L&T, Nuclear Power Corp in $370-mn venture
Engineering major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and state-run Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) Monday announced a $370-million (Rs.1,665-crore) joint venture to manufacture ultra-heavy forging and special steels used in nuclear power reactors. L&T will hold a 74 percent in the joint venture while NPCIL will be the minority partner, L&T chairman and managing direct A.M. Naik told reporters here. The state-of-the-art facility will be set up in Hazira in Gujarat, said a joint media release by the two companies. "Indigenous manufacture of forgings will close a critical gap in India's ability to produce equipment for nuclear, thermal power and hydrocarbon

'Paa' to release in 20 countries with 700 prints
Amitabh Bachchan's much-awaited "Paa", in which Big B plays a 13-year-old boy suffering from progeria that accelerates the ageing process, will release Friday in 20 countries with 700 prints, including digital. "Paa" is an AB Corp Ltd. presentation in association with Reliance BIG Pictures, which will release it simultaneously in India as well as other countries like Britain, Canada, US, UAE, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Directed by R. Balakrishnan, the film will see Abhishek and Vidya Balan as Amitabh's parents. Ahead of its release, it is having extensive marketing and promotion campaigns. Idea Cellular had tied up with "Paa" for "Talk to

World's Costiest Mobile Phone Unveiled
A British company has unveiled the world's most expensive mobile phone - a gold iPhone encrusted with nearly 200 diamonds that retails at a hefty 1.92 million pounds, or Rs.14.7 crore. The phone, designed by Stuart Hughes for the Liverpool-based Goldstriker International, is made from 22-carat gold. It has 136 diamonds in the front bezel and an Apple logo made out of no fewer than 53 diamonds. The phone's front navigation button comprises a rare diamond of 7.1 carats. The phone, which took over ten months to make, ships with a seven kg chest crafted from a single block of granite, offset with Kashmir gold and lined with Nubuck leather on t

Pressmart & The Wall Street Journal Asia to Launch Electronic Edition
Worldwide print-to-online publisher Pressmart Media Ltd. (www.pressmart.com) formally announces the launch of their latest newspaper eEdition for The Wall Street Journal Asia, the leader for global business news in Asia. With clients in 49 countries and 24 languages, Pressmart provides digital publishing solutions for publications across the globe. Accessed online at http://epaper.wsj-asia.com,The Wall Street Journal Asia eEdition will now provide the same news analysis, Pulitzer-winning articles and content as in its paper edition. Unlike its subscription website, asia.WSJ.com, which is updated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the ePaper content is identical to the print paper,

Holiday shoppers keen on deals, online spending up
A focus on bargains pulled U.S. shoppers into stores and onto websites over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but many said they would stick to their budgets and avoid purchases if they couldn't find a good deal. Shoppers turned out in force on Black Friday, the day after U.S. Thanksgiving, and returned on Saturday for more. Industry executives and analysts have predicted a tough holiday season that may only show a slight improvement over 2008, when retailers logged their worst holiday sales performance in nearly four decades, due to a weak economy and high unemployment. ''This will be the hardest holiday season ever to predic