why men watch sex clips?

celebs or no celebs, sex clips or MMS scandals have become among the most searched on the internet. So, when the latest sex clip involving a woman who bore a striking resemblance to finalist of MTV Roadies, Tamanna showed up, we weren't surprised! While Tamanna claims the media has abused the tape and used it to wrongly potray her, there has been no reports or evidence to prove otherwise as well.

For her sake, we surely hope that woman is someone else. While we completely agree that such pranks of videos being posted online should not be encouraged, we can't help be curious about why men love to watch these sex videos. Who can ever forget the Riya Sen clip, the much talked about DPS MMS or even the Paris Hilton or Pamela Anderson clips?

Here's what we found when we tried to get into the mind of men:

Testesterone or timepass

We asked guys why they watched sex tapes and most of them said "for fun" or because its good timepass. Just one of them was blunt enough to say, "To satisfy male hormones, we are testestrone-driven afterall - duh!"

Most discussed MMS

When asked which was the most discussed/most popular sex clip, there was no one clear winner. The picks varied from Paris Hilton's One night in Paris to Riya Sen's video to the DPS MMS. Someone even proclaimed that "Indian porn is the most watched", while the rest however said that they don't discuss, just watch! :)

Share it with her?

Would you share it with your gal pal/GF was our next question: They said in unison - "No!" or "Are you nuts?" Some however didn't mind sharing it with their gal pal if she was curious enough to watch it.

Forward quotient

Most guys would not forward a sex tape/clip unless thay found it to be really good. Some of them said that they would share it with a close circle of friends.

Are you scandal proof?

Most of the guys very interestingly and confidently seem to think that such a thing would never happen to them - read: No one would dare tape 'em and put up a video of the same. (Such confidence, we say!) They would make any sort of taping they would be involved in fool proof. Easier said than done, guys!

Shiney Ahuja's prison diary

He won accolades for portraying the role of gangster Abu Salem in Anurag Basu's Gangster in his reel life. Little did Shiney Ahuja know that one day, in real life, he would be lodged in the same prison as Salem. Shiney is currently in judicial custody at the Arthur Road Jail in south Mumbai. He was arrested after he allegedly raped his maid servant at his Lokhandwala residence earlier this month.

We take a look at a day in the life of Shiney in the prison:

Where does he stay?

Shiney is currently in barrack one which he shares with Dawood gang member Mustafa Dossa, an accused in the 1993 serial blast case and Saji Mohan, the first Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to be arrested in a drug case. Mohan was arrested for stealing and selling heroin earlier this year by the Anti-Terrorism Squad. Each barrack houses 50 to 60 inmates.

The actor allegedly keeps to himself and doesn't interact with anyone. There have been reports that he has been crying insolably since the time of his arrest.

His daily routine

According to sources, the actor's day begins at 6.30 am. After his daily ablutions at the common toilet, (no separate bathroom for him), like many inmates he too is served breakfast. The food is usually cooked and served by convicts. Breakfast comprises two pavs (bread), poha, a cup of milk or tea. Since the actor is an under trial, he is not liable to work in prison. He studies his legal papers or reads the various newspapers that are kept in the prison.

According to a jail official, currency is not allowed in the prison. "If an inmate wants to read a newspaper, he has to inform his kin. His family members then send the required amount via money order to the jail authorities, who then provide newspapers to the convicts." An inmate can buy daily essentials like cigarettes, soaps, biscuits, tea, milk etc from the jail canteen with a coupon. He can keep coupons worth Rs 1,500. Each coupon costs Re 1. This money, too, is sent in by family and relatives.

At 11.30, it's time for lunch, which usually comprises of six chapattis, dal, rice, vegetables and onions. This is followed by an early dinner at 3 pm. Dinner again consists of dal, rice, chapattis and veggies. All food is absolutely free of cost. "Inmates can have an early lunch between 3 pm and 4.30 pm. Most of them prefer to have it in their barracks later in the night."

After a final roll call at 5 pm, Shiny along with all inmates is sent to the respective barracks. Lights are out at 10 pm. Unlike his luxurious bedroom, Shiney has to make do just with two bed sheets and a pillow in his dingy barrack. There are no fans in the barracks as earlier quite a few inmates have used them to commit suicide.

Time for family

Shiney's wife Anupam can meet him only twice a week. "Family members and relatives can meet inmates only two days a week, that too after they enroll their names with the prison authorities between 10 am and 1 pm," says the jail official. After waiting for a couple of hours, the inmate's kin and relatives can finally meet him just for five minutes.

Shiney can spend five vital minutes with his wife not in the luxurious confines of a meeting room but a dingy corridor with a wire mesh that separates the inmates from their kin.

History of Arthur Road jail

Shiney is lodged in Arthur Road jail, the most crowded jail in the country, which houses some of the most dangerous inmates. The official capacity of the prison is 804 inmates, however around 2,500 inmates are lodged here. Current inmates Built in 1920s by the British, the Arthur Road jail is the most sensitive jail in the country.

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive after the 26/11 terrorist attacks, is housed in a separate highly-guarded cell here. After being extradited from Lisbon, Portugal in Nov 2005, gangster Abu Salem is housed in this high-security prison`.

The jail currently houses underworld don turned MLA Arun Gawli and his gang members, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's associates and the members of Chhota Rajan gang. It also houses Lt Colonel Prasad Purohit who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon 2008 serial bomb blasts.

Emile Jerome Matthew, a captain in the Indian navy and the main accused in the murder of Neeraj Grover, creative head of Synergy Adlabs is also housed here. Matthew, along with his girlfriend, actress Maria Susairaj had stabbed Grover and later burnt his body in 2008.

Burqa 'not welcome' in france: sarkozy{france}

VERSAILLES (FRANCE): The burqa is "not welcome" in France because it is not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women, President Nicolas Sarkozy ..

"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," he said. "That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity."

"The burqa is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told lawmakers. "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic."

Sarkozy told a special session of parliament he was in favour of holding the inquiry sought by some French lawmakers into whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine French secularism and women's rights.

But the president added "we must not fight the wrong battle, in the republic the Muslim religion must be respected as much as other religions" in France, which has Europe's biggest Muslim population estimated at several million.

The proposal to hold an inquiry has won support from many politicians from both the left and right, but France's official Muslim council accused lawmakers of wasting time focusing on a fringe phenomenon.

"To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), said last week.

Later Monday, Sarkozy was expected to host a state dinner with Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani of Qatar. Many women in the Persian Gulf state wear Islamic head coverings in public — whether while shopping or driving cars.

France enacted a law in 2004 banning the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, sparking fierce debate at home and abroad. France has Western Europe's largest Muslim population, an estimated 5 million people.

A government spokesman said Friday that it would seek to set up a parliamentary commission that could propose legislation aimed at barring Muslim women from wearing the head-to-toe gowns outside the home.

The issue is highly divisive even within the government. France's junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, said she was open to a ban if it is aimed at protecting women forced to wear the burqa.

World's oldest man dies at 113

TOKYO: Tomoji Tanabe, the world's oldest man, died in his sleep at his home in southern Japan on Friday, a city official said. He was 113.

He died peacefully. His family members were with him,'' said Junko Nakao, a city official in Miyakonojo on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. Tanabe died of heart failure, she said.

Tanabe, who was born September 18, 1895, had eight children — five sons and three daughters. The former city land surveyor also had 25 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren, according to a statement from the Miyakonojo city. He was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest man when he was 111 years old.

Tanabe lived with his fifth son and daughter-in-law. His favorite meals were fried shrimp and Japanese miso soup with clams, the statement said. Tanabe drank milk every morning and read the newspaper. He also avoided alcohol and did not smoke, the statement said.

The city's mayor, Makoto Nagamine, said Tanabe was ``the symbol of the Miyakonojo known as a city of long life.''

``I feel very saddened by his death,'' Nagamine said in a statement. ``He cheered many citizens.''

Japanese people have among the world's longest life expectancies — nearly 86 years for women and 79 years for men — which is often attributed to the country's healthy diet rich in fish and rice.

The number of Japanese living past 100 has more than doubled in the last six years, reaching a record high of 36,000 people in 2008. The country's centenarian ranks are dominated by women, who make up 86 percent of the total.

Japan's centenarian population is expected to reach nearly 1 million — the world's largest — by 2050, according to UN projections.

Iconic figures can be shown in smoking very soon-said health ministry.

India's multibillion rupee film industry, which has been fuming over a ban on smoking scenes in films, now has reason to smile. The health ministry is ready to allow the depiction of iconic characters with their favourite poison stick.

So British statesman Winston Churchill and fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who cannot be imagined without their cigars and pipes, can now be shown smoking in new films - though with a warning.

"Characters like Churchill and Sherlock Holmes can smoke on screen. People know about them and their on-screen smoking won't influence the audience behaviour much," a senior health ministry official told IANS.

"This will be made public next month," the official added.

The health ministry had banned smoking in films but director Mahesh Bhatt moved court against the government decision. The case has been pending in the Delhi High Court for the last two years. The Delhi High Court is going to hear the case in the third week of November.

The health ministry had banned smoking in films but director Mahesh Bhatt moved court against the government decision. The case has been pending in the Delhi High Court for the last two years. The Delhi High Court is going to hear the case in the third week of November.

Earlier, the ministry was completely against any smoking scenes in any movie. It had said all old movies with such scenes would have to be accompanied with a note saying the habit is injurious to health, and new films with such depictions could not be made at all.

But now it has made a concession. The ministry authorities said if it was essential to show a character smoking, the producer would have to follow rules.

"If the scripts cannot do away with such a character, then the producer needs to write on the screen that smoking is injurious to health. The movies must carry a disclaimer and warning message in the beginning and end of the film," the official said.

"After the smoking ban in public places, the ministry wants to curb on-screen smoking but with less fuss. The film fraternity is worried about creative freedom. But what about social responsibility?" the official asked.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has been reiterating that on-screen smoking is accountable for over 60 percent new smokers. He has appealed to actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan not to smoke in films.

"They are big stars and as celebrities their in-film action is influencing youngsters' minds. I am not interfering in their personal life but appealing as the health minister of the country," Ramadoss had told IANS earlier.

Every year, nearly one million people die of tobacco-related diseases. The government has banned smoking in public places from October 2 and is making graphic health warnings on all tobacco packets a must from December 1.

Government estimates say though the tobacco industry brings a revenue of Rs 270 billion to the country every year, the treatment cost of the disease burden is at least Rs 300 billion.

METAL CHIP IN MCDONALD'S BURGER

While she was munching on a McDonald's vegetarian burger last week, Vishaka Sriniwasan, 15, suddenly began choking, her mother Geetha SAID.

Geetha Sriniwasan said she had ordered home several burgers on June 11 night from McDonald's outlet on Linking Road for her daughter's birthday party.

"My daughter and her friends were eating their burgers when Vishaka complained that something was hurting her," Sriniwasan, who lives on St Martin's Road in Bandra (West). "I immediately made her spit her burger out and was shocked to see a pinkish metal clip. I asked the others to stop eating and called the company to complain."

A friend of Vishaka's who was at the birthday party also told HT that she saw the birthday girl spit out a metal clip. The friend did not wish to be named.

Within half an hour, McDonald's sent a representative with a fresh batch of burgers, Sriniwasan said. He offered to replace the old batch as well as refund the amount Sriniwasan had paid.

Sriniwasan declined the offer, saying she wanted him instead to sign a statement declaring that McDonald's had delivered a burger with a metallic clip lodged in it. This he refused to do, Sriniwasan said.

"Since then, no company official has called," she said.

No one in McDonald's would come on record with specific comments about the incident, but the restaurant manager did not want to publish his response.

McDonald's corporate communications head, who also did not want his comments to appear in print. Finally, HT got in touch with an official at the public relations company that represents the US chain, but that official too did not want his comments published.

According to McDonald's India website, all its outlets in the country source their vegetable patties from Vista Processed Foods' unit in Taloja, about 50 kilometres outside Mumbai.

On Tuesday, Sriniwasan couriered a written complaint to the office of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's H-West ward, under which her locality falls, sending a copy to the Food and Drug Administration's joint commissioner.

The ward offer, H.S. Murgunkar, said he had not yet received Sriniwasan's complaint, but S.D. Chaudhary, the food regulator's joint commissioner, said he had.

"We will look into it as per the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act," Choudhary said, adding that he would be able to say in two days what action the regulator would take.

"If a complaint were made, our officials would investigate it," said Dr Jairaj Thanekar, the municipal corporation's executive health officer. "If any foreign particle is found in food that is injurious to health, we would take strict action."

"We have only fifteen inspectors for the city and we monitor quality by drawing food and water samples from time to time," Thanekar added.

Nifty falls below 4400; RIL, ONGC disappoint

MUMBAI: Equity benchmarks witnessed one of the worst falls of 2009 on Wednesday, as investors booked profits and created fresh shorts in a market which looked tired after a splendid rally. Weak global markets also hurt sentiments badly, said dealers. All the sectoral indices ended in the red led by losses in metals, realty and capital goods stocks.

Indices opened lower in line with Asian markets and turned choppy with negative bias. The sell-off began in the afternoon with the negative opening of Europe. Sharp correction in index heavyweights like Reliance Industries, ONGC and Larsen&Toubro escalated the decline.

Reliance Industries has been on a decline since the Bombay High Court ruled against the company in gas distribution case it was fighting with Reliance Natural Resources.

“Markets are eventually going to come down and global scenario doesn’t look that positive. Not all commodities are going up. Only those in the F&O space have shot up. As long as housing market doesn’t do well in the US and prices keep falling, it will impact the global economy. To make matters worse, US jobless claims have risen though the intensity has reduced. This will result in lower consumption, putting pressure on other economies,” said a head of research from a local brokerage.

Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex ended at 14,522.84, down 435.07 points or 2.91 per cent. The index touched an intra-day low of 14,447.02 and high of 14,996.39.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty closed at 4356.15, down 161.65 points or 3.58 per cent. The broader index hit a high of 4517.80 and low of 4332.80.

“We are set for a sharp fall as the ongoing rally is a liquidity driven rally and valuations are ahead of fundamentals. In the short term, domestic factors like rains and budget will drive the market and possibility of outbreak of swine flu in monsoon will be a potential threat. We should not be surprised if going forward the Sensex falls below 12000 mark,” the research head added.

Market breadth on BSE worsened with 1,990 declines against 686 advances. The BSE Midcap Index was down 3.92 per cent and BSE Smallcap Index slipped 3.74 per cent. Sector wise, BSE Realty tumbled 5.9 per cent, BSE Metal lost 5.63 per cent, BSE Oil & Gas shed 4.26 per cent.

None of the stocks from the 50-share index could brave the tide. Tata Steel (-7.48%), Tata Motors (-7.44%), Reliance Capital (-7.26%), Idea Cellular (-6.48%) and Suzlon Energy (-6.46%) were the worst hit. Index major like Reliance Industries tripped 4.29 per cent, ONGC declined 5.82 per cent and L&T fell 3.71 per cent. European markets continued to be under pressure. At 5 pm IST, FTSE 100 was down 0.72 per cent, CAC 40 fell 0.66 per cent and DAX declined 0.71 per cent. US stock futures indicated a positive opening on the Wall Street. Dow Jones futures was up 0.19 per cent, S&P 500 moved up 0.33 per cent and Nasdaq 100 gained 0.55 per cent.

iS The HoneymOon over for indian Captain Named Dhoni??

The Indian players might have heaved a collective sigh of relief when they crashed out of the T20 World Cup on Sunday night: they can finally go home now and actually crash without worrying about a bat or ball for some time.

You could, of course, see the fatigue in Gambhir’s sluggish limbs, in Dhoni’s glazed eyes and Harbhajan’s half-hearted smiles; you could sense the resignation in the team’s body-language too: it was neither anywhere near its peak form, nor burning with intensity or raging for victory.

Clearly, too much of something, even if it is good for somebody else (fans, TV channels, sponsors, bank balances) is injurious for a champion side too. Yes, nothing kills like overkill. BCCI, please note.

The players have literally been on the run for almost a year now: they have fought battles in virtually all parts of the world, and in all conditions, and managed to win quite a few as well. It was eventually going to take its toll. It has. How long will they need to revitalize themselves? To feel the same hunger and desire for the game?

To be fair, though, the exit must have hurt the players badly: they were, after all, the defending champions and, for once, had even started as overwhelming favourites for the title. Moreover, they also had the batting, bowling and wherewithal this time to go all the way smiling. But in the end, it all proved to be only a chimera.

Interestingly, India’s chances blew hot and cold along with captain Dhoni’s disposition. Over the last few weeks, if not more, it was apparent that he was slowly stepping out of his affable self; earlier, he used to be patient, witty and earnest during his interactions with the media. Now, steadily, he is becoming edgy, grouchy and almost
suspicious.

True, he must easily be the most overworked player in the world today: he leads a side which boasts of a billion-plus minds, if not bodies; he keeps wickets which means he is the most active person on the field for at least half the match; and then, he features in almost every second ad on television now.

As if all that is not enough, he suddenly gets these urges to bat higher in the order. In the IPL, where he didn’t have enough backup in the middle order, it was a reasonable gambit. But when he has a power-packed lineup why should he take so much unrequired load?

The worst part is that he is trying to remodel himself on the biggest stage: Dhoni’s USP, as we all know, was his big-hitting ability and serenity in the dying stages. For quite some time now, he is trying to temper his batting, improve his defenses and evolve as a complete batsman. (Aside: is he planning to give up keeping in the future?)

Sadly, though, it is not working: India have suffered due to his quiet ways in the middle, in at least two games. The dot balls have ensured that the team invariably fell short of a few runs. There are, no doubt, a few other reasons too: the absence of Sehwag, and his blistering starts at the top; the ineffectiveness of Ishant with the ball and even lack of cohesion within the team.

Most importantly, however, India have lost tactically in this tournament. Firstly, they were blown away by, both, West Indies’ and England’s short-pitched bowling; secondly, Dhoni simply didn’t get his batting or bowling orders right. If sending a rookie like Jadeja at No. 4 screamed of disaster, one couldn’t understand why Yusuf didn’t
get a single over on Sunday.

After all, just a couple of days ago, in the earlier match, he was summoned during powerplay itself and even given his full quota. Why was he ignored completely this time? Also, did the team miss a regular opener? Indeed, was Dhoni being headstrong by sticking with Rohit Sharma, after his alleged fracas with Sehwag?

Well, clearly, the honeymoon is over for Dhoni. We don’t know if he has used up all his luck already or if this is just one bad phase; but we do know that he will be one of the few in the Indian team who won’t crash as soon as he sees a bed in the immediate future.

HERE ARE SOMES PHILOSPHICAL THOUGHTS OF MINE, READ IT CAREFULLY

Religion: Takes a idiot to grave, a smart guy to bank and a true man to salvation.

Democracy: Cant survive in India. we are not programmed to be democratic. our families dont support democracy, our schools dont. there is dictatorship all around. and only a hard minded dictator can set this country right.

Men: a rare item to find these days in these crowd of homo, metro and retro sexuals. Where are the real man with muscle, mooch and mardangi. All a man needed was a lifeboy or dettol and a gillete. now they even have fairness creams and bleaches for us!!!!!!. we dont need them . real men love their smell, and spend time in harsh world without moisturisers. Be MAN show ur attitude and wear it with pride. Dont fall to catch every girls falling hankerchef, they lure u to their traps.

Women: Cant genralise them. even two sisters dont fit in same shoes. Even cant genralise one women behaviour. they change their attitude, mood, behaviour just like their clothes. you dont meet the same woman every day.

Love: they thing that is between u, ur family, ur friends and ur dog. the true bond without any baggage and conditions.

Love(b/w man and woman): a preist way of pronouncing LUST(its a sin for them u knw). their is no difference other than approach and duration.

Marrige: Humans are poligamist by nature. remember survival of the fittest. the concept of marriage was done to provide equal opportunities to all in a tribe, else the strongest male would have had control over all females just like in monkeys. It is the start of equality.

Capitalism: the economist way of speaking Greed.

bailouts: ceo method of saying " i eat the cream, u(govt) eat the shit underneth.

Christian killings by hindus: cant we even sneeze.

rest is more to come

Man who invented T20 sits back — and pitches for the future

Nottingham:

It was an inconsequential match in the context of the tournament and neither team had a massive entourage of traveling fans. Yet, the crowds trickled in to Trent Bridge two hours before the start of the West Indies-Sri Lanka match, which the Lankans eventually won.

At the World Twenty20 championships — despite the lack of publicity, despite tickets being sold at almost-ridiculous rates — the stands have been filling up. About 10 years ago, things weren’t this good in the English game.

Not only was the national team struggling to string together meaningful results (read no Ashes victory in over 16 years at the time), county cricket, the backbone of the sport in the country, was pretty much on life support as far as spectator interest went.

It was then that Stuart Robertson, along with John Carr — both marketing men at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) — were asked to draw up a proposal to revive the game. After some extensive market research (commissioned at over £200,000) and lots of head-scratching, they came up with Twenty20.

Robertson is acknowledged as the inventor of T20 cricket although he has slipped away from the glaring spotlight the game has been under since 2003 when it made its debut in England. And what was once a solution simply to bring people back to the grounds — and many critics shrugged off as a short-lived gimmick — has turned into what’s being spoken about, not in whispers any more, as the future of the game itself.

My views about racism.

i agree with some of the comments from above.indian students or people hardly mix and interact with he locals.this leads to the sort of problems being highlighted in the news.not to say the attackers are not at fault.the indians are hardworking and industrious and the middle eastern people who allegedly perpetrated thses attacks are wastrels.the indians to their disadvantage do the sort of things like try and cheat you on the taxi fares(lots of indian students drive taxi's illegally),jump queue's and most of all speak in their language which leads to suspicion indians too are racist.i have had enough of being called chinky-pinky,jackie chan,chinky etc in the indian cities due to my oriental looks.somehow we dont seem to address that and when a student gets beaten it becomes something of national importance.indians as well tend to ogle at women who are generally not as covered as they are back in india.i have seen many an indian get slapped or scolded due to this

ANOTHER RACIAL ATTACK ON INDIAN IN AUSTRALIA.

Racial attacks on Indian students spread to South Australia with a 22-year-old being allegedly assaulted by a teenager in Adelaide after making "rude" comments about his turban, even as the state premier warned he will not tolerate any form of racism.

Police said the Indian student suffered a broken nose and sore jaw in the incident in Adelaide's busy market area of Rundle Mall on Thursday and that they have arrested a 17-year-old youth in this connection.

The attacker has been bailed to appear in the Adelaide Youth Court.

A bystander said he saw the Indian student punching first, but the student claimed that his attacker started the spat when he hit him on his turban and asked "what's that on your head?"

The student, whose requested anonymity, was walking through a local mall with friends when he heard a commotion behind him, local media reported.

The spate of racial attacks against Indians spread to Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, after members of the community were targeted in Melbourne and Sydney.

South Australian Premier Mike Rann described the attack as a "disgrace" and said the state has been welcoming migrants and students from around the world for many years.

"We are seen internationally as one of the safest and most supportive multicultural communities. We will not tolerate any form of racism," Rann said.

The Indian student said the attacker started a confrontation by making "rude comments" about his turban.

Asked if he thought the attack was racially motivated, the student said he had never felt it was a problem in Adelaide. "But what would you call this?"

Sensex up 92 pc from 2009 lows

Despite doubts about the continuity of the rally, bulls stepped up purchases as firm global markets and higher US index futures boosted the sentiment for the second straight day. The BSE Sensex rose 339.81 points, or 2.25 per cent, to 15,466.81 its highest closing since August 11, 2008. The S&P CNX Nifty was up 104.95 points, or 2.31per cent, to 4,655.90 its highest closing since June 5, 2008.

The BSE index has surged more than 60 per cent this year, after slumping by 52 per cent in 2008 when foreign funds pulled out about $13 billion. It has soared 92 per cent from 2009 lows in early March, mainly driven by foreign fund inflows of almost $7 billion. Comments by Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey that the government is committed to reforms in fuel pricing also boosted the sentiment. Realty stocks fell even as capital goods stocks rose. Banking stocks pared intra-day gains. “Stocks extended their recent strong gains on a view that ample global liquidity and a return of risk appetite will help India Inc help raise funds for expansion which in turn will boost corporate profits,” said an analyst. India Inc has already raised Rs 5,000 crore from qualified institutional placements (QIPs) so far in 2009 and announced plans to raise another Rs 24,000 crore.

Foreign funds are aggressively buying Indian stocks. FII invested another Rs 738 crore on Wednesday, taking the total investment in June to Rs 3,055 crore.

However, a section of dealers are skeptical about the rally. “I am not comfortable with this rally. The index is being led up by big stocks like Reliance and L&T, but even they can experience profit-booking. We will see a big correction soon,” D D Sharma, vice president at Anand Rathi Securities, said.Starved off gains last year, investors were buying whatever came their way after a stable government came to power last month in India, Bank of America Merrill Lynch equity strategist Vijay Gaba said. “In the melee, valuation is probably the last thing in the minds of the insatiated investors at this point in time,” Gaba wrote in a note titled ‘Hunger Knows No Taste’.

Still, there are concerns pricey shares and a raft of potential equity offering could threaten the stock surge. Net inflows into domestic equity mutual funds rose to Rs 1,930 crore in May 2009, the highest in 14 months, and more than twice the amount in the first four months of 2009, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s meeting with bank chiefs was also a positive development for the market.

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Stocks seen up; 14th weekly gain on track

Equities are set to open higher on Friday, putting them on course for a 14th straight weekly gain for the first time in four years, as solid US economic data rekindled hopes the world economy was healing.

India's industrial output is likely to have shrunk marginally in April from a year earlier, its fourth fall in five months, but analysts think the worst has passed and output will start picking up. The data is expected around noon.

Fraud-hit outsourcer Satyam Computer, which has jumped 10 per cent on each of the past three sessions after releasing figures that showed it was profitable, will be watched after its chairman said the company was under great stress and its revenue outlook was not great in the near future.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp will be in focus after its chairman said on Thursday the state-run explorer may have suffered a 30 billion rupee ($632 million) loss of revenue for selling gas at government-fixed prices in 2008/09.

Most Asian markets were higher on Friday, with Japan's Nikkei up 0.9 per cent by 0351 GMT, while MSCI's measure of other Asian markets was flat.

US retail sales rose in May for the first time in three months and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week hit a January low, fostering hope the recession was abating.

Nifty futures traded in Singapore were up 0.4 per cent, pointing to a higher opening in India.

On Thursday, the 30-share BSE index ended down 0.36 per cent, or 55.34 points, at 15,411.47, as investors pocketed a portion of profits from a three-month rally that had boosted the benchmark more than 90 per cent.

the best natural viagra has discovered.

Say goodbye to Viagra, for experts have discovered a more natural way of boosting life in bed - cabbage.

According to Croatian nutritionist Dr Lejla Kazinic Kreho, pickled cabbage nearly works the same wonders as the popular drug.

Buckle up, Indians and Chinese are coming: Obama to Americans

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has exhorted his countrymen to buckle up as the Indians and Chinese are catching them fast, as Americans have now settled into mediocrity. 

"Our kids are falling behind when it comes to science. We have kind of settled into mediocrity when we compare ourselves to other advanced countries and wealthy countries," Obama said in a town hall speech on health care in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

"That's a problem because the reason that America over the last hundred years has consistently been the wealthiest nation is because we've also been the most educated nation," he said. 

"It used to be by a pretty sizable factor we had the highest high school graduation rates, we had the highest college graduation rates, we had the highest number of PhDs, the highest number of engineers and scientists," Obama said. 

The President said though the Americans used to be "head and shoulders above" the people of other countries, especially in the field of education, they were fast loosing that position.