Makanan Anak

First impressions: Samsung Z1, the first Tizen smartphone

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 Januari 2015 | 07.20

NEW DELHI: Samsung's much awaited Tizen OS-powered smartphone, Z1, has finally been unveiled after a long wait. An entry-level device, the Z1 is targeted at first time smartphone users. Priced at Rs 5,700, the phone will compete with budget Android smartphones such as the Motorola Moto E and Xiaomi Redmi 1S.

It's not the first time that Samsung has introduced a smartphone powered by its in-house OS (technically Samsung is one of the partners involved with the development of Tizen). It's in fact in a way, a successor to the South Korean giant's Bada OS that powered its Wave line of smartphones. While Samsung has already introduced Tizen powered wearable devices and televisions, the company claims that its smartphone avatar offers a fluid user experience on low-end devices as Tizen is a 'light weight' OS compared to Android, and the hardware-software integration will be tighter.

We spent some time with the Samsung Z1 at the launch event and here are our first impressions...

At first glance the Samsung Z1 does not look very different from the company's Android offerings and essentially follows the same design language, complete with rounded corners, a metallic rim and the physical Home button. It is available in three colours - white, black and red, and is made from plastic materials.

The front of the phone features a glossy panel that houses a 4-inch WVGA (480x800p) PLS display. We found the display to be decent with good viewing angles though the brightness levels could have been better.

Just below the display, there's a physical Home button and two capacitive keys for Back and Menu functions. The VGA front camera and chrome earpiece sit above the display. A metallic frame surrounds the phone at the edges giving it a solid feel.

The right edge sports the power key while the left features the volume rocker keys. The keys are responsive and offer good tactile feedback. The top edge of the phone has the 3.5mm headset jack while the micro-USB port is at the bottom edge.

The back cover of the phone sports a matte finish and is removable. It's easy to remove thanks to a small opening near the left edge. The cover hides a removable 1500mAh battery, two micro sim card slots and a microSD card slot. The 3.1MP camera and an LED flash is also located at the back along with a speaker outlet.

The Samsung Z1 is powered by a 1.2GHz A7 dual-core processor and 768MB RAM and comes with 4GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. It runs Tizen 2.3 OS. Samsung says the Z1 delivers a faster boot time and enhanced web performance to offer users faster page loading times with decreased data usage. The phone also features an 'Ultra Power Saving Mode' to stretch the battery backup.

In our use, we did not experience any lag or stutter while navigating between the home screens, app launcher pages and opening and switching between apps. Although the phone may seem to be underpowered judging merely by specifications, we feel that Samsung has optimized the OS to run smoothly on the phone.

Samsung ships the phone with all the basic native apps and the demo unit also featured apps for Facebook and YouTube and games such as Bejeweled. The Tizen Store lets users download third party apps though we're not sure if it offers apps from all major developers at this time. Some of the apps were simply links to mobile web pages. We also spotted WhatsApp messenger which is an ACL (Application Compatibilty Layer) app. This means that the phone will be able to run select Android apps using emulation. We're not sure if it will offer push notifications for these apps, though.

The Tizen UI is more or less similar to the TouchWiz UI layer seen in Samsung's recent Android phones with some minor changes. The app launcher is a little different and slides up from the bottom of the screen. It features eight fixed app shortcuts and 4x3 launcher screens. There's a notifications tray as well. We'll have more details on the software in our full review.

The phone sports a 3.1MP rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera. While it's difficult to comment on the quality of the pictures, we did not experience any shutter lag. The camera does not offer focus lock.

Overall, the Samsung Z1 seems to be a decent budget option but a lot would depend on developer support for apps. With players like Xiaomi, Asus and Motorola, the budget Android phone segment is witnessing fierce competition and consumers have a wide range of options, some even sporting better hardware. Samsung will need to ensure the phone offers all major apps in addition to the free online multimedia content it's bundling with the phone, if it wants the phone to make a mark.

We'll have a detailed review of the Samsung Z1 very soon.

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Taslima Nasreen: Will gunmen get me too?

A few years ago, I was invited to visit the Charlie Hebdo office. I was bowled over by the work of their brilliant and talented cartoonists. Their struggle for freedom of expression at the risk of their lives is akin to my own struggles. There were fatwas and there were death threats galore but they didn't stop. There was pressure and intimidation about lampooning Muhammad but they still carried on.

If they kept drawing 'offensive' cartoons, they were told, they'd be murdered. And they still drew their cartoons. Their office was firebombed, their names appeared on al-Qaida's most wanted list, and they still didn't close their doors. Many artists feel their plight today — fighting fatwas, death threats, exile.

They were all such wonderful human beings — those cartoonists. They were adept not only at the art of comedy, they dearly loved a laugh themselves. Their philosophy was similar with mine — they absolutely rejected religious fundamentalism, violence and terror. They were, on their part, worried about my safety and security.

Since they were inhabiting one of the safest democratic spaces in the world, they didn't seem very worried about themselves. I could hardly have known then that terrorists would barge into that very office and kill all of them, that there is no country left in the world that is actually safe and secure.

Charlie Hebdo will continue to be published. If it were to shut down or if the artists got scared, that would mean victory for the terrorists. I am happy to hear that its next issue, in protest of the massacre, will have a print run of one million copies. This publication asserts freedom of expression.

It does not need a lot of talent to become a terrorist, to use an automatic weapon and kill innocents. But one can neither become a journalist nor a cartoonist without any talent. The murder of so many talents by some uncivilised, insane and barbaric men to please their god and their prophet, in order to get heaven in afterlife — this is the way they are indoctrinated to be pious Muslims!

I have been stunned ever since I heard they have been killed. I have a feeling that one day I will meet their fate at the hands of Islamic fanatics. Perhaps I would be in the middle of finishing a novel or a book of poetry, and they would sneak into my study as suddenly to butcher me or maybe pump a few bullets into my head while screaming Allahu Akbar. If they could get away with this in a city like Paris, despite the presence of armed security guards, there is no reason for such an incident not to happen where I am staying.

The intellectuals of the Occident have always spoken in favour of Muslims, no matter how much terror Muslims might perpetrate. Perhaps to maintain the western liberal tradition or maybe their sympathies are drawn to the Muslims who were once colonised by European nations and now form a minority in Europe or even by the fate of Muslims persecuted in Afghanistan, Iraq or Palestine.

But the intellectuals working at Charlie Hebdo spared no one. No politician, no religious leader of any denomination escaped their humour. They made fun of Christianity, Judaism and Islam alike. They would also sometimes lampoon Prophet Muhammad. Those were intelligent works of art. Some people complain they were provocative. But they have all the right to be provocative and no one should have the right to kill them for being provocative.

Most people today would stand by Charlie Hebdo. They would criticise the murders and claim that their version of Islam is not in the true spirit of the religion. That real Islam does not provide any sort of influence for killing unbelievers. But numerous verses in suras like al-Bakara, al-Nisa, al-Anfal and al-Tauba of the Quran speak of killing people who have no faith in Islam. There is express advice to Muslims to kill non-Muslims. Many Hadith have enumerated instances where Muslims were ordered to murder infidels.

Islam has largely been exempt from the critical scrutiny that other religions have undergone to modernise them. Now fundamentalist followers of Muha-mmad want to establish a quintessential Islamic caliphate to rule the entire world. Whoever happens to disbelieve or mock Islam, they reserve the right to do away with that person. Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab are waging 'holy terror' across the world and all of them have the same ideology.

They do not believe in plurality of thoughts or in democratic principles, relying instead on a theocratic, monolithic version of their medieval belief system.

Islamic fundamentalism is not a negligible problem. If one wants to address this problem, one has to go to its very roots. Preaching principles of freedom of expression alone won't do any good. One has to know what mantra makes terrorists tick and influences them to take up arms. It is important to stop indoctrination of children with irrational religious faith at home or institutions like madrassas or mosques. They should be raised to have logical, rational minds and to adopt scientific outlooks that are able to distinguish between right and wrong. I strongly believe that as long as Islam remains unreformed, there can be no end to terror.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Kingshuk Nag: Does Netaji lie buried in Siberia?

Situated at one corner of the USSR, in Siberia is Yakutsk, the coldest city in the earth. 6000 kms away from Moscow, nature is at its harshest in Yakutsk what with temperatures plunging to 50 degrees below freezing point in winters. Here people can't spectacles: when you want to take it off, flesh will come off. In the mid -1920s, barely a few years after the Russian revolution, gold and platinum were discovered here. The autocratic government of USSR led by Stalin wanted to mine these minerals to fund the five year plans to develop the country. But who would work in this harsh terrain that was not even connected to the rest of USSR by roads? The cruel Stalin soon came up with a plan: political dissidents from the republics of USSR like Ukraine and other parts who were resisting (or perceived to be resisting) the communist rule and ordinary criminals could be send to Yakutsk and forcibly made to work in mines and for building roads as conscripts. The system was refined within a few years and between 1940 – 1950, there were an estimated 80,000 to 200,000 prisoners deployed in Siberia. They lived in gulags or labor camps and made to work under harsh conditions for up-to 14 hours a day. These gulags were built across the river Lena which flows in Siberia. Many died due to exhaustion, exposure and malnourishment and thousands were shot dead for not working hard enough. The total number of deaths could be half a million. The harshness of the conditions is best described in Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago which own global acclaim. The book is based on Solzhenitsyn's experience –he was a prisoner for eleven years- and the testimony of 200 survivors.

Leading out of Yakutsk is the Kolyma highway that was built at the instance of Stalin. Prisoners built this road and the Gulag conscripts who died were interred into the fabric of the highway. For this reason the highway is called the Road of Bones. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose could be one conscript who lies buried here.

That Netaji had been sent to Siberia is now suspected by many who have investigated the disappearance of the leader. But the most damning evidence came from Dr Satyanarayan Sinha, a foreign language including Russian language expert who was also an MP for one term. A Russian intelligence officer called Kozlov who had been a Soviet agent in Calcutta and knew Subhas Chandra Bose told Sinha that the Indian leader was lodged in Cell number 45 of Yakutsk prison. Kozlov told Sinha in 1954 and once before that he had seen Netaji there. Kozlov served sometime in Yakutsk before he was rehabilitated again. Sinha also said that he had met another agent Karl Leonard in Leipzig in Germany in 1950 who said that he had heard that the Indian leader Bose was serving time in Siberia. Sinha knew Nehru well and had been sent by him for some assignments in Eastern Europe in the late 1940s.

To prove his point Sinha who is now deceased testified- on oath- before the G D Khosla commission of inquiry set up to probe Netaji's disappearance and made these revelations. But the commission did not take cognizance of these details. Sinha had also told the commission that he had mentioned the facts to none less than Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself in 1951 but Nehru said that this was American propaganda and brushed him aside. He had reported the matter to S Radhakrishnan, Indian ambassador to USSR and later President of India and he too did not pay attention to Sinha. The M K Mukherjee commission of inquiry which was set up during the NDA government found it strange that the Khosla committee did not follow up on the leads provided by Sinha. The first commission of inquiry the Shah Nawaz Commission was set up in 1956 and Sinha said that he was persuaded not to testify before it.

The Shah Nawaz Commission (set up by Nehru) and the Khosla committee (set up by Indira Gandhi) concluded that Netaji died on 18 August 1945 after the Japanese military bomber that was carrying him to Tokyo from Singapore crashed at Taipei in Taiwan due to overloading. Netaji received third degree burns and died while being treated. He was cremated and after a Buddhist memorial service his ashes were carried to Tokyo where they were kept in Renkoji temple. The ashes are still there. But this version was disputed by Suresh Chandra Bose, the brother of Netaji and also a member of the Shah Nawaz Commission. The M K Mukherjee commission (set by NDA government following a court order) found that no air-crash ever happened at Taipei that day. The Mukherjee commission used the information provided to him by the Taiwanese government.

So what really happened? It seems that with the war coming to an end in August 1945 and the Japanese surrender imminent, Netaji did not want to remain in the Japanese camp. He realized that if the allied forces arrested him they would try him as a war criminal and probably hang him. This apprehension was not wrong because the Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo was tried and hanged for war crimes. Instead Netaji faked his death hoping to get the allied forces – the British and Americans off his back. At the same time he entered into Manchuria that was part of China then but under Japanese control. Though Japan had surrendered, in those days of slow communications, the Japanese had not evacuated from Manchuria. From Manchuria, the trail of Netaji is lost. But British intelligence in 1946, a year after his supposed death was speculating that he had possibly entered USSR.

Nobody knows precisely how Netaji landed in Siberia. It is possible that the Soviets first kept Netaji in a safe house trying to figure out what to do with him. There was probably pressure on USSR – it was also part of the Allied forces to try him. A close relative of Netaji who does not want to go on quote right now speculates that it was on Stalin to take a final call. The Cold War era was beginning and Stalin wanted to expand the sphere of influence of USSR to India. This was to keep India abroad from the orbit of USA. China already had good relations with USSR. It had been a Great Russian dream since the times of the Czar to get to the warm water ports of Asia. A friendly India would serve this purpose. Nehru was sufficiently friendly to USSR and according this close relative of Netaji had also written glowingly about USSR after visiting the country in 1927 and how the country was transforming itself. So Stalin decided to back Nehru and to ensure that he had no competition, packed off Netaji to the Gulags of Yakutsk. Unused to the harsh life of Siberia, Netaji died a few years later. Stalin died in March 1953. Netaji's death possibly preceded his.

Since the revelation of these facts would lead to a lot of angst in India, successive governments of India have been trying to put a lid on the controversy by suggesting that Netaji died in the air crash that never was. This is the reason why files relating to Netaji –many in the Prime Minister's office and many in the external affairs ministry – are not being declassified by the government. In fact the government always says that revelation of the contents of the file will adversely affect India's relations with a friendly country. But with a majority BJP government now in place: things might change. At least that is what Subramanian Swamy –who a few days ago asserted that Netaji had been killed by Stalin, promises.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Watch: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi convicted

Dignity to the dead should be a right

Most of us have been shocked, indeed horrified at the sight of over a hundred human bodies that surfaced in our holy river, Ganga, near Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. And even before one could get over the shock, came news that half a dozen more bodies were discovered under similar circumstances in river Betwa in the Barusagar area of Jhansi.

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No one is yet sure of what the real cause of these horrific incidents is. Theories and explanations are several.

1. Some traditional practices believe minors and unmarried girls are not cremated or buried, so they are simply allowed to flow away in the river

2. Some believe that last rites are not performed on those who die of snake bites

3. Priests, in order to save on wood and also to cremate more than what would generally be possible in a day, let not fully burnt bodies flow away. And of course,

4. The police department disposes of unclaimed bodies to save money and even to escape registering a case in their area.

Whatever the reason or cause be, the sight of dead bodies floating in the river and eagles and vultures and dogs feasting on them is something any nation would be ashamed of.

Dignity to the dead is something that cannot be compromised with. Period. Even in a war, any civilized society ensures that the enemy soldier is given the burial as per his/her traditions and customs. At times, the bodies are even handed over to the other party, for the dignity of the dead soldier is important. When this dignity can be maintained at the time of war, shouldn't it be a given to a person at any other time?

We have been spending thousands of crores over years in an attempt to clean our rivers. Seems the amount of money that has flowed in the so called attempt to clean these rivers is actually more than the amount of water itself. But yet again, there is a renewed bid to clean up the Ganga even as the nation's apex court has pulled up the government severely for the tardiness in getting its act together in 30 years. And this isn't the first time the apex court has pulled up the government in power. And be sure, it won't be the last either.

bodiesinganges (Pic: ANI)

One just wonders! Do these politicians who shamelessly loot our taxpayers money in the name of cleaning up our rivers, or those who build airstrips in their villages, once again using our money, so that their expensive luxury cars don't have to suffer the potholed roads they provide us commoners, have a conscience?

If they do, would it be very difficult to earmark some funds to ensure that the dead always get the dignity he or she deserves? Dignity to the dead should be a right. Isn't it!

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Green court bans vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 14 Januari 2015 | 07.20

NEW DELHI: On the day TOI highlighted the worsening state of Delhi's air, the National Green Tribunal cited the report and issued a slew of directions to immediately address the problem.

Among the 14 measures ordered by the green court on Wednesday was a ban on petrol and diesel vehicles older than 15 years — a move that's likely to take an estimated 10 lakh vehicles off the road. It also barred burning of waste in the open besides placing restrictions on parking and ordering stricter vigil on overloaded trucks entering the city.

NGT, which has the powers of a civil court, sought immediate steps for building cycle tracks in the city and asked authorities to probe the possibility of installing air purifiers at marketplaces.

READ ALSO: Jittery owners say they maintain vehicles well

The order was issued by a bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar, with expert members D K Agarwal and A R Yousuf, in response to a petition filed early this year on Delhi's air pollution by Vardhaman Kaushik.

"An article published in the Times of India today has been brought to the notice of the tribunal. It not only projects a very dismal state of affairs ... with clear indication that worst is likely to follow," the bench said.

NGT said petrol and diesel vehicles more than 15 years old shall not be permitted to on Delhi roads. These vehicles are to be seized by authorities as per the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act.

READ ALSO: Auto industry pushes for scrapping old vehicles

It also ordered that the RTO shall not renew or issue registration for such vehicles or provide fitness certificates. If any such old vehicle is parked in a public area, it would towed away and challaned, the tribunal said.

"It is undisputed...that the air pollution of NCT, Delhi is getting worse with each passing day," it stated.

READ ALSO: Burning of leaves — agencies pass buck

Referring to air pollution peaking in the morning hours, as reported by TOI, the order said, "This article declares that it may not be safe for residents of Delhi to go out for morning walks due to heavy pollutants present in the air."

TOI's report on Wednesday had displayed data from the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and Delhi Pollution Control Committee, which showed PM2.5 (fine pollution particles) peaking early in the morning, creating a health risk for those who exercise outdoors. Those exposed to air in the evenings are equally at risk of developing respiratory illnesses and complications, the data suggests.

READ ALSO: Traffic cops to help pumps enforce PUC-for-fuel rule

Delhi's air pollution levels are comparable with Beijing which has started implementing radical measures such as shutting industries during high pollution days, putting a cap on vehicles on the road and keeping schools closed on bad air quality days.

The NGT bench went a step ahead and ordered that any person will have the right to approach the tribunal, police or DPCC to complain about open burning of plastics, leaves and other materials which can result in air pollution. It directed DPCC and Delhi government to create a web portal where the public can upload pictures of any such violations. A "special force" constituted by the government will enforce the direction and ensure compliance.

READ ALSO: Enforcement needed now for results, say activists

The bench said no parking shall be allowed on tarred roads meant for regular traffic movement. "The chairperson was concerned about how Delhiites are going to cope in the high air pollution season that will last for the next six months. He was stern about immediate action on air pollution and gave the example of Lajpat Nagar, where it can take up to 40 minutes for motorists to reach the market from the main road due to congestion. He directed that parking be allowed only on one side of such roads near market areas," said Narender Pal Singh, advocate representing Delhi government.

The bench also directed that cycle tracks be constructed in most parts of the city immediately. DPCC was asked to examine the possibility of installing air purifiers in all markets, crowded places and areas where traffic was heavy.

"We make it clear that in the event of any officer or person found violating these directions or not complying with them, we will be compelled to take coercive steps and pass such orders as may be required in accordance with law," the order stated.

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At least 17 inmates dead of poisoning in Venezuela: Police

The author has posted comments on this articleAFP | Nov 27, 2014, 09.01AM IST

Page 1 of 4

CARACAS: At least 17 Venezuelan inmates who had been on hunger strike over prison conditions, died Wednesday of drug poisoning, police sources said.

The prisoners at David Viloria Correction Center, known as Uribana prison, in Venezuela's Lara state, had been protesting since Tuesday over what they said was inhumane treatment and rights violations by prison officials, anonymous police sources said.

Prison officials said the dead inmates were poisoned after ingesting prescription drugs.

How the inmates all came to consume one or more medications was not immediately clear.

A non-governmental group, Venezuelan Prisons Watch, said however there were 17 dead at the prison in Lara state, and that four more inmates died at a facility in the state of Maracay.

Prisons Minister Iris Varela said on Twitter there had been an incident involving "prisoners affected by inappropriate ingestion of medications" in the Lara jail.

She did not immediately confirm deaths.

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NCP attacks Maharashtra CM for not paying visit to 26/11 memorial

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Nov 26, 2014, 08.28PM IST

Page 1 of 4

MUMBAI: NCP today slammed chief minister DevendraFadnavis for not paying homage to the martyrs of 26/11 terror attacks by visiting the memorial built for them.

This is the first time Fadnavis has come under attack from NCP which has supported his minority government.

NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said for the last six years since the attacks Fadnavis had taken the lead in targeting the then state government over the issue and had derived political mileage.

"But after coming to power, he has conveniently forgotten the martyrs and stayed away from paying homage at the memorial in Mumbai. The excuse being given is he is with the President of India who is on tour of the state. But previous chief ministers, on such occasions, would send ministers in charge of protocol to the President's function," Malik said.

Malik alleged that Fadnavis had no sympathy for for the martyrs.

Meanwhile, state unit NCP president Sunil Tatkare visited the memorial of 26/11 martyrs here and paid homage.

Similarly, the state Congress also organised a function to mark the sixth anniversary of the terror attacks and observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for the martyrs.

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Chinks in security, heroin recovered from goods train form Pak

The author has posted comments on this articleYudhvir Rana, TNN | Nov 26, 2014, 08.55PM IST

Page 1 of 4

AMRITSAR :Despite claims of strict safety measures taken post November 2nd Wagah , Pakistan, suicide bomb blast, the security officials here recovered 7.480 kilogram heroin from goods train that arrived from Pakistan on Wednesday.

Sources seeking anonymity informed that the contraband was recovered on the specific intelligence input of Border Security Force. The heroin packets were concealed in the vacuum pipe of the goods train informed sources. Customer commissioner Sunil Shaney didn't' pick the phone to inform about the seizure. After Wagah bomb blast that claimed 61 lives custom officials here claimed to have made elaborate security arrangements. Earlier also there have been huge recoveries of heroin from goods train plying between India and Pakistan.

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Wall Street up for sixth straight week despite oil rout

The author has posted comments on this articleReuters | Nov 29, 2014, 02.03AM IST

NEW YORK: US stocks ended mostly flat in a holiday-shortened session on Friday as a massive decline in the energy sector offset strength in consumer names, but major indexes rose for a sixth straight week.

Crude oil fell below $68 per barrel a day after OPEC decided not to cut output, which could leave markets over supplied. The 7% decline was the biggest one-day drop since May 2011, with prices lowest since 2010.

"Crude seems to have no floor right now, and we could easily see the price drop into the low $60s," said Tony Roth, chief investment officer at Wilmington Trust in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Energy Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded fund fell 6.4% to $79.82 while the S&P energy index lost 6.3%, extending its run as the worst-performing S&P industry group of the year. Exxon Mobil Corp lost 4.2% to $90.54 while Chevron Corp fell 5.4% to $108.87; both are Dow components.

Shale energy companies saw outsized declines, as $70 oil is considered the level at which shale becomes an unprofitable alternative. Denbury Resources, QEP Resources and Newfield Exploration all lost more than 15%.

Oil weakness boosted airlines, which are inversely correlated to oil prices. Southwest Airlines rose 6.5% to $41.82 as the S&P 500's biggest percentage gainer, followed by Delta Air Lines, up 5.5% to $46.67.

Retailers rallied as lower gas prices could increase consumer spending. Wal-Mart Stores Inc rose 3% to $87.54, boosting the Dow, while the S&P 500 Retailing index was up 1.4%.

"[Oil] this low should be very additive to economic activity, not just with gas prices but across the economy," said Roth, who oversees $80 billion in assets. "Early holiday shopping numbers should come in pretty strong."

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.49 points to 17,828.24, the S&P 500 lost 5.27 points, or 0.25%, to 2,067.56 and the Nasdaq Composite added 4.31 points, or 0.09%, to 4,791.63.

Major indexes rose for a sixth straight week, the S&P's longest streak since November 2013. For the week, the Dow rose 0.1%, the S&P rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq rose 1.7%.

For November, the Dow rose 2.5%, the S&P added 2.5% and the Nasdaq 3.5%.

NYSE decliners issues outnumbered advancers 1,846 to 1,137, for a 1.62-to-1 ratio; on the Nasdaq, 1,777 issues fell and 875 advanced, for a 2.03-to-1 ratio.

The S&P 500 posted 152 new 52-week highs and 21 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 163 new highs and 80 new lows.

About 4.2 billion shares traded on all U.S. platforms, according to BATS exchange data.

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At least 17 inmates dead of poisoning in Venezuela: Police

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 11 Januari 2015 | 07.21

The author has posted comments on this articleAFP | Nov 27, 2014, 09.01AM IST

Page 1 of 4

CARACAS: At least 17 Venezuelan inmates who had been on hunger strike over prison conditions, died Wednesday of drug poisoning, police sources said.

Prison officials said the dead inmates were poisoned after ingesting prescription drugs.

How the inmates all came to consume one or more medications was not immediately clear.

A non-governmental group, Venezuelan Prisons Watch, said however there were 17 dead at the prison in Lara state, and that four more inmates died at a facility in the state of Maracay.

Prisons Minister Iris Varela said on Twitter there had been an incident involving "prisoners affected by inappropriate ingestion of medications" in the Lara jail.

She did not immediately confirm deaths.

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