DHA Commercial Avenue Ballot Results

Congratulations to list of successful candidates of DHA commercial Avenue

http://www.dhai.com.pk/dhacomave/index.php

Annual Kennedy Center Honors

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the selection of the individuals who will receive the Kennedy Center Honors of 2008. Recipients to be honored at the 31st annual national celebration of the arts are: actor Morgan Freeman, singer George Jones, director, singer, actress, composer and producer Barbra Streisand, choreographer Twyla Tharp, and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.

• Morgan Freeman
• George Jones
• Barbra Streisand
• Twyla Tharp
• Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey

Mike Shanahan Fired

Dec. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Mike Shanahan was fired by the Denver Broncos after a 14-year tenure during which he coached the team to 138 wins and two Super Bowl titles.

The Broncos missed the National Football League playoffs for the third straight season after losing their final three games to finish 8-8. With a postseason berth on the line, Denver was routed by the San Diego Chargers 52-21 in its regular-season finale.

“A change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos,” owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. “This is certainly a difficult decision, but one that I feel must be made and which will ultimately be in the best interests of all concerned.”

Shanahan, 56, had coached the Broncos since 1995, compiling a 138-86 record and winning Super Bowls with John Elway at quarterback after the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Since Elway retired 10 years ago, the franchise is just 1-4 in the postseason.

Shanahan also held the title of vice president of football operations and was in charge of the team’s personnel decisions. He’s the fourth coach to be fired since the NFL’s regular season ended two days ago. Also terminated were Eric Mangini by the New York Jets, Rod Marinelli by the Detroit Lions and Romeo Crennel by the Cleveland Browns.

Among current NFL coaches, only Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans had a longer tenure with the same team than Shanahan. Fisher has been with the Titans since 1994.

Shanahan also coached the Raiders in 1988-89 and had two separate stints as an assistant with the Broncos under former coach Dan Reeves before taking over the team.

“I appreciate the 21 years that Mike Shanahan has given to the organization as an assistant and head coach, and the two Super Bowl wins in that time,” Bowlen said. “His contributions hold a special place in Broncos history.”

Official Gmail Blog: A holiday break to play with all the new stuff

Google has come up with a bundle of new applications for the new year like

Themes.
SMS Chat.
Calendar tasks.
Google Labs.

For complete detail please see the original post


Official Gmail Blog: A holiday break to play with all the new stuff

Tension between Pakistan and India to sooth a bit (Pakistan)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has proposed India to withdraw its forces at peace positions and make forward airbases de-activate to defuse tension between the neighboring countries.

In a policy statement issued here on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said positive developments were made during last 48 hours regarding present Pak-India situation.

Foreign Minister said tension has been decreased after contacts made between director general military operations.

About Indian External Minister Pranab Mukherjee statement regarding ultimatum, Qureshi said the statement had proved that Pakistani stance was just and it was admitted that no evidences were given to Pakistan.

He thanked the Chinese government for its efforts for defusing tension between Pakistan and India.

Foreign Minister said Pakistan is ready to send a high-level delegation to India to assist in the investigations of Mumbai attacks.

One year has passed on Benazir Bhutto

The exit to the parade ground where Benazir Bhutto delivered her final speech has been transformed.

Workmen are putting the finishing touches to a small shrine marking the place where she was killed, elevating her to an almost saint-like status.

Posters plaster the walls, recordings of historic speeches boom from a speaker, hundreds of photographs are stacked on tables set up on the pavement.

Seasoned party worker Safdar Abbasi is remembering his leader's last words, in an election campaign she never finished.

Very soon the Bhutto name may start to disappear if the party fails to deliver this time Zaffar Abbas Dawn newspaper editor Obituary: Benazir Bhutto Life in pictures: Benazir Bhutto

"I think she was pretty charged that day and the speech that she gave, it was probably one of her finest speeches in recent memory," he says. "She took the crowd along."

Getty Images photographer John Moore recalls her last moments.

"I guess I was 20m [yds] ahead of the car, and I heard three shots fired," he says.

"As she moved down through the sunroof, I raised my camera. And just as I took the first photograph is when the blast occurred and there was complete chaos.

"People running, there was debris flying through the air, pieces of the vehicle, pieces of rubbish, pieces of human beings, all in the air."

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's most internationally recognised politician, shocked the country and the world, and devastated her supporters.

But what has been the political impact of her death?

Uncertain times

On one level, it has been huge: her Pakistan People's Party came first in the general election, bolstered by a sympathy vote. For the first time in more than a decade, it formed a national government.

Pakistan has issued a commemorative coin to mark the aniversary

Five months later, former military leader Pervez Musharraf was forced to resign as president. He had made a deal to share power with Benazir Bhutto. Without her, it fell apart.

"I think one person who really must have regretted deeply at a very personal and political level her passing away was Mr Musharraf, because he lost his job," says Senator Mushahid Hussain, a member of the party that supported the now retired general.

Mr Musharraf was replaced by Ms Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari. Dogged by a reputation for sleaze, Mr Zardari has rocketed to the most powerful civilian position in the country.

But one year on, his government is no more popular than Mr Musharraf's, and the problems it faces are worse: an Islamist insurgency threatening to spiral out of control, an economy in meltdown and dangerous tensions with India.

These uncertain times have compounded the sense of loss represented by Benazir Bhutto's death.

"All of us are missing her physical presence," says Safdar Abbasi.

"I think just her physical presence would have mattered a lot. And today without her, even though the PPP is in the government, there's a big vacuum that has been created, and this vacuum, I don't know what our present leadership has in mind to fill it."

'Different stature'

The present leadership is seen by many to be unable to cope with the multiple crises facing the country.

Bhutto died in a gun and bomb attack which killed some 20 other people

Would Benazir Bhutto have done better? Her track record in power was mixed at best. But she was a politician and leader of a different stature than her husband, according to Mr Hussain.

"Benazir had more experience, more knowledge of the workings of the Pakistani power structure," he says.

"Mr Zardari has been out of Pakistan, he's been out of power and he has a very poor team. It's basically his personal friends, buddies and cronies, most of whom were out of the power structure and who do not have government experience."

Zaffar Abbas, the Islamabad editor of the local Dawn newspaper, also decries government incompetence but, while acknowledging Mrs Bhutto's "capability, experience and style," he blames her "because she never encouraged people to come up and be groomed as politicians who could take the lead in running the affairs of the party.

"So what we see today is a bunch of mediocre people who are running the party."

Sorely missed

What then is the legacy that this iconic Pakistani politician leaves behind?

"I think it's the Bhutto legacy, which addresses the key problems of the people of Pakistan," says Mr Abbasi, who worked alongside her for 25 years.

"Madame Bhutto and her father [party founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto], their connection with the people of Pakistan was in trying to address these problems, and that has to carry through."

However, Mr Abbas believes any impact she had will be more transient.

"More than the legacy, more than the politics, more than the aims and objectives, it's the name which matters in South Asian politics," he says.

"Very soon the Bhutto name may start to disappear if the party fails to deliver this time."

For now, though, Benazir Bhutto is very much remembered in Pakistan - and sorely missed.

Official Gmail Blog: New in Labs: Turn an email into a Google doc

More than once, I've had a conversation over email and later realized that the information contained in the messages would make a great starting point for a document. So I built an experimental feature for Gmail Labs that does just that: with one simple click, "Create a document" converts an email into a Google Docs document.

No more copying and pasting the text from your email -- just open the message you wish to convert, click the "Create a document" link on the right side of the page, and voila, you have a brand new document which you can then modify and share!



Even if you're not interested in converting any of your current messages into documents, you can easily open up a blank doc by hitting g and then w (just make sure you have keyboard shortcuts on).


To turn on this feature, go to the Gmail Labs tab under Settings, select "Enable" next to "Create a document" and hit "Save Changes" at the bottom. Though we're temporarily missing the "Send feedback" link for this feature on the Labs page (oops!), we're still anxious to hear what you think. Permalink

Official Gmail Blog: New in Labs: Turn an email into a Google doc

Google bringing people closer

Official Google Blog: @Twitter: Welcome to Google Friend Connect

Google talking of neutrality again

One of the first posts I wrote for this blog last summer tried to define what we at Google mean when we talk about the concept of net neutrality.

Broadband providers -- the on-ramps to the Internet -- should not be allowed to prioritize traffic based on the source, ownership or destination of the content. As I noted in that post, broadband providers should have the flexibility to employ network upgrades, such as edge caching. However, they shouldn't be able to leverage their unilateral control over consumers' broadband connections to hamper user choice, competition, and innovation. Our commitment to that principle of net neutrality remains as strong as ever.

Some critics have questioned whether improving Web performance through edge caching -- temporary storage of frequently accessed data on servers that are located close to end users -- violates the concept of network neutrality. As I said last summer, this myth -- which unfortunately underlies a confused story in Monday's Wall Street Journal -- is based on a misunderstanding of the way in which the open Internet works.

Edge caching is a common practice used by ISPs and application and content providers in order to improve the end user experience. Companies like Akamai, Limelight, and Amazon's Cloudfront provide local caching services, and broadband providers typically utilize caching as part of what are known as content distribution networks (CDNs). Google and many other Internet companies also deploy servers of their own around the world.

By bringing YouTube videos and other content physically closer to end users, site operators can improve page load times for videos and Web pages. In addition, these solutions help broadband providers by minimizing the need to send traffic outside of their networks and reducing congestion on the Internet's backbones. In fact, caching represents one type of innovative network practice encouraged by the open Internet.

Google has offered to "colocate" caching servers within broadband providers' own facilities; this reduces the provider's bandwidth costs since the same video wouldn't have to be transmitted multiple times. We've always said that broadband providers can engage in activities like colocation and caching, so long as they do so on a non-discriminatory basis.

All of Google's colocation agreements with ISPs -- which we've done through projects called OpenEdge and Google Global Cache -- are non-exclusive, meaning any other entity could employ similar arrangements. Also, none of them require (or encourage) that Google traffic be treated with higher priority than other traffic. In contrast, if broadband providers were to leverage their unilateral control over consumers' connections and offer colocation or caching services in an anti-competitive fashion, that would threaten the open Internet and the innovation it enables.

Despite the hyperbolic tone and confused claims in Monday's Journal story, I want to be perfectly clear about one thing: Google remains strongly committed to the principle of net neutrality, and we will continue to work with policymakers in the years ahead to keep the Internet free and open.

P.S.: The Journal story also quoted me as characterizing President-elect Obama's net neutrality policies as "much less specific than they were before." For what it's worth, I don't recall making such a comment, and it seems especially odd given that President-elect Obama's supportive stance on network neutrality hasn't changed at all.


Official Google Blog: Net neutrality and the benefits of caching

Google started a new architecture competition

Google has started a new architecture competition using google sheckup, here is what they say

Chilly weather, hot chocolate, holiday celebrations... I'm proud to kick off our sweetest SketchUp modeling challenge ever: the first annual Google SketchUp Gingerbread House Design Competition. To make it a little easier to design the gingerbread house of your dreams, I modeled a blank house to get you started. Go ahead and download it from the 3D Warehouse, then follow the instructions in the file.



I also built a selection of decorations (candy canes, gumdrops, wafer roof tiles) that you can use to spiff up your model. Of course, you're welcome to do anything you like; it's your masterpiece. When you're finished, don't forget to label your gingerbread house with the tag "gingerbread2009" and upload it to the 3D Warehouse. The competition deadline is January 4th at midnight, Pacific Standard Time.

This undertaking is all about having fun with SketchUp, so the prizes will be glory based. (What did you expect: a gingerbread flat-screen TV?) We'll award the following prizes, and announce the winners here and on the SketchUpdate about a week after the competition closes on January 4th.

• 1st, 2nd and 3rd place – for the best overall gingerbread houses in the collection
• The 'Sprinkles' Prize – for the best additions to the base model (the crazier, the better)
• The 'Swirl' Prize – for the best use of Dynamic Components in the model
• The 'Sweet-tooth' Prize – for the most creative use of a single candy ingredient in a model

If you're looking for inspiration, take a gander at what folks did with Santa's sleigh last year. Have fun, and happy holidays.



Official Google Blog: Gingerbread architecture for all

The Terrorists turned out to be Indian Recruits, ( Attacks on Mumbai)

A Pakistani lawyer C M Farooque claimed that many people, including Ajmal Kasab, were arrested before 2006 from Kathmandu by the Indian agencies with the help of Nepalese forces, reports The News Daily.

He said Ajmal Kasab went to the Napalese capital on a business tour. His application regarding his arrest was lying pending in the Nepalese Supreme Court in which a reply was sought from Nepalese forces and Indian High Commission.

While talking to the Geo News, C M Farooque Advocate said the Nepalese forces arrested almost 200 people including Ajmal Kasab before 2006 and his application in this regard was lying pending in the Nepalese Supreme Court in which Nepalese forces and Indian High Commission were made

George Bush Get’s Shoes Thrown At Him

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

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".

Official Google Blog: Google Chrome (BETA)

Since we first released Google Chrome, the development team has been hard at work improving the stability and overall performance of the browser. In just 100 days, we have reached more than 10 million active users around the world (on all seven continents, no less) and released 14 updates to the product. We're excited to announce that with today's fifteenth release we are taking off the "beta" label!

Google Chrome is a better browser today thanks to the many users who sent their feedback and the many more who enabled automatic crash reports, helping us rapidly diagnose and fix issues. Some of the areas where we've made great progress include:

Better stability and performance of plug-ins (particularly video). Video and audio glitches were among the most common bugs fixed during the beta period. If you had problems watching videos with Google Chrome in the past, you should be pleasantly surprised with the performance now.

Even more speed. Google Chrome starts up fast, loads pages quickly, and just keeps getting faster. Since the first beta, the V8 JavaScript engine runs 1.4 times faster on the SunSpider benchmark and 1.5 times faster on the V8 benchmark — and there is more speed to come.

Official Google Blog: Google Chrome <S>(BETA)</S>

Google Calendar's Gmail and SMS Integration

Google's recently launched Calendar application was pretty impressive at launch, but seems to keep getting better every day. One of the recent additions I've taken a liking to is the SMS add feature that allows users to add new events to their calendar by texting them to GVENT from a mobile device. It uses the calendar's natural language calendaring feature to appropriately place events in the correct time slot. For example, a user could text any of the following:

lunch with bob tomorrow at 1pm
Wedding on May 19th in Stillwater at 6pm

to add events into the appropriate time slots.

The latest addition I've seen is an integration between Gmail and Google calendar that automatically detects events listed within your emails and turns them into quick adds for your Google Calendar. For example, here is a portion of a recent email I received about some Earth Day events:

The following box appeared along the right column of my Gmail window alongside the above message:

So Google was able to determine that there were events listed within the email and create "Add to Caldendar" links for each event. In this case, I clicked on the Garlic Mustard Pull event, clicked save on the Quick Add form, and immediately found the event on my Google Calendar:

It's not a perfect system yet. For example, I don't think there is a way to adjust the alarm time before individual events via SMS today. This is important since the default 10 minute warning isn't particularly useful for events more than 10 minutes away from where I may be. At launch, the calendar allowed for recurring events, but didn't have a way to delete recurring events. That bug was quickly resolved.

The integration between Gmail and Google Calendar goes both ways by pulling the Gmail address book into the Google Calendar's Guests feature. Adding or inviting guests to events is a snap since Google Calendar will autocomplete the addresses of anyone in your Gmail contacts.

Personally, I'd like to sync my Treo with Google Calendar rather than relying on SMS for all of my event reminders. For example, there may be times where I've turned my phone off, but would still want to be reminded of events I'd scheduled for myself. Creating a week long view where full days can be viewed without scrolling would be a big improvement as well. Google's created one heck of a powerful web based calendaring system already. Where do you think they'll take it next?

Listen to this article posted by Ed Kohler on April 29, 2006 11:29 PM | Permalink
More posts about Gmail , Google
Official Gmail Blog: Really new in Labs this time: SMS Text Messaging for chat

GRAMMY Museum Grand Opening

GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste. 200, Los Angeles

Most museums invite you to look at art. Ours invites you to experience it. Celebrate the creativity and vitality of music at the GRAMMY Museum. With interactive exhibits that give you a behind-the-scenes look at how music is created, produced and performed, the GRAMMY Museum will educate and inspire musicians and fans alike.

World Aid's Day

The South African National Aids Council (Sanac), with representation from all sectors of government and civil society, together with Nedlac, have agreed that at 12.00 noon today, the Deputy President will ask all people in South Africa to stop and observe and act on World Aids Day.

From individuals to organisations, from government departments to schools, all people will be called on to stop what they are doing so that the country can come together to focus on how we are going to stop the HIV epidemic, stop new HIV infections and stop deaths.

World Aids Day 2008 will embody the collective commitment of our government and society to adopt a bold and brave new approach to HIV and TB.

We urge you to join us on this day. Act now. Forward this message.

Spread the word!

Under the theme of “Leadership and Unity to stop HIV, Aids and TB” the 15-minute national stoppage is an opportunity for all South Africans to think and talk about HIV and Aids.

People are encouraged to hold discussions in workplaces and schools, in homes and in the streets.

Sanac has produced a “Key Messages” document to guide these discussion (download it from the website).

World Aids Day 2008 will be unprecedented and historic in the global history of Aids and will inspire people in South Africa and across the world.

Our vision is to use this day to promote actions that will stop HIV and to start a truly national social mobilisation on HIV, Aids and TB.

National Event on World Aids Day

At midday the church bells of St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town will be rung to mark the start of a national minute of silence.

In Durban, at Sahara stadium, the Minister of Health will then address the nation, followed by the Deputy President.

They will be joined by the executive director of UNAids (Dr Peter Piot), King Goodwill Zwelithini, the Premier of KwaZulu Natal, and leaders from civil society living with HIV.

Other senior leaders – from government, civil society, business and labour – will also assemble to demonstrate unity.

These speeches will be covered live on SABC2 from 11.30am, as well as on many SABC and independent radio stations. Simultaneously around the country there will be thousands of other events.

Pledges of support:

l Current and former Archbishops of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, Njongonkulu Ndungane and Desmond Tutu have all endorsed the mobilisation. They are calling on other religious leaders to do the same.

They called on churches to integrate messages about HIV into their services yesterday and for all churches to ring their bells to start the minute’s silence today;

·l The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, will hold a special service at St Georges Cathedral in Cape Town today. HIV counsellors will be on hand to provide information and will also offer testing for HIV;

·l A specially prepared sermon will be given in all mosques, and a special message will be sent to all Muslim schools, Muslim-owned businesses, and Muslim-run e-mail lists in South Africa;

·l Former president Nelson Mandela will release a statement through his organisation 46664; www.46664.org.za will carry key messages and actions and will be a portal where organisations and individuals can find out what they and their companies/organisations can do during the 15-minute Focus on Aids;

l Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has endorsed the campaign;

·l Judge Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, will issue a statement in support of South Africa today;

·l The UK development Minister, Ivan Lewis, visited South Africa from November 28-30 to recognise South Africa’s efforts;

Inside AdWords: Google TV Ads program targeting enhancements

As a designer, you use drawings to communicate much more than just the appearance of spaces or objects. Great drawings "set the tone"; they provide a window into the actual experience of your ideas. Drawings also help communicate the state of your design: Where are you in the process? What level of feedback from your clients is appropriate? Is it time to talk about the roof tile, or are you still working out the building massing? Good drawings lead to good conversations, and that leads to better design.

Style Builder lets you take hand-drawn lines (or any other lines you create) and apply them as edges in a SketchUp model. Now you can make your 3D models look like sketches, abstracting out the things you're not ready to discuss, and bringing forward the things you do. Styles you create in Style Builder are also totally unique; no one else will be able to make drawings that look like yours.

Check out this video to see how Style Builder works:



Posted by Bryce Stout, Product Manager

[NFGB] Link - from Official Google SketchUp Blog
Related From Google Blogs:
Got Questions? Try the new Google Mobile Help Forum
Eric Schmidt speaks about solutions for energy security
Google TV Ads program targeting enhancements
Some favorite Google Maps features now for iPhone

Inside AdWords: Google TV Ads program targeting enhancements

Inside AdWords: Display ad builder best practices

Last week, we posted about recent improvements we've made to the display ad builder. Now we'd like to share some best practices for using the tool. Hopefully these tips will help you get off to a running start with your new display campaigns:

Customize your ads to make them stand out. Here are some ways you can do that:

• Choose the color scheme of your ad, like the background and font color, to align it with your unique product and brand.

• Ensure text and images are a proper fit. Review all available ad sizes for each template to ensure that the text displays properly and images fit the ad slot. Upload images and logos that fit the recommended specifications we display as you create your ad.

• Try out different templates. You can see which one yields the best performance and optimize accordingly.

• Consider transparent PNG graphics. They can make your ads look more professional by matching the background of both the image and the ad.
  

Consider separating your display ads into their own ad group. This will allow you to:

• Set unique bids for your display ads. For example, you may want to bid more competitively for you display ad, since it has to rank high enough to place above the other ads competing for the same spot.

• Use unique keywords for your display ads, without impacting the performance of your text-only ad groups, especially those running on search as well as the Google content network.

Double-check your ads to ensure they meet the following criteria:

• Your display URL should be visible. If it's the same color as the ad's background color, it won't be visible to the user.

• Uploaded images should be less than 50KB. Otherwise your ad won't be eligible to run.

Now that you're armed with these tips on creating effective display ads, please try out the display ad builder and let us know how it's working for you. If you want to learn more about the tool, please visit the display ad builder site.

Posted by Emel Mutlu, Inside AdWords crew

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 1:25 PM

Inside AdWords: Display ad builder best practices

English Medium School Bus in India

Where there is a will, there is a way...

Pakistan in top 10 Failed States

According to foreignpolicy website Pakista is now ranked among first 10 failed states in the world, and just some points away from Afghanistan. This happens when you fight someone else's war. Our leaders should now realize that now they should make some important changes in the foreign policy. International aid would not help in improving this country's situation, instead they should build confidence among the poeple and try promoting our own values.

India to plot a new attack: Mumbai Attacks Nov 27 2008

November 27, 2008
The remains of a taxi near the Western Express Highway in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI

November 27, 2008
A person injured in the terror attack being rushed to a hospital in Mumbai. Photograph: PTI


November 27, 2008
The area near the BMC headquarters and the CST station, deserted after the attacks. Photograph: PTI


November 27, 2008
CST station, where many people were killed in the gunfight between terrorists and the police.

Indian navy 'sank Thai trawler'

The owner of a Thai fishing trawler has said the Indian navy sank it off Somalia's coast last week after wrongly assuming it was a pirate "mother ship".

Wicharn Sirichaiekawat said the Indian frigate had attacked the Ekawat Nava 5 while it was being hijacked by pirates.

He said one of the crew had been found alive after six days in the Gulf of Aden, but that another 14 were missing.

The Indian navy has insisted the vessel fired in self-defence at a pirate ship which had been stacked with explosives.

Almost 40 ships have been seized by Somali pirates so far this year.

Earlier, the authorities in Yemen confirmed pirates had captured a cargo ship carrying building material off the country's coast. They said the pirates were demanding a ransom of $2m (£1.3m).

The latest incident came days after the Saudi oil tanker, Sirius Star, was hijacked. It was earlier moved further north up the Somali coast.

'Self-defence'

Mr Wicharn told reporters in Bangkok that the Ekawat Nava 5 had been headed from Oman to Yemen last Tuesday to deliver fishing equipment when it was approached by Somali pirates in two speed boats in the Gulf of Aden.

We fired in self-defence and in response to firing upon our vessel Commodore Nirad Sinha Indian Navy spokesman

The pirates were in the process of boarding the vessel and seizing control when the Indian navy frigate, the INS Tabar, sailed into view and demanded it stop for investigation, he added.

"The sunken ship which the Indian navy claimed was a 'mother ship' of pirates was not the 'mother ship' at all," he said.

"The pirates wanted to take our ship to Somalia."

Mr Wicharn said he had learnt the fate of his trawler from a Cambodian crew member who had survived the INS Tabar's bombardment and had been rescued by a passing ship after six days adrift in the Indian Ocean.

The sailor was now recovering in a hospital in Yemen, he said.

Later, an Indian navy spokesman insisted that the Tabar had fired only upon a pirate "mother ship" which had threatened it.

"We fired in self-defence and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters and its stance was aggressive," Commodore Nirad Sinha told CNN.

Following last week's incident, the Indian navy said in a statement that the Tabar had spotted a pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (530km) south-west of Salalah, Oman. It said those on board had been armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship had responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.

The pirates then fired on the Tabar, after which the Indians retaliated and there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which then sank, it added.

India is one of several countries currently patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. France, India, South Korea, Russia, Spain, the US and Nato also have a presence in the region.

Inside AdSense: Optimisation Essentials (Part III)

So what can you do to ensure your ad units get noticed? Place your ads where users are likely to look.



We've also made a heatmap to show you where the best placements are on a typical page. Great positions include:


Inside AdSense: Optimisation Essentials (Part III): "Optimisation Essentials (Part III)
Position for performance - be noticed"

Inside AdSense: The forecast is clear in Google Ad Manager

If you're a publisher who sells advertising space directly to advertisers, you might have experienced times when you've been unsure about how much inventory is available for you to sell. Google Ad Manager can help you learn what you have available to sell by forecasting your future inventory and subtracting off what you've already sold.

A Helpful Analogy

To put this into context, pretend for a minute that instead of a website, you run a popular destination hotel. Instead of selling space to advertisers, your job is to book hotel stays for guests. You receive all kinds of requests to book hotel rooms: two rooms for a one-week family vacation, 100 rooms for a three-day conference, a suite for a weekend getaway. In order to book these reservations, you have to know both how many rooms your hotel has and how many rooms are already booked. For a hotel, this is fairly straightforward. You know exactly how many total rooms the hotel has, and you can subtract how many rooms are booked for each night.

For a publisher, it's not as straightforward. Since the amount of inventory you have to sell is directly tied to your site's traffic, it can vary day by day. It's also complicated because there's flexibility in how you meet your obligations. If an advertiser has booked advertising space on your Finance and Entertainment sections, for example, you can serve more ads on the Finance page and fewer on the Entertainment page. To compare to a hotel, it's like you have the flexibility to substitute two single rooms for one double room. Because of the variability of traffic and the flexibility in how you can satisfy your reservations, it's hard to kno


Inside AdSense: The forecast is clear in Google Ad Manager

‘Dancing With the Stars’ winner

After four consecutive male winners on “Dancing With the Stars,” it was finally ladies’ night.

Kristi Yamaguchi was named the new “Dancing” champ on the show’s season finale, becoming the first woman to win the ABC dance-off since its inaugural season. The figure skater came into the final contest Tuesday with a perfect score and bested fan favorites Jason Taylor and Cristian de la Fuente to claim the mirrorball trophy.

“This is definitely for all those women out there to continue to be strong,” she said after the show, hoisting the prize above her head.

The Olympic gold medalist was clearly the most talented dancer on this season’s competition, regularly landing atop the judges’ scoreboard. But viewer votes count just as much, and with the audience 75 percent female, men have had the edge. Last season ended with a shocker when race-car driver Helio Castroneves upset Spice Girl Melanie Brown.

“Obviously the fans are the deciding factor here,” Yamaguchi said, “and I can’t say enough to thank them.”

She also had plenty of fans among her fellow competitors, who said she deserved the title.

Taylor, the massive but graceful pro football star, called Yamaguchi “just perfect,” adding that he “grew up watching her compete for our country.” De la Fuente, who was eliminated early in the two-hour season finale, said “it was impossible to beat her.”

His professional partner, Cheryl Burke, agreed. “Kristi deserved it more than any other woman in any other season,” she said. “It’s about time that a woman wins.”

Yamaguchi’s athletic background helped make her a winner, said judge Carrie Ann Inaba, because athletes know how to channel criticism into competition.

“She was technically great and she was doing incredible choreography,” Inaba said, adding that Yamaguchi’s performance personality emerged throughout the season. “She was able to really develop her crowd-pleasing skills and that’s what set her over the top.”

The judge acknowledged on Monday’s show that men often fare better in the ballroom, saying “they have a natural tendency to be more crowd-pleasers.”

“When men get on the floor and you’re watching the male power, it’s unbeatable,” Inaba said after Tuesday’s show. “It generates this sort of excitement on the dance floor that’s really hard to touch.”

Winning the “Dancing” crown doesn’t quite compare to winning an Olympic gold medal, Yamaguchi said, but it’s still “a fun, amazing experience.”

“It’s not just this (trophy) but what it represents,” she said. “It’s all the hard work and the time spent together and the friendships made, challenging yourself and learning something new.”

Though Taylor and de la Fuente didn’t win, each was victorious in his own way. Besides forming a close friendship with each other, Taylor, an aspiring actor, has taken meetings with Hollywood heavyweights, and de la Fuente learned an important life lesson.

The actor ruptured a tendon in his biceps while dancing on April 28, but delayed the surgery necessary to repair it so he could continue in the contest.

“It’s about wanting something in life and going for it,” he said. “In this case it was a dance show, but it can be anything that you’re afraid of. Go for it. Do it. The reward that you get when you put your heart, your soul, everything you’ve got in something, it’s priceless.”

Three Closing Broadway Shows

Broadway theaters in New York will bid (or will have already bid) farewell to three long-running musicals by early June. Closed in December: The Drowsy Chaperone. Closed in January: The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee. Closing in June: Rent.

After 12 Years, Rent is Due

“Rent” exploded on the New York theatrical scene off-Broadway in January 1996 and quickly moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre. Audiences and critics alike were taken with Jonathan Larson's portrayal of life in New York's East Village among artists who were struggling; friends who had sold out; and terminally-ill young people who were living for today. Based on the opera La Boheme, Larson's rock score drew a new generation of young theater goers to New York.

Not only was the show thematically and musically innovative - a resurrection of the musical genre for a new generation - even its location was a resurrection of sorts. Moving south of 42nd Street, “Rent” opened on Broadway in a previously derelict theater on 41st, the Nederlander. And there it has been, entertaining audiences for 12 years.

The show launched several careers, including: Idina Menzel, who went on to when a Tony Award as Elphaba in “Wicked;” Taye Diggs, a movie and television star (and now married to Menzel); Jesse L. Martin, of TV's “Law & Order.”

In addition to inspiring a recent film version, the Broadway “Rent” took home four Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Score, for Larson and Best Musical. Additionally, Larson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

Larson died tragically and unexpectedly just before the off-Broadway run was to have begun, but his legacy has been more than to entertain and inspire through his musicals. Through the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation many aspiring musical theater composers, lyricists and writers have received financial support in pursuit of their passion.

Rent closes June 1. Tickets are available here.

Spelling Bee Hears the Bell

The final bell rang Jan. 20 at Circle in the Square Theatre for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” In this hilarious, one-act show, several audience members were selected each performance to join a cast of middle-school misfits on stage and then to fight off elimination as they vied for a chance to advance to the National Spelling Bee. With adults playing the roles of young teenagers, “Spelling Bee” gave audience members always funny and often poignant insight into the mind of the typical terrified middle-schooler.

Another off-Broadway transfer, “Spelling Bee,” opened in January 1995 at Second Stage Theatre and moved to Circle in the Square in April of that year. Based on the Rebecca Felder play “C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E,” the show featured music and lyrics by Tony Award-winning composer William Finn and a book by Rachel Scheinkin. Sheinkin won the 1995 Tony for Best Book of a Musical.

Heidi and Spencer Married!

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are MARRIED! Reality TV’s most annoying couple is said to have walked down the aisle in a secret ceremony in Mexico on November 20th.

“They got married in Mexico,” a source close to the couple tells PerezHilton. Here's Spencer's wedding vows to Heidi!

Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you. You are the light in my life like the sun to the earth! Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I'm honored to even be able to call you my wife. You are the most amazing, loving and caring woman on this planet. I will love you forever and always.

The ceremony was held on Palmilla Resort, just outside Cabo San Lucas. There were no family members present for the ceremony, which lasted only 15 minutes!

Congrats, you crazy kids!

Stars arrive at Dubai’s Palm extravaganza

A light display is illuminated during the grand opening of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. The $1.5 billion mega resort with 1,539 rooms is the first resort to open on Dubai's man-made Palm Jumeirah island. Reuters/Jumana El Heloue

Australian singer Kylie Minogue speaks to the media before her performance at the opening event of the hotel. Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh

While the rest of the world is tightening its belt, Dubai threw a $20 million party on Thursday complete with Hollywood celebrities like Robert DeNiro and a fireworks show that organizers said would be visible from outer space. Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh

South African billionnaire Sol Kerzner, Chairman of Kerzner International, stands with his wife Heather Kerzner and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Emirati company Nakheel, the joint developers of the Atlantis Hotel, at the official grand opening party for the hotel. AFP/Karim Sahib

The $1.5 billion marine-themed resort has been built off the Gulf coast on an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree. Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh

The world may be tightening its belt but mere money woes failed to thwart the star-studded opening of the hotel. The hotel's signature suite costs $25,000 a night, well beyond the reach of ordinary holidaymakers. AFP/Karim Sahib

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra poses at the red carpet event. Former Miss India World and later becoming Miss World 2000, Chopra made her acting debut in 2001. Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh

Members of the media look on as fireworks illuminate the resort. The firework display was seven times larger than the Olympic display in Beijing, according to the event organisers. Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh