Samsung launches new smart watch, Gear 2

Barcelona: Samsung launched Sunday a new smart watch, the Gear 2, after a first version won over few critics, adding new features and ditching Google's Android in favour of its own operating system.

The South Korean electronics giant revealed the new watch in an unexpected announcement on the eve of the February 24-27 Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Samsung is unveiling Monday its new flagship smartphone, almost certainly the Galaxy S5, and it had been expected to show off the new watch at the same time.

Besides an array of features including sports tracking software and a heart rate monitor, the Gear 2 marks an important and widely rumoured step towards independence from Android.The watch, available in two models -- the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo, which has no camera -- will be powered by the Tizen operating system developed by Samsung with various partners to break free of the Android dominance.

Android powered 78.4 percent of smartphones worldwide last year, according to technology consultants Gartner Inc., making it easier for users to switch phones and harder for manufacturers to build customer loyalty. Apple's iOS system accounted for another 15.6 percent of smartphones.

The Gear 2, available worldwide from April, has a 1.63-inch screen, a 2.0 megapixel camera that can take high definition video, a heart rate sensor and pedometer, audio that can work with a Bluetooth headphone, remote control for devices such as televisions, and an alert system for incoming text messages and emails. The wrist strap comes in black, orange and brown.

The first Gear, launched last September, was criticised by many for being unfashionable and unwieldy. Samsung, like other device makers, is banking on smart devices to boost revenue as sales of smartphones slow in the mature, and most profitable markets.

Samsung launches new smart watch, Gear 2

Barcelona: Samsung launched Sunday a new smart watch, the Gear 2, after a first version won over few critics, adding new features and ditching Google's Android in favour of its own operating system.

The South Korean electronics giant revealed the new watch in an unexpected announcement on the eve of the February 24-27 Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Samsung is unveiling Monday its new flagship smartphone, almost certainly the Galaxy S5, and it had been expected to show off the new watch at the same time.

Besides an array of features including sports tracking software and a heart rate monitor, the Gear 2 marks an important and widely rumoured step towards independence from Android.The watch, available in two models -- the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo, which has no camera -- will be powered by the Tizen operating system developed by Samsung with various partners to break free of the Android dominance.

Android powered 78.4 percent of smartphones worldwide last year, according to technology consultants Gartner Inc., making it easier for users to switch phones and harder for manufacturers to build customer loyalty. Apple's iOS system accounted for another 15.6 percent of smartphones.

The Gear 2, available worldwide from April, has a 1.63-inch screen, a 2.0 megapixel camera that can take high definition video, a heart rate sensor and pedometer, audio that can work with a Bluetooth headphone, remote control for devices such as televisions, and an alert system for incoming text messages and emails. The wrist strap comes in black, orange and brown.

The first Gear, launched last September, was criticised by many for being unfashionable and unwieldy. Samsung, like other device makers, is banking on smart devices to boost revenue as sales of smartphones slow in the mature, and most profitable markets.

Woman held while trying to sell six-month-old daughter

Thiruvananthapuram: A woman was arrested for trying to sell her six-month-old baby girl, allegedly born out of an illicit relationship, at nearby Valiyathura, police said today. The 37-year-old woman became pregnant while working in a Gulf country some time back. She then approached another

woman, a native of nearby Balaramapuram, to find a couple to whom the baby could be handed over, police said.

The woman along with three others who tried to broker a deal were nabbed on Friday. They were later released on bail and the child was handed over to the 'Ammathottil' under the Kerala State
Council for Child Welfare. PTI

Woman held while trying to sell six-month-old daughter

Thiruvananthapuram: A woman was arrested for trying to sell her six-month-old baby girl, allegedly born out of an illicit relationship, at nearby Valiyathura, police said today. The 37-year-old woman became pregnant while working in a Gulf country some time back. She then approached another

woman, a native of nearby Balaramapuram, to find a couple to whom the baby could be handed over, police said.

The woman along with three others who tried to broker a deal were nabbed on Friday. They were later released on bail and the child was handed over to the 'Ammathottil' under the Kerala State
Council for Child Welfare. PTI

Taliban kill 20 Afghan soldiers in predawn attack

Asadabad (Afghanistan) L: The Taliban stormed an Afghan army outpost in the eastern Kunar province bordering Pakistan early today, killing 20 soldiers and kidnapping seven, an official said.The volatile border area is dominated by militants who often use improvised explosive devices to target soldiers, but

today's attack saw the highest casualty count in a single incident in recent months.

The attack occurred in the Ghaziabad district of Kunar province, provincial governor Shujah-Ul Mulk Jalala told AFP. The Taliban later issued a statement claiming responsibility.The governor said 'some' of the soldiers in the post were thought to have aided the attackers, though this could not be
verified by an independent source and the Taliban did not mention insider help in their statement.

A hunt was underway to release the kidnapped troopers, a defence ministry official in Kabul said.Casualties among Afghan soldiers and police have increased in recent years as they take more responsibility in the fight against insurgents before their Western allies, the US and NATO troops, leave under a US plan by the end of the
year. (AFP)

Taliban kill 20 Afghan soldiers in predawn attack

Asadabad (Afghanistan) L: The Taliban stormed an Afghan army outpost in the eastern Kunar province bordering Pakistan early today, killing 20 soldiers and kidnapping seven, an official said.The volatile border area is dominated by militants who often use improvised explosive devices to target soldiers, but

today's attack saw the highest casualty count in a single incident in recent months.

The attack occurred in the Ghaziabad district of Kunar province, provincial governor Shujah-Ul Mulk Jalala told AFP. The Taliban later issued a statement claiming responsibility.The governor said 'some' of the soldiers in the post were thought to have aided the attackers, though this could not be
verified by an independent source and the Taliban did not mention insider help in their statement.

A hunt was underway to release the kidnapped troopers, a defence ministry official in Kabul said.Casualties among Afghan soldiers and police have increased in recent years as they take more responsibility in the fight against insurgents before their Western allies, the US and NATO troops, leave under a US plan by the end of the
year. (AFP)

India to drop SUA Act against Italian marines

New Delhi: The Centre has decided to lift the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA) Act, signalling that they no longer face mandatory death penalty even if convicted for the alleged killing of two fishermen off the Kerala coast two years ago.

The government will on Monday, February 24, inform the Supreme Court its decision to drop the contentious anti-piracy charges against two Italian marines, charged with shooting dead two Kerala fishermen off the Indian Coast in February 2012.

Italy had registered strong protest against India slapping the provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf (SUA) Act against the marines. Italy said the provisions were those slapped against pirates, and its marines were not pirates. It called for UN intervention in the matter.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had responded by stating that it was a bilateral issue. The statement triggered fury in Italy.The marines were accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast.

re divided on whether Guzman's lieutenant Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada would take the helm of the Sinaloa Cartel.Alejandro Hope, security director at the Mexican Competitiveness Institute think tank, said Guzman's downfall represented the end of a 30-year era of high-profile drug lords running riot across Mexico.'There will be very few figures of this caliber,' he said.

Pena Nieto has sought to play down the drug fight, seeking to focus public attention on a series of economic reforms spanning energy to telecoms, which he has pushed through Congress aiming to boost long-lagging economic growth.He has also tried an unorthodox strategy, co-opting vigilantes in western Mexico in the fight against the feared Knights Templar Cartel. Security experts say this is potentially playing with fire.Guzman has been caught before, and famously gave his jailers the slip. In 2001, he escaped a Mexican prison, reportedly in a laundry cart, to become the country's most high-profile trafficker. He is believed to command groups of hitmen from the U.S. border into Central America.

He was indicted in the United States on dozens of charges of racketeering and conspiracy to import cocaine, heroin, marijuana and crystal meth.Forbes magazine listed Guzman for a time in its annual list of billionaires around the world. But it dropped him last year, because it was impossible to verify his wealth.Reuters

India to drop SUA Act against Italian marines

New Delhi: The Centre has decided to lift the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA) Act, signalling that they no longer face mandatory death penalty even if convicted for the alleged killing of two fishermen off the Kerala coast two years ago.

The government will on Monday, February 24, inform the Supreme Court its decision to drop the contentious anti-piracy charges against two Italian marines, charged with shooting dead two Kerala fishermen off the Indian Coast in February 2012.

Italy had registered strong protest against India slapping the provisions of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf (SUA) Act against the marines. Italy said the provisions were those slapped against pirates, and its marines were not pirates. It called for UN intervention in the matter.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had responded by stating that it was a bilateral issue. The statement triggered fury in Italy.The marines were accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast.

re divided on whether Guzman's lieutenant Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada would take the helm of the Sinaloa Cartel.Alejandro Hope, security director at the Mexican Competitiveness Institute think tank, said Guzman's downfall represented the end of a 30-year era of high-profile drug lords running riot across Mexico.'There will be very few figures of this caliber,' he said.

Pena Nieto has sought to play down the drug fight, seeking to focus public attention on a series of economic reforms spanning energy to telecoms, which he has pushed through Congress aiming to boost long-lagging economic growth.He has also tried an unorthodox strategy, co-opting vigilantes in western Mexico in the fight against the feared Knights Templar Cartel. Security experts say this is potentially playing with fire.Guzman has been caught before, and famously gave his jailers the slip. In 2001, he escaped a Mexican prison, reportedly in a laundry cart, to become the country's most high-profile trafficker. He is believed to command groups of hitmen from the U.S. border into Central America.

He was indicted in the United States on dozens of charges of racketeering and conspiracy to import cocaine, heroin, marijuana and crystal meth.Forbes magazine listed Guzman for a time in its annual list of billionaires around the world. But it dropped him last year, because it was impossible to verify his wealth.Reuters

Mexico captures No.1 drug kingpin 'Shorty' Guzman

Mexico's most wanted man, drug cartel kingpin Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman, was captured on Saturday with help from U.S. agencies in a major victory for the government in a long, brutal drugs war.

Guzman, known as 'El Chapo' (Shorty) in Spanish, has long run Mexico's infamous Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past decade, he has emerged as one of the world's most powerful organized crime bosses.

He was caught in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa in an early morning operation without a shot being fired, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said, adding that Guzman's identity had been 100 percent confirmed.It is a political triumph for President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in late 2012. Pena Nieto confirmed the capture via Twitter earlier on Saturday and congratulated his security forces. The U.S. government also applauded the arrest.

Guzman's cartel has smuggled billions of dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States, and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, especially in western and northern regions that have long been key smuggling routes.

Many of the victims have been tortured and beheaded and their bodies dumped in a public place or in mass graves. The violence has ravaged border cities and even beach resorts like Acapulco.
Authorities said Guzman, 56, was captured in a pre-dawn raid on a seaside condominium in the northwestern resort of Mazatlan, and then flown to Mexico City.Wearing a cream shirt and dark jeans and with a black moustache, he was frog-marched in front of reporters on live TV, bound for prison.

It was the first public glimpse of the elusive kingpin since he escaped from prison in 2001.The 5-foot 6-inch (1.7-metre) Guzman looked briefly toward TV cameras waiting on the tarmac outside the Marines' hangar at Mexico City's airport, before his head was shoved back down by a soldier wearing a face mask.Murillo Karam said security forces had nearly caught Guzman days earlier, but he gave them the slip.

'The doors of the house ... were reinforced with steel and so in the minutes it took us to open them, it allowed for an escape through tunnels,' Murillo Karam said.They then tracked him down again and waited for the right moment to strike, he said, adding that 'some U.S. agencies' had helped in capturing Guzman.He gave no more details but a U.S. Homeland Security source said Mexican forces worked jointly with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.Murillo Karam did not say whether Guzman would face trial in Mexico or be extradited to the United States.

QUICK OPERATION

Alberto Islas, a security expert with Risk Evaluation, said Pena Nieto ordered his cabinet to capture Guzman immediately after taking office in December 2012, and handed the job to the Marines, widely seen as less corrupt than other security forces.Citing people involved in the operation, he said 25 Marines entered the condominium where Guzman was staying and evaded two security teams there to protect the drug lord. Guzman and three other people, including a woman, were asleep at the time.

The whole operation took around 7-1/2 minutes, Islas said. Neighbors only realized it had taken place when they heard the helicopter whisking Guzman away, he added.Guzman's exploits have made him a legend in many impoverished communities of northern Mexico, where he has been immortalized in dozens of ballads and low budget movies.The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on Guzman's head and authorities in Chicago last year dubbed him the city's first Public Enemy No. 1 since gangster Al Capone.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described the arrest as 'a landmark achievement, and a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States.''The criminal activity Guzman allegedly directed contributed to the death and destruction of millions of lives across the globe through drug addiction, violence, and corruption,' Holder said in a statement.The Homeland Security source said U.S. agents assisted on the ground near the arrest site, and that the operation was the result of connecting many dots, not a single tip.

'I don't think either the Mexicans or our guys could have done this by themselves,' he said. 'We've been searching for years and wouldn't have been in this position without leveraging and combining assets from Mexico, the DEA, ICE and the Marshals.'Nearly 80,000 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico since former President Felipe Calderon sent in the army in early 2007 to quell the powerful drug bosses, a policy that Pena Nieto has criticized but found tough to break with.

There has been some concern in the United States that Pena Nieto's government might not be as aggressive in pursuing cartel leaders, but Guzman's capture will ease those fears.'Chapo is the jewel in the crown, the most-wanted drug boss in recent years and, in that sense, this is a great success,' said Jorge Chabat, an expert on drug trafficking at the CIDE research center.

FROM HUMBLE ROOTS TO BILLIONAIRE

From humble beginnings in a ramshackle village, Guzman rose up in the 1980s under the tutelage of Sinaloan kingpin Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias 'The Boss of Bosses,' who pioneered cocaine smuggling routes into the United States.He came to prominence in 1993, when assassins who shot dead Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas claimed they had been gunning for Guzman but got the wrong target.Guzman is the latest in a series of high profile capos to be caught or killed.
Last July, Pena Nieto's government caught the leader of the Zetas drug cartel, Miguel Angel Trevino, aka Z-40.

The Zetas have been blamed for many of the worst atrocities carried out by Mexican drug gangs, acts that have sullied the country's name and put fear into tourists and investors alike.Founded by army deserters in the late 1990s, the Zetas initially acted as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. But cracks began to appear and the rupture was sealed in early 2010, setting off the most violent phase in Mexico's drug war.

Calderon, a conservative, had staked his reputation on bringing Mexico's powerful drug gangs to heel. While the armed forces he sent in captured or killed many of the top capos, cartels splintered amid leadership challenges and turf wars exploded across Mexico.He congratulated Pena Nieto and his government in a message on Twitter on Saturday, describing the arrest as a 'great blow.'

Analysts we

Mexico captures No.1 drug kingpin 'Shorty' Guzman

Mexico's most wanted man, drug cartel kingpin Joaquin 'Shorty' Guzman, was captured on Saturday with help from U.S. agencies in a major victory for the government in a long, brutal drugs war.

Guzman, known as 'El Chapo' (Shorty) in Spanish, has long run Mexico's infamous Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past decade, he has emerged as one of the world's most powerful organized crime bosses.

He was caught in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa in an early morning operation without a shot being fired, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said, adding that Guzman's identity had been 100 percent confirmed.It is a political triumph for President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in late 2012. Pena Nieto confirmed the capture via Twitter earlier on Saturday and congratulated his security forces. The U.S. government also applauded the arrest.

Guzman's cartel has smuggled billions of dollars worth of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines into the United States, and fought vicious turf wars with other Mexican gangs.Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, especially in western and northern regions that have long been key smuggling routes.

Many of the victims have been tortured and beheaded and their bodies dumped in a public place or in mass graves. The violence has ravaged border cities and even beach resorts like Acapulco.
Authorities said Guzman, 56, was captured in a pre-dawn raid on a seaside condominium in the northwestern resort of Mazatlan, and then flown to Mexico City.Wearing a cream shirt and dark jeans and with a black moustache, he was frog-marched in front of reporters on live TV, bound for prison.

It was the first public glimpse of the elusive kingpin since he escaped from prison in 2001.The 5-foot 6-inch (1.7-metre) Guzman looked briefly toward TV cameras waiting on the tarmac outside the Marines' hangar at Mexico City's airport, before his head was shoved back down by a soldier wearing a face mask.Murillo Karam said security forces had nearly caught Guzman days earlier, but he gave them the slip.

'The doors of the house ... were reinforced with steel and so in the minutes it took us to open them, it allowed for an escape through tunnels,' Murillo Karam said.They then tracked him down again and waited for the right moment to strike, he said, adding that 'some U.S. agencies' had helped in capturing Guzman.He gave no more details but a U.S. Homeland Security source said Mexican forces worked jointly with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.Murillo Karam did not say whether Guzman would face trial in Mexico or be extradited to the United States.

QUICK OPERATION

Alberto Islas, a security expert with Risk Evaluation, said Pena Nieto ordered his cabinet to capture Guzman immediately after taking office in December 2012, and handed the job to the Marines, widely seen as less corrupt than other security forces.Citing people involved in the operation, he said 25 Marines entered the condominium where Guzman was staying and evaded two security teams there to protect the drug lord. Guzman and three other people, including a woman, were asleep at the time.

The whole operation took around 7-1/2 minutes, Islas said. Neighbors only realized it had taken place when they heard the helicopter whisking Guzman away, he added.Guzman's exploits have made him a legend in many impoverished communities of northern Mexico, where he has been immortalized in dozens of ballads and low budget movies.The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on Guzman's head and authorities in Chicago last year dubbed him the city's first Public Enemy No. 1 since gangster Al Capone.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder described the arrest as 'a landmark achievement, and a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States.''The criminal activity Guzman allegedly directed contributed to the death and destruction of millions of lives across the globe through drug addiction, violence, and corruption,' Holder said in a statement.The Homeland Security source said U.S. agents assisted on the ground near the arrest site, and that the operation was the result of connecting many dots, not a single tip.

'I don't think either the Mexicans or our guys could have done this by themselves,' he said. 'We've been searching for years and wouldn't have been in this position without leveraging and combining assets from Mexico, the DEA, ICE and the Marshals.'Nearly 80,000 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico since former President Felipe Calderon sent in the army in early 2007 to quell the powerful drug bosses, a policy that Pena Nieto has criticized but found tough to break with.

There has been some concern in the United States that Pena Nieto's government might not be as aggressive in pursuing cartel leaders, but Guzman's capture will ease those fears.'Chapo is the jewel in the crown, the most-wanted drug boss in recent years and, in that sense, this is a great success,' said Jorge Chabat, an expert on drug trafficking at the CIDE research center.

FROM HUMBLE ROOTS TO BILLIONAIRE

From humble beginnings in a ramshackle village, Guzman rose up in the 1980s under the tutelage of Sinaloan kingpin Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias 'The Boss of Bosses,' who pioneered cocaine smuggling routes into the United States.He came to prominence in 1993, when assassins who shot dead Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas claimed they had been gunning for Guzman but got the wrong target.Guzman is the latest in a series of high profile capos to be caught or killed.
Last July, Pena Nieto's government caught the leader of the Zetas drug cartel, Miguel Angel Trevino, aka Z-40.

The Zetas have been blamed for many of the worst atrocities carried out by Mexican drug gangs, acts that have sullied the country's name and put fear into tourists and investors alike.Founded by army deserters in the late 1990s, the Zetas initially acted as enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. But cracks began to appear and the rupture was sealed in early 2010, setting off the most violent phase in Mexico's drug war.

Calderon, a conservative, had staked his reputation on bringing Mexico's powerful drug gangs to heel. While the armed forces he sent in captured or killed many of the top capos, cartels splintered amid leadership challenges and turf wars exploded across Mexico.He congratulated Pena Nieto and his government in a message on Twitter on Saturday, describing the arrest as a 'great blow.'

Analysts we