zuckerberg

SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg won a legal battle against former Harvard classmates who accuse him of stealing their idea for Facebook, but the feud made famous on the silver screen is not over yet. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss must accept a cash and stock settlement with Facebook that had been valued at $65 million, a US appeals court ruled.

The Winklevoss brothers argued their settlement with Facebook was unfair because the company hid information from them during talks. But the twins were sophisticated negotiators aided by a team of lawyers, 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel. “At some point, litigation must come to an end,” Kozinski wrote. “That point has now been reached.” An attorney for the brothers, Jerome Falk Jr, said that his clients would seek a rehearing before a larger, “en banc” group of 9th Circuit judges. That larger group can overrule a three-judge panel, although only a fraction of cases undergo such a review. Should the 9th Circuit refuse to rehear the case, the last option would be an appeal to the US Supreme Court. Falk said he “respectfully” disagreed with the 9th Circuit’s conclusions.

The 6-foot, 5-inch Winklevoss brothers are Olympic rowers who participated in the 2008 games in Beijing, and their saga with Zuckerberg was dramatised in the film ‘The Social Network’. In the movie, actor Armie Hammer played both identical twins. Zuckerberg’s character snidely called them on-screen the “Winklevi”. The twins, along with Divya Narendra, started a company called ConnectU while at Harvard. They say Zuckerberg stole their idea. Facebook denies these claims. Facebook took in $1.2 billion of revenue in 2010′s first nine months, according to documents that Goldman Sachs provided to clients to entice investors in a special fund set up to invest in the giant social networking firm. The company was valued at $50 billion as part of that transaction. The company said that it is evaluating the Internet market in China, but a source indicated it has not yet signed a business deal with any companies there. The Winklevoss twins and Narendra agreed to a settlement that had been valued at $65 million. But they argue that, based on an internal valuation that Facebook did not reveal, they should have received more Facebook shares as part of the deal. A lower court had granted Facebook’s request to enforce the settlement with the Winklevoss twins and Narendra. The 9th Circuit agreed on Monday. “The Winklevosses are not the first parties bested by a competitor who then seek to gain through litigation what they were unable to achieve in the marketplace,” Kozinski wrote. Facebook Deputy General Counsel Colin Stretch said the company appreciated the court’s careful consideration of the case and was “pleased” it ruled in their favour.

Rostam Ghasemi

11. Rostam Ghasemi (Rank 32)
Age: 47 years

Rostam Ghasemi is the President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Rostam Ghasemi is Iran’s Minister of Petroleum since 3 August 2011.

 

Lou Jiwei

12. Lou Jiwei (Rank 33)
Age: 60 years

Lou Jiwei is the chairman and chief executive officer of CIC.

Previously, he served as executive deputy Minister of Finance, Deputy Governor of Guizhou Province, and Director General of the Macroeconomic Control Department of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic Systems.

 

Mukesh Ambani

13. Mukesh Ambani (Rank 35)

Age: 54 years

India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.

 

Masaaki Shirakawa

 

14. Masaaki Shirakawa (Rank 36)
Age: 62 years

Masaaki Shirakawa is the Governor of Bank of Japan. He is also a director and vice-chairman of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).

Shirakawa joined the Bank of Japan in 1972.

 

Christine Lagarde

15. Christine Lagarde (Rank 39)
Age: 55 years

Christine Madeleine Odette is a French lawyer and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since 5 July 2011.

Earlier, she held various ministerial posts in the French government. Lagarde was the first woman ever to become minister of Economic Affairs of a G8 economy and is the first woman to ever head the IMF.

 

Jeff Bezos

 

16. Jeff Bezos (Rank 40)
Age: 47 years

Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994. Amazon made him one of the most prominent dot-com entrepreneurs and a billionaire. In 2004, he founded a human spaceflight startup company called Blue Origin.

 

Jamie Dimon

 

17. Jamie Dimon (Rank 41)
Age: 55 years

James Dimon is the CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dimon was named to Time magazine’s 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011 lists of the world’s 100 most influential people.

He was also named to Institutional Investor’s Best CEOs list in the All-America Executive Team Survey from 2008 through 2011.

 

Robin Li

 

18. Robin Li (Rank 42)
Age: 42 years

Robin Li is a Chinese entrepreneur and co-founder of China’s most popular search engine Baidu. In 2000, he founded Baidu with Eric Xu.

He has been the CEO of Baidu since January 2004, which was listed on Nasdaq in August 2005.

 

Lloyd Blankfein

19. Lloyd Blankfein (Rank 43)
Age: 57 years

Lloyd Craig Blankfein is the chief executive officer and chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Li Ka-shing

 

20. Li Ka-shing (Rank 44)
Age: 83 years

Chinese business tycoon, Li Ka-shing is also the chairman of Hutchison Whampoa.

He is the eleventh richest person in the world.

 

 

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World’s 20 most powerful business people 2

Russia mulls semi unmanned missions as substitute for ISS

The Russian Federal Space Agency may in future wrap up its manned space exploration programs in favor of unmanned stations that can also be operated by cosmonauts if needed. The idea was floated after a string of Russian space launches failed.

The possible long-term shift in Russia’s space program was announced on Wednesday at a press conference at the Roscosmos Space Agency. Its head, Vitaly Davydov, said partial electronic control may replace a continuous human presence on the space stations.

“We’ve got accustomed to spiral development of our space program. Now we don’t exclude we may look at returning to a previous way of exploring space – with stations attended by manned mission only from time to time instead of an ISS-style continuous mission”, Davydov said.

Concerns about the future of Russian and international space exploration have been fueled by a chain of recent crashes and failures of Russian satellites and carriers. The crash of an unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft in eastern Russia became the third space launch accident in a single week. Russia has already adjusted the supply schedule of the ISS mission and altered its plans for Soyuz rocket launches.

With Russia the only country currently able to launch manned missions into orbit, a shift to unmanned space exploration is likely to influence all future space programs around the world.

However Davydov says there is no threat of an imminent crisis for space exploration. The problems Roscosmos faces now are organizational rather then technical and can be addressed with reforms, which would improve quality control.

One solution the space agency is likely to implement is the introduction of two additional independent test sites, which will perform ground tests of rockets before they are given the green light for a launch. Also the regulations for ground services will be amended to better concentrate authority and responsibility for each launch. Another organizational reform will return all space equipment acquisitions to the control of the military.

Davydov added that Roscosmos takes the series of failures very seriously and offered assurances that those responsible would be sacked.

“The incidents that happened are a serious blow for us. They are serious reasons for a probe, which will end with job consequences for those responsible. Those who failed in their responsibilities will not work for us,” he said.

The current investigation into the Progress freighter crash is to wrap up in a week or two, the official announced. He also confirmed plans to return to Earth three of the six crew members, who are currently manning the International Space Station, on September 16. The return flight was postponed due to alterations to the launch schedule in the wake of the Progress crash.

Russian court makes foreign donations to NGOs tax free

The Russian Supreme Arbitration Court has freed non-governmental organizations from paying a tax on the donations they receive from foreign foundations. The tax officials wanted to levy a 24 percent profit tax on such donations.

­The court case started in 2009 after tax inspectors from the Russian internal republic of Tatarstan tried to levy a 700 000 rubles (about $25 000) profit tax on the Russian trans-regional human rights association Agora for two separate donations they had received from the US Endowment for Democracy and the TIDES foundation. Together with the fines, the sum owed reached some 1.2 million rubles. The tax inspectors insisted that the donations should be taxed, while the human rights activists said that taxation should only be applied to grants – sums donated to both non-profit organizations and ordinary for-profit enterprises.

Two previous court rulings had favored the tax inspectors, prior to the Supreme Arbitration Court’s decision to apply the principle of singularity as it corresponds with legal norms. Other Russian regions do not tax NGOs, for example, back in 2009, a court in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg ruled in favor of the “Planet of Hopes” NGO in a similar case. The court also recognized that the non-governmental organizations are by definition non-profit. The court decision will now be applied throughout the Russian Federation in the event that a court of arbitration receives a similar case in the future. 

The head of the Agora foundation, Pavel Chikov, has said he was happy with the court ruling, and that a different decision could have meant the end of hundreds of Russian NGOs that receive about one billion rubles in donations annually. “If the taxmen seek several million dollars in back taxes from the Moscow Helsinki group, for example, it would simply go broke,” the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily quoted Chikov as saying.

Italy’s Enel Group and Germany’s E.On having launched new capacity in central Siberia, say that further investment is on the way for Russia’s dilapidated energy generation sector

4 years after Russia opened up its power generation capacity to international investors, amidst the break and privatisation of the former monopoly RAO Unified Energy Systems, the launch of new capacity at Surgut -2 power station – Russia’s largest and most efficient – and the Sredneuralskaya  power plant in the Central Urals, which provides a major part the energy supply for the region, underlines the reality of what the investors help can provide.

Enel Group and E.On became leading investors in Russia’s liberalised power market, committing to substantial long term investment.  Last year they added a record 4 gigawatts of capacity – enough to power a quarter of Moscow.   Enel invested about 180 billion roubles in 3 years from 2007 to 2010 and plans to add another 90 billion roubles by 2014, with E. On looking to bring in more than 224 billion roubles over the same period. Enel OGK – 5, General Director Enrico Viale, says the road ahead involves considerably more investment.

“Major milestone has already been achieved, the market is liberalised, there´s regulatory framework, there are markets of capacity and energy. What we wish is to progress with this and make it more functioning.”

Dmitry Bulgakov, utilities analyst at Deutsche Bank, Russia says the international investors in the power system have invested far more heavily than domestic investors.

“Foreigners own 9% of capacity, but they commission 70 – 80% of new units.”

Generators are now asking regulators for predictability, after the Russian government limited price rises to 15%, which generators say cost them millions. Prime Minister Putin started the new generators himself – promising foreign investors all the support in return for more gigawatts.

The fifth stage of the Red Bull World Series in cliff diving was held over the weekend with reigning champion Gary Hunt still the man to catch in the overall standings.

The cliff diving elite came together once again in the Italian city of Malcesine over the weekend for another stage of the Red Bull World Series.

High divers and experts alike announced a unanimous decision afterwards – this event was the best they have seen this year.

Mexican sensation Jonathan Paredes was the first to outshine the Italian sun. It was only the second time the 21-year-old has taken part in a World Series event, and it saw him claim fourth place only two points from the podium.

And then it was time for cliff diving’s heavyweights to show their stuff. One of the favorites for glory, Michal Navratil, sat second in the overall standings. The Czech is currently the only diver able to catch up with reigning champion Gary Hunt.

The Czech impressed the crowd with his trademark armstand dive, but this evening there were two divers who did even better. Third in the overall standings, Artyom Silchenko, who won the Italian stage last year, got off to a flawless start this time around.

Following a truly amazing execution in the preliminary round, the Russian came out for the decisive dive with a hefty lead.

One of the most difficult combinations today, a back armstand, followed by two-and-a-half somersaults and one-and-a-half twists was Silchenko’s extreme choice.

However, a few mistakes in the air along with too much splash left the Voronezh native in second position next to the title-holder, and the man the crowd were waiting to see, Gary Hunt. The Englishman ended up untouchable on the day, securing his third stage win in a row to extend his overall lead.

The most complicated dive in the sport with the highest degree of difficulty – his famous Triple Quad, and the 26-year-old made it look easy.

There are just two stops left for World Series 2011, with the next event to be hosted in Boston, USA, on August 20.

When it comes to the dating game in Russia, it really is a man’s world. There are 10 million more women than men in the country, forcing some to turn to unconventional methods to find love. Even if that means a sharing and compromise.

Andrey is a father of three. And a husband of three. Eleven years ago, Andrey got married. Two years on he proposed again. And then again.

His reasoning is simple: “Why should I refuse any of them if I love them all?”

They may not be a four-member family from a legal standpoint, since it the law has no place for polygamous marriages, but in all other regards they live as one.

The country’s demographic is on Andrey’s side. The shortage of males leads to the need for sharing – a concept that Andrey’s wives say they have made peace with.

“I thought he was kidding. But then I realized that he wasn’t. I never expected something like this happening to me, but we’ve all got used to it, you know. If you love – you’ll understand. We never fight for Andrey, never quarrel; there is no any kind of competition either,” says Olesya, Andrey’s first wife.

Andrey considers himself an ardent Christian, yet two of his wives were brought up Muslims. The distribution of duties and conjugal delights within the household also lies in the Islamic traditions.

“I make them all feel equal. If one wants me to buy her something, I will, but I’ll buy something of the same price for the other two as well. I’ve built them three houses and bought three apartments. That’s fair, isn’t it?” Andrey says.

As extraordinary as it seems, Andrey’s example is not that rare in Russia. Many men are in relationships with several women at a time. Of course, most keep their extramarital affairs secret.

“This may look strange, I agree, but we consider it better to be a second or third wife rather than think you are the only one, and be bitterly mistaken,” says Elena, Andrey’s second wife.

The scarcity of men is also put down to their propensity to engage in what is described as unhealthy behavior. Alcoholism and reckless driving is chipping away at the country’s gene pool.

The pressure to grab for a chance to tie the knot gets higher with age. According to a recent poll, in Russia for every single man over 30 there are dozens of single women still on the lookout for their prince.

With women’s search for true love becoming even more statistically challenging, no wonder eyes are wandering abroad, and the From Russia with Love mantra is still going strong.

After visiting the Fukushima nuclear plant and meeting with Japan’s prime minister, the head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, has promised to provide all necessary expertise to complete the second phase of containing the crisis by early next year.

­The international atomic watchdog chief has visited Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday for the first time since the March disasters. During the tour, he inspected the extent of damage to the reactor buildings and the condition of the water recycling system, and also spoke to the workers at the crisis management center.

Yukiya Amano said he is very optimistic that workers at the plant are capable of bringing the leaking reactors under control in six months, as expected under Japan’s “Road Map”.

Amano has promised to help with the recovery effort and discussed what aid is needed at a meeting with the country’s prime minister that followed the tour.

“After the incident with Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, I think it is a very good idea that each country conduct their own stress test to verify the safety of their nuclear power plant,” Amano said after the meeting with Japan’s PM, as cited by the Associated Press.

Amano also told that he offered the IAEA’s expertise in various areas such as decontamination and extraction of spent nuclear fuel rods, Kyodo News reported.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was heavily damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in a reactor meltdown and the release of radioactive material.

­Despite the authorities’ assurances that the Fukushima situation is under control and will be resolved within six months, Dr. Robert Jacobs, a professor of nuclear history at Hiroshima, believes Japan is very much gripped by the ongoing nuclear crisis.

“In essence, [IAEA chef’s visit] is just trying to give a nice shine to a terrible situation and policy,” he said. “We know that the plants will be leeching radiation for at least one more year, possibly several more years, and it is turning up increasingly in various parts of the food supply in far-flung regions.”

“Besides that, there is still a rather chaotic policy about what will be happening in the areas that were contaminated near the plants, but outside the evacuation zone, for example Fukushima city,” he added.

Exterminate-a-species-or-two-save-the-planet

Biologists have suggested a mathematical model, which will hopefully predict which species need to be eliminated from an unstable ecosystem, and in which order, to help it recover.

The counterintuitive idea to kill living things for the sake of biodiversity conservation comes from the complex connections presented in ecosystems. Eliminate a predator, and its prey thrives and shrinks the amount of whatever it has for its own food. Such “cascading” impacts along the “food webs” can be unpredictable and sometimes catastrophic.

Sagar Sahasrabudhe and Adilson Motter of Northwestern University in the US have shown that in some food web models, the timely removal or suppression of one or several species can do quite the opposite and mitigate the damage caused by local extinction. The paper is described in Nature magazine.

The trick is not an easy one, since the timing of removal is just as important as the targeted species. A live example Sahasrabudhe and Motter use is that of island foxes on the Channel Islands off the coast of California. When feral pigs were introduced in the ecosystem, they attracted golden eagles, which preyed on foxes as well. Simply reversing the situation by removing the pigs would make the birds switch solely to foxes, which would eventually make them extinct. Instead, conservation activists captured and relocated the eagles before eradicating the pigs, saving the fox population.

Of course conservation scientists are not going to start taking decisions based on the models straight away. Real ecosystems are not limited to predator and prey relationships, and things like parasitism, pollination and nutrient dynamics have to be taken into account as well. On the other hand, ecosystems were thought to be too complex to be modeled at all some eight years ago, Martinez says. Their work gives more confidence that it will have practical uses in nearest future.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

To save his life, the fundamental choice of whether or not to become augmented with cybernetics has been removed from Adam Jensen’s life. Driven by the conviction of never having a choice taken from him again and using his newfound power, his need for answers will unravel the truth behind a conspiracy rooted in the foundation of the world around him as it incites a new revolution.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution follows up on the critically acclaimed Deus EX and Deus Ex: Invisible War as the the third game in the strategic sci-fi action series. When a black ops team breaks in and kills the scientists Adam were hired to protect as a guard of one of America’s most experimental biotechnology firms, everything you thought you knew about your job changes. At a time when scientific advancements are routinely turning athletes, soldiers and spies into super-enhanced beings, someone is working very hard to ensure mankind’s evolution follows a particular path. You need to discover why — because the decisions you take and the choices you make will be the only things that can determine mankind’s future.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

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