Times of Pakistan-Not a single paisa was paid to A Raja: Ratan Tata

NEW DELHI: Ratan Tata has denied allegations that Tata Telecommunications paid any money to A Raja.

Speaking at the company's AGM, Ratan Tata claimed that not even a single paisa was paid to the former telecom minister, who is now in jail facing charges in the 2G scam.

The Tata group chairman was responding to charges levelled by 2G scam accused Shahid Balwa in the court.

Ratan Tata said the charges made in the court were aimed at diverting the attention from the real issues.

Balwa on Tuesday targeted the Tatas and alleged that they paid off former telecom minister A Raja Rs 20 crore.

He claimed that the Tata group "donated" Rs 20 crore to a medical college-cum-hospital in Perambalur in Tamil Nadu at the request of Raja. Balwa had also questioned the CBI's decision to not probe the Tata group in the 2G scam.

Balwa referred to a letter written by Ratan Tata to Raja on September 15, 2009 regarding the donation.

Raising the issue in the court Balwa's counsel Majeed Memon questioned why the agency was not probing the role of Tatas.

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Google+ the fastest-growing social network ever

Released on - Wednesday,03 August , 2011 -02:30

Google is a latecomer to social networking but its new site, Google+, is growing much more rapidly than Facebook, Myspace and Twitter did in their early days, technology experts said Tuesday.

While Google+ may be the fastest-growing social network ever, it remains to be seen, however, whether it can pose a serious threat to the social networking titan Facebook, which has more than 750 million members.

Andrew Lipsman, vice president for industry analysis at tracking firm comScore, said Google+, which was launched by the Internet search and advertising giant on June 28, had 25 million unique visitors as of July 24.

During a panel discussion on Google+ hosted by Wedbush Securities, Lipsman said it took other social networks much longer to reach 25 million users: 22 months for Myspace, 33 months for Twitter and 37 months for Facebook.

"Obviously, this is a very strong growth trajectory," Lipsman said.

He cautioned, however, that Google "has a really large user base it can build off of" with its one billion users worldwide.

And it still has a "really long way to go to be competitive with Facebook," Lipsman said.

"Google+ is the fastest by a long shot but it's important to realize that fastest may not always be best," he said. "Sometimes, that slow build can lead to a strong network effect that pays long-term dividends."

Most Google+ users -- 6.4 million -- are in the United States, followed by India with 3.6 million, Canada with 1.1 million, Britain with 1.1 million and Germany with over 920,000, according to comScore.

Lipsman said many Google+ users appear to also be users of Google's email program Gmail and display a "very strong early adopter profile."

He said the ratio of men to women is about two to one and that 60 percent of Google+ users are between the ages of 18 and 34.

In the United States, the highest numbers of Google+ users are in the tech-savvy cities of San Francisco and Austin, Texas, he said.

Steve Rubel, executive vice president for global strategy and insights at public relations firm Edelman, said Facebook is not "vulnerable immediately" to Google.

"I don't see (Google+) taking significant share from Facebook in the next 18 months," Rubel said.

At the same time, "what we have seen is that over the years there's never been a social network or community that has had significant staying power," he said. "There's always a shuffling every two or three years, a changing of the guard.

"We saw it with Myspace," he said of the one-time social networking leader that has been eclipsed by Facebook and hemorrhaging users ever since.

Rubel said Google was compelled to try its hand at social networking because Facebook is restricting the access of its search engine to Facebook content.

"What's happening is more content is being created behind Facebook's walls than ever before and a lot of that content is invisible to Google," he said.

"Conceptually, at least, they're building kind of an alternate Web... There's also an entire Web that is app-based on mobile phones. That is also invisible to them."

Rubel said it was conceivable that more content would be invisible to them in five or 10 years than what the search engine can see today when created on Facebook or inside apps.

"So they had to make a play to get more people to create content on their site," he continued. "It's to get more people to spend time on Google."

In unveiling Google+, Google stressed the ability it gives users to separate online friends and family into different "Circles," or networks, and to share information only with members of a particular circle.

One of the criticisms of Facebook is that updates are shared with all of one's friends unless a user has gone through a relatively complicated process to create separate Facebook Groups.

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We are not married: Siddharth

If rumours are to be believed, Rani Mukerjee has gotten married not once or twice but almost ten times to Aditya Chopra. Seems like Rani's co-star from No One Killed Jessica, Vidya Balan has been caught in a similar wedding web created by the media.

The net & TV have been flooded with Vidya Balan's supposed wedding news for the past two days. As expected, the rumour spread like wildfire. Vidya's currently honeymooning with Siddharth too was reported!

Vidya Balan's alleged love interest and UTV Motion Pictures' head honcho Siddharth Roy Kapur rubbished the news. When asked if the two have indeed tied the knot, Siddharth told TOI, 'No that's not true.'

Our source close to Vidya reacted, 'What! That's impossible. She is in Mumbai currently and this is definitely a rumour. She will start the remaining shoot of Milan Luthria's 'Dirty Picture' in two weeks from now.'

Vidya Balan's manager K Sanjay reacted, 'Nonsense, its rubbish.'

Well, yet another marriage rumour bites the dust!

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Benazir killing accused stands third in exam

An accused in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case has stood third in the Class 10 exam in Rawalpindi.

Pakistani Former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Dec 27, 2007, as she was leaving Liaquat Bagh in a motorcade after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad.

Abdul Rasheed Ahmed is detained in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi along with four other accused - Aitzaz Shah, Sher Zaman, Rafaqat Hussain and Hassnain Gul.

Ahmed obtained 848 marks out of 1,050 in the results announced Monday.

'The jail administration provided teachers and other facilities to the accused after he expressed his willingness to complete his studies,' said Adiala Jail Superintendent Mohisn Raffique.

He said the jail administration would award Ahmed for his achievement, according to a Pakistani newspaper.

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Kajal Agarwal Ramp Walk Hot Stills at IIJW 2011

Telugu Actress Kajal Agarwal walked the ramp for CVM Exports on day 2 of IIJW 2011. India International Jewellery Week 2011 Event Kajal Agarwal Ramp Walk Photos Stills.

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Samsung delays Australia tablet launch on Apple suit

(Routers) - Samsung Electronics has delayed the Australian launch of its latest Galaxy tablet due to a patent dispute with Apple Inc, a setback for the South Korean firm's attempt to close the gap with Apple in the booming tablet market.

Samsung and Apple have been locked in an acrimonious battle over smartphones and tablets patents since April, but this marks the first time the legal tussle has delayed the launch of a product by Samsung.

Apple alleged Samsung's Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets "slavishly" copied the iPhone and iPad and had launched lawsuits in the United States, Australia and elsewhere. Samsung has countersued Apple.

On Tuesday, Samsung said it had agreed with Apple not to sell a variant of the tablet in Australia yet.

"A Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 for the Australian market will be released in the near future. This undertaking does not affect any other Samsung smartphone or tablet available in the Australian market or other countries," the Korean company said in a statement.

Apple is one participant in a web of litigation among phone makers and software firms over who owns the patents used in smartphones, as rivals aggressively rush into the smartphone and tablet market which the U.S. company jumpstarted with the iPhone and iPad.

"... The fact that Samsung didn't just stand up to defend the U.S. version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 serves as an indication that Apple's allegations probably have some merit," Florian Mueller, a technology specialist and blogger on patent battles, said on his blog FOSS Patents.

The Australian case against Samsung is being heard in a Federal Court in Sydney.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

The Galaxy gadgets are seen as among the biggest challengers to Apple's mobile devices, but Samsung has so far been unable to approach the Silicon Valley company's roaring sales growth. Galaxy products use Google's Android operating system.

Last month, Samsung launched a thinner and lighter version of its Galaxy tablet in its lucrative home market, trying to eat into blockbuster sales of Apple's iPad.

"The point is, if this is contained in just Australia, then it's not going to move the needle too much," said Bryan Ma, an analyst with industry research firm IDC in Singapore. "If it's just Australia, that's just a small part of the global market."

IDC said media tablet shipments to Australia were only 2.4 percent out of global shipments of 7.2 million units in the first quarter.

The intensifying quarrel between Samsung and Apple had triggered expectations some of the pair's $5 billion-plus relationship may be up for grabs. Samsung counts Apple as its biggest customer and makes parts central to Apple's mobile devices.

LEGAL WRANGLING

According to Federal Court documents, an application from Apple sought to prevent Samsung from being allowed to "import, promote... offer for sale or sell in Australia the Galaxy Tab 10.1," unless it has the agreement of Apple or the court.

Apple had also requested that all samples of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 be delivered to Apple so it could destroy them, the court papers showed.

"It is not that we will not sell the Galaxy Tab until the legal case ends. We will sell it when certain conditions are met as we continue talks with Apple," said a spokesman from Samsung.

A spokeswoman for Samsung in Australia said the original launch date in the country was August 11 but the Seoul-based spokesman said this had not been finalized and the company was only delaying the launch event.

The next Federal Court hearing is set for August 29.

The case is Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. NSD1243/2011. Federal Court of Australia (Sydney).

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