Hot News Zone

HK star's nude photos lead to arrests in China

2008-03-01T05:08:00.001-08:00

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has arrested two more people for posting nude photos of Hong Kong pop stars on the Internet, state media said on Saturday.

The two were sentenced to five days detention for spreading at least ten photos of singer and actor Edison Chen in bed with female celebrities, a scandal that has touched off a media frenzy in Hong Kong and feverish downloading of the photos.

The two men were arrested in the central province of Hunan after an online post showing the nude photos attracted more than 100,000 hits, Xinhua news agency said.

Eleven others across the country have already been detained for producing or selling the photos or posting them on the Internet, Xinhua said.

Some 1,300 private shots of the celebrities were stolen by the staff of a computer repair shop from a faulty laptop believed to belong to Chen, Hong Kong police have said.

Last week, Chen said he would quit the Hong Kong entertainment industry to "heal himself".

The Canada-born Chen, a hip hop artist and Asian film star, has admitted that most of the pictures circulating on the Internet had been taken by him and said that he never intended to show them to anyone.

Hong Kong police have made at least 10 arrests in connection with the scandal.

China prohibits the production or distribution of "pornographic products even without the purpose of making profit" and offenders can face detention of up to 15 days, Xinhua said.

New handheld games break traditional molds

2008-03-01T05:01:00.000-08:00

By Scott Hillis

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Bizarre little creatures that look like walking eyeballs and a puzzle-cracking professor may not seem to have much in common at first glance.

But they are the stars of two new vastly different hand-held video games that are winning praise for the ways they combine different genres to produce quirky new experiences.

"Patapon", out this week for Sony's PSP, is being hailed as one of the system's best games. It is perhaps best characterized as a rhythm-based, side-scrolling real-time strategy game.

Confused? Here's how it works.

You play the god-like leader of the Patapons, an oppressed race who just need a little rhythmic inspiration to help regain their former glory.

You must build up a Patapon army, which you then command by tapping buttons in time with a beat, pulling off different combinations to advance, attack and defend.

You'll collect resources like stone, iron and branches that can be used to create new soldiers or make your existing ones more powerful.

Patapons and other characters appear as black silhouettes against the game's vividly colored backgrounds, like paper cutouts held up to a light. The music is a wild mix of percussion, hypnotic chanting and Celtic influences.

"Once you hear the chanting and the 'pata pata pata pon', it kind of gets in your head," said Christian Hinojosa-Miranda, a producer who worked on the U.S. version of the game.

"'Patapon' really strikes to the heart of the PSP, which is simple, really addictive gameplay with awesome design," he added.

But it is a fairly tough game that rewards patience and attention to detail. There are few instructions, and it's often only through trial-and-error that players will advance through the game.

"The game is very deep and sophisticated and if you let it sort of guide you, the experience is very rewarding," said Jennifer Tsao, group managing editor for the 1Up Network.

BREAKING TRADITIONAL MOLDS

"Professor Layton and the Curious Village", for Nintendo's DS handheld, is as friendly and welcoming a game as can be imagined.

But it, too, breaks traditional molds, melding a mystery story, point-and-click adventure, and brain teasers similar to those in Nintendo's hit "Brain Age" and "Big Brain Academy" franchises.

As you explore a town and its strange residents, you'll come across more than 130 puzzles including optical illusions, spatial problems, and geometry questions. If you get stuck, you can buy hints with coins found hidden throughout the town.

"It's a game no one can feel bad about or condemn. It makes math fun, it makes word problems fun, it challenges you to think about problems in a new way. It's got a great story, lovely art, and nice voice acting," Tsao said.

That earnestly friendly approach has helped Nintendo win new customers among people who would never otherwise glance at a video game.

"I'm not a core gamer myself but I'm rapidly becoming one with products like 'Professor Layton'," Cammie Dunaway, the new executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo's U.S. operations who joined the company last November.

"I really think it has the potential to become a very, very nice franchise here in the U.S., with lots of appeal," Dunaway said in an interview.

Samsung finalizing LCD line talks with Sony: source

2008-02-27T02:36:00.001-08:00

By Lee Chang-ho and Rhee So-eui

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) is in the final stages of talks with Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) to jointly build a new LCD production line, a Samsung source said on Wednesday, soothing concerns that their alliance was in jeopardy.

Sony, which unveiled plans to invest in Sharp's (6753.T: Quote, Profile, Research) new panel plant on Tuesday, and the South Korean company may also cooperate on another, bigger line for liquid crystal display (LCD) panels used in flat-screen TVs, according to the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Sony's investment in the Sharp plant raised concerns that Sony might not cooperate with Samsung in future projects, although Sony President Ryoji Chubachi pledged to continue running S-LCD, its joint venture with Samsung.

As Sony diversifies its panel suppliers the Japanese electronics giant could gain pricing power over rival Samsung, the world's top maker of large LCD screens in 2007, analysts said.

"Sony had difficulty in securing enough panels, but now it can have bigger power in pricing negotiation," said Park Sang-Hyun, an analyst at CJ Investment & Securities.

LCD makers are set to enjoy a booming TV market this year, as demand rises while stocks are low, but there are concerns about oversupply in 2009, when panels from bigger production lines hits the market.

"The picture could be grim for 2010," Park said.

Sony said on Tuesday it would take a one-third stake in Sharp Corp's $3.5 billion LCD plant in Japan to meet rising demand for flat-screen TVs.
NEW JOINT PLANT

Samsung was sanguine in the face of the Sony-Sharp deal.

"We've almost wrapped up discussions with Sony for the 8-2 (eighth generation/line 2) production line and it's been going well," the Samsung source told Reuters.

The new plant would be located at S-LCD's LCD production complex south of Seoul.

The investment size for the new line has not yet been set but should be similar to the 8-1 line, an eighth-generation facility already in operation by Sony and Samsung, the source said. Sony's Chubachi declined to comment on Tuesday when asked if Sony is talking with Samsung on another eighth-generation line, which yields fewer panels than 10th generation line.

A Sony spokesman on Wednesday said the company still had no comment on the matter.

Samsung and Sony spent a combined 1.8 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in the initial stage of the 8-1 line. Samsung is currently ramping up the line on its own, spending another 2 trillion won.

Samsung believes it is still possible to work with Sony on a bigger 10th-generation LCD production line, the source said.

Chubachi said on Tuesday Sony is willing to consider such plant with Samsung if Samsung proposes.
Sharp's new factory in which Sony is investing will be the world's first using the 10th-generation glass substrates, which yield more panels than earlier lines.

Samsung benefited from Sony's brand power and steady demand for its screens, while the alliance provided Sony with a partner to shoulder heavy investment needs in the flat-panel industry.

But the two are rivals in the LCD TV market, with Samsung ranked the world's biggest LCD TV maker last year, followed by Sony and Sharp.

Sony aims to sell 15-20 million LCD TVs in the year starting on April 1, up from 10 million this business year, and urgently needs to secure enough panels.

Shares in Samsung rose 1.2 percent to 578,000 won while Sony rose 2.3 percent to 5,320 yen, both outperforming the respective market's benchmark indices.

($1=947.0 Won)

YouTube outage might have been caused by Pakistan

2008-02-27T02:36:00.000-08:00

By Augustine Anthony

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Internet service providers may have inadvertently blocked the popular YouTube Web site across the world at the weekend when they restricted local access to the site, a telecommunications official said.

YouTube said on Monday that many users around the world could not access the site for about two hours because traffic had been routed according to erroneous Internet protocols.

The source of the problem was a network in Pakistan, YouTube said in a statement.

Pakistan ordered local Internet service providers to block access to the site because it was running material insulting to Islam, a Pakistani industry official said on Sunday.

A government telecommunications official said the initial order to restrict local access might have mistakenly affected users around the world.

"The blocking of the Web site within the country might have mistakenly affected its worldwide service, briefly," said the official, who declined to be identified.

But there had been no intention to block the site worldwide, he said.

Attempts to access YouTube in Islamabad on Sunday were met with a generic error message saying the site was unavailable.
A spokesman for the state telecommunications regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, said on Tuesday the order had been lifted after Youtube removed the content deemed insulting to Islam.

"YouTube had been asked to remove the link, which they did, and we have subsequently ordered the unblocking of the site," the spokesman said.

The authority had earlier justified its order to block access in Pakistan saying it was necessary to avoid unrest in the overwhelming Muslim country of 160 million people.

"It has the potential to cause more unrest and possible loss of life and property across the country," the authority said in a statement on Monday, referring to the material.

Publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad published in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked widespread anger and deadly protests in several Muslim countries, including Pakistan.

Protests have been held in recent weeks in Pakistan after the republication of one of the cartoons.

On Tuesday, about 150 students staged a rally in the eastern city of Multan city and burned Danish and U.S. flags to express anger over the reprinting of the cartoon.

Google, SingTel and others to build submarine cable

2008-02-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Web search company Google Inc has agreed to build an undersea cable with five telecoms operators that will link the United States to Japan, and provide the capacity to sustain a surge in Internet traffic between the continents.

Google and the five telecoms companies said in joint statement that the 10,000 km (6,200 mile) undersea fiber optic cable, connecting the United States to Japan, will cost $300 million.

Google's partners in the consortium, dubbed Unity, comprises Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, KDDI Corp, Pacnet, and Singapore Telecommunications.

The cable will provide much-needed capacity to sustain unprecedented growth in data and Internet traffic between Asia and the United States.

"The Unity cable system allows the members of the consortium to provide the increased capacity needed as more applications and services migrate online," said Jayne Stowell, a spokesman for the consortium.

The consortium said it has picked NEC Corporation and Tyco Telecommunications to construct and install the system, which is expected to be ready for service in the first quarter of 2010.

Obama and Clinton clash in testy debate

2008-02-27T02:31:00.000-08:00

By John Whitesides and Jeff Mason

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed sharply in a high-stakes one-on-one debate on Tuesday, accusing each other of falsely portraying their stances on health care, trade and other issues.

Clinton, who needs to win next week in Ohio and Texas to keep her U.S. presidential campaign alive after Obama's streak of 11 straight victories, went on the attack early in the debate at Cleveland State University in Ohio.

Obama fired back repeatedly in several testy but controlled exchanges during a debate that seemed unlikely to change the dynamic of the race before next Tuesday's contests.

The debate was sharper in tone than last week's encounter in Texas, but far less personal and angry than a Democratic debate last month in South Carolina.

Clinton kept up her recent criticism of Obama campaign literature sent to Ohio voters that she said mischaracterized her health care proposal, which includes mandates requiring Americans to purchase health insurance.

"We should have a good debate that uses accurate information, not false, misleading and discredited information, especially on something as important as whether or not we will achieve quality, affordable health care for everyone," the New York senator said.

Obama, an Illinois senator, said Clinton has frequently misrepresented his health care plan, which does not include mandates and which some critics suggest could leave 15 million Americans uninsured.

An estimated 47 million Americans -- about a sixth of the population -- now have no health insurance, either privately or through the government.
Clinton, once the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic nomination to contest November's presidential election against the Republican candidate, has lost big leads in public opinion polls in Ohio and Texas as Obama has gained momentum and made inroads among her supporters.

Obama said he was interested in bringing the cost of health care down and enforcing mandates could create a burden on some low-income Americans. Clinton's criticisms, he said, were part of a consistent pattern.

"Senator Clinton has ... constantly sent out negative attacks on us, e-mail, robo-calls, flyers, television ads, radio calls, and we haven't whined about it because I understand that's the nature of these campaigns," he said.

"But to suggest somehow that our mailing is somehow different from the kinds of approaches that Senator Clinton has taken throughout this campaign I think is simply not accurate."

AGGRESSIVE CLINTON

With her campaign on the line, Clinton has aggressively challenged Obama in the last few days, questioning his readiness to become commander in chief and chiding him for the health care campaign literature sent to Ohio voters.

In the debate, she attacked Obama for claiming she supported the North American Free Trade Agreement, which she said she believes should be renegotiated. She was first lady when her husband, President Bill Clinton, approved the deal.

The trade agreement is unpopular in Ohio, where it has been blamed for contributing to a broad loss of manufacturing jobs in the state.

"You know, I have been a critic of NAFTA from the very beginning. I didn't have a public position on it because I was part of the administration. But when I started running for the Senate, I have been a critic," Clinton said.
Obama repeated the charge and said he would push to have NAFTA redone.

"I think that it is inaccurate for Senator Clinton to say that she's always opposed NAFTA. In her campaign for Senate, she said that NAFTA, on balance, had been good for New York and good for America," he said.

Clinton complained about having to take the first question more often than Obama, and made reference to her campaign's charges that he gets an easier ride from the national media than she does.

She pointed to a television skit that portrayed a fawning press posing questions to Obama.

"If anybody saw 'Saturday Night Live,' you know, maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow," she said. "I just find it kind of curious that I keep getting the first question on all of these issues."

Clinton, who has questioned Obama's foreign policy experience, also stumbled over the likely new Russian president when asked if she knew the name of the successor to President Vladimir Putin -- Dmitry Medvedev.

"Medvedev -- whatever," she finally said.

The two contenders revisited their differences on the Iraq war. Clinton said Obama, an early opponent of the war, had the advantage of not being in the Senate in 2002 when she voted to authorize the war.

But Obama said her vote "facilitated and enabled" President George W. Bush's decision to go to war.
"Senator Clinton often says that she is ready on day one, but in fact she was ready to give into George Bush on this critical issue," Obama said.

Iraq condemns Turkish incursion and wants troops out

2008-02-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

By Mariam Karouny

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq on Tuesday condemned Turkey's incursion into northern Iraq to fight Kurdish guerrillas in the strongest terms so far and demanded an immediate end to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.

Thousands of Turkish troops crossed the border last Thursday to root out PKK fighters who have used mountainous northern Iraq as a base for their fight for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey since the 1990s.

"The cabinet expressed its rejection and condemnation for the Turkish military interference, which is considered a violation of Iraq's sovereignty," the Iraqi government said in a statement released by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.

"The cabinet stresses that unilateral military action is not acceptable and threatens good relations between the two neighbors."

Asked about Iraq's criticism of the Turkish incursion and whether the United States wants Turkey to wrap up the operation in days or weeks, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said:

"I'm not going to put a time frame on it. Obviously we support Turkey and we support Iraq. One of the things we have supported is that the two countries have regular contact and coordination during this incursion. We do want it to be short term, and we want it to be very narrowly targeted," she said.

"We understand that Iraq does not want Turkey to be in their region, but they also don't want the PKK up in their northern region, and they understand what it's like to have terrorists attacking innocent civilians," she added.

Dabbagh earlier said that a Turkish envoy would meet Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and other officials including Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari in Baghdad on Wednesday.
An Iraqi government source identified the envoy as Ahmet Davutoglu, a senior foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara has not confirmed this.

Turkish troops, backed by warplanes, attack helicopters and artillery, have been fighting Kurdish guerrillas at close quarters as they advance on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases.

"Turkey is engaged in a legitimate fight against a terrorist organization which has challenged Turkey's peace and security," Erdogan told his AK Party in parliament, adding that Turkey respects Iraq's territorial integrity.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey was receiving intelligence cooperation from the United States.

The Turkish General Staff said on Tuesday two more of its soldiers had been killed, taking the total to 19. It says at least 153 PKK fighters have been killed. PKK statements that 81 Turkish troops have been killed could not be verified.

The General Staff said heavy snow was hampering the advance of its troops towards PKK camps in the remote, mountainous area.

FIGHTERS KILLED

A senior military official in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq said about 2,000 Turkish troops were operating inside northern Iraq. Turkish officials have put the number at around 10,000.

A Turkish security source said most of the Turkish troops inside Iraq were involved in an attack on a key PKK command centre in the Zap valley after taking control of the PKK's Haftanin camp about 5 km (3 miles) inside the Iraqi border.
An Iraqi government source identified the envoy as Ahmet Davutoglu, a senior foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara has not confirmed this.

Turkish troops, backed by warplanes, attack helicopters and artillery, have been fighting Kurdish guerrillas at close quarters as they advance on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases.

"Turkey is engaged in a legitimate fight against a terrorist organization which has challenged Turkey's peace and security," Erdogan told his AK Party in parliament, adding that Turkey respects Iraq's territorial integrity.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey was receiving intelligence cooperation from the United States.

The Turkish General Staff said on Tuesday two more of its soldiers had been killed, taking the total to 19. It says at least 153 PKK fighters have been killed. PKK statements that 81 Turkish troops have been killed could not be verified.

The General Staff said heavy snow was hampering the advance of its troops towards PKK camps in the remote, mountainous area.

FIGHTERS KILLED

A senior military official in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq said about 2,000 Turkish troops were operating inside northern Iraq. Turkish officials have put the number at around 10,000.

A Turkish security source said most of the Turkish troops inside Iraq were involved in an attack on a key PKK command centre in the Zap valley after taking control of the PKK's Haftanin camp about 5 km (3 miles) inside the Iraqi border.
The area, near rich oil reserves, has been one of the few relatively stable regions since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. Washington has said the incursion should be as kept as short as possible.

Turkey blames the PKK, defined as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people since it began its armed struggle for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey in 1984.

Clinton, Obama make peace with eye on history

2008-02-01T01:06:00.000-08:00

By Ellen Wulfhorst and Jeff Mason

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton shared a debate stage alone for the first time on Thursday, striking a cordial tone and highlighting their opportunity to make history as the next U.S. president.

"Just by looking at us, you can tell we aren't more of the same," Clinton, a New York senator who would be the first woman U.S. president, said at the final debate before Democratic nominating contests in 22 states on Tuesday. "We will change our country."

Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. president, said their battle for the Democratic Party's nomination in November's presidential election was a testimony to the progress of the party and country.

"We have the opportunity to make history because I think one of us two will end up being the next president of the United States of America," Obama said, sitting next to the former first lady.

The two Democratic White House contenders dropped the angry and confrontational approach of their last debate in South Carolina, directing their attacks at Republican front-runner John McCain while disagreeing on who could best lead U.S. troops out of Iraq.

"I was friends with Hillary Clinton before we started this campaign; I will be friends with Hillary Clinton after this campaign is over," said Obama, who held Clinton's chair as she sat down to begin the debate. They whispered in each other's ears in a near-hug when it was over.

MCCAIN CRITICIZED

The pair split the first four significant nominating contests, with Obama, 46, winning Iowa and South Carolina and Clinton, 60, winning New Hampshire and Nevada.

Both candidates criticized the 71-year-old McCain, citing his comment U.S. troops could remain in Iraq for 100 years and his support for extending President George W. Bush's tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 after voting against them at the time.

Clinton, asked about the prospect of another term in the White House for a Clinton after eight years of her husband and 12 years of a member of the Bush family, took aim at both Bushes.

"It did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush," she said at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

It was the first debate since last week's fierce South Carolina showdown, which featured harsh personal attacks between the two senators that sparked a week of bitter accusations by Obama, Clinton and Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton.

They eased off the attacks after Obama's South Carolina win and clearly decided it was better to stay positive in Thursday's debate.

The pair burst into smiles at the suggestion they run for president and vice president on an "Obama-Clinton or a Clinton-Obama ticket."

"Obviously there's a big difference between those two," Obama said, adding how much he respected the former first lady. "I'm sure Hillary would be on anybody's short list."

"DAY ONE"

Obama, an early opponent of the Iraq war, questioned her 2002 Senate vote to authorize the war. He assailed Clinton's frequent comment she has the experience to lead from "day one" in the White House.

"Part of the argument that I'm making in this campaign is that it is important to be right on day one," he said.

Both candidates pointed to health care as one of their biggest policy differences. Clinton's plan requires all Americans to have coverage, and she criticized Obama's plan because it could leave up to 15 million people uninsured.

"You have to bite this bullet, you have to say 'Yes, we will try to get to universal health care'," she said.

Obama said anyone who wanted health care could get it under his plan, which would focus on bringing down costs.

The debate was their first since Obama crushed Clinton and John Edwards in a South Carolina landslide on Saturday, driving Edwards from the race. Both Clinton and Obama praised Edwards in their opening statements.

Earlier on Thursday, popular California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed McCain, boosting the Arizona senator's drive to gain his party's nomination for the White House.

"He is a great American hero and an extraordinary leader. This is why I am endorsing him to be our next president of the United States," the actor-turned-politician said.

California is the largest prize among the states that hold nominating contests on "Super Tuesday." McCain, the Republican front-runner, already leads state polls over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Obama reported he raised $32 million in the month of January alone, matching his biggest three-month fundraising haul of the year and helping him pay for new ads in a half-dozen states that hold contests after "Super Tuesday."

(Writing by John Whitesides; editing by Howard Goller)

(For more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http:/blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)

Obama raises $32 million in January

2008-02-01T00:49:00.000-08:00

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama raised $32 million for his presidential primary campaign in January, aides said on Thursday, and Republican Mitt Romney poured $18 million of his personal fortune into his White House bid during the last three months of 2007.

Obama's stunning haul paid for new ads in states holding contests after next week's "Super Tuesday" battles and gave him a new weapon in his hard-fought race with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who did not release fundraising figures for January.

The campaign loan from Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and wealthy venture capitalist, brings his personal spending on the race to $35 million. He raised $9 million from donors in the fourth quarter, spent $34 million and had just $2.4 million left at the end of the year, according to his Federal Election Commission report.

The disclosures came as White House candidates filed reports with the FEC detailing their finances in the final three months of 2007 -- before voting started in a constantly shifting presidential campaign.

Clinton, embroiled in a tight battle with Obama for the Democratic nomination in November's presidential election, raised $26.7 million during the fourth quarter and had nearly $38 million in cash on hand at the end of December.

That means both Clinton and Obama, an Illinois senator who raised nearly $23 million in the fourth quarter, can afford to wage a nominating battle that shows signs of extending into March or beyond.

Obama's campaign is already advertising in most of the 22 states holding Democratic contests on Tuesday and will launch radio and television ads on Friday in a half-dozen states holding contests between February 9 and February 12.

"If this ends up going through March and April we think we are going to have the resources necessary to conduct vigorous campaigns in every state to come," campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters.

Clinton, asked about the prospect of another term in the White House for a Clinton after eight years of her husband and 12 years of a member of the Bush family, took aim at both Bushes.

"It did take a Clinton to clean after the first Bush and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush," she said at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

They eased off the attacks after Obama's South Carolina win and clearly decided it was better to stay positive in Thursday's debate.

The pair burst into smiles at the suggestion they run for president and vice president on an "Obama-Clinton or a Clinton-Obama ticket."

"Obviously there's a big difference between those two," Obama said, adding how much he respected the former first lady. "I'm sure Hillary would be on anybody's short list."

"DAY ONE"

Iran approaching nuclear "peak": Ahmadinejad says

2008-01-30T03:43:00.001-08:00

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is approaching the "peak" in its nuclear program and will not yield to Western pressure to halt its activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad was speaking in the southwestern town of Bushehr near the site of Iran's planned first nuclear power plant, being built with Russian help, and predicted the country would have nuclear electricity by this time next year.

"If you (Western powers) imagine that the Iranian nation will back down you are making a mistake," he said in a televised speech.

"On the nuclear path we are moving towards the peak," he said without elaborating.

Defying international pressure, Iran has been working on producing its own nuclear fuel, technology the West fears will be used to make atomic bombs. Tehran says its work is peaceful and has refused to stop.

He was speaking two days after Iran received the eighth and final consignment of nuclear fuel from Russia for the Bushehr plant. Tehran has said the plant will start in mid-2008, though past deadlines have slipped.

"Next year at this time ... nuclear electricity should flow in Iran's electricity network," he told the crowd.

Russia delivered the first shipment of uranium fuel rods on December 17 and urged Tehran to scrap its efforts to produce nuclear fuel. Tehran says its work is peaceful and has refused to stop.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, says it wants to build a network of nuclear plants so it can preserve more of its oil and gas for export. It says it wants to make nuclear fuel itself to guarantee its supplies.

World powers last week agreed the outline of a third U.N. sanctions resolution against Iran which calls for mandatory travel bans and asset freezes for specific Iranian officials and vigilance on banks in the country.

Source : www.reuters.com

[ Very Hot ] Suharto Died !!!!

2008-01-30T03:24:00.000-08:00

MATESIH, Indonesia (AFP) - Former Indonesian president Suharto was laid to rest with full military honours Monday, ending a controversial chapter in the history of the nation he ruled with an iron fist for 32 years.

The ex-dictator, whose rule became a byword for rampant corruption and rights abuses despite huge economic progress, was buried at a family mausoleum in the town of Matesih.

Hundreds of mourners gathered along the flag-lined road leading to the mausoleum on the main island of Java with many expressing nostalgia for the Suharto era.

"I think Pak Harto thought of the people," a 53-year-old woman named Mariani told AFP, using the respectful name by which Suharto was known.

"Everything was cheap, now things are expensive."

Inside the complex, Suharto's coffin was carried out of the hearse to military drumming, preceded by soldiers carrying his portrait and two wreaths.

Family members and close friends of the former leader followed the coffin into the traditional steep-roofed Javanese mausoleum where he was to be buried in a white marble tomb between his wife Siti Hartinah Suharto and his mother-in-law, members of Javanese royalty.

Suharto's coffin, draped in garlands of jasmine flowers, was then lowered into the ground amid a salvo of gunfire following a short speech by current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the country's first directly elected leader.

Family members and close friends showered the coffin with rose petals and jasmine flowers before Yudhoyono shovelled the first sprinkles of earth onto it.

Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyati Rukmana, known as Tutut, broke down in tears as she delivered a eulogy.

"If he ever did some wrong and sinned, may God grant his forgiveness," she said, a nod towards accusations his strict decades rule was overshadowed by bloodshed.

A golden parasol was then planted at the side of the headstone, an honour usually reserved for members of the nobility.

Suharto's regime was scarred by repression, from the killings of at least half a million communists and sympathisers after an abortive coup that allowed him to seize power in 1966, to invading East Timor and repressing separatist movements in Aceh and Papua provinces.

Around 200,000 Timorese were either killed in the invasion or died from preventable causes during the occupation.

Yudhoyono, in a speech afterwards, listed Suharto's services to the nation but acknowledged his faults -- albeit sparingly.

"In full honesty and with a clean heart, we should all recognise that there have been so many services that the late (Suharto) has contributed to the nation and the state, but we also realise that as a mere human and as a leader, the late (Suharto) was certainly not free of mistakes and shortcomings," he said.

The body of Suharto, who died Sunday aged 86 of multiple organ failure, was flown from the capital Jakarta early Monday to the city of Solo before being driven the short distance to the mausoleum.

His death marks the passing of yet another of the authoritarian and mostly pro-Western strongmen who dominated this region of Asia for much of the late 20th century.

His rule also left a legacy of widespread corruption that put billions of dollars into the hands of friends and relatives.

At the same time, by putting stability and economic growth above all else, he steered this sprawling archipelago nation through a boom that led many here to hail him as the father of development.

He was forced to quit in 1998 amid political paralysis and economic crisis, retiring to an upmarket Jakarta suburb and fending off all attempts to bring him to trial.

Increasingly frail, he was hospitalised on January 4 with heart, lung and kidney complaints.

International reaction to his death acknowledged his mixed legacy.

Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, a close ally whose own long rule coincided with much of Suharto's presidency, said history would afford him "a place of honour" for steering Indonesia out of economic disaster.

Another Suharto contemporary, Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad, hailed him as a great leader, dismissing reports that he orchestrated the bloodletting of 1965 as "nonsense."

Sony Digicams

2008-01-24T03:52:00.001-08:00

Sony takes its turn in the pre-PMA lineup with a slew of new digicam announcements. Starting at the "prosumer" end, we have the ultrazoom Cyber-shot DSC-H10, with an 8.1-megapixel sensor, 10x zoom and a higher-resolution screen than its predecessor, the H3. It arrives in April for $300.

On the purse-friendly side, say hello to four new compact shooters in the DSC-W series, starting with the 7.2-megapixel W120 and moving up to the 10.1-megapixel W170. New items include enhanced faced detection that can discern between children and adults and an "easy shooting" mode that simplifies menus and enlarges text. They arrive in March and April, with a price range of $200 to $300.

Finally, there's the intriguing 7300, a high-end compact with 5x zoom, 10.1-megapixel sensor, a touchscreen that allow you to jot memos with a stylus and a slew of after-effects, including a "smile" tool that supposedly coaxes a grin out of uncooperative photo subjects. Look for it in March, priced at $400.

Firefox 3 Beta 2

2008-01-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

In the modern world of software development it's a rare day when a release actually comes out ahead of schedule. But that's the case with Mozilla's Firefox 3 Beta 2 release, which came out this morning some three days ahead of schedule.

In the latest version, Mozilla developers have improved security and performance as well as functionality. In total, Mozilla boasts in its release notes that some 900 improvements were made in Beta 2 over the Beta 1 release, which came out about a month ago.

Many improvements are focused on how Firefox handles memory. Firefox developer Mike Beltzner claimed in a mailing list posting of over 330 memory leak fixes. Memory handling and leakage issues have been a high priority item for Mozilla developers throughout the Firefox 3 process.

Firefox 3 Beta 2 also fixes leaks in how the browser handles JSON (define) (JavaScript Object Notation) cross site requests, making the browser more secure. JSON is often used in Ajax web development and is an alternative to XML over HTTP (XHR) Requests.

Security is further enhanced with anti-virus integration in Firefox's download manager.

Beta 2 also improves on the security of plugins by implementing a version check to identify plugins that are not secure.

Mozilla has also taken steps to further improve its Places bookmarking and history system which is a major new feature of the Firefox 3 browser. The Places system was originally intended to be part of the Firefox 2 release but wasn't ready in time. It has been part of the Firefox 3 development cycle since at least the Alpha 5 release in June. Fundamentally, Places makes it easy to create, manage and use bookmarks and history information.

The Beta 2 release is the tenth milestone release from Mozilla in the Firefox 3 browser development process. Though this release was ahead of schedule, the overall Firefox 3 browser effort is behind its original schedule which at one point had a final Firefox 3 release set for 2007.

While Mozilla's next generation browser development effort has had a very public milestone release cycle its chief competitor, Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been veiled in secrecy. Microsoft has publicly stated that they are working on Internet Explorer version 8. However except for a few comments made by Microsoft executives, details of the release and what it may include have not been forthcoming.

"You will hear a lot more from us soon on this blog and in other places," Dean Hachamovitch IE General Manager wrote in a recent blog post. "In the meantime, please don't mistake silence for inaction."

By Sean Michael Kerner

World's Highest Waterfall

2008-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Natives in Venezuela had known about the "Salto Angel" since the beginning of time. Then United States pilot Jimmie Angel was flying over the area in 1935 when he landed on the top of a lone mountain in search of gold. His plane got stuck in the boggy jungle on top of the mountain and he noticed a pretty impressive waterfall plunging thousands of feet down. He wasn't too happy about the 11 mile hike back to civilization, and his plane remained stuck and rusting upon the mountain as a monument to his discovery. Soon the whole world would know about the falls, which came to be known as Angel Falls, after the pilot who "discovered" them.

Angel Falls plunges from the top of a mesa, or what the natives call a Tepuyi. Named "Auyantepui", the Angel Falls mesa is one of over a hundred of its kind which are scattered about the Guiana Highlands of southeast Venezuela. Like so many slumbering giants, what characterizes these mesas (Tepuys) is their massive heights soaring up towards the sky, each with a flat top and totally vertical sides. Also called "table mountains" (which accurately describes their shapes) these Tepuys were formed out of sandstone billions of years ago. Their vertical sides are continually being eroded by the action of water from the heavy rainfall the Guiana Highlands gets.

Intel unveils world's best processor

2008-01-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Intel Corporation today unveiled 10 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo and Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme processors for consumer and business desktop and laptop PCs and workstations.
'The Core 2 Duo processors are simply the best processors in the world,' said Paul Otellini, president and CEO of Intel. 'Not since Intel introduced the Pentium® processor has the industry seen the heart of the computer reinvented like this. The Core 2 Duo desktop processor is an energy-efficient marvel, packing 291 million transistors yet consuming 40 percent lower power, while delivering the performance needed for the applications of today and tomorrow.'

The highly anticipated processor family already has very broad support with more than 550 customer system designs are underway -- the most in Intel's history. Ultimately, tens of thousands of businesses will sell computers or components based on these processors.

'This is an exciting time for Intel and for the connected world. We are proud, today, to launch the best processors that will enable a new generation of computing, based on the Intel® Core™ micro-architecture,' Said Samir Al-Schamma, general manager of Intel in the GCC. 'With this record breaking performance, these processors will transform what PCs can do for us in the next few years.'

The Intel Core 2 Duo processors are built in several of the world's most advanced, high-volume output manufacturing facilities using Intel's leading 65-nanometer silicon process technology. The desktop PC version of the processors also provide up to a 40 percent increase in performance and are more than 40 percent more energy efficient versus Intel's previous best processor. According to multiple independent review organizations, the processors win more than nine out of 10 major server, desktop PC and gaming PC performance benchmarks.

The Intel Core 2 Duo processor family consists of five desktop PC processors tailored for business, home, and enthusiast users, such as high-end gamers, and five mobile PC processors designed to fit the needs of a mobile lifestyle. Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based workstations will also deliver industry leading performance for such areas as design, content creation and technical computing.

The processor family is based on the revolutionary Intel® Core™ microarchitecture, designed to provide powerful yet energy-efficient performance. With the power of dual cores, or computing engines, the processors can manage numerous tasks faster. They also can operate more smoothly when multiple applications are running, such as writing e-mails while downloading music or videos and conducting a virus scan. These dual-core chips also improve tasks, such as viewing and playing high-definition video, protecting the PC and its assets during e-commerce transactions, and enabling improved battery life for sleeker, lighter notebooks.

Consumers and businesses will have the option to purchase Intel Core 2 Duo processors as part of Intel's premier market-focused platforms, a collection of Intel hardware and software technologies tailored to specific computing needs, including Intel® vPro™ technology for businesses, Intel® Centrino® Duo mobile technology for laptops, and Intel® Viiv™ technology for the home.

Many of the products will also offer a selection of Intel-designed and integrated technologies such as Intel® Virtualization Technology and Intel® Active Management Technology that make the PC more secure and manageable. Also, support for 64-bit computing now expands to notebook PCs. The new processors can be paired with the Intel® 975X, 965, and Mobile Intel® 945 Express chipset family. The Intel 965 Express chipset includes the latest integrated graphics and Intel® Clear Video Technology. All these chipsets are Microsoft Windows Vista* Premium Ready.

Advanced Innovations - Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel® Core™2 Extreme processors include many advanced innovations, including:

Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution - Improves performance and efficiency as each core can complete up to four full instructions simultaneously using an efficient 14-stage pipeline.
Intel® Smart Memory Access - Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
Intel® Advanced Smart Cache - Includes a shared L2 cache or memory reservoir to reduce power by minimizing memory 'traffic' yet increases performance by allowing one core to utilize the entire cache when the other core is idle. Only Intel provides this capability in all segments.
Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost - Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
Intel® 64 Technology - This enhancement to Intel's 32-bit architecture supports 64-bit computing, including enabling the processor to access larger amounts of memory.

Mobile PC Processor Unique Features: Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processors include many advanced innovations, including:
Intel® Dynamic Power Coordination -Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
Intel® Dynamic Bus Parking - Enables platform power savings and improved battery life by allowing the chipset to power down with the processor in low-frequency mode.

Enhanced Intel® Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing - Saves power by sending data to a cache memory reservoir to lower CPU voltage.

Availability
Intel has been shipping production-ready Intel Core 2 Duo processors for all segments in advance of today's unveiling. Initial Intel Core 2 Extreme processor-based systems are now available from system manufacturers, resellers and integrators, including Intel Channel Partner Program members. Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processor-based systems will be available beginning in early August. Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based notebooks will be available at the end of August.

Apple iPhone debuts in UK stores

2008-01-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

Apple's much-hyped iPhone has finally hit shelves in the UK.

Staff cheered as throngs of excited customers made their way into Apple's flagship store in London.

A small number of Apple fans keen to get hold of the handset had started queuing at stores overnight and numbers swelled to around 300 for the launch.

First out of the store with the £269 internet enabled device was 20-year-old north London student Tom Jasinski who said "It was worth the wait".

"I got here 26 hours ago," he told PA. "It is a great piece of hardware. It is a great thing and I love it."
The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones described the scene in London as "mayhem".
He said before the doors opened at the store, Apple staff were walking up and down the lines of people "whipping them into a frenzy".

The internet enabled handset has also gone on sale at more than 1,300 other stores around the UK with each customer limited to two handsets each.
The first European handsets were sold at the T-Mobile store in Cologne, Germany just after midnight on Friday morning.

T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telekom said it had sold over 10,000 iPhones in Germany by late afternoon.

"It was love at first sight," one 50-year-old man told Reuters news agency.

The iPhone will go on sale in France on 29 November and Asia in 2008.

Lock-down

Although the wait is over for some fans, there are concerns that consumers are only able to use the phone with the 02 mobile network.
The phones can be unlocked for use on other networks but this voids the warranty and could break the device if software updates from Apple are installed.
As many as 250,000 users in the US have unlocked the device using free and paid-for software to make the phone work on different networks, and to load third-party software not supported by Apple.

Critics have pointed out that the device, while boasting an innovative user interface which makes it simple to use, lacks technology found in rival phones.
The iPhone only works on slower 2G networks, limiting its usefulness as a mobile web browser, but it does also connect to wi-fi hotspots.
In the UK, iPhone owners can connect to the net for free at thousands of The Cloud's hotspots.

Greg Joswiak, head of marketing for the iPhone, denied that the phone had sacrificed function over form by choosing 2G.

"We wanted to make sure that we had a very small device and good battery life. You can't do that today with 3G. (news.bbc.co.uk)