Windows 7 to salvage Vista ‘train wreck’

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San Francisco, October 18: Microsoft releases Windows 7 to the world on Thursday as the US software giant tries to regain its stride after an embarrassing stumble with the previous generation operating system Vista.

“It’s a big deal for Microsoft,” analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley said of the Windows 7 launch.

“Windows Vista was a train wreck.”

While computer users may not give much thought to operating systems that serve as the brains of their machines, the programs are at the heart of Microsoft’s global software empire.

Muslims concerned about Israeli settlements: Mubarak

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Rome, October 18:) Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said the entire Muslim world was concerned about Israel’s settlement construction in Palestinian territories, ANSA news agency reported.

Mubarak, who met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a visit in Rome, also denounced what he described as Israel’s “attempts to assimilate Jerusalem.”

Israel’s continuation of settlement construction “worries not only the Palestinians but the entire Muslim world,” Mubarak said yesterday.

Elbaradei calls for direct Iran-US nuclear talks

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tehran, October 18: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Iran and the United States to hold direct nuclear talks without any preconditions.

Outgoing IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said on Saturday that US President Barack Obama “has understood that talks with Iran” over its nuclear energy program are “the only possible solution” to the issue.

Pentagon ends plans to send Army brigade to Iraq

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Washington, October 18: The Pentagon is cancelling plans to send a 3,500-member Army brigade to Iraq, a move that speeds the drawdown there and could free up forces as President Barack Obama considers sending new troops to Afghanistan.

The 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum, New York, had been scheduled to relieve another combat brigade in Iraq in January. But the brigade will no longer deploy and will now return to the Army’s pool of available combat forces, the Defense Department said today.

‘Swine flu’ named 2009’s top politically incorrect word

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New York, October 18: ‘Swine flu’, used to describe the killer viral infection, has been named the most politically incorrect word of 2009 by Global Language Monitor, a group that studies word usage.

“Though hundreds of millions know of the current pandemic as swine flu, various governments and agencies for political motives ranging from protecting pork producers to religious sensitivity have chosen to address the virus by its formal name, influenza A(H1N1),” the GLM said.

For Muslim women, veil is power and beauty

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Nothing can carve out cultural divides quite like the issue of the Islamic head covering (hijab) or face veil (niqab). Both continue to be the subject of not only debate but legislation the world over. We are not immune. Few Canadians would be unfamiliar with Quebec and its history with scarf-wearing Canadian Muslim learners. The issue has exhibited a tenacious longevity but, alarmingly, it continues to be hotly contested in ways that rarely rise to a sphere of mature discourse so essential to the functioning of any healthy civic society.

Bomb blasts kill 3 more US troops in Afghanistan

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Kabul, October 18: Amid a rising number of causalities for US forces in Afghanistan, two separate bomb attacks have claimed the lives of three more American troops in the volatile country.

The NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said that two of the soldiers were killed in an attack in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, while another was killed in the south of the country the same day.

Karzai faces West pressure over vote run-off

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Kabul, October 18: Western leaders have reportedly been pressuring Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept a second-round vote ahead of the announcement of the final results.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and US Senator John Kerry were visiting Kabul on Saturday.

Also, the UN Secretary General, the US Secretary of State and the British Prime Minister have held telephone conversations with the Afghan presidential candidates.

The top figures had been working to persuade Karzai that he may have to face a second round of voting.

Iran welcomes ‘stability’ in Korean peninsula

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Tehran, October 18: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Tehran welcomes ‘conformity’ between Pyongyang and Seoul, and stability in the Korean peninsula.

The Islamic Republic is “ready to continue its goodwill efforts” to realize “peace and stability” in the Korean Peninsula, Mottaki said in a meeting with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon on Saturday.

“We welcome conformity and agreement between the two Koreas,” he added.

Saudi haj tourism loss highest in 50 years

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Jeddah, October 18: The loss of business for Saudi Arabia’s Haj and Umrah industry due to swine flu could be more than 3 billion Saudi riyals (USD 799) this
year, the highest compared to the last 50 years.

The Tourism Committee of the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) fears the negative trend is likely to continue for the next three years at least.

Uttar Pradesh to transfer Amar Singh’s cases to Kolkata

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Lucknow, October 18: The Uttar Pradesh government Saturday decided to transfer the cases registered against Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh from Kanpur to Kolkata, an official said.

“Since all the cases (are) related to companies based in Kolkata, the UP police has no jurisdiction to initiate any investigation,” state cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told a press conference here.

Salman, I have very deep bonding: Govinda

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New Delhi, October 18: Bollywood is famous for the real and reel life bonding between actors. One such camaraderie that has surfaced between two known names in tinsel town is of Salman Khan and Govinda.

“Salman and I have a very deep bonding so much so that we are just one call away from each other… We just completely respect and love each other like anything,” Govinda told IANS.

I Live Here And I Will Die Here

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Srinagar, October 18: Like thousands of fellow farmers, Safder Hussain rejects government order to relocate from Kashmir’s Dal Lake. “I live here and I will die here,” Hussain told.

Hussein has been living on the banks of the iconic lake, around which Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar is built.

For years they have eked out a tough but decent living, growing vegetables and fruit on floating “fields” made of reeds and composted weeds.

But this left its touch on the breath-taking Lake, which is slowly choking to death on sewage, silt and weeds.

Pakistan Army Attacks S. Waziristan

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Peshawar, October 18: The Pakistan army moved troops into Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan, at the start of a much-awaited military operation to uproot militants from the region.

“The military operation will be restricted to the heartland of Baitullah Mehsud group,” Major General Ather Abbas, the director general of inter services public relations (ISPR), told.

“The objective of this operation is to take the control of the area, which is the headquarters of 10,000 local and 1500 foreign militants.”

Pakistan starts huge offensive against Taliban

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Islamabad, October 18: The Pakistan army’s long-awaited ground offensive in South Waziristan was under way last night, as up to 30,000 troops began moving into the Taliban stronghold.

After months of airstrikes to soften up key targets, witnesses said soldiers began the fourth attempt to crush militants in the tribal borderlands since 2001.

Initial reports claimed 11 insurgents had been killed. One soldier died when a roadside bomb hit a military convoy, and four were killed and 12 others wounded in firefights around the region.

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Shoppers Stop opens new store at Inorbit, Cyberabad

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Hyderabad, October 18: Shoppers Stop Ltd has announced that the Company has opened its “Shoppers Stop” store at Inorbit, Cyberabad, Hyderabad.

With the opening of this store, the Company has now 28 “Shoppers Stop” stores under its operation.

The stock closed the day at Rs.291.30, up by Rs.2.55 or 0.88%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.325.45 and low of Rs.285.50.

The total traded quantity was 2906 compared to 2 week average of 13022.

-Agencies

Sabita’s poser flummoxes city top cop

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Hyderabad, October 18: Hyderabad Police Commissioner B Prasada Rao today faced some embarassing moments when Home Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy sought details of the thefts that took place at seven shops in West Marredpally in Secunderabad, and he had no clue to it.

Surprised, the home minister asked Prasada Rao to `check out’ the details.

Why am I being targeted: Asin

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New Delhi, October 18: Just one film old in Bollywood, Asin Thottumkal has had more than her share of controversies. The miffed actress, who is a superstar down south, wonders why “people are targeting” her.

“Please tell me why people are targeting me? I don’t know why everybody is trying to give me a hard time. I am a newcomer, what have I done (in Bollywood)?” asked an exasperated Asin. “I am clueless why people are just interested in creating stories which are not true about me. I haven’t figured that out,” she added.

Vitamin not helpful in head and neck cancer

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Washington, October 18: Taking vitamin E doesn’t protect head and neck cancer patients from developing new tumors, Canadian researchers report. In fact, it may actually raise the risk of developing a second cancer.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 97, No. 7: 481-488), is the second recent piece of research to cast doubt on the use of vitamin E against cancer. Just last month a team of international researchers said vitamin E supplements don’t offer any protection against cancer but may well raise the risk of heart failure in some patients.

‘SRK reminds me of Michael’

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Mumbai: Jermaine Jackson is taking back a lot from India. He gorged on Indian food, especially the spicy kind, explored Mumbai and Agra in their full glory, and yes, even partied with King Khan!

“I think he is simply great,” Jermaine gushes about Shah Rukh Khan. “Someone who has so much success and still is so humble. He reminds me of my brother Michael — he is so kind and so nice. He deserves everything in the world,” he says.

IPL teams blown away

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Bangalore, October 18: For the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Saturday’s match against Delhi Daredevils was a dead rubber. However, Anil Kumble & Co. lit up the Diwali evening with a superb eight-wicket victory against Gautam Gambhir’s boys. What this means is there will be no IPL team in the semifinals of the Champions League Twenty20.

Defending IPL champs Deccan Chargers were knocked out earlier in the tournament. The other two teams of League B — Victoria Bushrangers and Cape Cobras — are through to the last-four stage.

Palestinian unity deal with Hamas today

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Gaza City, October 18: Hamas is to hand its response on Sunday (today) to Egyptians mediating a Palestinian unity deal, a spokesman for the Islamist movement said on Saturday without disclosing its position.

A Hamas delegation is to travel to Cairo on deliver the response, Fawzi Barhoum told AFP, while refusing to say whether the movement would accept the proposal.

The response “will be taken within a framework aimed at guaranteeing the success of the Egyptian efforts” to heal the deep rift between Hamas and the secular Fatah movement, Barhoum said.

Pentagon lauds Pakistan’s counter terrorism resolve

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Washington, October 18: Lauding Pakistan resolve to counter terrorism, US said Saturday Pakistan government’s determination to combat terrorism is encouraging and the Defense Department is closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan, following a series of terrorist attacks there that have killed or injured scores of innocent people, a senior Pentagon spokesman said.

Woman dragged semi-naked in Surendranagar

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Rajkot, October 18: A woman was dragged semi nude by a group of women over a personal dispute in Lakhtar taluka of Surendranagar district, police said today.

The incident took place in the Vitthalpura village of Lakhtar taluka a couple of days ago when a woman and her husband had a scuffle with another family in the same village over some personal dispute, they said.

“A group of 12-15 women beat up the woman and tore her clothes. They then dragged her across the village semi-naked,” Surendranagar superintendent of police Ashok Kumar told PTI.

New baggage clearing system at airport a hit

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Mumbai, October 18: The recently introduced inline baggage screening system (IBSS) at Mumbai airport has made checking-in for passengers a lot more convenient. The system allows passengers to save at least five minutes of their time as they can now collect their boarding pass and proceed directly towards security.