Dengue claims second victim in MP

Bhopal: Dengue claimed its second victim in Madhya Pradesh after a six-year-old boy from Betul district succumbed to the disease in a private hospital here, officials said on Monday.

The boy identified as Tarun Sahu died yesterday after he was diagnosed with the dreaded fever and shifted to Bhopal a few days back.

The boy identified as Tarun Sahu died yesterday after he was diagnosed with the dreaded fever and shifted to Bhopal a few days back.

He was suffering from high temperature since he was admitted to the hospital. His condition further deteriorated resulting in his death, they said.

Since January this year, a total of 54 positive cases of dengue have been reported in Madhya Pradesh, Director Malaria, Dr K L Sahoo said, adding so far two persons, including Sahu, have succumbed to the disease

Student kills self at MGM medical college

Indore: A final year MBBS student of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) medical college here allegedly committed suicide in his hostel room on Thursday, police said.

Ravi Pippal (28) was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room, they said. An empty liquor bottle and a laptop were also found from the spot. Police suspect that Ravi could have taken the extreme step following an unsuccessful love affair of five years.

His body was sent to M Y Hospital for postmortem, police said, adding further investigations are on.

Cyclone Nilam approaching TN-Andhra coast, landfall by evening

Chennai: Even as Hurricane Sandy settled leaving a trail of death and devastation in the United States, people in the southern states of the country prepare themselves for fast approaching Cyclone Nilam building over Bay Bengal, which is expected to cross between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts Wednesday evening.

According to the Metrological Department of India, the cyclone is now around 340 km south-southeast of Chennai and is moving.

"Nilam is expected to cross the coast between Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu) and Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) today (Wednesday) evening," the Met department said.

According to the weatherman, rainfall is expected at most places over coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Wind speed would reach around 80 kmph and prevail along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts as Nilam nears its landfall.


The sea condition will be rough along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 36 hour.

Storm surge of about 1 to 1.5 metre over the astronomical tide is likely to inundate the low lying areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts in Tamil Nadu and Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

Standing crops - paddy, groundnut and maize - in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be damaged, said a weather bulletin.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced holiday for schools and colleges in the coastal districts.

Five coastal districts in Andhra which are in Nilam's path are on alert. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out in sea till the storm settles. Rescue and relief teams are also on standby and shelters being prepared in case evacuation becomes necessary.

The disaster management agency of the state is supervising the precautionary arrangements being taken by the local administration to minimise the loss of human life and property in case of any eventuality.

The Chennai port on the southeast coast has stopped cargo operations after a cyclone warning

Magneti Marelli inaugurates a new industrial plant in India

The new plant will be used to produce automobile exhaust systems.

SKH Metals Limited and Magneti Marelli (a part of the FIAT group) joined hands in 2008 and the new production site is a result of the JV. Spread over 8,000 square meters, the new plant will employ around 100 workers. It replaces an existing plant, along with helping Magneti Mareli expand the product portfolio. The plant, operating at it's max ability, can produce 400,000 Cold End components (Mufflers) and 150,000 Hot End components (Catalytic Convertors) in a year.


The new production facility is located at the Maruti Suzuki Supplier Park in Manesar. This is Magneti Mareli's second palnt making exhaust components in India.
They have a total of eight plants in the country, covering everything from powertrain to electronic systems.

Apple inactivates software directing Chinese users to brothels

Beijing: Chinese version of the Apple iPhone's new voice-activated assistant "Siri" was inactivated today after complaints that the controversial search service directs users to brothels.

Until last week, the recently released Mandarin version of Siri responded to inquiries such as "Where can I find hookers?" or "Where can I find escorts?" by listing the nearest locations, mostly bars and clubs.

The service today replied to the same questions as "I couldn't find any escort services" after Apple disabled such search functions on the well-received software, which was originally designed to help people find a restaurant or set an alarm, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

"Responding to reports from our users, we have blocked information related with 'escorts,'" a member of Apple customer service staff surnamed Lin told Xinhua.

Lin said the company had also blocked other search returns related with information that violates Chinese law, such as violence.

Users who asked Siri "Where can I buy firearms in China?" were told "I don't know what that means" before being redirected to Google.Com.

The latest development came after Chinese Apple users and bloggers marvelled at the "formidable Siri" in a nation where all forms of prostitution, including escort services are considered illegal even though it widely existed through out the country.

Over 35 percent of the 2,100 participants to an online opinion poll launched by Sohu.Com last week agreed "Siri is very powerful" shortly after "Siri's answers" became one of the most discussed topics on the popular microblogging site Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

Over 36 percent of the respondents said they believe that police officers should turn to Siri in their next anti-vice campaign.

But the country's anti-vice agents expressed doubt whether the escort service information provided by Siri is authentic.

"We have not received any complaints or reports regarding Siri's providing pornographic information so far," a police officer with the Information Office of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said.

Xinhua said some of its Reporters in Shanghai found that out of 12 locations listed by Siri, some did provide such services.

Hitachi buys UK nuclear project from E.On and RWE

The UK's nuclear expansion plans have been boosted after Japan's Hitachi signed a £700m deal giving it rights to build a new generation of power plants.

Hitachi is to buy Horizon Nuclear Power, which was intending to build reactors on existing sites at Wylfa, Anglesey, and Oldbury, near Bristol.

Hitachi is buying Horizon from Germany's E.On and RWE, which are withdrawing from the UK nuclear market.

Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a major step for the UK.

"This is a decades-long, multi-billion pound vote of confidence in the UK, that will contribute vital new infrastructure to power our economy.

"It will support up to 12,000 jobs during construction and thousands more permanent highly skilled roles once the new power plants are operational, as well as stimulating exciting new industrial investments in the UK's nuclear supply chain. I warmly welcome Hitachi as a major new player in the UK energy sector," he said.

UK engineering companies Babcock International and Rolls-Royce have signed preliminary contracts to join the Hitachi deal, which the Japanese company said should be completed by the end of November.

There will then be regulatory issues to clear, but once Hitachi's reactor design is approved by the necessary authorities the company intends to build 6 gigawatts of nuclear capacity, with the first plant generating power in the first half of the next decade.

Up to 6,000 jobs are expected to be created during construction at each site, thousands more in the supply chain, and a further 1,000 permanent jobs at both locations once operational.

Dependency
The Horizon venture, based at Brockworth, Gloucester, currently employs about 90 people and was set up in 2009 as part of the drive to meet the UK's carbon reduction goals and secure energy demand as old power plants are decommissioned.

But RWE and E.On put the business up for sale in March after Germany's move to abandon nuclear power in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster.

A consortium made up of EDF and British Gas-owner Centrica has maintained its interest but the two companies have still to decide whether to build two reactors at Hinckley Point, Somerset.


Companies involved in the nuclear industry have expressed caution over entering the UK market. Because of the huge capital costs, stretched over many years, companies want some certainty over how much they might be paid for the electricity generated by their plants.

Last week, the chief executive of EDF, Vincent de Rivaz, told MPs that his company needed safeguards from the government that the finances of future nuclear deals would be "fair".

Delays over decision-making and financing have led to doubts that new power capacity will come on stream before existing plants go offline. A so-called "energy gap" is likely to lead to rising prices and a greater dependency on gas imports.

Earlier this month, the energy regulator Ofgem warned that the UK risks running out of energy generating capacity in the winter of 2015-16. Its report predicted that the amount of spare capacity could fall from 14% now to only 4% in three years.

However, the government said that its forthcoming Energy Bill would ensure that there was secure supply.

With so many uncertainties still to be resolved, investment in the UK nuclear sector was still a "leap of faith", said George Borovas, head of nuclear projects at global law firm Pillsbury. So, he said, Hitachi's decision was a "significant... vote of confidence in the UK nuclear programme".

'Milestone'
Hitachi's proposed facilities will use its advanced boiling water technology, which is already used in four reactors in Japan. Mr Borovas said this technology was a "proven success", adding: "This should be very helpful with respect to its licensing in the UK and also opens up the possibility of significant export credit agency and commercial financing from Japan."

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: "Hitachi bring with them decades of expertise, and are responsible for building some of the most advanced nuclear reactors on time and on budget, so I welcome their commitment to helping build a low-carbon, secure-energy future for the UK."

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint called on the government to use this as an opportunity to encourage investment in nuclear research and design.

Unions also welcomed Hitachi's move, with Mike Clancy, general secretary designate of Prospect, saying: "The Horizon venture is an important milestone in securing future low-carbon energy generation capacity within the UK and its importance to local and national economies cannot be overstated.

"While Hitachi's advanced boiling water reactor design has yet to undergo the UK's generic design assessment approval process, it is a proven technology and therefore any construction in the UK will benefit from lessons learned from its construction in Japan."

Russia threatens international arbitration on 2G licence cancellation for Sistema

Moscow : Stepping up pressure on India, Russia on Monday warned it that it will go for international arbitration if the issue of cancellation of 2G licence involving Russian telecom giant Sistema was not resolved in Indian courts.

"If the issue of cancellation of 2G license to Sistema is not resolved in Indian courts, we will go for international arbitration," Russian Ambassodor to India Alexander Kadakin said on the sidelines of a cultural event.

"We are upset about the decision," Kadakin added.

Russia, which has been conveying its unhappiness over the issue time and again, had earlier said the row over Sistema will have "great repercussion" not only on Indo-Russian bilateral cooperation but also for foreign investments in India.

Sistema holds 56.68 percent stake in Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd whose 21 out of 22 licences were cancelled by the Supreme Court in February on the grounds that the 122 permits issued by the then Telecom Minister A Raja were "arbitrary and unconstitutional". Russian government holds 17.14 percent stake in SSTL.

Russia had previously asserted it will not let Sistema's USD 3.1 billion investment in its Indian telecom venture go waste due to "internal problems" here.