| Dark clouds have silver lining for agri info operation
CLIMATE change, drought and pollution may seem to indicate a bleak future, but for Canberra information management firm Agrecon these problems mean big business here and overseas. Agrecon, formed in 1992 and split from the University of Canberra three years ago, has tapped into booming demand for environmental data driven by the agriculture sector. The company has collected reams of information from satellite imagery to the Bureau of Meteorology's daily climatic output. The sheer volume of data collected has forced Agrecon to strengthen its technology infrastructure as it gears up for further international expansion and what it expects to be several years of strong growth. "In Australia the prospects for natural resource management and agricultural production, as well as the pressures on water, the environment and land, mean essentially that the next five years are our best years," Agrecon managing director Dr Brian Button says.
Mt. Fuji saves salesman who became lensman
Rocky Tanaka has been taking pictures of Mt. Fuji for 12 years. But the businessman-turned-photographer does not merely take regular pictures of the mountain--his dream is to produce contemporary ukiyo-e-like scenes overflowing with emotion. A recent episode illustrated this difference in approach. When the bottom of the mountain turned a deep pink at sunrise on Jan. 9 at 6:50 a.m., about 20 photographers who had been waiting for that moment launched into picture taking at a spot near Lake Motosu in Yamanashi Prefecture. But for Tanaka, 61, watching from a hill some distance from them, the scene did not even merit taking his camera out of his car. "I'm not taking any pictures today because the look is different from what I want to take," said Tanaka, who calls himself Rocky to project the rugged image of the Rocky Mountains.
Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for 2 Men Accused of Murdering ...
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday they will seek the death penalty for two men accused of murdering a family along Florida's Turnpike in 2006. Documents filed in federal court announced the possible death penalty if defendants Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr. are convicted. Their trial has been on hold to allow the U.S. Justice Department time to make its decision on capital punishment. The men have pleaded not guilty in the shooting deaths of 28-year-old Jose Luis Escobedo, his 25-year-old wife Yessica and their two young sons. Their bodies were found in October 2006 along the turnpike near Port St. Lucie. Authorities have said Escobedo was part of a large drug trafficking ring that included the two alleged killers.
Citi buys 14.5 pc of Globe Capital for Rs 168 cr
Citi Venture Capital International (CVCI), the private equity arm of Citigroup, has picked up around 14.5 per cent in the Delh-based Globe Capital for Rs 168 crore. At this price the company is being valued at over Rs 1,000 crore. While confirming the deal, Ashok Agrawal, chairman of Globe Capital, said Citi had invested $42 million for a minority stake in the company.. The company would use the proceeds for expanding into the retail segment and margin financing, he added. Globe Capital had reported a net profit of Rs 70 crore on a gross income of Rs 130 crore in the first nine months of 2007. Last fiscal, the company posted a net profit of Rs 50 crore. One of the leading clearing members in the futures and options (F&O) segment, the company plans to expand overseas and has already established operations in Dubai through a subsidiary and plans to acquire ICON Capital, a member of the London Stock Exchange.
Horse thought to be stabbed caused own death
Horse thought to be stabbed caused own death Fell over and impaled itself on piece of concrete Cops rule out any suspicious circumstances A HORSE initially believed to have been stabbed by a cruel attacker did not die in suspicious circumstances. The distraught owners called police after discovering their pet, a former race horse named Speak Well, with an apparent stab wound to the stomach in a paddock at Appin, in Sydney's southwestern outskirts at about 10pm (AEDT) yesterday. "There are some other cuts on the horse but the single stab wound would appear to be the cause of death,'' Superintendent Bryan Doyle said earlier. "We are hoping that a post mortem due to be conducted this afternoon will give us a better idea as to how the horse died.'' Now it appears the horse fell over and bizarrely impaled itself on a piece of concrete.
MCX to support Microsoft's rural technology training programme
MUMBAI: Multi Commodity Exchange of India on Thursday announced its support to an ongoing computer literacy programme of Microsoft and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals in rural Maharashtra.
This marks the launch of MCX's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative aimed at empowering the youth and women of rural areas of the state with technology skills.
Till now over 15,500 people have been trained and more than 24,000 people are using this service across 16 districts by the means of understanding the futures markets prices of the area specific commodities.
MCX's support will help in increasing deployment of laptop and desktop computers and thereby strengthen the ongoing technology training and adoption efforts through the project.
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