Putin Wins Russian Election, Amid Rigging Accusations – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin claimed victory in a presidential election that his opponents say was marred by fraud, accusing protesters against his rule of seeking to usurp power. [bloomberg]

China Ups Defense Spending By 11% For 2012 – China said Sunday that it would boost its defense spending by 11.2 percent in 2012, the latest in a nearly two-decade string of double-digit increases. China’s military leaders have said they are unhappy with recent moves by the Obama administration to increase the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Mmm – fun! [time]

D-Day For Bheki Cele – The board appointed by President Jacob Zuma to evaluate allegations against suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele commences its work on Monday. [mail&guardian]

ANCYL Sunday Meeting Plans Attacks On Rivals – What was meant to be a meeting to discuss Malema’s expulsion from the party last week, and to decide what to do next, turned nasty when dirt on Mabe and tactics to embarrass other politicians, including President Jacob Zuma, were raised. [timeslive]

Trevor Noah’s Hell At Home – Trevor Noah’s stepfather made his family’s life a living nightmare, shooting his mother and threatening to kill him. The comedian was forced to turn his back on his mother, whose suffering he could no longer bear to witness. [channel24]

Hackers Sezied Control Of NASA Computers – Hackers targeting sensitive NASA computers have gained access to employee credentials and taken control of systems at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among other things, a federal report says. [cnn]

Zynga Breaks Away From Facebook – The American company behind social games like FarmVille and CityVille is setting up its own gaming service. It means people will be able to play on a platform outside Facebook, Google+ and Myspace. Zynga makes its money through advertising and from the sale of virtual items such as tools paid for with real cash. [bbc]

Kirk Cameron Says Homosexuality Is Unnatural And Destructive – Kirk Cameron fears homosexuality will destroy the world. The one-time sitcom star who went from atheism to conservative Christian during the 1980s slammed gay marriage as “destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization” and called homosexuals “detrimental” to society during an interview Friday. [nydailynews]

German Court Throws Out Apple / Samsung Cases – A German court has thrown out two patent cases between Apple and Samsung, one concerning 3G technology, and the other over Apple’s “slide-to-unlock” patent. The court’s ruling to dismiss the cases comes after a similar “slide-to-unlock” case against Motorola saw Apple win an injunction against the company’s smartphones. [zanet]

Friday’s Lotto Draw Has R250 Million Winner – A British ticket-holder has scooped £22.1m in Friday’s Euromillions draw, making them the fourth UK winner this year. The £22,198,232.50 prize is the 16th largest ever, making the winner as rich as tennis star Andy Murray. But tickets online here and click skynews for full story. [skynews]

World’s First Privately Owned Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Has Been Delivered – The 747-8, a ‘stretched’ version of the classic jumbo jet, normally seats 467 passengers across its two decks, but the delivery made this week is likely to carry considerably fewer. [luxuo]

Lady Gaga First To Get 20 Million Followers – Lady Gaga has become the first person to attract 20 million followers on Twitter, blasting through that landmark number on Saturday. Gaga topped fellow pop icon Britney Spears in August of 2010 to become the most-followed person on Twitter. Currently, Spears has 13.5 million Twitter followers — roughly 6.5 million less than Gaga. [mashable]

Yelp Enjoys 64% IPO Surge – Yelp Inc. got a glowing review from the stock market as shares of the popular ratings website surged in the company’s initial public offering. The stock jumped 64% in its first day of trading Friday, a reflection of investor enthusiasm for social media ahead of what is expected to be Facebook Inc.’s mammoth IPO later this year. [latimes]

Rory McIlroy Takes World #1 Spot – Britain’s 22-year-old Rory McIlroy held off a spectacular final round charge from Tiger Woods to win the Honda Classic on Sunday and take over as golf’s new world No 1. [supersport]

Star Wars Designer Dead At 82 – Ralph McQuarrie, the cinematic designer known for the famous “Star Wars” characters such as Darth Vader, Chewbacca and R2-D2, has died at age 82. McQuarrie, who died Saturday, collaborated with George Lucas on the original “Star Wars” trilogy in the 1970s and with Steven Spielberg on films including “E.T,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” [afp]

Pippa Middleton Hits The Slopes [Photos] – Perks of not being a princess? You get to strap on a pair of skis and go whooshing down a mountain, while your royal sister must be contented with shaking hands and sipping tea. [huffingtonpost]

Federer Cleans Murray In Dubai Final – Roger Federer swatted aside Andy Murray 7-5 6-4 to win the Dubai Championships on Saturday, the Swiss maestro’s 72nd tour title, as he abandoned the baseline to dominate from the net. [reuters]

Stormers Take Sharks – The Stormers made it two wins out of two in Super 15 rugby after their second-half fightback trumped the Sharks 15-12 in an attritional derby on Saturday. An error-strewn game that never built any real momentum included seven missed penalties – four of them by Stormers fullback Joe Pietersen – before flyhalf Peter Grant came off the bench to convert the decisive kick at the end. [sportsillustrated]