Julian Assange to guest star on "The Simpsons"

LOS ANGELES: Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be a guest character and voice on animated TV comedy "The Simpsons," playing a neighbor of the family after they move from their home in fictional Springfield.

Assange's "brief" guest starring role will be on the show's February 19 program, which marks the 500th episode of "The Simpsons," said Antonia Coffman, a spokeswoman for the show airing on the Fox television network in the United States.

In the episode, the Simpsons -- Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and their pets -- leave home and move to a rugged and isolated area where the find themselves living next to Assange, who portrays himself.

Simpsons executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly magazine that the show's creative team realizes Assange is "controversial," but that in putting together the show they avoided delving into his "legal situation." Instead, the writers made sure the appearance was satirical. Assange recorded his lines remotely from Britain.

Assange is currently under house arrest outside London and due to appear before Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday to appeal his extradition to Sweden where he has been accused of sexual misconduct by two former WikiLeaks volunteers.

He angered U.S. officials in 2010 when WikiLeaks, in partnership with major newspapers, published a trove of leaked diplomatic cables that exposed the candid views of American officials and their allies about a wide range of topics including the wars in Afghanistan and, at the time, Iraq.

Assange and his supporters are concerned that if he is extradited to Sweden, U.S. officials might attempt to have him brought to the United States where possibly he could be charged for crimes related to the leaked documents.

Last week, Kremlin-funded English language channel Russia Today revealed it had given Assange his own television talk show. Assange will interview noteworthy figures on a show dubbed "The World Tomorrow," the channel said.

"The Simpsons," which debuted in 1989 on Fox, is the longest running primetime, scripted television series. (Reuters)

Cancer in Egyptian mummy

CAIRO: A professor from American University in Cairo says discovery of prostate cancer in a 2,200-year-old mummy indicates the disease was caused by genetics, not environment.

The genetics-environment question is key to understanding cancer.

AUC professor Salima Ikram, a member of the team that studied the mummy in Portugal for two years, said Sunday the mummy was of a man who died in his forties.

She said this was the second oldest known case of prostate cancer.

"Living conditions in ancient times were very different; there were no pollutants or modified foods, which leads us to believe that the disease is not necessarily only linked to industrial factors," she said.

A statement from AUC says the oldest known case came from a 2,700 year-old skeleton of a king in Russia. (AP)

CNG price goes up; OGRA issues notification

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has hiked the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and issued a notification to this effect, Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to the notification, the rate of CNG has been raised by 36 paisas per kilo to Rs74.29 in region-1 covering Sindh and Punjab.

The increase in CNG rate for Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Potohar and Balochistan is 71 paisas per kilo.

The revised prices will become effective from February 1.

Drone attacks unlawful, unacceptable: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said the drone attacks are unlawful, counterproductive and hence unacceptable, Geo News reported.

The remarks from foreign ministry came as President Barack Obama confirmed for the first time that drone aircraft had targeted militants in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border.

"We are of the firm view that these are unlawful, counterproductive and hence unacceptable," ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said.

"Our view has always been very clear and position principled," he added.

When asked about drones in a chat with web users on Google+ and YouTube, Obama said "a lot of these strikes have been in the FATA" -- Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Dhoni would pave way for "better" captain

SYDNEY: Mahendra Singh Dhoni would readily step aside as India captain if there was a suitable replacement available, the under-fire skipper said on Tuesday.

"It's not something I want to hold on to or stick on to. If there's a better replacement, it's a very open thing, he can come in," Dhoni told reporters on the eve of India's first Twenty20 international against Australia.

"At the end of the day, you want India to perform. If there is someone who can do a better job, then it's a place that should be given to him. It's not something you have to cling on to," he said.

"It's not a position that belongs to anyone. The responsibility was given to me three-and-half years back and I have been trying to fit into the shoes, trying to get along with the team and perform well wherever we play."

Under Dhoni, India won the Twenty20 (2007) and 50-over World Cups (2011) and became the top-ranked test nation before the team's spectacular decline started in England last year.

The team did not win a single match on that tour, losing the test series 4-0, and further humiliation awaited them in Australia, where they succumbed to their second successive whitewash abroad.

Dhoni missed the last test in Adelaide, having incurred a one-match ban for the team's slow over rate in Perth, but his leadership was as much criticised as the senior batsmen's failure in the 4-0 series loss in Australia.

Dhoni did not endear himself to the fans and former cricketers either by hinting he might quit tests to focus on 2015 World Cup.

"I definitely feel that Dhoni does not enjoy test cricket," his former captain Sourav Ganguly recently told Aaj Tak channel.

"His performance in test and one-day cricket are poles apart and by making such a statement, he has also perhaps explained his complete disinterest in the longer format of the game," Ganguly added. (Reuters)

 

Was pressured into confessing: Ajmal Kasab

NEW DELHI: The lone surviving gunman of the Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab has submitted his statement in the Indian Supreme Court.

In his statement Kasab has alleged that he was pressured into recording his confession which should now be dismissed.

Kasab also claims that he was not allowed to seek legal counsel when his confession was being recorded.

The Supreme Court adjourned an appeal hearing on Tuesday into the death sentence handed down to the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Kasab one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to Mumbai in attacks which lasted nearly three days and killed 166 people, has appealed for his sentence to be overturned after he was convicted in May 2010.

The 24-year-old was found guilty of a series of crimes, including waging war against India, murder and terror acts.

One of the two Supreme Court judges due to hear the appeal was unavailable on Tuesday, forcing the adjournment, officials said. No date was immediately set for the next hearing.

Kasab's death sentence was confirmed by a state high court in Mumbai last year. If he loses his Supreme Court appeal, he will be able to appeal for clemency from the president.

Petrol price fueled by Rs5.37 per litre

ISLAMABAD: Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has revised upwards the prices of all POL products which has made petrol expensive by a staggering Rs5.37 per litre to Rs94.91, Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to OGRA notification to this effect, the revised prices will become applicable from February 1 (Tuesday midnight).

The price of Diesel has been hiked by Rs4.46 per litre to Rs103.46 while the rate of Light Diesel jacked up by Rs3.43 a litre to Rs90.21.

The new price of HOBC has been fixed at Rs118.20 per litre with an increase of Rs6.29 and Kerosene oil at Rs90.02 a litre, up by Rs2.76.

This is a second time in one month that OGR has raised the prices of petroleum products.

SRK scuffles with Farah Khan's husband

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was embroiled in an ugly row on Monday after a female director accused him of assaulting her husband at a late-night party.

Farah Khan, who directed Shah Rukh in blockbusters "Main Hoon Na" (I am there for you) and "Om Shanti Om", claimed the actor had attacked her husband Shirish Kunder on Sunday night.

"Shah Rukh has always told me that physical abuse is the worst way to sort out a problem and that it means the person who's hitting has either a personal or professional crisis going on," Farah Khan said in a statement.

"And it saddens me to see him doing the same," added Farah Khan, who is not related to the actor.

The reported bust-up occurred at a party thrown by veteran Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to celebrate his latest flick "Agneepath" (Line of Fire).

"SRK (Shah Rukh) pulled Shirish down to the ground by his long hair. We were all shocked. We had never seen SRK behave this way before," a witness told the Times of India newspaper.

The paper said Shah Rukh was upset with Kunder over jibes on Twitter.

The NDTV news channel said the actor admitted that there had been a disagreement but denied any assault. (AFP)

San Francisco airport unveils yoga room for travelers

SAN FRANSISCO: Just cleared airport security and in need of a little deep breathing and stretching relaxation?

San Francisco Airport has opened what it calls a first of its kind yoga room, and while it's not quite a mountaintop in Tibet, airport officials say the low lights, and soothing blue walls aim to afford travelers, stressed out or sanguine, an oasis of calm in which to flex, twist and decompress.

"As far as we know it's the first (yoga room) at an airport anywhere in the world," said Michael C. McCarron, director of community affairs for the airport.

He said the idea for the room, in the newly refurbished Terminal 2, came from a passenger suggestion at an open house. It joins the Berman reflection room, a space intended for silence and meditation located before Terminal 2 security.

Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

The architects, Gensler Design, set the lights low and warm in contrast to the light, bright concourse, according to a statement, and a floating wall was constructed to symbolize "a buoyant spirit and enlightened mind. "

Large felt-constructed rocks will be installed in the Spring in a nod to the Zen gardens of Japan.

John Walsh, duty manager at San Francisco Airport, said the room is already attracting its share of travelling yogis, many equipped with their own props.

"I've seen people using it. They do yoga," Walsh said. "We have mats, but some people actually bring their own." There are also folding chairs, popular in many senior yoga sessions. So far there are no plans to hold classes.

Located just past security, it's a particular draw for people with time to kill before their flight, Walsh said.

Santa Monica-based yoga teacher Tamal Dodge believes the yoga room at the airport will be the first of many yoga spaces to be attached to airports and public transportation venues.

"How amazing will it be to stretch out and meditate before you get on a plane for a 12-hour flight," said Dodge, who is featured in the "Element: Hatha & Flow Yoga for Beginners" DVD.

"You are now given the opportunity to really relax and prepare your body for something as taxing as sitting in an airplane seat for hours on end," he said.

Airport yogis are directed to their room by the usual method-- the pictograph: this one of a figure seated in full lotus position. (Reuters)

Obama confirms drone strikes in Pakistan

President Barack Obama on Monday confirmed that US drone aircraft have struck Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets within Pakistan -- operations that until now had not been officially acknowledged.

When asked about the use of drones by his administration in a chat with web users on Google+ and YouTube, Obama said "a lot of these strikes have been in the FATA.

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

"This is a targeted focused effort at people who are on a list of active terrorists, who are trying to go in and harm Americans, hit American facilities, American bases, and so on."

Explaining that many strikes were carried out "on al-Qaeda operatives in places where the capacities of that military in that country may not be able to get them," Obama confirmed that Pakistan's lawless tribal zone was a target.

"So, obviously, a lot of these strikes have been in the FATA, and going after al-Qaeda suspects who are up in very tough terrain along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.

"For us to be able to get them in another way would involve probably a lot more intrusive military action than the ones we're already engaging in."

US officials say Pakistan's tribal belt provides sanctuary to Taliban fighting for 10 years in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda groups plotting attacks on the West, Pakistani Taliban who routinely bomb Pakistan and other foreign fighters.

Sixty-four US missile strikes were reported in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt last year, down from 101 reported in 2010, according to AFP tallies.

The United States had until now refused to discuss drone strikes publicly, but the program has dramatically increased as the Obama administration looks to withdraw all foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The Pakistani government is understood to agree to the program despite popular opposition at home, and drones have reportedly killed dozens of Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives and hundreds of low-ranking fighters since 2004.

But the missile strikes fuel widespread anti-American resentment, which is running especially high in Pakistan since US air strikes inadvertently killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

A US-NATO investigation blamed the deaths on a litany of errors and botched communications on both sides. But Pakistan rejected the findings, insisting the strikes had been deliberate.

Islamabad is now reviewing its entire alliance with the United States and has kept its Afghan border closed to NATO supply convoys for two months.

It ordered US personnel to leave Shamsi air base in western Pakistan, widely believed to have been a hub for the CIA drone program, and is thought likely to only reopen the Afghan border by exacting taxes on convoys. (AFP)

Honda's first business jet to hit markets next year

TOKYO: Honda Motor Co (7267.T) expects to grab at least a quarter of the world market for small business jets soon after delivering its first aircraft next year, achieving the company's long-standing goal of taking to the skies, an executive said.

Honda, Japan's No.3 car maker and the world's biggest manufacturer of motorcycles and engines, is in the final stages of getting its $4.5 million HondaJet certified. It aims to ramp up the pace of production to 80 a year in the first half of 2013.

Honda received more than 100 orders for the seven-seater jet in three days when it began taking orders in 2006, promising a quieter engine, 20 percent better fuel economy over competing models and operational costs of two-thirds or less.

It has not disclosed an updated number of orders, but Michimasa Fujino, a Honda executive and CEO of its North Carolina-based subsidiary, Honda Aircraft Company, said it held a backlog of about three years from orders taken through its nine dealerships in North America and Europe.

"I'm very optimistic about our prospects," Fujino, who initiated Honda's foray into aviation research in 1986, told a small group of reporters at the automaker's Tokyo headquarters on Monday.

"We're doing with HondaJet what the Civic did to American cars from the 1960s. Our competitors are still producing with technology from the 1990s," he said, referring to Textron Inc's (TXT.N) Cessna and Brazil's Embraer SA (EMBR3.SA), which now dominate the 200-a-year small business jet market.

The Civic, known for its reliability, durability and mileage, has consistently been among the United States' best-selling cars since its launch in 1973, forcing industry giants such as General Motors Co (GM.N) to follow suit with cars to meet the country's tighter emissions regulations.

Honda's ambition of making jets traces back to its iconic founder, Soichiro Honda. The HondaJet will make Honda the only car maker in the world to build its own aircraft.

Its engine is made by a joint venture between Honda and General Electric Co (GE.N).

Honda Aircraft is aiming to turn a profit by 2018, Fujino said.

BRAZIL, CHINA CLAMOURING FOR JETS

The business jet industry is expecting a rebound in sales this year after the global economic crisis hammered sales over the past three years.

While the small business jet market has traditionally been limited to North America and Europe so far, Fujino said he was fielding about a call a week from China, both from prospective buyers and eager dealers, while interest was also greater than he anticipated in Brazil, India and the Middle East.

"Right now we want to focus on delivering on the orders that we have, but I'd like to enter Brazil and China earlier than we'd initially planned," he said, declining to specify a timeframe. New demand from emerging markets could expand the global small-jet market to about 300 a year, he said.

Fujino said he was also seeing more interest in the smallest end of the market as medium-sized jet users look to downsize to get more for their fuel, much like the trend in the car industry.

"Most of our customers are owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, and many are looking to get the most out of the jets that they need," he said.

With operational costs of about $1,000-$1,200 an hour, HondaJet could make travelling in a group of five or six cheaper and more efficient than flying commercially between small cities, he said. Competitors offer at best $1,800 by comparison, he added.

Honda Aircraft will add 300-350 factory staff to bring its total workforce to around 1,000 in the first half of 2013, Fujino said. (Reuters)

Australia drop Marsh, rest Haddin for Tri-nation series

SYDNEY: Struggling opener Shaun Marsh was Monday left out of Australia's one-day squad to face India and Sri Lanka, while wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been rested in favour of Matthew Wade.

Australia go into the tri-nations series buoyed by a 4-0 Test whitewash of India, and with players such as newcomer Peter Forrest showing strong form in the domestic Twenty20 league and Sheffield Shield.

Marsh, 28, put in a poor performance during the Test series, scoring just 17 runs after returning to the side following a back injury.

"Shaun Marsh is obviously disappointed with his own form in recent weeks and is out of the side, but remains in our thinking for the future while he works at state level," said national selector John Inverarity.

"As they say, class is permanent but form can be temporary."

Inverarity said Haddin will be rested after "a heavy program of Test cricket" in favour of debutant Wade.

"The workload for a wicketkeeper/batsman is rigorous and resting him for the start of the series will refresh him for coming international commitments, while also giving us a chance to look at Matt Wade at this level," he said.

Australia have not named a vice-captain for the first three games because Haddin is resting and all-rounder Shane Watson is still unavailable due to injury.

Brett Lee is included in a bowling attack which also features Ryan Harris and Xavier Doherty.

Australia and India kick off the tri-nations tournament on February 5 with a match at the MCG.

Australian squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Clint McKay, Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner. (AFP)

Haqqani jets out of Pakistan finally

ISLAMABAD: Erstwhile envoy to US, Husain Haqqani has finally taken off for Abu Dhabi, Geo News reported.

Earlier, he arrived at the airport after Supreme Court lifted travel restrictions imposed on a former diplomat, in a fresh sign that a probe into a major scandal threatening the president is running out of steam.

Haqqani did not talk to media at the airport.

His flight out of Pakistan suffered an hour’s delay

After staying in Abu Dhabi for a while, he will jet to Washington, USA.

Irishman makes "billion-euro home" of shredded notes

DUBLIN: An unemployed Irish artist has built a home from the shredded remains of 1.4 billion euros ($1.82 billion), a monument to the "madness" he says has been wrought on Ireland by the single currency, from a spectacular construction boom to a wrenching bust.

Frank Buckley built the apartment in the lobby of a Dublin office building that has lain vacant since its completion four years ago at the peak of an ill-fated construction boom, using bricks of shredded euro notes he borrowed from Ireland's national mint.

"It's a reflection of the whole madness that gripped us," Buckley said of what he calls his "billion-euro home."

"People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing," he said. "I wanted to create something from nothing."

Living in his "billion euro home" since the start of December, Buckley is working on adding a kitchen to the living room and hall.

The walls and floor are covered in euro shreddings and the house is so warm Buckley sleeps without a blanket.

Pictures made from notes and coins decorate the walls, including one of a house, made from Irish 5 pence pieces.

"There are houses in Ireland worth less than that," Buckley quips. (Reuters)

'The Help' wins big at SAG awards

LOS ANGELES: "The Help," a big-screen drama focusing on race relations in America, was the big winner at the Screen Actors Guild awards ceremony here Sunday, sweeping the top prizes for best actress, best supporting actress and best ensemble.

The film, which tells the story of an aspiring journalist who decides to write a book exposing racism faced by domestic help in the 1960s, beat black-and-white silent movie "The Artist," "Bridesmaids," "The Descendants" and other films that had been expected to win top honors.

The Screen Actors Guild are seen as one of the key preludes to the Oscars ceremony, the culmination of the Hollywood awards season, that will be held on February 26.

"It's been such a labor of love," said Viola Davis, the winner of the best actress award, as she reminisced about her work in "The Help."

"I just want to say that (the movie) is not just about colored people or women, it's about all of us," she added. "We all can inspire change, every single one of us."

Octavia Spencer, who won the prize for best supporting actress, said the movie was "a light for women who haven't been given a voice in American history."

"I'm thrilled to hold this honor," Spencer pointed out.

Spencer outdid Argentine-born French actress Berenice Bejo, of the silent film "The Artist." The two will meet and compete again in the same category at the Oscars.

French actor Jean Dujardin was honored as the best leading actor for his role in "The Artist," which is seen by movie critics as a favorite for winning an Oscar next month.

"It's a love story, a simple story, but it's not just a black-and-white and silent movie," said the Frenchman, thanking his colleagues. It's a new visual and emotional experience for the audience."

Dujardin competed for the top actor's prize against some of the biggest Hollywood names, including George Clooney ("The Descendants"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("J. Edgar") and Brad Pitt ("Moneyball").

Veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer won the award for best supporting actor. Plummer, 82, starred in "Beginners," where he played a man who comes to terms with his homosexuality late in life.

The 18th SAG ceremony got under way in Los Angeles with a star-studded group in attendance, including Clooney, Dujardin, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams and Pitt, who was accompanied by his companion, Angelina Jolie.

In the television category, the comedy "Modern Family" won the SAG award for best cast in a comedy.

Colombian bombshell Sofia Vergara, who was nominated for her role as Gloria in "Modern Family," walked away empty-handed as veteran Betty White, 90, took the award for her role in the comedy "Hot in Cleveland."

It was not all bad news for "Modern Family," however. It took the best comedy cast defeating "Glee", "The Big Bang Theory", "30 Rock" and "The Office."

On Saturday, French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius won the top honor from the Directors Guild of America for "The Artist," an award that has traditionally been a strong indicator of Oscar glory.

Hazanavicius captured the DGA's outstanding achievement in feature film award, beating out competition from Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese for "Midnight in Paris" and "Hugo" respectively, and David Fincher and Alexander Payne for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Descendants."

"The Artist" had already won the top prize from the Producers Guild of America (PGA) earlier this month -- another key pre-Oscar bellwether -- and
picked up three Golden Globes including best picture on January 15.

The film, a tribute to the silent movie era in which a non-speaking star battles to save his career after it is torpedoed by the arrival of the "talkies," is up for 10 Oscars, including best picture and best director. (AFP)

Australia names ODI squad to face India, Sri Lanka

SYDNEY: Australia on Monday named a 14-man squad for the first three games of the ODI tri-nations tournament against India and Sri Lanka beginning Sunday.

Australian squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Clint McKay, Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner. (AFP)

Taliban refuses ceasefire before prisoners’ release

DOHA: Taliban have refused US demand of ceasefire before the release of Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, US media reports said.

According to the French news agency, Afghanistan and Pakistan plan to open a second front in negotiations with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia as US-brokered talks get under way in Qatar.

Afghan foreign minister spokesman Janan Mosazai said that Afghanistan support any step towards the peace process.

Meanwhile, US media reported that US had pledged to transfer important Taliban figures from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar but now they were insisting for ceasefire first.

Memogate: 2 months extension to commission, Haqqani allowed to travel

ISLAMABAD: The larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC) has given two months extension to the three-member judicial commission, tasked to probe the memo controversy, Geo News reported.

The SC heard the application of the commission to extend the time limit for preparing a report into the matter.

The commission, in its application, had prayed to the court that it was not possible for it to complete its inquiry report within the given four weeks time, so the time limit may be extended for completing the inquiry.

Former Pakistani ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has also been allowed to travel abroad by the bench. His counsel, Asma Jahangir, pleaded before the court to allow her client to travel abroad.

The bench ordered that Haqqani can travel but after providing the details to the Registrar Office and should comeback on a four-day notice.

The nine-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, took up this application alongside an application of Barrister Akram Sheikh, who has been seeking from the court to direct the commission to record the statement of Mansoor Ijaz in London due to security threats to him.

The CJ informed the court of receiving a confidential letter from Mansoor Ijaz, the central figure of the scandal. He remarked that commission's task is not completed yet and we would not interfere in it.

Attorney General (AG) Maulvi Anwarul Haq informed the court about the commission's proceedings, the refusal of BlackBerry company and reservations of Ijaz. The AG did not oppose the extension plea.

The judicial commission to probe the matter comprises Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Justice Faiz Essa, Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Mushir Alam and Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Iqbal Abdul Rehman.

Twitter's new censorship rules face opposition

LOS ANGELES: It was only two weeks ago that Twitter was protesting online censorship in the form of anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA. Now the social networking site faces a surge of opposition to its own censorship practices.

Twitter announced in a blog post Thursday that it will now block specific tweets on a country-by-country basis should the messages violate the laws of those countries.

One of the worries is that Twitter has been a powerful tool in the protest movements that have surfaced across the globe in the past year, whether in the Arab Spring or the anti-austerity protests in Europe.

The fear is that the new policy will limit its utility in such instances.

Users have responded by promising to boycott the site on Saturday, and the media has blasted the company for what it views as blatant censorship.

Forbes' writer Mark Gibbs dubbed the move "social suicide" and many others have chimed in to voice their objection.

The boycott of Twitter is being promulgated by the hashtag #TwitterBlackout -- not all that different from the #SOPABlackout tweets from earlier this month. In another case of overlap with the SOPA/PIPA fight, hacking network Anonymous seems to oppose the move. Not known yet is whether it will act.

It's doubtful that enough people will stop using the service to have an impact, nor would a brief Twitter shutdown damage its business. However, the threats are clearly more about sending a message than crippling the now ubiquitous messaging platform.

The site's reasoning for the change was stated in its blog post: "As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression. Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

Observers see this as Twitter caving to the power of oppressive and restrictive foreign governments. They don't want to anger those countries too much, lest they block Twitter.

To some, this is appalling. To others, it's just business.

Either way, Twitter finds itself on the other end of the censorship fight for one of the first times. (Reuters)

Michael Jackson's legacy cemented by children

LOS ANGELES: Late pop star Michael Jackson was immortalized in cement on Thursday when his three children stamped the "Thriller" singer's glove and shoe prints in the hallowed concrete courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Well over a hundred fans of the King of Pop and celebrities including Justin Bieber and Jackson family members watched the song and dance spectacle and listened to the three children talk about the legacy of their father.

"My dad won the lifetime achievement award. It was an award he strived and worked the hardest to get but for me, and I think for him as well, this right here is his lifetime achievement award. This is what he strived to get and this is what we are giving him now today," said Prince Michael, 14, Jackson's eldest son.

Jackson's daughter Paris, 13, imprinted her father's iconic silver sequined glove and scrawled his name into the cement, adding a heart in between Michael and Jackson. Prince Michael and his brother Blanket, 9, put their father's shoe into the cement, and all three left their own handprints next to dad's.

The hour-long ceremony included spoken tributes and musical performances from Jackson's friends and family, including his brothers Tito and Jackie, who were part of the Jackson 5, and mother Katherine who called the event "a very very solemn occasion for my son."

"Michael, we miss you, that's for sure. There's hardly a day that goes by without him going on in my mind somehow, some way, and I know he is here today with us," said Tito Jackson.

Musical producer Quincy Jones, who worked with Jackson on one his most successful album, "Thriller," Motown singer Smokey Robinson and comedian Chris Tucker, a friend of Jackson's, shared their personal memories of Jackson while Canadian pop sensation Bieber called him "an inspiration."

"People are going to remember him for his dancing and his singing, but people need to remember him for who he was," said Bieber.

"Everything I do, I look at Michael and I want to be as good as he was," said Bieber, 17, whose rise to fame was compared to the late singer by Paris as she introduced him.

Jackson gained success with songs such as "ABC" and "I'll Be There" as a child singer with his brothers, and later pursued a solo career that earned him worldwide fame and fans with hits such as "Rock With You," "Bad," and "Beat It."

His sudden death from a drug overdose in 2009 aged 50, sent shockwaves around the world. Late last year, Jackson's doctor at the time was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for administering a surgical anesthetic to Jackson as a sleep aid.

Jackson's glove and shoe imprints will be placed alongside Hollywood screen legends such as Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Sidney Poitier outside the iconic Hollywood theater that has been a tourist attraction for decades.

Notably absent from the ceremony were Jackson's sisters Janet and LaToya as well as brothers Jermaine and Randy.

The event, hosted by the late singer's estate, showcased dancers from Cirque du Soleil's Jackson tribute show and featured "Glee" cast member Harry Shum, Jr. ahead of the show's Jackson tribute episode next week. (Reuters)

Twitter may censor tweets in individual countries

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis.

The additional flexibility announced Thursday is likely to raise fears that Twitter's commitment to free speech may be weakening as the short-messaging company expands into new countries in an attempt to broaden its audience and make more money.

But Twitter sees the censorship tool as a way to ensure individual messages, or "tweets," remain available to as many people as possible while it navigates a gauntlet of different laws around the world.

Before, when Twitter erased a tweet it disappeared throughout the world. Now, a tweet containing content breaking a law in one country can be taken down there and still be seen elsewhere.

Twitter will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. That's similar to what Internet search leader Google Inc. has been doing for years when a law in a country where its service operates requires a search result to be removed.

Like Google, Twitter also plans to the share the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the chillingeffects.org website.

The similarity to Google's policy isn't coincidental. Twitter's general counsel is Alexander Macgillivray, who helped Google draw up its censorship policies while he was working at that company.

"One of our core values as a company is to defend and respect each user's voice," Twitter wrote in a blog post. "We try to keep content up wherever and whenever we can, and we will be transparent with users when we can't. The tweets must continue to flow."

Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, is tweaking its approach now that its nearly 6-year-old service has established itself as one of the world's most powerful megaphones. Daisy chains of tweets already have played instrumental roles in political protests throughout the world, most notably in the uprising that overthrew Egypt's government a year ago.

It's a role that Twitter has embraced, but the company came up with the new filtering technology in recognition that it will likely be forced to censor more tweets as it pursues an ambitious agenda. Among other things, Twitter wants to expand its audience from about 100 million active uses now, to more than 1 billion.

Reaching that goal will require expanding into more countries, which will mean Twitter will be more likely to have to submit to laws that run counter to the free-expression protections guaranteed under the First Amendment in the U.S.

If Twitter defies a law in a country where it has employees, those people could be arrested. That's one reason Twitter is unlikely to try to enter China, where its service is currently block. Google for several years agreed to censor its search results in China to gain better access to the country's vast population, but stopped that practice two years after engaging in a high-profile showdown with Chain's government. Google now routes its Chinese search results through Hong Kong, where the censorship rules are less restrictive.

In its Thursday blog post, Twitter said it hadn't yet used its ability to wipe out tweets in an individual country. All the tweets it has previously censored were wiped out throughout the world. Most of those included links to child pornography. (AP)

Pentagon to send ‘floating base’ to Middle East: report

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats, a US newspaper said in a report.

According to Washington Post’s report, in response to requests from the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos.

Unofficially dubbed a "mothership," the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show.

Political forces, civil society and media want democracy: PM Gilani

DAVOS: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said political forces, civil society and the media want democracy in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Gilani is in Davos attending the World Economic Forum where he spoke with Geo News correspondent Khalid Farooqui.

On elections, the prime minister said that the government would decide when they would be held.

“All institutions are working within the jurisdiction of the constitution, nothing is happening after the person creating problems was removed” Gilani said.

The prime minister added that the days of article 58-2b were over.

On Mansoor Ijaz, the prime minister said that the US businessman had been summoned by the courts and thus he would not make any statement regarding Ijaz.

Azhar, Asad save Pakistan from collapse

ABU DHABI: Pakistan were left with a battle to avoid conceding England a series-levelling win after Monty Panesar proved threatening with three wickets in the second Test here on Friday.

After Panesar had taken 3-44, it was left to Azhar Ali (46) and Asad Shafiq (35) to put on a 71-run stand for the fifth wicket to lift Pakistan to 125-4 at the close on the third day on a weary Sheikh Zayad Stadium pitch.

Ali joined Shafiq with Pakistan reeling at 54-4, as Panesar dismissed Mohammad Hafeez (22), Younis Khan (one) and Misbah-ul Haq (12) in his sustained 20-over spell on either side of the tea interval.

But both youngsters helped Pakistan erase the 70-run lead and promised to steer their team around the trouble on a spin-assisted pitch on Saturday. Pakistan lead by 55 runs with six wickets intact.

Pakistan will look to their remaining batsmen to help produce a formidable target for England to maintain their chances in the series, which they lead by 1-0 on account of a ten-wicket win in the first Test at Dubai.

Stuart Broad gave England a crucial 70-run lead with an unbeaten 58 which took England to 327 in the morning session.

Both Ali and Shafiq defied England's pace-cum spin attack in the last session much to the delight of a near 5,000 holiday crowd. Ali has so far hit seven boundaries to Shafiq's three.

As expected, Panesar came on to bowl as early as the sixth over and struck in his fourth when he spun across Hafeez's bat to hit him on the knees, right in front of the stumps.

Panesar's spin partner Graeme Swann made it 29-2 when he beat Umar's forward push with a delivery that came straight with the arm. Umar made seven.

It became 36-3 when Panesar spun one across Younis's bat and hit the off-stump, and Pensar struck again in the second over after resumption, catching Misbah in front of the wicket for 12.

The Pakistani skipper's challenge against Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford's decision proved unsuccessful.

Earlier, Broad added an invaluable 41 for the seventh wicket with Ian Bell (29) and 36 for the ninth wicket with James Anderson (13) to boost England after they resumed at 207-5, 50 runs behind on Pakistan's first innings total.

Pakistan fared poorly in the field as Matt Prior was dropped on two by Junaid Khan in just the second over of the day, while Bell was let off on nine by Abdul Rehman off his own bowling.

But Prior's lapse didn't prove costly as a threatening Saeed Ajmal trapped him leg-before in his next over for three.

Broad successfully attacked the bowling, hitting two boundaries each off Ajmal and then off Umar Gul -- after Pakistan took the second new ball with the score at 250-6 -- to take England past Pakistan's total.

Gul struck in his next over when he trapped Bell leg-before and Rehman accounted for Swann (15).

Broad hit six boundaries and a six off just 62-balls. Ajmal finished with 4-108, while Hafeez took three and Rehman two. (AFP)

Scientists find new plant in Fiji

KADAVU ISLAND: Scientists have discovered a new flowering plant belonging to the scarce Medinilla group on Fiji's Kadavu island, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said.

"Although the plant was first found in August of 2010, it has taken this long to go through the process and verify it," IUCNspokeswoman Ewa Ewa Magiera told AFP.

The plant was found during a biodiversity assessment of the Nakasaleka district carried out as part of IUCN's Water and Nature Initiative (WANI), Magiera said.

There are some 193 known species of Medinilla in Madagascar, Africa, South Asia and the Pacific Islands, according to the conservation body.

Eleven can only be found in Fiji, among them the Tagimoucia flower, the country's floral emblem. (AFP)

Demi Moore seeks help for exhaustion, health issues

LOS ANGELES: Actress Demi Moore is seeking professional help to treat "exhaustion" and "overall health" issues, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday, following her split late last year from husband of six years, Ashton Kutcher.

"Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends," Moore's spokeswoman said in a statement. (Reuters)

India bus driver kills nine in Pune

PUNE: A driver smashed a bus into traffic and pedestrians in the western Indian city of Pune after allegedly kidnapping the vehicle, killing nine people and injuring 30 others.

The driver damaged some 40 vehicles before police brought the bus to a halt after 30 minutes and arrested him.

The driver, named as Santosh Maruti Mane, "went berserk" on a 25km (17 mile) rampage during the morning rush hour, police said.

Police are questioning the 30-year-old driver to try to determine a motive.

Mane, who is a driver with the government-run state transport department, arrived at a bus depot early on Wednesday and drove off with an empty bus, police said.

Eyewitnesses said he drove the vehicle at a very high speed and on the wrong side of the road through busy areas, running over pedestrians and smashing into vehicles.

Police opened fire at the bus to try to bring it to a halt.

TV pictures showed smashed cars and auto-rickshaws that had been hit by the bus.

Google revising privacy policies, data use

SAN FRANCISCO: Google said Tuesday it is revising its privacy policies and changing how it uses data from users of its services to provide more personalized search results and advertisements.

The Mountain View, California-based Internet giant said the changes are designed to improve the user experience across the various Google products,
which range from Web search to Gmail to Google+ to YouTube.

Google said it is combining more than 60 privacy policies for its various services into a single policy that will take effect from March 1.

"We're rolling out a new main privacy policy that covers the majority of our products and explains what information we collect, and how we use it, in a much more readable way," Alma Whitten, Google's director of privacy, product and engineering, said in a blog post.

"We believe this new, simpler policy will make it easier for people to understand our privacy practices as well as enable Google to improve the services we offer," she said.

Google noted that "regulators globally have been calling for shorter, simpler privacy policies" and said it would inform users of the changes by email and with a notice on the Google.com home page.

Google has found itself under increasing scrutiny from European and US regulators as it has grown from a scrappy startup into an Internet titan, branching out into various businesses including online mapping, shopping and travel and providing software for mobile phones and tablet computers.

The changes to Google's privacy policies are certain to draw further attention in Washington and Brussels and announcing them more than a month ahead of time appeared to be a bid to provide time for them to be digested.

Whitten said instead of having terms of service for individual products, Google was revising its terms of service to cover numerous products.

Google account users will have to accept the new terms of service to continue using their accounts.

The main change announced Tuesday involves users who have Google accounts.

"If you're signed in, we may combine information you've provided from one service with information from other services," Whitten said.

"In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more intuitive Google experience," Whitten said.

By linking services and sharing information "we can make search better -- figuring out what you really mean when you type in Apple, Jaguar or Pink," she said. "We can provide more relevant ads too.

"We can provide reminders that you're going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day," she said.

Merging the information about its users appears to be a bid by Google to glean a more integrated view of its users, an advantage enjoyed by Apple and Facebook.

"Companies everywhere want to break down product walls to get a 360 degree view of customers," said Larry Dignan of technology site ZDNet.

"Unified user experience aside, it was kind of nice to have my YouTube personas different from say, Gmail and Google+" Dignan said.

"Google will know more about you than your wife does," he said. "Everything across your screens will be integrated and tracked. Dignan said the move appears to be partly aimed at "juicing Google+" the Facebook rival launched by Google last year.

In March of last year, the US Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Google over Google Buzz, the social networking tool which was launched in February 2010 that spawned a slew of privacy complaints.

Under the settlement announced by the US regulator, Google is required to implement a comprehensive privacy program and will be subject to independent privacy audits every two years for the next 20 years.

The FTC also an ongoing probe into Google's lucrative search and advertising business. Google has said it is cooperating with the FTC investigation. (AFP)

Punjab Assembly passes resolution against 'objectional concerts' in educational institutions

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution demanding a complete ban on 'objectionable musical concerts' in all the government and private educational institutions of the province.

The resolution was tabled by opposition MPA Seemal Kamran, who initially called for a complete ban on concerts in schools and colleges of the province while drawing the parliamentarians attention towards a recent incident in which students of a private group of colleges were killed in a stampede after a musical concert.

However, following the suggestion of Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, the word 'objectionable' was included in the text of the resolution which was accepted unanimously by the House on the private members day. Interestingly, none of the members attending the proceedings sought definition of the word 'objectionable' by the law minister nor did any of them call for concrete steps to avoid any untoward incidents like the one that occurred during the stampede after a concert a few days back.

At the time when Seemal Kamran tabled the resolution, the law minister opposed it and suggested that it would be better if the mover of the resolution came up with some amendments to it. He held the view that term 'musical concert' had a wide canvass, adding that schools and colleges also held events to present national songs and it would not be appropriate to restrict them. However, he said, if the word 'objectionable' was included in the resolution, it would be appropriate.

The suggestion of the law minister was endorsed by the opposition after which an amended resolution was moved which was accepted.

Speaking on the occasion, the law minister said the college that had organised the concert where a stampede occurred, was also related to a media group which could be the reason that the issue was not properly highlighted. On the other hand, he said, if such an incident had occurred in a government institution, a lot of criticism would have followed. He also said it seemed that for a successful business, one had to own a news channel as well.

A resolution moved by a PML-N MPA from Rawalpindi ZiaUllah Shah demanded construction of boundary walls around graveyards to avoid desecration of graves by elements involved in stealing of bodies and shrouds was made pending after some members demanded an amendment to it.

Samia Amjad of the PML-Q called for legislation on the pattern of the Saudi government and demanded capital punishment for the people involved in black magic and other anti-Islamic acts on the premises of graveyards.

Humera Awais Shahid of the PML-Q also called for a ban on the advertisement of elements like magicians and charmers in the media to discourage their wrongdoings. Following the demands of an amendment, Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmed made the resolution pending.

Misbah leads Pakistan fight back against England

ABU DHABI: Leading from the front, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq continues the fought back after England ended a fighting stand of 100-run fifth wicket partnership with Asad Shafiq on the opening day of the second Test match here at the Sheikh Zayad Stadium on Wednesday.

Pakistan were 256 for seven when the first day’s play ended with Misbah batting on 83, his 16th Test half-century. He struck four sixes and five boundaries during his responsible 168-ball innings.

Asad also contributed a valuable 58 from 126 balls with a six and seven fours. This was his fourth Test fifty in his 12th Test.

Paceman Stuart Broad took 3-47 while spinner Graeme Swann (3-52) bowled well to keep England's hopes of squaring the three-Test series alive after they lost the first match in Dubai by 10 wickets inside three days.

The Misbah-Asad partnership helped Pakistan revive their innings after Broad chipped
in with two wickets in the post-lunch session but England got three more wickets in the last session, two off which were claimed by Swann.

Swann dismissed Abdul Rehman leg before for nought in the penultimate over of the day.

England were rewarded for picking two spinners in Swann and recalled left-armer Panesar after they introduced spin as early as in the 10th over.

Openers Mohammad Hafeez and Umar, who put on 114 for the opening wicket in the first Test, negotiated the first hour without any discomfort before Swann gave England the breakthrough.

Umar misjudged a delivery and lost his off stump after seemingly playing no stroke on 16.

Panesar, brought in to replace paceman Chris Tremlett -- flying home after a recurrence of a back injury -- dropped Hafeez off his own bowling but had the Pakistani opener bowled off the very next ball.

Hafeez made 31 with four boundaries.

Broad then chipped in with the wickets of Younis and Ali, both bowled on incoming deliveries to leave Pakistan struggling at 103-4.

The inclusion of Panesar, playing his first Test since the July 2009 Ashes Test in Cardiff, is the first time England have played with two spinners since the Dhaka Test against Bangladesh in early 2010.

Pakistan brought in left-arm paceman Junaid Khan for Aizaz Cheema.

Flights rerouted as massive solar storm slams Earth

WASHINGTON: Solar radiation from a massive sun storm - the largest in nearly a decade - collided with the Earth's atmosphere on Tuesday, prompting an airline to reroute flights and skywatchers to seek out spectacular light displays.

US carrier Delta Air Lines said it had adjusted flight routes for transpolar journeys between Asia and the United States to avoid problems caused by the radiation storm, a spokesman said.

NASA confirmed the coronal mass ejection (CME) began colliding with Earth's magnetic field around 10:00 AM (1500 GMT) Tuesday, adding that the storm was now being considered the largest since October 2003.

Radiation storms are not harmful to humans, on Earth at least, according to the US space agency. They can, however, affect satellite operations and short wave radio.

The storm's radiation, likely to continue bombarding Earth's atmosphere through Wednesday, and its possible disruption to satellite communications in the polar regions prompted the flight rerouting, airline officials said. (AFP)

Amir Khan's engagement set with US-Pakistani beauty

LONDON: British Pakistani boxing star Amir Khan is all set to get engaged with the American Pakistani student Faryal Makhdoom when he gives her the £100,000 three diamond rings on 29th January.

According to The Sun newspaper, the second generation Pakistanis will be swapping the rings in front of 1,000 people at a lavish £150,000 engagement party at Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium where rich footballers such as Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ricky Hatton, David Haye are just some of people on the guest list.

The love struck couple have strong traditional values, as Faryal, 20, said:" I'm very family oriented even though I was born and raised in New York but my grandparents are in Pakistan - and a lot of my dad's family are there."

"My parents are already treating Amir like a son," she added and that was quite apparent when the bride-to-be's father, Shaukat, and mum Zia gave the couple a BMW 750Li as a gift when the engagement was announced.

The pretty and petite Faryal - just 5ft 3in - has been bowled over by messages of support from Amir's army of fans. "I get a lot of messages from Amir's fans and quite a few say I look like Kate Middleton. That's so nice because so many people admire her and I think she's very stylish - so the comparison is really very flattering for me."

Husband-to-be Amir rushed to praise her too, in an interview with The Sun newspaper, adding: "A lot of girls have said to me, 'Your girl is beautiful' - and that's great because people can be so jealous. But Faryal is so humble. Anybody who meets her is going to fall in love with her. She's got no edge, she's just a terrific person."

Faryal will be flying to England on Friday for their engagement party and spend a week here where Amir will be taking her out to show her around Bolton.

"I'm going to introduce her to a pasty barm, fish and chips - maybe even an ice cream if she's lucky!" Amir said jokingly. "I might also try to squeeze in a Bolton match just so that she cans see the venue before the big day - and make sure she likes it."

Faryal revealed how their relationship was almost teetering on the edges initially as she had a lot of trouble understanding Amir's broad Bolton accent.

"In the beginning I really couldn't understand him. I was used to London accents and thought that's how everyone spoke in Britain. But when Amir opened his mouth it was as if he was speaking a foreign tongue - so I just used to nod, agree with whatever he was talking about and say, 'Yeah'.

"He'd say things like 'daft' and 'innit' and I had no idea what they meant. He'd say, 'Don't be daft!' - and I'd be wondering what 'daft' was supposed to be!" But she broke down the language barrier when she visited Amir's family at their home in Bolton and spent five days meeting his nieces, nephews and cousins. Speaking of the future Amir said: "I know New York is an amazing city but our future lies in Bolton - she can't wait to live there!"

Asghar Khan case to expose money takers: Imran Khan

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan Monday said the Supreme Court had initiated hearing of Asghar Khan case, adding now it would be known who accepted money from ISI or rose to power with the support of establishment.

Addressing a press conference along with former parliamentarians who joined PTI, Imran Khan said the nation had decided to bring about a change.

Commenting on Mansoor Ijaz, the main character of memogate issue, he said Ijaz if 'intended to face the allegations' should be provided security.

He said Zardari and Nawaz are two sides of a single coin, thus, the nation had rejected them both.

Those who announced coming into the folds of PTI included former MNAs Aftab Katchi, Aurangzeb Katchi, Chaudhry Qurban Chohan, besides former MPAs Malik Akram Bhatti, Ayub Sudhir and Waqar Azeem.

Mansoor meets US envoys in Switzerland

WASHINGTON: US State Department Monday said that a key character of memogate scandal Mansoor Ijaz met US envoys in Switzerland, however refused to comment on details of the meetings.

During a daily press briefing, US State Department's spokesperson Victoria Nuland said that Ijaz met US envoys in Switzerland, adding that she could not comment on private meetings.

She said that Mansoor Ijaz is free to disclose all the details of his meetings with US envoys.

Muslim Brotherhood’s Katatni elected parliament speaker

CAIRO, Jan 23, 2012 (AFP) - Saad al-Katatni, who was elected as speaker of Egypt's first post-revolution parliament on Monday, is a biologist and longtime leading member of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood.

The 59-year-old botany professor was elected as a member of parliament for the province of Minya, south of Cairo, in the first elections since a popular uprising ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak.

Katatni faces the tough task of steering the People's Assembly, or lower house, through a crucial phase, although its exact function still remains unclear.

"We want to build a new Egypt, a constitutional, democratic and modern Egypt," pledged the parliamentarian, a prayer bump marked on his forehead.

Reputed to be a slick operator, Katatni is a seasoned politician who served as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood parliamentary bloc between 2005 and 2010.

He had run as an independent at a time when Islamist movements could not field candidates directly.

He was then elected in 2010 to the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament which has a consultative role.

Mubarak's downfall catapulted the Muslim Brotherhood to the forefront of politics, allowing the long-banned movement to form the Freedom and Justice Party, which Katatni was chosen to set up.

In efforts to reach out to the country's eight million-strong Christian community, Katatni was part of a delegation of senior Brotherhood leaders who visited Coptic Pope Shenuda III at the Abassiya Cathedral in central Cairo to offer greetings on Christmas.

Born on April 3, 1952, Katatni taught botany and microbiology at Minya University, south of Cairo.

Widely published in his field, Katatni a member of several professional associations and headed the scientists' syndicate from 1984-1993. (AFP)

Oscar magic brewing in gritty Chicago factory

CHICAGO: Oscar magic is brewing in a gritty Chicago factory where the statues soon to be hoisted in victory by the stars of the silver screen are born in a bubbling vat of britannia.

The pewter-like alloy is poured slowly into a mold and cools quickly. But it takes 40 hours of precise and delicate work before Oscar is ready for the bright lights of Hollywood.

The heart of the trophy - with its iconic square jaw, broad chest and sword - is swiftly hammered out in preparation for careful polishing.

Once every blemish is erased and Oscar shines like a mirror, the statue is hand-dipped in electrically-charged tubs of molten copper, nickel, silver and 24-carat gold.

Then it's on to more polishing and a blinding lacquer before Oscar is finally screwed into his heavy base and carefully boxed using white gloves.

Hand-casting is a dying art, but one the Academy is willing to pay dearly for as it jealously guards the reputation of one of the most sought-after and recognized trophies in the world.

The perils of seeking cheaper alternatives were on display at the Golden Globes last year when Robert De Niro showed up empty-handed in the press room after receiving a lifetime achievement award. (AFP)

Oil prices lower on Europe debt worries

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were lower in Asian trade Monday amid renewed concerns over Europe's ability to deal with its towering debt crisis, analysts said.

New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in March, was down 22 cents to $98.11 a barrel in morning trade.

Brent North Sea crude for March delivery shed three cents to $109.83.

"There is still great worry over whether Greece will be able to deal with its huge debt problem... which may soften demand for crude," said Ken Hasegawa, energy desk manager at Newedge brokerage in Tokyo.

European Union finance ministers are set to meet in Brussels on Monday to forge ahead with plans to implement a fiscal pact and finalise a treaty setting up a permanent debt rescue fund. (AFP)

Syria rejects Arab League call for power change

DAMASCUS: Syria on Monday rejected an Arab League (AL) plan for President Bashar al-Assad to transfer power to his deputy, calling the initiative a "flagrant interference," state TV quoted an official as saying.

"Syria rejects the decisions taken which are outside an Arab working plan, and considers them an attack on its national sovereignty and a flagrant interference in internal affairs," the official was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, the Arab League asked the UN to support a new plan for resolving the crisis in Syria that sees President Bashar al-Assad transferring power to his deputy and a government of national unity within two months.

Assad should "delegate powers to the vice president to liaise with a government of national unity," to be formed in two months, according to a statement read by Qatari premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani after Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo to determine the fate of their observer mission. (AFP)

'Twitter is much more than social'

MUNICH: Twitter is much more than a social networkand has no time to waste worrying about newcomers like Google+ as it becomes more important as an information service and builds its advertising business, co-founder Jack Dorsey said on Sunday.

"We have a lot to concern ourselves with, just building Twitter," Dorsey said when asked at a technology conference whether he was worried that Google's own fledgling social network would come after Twitter.

"Social is just one part of what we do. We think of it as an information utility," he said, describing Twitter as a personal news service as much as a social network.

"You don't have to tweet at all," he told the DLD conference in the German city of Munich. "The biggest value is finding out what's happening in your world in real time."

Twitter, which lets people send 140-character messages, or tweets, to groups of followers, has more than 100 million active users.

Investors are eagerly awaiting a market float that could value the company at around $8 billion.

Skeptics contend that the site has not yet proved it can make money. But Dorsey, who is the company's executive chairman, said advertisers were proving willing to pay to promote their tweets, accounts and trends.

"Our business model has been in development for quite some time, and it works," he said.

Twitter is expected to have made about $140 million in revenue last year, according to an estimate by industry research firm eMarketer.

Dorsey said Twitter was building a team in Germany, where privacy concerns run high and engagement with Twitter has been relatively low.

He added that the company was always open to making acquisitions to acquire the talent it wanted.

Dorsey is also the founder and chief executive of fast-growing mobile payments start-up Square, which he said he wanted to expand internationally this year.

"We would love to come to Europe, and we're going to work very, very hard this year to bring it outside the United States," he said. "We're looking at China. We're looking all over Asia." (Reuters)

German court rules against Samsung in Apple suit

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co said on Friday a German court ruled against it in a patent suit versus Apple over mobile technologies, and the firm has yet to decide whether to appeal the ruling.

Samsung counter-sued Apple in April, after the US firm filed a lawsuit claiming that the South Korean firm infringed on its design rights and that Samsung's products "slavishly" copied Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Samsung said Friday's ruling covers one patent and the German court has yet to decide on the other two mobile technologies that it claims Apple infringed. (AFP)

Interior Ministry will provide security for Mansoor Ijaz: PM Gilani

LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the central character of memogate, Mansoor Ijaz had repeatedly spoken negatively about the Pakistani establishment.

The prime minister added that it seemed like a viceroy was coming to Pakistan not Mansoor Ijaz and billions would not be spent on his (Ijaz’s) security.

“Under the constitution, providing security to Ijaz is the duty of the Interior Ministry as and when required the Rangers and Army can also be summoned,” Gilani said.

Elaborating further on the memo issue, the prime minister said that this whole episode had sent a negative image about Pakistan internationally.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was paying condolence to the family of IT genius Arfa Karim who passed away last week.

The prime minister said he would consider awarding Arfa with the highest civil award.

Firefighters called over fake tiger on roof

HOUSTON: An 'escaped 8ft tiger' spotted on a hotel roof in Houston, Texas, turned out to be huge stuffed toy.

When witnesses called 911 to report the supposed incident, six members of the local fire department visited the scene to safely capture the animal.

They are said to have gently edged toward the tiger only to discover that it was actually a soft toy.

A firefighter threw the teddy down to the ground, where a colleague approached it with caution to double check it wasn't a danger.

Houston Fire Department Captain Ruy Lozano told a Houston's digital magazine CultureMap: "We never really cover this part of Houston but received the most calls and attention because of this tiger."

It remains unclear how the stuffed toy ended up on the roof of the abandoned hotel. (Monitoring Desk)

South Africa win series despite Sri Lanka’s thrilling win

JOHANNESBURG: Sachithra Senanayake struck a six off the penultimate ball to give Sri Lanka a two-wicket triumph over South Africa Sunday in the final match of a five one-day international series won 3-2 by the hosts.

Captain AB de Villiers and predecessor Graeme Smith (125 each) struck tons as South Africa made 312-4, but a century from Kumar Sangakkara (102) led the tourists to 314-8 at the Wanderers and a second win within three days.

Sri Lanka appeared to be cruising until Sangakkara became the fourth wicket to fall with 275 runs on the board and a late South Africa rally saw them grab two wickets within three balls during the final over.

It left the tourists needing five runs from two balls to succeed and Senanayake hit Robin Peterson for a six to snatch victory in a thrilling climax to the two-month tour.

Sangakkara struck 10 fours in a maiden ODI ton against South Africa and there were also valuable contributions from Lahiru Thirimanne (69), Upul Tharanga (46) and skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan (41).

De Villiers and Smith excelled as South Africa recovered from a sluggish early run rate having being sent in to bat by Dilshan in a match delayed for one hour by rain early in the Sri Lankan innings.

De Villiers finished unbeaten after facing 98 deliveries while Smith received a standing ovation from the sell-out 30,000 crowd after being caught by Dinesh Chandimal at mid-wicket off the bowling of Lasith Malinga.

While the Proteas skipper confirmed his position as one of the best stroke players in the world today with 10 fours and four sixes, Smith could not contain his joy as he walked off after a timely first ODI ton in three years.

There was a media and public outcry against him just a week ago after innings of six, 28 and two in the first three matches of the series before he stopped the rot with a brisk 68 in Kimberley two days ago.

Smith embroidered his innings with nine fours and four sixes off 143 balls during a 203-minute stand and the sun-drenched crowd revelled in his change of fortune.

South Africa lost opener Alviro Petersen (6) with only 10 runs on the board and were 70-2 when Faf du Plessis (24) departed before De Villiers and Smith took charge.

The Proteas stood at 133-2 after 30 overs and a run rate of 4.43 needed improvement on a good batting track, which the captains past and present duly did with 44 runs coming during a power play soon after. (AFP)

Young artists urged to perform without hesitation

Our correspondent
KARACHI: Renowned singers Faakhir and Arshad Mehmood said that young artists should perform without any hesitation in the mega event ‘Fateh Suron Ki Jeet Sangeet Ki’ which will be held shortly.

Talking to The News they said that Pakistan would win this musical competition and for this the young Pakistani artists should perform without any vacillation on the stage. Faakhir praised the effort of Geo for bringing Pakistanis and Indians closer through this event and serving as a bridge to remove apprehensions between them.

He said this musical competition would provide an opportunity to promote new talent and in this way our young, capable and novel singers will get themselves recognised through their performance at the international event.

Faakhir said that expressions work in art and our youth will come forward with spiritual and technical characteristics in order to strengthen their performance in this mega event.

Arshad Mehmood said that the Geo TV had made effective efforts in creating contacts among the people of the region in which our young singers of the country get an opportunity to show their talent. He said that although India was ahead of us in music and singing but we too do not lag behind them. He said our youth would have to come forward with full confidence without any pressure and prove their superiority in music like other fields.

Fast-moving snowstorm hits Northeast

EW YORK CITY: After an unusually mild winter across much of the United States, a fast-moving snowstorm struck the Northeast from central Pennsylvania to Connecticut on Saturday, while the Pacific Northwest struggled to recover from a rare heavy snowfall.

The moderate Northeast storm stood in contrast to the heavy snows of last winter, which included a post-Christmas blizzard that dumped 20 inches on New York City.

"We haven't missed it, but it's been noticeably absent," Victoria Lupica, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia International Airport, said of the snow. Her airport had 66 canceled flights on Saturday morning.

Snowfall totals were expected to reach 3 to 5 inches in New York City, 2 to 4 inches in Philadelphia and up to 3 inches in Boston. The nation's capital, Washington, got a mixture of snow and ice overnight.

For many areas away from the Great Lakes, the storm was expected to amount to the heaviest snowfall since late October, according to weather.com.

At La Guardia International Airport in New York, travelers were advised to check with their airlines to see which flights were affected by weather-related delays, the airport's website said.

The Pacific Northwest was enduring the aftermath of an unusually snowy week, with two hikers and two climbers still missing in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

About 205,000 homes and businesses, mostly south of Seattle, remained without power, Puget Sound Energy said on its website. Flooding remained a concern as temperatures rose into the lower 40s (4 C).

Heavy snow was predicted for mountain areas of the Western states.

In parts of South Carolina, voters in the Republican presidential primary were seeing rain, thunderstorms and even tornado watches and warnings on Saturday, the National Weather Service said.

A snowfall in Chicago on Friday brought up to 8 inches and prompted the cancellation of more than 700 flights at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports.

Thunderstorms, some with hail, were predicted for the Southeastern United States, with damaging wind gusts and tornadoes possible across the lower Mississippi Valley, according to weather.com. (Reuters)

Murray into fourth round after Llodra win

MELBOURNE: British fourth seed Andy Murray overcame Frenchman Michael Llodra with ease to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The two-time finalist defeated the 46th-ranked Llodra 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 in 1hr 49min on Hisense Arena and will play Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 on Monday.

Murray and Llodra produced crowd-pleasing rallies with some amazing angled net pickups for winning points.

The Scot, who has lost to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the past two Melbourne finals, was always in control of the loose Frenchman, breaking his serve six times.

Murray hit an impressive 48 winners with the backhand his predominant scorer with 19 winners. (AFP)

German court rules against Samsung in Apple suit

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics Co said on Friday a German court ruled against it in a patent suit versus Apple over mobile technologies, and the firm has yet to decide whether to appeal the ruling.

Samsung counter-sued Apple in April, after the US firm filed a lawsuit claiming that the South Korean firm infringed on its design rights and that Samsung's products "slavishly" copied Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Samsung said Friday's ruling covers one patent and the German court has yet to decide on the other two mobile technologies that it claims Apple infringed. (AFP)

Third smallest baby ever leaves US hospital

LOS ANGELES: A baby believed to be the third smallest birth-weight infant ever to survive left hospital in Los Angeles on Friday, doctors and the proud parents said.

Melinda Star Guido was born last August, 16 weeks early, weighing only 9.5 ounces (270 grammes)- less than a can of soda or the same as two iPhones - and has spent nearly five months in a neonatal intensive care unit.

She is the third smallest baby to survive, according to Global Birth Registry figures cited by LA County health officials.

Dr Rangasamy Ramanathan, neonatology chief at the LA County-USC Medical Center, said he wasn't initially sure if Melinda was going to survive beyond a few days.

"This doesn't happen every day. In my 30 years here, ... this is the first time it ever happened that we were able to discharge a baby who weighed less than 400 grams, or 300 grams," he said.

"We have reached a milestone by being able to see Melinda go home," he added "We are hopeful to see many more milestones accomplished in Melinda's development as we follow her care over the next six years." (AFP)

Attorney General assures foolproof security to Ijaz

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General of Pakistan Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq has assured foolproof security to the main character of the memogate scandal, Mansoor Ijaz, Geo News reported.


Talking to 'Geo News', Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq said, in reply to the letter of Mansoor Ijaz's counsel Akram Shaikh, he has assured foolproof security to Ijaz.

The Attorney General said as per the rule, federal government would provide foolproof security to Mansoor Ijaz, adding that according to Article 245, military personnel would also accomplice security team.

Meanwhile, Mansoor Ijaz's counsel Akram Shaikh has said that he has not received any letter of the attorney general. Shaikh said the attorney general called him at 11pm and said he was sending the reply of his letter.