Egypt: Balloon crashes near Luxor killing 18 tourists

British, French, Hong Kong and Japanese nationals are among at least 18 tourists killed in a hot air balloon crash near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The balloon was at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and plunged onto fields west of Luxor, officials said.

At least two people, including the balloon's pilot, survived, reportedly by jumping out of the balloon before it crashed.

Luxor is home to some of Egypt's most famous pharaonic-era ruins.

It lies on the banks of the River Nile in the south of the country, and has long been a popular tourist destination.

British tour operator Thomas Cook confirmed that four of its clients were on board the balloon - two had died and two were in hospital.

"We have a very experienced team in resort with the two guests in the local hospital, and we're providing our full support to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time," Peter Fankhauser, CEO of Thomas Cook UK and Europe, said.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt has confirmed that nine Hong Kong tourists died in the balloon crash.

Egyptian police have said the other tourists include four from Japan and two from France. At least one Egyptian also died.

Earlier reports suggested 19 people had been killed.

Oscars 2013: 'Argo' wins best film award, Ang Lee best director

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo" took home the Oscar for best picture, in a unique presentation done by Jack Nicholson in Hollywood and First Lady Michelle Obama by videolink.

"Argo" bested eight rivals for the top prize: "Amour," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," " Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

On Nicholson's cue, Obama -- in a glittering silvery gown as stunning as any worn by the stars inside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood -- opened the envelope at the White House and declared "Argo" the winner.

"I want to thank Canada. I want to thank our friends in Iran, who live under terrible circumstances," said Affleck, a co-producer of the film, speaking at top speed in the very last minutes of the live prime-time Oscar broadcast.

"Argo" recounts how a group of US diplomats who took refuge in the Canadian embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis were spirited out of the Islamic republic as members of a bogus movie crew.

Putting all speculations to rest, director Ang Lee has won the best director award second time at the 85th Academy Awards. His 'Life of Pi', a fantasy adventure drama widely shot in India, has also won four Oscars, including best cinematography, best visual effects and best original score.

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Bhandara rape case: School headmaster failed to alert family about missing girls, suspended

Bhandara: Eight days after the shocking incident of rape and murder of three minor girls in Bhandara district in Maharashtra, the government finally acted and suspended the headmaster of the school where two of the sisters studied.

The school headmaster was suspended as he failed to alert the family and police when the girls went missing on February 14. The two girls were not present at the time when the mid-day meal was being served, though their bags were in the class.

Three sisters, all minors were allegedly raped and murdered in Bhandara and their bodies were dumped in a well. Preliminary post-mortem report had confirmed that the girls were raped before being murdered.

Enraged villagers demanding a swift probe blocked the National Highway 6 for over four hours on Wednesday, while a bandh was called in the district. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and senior police officials have been rushed in to oversee the investigation.

8.2% of Indian Americans live below poverty line, reveals US survey

WASHINGTON: Boasting of having the highest per capita income among all the major ethnic groups, more than eight per cent of the nearly three million Indian Americans are living below the poverty line in the US, a latest Census report revealed on Wednesday.

According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, 42.7 million people in the United States had income below the poverty level. The national poverty rate is 14.7 per cent.

With 8.2 per cent of poverty rate, Indian Americans are far less poor than other ethnic groups and the national average, the Census Bureau report said.

The Japanese Americans too have a 8.2 per cent poverty rate. For the Asian population, poverty rates were higher for Vietnamese (14.7 per cent) and Koreans (15.0 per cent), but the Filipinos have the lowest poverty rate of 5.8 per cent.

Poverty rates for Vietnamese and Koreans were not statistically different from each other.

According to the report, for Asians, nine states had poverty rates below 10 per cent (Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia and South Carolina).

Among Hispanics, national poverty rates ranged from a low of 16.2 per cent for Cubans to a high of 26.3 per cent for Dominicans.

In its report the Census Bureau said two race groups had poverty rates more than 10 per centage points higher than the national rate of 14.3 per cent: American Indian and Alaska Native (27.0 per cent) and black or African- American (25.8 per cent).

Rates were above the overall national average for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (17.6 per cent), while poverty rates for people identified as white (11.6 per cent) or Asian (11.7 per cent) were lower than the overall poverty rate.

Poverty rates for whites and Asians were not statistically different from each other.

The Hispanic population had a poverty rate of 23.2 per cent, about nine per centage points higher than the overall US rate.

The US government's definition of poverty is based on total income received. For example, the poverty level for 2012 was set at an annual income of $23,050 (nearly Rs 12 lakh) which for a family of four.

AirAsia joins hands with Tata to start airline in India

New Delhi: Asia’s largest low-cost airline AirAsia Bhd is planning to start an airline in India with the Tata Group Joint venture. 

The airline has filed an application with India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for proposed joint venture with Tata Sons along with Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace. Once the FIPB approves the proposal, AirAsia will reportedly make an application for the air operator’s permit before the Indian aviation regulators.

The move comes months after the Indian government eased FDI rules in the aviation sector. Last September the UPA government had allowed 49 percent FDI in aviation sector thereby opening doors for foreign players to invest in India. 

Internet rates may go up

NEW DELHI: Industry body ISPAI said that rates of internet and broadband services may go up under new licenses framework due to high entry fee proposed by Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

DoT has proposed to charge one-time entry of Rs 15 crore for a national level Unified Licence compared to Rs 30 lakh which companies pay for internet services at present.

"DoT has not done anything new as per the proposed format for Unified Licence regime. They are going ahead with option to continue the old licence format along with a new national level Unified Licence (UL) that will cost Rs 15 crore.

"If internet service providers opt for UL, then cost of internet and broadband services will go up," Internet Service Provider Association of India's (ISPAI) President Rajesh Charia told PTI.

In the new licencing regime, DoT should allow internet telephony which would lead to low cost call service that would benefit even rural area the country where illiteracy is very high.

"VoIP is widely accepted application. Foreign companies who are not registered with DoT are providing voice calling service both between Computer to Computer and Computer to landlines.

"They don't even have licences. We pay annual charges to DoT and should be allowed to provide voice services across networks," he said.

A DoT internal committee has recommended to allow ISPs with wireless broadband spectrum (BWA) to provide voice telephony service using these airwaves. In 2010, six private players including Reliance Jio Infocom, formerly Infotel Broadband, Tikona Digital and Augere had won BWA spectrum.

The committee has left it for higher authorities to decide if players who won BWA spectrum in 2010 should be asked to make additional payment of Rs 1,658 crore which was charged from telecom players till 2008 for providing mobile telephony.

The licence issued to mobile telephony operators for Rs 1,658 crore had 4.4 Mhz spectrum bundled with it but government has announced to provide no spectrum with UL. 

Google Android, Apple iOS power over 90% smartphones in Q4: IDC

WASHINGTON: Android-powered smartphones and Apple's rival iPhone have extended their near duopoly with a whopping 91 percent of the global market in the fourth quarter, a survey showed on Thursday.

Google's Android system was used on 70.1 percent of smartphones shipped in the quarter, while Apple held 21 percent, according to research firm IDC.

"The dominance of Android and Apple reached a new watermark in the fourth quarter," said IDC analyst Ramon Llamas.

Over the full year, this gave the two platforms 87.6 percent of the world smartphone market, and underlined the challenge facing smaller players in trying to break their dominance.

Llamas said Android benefitted from "a broad selection of smartphones, and an equally deep list of smartphone vendor partners" while Apple got traction from its new iPhone 5 and lower prices on its older models.

IDC said the global market for smartphones grew 46 percent last year with 722 million units shipped -- some 227 million of them in the fourth quarter alone.

The report highlighted the tough task for other smartphone vendors, including BlackBerry and those using the Microsoft Windows Phone platform.

BlackBerry remained the number three platform but its market share slid to just 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter, and 4.5 percent for the year. That compared with 10.3 percent for 2011.

The Windows Phone platform grew some 150 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, helped by the introduction of the Windows Phone 8 platform and new models from Nokia and HTC.

But the platform accounted for just 2.6 percent of the market in the fourth quarter.

"With the recent introductions of two new smartphone platforms we expect some ground to be made by the new entrants over the coming years," said Ryan Reith, another IDC analyst.

"There is no question the road ahead is uphill for both Microsoft and BlackBerry, but history shows us consumers are open to change. Platform diversity is something not only the consumers have asked for, but also the operators." 

Samsung launches Rex 90, 80, 70 and 60 feature phones; prices start at Rs 4280

Samsung has announced the launch of its new range of smart feature phones under the Samsung Rex series. The four new phones unveiled at an event at New Delhi are the Rex 80, Rex 80, Rex 70 and Rex 60.

The price range of the four new Samsung Rex phones are from Rs 4280 to Rs 6490.

Samsung Rex series of phones are being launched globally from India. Samsung says the phones have been developed in India and will be introduced across a number of markets beginning with India. 

The Rex 90 has a 3.5-inch capacitive display, with dual-SIM support, a 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi with up to 15 hours of talktime. The dual-SIM Rex 80 has a 3-inch capacitive screen and also includes WiFi support and comes with a 3 megapixel camera. The Rex 70 has a similar screen as the Rex 80 but has a lower 2 megapixel camera. The starting model, the Rex 60 has a 2.8-inch display (not capacitive) and a 1.3 megapixel camera.

The Rex 90 has 7 customisable homescreens while the other models have 8.

India wrestlers shocked at Olympics move to drop sport

India's wrestlers have expressed shock at the recommendation of International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the sport be dropped from the 2020 Games.

Four out of India's 24 Olympic medals are from wrestling. Wrestling also gave India its first individual Olympic medal in 1952.

Two of India's six medals at the 2012 London Olympics were won by wrestlers.

The IOC recommended its dismissal after assessing the performance of all 26 sports at the London Games.

There is a slim chance that wrestling may win a reprieve when the IOC meets in September to ratify its choice.

Correspondents say the decision will come as a big blow to Indian wrestlers who have been making a mark internationally.

"It's a huge setback. I can't believe that IOC can take such a harsh decision about one of the oldest Olympic sports," Sushil Kumar, who has won two medals at Olympics, was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

"At the Beijing Olympic Games, my aim was to win a medal and I succeeded. For London, my target was gold, but I could manage a silver. So I am determined to make up for the London loss at Rio [games]."

Senior wrestling official Raj Singh said the recommendation was a "huge loss for the country".

"But I am sure that the international wrestling body will not let the sport be shown the door from the Olympics," he said.

Senior coach Yashvir told The Indian Express that young wrestlers at his camp were stunned by the news.

"They all seem defeated," he said.

Mr Yashvir said he was now worried about the future of wrestling in India.

"Why will children want to take up wrestling now? People will rather have their children train for other games like boxing. This will directly impact our talent pool."

Freedom of expression was intact', says Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie Vishwaroopam was released today in theatres across Tamil Nadu sending his fans into a delirious mood after a fortnight-long suspense as the actor insisted his freedom of expression was 'intact' with only a few scenes muted.

"Thank you India. Thank You Tamil Nadu. See to it that artistes like me don't get into trouble again," said a hugely-relieved actor as the film opened to packed houses with his fans bursting crackers and pouring milk over his cut-outs.

Today's release capped a two-week long drama with many a twist and turn that saw opposition by theatre owners over the actor's plan to release it on DTH platform, protests by Muslim outfits that led to a two-week ban by Tamil Nadu government, court battle and threat of self-exile by the actor.

As the ban evoked national outcry, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa stepped in, paving the way for its release. Actor agreed to mute scenes that Muslim outfits found offensive in the government brokered meeting.

Haasan wished Jayalalithaa, who recently said she no longer watched movies, would break "her vow" for his sake as he wanted to screen the movie for his "peer and senior" in the Tamil film industry.

"I like her to see the film. Now she is a Chief Minister. But she is (also) a peer and senior. I very much like her to watch my film and hope she breaks her vow of not watching movies," a smiling Haasan told reporters.

The actor insisted that his freedom of expression was 'intact' since only a few scenes had been muted.

Fans celebrate ‘Vishwaroopam’ release in Tamilnadu

Overcoming a fortnight-long suspense and drama, Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam finally hit the screens across Tamil Nadu to packed houses, amid celebrations by delirious fans.

It was a jamboree of sorts as elated fans danced to drum beat and burst crackers as they thronged cinema houses since early morning, some pouring milk over the cut outs of the 58-year-old actor.

“We are very happy with the response and shows have been booked till Monday. Kamal has done a brilliant job,” a theatre owner said.

Haasan’s fans said the technically advanced film could match up to any Hollywood production.

“It is like a Hollywood movie,” said a fan outside a theatre. “Hats off to Kamal. He has taken Indian cinema to a new height,” said another.

The film, originally scheduled for January 25 release, started screening in some theatres as early as 6 a.m.

Its release was delayed in the wake of protests by some Muslim outfits, prompting the Tamil Nadu government to ban it for two weeks.

The movie was cleared for release after the makers agreed to make changes to seven scenes following a State government-brokered meeting between Haasan and the outfits.

The State ban on the spy-thriller triggered a nationwide condemnation and support for Haasan, who had threatened to go on a self-imposed exile following the politics over his film.

Prior to the protests by Muslim outfits, the film had faced problems with the actor insisting on release on the DTH platform before showing it in theatres. The theatre owners’ opposition had forced him to delay the release.

Bikaner baby who was bitten by her father on nose, lips dies in hospital

Five days after she went through plastic surgery to reconstruct her face, a five-month-old baby girl, whose nose and lips were bitten off by her abusive father, died in a hospital in Jaipur today.  The father will be charged with murder, the police said. 

The baby and her older sister were both assaulted by their drunk father in Bikaner, about 400 kms from Jaipur, on the night of January 26. The mother filed a police case, leading to her husband's arrest, and her in-laws punished her by throwing her out of the house they shared.

After NDTV reported on the family, viewers and NDTV.com surfers donated generously. 

"The condition of the baby deteriorated last night after she was breastfed by her mother. The milk entered into her lungs following which some complications developed and she was put on ventilator support but she died," said a spokesperson of the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur.

The baby was scheduled to undergo another operation in a fortnight.

‘Vishwaroopam’ to be released in Tamil Nadu on February 7

A day after the two-week ban was revoked on the controversial film “Vishwaroopam”, Kamal Haasan on Monday, announced that his film will hit across the theatres in Tamil Nadu on February 7.

“The film will release all over Tamil Nadu on February 7,” said Kamal in a statement.

Following the tripartite talks on February 2 in the presence of Home Secretary R. Rajagopal, Mr. Haasan had agreed to edit a few scenes from the film, thus bringing to an end the protests by some Muslim organisations.

The Rs. 95-crore espionage thriller was set for release in Tamil and Telugu on January 25, but a day before the release the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban fearing protests by Muslim groups.

Written, produced and directed by Mr. Haasan, who also plays the title role, “Vishwaroopam” also features Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat.

The film’s Hindi version “Vishwaroop” was released on February 1 across the country and has raked Rs.7.56 crore in its opening weekend.

Keywords: Vishwaroopam ban, Tamil Nadu government ban, tripartite talks, Muslim body protests, Muslim organisations