Google’s mobile platform Android has overtaken Symbian to become the top smartphone platform in Q4 2010, research firm Canalys reports.

Global sales of Android phones in the fourth quarter of 2010 was 33.3 million, compared to Symbian’s 31 million. Apple is in third place with 16.2 million iOS-based smartphones shipped, followed by RIM with 14.6 million and Microsoft with 3.1 million devices shipped.

Overall, the global smartphone market grew 89% compared to Q4 2009, exceeding 100 million units for the first time in the final quarter of 2010.

Android has been embraced by manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, all of them experiencing great results with devices based on that platform.

The change at the top was expected as Nokia recently reported comparably weak smartphone sales, a result of the company’s struggles to transform its Symbian platform into a worthy competitor to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday stressed upon the need for the United States’ support to Pakistan in pleading its case for assistance and market access before the international community.

“We need preferential market access to support our economy from the dire impacts of ongoing struggle against militancy, on one hand, and to rehabilitate and reconstruct damaged infrastructure due to devastating floods, on the other,” he added.

The President expressed these views in a meeting with a US congressional delegation, which called on him here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Monday.

The delegation included Representatives Darell El Issa, Todd R. Platts, Jason Chaffetz, Stephen F. Lynch, Brian M. Higgins and Raul L. Labrador.

Stephen Engelken, Charge d’ Affairs, Thomas A. Alexander, Senior Counsel (Majority) Committee on Oversight, Adam Pl. Fromm, Counsel (Majority) Director of Member Services and Scott Lindsay, Counsel (Majority) Committee on Oversight were also present.

Pakistan side included Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Minister, M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Chairman National Commission for Government Reforms, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Senator Syeda Sughra Imam, Ms. Farahnaz Ispahani and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar besides Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and other senior officials.

Briefing media Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that matters relating to Pak-US bilateral relations, mutual cooperation, fight against militancy, Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) and security situation in the region among other related issues were discussed during the meeting.

Babar said that the President highlighted economic situation of the country during the meeting and focused upon the need for US support to Pakistan in pleading its case for assistance and market access before the international community.

“Ours is a war ravaged and flood stricken economy, and our people need priority attention and assistance to overcome financial difficulties,” Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying.

“Our priority is trade not aid”, the President emphasized.
The President urged the visiting delegation to use their influence to secure market access and trade for the country.

Discussing Pakistan-US relations, the President said that a long-term and stable equation marked by close collaboration and multidimensional cooperation between the two countries guarantees not only development of the country but also peace and stability of the region.

He expressed satisfaction on the progress being made through the channel of Pak-US strategic dialogue on various sectoral levels.

The members of congressional delegation appreciated the country’s struggle against militancy and assured US continued support in this regard to the people and the Government of Pakistan.

The President reiterated his call for expediting passage of ROZs (Reconstruction Opportunity Zones) legislation to create economic opportunities for the people who are worst hit due to scourge of militancy.

Discussing regional situation, the President reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance that it has an abiding interest in a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan and it firmly believes in neutrality and non-interference in internal affairs of the country.

Pakistan, the President said, would continue to support all efforts for promoting sustainable peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.

He said “we firmly believe that political approach seconded by economic development was equally important for bringing stability to the war tarnished country”.

He said that Pakistan would support all efforts for the capacity building of the institutions in Afghanistan.

The Congressmen also raised the matter of Mr. Raymond Davis, involved in the killing of Pakistani nationals in Lahore, with the President.

The President said that he appreciated their concern but the matter was already before the courts. It would be prudent to wait for the legal course to be completed, he said.

The delegation assured the President said that US administration would continue to provide all possible help to the Government in overcoming its difficulties.

FRANKFURT: German retail sales slipped by 0.3 percent in December from the previous month, figures released on Monday by the national statistics service showed, but gained by 1.2 percent for 2010 as a whole.

The provisional monthly drop at the end of the year was much better than a slump of 1.9 percent recorded in November, the Destatis office figures showed.

Germany, which has the biggest European economy, has traditionally relied on exports for growth, but lower unemployment and stronger wages have helped boost consumption and economists forecast it will help underpin activity this year.

Inflation has picked up meanwhile, reaching a two-year high of 1.9 percent in January according to Destatis data, but the government still expects growth of 2.3 percent this year, following a record post-reunification rate of 3.6 percent in 2010.

LONDON: Facebook, which was first blamed for encouraging illicit encounters, is being increasingly cited as an evidence while seeking divorce.

Family lawyers have revealed that the problem has become so great that almost every divorce they have dealt with in the past year has involved the website.

One expert said she had dealt with 30 cases in the last nine months and Facebook had been implicated in them all.

Whilst another online law company said one in five of their divorce petitions in the past year contain references to Facebook.

Emma Patel, the head of family law at Hart Scales & Hodges Solicitors, said the site acted like a “virtual third party” in splits.

“Facebook is being blamed for an increasing number of marital breakdowns, and it is quite remarkable that all the petitions that I have seen here since May have cited Facebook one way or another,” she said.

“Its huge popularity as well as the lure of sites like Second Life, Illicit Encounters and Friends Reunited are tempting couples to cheat on each other.

“Suspicious spouses have used these to spy and find evidence of flirting and even affairs, which have then led to break-ups.”

She said that many of divorces came after partners found “flirty messages” on the Facebook wall of their partner – and also “inappropriate suggestive chats” which spouse’s can see.

The lawyer said that she urged all clients to “stay off” Facebook during divorce proceedings – as it could throw a spanner in the works of it going smoothly – especially if they post photos of new lovers.

She said: “They feel compelled to share their feelings online, and, in some cases, they not only express their stress, but also make inflammatory accusations against their partner.

“Divorce is a highly-charged and emotional time, but it is vital not to turn the situation into a public slagging match, played out for everyone to see online.

“The situation has deteriorated so badly that we advise feuding couples to avoid these sites until their divorces are settled.”

The family law specialist based in Dorking, Surrey, said that one divorcing couple’s rows on Facebook got so bad one party was charged with malicious communication after the police got involved.

James Wrigley, 34, of Hackney, east London, said: “My girlfriend left me after finding out I had been sending Facebook messages to a girl at work.

“She got my password and read the messages and that was the end of that – four years together down the drain, but at least we hadn’t got married.”

Other examples include Marianna Gini, 32, a housing support worker and mother-of-one who was married for six years before she found out through Facebook that her husband Robert, 34, was having an affair.

Sarah Picket, 36, a housewife from Oldham and mother-of-three was married to taxi driver Chris, also 36, for eight years, until her Facebook flirtations led to their split.

She did not have an affair but her husband found flirtatious messages and the relationship ended in acrimony and jealousy.

In 2009, a 28-year- old woman, from Newquay in Cornwall, ended her marriage after discovering her husband had been having a virtual affair in cyberspace with someone he had never met.

Amy Taylor split from David Pollard after discovering he was sleeping with an escort in the game Second Life, a virtual world where players reinvent themselves.

Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of Tony Blair, ended up causing problems in her relationship when in a fit of pique she changed the status on her Facebook profile from married to single.

Miss Booth, who is half-sister of Cherie Blair, said it was a rash decision which she changed back but not before it upset her husband.

A spokesman for Facebook said it was “tosh” that Facebook could ruin a relationship.

“It is like blaming your mobile phone or your emails,” he said.

“Does being on Facebook force you to do something – absolutely not I would say.”

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Saturday called for immediate release of the US citizen Raymond Davis, allegedly involved in killing of two local citizens in Lahore, saying he was being nlawfully detained by authorities, according to US embassy in Islamabad. “When detained, the US diplomat identified himself to police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” it said in a statement. It added, “Local police and senior authorities failed to observe their legal obligation to verify his status with either the US consulate general in Lahore or the US embassy in Islamabad”.