EU-DIGEST

Indian industry taking to green technologies with relish

Indian entrepreneurs are taking to green technologies with a relish and do not see intellectual property rights (IPR) as a barrier, a new international study has found.Co-author of the study, David Ockwell of the University of Sussex in Britain, said that he had found Indian industry driving collaborations with firms around the world to work jointly on developing green technologies in the five areas studied:
* Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) for power generation;
* Energy efficient technology adoption in Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs), specifically the glass and foundry industries;
* Wind energy;
* Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells; and
* Hybrid vehicles

Labels: Alternative Energy Resources, India

Shipments seizure of Pharmaceuticals: India’s drug makers may avoid EU route - by Lison Joseph

A new battleground seems to have opened up over shipments of India’s drug exporters meant for Latin America that are being seized in transit by European Union (EU) countries. In the last one month alone, Chandigarh-based Ind-Swift Laboratories Ltd and several other Mumbai-based bulk drug makers—all of them small- and medium-sized firms—have had their shipments seized at EU ports, according to the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), an agency set up by India’s commerce ministry.

“In the last couple of months, we have been receiving an increasing number of reports from pharma exporters about their consignments being seized in European Union countries including Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands,” said Pharmexcil executive director P.V. Appaji.Munjal and Pharmexcil said the reason EU authorities have given for the seizures was that these drug consignments violated intellectual property rights and were, therefore, counterfeit. Pharmexcil, on its part, says the seized products—meant for largely unregulated Latin American markets—are genuine and legal.

“These are not substandard or in anyway of compromised quality. Besides, they are not meant for the European market but are just using EU ports while in transit to markets in Latin America, where they do not violate any laws,” Appaji claimed.

Labels: EU, India, Intellectual Property Rights, Latin America, Pharmaceuticals

Mumbai attacks: Was computer expert aged 36 the mastermind? - by Emily Pykett

Uncertainty is a key weapon in the armoury of Islamic fundamentalist terror. As investigators, experts and analysts grope for the truth, someone somewhere is taking satisfaction from the horrified confusion the Mumbai attacks have caused. Analysts are divided over whether the hand of al-Qaeda can be detected. The only claim of responsibility comes from a group that may not even exist: an e-mail message claiming responsibility and sent to Indian media on Wednesday night said the attackers were from a group called Deccan Mujahideen. Alex Neill, head of the Royal United Services Institute's Asia security program, believes the attacks were probably carried out by local jihadists linked to the radical Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi), a banned Islamic fundamentalist organization which advocates the "liberation of India" by converting it to an Islamic state. One possible mastermind and Simi member is Abdul Subhan Qureshi, a 36-year-old computer engineer suspected of being behind multiple bombings in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad earlier this year.

Labels: India, Mumbai, Terrorism

Sandra Samuel and Moshe Holtzberg escape from Chabad House in Mumbai

An EU-Digest editorial on the dramatic events at the Rohr Chabad House in Mumbai

Sandra Samuel and Moshe Holtzberg - The Mumbai Miracle: God lives in all

Last Thursday, as the world watched the horrors unfolding in Mumbai, many of us saw Moshe Holzberg being carried out of the Rohr Chabad House by Sandra Samuel (44), an Indian nanny who had worked at the Jewish community center for years. She had found Moshe crying beside his parents’ bodies, drenched in blood. The parents, his mother Rivkah Holtzberg, 28, was an Israeli citizen, while his father, Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, 29, had dual American and Israeli citizenship. They had come to Mumbai in August 2003 to operate a home for the Jewish community, where travelers could get a kosher meal, attend Shabbat services, and relax in a library filled with a variety of works, including many books even some by Woody Allen and manuscripts on Jewish philosophy.

Last week their lives on earth abruptly ended, when they were executed in their home by a highly trained, tightly knit, and well-financed, ruthless group of Islamic militants.

When the attack on the Rorh Chabad House began last Wednesday, Sandra Samuel heard explosions and gunshots on an upper floor of the center and locked herself and fellow employee Zaki Hussein in a downstairs utility room. Late Thursday morning, she heard Moshe screaming, ran upstairs, eluded roaming gunmen, even stared some of them down, and found the child beside the bodies of his parents, carried him downstairs, and brought Moshe to safety. Mr. Hussein helped Ms. Samuel conceal Moshe, as the three escaped from Rorh Chabad House.

Sandra Samuel now continues to help care for Moshe Holtzberg in Israel. Her emigration from India was expedited when the Israeli government declared her one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” and issued her an immigration permit. Recipients of this honor, awarded by a special commission headed by a Supreme Court Justice in Israel, include Oskar and Emilie Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg, and Corrie ten Boom. People and groups that receive this title, have risked their lives to save others, many during the Holocaust. Sandra Samuel is the first citizen of India to receive this honor.

As dramatic as this report may sound, it underscores the fact that God does not belong to any religion, but that he lives in all of us. Moshe Holtzberg and Sandra Samuel are a living proof of that, and as difficult as this is to say, also in those militants, who decided not to kill Moshe, after they killed his parents.

Labels: God, India, Israel, Moshe Holtzberg, Mumbai, Religion, Sandra Samuel, Terrorism

For years, terrorists and insurgents around the world have used off-the-shelf hardware and software to stay ahead of bigger, better-funded authorities. In 2007, former U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid complained that, with their Radio Shack stockpile of communications gear, "this enemy is better networked than we are." The strikes in Mumbai, India that killed at least 174 appears to be another example of how wired today's "global guerrillas" can be.The Mumbai terrorists used an array of commercial technologies -- from Blackberries to GPS navigators to anonymous e-mail accounts -- to pull off their heinous attacks. Once the coordinated attacks began, the terrorists were on their cell phones constantly. They used BlackBerries to monitor international reaction to the atrocities, and to check on the police response via the internet. The terror group then took credit for the bloodshed with a series of e-mails to local media. They used a "remailer" service to mask their identities; earlier attacks were claimed from cyber cafes.

Labels: India, Internet, Mumbai, Technology, Terrorism

EU trade delegation in Mumbai safe, delegate says

A delegation of 13 European Parliament representatives who were caught in the Mumbai terrorist attacks are safe, a member of the delegation told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Thursday.Parliamentarian Daniel Caspary, a member of the parliament's trade committee, told dpa by telephone that he, six fellow members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and six support staff had managed to escape to the French consulate in Mumbai. France currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Labels: EU, India, Mumbai

Mumbai Attacks: 'If You Go After the Wrong People, You Convert Moderates into Extremists' - by Deepak Chopra

There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. That's 25 percent of the population of the world. It's the fastest-growing religion in the world. We cannot, if we do not appease and actually recruit the help of this Muslim world, we're going to have a problem on our hands. And we cannot go after the wrong people, as we did after 9/11, because then the whole collateral damage that occurs actually aggravates the situation.India at this moment has to contain any reactive violence from the fundamentalist Hindus, which is very likely and possible. So India has to condemn that by not blaming local Muslims. They have to identify the exact groups. And the world has to be very careful that they don't go after the wrong people. Because if you go after the wrong people, you convert moderates into extremists. It happens every time, and retribution against innocent people just because they have the same religion actually aggravates and perpetuates the problem." Note EU-Digest: "This morning when Special Forces from the Indian military were interviewed they disclosed the terrorists not only carried a large arsenal of munition and explosives, but also US dollars and CitiBank credit cards."

Labels: Citibank, India, Mumbai, Terrorism

India's peaceful illusion has been shattered- by Dibyesh Anand

The attacks in Mumbai raise the question: is a secular democratic setup sufficient to tackle religious extremism? Yet another terrorist attack in an Indian city punctures any illusions Indians and foreigners may harbour about economic growth leading to more peace and stability. The coordinated violence directed at symbolic targets and real people reflect careful planning of a kind hitherto unseen from indigenous extremist movements. The primary aim was to instill overwhelming terror and get maximum publicity. Why target UK and US passport holders and not all westerners? We need to wait for more confirmation but one can guess that the backers of the perpetrators would be using the invasion of Iraq as a defining moment for themselves. The clearest example of the international character of terrorism is not so much the two luxury hotels frequented by foreigners, but holding hostage a Jewish Rabbi and reportedly many other Israelis. In India's domestic scenario, it makes no sense for terrorists to target Jews or Israelis; Israel is not a factor within Indian politics and India has always had close relations with Arab countries.

The only conclusion one can hazard is that like most other Islamist radicals, the actors sought to scavenge upon real and imaginary grievances of Muslims throughout the world. This international jihadi nature of violence, which cannot be described as anything except terrorism, has never manifested itself so visibly in the world's largest democracy. How can any state respond to extremist movements who see their struggle merely as a local chapter of a global war?

Labels: India, Mumbai, Muslim extremists, Terrorism

India -Mumbai - Citizen journalism' offers intimate view of Mumbai attacks

From Twitter to Youtube, online platforms enabled Internet users to read and watch first-hand reports on the series of deadly Mumbai attacks that rocked the Indian financial capital within a few hours of the first blasts. Internet users were able to read and watch first-hand reports on the series of deadly Mumbai attacks that rocked the Indian financial capital within hours of the first blasts, a sure sign that the World Wide Web is revolutionising the way information reaches readers. Online blog and chat service Twitter gathers fresh news from dozens of commentators every few seconds. Some use the chat to reassure their friends and family: “In Mumbai and safe”, wrote user s4ur4bh at 2h50 am. Others offer their analysis on the nature of the little-known Deccan Mujajideen terrorist group, whose members claimed responsibility for the attack. An entry on the attacks was quickly created on the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia, with fresh updates that provided more detailed reports than many traditional media sources could offer. “Attacks took place in South Mumbai, at the crowded Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station; two five-star hotels, the Oberoi Trident and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower; the Leopold Cafe, a popular tourist restaurant; a hospital; and the police headquarters where at least three high-level officers, including the anti-terrorism chief, were killed by gunfire,” it stated late on Wednesday.

Labels: India, Mumbai, Muslim extremists, Terrorism

EU condemns "heinous" Mumbai attacks, sends aid

The European Union's top officials on Thursday strongly condemned the "heinous" Mumbai terrorist attacks that have killed 101 people and vowed to send immediate aid to European citizens caught up in the attack. The justice ministers of the bloc's 27 member states interrupted a scheduled meeting in Brussels to hold an emergency discussion on the attacks, officials in the EU capital confirmed, reported dpa. The ministers "condemned the attacks most strongly, conveyed their condolences to the families of the victims ... and expressed their solidarity with the Indian authorities under these tragic circumstances," a statement said.

Previously, the European Commission had issued a statement condemning "in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks."

"Terrorism is never justified and is no means to achieve any goal. We stand by the Indian government in its fight against terrorism. Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured," the statement by the EU's executive arm said.

Labels: EU, India, Mumbai

Race Heats Up: China, India, Europe push ahead as U.S. program slows to a crawl - by Mark Kaufman

China conducted its first spacewalk last month. The European Space Agency is building a roving robot to land on Mars. India recently launched a record 10 satellites into space on a single rocket.Although the United States remains dominant in most space-related fields -- and owns half the military satellites currently orbiting Earth -- experts say that the nation's superiority is diminishing, and many other nations are expanding their civilian and commercial space capabilities at a far faster pace. "We spent many tens of billions of dollars during the Apollo era to purchase a commanding lead in space over all nations on Earth," said NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin, who said that his agency's budget is down by 20 percent in inflation-adjusted terms since 1992. "We've been living off the fruit of that purchase for 40 years and have not ... chosen to invest at a level that would preserve that commanding lead."

In a recent in-depth study of international space competitiveness, Futron, a technology consulting firm in Bethesda, Md., found that the globalizing of space is unfolding more broadly and quickly than most Americans realize. "Systemic and competitive forces threaten U.S. space leadership," the company president, Joseph Fuller Jr., concluded.

Labels: China, ESA, India, Space Exploration, US

Norway fund to invest $2 bn in Indian stocks

Norway fund to invest $2 bn in Indian stocks

Even as foreign institutional investors rapidly pull out their money from Dalal Street, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s second largest, is set to invest $2 billion in Indian stocks.The Bombay Stock Exchange’s benchmark Sensex has been in a free fall this year, dipping below 10,000 last week, but the Norwegian government said the investments by the Government Pension Fund would take place between this month and January 2009.

The Norwegian Pension Fund, which has assets of EURO 273 billion, is the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund after only the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, credited with assets of over EURO 682 billion.

Labels: India, Norway, Sovereign Funds, Stock Market

Flower exports may fall 20% this year

The Indian 300-crore flower export market is likely to shrink 15-20% this year owing to global recession. With fertilizer costs also doubling, the industry foresees a price rise by 10%. Besides, the increase in petroleum prices has led to the increase in packaging material, such as polythene PP covers. Even the price of corrugated boxes has doubled. All this has affected exports of floriculture industry to markets like Europe, Japan, China and US. Shrivardhan Biotech CEO Ramesh Patil says, “Flowers are considered to be a luxury item. The demand for flowers has gone down as buyers are not ready to spend much on them due to their perishable nature. It has badly affected our sales during Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Ohigan (Japanese festival).

Labels: Economy, Flower Industry, India

Indians top list of foreign skilled professionals in Norway

India has become the number one source of foreign skilled professionals working in Norway, with fellow colleagues from other countries faring way behind. According to Norwegian Immigration Department figures for 2007, Indian skilled professionals constitute one-fourth of the total foreign qualified professionals inducted in Norwegian firms in the given year. Employed mostly in sectors like IT, petroleum and health care, the figure stood at 618 the highest from any foreign nation, followed by Russia (254), US (231) and China (205).

Labels: Immigration, India, Norway

India may have to prune sensitive list for EU pact

The European Union’s (EU’s) indicative sensitive list –– a list of products to be excluded from tariff elimination in the India-EU broadbased trade and investment agreement –– is larger than that of India’s. While the EU list includes 977 items, India’s sensitive list has 750 items. However, the EU list covers approximately 10% of India’s exports to the EU while India’s list covers 18% of EU’s exports. According to the framework agreement, the final sensitive list cannot have more than 10% of total tariff lines being traded. This means both sides would finally have between 500 and 600 items in the sensitive list, officials said.

The EU list includes items like meat and fish products, milk and dairy products, wheat, rice, sugar and textile.

India’s lists includes fish and marine products, agriculture and dairy products, chemicals, plastics and some components.

Labels: India

India to talk to British officials in euro 6.75 bn Eurofighter deal - by Ians

The Indian government wants to talk to British rather than German negotiators in discussions on a possible euro 6.75 billion deal for the purchase of Eurofighter Tyhoons, a newspaper reported Friday. The Times said the Indian government wanted officials from British Aerospace (BAE) Systems and the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) to take over the negotiations from the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and the German government. The Indian Air Force is reported to be considering the Eurofighter as part of a programme to replace 126 Soviet-made jets. The multi role combat aircraft, which is competing with the US-built F-16, F-18 and the Russian MIG-29 for the IAF order, is manufactured by a consortium of BAE systems (Britain), EADS (Germany and Spain) and Alenia FinMeccanica (Italy).

Labels: Aircraft Industry, EU, India

Tata Nano: The $2500 Tata Nano, Unveiled in India

After months of rumors and tantalizing leaks -- and as we first told you earlier this week -- Indian automaker Tata Motors has finally unveiled the Tata Nano -- its already legendary $2,500 (1-lakh)car. As expected, the car that Tata claims will change the face of not only the Indian car market, but the global auto industry will be a four door, five seat hatch, powered by a 30 HP Bosch 624 cc four stroke engine mounted out back and mated to a CVT. That makes the Nano the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine will be used in a car with a single balancer shaft. The Nano's also expected to get 54 US miles per gallon. Yes, but will it blend?

Labels: Car Industry, India, Nano, Tata

Pushback to Unilateralism: the China-India-Russia Alliance

As U.S. unilateralism has asserted the role of the United States as the sole global superpower, the rest of the world is exploring a variety of ways of pushing back. One is the creation of several new regional security consortiums which are independent of the U.S. One of the most important is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security alliance led by Russia and China, with several non-voting members including India. Its rising economic, political and military profile this year can serve as a useful lens through which to view this geopolitical pushback. It is based on promoting a multipolar world, distributing power along multiple poles in the international system, such as the United States, Europe, Asia-Eurasia and the Middle East, while also promoting the multilateralism of international cooperation.

In recent years, Russia and China have stepped up their advocacy for a multipolar-multilateral alternative.Russia is promoting its vision of a multipolar world hinging on the consensus-based decision making that it wants steered through global institutions such as the United Nations. Chinese President Hu Jintao has outlined a similar vision. At a caucus of the leaders of Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa in Berlin, Germany in June of 2007 he said: "Developing countries should strengthen cooperation and consolidate solidarity to promote the establishment of a multipolar world and a democratic international relationship.

Labels: China, Europe, India, Russia, Unilaterism, US

Indian Navy may go for European aircraft - by Girja Shankar Kaura

The Indian Navy, which is all set to float the long-delayed global tender for maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRA), seems to have narrowed down its choice to the offering from the European consortium of EADS.The Airbus A-319 version had emerged as the favorite in the race. This despite the Pentagon pledging to make additional technical, military capabilities available to New Delhi as the P-8A enters into service with the US military. It seems the price, at which the EADS would be arming the Indian Navy with the eight MRAs, is almost US $ 400 million less than the price offered by Boeing. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta had recently said: “We have completed our evaluations of various long-range maritime patrol aircraft and a request for proposals (RFPs) should go out very soon”.The other initial bidders for the contract had included Israel Aerospace Industries and Elta Systems (Orion) and a Russian consortium with the upgraded Ilyushin Il-38SD.

Labels: A319, Airbus, Aircraft Industry, EU, India

India’s Information Technology sector is expected to lead the next big wave of cross boarder mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with Europe and India finding new synergies due to a depreciating dollar and the software services companies’ urge to scale up operations. According to analysts and investment bankers, the change in dollar-rupee equation will force Indian IT firms to look more at Europe and non-US centric geographies for expansion. Europe-targeted cross border mergers and acquisitions are expected to be increased over the next few years. Investment bankers predict there can be deals ranging from $100 million to $1.5 billion in the IT sector over the next few years. “There are enough skill sets in India and the industry has matured enough. There will be a mix of private equity or a strategic player pitching in for buyouts in the short to medium term future. We expect there will be deals ranging from $100 million to $1.5 billion in the IT sector soon, which were not there earlier,” said Frank Haffmans, executive director for ABN Amro’s technology banking division in Europe.

Labels: EU, India

India seals deal with Europe's Arianespace

India has approved a contract worth up to $67.5 million with Arianespace for launching satellites, according to local, quoted by a Satellite News report. In June, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) signed an agreement with the European launch provider to orbit the Insat-4G communications satellite for providing navigation, telecommunications, TV broadcasting and broadband services, the Satellite News report said. The launch is slated for the end of 2008 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guiana Space Center at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Earlier this year, Arianespace orbited the Insat-4B satellite. Insat-4G will mark the 14th ISRO satellite to use the European launch provider, the report said.

Labels: Ariane5, EU, European Space Research, India

Bruxelles to India

Jet Airways debuts in continental Europe

Jet Airways today launched its debut flight from Brussels to India, becoming the first private Indian carrier to fly to and from continental Europe. The flight to Mumbai was flagged off by the Indian ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Dipak Chatterjee from the Brussels national airport this morning. Yesterday Jet Airways launched its first flight from Mumbai to the US with a two-hour stopover in Brussels. The airline will fly from India through Brussels to Toronto on September five and to Johannesburg in November. Jet Airways established an operational hub in Brussels in May to provide enhanced connectivity between India, Europe, Africa and North America.

Labels: Airline Industry, EU, India

Aging Europe seeks manpower from India-by Himanshi Dhawan

A rapidly aging population coupled with an increasingly better standard of living amongst its citizens has prompted the European Union to look towards Asia, specifically India, to bridge a yawning labour supply gap. In recent months, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs is negotiating with Belgium, Poland, Sweden and France to facilitate migration of skilled professionals from India over the next few years. It is a win-win situation. While Europe requires skilled personnel like engineers and health workers and those in other semi-skilled professions, the EU provides a good alternative for Indians facing laws that discourage migration in US and UK and human rights issues in the Gulf countries.

Labels: Employment Agencies, EU, India

Europe key target for Indian offshore growth - by Maggie Holland

Businesses in continental Europe have now woken up to the benefits of global outsourcing deals and are starting to follow the leads set by the UK and US in their fondness for offshore outsourcing.

Indian service providers in particular have recognised this new interest and have set their sights on these geographies as key areas for growth, according to Gartner which is discussing the pros and cons of the global delivery of IT at its Outsourcing and IT Services Summit in London this week.

Labels: Europe, India, Outsourcing

Maneka Gandhi say: India won't follow Europe in CO2 emission cut

Former Indian environment minister Maneka Gandhi has criticized the US for not joining the Kyoto Protocol and says India will not follow Europe in carbon dioxide gas emission reduction as energy consumption is already very low in the country.

The 27-member European Union in March agreed on a 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, according to INEP news agency. She said coal-produced electricity consumption will increase in India but if the country at this junction could go to renewables such as solar and wind energy, „I think we could head off the CO2 crisis. Otherwise we are going to go smack-bang into it”. Asked to comment on the US position on the post-Kyoto regime where Washington says it will not cut gas emissions unless India and China do the same, the environmental activist replied: „I am quite certain that America is using us just as an excuse.

Labels: Emission reduction, EU, India, Kyoto Protocol

UN agreement on severity of climate change-- even though some Governments censored parts of report- by Richard Holt

Climate change will cause severe droughts and food shortages for billions of people unless governments act now, UN experts have agreed.

Scientists angrily confronted government negotiators who they feared were watering down their findings.

The United States, China and Saudi Arabia raised many of the objections to the phrasing, often seeking to tone down the certainty of some of the more dire projections.

Labels: China, Environment: climate change, India, United Nations, USA