Pakistan accuses India of deadly cross-border raid

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani military is accusing forces from neighboring India of crossing the boundary between the two sides' forces in Kashmir and attacking a Pakistani border post, killing a soldier.
The military's public relations office said in a statement Sunday that another Pakistani soldier was critically wounded in the incident early Sunday.
They said troops are still exchanging gunfire in the area.
They said the raid crossed the "line of control" dividing the Indian and Pakistani sides of Kashmir, a flashpoint of violence between these two neighbors for decades.
Both claim the region as their own.
A 2003 cease-fire ended the most recent round of fighting.
Each side occasionally accuses the other of violating it by lobbing mortars or shooting across the LOC, but accusations of cross-border raids are rare.

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British Spitfire search team arrives in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A search team led by a British aviation enthusiast arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to begin a dig they hope will unearth dozens of rare British Spitfire fighter planes said to have been buried in the Southeast Asian country at the end of World War II.
The 21-member team led by farmer and businessman David Cundall will start excavations soon near the airport in the main city, Yangon.
Cundall said the aircraft were buried in wooden crates around 30 feet under the ground and the project would take about four to six weeks to complete.
"We are expecting them to be in first-class condition," Cundall said shortly after arriving at the international airport in Yangon.
The Spitfire remains Britain's most famous combat aircraft. Its reputation was cemented during the Battle of Britain when the fast-moving single-seater aircraft helped beat back waves of German bombers.
Britain built a total of about 20,000 Spitfires, although the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II meant that the propeller-driven planes quickly became obsolete.
The planes believed to be in Myanmar were buried by American engineers as the war drew to a close. Searchers hope they are in pristine condition, but Andy Brockman, a freelance archaeologist who is part of the search team, said it was possible all they might find is a mass of corroded metal and rusty aircraft parts.
Nevertheless, he said, "I'm very confident that we'll have answers to the story of what happened ... in 1945."
The venture is being backed by the Belarusian videogame company Wargaming.net, which is best known for its multiplayer titles including "World of Warplanes" and "World of Tanks."
The search team says 36 Spitfires are believed to be buried near Yangon airport, while another 18 are in Myitkyina in northern Kachin state and six more are buried in Meikthila in central Myanmar.

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Celtic Tiger and emerging China shine in 2012

 Rory McIlroy's dominance on both sides of the Atlantic and the clearest hint yet at the exciting potential in China were the biggest storylines in what may prove to be a truly transformational golfing year in 2012.
The coronation of McIlroy as the game's leading player was confirmed in sensational fashion when the exciting Northern Irishman cruised to his second major title by a record eight shots in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in August.
Dubbed 'Boy Wonder' in his homeland for the past decade, McIlroy fully justified his other nickname of 'the Celtic Tiger' as he ended the year being showered with virtually every accolade available to him.
He followed in the footsteps of Luke Donald when he became the second player to win the money list titles in both Europe and the United States and he strengthened his position as world number one with an extraordinary run of form.
Long regarded as heir-apparent to Tiger Woods as the game's greatest player, McIlroy has smoothly taken over that role while Woods, despite triumphing three times on the 2012 PGA Tour in a welcome return to winning ways, has had to take a back seat.
The 23-year-old McIlroy is almost certain to be a dominant figure in golf for at least another decade but 14-year-old Chinese Guan Tianlang gave a strong indication of the likely impact from his part of the world well beyond that time frame.
Guan ensured he would become the youngest player ever to compete at the Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last month, tantalizing proof of the vast golfing potential in the Chinese market.
The world's most populous nation had celebrated another coup just five months earlier when Shanshan Feng, 22, clinched the LPGA Championship by two shots in Rochester, New York to become the first person from mainland China to win a women's major.
Remarkably, Feng was born just five years after the first golf course was opened in China.
There were several other highlights during 2012 with Bubba Watson producing arguably the shot of the year to win the Masters in a two-way playoff and Ernie Els ending a decade-long drought in the majors to claim his second British Open.
THRUST INTO LIMELIGHT
The belly putter was also thrust into the limelight when Webb Simpson, at the U.S. Open, and Els, at Royal Lytham, joined 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley as the only players to triumph in the majors using a long putter.
That trend, coupled with the growing number of younger golfers opting to anchor putters to their chin, chest or belly, prompted golf's rulemakers last month to propose a ban on the technique which could come into effect by 2016.
However, McIlroy's stellar play around the world gave golf fans their most stirring memories in 2012.
He recorded four wins on the U.S. circuit among 10 top-10s in just 16 starts before ending the season being named the PGA of America Player of the Year, the PGA Tour's Player of the Year and winner of the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.
McIlroy clinched the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour's leading money winner, with earnings of $8,047,952, and was delighted to follow that up with the European Tour order of merit with two events remaining.
"Winning a second major already made it a fabulous season, but then to follow Luke in becoming number one in both Europe and the States is the icing on the cake after a fabulous season," he said.
Hardly surprisingly, McIlroy finished his 2012 campaign on a triumphant note when he won the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship by two shots in Dubai last month.
"I didn't want the year to just tail off, I wanted to end it in real style," he said after spectacularly making birdies on the last five holes to close with a 66.
While the richly talented McIlroy is a gifted shot-maker, left-hander Watson delivered the 'blow' of the year with a miraculous escape from pine straw to win the Masters in a playoff with South African Louis Oosthuizen in April.
On the second extra hole, the long-hitting American ended up well right and deep in the tree line off the tee from where he had a narrow avenue to the green.
STUNNING HOOK
Undaunted, Watson struck a stunning hook off the pine straw with a gap wedge, his ball bending 40 yards in the air to settle 10 feet from the pin before he claimed his first major victory with a two-putt par.
"I got in these trees and hit a crazy shot," said Watson, a self-taught golfer who learned the game by hitting wiffle balls around his house. "I just hooked it up there and somehow it nestled close to the hole."
In June, Watson's good friend and fellow American Simpson clinched his first major title with a nerve-jangling one-shot victory at the U.S. Open after overhauling overnight leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell.
The following month, 42-year-old South African Els won the British Open at Royal Lytham by one stroke from Adam Scott after the Australian agonizingly bogeyed the last four holes.
Unquestionably the greatest comeback of the year, and perhaps of all time in golf, came at the Ryder Cup in September when Europe overhauled a deficit of 10-6 going into the final day to beat the United States by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2.
Inspired by the spirit of the late Seve Ballesteros, Europe sent out their best players early and rode a wave of blue numbers to retain the trophy when Germany's Martin Kaymer defeated Steve Stricker one up.
"Seve will always be present with this team," a teary-eyed European captain Jose Maria Olazabal said of his fellow Spaniard, friend and mentor. "He was a big factor for this event, for the European side."
That same month, South Korean Shin Ji-yai romped to a nine-stroke victory at the Women's British Open at Royal Liverpool in England to complete a stunning Asian sweep of the year's four women's majors.
Shin's compatriot Yoo Sun-young won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in a playoff at Rancho Mirage in April and Choi Na-yeon, also of South Korea, claimed her first major title by four shots at the U.S. Women's Open in Kohler, Wisconsin in July.

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World sports diary November/December 2013

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
TENNIS
Paris Masters (to 3)
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marinas Circuit (to 3)
CRICKET
Western Australia v England, Perth (to 2)
HORSE RACING
Breeders Cup, Santa Anita, California (to 2)
SOCCER
FIFA Under-17 World Cup, UAE (to 8)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
RUGBY
International Matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3
ATHLETICS
New York City marathon
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4
TENNIS
ATP: World Tour finals, London
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
HORSE RACING
Melbourne Cup
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
CRICKET
Australia A v England, Hobart (to 9)
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
GOLF
PGA Tour: McGladrey Classic, Sea Island, Georgia (to 10)
European Tour: Turkish Open, Antalya (to 10)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
MOTORCYCLING
MotoGP: Valencia, Ricardo Tormo-Valencia (to 10)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
RUGBY
International matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
BADMINTON
BWF Li Ning China Open Super Series Premier, Shanghai (to 17)
BWF Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open Super Series, Kowloon (to 24)
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
CRICKET
New South Wales v England, Sydney (to 16)
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14
GOLF
European Tour: DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (to 17)
Singapore Open, Sentosa (to 17)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
SOCCER
2014 World Cup qualifying matches
Asian Cup qualifying matches
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: United States Grand Prix, Austin (to 17)
TENNIS
Davis Cup World Group final (to 17)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
RUGBY
International matches
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
SOCCER
2014 World Cup qualifying matches
Asian Cup qualifying matches
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21
CRICKET
Australia v England, Brisbane, first test (to 25)
GOLF
European Tour: Hong Kong Open, Fanling (to 24)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22
MOTOR RACING
Formula One: Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo (to 24)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23
RUGBY
Rugby League World Cup semi finals, Wembley
- - - -
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24
HORSE RACING
Japan Cup, Tokyo
CANADIAN FOOTBALL
Grey Cup, Saskatchewan
- - - -
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25
- - - -
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27
- - - -
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28
GOLF
World Cup, Shenzen (to 1)
- - - -
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
CRICKET
Australia Chairman's XI v England, Canberra (to 30)
- - - -
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30
RUGBY
Rugby League World Cup final, Old Trafford
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1
SOCCER
World Cup Finals Draw, Brazil (to 4)
Japan League final day
Korean League final day, South Korea
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
CRICKET
Australia v England, Adelaide, second test (to 9)
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11
GAMES
Southeast Asian Games, Myanmar (to 21)
SOCCER
Club World Cup, Morocco (to 21)
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
CRICKET
Australia v England, Perth, third test (to 17)
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24
- - - -
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25
- - - -
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26
CRICKET
Australia v England, Melbourne, fourth test (to 30)
- - - -
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27
- - - -
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28
- - - -
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29
- - - -
MONDAY, DECEMBER 30
- - - -
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

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Golf-Jimenez out for several months after breaking leg skiing

MADRID, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Spanish golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez will be out of action for at least three months after breaking his leg in a skiing accident on Saturday.
"I was skiing in Sierra Nevada, I lost control and fell," Jimenez was quoted as saying in local media on Sunday.
"I felt a huge stab of pain and I knew straight away I had broken something," he said, adding that he had been operated on at a clinic in his native Malaga.
"I broke the top of the tibia in my right leg, just where it meets the knee, and they put in two pins.
"It will take three, four or five months to recover and be able to return to competition. I was playing very well but ... these things happen in life."
Jimenez, who will be 49 on Saturday, was named European Tour golfer of the month in November after his victory at the Hong Kong Open made him the oldest winner in Tour history at 48 years and 318 days.
A lover of fine wines and cigars and known for his trademark ponytail, he said he had fashioned a love of skiing some years ago and was well aware of the risks.

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Why does Google build apps for its rival Apple's iPhone?

Why help a key competitor? Two words: Advertising and data
There isn't any other way to say it: Apple and Google really don't like each other. Apple CEO Steve Jobs vowed to destroy the Google geniuses behind the Android operating system for allegedly stealing the basic mechanics of the iPhone. Apple and Google-partner Samsung are constantly at one another's throats over patents. And most recently new Apple CEO Tim Cook gave two of Google's most popular products — Google Maps and YouTube — the boot from iOS 6.
Then the unthinkable happened: Fans started turning on Apple. Even the most gushy tech critic had to admit that Apple's replacement for Google Maps was a train wreck, a rare blight on the company's otherwise stainless track record (a failure, notes Zara Kessler at Bloomberg, which ironically might ultimately benefit Apple).
Why, then, would Google throw its chief rival a life preserver this week and deliver Google Maps to iOS — as well as handing over Chrome and an awesome new Gmail app in recent weeks? Two main reasons:
1. Potential advertising: "Google doesn't make money off of Android which is open source; they make money when people use Google services," Joel Spolsky, CEO of Stack Overflow, tells Wired. Google Maps on the iPhone doesn't have ads yet, although the Android version does. In the end, Google's primary concern is to get its services in front of as many eyeballs as possible — even if those eyeballs are peering into an iPhone.
SEE MORE: Steve Jobs' mysterious iMac-controlled yacht
2. More data with which to make its products better: Google Maps is every marketer's dream. Mapping software gives them invaluable consumer data to work with, like the city you live in, the stores you shop at, the restaurants you frequent, where you get your coffee, and much, much more. "Google needs the traffic that iOS users bring," says Casey Newton at CNET. Those millions of iPhone owners unknowingly feed Google the analytics it needs to make Google Maps the superior, celebrated product it's become. The same goes for Chrome. And Gmail.
And "Google is hardly the first company to aggressively support a rival platform for selfish reasons," says Ryan Tate at Wired.
Microsoft was a strong backer of Apple's Macintosh for decades because its core business was selling applications [Word, Excel, etc.], not Microsoft's competing operating system Windows… Google's willingness to ship iOS apps could look smarter as time goes on. The company trounces Apple when it comes to all things cloud, not just maps and e-mail; its social network, search engine, and highly optimized data centers could give its iOS apps an even bigger edge in the coming years.

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Samsung Smart TVs: The next frontier for data theft and hacking [video]

Smart TVs, particularly Samsung’s (005930) last few generations of flat screens, can be hacked to give attackers remote access according to a security startup called ReVuln. The company says it discovered a “zero-day exploit” that hackers could potentially use to perform malicious activities that range from stealing accounts linked through apps to using built-in webcams and microphones to spy on unsuspecting couch potatoes. Don’t panic just yet, though. In order for the exploit to be activated, a hacker needs to plug a USB drive loaded with malicious software into the actual TV to bypass the Linux-based OS/firmware on Samsung’s Smart TVs. But, if a hacker were to pull that off, every piece of data stored on a Smart TV could theoretically be retrieved.
[More from BGR: Has the iPhone peaked? Apple’s iPhone 4S seen outselling iPhone 5]
[More from BGR: Dell confirms it will exit smartphone business, drop Android]
As if the possibility of someone stealing your information and spying on you isn’t scary enough, according to ComputerWorld, “it is also possible to copy the configuration of a TV’s remote control, which would allow a hacker to copy the remote control’s settings, and remotely change the channel.”
ReVuln told The Register it hasn’t informed Samsung of the vulnerability and plans to sell the details of in hopes of “speeding up” development of a fix. A video of the exploit as proof from ReVuln follows below.

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Huge Wave of Google App Updates Hits iOS, Android

Google just brought iPhone and Android phone users a holiday gift. Google Maps has returned to the iPhone, this time in the form of its own separate app, while Google Currents -- the company's Flipboard-style online magazine app for Android -- received a substantial update as well.
Besides the two big updates, about a half-dozen other apps for Android and Google TV received bug fixes and new features, according to Android Police blogger Ryan Whitwam. Here's a look at what to expect, and where the rough edges still lay.
Google Maps is back
It was technically never there to begin with; the iPhone simply had a "Maps" app included, which used Google Maps' data. But a few months ago, Apple switched from using Google's map data to its own, which caused no end of problems as Apple's data was incorrect much more often. These problems were sometimes hilarious, but in at least one case they were dangerous, as several motorists had to be rescued after becoming stranded inside an Australian national park (where Apple's maps said the town they were trying to get to was).
Google Maps has also received a thumbs-down from the Victoria police in Australia, but is regarded as more reliable overall. It's a completely new app this time, and while it has at least one "Android-ism" according to tech expert John Gruber (an Ice Cream Sandwich-style menu button), it's reported to work well and doesn't show ads like the YouTube app does.
It does, however, keep asking you to log in to your Google account so that it can track your location data.
Google Currents has a new look and new features
The update to digital magazine app Google Currents brings its features more in line with Google Reader, the tech giant's online newsreader app which can monitor almost any website for updates. Like Google Reader, Currents can now "star" stories to put them in a separate list, can show which stories you've already read, and has a widget to put on your Android home screen. Other added features include new ways to scan editions and stories, and filter out sections you aren't interested in.
Bugfixes and updates for other Google apps
Google Earth and Google Drive received miscellaneous bugfixes "and other improvements," while Google Offers (a Groupon competitor) now features a "Greatly improved purchase experience."
The Google Search app received a slew of additions to its Siri-like Google Now feature, including new cards to help while you are out and about and new voice actions (like asking it to tell you what song is playing nearby). The Field Trip augmented reality app now uses less battery life, and lets you "save cards" and favorite places you visit, as well as report incorrect data to Google. Finally, Google TV Search and PrimeTime for Google TV both received performance and stability updates.

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Valve Confirms New Game Console on Its Way

In an interview with Kotaku's Jason Schreier at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell confirmed that a "living-room-friendly PC package," designed to "compete with next-gen consoles from companies like Microsoft and Sony," will be available for purchase starting next year.
What makes a PC a PC
Most of the machines Newell described, which he expected "companies" would "start selling" next year, would be powered by Microsoft Windows like normal PCs. However, they would be more like home theater PCs than regular computers; they would be designed to fit in the living room and plug into an HDTV, and they would use a much-simplified interface which eschews pointing and clicking in favor of using a game controller.
Getting the (Big) Picture
That interface is Steam's Big Picture mode, launched last week as a free upgrade to the Steam digital store. Gamers can click a button on the Steam window to be taken to a screen much like an Xbox 360's dashboard or PlayStation 3's XMB, where they can use a game controller to buy things from the store and play their installed games.
Games which can be played using only a controller get special branding and status in Big Picture mode. Steam held an enormous sale to promote such games when Big Picture mode launched, including titles like Sonic Generations which are also available on game consoles.
Steam-powered penguins?
Besides Big Picture mode, Valve's other big project as of late has been porting Steam to Linux, starting with the popular Ubuntu version. The Linux version of Steam, currently in beta, also supports Big Picture mode. Newell said in the interview that a working Linux version would "give Valve more flexibility when developing their own hardware," and dozens of games are already available for Linux gamers on Steam.
What will this hardware look like?
Newell's talk of "companies" making computers like this suggests a Valve-created standard, like the Intel ultrabook or like Google's requirements for Android devices, which PC manufacturers would have to adhere to. He also talked about Valve making its own hardware, which might be similar to Google's Nexus lineup of tablets and smartphones.
Besides that, these game console style PCs won't be as "malleable" as a normal computer, according to Newell. Like with today's laptops, it may be difficult or impossible to get at the internals and upgrade parts, the way dedicated PC gamers like to do with their machines.
How much will these machines cost?
Newell's statement that they will compete with "next-gen" consoles from Sony and Microsoft, which probably means the long-awaited new PlayStation and Xbox consoles expected next year, implies that they will be cost-competitive in some way. Gaming PCs typically have prices starting at $600 - $800 at the very lowest, while the PlayStation 3's $599 USD launch price made it a pariah of the game console world for years. A Steam-powered game console may have to invent its own price bracket.

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$35 Raspberry Pi computer gets its own app store

DIY developers adore the $35 Raspberry Pi and huge communities have enabled the Linux-powered computer to do cool things like emulate Super Nintendo games and run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. What’s next for the cheap computer? The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced it’s launching the “Pi Store” – an app store created in partnership with IndieCity and Velocix. Anyone will be able to download and upload their own apps to the Pi Store for consideration according to Raspberry Pi’s website. The Pi Store will have 23 free apps at launch as well as paid content. As with the success of the Raspberry Pi itself, the Pi Store’s success hinges on the community’s support.

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