RuPay pre-paid debit card launched
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Railway passengers can now book their tickets, do shopping and pay service bills using RuPay pre-paid cards, as the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), on Tuesday, launched the debit card service.
The service was launched by the IRCTC in collaboration with Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India. “It is a union with your bank for customers’ interest,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here while launching the IRCTC-UBI RuPay pre-paid card.
RuPay is India’s own card payment gateway network like Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system for banks to provide a debit card service.
Mr. Prabhu said the Railways was partnering banks and financial institutions to promote passengers’ interest.
“It is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial inclusive programme as one does not need to have a bank account in UBI to have the card and you can avail it online also,” Mr. Prabhu said.
IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A. K. Manocha said the card was a first-of-its-kind in the market as both virtual as well as physical cards are being issued to customers in two variants.
Cards can be made available from UBI offices or through IRCTC online. Initially the service will be available for booking tickets and later on shopping and bill payments will be added.
UBI Chairman and Managing Director Arun Tiwari said, “the card holder will get free Rs.1 lakh accident insurance coverage as part of the benefits to customers.”
Loading limits
One can have the card with a loading limit of Rs.10,000 with partial KYC detail or Rs.50,000 loading limit with full KYC. Mr. Manocha said the first five transactions per card every month done on IRCTC for purchase of train tickets would be free and no transaction charges would be levied to customers for six months only. For every subsequent transaction post the free usage, customer would be charged Rs.10 per transaction.
The transaction charge would be Rs.10 per ticket for booking a ticket through the card on the portal.
The service was launched by the IRCTC in collaboration with Union Bank of India and the National Payment Corporation of India. “It is a union with your bank for customers’ interest,” Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here while launching the IRCTC-UBI RuPay pre-paid card.
RuPay is India’s own card payment gateway network like Visa and Master Card, and provides an alternative system for banks to provide a debit card service.
Mr. Prabhu said the Railways was partnering banks and financial institutions to promote passengers’ interest.
“It is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s financial inclusive programme as one does not need to have a bank account in UBI to have the card and you can avail it online also,” Mr. Prabhu said.
IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A. K. Manocha said the card was a first-of-its-kind in the market as both virtual as well as physical cards are being issued to customers in two variants.
Cards can be made available from UBI offices or through IRCTC online. Initially the service will be available for booking tickets and later on shopping and bill payments will be added.
UBI Chairman and Managing Director Arun Tiwari said, “the card holder will get free Rs.1 lakh accident insurance coverage as part of the benefits to customers.”
Loading limits
One can have the card with a loading limit of Rs.10,000 with partial KYC detail or Rs.50,000 loading limit with full KYC. Mr. Manocha said the first five transactions per card every month done on IRCTC for purchase of train tickets would be free and no transaction charges would be levied to customers for six months only. For every subsequent transaction post the free usage, customer would be charged Rs.10 per transaction.
The transaction charge would be Rs.10 per ticket for booking a ticket through the card on the portal.
India, Qatar sign agreement on transfer of sentenced nationals
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New Delhi: India and Qatar on Wednesday signed an agreement for the transfer of sentenced persons between the two nations. Under this agreement, Indian prisoners convicted in Qatar can be deported to India to serve their sentence, and vice versa.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Qatari counterpart Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah signed the agreement on behalf of New Delhi and Doha.
One more agreement and four memorandums of understanding were also signed by the two leaders: an agreement for mutual cooperation and exchange of news, signed between Qatari News Agency and United News Agency to enhance and develop bilateral cooperation in the exchange of English-language news; an MoU for cooperation in information and communication technology, aiming to provide enhanced business opportunities for the Indian IT industry in Qatar; an MoU between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for scientific and technical cooperation in the atmospheric and ocean sciences; an MoU between the Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs and the Diplomatic Institute of the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would help in exchange of trainees, students, faculty members and experts between India and Qatar to enhance their skills and improve the training programme in both the countries; and an MoU for cooperation in radio and television, which will look to encourage a regular exchange of programmes and material between Prasar Bharati and the Qatar Media Cooperation.
Earlier in the day, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who is on a two-day visit to India, was accorded a ceremonial reception and a Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Prior to the Emir’s arrival, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that India and Qatar will look to increase commercial and economic exchanges, with special focus on the ‘Make in India’ initiative as well as the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Qatar.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Qatari counterpart Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah signed the agreement on behalf of New Delhi and Doha.
One more agreement and four memorandums of understanding were also signed by the two leaders: an agreement for mutual cooperation and exchange of news, signed between Qatari News Agency and United News Agency to enhance and develop bilateral cooperation in the exchange of English-language news; an MoU for cooperation in information and communication technology, aiming to provide enhanced business opportunities for the Indian IT industry in Qatar; an MoU between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for scientific and technical cooperation in the atmospheric and ocean sciences; an MoU between the Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs and the Diplomatic Institute of the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would help in exchange of trainees, students, faculty members and experts between India and Qatar to enhance their skills and improve the training programme in both the countries; and an MoU for cooperation in radio and television, which will look to encourage a regular exchange of programmes and material between Prasar Bharati and the Qatar Media Cooperation.
Earlier in the day, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who is on a two-day visit to India, was accorded a ceremonial reception and a Guard of Honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Prior to the Emir’s arrival, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that India and Qatar will look to increase commercial and economic exchanges, with special focus on the ‘Make in India’ initiative as well as the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Qatar.
Folio Prize 2015 for "Family Life"
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Novelist Akhil Sharma’s 2014 novel Family Life has won the Folio Prize 2015. The 43-year old novelist beat writers like Irish novelist Colm Toibin and Scottish writer Ali Smith Coilm to win the £40,000 prize.
Family Life, Mr. Sharma’s second novel, took him 13 years to write and was selected by The New York Times as one of their Top Ten Books of the Year for 2014.
Calling the book “a novel that will endure,” William Fiennes, chair of the Judges, described Family Life as a “lucid, compassionate, quietly funny account of one family’s life across continents and cultures … a masterful novel of distilled complexity: about catastrophe and survival; attachment and independence; the tension between selfishness and responsibility.”
It was one among the eight books shortlisted from 80 works of fiction and chosen as the best fiction published in the U.K. in 2014 by the 235 writers and critics who constitute the Folio Academy.
“It is a great honour,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu over the phone. Writing it was “incredibly difficult” because it was “just hard to relive so many of these things,” he said. “I think of it as a sort of love song to my parents and to my brother.”
Mr. Sharma was born in Delhi and emigrated with his family to the USA in 1979. His first novel, An Obedient Father, won the 2001 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.
His stories have been published in The New Yorker and in The Atlantic Monthly, and have been included in The Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Collections. He was named one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young American Novelists’ in 2007.
The Folio Prize recognises the best English-language fiction from around the world, published in the U.K. during a given year, regardless of form, genre or the author’s country of origin.
It is the first major English-language book prize open to writers from all over the world, which the other major book prize, the Booker has also done beginning this year.
Family Life, Mr. Sharma’s second novel, took him 13 years to write and was selected by The New York Times as one of their Top Ten Books of the Year for 2014.
Calling the book “a novel that will endure,” William Fiennes, chair of the Judges, described Family Life as a “lucid, compassionate, quietly funny account of one family’s life across continents and cultures … a masterful novel of distilled complexity: about catastrophe and survival; attachment and independence; the tension between selfishness and responsibility.”
It was one among the eight books shortlisted from 80 works of fiction and chosen as the best fiction published in the U.K. in 2014 by the 235 writers and critics who constitute the Folio Academy.
“It is a great honour,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu over the phone. Writing it was “incredibly difficult” because it was “just hard to relive so many of these things,” he said. “I think of it as a sort of love song to my parents and to my brother.”
Mr. Sharma was born in Delhi and emigrated with his family to the USA in 1979. His first novel, An Obedient Father, won the 2001 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.
His stories have been published in The New Yorker and in The Atlantic Monthly, and have been included in The Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Collections. He was named one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young American Novelists’ in 2007.
The Folio Prize recognises the best English-language fiction from around the world, published in the U.K. during a given year, regardless of form, genre or the author’s country of origin.
It is the first major English-language book prize open to writers from all over the world, which the other major book prize, the Booker has also done beginning this year.
I & B Ministry bags Platinum icon in Web Ratna Awards 2014
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The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been awarded the Platinum icon award for the Comprehensive Web presence in the Web Ratna Awards 2014. The award today was conferred by the Minister for Communications & Information Technology in the presence of Secretary, M/o C&IT, Shri R.S. Sharma. The award was received by Ms. R. Jaya, Joint Secretary on behalf of Secretary (I&B), Shri Bimal Julka along with the New Media Wing team of the Ministry.
The award was presented to Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for having a significant presence on all social media sites which makes it accessible for users through multiple online platforms. The website follows GIGW guidelines. It caters to the information needs of various stakeholders by providing access to all the policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry. The home page of MIB website has timestamp, giving last update details. The website has a dedicated Hindi version besides regular English version. The portal has a Google enabled search facility to search within the HTML content. The website is based on Content Management System (CMS).
Web Ratna Awards have been instituted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, acknowledges unique initiatives/practices of various states/UTs in the realm of e-governance. The Government of India has been bracing for innovation and transformation in delivery of information/services with adoption of best ICT practices. Web Ratna Awards recognize these e-governance initiatives. Web Ratna Awards were instituted to appreciate and acknowledge the initiatives and contributions of individuals & institutions and their innovations, which have empowered the Government in achieving the vision of good governance. Web Ratna Awards was instituted in the year 2009.
The award was presented to Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for having a significant presence on all social media sites which makes it accessible for users through multiple online platforms. The website follows GIGW guidelines. It caters to the information needs of various stakeholders by providing access to all the policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry. The home page of MIB website has timestamp, giving last update details. The website has a dedicated Hindi version besides regular English version. The portal has a Google enabled search facility to search within the HTML content. The website is based on Content Management System (CMS).
Web Ratna Awards have been instituted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, acknowledges unique initiatives/practices of various states/UTs in the realm of e-governance. The Government of India has been bracing for innovation and transformation in delivery of information/services with adoption of best ICT practices. Web Ratna Awards recognize these e-governance initiatives. Web Ratna Awards were instituted to appreciate and acknowledge the initiatives and contributions of individuals & institutions and their innovations, which have empowered the Government in achieving the vision of good governance. Web Ratna Awards was instituted in the year 2009.
Global Water Use May Outstrip Supply By 2050
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Washington : Population growth could cause global demand for water to outpace supply by mid-century if current levels of consumption continue, according to a new study. Using a delayed-feedback mathematical model that analyses historic data to help project future trends, the researchers identified a regularly recurring pattern of global water use in recent centuries, reports PTI.
Periods of increased demand for water – often coinciding with population growth or other major demographic and social changes – were followed by periods of rapid innovation of new water technologies that helped end or ease any shortages.
Based on this recurring pattern, researchers from Duke University predict a similar period of innovation could occur in coming decades. “Researchers in other fields have previously used this model to predict earthquakes and other complex processes, including events like the boom and bust of THE STOCK MARKET during financial crises, but this is the first time it’s been applied to water use,” said Anthony Parolari, postdoctoral research associate in civil and environmental engineering at Duke, who led the new study. “What the model shows us is that there will likely be a new phase of change in the global water supply system by the mid-21st century,” Parolari said.
“This could take the form of a gradual move toward new policies that encourage a sustainable rate of water use, or it could be a technological advancement that provides a new source of water for us to tap into.
There’s a range of possibilities,” he said. Data on global water use shows we are currently in a period of relatively stagnant growth, he said. Per-capita water use has been declining since 1980, largely due to improved efficiency measures and heightened public awareness of the importance of conserving Earth’s limited supply of freshwater. This has helped offset the impacts of recent population growth.
“But if population growth trends continue, per-capita water use will have to decline even more sharply for there to be enough water to meet demand,” Parolari said. The world’s population is projected to surge to 9.6 billion by 2050, up from an estimated 7 billion today.
“The model suggests we may reach a tipping point where efficiency measures are no longer sufficient and water scarcity either impacts population growth or pushes us to find new water supplies,” Parolari said.
Periods of increased demand for water – often coinciding with population growth or other major demographic and social changes – were followed by periods of rapid innovation of new water technologies that helped end or ease any shortages.
Based on this recurring pattern, researchers from Duke University predict a similar period of innovation could occur in coming decades. “Researchers in other fields have previously used this model to predict earthquakes and other complex processes, including events like the boom and bust of THE STOCK MARKET during financial crises, but this is the first time it’s been applied to water use,” said Anthony Parolari, postdoctoral research associate in civil and environmental engineering at Duke, who led the new study. “What the model shows us is that there will likely be a new phase of change in the global water supply system by the mid-21st century,” Parolari said.
“This could take the form of a gradual move toward new policies that encourage a sustainable rate of water use, or it could be a technological advancement that provides a new source of water for us to tap into.
There’s a range of possibilities,” he said. Data on global water use shows we are currently in a period of relatively stagnant growth, he said. Per-capita water use has been declining since 1980, largely due to improved efficiency measures and heightened public awareness of the importance of conserving Earth’s limited supply of freshwater. This has helped offset the impacts of recent population growth.
“But if population growth trends continue, per-capita water use will have to decline even more sharply for there to be enough water to meet demand,” Parolari said. The world’s population is projected to surge to 9.6 billion by 2050, up from an estimated 7 billion today.
“The model suggests we may reach a tipping point where efficiency measures are no longer sufficient and water scarcity either impacts population growth or pushes us to find new water supplies,” Parolari said.
Spectrum payment to push up telcos debt to Rs 3.5 lakh cr
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Payment for spectrum won by companies in the auction concluded on Wednesday is expected to push up the debt on telecom operators to about Rs 3.5 lakh crore, leading to a significant rise in tariffs, says industry body Assocham. "Telecom industry which was already saddled with nearly Rs 2.5 lakh crores is now going to helplessly see it mount to nearly Rs 3.5 lakh crores," Assocham Telecom Council Chairman T V Ramachandran said in a statement. The Spectrum was sold at about 68 per cent premium, at Rs 1,09,874.91 crore. At the base price fixed by the government, its value was Rs 65,463.40 crore. About 11 per cent remained unsold which also included 800 Mhz, 1800 Mhz and 2100 Mhz (3G) band. Idea Cellular , Airtel , Vodafone and Reliance Communications participated in the auction mainly to defend their existing spectrum holding as their licences are set to expire. Reliance Jio, Tata Teleservices , Telewings (Uninor) and Aircel participated to buy additional spectrum. Ramachandran said that "consumer tariffs are bound to rise significantly but, due to the level of hyper-competition present here, the increase would not be anywhere near adequate to cover the higher cost". He said that the cash outgo may restrict roll out of networks and affect the basic objectivity of sector to provide telecom connectivity to people. As per the rules, new telecom operator will have to roll out networks in five phases and existing telecom operator in additional three phases over period of five years to provide coverage of up to 30 percent at block headquarter level in addition to covering district headquarters. Ramachandran said: "The Aam Aadmi, desperately seeking increased connectivity for his personal productivity and quality of life enhancements, would probably remain underserved longer." There are provisions of penalty in case companies miss the deadline to rollout their networks. "While this is no doubt beneficial for addressing the fiscal deficit, the outcome does raise some important concerns not only for the industry but also, more importantly the consumer - the 'Aam Aadmi', and for the national economy," Ramachandran said. Idea Cellular stock price On March 26, 2015, at 15:16 hrs Idea Cellular was quoting at Rs 181.05, up Rs 7.65, or 4.41 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 184.00 and the 52-week low was Rs 129.20. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 6.88 per share as per the quarter ended December 2014. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 26.32. The latest book value of the company is Rs 44.09 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 4.11.
Facebook F8 conference: Spherical video, LiveRail, Messenger as platform and more!
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Facebook has kickstarted F8, its annual developer conference. On Day 1, the social network made a plethora of announcements. Some of these include much talked about Facebook as a platform, Spherical video, LiveRail, analytics for apps and Internet of things. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Messenger as platform
It is already known that Facebook plans to announce some big changes for its Messenger app. Facebook is now offering Messenger as a platform for developers. This means, third party developers can now work on content and information for the Messenger. It will allow third-party apps to access the company’s Messenger service and plans tie-ups with about 20 different outfits.
Spherical video
Interestingly, Facebook has introduced support for 3D, spherical video in the newsfeed. Users will be able to pan around the video with their mouse cursor. With this move, Facebook brings its VR abilities to the newsfeed. While the spherical video doesn’t really make much difference on your flat screen monitor, watching it using the VR headset will ensure a 360 degrees spherical video feel as if you are right there.
F8 facebook mark_AP_640
LiveRail
In mid-2014, Facebook acquired video advertising firm LiveRail to make video ads a bigger part of its business, and now the company has started implementing it. Basically, LiveRail fills ad space within apps and sites to the highest bidder and now bring two big changes to Facebook. Firstly, it will support mobile display ads along with video. Secondly, it can now tap into Facebook data and display an appropriate ad.
Analytics for apps
Just like its advertisers, Facebook now plans to bring details about app usage to developers. The social network will now allow developers to find out who is using their apps, whether most of their games are played by a male or female, are these gamers teenagers and so on. The analytics will also show who is spending money on games. The new analytics platform is aimed at simplifying all this and more for app developers.
Finally, just like Google and Apple, Facebook wants to talk about its bit for Internet of Things. The company has also announced Parse for ‘Internet Of Things’ that is a set of SDKs which will help IoT projects.
Messenger as platform
It is already known that Facebook plans to announce some big changes for its Messenger app. Facebook is now offering Messenger as a platform for developers. This means, third party developers can now work on content and information for the Messenger. It will allow third-party apps to access the company’s Messenger service and plans tie-ups with about 20 different outfits.
Spherical video
Interestingly, Facebook has introduced support for 3D, spherical video in the newsfeed. Users will be able to pan around the video with their mouse cursor. With this move, Facebook brings its VR abilities to the newsfeed. While the spherical video doesn’t really make much difference on your flat screen monitor, watching it using the VR headset will ensure a 360 degrees spherical video feel as if you are right there.
F8 facebook mark_AP_640
LiveRail
In mid-2014, Facebook acquired video advertising firm LiveRail to make video ads a bigger part of its business, and now the company has started implementing it. Basically, LiveRail fills ad space within apps and sites to the highest bidder and now bring two big changes to Facebook. Firstly, it will support mobile display ads along with video. Secondly, it can now tap into Facebook data and display an appropriate ad.
Analytics for apps
Just like its advertisers, Facebook now plans to bring details about app usage to developers. The social network will now allow developers to find out who is using their apps, whether most of their games are played by a male or female, are these gamers teenagers and so on. The analytics will also show who is spending money on games. The new analytics platform is aimed at simplifying all this and more for app developers.
Finally, just like Google and Apple, Facebook wants to talk about its bit for Internet of Things. The company has also announced Parse for ‘Internet Of Things’ that is a set of SDKs which will help IoT projects.
New Ebola vaccine found safe in early human trials
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BEIJING: A new Ebola vaccine has been found to be safe in the first phase one trial based on the 2014 strain of the virus.
The experimental vaccine, developed by the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology and the Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology, also provokes an immune response in recipients, noted the study published in the journal The Lancet.
Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976.
"On the basis of our findings, we believe that the Ebola vaccine we assessed has some potential," said lead lead researcher Fengcai Zhu from the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control in China.
"A significant advantage of this type of vaccine is that stable and much easier to store or transport in tropical areas with inadequate cold-chain capacity, such as Africa," Zhu added.
The researchers tested the safety and immunogenicity of a novel Ebola vaccine, based on the 2014 Zaire Guinea Ebola strain, and delivered by a virus-like structure (known as a recombinant adenovirus type-5 vaccine).
For the trial, 120 healthy Chinese adults were randomly assigned in equal numbers to receive placebo, a low dose, or high dose of the vaccine.
The randomised trial took place at one site in Taizhou County, Jiangsu Province, China.
The researchers found that 28 days after vaccination, 38 out of 40 participants in the low-dose group and all 40 of those in the high-dose group had a positive immune response to the vaccine, with participants in the high-dose group producing higher quantities of antibodies than those in the low-dose group.
No specific immune response was recorded in the placebo group.
However, the researchers noted that the study does not show whether the level of immune response observed might ultimately be able to offer protection against Ebola virus.
"Whether this candidate vaccine could become a final vaccine for widespread use against Ebola outbreaks is still uncertain, because of the issues of HIV-1 acquisition rates and the pre-existing immunity, especially in west Africa," Zhu noted.
More evidence from clinical trials is needed about these concerns, Zhu added.
The experimental vaccine, developed by the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology and the Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology, also provokes an immune response in recipients, noted the study published in the journal The Lancet.
Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976.
"On the basis of our findings, we believe that the Ebola vaccine we assessed has some potential," said lead lead researcher Fengcai Zhu from the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control in China.
"A significant advantage of this type of vaccine is that stable and much easier to store or transport in tropical areas with inadequate cold-chain capacity, such as Africa," Zhu added.
The researchers tested the safety and immunogenicity of a novel Ebola vaccine, based on the 2014 Zaire Guinea Ebola strain, and delivered by a virus-like structure (known as a recombinant adenovirus type-5 vaccine).
For the trial, 120 healthy Chinese adults were randomly assigned in equal numbers to receive placebo, a low dose, or high dose of the vaccine.
The randomised trial took place at one site in Taizhou County, Jiangsu Province, China.
The researchers found that 28 days after vaccination, 38 out of 40 participants in the low-dose group and all 40 of those in the high-dose group had a positive immune response to the vaccine, with participants in the high-dose group producing higher quantities of antibodies than those in the low-dose group.
No specific immune response was recorded in the placebo group.
However, the researchers noted that the study does not show whether the level of immune response observed might ultimately be able to offer protection against Ebola virus.
"Whether this candidate vaccine could become a final vaccine for widespread use against Ebola outbreaks is still uncertain, because of the issues of HIV-1 acquisition rates and the pre-existing immunity, especially in west Africa," Zhu noted.
More evidence from clinical trials is needed about these concerns, Zhu added.
Vikas Swarup to replace Syed Akbaruddin as MEA spokesperson?
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Celebrated novelist Vikas Swarup, author of bestseller debut novel “Q&A” (on which Slumdog Millionaire was based) and career diplomat, has been appointed as the new official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. He will take over on 18 April. The appointment order was issued late evening on 25 March.
Akbaruddin is due to be promoted as additional secretary very soon. Keeping that in view, he has been appointed as “Chief Coordinator” of the India-Africa Forum Summit. There will be a “Coordinator” as well and a joint secretary will fill that slot.
The India-Africa Summit is scheduled to be hosted by New Delhi on 29 October. After this event, Akbaruddin is likely to given a high-profile ambassadorial assignment. He may well be India’s next High Commissioner in London, a post currently held by former foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai who completes his stint at the end of the year.
Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is considered an expert on West Asia issues in India, and has served in various capacities in that region including being consul general at Jeddah from 2000 to 2004. He was the director at Foreign Secretary's Office of the Ministry from 2004 to 2005. He has rich experience in nuclear-related issues and was on deputation at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna for four years.
Better known as Akbar, he returned to India in 2011. On 7 December 2011 he was named as the new spokesperson of the MEA. He had a month-long overlapping stint with the then Joint Secretary of the External Publicity Division of the MEA, and official spokesperson, Vishnu Prakash. Akbaruddin formally took over as the new JS (XP) on 7 January 2012.
Swarup, who is a 1986 batch IFS officer, was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh to a family of lawyers. He did his schooling at Boys' High School & College, Allahabad and pursued further studies at Allahabad University in Psychology, History and Philosophy.
Swarup is best known as the author of “Q&A”, a debut novel that was a runaway success and an international bestseller that was translated into 43 languages. It was subsequently made into the Hollywood film “Slumdog Millionnaire”. The film was released in January 2009 and won eight of the ten Oscars it was nominated for, the largest number of Oscars won by any film since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which won 11 Oscars in 2004.
Swarup’s subsequent novels “Six Suspects” and “The Accidental Apprentice” also proved to be runaway hits.
Swarup has been working in the MEA headquarters in New Delhi as Joint Secretary (UN-Political) since September 2013. His previous postings include stints in Ankara, Washington DC, Addis Ababa, London and Pretoria and as Consul General in Osaka-Kobe, Japan.
The post of MEA spokesperson is a hot seat and a live wire. Incidentally, MEA is the only ministry that has a full-fledged spokesperson who holds regular briefings.
This post assumes even more importance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi neither has a spokesperson nor a media advisor. Of late, JS (XP) has invariably been informally functioning as an extension of the PMO spokesperson.
Akbaruddin leaves very large boots for Vikas Swarup to fill, and has been the MEA’s best known and most efficient spokesperson yet.
Akbaruddin is due to be promoted as additional secretary very soon. Keeping that in view, he has been appointed as “Chief Coordinator” of the India-Africa Forum Summit. There will be a “Coordinator” as well and a joint secretary will fill that slot.
The India-Africa Summit is scheduled to be hosted by New Delhi on 29 October. After this event, Akbaruddin is likely to given a high-profile ambassadorial assignment. He may well be India’s next High Commissioner in London, a post currently held by former foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai who completes his stint at the end of the year.
Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who is considered an expert on West Asia issues in India, and has served in various capacities in that region including being consul general at Jeddah from 2000 to 2004. He was the director at Foreign Secretary's Office of the Ministry from 2004 to 2005. He has rich experience in nuclear-related issues and was on deputation at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna for four years.
Better known as Akbar, he returned to India in 2011. On 7 December 2011 he was named as the new spokesperson of the MEA. He had a month-long overlapping stint with the then Joint Secretary of the External Publicity Division of the MEA, and official spokesperson, Vishnu Prakash. Akbaruddin formally took over as the new JS (XP) on 7 January 2012.
Swarup, who is a 1986 batch IFS officer, was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh to a family of lawyers. He did his schooling at Boys' High School & College, Allahabad and pursued further studies at Allahabad University in Psychology, History and Philosophy.
Swarup is best known as the author of “Q&A”, a debut novel that was a runaway success and an international bestseller that was translated into 43 languages. It was subsequently made into the Hollywood film “Slumdog Millionnaire”. The film was released in January 2009 and won eight of the ten Oscars it was nominated for, the largest number of Oscars won by any film since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which won 11 Oscars in 2004.
Swarup’s subsequent novels “Six Suspects” and “The Accidental Apprentice” also proved to be runaway hits.
Swarup has been working in the MEA headquarters in New Delhi as Joint Secretary (UN-Political) since September 2013. His previous postings include stints in Ankara, Washington DC, Addis Ababa, London and Pretoria and as Consul General in Osaka-Kobe, Japan.
The post of MEA spokesperson is a hot seat and a live wire. Incidentally, MEA is the only ministry that has a full-fledged spokesperson who holds regular briefings.
This post assumes even more importance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi neither has a spokesperson nor a media advisor. Of late, JS (XP) has invariably been informally functioning as an extension of the PMO spokesperson.
Akbaruddin leaves very large boots for Vikas Swarup to fill, and has been the MEA’s best known and most efficient spokesperson yet.
Jaguar Land Rover Announces 600 Million Pound Investment in UK
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London: Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover will invest 600 million pounds (Rs 5,580 crore at 1 pound = 93 rupees) in the UK as part of its expansion plans, including doubling the size of its operations at its headquarters in Coventry.
The funds will be pumped into its R&D and manufacturing divisions across three JLR sites in the West Midlands region of England - Castle Bromwich Advanced Manufacturing Plant; Whitley Advanced Design and Development Centre, and the National Automotive Innovation Centre in Coventry. The largest single investment has been made at the company's Castle Bromwich plant, where over 400 million pounds will go into new and upgraded facilities to support the introduction of the all-new Jaguar XF model.
"This investment, made here in the heartland of our UK business operations, signals the confidence we have in this region to support the creation, engineering and manufacturing of ultra-low emission, premium British products, today and in the future," JLR chief executive Ralf Speth said.
Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, who was responsible for acquiring the struggling brands from Ford back in 2008, had recently told PTI, "I am very proud and very appreciative of the leadership Ralf Speth has provided and the spirit of the workforce, who worked shoulder to shoulder to bring these two venerable brands back to their original glory... The future is quite bright."
The latest expansion plans include a doubling in size of the company's operations at its headquarters in Coventry.
JLR, which was bought by Tata Motors for $2.3 billion from Ford in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis, said land bought in Whitley meant it could expand its base from 55 to nearly 120 acres.
It said the new investment was aimed at supporting the company's creation of high tech and ultra-low emission vehicles.
The funds will be pumped into its R&D and manufacturing divisions across three JLR sites in the West Midlands region of England - Castle Bromwich Advanced Manufacturing Plant; Whitley Advanced Design and Development Centre, and the National Automotive Innovation Centre in Coventry. The largest single investment has been made at the company's Castle Bromwich plant, where over 400 million pounds will go into new and upgraded facilities to support the introduction of the all-new Jaguar XF model.
"This investment, made here in the heartland of our UK business operations, signals the confidence we have in this region to support the creation, engineering and manufacturing of ultra-low emission, premium British products, today and in the future," JLR chief executive Ralf Speth said.
Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, who was responsible for acquiring the struggling brands from Ford back in 2008, had recently told PTI, "I am very proud and very appreciative of the leadership Ralf Speth has provided and the spirit of the workforce, who worked shoulder to shoulder to bring these two venerable brands back to their original glory... The future is quite bright."
The latest expansion plans include a doubling in size of the company's operations at its headquarters in Coventry.
JLR, which was bought by Tata Motors for $2.3 billion from Ford in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis, said land bought in Whitley meant it could expand its base from 55 to nearly 120 acres.
It said the new investment was aimed at supporting the company's creation of high tech and ultra-low emission vehicles.
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