Opening Ceremony , live stream of london , london olympics opening ceremony

Young people audition to take part in the Opening Ceremony 

 

The Opening Ceremony is a celebration showcasing the best of the Host Nation. It also features a parade of all competing nations and the highly anticipated entrance of the Olympic Flame, which ignites the Cauldron and signals the start of the Games. 

The eyes of the world will be on London for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Ceremony will provide an opportunity for the world to view the artistic expression of the Artistic Director (Danny Boyle) and his team, and the culture of our Host City and the UK. There are certain elements that must feature in every Ceremony, as outlined in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) charter. The artistic performance of the Ceremony then gets underway and welcomes the world to the London 2012 Games. 

The name of the Olympic Opening Ceremony show will be ‘Isles of Wonder’ and the worldwide broadcast will commence at 9pm. The Ceremony will kick off with the sound of the largest harmonically tuned bell in Europe, produced by the Whitechapel Foundry, and the Stadium will be transformed into the British countryside for opening scene ‘Green and Pleasant’, which includes real farmyard animals. The Ceremony will also include a special sequence celebrating the best of British, featuring volunteer performers from the NHS. 

Danny Boyle, Artistic Director of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, said: ‘Our Isles of Wonder salutes and celebrates the exuberant creativity of the British genius in an Opening Ceremony that we hope will be as unpredictable and inventive as the British people.’ 

Read more about the creative team behind the Opening Ceremony

Receiving the Head of State

The Head of State of the Host Country is received at the entrance of the Olympic Stadium by the President of the IOC. For the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, Her Majesty the Queen will be greeted by Jacques Rogge.

Parade of Athletes

A procession of the participating teams in the Stadium, nation by nation. Teams enter in alphabetical order, according to the language of the Host Country, apart from the Greek team, which enters first for the Olympics, and the team of the Host Nation (in this case Team GB), who march in last.

Speeches

Once all the nations have arrived into the Stadium, LOCOG Chair Seb Coe will give a speech, followed by Jacques Rogge. They will end their speeches by inviting the Head of State to officially declare the Games open.

Olympic Anthem and Flag

Once the Games have been declared open, the Olympic Flag is then carried into the Stadium and hoisted into the air as the respective Anthem is played. The Olympic Charter states that each flag must fly for the entire duration of the Games – placed in a prominent position in the main Stadium.

Oaths

A participating athlete, judge and coach from the Host Nation stand on the rostrum and, holding a corner of the IOC flag in their left hand and raising their right, take the Oath, vowing to compete and judge according to the rules of their respective sport,.

The Torch and Cauldron

The big finale is the entrance of the Olympic Flame into the Stadium. It is passed through the athletes to the final Torchbearer, who will ceremoniously light the Cauldron, indicating the beginning of the Games. The Flame will continue to burn for the whole of the Games.

Creative team

A host of world-class British directors and producers are leading the artistic team to stage the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Performers

A total cast of 15,000 will take part in the London 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which will be watched by an estimated audience of four billion.

Ireland news : Michaela murder: Hunt on for culprit after gruesome picture leak

Ireland news : Michaela murder: Hunt on for culprit after gruesome picture leak

BUNGLING Mauritian police are facing fresh questions about how graphic photographs of Michaela McAreavey's body were leaked to a local newspaper.

The murdered honeymooner's family reacted with horror yesterday when it emerged that a Sunday paper had published a disturbing picture of her lifeless body across its front page.

Inside there were more pictures, including close-ups of marks on Michaela's neck.

A spokesman for the McAreavey and Harte families told the Irish Independent: "They are in shock as to how far this has gone." Defence lawyers for the two hotel workers cleared of her murder last week insisted the images had not been leaked by their camp.

But the Mauritian police and the newspaper that published the photos -- the Mauritian 'Sunday Times' -- remained silent on the controversy.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny branded the publication "a gross affront to human dignity" and said the Government would be lodging a formal complaint with the Mauritian government.

The Mauritian 'Sunday Times', a paper with no connection to any British or Irish company, used a large picture of Michaela's body in what they dubbed a front-page "picture exclusive".

Inside there was a full page of more images, including close-ups of Michaela's scratched and bruised neck.

The black-and-white crime scene pictures included:

- An almost full-length image of Michaela, her eyes closed, wearing her bikini and a skirt.

- A close-up of the injuries on her neck.

- A photograph of the empty bathtub where she was found.

- A photograph showing the disarray in the McAreaveys' hotel room.

Bizarrely, while her bikini top is blacked out on the inside pages, there is no effort to disguise her injuries, and the same picture on the front page is not blacked out.

The distressing images are accompanied by a column entitled: 'Opinion -- At large, Michaela I feel sorry for you'.

It mentions how her killer is still at large, criticises the prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, and laments the failure of the police to bring the murderer to justice.

The Harte and McAreavey families reacted furiously to the publication last night.

They called on Mauritian authorities to ensure "insensitive reporting" by newspapers within its jurisdiction does not further exacerbate the "violation of Michaela and the hurt to John".

"As the families struggle to come to terms with the result from the trial, this reprehensible and repugnant action by this newspaper is not only insensitive to their grief but it marks another low in the treatment of John, the two families and the dignity of Michaela," the statement added.

Shock

A spokesman for the Harte and McAreavey families said they had not considered any action against the newspaper just yet.

"Nobody is even in that mindset at the minute. They are kind of in shock about how far this has gone," he said.

Their Mauritian lawyer, Dick Su Wa, called the publication of the pictures "scandalous", saying he had "no idea" how such pictures could have been leaked.

"I am going to contact the police commissioner and the DPP to ensure there is a full investigation into the matter," he said.

It is understood that the parties to have been in possession of the sensitive pictures include the police, the defence and prosecution teams, the junior counsels on both sides, and possibly former lawyers for both of the accused men.

The Mauritian police force could not put forward a spokesperson when contacted by the Irish Independent yesterday, as their press office was closed.

But defence lawyers for the two hotel workers acquitted of her murder, Avinash Treebhoowoon and Sandip Moneea, told the Irish Independent that their respective teams had no involvement in passing the images to the newspaper.

Mr Treebhoowoon's defence lawyer, Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, said that it could not have been anyone from his team who leaked the photographs.

He said: "As far as I am concerned, all of the photographs we have been given are in my possession. I do not give sensitive materials like that to journalists. It is most unethical and irresponsible for a journalist to publish such things."

Mr Moneea's lawyer, Rama Valayden, also denied the possibility the pictures could have been leaked from his team.

"I don't know where they could have come from," he said.

"I am ashamed such a thing has appeared in a newspaper."

Mr Kenny expressed his disgust at the publication and pledged to make a formal complaint to the Mauritian government.

"The publication of these images represents an appalling invasion of privacy and is a gross affront to human dignity.

"There are issues of fundamental human rights in question in relation to this deeply upsetting matter."

Jobs Minister Richard Bruton also said he was "appalled" by the publication of the pictures.

"I know the desolation that his family has been through but this is beyond all realms of public interest to be fundamentally invading the human rights of this family," Mr Bruton said.

Authorities

"The Government will be looking to see how we can take steps to try and protect the family because it is not legitimate, it is not fair, it is not proper."

Meanwhile last night, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore said he would be meeting Ireland's Ambassador to Mauritius this morning and the Irish Government was determined to make a strong protest to the authorities there.

"I was shocked to learn of the publication today by a Mauritian newspaper of images relating to the murder of Michaela McAreavey.

"Our Ambassador to Mauritius, Brendan McMahon, is currently in Ireland, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning to discuss this matter and to agree how to bring our concerns to the attention of the authorities in Mauritius at the highest levels and in the most effective way possible.

"This is a deeply distressing development for the families of Michaela and John and demonstrates a total lack of respect for their feelings and rights," he added.

Singapore News : 80 SCDF officers battling hotel fire

Singapore News : 80 SCDF officers battling hotel fire

SINGAPORE: Eleven people -- four children, five adults and two fire-fighters -- were injured in a fire at East Village Hotel at Marine Parade Road on Monday.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the injured have been sent to the Singapore General Hospital.

In its latest tweet, SCDF said about 80 officers have been battling the fire for four hours with six water jets.

Fifty civilians have been evacuated.

SCDF said the fire was contained within the premises of the hotel. It added that battling the fire was challenging due to very poor visibility as a result of thick smoke.

The blaze involves hard, rubber-like polystyrene boards in the basement of the premises.

Channel NewsAsia understands the four children and two of the adults who sustained injuries are from the same family who came to Singapore from Pakistan for a holiday.

The mother, who suffers from asthma, is being treated for smoke inhalation.

SCDF earlier said it had received a call about the incident at 9.06am.

It tweeted at about 12.20pm that the fire had engulfed the construction area in the hotel lobby.

Viewers who called the Channel NewsAsia hotline said the hotel, located at 25 Marine Parade Road, was engulfed in thick, black smoke.

One motorist, Mr Tan, said visibility along East Coast Road was also affected by the smoke.

Far East Organization, which manages the East Village Hotel, said in a statement that the hotel was affected by fumes from a fire that started at about 8.30am.

All guests and staff have been accounted for and safely evacuated, said Mr Raphael Saw, the Chief Operating Officer of Far East Organization's Hospitality Business Group.

The few guests and workers who were affected by smoke inhalation were receiving medical attention, while alternative arrangements were being arranged for affected guests at Changi Village Hotel, added Mr Saw.

Cherie Hearts @ Eastgate, a kindergarten and infant care centre at 46 East Coast Road, had asked parents to pick up their children from the centre as the air quality in the area was affected.

civil war : Red Cross declares 16-month bloody conflict in Syria,

civil war : Red Cross declares 16-month bloody conflict in Syria,

HONS/AP

Free Syrian Army soldiers aim their weapons in Idlib province, northern Syria on Friday.

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's 16-month bloodbath crossed an important symbolic threshold Sunday as the international Red Cross formally declared the conflict a civil war, a status with implications for potential war crimes prosecutions.

The Red Cross statement came as United Nations observers gathered new details on what happened in a village where dozens were reported killed in a regime assault. After a second visit to Tremseh on Sunday, the team said Syrian troops went door-to-door in the small farming community, checking residents' IDs and then killing some and taking others away.

AFP/Getty Images

Destruction in Homs Karm Shamsham neighborhood earlier this month.

According to the U.N., the attack appeared to target army defectors and activists.

"Pools of blood and brain matter were observed in a number of homes," a U.N. statement said.

AFP/Getty Images

Bodies of men who were reportedly killed in massacre in the village of Treimsa, in the central province of Hama.

Syria denied U.N. claims that government forces had used heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery and helicopters during the attack Thursday.

Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said the violence was not a massacre — as activists and many foreign leaders have alleged — but a military operation targeting armed fighters who had taken control of the village.

PIERRE TORRES/AFP/Getty Images

UN observers inspect a bombarded school in the Syrian village of Treimsa, where more than 150 people were killed.

"What happened wasn't an attack on civilians," Makdissi told reporters Sunday in Damascus. He said 37 gunmen and two civilians were killed — a far lower death toll than the one put forward by anti-regime activists, some of whom estimated the dead at more than 100.

"What has been said about the use of heavy weapons is baseless," Makdissi added.

D. LEAL OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images

Syrians point to the spot where a shell fell in the Syrian village of Treimsa.

The U.N. has implicated President Bashar Assad's forces in the assault. The head of the U.N. observer mission said Friday that monitors stationed near Tremseh saw the army using heavy weaponry and attack helicopters.

The fighting was some of the latest in the uprising against Assad, which activists say has killed more than 17,000 people. Violence continued Sunday, with more clashes reported around the capital, Damascus.

The bloodshed appeared to be escalating. On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it now considers the Syrian conflict a civil war, meaning international humanitarian law applies throughout the country.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/red-cross-declares-16-month-conflict-syria-civil-war-article-1.1115180#ixzz291eZ9Jcp

Bodies found in search finding a missing Missouri sisters Britny Haarup and Ashley Key ,Bad news for us

Bodies found in search finding a  missing Missouri sisters Britny Haarup and Ashley Key ,Bad news for us

Britny Haarup, 19, and Ashley Key, 22, two Missouri sisters who disappeared from their home on Friday. (KCTV)

(AP) EDGERTON, Mo. - Authorities in Platte County, Mo., say officials have found the bodies of two women in a field after officials interrogated "a suspect in the disappearance of Britny Haarup and Ashley Key."

The Kansas City Star reported late Sunday that the bodies were found near Trimble, Mo., in Clinton County. Platte County Sheriff's Capt. Erik Holland told the newspaper the bodies were those of white women but he could not immediately confirm the victims' identities or how they had died.

Holland said authorities "were led" to the area where the bodies were found by talking to the suspect in case, whom he did not identify.

"That individual is under arrest and in custody," he said.

Haarup, 19, and Key, 22, were reported missing Friday after Haarup's fiancé, Matt Meyers, came home to find his 6- and 18-month old daughters alone and in the same crib. Relatives of the women said there was blood on the couch in the Edgerton residence, located about 35 miles north of Kansas City.

"The truck was gone, the girls were gone and Matt has some personal guns that had been missing as well. That is all he had to tell me, and I knew something was wrong at that point," the mother of the missing women, Taresa Haarup, told KCTV.

The Platte County Sheriff's Department said Sunday that authorities were speaking with a person of interest in the case and have executed two search warrants.

The missing truck was found parked on a gravel road Saturday, prompting authorities to search the surrounding fields. Although there were no signs of foul play, the truck was towed to the Kansas City crime laboratory to check for evidence.

Matt Meyers, left, the father of Adilynn Meyers, six months, stands with his grandmother MaryAnn Goad, holding Adilynn, and Paul Haarup, the father of the two missing girls, during a candlelight vigil in Edgerton, Mo., July 14, 2012.

(Credit: AP)

The sisters' father, Paul Haarup, begged for his daughters' safe return during a candlelight vigil Saturday night that drew a crowd of about 70 people.

"Whoever has them, give them a phone, have them call us, put an end to this," Haarup told KSHB.

Family members fear the sisters were abducted. They said Key, the mother of a 4-year-old girl, had been running with a bad crowd and sought her sister's help turning her life around.

"That's why she came to Britny and Matt's house; to get help, to get out of that lifestyle. She was very serious about getting help," Cassandra Meyers, sister-in-law of Matt Meyers, told KSHB.

Haarup's fiancé said his daughters need their mother back home.

floods in Japan : Relief teams work as residents return,

Japanese troops have been airlifting supplies to thousands of people

Residents of Japan's flood-hit areas are being allowed to return home after record rainfall that left thousands cut off and at least 26 people dead.

Clean-up efforts have also started after evacuation orders were lifted in the southern island of Kyushu.

A year's worth of rain fell in some areas over the weekend, causing landslides. 

Troops are airlifting supplies to those trapped in mountainous areas and seeking at least six missing people.

Residents have started to clean up the mud and debris from their homes, with felled trees and debris also being removed from the roads. 

"We are stepping up efforts to remove rubble as roads remain covered with mud at many points," Masatatsu Minoda, an official from Kumamoto prefecture, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

"Workers are engaged in clean-up efforts while taking care against possible further landslides. We may have to stop working if it rains heavily again."

BBC Weather's Helen Willetts explains how the torrential rain is formed .The weather agency says the worst is over but it warns that even a small amount of rainfall could trigger further landslides, says the BBC's Mariko Oi in Tokyo.

More rain and thunderstorms were being forecast for some areas, reports said.

On Sunday officials said 26 people were known to have died in Kumamoto, Oita and Fukuoka prefectures. Reports said most of the victims were elderly people in their 70s and 80s.

Evacuation orders were issued on Saturday for a quarter of a million people. The orders were lifted in most areas on Sunday as the rain stopped and many people were allowed to return to their homes.

Heavy rain has also caused flooding in parts of Japan's historic capital, Kyoto, on the main island of Honshu.

Are you in Japan? Have you been affected by the floods? You can send us your experiences using the form below.

Iowa news : 2 Iowa girls still missing ,$15,000 reward on found girl

Iowa news : 2 Iowa girls still missing ,$15,000 reward on found girl

Two young Iowa girls remain missing despite the efforts of more than 1,100 volunteers and law enforcement officers to find them, authorities said.

Authorities in Evans dale said Sunday night there were no indications cousins Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook-Morrison, 10, were the victims of foul play, though the possibility had not been ruled out, The Des Moines Register reported.

"We've covered everything we can cover with civilian people," Marcus Norman, the Evansdale Fire Department's volunteer coordinator, said. "Law enforcement is still working on the residential areas and things of that sort."

A $15,000 reward is being offered in the disappearance of the girls, who were last seen about 12:15 p.m. Friday by their grandmother as they headed out for a bike ride. Their bikes were found about 4 p.m. Friday at nearby Meyers Lake. Elizabeth's purse and cellphone were found about 20 feet away.

Dragging the lake and an extensive search of the entire city and surrounding vicinity by the army of volunteers turned up no further sign of the girls, the newspaper said.

The girls' families said they haven't given up hope.

"Sometimes when you think about it, you wonder if they're dead somewhere, but you try to push those thoughts out of your mind," said Misty Cook-Morrissey, Lyric's mother. "It's been good talking to people. ... It keeps your mind off of what's happening."

Elizabeth Collins' mother, Heather Collins, said would be unusual for her daughter to stray very far from home on her own.

Obama now talk about draws line in tax | good news for middle class family

Obama now talk about draws line in tax | good news for middle class family 

The president emphasizes a key distinction between the parties as he asks Congress to uphold tax cuts for middle-class families. Republicans hope to frame the issue to their advantage.

President Obama called Monday for an extension of George W. Bush-era tax cuts, but only for families making less than $250,000 a year. (Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images / December 31, 1969)

By Christi Parsons and Lisa Mascaro, Washington Bureau

July 9, 2012, 8:44 p.m.

WASHINGTON — By calling on Republicans to approve a one-year extension of tax cuts for families earning less than $250,000 a year, President Obama escalated the election-year focus on taxes, emphasizing a key distinction between the two parties and seeking to create a mandate for a tax plan after the election.

Neither White House officials nor congressional leaders expect a tax bill to pass before November. Mitt Romney and fellow Republicans want to extend existing cuts for all taxpayers, regardless of income. Obama says the country can't afford the cost — the price tag for the upper-income tax cuts is about $800 billion over 10 years.

White House aides said Monday that if he was reelected, the president would veto any move to extend all of the upper-income tax cuts.

The tax cuts passed during theGeorge W. Bushadministration expire on Dec. 31, along with the payroll tax cut approved under Obama. If all those cuts go away, a middle-income family that makes about $70,000 a year would face a tax increase of about $3,000. Higher-income families would feel a much bigger bite.

Those tax increases, along with automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect at the same time, would shrink the federal deficit in half overnight. But many economists say the sudden impact would also throw the nation back into recession.

Congress probably won't let that happen — lawmakers won't want to inflict that much pain on so many voters and risk lasting damage to the economy at the same time. So some tax cuts will probably be extended. Which ones will depend on who wins in November.

Over the next four months, both parties hope to frame the issue to their advantage, with much depending on how voters view Americans earning more than $250,000 — the top 2% of the income scale, as Democrats emphasize, or the "job creators" that Republicans talk about.

Even before Obama made his announcement, the Romney campaign sought to push its interpretation, issuing a statement, echoed by congressional GOP leaders, that accuses Obama of seeking to "raise taxes on families, job creators and small businesses."

Later, in a radio interview, Romney called Obama's plan "a massive tax increase on job creators and on small business."

"Successful small businesses will see their taxes go up dramatically, and that will kill jobs," the unofficial Republican presidential nominee told Virginia-based conservative radio host John Fredericks in an interview taped to air Tuesday.

Obama was equally emphatic in framing the debate his way.

"I'm calling on Congress to extend the tax cuts for the 98% of Americans who make less than $250,000," he said Monday, standing at a lectern in the White House East Room with a group of working Americans on risers behind him.

The president and his advisors hope to use the tax issue on three levels. Obama wants voters to see the election as a choice between two competing ideologies, rather than as simply a referendum on the economic conditions of the last 3 1/2 years. Highlighting a major policy issue on which he and the Republicans disagree helps that effort.

The nation's economic recovery is being impeded by "a stalemate in this town … between two very different views about which direction we should go in as a country. And nowhere is that stalemate more pronounced than on the issue of taxes," Obama said.

The near certainty that Congress will not act on a tax bill in the next several months also allows Obama to continue one of his favorite campaign motifs — running against a "do-nothing Congress."

Finally, although he did not mention his rival by name, a public debate on taxes plays into the Obama campaign's separate effort to raise questions about Romney's own taxes. Obama campaign aides have hammered at Romney in recent days, suggesting that his decision to release only two years of tax returns suggests he must be hiding something.

The issue "sets up a contrast about the choices and priorities of the candidates," said a senior Obama campaign official, speaking anonymously to discuss campaign strategy.

But the issue also creates stresses in both parties, which will become evident over the next few weeks as the House and Senate schedule competing test votes.

In the House, SpeakerJohn A. Boehner(R-Ohio) has promised a vote to keep all tax rates at the levels established under Bush for one year. A vote on extending all the tax cuts revs up Republican voters but also is designed to be difficult for Democrats from conservative-leaning swing districts. Some of them will probably abandon the president rather than risk being attacked for raising taxes.

from ...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-taxes-20120710,0,1738519.story

Abu Jundal arrest: The Saudi message,LeT trained Jundal to fly planes for a 9/11-style attack on India,Jundal's role in Mumbai attacks

The deportation of Sayed Zabiudd-in Ansari alias Abu Jundal from Saudi Arabia to India last week has implications beyond simply its unravelling of the 26/11 plot.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's spokesman exacerbated an evolving situation by a midnight flip-flop over the release of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian sentenced to death for terrorism.

Whatever the truth, the impression congeals of an administration bending to the will of jihadis and the military.

The entire charade is conducted as the India-Pakistan parleys, christened as "talks" instead of "composite dialogue", loom in July at the foreign secretary level.

Abu Jundal's significance is as a live witness who links the 26/11 operation in Mumbai and Ajmal Kasab and his nine dead accomplices to the hatchers, financiers and handlers of the conspiracy in Pakistan, because he was in the control room in Karachi.

Although Pakistan arrested some conspirators exempting their leader Hafiz Saeed, they in effect investigated reluctantly, discounted leads from the David Headley trial, scoffed at Indian dossiers, refused to furnish voice samples of those detainees suspected to be the callers from Karachi, pleaded procedural and evidentiary limitations and so on.

While most voices in the 2008 recordings spoke a Punjabi-Urdu hybrid, one stood out for using Hindi lexicon, raising the possibility that this was the Indian link.

Painstaking work by Indian and undoubtedly the US agencies finally identified him as Abu Jundal, eventually tracing him to his Saudi refuge.

Abu Jundal's voice sample can now link him to the tapes and he can then identify the other gloating worthies committing murder by proxy.

In evidentiary terms, Pakistan's excuses on paucity of evidence will now be redundant in the face of Abu Jundal testimony or confessions. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Rehman Malik, now without ministerial rank over his suspected dual nationality, reverted to stone-walling and denial as Pakistan did immediately after 26/11.

Abu Jundal, he said, is an Indian national, conspiring with indigenous Muslims and thus an Indian problem. He ignored mentioning that Saudis had, in fact, rejected Pakistani pleas that as Abu Jundal possessed a Pakistani passport he should be deported to Pakistan. Their concern is understandable as they may no longer be able to insulate state agencies and the top echelons of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba/Jammat-ud-Dawa from credible evidence of direct complicity.

Additionally, being the highest ranking Indian in the LeT and their link with the Indian modules, Abu Jundal can betray planned operations, network details and modus operandi of funding, training and recruitment.

Once disrupted the modules take a long time to rebuild. It is thus necessary that competitive bidding between rival police and intelligence forces in India does not obstruct coordinated action.

Even more significant is its impact on Pakistan's relations with its three principal allies ie the US, China and Saudi Arabia.

US-Pakistan relations have regressed to an extent that the US Congress is now attaching caveats to aid to deter Pakistan from collaboration with sundry radical allies like the Taliban, Haqqanis and Punjabi radical groups.

It appears that Saudis are sending a similar signal to Pakistan, despite historically having tendered critical financial succour, mediated in domestic Pakistani squabbles, indoctrinated Pakistani clerics, used Pakistani troops for buttressing its security and even rumoured to have a link to Pakistan's nuclear programme.

What then made Saudi Arabia hand-over such a major counter-terrorism asset to India?

Today, Saudi Arabia is buffeted by domestic and external factors.

Arab Spring, leading to deposition of authoritarian regimes, some aligned to Saudis, rattled them enough to defray in 2011 $130 billion to their citizens. Despite their rising income, exploding population has arrested their per capita GDP at $20,000.

To sustain their budget, oil price must remain above $80 per barrel.

Their stand-off with Iran, symbolised by their support to the ruling family of Bahrain, being opposed by Bahrain's Shia majority, in addition to Iranian obduracy over their nuclear programme are also making them look beyond the US for allies. After their brutal fight against Al Qaeda in the kingdom in 2003-2006, their stock-market melted in 2006, remaining even today at 50 per cent below its peak.

King Abdullah, ruling since 2005, is a pragmatist. His gradualist reform desire has been stymied by the remnants of the powerful clique of his seven half-brothers born to a Sudeiri mother, a favourite wife of his father. His predecessor King Fahd and two Crown Princes Sultan and Nayef, both dead in the last eight months, were Sudeiris. So too is the new Crown Prince Salman, though he is less of a status quoist than Nayef, who held the crucial position of interior minister till his death on June 16.

The youngest half-brother of King Abdullah is Prince Muqrim, born to a lowly Yemeni mother, but perceived as King's ally and thus made the head of intelligence. King Abdullah may thus just be beginning to assert.

The deportation of Abu Jundal is thus a strong message to Pakistan to get a grip on its jihadi networks, whom Saudis are now perceiving as a distraction if not a threat.

Saudis are also factoring-in their rivalry with Iran and sending a signal to India to rebalance its relations with that country.


This opens up immense strategic possibilities for India to contain Pakistan, reduce Indian dependence on Iranian oil, participate in the burgeoning Saudi economic development and become a key player in the Gulf security architecture.

It is not a coincidence that India-US strategic engagement has concomitantly expanded. Pakistan may just discover that even its all-weather friend China may also be mulling a similar reassessment of the costs and benefits of their partnership with Pakistan. Pakistan's time for cost-free duplicity in counter-terrorism may be over.

from...


http://ibnlive.in.com/news/abu-jundal-arrest-the-saudi-message/268635-3.html

stock market : Sensex up 439 points,todays latest news for stock

Stock markets closed on Friday with the biggest single-day gain of 439 points in 2012 as investors, richer by Rs 1.17 lakh crore, cheered clarity on tax-avoidance rules and upbeat global market sentiments.

Sensex, which rose for the fourth straight day, opened higher with the Finance Ministry announcing the draft GAAR guidelines late last night.

Sentiments improved further as foreign inflows poured in after global investment bank Morgan Stanley upgraded India markets to “equal-weight” from the long-standing “under—weight” status.

The bullish sentiment was further supported by news that meeting of EU leaders have come up with a plan for a single financial supervisory mechanism for the debt-ridden region.

The BSE benchmark index settled at 17,429.98 — a level last seen in April 19 -- higher by 439.22 points or 2.59 per cent. The gauge surpassed its previous biggest single-day gain of 434 points on June 6.

As many as 29 out of the 30-share Sensex ended higher with gains led by Jindal Steel that rose 8.74 per cent, followed by Tata Power,ICICI Bank, Bhel and Sterlite which rose in the 5—6 per cent range.

In the broader market, nearly 1,870 stocks rose with investor wealth going up from Rs 60.35 lakh crore to Rs 61.52 lakh crore.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty spurted by 129.75 points, or 2.52 per cent to 5,278.90 on fund-based buying in capital goods, power and banking stocks.

The Sensex has gained nearly 550 points in the last four days coinciding with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself taking over charge of finance portfolio and signalling speedy revival of the slowing economic growth.

Meanwhile, the rupee rebounded by 91 paise to trade at 55.89 against the US dollar on hopes that the government steps will check the currency’s slide, also aiding market sentiment.

Apax, JMI to Buy Software Maker Paradigm for $1 Billion – Bloomberg

San Diego-based private eqity firm JMI Equity and fellow private equity investor Apax Partners said this morning that they have agreed to acquire Paradigm ltd.,

a developer of software for the oil and gas exploration and production industry. The deal was worth approximately $1 billion in cash.

Paradigm provides software used for analysis of drilling and production of oil wells. The companies said that Apax was advised by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Simmons & Co.,

and Paradigm was advised by Jeffries & COmpany, Inc., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and PwC.

Debt financing for the deal came from UBS and Royal Bank of Canada.

Apple 2012: Apple MacBook Pro , Retina Display

Price as reviewed $2,199
Processor 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM
Memory 8GB, 1600MHz DDR3
Hard drive 256GB SSD
Chipset Intel HM77
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M / Intel HD 4000
Operating system OS X Lion 10.7.4
Dimensions (WD) 14.1 x 9.7 inches
Height 0.7 inch
Screen size (diagonal) 15.4 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 4.6/5.4 pounds
Category Midsize

Apple MacBook Pro : Retina Display


The good:

The unprecedented high-resolution screen on the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display

makes images -- even simple text -- look beautifully clear. Despite a redesigned,

lightweight body, the powerful components, including an Nvidia GPU, compare well to recent high-end desktop replacements.

Overdue new ports,

including USB 3.0 and HDMI, are welcome.

The bad: With a $2,199 entry-level price tag, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display costs more than the typical American mortgage.

The lack of onboard Ethernet jack, FireWire, or an optical drive can be inconvenient at times.

Despite being thinner and lighter, it's not as travel-friendly as a true ultrabook or MacBook Air.

The bottom line: The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed.

MSRP: $2,199.00

Low Price: $2,194.00

For more information...visit


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http://www.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-with/4505-3121_7-35331572.html

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Kevin Durant : NBA Finals going on....

according to ...

sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Kevin Durant

These NBA Finals have quickly morphed into a Kevin Durant vs.

LeBron James debate, which was natural and not surprising. Durant has reached the level where people can't help it -- they want to compare him to the best in the game.

Durant's Oklahoma City teammates do it too. They will tell him: You're right there with Kobe. You're as good as LeBron.

And he says: "No, I'm not."


"That's how he is, he is very humble," said Dexter Pittman of the Heat.

"Kevin is one of the most humble guys I've ever met. He's not flashy.

You can't even tell that he's in the NBA. He doesn't wear designer clothes.

He is always wearing a hat, backpack and shorts. That's how he is. Simple."

Whichever God is responsible for handing out basketball talents really outdid Himself with LeBron James. Nobody has ever had a hoops package quite like him.

He has the size of some of the best power forwards, the skill of some of the best shooters, the passing skills of an All-Star point guard,

and athleticism that rivals anybody in the history of the game. The package comes with a single burden: Everybody has seen it from the time James was in high school.

For more information...visit

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_rosenberg/06/13/kevin.durant.finals/index.html

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A French Open 2012 : Grand Slam for Sharapova

according to ,.......

the newyork times.....Tennis

Ever since shoulder surgery nearly forced Maria Sharapova into early retirement, she occupied an odd, conflicted space in both tennis and the wider world of sports.

She remained among the most marketable female athletes on the planet, tall and blond and famous, a superstar in every sense except the most important one.

That recent gap between her game and her fame closed considerably on Saturday, closed by virtue of another one-sided affair that sent Sharapova knees first onto the clay, then bounding into the stands, where she kissed not one but two babies.

After Sharapova dismantled Sara Errani of Italy, 6-3, 6-2, she held aloft the silver French Open championship trophy, for her the most elusive of the major championships.

For Sharapova, the triumph at once completed a career Grand Slam and her comeback to the highest level of her sport,

two notions that seemed improbable as recently as two years ago. After all the millions earned and tournaments won and magazine covers graced,

Sharapova said she knew the instant her knees hit clay Saturday that this title meant more to her than any other.

“It’s the most unique moment I’ve experienced in my career,” she said. “I never thought I would have that.”

It can be hard to believe that Sharapova is 25 years old now, eight years removed from the Wimbledon triumph at 17 that announced her prodigious talent,

four years removed from the shoulder surgery that nearly prematurely buried it.

Sharapova has been praised and dismissed, lauded and ridiculed, and she swore Saturday that, through all that, she never listened to any voice except her own.

For more information...visit


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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/sports/tennis/maria-sharapova-wins-french-open.html


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bachelor party : ribs for Sanchez

bachelor party, http://velonews.competitor.com ...

according TO

bachelor party De Gendt

no broken ribs for Sanchez....

Samuel Sanchez’s Tour participation not in danger — NUSport

Samuel Sánchez will be able to ride the Tour de France and defend his Olympic title despite a nasty crash during the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Monday.

Team doctors were concerned that the 2008 Olympic champion may have sustained broken ribs in the fall, but X-rays sunday night revealed no broken bones, only bruising.

Thomas de Gendt even rides at his bachelor party — Het Nieuwsblad

Even the bachelor party of Thomas de Gendt, third in this year’s Giro d’Italia, involved bikes. The Belgian, who is set to be married on June 30,


went out with five friends in Oudenaarde, Belgium, on Saturday night. As part of the games, he was forced to ride a folding bike around the town center,

eat a hamburger in one gulp, and collect the phone numbers of various girls.

for more visit..

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/newswire-de-gendts-bachelor-party-no-broken-ribs-for-sanchez_222469

dda : 9th week of games leader

according to ... halosheaven

Week 09 leader is dda!

WIth the 9th week of games complete, Halos Heaven saw 98 players with an average of 73 playing per day.

dda was able to stand out among the rest and grabbed 11 points to win the crown for the week.

A pair of 4-pointers will definitely help you get that top spot though. Andyman just missed out with 10. Find where you stand here.

For more information...visit

http://www.halosheaven.com/2012/6/9/3075671/week-09-leader-is-dda

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New iPad Tops Three Million : apple

New iPad Tops Three Million

Apple today announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad, since its launch on Friday, March 16.

The new iPad features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller,

Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad,

including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”


http://www.apple.com/in/pr/library/2012/03/19New-iPad-Tops-Three-Million.html

apple : iCloud Available 12 October ..

apple : iCloud Available 12 October ..

From his official Website.........

Apple today announced that iCloud — a breakthrough set of free cloud services that includes iTunes in the Cloud,

Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud — will be available on 12 October. iCloud stores your music,

photos, apps, contacts, calendars, documents and more, keeping them up to date across all your devices, including

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated

automatically and wirelessly.



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from his official website,

Apple : The App Store is about to hit 25 billion downloads

Browse this collection of the App Store’s most popular offerings - as determined by you - since our July 2008 launch.

As the 25 billionth download approaches, we want to say thank you. Download any of the more than 500,000 apps on the App Store for iPhone,

iPod touch or iPad - if you download the 25 billionth app, you could win a $10,000 App Store Gift Card.

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http://www.apple.com/in/itunes/25-billion-app-countdown/

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nadal wins : built record with win sevent title ....

nadal wins : built record with win sevent title ....

Spain’s Rafa Nadal sank to his knees in celebration after beating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 to win a record seventh French Open title on Monday.


The number two seed overtook Sweden’s Bjorn Borg, who won six Roland Garros titles, and ended Djokovic’s hopes of becoming the third man to win four consecutive grand slams.

“For me it is a great honor,” Nadal said, clutching the Musketeers Cup under his arm, after the presentation ceremony on court. “This tournament is probably the most special in the world and having this trophy with me

I am really emotional.

It is probably one of the most special moments in my career.”
Play had been suspended on Sunday, because of rain,

with the Spaniard a break down in the fourth set, but he broke back in the first game after the resumption, having rediscovered the penetrating fizz that deserted him in the damp conditions of the previous evening.

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