International Karachi, Sunday, October 31, 2010, Zul-Qa’dah 22, Price Rs12 Pages 8
US has stake in Asia security, says Clinton
CJP summons Judicial Commission session Nisar says political change around corner
See on Page 8
Pak, India agree to tone down border rhetoric
See on Page 8
See on Page 8 Economic Indicators
Govt committed to root out terrorism: Prime Minister
$16.88bn 13.77% $5.18bn $9.03bn $(3.85)bn $(545)mn $2.65bn $455.10mn Rs 310bn $55.63bn Rs 4863bn $124.90mn -3.85% 4.10% $1,051 170.92mn
Forex Reserves (22-Oct-10) Inflation CPI% (Jul 10-Sep 10) Exports (Jul 10-Sep 10) Imports (Jul 10-Sep 10) Trade Balance (Jul 10-Sep 10) Current A/C (Jul 10- Sep10) Remittances (Jul 10-Sep 10) Foreign Invest (Jul 10-Sep10) Revenue (Jul 10-Sep 10) Foreign Debt (Jun 10) Domestic Debt (Aug 10) Repatriated Profit (Jul- Aug 10) LSM Growth (Aug 10)
GDP Growth FY10E Per Capita Income FY10 Population
No progress sans correcting missteps: Gilani
Portfolio Investment SCRA(U.S $ in million)
104.18 54.95 28.15 2532
Yearly(Jul, 2010 up to 28-Oct-2010) Monthly(Oct, 2010 up to 28-Oct-2010) Daily (28-Oct-2010) Total Portfolio Invest (22 Oct-2010)
‘Nationalisation of edu institutes a wrong decision’ Special Correspondent
NCCPL (U.S $ in million)
FIPI (29-Oct-2010) Local Companies (29-Oct-2010) Banks / DFI (29-Oct-2010) Mutual Funds (29-Oct-2010) NBFC (29-Oct-2010) Local Investors (29-Oct-2010) Other Organization (29-Oct-2010)
0.43 0.45 3.65 -0.99 -0.02 -3.35 -0.17
Global Indices Index
Close
Change
KSE 100
10,598.40
36.59
Nikkei 225
9,202.45
163.58
Hang Seng
23,096.32
114.54
Sensex 30
20,032.34
91.30
SSE COMP.
2,978.83
13.75
FTSE 100
5,675.16
2.73
Dow Jones
11,118.49
4.54
GDR update Symbols MCB (1 GDR= 2 Shares) OGDC (1 GDR= 10 Shares) UBL (1 GDR= 4 Shares) LUCK (1 GDR= 4 Shares) HUBC (1 GDR= 25 Shares)
$.Price PKR/Shares 2.60 111.50 19.00 162.96 2.00 42.89 1.70 36.45 9.73 33.38
Money Market Update T-Bills (3 Mths) T-Bills (6 Mths) T-Bills (12 Mths) Discount Rate Kibor (1 Mth) Kibor (3 Mths) Kibor (6 Mths) Kibor ( 9 Mths) Kibor (1Yr) P.I.B ( 3 Yrs) P.I.B (5 Yrs) P.I.B (10 Yrs) P.I.B (15 Yrs) P.I.B (20 Yrs) P.I.B (30 Yrs)
12.77% 13.08% 13.22% 13.50% 12.82% 12.99% 13.23% 13.61% 13.71% 13.66% 13.74% 13.84% 14.23% 14.36% 14.52%
20-Oct-2010 20-Oct-2010 20-Oct-2010 29-Sep-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010 29-Oct-2010
Commodities Crude Oil (brent)$/bbl 83.15 Crude Oil (WTI)$/bbl 81.43 Cotton $/lb 125.26 Gold $/ozs 1,357.60 Silver $/ozs 24.56 Malaysian Palm $ 984.90 GOLD (NCEL) PKR 37,052 KHI Cotton 40Kg PKR 8,788 Open Mkt Currency Rates Symbols Buy (Rs) Sell (Rs)
Australian $ 84.13 Canadian $ 84.90 Danish Krone 15.00 Euro 118.50 Hong Kong $ 11.00 Japanese Yen 1.050 Saudi Riyal 23.00 Singapore $ 65.70 Swedish Korona 12.20 Swiss Franc 88.30 U.A.E Dirham 23.40 UK Pound 135.90 US $ 86.05
84.25 85.10 15.40 119.00 11.30 1.076 23.20 65.80 12.70 88.80 23.60 136.10 86.45
Inter-Bank Currency Rates Symbols
Australian $ Canadian $ Danish Krone Euro Hong Kong $ Japanese Yen Saudi Riyal Singapore $ Swedish Korona Swiss Franc U.A.E Dirham UK Pound US $
Buying TT Clean
Selling TT & OD
83.71 83.98 15.98 119.21 11.05 1.063 22.87 66.03 12.71 87.07 23.35 136.73 85.77
83.91 84.17 16.02 119.48 11.08 1.066 22.92 66.18 12.74 87.27 23.40 137.05 85.97
Weather Forecast CITIES
ISLAMABAD KARACHI LAHORE FAISALABAD QUETTA RAWALPINDI
MAX-TEMP
28°C 34°C 30°C 31°C 20°C 29°C
MIN
14°C 22°C 16°C 15°C 4°C 15°C
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GUJRAT: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani addressing the gathering at Zamindara College here on Saturday.-APP
Three F16s arrive in Pak ISLAMABAD: Three F16 jet fighters - delivered by US have reached Pakistan here Saturday, while two additional ones are expected to arrive next week, media reported. According to an agreement between Pakistan and the US government, the latter has to provide eighteen F16 to Pakistan. Sources suggest remaining jet fighters will be handed-over to Pakistan by December. Jet-fighters were being delivered to Pakistan under a series of strict conditions by Washington. One of these stipulations, the report said, was that Pakistan would not use the jets in any conflict with India. Another condition, the report said, was that American air force engineers will accompany the delivery of the F-16s and supervise not only the air base but also the operations to be carried out by PAF against Taliban and al Qaeda. -Agencies
Shahbaz meet Kayani RAWALPINDI: A meeting between Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif held here on Saturday, media reported. Matters mainly related to security, law & order and rehabilitation of flood-affected came under discussion during the meeting. The Army Chief and Punjab Chief Minister had an exchange of views on sharing of intelligence for putting a curb on terrorist activities in the province besides steps being taken for the rehabilitation of flood-hit people. -Agencies
$400mn more for Pak mily likely Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: A better understanding of Pakistan's defence needs in the US capital may soon lead to an additional $400 million of annual military assistance, besides a $2.029 billion package announced last week. According to the diplomatic sources money would come from the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund set up to help the country fight terrorists along and inside the Pak-Afghan border. Last year, the House Appropriations Committee approved $400 million for the counter-insurgency fund. In February this year, the Obama administration sought a $0.5 billion increase in funds to
bolster Pakistan's counterinsurgency capabilities. The US administration was increasing the fund from $700 million in fiscal 2009 to $1.2 billion in the current fiscal year, which began on Oct 1. Both the funds - the PCCF and the $2.029 billion package for purchasing US weapons are continuation of previous five-year programmes. But amounts under both programmes have been increased. The five-year package for military hardware and training has been increased from $1.5 billion, allocated in the previous package, to $2.029 billion. There will be a similar increase in the PCCF. During last week's strategic dialogue, where the two See # 3 Page 7
Covert operation against target killers launched in Khi
Not every murder is targeted: Malik KARACHI: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that a covert operation has been launched for stopping target killings in Karachi adding that every incident should not be termed as target killing. Talking to media in Karachi Malik said that terrorists have become active in Karachi and steps are being taken to counter them and a covert operation has been launched against them. He said he lauds the police and Rangers for making law and order situation better in Karachi. He said that every incident of killing should not be dubbed as target killing. People are killed over love, and property disputes and that is also included
in target killings. Malik said that there was a time when Karachi was peaceful and vehicles were seen roaming around. He said we will make Karachi peaceful again we are taking action but we will keep our strategy secret. We are arresting those target killers against whom we have solid proof. He said that one criminal involved in Sher Shah Kabari Market incident has bee arrested. More check posts of police and rangers are being set up for maintaining peace in Sher Shah Market. Rehman Malik further said that his every visit to Karachi is not linked with target killing. See # 4 Page 7
GUJRAT: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said no government can move forward without correcting its past mistakes. "The policies of any government may be wrong or right. If nationalisation of private educational institutions is wrong policy, it should be corrected as we can not proceed further without admitting our mistakes. We will have to call a wrong thing always wrong", Prime minister said this while addressing gathering on the eve of Nawab Sir Fazal Ali anniversary here Saturday. "I pay rich tribute to Nawab Sir Fazal Ali as he torched the candle in this area when the Muslim children were not allowed admission in the educational institutions in sub continent", he held. Country was facing the chal-
APML to charge-sheet Sharif ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) has decided to present 20-point charge sheet against PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif. Talking to private TV channel here Saturday Dr Sher Afghan Niazi former federal minister and leader APML said that the charge sheet would consist of those charges, which have proved, but no action is being taken against Nawaz Sharif in this connection. He said that hiding of corruption in guise of reconciliation would not be tolerated. He further said that charge sheet would consist of facts and there would be no ambiguity. He said that they would bring the reality of so called sacrifices, in front of the masses. He said that Nawaz Sharif corrupted million of rupees. He said that sugar is being sold at Rs90 per kilogram and it is due to Mian brothers because large numbers of sugar mills are owned by Sharif brothers. -Agencies
Rabbani calls on Gilani
Power devolution must be end by June 2011: PM ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has emphasised that the process of devolution must be completed by 30th June, 2011, the time specified in the constitution. He further said that the process of devolution will fulfill the long outstanding political commitment of democratic forces of devolving responsibilities to the provinces. During the meeting with Senator Mian Raza Rabbani here at Prime Minister House on Saturday, the Prime Minister was apprised of the progress with regard to the implementation status of the 18th Amendment Bill. See # 1 Page 7 Government was committed lenges of power crisis, poverty and terrorism at present, he to eliminate lawlessness, poverobserved. Terrorism was such a ty and terrorism and the politics menace which was adversely of reconciliation being pursued affecting national economy, by us is for the sake of people trade and other areas. It was only, he underlined. leading the country to instabili"Our manifestoes, ideologies ty, he underscored. "We togeth- and thinking can be divergent er have to counter this scourge", but we all are one for serving he added. See # 2 Page 7
No normal ties with India sans Kashmir solution
Pak seeks civil N-deal with US MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said Pakistan has made it clear to the United States that there should be no discrimination on the transfer of civilian nuclear technology as it is its urgent requirement. Talking to newsmen here on Saturday, he said that talks with the United States are in progress on the transfer of civil nuclear technology. He said today the relations between the two countries are excellent than before. Responding to questions regarding Kashmir issue, he said dialogue on Kashmir dispute with the United States is under way. He said Pakistan has also raised the issue at the United Nations forum and reiterated its principle and historical stance. He said the United States and the European Union want to bring peace in the region and they have acknowledged that intifada in Occupied Kashmir is
not Pakistan instigated movement but it is an indigenous one which was started by Kashmiri people themselves against the Indian dictatorial policy imposed on them. Foreign Minister Qureshi said in the liberation movement, thousands of Kashmiri people were martyred for their political rights and right to self-determination. He said the resolution of Kashmir issue is the only way to bring normalcy in relations between Pakistan and India. Regarding Pakistan's role in establishing peace in Afghanistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the policy of reconciliation and reintegration should be led by Afghan government itself. "The Afghan government should open doors for dialogue with the warring factions as they are Afghan nationals and Pakistan is ready to play its part to bring peace in that country," he concluded. -Agencies
New legislation for State Bank of Pakistan soon, says Shaikh
Provinces to get five fed ministries soon ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh said Saturday that five ministries would be abolished in the federal capital and shifted to the provinces under the devolution process within weeks. After inaugurating the seminar "Making the 18th Amendment and NFC Award Work," the federal minister told media representatives that additional five ministries from the centre would be shifted to provinces by the end of 2010. The ministries to be shifted to provinces under the 18th Amendment include Population Welfare, Youth Affairs, Local Bodies and Rural Development, Zakat and
Usher, Special Initiatives, Culture and Tourism, Special Education, Social Welfare, Special Education and Minorities' Affairs. The finance minister said the ministries that are to be shifted within weeks included among others Youth Affairs, Special Initiatives and Zakat and Usher. To a question about abolishing the tax exemptions from various sectors, Hafeez Shaikh said that efforts would be made to implement taxes according to the spirit of the upcoming new Reformed General Sales Tax bill. He said that a new State Bank of Pakistan legislation will soon be tabled in Parliament. "The reformed
GST will be in line with the real spirit of value-added tax," he added. The RGST Bill is scheduled to be taken up for discussion in the parliament during its
upcoming session starting from November 1. Earlier, speaking at the inaugural session, the federal minister described the conference as timely to deal with the criti-
cal issues facing the nation after the passage of 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission award which would have impact on the economy.
He said that responsibilities were being shifted to provinces, which of course was a great task. He said the NFC Award was long over-due and the current award has fixed multiple criteria for the distribution of funds which he said was the longstanding demand of the provinces adding that the provinces would be getting share of 56 per cent from the resources. He expressed the hope that the conference would come out with practical recommendations and guidelines to make the 18th Amendment and the NFC Award work. The government would consider the recommendations forwarded by the forum, he added. -Agencies
2
Sunday, October 31, 2010
KATI announces shut-down on Wednesday
Industrialists threaten strike against power outage M Imran Sharif
KARACHI: Chairman KATI S Johar Ali Qandhari, former chairman Mian Zahid Hussain, Vice-Chairman FB Area Association M Haroon Shamsi, Chairman North Karachi Association Faraz Mirza, Chairman Landhi Association Riaz Ahmed and Chairman Site-Super Highway Association Raja Illyas are seen at a press breifing held at KATI office here.-Photo by Imran Sharif
Punjab chambers urge govt not to cut gas supply Staff Correspondent LAHORE: All the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Punjab and industrial associations in an emergent meeting Saturday authorised the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry to take whatever extreme step it deem fit if the government fails to end discrimination in gas supply with the province and ensure countrywide equitable gas load shedding within a week. It was also observed that industries at large in the province are moving towards total default which would cause a massive lay offs. If government fails to take corrective measures, the payment of federal and provincial taxes could also be stopped.
As many as ten leading Chambers of Commerce and a large number of industrial associations of the province met under the chairmanship of President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shahzad Ali Malik to discuss the ongoing gas crisis that has crippled both the trade and the industry. LCCI Senior Vice President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, President Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce & Industry Sheikh Sarwat Ikram, President Okara Chamber of Commerce & Industry Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal Shahid, President Sheikhupura Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mian Tariq Iqbal
Mughal, Vice President Gujrat Chamber of Commerce & Industry Nasir Butt, Mian M. Anwar of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry, LCCI former presidents Mian Muhammad Ashraf, Iftikhar Ali Malik, Mian Anjum Nisar, Shahid Hassan Sheikh, Muhammad Ali Mian, Mian Muzffar Ali, former Senior Vice President Sohail Lashari and former Vice President Shafqat Saeed Paracha also spoke on the occasion. The LCCI President Shahzad Ali Malik, in his address, urged all the Chambers and Associations to forward their doable proposals to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry so that the same could be presented to the government for their implementation.
PGJDC pavilion in Munich gem show Staff Reporter KARACHI: Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC) has set up Pakistan Pavilion in the Mineralientage Munchen (Munich Mineral and Gem Show 2010) under the brand name "Gems & Jewellery - Pakistan". The show started from October 29, 2010 and will end today. This is the second time that PGDJC is participating in the Munich Show since 2009. PGJDC has taken exhibitors from all over Pakistan in the Munich Mineral Show. These exhibitors are selected from Karachi, Lahore, Quetta & Peshawar. The exhibitors will decorate the Pakistan pavilion with precious and semi precious gemstones and mineral specimens which are found from different regions of the country.
PIA defies press report
KARACHI: Zaiviji Ismail bin Abdullah Chairman & Managing Director Shell Pakistan receiving 1st Global CEO Excellence Award from Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources Naveed Qamar.-Staff Photo
ICCI moots on market access
KARACHI: A PIA spokesman said here on Saturday that the report in a section of the press about so- called mysterious consignments booked by PIA from New York for the Presidency is wrong and is denied. A statement issued here said that contrary to the report no baggage or cargo was booked on flight PK 722/ 261010 on which the Federal Minister for Defence also reportedly travelled from New York. It may be mentioned that the consignment containing cartons of books titled "Reconciliation" by Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto have occasionally been booked from New York for the Presidency. All shipment and security formalities are strictly followed and payment for shipments received, the PIA statement said.-APP
with different governments. Shaista Sohail, Joint Secretary MoI&P and Project Director of the dedicated WTO Unit of the Ministry thanked ICCI for organizing the Workshop. She explained that the objectives of the Unit were to assist the Industry and Businesses understand the ongoing negotiations and the existing agreements and develop analyses implications for the Industry.-Online SUKKUR: The Ambassador of the United States to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, on Saturday visited village Hassan Khan Jamali in Jacobabad and distributed ration among the flood affectees. He was accompanied by the Consul General of USA in Karachi, William Martin. The Envoy said later that the United States would continue assisting the flood affectees. Cameron Munter further stated said that the US is contributing 60 per cent of the total food supply being distributed by the World Food Programme. TORONTO: S M Muneer Chairman Pakistan-Canada Business Council presentHe also lauded the flood ing shield and Sindhi Topi with Ajrak to Eric Hoskin Minister of Citizen and relief efforts undertaken by the personnel of Pakistan Immigration of Canada Sahibazada A Khan Consul General of Pakistan in Army.-APP Toronto also seen in the picture.-Staff Photo
ISLAMABAD: A workshop on "Tools to understand NAMA (Non Agricultural Market Access) better'' was jointly organised by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Ministry of Industries and Production, which was attended by representatives from government stakeholder departments as well as a large number of representatives from the private and industrial sector, here
on Saturday. The President ICCI Mahfooz Elahi expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Ministry of Industries and Production for sharing information on significant issues in the WTO related to the industrial sector, especially Non Agricultural Market Access. He emphasised that Private Sector must be involved in the consultation process, while negotiating on tariffs and signing FTAs and PTAs
US envoy distributes ration among victims
KARACHI: The industrial and trade associations of Karachi have unanimously decided to go on strike on Wednesday against massive load-shedding by KESC in the industrial hub of Pakistan - Karachi continued for the last many days. "There would be a complete shut-down in all the industrial areas on Wednesday if the government would not intervene into the matter and resolve the issue which has become extremely unbearable", warned Chairman, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Johar Ali Qandhari after an emergent meeting of office bearers of all the industrial, town and trade associations here at KATI's premises on Saturday. Majority of the trade and
industrial leaders present on the occasion have categorically declared that they have fed up with the irresponsible attitude by the utilities agencies and the government in particular and in the past many days they have suffered unbearable losses and they have no option except to observe strike and stay home. Besides others Chairman, North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry, Faraz Mirza, Chairman, Landhi Association of Trade and Industry, Riaz Ismail, SITE Super Highway Association of Industry, Raja Ilyas, Vice Chairman, Haroon Shamsi, F B Area Association of Trade and Industry, Vice Chairman, North Karachi, Sadiq Muhammad, Aslam Riaz and Vice Chairman of SITE Superhighway spoke on the occasion. "The ongoing problems of reduced supply of gas
from SSGC to KESC or non-availability of funds to purchase furnace oil are issues to be resolved by the utilities agencies and the government and we have nothing to do with these issues and since we are promptly paying bills to all the utilities' agencies our industries should not suffer due to power outages", warned former Chairman, KATI, Mian Zahid Husain. The industrial representatives while expressing sheer dismay over the nonserious attitude by the government said that in such a situation it is not possible to continue the industrial production many industries have already been closed down while the present government id not taking this alarming situation seriously and there are no efforts to improve the situation are seen on the ground.
FPCCI to promote bilateral trade with India KARACHI: Sultan Ahmed Chawla President FPCCI has reiterated that the private sector will resolve to explore all possible opportunities to promote bilateral trade as well as to reduce all outstanding issues with our Indian counterparts for the economic prosperity of the people of sub-continent. Sultan Ahmed Chawla was talking at the lunch hosted by FPCCI in honour of the Indian High Commissioner Mr. Sharat Sabharwal and other diplomats of the Indian High Commission. Chawla said that Pakistan is sincere in its approach and really wanted more trade and encourage the businessmen of
both the countries to interact more often which can give the best results. There are several opportunities which have not been exploited and the private sector should set the trend for future. Both Pakistan and India are counted as poor countries where $23 billion are being spent on defense as against negligible amount on education and health. There at least 500 million people who are illiterate and if properly educated they could contribute substantially for the economic growth. It is with this intention that the Govt. of Pakistan has prepared policies and opened up various sectors for the businessmen of
other countries to trade with Pakistan. The President further added that Kashmir is a macro issue, best left to the politicians, but at least we can resolve smaller issues. He highlighted some of the on-going issues like restrictive Indian import policy and non-availability of railway wagons on the Indian side across the border at Attari to transport cement and other items. He further added that the Pakistan has a vibrant private sector best suited to public private partnership for the good of the people of both the countries. President assured full support and fair deal to all intending businessmen to visit Pakistan.-Online
Dr Baig settles cotton issue with Indian HC Staff Reporter KARACHI: Federal Advisor on Textiles Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig discussed with Sharat Sabharwal, Indian High Commissioner (HC) and R K Sharma, Indian Trade Commissioner regarding shipment of about 1 million Indian cotton booked and purchased by the Pakistani millers. India has 5.5 million exportable surplus cotton bales. Pakistan's devastating flood hit the cotton crops and more than 2 million cotton bales have been lost. Pakistan is expecting cotton crop production for 2010-11 season of 12.5 million
bales and need to import 2 million bales of 170 kg each to meet the requirement of our textile industries. Indian exporters have delayed their exports by 1st November and Sharad Pawar, India's Farm Minister told that they intend to review Cotton Export Policy in December 2010 which has concerned Indian cotton buyers from Pakistan that the Indian exporters are using suspension of registration as excuse to escape their contracts because of rising international cotton prices in recent weeks. Dr Baig informed Indian High Commissioner in a meet-
ing at Karachi that most of these orders from India was about $0.90/lb but the cotton prices has risen nearly 89 per cent since the start of July to all time high at $1.25/maund this week which has increased the cotton prices in domestic market to Rs8500/maund. Dr Baig has requested Pakistani buyers of Indian cotton to provide details of their contracts with the Indian sellers to submit to Indian High Commissioner in order to take up this matter. Indian High Commissioner promised to help Pakistan like last year arranging shipment of 200,000 Indian cotton bales to Pakistan.
KCCI delegation meets Malik ISLAMABAD: Siraj Kassam Teli, Chairman, Businessmen Group & former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zubair Motiwala, Special Adviser to CM on Investments, Vice Chairman BMG and former President, Haroon Farooki, Vice Chairman BMG and Former President, Muhammad Saeed Shafiq, President, Talat Mahmood, Senior Vice President, Junaid Esmail Makda, Vice President, Abdul Majeed Memon, Former SVP and Chairman of Special Committee on Small traders attended a specially convened session with Federal Interior Minister, A Rehman Malik, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh and Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan.-APP
Environment erosion hurting economy K A R A C H I : Environmental degradation is costing Pakistan's economy approximately Rs1 billion a day, while the recent flood wrecked further havoc to it as hundreds of people died, millions were displaced and 30 per cent of the country was devastated. This was stated by the Project Director of National Impact Assessment Programme (NIAP), Dr Aurangzeb Khan, according to a statement issued here on Saturday by the IUCN. It said that a workshop was organised by International Union of Conversation of Nature (IUCN) titled "EIA Mapping Analysis" aimed at implementing NIAP in Pakistan.-APP
SUNDAY Time 8:00 8:30 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:05 13:05 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:05 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:05 19:30 20:05 20:30 21:00 21:05 22:00 22:05 23:00 0:00
Programmes Pakista this week(Rpt) Music Scene Smithsonian Documentry Uff Tv(Rpt) Dilkash Pakistan (Rpt) Kamyab (Rpt) Agenda 360 (Rpt) News Teesri Nazar(Rpt) News Pakistan This Week (Rpt) Tijarti Dunya (Rpt) Kamyab (Rpt) News Uff Tv(Rpt) Sara Jahan Red Carpet Filmi Samaa Munafa Khor Hoshiyar News Badalta pakistan News Agenda 360 Amnay Samany News
TV PROGRAMMES SUNDAY
KARACHI: Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig Federal Advisor Textile presenting plaque to William J Martin US Consul General at the dinner hosted in his honour, attended by senior diplomats, Ministers and high Government Officials.-Staff Photo
Time Programmes 7:00 News 8:00 News 9:05 I Samaa (Rpt) 10:10 The Reema Show (Rpt) 11:10 Naram Garam 12:00 News 13:10 Faisla Aap Ka (Rpt) 14:10 The Anchor (Rpt) 15:00 News 16:00 News 17:00 News 18:00 News 19:05 I Samaa 19:30 Mutasareen 20:05 The Reema Show 21:00 News 22:03 Faisla Aap Ka 23:05 Tafteesh
Analysis & Feature
Sunday, October 31, 2010
3
SAUDI ARABIA SEEN EDGING CAREFULLY INTO AFGHAN TALKS S
audi Arabia is being drawn into efforts to reach a settlement to the Afghan war, despite its reluctance to become too embroiled with Islamist militants it once backed, diplomats and analysts say. But they say Saudi Arabia would be unwilling to formally mediate in any peace talks. Like other countries involved, it wants Afghans to take the lead with outside players acting more as facilitators. "Everybody has a very bad experience in their efforts to mediate between Afghans," said a senior diplomat in Kabul. "It's very simple, if you try to mediate between them, both sides will push their luck and it will fall, believe me it will fall. The third party cannot hold it," he said. Saudi Arabia has made no public comment on an appeal from Kabul to help mediate in talks with insurgents to try to bring an end to the nineyear war in Afghanistan. But analysts and diplomats say the kingdom, which hosted secret talks with the Taliban in Mecca in 2008, is expected to come under pressure from the United States to help Washington find an exit strategy from an increasingly unpopular war. Saudi Arabia enjoys considerable influence over the Muslim world both because of its authority as home to Islam's holiest sites and its hefty financial clout from oil earnings. "There is a lot of pressure on the Saudis from the US to help mediate in Afghanistan," said one western diplomat in Riyadh. Official sources say that for the first time all the main par-
ties involved, from the government to insurgents, from Washington to Pakistan, are seriously considering ways to reach a peace deal. They have cited Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as potential intermediaries, along with Pakistan, in what are as yet very preliminary "talks about talks." "Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan can make the right kind of noises saying: 'we support it' and I think that will make a difference," said the diplomat in Kabul. One source with knowledge of talks about Afghanistan said Riyadh might be more willing to help than before since peace efforts now have the backing of Washington -missing in 2008. REPUTATION AT RISK Saudi Arabia, along with Pakistan and the United States, backed Islamist insurgents fighting the Soviets in the 1980s, and later become one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. But it is reluctant to become too closely associated with peace talks after working hard to shake off any public perception of links to Islamist militancy. Fifteen of the 19 men involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States were from Saudi Arabia, and al Qaeda shares the kingdom's fundamentalist Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Diplomats say Western visitors have been lobbying the kingdom since last year to help mediate but it remains wary after the 2008 talks came to nothing.
"The Saudis might intermediate but they want to hear from the Afghan factions first in public that they are serious about talks this time," said a senior Western diplomat. "They don't want to put their reputation at risk by backing a peace project that may not work." Afghan diplomats say they hope Riyadh will get involved. "Saudi Arabia has a major role and we hope in Afghanistan that Saudi plays an important role as it did in the past in Afghanistan and in other countries," said Said Anwarshah Ghaffari, Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Riyadh. "The kingdom has its weight in the Islamic world and we look at it as our older brother," he said. Former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal, who has dealt with the Taliban before, last week cited reconciliation efforts in the past as a sign of Saudi support for Afghanistan, but he gave no hint about revisiting the talks. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in January the Taliban must deny sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden before the kingdom would act as mediator. Militants using the al Qaeda name began launching attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2003. Riyadh froze its ties with the Taliban in 1998 over their refusal to hand over bin Laden who had been stripped of Saudi citizenship for activities against the ruling Al Saud family. ALLY PAKISTAN, RIVAL IRAN Diplomats and analysts say Saudi Arabia will be heavily
influenced by the approach of Pakistan, with which it shares close military and intelligence cooperation. "If Pakistan supports peace talks then the Saudis will help but they don't want to get too involved," said Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst. Pakistan is keen for a peace settlement in Afghanistan to
end a war which it sees as increasing instability at home, though it is also anxious to curb the influence of rival India. At the same time Sunni Saudi Arabia has to balance out the influence of Shi'ite Iran, its main rival in the Middle East and a powerful Afghan neighbor. "I think Saudi Arabia
should get more involved in Afghanistan. If we don't do it then others will," said prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But Saudi Arabia's rivalry with Iran could also mean that Tehran would look askance at any Saudi role in helping mediate. Dubai based political analyst Theodore Karasik said it
was significant that Saudi King Abdullah had spoken several times to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the past few weeks to discuss regional issues. Asked whether Iran and Saudi Arabia could reach an understanding on Afghanistan, he said: "It's possible." -Reuters
For Egypt investors, growth trumps political risks S prightly economic growth is keeping foreign investors upbeat on Egypt, outweighing uncertainty over the future leadership and concerns that soaring food prices could cause unrest. Inflows of foreign cash to stocks and treasury bills seem to be holding firm before a parliamentary vote next month and a presidential poll next year, although a currency wobble suggests the central bank may be building reserves as a precaution. No one doubts President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party will dominate both races, but the polls are being watched to see how much space is given to the opposition and, more crucially, whether the 82-yearold president seeks another term. If he does not, there is no obvious successor. Stock and money markets
may face some political headwinds in the weeks and months ahead, but a gloomy global outlook makes Egypt's 5.1 per cent growth in 2009/10 and official forecasts for 6 per cent this financial year too attractive for many to ignore. In September, a Reuters poll of economists forecast growth of 5.5 per cent in the year ending June 2011. The head of the Egyptian Exchange, Khaled Serry Sayam, told the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit that foreign investors were still net buyers of Egyptian stocks. Investors face red tape and ropey infrastructure but benefit from being next to Europe and a middle class that is spending more and cheap labour in the country of 78 million, helping draw investment in export-related industries and consumer products.
"The growth story is intact from my point of view," said Sebastien Henin, a vice-president at The National Investor in Abu Dhabi, which manages $120 million across the region. Egyptian listed companies were undervalued, trading at nine times their average expected earnings compared to 11 times for emerging markets as a whole, he said. EGYPTIAN CONSUMERS Reflecting the confidence, Sweden's Electrolux this month agreed in principle to buy Olympic Group, the biggest appliance maker in the Middle East and North Africa. "That is a possible sign of change in that the consumer market in Egypt is taken seriously and secondly they will be able to use Egypt as a manufacturing base to export from," Angus Blair, head of research at investment bank Beltone Financial, said.
Foreign direct investment dipped 16 per cent in 2009/10 to $6.8 billion, but analysts mainly blame a global retreat from emerging markets, not concerns about Egypt, for that fall. Direct investors with their longer term view seem likely to look beyond the political uncertainty, confident there will be no U-turn in the trend of economic liberalisation implemented since 2004 even if the pace slows in any political transition. "Portfolio investments can be far more volatile. For sure, if the newsflow is poor in coming months due to these elections, if we have a kind of verbal war between candidates ... probably we could have some volatility on the market," Henin said. Net foreign holdings of Egyptian T-bills soared to $8.3 billion in April from $530.4
million in December last year, then rose to $9.2 billion in mid-October until a market sell-off, according to Ministry of Finance data cited by J.P. Morgan. PRICES VS POLITICS J P Morgan blamed the recent T-bill sell-off for a sudden drop in the Egypt's pound in the past week, after months of stability. The pound reached a five-year low of 5.774 against the dollar on Tuesday, its lowest since July 2005. Some analysts said the central bank may have let it slip to help exporters but may also be gathering more dollars to defend the currency against pre-election volatility if needed. Beltone's Blair said the weakness was unusual given emerging market currencies were in demand. He said the slide might be driven by Egyptians, who are so accus-
tomed to three decades of Mubarak's rule that the prospect of any change is unnerving. "I think (the pound's fall) is from domestic pressure, not external pressure, as many global investors actually like the overall economic picture in Egypt," he said. Mubarak, in power since 1981, has not said if he will run for office again. Officials suggest he will if he can. But rumours about his health have recurred since he had surgery in March, even though he has now returned to a full work schedule. If he does not run, many believe his son Gamal, 46, could be next or a candidate with military experience. John Sfakianakis, MENA region chief economist for Credit Agricole, said price rises not politics may be a bigger worry.
"If people...don't have money to buy food, that is a far more serious issue than purely the issue of succession, political discord and the November elections," he said. Inflation has remained stubbornly above 10 per cent but food prices have risen a dizzying 22 per cent, hurting the poor most in a country where, according to the United Nations, about 20 per cent of the population live on less than $1 a day. Price rises and subsidised bread shortages in 2008 led to clashes with police. Determined to stop a repeat, the government was swift to reassure Egyptians that bread supplies would not be affected by the latest global wheat price spike. It also raced to refill its stores after a drought hit its Russian supplier. Reuters
Republican win could revive US trade deals T
hree long-delayed trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia could jump to the top of the US congressional agenda if Republicans win control of the House of Representatives next week. While the fate of those deals rests primarily with President Barack Obama, US business leaders say trade is one area of potential compromise between the White House and Republicans in 2011. "Trade has been at the back of the bus for last two years and I think there's a real opportunity for trade to be in the front seat next year," said Christopher Wenk, senior
director for international policy at the US Chamber of Commerce. Republicans are expected to pick up enough seats in Tuesday's congressional elections to take control of the House, which they lost to Democrats in 2006. Democrats are likely to hold onto the Senate, but the party's opposition to trade agreements traditionally has been strongest in the House. Other factors could influence the debate too. Obama, who tapped into the Democratic party's aversion to free-trade deals when he ran for president in 2008, must decide whether to push Congress to approve the deals
negotiated by his predecessor George W. Bush and risk alienating a swath of his Democratic Party base. Indeed, critics of the deals, such as Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, say Obama risks his own re-election in 2012 if he pushes the three agreements through without big changes. "We're looking at over 100 House races where Democrats are playing defense and those campaigning on 'fair trade' themes appear a lot more likely of succeeding," said Todd Tucker, research director for Global Trade Watch. If the recovery of the US economy remains sluggish --
and unemployment holds near 10 per cent -- Obama could face voters in 2012 who are even more skeptical of trade deals. That would hurt his chances in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia -- states that were important in his 2008 victory. TEA PARTY INFLUENCE Another wild card? The Tea Party movement and what side of the trade debate it will join. Tea Party candidates, who favor a smaller, less expensive federal government, could win dozens of seats. Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, said he thought most would
support the pacts. But some analysts see a more mixed effect. "Some of these Tea Party advocates may not be automatic votes for trade agreements. I think some of the Tea Party members are prone to the more populist rhetoric about foreign influence and jobs going overseas," said Dan Griswold, director of trade studies at the Cato Institute. "They'll help boost the overall number of Republicans, but also increase the size of the more trade-skeptical faction within the Republican caucus," Griswold said. Representative Dave Camp,
a Michigan Republican in line to become chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee if Republicans take control, has promised he would hold early hearings on the three trade agreements. Republicans also could make a push to give Obama new "fast track" authority to negotiate trade deals, which would send a positive signal of US interest in finishing the nine-year-old Doha round of world trade talks. The current Ways and Means chairman, Sander Levin, a Michigan Democrat, has been so loathe to deal with trade that he has not once invited Obama's chief trade negotiator, US Trade
Representative Ron Kirk, to testify publicly. Obama has moved slowly toward embracing the pacts since entering the White House, especially the one with South Korea. He told Kirk to try to resolve auto and beef trade concerns blocking the pact by the time Obama travels to Seoul for a summit of the Group of 20 major economies on Nov 1112. But many Democrats say they can only support the trade deal if the president persuades the Koreans to accept other difficult demands in areas such as the pact's investment chapter and its financial services provisions. -Reuters
4 Sunday, October 31, 2010
Resolving omnipresent sugar crisis
The Financial Daily International Vol 4, Issue 84
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Amir A. Ashary Editor: Shakil H. Jafri Executive Editor: Manzar Naqvi Honorary Advisory Board Haseeb Khan, FCA
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Khurram Shehzad, CFA
Akhtar M. Zaidi, FCA
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Nisar talking about change One should not be amused reading the statement of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly hinting towards a major change on the political arena over the next few months. He, however, made it clear that the PML-N would support change only through democratic means. His statement that the close allies of the present government were not happy should be an eye opener for the PPP leadership. Nisar said his party wished that the present government led by PPP completes its tenure but seems that the party would bury with its blunders and failures. PPP's loyal leaders were being pushed to the walls. Most of the things he has already said separately or collectively but reiterating them at a point when efforts to join various factions of Pakistan Muslim League are going on certainly carries some weight. In one of the pervious editorials it was discussed that bringing an in-house change may not be as easy as being perceived certain quarters. PML-N can't mull the support in the assemblies to pass non-confidence resolution against the prime minister as well any move to impeach the president. The next best option is any verdict against the prime minister and the president by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The general consensus is that the apex court has abstained from such a radical decision in the larger interest of democracy and saving Pakistan from any undesirable fallout. If PPP is trying to save PPP-MQM alliance and form a new alliance with PML-Q these are only the preemptive moves to stop PML-N from presenting non-confidence move against the prime minister. The situation would have not been all that grave had PPP leadership been moving prudently. Many of its opponents accuse the government of worst corruption but the real issue is declining purchasing power of masses, poor law & order situation, rising unemployment, prolonged load shedding of electricity and gas, target killing and above all the growing sense of insecurity among the masses. People also believe that this government is on a 'honeymoon' and if dismissed would once again try to solicit public sympathy by saying 'our government was dismissed through conspiracy'. Nisar Ali Khan is also the chairman of Pakistan Accounts Committee if he and his party believe corruption is rampant should work extra hard, pinpoint the corrupt and submit credible evidence against the accused and take them to the court of law. Similarly, courts should also complete hearing within the shortest possible time and give the final verdict. Nearly two and half year has been wasted in blame game. Time is running out fast move fast, take the culprits to the task and secure your position in the next general election.
Disclaimer:
All reports and recommendations have been prepared for your information only. Summary and Analysis are not recommendation to buy or sell. This information should only be used by investors who are aware of the risk inherent in securities trading. The facts, information, data, indicators and charts presented have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but their accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. The Financial Daily International and its employees are not responsible for any loss arising from use of these reports and recommendations.
Shabbir Kazmi
O
ver the last few years the lingering sugar crisis has gone from bad to worse mainly because of myopic policies of the government and presence of groups having vested interest. The assertion that millers alone are responsible for the crisis is incorrect and misleading. In fact the feudal lords, having access to power corridors are responsible for the prevailing situation. They wear many caps i.e. growers, middlemen and the millers. The role of bureaucrats has also been disappointing because they are efficient in maintaining cordial relationship with all the groups but are least bothered about the industry termed 'driving engine' of the rural economy. Though, nearly a dozen ministries at federal and provincial levels claim a role in developing policies for the sugar industry, none seems to understand 'sugarnomics'. Pakistan has a long history of efficient operation of sugar mills, when staff used to get around six annual bonus and shareholders were paid dividend up to 45 per cent. It was mainly because mills used to operate up from 150 to 200 days. There was no excise duty applicable on sugar produced above the stipulated number of crushing days. As against this, crushing is restricted to less than 150 days and there is no incentive for mills for longer period. In fact crushing days have reduced because of highly inadequate availability of sugarcane. Neither the government nor the growers seem interested in enhancing production. Sector analysts say that growers want to keep sugarcane supply restricted so that they could squeeze more money from the millers. They
also say that farmers hardly make any attempt to increase productivity. Sugarcane yield in Pakistan is nearly half of the yield achieved in India. In Punjab yield low is because of cultivation of sugarcane in 'cotton belt'. Many of the areas have dry and high temperate climate which is suitable for cotton but certainly harmful for sugarcane. Therefore, the average yield as well as recovery in Punjab is far lower as compared to Sindh. Over the years sugar industry has remained 'single product' industry
duced by burning low cost baggase. The delay in finalizing the tariff is because Ministry of Water and Power is not ready to offer sugar mills the rate being offered to IPPs and RPPs. Sugar mills have the capacity to collectively produce more than 3,000MW electricity, closer to the point of consumption which can also help in containing transmission and distribution losses. Cost of sugar production has spiraled because of persistent hike in the support price of sugarcane and also due to inability of the industry
Though, nearly a dozen ministries at federal and provincial levels claim a role in developing policies for the sugar industry, none seems to understand 'sugarnomics'. which raises cost of production. Though, lately efforts were made for product diversification, optimization remained a far cry. Industry has not been able to make the best use of molasses and baggase. Bulk of the molasses produced in the country is exported and attached distilleries of sugar mills barely operate. The government is keen in popularizing use of blended petrol (E-10) but neither the mills nor the oil marketing companies are ready to go for massive marketing/sale of E-10 despite being more efficient and environment friendly. Similarly, government has failed in offering an attractive bulk power purchase tariff to sugar mills. While the government encourages creation of IPPs and even the RPPs it is not willing to offer an attractive rate to sugar mills and granting them IPPs status. Sugar mills have attached power houses where steam is pro-
to broaden the product mix. If government is serious in bringing down cost of production and achieving optimum capacity utilization of mills, producing wider range of products from molasses and awarding sugar mills the status of IPPs can change the entire landscape. However, none of these can be achieved without doubling sugarcane output in the country. The country need not bring additional area under sugarcane cultivation but to improve yield. Since increasing sugarcane production will take longer time under the makeshift arrangement mills should be allowed to import raw sugar. An incentive may also be provided by announcing that half of the quantity of refined sugar produced could be exported. Mills may also be allowed to retain the foreign exchange earned from export of refined sugar to finance raw sugar
import next year. Experts are of the view that retail price of sugar could be reduced to half over the next three years by adopting the above stated policies. All the attempts to import refined sugar must be discouraged. The government has been committing the mistake of importing refined sugar at higher prices and at a wrong time. The government must put complete ban on import of refined sugar and facilitate import of raw sugar. The government should also stop fixing sugarcane support price. If the government stopped fixing cotton support price decades ago why it is adamant on fixing sugarcane support price? The policy of pricing on the basis of weight should also be discontinued and the new bench mar should be recovery of sugar. The proposed policy would bode very well for the sugar mills operating in the cotton growing belt. The government has constituted 'Sugar Board' which has failed in come up with suggestions to increase sugarcane output and bringing down cost of indigenously produced sugar. A new Board must be announced at the earliest. It may also be kept in mind that this year both production and yield are expected to be 25 per cent higher, at least due to more than ample supply of water. The government should also not insist on commencing sugarcane crushing till early December to attain maximum recovery. Running the mills early and closing intermittently is worse than commencement of crushing late and running the mills at optimum capacity. Act prudently and see the difference. If other countries can achieve higher production at lower cost why should Pakistan be a lager?
US not seeking to contain China U
S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied on Thursday the United States was seeking to contain China as she began a two-week trip to an Asia-Pacific region rattled by recent Chinese assertiveness. Washington and Beijing have clashed this year over issues including the value of China's currency, US arms sales to Taiwan and US President Barack Obama's February meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. China's relations with its neighbours have also been strained by territorial disputes notably with Japan -
but also with Southeast consequence and we are sum calculation ... so whenever one of us sucAsian nations that have com- committed to getting it peting claims over the South right", Clinton said in a ceeds, the other must fail", China Sea. Washington and Beijing have clashed The top US diplomat, starting this year over issues including the value a trip to of China's currency, US arms sales to seven AsiaPacific Taiwan and US President Barack nations i n c l u d i n g Obama's February meeting with the Dalai C h i n a , sought to Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. strike a balance between the US desire speech on US AsiaPacific she said. "But that is not our view". delivered in to work with Beijing and its policy While saying the two concerns about some Honolulu. "There are some in both countries who nations work together on Chinese policies. "The relationship between believe that China's interests many issues, Clinton also China and the United States and ours are fundamentally alluded to their many differis complex and of enormous at odds. They apply a zero- ences, including US desires
to see the Chinese currency welcome as well as US criticism of China's human rights record. "There are also many in China who still believe that the US is bent on containing China and I would simply point out that since the beginning of our diplomatic relations, China has experienced breathtaking growth and development", she said. "This is due, of course, to the hard work of the Chinese people. But US policy has consistently -through Republican and Democratic administrations and Congresses -supported this goal since the 1970s", she said. Reuters
Fear of unknown Pakistan being an ally in 'War on Terror' is sacrificing to an extent which is not visible to the western world. The sacrifices its armed forces and people are giving are un-precedent in the history. It is not a war where the enemy is identified and a planning is done to eliminate it. It is a war where perceptions need to be clear. Public support is must. As there is no time frame there are always pressures from within and outside. But it is very disappointing for all of us when in-spite of all our sufferings and sacrifices of lives and property, economical setbacks leading to further problems, US messages convey that if some terror incident takes place in the US or in Europe Pakistan would be held responsible. Why this fear of terror is created? Why this is assumed that if something happens any where some Pakistani is involved? Why the hype is created that anything happening around the world has been planned in Pakistan. It is not fair to make a nation hostage to one incident for which no one knows who may be the perpetuator and responsible. The threatening messages may also disappoint people leading to widening of communication gaps. The government needs people to stand by its side, because no government can do anything without the support of its people and no Army can succeed without the support of its government and people. It is very important to understand that the consequences of such messages, as these are provocative encourage non state actors to mobilize and do something. It is time that US understands the limitations and problems faced by Pakistan due to its collaboration in war on terror.. Dignity and honour is above all. Eliminate the fear of 'if' and 'unknown'. Moral support, goodwill and inner sincerity are more important than financial aid. Understanding of the problems facing Pakistan by the US would help in bridging the trust deficit and help in strengthening bilateral relations. Anwar Parveen, Islamabad
Enjoying free electriccity I want to draw the attention of the authorities concerned towards a very important issue. In Karachi where, the common people are suffering form daily electricity outages, some innovative people have illegally obtained Kunda connection and enjoy free electricity while others face the brutal hours of load shedding. The pilferers also turn a blind eye to the energy crisis that is hitting the economy hard. The gap between the supply and demand grew over the years, landing us into the present state of chaos. Since thermal power is being partially produced from gas as fuel, which costs one third of the power generated from fuel oil, the absence of gas supply will further reduce power production. A combination of inherent flaws and delays in dealing with the issue of power generation has exacerbated the power crisis. The KESC should launch special campaigns against such electricity thieves who are using free electricity and do not have the realization that some one else has to pay the cost. Fatima Raza, Karachi
5
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Dengue’s invasion; knockdown warning Death toll cross the bounds of 27 lives “400,000 suspected cases” worldwide. ALI ZHORAIZ JAFFRI engue, a specific epidemic disease is now assailing on our land. It is a serious flu-like illness that is transmitted by mosquitoes, and can develop
D
into dengue haemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal. Dengue fever swiftly eats up the platelets inside the human body, which results in health deterioration and even death. As we know that the basic cause of mosquito birth is mud and no doubt after the recent flood we, government and all medical organisation were already on alert for fighting health annihilative diseases like malaria. But Dengue is another shock for them because the mosquitoes of this disease
dengue viral fever which is caused by a unique species of mosquito Aedes aegypti. It is one of these neglected diseases ... it's basically been ignored for many, many years. Essentially Dengue starts its history in the 1780's simultane-
ously in Asia, Africa and North America and it is found in some 100 countries around the world and now it occurs in India, Egypt, the West Indies, etc., is of short duration, and rarely fatal and now in Pakistan after Swine flu, Dengue is one of the most important tropical diseases. While it doesn't kill that many people, it has tremendous our economic and social impact as well. The number of dengue fever cases has more than doubled over the past decade has been reported by the World Health
Dengue Fever Symptoms and Signs After being bitten by a Dengue carrying the virus, the incubation period ranges from three to 15 (usually five to eight) days before the signs and symptoms of dengue appear. Dengue starts with chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, and low backache. Painful aching in the legs and joints occurs during the first hours of illness. The temperature rises quickly as high as 104 F (40 C), with relative low heart rate (bradycardia) and low blood pressure(hypotension). The eyes become reddened. A flushing or pale pink rash comes over the face and then disappears. The glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and groin are often swollen.
throng on stagnant fresh water. Unwell individuals who feel they may have been exposed to mosquitoes should seek immediate medical advice. The rising death toll in
Organisation. The incidence of dengue fever across the world has increased in recent years, and almost two-fifths of the world's population is at risk. The World
How soon after exposure do symptoms appear? The time between the bite of a mosquito carrying dengue virus and the start of symptoms averages 4 to 6 days, with a range of 3 to 14 days. An infected person cannot spread the infection to other persons but can be a source of dengue viru
Health Organisation (WHO) advises that the "only way to prevent dengue virus transmission is to combat the diseasecarrying mosquitoes." According to the World Health Organisation, some 3 billion people, two-fifths of the
world's population, faces the risk of being affected by the disease which is prevalent in more than 110 countries. There may be 50 million cases of dengue infection worldwide every year. Symptoms include fever, joint pain, rash and nausea. People with the more severe form of the disease --dengue hemorrhagic fever -- may experience breathing problems, bruising, bleeding from the nose or gums, and circulatory system breakdown World Health OrganisationPakistan representative Guido Sabatinelli told that even at the start of the malaria season there were "400,000 suspected cases" and at the start of Dengue season there were “1,000” suspected cases nationwide. After the rapidly spreading of this deadly dengue virus across our country too as many dengue fever patients have been brought to a hospital from varies cities, while died rate is going up day by day. A 2010 study by Khan et al has shown that the average age of individuals contracting dengue fever has decreased, suggesting that younger patients may be more susceptible. Despite that dengue virus remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, there is scarcity of data looking at the overall trend of dengue infection in Pakistan. The international reported outcome the deaths ratio from all the regions of the world has reached to 4000 approximately.
Where as the outbreak of dengue fever, which has reportedly claimed more than death of 27 people this year with a further 5,000 confirmed cases. Dengue Fever Grips more than 1048 Patients in Punjab with more than 16 deaths and the death toll of Sindh's dengue victims has mounted to 7 with a total of 1600 cases emerging in the province where as the 160 new cases are appeared in province since last night. The total number of positive cases in Sindh is reported to be about 1,668. The Chief Minister of Sindh gave Rs10 million to the Health Ministry to buy Rapid Antigen Kits which can detect the virus within six hours of testing and to curb the virus. The Punjab Health Department was blamed by speakers at a seminar for having failed miserably in controlling the outbreak of the dengue virus across the province and primarily in Lahore. They called the outbreak the country's worst epidemic, adding that healthcare officials had deliberately understated the number of patients affected and that number was increasing at an alarming rate. They said patients suffering from dengue were visiting both the private and public health facilities in the thousands as opposed to the numbers registered by the Health Department, more than 100 patients have been admitted in Lahore hospitals during last 24 hours while at least 18 teams are working in Lahore to control the Dengue epidemic. The director of the National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) haematologist Dr Tahir Shamsi warns that the government's data is incomplete as not all cases are being recognised or reported. Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians president Dr Tariq Mahmood Mian, while addressing the seminar, said that the Health Department had concealed the number of dengue sufferers to mislead the Punjab government. He said the number of patients visiting private hospitals and clinics was many times higher than the figures registered by healthcare authorities and this was a highly condemnable act. But my personal thinking is something like that the government has failed to control the rising threat of dengue fever as over 4000 mosquito bitten people were brought to hospitals across Pakistan. Millions of flood-affected people find it difficult to protect themselves against the horrifying attack of dengue mosquito especially those affectees, who are suffering their though time under the nat-
ural blue roof. They have not freed from the wound of flood now a new monster is ready to attack on them. A meeting of experts hosted by the National Institute of Health in Islamabad warned that although dengue was a risk, another mosquito-borne disease malaria, posed a much more serious threat especially in the flood-affected areas. Many organisations working with flood victims, including UK-based health charity Merlin and children's organisation Plan International have warned that flood-hit areas provide ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes and a potential Dengue epidemic. Plan International has estimated that floods could double the annual count of Dengue and Malaria cases almost two million cases of Malaria and more than three thousand case of Dengue in Pakistan. Umar Farooq Baloch, the EDO, Health, Lahore said: 'Spraying would be carried out in affected areas twice a day to ensure maximum prevention.' Principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College, Javed Akram, said 'the tests for dengue fever are not expensive and every individual should get these done as a precaution these days'. This Pakistan study adds to the increasing concern over dengue fever control. The WHO South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) earlier this year has reinforced the need for accelerating important interventions in order to control of this infection. They have advised that "social mobilisation together with political commitment are crucial." Local Scientists who identified a crucial step in how the dengue virus infects a cell say their discovery could lead to new drugs to prevent or treat the infection. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) spokesman has kept optimism saying don't be scared even if the test comes out positive unless it has complications.
Female Aedes Aegypti
T
he vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses, have an affinity for feeding on human blood and a tendency to forego feeding on sugar. This observation challenges two tenets of mosquito biology: (1) mosquitoes imbibe plant carbohydrates for synthesis of energy reserves and blood for reproduction and (2) egg production is reduced when mosquitoes feed on human blood compared with blood from other species. Sub-optimal amounts of the amino acid isoleucine in human blood (particularly free isoleucine in plasma) are thought to be responsible for lowered egg production when human blood is ingested. We tested the hypothesis that feeding on human blood is associated with a selective advantage for Ae. Aegypti and is an underlying reason for this mosquito's intimate and epidemiologically important rela-
tionship with human beings. Our five experiments examined the effects of different isoleucine concentrations on accumulated energy reserves, frequency of host contact, survival, and egg production. When mosquitoes imbibed blood meals over a 7- to 10-d period and were not fed sugar, increased isoleucine concentration decreased energy reserves and did not increase egg production. Aedes aegypti took smaller but more frequent blood meals when feeding on a low-isoleucine human host daily compared with a highisoleucine mouse host. Previous reports that isoleucine enhances egg production were confirmed only when females were fed sugar, an unusual behavior for most domestic Ae. aegypti populations. Females fed human blood and water had greater age-specific survival (lx), reproductive output (mx), and
cumulative net replacement (R0) than cohorts fed human blood plus sugar or isoleucinerich mouse blood with or without access to sugar. The unique isoleucine concentration of human blood is associated with Ae. aegypti's unusual propen-
sity to feed preferentially and frequently on humans-a behavior that increases this mosquito's fitness, synthesis of energy reserves, and contact with human hosts, making it an especially effective disseminator of human pathogens.
However, the facts present a rather grave situation as there is no tested or approved vaccine for the dengue flavivirus. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is testing 11 vaccines to overcome the dengue epidemic, local media reported. Dr Masood Akhtar Sheikh, chairman of the Pakistan Medical Society said in his address of meeting on the based on the measures for preventing dengue; Dengue fever is a self limiting disease and if managed properly, it has an almost 100 percent recovery rate. He added that there wasn't a specific way of treating dengue fever and prevention was the only way to control the disease. He said that the patients suffering from dengue, however, should not use asprin or any other forms of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. "These medicines can be hazardous for dengue patients as they might result in platelets dysfunction," he said. Dr Sheikh explained that
What is dengue? Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands , and rash. The presence of "dengue triad"fever, rash, and headache and other pains is particularly characteristic of dengue. Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles. Dengue strikes people with low levels of immunity. Because it is caused by one of four serotypes of virus, it is possible to get dengue fever multiple times. However, an attack of dengue produces immunity for a lifetime to that particular serotype to which the patient was exposed. Dengue goes by other names, including "breakbone" or "dandy fever." Victims of dengue often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain, hence the name breakbone fever.
dengue has four types, DEN I, DEN II, DEN III, and DEN IV. He said that a vaccine, which gave protection against each type, was direly needed. Otherwise, he said, prevention against one type could lead to
to 300 eggs. The formation of thin film of water should be avoided. A simpler method to avoid the breeding of the dengue carrying mosquito is to keep changing the water in flower pots, money plants,
Where are the dengue mosquito breeding sites? The dengue mosquito frequents backyards in search of containers holding water inside and outside the home, such as: n cans n buckets n jars n vases n Pot plant dishes n birdbaths boats n Tyres - discarded with no rims n roof gutters blocked by leaves n striking containers (used to strike plants) n Tarpaulins and black plastic. It can also breed in natural containers like: n bromeliads n Fallen palm fronds. In drier conditions it also breeds in water in subterranean sites such as: n wells n telecommunication pits n sump pits n Gully traps. The dengue mosquito does not fly very far, so if you get rid of mosquito breeding sites around your home, you will significantly reduce your risk of being bitten by dengue mosquitoes.
the severity of the other. He said that effective prevention measures were also required to be taken to control the breeding of the mosquito. The PMS senior vice president Dr Israr Hussain said that the Society has been chalking out an effective dengue preventive campaign for general public, to create awareness about simple and cost effective methods of controlling the disease. The dengue mosquito, Aedies
water left in tires, bottles, bath tubs, and water tanks, every five days. After its eradication in the 1970s, the first confirmed dengue hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Pakistan occurred in 1994. As in previous years, fumigation and dengue awareness campaigns are in action but it is clear that not enough has been done in Pakistan to control and eradicate this disease. And government has to also start distribution of useful
Egypti, has the ability to reproduce in a very thin water film of fresh water. It has an average life span of only two to three weeks and a capacity to lay 250
information /pamphlets amongst the community regarding adopting effective preventive measures against the mosquitoes.
How can you identify if it's a dengue mosquito? The dengue mosquito looks like many other mosquitoes so it is difficult for the layperson to identify without the use of a microscope. As a rule of thumb, if you have mosquitoes biting you indoors during the day, it is likely that they are dengue mosquitoes. The dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti) can more readily be identified by its behavior. Look for these signs: n It likes to live indoors and bite people indoors n It is hard to catch; it moves very quickly, darting back and forth n It likes to hide under furniture and bite people around the feet and ankles n Its bite is often relatively painless, so people may not notice they are being bitten or they may think they are being bitten by sandflies/biting midges. The adult mosquito prefers to rest in dark areas inside and under houses and buildings. Favourite resting spots are under beds, tables and chairs; in wardrobes and closets; on piles of dirty laundry and shoes; inside open containers; in dark and quiet rooms; and even on dark objects such as clothing or furniture. So keep alert form this. The dengue mosquito prefers to bite humans during daylight. It is very cautious when biting, flying away quickly at the slightest disturbance. An effective way to kill adult mosquitoes is to apply a residual insecticide (cockroach surface spray) onto the areas where they prefer to rest.
6
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Cars Prices Updated on 30 October, 2010
SYED ABUL ABBAS NAQVI
DAIHATSU Model
Price
CUORE CX
700,000
CUORE CX CNG
745,000
CUORE CX A/T
730,000
CUORE ECOMATIC
785,000
TOYOTA Model
Price
Hilux 4x2 Standard
1,459,000
Hilux 4x2 up Spec
1,499,000
Hilux 4x2 Grand Cabin
2,004,000
COROLLA 1.3L XLi
1,300,000
COROLLA 1.3L GLi
1,426,000
COROLLA 2.0D
1,358,000
COROLLA 2.0D SALOON
1,713,000
COROLLA 2.0D SALOON SR
1,799,000
1.8L ALTIS MT
1,713,000
1.8L ALTIS MT SR
1,799,000
1.8L ALTIS AT
1,799,000
1.8L ALTIS AT SR
1,885,000
CAMRY 2400cc M/T
6,960,000
CAMRY 2400cc A/T
7,160,000
HONDA Model
Price
CITY Manual Transmission
1,285,000
CITY Automatic Transmission
1,416,000
CIVIC i-VTEC Manual Transmission
1,663,000
CIVIC i-VTEC Prosmatec Transmission 1,784,000 CIVIC VTi Oriel Manual Transmission 1,845,000 CIVIC VTi Oriel Prosmatec Transmission 1,920,000 Accord 2.4 i-VTEC
5,949,000
CR-V 2.4 Liter
5,549,000
CHEVROLET Model
Price
SPARK LS (Manual)
815,000
SPARK LS (Automatic)
890,000
OPTRA SE
1,479,000
OPTRA LS M/T
1,549,000
OPTRA LS A/T
1,629,000
OPTRA 1.8 CDX-MT
1,669,000
OPTRA 1.8 CDX-AT
1,759,000
AVEO LT - M/T
1,369,000
AVEO LT - A/T
1,469,000
COLORADO - MT (With Accessories)
3,479,000
Motorola China claims Windows phone 7 rides world's fastest Android to 'Early' to smartphone profitability Supercomputer market, says Ballme R C
M
icrosoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says that despite the hefty lead of rivals, the company is entering the smartphone market early with Windows Phone 7 and is fully committed to making the operating system successful. Ballmer told attendees at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference Thursday that the smartphone market is still young, and there's plenty of time for devices running Microsoft's new mobile OS to grab market share. "Yeah, we're early. There's no question we're early," Ballmer said during his keynote. Some analysts do not share Ballmer's optimism. Researcher Gartnerpredicted this month that Windows Phone 7 would barely move the needle on Microsoft's dismal share in the smartphone OS market. Windows Phone 7, which is available in phones in Europe now and in the U.S. next month, is expected to bump the company's worldwide market share from 4.7% in 2010 to 5.2% next year.
Price 588,000
CHERY QQ 0.8L COMFORTABLE
628,000
SUZUKI Model
Price
CHERY QQ 0.8L BASIC
588,000
CHERY QQ 0.8L COMFORTABLE
628,000
RAVI VX
463,000
RAVI VX CNG
514,000
BOLAN VX
522,000
BOLAN VX CNG
574,000
BOLAN VXR
582,000
BOLAN VXR CNG
635,000
CARGO VAN
497,000
MEHRAN VX
443,000
MEHRAN VXR
495,000
MEHRAN VX CNG
489,000
MEHRAN VXR CNG
539,000
ALTO VXR
643,000
ALTO VXR CNG
692,000
CULTUS VXRi
837,000
CULTUS VXRi CNG
878,000
SWIFT
1,058,000
LIANA 1.3L RXI MT
1,129,000
LIANA1.3L RXI MT CNG
1,199,000
APV 1.5 Petrol
1,775,000
APV 1.5 CNG
1,850,000
JIMMY JLSX MT
1,720,000
JIMMY JLDX MT
1,870,000
expected to continue leading the market in 2014, with a 30.2% stake, just barely ahead of Google's Android. Gartner sees Android's share balloon-
ing to 29.6% from 17.7% in 2010 and just 3.9% in 2009. Nevertheless, Microsoft is going to put "muscle" behind WP7 in terms of marketing and sales, Ballmer said. "Make no mistake about it, when it comes to Windows Phone, we're all in," he said about the company. "I've gotten asked various questions: What we will do with this or that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Boom, baby! That's what we're going to do, continue to work, continue to drive, continue to improve." Microsoft, which has billions of dollars in cash reserves, has fought its way to a leadership role before in markets where it entered as an underdog. However, despite being in the mobile phone market for years, it has failed to make a dent, unlike Google, which has seen Android grow dramatically in just three years. Microsoft's most recent failure was the Kin, an advanced mobile phone meant to attract a younger, social networkingoriented audience. Microsoft stopped work on the device after just six weeks.
Nvidia unveils 3D software for HDTV
CHERY Model CHERY QQ 0.8L BASIC
However, Microsoft's share will ultimately decline to just 3.9% by 2014, Gartner says. Those numbers mean Microsoft will be far behind the other major mobile OS developers. Symbian is
iding the success of several Android handsets, Motorola's cell phone unit reported its first profit in three years as the company dressed up its financials in preparation for splitting the company in two early next year. The third-quarter report, announced Thursday, also featured a 6% sales increase to $5.8 billion for the entire company. Already scheduled to shed its mobile network infrastructure to Nokia Siemens Networks for $1.2 billion, Motorola has committed to next year's breakup because its dominant investors believe the parts of the company broken up will be worth more than the whole. The best -- and most surprising -- news in the report was that the phone unit shipped more than 9 million devices. The company said it has introduced 22 smartphones this year and 3.8 million of them were shipped in the last quarter. "In the third quarter, Motorola Mobility showed positive momentum across the business, with Mobile Devices reaching profitability for the first time in over three years and [the Home operation] continues to maintain its leadership position," said Sanjay Jha, Motorola co-CEO and Motorola Mobility CEO.
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omputer graphics maker Nvidia on Friday unveiled 3DTV Play software, which will let users connect 3D notebooks and desktops running its 3D Vision technology to 3D high-definition TVs for a "big-screen entertainment experience," the company said. ny compatible Nvidia GeForce graphics processing unit (GPU)-powered system running the 3DTV Play software can be connected to an HDMI 1.4 3D HD TV, the company said, letting users view 3D photos and videos on a larger screen. They will also be able to play some 500 games in 3D -- more than any other platform -- according to Nvidia. When the compatible
video playback software is employed, users can also watch Blu-ray 3D movies in full 1080 stereoscopic 3D,
along with HD digital surround sound with an HDMI connection to a compatible audio/video receiver. Game titles include StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Mafia II, and Call of Duty: Black Ops. A new line of Dell XPS lap-
tops rolled out Friday come bundled with the Nvidia 3DTV Play software, Nvidia said. The 14-, 15- and 17inch multimedia laptops also come with Nvidia's GeForce 400M GPUs and Optimus technology. With the addition of Nvidia's 3DTV Play software in the Dell XPS laptops, "we can bring t h e thrilling 3D experience to an entirely new market by enabling consumers to enjoy life-like, 3D entertainment in the comfort of their
living rooms," Sam Burd, vice president, Dell Consumer & SMB Product Group, said in a statement. Users of 3D Vision PCs can upgrade to Nvidia 3DTV Play software for free, through the latest Release 260 GeForce drivers for desktop GPUs, and Verde Notebook drivers for notebook GPUs. In addition to select Dell XPS notebooks, the software is available on ASRock and Zotac home theater PCs. The software will also be bundled on upcoming computers, Nvidia said. In November, the Nvidia 3DTV Play software will go on sale on Nvidia.com as an upgrade for PCs that have an Nvidia GeForce GPU and Microsoft Windows 7.
hina has built what may be the world's fastest computer, a signal that the Chinese are ready to present a serious challenge to the U.S. as the dominant force in supercomputing. The Tianhe-1A, unveiled
Jaguar's 1.75 petaflops. The latter supercomputer, housed at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., National Laboratory, uses 224,162 Opteron processors from Advanced Micro Devices. A petaflops is equal to 1,000 trillion operations per second.
Thursday, set a performance record of 2.507 petaflops, easily surpassing the current record holder, the Cray XT5 Jaguar. Whether the Chinese system is officially crowned the world's fastest computer will have to wait a couple of weeks, when the Top 500 list is scheduled to be released at the International Supercomputing Conference in Germany. In the meantime, the stats for the Tianhe-1A make it appear to be the leader. The system, powered by 7,168 Nvidia Tesla M2050 GPUs and 14,336 Intel Xeon CPUs, speeded past
Designed at the National University of Defense Technology in China, the Tianhe-1A comprises 103 computer racks that cover 17,000 square feet. The system consumes 4.04 megawatts of electricity. The Tianhe-1A couldn't have been built without U.S.-made processors, which remain the best in the world. However, China developed the very fast interconnect technology that moves data between the processors and wrote the software that runs the supercomputer.
Microsoft launches Office 2011 for Mac icrosoft Office 2011 for the Mac became available through retailers Tuesday, bringing to users of Apple computers the same cloud-based services that have been available on Windows PCs for five months. The latest Mac version of Microsoft's productivity suite also includes Outlook for the first time, giving Apple customers more for their money. The suite is available in 13 languages and
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Another major new feature is the addition of Outlook, which is Microsoft's email client, contact manager and calendar utility. In the Mac version of Office, Outlook replaces the Entourage component that was used in previous versions of the suite. Among the Outlook features Apple customers might find useful is the "Conversation" view that groups all messages on one topic, a capability similar to the "Organize By Thread"
will be available at retailers in 45 countries by November. With Office 2011, Mac users will get the same collaboration and social networking tools that shipped with Office 2010 for Windows in May. The new Mac version offers a direct connection to Office Web Apps, which is Microsoft's cloud-based version of the desktop suite.
option in Apple's Mail client. In addition, the Outlook database is expected to work better with Apple's Time Machine backup software in the Mac. With Entourage, Time Machine would backup the software's entire database, even when only a few messages were added. With Outlook, Time Machine will be able to do incremental backups.
RIM Demos PlayBook Tablet R
IM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis and Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch shared the stage on Monday at AdobeMAX and talked about Adobe's AIR platform and the BlackBerry PlayBook. The PlayBook, which is rooted in QNX, has a user interface that is derived entirely from AIR. During the on-stage demo, Lazaridis shows off the multitasking powers of the PlayBook, as well as select applications, such as the media player and video player. Based on the video from the event, RIM imagine's multitasking similar to the way Palm does, and assigns "cards" to each running application. Users can then swipe through the cards to access different applications, leaving the others running in the background. Lazaridis also showed off the PlayBook's browser, which of course has Adobe's Flash Player Mobile 10.1 baked in. He navigated to the full HTML version of YouTube and was able to play back a promotional
video with no problems, and without loading a separate media player to handle the Flash content. It looks pretty slick, in all. The user interface was fluid and smooth, and takes obvious cues from today's best touch-based platforms. It's one thing to make a demo look good, it's altogether different to bring a working product to market. RIM took the opportunity at the same event to launch the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. RIM says of the new developer tools, "This SDK enables developers to quickly and easily create AIR applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using Adobe's powerful, familiar and industry-leading development tools. Adobe AIR developers can start building their applications today for BlackBerry PlayBook and will be able to start submitting their AIR applications for BlackBerry PlayBook to BlackBerry App World by end of this year."
Latest Gadgets Elecom Rotating Memory Card Reader Elecom have created a memory card reader that has the ability to rotate. The reason for it doing this is so that you can move it more easily out of the way of other ports on your laptop. The reader has a rounded end that allows the reader to rotate 180 degrees if needed.
ASUS Eee PC 1015PW Unveiled Novatech nTablet to get Android & Windows 7 Novatech is launching a new tablet called the nTablet. One of the main differences with this tablet is that it runs both tghe Google Android operating system as well as Windows 7. As for technical specs, the nTablet will come with an Intel Atom processor running at 1.66GHz. It will have 1GB of DDR3 memory as well as 32GB of SSD storage. A 1.3 megapixel camera is found on the nTablet. The screen has a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.
ASUS is launching another netbook. This next model is called the ASUS Eee PC 1015PW and is distinctive in that its purple in colour. Technical specs show that it is very similar to the 1015PEM. It has a dual core 1.5GHz Intel Atom processor inside. It has wireless 802.11n as well as Bluetooth 3.0
Acer Liquid Metal Android 2.2 Acer has announced the Acer Liquid Metal smartphone. This particular phone runs the Android 2.2 operating system and is classed by Acer as the latest generation of Acer smartphones. The Liquid Metal has a 3.6 inch screen, has an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor and has 802.11n wireless networking. The phone is a HSDPA device capable of connecting up to speeds of 14.4Mbps when in optimal network coverage.
Quirky Contort USB Hub. The Contort is a plug-in 4-port USB hub, and the cord management roll enables users to keep an iPod Dock Connector cable, micro-USB cable and mini-USB cable neatly spooled for charging just about anything.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
FDA denies ViroPharma's higher genetic-drug production
BAGHDAD: Pharmaceutical drugs are displayed at the Iraqi Ministry of Industry exhibition of local products in Baghdad. Reuters
Teva to buy KGaA's women's health unit TEL AVIV: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries agreed to buy Merck KGaA's women's health unit Theramex for 265 million euros ($367.8 million), the Israel-based company's second acquisition in Europe this year. The deal follows its purchase of generic drugmaker Ratiopharm for 3.7 billion euros to improve its presence in Germany. The Merck Serono division
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will be eligible to receive certain performance-based milestone payments. Teva, the world's biggest maker of generic drugs, will fund the acquisition from its internal resources. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close toward the end of this year or in early 2011. Teva President and Chief Executive Shlomo Yanai said Theramex's product portfolio, sales force and promising
Continued from page 1
The Chairman Implementation Commission on 18th Amendment briefed the Prime Minister about ongoing process of devolution and upcoming meetings of Implementation Commission and provincial governments next week. Mian Raza Rabbani apprised the Prime Minister that the Parliamentary Committee on constitutional reforms will be meeting on 1st November in the light of the Supreme Court decision. Prime Minister was briefed that the Commission after taking the Federal Ministries into confidence will coordinate with the provincial governments to ensure the process of devolution in smooth way.
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Continued from page 1
the nation", he remarked. Government was endeavoring to extend financial assistance to the poor people under Benazir Income Support Program. In pursuance of this scheme the fee of children will be remitted concession will be given in electricity and gas bills and facility of life insurance will be provided, he announced. Prime minister said over 20 million people had been rendered homeless due to disastrous floods. Government had accepted the responsibility of providing them homes, he added. "We will complete the process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Free of cost electricity and fertilizer will be provided to poor farmers in the flood affected areas", he held.
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Continued from page 1
packages were negotiated, the US also promised to reimburse $750 million of arrears from the Coalition Support Fund. But Pakistani officials, who participated in the dialogue, said that "the talks' real achievement" was "a better understanding of Pakistan's position on North Waziristan". The Pakistanis informed their American counterparts that they already had 39,000 troops in North Waziristan, more than those deployed in South Waziristan. Pakistan also assured the Americans that it's willing to continue and even expedite 'surgical operations' against the militants in North Waziristan but was not in a position to launch a full-fledged military operations.
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Continued from page 1
He said that he appeals to media and public that if they have any information on any anti state element than they should inform the police and law enforcing agencies. He said security is on high alert at airport and security measures would be further tightened. Responding to a question regarding US Ambassador Cameron Munter's recent defence of drone attacks, Malik said the strikes violated Pakistan's sovereignty and security and that the government was involved in negotiations with the US on the issue. -Agencies
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has become inevitable, He said even clashes exists within PPP , the real PPP leaders who had sacrificed are sidelined and those who were never part of PPP are close aides of Zardari. He said PPP's loyal leaders were being put to the walls. He said government's clash with judiciary would prove to be costly as we would stand by judiciary for the supremacy of judiciary. He said the government is establishing new record of corruption and is least bit bothered about the problems being faced by the public. He said that the poverty stricken people are continuously being bombarded by inflating gas and electricity prices. He said in the tenure of previous regime the petrol prices were raised by 35 per cent but now in the tenure of this govt the PoL prices have risen by 94 per cent,. Ch Nisar said this govt is taking forward the agenda of IMF and other monetary agencies and not public agenda. He said his party would oppose the imposition of the flood tax in the coming assembly session. Nisar said the PML-N was the only party which was criticising drone attacks inside and outside the parliament. He said innocent people were being killed in drone attacks and that the attacks were a threat to the country's security and sovereignty.-APP
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Pervez Ashraf while answering to a question said that PPP government is a people friendly government that comes into power by
pipeline will be combined with the research and development capabilities and product portfolio of Teva's U.S. women's health business. "Together the global team will accelerate the expansion of our women's health franchise into key growth markets in Europe and around the world and provide an excellent springboard for future sales," he said in a statement. -Reuters
WASHINGTON: ViroPharma Inc, a specialty pharmaceutical company, said US health regulators declined to approve industrial-scale manufacturing of its genetic disorder drug Cinryze, sending its shares down 17 per cent. In a complete response letter to ViroPharma, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sought additional information related to observations from the pre-approval inspection and review of the technical processes, the company said. ViroPharma said it will respond to the FDA and plans to start manufacturing industrial scale lots at risk in the first quarter of 2011. The company however, expects its currently approved manufacturing process alone to yield up to 60,000 doses annually. Cinryze is the company's approved treatment for a fatal genetic disorder called hereditary angioedema and is expected to generate full-year revenue of $165-$175 million. In June, ViroPharma approached the FDA, seeking approval to commercialize Cinryze manufactured using the industrial scale process. The company's shares, which had plunged 18 percent since it expressed doubts over the drug's production capability in October last year, fell to $13.51 pre-market trade on Friday. Reuters
7 Firm denies exporting execution drug to US LONDON: The only company licensed to sell an anaesthetic used in a US execution denied exporting the drug, after officials in the United States said it came from Britain. Arizona executed Jeffrey Landrigan for a 1989 murder late Tuesday despite a a US shortage of the anaesthetic normally used, sodium thiopental, one of three components of the lethal injection. The US state said it had to obtain sodium thiopental from a foreign source after this was cleared for use in the execution by the US Supreme Court. After the execution, the Arizona attorney general's office said the drug used came from a British
manufacturer but would not name the firm. "There is one current licence for sodium thiopental and that is for Archimedes Pharma UK," a spokesman for Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency told on Thursday. But in a statement, Archimedes said: "Consistent with applicable regulations, the company does not have information on specific end purchasers or users of its products. "The company neither exports the product to the US for any purpose nor is it aware of any exports of the product." Archimedes describes itself as "an international
specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the oncology, pain, neurology, and critical care sectors." It sells sodium thiopental in a powder solution which must be dissolved in water before being injected. It is used as an anaesthetic, or to control fits. A spokeswoman for the European Union, which prohibits the trade in goods used for capital punishment, torture and ill-treatment, said Thursday that the drug was not listed as being prohibited. "Instead it is on a list of essential drugs of the World Health Organisation used widely, for anesthesia, induced comas and psychiatry," said Maja Kocijancik. -Agencies
GSK Pharma sees vaccines boosting India rev MUMBAI: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals expects reviving vaccines sales to drive growth at 14-15 percent annually in India, a top official said. "For last few years, we were lagging the market growth rate... in this year, we see sales growth at 14-15 percent," Mehernosh Kapadia, senior executive director, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"Vaccines have contributed 9-10 percent to our sales in the current year and this will grow to 15 over the next two to three years," he said. The firm, a unit of the world's second-largest drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc, had said in July that sales of vaccines in India had been adversely affected by certain supply constraints. "The issues regarding supply of vaccines have been
resolved and the segment contributed about 34 percent of total sales in the quarter," he added. Apart from vaccines, the drugmaker is also sourcing more and more patented products from its parent company to India in segments like oncology, asthma and dermatology to push India sales, he added. The firm, in JulySeptember, received approval for two key oncology drugs Revolade and Votrient.
Takeda, Daiichi Sankyo lift earnings outlooks
people's vote and rental power houses case is in SC and government will defend its stance on rental power houses. He further said that large power-ship will arrive at Karachi seaport next month that would help in reducing load shedding in the TOKYO: Japan's Takeda told a news conference. lyst Fumiyoshi Sakai who has city. -Agencies Pharmaceutical said that firstTakeda will also see the forecast Daiichi's annual Continued from page 8 No #7 half profit fell 12 per cent as a U.S. patent on its biggest sell- recurring profit at 115 billion focus of the countries' action plan through 2015. key drug lost patent protec- er, the diabetes drug Actos, yen. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretary tion but it lifted its full-year expires this January and "There will be another general Surin Pitsuwan told reporters at the 10-member bloc's earnings outlook as a strong Takeda's President Yasuchika review of the annual forecasts summit in Hanoi that leaders agreed on the need for clean energy yen helped cut overseas costs. Hasegawa said in May that a anyway, as prospects for projects in the region. The first-half performance turnaround for the company's Ranbaxy's generic version of "Without energy we could not drive our economy, but at the contrasted with rival Daiichi earnings would not come (the Alzheimer's drug) same time using traditional energy may impact upon our global Sankyo which booked a big before March 2013. Aricept will become clear in environment," he said, adding that member countries are working jump in earnings and raised Daiichi booked a 77 percent November," Sakai said, preon "green energy, clean energy, new, alternative energy that would its outlook on a strong turn- jump in first-half recurring dicting Daiichi shares would not have any impact on the environment".-APP around at its Indian generic profit. Its new flagship drug remain range-bound in the drug subsidiary Ranbaxy Effient, a blood-thinner, has near term. Continued from page 8 No #8 Laboratories and on cost so far seen slow sales due to Eisai's Aricept will lose Punjab Rangers DG Major General Muhammad Yaqoob and cuts. concerns about bleeding exclusivity in the United Director General BSF Raman Shrivastav made the announcement Takeda, Japan's No.1 drug- risks, yet the product and States later this year. at the Rangers Headquarters in Lahore on Saturday. maker, said April-September Ranbaxy have helped to make Ranbaxy is planning to Both border forces' heads also decided to exchange prisoner recurring profit fell to 225.5 Daiichi better positioned than launch a generic version but it information and take steps for their release. billion yen ($2.8 billion) after its peers, analysts said. has yet to be approved and DG BSF said that he came to Pakistan with a motive of friendits ulcer treatment Prevacid It boosted its annual profit U.S. regulators have banned ship and has received positive feedback from the Pakistani side. lost its U.S. patent protection projection to 100 billion yen Ranbaxy's exports from two The Indian military had earlier accused Pakistan of a "major last November. from 85 billion yen, plants in India, accusing the ceasefire violation, alleging that Pakistani troops opened fire But it nudged its annual prof- although that was still short plants of falsifying data. across the de facto border dividing Kashmir killing one Indian it outlook 6 percent higher to of the consensus of 118.6 Shares of Daiichi Sankyo soldier. 360 billion yen, above a con- billion yen profit in a poll of closed up 0.9 percent at 1,705 While Pakistan had responded by blaming India for starting sensus of 352 billion yen in a 16 analysts by Thomson yen, outperforming the unprovoked border firing fueling tensions between the border poll of 16 analysts by Thomson Reuters. broader sector which edged security forces of both countries.-Agencies Reuters I/B/E/S, although that An upward revision had up 0.1 percent. Takeda would still be 16.7 percent been expected after the com- announced after the close of Continued from page 8 No #9 pany said earlier in the year it trade. smuggled into Pakistan in huge quantities and it needs to be below year-ago levels. "The stronger-than-expect- might revise its outlook highBased on the companies' checked," he said. "We have proposed that firing would only be opened by the ed yen has prompted us to er but decided not to do so as projections for the year to March, Daiichi is expected to forces on either side in their own territory instead of attacking the revise our estimates for expected in August. research and development "The new forecast is con- replace Astellas Pharma as border posts or villagers across the border," he informed. Shrivastava said that fishermen, crossing the sea borders, were costs and sales and adminis- servative. But, this company's Japan's No.2 drugmaker in taken into custody by different security agencies on different tration costs by 10 billion yen forecasts have not been much terms of annual revenues. each," Takeda senior vice of a guide, so it's not a sur- Astellas will report results on occasions. "Once they are arrested, the process of law has to take its president Hiroshi Takahara prise," said Credit Suisse ana- Monday. -Reuters course," he said, adding that "mostly they don't have any documentation to authenticate their whereabouts". Both India and Pakistan have regularly been exchanging allegations of "cross-border firing without any provocation". The border security forces on both sides hold these meetings every quarter to discuss issues of conflict and try to devise a mechanism to resolve them. Regarding the tension between both countries on the borders, the BSF official said that "the situation at ground level was much TOKYO: Daiichi Sankyo, Japan's No 3 drugmaker, said its April-September recurring profit rose better than what it was two years ago". 77.3 percent and lifted its annual outlook, as its Indian arm Ranbaxy Laboratories swang to a solid "The situation was better last year, it has improved this year and profit. we are confident that it will improve further in future," he said Daiichi, which bought a majority stake in the generic drug maker in 2008 and launched a new flagreferring to the bitter bilateral relations after the 26/11 Mumbai ship drug, blood-thinner Effient, last year, said its recurring profit totalled 92.7 billion yen ($1.1 bilterrorist attack in 2008. lion) in the first fiscal half. "We will also share lists of foreign prisoners in Indian and For the year to March 2011, Daiichi raised its recurring profit forecast to 100 billion yen from 85 Pakistani jails to provide relief to them through the relevant for- billion yen, still short of the consensus of a 118.6 billion yen profit in a poll of 16 analysts by eign ministries," Maj Gen Khan said with reference to Indian fish- Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. ermen. More than 100 Indian fishermen were released from Makers of branded drugs, including Takeda Pharmaceutical and Astellas Pharma as well as globKarachi jail last month following the intervention of the Indo-Pak al rivals, are struggling to develop strong successors to their mainstay drugs which have lost or are Fisher Folk Forum. soon set to lose patent protection. "We only have to rely on their names most of the times and even Daiichi's new flagship drug Effient has so far seen slow sales due to concerns about bleeding this does not match with the official records provided by the risks, yet the product and Ranbaxy have helped to make Daiichi better positioned than its peers, respective government later on," he added.-Online analysts say. Continued from page 8 Ranbaxy has reported a net profit of 9.6 billion rupees ($216 million) for January-March, the first No #10 The US has appealed for the two countries to resolve the quarter of its financial year, compared with a net loss of 7.7 billion rupees in the year-ago quarter. matter peacefully but has made clear it sides with Japan in the Daiichi's results reflect Ranbaxy's with a one-quarter time lag. -Reuters current imbroglio. After meeting with Japan's foreign minister in Hawaii on Wednesday, Clinton said the islands are cov- become increasingly rattled in recent months following a number of aggressive maritime ered by a US-Japan mutual security pact, although moves by the Communist giant. Clinton's message, while couched in diplomatic niceties, was clear: China must not use its Washington takes no position on their ultimate sovereignty. That infuriated Beijing, which on Friday said it was growing economic and military strength to bully its neighbors. Previous similar remarks from "strongly dissatisfied" with her comments and lashed out at Clinton and other US officials have drawn tough criticism from the Chinese, who claim sovboth the US and Japan. Southeast Asian countries have ereignty over vast swaths of territory in the East and South China seas.-Reuters
Daiichi Sankyo H1 profit leaps, led by Ranbaxy
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Sunday, October 31, 2010
Russia eyes Asia for more N-ventures
LAHORE: DG Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) Maj Gen Muhammad Yaqub Khan and Director General, BSF India Shri Raman Srivastav briefs to the media persons after five-day bi-annual meeting between Pakistan Rangers and India.-APP
Pak Rangers, Indian Border Security Force hold meeting; moot issues
Pak, India ready to tone down rhetoric LAHORE: The directors general of Pakistani Rangers and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) Saturday agree to tone down border rhetoric including the aggressive ceremony at LAHORE: Pakistan Rangers Punjab has decided to end display Wagah border. of their belligerent approach during the flag half-mast ceremoThis was agreed during the ny at Wagah Border, responding to a request made by Indian meeting between the two-deleBorder Security Force (BSF). gation here. See # 8 Page 7 They also came to a mutual agreement of minimum deten- their respective government to Shrivastava, heading a 19tion and paperwork for release act so. member delegation, was in of held fishermen and to urge BSF Director General Raman Lahore for a strategic meeting
Rangers, BSF nod to end belligerent show at Wagah
RCG, an autonomous body: FBR ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), while clarifying a news item, informed that Tax Reform Coordination Group (RCG) works totally independently and has been provided no guidelines in terms of its scope by the Government of Pakistan. In an official statement, the FBR spokesperson clarified a news report captioned 'Tax panel asked not to venture into agriculture' published in a section of the press regarding the Tax Reform Coordination Group (RCG) constituted by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. The spokesman further said that the sub-groups of the RCG presented their initial proposals in a meeting held on 17th October in the Ministry of Finance. Deliberations on these proposals were held and are continuing. Further discussions will be held with other major stakeholders before these proposals are finalized and presented to the government.-NNI
Chinese envoy meets Wyne RAWALPINDI: Liu Jain, Ambassador of China called on General Khalid Shamim Wyne, Chairman Joint Chief of Army Staff Committee (CJCSC) at Joint Staff Headquarters, Chaklala on Friday. Liu Jain congratulated General Wyne on assumption of his appointment as CJCSC and discussed matters related to progress in bilateral relations, ongoing defence collaboration and recent regional and international security developments.-NNI
to discuss issues pertaining to border security between the two neighbours. Major General Yaqub Ali Khan, director general of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) headed the host delegation. Maj Gen Khan said that "smugglers had contacts on either side of the border and both agencies are trying to find a joint mechanism to get rid of it". "Indian liquor is being See # 9 Page 7
HANOI: Asian nations are looking forward to attain nuclear power deals with Russia, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following a race by world powers to secure projects in the 'energyhungry' region. "Our partners expressed particular interest in nuclear energy, noting Russia's vast experience in this sphere," Lavrov said in Hanoi, where President Dmitry Medvedev attended a regional summit. During Medvedev's visit to Vietnam, Russia will also sign a multi-billion-euro deal on Sunday to build Vietnam's first nuclear power plant. An official with Russian state nuclear conglomerate Rosatom told foreign media the construction of the two-unit plant is estimated at over 4.0 billion euros (5.5 billion dollars). Russia is locked in a global race with competitors like the United States, Japan and France to clinch lucrative worldwide contracts as demand for nuclear energy increases. Vietnam has approved the construction of the country's first nuclear power stations, and its initial plans call for four reactors with a total capacity of 4,000 megawatts, at least one of which should be operational from 2020. Lavrov added that Russia and its ASEAN partners were interested in pursuing joint projects in geothermal energy in the region. "The prospects are quite good," he said, adding the potential projects would be the See # 7 Page 7
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Zardari hurdle in good governance
Political change on cards: Nisar WAH CANTT: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said that a major change on the political arena was expected during the next few months. He, however, clarified that the Pakistan Muslim League-N would support change only through democratic means. Speaking to media representatives, Nisar said due to the present government's inept policies, its close allies at the national as well as the international level were not happy. He said the PML-N would not join the United Muslim League initiated by Pir Pagara. Responding to a question, he said that his party gave no importance to the meeting
between Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Law Minister Babar Awan. He further said that he saw no threat to the Punjab government. Nisar further said that his party wished that the present Pakistan People's Party-led government complete its tenure but it seems that the PPP would bury with its blunders and failures. Earlier Ch Nisar also said that President Asif Ali Zardari is not allowing Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to implement Mian Nawaz Sharif's good governance suggestion due to which PPP is breathing its last. He said that due to incompetence of the government change See # 5 Page 7
Steps to end power crisis taken: Ashraf MARDAN: Federal minister for water and power, Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that government is taking all possible measures in order to end electricity load shedding as well as to provide cheap electricity to the consumers by building new dams and utilizing other natural resources. Ashraf while talking to media after paying condolence to PML (N) central vice president of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sir Anjam Khan on the death
of his son said that government is giving Rs two billion subsidy to electricity consumers, government only increase the electricity tariff when oil prices go up in the international market. Minister said that government will build dams only after taking all the stake holders on board and no controversial dam will be built in the country as it is against the government's reconciliation policy. See # 6 Page 7
French troops to leave Afghanistan in 2011
Nato claims to kill 30 Taliban fighters KABUL: Insurgents armed with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars tried to storm a combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, setting off a battle that killed 30 attackers and wounded five coalition soldiers, NATO said. Assailants struck from all sides in the nighttime attack on the outpost in Paktika province's Bermal district, where nearly all NATO forces are from the US military. The military called in close air-support and aircraft dropped three bombs to help repel the insurgents. According to NATO, the five coalition service members who were wounded in the attack continued fighting. "Insurgents attacked from all directions," NATO said in a statement. It provided no further details. The attack took place in an area about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Kabul that borders the Pakistani region of North Waziristan. The border region has long been a
refuge for Islamist extremists from around the world and has been the target of numerous drone strikes against the Taliban, al Qaeda and the forces of the Haqqani network. Jalaluddin and Sirajuddin Haqqani, a former antiSoviet commander and his son, are now battling American forces in eastern Afghanistan. Meanwhile, France's defense minister says that Nato countries could begin to withdraw some of their forces from Afghanistan at the start of next year as security responsibilities for some districts are handed over to Afghan forces. Herve Morin said in an interview on France's RTL radio network that "in 2011 we're going to transfer a whole series of districts to the Afghans" and "at that moment, there could be the first movements, or first withdrawals of Allied forces from Afghanistan." He added that this is also "the calendar set by Barack Obama, that in 2011 the first American troops could quit Afghanistan." -Agencies
US has stake in Asia security, says Clinton HANOI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waded into a fresh spat between China and Japan on Saturday, saying the United States has a key stake in territorial disputes between Beijing and its neighbors and will remain a major power in the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking to East Asian leaders in Vietnam, Clinton declared that America has a direct national security interest in seeing peaceful resolutions to competing claims over islands that have led to a spike in animosity between China and other countries in the region, notably US ally Japan. "The United States has a national interest in the freedom of navigation and unimpeded lawful commerce," Clinton told a meeting of the East Asia Summit in Hanoi. "And when disputes arise over maritime territory, we are committed to resolving them peacefully based on customary international law." Her comments come as China and Japan's damaged relations took a fresh hit, dimming hopes for talks between the two regional powers and highlighting tensions that have rattled nerves across the Asia-Pacific. Sino-Japanese relations appeared to
be mending when Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara met on the sidelines of the summit on Friday, paving the way for expected talks between the countries' two leaders. But at the last minute, China called off the meeting and blasted Japan, accusing it of making untrue statements about islands in the East China Sea, claimed by both nations. The territory is at the heart of the dispute, following a collision there last month between a Chinese fishing trawler and two Japanese patrol boats. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue told reporters in Hanoi that Japan was turning the contested islands - called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan - into a "hot topic" on the sidelines of the summit hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, by talking to the media and holding discussions with other countries prior to the meeting. "The Japanese side should take responsibility for ruining the atmosphere for leaders of the two countries," he said. See # 10 Page 7
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