New Zealand declared their first innings at 619 for nine in the second Cricket Test against India at the McLean Park in Napier on Friday.
Jesse Ryder's double century, his second hundred against India in three innings, powered New Zealand to a mammoth 592 for six at tea. If India had hoped they could run through the rest of the Kiwi batting after they rid Ryder from the wicket at 477, they were driven to despair by Brendon McCullum (103) and Daniel Vettori (43), who posted 115 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket partnership.
After Ryder (201) had frustrated India in the first session, McCullum took charge in the post-lunch period, carving the ball to all parts of the park to bring up his third Test hundred. His unbeaten 103 included 11 hits to the fence.
Earlier, Ryder, resuming at his overnight 137, went on to become only the third Kiwi to score a double hundred against India. He was on top of his game before he dragged Zaheer Khan on his stumps immediately after bringing up his 200 with a pull.
ForMoreInfo: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ryder-scores-double-ton-nz-declare-at-6199/439771/
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Honda announced yesterday that it would launch its new hatchback 'Jazz' in India in mid-2009. According to Masahiro Takedagawa, president and chief executive officer, Honda Siel Cars India, "Honda Jazz is a premium hatchback and the company does not expect that it will overcome the sales numbers of the City sedan in India."
The Jazz will be powered by a 1.2-litre intelligent variable valve timing and lift electronic control (i-VTEC) petrol engine. The premium hatchback will have 70 per cent local content initially, which will be scaled up in phases.
Based on the Honda City platform, the 5-door compact car is speculated to be priced above Rs 4.5 lakh, and would be rolled out from the company's Greater Noida facility. Once launched, it will be pitted against other super-hatches like Skoda Fabia, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Fusion and Hyundai i20, and the yet-to-be-launched Fiat Grand Punto in the Indian market.
It is widely believed that Jazz is coming in early in view of the importance of small cars in India and the enthusiastic response to the car at the January 2008 Auto Expo in Delhi. However, pricing may be a problem, as it is priced higher than the City in foreign markets, but this may not be possible in India.
Takedagawa said the Jazz will be a premium segment hatchback with an engine specifically made for the Indian market. This will be Honda's first small car for the domestic market, which means that under government specifications, it must be less than 4-m long, with maximum engine capacity of 1.2 litres and 1.5 litres for the petrol and diesel versions respectively.
Jazz gets the premium tag due to the company's focus on luxury and safety by adding features like airbags, active headrests, pre-tensioner seat belts, ABS, and G-CON Technology (an advanced passive shield that offers extra protection in an accident). Honda believes that customers would be willing to pay for the additional features.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
NEW YORK (AP) — Pfizer Inc. said Thursday it ended a successful trial of its cancer drug Sutent early after data showed the drug met its goal of slowing the progression of pancreatic cancer.
The results sent Pfizer shares up nearly 10 percent.
The trial showed that Sutent significantly improved progression-free survival, meaning it extended the time patients survived and their disease did not spread, compared to a combination of standard treatment and a placebo. Because the trial was halted early, patients will have the option to keep taking Sutent or switch to Sutent from the standard treatment.
Pfizer hopes to have the drug approved as a treatment for advanced tumors in the islet cells of the pancreas, and the ending of the trial speeds up Pfizer's path to approval. Sutent is already marketed for renal cell carcinoma and as a secondary treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
Pfizer stopped the trial after getting a positive recommendation from an independent committee. The company described the cancer as rare, with limited options for treatment.
Sutent is an oral drug that is designed to block molecules that help cancers grow and spread throughout the body. It is already the New York-based company's best-selling cancer drug, with $847 million in sales in 2008, including $254 million in the U.S.
Pfizer shares rose $1.23, or 9.6 percent, to $14.02. The stock had lost about a quarter of its value since Jan. 26, when Pfizer agreed to buy smaller rival Wyeth for $68 billion.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
The scientists' ultimate goal is to find new ways to purge those latent virus particles from every AIDS-infected person, and thereby forestall permanent dependence on those overwhelmingly expensive drugs.
In their challenge to AIDS researchers worldwide, the U.S. scientists have published a review paper in the journal Science with Delaney listed as co-author. The paper, which is also dedicated to Delaney because of his participation as a "friend and colleague," appears Friday.
Its authors include Douglas D. Richman of UC San Diego, Warner C. Greene of UCSF's Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, Daria Hazuda of pharmaceutical giant Merck, Roger J. Pomerantz of Johnson & Johnson and David M. Margolis of the University of North Carolina.
Their paper is titled "The Challenge of Finding a Cure for HIV Infection."
By killing virtually all the latent viruses in the cells of infected people - even in those who live in good health while taking the anti-viral drugs, the researchers hope the immune systems of those who are infected would be empowered to cope with any few virus particles that remain without ever requiring more antiviral drug therapy.
"The big question," said Greene in an interview, "is how do we turn against a silent virus when we can't kill it until it expresses itself? It calls for a fundamentally different approach to cure the HIV infection, and it's an extremely tough goal that may not even succeed."