Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Uganda Election 2011 , Uganda Decides

FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY

This weekend Ugandans go to the polls again, for a country were poverty /disease and unemployment are on a rampage, the exercise is worth it, compared to the 2006 elections there has been a lot of growth and now people have started looking at issues instead of sentiments.

Meet the Candidates

Robert Mao DP

Representing the Democratic party DP , He is considered the Obama of Uganda by Ugandans Under 40

Kizza Besigye (FDC)

Founder of the Forum for Democratic change (FDC)

Main Challenger, former ally and personal Doctor of Incumbent Yoweri Museveni ,

Besigye is giving his third shot at the presidency

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (NRM)

National Resistance Movement (NRM) and Incumbent General Yoweri Museveni led a rag tag guerrilla army of 27 Men who toppled the then military junta of Tito Okello (RIP) in 1986 has been in power since, and elected president for three 5 year terms now running for his fourth term.

Betty Namissango Kamya (FAP)

Current MP and founder of Federal Alliance Party, fell out with former boss and running mate Kizza Besigye to form the now federal advocacy party ie federal alliance mainly to woo Baganda loyalists

Sam Lubega

Little known comedian Samuel Lubega standing as independent.

Olara Otunu (UPC)

Uganda Peoples congress Olara Otunnu been at the UN from the early 1980s and standing on the UPC ticket ,one of the oldest parties whose found the Late Milton Obote was president at indepence in Oct 1962

Jabeli Bidandi Ssali (PPP)

Former ally and Minister of Local Government in the Museveni government later fell out and formed the People’s progressive Party (PPP)

Sixth Sense Technology May Change How We Look at the World Forever

Sixth Sense Technology May Change How We Look at the World Forever: "I can't really describe Sixth Sense in a line. Sure, it is a system that projects information about what surrounds you over objects' surfaces, but it's also much more. You just have to watch it:

(If you have the time, you can go through the whole video and Pattie Maes' explanation. If not, go to minute 3:10, where the cool demonstrations begin. There, Pranav Mistry—the MIT student who has implemented Sixth Sense—shows how it works)

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Daily Game Feb 15 - Ninja Hamsters vs Robots

Robots fueled by the power of sushi have invaded the planet. Defeat them and gain back the sushi as the sushi loving ninja hamster.

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Monday, February 14, 2011

Texas industries take big hit in proposed Obama budget

WASHINGTON — Texas industries would be hit hard in the budget President Barack Obama proposed Monday, through an end to oil and gas subsidies, aggressive promotion of clean energy and regulation of greenhouse gases — all to the dismay of many Texas lawmakers.

The $3.7 trillion proposal also omits nearly all funding for Dallas' multibillion-dollar Trinity River project. Presidents have tried to kill the project for years, but with Congress adhering to a new ban on earmarks — long the Trinity project's lifeblood — it's on shakier ground than ever.

Without a mandate from Congress, it will be "very hard to get it funded," said Maj. Gen. William Grisoli, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for much of the Trinity project.

The Obama budget faces stiff resistance in Congress on many levels, but Texans in Congress found much of the energy-related agenda especially unwelcome.

The White House plan would eliminate $3.6 billion in annual tax breaks for oil and gas producers, using much of the savings to subsidize industries that benefit from Obama's clean-energy focus: electric vehicles, energy efficiency and solar power.

"We are reducing subsidies for oil that are unnecessary, outdated, inefficient," said Gene Sperling , director of the White House National Economic Council.

The plan also boosts spending on clean-air regulations that Texas has sued to block.

Administration officials deny that Obama's budget aims at the state, saying his agenda makes investments that will make the country more competitive, cut carbon pollution and spur innovation and a "green jobs future."

"This is about policy, pure and simple," Sperling said.

Much of the new spending would be directed through the Department of Energy, one of the few winners in this year's budget lottery. The department's budget would increase by $3.2 billion, or 12 percent.

But the clean-air component ensures a fight with Republicans , whose own budget plan for the rest of 2011, issued Friday, would block the Environmental Protection Agency from spending money to regulate greenhouse gases.

Apple's next iPhone could have 4-inch screen with next-gen A5 processor

A pair of reports coming out of the Far East on Tuesday claim that Apple is looking to expand the screen on at least one version of the next-generation iPhone to 4 inches, while also adding an upgraded A5 chip processor to its smartphone offerings and an enhanced version of the A4 to the second-generation iPad.

Size matters

According to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes, upstream component suppliers report that Apple will expand the screen size of the fifth-generation iPhone to 4 inches in order to compete with a growing class of 'super phones' in the 4- to 7-inch range. By comparison, the iPhone 4 sports a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 by 640 pixels.

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Kansas State stuns No. 1 Kansas 84-68 - Yahoo! News

"MANHATTAN, Kan. – Jacob Pullen scored a career-high 38 points and Kansas State shot 56 percent from the field Monday night en route to a stunning 84-68 victory over Kansas, which moved to No. 1 just hours earlier.

Pullen, a 6-foot senior who ranks in the top five in 17 career categories for Kansas State, had 23 points in a take-charge first half that propelled the Wildcats (17-9, 5-6 Big 12) to a nine-point halftime lead.

Hundreds of fans stormed the court when the buzzer sounded on Kansas State's third victory in its last 45 games against an archrival that has dominated the Wildcats for decades.

The Jayhawks (24-2, 9-2) replaced Ohio State atop the Associated Press poll, a position they held for 15 weeks last season.
Kansas State stuns No. 1 Kansas 84-68 - Yahoo! News:

Chevron fined $9.5 billion in Ecuador

QUITO, Ecuador – An Ecuadorean judge ruled Monday in an epic environmental case that Chevron Corp. was responsible for oil drilling contamination in a wide swath of Ecuador's northern jungle and ordered the oil giant to pay $9.5 billion in damages and cleanup costs.

The amount — $8.6 billion plus a legally mandated 10 percent reparations fee — was far below the $27.3 billion award recommended by a court-appointed expert but appeared to be the highest damage award ever issued in an environmental lawsuit.

But whether the plaintiffs — including indigenous groups who say their hunting and fishing grounds in Amazon River headwaters were decimated by toxic wastewater that also raised the cancer rate — can collect remains to be seen.

In a statement, Chevron called the decision "illegitimate and unenforceable" and said it would appeal. It has long contended it could never get a fair trial in Ecuador and has removed all assets from this politically volatile Andean country, whose leftist president, Rafael Correa, had voiced support for the plaintiffs.

Chevron, which earned $19.1 billion last year, said it did not believe the judgment "enforceable in any court that observes the rule of law."

Company spokesman Kent Robertson told The Associated Press that "the evidence of fraud on the part of the plaintiffs' lawyers is overwhelming."

"We intend to see that the perpetrators of this fraud are held accounable for their misconduct," he added in an e-mail exchange.

The marathon, high-stakes case, fraught with corporate espionage and geopolitical intrigue, has been winding its way through U.S. and Ecuadorean courts for more than 17 years but has in recent years turned into an unusually acrimonious legal slugfest.

Heat Vs. Celtics: Chris Bosh Excels, But Boston Nudges Miami Again - SBNation.com

Golden State Warriors' impressive win gives hint of what could be

This was one of those games that, for Warriors fans, brings as much frustration as it does excitement.

Golden State knocked off one of the best teams in the Western Conference on Sunday, topping Oklahoma City 100-94 at Oracle Arena. The Warriors did it by controlling the boards. They did it with dominant guard play. They did it by playing solid defense.

But Sunday's victory could make one wonder: Why can't the Warriors play like that every game?

"We're a good team," point guard Stephen Curry said. "We just have some slip-ups where we don't perform as well."

The same Warriors who have beaten Utah twice, Chicago and now Oklahoma City, have also lost to losing teams like Charlotte and Houston at home. Just last week, Golden State lost twice to Phoenix, a team that has been at or below .500 most of the season.

A game like Sunday's can make you wonder how.

An emotional night in Cleveland

The Wizards' first road win in 27 games was emotional for many reasons, as it freed the team of an embarrassing burden that had been hounding them for several months. But even as the Wizards celebrated the 115-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with laughter and jokes in the locker room, Coach Flip Saunders was still dealing with a heavy heart as his 90-year-old mother, Kay, continues to battle with deteriorating health.

"She's in intensive care, struggling," said Saunders, a native Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio.

The team spent the night in Cleveland, allowing Saunders to spend some extra time with his ailing mother. Saunders missed a Dec. 29 victory over Indiana to be with her in suburban Cleveland, after she was first hospitalized. He has visited her on a few off days, and also missed two practices, most recently before a road loss in Milwaukee three weeks ago.

Where should Plaxico Burress play when he's released from prison?

Plaxico Burress isn't expected to be of prison until June 6 -- and given the NFL labor situation, he's likely to go from lock-up to a lockout -- but that hasn't stopped former teammates from expressing interest in playing with him again. After all, there will be football at some point. (Won't there? Please?)

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, visited with Burress, who's been incarcerated because he accidentally shot himself in the leg with an unlicensed handgun in November 2008, and tweeted Saturday:

The Monologue: Joba's demise?

The question about Joba Chamberlain this year was supposed to be: Is he taking over for Mariano Rivera yet? Is he going to be the Yankees' No. 1 starter?

Rewind back to the Summer of Joba, 2007, the year he saved the Yankees' season. What were expectations then?

Now? He isn't even allowed to enter the fight for the No. 5 starter spot.

In four years, he has gone from the future of the franchise to irrelevancy and, maybe worse, banishment.

GM Brian Cashman admitted to to the Post that with options Joba cold be headed to the minors. Now, Cashman would have said that about anyone who does not have a set spot. The GM also went on to say he expects Chamberlain to be in the bullpen. So Chamberlain may not be going anywhere, but he certainly is not going up.

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Thai couples break World Record for longest kiss

Fourteen couples have taken part in a kissing competition for Valentine's Day at Pattaya City, Thailand.

Seven have surpassed the previous record of 32 hours 7 minutes and 14 seconds, set in Germany in 2009, and are now competing against each other.

The couples began kissing at 11pm GMT on Saturday and have remained with locked lips without sitting nor sleeping ever since.

Competitors are allowed to eat, drink and use the lavatory, provided they do not break their embrace.

Watch Video

Man jailed after filming himself driving 140 mph - Yahoo! News

"PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – A man who filmed the speedometer of his car while driving more than 140 miles per hour so he could post it on YouTube, ended up in jail on Saturday and the video confiscated, police said.

Stanislav Vadimovich Bakanov was pulled over by police on Oregon Interstate 5 after he was clocked driving his black 2005 BMW at 118 mph. He filmed Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Postlewait as he approached the car.

When Postlewait asked why he was videotaping, Bakanov said he was filming his speedometer, and his arrest, to post on Youtube. The video later revealed that Bakanov had attained speeds in excess of 140 mph.

Man jailed after filming himself driving 140 mph - Yahoo! News:

Man jailed after filming himself driving 140 mph - Yahoo! News

Obama unveils $3.73 trillion budget for 2012

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is sending Congress a $3.73 trillion spending blueprint that pledges $1.1 trillion in deficit savings over the next decade through spending cuts and tax increases.

Obama's new budget projects that the deficit for the current year will surge to an all-time high of $1.65 trillion. That reflects a sizable tax-cut agreement reached with Republicans in December. For 2012, the administration sees the imbalance declining to $1.1 trillion, giving the country a record four straight years of $1 trillion-plus deficits.

Jacob Lew, Obama's budget director, said that the president's spending proposal was a balanced package of spending cuts and "shared sacrifice" that would bring the deficits under control. Appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," Lew said that Obama's budget would "stand the test that we live within our means and we invest in the future."

Senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the formal release of the budget, said that Obama would achieve two-thirds of his projected $1.1 trillion in deficit savings through spending cuts including a five-year freeze on many domestic programs.

The other one-third of the savings would come from tax increases, including limiting tax deductions for high income taxpayers, a proposal Obama put forward last year only to have it rejected in Congress.

The Obama budget recommendation, which is certain to be changed by Congress, would spend $3.73 trillion in the 2012 budget year, which begins Oct. 1, a reduction of 2.4 percent from what Obama projects will be spent in the current budget year.

The Obama plan would fall far short of the $4 trillion in deficit cuts recommended in a December report by his blue-ribbon deficit commission. That panel said that real progress on the deficit cannot be made without tackling the government's big three entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — and defense spending.

Try to get as many points as possible in either classic or blitz mode, in this innovative game.

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Woods falls short in Dubai with 3-over final round

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Tiger Woods is still seeking his first tournament trophy in more than a year after coming up short at the Dubai Desert Classic with a final round 3-over 75.

It put Woods at 4-under 284 for the tournament and well down the leader board

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Bob Hunter commentary: Face it--unbeaten year was a fantasy

MADISON, Wis. - There has been a fantasy element to this Ohio State men's basketball season, a component that has made it a pinch-yourself-to-see-if-this-is-actually-happening experience. The fantasy was stronger than ever 27 minutes into a game yesterday against Wisconsin.

The Buckeyes had somehow withstood an emotional bonfire before the game that rivaled the swelling intensity of a religious revival. There was video of the Badgers beating the Buckeyes last fall in football ("Let's take down No. 1 again!"), video of the basketball Badgers' win over the undefeated and top-ranked Buckeyes in 1962 and even the introduction of John Erickson, the coach of that Badgers team, whom the Wisconsin players high-fived on their way onto the court yesterday.

That turned the Kohl Center into a tinderbox of emotion and might have helped the Badgers build a 10-4 lead - to be sure, letting Buckeyes guard Aaron Craft wait for his customary entrance after the first media timeout didn't help - but this Ohio State fantasy wouldn't include a loss.

So the Buckeyes ground and swarmed and slogged their way back to a 28-26 halftime lead- in one daring moment, Ohio State scored the half's only fast-break basket - then started to pull away after the break until they led 47-32 on a Jared Sullinger layup with 13:12 left.

That's when the fantasy no longer looked like such a wild fairy tale, when visions of being the first unbeaten Division I team in 35 years were dancing in nearly everyone's heads. The Buckeyes hadn't won in Madison since 2000 and a small army of national media had stormed the doors, figuring this was the time and place to see No. 1 lose. But the lead was 15 points, Bo Ryan's unflappable Badgers were playing like some ragged, jack-it-up team and suddenly, implausibly, the outlines of an unbeaten season became clear.

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Louisville holds off Syracuse 73-69

LOUISVILLE — Rick Pitino has had a Final Four team and a team that went into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed during his Louisville tenure.

But it's his 2010-11 team, one that's a little short on size and talent but huge on moxie, that has become a personal and fan favorite.

The Cardinals showed their character once again on Saturday, rebounding from a tough overtime loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday to post a pivotal 73-69 win over Syracuse in the KFC Yum Center. Louisville built a 20-point second-half lead and then held off a late Syracuse rally.

NHL game results, Feb. 13

Radim Vrbata scored in his third straight game and had the only goal in the shootout, lifting the Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-2 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Although many fans at Jobing.com Arena's first sellout since the home opener were there to see the Blackhawks, the Coyotes didn't seem to mind, overcoming a late power-play goal by Chicago's Duncan Keith to win their fourth straight.

Jackson caps 'Cats comeback

Stephen Jackson hit a last-second jumper over two Atlanta defenders, and the Charlotte Bobcats rallied after trailing by 22 points to beat the Hawks 88-86 on Saturday night.

Jackson, a former Atlanta player, scored 32 points, including the winning shot over Maurice Evans and Al Horford. Jackson hopped onto the scorer's table before running off the court yelling, "That's what I do!"

Rothschild looking for a few good arms

TAMPA — Fixing A.J. Burnett is not the only challenge facing new Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

The 56-year-old was hired in November to replace Dave Eiland as the team's pitching coach. At the time, most people expected he would have a staff of CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and Burnett. Instead, he has Sabathia, Hughes, Burnett and a bunch of question marks.

Even with the retirement of Pettitte and Lee choosing the Phillies over the Yankees, Rothschild remains optimistic his staff that is being viewed as a weakness can turn into a strength.

You like to have a lot of numbers and guys that have been successful whether it's Pettitte or Lee or whoever," he said. "Every year, you see guys evolve and come into situations and do (unexpected) things. . . . Hopefully, guys can grab onto this and run with it and pitch well for us and then we've got a better situation. If not, then I think at some point we'll find somebody that will."

Celtics brace for a heated-up James

WALTHAM — As if the 41-point explosion against Indiana Tuesday weren't enough of a statement after he had dropped 51 on Orlando three games earlier, LeBron James felt the need to give the league an official warning.

The Heat star is in a zone. He's not feeling his way through anymore. After four months in Miami, he feels like the hoops Swiss Army knife that has won the last two MVP awards. He was so pleased with his newfound comfort level he couldn't help but speak in the third person.

"I'm back to playing LeBron James basketball,'' he said.

When that interview popped up on Celtics coach Doc Rivers's radar, he didn't see it as breaking news.

"I knew that already,'' Rivers said. "I was surprised by that statement, actually. I didn't know he was anybody else.''

Fight your way through hordes of zombies. Buy new weapons and upgrade your skills to help you on the onslaught.

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Daily Game Feb 12 - Bitejacker

Survive this zombie horror based on an indie game review show.

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Friday, February 11, 2011

10 worst seasons in NBA history

This season's Cleveland Cavaliers are in a historic tailspin, having set an NBA record Saturday with 24 consecutive losses in a single season. But are they the worst NBA team of all-time? We won't know the answer until the season is over. In the meantime, enjoy our countdown of the league's top 10 losers.

10. 1970-71 Cleveland Cavaliers (15-67)

No team should have to play the first seven games in franchise history on the road. But that's what happened to this unlucky bunch, as Cleveland Arena already had booked the Ice Capades. The Cavaliers – no one called them "Cavs" in those days – opened their first season with 15 straight losses, most of which were so bad that games seemed like little more than 48 minutes of garbage time. Luckily, coach Bill Fitch had a great sense of humor and the Cavaliers received the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which they used to select Cleveland legend Austin Carr.

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Davis: How do Badgers do it? Only Bo knows - College basketball- NBC Sports

Davis: How do Badgers do it? Only Bo knows - College basketball- NBC Sports: "All eyes are on Madison, Wis. this weekend. Ohio State’s undefeated season will be challenged at the Kohl Center. A lot of people think the Badgers will drag Jared Sullinger away from the basket and the Buckeyes will tumble. If Ohio State survives, they only go on the road twice more in the regular season — at Purdue and Penn State.

There’s a lot riding on this one. And Buckeyes vs. Badgers is where this week’s questions start off.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

The End: Cavaliers stop losing streak at 26

Nearly two months after it started innocently, the Cavaliers stopped their NBA-record skid at 26 games Friday night with a 126-119 win in overtime against the Los Angeles Clippers, who did all they could to extend Cleveland's winter misery.

The Cavs, who had become a national joke as the losses piled up, won for the first time since Dec. 18 and just the second time in 38 games. They had to go an extra five minutes to ensure they didn't set the mark for the longest skid in pro sports history.

They'll gladly settle with tying the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the worst streak among the four major sports.

It's one they didn't want to own, and they played like it.

"It's a great feeling and great for the morale of this team, this city and these fans," said Antawn Jamison (notes), who matched a season high with 35 points. "It's finally good to get it. We've been working so hard for this. We finally got it."

Jamison made the game's biggest basket, a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in OT for the Cavs, who may have gotten a favorable call at the end of regulation when J.J. Hickson (notes) blocked Baron Davis'(notes) potential game-winning layup in the final second.

The Clippers thought he goaltended.

NHL: New York Islanders get payback with 9-3 rout of Pittsburgh Penguins - San Jose Mercury News

"John Tavares, Matt Moulson and rookie Michael Grabner all scored their 20th goals of the season, and the host New York Islanders got some revenge against injury-depleted Pittsburgh in a fight-filled 9-3 victory.

Nine days after Brent Johnson beat New York 3-0 and knocked out Rick DiPietro in a one-punch fight that left the franchise goalie with broken bones in his face, the Islanders responded with four goals in the first period and four more in the second -- with an all-out brawl in the middle of the offensive outburst.

That was just the appetizer for a third-period donnybrook -- in which Johnson fought again -- that caused a delay of about 15 minutes.

Stars 4, Blackhawks 3: Brenden Morrow, Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro converted in the shootout against former Dallas goaltender Marty Turco, and the Stars rallied from a three-goal first-period deficit for a victory in Dallas over Chicago and regain sole possession of first place in the NHL's Pacific Division. Morrow notched the tying goal early in the final period, batting the puck out of the air.

NHL: New York Islanders get payback with 9-3 rout of Pittsburgh Penguins - San Jose Mercury News:
- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Lakers pick up the pace in 113-96 win against Knicks

The Lakers have definitely found a comfort zone away from Staples Center, leaving behind their uninspired play last week with yet another road victory.
The opponent wasn't as stacked as the Boston Celtics, the venue not nearly as charged as TD Garden 24 hours earlier, but the Lakers did just fine in putting away the clearly inferior New York Knicks, 113-96, Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Kobe Bryant pushed the Lakers in the right direction with 33 points, and their defense was again something to acknowledge, this time holding the NBA's second-highest scoring team well below its 106.6-point average.

The Lakers are 4-0 on their seven-game trip, and they did it Friday in front of General Manager Mitch Kupchak, who sat in the crowd about 20 rows behind the Lakers' bench among family members.

"I'm starting to see signs of resuscitation," he said as the final seconds wound down.

Indeed, the Lakers are picking up the pace a few games before the All-Star break.

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New York City Celebrates Mubarak's Resignation

After two-and-a-half weeks of demonstrations demanding his ouster, President Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt with an iron fist for more than three decades, resigned his post Friday. The move was met with celebration by most Egyptians - both within their country and abroad.

Many Egyptian-Americans live in Queens area of New York City. Moments after news reached the "Little Egypt" neighborhood that President Hosni Mubarak had resigned, a jubilant crowd poured out of a mosque and began happy cries of "Long Live Egypt" and "God is Great" while waving their homeland's red white and black flag.
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Who will buy Twitter - Google or Facebook?

Google and Facebook are holding low level talks with Twitter about buying the messaging service for between $8 million and $10 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

That, however, could be a very generous estimate, the Journal said. According to "people familiar with the matter," due to the cost of hiring new staff and adding more data centers, Twitter actually lost money in 2010 and it's revenue totaled roughly $45 million.

The company, which allows users to broadcast 140-character messages to groups of followers, had 175 million users as of September.

Read more

Egyptian activist creates image issues for Google

(Reuters) - A Google Inc executive who has become a hero of the Egyptian revolution is public relations gold for the Internet power, but analysts say the company must be careful not to overplay its hand.

Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim became the public face of the uprising that led to President Hosni Mubarak handing power to the army on Friday.

Ghonim was detained by security forces and came out swinging on his release, calling for Mubarak to step down.

When Internet access was shut down during an early phase of the Egyptian protests, Google engineers hacked together a way to allow Egyptians to use Twitter by dialing a phone number and leaving a voicemail message.

HOW TO: Follow New York Fashion Week Online

American fashion designers are welcoming thousands of friends, celebrities, buyers and media to Lincoln Center to unveil their fall 2011 collections at New York Fashion Week.

Tens of thousands more will be tuning in online and via their mobile phones, as designers stream live video footage of their shows on the web and attendees distribute their 140-character-or-less reviews and mobile snapshots over Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare and other social networks.

Valentine Spending

Lady Gaga Releases 'Born This Way': Listen to it here

It's here at last! That's right, "Born This Way," the first single off Lady Gaga's highly anticipated new album, hit radio stations at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Little Monsters first got a taste of the song when a meat-dress clad Gaga crooned a few bars at the MTV Video Music Awards a full five months ago. Since then, she's declared that Born This Way would be "the greatest album of the decade," posted the lyrics, and debuted teaser art. So does "Born This Way" live up to the hype?
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'Justin Bieber: Never Say Never': Everything You Need To Know

Last August we discovered that pop superstar Justin Bieber was working on a 3-D movie. While details about the project were scant, the basic plot was outlined as footage that was a mix of Bieber's personal life and concert performances.

Soon after the movie was announced though, Oscar-winning "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim dropped out, leaving the project in peril. But it was back on again a few weeks later when Jon Chu came onboard to helm the flick.

"[It's] a movie for his fans, a movie for people who don't know him, and we're gonna tell the underdog story of where he came from," Chu explained in August. "Because it's a really fascinating story and it has a lot to do with our sort of digital lifestyle now. He was able to do what corporations try to do now when they use YouTube and they don't even know what to do with it yet. It's a pretty cool story for our time."Read more

Allen felt the connection

Ray Allen converted his first NBA 3-pointer as a 21-year-old member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996. Fifteen years and 2,560 3-pointers later, he has become the league record-holder.

Allen entered last night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers one 3-pointer behind Reggie Miller on the career list. Allen tied the record with 4:14 remaining in the opening quarter, then overtook Miller with 1:45 left in the first.

No. 2,561 happened about the way Allen had choreographed it in his mind. He ran in front of the scorer's table, just past the Red Auerbach signature on the court, took a pass from Rajon Rondo, and fired away. What happened next, Allen had not planned. In fact, Allen said, "it was such an overwhelming feeling — if I could have hid, I would have.''

EU Publishers Blast Apple's IPad Subscription Plan

European publishers have added their voice to the chorus of criticism surrounding Apple's plans for iPad newspaper subscriptions.

Until now, many consumers have been able to read newspapers on their iPad. But newspaper publishers claim Apple has informed them that free access to their publications via the iPad would end, with subscribers able to access to such publications only through its iTunes store -- where Apple charges a 30 percent fee. The Belgian authorities are already investigating the matter following complaints from Belgian publisher Roularta and Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad in January.

Apple's plan would disrupt the relationship between publishers and their readers, said the European Newspaper Publishers' Association (ENPA). "Without direct access to their subscribers, this vital bond between newspapers and readers would be broken, to the detriment of both."

Baby clings to life after being abandoned in S.C. arena toilet

A baby boy is clinging to life at a South Carolina hospital, three days after being abandoned in an arena toilet after a circus show, police said.

A custodian discovered the infant, thought then just to be an hour or so old, late Friday night at Greenville's BI-LO Center. The boy was immediately brought for medical attention, with authorities unaware of how he'd gotten there or who his mother was.

Nokia, Microsoft to Join Forces to Challenge Apple Dominance

Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, said it's forming a software partnership with Microsoft Corp., a bet that together the two companies can better challenge Google Inc. and Apple Inc.

Shares fell as much as 9.8 percent, after the Finnish company's plan to move to Microsoft's Windows as its primary software platform was seen as a sign of the depth of its challenge taking on Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.

"It's a clear admission that Nokia's own-platform strategy has faltered," said Ben Wood, a London-based analyst with CCS Insight. "Microsoft is the big winner in this deal, but there are no silver bullets for either company given strength of iPhone and Android."

Stephen Elop, the new chief executive officer of the Espoo, Finland-based company, is struggling to revive the company after Nokia's piece of the fast-growing smartphone market plummeted to 27.1 percent last quarter from 50.8 percent when Apple shipped its iPhone in June 2007, according to Gartner Inc. The company has lost more than 60 percent of its share value in that time.

Ahmadinejad: No Israel in new Mideast

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians take to streets, marking Islamic Revolution's 32nd anniversary. President calls on West not to 'interfere' in Egypt upheaval, says protestors 'have the right to pick their own type of regime and rulers'
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Egypt's military supports Mubarak; protesters mass

CAIRO – Egypt's military threw its weight Friday behind President Hosni Mubarak's plan to stay in office through September elections while protesters fanned out to the presidential palace in Cairo and other key symbols of the authoritarian regime in a new push to force the leader to step down immediately.
The statement by the Armed Forces Supreme Council — its second in two days — was a blow to many protesters who had called on the military to take action to push out Mubarak after his latest refusal to step down.
But soldiers also took no action to stop demonstrators from massing outside the palace and the headquarters of state television, indicating they were trying to avoid another outbreak of violence.
Anti-government protesters said they were more determined than ever as the uprising entered its 18th day.
"We expected the army's decision, we always knew that it was behind Mubarak. But we know it's not going to harm us," Safi Massoud said as she joined thousands of people packed into Cairo's central Tahrir Square. "We wont leave until we choose a transition president. We don't want Mubarak, we don't want Suleiman."
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Daily Game Feb 11 - Collapse It

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Can Uganda's opposition upset the president's plans for succession?

It is not a good omen for a rising politician of Uganda's National Resistance Movement to be persistently touted as possible successor to President Yoweri Museveni. Within no time, the "star" may either be reassigned to a less visible portfolio or, somehow, become the subject of unsavoury newspaper headlines, from wife-snatching to massive corruption allegations, leaving behind a bruised, humbler individual. Uganda seems to have space for only one bull in the kraal.

So when, a year ago, the opposition charged that Museveni was grooming his 36-year-old son Lt Col Muhoozi Kainerugaba to succeed him, quite a few eyebrows were raised in a wait-a-minute kind of way. Museveni had just announced the transformation of the Presidential Guard Brigade into an elite, Special Forces Group headed by Kainerugaba. The word was that protecting the president would be taken over by the police, while the new unit would fight terrorism and support the regular army. Critics feared that Museveni, having seen his son through military colleges including Sandhurst, was anointing a crown prince of sorts.

But as Uganda goes to the polls on 18 February, voters will be asked to weigh Museveni against a field of seven challengers, who are now traversing the country to woo voters. So, who are the main opposition candidates trying to upstage this alleged succession plan?

Donald Trump makes his case for presidency

Billionaire Donald Trump plunged into Republican politics today, telling an enthusiastic crowd that if he runs for the White House -- and wins -- that "America will be respected again."

The real estate developer and reality TV star said he'll decide by June whether to join the crowded field trying to defeat President Obama.

His reason? America, Trump said, is becoming "the laughingstock of the world."

The man known to viewers of NBC's The Apprentice was a surprise addition to the list of potential GOP presidential candidates speaking before thousands of activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

His remarks drew lots of applause and cheers from the crowd, who will play a key role in grass-roots organizing for the eventual 2012 GOP presidential nominee.

Yarrows process 'bizarre'

Rifts are opening in staff redundancy discussions between Yarrows management and the Engineering Printing and Manufacturing Union.

Yarrows announced last month that restructuring was needed at its Manaia plant with as many as 40 jobs under threat.

Since then the EPMU has been in discussions with workers about applying for voluntary redundancy. Organiser Wayne Ruscoe said workers would be getting a standard redundancy package.

"Based on service – the longer they have been there the larger the compensation," he said.

However, Mr Ruscoe said the union was suspicious about how Yarrows bosses were making the selection of who would be made redundant.

"There have been 40 applications already and the company has rejected 20 of those volunteers for what appears to be no good reason.

"They are saying therefore there will have to be compulsory redundancies – and they don't want the workers to be represented by us when they make the selection.

"It is very poor form, especially for a company that refers to itself as a family operation, to leave the most important part of the family out of the process – it seems quite bizarre," he said.

Yarrows CEO Colin Pettigrew said the company had made no decision to go down the pathway of voluntary redundancy.

Leona Lewis attracts stares with her latest bizarre fashion decision

The popstar followed her mid-week fashion disaster with a huge homemade yellow net bow and blue pencil skirt combo yesterday.

Once an icon of sophistication, she has torn up the rule book this week in a bid to follow eccentric stars such as Lady Gaga.

At a Black Women in Music event yesterday, the 25-year-old turned heads for all the wrong reasons in her midriff-revealing ensemble and, worryingly, plans to wear another of her own creations to Sunday's Grammy Awards in LA – where a lot of people will be watching.

Apple quickly releases iOS 4.2.6 with bug fixes for Verizon iPhone 4

On the day of the iPhone 4's release on the Verizon network, Apple has released an update to the smartphone's software to resolve a bug that affects the accuracy of Personal Hotspot data reporting.

After drawing record preorders last week, the Verizon iPhone 4 launched to modest lines Thursday, with one report calling the lines "laughably short."

Though iOS 4.2.6 was first available as a direct download for review units in January, Apple issued official release notes Thursday to coincide with the launch of the CDMA iPhone 4. iOS version 4.2.6 "fixes a bug to ensure Personal Hotspot data usage is accurately reported (for Verizon iPhones)," according to the notes.
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Sparrow takes flight for Gmail

Sparrow, the minimalist mail application for Mac, has left beta and been officially released through the Mac App Store for an introductory price of $9.99. It offers a streamlined user interface through a window that pops up from the program's Dock icon, cutting out the clutter and delivering an unfussed experience to collecting, reading and sending mail.

Version 1.0 currently only supports Gmail accounts -- support for other mobile providers, including Mobile Me, AOL and Yahoo!, along with general IMAP accounts is promised for version 1.1, which is about to undergo private beta testing.

Day of reckoning dawns for Nokia's new CEO

(Reuters) - Nokia's wisdom in picking outsider Stephen Elop to return it to its former glory will be tested on Friday when the new chief executive reveals his plans to transform the world's biggest cellphone maker.

Following a leaked memo in which Elop candidly described the need to leap from Nokia's "burning platform," speculation has intensified that he will announce a radical switch to use software from rivals Microsoft or Google.

Nokia has rapidly lost share in the higher-margin smartphone market to the likes of Apple's iPhone, and products based on Google's Android platform claimed the top spot from the company last quarter.

In a bid to stem the losses, Chairman Jorma Ollila brought in Elop from Microsoft last September. The 47-year-old is the first non-Finn to head the company.

Egypt protesters vow massive demonstrations - World news - Mideast/N. Africa - msnbc.com

"CAIRO — Egypt's people-power protesters, reeling with disillusion and anger after President Hosni Mubarak disappointed their hopes he was about to resign, planned massive new demonstrations on Friday that may test the army's loyalties.

The increasingly sour confrontation after 17 days of unrest has raised fears of violence in the most populous Arab nation, a key U.S. ally in an oil-rich region where the chance of disorder spreading to other repressive states has troubled world markets.

Hours after Mubarak's speech Thursday night, hundreds of protesters converged on Egypt's presidential palace, where security is thick, Sharif Kouddous of Democracy Now said from Cairo on msnbc cable TV's 'The Rachel Maddow Show.' It was not known if Mubarak was there.

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The Observer - Museveni bothered by youth unemployment

"As President Museveni addressed rallies in Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala this week, one question kept cropping up - youth unemployment.

Most of the unemployed youth are in the central region, including many who have graduated from universities but still can’t find jobs. Others have left their rural homes in the hope of finding employment and a better life in Kampala.

But the reality is different, and the disgruntled youth have no one else to blame but the NRM government. Sam Ssesanga, attending Museveni’s rally in Entebbe municipality, reeks of alcohol at 4pm. His clothes are tattered and he wears sandals cut out of old tyres.

“We are poor because we don’t have jobs. Sometimes my friends give me their taxis to drive, but sometimes I spend a month without a job. It is so bad. I often don’t have money for food or rent,” says Ssesanga, a 24-year-old father of one and resident of Lugunju in Entebbe municipality.

Museveni admits that youth unemployment is a major contributor to the rising trend of civic unrest in African countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria.

He said African countries must address the problems hampering industrial development, the surest way to create jobs. Museveni cited electricity, transport, roads and railways.

“The ability of the economy to create jobs for the youth has not been as strong as it should be. Even the problems in Kenya during the last election, and Ivory Coast, I think, may trace their origin to that problem of not modernising the African economy fast enough to absorb the labour force,” Museveni said.

Since 1997, the government has offered free primary and O-level education and, from 2012 the government plans to provide fee A-level education. The government also sponsors some students in public universities.

President Museveni said employment lies in the creation of a good environment for investors, including peace, security and freedom; lowering the cost of production; and developing infrastructure in order to lower the cost of doing business.

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Daily Monitor: - Commodities |Centum trades shares at USE

"Centum, East Africa’s largest listed investment company, became the seventh firm to sell shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange yesterday.

The Kenya-based firm cross-listed 605 million shares on the domestic bourse from the Nairobi Stock Exchange, making it the 14th company to be traded at the exchange.

To promote frequent trading of its shares, Centum offered Ugandan investors four million for purchase at market prices. The offer marked a major shift in cross listings at the bourse.

They are usually marked by mere transfer of shares from Nairobi to Kampala with limited liquidity at their counters thereafter.

The company’s share price opened at Shs665 and oscillated to Shs670. But the price closed at Shs668 based on the weighted average calculated by the USE.
About 836,500 shares had been traded by close of the day’s trading session.
The cross-listing gives domestic investors a new option of investment lines in which they can either save or where they can earn money from.

Centum’s line of investments includes; private equity, listed private equity, real estate and infrastructure.

The company holds significant ownership in firms like; Mount Kenya and Nairobi Bottlers, UAP Holdings, General Motors East Africa, and Longhorn Publishers.
“By investing in one share of Centum, you don’t have to invest in many sectors because Centum invests in a diversified area of ventures,” said the firm’s chief executive, Mr James Mworia at a news conference in Kampala yesterday.
He added that the firm had already invested Shs35 billion in a real estate project in Uganda as part of its regional expansion drive.

The company’s portfolio is currently valued at over Shs322 billion and consists broadly of investments in private equity.

About 60 per cent of the company’s business is equity investments with notable investments in the financial and beverage sectors.

At the conference, Mr James Muguiyi, the chairman board of directors, Centum Investment, said the cross listing is meant to offer more investors across East Africa an opportunity to access a diversified portfolio of highly profitable investments.

The company plans to cross list its shares on the Rwanda and Dar es Salaam Stock Exchanges next year according to Mr Mworia.

Mr Joseph Kitamirike, the chief executive officer of the USE applauded Centum’s move to offer shares for trading in Uganda.

As a result he said: “We shall be proposing changes in the rules governing cross listing on the USE to provide incentives to those companies that choose to deliver shares here in Uganda shillings.”

“USE expects that these rules will be approved by June this year,” he added.

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New Vision Online : Lukwago petitions Constitutional Court

"KAMPALA mayoral candidate Erias Lukwago has petitioned the Constitutional Court in Kampala to declare that his conviction at the General Court Martial was done by an incompetent court.

The petition against the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Attorney General comes a day after Lukwago was summoned to appear at the EC head office to respond to allegations that he is unfit to be in the race because he is a convict.

Lukwago, the incumbent Kampala Central MP, wants the court to declare that the Court Martial is not a competent court and that his conviction for contempt of the court did not amount to dishonesty.

He filed the petition through his law firm, Lukwago and Company Advocates.

“Contempt of General Court Martial is not an offence involving dishonesty or moral turpitude as envisaged under the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution,” Lukwago said.

The summons were issued after Geoffrey Sserwadda petitioned the EC to disqualify Lukwago on grounds that he was convicted by the Makindye-based court in 2005 for contempt of court.

Lukwago was convicted by Gen. Elly Tumwine for talking without permission when he (Lukwago) was handling Dr. Kizza Besigye’s treason case.

He was convicted together with city lawyer Caleb Alaka and sentenced to a fine of sh1,000 in default of which they were to be imprisoned for two weeks.

They both paid the fine.

In Sserwadda’s petition dated February 2, 2011 but reportedly received by the EC a day after, he contends that Lukwago’s conviction technically rules him out of the race.

Lukwago in his petition said: “As a practising advocate, I am aware that the General Court Martial is an administrative tribunal established by Parliament under the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces Act pursuant to provisions of Article 210 of the Constitution to handle disciplinary matters of UPDF”.

Article 80 (f) of the Constitution states that: “A person is not qualified to be a Member of Parliament if he has been found guilty of a crime involving dishonesty or immoral behaviour, or relating to elections conducted by the Electoral Commission by a court which has authority under the law within seven years immediately before the election.”

He wants the Constitutional Court to restrain any move by the EC to probe his purported conviction by the General Court Martial that is intended to revoke his nomination.

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Celtics’ Allen Savors a 3-Point Record, but the Lakers Celebrate a Victory - NYTimes.com

"He hugged Reggie Miller, right after breaking Miller’s career 3-point record. He hugged his coach, Doc Rivers, and the assistant Lawrence Frank. He hugged Miller again. He hugged his mom, Flo Allen-Hopson. He hugged his wife, Shannon. He hugged his teammates.

Everyone else at the TD Garden just stood and cheered early Thursday evening as Allen became the most prolific 3-point shooter in N.B.A. history — an achievement marred just slightly by the Los Angeles Lakers, who ripped a 92-86 victory from Allen and the Boston Celtics.

Foul trouble limited Allen in the second half, and injuries put a crimp in the Celtics’ rotation. Kobe Bryant finally spoiled the mood by scoring 20 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Lakers to the victory in this latest rematch of perennial championship rivals.

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Nation & World | Five killed in Pennsylvania natural-gas explosion | Seattle Times Newspaper

"ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A thunderous gas explosion devastated a row-house neighborhood, killing five people, and suspicion fell on an 83-year-old cast-iron gas main.

The fiery blast was the latest natural-gas disaster to raise questions about the safety of the nation's aging, 2.5-million-mile network of gas and liquid pipelines.

The explosion, which flattened a pair of row houses and set fire to a block of homes late Wednesday, occurred in an area where the underground gas main lacked shut-off valves.

It took utility workers five hours of toil in the freezing cold to punch through ice, asphalt and concrete and seal the 12-inch main with foam, cutting off the flow of gas that fed the raging flames.

Dorothy Yanett, 65, said she was in her living room with her husband awaiting the evening news on TV when she heard a series of booms.

'Everything falling and crashing, glass, just a nightmare,' she said. 'There was no odor, there was no smell. Then it was like all hell broke loose.'

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Dwight Hardy scores career-best 33 points as St. John's rolls

NEW YORK -- If you're a top 10 team and you have plans on visiting New York, avoid Madison Square Garden.

Dwight Hardy scored a career-high 33 points and St. John's took command in the second half in an 89-72 victory over Connecticut (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) on Thursday night, the Red Storm's fourth win over a top-13 team this season at the Garden.Hardy, who was 10 of 17 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range, was coming off a 32-point effort in a loss to UCLA on Saturday where he was 13 of 24 overall and 3 of 6 on 3s."I was in a zone," he said using the shooter's term for being hot, "and when I'm in a zone, I kind of black out."
It was UConn that seemed to black out, especially during the second half when the Red Storm outscored the Huskies 54-41.D.J. Kennedy matched his season high with 20 points and had 11 rebounds for St. John's (14-9, 6-5 Big East), which added Connecticut to a list that includes then-No. 13 Georgetown, then-No. 9 Notre Dame and then-No. 3 Duke. The Red Storm are 6-1 at the Garden, their second home court.

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Gene tests inadvertently exposing cases of incest

(Reuters) - New gene-based tests that map out a person's entire genetic code can help explain why a child has birth defects or developmental delays, but they are also exposing some dark family secrets.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston recently started using such tests and have uncovered several cases of likely incest, says Dr. Arthur Beaudet, chairman of molecular and human genetics at Baylor, who wrote about the problem on Thursday in the journal Lancet.

The tests, called single nucleotide polymorphism-based arrays, allow doctors to scan a child's genome for extra or missing copies of genes that could explain their disability.

But they can also show large, identical chunks of DNA that a child might have inherited from two closely related relatives, such as a father and daughter, raising social and legal issues that institutions and the scientific community must address, Beaudet said in a telephone interview.

"The concern mainly stems from the possibility of children being sexually abused in the home, most often girls between 12 and 16 years of age," he said.

Prosecutors Reduce Charges Against Bonds

In a new indictment filed in federal court in San Francisco, the government retained only four charges that Bonds made false statements to a federal grand jury in December 2003 when he testified in connection with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroids case. The previous indictment included one count of obstruction of justice, which remains in the current indictment, and 10 perjury counts.

The new indictment appears to be a result of a previous ruling by Judge Susan Illston of United States District Court to exclude some evidence.

That evidence includes doping calendars and log books that prosecutors say link Bonds to his former trainer, Greg Anderson, who spent more than a year in jail for refusing to testify in the case. Without Anderson's testimony, the judge ruled, that evidence could not be authenticated and had to be excluded from the trial.

Yahoo plans digital newsstand for tablets

Yahoo unveiled plans Thursday to launch a digital newsstand for tablet devices, distributing content from a broad range of publishers to users in exchange for a cut of advertising and subscription revenue.

The service, to be called "Livestand," will allow users to create a personalized news reading experience from a variety of feeds. Yahoo's finance, sports and celebrity gossip channels will be among the featured feeds, along with newspapers, magazines and other content.

Livestand will launch some time in the first half of the year, chief product officer Blake Irving told reporters in a conference call. Terms of its revenue sharing deals with publishers were not disclosed.

Sex trafficking in the UK: one woman's horrific story of kidnap, rape, beatings and prostitution

When police turned up at the Shangri-La, it was quiet. Marinela Badea was catching up on sleep and was awoken by the commotion. Minutes later, on a grey Manchester morning, she and half a dozen other women were handcuffed and marched out of the red-brick massage parlour in Openshaw in the east of the city.

Marinela, 17, was terrified. Trafficked from Romania, she had been coerced into prostitution by a pimp who beat her with numbing regularity. Now there was something new to fear. "I didn't even know where I was going," she says now. "I couldn't trust anyone, I had no idea of the law. I was so scared."

The sex crimes unit of Greater Manchester police arrested her for prostitution-related offences, but at least Marinela was safe behind bars. Her first day in custody was the first since her arrival in England six months earlier that she had not been forced to have sex. She had been raped by different men 50 times a week on average, often violent, drunken strangers. And if she was released from prison, Marinela was convinced she would be murdered by the gang who trafficked her.

Eight people reportedly killed in crash-landing at Irish airport

EIGHT people were have been killed in a small passenger plane from Belfast crash-landed at Ireland's Cork Airport amid heavy fog, Irish broadcaster RTE reported.

The aircraft, which was carrying 10 passengers and two crew members, crashed during its third attempt at landing at the airport, shortly before 10:00am local time.

It was believed to have caught fire and overturned, with debris scattered across the runway.

A Cork County Council spokesman said three people were dead and two others were trapped in the wreckage.

A statement from the Irish Aviation Authority said "low visibility issues" hampered the plane's attempts to land.

Phone hacking: Prescott says revelations will go a long way

Lord Prescott, the former deputy prime minister, has described the revelation by Scotland Yard that he was a potential victim of phone hacking by News of the World journalists as "very significant".

His comments came as it emerged that the reopened police investigation has identified a number of new potential victims.

Just a fortnight after reopening their inquiry, in the wake of an 18-month campaign by the Guardian, police said a re-examination of the evidence they had held for years, but failed to fully investigate, combined with new evidence from the Sunday tabloid, had thrown up an "important and immediate new line of inquiry". The new investigation, they said, had already established "reasonable evidence" that up to 20 people, mainly prominent public figures, were targeted by the paper.

Prescott told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is a very big issue, not only for the Met but also the press.

"I want to know all those who have committed criminal acts. What happened before is they decided not to pursue action against people on whom they had evidence that criminal acts had been perpetrated.

"We have got to get a proper reform of the relations between the Metropolitan police and the press.

Rolls-Royce upbeat on 12-month forecast

Sir John Rose issued an upbeat view of the next 12 months for Rolls-Royce as the aerospace company shrugged off the impact of a serious failure with one of its Trent 900 engines with a moderate rise in profits last year.

Giving his final results presentation before he steps down as chief executive next month after 15 years, Sir John on Thursday said he expected a "good profit growth and a modest cash inflow" during 2011.

The company said underlying pre-tax profits improved by 4 per cent in the year to the end of December to £955m, after £915m in 2009. The underlying figure takes into account "mark to market" adjustments to allow for gains and losses on hedging contracts.

Revenues rose 6 per cent to £11.1bn from £10.4bn while the company increased its final dividend 6.7 per cent to 9.6p, which together with the 6.4p already paid makes a total dividend of 16p, up from 15p last time.

Sir John said the company's overall performance in 2010 was "strong", in spite of the "regrettable" incident in November last year when a Trent 900 engine on an Airbus A380 operated by Qantas blew up shortly after leaving Singapore.

Even though aerospace experts warned the incident could have been catastrophic, the failure caused no deaths nor injuries.

Egypt factor weighs in on Uganda vote

KAMPALA, Feb 10, 2011 (AFP) - Egypt's turmoil may have inspired Uganda's opposition ahead of upcoming polls but President Yoweri Museveni is in little danger, thanks to the army and a dearth of cyber revolutionaries, say analysts.

Like Egypt's embattled president, Hosni Mubarak, Museveni has ruled his country for more than a quarter century and his regime has been accused of egregious corruption and of grooming his son for succession.

Uganda's perennial election runner-up Kizza Besigye has seized on Mubarak's plight to draw parallels back home, hoping a ripple effect could energise his third bid against Museveni in an election on February 18.

"I can't tell you how many of our people are following the events internationally, in Egypt and elsewhere, but ... the conditions are the same in Uganda," the opposition leader told AFP in an interview Wednesday.

He argued that Museveni's 25-year-old authoritarian rule was bringing Ugandans to their knees and that the east African nation was ripe for a revolt.

"The brutality of the state represses people until they explode. And once they explode no amount of brutality can stop them," he said.

But while Egypt's army has vowed not to use force against demonstrators, Uganda experts believe that if the population here was moved to rise up against their rulers, there would be little prospect of the army remaining neutral.

"I can bet you my neck the UPDF (Uganda People's Defence Forces) would side with Museveni. The UPDF is a highly partisan army, that very often behaves like a political militia," Frederick Golooba Mutebi, a professor at the Institute of Social Research in Makerere University told AFP.

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Clarke pledges free medication

Dr. Ian Clarke Ian address a rally Mubaraka zone on Thursaday

By Andrew Ssenyonga

ASPIRING Makindye LCIII chairperson, Dr. Ian Clarke Busuulwa, has pledged free medication for all people in Makindye Division.

Clarke, who is the proprietor of International Hospital Kampala (IHK), an upscale hospital, told residents of Nabisaru Zone that he was going to set up a day for residents to get free medical services at his facility.

"This is my place; a true leader has to tackle issues that hurt the residents. People of Nabisaru are poor and live in a congested slum so they need improved health services," Clarke said.

"I decided to join politics to improve on how things are done."

Clarke said on number times, residents have complained of accidents, poor drainage system and poor healthy facilities.

"As citizen I have tried to work on some of those problems. Now what I ask you my supporters send me to the division I will do more than what I have done before," he said.

Source

Seattle Seahawks on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Seattle Seahawks assistant coach Rocky Seto wanted to get the word out that he had accepted the defensive coordinator position at UCLA. He texted reporters the news, told his friends and family, and watched congratulations pour in on his Facebook page all before the official announcement was made.

The early dissemination of the news had an unintended consequence. A massive fan backlash to Seto's hiring, ignited by the coach's preemptive self-congratulations, caused UCLA to rescind the offer .

A college newspaper reported last week that Seto sent a text message to a reporter saying that he had accepted the coordinator position at UCLA. It was a return to college for Seto, who played at USC and later served as defensive coordinator under Pete Carroll before following the coach to Seattle when he took the head coaching job with the Seahawks.

UCLA fan sites exploded with the news and immediately began a "Veto Seto" campaign aimed toward the school's athletic director. The website, Sports By Brooks, explains the root of the anger:

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Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Source: Saudis Tell Obama Not to Humiliate Mubarak

WASHINGTON -- Saudi Arabia threatened to prop up President Hosni Mubarak if the White House tries to force a swift change of regime in Egypt, The Times of London reported Thursday.

The news came as testimony gathered by the Guardian newspaper claimed that the Egyptian military, despite maintaining an appearance of neutrality in the ongoing crisis, had secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests began weeks ago.

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