Godrej Consumer Products Ltd <GOCP.BO> on Tuesday said its board approved the buyback of shares for up to 150 rupees each.
The buyback through the open market will be for a maximum of 149 million rupees, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Archive for November, 2008
Godrej Consumer approves buyback for upto Rs150/share
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008Wikipedia often omits important drug information
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008Consumers who rely on the user-edited Web resource Wikipedia for information on medications are putting themselves at risk of potentially harmful drug interactions and adverse effects, new research shows.
Dr. Kevin A. Clauson of Nova Southeastern University in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and his colleagues found few factual errors in their evaluation of Wikipedia entries on 80 drugs. But these entries were often missing important information, for example the fact that the anti-inflammatory drug Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostol) can cause pregnant women to miscarry, or that St. John’s wort can interfere with the action of the HIV drug Prezista (darunavir).
“If people went and used this as a sole or authoritative source without contacting a health professional…those are the types of negative impacts that can occur,” Clauson told Reuters Health.
Wikipedia is an online, free encyclopedia covering millions of topics in more than 250 languages. Users add and edit content themselves. Clauson and his colleagues decided to investigate the accuracy and completeness of drug information on Wikipedia given that one third of people doing health-related Internet searches are looking for information on over-the-counter or prescription drugs, and that a Wikipedia entry is often the first to pop up with a Google search.
The researchers compared Wikipedia to Medscape Drug Reference (MDR), a peer-reviewed, free site, by looking for answers to 80 different questions covering eight categories of drug information, for example adverse drug events, dosages, and mechanism of action.
While MDR provided answers to 82.5 percent of the questions, Wikipedia could only answer 40 percent. Answers were less likely to be complete for Wikipedia, as well. Of the answers the researchers found on Wikipedia, none were factually inaccurate, while there were four inaccurate answers in MDR. But the researchers spotted 48 errors of omission in the Wikipedia entries, compared to 14 for MDR.
“I think that these errors of omission can be just as dangerous” as inaccuracies, Clauson told Reuters Health. He pointed out that drug company representatives have been caught deleting information from Wikipedia entries that make their drugs look unsafe.
The researchers did find that after 90 days, the Wikipedia entries showed a “marked improvement” in scope.
Wikipedia can be a good jumping-off point for Internet research, Clauson said, but shouldn’t be seen as the last word on any topic-and should certainly not be used as a resource by medical professionals. “You still probably want to go to medlineplus.gov or medscape.com for good quality information that you can feel confident in,” he said.
Cellphone market gloom spreads to Samsung
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008SEOUL/HELSINKI (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics on Monday warned on cellphone market growth this year and next, the latest sign that weaker consumer confidence is hitting the wireless sector around the world.
“The actual global market growth on a unit basis could come short of our initial forecast for 9 percent growth (in 2008),” James Chung, a spokesman for Samsung, told Reuters.
“As for next year, it is possible that the market could post a single-digit or even negative growth,” Chung added.
Samsung’s gloomy outlook echoed the warning issued on November 14 by top handset maker Nokia Oyj that the world’s mobile phone market would fall in the fourth quarter and next year as an economic slowdown crimps consumer demand.
“At the moment it’s all doom and gloom for several quarters,” said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.
In addition to weakening consumer demand, telecom operators in developed markets have cut subsidies, further increasing the problems.
“Handsets are essentially far more expensive than they were four months ago. That just makes the situation worse for everyone in the value chain,” Blaber said.
Samsung’s comments were made after the close of trade in Seoul. Nokia shares were up 2.5 percent at 10.25 euros in Helsinki, underperforming 3.7 percent firmer technology sector index.
Last week Salcomp, the world’s largest handset charger maker, warned its 2008 sales would fall from a year ago. The firm, which supplies chargers to all top vendors, said its clients have continued to clearly cut sales forecasts each week.
“More negative news is coming all the time, the situation is turning worse all the time,” said Martti Larjo, analyst with Nordea in Helsinki.
Samsung issued its 9 percent global handset growth forecast in June, and until now had refrained from issuing any forecast regarding 2009.
Reaching 9-percent market growth would mean a 6-7 percent annual rise in the fourth-quarter, which analysts said was almost impossible in current economic situation.
“The market will certainly be down year-on-year in the fourth quarter,” said Nordea’s Larjo.
Handset makers had remained relatively unscathed by the global economic crisis this year, but successive warnings from Nokia, Qualcomm and Intel signal a rapid deterioration of consumer electronics demand.
Handset makers had remained relatively unscathed by the global economic crisis this year, but successive warnings from Nokia, Qualcomm and Intel signal a rapid deterioration of consumer electronics demand.
Health Tip: Keep Bathroom Chemicals Locked Up
Monday, November 24th, 2008The bathroom may be full of potential dangers and temptations for young children.
Here are suggestions to prevent little hands from getting into bathroom chemicals or medications, courtesy of the National Safety Council:
- Always keep drugs stored in a medicine cabinet that is secured with a lock or child-proof latch.
- All medications should have a child-proof cap, and make sure it is secure and tight.
- Mouthwash may contain alcohol, which even in small amounts can be dangerous for children. Keep mouthwash away from a child’s reach.
- When throwing away expired or unused medications, make sure the containers are secure and cannot be opened by children.
- Store toilet cleaners — which often contain toxic chemicals — in a locked area that children cannot reach.
Invisible floods drive flow of Antarctic ice into ocean: Study
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008Massive floods deep below Antarctica’s surface are accelerating the flow of glaciers into the ocean, a study has found, adding to the growing concern about the pace at which glaciers are melting into the seas.
The study, published online in the journal ‘Nature Geoscience’, found that a hidden network of glacial lakes far below the Antarctic surface regulates the motion of the continent’s ice rivers. When the subglacial lakes overflow, the ice above accelerates towards the ocean.
The study, published online in the journal ‘Nature Geoscience’, found that a hidden network of glacial lakes far below the Antarctic surface regulates the motion of the continent’s ice rivers. When the subglacial lakes overflow, the ice above accelerates towards the ocean.By tracking both the ocean-bound movement of East Antarctica’s Byrd glacier and the events in two lakes that lie beneath it, a team of scientists led by Leigh Stearns of the University of Maine showed that the glacier sped up between late 2005 and mid-2007 precisely when ice-penetrating radar imagery from satellites showed that both lakes were overflowing.
Conversely, the movement of the glacier slowed when the flood ceased and the lakes began to refill.
“Our findings provide direct evidence that an active lake drainage system can cause large and rapid changes in glacier dynamics,” the researchers concluded.
Now, for the first time, the US study has provided evidence that sub-surface floods can indeed act like a “turbo lubricant” for glaciers.
“It’s like putting in a squirt of oil,” Andy Smith of the British Antarctic Survey, was quoted as saying by New Scientist. “The water lubricates the base of the glacier,” he said.
The exact reason for flooding is not known, but researchers watching the movement of ice in satellite images have noticed that the ice appeared to “breathe” in some places, apparently linked to the ebb and flow of water underneath. Lead researcher Stearns said when the hollows overflow, a flood of water spreads beneath Byrd Glacier. “The extra water overwhelms the subglacial drainage system. It can’t escape fast enough, so spreads out beneath the glacier bed and reduces the friction between the ice and the rock, allowing the glacier to slide faster,” Stearns stressed.
Scientists believe that the pace of the movement of these huge bodies of ice into the ocean help determine the speed at which sea levels rise. Huge increases (measured in tens of centimetres and inches) could wreak disaster for millions of people living in low-lying areas around the world.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned last year that thermal expansion will push sea levels up 18 to 59 centimetres (7.2 to 23.2 inches) by 2100, enough to wipe out several small island nations and severely disrupt low-lying mega deltas in Asia and Africa.
Smith said that similar events have been seen in Greenland, but since the lakes there lie at the surface of the ice, the mechanism must be different. Temperatures in Greenland vary more than they do in Antarctica, where the summers are not warm enough to generate significant melt ponds at the surface.
“In Antarctica, it appears that the ice at the very bottom of the glacier melts slowly and accumulates in hollows in the rock,” said Smith.
He stressed the temperature at the bottom of the ice sheet stays very close to melting point — geothermal energy and friction warm it slightly and the kilometres of ice insulate the area keeping it at a relatively stable temperature.
Japanese scientists clone embryo of endangered rabbit
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008Japanese scientists said Tuesday they had created a cloned embryo from the dead body of an endangered species of rabbit and are hoping for a birth.
The Amami rabbit, or Pentalagus furnessi, lives on only two small islands in southwestern Japan. It is designated as endangered species by Japan’s environment ministry, with an estimated population of less than 5,000.
Professor Yoshihiko Hosoi of Kinki University in the western city of Osaka said his team had extracted a cell from a dead Amami rabbit’s ear and put it into the egg of an ordinary rabbit.
“After we confirmed that the egg developed into a cloned embryo, we put it back into the fallopian tube of the host mother,” Hosoi said.
“In about 30 days the host mother may give birth to a baby rabbit which has the gene information of Amami rabbit,” he told AFP, but added the possibility of pregnancy was less than 10 percent which is normal for cloned animals.
The experiment, which would be the first cloning of an endangered species in Japan and just one of a few cases in the world, is expected to help protect endangered species from the risk of inbreeding, Hosoi said.
“If we can use the gene information of a dead body, it will help avoid inbreeding which could lead to a genetic abnormality or frail offspring,” he said.
Textbook Rental: Now and Then
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Long before textbook rental became a popular resort for most college students, there was much apprehension as to the affordability of college textbooks. The public sought to be eased of its burden on the cost of school books each and every year. Due to this unending clamor, eighteen states have collaborated to come up with a program that would help students, educators and parents.
In the year 2006, Connecticut, Colorado, Washington and Virginia have come up with legislation that is textbook-related. The legislation aimed to focus on the use of supplementary materials on bundling textbooks and also exemptions on sales taxes. It was also on this same year that the Senate came up with the Senate Resolution 692 where the Illinois Community College Board started cooperating on the college textbook rentals program. This was initially tried out as an experiment yet it became so successful that now, there are also private institutions and businesses who are adopting the program.
Rental textbooks shops and online businesses have given way to much savings in many aspects—in the form of money to most parents and students; it could also save some trees that are supposed to be taken down for more paper supplies; textbooks that are rented are also recycled books so fewer wastes are produced annually. Whichever way you look at it, renting college books have obvious major advantages that shouldn’t be ignored.
Finding a Car Accident Attorney Online
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008If you are a looking for a Dallas car accident attorney, then you have a lot of options. This isn’t necessarily a good thing. You will need to do a lot of research to find the one that is just right for you. This is a bit easier thanks to the information that you can find online though. Just a quick search will give you a good comparison of the potential choices and what they’ll offer.
You have a lot of things to consider. The first is that they need to have real experience for cases involving auto accidents. Your case might have to go to court, and you definitely want to have a lawyer who isn’t afraid to fight for what you need. Most lawyers will have reviews and examples available so you can find out just what you’re getting.
You should also be looking at price records. A number of lawyers will work for no money upfront. They’ll get their money from the settlement at the end. This is a good deal for a number of people who just don’t have the money to pay for a fight now. Giving your Dallas auto injury lawyer some personal motivation never hurts either.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when you’re looking for a lawyer.
Global bank profits tumble, jobs slashed, bonuses cut
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Major world banks showed the strain of economic crisis on Tuesday, with Britain’s Barclays altering its fund-raising plans to quell shareholder anger and profits in Japan’s largest bank tumbling.
The crisis, which began with a collapse in the U.S. housing market undermining major financial institutions, also revealed further signs of hitting industry and retail.
Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp announced Ford Motor Co. was ending 12 years of control through the sale of a 20 percent stake. The deal highlighted desperation among the U.S. big three auto makers as they scramble to raise cash.
Japan’s economy minister said recession in the world’s second-biggest economy could last longer than feared. Falling British inflation, and the prospect of the same in the United States, paved the way for further interest rate cuts.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100, down 1.5 to 1.8 percent, pointed to a weak start on Wall Street. European shares fell 1.6 percent and Japan’s Nikkei shed 2.3 percent. Barclays, facing shareholder ire following a decision to take 5.8 billion pounds from Middle East investors on terms tougher than the British government offered, cancelled this year’s executive bonuses, as U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs and Swiss bank UBS have done.
It also said Qatar Holding LLC and Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan would each make up to 250 million pounds ($372.9 million) of reserve capital instruments available to existing shareholders — effectively offering the prospect of enjoying some of the higher rates of return agreed to Gulf investors.
Barclays, one of the four biggest UK banks, had declined to accept any capital from the government under a 37 billion pound bailout, wary of conditions imposed on their operations.
The crisis has taken a firm hold in Asia too.
Japan’s biggest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, announced first half profit had tumbled 64 percent and stuck to its recently lowered full-year forecast, hit by recession at home and losses on its stock portfolio.
Australia’s biggest investment bank, Macquarie Group, said it was heading for its first fall in annual profit in 17 years.
HSBC added to the employment gloom, saying it would cut a further 500 staff in Asia, mostly in Hong Kong, due to deteriorating economic conditions and caution about next year.
Citigroup Inc, the second biggest U.S. bank, revealed plans on Monday to cut 52,000 jobs by next year, the second-largest corporate lay-off plan in history.
INFLATION WANING
In Britain, already officially in recession, inflation dropped to 4.5 percent in October from 5.2 the previous month.
The larger than expected fall heightened expectations of a substantial cut in the UK’s 3.0 percent interest rate next month to stimulate the economy and temper growing fears of deflation, following a dramatic 1.5 percentage point cut this month.
U.S. producer prices, due later, are expected to show pipeline inflation pressures there dropping sharply.
In a further sign of the crisis spreading to the broader economy, major British retailer John Lewis Partnership’s department store sales fell 14 percent year-on-year in the latest week.
British building supplies company Wolseley announced a slew of layoffs and shop closures. Property developer Barratt said its forward order book was 43 percent smaller than the previous year.
Politicians are seeking ways of stimulating demand, possibly by tax cuts, while others resort to more innovative measures.
Taiwan said it would issue shopping vouchers worth T$3,600 ($108) to its citizens. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said the plan was expected to contribute 0.64 percent to GDP.
In Washington, lawmakers argued over a proposal by Senate Democrats for a $25 billion bailout loan for the auto industry to stave off an even wider economic collapse.
“The reason people think failure could be cataclysmic is that there are so many companies that are tied to the auto industry,” said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
Automakers have been hit by a collapse in consumer spending, triggered by a housing crash and worsened by rising unemployment. Officials say even with major stimulus measures in place, it will take a long time for the U.S. economy to recover.
“There’s going to be stress in the capital markets for a number of months here because housing prices are still declining and I think it’s moved beyond housing,” Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said at a conference.
Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify to Congress later on the $700 billion U.S. bailout plan.
Co-location providers assisting your business:
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Large scale business sectors have a high capital for investment in hosting their own servers for websites. On the other hand, small business units will be struggling hard to make a presence online without investment for server hosting and bandwidth requirements. Co location hosting is introduced as a solution for this problem.
This is the simplest and easiest way by which companies can host their own websites. Colocation stands between owning a server and hosting a website. Hence the cost is also maintained between these two strategies. In other words, this is the cheapest way by which companies can make online presence.
The providers working in this sector helps you to reduce the head ache of owning a server. The connection between your website and your business is inseparable. Any damage to the servers hosted will directly affect the backbone of your firm, thereby impacting your business. The disconnection in the online strategy will interfere with the performance of your online business.
In the co location environment, your providers will be taking care of every such issue on your behalf. Even when you take little risks, you can enjoy the presence created by your business. In fact, you will be making more money with little investment.