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26/01/2014

Colourful Republic Day parade dazzles Rajpath – The Hindu

Multi-hued images of India’s rich cultural heritage, its achievements in diverse fields and military prowess were on majestic display at the magnificent Rajpath, the ceremonial boulevard, in Delhi on Sunday, as the nation celebrated its 65th Republic Day amid tight security.

T-90 tanks rolling down the Rajpath during the Republic Day parade, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Marching down from the seat of power at Raisina Hills to Red Fort, the parade showcased India’s ‘unity in diversity’ and defence capability as thousands of spectators along the 8-km-long route cheered the contingents and the mechanised columns.

The well-turned out and synchronised military and police contingents led by General Officer Commanding (Delhi), Lt General Subroto Mitra, marched proudly to the lilting tunes of bands through Rajpath where President Pranab Mukherjee took the salute.

The march past was watched by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the chief guest of the Republic Day celebration, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the country’s top political and military brass, besides the diplomatic community.

via Colourful Republic Day parade dazzles Rajpath – The Hindu.

Posted in India alert, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Delhi Republic Day parade, India, manmohan singh, military prowess, Pranab Mukherjee, President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, Rajpath, Red Fort, Republic Day, Sonia Gandhi, Subroto Mitra, Vice-President Hamid Ansari

25/01/2014

* Shinzo Abe’s visit a signal to China, others – The Times of India

With economics as the bedrock of a growing partnership, India and Japan are ready to move to the next level. When Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, the two sides are likely to kick off a top-level political-security dialogue between the two national security advisers, Shivshankar Menon and Shotaro Yachi.

Coming on the heels of the visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress in December, the Abe visit will send a whole new set of signals to many in Asia and beyond – particularly the elephant in the room, China. Abe will not only be the first Japanese prime minister to be India\’s Republic Day chief guest, his presence at India\’s annual civil-military parade, an integral part of Indian life, will signal that the a pacifist Japan can be comfortable with a show of military strength.

The two sides are expected to announce more maritime exercises even though there will be no agreement on civil nuclear energy. Discussions on that have been stuck on non-proliferation commitments, finding a happy medium between the Japanese and Indian positions. India and Japan have started negotiations for the purchase of Japan\’s amphibian aircraft, US-2, which Japan plans to sell to India as a civilian aircraft, though it has military uses as well. The first set of discussions took place in the end of December, a second meeting is scheduled in the coming weeks.

The stepping up of defence and security cooperation between India and Japan has increased even as Japan\’s relationship with China and South Korea has plummeted in recent months. In what is being seen as an unprecedented war of words, Chinese and Japanese envoys around the world are waging a battle on the op-ed columns of newspapers regarding bilateral tensions on the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.

via Shinzo Abe’s visit a signal to China, others – The Times of India.

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

Tags: Asia, China, India, Japan, manmohan singh, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, South Korea

25/01/2014

India Said to Consider $32 a Ton Subsidy for Raw Sugar Exports – Businessweek

India, the world’s biggest sugar producer after Brazil, will consider a subsidy on raw sweetener exports to ease a domestic glut, two government officials said.

The government will consider 2,000 rupees ($32) a metric ton subsidy for shipments, said the officials, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. The government may also consider ways to reduce imports in the next cabinet meeting, they said.

N.C. Joshi, spokesman for the food ministry, declined to comment on the matter.

via India Said to Consider $32 a Ton Subsidy for Raw Sugar Exports – Businessweek.

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

Tags: Brazil, Business, government officials, India, Subsidy, Sugar, sugar producer, Sweeteners, Tonne

24/01/2014

India Supreme Court orders investigation after tribal rape outcry | Reuters

India\’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered an investigation into the gang rape of a 20-year-old woman from an eastern tribal region by 13 men on the orders of a village court, a case that has sparked protests demanding swift justice.

The woman, who is recovering in hospital, told police she was assaulted by the men on Monday night in the Birbhum district of West Bengal as punishment for violating rules of her tribe by having a relationship with a man from a different community.

The ruling by India\’s top court underscores the sensitivity of sexual violence issues following the fatal gang rape of a physiotherapist on a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012 – an attack that sparked nationwide demonstrations and political uproar.

In the West Bengal case, police said that the woman\’s male companion was tied up in the village square, while the assault on the woman happened in a mud house. The man has now gone missing from the village, relatives say.

via India Supreme Court orders investigation after tribal rape outcry | Reuters.

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

Tags: Birbhum district, Delhi, India, India Supreme Court, Supreme Court, Types of rape, West Bengal

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

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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Colourful Republic Day parade dazzles Rajpath – The Hindu

* Shinzo Abe’s visit a signal to China, others – The Times of India

India Said to Consider $32 a Ton Subsidy for Raw Sugar Exports – Businessweek

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

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