With 1,964 H-1B visas in 2009, Indian IT major Wipro has topped the list of firms that got the coveted US visas for highly skilled professionals.

Microsoft with 1,318 visas came next, with Intel (723) in third place, while Google with 211 in 25th place brought up the rear. IBM India (695), Infosys (440), Polaris Software Lab India (254) and Satyam (219) were the other major Indian visa getters.

At least 200 US and Asia-based technology, financial and consulting companies applied for H-1B visas in 2009. The major technology companies that did not rank in the Top 25, but did rank in the Top 50 include Yahoo, Amazon, Apple, Texas Instruments, Nvidia and IBM, according to e-week.com.

Some of the leading research universities in the United States also rank in the Top 50 — University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, University of Illinois, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, University of Pittsburgh, Columbia and Baylor College of Medicine.

Here is a countdown of the top 25 companies with the specific number of H-1B visas they were granted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in 2009:

1. Wipro 1,964, 2. Microsoft 1,318, 3. Intel 723, 4. IBM India 695, 5. Patni Americas 609, 6. Larsen & Toubro Infotech 602, 7. Ernst & Young 481, 8. Infosys 440, 9. UST Global 344, 10. Deloitte 328, 11. Qualcomm 320, 12. Cisco Systems 308, 13. Accenture 287, 14. KPMG 287, 15. Oracle 272, 16. Polaris Software Lab India 254, 17. Rite Aid 240, 18. Goldman Sachs 236, 19. Deloitte & Touche 235, 20. Cognizant 233, 21. Mphasis 229, 22. Satyam 219, 23. Bloomberg 217, 24. Motorola 213 and 25. Google 211.

The United States continued to lead the global IT industry competitiveness ranking in an annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, followed by Finland, Sweden and Canada. India stands at the 44th spot in global IT competitiveness index.

The prominence of Finland, Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands in the index’s top tier was helped most by their robust IT infrastructure and strong support for technology research and development, the survey said.

An improving R&D environment and also human capital helped lift China’s ranking to 39th and Russia’s to 38th.

The IT Industry Competitiveness Index of 66 countries assesses and compares the quality of the local technology infrastructure, the availability and quality of IT talent, the innovation environment, the legal regime, the business environment, and government technology policies, the EIU said.

Following are the rankings of the top 16 countries and some selected IT industry hubs. Last year’s ranking in brackets:

1 UNITED STATES (1)

2 FINLAND (13)

3 SWEDEN (4)

4 CANADA (6)

5 NETHERLANDS (10)

6 BRITAIN (3)

7 AUSTRALIA (7)

8 DENMARK (5)

9 SINGAPORE (9)

10 NORWAY (14)

11 IRELAND (15)

12 JAPAN (12)

13 ISRAEL (16)

14 SWITZERLAND (11)

15 TAIWAN (2)

16 SOUTH KOREA (8)

38 RUSSIA (49)

39 CHINA (50)

44 INDIA (48)

The US state department said on Friday it was prepared to hold direct talks with North Korea to try to coax it back into multilateral negotiations on ending its nuclear programs.

Previously, US officials had sent mixed signals about direct meetings, at times saying Pyongyang must first commit to resume multilateral discussions and at others saying bilateral talks could only occur “in the context” of the multilateral discussions.

The department denied changing its policy on direct talks, saying any bilateral meeting would be to bring Pyongyang back to multilateral talks.

“We are prepared to enter into a bilateral discussion with North Korea,” state department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters.

“When it’ll happen, where it’ll happen, we’ll have to wait and see,” he added. “We’ve made no decisions at this point, other than just to say we are prepared for a bilateral talk, if that will help advance the six-party process.”

North Korea agreed in September 2005 to abandon its nuclear programs in an aid-for-disarmament agreement hammered out among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States in the so-called six-party talks.

The process has unfolded in fits and starts, with North Korea taking some steps to disable its nuclear facilities but also testing a nuclear device in 2006 and again in May, leading the others to question its commitment to the deal.

The six-party talks broke down at the end of last year, with the North declaring the process to be “dead,” and the Obama administration is searching for a way to revive them.

US officials believe that the multilateral talks have the highest chances of persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions chiefly because their host, China, has greater influence over North Korea than the United States.

Crowley said it was unlikely bilateral talks would take place before the UN General Assembly this month and he declined to say whether US special envoy Stephen Bosworth might accept the North’s invitation to visit Pyongyang.

The World Health Organisation is urging the planet to brace for a second wave of the swine flu pandemic as the heavily populated northern hemisphere edges towards the cooler season when flu thrives.

“The WHO is still mobilised and worried,” spokesman Gregory Hartl said as the global health watchdog kept an anxious eye on some “mysterious” patterns of illness associated with the new A (H1N1) virus that appeared in April.

Influenza traditionally surges to its peak during the northern autumn and winter.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan warned on Friday that there had been second and third waves in previous pandemics.

“We cannot say for certain whether the worst is over or the worst is yet to come,” Chan said in a videotaped address to a symposium on flu in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We need to be prepared for whatever surprises this capricious new virus delivers next,” she added.

Some 1,799 people have died since the A(H1N1) was uncovered in Mexico and the United States nearly six months ago, according to the UN health agency.

By comparison, an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people die around the world every year from seasonal flu, and overall the symptoms of the new pandemic virus have proved to be mild in the great majority of known cases.

However, it has spread swiftly into 177 countries, proving to be more infectious than seasonal flu and more durable through warmer months.

Through a full season in the southern hemisphere, the pandemic strain gradually became dominant.

WHO monitoring showed that it was now on the decline there, except in South Africa, and in some later affected areas of Argentina, Australia and Chile.

Some 182,000 people worldwide are known to have caught swine flu based on laboratory confirmed cases, but the WHO has long advised countries to give up counting; the true number may in the millions, according to some experts.

It is also striking those in a more physically fragile phase of life, such as pregnant women or the chronically ill, as well as those who are obese and younger age groups than usual.

Many of the most severe cases are among 30 to 50 year -olds.

WHO officials are also mystified at the “most worrying” characteristic of this flu virus, Hartl explained.

About 40 percent of the most severe or fatal cases occur in people who are in perfect health, he said.

However, he was unable to say how many severe cases had occurred, although they are generally regarded as a small proportion of the outbreak so far.

Washington, July 17 (ANI): The United States has once again clarified that it would not appoint any special envoy to address the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, and that the conflict should be resolved by the two neighbouring countries itself.

Addressing South Asian journalists at a briefing here, US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs, Robert Blake said Washington, as part of its long-term strategy, does not support the idea  of appointing an envoy to Kashmir.

“I can assure you we are not going to appoint a special Kashmir envoy. This is longstanding US policy that this is an issue that needs to be worked (out) between India and Pakistan,” Blake said.

Blake’s comments came a day before a significant visit of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton to India.

Clinton would be arriving in Mumbai today (Friday).

Blake’s comments clearly suggest that while Washington considers Islamabad as one of its important allies, Pakistan should resolve all the issues with India directly and should not seek US’ indulgence in those issues.
 
Blake also said that during Clinton’s five-day visit, both the countries may sign at least two agreements worth 20 billion dollars in the field peaceful usage of nuclear means and defence technology.

One of the two agreements expected to be announced during -Clinton’s visit would be an ‘end-use monitoring’ accord under which the United States would have the right to make sure American arms sold to India are used for their intended purpose and that the technology does not leak to third countries.

“We hope to be able to sign that,” The Dawn quoted Blake, as saying.

Earlier, talking about her India visit, Clinton said she is looking forward to the visit and  hoped to engage India on the ‘difficult issue’ of global and regional regimes on WMD’s.

“We are delighted that our two countries will be engaging in a very broad, comprehensive dialogue. It is the most wide-ranging that I think has ever been put on the table between India and the US,” Clinton said. (ANI)

Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), July 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh held bilateral meetings with his Bangladeshi and Vietnamese counterparts — Sheikh Hasina and Nguyen Tan Dung respectively on the sidelines of the XVth Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit here on Wednesday.

Leaders of developing states that make up NAM had earlier said the world needs a financial system that is fairer to developing states, which have suffered most from an economic crisis caused by rich countries.

The grouping has struggled to stay relevant after it was founded during the Cold War by countries, which did not want to be aligned either with the Soviet Union or the United States.

The movement now has 118 member states, with 15 observer states, representing two-thirds of the members of the United Nations and half of the world’s population.

It has struggled to find a role since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union’s collapse a year and half later.

The 118 member-states are composed of 53 nations in Africa, 38 in Asia, one in Europe and 26 in Latin America and the Caribbean. (ANI)

Islamabad, July 15 (ANI): The United States is working out a new strategy to reduce tensions with Pakistan over the drone strikes.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Paul Jones, told the US Congress recently, that Washington is planning to broaden its public relations initiatives in Pakistan to enable it to understand the US tactics.

Islamabad, July 15 (ANI): The United States is working out a new strategy to reduce tensions with Pakistan over the drone strikes.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Paul Jones, told the US Congress recently, that Washington is planning to broaden its public relations initiatives in Pakistan to enable it to understand the US tactics.

Jones highlighted that ‘strategic communications’ were the most important part of US tactics in Pakistan, The Daily Times reports.

He added the US is planning to increase financial assistance to Pakistan “quite significantly” in order to help Islamabad build its own communications strategy.

“Such programmes will help people understand what the goals of the Pakistani government and the international community are, and how they are helping the country of Pakistan,” an article on the website Eurasiatnet quoted Jones, as saying.

Some US experts opine that the Pentagon is relying ‘too much’ on the drones to quell militancy from Pakistan’s tribal region, but also highlighted that a better information strategy could help deescalate the tension substantially.

“Drone strikes excite visceral opposition across a broad spectrum of Pakistani opinion. The persistence of these attacks on Pakistani territory offends people’s deepest sensibilities, alienates them from their government, and contributes to Pakistan’s instability,” Chief Executive Officer of a defense think-tank, Centre for a New American Security, Nathaniel Fick said.

“Currently, strikes from unmanned aircraft are carried out in a virtual vacuum, without concerted information campaigns or an equally robust strategy to engage the people,” Fick added. (ANI)

Washington, July 8 (ANI): Biologists have determined that a 700-mile security wall under construction along the United States’ border with Mexico could significantly alter the movement and “connectivity” of wildlife, with the animals’ potential isolation a threat to populations of some species.

However, technology and alterations to the design could dramatically improve the potential for animals to move more freely between the two countries, the scientists added.

“The biggest concern is that this barrier will break small populations of animals into even smaller pieces that will result in fewer animals interacting,” said Clinton Epps, a wildlife biologist at Oregon State University and co-author on the study.

“A major barrier such as this could lead to significant degradation of connectivity for many different species, ultimately threatening their populations,” he added.

In their study, the authors looked at the potential effects of the security wall on two species – the pygmy owl and bighorn sheep.

They found that the low-flying pygmy owl made three-fourths of its flights below the height of the security wall, which is approximately four meters high, and that juvenile owls had lower colonization in areas of disturbance or areas with less vegetation.

“Some of the potential damage to pygmy owls could be mitigated with a few tweaks to the system,” Epps added.

“Putting in poles near the fence could allow the owls to swoop down from a perch, and planting brush to provide better cover could help them avoid predation by larger avian species and improve their chances for colonization,” he added.

“Movement of pygmy owls from Mexico to Arizona may be necessary for the persistence of the Arizona population,” Flesch pointed out.

The security wall could have a bigger impact on the movement of bighorn sheep, which range widely among the hilly terrain.

The scientists’ study estimated that at least nine populations of sheep in northwestern Sonora, Mexico, are linked genetically with animals in neighboring Arizona and an interruption of that connectivity could threaten populations on both sides of the fence.

An impermeable barrier would isolate sheep populations and potentially reduce their genetic diversity, but the scientists said that slight adaptations in the design of the fence could improve the animals’ potential for connectivity while maintaining the desired security goals along the border.

“The key is to have gaps in the fence that are sufficient to allow passage of animals, while at the same time meeting security needs,” Epps said.

“A ‘virtual’ fence could be an alternative to a solid wall in some places, especially in steep terrain that is ideally suited for bighorn sheep,” he added. (ANI)

Islamabad, July 7 (ANI) :  Cricketer-turned politician, Imran Khan has charged the PPP-led  government of being subservient to the United States, saying that government has rented out the country’s army to the US in exchange of 1.5 billion dollars.

“We have rented our military out to US in exchange of mere 1.5 billion dollars while US is spending sixty billion dollars on its army comprising 55,000 troops in Afghanistan,” The News quoted Khan, as saying.

Addressing party workers in Manshera, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief accused certain ‘elements’ in the government of forcing a war on people of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) just for pocketing billions of dollars from the US.

Khan also warned the government that people in Swat and Malakand Divisions would take to streets in protest against the military offensive, if the military operation was not called off by July 31. (ANI)

London, July 7 (ANI): A team of scientists has applied ecological niche modelling to predict the mythical Bigfoot’s favorite haunts in the United States.

Conservation biologists often need to predict where rare species are capable of living – for selecting the best site for a national park, for example, or forecasting how badly a species’ range will suffer as the climate changes in the future.

The latest technique for making these predictions is so-called ecological niche modelling, in which researchers log the locations of known species sightings, then gather environmental data for those places to define the ecological limits of the species’ range.

Jeff Lozier, an entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was worried that some people may have been too uncritical in applying the technique.

“Whenever you have these new, shiny, easy-to-use approaches, there’s a temptation to use them even before you know what the kinks are,” he said.

So, Lozier and his colleagues decided to apply ecological niche modelling to an obviously false data set – Sasquatch sightings.

They gathered all reported sightings in the US states of Washington, Oregon and California and used the environmental data to predict the distribution of the mythical Sasquatch or Bigfoot.

They found that the model yielded a perfectly plausible prediction about Bigfoot habitats – a warning to modellers that spurious results will not necessarily announce themselves through obvious warning signs.

“The point of the paper is really well taken,” said Dan Warren, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of California at Davis who is an expert in ecological niche models.

“I think the literature is rife with people who are over-interpreting what comes out of these models,” he added.

The researchers also compared the niche model for Sasquatch to one they developed for black bear.

They found that the two were statistically indistinguishable.

According to Lozier, this suggests that many supposed Sasquatch sightings may simply be misidentified bears – a mistake that has been made on at least one occasion. (ANI)