President A P J Abdul Kalam today greeted the countrymen on the eve of the New Year and Idu’l Zuha and exhorted them to spread happiness everywhere by helping the needy.

“On the occasion of the New Year, I extend my greetings and best wishes to all my people in India and abroad,” he said in his message here.

He asked the fellow citizens to spread happiness everywhere by sharing knowledge, removing pain and giving part of one’s rightful earning.

“Happiness will spread everywhere, if citizens of our country decide to give. Giving gives happiness,” the President said.

In his message for Idu’l Zuha, Kalam said it is indeed a day of rememberance of the great sacrifice and a thanksgiving day to the Almighty who has bestowed everything to humanity.

It is a beautiful mission for every family to give to the needy, the President said, adding, “By giving, God multiplies happiness to the family.” “May God bless you all,” the New Year message said. PTI

Most city residents living within the notified area for the Conditional Access System (CAS) for cable TV may have to cut short viewing of special year-end shows as pay channels will not be accessible without set-top -boxes (STBs) from midnight today.

Of the six lakh households in the notified region, only one lakh have installed STBs while another 45,000 will do so before the deadline, Cable Operators and Distributors Association president Ganesh Naidu told PTI.

Multi-system operators (MSOs) are working on a war footing to meet the last-minute rush for STBs, he said.

MSOs will be able to install up to 40,000 STBs today and it will be another 10 days before the full demand is met, Naidu said.

CAS will be implemented in the region extending up to Mahim on the western railway line and Parel on the central line.

Direct-to-home (DTH) providers like TataSky refused to divulge figures of the number of STBs installed by them.

However Naidu said of the six lakh existing cutomers evenly serviced by Incable and Hathway, MSOs at best will lose five per cent of customers to DTH providers.

Till yesterday evening, according to MSO figures, around one lakh households had installed STBs.

Without STBs, people will not be able to watch pay channels. However, free to air channels can be viewed as usual. PTI

India seems a far way from Swinburne TAFE’s Wantirna campus in the outer
eastern region of Melbourne. But for 14 students, mainly from the Punjab region
of India who are studying horticulture, it has become a home away from home.

Swinburne TAFE has long been recognised for its strong reputation in
horticulture studies, with the TAFE winning prestigious awards at the Melbourne
International Flower and Garden Show for exhibits created by students.

For one of the students, Ramandeep Singh, studying horticulture at Wantirna
represents a completely new phase in his life, having originally come to
Australia to study mechanical engineering.

“I didn’t imagine I would end up studying horticulture. But when I first
started the engineering course, I knew it wasn’t for me as it wasn’t the
challenge that I had in mind.

“My cousin had been living in Australia for eight years and convinced me to
study horticulture, and I thought I would try something different and it would
be a valuable technical skill that I could combine with business skills as
well.

I spoke to the nursery manager at Wantirna to get a better idea about the
courses that are offered and the different career paths and I enrolled soon
after,” Ramandeep explained.

Now studying a Diploma of Horticulture, Raman will be finished his studies
at the end of 2007, but when it comes to future plans, he is taking one day at
a time and enjoying his studies.

While adjusting to a new country and culture is always a challenge for new
students, the horticulture students have embraced the change, with the students
recently challenging their teachers to a friendly cricket match.

“Well it was no surprise that we won,” Ramandeep joked. “But mostly, it was
a fun day, a chance to get together with the other students and teachers in a
fun atmosphere.”

Teachers at the Wantirna campus have also greatly benefited from the
cultural exchange according to the Horticulture Department Manager, Fred
Hellriegel. “Teaching the students has been wonderful, they are willing to
learn and are wonderful people. Another advantage for staff is that our canteen
is now serving wonderful Indian food!”

The horticulture department is accepting another student intake from India
early next year.

Record Production Capabilities Strengthen sanofi pasteur’s Global
Leadership in the Fight Against Seasonal Influenza and Place
the Company at the Forefront of Pandemic Readiness

sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group (NYSE:
SNY; EURONEXT: SAN), announced that it completed production of more than 170
million doses of influenza vaccine in 2006.

sanofi pasteur confirmed its leadership as one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of seasonal influenza vaccine, supplying a very significant
portion of the estimated global production of about 350 million doses(1).

As the global influenza vaccine leader, sanofi pasteur has been steadily
increasing its manufacturing capacity. Since 2003, capacity has increased by
more than 40% in line with the company’s commitment to serve a central role in
the fight against a disease that causes between three and five million cases of
severe illness and between 300,000 and 500,000 estimated deaths every year
around the world according to the Word Health Organization(1).

In addition, sanofi pasteur’s leadership position in developing and
producing influenza vaccines places the company at the forefront of readiness
against the threat of pandemic influenza. The company is committed to producing
as many doses of sanofi pasteur’s most advanced vaccine in the shortest
possible timeframe, should a pandemic be declared by the world’s health
authorities.

“By producing a record number of doses of seasonal influenza vaccine in
2006, sanofi pasteur demonstrates once again its steadfast commitment to fight
a serious disease that affects the lives of millions of individuals each year
and heavily weighs upon public health systems everywhere,” said Jean-François
Dehecq, Chairman and CEO of sanofi-aventis. “sanofi pasteur’s strong industrial
capabilities combined with a high-priority pandemic influenza vaccine research
program involving over 100 of our top scientists is enabling us to provide a
meaningful contribution to global pandemic preparedness,” added Mr. Dehecq.

Since 1995, sales volume of sanofi pasteur’s influenza virus vaccines has
more than tripled. To keep pace with the world’s growing immunisation needs,
sanofi pasteur has made significant capital investments in influenza vaccine
production capabilities in the United States and France in order to reach
current levels of more than 170 million doses.

In 2005, sanofi pasteur initiated a USD 160 million investment in the
United States for a new influenza vaccine manufacturing facility, which is
anticipated to double its US production capacity. New production capacities are
planned to come online for the 2008/9 influenza season. A EUR160 million
investment, the largest capital investment to date for sanofi pasteur in
France, has also been approved for a formulation and filling facility in sanofi
pasteur’s Val de Reuil facility. The new state-of-the-industry facility will
boost sanofi pasteur filling capabilities, thus significantly reducing time to
market for the vaccine.

Seasonal Influenza Overview
Influenza is a highly infectious virus that spreads easily from person to
person, primarily when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. According to
the World Health Organization (WHO), 5-15% of the population is affected with
upper respiratory tract infections in annual influenza epidemics.
Hospitalisation and deaths mainly occur in high-risk groups (elderly,
chronically ill (people with chronic conditions/illness). Although difficult to
assess, these annual epidemics are thought to result in between three and five
million cases of severe illness and between 300 000 and 500 000 deaths every
year around the world(1). Most deaths currently associated with influenza in
industrialised countries occur among the elderly over 65 years of age.

Pandemic Influenza Overview
Influenza is a disease caused by a highly infectious virus that spreads
easily from person to person, primarily when an infected individual coughs or
sneezes. An influenza pandemic is a global epidemic of an especially virulent
virus, newly infectious for humans, and for which there is no pre-existing
immunity. This is why these pandemic strains have such potential to cause
severe morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), the next pandemic is likely to result in 1 to 2.3 million
hospitalisations and 280,000 to 650,000 deaths in industrialized nations alone.
Its impact is expected to be even more devastating in developing countries. In
an attempt to minimise the impact of a pandemic, many countries are developing
national and transnational plans against an eventual influenza pandemic
situation.

For information about sanofi pasteur pandemic preparedness program, please
visit: www.sanofipasteur.com/pandemicpreparedness

About sanofi-aventis
The sanofi-aventis Group is the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical
company, ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D
organisation, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major
therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic
diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine, and vaccines. The
sanofi-aventis Group is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE:
SNY). For more information, please visit: www.sanofi-aventis.com

sanofi pasteur, the vaccines business of the sanofi-aventis Group, sold
more than a billion doses of vaccine in 2005, making it possible to protect
more than 500 million people across the globe. The company offers the broadest
range of vaccines, providing protection against 20 bacterial and viral
diseases. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com

Reference: 1. www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ari/en/print.html