FLIPKART BUYS MYNTRA FOR RS.2000 CRORE!!

In what could be seen as an early phase of consolidation in the ₹62,000-crore e-commerce market, India’s largest online retailer, Flipkart.com, has acquired fashion e-retailer Myntra.com.

Official sources at both the companies said the deal, which will be a combination of both cash and stock, is scheduled to be announced on Thursday.

While the exact deal size could not be ascertained, a few reports have pegged it at ₹1,800-2,000 crore, making it the largest in the space since South Africa’s Naspers, which has a stake in Flipkart, bought RedBus for ₹780 crore last year.

Comparing the deal with that of Amazon’s acquisition of Las Vegas-based fashion portal Zappos.com, market experts said that Flipkart’s purchase reflects a serious and much-needed effort by the company to tap into the online sales of apparel and fashion accessories.

Flipkart has had limited success with apparel and fashion accessories, the largest shopping categories in the online retail space.

According to a Technopak Advisory report, by 2019, the electronics and fashion segment will account for 30 per cent of the sales in the online e-commerce space.

However, it is not yet clear if Flipkart will acquire only the Myntra brand or its overall operations.

“I cannot share further details but Myntra will continue to run as a separate entity,” said a company official. Meanwhile, a statement from Flipkart maintained that it cannot comment on market speculation.

Amazon effect

The buzz about a Flipkart and Myntra deal broke out soon after Amazon’s entry in the Indian market.

According to market experts, the deal will help Sachin and Binny Bansal’s Flipkart garner a larger market share and give tough competition to Amazon, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant.

The transaction is said to have been initiated by common investors, Tiger Global Management and Accel Partners, which are understood to own majority shares in both the companies.

Sources say that while Sachin and Binny own less than 10 per cent of Flipkart, Mukesh Bansal owns around 6-7 per cent in Myntra. The deal could also see an exit by a few investors in Myntra.

source obtained from the link below:

http://news.in.msn.com/business/flipkart-buys-fashion-e-retailer-myntra

eBay asks million users to change passwords after cyber attack

American multinational Internet consumer-to-consumer corporation eBay has asked its users to change their passwords after a cyber attack.

The hack compromised database containing names, passwords and other personal information of millions of users.

According to the BBC, the US firm said a database had been hacked between late February and early March.

The database contained encrypted passwords and other non-financial data, including customers' name, encrypted password, email address, physical address, phone number and date of birth.

The company added that it had no evidence of there being unauthorised activity on its members' accounts.

However, it said that users should change their passwords as it was the 'best practice and will help enhance security for eBay users'.

The California-based company has 128 million active users and accounted for 212 billion dollars worth of commerce on its various marketplaces and other services in 2013.

According to the report, a spokesman added that the firm's engineers were in the process of rolling out a feature that would oblige members to choose new passwords when they next logged in.

source obtained from the link below:

https://in.news.yahoo.com/ebay-asks-million-users-change-passwords-cyber-attack-052948104.html

Bay quake shakes Visakhapatnam and many cities across India

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale jolted Delhi, Ranchi, Vizag, Chennai and parts of eastern and northern India. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property, but the quake shook up residents.

The quake struck 60 km east of Paradip at a depth of 10 km at 9.52 pm in the Bay of Bengal, said L.S. Rathore, director-general, Indian Meteorological Department.

The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) of the city-based INCOIS said there is no tsunami threat due to the earthquake.
A bulletin issued by the INCOIS said there was no tsunami threat for India due to the earthquake.

Meanwhile, INCOIS scientists said earthquakes of such magnitude have the small potential to trigger tsunamis but sea level gauges near the epicentre showed no tsunami activity.

In Andhra Pradesh, tremors were felt at several places along the coast including Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam.

A report from Vizag said people rushed out of homes at various places like MVP Colony, Yendada, and Gajuwaka. Vinod Vijayan, a resident of GR Residency, Yendada, said, “I had just arrived home from office when I felt the door shake. I entered and took out a bottle of water from the fridge, I felt the tremors again and also saw water shake. I did not waste any more time and got out of the house,” he said.

Bindu, of Prakashraopet, was sitting on the sofa and did not feel the early tremors. But then she heard the glass case vibrate and immediately rushed out.

A Chennai report said tremors were felt in parts of Nungambakkam, Porur and Triplicane where people rushed out of their homes.

source obtained from the link below:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140522/nation-current-affairs/article/bay-quake-shakes-visakhapatnam-many-cities

laziest ways to lose weight

What is your excuse for not working out or not losing weight? You don’t have time, you are travelling a lot, you are a foodie, or are you being just plain lazy? Well, now no more excuses are going to work for you, or keep you away from living a healthier life and getting a fitter body. Here is a compilation of the “laziest ways to lose weight” that will make it easier for you to discipline your bulging body.

Even the weirdest reasons not to sweat will be excused and be offered with a remedy. Our ways are simple and effective but they are not to be confused with yielding results similar to running on a treadmill or doing crunches. You will need patience and discipline, and at the end, you will be pleasantly rewarded.

Brush your teeth after dinner

You will be surprised when you read this one; this is not only about your dental hygiene, but for your weight loss too. Brushing your teeth after dinner extinguishes unsatisfied appetite, the same appetite responsible for dessert indulgences and midnight snacking- two of the primary causes of weight gain. Brushing teeth after dinner is a signal for your mind to stop eating.

source obtained from the link below:

https://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/photos/easy-weight-loss-tricks-for-lazy-people-slideshow/

6 reasons to drink more water

Scientifically speaking, water is the basis of life, but beyond being essential to your very existence, water serves all sorts of purposes that help you feel your absolute best. No, it can't cure cancer (though it may help prevent it), pay your rent (though it does save you money), or take out the trash, here are six reasons H2O can help solve many annoying day-to-day health issues-and possibly prevent a few big ones-from headaches to those last few pounds.

1. Water boosts metabolism:
Trying to lose weight? Drinking water can boost your body's ability to burn fat. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking water (about 17oz) increases metabolic rate by 30 percent in healthy men and women. The boost occurred within 10 minutes but reached a maximum 30-40 minutes after drinking.


2. Studies also suggest that drinking one or two glasses of water before a meal can fill you up so you naturally eat less, says Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD spokesperson for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Plus, even mild dehydration will slow down metabolism by as much as 3 percent. 2. It safeguards your heart: Speaking of essential for life…drinking a good amount of water could lower your risk of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41 percent less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. Bonus: Drinking all that water may reduce cancer risk as well. Research shows that staying hydrated can reduce risk of colon cancer by 45 percent, bladder cancer by 50 percent, and possibly reduce breast cancer risk too.

3. Water prevents headaches: The most debilitating kind as well: Migraines. In one study published in the journal Neurology, scientists recruited migraine sufferers and divided them into two groups: one took a placebo, the others were told to drink 1.5 liters of water (about six cups) in addition to their usual daily intake. At the end of two weeks, the water group had experienced 21 fewer hours of pain than those in the placebo group, as well as a decrease in pain intensity.

4. Water boosts your brainpower: Your brain needs a lot of oxygen to function at optimum levels, so drinking plenty of water ensures that it's getting all it needs. In fact, drinking eight to 10 cups of water per day can improve your levels of cognitive performance by as much as 30 percent.
The door swings both ways: Research shows that a dehydration level of just 1 percent of your body weight reduces thinking functions, so staying well-hydrated is super important for your mental performance .

5. It makes you rich: Making water your go-to drink saves a lot of money in the long run. Even though 60 percent of the U.S. population buys bottled water , it's still cheaper, on average, than juices, sodas, and Starbucks- especially when you buy it by the case. What's even cheaper: buying a filter and drinking water out of the tap. To put it in perspective, replacing your daily can of soda at lunch with a free-from-the-tap glass of water (or water cooler if you have access to one) can save you about $180 a year.

6. It keeps you alert: Dehydration is the single most common cause of daytime fatigue , so if your afternoon slump is more like a desperate need for an afternoon nap, guzzle a glass of water. It can also make you better at your job, or at least prevent you from being bad at a it-just a two percent dehydration level can trigger short-term memory problems and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or printed page. 
source obtained from the link below:
https://in.lifestyle.yahoo.com/6-reasons-to-drink-more-water.html

Easy ways to keep water clean and cold for this summer

Whenever we came rushing back home in the sweltering heat, my grandmother always insisted on us drinking water from a matka, kept wrapped in a wet bright red cloth, rather than grabbing a refrigerated chilled water bottle. Traditionally, the matkas and other earthen pots have been used to store and keep water cold. Water stored in a matka or a surahi (another earthen pot with a narrow and long neck) gets cooled within a few hours, because they are porous. Thanks to that quality, the air moves in and out of the pot, bringing down the temperature of the water stored inside it.

Water from a matka is comparatively gentler on the throat; hence people who are prone to cough and colds are advised to consume it from such earthen pots than straight from a refrigerator.

Nowadays, you’ll also see jug-shaped earthen pots to store water, they are handy and will also look nice on your dining table. So this summer, bring on those cute looking matkas, delicate surahis, and jugs for refreshingly fresh and cool water. But make sure you scrub and clean them regularly.

Store water in a copper vessel

Ayurveda recommends storing and drinking water from copper vessels. It is assumed that water stored overnight in a copper vessel,

• accumulates traces of copper, which are beneficial in strengthening the muscular system
• purifies the blood and remove toxins
• ,

To attain the above said benefits, the copper vessel should be made of at least 95 % copper and 5 % zinc. Anything less than 95 per cent will not kill the damaging pathogens.

However, storing water in a copper vessel can even prove to be detrimental if the vessel is not cleaned and washed regularly. Make sure that the container is scrubbed and rinsed well and ensure that there are no deposits left in it.

Sometimes the stored water looks and becomes cloudy (turbid) and unclear. Sedimentation is a physical process used to remove such turbidity of water by settling down the suspended particles.

The process of sedimentation can be quickened by adding certain chemicals such as alum or fitkari. To treat and purify the contaminated water at home, a piece of alum can be added and left unstirred for a couple of hours. After some time, the impurities get collected at the bottom of the vessel. After which, transfer the clear water into another container.

Bring it to a boil

Simply boiling the water is the easiest and most effective method of disinfecting the water. It effectively destroys most of the microorganisms such as bacteria, ,viruses, protozoan and other pathogens.

A “rolling boil” for a minimum of one minute is enough to kill most of these disease-causing organisms.

source obtained from the link below:

easy-ways-keep-water-clean-cold-summer

Microsoft markets latest, 12-inch Surface tablet to those who don't want separate laptop

 Microsoft bills its new Surface tablet computer as a laptop replacement — and it means it this time.

The Surface Pro 3 will have a screen measuring 12 inches diagonally, up from 10.6 inches in the previous model. The Pro 3 is 32 percent thinner and 12 percent lighter than October's Pro 2. The company said it customized more than 100 parts and worked closely with chipmaker Intel Corp. to maximize performance in a slim device.

Microsoft had also billed the Surface Pro 2 as a laptop replacement, but Surface executive Ben Reed said technological advances and customer feedback over the past several months led to the device unveiled Tuesday.

The Surface Pro 3 will go on sale this summer, in five configurations ranging from $799 to $1,949. Microsoft will start taking orders Wednesday. Older models will still be available. The starting price of the Pro 2 is $100 more, at $899, but it has a faster processor than the Pro 3's starting model.

A keyboard cover to make the tablet feel like a laptop costs $130 more.

The Surface is an important part of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's mobile-focused strategy. The company is trying to boost sales of Windows tablets and phones to stay relevant with consumers as computing habits change.

Microsoft executives spent much of an hour-long presentation in New York comparing the Surface with Apple's iPad and MacBook Air laptop and tried to make the case for the Pro 3 to replace both.

In an interview, Reed said he believes people want to lighten their bags by carrying a single Surface instead of separate tablet and laptop computers.

Microsoft also faces competition from Samsung Electronics Co., which has a line of large-size Android tablets aimed at professionals.

The first Surface came out in late 2012 to lackluster sales. The debut of second-generation devices last October came with a greater marketing emphasis on tasks people normally tackle on laptops, such as creating documents and editing movies.

In the January-March period, revenue from Surface devices grew more than 50 percent from the year before to about $500 million. But that figure pales in comparison with Apple's reported $7.6 billion in iPad revenue for the same quarter.

In a research note, analysts Daniel H. Ives and James Moore of FBR Capital Markets said the new Surface is progress for Microsoft, but "we continue to believe Microsoft faces an uphill battle versus the likes of Samsung and Apple." The analysts said Microsoft "has been late to the game on the tablet front, and Surface's impact has been underwhelming thus far."

The Surface line is notable for its built-in kickstand. With the Pro 3, the kickstand can be adjusted to a range of positions, much the way a laptop's screen can be opened at various angles.

The Surface line puts Microsoft in competition with some of its own partners — the makers of tablets and laptops that use Microsoft's Windows operating system. Nadella sought to quell concerns by saying the company's goal was to create demand in new types of products and boost the entire industry.

"We are not building hardware for hardware's sake," Nadella said. "We want to build experiences that bring together all the capabilities of the company."

The vision of the Surface, he said, was to design a product that "takes the best of the tablet and the laptop" and enable people to read, create, write, watch and enjoy.