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Endhiran New Stills

RBI had sharply reversed its monetary stance

Dr Subbarao also said that the sudden and rapid expansion of government borrowing programme has impeded monetary transmission. Last year, the final net government borrowing was two-and-a-half times the Budget Estimate. This year’s budgeted borrowing is going to be at least a third higher than that. “The intent behind RBI’s monetary easing was to encourage banks to reduce lending rates and maintain the flow of credit to the productive sectors. But government borrowing had resulted in firming up of yields, notwithstanding the substantial excess liquidity, militating against the low interest rate regime that we want,” he said. Delicate balance Dr Subbarao said that the RBI will this year again have to manage the delicate balance between government borrowing and maintaining ample liquidity to meet the demand for private credit as it picks up in the months ahead. “We will follow the same open, transparent and consultative process as we did last year,” he said. Following the full outbreak of the global financial crisis in September 2008, the RBI had sharply reversed its monetary stance from ‘tightenting’ to ‘easing’. The monetary stimulus came through a sharp reduction in the policy interest rates and the cash reserve ratio, reduced pre-emption of bank resources through the statutory liquidity ratio and expansion of refinance facilities for banks, some of which were sector specific. The potential liquidity made available by the RBI as a result of these measures amounted to Rs 5,60,000 crore, or nearly 9 per cent of GDP.


For further details visit as : www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/08/01/stories/2009080151630600.htm

Yahoo Inc is considering developing new real-time search capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc is considering developing new real-time search capabilities, even as it outsources its existing Internet search technology to Microsoft Corp. Yahoo's Prabhakar Raghavan, head of Yahoo Labs, said that the company could potentially "mine" messages from Twitter, the popular microblogging service, to offer Web surfers search results beyond those offered by Microsoft's Bing. Bing is the Microsoft search engine that is to provide Yahoo's standard search results, under the terms of a long-awaited partnership announced this week. [ID:nLU412795] "I've always held that the interesting thing of Tweets is not necessarily searching them but mining them. So we could real-time mine them, then assemble what we mine into the search engine," said Raghavan in an interview with Reuters on Friday. By "mining" the data, Yahoo could offer search results far beyond a simple list of comments on Web sites, for instance, but instead could analyze data and group results by criteria ranging from topic to geography. While Raghavan stressed that he was not "pre-announcing" any product plans, he said his comments were intended to paint a picture of some of the things that Yahoo is considering in its new form.

For further details visit as : www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE57000F20090801

Former philippines president Aquino was died

MANILA — Former Philippines president Corazon Aquino, whose "People Power" revolution toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy to the nation, died on Saturday after a battle with colon cancer. "Cory" Aquino was propelled into the political spotlight in 1986, leading millions of Filipinos in protests against the corrupt regime of Marcos, who jailed thousands of dissidents during his brutal 20-year regime. As people across the Catholic nation woke to the news, President Gloria Arroyo declared a 10-day period of mourning for Aquino, whom she praised as a "national treasure." Aquino's family announced her death early Saturday. "Our mother peacefully passed away at 3:18 am, August 1, 2009 of cardio-respiratory arrest," Senator Benigno Aquino Jr, said in a statement outside the Makati Medical Centre in Manila, where his mother had been hospitalised. "She would have wanted us to thank each and every one of you for all the prayers and the continuous love and support," he said. "It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for the country," Aquino said. Arroyo, in the United States on an official visit, said: "Aquino led a revolution that restored democracy and the rule of law to our nation at a time of great peril." Former aide and press secretary Teodoro Locsin, who is also a close family friend, openly wept on television.


For further details visit as : www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i8_59bRNhn941vTee3KRN_AwI1DQ

New Delhi removed pressure on Islamabad

NEW DELHI: The Opposition parties on Friday said the government’s stand that it took forward the Atal Bihari Vajpayee legacy vis-À-vis Pakistan was to cover up its “monumental lapse,” even as External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna reiterated that New Delhi pursued an independent foreign policy. Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the working of his Ministry, Mr. Krishna emphasised that no progress in dialogue with Pakistan was possible in an atmosphere vitiated by violence or threat to use violence. The India-Pakistan joint statement, he said, encapsulated this view. The Minister disagreed with the BJP’s charge that New Delhi removed pressure on Islamabad to act against terror. “While opposing the government, let us not give more credence to what others say over what the Prime Minister and our own government have formally stated. We are not here to question each others’ motives. We are united against terrorism period,” he said. In his nearly 50-minute response, Mr. Krishna outlined the contours of the foreign policy, engagement with India’s neighbours, different groupings and regions, the Look-East policy, view on the Israel-Palestine issue, and specific issues, including steps being taken by Australia to address the students attacks problem. Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said, “In an exercise to aim damage control, an argument has now been advanced that it is a continuation of the line followed by [the former Prime Minister] Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Now it is sought to be used to cover up their own lapse.”

For futher details visit as : www.hindu.com/2009/08/01/stories/2009080161021000.htm

Kolkata police is gearing up to implement

The Kolkata police is gearing up to implement a ban imposed by the Calcutta High Court on over 15-year-old commercial and transport vehicles from Saturday in the metropolis. The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant an interim stay on the High Court order. "We will implement the order of the honourable High Court and not allow any 15-year-old commercial vehicle to ply in the city," Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner in charge of headquarter Jawed Shamim told PTI in Kolkata. Bengal Bus Syndicate president Swarnakamal Saha said his association, which controls over 60 per cent of private buses in the city, would not run 15-year-old buses as per the court order. "Only those buses which are less than this age would be plying from today," he said. Earlier, some of the leaders of the bus owner associations had taken a defiant stand and said that buses less than 15-year-old would also not ply if older buses were seized from today.


For further details visit as : http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=4ae94585-b1fd-47c4-aaed-d402a30a249c&Headline=Kolkata+police+gears+up+to+implement+vehicle+ban+order+

Australia since a spate of attacks on Indian students

This will be the first high-level visit from India to Australia since a spate of attacks on Indian students studying in that country began over a month ago, creating outrage in India and the diaspora community Down Under. Krishna will meet his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith and call on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to discuss a range of issues, including the recent attacks on Indian students that has put an otherwise growing relationship under strain. "He will visit Sydney and Melbourne to hear first-hand, about the problems being faced by Indian students and will discuss the matter of their safety and security with the state leadership," the external affairs ministry said here Friday ahead of Krishna's visit. He will "also apprise himself of the measures put in place, in this regard, by the Australian law enforcement agencies" and meet prominent members of the Indian community and Indian students, the ministry said. He will also participate in the Annual Post Forum Dialogue Meeting of the 16-nation Pacific Island Forum (PIF), at which India is a dialogue partner, in Cairns in northeast Australia.

For further details visit as : www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=c08a5321-c9e0-409a-b554-c7d3e8479b49&Headline=Krishna+heads+to+Australia+on+August+6+to+take+stock

Pakistan till it stopped exporting terror

NEW DELHI : Continuing with its attack on the Manmohan Singh government for the Sharm-El-Sheikh joint statement, BJP on Friday brought the prime minister in its firing line, blaming him for leading India to a position of weakness in its negotiations with Pakistan. Confronted with a barrage of criticism from the entire Opposition, and also from within Congress, the government on Friday repeated what it told the Lok Sabha on Thursday — that the Sharm-El-Sheikh joint statement had been buried completely, and there could be no negotiations with Pakistan till it stopped exporting terror. “Any meaningful dialogue with Pakistan can only follow the concrete fulfilment of their commitments not to allow their territory to be used for terrorist activities against India,”external affairs minister S M Krishna told the Rajya Sabha this afternoon in his reply to the debate on his ministry’s working. The government had earlier come under all-round flak for agreeing to the Sharm-El-Sheikh joint statement, described as a “monumental lapse’’ by leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. Participating in the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the working of the external affairs ministry, the BJP leader charged the prime minister and his team of negotiators with reversing the foreign policy that has consistently been pursued by India so far. He was particularly harsh on the prime minister, accusing him of being “alarmist”. “You try and alarm the country with a new argument that there are only two options available — it’s either a dialogue or a war. The moment the prime minister limits his options to dialogue or war, he brings India to a position of weakness because the other alternative is war. And when you come down to a position of weakness and start negotiating, it is dialogue irrespective of terror,’’ the Opposition leader argued.

For further details visit as : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Sharm-ki-baat-keeps-rocking-House/articleshow/4844106.cms

Sri Lanka's veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas insists his international career

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas insists his international career is not over despite retiring from Test cricket and finding himself dumped from the limited-overs game. The left-armer, 35, ended his Test career at the end of the three-match series against Pakistan on Friday, saying he was still keen to play One-day and Twenty20 cricket till the 2011 World Cup. The selectors, however, did not pick Vaas in the 15-man squad for the upcoming five-match One-day series against Pakistan starting in the central town of Dambulla on July 30. "I will be back soon," Vaas said at a farewell media conference after his last Test, the 111th in a 15-year career in which he claimed 355 wickets at an average of 29.58. "I have not played One-day cricket for 11 months and during that time all the young fast bowlers have played very well and grabbed the opportunities with both hands. "I am going to work hard to fight for my place."


For further details visit as : /timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sri-Lankas-Vaas-denies-he-was-forced-to-retire-/articleshow/4818468.cms

Ian Bell is set to return to England's

LONDON: Ian Bell is set to return to England's Test team next week at his Edgbaston home ground after star batsman Kevin Pietersen was ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series with an Achilles problem. Bell, 27, may have been out for a duck against Hampshire on Friday, in a match where he only made seven in the first innings, but he has long been regarded as the 'next man in line' should England need to alter their batting line-up. The Warwickshire batsman was included in the squads, but not picked for the final XI, in both of the first two Tests against Australia. England are currently 1-0 up in the series, following a draw in Cardiff and their 115-run win at Lord's last week. They are due to announce a 13-man squad on Sunday for the third Test of the five-match series and England national selector Geoff Miller paved the way for Bell's return by saying Friday the extra two places were likely to be taken by additional bowlers, rather than batsmen. Bell played the last of his 46 Tests against the West Indies in Jamaica in February but was dropped after a run of low scores, with Ravi Bopara taking over in England's problem position of No 3.


For further details visit as : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bell-set-for-England-recall-/articleshow/4818467.cms

The federal government is proposing to reward whistleblowers

The federal government is proposing to reward whistleblowers who could provide credible information on spurious drugs. India’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday announced a new policy to reward “whistle blowers” providing information on manufacture of such drugs. Replying to a discussion initiated by Brinda Karat (CPI–M), on the working of his Ministry, he said a “whistle blower” scheme, under which anyone who provided information about the manufacture of spurious drugs would be given rewards ranging from Rs. 2 to 20 lakh, was on the anvil. “We expect lot of people, including labourers working in such units, to come forward to provide information without disclosing their identity.”The reward will be given only when there confirmation of the seizure of spurious drugs, cosmetics and medical devices by the designated officers of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). According to the proposal, once fake drugs are seized, the government will engage senior advocates who have sufficient experience of such cases to help punish the guilty. To ensure speedy trials, these cases will be filed before designated special courts set up for the purpose of drugs related issues, as per the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Drug Controller General of India will be the nodal officer who will oversee functioning of the reward scheme.

For futher details visit as : www.medindia.net/news/Spurious-Drugs-Whistleblowers-to-be-Rewarded-In-India-55139-1.htm

How many people have the H1N1 swine flu virus? Do you know ?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World health officials have given up trying to count how many people have the H1N1 swine flu virus, saying the best they can do is estimate the spread of the "unstoppable" virus. But on Friday, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined even to hazard a guess, saying it was "more than a million." Why not? Because officials do not have the tools they need to count. "Most people who have respiratory illnesses don't find out exactly what caused it. Even most people with influenza don't know exactly which type of influenza caused their illness," Schuchat told reporters. Diagnostic tests for influenza are not very good. In fact, swine flu is often suspected when a patient's instant in-office flu test comes up unreadable. "I think that we all know the diagnostics we have, have limitations," Robin Robinson, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told flu vaccine experts meeting this week. "I think we would all agree that there is a need to have improved point-of-care diagnostic testing," said pediatrician Dr. John Modlin, who chairs the vaccine committee that advises the Food and Drug Administration.

For further details visit as : www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE56N6C620090724

Delhi won’t resume the composite dialogue in a hurry

Despite the let’s-get-talking tone of the India- Pakistan joint statement, Delhi won’t resume the composite dialogue in a hurry. Pakistani action so far – a few arrests, and charge sheets against some terrorists – isn’t enough for any substantive dialogue to begin. And even after Pakistan shows results, India might push for a format different from the composite dialogue which was suspended after the Mumbai terror attacks. That’s the message that the government will try to put out when it faces a debate in Parliament on July 29 on the joint statement. The statement, issued after the Prime Ministers of the two countries met on the margins of the NAM summit in Egypt, was seen as a climbdown. "Both Prime Ministers recognise that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process," the July 16 statement said. Trying to contain the fallout, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already told Parliament that the "starting point" for any "meaningful dialogue" still remains fulfilment by Pakistan of its anti-terror commitments. The government also insists now that the crucial paragraph in the statement is being "misread". What India "meant" was that Pakistan should not wait for the resumption of dialogue before taking action against terrorists. The government spin right now is that India has begun a "limited dialogue process", focusing largely on terror. The two foreign secretaries will continue to meet till it develops into something more substantive. Sources say there is skepticism about going back to the old composite dialogue format, which was based on the premise that it would be held in a violence-free atmosphere.

For further details visit as: www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=India+not+to+resume+composite+dialogue+in+hurry&artid=mEx44fKqES0=&SectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&MainSectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&SEO=NAM,+Manmohan+Singh&SectionName=pWehHe7IsSU=

Pakistani media alleging India's involvement

In reply to reports coming in Pakistani media alleging India's involvement in Balochistan, government sources have told a national TV news channel that such reports are absolutely false and misleading. On Wednesday, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper had published a report claiming that a dossier was handed over to India when Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt during NAM summit. The alleged dossier reportedly gave details of the involvement of RAW in Balochistan and hinting at a RAW hand in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in March, 2009.



Source :http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=Cricket&id=b98cf2b4-d74c-4155-be7b-afd6de984667&Headline=India+has+not+received+Pak+dossier+Govt

Lawmakers pass health care reform legislation

Forestville resident Gretchen Jones retired in 2001, and while she can afford her current health care plan, she said she has concerns about whether she will be able to maintain her plan if federal lawmakers pass health care reform legislation. "I'm lucky now — I don't take a lot of medication, but if I do, can I afford it?" said Jones, 62. "I don't want anyone to tell me what physicians I have to go to." On Monday, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) held his first health care Town Hall meeting at Prince George's Community College in Largo to hear Prince George's County residents' concerns, dispel myths and share information about the current status of health care reform. Other Town Hall meetings are planned to be held across the state. Affordable and adequate health care is a central concern to county residents, where the high number of uninsured patients has put the county's public hospital system in debt for more than a decade. Residents seemed mixed in their support for or against health care reform. "Make no mistake — health care is a priority of the Obama administration [and] of the Congress," Cardin said to the nearly 500 people in attendance. "The first thing that needs to be fixed is the 46 million [people] without health care in the U.S."

For further details visit as : www.gazette.net/stories/07232009/largnew175832_32529.shtml

Region with health insurance protection they deserve

Legazpi City (23 July) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) regional office here has set a target to universally cover at least 85 percent of the population of Bicol region with health insurance protection they deserve. Orlando Iñigo, Jr., PhilHealth Bicol regional vice president, stated the agency is geared towards ensuring all Bicolanos be covered by social health insurance in accordance with the principles of universality and compulsory coverage as mandated by RA 7875 or The National Health Insurance Act of 1995 and RA 9241. Iñigo said "this tall order is now what PhilHealth is hoping to accomplish on its way to the agency's 15th year anniversary in 2010." He added PhilHealth Bicol recognizes its vital role in accomplishing the agency's mandate, organizing its marketing team ready to speed up enrollment, and a manpower pool that will efficiently deliver public service. He said the PhilHealth Bicol is equipped with all its armors driven towards universal coverage. Iñigo further related Albay province as of April 30 this year has a total number of 281,258 enrolled members, including employees from the government and private sectors, to PhilHealth's programs such as Sponsored Program, Individually Paying Program, Lifetime Member Program and the Overseas Workers Program. "This figure is actually 138.3 per cent of the total baseline set for the province's enrolment," he said. Records also show Sorsogon province follows the uptrend to universal coverage is covering a total number of 101,016 members for all the programs, that is, 92.1 per cent of the 109,656 potential members in the province. Meanwhile, the island province of Catanduanes already covers around 90 per cent of its population with social health insurance, ensuring 32,123 Catandungeños and their dependents. On the other hand, Camarines Norte has an enrollment that covers 78 per cent of its population which is translated as 68,185 members plus their dependents who can enjoy the PhilHealth benefits.

For further details visit as : www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p090723.htm&no=60

President Barack Obama's proposed health care-reform bill

While President Barack Obama's proposed health care-reform bill is still a work in progress, a new study is already anticipating how many millions of Americans could be covered under the act if passed. A nonprofit organization called Families USA released a study Tuesday that breaks down how many people in each state would gain coverage as a result of the bill passing. The study used census data from 2006 and 2007 to determine how many uninsured people resided in each state. According to the study, about 664,000 people in New Jersey could gain insurance under the plan by 2013, with more than a million gaining insurance by 2019. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would add coverage for 23 million Americans by 2013 and 37 million by 2019. "Clearly, every state small or large has a great deal to gain," said Kim Bailey, senior health policy analyst for Families USA. In addition to those who would gain health insurance, those who already have private health insurance could see their premiums come down, according to Bailey. An earlier study by Families USA found that an average American family paid a "hidden health tax" of $1,017 in 2008 that was passed on by care that was provided to the uninsured. The number was calculated from the $116 billion spent by hospitals, doctors and other providers to cover the health expenses of the uninsured. About 1.3 million people in New Jersey were uninsured in 2006 and 2007, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Solving New Jersey's insurance crisis is something that private companies want to solve, but the cost could have unintended consequences.

For further details visit as : www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/top_three/article_c2b96ccc-e4fa-5dc5-919f-fd1c6f4656ce.html

Revenue grew by just over 1.3% sequentially

India’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel disappointed markets on Thursday as it reported near flat revenue growth in the June 09 quarter. Revenue grew by just over 1.3% sequentially to Rs 9,941 crore as against average analyst expectation of 5% rise. Though its net profit grew at a faster clip of 12.4% to Rs 2,516 crore from the prior quarter as opposed to the street expectation of 7.7% jump, the growth was mainly attributed to non-operating income in terms of forex gains. Bharti reported forex gains of Rs 250 crore in the June quarter compared with the Rs 236 crore loss in the previous quarter.The company’s sequential as well as annual revenue growth has substantially tapered of in recent quarters on account of falling average revenue per user per month (ARPU) and a continued decline in the minutes of usage per customer per month (MoU). After rising by 5% in the early morning session, Bharti’s stock fell by 1.5% to Rs 810 post results even as the benchmark Sensex gained 1.5%. During the quarter, ARPU fell to Rs 278 from Rs 305 in the previous quarter reflecting 8.8% drop. By similar comparison, MoU declined by 1.5% to 478 minutes. Compared to the year-ago levels, ARPU fell sharply by 20.4% whereas MoU dropped by 10.6%. On the positive side, the company added 8.4 million subscribers during the June quarter, the fastest in any of the quarters so far, taking its total subscriber base to 102.3 million. Over 60% of the net additions were from the rural and smaller towns. This indicates the successful penetration of the company’s operations in remote areas. It recorded the highest 160 billion network minutes, the highest in any quarter so far.

For further details visit as : economictimes.indiatimes.com/Earnings/Bharti-disappoints-markets-but-boosts-employee-revenue-efficiency/articleshow/4810831.cms