Climate Conference in Copenhagen 6 to 18 December 2009
  Karzai sworn in for second term afghan president
  GCC population seen growing to 53 million by 2020
  7.7 quakes shake north Chile
  Sri Lanka military chief 'quits'
  GSK Donates 50 Million H1N1 Doses to WHO
  Germany marks anniversary of anti-Semitic program
  Earthquake rocks southern Iran
  ASEAN Summit 2009
  Global population to reach seven billion by 2011
  Obama Wins Nobel peace prize 2009
  Kabul's Indian Embassy attacked
  Al-Qaida calls for holy war against China
  China celebrates its 60th anniversary
  Afghan Presidential election
  US largest supplier of arms in 2008
  Powerful earthquake kills 57 in Indonesia
  Angry student throws acid on professor in Vietnam
  Miss Venezuala win Miss Universe 2009 title
  Michael Jackson is Dead
  Air France 447 jet Crash
  Racial attack in Australia
  LTTE chief Prabhakaran's body found
  Escaped Bali Terror Suspect Is Caught in Malaysia
  Obama gets a 'B+ grade' for his presidency
  Over 150 people died due to Swine flu in Mexico
  6 killed in murder-suicide bid in US
  Titanic museum to open in UK
  LTTE loses Mullaithivu
  Bush gets attacked by shoes in Iraq
  Israel attacks Gaza
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  Sheikh Hasina chosen for Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
  India retains 84th position among the world’s most corrupt nations
  India second worst terror-hit country, says NGO
  K.R. Narayanan Award for the Hindu Chief Editor N. Ram
  Madhu Koda discharged, summoned by ED
  India, Sweden to sign MOU on environment
  Brave Rukhsana appointed as special cop
  Radhakrishnan takes over as new ISRO chief
  Dorjee Khandu became new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh
  A.R.Rahman wins Ghent Award
  Test fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile
  India can hold 2010 Games: CWG Officials
  US announce $100,000 aid for India's flood victims
  Dolphin is national aquatic animal
  Major Floods in Andhra and Karnataka
  Air India Strike
  Chandrayaan-1 Not A Failure, Finds Water on Moon
  Six European satellites launched by India
  Earthquake in North Eastern Region of India
  Problems in BJP party
  Andhra CM YSR died in a chopper crash
  Mumbai TV actress arrested for abusing minor
  Indian Navy jet crashes, pilot feared dead
  Bhindra honored with Rajiv Gandhi Award
  Businessman buys Gandhi's home, plans for museum
  Rajmata Gayatri Devi laid to rest
  Class X girl selected for NASA training
  PM launches India's first nuclear submarine
  Bill Gates to receive Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
  India's first sea bridge
  Union minister threatens HC judge to grant bail
  Government to make class X examination optional
  Air Force AN-32 aircraft Crash
  Family donates their dead son's organs to 7 people
  Dream Houses / Mumbai Flats on rent for Rs. 800/-
  Oz Racial attack: AP student battling for life
  Congress' victory, credit to Sonia's inner voice
  UPSC results: Women on top, 791 succeeded
  River Ganga still reels under Pollution
  Girl dies due to asthma in Delhi School
  Satyam bidding Completed: Tech Mahindra wins bidding
  Parents protest fee hike in schools
  Tata Nano The People's Car Launched
  Modi minister held in post-Godhra riot case
  Varun guilty; EC asks BJP not to field Varun
  Satyam fraud
  Mangalore Pub Attack
  Railway Budget 2009
  Demonstrations against Valentine's day
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  Maradona fined and banned for foul-mouthed tirade
  Novak Djokovic wins Paris Masters
  Bhupati and Paes exit Paris Masters in 2nd round
  Golden whistle for Indian Hockey umpire
  American swimmer Peter Marshall beats own 50 backstroke world record at short-course meet
  Australia win series against India
  Murray beats Youzhny to win Valencia Open tennis
  Pankaj Advani wins bronze in Asian Indoor Games
  Indoor Asian Games: India win 2 gold on final day, end at 7th place
  Schiavone wins women's Kremlin Cup final
  Davydenko beats Nadal to win Shanghai Masters
  Australia wins Champions Trophy 2009
  India wins Compaq Cup 2009
  Clisters Wins over Serena Williams in U.S Open
  England Win the Ashes Series 2009
  Sania Mirza clinches Lexington Challenger title
  Roger Federer and wife are proud parents of twins
  Sania & Sohrab exchange rings amid tight security
  Federer Wins a record 15th Grand Slam Title
  Sushil Kumar wins gold medal in wrestling
  Pakistan wins Twenty20 World Cup
  India knocked out of World T20
  Federer won French Open
  Anand wins Chess Oscar for sixth time
  Brasa appointed Indian men's hockey coach
  BCCI nominates Gambhir, Jhulan for Arjuna award
  Book on Tendulkar released
  IPL 2 to be held in South Africa
  India thrash New Zealand to seal ODI series
  India win Hamilton Test, a win in NZ after 33 years
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  NASA signs agreement with ISRO for use of Indian satellite oceansat-2
  Scientists Create Bacteria that Light Up Around Landmines
  "Significant" Moon Water Released by NASA Crashes
  New ocean forming in African desert
  Snow on Mt. Kilimanjaro to melt in twenty years
  Scientists report discovery of 32 new exoplanets
  Nobel Prize in Chemistry to India-born scientist
  NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn
  13-year-old Indian to address UN climate change summit
  Largest ever telescope launched from French Guiana
  First face transplant patient in US shows face
  UK scientists to develop Swine Flu vaccine
  PET bottles potential health hazard
  ISRO launches RISAT-2
  Discovery Crew Returns Home From ISS
  Internet Crime Up 33 Percent, FBI Reports
  Adobe, Facebook partner to create Flash developer tools
  Microsoft to discontinue Encarta
  World's First Internet Car Radio Unveiled
  Motorola Unveils Cellphone Made From Recycled Water Bottles
  UK Doctors Deliver Cancer-Proof Baby
  Sony To Launch World's Lightest 8-Inch Notebook PC
  Indian Scientists Conduct Anti-Warming Experiment In Antarctic Ocean
  Indian Scientists To Clone Pashmina Goat
  NASA's Kepler Mission To Begin Quest To Find Planets Hosting Life
  ISRO To Use Home-Grown Cryogenic Engine For GSLV Launch
  Obama to restore stem cell research funding
  India To Send Sun Mission Aditya In 2012
  Indian-American Scientist Vivek Pai Creates Top Web Technology
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As we settle into the NEW YEAR, just have a look at the simple, sustainable methods that will bring you a year of GOOD HEALTH & HAPPINESS.
  Aim to be positive, it’s not just a Blood Group.
  Accept your flaws with grace and stop the blame game.
  Accept & Respect yourself. Have a value for your own self.
  Make small Healthy Changes that are sustainable. The promises we make to ourselves should come from INNER WISDOM and not from our egos.
  Make eating a joyful activity and enjoy the food you eat, i.e. treating a food as a way to nourish your mind & soul.
  Learn New Skills or Sharpen Existing Skills- Both at the personal as well as professional level.
  Look for Constructive Solutions rather than Negative Analysis.
  Aim for some Silence every day. Non-Stop Chatter makes your intuitive capacity come down.
  Respect Time: Is id very difficult to compensate for lost time. Time is a CURRENCY we waste easily.
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  Articulate your goals
    Make sure you have clear and concise financial goals put down. This would help you to shape out how your investments for the year ahead should be. Unless you know what you want and where you want to be, you will not be able to direct your investments into something useful. It is best to list small, attainable goals rather than go for a lifestyle change overnight. By giving yourself simple tasks that you can even complete in five minutes, once a day, you will make headway over the course of time.
  Decide your asset allocation
    A lot of people make investments in an ad hoc manner especially to save taxes in the last months of financial year. It results in portfolio which is heavily skewed towards debt and low-return instruments – FDs, PPF, endowment policies, NSCs, debt options in ULIPs. All these have fixed or low-returns, thereby making them unsuitable options if you are investing with a horizon of 15 -20 years or more.

Young people should do an asset allocation based on their age, risk profile and time horizon and then start making investments. For a longer horizon the exposure to equity should be higher especially if you are in 20s.
  Protect your family
    This is an area that is omitted from most peoples’ lists, but it should be a top priority – protect your loved ones. What happens in the event of a death or disability? Will the family be comfortable financially? Will the children be able to go college? Most people’s greatest financial asset isn’t their home or investment accounts; it is the ability to earn money. It is necessary to protect against this asset being prematurely taken away.
  Create a budget
    Determine your income and expenses for each month by reviewing your bank statements, credit card bills and receipts for the last year. Record actual results regularly and update your plan quarterly. This will reveal where your money is being spent and provide information you need to manage it correctly. This will also help you to provide for big expenses which arise during some months like a festival or a short holiday.
  Put your savings to work
    Saving early for long-term expenses such as retirement or your kids’ college expenses allows you to capitalize on the most important investing force: Time. Start a systematic investment plan and make sure that your savings are routed in to long term investments. This way, you are forced to save because the cash is drawn directly from your bank before you can get your hands on it.
  Be prepared for emergencies
    Emergencies arise. Cars break down, ankles are sprained, and jobs are lost. It would be ideal to set aside three to six months of living expenses as a regular reserve. This fund will cover those inevitable, unexpected costs and keep you from borrowing money when they occur. Make sure you and your family has adequate health insurance so that you are not bogged down by a financial crunch during a sudden medical emergency.
  Do not try to time the market
    In the long run slow and steady wins the race. Try to be a regular and disciplined investor. Even the best of investors and stock market veterans have repeatedly failed to predict what’s going to happen next. The recent crash and then sudden surge in the market is an example to prove this. As retail investors this task becomes even more difficult. SIP and rupee cost averaging are great techniques to invest regularly and have a great return over longer horizon.
  Contribute to your retirement plan
    Look at your salary slip and see how much money you are contributing to the EPF (Employee Provident Fund). Make sure you realize it and keep it going. Over 15-20 years the power of compounding will do its magic and it will grow into a decent corpus. PPF is another good option for investing extra money for retirement purpose. It offers tax benefits as well.
  Keep good records
    Lack of documents and records can hamper your tax filing process and you may not be able to claim all benefits. Maintain records of all important transactions in a systematic manner. You can use the age old system of maintaining documents in files or use the new age budgeting and other online software. Good record keeping also help you in collating and analyzing how you spend and invest.
  Pay your credit card dues
    Pay all credit card balances in full each month. Leaving a balance on a credit card account will leave you susceptible to very high interest rates. Having balance on credit cards is the beginning of debt trap. Control your urges to spend and try to spend using debit card or cash so that credit card debt is avoided.
  Find a good financial advisor
    One fails to realize that the wrong financial advice, and thus the wrong financial advisor, could be costing you lots of money every year. Do you know how your advisor is compensated? How does that compare to other advisors? Do they have the expertise you need? Even if you prefer to do things yourself, the occasional check up from an advisor may provide you with some valuable tips.
  Money isn’t everything
    Remember health, family and happiness are as important so do not neglect these aspects. Another very important thing to realize is your investments in skill accumulation. If you keep enhancing skills related to work, you can probably get a better job, faster promotion and chance to earn more money.

Take a deep breath and think about how you can move up the ladder. It may mean doing new certifications, improving soft skills and learning to manage human relationships better. This will probably be your biggest investment in the New Year.
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Rejuvenation and renewal is necessary for good health
    With the stress of daily life, rejuvenation and renewal is necessary for us to continue on with day-to-day tasks in a healthy way. A little break helps to renew our mind, body, soul and spirit. There are many ways in which one can accomplish daily renewal and rejuvenation.
   Instructions
    Step 1: Take a few moments to meditate. Meditation does not have to be defined by any set of steps or criteria. There are methods that are used for all types of release and renewal, but even if you just take a few moments each day to remove yourself from your situations and clear your mind, this can be a big help.
    Step 2: Find something you enjoy doing and do it. Even if you are pressed for time, you will find that taking a few moments to enjoy yourself with reading, gardening, 4-wheeling, fishing, or simply enjoying a warm cup of tea, will help strengthen your spirit.
    Step 3:Surround yourself with uplifting people. It's not always possible to avoid grumpy friends or relatives. If you have these types of people in your life, it is especially necessary for you to find people who uplift and encourage your spirit. Laughing, fun, relaxation and common interests will do wonders for your personal renewal. Make time to visit, lunch, or get together with happy people. If you are short of friends near you, make a phone call or join a social group online. Whatever it takes to find people to nurture your spirit and soul, take advantage.
    Step 4: Realize that unless you take some time to care for yourself, you will be in no good position to do what you do. If your job or personal life requires attention, focus, compassion, or listening, it is vital for you to renew your mind, body, soul and spirit to be at your best when faced with yet another day. With a little bit of rejuvenation, you'll find accomplishments come more quickly and easily.
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