Bill Gates vows fight to finish with Google

Seattle: Microsoft Corp plans to invest heavily in Web search to compete against Google Inc, even if it fails to acquire Yahoo Inc, the company's chairman Bill Gates said on Monday.

Gates, who called Microsoft's offer for Yahoo 'very fair', said Google is the only company with "critical mass" in Web search. Microsoft needs a bigger piece of the market to create a more competitive and profitable Web search business.

"We can afford to make big investments in the engineering and marketing that needs to get done. We will do that with or without Yahoo," said Gates in an interview with Reuters.

"But we also see that we'd get there faster if the great engineering work that Yahoo has done and the great engineers there were part of the common effort," said Gates, who is Microsoft's biggest shareholder.

The two companies are at a stand-off in Microsoft's $41.7 billion unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo. Microsoft has offered to buy Yahoo for $31 a share in cash and stock, a bid which Yahoo's board rejected, saying it undervalued the company.

Microsoft countered by saying its offer was "full and fair," but did not say what it planned to do next. Analysts expect Microsoft to sweeten its bid, possibly to $35 a share, to clinch a deal.

"There is nothing new in terms of the process. We've sent our letter and we've reinforced that we consider that it's a very fair offer," said Gates, who remains the public face of Microsoft, even though he plans to switch to a part-time role at the company in June to focus on his philanthropic work.

Microsoft's stock has fallen 13 percent since its offer for Yahoo, reducing Microsoft's offer price to $29. Yahoo shares closed at $29.66 on the Nasdaq on Friday, indicating that investors expect Microsoft to raise its bid.

Breaking News : Sanjay Dutta and Manyata Get Married

Actor Sanjay Dutt finally tied the knot with his long time beau Manyata at the Taj Exotica in Goa on February 7 under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, in front of a few close friends as witnesses. Sanjay and Manyata Dutt had their marriage vows according to Hindu rites on Monday in Mumbai.

The wedding reportedly took place at Manyata’s friend, Pradeep’s house.

Sanjay Dutt who has previously been married twice, seemed very happy with this new twist in his life. Last month, the actorcompleted the divorce proceedings with ex-wife Rhea Pillai. Before that Dutt had been married to actress Richa Sharma.

A source said, “Two officers from the registrar of marriages in Goa were called to the hotel to solemnise the marriage on February 7.

Among the witnesses present in Goa were Dharam Oberoi, the CEO of Sanjay Dutt Production, and the actor’s business manager and close friend Bunty Walia, who had flown from Mumbai a day after a TV awards function, for the marriage.”

Oberoi, who is Manyata’s godfather, reportedly gave away the bride. Oberoi’s actress daughter Neha, and Dutt’s closest friends Ajay alias Bittu and Prashant (a common friend of Fardeen Khan and Dutt) were the other witnesses at the wedding.

No hurry to arrest Raj Thackeray

Neither Maharashtra nor the Centre seems to be in a hurry to put Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray behind bars.

A report on the recent developments in Mumbai, dispatched by the state to the Centre, clearly says the entire issue is political, spurred by the MNS and the Samajwadi Party (SP) to consolidate their positions in the state.

“The government may not want anybody to grow beyond his present political stature by putting him behind bars,” said a Central leader. Rather, the state will act only when it is convinced that the things are getting out of hand. The Centre also thinks, says the leader, that if Raj is arrested, the state may face violent reactions from MNS workers. “Raj will come out of the jail unscathed, but innocent people will be forced to bear the burnt of the impending violence,” he said. Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said some steps need to taken, but carefully. “We should wait for some time and plan a strategy to deal with the situation,” said Jaiswal.

The Centre has asked the state to take immediate steps to control the situation, he said while replying to questions over Raj Thackeray’s stand against North Indians. Jaiswal said despite floating a separate political outfit two years ago, Raj has not been able establish himself as a leader and now using the same plank used by his ancestors. Asked about Raj’s presence at a family function of City Police Commissioner D N Jadhav and his statement thanking Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for not arresting him, Jaiswal said, “How does Raj’s presence at D N Jadhav’s function relate to the government of India.”

Dr Horror offered Rs 1 cr to Nepal cops to let him go

Kathmandu: The police inspector who arrested Amit Kumar from the hotel says the alleged kidney kingpin tried to bribe him with lakhs of rupees.

"Kitna chahiye tumhe? Bees lakh, tees lakh, pachaas lakh, ek crore, tum mujhe batao? (The doctor said, I can give you Rs 20 lakh, 50 lakh, 1 crore.. just tell me, I will pay. Just let me go)," Assistant Sub-Inspector Chim Bhadhur Tamang, who was part of the team that arrested the doctor, claimed.

Amit Kumar tried to make 'good use' of the huge amount of money that he was carrying — by attempting to bribe the Nepal Police team which came to arrest him from the Sauraha-based Hotel Wildlife Camp on Thursday.

A Kathmandu-based newspaper said the tainted doctor was pleading with the police not to arrest him.

Police had seized a bank draft for Rs 9,36,000 and Euro 145,000 and $18,900 in cash from him during his arrest. Witnesses said that Kumar was sporting a hat and sunglasses to conceal his identity.Amit Kumar, against whom an Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued after the massive racket with inter-state and international ramifications came to light on January 24, was brought to the Nepalese capital for interrogation on Friday.

Missing cat found in owner's suitcase

The last time cat-owner Kelly Levy saw her tiger-striped feline was before she took her husband to the airport.

The 24-year-old came back to her house late Friday to find the bottom step, where Gracie Mae would usually be waiting, empty.

Levy tore the house apart looking for the 10-month-old tabby who had been spayed just days before. She and her dad took out bathroom tiles and part of a cabinet to check a crawl space and papered the neighborhood with "lost cat" signs.

Then she got a phone call.

"Hi, you're not going to believe this, but I am calling from Fort Worth, Texas, and I accidentally picked up your husband's luggage. And when I opened the luggage, a cat jumped out," Levy recalled the caller saying, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Rob Carter, of Fort Worth, told The Dallas Morning News for its online edition Tuesday that he made it home with the suitcase.

"I went to unpack and saw some of the clothes and saw it wasn't my suitcase," Carter said. "I was going to close it, and a kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl."

Carter said that he eventually was able to get the cat to come out from under the bed.

"In the morning, I got close enough to see its collar and the phone number on it," he said. "So I called the number and got a hold of the crying wife of the traveler."

Gracie Mae had crawled into Seth Levy's black suitcase undetected, been put through an X-ray machine, loaded onto an airplane, thrown onto a baggage claim conveyor belt and picked up by a stranger.

Carter delivered Gracie Mae to Seth Levy and the tabby made the 1,300-mile trip home on an $80 plane ticket in Sunday night.

Carter said that he considered keeping the cat before he knew she had a home.

"If I couldn't have found a good home, I would have kept it," he said. "We were going to name it Suitcase."

Big B gifts 'Aishwarya' school to Amar Singh

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh has got a special birthday gift from Amitabh Bachchan.

Amitabh gifted a higher secondary girl's school in Barabanki to Amar Singh on Sunday.

The school is called Aishwarya Bachchan Girls Inter-College and is named after the Bachchan daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

And Aishwarya delivered a perfect speech on the occasion.

"I was a little hesitant when the family decided to name the school after me since there are so many other seniors in the family already. I think it would have been more appropriate to name it after them. But now that they have convinced me, I want to ensure that I live up to their expectations," Aishwarya said.

The school is being built in Daulatpur, the same village where Amitabh had earlier bought some land.

A court later ruled that the land had been bought using forged papers but Amitabh got a reprieve from Allahabad High Court.

The inauguration ceremony of the school was converted into a full-blown political event with more than a dash of glamour.

The entire Bachchan clan as well as top United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) leaders like Om Prakash Chautala and Farooq Abdullah were present on the occasion.

Amitabh's gesture comes in the wake of the CNN-IBN story of two girls in Patna who were abandoned by their parents apparently due to poverty.

The two girls have now got their parents back and also been admitted to the school. They, too, were present at the function.

Suspected bird flu outbreak has Bengal on alert, final report awaited

Alerted by the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, the West Bengal government is bracing itself to contain a possible outbreak of avian flu at Margram in Birbhum district.

Preliminary results of tests taken after some 10,000 backyard poultry died in Margram over the past 10 days showed they were infected but it was unclear if it was the deadly H5N1 virus.

Thousands of birds in the country were culled in 2006 following separate outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 virus in Maharashtra.

Bangladesh, which borders West Bengal, is still reeling under bird flu with around 21 of the country’s 64 districts affected by the deadly virus.

West Bengal Minister for Animal Resource Development Anisur Rahman told The Indian Express today: “We sent samples to the Bhopal laboratory which, in its preliminary report, suggested that it could be avian flu. They advised us to take all possible measures to prevent it from spreading. I have asked the district administration to stop the exchange of poultry to and from the area. I have also sent several officials to the spot. The Centre, which has been apprised of the situation, has also sent an official there. Tomorrow, if we get the confirmation in the final report, we will order culling of birds.”

State Director of Health Services Sanchita Bakshi said no alarm had been sounded. “Around 500 birds have died. We have sent samples for testing at laboratories in Delhi and Bhopal. We are waiting for the confirmation,” Bakshi said.

But Birbhum Zila Sabhadhipati Manasa Hasda maintained these were cases of avian flu. “We have already received the report from the Bhopal laboratory. They have confirmed that it is a case of bird flu. Bird trade going in and out of Birbhum will be stopped,” said Hasda, adding that 25 mobile vans will be deployed from tomorrow to spread awareness on avian flu.

Resurgent India script a famous win at Perth

India scripted a fairytale comeback 'Down Under' with a spectacular 72-run win over Australia at Perth in the third Test. The home side, chasing 413 were bowled out for 340 on the fourth day.

Michal Clarke top scored with an elegant 81 before Anil Kumble foxed him to take India on the brink of a super win. But the Indians had to wait to attain the elusive win as the Aussie tail launched a counterattack.

Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark came out with all guns blazing to set a belligerent 73-run stand. The duo gave the fielding side a scare with some lusting hits to all corners of the WACA. The partnership which lasted 13 overs was finally broken by Man of the Match Irfan Pathan when the left-arm bowler dismissed Clark for 32.

RP Singh dealt the final blow to the Aussies, cleaning up number eleven Shaun Tait for four to take India to their first ever Test win at Perth and the fifth in Australia.

Earlier, the visitors had done most of the damage in the post-lunch session as Australia lost four key wickets in the post-lunch session as the home side.

Michael Hussey, who came up with a gritty knock, was the first Aussie to fall in the post-lunch session for 46. RP Singh grabbed his first wicket in the Australian second essay when he trapped Hussey leg before.

Fortune did not favour India's nemesis Andrew Symonds like it did in Sydney as the Queenslander fell to a dubious decision off Anil Kumble. Replays showed the ball clearly ricochet off the bat on to the pad but umpire Asad Rauf thought otherwise as he raised the dreaded finger to send Symonds back for 12.

Blast in Karachi kills 10, injures 40

At least eight people were killed and 40 wounded in a roadside bomb explosion in Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi on January 14th. According to police sources, the bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked in the area. Dozens of people gathered at the site of the explosion and chanted anti-government slogans after the blast. Paramilitary Rangers were later deployed in the area.

Reliance Power IPO fully subscribed at top end

Reliance Power raised $3 billion in India's biggest-ever initial public offering on 15th January, with the sale fully subscribed within a minute and covered 2.5 times within 25 minutes of its opening. Data from the National Stock Exchange showed that most bids for the 228 million shares on sale to the public were at the top end of the IPO price band at 450 rupees or $11.5 per share.

Tata unveils Rs-1 lakh People's Car 'Nano'

FRESH NEWS

The secret is out. As Ratan Tata drove in in what is perhaps the most-hyped four-wheeler of the year, excitement was palpable at the Auto Expo show in New Delhi. Christened Nano, and famously priced at Rs 1 lakh (about $2700), the car was unveiled on Wednesdayto a thunderous applause.

However, not all seemed as excited over the launch. "If everyone buys the small car, where will they keep it. Where will they drive it?” Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil quipped.

Allaying fears of environmentalists, Tata said the 624 cc, 33 HP petrol engine meets Bharat Stage-III emission norms and can also meet the Euro 4 norms.

Nano will also have a 30-litre fuel tank and four-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering.

The car comes with front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 20 kmpl in city and 26 kmpl on highway.

The base model of Nano is expected to cost Rs 1 Lakh excluding levies.

ICC gives in; Bhajji in, Bucknor out

BREAKING NEWS

There might be some respite for the Indian team Down Under with the ICC clearing Harbhajan Singh, who was slapped with a three-match ban for allegedly racially abusing Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds, to play until a decision is made on the BCCI appeal against the ban. In due course, the ICC will appoint a Code of Conduct Commissioner to hear BCCI appeal on Harbhajan. Once the Commissioner has been named details of when and where the appeal hearing is to take place will be released. In the mean time, according to the Code of Conduct regulations, Harbhajan may continue to play pending verdict of the appeal being given.

The ICC also announced that controversial umpire Steve Bucknor will also not stand in the third Test between India and Australia to be played at Perth. ICC president Malcolm Speed told a news conference that New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden would stand in his place.

Bucknor has been in the eye of the storm lately after the West Indies umpire gave several dubious decisions, all but one against the visiting Indian side. The 62-year old Bucknor has not been on the best of terms with the Indian side with several of his decisions not going down well in the Indian team in the past as well. But his relations soared even further after the BCCI and the Indian team asked for his removal from the third Test

Some of Bucknor’s calls at the SCG were baffling and created a huge uproar in India with the Indian team, media as well as the general public crying foul.

Rani Mukherjee to pay Rs. 90 lakhs as fine

Ahmednagar’s SDM court has slammed a fine of Rs. 90 lakhs on actress Rani Mukherjee in connection with a government land dealing. The Bollywood actress on January 3rd lost possession of the land she had purchased near Shirdi after the Maharashtra government declared the transaction as illegal and formally took over the land. With this Mukherjee's dream of owning a house in the temple town of Shirdi was dashed.

Wipro to Buy Infocrossing

Wipro, India third largest IT Services Company to buy US based Infocrossing, a leader in data centre space and outsourcing. The deal size is 600 Million US Dollars

Indian police arrest 14 men accused of harassing women on New Year's Eve

COURTESY : NDTV for www.rishikapoormedia.blogspot.com



Police arrested 14 men Friday for allegedly harassing two women outside a five-star hotel in Mumbai during New Year's celebrations, a case that drew widespread criticism after police initially refused to pursue it.

The men face charges of harassing women, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and causing criminal breach of trust, said police officer K.L. Prasad. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.

The case made headlines earlier this week when Indian newspapers and television news channels ran photographs of a crowd of nearly 50 men at the upscale Juhu beach area of Mumbai pinching, groping and grabbing the clothes of two women who sobbed and fell to the ground as their male companions tried to shield them.

The incident was captured by Hindustan Times photographers, who also alerted police.

The husband of one of the women said they live in California and had come to Mumbai to celebrate the New Year after getting married three days earlier in neighboring Gujarat state.

"We were shocked. After the horrible experience, we just wanted to get back to our hotel," he told the Hindustan Times, which did not identify him on privacy grounds.

Police Commissioner D.N. Jadhav, initially dismissed the case as a routine one and blamed the media for blowing the incident out proportion.

"It's just an offense, and I can't force a cop to police every man in the city. These things can happen anywhere ... even right here where we are," Jadhav told reporters on Tuesday.

He was reprimanded later that day by R.R. Patil, the Maharashtra state home minister, who pledged to find the culprits.

Prasad said one suspect was brought to a police station by his parents and neighbors after they saw his picture in newspapers and he later revealed the names of other suspects.

"Many of the men know each other. They are school dropouts and do odd jobs," Prasad told reporters. "They attended a party and consumed alcohol before going out on the roads to celebrate New Year's Day when the incident happened."

Mumbai is India's financial and entertainment capital, but its tag as the safest Indian city for women has suffered in recent years with incidents of women being raped on trains and harassed in crowded buses and at railroad stations.

Most Indian cities have an abysmal safety record, with women routinely being harassed in crowded public spaces.

"Women must speak up every time these incidents occur. The pictures will help nail the men in this case," said Flavia Agnes, a women's rights activist. "But offenders must be dragged to the police, action must be taken - only then will these hooligans be held in check."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press