Indian Animation industry would see growth at the rate of 27% CAGR in the coming years. The animation industry can cross $1163 million mark by 2012. It is forecasted in a report titled 'NASSCOM Animation and Gaming India 2008' by the industry body NASSCOM. It is specially included with a session on ‘Super Pitch’ to show its commitment for further development of Indian animation industry.

Recent research showed the "friendly" probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum 299 (Lp299) can prevent the most common cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) as effectively as an antiseptic called chlorhexidine (CHX).

The bacterium is found in saliva and also common in fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut. VAP occurs when pathogenic bacteria from the mouth, throat or breathing tube are inhaled into the lungs. The study was led by Dr Bengt Klarin from the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has raised objections over spectrum allocation policy of the UPA government. The party wants enquiry into the 2G spectrum allocation by the union telecom ministry. CPI alleged that spectrum is allotted at very lower prices than the prevailing market prices causing loss of about Rs. 60,000 crore to the national exchequer.

The wholesale price index based inflation reverses its trend after declining for five weeks. It rises to 10.72% for the week ended October 25 as compared to 10.68% a week ago.

The annual rate of inflation is measured by the fluctuation in wholesale prices. The recent rise in inflation is due to the increase in prices of some primary articles. Primary articles contribute 22 per cent in the overall inflation. Prices of food and non-food category also increased marginally leading to the  increasing inflation.

New Delhi, Nov 8 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is leaving for a three-day visit to Oman and Qatar on Saturday afternoon.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high level delegation. On the first leg of his visit Dr. Singh will hold talks with the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Al-Sayed, and other leaders on various issues.

This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Qatar.

Energy security and welfare of Indian citizens in the Gulf region will be high on the agenda of talks between Dr. Singh and leaders of Oman and Qatar.

Singapore  - DBS Group, Singapore's largest bank, announced 900 jobs cuts after it suffered a sharp drop in third quarter profit, a news report said Saturday.

About half of the retrenchments, which amount to 6 per cent of the company's total staff will affect its Singapore operations, a report by the Straits Times newspaper said. The cuts are to be carried out before Christmas, the report added.

DBS employs 7,600 staff in Singapore and 4,200 in Hong Kong, which will also be affected by the cuts.