Change the Guard

bigrich0861 asked:

george bush is funny

Don H If both parents are albino asked:


World events seem to point to a major event laying on the horizon that never happens. That “is” syncronicity. A phenomonum(sp) that causes great wars instigated by paranoia.

Propertiesmls asked:


Foreign investors are once again queuing up to pour money into India’s red hot property market, with the government relaxing some of the norms. At least half-a-dozen deals worth $1billion are being finalised by Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, The Carlyle Group and Blackstone, among others, with unlisted real estate companies, as pre-initial public offering (IPO) placement.

A clarification issued by the department of industrial policy & promotion (DIPP), under the ministry of commerce and industry, has cleared the air for investments by foreign institutional investors (FIIs), foreign venture capital funds (VCFs) and private equity players.

FII investments in companies pre-IPO will be treated as foreign direct investment (FDI), as per the clarification, and the investment will have to be channelled for FDI-compliant greenfield projects only.

This has settled the differences arising from views aired by the finance and commerce ministries, and financial sector regulators. Now foreign investors will have to wait three years before exiting the company completely. DIPP has clarified that the investor will have to lock in a minimum of $5 million, in case of a joint venture with an Indian real estate player, or $10 million, in case of a wholly-owned subsidiary of a foreign investor.

The existing rules for foreign investors regarding the lock-in period is applicable for real estate sector as well. Hence, investments by FIIs, foreign VCFs and PE investors will have a minimum lock-in period of one year, if the investment occurred during the preceding 12 months before the IPO date.

This has paved way for a large number of foreign investments at the entity level. This is a complete departure from the past, when equity investments used to be all project-specific. Industry officials said leading property players are sewing up equity deals at the entity level, with greater clarity in foreign investments in the sector.

A majority of real estate companies planning an IPO are currently in talks with foreign investors. The leading players planning an IPO are Hiranandanis, Lodha Developers, Runwal group, Kolte Patil Developers and Paranjpe Schemes (Construction). “There used to be some kind of confusion in the market as far as FIIs’ pre-IPO investments in real estate companies are concerned.

With the clarification issued by the government, foreign VCFs and PE funds can now invest in the real estate firms with a lock-in period of minimum one year. It will definitely boost investments in the sector,” said Akhil Hirani, managing partner of Majmudar & Co.

According to investment bankers, the change in rules would pre-empt any further speculation in the real estate market, and that FIIs would not be allowed to cash in immediately in the IPO.

Earlier, DIPP and the stock market regulator Sebi were not in favour of a lock-in period and had instead suggested pre-IPO placements by FIIs be considered as portfolio investments. However, the recommendation was not accepted by the finance ministry, which, in turn, asked Sebi to put in place the lock-in on FII investments in real estate.

Leading real estate players, eager to cash in on investors’ appetite for realty stocks, were seeking FDI status for their pre-offer placement since many of their existing projects were not meeting the tough FDI norms. For instance, a project needs to be at least 25 acres to be notified FDI-compliant.

For more information on Real Estate Agents, MLS visit Propertiesmls.com

Source: IndiaRealEstateblog

proglfr72 asked:


Need some information about why Israel is so important to the US Foreign Policy. I’ve found some things online, but most tend to be incomplete and don’t really answer the question. Thanks in advance!

Susan Jan asked:


Everybody eagerly looks forward to his or her next vacation. From choosing the destination to selecting the hotels, planning for the next vacation seems to be a favorite pastime for most people. After all, a trip once a year rejuvenates you physically and mentally and prepares you to withstand the stress of everyday life through the whole year ahead.

But all your excitement and all the meticulous planning can go astray if something unpleasant and unexpected happens during your vacation.

Just imagine the shock and panic if one member of your family or travel group suddenly needs emergency medical attention. Or what if your luggage and all your important documents get lost? What happens if natural calamity leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere? How will you cope if all flights are cancelled indefinitely following natural, political or other kinds of disturbances?

All these situations are extremely difficult to manage, at home let alone in a foreign country. But you can better cope with these emergency situations without letting all the money that went into paying the air tickets, hotels etc. go to waste by purchasing a travel insurance policy. If you are under the protective coverage of travel insurance, you do not have to stress about the unexpected. Once you are armed with travel insurance you can be rest assured of 24-hour emergency assistance services.

Here are some situations where a travel insurance plan can come to your rescue:

Medical emergency - You will not be covered by your usual health insurance beyond a certain territorial limit. So a medical emergency outside your coverage area means a huge expenditure. International travel insurance usually provides coverage for medical and dental expenses and emergency medical transportation.

Natural calamity - You have invested a considerable amount of money in your vacation and now every thing seems to be going to waste, now that your vacation is spoilt due to a natural calamity or very harsh weather conditions. Though the vacation is ruined does not mean you have to suffer monetarily too as the travel insurance will take cover all your financial losses.

Loss of belongings - You may find yourself in an unfortunate situation where you fall prey to muggers in a foreign city. You lose all your identity documents and you have not a penny in your pocket. In such cases international travel insurance provides you with an Identity Theft Protection that includes recovery services, lost ticket and passport assistance, translation services and emergency and cash transfer assistance.

So as soon as you have decided on your next vacation, purchase your travel insurance too right away. It will allow you to enjoy your vacation with peace of mind because you know the insurance company will take care of everything else for you.

WorldEconomicForum asked:

http://www.weforum.org/ 23.01.2003
Setting the Scene: Update on the World Economy
This update will review developments since last year’s Annual Meeting and will assess the critical challenges for the world economy over the short and medium term.
Gail Fosler, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, The Conference Board, USA
Jürgen von Hagen, Professor of Economics, Center for European Integration Studies, University of Bonn, Germany
Stephen S. Roach, Chief Economist, Morgan Stanley, USA
Haruo Shimada, Professor of Economics, Keio University, Japan
Zhu Min, General Manager and Economic Adviser to the President, Bank of China, People’s Republic of China
Moderated by
Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times, United Kingdom