Pak to discuss Bhutto murder probe during UN chief’s visit: Gilani

Islamabad, Feb 2 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government would this week discuss with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon its progress in requesting the United Nations to probe former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

"Very soon we are evolving a strategy for that," Gilani replied, when asked whether his government would convey its request for a probe to the UN Secretary General, who is expected to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Gilani said that his government wanted a probe by the United Nations because it did not want the investigations to be "prejudiced and politicised."

After Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and suicide bomb attack during an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, Pakistan asked the UN to establish a commission to investigate the killing, The News reported.

Last December, a spokesman for Ban said the UN leader hoped such a commission could be established soon but that further consultation with Pakistan "was needed to examine the commission''s structure, including its scope and mandate."

The Pakistani Government has accused Tehrik-i-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud of plotting Bhutto's murder, a charge he denies.

Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor E2160

The Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor delivers great performance, low power enhancements, and multitasking for embedded computing. The Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E2160Δ with a thermal design power of 65 watts delivers energy-efficient dual-core performance for cost-sensitive embedded designs. Intel® 65nm process technology makes it possible to integrate two complete execution cores in one physical package, providing advancements in simultaneous computing for multi-threaded applications and multi-tasking environments.

This dual-core processor is well suited for a wide range of performance-intensive, low-power embedded applications in smaller form factors such as interactive clients (i.e., point-of-sale terminals and ATMs), gaming platforms, industrial control and automation, and print imaging. While incorporating advanced processor technology, these processors remain software-compatible with previous IA-32 processors.

The Intel Pentium dual-core processor E2160 is validated with the Intel® Q35 Express Chipset and Intel® Q965 Express Chipset. The Intel Q35 Express Chipset platform brings a new level of power reduction in idle and maximum power, making it an ideal choice for embedded applications meeting high-performance, low-thermal specifications.

UN announces three-man committee to probe Bhutto’s murder

The United Nations (UN) has announced that it would set up a commission to probe the killing of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

UN's Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that an independent three-member committee would be established to investigate Bhutto's assassination, on December 27,
2007.

"I intend to establish an independent commission of inquiry to be headed by a distinguished person who will be appointed very shortly," The Daily Times quoted Ban Ki-Moon, as saying here.

Pakistan Presidency spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that an outline for the commission is being prepared.

He said that Pakistan would provide the seed money for the probe, and the rest of the finance would be provided by other countries.

Babar also said that people of Pakistan have very high hopes from the UN to bring the murderers of Benazir Bhutto to light and prosecute them under the law.

"The people of Pakistan hope that this commission will determine the facts and circumstances of assassination of the former Prime Minister, and that the findings of the commission will lead to eventually exposing the financers, perpetrators, organisers, sponsors and conspirators of the terrorist act and bring them to justice," he said.

Intel Atom Processor Z5xx Series

The Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx series delivers the benefits of Intel® architecture for small form factor, thermally constrained and fanless embedded applications. Implemented in 45nm technology, these power-optimized processors provide robust performance-per-watt in an ultra-small 13x14 mm package.

Featuring embedded lifecycle support, the Intel Atom processors are ideal for many embedded market segments such as in-vehicle infotainment, medical, interactive client (kiosks, point-of-sale terminals), gaming and industrial control. It remains software compatible with previous 32-bit Intel® architecture and complementary silicon.

These single-core processors are validated with the Intel® System Controller Hub (SCH) US15W, which integrates a graphics memory controller hub and an I/O controller hub into one small 22x22 mm package. This low-power platform has a combined thermal design power under five watts.

Apply for a Credit Card

One needs to apply for a credit card to have financial flexibility. Credit Card has become a part and parcel of the modern day life. Credit Card comes in varieties and making the right choice is very difficult. Generally, consumers apply for a credit card without going through its details and end up with a huge bill hanging over them. Thus it is very important for a credit card customer to research on the details of the credit cards available in the market.

The procedures that should be followed by a customer to apply for a credit card are :-

Firstly , they have to compare the different credit cards, research their past records, know the interest rates, hidden costs and every details associated with them.

Secondly , they have to choose the right credit card matching their personal or business needs.
Thirdly , they either have to apply for a credit card online or have to call up the company representative and apply for the same.

Generally, the call-center executives call the prospective customers and give a brief detail on the different credit cards offered by the concerned credit company. If the customer gives time then the sales executive visits him/her and aggressively promotes his company's card. Then the convinced customer has to fill up an application form in front of the executive. If the application form gets company's nod then he receives it within a very short period of time.

The details that a credit card application form generally seek are :-

• 
  Name and Details (Address, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Telephone and mobile number, annual income, e-mail address) of the applicant,
  Name of the Authorized User (if any) who are entitled to make purchases on the same credit card account number as that of the primary card holder,
  Signature of the Primary applicant of the credit card accepting all the terms and conditions of the company, Name of the scheme of the card chosen and Other details like driver's license.

The application form required to apply for a credit card also contains details of the schemes offered by the card issuing company. These detail contains :-

• 
  Computation Method for calculating the Outstanding amounts
  Grace Period for payment of outstanding balances
  Annual Percentage Rate for Purchases
  Delinquency Rate
  Annual fee
  Over-limit fee
  Other Annual Percentage Rates,
  Information on the Variable Rates
  Penalty amount on late payments
  All types of transaction fees (including Cash Advances, Convenience cheques and Balance Transfers)

Thus a consumer could apply for a credit card any time time he wants with a door-to-door facility given by the card issuing companies. But before applying for a credit card a customer should be cautious about the consequences of continuous non-payment of outstanding payments where the interest rates increase in a cumulative manner. Hence, a credit card applicant should be conversant with the payment structure of the principal and interest rate because many a times it has been observed that non-payment of outstanding has led to bankruptcy of the customer.

But it is needless to mention that credit cards give financial flexibility to the consumers and the meticulous payment of the principal amount(in part or full) within the grace period and interest payment thereafter helps a consumer to be financially healthy and at the same time reallocate his resources according to the needs. Thus, a customer can always apply for a credit card but at the same time should try to make timely payments of outstanding in a specified time limit for avoiding excess burden.

Intel Pentium 4 Processors

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Rapid platform development is supported by the latest operating systems, applications and Intel® Architecture development tools, as well as a variety of validated reference designs from Intel. While incorporating Intel's most advanced embedded processor technologies, the Intel Pentium 4 processor, Intel Prentium 4 Processor with HT Technology, and Intel Pentium 4 processor - M are software-compatible with previous Intel® Architecture processors.

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash Review

I upgraded from a 420EX to this 580EX II. I got it just in time for a wedding photo shoot, and I must say I was NOT disappointed.
First, its battery life is outstanding. I shot shot more than 650 photos with the flash, most of them bouncing off the tall ceiling, with only ONE set of 4 AA batteries.
Compared to the 420EX, the advantages are huge. The recycling time is amazingly fast. It reminded me of the time the shutted lag difference I noticed when I switched from a compact digital camera to a digital SLR! You can even burst the flash for half a dozen of exposures (bounced off ceiling!) in 2 seconds (interesting for the garter throw!), to match the speed of the Canon 20D or 30D.
The quality of the TTL exposures is also singificantly better than what I would get with the 420EX. 95% of my shots were spot on, using full TTL mode. It is consistently excellent.
The fact that you only need to press one button to move the head of the flash in all directions was what sold me on the 580. What a pleasure to be able to switch from landscape to portrait and still be able to bounce the flash! This simple operation took 3+ seconds on the 420, and only 1 second on this one, which is the difference between getting the shot or missing it (or just giving up trying to get a vertical shot with the flash). The light reflector is also a nice feature, to get a catchlight in your subjects' eyes. However, it won't work if you shoot in portrait mode (will reflect off to the right side).
But the ONE feature that is worth the upgrade alone is the hot shoes quick release mount. Just slide the lever to the right, it clips right into position and is securely mounted on the hot shoe. It is of course just as easy to unmount the flash.
One other very nice feature is the direct access to "second curtain flash", simply by pressing a button on the flash. No need to go wandering into the Cn functions of the camera body!
On the down side, the flash is a lot bigger and bulkier than the 420EX, although not that much heavier. It is a little more difficult to fit it in my camera bag now. It is longer, wider and deeper. The only way to really be able to tell is to have it in your hands. Comparative photos won't really do a good job at showing the difference in size. That said, I had it mounted on my camera the whole day, for more than 8 hours, and it never bothered me.
I haven't even scratched the surface of everything that this flash can do, manual mode, etc, since I got it 2 days before the wedding and didn't have time to explore its features. I can't compare it to the 580EX mark I either, since I am coming from the 420. But if you're in the market to upgrade your flash, don't look twice, and get the mark II right away.
To sum things up, I would say that this flash is worth every penny, and well worth the price premium compared to the 420EX. It beats it hands down in every single category, has an outstanding battery life, and is completely silent (I forgot to mention that). I am not a professional, just an enthusiast, but I can definitely justify its cost, at my level. In other words, you don't need to pair it to a 5D or a 1D Mark III to notice how much better than the 420EX it performs.

What is Credit Card?

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for these goods and services.[1] The issuer of the card grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. A credit card is different from a charge card, where a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers to 'revolve' their balance, at the cost of having interest charged. Most credit cards are issued by local banks or credit unions, and are the same shape and size as specified by the ISO 7810 standard.

UN: Panel to probe Bhutto murder has limited duties

New York - A commission to investigate the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is limited to just six months and cannot carry out criminal proceedings, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in a letter to the UN Security Council.

"The duty of determining criminal responsibility of the perpetrators of the assassination would remain with the Pakistani authorities," the letter said.

Ban said he will name three impartial people to probe Bhutto's death on December 27, 2007, during her campaign to regain leadership in the Pakistani government.

The commission's duties are to determine the "facts and circumstances" of the murder.

The commission is to receive full cooperation from the Pakistani government, freedom of movement throughout the country as well as transportation.

It has to submit a report to the Pakistani government and Ban within six months. The letter made no mention of any legal steps once the report is handed in.

This is unlike the much publicized international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 in Beirut. The Security Council has approved the establishment of a tribunal at The Hague to try suspects, beginning in March.

Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder Review

I had the award-winning HDV (tape-based) HV20 prior to this, and the HF10 is almost indistinguishable in terms of image quality. Given the dramatic difference in image data between an HDV image and an AVC image, that means this is one heck of a camcorder. I have tried out other AVC camcorders and have been really disappointed. Not so here, and I purchased this one. It has 24p and 30p recording, in addition to 60i.(Don't be confused by Canon's nomenclature, it is true 24p, just recorded in interlaced 60i.)The cinema mode has a bit of a wash-out effect on colors.
The camcorder is surprisingly small .Power save mode is great, and is virtually instantaneously on when the LCD screen is opened. One warning about AVC in general, if you don't have a fast computer, it will grind it to a halt. I have a quad-core with 4 gig RAM and editing is fine, but I wouldn't want to use an old computer. Sony Vegas works great with the files. Wish the camcorder automatically saved to the SDHC card when the internal storage was full. Otherwise, this is the best thought out camcorder since my DVX-100. Nice to occasionally see consumer products worth their expense.