Winehouse dominates Grammys; Herbie Hancock takes top prize

LOS ANGELES, Feb 11: Troubled British soul singer Amy Winehouse dominated the 50th Grammy Awards, the Oscars of the music industry, taking home five of the evening's most prestigious awards.

Winehouse, who performed via satellite from London, picked up awards for record and song of the year, best new artist, best female pop vocalist and best pop vocal album for her single "Rehab" and the album "Back to Black."

But it was Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock who won the coveted Album of the Year prize for his album "River: The Joni Letters."

"It's been 43 years since the first and only time that a jazz artist got the album of the year award," Hancock said after beating the Foo Fighters, Vince Gill, Kanye West and Winehouse to the top award of the night.

"I'd like to thank the academy for courageously breaking the mold this time and in doing so honor the giants upon whose shoulders I stand, some of whom like Miles Davis, John Coltrane unquestionably deserved this award," he said.

"This is a new day that proves that the impossible can be made possible. 'Yes we can,' to coin a phrase," Hancock said, to loud applause, borrowing the campaign chant from Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Accepting her award for best record, a stunned-looking Winehouse thanked her husband Blake Fielder-Civil, currently awaiting trial, dedicating the award to "my Blake, my incarcerated Blake, and for London, this is for London." (AGENCIES)

Australian, Indian Prime Ministers may meet twice this year

MELBOURNE, Feb 11: The Prime Ministers of India and Australia are expected to meet twice this year, in bilateral visits that are likely to put the talks on uranium sales back on track.

Visiting Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told local daily 'The Australian' that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had extended an invitation to his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd to tour India and diplomats were hopeful of a visit in the second half of the year.

Rudd has also invited Singh to come to Australia, with the hope that it will happen this year, the newspaper said.

Sibal said India was confident that its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be completed soon, resulting in an India-specific safeguards agreement that would allow nuclear trade with New Delhi.

"Our negotiations are still going on with the IAEA," Sibal said adding, "hopefully they will bear fruit soon. We are very keen to get the IAEA agreement through."

The Indo-US nuclear deal would then move to the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, and it is here that Australia will play a crucial role.

Reversing a policy decision by the previous John Howard administration, the Kevin Rudd government had said last month that it would not sell uranium to India as New Delhi was not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Australia had also said it has not yet made up its mind on what position it will take within the NSG. (PTI)

President wounded in attack on East Timor's leadership

DILI, Feb 11: Rebel soldiers shot and wounded East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and opened fire on the prime minister today as part of a failed coup in the recently independent nation, officials said.

Nobel Peace laureate Ramos-Horta was injured in the stomach and was in a stable condition, while Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao escaped the attack on his motorcade unhurt.

Army spokesman Maj Domingos da Camara said notorious rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed in the attack against the home of Ramos-Horta, while one of the president's guards also died.

"The state came under attack. I consider this incident a coup attempt against the state by Reinado and it failed," Gusmao told reporters. "The attempt to kill the prime minister and president today failed, and only the president was injured."

The attacks plunge the tiny country into fresh uncertainty after the firing of 600 mutinous soldiers in 2006 triggered unrest that killed 37 people, displaced more than 150,000 others and led to the collapse of the government.

Reinado was one of several army commanders who joined the mutiny. While most have returned home, Reinado and an unknown number of armed supporters had remained in hiding, refusing pleas to surrender.

Two cars carrying rebel soldiers passed Ramos-Horta's house on the outskirts of the capital, Dili, at around 7 a.M. local time and began shooting, da Camara said. The guards returned fire, he said. Alfredo Reinado, the former head of the military police, took part in the attack and was killed, said da Camera. (AGENCIES)

Indians dissatisfied with Gulf jobs, want change: Survey

DUBAI, Feb 11: Rising inflation and weakening of Gulf currencies have taken a toll on the Middle East job market, with majority of Indian and Pakistani workers unhappy with their current jobs and willing to look for a change, a new survey said.

According to the ArabianBsiness.Com salary survey released yesterday, 69 per cent of workers were more likely to quit their jobs this year.

Only 16 per cent of Indian and 13 per cent of Pakistani workers said they were less likely to switch jobs.

The attractiveness of the Gulf region for expatriate workers has taken a hammering over the last two years due to the rising cost of living and weakening of Gulf currencies linked to the declining US dollar.

Inflation surged to record highs across the Gulf last year, registering a rise of 14 per cent in Qatar, 7.6 per cent in Oman, 6.2 per cent in Kuwait, 6 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 4.9 per cent in Bahrain and 9.3 per cent in the UAE.

The businesses in Gulf countries, where the number of Indian workers is estimated to between four and six million, face a tough year ahead in retaining staff with majority of the workers expressing willingness to quit their jobs this year, the survey said.

Data from the annual survey shows a sharp decline in job loyalty across the Gulf states. In Saudi Arabia, 69 per cent were planning a job change while in the UAE the figure stood at 68 per cent. (PTI)

Scientists discover 'cubical model of Earth's core

NEW YORK, Feb 11: Rubik's Cube in the centre of our planet? Well, a team of Swedish scientists claims to have found evidence to support this new model of Earth's core.

According to the researchers, this new discovery will entail a revaluation of the cooling off of the Earth and of the stability of its magnetic field as well as open new perspectives for understanding its past, present and future.

"We found that the body centred cubic structure of iron is the only structure that could correspond to the experimental observations," according to Prof Brje Johansson of Uppsala University.

It has long been known that the inner core of the Earth, a sphere consisting of a solid mass with a radius of about 1,200 km, is mainly made up of iron.

But, in this study, the team has found that elastic waves pass more rapidly through the Earth's core in directions parallel to our planet's axis of rotation than in directions parallel to Equator, a phenomenon not previously explained.

In fact, the researchers have shown simulations of how seismic waves are reproduced in iron under the conditions that prevail in Earth's core, revealing a difference of 12 per cent depending on their direction which suffices as an explanation for the puzzling observation.

First the trajectories of movement were calculated for several million atoms in strong interaction with each other.

On this basis, the scientists were then able to determine that the progress of the sound waves was actually accurately described in the computer-generated model for iron under the conditions prevailing in the core of the Earth. (PTI)

Chinas car maker forms joint venture with American company

BEIJING, Feb 11: Chinas car maker Chery Automobile has formed a joint venture with an American company with a planned total investment of USD 1.5 billion by both firms.

Chery, the fourth largest automobile seller in China, would have a controlling 55 per cent stake and Quantum LLC, a US subsidiary of Tel-Aviv listed Israel Corp, a 45 per cent stake with an investment of USD 225 million, state media reported.

The joint venture would commence production in 2009 aiming at a production target of 150,000 vehicles annually, official Xinhua news agency said quoting Chery sources.

A Chery official said it is the first time that a Chinese auto maker was providing technology, rather than direct financial investment, for a joint venture with a foreign company. Chery mainly provided technology and land for the controlling stake.

Eleven-year-old Wuhu-based Chery plans to sell 480,000 units this year after recording a 24.8 per cent rise at 381,000 units last year. It also aims at increasing its annual output to one million vehicles by 2010.

China is the worlds third largest vehicle producer after Japan and the US.

The auto output of China registered a 22.9 per cent rise to 9.04 million units last year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, the countrys top economic planner.

China became the worlds second largest car market after the US in 2006, when it overtook Japan with sales of 7.2 million units. (PTI)

Ex-principal of Sherwood College passes away

LONDON, Feb 11: Father Robert Llewelyn, a British missionary who has been a former principal of the Sherwood College in Lucknow, has died aged 98.

Father Robert was ordained in 1936 and went to India in 1939 for the Society for Propagation of the Gospel.

He spent most of the next 25 years teaching at various places in the sub-continent. He had a four-year spell in the Bahamas but returned to India in 1951 to become the principal of the Sherwood College.

He remained there for 20 years and was later appointed as the Archdeacon of Pune.

Born in Devon, Father Robert studied mathematics at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

He died in a Norwich hospital this week. (PTI)

China Sexology association banned for six months

BEIJING, Feb 11: China Sexology Association has been banned for six months for going beyond its service scope and profiting from activities which include issuing "improper" product certificates and TV promotions.

The CSA, an academic society, was found to indulge in a series of business activities when it had no authority to offer certification or approval to companies, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said.

The association was suspected to have set up an expert committee to give comments on reproductive health products without approval from the Civil Ministry, official Xinhua news agency said.

CSA was also accused of having sold copper plates that bore its name to dealers of sex health products at a "sex culture festival" in Guangzhou last month, it said.

MCA regulations prohibit academic societies and non-governmental organisations from running businesses.

After an investigation, MCA has confiscated all the CSA stamps and certifications in accordance with the law, it said.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) had last year either revised or removed from television and radio broadcast more than 3,000 advertisements deemed to be sexually suggestive or false.

The administration had in July and September last year banned radio and TV programmes involving drugs, sex-related health supplements, drugs for sexually transmitted diseases, sex toys, as well as "vulgar" ads for breast enhancement and female underwear. (PTI)

British police orchestra to perform in India

LONDON, Feb 11: A 60-member orchestra comprising police musicians from forces across Britain is due to arrive in India next week for performances in Mumbai, Agra and New Delhi.

The India visit of the British Police Symphony Orchestra (BPSO) has been organised by staff from the police forces of Gloucestershire, West Midlands and the Metropolitan Police.

The visit has also been facilitated by the Indian-origin Mayor and sheriff of Gloucester, Harjit Gill.

Britain's police forces interact with Indian police at various levels, but this is the first time in recent years that a British orchestra will be on the musical beat in India.

The BPSO, which is scheduled to arrive in India on February 17, will perform at the Tata Auditorium in Mumbai on February 19, at the 'Taj Mahotsav' in Agra on February 21 and at a private reception on February 23 in New Delhi for the British High Commissioner, Richard Stagg.

Speaking to newspersons before leaving for India, Gloucestershire police chief Timothy Brain, who is BPSO chairman, said: "I am thrilled that we have been able to organise this once-in-a lifetime tour which has been two years in the planning.

"We are particularly excited at the prospect of playing at the Taj Mahotsav festival, which is held close to the Taj Mahal, as it will be a first for a foreign orchestra."

The orchestra has performed in several places in the UK and Europe, and comprises men and women who either work for the British police or have close connections with the police forces. (PTI)

Kasuri favours national Govt after Pak polls.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: Any individual political party will be unable to cope with the formidable challenges facing Pakistan even if it wins the upcoming election with a clear majority, former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said today, favouring a "national Government".

Kasuri, who is contesting the February 18 polls as a candidate of the ruling PML-Q from Kasur in Punjab province, said a national Government will be required as vital issues will have to be decided through consultations and consensus of all major politicians.

"I see the need for a national Government due to the fact that despite being a nuclear power, we are faced with a number of internal and external threats which should be thoroughly thought out, analysed and responded to in a manner agreeable to all parties," he said addressing street corner meetings at Khuddian near Kasur.

Kasuri observed that polls are vital for the democratic process, and people must use their right to vote to ensure that they are properly represented in the national and four provincial assemblies.

Pakistan’s armed forces are fully capable of guarding the country’s nuclear assets and Pakistan did not need any "external help" in this regard, he said.

Kasuri urged people to re-elect the PML-Q for the continuation of "people-friendly policies that have ensured development in the remotest corners" of Pakistan. (PTI)

FIEO team in Oman to organise India Show at Muscat Int'l Fair

DUBAI, Feb 11: A delegation of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is in Oman to organise India Show during the Muscat International Fair, starting from February 13, to promote Indian exports.

Anand P Seth, joint deputy Director-General of FIEO told PTI that Oman, part of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), offers ample opportunities for increasing trade. Bilateral trade registered an impressive 43 per cent growth to reach USD 1.3 billion at the end of 2007.

He said that GCC emerged as the third largest trading bloc for India after European Union and the US, with India's total trade with the bloc having risen threefold -- from USD 5.55 billion in 2000-01 to USD 23.42 billion in 2005-06.

With the ongoing negotiations to have an India-GCC FTA, new opportunities for increasing bilateral co-operation shall emerge in future, said Seth.

The FIEO delegation comprises of leading firms from various sectors including realty, banking, textiles and handicrafts.

During their visit the delegation would showcase their products and would hold meetings to identify areas for joint co-operation. FIEO has invited Omani businessmen to have discussions with Indian delegations during the India Show.

Various Indian and Onami firms have significant presence in both the countries. While, Indian construction companies have bagged contracts worth USD 684 million, Oman Chemical & Pharmaceutical Co has lined up USD 15 million investment for setting up a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in India. (PTI)

Kasuri favours national Govt after Pak polls

ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: Any individual political party will be unable to cope with the formidable challenges facing Pakistan even if it wins the upcoming election with a clear majority, former foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said today, favouring a "national Government".

Kasuri, who is contesting the February 18 polls as a candidate of the ruling PML-Q from Kasur in Punjab province, said a national Government will be required as vital issues will have to be decided through consultations and consensus of all major politicians.

"I see the need for a national Government due to the fact that despite being a nuclear power, we are faced with a number of internal and external threats which should be thoroughly thought out, analysed and responded to in a manner agreeable to all parties," he said addressing street corner meetings at Khuddian near Kasur.

Kasuri observed that polls are vital for the democratic process, and people must use their right to vote to ensure that they are properly represented in the national and four provincial assemblies.

Pakistan’s armed forces are fully capable of guarding the country’s nuclear assets and Pakistan did not need any "external help" in this regard, he said.

Kasuri urged people to re-elect the PML-Q for the continuation of "people-friendly policies that have ensured development in the remotest corners" of Pakistan. (PTI)

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