Bhutto killed by suicide bomber
Pakistan has been plunged into turmoil after former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.
Britain joined international condemnation of the murder, which looks certain to cause the postponement of elections next month, something many hoped would pave the way for a return to full democracy.
Ms Bhutto was shot moments after leaving a rally of her opposition Pakistan People's Party in the city of Rawalpindi. The gunman then blew himself up.
There were immediate chaotic scenes outside the hospital where she died but calls for restraint from across the world.
Although the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic extremists, the assassination sparked fury against the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
Her party described Ms Bhutto as a "martyr". Her long-term political rival, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, described her as a "sister" and pledged to "take the revenge on the rulers".
In Britain, Foreign Secretary David Miliband spoke of deep shock and paid tribute to a leader he said "knew the risks" of her return from exile.
"My thoughts and sincere condolences go to Ms Bhutto's family at this terrible time, as well as to the families of all those who lost their lives in this senseless attack," Mr Miliband said.
"Benazir Bhutto showed in her words and actions a deep commitment to her country. She knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her. This is a time for restraint but also unity.
"All those committed to a stable future for Pakistan will condemn without qualification all violence perpetrated against innocent people. In targeting Benazir Bhutto extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan. They cannot and must not succeed."
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack
Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack
Jane Roh
Outraged supporters of Benazir Bhutto have taken to the streets following confirmation that the Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated today.
Bhutto had just spoken at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, and was getting into a car when a gunman opened fire. The apparent assassin then blew himself up. There are conflicting reports on how she was killed. Some witnesses said she had been shot in the neck and chest, while a doctor at the hospital that treated her told the New York Times she had shrapnel wounds but would not confirm she had been directly shot.
At least 15 other people were also killed in the attack, according to various news reports. Bhutto, 54, had ended a self-imposed exile in October after reaching a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf is wildly unpopular among Pakistan's Islamists and democratic reformists alike, but has been courted by Washington as a necessary ally in the war on terror.
"I found her to be a very, very brave woman with a clear vision for her own country [and] for Afghanistan," said Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who said he'd met with Bhutto earlier today. "We in Afghanistan condemn this cowardice and immense brutality in the strongest possible terms. She sacrificed her life for Pakistan and for the sake of this region."
Karzai has accused Musharraf of accomodating extremists and not clamping down hard enough on al-Qaida and Taliban fighters along their tumultuous shared border.
"Her murderers must be brought to justice and Pakistan must continue the path back to democracy and the rule of law," said Rudy Giuliani, the first presidential candidate to release a statement on the attack. "Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere -- whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi -- is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists’ war on us."
(President Bush made a brief statement condemning Bhutto's murder from his ranch in Crawford. We are waiting for the networks to air it.)
Bhutto had escaped an attempt on her life shortly after she returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18. That bombing, blamed on Islamic extremists, killed at least 126 and wounded 248.
Musharraf was accused of failing to provide sufficient security for Bhutto. The former prime minister, still incredibly popular in her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had vowed on her return to protect her country from Islamic extremists and from Musharraf, whom she viewed as a dictator. The two engaged in a tug-of-war over when Musharraf would step down as head of the Pakistani military, which he finally did late last month but not before taking the extraordinary steps of suspending the constitution and imposing martial law.
Bhutto's assassination will undoubtedly exacerbate an already precarious situation in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister and fellow Musharraf foe, may step into the void in time for the coming elections, but it is not clear how Musharraf hangs on to power without yet more extraconstitutional measures.
Because Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country within reach of al-Qaida and the Taliban, the ripple effects of this crisis are potentially quite serious. India, also a nuclear power and a rival, has reason for immediate concern if Pakistan destabilizes further. News of her death sent investors running toward gold, a safe-haven commodity.
The White House, which was already agonizing over its relationship with Musharraf, cannot risk chaos in Islamabad and will have to consider direct intervention.
"We will have to devote a lot of effort to make sure things don't" worsen in the region, said Sen. John McCain, speaking to supporters at a campaign stop.
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, called for Bush to break with Musharraf once and for all.
"President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately. Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government," Richardson said. "It is in the interests of the U.S. that there be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, and his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go."
The Politicker has compiled more candidates' reactions, while AP has statements from world leaders.
Source: Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack article in the The Gate
Jane Roh
Outraged supporters of Benazir Bhutto have taken to the streets following confirmation that the Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated today.
Bhutto had just spoken at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, and was getting into a car when a gunman opened fire. The apparent assassin then blew himself up. There are conflicting reports on how she was killed. Some witnesses said she had been shot in the neck and chest, while a doctor at the hospital that treated her told the New York Times she had shrapnel wounds but would not confirm she had been directly shot.
At least 15 other people were also killed in the attack, according to various news reports. Bhutto, 54, had ended a self-imposed exile in October after reaching a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf is wildly unpopular among Pakistan's Islamists and democratic reformists alike, but has been courted by Washington as a necessary ally in the war on terror.
"I found her to be a very, very brave woman with a clear vision for her own country [and] for Afghanistan," said Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who said he'd met with Bhutto earlier today. "We in Afghanistan condemn this cowardice and immense brutality in the strongest possible terms. She sacrificed her life for Pakistan and for the sake of this region."
Karzai has accused Musharraf of accomodating extremists and not clamping down hard enough on al-Qaida and Taliban fighters along their tumultuous shared border.
"Her murderers must be brought to justice and Pakistan must continue the path back to democracy and the rule of law," said Rudy Giuliani, the first presidential candidate to release a statement on the attack. "Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere -- whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi -- is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists’ war on us."
(President Bush made a brief statement condemning Bhutto's murder from his ranch in Crawford. We are waiting for the networks to air it.)
Bhutto had escaped an attempt on her life shortly after she returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18. That bombing, blamed on Islamic extremists, killed at least 126 and wounded 248.
Musharraf was accused of failing to provide sufficient security for Bhutto. The former prime minister, still incredibly popular in her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had vowed on her return to protect her country from Islamic extremists and from Musharraf, whom she viewed as a dictator. The two engaged in a tug-of-war over when Musharraf would step down as head of the Pakistani military, which he finally did late last month but not before taking the extraordinary steps of suspending the constitution and imposing martial law.
Bhutto's assassination will undoubtedly exacerbate an already precarious situation in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister and fellow Musharraf foe, may step into the void in time for the coming elections, but it is not clear how Musharraf hangs on to power without yet more extraconstitutional measures.
Because Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country within reach of al-Qaida and the Taliban, the ripple effects of this crisis are potentially quite serious. India, also a nuclear power and a rival, has reason for immediate concern if Pakistan destabilizes further. News of her death sent investors running toward gold, a safe-haven commodity.
The White House, which was already agonizing over its relationship with Musharraf, cannot risk chaos in Islamabad and will have to consider direct intervention.
"We will have to devote a lot of effort to make sure things don't" worsen in the region, said Sen. John McCain, speaking to supporters at a campaign stop.
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, called for Bush to break with Musharraf once and for all.
"President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately. Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government," Richardson said. "It is in the interests of the U.S. that there be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, and his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go."
The Politicker has compiled more candidates' reactions, while AP has statements from world leaders.
Source: Breaking: Benazir Bhutto Killed In Attack article in the The Gate
Benazir Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto assassinated in Pakistan
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack on Thursday, just two months after the former premier returned from exile for a political comeback. Bhutt, a two-time former prime minister, had jsut addressed a campaign rally for next month's parliamentary elections when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the venue, killing her and at least 10 other people.
Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack on Thursday, just two months after the former premier returned from exile for a political comeback. Bhutt, a two-time former prime minister, had jsut addressed a campaign rally for next month's parliamentary elections when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the venue, killing her and at least 10 other people.
Girl Okay After Screwdriver Goes Into Head
Girl Okay After Screwdriver Goes Into Head
A Minnesota family enjoyed a particularly merry Christmas this year, with their 2-year-old daughter home and relatively unharmed less than a week after she stabbed herself in the eye with a screwdriver.
A Minnesota family enjoyed a particularly merry Christmas this year, with their 2-year-old daughter home and relatively unharmed less than a week after she stabbed herself in the eye with a screwdriver.
Raw Video: Benazir Bhutto Dies In Suicide Blast
Raw Video: Benazir Bhutto Dies In Suicide Blast
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto dies after suicide attack. The former Prime minister had just left a rally where she was speaking.
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto dies after suicide attack. The former Prime minister had just left a rally where she was speaking.
Benazir Bhutto Killed In Blast
Benazir Bhutto Killed In Blast
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a suicide attack.
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a suicide attack.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Plexiglas-like DVD to hold 1TB of data
Plexiglas-like DVD to hold 1TB of data
A TeraDisc could hold up to 250,000 high-resolution pictures or 40 HD movies
by Lucas Mearian
At the upcoming CES conference in Las Vegas, one company plans to demonstrate the ability to store half a terabyte of data on a DVD disc that is made of a polymer similar to Plexiglas.
Israel-based Mempile Inc. said its TeraDisc DVDs will offer 1TB of storage for consumers in the next few years -- and corporations will be able to use the technology to permanently store data at a fraction of the price of spinning disk and tape, according to Dr. Beth Erez, Mempile's chief marketing officer. Today's high-definition DVDs hold a maximum of 50GB in formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
With 1TB capacity, a TeraDisc could hold up to 250,000 high-resolution photos or MP3s, or about 40 HD movies or 115 DVD movies. While that may seem like an unnecessary amount of capacity for anything but the largest professional needs, Tom Coughlin, a storage analyst at Coughlin Associates in Atascadero, Calif., said HD formats for movie distribution are already four times the current 1080-pixel resolution currently used for consumer HD retail movie distribution. Over the next 10 years, both studio and consumer HD products will multiply by 10 times the current resolution.
"If HD now is 25GB, you can easily have something that's 300GB or larger in the future. So I think we've not reached the limits of resolution that people want in their entertainment devices," Coughlin said.
Another company offering DVD storage is Cambridge, England-based Plasmon PLC, which relies on the same blue-laser technology used by Blu-ray and HD DVD. Plasmon's technology, called Ultra-Density Optical (UDO technology) can write up to 60GB on a proprietary DVD format platter for corporate data archive use. Plasmon sells automated libraries, which can store terabytes of data. Pricing varies, but Computerworld found a 60GB UDO platter for $60 on Pricegrabber.com. Plasmon's road map envisions 240GB discs, and it offers drives for use in automated libraries and stand-alone drives for desktops. The DVDs are available in both first-generation 30GB and second-generation 60GB models.
Similarly, TDK is working on next-generation Blu-ray Disc technology that will offer up to 200GB on a DVD platter.
Mempile's DVD drives will initially retail for between $3,000 and $4,000, and a 700GB platter -- the first model expected out around 2011 -- will sell for $30, according to a Mempile spokeswoman. Until now, Mempile had demonstrated writing and reading data on 100 layers within a .6mm thick substrate material that in total can hold 500GB. The company plans to begin retailing its product next year. Over the next three years, the company expects to increase the disc's thickness to the industry DVD standard of 1.2mm, which will allow it to record 5GB on each of 200 layers, spaced 5 microns apart, for a total of 1TB of capacity. According to a company white paper, the technology road map calls for a 5TB DVD "a few years down the road."
Unlike HD DVDs, which use blue lasers to record and read data off a reflective surface on top of a polymer substrate, Mempile's TeraDisc drives use more powerful red-laser technology to write and read. The Mempile drive has two lasers, one that tracks and one that reads and writes. The drive uses a CD-like system for tracking data in the substrate. Erez said his company's technology writes bits at the molecular level, changing the color of florescent molecules in the Plexiglas-like material to record the data.
Erez said traditional HD DVD technology, which reflects light back to an optical reader, causes signal deterioration and background noise, where writing and reading through a clear substrate offers a cleaner signal that is more efficient for data transfer. "We have no noise in looking at the 200th layer or the second layer or the 10th," Erez said.
Erez said the TeraDisc technology can also be used for network-based backup for archive purposes. Mempile is manufacturing the TeraDisc technology using polymers produced by chemical developer Arkema Inc., which also produces hoses and gaskets for cars and polyethylene packaging for foods, among other things.
Source Plexiglas-like DVD to hold 1TB of data article on ComputerWorld.com
A TeraDisc could hold up to 250,000 high-resolution pictures or 40 HD movies
by Lucas Mearian
At the upcoming CES conference in Las Vegas, one company plans to demonstrate the ability to store half a terabyte of data on a DVD disc that is made of a polymer similar to Plexiglas.
Israel-based Mempile Inc. said its TeraDisc DVDs will offer 1TB of storage for consumers in the next few years -- and corporations will be able to use the technology to permanently store data at a fraction of the price of spinning disk and tape, according to Dr. Beth Erez, Mempile's chief marketing officer. Today's high-definition DVDs hold a maximum of 50GB in formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
With 1TB capacity, a TeraDisc could hold up to 250,000 high-resolution photos or MP3s, or about 40 HD movies or 115 DVD movies. While that may seem like an unnecessary amount of capacity for anything but the largest professional needs, Tom Coughlin, a storage analyst at Coughlin Associates in Atascadero, Calif., said HD formats for movie distribution are already four times the current 1080-pixel resolution currently used for consumer HD retail movie distribution. Over the next 10 years, both studio and consumer HD products will multiply by 10 times the current resolution.
"If HD now is 25GB, you can easily have something that's 300GB or larger in the future. So I think we've not reached the limits of resolution that people want in their entertainment devices," Coughlin said.
Another company offering DVD storage is Cambridge, England-based Plasmon PLC, which relies on the same blue-laser technology used by Blu-ray and HD DVD. Plasmon's technology, called Ultra-Density Optical (UDO technology) can write up to 60GB on a proprietary DVD format platter for corporate data archive use. Plasmon sells automated libraries, which can store terabytes of data. Pricing varies, but Computerworld found a 60GB UDO platter for $60 on Pricegrabber.com. Plasmon's road map envisions 240GB discs, and it offers drives for use in automated libraries and stand-alone drives for desktops. The DVDs are available in both first-generation 30GB and second-generation 60GB models.
Similarly, TDK is working on next-generation Blu-ray Disc technology that will offer up to 200GB on a DVD platter.
Mempile's DVD drives will initially retail for between $3,000 and $4,000, and a 700GB platter -- the first model expected out around 2011 -- will sell for $30, according to a Mempile spokeswoman. Until now, Mempile had demonstrated writing and reading data on 100 layers within a .6mm thick substrate material that in total can hold 500GB. The company plans to begin retailing its product next year. Over the next three years, the company expects to increase the disc's thickness to the industry DVD standard of 1.2mm, which will allow it to record 5GB on each of 200 layers, spaced 5 microns apart, for a total of 1TB of capacity. According to a company white paper, the technology road map calls for a 5TB DVD "a few years down the road."
Unlike HD DVDs, which use blue lasers to record and read data off a reflective surface on top of a polymer substrate, Mempile's TeraDisc drives use more powerful red-laser technology to write and read. The Mempile drive has two lasers, one that tracks and one that reads and writes. The drive uses a CD-like system for tracking data in the substrate. Erez said his company's technology writes bits at the molecular level, changing the color of florescent molecules in the Plexiglas-like material to record the data.
Erez said traditional HD DVD technology, which reflects light back to an optical reader, causes signal deterioration and background noise, where writing and reading through a clear substrate offers a cleaner signal that is more efficient for data transfer. "We have no noise in looking at the 200th layer or the second layer or the 10th," Erez said.
Erez said the TeraDisc technology can also be used for network-based backup for archive purposes. Mempile is manufacturing the TeraDisc technology using polymers produced by chemical developer Arkema Inc., which also produces hoses and gaskets for cars and polyethylene packaging for foods, among other things.
Source Plexiglas-like DVD to hold 1TB of data article on ComputerWorld.com
Zuleikha Robinson arrives at the premiere of The Great Debaters
Zuleikha Robinson arrives at the premiere of The Great Debaters at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.
Dirty Dancing on New York's 'N' Train
Four women in New York gave an impromptu pole dancing show aboard a subway train.
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