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Thailand's A (H1N1); 51 New Cases Confirmed in bernama

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:13:04 GMT

Thailand reported 51 new A (H1N1) cases, raising the total amount to 201 on Monday while the spread of H1N1 in the country is likely to continue rising, Thailand News Agency (TNA) reported quoting a senior health official as saying here.

Prat Boonyavongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health said that the number of new infections is probable to rise every day and the new flu spreading level is likely soon to reach the C level, which indicates the new cases will be detected across the country.

He said thermal scanners at airports are unsuccessful in preventing the spread of the virus as there are at least 30,000 air passengers arriving in Thailand from affected countries daily.

The public health ministry will urge Thais to wear face masks as the next step in prevent the spread of the virus more effectively.

Powerpoint finds new business models

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:05:59 GMT

During the past week, news media outlets have reported that FDIC Chair Sheila Bair thinks Pandit lacks the retail banking experience to revive Citi and desires him out. Meanwhile, others speculate that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner believes that Pandit deserves an explosion at the turnaround and that a management change could do more harm than good.

Both Geithner and Bair play key roles in the sanction of a $58 billion conversion of preferred shares into common stock, intended to shore up Citigroup�s capital. Announced in February and planned to occur in April, the conversion was held up by negotiations with federal officials. But it must happen this week, according to Citi. With that, the government will own in so far as 34% of the bank. That�s a hazardous investment. The stock, trade at $3.41, is down 83% in the last 12 months.

U.S. effort on influence health care

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:36:38 GMT

President Obama needs Congress to consider paying for a health-care overhaul by limiting certain tax deductions for wealthy Americans rather than by taxing employer-provided health benefits, top advisers said yesterday.

The Obama administration stepped up efforts to influence health-care legislation yesterday as advisers David Axelrod and Austan Goolsbee appeared on television talk shows to talk about the issue.

Obama "made a very strong case for the suggestion that he put on the table, which was to cap deductions for high-income Americans, and he urged them to go back and look at that," Axelrod said on CNN's State of the Union.

The efforts to overhaul health care affect a sector that constitutes 17 percent of the U.S. economy. The goal of Democratic supporters is to offer insurance to most of the 46 million uninsured and lower the soaring cost of care.

Oil rises to new high for 2009, close to $70 barrel

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:33:15 GMT

NEW YORK - Oil prices on Thursday set a new high for the year, buoyed by a weaker dollar and the initial drop in unemployment since January.

Benchmark crude for July release was up $2.69 to settle at $68.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil climbed as high as $69.60 previous in the day.

In London, Brent prices raised $2.83 to settle at $68.71 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Oil prices have rallied for three months, and they soared this week to their maximum levels since November. Crude now fetches almost twice its February price, mostly on the expectation that the dismal U.S. economy could be stabilizing.

Obama Now Opens To Taxing Health Benefits

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:41:18 GMT

President Obama met with 24 Democratic senators at the White House Tuesday to talk about healthcare alteration legislation. During the meeting the president reportedly gave tentative maintain for taxing employer-provided health benefits, but the White House later stressed that Obama would rather use other methods to pay for reform. Many news outlets note that Obama opposed the tax during his presidential campaign, and called the move a "pivot" or "shift" in his view. The New York Times information that "Obama on Tuesday affirmed his support for the creation of a government-sponsored health insurance plan, but he acknowledged that such a plan would sharply reduce the chances for Republican support of legislation to overhaul the healthcare system, Democratic senators said."

The Washington Post reports that Obama told the senators "that he is willing to consider taxing employer-sponsored health benefits to assist pay for a broad expansion of coverage." This is "a pivot from some of his harshest campaign rhetoric," according to the Post, but "White House officials moved fast to make clear that taxing the health insurance provided by businesses is not Obama's first option, but aides refused to rule out the possibility."

Google releases new version of search appliances

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:23:49 GMT

The new appliances, the GB-9009, can index up to 30 million documents, according to Google. Its lowest capacity is 15 million documents.

Google sells the Search Appliance as a hardware box bundled with enterprise search software designed to let companies index and retrieve data stored in their corporate systems, such as databases, applications, document management tools, Web servers and files. The upgraded Version 6.0 of the GSA software is depends on technology the company uses in its Web search engines, including Google.com.

In an enterprise search market historically dominated by sophisticated products that are expensive and difficult to implement and use, Google in the past has tried to compete with an aggressively priced, low- to mid-range product designed to be simple to install, maintain and use.

Seminar on current trends in international affairs related to srilanka

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:23:21 GMT

A seminar on the current trends in international affairs relating to Sri Lanka will be held today at the auditorium of the Kadirgamar Institute in Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama�s patronage.

Speakers include Emeritus Professor of International Relations of the University of Colombo W. M. Karunadasa and the Law Commission Chairman Prof. Lakshman Marasinghe.

Attorney at Law and part of the Board of Management of the Kadirgamar Institute Dr. Jayatissa de Costa will chair the seminar.

Sony Ericsson Unveil new handsets

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:31:47 GMT

SonyEricsson said Thursday it will launch three new handsets on the market early in the fourth quarter, unveiling particulars of new products designed to help stall a slump in mobile phone sales.

One of the products, the Satio, is a renamed version of the Idou phone that the Swedish-Japanese company initially announced at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

It will be joined by two other new handsets, the Aino and the Yari, as part of the company's plan to beef up its line of products that merge communication and entertainment.

The Satio has a 12 megapixel camera, free access to Hollywood movies and a touch-screen keypad, while the Yari is handsfree gaming focused, and the Aino concentrate on music and videos.

Today (may26) in history

Tue, 26 May 2009 10:49:35 GMT

Today is Tuesday, May 26, the 146th day of 2009 and there are 219 days left in the year.

Highlight of today in history: On May 26, 1940, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk in France, began during World War II.

In 1521, Martin Luther was banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious idea and writings.

In 1938, the House Un-American Activities Committee was recognized by Congress.

In 1969, the Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth after a winning eight-day dress rehearsal for the first manned moon landing.

Ten years ago: House Republicans pushed through legislation that would put new obstacles in the way of spending government surplus that came from Social Security taxes.

Five years ago: Almost a decade after the Oklahoma City bombing, Terry Nichols was found guilty of 161 state murder charges for serving carry out the attack.

One year ago: President George W. Bush paid a Memorial Day tribute to America's fighting men and women who died in battle, saying national leaders must have "the bravery and character to follow their lead" in preserving peace and freedom.

Today's Birthdays: Actor James Arness is 86. Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 64. Singer Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) is 61 and few more is there.

Summary of US business

Mon, 25 May 2009 10:22:54 GMT

HONG KONG - South Korean stocks and the win dipped after North Korea said it had conducted a nuclear test on Monday, but the reaction was limited as investors had expected such a move from the North and have become long familiar its provocations.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - As the Obama administration looks for ways to reform executive pay in the banking industry, novel thoughts are surfacing on how to move away from stock options as a key component of compensation.

COPENHAGEN - Industry must play its part in the fight against climate change by persuading governments to aid carbon cuts rather than lobbying against them, the U.N. Secretary-General told a business conference on Sunday.

ROME - Consumer nations on Sunday urged producers to keep oil prices stable or risk derailing a fragile global economic recovery, as top exporter Saudi Arabia forecast prices ultimately moving toward $75 a barrel.