as well as warranty and price, this striking new family hatchback is certain to become Hyundai's most successful model yet. Launching a true Golf rival at Germany's premiere show demonstrates Hyundai's confidence

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Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Italian style meets British muscle in this £330,000 automotive sculpture. Often controversial, in this Aston Martin Zagato's always eye catching design is beautifully resolved. Aggressive, exclusive and uncompromising it's also a proven racer.

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Vauxhall Zafira Tourer

The new Zafira gets bigger to take on the Ford Galaxy, but retains the clever interior touches that have made previous versions so popular with on the go families everywhere.

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Fiat Panda

The cheerfully practical Panda is reborn with increased interior quality and some high tech gadgets - not to mention the introduction of ecocentric two-cylinder TwinAir engines.

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Mazda CX-5

The standard bearer for Mazda's clever new SkyActiv tech, what the CX-5 lacks in outright style it makes up with environmental efficiency and a sharp driving experience.

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Honda Civic

The new Civic has an impressively powerful 150hp diesel engine that emits just 110g/km CO2. It's facing some fierce competition though, not least in the shape of the Hyundai i30 also unveiled here at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Ferrari 458 Spider

Ferrari has built the world's first mid-engined supercar with a folding hard top. It still looks great, it still goes great and - by all accounts - it sounds even better.

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Navigation friendly phones: Pics&Prices

Navigation friendly phones: Pics&Prices

GPS-enabled phone, check. Mapping software, check. Smooth running of maps on the phone, uncheck?

You can't have a map to everywhere (it is not advisable either!) but you can surely have a phone that supports map apps and helps you explore new surroundings or just find your way out of a forest. Check out the phones that are best suited for interruption-free navigation.

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Blackberry 9900, Price: Rs 32,490

Bold 9900 is different from other Blackberry phones because apart from touch display, it has a keypad that can be used for typing in the destination. Also, you can install Google Maps, Waze and MapmyIndia Sygic on this phone though it comes with BlackBerry Maps.

SPECS: 2.8-inch display; 5 MP camera; 8GB onboard memory, 32GB expandable; A-GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi; 130 gm; 1230 mAh battery

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Nokia N8, Price: Rs 22,000

.With Nokia's Ovi Maps pre-installed, you don't need any other software. Select maps from the main menu and the device will instantly build a satellite connection and track your current position. The voice directions are useful when you are driving alone. Good at multitasking, you can switch between other applications as well.

SPECS: 3.5-inch display; 8 MP camera; A-GPS support with OVi Maps, Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi; 135 gm; 1200 mAh battery.

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Apple iPhone 3G S, Price: Rs 19,990

If you recently brought an iPhone 3GS, thinking that it is, after all, an Apple iPhone, don't worry. Even the Phone 3G S is good at handling navigation. Similar in many respects to the iPhone 4, it comes with Google Maps and digital compass for navigation.

SPECS: 3.5-inch display; 3.15MP camera; 16GB/32GB; A-GPS with digital compass; Google Maps on board.

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HTC Wildfire S, Price: Rs 13, 500

You don't want to spend much but still wish to experience navigation experience on your phone? Try out the HTC Wildfire S. Powered by a 600MHz processor, it might not offer you the best and smoothest navigation but it isn't bad either. Once again an Android offering, this too has Google Maps on board.

SPECS: 3.2 inch display; 5 MP camera; 512 MB RAM, 32GB expandable; 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi; 105 gms; 1230 mAh

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Samsung Galaxy S II, Price: Rs 30,000

Touted to be the fastest smartphone in the industry, the Galaxy SII is powered by 1.2GHz dual core processor along with 1GB RAM. Hence, be it launching applications, browsing applications or even using AGPS, everything happens within a fraction of a second. The big capacitive bright display makes text input really very simple and the Google Maps on board along with digital compass offers an excellent navigation experience.

SPECS: 4.3-inch display; 8 MP camera; 16GB internal memory; A-GPS, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi; 116 gm; 1650 mAh battery.

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Apple iPhone 4, Price: Rs 34,500 (16 GB)

The next version of the iPhone is in the offing, but this doesn't mean the iPhone 4 isn't worth considering. The retina display is a killer and the A-GPS support along with digital compass is all you can ask for. Google Maps comes pre-installed on this phone. With plenty of navigation software and location-based apps available on App Store, you can do a lot more with this device.

SPECS: 3.5-inch display; 5 MP camera; 16GB/32GB onboard memory; A-GPS with digital compass, Wi-Fi, 3G; Google Maps on board.

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LG Optimus 2x, Price: Rs 25, 499

If you have a tight budget and cannot afford to shell out Rs 30,000 for Samsung Galaxy SII, consider the LG Optimus 2x. It is powered by 1GHz dual-core processor and looks super fast in comparison to many other smartphones with a single core processor. The big and bright display can easily compensate for a navigator screen and the Google Maps pre-installed are good for basic routing.

SPECS: 4-inch display; 8 MP camera; 8GB onboard storage, 32GB expandable; A-GPS support with Google Maps, Bluetooth, EDGE, Wi-Fi, 3G; 139 gm; 1500 mAh battery.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Price: Rs 27,270

A perfect blend of beauty with brains is what you will say about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. Even with a 4.2-inch capacitive touch display, it is lightweight and looks stylish. By accessing settings, you can switch on GPS and enjoy navigation on the preinstalled Google Maps.

SPECS: 4.2-inch display; 8 MP camera; 320 MB storage memory, 32GB expandable; A-GPS with Google Maps, EDGE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G; 117 gm; 1500 mAh battery.

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10 most 'liked' car brands on Facebook

10 most 'liked' car brands on Facebook

We've found the 10 most 'liked' car brands on Facebook, see if you're a fan too.

Whether you agree with it or not, social media is now part of most people's everyday life. Whether it's keeping up with friends on Facebook or chatting idly on Twitter, many people use social media to interact with all manner of people. Including car companies.

You see, they've figured out that if you interact with current and potential customers they're more likely to think of the brand in a positive light and go on to buy one. There are a few methods of interacting with 'your' brand - the most easy to measure is Facebook. You can see how many 'fans' a brand has and join in and ignore as you like

1. BMW - 6,437,807

The blue and white propeller is very well known indeed, and BMW's huge quantity of fans is proof of that. BMW is currently running a campaign called 2Originals, about character and how we're all different in our own way. There's also an active discussions board, video content and a link to their website. If you own or fancy a Beemer one day, this is the page for you...

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2. Ferrari - 5,031,256

Considering it's one of the best known brands in the world are you really surprised Ferrari is at number 2? The Ferrari page is a fairly simple affair. There are a few links to other Ferrari based pages (they'd never 'like' something that isn't Ferrari now, would they?) and there's plenty of video and written content to get your head around. If you like Ferraris, you could do worse than to 'like' the Ferrari page.

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3. Mercedes-Benz - 3,909,610

With nearly 3 million fans, Mercedes-Benz is doing something right... Their page has the usual mix of video and visual content, as well as links to Mercedes pages in your country. What caught our eye though, was the use of a bespoke reporter who goes to Mercedes events and answers questions from users directly. Very smart indeed.

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4. Audi - 3,795,332

There's plenty of glitz on Audi's page - product promotions, in depth pages on the latest models (the A7 at the moment), Flickr feeds for video and pictures and links to the various Audi regions all over the world. The Audi 'gimmick' (for want of a better, more accurate word) is to ask people for their stories. You can read owners' experiences with their cars and submit your own.

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5. MINI - 2,331,868

It's a brand that few seem to dislike, so having over 2 million fans is to be expected from Oxford's finest. In typical MINI fashion its Facebook page is bright, bold and rather exciting. There's the standard mix of pictures and comments (which anyone can add to), but their subpages are quite something. The stand out feature, however, is the MINI Photo Box. Get your picture taken on it and your face will be beamed to an interactive billboard in Berlin. Now that's user interaction!

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6. Porsche - 1,996,995

Most people, at some point, have toyed with the idea of owning a Porsche. Maybe not today, but at some point in the future. Well, if that thought's every crossed your mind the Porsche Facebook page is the one for you. There's info on the latest models, interactive apps and links to car building pages and the Porsche shop. When Porsche breached a million fans they created a one-off 911 with all its fans' names on it. That's a cool way to say thank you - how many people do you know have their name on the side of a 911?

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7. Jeep - 1,501,911

It's no surprise the all-American Jeep has well over a million fans. Especially because in some parts of the US only a Jeep will do... The Jeep page contains a myriad of interesting content, from music to video and pictures, it's all there. You can even find a dealer and book a test drive in a shiny new one...

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8. Honda - 1,258,880

Honda comes in 8th place with their page. Its approach is a mix of Aston's and VW's, so users can interact on the wall, while bespoke pages direct fans to various content. There's exclusive video, links to fan pages for individual models and even a page to help confused owners adjust settings, etc on their own cars. They also post related content on their wall, so fans can keep up to date with the latest Honda goings on.

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9. Aston Martin - 939,080

. Aston Martin's approach to Facebook is pretty simple. They don't 'do' special pages or tabs and lay out their content on the page's wall. This could be pictures of the new Zagato or videos of events. The cool thing is - because they publish on their wall anyone else can too. This means fans can post their own images or links alongside Aston Martin's own, making for a truly two-way experience.

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10. VW - 839,695

At number ten on our list is VW USA. Creating a car for the people means that pretty much everyone has had some interaction with the brand and over 800,000 like their page. Their approach is to give an overview of the company, its history and new models on the way. They've got extensive galleries and information on their cars, as well as deals and competitions. Want to know about VW? It's a great place to start...

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Top 10 Best Perfumes For Women – [Fragrances]Beauty

Top 10 Best Perfumes For Women – [Fragrances]|Beauty

Women in general love to keep themselves always clean and fresh. This is the primary sign of the feminine side, which is innate and natural for them. Perfumes are part of their daily regimen not just for single women but also even to those who are married and have significant others. There are different scents, flavors, and brands that women are patronizing and using, which could be based on popularity, quality, and price. Among the best perfumes that can be seen in the market, the women’s favorites are the following

1. The Enchanting Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Parfum

This is an alluring, bright, eternal, and a playful style of perfume, which is the freshest and newest collection found in the line of Marc Jacobs’ collection of scents. It is full of sophistry, elegance, and innocence, which is available in strawberry, white woods, grapefruit, vanilla, ruby red, violet petals, jasmine, musk, and gardenia. Be captivated on the enchanting scent it gives once it passes your smelling buds.

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2. Delicious Fragrance of Guerlain

This is timeless perfume, which has been in existence since 1925, which was created and inspired by Jacques Guerlain. It was never expected that it would stay in the business and would be the toughest and second top favorite after a century in the history. This is also the best perfume candidate for 2011. A true pioneer is still leading and catching every woman’s attention.

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3. The Fruity Love and Glamour Perfume

This is another of Jennifer Lopez’s newest collection, which was launched sometime in 2010. It is a fruity floral fragrance, which was developed by Honorine Blanc and Harry Fremont. This is good for casual daytime activities

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4. The Glowing J Lo Perfume

When Jennifer Lopez has decided to venture on the perfume business in 2002, this is her original signature literally, which can be found on the bottle of Rhinestones. As she, says, “It is a scent of attraction and magnetism”, something that men cannot easily take for granted.

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5. The Musical Fragrance Purr

This is Katy Perry’s number one perfume, which was actually a free spirited idea of on her outfit as a cat woman. It has a fruity floral scent, which was created by perfume experts from the Firmenich, which can be bought at Nordstrom

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6. The Casual Curious Perfume

Britney Spears is known to be the lover of perfume and aside from the tempting fantasy perfume; her first choice is Curious Perfume. This is included among the collection of fragrances that was launched by Elizabeth Arden Perfume in 2004 and then followed by the Fantasy perfume.

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7. The Tempting Fantasy Perfume

If you find yourself being tempted by the moves of Britney Spears, it is same alluring sweetness and a different kind of potion introduced by Elizabeth Arden Perfume in 2005.

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8. The Tinkling Sensation: Lolavie Perfume

This is the creation of Jennifer Anniston that describes her personality as clean, floral, and sexy. The shape of the bottle is her inspired idea because of her strong fascination on beaches, especially with its waves. This is derived from French, which means “laughing at life”.

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9. The Heart-Shaped Vera Wang Princess Eau de Toilette

It is packed in lilac heart-shaped bottles that have a romantic aroma, which was designed and made by Vera Wang that exudes a contemporary look. It can be found in 30, 50, and 100 ml bottles, which is a best gift for anyone’s wife, girlfriend, and mother.

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10. The Timeless Ralph Lauren Romance

This is indeed timeless and classic for all women because of its floral scent loaded with soft pink roses, which was made by Harry Fremont. This is known to be the ladies perfume, which is seductive, sensual, and extravagant that describes the simplicity of every spray

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Top 10 Most Popular Soft Drinks|Health

Top 10 Most Popular Soft Drinks|Health

Aside from water that quenches our thirst, there are other liquid drinks or beverages that would stop our thirst and even fill our stomach. Sodas or better known as soft drinks, is an all-time favorite that would always be part of our regular meals whether it is lunchtime, snack time, and even dinnertime. It does not matter if you are in staying in America, Asia, and other parts of the world. This is a non-alcoholic drink that has water, flavoring agent, and sweetener, which could be sugar itself, and fructose corn syrup. Let us start the countdown of the most popular and favorite drinks in the world.

1. Coca Cola

It has been in the business since 1886 but has still managed to be at its top, despite of the newest and cheapest sodas, which are now populating in the market. Its biggest contender Pepsi in 1980’s has grabbed the 11^th spot for the most popular soft drinks poll. They are now serving 200 countries globally, which is an evident mark that it truly holds the number one spot among all other sodas available in the market. They have nine flavors from the basic Cola down to Cola Raspberry. The original design of the first soda concept is an inspired creation of Earl R. Dean in 1915, and later on was redesigned, and has been added of some twists due to the level of competition in the market.

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2. Dr. Pepper

This was first introduced in the market carrying a unique and distinct flavor among all other sodas that can be found in the market. It started in 1885 and it was created by Charles Aldenton, from Waco, Texas. It was later on, sold in the United States by 1904. It is now imported in South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

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3. Canada Dry Ginger Ale

This is also part of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which was introduced in 2008. This is based in Texas but serving various markets in Canada, Japan, Middle East, and the United States. This is owned by Canada Dry Ginger and John J. McLaughlin family. It is dry since it has a not too sweet taste of wine, something being looked forward to, by people who want to experience something different.

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4. Barq’s Famous Old Tyme Root Beer

This is one of the oldest and primmest soft drinks in history, which is known as American Soda, also part of the Coca Cola Product’s beverages. It has French vanilla and red cream soda flavor. This was a great contender of A&W due to its distinct taste and nice bubbly smell.

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5. IBC Root Beer

It is known as Independent Breweries Company, which was found and started in operation in 1919. Hence, because of high overhead and expenses due to the number of executives and high ranking officials in the company, it collapsed and went to bankruptcy until it was sold to different companies until it was finally bought by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group by 2008

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6. Sprite

It is colorless like water but it is made lemon and lime, which is a caffeine free soft drink being produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was originally introduced in the United States in 1961 before it reached to other nations across the globe. While 7-up is at its peak during that time, it became the great contender for translucent soda, which is still at its competition these days.

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7. Sunkist

Before the 1980’s came in, it had its product launched in 1979, which is a combination of lemon and orange-flavored soft drink. This is the brightest idea of Mark Stevens, which has been the third largest best selling soft drinks in history, aside from the fact that it is associated with the Coca-Cola Company.

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8. A&W Root Beer

Have you ever thought the meaning of A&W? This is actually the combined partnership of Roy Allen and Frank Wright, which we could see that their last names represent the acronym A&W. Nonetheless, it was originally created by Mr. Allen himself in 1919 before their merging in 1920, which represents their initials. This is available in and outside Canada.

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9. Squirt

It contains carbonated water, concentrated grapefruit juices, brominated vegetable oils, citric acid, natural flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and glycerol ester of wood rosin. This was introduced in the market in 1938 by Herb Bishop who formulated and created this soda. He started by doing some experiments in some citrus drink. Later on, just like other soft drinks, it underwent reformulation until at its current ingredients.

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10. 7–up

This is launched and created at St. Louis Company by Charles Leiper Grigg in 1929. This is a lemon lime flavored soda, which is being manufactured now by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, and Pepsi Co., which is popular in any part of the globe. Early on, it is named as Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda but because of merging of the business, it has been reformulated too, the same manner that it’s name was changed to 7-up

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