2009 mother gives birth to 8 twins

On monday, A woman from California, gave birth to eight babies in a short span of 7 minutes. This is only the second time in history, when live octuplets have been born. The mother, who has not been identified, gave birth to six boys and two girls weighing between 1 pound, 8 ounces, and 3 pounds, 4 ounces, doctors at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center told The Associated Press.

The hospital had scheduled a Caesarean section for seven babies, but doctors were surprised when an eighth came out at 10:48 a.m. "My eyes got to be the size of saucers," Dr. Karen Maples told the Los Angeles Times, explaining her reaction to the last birth. "We just went on and delivered the babies." She said the babies were in stable condition and would probably remain in the hospital for at least two months. She said the mother should be released in a week.

Kaiser spokeswoman Myra Suarez said she could not release any information about the mother, including her condition or whether she used fertility drugs. "They are all doing the best they can," Suarez said. "They were all screaming and kicking around very vigorously," Dr. Harold Henry said.

The first live-born octuplets were born in Houston in December 1998. They were three months premature and their weights at birth ranged from 11 ounces to 1 pound, 11 ounces. Complete pounds here

10 Oscar nominations for Indian Slumdog

Not one, not two, not 3, but amazingly 10 Oscar nominations for Slumdog Millionaire in the year 2008-2009 . Great Indian music composer A R Rahman bags nomination for three of the 10 oscars - India's arrival at the mecca of film awards was nothing short of spectacular. The bonanza also belatedly made up for years of lacklustre performance in this most coveted cinema competition.

Although the announcements were made a little after daybreak in Los Angeles, the news broke here at a providential moment - when the film's Indian premiere in Mumbai was underway and several of the film's adult and child cast and crew assembled on stage, with television cameras ready to capture the whoops of joy. "I'm so honoured and humbled to be a part of this film," said an overjoyed Anil Kapoor, the biggest Indian star in Slumdog. Complete Award news here.

President Bush gets farewell in Washington

On thursday, Former President George W. Bush addressed the USA that it has not suffered a major terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001 on his farewell . But the threat remains, he said, and will be President-elect Barack Obama's biggest challenge.

"Our enemies are patient and determined to strike again," Bush said in a nationally televised address from the White House.

Bush, who listed the Iraq war as one of his efforts to combat terrorism, said he understands disagreement with some "tough decisions" he made, "but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

Speaking to about 200 guests in the East Room, Bush extended best wishes to Obama and his family. The election of the nation's first African-American president, he said, "reflects the enduring promise of our land" and is "a moment of hope and pride for our whole nation."

The two-term president acknowledged experiencing setbacks but also listed accomplishments, including creation of a Department of Homeland Security, new counterterrorism surveillance laws, the No Child Left Behind education bill, prescription drug assistance, and adding conservative justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Full story here

Rahman Creats History in the Golden Globes 2009

Everybody from India was delighted after getting the news that the legend music composer A. R. Rahman bags the Golden Globe Award for the best original music score on 12th Jan 2009. The 66th Annual Golden Globes event was packed with talented stars. But there is no doubt that the big winners of the night were 'Slumdog Millionaire,' Kate Winslet, Tina Fey, and the late Heath Ledger.

'Slumdog Millionaire' won all four of the categories is was nominated for, most notably for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Danny Boyle won Best Director, Simon Beaufoy won best screen writing, and A. R. Rahman won for best original score. From l. to r.: Producer Christian Colson, actor Dev Patel, actor Anil Kapoor, actress Frida Pinto, director Danny Boyle, composer A.R. Rahman, and writer Simon Beaufoy. Click for full footage here.

Satyam Down Due to Accounting Scandal

08 Jan 2009, Current share rate : 39.95 rupees.
The accounting scandal that caused Satyam Computer Services Ltd. to collapse yesterday is shaking investor confidence in Indian stocks, putting an end to the market’s best start since 2000.

“How did they manage to conceal a fraud of such magnitude even from the auditors?” said Greg Kuhnert, a London-based fund manager at Investec Asset Management Ltd., which manages about $10 billion and sold its 0.15 percent stake in Satyam last month. “That to me is a huge concern and is making me very nervous about the situation in India now.”

India’s Sensex index tumbled 7.3 percent yesterday, led by a 78 percent plunge in Satyam, after Chairman Ramalinga Raju said profits at the company had been inflated for years and then resigned. Satyam American depositary receipts fell $8.42, or 90 percent, to 93 cents before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange, which then halted trading in the stock.

Just six weeks after Franklin Templeton Investments’ Mark Mobius said the world’s second-fastest growing major economy would overcome the Mumbai terrorist attacks and prosper, his company said the Satyam scandal will weigh on investors.

“This unfortunate development will be a short-term negative for market sentiment,” Sukumar Rajah, chief investment officer of equity in India at Franklin Templeton Investments, which manages $4 billion of assets in the country, said in an e- mail. Read full scandle...