Wal-Mart cash-and-carry store comes to India

Bharti Wal-Mart Pvt Ltd, the joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and the US-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc, will open its first cash-and-carry store in India next week.

The joint venture's first store, to come up in Amritsar, will be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, a source familiar with the development said.

The joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart Stores Inc was inked in 2007 and the company had earlier announced plans to open 10-15 cash-and-carry stores in the country by 2015.

The company had last year announced that its cash-and-carry stores would be opened under the brand name of 'BestPrice Modern Wholesale' and each store would have a size of 50,000-1 lakh square feet.

Excess Cola can paralyze your muscles

Think twice before you take a sip from that cola bottle this summer. Experts are warning that excessive cola consumption can lead to anything from mild weakness to profound muscle paralysis.

This is because the cola drinks can cause blood potassium to drop dangerously low, they report in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

They tell of the curious case of an Australian ostrich farmer who needed emergency care for lung paralysis after drinking 4-10 litres of cola a day.

He made a full recovery and was advised to curtail his cola intake, BBC News portal reported on Tuesday.
Another example included a pregnant woman who regularly consumed up to three litres a day for the last six years and complained of tiredness, appetite loss and persistent vomiting.

A heart trace revealed she had an irregular heartbeat, most likely caused by her low blood potassium levels.
Once she stopped drinking such quantity of cola, she made a full and uneventful recovery.

The investigators believe these cases are not atypical and that many people risk problems due to their intake. Manufacturers insist the products are safe when consumed in moderation.

In a commentary, Clifford Packer from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centre in Ohio said: "We have every reason to think that it is not rare. With aggressive mass marketing, super-sizing of soft drinks, and the effects of caffeine tolerance and dependence, there is very little doubt that tens of millions of people in industrialised countries drink at least 2-3 litres of cola per day. "It follows that the serum potassium levels of these heavy cola drinkers are dropping, in some cases, to dangerous low levels."

The author of the study, Moses Elisaf from the University of Ioannina in Greece, said it appeared that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of the most common ingredients in cola drinks - glucose, fructose and caffeine. "The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary in different patients. However in most of cases we looked at for our review, caffeine intoxication was thought to play the most important role.

"This has been borne out by case studies that focus on other products that contain high levels of caffeine but no glucose or fructose."

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Facebook hits 200 million users

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has proudly announced the social networking site has recently welcomed its 200 millionth user.

This means just under 3 percent of the world's population has a Facebook account.

If Facebook were a nation, it would be the world's 5th most populous one, behind Indonesia with 229 million and ahead of Brazil with 191 million inhabitants.

However, we don't doubt for a second Brazil would beat Facebook with a double digit score in any football match, apart from the ones played on PlayStations, of course.

Zuckerberg says the outfit will celebrate the milestone with a series of charitable drives, and that it will create a space on Facebook in which users will be able to share their stories on how Facebook has helped their communities.

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US H1B Visa cramping ends on February 17, 2011

According to the immigration department, the US government's controversial restriction on companies hiring skilled foreign workers with non-immigrant H-1B visas will continue for only two years.

As part of a stimulus package passed last month for revival of the economy, President Barack Obama signed a new law, named "Employ American Workers Act", which makes it difficult for the companies having received government bailout funds to hire H-1B foreign workers.

However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a circular issued with its invitation of H-1B applications for the next fiscal, has now made it clear that the EAWA requirements are not permanent and would "sunset two years from the date of enactment."

EAWA, which prevents a company from displacing US workers when hiring H-1B specialty occupation workers if the company received stimulus funds, took effect on February 17, 2009 and it applies to any "hire" taking place before February 17, 2011.

The Act defines "hire" as an employer permitting a new employee to commence a period of employment; that is, the introduction of a new employee to the employer's US workforce.

USCIS has said that it would begin accepting H-1B visa applications from April 1 for the next fiscal and would subject the applications to various terms and conditions related to EAWA.

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Torrent site Mininova goes on Trial too

This year is an important one for the three largest BitTorrent sites. In common with The Pirate Bay and isoHunt, Mininova is also heading to court in a dispute with the entertainment industry. This May, the court will decide if the BitTorrent indexer has to actively filter content from the site.

The top three BitTorrent sites are all involved in at least one court case. The Pirate Bay trial has just ended and isoHunt is involved in a case against the MPAA, and one against CRIA - the Canadian equivalent of the RIAA.

Mininova, based in The Netherlands, is up against local anti-piracy outfit BREIN, which has a reputation for forcing torrent sites offline or to hosting in other countries. Through legal action, BREIN now hopes to convince the court that Mininova has to filter its search results, so that all .torrent files which may point to unauthorized content are removed.

The date for the trial was set today for May 20th, and it will take up only one day. Before it came to legal action, Mininova and BREIN have had lengthy discussions on how to deal with copyrighted content, but they never reached an agreement.

“The case wont say much about the legality of torrent sites, but it will give more insight into what measures BitTorrent indexers and similar services have to take in order to make sure that they don’t link to illegal content,” Mininova President Erik Dubbelboer told TorrentFreak. “In particular, it deals with the question of whether or not website owners have to actively filter content. In other words, is a notice and takedown policy sufficient or not.”

With the Pirate Bay case still fresh in everyone’s memory, a comparison between the two cases is easily made. However, they are more different than most people would assume. First off, Mininova’s case is against the company, not the individuals involved with the site. “The Pirate Bay case is a criminal trial, ours is civil,” Erik told TorrentFreak.

Erik further noted that Mininova doesn’t operate an open tracker and that they, as opposed to The Pirate Bay, take down torrents when they get an appropriate takedown request. “These are all big differences that clearly distinguish the two cases,” Erik said.

There is no doubt that the Mininova trial will set an important precedent for all other BitTorrent indexers hosted in The Netherlands. Erik and the other Mininova founders think they have the law on their side. “We have confidence in the outcome of the case and we don’t think Mininova will cease to exist,” he said.

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Pakistan in Turmoil - Sharif continues to rebel

Pakistan plunged deeper into a political chaos on Sunday night as a defiant Nawaz Sharif, joined by tens of thousands of supporters
in Lahore, was headed towards Islamabad for a mass sit-in front of Parliament on Monday amid reports that IGP of Punjab province's police and other senior officials had resigned and joined his 'long march' for restoration of the Constitution.

Heading for a showdown with the Government, Sharif, the PML-N leader and a former premier, defied his house arrest in Lahore as one of Pakistan's biggest civil disobedience movement unfolded with hundreds of stone-throwing anti-government protesters fighting pitched battles with police in the capital of Punjab province. The Punjab Deputy Attorney General was also reported to have resigned.

As Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met Army Chief General Ashfaq Gilani to discuss the escalating situation, the protests by lawyers and PML-N supporters for restoration of judges sacked in 2007 by the then President Pervez Musharraf gathered steam and threatened to spiral out of control after Sharif defied the house arrest.

Emerging from his Model Town residence, Sharif who his party supporters said was ordered to be placed under house arrest for three days along with his brother Shabaz Sharif urged people to defy restrictions and join the 'long march'.

"Brothers, do not be scared or worried. These obstacles are temporary. We must remove them and only then can we reach our destination," he said.

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Osama hiding in Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains

The United States is said to have tracked down the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, in the impenetrable Hindu Kush
mountains in Pakistan's scenic Chitral region, according to a media report.

America won't say it officially, but the world's biggest manhunt for bin Laden who murdered nearly 3,000 people on 9/11 has zeroed in on Chitral's stunning peaks and valleys, the 'New York Daily News' reported.

The region has been sealed off to outsiders and is now regularly buzzed by American spy drones, it said.

Six US and foreign officials have also confirmed that the Hindu Kush mountains in the Chitral region have been eyed as bin Laden's hideout since 2006 by Osama hunters aiming for the big kill.

A lengthy review of evidence, including recent Predator fly-bys, bin Laden's tapes since 9/11 and interviews with three dozen experts on al Qaeda, Pakistan and special operations, point to these vast mountains as Osama's likely haven, the report said.

Two senior foreign officials said the nearby town of Kalam also is suspect.

In fact, drones were first spotted spying on Chitral last summer and were seen again as recently as February 2. It is so far from US-run airfields that drone sorties are limited to just a few hours due to fuelling issues, the report said.

Moreover, Islamic militancy is taking root in several Chitrali valleys leading to Afghan border, prompting Pakistan to decree them off-limits to foreigners, local sources said, reinforcing the suspicion Osama is nearby.

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Zardari backs down - reinstates CJ

The simmering political crisis in Pakistan on Monday blew over with the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif calling off the long march after government buckled and announced the reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court Chief Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The denouement came early on Monday morning with prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announcing government's decision to reinstate Justice Chaudhry dismissed by then President Pervez Musharraf during Emergency two years ago.

Former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who defied house arrest on Sunday and was on a long march along with his supporters for a mass sit-in outside Parliament, called off the protest hailing the government's announcement as a victory.

Gilani's announcement came on top of government's decision on Saturday to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's order barring PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics.

"In keeping with the promise made by the President and me, I announce the restoration of all deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, to their posts," Gilani said in a televised address to the nation.

Chaudhry will assume the post of Chief Justice once current incumbent Abdul Hamid Dogar retires on March 21. "A notification to this effect is being issued now," Gilani said.

"I hope after this, we'll implement the charter of democracy and true democracy in Pakistan. We'll make the judiciary stronger and parliament supreme," Sharif told supporters in Gujranwala.

"We have got the fruit of our two-year struggle. Now the destiny of this country will change. This development will lead to a revolution in Pakistan," the former prime minister said.

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Michael Jackson's nose might collapse

Michael Jackson's nose might collapse and his skin will NEVER heal properly after being ravaged by a superbug, a top doctor warned last night.

MRSA expert Professor Mark Enright said it was important the pop legend received swift treatment if he was suffering from a severe “staph” infection, which is resistant to antibiotics.

A UK tabloid told yesterday how Jacko, 50, revealed painfully-inflamed skin on his face and hands as he visited a Beverly Hills clinic.

It is feared the Thriller singer may have got the bug after a nose job.

Prof Enright, of Imperial College London, said: “A wound infection like MRSA on a delicate area like the nose could cause the tissue to collapse."

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Movie Review: 'Seven Pounds'

Seven Pounds is certainly melodramatic and it tugs on the heart strings like you wouldn't believe. But the largest problem with the film is not its cheap attempts at making you cry as much as it's the fact it holds its revelation so close to the chest despite the fact midway through you already know the ending.

Had it not been for the fantastic chemistry between Will Smith and Rosario Dawson this film would have been impossible to endure. However, despite all its flaws I found myself enjoying the humanity in it all if not entirely accepting the premise at hand.

Smith stars as Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with little interest in taxes and a greater interest in those he chooses to investigate. Working from a list of seven hand-picked names, Ben is on a search to ensure each one is a "good person" for reasons that reveal themselves soon enough and if you are paying any kind of attention you should have it all figured out about midway through, which is where the film will either lose its audience as it meanders toward its finale or keep their attention if it has successfully convinced them to stick with the story for its duration.

In the lead role, Smith is once again quite impressive as his performance never feels forced despite the film's consistent attempts at sticking the knife deeper into the emotional core of the viewer. I expect it to work on half the viewers who will end up wrecked in the film's final moments while those that gave up on the film a long time ago will look at them wondering just what is so sad.

The highlight of the film is the performance given by Rosario Dawson who plays Emily Posa, a woman dealing with an enlarged heart and standing on death's doorstep. Her character in Seven Pounds demands a quality performance and it is her ability to add light to a character that should be drowning in depression that keeps the film from falling apart at the seams.

Reteaming with his 'Pursuit of Happyness' helmer, Gabriele Muccino and Will Smith have put together a film that will be a hard sell to audiences even with Smith's name attached. While Happyness was nothing more than a typical run-of-the-mill emotional drama it didn't pander to the audience as much as Seven Pounds does.

This isn't a bad film per se it is just one that will play to the more emotional moviegoer that tends to view a film as it progresses rather than trying to figure out the mystery at its core. Because once you figure it all out (if you haven't already) you better be fully invested or you are in for a long ride.

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Gaza militants launch rocket into Israel

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military says Gaza militants have launched a rocket into southern Israel.


There were no reports of damage or casualties in the Sunday morning attack. The rocket demonstrated the fragility of a cease-fire that ended Israel's devastating Gaza offensive on January 18.

Israel halted the operation after saying its goals had been achieved. But Hamas declared victory and militants have kept up sporadic attacks.

Since the ceasefire, militants have fired rockets into Israel and killed one soldier in a border attack. Israel has conducted retaliatory strikes and pounded border tunnels it says Hamas uses to smuggle in weapons from Egypt.

Israeli forces have also killed three men Palestinians identified as farmers in violence along the Gaza-Israel border.

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Here is Obama's Awesome Speech!

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the

People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

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Will clean Bush's mess

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, at a historic ceremony in Washington DC.

Millions of people in the US and around the world watched as he pledged to "preserve, protect and defend" the US constitution.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

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Super Cheap Flights Save over 60%on Flights at India.com Advertise Here Write 4 India Hot Blogger? Feature yourself on Indiacom! Advertise Here

President Barack Obama plunges on his first day in office into the task of governing a nation he vows to change, calling together US economic and military leaders on Wednesday to address America's daunting challenges.

A day after claiming his place in history as the first black US president, he is faced with pulling the US economy out of its nosedive even as he moves on his promise to withdraw American forces from Iraq while sending still more soldiers to America's other war in Afghanistan.

In addition to meeting with his advisers, Obama welcomes public visitors into the White House, as Congress scrutinizes his economic revival plan and takes up the nominations of Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy Geithner for treasury secretary.

A new poll underscored the sense of anticipation that accompanied Obama into office.

The Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey found that by a 3-1 margin, people feel more optimistic about the country's future now that Obama has been inaugurated, including 30 percent of Republicans.

"Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins ... Together, I am confident we will write the next great chapter in America's story," Obama declared on Tuesday night at the Commander in Chief Ball, one of 10 official inaugural celebrations that kept him and first lady Michelle Obama up into the early morning hours.

Obama's Democratic Party now controls both chambers of Congress and the White House for the first time since 1994, providing a chance for the new administration to succeed if he can work in concert effectively with lawmakers.

The capstone to four days of inaugural festivities takes place at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday morning, with a national prayer service that is a tradition dating to the time of George Washington, the country's first president. Obama and his wife were to welcome hundreds of members of the public to a White House open house, part of his pledge to make government and those who govern more accessible for the governed.

A meeting with his economic team was planned to assess his approach and plot the way forward. Taking over the White House with 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars in stock market savings lost, Obama said that turning around the limping economy is his first and greatest priority.

Congress already has given him a second installment of financial-industry bailout money, worth $350 billion, and is fast-tracking a massive economic stimulus bill of $825 billion or more.

"Fortunately we've seen Congress immediately start working on the economic recovery package, getting that passed and putting people back to work," he said in a television interview. "That's going to be the thing we'll be most focused on."

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World headlines today

Barack Obama was sworn into office for a second time on Wednesday amid legal concerns raised after he and US Chief Justice John Roberts erred on one word during Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony.

Washington Post: Obama’s Agenda: the Middle East, Economy and Ethics

President Obama launched immediately into the grim reality of his new job today, placing calls to the leaders of Middle Eastern countries and conducting his first presidential meetings on the economy and Iraq this afternoon.

Times of India: President Obama retakes oath of office

Barack Obama was sworn into office for a second time on Wednesday, amid legal concerns raised after he and US Chief Justice John Roberts erred on one word during Tuesday’s inaugural ceremony. Some constitutional scholars raised questions about whether Obama was technically the president after Roberts misplaced the word "faithfully" while administering the oath to Obama.

AUDIO: Listen to Obama take the oath of office

New York Times: Kennedy Is Said to Withdraw Senate Bid

Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York. Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Governor David A. Paterson to inform him that she was no longer interested in the post due to concerns about the health of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

USA Today: Senate confirms Clinton as secretary of State

The Senate confirmed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State on Wednesday as President Obama moved to make his imprint on US foreign policy, mobilising a fresh team of veteran advisers and reaching out to world leaders.

Telegraph: Barack Obama vows to clean up US politics

President Obama calls a halt to officials profiteering from government and freezes the pay of his top staff with a view to "reinvigorating our democracy and remaking our country".

Guardian: Whirlwind hits Washington as President Obama starts work

President Barack Obama yesterday devoted his first full day in office to ditching one discredited Bush administration policy after another - proposing the closure of the Guantánamo Bay prison and offering a new relationship to Iran.

Times, London: Obama hits the phone in Middle East peace push

President Obama placed the Middle East at the forefront of his first hours in office yesterday as he sought to make good on his promise of “ushering in a new era of peace”. In a flurry of telephone calls from the Oval Office, he reached out to leaders in the region and vowed to engage immediately in pursuit of a permanent Arab-Israeli settlement.

Herald Sun: Rudd condemns ’rape’ cleric

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has demanded an apology from an Islamic cleric who declared marital rape "impossible". A Melbourne Islamic cleric has told his male followers they can force their wives to have sex and hit them if they are disobedient.

Straits Times: New year home rush for Chinese New Year

The world’s biggest annual human migration this year has started earlier than usual, brought forward by the financial crisis which has hit China’s southern manufacturing and export hub of Guangdong especially hard. Just once a year, before the Chinese New Year, China’s 130 million migrant labourers get a chance to rejoin their families in their hometowns.

South China Morning Post: Army admits funding round-up of refugees

A colonel in the Thai army has confirmed its involvement in a programme to round up boatpeople from Myanmar and Bangladesh and send them back out to sea, saying it was done to "protect Thailand from harm" - and to help the refugees.

Japan Times: Congratulatory Aso requests early meeting

The government congratulated new US President Barack Obama on Wednesday and was quick to request an early meeting with him. Japan is eager to become one of the first nations, or at least the first Asian country, to meet with the new US administration as a sign that Washington prioritises bilateral ties with Tokyo.

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Obama acts on Guantanamo trials-innogration ceramony-obama take oath

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President Obama on the need to 'remake America'

Barack Obama has taken the oath of office and been sworn in as America's 44th president - and the country's first African-American leader.

More than one million people gathered in the National Mall in a wintry Washington DC, to see Mr Obama take the oath shortly after 1200 (1700 GMT).

He used his inaugural address to vow to begin the work of "remaking America".

The new US leader said his country faced a number of challenges but was entering a "new era of responsibility".

But a shadow was cast over Mr Obama's celebrations in the hours after his swearing-in, as veteran Senator Ted Kennedy collapsed during the inaugural lunch.

Mr Kennedy, whose support was seen as influential in winning over Democratic voters for Mr Obama, has been seriously ill with a brain tumour and has previously undergone surgery.

Barack Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president

Earlier, in his inaugural address, Mr Obama made reference to the scale of his achievement at being the first black American elected to the White House, in a remark that gathered one of the biggest cheers of the speech.

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed... why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

The new president takes office amid a dismal economic climate and with the US still embroiled in two wars.

See map showing key sites of Inauguration Day

Speaking to the vast crowd, stretching as far back as the Washington Monument in the distance, he was quick to admit that the US is in the midst of a crisis - a fact now "well understood".

America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child... [and] we are ready to lead once more Barack Obama President of the United States

"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened," he said, blaming the current situation both on the greed of a few and the "collective failure" of many.

He branded healthcare "too costly", said schools "fail too many" and charged that US energy policy both strengthens enemies and threatens the planet.

"The challenges we face are real," Mr Obama said. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.

"But know this America - they will be met."

Invoking the memory of the US's Founding Fathers, Mr Obama said he would strive to rebuild his nation's standing in the world, saying: "We are ready to lead once more."

He addressed the foreign policy challenges facing the US, saying the US would "responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan".

Crowds at the inauguration of Barack Obama describe their experiences

The new president also addressed the world's poor and the Muslim world, much of which angrily opposed the actions of the previous administration.

From now on, Mr Obama said, the US would seek "a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect".

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Washington, says Mr Obama delivered a difficult inaugural message.

Its task, our correspondent notes, is to lift hopes and hearts at a moment when every economic indicator is falling.

Solemn vows

On a day of unprecedented security in Washington DC, the inauguration ceremony began on the West Front Lawn of the US Capitol, where Congress sits, with an opening prayer asking for the protection and safety of the new president and vice-president.

US BLACK HISTORY MILESTONES 1861 - Civil war starts 1865 - Civil war ends, leading to abolition of slavery 1870 - Hiram Revels is first African-American senator. African-American men gain the vote, but face resistance and intimidation 1954 - Civil disobedience campaign starts 1963 - Martin Luther King: "I have a dream" speech 1964 - Civil Rights Act 1965 - Right to vote guaranteed

Mr Obama - introduced to the crowd as Barack H Obama - stood solemnly during the invocation by conservative Rick Warren, his eyes closed in the final moments before he took office.

Aretha Franklin then sang against a backdrop of clear blue skies and a light wind. Thousands waved flags as the soul legend sang to a rapturous reception.

Joseph Biden, a veteran senator, was then sworn in as vice-president by the longest-serving member of the US Supreme Court.

The focus then shifted to America's first black president.

Using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, he placed his hand on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861 and repeated the oath of office, promising to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".

Hundreds of thousands of visitors had arrived in Washington in the days before the inauguration, and vast numbers braved early-morning cold to secure a vantage point for the midday ceremony.

Competition for tickets along the parade route was fierce, as was the scrum for standing room in the National Mall.

Officials in Washington reported record numbers of passengers on the city's subway network early on Tuesday, and police were forced to close a key entry point hours before event began because of overcrowding.

Before the ceremony began, Michelle and Barack Obama attended a private church service at St John's Episcopal Church alongside Joe Biden and his family.

They then headed to the White House for coffee with outgoing President George W Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.

The group - including Mr Cheney in a wheelchair after pulling a back muscle - then left for the US Capitol.

Mr Bush has now left Washington by helicopter bound for Midland, Texas, before heading to the family ranch at Crawford.

Mr Obama and his wife, by contrast, have a series of lavish inaugural balls to attend.

INAUGURATION DAY

1. 1700GMT/1200EST Obama is inaugurated as US president on the West Front Lawn of the Capitol building
2. Obama escorts former President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on the presidential procession prior to their departure
3. 1920GMT/1420EST Parade starts along Pennsylvania Avenue
4. Obama will review troops from behind a bullet-proof screen in Lafayette Park, behind the White House
5. President Obama and the First Lady will attend a series of celebration balls, returning to the White House at 0725GMT/0225EST Wednesday

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Bush a good man but mistaken: Obama

Washington, Saturday 17 Jan 2009: President-elect Barack Obama said has said President George W Bush was a “good guy” who loved his country, but warned he would leave the United States struggling with the result of “bad choices.”

When he is sworn in on Tuesday, Obama will inherit two foreign wars and the worst economy since the 1930s Great Depression with the budget deficit forecast to hit more than a trillion dollars this year.

“If you look at my statements throughout the campaign, I always thought he was a good guy,”.

“I think personally he is a good man who loves his family and loves his country and I think he made the best decisions that he could at times under some very difficult circumstances.

“It does not detract from my assessment that over the last several years we have made a series of bad choices and we are now going to be inheriting the consequences of a lot of those bad choices.”

Obama however praised his predecessor and his White House staff for presiding over what many observers say is the smoothest transition of power in recent history.

On the campaign trail before his historic November election victory, Obama flayed Bush over the Iraq war, accused him of taking his eye off the ball in Afghanistan and accused him of favouring the rich and ruining the US economy.

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Airbus crashes in New river

New York, Friday, January 16, 2009: A US Airways Airbus A320 passenger plane carrying 155 people has crashed into the freezing waters of the Hudson River in New York City. The plane, which the FAA said was flight 1549 from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, is partially submerged, apparently after striking a flock of birds shortly after take off. Passengers fled to safety onto the wings of the Airbus and it has been confirmed that everyone was rescued. (Agency)

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Pakistan's ISI now train women for terrorism

Can it get uglier?

Security forces in Jammu & Kashmir have found the new face of terror - during an interrogation of a woman arrested last week by the J&K police for providing logistics support for the JeM and Let militants, it was revealed that Pakistan's ISI is reportedly inducting women into militancy.

TV reports suggest that ISI is adopting a new ploy and training woman to carry out militant attacks.

During interrogation of an alleged ISI agent arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police, she confessed that she was trained by the ISI in the Bhiber and Kotli forests in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The video footage shows Asiya Malik - a woman militant, revealing that about 100 girls are being trained in terrorist camps financed by ISI in PoK to carry out militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

In her recorded conversation, Malik reveals how Pakistani girls are being trained in the handling of weapons, explosives, jungle warfare and sabotage activities. She said the women are being trained in two militant training camps in Bhimber and Kotli areas across the Line of Control in PoK.

"I've seen the Mujahideen training camps. Women are also being trained here. Right now, there are about 700 women receiving arms training in different militant camps run by the ISI. These women are also provided with terror literature and taught how to use small arms like guns & grenades," she said in a recorded confession.

Malik also told interrogators that the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was financing these training camps and that the recruits come from various countries including Saudi Arabia.

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Osama Bin Laden's new Tape emerges

Jihad against Israel

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called for jihad over the Israeli offensive in Gaza in a new audio tape that appeared on Islamist websites on Wednesday.

"God has bestowed us with the patience to continue the path of jihad for another seven years, and seven and seven years," bin Laden said in the tape that was dated in the current Islamic month.

Bin Laden also condemns Arab governments for preventing their people from acting to ``liberate Palestine.''

The tape was entitled "A Call for Jihad to Stop the Aggression against Gaza". "The question is, can America continue its war with us for several more decades to come? Reports and evidence would suggest otherwise," he said.

The authenticity of the tape could not immediately be verified.

The Palestinian death toll from the 19-day-old Israeli offensive against the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza has risen to about 1,000. Israel says 13 Israelis have been killed.

The Saudi-born terrorist said the global financial crisis had exposed the waning influence of the United States in world affairs and would in turn weaken its ally Israel.

More than 60 messages have been broadcast by bin Laden, his second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri and their allies since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Last week Zawahri, in an Internet message, called on Muslims to strike Western and Israeli targets around the world over Israel's Gaza raids.

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