Food inflation rises to 15.58%

NEW DELHI: Food inflation rose to 15.58 per cent for the second week of November from 14.55 per cent in the previous week as potatoes and pulses turned costlier. On an annual basis, potato prices more than doubled, pulses became expensive by over 35 per cent, while onions rose by 27 per cent. Price rise was significant on weekly basis with urad and poultry chicken rising by 15 per cent each, eggs by 8 per cent, moong by 6 per cent, arhar by 5 per cent and fruits & vegetables by 3 per cent. Among the non-food articles, raw silk turned expensive by 3 per cent, while fodder and groundnut seed by 2 per cent each.

Fuel index though remained unchanged at the previous week's level.

Education in the 21st Century

Every child has the right to education. Around 1000 delegates from 120 countries came together at a three-day World Innovation Summit forSummit for

education (WISE) that was organised in Doha, Qatar recently. The aim was to draw a 10-point agenda to create a vision for ‘21st century education’ that ensures education for all.

What essentially emerged at the conference was that though initiatives like ‘Education for All’ — an initiative run by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) — attempt at providing education to children, youth and adults, much remains to be done. In this context, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, chair of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development said, “Considering the challenges involved in achieving the goals of ‘Education for All,’ we need to act decisively and quickly.”

According to Gerhard Schröder, former chancellor of Germany, “We must make use of all available talents, skills and aptitudes.” Schröder added that any country that wants to be successful (economically or culturally), must utilise these resources. Further, Schröder said that there is only one way to ensure that governments continue to put emphasis on education and that is through public pressure.

As far as the education sector is concerned, sustainability, pluralism and innovation are the key words today. With this in mind, the WISE initiative had initiated a competition to attract applications from individuals and organisations across the world working in these areas. Sheetal Mehta from India was one of the winners for her project ‘Nanhi Kali.’ Launched by the K C Mahindra Education Trust (KCMET), its objective is to provide education to the underprivileged girl child in India.

WISE is an initiative taken by Qatar Foundation. Founded in 1995 as a non-profit organsation, it aims to promote education, scientific research and community development

BlackBerry Curve 8520

If you’ve always craved for a low cost BlackBerry then here’s some good news. Since BlackBerry released its Curve 8520, many out there can now easily make this black beauty their own.

This lightweight (only 106 g) smart phone with its glossy finish and touch-sensitive trackpad makes scrolling smooth (mind your fingers, at times it becomes difficult to keep a tab on the navigation keys and the QWERTY keypad) for an easy navigation experience. With a music player capable of playing major formats of audio files, decent sound quality and dedicated music keys, this surely is one helluva music machine. Even though it has a killer combo of style and functionality, its battery back up of 4.5 hrs is quite a disappointment. It comes for Rs 15,990 and works only on an Airtel network.

Sachin slams 43rd Test ton; completes 30,000 runs

Sachin slammed 43rd century in his fight to save the first Test against Sri Lanka in the final day.

After completing 17,000 runs in the 50-over format of the game, the batting maestro achieved another milestone by completing 30,000 runs in his international career during the first Test.

Master Blaster Sachin became the first batsman to complete 30,000 international runs when he scored his 35th run in the second innings against Sri Lanka.

He has so far played 160 Tests, 436 ODIs and a lone Twenty20 scoring 88 international hundreds and 144 fifties in all.

Tendulkar touched the magical 17,000-run mark in One-Day International cricket earlier in this month. Sanath Jayasuriya is second on the list with 13,377 runs followed by Aussie captain Ricky Ponting who has a lot of catching up to do.

Sachin has scored 17178 runs in One-dayers thus far. The Indian batting legend has 45 One-day hundreds and 91 ODI fifties under his belt. The veteran batsman has scored 43 hundreds and 53 half centuries in the Test format of the game.

The diminutive Mumbaikar, who made his ODI debut Pakistan in 1989, is already way ahead of his contemporaries when it comes to accumulating runs.

Ambanis, Mittal in Forbes' list of richest Indians

Mukesh Ambani has emerged the wealthiest person in India with a net worth of $32 billion. London-based Lakshmi N Mittal with $30 billion, Anil Ambani with $17.5 billion, Azim Premji with $14.9 billion, Shashi and Ravi Ruia with $13.6 billion and K P Singh with $13.5 billion make up the top five billionaires on this year's list..

The top 10 richest in India are:

1. Mukesh Ambani $32 billion

2. Lakshmi Mittal $30 billion

3. Anil Ambani $17.5 billion

4. Azim Premji $14.9 billion

5. Shashi & Ravi Ruia $13.6 billion

6. K.P. Singh $13.5 billion

7. Savitri Jindal $12 billion

8. Sunil Mittal $8.2 billion

9. Kumar Birla $7.8 billion

10. Gautam Adani $6.4 billion

Bajaj Auto and MotoCzysz to build a 'Dream'

Pune--based bikemaker Bajaj Auto has entered into a joint venture with US motorcycle manufacturer MotoCzysz LLC for developing an automobile of the future

American motorcycle-maker MotoCzysz LLC has joined hands with Bajaj Auto limited for developing a Next Generation automobile that will focus on bringing a product that will be packed with futuristic innovative automotive technologies to improve overall efficiency without compromising on aesthetics and performance. Aptly named as "Dream", the project promises to pave the way for eco-friendly yet stylish and performance packed automobiles of the future. The basis of the "Dream" project will be green technologies and lightweight cycle parts that will significantly improve the efficiency of the automobile.

World's first universal quantum computer created

LONDON: Scientists in the United States have unveiled the world’s first universal programmable quantum computer, capable of processing twoquantum bits or qubits which store more data than the simple “on” or “off” bits of conventional computing.

But, the test programme has revealed significant hurdles which the scientists claim must be overcome before it is ready for real work, the ‘New Scientist’ reported.

A team, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado, has developed the experimental device which uses beryllium ions to store qubits in the way they spin while the laser-pulse quantum gates perform the simple logic operations on the qubits.

The trick to making a quantum logic gate is in designing a series of laser pulses that manipulate the beryllium ions in a way which processes information. “One of the more interesting results to come out of the early years of quantum information was that you can do any quantum operation on any number of qubits using only single and two-qubit logic gates,” said Hanneke.

Nokia launches N97 mini

Lifecasting goes beyond just publishing your status - it is about building deeper and closer connections between people. It triggers new kinds of communication patterns, such as sending messages or status updates or even navigating to a friend or a place. Lifecasting with Ovi is available on Nokia N97 mini via Nokia Beta Labs.

The new device was launched during Nokia N-Tour-Age, an interactive-technology-solutions showcase of Nokia’s premium devices and services.

Designed for the style-conscious consumer, who is active on social networks, the Nokia N97 mini is a smaller mobile computer with stylish stainless steel cues, featuring a tilting 3.2” touch display, QWERTY keyboard and fully customizable homescreen that makes each Nokia N97 mini as unique as a fingerprint.

The Nokia N97 mini delivers a truly personal internet experience in a compact handset based on the iconic design of the Nokia N97.

Users can personalise the homescreen of their device even further with thousands of different applications and services available from the Ovi Store.

From games, videos and podcasts to productivity tools and web services, Ovi Store is the easiest way to fill the Nokia N97 mini’s homescreen with applications that reflect individual tastes.

Available in three stylish colors, viz, Cherry black, Garnet and White, the Nokia N97 mini will start shipping in the last week of November 2009 at an MRP of Rs 30,939/- only.

Volkswagen Beetle coming to India in Dec

Indian auto freaks that have a "thing" for the new Volkswagen Beetle should know that the little bug is expected to launch by December 2009.

Already selling the Passat, Jetta and the Touareg in India, Volkswagen is now expected to bring the new Beetle before the year's end, if we're to believe a report that has revealed to the Indian media during the India economic summit.

Although the Volkswagen Beetle was originally built as the "people's car?, it's not the case anymore as prices usually have 5 figures and range around $20,000 - which is a bit steep for the Indian market if you're to consider that the Tata Nano is selling for as low as $3,500.

Volkswagen has stayed tight-lipped regarding price, but we'll have to assume it will vie in India's luxury model market more than its family car segment.

Meanwhile, the new VW Polo is also expected to hit the market by early next year for a more affordable price.

Hyundai I-40 will be launched in India in 2010

After the huge success of Hyudai I-10 and Hyundai I-20 , Hyundai Motors india is all set to unveil I-30 on indian roads.But you may have already heard of this as this is being a news in the last few days.But the hyundai motors india is thinking so advanced as they are also launching their new model Hyundai I-40 after the launch of Hyundai I-20.There is a chance of replacing Hyundai Sonata with hyundai I-40 as they did in Europe.The new Hyundai I-40 can also be treated as the updated version of Hyundai s Sedan model Hyundai Sonata.The car will be officially launched in India by 2010.The price of this car is expected to be between 6 and 7.5 lakhs

The G-Bound RC car Drives ON water

It's no miracle, the G-Bound remote control car can drive over water thanks to a waterproof chassis and inflatable tires. Unfortunately, the maximum range on the G-Bound is only about 33 feet, so I wouldn't take it out to the lake unless you don't mind swimming after it. Not that it matters—it appears to be a Japan-only release for the moment.

Laptop Skin TS 81075

Give your laptop a new look in seconds and express yourself! This Top Skin creates a whole new look that sets you apart in the sea of laptops without interfering with the system's cooling or normal operation
Protection is most important for your laptop. Everyone wants laptop scratch free, clean and neat. Laptop skin is good option for you in such a case. Make sure, you may change your skin whenever you want!

Laptop skin is requirement as well as a Fashion everybody wants there laptop should look different from others taking this concept in mind we have best designs in each category because of that our prices are little higher then the unbranded skins
This standard-size laptop skin (14" x 10.5") is large enough to fit just about any laptop - just trim to fit with a razor or utility blade

Toyota Developing Anti-Drunk Driving Gadget

Toyota Motor has revealed that it is developing an anti-drunk driving equipment. The equipment would automatically lock the ignition of a vehicle if the driver is sensed with high levels of alcohol.

The company statement said that the equipment has features such as a hand-held breathalyser that could detect alcohol consumption. The device, which comes equipped with a digital camera, would take photographs of the driver's face for identification.

The system will either warn the driver, or lock the vehicle's ignition based on the level of alcohol detected, Toyota said.

The tests are being conducted with affiliate truck maker, Hino Motors. The equipment will be installed in selected trucks and other vehicles of the fleet customers, including those of companies and government organisations ..

The fleet administrators will be alerted if the driver is detected with excessive alcohol levels, Toyota said.

Similar equipment is also being developed by Nissan Motor

Mahindra Satyam bags Saab defence deal

IT firm Mahindra Satyam said it will collaborate with Swedish defence firm Saab to develop applications and technology in India for the defence and security market.

The multi-year collaboration would allow the companies to jointly address the Battlefield Management System (BMS) for the Indian Army, Mahindra Satyam said in a statement. The company did not comment on the size of the deal. But sources said the deal is in the range of $400-500 million and is spread over five years.

Land Rover launches SUV price starting at Rs 98.5 lakh

Tatas-owned British marquee Land Rover today introduced its sport utility vehicle .

'Range Rover Model Year 2010' in India, which willbe available at astarting price as high as Rs 98.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The new model, the fifth in India from Land Rover's stable, would be available in both petrol and diesel engine options, Tata Motors said in statement. The new model, the fifth in India from Land Rover's stable, would be available in both petrol and diesel engine options, Tata Motors said in statement. The Tatas acquired Jaguar .

Land Rover (JLR) from American auto maker Ford Motor for about USD 2.3 billion last year.

In the company's Annual Report for 2008-09, Tata Group chief Ratan Tata had said Jaguar Land Rover will launch a number of models, including hybrids, in the coming years.

Reliance Communication to offer per-second billing

Reliance Communications, country's second-largest mobile operator, will charge 1 paise per secondThe price war is set to intensify with four firms, including ventures of Norway's Telenor and United Arab Emirates' Etisalat, set to start operations in India this year.

India has 11 mobile operators currently, and the industry has added an average of 14 million users per month this year for all local and national calls, a spokesman said .