State Bank allows relaxations in Export Finance Scheme to facilitate exporters

An exporter shall be eligible to avail financing under EFS Part-I and/or Part-II, if total amount of overdue export bills at the time of availing facility is not more than 5% of previous year’s export performance, says SBP circular issued Saturday.
In case overdue export position of an exporter is greater than 5% of previous year’s exports, exporter will not be entitled to avail EFS facility till such time that overdue position is reduced to 5% benchmark level, circular said, adding that these instructions, which will come into effect from October 01, 2011, have been issued by SBP to streamline procedure for availing finance under EFS by exporters who have overdue export proceeds.
Each exporter will be required to give a Certificate on a prescribed Form showing consolidated position of overdue export bills outstanding against all bank(s) {as per record of Foreign Exchange Operations Department (FEOD)}, as a percentage of total exports of preceding    year finalized in EE-1 statements. Certificate will be submitted through the bank to concerned SBP BSC office on a six monthly basis by 31st March & September 30, each year, circular said, adding that certificate will remain valid up to next six months. Process of submission of the certificate would commence from September 2011.
SBP has communicated necessary guidelines to banks for processing requests of exporters with overdue export proceeds for availing finance under EFS. Any misreporting/ misstatement shall attract imposition of fine on bank/exporter at the rate prescribed under the Scheme, it added.
Moreover, concerned SBP BSC office(s) shall verify export overdue position of exporter from relevant data and check 5% benchmark. In normal cases this practice shall be adopted twice a year before granting refinance.
The existing waiver for exporters with overdue export bills is being extended up to September 30, 2011 to cover the period until the certificate is submitted by exporters for the first time, circular added.

Google Says It Rejected Sun’s $100 Million Java-Android Deal

Google Inc. rejected an offer by Sun Microsystems Inc to pay $100 million in royalties to use Java in its development of the Android operating system before Sun was acquired by Oracle Corp. (ORCL), a Google lawyer said.
Robert Van Nest, Google’s attorney, said yesterday at a hearing in federal court in San Francisco that the proposed $100 million three-year “all-in” deal in 2006 was for a technology partnership to jointly build Android, rather than for just a patent license.
Separately, Oracle won permission yesterday to question Google Chief Executive Officer Larry Page in a deposition about his knowledge of the search-engine company’s alleged infringement of patents that Oracle got when it acquired Sun.
Oracle, based in Redwood City, California, is seeking as much as $6.1 billion in damages from Google in a lawsuit that claims Android software uses technology that infringes Oracle’s patents. Google denies infringing and asked U.S. District Judge William Alsup at yesterday’s hearing to throw out Oracle’s damage estimate.
Alsup said it appeared that Google “has a product out there that is in direct violation of these patents,” and pressed Van Nest to explain why the Mountain View, California- based company discussed a license with Sun.
“There wasn’t any specific discussion of patents,” Van Nest said. While a few lines of code in Android are “identical” to Java, that code probably came from a third party, he said. “We are investigating that,” Van Nest said.

Programming Language

Android uses a Java programming language that is open to anyone for free, said Van Nest.
Alsup cited a document to a Google executive from Google’s Android project leader that said, “‘We conclude that we need to negotiate a license for Java.”
“Don’t you think a good lawyer will convince a jury that it’s a license for patents?” Alsup said.
While Oracle’s damages may be in the millions or billions of dollars, Alsup said it was “crazy” for Oracle to equate its damages to the entire market value of Android.
Michael Jacobs, Oracle’s attorney, told the judge that Google adopted “the entire architecture” of Java into Android.
“Our position is that there is no infringement, there is no willful infringement,” Van Nest said.
Oracle sought to depose Page about negotiations from 2005 to 2010 between Sun and Google over a Java license for Android and Page’s decision to acquire Android due to its strategic value, according to today’s court filing.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu ruled that Oracle may depose Page for two hours “soley on topics relevant to the willfulness of defendant’s alleged patent infringement, and the value of Android” to Google, according to the order.
The case is Oracle America Inc. v. Google Inc. (GOOG), 10-03561, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco)

Purported manifesto from Norway suspect plots European 'civil war'

Oslo, Norway (CNN) -- A rambling, 1,500-page manifesto purportedly written by the suspect in Friday's bloody terror attacks in Norway lays out right-wing extremist views and vows that a "European civil war" will lead to the execution of "cultural Marxists" and the banishing of Muslims.

While the title page of the document says "By Andrew Berwick," the writer goes on to later to identify himself as Anders Behring Breivik, the suspect in the Norwegian terrorist attacks.

The document, which is part political diatribe, part confessional and part action plan, details Breivik's background and his plans to commit Friday's attacks. It also contains various photos of him.

"If you are concerned about the future of Western Europe you will definitely find the information both interesting and highly relevant," the author writes, adding later that the work took him nine years to complete.

CNN has not been able to independently verify that the document was written by Breivik. But police told the Norwegian newspaper VG that the document is "linked" to Friday's attacks.

Breivik is charged in an Oslo bombing and mass shooting on Utoya Island that left at least 92 people dead.

Geir Lippestad, who identified himself as the suspect's lawyer, told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that Breivik believed the attacks were "horrible" but "necessary," and would explain himself in court Monday.

The manifesto includes photos that appear to match those of the suspect, some of which had been posted on his Facebook page and several never-before-seen images of the same man. The author leaves clues about his family and background, and also indicates that English is his "secondary language."

The document is titled "2083: A European Declaration of Independence," a date that the author later explains is the year he believes an European civil war will end with the execution of cultural Marxists and the deportation of Muslims.

This "civil war" would come in three phases, he predicts. The first runs through 2030 and includes "open source warfare, military shock attacks by clandestine cell systems (and) further consolidation of conservative forces."

Between 2030 and 2070, he calls for "more advanced forms of resistance groups (and the) preparation of pan-European coup d'etats." The final stage features the deposition of Europe's leaders and "implementation of a cultural conservative political agenda."

The author states that he was moved to action dating to "my government's involvement" in NATO's 1999 strikes during the Kosovo campaign, claiming this wrongly targeted "our Serbian brothers (who) wanted to drive Islam out by deporting the Albanian Muslims back to Albania."

He also criticizes "my government's cowardly handling of the Muhammad cartoon issue" -- a reference to the Norwegian government's apology for the nation's private newspapers having repeatedly published the controversial cartoon. Another reference blasts Norway, home of the Nobel awards, for awarding a peace prize to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"The situation is just chaotic," he writes, noting that "thousands of Muslims" are coming into his country annually. "These suicidal traitors must be stopped."

The author delves into great detail about his bomb-making experiments, including a theory that one should purchase a farm so that purchase of large amounts of fertilizer -- which can be used to make bombs -- is less likely to be noticed.

Oddmy Estenstad, an employee at a Norwegian agricultural cooperative, told CNN that Breivik bought six tons of fertilizer from her company in May.

"Be extra careful when researching for bomb schematics (fertilizer bombs), as many terms will trigger electronic alerts," he writes, one of several tips that include using an "anonymous laptop and browse free to your local McDonalds" in order to "avoid ending up on any watch list."

Besides hands-on instructions, the document also functions as a running diary. It also includes references to his relatives' sexual indiscretions, entries on some of his friends' personal lives, and his own off-and-on steroid use.

From July 2 on, though, the author becomes more business-like and complains that going off his testosterone supplements had ramped up his "aggressiveness." He then digs up his guns and prepares the bombs. It all leads up to July 22, the date of the Norway terror attacks.

"The old saying 'if you want something done, then do it yourself' is as relevant now as it was then," he writes. "In many cases; you could do it all yourself, it will just take a little more time. AND, without taking unacceptable risks. The conclusion is undeniable.

Norway Terror Attacks Toll Upped to 87: Norwegian Man Arrested

Norwegian authorities early Saturday dramatically increased the death toll in a gun attack at a youth camp on the Norwegian island of Utoya to at least 80, bringing the total number dead in a pair of apparently related attacks Friday to 87.

Police have arrested a Norwegian man for the deadly attack at the summer youth camp run by Norway's ruling party, and they believed the same man was responsible for a bombing at a government building in central Oslo several hours earlier that claimed at least seven lives.

TV2, Norway's largest broadcaster, was among media outlets that identified the suspect as Anders Behring Breivik, 32, describing him as a member of "right-wing extremist groups in eastern Norway." Despite the reports, Norwegian police would not confirm the identity of the suspect.

The 80 dead at the youth camp was a dramatic increase over a Friday police report that at least 10 had died there. Police director Oystein Maeland told reporters early Saturday in Norway that many more victims were discovered after the first toll was announced, according to The Associated Press.

"It's taken time to search the area. What we know now is that we can say that there are at least 80 killed at Utoya," Maeland said. "It goes without saying that this gives dimensions to this incident that are exceptional."

Witnesses to the camp attack said the suspect, dressed as a policeman and identifying himself as such, appeared to be doing a security check related to the Oslo bombing. They said he used the ruse to lure camp goers closer before carrying out the attack.

Video showed bodies floating in the water around the island, and witnesses said victims took to the water in an attempt to flee the carnage, but were shot anyway.

One witness told the Associated Press that campers played dead, but the gunman shot bodies in the head with a shotgun to ensure they were dead.

More than 500 people were attending the camp, and most campers were teenagers. Police indicated the death toll could continue to rise.

Oslo police spokesman Anders Frydenberg was asked by the BBC how one man was able to kill so many.

"We are having an investigation," he said. "We are hopeful the investigation will show how this is possible."

With the arrest of a lone Norwegian in the twin bomb and shooting attacks, officials have all but ruled out any connection to international terrorism.

"We have one person in custody and he will be charged in connection with what has happened," said Justice Minister Knut Storberget during a Friday evening press conference. "We know that he is Norwegian. That is what we know. I don't think it's right from my position to go into details about him."

At the same press conference, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that it was "too early to say anything certain about the motive." Justice Minister Storberget said he was not aware of any threats before the two attacks.

Police said that the incidents did not appear to have international connotations, but that the borders of the country were closed.

The man in custody allegedly opened fire at the summer youth camp run by the Labour Party, the political party of both Stoltenberg and Storberget, just hours after explosions ripped through a government building holding Stoltenberg's office in the capital city of Oslo. According to media reports, the suspect had been seen in Oslo earlier in the day. Oslo is 45 minutes from the island of Utoya.