| Porsche Tightens Grip on VW's Wheel
Since the surprise resignation of Volkswagen CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder Nov. 7, Supervisory Board Chairman Ferdinand Piech has tightened his control over VW almost daily. Porsche, which is controlled by Piech and his family, increased its stake in VW duing the past week from 21% to 27.45%. Today Porsche announced it aims to boost its holding to 29.9%. Call it the "going private" of Volkswagen. For the past year, Piech has been engaged in a pitched battle to wrest control of the company from state hands — namely the State of Lower Saxony, which owns 20% and has long reigned as VW's largest shareholder. And Piech, the wily engineer and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, is now close to winning. For those not up to speed on Germany's most riveting industrial drama, Piech launched his attack a year ago, using his family's control over Porsche to nab a controlling 21.3% share in Volkswagen for some $4 billion.
BSNL on the blink
The police informed his family and his father, L. Nirodosai Singh, reached the city. The police was told by the school authorities that Albertsons was handed over to his Sector 15 guardian and thereafter, they had no information about his whereabouts. Though there was no visible injury mark on the body, the police did not rule out the possibility of foul play. The police believed that the death might have occurred due to excessive intake of some intoxicant. The police quizzed eight acquaintances of the deceased, besides a rickshaw-puller on whose rickshaw he had a last ride. The rickshaw-puller had dropped him at his acquaintances place and produced his wallet to the latter to claim his fare on November 20, the day Albertsons was found dead. Though no foul play emerged during the investigations, the police found that Albertsons behaviour was abnormal and he was hooked to drugs.
Low-calorie sweets for your sweet
Buy single-serving portions (but not the king size) to satisfy a sweet tooth once in a while. Enjoy eating it slowly, tasting each bit.Put flavored yogurt in a fancy dish with a graham cracker stick or two. Try a new flavor such as lemon meringue, key lime or white chocolate flavor mousse.Cottage cheese and fruit makes a healthy sweet alternative.Ice cream sundae: 1/2 cup scoop of low fat ice cream put in a fancy small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup, add a dollop of low-calorie whipped topping with a cherry and sprinkle of nuts. Eat slowly and enjoy! (It's a regular sundae, but the attention to portion size makes a difference!)Treat yourself to a frozen dessert (such as ice cream bars or sandwiches) that are the mini-size or low fat/low sugar.Apple, blueberry or peach crisp: Use your own recipe, but decrease the sugar or Splenda when sprinkling the fruit.
Le Mans comes to Levens
The Gulf Porsche 917 sportscar, famous for race victories at circuits across Europe, is certainly not the car you would expect to see when stopping for a quick fill-up at your local petrol station. But that's exactly what visitors to Levens forecourt and car dealership, P.V. Dobson & Sons, are being treated to this week. "It's certainly turning a lot of heads," says General Manager Chris Hammond. "The Porsche is in the showroom which is directly in view of the forecourt pumps, so you can't miss it. The timing is great as we're also launching the new Jaguar XF on Thursday 7th February, and with our other display cars and smart new Gulf branding people will have a lot to look at if they come down in the next few days." P.V. Dobson & Sons have owned the site since 1979, which includes dealerships for Jaguar, Volvo and Mazda.
Dorsey's double-double leads Tigers over UCF
With every move a University of Memphis player or coach makes, from now until this white-hot spotlight of a No. 1 ranking shines on some other corner of the college basketball universe, scrutiny does not follow far behind. It is the inescapable, inconvenient reality of having a team so talented; a daily struggle to achieve the perfection their record and their national profile demands. For the first time this season, that perfection was challenged in a way nobody around the program saw coming. Robert Dozier, always thought of as the most solid citizen in the Tigers' locker room, was suspended for breaking the team's curfew, proving again how fragile reputations can be when the stakes are this high. .
Tesla shifts gear out of park and into interim
Tesla has confirmed that the first models of its electric sports car will ship with an interim transmission which reduces expected acceleration. Production will start in a limited way in March. Early buyers will get a free upgrade to the transmission and engine when they are available later in the year. .
NHL notebook
Minnesota Wild defenseman Nick Schultz signed a $21 million, six-year contract extension Saturday, a few months before he would have hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. Schultz, 25, who has served as the Wild's captain for January and February, is playing this season on a one-year, $1.85 million deal. His 428 career games are the third-most in team history. ''He's been steady. He's been solid for us. He's been growing as a player, too. He's been playing much better,'' coach Jacques Lemaire said after practice at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis. Schultz, a second-round pick by the Wild in their first draft in 2000, has 18 goals and 55 assists with only one game missed to injury in his six-year career. He leads the club in blocked shots with 102 and has one goal and 10 assists this season.
Bai and Kang claim top prizes in BMW medal
Dubai: J.I. Bai emerged the overall winner for the February BMW medal with a nett 68 on a slightly warmer Saturday afternoon at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Even with the fast greens and a gross nine on his card, Bai negotiated his way to his first medal win at the club. Finishing two shots back in the men's 'B' division and alone in second place was Pierre Abou Joude with net 70. In the men's division 'A' category, Burhan Khan secured the first place with a respectable nett 72, while Gray Chapman clinched the second place, two shots back, on nett 74. The best gross score of the day was registered by Mark Dennehy's 82. The ladies' division proved a much-closer affair with two players tied on net 78. .
Song's a howling success
We're pumped on the song going international and obviously expect Snoop Dogg to appear in the video with a couple of his `Poochie Mamas','' DraftFCB Creative Alex Dyer said. Lwindi Ellis, DraftFCB's PR Director, said the song was played to various dog breeds to ensure the concept was valid. "A series of focus groups were carried out with a range of dogs, from pit bulls to chihuahuas,'' she said. "The responses were mostly positive with tails wagging, ears pricked and considerable barking.'' It is not the only selective sound going around. Thanks to another new concept, teenagers are also being subjected to annoying sounds that are inaudible to people over 25. Called a Mosquito, the unit produces a painful high-frequency noise and can be installed at the entrances of shops, residences and car parks.
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