KERALA MONITOR GULF NEWS

October 29, 2001

DOHA GETTING READY FOR THE WTO: WINDOWS LAUNCHED IN THE MIDDLE EAST
 
 
DOHA Getting Ready for the WTO Meeting
Total Sanitation Campaign for Kerala
BIG 5 --Sharjah Firms Announce multi million dhiram Expansion
States Urged to Set up Welfare boards for construction Workers.
Kuwait Raids illegal software
Aviation Finance Chiefs to Address Dubai meet
Ericsson And Extreme Networks Complete Another Ethernet Metro
HH Shaikh Mohammed Opens Big 5
"Threat of bio-terrorrism in India is Real
Afghanistan Emergency: U.S. Disbursement of $18.1 Million

 

 New Delhi The Ministry of Rural Development has released an amount of Rs.97.885 lakh towards balance amount for 2000-2001 to the Sate Government of Kerela for Kottayam district for the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) under the Restructured Central Rural Sanitation Programme. The amount will be utilised for constrution of household latrines, institutional latrines and environmental sanitation in 73 panchayats of Kottayam district.

    The Total Sanitation Campaing (TSC) approach emphasizes on the awareness building component and meets the demand through delivery mechanism. School sanitation has been introduced as a major component and as an entry point encouraging wider acceptance of sanitation among rural masses. Under TSC, 200 districts have been allotted to States/Union Territories all over the country. The total numbers of toilets constructed up to 2000-2001 are 90,69,101.

keralamonitor.com

The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Gerhard Schroeder being received by the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a Ceremonial Reception in New Delhi on October 29, 2001.

 
WORKSHOP ON BIO-TERRORISM
 
"Threat of bio-terrorrism in India is Real
 
keralamonitor.com
 

Indian Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P. Thakur, has said that while there is no need to panic about bio-terrorism, a pragmatic approach is required in terms of preparedness. Inaugurating a 'Workshop on Bio-terrorism' here today, Dr. Thakur cautioned that the threat to India was real and not imaginary. It was for this that the Government started an exercise to asses the preparedness of the systems in the country immediately after the incidents of bio-terrorism in US, he said. Two meetings of experts, hospital administrators and officials were held and as a follow up it was decided to gear up the public health machinery, stockpile adequate antidotes and organise CME (Continuing Medication Education) programmes for medical professionals, he added.

    Listing the problems posed by biological terrorism, Dr. Thakur said that it was more likely than ever before and far more threatening than either explosives or chemicals. Official actions against the threat had been marginally funded and minimally supported. Preventing or countering bio-terrorism would be extremely difficult as recipes for making biological weapons were available on the internet and even groups with modest finances and basic training in biology and engineering could develop an effective weapon at very little cost. An finally, detection or interdiction of those intending to use biological weapons was next to impossible. Thus the first evidence of such weapons would almost certainly be cases in hospital emergency rooms, he added.

    Dr. Thakur cautioned that in cases of bio-terrorism, between proper diagnosis and preventive and therapeutic measures casualties could be very large. Even the survival of physicians and health care staff could be at stake. Few would have ever seen a case of smallpox, plague or anthrax and few diagnostic laboratories might be prepared to confirm promptly such diagnosis, he added.

    The Minister said that of the long list of potential pathogens, only a few alone were easy to prepare and disperse, which could inflict a severe disease to paralyze a city and a nation. Smallpox headed the list, followed closely by anthrax and plague. However, none of these had so far effectively been deployed as a biological weapon and, therefore, no real world events existed to provide likely scenarios.

    Dr. Thakur pointed out that progress in bio-medical science also potentiated the development of an entirely new class of weapons of mass destruction - generally engineered pathogens. "Though there is no known risk of any attack at present, the potential for one certainly exists", he warned. He recalled two documented cases, namely that of a strain of common intestinal bug E. Coli, that was 32,000 times more resistant to the antibiotic cefotaxime than the conventional strains, and the other being 'mouse pox', which were ultimately destroyed.

    The Minister suggested that for longer-term solutions, the medical community must educate both the public and policy makers about bio-terrorism and build a global consensus condemning its use. Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Bhatt, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Gujarat said that testing kits should be made available to all States. He said that Gujarat Government had already made a training module for scientists and doctors. He emphasised that there was need to inform the people that the Government was fully prepared to meet any challenge. Shri Javed A. Chowdhury, Secretary, Depart ment of Health, and Dr. S.P.Agarwal, DGHS, also spoke on the occasion.

 

Doha: Survey about international business sentiment

keralamonitor.com

Doha; 29 October 2001 - A major world survey of business leaders to be released on the eve of the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, will give their assessment of what is at stake for international trade.The ICC-Ifo World Business Poll will be the most comprehensive ever taken of world business sentiment about the importance of multilateral trade liberalization. More than 520 business leaders and economic experts in 77 countries participated in the poll.

It is the first in what is expected to be a series of regular joint surveys between ICC - the world business organization and Ifo - the respected German economic research institute. The poll results will be released to the media on 7 November. The poll results will also feature in a comprehensive, four-page, international trade supplement in the International Herald Tribune, titled "The Challenge of Doha" on 8 November. WTO Director-General, Mike Moore, EU Commissioner for Trade, Pascal Lamy and US Trade Representative obert Zoellick have all agreed to contribute to the IHT supplement.

 

October 29, 2001

States Urged to Set up Welfare boards for construction Workers.

keralamonitor.com

  Labour Minister Shri Sharad Yadav has urged the state governments to set up State Advisory Committees and Welfare Boards for the Building and Other Construction Workers immediately. In a letter to the State Labour Ministers, Shri Yadav has made a fervent appeal to complete the whole process at the earliest so that there is no further delay in providing welfare benefits to the construction workers. He said that Parliamentary Committee attached to his Ministry and the trade unions have been critical about delay in this regard. Appreciating the ground work done by the Six states namely Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Arunachal Pradesh, the Labour Minister expressed the hope that they would complete the requisite process at the earliest.

  There are about 17 million construction workers in the country who form a large vulnerable segment of workers in the unorganised sector. Under the Building and Other Construction Workers (regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, the state governments are required to frame rules and constitute the State Advisory Committees and Welfare Boards. This Act as well as the Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1996 are aimed at providing specific welfare facilities to construction workers. These include financial assistance to the family of the beneficiaries in case of accidents, old age pension, housing loans, payment of insurance premium, assistance for education of children and medical benefits.

Afghanistan Emergency: U.S. Disbursement of $18.1 Million

Japanese anti terrorrism law helps US Campaign

keralamonitor.com

Washington D.C.; In order to show a civilised face to hide its dirty military campaign against the Afghan people that is causing civilian casualities and international criticism against American imperialism, the United States has annnounced the disbursement of $18.1 million
to Afghanistan as part of an overall $320 million aid package announced by President Bush on October 4. 'This disbursement will bring the total U.S. funding provided since October 1 to the Afghan people to $70.1 million. This total includes $32.6 million from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), and $38.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In Fiscal Year 2001, we provided nearly $180 million in assistance. In the weeks to come, further funding out of the $320 million will be dispensed for the humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan,' state Department official spokesman Richard Boucher said.

The passage of legislation by the Japanese Diet on October 29 paves the way for Japan's military contributions to the counterterrorism campaign. The new laws authorize Japan's Self Defense Forces to provide rear-area logistical support for coalition members and takes measures to strengthen security around U.S. bases in Japan. This legislation, and Japan's support for the coalition efforts, is important not only for the campaign against terrorism, but also further strengthens the U.S.-Japan alliance.

'We applaud Prime Minister Koizumi's strong support and political leadership in this counterterrorism campaign, and for his determination to expand Japan's contributions to international challenges. We also want to give a special note of thanks to Japan's outgoing
Ambassador to the United States, Shunji Yanai, for his contributions in realizing Japan's participation in the counterterrorism campaign, and for his dedication to strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance,' said the US official spokesman.

BIG 5 --Sharjah Firms Announce multi million dhiram Expansion

keralamonitor.com

Dubai; Two Sharjah companies announced multi-million dirham expansion plans today at the Big 5, the giant construction and contracting show being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.Tekab, part of the GIBCA Group, is investing Dhs 80 million in relocating its cable factory in industrial area 13 as part of plans to double its 3,000 tons annual production.

Meanwhile, SKM Airconditioning Equipment is to move to new premises in January in industrial area 13, tripling its factory size. The company claims the 45,000 square metres building will be the Gulf's largest single factory unit. Mohammed Alawneh, Sales Executive, Tekab said his company's new 18,500 square metres factory, due to open by June 2002, will meet growing demand from UAE, Gulf, European, African and Middle East customers. The work force of 250 is expected to increase by up to 35 per cent.

"This is our first time at the Big 5. The interest shown in our products has confirmed the decision to expand is the right one. The show is a strong launch pad in our drive for new business," said Alawneh. Tekab recently signed a Dhs 100 million deal with Sudan's telecommunications provider Sudatel, to supply drop wire, jumper wire and indoor use telephone cable.

"Our customers include leading global network operators, such as British Telecom and, with the planned expansion, we will be in a position to serve other sectors and regions," said Alawneh.Tekab has been involved with a number of major projects in the UAE, including Sharjah's American University, Sahara Centre and Al Tawuun Mall, as well as the City Centre shopping malls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

According to Ahmad Farhan, Marketing Officer, SKM Airconditioning Equipment, its new factory will halve delivery times and allow the introduction of split units with an initial production of 2,500 ."We hope to double production of the split units in the future," said Farhan. "Currently we are Sharjah's third largest exporter with 15 per cent market share and an annual turnover in excess of Dhs 100 million."

Following the expansion SKM will target new markets including North Africa, Iran, Iraq and the Far East. The company already exports to India, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines. " There are 152 exhibitors from the UAE taking part in Big 5 this year, twice the number of last year. Announcements like these, today, show local industry is continuing to expand and confidence is high. I expect this trend to be sustained in the future with government projects and spending going ahead as planned," said Bernard Walsh, Managing Director, dmg Index Exhibitions Limited, organisers of the Big 5.

Around 1,000 companies from 39 countries are taking part in the seven-hall Big 5 show that also has 17 national pavilions. The show, that runs until Wednesday October 31, is open to trade only from 9.30 am until 1pm and 5pm-9pm. Children under 14 will not be admitted.dmg Index Exhibitions Limited is part of the giant dmg World Media, one of the world's leading trade show companies with over 400 events world-wide annually.

Kuwaiti Action Against Illegal Software

Engineering company found to be using 100 unlicensed software applications

keralamonitor.com

Kuwait, 29 October, 2001

The Ministry of Information today announced that it has conducted a raid against an engineering company in Kuwait City, which was found to be using illegal software on 10 of its PCs. Unlicensed copies of Autodesk AutoCad 14, AutoCad 2000, Norton Anti Virus, Adobe P.S 5.5, Adobe Premiere and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Windows 98, Office 97 and Office 2000 were found on the company's computers. The owner requested to settle immediately in order to avoid court action, but was informed by the Ministry to contact their lawyer and that the matter would be transferred to the prosecutor, as dictated by Kuwait's copyright law.

"Copying software without the maker's approval and using unlicensed programs on your computer are against the law, and we will be conducting more action against perpetrators," commented Sheikha Rasha Naif Al-Sabah, Director of the IPR department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information. "Kuwait believes in promoting creativity in all domains and software development is one element of that. We have to let people know that they cannot abuse the law in this manner and that they should pay for software just as they pay for other products and commodities. The software industry is one of the fastest growing in the world, it employs millions worldwide, including in Kuwait and none of them should be denied their rightful revenue"

Kuwait's copyright laws are constantly updated to ensure that they cover all aspects of intellectual property and the Kuwaiti authorities, represented by the Ministry of Information and the Kuwaiti police, carry out constant awareness campaigns and enforcement action to ensure that the law is applied nationwide.
Kuwait's Minister of Information, His Excellence Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, has been actively promoting copyright implementation, where the special IPR department was created specifically to fight copyright infringement throughout the State of Kuwait. This department is under the direct supervision of the Assistant Undersecretary Sheikh Mubarak Duaij Al-Sabah.

"The IT industry in Kuwait is vibrant and full of promise", added Sheikha Rasha, "The Kuwaiti people are always up to adopting new technologies and developing new software for their market, thus, we have to make sure that local developers and legal software resellers who have invested in these products are not hurt by the trade in counterfeits" The Ministry also works closely with local, regional and international software development companies to ensure that the education market is protected and that legal software is made affordable to students and educators. Many companies offer up to 97% discounts to students in order to encourage them to purchase legal software. This means that students will get access to upgrade versions of the products that they have purchased, as well after sales support, for almost the same price as an unsupported, often virus ridden pirate copy.

Ericsson And Extreme Networks Complete Another Ethernet Metro

keralamonitor.com

Dubai, UAE - 27 October 2001 - Market leaders Ericsson and Extreme Networks
are continuing to build high-performance Ethernet metro networks around the
world. The two market leaders have once again collaborated to work with
OGERO Telecom to complete Lebanon's first and only region-wide packet
switched metro network. Ericsson and Extreme Networks have built Ethernet
metro networks in China, Sweden, New Zealand and Italy.

The new communications network spans distances of 65Km and consists of 57
core sites with 36 access sites that will cover all of Lebanon, with an
Ethernet Ring connecting Points of Presence (PoPs) around Beirut and
surrounding major cities. The network is designed for carrier class
performance, featuring a physically redundant network configuration with
fast restoration performed with Extreme Network's Ethernet Automatic
Protection Switching Protocol (EAPS) capability, providing automatic
service recovery over the network within less than one second.

In addition to providing a broadband network service infrastructure for the
region, OGERO Telecom's internal corporate network will also be enhanced
with broadband Ethernet connectivity servicing internal departments
including Sales, Billing, IT, and Maintenance, supporting bandwidth
intensive applications such as IP video conferencing. Completion of the
network, including two phases of testing and switch installation occurred
in less than three weeks.

"The decision to implement Extreme Networks' best-of breed networking,
based on its technology vision of Ethernet Everywhere, makes Lebanon's
broadband communications simple and cost effective," said Dr. M.J. Chawki,
president and CEO of OGERO Telecom. "In addition to reducing the
complexity of our network architecture, it delivers a much more scalable
foundation for the applications and services, such as xDSL and VLANs, that
we will introduce."

HH SHEIKH MOHAMMED OPENS BIG 5
AL OWAIS SAYS FINAL TOUCHES BEING PUT TO GULF GRID

October 27, 2001

keralamonitor.com

Dubai; His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, yesterday opened the largest ever Big 5 construction and contracting exhibition at the Dubai World Trade Centre.HH toured the show, which takes up seven DWTC halls, accompanied by the UAE Minister for Water and Electricity, H.E. Humaid Bin Nasser Al Owais.Briefing journalists at the show, the Minister said GCC electricity chiefs will meet in Riyadh in two days time to put the final touches on the planned two-phase Gulf Grid, regional electricity connection project. The first phase will connect Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain with the second phase connecting the UAE with Oman.

"The UAE's share of the projects total cost is 15.4 per cent which translates into US $169 million," said Al Owais. "Second phase work already pursued has connected Al Ain with Waset in Oman while future connection points have been identified to link Ras Al Khaimah with the Musandam." The Minister also said the first phase of the nationwide Emirates grid, which improved connections in Ras Al Khaimah, was now complete and the Ministry has now appointed a consultancy to evaluate the second phase, which will connect Abu Dhabi with Dubai and Sharjah.

Al Owais also said all UAE Ministries were now working together to establish one e-government network. "This will greatly ease information transfer," said the Minister.

After touring the Big 5, which features around 1,000 companies from 39 countries and has 17 national pavilions, the Minister praised the show and declared it was a solid example of international confidence in the UAE.

"After recent international events we could have expected that the level of participation in the show to fall below last year --- but in fact we have seen a 20% increase in the number of exhibitors. This is clearly a result of the excellent business reputation of the UAE and Dubai and demonstrates that worldwide confidence in the country remains," he said.The Big 5 is organised by dmg Index Exhibitions. The show is open to trade visitors only from 9.30am until 1pm and 5pm to 9pm. Children under 14 will not be admitted.

Aviation Finance Chiefs to Address Dubai meet

October 27, 2001
keralamonitor.com

Aviation experts from nine countries are due in Dubai next week for the second Annual Middle East Aviation Finance Conference ­ the first international gathering of aviation industry leaders since last month’s dramatic downturn in the airline sector. "The conference will focus on the activities, challenges and problems in the region’s aviation industry," said Caroll Everest, Commercial Aviation Report, which is organising the event.

Taking place from November 2-4, as part of the Dubai air show programme, the conference will welcome a host of speakers from the finance, airline fuel supply, leasing, manufacturing and maintenance, insurance, government, cargo and legal sectors.

Dermot Manion, Chief Director, Finance, I.T. and Services of Emirates is to provide the conference with an industry status and overview while Qatar Airways’ Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker will address ‘Managing The Growth Of A Small National Carrier." Bankers from Deutsche Bank, Credit Agricole Indosuez and Linklaters & Alliance will explore financing issues including, capital markets, new structures and Islamic financing.

Other key topics for discussion include, privatisation, the future of fuel prices as well as the registration of aircraft and security interests in the Gulf states. The conference, at the Royal Meridien Hotel & Spa, Jumeirah Beach, is one of two industry meetings being held alongside Dubai 2001, which takes place at Airport Expo Dubai from November 4-8.

A second conference, devoted to the use of I.T. in the aviation sector, will be held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel on November 3. Dubai 2001, the 7th international aerospace exhibition, has exhibitors from 33 countries and 10 national pavilions, including first time official participation from a Swedish group. Industry only visitors can register to attend the show by logging on to www.dubai-2001.com. The show is organised by Fairs and Exhibitions in conjunction with the Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and in collaboration with the UAE Armed Forces.

Global launch of Arabic & English editions of Microsoft Windows XP in Dubai ignites regional IT industry

keralamonitor.com

Dubai, UAE, October 25, 2001: Microsoft today simultaneously launched the Arabic and English versions of Windows XP, the highly anticipated next major version of the Windows operating system, at a gala launch event held at the American University in Dubai (AUD). Windows XP Home and Professional editions are now available across the region with the product's arrival being slated as a boost to the regional IT industry.

Over 800 Microsoft partners, customers and the media joined top company officials at the launch which showcased the opportunities that Windows XP offers for both home and business users for creating, connecting and communicating better in the digital era.

A visibly excited Bahram Mohazzebi, General Manager, Microsoft GEM (Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean) said: "The Windows XP launch marks the biggest step forward in the PC experience since Windows 95. We believe customers will now be able to unleash the full power of their PC to help them at work, home and school because of the new operating system's reliability, dependability and simplicity."

In a special video address Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect said: "Simply put, Windows XP is the best operating system Microsoft has ever built. The performance improvements and advanced features of Windows XP are the culmination of more than 15 years of research, development and customer feedback. For customers, computer manufacturers and industry partners, Windows XP truly underscores the excitement and potential of the digital decade ahead of us."


Windows XP builds on the momentum of the Internet and digital media with improvements that increase productivity and provide both business and home users with an easy-to-use and exciting PC experience. Windows XP extends the personal computing experience by uniting PCs, devices and services, and brings the solid foundation of Windows 2000 to home PC users, enhancing reliability, security and performance.

The launch of the new operating system has been widely supported by the global as well as regional IT industries. Mazen Shehadah, Product Marketing Manager-Windows XP at Microsoft GEM said: "All of us at Microsoft GEM are very encouraged by the response by our partners in ensuring that their hardware is now Windows XP compatible." The regional partners include Compaq, Hewlett Packard (HP), Fujitsu Siemens, Dell Computers, Acer and Intel Corporation.

Home & Professional Editions


The AUD event marked the launch of both the Home and Professional editions of Windows XP. Explaining the two editions Shehadah said: "Windows XP Home Edition is designed for individuals or families at home and includes experiences for digital media, home networking and communications. Windows XP Professional is the operating system of choice for businesses of all sizes and for people who demand the most out of their computing. Windows XP Professional adds remote access, security, performance, manageability and multilingual features to help users improve productivity, connectivity and work even smarter.

"Windows XP is the PC experience both home and business users have been looking for with the reliability and stability they have always wanted as well as end-to-end experiences with digital photos, music and communication."

Ahead of the launch today, Microsoft provided Windows XP for special previews to key customers in the region - Dubai Internet City (DIC), ARAMEX and Public Warehousing Corporation (PWC) - all of whom endorse the operating system as Microsoft's best yet. Ms. Hanadi Ayoub, Internal Services Manager at the DIC had this to say: "With Windows XP, Microsoft has built upon the stability of the Windows 2000 platform, while adding a whole range of exciting features that further empower organizations."
- more -

Samer Awajan, Chief Technology Architect at Jordan-based ARAMEX explained: "In a business operation such as ours, which requires a robust IT network spread over several geographical locations, reliability, scalability and 24/7 uptime is critical. While previewing the new Windows XP, we were impressed by the high degree of reliability, security and easy interface that the new operating system provides."

"The new operating system is ideal for a work environment such as ours, with a range of business interests and a large number of knowledge workers across our network," said Mohammed Ghassan Farra, Director, Strategic Business Solutions at Kuwait-based PWC.

While the large enterprises have already vouched for the operating software, Microsoft GEM is also focusing strategically on the fast growing Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) sector in the region. "We have a dedicated business group to help these organizations adopt Windows XP and benefit from the immense value addition it provides in terms of reliability, scalability and performance," added Shehadah.Windows XP Home Edition will be available in an upgrade version for USD 99 and in a standard version for USD199. Windows XP Professional will be available in an upgrade version for USD 199 and in a standard version for USD 299.

Mazen Shehadah (left), Product Marketing Manager, Windows XP, Microsoft GEM, and Majd Abbas, Localization Program Manager, Complex Script Operating Systems, Microsoft, addressing the Microsoft Windows XP launch event at the American University in Dubai, on October 25, 2001