Universities told to widen access

9 February 2011 Last updated at 18:48 GMT There are plans to protect poorer students from the controversial tuition fee increases Universities in England are being told that if they want to charge higher fees they must make greater efforts to attract students from poorer backgrounds.

Having raised the maximum fee level to £9,000 per year, the government wants to ensure that higher fees will not exclude poorer students from university.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who angered students by breaking his pledge to vote against raising tuition fees, argues that universities must do more to promote social mobility.

"There is a social crisis in this country - a crisis of opportunity. Universities, the gateway to the professions, are too often acting to inadvertently narrow opportunities, rather than widen them," said Mr Clegg.

But the National Union of Students' president, Aaron Porter, issued an angry response to Mr Clegg, accusing him of "lying" to students over fees, and saying he was "living in a fantasy-land" if he thought he could become a "champion for students".

Universities wanting to charge more than £6,000 will be expected to show that they are making progress in areas such as outreach work, attracting poorer students and increasing the proportion of state school pupils.

These are likely to be individual benchmarks, worked out between universities and the Office for Fair Access.

Scholarships

These access agreements will be reviewed each year, rather than every five years at present.

Universities will be looking carefully to see what sanctions could be applied if benchmarks are missed - and at what will happen if no agreement can be reached.

Full details will be set out by Business Secretary Vince Cable in a letter to the director of the Office for Fair Access on Thursday.

Universities UK said that all universities shared a commitment to broadening access, but there had to be a flexible and autonomous approach for individual universities.

The measures on access also include further details of a National Scholarship Programme for poorer students - which in the first year will provide £50m of support - rising to £150m after three years.

When it is fully running it will assist 48,000 students per year - with funding worth at least £3,000 in the form of bursaries, fee waivers or discounts on accommodation.

Universities will be watching to see how much power will be given to the access regulator.

There are also different views on how widening participation in higher education should be measured.

Social mobility

The 1994 Group, representing research-intensive universities, suggests that it should mean more than a simple headcount of numbers of poorer students being given places.

"Laying down crude targets will do nothing to aid social mobility," said Paul Wellings, chairman of the 1994 Group and vice chancellor of Lancaster University.

They suggest that "diversity" in intake can take many forms and that measuring the success of poorer students who have been through a university might be as valid as counting those given places.

Different types of university also face different challenges.

Among the prestigious Russell Group universities there might be too few state school pupils - and among 1994 Group there might be too few students recruited from poorer areas.

While for new universities the challenge might be to improve retention rates among students.

The toughening of such access regulations are part of a wider change in university funding.

Budget cuts

While the access agreements will apply pressure to keep down fees - universities argue that they need to raise fees because the government has cut funding.

Oxford University says it needs to charge fees of at least £8,000 to replace university budget cuts.

There have also been warnings from the Million+ group, representing new universities, that access agreements should not be used to restrict their chance of raising funds from higher fees.

As well as wanting to protect access for poorer students, the government will also be concerned about the cost of student finance if too many universities charge fees approaching the maximum level.

The UCU lecturers' union says that since almost every university will need to charge fees of more than £6,000 to cover budget cuts, access agreements could "deprive institutions of funds".

There are also tuition fee changes ahead for other parts of the UK.

In Northern Ireland, a report commissioned by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) has recommended that fees should rise to a maximum of £5,750.

In Wales, students are protected from increases in tuition fees, with the Welsh Assembly Government subsidising the cost of higher fees.

In Scotland, students do not pay tuition fees.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Out-of-school care 'a struggle'

9 February 2011 Last updated at 11:24 GMT Parents often need childcare for school-age children Many parents of school-age children struggle to find suitable childcare, a survey by the Daycare Trust suggests.

A poll of 116 family information services across England, Scotland and Wales found 60% had had parents report a lack of childcare in their area.

Just 28% said there was sufficient childcare for primary pupils locally.

Only 12% said there was suitable provision for parents who worked shifts and just 11% said there was cover for the parents of disabled children.

"The availability of childcare for school-age children remains low," said the report for the childcare charity.

"Only 28% of family information services are saying that sufficient childcare exists across their entire local authority for primary school age.

"For secondary school age children the picture is even worse, with just 14% reporting sufficient childcare in the whole authority."

Childcare costs

The survey also questioned family information services about the cost of childcare for pre-school children.

Families face mounting childcare costs, the Daycare Trust says

It found the average annual cost for 25 hours of nursery care a week for a child under the age of two was £5,032 in England, £5,220 in Scotland and £4,723 in Wales.

For a child minder, the same provision was £4,680 in England, £4,665 in Scotland and £4,687 in Wales.

The research suggests costs vary considerably between regions and within regions.

Not surprisingly, London and the South East were the most expensive areas for childcare.

In London, the average weekly cost for 25 hours nursery care for a child under two is £118.54 (equating to £6,164 per year).

In the North West is £82.70 a week (£4,300 per year).

'Startling'

Acting chief executive of the Daycare Trust Anand Shukla said: "We are very concerned to see that many local authorities appear to be failing in their duty to provide adequate childcare.

"It is startling that only 11% have sufficient childcare in place for disabled children."

Mr Shukla also expressed concern about high childcare fees.

The cost of a nursery place in England for a child of two or over has increased by nearly 5% since last year says the Daycare Trust

"When parents sit down to calculate their family finances and see childcare costs increasing far faster than their wages, it is no wonder they may think twice about the economic sense of staying in work.

"These high, rapidly rising costs are particularly significant given the number of people not receiving cost-of-living pay increases this year, the increase in VAT and rising costs of other household goods, particularly food and fuel.

"It is crucial that childcare is as affordable as possible."

The Daycare Trust sent surveys to 200 family information services in November 2010 and 116 (58%) responded.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

'Serious' cases hit by rights ruling

9 February 2011 Last updated at 17:52 GMT Scottish police can no longer question suspects without allowing them access to a lawyer Five rape allegations are among cases abandoned by prosecutors in the light the Cadder ruling.

In October, judges upheld an appeal by teenager Peter Cadder, whose assault conviction was based on evidence gained before he spoke to his lawyer.

In light of that ruling, 867 cases were abandoned, including 60 serious cases, nine of which were High Court cases.

Scottish Labour has called on Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to make an emergency statement.

Last year's ruling - that the Peter Cadder case breached the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - meant Scottish police could no longer question suspects without allowing them access to a lawyer.

Until then suspects could be questioned for six hours without a lawyer present.

Following the decision, the Scottish government introduced emergency legislation to bring the country's rules into line with European human rights laws.

'Reduced impact'

At the time, the Crown Office said a total of 120 solemn cases would be affected by the judgement - double the actual number.

It had also estimated the number of possible appeals at close to 3,500. The actual number of 867 was said to be the equivalent to 0.3% of all criminal cases reported to the COPFS in a year.

Continue reading the main story

These cases are not closed and will be kept under review, so proceedings may be raised should additional evidence come to light in the future”

End Quote Scott Pattison Crown Office The Crown Office claimed that precautionary measures it had taken had "significantly reduced" the impact of the judgment on prosecution.

Scott Pattison, director of operations at the Crown Office, said there had been "extensive liaison" between procurators fiscal and the police to minimise the number of cases affected by the ruling.

"Each case was then carefully considered by Crown Counsel before any conclusion was reached that no further evidence was available, and the case required to be discontinued as a result of Cadder," he said.

"In some solemn cases, we have decided to discontinue proceedings meantime - these cases are not closed and will be kept under review, so proceedings may be raised should additional evidence come to light in the future."

Labour's justice spokesman Richard Baker said the public had the right to know the full extent of "this disaster", and called on the justice secretary to brief MSPs.

He said the SNP government had acted too late by failing to act on "the much earlier Salduz case".

"Almost 900 accused persons will no longer face justice," he said.

"Some of those include High Court trials where Scotland's most serious crime is prosecuted including murder and rape."

'Devastating effect'

John Lamont, the Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman said: "We are now seeing the devastating effect this ruling is having on the Scottish justice system.

"Our conviction rate is suffering as self-confessed criminals are being allowed to walk free, and it will continue get worse as closed cases are referred back to the High Court for reconsideration."

Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown said: "The loss of the ability to prosecute in 60 serious cases is extremely worrying but it demonstrates how out of line Scots law had become with the standards of justice demanded in the rest of the UK and across Europe.

"Crown Office must be particularly vigilant in reinvestigating these serious cases and continuing with every possible prosecution whenever this can properly be done."

Of the nine abandoned High Court cases, five include rape allegations and one involved a firearms offence.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Booming: Television News Channels in India

News programmes have suddenly become hot property and are vying for attention with other popular programmes telecast in different channels. All major television broadcasters are including at least one news channel to their bouquet. The biggest headache for launching a satellite channel is programme software for round the clock. In this juncture, newsgathering is a major task for the 24-hour news channels. To cater this task, the emerging electronic channels have always made an attempt to cover all the incidents irrespective of position, location and time. These channels not only revolutionized the concept of news on Indian television but also changed the news formats. Before 1990s, Doordarshan had monopolized newscast on Indian television and also turned the news programs into a dowdy exercise. Now the private channels made the news an essential commodity like food, cloth and shelter. The strong point of all today’s news bulletins is their topicality, objectivity, glossy editing and high-quality visuals. News has traveled a long way from the DD era. From Local events to International events, breaking news to news analysis, television soap to page3 news, every happening comes under purview of news. In this article, we have covered some significant changes in news broadcasting in India before and after the Gulf War.

Indian Television - Flash Back

Television in India is undergoing significant changes in the current liberalized environment. To understand these changes, one needs to have some brief idea of the road covered by the television channels so far. The journey started as an experimental basis with a financial grant from UNESCO in 15th September 1959. The makeshift studio at Akashvani Bhavan in New Delhi was chosen for location of the experiment. The experiment started with one-hour program, broadcast twice a week, on community health, citizen rights, education and traffic sense etc. As far as news is concerned, it was launched exactly six years after the inception of television broadcasting. Daily one-hour program with a news bulletin was served to the Indian viewers. But one major drawback of television was that you could not enjoy the original colour of the objects because of black and white transmission. First multi-color programme was the Prime Minister’s address to the nation from Red Fort in Delhi on India’s 35th Independence Day. In the same day, DD National channel was launched. The aim of launching the National channel is nurturing national integration, and inculcating a sense of pride in Indians. Indian viewers also enjoyed the colored version of the Asian Games hosted by New Delhi in their drawing room. The coverage of major events and different occasions lend a big hand behind the infiltration of television signals to the nook and corners of the subcontinent. Indian Government had taken all possible steps to expand the television broadcasting demographically and geographically. In 1983 television signals were available to just 28% of the population, this had doubled by the end of 1985 and by 1990 over 90% of the population had access to television signals. In 1984, DD Metro channel was added to provide an exclusive entertainment for the urban viewers. In the beginning, this channel was confined to metropolitan cities.

As a public broadcaster, Doordarshan presented the news in naturalized manner. All controversial issues were pushed under the carpet. The ruling government had a strong hold on the television broadcasting. Doordarshan news bulletins were unable to provide the international news to the national viewers. Objectivity had been the first casualty as news was invariably slanted to suit the party in power. The news was liberated from the confines of the DD newsroom and gained in objectivity and credibility when New Delhi Television (NDTV) produced ‘The World This Week’ in 1988. Everyone was waiting for the Friday night to watch ‘The World This Week’. This was the only India-based programme, which looked out at the rest of the world. The World This Week was the best current affairs programme on the international scenario and carried good stuff of news, which the regular DD news was failed to carry out. This program is ranked as one of the country’s finest and most popular television shows. In 1989, NDTV produces India’s first live televised coverage of the country’s general elections. The critical and commercial success of the coverage sets a new standard for Indian television. After the Gulf War the media panorama has changed forever.

Golf War – The Catalyst

Post-1990 satellite television in India has become transnational in nature. It coincided with the entry of multinational companies in the Indian markets under the Government policy of privatization. International satellite television was introduced in India by CNN through its coverage of the Gulf War in 1991. In August 1991, Richard Li launched Star Plus, the first satellite channel beamed the signal to Indian subcontinent. Subhash Chandra’s Zee TV appeared in October 1992. It is India’s first privately owned Hindi channel to cater the interest of Indian viewers. This ignition followed by Sony and a little later by domestic channels such as Eenadu, Asianet and Sun TV. Entertainment programs had begun to occupy center stage in the organization’s programming strategies and advertising had come to be main source of funding. Doordarshan’s earlier mandate to aid in the process of social and economic development had clearly been diluted. Doordarshan had faced a stiff competition in news and public affairs programming with international channels like BBC and CNN. Doordarshan planned to sell some slots for news programme under sponsored category. In February 1995, NDTV becomes the country’s first private producer of the national news ‘News Tonight’, which aired on the country’s government-owned Doordarshan set a new landmark for Indian television because of its on-the-spot reporting with pertinent visuals. In the same year, TV Today Network occupied a 20 minutes slot in DD Metro channel and aired a Hindi and current affairs programme ‘Aaj Tak’. This programme became popular for its comprehensive coverage and unique style presentation by Late S. P. Singh. Still we remembered the sign-up message “Ye Thi Khabar Aaj Tak, Intizar. Kijiye Kal Tak”. Large number of viewers across India had been watching Aaj Tak as a daily habit because of its innovative style of news presentation. Besides that Nalini Singh’s five-minute fast paced, condensed daily news capsule Ankhon Dekhi, TV Today Network’s Business Aaj Tak and Newstrack was aired on the Metro channel of Doordarshan. This is the period when satellite channels concentrated on entertainment programmes for their respective channels. Doordarshan was still ruled the most wanted area ‘news’.

Major Players

Doordarshan’s monopoly was broken in 1992, when private television channels infiltrated into the Indian boundaries and entertain the viewers as much as possible. In the beginning of 1990s, the private channels offered only entertainment programmes. The entertainment programs include family drama, comedy serials, children programmes, cartoons, movies, talk shows, recipe shows, musical concerts, non-fiction programmes etc. Private entertainment channels added some infortainment programmes to their Fixed Point Charts (FPC). Keeping the demand of infotainment programmes in mind, the media houses started to produce news magazines, entertainment magazines and news programmes for different channels. India’s premier business and consumer news broadcaster and a leading media content provider, Television Eighteen India Limited (TV18) started India’s first ever entertainment magazine ‘The India Show’ on Star Plus in 1993. This emerging media powerhouse provided prime time television content to almost all leading satellite channels in India including BBC, Star Plus, Sony Entertainment Television, Zee, MTV and Discovery. After The India Show, TV18 produced a weekly business news program India Business Report for BBC World. Indian viewers had very limited options (like public service broadcaster Doordarshan, BBC and CNN) for watching the television news. For televised news, the viewers had to watch Dordarshan and some international news channels like BBC or CNN. In this race to provide more news, more information, Zee Television jumped into the battlefield by launching the news channel Zee News in 1995. This News and current affairs channel revolutionized the way news was delivered to the viewers. Since its inception Zee News has endeavoured to be the fastest to provide news, working towards a single goal of Sabse Pahle (Always First). The other round-the-clock news channel, the Murdoch-owned Star TV beamed its exclusively 24-hour news channels, Star News in 1998. Star made a contract of five year with Prannoy Roy-owned NDTV (New Delhi Television Company) to provide news content for this news channel.

The untiring exhaustive coverage of the Kargil war between India and Pakistan gained more publicity and attracted more viewers towards the electronic channel. This televised conflict also sets a news benchmark for wartime journalism. During the Kargil war, common citizens witnessed how their brave Jawans fought despite in hostile conditions and watched the war front live by the exclusively news channels, Star-TV and Zee-News. The live coverage of the battlefield helped to create a euphoria of patriotism among the Indian masses, which later facilitated into collecting huge funds for the welfare of the families of Kargil martyrs. Every news programme draws the attention of large number of viewers but Kargil war attracts private broadcasters to invest more money in the broadcasting business by launching a news channel. In November 1999, TV18 entered into a 49:51 joint venture with CNBC Asia to launch CNBC India. TV18 is the sole program provider to CNBC India, and produces 12 hours of local content per day on this 24-hour satellite channel.

After the huge success of news programme ‘Aaj Tak’, TV Today group launched a 24-hour Hindi news channel with the same name ‘Aaj Tak’, in December 2000, which covers India with insight, courage and plenty of local flavour. Within 11 months of its launch, Aaj Tak emerged as India’s number one news channel and was awarded Best News Channel award from Indian Television Academy Awards. Some mega events apart from regular interesting items (such as Kandhahar hijack, September 11 attacks, Afghanistan war, attack on Parliament, Iraq war, Godhra carnage and riots) have driven up the viewership. As time passed, NDTV’s five years contract with Star group for outsourcing of news and related programming expired on March 2003. With the expiry NDTV forayed into broadcasting business by simultaneously launching two 24-hour news channels; NDTV 24X7 – English news channel and NDTV India – Hindi news channel, which targets the Indian diaspora across the world. News crazy Indians received more news at faster speed from different channels. Any unusual happening can be caught by the television camera anywhere form Rastrapati Bhawan to bedroom. The power of TV journalism was become more visible by the major sting operations like Operation West End and Shakti Kapoor Case. This style of investigative journalism has brought about a change in the way we look at news, amidst new notions of editorial freedom. The world’s largest family ‘Sahara India Parivar’ launched a 24-hour national Hindi news channel, Sahara Samay, in March 28, 2003. It is the first ever city-centric satellite news channels covering 31 cities in India with their own city news bulletins. Keeping the demand of news in mind, the Union cabinet approved the proposal to convert the DD Metro to DD news in a meeting held on 3 October 2003. Consequent to these decisions, DD-News channel was launched on 3 November 2003. You might have noticed that the news channels are language specific. But DD’s news channel contains the round the clock news bulletins in Hindi/ English are also telecast twice a day on the National Network of DD National.

‘Aap Ki Adalat’ fame Rajat Sharma, Sohaib Ilyasi, the man behind the highly successful ‘India's Most Wanted’ and Taun Tejpal, editor-in-chief of Tehelka roped together and launched a free-to-air Hindi news and current affairs channel India TV on May 20, 2004. Indian viewers had more expectations from this channel. The much-awaited news channel hopes to set itself apart from the existing ones by setting new benchmarks of responsible journalism. Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Rajat Sharma, chairman, India TV, said, “We aim to change the way broadcast news reporting is being conducted in the country. India TV will set new benchmarks by maintaining international standards of responsible and credible news reporting. We will stay away from graphic depictions of violence and sensationalism of news. We will uphold the viewer's right to correct information and their right to truth and verity. India TV is not just a news channel, it is a movement.” NDTV as a pioneer in Indian television news, set to create a fresh revolution in high-quality business news with the launch of NDTV Profit. NDTV launched this 24-hour business channel on January 17th, 2005.

There is no saturation point in launching of news channel, just booming like sky as the limit. Entertainment channel to infotainment channel, infotainment channel to news channel, news channels to business channel and Business channel to lots more. Now the satellite channels become more topicality with international standard. When we are talking about topicality, CNBC TV18, the only business channel, continues to be the medium of choice for India’s decision makers, affluent audiences across the country since 1999. It has set the pace for the growth in number of television channels by launching a 24-hour consumer channel in Hindi called ‘ Awaaz’. This news channel focusses on empowering consumers on decision-making related to investment, saving and spending. All the programmes are catering to consumers across different walks of life, which included personal finance; variety of markets including commodity, stocks, savings etc.; small businesses; education & career guidance; and verticals like health, shopping etc.

Another news channel was finally launched into the already cluttered news space in Indian television. Jagran TV Pvt Limited's news channel, Channel 7 up-linked to the air on 27 March 2005. The channel has been set up to cater to the vast Hindi-speaking audiences, already being targeted by a slew of news channels. Channel 7 developed every programme with a bid to cater to all types of audiences and not just pre-dominantly male audiences who get attracted towards news channels.

Regional Leaders

To cater the interest among the Indians, Doordarshan televises programmes in Hindi and associate Official languages. It has launched a number of Regional Language Satellite Channels (DD - 4 to DD - 11 and DD - 13) and telecast programmes in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Kashmiri, Oriya and Tamil. The Regional channels relayed by all terrestrial transmitters in the state and additional programmes in the Regional Language in prime time and non-prime time available only through cable operators. The Doordarshan regional satellite channels telecast major news programme with some entertainment programmes.

If you think about the private regional channels, they have followed the path of the Big brother (i.e Doordarshan). They are neither completely entertainment channel nor exclusively news channel. They are following the middle path and claiming themselves an infotainment channels. The private channels televise through the state dominant languages. Rising advertising revenues and increasing numbers of viewers have provided the impetus for many big players to enter into the business. Some regional media leaders like ETV, Sun TV, Asianet have a strong grip over the regional market. Some major players tried their luck in different states. Zee television has three regional channels; Zee Marathi, Zee Punjabi and Zee Bangla. Star Network entered into Tamilnadu by launching Star Vijay, one of the most popular entertainment channels in India broadcasting in Tamil. Besides that ETV Network is a part of the well-established Ramoji Group, has created 12 dedicated infotainment regional channels. ETV network is the source of rich entertainment of eight different languages. Those are: Telugu, Bangla, Marathi, Kannada, Oriya, Gujarati, Urdu; and Hindi to viewers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Every ETV Network channel focuses exclusively on its audience’s unique cultural identity, its aspirations and its distinct socio-political character. Let us think about the south Indian language Telugu, there are around twelve satellite channels are roaming around the sky with different taste and different flavour. These channels include three news channels, one song-based channels and rest are infotainment channels. When we confine ourselves into news, three channels (ETV2, TV 9 and Teja News) exclusively devoted to news programmes.

Sahara India Pariwar is proud to have five news channels as the bouquet of Sahara Samay. These channels are: Sahara Samay NCR, Sahara Samay Mumbai, Sahara Samay Bihar & Jharkhand, Sahara Samay Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh, and Sahara Samay Uttar Pradesh & Uttranchal. Sahara Samay has already managed to gain a loyal audience in India through a bouquet of National & Regional News Channels since its launch. These channels are youthful and vibrant channels targeting students and women, besides that hardcore news stuff. The regional news channels covers the entire spectrum of genre with specific programs on lifestyle, fashion, food, shopping, health and fitness, sports, education, career and city issues, besides giving user-friendly information on traffic updates, city events, train and air timings, etc. Now national news channels cannot confine its boundary to national level. They cannot ignore the regional news because of the stiff competition form the regional cannels. Regional news channels are entering into the competition with a strong will power and also with an aim to portrait regional issues in national and international level.

Conclusion

Now the television industry becomes more specific. In this competitive market, channels are targeting specific viewers. News channels attract more viewers beyond their target by producing interactive and interesting programmes. Every channel needs to do an extensive research on different concepts and different themes to attract more viewers and in the same time more advertisers. After all, advertisements are the bread and butter for the channels. With increased consumer preference for news programmes, television news channels have grown faster than other niche channels. News channels are booming just like sky as the limit. Those days are not far away, when we will get satellite news channel for every major city in India. Staying in abroad, we can update ourselves about all the happening of our hometown. Now news is not restricted to political happenings. It will be extended its limit to every unwanted and hided corners of the society. At last we can reach in the conclusion that anything, which is strange or disgusting, is news. There are no rigid rules, which defines news.

Source:

[http://www.audiovisualcat.net/publicationsing/Q14india.pdf]

http://www.equitymaster.com/research-it/ipo/ndtv.asp

http://www.mouthshut.com/index.php?url=#&image=http://www.mouthshut.com/imagefiles/logo-ms.gif

http://www.screenindia.com/jul25/tele2.htm

http://www.indianembassy.org/indiainfo

http://www.india-today.com/itgroup/

[http://www.studio-systems.com/broadfeatures/JFMA98/NDTV/63.htm]

[http://www.ndtvtravels.com/aboutus.asp]

[http://cnbc-tv18.moneycontrol.com/cnbctv18/about_tv18.php]

[http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0],13673,501030818-474534,00.html

[http://www.chennaionline.com/musicnew/Channels/05indiatv.asp]

http://www.prdomain.com/companies/s/sahara_india_pariwar/news_releases/200303mar/pr_sahara_india_nr_20030326.htm

[http://www.scatmag.com/tamreach_sept05.pdf]

[http://www.agencyfaqs.com/media/media_newslets/Media/4899.html].

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/06/26/business/indianews27.php

The author is a media researcher in Journalism Department of ICFAI University. He has five years experience in electronic media in the field of Public Relations and Media Relations. His qualifications include a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, had special paper Advertising and Public Relations.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Mubarak moves to restart economy

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has held talks with ministers to try to revive an economy hit by a wave of anti-government protests.

Banks will reopen on Sunday, with Finance Minister Samir Radwan saying the economic situation was "very serious".

Analysts say the uprising is costing the country at least $310m a day.

Protesters remain in Cairo's Tahrir Square following Friday's mass rally calling for Mr Mubarak to resign.

Separately on Saturday, there were also reports of an explosion at a pipeline that supplies gas to Israel and Jordan. The blast caused a fire near el-Arish, Egyptian state television reported.

'Solid base'

Mr Mubarak has said he will not stand for re-election in September but insists he must stay until then to prevent chaos in the country. Protesters demand that he goes immediately.

On Saturday, the president met the prime minister, finance minister, oil minister and trade and industry minister, along

Trade Minister Samiha Fawzi Ibrahim said exports were down 6% in January and that the authorities were providing extra food to try to stabilise prices and curb shortages.

Banks and the stock exchange have been closed for days, and many factories in the major cities have shut.

State media said the stock market would not now open on Monday as planned.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly, in Cairo, says the paralysis induced by the protests is having a huge impact on the creaking economy. Tourists have been frightened away and the prices of basic goods like cigarettes and bread have been soaring.

He says many Egyptians are beginning to wonder aloud how quickly daily life will return to normal regardless of the outcome of the struggle for power.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Radwan admitted the economy faced a "very serious" situation and that he was in constant touch with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

But he also said the economy had a "solid base" and "so far, we are coping".

Economists at Credit Agricole say the uprising is costing the country at least $310m (£192m) a day and they have revised down their economic growth estimate for Egypt this year from 5.3% to 3.7%.

Mr Radwan also said there would be a meeting with opposition groups to try to end the 12 days of protests.

He said Vice-President Omar Suleiman and "almost certainly Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq" would attend, adding that they would have "sufficient authority to negotiate with the opposition".

He did not say which opposition groups would attend. Egyptian television said the al-Wafd and Al-Tajammu parties would be at the talks.

Continue reading the main story

• Egypt unrest: Protests map

However, the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says if only these parties were involved the dialogue would have little credibility.

Leading opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei told Germany's Der Spiegel weekly he would like to hold talks "with army chiefs, preferably soon, to study how we can achieve a transition without bloodshed".

The biggest opposition group in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, has said it will take part in discussions provided the government submits political reform within a specified time frame. But it also insists Mr Mubarak must leave office immediately.

Mr Radwan said the transition of power had already begun, with Mr Mubarak saying he would not run again for president.

"It is setting a process in place to ensure a smooth transition of power without falling into the trap of the chaos scenario," he said.

Saturday's pipeline explosion targeted supplies to Israel and Jordan from Egypt's Port Said.

Gas was shut off and the fire was brought under control by mid-morning, state television said.

It also reported that the curfew had now been shortened and would be in effect from 1900 to 0600 local time (1700-0400 GMT).

Also on Saturday, Reuters news agency said a senior Egyptian security source had denied reports on the Fox news network that there had been an assassination attempt on Mr Suleiman which left two of his bodyguards dead.

'Wrong approach'

On Saturday at a conference in Munich, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the "status quo" of undemocratic nations in the region was "simply not sustainable".

She said: "Governments who consistently deny people freedom will open the door to instability... free people govern themselves best."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK PM David Cameron, also at the conference, both stressed the need for stability in Egypt.

Mrs Merkel added: "Early elections at the beginning of the democratisation process is probably the wrong approach."

On Friday huge crowds had demonstrated across Egypt for an 11th day.

More than 100,000 people - including large numbers of women and children - gathered in Tahrir Square for what was being called the "day of departure".

There were also demonstrations in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, and in the towns of Suez, Port Said, Rafah, Ismailiya, Zagazig, al-Mahalla al-Kubra, Aswan and Asyut.

However, there were suggestions that the protesters would now reduce their presence in central Cairo.

The UN believes more than 300 have died across Egypt since the protests began on 25 January, with about 4,000 hurt.

with the central bank governor.

ing miami marathon

Early this morning runners gathered in beautiful Miami to take their place and hit the streets in the famous ING Miami marathon.

As the sun was coming up, 6:20 a.m., 21,116 runners took off down Biscayne Boulevard to complete the 26.2 miles marathon. (13.1 for the half-marathon)

Runners from almost 80 countries are competing in the run that started at the American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The marathon course goes through Downtown Miami, Miami, Miami Beach and Coconut Grove and finishes back in Downtown Miami.

The results are in and the winners have crossed the finish line:

The winner: Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu of Ethiopia completed the run in 2 hours 12 minutes 57 seconds.

Runner up: 2009 winner – Benazzouz Slimani, of Morocco, finished in 2:18:23.

Third: 2010 winner- Michael Wardian, 2:23:41.

pro bowl 2011 time

The NFL returns to Hawaii for the 2011 Pro Bowl! The annual contest of the AFC and NFC's best will take place Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, at 7 p.m. ET at Aloha Stadium.

The 2011 Pro Bowl marks the 31st time the game has been played in Hawaii. It will air on the FOX network.

The Pro Bowl is football's recognition of players who had an outstanding season, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell puts it.

"It is a showcase for seasoned NFL veterans and young, rising stars alike."

Does euphonious remind you of an attachment

Now that you've added your blog, we need to make sure that you own this blog.

Create a new post on your blog. Copy and paste the randomly generated sentence shown above exactly as it is given anywhere in your new post. Publish the new post so that it is viewable at your blog's URL.

Once this sentence is on your blog, come back to your PPP account and press the claim blog button. You can remove the post after you have successfully claimed the blog.

Indiana Earthquake: 3.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Central Indiana

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake rattled portions of Central Indiana Thursday morning--and was even felt by some Chicago residents.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially estimated the quake's strength was magnitude 4.2, but since lowered that number, according to the Associated Press.

Residents of Chicago, Naperville and Buffalo Grove, Illinois told NBC Chicago they felt their beds shaking and saw their ceiling fans move early Thursday. A geophysicist told the AP a 3.8 magnitude quake "would feel like a loaded truck passing by."

The Indiana Geological Survey had no records of a 3.8 magnitude earthquake in Central Indiana ever, according to the Indianapolis Star. The director of the IGS told the Star that the quakes location--about 3 miles below the ground--was "highly irregular" and "extremely rare."

Indiana's last major earthquake was on April 18, 2008. The 5.2 magnitude quake was the strongest to hit the state in 40 years, the Star reports.

No injuries or damage had been reported as of 9:30 a.m. CT.

Union leader says 2011 will be 'horrible' year

The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, has said 2011 would be a "horrible" year of cuts.

In his New Year message the union boss claimed there would be cuts in jobs and real cuts in living standards.

He added the year could also be a tough one for the government, which may face further angry protests.

Meanwhile, another union leader, Mark Serwotka of the Public and Commercial Services Union said strikes next year were "inevitable".

"The more of us that stand together against the cuts, the more problems we can create. Unless you look like you want a fight, they won't negotiate," he told the Times newspaper, predicting that the disruption would begin in the spring. "The Government has to see we are serious."

The TUC's Mr Barber said a demonstration in London in March against spending cuts looked like being one of the biggest events his union had ever organised.

In his New Year message, he said: "It's hard to pick out the unkindest cut of all, but a top contender must be the 10% cut in housing benefit that kicks in after someone has been unemployed for more than a year."

The Times reported senior union figures would meet at a TUC meeting early in the New Year to discuss their response to the cuts.

A courage strains after the corpse.

Now that you've added your blog, we need to make sure that you own this blog.

Create a new post on your blog. Copy and paste the randomly generated sentence shown above exactly as it is given anywhere in your new post. Publish the new post so that it is viewable at your blog's URL.

Once this sentence is on your blog, come back to your PPP account and press the claim blog button. You can remove the post after you have successfully claimed the blog.

tucker carlson

Cable news host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday took issue with President Obama's support of quarterback Michael Vick's stunning turnaround, saying that he thought Vick "should have been executed" for his crimes.

Carlson, who is guest-hosting the Fox News program "Hannity" this week, made the remark during a discussion about Obama's call to Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie in which the President said he was happy the team gave the troubled quarterback a second chance after he was convicted of running a dog fighting ring.

"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances, but Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did [it] in a heartless and cruel way," Carlson said. "And I think personally he should have been executed for that. He wasn't."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/12/29/2010-12-29_tucker_carlson_michael_vick_should_have_been_executed_for_running_dogfighting_ri.html#ixzz19WjmmOeA

Avatar is 'most pirated film of 2010'

Sci-fi epic Avatar was the most pirated film of 2010, according to data released by a file-sharing blog.

James Cameron's blockbuster was downloaded 16.6m times on one file-sharing site alone, TorrentFreak said.

Second on the list was comic book action film Kick-Ass, with 11.4m downloads, followed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception with 9.7m.

Last year's top-pirated film was JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot, which was downloaded close to 11m times.

Cameron frequently touted 3D film making as the industry's best hope for combating piracy, however, it did not stop millions from downloading it for free.

Despite topping the list, Avatar still took nearly $2.8bn (£1.8bn) at the worldwide box office to become the highest-grossing movie ever.

Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker also featured in the top 10 list at number nine.

Hancock Holding Co. (HBHC) agreed to acquire Whitney Holding (WTNY) in a stock-for-stock transaction totaling $1.49 billion.

Shareholders of Whitney will receive 0.418 shares of Hancock Bank's common stock per one share of Whitney's stock, the banks said. The exchange value of Whitney shares would be $15.48, based on Hancock's Dec. 21 closing price of $37.04 - a premium of 42% based on Whitney's closing stock price of $10.87.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of June 2011.

Regional bank M&A is starting to gather steam as the year comes to an end. Many sector observers are predicting bank M&A to pick up in the New Year through 2013 as banks - particularly smaller regional banks - have trouble dealing with ongoing credit headwinds and revenue challenges given the new regulatory environment.

Marshall & Ilsley (MI) agreed last week to be acquired by Bank of Montreal's (BMO) U.S. division, Harris Bank.

Speculation that PNC Financial Services (PNC) was sniffing around at Regions Financial TICKER TYPE="EQUITY" SYMBOL="RF" EXCHANGE="NYSE" PRIMARY="NO"/> and BankAtlantic Bancorp (BBX) also buoyed bank stocks last week.

On Tuesday, TD Bank (TD) said it would acquire Chrysler Financial and is looking to further penetrate the U.S. market. TD Bank has previously expressed its plan to have an extensive banking franchise along the eastern seaboard, of which it is steadily gaining share.

Last month, Wilmington Trust (WL) agreed to a take-under by M&T Bank (MTB).

The combined Gulf Coast-based bank will have approximately $20 billion in assets; $16 billion in deposits; $12 billion in loans and 305 branches across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

"We believe this agreement presents an unprecedented opportunity to enhance shareholder value and strengthen the financial options available to individuals and businesses from Texas to Central Florida," Hancock's CEO Carl J. Chaney said in a statement.

Hancock expects to realize "substantial" cost savings of $134 million before taxes once the merger is fully phased in by 2013, it said. It also expected revenue synergies of 19% by that time.

Following the merger, Hancock said it plans to exercise a common stock raise of $200 million. Following restructuring charges and the common stock raise Hancock expects its tangible common equity ratio to be 8%, it said.

"Not only does this transaction create significant shareholder value, I believe it is also the best course of action for our employees, customers and communities," said Whitney Holding Corporation Chairman and CEO John C. Hope, III.

Wunderlich Securities analyst Kevin Reynolds already slapped a buy rating this morning on Hancock Bank.

"We are upgrading shares of Hancock Holding Company (HBHC) to Buy on news of its transformational acquisition of Whitney Holding Company (WTNY)," Reynolds writes in a note to clients. Hancock is acquiring Whitney for 1.7 times tangible book value in the all stock transaction

"For both WTNY and HBHC shareholders, this is a spectacular transaction, in our view, and the long-term benefits should result in significantly higher overall franchise value on a combined basis," the note says.

Whitney Bank's stock soared nearly 30% on the news; Hancock Bank shares were dropping roughly 6% shortly after the market open.

Hot 97 Suspends DJ Cipha Sounds For Haitian HIV Comments

Cipha Sounds gets an indefinite suspension and sensitivity training after his comments about Haitian women and HIV.

New York area radio station WQHT “Hot” 97.1 FM announced DJ Cipha Sounds will be suspended indefinitely for offensive comments he made about Haitian women. Listeners, community leaders and members of the Haitian-American community called for Cipha Sounds termination after a Friday morning broadcast which found Cipha saying, “The reason I’m HIV negative is because I don’t mess with Haitian girls.”

Cipha Sounds, born Luis Diaz, is a 15-year industry veteran with experience in radio, television and behind the turntables with the likes of Lil Kim and Funkmaster Flex. After angry listeners began responding to the remark, Cipha Sounds issued a formal apology.

“I made a stupid, tasteless joke that was a one-liner,” Cipha told listeners. “It was taken totally the wrong way, and I want to say sincerely that I apologize for even saying this thing.”

Adding that he was embarrassed and didn’t want co-host Peter Rosenberg to share any blame for his comments, Cipha pointed to his relief efforts during the Haitian earthquake and his rapport with the Haitian community as evidence of his true feelings. Cipha Sounds will also undergo sensitivity training focused on the Haitian community, and the station announced it will work with community leaders to increase HIV awareness.

“Cipha made an immediate public apology and recognizes his insensitivity and the negative impact his comments have on all Haitians,” said Alex Cameron, SVP/Market Manager of Emmis-New York via written statement. “The Haitian community is an important part of our listenership whom we respect and value. The suspension is an indication of the importance we place on delivering a product that respects our Haitian audience.”

Erik Kuselias leaves ESPN for Golf Channel morning show

Erik Kuselias will be leaving ESPN to become co-host of the Golf Channel’s new live morning show," Pete Dougherty writes, adding, "Kuselias and Gary Williams of Sirius Radio have been hired to for the show, which will air from 7 to 9 a.m. weekday mornings beginning Jan.3. The show will originate from the Golf Channel’s Orlando, Fla., studios. Kuselias had been at E

Jets Coach Rex Ryan and His Wife May Star in Online Foot-Fetish Videos

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

North Korea sets date for rare leadership conference

Kim Jong-il is believed to be in poor health

North Korea's ruling party will hold its first conference in a generation on 28 September, state media reports say, amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-il is about to name his successor.

The Workers Party is widely expected to promote Mr Kim's third son, Kim Jong-un, to a senior position.

Observers believe a promotion would anoint him as the heir to his father, the self-styled Dear Leader.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

John Sudworth BBC News, Seoul

---

Finally, we have confirmation of a date for the meeting that North Korea has been calling "historic" and "a turning point".

So, next Tuesday, all eyes will be on one young man - Kim Jong-un, widely believed to be the favourite to take over from his father, but about whom very little is known in the outside world.

It's unlikely to look like much of a coronation, but if he is elevated to a senior party position it will be a clear signal that a successor has been chosen.

How easy it will be for a young, inexperienced third-generation heir to gain the confidence of the military and other powerful leading figures is another matter.

• Is Kim poised to name his successor?
• North Korea's secretive 'first family'

Mr Kim, 68, is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008.

The Korean Central News Agency carried a short statement early on Tuesday announcing the party meeting.

"The conference of the WPK [Workers Party of Korea] for electing its supreme leadership body will take place in Pyongyang on 28 September," the statement said.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation about the date of the meeting, which was originally due to take place sometime early this month.

The news agency gave no indication of why it had been postponed.

There has been speculation that it was delayed because of severe flooding in the north of the country, or because the health of the leader has taken another turn for the worse.

Successor

Kim Jong-il was promoted at a previous conference in 1980, which at the time was seen as confirmation that he would succeed his father, Kim Il-sung.

He eventually became leader after his father's death in 1994, and has led the country into isolation from the outside world.

In recent years Mr Kim is believed to have sought medical treatment in China, one of the country's few allies. Neither nation has confirmed details of any illnesses or treatments.

Last year, rumours emerged from the secretive state that Kim Jong-un, thought to be aged 26 or 27, was his father's chosen successor.

Little is known of Swiss-educated Kim Jong-un, and he has never been photographed by Western media.

No survivors as Pakistan plane crash kills 152

An airliner has crashed near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.

The plane, a flight from Karachi to Islamabad operated by the private airline Airblue, came down in hills north the city as it was about to land.

There is no word on the cause of the crash. At the time the area was shrouded in fog.

Pakistani TV showed images of smouldering wreckage on a foggy hillside, with helicopters overhead.

---

Airblue is the largest of the private airlines which have sprung up in Pakistan in recent years.

The company and civil aviation officials are adamant there were no technical problems with the plane when it left Karachi. They say there was nothing in conversations between the pilot and the Islamabad control tower that suggests anything was wrong.

However, airport officials told the BBC that two flights due to land in the capital had been turned back before the ill-fated Airblue plane crashed, in what is the biggest air disaster seen in Pakistan.

Although the country's air industry has been booming, critics say standards have not always kept pace with the increase in services. Pilots complain they are being forced to fly extra hours which they say leads to fatigue, a claim denied by the airlines.

Imtiaz Elahi, chairman of the Capital Development Authority, which deals with emergencies, said the crash was "heartbreaking".

"It is a great tragedy, and I confirm it with pain that there are no survivors," he told the Associated Press news agency.

The plane, reported to be an Airbus A321 with 146 passengers and six crew on board, is thought to have left Karachi at 0750 (0350 GMT).

Two Americans were among the victims, a US embassy spokesman said, but gave no further details.

Pakistan's interior ministry initially said at least five survivors had been taken to hospital, but local officials later said those reports were wrong.

Local TV footage showed twisted metal wreckage hanging from trees and scattered across the ground. The flight data recorder has been found.

Officials said rescuers searching for survivors were digging through the rubble with their bare hands. The crash site, on a steep hill, has no roads.

"The plane is totally destroyed, the pieces and parts scattered over a large distance. Some parts of the plane are still burning. Some bushes have been burnt," said Express 24/7 television journalist Sabur Ali Sayed at the scene.

Aamir Ali Ahmed, a senior city government official, told Reuters: "It's a very difficult operation because of the rain. Most of the bodies are charred. We're sending body-bags via helicopters."

Airblue

Continue reading the main story

• One of Pakistan's most respected airlines
• Operates since 2004 on domestic and international routes
• Uses A320 and A321 aircraft
• Flight 202 is company's first crash

• Airblue
• Ordeal of crash relatives

Airblue spokesman Raheel Ahmed told reporters that the crash was "an extremely tragic incident", adding that an investigation had been launched.

The BBC's Haroon Rashid in Islamabad saw the plane flying low over the capital.

"I was surprised to see the plane, because the area where I live is called a no-fly zone as it is close to some of Islamabad's most important official buildings, including President House and parliament," he said.

Other witnesses saw the plane flying towards the hills, and shortly after that heard a loud explosion and smoke billowing into the air.

Express 24/7 TV reporter Anjum Rahman said she saw the plane flying over the rooftops of houses where she lives.

ps3 update 3.41

It was only a few weeks ago that Sony released its major PS3 firmware update, v3.40 – which added PlayStation Plus support, Facebook features and more. However, version 3.41 has now gone live, with a “You May Like” section added.

According to Samit Sarkar at destructoid.com, the v3.41 update is much less significant than the previous update, and only seems to add game and video recommendations to the PlayStation Store. Some may be wondering now, what it’s all about.

Well, when you look at a piece of content now in the PlayStation Store, you’ll notice a “You May Like” section on the right hand side. If people actually click on the “You May Like” section, they’ll then be treated to an Amazon-style list of other items.

All these items will be stuff that has been purchased by other PSN users, who bought the item that you were looking at. This is definitely a useful functionality, but surely it could have been rolled into a more feature-rich firmware update than the v3.41?