- New survey gives poor countries information on more affordable AIDS drugs
- New IBM Technologies Exploit Web Services to Address IT Challenge
Andhra Pradesh Power Finance CorporationMumbai: keralamonitor.com June 26, 2002.The "A (so)" (pronounced 'single A structured obligation') rating assigned to the Rs 50 billion bonds programme of the Andhra Pradesh Power Finance Corporation (APPFC) has been reaffirmed. The rating is based on an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee provided by the government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) and is supported by a structured payment mechanism to facilitate the timely payment of the debt obligations.
The rating reflects the GoAP's sustained structural and fiscal reforms, demonstrated budgetary discipline and the significant increase in its revenue receipts, all of which have helped in controlling the state's revenue deficit. The rating is also based on the state's increased capital outlay towards developmental activities and its fast-improving infrastructural facilities. These measures augur well for Andhra Pradesh's future economic growth. These factors are offset to some extent by the state's high debt levels and off-balance sheet liabilities and the continued high fiscal deficit on account of expenditure commitments to power sector reforms. The rating is also constrained by the fact that the state has a relatively weak economic structure with average demographics, relatively low income levels and high dependence on the primary sector.
APPFC is a special purpose vehicle (SPV), wholly owned by the Andhra Pradesh government. It was formed two years ago to provide financial support to the state's power sector. APPFC's main objectives include providing long-term finance to power sector enterprises and acquiring or dealing in securities issued by any government, authority, corporation or body of persons.
New IBM Technologies Exploit Web Services to Address IT Challenge
Bashar Kilani, manager, IBM
Dubai, keralamonitor.com June 26, 2002- IBM Middle East announced today the launch of the new WebSphere infrastructure software that will solve today's top I.T. priority: reducing the cost and difficulty of integrating disparate business applications and systems. The new products, including WebSphere Application Server Version 5 and new WebSphere MQ, Business Integration, Portal and "enterprise modernization" software, cement IBM's leadership in addressing the multi-dimensional challenges of business integration.
"Our new range of WebSphere products are designed to help companies reap considerable cost savings and improve efficiency, customer service and time to market through faster, more effective and easier-to-manage integration," said Bashar Kilani, manager of business transformation and integration software, IBM Middle East and Africa. "IBM is working very hard to address the complex issue of integration for our customers by simplifying business processes using secure and scalable technology to accelerate e-business initiatives for customers, suppliers, partners and employees."
As companies use the Internet to open their enterprises to customers, partners and suppliers for greater efficiency and productivity -- such as linking a purchasing department to outside vendors or adjusting inventory levels to match the latest customer buying patterns -- they encounter layers of different I.T. systems that have been purchased over time, many of which are unable to interoperate.The result is that disparate applications and business systems often remain sequestered within departments, weakening a company's e-business readiness. Or, companies try to tackle the problem with a maze of piecemeal, proprietary or custom-rigged integration solutions that are expensive and time-consuming to implement and maintain. Companies spend as much as 40 percent of their annual I.T. budgets on integration, analysts say. A recent Gartner report described "a complex, disorganized, unmanaged, inefficient - and expensive - inter-application 'spaghetti-like' architecture that connects applications and databases throughout the enterprise and, increasingly, its business partners, suppliers and customers."*
Built on industry standards such as Web services, Java and XML, and expertise gained from tens of thousands of WebSphere customer engagements, the new offerings address all types of integration needs, from the "get-started-quickly" requirements of newer e-businesses to sophisticated, cross-enterprise scenarios. WebSphere simplifies integration through the industry's most comprehensive e-business platform, with common infrastructure underpinnings and development tools across the portfolio. So, for example, companies can use WebSphere to plug an internal portal into a Customer Relationship Management application and link to an ERP system.
26 June 2002 keralamonitor.com
New survey gives poor countries information on more affordable AIDS drugs
Copenhagen/Geneva/Paris, 26 June 2002: an updated survey of "Sources and
Prices of Selected Drugs and Diagnostics for People Living with HIV/AIDS"
to be released today by UNICEF, UNAIDS, WHO and Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) will present a list of HIV medicines, test kits and suppliers of
AIDS-related products for procurement agencies and countries. The survey
fills one of several gaps in efforts to expand access - transparency of
information from a range of different products and sources.
The updated survey contains 123 pharmaceutical products. Apart from
anti-retroviral medicines, it includes medicines used to treat a range of
opportunistic infections, for pain relief, for use in palliative care, and
for the treatment of HIV/AIDS-related cancers and for the management of
drug dependence.
The survey also provides information on a range of HIV/AIDS test kits for
initial diagnosis of the infection, and ongoing monitoring of
antiretroviral treatment. The UN bulk procurement scheme has resulted in
an average US$2 million savings each year.
Of the more than 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS today, over 95 per
cent live in developing countries. Many of them do not have access to even
the basic drugs needed to treat minor ailments, not mentioning HIV-related
infections. In many of the poorest countries, essential drugs including
painkillers, antibiotics, and tuberculosis drugs are in desperately short
supply.
Even with significant recent reductions in the prices of many of the drugs
needed in HIV/AIDS care and support, especially anti-retroviral drugs,
their affordability is one of the main barriers to their availability in
developing countries. Where cheaper alternatives exist, many
decision-makers do not have the information they need to identify
appropriate suppliers for these drugs.
The report is based on responses to a questionnaire sent to over 100
innovative and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers world-wide. This year,
a record 39 manufacturers from 20 different countries were included in the
new report.
