K E R A L A M O N I T O R India Kuwait Extradition Treaty Ratified Regional centre for authentication of educational certificates

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India Kuwait Extradition Treaty Ratified IBM India announces new laptop at Rs. 54,990/-

Arab World Should Pursue Democratization, U.N. Report Says

Dec 11: Arab leaders should embrace democracy in order to fight poverty and improve education and health in their countries, according to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals Report for the Arab Region, released yesterday. More

Some Afghan Women Say Rights Worse Now Than Under Taliban. More

World Bank Urged To Stop Financing Oil, Coal Projects

Dec 11: Investments in oil, mining and gas projects by the World Bank and other international financial institutions are having irreversible social and environmental impacts in developing countries, a report released today by Friends of the Earth International says. More

UNICEF Outlines Lack Of Education For Girls Worldwide

Geneva Dec 11: As more than 10,000 delegates at the World Summit on the Information Society today were pondering how to bring the wealth and power of technology to poor countries, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy took the podium to call attention to a more fundamental and enduring problem: the lack of equal education for girls. More More News

INFORMATION IS THE KEY TO STOP TRAFFIC JAMS
Intelligent Transportation Systems Highlighted at Gulf Traffic 2003

Industry experts at the Gulf Traffic and MENA Rail 2003 Congress in Dubai have been highlighting how Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) will play an increasingly vital role in preventing traffic jams across the Middle East. More than 25 percent of the Gulf Traffic exhibitors are marketing ITS systems with the message that information is power and the travelling public need to be told how to make the right choices on the best way to get from A to B.

More than 150 exhibitors from over 30 countries are showcasing the latest traffic management technology including high tech message boarding systems and computerized control centres to maintain traffic flow. Middle Eastern countries will have to invest in more ITS systems in the heart of their cities. There is phenomenal growth in cities such as Dubai and that will bring more traffic attractors. ITS is an emerging technology and the world is starting to realise that it can be a powerful tool, said Ray Morris, Traffic Systems Manager for Southampton City Council in the south of England. Like other cities such as Turin in Italy, Southampton says its a showcase city for public transport solutions.

You cant build yourself out of trouble by constructing more fly-overs and more intersections. When you get to the heart of the city you are constrained by the existing infrastructure and buildings. You need to manage traffic much better in the heart of the city and ITS is the best way to do that. What we are trying to do is to create an informed traveller, Morris explained.

But he warned that ITS is not a panacea and if theres widespread congestion after initial measures are implemented more drastic measures may be needed such as congestion charges. London has seen a 20 percent fall in traffic levels after a five pounds a day charge was introduced. Congestion charges are now expected to be introduced in other UK cities. And in Dublin bus-only lanes have meant bus journey times have halved and car journey times have doubled because buses now get priority in the Irish capital, Morris explained.

Dubais Falcon ITS traffic management initiative designed to cut growing congestion in the rapidly expanding city was praised for its high tech approach. Among the speakers at the ITS forum was Dr Abdulilah Zineddin, Transport Safety Engineer for Dubai Municipality.

Also speaking in the debate was Johann Andersen from the South African Society for Intelligent Transport Systems and Dr Mahmoud Saffarzadeh, Associate Professor at the Roads and Transportation Research centre in the Iranian capital Tehran.
ITS technology is again the subject of discussion during an additional day of specialized workshops tomorrow (Thursday) sponsored by ITS America and Wilbur Smith Associates.

The three day Gulf Traffic & MENA 2003 Rail Congress and Exhibition being held at Dubais International Exhibition Centre concludes today (Wednesday). Organised by IIR Exhibitions with the support of chief sponsors Dubai Municipality and premier event sponsors UAE Ministry of Interior as well as more than 40 government authorities from across the Middle East and North Africa and 15 international professional associations.
The next edition of Gulf Traffic & MENA Rail will be held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre in 2005 because the show will now be biennial.

OIL BARONS BALL ATTRACTS REGIONAL INDUSTRY LEADERS

December 9, 2003

The Oil Barons Ball, a first-of-its-kind event in the Middle East, is attracting the attention of leading companies in the GCC Representatives of Saudi Aramco - the world's largest oil producing company - ADNOC, Qatar Petroleum, Kuwait Petroleum Company, BAPCO, RasGas, IADC (International Association of Drilling Contractors), the SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers), and Emarat, have all bought tickets for what promises to be the must-attend event in the energy industry calendar.

Eileen Michael, publisher of Pipeline Magazine, which is behind the ball and the Excellence in Energy Awards to be presented on the same night, said: "With the patronage of the UAE Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, His Excellency Obeid Bin Saif Al Nassiri, and the backing of major companies such as ADNOC, and organisations like the UAE Chapter of the International Association of Drilling Contractors, the appeal of the awards and the event has understandably spread further than the UAE."

December 17 will see the crème-de-la-crème of the region's energy industry attend Abu Dhabi's Hotel InterContinental for a night like no other. As well as the Excellence in Energy awards - described as the 'Oscars of the energy industry', the night will feature a fantastic menu, live entertainment provided by one of the world's top Beatles tribute acts - the Billy Shears Band, all topped off by a phenomenal laser, firework and light display.

Representatives of the newly-formed UAE chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers will also attend the glittering evening at the five star hotel.

"We are expecting thousands of guests," added Michael, "for what will prove to be a fantastic opportunity to network with industry peers, celebrate the successes of the regional energy industry and mark some of the key achievements of the last twelve months."

His Excellency the oil minister will present the Excellence in Energy Awards, which are sponsored by HP, Intel and Schlumberger, to underline their commitment to the energy industry.

Part of the ticket proceeds will be given to the UAE Red Crescent Association, making the event one worthy of everyone's support.Tickets - US$125 each or US$950 for a full table of ten - include dinner, refreshments and entertainment.

MAGLEV MAGNET FOR MID EAST TRAIN TRAVELLERS

German Company Showcases Magnetic Levitation Technology At Gulf Traffic / MENA Rail

December 10

A German company which played a big part in pioneering one of the aviation wonders of the 20th century is marketing the new millenniums most modern train system at the Gulf Traffic and Mena Rail 2003 Congress and Exhibition which ends today in Dubai.
Renowned engineer Claudius Dornier helped design Zeppelin airships which astounded the aviation world in the 1930s. Now Dornier Consulting is a world leader in magnetic levitation Maglev train technology.

The worlds first Maglev trains have begun to speed passengers from Shanghai airport to the city centre at more than 300 kilometres an hour. Dornier Consulting is in Dubai trying to convince potential customers in the Middle East that Maglev is the way to go.
We think Maglev has a big future in this part of the world. We are getting signals that there is interest, said Michael Witt, Senior Manager Technology Consulting Transportation, Dornier Consulting. Its part of the DaimlerChrysler Group based at Zeppelin-Werftgelande in Friedrichshafen near Stuttgart where the famous airships were built.

The trains without wheels quietly glide along a concrete or steel beam riding on a magnetic field. The new technology is not cheap. The first 30 kilometre long Maglev line in China cost 1.2 billion euros to build. But Dornier Consulting says as the state of the art technology becomes more widespread the price will fall. A high speed Maglev line could link Abu Dhabi to Dubai in just 30 minutes. Maglev trains would also be ideal to link Abu Dhabi airport with the city centre and in Bahrain and Qatar. Bahrain has shown interest in Maglev. We have been active in the Middle East since the 1990s and in Saudi Arabia since the 80s. Now we are trying to rekindle interest again. Witt added.

Dornier Consulting is also marketing Light Rail train systems in the Middle East and has conducted feasibility studies in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh as well as a traffic management system for Gaza City and a number of cities in the region. There is very strong population growth here in the Middle East and you cant meet transport demands only using cars and buses. We think Light Rail is appropriate to the demands of the region, he added.

This is our first time at Gulf Traffic and we are happy to be here to showcase what technologies are available. We have had lots of contacts which we will try to develop. We wanted to show to our clients that we are committed to this region, Witt said.
Dornier Consulting is one of more than 150 exhibitors taking part in Gulf Traffic 2003 which closes tonight at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

The last three days have been very interesting and busy with both the exhibition and the congresses attracting a lot of interest from local and regional government bodies, said Davyd Farrell, Project Director, Gulf Traffic & MENA Rail 2003. There have been a lot of fruitful sessions on a wide range of transport topics and we hope they will go a long way in helping to find solutions to the traffic situation in the region. Meanwhile, today there are specialized workshops sponsored by ITS America and Wilbur Smith Associates which focus on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

The next edition of Gulf Traffic & MENA Rail will be held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre in 2005 because the show will now be biennial.

IBM India announces new laptop at Rs. 54,990/-

Defines new business opportunity areas for its business partners
December 2, 2003,Mumbai: IBM India today announced the availability of its first time ever, entry level notebooks - IBM ThinkPad R40e, priced at Rs. 54,990/-. IBM India is redefining the mobile computing experience by this announcement targetted at the small and medium businesses in the metro cities and other non-metro towns including Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Cochin, Bhubaneshwar to name a few. These would include professionals, traders, SOHO (Small Office Home Office) individuals and also the home PC user.

IBM ThinkPad continues to deliver enhancements, innovations and solutions that shape and define the mobile computing industry. Since the launch of the ThinkPad 700C in 1992, these acclaimed notebook computers have been lauded as design and engineering models, winning more than 1,000 industry awards worldwide.
The IBM ThinkPad R40e entry level notebooks provide value for money and allow mobility and flexibility at the workplace and at home. They have been designed with specialised configurations and price point to suit the requirement of the SOHO and home PC users in India. The IBM ThinkPad R40e is a fully configured notebook with optimum memory, hard disk capacity, cache and ready to use Windows Operating system. This, combined with the innovative design, makes the IBM ThinkPad R40e a great value purchase at just Rs. 54,990/-.

Says Anil Sethi, country manager - channels, Personal Computing Division, IBM India Limited, "This is a revolutionary product initiative from IBM India and we are excited about it. We have listened to our customers and our business partners. The industry is witnessing a growing demand for notebooks, and as leaders in the mobile computing technology space, we wanted to reach out to every PC user and make the ThinkPad within every individual's reach. With this new product, we have not compromised on quality, but believe in giving customers a wholesome computing experience as we aim to increase the usage of notebooks in India - in the SMB and B&C class cities primarily."
Specially designed configuration

The new notebooks come with : Windows XP Home as Operating System; true mobile Celeron processor - 2.2 Ghz & 2.0 Ghz ; high cache at 256 Kb to run applications faster ; CD ROM or DVD ROM optical drive (2 diff. models) ; 256 MB memory which means there is no need to upgrade later and pay more ; 1 year international warranty ; 20 GB HDD ; 56 Kbps modem ; 10/100 Ethernet access ; 16 MB video RAM ; 14.1" display and a carry case bag - all this at Rs. 54,990/- only. Additional cost would only be the tax.
Besides this, the IBM ThinkPad R40e entry level notebooks come with IBM's ThinkVantage Technology (TVT) - a set of software and hardware tools, available only on IBM PCs - at no additional cost.

The function of these technology offerings is to help users save date, time and money. The TVT features include: Rapid Restore Ultra : provides a simple one-touch button recovery solution on the notebook, to restore any file or data including applications and operating systems especially after a system crash or virus attack. This way, IT support costs can be lowered dramatically and end-user productivity increased. IBM Access Connections : simplifies management of multiple connectivity environments by offering real-time information on network connection status, saving settings for wired and wireless connections and easy switching between them. This way, users are freed from memorising changed settings - making wired and wireless connectivity simple.

FREEWEIGH IN GLOBAL DEBUT AT GULF TRAFFIC 2003

New Truck Overloading Device To Take Weight Off Mid East Traffic Police
December 9, 2003

A new system to combat the major problem of truck overloading on Middle East roads has made its global debut at the Gulf Traffic Exhibition being held in Dubai.
British company Central Weighing Ltd says overweight trucks are a major cause of road crashes and damage to road surfaces. Its Freeweigh portable system has been unveiled to combat the world-wide danger. Egypt is the first Middle East country to place the first of 60 orders already received and a new Middle East distribution office has been set up in Dubai.

Overloading of heavy goods vehicles in the Middle East is a mammoth problem. Trucks here are frequently more than twice overloaded and many countries are looking at ways of stopping the dangerous practice. This is the first time we have taken Freeweigh to an international show and we are getting a lot of interest, said Richard Stokes, Managing Director, Central Weighing Ltd.

Unstable trucks overturn causing horrific accidents. Overweight axles badly affect braking and cause serious damage to road surfaces, cost governments huge amounts to repair and huge frustration for drivers during road repairs. The cost to the British taxpayer is estimated at more than 140 million dollars a year and that is after 30 years of weight enforcement including spot checks and large fines. Other countries around the world are starting realise how big the problem is, Stokes added at the exhibition.
The new, portable, cable free system costs around US $13,000 and can be set up in a matter of minutes.

Truck operators know where permanent weigh stations are and avoid them. With this system traffic police and enforcement agencies can set up surprise spot checks. We think the system has lots of potential here in the Middle East, Stokes added.
The Gulf Traffic & MENA Rail 2003 Congress and Exhibition is being held at Dubais International Exhibition Centre until tomorrow (Dec 10).

BEA's WebLogic Workshop 8.1 and Server 8.1 win recognition from PC Magazine for outstanding features

PC Magazine honours WebLogic Workshop 8.1 as one of the most revolutionary products of 2003

December 10, 2003

BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 and WebLogic Server 8.1 have been honoured by the international edition of PC Magazine for their ground-breaking features.
The WebLogic Workshop 8.1 was awarded the Technical Excellence Award at the 20th Annual Technical Excellence Awards from PC Magazine recently. The magazine recognized it as one of the most revolutionary products of 2003 for setting new standards in technical innovation.

The WebLogic Server 8.1 was rated by the magazine among the industry's top performers and given the "Editor's Choice" honor, after extensive trials and performance tests.
"Our clients have known all along the high-performance and next-generation capabilities of the WebLogic 8.1. The PC Magazine awards only endorse what our clients have been telling us through repeat orders and by recommending WebLogic to others," said Diyaa Zebian, Regional Manager, Middle East and Egypt, eSolutions BEA. "It is a great honor, because it comes from well-informed editors whose knowledge about the market is profound, and whose decisions are based on objectivity and fairness. The two awards recognize BEA's strong commitment to Web application development and to the developer community."

The award-winning WebLogic Workshop 8.1 is an integrated visual development environment and runtime framework that enables developers at all levels to create, test and deploy service-oriented, enterprise-class applications and Web services on the BEA WebLogic Enterprise Platform.

The WebLogic Workshop 8.1 application framework can abstract infrastructure complexities and create applications using standard J2EE components. It makes it easier to build enterprise class applications for today's real-life enterprise integration scenarios.
While giving the Editor's Choice tribute to WebLogic Server 8.1, the magazine noted: "WebLogic 8.1 is a top contender for any organization running Java-based software. Its impressive potential for scalability, JVM performance, and new emphasis on making J2EE and Web services easier for developers are noteworthy. This is a very deep application server that's easy to run and easy to manage, especially on multiple clusters."

Listing the WebLogic Server 8.1's leading edge features, PC Magazine singled out its configuration wizard that allows setting up several default domains effortlessly. Among other outstanding features mentioned by PC Magazine are WebLogic's Web-based console that offers robust tools for managing J2EE applications. The magazine concludes that BEA WebLogic server has succeeded in making the building of Web services and EJBs easy.