TopNews

Johannesburg [South Africa], Oct.28 : Uncapped fast bowler Joe Mennie has been named as a surprise inclusion in the 12-man Australian squad for the first two Tests of the three-match series against South Africa, starting on November 3 at the WACA.

Mennie has been preferred over Jackson Bird to form the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle.

The 27-year-old's inclusion in the Test squad came as a shock after he made a disappointing start to his international career earlier this month against the Proteas, having conceded 82 runs in 10 overs on ODI debut - the worst-ever figures by an Australian cricketer.

Mennie, however, was the leading wicket-taker in domestic Sheffield Shield bowling list last season with 51 wickets.

New Delhi [India], Oct 28 : Watson for Oncology, IBM's renowned cognitive computing platform, is now in India. Developed by IBM in collaboration with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, Watson for Oncology is a supercomputer engineered to help oncologists identify the best evidence-based individualized cancer treatment options for patients. Manipal Hospitals is the first hospital in the country, and second in the world to adopt this tool and currently it is available in its branches in six hospitals.

New Delhi [India], Oct. 28 : The indirect effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, such as changes in soil moisture and plant structure, can have a bigger impact on ecosystems than previously thought.

Understanding the importance of these indirect effects, in comparison to the direct effects, will improve our understanding of how ecosystems respond to climate change.

New Delhi [India], Oct 28 : Banning import and sale of Chinese firecrackers has had little or no effect on domestically made crackers as traders across major cities report poor business owing to anti-cracker campaigns run by schools, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and others noted an ASSOCHAM survey-cum-analysis.

The ASSOCHAM interacted with firecracker wholesalers, retailers, traders in 10 cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mumbai to gauge the enthusiasm and demand for firecrackers together with impact of ban on Chinese crackers across India.

Washington D.C. [USA], Oct. 28 : Lady Gaga recently gave Matt LeBlanc a hard choice between his 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' characters Monica Geller and Rachel Green.

The duo appeared together at 'The Late Late Show with James Corden', an American late-night television talk and variety show aired by CBS.

The 30-year-old pop star asked LeBlanc, who portays Joey Tribbiani in the sitcom, "Who'd you rather- Monica or Rachel?"

After a considerable amount of pondering, the 49-year-old actor, however, gave a surprising answer saying, "Um, I'd have to say, I would go with... I would have me some Phoebe," he answered, "She's very bendy."

New Delhi [India], Oct 28 : It's time for colors, crackers, lights and celebrations, Diwali is finally here. With the festive season just around the corner, here are a few ways to quickly do up your home, just in time to host guests and relatives.

Kranti M, VP-Design and new initiatives, Furlenco suggests tricks that will give an elegant, classy and traditional look to your home with minimum efforts involved, to add a dash of sparkle for the festival of lights.