26/11: Headley to plead guilty to escape `death'

In a new twist Pakistani-American David Headley, a terror suspect in the Mumbai attacks, will plead guilty before a US court on Thursday, a move that may get him a lighter sentence than the maximum death penalty.

Headley, 49, who was arrested by the FBI in October last year, will move a plea bargain under which a lighter sentence can be recommended on his pleading guilty.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.dc-epaper.com

Michael Jackson estate lands historic USD 200 million recording deal

Even in death Michael Jackson (MJ) still rocks the world.

The estate of MJ has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November, the person said.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

Google like mapping device on laptops, cell phones soon

Think of maps, location and navigation and what comes to most minds is Google. But this mindset will change soon as competition is likely to hot up with device OEMs set to provide such mapping services through GPS loaded portable devices without the need to connect with the internet.

Spime, a California based tech company with R&D offices in Chennai, has just launched Windows 7 based alternative to Google maps. "For the first time ever, OEMs will be launching location, map, POI (point of interest), routing and navigation services on Windows 7-based portable devices competing with Google.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://e.mydigitalfc.com

Slim overtakes Gates, Buffet

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, jumping past Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the first person from a developing nation to top the list, according to Forbes magazine.

The rise of Slim, the son of an immigrant shopkeeper who amassed a $53.5 billion fortune and bought a major stake in the New York Times, is part of an increased presence on the list of billionaires from emerging countries, said Forbes' reporter Keren Blankfeld.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

Banks hike home, auto loan costs

The interest rate cycle is changing in India even though the banking regulator has not raised its key policy rate yet.

Private sector lenders ICICI Bank Ltd and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd as well as the largest mortgage player, Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd (HDFC), withdrew special home loan schemes on Thursday.

Other commercial banks such as Axis Bank Ltd, Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank,

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.livemint.com

Google, Microsoft spar on antitrust

Seeking $335,000 in unpaid advertising bills, Google Inc. filed suit against a small Internet site in Ohio in October. The com- plaint was so routine it was just two sentences long.

Google never expected the response it got. Last month, the small Internet site countered with a 24-page antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search-engine giant of a litany of monopolistic abuses.

But what really caught Google's attention was the Internet site's legal counsel: It was Charles "Rick" Rule, long the chief outside counsel on competition issues for Google archrival Microsoft Corp.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.livemint.com

India-Pakistan match attracts millions to Television

India's 4-1 victory over Pakistan in the first match of the hockey World Cup on Saturday drew millions of television viewers.

State-owned Doordarshan (DD) had 11 million viewers hooked between 8pm and 10pm, the duration of the match, while Ten Sports drew at least 3 million viewers, according to television viewership measurement agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Pvt. Ltd (aMap).

The television rating point, or TRP, however, remained low at 0.33% on Ten Sports, a channel owned by Zee Telefilms Ltd and Dubai-based Taj Television Ltd.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.livemint.com

Power cuts short-circuit India’s Silicon Valley

Frequent power blackouts are taking a toll on the confidence of India’s Silicon Valley. Bangalore, which fetched Rs 68,500-crore foreign exchange for the country last year, is reeling under frequent unscheduled power cuts sometimes lasting 3-4 hours. This has not only infuriated small-scale enterprises but also the 1,800-company strong IT/ITes sector in the IT city. According to estimates by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), the power cuts are resulting the IT hub’s industrial belt losing around Rs 400 crore a day.

Bangalore requires 33 million units (mu) per day but it is currently receiving only around 30 mu. The demand may increase by another 2 mu per day during the summer months. So the worst is probably yet to come.

Talking to FE, Infosys HR head and board member TV Mohandas Pai said, “Karnataka’s power policy is a sad story and a complete failure.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.financialexpress.com

Apple, RIM eat into big 5 handset makers share

Information technology research and advisory company Gartner said that mobile phone sales in 2009 remained flat. According to the company, the worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totalled 1.211 billion units in 2009, a 0.9 per cent decline from 2008.

According to Gartner, the top five mobile handset vendors Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Sony Ericsson continued to lose market share to Apple and other vendors, with their combined share dropping to 75.3 per cent in 2009 from 79.7 per cent in 2008.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://e.mydigitalfc.com