Arvind's Newsletter

1.TN Government takes cue from China: Lines up govt-run industrial housing for Foxconn

The Tamil Nadu government is set to unveil a housing initiative for 18,720 women employed by Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, a key supplier to iPhone-maker Apple, this Saturday. The project, located at Vallam Vadagal near Chennai, marks the first time an Indian state government has constructed a hostel of this scale for a private firm — a model that’s been successful in China and Vietnam.

But that’s not all — the Tamil Nadu government will also operate and maintain this 20-acre housing complex for Foxconn workers.

2.Made-In-India Range Rover Sport Deliveries Start, Priced At Rs 1.4 Crore

Tata Motors Ltd.-owned Jaguar Land Rover commenced deliveries for the locally manufactured 'Range Rover Sport' in India.

The new SUV is available in two variants: 3.0 l Petrol Dynamic SE, delivering power of 294 kW and torque of 550 Nm; and 3.0 l Diesel Dynamic SE, delivering power of 258 kW and torque of 700 Nm. The new made-in-India Range Rover Sport is priced at Rs 1.4 crore, ex-showroom.

Tata Motors announced in May that it will begin local production of its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, the first of the iconic models in their 54-year history to be rolled out from a country outside of the UK.

The complete Range Rover portfolio is now available. In India, the local manufacturing footprint expands to six vehicles in the portfolio, according to JLR India Managing Director Rajan Amba.

Read more at: https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/made-in-india-range-rover-sport-deliveries-start-priced-at-rs-14-crore

3.Google is now assembling Pixel 8 phones in Tamil Nadu, India through Wowtek Technology India, a subsidiary of Bharat FIH, part of Foxconn.

This move follows Google's earlier shifts from China to Vietnam in 2019 due to US-China tensions. The company plans to shift the majority of its smartphone assembly to India within three years once the production stabilises.

Initially, production will be limited, but it will ramp up over time. Foxconn, doubling its Indian capacity, will also create 100,000 direct jobs, up from 50,000, to meet the increased demand for iPhone and Pixel assembly in the country.

4.Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds;New York Times

Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas.

The study, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older for 12 years, also punctures the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is good for the heart.

The researchers found no reduction in heart disease deaths among light or moderate drinkers, regardless of this health or socioeconomic status, when compared with occasional drinkers.

The study defined light drinking as a mean alcohol intake of up to 20 grams a day for men and up to 10 grams daily for women. (In the United States, a standard drink is 14 grams of alcohol.)

5.Electric bandages could heal wound faster

Researchers have developed an inexpensive bandage that uses an electric field to promote healing in chronic wounds.

In animal testing, wounds that were treated with these electric bandages healed 30% faster than wounds treated with conventional bandages.

Chronic wounds are open wounds that heal slowly, if they heal at all. For example, sores that occur in some patients with diabetes are chronic wounds. These wounds are particularly problematic because they often recur after treatment and significantly increase the risk of amputation and death.

One of the challenges associated with chronic wounds is that existing treatment options are extremely expensive, which can create additional problems for patients.

6.Stonehenge’s famous central altar stone came from Scotland, not the much-nearer Wales as previously

Stonehenge's central Altar Stone originated from northern Scotland, roughly 450 miles from the ancient England site and over 300 miles farther than previously believed, according to new research yesterday. The discovery suggests significant collaboration among Neolithic peoples inhabiting the British Isles over 4,600 years ago. 

The 14,000-pound, 16-foot bluestone lies mostly underground at the centre of the sprawling rock complex in Wiltshire in southwest England. For a century, researchers believed the rock was mined from nearby Wales, but research in October cast doubt on that theory. By using a global rock formation database, the researchers matched the Altar Stone to the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland.

The monument was erected prior to the invention of the wheel, leading scholars to speculate the Altar Stone may have been transported by sea.