India alert | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

24/01/2014

UPDATE 1-Japan’s Chubu nears deal with India’s GAIL to buy LNG jointly | Reuters

Japan\’s Chubu Electric Power Co said on Friday it will sign a preliminary deal with India\’s GAIL as soon as possible to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) together, the latest move by Asian buyers looking to cut prices for the fuel.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, section view from side. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rising demand for LNG in Asia, already the top destination for the fuel, has helped push its price to near-record levels and now buyers such as India and Japan are trying to find ways to cut their soaring gas import bills.

India, Japan and other Asian countries that together import 70 percent of the world\’s LNG met in December to discuss forming a buyers\’ club to get a better deal from suppliers.

Asian prices LNG-AS are now more than four times the cost of natural gas in the United States, where a boom in shale oil and gas has sharply reduced prices.

Apart from joint purchases of LNG, Chubu and GAIL aim to explore cooperation in other areas such as shipping, Chubu President Akihisa Mizuno told reporters on Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to visit India on Saturday.

via UPDATE 1-Japan’s Chubu nears deal with India’s GAIL to buy LNG jointly | Reuters.

Posted in Economics, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Chubu Electric Power, GAIL, India, Japan, Liquefied natural gas, LNG, United States

24/01/2014

In India, Abe hopes to conclude Japan’s first defence sale in 40 years | Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits India this weekend, hoping to wrap up the first overseas sale of military equipment by Tokyo in nearly four decades and open up the world\’s biggest arms market for his nation\’s defence manufacturers.

English: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Abe\’s visit to India will underline growing business and political ties between the two nations as they close ranks against mutual rival China, with the initial focus on the sale of amphibious search and rescue aircraft to India.

Japan and India are also trying to finalise an agreement on civilian nuclear energy that would open up the Indian market to Japanese players, officials said, reflecting another shift in Tokyo\’s policy on a sensitive issue. However, a Japanese official said a signing was unlikely during the visit.

Japanese officials say the proposed sale of ShinMaywa US-2i planes would not infringe Japan\’s self-imposed ban on arms exports because the aircraft to be given to India will be unarmed and can be used for civilian purposes.

Still, it will give India considerable aviation reach across the seas and could raise China\’s ire.

via In India, Abe hopes to conclude Japan’s first defence sale in 40 years | Reuters.

Posted in Economics, GeoPolitics, India alert, Military, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, India, Japan, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, Tokyo, United States

22/01/2014

Syrian Conflict Leads to Cumin Boom in India – India Real Time – WSJ

A recent The Wall Street Journal article examined the boom in India’s cumin exports as a result of the conflict in Syria. A reporter’s photo diary from one of Asia’s largest spice markets Unjha in the western Indian state of Gujarat where cumin sales have seen an uptick in recent months.

As of Jan. 13, the acreage of cumin fields in Gujarat, which accounts for 75% to 80% of India’s cumin crop, was up 36% from a year earlier to 1.12 million acres, according to the Gujarat agriculture department. India’s exports of cumin surged 93% between last April, the start of the fiscal year, and September, to 67,500 tons, according to the Spices Board of India.

Syria was India’s biggest rival in exports of the yellow-brown spice, which is a crucial ingredient in Middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean cuisines and adds a dash of flavor for kitchens in the West.

Besides adding flavor to food, cumin is also used as medicine. It was even used in preserving corpses as mummies in ancient Egypt.

via Syrian Conflict Leads to Cumin Boom in India – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in Economics, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Gujarat, India, middle-east, Spices Board of India, Syria, Unjha

22/01/2014

Algae.Tec Teams With Reliance to Build Clean-Fuel Plant in India – Businessweek

Algae.Tec Ltd., an Australian producer of algal oils used in cleaner fuels, is teaming up with a unit of Reliance Industries Ltd. to build a pilot production facility in India.

Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd. will invest A$1.5 million ($1.3 million) in Algae.Tec and A$1.2 million more over the next two years, Perth-based Algae.Tec said in a statement.

The companies will develop a pilot project in India that will produce two barrels of biofuel a day and be funded by Reliance affiliates, Algae.Tec said. Reliance plans to work with its new partner to help bring the technology to market.

via Algae.Tec Teams With Reliance to Build Clean-Fuel Plant in India – Businessweek.

Posted in Economics, energy, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Algae, Algae.Tec, Algae.Tec Ltd., Australia, India, Perth, Pilot experiment, pilot production facility, Reliance, Reliance Industrial Investments, Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd., Reliance Industries, Reliance Industries Ltd.

20/01/2014

India’s Hardware Mashups Inspire Frugal Technology Abroad – India Real Time – WSJ

In 2009, Vinay Venkatraman was strolling the streets of Mumbai with two colleagues when he saw a group of people tinkering with old computer monitors and turning them into televisions.

After observing the men over three weeks, Mr. Venkatraman and his team found that the workers were stripping the computer monitors, usually brought from the secondhand markets, and inserting T.V. circuits.

They even made T.V. remotes by scavenging components from the scrap market, said Mr. Venkatraman.

“It was really eye-opening as an experience for me,” he said in a recent telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal from his home in Denmark.

India is home to many such master recyclers and re-purposers and Hindi even has a special word it, ‘Jugaad’, meaning “frugal improvisation” which is catching on as a business principle.

The country also boasts of some innovative products such as Mitti Cool, a refrigerator made with clay, and a floating soap, that is less dense than water.

Inspired by those workers involved in what he calls “silicon cottage industries” in India’s financial capital, Mr. Venkatraman, started Frugal Digital in 2010 — a research organization based in Copenhagen and specializing in making low-cost technology equipment.

The nonprofit company makes use of common items such as outmoded mobile phones and clocks to design equipment such as hearing aids and projectors.

Mr. Venkatraman, 34, who grew up in India, graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2003– the top design school in India — and completed his post graduate studies in Italy.

It was his childhood and experiences of Jugaad in India and while living in Nigeria, that inspired his current venture to help people access basic things though inventive recycling.

via India’s Hardware Mashups Inspire Frugal Technology Abroad – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in Economics, Good news, India alert, Technology | Leave a Comment »

Tags: computer monitors, Copenhagen, Denmark, India, Jugaad, mumbai, National Institute of Design, Nigeria, Venkatraman, Vinay Venkatraman

18/01/2014

Teenage German tourist raped on Indian train – The Local

A German charity worker was allegedly raped while sleeping on a train in southern India on Friday – the second European to report a rape in the country within a week.

The teenager was attacked while asleep on a train travelling from Mangalore in western India to Chennai on the east coast, where she was heading to volunteer with a charity.

Police said she was reportedly too scared to shout for help and alert passengers in her carriage, Indian news site NDTV said.

Officers said a man had been arrested in Chennai on suspicion of the rape.

The German, said to be just 18 years old, complained to police on Monday, three days after the alleged attack.

Seema Agarwal, Inspector General of Police, said: “The young lady took several days to muster courage to report to the police. Though it\’s too late for medical examination, we have handled the case in a very sensitive manner,” NDTV reported.

On Tuesday a 51-year-old Danish woman was allegedly robbed and gang-raped in the capital New Delhi. Police said 15 men had been arrested.

via Teenage German tourist raped on Indian train – The Local.

See also: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-01-16/india-police-close-in-on-homeless-men-in-gang-rape

Posted in Crime, Gender issues, India alert, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Chennai, German tourist, India, Inspector General of Police, Mangalore, NDTV, New Delhi, Rape, southern India, western India

18/01/2014

Sunanda Pushkar, Wife of Indian Minister Tharoor, Found Dead – India Real Time – WSJ

Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of federal minister Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in a five-star-hotel in New Delhi late Friday after being involved in a spat on Twitter with someone she accused of stalking her husband.

Ms. Pushkar’s body was discovered by Mr. Tharoor, his personal secretary, and employees of The Leela Palace, where the couple had checked in, after she failed to open the door, Deepak Mishra, who heads the crime division of the Delhi Police, said. Ms. Pushkar was 52.

Mr. Tharoor found his wife’s body sprawled across the bed, Mr. Mishra said. Abhinav Kumar, Mr. Tharoor’s personal secretary, confirmed this sequence of events.

Mr. Tharoor–a minister for human resource development, author and former senior United Nations official– had returned to the hotel around 7.30 p.m. after the day-long national meet of India’s ruling-Congress party, of which he is a senior member. The 57-year-old has previously served as the under-secretary-general of the United Nations and a junior foreign minister.

Police said they were still looking into the cause of death.

“Only after a postmortem report will we be in a position to pin-point what happened,” Mr. Mishra of the police said.

via Sunanda Pushkar, Wife of Indian Minister Tharoor, Found Dead – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in India alert, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Abhinav Kumar, Deepak Mishra, Delhi Police, India, New Delhi, Pushkar, Shashi Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor, Twitter, United Nations

17/01/2014

Honeymoon threatens to be brief for India’s anti-graft party | Reuters

From a rally that nearly ended in a stampede, to a rebellious lawmaker and a minister openly duelling police over drug gangs, the honeymoon could be short-lived for an anti-corruption party that shook up India\’s politics last month.

Arvind Kejriwal and friends (Photo credit: vm2827)

The Common Man\’s Party (AAP) enjoyed a heady few weeks after its leader Arvind Kejriwal pulled off a political surprise by becoming Delhi chief minister in December elections.

He eschewed the usual displays of power beloved of many of India\’s VIPs, such as expensive official cars that routinely ran red lights, and promised voters cheap water and power.

With his party aiming to contest a general election due by May, both the ruling Congress Party and the main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party worry that Kejriwal could eat into their traditional voter support in the cities.

Kejriwal\’s party is still a force as it attracts supporters across the nation, ranging from intellectuals to journalists and rights activists. But a sinking feeling of inexperienced, out-of-their-depth politicians is increasingly manifesting itself.

via Honeymoon threatens to be brief for India’s anti-graft party | Reuters.

Posted in India alert, Internal politics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Aam Aadmi, Arvind Kejriwal, Bharatiya Janata, Chief Minister of Delhi, Delhi, India, Indian National Congress

16/01/2014

India Is Polio-Free for 3rd Year, but It Can’t Afford to Be Complacent | TIME.com

Good news does not always flow freely in India. Too many children still go hungry. Violence against women endures. Inflation is soaring, and gay sex was just criminalized, again.

But today India got a boost: Jan. 13 marks the country’s third year of being free of polio, the highly infectious disease that attacks the nervous system of children in particular and can paralyze within hours. The last child to be crippled by polio in India was a 2-year-old girl in West Bengal, whose case was confirmed on Jan. 13, 2011. The fact that none have been found since is a stunning turnaround from 2009, when India hosted nearly half the world’s cases. That polio has been wiped from this vast, crowded country is arguably one of the greatest achievements in modern public health — and a stirring reminder that sheer determination can, in fact, change lives.

People used to say that ridding India of polio simply couldn’t be done. The virus has used the subcontinent as an incubator for centuries, and some experts argued that the slow process of vaccinating every child could never outpace the rapid transmission of the disease. Happily, they were wrong. Teaming up with groups like Rotary International, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Indian government launched yearly national vaccination drives carried out by millions of volunteers and, eventually, backed up by sophisticated disease-surveillance and population-monitoring systems. In 2002, there were 1,600 polio cases in India. By 2009, there were 741. Today, there are none.

via India Is Polio-Free for 3rd Year, but It Can’t Afford to Be Complacent | TIME.com.

Posted in Good news, Health, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Government of India, India, Infectious disease, polio cases, Poliomyelitis, Rotary International, Violence against women, West Bengal, World Health Organization

14/01/2014

Another ancient university’s remains found in Bihar – The Times of India

Remains of an ancient university have been discovered in Bihar, which is home to Nalanda and Vikramshila universities, officials said on Tuesday.

Main stupa of Sariputta in the ancient Nalanda University, Bihar, India. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

\”We have discovered remains of another ancient university at the Buddhist monastery site of Telhara in Nalanda district,\” Atul Kumar Verma, director of state archaeology, told IANS.

Telhara was visited by Chinese traveller Heuen Tsang in the 7th century AD, and it was mentioned as \”Teleadaka\” in his account, Verma said.

Describing it as a major discovery for Bihar\’s history, Verma told IANS over telephone that remains of \”Tiladhak\” ancient university are spread in a big area and will take more time for full excavation – just like Nalanda where the excavation took years.

\”It is a positive development in the field of excavation in Bihar. After discovery of remains of 4th century ancient Nalanda and 8th century Vikramshila university, this is the discovery of remains of third ancient university in the state,\” Verma said.

Verma said that Tiladhak ancient university was set up in 5th century during the Gupta period.

via Another ancient university’s remains found in Bihar – The Times of India.

Posted in Culture, India alert, religion | 2 Comments »

Tags: Bihar, Gupta Empire, Nalanda, Nalanda district, Telhara, Verma, Vihara

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

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UPDATE 1-Japan’s Chubu nears deal with India’s GAIL to buy LNG jointly | Reuters

In India, Abe hopes to conclude Japan’s first defence sale in 40 years | Reuters

Syrian Conflict Leads to Cumin Boom in India – India Real Time – WSJ

Algae.Tec Teams With Reliance to Build Clean-Fuel Plant in India – Businessweek

India’s Hardware Mashups Inspire Frugal Technology Abroad – India Real Time – WSJ

Honeymoon threatens to be brief for India’s anti-graft party | Reuters

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