Ads 468x60px


Showing posts with label confirms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confirms. Show all posts

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Sony confirms development of Playstation 4, hardware may be lighter (Digital Trends)

Sony seems to be showing signs of life again. The PlayStation Network will be switched back on in Asia this weekend and now we’re getting hints about a PlayStation 4 in the works. This comes as no surprise with the constant stream of Nintendo’s Wii 2 rumors and the probability of a new Xbox — Sony has to compete.

According to Eurogamer, Sony VP and chief financial officer Masaru Kato had to explain to investors about a spike in the research and development budget.

“For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life,” Masaru Kato said during the conference call, “but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that – but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there.”

We already knew that Sony, along with Microsoft, was planning on milking as much out of the present consoles. We heard that we wouldn’t see any thing new for a couple years, but that was because the companies’ were supposedly developing magnificently advanced technology for the new consoles. Masaru Kato’s may have confirmed development but according to Industry Gamers, the new system won’t be packing anything big.

It might be the $170 million in lost revenue, or the rising costs in development but Sony wona€™t be investing as much in the new console as they did with the PS3. It took a long while to bring Playstation 3 costs down from $599 thanks to the Blu-ray and the Cell processor; only recently is the company raking in its investment. The CFO says a€?It is no longer thinkable to have a huge initial financial investment like that of the PS3.a€

We’re not sure if that means the PS4 won’t have the power to compete with the upcoming Xbox or even Project Cafe. Hopefully we’ll get a few more tidbits to go off of at E3.


Yahoo! News


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Al-Qaeda confirms bin Laden's death, threatens new attacks

Al-Qaeda has confirmed Osama bin Laden's death in an Internet statement, The Associated Press reports.

The terror network says today in a statement that bin Laden's blood "will not be wasted" and that it will continue attacking Americans and their allies.

Update at 3:01 p.m. ET: The Taliban says bin Laden's death will "give a new impetus" to wage war against the United States and its allies, AP reports.

Update at 9:34 a.m. ET: There was no indication how the group will retaliate. Rather than making vehement cries of vengeance, the statement — entitled "You lived as a good man, you died as a martyr" — struck a tone of calmness and continuation. Though it included praise of bin Laden, much of the 11-paragraph statement was dedicated to underlining that al-Qaeda would live on, depicting him as just another in a line of "martyrs" from the group.

"It is impossible, impossible. Sheik Osama didn't build an organization to die when he dies," the statement reads. "The university of faith, Quran and jihad from which bin Laden graduated will not close its doors," it adds.

"The soldiers of Islam will continue in groups and united, plotting and planning without getting bored, tired, with determination, without giving up until striking a blow," the statement says.

It says bin Laden was killed "along an established path followed by the best of those who came before him and those who will come after him."

The writers of the statement appeared unaware of the announcement by American officials that bin Laden's body had been buried at sea. The statement warns against mishandling or mistreating bin Laden's body and demands that it be handed over to his family, saying "any harm (to the body) will open more doors of evil, and there will be no one to blame but yourselves."

It also says that an audio message bin Laden recorded a week before his death would be issued soon.

Update at 8:55 a.m. ET: The statement, dated May 3, was the first by the terror network since bin Laden was killed by U.S. commandos in a raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The Associated Press says the statement's authenticity could not be independently confirmed, but it was posted on websites where the group traditionally puts out its messages.

It also says that an audio message bin Laden recorded a week before his death would be issued soon.

"We stress that the blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is precious to us and to all Muslims and will no go in vain," the statement says. "We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries."

"Soon, God willing, their happiness will turn to sadness," it says, "their blood will be mingled with their tears."

In the statement, al-Qaeda also calls on the people of Pakistan — "where Sheik Osama was killed" — to rise up in revolt against its leaders.

See photos of: al-Qaeda

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

USATODAY.com


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Al Qaeda 'confirms' bin Laden death

Protesters burn tires Friday at a rally organized by the Jamrat-E-Islami party in Abbottabad, Pakistan, to condemn the U.S raid.NEW: Dozens arrested in Abbottabad, Pakistan, Pakistani intelligence official saysAl Qaeda says Osama bin Laden's death will curse the United StatesThe group says it isn't going away and will continue to plotIntelligence found in the raid is tied to a terror threat notificationCNN looks back at the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden in the award-winning documentary "In the Footsteps of bin Laden" at 11 ET Friday night.


(CNN) -- Saber-rattling al Qaeda warnings against the United States emerged Friday as Osama bin Laden's killing yielded a trove of ominous intelligence, including details about a possible attack on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.


Al Qaeda, the bin Laden terror network that masterminded the deadly attack on the U.S. 10 years ago, confirmed its leader's death on Friday in a Web statement, using that opportunity to taunt and threaten the United States.


"Sheikh Osama didn't build an organization that will vanish with his death or fades away with his departure," according to the statement, which CNN could not independently authenticate.


Al Qaeda statement on bin Laden's death


The statement, which congratulates the "Islamic Nation on the martyrdom of their devoted son Osama," repeated themes and threats made over the years in al Qaeda statements, before and after the September 11, 2001, attacks.


"The blood of the mujahed sheikh, Osama bin Laden, may God have mercy on him, is very dear to us and more precious to us and to every Muslim from being shed in vain," the statement said. A mujahed is defined as a Muslim engaged in what he considers to be jihad.


"This blood will be a curse that will chase the Americans and their agents, a curse that will pursue them inside and outside their country, and soon -- with God's help -- we pray that their happiness turns into sorrow and may their blood mix with their tears and let Sheikh Osama's resonate again."


Statement in Arabic (PDF)


Al Qaeda frequently cites the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its pronouncements, and it did so again, saying America "will neither enjoy nor live in security until our people in Palestine live it and enjoy it."


"The soldiers of Islam in groups and as individuals will continue to plan and plot without any fatigue, boredom, despair, surrender or indifference until you receive from them a cunning misfortune that will gray the hair of the child even before he gets old," the statement said.


Pakistanis were urged to revolt and "rise up," cleansing the "disgrace that was brought upon them by a handful of traitors and thieves" and "their country from the filth of the Americans who have wreaked havoc in the land."


The statement surfaced as protesters packed the streets of Abbottabad -- where bin Laden was shot and killed -- in a rally organized by Jamrat-E-Islami, Pakistan's largest Islamist party. The demonstrators denounced the U.S. and Pakistani governments.


Also, the statement disdained the United States, both its efforts and motives, saying the Americans managed to kill bin Laden "by disgrace and betrayal." Bin Laden was slain early Monday in a U.S. Navy SEAL raid on a compound in Abbottabad, a military garrison town north of the capital of Islamabad.


"Men and heroes only should be confronted in the battlefields but at the end, that's God's fate. Still we ask, will the Americans be able through their media outlets, their agents, their instruments, soldiers, intelligence services and their might be able to kill what Sheikh Osama lived for and was killed for? How far! How impossible!"


Bin Laden was buried at sea in what U.S. officials described as a proper Islamic burial.


But the statement said if Americans treat the bodies of bin Laden or his family members improperly, either dead or alive, or do not hand over the bodies to families, there will be retribution.


"Any offense will open unto your doors of multitudes of evil for which you will only have yourselves to blame."


According to the statement, bin Laden recorded an audio message a week before his death on the revolutions sweeping the Muslim world and offering advice and guidance. Al Qaeda indicated that the release of this message is forthcoming.


Trove of data at bin Laden hideout provides first specific alert


Meanwhile, investigators poring over material seized in Monday's raid found details about a possible attack on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the intelligence led to a nationwide alert regarding rail security.


As early as February 2010, al Qaeda members discussed a plan to derail U.S. trains by placing obstructions on tracks over bridges and valleys, the alert said, according to one law enforcement official.


The plan was to be executed later this year, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, though no specific rail system was identified, the official said.


The Department of Homeland Security confirmed a notice went out to federal, state, local and tribal authorities.


"We have no information of any imminent terrorist threat to the U.S. rail sector, but wanted to make sure our partners are aware of the alleged plotting; it is unclear if any further planning has been conducted since February of last year," spokesman Matt Chandler said.


Rail agencies across the United States were taking no chances.


The Chicago Transit Authority reissued security bulletins, "reminding employees of what activities to look for and what steps to take should they encounter any suspicious or criminal activity during the course of their duties," said Wanda Taylor, a Chicago Transit Authority spokeswoman.


Amtrak employees also were on a heightened "state of vigilance," said spokesman Marc Magliari.


A U.S. official said that "valuable information has been gleaned already" from the cache gathered at bin Laden's compound, though no specific plots or terrorist suspects were identified.


But the material suggests that al Qaeda was particularly interested in striking Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to the law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity.


U.S. races to dissect possible terror plots


U.S. authorities have found that al Qaeda appears especially interested in striking on significant dates such as July Fourth, Christmas and the opening day of the United Nations.


The cache from the compound included audio and video equipment, suggesting bin Laden may have taped makeshift messages there, a U.S. official said.


Ten hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices, such as disks and thumb drives, were also found, a senior U.S. official said.


The Washington Post reported Thursday that the CIA had a safehouse in Abbottabad "for a small team of spies" who performed surveillance on the compound.


Citing U.S. officials, the effort "relied on Pakistani informants and other sources to help assemble a 'pattern of life' portrait of the occupants and daily activities at the fortified compound where bin Laden was found."


It was "mobilized after the discovery of the suspicious complex last August that involved virtually every category of collection in the U.S. arsenal, ranging from satellite imagery to eavesdropping efforts aimed at recording voices inside the compound," the Post reported.


Dozens of people in Abbottabad have been arrested because of their suspected connections to bin Laden's compound, a Pakistani intelligence official said Friday. Investigators want to know whether any of the people are al Qaeda members or sympathizers.


First suspected drone strike in Pakistan since bin Laden raid


The United States and Pakistan have been allies in the war on terror for years, but there have been strains lately over suspected U.S. drone attacks killing innocent civilians and American concerns that Pakistanis haven't been robust enough in the fight against Islamic militants. Another suspected drone strike killed 12 suspected militants on Friday in the Pakistani tribal region.


Questions in Washington remain over why and how Pakistani intelligence officials could not have known bin Laden was hiding out in a compound in Abbottabad, which has a military academy and a strong military presence.


Pakistani armed forces chiefs issued a statement Thursday admitting that there had been "shortcomings in developing intelligence" on the terror leader's presence in the country.


The army chief of staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, also "made it very clear that any similar action, violating the sovereignty of Pakistan, will warrant a review on the level of military/intelligence cooperation with the United States," the statement said.

Pakistan has ordered U.S. military personnel on its territory drawn down to the "minimum essential" level in the wake of the raid, the statement said.


CNN Top Stories


This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.