Jam'em

Karachi It seems the mobile revolution is finally meeting some resistance. After French theatres, Pakistan's banks: the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has allowed banks, money-changers and other financial institutions to install mobile phone jamming devices within their premises, after a recent outbreak of bank robberies. Police suspected insiders, who passed on information of transactions using mobile phones.

Clinton's costly 'gifts'

"there are few areas where cooperation is needed more than on the issues of climate change and clean energy," said us President Bill Clinton, addressing a group of environmentalists and journalists at a meeting in Agra during his visit on March 22, 2000.

MONEYMAKERS

AYURVEDIC CONCEPT: The Himalayan Drug Company (HDC) has launched its nternational range of ayurvedic health and personal care products in India. The product is branded as ayurvedic Concept". According to the company official, the company had already launched the

MONEYMAKERS

KILLING ARTHRITIS: Celebrex, a new type of painkiller for arthritis patients, has been approved by the US government. Celebrex is the first new class of painkillers called "cox-2inhibitors" that promises to cause fewer stomach-plaguing side effects than many current pain relievers. But the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dealt a blow to the company, G D Searle. It approved the sale of Celebrex as an option to relieve arthritis pain. However, it added that there was no proof that Celebrex will help patients with stomach problems.

EAST ASIA

Environment ministers of Korea, Japan and China have agreed to boost cooperation among the three countries to prevent further environmental pollution in Far East Asia. "We shared the view that the three-way cooperation in the field of environment is extremely important and indispensable, because dynamic economic development has been deteriorating the regional environment," said South Korea environment minister Choi Jaewook. He held talks with his counter parts Manabe Kenji of Japan and Xie Zhenhua of China. They adopted an eight-point agreement to tackle the region's environmental issues.

Japan's missile paranoia

in order to counter military threat from North Korea, Japan's Defence Agency plans to set up research on a system to shoot down ballistic missiles. The Japanese intend to borrow technology from the us Department of Defence, which is developing a similar programme called the Theater High Altitude Area Defence System ( thaads ).

BARGE POWER PLANT

The first barge mounted power plant run by a private sector firm will be inaugurated in Bangladesh. The plant will be supplying 100 MW of electricity to the national grid. It is situated in Khulna city and has been built by the Khulna Power Company Limited (KPCL). KPCL is a joint venture of a US company Wortsilla Diseal and two Bangladeshi companies, Summit International Corporation and United Enterprises. Over US $100 million have been invested by the three companies for commissioning of the plant.

Facelift for Taj

the Rhone-Poulenc Foundation of France, in a collaboration with unesco and the Archaeological Survey of India ( asi ), has launched an ambitious restoration programme for the majestic Taj Mahal.

Space ballet

The ongoing US-Russia joint space programme negotiations are progressing, quite literally, at lightspeed. The 2 countries are now shipping hardware to each other. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) space shuttle and Mir, the decade-old Russian space station in orbit, have a dance ahead of them. The purpose of the mission is to build an international space station together.

US lifts embargo