Prince Of Persia The Forgotten Sands 2010 Official Soundtracks Listen Online Hot And Exclusive

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is an upcoming multiplatform videogame developed by Ubisoftdue for release on May 18, 2010, in North America and May 20 in Europe.The game is a latest installment in the Prince of Persia series, and will mark a return to the storyline started by Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The Wii and PSP versions are being developed by Ubisoft Quebec; the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows are being handled by Ubisoft Montreal with the help of Ubisoft Singapore, while the DS version is being made at Casablanca.

Listen The Prince Of Persia The Forgotten Sands Soundtracks Below


1 Garden



2 Camros



3 Zahrah's Sacrifice



4 Sacred Ascent



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Microsoft's Dream.Build.Play 2010 winners announced

Dream.Build.Play is a competition where semi-pro and indy game developers are asked to create innovative video games for Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio. This year the four winners got their piece of $75,000 in cash as well as the opportunity for their game to show up on XBLA.
Microsoft says that there were over 350 games submitted from 110 countries for this year's contest. Only four won:

• Nicolas Daures, France, won $40k for Lumi, a 2D action/puzzler
• Nenin Ananbanchachai, Thailand, won $20k for A.R.E.S, a 2.5D run-and-gunner
• Yoichi Hayashi, Japan, won $10 for Prismatic Solid, a rail shooter
• Norman and Steven Hunt, UK, won $5k for Beat Hazard, a twin-stick shooter

If you take the time to watch the gameplay footage (above and below the jump) from all the winners, I'm sure you'll be impressed. The first place entrant, Lumi, as seen above, looks great. Killer art and music. I'm more into 3rd place pew-happy Prismatic Solid, though.
As a bonus this year, Old Spice teamed up to offer up a prize called the Old Spice Challenge. The community voted, and the winner is an action-adventure called Newton vs. The Horde. Graham Stewart and his dev team take home $60,000 for the win. To celebrate, they're giving away copies of the game to the first 8,000 people that visit the Old Spice page on Xbox Live.
Congrats to all the winners. I'm looking forward to playing all of these!

Video Games | Beat Hazard | Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Bill Gates on Microsoft’s Pen-based Tablet Projects, Steve Jobs and iPad

Now things are taking a U-turn again, or sort of anyway. If you thought that Microsoft has buried the Courier project somewhere in their labs, you might be wrong, as it now looks like that some parts of that ambitious Courier project may return in the upcoming Tablets from Microsoft. Recently, Bill Gates in an interview said that Microsoft is working on Tablets which would use a pen-based input method (as opposed to finger-only mechanism in Apple iPad) which would go mainstream in students.

Now whether Courier is born again, or if it will be now used as a reference for the future devices is yet to be seen. But if these words of Bill Gates are anything to go by, we might see some of it in action soon.

Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we’re pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time.

Bill Gates also praised Steve Jobs and Apple on their successful Tablet attempt – the iPad:

Buffett: “Steve Jobs has done a terrific job. And there will be companies that excel. And occasionally they will excel because of luck, but usually they excel because of brains.”
Gates: ‘Yes, I think both in general and in the specific, Apple’s done a great job.”

If anything, this statement of Gates proves that Microsoft didn’t ditch out the Courier entirely. The emphasis on a pen-based input for Tablets to create documents does relate to the Courier in one way or the other, see our previous post here on the Courier and you’ll know what we’re talking about. Now it makes us wonder, what will the Tablet look like? Is it the Courier after all? Was killing the Courier project part of plan to cover up for something which Microsoft has been working on for ages, and Gates just blurt it out? We can’t say for sure, but Bill Gates’ statement does point out to something cool which Microsoft is working on, and we can’t wait to see what it is. And of course the biggest question of all is: will it be good enough to compete with the iPad?.

Google's Browser Trumps Microsoft's

Chrome's increase in market share was nearly equal to security-prone Internet Explorer's drop in usage share, according to NetApplications

May 04, 2010 | 03:58 PM

Google's Chrome Web browser continued to gain market share in April, grabbing most of the increase at the expense of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, a monthly report released Monday showed.
As of the end of April, Chrome was used by 6.73% of the people visiting the 40,000 Web sites monitored by NetApplications for its customers. The number marked an increase 0.6% from March.
Chrome's increase was nearly equal to Internet Explorer's drop in usage share, which fell 0.7% month-to-month to 59.95%. It was the first time NetApplications had shown IE falling below 60%.
Chrome's usage share has grown steadily since its release in December 2008, according to NetApplications. IE, on the other hand, has been losing share for years, mostly because of security problems and a failure to keep up with the competition.
However, Microsoft is not ready to give up the browser battle. The company last month released a preview of Internet Explorer 9 at the MIX10 conference in Las Vegas.
At the time, Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Internet Explorer at Microsoft, characterized IE9 as "the first browser to take standard Web patterns that developers use and run them better on modern PCs through Windows."
Among the many new elements supported in IE9 includes HTML5, the evolving next-generation standard for Web pages, including CSS3, Scalable Vector Graphics, XHTML parsing, and tags for H.264/MPEG4 and MP3/AAC codecs. The browser also includes support for hardware acceleration to speed up the rendering of graphics and text.
In the latest NetApplications usage share, Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari each saw a gain of 0.07%, rising to 24.59% and 4.72%, respectively. Opera fell by an equal amount to 2.30%.

Asian countries ahead in green investment

NEW YORK, May 4 (UPI) -- Asian nations -- particularly China and South Korea -- are ahead of other major world economies when it comes to the "green" investment portion of economic and employment recovery plans, says a new book co-published by the United Nations.

In his book, "A Global Green New Deal: Rethinking the Economic Recovery," Edward Barbier, a leading economist and consultant to the U.N. Environmental Program's Global Green New Deal/Green Economy Initiative, urges Group of 20 countries to unite to promote a sustainable global economic recovery.

"Without a long-term vision on how to further catalyze and embed the environment within the economy, Barbier said in a release, "there is a real danger that many of the G20's green stimuli will wither and simply go to waste."

When the UNEP launched its Green New Deal policy brief during its annual gathering of environment ministers in February 2009 it recommended that each country spend 1 percent of gross domestic product on green initiatives.

With the exception of several Asian economies, U.N. Undersecretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "there remains a gap between ambition and action."

China and South Korea each spend 3 percent of GDP on environmental sectors, Barbier's book reports. That compares with the United States' green stimulus, which accounts for 0.7 percent of GDP and the European Union, which represents 0.2 percent of GDP.

"The problems of energy insecurity, climate change, environmental degradation and global poverty will only worsen if we fail to green our current global economic recovery efforts," warns Barbier, an economics professor at the University of Wyoming.

Barbier notes in the book that China, the world's second biggest energy consumer, spent more than one-third of its stimulus package -- 3 percent of GDP -- on initiatives such as high-speed rail systems as well as boosting the country's already-accelerating growth in wind and solar power and energy-efficient lighting.

China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

With a renewable energy sector valued at $17 billion, China is the leading global producer of solar cells, wind turbines and solar water heaters, employing nearly 1 million people.

As for South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest energy consumer and polluter, it is allocating 95 percent of its fiscal stimulus -- also 3 percent of GDP -- for environmental sectors, including low-emission vehicles.

When opening a global environment summit in Seoul last month, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak cited the $19.8 million restoration of South Korea's four major rivers as a "representative" Green New Deal project aimed both at protecting the environment and fostering economic growth.

Puducherry bags pride of place at Shanghai expo

The Puducherry Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Photo: Special Arangement

Exhibits its unique urban initiatives at a separate pavilion

Puducherry is now part of a major innovation at the ongoing World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

For the first time in the history of the World Expo, besides the national pavilions, select cities across the world are being showcased for their best practices that could offer solution to some of the pressing urban issues. Puducherry is one of the 32 cities to exhibit its unique urban initiatives and has a separate pavilion in the Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA). The other Indian city to share the honours is Ahmedabad.

Based on the recommendations of the World Bank, the Shanghai Expo Committee invited the Puducherry Municipality to exhibit its Asia Urbs integrated program for urban environmental management and heritage preservation.

Heritage conservation

Between 2002 and 2004, the Puducherry government, along with INTACH Puducherry, implemented the Asia Urbs Programme to improve the quality of life in the old city through heritage conservation.

Many buildings were restored through a matching grant scheme that shared as much as half the costs of the project. A participatory conservation practice was also initiated and important public spaces in the city were taken up for improvement.

European Union provided a grant of Euro 700,000 and two European cities, Urbino (Italy) and Villeneuve-sur-Lot (France), partnered in this project.

Inspiring example

Ajit Koujalgi, INTACH Coordinator, in an e-mail interview from Shanghai told The Hindu that the programme implemented in Puducherry could serve as an inspiring example to many historic cities in the developing world that were struggling to save their heritage.

“Panels and video screens in the pavilion display salient features of the projects and a small shop and a cafe bring Puducherry closer to the visitors — to taste, feel and take home.

The main message of the Puducherry pavilion is that the heritage preservation requires the participation of building owners, civil society and serious commitment from governments to provide financial assistance and enact legislation to protect heritage buildings and precincts,” Mr. Koujalgi said.

Components shipped

The Department of Tourism, Puducherry, took up the pavilion project and it was built by a Chinese contractor in Shanghai based on the designs provided. Some of the components for the pavilion were shipped from Puducherry. The INTACH Puducherry Chapter acted as the facilitator.

The Shanghai World Expo was inaugurated on April 30 and will be open to public till October 31. The Puducherry pavilion is in Case Joint Pavilion 1, UBPA Section.

Made in China: Cyber-spying system, with focus on India

NEW DELHI: Reports of a China-based cyber spy network targetting the Indian military and the consequent alert sounded by Army authorities may be only the tip of the iceberg -- investigations have revealed a fully dedicated India-specific espionage system aimed at business, diplomatic, strategic and academic interests.

The detailed research and investigations carried out by Canada-based authors of the report 'Shadows in the Cloud' and experts from India's NTRO have pointed to a command and control system that used free web-hosting services and social networking sites like Twitter, Baidu blogs and Google. These accounts were manipulated by a "core" of servers based in Chengdu in China.

The report, released in early April, received fairly wide publicity but its fuller implications are only now beginning to sink in. The largely India-centric cyber warfare system is described as "son of ghost net", an allusion to a Chinese effort to infiltrate the Tibetan exile community. The current investigations also began in Dharamshala but revealed a larger intent linked to an underground hacking community in Chengdu.

An email used in ghostnet turned up in the Shadows probe as well and is identified as losttemp33@hotmail and was associated with Xfocus and Isbase, two popular Chinese hacking forums and possibly was a student of master hackers Glacier and Sunwear. The individual is believed to have studied at University of Electronic Science and Technology at Chengdu in Sichuan.

The Canadian team used a domain name system (DNS) sinkhole to turn IP addresses into domain names by grabbing suspect servers abandoned after ghostnet investigations. The list of compromised Indian computers is disturbing: machines at Indian missions at Kabul, Moscow, Dubai, Abuja, US, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, UK and Zimbabwe were infected.

A machine at the National Security Council Secretariat was tapped as were computers at military engineering services at Kolkata, Bangalore and Jalandhar. Computers linked to the 21 Mountain Artillery Brigade, the Air Force Station at Race Course Road opposite the PM's residence, the Army Institute of Technology at Pune and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering at Secunderabad were also compromised.

Thinktanks such as the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses and publications like India Strategic and FORCE were also targeted as were corporations like DLF Limited, Tata and YKK India. Computers at the National Maritime Foundation and Gujarat Chemical Port Terminal Compnay were also hit.

On-ground investigations at Dharamshala, where the Tibetan exile community is headquartered, showed that computers were beaconing with server 'jdusnemsaz' in Chongqing in China. Interestingly, while Chengdu has a military research bureau, Chongqing is host to several triads -- criminal networks with connections to the Chinese government and Communist Party.

In a lucky break, the Canadian team was able to recover data being removed by attackers and discovered a list of compromised computers. Registering and monitoring four of the domain names revealed by the earlier ghostnet probe, they reached those used in the shadows network like www.assam2008.net, aaa.msnxy,net, sysroots.net, www.lookbyturns.com and www.macfeeresponse.org.

The investigations showed that the infected email or social networking accounts were infiltrated with malware which then allowed the compromised computer to receive more sophisticated software through attachments. All through, there was a core of master servers based in China that kept a close check on infiltration of computers and transfer of all sorts of documents from personal details to missile analysis to safe drop zones.

China, India expected to sign more long-term uranium contracts: Cameco CEO

FILE-- Cameco CEO and President Jerry Grandey gestures in Saskatoon, Sask. in this May 16, 2007 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Howe"

China and India are expected to begin signing more long-term contracts for uranium to supply their rapidly growing nuclear power industries, creating huge opportunities for suppliers like Cameco Corp., says the uranium giant's CEO.

"The ever-increasing projections regarding the size and scope of nuclear power generation in China and India are driving the global nuclear renaissance and will create great opportunities for suppliers," Jerry Grandey said Tuesday on a conference call with analysts.

"We expect these countries like others will sign long-term contracts for future needs. This of course includes China which so far has not been very active in the long-term market."

Uranium, like many commodities, is sold through both negotiated long-term contracts as well as on shorter-term spot markets. Grandey acknowledged that weak spot prices have characterized the uranium market for months, but said he doesn't expect this to last for long.

The weak prices — which fell to US$41.75 a pound in April from a high of $136 a pound in June 2007 — reflect the fact that most utility companies have already secured uranium for the next few years. However, with 90 new reactors forecast to come online in the next decade, demand is expected to soar.

"In today's nuclear power market, utilities like to see spot market bargains, but their main goal is to seek security of uranium supply and that comes through long-term contracts," Grandey said.

"In Europe and the U.S., where nuclear power development has been on a long hiatus, things are changing. There and elsewhere, nuclear power is increasingly seen as the right answer to supply an energy-hungry world while at the same time reducing energy's carbon footprint."

Besides traditional markets like Europe and the U.S. and rapidly developing markets like China and India, Grandey said he also sees supply opportunities in countries like Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait.

Cameco is aiming to double its uranium production by 2018 to meet this burgeoning demand. Grandey said the troubled Cigar Lake project — of which it owns half — will be the most important asset to the company's long-term production plans.

The Saskatchewan mine sat flooded for three years while Cameco worked to find the source of the water and seal it off. Crews were able to successfully enter the mine in February and are now inspecting, assessing and securing the underground development. This will be followed by restoration of the mine's infrastructure.

Cameco expects Cigar Lake to begin producing in 2013 and then ramp up to annual production of 18 million tonnes a year over three to four years.

"While there's been an understandable focus on the increased development and operating costs projected for this deposit, let me be clear: Cigar Lake remains a robust project that has an attractive net present value to Cameco and its partners, not to mention significant upside potential. If we didn't own it, we'd be trying to acquire it," Grandey said.

The company is also working on several other exploration and development projects, including the Kintyre project in Australia, Inkai in Kazakhstan and Millennium in Saskatchewan.

Earlier Tuesday, Saskatoon-based Cameco reported a first-quarter profit of $142 million, up from $82 million in the same period a year earlier, even as uranium prices and sales volumes declined.

The company said its earnings amounted to 36 cents per share, versus 22 cents per share in the year-earlier period. Quarterly earnings benefited from a $31-million after-tax gain on unrealized mark-to-market gains on financial instruments, whereas Cameco had posted a similar loss of $24 million in the comparable period of 2009.

Stripping out the impact of one-time items, Cameco's adjusted earnings rose eight per cent to $111 million or 28 cents per share, driven by higher profits from its fuel services and electricity businesses. Revenues declined two per cent to $485 million in the quarter.

Cameco said its uranium production volume rose 27 per cent to 6.1 million pounds but sales volume dropped seven per cent to 6.6 million pounds while the average spot price fell six per cent to US$41.79.

Cameco is one of the world's largest uranium producers, with uranium mines, mills, conversion plants and exploration projects in Saskatchewan, Ontario, the United States and Australia. Cameco is also a key partner in the Bruce Power nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Huron in southwestern Ontario.

Shares in the company added 21 cents to $24.99 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

China Takes Special Measures For Expo IPR

Gan Shaoning, the deputy director of the China's State Intellectual Property Office, has disclosed to the media that SIPO will provide two relief channels for intellectual property protection for the World Expo 2010.
According to Gan, the first relief channel is judiciary relief, which is to protect the intellectual property rights of the World Expo through civil or criminal litigation, and the second is administrative relief which means that the copyright departments will protect the intellectual property of the World Expo according to the relevant laws.
It is said that eight Chinese departments including SIPO, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the National Copyright Administration of China, have jointly released a circular on the special campaign for the protection of the intellectual property of World Expo 2010. To make sure the circular is obeyed in full, the General Administration of Press and Publication and SIPO have issued another document asking for a rapid response system to be set up for the protection of intellectual property rights relating to the World Expo.

Commodities Plunge on Concern for China Growth, European Debt

May 4 (Bloomberg) -- Commodity prices plunged the most in two months as slowing Chinese manufacturing and budget gaps in Europe spurred speculation that the global economic recovery will slow, curbing demand for raw materials.

The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 raw materials fell 2.3 percent to 271.65 as of 2:38 p.m. in New York, heading for the biggest slide since Feb. 4. Nickel, silver, gasoline and aluminum led the declines. Crude oil dropped the most in three months and copper fell to the lowest price in nine weeks.

Manufacturing in China, the world’s biggest metals user and second-largest consumer of energy, fell to a six-month low, an industry report showed today. U.S. equities dropped the most since February on concern that Europe’s debt crisis will spread beyond Greece and derail growth.

“The two issues causing concern are China and Europe,” said Brian Hicks, who helps manage about $1.5 billion at U.S. Global Advisors in San Antonio. “These events are shocking the commodity markets. People are fleeing from risk and looking to get to the sidelines.”

A surging dollar also eroded demand from investors who buy commodities as an alternative. The greenback rose as much as 1.2 percent against a basket of six currencies and reached a one- year high against the euro.

“Most of the commodities are down today because of the strength in the dollar,” said Bruno Lima, a risk-management consultant at FCStone in Campinas, Brazil. “The Greece factor is weighing heavily.”

Nickel plunged as much as 7.2 percent on the London Metal Exchange, leading today’s declines. After gaining 42 percent in the year through yesterday, the biggest gain among commodities tracked by the CRB, the metal is poised to decline as world supplies climb at the fastest pace in a decade.

Fourteen of the 19 raw materials tracked by the index dropped today. Wheat posted the biggest gains, rising as much as 1.2 percent, on speculation unusually cold weather may damage crops.

--With assistance by Anna Stablum in London and Glenys Sim in Singapore. Editors: Steve Stroth, Michael Arndt.

METALS-China, debt worries push copper to 2-month low

 * China raises bank reserve requirements again

 * Lead, zinc, nickel fall more than 6 percent

 * Fears over Greek debt contagion linger

 * Coming up: U.S. April nonfarm payrolls on Friday
 (Recasts, add comments, closing prices, adds NEW YORK to
dateline, second byline)

 By Frank Tang and Pratima Desai

 NEW YORK/LONDON, May 4 (Reuters) - Copper tumbled to two-month
lows under $7,000 a tonne on Tuesday as China's monetary
tightening sparked demand fears and a global equities sell-off
prompted investors to dump industrial metals due to liquidity
concerns.

 Sister metals zinc and lead hit multi-month lows, falling more
than 6 percent, against the backdrop of the fall in copper and
rising London Metal Exchange inventories. Nickel also sank more
than 6 percent as stocks increased.

 The S&P 500 .SPX index fell 2.5 percent.

 "You have the belt tightening in China and it looks like this
is going to continue as concerns about their property bubble are
developing elsewhere," said Sterling Smith, a senior analyst at
Minnesota-based brokerage Country Hedging Inc.

 "China is one of the main drivers of keeping copper prices up
where they are. If the Chinese are not buying, you're going to be
able to build surplus very quickly, prices are going to be
vulnerable to downside moves."

 Earlier this week, China -- the world's largest copper
consumer -- raised the proportion of deposits that lenders must
keep in reserve at the central bank, another step in its
months-old campaign to remove excess cash from the economy at a
time when inflation is on the rise. [ID:nTOE64100Q]

 Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange closed
at $7,030 a tonne in kerb trading from $7,430 on Friday, having
earlier touched $6,998, its lowest since Feb. 25.

 Copper posted its biggest one-day percentage fall -- about 5
percent -- since June 23, 2009, on the LME's electronic trading
system Select MCU3=LX. It has also broken through the 100-day
moving average of $7,330.

 The euro tumbled to a one-year low against the dollar on
Tuesday on fears aid for Greece may not prevent debt crises in
other euro zone countries. A stronger dollar makes dollar-priced
metals costly for non-U.S. buyers. [USD/]

 "People are very scared about the impact of potential
contagion from Greece. If it's inflationary, commodities should go
up (but) at the moment, the deflation camp is winning the
argument," said Lars Steffensen, managing director at UK fund
Ebullio.

 Data out overnight showed HSBC's China Purchasing Managers'
Index (PMI) dropped in April to a six-month low of 55.4 from 57.0
in March as output, putting further pressure on copper.
[ID:nBJL002020]

 "Copper is still up 100 pct year on year, if we are heading
into a period with tighter monetary policy in China then we might
see some further corrections," said Martin Vorgod, a trader at
Danske Bank.

 On Tuesday, July copper's relative strength index (RSI) on a
14-day basis fell below 30, traditionally seen as oversold,
technical analysts said.

 U.S. July copper futures HGN0 settled down 11.50 cents, or
3.5 percent, at $3.1785 an ounce.

 STRONG WAREHOUSE DATA

 On the plus side, there is a longer-term trend of falling
stocks in LME warehouses for some metals. Copper stocks are down
more than 58,000 tonnes since the middle of February to 496,975
tonnes, while aluminum stocks are down 111,200 tonnes since
hitting a record high above 4.640 million tonnes on Jan. 21.

 Aluminum CMAL3, used in transport and packaging, ended at
$2,165 a tonne from $2,255 a tonne on Friday and zinc CMZN3 at
$2,148 a tonne from $2,282. Earlier zinc hit $2,141, a level not
seen since late February.

 Zinc prices are under pressure from rising stocks, which at
559,475 tonnes are the highest since August 2005.

 Battery material lead CMPB3 ended at $2,060 a tonne in kerb
trading from $2,230 on Friday, having earlier hit $2,067.25 on
Select, its lowest since late March.

 Tin CMSN3 ended at $17,850 a tonne from $18,200 and
stainless steel material nickel CMNI3 ended at $24,650 from
$26,300, having earlier hit $24,500, it's lowest since early
April.
Metal Prices at 2:09 p.m. EDT (1809 GMT)
 Metal            Last      Change  Pct Move   End 2009   Ytd Pct

                                                         move
 COMEX Cu       316.90      -10.95     -3.34     334.65     -5.30
 LME Alum      2165.00      -90.00     -3.99    2230.00     -2.91
 LME Cu        7015.00     -415.00     -5.59    7375.00     -4.88
 LME Lead      2055.00     -175.00     -7.85    2432.00    -15.50
 LME Nickel   24350.00    -1950.00     -7.41   18525.00     31.44
 LME Tin      17650.00     -550.00     -3.02   16950.00      4.13
 LME Zinc      2130.00     -152.00     -6.66    2560.00    -16.80
 SHFE Alu     16085.00     -125.00     -0.77   17160.00     -6.26
 SHFE Cu*     58080.00     -570.00     -0.97   59900.00     -3.04
 SHFE Zin     18060.00     -305.00     -1.66   21195.00    -14.79
** 1st contract month for COMEX copper
* 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN
SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07
 (Additional reporting by Marcy Nicholson in New York and Maytaal
Angel in London)

China must seek NSG exception, says U.S.

China will first have to seek an exception from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) before it can go ahead with its plan to export two nuclear power reactors to Pakistan, a top United States official has said.

China last month announced it would set up two civilian nuclear power reactors in Pakistan. The deal has triggered debate in India and the U.S. on nuclear proliferation, as the NSG guidelines disallow the transfer of nuclear equipment to countries who have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

While the Chinese government has insisted its agreement with Pakistan followed international guidelines, U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said on Tuesday the U.S. government's position was the deal could not go ahead unless China first obtained an exception from the NSG. “I would just say that we are aware of those reports [of the deal] and to the extent that China does want to try to provide additional reactors to Pakistan, that would require an exception of the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” he said in Beijing, when asked about the deal. “So it would be important that China seek the exception from the NSG.”

He added: “I don't want to prejudge what the outcome of such a discussion would be, but I think that is our position.”

Beijing, however, maintained that the deal “respected international obligations”, Asked by The Hindu if China would seek an exemption, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “In recent years, China and Pakistan have been cooperating in the field of civilian use nuclear energy. This cooperation respects international obligations, for peaceful purposes, and accepts the International Atomic Energy Agency's regulation and supervision.”

China's largest operator of nuclear power plants, the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), revealed last month that China and Pakistan had signed a $2.375-billion agreement for two 340 MW power reactors. The CNNC has already set up two nuclear power reactors in Pakistan — the 325 MW Chashma-1, which became operational in 2000, and Chashma-2 which will go online next year.

Chinese officials and analysts have argued that the deal for Chashma-3 and Chashma-4 was part of the earlier agreement for C-1 and C-2, which the NSG had granted exception to. But this position has been questioned by officials and analysts in India and the U.S., who say the deal for C-3 and C-4 was not included in China's declaration of its nuclear commitments to the NSG in 2004.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday did not answer questions from The Hindu on whether China had indeed earlier notified the NSG of the deal for C-3 and C-4, or if it had now sought an exception. The NSG's guidelines prevent the sale and transfer of nuclear equipment to countries who have not signed the NPT and do not have a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA. India was granted a special waiver to this requirement for the civilian nuclear deal with the U.S.

Are fears of China’s overheating overdone?

Much of the commentary following China’s announcement of an11.9 per cent GDP growth rate for the first quarter of this year has dwelt on the spectre of dangerous overheating. However, alternative readings support the thesis that a cooling process is already underway.
A China Confidential survey of 50 auto dealerships in more than 10 cities across the country shows that new vehicle orders, especially for smaller models with less than 1.6 litres in capacity, were down considerably in the first half of April from the 71.78 per cent year-on-year sales growth recorded in the first three months.
The cooling of the auto market, if it persists for several months, would have a palpable effect on the wider economy because the extraordinary car bonanza of 2009 – when 13.6m vehicles were sold, outpacing the US – was a key catalyst of China’s rebound from the financial crisis. Inventory at dealerships in several parts of the country is now mounting as pent-up demand from last year dissipates and the effects of a tax hike on vehicles smaller than 1.6 litres take their toll, several dealers said.
Incipient trends in the real estate market also challenge the sense of a bubble that is wobbling before it pops. Data compiled from the filings of city land bureaux showed that residential property prices were mixed in different cities in the first half of April, while transaction volumes have moderated in the second half of the month in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Such evidence contrasts with the news that home prices rose 11.7 per cent in March, their highest monthly year on year rise since records began in 2005, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Meanwhile, land prices – a barometer of the enthusiasm of developers for future projects – fell 31 per cent in 70 cities in March over February, according to the China Land Surveying and Planning Institute. Beijing, however, remains keen on cooling the market further, announcing this month that it will boost the area of land supplied for residential development or redevelopment this year to 180,000 hectares, up 135 per cent from last year.
The biggest source of concern for bears such as Jim Chanos, a US hedge fund manager who declared at the start of this year that China was “Dubai times 1,000”, has been the pace of new lending by Chinese banks. Not only has this pace eased from the frenetic levels of 2009, but real constraints on credit expansion loom.
The first of these is that the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) appears set for now on enforcing a de-facto capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 11.5 per cent, forcing the “big three” state-owned banks to seek upto around Rmb270bn from capital markets this year, while other smaller banks are likely to try and raise roughly a further Rmb300bn. Without these infusions to their capital bases, banks may slip below the CAR requirement and be constrained from lending. Yet it is far from certain that capital markets can satisfy such a high demand for capital this year.
Another credit constraint comes in the form of deposits. With the one-year benchmark 2.25 per cent deposit rate falling below consumer price inflation for two consecutive months, deposit growth is decelerating, prompting concerns that Chinese banks may start to risk losing a safe level of deposit cover for their lending.
These constraints make it unlikely that China will see anything approaching a repeat of 2009’s Rmb9,600bn splurge in lending. In fact, if the CBRC maintains its currently stringent attitudes, new loans may fail to reach the consensus forecast of between Rmb7,000bn and Rmb7,500bn in this year. In March, local currency loans were Rmb511bn, down sharply from Rmb700bn in February and Rmb1,400bn in January.
Inflation remains a source of overheating concerns, but here too the prices of consumer goods show a somewhat moderating trend. The consumer price index, a leading measure of inflation, rose 2.4 per cent year on year in March but the all-important month-on-month reading fell back 0.7 per cent in March compared to February.
The respite here may be only temporary, however, as rising producer prices convince many analysts that inflation has become structural in nature and may well stage a resurgence later this year. The producer price index, an indicator of industrial input prices, rose 5.9 per cent year on year in March, up 0.5 per cent month on month.
Though it is too early to call time on Beijing’s battle to tame its hot economy this year and forestall overheating, several trends suggest that the outlook for the second quarter is one in which cooling forms the dominant direction. This does not mean that the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, will avoid raising interest rates during the quarter but it does suggest that any monetary tightening that takes place may be rather mild in nature.

China Shifts to High Gear to Tighten Campus Security

China's central and local governments have shifted to high gear in a campus security clampdown after a string of school and kindergarten attacks.
Campus safety will be a critical factor in assessing the work of local governments administered by central China's Hubei Province. The government's achievements will be nullified if any serious campus security breach occurs, said Yang Song, deputy head of the provincial committee of comprehensive management of public security, Monday in a telephone conference.
The province will hold government officials and school management accountable for any campus security breach and would enforce stern punishments, Yang added.
Hubei is among 18 provinces, regions and municipalities that have made similar pledges.
Provincial-level officials of north China's Hebei and Shanxi provinces on Monday inspected the security work of primary schools and kindergartens in provincial capitals of Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan cities, urging strict enforcement of campus security requirements.
The education authorities of 14 provinces, regions and municipalities held conferences to discuss how to improve campus security.
Senior officials of Beijing, Tianjin, Tibet, Hebei, Hubei, Shandong, Henan and many other provinces and regions on Tuesday inspected local schools in a bid to reduce campus security gaps.
Provincial governments ordered more police patrols near campuses, 24-hour ID checks at school gates and guards to be stationed in campuses.
Some larger cities took even stricter measures. In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, professional security guards with batons, handcuffs and pepper spray are now stationed in schools and kindergartens, according to a statement from Chongqing's public security department.
In many provincial capitals, security cameras had been installed in campuses and guards now had better equipment, according to statements from municipal governments.
These actions come after Zhou Yongkang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said campus security was a "major political task" on Monday at a conference on maintaining stability.
At the conference, Zhou called for a national clampdown on campus security entailing more police patrols near the campuses, better-equipped campus guards and a system that holds headmasters and officials accountable for security breaches.
He called on public health and civil authorities to improve treatment and management of people suffering from mental disorders as some of the campus attackers were found to be mentally ill.
Zhou urged local governments to listen to the needs and complaints of the people and relieve their dissatisfactions in time to prevent violence, especially campus attacks.
Zhou's words came after a string of attacks on school and kindergarten children last week.
On April 30, five kindergarten children and a teacher were injured when a man attacked them with a hammer before killing himself at a school in Weifang City, east China's Shandong Province.
On April 29, 29 children and three adults were injured by a man armed with knife at the Zhongxin Kindergarten in Taixing City, in eastern Jiangsu Province.
And 16 children and a teacher at a primary school in Guangdong Province were attacked on April 28.

China urges tough Internet laws

One of China's top propaganda officials has urged lawmakers to push through tough legislation to stop "hostile forces" abroad using the Internet to achieve their aims, state press said Tuesday.
China needed laws that would step up monitoring for "harmful information" and block "overseas hostile forces from infiltrating through the Internet," Wang Chen, vice head of propaganda, told lawmakers last week.
The measures would help enhance an ongoing crackdown on online pornography, gambling and fraud, Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
China's online population, already the largest in the world, reached 404 million last week, accounting for almost a third of the country's people, official data showed.
The government in Beijing operates an extensive system of Internet censorship -- sometimes dubbed the "Great Firewall of China" -- aimed at filtering out any information deemed politically sensitive or harmful.
China's web users have nevertheless turned the Internet into a forum for citizens to express their opinions -- some of them anti-government -- in a way rarely seen in a country where the traditional media is under strict control.
Wang, who also heads the cabinet's information office, further urged the National People's Congress to adopt an "Internet Administration Law," the Southern Daily reported.
The parliament should amend the nation's criminal and civil laws to better define illegal activity on the Internet, while also better defining rules on the administration of the mobile phone industry, it said.
Last Thursday, China tightened its controversial state secrets law, holding Internet and mobile phone operators responsible for informing on their customers.
The law, which has in the past been used to jail high-profile dissidents, stipulates that Internet and mobile phone operators must cooperate with the demands of the police, reports said.
Wang said the key to the nation's Internet laws must lie in the registration of Internet and mobile phone users, allowing for the government to identify those passing on illegal information, the Southern Daily said.

China's Systemic Risk

Borrowing by China's local governments threatens to saddle banks with nonperforming loans.

A Chinese financial newspaper last month reported a case in which a Shanghai township took two billion yuan ($293 million) in loans intended for a new railway and instead used the money to repay other debts and invest in real estate projects. While the large sum involved may be unusual, such tales of misappropriation have become more common since Beijing began encouraging bank-financed spending on infrastructure a little over a year ago. Evidence is mounting that the problem of local government debt is already extremely serious and could eventually threaten the country's financial stability.
Victor Shih, a professor at Northwestern University, wrote in these pages in February that his research put the level of borrowing by local government investment entities between 2004 and the end of 2009 at 11.4 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion)—or about one-third of annual GDP. That figure stirred up a lot of controversy, with regulators insisting that the loans stood at six trillion yuan.
Beijing has since asked banks for an updated accounting of such debt on their books, however, and it's looking more and more like Mr. Shih was on the right track. The government has revised up its estimate to 7.8 trillion yuan, and more revisions may come as the banks continue to report. A new report from Goldman Sachs last week implicitly supports Mr. Shih's calculations.
But the total figure is only important in the context of the trend of new lending and the quality of the loans. And here things get even murkier.
So far Beijing has clamped down on lending to county-level governments, but city and provincial entities continue to have no trouble getting credit. The counties were always a small part of the total, probably less than 20%. Total new bank lending in the first quarter of this year dropped off significantly compared to the same quarter last year, but at 2.6 trillion yuan it was still pretty spectacular. So it's safe to assume that the headline number continues to grow, albeit at a slower rate.
What we're learning about those loans doesn't inspire much confidence, either. The China Banking Regulatory Commission has brought out a new requirement that loans to local government investment vehicles be better collateralized. It turns out that the banks were only demanding collateral worth 40% to 50% of the loans.
Local government loans tend to be particularly corrupt because of the collusion among local officials, bank managers and regulators. Cases abound in which the three groups all took their cut out of new lending. And even at the national level, nobody is interested in revealing the true level of the banking system's nonperforming loans, which have been officially capped. This is a rerun of Japan in the 1990s and the crisis of the jusen housing loan companies; the government is complicit in allowing the banks to "evergreen" loans by continually rolling them over.
Mr. Shih thinks about one-quarter of the local government loans could eventually go bad. China is in the process of creating a huge moral hazard problem, as all the players feel free to abuse the highly liquid banks safe in the knowledge that the central government with its massive foreign exchange reserves and capacity to borrow will bail everybody out when the bills come due. This attitude has real costs and eventually causes systemic risk.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, paramount leader Jiang Zemin delegated Premier Zhu Rongji to be the enforcer of economic discipline, making sure that corruption, lending and investment didn't get out of hand. It's troubling that today's top leaders seem to lack their predecessors' political will.

North Korea in First Expo as Kim Jong-Il Visits China

The China Pavilion is seen at night at the Shanghai World Expo in Shanghai, 03 May 2010

Reclusive North Korea is one of several nations participating in a World Expo for the first time. Its participation comes as the country faces a grave economic crisis, and its leader is on a rare visit to China.
North Korea's pavilion is nestled in a corner of the Asia section at the World Expo, next to Iran.

The design is modest. The outside of the rectangular building features a large mural of blue skies and a photo of Pyongyang's Chollima statue, a horse that is said to symbolize the heroic and unconquerable spirit of the North Korean people.

Tourists walk past North Korea Pavilion at the World Expo site in Shanghai, 2 May 2010

Inside, there is a replica of Pyongyang's Juche Statue, a small waterway that represents the North's Taedong River, a traditional bridge and large fountain with colored lights.

On top of the fountain, a group of white marble statues of naked boys encircle two others. One boy holds the other up in the air as he lifts a dove into the sky.

In one corner, there is a small cave that contains a reproduction of a mural from the North's Koguryo Tombs, a World Heritage site.

Along a wall, beneath the phrase "Paradise for the People," a row of television sets plays videos depicting everyday life in North Korea.

Some of the videos show North Koreans leisurely bowling, playing golf and ice skating. Although some of the footage appears to be recent, other shots seem to be decades old.

Many who visited the pavilion Tuesday say that aside from the fact that there were no lines to get in, they wanted to visit because, as they put it, North Korea is so mysterious.

Gu Nan and Chen Gaoxiang, say they are not particularly impressed with what they saw.

Gu says the pavilion is pretty small. Chen adds that it is rather simple inside.

Kim Yong Nam, left, president of the Presidium of the North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, stands with Chinese President Hu Jintao, center, and his wife Liu Yongqing at a welcome ceremony for foreign leaders before the opening ceremony of the World Expo in Shanghai, China, 30 April 2010

But both say they would like to visit North Korea, regardless of Pyongyang's image in the international arena.

Gu says he does not really care about what other countries might think of North Korea and that for him there are really no obstacles to interaction between people of other cultures and of other countries.
North Korea is considered to have one of the most repressive governments in the world, and its economy is failing. It also is under United Nations sanctions for its nuclear weapons programs.

Neil Zhao is a high school student from central China who has traveled to the border with North Korea. He says the display at the pavilion is quite different from what he saw when he looked into North Korea.

"There are not many lights [on the North Korean side] at night and you can contrast that with China and in Changbai [Korean Autonomous County], that's opposite from there [North Korea], you can see there are many buildings and lights and there [in North Korea] it is just dark," Zhao said.

Regardless, Neil says he would like to visit North Korea some day to see for himself. He also feels that with China's growing influence in international affairs, it could play a role in helping the North develop more.
North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-II is currently in China on a rare trip that has prompted speculation that he is seeking help to rescue his country's economy.

China is a major ally of North Korea and its most important source of food and energy. Even before Pyongyang bungled a currency reform late last year the country was suffering from power outages and food shortages.

The currency move closed food markets, triggered sharp inflation and sparked rare signs of discontent with the government.

Smile Song, a university student, says the rest of the world should not be concerned with conditions in North Korea.

Song says that one's happiness really is not something for other people to decide. What really matters is how one feels and whether they are happy or not.

Like others, Song felt it would best to go and see North Korea herself. She said that there was a higher chance now of doing that, since China recently opened up tourism across the border.

The World Expo is typically an opportunity for countries to showcase their products and experiences. But North Korean officials said they were not interested in an interview with VOA.

India’s duty hike to hit China’s steel mills

BEIJING (Commodity Online): China’s steel mills, which depend on iron ore imports from India and Australia, will face major problems in the coming days as India and Australia have hiked export duty on the commodity.

Last week, India raised the export tax on iron ore lump variety to 10 percent from 5 percent, and levied a 5 percent tax on iron ore fines.

Currently, the average price of Indian ore with 63.5 percent iron content quoted at around $80 per tonne. China’s mills depends heavily on iron ore imports from India.

Indian iron ore exports more than doubled in October to 9.325 million tonnes from 4.26 million tonnes a year ago, largely due to a pick-up in Chinese demand, data from FIMI showed.

Following this development, Chinese steel mills have been told they can break rank by signing separate iron ore agreements with the world’s top three miners as collective price talks drag on.

According to a report in the China Daily, this is the first time the China Iron and Steel Association has allowed its members to negotiate directly with iron ore miners before a nationwide benchmark price has been agreed.

According to the report, a number of unnamed firms have already signed deals. Early this month, CISA urged steelmakers to stop buying iron ore from Rio, BHP and Vale in protest at an alleged price monopoly after the miners said they had abandoned annual contracts in favour of a short-term pricing system.

China is the world’s largest importer of iron ore and the industry group wants to maintain the long-term contract price system to avoid large price fluctuations.

Over 1,500 swine flu deaths in India, says Azad

New Delhi: As many as 1,501 people have died in India due to swine flu, but the influenza A (H1N1) has now shown signs of abating, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said the H1N1 cases have dropped in the past few weeks.

Fresh swine flu case in Hyderabad

Till May 2, there have been 1,501 laboratory confirmed deaths due to the pandemic, while 30,581 people have been affected with the virus in the country, he said.

India reported its first swine flu death on Aug 4, 2009, while the first case was recorded on May 16, 2009.

'Government took a series of actions to prevent morbidity and mortality due to pandemic influenza A (H1N1) and to mitigate its impact,' the minister said.

Swine flu scare was exaggerated: WHO

Azad said they took various steps to check the spread of the flu in the country by screening passengers at 22 international airports. 'Over one crore passengers were screened,' he added.

He said that the laboratory network in the country was strengthened with 45 laboratories carrying out clinical tests.

Also, India procured 40 million capsules of Oseltamivir, an anti-viral drug, of which 21 million were given to states. The retail sale of the drug was later allowed in some selected outlets.

Uranium no bar to India deal: Crean

A FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT with India could increase Australia's gross domestic product by $45 billion over the next 20 years, a feasibility study has found.
The Trade Minister, Simon Crean, said he hoped negotiations on a deal would start soon and acknowledged Australia's ban on uranium sales to India was likely to figure in any talks.
"What the FTA does is open up the opportunity to talk about a whole range of issues," Mr Crean said in New Delhi yesterday.

"Comprehensive means comprehensive. We have a policy constraint [with uranium exports to India] but, if we are being serious, people can put on the table what they want and see if we can work through to resolve it."
The Rudd government will not allow the export of uranium to India because New Delhi has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Mr Crean said there had been no change in the government's position and denied that it would stand in the way of a trade deal.
"Our political positions are well known on it and well understood,'' he said. ''We agree to disagree on it but it's not the stumbling block to concluding an FTA. In many senses having an energy chapter in the FTA might facilitate something of a dialogue in that direction. It's another way for them to address the question if they want to do it."
The two-year feasibility study said a free-trade agreement would lead to a substantial increase in the trade of goods and create potential for further trade in services and investment.
Modelling conducted for the study by the Centre for International Economics showed a deal could result in a net increase to Australia's GDP by up to $45.5 billion and India's GDP by up to $48.3 billion over 20 years.
''What the feasibility study highlights is there are benefits to both countries - it can be a win-win outcome," Mr Crean said.
Opinion polling released separately in New Delhi yesterday by the public affairs firm Hawker Britton revealed strong support in Australia for a trade deal with India: 47 per cent of respondents in favour and 28 per cent opposed.
"Interestingly, support for a free-trade agreement with India was just about as the same as support for a free-trade agreement with the United States when we did a similar poll in 2004," said Bruce Hawker, the managing director of Hawker Britton.
Mr Crean said government consultations with Australia businesses also revealed broad support for a trade pact with India.
India is already Australia's fastest-growing major trading partner and its fourth-biggest export market. Two-way trade grew by 55 per cent in 2008-09, reaching nearly $22 billion. Over the past four years two-way trade has grown an average of 25 per cent.

Car used in Times Square bomb sold to Pakistani man by college girl

New York, May 4 (IANS) The vehicle used in Saturday's failed Times Square bombing attempt was sold by a 19-year-old Connecticut college student through internet, The New York Post reported.
Peggy Colas of Bridgeport recalled that the buyer of her 1993 model Nissan Pathfinder "talked very softly, and he said he was just going to drive around and visit friends in New York", the young woman's brother told The Post Monday.
New York police has already identified the buyer as Shahzad Faisal, a naturalised American of Pakistani descent.
Authorities believe that Colas sold her sports utility vehicle (SUV) to Faisal April 28 for $1,300. The man, who lives about 20 minutes from her, in Shelton, Connecticut, reportedly paid her in $100 bills.
Later that day, Colas posted a message on her Facebook that read: "I'm soooo happy I got a new car."
But by late Sunday, she was clearly upset, posting: "OMG! I HAD A CRAZY DAY... IT'S OFFICIAL. I HAVE BAD LUCK. SMH I HOPE THEY FIND THAT BASTARD."
CBS News, without naming Colas, reported that she told investigators the buyer was Middle Eastern or Hispanic.
Colas, a student at Post University in Waterbury, was questioned by federal authorities in Bridgeport Sunday after they traced the SUV to her through its ID number.
She lives about 15 minutes from the Stratford junkyard where a truck's licence plate was stolen and put on the SUV.
She was fingerprinted by investigators and the "for sale" sign that had been posted on her Pathfinder was taken by police so they could check it for other prints, Colas' family told The Post.
Colas was again questioned by authorities Monday.
She refused to comment to The Post when she came back home, saying only: "How do you know I sold the car?"
"My daughter's nervous," her mom said. "She doesn't want this guy coming after her."
Man of Pakistani origin held for Times Square bombing bid
Washington, May 4 (IANS) US authorities have arrested a naturalised American citizen from Pakistan, minutes before he was to flee to Pakistan, for a failed car bomb attack at Times Square in New York City.
The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested at 11:45 Monday night on board an Emirates Airlines plane at JFK International Airport, Attorney General Eric Holder announced at a rare middle-of-the-night news conference here early Tuesday.
"It was clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," he said.
CNN citing a law enforcement official said Shahzad's final destination was Pakistan. It cited another federal law enforcement source as saying Shahzad nearly made it out of the country.
"They just caught him at the last second," according to the CNN source, who said Shahzad was on board the flight to Dubai and the jetway had been pulled back when the plane was called to return to the gate.
Two other passengers were also removed from the plane, the New York Times said citing Emirates, but it was unclear whether they were connected with the bombing attempt.
Shahzad was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertiliser in the heart of Times Square, it said citing a person briefed on the investigation.
Charges against Shahzad, who had returned recently from a trip to Pakistan, were not announced, but he was expected to be formally charged Tuesday in a federal court.
Shahzad was taken into custody after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security's US Customs and Border Protection, according to a joint statement issued by the office of the Preet Bharara, the United States attorney for the southern district of New York, the FBI and the New York Police Department.
CNN citing a source familiar with the investigation, said investigators believe the plan was an intended terrorist attack to set off explosives in the heart of midtown Manhattan Saturday night, but the individuals didn't have the expertise to detonate their device.
A federal law enforcement official cited by CNN said the information gained from the vehicle's sale was the linchpin in the case.
Shahzad became a US citizen April 17, 2009, which aided investigators in the case, the federal law enforcement source said.
Because of his recent change in status, authorities had his picture and were able to show it to the seller of the vehicle, who identified Shahzad as the purchaser.
An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force had taken over the investigation Monday amid growing indications of a possible international connection, the Washington Post said, citing US officials and law enforcement sources.
Investigators and agents also were scouring international phone records showing calls "between some of the people who might be associated with this and folks overseas," it said citing a US official who has discussed the case with intelligence officers.
At Shahzad's former home in Shelton, Connecticut, just outside Bridgeport, a neighbour told the New York Times that Shahzad and his wife, Huma Mian, spoke limited English, and kept mostly to themselves. The couple had two young children, a girl and a boy, the neighboor, Brenda Thurman, was quoted as saying.
Thurman said the couple had lived at the grey, two story colonial-style three-bedroom house for about three years before moving out last year. Shahzad left around May, she said, and his wife followed about a month later.
DPA adds:
The US sought help from Islamabad Tuesday to investigate the alleged involvement of the Pakistani immigrant in the failed bombing attempt.
US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson made the request during a meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Abdul Basit, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign ministry, said Qureshi had assured the US ambassador that Pakistan would cooperate fully with the investigation.
"Our cooperation with the US against terrorism is a constant and ongoing process, and if the US needs our assistance on this particular issue we will do all we can," Basit said.

26/11 case: Kasab guilty, 2 acquitted

(TV GRAB) Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari who were acquitted by a special court in 26/11 terror attack case in Mumbai on Monday.

Exactly 525 days after he landed on the city’s coast, with nine other gunmen, and mounted attacks that killed 166 people, a special court on Monday held Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (22) guilty of murder and waging war against the country.
Fahim Ansari (36) and Sabauddin Ahmed (25), the alleged Indian co-conspirators, were acquitted for lack of
evidence.

To convict Kasab, the court primarily relied on his confessional statement and held that he had confessed voluntarily. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said he would recommend to the state to appeal against their acquittal.
In a courtroom packed with media persons and policemen, special judge ML Tahilyani convicted Kasab on a total of 80 charges that include being a member of a terrorist organisation (Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyeba), committing a terrorist act, smuggling arms and setting off bomb blasts in the city.
To convict Kasab, the court primarily relied on his confessional statement and held that he had confessed voluntarily. “His retraction at a later date was only for the sake of it and without reason,” the court said. It also relied on 111 eye-witnesses, two FBI agents, forensic evidence and data provided by Indian and foreign telecom firms.

"The evidence against him [Kasab] proves beyond reasonable doubt that it is not a case of simple murder but a case of waging war,” Tahilyani said, observing that “the resistance put up by the accused is indicative of [waging a] war”.
Reading from the 1,522-page verdict, Tahilyani said the trial had found that the handlers of the 10 attackers were based in Pakistan. Kasab, wearing a white kurta-pyjama, sat in the dock with his head hung low throughout the three-and-a-half hour proceeding.

Govt policies to make private sector engine of growth: Gilani

ISLAMABAD, May 4 (APP) - Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said the government clearly recognizes the private sector as the engine of growth and is taking necessary policy measures to unleash its full potential. In his opening statement while chairing a meeting of the Council of Businesspersons here at Prime Minister House this afternoon, he said the government takes the business community as a partner in the national development, as both work in their own spheres for the betterment of the common man and for the greater welfare of the society. The Ministry of Finance has been asked to provide immediate relief to the common man, he said, adding the government would extend full support to the business community. The prime minister said the Annual National Budget is the most important policy document, which sets into action the policy priorities of the government for the coming year. He observed that the National Budget also influences the private business environment in many ways and determines its pace and direction during the year. “Therefore, my interaction with the distinguished leaders of the business community today comes at the right moment,” he added. The premier assured that the government is fully committed to making the domestic environment business friendly. He said the Trade Policy, the Textile Policy, the Investment Policy, the Energy Policy and other policies are aimed at attracting greater private participation and support development of private capital in the country. Prime Minister Gilani stated that as a result of bold policy measures taken over the last two years, macro-economic stability has been restored, manufacturing has begun to pick up, business climate is improving and exports are on the rise. He observed that challenges remain but the worst is over. The prime minister acknowledged that the business community in this country works in the most challenging environment. He said regulatory over-burden, energy shortages, high cost of doing business and security of life and property are yet some of the issues that confront the business on a daily basis. He assured that the government is committed to resolve these problems which were both structural and long term with support and cooperation of the business community. Reposing his confidence in the business community, he said, “together, we will make Pakistan prosperous and stronger.” Welcoming the suggestions of the business community, the prime minister assured them  that the government would consider their inputs seriously. He observed that there is no point in making policies without taking the beneficiaries on board. He said consultation and consensus is the hallmark of the present government and through this policy of building consensus, the government have addressed long term structural issues such as 7th NFC Award, 18th Constitutional Amendment, Provincial Autonomy and very recently Energy Road Map which came out of the Energy Summit. Prime Minister Gilani said the government is facing multiple challenges both economic and non-economic. He observed that the government’s primary responsibility is to ensure protection of life and property and to create a sound regulatory environment for private business. He believed that the business community of Pakistan has huge potential which promises a better and a stronger Pakistan. The prime minister expressed his firm belief in the destiny of his great nation. He observed that in the coming months and years, the structural problems will be finally eliminated. He asked the Advisor on Finance and his team to consider the Council’s proposals seriously and to ensure broad based and extensive consultation on budget proposals. He expected the business community to make recommendations keeping in mind the challenges being faced by the government. He also asked the finance advisor to make the next budget business friendly and supportive of industry. He observed that future of this country is in industrialization and value addition as subsistence farming is not enough to sustain rapidly expanding population. Therefore, he directed that the next budget must support the growth momentum in business and industry. The prime minister also reminded the business community of their responsibility to undertake business operations in nationally and socially responsible manner. He sought active support of the business community to implement the government’s development agenda including energy conservation. He said the government also expects the business community to contribute to government revenues through taxes at a time when the country needs more financial resources to fund expenditures on security and settlement of IDPs. Concluding his statement, the prime minister invited the business leaders to share their budget proposals with the government. Finance advisor apprised the meeting that interaction of Ministry of Finance with the Business Advisory Council representatives was very fruitful and encouraging. He said the deliberations were in depth and comprehensive covering all aspects of economic activity. Tariq Saeed, President FPCCI appreciated that this is the first time prime minister himself is interacting with the Business Council. He assured that the business community is with the government during these difficult times. He opined that the discussion would help in improving tax collection, eliminating red tapism and expanding industrial base consequently decreasing unemployment. He suggested that the existing power plants should be renovated to meet the immediate energy needs as well as power situation should be reviewed on weekly basis. He observed that they were losing Rs.230 billion per annum due to energy shortage and US $ 2.3 billions are being lost in exports. The representatives of the business community said that the government should give tariff incentives to the businessmen on the pattern of Malaysia and Indonesia. They said the entire focus had been on the agriculture sector but now the government should give preference to the engineering sector as well. They suggested that the agro-based industry should be promoted in under developed areas as the labour in these areas is only trained. They also suggested that the banks need to revise their mark up policies according to area and nature of industry. They opined that efforts be incurred to expand trade with Central Asia and African countries. They also proposed that the training institutions be opened in all areas and special incentives be given to expatriates remitting foreign exchange from abroad. They also suggested that the public dealing offices and banks should not be closed on Saturdays. They also demanded that the procedures for putting up new industry be simplified. The business representatives also proposed that the mining industry should be encouraged. With value addition, minerals and precious stones could enhance exports to earn foreign exchange. They also demanded that the war torn region of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) should be exempted from the General Sales Tax.

Pakistan vows to expose Bhutto killers

Pakistan vowed on Tuesday to expose those involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Benazir Bhutto after a damning UN report said the former prime minister's death was investigated inadequately.
A meeting chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and attended by cabinet ministers, reviewed progress made by a new fact-finding committee, the government said.
Gilani formed the three-member committee last week to determine whether the then director general of military intelligence ordered that the scene of the 2007 killing be hosed down.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik briefed the meeting on progress made so far, Zardari's spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement.
"The fact-finding committee will also question some more people before submitting its report to the prime minister," Babar said.
"The committee reaffirmed its resolve to pursue investigations in the light of the UN report to expose all elements involved in the conspiracy to assassinate... Bhutto," he said without elaborating.
Pakistan removed senior police and intelligence officials from their posts after last month's UN report.
Bhutto, the first woman to become prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi.
The new fact-finding committee visited the scene of the December 27, 2007 gun and suicide bomb attack in the garrison city and questioned those who were police officers at the time.
It has twice summoned former director general of military intelligence, Major General Nadeem Ijaz, but he denied that he ordered the site hosed down, destroying valuable evidence, media reports said.
The UN panel said it believed police deliberately failed to probe the killing effectively and that the government of then military ruler Pervez Musharraf failed to provide Bhutto with adequate protection.
Bhutto, who twice served as prime minister, returned from exile to stand for election two months before she was assassinated.
Her widower, Asif Ali Zardari, led her Pakistan People's Party to election victory in February 2008 and he is now head of state.
The UN panel said its investigation was severely hampered by intelligence agencies and other officials who impeded "an unfettered search for the truth".

Pakistan welcomes ‘revival of composite dialogue’, wants Kashmir resolved

Islamabad/New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) Pakistan Tuesday welcomed what it termed the revival of the “composite dialogue” with India, a formulation New Delhi has avoided after the talks in Thimphu asking Islamabad to move beyond nomenclature to “chart the way forward”.
“The revival of the composite dialogue between Pakistan and India was the result of our successful foreign policy,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, in Islamabad.
Holding that Pakistan wanted “result-oriented talks with India”, Online news agency quoted Qureshi as saying: “The Kashmir issue is in the agenda for dialogue with India. Pakistan would narrow down its priorities in talks with India and core issues need to be dealt with first.”
“We are taking action against those responsible of Mumbai attack and their trial is underway in the court and our courts are independent,” Qureshi said while alluding to talks between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the margins of the SAARC summit in Thimphu April 29. Manmohan Singh has urged Gilani to expedite the trial of the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack in the interests of better relations.
After the Manmohan Singh-Gilani talks, India has studiously avoided any mention of “composite dialogue”, saying both sides should move beyond nomenclature to introspect on the trust deficit entrenched in their relationship and chart the way forward.
The two leaders mandated their foreign ministers and foreign secretaries to work out the modalities of restoring trust, paving the way for substantive dialogue covering all issues between them.
Qureshi’s insistence on calling the decision to revive talks at the level of foreign ministers composite dialogue in Thimphu may not go down well in India.
New Delhi feels that since the composite dialogue was premised on Pakistan honouring its anti-terror pledge, it was no longer possible to carry on the same track.
The composite dialogue, the way New Delhi sees it, has outlived its utility and must give way to more focused talks addressing its core concerns on cross-border terror.
A new format is likely to shape up as the foreign ministers and foreign secretaries of the two countries meet in the days ahead.
According to Qureshi, water was an important issue “and it could not be resolved through statements but it through implementation of the Indus river treaty”.
“India tried to store 0.3 million acre feet water in Wullar barrage but we took up the issue in a constructive way and held 13 meeting with India in this respect and now no work is underway at this project,” he said.
Qureshi also said former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s policies have damaged the Kashmir cause but the present government will continue its diplomatic and moral support of the Kashmiri people for a peaceful settlement of the issue.
Musharraf’s policies had “extensively harmed the Kashmir cause”, he said, adding: “We are trying our level best to overcome the loss inflicted over Kashmir during the previous government’s rule.”
“Kashmir has been the keystone of the foreign policy of Pakistan and we will continue the diplomatic and moral support of the Kashmiri people for peaceful settlement of the issue,” the minister said.
“We will take the Kashmiri leadership into confidence before holding talks with India on the Kashmir issue”, Qureshi added.
Noting that Pakistan’s point of view on Kashmir was akin to a resolution adopted by the UN, he said: “The peaceful resolution of Kashmir sans inclusion of the Kashmir leadership in the talks is impossible.”

China-US hold 'consultations' after Beijing's N-deal with Pakistan

Beijing: China and the US today held crucial "consultations on South Asian region" ahead of their bilateral strategic dialogue here later this month as Beijing plans to deepen nuclear cooperation with Pakistan by building two new atomic reactors for its "all weather" ally.

Robert Blake, the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, is currently visiting China for "consultations on South Asian region", said Jiang Yu, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, declining to go into details of the "consultations" on the Indian sub-continent.
Blake’s talks with the Chinese leaders was part of the preparatory meetings for a crucial bilateral strategic dialogue to be held here on May 23 to be attended by the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
China's commitment to build two nuclear power plants for Pakistan was announced by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). In a brief statement on its website recently, CNNC said it had reached an agreement "with the aim of developing an overseas nuclear power electricity market".
Last week, Jiang tacitly acknowledged China's commitment to build two 650 mw nuclear power plants for Pakistan, saying that the two countries have been cooperating in the field of nuclear energy.
"This cooperation respects international obligations, for peaceful purposes and accepts International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) regulations and supervision," she had said.
The Sino-US strategic dialogue was expected to cover all aspects of South Asian region, including the India-Pakistan relations.
China has already built two reactors with capacity of about 350 MW at Chashma in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Under the new agreement, Chinese companies will build at least two new 650-MW reactors at Chashma. The revelations of China’s decision to go ahead with the two reactors comes weeks after the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington attended by Chinese president Hu Jintao.
A Pakistani official was quoted by the Financial Times as welcoming the deal, saying: "Our Chinese brothers have once
again lived up to our expectations. They have agreed to continue cooperating with us in the nuclear energy field."
While the deal was seen here as confirmation by China to continue with its policy to regard Pakistan as a "all weather" strategic partner, there is still no information on how Beijing plans to build the reactors without the approval of the the IAEA and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the multinational body seeking to control trade in atomic materials.