Bucks County Man Stabs Pregnant Girlfriend: Cops

Glenn Witherspoon

Police say a Bucks County man asked his girlfriend to watch the sunrise and then brutally attacked her with a knife.

A Bristol Township man is accused of stabbing his pregnant girlfriend several times with a large knife early Thursday.

According to an Affidavit of Probable Cause obtained by NBC10, Glenn Witherspoon, 24, told Jessica Field "I'm sorry I have to do this," before attacking her as they sat in a car.

Field, 22, told police Witherspoon called her several times early Thursday morning and asked her to come to his home on Airacobra Street.

Investigators say When Field arrived, Witherspoon got into her car and wanted to go to the Lennox Parking Lot to watch the sunrise. When they arrived at the lot, Witherspoon pulled a knife and stabbed Field in the chest, just above her heart.

Field and Witherspoon struggled and Field was stabbed several more times according to officers who say Field suffered a three inch laceration on the side of her neck.

Field was able to lock the car doors when Witherspoon got out to get something from the trunk, as Field drove away, Witherspoon jumped on the hood of the car to try to stop her, said police.

She made it to her home on Jackson Street and relatives called 911. At about the same time police received a call about a man walking along Monroe Street who appeared to be bleeding from the head. When officers arrived on Jackson Street, investigators say they approached the man, later identified as Witherspoon, and he told them, "I didn't want to do it, is she alright?" Witherspoon is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of a weapon.

He was arraigned Thursday before Bristol District Judge Frank Peranteau and sent to Bucks County Prison in lieu of $1 million cash bail.

How Twitter Covered Bhoja Air Crash

People of Pakistan came out strongly against the vulture like behaviour of main stream media, their reporters sniffing the debris of Bhoja Air plane like hounds out for hunt, throwing stupidly harsh questions at the grieving .

Apparently, the media followed no code of conduct, broadcasted intensely physical graphics without warning the audience and left no stone unturned to put more salt on the wounds of bereaved families.

Here is how Twitter covered the crash of Bhoja Air:

A passenger plane carrying 127 people has crashed into a residential area on its approach to Islamabad International Airport in Pakistan.

The Bhoja Air Boeing 737, flight BHO-213, was descending for landing when the incident happened as it flew from Karachi.

Pakistan's Defence Minister said that the plane burst into flames a few miles from the airport near Chaklala, Rawalpindi, at around 18:40 local time.

There were 118 passengers and nine crew on-board.

Pakistani Police have said there is 'no chance' of any survivors. Karachi and Islamabad airports have been besieged with distraught relatives of those on board.

Anupama chopra review of vicky donor 3.5/5

Vicky Donor

Vicky Donor Direction: Shoojit Sircar Actors: Yami Gautam, Annu Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana Rating: ***1/2

Vicky Donor is one of those rare Hindi films that work purely on the strength of writing and performances. There are no crutches here of stars, sets, styling or foreign locations. But director Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi create a heart-felt, keenly observed comic-drama. Sadly, Vicky Donor derails in the second half – the climax is flat-out foolish – but until then, it’s great fun.

The milieu is ‘Dilli,’ that is Lajpat Nagar and Daryaganj (think Band Baaja Baaraat on a lower budget). Vicky Arora, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, is the charming, loutish Punjabi boy-next-door who aspires to a better life. “Mummy, I want respect,’ he says. ‘I want class.’ Mummy, played by Dolly Ahluwalia, runs a beauty parlour. She’s a fierce widow but the magic in this house comes from Biji, the feisty grandmother played by Kamlesh Gill, who knocks back a few drinks every evening and wants a 32 GB iPhone. At one point, Vicky tells her: ‘Dilli mein do cheezen modern hai, ek metro aur ek aap.’

Vicky doesn’t have a job or much focus but he becomes a prize catch for Dr Baldev Chaddha, an infertility specialist. Because, as Chaddha, says, ‘By God, kamaal da sperm count hai.’ Chaddha convinces Vicky to become a sperm donor, which works well for both of them until Vicky falls in love.

There isn’t enough of a plot here but what keeps Vicky Donor humming along is Sircar’s and Chaturvedi’s ability to find humour in the commonplace. They have a real affection for these characters. There’s a lovely scene in which Biji and Mummy are drinking and gently berating each other. The tragicomic Chaddha, played terrifically by Annu Kapoor, is also a knock-out; this is a man who has a plastic sperm as a car ornament.

What doesn’t work as well is the love story (though the Bengali-Punjabi parental clash is laugh-out-loud funny) and the resolution of Vicky’s thorny problem. Sircar wants to make a case for sperm donation but the film falters when it moves into preachy melodrama. Still, there is much to like here, including Khurrana’s performance though I’m still figuring out what was going on with the pink lips!

Check out Vicky Donor. It’s a nice surprise.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-review-Vicky-Donor/Article1-843754.aspx Bookmark and Share

Paoli Dam: Sunny and Poonam are no competition

Paoli Dam

Paoli Dam, the bong bombshell, is in a surprisingly relaxed mood as she chats with TOI about her B-wood film, "Hate Story", for the promotion of which she was in Kanpur on Monday.

Relaxed, because even the news of the Censor Board wielding its scissors on the film's lovemaking scenes fails to ruffle her feather.

"I don't know much about it, honestly, as I am busy promoting the film," she shrugs apologetically before moving on to other topics.

The other topics being her B-wood entry. Be it her wish to be painted nude by the late MF Hussain, or even rumours of the film's maker Vivek Agnihotri asking her to strip bare - have been the stuff of gossip mills for long now.

Hawaii: 33 pct drop in Ewa homes sold last month

The Oahu community where the most single-family homes closed last month was in the Ewa Plain area, while the most condos were sold in Waikiki.

That's according to data from the Honolulu Board of Realtors.

Thirty-two single-family homes sold in the Ewa Plain, a decrease of 33 percent compared to March 2011. Sixty-eight condos sold in Waikiki, the same amount sold during the same month last year.

The Waialae-Kahala area had the highest median price for a single-family home at $1.4 million, a 23 percent increase. The area's median condo price was $650,000, a 77 percent increase.

The Makaha-Nanakuli neighborhood had the lowest median sales prices in March. A single family home median price was $295,000, an 11 percent increase. The median condo price was $97,750, a 10 percent increase.

Infiniti working on 530-HP twin-turbo IPL model for G

Infiniti

We certainly like the idea behind the Infiniti Performance Line, but execution has left us largely underwhelmed. Instead of an M or AMG fighter, buyers are left with little more than fancy paint and a stiffer suspension. But according to Motor Trend, Infiniti may have something more impressive brewing.

An unnamed source spilled the goods on the future of the G line, including a juicy detail about a hyper performance coupe. The next-generation G is set to hit the market during the summer of 2014, bringing with it a rash of changes.

One of those is the introduction of an IPL-specific 3.7-liter V6. The source claims the engine is all-new and features direct-injection and two turbos to help it produce a whopping 530 horsepower. This time, it seems Infiniti has its heart set on stepping up to the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and BMW M3. The engine will be built in Japan alongside the powerplant for the Nissan GT-R.

Now for the bad news. The shadowy source says the high-performance IPL will be priced in line with the GT-R, at least in Japan. On this side of the globe, the brawny Nissan commands a price well north of the $58,930 MSRP on the C63 AMG, which leads us to believe there's still some pricing to be sorted out on that front.

celibrity, sportsperson in ipl5

IPL SEASON 5

Sania Mirza, Saif & other celebs spotted at IPL 5

Cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uttappa, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Sahara Force India driver Paul di Resta, owner of Sahara Group of companies and Pune Warriors owner Subrata Roy Sahara, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, UB Group Chairman and owner of RCB team Vijay Mallya, Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg and cricketer Muttiah Muralidaran pose for a photograph prior to the IPL Twenty20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. (AFP Photo)

No IPL impact on theatre occupancy: PVR Cinemas

ipl SEASON 5

New Delhi: Movie occupancy has been stronger in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2012-13 than earlier years despite the Indian Premier League (IPL), Pramod Arora, PVR Cinemas president and CEO told NDTV Profit.

According to him, the World Cup last year affected occupancy as movie producers were doubtful about releasing films during a major cricket event. However, this is not the trend this year, he said.

"An IPL cannot compete with a world cup, which had an impact on occupancy," Arora said.

In the first few seasons of IPL, movie producers avoided to release movies during cricket season, which saw great popularity among masses. "Only small films came through last year," Arora said.

But, IPL viewership seems to be on a wane. According to Tam Media Research, Television Viewer Ratings (TVR) were down 18.7 per in the first six games, an average TVR of 3.76, as compared to 4.63 last season.

The trend has not gone unnoticed with the film industry which is releasing a lot more big-ticket films this year.Moreover, with BCCI not releasing rights for screening matches live in movie halls, IPL is not taking up screen time. "Now IPL impact has stabilized," Arora said.

According to PVR, the movie pipeline is also strong this year. "Most of the Hollywood franchisees are going to be released like Batman, and there are some good Hindi movies too," he said. However, analysts expect that occupancy rate is likely to be slower in the January-March quarter on account of exams.
Shares of PVR are trading over 2 per cent higher in early morning trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange while the BSE Sensex index is down 0.08 per cent.

In the last three months, it share price rose 10.5 per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange. In comparison, the broader BSE Sensex gained 4.5 per cent for the same period.

Colton Dixon voted off of ''American Idol''

TV singing contest "American Idol"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colton Dixon, the young singer from Tennessee known for his flamboyant hairstyle, became the fifth person voted off top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol" on Thursday night.

"I wasn't myself last night," said Dixon, whose Wednesday performance of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" was roundly criticized by the show's judges. Dixon thanked them for their honest feedback, and assured them he would incorporate it into a future album.

Host Ryan Seacrest described the singer as "a class act" as he left the stage, and judge Jennifer Lopez shook her head when Dixon's dismissal was announced.

Though Lopez described Dixon's performance as "exciting," she questioned whether he chose the right song for his voice, and mentor Jimmy Iovine said he sounded "completely wrong."

Thursday was Dixon's first - and last - time in the show's bottom three, where he was accompanied by contestants Hollie Cavanagh and Elise Testone, both of whom had found themselves in danger of elimination in previous weeks.

Contestant Jessica Sanchez, who was saved by judges last week after audiences voted her off the show, received enough votes to stay out of the bottom three.

Thursday night's show featured a tribute to Dick Clark, who Seacrest cited as an inspiration and a boon to the music industry. Pop band LMFAO performed its dance hit "Sorry for Party Rockin,'" and "Idol" alum Kris Allen took the stage to sing his song "The Vision of Love."

Five contestants remain on "Idol," which is half of the original number of finalists.

"Idol", which first aired in on Fox in 2002, has launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Husdon.

Now in its eleventh season, the show continues to be the most watched reality show in America, though it has received stiff competition from "The Voice" this year.

Audiences vote for their favorite performers by phone and text message each week as contestants are challenged by a variety of musical styles. The winning contestant receives a recording contract. This season's winner will be decided in May.

Review: "Lucky One" has Sparks, but no charm

LOS ANGELES - Nicholas Sparks is a brand name. He's the author of mawkish, bestselling romantic novels that Hollywood keeps turning into even worse mawkish, romantic films, several of which have scored at the box office.

The list includes "The Notebook," by far the best and most successful of the lot, as well as "Message in a Bottle," "Nights at Rodanthe," "A Walk to Remember," "Dear John" and "The Last Song."

The latest novel of his to arrive on the big screen is "The Lucky One." A slack and predictable love story, which takes place mostly in rural Louisiana, it is the filmic equivalent of trudging through syrupy sorghum.

Zach Efron, continuing his attempt to transition into grownup roles, plays Logan, who is a typically sensitive but hurting Sparks hero. An ex-Marine left feeling psychologically shaky after three tours of duty in Iraq, Logan is determined to track down the young blonde woman whose picture he found in the rubble, lost by another American soldier, after a deadly explosion in Iraq.

He manages to locate her-she's Beth (Taylor Schilling, of TV's "Mercy"), a divorced mom with a seven-year-old son (Riley Thomas Stewart)-but before he can tell her about the photo, she hires him to be a handyman at the dog kennel she runs in partnership with her grandmother (Blythe Danner).

These two preternaturally attractive folk fall for each other though Logan, of course, still hasn't told her about the picture. Meanwhile, her possessive ex-husband (J.R. Ferguson, of TV's "Mad Men"), a law man with a father who is a powerful local judge, keeps coming round and threatening to cause trouble.

Director Scott Hicks ("Shine") moves the story along in a deliberate, count-out-the-beats kind of way. It doesn't help that the film's characters are no more fully drawn or distinctive than those found in a generic made-for-TV movie.

Efron mostly plays a gentle nice guy here; if there are deep wells of post-war psychological torment and anguish to Logan, the actor barely communicates them. Schilling occasionally suggests that Beth might have a little steel in her but is called upon to spend most of the movie simply gazing at Efron either longingly or lustfully-sometimes both.

Teen girls and young women, the primary intended audience for this film, will doubtless find it moving. That's the great advantage to being young. Movies like "Lucky One" can seem original and heartfelt-it's manifestly neither-when you haven't already seen similar tripe way too many times.

Dennis Leary's Dick Clark tweets raise eyebrows

Dennis Leary's Dick Clark

LOS ANGELES - Everyone from Ryan Seacrest to the often acerbic Joan Rivers paid tribute to Dick Clark on Wednesday, but "Rescue Me" star Denis Leary decided to go another way.

"With Dick Clark dead, Casey Kasem now reveling in his status as last and reigning king of leather faced syrup voiced lizard people," the comedian Leary tweeted.

Leary's other Clark-related tweets included references to Tupac Shakur's hologram.

"I'm gonna package a Dick Clark Hologram mc'ing a Tupac Hologram summer tour," he tweeted, followed by, "I wanna see Hologram Tupac tour with Hologram Biggie and then both get shot by the actual Suge Knight."

Colton Dixon voted off of ''American Idol''

TV singing contest "American Idol"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colton Dixon, the young singer from Tennessee known for his flamboyant hairstyle, became the fifth person voted off top-rated TV singing contest "American Idol" on Thursday night.

"I wasn't myself last night," said Dixon, whose Wednesday performance of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" was roundly criticized by the show's judges. Dixon thanked them for their honest feedback, and assured them he would incorporate it into a future album.

Host Ryan Seacrest described the singer as "a class act" as he left the stage, and judge Jennifer Lopez shook her head when Dixon's dismissal was announced.

Though Lopez described Dixon's performance as "exciting," she questioned whether he chose the right song for his voice, and mentor Jimmy Iovine said he sounded "completely wrong."

Thursday was Dixon's first - and last - time in the show's bottom three, where he was accompanied by contestants Hollie Cavanagh and Elise Testone, both of whom had found themselves in danger of elimination in previous weeks.

Contestant Jessica Sanchez, who was saved by judges last week after audiences voted her off the show, received enough votes to stay out of the bottom three.

Thursday night's show featured a tribute to Dick Clark, who Seacrest cited as an inspiration and a boon to the music industry. Pop band LMFAO performed its dance hit "Sorry for Party Rockin,'" and "Idol" alum Kris Allen took the stage to sing his song "The Vision of Love."

Five contestants remain on "Idol," which is half of the original number of finalists.

"Idol", which first aired in on Fox in 2002, has launched the careers of singers Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Husdon.

Now in its eleventh season, the show continues to be the most watched reality show in America, though it has received stiff competition from "The Voice" this year.

Audiences vote for their favorite performers by phone and text message each week as contestants are challenged by a variety of musical styles. The winning contestant receives a recording contract. This season's winner will be decided in May.

Police, protesters face off as Bahrain Grand Prix

MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One cars took to the track in Bahrain on Friday, while the government, hoping for a successful Grand Prix, squared off against activists determined to mark it with "days of rage" after more than a year of Arab Spring protests.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year following uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives, but youths still clash daily with riot police in Shi'ite Muslim districts, and thousands take part in opposition rallies.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family, a Sunni Muslim dynasty ruling a majority Shi'ite population caught between neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran with opposite sympathies in its internal strife, hopes the race will offer an opportunity to tell the world that life is returning to normal.

Unrest forced the cancellation of last year's Grand Prix, and the 2012 race has been in doubt as Bahrain's human rights record has come under fire from abroad.

Two members of the British-based Force India team, travelling between Bahrain International Circuit and their hotel in Manama, asked to go home after seeing burning petrol bombs in what the government described as an isolated incident.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Major-General Tariq Al Hassan.

The Force India team said it would conduct only limited practice on Friday because of security fears. Only small crowds were seen in the grandstand on Friday for an event that has cost Bahrain an estimated $40 million to stage . The Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors to the nation of just 1.3 million and generated half a billion dollars in spending when it was last held two years ago.

Opposition parties led by Shi'ite group Wefaq planned to stage a march in a mainly Shi'ite residential district outside Manama later on Friday to demand democratic reforms in a country where the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family dominates government.

Activists are taking the chance to press their case while the world is watching. The leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim attacked the government in a sermon on Friday for ignoring popular demands.

"This is the crisis of a government that does not want to acknowledge the right of people to rule by themselves and choose their representatives," he said. POLICE LOCKDOWN

Manama is under tight security, with dozens of armoured vehicles stationed around the capital and the road to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Though life in Manama's main commercial, residential and tourist districts appears detached from the nightly battles, tear gas often floats in from conflict zones around the capital.

The death toll from the year of turmoil has risen to around 70, activists say, with many due to heavy use of tear gas. The government disputes the causes of death and accuses protesters in Shi'ite villages of being saboteurs out to harm the police.

Activists say riot police are trying to lock Shi'ites down in their villages to stop them gathering on main highways.

They say around 95 protest organisers have been arrested in night raids in the past week and 54 people wounded in clashes, with heavy use of birdshot. Police have declined to give figures on arrests and injuries.

While sports journalists poured in to cover the race, non-sports reporters from Reuters and some other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island.

"Bahrain wants the international attention brought by hosting a Grand Prix but doesn't want foreign journalists to wander from the race track where they might see political protests," said Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York. "Bahrain tells the outside world it has nothing to hide. If that's the case, then it must allow journalists entry visas and let them report freely," he added.

Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, among whose tasks is deterring Iran from making good on recent threats to disrupt Gulf oil tanker routes to the West. Washington has only gently prodded Bahrain's rulers to improve their human rights record and push forward political reforms, and does not want to jeopardise ties with a ruling family it views as an ally in the region. "The F1 media spotlight will only highlight the ongoing troubles Bahrain faces in the absence of any serious attempts at political compromise," wrote Chatham House analyst Jane Kinninmont in online magazine Foreign Policy.

Police, protesters face off as Bahrain Grand Prix

F1

MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One cars took to the track in Bahrain on Friday, while the government, hoping for a successful Grand Prix, squared off against activists determined to mark it with "days of rage" after more than a year of Arab Spring protests.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

On the eve of Friday's practice session, protests had flared in villages surrounding the capital, far from the circuit where the race will be held. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators in clashes that have been building in the week leading to Sunday's round of the World Championship.

Bahrain has been in turmoil since a democracy movement erupted last year following uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Protests were initially crushed with the loss of dozens of lives, but youths still clash daily with riot police in Shi'ite Muslim districts, and thousands take part in opposition rallies.

Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifa family, a Sunni Muslim dynasty ruling a majority Shi'ite population caught between neighbours Saudi Arabia and Iran with opposite sympathies in its internal strife, hopes the race will offer an opportunity to tell the world that life is returning to normal.

Unrest forced the cancellation of last year's Grand Prix, and the 2012 race has been in doubt as Bahrain's human rights record has come under fire from abroad. Two members of the British-based Force India team, travelling between Bahrain International Circuit and their hotel in Manama, asked to go home after seeing burning petrol bombs in what the government described as an isolated incident.

"A number of rioters and vandals had been arrested for taking part in illegal rallies and gatherings, blocking roads and endangering people's lives by attacking them with petrol bombs, iron rods and stones," the Information Affairs Authority said in a statement, citing Major-General Tariq Al Hassan.

The Force India team said it would conduct only limited practice on Friday because of security fears. Only small crowds were seen in the grandstand on Friday for an event that has cost Bahrain an estimated $40 million to stage . The Grand Prix drew 100,000 visitors to the nation of just 1.3 million and generated half a billion dollars in spending when it was last held two years ago.

Opposition parties led by Shi'ite group Wefaq planned to stage a march in a mainly Shi'ite residential district outside Manama later on Friday to demand democratic reforms in a country where the ruling Sunni Al Khalifa family dominates government.

Activists are taking the chance to press their case while the world is watching. The leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim attacked the government in a sermon on Friday for ignoring popular demands.

"This is the crisis of a government that does not want to acknowledge the right of people to rule by themselves and choose their representatives," he said.

POLICE LOCKDOWN

Manama is under tight security, with dozens of armoured vehicles stationed around the capital and the road to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Though life in Manama's main commercial, residential and tourist districts appears detached from the nightly battles, tear gas often floats in from conflict zones around the capital.

The death toll from the year of turmoil has risen to around 70, activists say, with many due to heavy use of tear gas. The government disputes the causes of death and accuses protesters in Shi'ite villages of being saboteurs out to harm the police.

Activists say riot police are trying to lock Shi'ites down in their villages to stop them gathering on main highways. They say around 95 protest organisers have been arrested in night raids in the past week and 54 people wounded in clashes, with heavy use of birdshot. Police have declined to give figures on arrests and injuries.

While sports journalists poured in to cover the race, non-sports reporters from Reuters and some other news organisations have not been granted visas to visit the Gulf island. "Bahrain wants the international attention brought by hosting a Grand Prix but doesn't want foreign journalists to wander from the race track where they might see political protests," said Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York.

"Bahrain tells the outside world it has nothing to hide. If that's the case, then it must allow journalists entry visas and let them report freely," he added. Bahrain is the base for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, among whose tasks is deterring Iran from making good on recent threats to disrupt Gulf oil tanker routes to the West.

Washington has only gently prodded Bahrain's rulers to improve their human rights record and push forward political reforms, and does not want to jeopardise ties with a ruling family it views as an ally in the region. "The F1 media spotlight will only highlight the ongoing troubles Bahrain faces in the absence of any serious attempts at political compromise," wrote Chatham House analyst Jane Kinninmont in online magazine Foreign Policy.

India tests nuke-capable missile able to hit China

indian Missile

NEW DELHI (AP) — India announced the successful test launch Thursday of a new nuclear-capable missile that would give it the ability to strike the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai for the first time, a significant step forward in its aspirations to become a regional and world power.

The Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), still requires a battery of tests and must clear other bureaucratic hurdles before it can be inducted into India's arsenal in a few years. But officials hailed the launch as proof the country has taken its place among the world's most powerful and scientifically advanced nations.

"The nation stands tall today," Defense Minister A.K. Antony said, according to the Press Trust of India.

The test came just days after North Korea's failed rocket launch, but sparked none of the same global condemnation aimed at Pyongyang, an internationally isolated regime that has been banned by the U.N. from testing missile technology.

China is far ahead of India in the missile race, with intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching anywhere in India. Currently, the longest-range Indian missile, the Agni-III, has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) and falls short of many major Chinese cities.

"At the moment there is a huge asymmetry in China's favor," said C. Uday Bhaskar, the former head of the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses. After it adds the missile to its arsenal, however, "India's deterrent profile in the region would be appropriately burnished."

Video released by the government showed the Agni-V taking off from a small launcher on what appeared to be railroad tracks at 8:07 a.m. from Wheeler Island off India's east coast. It rose on a pillar of flame, trailing billows of smoke behind, before arcing through the sky.

The missile hit an altitude of more than 600 kilometers (370 miles), its three stages worked properly and its payload was deployed as planned, the head of India's Defense Research and Development Organization, Vijay Saraswat, told Times Now news channel.

"India has emerged from this launch as a major missile power," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin declined to discuss the launch at a regular news conference Thursday, saying only that India and China should work together as strategic partners.

But a state TV report on the launch enumerated the missile's shortcomings and a Chinese newspaper warned India not to get arrogant and overestimate its strength.

"India should be clear that China's nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China," said an editorial in the Global Times, which is published by the Communist Party's official mouthpiece the People's Daily.

It also warned India not to work with Western allies to try to contain China. "If it equates long range strategic missiles with deterrence of China, and stirs up further hostility, it could be sorely mistaken," it said.

The Agni-V is a solid-fuel, three-stage missile designed to carry a 1.5-ton nuclear warhead. It stands 17.5 meters (57 feet) tall, has a launch weight of 50 tons and was built mainly with Indian-made technology at a reported cost of 25 billion rupees ($486 million). It can be moved across the country by road or rail and can be used to carry multiple warheads or to launch satellites into orbit.

The missile will need four or five more trials before it can be inducted into India's arsenal at some point in 2014 or 2015, Indian officials said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed the launch as "another milestone in our quest to add to the credibility of our security and preparedness and to continuously explore the frontiers of science."

Others called the test a major step in India's fight to be seen as a world power. "India has today become a nation with the capability to develop, produce, build long-range ballistic missiles and today we are among the six countries who have this capability," Saraswat said.

Analysts say France, Russia, China and the United States also have this technology, while Israel is believed to have developed such missiles. Others were more cautious.

Defense analyst Rahul Bedi said much needed to be done, noting that a government that is notoriously slow with defense decisions now needs to push forward with more tests, work out strategic doctrines, define targets, figure out manufacturing issues and how many missiles to build among a host of other issues.

"We need to build on today's success ... to build in a very capable dissausive deterrence capability," he said. "But going back to past records I don't know if we can sustain it." India and China fought a war in 1962 and continue to nurse a border dispute. India has also been suspicious of Beijing's efforts to increase its influence in the Indian Ocean in recent years. India already has the capability of hitting anywhere inside archrival Pakistan, but has engaged in a splurge of defense spending in recent years to counter the perceived Chinese threat. The Indian navy took command of a Russian nuclear submarine earlier this year, and India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier soon. The new Agni, named for the Hindi word for fire, is part of this military buildup and was designed to hit deep inside China, Bedi said. Government officials said the missile should not be seen as a threat because India had a no-first-use policy and its missiles were used only for deterrence. The test came days after North Korea's failed long-range rocket launch. North Korea said the rocket was launched to put a satellite into space, but the U.S. and other countries said it was a cover for testing long-range missile technology. In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States urges all nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint regarding nuclear capabilities. "That said, India has a solid non-proliferation record," he told a news briefing. "They're engaged with the international community on non-proliferation issues."

At least 36 killed in wave of Iraq blasts

BAGHDAD BlastB

BAGHDAD BlastB

BAGHDAD Blast

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 20 bombs hit cities and towns across Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 36 and wounding almost 150, police and hospital sources said, raising fears of sectarian strife in a country whose authorities are keen to show they can now maintain security.

In Baghdad, three car bombs, two roadside bombs and one suicide car bomb hit mainly Shi'ite areas, killing 15 people and wounding 61, the sources said.

Two car bombs and three roadside bombs aimed at police and army patrols in the northern oil city of Kirkuk killed eight people and wounded 26, police and hospital sources said.

"I was trying to stop traffic to let a police patrol pass ...A car bomb exploded, I fell on the ground and police took me to the hospital," a policeman wounded in the face and chest told Reuters as doctors tended him. He declined to be named.

It was Iraq's bloodiest day since Al Qaeda's affiliate in the country, the Islamic State of Iraq group, killed at least 52 people with a series of 30 blasts on March 20.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks. Colonel Dhiya al-Wakeel, a spokesman for the Baghdad operations command, said the attacks were an attempt to convince the Iraqi people that the country was still insecure.

"Our forces are capable of confronting such challenges and this will not affect the improvement in the security situation or our security plans," Wakeel told the State-owned, Iraqiya TV.

Heightened tension between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds in the coalition government since U.S. troops withdrew in December has raised fears of a return to sectarian violence of the kind that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war a few years ago.

The country is less violent than at the height of that conflict in 2006-07, but bombings and killings still happen daily, often aimed at Shi'ite areas and local security forces.

Kirkuk, home to Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and others, is at the heart of a long-running dispute between the central government and the autonomous Kurdish region, which claims the city and the region's rich oil reserves.

HEALTH MINISTER TARGETED Some critics say the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is not doing enough to stem the threat from militants.

"They are saying they are changing security plans, they are redeploying troops but it is like they are changing the decorations only," Ali Al-Haidari, an Iraqi security expert, told Reuters. "Is there any new technology, any new laws supporting the security process? The answer is no. The natural result for that is there are gaps here and there." The biggest attack in Baghdad was in the Kadhimiya district, where a car bomb killed five and wounded 24, sources said. A car bomb targeting the health minister's motorcade went off in the central Haifa district, killing two civilians and wounding at least four of the minister's guards, a police source said. His spokesman said five guards were wounded in the attack. Car and roadside bombs also went off in Baghdad's Amil, Palestine Street and Zaafaraniya districts. A political crisis erupted in Iraq in December when the Shi'ite-led government tried to remove Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq and sought an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he ran death squads. Critics of Maliki viewed the moves as an attempt by the Shi'ite premier to consolidate power, and many Sunnis fear he is trying to sideline them from government. Maliki has said the charges against Hashemi were brought by the judicial system. Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said security force leaders should take responsibility for not stopping the explosions. "Some (groups) are seeking to exploit the domestic crisis to target unity and try to sow sectarian and racist strife," he said in a statement. Elsewhere in northern Iraq, two car bombs targeting government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia went off in Samarra, two blasts hit Baquba, a roadside bomb exploded in Mosul and another roadside device exploded in Taji. One policeman was killed in the town of Hadid, 10 km (6 miles) west of Baquba, when gunmen opened fire on the station where he worked from a passing car, police sources said. In the mainly Sunni Muslim province of Anbar in the west, two car bombs targeting police killed four and wounded 10 in Ramadi while a roadside bomb wounded four people in Falluja. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami and Raheem Salman in Baghdad, Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk, Fadhel al-Badrani in Falluja and Jamal al-Badrani in Mosul; Writing by Serena Chaudhry and Barry Malone; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Apple wants trial on e-book price-fixing: lawyer

apple E-Books

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Inc wants to go to trial to defend itself against U.S. government allegations that it conspired with publishers to raise prices of electronic books, a lawyer for the Silicon Valley giant said in court on Wednesday.

Two publishers took a similar stance in the first hearing in Manhattan federal court since the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice last week accused Apple and five publishers of colluding to break up Amazon.com's low-cost dominance of the digital book market.

The publishers are Macmillan, a unit of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH, and Pearson Plc's Penguin Group.

"Our basic view is that we would like the case to be decided on the merits," Apple lawyer, Daniel Floyd, told U.S. District Judge Denise Cote. "We believe that this is not an appropriate case against us and we would like to validate that."

The judge scheduled the next hearing for June 22. The court also heard that 15 U.S. states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico were in settlement talks with the three publishers. If all 50 states were ultimately to settle, it would have an impact on a separate class action brought by consumers, a HarperCollins lawyer, Shepard Goldfein, told the judge.

Hachette and HarperCollins also settled with a group of U.S. states, agreeing to pay $51 million in restitution to consumers who bought e-books. Simon & Schuster is in negotiations with the states to join that settlement, a lawyer for the company said in court on Wednesday.

The European Commission is also probing Apple and publishers in a similar antitrust probe. It said on Wednesday that it had received settlement proposals from Apple and four publishers - Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette Livre and Macmillan's parent.

The case is USA v Apple Inc et al in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 12-2826 and No. 11-md-02293.

Apple investors brace for more turbulence

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's results will be dissected more closely than ever next week, after a share swoon raised concerns on Wall Street that the stock's gravity-defying rally may be losing steam.

Five straight days of stock losses for the world's most valuable company sparked fears it had ventured into dreaded bubble territory and was overdue for a strong pullback. Shares reversed course on Tuesday, gaining 5 percent.

Between major legal challenges across several continents, increasing competition from Google Inc's Android -- now the world's most-used mobile software -- and confusion over what its next groundbreaking product will look like, more cautious investors are re-evaluating their positions and cashing in some holdings ahead of Apple's second-quarter earnings next Tuesday.

There's reason for caution: Apple's shares surged nearly 60 percent to a high of $644 this year. The slightest sign of trouble in the earnings report may prompt further profit-taking.

"Any disappointment in Apple could lead to a significant selloff in the short term," said Channing Smith, co-manager at Capital Advisors Growth Fund. "Are we long term believers in Apple? Absolutely, but as we move forward...you get up here to over $600 and you say, ‘Hmm, this is getting pretty frothy, expectations may be getting out of line.'"

Apple shares fell 7 percent when the company missed Wall Street expectations for the first time in years last October.

Should investors choose to park their cash elsewhere, many believe they will eventually return.

Most investors remain bullish on the longer-term -- 45 out of 53 Wall Street investment banking analysts still have "Buy" or "Strong Buy" ratings on the stock, citing robust iPhone and iPad sales and new products from a TV to a 4G iPhone coming down the pike.

They argue that Apple will again reveal a bumper quarter, attributing the nearly 9 percent slump in the stock since last Tuesday to a combination of pre-earnings caution and profit-taking, and successive strings of sell orders triggered as the lofty shares retreated.

In the days leading up to the selloff, at least two analysts predicted the stock will vault over $1000. Wall Street analysts on average expect it to touch $675 in the next 12 months.

Apple, riding on strong iPhone and iPad sales, has smashed consensus estimates in recent quarters. But any dissatisfaction with the numbers could weigh heavily on its shares, which have quadrupled over the past two and a half years.

Major challenges for the California firm this year include the lawsuit against it by the U.S. Justice Department for alleged collusion on ebook prices and a potential hit on gross margins if key contract manufacturer Foxconn is able to pass on increased labor costs. The world's most valuable company is expected to present a positive short-term picture when it reports earnings. Apple is estimated to have sold between 30 million and 35 million iPhones and around 13 million iPads on average last quarter, according to Wall Street analysts. Monstrous sales of the iPhone -- 37.04 million -- accounted for more than half of Apple's first quarter revenue and assuaged investors' worries about the company's size slowing it down. "It's going to be a blowout quarter, just like the last one, but there's been a big move in the stock and to trim back on your position a little bit makes imminent sense," said David Rolfe, chief investment officer at St. Louis-based Wedgewood Partners Inc, who manages $1.6 billion.

IPHONE SALES SEEN STRONG