happenings in world

Five projects to come up along Del-Mum corridor

2008-10-10T09:57:00.001-07:00

With the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor on the verge of implementation, Haryana has identified a few early-bird projects to be developed along the corridor passing through the state.

The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), being the nodal agency in Haryana for this project, has proposed five projects, which will further give a boost to industrial activity of the state. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is being established by the Government of India with Japanese collaboration.

A senior official of HSIIDC informed FE, "Since the corridor covers a major portion of Haryana, we have proposed few early-bird projects to be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. A delegation of officials from the state will be visiting Tokyo from 16th to 18th October to discuss these proposals in detail, there."

The projects include a Regional Mass Rapid Transport Service (MRTS) between Delhi-Manesar-Bawal, with feeder service to enhance connectivity between Delhi and the upcoming manufacturing hubs, a joint venture project around Dharuhera and a logistic hub at IMT Manesar. Two rail projects have also been proposed including rail links from Faridabad to Gurgaon and Jhajjar to Farrukhnagar.

"The rail links will facilitate the movement of people along the corridor as there are two growth centers at Bawal and Palwal, which will be the hub of industrial development. DMIC work has been segmented into three parts namely Delhi-Rewari, Rewari-Vadodra and Vadodra to Mumbai. Work has already begun on the Rewari-Vadodra stretch," the official further added.

Clocking about 70% of the total Japanese investment in India , Haryana is still on the radar of many Japanese companies. As per estimates of the HSIIDC, Japanese companies have so far invested close to Rs 11,000 crore in the state via joint ventures or as direct investment.

With about 65 companies in Haryana, including names like Maruti, Honda Motor Company, YKK Corporation etc, already having Japanese collaboration, more investment is expected in the future. Another proposal has been put forth by Japanese giant- Mitsui and Company to set up an industrial park in Haryana over 3,000 acres of land at an estimated investment of around Rs 1,200 crore. The company plans to develop this project along the upcoming Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Express.

The Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Industrial Corporation (RIICO) has also signed an MoU with the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) for Japanese investments in Neemrana and has reserved an industrial part for Japanese investments mostly for small and medium auto component sector.

PARIS 2008: FASTEST JAGUAR SINCE XJ220

2008-10-09T02:21:00.001-07:00

Jaguar released the hottest XK till date when it revelaed the XKR-S at the Paris Motor Show yesterday. The power(a lot of it) comes from a 4.2 Litre V8 engine with 420 bhp on tap. It is sent to the rear wheels via a six speed automatic gearbox with Jaguar’s sequential shift transmission, enough to propel the XKR-S from o-60 mph in 5.2 seconds and to a top speed of 174 mph.

With those numbers to boot, the XKR-S is the fastest Jag model since the XJ220 supercar. Along with the increased power the car comes with a host of mechanical refinements to rein it all in. The suspension has been revised with new springs and dampers rates, larger anti-roll bars at the rear and a recaliberated version of Jag’s CATS (Computer Active Technology Suspension). New aerodyanamic enhancements keep the new Jag planted at speeds while active exhaust and saturn rings sized brakes (400mm front and 350mm rear Alcon R performance brakes) complete the overhaul nicely.

The Jaguar XKR-S production is limited to just 200 cars for both left and right hand drive versions and will be available only in Europe.

Nintendo takes on Sony with console upgrade

2008-10-09T02:15:00.001-07:00

Nintendo is to launch a new version of its popular DS handheld game console in Japan next month.

The DSi will have a built-in camera and a music player. It will have a bigger screen than the current DS Lite but is fully compatible with the existing machine.

Nintendo’s move is aimed at pegging back the recent success of Sony, its rival, in the lucrative computer games industry.

Nintendo has had huge success with its handheld DS, as well as its Wii console, but Sony has recently enjoyed strong sales in Japan with its rival PlayStation Portable handheld gaming device, on the back of its popular Monster Hunter game.

“From the summer of last year, Japanese DS sales started to slow down,” said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo. The new model is aimed at reinvigorating domestic sales and will not be available to US and European consumers ahead of the end-of-year sales in the run-up to Christmas.

While there is a danger that some customers in the US and Europe may defer a purchase until they can get the new model, Nintendo has bundled the existing DS with software in those markets, amounting to a de facto price cut.

Reaction to the DSi on Thursday was lukewarm, however. “This should mean that Nintendo can sustain DS sales of 30m for the next year or two, but in our view it doesn’t drive DS consumption to massive new annual levels,” said David Gibson, an analyst at Macquarie Securities in Tokyo.

Comments on popular gaming blogs were less generous. “Yawn. I know the DS is huge, but this really doesn’t seem to add anything to it,” said one poster on Kotaku. “Whether I buy it will depend on the downloadable contents,” said SiZ on Engadget Japan.

The DS was launched four years ago, and with about one sold for every five people in Japan, it has almost reached saturation.

Nintendo’s strategy is to target casual gamers and it points out that 54 per cent of Japanese DS users are female.

The inclusion of a camera and music player brings handheld consoles into competition with mobile phones for the first time, but the DSi is carefully designed to avoid direct rivalry. Its camera only has a 0.3 megapixel resolution – far less than the latest mobile phones – and it will lack the storage capacity of a music device such as Apple’s iPod.

The DSi is instead designed for fun. Applications Nintendo showed included sticking a moustache on your photo, distorting the pitch of music, and software that tells you whether two people in a photo are related.

IBM lifted by $2.8bn profit

2008-10-09T02:11:00.000-07:00

IBM on Wednesday moved to shore up its sliding share price by announcing better-than-expected third-quarter profits and reaffirming its forecast for the full year.

The surprise move, which came a week before the company’s scheduled earnings release, sent shares in the world’s second-biggest IT company up 3.8 per cent in after-hours trading.

IBM had closed at a two-year low of $90.55, down 5 per cent on the day.

Shares in the company had fallen 5 per cent on Tuesday after a Barclays Capital analyst lowered his estimates due to the weakening economy and IBM’s “large exposure to financial services”.

IBM on Wednesday said that it had made a net profit of $2.8bn, or $2.05 per share, in the third quarter, up 20 per cent from a year earlier and better than many Wall Street analysts had expected.

Sales were $25.3bn, an improvement of 5 per cent over last time, although part of that improvement was due to currency movements.

IBM said it expected full-year earnings of $8.75 per share, in line with previous estimates.

“We remain confident in our full-year outlook,” Samuel Palmisano, chief executive, said.

MERCEDES BENZ POSTS RECORD NUMBER FOR 2008

2008-10-09T02:10:00.001-07:00

It seems the global auto slowdown hasnt really hit the Indian market, atleast not the luxury car market. Mercedes-Benz India has posted record sales for the first three quarters of the year 2008 with total sales already above 3000 cars! The cumulative sales as a result have grown by a whopping 56% for January to September period when compared to the same period last year.

“Our impressive performance this year continues – we are delighted to cross the 3000 sales figure mark for the first time and have already set our sights on many more. This impressive performance in an otherwise fluctuating economy is commendable. Mercedes-Benz has proved again that it is the luxury car of choice for the Indian customer. We are confident that in the coming months and years. We will continue to grow and remain competitive in an already ultra dynamic market” commented Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

The company has posted an increase in sales for all of its models sold in India. The new C-Class which made its debut at the auto expo this year is the biggest gainer with 1450 units sold betweeen January to September, year on year growth of more than 135%! The S-Class continues to be the favourite among the riches with more than 524 units sold by the end of the third quarter, a growth of 64% year on year. The evergreen E-Class also continues to sell well with 921 cars moving out of the showroom b/w January to September. Mercedes-Benz also intoduced two new engine options for the E-Class this year christened the E230 and E220 CDI which makes it the most comprehensive product with largest number of variants in its class.

ALFA ROMEO 8C COMPETIZIONE GOES ON SALE IN US, SOLD OUT ALREADY!

2008-10-09T02:09:00.001-07:00

Alfa Romeo is back in US, well partially. After exiting the US market in 1995 due to slumping sales and discontent customers, the brand is making a come back by launching the Alfa 8C Competizione, the $200,000 high performance coupe that has captured the fancy of automobile lovers across Europe.

The Alfa 8C Competizione is now officially available across USA through designated Maserati dealers selected to sell the car. But it doesnt matter as of now beacuse all the 8C’s earmarked for the US market for the year have already been spoken for. The spyder version will come in later, by 2010. After the full operations are started in the USA, the whole Alfa range will be available throughout the dealerships, from Brera coupe to the 159 sedan or their replacements MiTo and the 149. The company is also looking at a large rear wheel drive car which will be based on a Jaguar platform.

CII WELCOMES GUJRAT GOVERNMENTS POLICY ON TATA NANO

2008-10-09T02:08:00.001-07:00

CII has welcomed Gujrat Government’s policy on getting the Tata Nano plant in the state.

“Gujarat is one of the most investor friendly states with an impeccable record of industrial relations. CII is working closely with the Government of Gujarat to promote further industralisation of the state through the “Vibrant Gujarat” initiative, by highlighting the superior infrastructure, industrial climate and efficient governance in the state. CII is therefore, delighted that “Nano” has found a home in such a state.” said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII

PARIS 2008: SUZUKI ALTO (A-STAR) UNVEILED

2008-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Suzuki Motor Company has unveiled the Alto (A-Star) at the ongoing Paris Motor Show. Designed with considerable input from Suzuki’s Indian R&D center, the Alto (A-Star) will be built exclusively in India for the world market as well for domestic consumption. The car will be launched in India by the end of October.

The new Alto (A-Star) stands 3550mm long, 1600mm wide, 1470mm high with a wheelbase of 2360mm. The cheeky overall styling and the cute front is expected to go down well with the buyers here in India and outside.

The Alto (A-Star) will also debut the ‘K’ series engines from Suzuki which is considered a master of smaller internal combustion engines. The 1000cc engine in the Alto (A-Star) develops a very healthy 68 ps @ 6000 rpm and a maximum 90 nm of torque @ 4800 rpm. The engine is highly fuel efficient too with a combined fuel consumption figure of 22 kmpl and is Euro 5 compliant already. A co-efficient of drag of just .30 also helps the top speed which is a decent 155 kmph and the overall efficiency.

The top 12 world's greatest aviation innovations revealed

2008-10-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

Washington, Oct 5 (ANI): Hundred years since the Wright Brothers took wing many inventions have taken place in the field of aviation. Now, a website has compiled a list of the greatest innovations that have taken the world by storm.

The list of top 12 inventions has been amassed by aviation.com, reports Wired News.

1. Cabin pressurization: The average passenger doesn't think about cabin pressurization until their yellow safety masks fall from the ceiling, but the reality is that if the technology hadn't been developed during WWII, people wouldn't be able to fly much above 10,000 feet.

2. Black Box: Morbid but essential, the black box was invented in the mid-1950s, and not only helps investigators learn why a plane crashed, but how that information can be applied to other aircraft to prevent a repeat.

3. The Concorde: It never delivered on its commercial promise, and it was an environmental bad boy, but who can deny that breaking the sound barrier aboard a commercial aircraft is cool.

4. Radar: Sure, the airlines are dying to replace it with GPS technology, but for decades it's been radar that helps air traffic controllers locate and track planes up to 200 miles away.

5. The jumbo jet

6. The hub and spoke system

7.The Very Light Jet (VLJ)

8. Winglets

9. The flying wing

10. Stealth aircraft

11. Jetway

12. Deicing (ANI)

Policies and Procedures

2008-10-06T04:41:00.000-07:00

In this experiment they put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling.

Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable.

Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up.

Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.

One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious, but, undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder.

All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.

A second original monkey is removed and replaced.

The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him.

This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he's not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it.

However, he has no idea why he's attacking the new monkey.

One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced, eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempt to climb the ladder.

All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.

mother's sacrifice

2008-10-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

if u have time take a look at this story.

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.

I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night...I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away.

Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" ...It was my mother...Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank good ness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me...one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was a letter to me.

She wrote:

My son...

I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school.... For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye... so I gave you mine...I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me.

I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.

My world shattered!!!

Then I cried for the person who lived for me... My Mother

SRK's Red Chillies to pump Rs 100 cr for three films in 2008

2008-10-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA: After superhit Om Shanti Om and soon-to-be-released Billo Barber, Shah Rukh

Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment is going to invest Rs 100 crore to reel out three more movies this year. This includes a Rs 60-crore flick with computer-generated special effects starring the King Khan himself and two medium-budget films, each with a budget of Rs 20-25 crore.

Talking to ET on the sidelines of a Nokia event here on Saturday, Mr Khan said the title of the big-budget special-effects film has been tentatively decided as Ra.one. “We will finalise the script, cast and director for the two medium-budget films by this month,” he said.

Red Chillies also plans to set up a film studioin India on the lines of the Hollywood studios. “This will be one-of-its-kind project in Bollywood. We will require huge space for this. We are yet to finalise the location, but it will not be viable to build this project in Mumbai,” Mr Khan added.

Shah Rukh has decided to make a major foray into television show productions through a separate entity under Red Chillies, called ‘Idiot Box’. “We will focus on production of lifestyle shows and will provide a cinematic experience to TV shows. We are currently finalising the shows which will soon start production,” Mr Khan said.

Elaborating on the revenue model, Mr Khan said he intends to retain the distribution rights of all the movies produced by him. “We have retained the distribution rights of Billo Barber. The cash flow from these movies will be ploughed back into the forthcoming movies,” he said.

Apart from movie and TV production, Red Chillies also has presence in TV commercial production, leasing of movie production equipment and visual effects. “We have already done special effects for Om Shanti Om, Chak De and Drona. We plan to double the present headcount of 140 employees in this venture by this year,” Mr Khan said.

Mr Khan said he is also open to the idea of roping in a big industrial house for co-productions in the future. “We might even look at vernacular movies. Red Chillies has a huge in-house talent pool from across India which might be utilised for such movies. But nothing is finalised as of now,” he added.

Talking about his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, Mr Khan said the franchisee has made a profit of about Rs 5 crore in the first year. “We would like to quadruple it in the forthcoming season. However, there are no plans to dilute equity in any of the ventures,” added King Khan.

Chennai and Hyderabad amongst top global IT hubs

2008-10-06T04:10:00.001-07:00

While the focus of the study was to identify the top 50 emerging cities, it also listed the top global outsourcing cities.

The Top 8 Global Outsourcing Cities includes a few new members — Chennai (India), Hyderabad (India), Makati City (The Philippines) and Pune (India).

As expected, Indian cities dominate the list once again. Makati City, as part of the Philippines NCR (National Capital Region) holds its ground.

Cebu, Shanghai & Beijing tops list of global outsourcing cities

2008-10-06T04:07:00.000-07:00

Cebu City (The Philippines), Shanghai (China) and Beijing (China) lead the list of emerging global outsourcing cities.

The ‘Top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities’ 2008 list has nine entrants - Quezon City, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Jaipur, Singapore City, Chengdu, Guadalajara and Mandaluyong City.

Six Indian cities among top 8 global outsourcing cities

2008-10-06T04:05:00.001-07:00

The Top 8 Global Outsourcing Cities includes as many as six Indian cities led by Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi National Capital Region, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

Dublin (Ireland) and Makati City (The Philippines) are the other two cities in the list, according to a study by CyberMedia’s Global Services and investment advisory firm Tholons.

India’s representation in the top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities has grown to four, from last year’s three, with the addition of Jaipur to the list at No 31.

The other three cities in the list include Kolkata at No 6, Chandigarh at No 12 and Coimbatore at No 17.

Scientists develop solar cells with a twist

2008-10-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO: US researchers have found a way to make efficient silicon-based solar cells that are flexible enough to be rolled around a pencil and tra

nsparent enough to be used to tint windows on buildings or cars.

The finding, reported on Sunday in the journal Nature Materials, offers a new way to process conventional silicon by slicing the brittle wafers into ultrathin bits and carefully transferring them onto a flexible surface.

"We can make it thin enough that we can put it on plastic to make a rollable system. You can make it gray in the form of a film that could be added to architectural glass," said John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who led the research.

"It opens up spaces on the fronts of buildings as opportunities for solar energy," Rogers said in a telephone interview.

Solar cells, which convert solar energy into electricity, are in high demand because of higher oil prices and concerns over climate change. Many companies, including Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp and Germany's Q-Cells are making thin-film solar cells, but they typically are less efficient at converting solar energy into electricity than conventional cells. Rogers said his technology uses conventional single crystal silicon.

"It's robust. It's highly efficient. But in its current form, it's rigid and fragile," he said. Rogers' team uses a special etching method that slices chips off the surface of a bulk silicon wafer. The sliced chips are 10 to 100 times thinner than the wafer, and the size can be adapted to the application. Once sliced, a device picks up the bits of silicon chips "like a rubber stamp" and transfers them to a new surface material, Rogers said.

"These silicon solar cells become like a solid ink pad for that rubber stamp. The surface of the wafers after we've done this slicing become almost like an inking pad," he said.

"We just print them down onto a target surface." The final step is to electrically connect these cells to get power out of them, he said. Adding flexibility to the material would make the cells far easier to transport. Rogers envisions the material being "rolled up like a carpet and thrown on the truck." He said the technology has been licensed to a startup company called Semprius Inc in Durham, North Carolina, which is in talks to license the technology.

Analysts' pick: Reliance Petroleum

2008-10-06T03:55:00.000-07:00

Target price: Rs 115

Brics Securities has downgraded its rating on the stock from neutral to ‘underperform’ saying it sees no margin of safety at the current price.

“We are lowering our FY09-12(estimated) EPS estimates for RPL after factoring in lower GRM (gross refining margins) and a weaker rupee. Our forecast for lower GRMs is based on the deteriorating outlook for the global oil refining industry,” said the broking house in a note to its clients.

The outfit has revised its GRM estimates downwards on the back of worsening fundamentals for the oil refining industry due to large capacity additions, weakening demand growth and increasing complexity of new refineries.

“These factors will result in lower capacity utilisation for refineries and reduce the advantage enjoyed by complex refiners. FY09E earnings are also negatively affected by lowering of our throughput estimates by 19.5% to 7.6 mmt (million metric tonne) due to a later start-up than our expectation,” the note added.

Nifty breaches 3600; Sensex down 700 points

2008-10-06T03:54:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Traders were helplessly gawking at their trading terminals on the Dalal Street as equities plunged sharply after funds took exit route from Indian market. Secondline stocks were the worst hit under performing the benchmarks.

At 3:30 pm, Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex was down 711.20 points or 5.68 per cent at an intra-day low of 11,815.12.

National Stock Exchange’s Nifty breached crucial technical support of 3,600 but managed to crawl back at 3,607, down 210.75 points or 5.52 per cent. The index touched a low of 3,597 in trade so far.

BSE Midcap Index was down 6.76 per cent at 4361.48 and BSE Smallcap Index plunged 6.34 per cent to 5,118.91.

Sterlite Industries (14.45%), Tata Steel (12.42%), Jaiprakash Associates (11.41%), Reliance Infrastructure (11.16%), Reliance Communications (10.71%) and DLF (10.7%) were the worst hit.

None of the stocks from the 30-share index managed to brave the tide.

Market breadth weakened further with 2341 declines against 255 advances on BSE.

Curfew clamped after communal clashes in Maharashtra's Dhule town

2008-10-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

Nashik (Maharashtra), Oct 5 (ANI): Following clashes between members of two communities in Dhule town in North Maharashtra today, curfew was clamped in the town, said police.

The district authorities took measure after the situation had gone out of control with rioters indulging in arson and stone pelting.

The police had to use tear gas shells and fired in air to disburse unruly mob.

Trouble started this afternoon when some people, belonging to a particular community, allegedly tore-off banners of a Hindu outfit appealing people to attend a public meeting in Dhule's Ram Mandir Chowk in the evening.

There were reports of heavy stone-pelting from Bhangar Bazar Chowk, where mob set ablaze some vehicles and looted a shop.

Police said that the mob made an unsuccessful attempt to set ablaze a place of worship. (ANI)

Strong earthquake hits Central Asia

2008-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

A strong earthquake hit Central Asia on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of destruction or casualties, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kyrgyz emergencies ministry said.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck 35 miles (55 km) east of Sary-Tash near the borders of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at 9:52 p.m. (1552 GMT). It had a depth of 21.7 miles (35 km), the survey reported.

The Kyrgyz emergencies ministry said it had information that a quake measuring 8.5 on a 12-level scale assessing earthquake intensity jolted the densely populated southern region of Osh.

"There are no reports of casualties or destruction. We are checking all information," Ramis Satybekov, an emergencies ministry official, told Reuters by telephone from Osh.

An earthquake of magnitude 6 and over is capable of causing severe damage. The earthquake was also felt in the capitals of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Alla Pyatibratova, a Kyrgyz journalist working in Osh, said there was no visible destruction in Kyrgyzstan's second-biggest city.

"Everyone felt the earthquake and immediately ran outside. I did not see anything destroyed. People returned to their homes after a while," she said from Osh.

The U.S. agency initially reported the magnitude as 6.9, but revised it downward. There was an aftershock of magnitude 5.7, USGS said.

The border area between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan lies in a seismically active part of Central Asia and earthquakes are frequent in this most densely populated part of the former Soviet region.

In 1966, the Uzbek capital Tashkent was flattened by a 7.5 earthquake when hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. A 6.0 magnitude quake on the 12-level rocked Tashkent this August but there was no damage.

HM Launches SUV Outlander

2008-10-05T12:28:00.001-07:00

Leading automobile manufacturer, Hindustan Motors launched a new sports utility vehicle ‘Outlander’ on Friday. It would also launch some other vehicles in the coming months.

Outlander is an ‘all wheel control’ (AWC) sports utility vehicle that supports 16 valve MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing and Electronic Control system) petrol engine. It supports advanced control systems, safety and luxury features.

The price of the vehicle is fixed at Rs. 20.20 lakh. The company is assembling it in its Tiruvallur (Chennai) car plant. Japanese auto major, Mitsubishi would provide assistance in its marketing and manufacturing as per their agreement.

The managing director of Hindustan Motors, R. Santhanam said that the new SUV is aimed to attract the passionate people who want to enjoy new sports experience. The SUV is designed with the MIVEC technology of Mitsubishi. It would make it very eco friendly, fuel efficient and best performer. The company has set a target to sell at least 100 units of the SUV every month.

The chairman of HM, Mr. C. K. Birla said that the market conditions would become favorable for sale before the festival season. The prices of raw materials are coming down and company is expected to improve the margins.

Subir Gokarn:Messages from Singur

2008-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

The state governments should design strategies so as to make them inclusive, says subir gokarn.

Tata Motors’ formal announcement of their decision to move the Nano project out of Singur brings to an end a rather complex story. It is complex because it is not at all clear who won and who lost, and whether the gains outweighed the losses. The collective stakeholders in Tata Motors obviously lost at one level, because, apart from the unrecoverable costs that they had already incurred, their strategy has been derailed. But, who knows? Locating the Nano project in a more conducive environment may ultimately prove to be its saviour.

The state of West Bengal may also have lost out in its ambitious plan to re-invent itself as a place to do business in. In the process, the government’s attempts to accommodate the changing aspirations of the state’s younger generations may have been permanently de-railed. But then, perhaps this episode shows us that the whole strategy was inadequately designed. It did not take into consideration the totality of stakeholder interests and, if not in Singur or Nandigram, it would have de-railed somewhere sooner or later.

And, while many people will portray Mamata Banerjee as the villain of the piece, there is always something appealing about the stubborn, determined underdog who brings down the rampaging giant — David vs. Goliath, Asterix vs. the Romans, Bhuvan of Lagaan vs. the British — the little guys are usually the good guys, at least in the story books. Will Ms Banerjee benefit from her role in this story to the extent that she will defeat the ruling Left Front in the next elections and give the state a new direction after 35 consecutive years of Communist rule?

There are all very important and interesting questions, but I would like to shift focus to what I think are some very significant messages from Singur for the fundamental transition that the Indian economy is going through. These are about some of the most basic issues that are dealt with in typical economics and political science textbooks — simple to comprehend in the abstract but, as Singur and many other episodes demonstrate, complicated in real life.

At the core of the situation are two economic issues — property rights and market efficiency. It would be fair to say that the entire history of land acquisition in pursuit of development in India has been plagued by problems related to the two. In the first few decades of the industrialisation-led growth strategy, large amounts of land were acquired for projects, but since these were typically set up in the public sector, permanent lifetime employment was an attractive proposition for the people in the area, whether they owned land or not. Pricing was also not as significant an issue because there really weren’t any obvious benchmarks set by competing bidders.

That scenario is now obsolete and the dominant role of private enterprise in large industrial projects completely changes the equation. Nobody can be guaranteed a job, even a temporary one, even people with appropriate skills, let alone those without any. This immediately differentiates between those who “own” land and those who don’t, since only the former are likely to benefit from the transaction. Even with this group, there are potential problems. First, in our agrarian context, property rights are difficult to establish. Second, in a market framework, ownership is, by definition, a full and exclusive claim on the market value of the asset owned.

In many instances, if this value were paid, the economics of the project would suffer. State intervention will certainly help to make the whole transaction more efficient and transparent, but it can also hinder the process of price discovery, so essential to an efficient market. The question is: are the benefits from the first large enough to offset the possible losses from the second as far as land-owners are concerned?

The second economic issue is essentially the problem of differential benefits. The threat to the livelihood of agricultural wage labour is significant. In any realistic scenario, the majority of people who worked on the land without owning it are unlikely to be considered for employment in the project that displaces them. The public sector would hire them all, with state finances effectively subsidising it. Private investors, however large-hearted, cannot afford this luxury. If a state government wants to promote industrial investment in previously agricultural areas, it better have a plan to mitigate the threat to the livelihoods of a large number of people who cannot claim property-related compensation.

The political issue is about the ability of a pluralist democracy to make long-term commitments. The economics of large projects are based on time horizons far beyond the span of one or two governments. They will become unviable if the commitments made by one government are at risk of being retracted by a successor. The current trajectory of the Indian economy represents several fundamental changes in the roles and significance of various stakeholders.

Public investment is making way for private enterprise in an increasing range of activities. The overarching industrial policy framework, which determined where investments would be made and how much, has long since disappeared, being replaced by an openly competitive bidding process being conducted by state governments. Dealing with the transformation will require concrete and credible long-term commitments by government to both investors and workers. This can only happen when parties across the entire political spectrum in a state agree to a common policy framework and stand by it whether they are in office or out of it.

“Multipartisanship” is essential to the government of the day being able to compete successfully in the race for new investments. This means that its industrial policy statement needs to have the endorsement of, at the very least, all parties who have the potential to form a government in the future. The need for such endorsement may impose limits on what the government can offer investors, but, it will undoubtedly provide the assurance that what is offered will not be retracted. For the typical project, a stable environment is more important than a fiscal or regulatory concession.

The simple message from Singur to state governments is: don’t assume that you have a monopoly on advancing the interests of the state. The more inclusive the process of designing your strategies is, the more likely they are to succeed — whether you are in office or not.

Time travel with Google

2008-10-05T12:14:00.001-07:00

Wanna do some time travel? How about going to the year 2001 with Google? As part of its 10th birthday celebrations, Google is inviting users to `Google 2001', the antiquated version of its search engine dating back to 2001.

The website has all the embellishments from the old site, including the logo and a claim of having indexed 1,326,920,000 Web pages.

Wondering, why Google picked 2001 rather than 1998 the year it started? As 2001 was Google's first year with a complete archived index.

A search on Infosys brings largely company sites. Another done on Apple too brings nothing more than company or related sites. Missing are Google News, Images, Orkut and all other such features we are so used to while searching on Google.

Google, however, acknowledges in its FAQ section that this index is not actually a perfect reproduction of the real 2001 index; the company says that it is a pretty good approximation. Some index entries have been removed for various reasons over time.

Google's FAQ also adds that this special search engine won't be live forever, but just for one month.

So, time to dive into some interesting history.

A single pill 'to tackle all heart problems soon'

2008-10-05T12:13:00.001-07:00

Here's some hearty news! Yes, if researchers are to be believed, you could simply pop a single pill to tackle all your cardiac problems. An international team, funded by the Wellcome Trust in London and the British Heart Foundation, is developing what they claim is the "polypill" -- a cheap drug that can protect against heart disease and stroke.

In fact, the researchers have already begun recruiting around 700 volunteers across six countries for a pilot 'trial' of the "polypill" manufactured by Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's, the 'New Scientist' reported. According to them, the red heart pill to be priced at USD one for a month's supply, blends blood-thinning aspirin, a cholesterol-lowering statin, an ACE inhibitor and a thiazide to lower blood pressure.

Trials in thousands of people could start next year, said the researchers led by Anthony Rodgers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. "The polypill is aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke in poor and rich countries alike. However, its use will vary around the world," Simon Thom of Imperial College London, who is running the UK trials, said.

In the developing world, he advocated distributing the pill "almost blind" to everyone over the age of 55 years. But, countries where people have better access to doctors and drugs are unlikely to adopt the one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, over-55s could be put on one of several different "polypills" containing varying doses of the drugs, depending on their health needs, according to them.

Assam burns as Bodos, Muslims clash

2008-10-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

The death toll in the clashes between Bodo tribals and Muslim settlers rose to 33 on Sunday, with 18 more people killed, and violence spreading to fresh areas, including a third Assam district, Baska.

Despite the army having been called in on Saturday and curfew clamped across the entire region, armed mobs of both communities continued to roam the village roads of Udalgiri, Darrang and Baska, located along the north bank of the Brahmaputra, 100 km from Guwahati, wreaking death and destruction.

Around 35 villages have been affected and 65,000 people rendered homeless. Local sources said while in Darrang it was mainly Muslim mobs — many of them Bangladeshi settlers — that attacked tribal villages, in Udalgiri it was the other way round. Police and paramilitary forces opened fire in four places to control mobs, killing 12 people.

In Dispur, CM Tarun Gogoi suggested a underground militant group could be responsible for provoking the clashes. “A militant group which is currently under ceasefire may be involved,” he said. Sources said the group could be the National Democratic Front of Bodoland.

Death toll mounts to 33, thousands flee homes, violence spreads to fresh areas.

9.16 mn mobile subscribers added in August

2008-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Indian telecom industry continues to record an upward trend with mobile operators adding 9.16 million subscribers in August, making India the second largest wireless market in the world.

The total wireless subscriber base, which includes GSM, CDMA and WLL(F), stood at 305.24 million at the end of August, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said Wednesday in a statement.

Altogether, 9.16 million wireless subscribers have been added during August, against 9.22 million added in July, Trai added.

The total number of telephone connections reached 343.87 million at the end of August, up from 334.84 million in July.

The overall tele-density (number of people having a telephone connection per 100) was recorded at 29.83 percent at the end of August, as against 29.08 percent the month before.

In the wireline segment, the subscriber base has slightly decreased to 38.63 million in August, against 38.76 million subscribers in July.

Total broadband subscribers base reached 4.73 million by the end of August as compared to 4.57 million in the preceding month.

In a bid to put an end to music piracy, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia will soon be launching a new range of phones that shall offer co

2008-10-04T08:51:00.001-07:00

An Indian-origin computer scientist at Concordia University in Montreal is developing a computer imaging process that will read expressions on a human face to know that person's motives and intentions.

The system will classify these expressions to let analysts know whether that individual posed any public threat.

A university statement said Prof Prabir Bhattacharya and his graduate student Abu Sayeed Sohail were on the verge of developing this computer image processing system for detecting and classifying human facial expressions.

It said this system will help take and analyse photos of individuals, potentially in areas of high traffic where security is a primary concern, such as an airport.

``If one could take random photos of the crowd and process them fast enough, there is the potential to identify those individuals who might be problematic,'' the statement said.

While detecting facial expressions, the system will focus on muscles under the face near the eyes, nose and mouth.

``Bhattacharya and Sohail's system measures 15 key points on the face and then compares these measures against images of identifiable facial expressions,'' the statement said.

Even though individuals and cultures vary in facial expressions in myriad ways, Bhattacharya and Sohail have identified seven basic facial expressions which all humans share.

These seven universal expressions will help the computer imaging process to classify them and then know whether that individual posed any threat.

The results of their yet-to-be concluded research have been published as Classification of Human Facial Expression: A Prospective Application of Image Processing and Machine Learning.

New Nokia phones to offer unlimited music for one-off fee of 130 pounds

2008-10-04T08:50:00.001-07:00

In a bid to put an end to music piracy, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia will soon be launching a new range of phones that shall offer consumers the chance to download and keep any song ever recorded.

And in order to avail this service people are required to buy a 129.99 pounds pay-as-you-go mobile phone, under Nokia's Comes With Music brand. It will give the owner the right to download any song released by almost every important record label onto either the handset or a computer.

"You'll be able to download any song you want onto the handset or one personal computer for the first 12 months, and keep all them for ever," Times Online quoted Jo Harlow, a vice-president with Nokia, as saying.

Universal Music, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music partner the mobile, and now the music industry executives are claiming that they can actually make more profit by encouraging people download as many songs as they want.

That's because Nokia will make a one-off cash payment to the record giants for every phone it sells.

And it is believed that the total money would be much greater than the amount of money that the average music buyer pays for in a year.

Stephen Bryan, the senior vice-president responsible for digital strategy at Warner Music, the record company behind Madonna and REM, said: "This is a model where people move towards paying a subscription for all the music they want. We think it will help attract people away from illegal music and address their music interests in a compelling, legitimate service."

"There will be monitoring to see if people abuse the service. We hope this will help add to the market, because people will still want to buy CDs as a gift or for their collection," said Graeme Ferguson, from Sony BMG, home to Oasis and Dido.

Nokia's Comes With Music, will be available from October 16 in the UK.

It allows unlimited access to songs for a one-year period, but after that time a customer has to buy a new phone.

Any songs downloaded are tied to the particular handset - the first Comes With Music model, the 5310, has 8GB of memory and can store 6,000 songs.

One can also store the songs on one computer, and it is believed that most people will download songs via their home Internet connection, because the cost of downloading a song wirelessly is quite higher.

However, in order to maintain access to the service after the first year, it will be neccesary to buy a new phone.

Haryana gives 'best mother' awards

2008-10-04T08:49:00.001-07:00

others paying proper attention to the rearing of their children, especially the girl child, have been given 'best mother' awards by the Haryana government this year.

The state government had identified 2,472 mothers for the award, a spokesman of the women and child development department said Saturday.

He said the awards were given to encourage the mothers for proper rearing of their children, especially their daughters, with a view to improve their nutritional status and physical, mental, social, intellectual and psychological development.

The mothers having at least one girl child were selected for the first, second and third prizes of Rs.1,000, Rs.750 and Rs.500 respectively at the block level. The awards were given recently at all block and circle levels in the state.

Some of the criteria taken into account for eligibility of the award include mother's age at 18 years at the time of marriage, birth certificates of all children, enrolment in schools of children above the age of six years and regular immunisation.

Mothers with two daughters were given additional weightage for the awards.

Spermicide Coke, fertile strippers scoop Ig Nobel Awards

2008-10-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

Studies that suggested sodas such as Coke and Pepsi kill sperms and exotic lap dancers make more money when they are at peak fertility have been awarded the 2008 Ig Nobel prize.

In 1980s, when researcher Deborah Anderson of Harvard Medical School's birth- control laboratory discovered that "Coca Cola douches" were being used as a type of contraception at the all-girl Catholic boarding school she had attended in Puerto Rico, she decided to test it.

For the study, Anderson, medical student Sharee Umpierre and gynaecologist, Joe Hill mixed four different types of Coke with sperm in test tubes.

A minute later, they found that all sperm were dead in the Diet Coke, however, 41pct were still swimming in the just-introduced New Coke.

"Coca-Cola douches had become a part of contraceptive folklore during the 1950s and 1960s, when other birth-control methods were hard to come by," New Scientist quoted Anderson, as saying.

"It was believed that the carbonic acid in Coke killed sperm, and the method came with its own 'shake and shoot applicator'" - the classic Coke bottle," she added.

Another study, led by University of New Mexico psychologists proposing that lap dancers earn more money when they are at peak fertility also won the award.

During the research, psychologists Geoffrey Miller, Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan asked women working as lap dancers to report their nightly tips, and whether they were on hormonal contraceptives or menstruating naturally.

The two groups of women received similar tips when they were in non-fertile parts of their cycle, but when the naturally menstruating women reached their fertile days, the researchers found, they earned significantly more.

A Brazilian study led by Astolfo Araujo of the University of Sao Paulo and Jose Marcelino of Sao Paolo's Department of Historical Heritage on armadillos, the burrowing animals, which showed that the pesky creatures can move the artifacts in archaeological dig sites up, down and even laterally by several meters as they dig also won the prestigious alternative prize.

Another experiment with huge implications for health policy won the Ig Nobel medicine prize for Dan Ariely of Duke University in North Carolina.

He gave two groups of volunteers identical placebos masquerading as painkillers, telling one group the pills cost 2.50 dollars each and the other that the pills had been discounted to 10 cents each.

The volunteers didn't pay for the pills, but those who took the "more costly" fake medicine felt less pain from electric shocks than those who took the cheap fakes

This showed that price affects people's expectations and thus their response to medicine, Ariely says - the more expensive the pill, the more relief they expect.

These awards, presented at Harvard University, are organised by the humorous scientific journal the Annals of Improbable Research for research achievements "that make people laugh

Nokia touchscreen phone launch today

2008-10-04T08:35:00.002-07:00

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia will launch its free music package, which analysts see posing a serious threat to Apple's dominance in the digital music business. The Finnish company will also launch its first touch-screen phone, to rival Apple's popular iPhone, sources have told Reuters

Nokia is expected to unveil more details on its "Comes with Music" package later on Thursday at an analyst and media event in London.

Nokia's "Comes with Music" phone and music service, and similar packages from other hardware vendors, could help the music industry make up for falling CD sales and cut illegal downloads.

The battle for mobile music is increasingly crowded, with Sony Ericsson launching its music package this month in Sweden, while South Korea's LG Electronics plans a service similar to Nokia's.

Nokia's package will differ from others on the market as users can keep all the music they have downloaded during the 12 month-subscription period. There are no charges for tracks downloaded, since the cost is bundled to the phone price.

"'Comes with Music' could potentially bring free music to millions of consumers, radically changing the music industry, and offering a significant threat to Apple's dominance," Strategy Analytics' David MacQueen said in a research report.

"In a market where price and selection are so much more important than brand to consumers, Apple cannot count on retaining users when competing with an offering which seems free to the end user," MacQueen said.

The service is Nokia's first major push into the services business. Last year the company unveiled a major revamp of its whole organization, aiming to build a new business from Internet services to combat slowing handset growth.

"'Comes with Music' sees Nokia going head to head with new competitors -- most notably seizing the initiative from Apple with an innovative new music proposition," said CCS Insight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

Michael McGuire, analyst with Gartner, said Apple and Nokia are set to fight for the same market, but with different approaches, as Apple charges per-track-downloads, while Nokia's offering reminds more of subscription service.

"Are they competing against iTunes at some point for (the consumer's) budget dollars? They are absolutely," McGuire said.

Nokia touchscreen in India before US

2008-10-04T08:35:00.001-07:00

Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, said it will start sales of its first touchscreen model -- rival to Apple's iPhone -- in seven markets. It will roll out the 5800 model this year in India, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia and Spain.

Apple, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics have rolled out their own touchscreen phones over the last two years mostly in developed markets.

Nokia priced the phone at 279 euros ($395) excluding subsidies and taxes, which it said was roughly half the price of the other main touchscreen phones on the market. "The phone is competitively priced and Nokia's competitive advantage is in emerging markets. When putting two and two together it's logical they start the roll-out from emerging markets," said analyst Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics.

The research firm expects Nokia to ship more than 10 million touch-screen phones next year. Nokia said the roll-out was similar to that for many other phones, adding that adjusting phone software to meet the different needs of operators in other markets w

'Dumb design flaw in iPhone'

2008-10-04T08:34:00.001-07:00

An Israeli researcher Aviv Raff has gone public with security flaws in iPhone after what he terms two-and-a-half months of inaction from Apple.

Writes Raff on his blog, "I have disclosed the technical details to Apple few weeks before that post, in a hope to get those security issues fixed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, two and a half months later, and still there is no patch for those vulnerabilities. I've asked Apple several times for a schedule, but they have refused to provide the fix date."

The first is the URL display flaw in the iPhone's Mail that could allow an attacker to send a message containing a malicious URL that looks legitimate. "In most mail clients (example on your PC/Mac), you can just hover the link and get a tooltip which will tells you the actual URL that you are about to click," explains Raff in a blog post. "In iPhone it's a bit different. You need to click the link for a few seconds in order to get the tooltip. Now, because the iPhone screen is small, long URLs are automatically cut off in the middle."

This makes it possible for an attacker to create a long URL that displays a trusted domain while taking the user to another domain entirely, he explains. The user would only see the portion of the domain designed to look familiar and is more likely to click on the malicious link.

Opening the URL in the iPhone's Safari browser would not help as it too displays only a portion of the long URL.

The second bug according to Raff is in the iPhone's Mail application, which makes it easier for spammers to identify valid email accounts, and thus mark them for more spam.

Since iPhone automatically downloads all image attachments, and there is no way to disable this feature, it is easy for spammers to identify a working email account. "The spammer who controls the remote server will know that you have read the message and will mark your mail account as active in order to send you more spam," said Raff.

Raff recommends that since there is no way to disable auto-image download on the iPhone, users should refrain from using Mail until Apple patches the problem.

Raff calls this "a pretty dumb design flaw" which has already been fixed by most other mail clients ages ago.

Hindustan Motors to launch new commercial vehicle

2008-10-04T08:31:00.001-07:00

To revive declining sales Hindustan Motors is planning to launch new variants of its sedan in the coming months, even as it unveiled Mitsubishi Corporation’s sports utility vehicle Outlander here.

The company will also launch a new commercial vehicle on a similar platform to its current RTV model, a top company official said.

“We plan to launch Cedia and Lancer with new features and that will boost sales,” said C.K. Birla, Chairman, Hindustan Motors, at the launch of the new vehicle. He, however, declined to give a timeframe by when it would introduce the new models.

HM suspends production due to raw materials shortage

“In case of the new commercial vehicle based on the RTV platform, the launch would be in the next six-eight weeks,” said R. Santhanam, Managing Director of the company.

Hindustan Motors, which produces and markets Mitsubishi range of models, currently sells sports utility vehicle like Montero, Pajero and sedans including Cedia and Lancer.

Sales under pressure

Birla said that last month sales were under pressure but from January onwards outlook should look better.

AIR CAR!!!!

2008-10-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Air Cars

Compressed air is an energy vector that can be used, in a viable way, to transport both people and goods.

The main goal of Air Car Factories is to develop and manufacture a vehicle driven by a compressed air engine with a level of performance that will respond to the actual needs of today’s market. With this aim we have drawn up a full agenda and an R&D plan of action for production start up

Advantages of compressed air as an energy vector

A vehicle powered by compressed air offers a lot of advantages in comparison with a normal combustion engine or an electrical motor.

The idea of using compressed air as an energy vector can, for example, also by applied to a hybrid vehicle, with cylinders functioning on compressed air and an additional battery working on electricity, creating a vehicle powered solely on electrical-pneumatic propulsion.

Advantages of vehicles powered by compressed air:

The costs involved to compress the air to be used in a vehicle are inferior to the costs involved with a normal combustion engine.

Air is abundant, economical, transportable, storable and, most importantly, nonpolluting.

The technology involved with compressed air reduces the production costs of vehicles with 20% because it is not necessary to assemble a refrigeration system, a fuel tank, spark plugs or silencers.

Air itself is not flammableThe mechanical design of the motor is simple and robust

It does not suffer from corrosion damage resulting from the battery.

Less manufacturing and maintenance costs.

The tanks used in an air compressed motor can be discarded or recycled with less contamination than batteries.

The tanks used in a compressed air motor have a longer lifespan in comparison with batteries, which, after a while suffer from a reduction in performance.

Energy Storage

The use of compressed air for storing energy is a method that is not only efficient and clean, but also economical. In 1973 CAES (Compressed Air Energy Storage) installed their first compressed air energy storage plant in Germany, making use of natural underground caves for compressed air storage and taking advantage of the surplus energy produced by the generating plants. Later on similar plants were installed in the United States (Alabama and Ohio).

These plants are designed to operate 24 hours a day; they charge during the night and they discharge during the day.

The advantage of these kinds of plants is that they make use of the surplus of electricity (at low cost) by turning it into compressed air stored underground.

Later on this energy is used in a turbine generator to help the electricity network during periods of high demand.

A specific example, which is yielding good results, is the power supply system installed in Alabama,

USA. In this case the reservoir is of a constant volume, in comparison with others where there is subterranean connection with water deposits.

The air is compressed gradually with cooling intermissions. This is done to reach good efficiency on the storage stage of the energy in the periods when there is a surplus of energy.

At the peak hours the compressed air is used to help gas turbines. This is also done using a recuperative cycle of good thermodynamic efficiency, with combustion and post combustion , and heat recovery of exit gases.

No matter how efficient the recuperative cycle is completed, they will never reach the total efficiency of normal gas turbines. In comparison with normal gas turbines the efficiency level will be around 75%. Actually, during the generation stage the accumulative energy is transformed; all the energy that is generated by the gas turbines is used to drive the electricity generator, so the energy that is necessary to drive the electricity generator is not derived from compressors. This explains the limited efficiency on this type of gas turbines.

The drawing above corresponds with the first installation of this kind in Alabama, U.S.A., as mentioned earlier. Underneath you will find the functional data of this installation.
• Power: 110MW
• Location: Mac Intosh – Alabama (USA.)
• Maximum capacity: 26 hours
• Ratio: 1.7 hours of compression for every hour of generating
• Efficiency: 75-76,1 %
• Costs: 500 U$S/KW (1988)

Compressed air as a form of energy can also be used to describe the technology on a smaller scale, like the cars operated by compressed air or wind turbines that store the energy in carbon fiber tanks. The storage of compressed air as a form of energy is a very viable solution to adapt to the irregular energy supply of wind turbines and the fluctuation in demand.

Power collecting system by vehicle traffic

The objective of this system is to produce electricity at low cost and in a non polluting way. It was invented by Nelson Gonzáles Acosta, native to the Dominican Republic.

The process to produce electricity is based on installing a ramp with an angle of around 45 degrees that descends every time a vehicle drives over it.

As the ramp comes down a system of plates is activated that compresses the leftover air and impels it towards a tank where it is collected.

The compressed air is then lead towards the deposit through a system of pipes. Once the air is stored, it is injected towards a pneumatic turbine which puts a belt in motion that is connected with a generator. This is where the electricity is produced and distributed to the network.

Skoda updates Octavia

2008-10-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Skoda's stand was relatively quiet, although the revised Octavia made a debut...as did the hottest Superb ever!

Compared to the glitz and glamour of some Paris Motor Show stands, Skoda’s was relatively understated - surprising given the facelifted Octavia was handed its debut. Unveiled in hatch and estate form, the car has fresh headlights and a new bumper that bring the family car's nose into line with the rest of Skoda's range. Under the bonnet, new 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre TSI engines follow the downsizing trend aimed at making cars greener yet more powerful. The turbo and supercharged engines should provide plenty of power for the facelifted Octavia and are mated to seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearboxes.

Also making an appearance was a new range-topping version of the flagship Superb 4x4. With a 3.6-litre FSI V6 boasting 260bhp and permanent four-wheel-drive, the 4x4 is the most powerful production Skoda so far. And as a nod to the much loved (but now departed) Fabia vRS, the firm brought along a black Fabia 1.9 TDI Sport Line with a white roof and green brake calipers.

AHA Says Depression Screening Must For Heart Patients

2008-10-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

Patients suffering from heart disease as well as from depression are at an increased risk of suffering from another adverse heart event. Hence the American Heart Association (AHA) has called for depression screening in heart patients.

The American Psychiatric Association has also endorsed these guidelines, which appear in detail in Circulation. Some of the recommendations include:

* Early screening for depression in heart patients.
* Timely follow-up of patients who exhibit symptoms of both conditions
* Scheduling depressive heart patients for evaluation
* Heart patients who have depressive symptoms must be screened for anxiety as well
* Consider treatment options like cognitive behavioral therapy, physical activity, cardiac rehabilitation and antidepressants.

Judith H. Lichtman, a co-chair of the AHA statement and an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University School of Medicine said there was plenty of evidence depression worsened the outcomes of heart disease in patients.

"By understanding the prevalence of depression and learning more about the subgroups of heart patients at particular risk of depression, we can begin to understand the best ways to recognize and treat it," she added in a news release.

Heart patients are usually vulnerable to a second adverse event that can prove disastrous in presence of depression given the emotional quotient involved in it. Hence by calling for routine screening of depression in heart patients, the AHA is trying to ensure that doctors do not neglect this important aspect of care.

Court: follow fiat, don’t deny treatment to AIDS patients

2008-10-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court on Wednesday approved the Centre’s direction to all States that doctors in government and private hospitals should not refuse treatment to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).

All States should implement the Centre’s instructions forthwith, said a Bench consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice Ashok Bhan, who has since retired, and Justice P. Sathasivam.

Earlier, Additional Solicitor-General Gopal Subramaniam informed the court of the instructions issued on August 26. The Bench was hearing petitions filed by Sahara House and others.

The Centre’s fiat said: “All doctors, nurses and hospital staff, whether in the public or private sector, shall treat PHLA in a professional manner, treating them always with dignity and care. No doctor or nurse shall refuse to treat PLHA on account of their positive status. In treating PLA, there shall be no discrimination of stigma whatsoever.”

It said: “Doctors in the private sector, in particular, are directed to immediately familiarise themselves with the National AIDS Control Organisation’s (NACO) comprehensive protocols and policies with regard to care and treatment. NACO-approved Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) regimen has proven to be cost-effective, safe and PLHA have shown good response to this regimen.”

Cases of denial of services to positive patients should be viewed seriously and action initiated. “All States must ensure that all A and B category districts have at least one fully functional ART centre. NACO and all State governments are directed to immediately create a mechanism for redress of grievances of ART centres.”

The government said: “Strict action must be taken on all irrational prescriptions of ART. All advertisements offering potential cure for HIV must be banned and such organisations should be dealt with strictly, as there is no proven cure available for HIV/AIDS so far.”

Even as Mr. Subramaniam was explaining the steps taken by the Centre to deal with the problem, Justice Bhan said: “In rural India, there is no doctor available. Even in a 50-bed hospital not a single doctor is present. It is only on paper.”

When Mr. Subramaniam said primary health centres were working well in rural areas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the judge said: “Go to any government hospital in Delhi. Go to Bihar and U.P. and check the position.” All States, the Medical Council of India, the Dental Council and the Nursing Council were asked to file compliance reports in six months.

Singur exit: Tata not to reconsider decision

2008-10-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors on Friday announced it was pulling out its Nanosmall car project from West Bengal's Singur and blamed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, which spearheaded the protests against the factory, for the 'painful' decision.

Briefing newspersons after a 90-minute meeting with state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at the state secretariat, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata said: "We have arrived at the painful decision mainly for the well-being of our employees and for the safety of contractors."

Coming down heavily on Banerjee, Tata wondered about the source of funds for the prolonged agitation. "I would not like to respond (whether the competitors played a role). But it has made us wonder where some of the funds for agitation and the logistics has come from."

"I had said earlier that if somebody holds a trigger to my face, he will have to take the decision whether or not to pull the trigger, because I will not move away. I must say Ms Banerjee has pulled the trigger."

The auto major's decision comes 32 days after it decided to suspend operations in the Singur factory fearing for security of its employees who were manhandled and threatened by Trinamool Congress-led protesters, demanding the return of 400 acres out of the total area 997.11 acres taken for the project.

Motorola MOTOACTV W450 phone released exclusively through T-Mobile

2008-10-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Motorola has announced the introduction of a new clamshell handset, the MOTOACTV W450 also called the Motorola Active exclusively via T-Mobile USA. More of a rugged handset, this refined fellow is a perfect companion for all those outdoor activities.

Furnished with an external rubber casing, the durable handset offers a solid grip. It can also be easily clipped to your belt or backpack thanks to a very neat chin-bar at its base.

Dennis Burke, vice president, Sales, Motorola Mobile Devices,remarked, “The MOTOACTV W450 is designed to meet the needs of today’s mobile consumers, from the great outdoors to the corporate jungle. With its sturdy exterior and feature-packed interior, this device will quickly become the phone of choice for people with an active lifestyle.”

Equipped with a 1.3 megapixel camera, the MOTOACTV W450 is bundled with a built-in MP3 player, an optional microSD memory cardexpandable up to 2GB, Bluetooth, quad-band connectivity and Motorola’s signature Crystal Talk technology. The phone is additionally attributed by a 2.5mm headset jack and can be customized to your whims through the dedicated t-zones key.

Sporting two colours namely alpine white and black slate with either canary yellow or mandarin accents, the rugged MOTOACTV W450 is definitely up for the challenge.

The sporty phone can be all yours for $30 via T-Mobile USA. You can also purchase it from the T-Mobile website.

EID MUBARAK!!!!!

2008-10-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

assalamualaikum friends,i wish u a happy and prosperous eid mubarak.may this is festival bring the people of all community to unity,to maintain the sovereignity of this democratic country.

JAI HIND.

its a shameful act!

2008-09-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

another blast is shaking our country's root.whatz happening?its not a time for blame game.its not the soul responsiblity of officials only but as a citizen of this country v ought to be alert too.

if u guyz have any suspicion in anybody or is there any newcomer in ur society.juz watch them closely.if u seen something mysterious happening in ur society juz make a phone call to the official.

as for the government officials i, as a citizen of this country to do something effecient that can stop this blasts.

can't camera surveillance be kept in places that are thought to be bobmprone area.

can't the patrol be much harder in their work?

how many police officials check the citizens who look like odd one out in that place?

and i seriously condemn this shameful act that is being done by the so called mujahidi's.

no religion allows anyone to kill any innocent people.

blast in gujarat and maharashtra

2008-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: A low intensity blast rocked Modasa in Gujarat, killing two persons and leaving 13 injured. One person was killed in another blast in M

A low intensity blast has rocked Modasa in Gujarat. (Times Now)

alegaon, Maharashtra. (Watch )

"There has been an explosion in Modasa town but we are yet to confirm how it took place. The bomb and dog squads have been rushed to the site," District Superintendent of Police R B Bhrambhatt said.

The injured were being transferred to the nearby hospitals, police said.

In Malegaon, one person was dead and three were injured in a blast. Reports coming in from Malegaon in Maharashtra said that the blast occurred in the vicinity of a mosque.

While police officials said that it was a cylinder blast, residents claimed it to be a bomb blast. Details are awaited.

Home Ministry officials including Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta are in touch with senior officials of the Gujarat government and police authorities following today’s blast in Sabarkantha. They are looking into the matter. People should guard against the rumour, said the ministry.

Earlier in the day, seventeen crude bombs were found near the Kalupur Darvaza of Ahmedabad. The bombs found were not sophisticated devices but crude explosives.

Barely two days ago, a low intensity bomb rocked Mehrauli in Delhi, killing two persons and leaving several injured.

The same comes two weeks after the coordinated bombings in the capital on September 13 that killed 24 people and injured over a 100.

On July 26, serial bombings in Ahmedabad killed 56 people. In the days following the bombings, 23 low-intensity bombs were recovered from Surat and defu

another bomb shakes the capital of india

2008-09-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

An 11-year-old-boy died and more than 18 people were injured when a crude bomb exploded at a crowded flower market at Mehrauli, south Delhi, close to the historic Qutub Minar, at 2.12pm on Saturday, police said.

The injured have been admitted to AIIMS; 12 of them are at the Trauma Centre. Five of them suffered serious head injuries. Three or four of the injured could be required to be operated upon, Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told reporters.

Police said that the blast appeared to be similar in nature to the ones that took place near IIT and Lado Sarai in January, February this year.

Riding a black motorcycle, the two men in black dress and wearing helmets, dropped a black polythene bag containing a tiffin box opposite an electronic goods shop in the flower market in Mehrauli, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H S Dhaliwal told reporters.

A team of National Security Guard(NSG) reached the spot with sniffer dogs and was examining the blast site. A team of forensic experts have also reached the spot. The national capital has been put on high alert.

According to eyewitnesses, two men on a motorcycle had dropped a tiffin box at the market, known as Phoolwalon ki Sairwala Market, near Aulia Masjid. When the boy picked up the tiffin box, a loud explosion took place, killing him and injuring many people. The explosion shattered the window panes of several adjacent shops in the market located close to the historic Qutab Minar, which was bustling with shoppers. The market has since been evacuated.

The explosion comes exactly two weeks after the serial blasts in Delhi, in which about two dozen people were killed.

World's Most Economically Powerful Cities

2008-09-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England
Gross domestic product (2005): $452 billionGDP (2020): $708 billionGrowth rate: 3%MasterCard Ranking: 1Population (2007): 8,567,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 92%
By 2020, London is expected to leapfrog Paris and become Europe's richest city as measured by GDP. London's 3% growth rate is high for a major city in the developed world. London is ranked as the No. 1 city on MasterCard's Centers of Commerce index, owing to the vast volume of its financial markets. It's comparable to New York in equities and commodities trading but is larger in bond and derivatives trading. The downside? It's expensive. The purchasing power of the average Londoner is less than their New York peers.

HONG KONG, China
GDP (2005): $244 billionGDP (2020): $407 billionGrowth rate: 3.5%MasterCard ranking: 6Population (2007): 7,206,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 49%
Hong Kong benefits from its physical proximity to the Chinese mainland and its historical connection to Western markets. MasterCard ranks Hong Kong the best business center in the world, based on a composite of its ports, airports, hotels and commercial real estate development.

TOKYO, Japan
GDP (2005): $1.19 trillionGDP (2020): $1.6 trillionGrowth rate: 2%MasterCard ranking: 3Population: 35,676,000Purchasing power(NYC=100): 96%
Tokyo is the world's most populous city by the U.N.'s reckoning, and it has the largest economy. By PricewaterhouseCoopers' projections, Tokyo will still have the largest economy in 2020, though New York will be getting closer. Tokyo's huge size comes at a price: Of the 151 largest economies, its growth is expected to rank at No. 140.

CHICAGO, III
GDP (2005): $460 billionGDP (2020): $645 billionGrowth rate: 2.3%MasterCard ranking: 5Population (2007): 8,990,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 115%
America's second city faces stern competition from Los Angeles, which now has a larger population and a bigger economy. But Chicago still outranks Los Angeles on MasterCard's Commerce Index. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade give Chicago a role in the global financial markets that Los Angeles (who still remembers the Pacific Exchange?) lacks.

SEOUL, South Korea
GDP (2005): $218 billionGDP (2020): $349 billionGrowth rate: 3.2% MasterCard ranking: 9Population (2007): 9,796,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 56%
Similar to Hong Kong, Seoul benefits from a growing Asia and Western-oriented markets.
PricewaterhouseCoopers projects that by 2020, Seoul will surpass Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston and Miami in GDP.

PARIS, France
GDP (2005): $460 billionGDP (2020): $611 billionGrowth rate: 1.9%MasterCard ranking: 7Population (2007): 9,904,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 88%
Today the economy of Paris is bigger than London's. But sluggish growth in this old-world capital has it slowly losing ground. By 2020 it will have been passed by London. We'll always have Paris, yes, but by 2020 its economy will be little larger than rapidly-growing Mexico City.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.
GDP (2005): $639 billionGDP (2020): $886 billionGrowth rate: 2.2% MasterCard ranking: 17Population (2007): 12,500,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 120%
Los Angeles is on course to become the world's third city with a trillion dollar economy. And while that economy will always be smaller than New York's, those in Los Angeles take solace: According to UBS estimates, the average resident of L.A. has 20% more purchasing power than their counterparts in New York.

SHANGAI, China
GDP (2005): $139 billionGDP (2020): $360 billionGrowth rate: 6.5%MasterCard ranking: 24Population (2007): 14,987,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 36%
With an explosive projected-growth rate of 6.5%, the size of Shanghai's economy would more than double between 2005 and 2020. Shanghai is hardly the only Asian economy with rapid growth--in 15 years this will be a very different list. Indian cities Mumbai and Delhi are projected to grow by around 6%; Jakarta, Indonesia, by 6.5%; Beijing by 6.6%.

TORONTO, Canada
GDP (2005): $209 billionGDP (2020): $327 billionGrowth rate: 3%MasterCard ranking: 13Population (2007): 5,213,000Purchasing power (NYC=100): 113.8%
Toronto only narrowly edged out Madrid, Spain; Philadelphia and Mexico City, Mexico, to hang on at No. 10. Toronto is still the economic heart of one of the world's wealthiest countries, and it's projected to keep humming through 2020. Along with London, Toronto is the fastest growing G7 financial center.

World's Most Economically Powerful Cities

2008-09-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

For sovereign nations, it's easy to find measures of almost every variable imaginable--gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, money flows and other metrics. After all, the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund all deal with governments at the national level. But for corporations, cities and their economies matter most, since picking the right city will be the key to prosperity in the future.
Corporations, and even individuals, have to weigh the size of a city's economy compared to how it will be in the future and consider the potential growth in the intervening years. For that matter, they have to judge whether it's worth it to settle for a city that has high growth prospects but turns out to be a lousy place to live.
To create our ranking of economic power, we looked at all of these factors to see who's strong across the board.
While Tokyo and New York are far and away the largest economies of today and tomorrow, they are growing much slower than many. Thus it's fast-growing London that tops our list, according to data from MasterCard.
Growth and quality are as important as size in our rankings, so smaller but briskly growing economies like Seoul, South Korea, and Hong Kong also make the list. North America, with relatively lower growth areas, still boasts a number of cities in the current power list, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, the latter of which squeezes past Madrid, Spain; Philadelphia and Mexico City, Mexico. To see the entire list of the top 10 economically powerful cities, click here.
Pinning down the data to compare cities isn't as easy as it sounds, but luckily, several corporations have done detailed studies of the economies of global cities.
The auditing giant PricewaterhouseCoopers has compiled estimates of the GDP (as measured by purchasing power parity) of the largest urban economies and how fast those economies are growing from 2005 to 2020.
MasterCard has created an annual "centers of commerce" index, which ranks cities on a host of factors, including legal and political framework, economic stability, the ease of doing business, the financial flow, convenience as a business center, information flow and livability.
UBS publishes an estimate of living expenses and earnings in the world's largest cities. This report also includes estimates of how much the earnings of the average worker can actually purchase in the city.
The overarching lesson: Keep looking east. The world's fastest-growing economies, such as Shanghai, China; Beijing, Jakarta, Indonesia; and Mumbai, India, are growing at twice the pace of the Western world.
Cities with enormous populations like Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Mexico City also have economies projected to grow by more than 4% annually. They won't be the size of Tokyo or New York anytime soon, but with business-friendly policies, their economic power can be expected to continue climbing.

whatz happening around us?

2008-09-19T13:09:00.004-07:00

friendz'

juz open ur eyez and take a look .from outside it looks like developing India but when v go

to depth of it v can see reality. On one side v see a minor girl of 15 being gang raped by 4 lusty men which happened in Mumbai;

on other side v see a girl who lures men for sex and robs them of their valuables in same Mumbai.

In political tug of war many young fresher’s of Bengal are suffering from unemployment after the Tata- Singhuri land clash.

Due to this delegates from U.S. have cancelled their visit to India.

Whoz suffering from this political war?!!!!

We ,the dwellers and citizens of this country.

“Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will have a helicopter for his service 24x7”

But in Bihar floods v have little access to chopper use.

Why is that so?

"In a despicable act, an assistant sub-inspector, who was deputed at a flood relief camp, tried to outrage the modesty of a girl evacuee at Bathnaha railway station in Araria district on Saturday evening."

A policeman who has been given the right to take harsh actions against citizens at certain conditions and has to protect public from antisocial elements is himself seen involved in wrongdoings!

If such is the case of policemen of Bihar where crime is believed to be at its peak then where will the poor and weak go for protection.

But to look at brighter sideman huge amount has been sanctioned in Mumbai to fight against Terrorism. By updating to newer techniques, modern weapons, and new computer techniques of tracing, tracking and tackling terrorism is done.

in my point of view India will take a lot more ages to develop but it will surely rise as one of great power.

JAI HIND.

Ratan Tata joins US nanotech firm's advisory board

2008-09-19T13:09:00.003-07:00

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group, has joined the global advisory board of Nanobiosym, a leading nanotechnology company in the US.

Welcoming Tata to the board, the firm's chairman and CEO Anita Goel said: 'I am inspired by his example, which provides us with a practical roadmap for bringing cutting edge technologies into emerging global economies and extending our reach to broad markets at the 'bottom of the pyramid'.'

Tata, who hit international headlines with his Rs.100,000 ($2,500)Nano car, said: 'Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionise the way we tackle key issues facing the world today, and Nanobiosym is working at the forefront of this revolution.'

'Dr. Goel has forged a bold model for driving technological innovation and commercialisation, while maximising global humanitarian impact. I look forward to working closely with her and her team,' Tata, named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, was quoted as saying in a company release.

Goel is a Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)-trained physicist and physician as well as a nanotech expert and entrepreneur. She was named one of MIT Technology Review's top 35 science and technology innovators in the world.

Nanobiosym, based in Medford, near Boston in Massachusetts, developed Gene-RADAR, a portable nanotechnology platform that can rapidly and accurately detect genetic fingerprints from any biological organism.

The company aims to give patients worldwide real-time access to their own diagnostic information through low-cost handheld devices that could detect disease from a single drop of blood or saliva.

Alfred Ford, director of the Ford Motor Company Fund and also a member of Nanobiosym's board, said: 'Behind this vision is game-changing technology which can revolutionise healthcare globally. In the face of growing world health crises and transnational epidemics, Dr.Goel and Nanobiosym are redefining the rules in the battle to diagnose disease and save lives.'

Indian American wins nuclear medicine's 'Nobel prize'

2008-09-19T13:09:00.002-07:00

An Indian American doctor, Mathew L. Thakur has been conferred the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 2008 Benedict Cassen Prize, often called the 'Nobel' of nuclear medicine.

Thakur, a pioneer in molecular imaging, an emerging technique that helps detect disease at the molecular or cellular level in the human body and thus helps develop personalised medicine, received the biennial $25,000 award during the Society's 55th annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, recently.

He is professor of radiology and radiation oncology/nuclear medicine at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Centre at the university.

Thakur has focused on developing and evaluating radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic imaging and therapy. He has produced and isolated many medically useful radionuclides and has been instrumental in the preparation of several novel radiopharmaceuticals, noted the society in its press release.

Radionuclides or radiopharmaceuticals, also called tracers, are drugs with small amount of radioactive material that are administered to patients, and the radiation emitted detected or photographed. In most cases, it enables physicians to quickly diagnose conditions like cancer, heart disease, thyroid disorders and bone fractures. Sometimes, this compound is also used to treat the condition.

'Among the many life threatening diseases, cancer remains the most formidable disease for mankind,' Thakur, who holds several patents, was quoted as saying. His current research focuses on finding DNA patches that can help in the early detection of breast and prostate cancer.

At the award ceremony, Thakur delivered the Cassen Lecture on 'Genomic Biomarkers for Molecular Imaging: Predicting the Future.'

The Cassen Award, sponsored by the Society of Nuclear Medicine's Education and Research Foundation, is named after the late physicist Benedict Cassen and only eight other researchers have been awarded the prize so far.

Thakur's career, spanning more than 35 years, has benefited millions of patients worldwide. He has developed widely used radiopharmaceuticals that have improved diagnostic accuracy and patient care, the university said.

He became interested in nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceuticals as an undergraduate at Bombay University, and later as a graduate student at the University of London in the late 1960s.

striving to be #1

2008-09-19T13:09:00.001-07:00

Russia successfully tests new ballistic missile

Russia successfully tested its newest Bulava ballistic missile on Thursday, launching it from a nuclear submarine in the White Sea to hit a target in the Far East thousands of miles away, the navy said.

The Dmitry Donskoi heavy strategic submarine fired the missile from underwater from northwestern Russia, sending it to the Kura testing site on the Kamchatka peninsula in the Pacific.

"The parameters of the trajectory worked as planned," the navy said in a statement. It gave no further detail, adding Navy Commander Vladimir Vysotsky "had thanked members of the state testing commission and noted the submarine crew's high skills".

The intercontinental Bulava missile is designed for Russia's new Borei (Arctic Wind) class nuclear submarines. The first submarine of this class, Yuri Dolgoruky, was launched in February.

In the past years, tests of Bulava have been a mixture of failure and success. The Kremlin touts Bulava as a unique weapon able to pierce any air defence.

Woman who went for tubectomy gets urinary bladder cut

2008-09-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

my friends,

u might be aware of the incident which happened with our sister in thruvatriyor,when she went to have tubectomy operation done but instead had her urinary bladder cut.If this is the condition of a state capital hospital then what will be the condition of municipality hospitals in suburbs and villages.patients must be consider as gods.After the completion of a M.B.B.S course a doctor takes oath in which he proclaims that he will be proffessional and sincere in his work.but as per our sister gajalakshmi's wordings the staffs were behaving like children cracking jokes in operation theatre.so whatz the point in taking the oath when u don't abide by it.my humble request to all doctors is to be sincere and attentive in ur work.ur not having any specimen rat our rabbit in ur dissecting table.Its a humanbeing full of life and sensation.so keep in mind when u do any operation;be it a simple suture or a bypass surgery think about them as ur relatives.regarding the doctors who carried out this operation they must be severly condemned and harsh actions must be taken against these fellows.

T-Mobile readies 3G for Dream's arrival

2008-09-18T02:36:00.002-07:00

Today T-Mobile announced that its 3G network will be available by mid-October, roughly the same time the HTC Dream Android phone is expected to go on sale.

T-Mobile will be premiering the world's first Android phone in just five days; the 3G device is presently without an official sale date and price. Unofficial reports have placed availability between October 13 and October 21, and though today's announcement from T-Mobile does not provide any further information on dates, its "mid-October" availability of 3G services is in keeping with that timetable.

Twenty-seven major US markets will have T-Mobile 3G by the end of the year, the company said today, and expansion will continue through 2009.Work on the network began in 2006.

Deployment is currently complete in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, and the New York metropolitan area, just short of the 20 that were expected in the spring, but the German mobile carrier says that Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle will be switched on in October.

A further six markets -- Birmingham, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, and Tampa -- are expected to be receive UMTS/HSDPA connectivity before 2009.

Aamir's house invaded

2008-09-18T02:36:00.001-07:00

Almost a dozen fakirs were driven out of the compound of Marina Apartments last week. Marina Apartments is where actor Aamir Khan resides. According to sources, "A lot of fakirs just gatecrashed into the society saying that they had come there to Aamir Khan's house as his mother often gives them money and food during the ramzan period. The society members probably took objection and the police was called to get them out of the society.''

A lot of our filmstars distribute food and donate money to poor people during the ramzan period. Says a close family friend of Khan, `` I have heard about Dilip Kumar, Salman Khan, Akbar Khan and Sanjay Khan giving money and food to the poor but I don't think Aamir Khan's family follows it. Besides, Aamir Khan's mother does not live in Mumbai anymore and I don't think his new wife Kiran follows the tradition if there was any in the family. Besides, in today's time no society will allow people to just gatecrash into the society so it was but natural for them to drive them out.''

We do not know the true reason behind this, but certainly a lot of people returned disheartened.

give bribe!take bribe!!!!

2008-09-18T02:36:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: That poverty makes one weak before authority is known, but a survey of graft patterns shows that the poor are especially vulnerable to the avarice of corrupt officials.

Families living below the poverty line in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry paid an estimated Rs 97.6 crore as bribes for getting public services in the last year alone, a survey on corruption levels has revealed.

The astounding figure translates into an average bribe of Rs 477 a household in the state and the union territory, according to the study conducted by Transparency International-India and the Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi. Of the BPL households that availed of services, 59% had paid bribes in the past one year, the study found.

The state report, of which details have been released now, is part of a larger national study, 'TII-CMS India Corruption Study 2007', the results of which were released in June. The survey focussed on BPL households and did not merely cover perception of corruption, but the actual bribe-paying experience of families while availing of 11 selected public services.

The services were divided into basic (Public Distribution System, hospital, electricity, school education and water supply) and need-based (banking, national rural employment guarantee scheme, forest, land records and registration, housing and police).

The study was based on a sample of 1,301 BPL households, of which 1,009 were from rural areas, while 292 were in urban areas. The places covered were Chennai, Puducherry and three NREGS districts of Cuddalore, Dindigul and Tiruvannamalai.

"The findings are in line with the experience of our state chapter in running a regular helpline for corruption-related complaints. We have been receiving and responding to a lot of such complaints," said LM Menezes, convener of TI India's state chapter.

Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were studied together because of their similar socio-economic profile. Nearly two-thirds of BPL households that interacted with the police had paid bribe to avail of their services, it said.

Among other need-based services, more than one-third had to grease some palms for services in the housing and land registration sectors.

The incidence varied across services, with the percentage of respondents reporting actual payment of bribe ranging from 13 (school education) and 45 (water supply). Most of them had paid bribe to avail of services for which they had made three or more visits to the offices concerned. A majority of the recipients were government officials, and very few mentioned payment to local representatives. Agents were used mostly in services related to school education and water supply, while the proportion of use of middlemen was higher in need-based services like housing.

About 43% of the respondents blamed government officials for corruption, while 37% held the citizens themselves responsible. Only 14 out of 100 respondents put the blame on politicians.

The national study estimated that BPL households paid about Rs 900 crore a year as bribes to get basic services. The study divided the states by their size and ranked them on levels of corruption into 'alarming', 'very high', 'high' and 'moderate'.

having constant headache.treat it soon.

2008-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Migraine headache sufferers may have a higher risk of developing blood clots in their veins, according to a study published in the September 16, 2008, issue of Neurology.

In the condition, called venous thrombosis or thromboembolism, blood clots form in a vein, which can limit blood flow and cause swelling and pain.

Those clots can then dislodge from the vein and travel to the heart and the lungs, which can be fatal.

For the study, 574 people in Italy age 55 and up were interviewed to determine whether they had a history of migraine or migraine at the time of the evaluation and their medical records were reviewed for cases of venous thrombosis.

The arteries in their necks and thighs were scanned with ultrasounds to check for atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

Of the participants, 111 people had migraine. A total of 21 people with migraine also had one or more instances of venous thrombosis, or 19 percent. In comparison, 35 people without migraine had the condition, or 8 percent.

Researchers do not know why migraine and venous thrombosis are linked. One theory is that the blood of people with migraine may be more prone to clotting.

The study also found that people with migraine are not more likely to have hardening or narrowing of the arteries, which is contrary to a current theory.

"The thinking has been that because people with migraine are more likely to have strokes and other cardiovascular problems, that they would also have more severe and early atherosclerosis," said study author Stefan Kiechl, MD, of Innsbruck Medical University in Austria.

"This study is the first to use high-resolution ultrasound to examine this theory, and it provides solid evidence to refute it," Stefan added. (ANI)

mantra to be healthy

2008-09-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

While it is said that healthy people are happy, a new study suggests that people who're joyful and satisfied with their lives are healthier.

Moreover, the benefit comes with a quick turnaround time, with greater happiness possibly boosting health in as little as three years.

"Everything else being equal, if you are happy and satisfied with your life now, you are more likely to be healthy in the future. Importantly, our results are independent of several factors that impact on health, such as smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and age," said lead author Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D.

Siahpush is a professor of health promotion at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The study appears in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

The researchers looked at data from two waves of an Australian survey conducted in 2001 and 2004. Nearly 10,000 adults responded to items about health indicators including the presence of long-term, limiting health conditions and physical health.

They used the question, "During the past four weeks, have you been a happy person?" to assess happiness.

They determined satisfaction with life by asking: "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life?"

"We found strong evidence that both happiness and life satisfaction have an effect on our indicators of health," Siahpush said.

Happiness and life satisfaction at the baseline survey were both associated with (1) excellent, good or very good health; (2) the absence of long-term, limiting health concerns and (3) higher levels of physical health three years later.

In addition, the results suggested that improving happiness or life satisfaction might also result in better future health.

"There are indications that as you become happier and more satisfied with your life, you tend to become healthier as well," Siahpush said.

lung cancer! no problem!

2008-09-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

A team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has confirmed the efficacy of a potential 'HIV-test' equivalent for the early detection of lung cancer.

The test relies on immune-system signals, much like an HIV test. It can detect the presence of lung cancer a year prior to diagnosis, long before symptoms appear.

Samir M. Hanash, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the Hutchinson Center and University of Michigan found that just as the immune system reacts to the presence of HIV by producing an antibody response, which indicates a person is HIV positive, it also mounts a response against specific antigens, or proteins, produced by cancerous lung tumours in their early stages of development.

"This kind of immune response won't necessarily kill the tumour, but it can act as a canary in a coal mine, signaling lung cancer at an early stage, before actual symptoms emerge. It is an important step toward developing a biomarker-based blood test for the early detection of lung cancer," said Hanash, head of the Molecular Diagnostic Program in the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center.

The validation study tested the sensitivity and specificity of three biomarkers linked to early stage, pre-symptomatic disease: two previously identified antigens, known as annexin1 and 14-3-3 theta; as well as a newly identified lung-cancer antigen called LAMR1.

For the study, the researchers conducted a blinded analysis of blood samples from 85 current or former smokers collected within a year of lung-cancer diagnosis and blood samples from 85 current or former smokers who did not go on to develop lung cancer.

When combined, the sensitivity of the three-biomarker panel was 51 percent, meaning that autoantibodies to these antigens were present in the blood of more than half of the people who later developed lung cancer.

The specificity, or 'false-positive,' rate of the biomarker panel was 18 percent, meaning that about one-fifth of the comparison group tested positive for the autoantibodies, even though they did not develop the disease.

"The fact that we got a signal like this with just three biomarkers is very significant. If we can enlarge this panel by adding a few more, we could develop a blood test with sufficient sensitivity and specificity for detecting lung cancer much earlier than current screening methods allow," Hanash said.

The initial goal is to use such a blood test in conjunction with imaging techniques, such as CT scans, to improve the early detection of lung cancer in those at high risk. Hanash envisions such a test could be in clinical use within five years.

sources "IANS"

get rid of anxiety

2008-09-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

A new anti-anxiety drug has been developed that could treat sufferers for up to twice as long as Valium.

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Barcelona, Spain was told on Monday that the drug BNC210 was effective in three different animal species and that it is safe and well tolerated at doses 10,000 times the minimum effective dose.

The data was gained from experiments to test whether BNC210 could decrease the duration of distress-induced vocalisations from guinea pig pups on separation from their mothers.

This model has been validated as a predictor of anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) activity for a broad range of compound classes. Previous findings had shown that BNC210 reduced anxiety in mice and rats exposed to stresses.

'Compared to untreated pups, those given BNC210 uttered distress calls for a shorter time, a clear demonstration of the anxiolytic activity of BNC210,' said Sue O'Connor, project leader for BNC210. 'We were pleased to be able to present our latest findings at such a high calibre scientific meeting.'

The anxiolytic effect of a single dose of BNC210 lasted for at least six hours, whereas the same dose of diazepam was effective for about three hours.

In addition, treatment with BNC210 did not cause the side effects of sedation, memory impairment and addiction that are associated with diazepam treatment.

Ongoing toxicology studies have already shown BNC210 to be safe in both rats and dogs at doses up to 1,000 mg per kg of body weight. Tests of repeated doses of BNC210 have commenced and the results will be included in a submission seeking regulatory approval for human trials of BNC210 next year.

The ECNP Congress is the largest European scientific meeting on neuropsychopharmacology and mental disorders. More than 6,500 international psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and neuroscience researchers attend to discuss the latest research on disorders of the brain.

Google phone won't be an immediate game changer

2008-09-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Anyone expecting the soon- to-be-launched Google phone to change the market like Apple's iPhone has over the past year will likely be disappointed -- for now.
Industry insiders who have worked on Google Inc's Android mobile operating system say it will struggle in the near term to match the consumer enthusiasm generated by Apple Inc when its iPhone redefined the touch-screen phone market and greatly improved mobile Web surfing.
Instead, Google sees Android as an open-source platform for designing mobile devices, saying it will encourage innovation by allowing outside software developers to tinker with the system and create better mobile programs and services.
But these things take time and the first phone using Android, code-named the Google "Dream" phone, is unlikely to wow consumers. The device is made by Taiwan's HTC Corp. Sources familiar with the plan say Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile plans to introduce it in New York on Sept. 23.
"I'm not sure the consumer experience is significantly better than that of the iPhone," says Rajeev Chand, a wireless analyst at investment bank Rutberg & Co, who has tried out an early version of Android. "When the iPhone came out the experience was several orders of magnitude better than anything that was out there."
Google, its partner carriers and application developers hope the Android platform will drive even more mobile Web surfing than the iPhone, which has helped Web usage rocket in comparison to other smartphones.
But unlike Apple, which keeps a tight grip on the iPhone's hardware and software, Google will have less control as Android will be open to developers to create component technologies in almost any way they can imagine.
Google's engineering-led culture appears content to launch the first Android phones as a kind of science project that will be rapidly improved afterward. Google has produced big hits and plenty of hard-to-remember misses with its strategy of launching new ideas and iterating quickly.
Yet, Google will not have the kind of leverage in mobile that it is used to in the PC world, where it dominates search. Phone carriers have a huge say over how devices are designed and what data services are accessible over their networks.
While Android could offer real promise in terms of technology and usability -- particularly because it is an open platform -- it is unlikely to single-handedly change the restrictive nature of the mobile industry, said John Poisson, founder of Tiny Pictures, a developer partner of Android.
"Carriers in each market will still control how it gets implemented and on which devices and in which form," Poisson said. "Android lives and breathes at the pleasure of the operator."
BRAND AWARENESS
Another problem for Android is how to explain what it is to consumers. Unlike the iPhone, which came on the back of Apple's hugely successful iPod music player, Android is an unknown brand, even though the Google name has plenty of cache.
"People forget these things get to customers through the retail channel and marketing," said Frank Meehan, the global general manager for handsets and applications for Hong Kong telecommunications conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.
"We operators struggle with how to market this phone. There's nothing really unique about it and we can't say it's a Google phone," said Meehan, whose company buys millions of 3G devices year.
Despite the concerns, mobile industry executives say they welcome Google's entrance as its deep pockets will help meet the increasingly high expectations of consumers for mobile services.
From a developer's perspective, Android's advantages over the iPhone or Nokia's Symbian operating system is that it is open source, which means Google is sharing its software code and making it easier for third parties to develop compatible applications.
Apple's second-generation iPhone applied the same strategy and offers more than 3,000 third-party applications through its App Store, but the company still retains some control.
"Android promises to be the most open platform for building mobile phone applications that we've seen to date because it's based on very familiar tools and technologies," said Jason Devitt, co-founder of Skydeck, a new service that will allow users to manage their cell phones over the Web.
Others hope that Google's entrance can galvanize mobile advertising, which is still in nascent stages.
"All these devices are resulting in better usage and that's what advertisers want and they're growing their spend," said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing at AdMob, a marketplace for mobile advertisers.
Google is hoping to generate revenue through its existing search advertising and related services by the addition of mobile to PC.
"Google's power comes from the freedom of choice, in terms of the component technology and services that can be laid on top," said Cheng Wu, founder of Azuki Systems, a mobile Web technology company.
"The only thing they want to control is the kernel of the operating system and the ability to data mine for search and advertising down the road"

Iran claims it can control the Gulf

2008-09-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN: Iran has the power to control the Gulf as no vessel can cross the vital seaway without coming in range of its sophisticated weaponry, a top aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday. The comments from General Rahim Yahya Safavi came a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency accused Iran of stalling its investigation into the country's nuclear drive. "Responsibility for defending the Persian Gulf has been handed over to the naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps," Yahya Safavi was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA. Their missiles can cover the entire width of the Gulf and "no ship can cross it without being within range," the former commander-in-chief of the Guards told IRNA. "Our armed forces with their defence equipment including missile, air, naval and torpedo capabilities are able to control the Strait of Hormuz." An estimated 40 per cent of the world's oil passes through the narrow channel between Iran and Oman and Iran has warned in the past it could block the waterway if it comes under attack over its nuclear programme. The Guards are also carrying out air defence war games along with the air force of the regular army, a commander was quoted as saying by IRNA on Monday. The Revolutionary Guards form the country's ideological army, with their own ground, navy and air forces operating in parallel with the regular armed forces. They are also responsible for Iran's most significant and advanced ballistic missiles including the Shahab-3, which has Israel and US bases in the Gulf within reach. Of a potential Israeli attack on Iran, Rahim Safavi said: "The Zionist regime does not have the necessary political, economic and social capabilities to wage a great war." He also warned the US military force in the region saying they would face "serious danger" in case of war, but said he belived Washington "will definitely not get involved in a fourth front after the Afghanistan, Iraq and Georgia confrontations." Tensions over Iran's nuclear work rose again on Monday after the IAEA said Tehran was defying international demands to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that makes nuclear fuel but can be diverted to make the fissile material for an atomic bomb.