Ukrainian General Given Life Sentence in Killing of Journalist


Sergey Dolzhenko/European Pressphoto Agency


Gen. Oleksei Pukach listened to his sentence from the defendant's cage during a court session of the Pechersk district court on charges of murder of the journalist Georgy Gongadze in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday.







MOSCOW — A Ukrainian court sentenced a former security official to life in prison on Tuesday for the death of Georgy Gongadze, a journalist whose mysterious death in 2000 provoked an international outcry and helped set off protests against the president at the time, Leonid D. Kuchma.




The former security official, Gen. Oleksei Pukach, who once headed a surveillance department for Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, testified that he had not intended to kill Mr. Gongadze, but strangled him with a belt accidentally in the course of an interrogation. He is the highest-ranking official to be convicted in Mr. Gongadze’s death.


Mr. Gongadze went missing in September 2000 and his body was found two months later, beheaded, in a forest 75 miles from Kiev, the capital. He had infuriated the president, Mr. Kuchma, with muckraking publications in Ukrainskaya Pravda, an Internet newspaper he had founded.


Suspicions of official involvement grew with the release of covert recordings made by one of Mr. Kuchma’s bodyguards, in which the a man who sounded like the president spoke of Mr. Gongadze, telling a subordinate to “throw him out, give him to the Chechens.”


The killing came to epitomize the role that crime had come to play in Ukrainian politics and provoked a wave of demonstrations that some describe as the first manifestation of the 2004 Orange Revolution.


Three former police officers who stood trial over Mr. Gongadze’s death said that he had climbed into what he believed to be a taxi and was taken to a location outside Kiev, where he was beaten and strangled, doused with gasoline and burned.


General Pukach said he had been trying to force Mr. Gongadze to confess to espionage, something Mr. Gongadze refused to do, though he did admit accepting $400,000 from Western diplomats for passing on information.


Volodymyr Shilov, a prosecutor, said that General Pukach had testified that he was carrying out an order, but would not say what the order was or who issued it, according to the Interfax news agency. But just before guards took him away on Tuesday, General Pukach gave a revealing response to journalists who asked him to comment on the verdict, telling them to direct their questions to Mr. Kuchma and his chief of staff, Volodymyr Lytvyn.


“Ask Kuchma and Lytvyn, they’ll tell you everything,” he said, shaking his finger angrily, according to television coverage of the trial. “I told everything during the investigation and trial. So ask Lytvyn and Kuchma about their motives and intentions.”


The trial was mostly closed to journalists, who were allowed to be present only for the verdict and sentencing. But a lawyer representing Mr. Gongadze’s widow complained that the investigation and trial were flawed and inconsistent, overlooking evidence that General Pukach had intended to kill Mr. Gongadze.


“He spoke clearly about receiving an order to kill burn and bury him, and he was prepared for this,” said the lawyer, Valentyna Telychenko, in comments broadcast on television. “He brought a shovel and a canister of gasoline, meaning his actions were directed toward murder, and nothing else.”


General Pukach testified that he had been ordered to conduct surveillance by Ukraine’s interior minister — a man who was found dead in 2005, hours before he was to be questioned by prosecutors in the matter. Officials called it a suicide, though Ukrainian news agencies said he had suffered two gunshot wounds.


This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: January 29, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated, on first reference, the year of Georgy Gongadze’s death. It was in 2000, not 2002.



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China may consider ending its decade-long ban on video game consoles






Shares of Sony (SNE) and Nintendo (NTDOY) surged on Monday following a report from China’s official newspaper that claimed the country is considering the lift of a decade-long ban on video game consoles. An unnamed source told the China Daily newspaper that the Ministry of Culture is “reviewing the policy,” and has conducted surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of lifting the ban. An official at the ministry’s cultural market department denied the report in a statement to Reuters, however, claiming it “is not considering lifting the ban.”


[More from BGR: BlackBerry 10 debuts on Wednesday – strap in for a wild ride]






China banned the sale of video game consoles in 2000 to safeguard children’s mental and physical development. In order for the ban to be lifted, the seven different ministries who issued the ruling must all agree to reverse it.


[More from BGR: Apple releases iOS 6.1 to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users]


Shares of Sony’s stock were up more than 8% in Tokyo on Monday, while Nintendo gained 3.5% on a weaker Nikkei index.


This article was originally published on BGR.com


Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Barbara Walters Has Chicken Pox















01/28/2013 at 12:40 PM EST







Barbara Walters


Mark VonHolden/DMIPhoto.com/FilmMagic


While much of Hollywood is suffering from the flu, Barbara Walters has come down with the chicken pox.

The View host was hospitalized after injuring her head in a fall during inauguration festivities. She was transferred to a New York hospital late last week and remains there with her new infection.

"You all know that she fell and cut her head 10 days ago, and then was running a temperature, but it turns out it is all the result of a delayed childhood," her co-host Whoopi Goldberg explained on the air Monday.

"Barbara has the chicken pox. She'd never had it as a child," she continued. "So now she's been told to rest, she's not allowed any visitors, and we're telling you, Barbara, no scratching."

In a statement last week, Walters, 83, thanked her fans and "all the people who have called, written and been concerned about me."
– Charlotte Triggs

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Soldier who lost 4 limbs has double-arm transplant


The first soldier to survive after losing all four limbs in the Iraq war has received a double-arm transplant in Baltimore.


His father says Brendan Marrocco (muh-ROCK-oh) had the operation on Dec. 18 at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Marrocco is 26 and lives in New York City. He was injured by a roadside bomb in 2009.


He also received bone marrow from the same dead donor who supplied his new arms. That novel approach is aimed at helping his body accept the new limbs with minimal medication to prevent rejection.


It is the seventh double-hand or double-arm transplant done in the United States. The military is sponsoring operations like these to help wounded troops. About 300 have lost arms or hands in the wars.


Surgeons plan to discuss the transplant Tuesday.


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S&P 500 dips after rally, but Apple lifts Nasdaq

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Standard & Poor's 500 edged lower on Monday as a four-week rally stalled, while a rebound in Apple shares helped buoy the Nasdaq.


Caterpillar shares helped cap losses in the Dow industrials after the heavy equipment maker's outlook eased investors' fears about an economic slowdown in China. Caterpillar's shares rose 2.1 percent to $97.61.


The S&P 500 is coming off a streak of eight sessions of gains, the longest in eight years. On Friday, the major U.S. stock indexes closed a fourth straight week of gains with the S&P 500 ending the session above 1,500 for the first time in more than five years.


The rally has left the market vulnerable to a short-term pullback of up to 3 percent in the S&P 500 as bullish sentiment continues to rise, according to Richard Ross, Auerbach Grayson's global technical strategist.


"Still," Ross said, "we have a lot of momentum and nice seasonality, and technicals support the long-term bull market."


Data on Monday pointed to growing economic momentum as companies sensed improved consumer demand.


Thomson Reuters data showed that of the 150 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far, 67.3 percent have beaten analysts' expectations. Since 1994, 62 percent of companies have topped expectations, while the average over the past four quarters stands at 65 percent.


The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> rose 4.34 points, or 0.03 percent, to 13,900.32.. The S&P 500 <.spx> shed 0.19 of a point, or 0.01 percent, to 1,502.77. The Nasdaq Composite <.ixic> added 11.40 points, or 0.36 percent, to 3,161.11.


Bargain hunters lifted Apple after the tech giant's stock dropped 14.4 percent in the previous two sessions. With Apple's stock up 2.8 percent at $452, the iPad and iPhone maker regained the title as the largest U.S. company by market capitalization as Exxon Mobil fell 0.9 percent to $90.90 and slipped back to second place.


"I think there is more downside in Apple if you did get a broad market pullback," Auerbach Grayson's Ross said.


"I'd be patient unless you're a trader. It might not be the most attractive entry point."


U.S. durable goods orders jumped 4.6 percent in December, a pace that far outstripped expectations for a rise of 1.8 percent. Pending home sales unexpectedly dropped 4.3 percent. Analysts were looking for an increase of 0.3 percent.


Equities have gained support from a recent agreement in Washington to extend the government's borrowing power. On Monday, Fitch Ratings said that agreement removed the near-term risk to the country's 'AAA' rating.


Hess Corp shares shot up 5.7 percent to $62.27 after the company said it would exit its refining business, freeing up to $1 billion of capital. Separately, hedge fund Elliott Associates is looking for approval to buy about $800 million more in Hess stock.


Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc said a late-stage trial of its experimental kidney disease drug met the main study goal, and its shares soared nearly 60 percent to $5.45.


(Editing by Jan Paschal)



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India Ink: At Literature Festival, Yearning for Bollywood Past

Nostalgia for classic Bollywood cinema reigned at the Jaipur Literature Festival, which celebrated 100 years of Indian cinema with several sessions featuring veteran actors and writers, who offered critiques of contemporary Indian film-making.

In the session titled “Bollywood and National Narrative,” Javed Akhtar, the Indian poet and lyricist who scripted several popular Hindi films in the 1970s and ’80s, said that India is a nation of great “movie buffs,” noting that perhaps it was the only country where temples dedicated to movie stars exist.

“If you watch cinema carefully, it tells you a lot about the last 60 to 70 years in India,” Mr. Akhtar, 68, said.

The influence of society on filmmaking was so ingrained that drawing a list of a villain’s character over the years gives a sense of the socioeconomic history of the country, he said. In the 1940s, the villain was the zamindar, or landlord, who exploited the oppressed farmers, he noted. But today, he said, there is no such clear-cut character in society because the line between the heroes and the villains has become blurred.

Pointing to a generational shift in the art of storytelling in Bollywood, Mr. Akhtar argued that nowadays the screenplay is driven by a formulaic method that is aimed at a young, affluent audience who wants to have a good time at the theater and is not willing to engage with serious subjects.

“There is no shortage of stories, but an average producer wants a brand new story that has come before,” he said.

Wistfully, he commented that with the exception of a handful of films, the young generation of filmmakers had “left literature, poetry, art and aesthetics behind.”

But he also said he was hopeful that the next 10 years would usher in an era of more depth in film-making.

In another session on Bollywood, titled “Sex and Sensibility: Women in Cinema,” Shabana Azmi, the veteran Bollywood actress, along with Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, writer and poet, discussed the role of cinema in creating gender perceptions.

Ms. Azmi, who has also worked as a social activist on several issues including women’s rights, argued that Hindi cinema has created an ideal of womanhood based on mythological constructs taken from epics like as the Ramayana. While the character of the vamp was created to satisfy men’s sexual appetites, the ideal woman was docile, submissive and had no sexuality, she said.

“The movies are setting the wrong kinds of role models for young girls,” she said.

Mr. Joshi said it was time that “we realize we are not only mirroring society we are shaping it. People are emulating cinema in their daily lives.”

In a fiery debate among the panelists, a consensus was reached that it was ultimately those involved in the business of film-making who were responsible for perpetuating the stereotypes.

“We are all culpable,” Ms. Azmi said.

The younger generation of writers may have been criticized by some veterans for the lack of sensibility in their work, but even they seemed to agree that some of the more recent films did not have a moral compass.

“The line between the hero and the antihero is blurring, and that is very dangerous,” said Mr. Joshi, who is 41. “The antihero is becoming cool. Crime can’t become cool.”

During a session on screenwriting, Jaideep Sahni, a screenwriter and lyricist who has some notable films to his credit, including “Kholsa Ka Ghosla” and “Chake De India” warned against having too much nostalgia for the past. He grew up watching films in the 1980s and the 1990s, and “they had bad scripts,” he said.

“There was a tyranny of listening to the same thing again and again,” he said.

He said a certain kind of popular, commercial entertainment was being considered the “be all and end all” but is having a negative impact on cinema.

However, the screenwriter, who is in his 40s, defended young screenwriters and lyricists like him, saying that they watched old films and listened to old Bollywood music but made films about the present times.

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Siemens picks banks for two disposals: sources






FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Siemens AG has picked banks to organize the sale of two units as part of its efforts to streamline operations and stay competitive in a weak global economy, people familiar with the matter said.


Goldman Sachs Group Inc will advise the German conglomerate on the sale of its Water Technologies units, while Rothschild will oversee the divestment of its smaller security products arm, which makes access card readers and technology for intruder detection and surveillance, the sources said on Monday.






Siemens, Goldman and Rothschild all declined comment.


Siemens, which ranks as Germany’s second-most valuable company and which makes products ranging from trains to hearing aids, late last year announced the plan to divest several units in a bid to focus on its most profitable businesses.


It also aims to put itself in a better position to compete in core product areas with the likes of Switzerland’s ABB Ltd and U.S.-based General Electric Co.


Since then, several possible bidders for the water unit – which has annual sales of about 1 billion euros ($ 1.4 million) and employs 600 – have approached the Munich-based group and investment bankers have started to work on the possible sale, the sources said.


HATS IN THE RING


Siemens built up its water technology operations through a flurry of acquisitions over the last decade, buying the water systems and services division of U.S. Filter from Veolia Environnement for instance for $ 1 billion in 2004.


Since much of Siemens’s water business is focused on North America, industry sources expect U.S.-based peers Xylem Inc and Pentair Ltd to take a look at the asset.


“Asian companies are also likely to throw their hats into the ring,” one of the people said.


The region is experiencing rapid economic growth, climate change effects, rising populations and stricter energy and water regulations and is therefore expected to see heavy investment in water treatment equipment in coming years, he said.


Kurita Water Industries Ltd, Hyflux Ltd, Hitachi Ltd and Marubeni Corp are seen as possible suitors, he added.


Big private equity groups like KKR & Co LP, Bain and Permira are also expected to show interest.


Permira in 2011 bought Israel-based Netafim, a maker of irrigation technology, for 800 million euros.


Siemens Water Technologies offers products ranging from conventional water treatment to emergency water supply and water disinfection systems.


A report published in 2010 by Global Water Intelligence, an industry journal, put the size of the global water market at more than $ 500 billion.


Siemens shares were down 0.3 percent by 8.25 a.m, backtracking from a five-month high set last week, compared with a 0.1 percent drop in the main German index.


(Additional reporting by Jens Hack; Editing by Hans-Juergen Peters)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West


New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very young or old. The season's first flu case resistant to treatment with Tamiflu was reported Friday.


Eight more children have died from the flu, bringing this season's total pediatric deaths to 37. About 100 children die in an average flu season.


There is still vaccine available although it may be hard to find. The CDC has a website that can help.


___


CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/


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Scandal-hit Monte Paschi seeks new investor to revive bank


MILAN (Reuters) - Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is seeking a financial investor to help revive the ailing lender and will remove a current cap on voting rights to help raise 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), its chairman said.


"I would like to have a long-term financial investor," Alessandro Profumo told Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore in an interview published on Sunday. "Nationality is not a problem. The important thing is that it believes in our project".


Late on Saturday the Bank of Italy gave its approval to Monte Paschi's request for 3.9 billion euros ($5.3 billion) of state loans, which Profumo said would be issued by February.


The central bank's backing was the final stage required to free up the financial help for Italy's third-biggest lender, which this week revealed loss-making derivatives trades that could cost it about 720 million euros.


In October, investors cleared a 1 billion euro share issue as part of its business plan, which Profumo said would be launched by the end of 2015.


Shareholders in the world's oldest bank on Friday approved two additional capital boosting measures for a combined 6.5 billion euros to be used in case the bank is not able to pay back the loans and interest with cash.


Profumo said he was confident the bank would generate enough cash to pay back the state bailout over the next five years and may not need to turn to investors to raise the 6.5 billion euros, which he described "theoretical" guarantees.


"We believe in this. The objective is to return to profits already during the course of this year," he said.


The bank will remove its current 4 percent cap to voting rights before launching the 1 billion euro cash call, he added. The move would encourage investors who could end up with more than 4 percent stakes to participate.


The scandal around opaque Monte Paschi trades is widening fast and Italian media have reported that public prosecutors are investigating a large number of derivatives contracts.


The issue has shot to the centre of the campaign for next month's national election and has prompted questions about how the deals, which were conducted between 2006 and 2009 and involved Japanese bank Nomura and Deutsche Bank, could have been hidden from regulators.


Monte Paschi was already under investigation over its 9 billion euro cash acquisition of smaller lender Antonveneta from Spain's Santander in 2007.


In an interview with La Repubblica daily on Sunday, Monte Paschi Chief Executive Fabrizio Viola said he had no evidence at this time that any crime had been committed, but the bank would not hesitate to protect its interests by taking legal action should any crime be ascertained by judges. ($1 = 0.7421 euros)


(Reporting By Danilo Masoni; Editing by Alison Birrane and Jane Baird)



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