Canadian PM announces agreement on strengthened Canada Pension Plan

EFT Report, Ottawa: The Government of Canada is committed to helping ensure that, after a lifetime of hard work, Canadians have a secure and dignified retirement. This security starts with a strong and stable pension plan.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is proud to announce today that the Government has reached a milestone in improving retirement outcomes for hardworking Canadians, one that will enable them to retire with more money in their pockets.

Following confirmation today from British Columbia, all nine participating provinces have now agreed to move forward with strengthening the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The Government of Canada is advancing legislation to enact the CPP enhancement, which will be introduced in Parliament shortly.

This strengthened CPP will mean greater income security for future retirees. The changes to the CPP will be phased in gradually over seven years, from 2019 to 2025.

Quotes

“We promised that we would provide hardworking Canadians across the country with a more secure and dignified retirement. Today we kept that promise. This stronger and more stable pension program will help middle class Canadians enjoy their retirement years as they should – enjoying their health and families – instead of worrying about making ends meet.”

—The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“This is yet another example of how much we can accomplish for our citizens when there is close collaboration between provinces, territories and the federal government on common goals.”

—The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Quick Facts

• The CPP is a portable, low-cost and modest pension that pools risk among contributors and pays a predictable and lifetime benefit to Canadians when they retire. Once fully in place, an enhanced CPP will put up to 50% more into the pockets of future retirees.
• It applies to all Canadians, except workers in Quebec, who contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan, which provides similar benefits to the current CPP.
• The new CPP will increase the share of eligible annual earnings received during retirement from one-quarter to one-third. It will also increase by 14 per cent the maximum income range covered by the CPP.
• To ensure that Canadians and the businesses they work for can adjust to these changes, the CPP enhancement will be introduced through a 7-year gradual phase-in starting on January 1, 2019.  
• To offset the impact of increased contributions on eligible low-income workers, the Government of Canada will enhance the Working Income Tax Benefit.
• In addition, employee contributions to the enhanced portion of the CPP will be tax deductible in order to avoid increasing the after-tax cost of saving for Canadians.

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Reliance Infra inks deal with Canada's PSP Investment

EFT Report, Mumbai: Reliance Infrastructure on Monday said it has signed a non-binding Term Sheet with Canadian pension fund management major Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments).

With this, the Canadian firm will acquire 49 percent equity stake in Reliance Infrastructure's integrated power generation, transmission and distribution business in Mumbai and adjoining areas.

The specified business is to be carved out on a going concern basis into a separate Special Purpose Vehicle, in which Reliance Infrastructure will own the controlling 51 percent stake and PSP Investments will own the rest 49 percent, the company said in a statement.

Reliance Infrastructure's Mumbai power business (known as Reliance Energy) distributes power to nearly three million residential, industrial and commercial consumers in the suburbs of Mumbai, covering an area of 400 square km and catering to a peak demand of over 1,800 MW, with revenues of Rs.7,700 crore in the 2014-15.

"The parties have entered into an Exclusivity Agreement valid till March 31, 2016. The proposed transaction is subject to due diligence, definitive documentation, applicable regulatory and other approvals and certain other conditions. 

"Accordingly, there can be no certainty that a transaction will result. Further announcements will be made at an appropriate stage," the statement said. As on March 31 this year, PSP Investments has Canadian $112.0 billion of net assets under management. 

"Reliance Infrastructure has recently entered into the defence sector. It has also announced the proposed acquisition of Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Co. Ltd. (PDOC), which houses India's largest dry dock facility to build warships and other naval vessels.

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Punjabi third language of Canada's Parliament

EFT Report, Toronto: Four years after Punjabi became Canada's third most common language, it has now attained the same status in the country's new Parliament after English and French following the election of 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates to the House of Commans.

Twenty-three Member of Parliaments of South Asian-origin were elected to the House of Commons, Parliament of Canada on October 19 parliamentary elections.

Three of them, Chandra Arya - born and raised in India, Gary Anandasangaree - a Tamil and Maryam Monsef - of Afghan origin, do not speak Punjabi, The Hill Times Online reported.

Of the 20 who speak Punjabi, 18 are Liberals and two are Conservatives. Among the newly-elected Punjabi-speaking MPs, 14 are males and six are females. Ontario elected 12, British Columbia four, Alberta three and one is from Quebec.

Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau is scheduled to unveil his Cabinet this week and some of these Liberal MPs are expected to be included in the front bench.

"The voice of the Indo-Canadian community will now be very well represented in the Parliament. In the overall aspect of it, the South Asian community won," MP Deepak Obhrai of Conservative Party said.

In an interview with the paper, Navdeep Bains, a Liberal MP, said although 20 Punjabi-speaking MPs have been elected, these MPs represent all constituents regardless of their party affiliation or ethnic origin.

"It speaks to our commitment to diversity and allowing individual [MPs] to play an important role in our political institutions. The main issue to understand is that we have a very clear mandate to execute our platform and we also have a responsibility to represent our constituents, which are very diverse," Bains said.

Iqra Khalid, the Liberal MP who was born in Pakistan, said the diversity of the newly-elected House reflects the true make-up of Canada.

According to Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey, 430,705 Canadians identified Punjabi as their mother tongue, making it the third most common language after English and French.

The 430,705 native Punjabi speakers make up about 1.3 per cent of Canada's population. The 20 Punjabi-speaking MPs represent almost six per cent of the House of Commons.

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Trudeau topples Harper as Canada's next PM

EFT Report, Montreal: Canada's Liberal leader Justin Trudeau rode a late surge to a stunning majority election victory on Monday, toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives with a promise of change and returning a touch of glamor, youth and charisma to Ottawa.

Harper conceded defeat and the Conservative party announced his resignation, ending a nine-year run in power and the 56-year-old's brand of fiscal and cultural conservatism that voters appeared to sour on.

The Liberals seized a Parliamentary majority, a turn in political fortunes that smashed the record for the number of seats gained from one election to the next. The center-left Liberals had been a distant third place party before this election.

"My friends, we beat fear with hope. We beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together," Trudeau, 43, told a crowd of cheering supporters in Montreal.

"This is what positive politics can do."

The photogenic son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pledged to run a C$10 billion annual budget deficit for three years to invest in infrastructure and help stimulate Canada's anemic economic growth.

This rattled financial markets ahead of the vote and the Canadian dollar weakened on news of his victory.

Trudeau thanked his two closest friends and advisers for shaping his campaign to show "that you can appeal to the better angels of our nature. And you can win doing it."

Trudeau has said he will repair Canada's cool relations with the Obama administration, withdraw Canada from the combat mission against Islamic State militants in favor of humanitarian aid and training, and tackle climate change.

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Sanjeev Kapoor to open his first restaurant in Canada

EFT Report, Toronto: Popular Indian chef and entrepreneur Sanjeev Kapoor will be launching his first eatery at Brampton, in Canada, in November, the official website of the restaurant said.

Located at Queen Street in Brampton, in Southern Ontario, the Khazana restaurant is set for a two-day grand launch from November 2. It offers an opportunity to dine in luxury and has four exclusive dining spaces for hosting events.

"The focus of Khazana is enhanced hospitality and operational excellence. The cuisine is chef-inspired Indian food, with a contemporary dining environment," the restaurant's website said.

"Our goal at Khazana is to enhance the dining experience of families and young professionals and offer Indian dining experience in a luxurious ambience," it added.

Khazana offers traditional Indian dining experience and serves Indian dishes inspired by Kapoor.

Kapoor is a popular name in Indian households and stars in the TV show "Khana Khazana" -- the longest running show of its kind in Asia broadcast in 120 countries.

He launched his own channel "Food Food" in January 2011.

He has received many awards including the Best Executive Chef of India Award and the Mercury Gold Award in Geneva, Switzerland.

Kapoor recently opened a restaurant in Muscat which serves his many signature dishes, including 'Peru Pyala' (guava and lemon juice with a hint of mint and rimmed with red chillies) and 'shaam savera' (spinach koftas filled with creamed cottage cheese, served in a tomato butter gravy).

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'Angry Indian Goddesses' voted runner-up at TIFF

EFT Report, Toronto: Indian director Pan Nalin’s film "Angry Indian Goddesses", a story about a group of Indian girls in Goa gone wild, has been voted as the first runner-up at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) which concluded here on Sunday.

A huge cheer went up when TIFF creative directive Cameron Bailey announced the name of "Angry Indian Goddesses" as the first runner-up for the Grolsch People's Choice Award at this year’s festival. 

Of the seven girls in the film, Sandhya Mridul and Rajshri Deshpande, who were present in the audience, shouted with joy at the announcement of the award for the film. 

Toronto film festival CEO Piers Handling said tongue-in-cheek that he hopped "Angry Indian Goddesses" as the audience clapped for the Indian film.

"When we started this film, we never expected it anything. We were not even sure whether or when we will complete it. We are so excited now," said Sandhya.

Sandhya said her experience in the communications field stood her in good stead in playing her role in the film. 

"We shot the film in 40 to 45 days... mostly in Goa and some in Mumbai," she said.

Rajshri, who plays the role of housemaid Lakshmi in the film, said: "We had great fun doing this film, and we are happy that the audiences at TIFF have liked our film. Hopefully, the film will go on to do will when it opens in India."

"Angry Indian Goddesses" is a powerful portrayal of new girl power in contemporary Indian society -- the girls who want to have fun, the girls who are uninhibited.

As this group of girls gathers in Goa to join in the wedding of their college friend Freida (played by Sarah Jane Dias), they have fun, they discuss sex, they discuss boyfriends, they discuss everything. But there is a hitch -- Freida won’t reveal who the groom is. 

On the night of the wedding, the girls' party takes amazing turns and twists. And in the hands of award-winning director Pan Nalin, the film has such an emphatic finale. 

Indeed, "Angry Indian Goddesses" is a powerful portrayal of new girl power in Indian society -- or women empowerment, so to speak. 

Also, Lenny Abrahamson's poignant movie "Room", that talks about the captivity of a young woman but told so movingly through her little son born to her in captivity, won the People's Choice Award at TIFF.

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Ramadan 2014 Around the World From Saturday/Sunday

EFT Report: Majority of Muslims around the world will celebrate the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday, June 29, while some Muslim countries will observe the dawn-to-dusk month a day earlier. 

Religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, said that the fasting month will start on Sunday, June 29.

Egypt's Iftaa House said the new moon of Ramadan was not sighted Friday, June 27. "Therefore, Saturday, June 28, will be the last day of Sha`ban and Sunday, June 29 will be the first day of Ramadan.

The Higher Judicial Council of Palestine has also announced that Saturday will be the last day of Sha`ban. Therefore, Ramadan will commence on Sunday.

In Kuwait, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and South Korea, it has been announced that Ramadan will start on June 29. 

Muslims in UK start fasting on Sunday, June 29, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's declaration.

Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad has announced that Ramadan will start on Sunday, following a meeting with the Australian National Imams Council.

The first day Ramadan in Japan will be on Sunday as the moon could not be sighted on Friday, the Islamic Center of Japan announced.

Malaysia’s Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, announced that fasting will start on Sunday in the announcement carried live on Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).

In the Philippines, Ramadan officially starts Sunday after Muslim religious leaders failed to view the crescent moon Friday evening.

Saturday

The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has announced earlier this month the start of Ramadan in North America on Saturday.

In Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadl-Allah announced that Saturday will be the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

In Turkey, Belgium, Russia, Italy and several Eruopean countries, Saturday has been announced as the first day of Ramadan.

Yemen's Iftaa House has also announced Saturday, June 28, as the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Sunday or Monday

In Pakistan, Chief Meteorologist Mohammad Riaz has announced that the holy month of Ramadan was expected to start on June 30, 2014.

Same position was in India where the moon sighting will be made on Saturday to define the start of the holy month, either on Sunday or Monday.

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Finding Dory to Release in 2015

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Disney announced that its follow-up to 2003's Oscar-winning splash hit "Finding Nemo" will be titled "Finding Dory," and will focus on the lovable, little blue tang fish voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. The movie, which will be directed by original "Nemo" co-director Andrew Stanton, will hit theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

Finding Dory 

"Finding Dory" will apparently take place about a year after the events of "Nemo." Characters including Marlin, Nemo and the "Tank Gang" will all be back, though Pixar didn't specify whether actors including Albert Brooks and Willem Dafoe will return to voice them.

"Finding Nemo" reportedly earned $380,843,261 at the domestic box office and an additional $540,900,000 at the international box office, for a total worldwide gross of $921,743,261. That's pretty impressive for a movie about some little fishes that had a production budget of $94 million. It also won the 2003 Academy Award for best animated feature.

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Taylor Swift Sued Over Cancelled Canadian Gig

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Current pop darling Taylor Swift has been sued for £1.6 million by a ticket company, the 23-year-old was reportedly paid a hefty fee to headline a country music festival, the Capital Hoedown event, at Ottawa in August 2012 which was eventually cancelled.

Taylor Swift

However, ‘The We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ singer representatives maintained that her deal was not with the ticket company and thus she is not liable for the refunds. Taylor Swift will be performing at the Brit Awards this week.

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Canada: Township of Essa Gets $281,677 Federal Funding

EFT Report, Thornton: Members of the community gathered together at the Thornton Arena on Jan. 25, 2013 to celebrate an announcement by the Honorable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). Minister Goodyear was joined by Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament for Simcoe-Grey.

Under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF), Minister Goodyear announced federal funding of up to $281,677 to the Township of Essa for the replacement and upgrading of the ice pad surface and refrigeration system at the Thornton Arena. Work on the project involves installing new refrigerant piping with a new concrete slab covering, as well as upgrading the refrigeration system to increase the capacity and sustainability of the ice surface, which will enhance safety for users.

"The Harper Government is pleased to partner with the Township of Essa to revitalize the Thornton Arena," said Minister Goodyear. "Through the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund, our Government continues to support projects that improve safety and energy efficiency as well as stimulate the economy in communities across southern Ontario."

"Our Government's investment will not only enhance the experience and services delivered at the Thornton Arena, but it will also support the creation of jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity in the community," said MP Leitch. "Together, we are building stronger communities here in Ontario, for a stronger Canada."

"The Township of Essa is very pleased to be a recipient of the Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund for the renovations and upgrades to the Thornton Arena," said Sandie Macdonald, Deputy Mayor for the Township of Essa. "These much needed improvements will have a cost-saving effect for the taxpayers of the Township and all users of the facility will benefit from the new technology and safety features installed."

The Fund supports, on a cost-shared basis, repairs and improvements to existing community infrastructure that is accessible for use by the public. Recipients of the Fund may receive contributions of up to $1 million and must leverage a minimum of 50 percent of funding from other sources. Please see the backgrounder for more information on CIIF.

Created in 2009, FedDev Ontario supports the southern Ontario economy by building on the region's strengths and creating opportunities for jobs and economic growth. The Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong position to compete in the global economy. These initiatives are designed to encourage partnerships and support projects that help the region's businesses and communities become more competitive, innovative and diversified. To learn more, please visit www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca or call 1-866-593-5505.

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Canada: $110 Million Investment at 8 Wing Trenton Facilities Announced

EFT Report, 8 Wing Trenton: The Honorable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, announced a major investment of more than $110 million in contracts for infrastructure projects at 8 Wing Trenton on Jan. 25. This investment will result in the construction of a new maintenance hangar, and a new building to house the Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre, in addition to the infrastructure upgrades to the National Air Force Museum, the Air Mobility Training Center and the Military Family Resource Centre already completed or underway. The estimated overall value of these projects, once complete, will be more than $200 million.

“These impressive state-of-the-art buildings will enable our dedicated Canadian Armed Forces personnel to continue their excellent work as world leaders in military aviation operations,” said Minister MacKay. “Updating our defence infrastructure to ensure it is ready the meet the challenges of the 21st century is in line with our Government’s Canada First Defence Strategy, and will benefit industry, economic development and job creation throughout Canada. It is estimated that these projects will contribute to the creation and sustainment of 400 high-quality jobs.”

Construction recently began on a $36.5 million building that will serve as the new home of the Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre. The contract for the 12,000 square metre building was awarded to Varcon Construction of Brampton, Ontario. The new facility is designed to a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver level and is expected to be ready for occupancy in early 2015.

The construction contract for the new $72.9 million Maintenance Hangar 6 was awarded to Bondfield Construction of Concord, Ontario. It will be primarily used for first-line maintenance activities on the CC-177 Globemaster III fleet, as well for housing the contracted maintenance support for CC-150 Polaris aircraft. Construction started in December 2012 and the building is expected to be ready for use in early 2016.

Minister MacKay also announced infrastructure modifications to the Sedley S. Blanchard Air Mobility Training Centre, awarded to M.J. Dixon Construction Limited of Mississauga, Ontario; the second part of Phase II of the expansion project for the National Air Force Museum of Canada, awarded to Mirtren Contractors Limited of Scarborough, Ontario; and renovations to the Military Family Resource Centre facility to be completed by the Base Construction Engineering Department.

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Justin Bieber Shows His Bare Butt on Instagram

EFT Report, North Carolina: Canadian pop star Justin Bieber showed off his bare butt in an Instagram picture on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013.

The 18-year-old singer was wearing a black tank top, a baseball hat and aviator sunglasses, and was peering over his shoulder in the image. He deleted the image shortly after it was posted to his official account, though it had already been liked more than 15,000 times and received more than 2,700 comments.

Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, joked about the picture via Twitter. "As a prankster you have to respect another good prank," he wrote. "Only makes sense. #crackdealer." Bieber's succinct reply: "Haha."

Bieber is currently on tour to support his latest album, Believe. He next performs at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Jan. 19. He'll travel to Georgia and Florida throughout the month before taking his act to Dublin, Ireland, Feb. 17.

Justin Bieber Bare Butt on Instagram

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Ravi Pandey Gets GIA Excellence Award for Community Service in Canada

Report by Santanu Ganguly, New Delhi: Ravi Pandey, Chief Editor of Canada based newspaper “Hindi abroad,” recently received a GIA-International excellence award-2013 for a valuable and outstanding contribution and performance in “Community service in Canada.”

Few years back Ravi Pandey was in Delhi with an evening newspaper as prominent film Journalist before shifting to Toronto, Canada. In Canada he tried his hand in various fields but got back in Journalism and started Hindi news paper Hindi Abroad and within short span of time his newspaper was talk of the town and now Ravi Pandey is a well known figure of Canada. The jury selected Pandey unanimously not only for his splendid and remarkable nature but also for his professional acumen. GIA stands for Global Indian association.

Ravi Pandey Receiving GIA-International Excellence Award 2013

Global Indian Association (GIA) is an international platform for Overseas Indians around the world to unite together to present share and solve the issues related to migration and work, welfare activities, co-ordination with Government of India and the Embassies of the respective countries in India.

The award ceremony was held recently in Kerala and felicitated distinguished Indians around the globe for their remarkable contribution and dedicated service for the well being of Indian fraternity abroad.

The ‘GIA International Excellence Award 2013’ given to Pandey consists of Memento along with Citation and traditional Indian Shawl.

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Titanic Actor ‘Victor Garber’ Confirms He is Gay

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Canadian actor Victor Garber, best known for his work in films "Alias" and "Titanic," has publicly confirmed that he is gay.

Garber lives with model/artist boyfriend Rainer Andreesen in New York.

"I don't really talk about it but everybody knows. Andreesen is going to be out here with me for the Screen Actors Guild Awards," Garber said.

The 63-year-old, who stars in the Golden Globe-winning drama "Argo," is not the only celebrity to recently come out to the public.

Actress Jodie Foster, who received the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille trophy at the 70th Golden Globe award ceremony, used the platform to speak about her sexuality.

Victor Garber with Rainer Andreesen

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Golden Globe 2013: 'Life of Pi' Wins Best Original Score

EFT Report, Los Angeles: Canadian film composer Mychael Danna won the best original score motion picture award for "Life of Pi" at the 70th Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles.

Danna beat Alexandre Desplat (Argo), Dario Marianelli (Anna Karenina), Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil (Cloud Atlas) and John Williams (Lincoln) to walk away with the prestigious trophy at the glitzy gala on Sunday night.

Directed by Ang Lee, "Life of Pi" is based on Canadian author Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. It is about the journey of an Indian boy who survives a storm and is left on a life-boat with a tiger.

Mychael Danna Gets Golden Globe for "Life of Pi" 

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Twilight Star Bronson Pelletier Arrested for Urinating at Airport (See Video)

The Twilight star Bronson Pelletier was arrested for public drunkenness after he showed up sloshed at Los Angeles International Airport and then purportedly proceeded to urinate at the terminal.

A video has surfaced showing the 26-year-old committing the act in question. In the clip, the actor is seen stumbling around the terminal looking dazed and disheveled.

After an airport official approaches Pelletier, the actor moseys around for a bit before urinating in the passenger waiting area.

The official stands behind the actor as Pelletier relieves himself fully, only to be tackled by a police officer who eventually comes in to cuff the star.




See Video

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BlackBerry 10 Launch Event in New York City on Jan. 30

Research in Motion [RIMM] has officially announced the BlackBerry 10 release date. The BlackBerry maker sent out invitations for the global BlackBerry 10 launch event in New York City on Jan. 30, 2012.

RIM didn’t provide any details on the event, but its tagline is, “Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented,” and they are expected to unveil a full touch-screen device and another that could resemble its current Bold handset.

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Pope Posts His First Tweet; Gets Over 1 Million Followers

Pope Benedict XVI posted his first tweet on social networking site Twitter today (Dec. 12) under his confirmed handle @Pontifex, as he hit the 1 million Twitter follower mark.

The 85-year-old inaugural tweet read: Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.

The Vatican had opened eight Twitter accounts in the pope's name, in eight languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, French and Arabic.

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Skyfall Gets Biggest James Bond Opening Ever

Skyfall, which is the 23rd Bond film in the 50-year-old series, is the biggest opening in the franchise's history. It returned to theaters in record fashion at the weekend, blowing away box office rivals with $87.8 million in ticket sales for the US and Canadian debut.

The best North American opening for the 50-year-old Bond franchise adds to a strong tally of $428.6 million for Skyfall overseas. Globally, the movie starring Daniel Craig as 007 and Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, has now earned $518.6 million since first hitting international theaters on Oct. 26, distributor Sony Pictures said.

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RIM May Sell NewBay, Other Assets

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIL) is looking to sell cloud services provider NewBay and some of the other minor assets it recently acquired, as part of a strategic review process, according to a source familiar with the matter.

RIM acquired NewBay, a provider of photo, video, and social-networking tools for smartphones and computers, in October 2011 for reportedly around $100 million, as it sought to roll out a new strategy to stem its steady decline.

RIM declined to comment on the sale report.

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is a pioneer in the smartphone industry, but has struggled over the last couple of years, as its aging line-up of BlackBerry smartphones have not been able to compete against more-advanced devices like Apple Inc's iPhone and a slew of other devices based on Google Inc's Android software.

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