French train races at 574.8 kph (Aboard Train V150)

Roaring like a jet plane, spitting sparks and trailing dust, a French train with a souped-up engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 574.8 kph (357.2 mph).The black and chrome train with three double-decker cars, named the V150, bettered the previous record of 515.3 (320.2 mph), set in 1990 by another French train. However, it fell short of the ultimate record set by Japan's non-conventional magnetically levitated train, which sped to 581 kph (361 mph) in 2003.Tuesday's endeavour, some 200 km (125 miles) east of Paris on a new track linking Paris with Strasbourg, showcased technology France is trying to sell to multi-billion dollar overseas markets like China.

Sparks flew from the power lines overhead and a long tail of dust kicked up behind the train as it whizzed through the French countryside. The train sped along far faster than a passenger jet taking off or a Formula One race car. On board, the sensation was comparable to that of an airplane at liftoff. The train kept up with planes flying overhead taking photos. People lined bridges clapping and cheering as the train zipped underneath them. ''There are about 10,000 engineers who would want to be in my place,'' train driver Eric Pieczac said. ''It makes me very happy, a mixed feeling of pride and honor to be able to reach this speed.'' Technicians on the train had ''French excellence'' emblazoned on the backs of their T-shirts. Some applauded when the top speed was attained. The train also carried journalists. On board, there were noticeable vibrations as the train hurtled along. The air pressure briefly caused a slight earache. Journalists were not buckled into their seats, but were told not to move around or stand up, so as not to interfere with live television broadcasts from the train.

Outside, the countryside zipped past too fast to appreciate. After setting the record, the train gradually slowed. By comparison to its top speed, its cruising speed of around 300 kph (190 mph) felt snail-paced.

The REAL woman behind Provoked speaks up

She is Kiranjit Ahluwalia and she can easily pass off as a sportswoman.
With short golden coloured hair, cool looks and loads of attitude, she is the embodiment of the never say die spirit.
But when it comes to her past, Kiranjit can't help but shed tears of pain as she recounts 10 years of domestic abuse at the hands of her late husband. Kiranjit, 51, killed her husband Deepak in London in 1989. "The day I killed him I felt liberated. I knew I had to go to jail but life was already a jail for me in that marriage," says Kiranjit. Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai was so impressed by her story that she decided to do the film on Kiranjit, Provoked, that will release on April 6

Amitabh, Abhishek in 'Bommarillu' remake

Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan might play father and son again. This time for a family bond film. If the sources are to be believed, Bommarillu will be remade in Hindi with Bachchans playing the father and son roles played by Prakashraj and Sidhartha in Telugu.

Avaya to Add VoIP to Google Apps

Avaya said on Thursday that it will develop communications solutions for small business that combine Google's updated Apps Premier Edition suite of Web applications with its own IP telephony technology.Avaya plans to link its IP Office product to Google Apps Premiere Edition. The combined solutions, which Avaya will sell through its network of resellers and distributors, are expected to be available by the end of the year, the company said in a statement

Uday Kiran is coming back again!!!

Udaykiran, who had earned lover boy image with his fantastic love subject films like 'Chitram, Nuvvu Nenu and Manasanta Nuvve' had distanced himself from the Telugu film industry due to some specific reasons.Later he tested his hand in a few Tamil films. Again he tried to make his re-entry with 'Abaddham' the dubbed version of his Tamil film 'Veyil', but miserably failed.So far, the Telugu audiences know him for portraying soft characters.Now, he is making his re-entry into the Telugu film industry with a film that has action backdrop.

Mahesh Babu's 'Atidhi' on his birthday

Prince Mahesh Babu’s new film ‘Atidhi ’is progressing at a brisk pace. The unit returned to Hyderabad recently after shooting in Delhi. For all Mahesh Babu’s fans, the film has plenty to offer. Mahesh Babu is sporting a new hair style and looks for this film.The makers of the film are all determined to give a hit as his last film “Sainikudu’ bombed at the box office. The film is progressing well and the producers have set the date off release as August 9 which is the birthday of Mahesh Babu.

Mahesh Babu's 'Atidhi' on his birthday

Prince Mahesh Babu’s new film ‘Atidhi ’is progressing at a brisk pace. The unit returned to Hyderabad recently after shooting in Delhi. For all Mahesh Babu’s fans, the film has plenty to offer. Mahesh Babu is sporting a new hair style and looks for this film.The makers of the film are all determined to give a hit as his last film “Sainikudu’ bombed at the box office. The film is progressing well and the producers have set the date off release as August 9 which is the birthday of Mahesh Babu.

JPEG Gets a New Competitor

Microsoft has unveiled a new file format for end-to-end digital photography, called HD Photo, which offers better image quality, better preservation of data, and advanced features for digital-imaging applications.The company said this new next-generation digital image format provides the best solution for digital image editing and storage, and unleashes potential for digital photography on devices, applications, and services. Microsoft announced it intends to standardize the technology, and will be submitting HD Photo to an appropriate standards organization shortly.Talking about it, Amir Majidimehr, Corporate Vice President of Consumer Media Technology Group, Microsoft, said, "With HD Photo, we are taking a new approach to creating and editing photos that simply isn't available to photographers with today's formats. HD Photo fully preserves the original image fidelity with high dynamic range, while allowing for significant improvement in compression size."

This Valentine be aware of those viruses messages

Security experts are warning PC users to be on guard against viruses masquerading as Valentine's Day messages, which could damage computers."Computer users should keep a wary eye on any romantic messages received by e-mail, as many of them could contain malicious code," said US security firm PandaLabs after detecting an increase in a worm it dubbed Nurech.A.The worm hides in e-mails with subjects like: Together You and I," "Til the End of Time Heart of Mine."People who open an attached file such as postcard.exe can end up infecting their computers.

2 Yamagola songs in NTR's Yamadonga?

NTR is in full swing now following the success of Rakhee. Trade circles are very keen on his next project Yamadonga in the direction of SS Rajamouli. Rajamouli is the producer also. Mohanbabu is playing a special role as Yama. Rajeev Kanakala, a good friend of NTR and Rajamouli, will be seen in the role of Indra. Priyamani and Mamata Mohandas are the heroines.

Dhil Raju's films with Pawan, Allu Arjun

Reliable sources said that Dhil Raju is planning a film with Pawan Kalyan in the direction of Bhaskar of Bommarillu fame. This will be the second film for Bhaskar. This film might start after Trivikram's film. Also, Puri Jagannath will direct Pawan Kalyan after his film with Ramcharan Teja. It is not clear at this point on if Bhaskar's or Puri's will start first. Also, Dhil Raju is planning another film Allu Arjun. This might be directed by Vasu Varma who is also from Dhil Raju's camp. Official confirmation is awaited on these projects.

The £50 laptop to change the world

Imagine if a group of the world’s cleverest and richest people pooled resources to create a piece of technology intended as a force for good rather than profit. It may seem fanciful but that is exactly what has happened and the result — which could become one of the most widely distributed bits of technology ever made — was unveiled last week.The long awaited $100 (£50) mini-computer from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, is aimed at improving the quality of education in developing nations. The fact that it exists at all is testament to what can be achieved when global corporations put their heads together.

Essar, Vodafone start bargaining game

Hard bargaining between Essar and Vodafone is likely to start in the next 10 days on restructuring of shareholders agreement and other related issues, including partnership deal.ssar pulled a surprise after it announced that it would take a decision in due course by ensuring all shareholders rights, including those in agreement with Hutchison Telecom, are adhered to.I am coming soon I hope", Sarin said after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to wind up his three-day India visit.There is still some work to be done and we will do that work in the coming weeks," added Sarin.I am going back with the very positive feeling that we are working together. They are the founding partners in this venture. I would very much like for them to continue," Sarin said.

Study Says Fish Can Make Unborn Children Smarter

A new medical report is surprising and confusing mothers-to-be.For years, pregnant women have been told to avoid eating certain types of fish because they may contain high levels of harmful mercury. But this new study claims eating fish can help boost the IQ of unborn babies.The study, led by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, found that women who had eaten no fish were more likely to have babies with poor communication skills at 18 months, poor fine motor coordination at age 3½, and poor social behavior at age 7.