The Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP alliance in Bihar won or led in 205 of 243 seats in the state assembly, securing over three-fourths of the seats. This was a significant improvement over their 2005 performance, while the RJD-LJP opposition alliance saw their seat count drop from 64 to 18 plus 10 leads.

2. BJP-JD (U) close to three fourth
majority in Bihar
 The Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP alliance on Wednesday
headed for a three-fourth majority in Bihar, bagging 175
of the 243 Assembly seats and leading in 30 others.
 Smashing opposition to smithereens, the NDA partners
improved their performance considerably compared to
the last elections in 2005, when they together won 143
seats.
 The RJD-LJP alliance steered by Lalu Prasad and Ram
Vilas Paswan ate humble pie and secured just 18 seats
and was leading in ten other places. They had 64 seats
last time.

3. SAP to pay Oracle $1.3 billion in
landmark decision
 SAP AG must pay Oracle Corp $1.3 billion for software theft, a
jury decided, awarding damages that could be the largest-ever
for copyright infringement.
 The decision, by a US district court jury in Oakland California,
drew a gasp from the courtroom and prompted hugs and
handshakes among Oracle's legal team, which has pursued
their case for years.
 Oracle's shares rose 1.5 percent in after-hours trade, while
those of SAP slipped 1.4 percent.
 Attorneys for Oracle called the verdict the largest ever for a
copyright infringement case.

4. US stocks slip amid Korea, Ireland
concerns
 US stocks fell Tuesday as traders fretted over a spike in
tensions in the Korean peninsula and turmoil in Ireland after its
bailout plan.
 Geopolitics have thrown the market for a loop this morning,
courtesy of a provocative action by North Korea.
 The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 43.37
points (0.39 percent) to 11,35.21 in opening trades. The S&P
500 index, a broader measure of the market, lost 8.81 points
(0.83 percent) to 1,187.87.
 The Commerce Department had previously reported that gross
domestic product rose 2.0 percent in the quarter.

5. News Corp to acquire 90% in
Wireless Generation for $360bn
 Media giant News Corporation will acquire 90 per cent stake
in Brooklyn-based Wireless Generation, a privately-held
education technology company for about $360 million in an
all-cash deal.
 News Corporation has signed a definitive agreement towards
the 90 per cent stake acquisition in Wireless Generation,
while the remaining 10 per cent stake in the company would
be collectively retained by its founder and CEO Larry Berger,
President and COO Josh Reibel and Executive Vice-
President and Chief Product Officer Laurence Holt.
 Pursuant to the completion of the transaction, Wireless
Generation would become a subsidiary of News Corporation
and would be managed by Berger, Reibel, and Holt.

6. Future Group to double
Pantaloon stores in 3-4 yrs
 Future Group will double the number of its flagship multi-brand
'Pantaloon' stores in the next three to four years, as it embarks on
an image makeover for the apparel and accessories chain to
target youngsters.
 Group company Pantaloon Retail India, which opened its 50th
store spread across 31,109 sq ft here, plans to add another 50
Pantaloon stores across metros and smaller cities.
 Pantaloon Retail India had posted a turnover of Rs 2,581.42 crore
in the quarter ended September, as compared to Rs 1,954.21
crore last year. Its net profit stood at Rs 42.76 crore, as against Rs
26.33 crore the year-ago period.