Compuware Publishes New Whitepaper: "The Convergence of Network Performance Monitoring and Application Performance Management" Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq: CPWR), the technology performance company, today announced that it has published a new whitepaper titled: “The Convergence of Network Performance Monitoring and Application Performance Management.” The paper explores the recent convergence of network performance monitoring (NPM) and application performance management (APM), and how it provides a complete and holistic understanding of end-user experience, with an accurate view of performance across the entire application delivery chain. In today’s IT environment, organizations need a detailed, quantitative understanding of whether their applications are effectively meeting their business objectives. The growing complexity of application architectures prevents traditional network and application monitoring approaches from providing the insight needed into the quality of service and performance of applications really being delivered to end-users. As the performance of the network and the applications it supports deeply intertwines, a new and holistic approach to monitoring and managing application performance is now required. By integrating NPM into APM more effective decisions can be made regarding IT investments, problem resolution, service restoration and resource allocation. This whitepaper outlines: why NPM alone is insufficient; how app-centric APM is incomplete; and why companies must now take a converged approach to NPM and APM. To download the whitepaper, click here. Compuware APM® is the industry’s leading solution for optimizing the performance of web, non-web, mobile, streaming and cloud applications. Driven by end-user experience, Compuware APM provides the market’s only unified APM coverage across the entire application delivery chain—from the edge of the internet through the cloud to the datacenter. Compuware APM helps customers deliver proactive problem resolution for greater customer satisfaction, accelerate time-to-market for new application functionality and reduce application management costs through smarter analytics and advanced APM automation. With more than 4,000 APM customers worldwide, Compuware is recognized as a leader in the “Magic Quadrant for Application Performance Monitoring” report. To read more about Compuware’s leadership in the APM market, click here. Follow Compuware on: Twitter - CompuwareAPM Twitter - Compuware Facebook – CompuwareAPM Facebook - Compuware YouTube - Compuware APM Blog dynaTrace Blog CloudSleuth  Compuware Corporation Compuware Corporation, the technology performance company, provides software, experts and best practices to ensure technology works well and delivers value. Compuware solutions make the world’s most important technologies perform at their best for leading organizations worldwide, including 46 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies and 12 of the top 20 most visited U.S. web sites. Learn more at: http://www.compuware.com.

HP Introduces ProLiant Gen8 Servers That Enhance Virtualized Performance Facilitate Move to Cloud

HP today unveiled two new HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) four-socket servers that facilitate customers’ move to cloud while delivering increased compute power in less space and a return on investment within three months.(1)

The industry’s first four-socket servers to incorporate HP ProActive Insight Architecture, the HP ProLiant BL660c and DL560 Gen8 servers significantly reduce the time spent on maintenance tasks through high levels of automation and continuous monitoring of system health, saving IT staff more than 30 days of administration time a year.(2)

Clients are continuously virtualizing their compute-intensive applications in order to achieve greater utilization and efficiency, and to facilitate the move to private and hybrid clouds. Many clients have virtualized the basic infrastructure and smaller workloads, but a challenge still remains with more complex and higher-end workloads. Clients often face performance bottlenecks, data-center footprint and power limitations, and inadequate memory capacity from traditional two-socket servers. 

As building blocks for HP Converged Infrastructure, these multiprocessor servers satisfy the need for high-end compute power that enables clients to extend end-to-end virtualization and provide a foundation for creating private and hybrid clouds.

With a three-to-one server-consolidation rate(3) and reduced server footprint in the data center, the HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 server offers four-socket density in half the size of the previous generation, and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 30 percent.(4)

Additionally, the HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 server provides a space-minimizing four-socket server in a 2U form factor without compromising performance, scalability or expansion requirements.

New server capabilities in a powerful, compact footprint

The HP ProLiant BL660c and HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 servers were designed to drive better performance for complex, virtualized environments so clients can access their data faster, optimize their system to achieve higher-performing workloads and add more virtual machines (VMs) per server. The new servers deliver:

· Improved storage performance with the first integrated PCIe 3.0 storage technology(5), providing twice the input/output bandwidth(6) and up to six times faster performance than previous generations.(7)

· Enhanced VM support with a memory design that is five times more dense than competitive offerings(8) and delivers lower latency than previous generations.(9)

· Up to 50 percent better memory performance than competitive offerings, enabling more consolidation of virtual applications on fewer servers.(10)

The new servers drive a balance of economics and density for customers, while optimizing application performance to help speed innovation and business growth. For example, ZTE Corporation, one of the world’s largest smartphone vendors, needed to break through its capacity limitation and enhance the adaptability of the traditional data center in order to be able to keep up the business rapid growth.

“We needed to modernize our data centers in order to keep up with rapid growth and to ensure continued service to our customers across 140 countries,” said Yu Yuan, product manager, ZTE Corporation—Guangdong NewStart Technology Service Ltd. “We chose the HP ProLiant DL 560 Gen8 server over the competition because it offered increased virtual machine densities to reduce space and cost, while improving performance, which enabled us to develop a platform to build private clouds.” 

Built on HP Proactive Insight Architecture

HP ProLiant Gen8 servers redefine expectations and economics in the data center by leveraging HP ProActive Insight Architecture to offer the new four-socket servers unprecedented lifecycle automation. A direct connection to the HP Insight Online portal accelerates problem resolution and reduced unplanned downtime. Through self monitoring, self diagnosing and proactive support, clients can resolve problems up to 66 percent faster.(11) 

The advanced technologies of the HP ProLiant Gen8 portfolio, tested in real-world data centers and built with 150 client-inspired design innovations, eliminate common server problems that cause failures, downtime and data loss.

Pricing and availability

The HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 and HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 are available worldwide for starting prices of $5,912 and $7,970, respectively.

HP’s premier Europe, Middle East and Africa client event, HP Discover, takes place 

Dec. 4-6 in Frankfurt, Germany.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

(1) Based on internal HP testing and calculations as of February 2012 on HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 servers compared to HP ProLiant DL380 G5 and G6 servers. ROI on the HP DL560 in 2.9 months, up to 85 percent reduction in monthly operating expenses and overall three-year TCO savings of 77 percent. ROI, operational costs and TCO may vary due to country-specific costs. Based on internal HP testing and calculations on HP ProLiant DL380 Gen8 servers compared to HP ProLiant DL380 G5 and G6 servers. ROI on the DL380 in five months. 

(2) HP internal measurements of administrator time savings for physical server management. Based on internal calculations comparing consolidation of three Dell M610 two-socket blades to one HP BL660c Gen8 four-socket server blade based on maximum VM capacity.

(3) HP BL660c Gen8 compared to HP BL680c G7.

(4) Based on internal calculations comparing consolidation of three Dell M610 two-socket blades to one HP BL660c Gen8 four-socket server blade based on maximum VM capacity. Thirty percent cost savings based on hardware acquisition, software and licenses, utilities (three years) and administrator labor (three years).

(5) HP first in market with four-socket servers with PCIe 3.0 storage.

(6) HP internal testing comparing PCIe 3.0 versus PCIe 2.0.

(7) HP internal testing. New Smart Array controllers (Gen8) compared to the current-generation Smart Array controllers (G7) in a RAID configuration. Performance varies depending on server configuration.

(8) Internal HP testing comparing memory capacity of HP BL660c Gen8 to the Dell PowerEdge M610x (192 GB per server and 1.5TB for eight servers in 10U for Dell versus 1.0 TB per server and 8.0 TB for eight servers in 10U for HP).

(9) HP Internal testing. Comparing the HP ProLiant DL560 Gen8 running Intel Xeon E5-4600 has lower local idle latency and lower latency at maximum memory throughput vs. the DL580 G7 running Intel Xeon E7-4800.

(10) HP internal testing. Compares BL660c Gen8 memory performance to Dell’s PE M910. Internal testing also compares DL560 to Dell R910, shows 50% increase in memory performance (1600 vs. 1066).

(11) HP call center data based on an analysis of incident records during Q4’11. For customers using HP Insight Remote Support, hardware-related problems were solved 66 percent faster compared to customers not using HP IRS, and 95 percent of the time it was fixed on the first try. Based on analysis of more than 12,000 incident records per month across all regions for Q4’11 where an on-site visit or spare part was required.

Mahindra Satyam commences construction of IT Development Centre @ MIHAN SEZ, Nagpur

Mahindra Satyam, a leading global consulting and IT services provider, today announced the commencement of construction of its IT Development Center during the Ground Breaking Ceremony in MIHAN SEZ, Nagpur.

As part of Expansion Program, the company will setup up 1000 seat capacity IT Development Centre with an initial investment of around Rs.80cr. The Phase-I of the Campus would be operational within 15-18 months period and as per the Master Plan for expanding operations in Nagpur in a phased manner. Mahindra Satyam also announced its expansion at Bhubaneswar (Odisha) to expand the existing Campus.

Speaking on the occasion, Shivanand Raja, Sr. Vice President, Commercial & Corporate Services, Mahindra Satyam said, “Expansion into tier-II cities is the logical expansion of our Global Delivery model that will augur well for our quest towards Mission 2015. I am confident that apart from creating employment opportunities in these cities, we will be able to foster innovation as a significant part of our growth agenda.”

MIHAN - Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur is perhaps the biggest economical development project currently underway in India in terms of investment. MIHAN is spread over an area of 4354 Hectares is an Ideal business hub, located in the geometrical centre of India and easily accessible to all the metro cities of India. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. UPS Madan, IAS, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, MADC Ltd. said “MIHAN marks yet another progressive move from the state towards creating not just world class cities but unparalleled landmark on the global commercial map. With quality infrastructure, smart lifestyle options and an investor friendly business environment, MIHAN extend an open invitation to investors and institutions willing to partner in India's growth story"

Now with the "Expansion of Mahindra Satyam into MIHAN SEZ along with other Indian Software Giants like Infosys and TCS would boost the growth of IT Services in this region . MIHAN SEZ would provide advantage of the tier-II cities on the future growth of Mahindra Satyam and it would be a boost to local talent of Software professionals in this region."

“I am happy to be part of Ground Breaking Ceremony of Mahindra Satyam and their expansion into MIHAN SEZ would further boost the development of IT & ITES in MIHAN SEZ. I congratulate them on this occasion and looking forward in commencing their operations," said Mr.Ved Prakash, Development Commissioner, MIHAN SEZ.

With a view to meet the business growth, Mahindra Satyam is creating additional Development Centres in Hyderabad, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Bangalore. An investment of Rs.800cr is earmarked for creating additional capacity of 15000 spaces in the existing campuses in next two years.

About Mahindra Satyam

Mahindra Satyam is a global business consulting and information technology services company leveraging deep industry and functional expertise, leading technology practices and a global delivery model to help businesses transform their processes and improve performance. The company's professionals excel in enterprise solutions, supply chain management, client relationship management, business intelligence, business processes, engineering and product lifecycle management, infrastructure services, among other services.

The company has development and delivery centres in the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Hungary, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, India, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia and serves numerous clients, including many Fortune 500 organizations.

Mahindra Satyam is part of the USD 15.4 billion Mahindra Group. The Mahindra Group employs more than 144,000 people in over 100 countries and operates in key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology and vacation ownership. In 2011, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies in the world. Dun & Bradstreet also ranked Mahindra at No. 1 in the automobile sector in its list of India’s Top 500 Companies. In 2010, Mahindra featured in the Credit Suisse Great Brands of Tomorrow. In 2011, Mahindra acquired a majority stake in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company.

For more information, see www.mahindrasatyam.com

Indian Education Initiative Recognized: Satya Bharti School Program Selected as 2012 WISE Awards Winner

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) announces six groundbreaking projects from around the world as Winners of the 2012 WISE Awards under the theme “Transforming Education”.

Now in their fourth year, the WISE Awards identify, showcase and promote innovative educational projects from all sectors and regions of the world in order to inspire change in education. Winning projects, which are selected for their concrete, positive impact upon society, receive global visibility and a prize of $20,000 (U.S.). 

Hailing from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, Denmark, India and the United States of America, the winning initiatives were selected by a Jury of leading education experts following a pre-selection of 24 WISE Awards finalists from 14 countries. Winning projects, including the Satya Bharti School Program (India), were selected for their tangible, positive impact upon society and their innovative approach to solving important global problems.

“Since 2009, the WISE Awards have recognized successful, transformative projects in education in order to generate a pool of sound practices and to inspire their adoption and adaptation elsewhere,” said H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Ph.D., Chairman of WISE and Chairman of the WISE Awards Jury. “When determining the best projects, we look at what is being achieved as well as how it is done. The winning initiatives were selected because they are successful, but also because of their innovative approach. These are not ordinary education efforts.”

The diverse projects offer unique solutions to today’s most important challenges, from poverty to climate change. Solutions include unconventional business models to assist low-income families with affordable education, as well as original ways of bringing high-quality education to remote and destitute parts of the world.

“As one of the most prestigious awards in education, our organization is honored to be a 2012 WISE Awards Winner,” said Bharti Mittal Rakesh, Co-Chairman of the Bharti Foundation, whose Satya Bharti School Program has impacted more than 62,000 children in India. “WISE offers a truly international platform for sharing best practices. Thanks to this honor, we will have the opportunity to showcase our Satya Bharti School Program initiative to the world and to engage and collaborate with international or local contexts that could benefit from a similar model. The recognition that being a WISE Awards winner brings will surely help open doors to international conversation and collaboration.”

This year one of the WISE Awards is for a project that, in addition to “Transforming Education”, has best provided innovative financing of primary education. The winning project comes from Bangladesh, where solar-powered floating schools ensure year-round primary education to students in flood-prone areas, even during the height of the monsoon period. 

This emphasis on primary education reflects the support of Qatar Foundation Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser for United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2 on achieving universal primary education. The WISE focus in 2012 on an innovative financing project is designed to stimulate efforts worldwide to reach MDG 2.

Finalists and Winners of the WISE Awards will participate in the annual WISE Summit taking place November 13 - 15 at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, Qatar, under the theme “Collaborating for Change”.

About the 2012 WISE Awards Winning Education Initiatives:

Cristo Rey Network Corporate Work Study Program, United States of America

Launched in 1996, the Cristo Rey Network gives low-income students access to the high-quality instruction and support they need to be college-ready by the end of high school. Students work five days per month in an entry-level job in a white collar company and the fee for their work is used to underwrite tuition costs. The Corporate Work Study Program gives students knowledge and skills to succeed at college and in the modern workplace, as well as hope of a secure and prosperous future. In the 2011-12 school year, students earned $37 million towards their education. The Cristo Rey Network consists of 25 college preparatory high schools across the USA, serving 7,400 students, and it partners with 1,700 companies.

PSU Educarchile, Chile

PSU Educarchile, created in 2006, is the first free, interactive, online college preparation program in Chile. It prepares young people to take the obligatory University Admission Test (PSU - Prueba de Selección Universitaria), combining the delivery of essential content with a flexible and interactive digital platform. Historically, preparation for the PSU test has been through face-to-face classes in a physical, paid facility. Every year PSU Educarchile reaches 1,200,000 students – many of them from low-income backgrounds and in remote areas - through websites and mobile phones. This has narrowed the socio-economic and geographical opportunity gap, and decentralized and improved the quality of Chilean education. The project is supported by national and regional governments, and by the country’s main telephone companies and communications media.

RoboBraille, Denmark

RoboBraille converts textual educational materials into formats such as Braille, mp3 files, structured audio books, e-books and visual Braille for the blind and partially sighted, people with dyslexia or poor reading skills, and the illiterate. It is an e-mail and web-based service that is available free of charge to non-commercial users and without registration requirements. Alternative format texts are time-consuming and costly to produce, and expensive to obtain for people with special needs. Created in 2004, RoboBraille currently serves between 1,000 and 2,000 daily user requests all over the world in several European languages and in Arabic.

Satya Bharti School Program, India

The Satya Bharti School Program provides high-quality “end-to-end” education, free of charge, to underprivileged children, particularly girls, in rural India. It was launched by the Bharti Foundation in 2006 and partners with state governments to complement the nation's education agenda. It has impacted more than 62,000 children, almost half of them girls, in the last six years and currently reaches over 37,500 children in 750 host and neighboring villages, the majority from minority communities.

Solar-Powered Floating Schools, Bangladesh (WISE Awards Winner for innovative financing of primary education)

The non-profit organization Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha introduced solar-powered floating schools to ensure children’s education even during the height of the monsoon. The boats collect students from riverside villages, dock at a final destination and provide on-board small-group instruction. After class, the boats take students back to their homes and then go on to pick up other groups. Each boat school has a classroom for 30 students, an Internet-linked laptop, a library and electronic resources, and provides basic primary education up to grade IV. The solar lighting makes the school schedule flexible, and after school many students take home a re-charged solar lantern to study by. Parents and villagers receive on-board training on children’s and women’s rights, nutrition, health and hygiene, sustainable farming, marketing systems and climate-change adaptation. Almost 70,000 children have benefited since the start of the project in 2002. The project is funded from multiple sources, including crops, fisheries and the conversion of kerosene lanterns into solar-powered lanterns.

Cambodian Children's Fund – Generational Change through Education

Since 2004, the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) has helped children who reside and work in the Steung Meanchey landfill district, one of the most impoverished and environmentally toxic places in the world, in the outskirts of Phnom Penh. CCF has changed the lives of more than 1,000 families by focusing on education as a primary, basic need. It provides access to clean water, food, healthcare and education, and it cares for children and their families in four residential schools, three satellite schools, a community medical center, a daycare center, a nursery, a maternal care program and outreach programs. CCF’s residential schools offer safe accommodation, healthcare, hot meals, vitamins, and accelerated learning opportunities to nearly 450 children aged 6 to 18.

About the WISE Awards for Education

Inaugurated in 2009, the WISE Awards identify, showcase and promote innovative educational projects from around the world. To date, 1,600 applications have been received from 128 countries, resulting in 122 Finalists and 24 winning projects. The 24 successful projects have come from a variety of countries around the world, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the USA. These “real world” initiatives are progressively building a pool of sound practice which is having a local or global impact on education.

About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE):

WISE is dedicated to building the future of education through innovation. This global collaborative initiative was inaugurated in 2009 by Qatar Foundation under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Its mission is to address the challenges facing 21st-century education, to expand dialogue around the world and to implement practical and sustainable solutions. To this end, WISE holds an annual international Summit that is a unique meeting place for thought leaders and experts to share best practices in education. WISE is also a continuing initiative devoted to reaching outside the traditional circles of the education community to promote innovation and implement concrete actions.

WISE 2012 will take place in Doha 13-15 November 2012. For full details see the WISE website: www.wise-qatar.org

SMS MEER

New technology from SMS Meer saves  energy

Energy saving, reduction of emissions and cost reduction are key buying arguments in all sectors of the steel and non-ferrous industry. The hydraulic system also offers great potential here. A new technical solution from SMS Meer provides considerable advantages.

Variable-speed pump control, VSP for short, enables an efficient hydraulic system with pressures of more than 450 bar. The two Russian large-diameter pipe producers, Vyksa Steelworks (OMK) and lzhorsky Trubny Zavod (Severstal), will soon be  using the VSP technology on two  gap closing presses (each with 25-MN pressing force and four pressing cylinders).

The general principle : the oil pressure is generated only on system inquiry--- that is only if it is actually required. Commercially available axial piston  pumps are used, control is via the speed of the servomotors. With energy efficiency and eco-friendliness, this technology fulfils the guidelines of the

SMS Meer ‘Ecoplants’’ systems.

Setup is performed without proportional valve technology and throttling of the hydraulic power typical for conventional systems with corresponding heating of oil is dispensed with completely. As a result  an extremely energy-saving and low-loss hydraulic system can be built up –and in fact not only with ‘’small’’ systems, but also with high pressing forces as well as with several hydraulic axles.

Only the oil pressure and volumetric  flow that are actually required by the system are generated. In  this respect, the motors only run  during the main machine function (e.g.pressing process), but are idle in the non-productive time. This means less power consumption and lower noise emissions.The structure also enables return feed into the power supply system, for instance from the compression energy of oil.

Hydraulic systems with VSP require neither a cooling system nor a central hydraulic station with a large tank. The  costs of housings or hydraulic cellars as well as long pipelines are eliminated. All hydraulic components are mounted directly onto or on top of the machine in an  easy-to-maintain way.

Longer lifetime of the oil also contributes to low repair costs as well as to a small  number of wearing parts. Since the components are provided with a modular structure and are thus easily exchangeable this results here too in a cost advantage.

Integrated control of the pump parameters also allows preventive maintenance. This means  that it is noticeable when a component should be replaced in the near future.

Front-loading  press with 25 percent lower energy  consumption

Constellium Singen  from Baden-Wurttemberg , Germany, has placed an order with SMS Meer, Germany, for the Supply of a new front-loading press for aluminum profiles. The company will be  able to produce around 20,000 t of profiles per year on the press.

Diethelm Wompner, project Manager at Constellium Singen : ‘’We are replacing several older presses with the new front-loading press as it is more energy-efficient, fully automated and operates with a far higher productivity.’’ SMS Meer supplies everything from a single source, from the erection through to commissioning.

The new front-loading press generates a press generates a press force of 44 MN and extrudes 10’’ logs with a length of up to 1,500 mm. The maximum profile width is 400 mm. Round cross-sections up to approx. 350 mm diameter can be extruded.

‘’All  electric motors comply with the new, highest energy efficiency class’’ says Hans-Uwe Rode, Sales Manager at SMS Meer.

Contrary to earlier drive solutions, motors which are not required are switched off or on by soft starters. Road : ‘’as a result, the customer saves around 25 percent in energy. The new press thus meets the demands of the SMS Meer ecoplants concept.’’

The new  front-loading press is scheduled  to go into operation at the beginning of 2013.

Starbucks suffers delay in India rollout

Starbucks is suffering delays in plans to roll out dozens of stores in India, in a blow to the coffee retailer’s drive to reduce reliance on its American base through aggressive expansion in emerging markets.

In January the Seattle-based company announced an $80m joint venture with India’s Tata conglomerate, with a senior executive at the Indian group suggesting the duo could launch as many as 50 stores by the end of 2012, with the first to open in September.

Starbucks this year said it would accelerate openings in Asia following disappointing sales in economically depressed European markets, with plans for a net increase of 400 new stores this year, half of which would be in China.

However the group said on Friday it could confirm only that a single store would open in Mumbai by the end of October, while plans to open in New Delhi had been delayed until early 2013.

“It’s not so much about the number of stores that we open”, said John Culver, president of Starbucks in China and the Asia-Pacific region, speaking in Mumbai. “With the population of over 1bn here, and with the emergence of a coffee house culture, we see this as a very big market over the long term.”

Despite the delay Mr Culver said Starbucks remained on course in the nascent $200m coffee market in Asia’s third-largest economy, which he said was growing at 25 per cent a year and would, in time, become one of the largest in which his group operated.

The coffee chain’s delay follow a range of troubles suffered by international brands attempting to enter India’s vast but fragmented retail market, despite the government’s decision this month to push forward with plans to allow foreign companies to establish wholly owned subsidiaries in the country.Starbucks offered no explanation for the delays, but analysts have questioned whether the group can repeat its aggressive Chinese rollout – where it has opened more than 600 stores since opening in 1999 – given India’s complex and bureaucratic property market.

On Friday the group said its first store would open in a location in south Mumbai, in a heritage building already owned by the Tata group. It also said the 50/50 Tata Starbucks joint venture would be led by Avani Davda, who has worked for various parts of the $83bn Tata conglomerate over the last decade

Ms Davda confirmed that the partnership, which for the first time would feature both companies names on Starbucks’ well-known green and white signage, will include a food menu adapted to the spicier tastes of Indian consumers.

“It is blending a lot of local flavours, and some of the items you see will really surprise the local consumers,” she said. “It is an elaborate menu, with one unique dish in each local area.”

- Umesh Shanmugam

Jaguar’s First Real Sports Car In 38 Years Is A Beast

There’s plenty of doom and gloom at this year’s Paris Motor Show, as Europe faces a shrinking auto market. Among the many new conventional cars, meant to assuage customers by offering fuel economy and comfort, there are a few standouts.

Chief among them is the F-Type: Jaguar’s long anticipated successor to the iconic E-Type.

The British luxury auto maker formally unveiled the new ride on Wednesday night. Singer Lana Del Rey, tapped as the celebrity face of the F-Type for her sexy but classy image, was on hand to perform the number she wrote for the occasion.

The new F-Type is a big deal for Jaguar, which says it is the first true sports car it has produced since 1974, when the long-hooded E-Type was discontinued, the New York Times reported.

The standard F-Type starts at $69,000; the V8 S at $92,000.