Guardiola: Boys, I'm leaving Barca | Sports

BARCELONA, (AFP) - Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola announced he is leaving the club at the end of the season, ending a four-year reign over one of the greatest eras in club football.

"Four years is an eternity as Barca coach," the 41-year-old Guardiola, dressed in a grey V-necked sweater and white collared shirt, told a news conference packed with journalists and players.

"That's four years, with time everything runs out of steam. I am drained and I need to take a step back and replenish."

"Boys, I'm leaving Barca," Guardiola told his players according to an earlier online report by the biggest selling sports daily Marca, which did not identify a source.

After spending most of his playing career at Barcelona, Guardiola coached Barcelona's B team before taking control of the first-team squad in June 2008 from Dutchman Frank Rijkaard.

In his four years at the helm, he has led Barcelona to 13 titles and is credited with promoting some of most sublime football in the world, helped by huge talent including footballer of the year Lionel Messi.

"Pep is going" cried the front-page headline of Barcelona-based daily Sport, adding, however, that while his decision probably was already taken there was still a glimmer of hope.

"Where will you be better off than in Barca?" the paper pleaded beneath a photograph of the 41-year-old coach, head down and hands pressed together in deep reflection.

Fellow Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo hedged its bets with a front page that can be turned upside down to read either "Pep is going" or "Pep is not going".

"Turn the front page around depending on what Guardiola says today," the paper advised its readers.

Inside, however, the paper was more pessimistic. "He has practically decided to leave Barca: today he will tell the management and the team," Mundo Deportivo said.

"Nevertheless, up to this morning the door was still open for him to carry on."

No-one at the club was available to comment.

Chelsea knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League semi-finals this week and the Catalans' archrivals Real Madrid beat them in a pivotal league clash at the Camp Nou last weekend.

Real Madrid, leading Barcelona by seven points at the top of the league, are now all but certain to be crowned Liga champions.

Earlier this week the daily Sport said candidates to replace Guardiola included France coach Laurent Blanc, Olympiakos coach Ernesto Valverde and Athletic Bilbao's Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa.

In April last year Guardiola told Italian television Rai Sports that he felt his time as Barcelona coach was coming to a close.

"I feel good here but I believe my time at Barcelona is ending," the coach said at the time.

"I've already done three years, one more will be four years. And in four years a big club needs a lot of courage to keep the same coach. Everyone should know when it's the right time to go, as I always heard when I was a player."

The coach extended his contract with Barcelona by a season in February 2011 and his deal expires in June this year.

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Olympics 2012 chiefs concerned by Adidas 'sweatshop'

London Olympics organisers said Saturday they were taking "extremely seriously" allegations of "sweatshop" conditions for Indonesian workers producing outfits for British athletes and Games volunteers.

The Independent newspaper alleged that the clothing being made for the London 2012 Olympics was "being manufactured for Adidas in sweatshop conditions in Indonesia, making a mockery of claims by London 2012 organisers that this summer's Games will be the most ethical ever".

Adidas, the German sportswear and equipment manufacturer, is investigating, the London organising committee said.

"We place a high priority on environmental, social and ethical issues when securing goods and services and take these allegations extremely seriously," said a spokeswoman.

"We have spoken to Adidas and they have assured us that they are investigating these allegations, the conclusions of which will be made public.

"We regularly remind all of our licensees of the importance we place on the sustainable sourcing code they have each signed up to."

Workers at nine Indonesian factories which have contracts to produce Olympic shoes and clothing for Adidas are working up to 65-hour weeks and earning as little as 5,000 rupiah ($0.55, 42 euro cents) an hour, the report claimed.

The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, the body responsible for monitoring ethical practices relating to the Games, told The Independent that it was "deeply concerned" by the report.

The organising committee's priority "must be to investigate these issues and act accordingly to protect workers' rights and improve working conditions," said Shaun McCarthy, the commission's chairman.

The Independent said in its editorial that the working conditions reported by staff at the Indonesian factories were "unconscionable".

"Workers tell of pitiful wages, unreasonable production targets, appalling hours and even outright abuse," it said.

The London Games organisers "should be ashamed" of themselves, it added.

Last month fashion designer Stella McCartney revealed the Union Jack-inspired outfits she has designed for the British Olympic team at a glitzy London launch.

The 2012 Olympics run from July 27 to August 12.

Formula 1 says Bahrain race to go ahead despite tension

Thousands of Bahrainis staged an anti-government rally on Friday after an announcement that the Bahrain Grand Prix motor race would go ahead despite security concerns after a year of unrest in the Gulf Arab state.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) gave the green light after some doubt that the prestigious Formula One event, cancelled in Bahrain last year amid a violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, was on.

"All the teams are happy to be there," Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone said in Shanghai, which hosts the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend. "There's nothing happening. I know people who live there and it's all very quiet and peaceful."

But on Friday several thousand people joined a funeral procession for a man shot during an anti-government protest two weeks ago, in Salmabad just outside the capital Manama. Police were on hand but kept their distance from the mourners.

"Down with Hamad!" chanted some marchers, referring to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who brought in an independent commission last year to investigate crimes during the crackdown and has promised reforms.

Two other rallies were planned later on Friday.

Security forces were also on alert in case clashes between youths and police in Shi'ite Muslim villages escalate, or if the health of a jailed activist on hunger strike deteriorates. Two nights ago, gangs of youths attacked cars and tried to march on a neighbouring Shi'ite district after a Sunni Muslim-led rally.

COUNTDOWN

Bahrain's Sunni rulers are keen to stage a successful race as part of their efforts to show progress on reforms and reconciliation with the majority Shi'ite community after the protests last year, which were suppressed with the help of troops from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The crackdown, in which more than 30 people were killed, was condemned by several international human rights groups.

The decision to proceed with this year's Grand Prix in Bahrain has split domestic opinion, and Amnesty International said it did not support the race.

"Holding the Grand Prix in Bahrain in 2012 risks being interpreted by the government of Bahrain as symbolising a return to business as usual," the rights group said in a statement. "The government must understand that its half-hearted measures are not sufficient - sustained progress on real human rights reform remains essential."

Yasmeen, a Sunni from Budaiya who said she would be at the races with her friends, said: "It's exactly what we need to right now to unite us all and have a driving force to bring us all together, which is the common interest of the Formula One."

But Abdulla Hassa, a 19-year-old Shi'ite from Sanabis village, said that after last year's repression and killings "there's no way Formula One should be held".

Another factor weighing on a tense situation is the health of jailed rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, on hunger strike for two months, who was moved to a military hospital this week.

The United States has expressed concern about his condition and Denmark, whose citizenship Khawaja also holds, has been pressing for his release.

Four independent U.N. human rights experts urged Bahrain on Friday to release Khawaja, who has been sentenced to life for trying to topple the monarchy and other offences.

"In view of the urgency of the matter, we strongly call on the government to seriously reconsider the offer by Denmark to transfer al-Khawaja, a dual citizen of Denmark and Bahrain, on humanitarian grounds, for medical treatment to Denmark," they said.

Bahrain's main Shi'ite opposition had called for the Grand Prix to be cancelled but also urged people not to disrupt the race if it goes ahead to avoid damaging their cause.

"We believe that our conflict will take a long time, and we do not want to take steps that are economically damaging," said Mattar Mattar of al-Wefaq and a former member of parliament.

The mostly Shi'ite pro-democracy demonstrators, originally inspired by the "Arab Spring" revolts which toppled the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt early last year, demand a greater say in government and better access to economic opportunities.

Daily protests continue in mainly Shi'ite towns and villages while a heavy police presence has kept them out of the Manama.

"The country is not prepared to host Formula One," said Fadel Mohammed, a fisherman. "First we solve the problems in the country and then we will host it with the will of God."

Also at stake is a great deal of money. The last race to be held in Bahrain, in 2010, brought in more than 100,000 visitors and half a billion dollars in spending to the tiny island state.

"It brings a lot of numbers of tourists from all over the world including Gulf and other Arab countries and other European countries," said Jameel, a Sunni from Riffa.

Circuit officials said preparations are fully under way.

"For the overwhelming majority of people in the kingdom, be they residents or visitors, daily life is back to normal and has been for many months now," said Jassim Albardooli, a spokesman for Bahrain International Circuit.

"At this moment in time there is no reason to think that the 2012 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix is not going ahead."

Online piracy pact ACTA hit by new EU setback

A controversial global pact to battle counterfeiting and online piracy faced a new setback on Thursday as the European Parliament's pointman on the legislation urged fellow lawmakers to reject it.

Several European governments and lawmakers have voiced reservations about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) while protesters have marched against it in some cities, voicing fears that it may curtail Internet freedoms.

"ACTA raises more fears than hopes," the European Parliament's rapporteur on ACTA, Socialist bloc lawmaker David Martin, said after a public debate that brought together industry representatives, NGOs, unions and Internet groups.

"What it delivers in terms of important intellectual property rights is diminished by potential threats to civil liberties and Internet freedom," he said.

Hannes Swoboda, the head of the group of Socialists and Democrats, the parliament's second biggest bloc after the conservative European People's Party, said he would recommend all Socialists to reject the pact.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, has urged the parliament to hold off on voting on ACTA until the European Court of Justice rules on its legality.

Twenty-two of the 27 EU states as well as other countries including the United States and Japan signed ACTA in January but the treaty has yet to be ratified anywhere.

The EU Parliament's trade committee will vote on it by the end of May and the full assembly will make its voice heard before the summer.

ACTA's aim is to beef up international standards for intellectual property protection, for example by doing more to fight counterfeit medicine and other goods.

But it is ACTA's potential role in cyberspace that has caused an outcry.

Indian Ocean Quake, Tsunami Scare Tests Preparedness

Experts say the earthquake and tsunami scare off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, was a successful test of disaster preparedness in the region.

Tsunami warning sirens on Thai beaches blared and people quickly headed to high ground shortly after Wednesday’s 8.6 magnitude quake struck the Indian Ocean about 430-kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh.

Evacuation orders were also issued in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma through TV, radio, and mobile phone text messaging.

In the end, the quake did not create a dangerous tsunami, there was little damage, and few casualties.

“From our perspective the fact that the warning went out five minutes, no more than five minutes after the earthquake erupted, went out in Indonesia and was followed shortly after that by other warnings within the system at 8:45, 8:46, 8:48, I think went extremely well," said Wendy Watson Wright, a spokeswoman for the U.N. cultural agency’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission based in Paris. "I also believe that, in Indonesia at least, that the population showed that they have learned and that self-evacuation was taking place in Aceh."

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission developed the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in 2004 caused massive waves that killed 230,000 people, mainly in Indonesia. Aceh was the worst affected.

Laurence Dare with the Asian Network for Free Elections was in Aceh to monitor local polls when Wednesday’s quake occurred. Coincidentally, he had just finished a visit to the 2004 tsunami museum when the ground started to shake.

“People did not know what it was at first, but after, you know, 15 seconds everybody started to rush away

US sues Apple, publishers yield on e-book pricing

The US Justice Department sued Apple and five publishing firms Wednesday alleging a conspiracy to raise prices and limit competition for e-books, and immediately announced a partial settlement in the case.

As the antitrust suit was unveiled, officials said three of the publishers agreed to end the scheme to force retailers such as Amazon to accept a new pricing plan that limited their ability to offer discounts for electronic books.

Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster reached a settlement but the case will proceed against Apple and the other two -- Macmillan and Penguin Group -- "for conspiring to end e-book retailers' freedom to compete on price," the Justice Department said.

Attorney General Eric Holder said that as a result of the conspiracy, "consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles" and competition was eliminated.

Sharis Pozen, head of the Justice Department's antitrust division, said the scheme was aimed at ending a discounting effort by Amazon, which sold most e-books at $9.99 until the new pricing plan was forced on the retail giant.

She said executives in the conspiracy "knew full well what they were doing. That is, taking steps to make sure the prices consumers paid for e-books were higher."

The move almost instantly raised the prices consumers paid for e-books, she said.

The settlement "will begin to undo the harm caused by the companies' anticompetitive conduct, and will restore price competition so that consumers can pay lower prices for their e-books," she added.

The suit filed in US District Court in New York said a conspiracy dating back to 2009 involved "schemes to limit Amazon's ability to discount e-books," hurting consumers by pushing up prices.

Named in the suit with Apple were CBS Corp.'s Simon & Schuster; Hachette Book Group, part of France's Lagardere; the British-based Pearson's Penguin Group; Macmillan, a unit of Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck; and News Corp. unit HarperCollins.

Amazon hailed the settlement and said it would mean lower prices for e-books for its Kindle reader.

Aaron Aziz Bintang Paling Popular 2011

Bintang Paling Popular 2011 menjadi milik pelakon Aaron Aziz. Keputusan ini sekaligus menepati ramalan berikutan nama pelakon yang berasal dari Kota Singa ini terus mendapat perhatian selepas bangkit menerusi filem Ombak Rindu.

Selain menerima trofi, Aaron turut membawa pulang sebuah kereta Nissan Teana bernilai RM135 ribu dan wang tunai berjumlan RM25 ribu berserta barang kemas Rafflesia Mandalay bernilai RM25 ribu.

Pelakon kacak ini terus unggul dengan memenangi kategori pelakon filem lelaki popular mengalahkan pemenang tahun lalu iaitu Saheizy Sam.

Majlis gilang- gemilang ini juga turut menganugerahkan ratu jazz negara, Datuk Sheila Majid sebagai penerima Anugerah Pencapaian Sepanjang Hayat ABPBH2011.

Dalam pada itu, Zizan Razak memecah tradisi kategori pengacara TV lelaki popular apabila dia berjaya mengalahkan Aznil Hj Nawawi yang sudah bertahun-tahun memenangi kategori ini.

Menerusi kategori penyampai radio lelaki dan wanita popular, Faizal Ismail dan Fara Fauzana masih mengekalkan takhta apabila sekali lagi dipilih peminat untuk memenangi kategori ini.

Keseluruhan pemenang untuk kategori yang dipertandingkan rata-ratanya dimonopoli oleh pemenang yang baru.

Sementara itu, bagi kategori yang pertama kali diwujudkan iaitu anugerah Seri Perak telah diberikan kepada penyanyi nombor satu negara, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin. Untuk kategori ini, Siti menepati ramalan dan membuktikan bahawa namanya masih lagi popular di mata peminat hiburan tempatan.

Anugerah yang dianjurkan kali ke-25 ini dimeriahkan dengan persembahan pembukaan dari Stacy, Alyah dan Datuk Siti Nurhaliza. Persembahan ketiga-tiga penyanyi ini mendapat iringan tarian dari pelakon tempatan seperti Watie Elite, Maria Farida dan pasangan suami isteri, Lisdawati dan Fauzi Nawawi.

Di pertengahan anugerah yang diadakan secara langsung dari Arena Of Star, Genting Highland ini diserikan dengan persembahan tribute Tan Sri P Ramlee, Biduanita Saloma, Datuk Sharifah Aini, Datuk Sudirman Hj Arshad dan Datuk Siti Nurhaliza. Artis yang diberi mandat untuk segmen ini adalah Anuar Zain, Dayang Nurfaizah, Najwa Latiff, Black, Bob dan Shila Amzah.

Kemuncak persembahan ABPBH25 diakhiri dengan persembahan dari Salma Mentor, Hazama, Faizal Tahir dan Amy Search bersama Man Kidal menerusi segmen lagu-lagu berentak rock. Pengacara ABPBH25 ialah Zizan Razak, Didie Alias, Raja Azura dan Sharifah Shahira.

Penyampai Anugerah ABPBH25

Nora Danish & Adi Putra
Kumpulan Boboi
Nurul Syuhada & Datin Seri Normala Samsudin
Ridhuan Hashim & Neelofa
Chad, Deen & Kamelia
Erra Fazira & Mustapha Kamal
Rosyam Noor & Fazura
Datuk Yusof Haslam, Samsul Yusof dan Syafiq Yusof
Datuk DJ Dave & Wan Maimunah

Berikut adalah keputusan penuh ABPBH2011:

Two arrested in Oklahoma shootings that killed 3, wounded 2

Authorities were investigating racially charged comments on the Facebook page of a suspect in the shootings of five black people in Tulsa but said Sunday it was too early to call the killing spree a hate crime.

Police arrested two white men on Sunday morning, two days after the shootings killed three people in a mostly black Tulsa neighborhood. There was no connection between the victims and the suspects and without a motive, talk of hate crime charges was premature, authorities said.

"You could look at the facts of the case and come up with would appear to be a logical theory, but we're going to let the evidence take us where we want to go," Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Gordon told reporters on Sunday. "I certainly couldn't make that determination right now."

Roommates Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were arrested in the early Friday shootings. Authorities say they don't know which one pulled the trigger, but are charging both.

Shortly before the killings, England had lamented on his Facebook page that two years had passed since his father was killed by a black man, whom he referred to with a racial slur.

"I'm gone in the head," England wrote.

Watts, England's roommate, offered words of support to his friend in response to the posting.

Whitney Houston ‘found face down in bathtub’

Whitney Houston was standing outside her hotel bathtub when something caused her to crash facedown into the scalding water, a famed forensic pathologist concluded Thursday.



The blazing bath was too hot for soaking, and injuries on Houston's forehead, chest and upper lip suggest trauma from a fall, former Pittsburgh coroner Dr. Cyril Wecht told the Daily News.

“Put everything together, and you have somebody who had to be unconscious falling into the water,” Wecht said. “She falls in and strikes those places and then presses against them as her body is down.”

LISTEN TO WHITNEY HOUSTON'S MOST IMPORTANT HITS

Houston's final autopsy report, released Wednesday, revealed the 13-inches of tub water measured 93.5 degrees several hours after the superstar singer died on Feb. 11

“The water was a heck of a lot hotter when she fell in. It would have been painful, and she wasn’t able to get out or cry for help,” Wecht said.

Houston’s official cause of death was accidental drowning due to the “effects” of heart disease and cocaine use, the report confirmed.

WHITNEY HOUSTON: HER LIFE IN PHOTOS

A coroner official earlier said Houston likely suffered a cocaine-induced “cardiac event” that led to her unconscious state.

The six-time Grammy winner also had marijuana, the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl in her bloodstream, but the report called them inconsequential.

WHITE POWDER, SPOON FOUND IN WHITNEY'S HOTEL SUITE

Wecht, now a private consultant who conducted second autopsies on Laci Peterson and Anna Nicole Smith’s son, discounted the marijuana but not the other three.

“You put those together, and you’ve got three drugs acting in concert. They could produce a degree of mental obtundation,” he said, referring to a semi-conscious state.

He agreed the death was accidental but doubted Houston had a full-blown heart attack.

Pak Samad ready for Bersih 3.0, ‘disturbed’ by lagging reforms.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — National literary icon Datuk A. Samad Said made headlines last year when it was his slightly-hunched, barefooted frame that was seen leading a group of Bersih 2.0 marchers to deliver a memorandum on electoral reforms to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Today, he is “disturbed” that no real electoral reforms have taken place since the chaotic July 9 event.

The soft-spoken septuagenarian told The Malaysian Insiderrepeatedly that he was “not happy” with the 22 recommendations put forward by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on polls reform in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The government’s and PSC’s failure to suggest total reform, he said, was “good reason” why Bersih 3.0 “should” be held.

“I’m not happy with what has happened. I’m not happy. Not happy,” the bearded poet said yesterday, shaking his shock of white hair.

“So that’s why I think, because of what’s happening, it is very disturbing as far as I’m concerned.

“That’s a good reason why we should have this (Bersih 3.0),” he said.



Samad or “Pak Samad” as he is fondly known, was speaking to The Malaysian Insider after co-chairing a press conference earlier yesterday afternoon with Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan and the election watchdog’s other steering committee members.

The group had just announced “Bersih 3.0”, its third rally for free and fair elections, which is scheduled for April 28 from 2pm to 4pm at Dataran Merdeka here.

Making the case for “Bersih 3.0”, Samad continued that any reforms to the election process, whether put forward by the PSC or others, “must” be done before the coming 13th general election.

Facebook e-commerce: the next big thing?

A group of e-commerce start-ups, backed by some of the tech world's most pedigreed financiers, are betting that Facebook Inc can become an e-commerce powerhouse to rival Amazon.com Inc and eBay Inc.

As the world's largest social network hurtles toward a $5 billion initial public offering, it will come under more pressure from Wall Street to find new sources of profit growth and reduce its reliance on advertising, which accounted for 85 percent of its 2011 revenue.

Some entrepreneurs and investors increasingly think "f-commerce" - meaning e-commerce on Facebook - is the answer. Start-ups such as BeachMint, Yardsellr, Oodle and Fab.com are coming up with novel ways to persuade Facebook users to not just connect with friends on the social network, but to shop as well.

Backed by tens of millions of dollars from venture capital firms like Accel Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, and other big investors like Goldman Sachs, these start-ups are pushing out shopping apps, hosting online garage sales and testing out new business models on Facebook.

"E-commerce is a huge category with very strong tailwinds and it's a natural move for Facebook," said Sam Schwerin of Millennium Technology Value Partners, which owns Facebook shares and has a stake in BeachMint.

Amazon revolutionized online shopping by crunching lots of customer and purchase data to come up with relevant, personalized recommendations. In the same vein, Facebook's combination of data, analytics and payment technology could fuel the next generation of e-commerce, Schwerin said.

Facebook declined to comment, but investors said the company understands the importance of having an e-commerce strategy.

"It's a big imperative for them," said Theresia Gouw Ranzetta of Accel Partners, an early backer of Facebook. "They understand it's an important strategic benefit for them to make e-commerce players successful on the platform."

BIG BRAND STORES FLOP

Marijuana advocates vow to reopen "Princeton of Pot" after raid

Medical marijuana advocates on Tuesday vowed to reopen a San Francisco-area college devoted to cannabis cultivation and known as the "Princeton of Pot" a day after federal agents shut down the school in a raid.

Hundreds of protesters rallied in front of San Francisco's City Hall, some on crutches and in wheelchairs and smoking hand-rolled joints. The demonstrators carried signs that said, "Cannabis is medicine; let states regulate" and chanting "Feds off my meds."

Monday's raid on Oaksterdam University, which offers courses on growing and dispensing of marijuana, turned the Oakland-based school into the latest flashpoint between federal law enforcement and medical cannabis advocates in states where pot has been decriminalized for medicinal purposes.

Federal authorities also searched the home of veteran medical marijuana activist and Oaksterdam founder Richard Lee, as well as a nearby medical marijuana dispensary he runs.

Lee, confined to a wheelchair by a spinal injury, was a leading proponent behind a failed California ballot initiative in 2010 that would have legalized possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana in the state for recreational use.

"In a wheelchair, he's a threat," Wayne Justmann, an adviser for medical pot supply shops, told the protesting crowd facetiously. "He's a guy who's helped so many people."

Rather than targeting Lee, Justmann added, "Go after that guy who killed seven and injured three." He was referring to the former student of a private, Christian college who killed seven people and wounded three others in a shooting rampage on Monday.

Lee himself sounded a defiant note as he briefly addressed the crowd.

NEWS | Facebook launches patent counterattack against Yahoo!

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) - Facebook mounted its own legal offensive against Yahoo on Tuesday by accusing Yahoo of infringing 10 of Facebook's patents, according to a court filing.

The counterclaim from Facebook, filed in a San Francisco federal court, comes after Yahoo sued Facebook for patent infringement last month. A Yahoo spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Facebook, the world's largest Internet social networking service, is preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company at up to $100 billion.

According to Facebook's counterclaim, Yahoo services such as the photostream and the recent activity feature in Yahoo's Flickr photo-sharing service infringe a Facebook patent related to generating a personalized feed of stories on a social network.

Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot said the company had indicated that it would defend itself vigorously in the face of Yahoo's lawsuit.

"While we are asserting patent claims of our own, we do so in response to Yahoo's short-sighted decision to attack one of its partners and prioritize litigation over innovation," Ullyot said in a statement.

Yahoo has claimed Facebook infringed 10 of Yahoo's patents, including several that cover online advertising technology.

3 Temujanji Menyukarkan Pengarahnya

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 APRIL 2012: Melalui tajuk filem ini mungkin pelbagai rumusan dapat dibuat sebelum menontonnya bukan? Namun 3 Temujanji bukan sekadar komedi romantik biasa tetapi mempunyai mesej yang mahu disampaikan.
Arahan Hashim Rejab, 3 Temujanji adalah komedi romantik yang mengisahkan dua pasangan berbeza dan setiap mereka mempunyai perwatakan yang berbeza.
Ditanyakan bagaimana dia mengarah dua orang pelakon yang juga bergelar pengarah ( Yana samsudin dan Pierre Andre), Hashim berkata ada juga kelebihan dan kekurangannya.
"Mereka bekerja secara profesional dan memberikan kerjasama yang penuh.
"Pada mulanya saya terasa sedikit kekok, namun lama-kelamaan ia menjadikan saya lebih berhati-hati dan kami bekerjasama untuk mendapatkan lakonan yang terbaik.
"Memang pada awalnya, faktor ini sedikit sebanyak telah mengganggu kredibiliti saya sebagai pengarah, tetapi untuk 3 Temujanji saya bergelar pengarah dan mereka pula pelakon jadi semua arahan datang daripada saya dan mereka menerima arahan untuk melakonkan apa yang dikehendaki," jawab Hashim.
Selaku teraju utama, Yana Samsudin dan Pierre Andre sekali lagi berkongsi layar menjadi pasangan di dalam filem lakonan mereka yang mengisahkan hidup seorang wanita bernama Riana yang tidak mempercayai lelaki dan cinta dalam hidupnya.
Bagi Riana cinta hanya membawa sengsara dan semua cinta lelaki sama sahaja.
Hal ini membawa kepada satu prinsip yang agak pelik namun ia menjadi pegangan Riana kala bercinta.
Setiap lelaki yang Riana temui akan melalui tiga temujanji sahaja dan selepas itu dia akan meninggalkan lelaki tersebut.
Riana merasakan keseronokan apabila melihat lelaki yang ditemui sengsara sehinggalah dia menemui Mukhsin yang turut sama melalui proses yang sama namun selepas tiga temujanji Riana tidak mahu merendahkan egonya namun selepas itu dia terpaksa menerima akibat kerana kali ini dia benar-benar jatuh cinta dengan Mukhsin.
Untuk mengetahui kisah selanjutnya, jangan lupa menonton filem terbaru keluaran MIG ini yang turut menampilkan Kamal Adli dan Diana Amir dan ramai lagi pelakon handalan di pawagam bermula 5 April ini.

BPL Barclays Premier League | Sports

De Gea resolve impresses Ferguson 

ENGLAND, (AFP) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the mental resilience of goalkeeper David de Gea as the Spaniard prepares to face Blackburn Rovers again.

When Blackburn upset the odds to beat United at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve, de Gea was blamed for Grant Hanley's winner and was subsequently left out for four games.

He might have remained on the sidelines at the Premier League leaders and reigning champions if Anders Lindegaard had not suffered an ankle injury in training but is now making a case to be named first-choice keeper.

The Spain Under-21 international, who made an excellent injury-time save to keep out a free-kick from Chelsea's Juan Mata upon his return, is set to be between the posts again when United play Rovers at Ewood Park on Monday.

A win for United would send them five points clear at the top of the table.

Yuna Bakal Muncul Di Televisyen US

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 APRIL 2012: Baru sahaja pulang ke Amerika Syarikat, Yuna tidak terus berehat namun terus melangkah setapak lagi untuk muncul buat pertama kalinya di dalam rancangan kelolaan pengacara terkenal Conan O'Brien, Conan.

Akan bersiaran secara langsung pada jam 10 malam waktu di Amerika Syarikat dan anda boleh menontonnya secara online di www.tbs.com.

Menurut laman web rasmi bagi rancangan bual bicara tersebut, Yuna dijemput untuk memperkatakan tentang album terbarunya di sana dan buat pertama kalinya akan mempersembahkan single terbarunya Live Your Life hasil kolaborasi bersama Yuna dan Pharell Williams.

Daripada intisari rancangan Conan untuk hari ini iaitu Isnin 2 April, Yuna akan mengisi segmen terakhir selepas selebriti undangan Neil Patrick Harris daripada sitkom How I Met Your Mother dan Kate Miccuci daripada siri televisyen Scrubs.

Terus membina nama disana, Yuna tidak pernah berhenti walau seketika mencari tapak di sana dan kini buktinya dia sudah dikenali di sana sehingga mendapat jemputan untuk program bual bicara yang ditonton jutaan penonton itu.

Walaupun tewas kepada Charice daripada Filipina dalam Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award 2012 untuk Favorite Asian Act, kesempatan itu memberi peluang kepada Yuna untuk terus berjaya di sana.

Jangan lupa untuk menyaksikan anak jati Malaysia, memperkatakan tentang muzik yang di bawakan olehnya pada jam 10 malam waktu tempatan Amerika Syarikat.