“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. ”     VBA's Positive News Euro zone economic mood rises to 13-month high in June Euro zone economic confidence improved by more than expected in June, rising to its highest level in a little over a year, a sign that Europe could be emerging from nearly three years of slump brought about by its debt and economic crisis. Confidence improved across all areas except services, with all five of the euro zone's largest economies -- Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and notably Spain showing an upturn.      US: Consumer spending rebounds, jobless claims fall Consumer spending rebounded in May and new applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting the economy remained on a moderate growth path. Last month's spending increase was in line with economists' expectations. When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending rose 0.2 per cent last month after dipping 0.1 per cent in April.    Canada: Finally, good news on homelessness - Toronto Star editorial The State of Homeless in Canada 2013, released by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, showed a 51 per cent drop in the number of people living on the streets of Toronto between 2006 and 2011. Vancouver did better, with a 66 per cent decrease over the same period. Across Alberta, municipalities were turning the tide. Edmonton topped the list with a 30 per cent reduction in overall homelessness since 2008. China, South Korea push for North Korea talks China's President welcomed his South Korean counterpart on Thursday as an 'old friend of China' and agreed to make a push for new talks with North Korea on Thursday as two of Asia's newest leaders met for the first time. China, Asia's largest economy, consumes 15 per cent of South Korean exports in annual trade worth $215 billion.    Video of the Day:

Political Advani hits back at Omar         Against the backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah slamming him on the issue of revocation of special status to the state, senior BJP leader L K Advani today advised him not to use words like cheating and deceiving and clarified that his party has always been opposed to Article 370. In his latest blog posting, Advani said even the Congress party- other than Jawaharlal Nehru and a few other leaders- were strongly opposed to giving a special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Advani quotes from a biography of Sardar Patel to argue that even he was against Article 370 but kept his views in the background out of his regard for Nehru. "Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, has every right to disagree with the BJP on matters relating to J&K. "But I would advise him never to use offensive language and words like cheating and deceiving in that context, Advani said on his blog. Advani had recently said Article 370 should be revoked. Abdullah had responded to this without naming Advani and slammed him for raising the "false boggy of revocation" of the provision. Holding that it is "highly improper" for anyone to use offensive words like "cheating" in the context of BJP's stand on J-K, Advani said his party has "not only been unequivocal,forthright and consistent from the time Jana Sangh (BJP's predecessor) was born in 1951 till today, but it is an issue for which the Party's Founder President laid down his own life.    Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who founded the Jana Sangh was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir in 1952 when he tried to enter the state without a permit which was required then to go to there.    He died- allegedly under mysterious circumstances- during his incarceration."Since our very first all India session at Kanpur, we have been championing complete integration of J&K State with India, Advani said.    Astrology   Aries March 21 to April 19 What a wonderful day for you and your family. This may be one of the best days to get together and work around the house or simply gather and enjoy the company of your loved ones. You may have been through difficulties lately, so this may feel like a day to enjoy the comfort and share the love. Home-based projects also bode well under these skies, as the pieces and the players just seem to fit together quite naturally.                                               Taurus April 20 to May 20 You may be involved in a research project that allows you to make interesting connections and see very positive results - a big curiosity might be the best way to describe it. The same would apply your being in a position to speak with authority and resolve. Jupiter in your communication sector may lead you to investigate interesting and even unusual topics. This may feel quite natural and satisfying.                                         Gemini May 21 to June 20 A little boost may come your way, as your finances appear to be tracking along nicely. Little perks, refunds, and the like are possible, as this theme tends to bring expansive results. The Sun and Jupiter together in your money sector may mean a bonus might be headed your way or maybe an unexpected check or reward. Outside money may have bearing, and you may get word of assistance from a relative.                             Cancer June 21 to July 22  The Sun will shine on you, and Jupiter will magnify all that love coming your way. This may be a time when everyone you meet seems to be your friend, and nothing but goodness will flow toward you. This may be a marvelous time to go shopping and bump into friends and acquaintances. Those who know you may be keen to have you around, and you may find that all this attention is quite a delight.                                              Leo July 23 to Aug. 22  This should be an excellent day for completing a few of your projects. If you have been working on collaborative events or projects, it might be time to wrap them up and put them away. They may be finished or they may have been on hold for time, but the universe seems to be asking you to shift gears to things new and different. Ideas that come to you may be quite magnificent and rich with potential.                                     BUSINESS+VE                                                                              Power, CNG to get costlier as 100% hike in gas price cleared     NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to double the price of domestic gas to $8.4 a unit after a contentious meeting in which at least four ministers strongly opposed the move, questioning the rationale for the hike in rates. Power, CNG and urea would become costlier from April 1 next year in keeping with a complex formula that will increase the price of gas from all domestic fields operated by government and private oil firms. At present, gas from ONGC and OIL's old fields as well as Reliance Industries Ltd's KG-D6 block is priced at $4.2 per unit. If the Rangarajan formula is to be applied now, gas would cost $6.7 per unit. At this price, power tariff from gas fired plants aggregating 28,000 mw could jump by Re 1.50 per unit and the government's annual fertilizer subsidy would rise by over Rs 4,000 crore. Similarly, price of CNG and piped kitchen gas too would rise. But following the Cabinet decision, the burden may be higher as the price would double to $8.4 a unit from next April when the formula comes into effect and $10 a unit by 2015. The price could be higher if global prices at the liquid gas trading hubs in the UK, the US and Japan were to rise. There was no official briefing at the end a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs that saw a prolonged discussion lasting almost 100 minutes. A detailed briefing is scheduled for Friday. At the Cabinet meeting, science and technology minister S Jaipal Reddy - who resisted the move to hike gas prices when he was oil minister - argued that there was no financial or geological basis to the decision to hike domestic prices. His argument that the government's expectation that an increase in gas prices will spur investment and reduce imports were ill founded in light of India's estimated hydrocarbon reserves was echoed by rural development minister Jairam Ramesh. Ramesh is understood to have said that while the government is offering incentive pricing, the prospects of gas were unverified. "The outgo is certain, the prospects are uncertain," Reddy is understood to have argued. Power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is understood to have opposed the gas price hike, saying it will severely impact electricity production. The cost of power was bound to go up, he said. The outgo on power and fertilizer is billed at $6 billion (over Rs 36,000 crore). Fertilizer minister Srikant Jena also pitched in with those sceptical of the government's calculations, saying that some middle eastern nations provided gas at cheap rates to their fertilizer companies. Finance minister P Chidambaram led the arguments in favour of increasing gas prices, saying that accepting an increase to $6.7 in the immediate context is better than paying $14 a unit for imports.   He was supported by law minister Kapil Sibal, commerce minister Anand Sharma, Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and oil minister Veerappa Moily. HEALTH+VE                                                              Oddball Indian wedding rituals       If you thought wedding ceremonies can't get more bizarre than the groom breaking a wine glass by stepping on it at a Jewish wedding, or the Finnish bride going from door to door with a pillowcase to collect her wedding gifts accompanied by an old man with an umbrella, think again. Not only are Baltic or Greek wedding traditions peculiar, some of our very own rituals surrounding the wedding can be as off-the-wall. True, a wedding brings happy tidings to the family, but it is after all the eclectic rituals associated with it that make for real memories. The most common perception of a Hindu wedding is the lighting up of the Vedic fire around which the bride and groom walk seven times while the priest chants mantras. Assumingly for the sake of brevity, almost all television series or cinema dealing with a Hindu wedding conjures up an image similar to this. Then what about the many awkward and flamboyant rituals that precede or succeed it, rituals that are unique to every culture, rituals that are perhaps relevant no more but lovingly adhered to. With the wedding season upon us, let's vet some truly obscure Indian wedding traditions that evoke emotions ranging from laughter, grimace, scorn, tears, to sheer amusement. Bengali weddings: That the mother of the bride is not supposed to see the wedding is common knowledge. But did you know that on the day of the wedding, married women from the bride's family rise at the break of dawn and arrange a plate of aarti complete with sweets, twigs and incense, and go over to invite the Ganges to the wedding of their daughter. The holy river is believed to bless the girl in her future life. Bihari weddings: This could be a rather curious post-wedding ritual performed by any groom's-side-of-the-family on bringing the bride home. Here an eager, expectant bride suddenly finds herself grappling with a huge earthen pot set on her head by her mother-in-law. Without losing time, few more pots are added to the pile while she is expected to bow down and touch the elders' feet. As the dramatic scene is played out, all and sundry gather to see how many pots the new bride actually balances, which is ostensibly an indicator of her skills at striking a balance in the family. Tribal wedding in UP: Sarsaul, a small town in Kanpur district has given a new dimension to wedding hospitality. In keeping with the tradition, the baaratis here are not greeted with flowers and rose water spray, instead tomatoes and potatoes are hurled at them followed by a round of choicest abuses. Your sides might hurt imaging such a welcome, but the tradition takes root in the belief that a relationship that doesn't begin on a not-so-happy note always culminates in love. Rabha weddings in Assam: The weddings of the Rabha tribes of Assam is an aesthetic affair. Performed as per Gandharva marriage tradition, the ceremony involves a simple exchange of garlands - no pheras around the fire, and a lavish feast to round it up with. An extremely patriarchal ritual, the newly wed on their first day together at the boy's family home is expected to give a hand in cooking the afternoon meal and serve only to the male, elderly members of the family. For the rest, food is served in subsequent batches by the helpers.     Virgo Aug. 23 to Sept. 22  Join hands with one of your friends and see if you can work together. This may be an ideal time for collaborative work of any sort. You may be planning an event, or getting ready to launch a new product, but the saying that many hands make light work may be the perfect phrase for you now. If you can find the people, reach out and ask for the help, and it may come.                             Libra Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 This may be a marvelous day for getting work done. Jupiter and the Sun work together along with you to bring in lots of excitement and opportunities. The only thing to be aware of will be checking facts and figures before you work too far ahead. Mercury is in retrograde still, and you may be wise to double-check contracts, reports and other written correspondence, especially if the deadline is nearing. The last thing you want is a small oversight to send you backwards.                                Scorpio Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 A little research work might be in order. This may be the one area where you tend to come alive. Digging in deep and uncovering hidden gems may be one of your particular specialties. The same may be true if you have the opportunity to travel. If you are out and about, you may feel a bit like a detective as information and intuition guide you toward a yet-to-be-discovered answer. This may be right up your alley.                           Sagittarius Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 You may be attending to insurance claims, taxes, and other legal inquiries as the Sun and Jupiter light up that sector of your routine life. These are necessary duties that may even bring good news as you work your way through the paperwork and forms. It may be wise to double-check your figures, since Mercury in retrograde may trip you up along the way. This may be especially true if you are clearing up old records or ledgers.                                            Capricorn Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 The Sun and Jupiter are together and may shine warmth and goodness on you and your partner. Jupiter tends to expand and with the Sun shining, this may be a wonderfully rich and warm experience for you both. Mercury in retrograde may cloud the issue, but it may also be just a simple distraction, like your messages getting crossed. You may be trying to connect while you are out, and your text messages may arrive late.                                Aquarius Jan. 20 to Feb. 18  This may be an especially relevant time for helping others. Charities, neighborhood parties and the like may be natural outlets for such humanitarian efforts. You may feel quite at home in this realm since you may enjoy that larger view of events, people, and connection. You may find a way to blend your skills and bring them to a larger audience. There are many people who are in need and would welcome your sense of compassion.                 Pisces Feb. 19 to March 20  You may have the best placement in the zodiac, as fun and creativity are wide open and available as the Sun and Jupiter light up that sector of your life. This may be a fabulous time to get out and have fun. Amusement parks, parties, theaters, concerts, and other fun activities are favored, so get out and indulge while you have this wonderful glow in your life. The beach may be calling as the weekend unfolds in what may be a highly memorable time for you.                                       Moral Story     SMS     “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”          LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS       Love--that divine fire which was made to light and warm the temple of home--sometimes burns at unholy altars.     LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS        The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on.         KID :- Why some of ur hair are white dad ? DAD : - Every time a son make his dad unhappy , one of his father's hair turns white ..... KID :- Now understand why grandpa's hairs are all white.

EDUCATION +VE National Institute of Open Schooling offer for students who flunked exam           PATNA: Those students who failed in the board exam conducted by any recognized board this year, can now save their precious one year from getting wasted as National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is giving them another chance. These students can appear in NIOS's second public exam that will be held in October this year. All they need to do is fill up the online registration form by July 20. As per the regulation, an unsuccessful student has to write the exam for three additional subjects besides the subject in which s/he has failed. Besides this, the marks of the other two subjects obtained in the main board exam will be transferred.   However, the condition is that those two subjects should be part of NIOS's education scheme. Students registered under this Transfer Of Credit (TOC) scheme have to attach a copy of the mark-sheet obtained from the main board. Meanwhile, NIOS has announced registration for the secondary and senior secondary classes for the year 2014 and registration can be done online.   There is no upper age limit for registration for these classes, but for registration for secondary (class X) and senior secondary (class XII), the candidate should not be less than 14 years and 15 years respectively on July 31 of the year of registration. The online registration for the batches is open till August 31. Also, to encourage vocational studies, NIOS is coming up with teleconferencing facility for its students. With this facility, students at vocational study centres here can interact with the officials at headquarters in Noida and ask questions regarding vocational studies.     SPORTS +VE After Champions Trophy triumph, India only thinking of moving up: Dhoni          KINGSTON: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said his team will only be thinking of moving in one direction, and that is "up", when taking on the West Indies and Sri Lanka in a 13-day tri-series tournament that gets underway in the West Indies from Friday.   Participating in captains interaction with the media here ahead of the tri-series, Dhoni said:     "The expectations will pretty much remain the same when it comes to Indian cricket..if things are moving, it will only move in one direction which is up."   Dhoni, who was speaking just days after India had won the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in the United Kingdom, further said:     "What is very important for us is not to look too far ahead. We will take it series by series."   "We have just finished a world tournament in the UK, and now, we are in the West Indies.   First, we will have to see the two teams which are ahead of us.   The performance was really good in the UK, but we need to continue." It maybe recalled that India beat England in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy by five runs Apart from Dhoni, West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said they were upbeat about their chances in the Celkon Mobile Cup tournament. All three promised some exciting and entertaining cricket for Caribbean fans. Bravo, Dhoni and Mathews pledged to bring their "A" game in the June 28 to July 11 tournament. "It is going to be a fantastic series. We are all excited to get going. Going head-to-head with India and Sri Lanka, we know it will be a great series.   We know we can expect the carnival atmosphere and that is one of the things the gets us fired up when we play at home in the Caribbean," Bravo said. "I am looking forward to leading my team to great things and to make the people of the Caribbean proud. Playing at home is always good where we have the support of our hands," Bravo added. Mathews, who led Sri Lanka into the semifinals in the ICC Champions Trophy, described his side as the underdogs, but added that they would be looking to play to their strengths. "We know we are up against two huge teams - they are the two current champions of the T20 and the 50-over World Cups.   To match them we need to play some really good cricket and play to our strengths," said the all-rounder, who is preparing for his 98th ODI on Friday. "We feel like the underdogs but I think I have the team to well in this format and I have confidence in my players and my team - I am getting a lot of support from all the senior guys and the junior guys,"   Mathews said. The tournament - which will feature seven matches in 13 days - bowls off on Fridaywhen West Indies clash with Sri Lanka at Sabina Park at 8 pm Indian Standard Time.     LOOTERA LOOTERA    Movie Name :   LOOTERA     Release Date :   5 July 2013 Genre :  Romance drama film Producer : Ekta Kapoor,Shobha Kapoor,Anurag Kashyap,Vikas Bahl Director :   Vikramaditya Motwane Music Director : Amit Trivedi Cast : Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha   Synopsis: The year is 1953. A visiting archaeologist called Varun Shrivastav comes to the village of Manikpur in West Bengal to excavate the temple grounds of the local Zamindar. With knowledge and experience beyond his young demeanour, Varun greatly impresses the Zamindar and his family. Especially Pakhi, the Zamindar’s feisty and only daughter, who finds herself irrevocably drawn towards him.But Varun isn’t all he seems on the surface. And as the simmering attraction between him and Pakhi leads to a tender and deep love, he is forced to choose between her and his past.Making his choice, Varun disappears.   Pakhi struggles to move on with her life, determined to forget him and their relationship. Until one day, when he returns under the most extraordinary circumstances.Inspired from O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf”, Lootera is the uplifting story of two lovers. Of heartbreak, betrayal… and ultimate redemption.   The Statue of Liberty's tablet is two feet thick. " INSPIRING STORY "     Hospital window      Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by th! e window portrayed it with descriptive words.Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

“Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. Courage is what counts. ”