Telecom Events Summer 2008

As we all know summer time is the peak of telecom events particularly on May 17 every year.

ITU fully supports the administrations, regulators, focus groups on thematic, presentation, networking with the global community in the loop.

2008 is important year in Pakistan with the sector attaining maturity, progressing towards consolidation this year and beyond.  With solid growth in the region as India, China, Olympics, start up of the world's largest cellular operation company from Pakistan, mobile broadband, broadband, with regulating the the regulation.

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oFFICE vIDEO

Interview on Auto Industry in Asian markets

Untitled

testing

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Energy Use Efficiency Index

Introduction Of 'Energy Use Efficiency' Index To Be Proposed
“The Japanese government has decided to propose introducing an ‘energy use efficiency’ index as a new international framework to tackle global warming before next year's Group of Eight summit in Toyako, Hokkaido, government sources said Monday.
Tokyo intends to try to persuade major greenhouse gases emitters such as China, India and the United States to participate in the talks for introducing the index, measuring the proportion of energy consumption to gross domestic product, before the world leaders' meeting next year, the sources said. The sources said the index will be acceptable to China and other emitters, who show strong resistance to setting reduction targets for greenhouse gases emissions, as the more their GDPs grow, the more energy they can consume, such as electricity and fuel, under the new goal.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will present the proposal when he visits India in late August and China in the fall or later. Japanese government officials are also expected to explain it at international conferences on global warming, according to the sources.” [Kyodo News (Japan)/Factiva]
Meanwhile, Nikkei Weekly writes that “… If Japan's industrial circles and METI [The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] are serious about an energy efficiency target, they must present a blueprint on ways to curtail global emissions as well as a new plan to encourage industrialized countries to help developing nations become more environmentally friendly. Japan is advanced in the field of energy saving. The country, however, has not pressed ahead on saving energy with an eye toward mitigating global warming. Instead, it has done so as part of efforts to cut costs given rising energy prices. Therefore, it can boast about high energy efficiency, but it cannot continue to use that as an excuse for not setting an emissions reduction target in the post-Kyoto era.
Today, both the Japanese government and the nation's industries are intent on selling the country's energy saving technology overseas. … If Japan wants to benefit financially from the export of such technology, it must set a target tall enough to impress the rest of the world.” [Nikkei Weekly (Japan)/Factiva]

Governance/Regulation trends

By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai
Published: July 8 2007 23:14 Last updated: July 8 2007 23:14
China has given a suspended death sentence to a former senior drugs regulator for taking bribes from pharmaceuticals companies as concerns about the quality of food and drugs in the country mount.
Cao Wenzhuang, who was a senior aide to the former head of the State Food and Drugs Administration, was given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve by a Beijing court, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Mr Cao could still be executed but such suspended death sentences are usually reduced to life imprisonment. The court said he had been given a two-year reprieve in recognition of his help with other cases.
The verdict follows the death sentence issued to Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of the SFDA, in May after he was found to have taken Rmb6.5m ($855,000, £425,000, €628,000) in bribes from drugs companies to approve medicines for sale.
If Mr Zheng loses his appeal, which was heard last month but has yet to be ruled on, he would become the most senior official to be executed since 2000.
The investigation into corruption at the SFDA has highlighted fears, in China and overseas, about the quality of goods in the country. Previous scandals have involved pet food, toothpaste and medicines. The agency that monitors consumer goods last week said that nearly 20 per cent of products did not pass quality standards due to problems such as excessive use of additives and poor labelling.
Regulators in Guangdong in southern China said on Friday that they had uncovered problems with 40 per cent of mobile phone batteries, many of which had weaker recharging capacity than was advertised.
According to the Xinhua report of the court proceedings, Mr Cao was convicted of taking Rmb2.4m in bribes from two pharmaceutical companies and of using his position to lower the criteria for drug approvals.
“Cao’s dereliction of duty had serious consequences. Some companies used false application material to successfully renew licenses for their drugs, which included some fake medicines,” Xinhua said.
As part of the investigation into the SFDA, five other senior government officials involved in drug supervision have been given prison sentences of 13 years to life for taking bribes.
With the government under pressure to show it is taking strong action, the death sentences have been interpreted as a political message. Several people died after taking fake, or faulty, medicines during Mr Zheng’s tenure as SFDA chief.

The Race To Build Really Cheap Cars

I find this as a great thing, and I hope that TATA starts a JV in Pakistan soon, If we can not create a TATA of our own, then we should at least join the band wagon.


http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_17/b4031064.htm