New Delhi: IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade) has come up with a unique course on international business strategy that aims to develop competence in disciplines and skills associated with formulation of strategies for business. PGDIBS (Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Strategy) is a one year course that equips the present day managers with necessary competencies to formulate strategies in the global business scenario.
“This unique program has been designed to meet the requirement of executives who are moving towards strategic decision making roles in the organizations. The companies that are expanding can give their executives an exposure of International Business Strategy, and nuances of strategic decision making.” said Mrs.Mridula Mishra, program director, IIFT.
This is the first time any management school in India has introduced such a course in their curriculum. The program is specially designed for companies expanding/planning to expand their operations into International markets. The Professionals of these organizations and also the entrepreneurs willing to go international can find the program useful. The program would also be useful for the professionals who are in the key decision making roles.
Each course will be taught with the help of case studies, live corporate examples and general discussions. In order to provide greater industry insights, business leaders from different industries may be invited to share their experiences. There would be a pre-work and post work component in each course. The classes will be conducted through classes at NIIT Imperia Centre for Advanced Learning in designated cities using Synchronous Learning Technology platform. There will be one campus visit in the beginning of each trimester. Each campus visit will be of 5 days (Wednesday to Sunday) with the frequency of classes conducted twice a week.
The eligibility criteria for applicants includes working professionals/self-employed with minimum 8 years of work experience post completion of graduation and Graduates (10+2+3) in any discipline with min. 50% marks aggregate- considering results of all years (e.g. 3 or 4 together) recognised by UGC/AICTE.
The applicants will be selected on the basis of the assessment of background and motivation based on the application form submitted. IIFT can also call some applicants for further screening through a personal interview.
For applying one can visit www.niitimperia.com to fill the application form online or they can be obtained from local NIIT Imperia Centres or downloaded from www.niitimperia.com
About IIFT:
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was set up in 1963 by the Government of India as an autonomous organization to help professionalize the country's foreign trade management and increase exports by developing human resources; generating, analyzing and disseminating data; and conducting research. Today it is a deemed university and one of India's most prestigious business schools. The Institute's portfolio of long-term programs is diverse, catering to the requirements of aspiring International Business executives and mid-career professionals alike. The Institute works to continuously upgrade its knowledge base with a view to servicing the requirements of the Government, trade and industry through both sponsored and non- sponsored research and consultancy assignments.
20111007
India’s universities fared badly in new “world university rankings”
India’s higher education institutions fared very badly in the new “World University Rankings 2011-12” brought out by the London weekly "Times Higher Education" (THE).
Only one educational institute of India, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), appeared on this list of world’s top 400 universities and that too at the lowly 317th position.
Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, stressed that India needed to bring back the educational glory of ancient period like universities of Taxila, Nalanda, Sarnath, Amaravati, Banaras, Kanchi and Ujjain; and medieval period like Odantapura (745 CE), Vikramasila (810 CE), Somapura (480 CE), and Jagaddala (1090 CE).
Rajan Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, pointed out that tradition of education in India had been deep rooted. India needed to pump more funding into higher education and undertake some serious education reforms to compete at world level.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in USA, with an overall score 94.8, topped this list, followed in descending order by Harvard University (USA), Stanford University (USA), University of Oxford (UK), Princeton University (USA), University of Cambridge (UK), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Imperial College London (UK), University of Chicago (USA), University of California Berkeley (USA), etc.
Even some universities in Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey, and Egypt ranked higher than India’s only entry IITB.
USA dominated these rankings with seven of its universities placed in the top ten and 75 in the top 200. Caltech in Pasadena, whose traces go back to 1891, boasts of 32 Nobel prizes, and its alumni include Intel cofounder Gordon E. Moore, film director Frank Capra, and former Iceland prime minister Steingrimur Hermannsson.
Claimed to be the “gold standard in international university performance comparisons”, these rankings were developed by THE in concert with Thomson Reuters and with expert input from more than 50 leading figures in the sector from 15 countries across every continent, and employed 13 separate performance indicators. Published by TSL Education Ltd and edited by Ann Mroz, THE was founded in 1971.
----India News blast report
Only one educational institute of India, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), appeared on this list of world’s top 400 universities and that too at the lowly 317th position.
Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, stressed that India needed to bring back the educational glory of ancient period like universities of Taxila, Nalanda, Sarnath, Amaravati, Banaras, Kanchi and Ujjain; and medieval period like Odantapura (745 CE), Vikramasila (810 CE), Somapura (480 CE), and Jagaddala (1090 CE).
Rajan Zed, who is chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, pointed out that tradition of education in India had been deep rooted. India needed to pump more funding into higher education and undertake some serious education reforms to compete at world level.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in USA, with an overall score 94.8, topped this list, followed in descending order by Harvard University (USA), Stanford University (USA), University of Oxford (UK), Princeton University (USA), University of Cambridge (UK), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Imperial College London (UK), University of Chicago (USA), University of California Berkeley (USA), etc.
Even some universities in Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Brazil, Turkey, and Egypt ranked higher than India’s only entry IITB.
USA dominated these rankings with seven of its universities placed in the top ten and 75 in the top 200. Caltech in Pasadena, whose traces go back to 1891, boasts of 32 Nobel prizes, and its alumni include Intel cofounder Gordon E. Moore, film director Frank Capra, and former Iceland prime minister Steingrimur Hermannsson.
Claimed to be the “gold standard in international university performance comparisons”, these rankings were developed by THE in concert with Thomson Reuters and with expert input from more than 50 leading figures in the sector from 15 countries across every continent, and employed 13 separate performance indicators. Published by TSL Education Ltd and edited by Ann Mroz, THE was founded in 1971.
----India News blast report
20111006
UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie expanded role with the UN refugee agency
Hollywood beauty and UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie is reportedly in talks about a new and expanded role with the UN refugee agency.
Jolie, 36, who has already adopted orphaned children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam is set for a bigger job with UN agency to deal with the refugee crises who she mentions as the "most resilient people in the world".
The 'Salt' star said she and the agency are still studying their options and working out the details for her to deal with refugee crises, but haven't settled on anything because they want to get it right.
"We are looking at a few countries in the world. They need our help more than ever. We're hoping to discuss it in the next few weeks but we want to research it properly and do it well," the Age quoted her as saying.
The actress has been working with the UN for 10 years now and among the possibilities under discussion is a new role as special envoy on the refugee crisis affecting Afghans fleeing for Pakistan and Iran, who host some 2.7 million Afghan refugees.
"Refugees are survivors, they are mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, they are all extraordinary people who have a remarkable story that tells of strength in the face of great loss," Jolie said.
"They need our help more than ever," she added.
source:agency
Jolie, 36, who has already adopted orphaned children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam is set for a bigger job with UN agency to deal with the refugee crises who she mentions as the "most resilient people in the world".
The 'Salt' star said she and the agency are still studying their options and working out the details for her to deal with refugee crises, but haven't settled on anything because they want to get it right.
"We are looking at a few countries in the world. They need our help more than ever. We're hoping to discuss it in the next few weeks but we want to research it properly and do it well," the Age quoted her as saying.
The actress has been working with the UN for 10 years now and among the possibilities under discussion is a new role as special envoy on the refugee crisis affecting Afghans fleeing for Pakistan and Iran, who host some 2.7 million Afghan refugees.
"Refugees are survivors, they are mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, they are all extraordinary people who have a remarkable story that tells of strength in the face of great loss," Jolie said.
"They need our help more than ever," she added.
source:agency
Supermodel Kate Moss launched her first jewellery collection
Supermodel Kate Moss launched her first jewellery collection at the Paris Fashion Week.
Moss, who has already collaborated with High Street store Topshop and French label Longchamp to create fashion and handbag lines, celebrated the debut of 'Kate Moss for Fred' which features necklaces, rings and earrings.
Sold online and through luxury department store Harrods in Britain, the price of the line ranges between 400 pounds and 40,000 pounds, reports contactmusic.
source:agency
Moss, who has already collaborated with High Street store Topshop and French label Longchamp to create fashion and handbag lines, celebrated the debut of 'Kate Moss for Fred' which features necklaces, rings and earrings.
Sold online and through luxury department store Harrods in Britain, the price of the line ranges between 400 pounds and 40,000 pounds, reports contactmusic.
source:agency
Australian Mark Webber hungry to win the Formula One world championship
SUZUKA: Australian Mark Webber on Thursday rubbished suggestions that his hunger to win the Formula One world championship has waned in the light of teammate Sebastian Vettel's domination in 2011.
The Red Bull driver sits fourth in the championship standings, 127 points behind Vettel who is just one point away from sealing his second consecutive world championship at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
On Wednesday, Webber was quoted as saying that 2010 was "my last chance at being world champion", but the Australian played down the idea his comments indicated he did not think he had a chance of winning next year's title.
"I didn't say that definitely -- 100 per cent -- that 2010 was my last chance ever," he said in Japan.
"This year the car has been very different, and Sebastian has done a phenomenal job.
"Next year we have some changes coming -- nothing massive -- but there's some changes, and I have to go into it with positive thoughts.
"It won't be pretty for all of us if it's the same as this year, but we have to be optimistic. That's all of our goals."
Vettel, 24, has won nine races this year, while Webber is yet to add to his tally of six career victories, the last coming in the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old said being out of championship contention with five races to go was a big comedown after last year when he was still in with a shout of the crown at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Reasoning that his form last year was "abnormal" Webber said his German teammate stormed ahead in the title race leaving his rivals with too much to do early in the season.
"Last year was exceptional; it's not every year you fight for a title. It's back to normal at the moment, but I want to try to get it to abnormal for the future.
"Winning is a beautiful feeling, but obviously one guy has done too much of it this year, which hasn't been great for all of us," he said.
Webber, who finished second in last year's Japanese Grand Prix, will be looking to improve his poor run of race starts at Suzuka this weekend.
The Australian has dropped places off the grid in six consecutive races, and knows that a maiden win in Japan will likely depend on a strong start to Sunday's 53-lap race.
"It makes the race very difficult when you're on the back foot from the first lap." Webber said, explaining a combination of faults with his car and his own errors were to blame.
"We need to do better and I need to do better, it's as simple as that."
courtesy:AFP
The Red Bull driver sits fourth in the championship standings, 127 points behind Vettel who is just one point away from sealing his second consecutive world championship at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
On Wednesday, Webber was quoted as saying that 2010 was "my last chance at being world champion", but the Australian played down the idea his comments indicated he did not think he had a chance of winning next year's title.
"I didn't say that definitely -- 100 per cent -- that 2010 was my last chance ever," he said in Japan.
"This year the car has been very different, and Sebastian has done a phenomenal job.
"Next year we have some changes coming -- nothing massive -- but there's some changes, and I have to go into it with positive thoughts.
"It won't be pretty for all of us if it's the same as this year, but we have to be optimistic. That's all of our goals."
Vettel, 24, has won nine races this year, while Webber is yet to add to his tally of six career victories, the last coming in the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old said being out of championship contention with five races to go was a big comedown after last year when he was still in with a shout of the crown at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Reasoning that his form last year was "abnormal" Webber said his German teammate stormed ahead in the title race leaving his rivals with too much to do early in the season.
"Last year was exceptional; it's not every year you fight for a title. It's back to normal at the moment, but I want to try to get it to abnormal for the future.
"Winning is a beautiful feeling, but obviously one guy has done too much of it this year, which hasn't been great for all of us," he said.
Webber, who finished second in last year's Japanese Grand Prix, will be looking to improve his poor run of race starts at Suzuka this weekend.
The Australian has dropped places off the grid in six consecutive races, and knows that a maiden win in Japan will likely depend on a strong start to Sunday's 53-lap race.
"It makes the race very difficult when you're on the back foot from the first lap." Webber said, explaining a combination of faults with his car and his own errors were to blame.
"We need to do better and I need to do better, it's as simple as that."
courtesy:AFP
Betting scam:Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt agreed to score no runs
LONDON: Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt agreed to score no runs in an over during a crucial game against England as part of a betting scam, a court heard on Thursday.
Butt, 26, was allegedly taped confirming that he would deliberately bat out a maiden over on the final day of last year's Oval Test match, which was a chance for his side to win their first game of the series.
His London-based sports agent, Mazhar Majeed, 36, discussed the arrangement with the cricketer by phone while agreeing a deal with an undercover journalist posing as a rich Indian businessman who had paid 10,000 pounds ($15,400) to fix part of the match, Southwark Crown Court heard.
The Press Association reported that Majeed assured the journalist, Mazher Mahmood, of the News of the World that Butt would score no runs in his first full over at the Oval the next day, August 21 last year.
When the journalist pointed out that a maiden over could happen ordinarily, the agent rang the cricketer on speaker phone to prove he was involved in the fixing scam, the court heard.
Their alleged conversation, which was recorded by the reporter, was read to the jury.
Majeed allegedly said: "You know the maiden we were doing in the first over?"
Butt allegedly replied: "Yeah." Majeed: "You know the third over you face? Do one more maiden."
Butt: "No, leave it, OK." Majeed: "You don't want to do the third over?" Butt: "Nai, yaar." ("No, mate.") Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said: "If not party to this corrupt agreement, you might expect Butt to say something to the effect of 'What are you talking about?'"
Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif deny conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments between August 15 and 29 last year.
On the opening day of the trial on Wednesday, Jafferjee told the jury: "This case reveals a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket, with the key players being members of the Pakistan cricket team."
The activity, he said, was underpinned by the betting industry in the Asian sub-continent, where gambling on cricket matches alone had a turnover of $40-50 billion a year.
The trial is expected to last a month.
courtesy:Reuters
Butt, 26, was allegedly taped confirming that he would deliberately bat out a maiden over on the final day of last year's Oval Test match, which was a chance for his side to win their first game of the series.
His London-based sports agent, Mazhar Majeed, 36, discussed the arrangement with the cricketer by phone while agreeing a deal with an undercover journalist posing as a rich Indian businessman who had paid 10,000 pounds ($15,400) to fix part of the match, Southwark Crown Court heard.
The Press Association reported that Majeed assured the journalist, Mazher Mahmood, of the News of the World that Butt would score no runs in his first full over at the Oval the next day, August 21 last year.
When the journalist pointed out that a maiden over could happen ordinarily, the agent rang the cricketer on speaker phone to prove he was involved in the fixing scam, the court heard.
Their alleged conversation, which was recorded by the reporter, was read to the jury.
Majeed allegedly said: "You know the maiden we were doing in the first over?"
Butt allegedly replied: "Yeah." Majeed: "You know the third over you face? Do one more maiden."
Butt: "No, leave it, OK." Majeed: "You don't want to do the third over?" Butt: "Nai, yaar." ("No, mate.") Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee said: "If not party to this corrupt agreement, you might expect Butt to say something to the effect of 'What are you talking about?'"
Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif deny conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments between August 15 and 29 last year.
On the opening day of the trial on Wednesday, Jafferjee told the jury: "This case reveals a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket, with the key players being members of the Pakistan cricket team."
The activity, he said, was underpinned by the betting industry in the Asian sub-continent, where gambling on cricket matches alone had a turnover of $40-50 billion a year.
The trial is expected to last a month.
courtesy:Reuters
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is to cut around 2,000 jobs !
LONDON: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said on Thursday it is to cut around 2,000 jobs as the publicly-funded broadcaster makes savings as part of government efforts to reduce a record deficit.
Director General Mark Thompson told staff that the posts would be axed by 2017 as the BBC must make budget cuts of 20 percent following a freeze in the licence fee, which all Britons with a television must pay.
The cuts were formally announced in BBC's "Delivering Quality First" report, which follows a nine-month consultation with staff on how to save money.
The report said it would involve "the most far-reaching transformation in our history. This involves painful choices for the BBC, including significant job losses at every level of the organisation."
It said there would be an "estimated net loss of around 2,000 posts across the BBC" over the next five years, adding that they would try to avoid forced redundancies.
In a speech to staff, Thompson warned that the BBC -- known around the world for both its news and current affairs output as well as its drama and entertainment programming -- could not maintain its reputation if it had to make any further cuts.
"It's my judgment that this is the last time the BBC will be able to make this level of savings without a substantial loss of services or quality or both," he said.
The BBC currently employs 22,899 people, according to its annual report.
source:AFP
Director General Mark Thompson told staff that the posts would be axed by 2017 as the BBC must make budget cuts of 20 percent following a freeze in the licence fee, which all Britons with a television must pay.
The cuts were formally announced in BBC's "Delivering Quality First" report, which follows a nine-month consultation with staff on how to save money.
The report said it would involve "the most far-reaching transformation in our history. This involves painful choices for the BBC, including significant job losses at every level of the organisation."
It said there would be an "estimated net loss of around 2,000 posts across the BBC" over the next five years, adding that they would try to avoid forced redundancies.
In a speech to staff, Thompson warned that the BBC -- known around the world for both its news and current affairs output as well as its drama and entertainment programming -- could not maintain its reputation if it had to make any further cuts.
"It's my judgment that this is the last time the BBC will be able to make this level of savings without a substantial loss of services or quality or both," he said.
The BBC currently employs 22,899 people, according to its annual report.
source:AFP
Pakistan will extend its diplomatic support to Kashmiri people:Yousuf Raza Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will extend its "full political, moral and diplomatic support" to Kashmiri people, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Thursday and underlined the need to resolve the Kashmir issue through negotiations.
Gilani made the remarks while addressing a session of the Council of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that was held in Islamabad to approve the body's budget for 2011-12.
Pakistan and India "stood at the crossroad of history," he said.
The government and people of Pakistan will "always stand by their Kashmiri brethren in their quest for self-determination" and continue to extend their "full political, moral and diplomatic support" to them, he said.
"The Kashmir cause was close to the hearts of every Pakistani and their commitment to their cause of self-determination was unwavering," he said.
Pakistan wants the "peaceful and negotiated resolution" of the issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
Islamabad has been making consistent efforts to project the Kashmiri cause at international forums like the United Nations and the OIC, he said.
"Pakistan always consulted the Kashmiri leadership in this regard and foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, during her visit to India, also took the Kashmiri leadership into confidence," Gilani said.
The meeting chaired by Gilani approved the Council's 2011-12 budget of Rs 8352.234 million and the revised estimates of Rs 8632.065 million for 2010-11, an official statement said.
A shortfall of Rs 2160.534 million would be met through savings, increase in income tax and a grant of Rs 1600 million from the Pakistan government.
The meeting was also attended by foreign minister Khar, minister for religious affairs Syed Khurshid Shah and parliamentarian Sherry Rehman.
source:agency
Gilani made the remarks while addressing a session of the Council of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that was held in Islamabad to approve the body's budget for 2011-12.
Pakistan and India "stood at the crossroad of history," he said.
The government and people of Pakistan will "always stand by their Kashmiri brethren in their quest for self-determination" and continue to extend their "full political, moral and diplomatic support" to them, he said.
"The Kashmir cause was close to the hearts of every Pakistani and their commitment to their cause of self-determination was unwavering," he said.
Pakistan wants the "peaceful and negotiated resolution" of the issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
Islamabad has been making consistent efforts to project the Kashmiri cause at international forums like the United Nations and the OIC, he said.
"Pakistan always consulted the Kashmiri leadership in this regard and foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, during her visit to India, also took the Kashmiri leadership into confidence," Gilani said.
The meeting chaired by Gilani approved the Council's 2011-12 budget of Rs 8352.234 million and the revised estimates of Rs 8632.065 million for 2010-11, an official statement said.
A shortfall of Rs 2160.534 million would be met through savings, increase in income tax and a grant of Rs 1600 million from the Pakistan government.
The meeting was also attended by foreign minister Khar, minister for religious affairs Syed Khurshid Shah and parliamentarian Sherry Rehman.
source:agency
Qualified Indians may have to wait as long as 70 years to get Green Card in the US
WASHINGTON: Professionally qualified Indians may have to wait as long as 70 years to get their Green Card in the US, a new study has said, amid growing concerns that the present country-specific quota policy poses a major hurdle in attracting talent from countries like India and China.
"Our system for allowing employers to sponsor skilled foreign nationals for permanent residence (a green card) is plagued by inadequate quotas that result in years of waiting and frustration," the Washington-based National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) said in a report.
An October 2011 NFAP study analysed the employment- based green card backlog and produced findings that should give pause to policymakers.
The study concluded: "A highly skilled Indian national sponsored today for an employment-based immigrant visa in the 3rd preference could wait potentially 70 years to receive a green card."
Many skilled foreign nationals from China have been waiting 6 to 7 years and can expect to wait additional years, it said.
In the EB-2 category, second employment-based preference, skilled foreign nationals from India and China may wait six years or more, the study said.
"The two factors that have caused the long waits for employment-based green cards are: the 140,000 annual quota, which is too low, and the per country limit on employment- based preference categories, which restricts the annual number of green cards for immigrants from one country to 7 per cent of the total. This, the NFAP analysis noted, means that skilled foreign nationals from India and China, who make up most of the applications, wait years longer than nationals of other countries.
A number of lawmakers, policy makers and politicians here have been demanding removing this country-specific cap on the Green Card as well as on H-1B category of visas.
"We must stop telling American companies that they cannot hire the high-skilled workers they need.
By making it difficult for them to obtain temporary and permanent visas for high-skilled workers, the federal government is slowing growth and worse, promoting the outsourcing of American jobs," New York Mayor, Michele Bloomberg, said early this year.
"Caps on green cards are set by countries, so Iceland actually gets the same number of visas as India. That may be fair to those two countries, but it's certainly not fair to American business and to Americans," Bloomberg said.
"We should end these arbitrary limits and end the cap on the high-skilled H1-B visas. Let the marketplace decide. It's basic free-market economics, and both parties ought to be able to get behind it," he had said.
source:agency
"Our system for allowing employers to sponsor skilled foreign nationals for permanent residence (a green card) is plagued by inadequate quotas that result in years of waiting and frustration," the Washington-based National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) said in a report.
An October 2011 NFAP study analysed the employment- based green card backlog and produced findings that should give pause to policymakers.
The study concluded: "A highly skilled Indian national sponsored today for an employment-based immigrant visa in the 3rd preference could wait potentially 70 years to receive a green card."
Many skilled foreign nationals from China have been waiting 6 to 7 years and can expect to wait additional years, it said.
In the EB-2 category, second employment-based preference, skilled foreign nationals from India and China may wait six years or more, the study said.
"The two factors that have caused the long waits for employment-based green cards are: the 140,000 annual quota, which is too low, and the per country limit on employment- based preference categories, which restricts the annual number of green cards for immigrants from one country to 7 per cent of the total. This, the NFAP analysis noted, means that skilled foreign nationals from India and China, who make up most of the applications, wait years longer than nationals of other countries.
A number of lawmakers, policy makers and politicians here have been demanding removing this country-specific cap on the Green Card as well as on H-1B category of visas.
"We must stop telling American companies that they cannot hire the high-skilled workers they need.
By making it difficult for them to obtain temporary and permanent visas for high-skilled workers, the federal government is slowing growth and worse, promoting the outsourcing of American jobs," New York Mayor, Michele Bloomberg, said early this year.
"Caps on green cards are set by countries, so Iceland actually gets the same number of visas as India. That may be fair to those two countries, but it's certainly not fair to American business and to Americans," Bloomberg said.
"We should end these arbitrary limits and end the cap on the high-skilled H1-B visas. Let the marketplace decide. It's basic free-market economics, and both parties ought to be able to get behind it," he had said.
source:agency
FBI made a campaign against cyber threats with China, Russia and Iran
WASHINGTON: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made a campaign against cyber threats one of its "highest priorities," with China, Russia and Iran in the cross hairs, the bureau's chief said.
FBI director Robert Mueller told the House intelligence committee yesterday that cyber-espionage constituted "one of the most significant and complex threats facing the nation."
When asked to name the worst offenders around the globe that pose a threat to the United States, Mueller said: "You have countries such as Russia and China, others, Iran perhaps, who have capabilities that we're alert to."
He singled out China for its capabilities in economic cyber-spying -- or targeting commercial data.
"Since 2006, we've had several dozen cases, investigations, prosecutions of individuals related to China who have undertaken economic espionage, ex-filtration of information and the like," the FBI director said.
Beijing has repeatedly denied any state involvement in cyber-attacks against government agencies and firms, including one against US Internet giant Google in early 2010 that sparked a row between the United States and China.
Mueller said cyber attacks had "impacted our military, other government agencies, the financial and telecommunications sectors, and other critical Infrastructure."
"Addressing this cyber threat will be among the FBI's highest priorities now and in the years to come," he told lawmakers.
source:AFP
FBI director Robert Mueller told the House intelligence committee yesterday that cyber-espionage constituted "one of the most significant and complex threats facing the nation."
When asked to name the worst offenders around the globe that pose a threat to the United States, Mueller said: "You have countries such as Russia and China, others, Iran perhaps, who have capabilities that we're alert to."
He singled out China for its capabilities in economic cyber-spying -- or targeting commercial data.
"Since 2006, we've had several dozen cases, investigations, prosecutions of individuals related to China who have undertaken economic espionage, ex-filtration of information and the like," the FBI director said.
Beijing has repeatedly denied any state involvement in cyber-attacks against government agencies and firms, including one against US Internet giant Google in early 2010 that sparked a row between the United States and China.
Mueller said cyber attacks had "impacted our military, other government agencies, the financial and telecommunications sectors, and other critical Infrastructure."
"Addressing this cyber threat will be among the FBI's highest priorities now and in the years to come," he told lawmakers.
source:AFP
Medical Council working on the possibility of lowering the cut-offs for MBBS admissions
NEW DELHI: An expert committee constituted to look into modalities of the proposed single entrance test for admission to all MBBS courses across India has recommended that there should be no negative marking in the exam.
The committee set up by the Medical Council of India (MCI) has also recommended that there should be objective-type questions and a percentile score to determine the merit of all applicants in the proposed National eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS courses from the next year.
The recommendations have been submitted to the MCI and its board of governors will soon take a final call after consulting officials of the health ministry.
If the expert panel's suggestion is accepted, it will be for the first time that the medical entrance test will not have such a system. Sources said that the suggestion of not having negative marking was rooted in concerns of low scores by applicants in the entrance exam, leading to MBBS seats going vacant.
In this context, the Medical Council is also working on the possibility of lowering the cut-offs for MBBS admissions.
source:agency
The committee set up by the Medical Council of India (MCI) has also recommended that there should be objective-type questions and a percentile score to determine the merit of all applicants in the proposed National eligibility-cum-entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS courses from the next year.
The recommendations have been submitted to the MCI and its board of governors will soon take a final call after consulting officials of the health ministry.
If the expert panel's suggestion is accepted, it will be for the first time that the medical entrance test will not have such a system. Sources said that the suggestion of not having negative marking was rooted in concerns of low scores by applicants in the entrance exam, leading to MBBS seats going vacant.
In this context, the Medical Council is also working on the possibility of lowering the cut-offs for MBBS admissions.
source:agency
Scientists have created human embryos from slivers of skin
LONDON: For the first time, scientists have created human embryos from slivers of skin, a feat they say has brought closer the day when babies are cloned in the lab.
In experiments that mirror the cloning technique used to make 'Dolly the sheep', the researchers took cells from men's arms and legs and placed them into women's eggs.
The embryos created lived for only five or six days, but they represented a key step in the quest for treatments for incurable diseases from Alzheimer's to cancer, they said.
Very early-stage embryos have been made from human skin before, but the researchers claimed to have got further than anyone else. Importantly, they appeared to have worked out why others have failed, meaning the research could now progress in leaps and bounds, the Daily Mail reported.
For their study, the scientists from the New York stem cell foundation laboratory paid 16 young women for their eggs and took tiny samples from the skin of two men.
They then placed the DNA from the skin cells inside the eggs and triggered them to grow and divide.
In the case of Dolly, the eggs used were "hollowed-out" - their DNA had been removed. But here, the technique only worked properly when the eggs' DNA was left in, showing there is something about it that is vital for the creation of life.
The embryos, and the cells they contained, were mutants with three sets of DNA instead of the two we normally have - one from our mother and one from our father. But the researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Nature, are confident they will eventually be able to create healthy cloned embryos with the required two sets of genetic material.
The aim of the research is not to create cloned babies, but to extract stem cells - "master cells" capable of becoming any type of body tissue - from the embryos.
All stem cells gathered in this research were abnormal and not suitable for treating patients.
Researcher Dieter Egli said their work was inspired by the thought of being able to take stem cells from embryos and use them to treat and even cure diseases. Worn out hearts could be patched up, aged brains could be rejuvenated and diabetics could be freed from the need to take insulin, all thanks to stem cells.
Susan Solomon, of the nonprofit organization behind the research, said, "Cell replacement therapy would dramatically change the treatment of and potentially even cure debilitating diseases and injuries that affect millions of people."
source:agency
In experiments that mirror the cloning technique used to make 'Dolly the sheep', the researchers took cells from men's arms and legs and placed them into women's eggs.
The embryos created lived for only five or six days, but they represented a key step in the quest for treatments for incurable diseases from Alzheimer's to cancer, they said.
Very early-stage embryos have been made from human skin before, but the researchers claimed to have got further than anyone else. Importantly, they appeared to have worked out why others have failed, meaning the research could now progress in leaps and bounds, the Daily Mail reported.
For their study, the scientists from the New York stem cell foundation laboratory paid 16 young women for their eggs and took tiny samples from the skin of two men.
They then placed the DNA from the skin cells inside the eggs and triggered them to grow and divide.
In the case of Dolly, the eggs used were "hollowed-out" - their DNA had been removed. But here, the technique only worked properly when the eggs' DNA was left in, showing there is something about it that is vital for the creation of life.
The embryos, and the cells they contained, were mutants with three sets of DNA instead of the two we normally have - one from our mother and one from our father. But the researchers, who detailed their findings in the journal Nature, are confident they will eventually be able to create healthy cloned embryos with the required two sets of genetic material.
The aim of the research is not to create cloned babies, but to extract stem cells - "master cells" capable of becoming any type of body tissue - from the embryos.
All stem cells gathered in this research were abnormal and not suitable for treating patients.
Researcher Dieter Egli said their work was inspired by the thought of being able to take stem cells from embryos and use them to treat and even cure diseases. Worn out hearts could be patched up, aged brains could be rejuvenated and diabetics could be freed from the need to take insulin, all thanks to stem cells.
Susan Solomon, of the nonprofit organization behind the research, said, "Cell replacement therapy would dramatically change the treatment of and potentially even cure debilitating diseases and injuries that affect millions of people."
source:agency
Scientists have successfully taught monkeys to move the arms of a computer game
LONDON: Scientists have successfully taught monkeys to move the arms of a computer game character using power of thought alone, a breakthrough that could benefit severely paralyzed patients.
A team at the Duke University Centre for Neuroengineering in Durham, US, taught two rhesus monkeys to operate a virtual arm with their brain power.
The animals were able to differentiate between the textures of virtual objects they were "feeling".
The researchers hoped that their findings could pave the way for the development of a 'robotic exoskeleton' to be worn by severely paralyzed people, helping them experience the world around them using brainwaves, the Daily Telegraph reported.
"Someday in the near future, quadriplegic patients will take advantage of this technology not only to move their limbs and walk, but also to sense the texture of objects placed in their hands," Professor Miguel Nicolelis, who led the study, said.
The electrical brain activity of the two rhesus monkeys trained at the centre was used to direct the hands of a virtual monkey shown on a screen - without them moving any part of their real bodies. The virtual hands were then used to explore the surface of three virtual objects, which looked the same but had been designed to have different textures, which were expressed as tiny electrical signals sent back to the monkeys' brains.
The monkeys had to search for a virtual object with a particular texture and were rewarded with fruit juice if they correctly identified it. Prof Nicolelis said, "Such an interaction between the brain and a virtual avatar was totally independent of the animal's real body. It's almost like creating a new sensory channel through which the brain can resume processing information that cannot reach it anymore through the real body and peripheral nerves."
source:agency
A team at the Duke University Centre for Neuroengineering in Durham, US, taught two rhesus monkeys to operate a virtual arm with their brain power.
The animals were able to differentiate between the textures of virtual objects they were "feeling".
The researchers hoped that their findings could pave the way for the development of a 'robotic exoskeleton' to be worn by severely paralyzed people, helping them experience the world around them using brainwaves, the Daily Telegraph reported.
"Someday in the near future, quadriplegic patients will take advantage of this technology not only to move their limbs and walk, but also to sense the texture of objects placed in their hands," Professor Miguel Nicolelis, who led the study, said.
The electrical brain activity of the two rhesus monkeys trained at the centre was used to direct the hands of a virtual monkey shown on a screen - without them moving any part of their real bodies. The virtual hands were then used to explore the surface of three virtual objects, which looked the same but had been designed to have different textures, which were expressed as tiny electrical signals sent back to the monkeys' brains.
The monkeys had to search for a virtual object with a particular texture and were rewarded with fruit juice if they correctly identified it. Prof Nicolelis said, "Such an interaction between the brain and a virtual avatar was totally independent of the animal's real body. It's almost like creating a new sensory channel through which the brain can resume processing information that cannot reach it anymore through the real body and peripheral nerves."
source:agency
Hungry babies can sniff out their mothers' milk !
LONDON: Just like adults who cannot resist the smell of tasty food, hungry babies too can sniff out their mothers' milk, a new study has suggested.
Researchers from the national centre for scientific research in Dijon, France, found that newborns are guided to their food supply by their noses.
And this is because tiny glands on the breast produce a fluid with a smell that hungry babies find irresistible, the researchers said.
In the study, newborns were found to feed more and put on weight more quickly when feeding from mothers had lots of glands, which are visible to the naked eye as small bumps around the nipple, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the researchers, the scent could be used to teach tube-fed premature babies how to breast feed. This would help them do better when they are eventually able to feed naturally, they said.
It was already known that the number of so-called areolar glands often increase during pregnancy, and that they sometimes leak small amounts of liquid. It had been thought the fluid was used to lubricate the skin, but now it seems it also whets the baby's appetite.
The French researchers, who reported their findings in the New Scientist magazine, looked at 121 mothers and counted the number of glands on their nipples in the first three days after birth.
It was found that women with more than nine of the glands per breast started to produce milk sooner than those with fewer glands, and their babies also gained weight more quickly. The effect was especially noticeable in first-time mothers, whose babies also fed more frequently.
source:agency
Researchers from the national centre for scientific research in Dijon, France, found that newborns are guided to their food supply by their noses.
And this is because tiny glands on the breast produce a fluid with a smell that hungry babies find irresistible, the researchers said.
In the study, newborns were found to feed more and put on weight more quickly when feeding from mothers had lots of glands, which are visible to the naked eye as small bumps around the nipple, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the researchers, the scent could be used to teach tube-fed premature babies how to breast feed. This would help them do better when they are eventually able to feed naturally, they said.
It was already known that the number of so-called areolar glands often increase during pregnancy, and that they sometimes leak small amounts of liquid. It had been thought the fluid was used to lubricate the skin, but now it seems it also whets the baby's appetite.
The French researchers, who reported their findings in the New Scientist magazine, looked at 121 mothers and counted the number of glands on their nipples in the first three days after birth.
It was found that women with more than nine of the glands per breast started to produce milk sooner than those with fewer glands, and their babies also gained weight more quickly. The effect was especially noticeable in first-time mothers, whose babies also fed more frequently.
source:agency
DMK president M Karunanidhi appealed to Sonia Gandhi to save Rajiv Gandhi killers
CHENNAI: DMK president M Karunanidhi on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi to make attempts to save the three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
In a statement, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister said the three convicts - Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan - had been languishing in prison for more than 20 years.
"Despite pleas by many to the Tamil Nadu government to pass a cabinet resolution to recommend to the governor to commute their sentences, no steps have been taken. At least the central government should do so. I urge the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to do the needful," he said.
On September 9, the Madras high court had stayed the execution of the accused for eight weeks.
Karunanidhi has been demanding that the three should be set free as they have undergone imprisonment for more than 20 years.
source:agency
In a statement, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister said the three convicts - Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan - had been languishing in prison for more than 20 years.
"Despite pleas by many to the Tamil Nadu government to pass a cabinet resolution to recommend to the governor to commute their sentences, no steps have been taken. At least the central government should do so. I urge the Prime Minister and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to do the needful," he said.
On September 9, the Madras high court had stayed the execution of the accused for eight weeks.
Karunanidhi has been demanding that the three should be set free as they have undergone imprisonment for more than 20 years.
source:agency
India and Pakistan have agreed to solve visa problems faced by businessmen
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have agreed to solve visa problems faced by businessmen of both countries by issuing multiple-entry visas valid for a year, Pakistani commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim said on Thursday. Both countries had agreed on issuing multiple-entry visas to traders during his recent visit to India, Fahim told the media.
All controversial issues between the two countries will be discussed one by one, he said.
It had also been agreed during his visit that India will not oppose the World Trade Organisation waiver sought by the European Union for granting duty-free access for certain goods from Pakistan, Fahim said.
Foreign minister spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua, said commerce Minister Fahim had concluded a "good visit" to India during which the two countries agreed that their commerce secretaries would meet again in November to discuss ways to enhance trade.
source:agency
All controversial issues between the two countries will be discussed one by one, he said.
It had also been agreed during his visit that India will not oppose the World Trade Organisation waiver sought by the European Union for granting duty-free access for certain goods from Pakistan, Fahim said.
Foreign minister spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua, said commerce Minister Fahim had concluded a "good visit" to India during which the two countries agreed that their commerce secretaries would meet again in November to discuss ways to enhance trade.
source:agency
20111005
China's economic espionage has reached an intolerable level:US lawmaker
WASHINGTON: Asserting that China's economic espionage has reached an 'intolerable level' , US lawmaker said it's time that the US and its allies confront Beijing and demand to put an end to this piracy.
"China's economic espionage has reached an intolerable level, and I believe the US and our allies in Europe and Asia have an obligation to confront Beijing and demand they put a stop to this piracy," said Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the house select committee on intelligence.
"Whether or not we will ever be able to convince Beijing to voluntarily stop their economic cyber espionage campaign and their predatory economic behaviour, we have a lot of work to do here in the US to improve our cyber security, including improving the sharing of cyber threat information with and between the government and the private sector," he said.
source:agency
"China's economic espionage has reached an intolerable level, and I believe the US and our allies in Europe and Asia have an obligation to confront Beijing and demand they put a stop to this piracy," said Congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the house select committee on intelligence.
"Whether or not we will ever be able to convince Beijing to voluntarily stop their economic cyber espionage campaign and their predatory economic behaviour, we have a lot of work to do here in the US to improve our cyber security, including improving the sharing of cyber threat information with and between the government and the private sector," he said.
source:agency
Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets escorted the Air India aircraft carrying Pratibha Patil
VIENNA: In a rare honour, two Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets escorted the Air India One aircraft carrying President Pratibha Patil as it entered the Austrian airspace.
Within seconds of entering the Austrian airspace from Switzerland on Tuesday, two gleaming jets appeared suddenly on the left side of the President's plane.
Those inside the presidential aircraft started shooting the jets in frenzy. But, only with their mobile phones and cameras.
The Eurofighters are one of the shortlisted contenders in the Indian MRCA tender to purchase 126 "Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft".
After about two minutes, one of the jets suddenly pulled back and flew to the other side of the aircraft. Everyone was just interested in getting the perfect shot of the plane which also opened its co-passenger shield as a mark of respect. The best view was just before landing as all three aircraft lost altitude and the jets were at an arm's length.
source:agency
Within seconds of entering the Austrian airspace from Switzerland on Tuesday, two gleaming jets appeared suddenly on the left side of the President's plane.
Those inside the presidential aircraft started shooting the jets in frenzy. But, only with their mobile phones and cameras.
The Eurofighters are one of the shortlisted contenders in the Indian MRCA tender to purchase 126 "Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft".
After about two minutes, one of the jets suddenly pulled back and flew to the other side of the aircraft. Everyone was just interested in getting the perfect shot of the plane which also opened its co-passenger shield as a mark of respect. The best view was just before landing as all three aircraft lost altitude and the jets were at an arm's length.
source:agency
Tiger Woods makes his return from a two-month layoff on Thursday
SAN MARTIN: A healthy Tiger Woods makes his return from a two-month layoff on Thursday at the $5 million US PGA Frys.com Open with something to prove to those who say his best days are behind him.
The 14-time major champion, chasing the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, has not won any event in almost two years, since the revelation of a secret sex life that led to divorce and shattered his iconic image.
Woods has battled left knee and tendon injuries suffered at the Masters in April, where his share of fourth place was his best showing in eight starts this year. He hasn't played since missing the cut in August's PGA Championship.
"I've had a chance to prepare. I'm getting back to my normal routine," Woods said. "I'm excited to be back. I've had good practice sessions at home and I'm eager to get back under the gun."
Such notable major champions as Nick Faldo and Greg Norman have said they do not see Woods winning another major but the former World No. 1, now ranked 51st and out of the top 50 for the first time in 15 years, fired back Wednesday.
"I've heard that before. It's not the first time I've heard that," Woods said. "I've kept on winning them too."
Woods fired a course-record 62 last week on the Medalist layout in Florida where he has conducted much of his training.
"I hadn't posted a low round in a long time so that was something it felt good to do," Woods said.
"It was pretty easy. I left a few out there. It was just one of those rounds. It's hard to believe I shot that because I didn't feel like it."
Woods said his work with coach Sean Foley has taken him to the point where he is tweaking small details rather than struggling with rebuilding his swing, part of his problems over his win drought.
"We're always fine tuning the game, but the major overhauls are done," Woods said.
"I've done all that work. Now it's just fine tuning day to day, shot to shot. That's part of golf and it's part of the challenge.
"I'm happy with how everything has progressed from tee to green. I've got a chance to practice and work on everything, which is something I hadn't been able to do for a while. I'm very pleased with every facet of my game."
Woods blamed missing the cut at the year's final major on having only two weeks of full fitness to train for the event.
"I was limited to how many holes I could play, how long I could be standing on my leg. All that was limiting," Woods said.
"I'm able to walk the golf course. I've got my strength back. I got the explosiveness back in the leg. All that has come back. And that's just from training and having time to heal."
Woods tries to recapture the winning touch on Thursday afternoon with playing partners Patrick Cantlay, a US college amateur, and South African Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion.
Also with Woods will be new caddie Joe LaCava, the former caddie for PGA rival Dustin Johnson who Woods hired to replace Steve Williams, now the bagman for Australian star Adam Scott.
"He got a look and a feel for what I like and how I see it," Woods said of his first PGA practice round on Wednesday with LaCava carrying the clubs.
source:AFP
The 14-time major champion, chasing the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, has not won any event in almost two years, since the revelation of a secret sex life that led to divorce and shattered his iconic image.
Woods has battled left knee and tendon injuries suffered at the Masters in April, where his share of fourth place was his best showing in eight starts this year. He hasn't played since missing the cut in August's PGA Championship.
"I've had a chance to prepare. I'm getting back to my normal routine," Woods said. "I'm excited to be back. I've had good practice sessions at home and I'm eager to get back under the gun."
Such notable major champions as Nick Faldo and Greg Norman have said they do not see Woods winning another major but the former World No. 1, now ranked 51st and out of the top 50 for the first time in 15 years, fired back Wednesday.
"I've heard that before. It's not the first time I've heard that," Woods said. "I've kept on winning them too."
Woods fired a course-record 62 last week on the Medalist layout in Florida where he has conducted much of his training.
"I hadn't posted a low round in a long time so that was something it felt good to do," Woods said.
"It was pretty easy. I left a few out there. It was just one of those rounds. It's hard to believe I shot that because I didn't feel like it."
Woods said his work with coach Sean Foley has taken him to the point where he is tweaking small details rather than struggling with rebuilding his swing, part of his problems over his win drought.
"We're always fine tuning the game, but the major overhauls are done," Woods said.
"I've done all that work. Now it's just fine tuning day to day, shot to shot. That's part of golf and it's part of the challenge.
"I'm happy with how everything has progressed from tee to green. I've got a chance to practice and work on everything, which is something I hadn't been able to do for a while. I'm very pleased with every facet of my game."
Woods blamed missing the cut at the year's final major on having only two weeks of full fitness to train for the event.
"I was limited to how many holes I could play, how long I could be standing on my leg. All that was limiting," Woods said.
"I'm able to walk the golf course. I've got my strength back. I got the explosiveness back in the leg. All that has come back. And that's just from training and having time to heal."
Woods tries to recapture the winning touch on Thursday afternoon with playing partners Patrick Cantlay, a US college amateur, and South African Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion.
Also with Woods will be new caddie Joe LaCava, the former caddie for PGA rival Dustin Johnson who Woods hired to replace Steve Williams, now the bagman for Australian star Adam Scott.
"He got a look and a feel for what I like and how I see it," Woods said of his first PGA practice round on Wednesday with LaCava carrying the clubs.
source:AFP
Never been in such an exciting T20 match all my life:Virat Kohli
BANGALORE: On his admission, Virat Kohli has never played such an exciting game of Twenty20 in his career.
"Never been in such an exciting T20 match all my life," an ecstatic Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony after receiving his man-of-the-match award.
Asked to relive the moment when KB Arun Karthik hit that stunning six, he said, "I had my eyes closed on the last ball. I was talking to our coach when two balls were left. Thought if we could get boundary and a two so that scores are tied."
Kohli said that the team management relied a lot on the start that Chris Gayle and Tillekaratne Dilshan provided.
"We thought if Chris and Dilshan could bat five or six overs, we had a fair chance."
About his own batting he said, "I was calm and relaxed, but of course you can't stay assured chasing a target such as 215."
Kohli's skipper Daniel Vettori was equally at loss of words after the match.
"Pretty amazing game of cricket. One thing about this ground is you can chase anything here. The last five overs that we bowled were really poor. Harris and Callum and Dan Christian batted extremely well."
Vettori said that dew did become a factor. "The dew does change this wicket. The new ball turns a bit, but once it becomes soft, it's really difficult. However, the class of the batsmanship coupled with the wicket was amazing."
Stand-in captain for Redbacks skipper Callum Ferguson admitted that it was disappointing not to defend 214.
"Obviously, it's disappointing to not defend 214. Dan Harris and Dan Christian batted well, Tait came back with the ball and went bang bang bang, but Virat and Dilshan batted beautifully. We were backing our bowlers to execute despite the dew, disappointed not to do that," Ferguson conceded.
source:agency
"Never been in such an exciting T20 match all my life," an ecstatic Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony after receiving his man-of-the-match award.
Asked to relive the moment when KB Arun Karthik hit that stunning six, he said, "I had my eyes closed on the last ball. I was talking to our coach when two balls were left. Thought if we could get boundary and a two so that scores are tied."
Kohli said that the team management relied a lot on the start that Chris Gayle and Tillekaratne Dilshan provided.
"We thought if Chris and Dilshan could bat five or six overs, we had a fair chance."
About his own batting he said, "I was calm and relaxed, but of course you can't stay assured chasing a target such as 215."
Kohli's skipper Daniel Vettori was equally at loss of words after the match.
"Pretty amazing game of cricket. One thing about this ground is you can chase anything here. The last five overs that we bowled were really poor. Harris and Callum and Dan Christian batted extremely well."
Vettori said that dew did become a factor. "The dew does change this wicket. The new ball turns a bit, but once it becomes soft, it's really difficult. However, the class of the batsmanship coupled with the wicket was amazing."
Stand-in captain for Redbacks skipper Callum Ferguson admitted that it was disappointing not to defend 214.
"Obviously, it's disappointing to not defend 214. Dan Harris and Dan Christian batted well, Tait came back with the ball and went bang bang bang, but Virat and Dilshan batted beautifully. We were backing our bowlers to execute despite the dew, disappointed not to do that," Ferguson conceded.
source:agency
Steve Jobs died,circumstances of his passing were unclear
SAN FRANCISCO: Passionate, prickly, and deemed irreplaceable by many Apple fans and investors, Steve Jobs made a life defying conventions and expectations.
And despite years of poor health, his death on Wednesday at the age of 56 prompted a global gasp as many people remembered how much he had done to transform the worlds of computing, music and mobile phones, changing the way people communicate and access information and entertainment.
"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come," said Microsoft co-founder and long-time rival Bill Gates.
"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor."
Steve Jobs died on Wednesday in Palo Alto, surrounded by his family. The circumstances of his passing were unclear, but Jobs has had a long battle with cancer and other health issues.
Jobs' family thanked many for their prayers during the last year of Steves illness.
A college dropout, Jobs floated through India in search of spiritual guidance prior to founding Apple - a name he suggested to his friend and co-founder Steve Wozniak after a visit to a commune in Oregon he referred to as an "apple orchard."
With his passion for minimalist design and marketing genius, Jobs changed the course of personal computing during two stints at Apple and then brought a revolution to the mobile market.
The iconic iPod, the iPhone - dubbed the "Jesus phone" for its quasi-religious following - and the iPad are the creation of a man who was known for his near-obsessive control of the product development process.
Charismatic, visionary, ruthless, perfectionist, dictator - these are some of the words that people have used to describe Jobs, who may have been the biggest dreamer the technology world has ever known, but also was a hard-edged businessman and negotiator through and through.
Microsoft's Gates had called Jobs the most inspiring person in the tech industry and President Barack Obama held him up as the embodiment of the American Dream.
He resigned as CEO of Apple Inc on August 24 - saying he could no longer fulfill the duties - and briefly served as chairman before his death.
Jobs grew up with an adopted family in Silicon Valley, which was turning from orchards to homes for workers at Lockheed and other defense and technology companies.
"Steve Jobs' role was defined -- you've got to learn to be an executive in every division of the company so you can be the world's most important person some day. That was his goal," joked Wozniak, who is still listed as an employee, even though he has not worked at Apple for years.
Awful-tasting medicine
Jobs created Apple twice - once when he founded it and the second time after a return credited with saving the company, which now vies with Exxon Mobil as the most valuable publicly traded corporation in the United States.
Every day to him was "a new adventure in the company," Jay Elliot, a former senior vice president at Apple who worked very closely with Jobs in the eighties, said earlier this year, adding that he was "almost like a child" when it came to his inquisitiveness.
Elliot was a witness to the acrimony between Jobs and former Apple Chief Executive John Sculley who often clashed on ideas, products and the direction of the company.
The dispute came to a head at Apple's first major sales meeting in Hawaii in 1985 where the two "just blew up against each other," Elliot said.
Jobs left soon after, saying he was fired. "It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith," Jobs told a Stanford graduating class in 2005.
He returned to Apple about a decade after he left, working as a consultant. Soon he was running it, in what has been called Jobs' second act.
Jobs reinvented the technology world four or five times, first with the Apple II, a beautiful personal computer in the 1970s; then in the 1980s with the Macintosh, driven by a mouse and presenting a clean screen that made computing inviting; the ubiquitous iPod debuted in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and in 2010 the iPad, which a year after it was introduced outsold the Mac.
Courtesy:Reuters
And despite years of poor health, his death on Wednesday at the age of 56 prompted a global gasp as many people remembered how much he had done to transform the worlds of computing, music and mobile phones, changing the way people communicate and access information and entertainment.
"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come," said Microsoft co-founder and long-time rival Bill Gates.
"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor."
Steve Jobs died on Wednesday in Palo Alto, surrounded by his family. The circumstances of his passing were unclear, but Jobs has had a long battle with cancer and other health issues.
Jobs' family thanked many for their prayers during the last year of Steves illness.
A college dropout, Jobs floated through India in search of spiritual guidance prior to founding Apple - a name he suggested to his friend and co-founder Steve Wozniak after a visit to a commune in Oregon he referred to as an "apple orchard."
With his passion for minimalist design and marketing genius, Jobs changed the course of personal computing during two stints at Apple and then brought a revolution to the mobile market.
The iconic iPod, the iPhone - dubbed the "Jesus phone" for its quasi-religious following - and the iPad are the creation of a man who was known for his near-obsessive control of the product development process.
Charismatic, visionary, ruthless, perfectionist, dictator - these are some of the words that people have used to describe Jobs, who may have been the biggest dreamer the technology world has ever known, but also was a hard-edged businessman and negotiator through and through.
Microsoft's Gates had called Jobs the most inspiring person in the tech industry and President Barack Obama held him up as the embodiment of the American Dream.
He resigned as CEO of Apple Inc on August 24 - saying he could no longer fulfill the duties - and briefly served as chairman before his death.
Jobs grew up with an adopted family in Silicon Valley, which was turning from orchards to homes for workers at Lockheed and other defense and technology companies.
"Steve Jobs' role was defined -- you've got to learn to be an executive in every division of the company so you can be the world's most important person some day. That was his goal," joked Wozniak, who is still listed as an employee, even though he has not worked at Apple for years.
Awful-tasting medicine
Jobs created Apple twice - once when he founded it and the second time after a return credited with saving the company, which now vies with Exxon Mobil as the most valuable publicly traded corporation in the United States.
Every day to him was "a new adventure in the company," Jay Elliot, a former senior vice president at Apple who worked very closely with Jobs in the eighties, said earlier this year, adding that he was "almost like a child" when it came to his inquisitiveness.
Elliot was a witness to the acrimony between Jobs and former Apple Chief Executive John Sculley who often clashed on ideas, products and the direction of the company.
The dispute came to a head at Apple's first major sales meeting in Hawaii in 1985 where the two "just blew up against each other," Elliot said.
Jobs left soon after, saying he was fired. "It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life's gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith," Jobs told a Stanford graduating class in 2005.
He returned to Apple about a decade after he left, working as a consultant. Soon he was running it, in what has been called Jobs' second act.
Jobs reinvented the technology world four or five times, first with the Apple II, a beautiful personal computer in the 1970s; then in the 1980s with the Macintosh, driven by a mouse and presenting a clean screen that made computing inviting; the ubiquitous iPod debuted in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and in 2010 the iPad, which a year after it was introduced outsold the Mac.
Courtesy:Reuters
Apple announced the death of its visionary co-founder Steve Jobs
NEW YORK: Apple on Wednesday announced the death of its visionary co-founder Steve Jobs.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company's board of directors said in a statement.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
The Silicon Valley icon who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August, handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.
Jobs had battled cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems. He took another leave of absence in January, his third since his health problems began, before resigning as CEO six weeks ago. Jobs became Apple's chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook.
The news Apple fans and shareholders had been dreading came the day after Apple unveiled its latest version of the iPhone, just one in a procession of devices that shaped technology and society while Jobs was running the company.
Jobs started Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was forced out a decade later and returned in 1997 to rescue the company. During his second stint, it grew into the most valuable technology company in the world with a market value of $351 billion. Only Exxon Mobil, which makes it money extracting and refining oil instead of ideas, is worth more.
Cultivating Apple's countercultural sensibility and a minimalist design ethic, Jobs rolled out one sensational product after another, even in the face of the late-2000s recession and his own failing health.
He helped change computers from a geeky hobbyist's obsession to a necessity of modern life at work and home, and in the process he upended not just personal technology but the cellphone and music industries. For transformation of American industry, he ranks among his computer-age contemporary, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and other creative geniuses such as Walt Disney that left an indelible imprint on the world. Jobs died as Walt Disney Co.'s largest shareholder, a by-product of his decision to sell computer animation studio Pixar in 2006.
Perhaps most influentially, Jobs in 2001 launched the iPod, which offered "1,000 songs in your pocket." Over the next 10 years, its white earphones and thumb-dial control seemed to become more ubiquitous than the wristwatch.
In 2007 came the touch-screen iPhone, joined a year later by Apple's App Store, where developers could sell iPhone "apps" which made the phone a device not just for making calls but also for managing money, editing photos, playing games and social networking. And in 2010, Jobs introduced the iPad, a tablet-sized, all-touch computer that took off even though market analysts said no one really needed one.
Steven Paul Jobs was born Feb. 24, 1955, to Joanne Simpson, then an unmarried graduate student, and Abdulfattah Jandali, a student from Syria. Simpson gave Jobs up for adoption, though she married Jandali and a few years later had a second child with him, Mona Simpson, who became a novelist.
Steven was adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs of Los Altos, Calif., a working-class couple who nurtured his early interest in electronics. He saw his first computer terminal at NASA's Ames Research Center when he was around 11 and landed a summer job at Hewlett-Packard before he had finished high school.
Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Ore., in 1972 but dropped out after a semester.
"All of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it," he said at a Stanford University commencement address in 2005. "I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out."
When he returned to California in 1974, Jobs worked for video game maker Atari and attended meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak, a high school friend who was a few years older.
Wozniak's homemade computer drew attention from other enthusiasts, but Jobs saw its potential far beyond the geeky hobbyists of the time. The pair started Apple in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976. Their first creation was the Apple I - essentially, the guts of a computer without a case, keyboard or monitor.
The Apple II, which hit the market in 1977, was their first machine for the masses. It became so popular that Jobs was worth $100 million by age 25. Time magazine put him on its cover for the first time in 1982.
During a 1979 visit to the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Jobs again spotted mass potential in a niche invention: a computer that allowed people to access files and control programs with the click of a mouse, not typed commands. He returned to Apple and ordered the team to copy what he had seen.
It foreshadowed a propensity to take other people's concepts, improve on them and spin them into wildly successful products. Under Jobs, Apple didn't invent computers, digital music players or smartphones - it reinvented them for people who didn't want to learn computer programming or negotiate the technical hassles of keeping their gadgets working.
"We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas," Jobs said in an interview for the 1996 PBS series "Triumph of the Nerds."
The engineers responded with two computers. The pricier one, called Lisa, launched to a cool reception in 1983. A less-expensive model called the Macintosh, named for an employee's favorite apple, exploded onto the scene in 1984.
The Mac was heralded by an epic Super Bowl commercial that referenced George Orwell's "1984" and captured Apple's iconoclastic style. In the ad, expressionless drones marched through dark halls to an auditorium where a Big Brother-like figure lectures on a big screen. A woman in a bright track uniform burst into the hall and launched a hammer into the screen, which exploded, stunning the drones, as a narrator announced the arrival of the Mac.
There were early stumbles at Apple. Jobs clashed with colleagues and even the CEO he had hired away from Pepsi, John Sculley. And after an initial spike, Mac sales slowed, in part because few programs had been written for the new graphical user interface .
Meanwhile, Microsoft copied the Mac approach and introduced Windows, outmaneuvering Apple by licensing its software to slews of computer makers while Apple insisted on making its own machines.
Software developers wrote programs first for Windows because it had millions more computers . A Mac version didn't come for months, if at all.
With Apple's stock price sinking, conflicts between Jobs and Sculley mounted. Sculley won over the board in 1985 and pushed Jobs out of his day-to-day role leading the Macintosh team. Jobs resigned his post as chairman of the board and left Apple within months.
"What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating," Jobs said in his Stanford speech. "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."
He got into two other companies: Next, a computer maker, and Pixar, a computer-animation studio that he bought from George Lucas for $10 million.
Pixar, ultimately the more successful venture, seemed at first a bottomless money pit. Then came "Toy Story," the first computer-animated full-length feature. Jobs used its success to negotiate a sweeter deal with Disney for Pixar's next two films. In 2006, Jobs sold Pixar to The Walt Disney Co. for $7.4 billion in stock, making him Disney's largest individual shareholder and securing a seat on the board.
With Next, Jobs was said to be obsessive about the tiniest details of the cube-shaped computer, insisting on design perfection even for the machine's guts. He never managed to spark much demand for the machine, which cost a pricey $6,500 to $10,000.
Ultimately, he shifted the focus to software - a move that paid off later when Apple bought Next for its operating system technology, the basis for the software still used in Mac computers.
By 1996, when Apple bought Next, Apple was in dire financial straits. It had lost more than $800 million in a year, dragged its heels in licensing Mac software for other computers and surrendered most of its market share to PCs that ran Windows.
Larry Ellison, Jobs' close friend and fellow Silicon Valley billionaire and the leader of Oracle Corp., publicly contemplated buying Apple in early 1997 and ousting its leadership. The idea fizzled, but Jobs stepped in as interim chief later that year.
He slashed unprofitable projects, narrowed the company's focus and presided over a new marketing push to set the Mac apart from Windows, starting with a campaign encouraging computer users to "Think different."
"In the early days, he was in charge of every detail. The only way you could say it is, he was kind of a control freak," he said. In his second stint, "he clearly was much more mellow and more mature."
In the decade that followed, Jobs kept Apple profitable while pushing out an impressive roster of new products.
Apple's popularity exploded in the 2000s. The iPod, smaller and sleeker with each generation, introduced many lifelong Windows users to their first Apple gadget.
ITunes, in 2003, gave people a convenient way to buy music legally online, song by song. For the music industry, it was a mixed blessing. The industry got a way to reach Internet-savvy people who, in the age of Napster, were growing accustomed to downloading music free. But online sales also hastened the demise of CDs and established Apple as a gatekeeper, resulting in battles between Jobs and music executives over pricing and other issues.
Jobs' command over gadget lovers and pop culture swelled to the point that, on the eve of the iPhone's launch in 2007, faithful followers slept on sidewalks outside posh Apple stores for the chance to buy one. Three years later, at the iPad's debut, the lines snaked around blocks and out through parking lots, even though people had the option to order one in advance.
The decade was not without its glitches. Apple was swept up in a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into stock-options backdating in the mid-2000s, a practice that artificially boosted the value of options grants. But Jobs and Apple emerged unscathed after two former executives took the fall and eventually settled with the SEC.
Jobs' personal ethos - a natural food lover who embraced Buddhism and New Age philosophy - was closely linked to the public persona he shaped for Apple. Apple itself became a statement against the commoditization of technology - a cynical view, to be sure, from a company whose computers can cost three or more times as much as those of its rivals.
For technology lovers, buying Apple products meant gaining entrance to an exclusive club. At the top was a complicated and contradictory figure who was endlessly fascinating - even to his detractors, of which Jobs had many. Jobs was a hero to techno-geeks and a villain to partners he bullied and to workers whose projects he unceremoniously killed or claimed as his own.
Unauthorized biographer Alan Deutschman described him as "deeply moody and maddeningly erratic." In his personal life, Jobs denied for two years that he was the father of Lisa, the baby born to his longtime girlfriend Chrisann Brennan in 1978.
Few seemed immune to Jobs' charisma and will. He could adeptly convince those in his presence of just about anything - even if they disagreed again when he left the room and his magic wore off.
"He always has an aura around his persona," said Bajarin, who met Jobs several times while covering the company for more than 20 years as a Creative Strategies analyst. "When you talk to him, you know you're really talking to a brilliant mind."
But Bajarin also remembers Jobs lashing out with profanity at an employee who interrupted their meeting. Jobs, the perfectionist, demanded greatness from everyone at Apple.
Jobs valued his privacy, but some details of his romantic and family life have been uncovered. In the early 1980s, Jobs dated the folk singer Joan Baez, according to Deutschman.
In 1989, Jobs spoke at Stanford's graduate business school and met his wife, Laurene Powell, who was then a student. When she became pregnant, Jobs at first refused to marry her. It was a near-repeat of what had happened more than a decade earlier with then-girlfriend Brennan, Deutschman said, but eventually Jobs relented.
Jobs started looking for his biological family in his teens, according to an interview he gave to The New York Times in 1997. He found his biological sister when he was 27. They became friends, and through her Jobs met his biological mother. Few details of their relationships have been made public.
But the extent of Apple secrecy didn't become clear until Jobs revealed in 2004 that he had been diagonosed with - and "cured" of - a rare form of operable pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The company had sat on the news of his diagnosis for nine months while Jobs tried trumping the disease with a special diet, Fortune magazine reported in 2008.
In the years after his cancer was revealed, rumors about Jobs' health would spark runs on Apple stock as investors worried the company, with no clear succession plan, would fall apart without him. Apple did little to ease those concerns. It kept the state of Jobs' health a secret for as long as it could, then disclosed vague details when, in early 2009, it became clear he was again ill.
Jobs took a half-year medical leave of absence starting in January 2009, during which he had a liver transplant. Apple did not disclose the procedure at the time; two months later, The Wall Street Journal reported the fact and a doctor at the transplant hospital confirmed it.
In January 2011, Jobs announced another medical leave, his third, with no set duration. He returned to the spotlight briefly in March to personally unveil a second-generation iPad .
In 2005, following the bout with cancer, Jobs delivered Stanford University's commencement speech.
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."
courtesy:AP
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the company's board of directors said in a statement.
"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
The Silicon Valley icon who gave the world the iPod and the iPhone resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August, handing the reins to current chief executive Tim Cook.
Jobs had battled cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems. He took another leave of absence in January, his third since his health problems began, before resigning as CEO six weeks ago. Jobs became Apple's chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook.
The news Apple fans and shareholders had been dreading came the day after Apple unveiled its latest version of the iPhone, just one in a procession of devices that shaped technology and society while Jobs was running the company.
Jobs started Apple with a high school friend in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was forced out a decade later and returned in 1997 to rescue the company. During his second stint, it grew into the most valuable technology company in the world with a market value of $351 billion. Only Exxon Mobil, which makes it money extracting and refining oil instead of ideas, is worth more.
Cultivating Apple's countercultural sensibility and a minimalist design ethic, Jobs rolled out one sensational product after another, even in the face of the late-2000s recession and his own failing health.
He helped change computers from a geeky hobbyist's obsession to a necessity of modern life at work and home, and in the process he upended not just personal technology but the cellphone and music industries. For transformation of American industry, he ranks among his computer-age contemporary, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and other creative geniuses such as Walt Disney that left an indelible imprint on the world. Jobs died as Walt Disney Co.'s largest shareholder, a by-product of his decision to sell computer animation studio Pixar in 2006.
Perhaps most influentially, Jobs in 2001 launched the iPod, which offered "1,000 songs in your pocket." Over the next 10 years, its white earphones and thumb-dial control seemed to become more ubiquitous than the wristwatch.
In 2007 came the touch-screen iPhone, joined a year later by Apple's App Store, where developers could sell iPhone "apps" which made the phone a device not just for making calls but also for managing money, editing photos, playing games and social networking. And in 2010, Jobs introduced the iPad, a tablet-sized, all-touch computer that took off even though market analysts said no one really needed one.
Steven Paul Jobs was born Feb. 24, 1955, to Joanne Simpson, then an unmarried graduate student, and Abdulfattah Jandali, a student from Syria. Simpson gave Jobs up for adoption, though she married Jandali and a few years later had a second child with him, Mona Simpson, who became a novelist.
Steven was adopted by Clara and Paul Jobs of Los Altos, Calif., a working-class couple who nurtured his early interest in electronics. He saw his first computer terminal at NASA's Ames Research Center when he was around 11 and landed a summer job at Hewlett-Packard before he had finished high school.
Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Ore., in 1972 but dropped out after a semester.
"All of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it," he said at a Stanford University commencement address in 2005. "I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out."
When he returned to California in 1974, Jobs worked for video game maker Atari and attended meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak, a high school friend who was a few years older.
Wozniak's homemade computer drew attention from other enthusiasts, but Jobs saw its potential far beyond the geeky hobbyists of the time. The pair started Apple in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976. Their first creation was the Apple I - essentially, the guts of a computer without a case, keyboard or monitor.
The Apple II, which hit the market in 1977, was their first machine for the masses. It became so popular that Jobs was worth $100 million by age 25. Time magazine put him on its cover for the first time in 1982.
During a 1979 visit to the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Jobs again spotted mass potential in a niche invention: a computer that allowed people to access files and control programs with the click of a mouse, not typed commands. He returned to Apple and ordered the team to copy what he had seen.
It foreshadowed a propensity to take other people's concepts, improve on them and spin them into wildly successful products. Under Jobs, Apple didn't invent computers, digital music players or smartphones - it reinvented them for people who didn't want to learn computer programming or negotiate the technical hassles of keeping their gadgets working.
"We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas," Jobs said in an interview for the 1996 PBS series "Triumph of the Nerds."
The engineers responded with two computers. The pricier one, called Lisa, launched to a cool reception in 1983. A less-expensive model called the Macintosh, named for an employee's favorite apple, exploded onto the scene in 1984.
The Mac was heralded by an epic Super Bowl commercial that referenced George Orwell's "1984" and captured Apple's iconoclastic style. In the ad, expressionless drones marched through dark halls to an auditorium where a Big Brother-like figure lectures on a big screen. A woman in a bright track uniform burst into the hall and launched a hammer into the screen, which exploded, stunning the drones, as a narrator announced the arrival of the Mac.
There were early stumbles at Apple. Jobs clashed with colleagues and even the CEO he had hired away from Pepsi, John Sculley. And after an initial spike, Mac sales slowed, in part because few programs had been written for the new graphical user interface .
Meanwhile, Microsoft copied the Mac approach and introduced Windows, outmaneuvering Apple by licensing its software to slews of computer makers while Apple insisted on making its own machines.
Software developers wrote programs first for Windows because it had millions more computers . A Mac version didn't come for months, if at all.
With Apple's stock price sinking, conflicts between Jobs and Sculley mounted. Sculley won over the board in 1985 and pushed Jobs out of his day-to-day role leading the Macintosh team. Jobs resigned his post as chairman of the board and left Apple within months.
"What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating," Jobs said in his Stanford speech. "I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."
He got into two other companies: Next, a computer maker, and Pixar, a computer-animation studio that he bought from George Lucas for $10 million.
Pixar, ultimately the more successful venture, seemed at first a bottomless money pit. Then came "Toy Story," the first computer-animated full-length feature. Jobs used its success to negotiate a sweeter deal with Disney for Pixar's next two films. In 2006, Jobs sold Pixar to The Walt Disney Co. for $7.4 billion in stock, making him Disney's largest individual shareholder and securing a seat on the board.
With Next, Jobs was said to be obsessive about the tiniest details of the cube-shaped computer, insisting on design perfection even for the machine's guts. He never managed to spark much demand for the machine, which cost a pricey $6,500 to $10,000.
Ultimately, he shifted the focus to software - a move that paid off later when Apple bought Next for its operating system technology, the basis for the software still used in Mac computers.
By 1996, when Apple bought Next, Apple was in dire financial straits. It had lost more than $800 million in a year, dragged its heels in licensing Mac software for other computers and surrendered most of its market share to PCs that ran Windows.
Larry Ellison, Jobs' close friend and fellow Silicon Valley billionaire and the leader of Oracle Corp., publicly contemplated buying Apple in early 1997 and ousting its leadership. The idea fizzled, but Jobs stepped in as interim chief later that year.
He slashed unprofitable projects, narrowed the company's focus and presided over a new marketing push to set the Mac apart from Windows, starting with a campaign encouraging computer users to "Think different."
"In the early days, he was in charge of every detail. The only way you could say it is, he was kind of a control freak," he said. In his second stint, "he clearly was much more mellow and more mature."
In the decade that followed, Jobs kept Apple profitable while pushing out an impressive roster of new products.
Apple's popularity exploded in the 2000s. The iPod, smaller and sleeker with each generation, introduced many lifelong Windows users to their first Apple gadget.
ITunes, in 2003, gave people a convenient way to buy music legally online, song by song. For the music industry, it was a mixed blessing. The industry got a way to reach Internet-savvy people who, in the age of Napster, were growing accustomed to downloading music free. But online sales also hastened the demise of CDs and established Apple as a gatekeeper, resulting in battles between Jobs and music executives over pricing and other issues.
Jobs' command over gadget lovers and pop culture swelled to the point that, on the eve of the iPhone's launch in 2007, faithful followers slept on sidewalks outside posh Apple stores for the chance to buy one. Three years later, at the iPad's debut, the lines snaked around blocks and out through parking lots, even though people had the option to order one in advance.
The decade was not without its glitches. Apple was swept up in a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into stock-options backdating in the mid-2000s, a practice that artificially boosted the value of options grants. But Jobs and Apple emerged unscathed after two former executives took the fall and eventually settled with the SEC.
Jobs' personal ethos - a natural food lover who embraced Buddhism and New Age philosophy - was closely linked to the public persona he shaped for Apple. Apple itself became a statement against the commoditization of technology - a cynical view, to be sure, from a company whose computers can cost three or more times as much as those of its rivals.
For technology lovers, buying Apple products meant gaining entrance to an exclusive club. At the top was a complicated and contradictory figure who was endlessly fascinating - even to his detractors, of which Jobs had many. Jobs was a hero to techno-geeks and a villain to partners he bullied and to workers whose projects he unceremoniously killed or claimed as his own.
Unauthorized biographer Alan Deutschman described him as "deeply moody and maddeningly erratic." In his personal life, Jobs denied for two years that he was the father of Lisa, the baby born to his longtime girlfriend Chrisann Brennan in 1978.
Few seemed immune to Jobs' charisma and will. He could adeptly convince those in his presence of just about anything - even if they disagreed again when he left the room and his magic wore off.
"He always has an aura around his persona," said Bajarin, who met Jobs several times while covering the company for more than 20 years as a Creative Strategies analyst. "When you talk to him, you know you're really talking to a brilliant mind."
But Bajarin also remembers Jobs lashing out with profanity at an employee who interrupted their meeting. Jobs, the perfectionist, demanded greatness from everyone at Apple.
Jobs valued his privacy, but some details of his romantic and family life have been uncovered. In the early 1980s, Jobs dated the folk singer Joan Baez, according to Deutschman.
In 1989, Jobs spoke at Stanford's graduate business school and met his wife, Laurene Powell, who was then a student. When she became pregnant, Jobs at first refused to marry her. It was a near-repeat of what had happened more than a decade earlier with then-girlfriend Brennan, Deutschman said, but eventually Jobs relented.
Jobs started looking for his biological family in his teens, according to an interview he gave to The New York Times in 1997. He found his biological sister when he was 27. They became friends, and through her Jobs met his biological mother. Few details of their relationships have been made public.
But the extent of Apple secrecy didn't become clear until Jobs revealed in 2004 that he had been diagonosed with - and "cured" of - a rare form of operable pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The company had sat on the news of his diagnosis for nine months while Jobs tried trumping the disease with a special diet, Fortune magazine reported in 2008.
In the years after his cancer was revealed, rumors about Jobs' health would spark runs on Apple stock as investors worried the company, with no clear succession plan, would fall apart without him. Apple did little to ease those concerns. It kept the state of Jobs' health a secret for as long as it could, then disclosed vague details when, in early 2009, it became clear he was again ill.
Jobs took a half-year medical leave of absence starting in January 2009, during which he had a liver transplant. Apple did not disclose the procedure at the time; two months later, The Wall Street Journal reported the fact and a doctor at the transplant hospital confirmed it.
In January 2011, Jobs announced another medical leave, his third, with no set duration. He returned to the spotlight briefly in March to personally unveil a second-generation iPad .
In 2005, following the bout with cancer, Jobs delivered Stanford University's commencement speech.
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."
courtesy:AP
Quest Diagnostics India and 98.4°® Retail Chemist Stores Join Hands to Bring World-Class Critical Medical Testing Closer to Your Doorsteps
New Delhi– Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, today announced that it has reached an agreement with the 98.40â chain of retail chemist stores to offer patients the ability to purchase and schedule advanced diagnostic testing services as needed from Quest Diagnostics at several of the chain’s retail locations in Delhi and the NCR.
The new service allows patients to purchase any of the more than 3400 diagnostic tests offered by Quest Diagnostics, pay for the test on site at the 98.40â location, and immediately schedule an appointment for test specimens to be collected from their home or office anywhere in Delhi NCR, irrespective of which 98.4 centre they have purchased it from.
All specimens are collected by expert phlebotomists from Quest Diagnostics. Among the tests available will be routine tests like Thyroid, Lipid panels to specialized tests like Genetic testing, Maternal Serum Screens, Advanced testing for infectious diseases, Cancer etc.
“98.40â customers can now experience the convenience of ordering routine and advanced pathology tests from a world class laboratory while making their medicine purchases at the nearest 98.40â location.” said Mr. Gautam Thadani, Director, 98.40â. “Ease of ordering, convenience of home collection of samples, world class pathology testing, and access to specialized testing shall make the offering a definite hit with the most valued 98.40â customers. 98.40â customers can expect more such world class offerings, setting new standards in pharmacy retailing”, Mr. Thadani added.
The service has initially been made available at all twelve 98.40â retail locations in Gurgaon. The companies expect to expand the availability of the service to all 24 of the 98.40â locations in Delhi and NCR by November this year.
“When it comes to health, patients demand uncompromising trust and reliability of their test reports, so that proper treatment can be administered. As the world leader in pathology services, Quest Diagnostics is known for its commitment to provide accurate diagnosis with a wide array of innovative tests. Joining hands with 98.40 Pharmacy is testimony to our promise of expanding access to our services and on making it more convenient for patients to obtain high quality pathology testing,” said Dr. Sumit Dutta, Vice President and General Manager, Quest Diagnostics India.
Quest Diagnostics performs testing on behalf of more than 500,000 patients each day with more than 150 million patient encounters each year. Quest Diagnostics provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff, which includes more than 900 physicians and Ph.Ds. The company is a leader in the use of advanced technology solutions to improve patient care.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at www.QuestDiagnostics.com or follow us at Facebook.com/QuestDiagnostics and Twitter.com/QuestDX
About 98.40â
98.40âchain of retail chemist stores, with operations in Delhi and the NCR, was established in the year 2002 and in a short span of time has built a reputation as a recognized and a trustworthy chain of chemist stores with high service standards. 98.40â has gone beyond normal retailing and has been able to establish a place of trust and relevance with prospective customers by offering them a one-stop solution for genuine medicines and other products, aesthetically beautiful stores and educated pharmacists to address their needs. For other details, please visit us at www.globalhealthline.com
The new service allows patients to purchase any of the more than 3400 diagnostic tests offered by Quest Diagnostics, pay for the test on site at the 98.40â location, and immediately schedule an appointment for test specimens to be collected from their home or office anywhere in Delhi NCR, irrespective of which 98.4 centre they have purchased it from.
All specimens are collected by expert phlebotomists from Quest Diagnostics. Among the tests available will be routine tests like Thyroid, Lipid panels to specialized tests like Genetic testing, Maternal Serum Screens, Advanced testing for infectious diseases, Cancer etc.
“98.40â customers can now experience the convenience of ordering routine and advanced pathology tests from a world class laboratory while making their medicine purchases at the nearest 98.40â location.” said Mr. Gautam Thadani, Director, 98.40â. “Ease of ordering, convenience of home collection of samples, world class pathology testing, and access to specialized testing shall make the offering a definite hit with the most valued 98.40â customers. 98.40â customers can expect more such world class offerings, setting new standards in pharmacy retailing”, Mr. Thadani added.
The service has initially been made available at all twelve 98.40â retail locations in Gurgaon. The companies expect to expand the availability of the service to all 24 of the 98.40â locations in Delhi and NCR by November this year.
“When it comes to health, patients demand uncompromising trust and reliability of their test reports, so that proper treatment can be administered. As the world leader in pathology services, Quest Diagnostics is known for its commitment to provide accurate diagnosis with a wide array of innovative tests. Joining hands with 98.40 Pharmacy is testimony to our promise of expanding access to our services and on making it more convenient for patients to obtain high quality pathology testing,” said Dr. Sumit Dutta, Vice President and General Manager, Quest Diagnostics India.
Quest Diagnostics performs testing on behalf of more than 500,000 patients each day with more than 150 million patient encounters each year. Quest Diagnostics provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff, which includes more than 900 physicians and Ph.Ds. The company is a leader in the use of advanced technology solutions to improve patient care.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at www.QuestDiagnostics.com or follow us at Facebook.com/QuestDiagnostics and Twitter.com/QuestDX
About 98.40â
98.40âchain of retail chemist stores, with operations in Delhi and the NCR, was established in the year 2002 and in a short span of time has built a reputation as a recognized and a trustworthy chain of chemist stores with high service standards. 98.40â has gone beyond normal retailing and has been able to establish a place of trust and relevance with prospective customers by offering them a one-stop solution for genuine medicines and other products, aesthetically beautiful stores and educated pharmacists to address their needs. For other details, please visit us at www.globalhealthline.com
Soma Enterprises selected students of Lovely Professional University at a package of Rs 2.5 lac
Jalandhar, Punjab -- Nine students of Lovely Professional University got selected during a Campus Drive made by Soma Enterprise Ltd, one of the largest construction company of India. It had invited Students of B Tech (Civil) and B. Tech (Honours)(Civil) with 6.5 CGPA of 2012 passing out batch, for placement drive. After undergoing a stringent selection criteria based on PPT, Written Test, Technical and Personal Interview, the selected students are offered a Package of Rs. 2.5 lac per annum. Added to this HRA will be another benefit. The students will join their duties in June 2012.
Felicitating the selected students, the Director General, Er HR Singla, of the University, said: "We are laying stress on the success of Infrastructure related studies, which are the most futuristic branches in world, especially India as India is bound for heavy infrastructure growth and real estate construction in future. It has huge scope, in private as well as government sector. In this regard, we are very happy to note that the companies like Soma Enterprises have come forward in recruiting the students in infrastructure development projects pertaining real estate sector." He added: "Previously Civil Engineering was less opted by the students; but, with the growth of population and industries new projects are coming up and existing ones are growing."Continuing, he said, "Our students are lucky that they have availed of the opportunity to work in a world class organization. Now, they are expected to create Impact of infrastructural development on the economy of the country, to bring good name to their alma mater."
It is worth noticing that Soma Enterprise Ltd, an ISO 9001-2000 Company, is one of the Fast- growing infrastructure developers in India. It is mainly and primarily focused on construction and development of core infrastructure projects in the transportation, Hydel-Power and water resource sectors. It has recently diversified into urban infrastructure projects including commercial and residential real estate. In addition to construction contracts, Soma also takes up projects on EPC / Turnkey and Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis.
Selected students, Ajay Bhatia, Ameer Ganai, Kumar Bhuria, Sidhant, Nikhil, Amit, Parveen, Ravi Pandey, Shubham said: "This selection has enthused much confidence within us. We are very eager to join and to work with such a reputed company. Our new assignments would enable us to grow differently and design our destiny. Of course, we will have to continue following the techniques taught to us at the University by our teachers."
Felicitating the selected students, the Director General, Er HR Singla, of the University, said: "We are laying stress on the success of Infrastructure related studies, which are the most futuristic branches in world, especially India as India is bound for heavy infrastructure growth and real estate construction in future. It has huge scope, in private as well as government sector. In this regard, we are very happy to note that the companies like Soma Enterprises have come forward in recruiting the students in infrastructure development projects pertaining real estate sector." He added: "Previously Civil Engineering was less opted by the students; but, with the growth of population and industries new projects are coming up and existing ones are growing."Continuing, he said, "Our students are lucky that they have availed of the opportunity to work in a world class organization. Now, they are expected to create Impact of infrastructural development on the economy of the country, to bring good name to their alma mater."
It is worth noticing that Soma Enterprise Ltd, an ISO 9001-2000 Company, is one of the Fast- growing infrastructure developers in India. It is mainly and primarily focused on construction and development of core infrastructure projects in the transportation, Hydel-Power and water resource sectors. It has recently diversified into urban infrastructure projects including commercial and residential real estate. In addition to construction contracts, Soma also takes up projects on EPC / Turnkey and Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis.
Selected students, Ajay Bhatia, Ameer Ganai, Kumar Bhuria, Sidhant, Nikhil, Amit, Parveen, Ravi Pandey, Shubham said: "This selection has enthused much confidence within us. We are very eager to join and to work with such a reputed company. Our new assignments would enable us to grow differently and design our destiny. Of course, we will have to continue following the techniques taught to us at the University by our teachers."
IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011 concludes
New Delhi -- IIM Lucknow's three day annual sports and cultural extravaganza Varchasva 2011 was held from 30th September 2011 - 2nd October 2011. A total of 32 competitive events (16 in Sports category and 16 in cultural category) were held interspersed with various cultural performances by popular artisans.
IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011 witnessed the participation from 28 different colleges including IIM Indore, MDI Gurgaon, S P Jain Institute Mumbai, IIFT Delhi, FMS Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur, IIM Rohtak, NMIMS Mumbai, IIT Kanpur and NIFT Rae Bareli. A total footfall of over 4000 students, 1200 registrations, 600 participants, all this made Varchasava one of the biggest student's fest this year.
Inauguration of IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011 was by noted film maker and poet Mr. Muzaffar Ali. The inaugural ceremony was followed by an evening of classical music "Samavesh". Spell binding performances by Hindustani classical vocalist Ms. Madhumita Ray and Mohan Veena player Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt left every one enthralled.
Day two saw two exciting performances - "Hand shadowgraphy" performance by India's Got Talent performers Amar Sen and Sabyasachi Sen followed by a mesmerizing Gotipua (Folk Dance from Odisha) performance by Vijay Sahoo and troupe. This was IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011's attempt to promote lesser known art forms of India. The fest climax on Day 3 was the performance by Bollywood Playback Singer Suraj Jagan.
The home team IIM Lucknow won most of the sporting honours - cricket, soccer, volleyball, badminton, swimming and squash competitions. Joint winners of the athletics event were IIM Lucknow and IMT Ghaziabad. A new sporting event "Futsal - quicker variant of soccer" which was introduced this year turned out to be very popular.
Among the cultural events, The Fashion Parade was won by the team from NIFT, Rae Bareilly who had showcased their designs with a theme of world culture. The English Music Band Competition was won by Chaotic Mantra and Indian Music Band Competition was won by Brahmastra from Pune. The stage play competition Antarnaad, was won by Babu Banarasi Das National Institute of Technology and Management, Lucknow (BBDNITM) which also won the street play competition.
IIM Lucknow dominated the Literary and Quiz Competitions with the teams winning first position in "Literary Gladiators" - a 16 hours gruelling quizzing event, JAM and word games. The RJ Hunt was won by Shantanu Tripathi, student of BBDNIT. The event was judged by RJ Prateek from 93.5 Red FM.
The exclusive website of the fest www.varchasva.in had recorded more than 1.5 lakh hits since its launch on 6th September 2011. A mid sized online campaign with over 1600 fans on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube was also being run for Varchasva 2011. A segment of Varchasva 2011 where competitions like Online quizzes, essay writing, cartoon and movie are being organised was launched on 20th September 2011.
Varchasva 2011 is an attempt to break away from the misconception that management does not gel with sports and culture. One can clearly see that the future leaders of the corporate world not only are competitive in the field of management but also are well aware about our rich cultural and traditional heritage and are equally competitive in a sporting event.
IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011 witnessed the participation from 28 different colleges including IIM Indore, MDI Gurgaon, S P Jain Institute Mumbai, IIFT Delhi, FMS Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur, IIM Rohtak, NMIMS Mumbai, IIT Kanpur and NIFT Rae Bareli. A total footfall of over 4000 students, 1200 registrations, 600 participants, all this made Varchasava one of the biggest student's fest this year.
Inauguration of IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011 was by noted film maker and poet Mr. Muzaffar Ali. The inaugural ceremony was followed by an evening of classical music "Samavesh". Spell binding performances by Hindustani classical vocalist Ms. Madhumita Ray and Mohan Veena player Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt left every one enthralled.
Day two saw two exciting performances - "Hand shadowgraphy" performance by India's Got Talent performers Amar Sen and Sabyasachi Sen followed by a mesmerizing Gotipua (Folk Dance from Odisha) performance by Vijay Sahoo and troupe. This was IIM Lucknow's Varchasva 2011's attempt to promote lesser known art forms of India. The fest climax on Day 3 was the performance by Bollywood Playback Singer Suraj Jagan.
The home team IIM Lucknow won most of the sporting honours - cricket, soccer, volleyball, badminton, swimming and squash competitions. Joint winners of the athletics event were IIM Lucknow and IMT Ghaziabad. A new sporting event "Futsal - quicker variant of soccer" which was introduced this year turned out to be very popular.
Among the cultural events, The Fashion Parade was won by the team from NIFT, Rae Bareilly who had showcased their designs with a theme of world culture. The English Music Band Competition was won by Chaotic Mantra and Indian Music Band Competition was won by Brahmastra from Pune. The stage play competition Antarnaad, was won by Babu Banarasi Das National Institute of Technology and Management, Lucknow (BBDNITM) which also won the street play competition.
IIM Lucknow dominated the Literary and Quiz Competitions with the teams winning first position in "Literary Gladiators" - a 16 hours gruelling quizzing event, JAM and word games. The RJ Hunt was won by Shantanu Tripathi, student of BBDNIT. The event was judged by RJ Prateek from 93.5 Red FM.
The exclusive website of the fest www.varchasva.in had recorded more than 1.5 lakh hits since its launch on 6th September 2011. A mid sized online campaign with over 1600 fans on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube was also being run for Varchasva 2011. A segment of Varchasva 2011 where competitions like Online quizzes, essay writing, cartoon and movie are being organised was launched on 20th September 2011.
Varchasva 2011 is an attempt to break away from the misconception that management does not gel with sports and culture. One can clearly see that the future leaders of the corporate world not only are competitive in the field of management but also are well aware about our rich cultural and traditional heritage and are equally competitive in a sporting event.
Doctors trained in the European Union will now be required to clear English language test
LONDON: Doctors trained in the European Union, who were so far exempted from taking the English language test, will now be required to clear it before starting their practice in the UK.
Indian doctors seeking to train and work in the National Health Service (NHS) are already required to pass the language test before they qualify to practice here.
The NHS has now decided to introduce mandatory language tests for doctors moving to UK after training elsewhere in the EU.
The move came as some EU doctors with poor grasp of English , who were working in the NHS, could not diagnose patients correctly, leading to wrong diagnosis and grave consequences for British patients .
source:agency
Indian doctors seeking to train and work in the National Health Service (NHS) are already required to pass the language test before they qualify to practice here.
The NHS has now decided to introduce mandatory language tests for doctors moving to UK after training elsewhere in the EU.
The move came as some EU doctors with poor grasp of English , who were working in the NHS, could not diagnose patients correctly, leading to wrong diagnosis and grave consequences for British patients .
source:agency
Al-Qaida leadership has been decimated :President Barack Obama
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has said that the entire al-Qaida leadership has been decimated and it would be "very difficult" for the group to stage a spectacular terror attack on the scale of the 9/11 strikes in near future.
"When you look at that entire leadership tier of al-Qaida , they have been decimated. And they are rapidly approaching the point where they just cannot replace trained, skilled operatives who could threaten," Obama told the ABC News and Yahoo-. com said in an interview.
"I think that we have done more in the last couple of years than anytime in the last 10 years to bring that about. Obviously the most prominent case was us getting bin Laden," he said in response to a question.
Obama conceded that the US is still not free from any possible terrorist attack. "I think that given the nature of our open society, we're always going to be vulnerable to the possible terrorist attack," he said. "But for them to be able to mount something that is a big project with a lot of financing , that is very difficult for them to do now,"he said.
source:agency
"When you look at that entire leadership tier of al-Qaida , they have been decimated. And they are rapidly approaching the point where they just cannot replace trained, skilled operatives who could threaten," Obama told the ABC News and Yahoo-. com said in an interview.
"I think that we have done more in the last couple of years than anytime in the last 10 years to bring that about. Obviously the most prominent case was us getting bin Laden," he said in response to a question.
Obama conceded that the US is still not free from any possible terrorist attack. "I think that given the nature of our open society, we're always going to be vulnerable to the possible terrorist attack," he said. "But for them to be able to mount something that is a big project with a lot of financing , that is very difficult for them to do now,"he said.
source:agency
ODI series against England,Dhoni feels that it will be a blessing in disguise
CHENNAI: Although disappointed with Chennai Super Kings' ouster from the Champions League T20, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that it will be a "blessing in disguise" ahead of his team's important ODI series against England which starts from October 14.
"That's the only blessing in disguise, a few days off, not that we have earned it, but a bit of rest will help us," said CSK skipper Dhoni.
Dhoni has been playing near non-stop cricket for a long time now, his only break coming during the five-match one-day series in the West Indies in June.
India play five ODIs and a Twenty20 international against England at home.
Apart from Dhoni, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin are two other Indian ODI players in the CSK squad.
Meanwhile, David Warner smashed a blistering unbeaten 69-ball 135 as 2009 champions New South Wales put up a determined show to beat the defending champions Chennai by 46 runs to join Mumbai Indians from Group-A in the semifinals of the Champions League here today.
Electing to bat, New South Wales posted an imposing 201 for two, riding on Warner's second Twenty20 ton. In their reply, Super Kings could muster just 155 before being all out in 18.5 overs.
"Getting 200 became a difficult task when our big-hitters departed. That is very important to get the big hitters out of the game, you don't want them to bat 15 overs but want to get them in the powerplay," said Dhoni.
Man-of-the-match Warner said that he has learnt a lot in the last few years and his efforts paid off today.
"Tonight was my night, I have been practicing the switch hit a long time now in the nets. It paid off today. I have learnt a lot in the last few years, that has come through playing more four-day cricket back home," he said.
NSW captain Simon Katich heaped praise on Warner and said, "the way he batted was simply outstanding, he constructed his innings superbly."
source:agency
"That's the only blessing in disguise, a few days off, not that we have earned it, but a bit of rest will help us," said CSK skipper Dhoni.
Dhoni has been playing near non-stop cricket for a long time now, his only break coming during the five-match one-day series in the West Indies in June.
India play five ODIs and a Twenty20 international against England at home.
Apart from Dhoni, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin are two other Indian ODI players in the CSK squad.
Meanwhile, David Warner smashed a blistering unbeaten 69-ball 135 as 2009 champions New South Wales put up a determined show to beat the defending champions Chennai by 46 runs to join Mumbai Indians from Group-A in the semifinals of the Champions League here today.
Electing to bat, New South Wales posted an imposing 201 for two, riding on Warner's second Twenty20 ton. In their reply, Super Kings could muster just 155 before being all out in 18.5 overs.
"Getting 200 became a difficult task when our big-hitters departed. That is very important to get the big hitters out of the game, you don't want them to bat 15 overs but want to get them in the powerplay," said Dhoni.
Man-of-the-match Warner said that he has learnt a lot in the last few years and his efforts paid off today.
"Tonight was my night, I have been practicing the switch hit a long time now in the nets. It paid off today. I have learnt a lot in the last few years, that has come through playing more four-day cricket back home," he said.
NSW captain Simon Katich heaped praise on Warner and said, "the way he batted was simply outstanding, he constructed his innings superbly."
source:agency
Manav Rachna International University, first North Indian University to introduce RFID Smart Degree Certificate
* RFID based Smart Degree Certificate are introduced for the 1st time in North India by Manav Rachna International University
* RFID is the robust verification mechanism established for the authenticity of the certificate
* RFID protects the credibility globally and value-based education system
* All higher valued certifications in terms of complexity, efforts to achieve and social contribution shall be made mandatory to use the Smart Certificate solution by relevant authorities
Faridabad, 5th October 2011: Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad introduced an RFID based Smart Degree Certificate for the 1st time in North India on its 1st convocation day recently at the campus. MRIU has adopted modern technology not only in enhancing the teaching learning experience but also providing academic credentials which are secured and authenticated.
RFID based smart degree certificate is tamper proof and ensures the integrity of the data written on the chip which is embedded in the certificate that looks like a conventional degree. There is a provision for biometric validity through finger prints of Left Hand Thumb and Right Hand Thumb and digital signature of the issuing authority as well as student concerned, which could be verified through a verification portal. The verification process includes visual verification, data verification and digital identity verification, all of which combined establish the authenticity of the academic credentials of the Graduate. Verification of the degree certificate may be done from a remote location. The RFID chip in the smart degree has read only features for the authorized persons and no data can be written on it once the University finally closes the option.
Speaking about the new initiative, Dr. O.P. Bhalla, Chancellor, MRIU, said, “Smart Certificate is an innovative certificate embedded with proof chip. The digital chip contains the information about the student details, the organization's details and the digitally encrypted signature of the certificate issuing authority. Adoption of smart degrees for the students will ensure that fake degree, if any, are detected by the employer / institution and all academic credentials of the students including continuous evaluation and term end evaluation are authentic and temper proof.”
The RFID label, which is placed on the university certificates, contains all the information required by the ministry for attestation and cuts down the large number of documents previously needed as well as the prolonged communication chain”, he further added.
The mechanism also provides for duplicate degree, as and when, the original degree is damaged or lost. If some errors creep in the data written on RFID chip and are duly verified, it is possible to issue a modified degree. In such case the previous degree will have to be returned to the University before new degree issues, but the previous degree will otherwise be cancelled in the database and degree verification / authentication shall depict the result that previous degree is no more valid. Hence, even if a student carries such degree, employer / institution would immediately know that it is not a valid degree.
“The Degree Certificate awarded by a University is an asset of prime importance in an individual’s life. Circulation of fake degree certificates is a menace to the society, and a threat to the integrity of both the certificate holder and the educational institution that has awarded the certificate. Hence, there is an urgent need for universities to adopt a process that can ensure
Security of information and authenticity of the certificate issued”, said Victor Gambhir, Pro Vice Chancellor, Manav Rachna International University.
MRIU's dedicated focus on Quality Education & comprehensive development of students under the visionary leadership of Chancellor Dr. O.P. Bhalla and the students to keep the MRIU flag flying high, with the professional work quality & contribution of the students to the society.
About Manav Rachna International University
Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI), founded in 1997, has grown to become one of the best education entity in the Country and have built a reputation for excellence in professional education and research. MREI now encompasses Manav Rachna International University, a deemed to be University under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, Manav Rachna College of Engineering, Manav Rachna Dental College, Faridabad Institute of Technology, M.R. College of Education, Manav Rachna International Schools with emphasis on employable technical and soft skills including communication, team building and leadership, positive attitude and belief in self. The focus at MREI is on all round personality development to enable the pass outs to face any global challenge. Reputed employers and academic experts are involved in development of competency base curriculum aimed at problem solving capabilities.
###
For further information, please contact:-
Anu Chawla / Bharat Joshi
9899965560 / 9811859775
* RFID is the robust verification mechanism established for the authenticity of the certificate
* RFID protects the credibility globally and value-based education system
* All higher valued certifications in terms of complexity, efforts to achieve and social contribution shall be made mandatory to use the Smart Certificate solution by relevant authorities
Faridabad, 5th October 2011: Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad introduced an RFID based Smart Degree Certificate for the 1st time in North India on its 1st convocation day recently at the campus. MRIU has adopted modern technology not only in enhancing the teaching learning experience but also providing academic credentials which are secured and authenticated.
RFID based smart degree certificate is tamper proof and ensures the integrity of the data written on the chip which is embedded in the certificate that looks like a conventional degree. There is a provision for biometric validity through finger prints of Left Hand Thumb and Right Hand Thumb and digital signature of the issuing authority as well as student concerned, which could be verified through a verification portal. The verification process includes visual verification, data verification and digital identity verification, all of which combined establish the authenticity of the academic credentials of the Graduate. Verification of the degree certificate may be done from a remote location. The RFID chip in the smart degree has read only features for the authorized persons and no data can be written on it once the University finally closes the option.
Speaking about the new initiative, Dr. O.P. Bhalla, Chancellor, MRIU, said, “Smart Certificate is an innovative certificate embedded with proof chip. The digital chip contains the information about the student details, the organization's details and the digitally encrypted signature of the certificate issuing authority. Adoption of smart degrees for the students will ensure that fake degree, if any, are detected by the employer / institution and all academic credentials of the students including continuous evaluation and term end evaluation are authentic and temper proof.”
The RFID label, which is placed on the university certificates, contains all the information required by the ministry for attestation and cuts down the large number of documents previously needed as well as the prolonged communication chain”, he further added.
The mechanism also provides for duplicate degree, as and when, the original degree is damaged or lost. If some errors creep in the data written on RFID chip and are duly verified, it is possible to issue a modified degree. In such case the previous degree will have to be returned to the University before new degree issues, but the previous degree will otherwise be cancelled in the database and degree verification / authentication shall depict the result that previous degree is no more valid. Hence, even if a student carries such degree, employer / institution would immediately know that it is not a valid degree.
“The Degree Certificate awarded by a University is an asset of prime importance in an individual’s life. Circulation of fake degree certificates is a menace to the society, and a threat to the integrity of both the certificate holder and the educational institution that has awarded the certificate. Hence, there is an urgent need for universities to adopt a process that can ensure
Security of information and authenticity of the certificate issued”, said Victor Gambhir, Pro Vice Chancellor, Manav Rachna International University.
MRIU's dedicated focus on Quality Education & comprehensive development of students under the visionary leadership of Chancellor Dr. O.P. Bhalla and the students to keep the MRIU flag flying high, with the professional work quality & contribution of the students to the society.
About Manav Rachna International University
Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI), founded in 1997, has grown to become one of the best education entity in the Country and have built a reputation for excellence in professional education and research. MREI now encompasses Manav Rachna International University, a deemed to be University under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, Manav Rachna College of Engineering, Manav Rachna Dental College, Faridabad Institute of Technology, M.R. College of Education, Manav Rachna International Schools with emphasis on employable technical and soft skills including communication, team building and leadership, positive attitude and belief in self. The focus at MREI is on all round personality development to enable the pass outs to face any global challenge. Reputed employers and academic experts are involved in development of competency base curriculum aimed at problem solving capabilities.
###
For further information, please contact:-
Anu Chawla / Bharat Joshi
9899965560 / 9811859775
20111004
BIG AIMS Launches State-of-the-Art Animation & VFX Film Making Academy in Mumbai
Mumbai: BIG AIMS (Animation Infotainment & Media School), a premier Animation and VFX Film Making Academy of Reliance Animation today announced the launch of its state of the art academy centre in Mumbai. The centre was inaugurated by Mr Jeetendra Kapoor, Chairman, Balaji Telefilms along with Mr PHL Soni, Franchisee Owner & Mr Ashish Kulkarni, CEO, Reliance Animation. Mumbai BIG AIMS centre is located at Pali Ram Road, Andheri West, opposite Andheri station.
The center is equpped with best in class indrastructure backed by BIG AIMS’s unmatched curriculum and highly industry experienced faculties. BIG AIMS, the education venture in the field of Animation and VFX Filmmaking from Reliance Animation, is already among the finest in the country with students pursuing some of the most extensive courses in the field of animation and VFX. The academy aims to bridge the gap between present Animation and VFX training methodologies by addressing the real needs of the industry. After launching centres in Delhi, Pune, Solapur, Chennai, Indore & Jaipur, this is BIG AIMS’s maiden venture in Mumbai.
Speaking on the launch of BIG AIMS in Mumbai, Ashish SK, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Animation said, “Mumbai is the epicenter of media and entertainment sector in India. We are extremely hapy to offer the young creative minds of the city a unique opportunity to make their mark in this creative industry of digital expression. India is fast emerging as the prospective global giant in the field of animation, gaming, VFX & comics and aspiring youngsters need to be prepared in every manner to handle the challenges of the industry at par with their global counterparts. We at BIG AIMS enable students to avail our superlative courses and specialized skill sets required to equip themselves to pursue a successful career in Animation and VFX Film Making.”
“At BIG AIMS each student is induced to the idea that they have entered the exciting and very creative film making and story-telling industry. The newly launched education centre will train students’ not only in software applications to become mere operators, but also they will learn the secrets of animation and VFX film making, hands on live action film making and effective story telling so that one day they can become accomplished creators of animation content. In an endeavour to prepare the aspiring youth for unmatched opportunities not only in the field of animation and VFX, but also in advertising, gaming, live action film making, comics and designing we are all set to open BIG AIMS learning centres across all regions in India,” concluded Mr Kulkarni.
The courses offered at BIG AIMS are Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Degree in Animation & Visual Effects Filmmaking along with BIG AIMS’s own certificate courses in Advanced Diploma in Animation Film Making, Advanced Diploma in VFX Film Making and specialized courses in Asset Master, Anim-Actor and Effects Master. The courses have been designed to harness best creative and technical talents in students. The wondrous world of animation and VFX film making is gradually introduced to students through BIG AIMS’s own case study based curriculum.
Every faculty at BIG AIMS is equipped with extensive production experience to their credit. The unique training methodology adopted by BIG AIMS has resulted in success stories with short film made by BIG AIMS students, winning the prestigious 3rd Cinema Today Short Film Award and making it to the final rounds of Nasik International Film Festival and Nagpur International Film Festival. A special screening for BIG AIMS’s student films was also organized at FTII International Film Festival.
BIG AIMS’s young animation and VFX film makers have been placed successfully in some of the renowned studios in the country like Accel Animation Studious, Fountain Pixel Animations, Prime Focus, Pixion, Prana Studios, Reliance Animation, Reliance Media Works, Side FX Entertainment, Ven Sat to name a few.
About BIG AIMS:
BIG AIMS, a premier animation and VFX film making academy of Reliance Animation, is part of Reliance Entertainment – the largest entertainment group in India. BIG AIMS focuses on the promising Indian animation with a believe that India as a nation is fast emerging as a global giant in the field of animation, getting ready to take the world by storm.
BIG AIMS has been incepted to bridge the gap between present training methodologies and answer the real professional needs of the animation, VFX filmmaking industry. In other words, BIG AIMS positions itself as an Academy that inculcates learning in the real-time production environment to equip the students to perform as per the demands of the industry from day one.
The center is equpped with best in class indrastructure backed by BIG AIMS’s unmatched curriculum and highly industry experienced faculties. BIG AIMS, the education venture in the field of Animation and VFX Filmmaking from Reliance Animation, is already among the finest in the country with students pursuing some of the most extensive courses in the field of animation and VFX. The academy aims to bridge the gap between present Animation and VFX training methodologies by addressing the real needs of the industry. After launching centres in Delhi, Pune, Solapur, Chennai, Indore & Jaipur, this is BIG AIMS’s maiden venture in Mumbai.
Speaking on the launch of BIG AIMS in Mumbai, Ashish SK, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Animation said, “Mumbai is the epicenter of media and entertainment sector in India. We are extremely hapy to offer the young creative minds of the city a unique opportunity to make their mark in this creative industry of digital expression. India is fast emerging as the prospective global giant in the field of animation, gaming, VFX & comics and aspiring youngsters need to be prepared in every manner to handle the challenges of the industry at par with their global counterparts. We at BIG AIMS enable students to avail our superlative courses and specialized skill sets required to equip themselves to pursue a successful career in Animation and VFX Film Making.”
“At BIG AIMS each student is induced to the idea that they have entered the exciting and very creative film making and story-telling industry. The newly launched education centre will train students’ not only in software applications to become mere operators, but also they will learn the secrets of animation and VFX film making, hands on live action film making and effective story telling so that one day they can become accomplished creators of animation content. In an endeavour to prepare the aspiring youth for unmatched opportunities not only in the field of animation and VFX, but also in advertising, gaming, live action film making, comics and designing we are all set to open BIG AIMS learning centres across all regions in India,” concluded Mr Kulkarni.
The courses offered at BIG AIMS are Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Degree in Animation & Visual Effects Filmmaking along with BIG AIMS’s own certificate courses in Advanced Diploma in Animation Film Making, Advanced Diploma in VFX Film Making and specialized courses in Asset Master, Anim-Actor and Effects Master. The courses have been designed to harness best creative and technical talents in students. The wondrous world of animation and VFX film making is gradually introduced to students through BIG AIMS’s own case study based curriculum.
Every faculty at BIG AIMS is equipped with extensive production experience to their credit. The unique training methodology adopted by BIG AIMS has resulted in success stories with short film made by BIG AIMS students, winning the prestigious 3rd Cinema Today Short Film Award and making it to the final rounds of Nasik International Film Festival and Nagpur International Film Festival. A special screening for BIG AIMS’s student films was also organized at FTII International Film Festival.
BIG AIMS’s young animation and VFX film makers have been placed successfully in some of the renowned studios in the country like Accel Animation Studious, Fountain Pixel Animations, Prime Focus, Pixion, Prana Studios, Reliance Animation, Reliance Media Works, Side FX Entertainment, Ven Sat to name a few.
About BIG AIMS:
BIG AIMS, a premier animation and VFX film making academy of Reliance Animation, is part of Reliance Entertainment – the largest entertainment group in India. BIG AIMS focuses on the promising Indian animation with a believe that India as a nation is fast emerging as a global giant in the field of animation, getting ready to take the world by storm.
BIG AIMS has been incepted to bridge the gap between present training methodologies and answer the real professional needs of the animation, VFX filmmaking industry. In other words, BIG AIMS positions itself as an Academy that inculcates learning in the real-time production environment to equip the students to perform as per the demands of the industry from day one.
Individual Efforts leave a legacy of direct social impact
It is interesting to see the journey made by Social responsibility in India, from being a mere cheque charity to a responsibility that is informed, analysed, and most importantly transparent & accountable. The emerging want for volunteering opportunities, increasing CSR departments in corporate and the urgent development goals, laws and regulations being instituted by governments and world institutions is reflective of the available wealth and willingness of the privileged world.
However this abundance in resources and drive for social change is omnipresent and urgently needs a connector the need and work at grassroots for a clear and direct impact. With the strong belief in Individual Social responsibility, Childreach international India has been sensitizing to bridge this positive urge and connecting it to the work at the grass roots to partake in the efforts to address the pressing needs in India.
Childreach International India is a part of the global organization working for Child Protection, Early Childhood Development, Child participation and Child rights in India with the vision “to create a world where every child reaches his/her full potential”. To drive the same to the optimum, they have also been ceaselessly driving outreach, sensitization and invite volunteers to directly get involved in the process of social development through its many programs.
Childreach International brings one of them - Futurebuild Program; an award winning, hands on experience that will see one travel to Childreach International India project sites and get involved for a life changing experience in the actual building or reconstruction of anything from a school classroom to a village water pump. This is the classic project where individuals, groups and corporate are able to leave a permanent legacy of social development.
A vital part of the Future Building Scheme is making sure that all the work carried out is done in partnership with the local community. Future building is a direct impact aiming towards sustainability of the project and hence most of the projects have been carefully selected to ensure that the project benefits more and more children over a longer period of time.
Although, expressions speak a lot but the actual experience of the Ega Partnership Group, UK in Childreach International’s Darjeeling project reflects the measurable, tangible and massive impact that 15 individuals have made to the lives of more than 300 children. The Rain water harvesting project , now complete, has brought solution to the expensive and massive water problems for the project, the environmental problems. Also included in the project was the betterment of classrooms, making them brighter, brought million dollar smiles to the children.
In another project, Carlson Group, India, joined hands with Childreach in their CSR initiative to provide for the infrastructural facilities for the destitute and street children. The future build program provided for the building of a Education centre – library, computer classes and innovative teaching-learning materials to enhance the interest – level and encourage the otherwise street-smart children into education and meaningful livelihood. Clean water facility, encouragement into good habits like sports, study, good language and money saving, and character building program has been instituted through counselling against social evils like pickpocketing, begging and violence.
This program has also proved vital to save lives in case of any natural disaster, calamities and even man-induced war situations. Childreach International India has been able to bring about stability in Leh, Ladhak after the devastation in 2010. The project has addressed the environmental and project sustainability through installation of Solar water facility and heating facility to the school touching more than 1000 children in Leh, where the temperature can reach up to -40 degress in the peak of winters.
A vital part of the project is making sure that all the work carried out is done so in partnership with the local community - a process central to the Childreach International mission. Speaking about the same, Naresh Chaudhary, Country Director, Childreach International India, said, “Futurebuilding is a direct impact aiming towards sustainability of the project and therefore most of the projects have been carefully selected to ensure that the projects benefit more and more children and community for a long period of time. I believe, we are able to mark it properly, so as to make many lives better and happy”.
About Childreach International India:
Childreach International India is a grass roots charity working in genuine partnership with local communities across India, improving children’s access to healthcare, education, child rights and protection. Childreach International India encourages children, families and communities to take responsibility of projects, becoming stakeholders able to provide sustainable solutions to the issues which matter to them, giving them the chance to shape their own futures. Childreach International India believes in creating a world where every child has the opportunity to unlock their full potential in life.
For further information, please visit to:
By: Creative Crest
4 Indian workers died in an explosion in Kuwait''s largest refinery
DUBAI, The four workers who died in an explosion in Kuwait''s largest refinery last week have been identified as Indian nationals from Tamil Nadu.
The Indian embassy confirmed today that all the four workers who lost their lives in the refinery accident on Saturday were Indians.
The victims have been identified as Rajaram Lakshmaiah Reddy, Lognathan Ponnaiah Senthivel, Janakiraman Arjunan and Sivachandran Shanmugam.
The workers were killed and two other employees injured in a gas pipe explosion at Kuwait''s largest refinery of Mina Al-Ahmadi.
The explosion took place at the Gas Liquefaction Plant at the refinery during maintenance works, Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) said in a statement.
The Embassy said its officials were in contact with the employer of the deceased for completing the necessary formalities for airlifting their mortal remains to India.
Reports suggest the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
The refinery is said to be continuing its operations as usual.
Mina al-Ahmadi is the largest of three refineries in Kuwait with a refining capacity of over 460,000 barrels per day.
source:agency
The Indian embassy confirmed today that all the four workers who lost their lives in the refinery accident on Saturday were Indians.
The victims have been identified as Rajaram Lakshmaiah Reddy, Lognathan Ponnaiah Senthivel, Janakiraman Arjunan and Sivachandran Shanmugam.
The workers were killed and two other employees injured in a gas pipe explosion at Kuwait''s largest refinery of Mina Al-Ahmadi.
The explosion took place at the Gas Liquefaction Plant at the refinery during maintenance works, Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) said in a statement.
The Embassy said its officials were in contact with the employer of the deceased for completing the necessary formalities for airlifting their mortal remains to India.
Reports suggest the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
The refinery is said to be continuing its operations as usual.
Mina al-Ahmadi is the largest of three refineries in Kuwait with a refining capacity of over 460,000 barrels per day.
source:agency
England cricket team arrived for a five-match ODI series against India
HYDERABAD: The England cricket team, led by Alastair Cook, arrived on Tuesday for a five-match ODI series and a one-off Twenty20 international against India.
The England squad arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and left for a city hotel.
The ODI series will begin in Hyderabad on October 14 while the other matches will be played in Delhi (October 17), Mohali (October 20), Mumbai (October 23) and Kolkata (October 25).
The one-off Twenty20 match will be played in Kolkata on October 29.
England are also scheduled to play two warm-up games on Saturday and on October 11 at Gymkhana ground in Hyderabad.
source:agency
The England squad arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and left for a city hotel.
The ODI series will begin in Hyderabad on October 14 while the other matches will be played in Delhi (October 17), Mohali (October 20), Mumbai (October 23) and Kolkata (October 25).
The one-off Twenty20 match will be played in Kolkata on October 29.
England are also scheduled to play two warm-up games on Saturday and on October 11 at Gymkhana ground in Hyderabad.
source:agency
Britain: All foreign doctors will have to clear a mandatory English language test
LONDON: All foreign doctors, including Indian medics, will have to clear a mandatory English language test before they are allowed to practice in Britain, and work in the National Health Service, under a new proposal mulled by the country's government, a media report said.
According to the proposal, the foreign doctors will have to prove they can speak a good level of English for working in the UK, and the General Medical Council is to also get powers to take action over concerns about an overseas medic's ability to speak the language, the 'Daily Express' reported.
"There is considerable anxiety among the public about the ability of doctors to speak English properly. After 13 years of inaction from Labour to tighten up language controls, we will amend the legislation to prevent all foreign doctors with a poor grasp of English from working in England.
"If you can't speak adequate English, you can't treat patients," UK's health secretary Andrew Lansley was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
The proposal will ensure patients are treated by doctors who they understand and who understand them. It comes in the wake of widespread concern that many patients are struggling to make themselves understood by foreign-born doctors in the hospitals, clinics and surgeries, the report said.
Up to 1,500 foreigners working as general practitioners may not have taken English tests, according to research last year.
source:agency
According to the proposal, the foreign doctors will have to prove they can speak a good level of English for working in the UK, and the General Medical Council is to also get powers to take action over concerns about an overseas medic's ability to speak the language, the 'Daily Express' reported.
"There is considerable anxiety among the public about the ability of doctors to speak English properly. After 13 years of inaction from Labour to tighten up language controls, we will amend the legislation to prevent all foreign doctors with a poor grasp of English from working in England.
"If you can't speak adequate English, you can't treat patients," UK's health secretary Andrew Lansley was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
The proposal will ensure patients are treated by doctors who they understand and who understand them. It comes in the wake of widespread concern that many patients are struggling to make themselves understood by foreign-born doctors in the hospitals, clinics and surgeries, the report said.
Up to 1,500 foreigners working as general practitioners may not have taken English tests, according to research last year.
source:agency
20111003
Pearl Academy of Fashion organizes Annual Sports Meet
Delhi: Pearl Academy of Fashion (PAF) celebrated its annual Sports Meet at Harinagar Sports Complex with an aim to integrate the goodwill and fellowship spirit among students, faculties and staff members. The meet included formal competition in a variety of team and individual sports and activities, where students from PAF came together in the true spirit of sportsmanship.
Addressing the participants from different programmes Mr AKG Nair, Director, Pearl Academy of Fashion said, “The Academy always encourages fostering attributes such as unity, friendship, progress, harmony and participation among its pupils, faculties as well as staff members. Sports is one of the greatest unifiers and helps break down traditional boundaries. There should be a perfect balance between work and other important activities and a consistent schedule for the extracurricular activities is equally important.”
This year the sports meet included team games like cricket, kho-kho, tug-of-war, three legged race, pithu, sack race and lemon spoon race to reflect the importance the institute gives to both its home grown games as well as international events.
Pearl Academy of Fashion organized the sports meet in line with their goal to promote sports and sportsmen, thus boosting academy’s graduates, undergraduates, faculties and staff to participate in sports, share ideas and decipher the meaning of bonding and thus take sports in India to greater heights.
About Pearl Academy of Fashion:
Pearl Academy of Fashion was founded in 1993. It is a leading fashion and design education institute in India. Graduates of the Academy are highly sought after in the fashion and design industry, and a number of PAF alumni are in key positions at leading design houses and fashion companies worldwide. The Academy takes pride in its high caliber faculty, outstanding track record in student exchange, international networking and placements. Pearl Academy has three campuses located in Delhi, Jaipur and Chennai.
The institution’s website can be found at: www.pearlacademy.com
Addressing the participants from different programmes Mr AKG Nair, Director, Pearl Academy of Fashion said, “The Academy always encourages fostering attributes such as unity, friendship, progress, harmony and participation among its pupils, faculties as well as staff members. Sports is one of the greatest unifiers and helps break down traditional boundaries. There should be a perfect balance between work and other important activities and a consistent schedule for the extracurricular activities is equally important.”
This year the sports meet included team games like cricket, kho-kho, tug-of-war, three legged race, pithu, sack race and lemon spoon race to reflect the importance the institute gives to both its home grown games as well as international events.
Pearl Academy of Fashion organized the sports meet in line with their goal to promote sports and sportsmen, thus boosting academy’s graduates, undergraduates, faculties and staff to participate in sports, share ideas and decipher the meaning of bonding and thus take sports in India to greater heights.
About Pearl Academy of Fashion:
Pearl Academy of Fashion was founded in 1993. It is a leading fashion and design education institute in India. Graduates of the Academy are highly sought after in the fashion and design industry, and a number of PAF alumni are in key positions at leading design houses and fashion companies worldwide. The Academy takes pride in its high caliber faculty, outstanding track record in student exchange, international networking and placements. Pearl Academy has three campuses located in Delhi, Jaipur and Chennai.
The institution’s website can be found at: www.pearlacademy.com
Dr. J J Irani speaks at IIM Indore’s 12th Foundation Day
Indian Institute of Management Indore marked the celebration of its 12th Foundation Day through a series of events on October 2-3, 2011. First in the series was the inauguaration of IIM Indore’s Sports Complex by Shri L.N. Jhunjhunwala, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Indore followed by feliciation of IIM Indore’s employees who have been contributing to the sustained growth and development of the Institute for the past 10 years and staging of Asghar Wajahat’s popular Hindi play- Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya ("One who has not seen Lahore").
Dr. Jamshed J Irani, popularly known as Dr. J J Irani shared his vast corporate experiene in his thought provoking lecture on the theme Corporate Governance through the lens of an Indian Corporate.
Dr. Irani spent over four decades with Tata Steel and turned a weary workforce into an enviable asset and a tired company into an absolute winner. A board level director with several companies as well as institutions and trade bodies, Dr. Irani, a steel and metals industry veteran, was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2007.
He said that good corporate governance would ensure the credibility of any company and was happy to note that more and more companies in India are now adopting to good governance practices. While narrating several examples that he experienced while he was with Tatas and other industrial bodies, Dr. Irani suggested the following measures to improve corporate governance in the country:
* The corporates should improve their own codes of governance and individuals with doubtful track records should be sidelined.
* The offices of Chairman and CEO should be separated.
* Actively seek to appoint “Non-Compliant” Independent Directors to the Board, preferably through a “Nominations Committee” of the Board (comprising largely of Independent Directors). Similarly appointment of Statutory Auditor would be through the Audit Committee of the Board.
* Encourage Independent Directors to meet among themselves and convey their views to the Management, either individually or through a “Lead Director”.
* Seek a law which would protect the Independent Directors so that eminent persons of good repute do not hesitate to join Corporate Boards through fear of biased/unfair persecution.
* Make the Internal Audit function as independent as possible (The Chief of Internal Audit to report to the Chairman of the Audit Committee).
* Encourage the Board’s Audit Committee (Composed entirely of Independent Directors) to function effectively and efficiently. The CEO should not be a regular member and may be summoned to attend whenever required.
* The Industry Associations (like CII, FICCI etc) should express their disapproval of an “inappropriate development” not only through statements, but by acting against their defaulting member more effectively (e.g. suspension of membership). ‘Peer pressure’ is a very effective deterrent to “potential defaulters”.
* Encourage a confidential “Whistle Blower” policy/system.
* Discourage the building up of a “nexus” between the Top Management and the Political set up.
About 700 people attended Dr. Irani’s lecture which included students, faculty, staff members and guests.
The two-days long Foundation Day celeberation was concluded with a dance programme on "Paramparik Kathak - Navrang" by Kartik Kala Academy reflecting different shades of classical music.
For further details, please contact:
Akhtar Parvez
Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Prabandh Shikhar
Rau-Pithampur Road
Indore - 453 331
Phone: +91-731-2439626; 2439666
Mobile: +91-7389906902
Dr. Jamshed J Irani, popularly known as Dr. J J Irani shared his vast corporate experiene in his thought provoking lecture on the theme Corporate Governance through the lens of an Indian Corporate.
Dr. Irani spent over four decades with Tata Steel and turned a weary workforce into an enviable asset and a tired company into an absolute winner. A board level director with several companies as well as institutions and trade bodies, Dr. Irani, a steel and metals industry veteran, was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2007.
He said that good corporate governance would ensure the credibility of any company and was happy to note that more and more companies in India are now adopting to good governance practices. While narrating several examples that he experienced while he was with Tatas and other industrial bodies, Dr. Irani suggested the following measures to improve corporate governance in the country:
* The corporates should improve their own codes of governance and individuals with doubtful track records should be sidelined.
* The offices of Chairman and CEO should be separated.
* Actively seek to appoint “Non-Compliant” Independent Directors to the Board, preferably through a “Nominations Committee” of the Board (comprising largely of Independent Directors). Similarly appointment of Statutory Auditor would be through the Audit Committee of the Board.
* Encourage Independent Directors to meet among themselves and convey their views to the Management, either individually or through a “Lead Director”.
* Seek a law which would protect the Independent Directors so that eminent persons of good repute do not hesitate to join Corporate Boards through fear of biased/unfair persecution.
* Make the Internal Audit function as independent as possible (The Chief of Internal Audit to report to the Chairman of the Audit Committee).
* Encourage the Board’s Audit Committee (Composed entirely of Independent Directors) to function effectively and efficiently. The CEO should not be a regular member and may be summoned to attend whenever required.
* The Industry Associations (like CII, FICCI etc) should express their disapproval of an “inappropriate development” not only through statements, but by acting against their defaulting member more effectively (e.g. suspension of membership). ‘Peer pressure’ is a very effective deterrent to “potential defaulters”.
* Encourage a confidential “Whistle Blower” policy/system.
* Discourage the building up of a “nexus” between the Top Management and the Political set up.
About 700 people attended Dr. Irani’s lecture which included students, faculty, staff members and guests.
The two-days long Foundation Day celeberation was concluded with a dance programme on "Paramparik Kathak - Navrang" by Kartik Kala Academy reflecting different shades of classical music.
For further details, please contact:
Akhtar Parvez
Indian Institute of Management, Indore
Prabandh Shikhar
Rau-Pithampur Road
Indore - 453 331
Phone: +91-731-2439626; 2439666
Mobile: +91-7389906902
India's August exports rose 44.25 per cent to $24.3 billion
NEW DELHI: India's August exports rose 44.25 per cent to $24.3 billion from a year earlier, while imports for the month rose 41.82 per cent to $38.4 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $14 billion, government data showed.
Exports between April and August rose 54.2 per cent to $134.5 billion, data showed on Monday, while oil imports in August rose 48.72 per cent to $10.28 billion.
Indian exporters enjoyed record growth in the last fiscal year and have notched robust growth in recent months, buoyed by demand for the country's cars, petroleum products and precious stones.
However, economic turbulence in the United States and Europe, India's top sales destinations, has prompted trade ministry warnings of a slowdown in export growth for the remainder of the fiscal year ending March 2012.
source:reuters
Exports between April and August rose 54.2 per cent to $134.5 billion, data showed on Monday, while oil imports in August rose 48.72 per cent to $10.28 billion.
Indian exporters enjoyed record growth in the last fiscal year and have notched robust growth in recent months, buoyed by demand for the country's cars, petroleum products and precious stones.
However, economic turbulence in the United States and Europe, India's top sales destinations, has prompted trade ministry warnings of a slowdown in export growth for the remainder of the fiscal year ending March 2012.
source:reuters
Sapper Shanti Tigga ,first woman jawan joined the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of the Territorial Army
NEW DELHI: Outperforming her male counterparts in the physical tests, 35-year-old Sapper Shanti Tigga joined the 969 Railway Engineer Regiment of the Territorial Army . A mother of two, she is the first woman jawan.
"Women are allowed to join the armed forces only as officers in the non-combat units. But Tigga has earned the distinction of being the first lady jawan in the 1.3 million strong defence forces," a senior army officer said.
"She performed exceedingly well in all the physical tests. She took five seconds less than her male counterparts to complete 1.5-km run. She completed the 50 meter run in 12 seconds which is rated as excellent," he said. Tigga also impressed her recruiters with her firing skills and was adjudged as the best trainee.
Employed with the railways as points-man posted in West Bengal, Tigga volunteered for the TA last year. "I joined railways in 2005 on compensatory ground after my husband passed away. Last year, I learnt about TA railways and I volunteered for it," Tigga said.
source:agency
"Women are allowed to join the armed forces only as officers in the non-combat units. But Tigga has earned the distinction of being the first lady jawan in the 1.3 million strong defence forces," a senior army officer said.
"She performed exceedingly well in all the physical tests. She took five seconds less than her male counterparts to complete 1.5-km run. She completed the 50 meter run in 12 seconds which is rated as excellent," he said. Tigga also impressed her recruiters with her firing skills and was adjudged as the best trainee.
Employed with the railways as points-man posted in West Bengal, Tigga volunteered for the TA last year. "I joined railways in 2005 on compensatory ground after my husband passed away. Last year, I learnt about TA railways and I volunteered for it," Tigga said.
source:agency
Government is ready to start parleys with Taliban :Yousuf Raza Gilani
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government is ready to start parleys with Taliban, but evaded questions whether the reconciliation would include the Haqqani faction.
For the first time, Gilani dropped his earlier pre-condition of militants giving up arms before any talks, but warned that if the parleys fail to work, the military will launch operations in the tribal areas.
"If negotiations fail to work, the government will launch military operations in the tribal areas," he told a small group of journalists at his residence in Lahore last night.
Gilani provided details about how the talks would be conducted for the first time, days after a meeting of Pakistan's political parties called for peace talks to end unrest in the militancy-hit tribal belt.
"We will not ask them (militants) to disarm before the negotiations since this is against the tribal culture. However, the political agents (government administrators in the tribal regions) will ask them to decommission themselves," he was quoted as saying in media reports today.
The proposed talks will be monitored by a parliamentary committee to ensure transparency and civilian oversight of the process, he said. "We want to give peace a chance now...The national interest is above everything, we will give people a chance to reconcile."
Asked whether the Haqqani network - blamed by the US for high-profile terror attacks in Afghanistan - would be part of the reconciliation, Gilani evaded a direct answer and said a parliamentary committee would implement resolutions passed on such issues by parliament and the All Parties Conference (APC) that was held on September 29.
source:agency
For the first time, Gilani dropped his earlier pre-condition of militants giving up arms before any talks, but warned that if the parleys fail to work, the military will launch operations in the tribal areas.
"If negotiations fail to work, the government will launch military operations in the tribal areas," he told a small group of journalists at his residence in Lahore last night.
Gilani provided details about how the talks would be conducted for the first time, days after a meeting of Pakistan's political parties called for peace talks to end unrest in the militancy-hit tribal belt.
"We will not ask them (militants) to disarm before the negotiations since this is against the tribal culture. However, the political agents (government administrators in the tribal regions) will ask them to decommission themselves," he was quoted as saying in media reports today.
The proposed talks will be monitored by a parliamentary committee to ensure transparency and civilian oversight of the process, he said. "We want to give peace a chance now...The national interest is above everything, we will give people a chance to reconcile."
Asked whether the Haqqani network - blamed by the US for high-profile terror attacks in Afghanistan - would be part of the reconciliation, Gilani evaded a direct answer and said a parliamentary committee would implement resolutions passed on such issues by parliament and the All Parties Conference (APC) that was held on September 29.
source:agency
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