KM People Pages NO DECISION YET ON GRANTING LICENSE TO SEX WORKERS Smt. Kanti Singh, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development has clarified that the Government had not taken any decision to grant licenses to sex workers and any policy on such a sensitive issue will emerge only after discussions with stakeholders and a national consensus.It was reported in a section of the press that the Government had decided to grant licenses to sex workers to end their exploitation at the hands of police, anti-social elements & middle men. Smt. Singh was also attributed as having said that granting licence to sex workers would also help in checking spread of HIV/AIDS.In order to set right the record, it is stated that these issues were raised by some participants, in a meeting with NGOs held in Patna recently, where some of the participants demanded that licenses be given to sex workers. MOS’s response was only that the matter would be looked into. UAE Ministry of Information and Culture raids five resellers for dealing in pirated software 88 counterfeit CDs loaded with illegal software seized during raid June 22, 2004 The UAE Ministry of Information and Culture recently conducted a large-scale raid on five UAE based resellers dealing in illegal software. During the raid, 88 counterfeit CDs, loaded with illegal programs and pirated software were seized. This latest raid is part of the aggressive ongoing anti-piracy campaign launched by the UAE authorities to combat software piracy by intensifying raids on offending traders. "The UAE is one of the leading countries in fighting counterfeit software trading, piracy and other illegal activities. We are taking a tough stand against software piracy in order to protect software companies based in the region," said Salem Al Amiri, Director General, Department of Information Control in the UAE Ministry of Information and Culture. "This has successfully reduced piracy rates in the country. Positive results have been achieved through strict implementation of intellectual property rights (IPR) laws, helping the UAE emerge as the IT hub of the region." "In the increasingly secure IT scenario leading international software companies are setting up operations in the country to serve the IT needs of the Middle East and neighboring countries. The UAE's success in drastically reducing piracy levels highlights the importance of protecting Intellectual Property Rights in order to create a healthy business environment and present an equal platform for all software companies. Eradication of software piracy will further boost the software industry and create more job opportunities in the region." added Al Amiri. Scott Butler, CEO of Arabian Antipiracy Alliance (AAA) said, "This raid is another step in our ongoing campaign against illegal software traders. The UAE Ministry of Information Control and government authorities are sparing no effort in their objective to wipe out piracy in the country. The authorities have taken concrete and tough measures to enforce intellectual property rights (IPR) by introducing laws that prescribe stiff penalties for violators." "The government has further supported the anti-piracy campaigns by conducting persistent raids on companies carrying out illegal software trade, as well as on end-users engaged in un-licensed use of original software. This raid sends a direct message to traders and end-users that strong action will be taken against violators of copyright laws. Although the incidences of piracy have dropped considerably in the UAE, the country is yet to achieve 100 per cent eradication of this menace. To reach the goal of a piracy-free IT market, all parties involved in the IT industry, from IT companies to government sectors and end-users, should cooperate and work towards fighting this criminal activity," added Butler. SHEIKH KHALID AL QASSIMI AIMS FOR TURKISH DELIGHT IN WRC RALLY Power Horse Team prepares for terrain challenges DUBAI (UAE): Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi heads to southern Turkey this weekend to tackle the Rally of Turkey, his second FIA World Rally Championship outing in the Power Horse World Rally Team Subaru Impreza WRX STi. The event begins with a timed spectator stage on Thursday (June 24th). Al Qassimi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr are the current leaders of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, but have an extended programme of events this season to enable Al Qassimi to gain as much experience as possible in international rallies. He finished his first-ever WRC event in Greece earlier this month in an excellent 20th overall and fourth in the Group N category, in addition to setting three fastest Group N stage times on the final leg against world class opposition. But the gravel roads of Turkey offer an altogether different challenge and Al Qassimi accepts that a repeat result is a realisitc aim. "I enjoyed the Greek experience immensely," he said. "I know now that I have a competitive pace in the Group N category and can look ahead to Turkey with the joint aim of reaching the finish but also trying to win some stages. In addition to an impressive line up of Group N drivers, Al Qassimi faces the might of the Ford, Subaru, Peugeot, Citroen and Mitsubishi works teams, with WRC leader Sebastien Loeb, from France, leading the way in his Citroen Xsara. "It won't be easy, but I am used to extreme temperatures from my rallies in the Middle East and it will be exciting to line up alongside the likes of Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm again," the Power Horse Team driver said. Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi prepares to meet Turkey's tricky terrain The Rally of Turkey became a round of the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time last season, but this year's event is the last episode in a trilogy of hot weather, rough WRC road events in the eastern Mediterranean and the combination of baking temperatures and rock-strewn gravel tracks will place high demands on both cars and drivers. Last year's rally, which was won by Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Citroen Xsara, was held in early March when the region was emerging from severe winter storms that devastated the mountain roads. Conditions will be totally different this year when the event will be in the height of summer with temperatures in the coastal resort and rally base of Kemer currently at 35°C. Temperatures in the Anatolian mountains will not be as high as the three days of speed tests are held at an average altitude of close to 1200 metres. But the twisty, and in many places, steep roads will ensure relatively slow average speeds which provide little airflow to cool hardworking engines and transmissions. The holiday resort of Kemer, 40 km south of the larger city of Antalya, is again the base of the rally and where the single service park will be located. However, Thursday night's start and crowd-pleasing 'super special' stage are both located in Antalya. This year's stage is at a new venue at the university and the 2.5 km test, where two cars race side by side, is repeated again at the end of Friday's opening leg. The remainder of the 383.33 km of competition is based on rough gravel roads high in the Anatolian mountains, west of Kemer. The stages use essentially the same roads as last year. However, there are three new tests and eight of the 17 stages will be repeated. The second leg is the longest of the event, totalling 153.60 km of action and draws to a conclusion on Sunday afternoon. (KM Bureau Dubai) Gardens Shopping Mall announces Cinema Megaplex: Middle East's largest with 21 screens including IMAX Nakheel signs up with Gulf Film LLC incorporating yet another landmark attraction to Gardens Shopping Mall - "GRAND GARDENS MEGAPLEX" June 22, 2004 Gardens Shopping Mall, the mega-mall being developed by Nakheel between Interchange No. 5 and 6 on Sheikh Zayed Road, will contain Middle East's largest cinema entertainment centre, "Grand Gardens Megaplex", offering the most advanced entertainment technology, acoustics and seating. To execute the project, Nakheel recently entered into collaboration with Gulf Film LLC, the Middle East's leading movie distributor and exhibitor, parallel to operating the Grand Cinema network. The signing ceremony was attended by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel, Andrew Chambers, General Manager of Gardens Shopping Mall, Salim Ramia and Ahmad Golchin, co-owners of Gulf Film. Grand Gardens Megaplex will boast 21 screens including an IMAX theatre, all built to international standards with cutting edge entertainment technology, including automated cinema, wall-to-wall screens, stadium seats with extra legroom, full digital sound and a ultra stylish lobby. Grand Gardens Megaplex will seat, over 3,000 people, in addition to over 350 at the IMAX. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman, Nakheel stated, "As part of Nakheel's strategy of offering customers unique and value-added offerings, Garden Shopping Mall is committed to partner with the best players in the entertainment and retail business. Our agreement with a premier distributor like Gulf Film LLC will enable us to provide the latest in movie entertainment, making us the first mall in the region to offer such a large variety of choice under a single roof." "In keeping with our vision of developing Gardens Shopping Mall as the shopping and entertainment hub of Dubai's rapidly expanding new growth corridor, we have envisaged unique attractions to add value to our offering" said Andrew Chambers, General Manager, Gardens Shopping Mall. "Grand Gardens Megaplex is certainly our centrepiece as far as entertainment is concerned, because it entails components that are guaranteed to offer the most exciting cinema experience, the kind of which has not been seen in the region." Salim Ramia of Gulf Film LLC, said: "Grand Gardens Megaplex crowns our 40-year record in upgrading the standards of movie entertainment in the Gulf Region and will enhance the cinema experience for all movie goers. Grand Gardens Megaplex is our most ambitious project to date, and we are geared to make it one of the most outstanding cinema projects in the Middle East. Our partnership with Nakheel is driven by our commitment to the highest standards, matching the vision of the developers of Gardens Shopping Mall. As the area encompassing the Gardens Shopping Mall becomes urbanised and the number of residents increase over the coming years, we expect demand for cinema entertainment to grow."Gulf Film LLC has been a leading player in the cinema entertainment field in the Middle East and credited with reviving the fortunes of the industry through its chain of Grand Cinemas in UAE & Gulf Region. Currently, it controls 91 screens. After the completion of Megaplex at Gardens Shopping Mall and projects in Jordan and Lebanon, the Grand Cinema circuit will encompass 132 screens by 2006, making it the single largest cinema circuit in the Middle East. Gulf Film's choice of Gardens Shopping Mall was prompted by its strategic location and its proximity to key residential and retail projects, including The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Islands, Dubai Marina, The Gardens and other surrounding developments. By the end of 2004, the population within a 5-minute driving vicinity from the Gardens Shopping Mall is expected to reach in the order of about 150,000 and then in the region of 275,000 by 2008. More significantly, by 2008, over 880,000 people will be living within a 15-minutes drive from the mall. Additionally, some 600,000 tourists per annum who stay in hotels within a 15-minute radius will visit the Mall as an ideal recreational complex, which will be a destination in itself Gardens Shopping Mall itself is a prestigious mega-mall, which combines retail, entertainment, restaurant and family activities within a uniquely themed environment. The spacious Mall covering an area of 3.1 million square feet, will offer a charming mix of shopping outlets, specialty shops, restaurants, a hypermarket and a cinema megaplex. The parking lot will accommodate over 6500 cars, taking the total site space up to 5.4 million square feet. The construction work for the dedicated interchange leading to the mall is already underway. CISCO TO OUTLINE VISION FOR THE EVOLUTION OF NETWORKING - Cisco executives to premier strategies for enhanced business performance, increased profitability and reduced inefficiencies Sheraton Kuwait, June 23 - Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 22, 2004 - Business leaders in Kuwait are to be given a vision of the future of networking by Cisco Systems' Middle East management team at the company's annual Cisco Expo conference at the Kuwait Sheraton on June 23. For the first time in the emirate, international and regionally-based experts will present powerful paradigms, such as the Intelligent Information Network (IIN) and the Networked Virtual Organisation (NVO), that have been developed in partnership with Cisco's global client base to meet the challenges of industry today and in the future. The Intelligent Information Network (IIN) is Cisco's technology vision and path from integrated networks for data, voice and video to intelligent networks that can adapt and co-operate with applications. The IIN will provide increased resilience and scalability for a company's business-critical communications infrastructure and provides managers with informed decision-making and increased flexibility to accept and benefit from change. Cisco's team will also present the 'Networked Virtual Organistion', a concept that will allow companies to evolve their own business processes to enjoy greater collaboration with customers and suppliers and increase the productivity of their staff. The NVO enables companies to enjoy the full benefit of IP Communications enabling them to outsource non-critical business processes and focus on core service areas. "We are pleased to be able to share the latest international best practices and intelligence with Kuwait's business leaders through our Expo events," said Ghazi Atallah, General Manager Cisco Systems Middle East. "Kuwait's business community has a great opportunity for growth and the effective deployment of Internet business solutions can both accelerate business performance and identify and eradicate potential inefficiencies. The end result of a powerful go-to-Internet strategy, alongside a business's existing processes results in high returns on investments and improved performance." Experts from Cisco's Channel Partners, GBM and Universe Computers will also be available at the Expo to provide on-site consultancy for delegates on how to employ these practices within their organisations. Attendance at Cisco Expo is free and presentations are tailored for both business leaders and IT managers. To register, please visit www.cisco.com/go/expo/kuwait. Emerging threats will expose failures of traditional virus protection and intrusion detection: Network Associates Network Associates delivers VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i, the industry's first next generation anti-virus solution to offer Intrusion Prevention DUBAI June 16, 2004 -In the face of the current breed of threats such as the Sasser virus, IT security managers are soon discovering that passive tools like patch firewalls and IDS (Intrusion Detection System) that merely monitor network attack and alert administrators, offer inadequate anti-virus protection. There is a growing need for an active network infrastructure, or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) that can prevent attacks automatically in real-time, at the entry stage. To respond to the demand for a proactive defense system, Network Associates, Inc. the leading provider of intrusion prevention solutions, has recently launched McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i, the industry's first next generation anti-virus solution to offer Intrusion Prevention. Based on the McAfee Protection-in-Depth strategy, the VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i is a comprehensive solution that can detect, identify, alert, clean, delete and prevent known and unknown malicious activity from infecting PCs and servers. "Today's threats have become more sophisticated than ever before. In addition, the time between the detection of vulnerability and the occurrence of an attack is greatly reduced-narrowing the "window of vulnerability" for organizations to react, install and test patches and install protective security measures. VirusScan Enterprise 8.0i enables businesses with remote offices and mobile users to shift from reactive security measures, to a more complete and proactive security approach for securing PCs and servers against malicious code, hacker attacks and operating system and application software vulnerabilities," Patrick Hayati, Regional Director, Network Associates Middle East. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise combines truly integrated functionality, including anti-virus, desktop firewall and host intrusion prevention features within a single deployable, easy to use and manage security agent. Advanced host-based intrusion prevention functionality includes buffer overflow prevention technology, which protects against buffer overflow exploits targeting vulnerabilities of Microsoft applications and OS services ensuring that critical business servers and data are available and protected 24 x 7. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise also incorporates integrated firewall capabilities, which prevent both incoming attacks, as well as the spread of outbound malware. The solution helps reduce the total cost of ownership associated with the tracing and clean-up of malware, helping IT administrators create a greater degree of control over their security infrastructure. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise includes additional capabilities, such as enhanced email scanning for email on client systems running lotus notes, a smaller overall footprint, faster scanning and the ability to take action against unwanted programs with user-defined actions. Additionally, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise includes port blocking and lock-down, allowing the administrator to turn off specified ports from either outbound or inbound network traffic, file name blocking and folder and directory lockdown, intrusion prevention security features that enable the administrator to create a policy (or policies) for greater control of system or incoming network processes, share lockdown, which prevents network aware viruses from infecting via UNC shares or mapped drives, and the ability to trace the IP address of the end-point system that sent malicious code, so that administrators can take immediate action on those end-point systems. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise is managed centrally under a single console with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) or McAfee ProtectionPilot, providing software deployment, policy management and graphical reporting across all systems and desktops. McAfee ePO, designed for the enterprise user, and McAfee ProtectionPilot, designed for ease of use for SMBs, give IT administrators the visibility they need to evaluate their policy's effectiveness, evaluate their network's weak points and to customize reports to fit their specific needs. With a single management infrastructure, IT administrators will save time and money through reduced deployment and training costs, reduced hardware investments, and reduced policy redundancy. This will enable businesses to shift their investment from scrambling to respond to new vulnerability announcements to proactive protection of the end node. The Eiffel Tower Renovates Lighting System Another world-class project for Philips Lighting Dubai, UAE, June 22, 2004 - Philips Lighting in conjunction with illumination specialist Pierre Bideau, recently completed work on one of the world's most prestigious lighting projects; the replacement of the 352 illuminating projectors that shine on the Eiffel Tower or La Dame de Fer in Paris. The work was ordered by the French management company in charge of the Eiffel Tower tourist attraction and required 3 months' work and resulted in a 30% energy savings. The work was organised so that not a single tourist or Parisian noticed a thing-the Iron Lady stayed in her usual brilliance all night every night. "Philips has a clear mission, to make life better for today's and tomorrow's generations by developing innovative solutions that are sustainable and attractive with reduction in energy consumption. With Philips Lighting, we provide Ultraviolet lights for disinfection in hospitals, infrared lights for industrial production applications, "illuminated urban design" for improving night-time environments through the lighting of monuments and cities and for street safety," said Robert van de Riet, CEO for Philips. The performance of the Master SON-T PIA Plus 400-600 Watt range of bulbs made by Philips is certainly earning its " green flagship " label. These bulbs use sodium high pressure lamps that provide higher light intensity at the same level of power. This equates to savings per lamp of 40%. In addition to efficiency, the project required that the level of light remain exactly the same while also reducing the weight of each projection unit. Engineering feats aside, the lighting system also needed to withstand extreme external conditions including exceptional vibrations and sustainable windspeeds up to 180 km. Enhanced durability and lifespan also provides lower waste volumes. In fact the failure rate is 0% at 6000 hours and 8% at 16000 hours of use. As for the intensity of the light beam, it remains at 90% of its original value 16000 hours after installation. This all but eliminates unexpected replacement requirements and leads to significant operation cost reductions. "Whether it concerns the Eiffel tower or the coming Olympic Games in Athens, Philips Lighting is a participant in all the top world-class lighting projects," added Robert. As well as the Eiffel Tower, Philips also illuminates Big Ben and Tower Bridge in London; Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; Three bridges over the Clyde in Glasgow; Central Square in Brussels; The Acropolis in Athens; The Forum in Rome and The Palace of Versailles, near Paris. Interesting Facts The R&D work conducted by Philips Group in order to realise the new Eiffel Tower lighting installation actually began in …..1891 (no kidding!). Today the Philips brand puts in mind immediately the powerful multinational firm active in electronics, with a range of products that stretches from flat screens to CD and DVD players, from kitchen burners to magnetic resonance scanning devices, from semi-conductors to batteries…Probably fewer people are aware that the company of Mr. Gerard Philips, at its beginnings in Eindhoven, was exclusively devoted to making and marketing incandescent light bulbs. COFMOW DESIGNAGTED CENTRAL AGENCY FOR WORLD BANK AIDED TECHNICAL EDUCATION The Ministry of Human Resource Development has designated Central Organization For Modernization of Workshops (COFMOW), under the Ministry of Railways, a Central Procurement Agency for the World Bank Aided Technical Education Projects in the country.Established in 1979, COFMOW has been playing onerous role in modernizing railway workshops, plant and machinery. Some of the noted works by COFMOW, so far, include conversion of metre gauge machines for use on broad gauge to give effect to unigauge policy of Indian Railways, planned rebuilding or reconditioning to avoid procurement of new machines, retro fitment of modern controls on the older machines for improving productivity, preparation of technical specification, procurement delivery and commissioning of machinery and plants and training of workshops personnel in operation and maintenance of machines. So far, COFMOW has procured 13,796 machines valued at Rs. 1237.65 crores.Other activities of COFMOW relate to standardization of workshop layout, development of indigenous suppliers for sophisticated and special purpose machines like wheel lathe, cam milling and grinding machines, contract management for all aspects of machinery and plant and implementation of technology transfer projects. Fujitsu Siemens Computers unveils PRIMERGY Econel-40, an entry-level server for SMEs FSC ushers in a new generation of secure, reliable and economical Inter-based servers June 21, 2004. Fujitsu Siemens Computers, the leading international IT company, has launched PRIMERGY Econel-40, a new server offering a simple, reliable and cost-effective introduction to the world of Intel-based servers. The new system has been positioned as an entry-level server that meets the needs of SMEs and smaller branch office operations. Econel, which means simple and economical to operate, incorporates data security and certified server components and operating systems, delivering round-the-clock server availability at an affordable price. "The launch of the PRIMERGY Econel-40 in the Middle East comes in response to the need for more dependable servers in the entry-level category," said Ashraf El-Arabaty, Product Marketing Manager, Enterprise Solutions, Fujitsu Siemens Computers. "The integration of the latest performance and data security enhancing server technology makes the new server a highly effective alternative for those currently using professional PCs in small server configurations. We would recommend this server particularly to emerging small businesses whose needs keep rising but are faced with budget constraints. As the SME sector has been showing a dramatic growth in the Middle East, we expect a high demand for servers like the PRIMERGY Econel-40." A brand new feature of the PRIMERGY Econel40 is that it builds upon the Serial ATA technology already tested in Fujitsu Siemens Computers' PRIMERGY TX150 tower server. SATA is the interface standard that systematically extends the advantages of low-priced IDE/ATA hard disks to offer more powerful and future-proof performance. For this reason, SATA is set in the medium term to replace the current IDE/ATA standard for hard disks. The new SATA RAID technology enables configuration for enhanced data security with hard disk mirroring or for higher performance with striped disks. The PRIMERGY Econel-40 allows a broad range of entry-level server application scenarios. The system, for example, can be used as a small application, print, file and e-mail server at small enterprises, for self-employed users, in retail or at small branch offices. The PRIMERGY ServerView Suite ensures problem-free server installation and configuration. It also monitors and administers all components in a reliable and efficient manner, such as analyzing and version maintenance of system support software and drivers.