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LONDON: The computer technology shown in science fiction like ‘Minority Report’ and James Bond flicks are drawing closer to reality, with a Los Angeles-based company designing a system that can consign the mouse to history. John Underkoffler, chief scientist at Oblong Industries that has created the technology, says that the new technology called G-Speak may fundamentally change the way we interact with computers. He says that rather than having to use one hand to control a mouse, a user can communicate with a PC intuitively by “slipping on special gloves” and “using both hands”. “Human hands are the most sophisticated manipulating tools in the world,” Times Online quoted him as saying. “The idea is to drop the mouse and let hands do what they’re fully capable of. That is to describe and push, poke and pull and manipulate the world,” he added. G-Speak allows selection of objects on screen through pointing. When the user brings his hands closer to his body, the object seems to have come...

HOUSTON: Two shuttle Endeavour astronauts finished the last of four spacewalks outside the International Space Station on Monday, completing repairs and maintenance meant to restore the outpost to full power.Stephen Bowen and Shane Kimbrough returned to the station's Quest airlock at 7:31 p.m EST (0031 GMT) after a six-hour, seven-minute outing. It was the third spacewalk for Bowen and Kimbrough's second since the shuttle arrived at the space station on Nov 16 for what was scheduled to be an 11-day visit. NASA managers decided on Monday to extend Endeavour's stay by one day in hopes of achieving one of the mission's prime goals: producing water samples from a urine purification system in time to return them to Earth with the shuttle. The device, which was carted into orbit aboard Endeavour and installed in the station's Destiny laboratory, has been shutting down due to a suspected mechanical problem. While Bowen and Kimbrough worked 225 miles (360 km) above the plan...

HOUSTON: Several Indian Americans have been appointed to the Obama-Biden transition team. Parag Mehta, from Texas has been named the deputy director of inter-governmental affairs and public liaison for several minority groups, including Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders. Besides Parag, there are a few more Indian Americans in the team. Nick Rathod has been appointed director to the Office of Inter-governmental Affairs. Rathod is the national outreach director of South Asians for Obama and one of its founding members. Arti Rai, a professor of patent law at Duke University and a classmate of Obama at Harvard Law School, has been appointed as a member of the agency review team on science, technology, space, arts and humanities. The agency review teams for the Obama-Biden transition are charged with completing a thorough review of various departments, agencies and commissions in the U S government to craft policy, budgetary and personnel decisions prior to the January 20, 2009 inauguratio...

MOGADISHU: Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi Arabian supertanker moved the vessel from its location at the port city of Harardhere, after Islamist militias threatened to attack them and rescue the ship, a tribal elder said. The Islamic Courts Union warned the pirates to leave Harardhere, Ali Elmi, a local elder in the town, said in a phone interview today. The tanker was taken out to sea and its destination isn’t clear, he said. Al-Shabaab, a separate Islamist group, also said it would attack the pirates if they don’t free the ship. Somali pirates were holding the Sirius Star, laden with 2 million barrels of oil worth about $110 million, near Harardhere, which is controlled by the Islamists. The vessel was hijacked with its 25-strong crew on Nov. 15, about 420 nautical miles (833 kilometers) off Somalia. The pirates demand a $25 million ransom. The ICU warned yesterday that it will take action against pirates responsible for the “major crime” of seizing the supertanker, which belong...

BISSAU: A gun battle Sunday at the residence of Guinea-Bissau's President Joao Bernardo Vieira left one suspected mutineer dead and several government soldiers wounded, officials said. The incident came just a week after elections intended to bring stability to the West African nation, one of smallest and poorest on the continent. "A group of soldiers last night tried to get hold of an arms depot in the president's residence," an official from the army's general staff said. "There was an exchange of gunfire." Three of the attacking soldiers were arrested, but others made off with some weapons including rocket launchers, a senior interior ministry official said. Two hours later, gunfire could be heard near the Mansoa barracks, one of the country's biggest, located 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the capital, witnesses reported.While authorities branded the pre-dawn attack as a mutiny, observers said it could also have been a failed attempt to seize powe...

MICHAEL Jackson has reached an out-of-court settlement with Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who was suing him for $US7 million ($11.03 million), his spokeswoman said today."As Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," Celina Aponte said.Jackson was being sued for allegedly reneging on a recording deal and refusing to sing the sheik's own songs, Britain's High Court heard last week. The reclusive singer was alleged to have accepted the huge sum to sing tracks composed by Sheik Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Isa Khalifa. Bankim Thanki, QC, for the sheik, alleged that the day after the Thriller star's child molestation trial ended in California, he recorded one of the songs. The barrister promised the judge a recording of the song would be played during the trial. "It shows the quality of Sheik Abdullah's song-writing skills and that of Ja...

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose above $50 a barrel Monday in Asia as investors gained some confidence from reports that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has chosen an economic team to tackle what could be the worst slowdown in decades. Light, sweet crude for January delivery was up 37 cents to $50.30a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Singapore. The January contract Friday rose 51 cents to settle at $49.93. Asian markets on Monday were mostly lower with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index down 1.5 percent and South Korea's Kospi down 2.4 percent. Oil futures have followed stock markets recently, using equities as a proxy for economic outlook and investor sentiment.

Strong quake jolts remote islands off New Zealan: WELLINGTON: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the remote Kermadec islands north of New Zealand on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported. The epicentre of the quake, recorded at 1:36pm (2336 GMT Monday), was 131 kilometres (81 miles) from Raoul Island and at a depth of 35 kilometres. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the area, which is part of the "Ring of Fire" where the Pacific plate of the earth's crust meets other continental plates. Brazil floods kill at least 59, uproot thousands: RIO DE JANEIRO: Rescue workers rushed to help stricken residents in southern Brazil Monday after landslides and floods caused by heavy rain killed at least 59 people and forced more than 43,000 from their homes.The state of Santa Catarina declared an emergency as rescuers used helicopters and motorboats to reach those displaced or stranded by the floods after days of torrential rain."Santa Catarina is facing its worst...

KARACHI: The District and Session Judge Court here has adjourned until November 27 the hearing of the arguments on petition praying bail of currency case accused Munaf Kalia and Javed Khanani.The petition for bail filed by Munaf Kalia and Javed Khanani was heard in the court of District and Session Judge (South), Fahimuddin here, while the court adjourned the hearing of arguments on the petition of both the accused until November 17.

Obama names Geithner as Treasury secretary: CHICAGO: President-elect Barack Obama Monday nominated New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner to serve as his Treasury secretary and oversee an ambitious plan to resuscitate the US economy. Obama to address another news conference tomorrow: WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama will hold his second news conference in two days Tuesday, a transition official said Monday as the Democrat prepared to roll out his economic team.No further details were immediately available on Tuesday's press conference but reports said Obama was likely to stagger the rollout of his economic lieutenants.Obama was scheduled to hold only his second news conference since the November 4 election here at 1700 GMT Monday, to formally announce his choice of New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary.The Democrat was also expected to tap ex-Treasury secretary Larry Summers as his chief White House economic advisor, assembli...

PANAJI: India's most prestigious film festival kicks off in the tourist haven of Goa, promising to be a low-key affair with the glitz and glamour of Bollywood taking a back seat at the annual event.But lovers of cinema will have their hands full at the 39th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), with as many as 225 screenings of films from around the world, organisers said.The ten-day festival, hosted by Goa for the fifth straight year, opens with Peter Chan's "The Warlords", a Chinese war epic set in the 1860s. Chan is also chairman of the festival jury.Sixty foreign-language films and 80 Indian films are in the line-up, including Bollywood hits like "Jodhaa Akbar" and India's Oscar entry "Taare Zameen Par".India has looked to build a film festival along the lines of Cannes, turning to Goa to provide a picturesque backdrop to a celebration of cinema. But the festival has been criticised in the past for focussing on Bollywood while ignor...

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Monday its executive board approved a credit of 7.6 billion dollars for Pakistan, the Fund's first rescue in Asia since the global financial crisis began. The credit will "support the country's economic stabilization program," the IMF said in a brief statement. The Fund and Pakistan had already announced an agreement in principle earlier this month on the package, aimed at staving off a balance of payments crisis that has raised the prospect of the violence-hit nation defaulting on its foreign debts. Pakistan's precarious financial situation has caused worldwide alarm due to its role as a key ally in the US-led "war on terror" and its position as the Islamic world's only nuclear power.

Michael Jackson has reached a settlement with a Bahraini sheik who says the singer owes him $7 million after breaching a signed contract, the pop star's spokeswoman said Sunday. The out-of-court settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London's High Court as scheduled on Monday, Celena Aponte said. Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about to board a flight to London. "As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," Aponte said. "Therefore, he will not be attending court on Monday." A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached late Sunday. Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa said he gave the singer millions and planned a series of collaborations following J...