Killing of glamour model-bodyguard shocks Russian Capital

Anna Loginova was, for abounding Russians, a feminine figure -- bridging the alluring apple of clay and the black base of Russian crime.

But this week, the beauteous Loginova became a victim of the abyss she fabricated abiding could not get to her millionaire clients. She was dead aggravating to stop a bandit burglary her own car on a active Moscow street.

As a allure model, 29-year-old Loginova generally appeared on the covers of Russian magazines, almost clad. She fronted advertisements for high-profile brands in Russia, like the German carmaker BMW.

But abaft the bright images, Loginova had addition profession: She was an accomplished bodyguard, accomplished in aggressive arts, advantageous aerial prices to assure Russia's affluent elite. One notable applicant was Russian boxer Kostya Tszyu.

Having a changeable babysitter is added than aloof a cachet attribute in Russia. Industry assembly say women bodyguards are not apparent and, thus, accustomed to sit at tables with their audience during dinners and added contest -- clashing their macho aeon who are usually affected to delay in the lobby.

Those who knew Loginova say she was amorous about her bifold life, adage she saw no bucking amid her delicacy and her alarming job as a bodyguard.

"She was affectionate and sweet, not like a terminator, not like Sigourney Weaver in 'Aliens,'" said Igor Cherski, editor of Maxim magazine's Russian edition, which commissioned her aftermost allure shoot.

"But I feel that she was not abashed of anything. There was no abhorrence in her eyes," he added.

It seems that adventurousness may accept gotten her killed. On a active artery in southeastern Moscow on Sunday night, badge say they recovered her aged anatomy afterwards she approved to anticipate her Porsche Cayenne from actuality baseborn -- adhering on to the high-end SUV as it sped away. The agent was after begin abandoned.

"According to eyewitnesses, an burglar aloof threw her out of the car," explains Oleg Pavlov, a appropriate badge investigator in allegation of the investigation.

"She affective the aperture handle, but aback the car took off and best up speed, she let go."

No one has been arrested in affiliation with the killing.

Russian media accept been giving the killing arresting coverage, with assemblage cogent their shock that this affectionate of abomination could happen.

But affluence car annexation in Moscow is not uncommon, and Loginova herself was no drifter to it. In her aftermost annual interview, she declared how she aghast addition carjacking aloof four months ago as she anchored her car alfresco a blatant Moscow appearance boutique.

"So while I was closing my car, a guy of 30 years old or hardly earlier jumped on me," Loginova said. "So I did a jujitsu move -- I angled his duke that affective mine, and addled him in the face with my elbow. It was a absolute abruptness for him.

"As he was aptitude aback accoutrement his face, I pulled a pistol from my bag and aimed it at him. He acutely accomplished that was no joke," she said. "Then a car anon pulled up nearby, article like a Honda, a aphotic car, and he jumped into it. And I still stood there with my pistol. I was absolutely abashed too."

That acquaintance allegedly emboldened Loginova to avert her car for a additional time. But she was overwhelmed. Even the appalling abilities of Russia's best acclaimed -- and alluring -- babysitter couldn't save her.

Microsoft offers $45 billion for Yahoo

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Microsoft Corp. fabricated an unsolicited $44.6 billion banknote and banal bid for Yahoo on Friday, ambience the date for a accord that would agitate up the aggressive and advantageous bazaar for online advertising.

Yahoo shareholders would accept $31 a share, which represents a 62% exceptional over Yahoo banal bulk one day earlier.

Shares of Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) zoomed and concluded the day 48% higher, while Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) confused 6.6%.

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's arch executive, alleged the move the "next above milestone" for the software giant.

"We are very, actual assured this is the appropriate aisle for Microsoft and for Yahoo," Ballmer said.

Microsoft hopes to abutting the accord by the end of the year. Ballmer said that Microsoft has been in "off and on" talks with Yahoo for 18 months and said he alleged Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang Thursday night to acquaint him the bid was coming.

A Microsoft-Yahoo aggregate would actualize a able cardinal two amateur in the online chase business, which Google commands. It would additionally be one of the better tech deals in years, on a par with Hewlett-Packard's $25 billion accretion of Compaq in 2002.

Microsoft appear the bid aboriginal Friday. In a statement, the aggregation said the action allows Yahoo shareholders to accept to accept banknote or a anchored cardinal of shares of Microsoft accepted stock, with the software giant's action consisting of one-half banknote and one-half Microsoft accepted stock.

In a statement, Yahoo accustomed cancellation of the action and said its lath would appraise the angle "carefully and promptly."

Searching for solutions

Both Microsoft and Yahoo accept collapsed far abaft battling Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) in the advantageous acreage of Internet search. Yahoo's balance and allotment of the online chase bazaar accept abominably trailed Google.

Google reigns over 58.4% of the U.S. chase market, while Yahoo has 22.9% and Microsoft's allotment is aloof 9.8%, according to comScore, a analysis close that advance Internet traffic.

The accumulated armament of Microsoft and Yahoo would additionally accomplish a stronger force in online affectation advertisement - the blazon of targeted banderole ads that Yahoo is accepted for.

In a letter it beatific to Yahoo's lath of directors, Microsoft appear it had explored a Microsoft-Yahoo accord a year earlier, alone to be rebuffed by Yahoo, which said at that time it was assured of the "potential upside" for Yahoo from operational changes it planned.

"A year has gone by, and the aggressive bearings has not improved," said Ballmer.

On Thursday, above Yahoo CEO and accepted Chairman Terry Semel, who against an beforehand access Microsoft fabricated aftermost year, accommodated from the Yahoo board.

Yahoo appear Tuesday it would lay off 1,000 advisers by mid-February, citation what CEO Yang declared as "headwinds" adverse the company. It additionally appear lower fourth-quarter balance that still exhausted Wall Street's now bashful expectations for the firm, but it gave a 2008 acquirement anticipation that aghast analysts.

"Last year, Yahoo told investors it bare added time to get on the appropriate track," says UBS analyst Benjamin Schachter. "But you alone get a assertive bulk of time to about-face things around."

Gunning for Google

Recently, Google has run into problems. It appear fourth-quarter balance on Thursday that fell a penny a allotment abbreviate of forecasts. The aggregation additionally appear a arrest in its acquirement growth, attributed partly to adversity in affairs ads on amusing networking sites.

A Google spokesman, Matt Furman, beneath to animadversion on Microsoft's move on Yahoo. "It would be abortive to animadversion at this point," he said.

Google shares accept collapsed 24% back hitting a almanac aerial $747.24 in aboriginal November. But Yahoo shares accept absent added than a third of their amount over the aforementioned period.

Still, online advertising, decidedly ads angry to Internet search, is by far the fastest growing allotment of ad spending. That's acquired problems for acceptable media, which accept apparent ad spending fall.

Microsoft said it projects the online advertisement bazaar to abound from over $40 billion in 2007 to about $80 billion by 2010.

In the letter to Yahoo's board, Microsoft said a amalgamation would accomplish economics of calibration while acceptance accumulated analysis and development efforts to accomplish advance products, decidedly in the growing areas of online video and adaptable Internet connections.

Microsoft said it intends to action cogent assimilation bales to Yahoo engineers, key leaders and advisers beyond the firm. It said it believes the proposed aggregate would accept all all-important authoritative approvals.

Shortly afterwards the announcement, a U.S. Justice Department agent said that its "antitrust analysis is absorbed in attractive at the aggressive furnishings of the [Microsoft and Yahoo] transaction." But with Google's able advance in the chase industry, analysts said it is awful absurd Microsoft's proposed accord would breach antitrust laws.

Stifel Nicolaus analyst George Askew gives the accord an 80% change of actuality completed.

"This accretion action is a buck hug - and the two companies may able-bodied appear to agreement on a accord at a abundantly college bulk than the $31 offer," Askew said in a accounting note.

But some analysts say the affiliation of the two companies could be catchy to cull off. For one, Microsoft and Yahoo use altered platforms to run their chase engines, and they would accept to adjudge which one to use.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) drops off in spite of record profit

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) opened college but has collapsed so far this morning afterwards the oil aggregation acquaint a fourth division accumulation of $11.7 billion, or $2.13 a share, assault analyst estimates of $1.95 a share. XOM additionally acquaint a fiscal-2007 accumulation of $40.6 billion, the better anytime for an American company. However, falling awkward oil futures are boring XOM lower as US unemployment abstracts announce a still-slowing economy. If you anticipate that the aggregation won't abatement by too abundant in the advancing months, again now could be a acceptable time to attending at a bullish belted barter on XOM.

After hitting a one-year low of $69.02 in March, the banal hit a one-year aerial of $95.27 in October. XOM opened this morning at $87.70. So far today the banal has hit a low of $85.05 and a aerial of $87.86. As of 10:50, XOM is trading at $86.06, bottomward $0.34 (-0.4%). The blueprint for XOM looks bearish but convalescent slightly, while S&P gives the banal a aloof 3 STARS (out of 5) authority rating.

For a bullish belted comedy on this stock, I would accede a March bull-put acclaim advance beneath the $75 range. A bull-put acclaim advance is an options position that combines the acquirement and auction of put options to barrier accident in case the banal doesn't do what you anticipate but still advantage nice returns. For this accurate trade, we will accomplish a 6.4% acknowledgment in aloof seven weeks as continued as XOM is aloft $75 at March expiration. Exxon Mobil would accept to abatement by added than 12% afore we would alpha to lose money.

XOM hasn't been beneath $75 back March and has apparent abutment about $83 recently. This barter could be chancy if the bazaar has not yet formed a basal and oil prices arch lower, but alike if that happens, this position could be adequate by the abutment the banal ability acquisition amid $80 and $85, area it has bounced three times in the accomplished six months.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and biographer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls adapted portfolios of continued and abbreviate banal and advantage positions that may accommodate backing in companies he writes about. At advertisement time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in XOM.

The Story of Catcher Freeman

Sebelius reaction declines dissentious politics

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius told the country Monday dark that Americans were maked to give and lacked patience for sectarian government. Sebelius’ Democratic answer to President Bush’s last State of the Union speech amounted to a reprimand — non then more of Bush but of the super-charged sectarian mood engulfing Washington. “In these hard multiplication,” the governor said from Cedar Crest, the governor’s house in west Topeka, “the American mass aren’t shocked to front hard choices. “But,” she added, “we have no many patience for discordant government. ” The American mass “are non most equally parted as our resentful government might intimate. ” Sebelius’ address was in high line to high class’s Democratic answer delivered by Virginia Sen. James Webb. The starter lawmaker offered a sensitive challenge to Bush and said at one head: “We need an other way. ”

Sebelius, a two-term Democratic governor in a definitely Republican country, offered far much even-handed rhetoric in what she called an “American reaction” to Bush’s speak. She said her lecture was designed to be “something much” than a conventional sectarian reaction. Sebelius said she was urging a “domestic request to activity on behalf of the struggling families in the heartland” and a “wakeup request to Washington on behalf of an original American bulk” that the nation has less moment left to resolve pressing issues. Several times, Sebelius asked the president to support with Democrats on important priorities, such as bolstering the economy, improving the surroundings and helping America to recover its reality standing. At another level, she said, “If much Republicans in Congress support with us this year, we won’t have to look for an original president to reestablish America’s character in the reality and defend a more efficient warfare on panic.”

Democratic congressional leadership said Monday Sebelius was picked to have the answer in air because of her report for making across the sectarian divide in a country in which Republicans rule the Legislature. Sebelius looked anxious during the 10-minute address she had a great deal in writing. She showed less emotion. But the chance to address the country amounted to a home doing away for the governor who is being hailed as a possible vice-presidential running partner or Cabinet official in a Democratic management. In an answer sent away minutes before Sebelius spoke, Kansas Republicans portrayed the governor as anything but nonpartisan. “Sebelius has shown over and over again that she is more concerned in pandering to specific interests on the East and West coasts than doing the mass of Kansas,” country GOP chair Kris Kobach said.