Alibaba and Yahoo to reach a settlement Alipay options

Alibaba and Yahoo shares have been transferred to Alipay settlement of disputes arising.

According to reports, the two anonymous sources, Yahoo and Alibaba signed the proposed agreement requires a shareholder of Alibaba, the Japanese company Softbank (SoftbankCorp.) participation, but the Son has been unwilling to negotiate on the matter.

According to sources, Yahoo and Alibaba Group, the former analyst meeting held last Wednesday before the settlement, the terms of the agreement, including Yahoo executives elaborated on the meeting content. Yahoo CFO Tim Morse said at the meeting, Yahoo still in talks with Alibaba Group, and the two sides build a framework for settlement, including payment of compensation and the value of Po problems.

11 May, Yahoo filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission documents show that 43% of its shareholding Alibaba Group has transferred ownership of Alipay to Ma, a new holding company. Alipay aspects of this explanation is that, in order to achieve "non-financial institutions required to pay management approach" in the absolute control of financial institutions capital ratio requirements, and said the ownership has been transferred in Zhejiang Alipay Alibaba limited company.

And this event Alipay equity, and the other at Yahoo and Alibaba stake further escalation of the battle. Yahoo founder Jerry Yang has made it clear that: the outside of the Yahoo reorganization transaction disclosure Alipay the time in dispute. Yahoo said that Alibaba Group until March 31 this year, Yahoo was to inform the matter. In this regard, Yahoo CEO Bartz said that Yahoo needs to be a satisfactory compensation.

However, in an interview Ma had repeatedly stressed: "Ali Baba Board of Directors in the last 3 years to discuss this matter, Yahoo, participated in the discussion each time. In fact as early as last year, Alipay had already completed 70% of the share transfer, This is the result of the board discussed and agreed. "

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Posted in: Alibaba and Yahoo to reach a settlement Alipay options

Systems using the new Symbian Anna: Nokia officially listed X7/E6

Nokia released a new upgrade system, Symbian Anna New Machine - Nokia X7 and Nokia E6 (evaluation parameters of picture proofs.) Nokia's new system, starting as the landmark product, the Nokia X7 and remodeling Symbian Nokia E6 bear the image of a number of responsibilities. Nokia has announced the official Nokia Nokia E6 X7 with two smart phones from now on the official market. Some of the world market, the user is already available in the vicinity of the point of sale to buy this phone, but Nokia's previous products N8, E7, C7, and so the user can be upgraded soon Symbian Anna systems.

The Nokia E6 with 2.46 inches, but upgrade to VGA resolution level, body measurements size 115.5 × 59 × 10.5 mm and weighs 133 grams. Built-in 800 million pixel camera with auto-focus, technology, and complete fully focus shooting, equipped with a dual LED flash, 2x digital zoom (video mode to 3 times), and provides 25 frames per second, HD 720p video recording. Support GSM / WCDMA network, and wireless networking with WLAN, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth technology, support memory card slot, electronic compass function configuration.

The X7 is equipped with a foot 4 inches, with resolution of 640 × 360 pixel AMOLED capacitive touch-screen material support for touch operation. Built a 800 million pixel camera with auto-focus, equipped with a LED flash, with a 450MB ROM/245MB RAM memory space, and support expansion. Nokia X7 random with a 1200 mA battery, according to official data, it will support up to 450 hours standby time and 4.5 hours talk time 3G networks, will support wireless Wi-Fi, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth and so on.

It is reported that Nokia X7 will be for Europe, China, India and other countries and regions offering, Nokia E6 will be for Europe, China, Middle East and African countries and regional outlets. Prices in these two phones, according to Nokia previously disclosed in the official online store of information that, Nokia X7 priced at 459 euros, the price of the Nokia E6 compared to 429 euros.

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Posted in: Systems using the new Symbian Anna: Nokia officially listed X7/E6

Perhaps Apple will release iPhone 4S WWDC Conference

Perhaps Apple on 6 February 6 - 10 in San Francisco at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference released an upgraded version of iPhone4 model-iPhone4S, and had the famous iPhone5 yet does not appear. Phone4S iPhone4 compared with only slight changes in appearance, with better hardware, camera, upgrade to the A5 dual-core processor, and supports HSPA + network. At that time we have to wait and see!...

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Google: Chrome will focus on notebooks, do not merge with Android

Google executives recently disclosed that the company will now focus on the development of Chrome the operating system, continuing on the notebook computer business. Means temporarily and tablet PCs and other mobile devices combined.

Google's senior vice president Sundar Pichai, yesterday at the Taipei International Computer Show, asked for the outside world, whether the company will launch a Tablet PC for the Chrome OS, said the company will now focus on the development of Chrome the operating system, continuing on the notebook computer business.

He added, Google Chrome is currently no plan to its Android mobile device operating systems combined, developed for Tablet PCs and other mobile devices version. South Korea's Samsung and Taiwan by the launch of Chrome Acer laptop operating system, will be on sale next month. It also declared, Google entered the Microsoft Windows operating system developer and manufacturer of Apple Macintosh computer field.

Chrome the operating system mainly in the Web browser as a framework to guide the user directly through the network server in the cloud on the operation of a variety of software, such as e-mail or word processing; rather than like a traditional PC operating systems, data stored in the main Each computer on the system.

However, smart phones and tablet PCs more and more popular, the use of the equipment Android operating system, more and more usage of the Internet to mobile devices become more sophisticated, so some observers raised, Google Chrome should be consolidated or merged, and Android .

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Posted in: do not merge with Android,Google: Chrome will focus on notebooks

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer staff support for the quarter fell to 29%

Employees review site Glassdoor latest report shows that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer support for the quarter fell 29%.

Hedge fund manager David Einhorn last week, said Ballmer should step down. Clear that many Microsoft employees think so too.

The staff of 50 or more respondents, the scale is not large, which means the results may not completely accurate. But compared to previous quarter, 40% support for Ballmer, this is a sharp decline.

And Cisco CEO John Money Sen's support rate remains at 55%. Support for Apple CEO Steve Jobs is the highest support rate of 97%, followed by CEO Paul Otellini of Intel, the support rate of 94%.

Ballmer's overall rating remained at 47%, which is more than 1,500 Microsoft employees in the cumulative findings.

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Posted in: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer staff support for the quarter fell to 29%

LSI CacheCade combined with the Dell RAID controller is a strong

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced, Dell PowerEdge RAID Controllers (PERC) H700 and H800 series cards are now available with application-oriented I / O performance acceleration of the LSI ® CacheCade technology.

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced, Dell PowerEdge RAID Controllers (PERC) H700 and H800 series cards are now available with application-oriented I / O performance acceleration of the LSI ® CacheCade technology.

LSI CacheCade technology can frequently accessed "hot" data cached in the solid-state drive (SSD), thereby greatly enhancing the system with hard drive storage I / O performance. Dell PERC H700 and H800 using the system can be achieved by configuring CacheCade technology significantly improve performance, without loss of the existing drive storage space, but only a little investment on the SSD technology can be.

Dell PowerEdge Server product line is responsible for marketing a platform Managing Director Brian Payne said: "PowerEdge servers equipped with CacheCade technology, only two SSD can be automatically" hot spots "data layer, which will improve database performance up to 76%. As can support a faster response time, so customers receive significant benefits, such as: improving work efficiency, better understanding of the basis of the wealth of information for business decisions more quickly and more flexibly to meet the market requirements. through LSI cooperation, Dell will further strengthen its leading position and continue to deliver innovative storage solutions to fully protect the customer's IT investments. "

LSI CacheCade SSD can be used as hard drive technology enables high-performance controller in front of the secondary cache to speed up the application and workload performance. Because the technology can be large-capacity data set is stored in the cache, thus helping to achieve such documents and Web servers, data mining, OLTP transaction processing and database servers, application performance is maximized. And that the technology can achieve a high degree of scalability, by adding the hard drive configuration supported by the Ministry CacheCade the SSD single virtual drive, users can improve database performance up to 55%. If you add a virtual support CacheCade the SSD drive is able to further improve database performance up to 76%. (1)

CacheCade solution is very easy to install and use. Users simply insert the server support hot-swappable drive slot SSD can, and can be configured to tools to create CacheCade virtual drives. CacheCade technology will automatically determine the "hot spot" data to the virtual drive, on logs, and other writing-intensive areas will not have any performance impact, they also do not give the host CPU, DDR and the host result in any burden on the host OS .

LSI acceleration solutions business unit, vice president of marketing Steve Fingerhut said: "LSI is committed to making our rich storage products continue to achieve innovation and development, and to help end customers address key business challenges, increase return on IT investments. Dell PERC H700 and H800 control In the seamless integration of LSI CacheCade device technology, can help customers to easily achieve a lower cost transaction processing database application performance. "

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Posted in: LSI CacheCade combined with the Dell RAID controller is a strong

Toshiba Tablet PC Windows 7 is still launched next month in Japan

It seems Toshiba Tablet PC Windows 7 a soft spot in peopleflocking to the nest, when Toshiba announced in Japan today, a tablet PC, only for Japanese corporate clients, the system isWindows 7 Professional, do not nest For business users it?

The 11.6-inch flat-panel display with a resolution of 1366 x 768,processor chips based on Intel technology, Oak Trail Atom Z670, 2GB RAM, 64GB via SD card to expand storage capacity, theTablet PC can make video calls, Pre-configured with 200 million pixels and 300 million pixel camera, rear camera, externalinterface to complete. The Tablet PC will be next month in Japan, but the price is unclear.

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Posted in: Toshiba Tablet PC Windows 7 is still launched next month in Japan

iOS 5 and iCloud Coming Soon

Apple has disclosed in the latest press release on the 6th of next month will be announced at the WWDC the product, they are for the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch mobile devices iOS 5 system and for Apple desktop and notebook Mac OS X "Lion", there is the long-rumored cloud iCloud. WWDCi will expand on these products, more than 100 field technical seminars.

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Posted in: iOS 5 and iCloud Coming Soon

iPhone 4S September came, iPhone 5 drag released next year

Some time ago, many of the media are the same caliber that Apple will be released August 24 a new iPhone, and will be available September 13. Recently, the news has been confirmed once again, this year's WWDC Apple will release new iPhone, because not much different than previous generations, is named as the iPhone 4S. The real fifth-generation iPhone - iPhone 5 will be released in May 2012.


News, iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 little difference, to make the rear camera to upgrade to 800 million pixels, A5 dual-core processor, and removed the SIM card, the real implementation of the GSM and CDMA compatible. Also confirmed the news, Verizon CEO Frank Zamora had in the Reuters Global Technology Summit Speech - Verizon and AT & T will also sell the new iPhone.


Currently, the news about the new iPhone is still undoubtedly recognized, because Steve Jobs is still tight-lipped, want to know the truth can only wait, and hope not to be Steve Jobs fruit powder were playing dead.

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Posted in: iPhone 4S September came,iPhone 5 drag released next year

ASUS Padfone in COMPUTEX 2011

COMPUTEX 2011 Taipei International Computer Show, the occasion of the official opening, held in Taipei Asustek called "Break the rule" a large conference, officially released at a revolutionary and innovative products - Padfone, attracted many visitors amazing eyes.

Asus chairman Johnny Shih conference Mr. Padfone we opened the mystery, the show in front of you is such a revolutionary and innovative product: it is the smart phones? Is flat? It is a what kind of products? Can be seen behind the plate revealed that it will smart phone and tablet PC seamlessly.

ASUS Padfone nowadays the most widely used integrated smart phones and tablet computers, share data and enable consumers to access 3G networks when they are free to choose the most appropriate screen size to use. At the same time when the phone into the Tablet PC, Tablet PC's battery will automatically charge for mobile phones, the maximum time to solve the cell phone battery, mobile phones and flat repeat purchase use of trouble.

Padfone this section will be used in the smart phone 4.3 inch screen, while supporting mainstream Pad with 10.1-inch screen, the system is currently the mainstream of the Android operating system, while mobile phone comes with two cameras around, when the phone is inserted into the Pad in the back of the camera can still use.

Meanwhile, the Asus Padfone solves the 3G smart phones and tablet computers to use multiple SIM card data transfer problems, compared to other ordinary smart phone, Padfone provide the user with a broad vision to apply them more work and life. This dual-interface ensures that users of mobile phones and raise a better tablet PC experience, the activities can be done under the appropriate adjustments, such as multi-party video conferencing, web browsing and sending e-mails.

Even more pleasant surprise is that, when connected smart phones and tablet PCs, you can also help to recharge the battery that comes with flat. Tablet PC can also use the same smart phone 3G network connection colorful world of the Internet. Padfone expected during the Christmas market, but the price has not been determined.

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Posted in: ASUS Padfone in COMPUTEX 2011

Schmidt: Google and Apple recently extended the cooperation of the map and search

Today's AllThingsD the D9 meeting, Google executive director, the former CEO (Eric Schmidt), said Google and Apple just updated the map and search fields. This also means that next month's WWDC, the new version does not appear iOS system map program.

Apple had been in his iTouch, iPhone and iPad and other equipment provided on board the Google Maps service. But Google and Apple competition in the mobile space, and each time consumers iOS map search programs running on the system, Apple will give Google more information than needed to enhance the quality of its geographical location.

Recently, there are rumors that Apple is developing its own mapping service. There are even public statements, said the development is trying to create a better traffic flow database. But now it looks likely not have happened.

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Posted in: Schmidt: Google and Apple recently extended the cooperation of the map and search

U.S. federal government will abandon the BlackBerry: Apple's iPhone started

The latest report showed existing U.S. federal government is making changes in technology products, they have begun to abandon the use of BlackBerry in favor of Apple's iPhone, and use Apple's iPad tablet PCs instead of laptops.

Government technology products has been upgraded. Even the world's most famous blackberry control ─ ─ Barack Obama have escalated. He is now starting to use a iPad 2. "

Switch to Apple products such as consumer-oriented way of technology products to enable the Government to have a more happy, more efficient employees. Apple is not the only beneficiaries of this change, some free services such as: Google Gmail e-mail also provides the staff a more flexible because it can reduce the government expenditure.

There are currently about 50 ATF and the iPhone is being used iPad ─ ─ the number soon increased to 100. U.S. State Department is also testing iPad, the U.S. Congress has begun to allow members to use iPad in Congress and iPhone.

According to reports, the U.S. Department of Veterans Personnel will also allow clinicians to use iPad or iPhone, rather than the BlackBerry. It is reported that the Apple device, there are those running Google Android operating system, devices are more widely accepted, RIM's BlackBerry platform companies and their big trouble.

While RIM, BlackBerry smartphone to the U.S. government to provide security for the encrypted e-mail service, and BlackBerry devices for the U.S. government services for many years. But clearly, RIM BlackBerry platform the company is very scarce in the third-party software support, which is Apple's App Store and Google Android application market compared to the number of applications is very obvious. The report also supports RIM companies to enter the flat panel market too late.

With the RIM is still communicate with the government, but Apple is expanding its product line advantage, the government reported that sales of Apple's Mac computers to the number of March 2011 increased by 155.6%, 2.3% more than the PC market.

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Posted in: U.S. federal government will abandon the BlackBerry: Apple's iPhone started

Lenovo Group acquired Medion: strengthening the PC market expansion in Western Europe

Lenovo Group today announced that: the acquisition of Germany's Medion AG, according to Lenovo Group, said the acquisition is completed, Lenovo's market share in Germany will double, becoming the largest PC market in Europe, the third largest vendor. The two sides will join hands with the German PC market more than 14% of the share, and the Western European personal computer market share of about 7.5%.

It is understood, Medion AG is a personal computer, multimedia, mobile communications services and a leading consumer electronics companies.

Lenovo CEO Yang said of the acquisition of the incident, "the acquisition of Lenovo Medion is a long-term strategic objectives to achieve an important step, both for the core PC business, or focus on the development of new business, will be effective in promoting . "Yang that, Medion's sales, marketing, service and retail channels ability to associate with the consumer business growth in Western Europe. Lenovo in its front-end manufacturing capability and competitiveness of such back-end to form complementary advantages, accelerate the Lenovo PC business, expand the mobile Internet market.

Pursuant to an agreement, Lenovo will use the cash price of 13 euros per share on the open market acquisition of shares in circulation in the Medion, which over the past 30 days than the average closing price premium of about 29% over its average closing over the past 90 days price premium of about 27%.

According to another agreement, Medion, founder and CEO Gerd Brachmann commitment not to participate in the tender offer, while 40% of the outstanding shares Medion 13 euros per share sold to Lenovo Group. Group to acquire part of the Brachmann, 80% in cash, an additional 20% stake in Lenovo Group will be paid. The acquisition is premised Gerd Brachmann shareholders other than the Medion at least 15% of the sale of shares.

Gerd Brachmann Medion AG will continue to be a major shareholder, holding 20% ​​of the shares.

"Lenovo Group's acquisition will strengthen the competitive position of Medion's market, while maintaining the existing corporate structure in Essen, stability and flexibility," Gerd Brachmann said.

Last week, Lenovo announced the results of the 2010/2011 fiscal year, sales topped 21 billion U.S. dollars.

In the transaction, both companies expect all existing operations, including customer service, product delivery and warranty service will be as usual. In the near future, Medion and Lenovo Group will continue to retain their own brands and through their existing channels to the appropriate sales and support.

Lenovo Group and Medion's board of directors have approved this transaction. But the procedure still need to be completed subject to certain conditions, including public participation in the acquisition of the minimum amount of public and relevant regulations. Lenovo Group will pay for the existing internal cash transactions. Tender offer is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2011, while the control and profit transfer agreement is expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2011, the shareholders will vote later.

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Posted in: Lenovo Group acquired Medion: strengthening the PC market expansion in Western Europe

Russia's Kamchatka volcanic ash up to 9 km

An active volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East of Russia is currently spewing plumes of ash at a height of up to 9 km, local media reported on Wednesday.

Scientists have registered two strong eruptions of the Shiveluch volcano in the last 24 hours.

The 3,283-meter volcano increased activity in May 2009 and periodically spews ash from three to eight km.

Clouds of volcanic ash could pose threat to air traffic because the tiny particles can cause problems with aircraft engine turbines.

There are more than 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka, and 29 of them are active.

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Posted in: Russia's Kamchatka volcanic ash up to 9 km

(IAEA) said the fact-finding mission, the Japanese nuclear power plant it underestimated the danger of tsunami.

A fact-finding mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) said on Wednesday that Japan underestimated the tsunami hazard for its nuclear power plants.

"The tsunami hazard for many websites was underestimated," the U.N. nuclear safety team said in a summary of its report on the nuclear crisis triggered by the twin disasters in March.

It added that Nuclear plant designers and operators ought to appropriately evaluate and protect against the risks of all natural hazards.

The team plans to present the full report of the week-long investigation to an international meeting in Vienna on June 20-24.

The group, consisting of experts from 12 nations, visited 3 Japanese nuclear power facilities, which includes the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant which was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Posted in: (IAEA) said the fact-finding mission,the Japanese nuclear power plant it underestimated the danger of tsunami.

A new report on the possible dangers of mobile phone use does not outline the risk or likelihood of actually developing brain cancer

A brand new report on the possible dangers of mobile phone use doesn't outline the risk or likelihood of really developing brain cancer, an Australian telecom business group stated on Wednesday.

The report by the International Agency for Investigation on Cancer ( IARC) says radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones, wireless devices, radio , television and radar, are "possibly carcinogenic to humans".

IARC, which is component of the WHO, has classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant sort of brain cancer.

IARC concluded that there could be some risk, and consequently there was a need to maintain a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.

The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has welcomed the findings but says the report needs greater "clarity".

"After reviewing the accessible scientific evidence, IARC has assessed it's achievable that RF (radio frequency) electromagnetic fields could possibly be a cancer hazard," AMTA's Executive Officer Chris Althaus said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However, IARC did not quantify the risk or likelihood of cancer," Althaus stated.

"The IARC classification suggests that a hazard is achievable but not likely."

Althaus said the industry placed the highest priority on safety and supported independent research, but he stressed that most devices already operated within global guidelines.

"It needs to be remembered that wireless communications equipment is created to operate inside international and national exposure limits, which already have substantial safety margins built into them," he said.

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Posted in: A new report on the possible dangers of mobile phone use does not outline the risk or likelihood of actually developing brain cancer

FIFA need to reform the crisis

A deepening crisis surrounding cash-for-votes scandals in both the FIFA presidential elections and recent World Cup bids has left soccer's world body reeling amid calls for the election to be postponed and for FIFA to be reformed, as incumbent Sepp Blatter prepares to enter a fourth term unopposed.

The English Football Association (FA) took the initiative on Tuesday, calling for the immediate postponement of FIFA's presidential election, scheduled for today, and for an independent review to reform the organization.

"First, to postpone the election and give credibility to this process, so any alternative reforming candidate could have the opportunity to stand for president. Secondly, to appoint a genuinely independent external party to make recommendations regarding improved governance and compliance procedures and structures throughout the FIFA decision-making processes for consideration by the full membership," FA Chairman David Bernstein said on Tuesday, asking other national associations to support his calls.

The FA announced earlier this month that it would abstain from the election when there was still a contest between Blatter and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Mohamed bin Hamman, who has been suspended pending a probe into alleged bribery.

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner and Bin Hamman were provisionally suspended over bribery allegations Sunday with the latter withdrawing from today's presidential race.

The two were accused of paying $40,000 in bribes to Caribbean delegates to vote for Bin Hamman instead of Blatter in the race.

China's Zhang Jilong, deputy president of the AFC, has taken temporary charge of the Asian body since Monday, according to AFC rules following Bin Hammam's suspension.

The suspensions came weeks after allegations that several other members of FIFA's executive committee were involved in corruption during the voting process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. According to a private e-mail that was made public by Warner on Monday, Jerome Valcke, general secretary of FIFA, said Qatar had bought the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

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Posted in: FIFA need to reform the crisis

Flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga has sold more than one million copies of her new album to top the U.S. pop chart for the first time

 Flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga has sold more than one million copies of her new album to top the U.S. pop chart for the first time, according to sales data published on Tuesday by Billboard magazine.

Fans scooped up 1.11 million copies of her much-hyped release "Born This Way" during the week ended May 29, with a bit of help from a hugely popular 99-cent promotion by online retailer Amazon.com Inc.

It marks the biggest first-week sales total since rapper 50 Cent's "The Massacre" debuted to 1.14 million copies in March 2005. The last album to break the million mark was country starlet Taylor Swift's "Speak Now," which started with 1.01 million copies last November. Boy band 'N Sync holds the first-week record with 2.4 million copies for its 2000 album "No Strings Attached."

Billboard estimated that Amazon downloads accounted for upward of 440,000 downloads of "Born This Way." Overall digital downloads totaled a record-breaking 662,000 copies, Billboard said.

Lady Gaga records for Interscope Records, a unit of Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group. Her 2008 debut album "The Fame" peaked at No. 2 and has sold 4.2 million copies to date in the United States. An eight-track follow-up EP titled "The Fame Monster" reached No. 5 and has sold 1.5 million copies.

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Posted in: Flamboyant pop star Lady Gaga has sold more than one million copies of her new album to top the U.S. pop chart for the first time

Eight workers were trapped in a flooded coal mine in southwest China on Tuesday night

 Eight workers were trapped in a flooded coal mine in southwest China on Tuesday night, a local official said Wednesday.

The flooding occurred at about 9 p.m. Tuesday at a coal mine at the border of Dushan County in Guizhou Province and Nandan County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said Pan Zhili, the chief of the Dushan County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Rescue workers were still trying to reach the trapped miners, Pan said.

The mine was operating illegally and owned by people from Guizhou and Guangxi, he added.

In another coal mine flooding in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, rescuers have found one body while 11 others remained trapped three days after the accident.

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Posted in: Eight workers were trapped in a flooded coal mine in southwest China on Tuesday night

France's unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percent to 9.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 year-on-year

 France's unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percent to 9.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 year-on-year, the national statistics bureau Insee said Wednesday.

In mainland France, 2.6 million people were recorded jobless. However, if broadening the definition to registered job-seekers who already work part-time, the unemployed figure rose to 3.4 million.

Young people aged between 25-49 took the biggest share of the unemployment army, with over 1.5 million in the metropolitan.

During the first quarter, unemployment rate in women perched at 9.9 percent, compared to 8.6 percent in men.

The French government has vowed to reduce jobless rate to below 9 percent at the end of this year, which doesn't match the prediction of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in its latest Economic Outlook.

Foreseeing a 2.2-percent growth this year in France, the Paris-based organization set French unemployment for 2011 at 9.1 percent, followed by 8.8 percent in 2012.

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Posted in: France's unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percent to 9.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 year-on-year

Bolivia seven new cases of A/H1N1 influenza and an increase of severe respiratory infections.

Bolivia Tuesday reported seven new cases of A/H1N1 influenza and an enhance of severe respiratory infections.

Bolivia's Wellness and Sports Minister Nila Heredia ordered all wellness centers inside the country to reactivate preventive measures to avoid enhance of A/H1N1 influenza instances.

Heredia stated severe respiratory infections had increased in past weeks as a result of powerful cold affecting some provinces, primarily such as La Paz, Oruro, Potosi and Cochabamba.

She also suggested children need to wear far more clothes to steer clear of flu caused by low temperatures.

According to the National Service of Wellness Info, severe respiratory diseases increased 17 percent within the country last week.

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Posted in: Bolivia seven new cases of A/H1N1 influenza and an increase of severe respiratory infections.

E. coli infection in a Swedish woman dies

 A Swedish woman died Tuesday after being infected with the virulent enterohaemorrhagic E.coli bacteria (EHEC) stemming from an E.coli outbreak which originated from northern Germany, Swedish News Agency TT reported.

The woman in her fifties died at a hospital of Boras, a southwest city of Sweden, according to the report.

She was admitted to the hospital on May 29, after having been infected during a trip to Germany.

So far about 40 Swedish people are being taken care of at hospitals due to E.coli bacteria complications.

The Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control believed that all cases of the diseases reported so far in Sweden are originated from Germany and there are no indications thus far that the disease is spreading within Sweden, the TT report said.

It is expected that such cases will increase in the near future since the cases have been reported across Sweden from Skane in the south and to Jamtland in the north.

Several of the patients have been admitted to intensive care units and are receiving dialysis treatment. Outbreaks of EHEC are not new in Sweden but are all in small scale which are connected to farms, wells, day care centers and restaurants. The largest outbreak to date in Sweden was in 2005 when 135 cases, of which 11 developed the complication HUS, occurred in southern Sweden.

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Posted in: E. coli infection in a Swedish woman dies

German laboratory tests on Tuesday ruled out Spanish cucumbers as the source for spreading fatal enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)

German laboratory tests on Tuesday ruled out Spanish cucumbers as the source for spreading fatal enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) which has killed at least 16 people within Europe.

Different from previous findings, the newest test did not find the deathful 0104 strain from two samples with EHEC bacteria, which are imported from Spain and sold in a Harmburg market.

"The sources for the disease are still not clear," said Hamburg's Health Minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks after the test results came out.

However, she still warned the public to avoid eating cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuces until the sources have been identified.

The infection by the 0104 strain of EHEC can cause bloody diarrhea and kidney failure known as hemolytic uraemic syndrome ( HUS).

People who are infected have reached more than 1,400 in Germany, while victims suffering HUS are more than 350 right now, which means the death toll will continue increasing in the future, said the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's key disease control and prevention center.

The new finding was welcomed by Spain as blame for Spanish cucumbers causing this disease has brought huge loss for Spanish agriculture and farmers as nearly whole Europe and Russia have banned the import of vegetables and fruits from Spain.

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Posted in: German laboratory tests on Tuesday ruled out Spanish cucumbers as the source for spreading fatal enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC)

Spain slashed by more than 500 jobs, due to the crisis of cucumber

The Spanish agricultural sector confirmed on Tuesday that it has cut around 550 jobs due to the outbreak of the E.coli bacteria in Germany, which was first linked to Spanish exported cucumbers.

According to the spokesman of the Federation of Associations of Agricultural Producing Companies in Andalusia (EOCHAL), Alfonso Zamora, EOCHAL has shedded 550 jobs since the crisis outbroke last Friday, as the health alert has paralysed the sale of fruit and vegetables in several European countries.

The infection has so far caused 16 deaths and over 1,000 cases of infection across Europe. Despite blames on Spanish cucumbers for the last few days, German officials admitted on Tuesday that latest tests showed the Spanish exports were not the cause of the outbreak.

The Spanish government was content with the finding, but the EOCHAL spokesman insisted that the current situation might lead to further job cuts and losses, and demanded the German authorities to "apologize and admit that they were hasty in blaming Andalusian cucumbers as the cause of the alert."

Consisting of 33 companies in Spanish provinces of Almeria, Granada and Malaga, EOCHAL employs around 10,000 people with produce worth around 1 billion euros (about 1.43 billion U.S. dollars) a year.

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Posted in: due to the crisis of cucumber,Spain slashed by more than 500 jobs

At least 10 secondary school teachers are reported to have died of food poisoning, and several others hospitalized in northern Nigeria's Katsina State

At least 10 secondary school teachers are reported to have died of food poisoning, and many others hospitalized in northern Nigeria's Katsina State, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Tuesday.

The incident occurred at the weekend at a workshop organiZed by the state Ministry of Education for some 650 teachers at Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Kofar Yan'daka, Katsina.

The report stated soon soon after taking their lunch, supplied by a well-liked corporate caterer on the fateful day, a few of the teachers were vomiting and afflicted by diarrhoea, as a result of which they had been rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Katsina as well as the Police Clinic for medication.

Ten of the affected teachers were stated to have died as a result of the infection.State police spokesperson Abubakar Ibrahim confirmed the incident to reporters.

He said only one teacher died, while 19 others had been hospitalized.

He stated 12 of the affected teachers had already been discharged from the hospitals, while seven other people were still on admission at the Federal Medical Center and Katsina Police Clinic.

He stated the police had already collected sample of the food supplied by the caterer for clinical analysis.

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Posted in: and several others hospitalized in northern Nigeria's Katsina State,At least 10 secondary school teachers are reported to have died of food poisoning

EU to prohibit the sale of baby bottles containing bisphenol A

Baby bottles containing the substance Bisphenol A (BPA) would have to be pulled from the shelves across the European Union (EU) starting from Wednesday, in a "milestone" move to better protect the health of EU citizens, an official said Tuesday.

"Due to the fact that there are uncertainties concerning the effect of the exposure of infants to Bisphenol A, the commission deemed it both necessary and appropriate to take action," said John Dalli, EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner.

"The aim is to further reduce the exposure of the most vulnerable part of our population, i.e. infants," he said.

The ban, adopted in an EU directive in late January, would prohibit baby bottles containing BPA from placing on the EU market and import into the 27-member EU from June 1.

Previously, the bloc had already banned the manufacture of the controversial baby bottles on March 1, and the industry has been withdrawing such products voluntarily.

BPA is an organic molecule that is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, which are used to manufacture plastic materials, such as baby bottles.

Traces of BPA can be released from plastic containers into the food they carry if these containers are heated at high temperatures. They may lead to early sexual development of children and could cause cancer, according to health officials.

China would also prohibit the manufacture of feeding bottles containing BPA from June 1, while imports and sales of bottles containing BPA would be banned starting from Sept. 1.

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A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert

A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert, as death toll from the disease climbed to 16 till Tuesday.

So far, 15 folks have reportedly died and a lot more than 300 were seriously ill from infections linked to tainted vegetables in Germany. Specialists said the numbers are expected to enhance within the coming week.

"We hope the number of circumstances will go down but we fear it will worsen," said Oliver Grieve, spokesperson with the University Medical Center Schleswig where most German victims are becoming treated.

The German government has identified the pathogen as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a significant complication of a sort of E. coli known as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC). The bacteria could damage blood cells and kidneys, and hence cause deaths.

A woman in her 50s was confirmed to be the very first fatal victim out of Germany by a nearby hospital on Tuesday. Officials at the hospital in Boras, southwestern Sweden, stated the woman, who had recently traveled to Germany, was admitted on May possibly 29.

Swedish well being authorities already said on Sunday that 36 folks, all linked to travel in northern Germany, had been confirmed to have infected with E.coli, whereas cases had been also reported in France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain.

It was the second food scare for European consumers this year. In January, extremely toxic dioxin was discovered in eggs, poultry and pork items across Germany.

German authorities had initially suspected cucumbers imported from Spain to be 1 achievable source of the E. coli outbreak, as 3 out of four contaminated cucumbers analyzed last week by the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene as well as the Environment came from Spain.

But officials said they could not determine the exact source of the virulent strain of the bacteria ahead of a crisis meeting in Berlin on Monday.

Nevertheless, parts of the 82-million-populated country have already banned import of cucumber from Spain, whilst the country's national illness center, the Robert Koch Institute, suggested men and women steer clear of consuming raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce for a while.

Meanwhile, Spain, clearly on the defensive, insisted that the country was not necessarily the source of the disease and that the cucumbers could have been contaminated throughout transport to Germany.

"You can't attribute the origin of this sickness to Spain," Spain's Secretary of State for European Affairs, Diego Lopez Garrido told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

"There is no proof and that is why we are going to demand accountability from people who have blamed Spain for this matter," he said.

Frederic Vincent, an EU spokesperson stated authorities were at present testing water and soil from the greenhouses that were identified as the source of the contaminated cucumbers.

The results of the tests are expected later on Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.

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Syria rules out abolishment of constitutional Article No. 8

Syria will not abolish Article No. 8 in its constitution, which stipulates the al-Baath party to be " the ruler of state and society," al-Watan daily, citing a senior official, reported on Tuesday.

Mohammad Saeed Bkhaitan, assistant secretary-general of the ruling Baath party, made the remarks on Monday when meeting with scientific and administrative staff of the Damascus University. He, at the same time, noted that changing the constitutional articles is the specialization of the parliament.

The Syrian parliament consists of 250 seats, of which the al- Baath party has 126, and the remaining parties and non-partisan figures have 124 seats. Changing or modifying any of the constitutional articles require to be approved by two thirds of the parliament.

The Arab Socialist al-Baath party, having been ruling the state since the 1963 coup, is a nationalist leftist secular party which aims at achieving unity between all Arab countries and building a democratic progressive society.

Syria has made a series of concessions, including cancelling the security court, lifting the emergency state and firing the government as a respond to the unprecedented pro-change protests that erupted ten weeks ago throughout the country.

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Tax reform may cut Philippine cigarette consumption, improve public health

 Reforming the Philippine tobacco tax system may be the key to discouraging cigarette consumption and reduce the growing incidence of tobacco-related illness such as lung cancer and heart disease.

Cheap cigarettes is one of the reasons why the Philippines with over 17 million smokers - has one of the highest smoking prevalence rates in the world. This is expected to lead to huge socio-economic losses.

According to a study by Health Justice Philippines, around 35, 000 Filipinos die every year due to tobacco-related diseases. Secondhand smoke also causes adverse health effects. The economic costs, including expenses for health care and cost of productivity losses, amount to over 400 billion pesos (9.2 billion U.S. dollars) .

This is why, according to economist Jo-Ann Latuja, there's a need top revise the existing taxes imposed against so-called "sin products" like cigarettes and alcohol.

"The purpose of sin taxes is to discourage consumption of sinful products like cigarettes. But our current taxation system is not effective in doing that," Latuja said in an interview with Xinhua.

Jo-Ann Latuja is a fellow of the Action for Economic Reforms ( AER), a Manila-based advocacy group that is actively campaigning to use tobacco taxation to improve public health and boost government revenues.

As the world observes World No Tobacco Day May 31, the AER released a statement noting that a reform in the tax system will raise more revenues and fund the administration's urgent programs, including the Universal Health Coverage Program.

An AER study, authored by Latuja and Filomeno Sta. Ana III, revealed that cigarette excise tax as percentage of gross retail price (GRP) ranges from 14 percent to 42 percent based on 2010 cigarette prices. This is below the World Health Organization's recommended rate of at least 70 percent of the GRP and is the reason why the Philippines has one of the world's lowest cigarette prices. A pack of 20 cigarette sticks retails for less than one U. S. dollar in Manila.

The AER has noted three major weakness in the current tobacco excise tax system - the absence of indexation of taxes to inflation, the price classification freeze, and the multi-tiered tax structure.

Taxes imposed cigarette prices did not keep up with inflation as taxes were computed based on the 1996 retail prices.

"The combination of the price classification freeze and the absence of a yearly adjustment to inflation have diminished the real value of tobacco taxes over time. Automatic inflation adjustment is necessary to ensure the robustness of revenues from the specific tax for tobacco," the study said.

Under the multi-level tax structure, the government imposes different specific tax rates for each price classification. Lower priced cigarettes are taxed low while higher priced cigarettes are taxed high, thus widening the price gap between higher and lower price classes of cigarettes.

"But the taxes should be levied on the quantity of cigarettes consumed and not on the price of the cigarettes," Latuja said, noting that whether a smoker buys a cheap or expensive brand of cigarettes, the smoker will suffer the same harmful effect of nicotine addiction.

And instead of quitting, smokers who can't buy expensive brands will just shift to lower-priced cigarettes. The AER study noted the multi-level tax structure "diminishes the effectiveness of the excise tax as a tool to reduce consumption."

This is why AER is proposing that instead of multi-level tax structure, the government needs to impose a more unitary tax structure. This will not only lead to better tax administration but also boost revenues.

The AER said its proposal won't hurt local tobacco farmers because the tax is levied on the final product, cigarettes, and not on the raw materials for cigarettes, which are produced by the local tobacco farmers.

The AER's proposal have been included in several bills filed in the House of Representatives.

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China launches special campaign to restrict use of official vehicles

The Chinese government is carrying out a nationwide investigation into the status of official motor vehicles in a bid to reform the way in which they are purchased and used.

Official vehicles will be surveyed and checked for registration as part of the campaign. Data collected during the survey will be used to lay the foundation for reforming the way official vehicles are managed, according to a statement from the central authorities.

The campaign will cover vehicles used by Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations, government-funded institutions, people's congresses, political advisory bodies, and courts and procuratorates, the statement said.

The campaign focuses on areas in which official vehicles may have been improperly purchased or operated. Vehicles that are discarded while still in good condition and the use of official vehicles for private purposes are prohibited.

The campaign is launched in response to the public's demand for information about the expenditure of official officials.

Last December, a lawyer asked the Beijing municipal government to publicize the number of official vehicles in the city, believing that a growth in the number of official cars might be partially responsible for the city's traffic woes.

On April 1, 2011, the financial department of the Beijing municipal government published statistics on its website, claiming that there were 60,206 official vehicles in the city.

The public hailed the municipal government's move, although some voiced doubts about the figure, saying the actual number could be much higher.

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Spanish king to undergo knee surgery

Spanish King Juan Carlos will undergo a minor knee surgery in June, the Spanish Royal Palace said Tuesday.

King Carlos will have the operation on his right knee in the first half of next month to help resolve some mobility problems caused by "old sporting injuries," which the Royal Palace said, "complicate his usual physical activity."

It will be the second operation that the 73-year-old king has undergone in the past 15 months, although this surgery is much less serious than that he had in April 2010 to remove a nodule from his right lung.

The benign nodule had been discovered during the king's routine annual health check. King Carlos spent 10 days recovering in a hospital in Barcelona.

The Palace confirmed this year's health check-up was "completely satisfactory, and nothing untoward has been found."

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International misunderstanding on Sri Lanka war disappointing

Wrong assumption and misunderstanding in the international community over Sri Lanka's successful military campaign which eliminated the Tamil Tigere rebels was disappointing, the defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said here Tuesday.

"Some of these assumptions and misunderstandings have proven hard to shake even to this day. This is deeply disappointing to the government because one of the most important facets of the war against terrorism was the immense care with which it was conducted. "

He was addressing the three-day seminar aimed at sharing the knowledge on comprehensive and effective counter terrorism strategy.

The defence ministry said some 45 countries including the U.S., India, China and Russia are attending with the participation of some 300 delegates.

Rajapaksa said that sadly a number of figures in the international community formed very strong opinions and jumped to hasty conclusions on Sri Lanka's conduct of war.

He said the international community had a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the Tamil Tigers and the necessity to eradicate it.

He said the rebels' propaganda machinery had created a false narrative "in which the LTTE rebels assumed the guise of a liberation army for an oppressed population. This is far from the truth".

The report by a panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon and made public last month accuses the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels of committing war crimes during the final stage of the conflict which ended in May 2009.

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Seychelles president reappoints previous cabinet, promising major reshuffle soon

 The National Assembly of Seychelles has, in its first sitting for the second term of this year, unanimously approved the list of seven Cabinet ministers named by freshly re-elected President James Michel.

The ministers, with the exception of one, are all members from the previous administration of President Michel and they have maintained their previous portfolio. The only change in this new cabinet is that former Minister of Land Use and Habitat Jacquelin Dugasse, the longest-serving minister, leaves the government for the private sector. In a press communiqué, the State House said that President Michel who was re-elected with 55.46 percent of the votes on May 21 will make a major cabinet reshuffle soon after completing a thorough review of the government systems and practices.

While in his previous term he tackled almost national issues like economic reforms and defense with the fight against Somali piracy.

President Michel, 67, will devote this one, his last, to tackling quality of life issues like social scourges, cots of living, water shortage and devolution of power to local agencies.

Besides President Michel and Vice President Danny Faure, the seven other members of the Government include two women.

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Zimbabwe's Warriors warm up for Africa Cup qualifier against Mali

The Warriors of Zimbabwe have begun their preparations for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mali, the Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"So far so good. It has been a good start to camp althoughwe have two of our experienced players Esrom and Noel out because ofinjuries," coach Norma Mapeza was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The Warriors are in third place behind Cape Verde and Mali and need nothing short of victory to breathe life into their faltering Group A campaign.

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Iraqi security forces captured a suspect allegedly involved in last week's assassination of the head of an Iraqi committee in charge of purging former president Saddam Hussein's loyalists

 Iraqi security forces captured a suspect allegedly involved in last week's assassination of the head of an Iraqi committee in charge of purging former president Saddam Hussein's loyalists, a security source said on Tuesday.

"Iraqi security forces have arrested a terrorist who carried out the assassination of Ali al-Lami," Baghdad Operations Command, responsible for security in the Iraqi capital, stated in a statement.

"The terrorist was affiliated with the intelligence service of the former Saddam Hussein's regime," the statement said.

The suspect was captured in al-Taji region, some 20 km north of Baghdad, throughout an operation carried out by the Iraqi security forces based on intelligence reports, the statement stated without having giving further details.

On Thursday, gunmen employing silenced weapons shot dead executive director of the Justice and Accountability Commission (JAC) Ali al- Lami, a Shiite Muslim, although driving in his vehicle in east of Baghdad.

The JAC, formerly named de-Baathification Committee and formed following the Iraqi war, is tasked with vetting folks trying to get government jobs or take political office for ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.

Al-Lami and his JAC came under fire in last year's general election since he banned some Sunni candidates running for office on the allegation that the latter had ties with Saddam's Baath regime. Several Sunnis see the move as attempts to further marginalize the minority group which ruled the country prior to.

His death was part of a wave of attacks against Iraq's government officials and security forces during the past couple of months.

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Posted in: Iraqi security forces captured a suspect allegedly involved in last week's assassination of the head of an Iraqi committee in charge of purging former president Saddam Hussein's loyalists

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) needs nearly one billion U.S. dollars to cover shortage in its budget

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) needs nearly one billion U.S. dollars to cover shortage in its budget, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Tuesday.

His remarks came as Germany pledged to pay 42 million euros (60 million dollars) in support of the PNA over the next year.

Also on Tuesday, the PNA and the European Union (EU) signed an agreement to support educational, health and development projects in East Jerusalem. According to the agreement, the EU will pay six million euros (8.6 million dollars) to implement these programs.

Fayyad said that the deficit in the PNA's budget started in the middle of 2010 which has reached 970 million dollars.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Planning said that it had signed an agreement with Germany for the year 2012. A statement by the ministry said that the future German fund of 24.5 million euros (35 million dollars) will be used for developing sewage treatment systems, creating a dump for solid materials and supporting local municipalities.

EU is the biggest donor to the PNA, with an annual support of nearly one billion euros (1.43 billion dollars).

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Posted in: The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) needs nearly one billion U.S. dollars to cover shortage in its budget

The U.S. home prices dipped to new low in the first quarter of 2011 since last recession

The U.S. house costs dipped to new low in the first quarter of 2011 given that last recession, suggesting the housing market might fall into a brand new recession, based on the latest data released by Standard & Poor's on Tuesday.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price, which is regarded as the leading measure of U.S. Home prices, showed that the U.S. National Home Price Index declined by 4.2 percent to 125.41 within the first quarter of 2011, following a 3.6 percent drop within the fourth quarter of 2010.

The National Index posted an annual decline of 5.1 percent in the initial quarter of 2011, comparing with the same period of last year. The index was back to its mid-2002 levels.

Separately, the S&P/Case-Shiller Composite Index of 20 metropolitan areas declined 0.2 percent to 138.16 in March from February on a seasonally adjusted basis, which was in line with economists' expectations.

Among the 20 covered cities, 19 of them were down year-on-year, and 12 of them hit new lows given that the last recession.

"This month's report is marked by the confirmation of a double-dip in residence costs across much of the nation," David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P Indices, said in a statement on Tuesday and stressed that property prices continue on their downward spiral with no relief in sight.

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PSA Estimated 150 mln euros hit to H1 results from Japan's disaster

A senior official of the France's No. 1 car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen estimated Tuesday that the group is likely to suffer an impact of 150 million euros (216.1 million U.S. dollars) in its operational results of the first half of this year for the effect brought by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The group is "obviously attentive" to the situation, its Chief Financial Officer Frederic Saint-Geours was quoted as saying in a general meeting in Paris. Meanwhile, the financial officer confirmed that 2011 would witness more profit of the automotive division from 2010.

Following a profit of 1.13 billion euros (1.63 billion dollars) in 2010, the Europe's second biggest carmaker by market value reported 10.2 percent increase in sales in the first quarter though the group in March reduced production in plants both in France and overseas.

The earthquake and tsunami hitting Japan in mid-March had disrupted the global automotive industry and caused supply difficulties for almost all operators.

Announcing the group's first quarter results in April, PSA said strong demand in emerging markets can offset the negative impact of supply chain woes in Japan, therefore the group can uphold its objectives for 2011, seeing a stable European market in 2011, with around 10 percent market growth in China, 4 percent in Latin America and 15 percent in Russia.

According to local media, PSA is considering to locate two sites of new plants in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in South India.

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Posted in: PSA Estimated 150 mln euros hit to H1 results from Japan's disaster

The Egyptian public prosecutor decided on Tuesday not to transfer former president Hosni Mubarak from the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh to Tora prison in Cairo due to his unfit health situation

The Egyptian public prosecutor decided on Tuesday not to transfer former president Hosni Mubarak from the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh to Tora prison in Cairo because of his unfit health situation.

According to a statement posted on the public prosecution official Facebook page, the decision was based on the report of a medical committee formed by General Prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud to examine Mubarak's well being condition to see no matter whether he could be transferred to Tora prison hospital.

Mubarak suffers low blood pressure, momentary failure in blood circulation to brain which leads to loss of consciousness, as well as other heart issues that could cause a sudden heart attack, as well as deep depression and overall weakness, the reported stated, recommending not to move him to the prison hospital.

The committee found that the present condition of Tora prison hospital is not nicely prepared to supply adequate medical care for Mubarak.

Former president Mubarak, who was ousted on Feb. 11 following 18 days of anti-government demonstrations, has been put in custody in Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital given that April and under investigations on charges of corruption and killing peaceful protesters in mass protests.

Mubarak was referred to Cairo criminal court last week over killing protesters in the course of the protests and other corruption charges.

On Saturday, an Egyptian court fined Mubarak and two of his ministers a total of 540 million Egyptian pounds (90 million U.S. dollars) for damaging the economy with cutting off the mobile and internet services during the protests.

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Posted in: The Egyptian public prosecutor decided on Tuesday not to transfer former president Hosni Mubarak from the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh to Tora prison in Cairo due to his unfit health situation

U.S. stocks surge on Monday

U.S. stocks surged on early Monday following a short-holiday week as investors felt positive on Greece crisis development, despite home-price index at its lowest point since 2006.

All three indexes jumped nearly to 1 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 119.51 points, or 0.96 percent, to 12,561.09. The Regular & Poor' s 500 was up 12.51 points, or 0.94 percent, to 1,343.48. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 28.62 points, or 1.02 percent, to 2,825.48.

Investors cheered up on Monday as European Union might provide additional aid for Greece. While some of them still concerned about the Greek economy, which piled up with massive public debt.

Monday's optimism overcame the extra-weak house cost index. According to the Regular & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index, residence prices in major areas have reached their lowest level since the housing bubble burst in 2006.

As of shares, basic material and energy stocks both surged over 1 percent, leading the market. Capital goods sector was also one of the best winners on Monday, jumping over 1 percent.

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Turkey and Georgia signed Tuesday a protocol to allow their citizens to cross the border between the two countries without passports

Turkey and Georgia signed Tuesday a protocol to enable their citizens to cross the border between the two countries with out passports as a way to boost trade and tourism, local media reported.

Under the protocol signed by diplomats at the Sarpi-Sarp border gate, Turkish and Georgian citizens can travel across the border with their national identity cards from now on, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili inaugurated the Sarpi-Sarp border customs office in Batumi, a Black Sea city in southwest Georgia near the Turkish border, the report stated.

Erdogan described the protocol as "a meaningful development for us along with a special implementation within the world" at the inauguration ceremony.

He said Turkey and Georgia would soon begin constructing the Cildir- Aktas Border Gate, their third border crossing additionally to Sarp- Sarpi and Turkgozu-Vale gates.

Trade volume between Turkey and Georgia has surged from around 240 million U.S. dollars in 2002 to exceed 1 billion dollars as of 2010, even though 90 percent of their land route trade was conducted via border crossings, Erdogan said.

"Turkey and Georgia are the most essential partners for each and every other within the Caucasus region," he was quoted as saying, noting that their strategic partnership contributed remarkably to regional peace, stability, development and security.

Saakashvili stated Turkey is really a powerful country which plays an essential role in its region.

Earlier Tuesday, the two leaders met at the Batumi airport as Turkey's AnadoluJet airlines started direct flights between Turkish capital Ankara and Batumi, based on Anatolia.

The flights would boost tourism between the two countries, Saakashvili stated.

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Posted in: Turkey and Georgia signed Tuesday a protocol to allow their citizens to cross the border between the two countries without passports

At least two were killed and several others injured in a fire incident in Petrochemical Complex in Imam Khomeini port in southern Iran

At the very least two had been killed and several other people injured in a fire incident in Petrochemical Complex in Imam Khomeini port in southern Iran, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

The accident happened when some periodical maintenance work was underway in among the processing units of the complex, the report said, adding that at the very least two staff were killed due to the gas poisoning.

Fire has been controlled inside the Petrochemical Complex which will be the biggest inside the country, Mehr said without having specifying the time of the accident.

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Posted in: At least two were killed and several others injured in a fire incident in Petrochemical Complex in Imam Khomeini port in southern Iran

The Austrian government has decided to halt its imports of nuclear energy by 2015

The Austrian government has decided to halt its imports of nuclear energy by 2015, Austrian Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

Currently, the share of nuclear energy inside the total electricity imports of Austria amounted to an average of some 6 percent.

Austrian Environmental Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner Tuesday said that the share of nuclear energy imports could be substituted by expanding the renewable energy and also the increase of investment in hydropower.

With the assist of new Green Electricity Act, he was convinced of "relatively quick" transfer to nuclear-free electricity supply.

Renewable energy including biomass, wind power, photovoltaic and hydropower will likely be further strengthened. Alone for hydroelectric power, a total investment of 2 billion euros (about 2.87 billion U.S. dollars) was planned for the next two years.

Furthermore to increased financial input, 1 third of measures aiming to promote the self sufficiency of Austrian electricity supply are to enhance energy efficiency. In the calculations, a rise of 1.five percent in electricity consumption was taken into account.

The feral government also set of the objective of becoming electricity exporter by 2050. Mitterlehner evaluated this target as "very ambitious but achievable."

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Posted in: The Austrian government has decided to halt its imports of nuclear energy by 2015

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his visiting Mongolia counterpart Tsakhia Elbegdorj signed

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his visiting Mongolian counterpart Tsakhia Elbegdorj signed on Tuesday a joint statement here, vowing to further promote ties between the two countries.

The joint statement was signed after the talks between the two presidents, in the course of which the two presidents exchanged views on a number of common problems, specifically the economic and trade issues.

Medvedev stated he believes the Russian-Mongolian trade volume really should not just rely on petroleum goods, calling on diversification of bilateral trade.

"We are interested in trade turnover diversification. We will need new effective projects like nuclear projects or Tavan-Tolgoi (coal deposit), which will promote bilateral cooperation," Medvedev said.

The two sides also discussed progresses of many joint projects.

Soon after the meeting, the presidents also attended signing ceremony of other four documents on bilateral cooperation and ties.

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Posted in: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his visiting Mongolia counterpart Tsakhia Elbegdorj signed