Keralamonitor.com August 28 2004 Onam.

Cheating, Misleading by Agents Rampant in the Gulf Insurance Sector

Special to KM

MUSCAT -- A semi literate expatriate worker buys a life insurance policy from a foreign insurance company operating in the Sultanate through a local agent who assured him that if he regularly pays the premium of around RO 400 for seven consecutive years, the policy holder would get $50000 at the end! The premium amount was less and by making simple arithmetic the agent made him believe through sweet talks that the insurance policy is the most lucrative investment option. The policyholder was given the idea that he would get back $50000 after seven years. However, the poor policyholder realised only after seven long years that the policy he bought would mature only after 13 years and that he would not be eligible to get back the full amount of money promised by the agent. He or his nominee would have got $50000 only if he met with an accident or death during the policy coverage period. On maturity he would be eligible to get only a small amount! Full Report

Rampant Corruption mars SSLC Examinations of Gulf Indian Schools

I have read your article CBSE Question Paper leak out; New measures to strengthen exam control
with great interest.

I would like to draw your attention to S.S.L.C examinations conducted in the UAE by Kerala State Government. It is an open secret that teachers who are associated with the Education Ministers party (whether it is LDF or UDF) will be deputed to supervise examinations in Gulf countries. In return, these teachers bring valuable gift items from Gulf for the minister and personnel staff.

These teachers in turn adopt a 'make hay while the sun shines' policy and try to derive maximum benefit from their visit. School authorities in the Gulf offer 'whatever' these visiting invigilators ask for. Some people are contend with a few electronic items like DVD, VCR, Handycam etc., while some others are offered wine & women also. This is the secret why the schools in UAE score 100% pass in SSLC examinations. I have noticed that some students (whom I know personally), who are below well average level, has scored more than 60% in their SSLC exams.

I was present at a teacher friend's flat in Abu Dhabi, when he was giving 'treat' to a visiting invigilator from Kerala. Later, this headmaster got state award, just because of his proxomity to the then Education Minister. Once while we were coming out from an Education Minister's official residence, an headmaster from a school in my native place was entering with a gift for the minister's wife.

Now, the NRK organizations in the UAE are lobbying for Medicine/Enginnering Entrance Test Centres in the UAE. I am totally against this as I am sure that my NRK brothers in the UAE will bribe the invigilators to make sure that their children tops the entrance result.

Thanks

A KM Reader .

India and Kuwait Agrees to Extradite Criminals

The following is the text of the joint press statement issued on the conclusion of the two day Visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs, State of Kuwait H.E. Sheikh (Dr.) Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah here last evening: More News

Dubai eGovernment announces IT competitions' winners as DSS draws to a close

August 28, 2004

Dubai eGovernment brought the curtain down on its activities at Dubai Summer Surprises 2004 by announcing the winners of its two major IT-based competitions, eChamp and eStar, which had generated a tremendous response at Modhesh Fun City.The two final winners were the ones who had achieved the highest score in the weekly competitions. Mohsin Abdul Sattar computer enthusiast, was declared the winner of eChamp, while Anup Bishnoi won the eStar competition. Each winner was presented with a laptop by Dubai eGovernment.

A total number of 1,400 participants took part in the two competitions, 60 per cent of them were men and 40 per cent female. UAE nationals made up the majority with 40 per cent, followed by 25 per cent from Saudi Arabia, 5 per cent from Kuwait and the remaining 30 per cent from other nationalities. Around 70 per cent of the participants were under 18 years old, while the remaining were adults above 18 years of age.eChamp, which targeted youngsters aged between 7 and18, tested the participants' skills in Word, Excel and Internet browsing. Dubai eGovernment ran testing centres at Modhesh Fun City where participants sat for an exam. Each week, the participant with the highest grade was selected. At the end of DSS the ten top contestants vied for the title of eChamp. eStar followed a similar format but targeted older participants above the age of 18.

Pravasi Bandhu Praises P Chidambaram on NRI Tax issue

Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust has been campaigning single handy against the proposal of tax on interest on NRE; FCNR and RFC accounts from day one Reserve Bank of India propose it. We continue our campaign to withdraw the tax proposal from the budget also form the day the budget present in the parliament. As the result of our untiring effort, today Indian Parliament passed the finance bill with an amendment to withdraw the tax proposal till April 2005. We appreciate the Finance Minister of India for taking this wise decision. We express our thanks to all the members of parliament and all media who support us on this issue. It is a great relief for Now Non Resident Indians, now they have time to plan and manage their investment properly. We appeal all NRI organisations world over to pressure the government of India to withdraw the proposal fully.

K V Shamsudheen

Truckers Strike called off

The strike called by All India Motor Transport Congress (AITMC) was called off after reaching an agreement with the Government in the early hours of this morning here today.

According to agreement, Ministry of Finance would make suitable rules/notifications as required and also define "commercial concern" and "consignment note" to make it clear that truck owners and truck operators are not required to pay or collect Service Tax. Government reiterated that the Service Tax on Goods Transport Agency will not fall on truck owners or truck operators. The rules/notifications would be finalized in consultation with a Committee set up for this purpose. Service tax will be levied and collected on the basis of the said rules/notifications. The Committee which would include representatives from the transport industry and Government will look into appropriate mechanism/modalities for collection and payment of Service Tax by commercial concerns. It would submit its report within a period of 2 months. Steps would be taken by the Income Tax Department to simplify the problem of refund of TDS by truck owners.

The following are the other issues on which agreement was reached between AIMTC & Ministry of Road Transport & Highways:

Scrapping of 8/15 year old vehicles: Government agrees to examine the problems faced by transport sector in this regard.

Thirty Part Insurance: The Chairman, IRDA will be requested to ensure that the insurance companies strictly follow the guidelines of IRDA issued from time to time and take suitable action against those companies violating the guidelines.

Toll The Government has already set up a Committee in this regard. The Committee will be requested to expedite submission of its Report and the recommendations of the Committee will be considered by the Government.

Security on National Highways: The Government will issue fresh directives to State Governments to revive State Committees to ensure safety on the Highways.Following withdrawal of strike, Government would move the Court to withdraw cases against those arrested under ESMA during this strike.

Abu Dhabi's west coast set for tourism development New five-star resort to spearhead region's promotion

(Abu Dhabi, August 2004): With extensive beach and desert sands that have remained undiscovered by overseas visitors, the region around Jebel Dhanna in the Abu Dhabi emirate is set to become the latest Gulf hotspot for tourism, according to industry figures.

The opening this autumn of the deluxe 109-room Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna is expected to fuel interest in the undiscovered attractions of the west coast of Abu Dhabi, offering a comfortable and appealing base from where both leisure and incentive travellers can explore farther afield than the traditional UAE tours.Fish, dive and drive safaris are available as well as exclusive tours of the Sir Bani Yas wildlife reserve island, located just 9km off the coast.

According to Manoj Kanwal, general manager of the Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna, Sir Bani Yas will be one of the major attractions for visitors to the area."At the resort, we offer all the typical deluxe hotel amenities such as a pristine beach, pool and sports facilities, landscaped gardens, a variety of restaurants and a health and fitness club.

"However, visitors can also benefit from our location, well away from the urban development farther up the coast," he said, pointing to the opportunities for safaris deep in to the undeveloped sands of the Empty Quarter, as well as Gulf fishing and scuba trips, and exclusive tours of Sir Bani Yas.

The hotel, owned and operated by the National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels (NCT&H), is set to place the corporation firmly in the forefront of UAE tourism development."Offering a unique product in a 'new' location, the resort will appeal to both local and overseas visitors," said Kanwal. "It will offer yet another aspect to the attractions of the UAE, as the country continues to diversify its tourism infrastructure."

Already, the hotel has confirmed bookings from German, Swiss and Austrian tour operators for the forthcoming winter season, underlining the desire of European tourists to explore new, undiscovered, areas of the country.

According to a NCT&H spokesperson, the resort complements the corporation's existing network of properties in Abu Dhabi emirate, as well as offering top-of-the-range facilities to attract sectors such as the conference and incentive markets to the west coast for the first time.As well as extensive banqueting, meeting rooms and outside areas catering for up to 1,000 guests, the resort also features a par-36 nine hole sand golf course and a driving range, an additional attraction for incentive and leisure visitors.

Content providers have access to 31 million mobile subscribers in the Middle East through Info2cell.com's DIC WASP platform

Info2cell.com's hi-tech facility at Dubai Internet City is linked to 11 operators across the Middle East and Europe

August 22, 2004 Info2cell.com, the region's leading wireless information service provider, has gained a host of high-profile customers for its WASP (Wireless Application Service Provider) platform that provides potential access to 31 million mobile phone subscribers in the Middle East, saving the content providers the big financial investment needed for setting up their own mobile gateway networks.

Based at Dubai Internet City, the WASP platform of Info2cell.com offers the most advanced mobile messaging technology to enable content providers to deliver messages and data to mobile phones, including SMS, MMS, WAP, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Video, Ring-Tones, Picture Messages, Interactive TV services, Interactive radio Services, Bulk SMS services and Java games. The platform also enables Mobile Applications providers with the ability to co host their application at Info2cell.com hosting facility and Mobile enable their applications to the region.

Among the major customers of Info2cell.com's WASP service are leading news and information providers such as AFP, BBC, AME Info, Rotana and Al Bawaba.com. Info2cell.com has established links with 11 service providers covering the GCC and the Levant region in order to expand the subscriber base. Additionally, the WASP facilities can provide access to millions of subscribers in Europe and North America through its parent company, Acotel.

"The Middle East media industry has witnessed an unprecedented growth in recent years. Satellite television and the Internet have brought about a major revolution on the media scene. New technology and the resultant options to choose the desired content are placing new challenges before content providers who are required to explore new delivery channels to stay ahead of competition," said Bashar Dahabra, Founder and General Manager, Info2cell.com.

"Info2cell, backed by the expertise of Acotel which has had extensive experience in creating delivery solutions in the European markets, is now providing Middle East content providers a next-generation platform to tap the potential for more innovative applications of mobile phone technology. We have invested US$ 3 million to set up a state of the art facility for customized messaging solutions for regional and international companies," Dahabra added.

Info2cell.com's new service is designed to provide various types of services relating to information content (news updates and general information), entertainment content (games, ring tones and images), multimedia content (MMS) and application content (chat, email, calendar and web to SMS). It can provide video-streaming and audio-streaming content in both push and pull models to suit customer requirements.

The company is targeting existing content providers such as TV and radio networks, news portals and publication houses as well as professionals like Poets, Financial Analysts, Sports Writers, Photographers, Graphic Designers and Cartoonists who wish to deliver content to target customers.

The Info2cell.com WASP platform provides a ready infrastructure for content providers, who would normally have to spend anything between US$ 1 to US$ 2 million on the two critical components of Mobile Messaging Gateway, Value Added Service Servers (VAS) and a Content Management System, in addition to the variable costs of hardware, software, systems maintenance, human support and office space if they were to set up their own systems.

The new facility brings numerous benefits to clients. By subscribing to Info2cell.com's WASP platform, content providers can enjoy time to market saving of between 12 and 18 months and financial savings of over US$ 1 million. It also assures quick returns. Further, ready solutions for handling billing complexities are part of the platform allowing clients to user their existing billing interfaces while dealing with payments in different currencies. The system also allows clients to utilize their own channels for promoting the service through a Bulk SMS and Bulk MMS services.

The new platform has been designed to cater to the future applications of mobile phone technology, as it supports GSM, GPRS and 3G networks. It also offers multi lingual options, with a choice of languages that include Arabic, English, Italian, Spanish and French. The platform permits multiple subscription facilities through SMS subscription, web based subscription, WAP subscription and IVR subscription. Info2cell.com's WASP ensures guaranteed uninterrupted service due to the leading edge systems that power the platform at Dubai Internet City.

Info2cell.com is offering attractive and flexible terms to the region's content providers, with two options. A revenue sharing arrangement allows clients to share revenue according to an agreed formula. The other option is to pay a fixed set-up fee and a regular monthly fee.

A number of content providers have already joined the platform. BBC and AME Info.com use the service to deliver their news and info alerts to mobile subscribers across the region. Acomedia has subscribed to the service for delivering MMS content and Java games. Jinny from Ireland is using the service for launch of trial of its SMS chat, SMS email, SMS calendar and notification systems.

GULF AIR CONTINUES TO SET RECORDS AT SEEB INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Passenger levels increase by 60 per cent over last year

Muscat, Oman, 22 August 2004: The Sultanate of Oman continues to drive Gulf Air's performance for 2004. Performance figures for the period from January to July 2004, just released by the national airline, show over 900,000 passengers flew to and from Seeb International Airport - an increase of 60 per cent on the same period last year. The strong passenger performance has been significantly bolstered by the introduction of daily, direct service between Muscat and London, and Muscat and Karachi.

"Since the new London route was launched at the end of June flights have been near full capacity every day," said James Hogan, Gulf Air's President and Chief Executive. "Given the popularity of this route and the fact Gulf Air operates more flights from Seeb International than any other carrier, we are confident our performance will remain strong throughout 2004."

Gulf Air has also experienced a significant increase in its premium services, which the airline attributes to the range of innovative services it recently introduced to the Oman market. Customers on the London flights can expect Gulf Air's full range of onboard services including the Sky Chef service in the First Class cabin, the equivalent of a first class menu for Business Class passengers, Gulf Air's unique Sky Nanny service in all cabins and a full line- up of new, in flight entertainment. Another added benefit for travellers to and from Muscat is Gulf Air's Luxury Car Transfer Service for its First and Business Class passengers.

"Clearly our strong performance in first seven months of this year demonstrates that the investment we have made in our services, frequencies and network connections are paying dividends," added Mr. Hogan. "Today Gulf Air service is second to none, and combines more than 50 years of experience with modern, innovative new ideas." Gulf Air is on track to carry in excess of seven million passengers across its 32 country, 50 city network, up from six million last year.

Wataniya Telecom Algerie launches new national GSM network Nedjma set to offer unparalleled services

Click photo for detailed view from the gulf executive page

Algiers, August 28th 2004 Wataniya Telecom Algerie has launched Nedjma, the country's new national GSM network, equipped with advanced capabilities including national-class network support for high speed mobile Internet access based on the EDGE technology. Wataniya Telecom Algerie is the first operator in North Africa to announce the deployment of the EDGE technology. The network also supports advanced content services and multimedia services.

"We have built a world-class network in Algeria that will open access to a wide range of new ways for people to work and play, supporting the development of Algeria's business community and helping to build its national technical capabilities," said Faysal Al Ayyar, Chairman of Wataniya Telecom.

Since being awarded the licence on December 2nd 2003, Wataniya Telecom Algerie has focused on developing a world- class network. The capacity to effectively develop operations is based upon experience in providing relevant mobile services, the speed with which an operator can roll out its coverage and the competitive pricing of its services.

Al Ayyar continued : " None of this would be possible - here in Algeria - without the dedication and commitment of more than 700 employees - most of them Algerians - who have been working diligently in their respective areas of this operation for the days, weeks and months leading up to this occasion. It's because of this tireless commitment, that today we are poised to offer Algerians a wide array of services at launch. In addition to providing essential mobile telephony services through our shops in Algiers, Constantine, and Oran, our state-of-the-art, feature-rich network is equipped to offer services such as GPRS, EDGE, MMS, WAP and Roaming. "

As Nedjma continues the deployment and move toward full network optimisation throughout the country, these products and services will become available through more extensive distribution channels. Wataniya Telecom today serves over 1.5 million customers through its networks across the Middle East and North Africa, in Kuwait, Iraq and Tunisia, and now Algeria. And by the end of 2005, Nedjma is expected to cover 48 states in Algeria. " With an initial investment of US$421 million, we are committed to offering the best GSM services in Algeria, and to becoming the network of choice for the Algerian people, " Al Ayyar ended.

Nedjma is offering an innovative and competitive pricing strategy that bills users on a per second basis after the first minute of talking time. With La Carte Nedjma, the user is given a choice of the best prices in the market: 15 Algerian Dinar/minute (with/including TTC fees). Prices go as low as 7.5 Algerian Dinar/minute (with/including TTC fees) by virtue of the free additional balance.

Nedjma proposes a wide variety of offers to all users who want to make use of its services such as: La Carte, Le Forfait, Le Forfait Partage, Le Fortfait Entreprise. These innovative offers allow Nedjma customers to enjoy unparalleled privileges. Thanks to the unprecedented prices available in the Algerian market; distance is irrelevant when making international calls. For instance, calling a landline in France will cost 15 Algerian Dinars (with/including TTC Fees). (KM Kuwait Bureau)

Asteco Announces New Senior Management Appointment

Dubai, UAE: Asteco, the UAE's largest property management company announced today the appointment of John Stevens to Asteco's senior management team in the position of General Manager of the Sharjah office and Director of Property Management.

Mr. Stevens' mandate will include responsibility for developing local business opportunities across the Emirates, working to identify and implement strategic management solutions.Mr. Stevens brings a wealth of property management experience to Asteco. Having worked in South Asia for the last 10 years he is recognised as one of the premier real estate advisors in the region.

"I am excited to join the Asteco Property team, with whose support I can grow as a professional, lead by example, seek a new level of excellence and provide the very best service to my clients" said Mr. Stevens. He added, "The Asteco Property emphasis on bringing talented and likeminded professionals together and supporting them to develop creative and sound real estate solutions is where I believe our industry must go. I am proud to be part of this movement to strive for excellence and be responsible for the creation of a powerful Property Management operation around the Asteco Property philosophy and platforms."

Elaine Jones, Asteco's Managing Director commented that "We are all extremely excited that John has joined Asteco. His talent, experience and success represent a strong asset to Asteco at this stage in the company's development." She said, "We believe that Sharjah is entering a period of international appreciation with strong growth predicted over the next decade and John's involvement in our Sharjah office will be instrumental to realising Asteco's success in the Emirate."

Panasonic to introduce new laser fax and all-in-one models at GITEX Dubai 2004

August 28, 2004 Panasonic, the leading global manufacturer of consumer electronics, telecommunications and home appliances products, will unveil its latest range of laser fax and all-in one machines, part of its office solutions line, at GITEX Dubai 2004. The exhibition will be held at Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) from October 3 to 7, 2004.

"The new range includes the all-in-one KX-FLB756, KX-FL512 and KX-FL542 models targeted at medium to large offices due to their enhanced flexibility and multi-tasking capabilities. All models offer an unparalleled combination of quality, speed and very low maintenance costs in a competitive price segment," said Shigeru Uno, General Manager, System products, Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE, Dubai.

The KX-FLB756 combines a fax, telephone, scanner, PC Fax, laser copier with fast 10ppm (pages per minute) print speed and low-cost laser printing - all in one space-saving unit. Available in a compact desktop design, the KX-FLB756 is an ideal replacement for current users of Inkjet and Plain paper fax where the running cost is very high. "Its quick rate of printing out received faxes and very low running cost makes it ideally suited to the larger volume requirements of medium and large offices," added Uno.

The KX-FLB756's fax delivers crisp 600 dpi laser output at 10 pages per minute while printing original documents or copying faxes. As a fax, the KX-FLB756 is designed for fast, efficient fax transmission at speeds up to 33.6 kbps (4 seconds per page), considerably minimizing costs when sending a long distance fax. It can also store up to 150 pages in its built-in memory for memory transmission or out-of-paper reception, making it ideal for broadcasting multi-page documents to multiple locations.

The KX-FLB756 also offers a Dual Access Operation, which allows users to run two operations at the same time, thus quickening the pace of the operation. For instance, while the KX-FLB756 is busy sending or receiving a memory-based fax, any additional documents can be stored to send later.

The KX-FLB756's scanner is in a convenient flat-bed design which allows users to scan pages from books, magazines, or desired portion of newspaper in 1,200 dpi. Moreover the Quick Scan feature allows users to spend less time waiting for documents to scan. The scanner can rapidly scan a document into memory and then send the document from memory to the recipient. Furthermore this flat-bed laser fax performs a range of advanced laser copier functions in 600 dpi with a 10 ppm print speed with enlarge, reduce, collate (sort) and multiple copy features..

The FLB756 can be connected to PCs running Microsoft®Windows® 95/98/Me/2000/XP and Windows NT®4.0 to work as an advanced multi-function system such as a PC printer, PC scanner or PC fax. Multi-function software (Multifunction Station) is included.

The KX-FL542 is a laser Fax, copier and telephone all in one, with a fast, efficient fax transmission speeds of up to 33.6 kbps. The KX-FL542 offers the professional look of laser printing, while the laser copier function helps assure high quality reproduction. It can print / copy documents in crisp 600 dpi resolution, at a fast rate of 14 pages per minute.Also equipped with a Dual Access Operation, the KX-FL542 has a huge memory that can store up to 340 pages in its built-in memory and offers out-of-paper reception for up to 512 pages, so users don't need to worry about the machine running out of paper on the weekends. The fax also has a navigator key to assist users in storing up to 122 names and phone numbers. Panasonic's office solutions range is available through its UAE distributor, Al Futtaim Panatech, part of the Al Futtaim Group.

Middle East Banking Industry Faces Race to Regulatory Compliance

Middle East banks should begin compliance process in order to keep up with international banking industry says leading storage company

Dubai,25 August 2004 : The introduction of new global financial regulations has left banks the world over facing storage system overhaul in order to become regulation compliant says Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd and a leading storage provider. Hitachi Data Systems, with its extensive experience in assisting banks in Europe to ramp up to compliance has signalled to Middle East banks to act quickly while there's still time

"Middle East banks have always been very conscientious with regards to keeping up with international standards and as a result this is a booming industry. Recent developments in international regulations present the Middle East banking industry with a critical opportunity to act quickly and come out on top and in control of the situation," says John Bentley Sales Director Middle East Hitachi Data Systems. "These regulations are likely to place a huge strain on most companies' IT systems and will present a new challenge for data storage, recovery and business continuity. The financial industry is looking at a significant investment of time and effort, as well as capital, in order to comply with the data retention and disaster recovery requirements.

The regulations cover three main areas; Basel II outlines policies for the support of data collection, storage and analysis. SEC regulations underpin disaster recovery and online retention of e-mail while Sarbanes-Oxley specifies requirements for financial support. The regulations will require banks to retain records for anything up to eight years, and be able to call up and access these records on demand. "Although this all might seem unreasonable, consider how many e-mails are sent back and forth containing the same data; multiple copies of the same data slow systems down and eat up investment. Hitachi Data System's storage solutions index archives copies by subject heading, body text and attachments in order to delete multiple copies, cutting down on costs and increasing efficiency "says Bentley.

In accordance with regulations demanding accountability and transparency as well as data archiving for anything up to eight years, banks are being required to invest an unplanned and unbudgeted amount of money and time for overhauling existing systems. In addition to this, the regulations will also require all financial institutions to regularly update and test their disaster recovery arrangements. To ensure that data can be immediately recovered, Hitachi Data Systems advises companies to invest in back up systems located at a safe distance, or even in out of region locations, in case of disasters natural or otherwise.

The process of overhauling and restructuring existing IT and storage systems is a long and costly one. With the introduction of regulations that are setting standards for the global financial playing field, no bank can afford to sit on the matter. "Planning and action now can prevent dissatisfied customers later," ends Bentley.

Network Associates Awarded Patent for Combination of Techniques and Practices in McAfee Anti-Spam Solution

August 23, 2004 Network Associates, Inc., the leading provider of intrusion prevention solutions, recently announced that it has been granted US Patent number 6,732,157 entitled 'Comprehensive anti-spam system, method, and computer program product for filtering unwanted e-mail messages.' The newly granted patent covers various IT program products, systems and methods for filtering unwanted e-mail messages. Usage of a combination of techniques for filtering unwanted e-mail in accordance with the principles of the patented invention gives software and appliances the ability to make 'intelligent' decisions about the e-mail messages customers receive. This helps in the detection and prevention of unsolicited or unwanted e-mail messages.

Patrick Hayati, Regional Director, Network Associates, Middle East stated, "Spam is more than just an irritant, it is a serious problem worldwide, costing business and individuals huge losses in terms of wastage of time, productivity and bandwidth. With a rising percentage of Internet usage in the Middle East region, users here may be increasingly vulnerable, a problem compounded by lack of awareness on security measures available to safeguard against spam."

While it has become progressively more difficult to detect the difference between legitimate and illegitimate e-mail as spammers become more advanced in their methods of sending unsolicited e-mail, the granted patent encompasses systems, methods and computer program products that use a combination of techniques or rules in order to make determinations as accurate and effective as possible. According to a particular example among many encompassed by the newly granted patent, a combination of techniques used to filter unwanted e-mail messages implements multiple levels of protection including, but not limited to, compound filters, paragraph hashing and Bayesian rules (probability theory used to filter spam based on email content).

"Using a mixture of methods for detecting and preventing unwanted e-mail helps make McAfee anti-spam solutions as effective as possible," said Jeff Green, vice president of engineering at Network Associates, Inc. "Our patented technology provides our customers with reliable anti-spam solutions as they have come to expect from the industry-leading McAfee brand."

Philips Study: The World Watches TV, But Each Country in Its Own Way

- Study shows, among other things, that 32% of Indians watch movies with the lights on, 52% of Russians would prefer a FlatTV to a Rolex and 45% of Mexicans plan to record some part of the 2004 Olympic Games -

Dubai, UAE, August 23, 2004 - We all know that home entertainment products have spread to the four corners of the globe. However, despite the universality of these products, people, it seems, have retained their distinct local habits for watching TV, according to an interesting new study by Philips Electronics.

More than 6,000 consumers from 13 countries ranging from India and China to the United States and Brazil participated in the survey of home viewing habits. Among the findings: Indians are the most likely to watch movies with the lights on (32% of respondents preferred this), while 28% of Russians chose to watch their films by candlelight. On the other hand, 57% of Brazilians said they prefer to watch movies in total darkness.

Khaled Tuer, Philips Regional General Manager, Middle East and Africa, Philips, said the company sponsors such research - among many others on a variety of topics in markets all over the world - to stay abreast of changing consumer needs and preferences. He noted that the information gleaned from such reports plays an important part in the company's multifaceted research and development program, since Philips designers use these insights to build products that offer consumers richer, deeper entertainment experiences.

Many other topics were addressed in the study, including when and why people watch sporting events at home, what consumers would give up to own a large screen TV, what viewers plan to record during the 2004 Olympic Games and who decides what to watch on the family TV.

According to the report conducted for Philips by Harris Interactive, there were many reasons why consumers chose to watch movies at home, rather than at the cinema. More than a third of Indian and Chinese respondents said they watched movies at home because of the comfort of being in their living rooms. Nearly a third of Germans and Americans said their number one reason for staying home was to save money.

With the Olympic Games on television this summer, the Philips Home Entertainment Study was sure to ask how viewers would preserve their memories of this quadrennial event. Interestingly, 45% of Mexicans, more than any other nationality, planned to record at least one Olympic event, with consumers in Brazil and China close behind. Among viewers in all countries, the opening and closing ceremonies, football and track and field were the most popular events to record.

Speaking of sports, the study found that respondents in seven of 13 countries agreed that the main reason to watch a sporting event on TV, rather than going to the game, is to "see the action better". Forty percent of Americans, however, said cost was their main reason for watching sporting events at home. What's more, 77% of Indians said watching sporting events on a big screen TV was better than being at the game.

While 64% of Chinese respondents said watching sports on a big screen TV was better than an expensive meal at a favourite restaurant, 25% of Russians also claimed that they preferred big screen TV viewing.

Delving further into the psyche of global consumers, the Philips survey asked respondents to compare owning a flat screen TV against other expenditures. About half the Russian, French and Spanish respondents would rather have a FlatTV than a Rolex watch. FlatTVs were preferred by 30% of Indians over a luxury vacation, while 50% of Russians and 43% of Belgians would rather have a FlatTV than an expensive piece of art, which like a FlatTV, can hang on the wall.

The study gave some insight into the eternal question of whether children or parents control what is on the family TV. Mexicans, more than any other nationality, allow children to choose what is watched. Eleven percent of Chinese respondents, the next highest group, said children in the home make that decision.

The Philips Home Entertainment Survey, which contacted male and female participants aged 20-55 through online, telephone and face-to-face surveys, took place in Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Al-Falak to target cyber security market in the Middle East

August 23, 2004 Al-Falak, the leading IT and Communications solutions provider in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, has recently signed a distributor agreement with Vanguard Integrity Professionals to service corporate and government clients in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The Kingdom of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Al-Falak will distribute Vanguard's comprehensive suite of information security software solutions throughout the region.

"The new agreement supports the fact that protecting a company or country's critical infrastructure is clearly a global concern. In the Middle East, with regional economies experiencing exponential growth, businesses and government department become prime targets for hackers seeking to access sensitive information," explained David Philpot, General Manager, Al-Falak Software Products Division (SPD). "Al Falak's SPD is one of the major software distributors in the Arabian Gulf region. We have extensive knowledge of the IT market in the Gulf and we have been aware for some time now that companies and Government organizations are increasingly worried about their systems security. We believe that Vanguard's security products will be of great interest to all major organizations in the Gulf and look forward to a fruitful relationship with Vanguard.

Under the terms of the agreement, Al-Falak SPD will offer regional clients Vanguards security software solutions including the Administrator, which provides easy, automated security administration; the Advisor, which offers intelligent security event analysis, detection, notification, and automated electronic report distribution; the Analyzer, for providing operating system and security assessment, risk identification, and threat analysis, as well as specific recommendations on how to fix problems that the software identifies; the Enforcer, which is an Intrusion Detection solution for continuous monitoring, enforcing, and alerting; and the Security Centre, which offers Windows-based point-and-click simplicity for decentralized RACF (Restricted Access Control Facility) security administration.

The agreement will also add to Al-Falak SPD's portfolio a range of specialised Enterprise Security solutions, most notably, the ez/SignOn, an Enterprise Identity Management Solution; the ez/AccessControl for extending Mainframe Security to the Windows environment throughout the enterprise; and the ez/Integrator for bringing Mainframe Security to enterprise applications.

"Our success internationally affirms that protecting critical data, a company or country's most valuable asset, is top priority and is now recognized as the obligation for officials with fiduciary responsibility," said Tom Vogt, President and Chief Operating Officer, Vanguard Integrity Professionals. "Information security is a major concern as 80% of the world's critical data and 85% of the world's critical transactions resides on mainframes. Vanguard's products protect the data and transactions from malicious intent or unintentional sabotage."

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon™: Jungle Storm™ on N-Gage hits the stores

Dubai, UAE- August 2, 2004: Nokia today announced that it has shipped Gameloft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm for the N-Gage platform. In the first ever full-fledged tactical FPS game on portable console, gamers try to take out a Columbian drug cartel. Up to eight players can engage in adversarial or cooperative gaming via Bluetooth wireless technology. "We are excited to start shipping another Tom Clancy title for the N-Gage platform", says Zsolt Ménesi, Marketing Manager, Nokia Middle East Middle East and North Africa. "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm has been specifically designed to bring gamers a unique, action-packed 3D multiplayer experience available only on the N-Gage platform." With mission, modes and maps exclusive to the N-Gage platform, gamers can attack convoys, eliminate warlords and rescue hostages in order to restore the order in Columbia. Impressive 3D graphics with effects like fog, rain and night vision further enhance this immersive mobile gaming experience.

TALK OF UK PROPERTY CRASH IS ILL-FOUNDED

Dubai-based Mahmood predicts market slowdown at worst

(Dubai, August 2004): Talk of a property crash in Britain is ill-founded, says Haroon Mahmood of MiNC Property Enterprises, who stressed that recent increases in interest rates will merely slow the boom of recent years. Recent reports in the UK have predicted a drop in prices of up to 30 per cent, but Mahmood attributes this to "scare-mongering", rather than logical analysis.Mahmood, director of the Dubai-based London property wealth consultants, said: "Talk of a price crash is misplaced. We are seeing the end of the housing boom in some areas, but I think this will result in a period of stabilisation of prices, rather than anything worse. "Don't compare the drop in prices with the collapse of the dotcom market in 2000 - a feature of the technology boom and crash was that many of the shares that soared had no tangible value or assets."

According to Mahmood, the two principal drivers of the housing market in UK are employment figures and interest rates - both of which remain very favourable. "In fact, employment is at a record high, with unemployment at its lowest for almost 30 years. "While the Bank of England has started to increase base interest rates, mortgage repayments are still a relatively low proportion of incomes, and repossessions are running at their lowest level for 20 years." The UK housing market has continued to defy experts, who predicted that it would slow down in 2004. However, figures released in June revealed that the market is still soaring, with prices up more than 20 per cent in the last 12 months. MiNC has premiered 14 UK developments to UAE buyers in the last 18 months, and the company is trading at a level of more than £100million per annum. MiNC has a wide portfolio of London property and the company's services include residential investment, investment portfolio development, independent mortgage/remortgage assistance, lettings and furnishing/interior design.

SYSTIMAX Solutions Expands InstaPATCH System Capabilities Double the density for data centers

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday August 19th, 2004 - SYSTIMAX Solutions , a global market leader in the design and manufacture of structured connectivity solutions, has today announced the addition of a new 24 LC Data Module, a new MPO (Multi-fiber Push On) Module, and a new Trunk Cable design to their SYSTIMAX InstaPATCH™ System. These new system components, which are factory terminated and tested, further enhance this high-density modular fiber connectivity solution that allows installers to connect system components together simply and quickly.

"Information Technology (IT) directors have always been faced with the issue of increasing the speed of applications in less space and with less costs involved," says Martin Hennessey, SYSTIMAX Solutions Middle East, North Africa Turkey and Greece. "The new InstaPATCH range allows a greater number of applications to be run simultaneously, with less space required for the cabling infrastructure while reducing the installation time and cost."

These enhancements are particularly important for organizations whose data centers have space constraints for the patch panels needed to interconnect fiber cables with computers and communications equipment. The new system components can reduce on-site installation costs significantly and provide data centers with more space saving options designed to improve installation time by over 90%. SYSTIMAX Labs designed the InstaPATCH System to incorporate the industry-leading SYSTIMAX LazrSPEED™ multimode fiber technology that provides 10 Gb/s throughput over a single multimode fiber for enterprise applications without the need for expensive singlemode electronics. In October 2003, SYSTIMAX Solutions introduced the InstaPATCH System as the first modular fiber connectivity solution to be both factory terminated and tested while offering high density.

SYSTIMAX Labs has now expanded the capabilities of the InstaPATCH System by introducing three new system components:
" New 24 LC Data Module - provides users with 24 LC connections in the same space as the 12 LC Data module thus doubling the density achieved in the modular system. Users can now have the freedom and flexibility of interchangeable modules combined with the density of 72 LC connections in 1U of rack space.
" New MPO Module - provides users with two MPO connections in a modular format for use in Parallel Transmission Applications such as 10G Fiber Channel, 30G InfiniBand, and 40G SONET/SDH. Users can now easily transition from Serial Applications to Parallel Applications by switching system modules.
" New Trunk Cable Design - provides users with higher fiber count cables equipped with MPO connectors that are easier to pull and deliver faster installation times. The new cable design is available in 24, 48 and 72 fiber configurations.

Hennessey continued, "As cabling providers, we also have to be futurists in order to provide our clients with products that will adapt to future advances in technology. The new InstaPATCH range, like all of our product offerings, fulfills this criteria." The InstaPATCH product range is available globally through SYSTIMAX Solutions' network of BusinessPartners.

SYSTIMAX Solutions, a CommScope Company, provides integrated end-to-end connectivity solutions for voice, data, video and building management applications in enterprise networks. SYSTIMAX Solutions is a worldwide leader in structured cabling systems, with a product portfolio that includes some of the industry's highest performing copper and fiber solutions.

SYSTIMAX Solutions supplies its high performance and market-leading range of products through a network of highly skilled BusinessPartners. The product range includes the copper based GigaSPEED XL Solution, the fiber-optic LazrSPEED and TeraSPEED Solutions and the intelligent patching iPatch System. The SYSTIMAX Labs and the people who have spearheaded these innovations will continue to play an integral role in the future success of SYSTIMAX Solutions. Currently the company's BusinessPartners install an average of over 1,000 miles (1,600km) of SYSTIMAX cable every day in 120 countries worldwide.