Bikes to ride on car technology :Technology News

Hero Honda launches model with this fuel-enhancing system, Bajaj to follow suit

Sanjiv Kumar

New Delhi: Bikes are all set to zoom off on a brand new road in technical terms. Leading two-wheeler firms are going to phase out the good, old ‘carburettor engine’ range and, instead, use fuel-injection (FI) technology in view of tighter emission norms in the country.

But the innovation does not come cheap. There may be a premium charged for the FI technology which offers superior and consistent engine performance with improved drivability, lower emissions, enhanced fuel economy and extended engine life.

Hero Honda first to change gears

Market leader Hero Honda has introduced fuel-injection technology in 125cc bike Glamour FI priced at Rs 49,990 (base model) and Rs 53,990 (with disk brakes) and will charge Rs 5,500 extra over the existing range of Glamour for FI.

It also has real time mileage indicator for achieving optimum mileage. “We will phase out Glamour with carburettor engine if the new technology takes over in terms of volume sales. Gradually, we will introduce FI across all our bikes,” Hero Honda Managing Director Pawan Munjal told Mumbai Mirror.

Technology already in use abroad

FI technology is already prevalent in many countries. In India, it is in use in cars and Japan-based Honda Motor Company is offering it in two-wheelers. Hero Honda’s Munjal said the company is introducing FI in lower segment to achieve larger volumes. “As volume peaks, prices of FI-loaded bikes will also fall,” he said, adding that Hero Honda has already dispatched the new FI bikes to 180 dealers and they would soon be available in the market.

Bajaj running a close second

Bajaj Auto is all set to roll out the 230 cc Pulsar DTS-FI but with a higher price tag. According to auto experts, rivalry among automobile manufacturers is eventually good for the customer as healthy competition leads to new technologies and pushes companies to challenge themselves and others to offer better products at lower prices.

“This is the technology of the future for all two-wheelers, with India going for tighter emission provisions. Many more motorcycle makers have to infuse FI in their product range,” they added.

Interesting moves in data integration : Biz News

A couple of interesting announcements have been made within the integration space lately. The first is that Sunopsis and Trillium have formed a partnership. This is probably not surprising. With the recent acquisition of data quality vendors by both Informatica and Business Objects, Sunopsis needed a more robust data quality offering and it has done so by partnering with the leading quasi-pure player on the market. This also works for Trillium in that its major competitors are now owned by other companies so it too, needed a partnership with a leading data integration supplier.

Incidentally, as an aside for those that think of Trillium as a product you should only look at if you want to put a lab coat on—look again—the latest release is much more user friendly than was previously the case.

The second interesting announcement that I want to discuss was much less predictable. In fact, I defy anyone without insider knowledge to have predicted it: Sybase has acquired Solonde.

First, I’d better tell you what Solonde is. The company’s flagship product (TransformOnDemand) started as a research project at the University of Hamburg and is an ETL (data integration) tool designed from the ground up to run on a grid architecture. It is also particularly easy to deploy and use. The company also offers specific SAP integration capabilities through ExtractOnDemand. Three good reasons (apart from some blue chip clients) why the company might be an acquisition target. But why Sybase?

Let me step back a bit. Apart from its mobile offerings (the iAnywhere products) and development tools (PowerBuilder et al), what are Sybase’s major products? It has two databases, ASE in the OLTP market and IQ for data warehousing. Then it has a stand-alone replication product, which supports heterogeneous replication within a variety of environments. All of these it has had for some years. Then, a while ago now, it acquired Avaki, which is an EII (enterprise information integration) tool. So, now it has replication, federation and ETL all under one roof. That looks like a data integration platform to me.

Moreover, if Sybase is building a data integration platform is it just doing so to augment its data warehouse? I wouldn't think so. But does it then think that it can compete with the likes of Informatica, IBM, Sunopsis et al in the general purpose market. Possibly, but that would have to be a long shot. More likely, it has an eye on a bigger prize in an emerging market. And that market? MDM (master data management).

Now, I don't know whether Sybase will build or buy MDM but I am guessing that it will do one or the other, with Avaki supporting a registry/repository style federated approach and Solonde being leveraged for a hub-based solution to be stored, of course, in Sybase IQ. Doesn't that make sense? The company may or may not acquire a data quality vendor en route, or it may just partner but I think MDM must be the goal it is looking at.

Photog on Jolie-Pitt Watch Arrested

by Natalie Finn
Jun 22, 2006, 6:30 PM PT

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are over the moon about their growing family, while a certain paparazzo is over the wall for Maddox.

Photographer Clint Brewer, 25, was arrested for trespassing Thursday morning after allegedly hiding in the bushes at Maddox Jolie-Pitt's Malibu daycare center, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed to E! Online.

Staff members at the Pacific Coast Highway preschool facility spotted Brewer at around 10:30 a.m. and made a citizen's arrest before he could get close to the famous four-year-old. The errant photog was then detained by security until sheriff's deputies arrived to take him to the Malibu/Lost Hills station, where he was booked on a misdemeanor trespassing charge and released on $1,000 bail.

Brewer is scheduled to appear at the Los Angeles. Superior Courthouse in Van Nuys on Friday to answer to the charge.

"School officials and myself feel that some of these paparazzi are like predators who will recklessly take and sell photos of innocent children for money," Rich Malchar, Pitt's head of security, said in a statement.

Brangelina and their three children have been back in the States for close to two weeks, with the media chronicling their movements nearly every step of the way.

Family photographs have been the hot commodity of late, with Hello! and People shelling out more than $4 million (with the proceeds going to charity) for the privilege of not even being the first to publish the coveted pics of newborn Shiloh--various Internet sites took the liberty of introducing the littlest Jolie-Pitt to the world before those issues hit newsstands.

Hello!, People and Getty Images announced June 7 that they would seek damages from the Websites they feel encroached on their legal territory.

Jolie dished last week with CNN's Anderson Cooper about giving birth ("everybody was so lovely"), sharing her millions with various charities (the United States' "priorities are quite strange" about what it chooses to spend its money on), and coping with one-year-old Zahara's jealousy upon Shiloh's arrival:

"Z is jealous because she's still a little girl," Jolie explained. "Maddox loves her. Because when Z came home she was older, she was seven months old. So for Mad it's like having this tiny little pet he can hold and look at."

And, ladies and gentlemen, rev your flashbulbs--Jolie also told Cooper that she and Pitt are planning to adopt again in the near future.

Al-Qaeda deputy calls for Afghan uprising

Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, has issued a call for young Afghans to rise up again the "infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands".

The call to civil war, made in a video which also refers to the Kabul riots last month and posted on an Islamic website last night, came as four American soldiers died in fighting in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Harmid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, responded to the video by calling al-Zawahri "an enemy of the Afghan people" and saying that his country could not tolerate the recent upsurge in violence.

Around 600 Afghans have been killed since May in the worst period of sustained unrest since the fall of the Taleban in November 2001.

The unrest may have been fuelled by an ongoing al-Qaeda propaganda campaign, that has produced six al-Zawahri videos and an audio recording of bin Laden in recent months.

The four American soldiers were killed in combat trying to block the movements of enemy forces in the province of Nuristan, which lies on the border of the Chitral region of northern Pakistan, according to a US military statement. Afghan and US forces have been looking for al-Qaeda and Taleban forces in the area since the middle of April.

A fifth soldier was wounded in the battle, which took place in the Kamdesh district of the province, but is in a stable condition. Nuristan, 5,000 square miles of nearly roadless mountains, forests and deep, terraced gorges, has a long history of independence from the rest of Afghanistan and a 250-mile border with Pakistan that remains largely unguarded.

The al-Zawahri video, which carried the stamp of al-Qaeda's in-house media unit, Al-Sahab Productions, appeared to have been made on May 30, the day after an American lorry ran out of control in Kabul, killing five people and prompting anti-Western riots that cost the lives of a further 20 people in Kabul.

Entitled "American Crimes in Kabul", the tape shows the Egyptian cleric seated in front a black backdrop with an automatic rifle. Unlike other tapes, it carried no English subtitles, only translations into Farsi and Arabic, suggesting it was aimed at Afghans rather than the West.

"I am calling upon the Muslims in Kabul in particular and in all Afghanistan in general and for the sake of God to stand up in an honest stand in the face of the infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands," said al-Zawahri.

"I direct my speech today to my Muslim brothers in Kabul who lived the bitter events yesterday and saw by their own eyes a new proof of the criminal acts of the American forces against the Afghani people."

With the Taleban mustering the largest fighting groups since 2001 and US commanders speaking of a likely increase in violence as Nato prepares to take over the military mission to the country, the Afghan President called al-Zawahri "first the enemy of the Afghan people, and then the enemy of the rest of the world".

"This ’War on Terror’ has been limited to Afghanistan soil," Mr Karzai told journalists in Kabul. "We can’t tolerate it forever... in the past three weeks five, six hundred people have died in the country. We want an end to this, a basic end to this."

Al-Qaeda deputy calls for Afghan uprising

Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, has issued a call for young Afghans to rise up again the "infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands".

The call to civil war, made in a video which also refers to the Kabul riots last month and posted on an Islamic website last night, came as four American soldiers died in fighting in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Harmid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, responded to the video by calling al-Zawahri "an enemy of the Afghan people" and saying that his country could not tolerate the recent upsurge in violence.

Around 600 Afghans have been killed since May in the worst period of sustained unrest since the fall of the Taleban in November 2001.

The unrest may have been fuelled by an ongoing al-Qaeda propaganda campaign, that has produced six al-Zawahri videos and an audio recording of bin Laden in recent months.

The four American soldiers were killed in combat trying to block the movements of enemy forces in the province of Nuristan, which lies on the border of the Chitral region of northern Pakistan, according to a US military statement. Afghan and US forces have been looking for al-Qaeda and Taleban forces in the area since the middle of April.

A fifth soldier was wounded in the battle, which took place in the Kamdesh district of the province, but is in a stable condition. Nuristan, 5,000 square miles of nearly roadless mountains, forests and deep, terraced gorges, has a long history of independence from the rest of Afghanistan and a 250-mile border with Pakistan that remains largely unguarded.

The al-Zawahri video, which carried the stamp of al-Qaeda's in-house media unit, Al-Sahab Productions, appeared to have been made on May 30, the day after an American lorry ran out of control in Kabul, killing five people and prompting anti-Western riots that cost the lives of a further 20 people in Kabul.

Entitled "American Crimes in Kabul", the tape shows the Egyptian cleric seated in front a black backdrop with an automatic rifle. Unlike other tapes, it carried no English subtitles, only translations into Farsi and Arabic, suggesting it was aimed at Afghans rather than the West.

"I am calling upon the Muslims in Kabul in particular and in all Afghanistan in general and for the sake of God to stand up in an honest stand in the face of the infidel forces that are invading Muslim lands," said al-Zawahri.

"I direct my speech today to my Muslim brothers in Kabul who lived the bitter events yesterday and saw by their own eyes a new proof of the criminal acts of the American forces against the Afghani people."

With the Taleban mustering the largest fighting groups since 2001 and US commanders speaking of a likely increase in violence as Nato prepares to take over the military mission to the country, the Afghan President called al-Zawahri "first the enemy of the Afghan people, and then the enemy of the rest of the world".

"This ’War on Terror’ has been limited to Afghanistan soil," Mr Karzai told journalists in Kabul. "We can’t tolerate it forever... in the past three weeks five, six hundred people have died in the country. We want an end to this, a basic end to this."

Football World Cup Diary

Victory for England over Sweden still proves elusive as Sven’s men draw 2-2 with Lars Lagerback’s side in Cologne.

The result gives England the Group B leadership going into the knockout phase of the tournament, but comes at a particularly heavy price. Barely a minute has passed when Michael Owen breaks down near the touchline without a Swedish player anywhere in the vicinity. Post-game chat about scans and waiting and seeing hardly masks the likelihood that Owen will not return for the duration of Germany 2006.

If the prognosis on Owen is dire, the introduction of Peter Crouch in his absence represents yet more terror for England fans. On a booking from an earlier game, Crouch has to get through 89 minutes or more without getting himself suspended, thus reducing England’s striking options to a half-fit megastar and a young boy who seems to have bunked onto the plane without anyone noticing.

Crouch achieves this aim without any real alarm, but his actual contribution to the game is limited. Joe Cole is easily England’s best player, and as if to cement this fact rattles in an audacious volley to give his side the lead on 34 minutes. Six minutes after half-time that revered defender David Beckham is somehow left marking Swedish striker Marcus Allback who sends a deft header in past the despairing and frankly over-dramatic efforts of Ashley Cole on the line.

A tiring Wayne Rooney is then withdrawn for the previously rested Steven Gerrard, and it is the Liverpool man who again pops up to head England into what looks like a winning lead five minutes before time. However, more shambolic defending sees John Terry completely miss a long throw, an error compounded by Sol Campbell’s aimless hack which allows Henrik Larsson to steal a point at the death;

“We did not defend very well against set-pieces - we have to work on that before the next game.” says Sven, stating the bleeding obvious.

Unimpressed with his team’s first half display, Lagerback is more positive about the action after the break;

“It was better in the second half. We almost deserved three points. We were the better team in the second half.” he claims.

Sweden’s draw is enough to take them through to the second round, but they would have been there anyway thanks to Trinidad and Tobago’s inability to beat Paraguay in Kaiserslautern. The South Americans win 2-0 thanks to a Brent Sancho own goal on 25 minutes and Nelson Cuevas’ 86th minute goal;

“This victory doesn't mean much in the way of this World Cup, but it does give the young players, who are our future, something to build on.” suggests an optimistic Paraguay coach Anibal Ruiz;

“This has been a great experience. In future maybe our players will show a bit more confidence.” comments Trinidad and Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker, whose side finish bottom of Group B as a result of their loss.

England face Ecuador in the last 16 in Stuttgart on Sunday (June 25) after Luis Suarez’s side are soundly whipped 3-0 by Germany in Berlin. The Germans take Group A honours to set up a meeting with Sweden in Munich on Saturday (June 24) with a brace from the tournament’s leading scorer Miroslav Klose and a third from Lucas Podolski;

“We need to improve if we want to go any further in this World Cup.” concedes Suarez, though he is speaking some hours before watching John Terry and Sol Campbell defend throw-ins;

“The team know if we play to our full potential we need fear no one, but we must keep our feet on the ground.” warns German boss Jurgen Klinsmann.

Group A wooden spoonists are Costa Rica after they go down 2-1 to fellow also-rans Poland in Hanover. Ronald Gomez fires in a 24th minute free-kick for Los Ticos but a brace by Bartosz Bosacki gives the Poles all three points;

“It would have been a pity to go home without any points or goals.” says a slightly relieved Polish coach Pawel Janas, before turning his attentions to his future;

“I have not thought about resigning and I am not going to decide right now.”

Costa Rica boss Alexandre Guimaraes feels his side could have done better in all three of their Group A games;

“We paid dearly for our distractions. They cost us in all three matches.” he laments.

By Stephen Orford

21 June 2006

Where does Karzai go from here?

Monday's riots in Kabul sent a wake-up call to the US-allied Afghan government for a stronger police force.
By Rachel Morarjee | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Mustafa surveys the broken shelves and shattered glass of his jewelry shop in Kabul, and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees soldiers from the Afghan National Army on the streets.

"Bringing the Army out is the only decent thing [President] Karzai has done in four years. Now the soldiers are here, the police can't steal and hassle people and we feel safe," he says, as a crowd of shopkeepers nod in agreement.

Their shops were at the heart of the worst street violence to hit the Afghan capital since 2001, after a US military traffic accident triggered a riot that engulfed the city leaving 14 dead and over 100 injured.

Haji Mohammed Akram, a shop owner who watched police flee their posts as guards from the Kabul bank opposite his shop fired on armed looters, says he can feel his hopes of peace ebbing. "If this is what happens when we have a traffic accident, can you imagine how quickly the city would fall if the enemy attacked?" he asks.

Four days later the streets are quiet, but confidence in President Hamid Karzai's government is at an all-time low. Residents and observers say that the government needs to restore credibility by reforming the Afghan police and insisting on better conduct for foreign troops.

"Clearly the government was totally unable to respond to the crisis. If this is the state of our police force then we are in serious trouble," says a Western diplomat, noting the violence unmasked weaknesses within the government. As the riots raged on Monday, Interior Ministry officials in charge of the police took their phones off the hook, while Karzai failed to make a public statement on TV until the riots - lasting some eight hours - had run their course.

"It was a wake-up call.... It underlined how badly things have gone and how we are nowhere near where we need to be," the diplomat adds.

After electing a Parliament and a president, Afghanistan has been hailed as a success story and frequently compared favorably with Iraq, where security is much worse. However, some of the initial accomplishments here are being overshadowed. Militias run riot, the police force barely functions, and most Afghans have seen little change in their lives, making it easier for a resurgent Taliban to recruit.

To halt the downward slide Karzai must look squarely at the reasons which fueled the riots, diplomats and businessmen say.

"The situation is not of his own making, but Karzai is locked in a palace and surrounded by people who tell him everything is hunky-dory. He needs to reach out," says Daud Sultanzoi, an MP for Ghazni Province where the Taliban insurgency has worsened. Palace officials could not be reached.

At the root of the problem is a corrupt, badly paid, and poorly organized police force with low morale. The force is chronically undersupplied, in some places lacking the basics of vehicles and weapons to do more than limited foot patrols. The Taliban often overrun poorly defended police stations in the south, sapping morale. Some police terrorize the general populace - and they are the only face of the government most Afghans see on a daily basis.

Monday's rioting in the capital demonstrated that for many police, concerns for personal safety and sympathy for those in the streets weighed more heavily than their duty to protect property and life. "The police took off their uniforms and joined the looters, so I am worried about the future," says Qasim, a security guard from Badakhshan who works in Kabul.

Lack of nonlethal weapons made crowd-control difficult.

"Why were the police so weak, why didn't they respond? We need special guns, water cannon, rubber bullets. There was no way to deal with unrest in the city," says Shukria Barekzai a legislator in Kabul.

Lack of jobs and a growing despair about the future further fueled the riot. Five years after the fall of the Taliban many parts of Kabul still have no sanitation, intermittent electricity, and open sewers running beside streets clogged with Land cruisers packed with foreigners and the new narco-elite. Reconstruction has come to Afghanistan - including schools, roads, and plans for pipelines - but many residents say it's too little and too slow.

Lastly, resentment against the foreign military presence is growing. US and NATO convoys drive around aggressively, frequently pushing Afghans off the road in their haste to reach destinations safely.

A week before the Kabul crash some 30 civilians had been killed by a US airstrike near Kandahar. Karzai paid a rare visit to the injured survivors and summoned the commander of coalition forces to a meeting over the incident. Such moves can deflect some of the anger - temporarily.

"This wasn't the first accident the Americans had and it won't be the last. They came to bring peace, but if they keep killing Afghans we will riot again," says a shopkeeper at the crash site in northern Kabul who asked not to be identified.