Ireland Scholarships in Science, Engineering and Technology

The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) `EMBARK’ Initiative offers opportunities for suitably qualified individuals to pursue a postgraduate degree by research. The Scheme supports basic research in the broad areas of Science, Engineering and Technology.
The online application system opens on 13th of January 2010 for individuals hoping to begin postgraduate
research in the Republic of Ireland in 2010. Individuals awarded under the scheme must maintain their principle residence in Ireland during the term of the Scholarship and Scholarships must be held at a recognised third-level institution in Ireland.
While a majority of postgraduate Scholarships awarded by the Council are offered to European Union (EU) citizens or to those who are ordinarily resident within a member state of the EU, a proportion of awards are also offered to exceptional candidates who are ordinarily resident in non EU member states.
Scholarships are awarded only to those who will be full-time individuals and who will engage full-time in research during the period of the award.
Applications for funding under the scheme are accepted by an online electronic application system available at our website www.ircset.ie from the 13th of January, 2010. The deadline for applicants to submit applications is 5.00 pm (GMT/UTC) on the 10th February 2010.

AP Technology NewsBrief at 9:25 p.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) PayPal halts certain payment transactions in IndiaSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ The online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending many transactions in India for more than a week. A spokesman for the service said Saturday that "personal payments" to and from India are being blocked. Transfers to banks in India are being suspended as well.
Macmillan books coming back to AmazonNEW YORK (AP) _ After a weeklong absence, new copies of Andrew Young's "The Politician," Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" and other books published by Macmillan are available for purchase on Amazon.com. Since last Friday, Amazon had limited the availability of Macmillan releases in a dispute over e-books, with Macmillan calling for a new pricing system that would end the $9.99 rate Amazon had been setting for best-sellers on its Kindle e-reader. Macmillan and other publishers believe $9.99 is too low and threatens the value of books overall.

Prius problems put spotlight on car electronicsNEW YORK (AP) _ Your most expensive piece of electronics probably is not your flat panel TV or your computer. More likely, it's your car, which can pack 50 microprocessors to control everything from the fuel mix to the rearview mirrors. The recalls and other technical problems besetting Toyota in the last few weeks highlight the risks of relying on electronics instead of the mechanical rods and cables that controlled vehicles for most of the 20th century.

Digital River CEO to Speak at the Thomas Weisel 2010 Technology & Telecom Conference

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb 05, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Digital River, Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!driv/quotes/nls/driv (DRIV 24.37, +0.18, +0.74%) , a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, announced that the company is presenting at the Thomas Weisel 2010 Technology & Telecom Conference in San Francisco, Calif. The event, being held at The Fairmont Hotel, takes place Feb. 8-10, 2010.
Digital River's CEO, Joel Ronning, will discuss the company's business strategy during his presentation at 10:20 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. A live webcast as well as a replay of Digital River's session will be available at http://www.digitalriver.com/investorrelations.
About Digital River, Inc. Digital River, Inc., a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, builds and manages online businesses for software and game publishers, consumer electronics manufacturers, distributors, online retailers and affiliates. Its multi-channel e-commerce solution, which supports both direct and indirect sales, is designed to help companies of all sizes maximize online revenues as well as reduce the costs and risks of running an e-commerce operation. The company's comprehensive platform offers site development and hosting, order management, fraud management, export controls, tax management, physical and digital product fulfillment, multi-lingual customer service, advanced reporting and strategic marketing services.
Founded in 1994, Digital River is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. For more details about Digital River, visit the corporate Web site at www.digitalriver.com or call +1 952-253-1234.
Digital River is a registered trademark of Digital River, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks, registrations or copyrights of their respective owners.

Toyota to recall Prius for brake glitch: report

Toyota Motor Corp's Prius is displayed at its office in Tokyo February 4, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp, which has recalled more than 8 million vehicles around the world for problems with accelerators, has decided to recall its new Prius hybrid sold in Japan to fix a braking software glitch, a Japanese newspaper said on Sunday.

Japan

Safety regulators in both the United States and Japan are investigating breaking problems with the Prius cars, Japan's top-selling car last year and an icon of green design that has lifted the public image of Toyota.
The world's biggest automaker had already told its car dealers about the braking recall decision, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
Toyota was expected to announce the recall early next week after it consults the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, the newspaper said.
Toyota had considered voluntarily fixing the cars but had chosen a recall to restore public trust, the newspaper said.
Since its launch last May, Toyota has sold over 300,000 of the newest version of the Prius worldwide, including around 200,000 in Japan, 103,200 in the United States and 29,000 in Europe.
Episodes of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles have been linked to up to 19 crash deaths in the United States over the past decade.
Toyota's president apologized on Friday for safety problems.
"I would like to take this opportunity to apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing many of our customers concern after the recalls across several models in several regions," Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota's founder, told a news conference in Nagoya.

US doubts Iran's claim nuclear deal 'close'

	Photos 1 of 1 An Iranian security guard stands in front of the building housing the nuclear reactor in the Iranian port town of Bushehr.

ANKARA – US Defence Secretary Robert Gates expressed doubts Saturday that a deal was close on Iran's disputed nuclear programme, as the UN atomic chief said Tehran presented no new proposals at talks in Germany.
The comments come amid growing Western impatience with Iran for failing to respond clearly to a proposal for sending some of its uranium abroad for enrichment, amid fears Tehran may be trying to build a nuclear bomb.
"I don't have the sense we are close to an agreement," Gates said in Ankara, a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran was "serious" about enriching uranium abroad and that a deal was near.
"If Iran has decided to accept the proposal of the P5-plus-one, they should do that to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he told reporters, referring to the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany.
But IAEA director general Yukiya Amano, who met Mottaki on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, said the Iranians brought nothing new to the talks.
"Our meeting covered a variety of areas. That included of course in Iran and the Tehran research reactor. We had a very interesting discussion.... There was not a new proposal. We exchanged views," Amano told reporters.
"Dialogue is continuing and should be accelerated, that is the point," he added.
Mottaki cast the talks with the UN nuclear watchdog in a positive light, calling it a "very good meeting".
"We discussed and exchanged views about a wide range of issues ... We also exchanged views about the proposal that is on the table. I tried to explain the views of the Islamic republic of Iran for the director general," Mottaki said.
Iran appeared to reject in October a deal proposed by the IAEA for Iran to export low-enriched uranium to France and Russia to be further purified into fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.
Enrichment outside of Iran is a central plank of a UN-brokered deal Western powers are pushing for out of fears that unsupervised enrichment could feed a covert nuclear weapons programme.
Enriched uranium produces fuel for a nuclear reactor but the process can also be used to make the fissile core of an atomic bomb.
Tehran insists its nuclear programme is strictly for civilian purposes.
Mottaki earlier told the conference that "with regard to discussions with the different parties, I personally believe that we have created conducive ground for such an exchange in the not very distant future."
He added that Iran "has shown it is serious about doing this, and we have shown it at the highest level," referring to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's assertion this week that Tehran would have "no problem" with the proposal.
Late Saturday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that if "the other side" shows a "realistic and positive approach and recognise our right they will definitely get a positive and appropriate response," he said, according to the Mehr new agency.
However, US and EU officials suspect the Iranian overture could be a delaying tactic to avert a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against the regime.
The US defence secretary said that Iran, if serious, should not waste time in accepting the proposal.
Iran has "done nothing to reassure the international community," Gates said, adding that "various nations need to think about whether it's time for a different tack."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country along with fellow Security Council member China is seen as less keen on more sanctions, urged Iran to work through the UN watchdog.
"What we want from Iran is to verify very specific questions, raised time and again by the IAEA a long time ago, it is not a difficult thing to do," he said in Munich.
Back in October Iran agreed in principle to the uranium enrichment offer but later appeared to reject it, saying it preferred a gradual swap of low-enriched uranium for fuel -- preferably on Iranian soil.
Tehran had given the West until January 31 to respond to its counter-proposals, and Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani again Saturday insisted that Western powers were trying to dupe Iran.

Indians not allowed!

The booming tourism industry in India hides a shameful secret. Even today, many places refuse service to domestic tourists. Colin Todhunter uncovers the selective bias.

Outside, above the entrance, a sign says “Welcome, Namaste, pray stay at this worthy lodge.” But a warm welcome exists only if you are in possession of a foreign passport. Indians are not welcome at Highlands Lodge (name changed) in Chennai. An apparent ‘No Indian’ policy is quite strictly enforced, whereby only Indians in possession of a foreign passport may stay. Many rickshaw drivers in the city know it as the ‘firang place’, and the Lonely Planet guidebook omitted it from its main edition a few years ago, partly in response to this. Over the years, this place has hit the headlines on more than one occasion because of it’s discriminatory policy. Highlands is a former nawab’s residence, dating back at least 160 years. The lodge is a beautiful, crumbling place, and peeling paint and flaking plaster are its hallmarks. There is a fine line between ‘old world charm’ and ‘crumbling dereliction’, but as far as Highlands is concerned, the former definitely applies. It is an oasis of serenity in what must be one of the most hectic cities in the world. Someone once wrote that it looks like a heritage hotel that is having a bad day. I might further add that it is a lawsuit waiting to happen, given its rickety banisters and falling plaster. Its tree-shaded courtyards, decaying wooden blue-painted balconies and sunlit verandas hark back to more genteel times. Walk through the door and you no longer feel as though you are in Chennai. The squawking crows, squealing chipmunks and serene bats contrive to give the impression that you could be in a remote country retreat, rather than in a city-based lodge. Unfortunately, few if any Indian tourists will ever get to discover the charm of this guest house. Highlands is far from unique, however, as many hotels in India seem to prefer foreign tourists and have an unstated but definite no Indians policy. A well known hotel in Jaipur had not let ‘locals’ stay for 25 years until recently, and many hotels near New Delhi railway station do not let Indian people stay. It’s a similar story in Goa, where many family-run guest houses and hotels prefer foreign tourists over Indian people. And Indian people themselves tell me that they have been discriminated against or made to feel very unwelcome in hotels and restaurants in Kerala, Pondicherry, Gokarna and Mysore, to name just a handful of locations. So, just what is going on here? Before the Indian economy began to exhibit year on year growth of over eight per cent, Indian hoteliers and restaurateurs perceived foreign guests to be a much more profitable investment than their compatriots. In simple financial terms, foreigners could and did pay more, although with many Indian people now earning increasingly high salaries, I have indeed noticed that some hoteliers now accept Indian guests. But that’s not always the case. I have stayed in over 140 hotels and guest houses throughout India and have seen some of the places where foreigners stay, particularly toward the lower end of the market, and many Indians would not be prepared to pay the prices requested for such run-down rooms and poor service. Quite simply, while many foreigners will pay what they regard as low room rents for tatty rooms, Indian tourists will not. For instance, as far as Highlands Lodge in Chennai is concerned, would Indians be prepared to pay between Rs 300 to Rs 500 per night anyhow for quite basic, often run-down and crumbling rooms, without attached bathrooms in many cases, when better quality exists throughout the city? Foreigners may feel they are experiencing a taste of the ‘real India’ when they stay in such places, but some cynics would say that it is the foreigners who are losing out and being taken for a ride when they stay at run-down lodges or eat at second rate restaurants with inflated prices. Of course, many hoteliers and restaurateurs prefer foreigners to Indian people, not just because of economic reasons but because they say that the Indian tourist complains more, demands room service more often, tips less and makes too much noise and mess. The accusation is that they have scant regard for other guests and treat the hotel corridor as an extension to their room and turn the whole place into something that resembles the inside of an Indian train. There is, however, another reason for the discrimination experienced by Indian tourists when they visit the hotspots of India. Before the advent of guidebooks and mass tourism, foreign travellers stayed as guests in people’s homes or, if available, in basic lodges, eating local food and mingling with local people. These days, partly thanks to various guidebooks, traveller ghettos now exist. Foreigners tend to stay in areas where restaurants serve the ubiquitous banana pancake and Western menus, where other foreigners congregate and where hotels and lodges accept only foreign tourists. This is a damning indictment of modern travel. The point is that whole areas within locations, such as Varanasi, Pushkar, Goa and Hampi, have been designed to cater to the foreign tourist. Restaurants and hotels take great pride in being mentioned in the Lonely Planet. Consequently, everything is geared to Western tastes, and owners know they can charge over the top prices for poor service, for which Indian people would not pay. These are traveller ghettos where India and Indian tourists have been eased out of the picture in favour of the foreign ‘tourist dollar’. There’s nothing much ‘Indian’ about these places. Perhaps things will change as middle class Indian tourists gain greater spending power and have more leisure time. After all, money talks. But who can say? In the meantime, perhaps ‘unwritten laws’ should be spelt out and made public. Just because they exist and are tacitly accepted by many and enforced by hotel and restaurant owners, does not mean they are right — or indeed legal. After all, hotels exist where both Indians and foreigners co-exist in harmony. There may be good reasons for excluding certain troublesome types or undesirables, but wholescale social exclusion is divisive and is the thin end of a more sinister mindset. I think this kind of thing was tried somewhere else before — the southern states of the US and South Africa. During India’s Republic Day recently, I watched the film Gandhi, while lodged in my Chennai hotel (not Highlands!). Early in his life, he fought against discriminatory laws against Indians in South Africa. Not without good reason is Gandhi on each and every bank note. How ironic it is then that discrimination against Indians in favour of foreigners is rife in India. This is a very strange country indeed. It seems to have a strange fascination with fair skin, face whitening treatment and all things white. ‘Fair and lovely’, with a ‘pinkish, white glow?’ — not least where tourism is concerned. I know how I would feel if I approached a hotel in England only to encounter a ‘No Brits’ policy or to be rudely treated in a restaurant just because I am white. A bit like Gandhiji once did perhaps?

Nelson Mandela dinner celebrates 20 years of freedom

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Cyril Ramaphosa leads the toast at the dinner

Nelson Mandela has celebrated the 20th anniversary of his release from prison with a special dinner, inviting ex-wife Winnie and one of his former jailers.

Mr Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president, was freed from Robben Island jail on 11 February 1990 after a prison sentence of 27 years.
Mr Mandela has said he developed a friendship with warder Christo Brand that cemented his views of humanity.
The Nobel Prize winner, 91, was also joined by children and grandchildren.
'Inspiration'
Mr Mandela's daughter, Zindzi, and a number of anti-apartheid activists who were there when he walked free, also attended the small gathering on Thursday night.

Time is flying Nelson Mandela 'Rugby unity': Fact and fiction

Zindzi Mandela filmed the dinner for a documentary called Conversations About That Day, which will be shown on the anniversary next week.
Key anti-apartheid politician Cyril Ramaphosa toasted Mr Mandela as "tata" or father.
He said: "You are still an inspiration. We are forever indebted to you, for the leadership and inspiration you provided. We are happy you are a free man, because as you became free, you made us free."
Mr Mandela said of his friendship with Mr Brand that it "reinforced my belief in the essential humanity of even those who had kept me behind bars".
He said he still did some exercise, but added: "I do feel like I am getting old. Time is flying. I'm not really worried."
South Africa's parliament will open next Thursday on the exact date of the anniversary.
Also coinciding with the anniversary is the release in the UK of the film Invictus, which draws on Mr Mandela's efforts to unite South Africa in the run-up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Microsoft to patch 17-year-old computer bug

The bug dates from the days of Windows 3.1

A 17-year-old bug in Windows will be patched by Microsoft in its latest security update. The February update for Windows will close the loophole that dates from the time of the DOS operating system.
First appearing in Windows NT 3.1, the vulnerability has been carried over into almost every version of Windows that has appeared since.
The monthly security update will also tackle a further 25 holes in Windows, five of which are rated as "critical".
Home hijack
The ancient bug was discovered by Google security researcher Tavis Ormandy in January 2010 and involves a utility that allows newer versions of Windows to run very old programs.
Mr Ormandy has found a way to exploit this utility in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and 2008 as well as Windows Vista and Windows 7.
The patch for this vulnerability will appear in the February security update. Five of the vulnerabilities being patched at the same time allow attackers to effectively hijack a Windows PC and run their own programs on it.

STAYING SAFE ONLINE Use security software that can tackle viruses and spyware Use a firewall Apply operating system updates as soon as they become available Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails bearing attachments Keep your browser up to date

As well as fixing holes in many versions of Windows, the update also tackles bugs in Office XP, Office 2003 and Office 2004 for Apple Macintosh machines.
The bumper update is not the largest that Microsoft has ever released. The security update for October 2009 tackled a total of 34 vulnerabilities. Eight of those updates were rated as critical - the highest level.
In January 2010, Microsoft released an "out of band" patch for a serious vulnerability in Internet Explorer that was being exploited online. The vulnerability was also thought to be the one used to attack Google in China.
Following the attack on Google, many other cyber criminals started seeking ways to exploit the loophole.
Also this week, a security researcher has reported the discovery of a vulnerability in Internet Explorer that allows attackers to view the files held on a victim's machine.
Microsoft has issued a security bulletin about the problem and aims to tackle it at a future date. At the moment there is no evidence that this latest find is being actively exploited online.

US Department of Justice objects to Google book plan

A hearing on the settlement is scheduled for 18 February

The US Department of Justice has said that it is still not satisfied with a deal that would allow search giant Google to build a vast digital library. It said the plan failed to address antitrust and copyright concerns.
It echoes objections by online retailer Amazon, which has said that Google's plan to scan and distribute millions of books online could lead to a monopoly.
Google were forced to amend details of the plan in 2009 after objections by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
"The amended settlement agreement still confers significant and possibly anti-competitive advantages on Google as a single entity," the DOJ said.
It said that the agreement would allow the Google to be "the only competitor in the digital marketplace with the rights to distribute and otherwise exploit a vast array of works in multiple formats".
'Unaddressed issues'
Google Books - formerly known as Google print - was first launched in 2004. It was put on hold a year later when the Authors Guild of America and Association of American Publishers sued over "massive copyright infringement".
In 2008 Google agreed to pay $125m (£77m) to create a Book Rights Registry, where authors and publishers could register works and receive compensation for scanned books.

It once again reinforces the value the agreement can provide in unlocking access to millions of books in the US Google spokesperson Deadline looms for Google Books

A decision on whether the deal could go through was originally scheduled for October 2009. But, District Judge Denny Chin, presiding over the trial, sent the deal back to the drawing board after objections from around the world, including criticism by the DoJ.
The DoJ has once again waded into the debate.
It says the proposed settlement posed potential copyright and antitrust issues.
It also criticised the agreement for requiring authors to opt out of having their books included in the deal, rather than opting in.
It also said that authors and representatives of the publishing industry who had brokered the deal had inappropriately spoken for foreign authors and for authors of "orphan works".
Orphan books - of which there are thought to be five million - are titles where the authors cannot be found.
The DoJ said that Google's exclusive access to these orphan works "remains unaddressed, producing a less than optimal result from a competition standpoint."
But Google said that the Department of Justice's filing recognised "the progress made with the revised settlement".
"It once again reinforces the value the agreement can provide in unlocking access to millions of books in the US," it said.
"We look forward to Judge Chin's review of the statement of interest from the Department and the comments from the many supporters who have filed submissions with the court in the last months."
A hearing on the settlement has been scheduled on 18 February.

Phutti arrivals jump by 44.3pc in Sindh, PAKISTAN

Analysts in the cotton market said that if the country manages to achieve 13mn bales production this season it will help reduce import bill for raw cotton. - AP/File photo

KARACHI: Sustained flow of phutti from Sindh fields has helped cotton production to cross 12.513 million bales brightening the prospects of exceeding last year production of 12.5 million bales.
The arrival figures of phutti showed that overall production stood higher by 15.65 per cent or 1.287 million bales over last year’s corresponding period when production stood at 10.819 million bales.
The arrival figures jointly compiled by PCGA, Aptma and KCA disclosed that slower arrival of phutti from Punjab cotton fields had an adverse impact on overall production.
During the out-going fortnight (Jan 15 to 31) there was a sudden fall in phutti arrival to 273,271 bales from 497,568 bales recorded in the same period last year. This steep decline was mainly because of fall in phutti arrivals in the Punjab.
According to official figures arrival of phutti in Sindh remained higher by 44.34 per cent over the previous year’s corresponding period. During the period under review Sindh produced 4.189 million bales as against 2.902 million in the corresponding period last year.
This means that Sindh has produced around 1.287 million more bales this season. Against this, phutti arrival in the Punjab was only higher by 5.13 per cent at 8.324 million bales compared to 2.917 million bales recorded in the same period last year.
As a result of this cotton production in the Punjab stood 406,498 bales higher over the last year. However, overall production during out-going fortnight stood lesser by 224,297 bales compared to same period last year.
It is quite interesting to note that spinners this season have so far purchased larger quantities of cotton. In all 10.907 million bales have been lifted by spinners during the current season compared to 8.837 million bales purchased by them in the same period last year.
Similarly, due to higher off-take by spinners the unsold stocks of cotton lying with ginners is lesser at 810,900 bales compared 1.542 million bales stood in the same period last year.
However, a fairly larger quantity had been lifted by exporters at 794,348 bales as against 290,865 bales they exported in the corresponding period last year.
Cotton analysts said if the country manages to achieve 13 million bales production this season it will help reduce import bill for raw cotton.

Nato troops free ship off Somalia after pirate attack

Danish special forces serving as part of Nato's counter-piracy operation have freed the crew of a cargo ship boarded by pirates off Somalia. They moved in after being assured by the captain that the crew had locked themselves in a safe room, a Nato spokeswoman told the BBC.
It seems the pirates escaped to their boat before the troops arrived but the 180m (590ft) vessel was being searched.
A second pirate boat in the area was seized by a Russian warship, Nato says.
Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, commander of the Nato Maritime HQ in London, commended the actions of the Danish warship Absalon, which carried out the rescue.
"Absalon's action today demonstrates Nato's resolve to deter and disrupt piracy off the Horn of Africa," he said in a statement.
He also thanked the Russian and Indian navies for assisting in the operation.
Distress signal
A distress signal was received from the master of the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Ariella on Friday morning, reporting that six heavily armed pirates had boarded the ship, Nato spokeswoman Lt Cdr Jacqui Sherriff told the BBC.

I don't know if he [one of the pirates] jumped overboard when he saw the helicopter or later when he saw the special forces Cmdr Dan B Termansen commander of the Absalon

The attackers' skiff and a second boat were seen in the area of the attack about 160km (100m) off the Somalia coast.
Informed that the crew had managed to lock themselves away, the Absalon first sent out a helicopter to investigate, then a team of specially trained forces in inflatable dinghies to board the ship and regain control.
The crew, said to be 25 strong, were released safely.
Cmdr Dan B Termansen, commander of the Absalon, said that the crew had reported seeing a pirate firing an automatic weapon aboard their ship.
"I don't know if he jumped overboard when he saw the helicopter or later when he saw the special forces," he added.
"We searched the ship for hours and didn't find anybody."
However, Cmdr Mikael Bill, head of the Danish Admiralty in western Denmark, said he did not believe there had been any pirates aboard the ship when the special forces arrived.
"It is our clear understanding that there were no hijackers on board but our helicopter had deterred an action," he said.
A Russian warship, the Neustrashimy, successfully boarded and detained the pirates in the second skiff.
Precautions
Cdr John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force in Nairobi, praised the Nato operation.
It was, he told the Associated Press news agency, the first instance where a warship had been able to "send forces to stop a hijacking while it was in progress".
Warships typically do not intervene in hijackings because of the danger that crews may be hit by crossfire, he pointed out.
However, in this case the ship had registered with naval authorities, was travelling along a recommended transit corridor and was part of a group transit, ensuring the ships had a helicopter within 30 minutes' reaction time.
The waters off Somalia are among the most dangerous in the world, despite patrols from EU and other foreign naval forces.
Somalia, riven by war, has had no functioning government since 1991, allowing pirates to operate along the lawless coast, almost with impunity.

Iran nuclear deal 'close', Mottaki says

China is seen as having closer ties to Iran than Western nations

Iran's foreign minister has said it is closing in on a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme. In Germany, Manouchehr Mottaki said a deal to send enriched uranium overseas in exchange for nuclear fuel could be reached in a "not too distant future".
China, opposed to imposing new sanctions against Tehran, said talks with the international community had reached a "crucial stage".
There was no reaction to Mr Mottaki's comments from Western delegates.
The US and its allies fear Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful in purpose.
The BBC Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne, reporting from London, says the strong suspicion is that the Iranian remarks are just another attempt to fend off new sanctions being proposed by the United States.
Mr Mottaki made his comments after deciding to join the Munich conference - a major international gathering of security officials - at the last minute.
He told a late-night audience that "conducive ground" on a nuclear fuel deal had been reached.
"Under the present conditions that we have reached, I think that we are approaching a final agreement that can be accepted by all parties," he said.
"[The] Islamic republic of Iran has shown it is serious about doing this, and we have shown it at the highest level," he said.
Diplomatic manoeuvring
But Mr Mottaki did not mention the key issue of timing and insisted that the quantity of fuel involved should be up to Iran.
In January, diplomats said Iran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it did not accept the terms of a deal agreed in October by Iran, the IAEA and the so-called P5+1 - the US, Russia, China, UK and France plus Germany.

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake Yellowcake is chemically processed and converted into Uranium Hexafluoride gas Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and process is repeated until uranium is enriched Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons In depth: Nuclear fuel cycle Q&A: Iran and the nuclear issue

In response, the US, Britain and France have been pressing for more sanctions and earlier this week circulated a discussion paper on further possible measures against the country.
The move came despite recent comments by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicating that the country would have "no problem" sending much of its low-enriched uranium abroad so it could be processed into fuel - an arrangement envisaged by the October agreement.
Western diplomats reacted warily to Mr Ahmedinejad's comments.
But China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told the Munich conference that the P5+1 should remain patient and keep pursuing a diplomatic solution to the issue.
"The parties concerned should, with the overall and long-term interests in mind, step up diplomatic efforts, stay patient and adopt a more flexible, pragmatic and proactive policy," he said.
"The purpose is to seek a comprehensive, long-term and proper solution through dialogue and negotiations."

Trading secrets for business in China

BEIJING, CHINA: When a European company applied to sell its high-tech equipment in China last year, it was stunned by the conditions demanded by the Chinese authorities.
The company would have to allow an inspection team - which included a Chinese rival - to come to its headquarters to scrutinise its plant and examine its closely guarded industrial drawings before the product could be certified for sale.

'We thought we were prepared for the difficulties of operating in China, but this was too much,' said the company's Beijing-based executive, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations.
Such tricky situations are often recounted by foreign companies weighing the high costs of getting access to one of the world's largest markets.
The challenges are stark for foreign players in critical, fast-growth areas such as telecoms, green technology, auto and high-tech equipment, where China is looking to grow its own national champions.
The obstacles faced by foreign companies doing business in China were once again thrust into the limelight last week, as United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke criticised Beijing's recent moves to create barriers against foreign companies.
His comments came in the same week that saw major US business groups writing to the Obama administration to complain about Beijing's plan to promote 'indigenous innovation'.
Under that initiative, Beijing announced last November that it would establish a catalogue of products - those developed, owned and trademarked in China - which would get major preferences when local government agencies make purchases.
Such a requirement is almost unheard of in other countries, said Mr Jeff Hardee, regional director of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), which represents companies including Microsoft, Adobe and Cisco.
'To our knowledge, this policy to discriminate based on whether the intellectual property is locally developed and owned is unique in the world,' he told The Straits Times.
Foreign companies in the computer, software, telecoms and green technology sectors were the first to be hit by the procurement rules. But there are concerns that the rules may eventually cover other industries.
Foreign companies in the auto and chemical sectors already face policies that put them at a disadvantage.
They must form joint ventures to transfer technology to local firms - in some cases, the authorities may require them to team up with a local competitor. And last year, China's state-owned railway system was barred from using foreign technology in some projects funded by the government's four trillion yuan (S$826 billion) stimulus package.
European wind turbine companies have also claimed that they were prevented from bidding for wind projects financed by the stimulus programme.
Dr Mei Xinyu of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation argued that such policies are the reasonable and rightful prerogative of every country.
But Beijing-based business consultant Christine Li pointed out that China arguably puts up more barriers to foreign participation than most other countries. 'Compared to markets that welcome foreign investors such as Singapore or South Korea, China's subsidies of its state-owned enterprises' market share and protection of their monopolies in key sectors such as steel and oil make it a relatively tough operating environment.'
Some observers, however, are optimistic that things will change. Said economics expert Tian Feng from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: 'The China market is opening up. And it's creating a more level playing field for all companies, local or foreign.'

Karachi tense as mourners bury bomb victims

KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi was tense on Saturday a day after two bombs killed 25 people, raising further questions about the effectiveness of security crackdowns on al Qaeda-linked militants.
Most shops in the sprawling city of 18 million people were closed and public transport was off the roads as several thousand mourners gathered at funerals of some of the victims of the two bombs, which wounded more than 150 people.
The first attack on Friday killed 12 Shi'ites, followed hours later by a blast at a hospital where the wounded were being treated which killed 13 people.
Pakistani Taliban have carried out waves of bombings at crowded markets and army and police facilities since October, killing hundreds of people in a bid to topple the pro-American government of unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari.
Al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim militant groups have often carried out attacks on their rivals from Pakistan's Shi'ite Muslim minority.
"It looks like there's no government in Pakistan," said Shi'ite Muslim Syed Shabbir Hussain, who lost a cousin in the first blast on Friday.
"They always say that there are militants here, and that they will attack. And then they attack, but the police and the government do nothing," he said at his cousin's funeral.
Carnage in the home of Pakistan's stock exchange and main port could further discourage investors, who have watched the Taliban spread their violent campaign from strongholds in lawless areas near the Afghan border to major cities.
The latest attacks come as the United States is pushing Pakistan to help stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.
SAME GROUP
Police had initially suspected that the two attacks in Karachi were carried out by suicide bombers but later said the devices were planted. A third bomb, defused at the hospital, was similar in type, indicating just one group was involved.
Senior police investigator Raja Umer Khattab said the Jundullah (Army of God) militant group was behind the attacks.
"This is the same group that carried out the Ashura attack," he said, referring to a bomb attack at a Shi'ite procession in late December that killed 43 people.
Khattab said some arrests had been made after the December attack but police were hunting for more members.
"We have arrested four members of this group but there are still 12 to 14 militants of this group left, who are planning these attacks," he said.
Another militant group with the same name is fighting the Iranian government.
The attacks once again fuelled concerns that the militants were expanding their fight to the city, which already has its share of problems.
Dozens of rival political workers have been killed in violence in Karachi over recent weeks which has raised questions about the future of Zardari's coalition.

Oscar newcomer Kendrick is no newcomer, at all

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If the expression slow and steady wins the race is true, then actress Anna Kendrick has finally edged her way to the front of Hollywood's pack of young actresses.
This week, Kendrick, 24, earned a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her work in "Up in the Air," playing a perky young executive out to teach George Clooney's character how to fire people in the modern-day world of computer communication.
The Oscar nod -- her first -- followed her role in November's box office hit "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," and this week Vanity Fair anointed her one of the fresh faces to watch in its annual Hollywood issue.
But the truth is, Kendrick's "fresh face" has been racking up accolades on stage and in independent films for years before she hit the mainstream jackpot with the "Twilight" movies and now "Up in the Air."
Still, this past week's Oscar nomination and the month of awards shows and critical acclaim that came before it have caught Kendrick in a whirlwind of big-time Hollywood publicity that she still can't quite grasp.
"There's always a part of you that's going to feel like a version of yourself that couldn't find a job and you wonder what tricks you pulled to get into the party," Kendrick told Reuters.
While she may not have been in the Oscar "party" before, it's not the first time, Kendrick has won the hearts and minds of critics and fans. At age 12, she was the third youngest Tony Award nominee for her role in Broadway musical "High Society."
Five years later, her singing and dancing wowed audiences in the 2003 musical film "Camp." It was Kendrick's first-ever movie and resulted in an Independent Spirit Award nomination. A second Indie Spirit nod followed with 2007's "Rocket Science."
Yet, nothing could possibly prepare Kendrick for the frenzy surrounding Hollywood awards -- the media attention, black-tie affairs and red carpets at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she also earned nods for "Up in the Air."
"I won't feel the full effects of this until (the Academy Awards) are over," she said. "I feel like I've got to come out on the other side first."
POST-OSCAR
But already, that "other side" is shaping up quite rosy for Kendrick. Later this month she begins shooting her first post-"Up in the Air" project, an untitled comedy with Seth Rogen and James McAvoy for Mandate Pictures.
"I'm just happy to get back to work," says Kendrick. "I've been so focused on 'Up in the Air' and awards season that I haven't read any scripts in a long time. I haven't had an audition or taken a meeting in ages."
The project stemmed from a more general meeting Kendrick had with Mandate last summer before "Air" was even released. Several different projects were bandied about at that time, then this past holiday season, Mandate called with an offer for Kendrick to star in the Rogen/McAvoy comedy.
It was the first time, Kendrick did not have to audition for a film part, which came with great relief.
"I'm not a really good auditioner, so it took a lot of the load off me," she said.
She still has one more "Twilight" film, "Eclipse," due in theaters on June 30. In the saga, Kendrick portrays Jessica Stanley, a friend and classmate of lead character Bella Swan. It is a small role, but enough to make her a recognizable face to her fans without overshadowing the rest of her career.
"I've been really lucky to not be defined completely by that series," says Kendrick.
The entire cast originally signed contracts for the first three installments, and Kendrick said she still does not know if her character will be in the fourth film, "Breaking Dawn."
"I honestly feel like Jessica is one of those characters that if she wasn't in the movie, nobody would miss her," she says. "At the same time, I feel a certain affection for the films so if they ask me, I would love to. I don't have my fingers crossed either way."

New photos of Marilyn Monroe up for sale

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Photographs of Marilyn Monroe appearing relaxed and lounging around a New York apartment nine months before she died were unveiled on Friday after being held in a private archive for more than 45 years.
Photographer Len Steckler shot the black-and-white images of Monroe when she unexpectedly arrived at his apartment in December, 1961, to visit his friend, Pulitzer-prize winning poet Carl Sandburg. Steckler is offering them for a sale as a limited edition series called "Marilyn Monroe: The Visit."
The pictures to be sold -- four single images and two triptychs, or pictures in three parts -- show Monroe wearing pointed, thick-rimmed sunglasses and a short sleeve dress while talking and laughing with Sandburg. Also offered will be 250 prints of each piece.
"It was serendipitous with these two icons in their moment and me there with my camera," Steckler told Reuters, saying he was "like a fly on the wall" while he shot Monroe, then 35, and Sandburg, 83, while they chatted and held hands.
Steckler, a former commercial fashion and beauty photographer who is now "about 80" and lives in Los Angeles, said on the afternoon Monroe visited, Sandburg had mentioned in a casual manner that they would soon have "a visitor."
"Hours later I went to open the door and there I was face to face with Marilyn Monroe, and she looked more ravishing than on the screen," he said. "She said 'I am sorry I am late. I was at the hairdressers, matching my hair to Carl's.'"
Monroe's hair does indeed appear like Sandburg's in the pictures, almost white, said Steckler, and he added that after he took the photos, they all drank Jack Daniels whiskey.
"As we know, Marilyn loved older men, she loved the intellectuals -- and Carl was very parental with her," said Steckler. "It was a lovely thing to see."


The actress died in August, 1962, and Sandburg, who won Pulitzer prizes for his poetry and for a biography of Abraham Lincoln, died seven years later.
Steckler said he decided to sell the photos after his son discovered the negatives in a recent appraisal of his work, and Steckler thought "the current generation" needed to see them.
"I had forgotten about them," he said. "And I thought this would be a good thing to show and for them to talk about."
The pieces range in price from $1,999 to $3,999 and have never been published for public use.
They are on sale at www.thevisitseries.com and by phone with collectibles dealer Eagle National Mint, who is offering a certificate of authenticity for each print.