Samsung offering refunds for PCs affected by Sandy Bridge glitch, NEC looking at delays

Finally, we have received full details on this issue that Intel chips Sandy Bridge this morning and we are listening to what seems to be the first meeting confirmed. Samsung I did indicate that they will refund on the affected computer to provide and, while it does not mean that the exact models that will be affected, and give the number: six models sold in South Korea and one available in the United States come eligible for return or refund, at a distance of about 3,000 total machines. National Electoral Commission, at the same time, only went all-in Lenovo, and suggest that perhaps the release of four separate models to beat. Obviously, keep the updates coming as we have more details.

Pakistani teen breaks O Level world record

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani school boy has smashed a world record by getting 23 A grades in his O Levels, taking inspiration from the controversial father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb who is hailed a national hero.

Ibrahim Shahid, 17, the son of a university professor of electrical engineering and educated at the private Beacon House School in Islamabad, set the record last month by achieving 23 As in 24 subjects in the Cambridge exam.

“It’s a recognition for my country. This has never been done at O Level,” he told AFP, dutifully thanking his parents and teachers.

“My teacher in Australia told my father ‘Mr Shahid your son is an average student and he never can excel,’ and then I decided to prove myself,” he said in reference to two years he spent in Australia at primary school.

Shahid has yet to decide what to study at university, but said he is drawn to physics and economics, wanting to do something to help his homeland, teetering on the edge of economic meltdown and beset by poverty.

“I want to do something for my country – something unique,” he said. He confessed to being “worried” about Pakistan, which suffers a critical “brain drain” of talent to the West.

Blinding snow hits Plains, Midwest

(CNN) -- A historic winter storm whipped across the central Plains and Midwest early Tuesday, creating near whiteout conditions.

"Do not travel! Stay inside!" the National Weather Service warned. "Strong winds and blinding snow will make travel nearly impossible. This is a life threatening storm."

People seemed to be mostly heeding the call, if the view outside Deborah Garner's window at Pauls Valley Travel Center in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, was any indication. Although the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported several stranded motorists in the area, traffic was exceedingly light.

"We're dead. "I-35 is not busy at all. If I didn't have to work, I'd be at home," said Garner, the truck stop's manager who got stuck a couple of times during a 30-minute commute to work that took three times as long as it normally does.

"The wind is blowing and it's hard to see," she said.

That's precisely what the National Weather Service had forecast -- blizzard conditions across portions of eight states, from Oklahoma to Michigan. Winds gusting to 40 mph are expected.

Oklahoma was under a state of emergency and Missouri mobilized 600 National Guard troops to help cope with the storm.

Update Facebook for free at 30,000 feet

(CNN) -- Juicy -- or mundane -- Facebook status updates won't have to wait until touchdown for air travelers during the month of February.

Seven carriers -- AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America -- are giving free access to the social networking site over their inflight Wi-Fi service.

"Facebook continues to be the number one website visited by travelers using Gogo at 30,000 feet," said Jim Berrien, the chief revenue officer at Aircell. "Our commitment is to offer great inflight experiences to our users, and unique marketing opportunities to advertisers."

Gogo Inflight Internet is owned by Aircell.

Internet access will be free while travelers are on Facebook, but they'll have pay to go elsewhere on the Web. The rates vary by plan and airline.

The free Wi-Fi is being paid for by Ford. The automaker is using the promotion to roll out the 2011 version of its Explorer SUV.

SPCA investigates slaughter of 100 Whistler sled dogs

The “execution-style” mass cull of 100 sled dogs owned by Whistler-based Outdoor Adventures has sparked an SPCA investigation into allegations of animal cruelty, outrage from animal welfare groups and suspension by Tourism Whistler of reservations for dog sledding excursions by the company.

The cull came to light because of a successful WorkSafeBC claim for post-traumatic stress by the employee who killed the dogs over two days last April.

The worker said he suffered panic attacks and nightmares because of the grisly scenes that unfolded as he carried out the company’s orders to kill 100 of its 300 dogs because of a slow winter season.

Many were killed in mass shootings, carried out in front of each other, that caused the dogs to panic and attack him.

“By the end he was covered in blood,” according to the review board’s Jan. 25 decision that found he did suffer post-traumatic stress. “When he finished he cleared up the mess, filled in the mass grave and tried to bury the memories as deeply as he could.”

Five days after the final culling, he sought treatment from a clinical counsellor who indicated he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The animal cruelty investigation came to light after WorkSafeBC’s Jan. 25 decision was made public.

My Experience With Egypt's Central Security Forces

Since Tuesday evening's escalating protests in Egypt, my friends have been contacting me about my Facebook video and photo re-postings of the demonstrations. They are confused about what is happening and why. After all, for many of them Egypt is a tourist friendly destination offering the best of its ancient past wrapped in five-star luxury. Yet, the situation in Egypt has always been complex and the depth of the Egyptian people's anger at its government is difficult to convey in simple a Facebook post. The fundamental problem is decades of life without personal freedoms; the lack of freedom of speech, assembly, association, press, and religion. The government enforced that through menacing totalitarianism.

Yet while it was not anticipated as to how it would happen, Egyptians were waiting for change. What began on Tuesday as non-violent protests by Egyptian citizens calling for President Hosni Mubarak to "Leave!" has quickly escalated into violence. Although not always obvious to my American friends, Hosni Mubarak has ruled Egypt with an iron hand for 30 years and public frustration has been mounting. Tuesday's initial protest movement was called "Yom AlGhadab," -- translated roughly as the "Day of Anger." It is now being called "The Rage", perhaps a better translation. The Facebook icon that is being used by many supporters states "Irhal!" -- "Go!" In response, the Egyptian government has sent in the well armed Central Security Forces, a national police force, to quell the demonstrations. Initially showing some restraint, the Security Forces in recent days have brutally cracked down on the demonstrators who, aside from rocks, are unarmed. Egypt's 30 year martial law limits all personal freedoms and Egyptians have never had the right to bear arms. The support for the protests from expatriate Egyptians and other Arabs is enormous and there is a fervor on the "Net" as Egyptians call it. Recognizing the power of the "Twitter" revolution, the government has blocked the country's Internet and mobile communications.

Suez Is Tense

Just back from Suez where we met the director of the main hospital, who confirmed 17 dead so far. On Friday 12 dead, killed by gunfire, and 104 injured, three dead on Thursday and 2 more gunshot victims on Saturday. This is the largest medical facility in Suez City, one of two big public hospitals.

The atmosphere in Suez is tense; the big complaint is the absence of security. There is a lot of rubble in the streets from stone-throwing, street battles etc. The army is out in force; tanks are stationed on the streets and the area around the main government buildings is completely blocked off. A major police station that on Thursday was surrounded by security and said to be holding many detainees picked up at protests was torched and is now gutted.

Police and government officials have pulled out so there are no government services - the governor's been gone since Tuesday so there's a power vacuum. People formed impromptu block committees to provide local security, armed (they say) with only sticks and kitchen knives. The locals say the only people with weapons are police who've taken off their uniforms and are responsible for most of the looting and crime.

Mahmoud Kabil, Influential Egyptian, Speaks About Protests (Q&A)

The Huffington Post had the opportunity Saturday night to speak via Skype with Mahmoud Kabil, an award-winning Egyptian actor, former officer in the Egyptian military and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa.

Kabil, 64, was born in Cairo and lived in the United States from 1981 to 1993 before returning to Egypt. His father, Dr. Ibrahim Kabil, was the Minister of Finance for the Saadist Party in Alexandria.

A transcription of the Q&A interview can be found below.

Q: Hello, I'm interested in hearing your perspective on what's happening on the ground there? Where are you located?

A: I'm located north of Cairo. Things are calm now. They have a curfew. I'm sure you know that.

In general, it started last Tuesday. It was a very healthy environment, people demonstrating -- especially youth -- about political demands, freedom, democracy and all that and on that day nothing happened, it was very civilized.

Things turned sour yesterday night because the army started taking over and then the police disappeared. We know very well that the army isn't trained to work on cities or to police cities and we had sort of vacuum and the police are non-existent since Friday at 6 p.m., so you can imagine we have a lot of neighborhoods without anyone to protect them.

Why Egypt Matters: The Implications Of The Protests

As the protests continue in Egypt after President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to step down, the international media is increasingly focused on the Egyptian unrest. Why is the story gaining traction? There are a number of factors that make Egypt's unrest important, in both that country, the Middle East, and the world. Below, see the top reasons why Egypt should matter to you.

Egypt has been a key ally for the U.S. in the region since the 1970's, and is currently the second highest recipient of U.S. foreign aid (after Israel). The Obama administration -- from Joe Biden, who refused to call Mubarak a dictator, to Obama himself, who emphasized Egypt's role as an ally -- has been loathe to fully distance itself from Mubarak, and finds itself in a difficult position,

What's Going On In Egypt?

After days of protest, Egypt's civil unrest came to a head today, with protestors defying curfews as the nation's military entered the streets. If you're new to the story, here's what's going on.

Protests started on Tuesday, January 25, when -- inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia -- thousands of people began taking to the streets to protest poverty, rampant unemployment, government corruption and autocratic governance of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for thirty years. These were the first protests on such a large scale to be seen in Egypt since the 1970s. The government responded by blocking Twitter, which was being used by organizers to coordinate protests.

FERNANDO TORRES: CHELSEA'S NUMBER NINE

Fernando Torres will wear the Chelsea number 9 shirt.

The forward, 26, completed his move from Liverpool yesterday and will occupy the previously vacant jersey.

The Spanish World and European champion also wore the shirt at Liverpool, in the World Cup in South Africa and at his previous club Atletico Madrid.

He follows in the footsteps of former Chelsea forwards Kerry Dixon, Roy Bentley, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Peter Osgood.

Chelsea kit man Mick Roberts is pictured printing Torres's first Chelsea shirt. You can order yours Online now

Jordan king appoints new prime minister

Close U.S. ally Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday asked his former ex-military adviser Marouf Bakhit to form a new cabinet, an official said.

The official said the monarch officially accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai, a wealthy politician and former court adviser, and asked Bakhit to form a new government.

ICC Cricket World Cup Logo Evolution: 1992 – 2011!

Cricket, also known as “The Gentlemen’s game” was first played in the 16th century in England. The World Cup format was introduced in 1975. Since then, nine World Cups have taken place all over the world and the tenth is in the making this year. But the process of having an official logo design for World Cups started in 1992. The 2011 Cricket World Cup will be hosted jointly by India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh from 19th February – 2nd April 2011.

The official logo for the tenth edition of this tournament was revealed in July 2009 in Mumbai. Designed by Australian design firm Witekite, the logo accurately portrays the culture of the hosting teams. The shape of a colorful cricket balls is designed to represent color, activity and passion that the people in the sub-continent have for the game of cricket.

Pakistan court blocks handing over of U.S. "diplomat"

(Reuters) - A Pakistani court on Tuesday barred the government from handing over a U.S. diplomat arrested for killing two Pakistanis to the United States, in a case that could create new strains between the allies.

The United States has called for the immediate release of the American, identified by Pakistani police as Raymond Davis.

He told a court that he had acted in self-defense after fleeing what he said was a robbery attempt in the eastern city of Lahore last week.

Pakistan is a crucial ally for the United States in its efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. But the Islamabad government has to act cautiously because anti-American sentiments run high in the Muslim nation.

Acting on a petition by a lawyer requesting that the government be stopped from turning him over to the United States, the Lahore High Court ruled that Davis could not be moved out of Pakistan while his case was pending in court.

"The high court has said Raymond Davis should neither be handed over to any country nor be moved out of the jurisdiction of this court," the lawyer, Iqbal Jaffery, told Reuters.

A court official confirmed the decision.

Jaffery said the court also ruled that it was its prerogative to decide whether Davis enjoyed diplomatic immunity or not.

Helen Zille: South Africa's vigorous voice of opposition

(CNN) -- Tough and charismatic, South African opposition leader Helen Zille is one the country's most powerful women.

Since she was elected leader of the Democratic Alliance in 2007, Zille has been concentrating her efforts on broadening the appeal of her party.

In order to challenge a longstanding political powerhouse such as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) -- which took about 66% of the vote in the last general election in 2009 -- Zille wants to move her party away from just being seen as the political home of South Africa's white liberals.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), which has a strong support base among white people and South Africans of mixed race, won 16% of the national vote two years ago.