Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal and won Australian title

Defending champion Novak Djokovic battled past Rafael Nadal in an epic, five-set Australian Open final which clocked in at 5hr, 53min — the longest title match in Grand Slam history — here on Sunday.

Djokovic fought back from losing the first set to take a 2-1 lead, but he was then taken to a gripping fifth set by resurgent Nadal before winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 for his third consecutive Major title.

The nail-biting match of wildly swinging fortunes, played in front of an enthralled crowd, started before 8:00 p.m. (local time) on Sunday and did not wind up until 1:40 a.m. on Monday, and was also the longest in the tournament's history.

“Good morning everybody,” Nadal told the crowd afterwards. “I will never forget this match. Even though I lost, it was something really special for me. Thank you very much, I will come back here a lot and I will keep fighting.”

Djokovic, who picked up a cheque for Aus$2.3 million ($2.4 million), has now beaten the Spaniard in three consecutive Grand Slam finals and seven consecutive title matches overall.

Total respect

“Rafa, you're one of the best players ever. You're one of the most respected guys on the tour,” he said.

“We made history tonight, and unfortunately there couldn't be two winners. But I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we will have many more matches like this and many more finals.”

Djokovic's win, his fifth Grand Slam title, means he joins a rarefied company. Only Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer (twice) and Nadal have previously won three consecutive Grand Slams in the open era.

The Serb, who had a gruelling five-set semifinal win over Andy Murray, came into the final with a day less rest than Nadal, and having complained about allergy-related breathing problems in Melbourne.

He struggled to get into the match early on against his never-say-die opponent, slamming racquet to the ground when he was broken and falling a set behind but, re-energised, he found his rhythm in the second set to level.

Starting to dictate, the defending champion ran away with the third set, overpowering Nadal and breaking him to love to win it 6-2.

But the 25-year-old from Majorca, deposed from the top ranking by Djokovic after his losing last year's Wimbledon final, refused to be beaten and dragged himself back into the contest through sheer force of will.

The Spanish left-hander saved three break points in the eighth game of the fourth set, producing a fist-pumping celebration when he levelled at 4-4.

But in a surreal addition to the mounting tension, action was suspended for rain to organisers could close the stadium roof and dry the court.

When play restarted the set went to a tie-break, with Nadal clinching it at his first opportunity on a Djokovic forehand error to set up the decider.

And in the dramatic fifth set, Nadal secured a crucial break in the sixth game, but with the Spaniard now suddenly looking the more likely winner, Djokovic battled back to secure a break of his own.

With players refusing to give an inch, the Serbian top seed broke again in the 11th game when Nadal netted with a backhand and then, in almost unbearable tension, saved a break point as he served out for the championship.

The Serb ripped off his shirt in celebration and marched to his players' box, flexing his muscles and then hugging his coach as he claimed his third Australian Open title, after 2008 and 2011.

The match was longer than the 1988 U.S. Open final between Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl, which lasted 4hr, 54min, and also beat the Australian Open record of 5hr, 14min set by Nadal and Fernando Verdasco in 2009.

Azarenka swept won her first Grand Slam title with worlds no 1 ranking

Belarus's Victoria Azarenka swept imperiously to her first Grand Slam title and the World No. 1 ranking on Saturday when she demolished Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final.

The 22-year-old, playing her first major title match, made light of the occasion and her illustrious opponent as she hammered the Russian former champion 6-3, 6-0 in just 82 minutes.

Azarenka appeared on court in a yellow hoodie and listening to her MP3 player, and after being broken in the first game she was quickly into the rhythm of a match set to both players' notoriously loud shrieks.

After going 0-2 down in the first set, she stepped forward to claim 12 of the next 13 games against Sharapova, who was powerless to stop the onslaught despite her three major trophies, including the 2008 Melbourne title.

The third seed, who now succeeds Caroline Wozniacki as the new women's No. 1, was equally cool afterwards as she lifted the Daphne Ackhurst Cup and dutifully thanked her grandmother in her acceptance speech without tears.

“I can't wait to be back next year, I've had an amazing month in Australia. It's a dream true,” said Azarenka.

In the new rankings to be released on Monday, Czech player Petra Kvitova will be second behind Azarenka with Sharapova third and Wozniacki fourth, while China's Li Na falls to ninth. “As in any sport you have your good days, you have your tough days and you have days where things just don't work out. Today Victoria was just too good,” Sharapova said.

“It all comes down to the last two athletes, winner takes it all after all the players in the draw. I've had great wins here and I've had tough losses but there's no doubt I'll be back.”

Earlier there was controversy in the juniors' competitions as boys' winner Luke Saville swore in his acceptance speech and girls' runner-up Yulia Putintseva angrily smashed her racquet before shaking hands. Australia's Saville, blamed “raw emotion” for his profane reaction after being presented with the trophy by Ken Rosewall.

Horia Tecau and Bethanie Mattek-Sands clinches mixed doubles title in Australian Open

Elena Vesnina ended runners-up in the mixed doubles event after being outplayed by Horia Tecau and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the summit clash here on Sunday.

The fifth-seeded Indo-Russian pair lost 3-6, 7-5, 3-10 to eighth-seeded Romanian-American combination in one hour and 48 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.

Paes was chasing a rare feat of winning two Grand Slam titles in the same tournament for the second time in his career but fell at the final hurdle.

In the 1999 Wimbledon, he had won both the men's doubles (with Mahesh Bhupathi) and mixed doubles (Lisa Raymond) titles.

On Saturday, Paes had won the men's doubles title with Czech Radek Stepanek to complete a career Grand Slam.

It was Paes' fourth Australian Open mixed doubles final, having won two and lost two. Overall, Paes has six mixed doubles titles with the French Open trophy missing from his Slam cabinet.

The combination of Tecau's strong serve and Mattek's stunning and powerful groundstrokes, proved too hot to handle for Paes and Vesnina.

Mattek hit some breathtaking winners, especially with her crushing forehand while Tecau hardly erred on his serve.

Mattek and Tecau made a strong start to the match as they broke Paes and Vesnina in the second game to take the lead.

Mattek returned well and played aggressively. One of her lobs and then a winner by Tecau earned them three breakpoints straightaway. They broke Paes' serve when the Indian fired a backhand to the net.

Paes and Vesnina broke back immediately but Vesnina could not hold serve and they trailed 1-3, which became 1-4 when Tecau held his own in the next game.

Paes finally held his serve, albeit after saving three breakpoints when Vesnina hit a volley winner on Tecau's return.

But there was nothing to worry their rivals as they had a comfortable lead and Tecau served out the set with ease when Vesnina hit a backhand to net.

Early break

An early break of Vesnina's serve and easy hold by Tecau again put them up 2-0 and the eighth-seeded duo led 4-2 at one stage.

However, a seven-minute break due to drizzle changed the complexion of the match. Perhaps the rhythm of Tecau and Mattek got disturbed and they began to commit a lot of unforced errors.

Mattek was broken in the eighth game and the scores were level. Vesnina served impressively in the ninth game to lead 5-4.

The pair broke Tekov for the second time to take the second set and force a match tie-breaker. The momentum shifted yet again in favour of Mattek and Tecau following the amazing first point.

Mattek ran down the court on her right, just avoided colliding with an umpire but succeeded in hitting a stunning winner.

From there, Mattek and Tecau dominated the proceedings, not letting the hard work go into the drain.

Paes praised his partner Elena Vesnina for reaching up to the summit clash.

“Thank you Elena for supporting me and carrying me through some tough matches,” Paes said at the post-match presentation.

Congratulating Tecau and Mattek for winning the title, Paes said, “I would like to congratulate our opponents for some tennis lessons. The forehand winner Mattek hit in the tie-breaker was just awesome. You guys did a great job.”

Praising the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena, Paes said: “India and Australia have Republic Day in the same month — January. There is a great relationship between the two countries. It's a real pleasure to come to the Australian Open.

“Jai Hind,” Paes concluded.

Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek won mixed doubles

Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek denied the Bryan brothers a record 12th Grand Slam title as they beat the American top seeds in straight sets in the Australian Open final on Saturday.

The 7-6(1), 6-2 victory was the first for India's Paes over American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in a final after five defeats in title clashes, and helped him complete a career Grand Slam of doubles crowns.

Coming into the Australian Open, the Indian doubles specialist had won 47 career titles with 11 different partners, including one with Stepanek, who claimed his first Grand Slam doubles crown.

“I know what this means for him (Paes) because this title was missing from his career Grand Slam. I'm happy I was by his side,” Stepanek said.

The two danced around the court gleefully after their win, which came on a day when Bob and his wife were expecting their first baby.

“She's probably going to deliver tomorrow (Sunday) so thanks baby, thanks for holding it in for me,” he said.

Single break point

Serve dominated the first set with just a single break point for each pair and no breaks of serve, but the unseeded Paes and Stepanek stepped up their game in the tie-break to take it 7-1.

The fired-up Indo-Czech duo broke the Bryans' serve in the second game of the second set and looked like running away with the match.

The Americans, with 76 titles together, stopped the rot by holding in the fourth game, but could not reverse the momentum and were broken again to slip to a comprehensive defeat.

Paes and Stepanek, playing in just their fourth Tour-level event together, had lost to the Bryan brothers in straight sets in both their previous meetings.

The result meant that the Bryans remained on 11 titles, sharing the record for the highest number of crowns in the open era with Australia's Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

Crucial role

Paes had words of gratitude for his Czech partner for playing a crucial role in the win. The title was Paes' 13th Slam overall and first with Stepanek, who is five years younger than the Indian at 33.

Paes said he told Stepanek that it was special to beat the No. 1 pair.

“I have to thank my partner Radek [Stepanek] for putting me on his shoulders and carrying me through the week. I have played five finals against the Bryan brothers and lost, and you know how it feels,” said Paes.

Paes acknowledged the Bryans' talent and prowess. “I have the highest regard for you guys (Bob and Mike).

“You are great ambassadors of the game for the manner in which you conduct yourselves,” he said

Paes also remembered all those who contributed in his illustrious career. “To my daughter Aiyana, wife Rhea, Martina [Navratilova] for being such an inspiration, and all the support staff,” he said.

Emotional

Stepanek, who won his first Slam title, was emotional after the victory.

“It's tough to add to what Leander has said. This was one title that was missing for you and I am happy that I was by your side when you won it,” he said.

Mike Bryan congratulated Paes for completing a career Slam. “Congratulations to Leander and Radek. We have loved coming here and playing for the past 15 years. The crowd is fantastic.”

Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in Ausrtalian open s-finals

Rafael Nadal once again proved Roger Federer's Grand Slam nemesis on Thursday, withstanding a withering opening from the Swiss great to reach the final of the Australian Open. The Spaniard won 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 to prolong the agony for his greatest rival, who has now lost eight times to the Spaniard in 10 Grand Slam meetings, and has not beaten him in the majors since Wimbledon 2007.

“For me it's a dream to be back in the final,” said a smiling Nadal. “It's a real honour to play against Roger, it was a fantastic match. It's fantastic to have one player in front of you who doesn't make mistakes, having a totally complete game.”

“I thought Rafa played well from start to finish,” Federer said. “It was a tough match physically as well. I'm disappointed, but it's only the beginning of the season. I'm feeling all right, so it's OK.”

Earlier, Maria Sharapova, the fourth seed, beat second seed Petra Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the women's final. The Russian overcame some poor serving to outlast Kvitova and move into Saturday's final, where she will play Belarusian Victoria Azarenka who beat defending champion Kim Clijsters in three tense sets to reach her first Grand Slam final.

The third-seeded Belorussian saw off a powerful second-set fight-back by the Belgian to win 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

“I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 kilograms,” Azarenka said, wiping away tears.

“Everything is shaking but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief. I can't believe it's over — I just want to cry.”

Azarenka had said earlier this week that she was in the best shape of her life after concentrating on her physical conditioning in the off-season.

She has also been able to shut out strong criticism of the screaming she makes when she hits the ball, which included large sections of the crowd mimicking her during her win over Australia's Casey Dellacqua.

Azarenka is the first Belarusian woman to reach a Grand Slam final since Natasha Zvereva finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 1988, representing the USSR.

Caroline Wozniacki will vacate the top spot in next week's rankings after her quarterfinal loss, leaving either No. 3 Azarenka or No. 4 Sharapova a chance to move to the top.

Brilliant start

Federer produced flawless tennis at the start of the match but his game unravelled when put under pressure by Nadal, and he finished with 63 unforced errors.

Unleashing his full arsenal, four-time Australian Open champion Federer held serve to love and broke the Spaniard at his first opportunity with a devastating cross-court backhand, with Nadal struggling to gain a foothold.

Nadal broke back but third seed Federer raised his game again after his mid-set wobble and he took the tie-break when Nadal hit long.

The players swapped service breaks at the start of the second set but the turning point came when Nadal held off a Federer break point in the fifth game and then broke the Swiss in the very next game to move 4-2 up.

The match was suspended for 10 minutes for Australia Day fireworks with Nadal leading 5-2, and when play resumed, Nadal went on to level the match at one set apiece.

He took the first game of set three to love and held three break points after two consecutive Federer double faults, only for the misfiring Swiss to claw himself out of the hole.

See-saw struggle

Federer battled hard and broke Nadal in game seven of the third set but the Spaniard broke back immediately to level things up, and went on to take the tie-break on his sixth set point.

A tense fourth set went with serve with Nadal looking mentally the stronger, continuing to chase down balls from seemingly impossible situations.

He saved a break point from Federer in the eighth game and broke the Swiss in the following game.

But the Spaniard still had to fight hard to serve the match out, saving two break points.

Federer, seeking his first Major title in two years, had not dropped a set until Thursday's semifinal. But Nadal, who now leads their overall series 18-9, once again proved he has the edge over Federer on the biggest stage.

The match was the 10th Grand Slam encounter between Nadal and Federer, putting them equal with Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe for most matches played at majors.

Oscar Nomination 2012

The 84th annual Academy Award nominations for various categories have been announced in Beverly Hills, California, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Hugo leads Academy Award contenders with 11 nominations, including best picture.

Complete list of 84th Annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday-

1. Best Picture- The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse.

2. Actor- Demian Bichir, A Better Life; George Clooney, The Descendants; Jean Dujardin, The Artist; Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Brad Pitt, Moneyball.

3. Actress- Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs; Viola Davis, The Help; Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn.

4. Supporting Actor- Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn; Jonah Hill, Moneyball; Nick Nolte, Warrior; Christopher Plummer, Beginners; Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

5. Supporting Actress- Berenice Bejo, The Artist; Jessica Chastain, The Help; Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Octavia Spencer, The Help.

6. Directing- Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Alexander Payne, The Descendants; Martin Scorsese, Hugo; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life.

7. Foreign Language Film- Bullhead, Belgium; Footnote, Israel; In Darkness, Poland; Monsieur Lazhar, Canada; A Separation, Iran.

8. Adapted Screenplay- Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants; John Logan, Hugo; George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, Moneyball; Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

9. Original Screenplay- Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids; J.C. Chandor, Margin Call; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Asghar Farhadi, A Separation.

10. Animated Feature Film- A Cat in Paris; Chico & Rita; Kung Fu Panda 2; Puss in Boots; Rango.

11. Art Direction- The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse.

12. Cinematography- The Artist, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse.

13. Sound Mixing- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball,Transformers- Dark of the Moon, War Horse.

14. Sound Editing- Drive, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Transformers- Dark of the Moon, War Horse.

15. Original Score- The Adventures of Tintin, John Williams; The Artist, Ludovic Bource; Hugo, Howard Shore; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alberto Iglesias; War Horse, John Williams.

16. Original Song- Man or Muppet from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie; Real in Rio from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.

17. Costume- Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, W.E.

18. Documentary Feature- Hell and Back Again, If a Tree Falls- A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Paradise Lost 3- Purgatory, Pina, Undefeated.

19. Documentary (short subject)- The Barber of Birmingham- Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, God Is the Bigger Elvis, Incident in New Baghdad, Saving Face, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.

20. Film Editing- The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,Hugo, Moneyball.

21. Makeup- Albert Nobbs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Iron Lady.

22. Animated Short Film- Dimanche/Sunday, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, La Luna, A Morning Stroll, Wild Life.

23. Live Action Short Film- Pentecost, Raju, The Shore, Time Freak, Tuba Atlantic.

24. Visual Effects- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Real Steel,Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers- Dark of the Moon.

The Oscars will be presented Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Billy Crystal and broadcast live on ABC.

U.S. shuts down file-sharing website Megaupload

One of the world’s largest file-sharing sites was shut down on Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said.

An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart online piracy.

The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, and three others were arrested on Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Two other defendants are at large.

Megaupload was unique not only because of its massive size and the volume of downloaded content, but also because it had high-profile support from celebrities, musicians and other content producers who are most often the victims of copyright infringement and piracy. Before the website was taken down, it contained endorsements from Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and Kanye West, among others.

Before the site was taken down, it posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were “grotesquely overblown.”

“The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch,” the statement said.

A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined comment on Thursday. Megaupload is considered a “cyberlocker,” in which users can upload and transfer files that are too large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, estimated that the vast majority of content being shared on Megaupload was in violation of copyright laws.

The website allowed users to download films, TV shows, games, music and other content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising. The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction in part because some of the alleged pirated materials were hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Virginia.

Apple starts selling i(book)Pad

Apple Inc. on Thursday launched its attempt to make the iPad a replacement for a satchel full of textbooks by starting to sell electronic versions of a handful of standard high school books.

The electronic textbooks, which include “Biology” and “Environmental Science” from Pearson and “Algebra 1” and “Chemistry” from McGraw-Hill, contain videos and other interactive elements.

But it’s far from clear that even a company with Apple’s clout will be able to reform the primary and high school textbook market. The printed books are bought by schools, not students, and are reused year after year, which isn’t possible with the electronic versions. New books are subject to lengthy state approval processes.

Major textbook publishers have been making electronic versions of their products for years, but until recently, there hasn’t been any hardware suitable to display the books. PCs are too expensive and cumbersome to be good e-book machines for students. Dedicated e-book readers like the Kindle have small screens and can’t display colour. IPads and other tablet computers work well, but iPads cost at least $499.

The new textbooks are legible with a new version of the free iBooks application, which became available Thursday.

The textbooks will cost $15 or less, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing. He unveiled the books at an event at New York’s Guggenheim Museum. Schools will be able to buy the books for its students and issue redemption codes to them, he said.

The company also revealed iBook Author, an application for Macs that lets people create electronic textbooks.

World's first battery-free wireless mouse

We've all heard of wireless mice and all of them use large batteries, which means a number of things.The battery is heavy and they need to be charged pretty often. If you’re using older mice, then you need to plug in AAA batteries into the mouse every couple of months. Now, Genius has launched something slightly unconventional - a battery-less mouse. No, it doesn’t use some kind of wireless power transfer to charge the mouse, but it does have a capacitor in place of a battery. Capacitors can hold some charge and Genius has one, that can stay charged through a day of use.

Genius claims that their new DX-ECO mouse can stay charged for a day’s use after which the mouse’s capacitor could do with some charging, which takes no more than 3 minutes.

The rest of the DX-ECO has everything that you expect from an everyday mouse. It operates at 2.4GHz with Genius claiming an operating range of 15m. Four buttons besides the three standard click buttons. The sensitivity of the mouse’s sensor can be switched between 800 and 1600 using dedicated buttons. Genius hasn’t officially launched the product in India, yet, but it should be selling in the U.S soon at a price of $39.99 (roughly Rs.2,000)

Kodak in bankruptcy position

Kodak and its US subsidiaries has filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 business reorganization in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, the company said in a statement.

The company has obtained a lifeline of USD 950 million from Citigroup Inc and expects to emerge from the restructuring in 2013 as a lean, profitable, digital imaging and materials science company.

It further said its subsidiaries outside the US are not subject to the court proceedings.

“After considering the advantages of Chapter 11 at this time, the board of directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” Chairman and CEO Antonio M Perez said in a statement.

“Our goal is to maximize value for stakeholders, including our employees, retirees, creditors and pension trustees. We are also committed to working with our valued customers,” he added.

The firm has been struggling to keep afloat and had already exited certain traditional operations, closing 13 manufacturing plants and 130 processing labs and reducing its workforce by 47,000 since 2003.

Kodak expects that business reorganisation would bolster its liquidity in the US and abroad, monetise non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities and enable the company to focus on its most valuable business lines.

It has made pioneering investments in digital and materials deposition technologies in recent years, generating about 75 per cent of its revenue from digital businesses in 2011.

The company said it has taken this step after preliminary discussions with key constituencies and intends to work toward a consensual reorganisation in the best interests of its stakeholders.

The company and its board of directors are being advised by Lazard, FTI Consulting Inc and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP on the bankruptcy protection. In addition, Kodak named Dominic Di Napoli, a Vice Chairman at FTI Consulting Inc, as its Chief Restructuring Officer to help steer the company through bankruptcy court.

Skype 'coming soon' on Microsoft's Windows phone

Instant messaging and video calling service Skype will soon be fully integrated into the Windows phone.

The Internet application was to have been built into windows Phone by the end of the year, Windows Phone boss Joe Belfiore had said. Vice-president of the Skype division at Microsoft Rick Osterloh said it will be available “soon”.

“Skype was working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon,” The Telegraph quoted Mr. Osterloh, as saying.

According to the paper, the move is controversial partly because Windows Phone, despite being owned by Microsoft, is the only mobile operating system to lack a fully-fledged Skype client. Mobile networks, additionally, make much of their profits from voice calls, but Skype turns voice calls into data traffic, which is often less lucrative and places a burden on network infrastructure. According to the report, Osterloh also said that integrations with Microsoft’s Xbox and Windows 8 technology would be made available in due course, and that the company was working on integrating Facebook contacts into the main Skype interface.

Nadal overcomes knee problem to win first round

Rafael Nadal has a new injury issue a tendon problem in his right knee that nearly prompted him to forfeit a first—round match at the Australian Open that he managed to win easily.

Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters, both bothered by injuries coming into the tournament, also advanced to the second round in more routine fashion on Monday and said they felt they were over their ailments.

That wasn’t the case with Nadal. Bothered by a left shoulder injury late last year, Nadal had his right knee heavily taped during his 6—4, 6—1, 6—1 win over Alex Kuznetsov. The injury occurred in the most innocent of ways sitting in a chair in his hotel room when he felt “a crack” in his knee and some “unbelievable pain.”

He had an MRI scan late Sunday that showed no major damage to his knee, but before that, the incident left him thinking “I wasn’t 100 percent sure I would have a chance to play.”

“That’s in the past,” Nadal said when asked about his shoulder injury in a post—match television interview. But it was a different story later when he talked about his knee.

“I was sitting on a chair in the hotel, I felt like a crack on the knee ... really strange, he said. “I stand up. I felt the knee a little bit strange. I moved the leg like this two times to try to find the feeling. After the second time, the knee stays with an unbelievable pain completely straight. I have no movement on the knee.”

“The best thing is I felt the knee very well. I really don’t understand why happened everything, but I am really happy that today I was ready to play and I played a fantastic match.”

Federer, who pulled out of a tournament in Doha two weeks ago with back soreness, began the quest for his 17th Grand Slam title and first since the 2010 Australian Open with a 7—5, 6—2, 6—2 win over qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev.

It was Federer’s 60th win at the Australian Open, and he also has 60—plus wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The third—seeded Federer took the first two sets and was up a break in the third before the Russian rallied with a break of serve in the fifth game of the final set. Federer, however, broke Kudryavtsev in the next game with a backhand crosscourt winner and sealed the match when the Russian hit a forehand wide.

“No problem, I am happy to be 100 percent fit,” Federer said after his win.

He batted away just as quickly speculation about a possibly divisive issue with Nadal.

Nadal was critical of Federer on Sunday for not speaking out publicly in support of players who are pushing the ATP for changes in areas such as tournament scheduling and prize money.

“Things are fine between us, you know. I have no hard feelings towards him,” Federer said. “It’s been a difficult last few months in terms of politics within the ATP.

Nadal has “mentioned many times how he gets a bit tired and frustrated through the whole process, and I shared that with him. It’s normal. But for me, obviously nothing changes in terms of our relationship. I’m completely cool and relaxed about it.”

Natural disasters make 2011 costliest year on record

Natural disasters cost the global economy 380 billion dollars last year, making it the costliest year ever recorded.

One of the world’s biggest reinsurance companies, Munich Re, has collected data on the cost of natural disasters since 1980. Its findings show that the financial cost of natural disasters has been rising over the past 30 years, with this year’s toll being driven by earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand.

The Japan earthquake — incurring losses of 210 billion dollars — was the costliest disaster of all times, even without including the Fukushima nuclear incident.

Since 1980, the number of earthquakes has been stable but the occurrence of floods and draughts has been rising. According to Peter Stott of the U.K. Met Office in Exeter, there is evidence that the rise of such weather-related events is linked to climate change, the New Scientist reported.

While the number of earthquakes may be stable, the cost of the damage caused by them is rising, and Munich Re points out that this is a reminder to town planners to recognize quake risks.

The economic cost of floods and storms also has risen over the past 30 years but the cost of extreme temperatures, fires and droughts has remained stable.

Upgraded Aakash-II tablet in April

Amid complaints with regard to the quality of the low-cost ‘Aakash’ tablet PC, the government on Monday said it is hopeful of bringing out an upgraded version of the device, ‘Aakash-II’, by April this year.

“In order to cater to the huge demand, we need several manufacturers to manufacture Aakash. We are enhancing the specifications on the basis of feedback we have received from the first version of Aakash. So we want to make sure that the upgraded product caters to the need of the customers... We have involved ITI in order to upgrade it... We will be able to bring in Aakash-II by April,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said.

Accepting that differences have crept into the relationship between Aakash creator Datawind and the Human Resource Development Ministry, Mr. Sibal said, “We believe in resolving issues rather than highlighting them.”

According to ministry sources, Mr. Sibal is going to meet the IIT-Rajasthan Director, Datawind officials and the Special Secretary to the Human Resources Development Ministry on Tuesday.

Mr. Sibal had launched the world’s cheapest tablet, Aakash, last year with much fanfare. The device costing $35 (about Rs 2,000) was developed as part of the ‘The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technologies (NME-ICT)’ of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

“When we launched the Aakash first version, we did not know the feedback... We distributed to several students in order to get the feedback. With that feedback, we are now enhancing the specifications,” the minister said.

The government had committed itself to a long-term and full supply of 1 lakh units of the Aakash tablet from Datawind.

“As of now Datawind has delivered around 30,000 tablets and the rest 70,000 will also have the upgraded version of Aakash-II,” he said.

The government did not issue a Letter of Credit to the company after receiving test reports from IIT (Jodhpur) that raised certain issues with regard to the quality of the tablet PC.

The last letter of credit is going to expire in January.

David Ferrer retains Auckland title

Top seed David Ferrer retained his Auckland ATP title on Saturday with a comfortable victory over Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4 in a rain-disrupted final.

The Spaniard fell to the ground in celebration as he closed out the match in an hour and 34 minutes to claim the Auckland title for a third time, having previously won in 2011 and 2007. Meanwhile, the final of the Sydney International was postponed due to wet weather on Saturday.

Finland's Jarkko Nieminen and France's Julien Benneteau will now meet on Sunday, complicating the travel plans of both players for the Australian Open which starts on Monday.

Tomic stuns Fish

Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic won his first senior title at the Kooyong Classic stunning World No. 8 Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the final and earning a confidence boost ahead of the Australian Open.

The results: At Sydney (APIA International): Men: Final: Postponed to Sunday.

At Auckland (ATP Heineken Open): Final: David Ferrer bt Olivier Rochus 6-3, 6-4.

At Hobart (WTA Moorilla International): Final: Mona Barthel bt Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-2.

At Melbourne (Kooyong Classic): Final: Bernard Tomic bt Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Third-place Playoff: Jurgen Melzer bt Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-7(10), 6-2.

Wikipedia turns 11 today

The world's largest free encyclopaedia turns 11 on Sunday. To mark the occasion, the Wikipedia community will host events in seven cities across the country. The community is also celebrating the first anniversary of the Wikimedia India chapter.

On this occasion, the India chapter will launch a new portal (www.wikimedia.in) for easy access to Wikimedia sites in the Indian languages. Wikipedia is currently available in 21 Indian languages.

The India chapter is focussed on creating greater awareness of Wikipedia in Indian languages and to increase the volunteer editor base and Indian content through its initiatives. “The portal will make it easier to locate Indian language Wikipedias and other projects,” said Arun Ram, executive committee member of Wikimedia India.

The Bangalore event, open to all Wikipedia users, contributors and enthusiasts, is being held at the Centre for Internet and Society at Domlur (Bangalore).

Besides Bangalore, events are being held in Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune, all centres where Wikipedia editors or contributors are present in sizeable numbers.

‘Deepen engagement with students'

In order to address the complaint raised by the industry about students' “poor employability”, the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce organised a seminar in Bangalore on Wednesday.

A recent survey by the World Bank indicated that there was a “severe mismatch” between the skill sets required by the IT-ITES industry and what was available in graduates from Indian institutions.

S. Sadagopan, director, Indian Institute of Information Technology, said the level of engagement of the academic institutions with the students needed to be “reoriented and deepened”. “Equally important is the responsibility of the recruiters in changing their recruitment processes,” said Prof. Sadagopan. He added, “The question is, are you giving the recruits a challenging job?”

Award for networking major

Cisco announced that its Networking Academy has won the prestigious eINDIA 2011 jury choice award for the ‘Best ICT Enabled Skills Development Initiative'.

The award was conferred on Cisco Networking Academy in recognition of its efforts toward enabling students to develop valuable information, communications and technology skills for increased access to opportunities in the global economy, a release from the networking major said.

Speaking on the occasion, Bina Raj-Debur, regional head, Social Innovation Group, India and South Asia, said: “We are proud to receive this prestigious award. It is testimony to the continued efforts of the Networking Academy programme to make a positive difference to the skills-building efforts of the nation and the communities in which we live and operate. At Cisco, we aim to enhance the employability of youth through technology, enabling them to harness the enormous opportunities in the ICT domain. We are very pleased that our efforts have been recognised by industry and society alike.”

Help with transition to IPv6

Global IT major Hewlett Packard (HP) has signed a partnership agreement with the Government of Karnataka and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore, to conduct a pilot project that will help organisations in Karnataka through a smooth transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

The current version of IP addressing, IPv4, is reaching its theoretical maximum of about four billion Internet addresses. IPv6 is the new Internet addressing protocol with the capacity to support 340 trillion addresses, a press release from HP said. This allows for the dramatic expansion of connected devices from computers and smart phones, to household electronics, industrial appliances, vehicles and commercial systems.

IPv6 also provides for improved quality and new applications like IP TV, telephony and ecommerce. The pilot project aims at identifying major challenges in IPV6 adoption, developing solutions to meet these challenges and actively promoting IPV6 adoption.

Apple stops sale of iPhone 4S in China after crowd trouble

The usually spotless shop windows of the sprawling Apple flagship store in the heart of Beijing were left covered in egg yolk on Friday, after Apple halted sales of its new iPhone 4S in the Chinese capital citing security fears triggered by the turnout of a huge and unruly crowd.

Hundreds of customers – joined by organised groups of scalpers – lined up for two days outside the Apple store braving freezing temperatures, to be the first to snap up the limited 4S phones going on sale.

Before the 7 am launch on Friday, scuffles broke out, witnesses said, echoing the chaotic release of the iPhone 4 last year, which saw clashes between customers and staff that left a shattered glass door in front of the store.

Friday’s scuffles were reported to have taken place between rival gangs of scalpers, who have emerged as key conduits for much of Apple’s lucrative business in China. Apple restricted sales of the phone to two per customer in Beijing and Shanghai, but scalpers have turned out in large groups in both cities to circumvent the restrictions.

Apple's restricted sales have led to its launches becoming chaotic events, often preceded by a week-long media circus and huge turnouts.

After Apple decided not to go ahead with the opening because of the huge crowd and safety fears, a mini-riot erupted, with customers and scalpers pelting the store with eggs. Dozens of police were deployed around the store on Friday morning, sealing off its entrance.

“We were unable to open our store at Sanlitun [in Beijing] due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, the iPhone will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being,” Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

She said the iPhone would be sold through the online store, authorised resellers and its local carrier, China Unicom. Apple's five stores in China – there is another store in west Beijing and three in Shanghai – had sold out the 4S, Ms. Wu said, with trouble only reported in one Beijing store.

Apple's five stores in China are reported to have the highest average revenue and highest traffic of any Apple store in the world. Last year, CEO Tim Cook said China was Apple’s fastest growing market, generating one-sixth of sales and growing four times over the previous year.

Amid the chaos of Friday's mismanaged release, a silver lining for Apple was the clear evidence of the huge popularity of its products in China, which have emerged as a status-symbol for the newly-wealthy and young urban middle-class.

Many of the more than thousand shoppers outside its store were thought to be scalpers, who dominate much of Apple’s business here despite the prevalence of many authorised resellers. Many Chinese prefer to pay an additional $100 to $150 for the $800 phone, instead of signing up to two-year contracts offered by Apple’s local carrier, China Unicom.

“We have waited two days, all for nothing,” said one scalper from northeastern Liaoning, who was among a group of dozen men hired by a local company to snap up the phones for resale.

“It has been a tough and long wait,” he said. “But I will be back tomorrow”.

Amazon gets Deals with UltraViolet movie system

An Amazon.com executive said on Tuesday that the retailer has signed a deal with a Hollywood studio to sell movies that can be downloaded from an online “locker” system five studios have put together.

The extent of Amazon.com Inc.’s support of the UltraViolet online locker system is unclear. But the deal signals that Amazon is at least open to trying it. Studios are hopeful that UltraViolet is attractive enough to consumers that they keep buying movies rather than renting, which is less profitable for studios.

If Amazon fully joins the system, it would hugely boost UltraViolet’s chance of becoming a mainstream technology.

“We’re excited about additional possibilities,” said Bill Carr, executive Vice-president of Digital Media at Amazon.

Mr. Carr didn’t name the studio. He was speaking on a panel about UltraViolet at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which opened Tuesday in Las Vegas.

UltraViolet launched late last year. The idea is to let consumers play purchased movies, whether downloads or as physical DVDs, on any device. A customer who buys an UltraViolet-enabled DVD can enter a code online to make the movie available as a download to an iPhone or PC.

So far, there are only 19 UltraViolet-enabled discs on sale, and many people who have tried to take advantage of the online feature were dismayed at how difficult it was. For instance, playing a movie on an iPad requires the creation of two new online accounts.

Mitch Singer, president of the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, the consortium of movie and consumer electronics companies that created UltraViolet, acknowledged the problems but said most have been fixed.

“We built this great house and we had a great foundation ... and in our excitement to move in, we kind of moved in and there was some carpentry left to be done,” he said on the panel.

UltraViolet is set for mass adoption next holiday season, he said. Representatives of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video on the panel agreed. Among the major studios, only The Walt Disney Co. has not joined the consortium.

Analyst Jan Dawson of Ovum said the biggest challenge to UltraViolet comes from the top competitors in online retail for entertainment- Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. Each of them maintains its own online “lockers” for purchases. If Amazon really commits to UltraViolet, that would be a “total game changer,” Dawson said.

Hollywood wants badly for UltraViolet to succeed, and hopes it will lift sales of digital copies of movies, which in the U.S. rose 9 per cent to just $554 million last year, a fraction of the $18 billion spent on home videos overall.

By allowing consumers to store and manage digital collections online with playback on multiple devices, studios are trying to ease concerns surrounding the limitations of digital movie ownership.

In further moves to demonstrate the growth of the system, UltraViolet’s backers also announced several partnerships with consumer electronics companies that will enable playback on other devices.

Warner Bros.’s online movie service, Flixster, will be installed this year on certain Panasonic flat-panel TVs and Blu-ray players that connect to the Internet. Flixster gives consumers access to all of the movies they have stored in their UltraViolet lockers, even if they come from another participating studio.

Samsung also said that it plans this year to sell Blu-ray players that can recognize discs from a consumer’s existing library and add them to their UltraViolet accounts for a nominal fee, using software developed by Flixster and Rovi Corp.

A Flixster spokesman said the cost of converting discs and which titles would be available from which studios would be announced in the coming months.

Venus Williams pulls out of Australian Open

Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, prolonging her absence from the tennis tour because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

The seven-time Grand Slam title winner announced Monday on Twitter and on her website that she wouldn’t play in the year’s first major tournament, which starts Monday. She added, though, that she plans to be back in action next month.

Williams hasn’t played competitively since August 29 at the U.S. Open. Two days later, she pulled out of that tournament, revealing that she’d been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome.

“I regret to announce that I am withdrawing from the 2012 Australian Open. After several months of training and treatment, I am making steady progress to top competitive form. My diet and fitness regimen have allowed me to make great strides in terms of my health and I am very close to being ready to return to WTA competition,” Williams said in a posting on her website Monday. “I have every intention to return to the circuit in February.”

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Williams was “very disappointed” that she was not able to play in Melbourne.

“She had hoped she’d be further along in her preparation but is not quite ready for Grand Slam competition,” Tiley said in an email to The Associated Press. “She’s an amazing champion and she’s had a tough year battling illness and injury. We wish her all the best and look forward to seeing her back in Australia soon.”

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, a former doubles partner of Williams, said the American’s health must come first. “She’s been unlucky with the virus thing,” Wozniacki said after her second-round win Tuesday at the Sydney International. “I’m not completely sure what it is exactly, but the most important thing is the health.

“Tennis, it’s a game. I’m sure she’ll come back and fight and try to come back to the top again. But most of all, the most important thing is that you’re healthy. Hopefully she’ll be 100 percent healthy by February.”

The 31-year-old American is a former No. 1 who is 100th in this week’s WTA rankings. She’s dealt with a series of health problems, including a hip injury that forced her to withdraw from last year’s Australian Open, and a left knee injury that kept her on the sideline between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2010.

Since reaching the semifinals at the 2010 U.S. Open, Williams has played only 11 matches.

After winning her opener at Flushing Meadows in August which was Williams’ first match in two months she withdrew shortly before her second-round match there.

At that time, she described the way she’d been feeling as “energy-sucking, and I just couldn’t play pro tennis.”

Her younger sister Serena, whose 13 Grand Slam titles include five at the Australian Open, badly sprained her left ankle at a tournament in Brisbane last week. It’s not clear whether Serena will be able to play at the Australian Open, although she appeared to be training well Tuesday at Melbourne Park and free of any major concerns about her ankle.

Missile-launcher Raonic shoots downs Tipsarevic

The Canadian bombed his higher-ranked opponent with 35 aces to clinch the Chennai Open

It was over all too anti-climactically, as a routine forehand return sank into the net on match-point, but for over three hours Canadian Milos Raonic and top-seeded Janko Tipsarevic refused to yield to the other's strengths.

It took three gruelling tie-breaks to identify the winner, and in the end it was the 21-year-old Raonic, who took home his second ATP title following a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4) win over the World No. 9 Serbian.

Raonic bombed his higher-ranked opponent with 35 aces to clinch an over-three-hour crap-shoot that witnessed nary a break of serve, and proved — if at all proof was needed — his suitability to inhabit the top-most echelons of the great game.

Absorbing fare

Such was the quality of the fare that even Tipsarevic's comely partner – sitting pretty and on the edge in a slinky white number in the player's enclosure – failed to distract from what was happening on court.

She pumped her fists in tandem with her husband, but it was all to no end – beauty doesn't always save the world, notwithstanding what Tipsarevic's tattoo has to say.

Tipsarevic, though, made all the right moves in the first set, saving four of four break-points to enforce a tie-break, in which he effected a mini-break (as Raonic fluffed a backhand volley) on the eighth point.

He then took the lead when another backhand from the Canadian missile launcher found a resting place in the net.

A set down and facing a top-ten adversary in a title clash, Raonic appeared far from being overawed.

He began the second set wading into Tipsarevic's serve, and had him 15-40 down before squandering his advantage.

Holds of serve continued to be the norm, although it could be safely inferred from their pattern of attainment (Tipsarevic scratching to hold, Raonic blasting his way ahead) what course the match would eventually take.

Raonic equalised the set score when he nailed the second tie-break (after racing to a 6-3 lead) on his second set-point, blitzing a 220kmph serve past the hapless Tipsarevic.

The decider commenced in a manner most unnatural. Raonic found himself facing three break-points, saved them all, extending the holding pattern that had been the hallmark of the match so far.

Tipsarevic paid him back in kind, saving a break-point in the eighth game to hold for 4-4.

Strategic serving by the Serb, coupled with the nukes that Raonic unleashed, ensured that the decider too would see rightful culmination in a tie-break – however unfair that might have seemed.

The final tie-break, however, turned out to be a dud. Raonic galloped to 5-0 (thanks to an ace, a few unforced errors from his opponent and two service winners), and a deficit such as this was always going to be impossible to overcome against a serve that contained the firepower of a truckload of TNT.

Tepid forehand

Tipsarevic, to his credit saved two match-points (to move from 2-6 to 4-6) in the ultimate tie-break, but gave in on his own serve when a tepid forehand return scudded into the net, to give Raonic a well-earned win in three hours and 13 minutes.

“It's a good feeling to know that if you take care of your serve, you will be in the tie-break. It's just my second tournament win and this is an amazing feeling,” said Raonic later. “I hate losing more than I love winning,” the Canadian revealed his motivating factor.

The result: Singles: Final: Milos Raonic (Can) bt JankoTipsarevic (Srb) 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4).