Intel Launches Fashionable Notebook
Techtree News Staff, November 30, 2005
With Intel Corporation and Toray Ultrasuede having launched the "ultra-fashionable" concept laptop, it looks like laptops might just have arrived on the fashion-scene.
According to a recent Intel/Ultrasuede laptop style study, 73 per cent of adult computer users in USA want to buy technology products that reflect their personal style.
Further 40 per cent of US adult computer users actually find their laptops dull, boring, lack-luster and generic; while 60 per cent wish to customize their laptops with options like patterns, colors, fabrics, etc.
The "ultra-fashionable" concept laptop is "chic", combining Intel Centrino mobile technology, with Ultrasuede fabric which gives the laptop a unique look and feel. While the Intel Centrino mobile technology offers wireless communication features in a light-weight design, Ultrasuede provides a stylish approach to the on-the-fly technology.
Ultrasuede with its wide range of colors and textures, plus durability and ease-of-care, has been successfully incorporated into several products ranging from furniture to apparel and accessories.
Steven Cojocaru, style expert, said, "For many people, a laptop may be just as much an everyday accessory as a hip belt or skyscraper stilettos, so we're seeing an image-conscious culture demanding that their laptop looks as great as it performs. The 'ultra-fashionable' concept is a very forward illustration of what can happen, when unlikely partners shake up the status quo. This laptop is so eye-catchingly stunning, I'm trying to find a way to wear it as a necklace to the Golden Globe Awards."
Jodi Geniesse, consumer mobile education manager, Intel Corporation, said, "Intel's technology innovation, coupled with the plush luxury of Ultrasuede fabric, offers a marriage of form and function with unlimited potential for fashionable personal expression. Intel has continually evolved what goes inside laptops, making them ever more powerful, mobile and connected, and now we are working to inspire the industry to transform the outsides of laptops to better reflect consumers' mobile lifestyle."
Des McLaughlin, director - sales and marketing, Toray Ultrasuede, said, "With technology becoming more and more a part of our lives, this was a natural extension for Ultrasuede. Our fabric has always conveyed luxury, fashion and style, whether in high-end automobiles, living rooms or apparel. Like Intel, we are constantly looking to enable new and exciting products and uses for consumers. We believe the integration of Ultrasuede onto a laptop PC can help lead to a category shift that will add personal expression to the list of must-have laptop PC features."
Read the full article at : Techtree.com India > News > Hardware > Intel Launches Fashionable Notebook
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Apple may launch Intel laptops, analyst says | CNET News.com
Apple may launch Intel laptops, analyst says
By Reuters, November 30, 2005, 8:49 AM PST
Apple Computer could introduce its first laptop computers based on Intel chips as early as January, which, together with robust sales of video iPods, should drive earnings higher, Citigroup said Wednesday.
Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner raised his target on the computer maker's stock price to $71 from $51 and boosted his earnings forecasts for the next two years.
For the current quarter, Gardner raised his revenue estimate to $5.5 billion from $4.8 billion and his earnings-per share forecast to 60 cents from 47 cents.
He also raised his 2006 revenue forecast to $20.4 billion from $17.6 billion and his earnings estimate to $2.16 a share from $1.72.
"We are becoming more convinced that Apple will introduce its first Intel-based PowerBook at Macworld San Francisco," Gardner said in a note to clients. That conference runs from Jan. 9 to 13.
Gardner said these product introductions would be sooner than expected, which should help minimize the risk that Apple would end up with a buildup of its current line of non-Intel laptops as customers anticipate the arrival of the new models.
For 2007, he expects revenue of $24.3 billion and per-share profit of $2.61, up from his previous forecasts of $19.6 billion and $1.93.
Read the full article at : Apple may launch Intel laptops, analyst says | CNET News.com
By Reuters, November 30, 2005, 8:49 AM PST
Apple Computer could introduce its first laptop computers based on Intel chips as early as January, which, together with robust sales of video iPods, should drive earnings higher, Citigroup said Wednesday.
Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner raised his target on the computer maker's stock price to $71 from $51 and boosted his earnings forecasts for the next two years.
For the current quarter, Gardner raised his revenue estimate to $5.5 billion from $4.8 billion and his earnings-per share forecast to 60 cents from 47 cents.
He also raised his 2006 revenue forecast to $20.4 billion from $17.6 billion and his earnings estimate to $2.16 a share from $1.72.
"We are becoming more convinced that Apple will introduce its first Intel-based PowerBook at Macworld San Francisco," Gardner said in a note to clients. That conference runs from Jan. 9 to 13.
Gardner said these product introductions would be sooner than expected, which should help minimize the risk that Apple would end up with a buildup of its current line of non-Intel laptops as customers anticipate the arrival of the new models.
For 2007, he expects revenue of $24.3 billion and per-share profit of $2.61, up from his previous forecasts of $19.6 billion and $1.93.
Read the full article at : Apple may launch Intel laptops, analyst says | CNET News.com
Brahmos cruise missile test-fired
Brahmos cruise missile test-fired
November 30, 2005 12:28 IST
The supersonic cruise missile Brahmos was flight tested on Wednesday from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore.
The test firing of the missile took place at 1102 IST. "The flight trial has met all the mission objectives," a defence source said.
The ground range instrumentation from ITR and the radar located near the impact point tracked the missile trajectory and monitored all the parameters from launch, the source said.
Brahmos has been developed under a joint venture programme between India and Russia. The version tested on Wednesday had been designed for army use, the sources said.
The missile has a striking range of 290 km and weighs about three tonnes. It is about eight metre long and can carry a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg. A two-stage vehicle, its propulsion comprises of a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ramjet system.
Brahmos can travel at mach numbers 2.8 to 3 and has been configured for launch from ground, ship, submarine and aircraft. (A mach number represents the ratio of the speed of a body, like an aircraft, to the speed of sound in a surrounding medium.)
The first test flight of the missile was carried out from the ITR on June 12, 2001.
Distinguished scientist and chief executive officer and managing director of Brahmos company Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, who is also chief controller (reasearch and development) of the Defence Research And Development Organisation, was present along with other scientists of the organisation during the test firing.
Read the full article at : Brahmos cruise missile test-fired
November 30, 2005 12:28 IST
The supersonic cruise missile Brahmos was flight tested on Wednesday from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore.
The test firing of the missile took place at 1102 IST. "The flight trial has met all the mission objectives," a defence source said.
The ground range instrumentation from ITR and the radar located near the impact point tracked the missile trajectory and monitored all the parameters from launch, the source said.
Brahmos has been developed under a joint venture programme between India and Russia. The version tested on Wednesday had been designed for army use, the sources said.
The missile has a striking range of 290 km and weighs about three tonnes. It is about eight metre long and can carry a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg. A two-stage vehicle, its propulsion comprises of a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ramjet system.
Brahmos can travel at mach numbers 2.8 to 3 and has been configured for launch from ground, ship, submarine and aircraft. (A mach number represents the ratio of the speed of a body, like an aircraft, to the speed of sound in a surrounding medium.)
The first test flight of the missile was carried out from the ITR on June 12, 2001.
Distinguished scientist and chief executive officer and managing director of Brahmos company Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, who is also chief controller (reasearch and development) of the Defence Research And Development Organisation, was present along with other scientists of the organisation during the test firing.
Read the full article at : Brahmos cruise missile test-fired
India test fires Brahmos cruise missile
India test fires Brahmos cruise missile
PTI, November 30, 2005
Balasore (Orissa), Nov 30 (PTI) The supersonic cruise missile Brahmos was today flight tested today from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from here.
The test firing of the missile took place at 11.02 IST.
"The flight trial has met all the mission objectives", a defence source said.
The ground range instrumentation from ITR and the radar located near the impact point tracked the missile trajectory and monitored all the parameters from launch, the source said. Brahmos has been developed under a joint venture programme between India and Russia.
Today's version of the Brahmos had been designed for Army use, the sources said.
The missile has a striking range of 290 km and weighs about three tonnes. It is about eight metre long and can carry a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg.
A two-stage vehicle, its propulsion comprises of a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ramjet system.
Brahmos can travel at mach 2.8 to 3 and has been configured for launch from ground, ship, submarine and aircraft.
The first test flight of the missile was carried out from the ITR on June 12, 2001.
Distinguished scientist and chief executive officer cum managing director of Brahmos company Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, who is also chief controller (r and d) of the Defence Research And Development Organisation (DRDO), was present along with Russian and other scientists or the organisation during the test firing.
Read the full article at : India test fires Brahmos cruise missile
PTI, November 30, 2005
Balasore (Orissa), Nov 30 (PTI) The supersonic cruise missile Brahmos was today flight tested today from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from here.
The test firing of the missile took place at 11.02 IST.
"The flight trial has met all the mission objectives", a defence source said.
The ground range instrumentation from ITR and the radar located near the impact point tracked the missile trajectory and monitored all the parameters from launch, the source said. Brahmos has been developed under a joint venture programme between India and Russia.
Today's version of the Brahmos had been designed for Army use, the sources said.
The missile has a striking range of 290 km and weighs about three tonnes. It is about eight metre long and can carry a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg.
A two-stage vehicle, its propulsion comprises of a solid propellant booster and a liquid propellant ramjet system.
Brahmos can travel at mach 2.8 to 3 and has been configured for launch from ground, ship, submarine and aircraft.
The first test flight of the missile was carried out from the ITR on June 12, 2001.
Distinguished scientist and chief executive officer cum managing director of Brahmos company Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, who is also chief controller (r and d) of the Defence Research And Development Organisation (DRDO), was present along with Russian and other scientists or the organisation during the test firing.
Read the full article at : India test fires Brahmos cruise missile
India successfully test-fires supersonic cruise missile - Forbes.com
India successfully test-fires supersonic cruise missile
AFX News Limited, 11.30.2005, 02:28 AM
BHUBANESWAR, India (AFX) - India today successfully test-fired an army version of its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile that was jointly developed with Russia, a defence officer said.
The missile was tested from Chandipur-on-sea site, 200 kilometres northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the southeastern state of Orissa, the officer, who declined to be named, said.
'The flight trial met all the mission objectives, officer said.
The missile has a range of 290 kilometers and can carry a 300-kilogram conventional warhead and can be launched from land, ships, submarines and aircraft, the officer said.
The eight-metre missile weighs about three metric tonnes.
The missile, first tested in June 2001, is named after India's Brahmaputra River and Russia's Moskva River.
Read the full article at : India successfully test-fires supersonic cruise missile - Forbes.com
AFX News Limited, 11.30.2005, 02:28 AM
BHUBANESWAR, India (AFX) - India today successfully test-fired an army version of its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile that was jointly developed with Russia, a defence officer said.
The missile was tested from Chandipur-on-sea site, 200 kilometres northeast of Bhubaneswar, the capital of the southeastern state of Orissa, the officer, who declined to be named, said.
'The flight trial met all the mission objectives, officer said.
The missile has a range of 290 kilometers and can carry a 300-kilogram conventional warhead and can be launched from land, ships, submarines and aircraft, the officer said.
The eight-metre missile weighs about three metric tonnes.
The missile, first tested in June 2001, is named after India's Brahmaputra River and Russia's Moskva River.
Read the full article at : India successfully test-fires supersonic cruise missile - Forbes.com
Big B undergoes surgery: Reports : HindustanTimes.com
Big B undergoes surgery: Reports
HindustanTimes.com, New Delhi, November 30, 2005
According to TV reports, Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly undergone a major surgery at Mumbai's Lilawati Hospital.
Family sources have been tight-lipped about the surgery, and the media was told earlier in the day that the superstar is on his way to recovery.
Sources say that his surgery is linked to the near-fatal accident during the filming of Coolie.
He was shifted from Delhi's Escorts Hospital to Mumbai, fuelling rumours that his condition may have been more serious than indicated.
Meanwhile, Bachchan's well wishers anxiously waited outside the hospital to know about his health.
Read the full article at : Big B undergoes surgery: Reports : HindustanTimes.com
HindustanTimes.com, New Delhi, November 30, 2005
According to TV reports, Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly undergone a major surgery at Mumbai's Lilawati Hospital.
Family sources have been tight-lipped about the surgery, and the media was told earlier in the day that the superstar is on his way to recovery.
Sources say that his surgery is linked to the near-fatal accident during the filming of Coolie.
He was shifted from Delhi's Escorts Hospital to Mumbai, fuelling rumours that his condition may have been more serious than indicated.
Meanwhile, Bachchan's well wishers anxiously waited outside the hospital to know about his health.
Read the full article at : Big B undergoes surgery: Reports : HindustanTimes.com
Amitabh Bachchan’s condition stable - Sify.com
Amitabh Bachchan’s condition stable
Wednesday, 30 November , 2005, 18:54
Mumbai: The condition of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is undergoing treatment for abdominal pain at the Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra is stable, according to hospital sources.
Bachchan, who has been diagnosed to have colitis in the diverticulum area of the colon (large intestine) will be in the hospital at least for a couple of days, sources said.
The 63-year-old actor underwent various tests since Monday when he was flown in from Escorts Hospital in New Delhi and is undergoing treatment.
"He is stable", the sources said.
Meanwhile, Bachchan’s well wishers were standing outside the hospital and some praying for his fast recovery.
Read the full article at : Amitabh Bachchan’s condition stable - Sify.com
Wednesday, 30 November , 2005, 18:54
Mumbai: The condition of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is undergoing treatment for abdominal pain at the Lilavati Hospital in suburban Bandra is stable, according to hospital sources.
Bachchan, who has been diagnosed to have colitis in the diverticulum area of the colon (large intestine) will be in the hospital at least for a couple of days, sources said.
The 63-year-old actor underwent various tests since Monday when he was flown in from Escorts Hospital in New Delhi and is undergoing treatment.
"He is stable", the sources said.
Meanwhile, Bachchan’s well wishers were standing outside the hospital and some praying for his fast recovery.
Read the full article at : Amitabh Bachchan’s condition stable - Sify.com
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
What really ails Bachchan? - The Times of India
What really ails Bachchan?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 08:38:00 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK
MUMBAI: The suspense over superstar Amitabh Bachchan's illness continued on Day 2 as the first family of Bollywood made no announcement to fans and media.
A family friend told TOI that his condition was more serious than they had thought it was. "We thought it was just a stomach ache, but it seems more serious," said the friend without elaborating.
Even as the actor was put through a battery of tests at Bandra's Lilavati Hospital, there were rumours of Bachchan's "old problem'' resurfacing.
The doctors only admitted to keeping him back for a day more. Bachchan, 63, was admitted to Lilavati after being flown to Mumbai from New Delhi on Monday night.
The hospitalisation and images of a weakened Bachchan flashing across newspapers and TV screens revived memories of 1982 when the star ruptured his intestines after falling on a table while shooting Coolie.
On Tuesday evening, hospital vice president Dr Narendra Trivedi told reporters there was no need to worry. "He has colitis and needs to rest," he said.
Earlier in the day, he had said that Bachchan had been subjected to routine blood, urine and stool tests. A CT scan was also done.
Unofficial sources, however, mentioned that his family wanted him to rest and had insisted on an extra day in hospital. "They are worried he will leave for shooting if discharged," said doctors.
Unofficial verdict: Colitis with 'query of diversiculitis'
The lay person has been flummoxed with the official answer—colitis. After all, this is a term synonymous with stomach ache and weeping babies.
But in medical parlance, colitis relates specifically to an inflammation of the colon, the extreme portion of the stomach.
Even here, in medical terms, the stomach is only used to denote the part attached to the food pipe. The other parts of the stomach are referred to as the small intestine and the large intestine or colon.
The Big B's medical report on Tuesday evening read "colitis, with a query of diversiculitis".
It is this suspected condition of diverticulosis or diversiculitis that is the cause of some worry. This tongue-twister describes a condition in which the large intestine's walls are weakened and develop balloon-like pouches.
Read the full article at : What really ails Bachchan? - The Times of India
Wednesday, November 30, 2005 08:38:00 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK
MUMBAI: The suspense over superstar Amitabh Bachchan's illness continued on Day 2 as the first family of Bollywood made no announcement to fans and media.
A family friend told TOI that his condition was more serious than they had thought it was. "We thought it was just a stomach ache, but it seems more serious," said the friend without elaborating.
Even as the actor was put through a battery of tests at Bandra's Lilavati Hospital, there were rumours of Bachchan's "old problem'' resurfacing.
The doctors only admitted to keeping him back for a day more. Bachchan, 63, was admitted to Lilavati after being flown to Mumbai from New Delhi on Monday night.
The hospitalisation and images of a weakened Bachchan flashing across newspapers and TV screens revived memories of 1982 when the star ruptured his intestines after falling on a table while shooting Coolie.
On Tuesday evening, hospital vice president Dr Narendra Trivedi told reporters there was no need to worry. "He has colitis and needs to rest," he said.
Earlier in the day, he had said that Bachchan had been subjected to routine blood, urine and stool tests. A CT scan was also done.
Unofficial sources, however, mentioned that his family wanted him to rest and had insisted on an extra day in hospital. "They are worried he will leave for shooting if discharged," said doctors.
Unofficial verdict: Colitis with 'query of diversiculitis'
The lay person has been flummoxed with the official answer—colitis. After all, this is a term synonymous with stomach ache and weeping babies.
But in medical parlance, colitis relates specifically to an inflammation of the colon, the extreme portion of the stomach.
Even here, in medical terms, the stomach is only used to denote the part attached to the food pipe. The other parts of the stomach are referred to as the small intestine and the large intestine or colon.
The Big B's medical report on Tuesday evening read "colitis, with a query of diversiculitis".
It is this suspected condition of diverticulosis or diversiculitis that is the cause of some worry. This tongue-twister describes a condition in which the large intestine's walls are weakened and develop balloon-like pouches.
Read the full article at : What really ails Bachchan? - The Times of India
Friday, November 25, 2005
Monica Bedi taken to Bhopal - Newindpress.com
Monica Bedi taken to Bhopal
Saturday November 26 2005 00:00 IST, UNI
HYDERABAD: The Bhopal police on Friday took gangster Abu Salem's companion Monica Bedi's to Bhopal from the Chanchalguda jail here in connection with a another fake passport case.
Five days ago, the Chanchalguda jail authorities received a mail from Bhopal police about the production warrant they obtained from a court in Bhopal seeking the custody of Monica Bedi in connection with the case.
The Bhopal police team arrived here early this morning to take her there as Moncia's judicial custody was ending on Friday.
She was taken from Chanchalguda prison in the early hours by Bhopal police, according to her counsel here.
She was brought here from Mumbai on November 11 evening by CBI officials and produced before Hyderabad CBI cases special judge C V Subramanyam at his residence on November 12 who remanded her in judicial custody till November 25.
The case was concerned the possession of a fake passport. Ms Bedi was charged under sections 417 and 420 (for cheating), section 471 (knowingly using forged documents) and sec 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) under the passport act 1967 for possessing the fake passport.
As per the directions of the judge, Ms Monica was shifted to Chenchalguda women's prison. On the same day, CBI filed a petition seeking her custody.
On November 15, the special judge heard the arguments advanced by special public prosecutor (CBI) Ramana and Monica's counsel A M Sanugi on the petition and posted the case to November 17 for orders.
On November 17, the special judge passed an order granting two days CBI custody for Monica.
After questioning, Monica was produced before court and was later sent to Chanchalguda prison. In her statement to the court, Monica claimed that she was not married to Salem.
On November 24, Monica's uncle Purushothamlal Bedi from Hoshiyarpur district of Punjab met her with the permission of court.
During the meeting, he claimed, his niece told him that she was not married to Salem.
As Monica's custody period was coming to a close, the Bhopal police started preparing to arrest Monica in another fake passport case pending against her.
Meanwhile, the special court for CBI cases, Hyderabad on Friday extended Monica's judicial remand till December 9.
Read the full article at : Monica Bedi taken to Bhopal - Newindpress.com
Saturday November 26 2005 00:00 IST, UNI
HYDERABAD: The Bhopal police on Friday took gangster Abu Salem's companion Monica Bedi's to Bhopal from the Chanchalguda jail here in connection with a another fake passport case.
Five days ago, the Chanchalguda jail authorities received a mail from Bhopal police about the production warrant they obtained from a court in Bhopal seeking the custody of Monica Bedi in connection with the case.The Bhopal police team arrived here early this morning to take her there as Moncia's judicial custody was ending on Friday.
She was taken from Chanchalguda prison in the early hours by Bhopal police, according to her counsel here.
She was brought here from Mumbai on November 11 evening by CBI officials and produced before Hyderabad CBI cases special judge C V Subramanyam at his residence on November 12 who remanded her in judicial custody till November 25.
The case was concerned the possession of a fake passport. Ms Bedi was charged under sections 417 and 420 (for cheating), section 471 (knowingly using forged documents) and sec 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) under the passport act 1967 for possessing the fake passport.
As per the directions of the judge, Ms Monica was shifted to Chenchalguda women's prison. On the same day, CBI filed a petition seeking her custody.
On November 15, the special judge heard the arguments advanced by special public prosecutor (CBI) Ramana and Monica's counsel A M Sanugi on the petition and posted the case to November 17 for orders.
On November 17, the special judge passed an order granting two days CBI custody for Monica.
After questioning, Monica was produced before court and was later sent to Chanchalguda prison. In her statement to the court, Monica claimed that she was not married to Salem.
On November 24, Monica's uncle Purushothamlal Bedi from Hoshiyarpur district of Punjab met her with the permission of court.
During the meeting, he claimed, his niece told him that she was not married to Salem.
As Monica's custody period was coming to a close, the Bhopal police started preparing to arrest Monica in another fake passport case pending against her.
Meanwhile, the special court for CBI cases, Hyderabad on Friday extended Monica's judicial remand till December 9.
Read the full article at : Monica Bedi taken to Bhopal - Newindpress.com
outlookindia.com | wired
Preity Zinta files criminal complaint against Mid-Day
MUMBAI, NOV 25 (PTI)
Bollywood actress Preity Zinta today initiated criminal proceedings against a city tabloid by filing a defamation case in a magistrate's court for publishing a text of telephonic conversation between her and actor Salman Khan that allegedly had sexual overtones.
The defamation complaint is based on a transcript of a conversation -- supposedly between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai -- in which Salman referred to his relationship with Zinta which appeared in Mid-Day's July 15 issue.
The actress' lawyer Nooruddin Dhilla said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dilip Joshi hasn't yet admitted the application and the matter will be taken up by the court on December 13.
Leaking of tapes of conversations to media, allegedly between Salman and Aishwarya, had made the headlines in July this year. The newspaper and the newschannel which "broke" this story had claimed that this conversations were taped by Mumbai police.
However, police denied it emphatically saying that the recent forensic laboratory reports showed that tapes were not authentic and that the voices of persons in the tape did not match with those of Aishwarya and Salman.
Zinta has moved the court only against Mid-Day, because the other newspapers and channels hadn't aired/printed part of the conversations which referred to her.
Meanwhile, reacting to the defamation suit, Mid-Day executive editor, Lajwanti D'Souza said, "it is something on record (the tapes); we just reproduced it. We feel bad about it, but that is what it was.
Read the full article at : outlookindia.com | wired
MUMBAI, NOV 25 (PTI)
Bollywood actress Preity Zinta today initiated criminal proceedings against a city tabloid by filing a defamation case in a magistrate's court for publishing a text of telephonic conversation between her and actor Salman Khan that allegedly had sexual overtones.The defamation complaint is based on a transcript of a conversation -- supposedly between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai -- in which Salman referred to his relationship with Zinta which appeared in Mid-Day's July 15 issue.
The actress' lawyer Nooruddin Dhilla said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dilip Joshi hasn't yet admitted the application and the matter will be taken up by the court on December 13.
Leaking of tapes of conversations to media, allegedly between Salman and Aishwarya, had made the headlines in July this year. The newspaper and the newschannel which "broke" this story had claimed that this conversations were taped by Mumbai police.However, police denied it emphatically saying that the recent forensic laboratory reports showed that tapes were not authentic and that the voices of persons in the tape did not match with those of Aishwarya and Salman.
Zinta has moved the court only against Mid-Day, because the other newspapers and channels hadn't aired/printed part of the conversations which referred to her.
Meanwhile, reacting to the defamation suit, Mid-Day executive editor, Lajwanti D'Souza said, "it is something on record (the tapes); we just reproduced it. We feel bad about it, but that is what it was.
Read the full article at : outlookindia.com | wired
USATODAY.com - Drug smuggler crowned Miss Penitentiary
Drug smuggler crowned Miss Penitentiary
Posted 11/25/2005 11:00 AM
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Like beauty pageant contestants everywhere, Caroline Goncalves hoped a victory could launch her modeling career. But she'd be satisfied if it helps shave some time off her prison sentence.
"This will put me a little closer to getting out of here," the 25-year-old convict said Thursday as stylists tugged at her long blond hair and put the finishing touches on her penciled-in eyebrows.
The sweltering heat inside the Carandiru women's detention center was only made worse by the dozens of hair dryers working overtime, but the 40 contestants from 10 prisons around Sao Paulo didn't seem to mind.
The women, serving sentences for everything from armed robbery to drug trafficking, were vying to be named Miss Penitentiary 2005 — a title that brings a 350-real (US$160, euro135) prize and a break from dreary routine.
"Afterward, we're going to be able to talk to people from (fashion) magazines," said a clearly nervous Goncalves, who is serving five years and four months for assault with a deadly weapon.
Last year's winner, Fernanda Maria de Jesus, gained early release months after her victory, but prison officials insist the shortened sentence had nothing to do with her winning the title.
After more than six hours of ceremonies, Angelica Mazua, a statuesque Angolan serving five years on international drug smuggling charges was declared this year's winner.
"People told me, 'you're tall, you should enter the contest,' so that's why I entered. I've always been interested in fashion," Mazua said.
Prison officials came up with the idea of a beauty contest last year as a way of trying to boost inmates' self confidence.
"It helps their self esteem. It helps them feel human. It shows that they're capable people, that independent of the crime, they are a part of society," said Irani Torres, director of a prison in the city of Rio Claro.
The contest is more than just a beauty pageant. Judges include celebrities, soccer players and journalists, and there are prizes in three other categories including writing, public speaking and congeniality.
But one of the contestants in the writing competition, 23-year-old Viviane Souza, complained that the beauty pageant winner gets all the attention, including appearances on television shows.
"Last year they just showed the beauty contest winner. Why not show the ones who wrote, the ones who used their minds?" asked Souza, who hopes to become a journalist when she finishes her 21-month sentence for drug dealing.
Even so, many were glad for the chance to let their hair down — or to fix it up.
"I'm not bothered by the attention the beauty contest (winner) receives," said Maria Aparecida de Almeida, 39. "She is raising the banner for all of us. She's a prisoner and she managed to make it. She helps all of us."
Peru and Colombia also hold beauty contests in prisons. Sao Paulo's is one of the largest, drawing from its female population of almost 4,000 inmates.
Read the full article at : USATODAY.com - Drug smuggler crowned Miss Penitentiary
Posted 11/25/2005 11:00 AM
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Like beauty pageant contestants everywhere, Caroline Goncalves hoped a victory could launch her modeling career. But she'd be satisfied if it helps shave some time off her prison sentence.
"This will put me a little closer to getting out of here," the 25-year-old convict said Thursday as stylists tugged at her long blond hair and put the finishing touches on her penciled-in eyebrows.The sweltering heat inside the Carandiru women's detention center was only made worse by the dozens of hair dryers working overtime, but the 40 contestants from 10 prisons around Sao Paulo didn't seem to mind.
The women, serving sentences for everything from armed robbery to drug trafficking, were vying to be named Miss Penitentiary 2005 — a title that brings a 350-real (US$160, euro135) prize and a break from dreary routine.
"Afterward, we're going to be able to talk to people from (fashion) magazines," said a clearly nervous Goncalves, who is serving five years and four months for assault with a deadly weapon.
Last year's winner, Fernanda Maria de Jesus, gained early release months after her victory, but prison officials insist the shortened sentence had nothing to do with her winning the title.
After more than six hours of ceremonies, Angelica Mazua, a statuesque Angolan serving five years on international drug smuggling charges was declared this year's winner.
"People told me, 'you're tall, you should enter the contest,' so that's why I entered. I've always been interested in fashion," Mazua said.
Prison officials came up with the idea of a beauty contest last year as a way of trying to boost inmates' self confidence.
"It helps their self esteem. It helps them feel human. It shows that they're capable people, that independent of the crime, they are a part of society," said Irani Torres, director of a prison in the city of Rio Claro.
The contest is more than just a beauty pageant. Judges include celebrities, soccer players and journalists, and there are prizes in three other categories including writing, public speaking and congeniality.
But one of the contestants in the writing competition, 23-year-old Viviane Souza, complained that the beauty pageant winner gets all the attention, including appearances on television shows.
"Last year they just showed the beauty contest winner. Why not show the ones who wrote, the ones who used their minds?" asked Souza, who hopes to become a journalist when she finishes her 21-month sentence for drug dealing.
Even so, many were glad for the chance to let their hair down — or to fix it up.
"I'm not bothered by the attention the beauty contest (winner) receives," said Maria Aparecida de Almeida, 39. "She is raising the banner for all of us. She's a prisoner and she managed to make it. She helps all of us."
Peru and Colombia also hold beauty contests in prisons. Sao Paulo's is one of the largest, drawing from its female population of almost 4,000 inmates.
Read the full article at : USATODAY.com - Drug smuggler crowned Miss Penitentiary
CNN.com - Football legend George Best dies - Nov 25, 2005
Football legend George Best dies
Friday, November 25, 2005; Posted: 1:22 p.m. EST (18:22 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer great George Best -- hailed as the world's first football superstar -- has died aged 59.
Best, who had been in hospital since the beginning of October, had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and underwent a liver transplant in 2002 after years of heavy drinking.
He was put on a life support machine at London's Cromwell Hospital last week after he picked up a lung infection. He then suffered multiple organ failure.
"My father has passed away," Best's tearful son Calum told reporters on the hospital steps on Friday. "Not only have I lost my dad but we've all lost a wonderful man."
Best died at 1255 GMT, according to a hospital statement.
The former Northern Ireland international is regarded by many as the greatest player ever to come from the British Isles.
Beloved by millions of soccer fans, especially during the 1960s, Best played in 1968 for Manchester United when it won the European Cup, the first English club to achieve that goal. That same season, he was named European Footballer of the Year.
Best scored 180 goals in 465 appearances over 12 years for Manchester United. He also played in the North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes.
With his good looks, agility on the pitch and an engaging personality, he was adored by millions in the 1960s and held in great affection in subsequent decades despite his descent into alcoholism, allegations of violence and a tortured personal life.
He once quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, attending a summit in Malta, described Best as "probably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation and one of the best footballers our country has produced."
A statement from Manchester United read: "George Best was one of the greatest footballers of all time.
"Naturally athletic, tough, confident and blessed with genius, his career was one of the brightest stars of its generation. His gifts were legendary.
"For the goals, the audacious dribbles and all the wonderful memories, Manchester United and its legions of fans worldwide will always be grateful. We feel a deep sense of loss but his spirit and his talent will live on forever."
"Manchester United's glorious history has been created by people like George Best," reflected Best's former team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton.
"Anyone that witnessed what George could do on the pitch wished they could so the same.
"He made an immense contribution to the game, and enriched the lives of everyone that saw him play.
"It is a very sad day. Football has lost one of its greats, and I have lost a dear friend."
The Irish Football Association led the mourning in Best's native Northern Ireland, for whom he made 37 appearances and scored nine goals.
IFA chief executive Howard Wells said: "This is a sad day for football. George was a complete one-off with a natural talent rarely seen since."
Most of Friday's British newspapers led with tributes to the player, who at the height of his fame in the 1960s, he was dubbed the "fifth Beatle."
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Football legend George Best dies - Nov 25, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005; Posted: 1:22 p.m. EST (18:22 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer great George Best -- hailed as the world's first football superstar -- has died aged 59.
Best, who had been in hospital since the beginning of October, had an alcohol problem for much of his adult life and underwent a liver transplant in 2002 after years of heavy drinking.He was put on a life support machine at London's Cromwell Hospital last week after he picked up a lung infection. He then suffered multiple organ failure.
"My father has passed away," Best's tearful son Calum told reporters on the hospital steps on Friday. "Not only have I lost my dad but we've all lost a wonderful man."
Best died at 1255 GMT, according to a hospital statement.
The former Northern Ireland international is regarded by many as the greatest player ever to come from the British Isles.
Beloved by millions of soccer fans, especially during the 1960s, Best played in 1968 for Manchester United when it won the European Cup, the first English club to achieve that goal. That same season, he was named European Footballer of the Year.
Best scored 180 goals in 465 appearances over 12 years for Manchester United. He also played in the North American Soccer League, scoring 54 goals in 139 games for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and San Jose Earthquakes.
With his good looks, agility on the pitch and an engaging personality, he was adored by millions in the 1960s and held in great affection in subsequent decades despite his descent into alcoholism, allegations of violence and a tortured personal life.
He once quipped: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, attending a summit in Malta, described Best as "probably the most naturally gifted footballer of his generation and one of the best footballers our country has produced."
A statement from Manchester United read: "George Best was one of the greatest footballers of all time.
"Naturally athletic, tough, confident and blessed with genius, his career was one of the brightest stars of its generation. His gifts were legendary.
"For the goals, the audacious dribbles and all the wonderful memories, Manchester United and its legions of fans worldwide will always be grateful. We feel a deep sense of loss but his spirit and his talent will live on forever."
"Manchester United's glorious history has been created by people like George Best," reflected Best's former team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton.
"Anyone that witnessed what George could do on the pitch wished they could so the same.
"He made an immense contribution to the game, and enriched the lives of everyone that saw him play.
"It is a very sad day. Football has lost one of its greats, and I have lost a dear friend."
The Irish Football Association led the mourning in Best's native Northern Ireland, for whom he made 37 appearances and scored nine goals.
IFA chief executive Howard Wells said: "This is a sad day for football. George was a complete one-off with a natural talent rarely seen since."
Most of Friday's British newspapers led with tributes to the player, who at the height of his fame in the 1960s, he was dubbed the "fifth Beatle."
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Football legend George Best dies - Nov 25, 2005
CNN.com - Pat Morita, 'Karate Kid's' Mr. Miyagi, dies - Nov 25, 2005
Pat Morita, 'Karate Kid's' Mr. Miyagi, dies
Friday, November 25, 2005; Posted: 10:17 a.m. EST (15:17 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73.
Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."
In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills.
Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me."
He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields."
For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina."
"The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young Hilary Swank.
Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998.
Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.
"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."
After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons.
Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age 30 he entered show business full time.
"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. "
Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Pat Morita, 'Karate Kid's' Mr. Miyagi, dies - Nov 25, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005; Posted: 10:17 a.m. EST (15:17 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73.Morita died Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on "Happy Days," had "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."
In 1984, he appeared in the role that would define his career and spawn countless affectionate imitations. As Kesuke Miyagi, the mentor to Ralph Macchio's "Daniel-san," he taught karate while trying to catch flies with chopsticks and offering such advice as "wax on, wax off" to guide Daniel through chores to improve his skills.
Morita said in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press he was billed as Noriyuki "Pat" Morita in the film because producer Jerry Weintraub wanted him to sound more ethnic. He said he used the billing because it was "the only name my parents gave me."
He lost the 1984 best supporting actor award to Haing S. Ngor, who appeared in "The Killing Fields."
For years, Morita played small and sometimes demeaning roles in such films as "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and TV series such as "The Odd Couple" and "Green Acres." His first breakthrough came with "Happy Days," and he followed with his own brief series, "Mr. T and Tina."
"The Karate Kid," led to three sequels, the last of which, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," paired him with a young Hilary Swank.Morita was prolific outside of the "Karate Kid" series as well, appearing in "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Spy Hard," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and "The Center of the World." He also provided the voice for a character in the Disney movie "Mulan" in 1998.
Born in northern California on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Morita spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II.
"One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 AP interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."
After the war, Morita's family tried to repair their finances by operating a Sacramento restaurant. It was there that Morita first tried his comedy on patrons.
Because prospects for a Japanese-American standup comic seemed poor, Morita found steady work in computers at Aerojet General. But at age 30 he entered show business full time.
"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did," he commented. "If I tried it in Japan before the war, it would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons. "
Morita was to be buried at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - Pat Morita, 'Karate Kid's' Mr. Miyagi, dies - Nov 25, 2005
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec - NDTV.com - News on Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec
Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Mumbai : CBI handed underworld don Abu Salem over to Arthur Road Jail after the special court sent him to judicial custody for 16 days.
The investigating agency told the court that it is through with interrogating Salem, at least for now, in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case.
"CBI did not ask for Salem's custody to be extended, because we do not require him for investigations presently. We reserve our rights to recall him anytime," said Ujjwal Nikam, Special Public Prosecutor.
Salem was in CBI custody after his arrest on November 11 in the serial bomb blast case.
Just this Sunday, he had confessed that he supplied arms and explosives in connection with the 1993 serial blasts.
"We have applied to the court for a copy of Salem's confessions. But the judge will hear the case next on 7 December. That's when we'll know if we will get a copy," said Rashid Ansari, Abu Salem's lawyer.
Fear of safety
When asked if he had any complaints against CBI, Salem said he was just afraid of being tortured, if handed to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
He added that if provided a safe environment, he would rather stay in Arthur Road Jail.
When the judge repeatedly asked if there is a danger to Salem's life, the prosecution said a threat from the rival gang could not be brushed aside.
Only after taking the apprehensions of the defence into consideration, the judge decided to keep Salem in a high-security cell.
High-security jail
The high-security Arthur Road Jail is located in the heart of Mumbai. This overcrowded jail is home to gangsters from all the major Mumbai gangs of Chhota Rajan, Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and many more.
The D Company's roll call is headed by Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaska followed by Aijas Pathan, Saleem Kutta and Ehtesham Haji.
The Chhota Rajan gang's inmates are Saji Joseph, Vineet Yadav, Vicky Malhotra and Farid Tanasha.
D-company and Chhota Rajan's gangsters fought with stones and bricks leading to concerns about Salem's safety.
Others are worried that Salem may become active from inside the prison as it's happened in the past.
''People like Salem can flaunt their money and easily buy over people in the jail. The only out is to ensure that such accused are in the custody of very responsible people in the force," said Julio Ribeiro, Former Police Commissioner.
Provisions for Salem
The judge said that Salem should be kept in isolation in a cell and cannot be taken out without permission of the special court.
No other accused should be allowed within 15 metres of him, and he should be home food, medicines and a bed, he added.
The judge also ruled that Salem could meet his lawyers everyday for 15 minutes. The don was then given Rs 2000 to buy provisions from the prison canteen.
Builder's murder case
But it's not over for Abu Salem yet.
After the CBI, Salem will now be interrogated by the anti-terrorist squad of the Mumbai police, which is investigating the murder of builder Pradeep Jain.
Round two of questioning for Salem could begin as early as Thursday, as the anti-terrorist squad has already moved court for his custody.
Read the full article at : Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec - NDTV.com - News on Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Mumbai : CBI handed underworld don Abu Salem over to Arthur Road Jail after the special court sent him to judicial custody for 16 days.
The investigating agency told the court that it is through with interrogating Salem, at least for now, in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case.
"CBI did not ask for Salem's custody to be extended, because we do not require him for investigations presently. We reserve our rights to recall him anytime," said Ujjwal Nikam, Special Public Prosecutor.
Salem was in CBI custody after his arrest on November 11 in the serial bomb blast case.
Just this Sunday, he had confessed that he supplied arms and explosives in connection with the 1993 serial blasts.
"We have applied to the court for a copy of Salem's confessions. But the judge will hear the case next on 7 December. That's when we'll know if we will get a copy," said Rashid Ansari, Abu Salem's lawyer.
Fear of safety
When asked if he had any complaints against CBI, Salem said he was just afraid of being tortured, if handed to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
He added that if provided a safe environment, he would rather stay in Arthur Road Jail.
When the judge repeatedly asked if there is a danger to Salem's life, the prosecution said a threat from the rival gang could not be brushed aside.
Only after taking the apprehensions of the defence into consideration, the judge decided to keep Salem in a high-security cell.
High-security jail
The high-security Arthur Road Jail is located in the heart of Mumbai. This overcrowded jail is home to gangsters from all the major Mumbai gangs of Chhota Rajan, Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and many more.
The D Company's roll call is headed by Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaska followed by Aijas Pathan, Saleem Kutta and Ehtesham Haji.
The Chhota Rajan gang's inmates are Saji Joseph, Vineet Yadav, Vicky Malhotra and Farid Tanasha.
D-company and Chhota Rajan's gangsters fought with stones and bricks leading to concerns about Salem's safety.
Others are worried that Salem may become active from inside the prison as it's happened in the past.
''People like Salem can flaunt their money and easily buy over people in the jail. The only out is to ensure that such accused are in the custody of very responsible people in the force," said Julio Ribeiro, Former Police Commissioner.
Provisions for Salem
The judge said that Salem should be kept in isolation in a cell and cannot be taken out without permission of the special court.
No other accused should be allowed within 15 metres of him, and he should be home food, medicines and a bed, he added.
The judge also ruled that Salem could meet his lawyers everyday for 15 minutes. The don was then given Rs 2000 to buy provisions from the prison canteen.
Builder's murder case
But it's not over for Abu Salem yet.
After the CBI, Salem will now be interrogated by the anti-terrorist squad of the Mumbai police, which is investigating the murder of builder Pradeep Jain.
Round two of questioning for Salem could begin as early as Thursday, as the anti-terrorist squad has already moved court for his custody.
Read the full article at : Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec - NDTV.com - News on Salem sent to judicial custody till 7 Dec
CBS News | Plea Deal In Fla. Teacher Sex Case | November 23, 2005 11:00:05
Plea Deal In Fla. Teacher Sex Case
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 22, 2005
Mugshot of Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave.
(CBS/AP) A female teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a 14-year-old student, avoiding prison as part of a plea agreement.
Debra Lafave, 25, whose sensational case made tabloid headlines, will serve three years of house arrest and seven years' probation. She pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery.
The former Greco Middle School reading teacher apologized during the hearing, saying "I accept full responsibility for my actions."
The boy told investigators the two had sex in a classroom at the Greco school, located in Temple Terrace near Tampa, in her Riverview town house and once in a vehicle while his 15-year-old cousin drove them around Marion County.
The boy told investigators Lafave told him her marriage was in trouble and that she was aroused by the fact that having sex with him was not allowed. He said he and Lafave, a newlywed at the time, got to know each other on their way back from a class trip to SeaWorld Orlando in May 2004.
Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave with her attorney John Fitzgibbons before the start of her sentencing hearing Tuesday morning, Nov. 22, 2005, at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa, Fla.
If convicted at trial, she could have faced up to 15 years in prison on each count. The plea agreement also was designed to resolve similar charges pending in Marion County.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman said LaFave also will forever lose her teaching certificate, must register with the state as a sexual predator, may not have any contact with children including the victim, and will not be allowed to profit from the sale of her story or personal appearances.
Prosecutor Michael Sinacore said the young victim's family wanted to get the case over with because of the intense public and media scrutiny.
"We're happy that the victim's family can put this case behind them," he said. "The whole process has been very difficult, and we hope they can now resume their lives."
After Tuesday's hearing, her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said the plea was "a fair resolution of this case." Asked how she felt afterward, Lafave said "tired."
Fitzgibbons said in July that plea negotiations had broken off because prosecutors insisted on prison time, which he said would be too dangerous for someone as attractive as Lafave. He said then that she planned to plead insanity at trial, claiming emotional stress kept her from knowing right from wrong.
Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave with her ex-husband Owen Lafave.
In August, Lafave's ex-husband, Owen Lafave, discussed the situation with co-anchor Julie Chen on The Early Show, along with Dr. Julia Hislop, a clinical psychologist and author of the book "Female Sex Offenders."
Lafave said his ex-wife had never told him why she (allegedly) did it "and that's one of the hardest things that I've had to go through, is that I've never received a reason why."
He said "hindsight is 20-20. I can look back now and see some things that were peculiar about her behavior. But I had no idea anything like this was going on."
Read the full article at : CBS News | Plea Deal In Fla. Teacher Sex Case | November 23, 2005 11:00:05
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 22, 2005
(CBS/AP) A female teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a 14-year-old student, avoiding prison as part of a plea agreement.
Debra Lafave, 25, whose sensational case made tabloid headlines, will serve three years of house arrest and seven years' probation. She pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery.
The former Greco Middle School reading teacher apologized during the hearing, saying "I accept full responsibility for my actions."
The boy told investigators the two had sex in a classroom at the Greco school, located in Temple Terrace near Tampa, in her Riverview town house and once in a vehicle while his 15-year-old cousin drove them around Marion County.
The boy told investigators Lafave told him her marriage was in trouble and that she was aroused by the fact that having sex with him was not allowed. He said he and Lafave, a newlywed at the time, got to know each other on their way back from a class trip to SeaWorld Orlando in May 2004.
Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave with her attorney John Fitzgibbons before the start of her sentencing hearing Tuesday morning, Nov. 22, 2005, at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa, Fla.
If convicted at trial, she could have faced up to 15 years in prison on each count. The plea agreement also was designed to resolve similar charges pending in Marion County.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman said LaFave also will forever lose her teaching certificate, must register with the state as a sexual predator, may not have any contact with children including the victim, and will not be allowed to profit from the sale of her story or personal appearances.
Prosecutor Michael Sinacore said the young victim's family wanted to get the case over with because of the intense public and media scrutiny.
"We're happy that the victim's family can put this case behind them," he said. "The whole process has been very difficult, and we hope they can now resume their lives."
After Tuesday's hearing, her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said the plea was "a fair resolution of this case." Asked how she felt afterward, Lafave said "tired."
Fitzgibbons said in July that plea negotiations had broken off because prosecutors insisted on prison time, which he said would be too dangerous for someone as attractive as Lafave. He said then that she planned to plead insanity at trial, claiming emotional stress kept her from knowing right from wrong.
Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave with her ex-husband Owen Lafave.
In August, Lafave's ex-husband, Owen Lafave, discussed the situation with co-anchor Julie Chen on The Early Show, along with Dr. Julia Hislop, a clinical psychologist and author of the book "Female Sex Offenders."
Lafave said his ex-wife had never told him why she (allegedly) did it "and that's one of the hardest things that I've had to go through, is that I've never received a reason why."
He said "hindsight is 20-20. I can look back now and see some things that were peculiar about her behavior. But I had no idea anything like this was going on."
Read the full article at : CBS News | Plea Deal In Fla. Teacher Sex Case | November 23, 2005 11:00:05
Murdered Keralite’s body found in Afghanistan - Newindpress.com
Murdered Keralite’s body found in Afghanistan
Thursday November 24 2005 00:00 IST, AFP
NEW DELHI: Afghan police has on Wednesday found the decapitated body of Keralite who was kidnapped and executed by Taliban on Tuesday. "The body of the Border Roads Organisation's driver Maniappan Raman Kutty, who had been working on a road project, was found on a dirt road in the southern province of Nimroz. We strongly condemn this inhuman and barbaric act against an innocent person," the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
"The Taliban and its backers bear the responsibility for the consequences of this outrageous act," the Ministry said. The young man had been beheaded, according to Amanullah Khan, chief of highway police in the province. The head was placed with the body and a note, apparently written in English was also found, Khan said. The body of Kutty is expected to arrive in the capital by Thursday afternoon.
Kutty was abducted from his car along with an Afghan driver and two guards in Nimroz on Saturday. The fate of two Afghan guards abducted along with Kutty still hangs on balance.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling Kutty a "soldier of peace", has condemned the murder. "I condemn this cowardly and brutal murder of a brave Indian, who was working in the cause of peace and development far from his home country, which reflects the cruel and inhuman character of the Taliban and the forces they represent," Singh said.
In a condolence message to the bereaved family Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that his heart goes out to the family members of Kutty in their hour of grief and assured that all assistance will be provided to his wife and children.
The Government has decided to provide liberalized pension for life to the wife of Kutty that will be as per his last pay drawn in India. She will also be given a lump sum compensation of about seven lakh rupees besides any other ex-gratia grant to be sanctioned by the Government. The education of the two children till Secondary level will also be taken care of by the Government.
Kutty was working with the Border Roads Organisation for the last over 12 years and had joined the road project in Afghanistan on the 9th of this month.
PTI adds: A note written in English was found pinned to the body of M R Kutty, the Indian driver who was killed by Taliban in Afghanistan following his abduction.
‘‘We found a peace of paper written in English pinned to the body. We have the paper. It’s in English so we cannot read it now,’’ Mohammed Hashim Noorzai, a District Governor in Afghanistan’s volatile south-western province of Nimroz, was quoted as saying by AFP.
Read the full article at : Murdered Keralite’s body found in Afghanistan - Newindpress.com
Thursday November 24 2005 00:00 IST, AFP
NEW DELHI: Afghan police has on Wednesday found the decapitated body of Keralite who was kidnapped and executed by Taliban on Tuesday. "The body of the Border Roads Organisation's driver Maniappan Raman Kutty, who had been working on a road project, was found on a dirt road in the southern province of Nimroz. We strongly condemn this inhuman and barbaric act against an innocent person," the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
"The Taliban and its backers bear the responsibility for the consequences of this outrageous act," the Ministry said. The young man had been beheaded, according to Amanullah Khan, chief of highway police in the province. The head was placed with the body and a note, apparently written in English was also found, Khan said. The body of Kutty is expected to arrive in the capital by Thursday afternoon.
Kutty was abducted from his car along with an Afghan driver and two guards in Nimroz on Saturday. The fate of two Afghan guards abducted along with Kutty still hangs on balance.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling Kutty a "soldier of peace", has condemned the murder. "I condemn this cowardly and brutal murder of a brave Indian, who was working in the cause of peace and development far from his home country, which reflects the cruel and inhuman character of the Taliban and the forces they represent," Singh said.
In a condolence message to the bereaved family Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that his heart goes out to the family members of Kutty in their hour of grief and assured that all assistance will be provided to his wife and children.
The Government has decided to provide liberalized pension for life to the wife of Kutty that will be as per his last pay drawn in India. She will also be given a lump sum compensation of about seven lakh rupees besides any other ex-gratia grant to be sanctioned by the Government. The education of the two children till Secondary level will also be taken care of by the Government.
Kutty was working with the Border Roads Organisation for the last over 12 years and had joined the road project in Afghanistan on the 9th of this month.
PTI adds: A note written in English was found pinned to the body of M R Kutty, the Indian driver who was killed by Taliban in Afghanistan following his abduction.
‘‘We found a peace of paper written in English pinned to the body. We have the paper. It’s in English so we cannot read it now,’’ Mohammed Hashim Noorzai, a District Governor in Afghanistan’s volatile south-western province of Nimroz, was quoted as saying by AFP.
Read the full article at : Murdered Keralite’s body found in Afghanistan - Newindpress.com
India loves me: Jackie Chan- The Times of India
India loves me: Jackie Chan
Meena Iyer, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 04:51:29 pm, Times News Network
MUMBAI: He hesitates for a second before picking up his pen to appease the autograph hunters at a press conference to publicize his latest film The Myth.
"If I sign one then it will go on and on," he mutters under his breath.
And Jackie Chan is right. Within minutes, a dozen pen pushers surge ahead for their moment of glory beside the "most famous Chinese alive".
Chan, who is a household name thanks to hits like Rush Hour and Police Story, is hoping for a similar reaction to his latest saga, The Myth, which releases in India in January 2006. He was in the city for a day to promote the film at the behest of his co-star Mallika Sherawat.
Though the film opened to an enthusiastic response in other parts of the world in September 2005, Chan is a worried man. "Piracy is a menace," he says, choosing his words with care.
According to him, almost 17,000 people download films through illegitimate means every day. And he feels that if something is not done to correct this, then the industry will suffer.
Chan, who prides himself for making "action films with humor and a social message," says he enjoyed the experience of shooting a portion of the Stanley Tong film in Hampi, Karnataka.
The actor is also a fan of tandoori chicken and papad. And he claims he has seen loads of Bollywood films. "Don't ask me for names though," he says, "Except Mallika, I don't know any."
The actor feels The Myth will appeal to all age groups as it has action, comedy, romance and a message.
"We Chinese, Indians and Egyptians have treasure troves in our countries. Unfortunately the West has plundered a lot of it," he sighs.
The 51-year-old actor sees himself doing action flicks for another five years, perhaps slightly longer. But one role he sees himself in forever is his role as a social reformer.
The actor has donated generously to various causes including upliftment of handicapped children, building homes for the aged, helping AIDS and cancer patients.
Signing off at the press conference, Chan said though he doesn't see himself making another film in India for a long time, he is sure "India loves me."
Read the full article at : India loves me: Jackie Chan- The Times of India
Meena Iyer, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 04:51:29 pm, Times News Network
MUMBAI: He hesitates for a second before picking up his pen to appease the autograph hunters at a press conference to publicize his latest film The Myth.
"If I sign one then it will go on and on," he mutters under his breath.
And Jackie Chan is right. Within minutes, a dozen pen pushers surge ahead for their moment of glory beside the "most famous Chinese alive".
Chan, who is a household name thanks to hits like Rush Hour and Police Story, is hoping for a similar reaction to his latest saga, The Myth, which releases in India in January 2006. He was in the city for a day to promote the film at the behest of his co-star Mallika Sherawat.
Though the film opened to an enthusiastic response in other parts of the world in September 2005, Chan is a worried man. "Piracy is a menace," he says, choosing his words with care.
According to him, almost 17,000 people download films through illegitimate means every day. And he feels that if something is not done to correct this, then the industry will suffer.
Chan, who prides himself for making "action films with humor and a social message," says he enjoyed the experience of shooting a portion of the Stanley Tong film in Hampi, Karnataka.
The actor is also a fan of tandoori chicken and papad. And he claims he has seen loads of Bollywood films. "Don't ask me for names though," he says, "Except Mallika, I don't know any."
The actor feels The Myth will appeal to all age groups as it has action, comedy, romance and a message.
"We Chinese, Indians and Egyptians have treasure troves in our countries. Unfortunately the West has plundered a lot of it," he sighs.
The 51-year-old actor sees himself doing action flicks for another five years, perhaps slightly longer. But one role he sees himself in forever is his role as a social reformer.
The actor has donated generously to various causes including upliftment of handicapped children, building homes for the aged, helping AIDS and cancer patients.
Signing off at the press conference, Chan said though he doesn't see himself making another film in India for a long time, he is sure "India loves me."
Read the full article at : India loves me: Jackie Chan- The Times of India
MSN India - My victory dedicated to my father: Priya Dutt
My victory dedicated to my father: Priya Dutt
Source: IANS.
Mumbai, Nov 22: Victorious Congress candidate Priya Dutt Tuesday dedicated her victory to her late father Sunil Dutt, who represented Mumbai North-West in parliament till his death in May.
She also dedicated her victory to the hard work and support of her party workers and senior party leaders.
"I believe this is my father's victory. It is the result of his goodwill that he earned through 20 years' dedicated contribution to the people," Dutt told IANS. "I thank (Congress chief) madam Sonia Gandhi for showing faith in me and I thank all the party workers and senior leaders who supported me in this venture," Dutt said.
Dutt, 39, the younger sister of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, trounced her rival and Shiv Sena candidate Madhukar Sarpotdar by more than 171,000 votes in the elections held Saturday.
She expressed both surprise and satisfaction that she had garnered 346,294 votes against Sarpotdar's 174,750, despite the low 33 percent voter turnout in the 1.6 million-strong Mumbai North-West electorate. "It (the victory) has come as a super-bonus to be me. As my election slogan said, people have shown their faith in me this time. The next time I will have earned it," Dutt said.
Talking about her agenda as a Lok Sabha member, Dutt said she would now spend time studying her constituency well to understand its problems and finding solutions.
"I will look into the basic needs of the people like good roads, water problem, garbage disposal," she said. "Also, I will try to focus on larger issues like representing Mumbai in Delhi. It is already a global city but now it has to be established concretely with that image," she added.
Read the full article at : MSN India - My victory dedicated to my father: Priya Dutt
Source: IANS.
Mumbai, Nov 22: Victorious Congress candidate Priya Dutt Tuesday dedicated her victory to her late father Sunil Dutt, who represented Mumbai North-West in parliament till his death in May.
She also dedicated her victory to the hard work and support of her party workers and senior party leaders.
"I believe this is my father's victory. It is the result of his goodwill that he earned through 20 years' dedicated contribution to the people," Dutt told IANS. "I thank (Congress chief) madam Sonia Gandhi for showing faith in me and I thank all the party workers and senior leaders who supported me in this venture," Dutt said.
Dutt, 39, the younger sister of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, trounced her rival and Shiv Sena candidate Madhukar Sarpotdar by more than 171,000 votes in the elections held Saturday.
She expressed both surprise and satisfaction that she had garnered 346,294 votes against Sarpotdar's 174,750, despite the low 33 percent voter turnout in the 1.6 million-strong Mumbai North-West electorate. "It (the victory) has come as a super-bonus to be me. As my election slogan said, people have shown their faith in me this time. The next time I will have earned it," Dutt said.
Talking about her agenda as a Lok Sabha member, Dutt said she would now spend time studying her constituency well to understand its problems and finding solutions.
"I will look into the basic needs of the people like good roads, water problem, garbage disposal," she said. "Also, I will try to focus on larger issues like representing Mumbai in Delhi. It is already a global city but now it has to be established concretely with that image," she added.
Read the full article at : MSN India - My victory dedicated to my father: Priya Dutt
Thursday, November 17, 2005
CNN.com - NASA envisions commercial flights carrying supplies, crews - Nov 16, 2005
NASA envisions commercial flights carrying supplies, crews
Wednesday, November 16, 2005; Posted: 10:02 a.m. EST (15:02 GMT)
LEAGUE CITY, Texas (AP) -- NASA administrator Michael Griffin desires a greater role for private industry in space, and believes the international space station can provide incentive for businesses to get involved.
"The exploration of the solar system cannot be what we want it to be" if the cost is borne solely by American taxpayer, or even by taxpayers of nations willing to join in, Griffin told the American Astronautical Society's annual conference Tuesday.
The space station, which is about the size of a three-bedroom house and halfway complete, provides an opportunity to promote "commercial space ventures that will help us meet our exploration objectives and at the same time create new jobs and new industry," he said.
Once the nation's shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, Griffin said he would like to see commercial industry take over crew rotations and supply missions.
"We want to be able to buy these services from American industry," he said. "We believe that when we engage the engine of competition, these services will be provided in a more-cost effective fashion than when the government has to do it."
The space agency plans to begin seeking proposals this fall from industries to deliver cargo to orbit.
Griffin said the private sector could develop habitats in which astronauts would live on the moon, and develop communications and navigation systems as well as orbiting fueling depots where crews headed beyond low Earth orbit could refuel on return trips to the moon or farther.
"I think we are at the start of something big -- something akin to what we saw with the personal computer 25 years ago," the NASA chief said.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - NASA envisions commercial flights carrying supplies, crews - Nov 16, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005; Posted: 10:02 a.m. EST (15:02 GMT)
LEAGUE CITY, Texas (AP) -- NASA administrator Michael Griffin desires a greater role for private industry in space, and believes the international space station can provide incentive for businesses to get involved.
"The exploration of the solar system cannot be what we want it to be" if the cost is borne solely by American taxpayer, or even by taxpayers of nations willing to join in, Griffin told the American Astronautical Society's annual conference Tuesday.
The space station, which is about the size of a three-bedroom house and halfway complete, provides an opportunity to promote "commercial space ventures that will help us meet our exploration objectives and at the same time create new jobs and new industry," he said.
Once the nation's shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, Griffin said he would like to see commercial industry take over crew rotations and supply missions.
"We want to be able to buy these services from American industry," he said. "We believe that when we engage the engine of competition, these services will be provided in a more-cost effective fashion than when the government has to do it."
The space agency plans to begin seeking proposals this fall from industries to deliver cargo to orbit.
Griffin said the private sector could develop habitats in which astronauts would live on the moon, and develop communications and navigation systems as well as orbiting fueling depots where crews headed beyond low Earth orbit could refuel on return trips to the moon or farther.
"I think we are at the start of something big -- something akin to what we saw with the personal computer 25 years ago," the NASA chief said.
Read the full article at : CNN.com - NASA envisions commercial flights carrying supplies, crews - Nov 16, 2005
Microsoft business unit head steps aside | CNET News.com
Microsoft business unit head steps aside
By Ina Fried, Staff Writer, CNET News.com, November 17, 2005, 10:36 AM PST
Microsoft said Thursday that it is searching for a new leader for its Microsoft Business Solutions unit, which sells software to medium-sized businesses.
Doug Burgum, who has had financial responsibility for the division, will remain in a new role as chairman of the unit. However, the software maker aims to recruit someone else to oversee the unit's financial performance.
In an e-mail to Microsoft staffers, CEO Steve Ballmer praised Burgum's work and the performance of MBS. The unit is a money-losing business, but has seen its sales grow in recent years.
"Our MBS business is off to a great start this year, and we are seeing the rewards of our focus on delivering software breakthroughs and continuing to build our strong partner channel," Ballmer wrote in the e-mail.
Ballmer, Burgum and Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's Business Division, will help find the new leader, the company said.
"We are doing a full search internally and externally," Burgum said in a question-and-answer session posted on Microsoft's Web site. "I will continue to drive and lead MBS until the new leader arrives."
Burgum will be responsible for the business performance of the unit for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in June. The software maker, based in Redmond, Wash., hopes to have a new leader in place by the spring.
The Microsoft Business Solutions unit consists of a number of different products that Microsoft has gotten through its acquisition of Navision, Great Plains Software, Solomon and Axapta. Microsoft recently announced plans to unite the products under the "Dynamics" brand name.
An effort to unify the product's underlying source code, known as Project Green, is expected to take many years, though the company has near-term plans to create a more common look and feel across the various products.
Microsoft also released a small business accounting program in September.
In his new role, Burgum will be responsible for helping MBS be better understood within Microsoft, help with development of business leaders in the unit and act as an ambassador for the unit to partners and customers.
Burgum came to Microsoft about five years ago, when the software maker acquired Great Plains Software, where he was president.
Read the full article at : Microsoft business unit head steps aside | CNET News.com
By Ina Fried, Staff Writer, CNET News.com, November 17, 2005, 10:36 AM PST
Microsoft said Thursday that it is searching for a new leader for its Microsoft Business Solutions unit, which sells software to medium-sized businesses.
Doug Burgum, who has had financial responsibility for the division, will remain in a new role as chairman of the unit. However, the software maker aims to recruit someone else to oversee the unit's financial performance.
In an e-mail to Microsoft staffers, CEO Steve Ballmer praised Burgum's work and the performance of MBS. The unit is a money-losing business, but has seen its sales grow in recent years.
"Our MBS business is off to a great start this year, and we are seeing the rewards of our focus on delivering software breakthroughs and continuing to build our strong partner channel," Ballmer wrote in the e-mail.
Ballmer, Burgum and Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's Business Division, will help find the new leader, the company said.
"We are doing a full search internally and externally," Burgum said in a question-and-answer session posted on Microsoft's Web site. "I will continue to drive and lead MBS until the new leader arrives."
Burgum will be responsible for the business performance of the unit for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in June. The software maker, based in Redmond, Wash., hopes to have a new leader in place by the spring.
The Microsoft Business Solutions unit consists of a number of different products that Microsoft has gotten through its acquisition of Navision, Great Plains Software, Solomon and Axapta. Microsoft recently announced plans to unite the products under the "Dynamics" brand name.
An effort to unify the product's underlying source code, known as Project Green, is expected to take many years, though the company has near-term plans to create a more common look and feel across the various products.
Microsoft also released a small business accounting program in September.
In his new role, Burgum will be responsible for helping MBS be better understood within Microsoft, help with development of business leaders in the unit and act as an ambassador for the unit to partners and customers.
Burgum came to Microsoft about five years ago, when the software maker acquired Great Plains Software, where he was president.
Read the full article at : Microsoft business unit head steps aside | CNET News.com
Sunday, November 13, 2005
India offers open skies pact for SAARC - Sify.com
India offers open skies pact for SAARC
UNI, Sunday, 13 November , 2005, 11:57
Dhaka: Pleading with SAARC countries not to allow their territories to be used against the interests of other member nations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today offered to a virtual open sky policy and unveiled a slew of other far-reaching initiatives to promote peace and trade in a big way in the South Asian region.
Following are the highlights of his address at the inaugural function of the 13th SAARC summit which was attended by heads of state or government from all the seven-member nations -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives: * Daily air services by designated airlines to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata and unrestricted services to 18 other destinations on reciprocal basis.
Reciprocal transit facilities to promote intra and inter-SAARC trade.
India wants to host a South Asian University.
Establishment of a Regional Food Bank.
South Asian Car Rally ahead of SAARC summit in Delhi in Jan 2007.
Launch of South Asian Energy Dialogue.
Establishment of SAARC High Economic Council.
SAARC Museum of Textiles and Handicrafts.
Retail outlets for SAARC artisans.
Read the full article at : India offers open skies pact for SAARC - Sify.com
UNI, Sunday, 13 November , 2005, 11:57
Dhaka: Pleading with SAARC countries not to allow their territories to be used against the interests of other member nations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today offered to a virtual open sky policy and unveiled a slew of other far-reaching initiatives to promote peace and trade in a big way in the South Asian region.
Following are the highlights of his address at the inaugural function of the 13th SAARC summit which was attended by heads of state or government from all the seven-member nations -- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives: * Daily air services by designated airlines to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata and unrestricted services to 18 other destinations on reciprocal basis.
Reciprocal transit facilities to promote intra and inter-SAARC trade.
India wants to host a South Asian University.
Establishment of a Regional Food Bank.
South Asian Car Rally ahead of SAARC summit in Delhi in Jan 2007.
Launch of South Asian Energy Dialogue.
Establishment of SAARC High Economic Council.
SAARC Museum of Textiles and Handicrafts.
Retail outlets for SAARC artisans.
Read the full article at : India offers open skies pact for SAARC - Sify.com
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam trial lawyer is shot deadTead
Saddam trial lawyer is shot dead
Tuesday, 8 November 2005, 14:57 GMT
A lawyer for one of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants has been shot dead in the Iraqi capital Baghdad while another has been injured.
Gunmen are said to have opened fire on a car carrying both men, killing Adel al-Zubeidi and wounding Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie.
The attack follows the killing of another defence lawyer last month.
Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants are on trial over the killing of more than 140 Shia men in Iraq in 1982.
The two lawyers shot on Tuesday were defending Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, members of the defence team said.
They were caught in an ambush in the Adil neighbourhood, said fellow lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi.
On 20 October, the day after the start of the high-profile trial in Baghdad, Sadoun Nasouaf al-Janabi was kidnapped by gunmen from his office in Baghdad and later found dead.
The defence team has called for the trial to be moved abroad because of the dangers to those involved.
They also complain Saddam and other defendants can not expect a fair trial when witnesses will be too scared to testify.
'Doing their job'
After Tuesday's attack, Mr Obeidi said: "The government bears the responsibility because it is supposed to protect the citizens.
"If there were a serious investigation into the previous murder of Janabi and the perpetrators had been arrested, we would not see today's crime.
"We demand a thorough investigation and severe punishment for the criminals behind today's terrorist crime against lawyers who were only doing their job."
The defence team had already threatened not to turn up for the next stage of the trial on 28 November, unless they are given much greater security.
The trial concerns the massacre of Shia villagers from Dujail, 60km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, following an assassination attempt there against Saddam Hussein.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty. If convicted they could be executed.
Read the full article at : BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam trial lawyer is shot dead
Tuesday, 8 November 2005, 14:57 GMT
A lawyer for one of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants has been shot dead in the Iraqi capital Baghdad while another has been injured.
Gunmen are said to have opened fire on a car carrying both men, killing Adel al-Zubeidi and wounding Thamer Hamoud al-Khuzaie.
The attack follows the killing of another defence lawyer last month.
Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants are on trial over the killing of more than 140 Shia men in Iraq in 1982.
The two lawyers shot on Tuesday were defending Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, and former Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, members of the defence team said.
They were caught in an ambush in the Adil neighbourhood, said fellow lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi.
On 20 October, the day after the start of the high-profile trial in Baghdad, Sadoun Nasouaf al-Janabi was kidnapped by gunmen from his office in Baghdad and later found dead.
The defence team has called for the trial to be moved abroad because of the dangers to those involved.
They also complain Saddam and other defendants can not expect a fair trial when witnesses will be too scared to testify.
'Doing their job'
After Tuesday's attack, Mr Obeidi said: "The government bears the responsibility because it is supposed to protect the citizens.
"If there were a serious investigation into the previous murder of Janabi and the perpetrators had been arrested, we would not see today's crime.
"We demand a thorough investigation and severe punishment for the criminals behind today's terrorist crime against lawyers who were only doing their job."
The defence team had already threatened not to turn up for the next stage of the trial on 28 November, unless they are given much greater security.
The trial concerns the massacre of Shia villagers from Dujail, 60km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, following an assassination attempt there against Saddam Hussein.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty. If convicted they could be executed.
Read the full article at : BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saddam trial lawyer is shot dead
Wired News: History's Worst Software Bugs
History's Worst Software Bugs
By Simson Garfinkel, 02:00 AM Nov. 08, 2005 PT
Last month automaker Toyota announced a recall of 160,000 of its Prius hybrid vehicles following reports of vehicle warning lights illuminating for no reason, and cars' gasoline engines stalling unexpectedly. But unlike the large-scale auto recalls of years past, the root of the Prius issue wasn't a hardware problem -- it was a programming error in the smart car's embedded code. The Prius had a software bug.
With that recall, the Prius joined the ranks of the buggy computer -- a club that began in 1947 when engineers found a moth in Panel F, Relay #70 of the Harvard Mark 1 system. The computer was running a test of its multiplier and adder when the engineers noticed something was wrong. The moth was trapped, removed and taped into the computer's logbook with the words: "first actual case of a bug being found."
Sixty years later, computer bugs are still with us, and show no sign of going extinct. As the line between software and hardware blurs, coding errors are increasingly playing tricks on our daily lives. Bugs don't just inhabit our operating systems and applications -- today they lurk within our cell phones and our pacemakers, our power plants and medical equipment. And now, in our cars.
But which are the worst?
It's all too easy to come up with a list of bugs that have wreaked havoc. It's harder to rate their severity. Which is worse -- a security vulnerability that's exploited by a computer worm to shut down the internet for a few days or a typo that triggers a day-long crash of the nation's phone system? The answer depends on whether you want to make a phone call or check your e-mail.
Many people believe the worst bugs are those that cause fatalities. To be sure, there haven't been many, but cases like the Therac-25 are widely seen as warnings against the widespread deployment of software in safety critical applications. Experts who study such systems, though, warn that even though the software might kill a few people, focusing on these fatalities risks inhibiting the migration of technology into areas where smarter processing is sorely needed. In the end, they say, the lack of software might kill more people than the inevitable bugs.
What seems certain is that bugs are here to stay. Here, in chronological order, is the Wired News list of the 10 worst software bugs of all time ? so far.
July 28, 1962 -- Mariner I space probe. A bug in the flight software for the Mariner 1 causes the rocket to divert from its intended path on launch. Mission control destroys the rocket over the Atlantic Ocean. The investigation into the accident discovers that a formula written on paper in pencil was improperly transcribed into computer code, causing the computer to miscalculate the rocket's trajectory.
1982 -- Soviet gas pipeline. Operatives working for the Central Intelligence Agency allegedly (.pdf) plant a bug in a Canadian computer system purchased to control the trans-Siberian gas pipeline. The Soviets had obtained the system as part of a wide-ranging effort to covertly purchase or steal sensitive U.S. technology. The CIA reportedly found out about the program and decided to make it backfire with equipment that would pass Soviet inspection and then fail once in operation. The resulting event is reportedly the largest non-nuclear explosion in the planet's history.
1985-1987 -- Therac-25 medical accelerator. A radiation therapy device malfunctions and delivers lethal radiation doses at several medical facilities. Based upon a previous design, the Therac-25 was an "improved" therapy system that could deliver two different kinds of radiation: either a low-power electron beam (beta particles) or X-rays. The Therac-25's X-rays were generated by smashing high-power electrons into a metal target positioned between the electron gun and the patient. A second "improvement" was the replacement of the older Therac-20's electromechanical safety interlocks with software control, a decision made because software was perceived to be more reliable.
What engineers didn't know was that both the 20 and the 25 were built upon an operating system that had been kludged together by a programmer with no formal training. Because of a subtle bug called a "race condition," a quick-fingered typist could accidentally configure the Therac-25 so the electron beam would fire in high-power mode but with the metal X-ray target out of position. At least five patients die; others are seriously injured.
1988 -- Buffer overflow in Berkeley Unix finger daemon. The first internet worm (the so-called Morris Worm) infects between 2,000 and 6,000 computers in less than a day by taking advantage of a buffer overflow. The specific code is a function in the standard input/output library routine called gets() designed to get a line of text over the network. Unfortunately, gets() has no provision to limit its input, and an overly large input allows the worm to take over any machine to which it can connect.
Programmers respond by attempting to stamp out the gets() function in working code, but they refuse to remove it from the C programming language's standard input/output library, where it remains to this day.
1988-1996 -- Kerberos Random Number Generator. The authors of the Kerberos security system neglect to properly "seed" the program's random number generator with a truly random seed. As a result, for eight years it is possible to trivially break into any computer that relies on Kerberos for authentication. It is unknown if this bug was ever actually exploited.
January 15, 1990 -- AT&T Network Outage. A bug in a new release of the software that controls AT&T's #4ESS long distance switches causes these mammoth computers to crash when they receive a specific message from one of their neighboring machines -- a message that the neighbors send out when they recover from a crash.
One day a switch in New York crashes and reboots, causing its neighboring switches to crash, then their neighbors' neighbors, and so on. Soon, 114 switches are crashing and rebooting every six seconds, leaving an estimated 60 thousand people without long distance service for nine hours. The fix: engineers load the previous software release.
1993 -- Intel Pentium floating point divide. A silicon error causes Intel's highly promoted Pentium chip to make mistakes when dividing floating-point numbers that occur within a specific range. For example, dividing 4195835.0/3145727.0 yields 1.33374 instead of 1.33382, an error of 0.006 percent. Although the bug affects few users, it becomes a public relations nightmare. With an estimated 3 million to 5 million defective chips in circulation, at first Intel only offers to replace Pentium chips for consumers who can prove that they need high accuracy; eventually the company relents and agrees to replace the chips for anyone who complains. The bug ultimately costs Intel $475 million.
1995/1996 -- The Ping of Death. A lack of sanity checks and error handling in the IP fragmentation reassembly code makes it possible to crash a wide variety of operating systems by sending a malformed "ping" packet from anywhere on the internet. Most obviously affected are computers running Windows, which lock up and display the so-called "blue screen of death" when they receive these packets. But the attack also affects many Macintosh and Unix systems as well.
June 4, 1996 -- Ariane 5 Flight 501. Working code for the Ariane 4 rocket is reused in the Ariane 5, but the Ariane 5's faster engines trigger a bug in an arithmetic routine inside the rocket's flight computer. The error is in the code that converts a 64-bit floating-point number to a 16-bit signed integer. The faster engines cause the 64-bit numbers to be larger in the Ariane 5 than in the Ariane 4, triggering an overflow condition that results in the flight computer crashing.
First Flight 501's backup computer crashes, followed 0.05 seconds later by a crash of the primary computer. As a result of these crashed computers, the rocket's primary processor overpowers the rocket's engines and causes the rocket to disintegrate 40 seconds after launch.
November 2000 -- National Cancer Institute, Panama City. In a series of accidents, therapy planning software created by Multidata Systems International, a U.S. firm, miscalculates the proper dosage of radiation for patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Multidata's software allows a radiation therapist to draw on a computer screen the placement of metal shields called "blocks" designed to protect healthy tissue from the radiation. But the software will only allow technicians to use four shielding blocks, and the Panamanian doctors wish to use five.
The doctors discover that they can trick the software by drawing all five blocks as a single large block with a hole in the middle. What the doctors don't realize is that the Multidata software gives different answers in this configuration depending on how the hole is drawn: draw it in one direction and the correct dose is calculated, draw in another direction and the software recommends twice the necessary exposure.
At least eight patients die, while another 20 receive overdoses likely to cause significant health problems. The physicians, who were legally required to double-check the computer's calculations by hand, are indicted for murder.
Read the whole article at : Wired News: History's Worst Software Bugs
By Simson Garfinkel, 02:00 AM Nov. 08, 2005 PT
Last month automaker Toyota announced a recall of 160,000 of its Prius hybrid vehicles following reports of vehicle warning lights illuminating for no reason, and cars' gasoline engines stalling unexpectedly. But unlike the large-scale auto recalls of years past, the root of the Prius issue wasn't a hardware problem -- it was a programming error in the smart car's embedded code. The Prius had a software bug.
With that recall, the Prius joined the ranks of the buggy computer -- a club that began in 1947 when engineers found a moth in Panel F, Relay #70 of the Harvard Mark 1 system. The computer was running a test of its multiplier and adder when the engineers noticed something was wrong. The moth was trapped, removed and taped into the computer's logbook with the words: "first actual case of a bug being found."
Sixty years later, computer bugs are still with us, and show no sign of going extinct. As the line between software and hardware blurs, coding errors are increasingly playing tricks on our daily lives. Bugs don't just inhabit our operating systems and applications -- today they lurk within our cell phones and our pacemakers, our power plants and medical equipment. And now, in our cars.
But which are the worst?
It's all too easy to come up with a list of bugs that have wreaked havoc. It's harder to rate their severity. Which is worse -- a security vulnerability that's exploited by a computer worm to shut down the internet for a few days or a typo that triggers a day-long crash of the nation's phone system? The answer depends on whether you want to make a phone call or check your e-mail.
Many people believe the worst bugs are those that cause fatalities. To be sure, there haven't been many, but cases like the Therac-25 are widely seen as warnings against the widespread deployment of software in safety critical applications. Experts who study such systems, though, warn that even though the software might kill a few people, focusing on these fatalities risks inhibiting the migration of technology into areas where smarter processing is sorely needed. In the end, they say, the lack of software might kill more people than the inevitable bugs.
What seems certain is that bugs are here to stay. Here, in chronological order, is the Wired News list of the 10 worst software bugs of all time ? so far.
July 28, 1962 -- Mariner I space probe. A bug in the flight software for the Mariner 1 causes the rocket to divert from its intended path on launch. Mission control destroys the rocket over the Atlantic Ocean. The investigation into the accident discovers that a formula written on paper in pencil was improperly transcribed into computer code, causing the computer to miscalculate the rocket's trajectory.
1982 -- Soviet gas pipeline. Operatives working for the Central Intelligence Agency allegedly (.pdf) plant a bug in a Canadian computer system purchased to control the trans-Siberian gas pipeline. The Soviets had obtained the system as part of a wide-ranging effort to covertly purchase or steal sensitive U.S. technology. The CIA reportedly found out about the program and decided to make it backfire with equipment that would pass Soviet inspection and then fail once in operation. The resulting event is reportedly the largest non-nuclear explosion in the planet's history.
1985-1987 -- Therac-25 medical accelerator. A radiation therapy device malfunctions and delivers lethal radiation doses at several medical facilities. Based upon a previous design, the Therac-25 was an "improved" therapy system that could deliver two different kinds of radiation: either a low-power electron beam (beta particles) or X-rays. The Therac-25's X-rays were generated by smashing high-power electrons into a metal target positioned between the electron gun and the patient. A second "improvement" was the replacement of the older Therac-20's electromechanical safety interlocks with software control, a decision made because software was perceived to be more reliable.
What engineers didn't know was that both the 20 and the 25 were built upon an operating system that had been kludged together by a programmer with no formal training. Because of a subtle bug called a "race condition," a quick-fingered typist could accidentally configure the Therac-25 so the electron beam would fire in high-power mode but with the metal X-ray target out of position. At least five patients die; others are seriously injured.
1988 -- Buffer overflow in Berkeley Unix finger daemon. The first internet worm (the so-called Morris Worm) infects between 2,000 and 6,000 computers in less than a day by taking advantage of a buffer overflow. The specific code is a function in the standard input/output library routine called gets() designed to get a line of text over the network. Unfortunately, gets() has no provision to limit its input, and an overly large input allows the worm to take over any machine to which it can connect.
Programmers respond by attempting to stamp out the gets() function in working code, but they refuse to remove it from the C programming language's standard input/output library, where it remains to this day.
1988-1996 -- Kerberos Random Number Generator. The authors of the Kerberos security system neglect to properly "seed" the program's random number generator with a truly random seed. As a result, for eight years it is possible to trivially break into any computer that relies on Kerberos for authentication. It is unknown if this bug was ever actually exploited.
January 15, 1990 -- AT&T Network Outage. A bug in a new release of the software that controls AT&T's #4ESS long distance switches causes these mammoth computers to crash when they receive a specific message from one of their neighboring machines -- a message that the neighbors send out when they recover from a crash.
One day a switch in New York crashes and reboots, causing its neighboring switches to crash, then their neighbors' neighbors, and so on. Soon, 114 switches are crashing and rebooting every six seconds, leaving an estimated 60 thousand people without long distance service for nine hours. The fix: engineers load the previous software release.
1993 -- Intel Pentium floating point divide. A silicon error causes Intel's highly promoted Pentium chip to make mistakes when dividing floating-point numbers that occur within a specific range. For example, dividing 4195835.0/3145727.0 yields 1.33374 instead of 1.33382, an error of 0.006 percent. Although the bug affects few users, it becomes a public relations nightmare. With an estimated 3 million to 5 million defective chips in circulation, at first Intel only offers to replace Pentium chips for consumers who can prove that they need high accuracy; eventually the company relents and agrees to replace the chips for anyone who complains. The bug ultimately costs Intel $475 million.
1995/1996 -- The Ping of Death. A lack of sanity checks and error handling in the IP fragmentation reassembly code makes it possible to crash a wide variety of operating systems by sending a malformed "ping" packet from anywhere on the internet. Most obviously affected are computers running Windows, which lock up and display the so-called "blue screen of death" when they receive these packets. But the attack also affects many Macintosh and Unix systems as well.
June 4, 1996 -- Ariane 5 Flight 501. Working code for the Ariane 4 rocket is reused in the Ariane 5, but the Ariane 5's faster engines trigger a bug in an arithmetic routine inside the rocket's flight computer. The error is in the code that converts a 64-bit floating-point number to a 16-bit signed integer. The faster engines cause the 64-bit numbers to be larger in the Ariane 5 than in the Ariane 4, triggering an overflow condition that results in the flight computer crashing.
First Flight 501's backup computer crashes, followed 0.05 seconds later by a crash of the primary computer. As a result of these crashed computers, the rocket's primary processor overpowers the rocket's engines and causes the rocket to disintegrate 40 seconds after launch.
November 2000 -- National Cancer Institute, Panama City. In a series of accidents, therapy planning software created by Multidata Systems International, a U.S. firm, miscalculates the proper dosage of radiation for patients undergoing radiation therapy.
Multidata's software allows a radiation therapist to draw on a computer screen the placement of metal shields called "blocks" designed to protect healthy tissue from the radiation. But the software will only allow technicians to use four shielding blocks, and the Panamanian doctors wish to use five.
The doctors discover that they can trick the software by drawing all five blocks as a single large block with a hole in the middle. What the doctors don't realize is that the Multidata software gives different answers in this configuration depending on how the hole is drawn: draw it in one direction and the correct dose is calculated, draw in another direction and the software recommends twice the necessary exposure.
At least eight patients die, while another 20 receive overdoses likely to cause significant health problems. The physicians, who were legally required to double-check the computer's calculations by hand, are indicted for murder.
Read the whole article at : Wired News: History's Worst Software Bugs
U.N. launches 'school in box' in devastated Kashmir
U.N. launches 'school in box' in devastated Kashmir
By Zeeshan Haider, Reuters, Tue Nov 8, 2005 6:43 PM IST165
Kashmiri earthquake survivors attend a class at the Government Girls High School in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, about 130 km north of Islamabad, November 8, 2005. REUTERS/Kimimasa Mayama
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters - The United Nations launched a "school in a box" project on Tuesday to help restart classes in earthquake-devastated Pakistan, where thousands of children died when their schools were destroyed last month.
The government says 73,276 people died in the Oct. 8 quake in Pakistani Kashmir and adjoining North West Frontier Province. The U.N. Children's Fund says about half the victims were children.
UNICEF estimates 17,000 were killed when hundreds of schools collapsed when the disaster struck during morning classes.
It plans to distribute 2,000 boxes in the earthquake zone containing slates, pencils, chalk, coloured pencils and notebooks to help efforts to restart classes.
At least 10,000 schools were damaged or destroyed in the quake, UNICEF said.
Each box can accommodate 40 students for about three months, said UNICEF's Claudia Hudspeth at a ceremony in which she handed one over to the headmistress of a government school in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
The Narol Government High School is one of only 10 in Muzaffarabad that have restarted classes since the disaster. They are being held in tents in the ruins of the school building.
"It was one of the best schools of Muzaffarabad," said new headmistress Khalida Khaliq, who was appointed last week after her predecessor was killed in the earthquake.
Eighty-four children and two teachers died when the school collapsed. Khaliq said more than 100 children had returned to the school since it reopened last week.
QUAKE LESSON
Children sat in the new tent classroom separated by grade.
On Tuesday, they had only one lesson: "Write something about the earthquake."
"We were studying in school when the earthquake stuck on Oct. 8," Naila Siddiqe, nine-year-old fourth grade pupil, wrote in a notebook provided by UNICEF.
One of Naila's sisters was badly injured in the disaster, her back broken when the school collapsed. She is being treated in a hospital in Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
"I do come to school, but I am scared there may be another hit," Naila said shyly while covering her face with her hands.
Local government officials say up to 600 teachers were killed in the earthquake across Pakistani Kashmir.
Mohammad Arif, the region's education secretary, said all 1,500 schools and colleges in Muzaffarabad district were damaged or destroyed, along with 85 percent of those in neighbouring Bagh district and half of those in Poonch.
Farmooda Abbas, a teacher at Naila, lost two of her children at the school in the earthquake but she said she had not lost hope.
"These are my children. I will educate them," she said gesturing to the class.
"I will never leave Muzaffarabad. Two of my children are studying here while my two other children are sleeping here," Farmooda said, sobbing quietly, referring to the two who died.
Khalida, the headmistress, said she needed everything from pencils to a new school building.
"We don't have anything and we need everything," she said.
Read the full article at : U.N. launches 'school in box' in devastated Kashmir
By Zeeshan Haider, Reuters, Tue Nov 8, 2005 6:43 PM IST165
Kashmiri earthquake survivors attend a class at the Government Girls High School in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, about 130 km north of Islamabad, November 8, 2005. REUTERS/Kimimasa Mayama
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters - The United Nations launched a "school in a box" project on Tuesday to help restart classes in earthquake-devastated Pakistan, where thousands of children died when their schools were destroyed last month.
The government says 73,276 people died in the Oct. 8 quake in Pakistani Kashmir and adjoining North West Frontier Province. The U.N. Children's Fund says about half the victims were children.
UNICEF estimates 17,000 were killed when hundreds of schools collapsed when the disaster struck during morning classes.
It plans to distribute 2,000 boxes in the earthquake zone containing slates, pencils, chalk, coloured pencils and notebooks to help efforts to restart classes.
At least 10,000 schools were damaged or destroyed in the quake, UNICEF said.
Each box can accommodate 40 students for about three months, said UNICEF's Claudia Hudspeth at a ceremony in which she handed one over to the headmistress of a government school in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir.
The Narol Government High School is one of only 10 in Muzaffarabad that have restarted classes since the disaster. They are being held in tents in the ruins of the school building.
"It was one of the best schools of Muzaffarabad," said new headmistress Khalida Khaliq, who was appointed last week after her predecessor was killed in the earthquake.
Eighty-four children and two teachers died when the school collapsed. Khaliq said more than 100 children had returned to the school since it reopened last week.
QUAKE LESSON
Children sat in the new tent classroom separated by grade.
On Tuesday, they had only one lesson: "Write something about the earthquake."
"We were studying in school when the earthquake stuck on Oct. 8," Naila Siddiqe, nine-year-old fourth grade pupil, wrote in a notebook provided by UNICEF.
One of Naila's sisters was badly injured in the disaster, her back broken when the school collapsed. She is being treated in a hospital in Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
"I do come to school, but I am scared there may be another hit," Naila said shyly while covering her face with her hands.
Local government officials say up to 600 teachers were killed in the earthquake across Pakistani Kashmir.
Mohammad Arif, the region's education secretary, said all 1,500 schools and colleges in Muzaffarabad district were damaged or destroyed, along with 85 percent of those in neighbouring Bagh district and half of those in Poonch.
Farmooda Abbas, a teacher at Naila, lost two of her children at the school in the earthquake but she said she had not lost hope.
"These are my children. I will educate them," she said gesturing to the class.
"I will never leave Muzaffarabad. Two of my children are studying here while my two other children are sleeping here," Farmooda said, sobbing quietly, referring to the two who died.
Khalida, the headmistress, said she needed everything from pencils to a new school building.
"We don't have anything and we need everything," she said.
Read the full article at : U.N. launches 'school in box' in devastated Kashmir
Actress Hudson heads for court over weight jibes
Actress Hudson heads for court over weight jibes
Mon Nov 7, 2005 4:57 PM IST11
File photo of actress Kate Hudson arriving at the worldwide premiere of Universal Pictures' 'The Skeleton Key' at the Universal Studios cinema in the Universal City area of Los Angeles, August 2, 2005. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
LONDON (Reuters) - Hollywood actress Kate Hudson, star of "The Skeleton Key," instructed lawyers to begin action on Monday against several publications for printing pictures which she said falsely implied she had an eating disorder.
Hudson, daughter of actress Goldie Hawn, claims the pictures "suggested that she had an eating disorder that was so grave and serious that she was wasting away, to the extreme concern of her mother and family," her lawyers said.
The images, and the articles that accompanied them, could also prove damaging to her career as it might raise concern amongst casting agents, London law firm Schillings added.
The publications included U.S. tabloid The National Enquirer for its article last month titled "Goldie tells Kate: Eat Something! And She Listens!"
British magazine Heat and the Daily Mail UK newspaper are also cited.
"Ms Hudson will argue in the courts that the images in question gave a seriously false and misleading impression as to her true physical condition, in that she was portrayed as being dangerously thin with an eating disorder," Schillings said in a statement.
It added the case was expected to go for trial at London's High Court in 2006 if not settled beforehand.
Read the full article at : http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-11-07T165030Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-222451-1.xml
Mon Nov 7, 2005 4:57 PM IST11
File photo of actress Kate Hudson arriving at the worldwide premiere of Universal Pictures' 'The Skeleton Key' at the Universal Studios cinema in the Universal City area of Los Angeles, August 2, 2005. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniLONDON (Reuters) - Hollywood actress Kate Hudson, star of "The Skeleton Key," instructed lawyers to begin action on Monday against several publications for printing pictures which she said falsely implied she had an eating disorder.
Hudson, daughter of actress Goldie Hawn, claims the pictures "suggested that she had an eating disorder that was so grave and serious that she was wasting away, to the extreme concern of her mother and family," her lawyers said.
The images, and the articles that accompanied them, could also prove damaging to her career as it might raise concern amongst casting agents, London law firm Schillings added.
The publications included U.S. tabloid The National Enquirer for its article last month titled "Goldie tells Kate: Eat Something! And She Listens!"
British magazine Heat and the Daily Mail UK newspaper are also cited.
"Ms Hudson will argue in the courts that the images in question gave a seriously false and misleading impression as to her true physical condition, in that she was portrayed as being dangerously thin with an eating disorder," Schillings said in a statement.
It added the case was expected to go for trial at London's High Court in 2006 if not settled beforehand.
Read the full article at : http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-11-07T165030Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-222451-1.xml
Fireballs seen over Germany spark UFO speculation
An undated file photo shows a green meteor tail visible in the desert sky over Israel. Numerous sightings of massive fireballs in the skies over Germany this week have led to an upsurge in reports of UFOs, but scientists believe the cause could be a bizarre annual meteor blitz. REUTERS/Jim HollanderBERLIN (Reuters) - Numerous sightings of massive fireballs in the skies over Germany this week have led to an upsurge in reports of UFOs, but scientists believe the cause could be a bizarre annual meteor blitz.
According to the Web site of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), such fireballs have been reported elsewhere in the world and may also be due to the fact that the Earth is now orbiting through a swarm of space debris.
Many people in Germany have noticed the fireballs, said Werner Walter, an amateur astronomer in Mannheim who runs a Web site on unexplained astronomical phenomena and a hotline for reports on unidentified flying objects (UFO).
"The last reported sighting was yesterday at 7:30 p.m. in a corridor near the border of the Netherlands," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. "This week we have had at least 15 emails and phone calls from people reporting these fireballs," he said. "Some people said it looks like something out of a science fiction horror film."
In addition to a possible meteor streak, Walter said amateur and professional astronomers were considering the possibility that the blitz was the result of a "falling satellite or UFOs." "It is possible that they are UFOs, which are after all things which we cannot explain," he said.
NASA's science Web site (http://science.nasa.gov) mentions reports of recent fireball sightings in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, North Ireland and Japan. It includes images of the fireballs, which one man likened to a spotlight.
Walter described them as "super-large, colored fireballs that shoot with the speed of lightning through the sky."
However, the NASA Web site quotes meteor expert David Asher from the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland as saying that people "are probably seeing the Taurid meteor shower."
Taurids are meteors that shoot out of the constellation Taurus, which peaks at the end of October and early November.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Just Googling It Is Striking Fear Into Companies - New York Times
Just Googling It Is Striking Fear Into Companies
By STEVE LOHR, November 6, 2005
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers. Makers of goods from diapers to DVD's must cater to its whims. But there is one company that even Wal-Mart eyes warily these days: Google, a seven-year-old business in a seemingly distant industry.
"We watch Google very closely at Wal-Mart," said Jim Breyer, a member of Wal-Mart's board.
In Google, Wal-Mart sees both a technology pioneer and the seed of a threat, said Mr. Breyer, who is also a partner in a venture capital firm. The worry is that by making information available everywhere, Google might soon be able to tell Wal-Mart shoppers if better bargains are available nearby.
Wal-Mart is scarcely alone in its concern. As Google increasingly becomes the starting point for finding information and buying products and services, companies that even a year ago did not see themselves as competing with Google are beginning to view the company with some angst - mixed with admiration.
Google's recent moves have stirred concern in industries from book publishing to telecommunications. Businesses already feeling the Google effect include advertising, software and the news media. Apart from retailing, Google's disruptive presence may soon be felt in real estate and auto sales.
Google, the reigning giant of Web search, could extend its economic reach in the next few years as more people get high-speed Internet service and cellphones become full-fledged search tools, according to analysts. And ever-smarter software, they say, will cull and organize larger and larger digital storehouses of news, images, real estate listings and traffic reports, delivering results that are more like the advice of a trusted human expert.
Such advances, predicts Esther Dyson, a technology consultant, will bring "a huge reduction in inefficiency everywhere." That, in turn, would be an unsettling force for all sorts of industries and workers. But it would also reward consumers with lower prices and open up opportunities for new companies.
Google, then, may turn out to have a more far-reaching impact than earlier Web winners like Amazon and eBay. "Google is the realization of everything that we thought the Internet was going to be about but really wasn't until Google," said David B. Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School.
Google, to be sure, is but one company at the forefront of the continuing spread of Internet technology. It has many competitors, and it could stumble. In the search market alone, Google faces formidable rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo.
Microsoft, in particular, is pushing hard to catch Google in Internet search. "This is hyper-competition, make no mistake," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's chief executive. "The magic moment will come when our search is demonstrably better than Google's," he said, suggesting that this could happen in a year or so.
Still, apart from its front-runner status, Google is also remarkable for its pace of innovation and for how broadly it seems to interpret its mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
The company's current lineup of offerings includes: software for searching personal computer files; an e-mail service; maps; satellite images; instant messaging; blogging tools; a service for posting and sharing digital photos; and specialized searches for news, video, shopping and local information. Google's most controversial venture, Google Print, is a project to copy and catalog millions of books; it faces lawsuits by some publishers and authors who say it violates copyright law.
Google, which tends to keep its plans secret, certainly has the wealth to fund ambitious ventures. Its revenues are growing by nearly 100 percent a year, and its profits are rising even faster. Its executives speak of the company's outlook only in broad strokes, but they suggest all but unlimited horizons. "We believe that search networks as industries remain in their nascent stages of growth with great forward potential," Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, told analysts last month.
Among the many projects being developed and debated inside Google is a real estate service, according to a person who has attended meetings on the proposal. The concept, the person said, would be to improve the capabilities of its satellite imaging, maps and local search and combine them with property listings.
The service, this person said, could make house hunting far more efficient, requiring potential buyers to visit fewer real estate agents and houses. If successful, it would be another magnet for the text ads that appear next to search results, the source of most of Google's revenue.
In telecommunications, the company has made a number of moves that have grabbed the attention of industry executives. It has been buying fiber-optic cable capacity in the United States and has invested in a company delivering high-speed Internet access over power lines. And it is participating in an experiment to provide free wireless Internet access in San Francisco.
That has led to speculation that the company wants to build a national free GoogleNet, paid for mostly by advertising. And Google executives seem to delight in dropping tantalizing, if vague, hints. "We focus on access to the information as much as the search itself because you need both," Mr. Schmidt said in an analysts' conference call last month.
Telecommunications executives are skeptical that Google could seriously eat into their business anytime soon. For one thing, they say, it will be difficult and expensive to build a national network. Still, they monitor Google's every move. "Google is certainly a potential competitor," said Bill Smith, the chief technology officer of BellSouth, the Atlanta-based regional phone company.
The No. 1 rival to phone companies in the Internet access business, Mr. Smith noted, is the cable television operators. "But do I discount Google? Absolutely not," he said. "You'd be a fool to do that these days."
In retailing, Google has no interest in stocking and selling merchandise. Its potential impact is more subtle, yet still significant. Every store is a collection of goods, some items more profitable than others. But the less-profitable items may bring people into stores, where they also buy the high-margin offerings - one shelf, in effect, subsidizes another.
Search engines, combined with other technologies, have the potential to drive comparison shopping down to the shelf-by-shelf level. Cellphone makers, for example, are looking at the concept of a "shopping phone" with a camera that can read product bar codes. The phone could connect to databases and search services and, aided by satellite technology, reveal that the flat-screen TV model in front of you is $200 cheaper at a store five miles away.
"We see this huge power moving to the edge - to consumers - in this Google environment," said Lou Steinberg, chief technology officer of Symbol Technologies, which supplies bar-code scanners to retailers.
Such services could lead to lower prices for consumers, but also relentless competition that threatens to break up existing businesses.
A newspaper or a magazine can be seen as a media store - a collection of news, entertainment and advertising delivered in a package. A tool like Google News allows a reader or an advertiser to pick and choose, breaking up the package by splitting the articles from the ads. And Google's ads, tucked to the side of its search-engine results, are often a more efficient sales generator than print ads.
"Google represents a challenge to newspapers, to be sure," said Gary B. Pruitt, chief executive of the McClatchy Company, a chain of 12 newspapers including The Star Tribune in Minneapolis and The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. "Google is attacking the advertising base of newspapers."
At the same time, Google and search technology are becoming crucial to the health of newspapers as more readers migrate to the Web. As one path to the future, Mr. Pruitt speaks of his newspapers prospering by tailoring search for local businesses, but also partnering with search engines to attract readers.
Within industries, the influence of Internet search is often uneven. For example, search engines are being embraced by car companies, yet they pose a challenge to car dealers.
George E. Murphy, senior vice president of global marketing for Chrysler, said Chrysler buys ads on 3,000 keywords a day on the big search sites: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and AOL, whose search is supplied by Google. If a person types in one of those keywords, the search results are accompanied by a sponsored link to a Chrysler site.
Chrysler refines its approach based on what search words attract clicks, and studies its site traffic for clues on converting browsers to buyers. "We've got Ph.D.'s working on this," Mr. Murphy said. "The great thing about search is that you can do the math and follow the trail."
After following a link to a Chrysler Web site, a prospective buyer can configure a model, find a dealer and get a preliminary price. Only dealers can make final price quotes. Yet with more information on the Web, the direction of things is clear, in Mr. Murphy's view. "It will fundamentally change what the dealer does, because telling people about the vehicle won't add value for the customer anymore," he said. "If dealers don't change, they'll be dinosaurs."
Mr. Breyer, the Wal-Mart board member, watches Google closely in his job as managing partner of Accel Partners, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. These days, he advises startups to avoid a "collision course" with Google, just as he has long counseled fledgling companies to steer clear of Microsoft's stronghold in desktop software.
Internet search, like personal computing in its heyday, is a disruptive technology, he said, threatening traditional industries and opening the door to new ones. "We think there is plenty of opportunity for innovation in the Google economy," Mr. Breyer said.
Read the full article at : Just Googling It Is Striking Fear Into Companies - New York Times
By STEVE LOHR, November 6, 2005
Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, often intimidates its competitors and suppliers. Makers of goods from diapers to DVD's must cater to its whims. But there is one company that even Wal-Mart eyes warily these days: Google, a seven-year-old business in a seemingly distant industry.
"We watch Google very closely at Wal-Mart," said Jim Breyer, a member of Wal-Mart's board.
In Google, Wal-Mart sees both a technology pioneer and the seed of a threat, said Mr. Breyer, who is also a partner in a venture capital firm. The worry is that by making information available everywhere, Google might soon be able to tell Wal-Mart shoppers if better bargains are available nearby.
Wal-Mart is scarcely alone in its concern. As Google increasingly becomes the starting point for finding information and buying products and services, companies that even a year ago did not see themselves as competing with Google are beginning to view the company with some angst - mixed with admiration.
Google's recent moves have stirred concern in industries from book publishing to telecommunications. Businesses already feeling the Google effect include advertising, software and the news media. Apart from retailing, Google's disruptive presence may soon be felt in real estate and auto sales.
Google, the reigning giant of Web search, could extend its economic reach in the next few years as more people get high-speed Internet service and cellphones become full-fledged search tools, according to analysts. And ever-smarter software, they say, will cull and organize larger and larger digital storehouses of news, images, real estate listings and traffic reports, delivering results that are more like the advice of a trusted human expert.
Such advances, predicts Esther Dyson, a technology consultant, will bring "a huge reduction in inefficiency everywhere." That, in turn, would be an unsettling force for all sorts of industries and workers. But it would also reward consumers with lower prices and open up opportunities for new companies.
Google, then, may turn out to have a more far-reaching impact than earlier Web winners like Amazon and eBay. "Google is the realization of everything that we thought the Internet was going to be about but really wasn't until Google," said David B. Yoffie, a professor at Harvard Business School.
Google, to be sure, is but one company at the forefront of the continuing spread of Internet technology. It has many competitors, and it could stumble. In the search market alone, Google faces formidable rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo.
Microsoft, in particular, is pushing hard to catch Google in Internet search. "This is hyper-competition, make no mistake," said Bill Gates, Microsoft's chief executive. "The magic moment will come when our search is demonstrably better than Google's," he said, suggesting that this could happen in a year or so.
Still, apart from its front-runner status, Google is also remarkable for its pace of innovation and for how broadly it seems to interpret its mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
The company's current lineup of offerings includes: software for searching personal computer files; an e-mail service; maps; satellite images; instant messaging; blogging tools; a service for posting and sharing digital photos; and specialized searches for news, video, shopping and local information. Google's most controversial venture, Google Print, is a project to copy and catalog millions of books; it faces lawsuits by some publishers and authors who say it violates copyright law.
Google, which tends to keep its plans secret, certainly has the wealth to fund ambitious ventures. Its revenues are growing by nearly 100 percent a year, and its profits are rising even faster. Its executives speak of the company's outlook only in broad strokes, but they suggest all but unlimited horizons. "We believe that search networks as industries remain in their nascent stages of growth with great forward potential," Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, told analysts last month.
Among the many projects being developed and debated inside Google is a real estate service, according to a person who has attended meetings on the proposal. The concept, the person said, would be to improve the capabilities of its satellite imaging, maps and local search and combine them with property listings.
The service, this person said, could make house hunting far more efficient, requiring potential buyers to visit fewer real estate agents and houses. If successful, it would be another magnet for the text ads that appear next to search results, the source of most of Google's revenue.
In telecommunications, the company has made a number of moves that have grabbed the attention of industry executives. It has been buying fiber-optic cable capacity in the United States and has invested in a company delivering high-speed Internet access over power lines. And it is participating in an experiment to provide free wireless Internet access in San Francisco.
That has led to speculation that the company wants to build a national free GoogleNet, paid for mostly by advertising. And Google executives seem to delight in dropping tantalizing, if vague, hints. "We focus on access to the information as much as the search itself because you need both," Mr. Schmidt said in an analysts' conference call last month.
Telecommunications executives are skeptical that Google could seriously eat into their business anytime soon. For one thing, they say, it will be difficult and expensive to build a national network. Still, they monitor Google's every move. "Google is certainly a potential competitor," said Bill Smith, the chief technology officer of BellSouth, the Atlanta-based regional phone company.
The No. 1 rival to phone companies in the Internet access business, Mr. Smith noted, is the cable television operators. "But do I discount Google? Absolutely not," he said. "You'd be a fool to do that these days."
In retailing, Google has no interest in stocking and selling merchandise. Its potential impact is more subtle, yet still significant. Every store is a collection of goods, some items more profitable than others. But the less-profitable items may bring people into stores, where they also buy the high-margin offerings - one shelf, in effect, subsidizes another.
Search engines, combined with other technologies, have the potential to drive comparison shopping down to the shelf-by-shelf level. Cellphone makers, for example, are looking at the concept of a "shopping phone" with a camera that can read product bar codes. The phone could connect to databases and search services and, aided by satellite technology, reveal that the flat-screen TV model in front of you is $200 cheaper at a store five miles away.
"We see this huge power moving to the edge - to consumers - in this Google environment," said Lou Steinberg, chief technology officer of Symbol Technologies, which supplies bar-code scanners to retailers.
Such services could lead to lower prices for consumers, but also relentless competition that threatens to break up existing businesses.
A newspaper or a magazine can be seen as a media store - a collection of news, entertainment and advertising delivered in a package. A tool like Google News allows a reader or an advertiser to pick and choose, breaking up the package by splitting the articles from the ads. And Google's ads, tucked to the side of its search-engine results, are often a more efficient sales generator than print ads.
"Google represents a challenge to newspapers, to be sure," said Gary B. Pruitt, chief executive of the McClatchy Company, a chain of 12 newspapers including The Star Tribune in Minneapolis and The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. "Google is attacking the advertising base of newspapers."
At the same time, Google and search technology are becoming crucial to the health of newspapers as more readers migrate to the Web. As one path to the future, Mr. Pruitt speaks of his newspapers prospering by tailoring search for local businesses, but also partnering with search engines to attract readers.
Within industries, the influence of Internet search is often uneven. For example, search engines are being embraced by car companies, yet they pose a challenge to car dealers.
George E. Murphy, senior vice president of global marketing for Chrysler, said Chrysler buys ads on 3,000 keywords a day on the big search sites: Google, Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and AOL, whose search is supplied by Google. If a person types in one of those keywords, the search results are accompanied by a sponsored link to a Chrysler site.
Chrysler refines its approach based on what search words attract clicks, and studies its site traffic for clues on converting browsers to buyers. "We've got Ph.D.'s working on this," Mr. Murphy said. "The great thing about search is that you can do the math and follow the trail."
After following a link to a Chrysler Web site, a prospective buyer can configure a model, find a dealer and get a preliminary price. Only dealers can make final price quotes. Yet with more information on the Web, the direction of things is clear, in Mr. Murphy's view. "It will fundamentally change what the dealer does, because telling people about the vehicle won't add value for the customer anymore," he said. "If dealers don't change, they'll be dinosaurs."
Mr. Breyer, the Wal-Mart board member, watches Google closely in his job as managing partner of Accel Partners, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. These days, he advises startups to avoid a "collision course" with Google, just as he has long counseled fledgling companies to steer clear of Microsoft's stronghold in desktop software.
Internet search, like personal computing in its heyday, is a disruptive technology, he said, threatening traditional industries and opening the door to new ones. "We think there is plenty of opportunity for innovation in the Google economy," Mr. Breyer said.
Read the full article at : Just Googling It Is Striking Fear Into Companies - New York Times
Microsoft's Other OS
Microsoft's Other OS
By Mary Jo Foley, Friday, November 04, 2005
Microsoft Research has developed a prototype of a microkernel operating system, code-named 'Singularity.' Its most surprising feature: It has nothing to do with Windows.
Contrary to popular opinion, Windows isn't the only operating system in which Microsoft is investing.
The Microsoft Research team has built from scratch a 300,000-line, microkernel-based operating system (OS) that has no roots in Windows.
That OS, code-named "Singularity," is slowly but steadily gaining visibility. The Microsoft Research team behind the project recently posted to the Web a 44-page technical research report about Singularity. Company officials discussed the project publicly at the June USENIX conference. And earlier this week, Microsoft's Singularity effort got some attention on Slashdot.
"What would a software platform look like if it was designed from scratch with the primary goal of dependability?" reads the opening of the Microsoft research report.
That was the question the Singularity team set out to answer two years ago.
"Singularity is not Windows. Every line of code was written from scratch," said Galen Hunt, a senior researcher with Microsoft Research who is helping to spearhead the Singularity project.
Hunt said Singularity is the largest cross-group project inside of Microsoft Research, involving about 35 researchers across the systems and networking, compiler, testing and other research teams.
Like all Microsoft Research projects, Singularity has no definitive commercialization trajectory. Microsoft could opt to commercialize it as is, embed elements of it in other products or simply rely on the learnings from the project to inform other efforts at the company.
Already, however, the Singularity work is generating ideas for the architectural team inside Microsoft's Core Operating System Division (COSD), and the Microsoft security team, Hunt said. COSD has been doing work to reduce dependencies among the different subsystems that comprise Windows. The security team has been wrestling with federated identity and distributed system challenges.
"We have an idea of how to minimize dependencies when writing an OS from scratch," Hunt said. "That's a technology transfer idea."
Singularity also could, hypothetically, act as the host operating system for something like Microsoft BigTop. BigTop is the code-name for a still-unannounced internal Microsoft distributed-systems infrastructure project.
Ultimately, all or parts of Singularity would most likely find a place in the embedded OS space, the server OS market, or both, Hunt said.
Singularity also is a proof of concept regarding the viability of managed code. Singularity is not the first OS written entirely in managed code, Hunt acknowledged. He bestowed that title on "Cedar," developed by Xerox PARC.
But the OS is currently written entirely in a combination of Microsoft's C# programming language, as well as a derivative of C#, which the team is calling "Sing#." (Sing# is a derivative of Spec#, which is a derivative of C#.) The ultimate goal is to write the OS entirely in Sing#, Hunt said.
While Singularity does rely on Microsoft's C#, it is not making use of Microsoft's Common Language Runtime (CLR) or the Java virtual machine. Instead, the team is relying on "Bartok," a Microsoft-Research-developed compiler and run-time environment.
"We have developed a working kernel, as originally conceived," said Hunt. "Now we can build a lot of components on top of it."
Read the full article at : Microsoft's Other OS
By Mary Jo Foley, Friday, November 04, 2005
Microsoft Research has developed a prototype of a microkernel operating system, code-named 'Singularity.' Its most surprising feature: It has nothing to do with Windows.
Contrary to popular opinion, Windows isn't the only operating system in which Microsoft is investing.
The Microsoft Research team has built from scratch a 300,000-line, microkernel-based operating system (OS) that has no roots in Windows.
That OS, code-named "Singularity," is slowly but steadily gaining visibility. The Microsoft Research team behind the project recently posted to the Web a 44-page technical research report about Singularity. Company officials discussed the project publicly at the June USENIX conference. And earlier this week, Microsoft's Singularity effort got some attention on Slashdot.
"What would a software platform look like if it was designed from scratch with the primary goal of dependability?" reads the opening of the Microsoft research report.
That was the question the Singularity team set out to answer two years ago.
"Singularity is not Windows. Every line of code was written from scratch," said Galen Hunt, a senior researcher with Microsoft Research who is helping to spearhead the Singularity project.
Hunt said Singularity is the largest cross-group project inside of Microsoft Research, involving about 35 researchers across the systems and networking, compiler, testing and other research teams.
Like all Microsoft Research projects, Singularity has no definitive commercialization trajectory. Microsoft could opt to commercialize it as is, embed elements of it in other products or simply rely on the learnings from the project to inform other efforts at the company.
Already, however, the Singularity work is generating ideas for the architectural team inside Microsoft's Core Operating System Division (COSD), and the Microsoft security team, Hunt said. COSD has been doing work to reduce dependencies among the different subsystems that comprise Windows. The security team has been wrestling with federated identity and distributed system challenges.
"We have an idea of how to minimize dependencies when writing an OS from scratch," Hunt said. "That's a technology transfer idea."
Singularity also could, hypothetically, act as the host operating system for something like Microsoft BigTop. BigTop is the code-name for a still-unannounced internal Microsoft distributed-systems infrastructure project.
Ultimately, all or parts of Singularity would most likely find a place in the embedded OS space, the server OS market, or both, Hunt said.
Singularity also is a proof of concept regarding the viability of managed code. Singularity is not the first OS written entirely in managed code, Hunt acknowledged. He bestowed that title on "Cedar," developed by Xerox PARC.
But the OS is currently written entirely in a combination of Microsoft's C# programming language, as well as a derivative of C#, which the team is calling "Sing#." (Sing# is a derivative of Spec#, which is a derivative of C#.) The ultimate goal is to write the OS entirely in Sing#, Hunt said.
While Singularity does rely on Microsoft's C#, it is not making use of Microsoft's Common Language Runtime (CLR) or the Java virtual machine. Instead, the team is relying on "Bartok," a Microsoft-Research-developed compiler and run-time environment.
"We have developed a working kernel, as originally conceived," said Hunt. "Now we can build a lot of components on top of it."
Read the full article at : Microsoft's Other OS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
