Tatas buy Jaguar and Landrover

After Tata Steel, now Tata Motors is on its way to conquer the market.
Tatas buy Jaguar and Landrover for $2.3 bn.

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~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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ICICI bank opens first US branch

ICICI, the second largest bank in India (after SBI) has opened its first US branch.
ICICI bank has about 950 branches in India and has its presence in 19 countries all over the world. It plans to manage the salary accounts of US employees of TCS, Infosys and Wipro.

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~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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India: Budget 2008 Tax Summary

How much from our pocket?
Here is the summary of only the direct taxes:

• Threshold limit of exemption from personal income tax in the case of all assesses increased to Rs.150,000. The slabs and rates of tax are :
• Up to Rs.150,000 NIL
• Rs.150,001 to Rs.300,000 10 per cent
• Rs.300,001 to Rs.500,000 20 per cent
• Rs.500,001 and above 30 per cent
• In case of a woman assessee, the threshold limit increased from Rs.145,000 to Rs.180,000; for a senior citizens, the threshold limit increased from Rs.195,000 to Rs.225,000.
• No change in the corporate income tax rates.
• No change in the rate of surcharge.
• Senior Citizen Saving Scheme 2004 and the Post Office Time Deposit Account added to the basket of saving instruments under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.
• Additional deduction of Rs.15,000 allowed under Section 80D to an individual paying medical insurance premium for his/her parent or parents.

Source: http://indiabudget.nic.in
Information Source: Narender

~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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SUN + MySQL= New Era

At last, SUN Microsystems completes acquisition of MySQL (open source database). SUN paid a whooping $1bn for the acquisition, which is the biggest ever of any open source software company. MySQL offers a free community edition, whereas its enterprise edition costs $595/server/year.

SUN's top Open Source Softwares include

• OpenSolaris (Operating System)
  
• OpenOffice (Office Software)
• Java (Software Development Kit/Runtime Environment)
• NetBeans IDE (Software Development Environment Tool)
• Glass Fish (Open Source Application Server)
• MySQL (Open Source Database Engine)
  

All these softwares are free to download under GNU General Public License.

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~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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No more paper air tickets from June 1

After June 1, paper tickets would be a history as airlines world-wide would issue only e-ticket. Airlines is going to benefit by 10 times by evading paper tickets.
It's a boon to passengers as they need not wait for paper tickets to arrive by post.
Simply, at the click of the button passengers get e-tickets printed for them.

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~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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TCS in Russia

Indian IT-giant expands to Russia

By March 2008 the company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the Indian largest software developer and IT-service provider, intends to open its representative office in Russia, Gabriel Rozman, the company’s chief executive director, told at a press conference in Mumbai. ‘Russia is our main priority, - the Indian N&I Agency DNA refers to Gabriel Rozman. – We have already implemented several projects in Russia, but have no representation office in the given country’. According to Mr. Rozman, TCS has… read more...

Source: CNews

~ R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R
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TCS launches Synergy Park, the second and largest campus in Hyderabad

Synergy Park... we have known this word since a long time and there were speculations that it was already operational. Not sure.. why TCS made it operational first and now has launched it.

Yep!!! Synergy Park was launched by TCS and inaugurated on Tuesday by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy. Synergy Park is built on 50 acres of land with a capacity of 8000 people. Synergy Park is the second and largest Global Development Center (GDC) of TCS Hyderabad.

S. Ramdorai, CEO of TCS, said that the first phase is already operational and the second phase is scheduled for April this year.

~R.A.V.I.N.D.E.R

Various ways to file US Tax returns

These are the options that I came across. Better to have alternatives. Can take estimates from different sources and go with the best option.

1. IBSN – Will charge you 80$ for State and Federal Tax filing and an additional 12.5% on extra returns that we get beyond the default. Need to schedule an interview online to give all the expense details.
2. H&RBlock – Can take an appointment with Uma Pansari (a consultant in H&RBlock) to file the tax. Charges you around 82$ and probably an additional charge on extra returns which we get.
3. Turbo Tax - Federal tax filing is free and state tax filing costs around 25$.
4. Tax Act – Both the federal and state tax cost around 13$. Requires US based IDs like driving license or state ID or US Passport.

Source: Radhika

India: File your income tax returns online

Hereafter, you can file your Indian income tax returns online by visiting https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
After a year long struggle, Govt. of India has finally released fully functional e-filing facility. But there is another glitch that you need to purchase the digital signature from authorized authorities like TCS, National Informatics Centre, IDRB, MTNL etc..,
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~Ravinder
Much more to come... keep visiting.

Notable Inventions and Discoveries

Date Invention Or Discovery Inventor Or Discoverer Nationality 1250 Magnifying glass Roger Bacon English 1450 Printing press Johann Gutenberg German 1504 Pocket watch Peter Henlein German 1590 Compound microscope Zacharias Janssen Dutch 1593 Water thermometer Galileo Italian 1608 Telescope Hans Lippershey Dutch 1625 Blood transfusion Jean-Baptiste Denys French 1629 Steam turbine Giovanni Branca Italian 1642 Adding machine Blaise Pascal French 1643 Barometer Evangelista Torricelli Italian 1650 Air pump Otto von Guericke German 1656 Pendulum clock Christiaan Huygens Dutch 1661 Methanol Robert Boyle Irish 1668 Reflecting telescope Isaac Newton English 1671 Calculating machine Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz German 1698 Steam pump Thomas Savery English 1701 Seed drill Jethro Tull English 1710 Piano Bartolomeo Cristofori Italian 1712 Steam engine Thomas Newcomen British 1714 Mercury thermometer Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit German 1717 Diving bell Edmund Halley English 1725 Stereotyping William Ged Scottish 1745 Leyden jar (condenser) E.G. von Kleist German 1752 Lightning rod Benjamin Franklin American 1758 Achromatic lens John Dollond British 1759 Marine chronometer John Harrison British 1764 Spinning jenny James Hargreaves British 1769 Spinning frame R. Arkwright English 1769 Steam engine (with separate condenser) James Watt British 1769 Automobile Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot French 1775 Submarine David Bushnell American 1780 Steel pen Samuel Harrison English 1780 Bifocal lens Benjamin Franklin American 1783 Balloon Joseph Michel Montgolfier and Jacques �tienne Montgolfier French 1784 Threshing machine Andrew Meikle British 1785 Power loom Edmund Cartwright British 1786 Steamboat John Fitch American 1788 Flyball governor James Watt British 1791 Gas turbine John Barber British 1792 Illuminating gas William Murdock Scottish 1793 Cotton gin Eli Whitney American 1795 Hydraulic press Joseph Bramah English 1796 Lithography Aloys Senefelder German 1796 Smallpox vaccination Edward Jenner British 1799 Fourdrinier machine (papermaking) Louis Robert French 1800 Jacquard loom Joseph Marie Jacquard French 1800 Electric battery Count Alessandro Volta Italian 1801 Pattern loom Joseph Marie Jacquard French 1804 Screw propeller John Stevens American 1804 Solid-fuel rocket William Congreve British 1804 Steam locomotive Richard Trevithick British 1805 Electroplating Luigi Gasparo Brugnatelli Italian 1810 Food preservation (by sterilization and exclusion of air) Fran�ois Appert French 1810 Printing press Frederick Koenig German 1814 Railroad locomotive George Stephenson British 1815 Safety lamp Sir Humphry Davy British 1816 Bicycle (no pedals) Karl D. Sauerbronn German 1819 Stethoscope Ren�-Th�ophile-Hyacinthe La�nnec French 1820 Hygrometer J.F. Daniell English 1820 Galvanometer Johann Salomo Cristoph Schweigger German 1821 Electric motor Michael Faraday British 1823 Silicon J�ns Jakob Berzelius Swedish 1823 Electromagnet William Sturgeon British 1824 Portland cement

~R.a.v.i.n.d.e.r.: There's much more... keep visiting.
"Curiosity is the key quality in an innovator. Contrary to what one may suppose, it is not intelligence."

Tax rebate for US Tax payers

In 2008, taxes would be cut from 10 percent to zero percent on the first $6,000 dollars of taxable income for individual taxpayers and the first $12,000 of taxable income for couples.

Taxpayers could receive rebates of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples. A minimum of $300 per person and $600 per couple would be available to those with at least $3,000 of earned income.

This relief would be available to everyone with adjusted gross income less than $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. It will be phased out for taxpayers above those income thresholds.

Everyone eligible for this relief would also receive an additional $300 per child. For example, this would mean up to $1,800 of tax relief for an eligible couple with two children.

In summary, addition to 2007 tax refund, taxpayers will also receive a tax rebate check by end of April. Make sure all years return are filed and address is updated with IRS record

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Contributed by: Srinivas

Internet disrupted in Egypt and India temporarily

Internet disrupted in Egypt and India

Contributed by: Sridhar

Nonoh: Free Calls to USA, UK, Australia, Canada & 32 more destinations and Cheap calls to India

Nonoh provides best voip service with a very low call rate to India. It also offers free calls to many countries. Nonoh offers great voice clarity.

"nonoh.net" is operated by BetaMax, a voip service provider of Europe. In fact, BetaMax has about 20 voip sites catering to various countries of the world. I overheard from my friends in Belgium that "nonoh.net is most commonly used in Europe.

"nonoh.net" provides free calls to more than 32 destinations. You need to purchase talk time to enjoy FREE CALLS and the validity of FREE calls is 4 months with a purchase of every 10 Euros. Every time you purchase the talk time, the validity increases by 4 months, that means if you purchase the talk time twice then the validity would be 8 months. Until 8 months you can enjoy free calls to all the free destinations even if you have 0 talk time (0 Euros) balance.

Calls to UK (Landline), USA (Mobile and Landline), Australia (Landline) and many more destinations are Free. Free calls are limited to 300 minutes per week. After that we will be charged as applicable. (For Rates: Visit: http://www.nonoh.net/en/rates.html)

Calls to India are charged at 3 Euro Cents or 5.3 US Cents (inclusive of VAT).

Create an account and purchase the talk time by giving the credit/debit card details to make calls. Nonoh offers the following four ways to make calls.

1. Traditionally, "nonoh.net" requires internet connection to make calls.
   
   1. You can make a test call for 5 minutes just by visiting nonoh.net. "No login is required".
   2. Give source & destination numbers.
   3. Click the CALL button.
   4. "nonoh" calls both the parties and links them up.
   5. After the call is established we don’t require the internet at all. But, I heard that sometimes we may have to go to the site to disconnect the call. It never happened to me.
   6. Want to make more calls then purchase talk time.
2. "nonoh.net" can be used to CALL from your PHONE Just like any other calling card. NO INTERNET CONNECTION IS REQUIRED.
   1. Enter your telephone number and your country of residence appropriately in your nonoh account.
   2. Click on the Access Numbers link (Make VoIP calls from your fixed/mobile phone) on the right side of the page.
   3. Check the number they provided for your country. (In General, the access number is local to the country, but there can be exclusions. Check the site for further information).
   4. Call the access number given by nonoh from your Mobile or Landline (this call will be charged by your local telephone provider as applicable) and enter the destination number when prompted for.
   5. From USA, you can call USA, UK, Australia, UK, Canada Landline numbers for FREE.
   6. Regularly u can call INDIA @ 5.3 US Cents (3 Euro Cents).
3. "nonoh.net" can be used to CALL from your PC without the use of PHONE. (PC-PHONE CALLS).
   1. Download nonoh.net software from nonoh site.
   2. Logon.
   3. Enter the number you would like to talk using the dial pad tab.
   4. Click the call button.
   5. Enjoy talking without having to use a phone. Without having to worry about local call charges :)
   6. DO NOT use SMS Feature, it is paid.
   7. From USA, you can call any USA, UK or Australia number from your PC itself, without getting charged by your local phone provider and as well as by "nonoh", I mean completely free calls to USA , UK or Australia.
4. "nonoh.net" can be used for PC-PC CALLS/Chatting.
1. Download nonoh.net software from nonoh site.
2. Register with it just like Yahoo Messenger or Skype
3. Enjoy PC-PC calls with greater voice clarity.
4. There is a text chatting facility like yahoo messenger or skype.

Visit the site: http://www.nonoh.net/ for more information.

Note: There have been some speculations about nonoh billing or other issues.
Please also read this before you purchase nonoh card: 1, 2, 3.
Even though, I did not come across such a situation, I thought those links would serve as further help with your specific issues.

~Ravinder
"Curiosity is the key quality in an innovator. Contrary to what one may suppose, it is not intelligence."

Acquiring US visa going to be easier; US Consulate at Hyd Soon

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Phone with a foldaway screen launched

Phone with a foldaway screen launched:

Click the Image in the web-page to view how the screen folds.

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~Ravinder