Life Insurance tips

Definition of Life Insurance
Life insurance is the definition of a transfer of risk (Risk Shifting) for the financial loss (financial loss) by the Insured to the Insurer. Risks that are delegated by the Insured to the Insurer is not the risk of loss of one's soul, but the financial losses as a result of the loss of one's soul, or because of old age so it is not productive anymore.
Concept of Risk
The economic value of the life of a head of household (the breadwinner) is equal to earnings capacity. If the economic value of the life of a family head is lost or reduced, then that will suffer directly is the loss of his relatives. The risk of loss of income is to be borne by the families left behind.
To reduce these risks in modern times has been taken one way to assign or delegate the risk to others, in this case the Insurance Institute which specializes efforts in this area as a profession. The delegation of the risk is more popular is called "buying a life insurance policy".
Types of risk to insured
Throughout human life is always confronted with the possibility of occurrence of events that can lead to lost or reduced its economic value. This resulted in harm to themselves and their families or other interested person. In other words, human beings always face the events that would pose risks as follows;

• Dead (death) either naturally (natural death) and died at a young age due to illness, accidents (accidental death) and others. Each person would have died, although not sure when it will happen. The death of a breadwinner will result in loss of income sources for the interested. Therefore required financial guarantee within a specified period during which abandoned have not been able to adjust to new conditions.
• Disability agencies (disability) due to illness or accident. As a result of illness or accident, a person is physically or mentally unable to work while thus affecting earnings. Whereas if a person suffers total and permanent disability, they can not work at all.
• Critical illnessCritical illness can come at any time regardless of age, whether a person is young or old. Critical illness can not be known when the arrival and can not be known with certainty.
• Old age (old age) / Retirement. Old days of events will inevitably occur, but how long it lasts the life of the old days, can not be known with certainty.
• Education. The development of the education the longer the better. The cost of a child who will continue the longer education even more expensive. Parents should be able to anticipate the development of the education very seriously, because the cost of education today and ten years would have been much different peningkatanya.

The types of life insurance policies
Of the various types of life insurance available today, there are basically three types of life insurance;

• Term life insurance (Term Insurance). Is a life insurance contract where the sum assured is paid only if death occurs within the period of insurance coverage period is still valid. Term Insurance is the simplest form of insurance and the elderly. This type of insurance is sometimes referred to as temporary insurance, according to insurance. The amount of premiums on insurance is also the cheapest compared with life insurance and life insurance Dwiguna.

• Lifetime Life Insurance (Whole Life Insurance).  Life for life insurance is designed to provide lifelong protection as long as he keeps the Insured the policy remains active with her policy through premium payments. In addition to death protection, policy in also provides a savings element which is known as cash value that arises because premiums remain.

• Life Insurance Dwiguna. This insurance is comprised of two elements, namely protection of life and savings. Mental Protection provides death protection. Savings on the insurance element is higher so appropriate for the purpose of saving money. With the savings element  higher than the Insurance Term Life Insurance and Life long

•  Life Insurance Unit-link. In addition to the above three types of policies or also called the traditional policy, the life insurance business insurance policy is also known Unit link. Unit-link life insurance policies combine insurance with investment components. This policy provides life insurance policyholder protection as well as the opportunity to participate in investments managed by insurance companies. Funds placed in the product cut for insurance coverage and the remainder is invested in units of the fund concerned.

The purpose of this policy is to invest. By linking the investment policy unit-link with the performance of a fund, the policyholder has the potential to get higher investment returns than traditional policies. Investment risk entirely the responsibility of the policyholder and the possibility of policy values ??may fall. So, even though the potential policyholder investment returns greater than a traditional policy, investment risks are also great.

Transformers: dark of the moon makes box office debut

Transformers: dark of the moon makes box office debut
NEW YORK: The third installment in the Transformers series “dark of the moon” is being released today. The movie will be released in both 2D and 3D formats.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is set to hit theaters across the US on June 29. The move showcases a mysterious event from Earth's past which erupts into the present day; it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

Lindsay Lohan ends home detention after 35 days Entertaiment

Lindsay Lohan ends home detention after 35 days Entertaiment
LOS ANGELES: Actress Lindsay Lohan was released from home detention on Wednesday after spending 35 days at her Los Angeles apartment for stealing a gold necklace, authorities said.

A private company that handles monitoring equipment for home detention inmates removed the electronic ankle bracelet from the "Mean Girls" star on Wednesday morning, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department.

Lohan was sentenced in May to 120 days in jail, but the 24 year-old actress qualified for a shorter period of house arrest under programs for nonviolent offenders and to reduce overcrowding in Los Angeles jails.

Lohan, a former child star, pleaded no contest in May to the theft of a $2,500 gold necklace from a Los Angeles boutique. She had walked out of the store wearing the jewelry.

Her once promising Hollywood career has been derailed because of repeated run-ins with the law and trips to rehabilitation to deal with drug and alcohol problems.

Nevertheless, she is due to start filming a movie about New York crime boss John Gotti later this year with co-stars John Travolta and Al Pacino.
   

The 10 biggest movie flops of 2011 so far Entertainment News

The 10 biggest movie flops of 2011 so far Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES: It's been a rough six months for Hollywood, which turned out a string of disappointments at the domestic box office.

Some hurt more than others, depending upon their production budgets and marketing spends. The following list doesn't account for how much was spent on marketing, since studios hold those figures closed to their chests, but we're talking many, many millions.

MARS NEEDS MOMS
Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture pic was one of the most expensive bombs in Hollywood history, costing at least $150 million to produce and grossing $21.4 million at the domestic box office. Overseas, it didn't do much better, grossing $17.6 million for a total $39 million.

YOUR HIGHNESS
The raunchy comedy, set in medieval times, didn't go over well with audiences, even if it starred newly anointed Oscar winner Natalie Portman (along with James Franco and Danny McBride). Costing $50 million to produce, the film earned $21.6 million domestically and a paltry $3 million overseas.

ARTHUR
The remake of the classic Dudley Moore comedy failed to rustle up many laughs, topping out at $33 million domestically. Starring Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner, "Arthur" did even less overseas, earning $12.7 million for a global total of $45.7 million. The production budget was reportedly $40 million.

PROM
"Prom," earning a mere $10.1 million at the domestic box office, was the first movie greenlit by newly installed Disney chairman Rich Ross to hit theaters. It's the lowest grossing studio film of the year so far, but luckily for Ross, "Prom" cost only $8 million to produce.

JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER
The producers of "Precious" were hoping to launch a new film franchise based on the popular kids book series. But the $20 million film, distributed by Relativity Media in the U.S., has grossed just $13.4 million to date.

GREEN LANTERN
Costing at least $200 million to produce, "Green Lantern" needed to do a big number worldwide to be financially solid (think $500 million plus). Now, it seems the Ryan Reynolds superhero pic will top out at roughly $250 million or $260 million worldwide. It didn't help that the movie was bashed by critics.

PRIEST
The supernatural action film, based on the Korean graphic novel, was the most expensive movie ever made by Screen Gems, costing $60 million to produce. It earned $29.1 million domestically, but made up some ground overseas, where it earned $46 million.

SUCKER PUNCH
Zack Snyder's female action-fantasy couldn't find its groove, grossing $36.4 million domestically and $53.4 million overseas for a worldwide total of $89.8 million. The movie, which cost roughly $82 million to produce, came in No. 2 on its opening weekend behind "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules."

HOODWINKED TOO! HOOD VS. EVIL
The first "Hoodwinked!" was a sleeper hit at the worldwide box office, grossing $51.4 million domestically and $58.6 million internationally. The sequel, however, came and went quickly, earning only $10 million in North America and $3.6 million overseas. Its production budget was a reported $30 million.

THE BEAVER
There was heat around actor/director Jodie Foster's high-profile movie for months, but it quickly disappeared at the domestic box office, grossing less than $1 million. Many saw it as a referendum on Mel Gibson, who stars in the $20 million film.

Libya regime talking to rebels, says Kadhafi daughter

Libya regime talking to rebels, says Kadhafi daughter
PARIS: Moamer Kadhafi's daughter said Wednesday that her father's regime is in "direct and indirect" contact with the Libyan rebels, during an interview with the France 2 news channel.

"At the moment there are direct and indirect negotiations. We are working to stop the flow of Libyan blood and for that we are ready deal with the devil," the 35-year-old Aisha Kadhafi said.

She insisted, during the interview in Tripoli, that the ongoing conflict had "strengthened" her family, and denied reports of "divisions" or "disputes."

She refused to directly answer questions as to whether her father would consider leaving power, saying only that he remained an important figure to the Libyan people.

"Where would you like him to? Here, this is his country, his land, his people (...) Where is he going to go? There is one thing that you will never understand, it's that my father is a symbol ... a guide," she insisted.

The rebels have on several occassions confirmed having indirect contacts with the regime through intermediaries.

But "these negotiations are never direct", spokesman for the rebels' National Transitional Council Mahmoud Shammam said on June 24.

The rebels have said they would consider allowing Kadhafi to stay in the country, provided he agree to leave power.

In her interview, Aisha Kadhafi appealed directly to "mothers and wives of the French pilotes" participating in NATO's continuing raids on regime targets.

"I have already lost one of my children ... Your husbands are not working to protect civilians in Libya. They are killing my people and our children," she said.

"And they are doing all this for what? To satisfy Sarkozy who believes that the more he kills the Libyans, the more votes he will win in elections," she told the French news channel.

Kadhafi's exit was on Thursday a key topic at the African Union's ongoing summit in Equatorial Guinea, where African leaders remain divided on the how to end to the conflict in Libya, although many have criticised NATO's bombing.

Osama's killing a highlight of my tenure: Panetta World News

Osama's killing a highlight of my tenure: Panetta
WASHINGTON: Outgoing CIA director Leon Panetta said Thursday it had been "one hell of a ride" leading the spy agency and called the killing of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a highlight of his tenure.

In a final message to CIA employees titled "arrivederci," the son of Italian immigrants praised "America's silent warriors" at the agency and described what he called the peaks and valleys of his more than two year tenure.

"Emotionally, this job took me to both the depths and heights: from hearing we had lost seven of our own at Khowst (in eastern Afghanistan), to the moment that sealed one of the greatest successes in our agency's history -- ridding the world of Usama Bin Ladin," he wrote.

"We had one hell of a ride together."

Panetta won praise for the May 2 raid that killed the Al-Qaeda mastermind, with the spy agency hauling away a trove of material from bin Laden's Pakistani compound.

Panetta, who is due to be sworn in Friday as the next defense secretary, thanked agency employees and said he had witnessed "personal courage," "technological marvels" and "history in the making.

William, Catherine make Canadian debut world News

William, Catherine make Canadian debut
OTTAWA: Prince William and new bride Princess Catherine arrived in Canada Thursday for their international debut as Britain's royal golden couple, hoping star power will win skeptical Canadians over to the monarchy.

William and Kate, her dark hair blowing in the wind, stepped off the plane under overcast skies to be greeted by dignitaries before rushing off to their first official engagement on foreign soil.

Thousands desperate to glimpse the 29-year-old newlyweds lined the streets of Ottawa ahead of a wreath-laying ceremony at a World War I memorial.

While Prince William has plenty of experience of royal duties, his wife -- known until recently as Kate Middleton -- is still a rookie in the public eye.

At the start of the nine-day tour of the key British Commonwealth nation, Princess Catherine was to have an immediate chance to show she had learnt the ropes, meeting and greeting the gathering throng after the ceremony.

Prince William's great-grandparents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiled the memorial in 1939 and established a new tradition with the first royal walkabout, stopping to chat with some in the 100,000-strong crowd.

Full of pomp and ceremony, the trip comes just two months after a radiant Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in the wedding-of-the-year, watched by an estimated two billion people worldwide.

"It's symbolic that Canada is the first place they have chosen to visit," said Dave Sencial, who had come all the way from Canada's easternmost Newfoundland province to see the royal couple.

Canadian fans packed every hotel in sight of the capital. Some even camped overnight on the steps of the war memorial, awakened by Canada's national anthem blared from nearby Parliament Hill where technicians readied sound and stage equipment for Friday's Canada Day celebrations.

Support for the monarchy hovers above 50 percent in Canada and has risen from last year since the royal nuptials, although there is still a vocal anti-monarchist minority.

In addition to official pageantry and military ceremonies, the schedule of the royal visit has its lighter moments, such as a cooking class, an aboriginal sports event and a rodeo.

The initiation for the British royal family's newest member, also known as the Duchess of Cambridge, will be vital training for the future queen in the cauldron-like atmosphere of public walkabouts.

Their first day will kick off with military honors as well as speeches by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor General David Johnston and Prince William himself.

Later, the royals are to attend a barbecue with 120 young Canadians at the official residence of the British governor general, Rideau Hall, originally the home of a Scottish stonemason.

On July 1, they cap off their visit to Ottawa celebrating Canada's national holiday, joining tens of thousands outside parliament for musical performances and fireworks.

After taking a cooking class in Montreal on July 2, William and Catherine will travel to Quebec City, Charlottetown, Yellowknife and Calgary.

Prior to their final stop in Canada, the newlyweds, who honeymooned in May in the Seychelles, were expected to sneak away on a romantic getaway to a secluded and undisclosed location in the Rocky Mountains for a day and night.

Their tour of Canada coincides with a grim milestone -- Friday would have been the 50th birthday of Princess Diana, Prince William's mother, who was thronged by fans when she made her own visit to Canada in 1983.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William's grandmother, is Canada's official head of state but has next-to-no role in the country's governance.

A poll released on the eve of their visit showed one-third of Canadians wish to cut ties with the British monarchy.

Anti-monarchists in the French-speaking independence-leaning province of Quebec added their own event to the royal itinerary, calling for protests when the couple stops in Quebec City on Sunday.

After wrapping up their tour of Canada, the couple will travel to California for three days, July 8-10, for a visit whose highlight will be a black-tie celebrity reception for British filmmakers in Los Angeles.
   

Libyan rebels say will end fighting if Kadhafi quits

Libyan rebels say will end fighting if Kadhafi quits
MALABO: Libyan rebels said Friday they were prepared to end their conflict with Moamer Kadhafi through military means but would stop hostilities if the long-time leader quit power.

"If we see that Kadhafi withdraws, we are ready to stop (the hostilities) and negotiate with our brothers who are around Kadhafi," National Transitional Council representative Mansour Safy Al-Nasr said as African leaders discussed the conflict.

But the rebels would not retreat, "not this time", he said on the sidelines of the African Union summit in the Equatorial Guinea capital, without excluding that the forces would take the capital Tripoli.

"If military operations advance to surround Tripoli, he will accept (to leave). Kadhafi is isolated. He is in his bunker. He cannot move, he does not have a life," Al-Nasr said.

"The troops are advancing," he said.

Asked if he thought the conflict would be ended through a political or a military means, he said: "We are ready for anything."

Al-Nasr also dismissed an African Union statement last week that Kadhafi had agreed to keep out of negotiations. "He never said it," he said.

An African Union panel mediating in the Libyan conflict is proposing a roadmap out of the fighting that would include a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, transition period, reforms towards democracy and elections.

The five-leader panel presented the plan to counterparts at closed door talks on the first day of their summit Thursday but the meeting ended in the early hours of Friday morning with no consensus.

The talks were to resume at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).

Some officials say pre-conditions that Kadhafi should quit for a political solution to be reached should be brought to the negotiating table.

Strauss-Kahn case in jeopardy: New York Times

Strauss-Kahn case in jeopardy: New York Times
NEW YORK: The sexual assault case against ex-IMF chief and French presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn is collapsing due to doubts over the victim's credibility, a report said Thursday.

The New York Times story, citing two law enforcement sources close to the sensational case, was published shortly after the district attorney's office announced that Strauss-Kahn would make an unexpected court appearance Friday.

It said prosecutors did not believe much of the story from the Guinean-born maid and suspect she has repeatedly lied to them since the alleged May 14 attack in the French politician's Manhattan hotel room.

If confirmed, the doubts could mark a dramatic reversal in the case that has upended politics in France -- where Strauss-Kahn was once seen as a likely presidential candidate -- and prompted a change in leadership at the International Monetary Fund at a time of major upheaval in the eurozone.

Officials said that within a day of the alleged rape attempt, the maid was recorded speaking on the phone with a man jailed for possessing 400 pounds (180 kilograms) of marijuana and discussing the benefits of pursuing charges.

The Times said he is one of several individuals who made multiple cash deposits, totaling around $100,000, into the woman's bank account over the last two years.

It said Friday's unscheduled hearing would likely alter the strict bail conditions imposed on Strauss-Kahn, allowing him to travel within the United States, and that lawyers were discussing dismissing the felony charges.

The district attorney's office may ask Strauss-Kahn to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but his lawyers would contest such a move, it added.

Among the discoveries, one official told the newspaper, are issues involving the asylum application of the 32-year-old housekeeper, and possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering.

Officials declined to reveal the reason for Friday's hearing.

The former French finance minister had not been expected back in court until July 18.

Strauss-Kahn had posted $1 million bail and a $5 million bond when he was released in May, and agreed to remain under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

Earlier Thursday, French newspaper Liberation, citing Strauss-Kahn's defense lawyers, said he was likely to challenge the legality of the identification lineup that took place a day after his arrest, during which the then-IMF director had been picked out by the alleged victim.

Strauss-Kahn had spent days in New York's tough Rikers Island jail pending the bail package agreement, but is now awaiting trial in his luxury rental apartment in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood.

The Frenchman has denied all seven charges, including trying to rape the woman and sexually assaulting her when she came to clean his luxury suite.

Strauss-Kahn resigned from the IMF shortly after his arrest, setting off a battle for the leadership of the US-based multilateral lender, from which French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde ultimately emerged victorious.

In a separate article published Wednesday, the Times reported that Lisa Friel, head of the Manhattan district attorney's sex crimes unit for nearly a decade, was leaving the post.

It was not immediately clear if the move was related to the Strauss-Kahn case. Friel had made an early court appearance as part of the case, but did not remain on the investigating team, the Times said.

No magic wand for setting Karachi right: Durrani

No magic wand for setting Karachi right: Durrani
KARACHI: Sindh IG Wajid Ali Durrani has said situation in the city was bad, which would take some time to set it right and added DIGs transfers was a routine feature.

He termed it a wrong perception that the police have any coordination with the criminal elements.

On the occasion of his visit to CPLC office in the Governor House, Sindh IG said that effective measures were being taken to control the target killings, kidnappings for ransom and street crimes, while wherever required the rangers would be called.

Replying to a question, Wajid Ali Durrani said that the police enter into the affected areas only after the firing between the two groups stop and added this perception was wrong that the police have any coordination with the criminal elements.

National agenda need of the hour: Nawaz

National agenda need of the hour: Nawaz
LAHORE: PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif said Friday that consensus for a national agenda was the need of the hour, Geo News reported.

Addressing a meeting of the party’s coordination committee, Nawaz said that with the peoples’ help the PML-N had managed to bring an end to the dictatorship of Pervaz Musharraf. He added that strong democratic parties in Pakistan were the key to the country’s stability and decisions should be made after consultation with all stakeholders.

Zardari, Cameron discuss joint cooperation

Zardari, Cameron discuss joint cooperation News
LONDON: President Asif Ali Zardari met British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street on Friday, Geo News reported. The two leaders discussed ways to enhance strategic dialogue and the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US Navy Seals in Abbottabad on May 2.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the British PM told President Zardari militants in Afghanistan were on the back foot and Pakistan could play a major role in the political settlement in the country. He added that Britain appreciated Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

The Presidential spokesman also told the media that Prime Minister Cameron pledged his support to Pakistan stating that Britain was a friend of democracy.
   

AJK poll rigging planned at Presidency: Ibrahim

AJK poll rigging planned at Presidency: Ibrahim
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Jammu Kashmir People’s Party Sardar Khalid Ibrahim Friday rejected the results of recently held Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Legilative Assembly elections, alleging that rigging of the polls was planned at Presidency, Geo News reported.

At a press conference here, Sardar Khalid Ibrahim announced that on July 4 his party would organize a protest rally against the ‘direct role of the Federal Government in the rigging of the AJK elections’.

He said his party would also chalk out its future course in consultation with its electoral ally Pakistan Muslim League-N.
   

9 hurt as wall collapses in Raiwind

9 hurt as wall collapses in Raiwind
LAHORE: Nine people received injuries when a wall of a house collapsed due to rain in Raiwind area, Lahore.

Nine people including Humaira, Rasheed and Bashir were hurt when the wall caved in as a result of rain.

Rescue and emergency services reached the spot and shifted the injured to a hospital where their condition is said to be out of danger.
   

KSE 100-index sheds 184 points, ends at 12,179

KSE 100-index sheds 184 points, ends at 12,179
KARACHI: The Karachi Stock Exchange's (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.69 percent, or 184.25 points, lower at 12,179.81on turnover of 87.31 million shares.

Stocks ended lower on Thursday ahead of the announcement of the budget for the next fiscal year, but dealers said an expected removal of a capital gains tax on individual investors should boost to the market.

The 2011/12 (July-June) budget is due to be unveiled on Friday.

According to media reports, the government may decide to remove the capital gains tax. A 10 percent capital gains tax is imposed on stocks held for six months or less and 7.5 percent on stocks held between 6 months to a year.

In the currency market, the rupee edged lower to close at 85.93/98 to the dollar from 85.92 a day earlier, amid steady dollar demand.

"The demand for the dollars is pretty steady, but inflows were good as well today, so the rupee id not fall much," said a dealer at a foreign bank.

The rupee hit a record low of 86.50 last week and dealers said the local unit may face some pressure in days ahead amid increased demand for dollar for import payments and a bleak outlook.

Pirates 4’ still top pick at box office

Pirates 4’ still top pick at box office
LOS ANGELES: The fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie ruled the foreign box office for a second weekend, fending off strong debuts by the "Hangover" and "Kung Fu Panda" sequels.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," playing everywhere overseas, captured $123 million during the weekend, raising its total to $471 million -- more than three times its domestic gross ($153 million).

"The Hangover, Part II" pulled in $59 million from 40 markets. Warner Bros. said the opening is three times higher than the comparable opening gross of the original 2009 hit in the same markets.

The comedy drew huge numbers from its No. 1 U.K. bow ($16.4 million), while Australia chipped in $11.6 million and France $5.8 million. Germany and Russia will open this week.

"Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D followed closely with $57 million from just 11 markets, mostly in Asia.

The sequel to 2008's "Kung Fu Panda" finished in the top spot in nine markets, with China ($18.5 million), Russia ($15 million) and South Korea ($13 million) leading the list.

This week will see "Kung Fu Panda 2" adding 11 markets as it rolls out gradually over the summer months to capitalize on school holidays.

No. 4 on the weekend was "Fast Five," which grossed $13.3 million in 61 territories, pushing the foreign total for the turbo-charged street-racing sequel to $346 million.

"Rio" came in at No. 5 with $3.8 million from 37 markets for an overseas total of $321.9 million.

Google reveals Gmail hacking, says likely from China

Google reveals Gmail hacking, says likely from China
SAN FRANCISCO: Suspected Chinese hackers tried to steal the passwords of hundreds of Google email account holders, including those of senior U.S. government officials, Chinese activists and journalists, the Internet company said.

The perpetrators appeared to originate from Jinan, the capital of China's eastern Shandong province, Google said. Jinan is home to one of six technical reconnaissance bureaus belonging to the People's Liberation Army and a technical college that U.S. investigators last year linked to a previous attack on Google.

Washington said it was investigating Google's claims while the FBI said it was working with Google following the attacks -- the latest computer-based invasions directed at multinational companies that have raised global alarm about Internet security.

The hackers recently tried to crack and monitor email accounts by stealing passwords, but Google detected and "disrupted" their campaign, the world's largest Web search company said on its official blog.

The revelation comes more than a year after Google disclosed a cyberattack on its systems that it said it traced to China, and could further strain an already tense relationship between the Web giant and Beijing.

Google partially pulled out of China, the world's largest Internet market by users, last year after a tussle with the government over censorship and a serious hacking episode.

"We recently uncovered a campaign to collect user passwords, likely through phishing," Google said, referring to the practice where computer users are tricked into giving up sensitive information.

"The goal of this effort seems to have been to monitor the contents of these users' emails."

It "affected what seem to be the personal Gmail accounts of hundreds of users, including among others, senior U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries (predominantly South Korea), military personnel and journalists."

Google did not say the Chinese government was behind the attacks or say what might have motivated them.

But cyberattacks originating in China have become common in recent years, said Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer at telecommunications company BT.

"It's not just the Chinese government. It's independent actors within China who are working with the tacit approval of the government," he said.

The United States has warned that a cyberattack -- presumably if it is devastating enough -- could result in real-world military retaliation, although analysts say it could be difficult to detect its origin with full accuracy.

Lockheed Martin Corp, the U.S. government's top information technology provider, said last week it had thwarted "a significant and tenacious attack" on its information systems network, though the company and government officials have not yet said where they think the attack originated.

"We have no reason to believe that any official U.S. government email accounts were accessed," said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

A spokesman at South Korea's presidential office said the Blue House had not been affected, but added they did not use Gmail. South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance said it had warned all staff "not to use, send or receive any official information through private emails such as Gmail.

200 migrants missing off Tunisia coast: official

200 migrants missing off Tunisia coast: official
TUNIS: Around 200 migrants are missing off the Tunisian coast after an operation to rescue some 800 people aboard a small ship that ran aground on a sandbank, the official news agency TAP reported Thursday.

A rescue operation that began Wednesday has lifted 570 people off the overcrowded vessel after it ran aground and capsized near Tunisia's Kerkennah islands, the agency said.

But around 200 were still missing after they tried to scramble aboard a flotilla of rescue boats, it said.

17 die in clashes in Mogadishu main market: official

17 die in clashes in Mogadishu main market: official
MOGADISHU: Clashes pitting Somali government forces and their African Union allies against Islamist rebels for control of Mogadishu's main market left at least 17 civilians dead on Thursday, officials said.

Many of the victims died when stray artillery fire hit a bus station where people were waiting.

"At least seventeen civilian dead have been counted so far and nine of them were killed after artillery fire struck a bus station near Arafat hospital," Ali Muse, head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, told media

100 killed in Abyei conflict: ex-administrator

100 killed in Abyei conflict: ex-administrator
JUBA: Around 100 people were killed when northern Sudanese troops overran the contested Abyei area last month, the former administrator of the flashpoint border district said on Thursday.

"We are fearing that the number of those who died is around 100," Deng Arop Kuol told AFP, adding that the toll was a "preliminary estimate."

"The situation there is very bad, and our people are suffering," he said.

Kuol, a southern appointee, was controversially sacked as Abyei's administrator by President Omar al-Bashir after Khartoum's troops and tanks occupied the disputed region on May 21, in what the south's government branded an "invasion."

Khartoum has since appointed Brigadier Izzedine Osman, who led the army's seizure of Abyei town, as the region's caretaker administrator.

The UN Mission in Sudan said they could not confirm the numbers killed.

"Our patrols following the fighting saw dead bodies," UNMIS spokeswoman Hua Jiang told AFP.

"At present, however, we cannot confirm a final casualty toll."

The United Nations says at least 60,000 people from the Abyei region have fled the violence, while the south claims many more have been displaced.

Abbottabad commission runs into trouble

Abbottabad commission runs into trouble
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's new commission into how Osama bin Laden lived in the country undetected for so long ran into trouble Thursday as one appointee refused to take part and the political opposition criticised it.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced Tuesday that an independent commission would investigate the circumstances of the Al-Qaeda chief's presence in Abbottabad, where he was shot dead by US Navy SEALs in a covert operation.

The revelation that the world's most-wanted man lived in a garrison city just a stone's throw from a top military academy raised questions about complicity or incompetence within the Pakistani security services.

Gilani's office said the five-member commission would be headed by senior supreme court judge Javed Iqbal and was mandated "to ascertain the full facts regarding the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan".

However, former supreme court judge Fakhruddin Ebrahim told AFP on Thursday that he had written to the prime minister refusing to sit on the panel.

"I was not consulted before my name was included in the commission and the government did not follow the procedure prescribed in the parliament's resolution," he said.

"They will have to reconstitute it," he added.

Parliament on May 14 adopted a resolution saying the composition of the commission would be settled after consultations between the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition, he said.

Talking to AFP, Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari said Ebrahim's decision was a "surprise" and reserved further comment pending consultation with the law ministry.

The main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif also criticised the government on Thursday over the commission, saying he had not been consulted.

"The commission set up without consultations was meaningless. It collapsed before it could be formed. What was the use of a commission set up unilaterally?" he told reporters.

The naming of the much-awaited panel came amid demands from lawmakers in Washington and Islamabad for disclosure on the bin Laden affair after the episode threw already tense ties between the allies into turmoil.

Pakistan has suffered a wave of fresh attacks this month, with the country's main Taliban faction claiming hits on domestic and American targets to avenge bin Laden's killing

Moon not sighted; 1st Rajab on June 4

Moon not sighted; 1st Rajab on June 4
ISLAMABAD: The moon of Rajab Al Murajjab was not sighted in any part of the country, therefore, the first Rajab 1432 A.H. will fall on June 4, Saturday.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee made the announcement on Thursday.

Dollar falls in Asia over weak US data

Dollar falls in Asia over weak US data
TOKYO: The dollar fell in Asian trade Friday amid a broad selling of the greenback following weak US economic indicators, despite growing concerns over a possible Greek debt default, dealers said.

The euro rose to $1.4191 and 115.03 yen in Tokyo morning trade from $1.4141 and 114.96 yen in New York Thursday.

The dollar fell to 81.04 yen from 81.29 yen.

The US unit dipped late Thursday following an report showing US jobless claims last week headed higher after two weeks of declines.

Washington also left unrevised its estimate of first-quarter economic growth at a tepid 1.8 percent. Most analysts had expected a rise to 2.0 percent.

Daisaku Ueno, chief analyst at Gaitame.Com Research Institute, said dealers see no further deterioration in sentiment for the euro after Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads the eurozone finance ministers, suggested the IMF may withhold its payment next month on Greece's bailout.

Juncker said the fifth tranche in a 110-billion-euro loan package could be hampered by IMF rules forbidding the lender of last resort to release funds without a 12-month guarantee of solvency.

Japan on Friday reported a rise in core consumer prices for the first time in more than two years, mainly as a result of an increase in fuel prices, but the economic data were largely ignored by forex dealers.

The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile food prices, rose 0.6 percent in April from a year earlier, the first increase since December 2008. The upturn was in line with market expectations.

But the April rise is unlikely to signal an end to Japan's long-standing deflationary problems as it stems mainly from higher costs for oil products because of increased import prices and supply problems.

Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami in March damaged oil refineries and disrupted distribution of petrol, kerosene and other petroleum products.

Asian shares edge up but Tokyo hit by CPI data

Asian shares edge up but Tokyo hit by CPI data
HONG KONG: Asian shares were mostly higher Friday but Tokyo edged down after data showed consumer prices rose for the first time in
28 months in April due to higher fuel prices following the March 11 disaster.

Hong Kong opened 0.12 percent higher, Sydney gained 0.43 percent, Seoul rose 0.86 percent and Shanghai added 0.18 percent.

Tokyo's Nikkei slipped 0.24 percent by the break after the government released figures showing prices rose 0.6 percent year on year last month, the first increase since December 2008.

Dealers sold up as the data, which excludes volatile food prices, pointed to a jump in costs for oil products due to higher import prices and supply problems. Analysts said the jump does not indicate an end to the country's deflationary woes.

"The CPI uptick came mostly from higher materials costs being passed on to consumers rather than an increase in demand," and that could hurt consumer spending, Hideyuki Ishiguro, a strategist at Okasan Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires.

The Japanese market was also weighed by a slightly stronger yen.

In early Asian trade the dollar fetched 81.22 yen, down from 81.29 in New York late Thursday and well off the 82.00 a day earlier.

The euro bought 114.99 yen, down from 115.06 in New York while it edged down to $1.4135 from $1.4141 in New York.

The euro remained under pressure amid concerns that Greece could default on its debt repayments as Athens warned that it would go bankrupt without the next tranche of a multi-billion-dollar bailout.

However, the International Monetary Fund has said it will not allow the cash to be released unless Greece provides "assurances" on how the country will fund its future.

The US currency was slightly weaker after worse-than-expected figures raised concerns over the world's biggest economy.

The Labor Department announced that jobless claims headed higher after two weeks of declines, while the government also left unrevised its estimate of first-quarter economic growth at 1.8 percent.

Most analysts had expected a rise to 2.0 percent.

Despite the disappointing figures the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a small gain of 0.07 percent on Thursday.

On oil markets New York's main contract, light sweet crude for July delivery gained 29 cents to $100.52 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for July was 20 cents higher at $115.25.

Gold opened in Hong Kong at $1,523.00-$1,524.00 per ounce, up from Wednesday's close of $1,525.00-$1,526.00.

KSE-100 index gains 27.40 points

KSE-100 index gains 27.40 points
KARACHI: Stocks extended gains on Friday amid hopes that the government will announce the removal of a capital gains tax in the upcoming 2011/12 budget, dealers said.

The 2011/12 (July-June) budget is due to be unveiled on June 3.

According to media reports, the government may decide to remove the capital gains tax. A 10 percent capital gains tax is imposed on stocks held for six months or less and 7.5 percent on stocks held between 6 months to a year.

Officials from the finance ministry have declined to comment.

"There is a feeling in the market that the capital gains tax will be removed, and this is helping the sentiment," said Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of brokers Topline Securities.

"This hope is likely to keep the market positive in the sessions ahead of the budget, and if indeed the tax is removed, it should result in increased activity in the market," he said.

The Karachi Stock Exchange's (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.22 percent, or 27.40 points, higher at 12,225.22 on turnover of 79.64 million shares.

In the currency market, the rupee eased 85.65/75 to the dollar from 85.57/a day earlier, amid slightly higher dollar demand from importers.

The rupee hit a record low of 86.50 on Monday and dealers said the local unit may face pressure amid increased demand for dollar for import payments and a bleak outlook.

"There are some import payments next week, so the dollar demand would rise and the rupee will see some pressure," said a dealer at a foreign bank.

There are also concerns about the growing tensions with the West, which could choke off much needed foreign aid.

The rupee has lost more than 1.25 percent of its value since then, almost the same as its total loss of 1.53 percent in 2010.

In the money market, overnight rates edges slightly lower and closed at around 13.50 percent, compared with the previous day's close of 13.90 percent.

Obama nominates new defense, CIA chiefs

Obama nominates new defense, CIA chiefs
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Thursday formally nominated Leon Panetta as his new secretary of defense and David Petraeus, who commands the international force in Afghanistan, as Panetta's successor at the CIA.

Obama had first said he planned to nominate Panetta and Petraeus on April 28, just days before US commandos entered Pakistan and shot and killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The US Senate must confirm both men, but neither is expected to encounter any serious opposition there.

The White House hopes that Panetta, whose mission would include cutting spending at the Defense Department, would be able to move into the job on June 30, the day current Defense chief Robert Gates is set to leave.

Petraeus will continue to lead the international force in Afghanistan until his successor, General John Allen, takes over in September. Petraeus will retire from the military before moving to the CIA.

The United States began troop withdrawals from Afghanistan this year, making good on a promise by Obama to reduce US troop levels there, although it is not clear how soon or how many additional troops will leave.

A new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the president's top military adviser, is also expected to be nominated next month. General Martin Dempsey, the current Army chief of staff, is considered Obama's likely choice to replace Admiral Michael Mullen, according to Pentagon officials.

Missouri town says 232 missing after tornado

Missouri town says 232 missing after tornado
JOPLIN: Officials Thursday said 232 people were still missing four days after a tornado tore through a Missouri town, and had only managed to identify one of the 125 bodies found in the storm's wake.

Some of the missing from Sunday's disaster in Joplin may be among the unidentified remains being stored in a hastily constructed mass morgue.

But officials pleaded with anxious family members for patience while they undertake a lengthy identification process involving DNA testing and fingerprinting.

Some may simply have failed to contact anxious friends and family. There may also still be people trapped in the rubble who have not been officially reported missing, Spiller cautioned.

Asked why families were not being allowed into the morgue to visually identify their loved ones, she replied: "It is not 100 percent accurate, and 100 percent accurate is our goal."

In what is one of the worst tornado seasons on record after a series of twisters killed hundreds in southern US states last month, Sunday's was the deadliest single tornado to strike America in six decades.

Crews continue to search through the tangled piles of debris in hope of finding survivors, but hopes were fading after rescuers found no one in the rubble Wednesday -- dead or alive.

Anguished families have kept up a desperate hunt for their missing loved ones. But poor and patchy communications plus the complete devastation of some areas have hampered the search.

Officials said they hoped that by publishing the list of 232 names they could locate the missing and ease the frayed nerves of their families.

Libya ready for ceasefire, demands end to NATO strikes

Libya ready for ceasefire, demands end to NATO strikes
TRIPOLI: Libya said on Thursday it was ready for a ceasefire and negotiations with rebels who hold the east of the country but demanded it include an immediate halt to Nato airstrikes.

The proposal by Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmoudi, who said it mirrored a plan floated by the African Union, one of Tripoli's few allies, for resolving the conflict, came on the heels peace overtures to Spain and other foreign countries.

It also follows some of the heaviest attacks to date in Nato's Libyan air campaign, which Muammar Gaddafi's government says has exceeded a mandate of civilian protection based on United Nations Security Council resolutions, and now aims at killing or toppling the Libyan leader.

"Libya is serious about a ceasefire, which must be a ceasefire from all sides, especially Nato," Mahmudi told reporters in Tripoli. He dismissed, however, any prospect of Gaddafi's departure -- a key rebel demand.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes, speaking at the Group of Eight summit in France, said the United States did not see the new Libyan ceasefire offer as credible because it was not accompanied by action.

Libya was not complying with U.N. demands and its forces were still attacking population centers, so the United States would continue with the military campaign, he told reporters.

The prime minister scorned the rebel Transitional National Council, recognized by a handful of states as Libya's legitimate representative, as former members of the same order they aim to overthrow.

US gives Pakistan list of five 'most wanted' militants

US gives Pakistan list of five 'most wanted' militants
WASHINGTON: As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Pakistan Friday, the United States gave Islamabad a list of terrorist leaders it wants joint operation against them, officials said.

The list includes Osama bin Laden deputy Ayman al Zawahiri, along with Siraj Haqqani of the Haqqani network, Ilyas Kashmiri, the head of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and suspected al-Qaida leader, and Atiya Abdel Rahman, al-Qaida operations chief, the US TV reported, citing unnamed officials from both governments.

The list was discussed during separate meetings between senior Pakistani and US officials in the past two weeks, including Friday in Islamabad with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to a US official, a Pakistani government official and a Pakistani intelligence official.

The United States is optimistic Pakistan would provide intelligence for prompt and joint actions against these militants.

A US news paper has reported that United States believes all these wanted militants are present in Pakistan.

Pakistan rejects US appeal to reopen liaison offices

Pakistan rejects US appeal to reopen liaison offices
ISLAMABAD: Despite a visit by Hillary Clinton to mend ties, Pakistani leaders reject appeals not to close military intelligence sharing centers and say they will review the US drone campaign. Clinton presses Pakistan to do more against militants, Los Angeles Times reported.

Pakistani officials angered by the secret US raid that killed Osama bin Laden declared they would conduct a full review of operations by US drone aircraft over the country and rebuffed an appeal by visiting US officials not to close military intelligence liaison centers, US and Pakistani officials said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Islamabad on Friday in a bid to ease the mistrust deepened by the secret May 2 raid that killed the Al Qaeda chief.

Pakistani leaders see the raid as a blatant violation of their country's sovereignty, and Washington's decision to not inform Islamabad in advance as an example of a glaring lack of trust. For the US, Bin Laden's presence in the military city of Abbottabad, just 35 miles from the capital, renewed long held suspicions among many in the US that Pakistan’s intelligence community, or elements within it, knew that the Al Qaeda leader was there and did nothing about it.

Clinton, in a meeting with President Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and other leaders, emphasized that the US has seen no evidence that anyone in the upper echelons of Pakistani leadership knew of Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad.

Officials on both sides described Friday's meeting as blunt, and acknowledged that serious disagreements remained. But they said the two sides also agreed that the relationship is mutually beneficial.

A senior US official in Washington said that Pakistani officials rebuffed a US request not to close the liaison offices in Peshawar and Quetta that have been used to share intelligence on militants with Pakistani ground forces.

Pakistan recently ordered US special operations personnel at the so-called "intelligence fusion cells" to leave the country, a setback for US efforts to form closer ties with Pakistani units fighting militants along with the border with Afghanistan. US officials remain hopeful that they can persuade Islamabad to allow the US personnel to reestablish the intelligence-sharing centers, the official said.

Pakistani officials said Zardari also said his government intended to review all aspects of operations by unmanned US drone aircraft. The campaign of drone airstrikes is deeply unpopular among Pakistanis.

8 dead, 12 injured in Bajur Agency blast

8 dead, 12 injured in Bajur Agency blast
BAJAUR: At least eight persons died and twelve injured in a blast that took place Saturday morning at the headquarter of Tehsil Salarzai according to the initial report, Geo News reported.

Security forces have surrounded the area, rescue operation started and trying to ascertain the nature of the blast. The injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital.

Someone, somewhere' provided support to Osama: Clinton

Someone, somewhere' provided support to Osama: Clinton
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Pakistan urgently needed to take decisive steps against militancy and that relations between the two allies, tense since the killing of Osama bin Laden, had reached a turning point.

Clinton, the most senior US official to visit Pakistan since US Navy SEALS killed the al Qaeda leader this month, appeared to be trying to smooth over strains, repeating that there was no evidence that any senior Pakistani officials knew bin Laden's whereabouts.

But she also said she had asked President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani as well as Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani to do more to fight militants.

"This was an especially important visit because we have reached a turning point," Clinton told reporters, after meeting the Pakistani officials with US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. "We look to Pakistan, to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead.

"America cannot and should not solve Pakistan's problems. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear."

Clinton said Pakistani officials had told her "someone, somewhere" had been providing support for bin Laden in Pakistan, but reiterated there was no evidence of any sort of complicity by senior government officials.

Clinton has emphasised the need to continue working closely with Pakistan.

"This particular relationship with Pakistan is too critical and now is too critical a time to allow whatever differences we may still have with one another impede the progress we must still make together," Mullen told the news conference.

"I harbour no illusions about the difficulties ahead, nor do I leave here misinformed about the trust which still needs to be rebuilt between our two militaries.

National challenges require unity: PM

National challenges require unity: PM
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Friday said the challenges confronting the country today require greater unity among the people and leaders across the political divide.

In his opening statement while chairing the cabinet's meeting, Gilani said during testing times, it was imperative to maintain unity among the ranks and not let despondency take hold on the minds of people.

"I am sure that together we will overcome the challenges we face today," he said, adding that with this kind of determination no force could ever demoralize the countrymen in defending their homeland.

Gilani reiterated to foil the nefarious designs of terrorists and their collaborators. He paid rich tribute on behalf of the Cabinet to those who sacrificed their lives during the terrorist attack at the Mehran Naval Base.

As a nation, he said, "we are proud of the courage and valour with which the Jawans of Navy, Rangers and Police who tried to defend the strategic naval installations and properties."

The Prime Minister said that during his visit to the hospital in Karachi, he was touched to see the spirit of injured Jawans who remarked that it would have been better had they also embraced Shahadat.

He recalled that the especially convened meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet decided for coordinated efforts to prevent and pre-empt acts of terrorism. He stated that the defence and law enforcement agencies had been directed to use all necessary means to eliminate terrorists and militants.

The Prime Minister informed the Cabinet about his visit to China which he termed as very important as it coincided with the 60th Anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

He said besides talks in defence, trade and energy, the Chinese leadership reiterated its undiluted, unequivocal and principled support to Pakistan's stance and strategy in the fight against terrorism.

The Prime Minister stated that the Chinese leadership apprised him that even without Pakistan's asking, the Chinese Vice Premier and State Counselor for Foreign Affairs, who attended the recent China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington DC, had urged the US to respect Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity; to recognize Pakistan's sacrifices in the war against terror; and to help Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and extremism, and give it complete support.

The Prime Minister apprised the Cabinet about his affirmation to the Chinese leadership that Pakistan would never allow its territory to be used to attack any country and would continue to support international counter-terrorism cooperation.

Before the start of formal proceedings of the Cabinet meeting, Fateha for late Hakim Ali Zardari, a seasoned politician was offered. The Cabinet also offered Fateha for all those who embraced Shahadat in the recent attack on PNS Mehran, CID Station Peshawar and District Administration Offices in Hangu.

Anti-Americanism not to make Pak's problems disappear

Anti-Americanism not to make Pak's problems disappear
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday said Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear.

Talking to media in Islamabad Hillary Clinton said that her visit was especially important because relation between Pakistan and US have reached a turning point.

"Osama bin Laden is dead but al Qaeda and his syndicate of terror remain a serious threat to us both," Clinton said.

She said, "we look to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead."

Clinton said Pakistani officials had told her "someone, somewhere" had been providing support for bin Laden in Pakistan, but reiterated there was no evidence of any sort of complicity by senior government officials.

"This particular relationship with Pakistan is too critical and now is too critical a time to allow whatever differences we may still have with one another impede the progress we must still make together," Mullen told the news conference.

"I harbour no illusions about the difficulties ahead, nor do I leave here misinformed about the trust which still needs to be rebuilt between our two militaries.

Top 10 Latest Crime-Fighting Technologies

Top 10 | Hi-tech GPS enabled phones, more accurate guns and faster cars – The criminals have taken their favorite cat-and-mouse game with the police on to a whole new level. Crime-fighting has become tough but law enforcement agencies are not willing to give up, not yet. From vomit-inducing flashlight to brain fingerprinting, here are the top ten hi-tech ways in which the cops are getting back at the goons.
10.  Automated license plate recognition cameras



All the car thieves out there have to now learn a magic trick as well. Once they steal the car, they have to make it disappear because taking it out for a run might land them behind bars.
Automated license plate recognition cameras are being used by patrol cars (even choppers) to track down auto-related crimes. These cameras can take pictures of the license plates from a distance. The pictures are run against a database of stolen vehicles to find possible matches.
9. Brain Fingerprinting



Remember how cops are advised to get into the mind of the criminals to handle them better? Well, they are now taking the advice literally. In brain fingerprinting, the subject is shown pictures on a computer screen. This person has to wear a headband that will measure cognitive brain responses to the stimuli he watches on the screen. An EEG (electroencephalograph) picks up distinct responses to words, sounds or images that are related to the crime.

The technology has been used to obtain guilty plea from criminals who had refuted allegations of knowledge about their crimes. Brain fingerprinting revealed that their brains responded to crime-related details shown on the computer.
8. Shoe Printing

Here is another technology that is going to make “perfect crime” something that happens only in fiction. Researchers in UK have made an automated system that compares features on shoe soles of suspects with those of the shoe prints left behind at the crime scene.  Since shoe prints are something that criminals often leave behind, a UK act gives this forensic evidence the same legal validity as DNA and fingerprints.

Shoe prints have been used in the past as evidence but it involved human analysis and interpretation. The new technology uses image processing to find out about the sole’s features like logos, circles or ridges. The results are compared with the prints taken in custody suites for a possible match.
7. Shot Spotting


The time between a gunshot and arrival of police can make a huge difference in nabbing the criminal or providing medical help. Cops in Washington, D.C. have employed an acoustics-based system called ShotSpotter to drastically minimize this response time.

The gunshot sensor system picks up sound waves of a muzzle blast. GPS receivers in the system narrow down to the exact coordinates of the spot and forward it to nearest 911 centers.
6. Plant DNA to knock off Counterfeiters

The bad news has arrived for the fakers worldwide. Scientists have discovered something that is all set to bust the fake brand party. This little something is no GPS tracking device but a simple code embedded in a plant. An elite label is now going to use plant DNA in its products to make them distinctly unique. All that the law enforcement agencies would need are scanners to tell the genuine product from the fake one.

A similar DNA marker was embedded in a bank’s cash boxes. When two men tried to tamper with the boxes in bank heist, the DNA strands in the cases helped the police to nab the culprits.
5. 3-D Technology

Law enforcement agencies have finally found their new crime buster and it comes in the “avatar” of three-dimensional technology.  It can pervade all aspects of law, right from nabbing the criminal to bringing him to justice.

It is now possible to create a 3-D image of a bullet that has been fired and then find a match from previous criminal cases of shoot-outs. A Forensic Science institute in Connecticut can deftly produce 3D images of crime scene using software called DeltaSphere-3000 3D Scene Digitizer. Police in Japan have employed the technology for facial recognition to fight crimes committed by people of foreign origin. Three-dimensional images of public places and structures are being stored to help the police foil future terrorist attempts.
4. Property Marking System

No, we are not talking about dogs here. Humans too, can now mark their property and goods to deter trespassing and forceful entries.

Many houses in the UK are using a generic property marker called SmartWater to deter thieves and burglars. This water-based solution can be sprayed or painted to mark your prized possessions with a unique chemical code. In cases of thefts, stolen items can be identified by the chemical “barcode” and returned to the actual owner.
3. Vehicle Slowdown System



Car chase movie scene just got shorter. General Motors has equipped its cars with a unique in-vehicle safety system called OnStar. Besides being GPS-enabled, the system also comes with a helpful vehicle slowdown feature. Cops can ask an OnStar operator to transmit a signal to the car being pursued. The signal restricts the vehicle’s fuel reserves and slows it down to about five miles an hour.
2. Body Odor to sniff out criminals

You read it right. It is now possible to use body odor as a biometric identifier to nab a culprit. A police canine research center in China is creating a unique database of people with criminal records. The center is collecting body odor of criminals so that they can be later used to match the smell in a crime scene with the help of their ace canines.
1. Vomit Inducing Flashlight



The US Department of Homeland Security has developed a flashlight that is guaranteed to bring a fleeing criminal down on his knees. What else would he do when he is gripped by a sudden bout of horrid puking?

The hi-tech flashlight, called the Dazzler, emits LEDs that can have psychophysical effects on a person. It can cause immediate immobility through extreme physical imbalance like disorientation and nausea. Now we know why the cops crib about how policing has become a really dirty job.

by Mankani Deepa

World's Top 10 airlines in 2010 announced

World's Top 10 airlines in 2010 announced
Asiana Airlines won the prestige Airline of the Year award at the 2010 World Airline Awards, that took place in Hamburg.

Asiana Airlines was named winner of the Airline of the Year 2010 title, ahead of Singapore Airlines (2nd) and Qatar Airways in 3rd place.

Some 40 different airlines from around the world assembled to receive their accolades, which were handed out by Mr Edward Plaisted, Chairman of Skytrax. The award winners are selected by the airline industry's most important audience, it's customers.
More than 17.9 million air travellers from over 100 different nationalities took part in the 10 month survey, between July 2009 and April 2010. The awards are respected and recognised around the world for being the only truly global, independent passenger survey of airline standards, and are known as the Passenger's Choice awards.

Commenting on the Airline of the Year 2010 award received by Asiana Airlines, Mr Plaisted said: "this is a fantastic achievement for Asiana Airlines to be named winner of this top Airline of the Year Award, and Asiana Airlines are clearly meeting and exceeding their customer's expectations. This award represents a true recognition of the front-line product and service that Asiana Airlines is delivering to it's customers, and the branding as the Passenger's Choice awards underlines the fact that Asiana Airlines are succeeding in satisfying the hardest critics - their users."

Asiana Airlines President and CEO, Mr Young-Doo Yoon, said : "We would like to express our most heartfelt appreciation to our customers who voted us for Skytrax 2010 Airline of the Year Award. Asiana Airlines is extremely honored to be recognized as the world’s top airline by our customers and to be awarded our industry’s highly esteemed accolade from Skytrax. To be the winner of the 2010 Airline of the Year Award is even more special and holds greater meaning, as it is 'The Passenger's Choice'."


The top 10 places in the 2010 Airline of the Year :

1.  Asiana Airlines
2.  Singapore Airlines
3.  Qatar Airways
4.  Cathay Pacific
5.  Air New Zealand
6.  Etihad Airways
7.  Qantas Airways
8.  Emirates
9.  Thai Airways
10. Malaysia Airlines

Sports News Index

Sports News
Pakistan level Test series against West Indies
Sri Lanka reject Pakistan tour on security
Mumbai pull off thrilling win over Kolkata

Business News

Business News
May 27/5/2011
KSE-100 index gains 27.40 points
Asian shares edge up but Tokyo hit by CPI data
Dollar falls in Asia over weak US data

May 26/5/2011
Euro firms on China scholar's investment comment
Asian shares up on Wall St rise, bargain buying
Oil up in Asian trade after rise in US equities

Mumbai pull off thrilling win over Kolkata

Mumbai pull off thrilling win over Kolkata
KOLKATA: Ambati Rayudu smashed a last-ball six as Mumbai Indians pulled off a thrilling five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Mumbai needed 21 to win off the last over to surpass Kolkata's 175-7, but New Zealander James Franklin (45 not out off 23 balls) hit paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji for 17 off the first five balls before Rayudu finished the game.

South African Jacques Kallis top-scored with 59 and seamer Rajat Bhatia took three wickets for Kolkata.

In another match, Chris Gayle cracked an unbeaten 75 as Royal Challengers Bangalore topped the points table with an eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.

The West Indies opener hit six sixes in his 50-ball knock as Bangalore surpassed Chennai's total of 128-8 with two overs to spare in their last league match of the Twenty20 tournament.

Bangalore (19 points), Chennai (18), Mumbai (18) and Kolkata (16) have qualified for the play-offs.

Gayle, who added 80 for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (31), finished the match when he hit spinner Suresh Raina for 11 runs off the last three balls of the 18th over.

Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit six sixes in his explosive 40-ball 70 not out but received little support from the other end, the highest stand of the innings being 42 for the fifth wicket.

Chennai made a poor start after being put in to bat as they lost four wickets for 22 runs in the opening six overs, with left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan dismissing Australian Michael Hussey and Raina in successive overs.

Hussey could make just four runs before inside-edging a Zaheer devliery on to the stumps while Raina was caught by Kohli at point.

New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori put more pressure on Chennai when he removed Subramaniam Badrinath and West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo to eventually finish with 2-15 off four overs.

Brief scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 175-7 in 20 overs (J. Kallis 59, Yusuf Pathan 36, M. Tiwary 35; A. Nechim 2-32, J. Franklin 2-35) lost to Mumbai Indians 178-5 in 20 overs (J. Franklin 45 not out, S. Tendulkar 38, Harbhajan Singh 30; R. Bhatia 3-22) by five wickets.

Sri Lanka reject Pakistan tour on security

Sri Lanka reject Pakistan tour on security
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday turned down an invitation by Pakistan to return to the troubled nation, saying security was still a problem two years after its players were attacked there.

"We are not going to send our team to Pakistan," Sri Lanka Cricket chairman D.S. de Silva said. "I have asked the secretary to inform the Pakistan Cricket Board today (Tuesday) of the decision.

"We have instead requested Pakistan to host the matches in Colombo or at a neutral venue like Dubai or Abu Dhabi," he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board announced at the weekend that they had invited Sri Lanka to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 game in a series proposed for October.

"The circumstances, with regards to security, don't allow us to play matches there. Even the ICC (International Cricket Council) has not given us security clearance," de Silva said.

Sri Lanka ex-skipper Mahela Jayawardene told the London-based Guardian newspaper on Tuesday that he still carries scars from the attack in Lahore in which militants shot at the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009.

Eight people were killed and seven Sri Lankan players were wounded, including their assistant coach.

"I still get flashbacks," he told the Guardian. "At first, the guys were saying, 'Why would anyone let off crackers at eight in the morning?' But then someone shouted: 'No, they're shooting at us, get down.'"

Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga had reacted cautiously on Monday to the invitation, saying they were awaiting clearance from Sri Lankan security authorities before responding.

Pakistan have been forced to play "home" series in the United Arab Emirates, England and New Zealand.

On Monday, Afghanistan became the first foreign squad to arrive in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lankan players. The Afghans will take on a second-string Pakistani national team in a three-match series.

Pakistan level Test series against West Indies

Pakistan level Test series against West Indies
BASSETERRE: Pakistan beat West Indies by 196 runs on the fifth day of the second test Tuesday to draw their two test series 1-1.

Slow left-armer Abdur Rehman finished with figures of 4-65 as West Indies, resuming on 130for five and needing to bat through the day to win the series, were bowled out for 230 before lunch.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal did the damage with the key wickets of Brendan Nash (30), skipper Darren Sammy (41) and Ravi Rampaul (20).

It was always going to be too much for West Indies to bat through the day having already lost their top order but it was a sorry end to their innings when Kemar Roach was run out for12.

Any chance of resistance dissipated when Nash edged Ajmal to Taufeeq Umar at slip and then Baugh became the latest in a series of West Indies batsmen to fall lbw to Rehman.

Sammy was caught at midwicket off a dreadful shot off Ajmal and although Rampaul showed some defiance, it ultimately proved futile.

Once again West Indies struggled against spin, which will give great heart to their upcoming opponents India who begin their tour of the Caribbean next month.

Pakistan, who won the five-match one day international series earlier in the tour 3-2, took full advantage of poor West Indian fielding in their second innnings which saw centuries for Taufeeq Umar and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq.

Misbah was delighted with the way his team, who are still unable to play home tests due to the security situation, coped and performed on the tour.

"I am really proud of this bunch of guys and their fighting spirit. Catching was one of our failings in the first test but we turned it around here and it was the big difference between the two teams," he said.

"I am happy, I am performing well and it feels good to lead from the front. We hope we will be able to play on our home grounds soon but we are getting exposure outside and becoming a better team in the process," he said.

For West Indies, who have blooded young opening batsmen Lendl Simmons and Kraigg Brathwaite with little success in this test, the debate will restart over selection choices for the India series, with ex-skipper Chris Gayle's position still unclear.

The optimism generated by the first test victory in Guyana was short-lived and Sammy highlighted a familar problem.

"We have not been able to be consistent with the bat or ball. We have some work to do. India is going to be a tough series but we are looking forward to it," he said.

Oil up in Asian trade after rise in US equities

Oil up in Asian trade after rise in US equities
SINGAPORE: Oil rose in Asian trade Thursday, tracking gains in US equities markets, analysts said, while dealers seemed to ignore data showing a surge in stockpiles.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, gained 36 cents to $101.68 a barrel, while Brent North Sea crude for the same month was up 30 cents to $115.23.

"The WTI was $1.73 higher (in New York late Wednesday), settling at $101.32, which was a two-week high because the equity market was high," said Shailaja Nair, a Singapore-based Platts analyst.

US stocks posted modest gains Wednesday, snapping a three-day losing streak, despite disappointing manufacturing data from the US, the world's largest economy and number one oil consumer.

A bearish report from the Department of Energy (DoE) Wednesday that showed US crude stocks rose 600,000 barrels in the week to May 20 appeared to have a muted impact on sentiment.

The weekly DoE report also said US gasoline inventories jumped 3.8 million barrels in contrast to predictions of a drop.

Gasoline figures are being closely watched ahead of the peak-demand US driving season in the starting next week, when many Americans begin hitting the road for their summer holidays.

Some analysts think higher prices have forced consumers to cut their fuel use.

Natixis analyst Nic Brown pointed out that it was the fourth week in a row of weak US demand for oil products -- with demand off four percent from a year earlier.

"Volatility remains high and sentiment is constantly shifting," said Michael Fitzpatrick of the Kilduff Report.

Prices had been given a lift by reports Tuesday from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley in which they raised their 2012 forecasts for Brent to around $130 a barrel.

Asian shares up on Wall St rise, bargain buying

Asian shares up on Wall St rise, bargain buying
HONG KONG: Asian markets began the day on a high Thursday as dealers picked up undervalued stocks following a recent sell-off while the first gain for the Dow in three days also provided some support.

Tokyo was 1.29 percent higher by the break, Sydney gained 1.10 percent, Hong Kong opened 0.58 percent stronger while Shanghai added 0.72 percent and Seoul jumped 1.23 percent.

"Asian markets are opening stronger, and we expect it to be a risk-on day in the region," Credit Agricole said in a note to clients, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

The rallies followed a Dow gain of 0.31 percent on Wednesday.

Resource firms were among those leading the gains as commodity prices began to rise, with oil rallying after Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley raised their 2012 forecasts for the cost of Brent to $130 a barrel.

The rises also came despite a surprising 600,000-barrel increase in US crude stockpiles in the week to May 20, confounding analyst expectations of a fall.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, gained 36 cents to $101.68 a barrel, while Brent North Sea crude for the same month was up 30 cents to $115.23.

Crude was also given a fillip by gains in equity markets, which indicated improving sentiment.

The gains came after big losses in recent sessions caused by worries over the European debt crisis and data from China suggesting the world's number two economy was beginning to ease.

In the eurozone the Greek debt crisis continues to unsettle after sharp exchanges between the European Central Bank, which opposes any restructuring of its obligations, and politicians hoping to find some way out of an impasse.

The downgrading of Athens' debt rating by Fitch on Friday, the downgrading of Italy's outlook by Standard & Poor's and rising concern over Spain's economy have also brought the European crisis back into focus.

However, despite the debt woes the euro rose in early trade after Wang Yong, a professor at the People's Bank of China's training institute, said Beijing should expand purchases of eurozone sovereign debt.

He also said China should increase direct investment into Europe. Such moves would help alleviate the global crisis, he added.

The comments sent the euro up to $1.4136 from $1.4083 late Wednesday in New York and to 115.86 yen from 115.40.

The dollar was worth 81.96 yen, up from 81.89 yen in New York.

Shanghai rose after a five-day sell-off caused by economic worries that were magnified by data showing a preliminary HSBC Purchasing Managers Index had slipped to a 10-month low, pointing to a slowdown in manufacturing.

In Tokyo, office equipment and camera maker Ricoh jumped 4.5 percent on a report in the Nikkei business daily that it was planning to sack 10,000 people worldwide as it tries to streamline.

Gold opened in Hong Kong at $1,525.00-$1,526.00 per ounce, up from Wednesday's close of $1,523.00-$1,524.00

Euro firms on China scholar's investment comment

Euro firms on China scholar's investment comment
TOKYO: The euro firmed during Asian trade Thursday after a Chinese scholar published a media commentary arguing that Beijing should expand purchases of euro-zone sovereign debt.

Investors flocked to the single currency after Wang Yong, a professor at the People's Bank of China's training institute, wrote in his piece that China should also increase direct investment into Europe.

For China, such moves should both help alleviate the global crisis and contributes to "counter-protectionism strategy," giving Beijing more leverage to negotiate for concessions in trade talks, Wang wrote.

The piece triggered buying of the euro, which jumped to $1.4136 and 115.86 yen from $1.4083 and 115.40 yen in New York Wednesday.

Still, traders said the Greek debt concerns should limit the euro's gains as investors remained cautious amid uncertainty about how the fiscally-strapped nation's problems could be resolved.

"While we continue to see a market- and euro-friendly outcome (on Greece) as the most likely on a multi-week view, political risks make a further euro/dollar breakdown very real," BNP Paribas analysts said in a note to clients.

The euro's gain was also magnified in part due to thin trading in Asia, traders said.

The dollar was at 81.96 yen, nearly flat from 81.89 yen in New York.