Diary Posts

Toyota’s president apologized Friday for the massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals as the automaker scrambles to repair a damaged reputation and sliding sales.But Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, said the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix brake problems in the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid.

“We are facing a crisis,” he said, publicly confronting the automaker’s safety problems for the first time since a global recall affecting 4.5 million vehicles was announced Jan. 21.

He bowed in customary Japanese-style greeting at the start of the televised news conference at Toyota’s Nagoya headquarters but did not bow deeply when offering an apology as some executives, including his predecessor Katsuaki Watanabe, have done when under fire.

Toyoda, 53, said the company is setting up a special committee he would head himself.
It would review internal checks, go over consumer complaints and listen to outside experts to come up with a solution to the widening quality problems.
“I offer my apologies for the worries,” he said. “Many customers are wondering whether their cars are OK.”
Masaaki Sato, an auto industry expert who has written books on Toyota and its Japanese rival Honda, said Friday’s appearance was the company’s last chance to keep the situation from worsening.
“He should have come out a week ago,” Sato said of Toyoda during an appearance on a popular late night news program following the press conference. “After all the foot dragging, he was pushed into a corner.”
“The issue is a huge problem in the U.S., far more serious than you might think,” Sato said. “Those who are driving Toyota cars must be worried, and as Toyota CEO he has a responsibility to address their concerns and provide an explanation to the U.S. government.”
Toyota did not have a fix for the problem at the time, and it is relatively unusual to announce a recall without a plan for a remedy. Toyota did not come out with a fix for more than a week, further frustrating customers. It also suspended sales and production on eight models in the U.S.

wafa ke waday wo saray bhula gaya chup chap
wo mere dil ki deewarein hila gaya chup chap

ghum e hayat ke taptay hoye bayaban mein
humhien chor ke wo tanha chala gaya chup chap

najanay wo kon sa wo badnaseeb lamha tha
jo ghum ki aag mein mujh ko jala gaya chup chap

mein jis ko chohti hon wo zakham deta hai
wo phool aese chaman mein khila gaya chup chap

A European Union warship rescued a Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel Somali pirates had seized last month and used to hijack another ship, EU naval force Navfor said in a statement.

Pirates hijacked MV Shahbaig 320 nautical miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa in early December.
EU Navfor said the Shahbaig was involved in the hijacking of British-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory on New Year’s Day and had been abandoned by pirates off the Seychelles before EU warship FS Surcouf found it.

“On January 2 … the Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel … with a crew of 29, all from Pakistan, was released approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles,” the EU Navfor force said in a statement on its website.
“The Shahbaig was boarded by crew from FS Surcouf and found all crew members to be in good health except for one member whose leg was broken,” the statement said.

FS Surcouf offered its crew fuel, medical assistance and food to resume the journey to Pakistan. One crew member with a broken leg remained on board awaiting a transfer to hospital.
Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars from hijacking ships for ransom in the Gulf of Aden, connecting Europe and Asia, and are preying farther into the Indian Ocean to avoid foreign navies sent to protect commercial shipping.

EU Navfor said in a separate statement that Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker M/V Pramoni — also seized on Friday — was anchored off a Somali pirate lair east of Eyl.
M/V Pramoni, a tanker of 20,000 dead weight tonnes with a crew of 24, was hijacked when heading for Kandla in India.

Dubai opened the world’s tallest skyscraper Monday, and in a surprise move renamed the gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa in a nod to the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi. A lavish presentation witnessed by Dubai’s ruler and thousands of onlookers at the base of the tower said the building was 828 meters, or 2717 feet, tall.Dubai is opening the tower in the midst of a deep financial crisis. Its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi has pumped billions of dollars in bailout funds into the emirate as it struggles to pay its debts.

Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the ruler of Abu Dhabi and serves as the president of the United Arab Emirates, the federation of seven small emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Analysts have questioned what Dubai might need to offer in exchange for the financial support it has received from Abu Dhabi, which controls nearly all of the UAE’s oil wealth. Abu Dhabi provided direct and indirect injections totaling $25 billion last year as Dubai’s debt problems deepened.

Dubai’s hereditary ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in recent months has increasingly underscored the close relationship between the two emirates. Sheik Mohammed serves as vice president and prime minister of the UAE federation.

The Burj’s developers say they are confident in the safety of the tower, which is more than twice the height of New York’s Empire State Building’s roof.

Greg Sang, Emaar’s director of projects, said the Burj has “refuge floors” at 25 to 30 story intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. And its reinforced concrete structure, he said, makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.

Despite the past year of hardships, the tower’s developer and other officials were in a festive mood, trying to bring the world’s focus on Dubai’s future potential rather than past mistakes.

“Crises come and go. And cities move on,” Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of the tower’s developer Emaar Properties, told reporters before the inauguration. “You have to move on. Because if you stop taking decisions, you stop growing.”

Dubai, which has little oil of its own, relied on cheap loans to pump up its international clout during the frenzied boom years.

The developer has only said the spire stands more than 2625 feet (800 meters) tall. Alabbar said Dubai’s ruler will announce the height at the inauguration ceremony.At a reported height of 2,684 feet (818 meters), the Burj Dubai long ago vanquished its nearest rival, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan.But the tower’s record-seeking developers didn’t stop there.The building boasts the most stories and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world’s tallest structure, beating out a television mast in North Dakota.

Dubai landmarks like the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab hotel and the manmade Palm Jumeirah island were visible through the haze.

Ten of the power generation units of Tarbela Power House have been shut down due to shortage of water while 380 megawatts are being generated with the help of 4 units.
According to WAPDA sources, 10 out of 14 power generation units of Tarbela Power House had to be closed down due to rainless season and shortage of water in River Indus.
Only four units are operating at the moment, producing 380 MW electricity.
The total power generation capacity of Tarbela Power House is 3,478 MW.
The shutting down of 10 power generation units will cause a major power crisis. Karachi, Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore and areas adjacent to Tarbela Power House will be directly affected by the power crisis.

Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has announced to establish fund to compensate the affected traders of Karachi.

Malik said government would reimburse the losses in every possible way.

Addressing the traders at Karachi Chamber of Commerce, he said the government, philanthropists, business community and overseas Pakistanis will give donations for the Bolton Market Fund.

He announced that 20,000 people will be appointed in Community Police.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar said attack on Karachi was Pakistan’s 9/11. He urged the nation to unite against terrorism.
Sattar further said MQM would not spare any effort for the restoration of business centers in the city.

Earlier, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said it was not Azadars who torched buildings and vehicles; instead, it was a calculated conspiracy of non-state actors to set ablaze the properties.

He said Investigation team will also have personnel of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Business Community.