• Mittal to Campaign For Tharoor
• Norway, India Discuss Sri Lanka Situation
• India, China Can Sustain Stability in The Region, Says PLA Official
• India to join Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Pipeline
• Malaysia to Sign Labour MoU With India
• US Indians to Help Flood-Hit Gujarat
• India-SL Agree on Humanitarian Aid to Beleaguered
• India to Host Meet on Disaster Management
• NRI Named V-P of Associated Press
• Desi Doctor Makes it Big in London Politics
• India Rejects Us Piea on WTO Peace Clause

• India Announces Launch of Asia Biotech Meet
• India to Raise TB, AIDS at WHO Meeting
• "India Not Part of Any Design to Contain China"
• India, Russia to Boost Bilateral Trade to $8-10 bn
• Engorcing The Peace; New Role For Indian Army in Lebanon
• Indo-American's Firm to Build Space Launch Facility in Canada
• India Sends First Consignment of Humanitarian Aid to Lebanon
• India Sends Humanitarian Aid For Lebanon
• India Gives New Tariff 'Offers'
• India a Very Responsible Actor: United States
• India Evacuates 411 More Grom Lebanon

Noting that the biotechnology industry in Asia is still at a budding stage, India has announced the launch of an annual 'Asia Biotech' meet, bringing together scientists and biotechnology experts who will focus mostly on the needs of the people of the region. "Most of Asia is largely an agricultural community so agricultural biotechnology is necessary for food security," Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said adding that the experts would also focus on health security. The launching of the annual meeting was announced by Sibal at the fourth Asean informal ministerial meeting on Science and Technology, held at Kuatan in Pahang state. The annual meet is modelled on the lines of the 'Biotechnology Conference' held annually in the United States. Next year's meeting will be held at Boston. The Asia Biotech conference will be held in rotation across ASEAN plus six nations that are China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. The first conference will be held in New Delhi in November 2007.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, August 31, 2006

Back to Index

Steel king Laxmi Niwas Mittal has a new mission after the Arcelor takeover. India's most powerful brand ambassador has been roped in to win over government heads around the world to see that the country's candidate, Shashi Tharoor, makes the grade as the next United Nations secretary-general. Mittal plans to use his goodwill among policymakers of at least 17 countries across Africa and Europe, particularly eastern Europe, to drum up support for Tharoor. He also wants to be Tharoor's bridge to 10, Downing Street, and through it, hopefully, the White House. This is an extension of Mittal's role as India's oil ambassador. Last year, then oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar roped him in to help India acquire oilfields in Central Asian republics, especially Kazakhstan, where he wields considerable clout due to the steel units he has revived there. Mittal has also formed two joint ventures with state-run ONGC to help ensure India's energy security. Not surprisingly, it is Aiyar's successor, Murli Deora, who brought in Mittal for India's UN mission. A friend of Mittal, Deora discussed the issue during the steel baron's thanksgiving visit here last month. Ever since, Tharoor has been in touch with Deora for any update. Last week, the writer-diplomat called up Deora from South America. Deora, in turn, reiterated Mittal's support for him. Tharoor has been gaining ground steadily but in straw polls still trails South Korea's nominee, foreign minister Ban Ki Moon. Tharoor is facing a handicap as he is perceived to be close to incumbent Kofi Annan. Mittal will try and dispel this notion. In an interview to Newsweek, Tharoor said, if elected, he would focus on non-ideological issues like building issue-based coalitions to deal with specific practical problems. He added, ''...UN will only succeed as a recourse for all and not the instrument of a few.''

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 30, 2006

Back to Index

Concerns of effective malaria control, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in India will soon find a voice on the global platform with the Union health ministry all set to raise the issue at a high-level World Health Organisation meeting next week. Health ministers from the 11 member states of WHO's Southeast Asia Region (SEAR) will meet in Dhaka from August 20 to 25 at the 24th meeting of ministers for health. Besides discussing several issues of common interest, the focus will be on developing a revised strategy for malaria control in the Southeast Asia Region. Generating a global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria in India and other countries will form an important part of the discussion where India will get a chance to exchange ideas and enhance bilateral cooperation with other SEAR countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Burma, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste. Pandemic influenza preparedness and response of India and other countries will also be studied at the global health meet, which will also record the response and recovery activities in countries affected by the earthquake and tsunami in the year 2004. India is also expected to gain technical updates on promoting patient safety at healthcare institutions, alcohol consumption control-policy options, regional initiatives for eradication of tropical diseases, international trade and health, besides strengthening public health workforce. The health ministers' meeting will be followed by the 59th session of the regional committee for the Southeast Asia Region, which is the governing body of WHO at the regional level (August 22-25).

Courtesy: The Asian Age, August 30, 2006

Back to Index

Worried over the violence in Sri Lanka, Norway, which is facilitating the peace process there, and India are engaged in quiet consultations to defuse the situation. Officials here confirmed that Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran was in Oslo a few days ago for an exchange of views on the situation in the island nation and to discuss possible ways to de-escalate the crisis. "India and Norway are perturbed over the unending cycle of violence in Sri Lanka. Mr. Saran made an unannounced visit to Norway last week to review the situation as well as to consider what the Co-Chairs and others engaged in the peace process could do to put a break to the hostilities," a senior official said.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 29, 2006

Back to Index

Any kind of containment by the United States and China of the "other" would be a painful exercise for both countries, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said here on Monday. Inaugurating a background programme for diplomatic correspondents at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Mr. Saran said he did not see any "major confrontation" between the nations on the horizon. He joined issue with analysts who felt that a conflict between the U.S. and China was inevitable. Rejecting the notion that India was part of any design to contain China, he pointed out that trade with Beijing stood at over $18 billion and that China was likely to become India's largest trading partner by 2010, if the present trends continued. Pointing to the huge gap in Indo-U.S. trade ($25 billion) and China-U.S. trade ($250 billion), he said China today was financing the American deficit with its purchase of U.S. Treasury securities. Unlike the Cold War period when engagement between the U.S. and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was limited, he said both the U.S. and China had huge stakes in continuing their economic relationship. On energy security, he conceded that the continued reliance on fossil fuels would mean a "scramble" between India and China for the limited oil and gas reserves. Maintaining that India had very "big stakes" in Sri Lanka, he said India had not joined the "co-chairs' process" because its "sensitive relationship" with Colombo "does not lend itself to group responses as envisaged by the co-chairs." He said war was not a solution to the ethnic problem there. According to him, India could not afford a "hands-off" attitude towards Sri Lanka as New Delhi had too much at stake. The international community could not take a segmented view of terrorism. An approach that put the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban at the top of the list would not prove successful. On India-Pakistan relations, he said India believed in a cooperative vision of South Asia.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 29, 2006

Back to Index

India and China were moving in the "direction" of sustaining peace and stability in their neighbourhood and not just on their frontiers, a top official of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said. Major General Zhu Chenghu, Commandant of the College of Defence Studies in the PLA's National Defence University, told The Hindu after delivering a lecture here that the "Chinese and the Indians share a lot of common ground." On India-China relationship, seen from the military angle, he said: "We have a long history. Both China and India are very ancient people. These two nations made very important contributions to the civilisation of the human kind. They are facing the tasks of developing ourselves. "Both India and China have a desire to improve their relations and maintain stability across the border. China and India can contribute to maintaining peace and stability and promoting prosperity in the region - not only on the periphery of these two countries. "And, we are working in that direction, and I believe these two nations can make further contributions to the human society in the future." On China's nuclear arsenal, he said, "Actually, this is very incremental. I don't think we spend too much energy on that." The theme of his speech was "the modernisation of PLA." He said Beijing's "nuclear arsenal is not big enough to make the Chinese leaders MAD." He was punning on the term "MAD" (Mutual Assured Destruction) that the U.S. and the erstwhile Soviet Union adopted in multiplying and modernising their stockpiles of nuclear weapons during the Cold War period. He said any war among the nuclear powers in the post-Cold War era would only be a "zero-zero" scenario and "no zero-sum" event.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 28, 2006

Back to Index

India and Russia hope to boost bilateral trade figures between the two countries from the current $3 billion to around $8-10 billion within the next four years. The two countries are looking at greater co-operation in the fields of high technology including IT, energy, oil-refining and bio-technology among others. The trade between India and Russia is far below its potential given that at present, India accounts for a mere 1% of Russia's external trade, said Mr Vladimir Lazarev, consul general of the Russian Federation in Kolkata, addressing mediapersons at a meet at the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Cooperation in diamond trade between Russia and India was high on the agenda given the fact that Russia is one of the world's largest producers of rough diamonds. Mr Lazarev also said that Russia was keen to develop a strong energy partnership with India. Mr Lazarev added that India and Russia were negotiating an agreement for free movement of Indian businessmen. However, a problem was posed by another rider of the agreement which stipulated that any illegal Indian immigrant would be send back from Russia at the Indian government's cost. Tourism was another promising area of co-operation between the two countries. Several private airline companies are interested in starting operations from Kolkata, said Mr Lazarev.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 25, 2006

Back to Index

Even as the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline is stuck over pricing, India is all set to join the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) gas pipeline project. A top official said India, which is looking for alternative sources of gas, would participate in the TAP meeting scheduled for September to join as a partner in the project. A high-level team of the Petroleum Ministry is expected to participate in the meeting. Some of the issues, which are likely to be discussed, include finalising amendments to the inter-governmental and framework agreements of the project. Though TAP is not being considered as an alternative to the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, it would be easier to implement as it is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In mid-February, the Steering Committee of TAP had given India three months' time for submitting a formal request to join the $3.3-billion project. The feasibility report has been prepared by ADB, which is the lead development partner. TAP is expected to transport 100 mmscmd (million standard cubic metres per day) of gas, of which India's share at best is likely to be 60 mmscmd. The Union Cabinet had in May approved participation of India in the TAP natural gas pipeline project. With this participation TAP would become TAPI - Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The Cabinet had authorised the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to submit a formal request to join the project to the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, a process, which was facilitated by the ADB. The proposed pipeline would stretch from the Turkmenistan/Afghanistan border in south-eastern Turkmenistan to Multan, Pakistan (1,271 km), with a 640-km extension to India. The proposed pipeline will carry natural gas from the Dauletabad Field in south-eastern Turkmenistan.

Courtesy: www.thehindubusinessline.com, August 24, 2006

Back to Index

The Indian Army has no reservations about continuing as part of the strengthened United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, although a final decision is still to be taken by the government. The present UN peacekeeping force deployed in Lebanon was given a month's extension till August 31, after which the new UNIFIL forces are expected to be deployed - with Italy, in all probability, being in command. Sources here said that discussions were currently on to change the nature of the UN mission from a peacekeeping to a peace-enforcing force. The Indian Army, the sources said, is equally comfortable with both roles, having worked as a peace-enforcing force in earlier UN missions. The mandate usually stops short of actively disarming armies or even resistance groups in a country, the sources said, unless they are involved in breaching the peace.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, August 24, 2006

Back to Index

India and Malaysia are to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour in October following which a Malaysian government agency will recruit blue-collared Indian workers directly, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said. Ravi, who visited Malaysia last week, said a delegation led by Malaysian Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn will visit India in October and sign the MoU. "Once the agreement is made, the Malaysian government will directly recruit the Indian workers and distribute them to their companies, which need such workers," Ravi said. "This agreement on labour will basically avoid the hassles and troubles created by the recruitment agencies. It would be the responsibility of the Malaysian government to ensure the safety of the workers and good wages for them there," he added. Ravi said the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the Malaysian governmental agency, would recruit the workers, mainly for the construction companies in the country - and distribute them. "The officials from the CIDB will visit India to train the workers," the minister said, adding that the Indian government would identify the agency that would recruit people from here. "The agreement will ensure good wages, good living conditions and better medical facilities for the workers. The government will be responsible for these. That makes a lot of difference," Ravi explained. He admitted that there have been serious complaints against recruitment agencies that they did not ensure good wages and living conditions for workers going abroad. Indian workers form the third largest foreign work force in Malaysia, with 140,000 of them eking out a living there. Ethnic Indians comprise seven percent of Malaysia's population of around 24 million.

Courtesy: The Times of India, August 23, 2006

Back to Index

Planetspace, the US-Canadian consortium co-promoted by Indian-American entrepreneur, Chirinjeev Kathuria, has signed an agreement with Canada's Nova Scotia province to build a space launching facility. According to the agreement, Nova Scotia would set aside 300 acres of land on the island Cape Breton off the Canadian coast for the facility, reports said. PlanetSpace is also in talks with the Canadian Space Agency for Canada's first commercial manned space programme, for which the new facility would be constructed. "The facility will see orbital flights, similar to the Kennedy Space Center," Mr Kathuria told newspersons. PlanetSpace estimates it will cost about $200m to build the spaceport at a site north-west of a town called Sydney Mines on Cape Breton. Rockets launched from Cape Breton, which is at the same latitude as the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the site of Russia's Soyuz launches, would require less fuel to reach the International Space Station (ISS) than those launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, according to a report in the New Scientist Space website. The company, according to the report, wants to also build a spacecraft that could bring crew and goods to the ISS. Mr Kathuria said the company was trying to negotiate an agreement to get technical help from the US space agency NASA in building such a vehicle. PlanetSpace expects to fly 2,000 space tourists in the first five years and generate revenue of $200m in the fifth year. Fares will start at $250,000 for a sub-orbital flight, which will include 14 days of training. "It's an extraordinary view, you're weightless for four-five minutes, you see the earth from the same view that the shuttle astronauts do, and it doesn't cost millions of dollars to go into orbit," Geoff Sheerin, the other promoter of PlanetSpace, told newspersons. Mr Kathuria is no stranger to privately funded space flight. He was a founding director of MirCorp, the company that made history on April 4, '00, when it launched the world's first privately funded manned space programme and sent Dennis Tito to space as Earth's first space tourist. Born in New Delhi, Mr Kathuria is a physician by profession and holds an MBA degree. He has been involved with successful business ventures in the US telecommunications and the healthcare sectors.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 21, 2006

Back to Index

The Indian community in the United States has stepped in to help the flood-affected people in Gujarat. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), an international socio-spiritual Hindu organization, is spearheading the effort, according to the Tampa Tribune. The Indian community of Tampa Bay, Florida, has stepped in to help those affected by the floods. Tampa is one of 50 locations across the United States where the Indian community held prayers and pledged to contribute to the relief funds. Many Bay area Indians are originally from Gujarat and still have families living in the region. "The money collected so far has been used to buy 255,705 food packets and 250,000 water pouches," said Kamlesh Darji, a member of the BAPS temple. More than 1,500 BAPS volunteers are at present camping in Gujarat to help with the relief efforts.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 21, 2006

Back to Index

In a gesture of solidarity with the people of war-ravaged Lebanon, India sent the first installment of humanitarian aid for the rehabilitation of displaced Lebanese citizens by an IL-76 plane of the IAF on Saturday which would evacuate Indian nationals and return to Delhi on Monday. The first batch of relief material, including tents, blankets and medicines left New Delhi on Saturday morning by the IAF aircraft, an official spokesman said on Sunday, adding the aid was a gesture extended to the Government and the people of Lebanon of India's concern. The aid was required for the rehabilitation of displaced citizens of Lebanon who suffered heavily in the month-long conflict between the Hezbollah militia and the Israeli military offensive in the south of the country. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced humanitarian aid worth over Rs 10 crore in Parliament on July 27, the official said. It was also learnt that an international donor conference was scheduled for August 31 in Sweden and India might send a representative to this conference for the rehabilitation of nearly 9 lakh people in Lebanon. A Defence Ministry spokesman said, "It may be recalled that at the initiative of Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister had made an announcement in Parliament on July 27 that India would provide Rs 10 crore towards humanitarian and relief efforts in Lebanon." The Defence Ministry was then given the responsibility with the procurement and reaching the relief to the affected people. Depending on the requirements, India may also send another consignment of relief material, he said. Meanwhile, four Indian Navy ships engaged in a mammoth exercise to evacuate Indians and nationals of Sri Lanka and Nepal when the war was raging in Labanon, returned to Mumbai last week. The four ships evacuated more than 3,000 people in one week starting July 20 and ferried them to Larnaca, Cyprus.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, August 21, 2006

Back to Index

India and Sri Lanka have agreed on a plan to send emergency humanitarian supplies from India to beleaguered Jaffna by sea, according to the Sri Lankan government's Defence Spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella. This has been necessitated by the absence of a safe air or sea route between Colombo and Jaffna. "India has agreed to help. They have always been very helpful," Rambukwella told Hindustan Times on Saturday. Asked what route the Indian vessels might take, Rambukwella said that was for India to work out. According to commercial sources in Colombo, traders from Tamil Nadu and Jaffna have been using the Tamil Nadu-Point Pedro sea route for a long time, and this may be used by the Indian convoys. The LTTE, which has a presence in the seas off Point Pedro, is expected to cooperate in view of the grave humanitarian crisis emerging in Jaffna, the heartland of its "Tamil Homeland".

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 19, 2006

Back to Index

India on Saturday sent 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the beleaguered people of strife-torn Lebanon. An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft carrying 275 tents and 3200 blankets left for Lebanon early Saturday morning. The same aircraft will also evacuate Indian nationals from Lebanon during its return journey back home on Monday, it was officially stated. The relief effort is a friendly gesture to the people of Lebanon, where several innocent civilians, including women and children, have become victims of the recent clashes. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced in Parliament last month that India would provide Rs 10 crores towards humanitarian and relief efforts in Lebanon. The Defence Ministry was tasked with the procurement and despatch of the relief material. Depending on the requirements, India may also send another consignment of relief material.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 19, 2006

Back to Index

On August 21, Union home minister Shivraj Patil will inaugurate at Vigyan Bhawan the two-day South Asian dialogue on disaster management. The conference organised by the National Institute of Disaster Management, run by the Union home ministry will be attended by seven South Asian nations, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives as well as Afghanistan, said the home ministry spokesman. The idea of setting up this institute as well as cooperation of all the countries of the region was born out of recent natural disasters like tsunami, affecting all the seaside countries and the earthquakes in North-west affecting India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Asean countries actively cooperate in disaster management and so do the European nations. At the time of natural or even man-made disasters there is acute need for neighbouring countries to pool in resources and overcome the disaster in providing succour to the affected people. The home ministry is already running the NIDM as a centre for excellence and learning in the field of disaster management. The South Asian nations agreed to set up a Disaster Management Centre in India to help the region better handle calamities like tsunamis, earthquakes and floods that have ravaged the region in past years. The agreement came at a meeting of the Saarc officials in the Bangaldeshi capital, ahead of November Saarc summit.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, August 19, 2006

Back to Index

India on Thursday offered new tariff concessions covering more than 90 per cent of ASEAN's exports to New Delhi in a bid to accelerate the slow moving ASEAN-India FTA talks. "Earlier we had offered tariff reductions for 69 per cent of the items and now it has been raised to 94.6 per cent," Gopal K Pillai, special Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said after talks with economic officials from the ASEAN. Pillai is also the head of India's delegation to the economic officials meeting. He said India has offered to substantially reduce import duty on some highly sensitive products which were of significant export interest to certain ASEAN members. These were refined palm oil from 90 per cent to 60 per cent, crude palm oil from 80 per cent to 50 per cent, black tea from 100 per cent to 50 per cent and pepper from 70 per cent to 50 per cent. India at the morning talks highlighted that its revised offer provided preferential market access of 95 per cent to 100 per cent for seven ASEAN members and of 85 per cent or more for the other three members. "However, the ASEAN is yet to table details of their liberalisation proposal under the India-ASEAN FTA nor given us any country-wise offer list," Pillai noted. He hoped that this would be done as soon as possible. "If our offer today does not kick-start the FTA we don't know what will," quipped Pillai. Under the new offer, India trimmed down its list of items that it wants excluded from the pact to 560 goods covering only 5.4 per cent of ASEAN's exports, Pillai said after talks with the ASEAN officials. a few months ago India had brought down the list to 850 from 1,440 last year. ASEAN had protested India had too many items on its exclusion list. "Overall the ASEAN countries welcomed India's forward movement. However, some countries wanted India to be more liberal in tariff cuts," the official said, adding Malaysia, a major palm oil producer, wanted further tariff cuts on palm oil as against the 50 per cent India has proposed. earlier tariffs on palm oil was 90 per cent now it is 80 per cent for refined palm oil and 70 per cent for crude palm oil. This will be brought down to 50 per cent for refined palm oil under the tariff reduction plan. "Tariff is not a problem. India needs palm oil and will continue to import from these countries But New Delhi's concern is also its farmers. Its tariffs will be designed to protect its farmers," Pillai said. "ASEAN has said the tariff reduction is too long for some products, we are open to negotiations," Pillai said, dismissing reports made by a Filipino trade official that India was worried that tariff cuts would result in political fallout and see an increase in poor farmers committing suicide. "These views are so lopsided and far from the truth," the official said. India has 5222 tariff lines of which 4021 tariff lines will be eliminated to zero per cent by 2011 and others by 2015. Tariffs on sensitive category, which is a separate list, will be slashed to five per cent by 2018 and the remaining will be reduced to 7.5 per cent by 2022. "We have 560 items on standstill list and no reduction will be made for five years. This will be reviewed by ASEAN and India later," the official said. These 560 items only cover 5.4 per cent of ASEAN's trade with India and the bulk of it includes agricultural products, marine products, textiles etc.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, August 18, 2006

Back to Index

Srinandan Kasi, the Indian American deputy general counsel of the Associated Press, has been promoted vice-president and general counsel of the international news agency. Kasi, popularly known as Sri, has thus become one of the most senior South Asians in the business side of the media in the US. He is a graduate of the University of Madras, India. With this promotion, Kasi joins a handful of executives in the top management of US mainstream media firms, which includes Nusrat Durrani, senior vice-president and general manager, MTV World, Ketan Gandhi, president and publisher of the Home News Tribune in New Jersey (the first South Asian publisher of a US daily), Rene Golden, senior vice-president of CNN International and Manish Jha, senior vice-president and general manager of Mobile ESPN. "Sri's wide-ranging technical, legal and business skills have served the AP well since he joined us as vice president-global business and deputy general counsel," a press release quoted Tom Curley, president and CEO of AP, as saying while announcing Kasi's appointment. "His diverse background will come into play even more as the AP charts new ground in the digital era with its international editorial, business and technology initiatives," Curley said. In an interview carried in the website of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), Kasi said that general counsel is responsible for the legal affairs of the entire organisation. "These responsibilities are of particular significance in a US news organisation to ensure that the First Amendment protections for a free press are carefully used and safeguarded," he said. Asked what he has learned while working in AP, he said that the 160-year old news organisation can protect its news values even while adapting to changing distribution models and news consumption patterns worldwide. "The Internet has enhanced, not diminished the value of essential journalism," he added. He has worked on a variety of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance matters, strategic alliances and joint ventures. He was previously a scientist at IBM.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 11, 2006

Back to Index

US considers the Indo-US nuclear deal good for both Washington as well as for non-proliferation and New Delhi a 'very responsible actor' on that front notwithstanding last week's sanctions against two Indian companies. "We believe that the Indian government has a very strong record overall on the non-proliferation front and the nuclear deal with India is a good one for the US and a good one for the international community on the non-proliferation front," the State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack, told reporters on Monday. There are 33 companies - both private and state-controlled - from around the world that are currently sanctioned for selling banned material to Iran, he pointed out, disagreeing with a suggestion that the sanctions would not reflect well on India's non-proliferation record. McCormack also denied that there was any deliberate attempt to withhold information from the US Congress about the impending sanctions against two Indian firms before the House of Representatives voted on the India-US nuclear deal on July 26. A tightly controlled process was followed in such cases not only for the sake of a country or company's reputation, "but also to make sure that you don't tip your hand", he said, adding that there is again a process to make such decisions public in the Federal Register. But "on issues related to non-proliferation, there's a constant dialogue with the US Congress", McCormack said. "And in this particular case I don't know - I'm not aware of any particular breach of etiquette or past conduct or even regulation," he added. As many as 33 companies from different countries are currently sanctioned under the Iran Act, he said. "But we believe the Indian government itself is a responsible actor, very responsible actor on the front of non-proliferation," McCormack added. He said there were private entities from around the world and there were state-controlled entities - where the economy is dominated by the state - who break American law. And when they do break American law, US will hold them to account through the sanctioning process, he added.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 08, 2006

Back to Index

Neeraj Patil, a 38-year-old doctor with roots in the city, has achieved the distinction of becoming a councillor of Lambeth council in London earlier this year. Originally from Gulbarga in Karnataka, Dr. Patil, who spent 12 years in the UK practising medicine has achieved significant recognition as a Labour Party representative. His association with the Labour Party since 2001 saw him taking the plunge into elections while working as a doctor. Till his election, he was Special Registrar in Accident and Emergency at the University Hospital Lewisham in London. Now he works as a consultant. He completed MBBS from Gulbarga in 1992 and worked for some time in the Osmania Medical College before going to UK for higher studies. On a brief visit to Hyderabad, Dr. Patil said he made it as a Labour Party candidate after a rigorous selection system. "Unlike India, recruitment into politics is systematic. After a tough candidate selection process, including written examination, party hustings and voting, a person is shortlisted for the candidature," he said. He did not disappoint his party as he won the councillor seat by a margin of over 700 votes.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 01, 2006

Back to Index

India evacuated 411 more people, including 82 Indians and 324 Sri Lankans, from Lebanon on Monday in the fourth round of 'Operation Sukoon' aimed at rescuing men and women from the war-ravaged country. In the latest round, launched following Israel's bombings targeting the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, five Nepalis were also brought back. The evacuees were flown in by a special Air India flight from Larnaca in Cyprus. While the Sri Lankans landed in Colombo, the rest of the evacuees reached Mumbai around 3.30 am on Monday, according to a statement from the ministry of overseas Indian affairs. From Mumbai, evacuees were sent to their respective destinations by connecting flights or by road. Of the 82 Indians, 67 hail from Punjab, six from Haryana, three each from Delhi and Tamil Nadu, two from Kerala and one from Uttar Pradesh. The total number of Indians evacuated from Lebanon till now has reached 1,770. At the beginning of the conflict earlier this month, there were about 12,000 Indians in Lebanon, most of whom contract workers. The evacuees were first brought by Indian naval ships from the Lebanese capital Beirut to Larnaca and then flown to India. At least one Indian has been killed and four, including a soldier attached to the UN peacekeeping force, have been injured in Israel's attacks on Lebanon, the fiercest in 24 years.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 01, 2006

Back to Index

India has rejected the US attempt to invoke fresh life into the expired Peace Clause in agriculture trade, which prevented countries from challenging subsidies provided by developed countries on agricultural exports at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). India's rejection of the extension plea was based on the argument that since subsidies provided to industrial products could be challenged, there was no justification for giving special treatment to agri products. The US has been trying to reactivate the peace clause, which expired on January 31, '04, since it resulted in its agriculture exports being challenged by countries like Brazil (cotton) and Canada (corn). Brazil also won a case against sugar subsidies being given by the EU last year following the expiry of the Peace Clause. Speaking to ET, commerce & industry minister Kamal Nath said that in his recent meeting with US trade representative Susan Schwab, he maintained that if the Peace Clause was reinvoked, it should not be exclusive to agriculture. "The Peace Clause is neither in the Doha mandate nor in the framework. If it has to be woven into the round, it should be negotiated in all aspects of the WTO," he said. The US had requested for a renewal of the Peace Clause in October '05. When developing countries refused to oblige, the EU took centre-stage and argued for extension of the clause during the Hong Kong ministerial meet in December '05. According to a report by international non-governmental agency Oxfam, the EU and US could face challenges from developing countries on $13 billion of illegal agricultural subsidies, including rice, corn and tomatoes. While the EU claims that the reforms that it was bringing about in the common agricultural policy would make a huge dent in subsidies, the Oxfam report said that the reforms would not end the damage being done by dumping to developing countries.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 01, 2006

Back to Index