Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries agreed to improve business conditions in the Pacific Rim at the summit in South Korea Saturday.
The leaders said in the final declaration that they had instructed relevant ministries to tackle the improvement of national regulations to create a favorable business environment in the Pacific Rim.
The leaders also hailed the initiative to develop the private sector in the region, as well as recommendations of the APEC Business Advisory Council.
The council's recommendations include strengthening the APEC leading role in the completion of the "Doha Round" of WTO multilateral trade negotiations that was launched in Qatar, in November 2001, consolidating regional financial systems and boosting of the protection of intellectual property rights.
The APEC Business Advisory Council was set up in 1995 to promote the forum's cooperation with business circles that are considered the main driving force of economic development in the Pacific Rim. Each APEC member state has three representatives in the council.
www.en.rian.ru
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Diabetes derails Kerala's health sector
Kerala is facing a huge challenge these days in the form of growing incidence of diabetes.It’s one disease that has not only put immense burden on the state's health care delivery sector but is also eating into the health care budget.
Kerala has now begun a unique campaign in its capital, in the wake of acquiring the dubious status of being the epicentre of the country's diabetic population. Some estimates say close to Rs 5000 crore are spent each year to treat diabetes in the state, whose annual budget is just a little higher at Rs 5600 crore.
"The government is more concerned with preventing infectious diseases like Malaria and TB. But considering the complications, death and expenditure it is thousand times more complicated," said Dr Jothy Dev, Diabetologist.
Alarming riseWhile there has been no official survey on the prevalence of diabetes in Kerala, unofficial estimates say 17 per cent of the state's population is affected.The reasons are a rapidly changing life style and a growing geriatric population.
Fifty years ago, the life expectancy of a Malayalee, which was 55, are now 75 for men and is even higher for women. But the disease is also increasing alarmingly among people 30 to 40 year olds."It may be true there are genetic features. But Kerala has got high literacy rate and combined with the inactivity and food with rich fat people are prone to the disease," said Dr Jothy Dev."
Often people come to know about diabetes at a very late stage because of serious ailments. But it can be treated if we come to know early. So awareness campaigns are essential," said Bindu, health activist.Clearly then, Kerala requires mass campaigns to prevent and treat diabetes which is threatening to derail the state's health care sector.
www.ndtv.com
Kerala has now begun a unique campaign in its capital, in the wake of acquiring the dubious status of being the epicentre of the country's diabetic population. Some estimates say close to Rs 5000 crore are spent each year to treat diabetes in the state, whose annual budget is just a little higher at Rs 5600 crore.
"The government is more concerned with preventing infectious diseases like Malaria and TB. But considering the complications, death and expenditure it is thousand times more complicated," said Dr Jothy Dev, Diabetologist.
Alarming riseWhile there has been no official survey on the prevalence of diabetes in Kerala, unofficial estimates say 17 per cent of the state's population is affected.The reasons are a rapidly changing life style and a growing geriatric population.
Fifty years ago, the life expectancy of a Malayalee, which was 55, are now 75 for men and is even higher for women. But the disease is also increasing alarmingly among people 30 to 40 year olds."It may be true there are genetic features. But Kerala has got high literacy rate and combined with the inactivity and food with rich fat people are prone to the disease," said Dr Jothy Dev."
Often people come to know about diabetes at a very late stage because of serious ailments. But it can be treated if we come to know early. So awareness campaigns are essential," said Bindu, health activist.Clearly then, Kerala requires mass campaigns to prevent and treat diabetes which is threatening to derail the state's health care sector.
www.ndtv.com
Cisco to buy firm known for cable TV technology
Betting that video will drive the future of networking, Cisco Systems Inc. agreed yesterday to buy the cable television technology company Scientific-Atlanta Inc. in a $6.9 billion deal that would create a one-stop shop for sending TV over the Internet.
The acquisition is expected to help fuel the revolution in how TV is distributed and watched - a change that’s accelerating as telephone companies barge into the domain of cable operators and begin offering programming over fiber-optic networks using the language of the Internet.
It also fits Cisco’s strategy of moving into areas that are converging on the Internet Protocol standard - a shift that creates an opportunity to increase revenue with new business and enhance its traditional routers and switches that direct data over networks.
"Over the next two or three years, we are going to see a dramatic change in the landscape, where video-over-broadband infrastructure becomes the centerpiece of investments that service providers make and the expectations that consumers have," said Mike Volpi, a Cisco senior vice president.
For providers and consumers, IP television promises expanded choices, lower costs and new services in the same way voice-over-the-Internet Protocol has made phone calls less expensive and enabled features that were not possible with the traditional telephone network.
The deal also opens up opportunities for Cisco’s Linksys home networking division. Its products could be made to work seamlessly with Scientific-Atlanta boxes to distribute television throughout the home.
"We have Wi-Fi, broadband routers and other kinds of home devices which we believe can interconnect and extend the Scientific-Atlanta footprint in the home," Volpi said, "and put Cisco in the leadership not only in the network ... but also in the digital home itself."
It is Cisco’s largest acquisition ever in terms of head count and revenue. The San Jose company is paying $43 a share for Scientific-Atlanta - a 3.7 percent premium over its closing price on Thursday. The Atlanta company has about 7,500 employees and posted $1.91 billion in sales in fiscal 2005.
Scientific-Atlanta shares rose 70 cents, or 1.7 percent, to close at $42.15 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while Cisco shares slipped 35 cents to $17.02 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The deal, which was approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to close in the third quarter of Cisco’s fiscal 2006 calendar, pending closing conditions.
For Scientific-Atlanta’s business of supplying infrastructure to TV providers, Cisco’s position as the leading provider of network infrastructure will help seal deals as cable, telephone and others build and expand their networks, said Jim McDonald, Scientific-Atlanta’s chief executive.
"These customers want more complete integrated solutions from fewer vendors," said McDonald, who said he will remain with the company for two years.
Cisco also will help fuel Scientific-Atlanta’s expansion beyond cable TV companies that have been relatively slow to introduce new technologies to customers, said Josh Bernoff, an analyst at Forrester Research.
www.columbiatribune.com
The acquisition is expected to help fuel the revolution in how TV is distributed and watched - a change that’s accelerating as telephone companies barge into the domain of cable operators and begin offering programming over fiber-optic networks using the language of the Internet.
It also fits Cisco’s strategy of moving into areas that are converging on the Internet Protocol standard - a shift that creates an opportunity to increase revenue with new business and enhance its traditional routers and switches that direct data over networks.
"Over the next two or three years, we are going to see a dramatic change in the landscape, where video-over-broadband infrastructure becomes the centerpiece of investments that service providers make and the expectations that consumers have," said Mike Volpi, a Cisco senior vice president.
For providers and consumers, IP television promises expanded choices, lower costs and new services in the same way voice-over-the-Internet Protocol has made phone calls less expensive and enabled features that were not possible with the traditional telephone network.
The deal also opens up opportunities for Cisco’s Linksys home networking division. Its products could be made to work seamlessly with Scientific-Atlanta boxes to distribute television throughout the home.
"We have Wi-Fi, broadband routers and other kinds of home devices which we believe can interconnect and extend the Scientific-Atlanta footprint in the home," Volpi said, "and put Cisco in the leadership not only in the network ... but also in the digital home itself."
It is Cisco’s largest acquisition ever in terms of head count and revenue. The San Jose company is paying $43 a share for Scientific-Atlanta - a 3.7 percent premium over its closing price on Thursday. The Atlanta company has about 7,500 employees and posted $1.91 billion in sales in fiscal 2005.
Scientific-Atlanta shares rose 70 cents, or 1.7 percent, to close at $42.15 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while Cisco shares slipped 35 cents to $17.02 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
The deal, which was approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to close in the third quarter of Cisco’s fiscal 2006 calendar, pending closing conditions.
For Scientific-Atlanta’s business of supplying infrastructure to TV providers, Cisco’s position as the leading provider of network infrastructure will help seal deals as cable, telephone and others build and expand their networks, said Jim McDonald, Scientific-Atlanta’s chief executive.
"These customers want more complete integrated solutions from fewer vendors," said McDonald, who said he will remain with the company for two years.
Cisco also will help fuel Scientific-Atlanta’s expansion beyond cable TV companies that have been relatively slow to introduce new technologies to customers, said Josh Bernoff, an analyst at Forrester Research.
www.columbiatribune.com
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