Workers killed in north west Pakistan explosion

Three Western aid workers are among at least 10 people killed in an attack on a convoy heading to a girls' school in north-west Pakistan, officials said.

At least 70 people, including 63 school girls, were injured as the convoy was hit as it passed another girls' school in Lower Dir, near the Afghan border.

The attack comes amid a major government offensive against Taliban militants in the area.

The Taliban has frequently targeted markets, schools and security agencies. The BBC's Mark Dummett in Islamabad says the convoy was heading to the inauguration ceremony of a newly-built girls' school, but that the blast occurred near a different school in Koto, a heavily populated village along the route.

At least three of the dead were school girls, police said, adding that security guards and three local journalists were also among the wounded.

The convoy was on its way to Maidan, an area of Lower Dir district in North West Frontier Province, which is the base of a pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Sufi Mohammad, and a stronghold of Taliban militants.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has condemned the attack and ordered an investigation, the AFP news agency reports.

Citing a local police official, AFP said the school had been blown up by militants in January 2009. It was due to be formally re-opened after being rebuilt with the help of foreign aid.

Last year, Pakistani troops carried out a major offensive to crush the Taliban in Lower Dir and the neighbouring districts of Swat and Buner.

Hundreds of people have died and several thousand displaced by the fighting. Thanks to BBC

Cadillac revealed new concept car 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac the concept car maker has revealed a new concept car 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that will be launched at the Detroit Auto Show on next month. The car is completely a new concept and variant of new 2011 Cadillac CTS coupe which has the Voltec-powered Converj as well as the 3 Series-fighting ATS.

The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe car is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, with 556 horsepower and 551 lb-feet of torque, a choice of automatic and manual six-speed transmissions, a sport suspension with Magnetic Ride Control and standard 19-inch alloy wheels. The car adds the normal V-spec performance accessories to the drop-dead stunning CTS Coupe.



This latest concept advances the brands Art and Science philosophy that has included a series of acclaimed concept cars in recent years such as the Cadillac Sixteen CTS Coupe Concept and Converj.

BMW 535i Gran Turismo at 2010 Detroit Auto Show

BMW the German auto manufacturer announced first appearance of its 6-cylinder turbocharged version of the BMW 535i Gran Turismo at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

The BMW 535i Gran Turismo car is powered by BMW’s 3.0L 6-cylinder turbocharged engine creating 300-hp at 5,800 rpm with a maximum torque of 300 lb-ft existing from 1,200 to 5,000 rpm. The engine will permit the 535i Gran Turismo to go from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds.



“This is the same level of performance as the current 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder but with the modernism of double-scroll equipment and the incorporation of VALVETRONIC, this new engine will be even more fuel efficient,” said in a report by BMW spokesperson.

September 2009 - U.S Temperature was Above the Average

The September 2009 average temperature for the contiguous United States was above the long-term average, according to NOAA’s monthly State of the Climate report issued today. Based on records going back to 1895, the monthly National Climatic Data Center analysis is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides.

The average September temperature of 66.4 degrees F was 1.0 degree F above the 20th Century average. Precipitation across the contiguous United States in September averaged 2.48 inches, exactly the 1901-2000 average.

U.S. Temperature Highlights

• Below-normal temperatures across parts of the south and Northeast were offset by record high values in the West and above normal temperatures in the Northwest and northern tier states resulting in a higher average temperature for the contiguous United States.
  
  
  
  


• Both California and Nevada experienced their warmest September of the 115-year record. Additionally Montana and North Dakota posted their third warmest, Idaho its fourth warmest, Utah fifth warmest, Minnesota sixth warmest, and Oregon registered its eighth warmest.
  
  
  
  


• On a regional level, the West experienced its warmest September on record. The Northwest and West North Central experienced their sixth and eleventh warmest such periods. Below-normal temperatures were recorded in the South and Northeast.

U.S. Precipitation Highlights

• While precipitation equaled the long-term average for the contiguous U.S., regional amounts varied widely. The South experienced its sixth-wettest September, which was countered by the sixth-driest period around the Great Lakes and upper Midwest region.
  
  
  
  


• Arkansas registered its second wettest September, Tennessee its fifth, with Mississippi and Alabama posting their sixth wettest on record. Despite notable and flood-producing rains in northern Georgia, drier conditions near the coast kept the state’s overall average out of the top ten.
  
   




• Maine and Wisconsin each experienced their fourth driest September and both New Hampshire and Michigan had their seventh driest such periods.
  
  
  
  


• By the end of September, moderate-to-exceptional drought covered 15 percent of the contiguous United States, based on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought intensified in the Upper Midwest and eastern Carolinas, while remaining entrenched in much of the West. Drought conditions remain severe in south Texas, despite some improvement.

Other Highlights

• During September, 5,535 fires burned approximately 378,523 acres -- both were below the 2000-2009 average for the month. The acreage burned by wildfires was roughly half of the 2000-2009 average. For the January-September period, 70,217 fires were reported, which is slightly above the 10-year average, while acreage burned is slightly less than average.

Oceansat-2 Satellite Successfully Launched By PSLV-C14

In its sixteenth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota yesterday(September 23, 2009), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C14 successfully launched the 960 kg Indian remote sensing satellite Oceansat-2 and six nano satellites for international customers into a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). This was the fifteenth successful flight of PSLV.

After a 51 hour count down, PSLV-C14 lifted off from the first launch pad at SDSC SHAR, at 11:51 am IST with the ignition of the core first stage. The important flight events included the separation of the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the payload fairing at about 125 km altitude after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off.

The 960 kg main payload, Oceansat-2, was the first satellite to be injected into orbit at 1081 seconds after lift-off at an altitude of 728 km. About 45 seconds later, four of the six nano satellites were separated in sequence. The initial signals indicate normal health of the satellites.

Oceansat-2 is the sixteenth remote sensing satellite of India. The state-of-the-art Oceansat-2 carries three payloads and has the shape of a cuboid with two solar panels projecting from its sides.

The eight band Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) payload carried by Oceansat-2 images a swath (strip of land or ocean) of 1420 km width with a resolution of 360 metre and works in the Visible and Near Infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Ku-band Scatterometer with a 1 metre diameter antenna rotating at 20 rpm, works at a frequency of 13.515 GHz. The Scatterometer covers a swath of 1400 km and operates continuously. ROSA is a GPS Receiver for atmospheric sounding by radio occultation built by Italian Space Agency (ASI).

Soon after separation from PSLV fourth stage, the two solar panels of OCEANSAT-2 were automatically deployed. The satellite's health is continuously monitored from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Networks (ISTRAC) Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore with the help of a network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak in Indonesia and Svalbard and Tromso in Norway as well as a station in Troll, Antarctica.

PSLV-C14 mission carried six nano satellites - Cubesat 1, 2, 3 and 4 as well as Rubin 9.1 and 9.2 - as auxiliary payloads along with Oceansat - 2. The weight of these nano satellites was in 2-8 kg range. Oceansat - 2 and the six auxiliary payloads were placed in a polar Sun Synchronous Orbit inclined at an angle of 98.28 degree to the equator.

The auxiliary payloads of PSLV-C14 are educational satellites from European Universities and are intended to test new technologies. After the separation of Oceansat - 2 from PSLV - C14, the four cubesats were also separated, while Rubin 9.1 and 9.2 remain permanently remain attached to the upper stage of PSLV-C14.

The 44.4 metre (147 ft) tall PSLV - C14 weighed 230 tons at lift-off. PSLV - C14 is the core alone version of PSLV which is the same as PSLV standard configuration except for the strap-on motors. Six such strap-ons surround the first stage of PSLV standard configuration, but are absent in core alone version. PSLV-C14 was the fifth core alone mission of PSLV.

PSLV - C14 had four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage, carrying 139 tonne of propellant, is one of the largest solid propellent boosters in the world. The second stage carried 41.5 tonne of liquid propellant. The third stage used 7.6 tonne of solid propellant and the fourth had a twin engine configuration with 2.5 tonne of liquid propellent.

This was the sixteenth mission of ISROs workhorse launch vehicle PSLV and its fifteenth consecutive success. From October 1994 onwards, PSLV has repeatedly proved its reliability, robust design and versatility by launching satellites into polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer, Low Earth and Highly Elliptical Orbits. Of the 39 satellites launched by PSLV so far, 17 have been Indian and the rest being satellites from abroad. During many of its missions, including todays PSLV-C14, PSLV has launched multiple satellites into orbit with the maximum number being 10 during PSLV-C9 mission in April 2008.

Today ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Begins

The one-day ICC Champions Trophy starts on Tuesday in South Africa with the future of the 50-over format under the microscope.

World stars past and present and officials have joined a fierce debate as the overwhelming success of the Indian Premier League-led Twenty20 version has left many querying the role of the ODI in an overcrowded schedule.

Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar favours a four-innings format of 25 overs each to minimise the advantage of winning the toss and former star Anil Kumble supports a reduction to 40 overs.

Others like Australian bowling legend Shane Warne want the ODI format scrapped, believing it has been rendered extinct by the spectator-friendly glitz and glamour of Twenty20 cricket.

But ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat says reports of the death of ODI have been greatly exaggerated and the Champions Trophy tournament will trigger a rebirth of 50-over cricket.

"It reminds me of a year ago when people were talking about the death of Test cricket, with no crowds being there and so on," Lorgat told the South African media.

"I think we are running ahead of ourselves. We will see at the Champions Trophy in South Africa that there is a place for the ODI format in international cricket."

Lorgat warned against obsessive tinkering, saying a glut of ODI fixtures rather than the format may be the biggest problem, a view backed by South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.

"From an innovations point of view, we are always looking for new, exciting things. The batting powerplay is a good example, but we do not want to do too many things too quickly."

After an 11-year identity crisis, Lorgat believes the ICC have discovered the right formula for the often-criticised Champions Trophy, which Warne has labelled a "joke".

Short and sharp are the buzzwords for a 14-day, 15-match ODI feast featuring the top eight nations in the world, including defending champions Australia, who are on a roll as they lead England 6-0 in a series ending Sunday.

India, Pakistan and the West Indies complete Group A with South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand in Group B and only the 'Windies' are given no chance as a contract row has forced officials to send a second-string squad.

Skippers Floyd Reifer of the West Indies, Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and Daniel Vettori of New Zealand consider Australia favourites to win the October 5 final and collect the two-million-dollar top prize.

Smith acknowledged Australia have been performing well in England, but said the Proteas were confident of regaining the Champions Trophy after winning the inaugural tournament in Bangladesh 11 years ago.

The eight teams are based in Johannesburg with games at the 30,000-capacity Wanderers stadium in a plush northern suburb of the South African financial capital and the 20,000-seat SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Sports Events Calendar - September 2009

BASKETBALL: Sep 7-20 Poland: European Championship Finals

FOOTBALL: Sep 9 World Cup qualifiers

CRICKET: Sep 9 Third ODI, Southampton: England v Australia

GOLF: Sep 10-13 Cologne: Mercedes-Benz Championship

GOLF: Sep 10-13 Illinois: USPGA Tour play-offs



CRICKET: Sep 12 Fourth ODI, Lord's: England v Australia

RUGBY UNION: Sep 12 Tri-Nations Series: New Zealand v S Africa

SPEEDWAY: Sep 12 Krsko: Slovenian Grand Prix

ATHLETICS: Sep 12-13 Salonika: IAAF World Athletics final



GOLF: Sep 12-13 Pennsylvania: Walker Cup

CYCLING: Sep 12-19 Tour of Britain

MOTOR RACING: Sep 13 Italian Grand Prix

MOTOR CYCLING: Sep 13 Croft: British Superbikes

TENNIS: Sep 14-20 Quebec City: ATP Bell Challenge



TENNIS: Sep 14-20 Guangzhou: WTA Guangzhou International Open

TENNIS: Sep 18-20 Davis Cup semi-finals

CRICKET: Sep 15 Fifth ODI, Trent Bridge: England v Australia

CRICKET: Sep 17 Sixth ODI, Trent Bridge: England v Australia

GOLF: Sep 17-20 British Masters



GOLF: Sep 17-20 Georgia: USPGA Tour play-offs

GOLF: Sep 17-20 Samsung World Championship

DARTS: Sep 18-20 Bridlington: BDO British Open

RUGBY UNION: Sep 19 Tri-Nations Series: New Zealand v Australia

ATHLETICS: Sep 19-20 Talence: IAAF combined events



ATHLETICS: Sep 20 BUPA Great North Run

ATHLETICS: Sep 20 Berlin Marathon

CRICKET: Sep 20 Seventh ODI, Chester-le-St: England v Australia

MOTOR RACING: Sep 20 Rockingham: British Touring Cars

MOTOR CYCLING: Sep 20 Hungary: MotoGP



TENNIS: Sep 21-27 Metz: ATP Moselle Open

TENNIS: Sep 21-27 Bucharest: ATP BCR Open

TENNIS: Sep 21-27 Seoul: WTA Hansol Korea Open

TENNIS: Sep 21-27 Tashkent: WTA Tashkent Open



CRICKET: Sep 24-Oct 5 ICC Champions Trophy

GOLF: Sep 24-27 Canal+ Open

GOLF: Sep 24-27 Malaga: Volvo World Match Play Championship

GOLF: Sep 24-27 California: Longs Drugs Challenge

SPEEDWAY: Sep 26 Terenzano: Italian Grand Prix



MOTOR RACING: Sep 27 Singapore Grand Prix

MOTOR CYCLING: Sep 27 Silverstone: British Superbikes

MOTOR CYCLING: Sep 27 Italy: World Superbikes

TENNIS: Sep 27-Oct 3 Tokyo: Toray Pan Pacific Open

TENNIS: Sep 28-Oct 4 Bangkok: ATP Thailand Open

TENNIS: Sep 28-Oct 4 Tokyo: WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open

Sports Events Calendar in August 2009

Key events this month:

GOLF: Aug 13-16 Minnesota: US PGA Championship

ATHLETICS: Aug 15-23 Berlin: IAAF World Championships

GOLF: Aug 21-23 Illinois: Solheim Cup

FOOTBALL: Aug 23-Sep 10 Finland: UEFA Women's Euros

ROWING: Aug 23-30 Poznan: World Championships

RUGBY LEAGUE: Aug 29 Challenge Cup Final

CRICKET: Aug 30 First Twenty20, Old Trafford: England v Australia

TENNIS: Aug 31-Sep 13 New York: US Open 

---

The month in full:

BADMINTON: Aug 10-16 Hyderabad: World Championships

TENNIS: Aug 10-23 Montreal: ATP Rogers Cup

TENNIS: Aug 10-23 Cincinnati: WTA Masters

GOLF: Aug 13-16 Minnesota: USPGA Championship

GOLF: Aug 13-16 St Mellion: English Open

SPEEDWAY: Aug 15 Malilla: Swedish Grand Prix

CRICKET: Aug 15-16 Canterbury: Kent v Australia

ATHLETICS: Aug 15-23 Berlin: IAAF World Championships

MOTOR RACING: Aug 16 Knockhill: British Touring Car Championship

MOTOR CYCLING: Aug 16 Czech Republic: MotoGP

FOOTBALL: Aug 12 World Cup qualifier: Norway v Scotland

CRICKET: Aug 20-24 Fifth Test, The Oval: England v Australia

GOLF: Aug 20-23 Zandvoort: KLM Open

GOLF: Aug 20-23 North Carolina: Wyndham Championship

GOLF: Aug 21-23 Illinois: Solheim Cup

RUGBY UNION: Aug 22 Tri-Nations: Australia v New Zealand

MOTOR RACING: Aug 23 Valencia: European Grand Prix

FOOTBALL: Aug 23-Sep 10 Finland: UEFA Women's Euros

ROWING: Aug 23-30 Poznan: World Championships

TENNIS: Aug 24-30 New Haven: ATP/WTA Pilot Pen tournament

GOLF: Aug 27-30 Gleneagles: Johnnie Walker Championship

GOLF: Aug 28-30 Oregon: Safeway LPGA Classic

CRICKET: Aug 28 ODI, Edinburgh: Scotland v Australia

ATHLETICS: Aug 28 Zurich: IAAF League

RUGBY UNION: Aug 28 Tri-Nations: Australia v South Africa

SPEEDWAY: Aug 29 Vojens: Danish Grand Prix

RUGBY LEAGUE: Aug 29 Challenge Cup Final

MOTOR RACING: Aug 30 Belgian Grand Prix

CRICKET: Aug 30 First Twenty20, Old Trafford: England v Australia

MOTOR RACING: Aug 30 Silverstone: British Touring Cars

MOTOR RACING: Aug 30 Germany: World Touring Car Championship

MOTOR CYCLING: Aug 30 USA: MotoGP

ATHLETICS: Aug 31 Gateshead: AVIVA British Grand Prix

MOTOR CYCLING: Aug 31 Cadwell Park: British Superbikes

TENNIS: Aug 31-Sep 13 New York: US Open

Earthquake Occurred in Andaman - 7.7 Magnitude Recorded

Magnitude	7.6
Date-Time	Monday, August 10, 2009 at 19:55:39 UTC Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 01:55:39 AM at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location	14.013°N, 92.923°E
Depth	33.1 km (20.6 miles)
Region	ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
Distances	260 km (160 miles) N of Port Blair, Andaman Islands, India 365 km (225 miles) SSW of Pathein (Bassein), Myanmar 825 km (510 miles) W of BANGKOK, Thailand 2295 km (1420 miles) SE of NEW DELHI, Delhi, India
Location Uncertainty	horizontal +/- 9.8 km (6.1 miles); depth +/- 5.7 km (3.5 miles)
Parameters	NST= 64, Nph= 64, Dmin=833.8 km, Rmss=0.86 sec, Gp= 72°, M-type=(unknown type), Version=6
Source	USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID	us2009kdb2

The Andaman Islands earthquake of August 10, 2009, occurred in the boundary region of India plate and the Burma plate, near the north end of the rupture zone associated with the great Sumatra—Andaman earthquake of December 26, 2004. Early analysis of seismographic data implies that the earthquake occurred as the result of normal faulting on a north-northeast or northeast trending fault plane. This style of faulting is consistent with the earthquake occurring as a result of stresses generated by bending of the India plate as it subducts beneath the Burma plate. The August 10 earthquake was therefore an intraplate earthquake, in contrast to the great 2004 earthquake, which was an interplate thrust-fault earthquake on the interface between the India plate and the Burma plate. Although the style of faulting that caused the August 10, 2009 earthquake differs from the style of faulting that caused the great 2004 earthquake, it is possible that changes in regional tectonic strain-field caused by the 2004 earthquake made conditions more favorable for the occurrence of the 2009 earthquake than would otherwise have been the case. It is noteworthy that in the days immediately following the 2004 earthquake there were a large number of normal-faulting earthquakes in the subducted India plate of the Andaman Islands region. The largest Andaman Islands intraplate normal-fault earthquake in the immediate aftermath of the 2004 earthquake was more than an order of magnitude smaller than the August 10, 2009, earthquake.

Swine Flu - India is on prevention process

NEW DELHI: With the World Health Organisation designating swine influenza outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, India on Monday put on alert all international airports and ports for identifying persons with suspected infection who could be arriving from countries affected.

Those travelling to affected areas have also been advised to defer non-essential journeys. Instructions were issued to track down people who arrived in India from Mexico, the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Spain, France and the United Kingdom.

“Keeping in view the global scenario, the government is instituting a series of preventive action that includes surveillance at ports and international airports. Surveillance [will be] through the integrated disease surveillance units in the States,” V. M. Katoch, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research, told reporters after a meeting of the joint monitoring group here. All passengers coming to India from the affected areas will be mandatorily screened for influenza symptoms while for others it will be voluntary.

All States were advised to review their preparedness to investigate and contain any suspected cluster of influenza-like illness. The Central government would be supporting the States in terms of guidelines, experts, material logistics and laboratory support.

“Since the disease has originated outside India, we have no reason to believe that pigs in India are carrying the disease, hence we are monitoring the movement of the people coming here from the affected countries,” Vineet Chowdhry, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

The process of tracking down the passengers who arrived in India from these countries had already started, he said.

It was not difficult since computerised records of travellers were available with the airlines.

Within the next two days, nine international airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi and Goa — will have additional medical and paramedical staff. The staff were identified and deployment would start shortly, Mr. Chowdhry said. Delhi international airport alone will have 38 doctors for screening passengers.

The Ministry is drafting guidelines for the airlines to follow, including informing the passengers that they could be screened on arrival in India.

“We have drafted a proforma which will be given to the passengers for voluntary declaration of any flu symptoms like fever, and cough. If he or she develops any symptoms subsequently, it can be reported to the authorities or on telephone no. 23921401 which is a toll-free number at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases,” Dr. Katoch said.

A round-the-clock call centre under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (No. 1075) will also be attending calls from the public regarding reporting of influenza-like illness. Any person suspected to have influenza will be isolated at the airport and put on treatment.

Dr. Katoch said a stockpile of one million doses of Tamiflu was available and a request had been made for another one million doses.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Schedule Released

The ICC Champions Trophy 2009 is the biggest cricket tournament scheduled to take place in South Africa on September-2009. It considered as mini world cup. The ICC Champions Trophy will be played by 8 Test teams which have been ’seeded’ and divided into two groups are A and B.

Group A – India, Pakistan, West Indies and Australia Group B – South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England Schedule: Tue 22 (d/n) 1st Match, Group B – South Africa v Sri Lanka Wed23(d/n) 2nd Match, Group A – Pakistan v West Indies Thurs24 3rd Match, Group B – South Africa v New Zealand Fri25(d/n) 4th Match, Group B – England v Sri Lanka Sat26 5th Match, Group A – Australia v West Indies Sat26(d/n) 6th Match, Group A – India v Pakistan Sun27 7th Match, Group B – New Zealand v Sri Lanka Sun27(d/n) 8th Match, Group B – South Africa v England Mon28(d/n) 9th Match, Group A – India v Australia Tue29(d/n) 10th Match, Group B – England v New Zealand Wed30 11th Match, Group A – Pakistan v Australia Wed30(d/n) 2th Match, Group A – India v West Indies Fri02(d/n) 1st Semi-Final – A1 v B2 Sat03(d/n) 2nd Semi-Final – B1 v A2 Mon 05 Final

Michael Jackson's Death Investigation Expands

The pressure keeps building on Dr. Conrad Murray, the former private physician to Michael Jackson at the time of his death.

After his Houston office and storage unit were searched, and law enforcement officials announced that they believe Murray administered the lethal dose of propofol to Jackson, his Las Vegas home was raided by Federal agents.

Murray's lawyer released a statement yesterday, according to a TMZ report. The statement reads: "We can verify that at approximately 8am, Officers from DEA, LAPD and various local agencies began executing a search warrant at Dr. Conrad Murray's Las Vegas home and office. The search warrant authorized investigators to look for medical records relating to Michael Jackson and all of his reported aliases. Dr Murray was present during the search of his home and assisted the officers. Investigators left Dr. Murray's home around 12 noon, seizing cell phones and a computer hard drive."

Reportedly, police may expand their investigation to include more than a dozen doctors who possibly employed fraudulent prescription practices in treating Michael Jackson. LAPD officials are gathering information and evidence on various doctors who may have helped Jackson procure excessive medication, TMZ reports.

The LA Times reports that officers are also seeking information on medical records for the 19 pseudonyms Jackson apparently used. The LAPD and FDA were authorized to seize prescriptions, files, billing information, tests results, electronic records and other material kept under aliases, including Omar Arnold, Paul Farance, Bryan Singleton, Jimmy Nicholas, Blanca Nicholas, Roselyn Muhammad, Faheem Muhammad, Frank Tyson, Fernand Diaz, Peter Madonie, Josephine Baker and Kai Chase. One reported alias listed in the warrant was Jackson's son Prince.

How Microsoft Started Work on Windows Vista

Microsoft began work on Windows Vista, known at the time by its codename Longhorn, in May 2001, five months before the release of Windows XP. It was originally expected to ship sometime late in 2003 as a minor step between Windows XP and Blackcomb, which was planned to be the company's next major operating system release. Gradually, "Longhorn" assimilated many of the important new features and technologies slated for Blackcomb, resulting in the release date being pushed back several times. Many of Microsoft's developers were also re-tasked to build updates to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to strengthen security. Faced with ongoing delays and concerns about feature creep, Microsoft announced on August 27, 2004 that it had revised its plans. The original Longhorn, based on the Windows XP source code, was scrapped, and Longhorn's development started anew, building on the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 codebase, and re-incorporating only the features that would be intended for an actual operating system release. Some previously announced features such as WinFS were dropped or postponed, and a new software development methodology called the Security Development Lifecycle was incorporated in an effort to address concerns with the security of the Windows codebase.

After Longhorn was named Windows Vista in July 2005, an unprecedented beta-test program was started, involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers and companies. In September of that year, Microsoft started releasing regular Community Technology Previews (CTP) to beta testers. The first of these was distributed at the 2005 Microsoft Professional Developers Conference, and was subsequently released to beta testers and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. The builds that followed incorporated most of the planned features for the final product, as well as a number of changes to the user interface, based largely on feedback from beta testers. Windows Vista was deemed feature-complete with the release of the "February CTP", released on February 22, 2006, and much of the remainder of work between that build and the final release of the product focused on stability, performance, application and driver compatibility, and documentation. Beta 2, released in late May, was the first build to be made available to the general public through Microsoft's Customer Preview Program. It was downloaded by over five million people. Two release candidates followed in September and October, both of which were made available to a large number of users.

While Microsoft had originally hoped to have the consumer versions of the operating system available worldwide in time for Christmas 2006, it was announced in March 2006 that the release date would be pushed back to January 2007, in order to give the company–and the hardware and software companies which Microsoft depends on for providing device drivers–additional time to prepare. Development of Windows Vista came to an end when Microsoft announced that it had been finalized on November 8, 2006. Windows Vista cost Microsoft 6 billion dollars to develop.

Twelth IAAF World Championships - Bombardier Transportation becomes National Supplier of Athletics berlin 2009

Bombardier Transportation, the global leader in rail technology, with its worldwide headquarters in Berlin, will become a National Supplier of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics berlin 2009.

Sharon Christians, Vice President Communications & Public Affairs, said about the company’s support of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics: “Bombardier Transportation is connecting people, cities and countries across all borders – just as the international World Championships’ athletes will excite people around the world. As a globally operating company anchored in Berlin, we are particularly glad to be able to support this outstanding, international top event.”

Laurens Lipperheide, Marketing Director of the World Championships’ Organising Committee, expressed his appreciation about the partnership: “With Bombardier Transportation, we were able to attract another company with a strong commitment to Berlin as a partner for the world’s largest sports event in 2009. This partnership underlines the international significance of the World Championships in and for Berlin once more. Jointly we can demonstrate that Berlin is “the place to be” – not only for sports.”

Bombardier Transportation delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. BOMBARDIER* ECO4* technologies (* Trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries)– built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology – conserve energy, protect the environment and help to improve total train performance.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA - Superstar of International Fashion Design

OSCAR DE LA RENTA has been named as the recipient of this year's Superstar Award at The Fashion Group International's 26th annual Night of Stars.

The Dominican-born designer, who continues to show his ready-to-wear collections at New York Fashion Week, was named for his contribution to the industry over a lengthy career - as well as his current output.

"Oscar personifies the word 'superstar,'" Margaret Hayes, president of The Fashion Group International, told WWD. "While this award honours his lifetime achievements, it is also in recognition of the vitality and creativity clearly apparent in his current collections."

The award, which this year is themed "The Storytellers", will be presented to de la Renta at a star-studded gala at New York's Cipriani on October 22, emceed by Barneys's Simon Doonan.