News: News

Opera v9.5 build 9841 (beta)

<strong>Opera</strong> được biết đến như là trình duyệt đầy đủ tính năng và nhanh nhất, là lựa chọn hàng đầu cho người dùng các máy tính cũ sử dụng Windows 95 và là trình duyệt thay thế hoàn hảo cho IE của Microsoft. Phiên bản này có khả năng đánh bại với các tính năng mới mạnh mẽ.Ứng dụng đáp ứng mọi tiêu chuẩn web hiện thời, với giao diện hoàn toàn mới, tìm kiếm tích hợp, trình quản lý tải, trình đọc tin/email tiên tiến, xem trước khi in, tập hợp bookmark khổng lồ và nhiều nữa trong gói phần mềm 2MB miễn phí! Gói phần mềm cũng bao gồm các banner quảng cáo, nhưng Opera hoàn toàn không có spyware, không như các chương trình cùng loại khác. Ứng dụng có tốc độ cao cùng tính ổn định với giao diện bắt mắt.Đơn giản chỉ 2 chữ hoàn hảo! Hãy xem qua trang chủ để tìm hiểu toàn bộ tính năng.<span id="more-291"></span><br />
<strong>Opera</strong>, trước hết là một client World Wide Web, tức là chương trình trích xuất thông tin từ WWW dưới dạng tài liệu với sự trợ giúp của HyperText Markup Language (ngôn ngữ đánh dấu hypertext HTML).<br />
Yêu cầu tài nguyên hệ thống thấp. Opera hoạt động cả trên các máy 386 với chỉ 6 MB RAM hoạt động. Bạn có thể chạy mà không tiêu tốn nhiều bộ nhớ của các cửa sổ trong một cửa sổ làm việc, khi lựa chọn chế độ bảng hay xếp chồng.<br />
<strong>Các vấn đề đã biết :</strong><br />

News Opera v9.5 build 9841 (beta)

Opera được biết đến như là trình duyệt đầy đủ tính năng và nhanh nhất, là lựa chọn hàng đầu cho người dùng các máy tính cũ sử dụng Windows ...

Quốc tế Phụ nữ 8/3: Ngày tôn vinh "một nửa thế giới"

09:18 NTH 0

<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3> <div class="post-header-line-1"></div> <div class="post-body entry-content"> <p><a href="http://www.thehetre.vn/upload/songhong/bl732007132929.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.thehetre.vn/upload/songhong/bl732007132929.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand"></a><br> Ngày Quốc tế Phụ nữ 8/3 là cả một câu chuyện lịch sử dài về cuộc đấu tranh vì quyền bình đẳng và hạnh phúc cho phụ nữ của nhiều nhóm phụ nữ trên toàn thế giới. Chính phụ nữ là những người làm nên ngày 8/3 lịch sử. Để mỗi năm có một ngày tràn ngập hoa thì đã có không ít máu và nước mắt đổ xuống trong quá khứ.<br> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">" Không có phụ nữ xấu, chỉ có phụ nữ...tự làm đẹp cho mình"</span><br>Chúc mừng ngày Quốc tế Phụ Nữ 8/3 từ <a href="http://vietnam-blogger.com/"><font color="#2255aa">VietNam-Blogger.Com</font></a>, Chúc chị em luôn xinh đẹp<br> </p></div>

News Quốc tế Phụ nữ 8/3: Ngày tôn vinh "một nửa thế giới"

Ngày Quốc tế Phụ nữ 8/3 là cả một câu chuyện lịch sử dài về cuộc đấu tranh vì quyền bình đẳng và hạnh phúc cho phụ nữ của nhiều nhóm p...

vnTranslate: Dịch đoạn văn Anh, Đức, Pháp sang tiếng Việt tự động

09:14 NTH 0

<h1 id="post-518"> </h1> <div class="clearboth"></div><span></span><span></span><span></span> <p>Trước đây có lẽ bạn đã khá quen thuộc với phần mềm dịch văn bản tự động EVTran. Bạn chỉ việc nhập vào đoạn văn bản tiếng Anh là sẽ có ngay một bản dịch tiếng Việt mà không cần phải ngồi tra từng từ trong từ điển. Tuy nhiên phần mềm này cũng có một số trở ngại nho nhỏ như dung lượng khá lớn, phải cài đặt, và không miễn phí. Mới đây, bạn Peacemoon đã lập trình chương trình vnTranslate dựa trên ý tưởng khá mới là sử dụng Engine dịch thuật trên Internet để dịch đoạn văn bản của bạn đưa vào, hỗ trợ dịch từ Anh, Đức, Pháp sang tiếng Việt. Chính vì sử dụng Engine có sẵn trên Internet nên dung lượng của chương trình rất nhỏ gọn (chỉ có 24KB!), không cần cài đặt, và khi dùng bạn phải đang kết nối với Internet. Đầu tiên bạn copy đoạn văn bản cần dịch vào khung nhập liệu ở trên, chọn ngôn ngữ gốc trong combobox (English, German, French). Hỗ trợ dịch đoạn văn khoảng 100 từ đỗ lại. Nếu bạn dùng Internet thông qua proxy, hãy nhập thông số của proxy tại mục Proxy setting. Nhấn nút Translate và chờ trong giây lát, đoạn văn của bạn sẽ được dịch sang tiếng Việt ở khung nhập liệu bên dưới. Đặc biệt, sau khi dịch bạn có thể chỉnh sửa lại kết quả theo ý mình (bằng mã Unicode).<br> Nguồn: <a href="http://Echip.com.vn">Echip.com.vn</a></p><span></span><span></span><span></span> <p>PS: Lúc đầu gặp topic về Tool này ở một forum, thấy có 24KB, nghi nghi, tưởng Virus… Lên Google Search thử thì thấy Tool này cũng đc giới thiệu ở Echip nên Viettut đã yên tâm mà tải về, mạn phép đăng lại phần giới thiệu về Tool này trên báo echip (Vì đã rất cụ thể). (d.d)</p>  <p>Yêu cầu của chương trình: phải có kết nối Internet và máy có cài đặt .Net Framework 2.0.</p> <p>Cho chạy thử một đoạn văn chứa nhiều thuật ngữ CNTT thì thấy Tool vnTranslate dịch rất buồn cười (haha) . Tiếp đến là một đoạn văn bình thường thì thấy tình hình có khá đi, nhưng vẫn không thể chính xác tuyệt đối (không hơn gì khả năng dịch của EVTrans 2, EVTrans 3 thì chưa dùng nên không kết luận được). (i.i)</p>  <p><a href="http://viettut.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/image5.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="217" src="http://viettut.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/image-thumb5.png" style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" width="244"></a></p>  <p>Download dzì xài thử nè:  <a href="http://viettut.valuebloghosting.com/vnTranslate.exe">http://viettut.valuebloghosting.com/vnTranslate.exe</a></p>

News vnTranslate: Dịch đoạn văn Anh, Đức, Pháp sang tiếng Việt tự động

Trước đây có lẽ bạn đã khá quen thuộc với phần mềm dịch văn bản tự động EVTran. Bạn chỉ việc nhập vào đoạn văn bản tiếng Anh là sẽ có ng...

Families, markets feel price pressure as inflation soars

00:18 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left" height="35"> <div class="ish"> </div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left" width="100%" colspan="2"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="20" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" colspan="2"><img align="left" alt="" border="1" class="pix" hspace="1" src="http://www.thanhniennews.com/images/newsimages/inflation1-087-08.jpg" vspace="1"> </td> <td align="left" width="5"></td></tr> <tr> <td class="cap" align="left" colspan="2">Noodle shop owner Vo Thi Thanh Thuy in District 1's Tan Dinh Market, who has been forced to increase prices, is unhappy that business is poor</td> <td align="left" width="5"></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Consumer prices have risen more than 16 percent so far this year, forcing families to make significant cutbacks in their food budgets and leaving market vendors struggling to make ends meet.</b> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="left"> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">The latest statistics from the General Statistics Office (GSO), released late Tuesday, show the consumer price index jumped 16.4 percent in the first three months of 2008 compared to the same period last year, driven by sharp spikes in food and energy prices.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">The government has raised interest rates and frozen retail fuel prices until June in a bid to slow inflation but that does not seem to have eased the financial squeeze on lower income earners.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Supermarkets last week announced they had raised prices by between five and 20 percent, with some luxury items, such as cakes and candy, up by one-third.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"I've noticed a significant increase in prices, particularly in pork and fish," said Phuong, who was shopping Wednesday at Tan Dinh Market in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"It's really difficult for those with low incomes and even for middle income people."</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Tan Dinh Market shopkeeper Nga, who sells baguettes, said her daily profit had dropped by 50 percent this year.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"Sales have been slow," she said.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"It's the worst it's been in the past 30 years."</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Nga had no idea what the government could do to assist struggling families and businesses.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"The only comfort is that the price of power has not increased yet," she said.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Fabric seller Pham Thi Hoang Mai estimated her sales were down 40 percent this year.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Mai said she could not raise selling prices to make up for slower sales "because there are no customers."</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Mai is among those finding it tough to provide for her family.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">She has been cutting down on the amount of meat she buys.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"I used to buy one kilogram of pork, now I buy half a kilogram or less," she said.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"I'm just waiting for everything to go back to normal, particularly the price of fuel."</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Since the Tet (Lunar New year) holiday, noodle stall owner Vo Thi Thanh Thuy has raised her prices by VND2,000 (13 US cents) a bowl, from VND15,000 to VND17,000, because of the higher price of pork, meat and other ingredients.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"I can't increase the price too much because it would scare customers away," she said.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"You can see none of the vendors are busy today," she said, pointing to the row of food stalls.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">She herself has been struggling with falling sales in the last few months.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">But not all vendors were gloomy.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Flower stall owner Truong Thanh Nga and fruit shop owner Hai said their businesses had not been affected by inflation.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Neither business had experienced any decrease in sales volume or customer numbers, they said.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Spiraling inflation has led many, including State Securities Commission Deputy Chairman Nguyen Doan Hung, to question if the government's target of 9 percent economic growth can be achieved this year.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Vietnam recorded gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 8.5 percent last year as it attracted a record US$20.3 billion in foreign direct investment.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">The booming economy has attracted many foreigners, many of whom have hardly noticed the price rises.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Franck, the manager of the trendy Alibi Club in HCMC's District 1 who preferred to by known by his first name, said his business had so far not been affected by rising inflation.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">"Most of my customers are foreigners," he told <i>Thanh Nien</i>.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Rather than experiencing a slowdown in customers, Alibi had actually been busier than ever, he said, adding he had not been forced to increase the prices of anything on his menu.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Australian expat Tom Vovers has noticed the price of food, clothes and taxis increasing this year.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">From a business point of view, Vovers said staff costs at his human resource company HR2B had increased by about 20 percent as the company kept up with market trends.</font></span></p>  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">By far the biggest cost increase, however, has been in office rent.</font></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="2">Vovers said the rent on HR2B's office in HCMC's District 3 had doubled this month.</font></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Families, markets feel price pressure as inflation soars

Noodle shop owner Vo Thi Thanh Thuy in District 1's Tan Dinh Market, who has been forced to increase prices, is unhappy ...

ABBA - The History (week 32)

19:52 NTH 0

<div class="entry-content"> <div class="entry-body"> <p>In this new feature we will have a look at those ten ABBA years. What was ABBA doing this week in 1981 or 1974? Did they travel for promotion? Were they on tour? Or were they recording for a new album? You will find it out in this feature!</p>  <p>This week in... <b>1976</b></p> <p><img alt="" src="http://www.abbasite.com/assets/370_231.jpg"></p> <p>It was in this week, 29 years ago, that ABBA released their most famous single ever: Dancing Queen!<br>The song was already recorded the summer before in 1975, at the same time as Fernando and another demo called I Want You (parts of it would later surface in Does Your Mother Know). When it was time to release a new single in early 1976 ABBA wanted Dancing Queen to be the next single. Even Frida remembered that she cried when Benny brought the backingtrack to their house to let Frida hear it. However Stig Anderson thought that Fernando should be released first and therefor it took another 5 months before the public could finally obtain a copy of Dancing Queen. The song was already familiar to the public, since ABBA had performed it on an Australian and a German TV show and, more importantly, ABBA performed Dancing Queen at the wedding reception for the Swedish king and queen. Incorrectly, people thought that Dancing Queen was especially written for that occasion.<br> When released (with That's Me as a B-side) it became ABBA's biggest hit to date. It stormed to number one almost everywhere. Even the USA couldn't resist Dancing Queen, although it took some time before ABBA had their first and only US number one hit. It finally peaked at number one for one week in April 1977.<br> These days Dancing Queen is the song that is associated mostly with ABBA and today people continue to dance to <em>the beat of the tambourine</em> on dancefloors around the world</p></div> <div style="CLEAR: both"></div></div>

News ABBA - The History (week 32)

In this new feature we will have a look at those ten ABBA years. What was ABBA doing this week in 1981 or 1974? Did they travel for promot...

Beatles' ally Neil Aspinall dies

19:51 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> </div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Neil Aspinall" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511909_aspinall_pa203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Beatles' pal Neil Aspinall died in New York aged 66</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Neil Aspinall, who ran the Apple Corps music empire for the Beatles, has died at a hospital in New York, aged 66. </b> <p>A school friend of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he was regarded by some of the band as the "fifth Beatle".  <p>In an Apple Corps statement, Sir Paul, Ringo Starr, and the widows of Harrison and John Lennon paid tribute to "Neil's trusting stewardship and guidance".  <p>Notoriously media-shy, Aspinall nonetheless fought hard to protect the Beatles' music, image and copyright.  <p><b>Road manager</b>  <p>Aspinall also played background instruments on tracks including Magical Mystery Tour, Within You Without You and Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite.  <p>But it was for his stewardship at Apple Corps that he will be best remembered.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"><img alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif" width="24"> <b>This great mass of shaggy hair loomed up and an out-of-breath voice requested a quick drag of my Woodbine</b> <img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif" width="23"><br clear="all"> </div></div> <div class="mva"> <div>Neil Aspinall on George Harrison</div></div> <div class="o"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif" vspace="2" width="203"><br> </div> <div class="miiib"> <div class="arr"><a class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=4517&edition=2&ttl=20080324170112"><b>Send us your comments</b></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>He was chief executive from 1970 until last year.  <p>Throughout his career, he remained fiercely loyal to the group, looking after their business interests and taking legal action on their behalf.  <p>He led the legal battle with Apple computers over the use of the Apple name and a royalties dispute between the Beatles and record label EMI.  <p><b>Money-maker</b>  <p>He is credited with ensuring they continued to make money decades after they split up.  <p>He was behind successful retrospective albums such as Beatles Anthology and Beatles One.  <p>Apple Corps estimates that in his last 20 years at the company, the Beatles sold 70 million albums.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Beatles and Neil Aspinall" border="0" height="300" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44512000/jpg/_44512014_band_getty203x300.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Neil Aspinall, top right, with the Fab Four, in 1964</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Aspinall first befriended Sir Paul and Harrison at the Liverpool Institute Grammar School in the 1950s.  <p>In The Beatles Anthology DVD, he described his first encounter with Harrison behind the school's air-raid shelters.  <p>"This great mass of shaggy hair loomed up and an out-of-breath voice requested a quick drag of my Woodbine," Aspinall said.  <p>"It was one of the first cigarettes either of us had smoked. We spluttered our way through it bravely but gleefully."  <p>In 1961, he became the Beatles' road manager and drove them between gigs in his van before becoming their personal assistant.  <p><b>'Good friend'</b>  <p>Sir Paul, Starr and the widows of Lennon and Harrison said: "All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man."  <p>In a separate statement, Starr added: "I've known Neil many years and he was a good friend. We were blessed to have him in our lives and he will be missed."  <p>And Harrison's widow Olivia and the couple's son Dhani said: "Neil takes with him the love and history of his extended family.  <p>"He was our constant and avuncular caretaker for so many years; there is no way to measure how much he will be missed."  <p>Aspinall died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.  <p>It's understood he was suffering from lung cancer.  <p>He is survived by his wife, Suzy, and five children. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div><br></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Beatles' ally Neil Aspinall dies

Beatles' pal Neil Aspinall died in New York aged 66 Neil Aspinall, who ran the Apple Corps music empire for the Beatles,...

Hawker murder family renew appeal

19:50 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> </div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div class="o"><img alt="Lindsay Ann Hawker's family" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511008_hawker203b.jpg" width="203"> </div> <div class="mva">Lindsay Ann Hawker met Mr Ichihashi in a coffee shop</div> <div class="o"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif" vspace="2" width="203"><br> </div> <div> <div class="mvtb"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7310000/newsid_7311000?redirect=7311033.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&asb=1" onclick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({el:this});return false;"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/video_text.gif"><b>Hawker family</b> </a></div> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>The family of a young British teacher murdered in Japan have made a fresh appeal for help to catch her killer.</b>  <p>Speaking in Tokyo, Lindsay Ann Hawker's father Bill called on the "honourable people of Japan" to help find suspect Tatsuya Ichihashi.  <p>The teacher's sister Lisa called on the suspect - whom police believe someone is sheltering - to give himself up.  <p>Mr Ichihashi fled after police found Lindsay's body in a bath of sand at his flat near Tokyo a year ago.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"><img alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif" width="24"> <b>You have taken away my best friend and broken our hearts</b> <img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif" width="23"><br clear="all"> </div></div> <div class="mva"> <div>Lisa Hawker</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Close to tears, Mr Hawker told the press conference: "Almost a year ago my other beautiful daughter, Lindsay, as you know was murdered here in Japan.  <p>"I now wish to appeal to the honourable people of Japan, particularly to the families of Japan, to help me find Tatsuya Ichihashi.  <p>"Be assured the Hawkers will, as a family, never give in...we want justice for my daughter Lindsay."  <p>Her sister Lisa said of the suspect: "You have taken one life and destroyed many more. You have taken away my best friend and broken our hearts. I implore you, please atone for your crime."  <p> <p>Her mother Julia implored the Japanese people to remember Lindsay's face and to keep a look-out for her suspected killer.  <p>"This was my daughter. Remember her face. Remember this face," she said.  <p>"And help us get justice for this girl - that she so rightly deserves."  <p>Before leaving for Japan, Mr Hawker described his daughter, 22, as "a beautiful girl who went to the other side of the world to teach English".  <p>He said: "All of Lindsay's family and friends all over the world remain determined to keep up their efforts, and to seek justice for their daughter, sister and friend."  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Japanese police poster showing how Tatsuya Ichihashi might look if disguised as a woman" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44503000/jpg/_44503490_tatsuyagirlpost_two203.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Police say Tatsuya Ichihashi could be disguised as a woman</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>He added: "She was an amazing young woman, who travelled to Japan to teach.  <p>"She was brutally murdered and this evil man needs to be caught before he strikes again."  <p>A new poster has been compiled showing how the suspect may look disguised as a woman.  <p>Nearly 150 police officers are said to be working on the case in Japan.  <p>Tim Blackman, whose daughter Lucie was murdered in Japan eight years ago, has been advising the Hawker family.  <p><b>Laying flowers</b>  <p>He told the BBC he believed the family had done the right thing by returning to Japan to highlight the case.  <p>"Unfortunately, we found, and I can only speak from our experience, that very often the efforts that seem to be put in do seem to be very lax in bringing forward any advance in the case," he said.  <p>"And I can't understand why they've got so much information and have been unable to track this guy down.  <p>"I think they still believe he's in greater Tokyo, but I think an appeal to the public at this stage has got to be a really good step forward."  <p>While in Japan the family will also be laying flowers at the scene where Lindsay's body was found, before returning to the UK on Wednesday. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p> </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Hawker murder family renew appeal

Lindsay Ann Hawker met Mr Ichihashi in a coffee shop Hawker family The family of a young British teacher murdered in...

Profile: Ma Ying-jeou

19:48 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> <div class="sh"> </div></div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"><b><b>Ma Ying-jeou has survived a lengthy corruption trial to emerge as the winner in Taiwan's presidential elections.</b></b>  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Ma Ying-jeou, file image" border="0" height="300" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44498000/jpg/_44498827_ma_ap203long.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Mr Ma was cleared of corruption in August last year</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The US-educated lawyer, standing for the Kuomintang (KMT), served as minister for justice and minister without portfolio during the 1990s.  <p>Analysts say he built himself a squeaky-clean reputation during that time.  <p>He first showed potential to run for the top job by beating Chen Shui-ban, the island's current president, in the elections for Taipei mayor in 1998.  <p> <p>And in 2005, his place among the island's elite politicians was consolidated when he was chosen as chairman of the KMT.  <p>But in late 2006 his political career - and his incorruptible image - appeared to have fallen apart.  <p>Allegations emerged that he had misappropriated 11.2 million Taiwanese dollars ($339,000) of funds while mayor of Taipei.  <p> <p>Mr Ma quit as mayor, and then as party chairman, to fight the charges.  <p> <p>He spent much of early 2007 in court - but despite this, the KMT confirmed him as their presidential candidate.  <p>Eventually the 57-year-old was cleared of all charges and launched his campaign for the presidency promising to restore the rapid economic growth Taiwan enjoyed during the 1980s and 90s.  <p> <p>He also wants closer ties with Beijing, and said he would open direct air and shipping links with China.  <p>Father-of-two Mr Ma was born in Hong Kong and went to law school in Taiwan and the US.  <p>He is said to be a fitness enthusiast and lists music, jogging and swimming as his hobbies</p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Profile: Ma Ying-jeou

Ma Ying-jeou has survived a lengthy corruption trial to emerge as the winner in Taiwan's presidential elections. Mr M...

Taiwan victor promises China ties

19:47 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> </div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Taiwan's President-elect Ma Ying-jeou at a news conference on Sunday" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44509000/jpg/_44509772_ma_b203_afp.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Mr Ma wants Taiwan to be a "peacemaker"</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Taiwan's newly-elected president has pledged to establish better economic and political ties with China. </b> <p>Ma Ying-jeou said he would like to work towards a peace treaty with Beijing, but would only do so if China removed missiles pointed at Taiwan.  <p>He said he had no immediate plans to visit the mainland, but wanted to work on "substantive issues".  <p>Mr Ma won a comfortable victory over Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on Saturday.  <p>Official results gave Mr Ma 58.45% of the vote - an advantage of nearly 17 percentage points over Mr Hsieh.  <p>Mr Ma, of the Kuomintang party, had stood on a platform of economic reform and improving relations with China.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"><img alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif" width="24"> <b>I will make it crystal clear that Taiwan will be a stakeholder and will not rock the boat in the region. </b><img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif" width="23"><br clear="all"> </div></div> <div class="mva"> <div>Ma Ying-jeou</div></div> <div class="o"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif" vspace="2" width="203"><br> </div> <div class="miiib"> <div class="arr"><a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7294938.stm"><b>Profile: Ma Ying-jeou</b></a></div> <div class="arr"><a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7305086.stm"><b>Rocky relationship</b></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>He ruled out an immediate visit to mainland China, but said he would focus on improving relations by "substantive" means including stepping up direct flights.  <p>No incumbent president has visited the Chinese mainland since the Kuomintang was forced to retreat to Taiwan in 1949, as civil war broke out on the mainland.  <p>On Saturday, Mr Ma said economic normalisation would take priority over concluding a peace treaty, which he said would be conditional on the removal of what Taiwan says are some 1,000 missiles aimed at the island.  <p>In Sunday's further comments, he acknowledged that the issue of sovereignty was the most difficult problem affecting bilateral relations, adding that mutual recognition was "out of the question".  <p>Instead, he proposed a middle road of "mutual non-denial" - "we will not deny their existence but we cannot recognise their sovereignty" over Taiwan, he said.  <p>China says that Taiwan is part of its territory, although the two have been separately governed since 1949, and China has never ruled out using force against the island should it move towards formal independence.  <p><b>US reaction</b>  <p>Mr Ma indicated that he would move away from the stance of arch-nationalist Chen Shui-bian, who steps down in May.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="A supporter of Frank Hsieh in Taipei, 22 March 2008" border="0" height="300" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44509000/jpg/_44509694_hseihvoter_getty203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Some of Mr Hsieh's supporters were tearful after the poll</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>"I will make it crystal clear that Taiwan will be a stakeholder and will not rock the boat in the region. By stakeholder, I mean peacemaker."  <p>In Washington, President George W Bush greeted Mr Ma's victory.  <p>"I believe the election provides a fresh opportunity for both sides to reach out and engage one another in peacefully resolving their differences," he said.  <p>Though Mr Hsieh had also pledged to build closer commercial ties with China, his approach was more cautious than his rival's.  <p>Mr Ma now has a commanding mandate, as the Kuomintang controls two-thirds of the seats in parliament having won a sweeping victory in polls in January.  <p>But analysts were split over how rapidly change might come, noting that Mr Ma would want to reassure voters that he was not selling out to China.  <p>Mr Ma, 57 and educated at Harvard, put the promise of an economic revival at the centre of his election campaign.  <p><b>Air links</b>  <p>Many Taiwanese waiting to cast their votes identified the faltering economy as their top priority.  <p></p> <div class="qboxflr"><a class="lp" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/default.stm">HAVE YOUR SAY</a>  <div class="qbox"> <blockquote>Our GDP has been at a standstill for eight years. We need a clean government.</blockquote> <div class="info">Liu, Taipei</div> <div class="links"><a class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=4513&edition=2&ttl=20080323160018"><b>Send us your comments</b></a></div></div></div> <p>"Our economic policy has three points," Mr Ma said. "One is to love Taiwan, another is infrastructure and industry and a third is to reach out to the whole world."  <p>He has set ambitious growth targets - which some analysts say will not be met, unless his pledge to establish much closer economic ties with China is also fulfilled. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p> </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Taiwan victor promises China ties

Mr Ma wants Taiwan to be a "peacemaker" Taiwan's newly-elected president has pledged to establish better econo...

Taiwan markets rally after poll

19:46 NTH 0

News Taiwan markets rally after poll

Stocks rose on hopes of better ties with China Taiwan's stock market has rallied and its currency hit its strongest leve...

New PM sets dilemma for Musharraf

19:45 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> <div class="sh">New PM sets dilemma for Musharraf </div></div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <div class="mvb"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="416" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom"> <div class="mvb"><span class="byl">By Syed Shoaib Hasan </span><br><span class="byd">BBC News, Islamabad </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif" width="416"><br>  </div> <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Members of the Pakistan People's Party celebrating new prime minister." border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44512000/jpg/_44512143_ppp_getty203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">The future looks brighter for the Pakistan People's Party</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Yusuf Raza Gillani has been elected by a huge mandate by Pakistan's parliament to be the country's next prime minister.</b>  <p>The vote was accompanied by the almost traditional chants of "Go Musharraf Go".  <p>For President Pervez Musharraf, once the country's supreme executive authority, it has been another bad day.  <p>What looks like the beginning of the end of his powers began with the sweeping victory of political parties opposed to his rule last month.  <p>They have now formed a coalition led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), of which Mr Gillani is a leading member.  <p>The prime minister-elect wasted little time in making his own mark on this transformed political scene.  <p><b>Verbal shots</b>  <p>In a short address after the vote, he paid homage to the slain PPP head, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.  <p>And he fired his first verbal shots.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Benazir Bhutto (left) and Yusuf Raza Gillani , 08.11.07" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44512000/jpg/_44512211_1bhuttogillani203c.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Mr Gillani (right) does not believe the official version of Ms Bhutto's assassination</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Mr Gillani announced two key moves, both of which are a direct challenge to President Musharraf.  <p>"I will immediately order the release of the judges," he said, detailing what his first executive decisions would be once he is sworn in on Tuesday.  <p>Mr Gillani was referring to those members of the country's top judiciary who were sacked and then put under house detention by President Musharraf when he enforced emergency rule on 3 November.  <p>President Musharraf had refused to release them, or restore them to their posts, even after lifting the emergency in December.  <p>The judges had been due to rule on whether the then General Musharraf's recent re-election was constitutional and valid.  <p>They had refused to give in to pressure to give "a positive decision" and said the matter would be decided "according to the law".  <p>The re-election was then upheld by a new group of judges who took an oath of loyalty to President Musharraf following the enforcement of the emergency.  <p><b>Clear signal</b>  <p>Mr Musharraf's political opponents and a movement of the country's lawyers have kept up the campaign for the restoration of the sacked judges.  <p> <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"><img alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif" width="24"> <b>The judges are not going to get into a fight with the PM and parliament who have engineered their release</b> <img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif" width="23"><br clear="all"> </div></div> <div class="mva"> <div>Pakistani lawyer</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>As such, Monday's announcement, coming within minutes of Mr Gillani's election, is a clear signal to President Musharraf.  <p>It marks the end of his role as the supreme executive authority in Pakistan.  <p>According to the country's constitution, that power has always rested with the chief executive in the country, who is the prime minister.  <p>President Musharraf had initially abrogated these powers to himself by way of a constitutional amendment which designated him 'chief executive'.  <p>Later, he got his orders carried out by prime ministers widely seen as rubber stamps for his decisions.  <p>All that, though, appears to be at an end.  <p>The speed with which Mr Gillani's 'orders' were carried out speaks volumes about how times have changed.  <p><b>New man in charge</b>  <p>They carry no legal weight until he has taken his oath and then received a vote of confidence from the parliament.  <p>But, as observers point out, Pakistan's government bureaucracy is unnaturally prescient as to which voice is now the one to be obeyed.  <p>Minutes after Mr Gillani's announcement, they rushed to do his bidding.  <p>Police guarding the residence of the deposed judges began to remove the barricades and barbed wire around the sacked judges' residences.  <p>Soon afterwards the judges, who had been in detention with their families for five months, were informed of their release.  <p>Jubilant supporters cheered them as they emerged triumphant from their homes.  <p>It is not difficult to imagine what President Musharraf must have felt about this.  <p>After the emergency was lifted, he had said the sacked judges would only be restored "over my dead body".  <p><b>Thorny issue</b>  <p>But some political analysts believe the judges' release is a minor matter.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Former Pakistani chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry waving " border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44512000/jpg/_44512133_chaudhry_getty203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Iftikhar Chaudhry was in detention for five months</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>The real issue, they say, is whether the judges will get their jobs back.  <p>That is something that Mr Gillani's PPP has not been keen on.  <p>This is because the deposed judges were also set to rule on another matter before their dismissal - an immunity clause which gave amnesty to all politicians convicted or charged in "politically motivated cases".  <p>These include senior leaders of the PPP, including its current chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto's widower.  <p>Other observers believe that there will be little friction between the sacked judges and the PPP.  <p>"It was a clash of egos between (Mr Musharraf) and the chief justice (Iftikhar Chaudhry)," says a lawyer involved in the movement for the judiciary's restoration.  <p>"The judges are not going to get into a fight with the PM and parliament who have engineered their release."  <p>But that does not mean they are willing to be similarly charitable to the president.  <p><b>Final countdown?</b>  <p>Already the released ex-chief justice and some of his colleagues have indicated they will still be seeking to rule on the president's re-election if they are reinstated.  <p>All this could add to calls from governing coalition members for Mr Musharraf to be impeached.  <p>And that is not all.  <p>Mr Gillani has also said that he will, upon taking oath, call on the parliament to pass a resolution seeking a United Nations investigation into the assassination of Ms Bhutto last December.  <p>The PPP, and her family, has refused to accept the official findings and has indicated they believe government officials were involved in the slaying.  <p>That could further add to Mr Musharraf's discomfort.  <p>In a recent interview, the president appeared quite despondent, and talked about how he would like to be remembered.  <p>With a prime minister who has yet to take oath pulling rank on him, many believe the countdown to his last days has begun. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p> </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>

News New PM sets dilemma for Musharraf

New PM sets dilemma for Musharraf By Syed Shoaib Hasan BBC News, Islamabad The future looks brighter for the Pakist...

US troop Iraq toll 'no milestone'

19:43 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> <div class="sh">US troop Iraq toll 'no milestone' </div></div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <div class="mvb"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="416" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="bottom"> <div class="mvb"><span class="byl">By Adam Brookes </span><br><span class="byd">BBC News, Baghdad </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/999999.gif" width="416"><br>  </div> <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="An US honour guard carries a casket of US soldier killed in Iraq during a burial service in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: 14 March 2008" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511702_funeral_ge203bo.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Many fewer US soldiers have been killed in Iraq in recent months</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>A while ago, I stood on a porch in a small American town with the father of a fallen marine. </b> <p>He described a sense of utter aloneness among the rituals that accompany a marine's death - the flag, funeral, memorial quilt. The naming of a high school gymnasium.  <p>The US military is, perhaps understandably, unwilling to discuss publicly its true feelings regarding the deaths of 4,000 of its men and women. Senior officers say they do not hold with "milestones".  <p>"No casualty is more or less significant than another; each soldier, marine, airman and sailor is equally precious and their loss equally tragic," said US military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith.  <p>The military tells us that more is to be learned by looking at trends - the way in which US soldiers have died, and with what frequency.  <p>And the figures tell us that many fewer have been killed in recent months.  <p><b>Fluctuating numbers</b>  <p>In April 2004, 135 US personnel were killed - half of them by "hostile fire", the remainder by IEDs (improvised explosive devices), car bombs, and other weapons. A few - nine - died in accidents.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="A US soldier secures an area in Baghdad after finding an improvised explosive device (IED). Photo: 2004" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511635_ied_ap203bo.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">In 2004, US troops fought a burgeoning insurgency in Iraq</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The worst month was November that same year - 137 dead.  <p>2004 was the year when the military was confronting a burgeoning insurgency and Shia militias in fierce combat.  <p>For months, the numbers fluctuated: 49 here, 80 there, a steady stream of shattered American families.  <p>Then, again, in late 2006 and into 2007, the numbers climbed.  <p>In May 2007, 127 died. But by then many more were dying in bombings, rather than by hostile fire. And these numbers reflected the wave of sectarian violence, and the subsequent "troop surge".  <p>But by early 2008, the numbers were sharply down. In January, there were 31 deaths.  <p><b>Five reasons</b>  <p>Camp Victory is the largest US military base in Baghdad: an improvised, utilitarian fastness of trailers, concrete and vehicle parks, its soundtrack the roar of Blackhawk helicopters.  <p>Amid this bleakness, Saddam Hussein's palaces surround a lake, massive and incongruous. The bathrooms still have cheap, ornate mirrors and gilt taps.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div> <div class="mva"><img alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif" width="24"> <b>One year ago, my troops were experiencing an average of 25 attacks a day. Now, it's two a day, and sometimes none</b> <img align="right" alt="" border="0" height="13" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif" width="23"><br clear="all"> </div></div> <div class="mva"> <div>US Brig Gen Edward Cardon</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Here, I talked to Brigadier General Edward Cardon, who is the deputy commander of Multinational Force Central (MNF-C).  <p>He breaks down "in no particular order" the reasons why the US casualty figures have dropped.  <p>First, he says, experience. Officers and senior NCOs are frequently on their second or third tour in Iraq, and experience pays.  <p>Second, the "troop surge". More combat units have pushed forward into Iraqi towns and stayed there, operating out of patrol bases rather than pulling back into larger fortified areas. Presence pays.  <p>Third, the surprising degree to which Sunni Muslims have begun co-operating with the Iraqi government and armed forces and the US military. The "Awakening Councils" have organised 90,000 Sunni men - some of them former insurgents - into neighbourhood patrols and checkpoints.  <p>These groups are paid by the US military out of commanders' discretionary funds, the general says. But the US does not supply them with weapons or ammunition - that they must do themselves.  <p>And they must give biometric information about themselves - fingerprints and retinal scans - to the US military.  <p>Fourth, the ceasefire announced by the largest Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, loyal to Moqtada Sadr.  <p>And fifth, the increasing effectiveness of Iraq's armed forces.  <p>"One year ago," says Gen Cardon, "my troops were experiencing an average of 25 attacks a day. Now, it's two a day, and sometimes none."  <p>But he is quick to acknowledge the particular resilience of al-Qaeda in Iraq.  <p>"These people have a remarkable ability to regenerate themselves. Time and time again they have shown a capability to pull off high-profile attacks," Gen Cardon says.  <p>And Shia politicians in Iraq profess concern about the growth of the Awakening Councils. A Shia lawmaker told me she worried "what the Awakening groups would become in the future, whether they will be new Sunni militias".  <p><b>'Nothing is predictable'</b>  <p>The drop in US casualties of late is echoed in lower casualty figures among civilians and among Iraqi troops.  <p>But the causes underlying this diminution in death are complex and reversible. There is nothing here that serves as a predictor of how the casualty rates will look in a year's time.  <p>After all, nothing in this conflict has been predictable.  <p>I asked a colonel of the US infantry - a veteran of the invasion and two more tours in Iraq - whether, as his unit rolled into Baghdad back in 2003, he had imagined he would still be coming back in 2008.  <p>"Never in my wildest dreams," he answered. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td></tr> </tbody></table>

News US troop Iraq toll 'no milestone'

US troop Iraq toll 'no milestone' By Adam Brookes BBC News, Baghdad Many fewer US soldiers have been killed...

Icy mood grips Kosovo ski resort

19:42 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> </div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Brezovica ski resort, March 2008" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511723_skiresort203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Kosovo Albanians and Serbs used to ski side by side at Brezovica</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Business has dried up at a once bustling ski resort in Kosovo since the territory's ethnic Albanians declared independence, the BBC's Martha Dixon reports.</b>  <p>As we head towards the mountains, we pass banner after banner.  <p> <p>The red and black eagle of the Albanian flag lines the roads along with American and British flags - signs that this province is still rejoicing in its hard-won independence.  <p> <p>But as we climb higher, the mood suddenly changes dramatically.  <p>On the side of the winding roads, Nato-led K-For troops watch for trouble behind tanks and armoured cars.  <p><b>Isolated Serbs</b>  <p>Then an eerie silence greets us as we pull into one of the best-known ski resorts in the Balkans - Brezovica.  <p>These slopes are inhabited by Kosovo's minority Serbs.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Map showing Brezovica ski resort" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/gif/_44511729_kosovo_brezovica203x152.gif" width="203"> </div></td></tr></tbody></table>  <p>The 12,000 Serbs here are now in an isolated mountain enclave, surrounded by a place calling itself a different country.  <p>Authorities here shut the ski lifts when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February. The move was done partly in protest, partly because of security worries.  <p> <p>For nearly 50 years, Serbs and Kosovo Albanians have skied together in this resort.  <p>Brezovica has survived all of former Yugoslavia's turbulent history. It was one of the few places where politics were left behind.  <p>Serb restaurants at the resort took pork off the menu to accommodate their Muslim guests, and the resort was recovering well after the downturn during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.  <p><b>Empty restaurant</b>  <p> <p>But that friendship appears to be over for now. And the situation calls into question whether the two communities can ever live together in an independent Kosovo.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Orle Jovanovic, March 2008" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511843_skiorle203b.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">The local Serb business community speaks of disaster</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>In his empty restaurant Orle Jovanovic, head of the local business association, says the resort's closure has spelled economic disaster for Serbs.  <p>There is talk of shutting down the ski businesses to make cheese instead, or other local specialities.  <p>"Serbs and Albanians have always got along on this mountain," he says. "But since independence we have felt cut off. The EU needs to sort out this situation."  <p>Before Kosovo declared independence, Brezovica hosted 10,000 skiers every winter weekend, many of them middle-class Kosovo Albanians.  <p>On the slopes we find just one dedicated family - here to ski.  <p><b>Main feature</b>  <p>Gani Mehmeti and his three children are all forced to walk up the hill with their skis, the old-fashioned way.  <p>Gani, a construction worker from nearby Pristina, has been coming to this mountain for more than 30 years. As a Kosovo Albanian he has never had any trouble with the Serbs here.  <p>"Every year everything has been OK," he says. "We had great pleasure from this mountain. Today I came with my family and I see that the lifts are not working. It's not a good feeling."  <p>Brezovica is one of the main features in Kosovo's first ever tourist guide, which has just been published.  <p>But the tourists may have to wait now until the Serb authorities accept a new reality. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div></td> </tr></tbody></table>

News Icy mood grips Kosovo ski resort

Kosovo Albanians and Serbs used to ski side by side at Brezovica Business has dried up at a once bustling ski resort in Koso...

Tibetan riots continue in China

19:41 NTH 0

<div align="left"> <div class="sh"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="629" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="3"> <div class="mxb"> <div class="sh"> </div></div></td></tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="416"> <div class="storybody"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="203" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <div><img alt="Chinese soldiers patrol along a street in Kangding, Sichuan (23rd March)" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44511000/jpg/_44511419_troopsafp203.jpg" width="203">  <div class="cap">Security remains tight in Tibet and surrounding regions</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Protests are continuing in the Tibetan-populated areas of China, with state-run media saying one policeman was killed in the latest riot.</b>  <p>Several policemen were also injured in the clash in the western Sichuan province, Xinhua news agency reported.  <p>The Tibetan government-in-exile says that 130 people died in and around the Himalayan region during clashes that began on 10 March.  <p>Officials in Beijing have previously put the death toll at 19.  <p>Neither of the figures can be independently verified.  <p>Foreign journalists remain banned from Tibet.  <p>In a separate development on Monday, pro-Tibet activists briefly disrupted a flame-lighting ceremony in Greece for the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.  <p>Protesters from media rights group Reporters Without Borders broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia as China's envoy spoke.  <p><b>Differing accounts</b>  <p>Xinhua said one Chinese policeman was killed and several others were injured during the riots on Monday in Sichuan's Gaze prefecture.  <p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="208" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" width="5"></td> <td class="sibtbg"> <div class="sih">TIBET DIVIDE </div> <div class="o"><img alt="map" border="0" height="152" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44512000/gif/_44512213_tibet_garze2403_08.gif" width="203"> </div> <div class="mva"> <div class="bull">China says Tibet was always part of its territory</div> <div class="bull">Tibet enjoyed long periods of autonomy before 20th century</div> <div class="bull">1950: China launched a military assault</div> <div class="bull">Opposition to Chinese rule led to a bloody uprising in 1959</div> <div class="bull">Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled to India</div></div> <div class="o"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif" vspace="2" width="203"><br> </div> <div class="miiib"> <div class="arr"><a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7299221.stm"><b>Q&A: Tibet and China</b> </a></div> <div class="arr"><a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7305288.stm"><b>Key events in Tibet unrest</b></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>It did not provide any further details.  <p>Separately, local authorities in Sichuan said 381 people involved in earlier protests in Aba county had given themselves up.  <p>Chinese and Tibetan sources have given very different accounts of the protests, which were started by Buddhist monks on the anniversary of a Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.  <p>Chinese authorities have blamed the Dalai Lama for orchestrating the unrest, in an attempt to sabotage the Beijing Olympics and promote Tibetan independence.  <p>But the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, northern India, says innocent civilians were killed by Chinese troops.  <p>China's state media has recently attacked foreign news coverage of the unrest, claiming it is unfair.  <p>The official People's Daily newspaper said foreign journalists had misrepresented government efforts to restore order as a military crackdown. </p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></div> <br></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div>

News Tibetan riots continue in China

Security remains tight in Tibet and surrounding regions Protests are continuing in the Tibetan-populated areas of China, ...

Overseas Vietnamese community in Czech Republic helps boost bilateral ties

21:22 NTH 0

<p class="news_title"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #c0c0c0; FONT-FAMILY: Times New Roman"><i></i></font> </p> <p class="author"></p> <table cellspacing="3" cellpadding="5" align="left"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="middle"><img src="http://www.cpv.org.vn/img/BT2130875623s.jpg"></td></tr> <tr> <td class="img_desc" align="middle"></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="content" align="justify"><b>The Czech Republic will continue to create good conditions for more than 50,000 overseas Vietnamese residing and working in the country, said visiting Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek during talks with his Vietnamese counterpart after the official welcome ceremony on March 21. </b><br> <br>Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung warmly welcomed the visit by Mr Topolanek and his entourage to Vietnam, saying this is a significant event reflecting the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries. <br> <br>During talks, the two leaders compared notes on the situation in each country, discussed issues relating to bilateral ties and worked out measures to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the fields of economics, trade, investment, education, labour export and agriculture. <br> <br>They also exchanged views about issues of regional and international concern and agreed to boost cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations. <br><br>They said that the Czech Republic's Presidency over the Council of the European Union (EU) in 2009 and Vietnam's non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council will create more favourable conditions for both countries to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various fields. Vietnam wants the Czech Republic to support Vietnam's establishing comprehensive relations with the EU, while the Czech Republic wants Vietnam to function as a bridge to its developing relations with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other countries in the region. Both Vietnam and the Czech Republic focus on promoting the effectiveness of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. <br> <br>PM Dung expressed his pleasure at the Czech people's substantial achievements in their national construction, as well as the Czech Republic's increasing role in Europe and the international arena. Mr Dung also thanked the Czech Republic for providing support and financial assistance for Vietnam and regarding Vietnam as a key partner in its official development assistance (ODA) policy. <br> <br>He also affirmed Vietnam's open external policy and said that Vietnam always attaches importance to boosting the relations of traditional friendship and cooperation with the Czech Republic and other European countries. <br> <br>For his part, PM Mirek Topolanek said that the Czech Republic wants to expand long-term cooperation with Vietnam, especially in construction material production, mining and environmental sectors. <br><br>The two PMs shared the view that Vietnam-Czech economic and trade relations have been developed to a higher level with a rapid increase in two-way trade turnover. However, they said this has not yet fully tapped the potential of both countries. <br> <br>They stressed that it is essential to renew activities of the Inter-Governmental Cooperation Committee in the coming time. Ministries, economic sectors and businesses of the two countries should boost cooperation and exchange information to explore potential and make use of advantages of both the countries in order to increase trade turnover and promote investment cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, aviation and health care. <br> <br>Both sides also paid special attention to the implementation of projects worth billions of US dollars which were previously signed during recent high-ranking meetings between the two countries. <br><br>After talks, the two PMs met media workers and witnessed the signing of the Protocol between Vietnam and the Czech Republic on the amendment to the agreement on investment promotion and protection previously signed on November 25, 1997, the agreement on education cooperation between Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training and the Czech Republic's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports in the 2008-2011 period. <br> <br>In the afternoon, the Czech PM met with Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Chairman of the Hanoi municipal People's Committee Nguyen The Thao before attending the Vietnam-Czech Business Forum and visiting the Coal and Mineral Group. <br> <br>Later in the evening, PM Dung gave a banquet in honour of the Czech PM and his entourage. <br><br> <p align="right">(CPV/VOVNEWS)</p> <p></p> <p class="author"></p><br></p>

News Overseas Vietnamese community in Czech Republic helps boost bilateral ties

The Czech Republic will continue to create good conditions for more than 50,000 overseas Vietnamese residing and working in the co...

NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong met with RoK President

21:22 NTH 0

<p class="author"></p> <table cellspacing="3" cellpadding="5" align="left"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="middle"><img src="http://www.cpv.org.vn/img/BT2330838177s.gif"></td></tr> <tr> <td class="img_desc" align="middle"></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="content" align="justify"><b>National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong met with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung Bak in Seoul on March 22, during an official friendship visit to the RoK. </b><br> <br>President Lee Myung Bak thanked the Vietnamese government for creating favourable conditions for RoK businesses, which he said helped many businesses operate profitably in Vietnam . He also expressed his satisfaction at the two countries' close cooperation on international forums. <br> <br>The RoK President stressed that the RoK people have good sentiment toward Vietnam , with the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam on the rise. He said he hoped that the two countries' cooperative ties would continue to be strengthened not only in economy but also in other areas including culture. <br> <br>President Lee congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic achievements in the renovation process. He praised Vietnam 's right policy of renovation and door opening that help attract foreign businesses. <br><br>Chairman Trong congratulated Lee Myung Bak on his election as RoK president, saying that he believed President Lee would complete his mission successfully and go on promoting the good friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK. <br> <br>The Vietnamese leader hoped that with both sides' efforts, Vietnam-RoK relations would further grow and expand towards a comprehensive partnership in the 21 st century on the basis of the two sides' potentials and advantages, and complementing each other for mutual development. <br> <br>Chairman Trong welcomed recent positive developments in the Korean Peninsula and stressed Vietnam 's support of the denuclearisation policy on the Korean Peninsula , and the resolution of all matters through negotiations, for peace, stability in the region and the world. <br> <br>The NA Chairman conveyed Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and President Nguyen Minh Triet's best regards and invitation to visit Vietnam to President Lee Myung Bak. President Lee accepted the invitation with pleasure. <br> <br>The same day, Chairman Trong met with the Vietnamese embassy staff and overseas Vietnamese in the RoK, including representatives of descendants of Vietnam 's Ly family in the RoK, who migrated to the RoK more than 800 years ago. <br> <br>Latter the same day, Chairman Trong and his delegation visited the IT exhibition house Ubiquitous Dream Hall. <br><br> <p align="right">(CPV/VNA)</p></p>

News NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong met with RoK President

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong met with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung Bak in Seoul on March 22, dur...

Geographical Location and Climate

21:16 NTH 0

<table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="1" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="middle" width="100%"><a class="cat">Geographical Location and Climate</a></td></tr> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="justify"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><img align="right" border="0" height="189" src="http://halong.com.vn/images/Photos/II101.jpg" width="350">Halong Bay is located in the Northeast of Vietnam, belonging to QuangNinh Province. It is in the coastal area stretching from 1060 56' to 1070 37' east longitude and 200 43' to 210 09' north latitude. To the west and northwest, Halong Bay stretches  from Yen Hung District, and includes the large urban areas of Halong City and Cam Pha Town, as well as Van Don Island District. To the south and southeast, it is adjacent to the western Tonkin Gulf and to the west and southwest lies Cat Ba Island in the province of Hai Phong.  On the world map, Ha Long Bay borders to China in the north and in the east it is adjacent to the East Sea. </font></p>  <p align="justify"> <table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" width="196" align="right" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="center"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://halong.com.vn/images/Photos/II102.jpg" width="186"></p></td></tr></tbody></table></p> <p align="justify"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">In 1962, the Ministry of Culture and Information classified Halong Bay as a National Landscape Site, covering an area of 1,553 km2 with 1,969 islands. Halong Bay has  been recognized twice by UNESCO as a World Heritage Area for its universal values of landscape, geology and geomorphology, respectively in 1994 and 2000, an area of 434 sq. km. including 775 islands.</font></p>  <p align="justify"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The area inscribed by UNESCO (the Protected Area I - the Core Zone) is bound by Dau Go Island in the east, Ba Ham Lake in the south and Cong Tay Island in the east. The Protected Area II - the Buffer Zone is identified by the shore of the Bay running along the National Highway No. 18A, from the Gasoline Warehouse B12 in Cai Dam Precinct to the km.11 marker in Quang Hanh Precinct, Cam Pha Town. The Protected Area III - the Hinterland Zone is the sea or mainland area surrounding the buffer zone, including the area adjacent to the Cat Ba National Park of Hai Phong City. </font></p>  <p align="justify"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">- Climate is featured humid tropical charactor, including two distinct seasons: hot, humid with much rainning in summer and cold, dry in winter. The average temperature ranges from 150 – 250C with annual average rainfall of 2,000 – 2,200mm/year. Halong Bay has a typical tidal time (tidal amplitude ranges from 3.5 – 4.0m. The degree of salt in the sea water ranges from 31 – 34.5% in the dry season and decreases in the rainy season.<br> </font></p> <p align="center"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://halong.com.vn/images/photos/II103new.jpg" width="300"></p> <p align="center"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://halong.com.vn/images/Photos/II104.jpg" width="300"></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"></font> </p></td></tr></tbody></table>

News Geographical Location and Climate

Geographical Location and Climate Halong Bay is located in the Northeast of Vietnam, belonging to QuangNinh Province. It is in the coa...