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.

New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) Tata Motors today said it has bagged an order for supplying 1,200 multi-axle trucks to the Indian Army.

It is the single largest order awarded to an Indian company in land systems by the Indian army and comprises 1,200 units of high-mobility 6X6 multi-axle trucks, Tata Motors said in a statement.

The trucks will be used for loading-unloading and transportation of ammunition pallets, spares and other operational equipment, it added.

Developed indigenously, the Tata 6X6 high mobility all- terrain all-wheel drive vehicle, has completed a total trial duration of 25 months, demonstrating maximum performance in the most demanding conditions, the company said.

“We at Tata Motors are extremely proud to have bagged the single largest order, among Indian OEM’s from the Indian army, for the most technologically advanced high mobility load carrier system ever built here in India,” Tata Motors, Vice President, Defence & Government Business, Vernon Noronha said.

The order is a validation of Tata Motor’s strategy and growth potential, he added.

“As leading suppliers of mobility solutions to the country’s security forces, we will shortly commence delivery of these high-mobility vehicles,” Noronha said.

Tata Motors stock was trading at Rs 401, up 0.72 per cent, on the BSE.

New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) A sessions court has upheld the jail term of a man convicted of driving his car in drunken condition, saying he was like a “dead unconscious” man behind the wheels who posed “mortal danger not only to himself but also to all other persons using the road”.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit Bansal, while dismissing the appeal of Nikhil Shankar, a resident of Karol bagh here, against the two-day jail term awarded to him by a trial court, said, “He was a menace to the public at large” and such conduct must be deprecated.

“The quantum of alcohol content in blood of the convict was very high i.e. 17 times of permissible limit. He, in these circumstances, could be stated to be almost a dead unconscious man behind the wheels who posed a mortal danger not only to himself but also to all other persons using the road.

“He was thus a menace to the public at large. Such type of conduct of appellant/convict must be strongly deprecated and cannot be condoned under any circumstance,” the judge said.

The court refused to show leniency towards Nikhil and said that the fact that he was heavily drunk is itself aggravating circumstance which does not warrant any leniency from court.

“Keeping in view the circumstances in which the present offence was committed, the convict is not entitled to be released on probation of good conduct and thus his plea in this regard is declined,” it said, adding that the trial court had already been lenient by awarding only a two-day jail term.

The court’s decision came on the plea of Nikhil, who was found driving a car in a drunken condition with alcohol content of 524.1 mg per 100 ml blood which was more than the permissible limit of 30 mg per 100 ml blood.

In its May 11 order, the magisterial court had, besides jailing him, imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 and had impounded his driving licence for a year. Nikhil had challenged only the sentence.

In his appeal, he had argued that the trial court had passed a very harsh sentence after convicting him under section 185 (drunken driving) of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Nikhil, who is working as a sales executive in a garment shop, had sought leniency from the sessions court, saying he was a first-time offender and has a two-year-old daughter to look after.

Islamabad, Jul 10 (PTI) Pakistan and Afghanistan leaders today expressed satisfaction over their first official peace talks with the Taliban held this week here to find a solution to the 13-year-old insurgency.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) summits in the Russian city of Ufa.

During the meeting, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to build a positive and forward-looking relationship with Afghanistan.

“The two leaders expressed satisfaction on the progress made in the 7th July meeting between Afghan government and Afghan Taliban to promote peace and reconciliation process,” according to an official statement by Pakistan.

President Ghani appreciated the efforts and role of Pakistan in facilitating peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and expressed the hope that this would lead to lasting peace and stability in the country.

The two leaders exchanged views on how to carry forward the peace process.

They also discussed on the efforts being made by the respective sides to counter terrorism and extremism.

Both the leaders reviewed economic cooperation to achieve the shared objectives of peace, prosperity and development.

Sharif extended an invitation to Ghani to jointly inaugurate with him the Ministerial conference of the Heart of Asia process to be hosted by Pakistan in December.

Pakistan hosted the talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban at the Murree hill resort near Islamabad that began on July 7 and continued through the night. The talks were also attended by US and Chinese representatives.

Afghan and Taliban representatives agreed to meet again after Ramzan.

It is expected that the two sides will try to reach a consensus on ceasefire in the next meeting.

At least 38 people have been killed in a series of landslides caused by heavy rain in the three sub-divisions of Darjeeling district since Tuesday night.

Twenty-one deaths occurred in Mirik alone, where another 13 people were also reported missing, officials in West Bengal’s Disaster Management Department said. The remaining 17 died in Kalimpong-1 and 2, Lava, Sukhia block and Gorubathan, they said.

The landslides in 25 places in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong sub-divisions also caused extensive damage to NH-10 and NH-55, cutting off road link to the region.

Sashastra Seema Bal personnel were carrying out rescue operations and the army’s help has been sought. Twenty persons were also injured in the calamity and 15 people were reported missing at 8 Mile and 11 Mile areas in Kalimpong, SSB officials said.

Border Roads Organisation men were engaged in clearing the blocked roads. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is now in Murshidabad district, is on way to the affected places.

“I am monitoring the situation closely and will go there after the meeting in Murshidabad,” she tweeted. She said that the home secretary was already in North Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to visit landslide-hit Darjeeling to take stock of the situation. North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb said that the army’s help had been sought for the rescue operation although various agencies were working there.

NH 10 bore the brunt with the road link to Kalimpong, Lava, Lolegaon and Garubathan snapped. NH 55 connecting Siliguri, Matigara with Darjeeling was also damaged mostly in Mirik and Rohini areas. A bridge on NH 55 has been washed away at Nimbujhora, the officials said.

Landslides occurred at several places between Mongpong and Sevoke Kalibari, leaving people stranded on NH 31 which links these places.

Ufa (Russia), Jul 10 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accepted an invitation from his counterpart Nawaz Sharif to visit Pakistan to attend the SAARC Summit in 2016 which will be his first to the country.

The two leaders met here for nearly an hour on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and discussed entire gamut of issues between the two countries.

During the meeting, Sharif invited Modi to visit Pakistan for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Summit (SAARC) summit to be held in Islamabad next year.

“Prime Minister Modi accepted the invitation,” a joint statement released after the meeting said.

Modi and Sharif were last together in Kathmandu in November for the SAARC Summit but they did not have a bilateral meeting because of acrimony between the two countries at that time.

Srinagar, Jul 8 (PTI) Pilgrims to the high-altitude Amarnath cave shrine can hope to enjoy uninterrupted telecommunication services this season as state-run BSNL has provided optical fibre connectivity and satellite phones en route the mountainous trek.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has already made available pre-paid SIM cards for the pilgrims at the twin base camps of Baltal in Ganderbal district and Chandanwari in Anantnag district.

General Manager, Telecom, D K Aggarwal told reporters here that “Optical fibre connectivity, V-Sat as alternate media and other satellite phones have been installed for providing uninterrupted telecom services during the yatra period.”

Aggarwal said while 2G services are being provided at all stations en route the shrine, 3G services have also been introduced at various stations for the benefit of the pilgrims.

As part of the Digital India Week celebrations, BSNL has also been holding different programmes at district levels in the Valley.

On Monday, state-of-the-art technology equipment (4K) ? Next Generation Network (NGN), a body of key architectural changes in telecommunication core and access networks, was installed, tested and accepted for commissioning at the Bemina Telephone Exchange here.

Bhopal, Jul 8 (PTI) A stenographer working at the Police Headquarters here was booked for allegedly raping a policewoman on the pretext of marriage.

The accused, identified as Kashiram Pachole, was known to the woman for almost three years and never told her that he was married, an official of Jehangirabad police station said.

He raped the 31-year-old policewoman at a hotel in Ujjain on the pretext of marrying her, following which she filed a complaint with the police, he said.

City Superintendent of Police Saleem Khan confirmed that a case of rape was yesterday registered against the accused in the Jehangirabad police station and said after investigation, further action will be taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, people who had taken shelter in the three relief camps in Tingling and Lamagaon villages following the landslides are gradually returning home, the officials said.

Another landslip occurred in Darjeeling district even as people are returning home from relief camps where they had taken shelter following landslides since July 1 which claimed lives of 40 people.

Disaster management department officials today said the landslip occurred near Kalijhora last evening but there was no house in that spot and no casualty or injury was reported.

Meanwhile, people who had taken shelter in the three relief camps in Tingling and Lamagaon villages following the landslides are gradually returning home, the officials said.
Around 200-250 families have been sheltered in those camps and now only those whose houses have been completely destroyed are staying in the camps, they said.

The Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) has informed the central government about the damages in the three hill subdivisions of the district – Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong – caused by the landslides, said Kalimpong MLA and GTA member Harkha Bahadur Chhetri.

Around 400 houses have either been damaged or destroyed in the disaster, Chhetri said.

GTA chief Bimal Gurung yesterday called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had visited the landslide affected areas, to provide an update on the disaster.

The state government is also conducting an assessment of the landslide-battered districts and the report would be sent to the Centre.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, also visited Darjeeling after the landslides.