REVOLUTION TO 16X DVD'S

        16x Dvd+-rw Dl Dvd Writer Comparison Guide

Source:
CODE
http://www.extrememhz.com/dlcomp-p1.shtml


Since the introduction of double layer DVD writers, the interest has been quite overwhelming and is why we keep bringing you reviews of these highly popular drives. The anticipation has now turned into down right obsession and it has become a key component in any current or new system build, thanks to the declining prices and continued media hype. Manufacturers are quite aware of the fascination and is why they have each been releasing their own products which excel in at least one area of the testing methodology used in most reviews. This has led to some confusion as to which drive is best suited for the individuals needs. Today, we compare four 16x double layer drives and highlight both the strong and weak points in order to give you a better idea of which drive is best suited for you.


In this comparison guide, we will be looking at four of the top 16x drives to hit the market, the Pioneer DVR-108, NEC ND3500A, Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the new LG GSA-4160B. We will cover everything from design and features to performance and price. Let's begin with a quick look at each of these drives.


As far as the front bezel design goes, the LG-GSA4160B is by far the most attractive drive of the bunch. However, for those who are looking for a headphone jack, the Lite-On drive is the only DL writer offering a headphone jack, as well as volume control. The Pioneer and NEC drives, in my opinion, are the ugliest drives, with a very plain look that just wants to make you hide the drive period. Although we only obtained the 4160B in black, all these drives are offered with both white and black bezels. If you opt for the more expensive Pioneer "XL" model, it has the most impressive looks of any drive in the market. However, this will come at a very hefty price tag, considering they contain different firmware as well that offer a few extra features.

So, we have determined which is the sexiest-looking drive, but what about performance? I've done some extensive testing on each model to determine which is indeed the most impressive of the bunch. But before we show you performance results, let's briefly look at the features and what they have to offer.

Features--

Each one of these drives has there disappointments when it comes to features. Let's compare each to see what they really offer.

DVD Writing

DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW
LG GSA-4160B 16x 8x 4x 4x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 16x 8x 4x 4x
NEC ND-3500A 16x 16x 4x 4x
Pioneer DVR-108 16x 16x 4x 4x

While all these drives are indeed 16x models, only two will write to both formats at this speed. The LG GSA-4160B and the Lite-On SOHW-1633s only support 8x DVD-R writing. So if you are one who only prefers this format, the NEC or Pioneer would be the best choice. All of these drives support writing to DVD re-writable media at 4x.

DVD+R9 Double Layer Writing

Write Speed
LG GSA-4160B 2.4x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 2.4x
NEC ND-3500A 4x
Pioneer DVR-108 4x

The major disappointment with both the LG and the Lite-On 16x drives is the lack of 4x double layer writing support. Pioneer and NEC seem to be the only manufacturers to jump in and release second generation double layer drives supporting much faster 4x writing. In fact, the jump from 2.4x to 4x is quite substantial as we will show you a bit later in this comparison.

DVD-RAM Support

Supported Read Write
LG GSA-4160B YES 5x 5x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s NO NO NO
NEC ND-3500A NO NO NO
Pioneer DVR-108 YES 2x NO

Now this is where both the LG GSA-4120B and GSA-4160B shine above the rest. In fact, it is what has made these drives the most popular DVD writers on the market. Unlike the rest in the roundup, it is a triple format burner, offering full support for DVD-RAM media. The other drives do not support it, with the exception of the Pioneer DVR-108 which supports reading of DVD-RAM discs at 2x. I personally don't see the point in offering only read capabilities, but it's at least one extra feature added to distinguish it from the rest. Fast 5x support of the LG GSA-4160 will actually be tested a bit later in this article.

CDR Writing

CDR CDRW
LG GSA-4160B 40x 24x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 48x 24x
NEC ND-3500A 48x 24x
Pioneer DVR-108 32x 24x

The fastest CDR writers of the bunch are the Lite-On SOHW-1633s and the NEC ND-3500A. With their support for 48x writing, they make a great all-in-one drive for many users. The only drive lacking in this lineup is the Pioneer DVR-108. Why they opted for only 32x writing is still quite puzzling and is actually why I have found that many are choosing the NEC over the Pioneer. The LG GSA-4160B should not be left out of consideration though. We will show you later that the difference in write times between 40x and 48x is not much to brag about.

Bitsetting Support

One feature I've found that is most important for many users is bitsetting support. Let's compare these drives and see what they offer.

DVD+R/RW Support DVD+R DL Support
LG GSA-4160B NO NO
Lite-On SOHW-1633s YES NO
NEC ND-3500A NO YES
Pioneer DVR-108 NO YES

The LG GSA-4160B does not offer bitsetting support out of the box. However, it is very likely that you will be able to obtain support through an excellent third-party tool called DVDInfo Pro. Right now, they only support the GSA-4120B, but I'm confident with the author that support for this drive will be likely. LG firmware is very hard to hack, however some select few have been able to do so. Using Lite-On's booktype utility, you can change the booktype of DVD+R/RW media, however, the firmware does not automatically change booktype of DVD+R DL discs to DVD-ROM like the NEC and Pioneer models do. 

Additional Features

As far as other features go, all these drives have a 2MB buffer but offer some sort of buffer under-run protection, which all work exceptionally well. This is especially useful if you will be burning discs at 16x, which I personally don't recommend just yet. As our individual tests of these drives revealed, burning at this speed is quite unstable, with the exception of the Lite-On SOHW-1633s.





ENJOY--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements PC magazine.

BACK WITH THE SAME ACTUALLY I INITIALLY POSTED IT ON MY WORDPRESS ACCOUNT divyanshudaiya1.wordpress.com

 I AM POSTING HERE FOR PEOPLE INTEREST----


                              10 Fast and Free Security Enhancements  PC magazine.

Before you spend a dime on security, there are many precautions you can take that will protect you against the most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on the Automatic Updates tab in the System control panel and choose the appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.


3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors' Choice ("Spyware," April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in hunting out tracking cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disabling the Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to the instant messaging program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you'll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press the Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, use the current version or one with the Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you're not willing to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with the free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on the security features: Use MAC filtering, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with the biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see the expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as the one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emerging threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of things on the Internet. Don't assume that e-mail "From:" a particular person is actually from that person until you have further reason to believe it's that person. Don't assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don't give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from "support."
 
ENJOY-----------------------------------------------------

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10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

THINK OF UR PC CRACHED, U RUSHED TO LOCAL VENDOR HE WAS ON FOR ASKING FOR BULK,,,,,,EVER WANTED TO KNOW WHY UR PC ERREED ,,,,

SAVE UR BULKSSS------

10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1--- Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2---- Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 ----BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 ----Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5----- Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 ----Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 ----Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8---- Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 --Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 ---Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.







 


ENJOYYY------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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8 People Can Use The Same Msn Dial Up Account

IT's easy really. want to have an entire family on dial-up with just one bill?

step one. purchase 20 dollar a month subscription to MSN unlimited access dial up. This will include an MSN 9 cd which you will need. With the software installed, fill up your secondary account slots with new users. Make sure you pick @msn if it gives you the choice, hotmail email addresses will not work..

say the secondary account is daiyadivyanshu@msn.com type in the Dial up connection

USER : MSN/daiyadivyanshu
PASS: ******* (whatever)

connect to your local msn phone number and the other people you gave secondary accounts to will be able to do the same, while you are connected. Its a sweet deal considering everyone is paying about 2 bucks a month for internet access, especially if you cannot get broadband. if you wanted to sell off the access to people you could actually make money doing this.. but i do not suggest it.

I used to be an msn tech and this was a little known secret even to most of the employees.

After you do this you do not need the software any more. I would suggest keeping it on to micromanage everyone else's accounts. and for the simple fact that if they don't pitch in, cut them off HEHEHE

i'm on broadband now so i dont care if i tell you my little secret. anyone else knew of this?

justttt funnn----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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php NAVIGATIONS

SIMPLE PHP NAVIGATIONS ---

<?php
if($_SERVER['QUERY_STRING'] == "SoD")
 print "owns you!";
else
 print "don't front!";
?>


Description: Instead of calling files like ( index.php?str=blah ) , you could do ( index.php?SoD ) and it would print out "owns you!". You can add more strings in there, this is just an example.



   $vars = explode(",", urldecode(getenv('QUERY_STRING')));
   $v1 = array_shift($vars);
   $v2 = array_shift($vars);
   $v3 = array_shift($vars);

   switch ($v1) {
       case 'first.1': {
           print("This is v1, first string case 'file.php?first.1'.");
           break;
           }
      case 'first.2': {
      switch ($v2) {
           case 'second': {
               switch($v3) {
                   case 'third': {
                     print("This is v3, the last case 'file.php?first.2,second,third'.");
                     break;
                   }
               }
           }
       }
       }
   }


Description: This basically does what the 1st one does but with more strings and a different seperator rather than '&'. I don't really want to go into too much detail on the thread so if people are confused or need explaining, reply or PM me.

That's it for the navigation as I am not going to do the other due to they're everywhere else and I wanted to be different and show everyone this method.

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 FINALLY HOW TO RIP A FLASH TEMPLATE

                                                  -[ How to rip Dynamic Flash Template ]-

How to Rip TM Dynamic Flash Templates
ORIGINALLY  by: Baisan

What you need:

Sample dynamic flash template from TM website
Sothink SWF Decompiler
Macromedia Flash
Yourself


1. browse or search your favorite dynamic flash template in TM website. If you got one... click the "view" link and new window will open with dynamic flash.. loading...

2. If the movie fully loaded, click View -> Source in your browser to bring the source code of the current page and in the source code, search for "IFRAME" and you will see the iframe page. In this example were going to try the 7045 dynamic template. get the URL(ex.
http://images.templatemonster.com/screenshots/7000/7045.html) then paste it to your browser... easy eh? wait! dont be to excited... erase the .html and change it to swf then press enter then you'll see the flash movie again icon_smile.gif.

3. copy the URL and download that SWF file.. use your favorite download manager.. mine I used flashget icon_smile.gif NOTE: dont close the browser we may need that later on.

4. open your Sothink SWF decompiler... click "Quick Open" then browse where you download your SWF/movie file. Click Export FLA to export your SWF to FLA, in short, save it as FLA icon_smile.gif

5. Open your Macromedia FLash and open the saved FLA file. press Control+Enter or publish the file... then wallah! the output window will come up with "Error opening URL blah blah blah..." dont panic, that error will help you where to get the remaining files.

6. Copy the first error, example: "7045_main.html" then go back to your browser and replace the 7045.swf to 7045_main.html press enter and you'll see a lot of text... nonsense text icon_lol.gif that text are your contents...

NOTE: when you save the remaining files dont forget to save with underscore sign (_) in the front on the file without the TM item number (e.g. 7045) if it is html save it as "_main.html" and same with the image save it as "_works1.jpg" save them where you save the FLA and SWF files. Continue browsing the file inside Flash application so you can track the remaining files... do the same until you finish downloading all the remaining the files.







ENJOY--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Delhi gang rape: Police use teargas, water cannons as protests intensify

NEW DELHI: Teargas shells were lobbed and water cannons used at protesters at India Gate agitating against the gang rape of a young girl today as they marched towards Raisina Hill, hours after police evacuated demonstrators from there and Sonia Gandhi's residence.

Police use teargas, water cannons to disperse protesters

This was the second successive day that police resorted to lobbing teargas shells and use of waterjets besides using force to contain the protest demanding speedy justice and stringent punishment for the accused in last Sunday night's incident. Doctors said the condition of the victim continues to be critical.

A group of protesters also met Sonia and Rahul Gandhi during which the Congress top leaders assured speedy action while refusing to give a time-frame for it.

Some protesters indulged in violence as they stopped East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit at India Gate, heckled him and damaged his car as well as a government jeep ferrying officials and clashed with the police while trying to march towards Raisina Hills, where Rashtrapati Bhavan and key government ministries are located.

Central Delhi faced huge traffic chaos due to a security clampdown on Rajpath even as protesters blocked roads near India Gate.

Teargas shells were lobbed at the agitators near India Gate at around 1pm as they tried to enter Rajpath to head towards Raisina Hills. However, later they were allowed to proceed in a bid to ease traffic on the radial road.

The protesters then tried to cross the barricades and clashed with the police who resorted to the use of water cannons at 1:15pm.

Early this morning, around 50-60 protesters, who stayed put at Raisina Hills throughout the night and some others infront of Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence, were evacuated while high drama was witnessed at India Gate when agitators resisted police attempts to detain them for defying prohibitory orders.

The protesters assembled near the war memorial from 9am when they were asked to vacate the location by the police which said the area was under prohibitory order under Section 144 of CrPC which bans the assembly of four or more persons.

As the protesters remained defiant, police forcibly removed them from the spot.

Some of the protesters tried to get out of the police van but were pushed back into the vehicle. Later, the protesters also deflated the tyres of the bus which was carrying them while a group of girls lay down infront of it.

Women protesters alleged that they were manhandled by male police personnel though women police were present at the spot.

A large number of policemen were deployed and Raisina Hills and Rajpath were barricaded. Eight Metro stations near India Gate and Raisina Hills were closed as part of police measures to contain the agitation.

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Sachin Tendulkar retires from ODIs

NEW DELHI: One of the game's all-time greats, Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday announced his retirement from one-day cricket, bringing to an end a glorious 23-year-old career in the format during which he rewrote numerous batting records.



"I have decided to retire from the one-day format of the game. I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest," the 39-year-old said in a statement released by the BCCI today.

"I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years," he added.

Tendulkar, considered the most complete batsman in modern cricket and one who was considered next only to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, retires from the ODI format at the top of the run-getters' list.

Tendulkar goes out after amassing 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83. The diminutive right-hander has an astonishing 49 hundreds in the format, including a double hundred -- the first in this form of the game.

Tendulkar made his ODI debut against Pakistan way back in 1989 and interestingly he is quitting the scene just ahead of another series against the arch-rivals.

The Mumbaikar, who made himself unavailable for Twenty20 after playing just one game in 2006, will now remain active in only the Test arena.

The brightest moment of his ODI career came last year when he finally became part of a World Cup winning Indian team after five previous appearances.

Speculation over Tendulkar's future had grown after his continuing failures in the past one year.

His last ODI hundred came in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in March this year -- a feat that completed an unprecedented 100 international tons.

He was stuck on 99 tons for quite a while after scoring two hundreds during India's successful World Cup campaign. Tendulkar also has an mammoth tally of 96 ODI 50s to his credit.

Despite the recent slump in his form, Tendulkar's overall tally of runs is unlikely to be matched anytime soon given that the distant second-best in the list, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, has already retired from the game with 13,704 runs under his belt.

Sri Lanka's retired great Sanath Jayasuriya occupies the third spot in the overall chart with 13,430 runs.

Besides his batting, Tendulkar was an effective partnership-breaking bowler and finishes his ODI career with 154 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.

Tendulkar's Test records are as awe-inspiring. The right-hander has 15,645 runs at an average of 54.32 in 194 Tests that he has played so far. The tally includes 51 hundreds and 66 half-centuries.

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Delhi gang rape: Victim continues to be critical, doctors say

NEW DELHI: The condition of the 23-year-old girl, who was gang raped in a moving bus last Sunday, continues to be critical and doctors are subjecting her to various tests today.

"We are subjecting her to all examinations and procedures. She continues to be critical," Dr B D Athani, medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital, told PTI.

Doctors had said yesterday that the rape victim is psychologically "composed and optimistic" about her future and has started communicating.

Doctors had also said they are keeping the patient on high doses of antibiotics and high standards of hygiene - two important factors for preventing infection.

Prohibitory orders clamped, protesters defy police

Earlier, hours after police evacuated demonstrators from Raisina Hills and Sonia Gandhi's residence, high drama was witnessed at India Gate today when protesters resisted police attempts to detain them for defying prohibitory orders to protest against the gang rape of a young girl.

The protesters assembled near the war memorial from 9am when they were asked to vacate the location by the police which said the area was under Section 144 of CrPC which bans the assembly of four or more persons. As the protesters remained defiant, police forcibly removed them from the spot.

Some of the protesters tried to get out of the police van but were pushed back into the vehicle. Later, the protesters also punctured the tyres of the bus which was carrying them while a group of girls lay down infront of it. Women protesters alleged that they were manhandled by male police personnel though women police were present at the spot.

"We are here to protest a heinous crime. We have the right to protest," said Pushpa, a Nepali national, who is pursuing studies here.

Earlier in the morning, the police evacuated a number of protesters from area of Raisina Hills, where Rashtrapati Bhavan and key government offices are located, and outside Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence where they had stayed put since last night to protest against the gang-rape of the 23-year-old girl on Sunday last.

The protesters, most of them students, who spent a chilly night in the open after they fought pitched battles with the police throughout the day yesterday at Raisina Hills, were taken into a bus in an early morning operation. Outside Gandhi's residence also, protesters were taken into custody.

A large number of police men were deployed and Raisina Hills and Rajpath were barricaded. Eight metro stations near India Gate and Raisina Hills were closed as part of police preparations to contain the agitation.

The police clamped prohibitory orders in New Delhi district and asked protesters to stage demonstrations either at Jantar Mantar or Ramlila Maidan.

A Delhi Police statement said, "Protestors may go to Ramlila Maidan or Jantar Mantar. Traffic has been diverted from Vijay Chowk and Rajpath."

It said prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC have been issued in New Delhi area except Jantar Mantar.

Anticipating more protests on the gang rape issue, eight Delhi Metro stations near Raisina Hill and India Gate were also closed for public.

Last night, it was decided to close four stations — Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course — but this morning it was extended to four more — Barakhamba Road, Mandi House, Khan Market and Pragati Maidan.

Though the commuters were less in the morning it being on Sunday, the few who chose to take the metro to reach these destinations were put to hardship as they unaware of the announcement made late last night by DMRC.

Delhi Metro's decision came on the directions of the Delhi Police. The stations will remain closed till further orders.

"The stations will remain closed till DMRC gets further orders from the Delhi Police. All the four stations are close to India Gate. However, interchange will be allowed at Central Secretariat station," DMRC officials said.

The police move came a day after thousands of youths clashed with the police at Raisina Hills protesting against the gang-rape and demanding speedy punishment to the accused.

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Delhi gang- rape: waves of protest slam Raisina Hill

22 December 2012

Demonstrators react as police
unleash water cannon and tear gas
during a protest rally following the
rape of a student on December 15,
in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan,
in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo:
Kamal Narang
The seething outrage over the
gruesome gang-rape case spilled
on to the Raisina Hill and the entire
stretch of Rajpath on Saturday as a
large number of youth, in different
groups, descended there to knock
at the doors of the Head of the
State at Rashtrapati Bhavan
seeking justice for the victim.
The day-long action that saw
unabated agitation and an
aggressive response from the Delhi
Police, in which 125 tear-gas shells
were lobbed and over 35
protesters injured, culminated in a
meeting of one of the groups with
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar
Shinde who assured them of fast-
tracking the trial in the case and a
“sea-change” in policing through
implementation of long-term
reforms.
Following waves of protests, in
which the young school and
college-going youth, comprising a
large number of girls, raised
slogans and engaged the police,
the government relented. A seven-
member group comprising five
young women met the Home
Minister at his residence around
7.15 p.m.. Earlier in the day,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
had summoned Mr. Shinde and
directed him to intervene in the
matter.
Despite assurances by the group of
a positive government response to
their demands, the other sceptical
protesters refused to budge from
the arena stating they would not
leave until a senior government
functionary addressed them in
person sharing the measures being
taken.
It was around 8 a.m. that the youth
had started converging at India
Gate demanding death penalty for
the rapists. As the crowd swelled,
it began moving up on Rajpath
towards Rashtrapati Bhavan. The
police, however, blocked the path
of the protesters with barricades
and buses parked at the footsteps
of Raisina Hills.
Overshooting police anticipation,
students and young professionals
— who primarily relied on social
media and SMS communication to
muster support — began
screaming their lungs out against
what they described was utter
complacency and lip service by the
government and the police in the
matter.
As new groups kept merging with
the protesting crowds, their first
face-off with the police happened
around 11 a.m. To disperse them,
the police trained a water-cannon
on them and lobbed a volley of
tear-gas shells.
What followed was a brief spell of
violence by some protesters who
targeted police buses, accusing the
police of unnecessarily using force
on unarmed protesters who
included girls and women. On at
least six occasions, the police
resorted to caning the young
protesters, who hurled stones,
shoes and water bottles at them in
retaliation.
Around 5.30 p.m. when hassled
senior police officers were busy
negotiating with a group to defuse
the prevailing situation and
manage the leader-less crowd, the
lathi-wielding security personnel
in riot-gears again charged at the
protesters driving them away.
The protesters again tried to
reorganise themselves at the
nearby Vijay Chowk where they
were attacked again, this time
from all the directions. Several of
them sustained injuries but they
decided to stay put with young
girls forming a chain around male
counterparts to stall the police
advance. Leaders of the Aam
Aadmi Party, including Gopal Rai,
Manish Sisodia and Kumar
Vishwas, who also participated
along their supporters, addressed
the crowd later in the evening.
“Had the President come out even
once and addressed the youth
assuring firm action, the
protesters would have quietly
dispersed …we should not leave
this place till our demands are
met,” said Mr. Vishwas, drawing a
loud cheer.
For their part, the police claimed
that 37 of their personnel and
around 35 protesters were injured
in the action. “In all, 125 tear-gas
shells were used. Thirty
barricades, six buses, two
motorcycles and two government
vehicles parked at Vayu Bhawan
were damaged. A case of rioting
and destruction of public property
is being registered at the
Parliament Street police station,”
said a police officer.

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