GLOBAL MARKETS: European Stocks Led Up By Techs But Caution Remains

--European stocks up; decent earnings help the main indexes
--ARM leads gains in London; tech sector storms ahead
--Portuguese 10-year government bond yields remain elevated
--Euro-zone unemployment rate digested
By Michele Maatouk & Andrea Tryphonides
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
LONDON (Dow Jones)--European stocks posted strong gains and the euro was higher against the dollar as investors tentatively welcomed the European Union leaders' agreement on a new fiscal pact, to be signed off in March, and a bailout mechanism that will come into force in July, while good earnings also boosted sentiment Tuesday.
However, traders are still wary as Portugal's 10-year government bond yield remained elevated early Tuesday and there was still no agreement between Greece and its private-sector creditors.
Investors are concerned that Portugal may need another bailout or a Greek-style debt-restructuring if it cannot regain access to the capital markets. At 1040 GMT, the Portuguese 10-year government bond yield was at 15.98%, according to Tradeweb.
"One cannot deny that Portugal is now under fire on the financial markets, especially given the recent downgrade of its sovereign debt to junk status by Standard & Poor's," said ING. "The risks are growing that Portugal ultimately could require ESM assistance, possibly to be agreed over the second half of 2012, for likely take-down from 2013. That said this does not mean that Portugal needs a Greek-style PSI deal," said ING.
"Remember that the Greek restructuring brings Greek debt down to 120% of gross domestic product. Portuguese debt is still comfortably below this level, and is likely to remain below in the next coming couple of years even if we discount a deep and persistent recession. So, an elevated second bailout risk, but PSI risk remains low," added ING.
Still, decent earnings, particularly in Europe's technology sector, helped the main stock market indexes higher.
At 1040 GMT, the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 0.8% at 254.62. If it holds Tuesday's gains, the index is likely to close the month up by around 4%. London's FTSE 100 was up 0.8% at 5717.86, Frankfurt's DAX was 0.9% higher at 6506.18 and Paris's CAC-40 was 1.2% higher at 3304.14.
At the same time, U.S. stock-index futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average front-month futures contract and the S&P 500 futures contract up 0.5% at 12,669.00 and 1315.80, respectively.
In London, ARM Holdings was up 4.6% and leading the blue-chip FTSE 100 index following the company's fourth-quarter results. The results beat market expectations largely due to strong demand for smartphones and tablets and the company said it is on track to meet expectations in the first quarter 2012. The results boosted the Stoxx Europe 600 tech sector, which was up 1.2%.
Also in London, British Sky Broadcasting gained 2.7% following well-received results. BSkyB reported an 8.4% jump in first-half net profit, underpinned by new pay-television and broadband customers. News Corp., which owns Dow Jones & Co. and The Wall Street Journal, holds about a 39% stake in BSkyB.
Elsewhere, steelmaker Thyssenkrupp jumped 1.4% after it came to an agreement to sell its Inoxum stainless steel division to Finland's Outokumpu Oyj. Outokumpu dropped 8.2%.
On the data front, the euro-area unemployment rate for December came in at 10.4%, unchanged from a revised November level and in line with economists' forecasts. ING said the unemployment figures "make for worrying reading," adding, "The only piece of solace is that the pace of increase in unemployment appears to be slowing."
Earlier, most Asian stock markets finished modestly higher Tuesday after the euro zone's move toward a closer fiscal union and positive economic data in Japan.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gained 0.1%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2%, South Korea's Kospi Composite added 0.8%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index advanced 1.1%, while China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.3%.
Stronger-than-expected Japanese industrial production data supported the Tokyo market, although the yen's strength continued to hobble exporter stocks.
In foreign exchange markets, hopes that Greek talks on the restructuring of its debt will soon come to some sort of happy conclusion provided broad support for regional risk-sensitive currencies and the euro. There was also some good economic news out of Germany, which helped the euro. Seasonally adjusted unemployment fell in January by 34,000 and the adjusted unemployment rate hit a record low of 6.7%. Experts had expected unemployment to fall by 10,000 in adjusted terms and have an adjusted rate of 6.8% for January.
At 1045 GMT, the single currency was at $1.3186 against the dollar, from $1.3141 late Monday in New York. The dollar was at Y76.34, from Y76.33.
Spot gold was at $1,739.00 per troy ounce, up $10.00 from its New York settlement Monday, bolstered by a stronger euro. March Nymex crude oil futures were up $1.03 at $99.81 per barrel and Brent oil futures were 95 cents higher at $111.70. The March bund contract was down 0.44 at 139.23.
-By Michele Maatouk, Dow Jones Newswires; +44-20-7842-9447; michele.maatouk@dowjones.com

Barack Obama's drone statement: Pakistan calls missile strikes 'unlawful'

ISLAMABAD: Hours after President Barack Obama confirmed that US drones regularly target militants in its tribal belt, Pakistan today said such attacks were "unlawful" and a violation of its sovereignty.



"Our position on drone strikes is clear and based on principles. Drone attacks are unlawful, counter-productive and hence unacceptable," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a text message sent to PTI.


"We cannot condone the violation of our sovereignty," he said.

Obama confirmed for the first time that US drones had targeted militants in Pakistan's tribal areas during a chat with users of Google+ and YouTube.

He said "a lot of these strikes have been in" Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

"For the most part, they've been very precise precision strikes against al-Qaeda and their affiliates, and we're very careful in terms of how it's been applied," Obama said.

"This is a targeted focused effort at people who are on a list of active terrorists, who are trying to go in and harm Americans, hit American facilities, American bases, and so on... For us to be able to get them in another way would involve probably a lot more intrusive military action than the ones we're already engaging in," he said.

Dhoni the best man to lead India: Akram

Sydney: Under-fire Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got much-needed support from former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram who said the "hullabaloo" about his leadership is "ill-timed" as speculated replacement Virender Sehwag is not qualified for the job.
"The entire hullabaloo around MS Dhoni's captaincy is extremely ill-timed. Captain-bashing is a favourite pastime of cricket pundits in the Indian sub-continent and the media just loves it," wrote Akram in his column for a sports website.

"...I believe Dhoni is the best man to lead India and will remain so in the immediate future...In recent times, BCCI's planning has reflected poorly on India's overseas performances. So, it would be unfair to make Dhoni a scapegoat.
"There are two names - Sehwag and Virat Kohli -- doing the rounds as 'next' captains. In my book, none of them qualify for the job," he said.
Akram said while the pressure on Dhoni is understandable after consecutive Test whitewashes on foreign soil but Sehwag was not too impressive either when he got the chance to lead the side in the final Test against Australia.
"Sehwag was very unimpressive when he led the Indian team at Adelaide and Kohli is a kid who has just begun his career.
He can wait for another five years. I had expected better body language from Sehwag and his team during the Adelaide Test, but I was disappointed," he said.
"This 'I give-a-damn' attitude is counter-productive when the chips are down. What did Sehwag do to salvage India's pride at Adelaide? I sometimes see streaks of Shahid Afridi in Sehwag. That dreadful propensity to self-destruct!" he explained.
"Dhoni may not have done enough as skipper, but two bad series does not mean he should be derided and kicked out. Does the BCCI really have an option?"
Akram said he expects a "new" India to take the field in the shorter format starting tomorrow with a Twenty20 against Australia even though bowling remains an area of concern.
"There is still a lot to play for in Australia. With Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar coming in, India are a solid ODI and T20 team. I think India have the right mix to give high-flying Australia a run for their money and we shall see a 'new' India in the first T20," he said.
"India's bowling remains a concern. Ishant Sharma has been the biggest disappointment. He has talked about the 'luck factor'. All that is just a lame excuse. After playing 45 Test matches, Ishant has not learnt to take responsibility," he said.
"When a quick bowler can't make an impact on a Perth or MCG wicket, he never will. First things first, he must first learn to bowl on one side of the wicket."
Akram said Inda need to keep their confidence level up to get the results.
"Self-belief will be crucial going forward in the remainder of the Australian tour. India must not tamper with their batting order. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir must open the innings because they already have a 'feel' of the conditions," he said.
"The more India back themselves, the better they will play. It's a brand new chapter and India must demonstrate the body language of a world champion. Hope Dhoni shows the way with his young brigade," he added.

Tata Global, Tata Coffee soar on rollout plans with Starbucks

Stocks of Tata Global Beverages traded with strong gains, a day after the company outlined its plans to roll out stores in alliance with global coffee chain Starbucks. The joint venture, in which Tata Global will be a 50 per cent partner, will launch 30-50 outlets this year with an investment of Rs 400 crore ($80 million) to be split equally.

At 1030 hours, stocks of Tata Global traded with 4 per cent gains on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The BSE Sensex traded with 1 per cent gains.

Analysts said the deal can result in re-rating of Tata Global on account of margin expansion. Tata Global trades at 22 times price earnings and benefits of the roll out will accrue to the company.

Star Bucks, which operates in 57 countries and has more than 17,000 stores worldwide, operates at margins of 18 per cent against Tata Global's margins of 9.5 per cent.

Tata Coffee, which will be the sourcing partner for coffee beans in the country, also traded with nearly 1 per cent gains.

However, there might be some correction in prices of Tata Coffee going forward, analysts said. Investors had earlier estimated benefits of store roll out to come to Tata coffee, which will now accrue to its parent Tata Global.

Tata Coffee stocks have surged over 50 per cent since the MOU was signed with Starbucks a year ago.

Kolkata teen suicide: Father files police complaint against school principal

Kolkata:  The father of a 14-year-old girl, who jumped to her death on February 1, has filed a police complaint blaming the principal of her school for abetting his daughter's suicide.

The girl, Deepshikha, and a 15-year-old boy, Sudipto, both students of Class 8 in Julien Day School, jumped off the roof of the four-storey building where Sudipto's family lives. Deepshika was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital. Sudipto is in hospital with serious injuries. He underwent a brain surgery.

They both took the extreme step after allegedly being upbraided by the school principal for bunking a PT class. Deepshikha and Sudipto had been caught bunking class and allegedly threatened with suspension by the principal. Hours later, the two went to Sudipto's home, wrote a suicide note and jumped off the roof.

The suicide note was not addressed to anyone and it did not blame anyone. It said, "We are sorry to have disappointed our parents. We were born in the wrong time in the wrong country."

Deepshikha's father has now filed a police complaint against the principal and four others. Along with the prinicipal of the school, the father has also named Sudipto in his complaint for forcing Deepshikha to go to his house and commit suicide. Sudipto's mother - a doctor - is accused of taking her son to hospital in an ambulance but leaving the girl behind. Also named are the ambulance driver and the driver of Deepshikha's school bus for not taking steps when he noticed she was missing after school.

"I will not leave the principal. I want to know what it is he did that he forced my daughter to take this decision," says Mr Deepak Dam, the girl's father.

The principal of the school, M Mcnamara, has denied reports that after the students were discovered missing from class, he threatened to suspend them.

"They were called to my room because they did not attend PT classes. We just wanted to know why. They were not suspended or threatened and there was no talk of a transfer certificate or suspension," he said.



For NDTV

Sourav Ganguly suggests playing Irfan and Tiwary

Melbourne: India should draft all-rounder Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary in the side for the next tri-series match even if it means dropping a spinner along with Suresh Raina, suggested former skipper Sourav Ganguly.

India will play Sri Lanka on Wednesday after losing the first match to Australia by 65 runs.

India had rested Virender Sehwag and included two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma for the first match, a ploy which failed to impress Ganguly.

"In the next game, India should play Irfan Pathan instead of a spinner, as that will add variety to their attack. Pathan is a left-hander who swings the ball well. Pathan is needed because India is playing too many spinners, whereas even in Sunday's game, Vinay Kumar and the Australian pacemen made the most of the pitch," Ganguly said.

Ganguly said Bengal batsman Tiwary deserved a place in the side in place of Raina.

"I also wonder why Manoj Tiwary is not playing. Here is a man who scored a hundred in his last match against the West Indies under pressure, and on current form should play ahead of Suresh Raina who has looked suspect against the short stuff," Ganguly wrote in his column for 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

Ganguly also felt that Sehwag's presence in the top-order was crucial to India.

"India also needs the injured Virender Sehwag back. Sachin Tendulkar had not played a one-day match for 10 months, and it's not easy to accelerate from the word go.

"Gautam Gambhir did get a good fifty in the last Twenty20 game, but hasn't looked convincing as yet," he said.

Survival training for when a pilot's world turns upside down

New York:  The pilot sat strapped to a chair, held in place as if he were in the backseat of a helicopter. Beside him, on a mock wall, was a window. The window was closed.

The pilot wore opaque goggles. He could not see the window or anything else. The chair was attached to a rotating stand in the chest-deep water of a swimming pool. A petty officer spun a large wheel, flipping the chair backward with a gentle whoosh. The pilot was now underwater, upside down.

Another exercise in the test had begun.

The pilot - feet near the surface, head near the bottom, sightless - was to disconnect himself from the buckled straps, wiggle free, open the window and pull himself through and out, a series of movements intended to simulate what he might need to do in an aircraft that had struck the sea at night.

Every four years, the Navy requires its pilots and those who fly with them to renew their skills in escaping from downed aircraft or surviving an ejection and parachute descent into water. The refresher class, depending on where each student is based, is held in one of several schools like this one, the Aviation Survival Training Center on this Navy base in coastal Washington State.

In the peculiar way that demanding and slightly frightening training is often viewed by those who undergo it, the course is simultaneously appreciated and loathed.

The pilot who was flipped upside down on this day, Lt. Cmdr. Kelsey N. Martin, struggled briefly with the buckle that held the straps across his torso. He soon broke free and swam through the window without the assistance of the rescue swimmer watching alongside.

Later, he offered the common sentiment. "I was not looking forward to this," he said, before adding: "This training is actually very valuable. I say that because I know four guys who have ejected over water, and all of them lived."

The test with the chair that flips upside down - known as the Modular Shallow Water Egress Trainer - was one exercise of several.

Lieutenant Commander Martin and his classmates also had to pass a swim test wearing boots, flight suit and helmet; demonstrate that they could inflate a life preserver with a breathing tube while treading water; and complete several situational exercises, including escaping from a parachute harness that, via an electric pulley, dragged each man backward through the water as he tried to undo the harness's buckles.

This drill was meant to replicate the experience of being pulled across the ocean surface by a parachute driven by high winds, which could drown a pilot who had survived an otherwise successful ditching.

The final exercise, the so-called dunker, involved being seated wearing opaque goggles in a simulated helicopter as it was dropped into 12 feet of water and rotated upside down. Several pilots and crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck.

That exercise, like the overturned chair, taught crew members to choose an exit and then rely on "reference points" to get there - firm handholds inside the aircraft with which to pull themselves, handhold by handhold, toward an opening.

The course, which lasts two days, seeks to drill reactions into aircrews for surviving the most likely dangers they might face.

(Lieutenant Commander Martin is an E/A-18G pilot. Though jet pilots do not fly helicopters, they sometimes are carried as passengers within them and are required to complete the helicopter training, too. Two journalists from The New York Times were also required to complete a recent course before receiving permission to fly inside carrier-based F/A-18s for coverage of the Afghan war.)

Cmdr. Richard V. Folga, the school's director, said the reasoning behind the training is locked in aviation math. Every year, no matter how much attention aviation squadrons pay to maintenance and safety, naval aircraft experience catastrophic failures. Pilots and aircrews end up in the sea.

The Navy sometimes loses as many as 8 to 10 jet aircraft a year, he said. And so, after a day in a classroom receiving instruction and doing practice drills, the crews head to the pool for a long session in the water, in case one day the math catches up to them.

Commander Folga said he knows some officers attend with dread.

"If I could guarantee that you would never need this training, I would say, 'O.K., sit in the back and use your iPhone and do whatever you want to do while the rest of us work,' " he said. "But these exercises are all based on real incidents, and sometimes on recurrent real incidents."

He added: "No one plans for this kind of mishap. People don't go to work one day expecting that they will have to eject. But it happens. And when it happens, they have to be ready."

That statement aligned with the experience of Lt. Jonathan D. Farley, an F/A-18 pilot who volunteered in late 2007 to serve as a downed pilot for a rescue-training exercise on the West Coast. Lieutenant Farley was picked up from the ground by an MH-60 helicopter crew.

As the helicopter returned to an aircraft carrier with him in a back seat, the exercise turned real.

"I wasn't paying attention," he said. "I was along for the ride." Then he saw multiple warning lights flash at once in the cockpit's instrument panel. A crewman near him pointed toward the water and then assumed a brace position.

The helicopter was going down.

Without time to prepare, Lieutenant Farley was trapped in a sequence straight from the dunk-tank course.

The pilot up front managed to maintain enough control over the crippled helicopter to put it onto the surface softly. But it immediately flipped over. Cold water rushed in and closed around the passengers and crew. They were sinking, upside down, just as Lieutenant Commander Martin did at his recent course.

Lieutenant Farley followed the only instructions he knew. "I did exactly what the training had taught me," he said. "I grabbed a reference point, drew my breath right before the water went over my head and unbuckled."

As he slipped free from his seat, he could see nothing. He pulled himself toward where he thought he might escape, but lost his way. He does not remember finding the exit, but he must have. Just before his lungs gave out he was on the surface, the last man out.

Everyone survived: two pilots up front, three crew members and the two passengers. A second helicopter had been flying with the MH-60. Its crew plucked the survivors from the sea.

Lieutenant Farley, who said he is not a strong swimmer, spoke of the survival course in the same tone as many of those who know they will have to attend the class again. "I hate it with a passion," he said. "But if you are in a bad situation and have trained for it, then you revert to your training and what you know. It is why I am alive."



For NDTV

Lindsay Lohan Nude Again: Lindsay Lohan Topless For Love Magazine as Marilyn Monroe

Lindsay Lohan’s latest photoshoot, this time for Love Magazine, has again been inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Lohan had earlier done something similar for the January/February 2012 issue of Playboy magazine, which gave her a chance to save her floundering career.
The ‘Mean Girls’ star has been having a troubled time as she has been jailed five times in as many years and even had to spend some time in the Betty Ford rehab clinic in 2010, the Mirror reported.
The latest photos show Lohan smoking in all her pictures and one of them has her posing with a gas stove in sexy black attire.
The photos of Lindsay, who has been jailed five times in as many years, are in Love magazine, out today.

Randy Travis Arrested: Country Singer Randy Travis Arrested Outside Texas Church For Public Intoxication

Country singer Randy Travis has apologized after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church.
Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.
Reedy says Travis, whose hits include “Forever and Ever, Amen,” was brought to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.
The singer, who lives in the small town of Tioga near Sanger, apologized in a statement to The Associated Press “for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.”
Travis, who launches a concert tour Friday, says he’s “committed to being responsible and accountable.”

Model Ioana 20-Inch Waist: Romanian Model Ioana With 20-Inch Waist Dubbed ‘Human Hourglass’

Model Ioana is 5ft 6ins and weighs just 84 pounds — and while her hips are 32ins, her waist is only five inches bigger than a CD.
Yet Romanian Ioana, 30, insisted: “No one seems to believe it, but every day I eat three big meals and I snack on chocolate and crisps all the time. I just have a small stomach. It’s a bit like having a natural gastric band — if I eat too much, I feel sick.”
Ioana weighed more than seven pounds at birth. It was only as she became a teenager that she started to look different.

Romanian Model Ioana With 20-Inch Waist Dubbed 'Human Hourglass'

She said: “When I was 13 my waist was around 15 inches. Someone could put their hands around it, their fingers would touch and they would still have extra room.” Even in her 20s she struggled with her self-esteem. She explained: “In Romania it is better to be overweight, because that means you are from a wealthy family.
“So while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up.”
In 2006 she met a German-born Jan. They dated for eight months before marrying in Berlin.
Ioana said: “Jan was the first person who saw me as beautiful and encouraged me to celebrate my body. He asked me to pose in some photos for him.
“He was so impressed he put them online and the response was amazing.
“I would still like to gain weight so I don’t look so shocking — and now that I live in Germany I can’t get enough pizza or kebabs.
“But I’m finally comfortable in my own skin.”

Hearing on Facebook, Google case today

New Delhi:  A district court in Delhi will hear a civil petition filed against Facebook, Google and 20 other online content companies for posting objectionable content on the web.

During the previous hearing in the case, the Judge had asked these companies to remove objectionable content from their websites by today.

The online companies are expected to present their compliance report before the judge today. 

For NDTV

Government will help Yuvraj Singh: Sports Minister

New Delhi: Sports Minister Ajay Maken has come out in support of Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.

Maken said the government will help Yuvraj, as the nation prays for his speedy recovery. "Wish Yuvraj a speedy recovery! Asking officials to find the quantum and nature of help required. Government shld & will help him," Maken tweeted last night.

Yuvraj, who played a stellar role in India's ODI World Cup triumph last year, has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in the US.

The 30-year-old left-hander has been in US since last month being treated for what was earlier claimed to be a tumour in the lungs by his family. But it has now been diagnosed as malignant and Yuvraj is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.

Wishes and prayers are pouring in from all corners of the world.

While Yuvraj's father Yograj refused comments on the matter, his mother Shabnam Singh told a national daily that her son was doing fine. "He is fine and will be back soon on the field. Don't worry," she said.

His physiotherapist Dr Jatin Chaudhary, however, assured that the ailment is curable and the batsman would be fit to resume cricket in May.

"It is a rare tumour and is cancerous but it has been detected in stage one itself. Doctors had to decide whether to continue medication or go for chemotherapy but since parts of the tumour are just above the artery of his heart, there was a danger that while running it could burst. But it is 100 per cent curable," Chaudhary said.

"The doctors decided that he would have to undergo chemotherapy and he travelled to the US on January 26. End of March, he would undergo a CT scan and should recover by then. After that it is just some rehabilitation in April before he is fit to be back on the field in May," he added.

"Thankfully no surgery is required, he is already a lot better than what he was and can't wait to be back on the cricket field," he said.

Chaudhary said the detection of cancer was delayed by wrong diagnosis by an Indian hospital.

"His first biopsy report was stolen from his car and the second from a hospital, I don't want to name, did not give the correct diagnosis. It was a Russian doctor who detected the cancer and after consultations with doctors in US, it was decided that Yuvraj would undergo chemotherapy," he said.

"Once he is done with chemo in March, his rehabilitation would be complete by April end and he would be perfectly fit to play in May," he added.

Yuvraj has played 37 Tests, scoring 1775 runs at an average of 34.80.

He has 8051 runs at an average of 37.62 from his 274-match ODI career, the highlight of which was his stellar role in India's World Cup triumph last year.

In 23 Twenty20s, Yuvraj has scored 567 runs at 31.50.

Gisele Bundchen Topless: Gisele Bundchen Goes Topless for Versace Advertisements

Coming just days ahead of her husband’s Super Bowl weekend showdown, Gisele Bundchen grabbed her share of attention thanks to a newly-unveiled campaign for Versace.
The Brazilian beauty leaves little to the imagination as she poses topless in a trio of titillating shots for the high-end designer’s 2012 denim range.
According to the Daily Mail, Gisele posed for the Versace campaign in Borrego Springs, CA while having been photographed by the famed duo of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old is expected to be on-hand at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday (February 5), as her man, Tom Brady, and his New England Patriots teammates are set to take on the New York Giants for the NFL championship.
Asking for support for her hubby in an email obtained by the New York Post, Miss Bundchen wrote, “I feel Tommy really needs our prayer, our support and love at this time. I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy and strong. Envision him happy and fulfilled experiencing with his team a victory this Sunday.”

Antrix-Devas Deal Report: Panel Reports On Antrix-Devas Deal Released

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday released reports of two committees on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal on the basis of which former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair and three other scientists were barred from holding any government posts.
The reports clearly indict the four scientists and say the Antrix-Devas deal lacked transparency.
The panel further recommended that action needs to be taken against Nair and the three other scientists.
The five-member high level team, which was set up to examine the deal and identify the acts of omission and commission by government officials, stated in its report, “…there have not only been serious administrative and procedural lapses but also suggestion of collusive behaviour on the part of certain individuals and accordingly, responsibilities have to be fixed for taking action…”
Apart from Nair, the three other top scientists who figured in the list of permanent exclusion from government appointment in future are K Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO; K R Sridharamurthi, former managing director of Antrix, commercial arm of ISRO; and K N Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre.
The government had on February 10, 2011 set up the High Powered Review Committee with BK Chaturvedi and Prof Roddam Narasimha as members to review the technical, commercial, procedural and financial aspects of the Antrix-Devas agreement of January 2005.
The five-member high level team, headed by former Central Vigilance Commissioner Pratyush Sinha, was set up on May 31, 2011 to examine the deal and identify the acts of omission and commission by government officials.

Suzanne Somers Breast Reconstruction: Suzanne Somers Gets Breast Reconstruction

Daporijo Arunachal MMS Scandal Key Accused ASI Boham Bo Re-Arrested

In a major breakthrough, Boham Bo aka Bohun Bo alias Bohyon Bo, the main accused in the infamous Daporijo MMS scandal, was arrested by state Special Investigating Team (SIT) with help of Changlang district police and CRPF at around 4 am today.
As per the report, SIT team led by its Deputy Superintendent of Police Dipankar Mishra assisted by 3 IRBn personnel following a tip off raided the home of Bo located at Wagun Ponthai village around 7 km from Bordumsa town early in the morning.
The dismissed assistant sub-inspector of Arunachal Pradesh Police has been booked under section 357, 342, 292(A), 294, 376, 109, 34 IPC read with section 67 of IT Amendment Act 2008. He has also been booked under section 4 of IRWP Act. The SIT team has brought Bo to Itanagar and currently he is under the custody of Itanagar police.
Bo was arrested earlier on March 21, 2011 but was later granted interim bail by the court of JFMC, capital, Naharlagun. He had been absconding since he got the bail. Arunachal Pradesh Police dismissed him from service on May 12, 2011 and he was declared as proclaimed offender.
The case was transferred to SIT on April, 8, 2011. Bo and his four accomplices, all police constables, had created state-wide outrage by filming indecent MMS of two under-age children inside Daporijo police station last year. Though state police arrested all the accused, Bo after getting bail has been evading law enforcement agency since then.
Sindhu Pillai, AIGP informed that Bo did not offer any resistance at the time of arrest. On being asked about alleged link of Bo with underground elements of Changlang, she told that interrogation was going and details are awaited.
Meanwhile, Tumme Amo, Superintendent of Police, Changlang district told that Bo was allegedly living in disguise as CBI officer. “A fake CBI I-card was recovered from possession at the time of arrest. The fake I-card read as No.-CBI/2003/ Dtd 31st May.
Area of duty- Changlang district (Arunachal Pradesh) and Tinsukia district (Assam). Designation-Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), CBI. This startling revelation shows that he was living as CBI official before the arrest. We believe that Bo might have deep link with anti-social elements,” said SP Amo.
While state police has done their duty of arresting Bo, it is to be seen whether law catches up with him or he would still manage to get bail and roam freely.

Sahara India withdraws sponsorship of Team India and Pune Warriors

New Delhi: Sahara India has withdrawn sponsorship of Indian cricket team and the Pune Warriors from the IPL.

"We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI," Sahara has said in a statement.

Sahara has requested the BCCI to pass on Pune Warriors team to some other interested party immediately.

Kareena Kapoor Pregnant? Kareena Kapoor Looking Pregnant, Really Pregnant??

Kareena Kapoor was spotted at the airport in an oversized T-shirt and from the look of it, she was trying to conceal something behind her tee. The actress was holding on to her belly with her hand. Yeh kya hai, Bebo?
So what you people think is she pregnant?
The speculations over the marriage plans of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan continues. The media is now more interested on the wedding details of the stars than their upcoming movies, thanks to the wedding season in India.
Some of the recent reports say that the two are planning to get engaged on February 10, 2012. Kareena’s movie ‘EK Mian Aur Ek Tu’ opposite Imran Khan will also be releasing the same day.
A few days back, while talking to the reporters, the actress said that marriage is definitely on her mind but everything depends on their film commitments.
Kapoor said is busy promoting her upcoming movie ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’, then ‘Agent Vinod’ and is also shooting for ‘Heroine’ at the same time.
Kareena denied that her wedding outfit will be designed by Ritu Kumar. The wedding reports have definitely put Saif and Kareena in the spotlight and even the actress expressed that everyone is interested in their personal life than their movies. Kareena is also shooting for the upcoming Madhur Bhandarkar movie ‘Heroine’, which was earlier dropped by Aishwarya Rai due to her pregnancy. Reports also say that Saif and Kareena will be getting hitched after the release of the movie ‘Agent Vinod’ which is produced by Saif’s home banner ‘Illuminati Films’.

Riteish-Genelia Wedding Photos: Riteish Deshmukh & Genelia D’Souza Marriage Photos

It was a Bollywood extravaganza when actor Riteish Deshmukh married girlfriend Genelia D’Souza. Almost the entire Bollywood fraternity was present to witness the first big wedding of the year.
The wedding was a traditional marathi ceremony. While the groom wore a cream sherwani, bride was dressed in a Nishika Lulla red saree. Genelia maharashtrian look was styled by Lulla’s daughter, Nishika.
The baraatis arrived at The Grand Hyatt, the wedding venue, around noon. Guests started flowing in soon after. Abhishek Bachchan came along with his mother Jaya Bachchan and Ajay Devgn and Kajol. The foursome wished the couple and were the first few to leave.
One of the first one to arrive was actor Jacky Bhagnani. Close pal Ashish Choudhary was seen hiding the groom’s shoes from the bride’s sisters. Riteish’s co star from ‘Heyy Baby’, Akshay Kumar and the film’s director, Sajid Khan were seen chatting up with Jackie Shroff.
Dressed in a white jacket and black trousers, Shah Rukh Khan walked in with wife Gauri and daughter Suhana. While Gauri matched her outfit with her hubby, and wore a white and gold lehenga, daughter Suhana chose to wear a bright pink lehenga.
Maria Goretti decided to stick to the wedding theme and arrived in a traditional paithani saree and looked like a typical Marathi mulgi.
Politician Raj Thackeray walked in with his wife and headed straight towards the mandap.
Asin looked breathtaking in a traditional white and gold saree. She accessorized her look with white flowers in her hair and gold jewelry.
Soon after the wedding, actor Shahid Kapoor tweetd, “And G is married !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbeleivable. (sic)”.
Riteish Deshmukh tweeted a picture of his and his new bride with the caption ‘Mr &Mrs Deshmukh’.
The wedding celebrations started on Tuesday with a grand Sangeet ceremony which was attended by the entire film industry and was hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar.
The party continued till the wee hours of the morning. On Wednesday, an impromptu party was thrown at Genelia’s residence which later shifted to the couple’s new flat in Juhu.
On Thursday, the pre wedding rituals took place at both the bride and the groom’s residence. While Riteish had his haldi ceremony, Genelia, who is a Christian, had the traditional rose ceremony where close friends of the bride pour coconut milk on her a day before the wedding.
Later in the evening, Genelia was spotted visiting a church in her friends. Dressed in jeans, shirt and black jacket, Genelia looked happy and glowing.
Speaking to DNA, a source said, “Yesterday Riteish had the haldi ceremony, after which he isn’t going to be allowed to step out of the house until the wedding today. But his friends kept him busy all day through and he was rather excited too.”
The excited groom tweeted on Thursday evening, “Saw the Last sunset as a Bachelor(sic)”.
Post wedding, a lavish lunch was organized for the guests. The reception will take place tomorrow.

Watch Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin” Unreleased Music Video Online

Madonna’s new music video for ‘Give Me All Your Luvin,’ the song she’ll debut at her Super Bowl halftime performance.

The Martin Solveig-produced track also features rappers Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., who both make pretty minimal appearances in the clip below. We’ll reserve our final judgment for when the entire video is released, but for some reason this clip recalls an Old Navy or Kohl’s commercial. Perhaps it’s that Madge keeps slipping in and out of jackets.

Also confusing is the scenery, which appears to be a suburban street filled with football players and taxi cabs sawed in half. The lyrics do demand that we “step into [Madonna's] world,” so we’ll just go with it.

Madonna, for one, seems excited for the weekend’s performance. The singer even brought out some salsa dancing at a press conference on Thursday when she was asked to comment on Giants team member Victor Cruz’s unique postgame celebrations.

What do you think of the clip — does it make you want to hear the rest of the track or hit the mute button this Sunday?

I dare PM to resign, says Narendra Modi on 2G verdict

Mandvi:  Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had no right to continue in the office in view of the Supreme Court's ruling in the 2G spectrum case.

"When the Supreme Court has given a clear verdict, Manmohan Singh has no right to stay in the post even for a minute," Modi said, addressing a Sadbhavna fast meeting here.

"I dare the Prime Minister to give up his silence and resign," he said.

Modi also targeted Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, saying that "the court has established charges against Chidambaram. The Supreme Court has directed the lower court to hold a trial".

"After the apex court's directives, Congress has come out in the open to save him," Modi said.

"This raises a suspicion that entire Manmohan Singh-led government is making all these efforts not to save Chidambaram but all those people who are behind him and whose names have still not cropped up," Modi said.

"In the history of the country, we have not seen such a scam where the country's exchequer was looted to the tune of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore."

The apex court today cancelled 122 telecom licenses granted during the tenure of former telecom minister A Raja, saying that first-come-first-served policy was wrong. As to Chidambaram, the Court left it to the trial court to decide on the demand for investigation of his alleged role in the 2G scam. 

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Raja's first year in jail includes badminton, canteen snacks

New Delhi:  Having spent a year behind bars for his alleged involvement in the 2G scam, former communications minister A Raja seems to have adapted to life in Tihar Jail, officials said on Thursday.

"After a few weeks of initial sullenness and shock, Raja seems to have adapted to jail life. He was not talkative or interacting with other inmates, but now he seems to have become friendly with others in his ward," a jail official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Raja was arrested February 2 last year, taken into Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody and then brought to Tihar Jail on February 17.

Jail sources said Raja has never thrown any tantrum at any point of time.

"Raja is lodged in a 15 by 10 feet cell, ventilated with a grated iron aperture near the ceiling at jail number one, ward number six. He spends most of the time reading books, newspapers and prepares notes on his court hearings. He sticks to the routine," the official said.

Apart from watching television, Raja also plays badminton with other inmates in the evening.

"He usually takes a one-hour walk from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. inside the ward premises. Initially, he used to talk only to jail guards from the Tamil Nadu battalion, but now he speaks with everyone in broken Hindi," the jail official said.

Raja is also much more disciplined as compared to other high-profile prisoners.

"The only special demand he made was for some Tamil newspapers, which have been provided to him," the official added.

Sources added that his ward is changed every two days for security purposes, as he is a former minister.

Raja, who was initially getting home-cooked food, is now eating meals prepared in the jail.

"He is eating jail food and two times a week, he gets home-made south Indian dishes and shares it with other inmates," the official told IANS.

Raja seems hooked to snacks from the Tihar canteen, which he shares with fellow inmates as well.

"He usually gets omelette, biscuits and namkeens from the canteen," the official said.

Raja became the communications minister in 2007. He is accused of cheating, criminal conspiracy and corruption in the selling of scarce second generation (2G) telecom airwaves to favoured companies at a fraction of their actual cost, causing huge losses to the exchequer. 

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Telcos get approval to share spectrum but with conditions

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the communications ministry, has decided to allow mobile phone companies to share spectrum, but has limited this facility to 2G airwaves alone. Second generation (2G) spectrum is largely used for offering vanilla voice services.

This means, telcos cannot share 3G spectrums. Incumbents such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel and Idea Cellular, who have taken the government to court, after the telecom department asked these companies to terminate their 3G roaming deals, had hoped that policy changes permitting the sharing of airwaves, would put an end to this controversy. These companies have signed up 3G customers across the country riding on bilateral roaming agreements that allow these firms to use each other's airwaves and offer high-end data services even in regions where they do not have thirdgeneration spectrum.

Leading operators said they were not aware of the TC decision, as the government had not announced it.

The TC has also decided to introduce a slew of riders to govern spectrum sharing. First, only those operators that have airwaves in a particular region can share it. For instance, Uninor or Tata Teleservices which does not have 2G spectrum in Delhi, cannot share airwaves with any other operator that has radio frequencies here and launch GSM-based cellular services. "Spectrum can be shared only between two spectrum holders.... In other words, a non-licensee or licensee who has not been assigned spectrum as yet cannot be party to spectrum trading," said the minutes of the latest TC meeting.

It also adds that two companies can share airwaves only if their combined holdings do not exceed the limits prescribed in the M&A norms. The TC had recently approved sector regulator Trai's recommendation that during mergers, the combined entity be allowed to have up to 25% of the total airwaves in the region. Spectrum sharing deals will also have to be renewed every five years.

When operators share spectrum, both companies will have to pay usage charges on the total airwaves held jointly, the TC said. Currently, operators share between 2% and 6% of their annual revenues based on the quantity of airwaves they hold. For instance, an operator that has only 4.4 MHz of airwaves in a circle shares 2% of its annual revenues towards spectrum usage charge. Now, if two telcos that have 4.4 MHz each of 2G airwaves in a region were to share them, both operators will have to share 6% of their annual sales towards this levy.

The TC also said that telcos sharing spectrum must pay the government the commercial value of the airwaves it is using. This means, an operator that has 4.4 MHz of airwaves, and is sharing radio frequencies with another telco that has the same amount, must pay 'current prices' for additional 4.4 units of spectrum it is using.

"In order that payment of current price does not act a disincentive, licensees may be permitted to pay the current price applicable on the date of permission, on an annual basis, instead of for five years at a time, and this payment will cease if the sharing agreement is annulled midway," the minutes of the TC meet added.

Saif-Kareena Engaged: Saif Ali Khan & Kareena Kapoor To Engaged On 10 February?

Even though Kareena Kapoor has denied her impending marriage to Saif Ali Khan, rumours are abuzz that the couple will be getting engaged on 10 February.
While earlier sources close to the couple had said that they would be getting married right after the release of their film ‘Agent Vinod’ in March, seems like the hot jodi wants to speed up its wedding and hence getting engaged on the Valentine month.
Speaking to DNA, a source said, “Both Saif and Bebo have been going steady for several years and are now ready to take

that relationship to another level with a wedding. And the first step towards the grand wedding may take off with an engagement on 10th February. They have deliberately avoided having their engagement on Valentine’s Day, instead they have planned the event around the day. Though Saif is extremely busy with post production work of ‘Agent Vinod’ and Kareena travelling for the film promotion of ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’, they are quite excited about the engagement.” That also probably explains why Kareena recently bought a royal necklace worth Rs 40 lakhs. Friends of the couple say that the venue of the engagement hasn’t been finalized yet but it would either take place in Mumbai or in Saif’s Delhi residence. “Wherever it happens, the engagement is going to be a big event. Both their family members are gearing up for a big celebration and are busy with the preparations around the ring ceremony. Bebo is currently in London along with Karisma, but has ensured that all her close friends be there for the special day in her life. She may wear an ethnic outfit designed by (fashion designer) Vikram Phadnis,” added the source.
With Riteish-Genelia all set to tie the knot on Friday and Saifeena getting engaged the next week, it looks like Bollywood is all set for the wedding season.

DSP Balraj Singh Dead: Mogadsp Balraj Singh Found Murdered At Farmhouse In Ludhiana

A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and an unidentified young girl were found murdered in mysterious circumstances at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Ludhiana this morning.
The bodies of the Moga DSP Balraj Singh and the girl were found in the farm house of an industrialist on Hambran road, Police Commissioner Ishwar Chand Sharma said.
Sharma, who was one of the senior officers who reached the spot, said both were murdered with sharped-edged weapons. Their bodies were lying on the sofa set in a room, he added.
He said the police was trying to get some clues with the help of the mobile telephone of the deceased.

Sports Illustrated Model 2012: 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Short List Revealed!

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue will be unveiled soon and the office has been a buzz with which smoking hot model will appear on the cover.
We don’t mean to brag and we don’t mean to boast, but our predictions are like butter on your breakfast toast.
Last year, we picked Irina Shayk and sure enough the red hot Rookies landed it.
In 2009, we were leaning towards Brooklyn Decker and though we were off by a year, you have to admit the bikini force is strong with us.
Check out the pics and give us your prediction in the comments.

Genevieve Morton

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa
| Age: 26 | Rookie year: 2010

Why?: Because she has had a ton
of buzz in 2011 and
was featured in Esquire.

Brooklyn Decker

Hometown: Kettering, Ohio |
Age: 24 | Rookie year: 2006

Why?: Because she has 2 movies
coming out in 2012 and would be the first person to appear on the cover twice.

Cintia Dicker

Hometown: Campo Bom, Brazil |
Age: 25 | Rookie year: 2009

Why?: We’re calling it – 2012 is
the year of the Ginger and
this is why.

Esti Ginzburg

Hometown: Tel Aviv, Israel |
Age: 21 | Rookie year: 2009

Why?: Israel is so hot right now
–
500+ COED Facebook Fans can’t be wrong.

Julie Henderson

Hometown: Houston, Texas |
Age: 25 | Rookie year: 2007

Why?: We’ve been saying this is
her year since 2009 so maybe it finally is.

Jessica White

Hometown: Buffalo, New York |
Age: 27 | Rookie year: 2003

Why?: Longest standing alumni may
get the nod this year.

Hilary Rhoda

Hometown: Chevy Chase, Maryland |
Age: 24 | Rookie year: 2009

Why?: She is the darkhorse of the
race but this dark haired beauty might be the American girl they’re looking for.

Jessica Perez

Hometown: San José, Costa Rica |
Age: 25 | Rookie year: 2011

Why?: Won the 2011 model search,
so it would make sense, right?

Kate Upton

Hometown: St. Joseph, Michigan |
Age: 19 | Rookie year: 2011

Why?: Come on! Do you think
anyone else beyond Kate will actually get the cover? I think not.

Uttar Pradesh polls: Congress manifesto counters BJP's promise of building temple in Ayodhya

Lucknow:  An accent on youth and technology, with a big Rahul Gandhi poster dominating a crowded stage. A focus on education and health, minority quota, better law and order. A counter to the BJP's promise of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya by saying "stick to the court order on the Babri Masjid." So where are the freebies in the Congress' UP manifesto ? Union Minister Kapil Sibal put it succinctly when he said in Lucknow today, "Just vote us back after this 23-year exile. You'll get everything."

The Congress promises a school in every village, one intermediate college for every 2,500 families, residential schools for the very backward, and 500 model schools.  The 20 lakh jobs that its vision statement released last week envisaged. It also promises doctors available at walking distance for all, upgraded district hospitals, a health lokpal (ombudsman) at the state level to ensure implementation of health schemes.

In fact, there will be focus on full and timely implementation of the UPA government's policies - that includes the 4.5 per cent sub-quota for backward minorities that the Centre has pushed through. The party also promises to explore the idea of having a sub quota for very backward Dalits.

Clean UP is the mantra and the Congress says that does not only mean physical cleanliness. It promises action against the corrupt and says it will bring the Chief Minister under the Lokayukta.

So no free or cheap laptops for UP's students, a la the BJP or Samajwadi Party? No, says Mr Sibal, "we would rather provide the information highway." Fittingly, the Congress pulled out technology man Sam Pitroda to accompany Mr Sibal at the party's UP manifesto launch.

"We are a nation of a connected billion. We are now making connected universities and are connecting 250,000 panchayats. Technology will play an important part in UP too," said Sam Pitroda, who is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's technology and innovation adviser and was a prominent part of the team that gave shape to Rajiv Gandhi's technology dreams.

Minister and the man in charge of the party's manifesto drafting committee Salman Khurshid came late, blamed his helicopter and said the right men - Mr Pitroda and Mr Sibal - were there as the manifesto is focused on education.

Pak considers India an existential threat: US

Washington: The United States wants its relations with Pakistan to remain positive, but their interests sometimes differed as Pakistan considered India as an existential threat, according to Washington's intelligence chief.

Testifying before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the US relationship with Pakistan was a "challenging relationship but an important one," as the interests of the two countries are "not always congruent."

Noting that Afghanistan remains a hot spot, Clapper said, "During the past year, the Taliban lost some ground, but Taliban's senior leaders continued to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan."

To be successful, Afghanistan must have support from coalition forces and its neighbours-particularly Pakistan, he said.

Asked by panel vice-chairman Saxby Chambliss about what was being done about safe havens of terrorists in Pakistan, Clapper said that they were talking to Pakistan about it.

"Al Qaeda will increasingly rely on ideological and operational alliances with Pakistani militant factions to accomplish its goals with Pakistan and to conduct transnational attacks," he said.

"Pakistan military leaders have had limited success against Al Qaeda operatives, other foreign fighters and Pakistani militants who pose a threat to Islamabad," Clapper said.

"We judge Al Qaeda operatives are balancing support for attacks in Pakistan with guidance to refocus the global jihad externally against US targets," he said.


Clapper said India had significantly increased its engagement with Afghanistan in 2011, but New Delhi in the near term is unlikely to send troops or heavy equipment to Kabul because it does not want to provoke Pakistan.

India's increased engagement is aimed at helping the Afghan Government sustain its sovereignty and independence during and after International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces draw down, he said.

"We judge that India sees its goals in Afghanistan as consistent with US objectives and favours a sustained ISAF and US presence in the country.

"India will almost certainly cooperate with the United States and Afghanistan in bilateral and multilateral frameworks to identify assistance activities that will help bolster civil society, develop capacity, and strengthen political structures in Afghanistan," he said.

CIA Director David Petraeus said while Pakistan had conducted operations in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Swat, they had not pressured the Haqqani Network or Mullah Nazir's group, nor pressured those present in Balochistan.

IANS

Will urge India to rethink Rafale decision: UK PM

London: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that India's decision to choose France's Dassault Aviation over Eurofighter as preferred bidder for a $15 billion war plane contract was disappointing and he would urge India to reconsider.

"Of course I will do everything I can, as I have already, to encourage the Indians to look at Typhoon (Eurofighter) because I think it is such a good aircraft," Cameron told parliament.


"The decision is obviously disappointing but it is about who the Indians have assessed as making the lowest bid and therefore asked to enter into further negotiations. They have not yet awarded the contract," he added.

He said he did not expect any job losses in Britain as a result of the decision and said "it doesn't rule out Typhoon for India."

"We must go on making the case. This (Eurofighter) is a superb aircraft with far better capabilities than Rafale and we will try and encourage the Indians to take that view," he added.

Rafale, made by Dassault, emerged on Tuesday as preferred bidder in the contest to supply India with 126 warplanes.

While exclusive talks are not a guarantee of sale, they deal a probable knockout blow to Rafale's chief rival in India, the Eurofighter Typhoon, a fighter plane developed by a consortium of four European aviation companies --the German and Spanish branches of EADS (EAD.PA), Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L) and Italy's Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI).

IANS

BJP, Congress spar over Taslima Nasreen's book

New Delhi: A war of words ensued between the BJP and the Congress on Wednesday over the cancellation of the official release of controversial author Taslima Nasreen's book in Kolkata with the former accusing Congress of driving the country towards a dangerous mindset and the latter saying fanaticism was intrinsic to the Opposition party's DNA.
"We condemn it. Congress is driving the country towards a dangerous mindset," senior BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi said reacting to the cancellation of the release of the seventh part of Nasreen's 'Nirbasan' (Exile) at Kolkata Book Fair.
Reacting to BJP's attack, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said that BJP has a tendency of "tilting at windmills".
"Fanaticism is intrinsic to the DNA of BJP and its affiliate organisations," Tewari said asking the Opposition party to "purge itself from fanaticism" and look within before levelling "false allegations" against Congress.

2G: Ten facts on Supreme Court's big verdict on Chidambaram and telecom scam

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver three important verdicts on different parts of the telecom scam tomorrow. Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly will announce whether Home Minister P Chidambaram should be investigated by the CBI, which is handling the telecom or 2G scam. Since Justice Ganguly is retiring on Thursday, he will be sitting in a bench headed by Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia.

Here are 10 big facts about this story:

1) The Supreme Court will announce tomorrow morning whether P Chidambaram should be formally investigated as part of the CBI inquiry into the telecom scam. Mr Chidambaram was Finance Minister in 2008 when nine companies were granted 122 mobile network licenses with second-generation spectrum or airwaves thrown in for free. The  swindle - which cost the government Rs. 1.76 lakh crores according to the government's auditor - was allegedly engineered by A Raja, who was then Telecom Minister. He is now in jail and is being tried for criminal conspiracy, cheating and breach of trust by a public servant which carries a maximum sentence of a life term in prison.

2) The court will also decide on whether 122 licenses issued during Mr Raja's tenure as Telecom Minister should be cancelled.

3) Why is Mr Chidambaram in the hot spot? Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy says that as Finance Minister, Mr Chidambaram endorsed the decisions taken by Mr Raja, and is therefore complicit in the scam. Mr Swamy along with lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan has petitioned the Supreme Court on different dimensions of the scam.  The CBI's investigation was ordered in 2010 on the basis of petitions by Mr Swamy and Mr Bhushan in the Supreme Court. Mr Swamy says that documents show that Mr Chidambaram was consulted by Mr Raja in four meetings on the pricing of spectrum and licenses. Mr Chidambaram, he says, over-ruled officials in his ministry who suggested an auction of spectrum.  Instead, Mr Raja chose to award licenses on a first-come-first-serve basis - and then manipulated the rules to allegedly help companies he favoured and moved them to the head of the queue. They were sold licenses at rates used in 2001, even though India's mobile subscriber base had shot up nearly a 100 times since then.

4) While the Supreme Court will decide on  whether the  CBI should investigate Mr Chidambaram, a special CBI court that's handling the telecom scam trial will decide on Saturday whether he should be made a co-accused in the case. That petition has also been filed by Mr Swamy.

5) Mr Raja has in his defence in court repeatedly stated that Mr Chidambaram and the Prime Minister were both kept updated on how he planned to allot what's called the 2G licenses. He has also threatened to summon Mr Chidambaram as a witness.

6) Is there any evidence against Mr Chidambaram? What has escalated the case against Mr Chidambaram, currently the Home Minister, is a note that was sent by the Finance Ministry in March this year to the Prime Minister's office. The note suggested that in 2008, the Finance Ministry headed by Mr Chidambaram could have done more to insist that Mr Raja conduct an auction of valuable spectrum.

"... the Finance Minister did not deal with the need, if any, to revise entry fee or the rate of revenue share... Subsequently, in a meeting held on January 30, 2008, between the then Minister of Finance and (the then Minister of) Telecommunications, it was noted by the former that he was for now not seeking to revisit the current regimes for entry fee or revenue share," the note from the Department of Economic Affairs said.


7) Mr Chidambaram's defence: The government has staunchly defended Mr Chidambaram so far, and has said that he was not in direct communication with Mr Raja about his policies.  The government has argued that it was not Mr Raja's policies that were the problem, but a manipulation of the rules that spawned the massive telecom scam.  Mr Chidambaram has said that he tried to enforce an auction of spectrum and that he alerted the Prime Minister to the potential problems of Mr Raja's policies. Mr Chidambaram has said that he was in favour of an auction and had said so on more than one occasion. As for allowing sale of equity by Swan and Unitech, Mr Chidambaram has said there was no violation, it was in sync with DoT guidelines and was legal.

8) Was an auction necessary?  TRAI or The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recently said that guidelines in 2008 did not mandate an auction for 2G frequency. In a report submitted to the trial court headed by Judge OP Saini, the regulatory body said that when licenses were awarded, the goal was not revenue generation. The idea was to improve mobile phone services for the average Indian and to provide more connectivity at low prices. TRAI's report has been seized by many of those on trial as part of their defence.

9) A third important verdict is expected: the Supreme Court is likely to decide on whether to sanction Prashant Bhushan's request for a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to monitor the CBI's inquiry. Mr Bhushan and Mr Swamy have both alleged that the CBI is under pressure from the government to protect Mr Chidambaram.

10) Mr Swamy alleges that Mr Chidambaram should also be held responsible because it was on his watch as Finance Minister that two companies were allowed to sell their licenses to foreign investors at huge profits. Unitech Wireless and Swan Telecom landed partnerships with Telenor and Etisalat DB  respectively. Their promoters have argued that they did not sell their stake; they diluted  equity. The government has said that the laws at the time were not broken by either company. The huge prices paid by the foreign companies, however, do highlight how under-valued the licenses were.
 

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74 dead in worst soccer violence in Egypt

Cairo: At least 74 people were killed and hundreds injured after soccer fans rushed the field in the seaside city of Port Said on Wednesday following an upset victory by the home team over Egypt's top club, setting off clashes and a stampede as riot police largely failed to intervene.

It was a bloody reminder of the deteriorating security in the Arab world's most populous country as instability continues nearly a year after former President Hosni Mubarak was swept out of power in a popular uprising.

The melee - which followed an Egyptian league match between Al-Masry, the home team in the Mediterranean city, and Al-Ahly, based in Cairo and one of Egypt's most popular teams - was the worst case of soccer violence in Egypt and the deadliest worldwide since 1996. One player said it was "like a war."

In Cairo, fans angered that another match between Al-Ismaili and Zamalek was halted because of the Port Said violence set fire to the bleachers at the main stadium in the Egyptian capital, authorities said. No injuries were reported, and employees said firefighters extinguished the blaze before it caused much damage.

The clashes and ensuing stampede did not appear to be directly linked to the political turmoil in Egypt, but the violence raised fresh concerns about the ability of the state police to manage crowds. Most of the hundreds of black-uniformed police with helmets and shields stood in lines and did nothing as soccer fans chased each other, some wielding sharp objects and others hurling sticks and rocks.

Security officials said the ministry has issued directives for its personnel not to "engage" with civilians after recent clashes between police and protesters in November left more than 40 people dead.

The violence also underscored the role of soccer fans in Egypt's recent protest movement. Organized fans, in groups known as ultras, have played an important role in the revolution and rallies against military rule. Their anti-police songs, peppered with curses, have quickly become viral and an expression of the hatred many Egyptians feel toward security forces that were accused of much of the abuse that was widespread under Mubarak's regime.

There have been other recent violent incidents at soccer games. In April, the ineffectiveness of the police force also was on display when thousands of fans ran onto the field before the end of an African Champions League game between local club Zamalek and Tunisia's Club Africain. The hundreds of police on duty at Cairo International Stadium could not stop the violence then, either.

Activists scheduled rallies Thursday outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Cairo to protest the inability of the police to stop the bloodshed.

Many gathered outside Al-Ahly club in Cairo, chanting slogans against military rule, and hundreds filed into Cairo's main train station to receive the injured arriving from Port Said. "We die like them, or we ensure their rights," the crowd chanted, along with slogans denouncing the military rulers.

As the train arrived, scores jumped on top of the train and raised Egyptian flags.

"They came at us with machetes and knives...they threw some of us from the fourth floor," one returning fan told the private TV station ONTV.

"Everyone was beating us. They were beating us from inside and outside, with fireworks, stones, metal bars, and some had knives, I swear," another fan told the station, which did not give their names.

In Port Said, residents marched early Thursday, denouncing the violence and saying it was a conspiracy by the military and police to cause chaos.

Army tanks and armored vehicles joined police patrolling near hospitals and morgues. Police were not to be seen in the streets after the violence and were unavailable to break up fights that followed.

The tension also spread to the nearby Suez province. About 500 protesters, including soccer fans and activists, gathered outside the main police headquarters to protest what they called police negligence.

A security official said the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. He was speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to reporters.

The scuffles erupted when fans of Al-Masry stormed the field following a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly. Al-Masry supporters hurled sticks and stones as they chased players and fans from the rival team, who ran toward the exits and up the stands to escape, according to witnesses. One man told state TV he heard gunshots in the stadium, while a lawmaker from Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood said the police didn't prevent fans carrying knives from entering the stadium.

TV footage showed Al-Ahly players rushing for their locker room as fistfights broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming on to the field. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Black-clothed police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed.

The Interior Ministry said 74 people died, including one police officer, and 248 were injured, 14 of them police. A local health official initially said 1,000 people were injured and it was not clear how severely. Security forces arrested 47 people for involvement in the violence, the statement said.

State TV appealed to Egyptians to donate blood for the injured in Port Said, and the military sent two aircraft to evacuate serious cases to the capital, Cairo.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military leadership that assumed power after Mubarak's ouster, welcomed Al-Ahly team players who were flown back to Cairo from Port Said on a military aircraft.

"This will not bring Egypt down," he told reporters at a military air base east of Cairo. "These incidents happen anywhere in the world. We will not let those behind it go ...This will not affect Egypt and its security."

The military declared three days of mourning starting Thursday.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim told state TV that 13,000 Al-Masry fans stormed the field, jumping a low fence and attacking about 1,200 Al-Ahly fans. He transferred the Port Said local security chief to a desk job as a punitive measure.

Al-Ahly goalkeeper Sharif Ikrami, who was injured in the melee, told the private station ONTV that dead and wounded were being carried into the locker room.

"There were people dying in front of us," he said. "It's over. We've all made a decision that we won't play soccer any more. How will we play soccer after 70 people died? We can't think about it."

Hesham Sheiha, a health ministry official, said most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep head wounds and suffocation from the stampede. He said 40 people were seriously injured.

In an interview with the team's station, Mohammed Abu Trika, a player with Al-Ahly, criticized police for standing by and not intervening in the violence.

"People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It's like a war," he told the team TV station. "Is life this cheap?"

Egypt's state prosecutor ordered an immediate investigation into the violence, and the Egypt Football Association ordered an indefinite suspension of the league games. The parliament said it would convene an emergency session.

The two sides also traded conspiracy theories, with each side blaming the other for trying to destabilize the country.

Essam el-Erian, a Brotherhood lawmaker, said the military and police were complicit in the violence, accusing them of trying to show that emergency regulations giving security forces wide-ranging powers must be maintained.

"This tragedy is a result of intentional reluctance by the military and the police," he said.

The manager of the Al-Masry, Kamal Abu Ali, announced he also was resigning in protest.

"This is not about soccer. This is bigger than that. This is a plot to topple the state," he told the same station, using an often-cited allegation by the military against protesters.

Bob Bradley, the former U.S. national team coach who was hired in September as coach of Egypt's national team, was not at the stadium, U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Michael Kammarman said.

It was the deadliest incident of soccer violence since Oct. 16, 1996, when at least 78 people died and 180 others were injured in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala City before a World Cup qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Rica.

The Port Said game was a face-off between two teams with a long history of fierce competition, Al-Masry, the home team, and Al-Ahly, a record 36-time winner of the Egyptian league and a six-time winner of the African Champions League.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths.

"This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen," he said in a statement.

The Confederation of African Football, which organizes the African Cup, said a minute's silence would be held before all quarterfinals this weekend as a mark of respect for the dead.

CAF President Issa Hayatou said, "African football is in a state of mourning."

Don Cornelius Dead: Don Cornelius Commits Suicide in Sherman Oaks CA

Don Cornelius — who famously created “Soul Train” was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, CA home this morning … and law enforcement sources tell us it appears he committed suicide.
We’re told cops discovered the body at around 4 AM PT. Law enforcement sources tell us … Cornelius died from a gunshot wound to the head and officials believe the wound was self-inflicted.
We’re told Cornelius was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Soul Train” changed the landscape of television when it debuted in 1971 and ran until 2006.
Officials have notified Don’s family.
Cornelius was 75.
During Don’s bitter divorce proceedings in 2009, he told an L.A. judge he was suffering from “significant health issues” and wanted to “finalize this divorce before I die.”
Cornelius was arrested in 2008 for beating up his wife. He pled no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence and was placed on 3 years probation. His probation just terminated.
The divorce was granted in 2010.
Sources close to Don tell us … the TV icon was plagued with health issues for years … including a stroke and a condition that required brain surgery.
Shawn Holley — Don’s lawyer and good friend — tells TMZ, “This is devastating news. Don was a kind, funny and brilliant man. Even though his many health battles had left him frail, he remained vibrant, courtly and always sharp as a tack.”

Nicki Minaj Wonderland: Nicki Minaj Hot On Wonderland February/March 2012

Bringing her unique ways to the publication’s latest installment, Nicki Minaj pretties up the cover of the February/March 2012 issue of Wonderland
The “Stupid Hoes” hitmaker sports her colorful pink coif on the Matt Irwin shot front page while chatting about her adoration for Barbie and life in the UK.
Highlights from Miss Minaj’s interview are as follows.
On the UK:
“I was born in London in my past life, no one can tell me different. I probably was like a queen in London, I was probably the people’s queen that fought for lives … and I probably started off as a maid and then was just, like, really revolutionary and moved all my [Barbies] into the big queen mansion.”
On her real life and stage persona:
“Oh they’re definitely two completely different people. Obviously what I would wear at home is not what I would wear up on stage and I think, when I’m at home it’s a way more introspective character and I think the person people see on stage is anything but. I watch a lot of Judge Judy. And I watch a lot of Forensic Files. And I cook – I cook spaghetti really, really good; I cook macaroni and cheese really, really good; I cook chicken really, really good.”
On being obsessed with Barbie:
“I feel like Barbie is great because it doesn’t only focus on beauty – you have Barbies that work, they have tons of different jobs now. And they come in different shades, which I love, and different hairstyles. So I think that they’ve gotten to the point where they’re making girls feel like it’s OK not to look like or be like the traditional Barbie. Now in terms of a body image, even male action figure dolls are cut up more than the average man – it’s just how people make dolls!”