LAW COMMISSION ORGANISES SEMINAR ON "MODE OF EXECUTION OF DEATH SENTENCE" Network Associates' Intrusion Prevention Appliance provides ROI of up to 145 percent General Motors builds 500,000 XM-equipped vehicles Apple releases DVD studio pro 2 Professional DVD Authoring Made Simple Acotel Group signs an MMSC contract with FastLink Jordan Successful Hong Kong Airport Privatization Demands Long-Term Vision and Economic Regulation SAP Arabia's collaborative Business Suite offers integrated solutions to medium-size customer base Student Politics Turn Violent in Kerala Kerala Politics Enters the vicious circle of Hartals and Police Violence  Contrary to doomsday predictors KM is growing. We are appointing new young talents to improve the coverage of Gulf Keralites issues neglected by the minstream media in Kerala and the Middle East. Priya R.S., KM Correspondent, Trivandrum will co ordinate KM activities in the state. A first class post graduate from the Kerala University Priya joins KM team with basic IT training too. Warm Welcome to our new enthusiastic staff.   THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - August 9, 2003 The student politics in the most literate state in the country is taking a violent turn as the left wing student unions and the state government continues to take stubborn position about privatization of education in the state. A dark cloud of unrest still hangs over the state, which witnessed the second day of violence following clashes between police and the pro-left student organizations. The hartal has been organized against the educational policy of the UDF government, which is favouring privatization in the sector. Following the first day of violence to control the march by students, on the 7th of August, a hartal was declared for the 8th of August. The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the LDF hit normal life in many districts, especially Thiruvananthapuram. The UDF Government representative Umman Chandi is scheduled to meet left student leaders on Sunday. Despite hopes for an early settlement to the vexed problem, the strike is all set to enter the third day. In Thiruvananthapuram, violence broke up, when the DYFI workers tried to break the police barricades in front of the secretariat. It led to lathi charge, grenade and tear gas use by police. Many DYFI activists and two policemen are reported to have been injured in the clashes. Petrol bombs were hurled at a police van near General Hospital junction. Several police constables including a woman constable and youths were injured, as the protest march went towards taluk office in Thrissur turned violent. The protestors also attacked a police jeep. AITUC leader C.Divakaran was injured during the DYFI march towards secretariat. The police fired two rounds in the air at Thalassery to disperse a mob that attacked a police jeep, leaving two policemen injured. Incidents of violence were reported from various parts of Kochi, Thrissur and Kasargod. Tourism Minister K.V.Thomas was attacked by students belonging to the Left affiliated organizations at the Kozhikode Railway station was doused in burnt engine oil. The march, which was organized at Kozhikode by the left youth organizations to protest the police excess against students, ended up in violence leaving several persons, including 25 policemen and 40 agitators injured. Damages were also caused to public properties including a jeep belonging to the Pollution Control Board and a car of the department of Town and Country Planning, which were set on fire. The Assistant Education Office, Eranhipalam was also attacked and a number of files were destroyed. The protestors also broke the front glasses of Malabar Mansion, an undertaking of the KTDC, apart from pelting stones at the mobile unit of the State Handloom Development Corporation, which was parked near Central Library. Around 12 DYFI activists including state secretary A.Pradeepkumar, and 14 SFI activists were arrested. The police registered cases against many of the activists from different places. In Thiruvananthapuram cases have been registered against 201 workers of various pro-left youth and student organizations. The LDF has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kozhikode Corporation limits and Koyilandy assembly constituency for today. The hartal has affected the routine life and fearing attack ministers have cancelled all their daily programmes. Stones were thrown at police in Kollam and lathicharge has also been reported. The SFI activists raised Black Flags against Minister P.Shankaran at Kannur. At Kasargod, protestors attacked district collector's car and destroyed it. (keralamonitor.com)Top LAW COMMISSION ORGANISES SEMINAR ON "MODE OF EXECUTION OF DEATH SENTENCE" GOVERNMENT TO TAKE A QUICK VIEW ON THE ISSUE AFTER GETTING THE RESULTS OF THE DEBATE - SHRI ARUN JAITLEY The Minister of Law & Justice and Commerce & Industry, Shri Arun Jaitley, has said that there should be a national debate on the mode of execution of death sentence. He said that there was an opinion that the hanging process did not ensure instant death. He reiterated the need for a consensus on an acceptable civilised mode of execution of death sentence. The Law Minister assured that the Government would take a quick view on the issue after getting the results of the debate. Shri Jaitley was inaugurating a seminar on the "Mode of Execution of Death Sentence" organised by the Law Commission of India here today. Complimenting the Law Commission on its initiative, the Minister said that the Law Commission had been providing objective advice on several issues which enabled the Government to effect changes in several laws so that the system did not become anachronistic. Presiding over the seminar, Shri Justice M. Jagannadha Rao, Chairman, Law Commission of India, initiated the debate. He gave a historical background of various modes of execution of death sentence. Shri N.M. Ghatate, Member, Law Commission, made a presentation on the issue and the result of the survey the Commission undertook. According to the survey, 89 per cent of respondents preferred amendment to the section 354 (5) of Cr. P.C., which provides for hanging. However, 51 per cent of those who preferred hanging as the mode of execution of death sentence preferred public hanging and the remaining 49 per cent in jail. Among those who considered death by hanging cruel, 73 per cent preferred lethal injection, 10 per cent electric chair, Five per cent shooting by firing squad and 12 per cent any other mode of execution. While 83 per cent of respondents wanted the accused to be given a right of appeal to the Supreme Court, 99 per cent wanted the decision on death sentence to be made by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court.   Network Associates' Intrusion Prevention Appliance provides ROI of up to 145 percent First-Ever Intrusion Detection and Prevention Economic Impact Study reveals IntruShield positively impacts customers' bottom-Line August 9, 2003 Dubai- Giga Information Group, a leading global technology advisory research firm and wholly owned subsidiary of Forrester Research, Inc., recently published the results of its first-ever economic impact study on intrusion detection and prevention solutions (IDS). The survey declared that Network Associates, the global leader in network security and intrusion prevention solutions, can provide a positive return for a representative company of up to 145 percent over a three-year period. Giga surveyed users of Network Associates' IntruShield solution, which the company acquired in April this year, to determine the economic impact of the solution on an organisations' overall profitability using its Total Economic Impact (TEI) methodology. The survey concluded that Network Associates' technology can positively and tremendously impact a customer's bottom line. "Threat prevention should be looked at as a necessary business investment. Recent incidents in the Middle East, especially in the financial and banking industry have emphasised the importance of disaster prevention. Giga's research has confirmed that customers need to be pro-active in choosing solutions that are extremely effective in protecting their entire network, to enable savings on recovery costs and security in the long run," said Patrick Hayati, Regional Director of Network Associates in the Middle East. As part of the study, Giga examined two groups of Network Associates' IntruShield customers in various stages of deployment. The first group included organizations that, prior to the introduction of IntruShield, did not have any intrusion detection and prevention devices within its environment. The other group included organizations that had previously deployed a competitive intrusion detection device and had migrated to IntruShield for both intrusion detection and prevention. "Introducing prevention, improving accuracy, and reducing the number of unique devices within the environment has a direct impact on reducing the capital and ongoing costs compared with expanding existing, non-integrated intrusion detection devices," commented Michael Rasmussen research director at Forrester in the study, The Total Economic Impact(TM) of IntruVert's IntruShield Intrusion Detection and Prevention, published in May 2003. The study outlines savings in areas of cost efficiency, cost avoidance and improved functionality as the Intrushield enables both detection and prevention of threat. IntruShield's next-generation IDS technology alleviates common problems typically associated with intrusion detection systems such as excessive false positives and missed attacks, difficulty in scaling across multiple sites, as well as high operational and management costs. The economic benefits for an organization implementing Network Associates' IntruShield IDS system comprise capital cost savings of 23 percent, operational cost savings of 41 percent and business benefits of 33 percent. Moreover, the payback is evident in less than 14 months. These benefits provide a tangible and positive framework for Chief Financial Officers and Chief Information Officers looking at intrusion detection to further enhance the availability and security of their business infrastructure.(keralamonitor.com) Top Apple releases DVD studio pro 2 Professional DVD Authoring Made Simple August 6, 2003, Cupertino, California: Apple® today announced that DVD Studio Pro® 2, a powerful new application re-designed to simplify professional DVD authoring with a breakthrough user interface, will be available through Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Starting today, customers can place their orders at www.apple.com/dvdstudiopro. New features such as Apple-designed fully customizable templates, an innovative menu editor, timeline-based track editing and a new world-class MPEG-2 encoder make DVD Studio Pro 2 a must-have application for every creative professional. DVD Studio Pro 2 offers unprecedented integration with Final Cut Pro® 4, Apple’s Emmy award-winning video editing software, and completes Apple’s professional suite of software which includes Shake® 3, the industry-leading compositing and visual effects software; Soundtrack, the innovative music production tool; and Logic Platinum, the standard in computer-based music production. “DVD Studio Pro 2 is the breakthrough DVD authoring application that video professionals have been asking for,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “Regardless of whether your DVD project is simple or complex, no other professional DVD authoring tool offers the type of advanced capabilities and ease-of-use that DVD Studio Pro 2 does.” DVD Studio Pro 2 features a new user interface so easy to navigate that both Final Cut Pro editors and users of consumer DVD authoring applications, such as Apple’s iDVD™, can get started right away. DVD Studio Pro 2 provides professionals with a solution that scales from building basic DVDs easily to handling the most advanced projects. New Apple-designed templates in DVD Studio Pro 2 include a variety of styles, buttons and backgrounds so users can start creating elegant DVDs in a few simple steps. The templates are fully customizable, allowing users to jumpstart their DVD projects with the look of a Hollywood title or to create their own templates from scratch to re-use or share with customers and colleagues. “DVD Studio Pro 2’s wedding templates are exceptionally elegant, exuding the beauty and excitement of the special occasion,” said Denis Reggie, wedding photojournalism pioneer. “DVD Studio Pro 2 gives wedding photographers substantial creative freedom, and their clients are guaranteed to receive a brilliant DVD that will last through time.” The innovative new menu editor in DVD Studio Pro 2 provides the tools DVD authors need to create professional-quality menus, while also integrating with popular graphics applications such as Adobe Photoshop. Context-sensitive drop palettes allow users to make otherwise tedious connections in one step, dramatically reducing the work required to make a DVD. Based on the popular timeline in Final Cut Pro 4, a new timeline-based track editing feature in DVD Studio Pro 2 enables users to work faster and more efficiently with a linear view of clips, audio and other assets. In addition to arranging up to nine video angles, eight audio streams and 32 subtitle streams, DVD Studio Pro 2 users can do basic trimming, merge clips and manage chapter markers in one location. “DVD Studio Pro 2 delivers a straightforward user interface, outstanding speed and basically everything we need to produce high-quality DVDs,” said AJ Pyatak, chief scientist at Outpost Digital. “By coupling Final Cut Pro 4 with DVD Studio Pro 2, we have the ultimate solution to complete a DVD project from beginning to end on one system.” DVD Studio Pro 2 also offers an integrated MPEG-2 encoder that delivers pristine video at low bit rates. Compressor, a batch transcoding tool that comes bundled with both DVD Studio Pro 2 and Final Cut Pro 4, lets users export directly to multiple formats including MPEG-2 for DVD and MPEG-4 for streaming media. A.Pack encodes uncompressed audio into highly compressed Dolby Digital AC-3 streams, which can then be used in DVD Studio Pro 2 for full 5.1-channel surround sound or simply as a compressed 2.0 stereo track. The English language version of DVD Studio Pro 2 can be ordered today through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) at a suggested retail price of $499 (US). DVD Studio Pro 2 will be available for purchase through Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers beginning August 18. Localized versions in German, French and Japanese will be available in September. Full system requirements and more information on DVD Studio Pro 2 can be found at www.apple.com/dvdstudiopro (keralamonitor.com)Top General Motors builds 500,000 XM-equipped vehicles Today General Motors announced the 500,000thXM Satellite Radio equipped vehicle will roll off the production line in mid-August. August 7, 2003, Detroit, MI: GM has been rapidly increasing availability and volume of XM-equipped vehicles since service introduction on two Cadillac models in November 2001. "Just 21 months ago GM launched a brand new and extremely exciting audio entertainment product, and today it is available on over 40 GM models," says Gary Cowger, president GM North America. "This successful launch represents one of the fastest technology rollouts in GM history, and over the next six months we expect to double our XM volume to one million vehicles." In the 2003 model year, GM produced nearly 400,000 XM-equipped vehicles for a 15 percent penetration. Orders for XM-equipped vehicles have exceeded expectations and GM has increased its penetration outlook for the 2004 model year to 20 percent. "XM provides unique and unparalleled news and entertainment programming that complements GM's diverse product portfolio and customer base," states XM CEO and President Hugh Panero. "GM is and will continue to be a vital source and supporter of our growing business." GM was the first automaker to offer XM Satellite Radio and is the only automotive manufacturer to factory install XM across its vehicle portfolio. GM will continue expanding XM availability as standard vehicle packaging in many 2004 models.GM reports that nearly all vehicle owners are very satisfied with their XM service and the majority of vehicle owners would strongly or definitely consider purchasing another GM vehicle equipped with XM.(keralamonitor.com)Top Acotel Group signs an MMSC contract with FastLink Jordan August 9, 2003 DUBAI - Acotel Group has been awarded a contract with FastLink Jordan to supply a Multimedia Message Service Centre. The contract follows the successful conclusion of a trial earlier this year and includes the supply of an MMSC, WAP Gateway and several innovative MMS applications. Mr Bashar Arafeh, FastLink Data Group and Marketing Director, stated: "FastLink is focused on providing its customers with the latest messaging services. We were the first operator in the Middle East to provide an MMS service back in August 2002! With Acotel's MMSC we have the flexibility needed to deliver exciting new MMS based services that will keep us ahead of the competition". FastLink's entire messaging infrastructure is now supplied by Acotel, comprising an SMSC, a Messaging Gateway, and the MMSC. Declan O'Mahony, Director Acotel Mobile Solutions (Middle East), added: "We are very pleased with this opportunity to expand our role as FastLink's messaging partner. FastLink is a dynamic company with a strong focus on delivering high quality value added services to its subscribers. Our platforms provide the functionality and flexibility that allows FastLink to develop exciting revenue generating services that differentiate them in the market. This contract with Fastlink further consolidates Acotel's position as a leading messaging solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa, with customers in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan, and Yemen" Top Successful Hong Kong Airport Privatization Demands Long-Term Vision and Economic Regulation (Geneva) "Privatization of Hong Kong Airport must benefit the general public, travellers, airlines, and shippers not just the operators of the airport and the Government," challenged Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). His comments followed the Hong Kong Government's announcement to seek financial advisors to privatize the Hong Kong Airport Authority. "We are encouraged that the Government has announced that it will work with all stake holders in the privatization process. This is essential and a good start. We all know that a healthy air transport industry is at the core of Hong Kong's future. It goes well beyond the 45,000 airport jobs. Privatization is far too important to be viewed as a quick fix to the Government's current budgetary difficulties. Long-term vision is needed," said Bisignani. >From the outset, strong and independent economic regulation must be established as part of the privatization process to ensure: * just and reasonable charges * timely and cost-effective infrastructure development * acceptable service standards "Privatization must not give a private monopoly a licence to print money at the expense of the greater Hong Kong economy. Economic regulation is required to maintain a balanced bargaining position for the airport's users and guarantee the airport's role as a catalyst for overall economic development. Airline involvement in the privatization process will be key to ensuring that all of Hong Kong benefits from an efficient privatized airport," said Bisignani. Transparency is critical. Valuation of the asset base and a realistic return should be determined in advance of the sale of assets to set appropriate expectations among potential investors. Benchmarking of airport capital and labour productivity against best practice, as well as incentives to stimulate efficiencies should be part and parcel of the process. "Airlines have experienced airport privatization in many parts of the world. Where governments were greedy with a short-term vision, there have been some spectacular failures. The Hong Kong economy needs a success story. That will only come if the Government leads with a strong long-term vision," said Bisignani. Bisignani was in Hong Kong on August 4 to discuss airport privatization plans, among other issues, with key government officials.IATA represents over 270 airlines comprising 98% of international scheduled air traffic.FFP group adopts mySAP Business Suite to meet new business challenges SAP Arabia's collaborative Business Suite offers integrated solutions to medium-size customer base August 9 2003 Dubai Food & Fine Pastries Manufacturing Company (FFP Group), a dynamic player in the Middle East food sector, has recently announced plans to implement SAP Arabia's mySAP Business Suite, a fully integrated collaborative business solution. SAP Arabia is the exclusive regional partner of SAP AG, Germany, the recognised leader in providing collaborative business solutions for all types of industries and for every major market. mySAP Business Suite will equip FFP Group with a powerful engine for business expansion and provide a stable base for business process re-engineering and Total Quality Management. FFP Group, which is well known in the Middle East, Asia and Europe for its range of frozen, chilled and dry products, including Sunbullah and Al-Shifa Honey, will implement a fully-integrated collaborative business solution that will help drive the company's decision making process by integrating analytical tools to permit swifter access to vital information. "At FFP Group, we believe that technology is 'a means to an end' and has to work side-by-side with people. Therefore, the future of our business, or any business for that matter depends on the joint efforts of people and technology. After long reviews, we found that mySAP Business Suite was the perfect Business Solution to facilitate us with the tools required to better-understand, evaluate, develop, improve and expand our business. This fully integrated business suite, which does not require third party software, is ideal for a growing organization like FFP and will be the backbone of our IT infrastructure for the present and future, said Ibrahim Kurdi, Managing Director of FFP Group." Essam Enany, President of SAP Arabia, commented: "In today's market, small and medium enterprises are looking for flexible and adaptable workflow processes to support their ever changing business needs and drive the expansion of their companies. SAP Arabia is committed to the regional market and it is a tremendous opportunity to work with a dynamic food manufacturer such as FFP. The group, which exports to 25 countries and has more than 10 production and storage facilities, was looking for technology that provides the underlying infrastructure to enable companies to successfully deploy business applications and solve integration challenges. mySAP Business Suite provides FFP a flexible platform to manage and create end-to-end business processes." The SAP collaborative e-Business platform allows employees, customers and business partners to work together successfully. SAP solutions are open and flexible, supporting databases, applications, operating systems and hardware from almost every major vendor. By deploying the best technology, services, and development resources, the SAP e-Business platform unlocks valuable information resources, improves supply chain efficiencies and builds strong customer relationships.