When it comes to MP3 players we’ve seen a fair few DAPs that break the mould in terms of originality (though not quite as many as those that patently haven’t) but this highly stylised MashiMaro DAP is, beyond all doubt, the most distinctive of them all.

Interestingly, its taken me over two and a half hours to hunt this down as I came across a tiny image of it on an obscure, wholly flash based Korean online store which simply refused to allow me to link through to the details (tried FF, IE, Chrome, Safari - no joy). But, having spent an age sifting through Korean stores (non of which I can understand) eventually I found it and, in all honesty, it’s been well worth the (considerable) effort.

Based on a fictional Korean character by Kim Jae In, the MashiMaro DAP, apart from its distinctive design, measures in at 54 x 38 x 38mm and comes with 2GB of onboard storage capacity and, in terms of file format support, takes in MP3, WMA,ASF,APE, WAV, ACT and OGG (the latter meaning it gets particular brownie points from us).

As is evidenced by the imagery, the MashiMaro DAP comes sans display (it’s seemingly becoming all the rage these days, isn’t it) and uses a somewhat novel means of control which basically boils down to moving it’s ears, which are lit by an integrated LED, to access navigation functionalities with the LED’s color changing between pastel blue and red hues to indicate whether the MashiMaro is playing or whether the hold function - accessed by a side mounted button - is activated.

The MashiMaro DAP comes in white, blue or the all too obligatory pink and is priced at the equivalent of around a mere $44 and, whilst, in terms of functionality, there’s little on offer here (it’s a rudimentary DAP at best) few would argue that it really is quite something else.

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Whilst Nintendo are still (apparently) working in the background on a virtual console for their DSi - which will allow users to play Game Boy and Game Boy Advanced titles on their DSi - along comes this inventively titled PMP, known as the GAME-800, which packs a integrated emulator allowing it to run NES, FC, GB, GBC, and MD games.

The GAME-800 PMP, which has obviously gone for the cheap and tacky look, and has positively excelled in this respect, comes with a 3.5″ 320 x 240 (QVGA) TFT LCD display, 4GB of inbuilt memory (which can be supplemented with SD cards), back mounted camera of unspecified resolution and, in terms of multimedia file format support just about ticks all the boxes (except for OGG). In fact, it’s a particularly comprehensive list comprising of MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, RM-Audio, AMR, AAC+, RM, RMVB, AVI, WMV, ASF, MPG, MPEG, MPE, MP4, DAT, MOV, DAT, JPEG, GIF and BMP.

Add into this a TV-out connection, an onboard speaker, USB connectivity and a handy text to speech function that, to quote the product site, ‘will read out loud any TXT file in Chinese or English.’ (it adds, incidentally, ‘Other Romance languages can be read, but the pronunciation will very often be incorrect’ (sic)) and, looks aside, its reasonably hard not to be impressed with what this device has to offer.

Yes, it doesn’t quite look the part, though it does, in fairness, have an undeniable retro tinged appeal (apart from the iPhone/Touch inspired icons), but if you consider what’s on offer here and then factor in it’s price - a mere $80 - its an extremely hard feature rich PMP to criticise, however much you might want to.

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Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines

Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback

Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots

Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required

Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images

Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging

More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books

Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns

Read-to-Me: With the new text-to-speech feature, Kindle can read every newspaper, magazine, blog, and book out loud to you, unless the book is disabled by the rights holder

Large Selection: Over 245,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available

Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise Read the full Story...


Following on from Dell releasing its Dell Studio One 19 AIO PC, TriGem USA have introduced their new Averatec D1133 All-in-One PC which, unlike the Studio One 19 comes sans touchscreen option and, whilst reasonably featured, doesn’t quite match Dell’s new AIO in terms of clout.

“The new Averatec all-in-one PC represents the continued expansion of TriGem into the AIO market space,” said Henry Hewitt, vice president of sales at TriGem USA who introduced their new Averatec D1133 AIO PC. “We already command a strong presence in the market with the earlier introduction of the 18.4-inch Intel Atom-based AIO. This new system is designed with features and capabilities for handling more challenging computing tasks and taking advantage of enriched content increasingly being delivered by popular online news, sports, entertainment and social networking sites.”

The TriGem USA Averatec D1133 All-in-One PC comes with an AMD Athlon X2 3250e 1.5GHz dual-core processor under the hood, integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 250GB HDD and SuperMulti 8X Dual-layer DVD/CD reader-burner whilst, display-wise, you’re looking at an 18.4″ 1680 x 945 resolution 16:9 widescreen display.

As you’d expect, 802.11b/g wireless and 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet LAN is in evidence as well as stable AIO fair such as a built-in 1.3MP camera.

The TriGem USA Averatec D1133 All-in-One PC, which runs Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, is set to commence shipping around April/May and carries a MSRP of just shy of $600 (making it less than half the price of the Dell Studio One 19 AIO).

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We featured Saitek’s new Cyborg Gaming Mouse only a few posts back and, whilst we thought that Microsoft’s new Sidewinder probably won out in terms of desirability, we were not averse to the curious styling of Saitek’s new gaming mouse – however, the true cannot be said of Saitek’s frankly hideous Cyborg Gaming Keyboard.

Looking like part of a control panel pulled out of a crash site somewhere near Area 51, if the pre-requisite of the Saitek Cyborg Gaming Keyboard was to look different then certainly Saitek can rest easy knowing that they have achieved their goal – but to what end?

With important gaming keys (W,A,S,D, spacebar and cursor keys) being metal coated and a series of function keys arranged down each side, the keyboard looks like a hotchpotch of differing, wholly uncomplimentary designs hastily pulled together with a (frankly cheap looking) series of multicoloured backlit displays being squeezed in at the top of the keyboard seemingly just to ensure that this design will be noticed - if even only on account of its complete design insensibilities.

Aimed, we can only imagine, at the younger PC gaming fraternity we like to think that even young gamers suffering from the side effects of spot-inducing hormone overloads will be able to see through the haze of adolescence and realise that this is, truly, one (if not the) most visually offensive, ill-conceived and frankly hideous keyboards to have ever seen the light of day.

The Saitek Cyborg Gaming Keyboard retails for around $80 According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product. Read the full Story...


Whilst no where near as geeky as the previously featured Animated Space Invaders Doormat or the Globright Digital Doormat, this curious artificial grass doormat, which comes complete with artificial daises (seriously), is sure to raise a smile from those visiting your humble abode.

Okay, agreed, an artificial grass mat could be seen as being rather tacky but, for some reason, we find ourselves rather drawn to the quirkiness of it and besides, could you imagine a whole room fitted with these? Nope, we can’t either. Still, let’s look on the bright side - at least that’s this month’s featured mat post done and dusted (how was it for you?).

The Artificial Grass Mat retails for $16.95. According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

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Regular readers will know that we’ve had somewhat of a problem with many of Tokyoflash’s latest offerings and, whilst we’re not about to do a sudden u-turn (we still think they’re becoming increasingly over gaudy and decidedly uncool, sorry), it’s budget LED wrist watches such as this offering from Dealextreme, known as the Leather Band 29-LED Dot-Matrix Fashion Wrist Watch, that at least put things into stark perspective.

Interestingly enough, it would seem that even Dealextreme really have no time for this budget LED wrist watch either as, whilst their product descriptions are well known to be sparse affairs, this particular product doesn’t even get the couple of sentences we’ve come to expect. That’s right, there’s no description at all.

That said, it’s not exactly difficult to fathom quite what this budget LED watch has to offer. It tells the time using LEDs. It displays the date (with LEDs) and (are you ready for this?) it even lets you know whether its AM or PM (with LEDs) - helpful for those semi-conscious early mornings following a particularly heavy session down the local watering hole.

Thankfully, all is not lost, as at least Dealextreme have at least been bothered to let us know the financial outlay required to own this gem of a timepiece - $9.65. Now you will ensure you form an orderly queue, won’t you? According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

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Sony Ericsson T700 (Remi) officially Unveiled. Sony Ericsson T700 (Remi) is a 10mm slim bar cell phone. it comes with built-in stereo speakers and 3.2 megapixel camera. It has a metal finish casing and support GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 2100 network. Sony Ericsson T700 is going to be available in quater-4 this year with three colors for you to choose from silver or black. According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.
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Sony Ericsson MBS-200 streams music from your phone via Bluetooth. Features - single Wireless portable speaker and Mutes if there’s incoming call. MBS-400 is more stronger than MBS-200, as it comes with 2 speakers and available in selected markets in Q4 2008. According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product. Read the full Story...


Recently kinston has released world’s smallest USB drive “DataTraveler Mini Slim Flash Drive”. It Measuring 1.5 inch x 0.6 inch x 0.25 inch and it is available in pink, blue and black colors, priced at 4.60 for 2GB and 7.90 for 4GB. getting pen driver smaller and smaller day by day,i think soon we will have a pendrive at the size of the USB connector and i guess that time we will face the problem of taking pendrive out from the USB port. According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

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Kingston’s swivel cap plug and play DataTraveler 101 is a convenient flash drive for the budget-conscious with no compromise on quality or features. The flash drive, comes in four colors pink, red, yellow and cyan - is simple, small and measures only 55.8×17.3×9.5mm.

The Kingston Data Traveler Flash Drive 101 available in capacities up to 8GB, and is backed by a 5 year warranty. It is designed to function in sync with Hi-Speed USB 2.0 specifications. According to my view this is very unique and modern product which is easy to use and very econoimical. A lot of qualities are hidden in this product.

Price:
1GB - Rs. 499/- (approx $11.99)
2GB - Rs. 799/- (approx $19.99)
4GB - Rs 1,599/- (approx $39.99)

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Americas Iconic Motors claims to have built a new roadster weighs just 2,200 pounds and has eight tenths the torsional rigidity of a typical F1 car.
It is capable of reaching speeds of more than 200mph. With a 6.9L all aluminum V8 engine sending more than 800hp to the rear wheels and a power-to-weight ratio of 2.75lb/hp the car should reach 60mph in less than 4 seconds and easily eclipse the top speed claim. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.Unique features include patented door handles, a gas cap control system, a special gear shifter and custom door hinges.The Iconic Motor GTR Roadster is priced at $600,000.

Features
800+ Horsepower 420 CID (6.9 Liter) Iconic-Designed All Aluminum V8
200+ mph
2,200 Pound Curb Weight

World-Leading Power to Weight Ratio of 2.75 lb/hp or 727.3 hp per ton Formula One-Derived Racing Suspension
Torsional Rigidity Approaching 80% of a Typical Formula One Race Car. Read the full Story...


ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Worlds Fastest Graphic Card was launched by AMD (ATI); comes with 2.4 teraFLOPS of processing power.

These cards comprise the ATI Radeon HD 4800 X2 series, combining two ATI Radeon HD 4800 series GPUs with a more advanced cross-GPU connection based on the PCIe 2.0 standard, plus two gigabytes of memory.

X2 series perfectly suited for the most demanding games.

Based on an advanced 55nm design and leading DirectX(R) 10.1 support it delivers engineering elegance and the industry’s most compelling feature set.
It is immediately available from e-tailers worldwide priced at USD $549 SRP, while the ATI Radeon HD 4850 X2 is scheduled to be available in September at an estimated price of USD $399
Key Features

  • 2 GB of GDDR5 memory
  • 2.4 teraFLOPS of GPU power
  • DirectX 10.1
  • 1600 stream processing units
  • 2 x 256-bit memory interface
  • 24x custom filter anti-aliasing (CFAA) and high performance anisotropic filtering
  • Dual mode ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support for highly scalable performance
  • PCI Express 2.0 support
  • Dynamic geometry acceleration
  • Game physics processing capability
  • ATI Avivo HD video and display technology1
  • Unified Video Decoder 2 (UVD 2) for Blu-ray and HD Video
  • Accelerated Video Transcoding (AVT)
  • DVD Upscaling
  • Dynamic Contrast
  • Built-in HDMI with 7.1 surround sound support
  • Integrated DisplayPort2
Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


The above is the Aston Martin One-77 which is going to cost you 1 million (thats about $1.9 mil) to get one. It is UK automakers latest flagship model; featuring the 7.0-liter V12 engine, a carbon fiber chassis and a handcrafted aluminum body. The One-77 boosts from 0 to 60 at 3.5-seconds and capable of achieving 200 mph; with stunning design to create possibly the worlds most desirable automotive art form.

It’s a very special car for customers who want to take the bespoke experience to a higher level,” company chairman David Richard told Autocar. “Every car will be entirely individual.”

As for Aston Martin’s decision to build just 77, it’s said to have stemmed from Bez’s belief that seven is a lucky number. It certainly is for those fortunate enough to get one. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...



Its solar-power generating table that keeps your portable devices charged. Its made of steel and teak, takes about four hours of direct sun exposure to get all charged up. It has a voltage meter that displays the voltage of the battery, and the hour meter displays the total hours the table has been ON and the stainless steel legs are resistant to weather. It offers power enough for more than 4 hours of laptop use.You can pick up the Sun Table for Just $2,200. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.
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Goldstriker has appered the new 2 new gen iPods addled in 24ct gold and 18ct white gold. The iPod Nano 4th gen will be priced starting 349 while the iPod Touch 2nd 449. Anyone accepting one? Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...

It has already been confirmed earlier in October month and now LG has officialy Announced it The LG KC780 another 8.0-megapixel camera Cellphone. This 13.9mm blubbery slider comes with 2.4″ display and comes without 3G, congenital in WiFi and GPS, so i think it should be kind affordable.

Focusing on its camera, a Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens is acclimated for the camera with a best of 8.0-megapixel resolution and 1600 ISO. The Face apprehension affection is able too which automatically finds and focuses on peoples faces to booty a ablaze and absolute shot. Part of this affection relies on the LGs Smile Apprehension technology, this smile apprehension will admit the bend of peoples mouths and
acclimatize focus for faces and a Beauty Mode will advice in removing spots and imperfections on peoples faces ~ to ensure faces arise ablaze and ablaze in photos. No anguish of too ablaze as the SmartLight ambience will fix that problem. And the best importantly, an congenital Image Stabilizer is equipped, allows user to booty ablaze and aciculate photos alike in all-a-quiver situations.

In addition, the phones camera can additionally be acclimated as a webcam for online chat, no USB cable needed, the buzz will be affiliated to computer via the phones Bluetooth which they alarm it Smart Bluetooth. This Smart Bluetooth additionally allows user to accelerate and apprehend argument letters via computer. The LG KC780 will be accessible in November starting Europe after accretion to Asia and CIS , including Thailand, India, Hong Kong and China. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


This is the latest 14.7-megapixel camera from Canon, the Canon SD990 IS Digital Camera. The Canon SD990 comes with a 2.5-inch LCD with the firms new Quick Shot Modes for faster bang speeds. You can accept from silver, black, and red. It will be accessible in October 2008 for $399. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


Moscow’s Man Works Design a new waterproof USB drive K95. K95 comes in shape of submarine and it is available in 1GB and 2GB, you can choose one for you from White, Green, Red Black colors. Still no words on pricing and availability. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


New G3 Wp waterproof digital camera has released by GE.

Features

  • Waterproof to 10 feet
  • 12.2 Megapixel sensor
  • 4x optical zoom
  • Auto Scene Detection
  • Pan-Capture Panorama
  • ISO 3200

A 2a7-inch LCD with an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts its brightness.Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.

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Here is Pocket size Portable Speakers by Philips. Each speaker comes with inbuilt bass pipe emphasizes low tones for realistic, clear sound. with philips portable usb speaker system you also get a stereo sound when speakers placed apart. Philips portable speakers priced at $18.85. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


Motorola has appear their new MOTO Q11, an affordable smartphone without 3G support. However this mobile phone does comes with chip WiFi connectivity. It is active on Windows Mobile 6.1 and users can personalize their homescreen and accord all contacts, agenda items and email. The MOTO Q11 is accepted to be accessible by December 2008. Specifications below.

MOTO Q11 Specifications:

  • Talk Time: Up to about 450 minutes
  • Standby Time: Up to about 195 hours
  • Bands/Modes: Quad-band GPRS/EDGE Class 10
  • Camera: 3 megapixel, LED Flash
  • Memory: 128MB Flash, 64 MB RAM, optional microSD card up to 32GB
  • Weight: 115g
  • Dimensions: 117 x 64 x 11.7 mm
  • Battery: 1170 mAH
  • MicroUSB/USB 1.1, Bluetooth Class 1 v2.1 wireless technology
  • Display: 2.4? 320 x 240 TFT 262K
  • GPS, aGPS, WiFi
  • Windows Mobile 6.1
Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


I adulation bright things like this. It wont be nice if you see one of them, but back they are calm they aloof attending nice, aloof like the new iPod Nano 4G. Sharp has appear its new HSDPA 3G adaptable phone, called New Pantone 830SH. The buzz will be absolution in Japan bazaar via Softbank on the 4th October, 2008. It has 15 altered colors for you to accept from - accessible in excellent blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, active pink, purple, lilac, navy, white, black, silver, gold and blush gold. The New Pantone 830SH comes with a .4-inch affectation with 240 x 320 resolution, 2.0-megapixel camera with auto focus and abutment up to 4GB of microSDHC card. Just feel like accession all of them! Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.

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Philips M200 is a bonbon bar buzz that runs on dual-band GSM 900/1800 MHz networks. It has a 65k colors, 1.8 inches awning at 128 x 160 resolutions, GPRS, WAP 2.0, USB 1.1, 3MB anamnesis with microSD agenda slot, FM tuner and chip music amateur with music key. Other basal appearance accommodate Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, bill converter, and stopwatch. The alone affair that absent out is the camera. Yup, this buzz has no camera. While its Li-Ion 1050-mAh array will absolutely accord you some austere talktime. No words on appraisement and availability. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


Meet the worlds first 3D mobile phone screen being developed by KDDI is still under development as a prototype. It is a 3.1-inch 480 x 800 WVGA LCD which uses parallax barrier method that divides images or video separately for the right and left eye. No release date yet finalized. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


This is a simple carriageable fan which is powered by USB or 3x AAA batteries. One will amount you alone $6 and you can Choose from Yellow or Black. More Pics after the break. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.
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The Asus G71 is the worlds original quad core notebook distinctively advised for gamers. It is powered by the Intels new QX9300 Core 2 Extreme processor. It comprises 17 Crystal Shine High Brightness display, an NIVIDIA GeForce 9700M GT GDDR3 512MB cartoon card, 4GB of DDR3, up to 1TB of HDD (500GB x2), Bluetooth V2.1, 2Mpix web camera, and Blue-ray writer. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Read the full Story...


Halloween is coming, accessible with your crank affectation and accomplish up. You acrylic your face like the citizen angry zombies but theres nothing safe you can add on your eyes except acquaintance lens. Check out this Halloween Acquaintance and Appropriate Aftereffect Lenses,absolutely makes you looks creepier. Accessible in over 130 styles. Priced about $70 to $260. I like this one alot ~ alleged Rave. Rave appropriate aftereffect acquaintance lenses - these lenses afterglow beneath atramentous light! Theyre absolute for Halloween parties and added appropriate events. They are accessible in blue, pink, chicken and green. Picture color doesn’t change. Enjoy the available colros. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market.

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Nikon Corporation in Japan has announced their latest Media Port UP. It is a wifi-enabled multimedia playback headphone device. Nikon includes the display screen, headphones, Wi-Fi capability, mobile A/V player, high-capacity memory, and power source in one bunched device. The accessory is priced about $587. The UP300x comes with congenital motion sensor that allows hands free operation (volume adjustment, etc…). It has up to 8GB of flash memory, USB port, Wi-Fi b/g, and two Sanyo eneloop rechargeable batteries and acknowledging the WMV9, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 video files, and MP3, WMA9, AAC, audio files. It is compatible with HTML 4.01, Flash Version 7, JavaScript, added media capacity are downloadable from Nikons service. Accordint to my view its a very unique product which have no comparison in world trade market. Unfortunately, they are accessible only in Japan.

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ISLAMABAD: A police official in Lahore said Wednesday that about 20 people had been detained in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in which six police officers were killed and six players were wounded.

Nasir Bajwa, the deputy superintendent of police in the Model Town section of Lahore, said the suspects were detained Tuesday night, hours after the attack. He gave no details of the identities of those detained.

The owner of a hostel in an area of Lahore close to the attack said the police had detained about 13 students who were at his premises. Muhammad Ashger said the students were arrested around midnight. A rocket launcher and clothes with bloodstains were recovered from the hostel, the police said.

"They want to show to the world they are making arrests," Mr. Sherpao said.

"They don't know anything. There is not any semblance of government."

Newspaper editorials accused Mr. Zardari's government and the opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, of devoting more attention to power politics than fighting terrorism.

"The politicians need to wake up, bury the hatchet in the national good and rout the real enemy," an editorial in Wednesday's edition of Dawn, a national English-language newspaper, said.

Criticism of Pakistan's security arrangements intensified Wednesday when Chris Broad, a British umpire who had been traveling with the Sri Lankan team, launched a harsh public tirade against the Pakistani authorities, saying police melted away as the attackers opened fire. "We were promised that we would get presidential-style security,"

Another nearby hostel was searched by the police but no one was detained, Mr. Ashger said.

A former interior minister, Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, who is a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party of President Asif Ali Zardari, dismissed the detentions.

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SEOUL: A former North Korean agent who confessed to bombing a passenger jet in 1987 met Wednesday with relatives of a Japanese woman abducted to the Communist North in an encounter that shed little new light on the fate of the missing woman but was expected to anger North Korea.

The meeting, sponsored by the Japanese and South Korean governments amid rising tensions with the North, was the first public appearance of Kim Hyon Hui, the former North Korean agent, in almost 20 years, and was intensely covered by both Japanese and South Korean media.

In Tokyo, the government of Prime Minister Taro Aso hoped that Kim might provide fresh information about the kidnapped Japanese woman, Yaeko Taguchi, that could be used to press the North Korean government on other abduction cases. In Seoul, the conservative government of President Lee Myung Bak was investigating charges that the liberal administration that preceded him had pressured Kim to deny that she was a North Korean spy.

On Wednesday, Kim, 47, delivered no surprises. She repeated what she had already said in recent interviews: that she had studied Japanese with Taguchi, who was 22 when she vanished in Tokyo in 1978, as part of her espionage training. She would not comment on the charges against the previous Seoul government.

Koichiro Iizuka, Taguchi's 32-year-old son, said after his meeting with Kim that he was convinced his mother was alive, despite Pyongyang's claim that she was killed in a car accident in 1986.

Kim tried to dispel years of speculation about her identity by stressing that she was indeed an agent who planted a bomb on the Boeing 707 plane that exploded near Myanmar in 1987, killing all 115 people on board. She and an accomplice, who later committed suicide, were arrested in Bahrain two days later.

"I am not a fake," she said. "It was an act of terror by North Korea."

But at a news conference in the southern city of Busan, where Kim met Taguchi's relatives, Kim did not refute the North Korean claim about Taguchi's death. She said she "heard" in 1987 that Taguchi had been "sent somewhere" and that she had "assumed" at the time that Taguchi was still alive.

In 2002, North Korea admitted to kidnapping Taguchi and 12 other Japanese to help train its spies. It allowed five of them to return to Japan that year but said the others had died — an assertion Tokyo has not accepted.

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