16 October 2014: Crude prices going down, thanx 2 Shale gas techno!

Ø  Haryana recorded its highest ever turnout of 73 per cent, marred by violence and allegations of booth-capturing at several places. According to Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha, there were a few sporadic incidents of violence and a re-poll in some polling stations could be ordered. Maharashtra recorded a turnout of 64 per cent, roughly four per cent higher than the 2009 assembly polls and the Lok Sabha polls in May. DEC Sudhir Tripathi said two incidents were reported from naxal-affected Gadchiroli district. In both States, there have been seizures of cash and liquor as well as cases of “paid” news, EC officials said.

Ø  As global oil prices continued to tumble owing to a supply glut fuelled by shale gas production in the U.S. and differences between oil producing countries over cutting production to stop the slide, oil companies in India cautioned against over-optimism. Brent crude recorded a new 47-month low, dipping to $83.37 a barrel but recovered later to above $85 a barrel, owing to a weak dollar.

Ø  Facebook and Apple are covering the costs for female employees to freeze their eggs to delay childbearing, which could hamper their careers. The companies are covering up to $20,000 for the procedure and annual storage costs, NBC said, citing sources at the Silicon Valley firms.  According to the online forum eggsurance.com, the procedure is gaining popularity as more women delay plans to start a family.

Ø  Canada wants to share its expertise and help India meet its target of ‘Housing for All by 2022.’ During a meeting with the Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu, the visiting Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast said Canada had expertise in wood-based housing technology that enables multi-story construction that India could consider to meet its ambitious housing targets. Mr. Fast said the life span of such houses was about 60 years and was amenable for renewal. He also offered technology for waste water recycling.

Ø  Loading of the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) with liquid sodium awaits clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), said Prabhat Kumar, chairman and managing director, Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI). BHAVINI, a public sector undertaking of the Department of Atomic Energy, has built the PFBR at Kalpakkam, 60 km from Chennai. The PFBR uses plutonium-uranium oxide as fuel and liquid sodium as coolant. Disclosing this to reporters at Kalpakkam, in the presence of AERB chairman S.S. Bajaj on Wednesday, the BHAVINI CMD said all the construction works on setting up of the PFBR had been completed. However, the AERB, which was more interested in ensuring environmental and public safety than the schedule for attaining criticality, had made few more suggestions and these would be complied with, Mr. Kumar said. Once the loading of liquid sodium was done, synchronisation of conventional auxiliary systems, switch yard for outgoing power transmission etc. could be carried out in a phased manner and criticality could be achieved in about six months, he said.

Ø  Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have questioned the technical feasibility of the ‘Mars One’ project that aims to establish the first human colony on the Red Planet by 2025. ‘Mars One’ is a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands that has put forward conceptual plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars. The mission plans to initially send four astronauts on a one-way trip to Mars where they would spend the rest of their lives building the first permanent human settlement.