Hopes to get rid of the recession are up!

This might come as a big surprise to many but then while the entire world is reeling under recession, there is news that the IT giant Infosys has rolled out a fresh set of appointment letters. Yes, they are recruiting!!! While no one really knows as to how this is happening, what matters is it has definitely brought about a cheer amongst many and those who got the letter are definitely on cloud nine. While this is being looked at as a rather great achievement, it must be said that our nation which is so deeply drowned in the fangs of corruption and bribes has been able to sustain well to the market threats. While this is on, the US market which is the hub for causing such great ripples in our country seems to have begun its measures on a more stringent level to discourage H1B visa workers. In this process, the recent 'Stimulus Bill' that has been passed has turned out to be a nail hit on the head not just for the IT companies in India but also for those in the US who have been taking the assistance of Indian technical support for their projects. Apparently, as per the new law, the Congress has passed a resolution to all those banks and firms that have been given the bail out money to stop taking any foreign workers. This would mean that a total of a whopping one lakh aspiring professionals who want to make it to the dollar land would be barred from entering. This move has been causing quite dismay since many of the firms in India and US have been putting in repeated pleas to increase the quota of the H1 B visas from the past few months. Now, the experts are saying that this move could well be proving costly for the firms here since this has barred the entry of some of the finest talent available in the world. Many companies in the US have been slashing down their workforce on a daily basis and things have become quite critical not just for the existing Indian families but also for those who have gone there in the recent one or two years before the actual heat of recession has struck. Bogged down by financial commitments and the loans that they have raised, they seem to be in a stalemate situation unable to leave the US and at the same time not being able to survive there. What the future holds in store for this sort of situation is yet to be perceived but then with a move such as the one by Infosys, it has been proved that there is a ray of hope that still exists. There are those who say that the SAP market is still going strong and has not been affected greatly. Let us hope that things get back to normal soon so that the world gets to be a better place to live in. On a whole, it can be concluded that as of now the most unaffected areas by recession are SAP, Media and Infosys. And indeed, Astrologers and Psychiatrists have improved their business to ten times.

Obama 'set to close Guantanamo'

GUANTANAMO BAY Q&A: Guantanamo detentions 'Struggle' over Guantanamo

US President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year.

A draft order circulated on Wednesday also called for halting military trials in the prison, where terror suspects had been held for years without trial.

Separate orders are expected to ban abusive interrogations and review the detention of terror suspects.

On his first full day in office on Wednesday, Mr Obama issued orders on government ethics and transparency.

The measures included curbs on lobbying and a pay freeze for senior White House staff. Federal employees will have to sign up to new ethics procedures.

Later Mr Obama and his advisers are expected to discuss the global economic downturn affecting the US and also the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Sworn again

Late on Wednesday, a panel in the House of Representatives gave its support to a $358bn government spending package, giving the first post-inaugural backing to the Democrats' economic plans.

Obama sworn in for second time

Mr Obama - who was sworn in as America's new president on Tuesday - said he was beginning "a new era of openness" in government.

He was sworn in for a second time late on Wednesday, because one word had been out of order when the oath was first administered.

The White House said the ceremony had been repeated in an "abundance of caution".

On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Senators earlier approved six Cabinet members, including Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary. Several other positions are still to be confirmed.

Trials suspended

The draft executive order on the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was circulated by the Obama administration on Wednesday.

Obama diary: The first 100 days Born on Obama's inauguration day In pictures: Obama's first full day

"The detention facilities at Guantanamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than one year from the date of this order," the draft read, according to Reuters.

It says anyone still in detention when the prison is shut "shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country or transferred to another United States detention facility".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a White House official said the order would be signed on Thursday.

Mr Obama has repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo Bay, where some 250 inmates accused of having links to terrorism remain and 21 cases are pending.

On Wednesday, judges suspended several of the military trials of terror suspects at Guantanamo, at Mr Obama's request. One trial involved several men accused in the 11 September attacks in the US.

The legal process has been widely criticised because the US military acts as jailer, judge and jury, the BBC's Jonathan Beale reports from Guantanamo.

However, closing Guantanamo Bay will not be easy, he says. Questions remain over where those charged will be tried and where those freed can be safely sent.

On Thursday, Mr Obama is also expected to issue a separate executive banning abusive interrogation techniques such as waterboarding - a form of simulating drowning used by the CIA.

The president is also expected to order a review of America's detention policies, a White House official said.

Satyam Board To MeetTtoday

The six-member Board of Satyam will begin a crucial two-day meet in Hyderabad on Thursday in an effort to steer the company away from the current crisis following the Rs 7,800 crore financial fraud.

The meeting is the third since the disclosure of the fraud by its head Ramalinga Raju. The Board has the important task of appointing Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the two key posts being looked at for reviving the company.

Meanwhile, the police custody of Ramalinga Raju, the disgraced former head of the company, also ends on Thursday.

Four petitions will come up in Nampally court in Hyderabad on Thursday morning. Those are the CID extension for police custody, Raju's bail petition, SEBI petition to be able to question Raju and Raju's petition for special status inside prison.

Indian help in 26/11 probe welcome: Pak

Islamabad, Jan 18: Asserting that all the "culprits" behind the Mumbai attacks "must be apprehended", Pakistan on Sunday said Indian investigators will "be more than welcomed" to help in its probe into the terror strikes.

Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik also said anyone found to be involved in the "heinou" attacks would be prosecuted under the country's anti-terror laws.

Malik's comments came a day after he acknowledged that the evidence about Mumbai terror attacks given to Pakistan by India contained "leads and good clues".

"All the culprits (involved in the Mumbai attacks) must be apprehended. Who will support such acts?" he told reporters in Lahore today after a meeting to brief opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, about Pakistan's probe.

Earlier, during an interview with Geo News channel, Malik said Pakistan's investigations into the Mumbai attacks are being conducted under the country's laws and the government will not accept any foreign pressure in this regard.

He said no assistance would be sought from foreign countries though Indian investigators will "be more than welcomed" to help in the probe.

"Pakistan is very open and the inquiry officers have been bestowed with full powers to fulfil their task," Malik said.

India should reciprocate Pakistan's gestures in the same spirit and allow Pakistani investigators to travel to the neighbouring country, he indicated. The Pakistani inquiry "cannot proceed without the provision of legally tangible evidence", he remarked.

If anyone is found to be involved in the "heinous" attacks, the person would be prosecuted under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, the interior ministry chief said.

Malik also told the channel that if India persisted with its demand for the extradition of Pakistani nationals allegedly linked to the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan would seek the handing over of persons involved in the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express train.

After reports appeared in Indian media suggesting a possible link of the Malegaon blast accused with the train attack, political leaders here have been saying that the government should seek the extradition of Indian nationals, including Col S K Purohit, for the bombing of the cross-border train that killed nearly 70 people, including Pakistanis.

"If the Indian demand for handing over the accused in the Mumbai attacks persisted, then the accused of the Samjhauta Express case might be asked for" by Pakistan, Malik said.

Replying to a question about Indian fears of Talibanisation of the region, he urged Indian authorities to share their findings in this regard with Pakistan and cooperate with it in its bid to exterminate terrorism and extremism from South Asia.

He also said Pakistan is part of the world community and a member of various international forums and is thus bound to fulfil its international obligations.

Malik told the media in Lahore that action had also been taken against outlawed groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawah by the provincial government of Punjab.

"Don't forget, (the Jamaat's headquarters at) Muridke is in Punjab (and) major action has been taken by the government of Punjab," he said.

Malik said he would meet leaders of other political parties soon to brief them on Pakistan's probe into the Mumbai attacks.

'Raju' Stood Like Real 'Raju'

We are not taking the meaning of caste here. We say Satyam Rama Linga Raju stood as real Raju (King), say many in AP. He has given the credit of his success to his employees and others those helped him, but carried every black mark on his shoulders with confession. It is true that he committed fraud. But a human being needs more guts to accept the fraud in public. Raju could do that. Just look at the past. Ramoji Rao never confessed that he has done a criminal act in the case of Margadarsi issue. Still he is finding ways to escape with minimal loss. Same is the case with Krushi bank Venkateshwara Rao. He too never confessed about his crime. Chandrababu never confessed that he betrayed his father in law for political gains. He still tries to laud NTR and wishes to justify his acts. Andhra Jyothy Radha Krishna never confessed and said how he owned Andhra Jyothy just being a reporter. He never reveals those property games. PV Narasimha Rao never confessed about his scams. Ramesh Gelli too was silent after GTB collapse. No convict dared to open mouth before public like Satyam Rama Lingaraju. Hence, although the doyen of software or the man behind bars, Raju is Raju. Like lion is a lion even it's in forest or zoo. Hence Ramalinga Raju is getting huge sympathy wave across the state. But still as Raju himself said, he has to live as per the law of land.

Satyam Aims To Continue Business, Protect Staff

HYDERABAD: The interim managers of tainted Satyam Computer on Thursday said they were talking to clients to continue serving them, even as the Chief Financial Officer Valdamani Srinivas quit abruptly.
Interim CEO Ram Mynampati declared that the liquidity and cash-in-hand were not encouraging, although the company managed to pay December'08 salaries to its 53,000 employees.

"Some outstanding payment to vendors is yet to be made... we are verifying the liquidity and balancesheet... we have to raise liquidity in near term and are confident of raising it," said Mynampati, while adding that his appointment was legal.

On the conduct of auditor PriceWaterhouseCoopers, he said: "We have not verified what process PwC took to certify financial statements. We are not yet in touch with them."

On the financial irregularities disclosed by former Satyam Chairman Ramalinga Raju, Mynampati said the team was not yet in a position to answer these issues, as it is still ascertaining disclosures made by Ramalinga Raju and trying to correct financial irregularities.

He said the regulatory bodies have already started their inspection and a team of market regulator SEBI was in Satyam talking to associates.

CFO Srinivas, who Mynampati said was expected in office within a week, sent in his resignation during the course of the press conference — dealing a blow to efforts to hold the top leadership team intact.

The board will decide on accepting his resignation at a meeting on January 10.

Satyam Computer Services is speaking to its top 100 clients individually, and has received expressions of support from key customers, its interim CEO said.

"Our only aim at this time is to ensure that the business continues," Mynampati told reporters at a news conference.

Another top priority for the company was to protect employees' careers, said Mynampati.

He said the company would help investigating agencies and had launched a process to assess its financial position.

The Satyam board relied on audited data on revenue and had no inkling about the fraud, said Satyam interim CEO Ram Mynampati.

The company is in the process of identifying new candidates for the board, said Mynampati.

Mynampati said that the aim was to ensure complete transparency and smooth transition of the leadership.

Sixth Day of Gaza Voilence

Israel says it is fighting Hamas, not the people of Gaza

Violence has continued in the Gaza Strip for a sixth day, after calls for a UN-backed ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants foundered.

A series of Israeli air strikes hit the parliament building and the justice ministry. There are reports of damage to a children's hospital.

Rockets fired by Hamas militants have again landed in Beersheba, some 40km (24 miles) inside Israel.

Israel on Wednesday rejected calls for a 48-hour truce to allow aid into Gaza.

A draft UN resolution put forward by Egypt and Libya failed after the US and UK complained that it called on Israel to ends its air assaults but made no mention of Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, which they say started the latest hostilities.

Since the Israeli air offensive began on Saturday, jets and attack helicopters have targeted Hamas security compounds, government buildings, smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt and homes belonging to militant leaders.

Palestinian officials say 391 Palestinians have died in the Israeli air strikes; four Israelis have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza, which is under Hamas control.

Aid distribution

Palestinians sources say Gaza's Justice Ministry, Legislative Assembly and Education ministry were hit.

A workshop and several money changers' officers were also hit, one of which was close to a children's hospital.

Israel said it targeted at least five smuggling tunnels along the border with Egypt, a weapons manufacturing and storage facility in central Gaza, and a Hamas police command centre in Rafah.

The UN's relief agency, Unwra, says Gaza is facing a dire humanitarian situation and is on the brink of catastrophe.

It has resumed the distribution of food and medical supplies in Gaza.

The agency's Commissioner-General, Karen AbuZayd, said 20,000 people a day had been without food aid for two weeks.

"People are doing pretty badly," she told the BBC.

"We do see for the very first time people going through the rubbish dumps looking for things, people begging, which is quite a new phenomenon."

However, Capt Benjamin Rutland of the Israeli Defence Force told the BBC that enough food and medical supplies were getting through.

Despite the failure of the initial UN talks, diplomatic efforts continue to bring an end to the fighting.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he would visit the region on Monday, although he is not scheduled to travel to Gaza.

Israel and Hamas say they may consider a ceasefire in the future, but their terms are very different.

Israel wants a permanent end to Hamas rocket attacks, while Hamas wants the Israeli air strikes to stop and the blockade on Gaza to be lifted.

Opinion polls in Israel indicate strong public backing for the air campaign, but support for risky action on the ground is much lower.

However, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has spoken of "widening and deepening the operation".

The Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday that the Israeli army had recommended a major but short-term ground offensive.

Israel has massed forces along the boundary with Gaza and has declared the area around it a "closed military zone", leading to speculation a ground offensive into the tiny coastal strip could be imminent.

International reporters have been barred from entering Gaza, however Israel's Supreme Court told the government to allow at least some foreign journalists to enter.

The government was given until Thursday morning to respond.

A new year is upon us and the Chinese tell us it is the year of the ox - steadfast and patient.

But what are the main news events we should expect over the coming 12 months?

Four top BBC correspondents will be joining Stephen Sackur for BBC Radio 4's Correspondents Look Ahead.

Here they predict the biggest news story of 2009, and explain what they are looking forward to most and least. Each also notes something entertaining they expect to happen.

It's going to be a big year for global democracy. Indians, South Africans, Indonesians and Israelis all go to the polls

Stephen Sackur
Presenter, Correspondent's Look Ahead and Hard Talk

I am looking forward to seeing the Republicans re-group... the fight between Sarah Palin and other wings of the party

Justin Webb
North America Editor

The worldwide economic slowdown could affect badly needed aid and international initiatives on climate change

Lyse Doucet
BBC World News special correspondent

I am looking forward to the US legal system moving into the indictment stage on some of the people at the top of the banking and insurance industry

Paul Mason
Economics Editor, Newsnight

I am waiting for signs of change in Zimbabwe, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan

James Robbins
Diplomatic Correspondent

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STEPHEN SACKUR, PRESENTER, CORRESPONDENT'S LOOK AHEAD

What will be the biggest story in 2009?

The world's leading man in 2009 will undoubtedly be Barack Obama. As the curtain rises on his presidency he wants us all to intone "Yes, We Can." A more useful three-word mantra may be "Hold on tight."

In fact it's going to be a big year for global democracy. Indians, South Africans, Indonesians, Israelis also go to the polls. Jacob Zuma, Binyamin Netanyahu, some of the names of 2009 are already familiar. But look out for imprisoned Marwan Barghouti to become de facto leader of the Palestinians in the next year.

What are you looking forward to most?

2009 promises new beginnings and a whole lot of political excitement. Much of it generated by that man Obama. His presence in the White House will make a difference. The Guantanamo prison camp will be closed, knee-jerk anti-Americanism will lose its populist appeal in much of the world. Elections in Iran and Afghanistan will ask serious questions of those who practise political Islam.

What are you looking forward to least?

Across the western world a generation of young adults raised in an era of virtually full employment will experience something not seen since their grandparents were kids - a full-blown economic slump.

And the impact will indeed be global. In China the 20th anniversary of the violent suppression of the Tiananmen protests will be marked by a new wave of street protest. This time not from student democrats, but from furious laid-off workers suddenly out of love with the market economy.

Can you foresee any entertaining events/developments in 2009?

England will win back the Ashes in a glorious summer of cricket. Did I say realism was here to stay?

Who do you most want to interview in 2009?

Robert Mugabe. If you'll allow me to indulge in a little wishful thinking, I imagine him announcing his decision to go in the middle of a tense encounter on the BBC's HARDtalk.

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JUSTIN WEBB, NORTH AMERICA EDITOR

What will be the biggest story in 2009?

The honeymoon will last: I think the biggest story here will be the Obama administration's transformation of American life. Americans, buffeted by events at home and abroad, are willing to let the new team have a go at trying their solutions.

It'll be non-ideological in appearance - that is Obama's way - but I think America will look and feel very different by the end of the year with genuine progress made towards much wider access to healthcare, and a new respect for science and rational solutions to problems.

What are you looking forward to most?

I am looking forward to seeing the Republicans re-group. One of the biggest issues here is going to be the shape of the new party as it gets itself going again and the fight between Sarah Palin and her supporters and the other wings of the party will be fascinating - it will begin as the year ends (with the mid-term elections then less than a year away).

What are you looking forward to least?

Leaving America. (Justin will be returning to the UK to present the Today programme on BBC Radio 4.)

Can you foresee any entertaining events/developments in 2009?

We will be visited by strangers from another planet. Perhaps.

Who do you most want to interview in 2009?

Vice-President Joe Biden. He is famously ill-disciplined when it comes to staying on message and just might say something newsworthy.

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LYSE DOUCET, WORLD CORRESPONDENT

What will be the biggest story in 2009?

The effects of the worldwide economic slowdown. What impact will it have on key international initiatives - everything from moves to cut greenhouse gas emissions to badly needed aid programmes in places from Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Africa, can Robert Mugabe really continue to hold on to power? Or will Zimbabwe implode?

What are you looking forward to most?

I am really looking forward to seeing what will be the impact of a new US administration headed by Barack Obama on intractable conflicts such as the Middle East peace process; age-old rivalries between India and Pakistan; and the violence described by the US as genocide in Darfur. What difference can a new diplomacy and a president described as "transformational" make?

What are you looking forward to least?

The media frenzy around Barack Obama will continue with every "first" trip to every country and crisis. It may drown out other voices and strategies already in place on the ground.

In 2008, wherever I travelled around the world there was a sense of waiting for the next US president. Will this, over time, create resentments about America's might and also irritate other players like Russia and Europe, if not China?

Can you foresee any entertaining events/developments in 2009?

Barack Obama's first trip to Kenya. Bill Clinton travelling with Hillary as the spouse of the Secretary of State. And will Prince William and Kate Middleton marry? Also, will the shoe protest started by the Iraqi journalist who threw his at President Bush, continue to gather steam with shoes being thrown everywhere?

Who do you most want to interview in 2009?

Taleban leaders to find out what they really want in Afghanistan.

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PAUL MASON, ECONOMICS EDITOR, NEWSNIGHT

What will be the biggest story in 2009?

The biggest story in 2009 will be not the recession, which is a certainty, but any short term recovery - which would be a big surprise. The governments of the G7 have thrown everything they have at the financial crisis, we've had about $1 trillion in debt write-off and maybe $12 trillion worth of nationalisations and credit guarantees.

There is a chance - just a chance - that this will induce a V-shaped recession: short and sharp. But if, by the end of the year the arrows are pointing downwards, then a whole series of secondary effects will kick in that make a severe and long recession likely.

What are you looking forward to most?

What I am looking forward to most is the US legal system moving into the indictment stage on some of the people at the top of the banking and insurance industry who clearly mis-stated the scale of their liabilities.

I am also looking forward to seeing the Chinese leadership grapple with a rising tide of wage demands from its restive workforce - I think this is now on the cards.

What are you looking forward to least?

What I'm looking forward to least is the impact of unemployment: it will not be the wiping out of whole industrial towns that we lived through in the 1980s, instead it will take out demographic slices.

The generation least prepared for it are young people - anybody who's got used to buying drinks at the pub on a credit card is going to have a very sobering time. In the dole queue nobody asks you whether you want whipped cream or an extra shot. I am not looking forward to how people will react.

Can you foresee any entertaining events/developments in 2009?

What's going to be fun? Not much! I am looking forward to the release of the movie of Atlas Shrugged with Angelina Jolie, but for kitsch value rather than anything else. It's all about why free market capitalism is a great idea, and state intervention terrible. Perfect timing.

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JAMES ROBBINS, DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

What will be the biggest story in 2009?

The testing of Barack Obama as President. When he moves from the calm of formulating his vision as a candidate to the storm of providing leadership as president.

What will he be able to change in the United States and in the wider world?

What are you looking forward to most?

Any unambiguous sign that change is taking hold - change in Zimbabwe; change in the Middle East; change in the governance and supervision of the financial sector; change in Iran; change in Afghanistan and in Pakistan

What are you looking forward to least?

Hearing empty rhetoric from any number of leaders. Worse still "pledges" to deliver at some time in the future on climate change and limiting carbon emissions, or promises to deliver the Millennium Development Goals, unless those leaders can show conclusive evidence that they are on track to meet existing pledges.

Can you foresee any entertaining events/developments in 2009?

This will be the Year of the Gorilla - part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Three of the four gorilla species are listed as "critically endangered". They are victims of man's exploitation of the earth's resources... yet they are relatives, aren't they?

Who do you most want to interview in 2009?

Barack Obama, obviously. Any of China's top leadership. North Korea's leader, Kim Jung-Il, to assess his health, as much as anything else. And Stevie Wonder - an inspiration to many and and a believer in the power of music as a force for good.

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Our correspondents will discussing what 2009 may bring on The Correspondent's Look Ahead on BBC Radio 4. Listen live at 20.00 GMT, Friday, 2 January 2009 or catch up on the BBC iPlayer.

Also, you too can share your thoughts for the year ahead on Listener's Look Ahead, from 13.15 GMT on Saturday, 3 January 2009 on BBC Radio 4. E-mail the programme at lookahead@bbc.co.uk or call in live on the day on 03700 100 444 (Calls cost no more than calling 01 and 02 geographic landline numbers. Lines open at 12:30 GMT on Saturday, 3 January.)

Isreali's Gaza Attack!

Israel says it is ready for "long weeks of action" as it continues its fiercest air assault on Gaza for decades to stamp out militant rocket attacks.

Palestinian officials say 10 people died in the latest attacks, taking the death toll to over 360 since Saturday. Four Israelis have died in rocket fire.

Israeli Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit rejected any ceasefire until the threat of rockets was removed completely.

A UN human rights monitor accused Israel of "shocking atrocities".

Richard Falk - the special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories - said the international community must put more pressure on Israel to end its attacks on Gaza.

"Israel is committing a shocking series of atrocities by using modern weaponry against a defenceless population - attacking a population that has been enduring a severe blockade for many months," Mr Falk said in a BBC interview.

The UN says at least 62 of the Palestinians killed so far have been women and children, and it is calling for an investigation into attacks which causing heavy civilian casualties.

Coastal clash

Israeli jets attacked targets linked to the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, for a fourth day, hitting a number of government buildings and security installations.

See detailed map of attacks

Forty people were said to have been wounded in Tuesday's raids.

"The Israeli army must not stop the operation before breaking the will of the Palestinians, of Hamas, to continue to fire at Israel," Mr Sheetrit told Israel Radio.

The Israeli military "has made preparations for long weeks of action," added Matan Vilnai, a deputy defence minister, in another interview.

One air strike on Tuesday killed two sisters, the oldest aged 11, riding in a donkey cart in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, Palestinian medical sources said.

Separately, Israeli naval vessels confronted pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break the Gaza blockade by boat about 45 miles (70 kilometres) off the Israeli coast in international waters.

The activists said one vessel had rammed them after they ignored warnings to turn back. Their boat, carrying 3.5 tonnes of medical aid, is now trying to reach Lebanon.

Israel has massed forces along the boundary with Gaza and political leaders have not ruled out ground operations.

The Egyptian-Gaza border was sealed on Tuesday morning after trucks carrying aid and some wounded Palestinians were allowed to cross on Monday.

European Union foreign ministers are scheduled to to meet in Paris later (1730 GMT) to discuss the escalating crisis.

The meeting, hosted by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, is expected to consider the idea of an humanitarian aid corridor, and how to bring additional aid to Gaza's beleaguered 1.5m population.

Angry protests

Dozens of centres of Hamas strength, including security compounds, government offices and tunnels into Egypt, have been hit since Israel started its massive bombing campaign on Saturday morning.

US tacitly backs Israeli offensive Aid worker diary: Gaza raids Rocket attacks plague Israeli towns

Israel says its aim is to end the rocket attacks by Hamas-linked militants - of which there have more than 60 since Monday morning.

There have been angry protests against the offensive in many cities across the Arab world and in several European capitals.

The strikes began less than a week after the expiry of a six-month-long ceasefire deal with Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007.

Analysts say Israeli political leaders were under pressure to act against rocket fire with a general election looming in early February.

Israel dismantled its strategic settlements and military bases in Gaza in 2005 but has kept tight control over access in and out of the narrow coastal strip and its airspace.

GAZA VIOLENCE 27-30 DECEMBER

1. Ashdod: First attack so far north, Sunday. Woman killed in second rocket attack, Tuesday
2. Ashkelon: One man killed, several injured in rocket attack, Monday
3. Sderot: rocket attacks
4. Nevitot: One man killed, several injured in rocket attack, Saturday
5. Civilian family reported killed in attack on Yabna refugee camp, Sunday
6. Israeli warplanes strike tunnels under Gaza/Egypt border, Sunday
7. Three brothers reported killed in attack on Rafah, Sunday
8. Khan Younis: Four members of Islamic Jihad and a child reported killed, Sunday
9. Deir al-Balah: Palestinians injured, houses and buildings destroyed, Sunday
10. Interior ministry and Islamic University badly damaged, Monday
11. Gaza City port: naval vessels targeted, Sunday
12. Shati refugee camp: Home of Hamas leader Ismail Hanniyeh targeted, Monday
13. Intelligence building attacked, Sunday
14. Jebaliya refugee camp: several people killed in attack on mosque, Sunday 15. Bei Hanoun - two girls killed in air strike, Tuesday

Obama's 'green dream'

Barack Obama's choice of words as he announced new officials for his climate and energy team at the weekend could hardly have been more pointed.

Success isn't just down to "ensuring the facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology," he said; "it's about listening to what our scientists have to say even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's inconvenient".

In other words; in contrast to my predecessor, I'll listen to the same scientists that Al Gore listens to, and I'll act on what they say.

In fact, by appointing scientists such as John Holdren to his inner circle - "one of the most passionate and persistent voices of our time about the growing threat of climate change" - the president-elect has ensured that some of those voices will be in his ear all the time.

Whatever your views on climate change, there's no doubt that the switch from the Bush to Obama administrations promises a massive seachange in environmental politics.

It could bring changes in all sorts of issues, including management of the oceans, a particular interest of Jane Lubchenco who comes in as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Some US fisheries are among the best managed in the world and spreading that sort of knowledge could restrain the free-for-all that still pertains in many of the world's fishing grounds.

But there's little doubt that the first significant action will occur in the arena of climate change.

Mr Bush is often referred to as a president who didn't accept that humans were changing the climate; but at least in public, he did, as long ago as 2001. His administration also endorsed two major reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2001 and 2007 - the latter concluding it was "very likely" that human activities were changing the climate.

But he stopped short of endorsing strong domestic or international action to cut emissions. His administration pursued agreements through bodies such as the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum (Apec) that would have allowed emissions to rise.

At the Asia-Pacific Partnership's inaugural meeting in Sydney in 2006, Mr Bush's energy secretary Samuel Bodman said the private sector would solve the climate problem because industry heads cared about the future.

From 20 January, the approach will be radically different.

The domestic long-term climate goal of reducing emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 is ambitious and in line with IPCC science. But by 2050, Mr Obama will be long gone from office, and so what he manages to implement during the only four years he is assured of having in office is, perhaps, more pertinent.

If he follows through on the strategy he mapped out during his election campaign, the domestic measures we can expect to see over the next couple of years include:

• establishment of a nationwide carbon market which will join up with other systems such as Europe's Emissions Trading System


• mandated improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency (perhaps tied to a rescue package for the ailing US car industry)


• "weatherization" of one million homes each year to save energy


• an expansion in the use of renewable technologies and - perhaps - nuclear

Pledging is, of course, much easier than acting. Over the last month we have seen European leaders watering down their much-vaunted climate and energy package, and Australia (where Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has changed climate policy just as Mr Obama intends to) adopting emissions targets for 2020 well below the 25-40% range that the IPCC recommends - both in response to business pressures.

Mr Obama will not be immune from similar pressures. The two key advantages he holds, I would suggest, are the traditional honeymoon that most change-espousing leaders enjoy when they enter office, and the fact that US energy efficiency is so poor that it should be possible to make some major fuel-saving improvements at minimal cost.

On the international scene, he has pledged to "re-engage" with the UN process, and that has been warmly welcomed in a number of capitals.

So far, all has been sweetness. But that is not guaranteed to continue.

Developing countries might say - indeed, did say at the recent UN climate talks in Poland - that they have been looking for US leadership on the issue.

But that doesn't necessarily mean they will be happy to follow where Mr Obama wants to lead them. At a news conference during the UN talks, John Kerry - a key ally - emphasised that the US will only approve a new global deal if major developing countries accept some form of restrictions on their own emissions.

Mr Kerry's words were generally written up in positive terms by the media. But putting on a more sceptical hat, there were hints of an uncompromising US that would, as it does on so many other issues, be attempting to set an agenda that the rest of the world should follow.

And this, I think, is the problem that may lie ahead for Mr Obama. Applauding his intention to lead is one thing; but it's entirely possible that the tight timescale of the UN climate process will quickly lead to a situation where the US is demanding - or being seen to demand - that developing countries must sign up to this or that, or there won't be a deal.

That's particularly true in the light of recent research showing that carbon cuts in developed countries alone cannot lead to the kind of global reductions that the IPCC believes are necessary to avoid "dangerous" climate change.

However fresh and fragrant Mr Obama wants to appear, the US is still the US, with an image formed over a much longer timespan than a single presidency.

In some capitals, it is still seen as the country that more than any other has developed economically on the back of carbon emissions that now threaten to wreak climatic carnage on the poor, and thus has no right to tell anyone else to do until it pays some penance for its history.

If governments are to agree a new global deal on climate change by the end of next year, the US is going to have to listen as well as to lead; and that, perhaps, ought to be the first piece of advice that Dr Holdren gives his new president.

Happy Birthday Earthrise

Forty years ago, the biggest TV audience in history tuned in to watch humankind's first close encounter with another world, as the crew of Apollo 8 reached lunar orbit. Here, the Apollo historian and film-maker Dr Christopher Riley gives his perspective on the mission and how that Christmas Eve of 1968 changed the world.

Back in 1948, the British astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle predicted that when spaceflight enabled us to see the whole Earth from space, the view would change us forever.

Hoyle would have to wait another 20 years before humans would get to see this view with their own eyes, when the crew of Apollo 8 became the first astronauts to leave Earth orbit.

By then, a handful of satellites had snapped a number of breathtaking portraits of the Earth from afar and even a stunning shot of the Earth rising above the Moon's surface from lunar orbit.

But on Christmas Eve 1968, none of the astronauts on board Apollo 8 were ready for the opportunity to witness their own Earthrise.

In all the months of training and preparation which had preceded the mission, no-one had thought to schedule an attempt for the crew to glimpse and record the most moving of sights, as their jewel of a home planet, suspended in the blackness of space, rose from behind the barren lunar horizon.

The blue marvel

For the first three orbits, preoccupied by the Moon and their latest TV broadcast, the spacecraft was not orientated to give them a chance to see the Earth.

But as Apollo 8 nosed its way back from the far side of the Moon for the fourth time, it was Frank Borman who first spotted the view by chance from a window, his reaction captured by the on board tape recorder.

"Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there!" he exclaimed. "Isn't that something…"



After a quick joke about the fact that it was not in their flight plan to photograph it, the crew abandoned protocol and scrambled to get a snap of the occasion with their stills camera.

The Hasselblad only had a black and white film magazine in, resulting in the image above - the first photograph of Earthrise taken by a human as he watched it happen.

But Borman's first historic picture is rarely reproduced.

Not content with this first monochromatic image, the astronauts rushed to find a colour film, and Bill Anders managed to snap two more frames which became the choice of photo editors for the rest of history.

Green rise
These images, along with hundreds of other still pictures taken of the whole Earth during Apollo's nine flights to the Moon, helped to drive the momentum of a burgeoning green movement during the 1970s.

They fuelled an awareness of the vulnerability of the Earth which still resonates with us today and shapes our behaviour, as Fred Hoyle predicted it would.

Only 24 human beings have ever laid eyes on a view of the whole Earth from space. But thanks to a new generation of missions carrying high-resolution cameras beyond Earth orbit, moving HD footage of the whole planet is now available for all of us to marvel at.

In 2007, the Japanese lunar mission Selene transmitted back the first movies of Earthrise from lunar orbit since Apollo.

Even more ambitious, a Nasa project called The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) was conceived at the end of the 20th Century.

Page last updated at 00:14 GMT, Wednesday, 24 December 2008
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Happy Birthday Earthrise

Earth rise, photographed by the Apollo 8 crew
The first Earthrise to be witnessed by a human

Forty years ago, the biggest TV audience in history tuned in to watch humankind's first close encounter with another world, as the crew of Apollo 8 reached lunar orbit. Here, the Apollo historian and film-maker Dr Christopher Riley gives his perspective on the mission and how that Christmas Eve of 1968 changed the world.

Back in 1948, the British astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle predicted that when spaceflight enabled us to see the whole Earth from space, the view would change us forever.

Hoyle would have to wait another 20 years before humans would get to see this view with their own eyes, when the crew of Apollo 8 became the first astronauts to leave Earth orbit.

By then, a handful of satellites had snapped a number of breathtaking portraits of the Earth from afar and even a stunning shot of the Earth rising above the Moon's surface from lunar orbit.

Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there! Isn't that something…
Frank Borman

Apollo 8 crew member

But on Christmas Eve 1968, none of the astronauts on board Apollo 8 were ready for the opportunity to witness their own Earthrise.

In all the months of training and preparation which had preceded the mission, no-one had thought to schedule an attempt for the crew to glimpse and record the most moving of sights, as their jewel of a home planet, suspended in the blackness of space, rose from behind the barren lunar horizon.

The blue marvel

For the first three orbits, preoccupied by the Moon and their latest TV broadcast, the spacecraft was not orientated to give them a chance to see the Earth.

But as Apollo 8 nosed its way back from the far side of the Moon for the fourth time, it was Frank Borman who first spotted the view by chance from a window, his reaction captured by the on board tape recorder.

"Oh, my God! Look at that picture over there!" he exclaimed. "Isn't that something…"
Earth rise, photographed by the Apollo 8 crew
The stills were taken orbiting the Moon's equator, with north at the top

After a quick joke about the fact that it was not in their flight plan to photograph it, the crew abandoned protocol and scrambled to get a snap of the occasion with their stills camera.

The Hasselblad only had a black and white film magazine in, resulting in the image above - the first photograph of Earthrise taken by a human as he watched it happen.

But Borman's first historic picture is rarely reproduced.

Not content with this first monochromatic image, the astronauts rushed to find a colour film, and Bill Anders managed to snap two more frames which became the choice of photo editors for the rest of history.

Mystery film

Perhaps more surprising than the unexpected nature of this historic photo-op is that during the rest of the mission, whilst the crew did spend time photographing and commenting on views of the Earth, they did not think to film an Earthrise on their 16mm movie cameras.

These Data Acquisition Cameras, as they were called, were carried to record technical mission moments.

The Apollo 8 crew would use them to film each other messing about during quiet moments; so they weren't averse to deviating from their flight plan.

But it seems that they were too busy with their other scheduled tasks that Christmas Eve to film mankind's first Earthrise.

This stunning high-definition movie of an "Earthrise" was filmed by the Japanese space probe, Selene

The profound juxtaposition of such a vibrant, vulnerable, living blue and white marble of a planet rising from the stark grey lunar landscape was not captured on moving film until the Apollo 10 and 11 crews filmed it the following year.

By the fourth expedition to lunar orbit on Apollo 12, filming the Earth rising from behind the Moon had lost its magic and was only captured once through a slightly fogged window. It was the last Earthrise ever filmed during the Apollo era.

Green rise

These images, along with hundreds of other still pictures taken of the whole Earth during Apollo's nine flights to the Moon, helped to drive the momentum of a burgeoning green movement during the 1970s.

They fuelled an awareness of the vulnerability of the Earth which still resonates with us today and shapes our behaviour, as Fred Hoyle predicted it would.

These images helped to drive the momentum of a burgeoning green movement during the 1970s

Only 24 human beings have ever laid eyes on a view of the whole Earth from space. But thanks to a new generation of missions carrying high-resolution cameras beyond Earth orbit, moving HD footage of the whole planet is now available for all of us to marvel at.

In 2007, the Japanese lunar mission Selene transmitted back the first movies of Earthrise from lunar orbit since Apollo.

Even more ambitious, a Nasa project called The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) was conceived at the end of the 20th Century.

Its mission was to stream a continuous live colour image of the Earth from a million miles out in space. The data from DSCOVR was designed to help with modelling climate change.
Al Gore, who had supported the project from its conception, also suggested that such live footage of the whole Earth broadcast continuously over the internet would provide a powerful modern reminder of the fragility of our home planet - in the way that those first hand snapped Apollo pictures had done all those decades earlier.

"Goresat" as it was dubbed was never launched under the Bush presidency.

Some suggest that DSCOVR would not have helped the cause of an administration committed to a path of oil dependency.

Today, the satellite still rests in storage at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland awaiting a more enlightened presidency to give it a green light.

Perhaps, under a new administration, and to mark the 40th anniversary of humankind's first vision of the Earth from space, that time has now come.

Dr Christopher Riley is the co-producer of the documentary feature film In the Shadow of the Moon and curates the online Apollo film archive project Footagevault

Gunman 'requests Pakistan help'

India says the sole surviving gunman from last month's Mumbai (Bombay) attacks has sought help from Pakistan.

The request came in a letter handed to Pakistani diplomats in Delhi.

Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, who is in Indian custody, admitted in the letter that he and the other attackers were from Pakistan, Indian officials said.
Pakistani officials say they are studying the contents of the letter. Islamabad has so far refused to acknowledge the gunmen were Pakistani.

Relations between the two countries have been severely strained since the attacks, in which more than 170 people were killed.

Earlier, India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the international community had not done enough to exert pressure on Pakistan, which denies any involvement in the attacks.

On Monday fighter jets flew low over three major cities in Pakistan amid the heightened tension.

'Legal aid'
India's foreign ministry said the acting high commissioner of Pakistan had been handed the letter from the gunman on Monday evening.
"In his letter addressed to the Pakistan High Commission, Kasab [Qasab] has stated that he and the other terrorists killed in the attack were from Pakistan and has sought a meeting with the Pakistan High Commission," the ministry said.

Reports suggested the letter contained a request for legal help from Pakistan. Indian lawyers have so far refused to represent Mr Qasab in court.

Pakistani officials confirmed receipt of the letter and said they were examining its contents.

The Pakistani government is under intense pressure to act decisively against militants operating on its soil.

Addressing Indian envoys from across the world, Mr Mukherjee accused Islamabad of "denial" and "shifting the blame" for last month's attacks.
"We have so far acted with utmost restraint and are hopeful that international community will use its influence to urge the Pakistani government to take effective action."

But Mr Mukherjee said that although there had been "some effort so far by the international community... this is not enough. Much more needs to be done."

His statement was the latest in a series of strongly worded diplomatic warnings from India.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Delhi says the Indian government is clearly determined to maintain pressure on Islamabad to act.

India has blamed Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the attacks, which began on 26 November and lasted three days.

Last week, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said claims that the sole surviving attacker had been identified by his own father as coming from Pakistan had not been proven.

The two hotels caught up in the attacks, the Trident-Oberoi and Taj Mahal Palace, reopened for business on Sunday.

Michael Jackson On Death Bed

World famous pop star Michael Jackson is on death bed now. British News Daily Sunday Express broke this news and entire fans of Michael Jackson across the world are dumped in grief with this. Jackson has been suffering from lung disease and fighting for life in hospital. His blood circulation is also holding problem and doctors say that he is battling with life's last moments.

Winter medical myths 'debunked'

It may feel like the aspirin, fry-up or even "hair of the dog" is helping to alleviate that hangover caused by over-indulging the night before.

But in fact there is no such thing as a "cure" for a hangover, say researchers from Indiana University in the US.


With hangovers it is just a waiting game, research suggests

It is one of six Christmas-related myths which been debunked in the British Medical Journal.
The team trawled through the medical literature and internet for evidence on a range of commonly held beliefs.
"Both physicians and non-physicians sometimes believe things about our bodies that just are not true," wrote Dr Rachel Vreeman and Dr Aaron Carroll.

"Examining common medical myths reminds us to be aware of when evidence supports out advice."
So what did they find?

HANGOVER CURES:
An internet search flagged up endless methods claiming to cure a hangover from aspirin to bananas to Vegemite and water.

But there is no scientific evidence of an effective cure or method of preventing hangovers, the researchers said, despite many trials being carried out on both traditional and complementary medicines.

Keeping teetotal or drinking in moderation is the only way to avoid a hangover, they concluded.

EATING LATE AND GAINING WEIGHT:
Putting on pounds in the festive period almost seems inevitable but to avoid unwanted weight gain it has been suggested that people avoid eating late at night.

The idea is that you cannot burn off the calories if you are asleep.

But this is not supported by the evidence.

A Swedish study found that obese women were more likely to eat at night, but they also ate more in general.

In another study of more than 2,500 patients, eating at night was not associated with weight gain but eating more than three meals a day was.

Ultimately, taking in more calories makes you gain weight whenever you eat them, the researchers said.


SUGAR AND HYPERACTIVITY:
With Christmas comes selection boxes and a host of sweet treats but parents need not fear their children climbing the walls.


It is commonly thought children become hyperactive after eating sugar

Regardless of what parents might think, sugar does not cause hyperactive behaviour.

At least 12 randomised controlled trials looking at levels of sugar and behaviour - even in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - were unable to detect any difference.

Scientists also found that when parents think their child has had a sugary drink they rate their behaviour as more hyperactive - so it is all in the mind.

HATS AND THE COLD:
We've all been told to put a hat on in winter because most heat is lost through the head.

The researchers even found that the US Army Field manual for survival recommends covering your head in cold weather because around 40-45% of body heat is lost through the head.

A recent study, however, showed there is nothing special about heat loss from the head - any uncovered part of the body would lose heat.

Scrutiny of the literature shows this myth probably originated with an old military study in which scientists put individuals in arctic survival suits (but with no hat) and measured their body temperature in extreme conditions.

If the experiment had been done with the participants wearing only swimsuits they would not have lost more than 10% of their body heat through their heads, the researchers said.

POINSETTIA TOXICITY:
Poinsettias are a common Christmas decorative feature but many believe they are poisonous.

In reality they are fairly harmless.

Of 22,793 cases of poinsettia exposure reported to poison control in the US, there were no deaths and 96% did not require medical treatment and none resulted in considerable poisoning.

A study in rats could not find a toxic level of the plant sap.

SUICIDES AT CHRISTMAS:
"The combined stresses of family dysfunction, exacerbations in loneliness, and more depression over the cold dark winter months are commonly thought to increase the number of suicides," said Dr Vreeman.

But, although the holidays may be difficult for some, there is no good evidence to suggest a peak in suicides.

Also people are not more likely to commit suicide in the dark winter months - around the world suicides peak in warmer months, the researchers said.

Ashta Chemma Bhargavi died

Actress Bhargavi (Ashta Chemma fame) died at her residence (behind cancer hospital in Banjara Hills) today. Her dead body is found along with that of Bujji (supposed to be her husband/lover). There are injuries (eight knife marks) on the body of Bhargavi. But there is no sign of any injury on Bujji’s body. A poison bottle was found at the crime scene. A suicide notes was found. Cops are suspecting that Bujji has murdered Bhargavi before consuming poison.

Who is Bujji (Praveen)?
Bujji runs a musical orchestra (Saibaba orchestra) for the past five years. He is pretty popular in Nellore area in that circle. Bhargavi met Bujji a few years back during her initial stages of anchoring career in 'Aata' program. Bhargavi used to work for Bujji's orchestra. Bujji is supposed to have married two girls Dolly (daughter of Guntur ex DSP) and Swapna (Lady Bachelors heroine & second heroine in NTR's Subbu) in the past. He had a boy also. There are also rumors that Bujji married Bhargavi a couple of years back (12th Feb 2006) in the presence of his friends at Murali Krishna hotel (Nellore).

Suicide note
The suicide notes say that Bhargavi and Bujji got married on 2006 and were separated in the past few months. Bujji also wrote in the letter that she distanced him after rising to fame with the release of Ashta Chemma film. He also claimed that Bhargavi's mother created rift between then after Bhargavi got film chances.

Bhargavi’s parents say that Bhargavi is not married
Bhargavi’s father confirmed that his daughter never married Bujji. He also told that she visited the home on Sunday. And she did not have show any signs of strain in her visit. Bhargavi's parents told that she is a strong girl and she could never attempt suicide.

Eight knife marks on Bhargavi body
Police department confirmed that Bujji might have killed Bhargavi by using a knife (eight knife marks). Bujji might have consumed poison after killing Bhargavi. That is why there are injuries around the heck of Bhargavi and foam in the mouth of Bujji.

I am going to murder somebody – Bujji
Bujji is said to have told his friends that he was going to murder somebody when he met them a week back.

About Bhargavi
Bhargavi is born in Gorantla (Guntur district). She got recognition in a brief role in YVS Chowdary’s Devdas. Her latest film Ashta Chemma is a hit. She committed a film titled Holidays now. She acted in several TV serials before acting in Ashta Chemma film. She rose to fame with Ammamma.com serial produced by Just Yellow. Her latest film Holidays is completed 50% so far.

Courtesy: www.idlebrain.com

US job losses surge in November

US employers axed 533,000 jobs in November, the biggest monthly cut since 1974, the US Labor Department said.

In a dramatic indication of the worsening economic situation, the US jobless rate rose to a 15-year high of 6.7% from 6.5% in October.

Since these latest numbers were compiled, further jobs losses have been announced, including big cuts at AT&T.

Recent figures have fuelled fears that the world's biggest economy is set for a deep, long downturn.

The news pushed Wall Street share prices down 2.5% at one stage, but the market then rebounded and eventually closed up 3%.

US oil prices fell to a four-year low, before recovering slightly to close down $1.93 at $41.74 a barrel on Friday.

'Decline accelerating'

Four days after the government officially stated that the US economy was in a recession, President George W Bush himself publicly acknowledged the fact.

Speaking at the White House, Mr Bush said: "Our economy is in a recession. This is in large part because of severe problems in our housing, credit and financial markets."

Reacting to the unemployment data, US President-elect Barack Obama said: "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it's likely to get worse before it gets better."

Commentators said the jobs figures showed clearly how steeply the US economy was declining.

"This was much worse than was expected and represents wholesale capitulation. The threat of a widespread depression is now real and present," said Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Business. .

"This clearly demonstrates that the decline is accelerating," said Tig Gilliam, chief executive of North American operations for Adecco, one of the world's biggest staffing firms.

"It looked mid-year like maybe things would get a little bit better, and now the numbers are just dropping dramatically," he said.

Recession year

The National Bureau of Economic Research said this week that the US entered a recession in December 2007.

Separately, a measure of US service sector activity, the Institute for Supply Management's index, dropped to a record low in November.

The US service sector makes up about 80% of US economic activity.

November was the 11th month in a row that the economy lost jobs.

"In the past six months the US has lost 1.55 million jobs, almost as many as were lost in the whole 2001 recession," said Ian Shepherdson at High Frequency Economics.

"You can't get much uglier than this. The economy has just collapsed, and has gone into a free fall," said Richard Yamarone at Argus Research in New York.

Bleak outlook



The economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.5% from July to September due to the biggest fall in US consumer spending in 28 years.

Many economists believe the gross domestic product will fall even more sharply in the current quarter.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Board painted a bleak picture of the US economy in its influential Beige Book, a report used to help determine US interest rates.

It said economic activity has weakened across the US in the past two months, with retail sales, and vehicle sales in particular, "down significantly".

US companies such as AT&T, DuPont, JPMorgan Chase and mining company Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold have announced job cuts this month.

Analysts fear the trend will worsen further.

Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip

A surprise visit by US President George Bush to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which two shoes were thrown at him during a news conference.

An Iraqi journalist was wrestled to the floor by security guards after he called Mr Bush "a dog" and threw his footwear, just missing the president.

The US president has now continued to Afghanistan to inspect troops there.

He arrived before dawn at Bagram air force base, and is due to hold talks with President Hamid Karzai.

Earlier in Baghdad, Mr Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki signed the new security agreement between their countries.

The pact calls for US troops to leave Iraq in 2011 - eight years after the 2003 invasion that has in part defined the Bush presidency.


If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw
US President George W Bush

Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insult

Speaking just over five weeks before he hands over power to Barack Obama, Mr Bush also said the war in Iraq was not over and more work remained to be done.

His previously unannounced visit came a day after Defence Secretary Robert Gates told US troops the Iraq mission was in its "endgame".

'Size 10'

In the middle of the news conference with Mr Maliki, Iraqi television journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi stood up and shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," before hurling a shoe at Mr Bush which narrowly missed him.

Showing the soles of shoes to someone is a sign of contempt in Arab culture.

Muntadar al-Zaidi throws a shoe at George Bush (14 December 2008)
Muntadar al-Zaidi was quickly wrestled to the ground and hauled away

With his second shoe, which the president also managed to dodge, Mr Zaidi said: "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."

Mr Zaidi, a correspondent for Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV, was then wrestled to the ground by security personnel and hauled away.

"If you want the facts, it's a size 10 shoe that he threw," Mr Bush joked afterwards.

Al-Baghdadiya's bureau chief told the Associated Press that he had no idea what prompted Mr Zaidi to attack President Bush, although reports say he was once kidnapped by a militia and beaten up.

"I am trying to reach Muntadar since the incident, but in vain," said Fityan Mohammed. "His phone is switched off."

Correspondents said the attack was symbolic. Iraqis threw shoes and used them to beat Saddam Hussein's statue after his overthrow.

'American security'

Mr Bush's first stop upon arriving in Baghdad was the Iraqi presidential palace in the heavily-fortified Green Zone, where he held talks with President Jalal Talabani.


PREVIOUS BUSH VISITS TO IRAQ
Nov 2003: Serves Thanksgiving dinner to troops in Baghdad
June 2006: Meets new Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki
Sept 2007: Visits Anbar province - former stronghold of Saddam Hussein

"The work hasn't been easy but it's been necessary for American security, Iraqi hope and world peace," Mr Bush said during his talks with Mr Talabani.

The Iraqi president called Mr Bush "a great friend for the Iraqi people, who helped us liberate our country".

The BBC's Humphrey Hawksley, in Baghdad, says the key issue at present is exactly how American troops will withdraw within the next three years and what sort of Iraq they will leave behind.

President Bush said events have been necessary for US security and world peace

The US media has just published details of a US government report saying that post invasion reconstruction of Iraq was crippled by bureaucratic turf wars and an ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society.

The report is circulating among US officials in draft form, says the New York Times.

It reveals details of a reconstruction effort that cost more than $100bn (£67bn) and only succeeded in restoring what was destroyed in the invasion and the widespread looting that followed it, the newspaper said.

Troop promises

George Bush says being pelted with shoes could be one of the 'weirdest' moments of his presidency
Mr Bush's visit, unannounced in advance and conducted under tight security, follows the approval last month of a security pact between Washington and Baghdad that calls for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2011.

US troops are first to withdraw from Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, by June next year.

Defence Secretary Gates said on Saturday that "the process of the drawdown" had begun.

"We are, I believe, in terms of the American commitment, in the endgame here in Iraq," he told US troops at an airbase near Baghdad.

Mr Gates has been picked to stay on as defence secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.

US troops near Mosul
The end in sight for US troops in Iraq?

President Bush leaves the White House in less than six weeks. He said in a recent interview with ABC News that the biggest regret of his presidency was the false intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Finding these was one of the key justifications for the invasion. None were ever found.

Mr Obama has promised to bring home US combat troops from Iraq in a little over a year from when he takes office in January.

More than 4,200 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians and security personnel have been killed since the invasion in 2003.

There are currently about 149,000 US soldiers in Iraq, down from last year's peak of 170,000 after extra troops were poured in to deal with a worsening security situation.

As Mr Bush arrived in Baghdad, Gen David Petraeus, the head of the US Central Command, which includes Iraq, said attacks in the country had dropped from 180 a day in June 2007 to 10 a day now.

In a sign of modest security gains in Iraq, Mr Bush was welcomed with a formal arrival ceremony - a flourish that was not part of his previous three visits.

He arrived in the country on Air Force One, which landed at Baghdad International Airport in the afternoon, after a secretive Saturday night departure from Washington on an 11-hour flight.

HYDERABAD & CYBERABAD TWIN CITIES ALERT

HYDERABAD & CYBERABAD TWIN CITIES ALERT

SPECIAL BULLETIN – 03-12-2008

HYDERABAD CITY DECLARED ON HIGH ALERT

Dear Esteemed Client,

An incident of Shoot Out was occurred today 03.12.2008 at 1300 hrs at IS Sadan Cross Roads under Santoshnagar Police Station, Hyderabad City, wherein Mr. Vikar and four others suspected to be of Darsgah-E–Jihad–O-Shahadat (DJS) affiliated to SIMI Organisation opened fire against the Police, while they are being apprehended by Police. The Head Constable Mr. Rama Raju and Police Constable Mr. Jaffer are sustained bullet injuries. The Hyderabad city declared Red Alert. The Task Force, Rapid Action Force and other special branche sleuths were swung into action and continued searches for the absconding culprits.



Further details follows.

The G4S has stepped up intensive patrolling round the clock at the Client Premises. The information service Control Room - Help line has set up at Regional Office and will remain available round the clock for receiving, disseminating information, incident reports and for fielding queries etc.



G4S Control Room Regional Office Phone No -040 - 66834314, Cell - 98496 46042.

With Regards,

SK. BASHIR

Asst., commissioner of Police (Retd) &
Manager - Internal Security - A.P

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