Board Meeting :Quarterly Results.

Tokyo - Japan's industrial output underwent a record fall of 10 per cent in January amid shrinking export demand, and consumers cut spending as the recession in the world's second-largest economy worsened, the Japanese government reported Friday.

The 10-per-cent fall in industrial production in seasonally adjusted terms from December broke the previous record fall of 9.8 per cent recorded in December. It also was the fourth-straight monthly decline.

Event:Kendra Wilkinson, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt Launch Their New Book "The Girls Next Door" at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on December 20, 2008
Venue & Location:Forum Shops at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino / Las Vegas, NV, USA
Event Date:12/20/2008
Photographer:PRN / PR Photos

Wellington - The New Zealand stock market - the first in the world to start trading every day - fell nearly 3 per cent Tuesday morning in the wake of slumps on Wall Street and in London amid the deepening US financial crisis.

The benchmark index of top 50 stocks fell 96 points to 3,223, a drop of 2.8 per cent in the first two-and-a-half hours' trading after opening down 2.2 per cent on Monday night.

Event:2008 MLB - New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers (4-5) - May 6, 2008
Venue & Location:Dodger Stadium / Los Angeles, CA, USA
Event Date:5/6/2008
Exclusive / Restrictions:Non-Exclusive Rights Managed Image
Photographer:Image of Sport / PR Photos

As he walks through a narrow lane in his village, Tukaram Bhoir points to a heap of dhan (rice) in the courtyard of one house.

“This is Karjat kolam rice. It is sold for Rs 23 per kg in shops. People here eat this and not some cheap rice sold through ration shops,” he says, illustrating proudly that theirs is not a backward area.

Bhoir (70), a retired schoolteacher who owns 15 acres of paddy fields, is among a number of Kane villagers who have refused to sell their land for the Mumbai Special Economic Zone promoted by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and close aide Anand Jain.

London, July 15: Louise Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, is getting set to celebrate her thirtieth birthday, albeit in a low-key manner.

“I’m planning on having a quiet one,” The Sun quoted her, as saying.

Louise was born on July 25, 1978 at Oldham, and led the way for three million In Vitro babies.

Among those helping her celebrate turning 30 may be IVF pioneer Professor Bob Edwards, 82, who Louise says is “like a grandad to me.”

On the cards may be a meal or a night out with hubby Wesley and family or friends.

Now a mum-of-one, Louise admits that she understands why her parents, and other people undergo IVF to have a baby.

New Delhi, Mar 27 : Many members of the Sikh community here took to streets on Friday to protest against the alleged objectionable remarks made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi.

Varun Gandhi, who is the BJP's candidate from the Pilibhit Constituency, had allegedly used derogatory words against his Sikh opponent belonging to the Congress.

The activists of National Akali Dal (NAD) and Shiromani Akali Dal Khalsa (SADK) said that if BJP does not take stern action against Gandhi, the Sikh community would boycott the party.

New York, Dec 17 : At least 68 journalists were killed in 2009, with the largest death toll in the Philippines, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Thursday.

More than 30 media persons were slaughtered in the Philippine province of Maguindanao during November's electoral campaign, CPJ said. Twenty-nine journalists and two supporting staff were among the 57 people murdered in an ambush mounted by rival political clans.

CPJ said it was still investigating the deaths of 20 other journalists in 2009 to confirm whether they were work-related.

In 2007, 67 journalists were killed worldwide.

Film maker Satish Kaushik is relieved that music director Anu Malik has withdrawn case against his film 'Teree Sang'. Now he would be able to retain the two songs that Anu Malik had composed for this 'kidult love story' (as the makers wish to call it) starring Ruslaan Mumtaz and newcomer Sheena Shahabadi.

Taipei - Taiwan said Thursday it plans to put a health tax on betel nuts because chewing them can cause cancer.

The Bureau of National Health Insurance announced the plan and Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang gave his backing to the idea.

"If the technicalities of how to impose the tax have been solved, we will do it because it could help improve people's health and could increase funds for national health insurance," he said.

The health insurance bureau plans a tax of two Taiwan dollars (6 US cents) per packet of 20 betel nuts.

Srinagar, June 27 : Three Central Reserve Police Force personnel were injured Saturday, when militants hurled a grenade at Jehangir Chowk, adjacent to the High Court here.

The blast took place at around 2.15 p. m., a police spokesman said, adding that the injured have been admitted to a hospital. The condition of one of them was stated to be critical, he said.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. (ANI)

Tokyo  - The Japanese cabinet voted Tuesday to accept Prime Minister Taro Aso's plans to dissolve the House of Representatives.

Aso plans to dissolve the chamber later Tuesday to clear the way for elections for the Diet's lower house, set for August 30.

The general election would be the first to be held since September 2005 when popular former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi helped the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secure a solid majority, gaining 296 of 480 seats in the lower house.

Board Meeting :Quarterly Results.

Event:The John Varvatos 7th Annual Stuart House Benefit
Venue & Location:John Varvatos Boutique / West Hollywood, CA, USA
Event Date:03/08/2009
Photographer:Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

Islamabad, Aug 12 : Amid the impending Impeachment Motion against him, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is said to be toying with the ideas like invoking Article 58 (2b) to dissolve the Assemblies or using the PCO courts to challenge Shahbaz Sharif’s election as MPA and Punjab chief minister, in order to counter the ruling coalition’s move. He may also simultaneously use the Supreme Court to repeal the NRO.

Event:"Signorina Effe" Rome Photocall
Venue & Location:Casa del Cinema / Rome, Italy
Event Date:1/16/2008
Photographer:© Insidefoto / PR Photos

Washington, Dec. 4 : US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates has expressed fears about Al-Qaeda trying to ignite war between India and Pakistan in its bid to destabilise the latter and gain control of its nuclear arsenals, and pointed out that the outlawed outfit is helping Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to plan attacks against India.

Addressing a hearing on President Obama’s revamped Afghan strategy at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Gates said Al-Qaeda is supporting LeT against India in order to create further disturbances in the region.

Bonn, Germany  - The latest major threat to computing safety, the Conficker worm, is spreading rapidly throughout the internet. The worm represents less of a risk to home PCs than networked computers at corporations and institutions, but that does not mean that stand- alone computers are immune to the threat, says Katrin Alberts from the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn.

The first crucial step for all users is to install the Microsoft patch (MS08-067) designed to close the security gap in Windows. A virus scanner with current virus definitions is also a must for identifying and removing the ill-intentioned program.