Key House Republican spoke to white nationalist group in 2002 -report

The No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, gave a speech at a conference of white nationalists when he was a state lawmaker in 2002, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing his spokeswoman.

Spokeswoman Moira Bagley said Scalise, majority whip in the House of Representatives, was not familiar with the ideology of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, or EURO, when he attended the event in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, the Washington Post reported.

EURO was founded in 2000 by David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives and ran a high-profile race for governor in 1991.

Responding to the report, Scalise told the Times-Picayune newspaper on Monday he had no involvement with the group and does not recall speaking at the event.

"I didn't know who all of these groups were and I detest any kind of hate group. For anyone to suggest that I was involved with a group like that is insulting and ludicrous," Scalise said.

He also said he spoke with many during that period, including the League of Women Voters, a group the Republican described as "liberal."

"I still went and spoke to them. I spoke to any group that called," he said.

Scalise attended the EURO event to build support for his efforts to eliminate political slush funds and to oppose increased taxes on the middle class, Bagley said, according to the Post.

"The hate-fueled ignorance and intolerance that group projects is in stark contradiction to what Mr Scalise believes and practices as a father, a husband, and a devoted Catholic," she said, according to the newspaper.

Bagley did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The revelation comes as Republicans, who control the House, are preparing to cement their grip in Congress as they take charge in the Senate.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit civil rights organization, classifies EURO as a hate group.

Erick Erickson, a prominent conservative blogger, expressed skepticism that Scalise was unaware of EURO's agenda at the time of the conference.

"How the hell does somebody show up at a David Duke organized event in 2002 and claim ignorance?" Erickson wrote on his RedState blog.

Scalise's appearance at the event was first reported on Sunday by Louisiana politics blogger Lamar White Jr.

Indonesia halts search for missing AirAsia plane as night falls

 Indonesia called off until first light a search for an AirAsia plane with 162 people on board that went missing on Sunday after pilots asked to change course to avoid bad weather during a flight from Indonesia's Surabaya city to Singapore.

Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501, an Airbus 320-200 carrying 155 passengers and seven crew, lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. (2317 GMT on Saturday). No distress signal had been sent, said Joko Muryo Atmodjo, an Indonesian transport ministry official.

On board were 155 Indonesians, three South Koreans and one each from Singapore, Malaysia and Britain, plus a French pilot, the airline said in a statement, correcting earlier information.

Tatang Kurniadi, head of Indonesia's National Committee of Safety Transportation, expressed hope of locating the aircraft quickly and said it was too early to detect any of the so-called electronic pings from its black box recorder.

"We are using our capacity to search on sea and land. Hopefully we can find the location of the plane as soon as possible," he told a news conference.

"What I need to emphasize is until now, we have not found out how the plane fell or what kind of emergency it was."

Indonesia AirAsia is 49 percent owned by Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia (AIRA.KL), which has had a clean safety record since it began operating 13 years ago. The AirAsia group also has affiliates in Thailand, the Philippines and India. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights, according to Airbus (AIR.PA).

The pilots of QZ8501 "was requesting deviation due to en-route weather before communication with the aircraft was lost," the airline said in a statement. Singapore, Malaysia, Britain, South Korea and Australia offered to help in the search and any investigation. Malaysia said it was sending vessels and a C130 aircraft while Singapore had also sent a C130. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said a P3 Orion aircraft was on standby if needed.

ANXIOUS RELATIVES

Flight QZ8501 was between Tanjung Pandan on Indonesia's Belitung island and Pontianak, in West Kalimantan province on Borneo - almost halfway between Surabaya and Singapore - when it went missing. There was bad weather over Belitung at the time and the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet before asking to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.

In both Surabaya and Singapore, anxious relatives of people on the plane awaited news.

Louise Sidharta was at Singapore's Changi Airport waiting for her fiancée to return from a family holiday.

"It was supposed to be their last vacation before we got married," she said.

A man named Purnomo told TVOne in Surabaya of a lucky escape.

"I should have been on the flight," he said. "We, seven people, had planned to go to Singapore for vacation but this morning I had an emergency. I had my passport in hand."

Tony Fernandes, chief of Malaysia's AirAsia, said he was heading to Surabaya.

"My only thoughts are with the passengers and my crew. We put our hope in the SAR (search and rescue) operation and thank the Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysian governments," he said on Twitter.

AirAsia swapped its distinctive bright red logo for a grey background on its website and social media accounts.

The incident comes during a troubled year for Malaysia-affiliated airlines. Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 on a trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew on board and has not been found.

On July 17, Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Indonesia AirAsia has a fleet of 30 Airbus A320s. The missing plane has been in service for just over six years, according to airfleets.net.

All AirAsia-branded airlines operate aircraft made by Airbus, which has orders for several hundred planes from the group. AirAsia is considered one of the European planemaker's most important customers.

Priyanka Chopra lets go of Rs 20 crore offer to spend time with family

Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra has chased big dreams and has managed to do so for many years in movies as well as in endorsements. However there are certain aspects of her life that even money can’t buy and that is spending time with her family.

According to a report in DNA After Hrs, many event organizers have approached her with an idea of getting into a live concert. After three hit singles, ‘In My City’, ‘Exotic’ and ‘I can’t make you love me’, she has opened herself  to new avenue which she is taking very seriously.

 

In the past, Priyanka Chopra at a media event had said that if you are a creative person, you would like to do more than one thing. After going through the offer, the report suggest that she turned it down because she wants to go for a family vacation.

 

Once she is back, she resumes Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s mega project ‘Bajirao Mastani’ where she plays the role of Kashibai.

Salman Khan tops Forbes' richest Indian celebrity list for 2014 with Rs 244.5cr earnings

Karachi, Dec. 14 (ANI): Salman Khan has made it to the top slot with Rs 244.5cr earnings beating Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list of 2014.

The 48-year-old actor grabbed the number one position both in terms of revenues and fame, which was a first, the Dawn reported.

Whereas, Big B was second in overall ranking and third in the money rankings with earnings of Rs 196.75 crore and his fame rank was 4 which was not surprising since he has nearly 12 million Twitter following, the largest for anybody on that platform in India.

While, King Khan's ranking this year dropped to number 2 with earnings of Rs 202.4 crore and his fame rank dropped to seven, leaving his overall ranking at number 3.

Emraan Hashmi, Pritam, Amit Trivedi, Sajid Khan, and Jeev Milkha Singh are amongst celebrities who could not hold on to their spots.

Celebrities are ranked on two counts, money and fame to calculate their overall ranking.

The top 10 from the list are the following:

1. Salman Khan - Rs 244.50 crore
2. Amitabh Bachchan - Rs 196.75 crore
3. Shah Rukh Khan - Rs 202.40 crore
4. MS Dhoni - Rs 141.80 crore
5. Akshay Kumar - Rs 172.00 crore
6. Virat Kohli - Rs 58.43 crore
7. Aamir Khan - Rs 80.47 crore
8. Deepika Padukone - Rs 67.20 crore
9. Hrithik Roshan - Rs 85.00 crore

10. Sachin Tendulkar - Rs 59.54 crore (ANI)

Cricket Highest Score in ODI :- Rohit 264 powers India to 404

Rohit Sharma's first ODI in 10-weeks began with a touch of nerves. He was even kept scoreless in one Angelo Mathews maiden. By the end of the innings, there was no shot he had not played. No part of the ground he had not exploited. No bowler who escaped his brutality. Rohit amassed 45 more runs than any ODI batsman had ever managed in an innings, finishing on 264 from 173 balls when he was finally caught off the last ball of the innings. India, almost incidentally, had moved to 404 for 5, despite having traveled at a run rate of less than six for the first 32 overs. 

Rohit's innings was so outrageous that the first 100 runs, which were hit at a run-a-ball, seem achingly humdrum in comparison to the 164 that followed. The surge had actually begun before he reached his century, when he plundered 14 runs in four balls, in Nuwan Kulasekara's 30th over. Soon after that, the ball would be leaping off the middle of his bat with almost every stroke he offered. 

There were many incredible shots, from among his 33 fours and nine sixes, but the most gobsmacking was the six off Kulasekara at the end of the 48th over, when he walked across to off stump, took a half volley from about a foot and half away from him and flicked it high over the midwicket boundary. It was the kind of shot, and innings, that seemed in open defiance of physics. 

Sri Lanka had played a tour match against Mumbai to warm-up for the series, but little did they know Rohit was warming-up against them. He hit 142 from 111 in that match - his first competitive game since fracturing a finger in August - and he has now re-embedded himself at the top of the India batting order in the most resounding fashion imaginable. 

The most dispiriting aspect of the flogging for Sri Lanka was their complicity in it. Shaminda Eranga had extracted a thick outside edge from Rohit in the fifth over, and though the ball carried comfortably to Thisara Perera at third man, he shelled the chance. Having been dropped on four, Rohit would become the third India centurion this series, to have been reprieved early in his innings. It makes sense, then, that since he hit a double-century, he should be dropped twice. Seekkuge Prasanna obliged him, when he shelled another straightforward chance off Rohit in the 46th over, with the batsman on 201 this time. 

Nuwan Kulasekara had strayed too straight to Rahane, in particular, who picked him off for a spate of legside fours to kick the India innings into gear, in a 14-run first over. Angelo Mathews and Eranga delivered more disciplined new-ball spells, claiming a wicket each inside the first 15 overs, but that is as good as the visitors' bowling effort got. Sri Lanka's lines and lengths worsened gradually from the 20th over onwards, until they had become almost farcically bad by the 35th. 

Another beautifully orchestrated batting Powerplay from India - between the 29th and 34th overs - brought them 67 runs, and was enough to hammer the Sri Lanka bowlers off their rhythm for the rest of the innings. Short, wide deliveries, thigh-high full tosses and rank long hops were presented with alarming regularity, and the fielding was almost as woeful. Sri Lanka had not expected to begin the series strongly, given their lack of preparation, but in these two disciplines, they have actually worsened significantly through the tour. 

Having been joined at 59 for 2, Kohli and Rohit put on 202 brisk runs together, before miscommunication between the wickets saw Kohli run out for 66. That wasn't even the most astounding partnership of the India innings. When Rohit and Robin Uthappa came together in the 41st over, the score was 276 for 4. They would put on 128 runs in 58 balls together. Out of that, Uthappa's contribution was a run-a-ball 16. 

By the time Rohit hit Kulasekara down Mahela Jayawardene's throat at long off, the record for most fours struck in an innings had also tumbled, and Rohit was in possession of half the ODI scores over 200. One record he missed out on by one delivery, was Sunil Gavaskar's record for most balls faced. Gavaskar had made 36 not out.

Cyclone Hudhud blasts India's east coast

Cyclone Hudhud blasted India's eastern seaboard on Sunday with gusts of up to 195 kilometres an hour (over 120 mph), uprooting trees, damaging buildings and killing at least three people despite a major evacuation effort.

The port city of Visakhapatnam, home to two million people and a major naval base, was hammered as the cyclone made landfall, unleashing the huge destructive force it had sucked up from the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal.

Upended trees and wreckage were strewn across Visakhapatnam, known to locals as Vizag. Most people heeded warnings to take refuge, but three who ventured out were killed, officials said.

The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, the state that bore the brunt of Hudhud's onslaught, said the extent of damage would only become known after the storm abates.

"We are unable to ascertain the situation. Seventy percent of communication has totally collapsed ... this is the biggest calamity," N. Chandrababa Naidu told Headlines Today television.

"We are asking people not to come out of their houses," Naidu said, adding that damage assessment would start on Monday. "We are mobilising men and material immediately."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Naidu and promised "all possible assistance in relief and rescue operations", his central government said in a statement.

The low toll reported so far followed an operation to evacuate more than 150,000 people to minimise the risk to life from Hudhud - similar in size and power to cyclone Phailin that struck the area exactly a year ago.

After a lull as the eye of the storm passed over the city, winds regained massive potency. Forecasters warned Hudhud would blow strongly for several hours more, before wind speeds halve in the evening.

"Reverse windflow will be experienced by the city, which will again have a very great damage potential," L.S. Rathore, director-general of the state India Meteorological Department (IMD), told reporters in New Delhi.

The IMD forecast a storm surge of 1-2 metres above high tide that could result in flooding of low-lying coastal areas around Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam.

TERRIFYING WIND

A Reuters reporter in Vizag said the storm had smashed his hotel's windows and flooded the ground floor. It was difficult even to open the door of his room, he said, as wind rushing through the corridors drove it shut again.

"I never imagined that a cyclone could be so dangerous and devastating," said one businessman who was staying in the hotel. "The noise it is making would terrify anyone."

An operations centre in state capital Hyderabad was inundated with calls from people seeking help, including 350 students stranded in a building with no food or water, said K. Hymavathi, a senior disaster management official.

Vizag port suspended operations on Saturday night, with its head saying that 17 ships which had been in the harbour were moving offshore where they would be less at risk from high seas.

The city airport was closed and train services suspended.

The IMD rated Hudhud as a very severe cyclonic storm that could pack gusts of 195 km/h and dump more than 24.5 cm (10 inches) of rain.

The cyclone was strong enough to have a "high humanitarian impact" on nearly 11 million people, the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), run by the United Nations and the European Commission, said.

The evacuation effort was comparable to one preceding Cyclone Phailin, credited with minimising fatalities to 53. When a huge storm hit the same area 15 years ago, 10,000 people died.

Hudhud was likely to batter a 200-300 km stretch of coastline before losing force as it moves inland, forecasters said.

According to the IMD, peak wind speeds will drop to 60 km/h by Monday afternoon. Hudhud is expected to continue to dump heavy rains in northern and northeastern India and, eventually, snow when it reaches the Himalayan mountains.

Keep Your Hair Healthy and Strong

Protein

As hair is made of protein, ensuring you have enough protein in your diet is crucial for making hair strong and healthy. If you are not consuming enough protein in your diet, your hair is likely to become dry, brittle and weak. Extremely low protein diets may result in hair loss. Choose chicken, turkey, fish, dairy products and eggs as excellent sources of protein along with vegetarian sources such as legumes and nuts.
 

Iron

Iron is an especially important mineral for hair and too little iron (anaemia) is a major cause of hair loss. The hair follicle and root are fed by a nutrient rich blood supply. When iron levels (serum ferritin) fall below a certain point, you may experience anaemia. This disrupts the nutrient supply to the follicle, affecting the hair growth cycle and may result in shedding. Animal products such as red meat, chicken and fish provide iron with a high bioavailability, meaning the iron is readily available to the body. Vegetarians can raise their iron stores by including lentils, spinach and other leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale and salad greens.

Vitamin C aids the absorption of iron so foods high in vitamin C are good to eat in conjunction with iron-rich foods. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant so is used readily by the body. The best sources are blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes. Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen that strengthens the capillaries that supply the hair shafts.

Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids are important fats our body cannot make itself, and therefore must be obtained through our diet. Omega-3s are found in the cells that line the scalp and also provide the oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated. Look out for oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, trout and mackerel and plant sources including avocado, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.
 

Vitamin A is needed by the body to make sebum. Sebum is an oily substance created by our hairs sebaceous glands and provides a natural conditioner for a healthy scalp. Without sebum we may experience an itchy scalp and dry hair. Include animal products and orange/yellow coloured vegetables which are high in beta-carotene (which makes vitamin A) such as carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes.

Zinc and selenium

Scalp protection involves other important minerals, notably zinc and selenium. A lack of zinc can lead to hair loss and a dry, flaky scalp. Fortified cereals and wholegrains are a good source of zinc along with oysters, beef and eggs.

Vitamin E

The sun can damage our hair just like it can damage our skin so ensure you eat foods rich in vitamin E to provide protection for your hair. Nuts are nutritional powerhouses, providing zinc and selenium as well as vitamin E so try to include them as part of a balanced diet.
 

Biotin

Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin. Too little biotin can cause brittle hair and may lead to hair loss. Include biotin rich foods such as wholegrains, liver, egg yolk, soy flour and yeast.
 

Natural treatments

Make your own hair mask for a deep, nourishing treatment every two weeks. Whisk an egg yolk and mix with half a mashed avocado and a spoonful of honey. Massage onto damp, clean hair and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.