INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY

2009

(01-01-2008 to 31-12-2008)

 (Ed.) Dr. Mahendra Gaur

FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH CENTRE
NEW DELHI (India)

All Rights Reserved. No Part of this book may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission.

India, 2009
FPRC, New Delhi, India
E-mail : fprcindia@yahoo.co.in
Website : www.foreignpolicy.in

INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

1.(01-01-2008) CHENNAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s proposed visit to Colombo as chief guest at the Sri Lankan National Day celebrations on February 4 would amount to condoning the "gross abuse of human rights and the pursuit of military option to end the Tamil question" by the Mahinda Rajapakse government, prominent Lankan Tamil leader and MP Selvam Adaikalanathan has said."We hope it is not true, but if it turns out that Prime Minister Singh makes that trip to share the dais with Mahinda at the National Day celebration, the Tamils will feel cheated and let down," Mr Adaikalanathan said.Though Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogolagama had announced that Prime Minister Singh would be in Colombo for the 60th independence anniversary celebration on February 4, there is yet no official confirmation from Delhi.On the other hand, sources said the PMO was "uncomfortable" with the "premature" statement by Mr Bogolagama, which appeared aimed at pressuring the Prime Minister to visit Colombo. It appeared that the Indian foreign ministry as well as the Indian mission in Colombo had clearly told the Sri Lankan government that Dr Singh would find it difficult, even impossible, to be at the February 4 celebration if the host regime did not come up with a good political package for the Tamils by then.Meanwhile, some prominent Tamil parties in Chennai, led by Mr K. Veeramani of the Dravidar Kazhagam and Thol. Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, held a demonstration demanding that Prime Minister Singh stay away from the February 4 celebration in Colombo. Dr Singh’s proposed trip was "unjustified" and a shock not just to Tamils around the world but to "every one who valued human rights and humanism", Mr Veeramani told the large rally here.
2.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: The government will place the text of the agreement reached with the International Atomic Energy Agency before the UPA-Left joint committee in January. The committee will then factor this into its "findings" on the civilian nuclear energy agreement with the US. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, said he did not expect the government to resile from this commitment, and that he was sure it would not sign any agreement with the IAEA until and unless this was cleared by the joint committee.Asked about the time frame, Mr Karat said, "We have no problem with the time, it is the United States that appears to have a time limit. We are prepared to have as many meetings as required to resolve the issue." He pointed out that they were now expecting a meeting of the committee to be held in January, and did not expect the negotiations with the IAEA to go beyond the first month of the new year. He said there was no change in the Left position on the nuclear deal. The Left had made it apparent that it could not continue supporting the government if it went ahead with this agreement with the US.It appears that the nuclear deal is set to die a slow death as the Congress Party is now in no mood for a mid-term poll and is preparing to give it a decent burial. The defeats in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have dampened spirits and taken the edge of the argument that favouring an early election might cost it a government at the Centre. The party leadership does not appear inclined to take the deal forward, and the IAEA negotiations with the committee continuing to look at the deal is being perceived by the Congress as an "honourable" way out. 
3.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, that his forecast for economic growth this fiscal remained unchanged at close to nine per cent. “I am not changing my growth forecast for 2007-08.... For the next year, I am confident that with more investment taking place, we can aim to grow at nine per cent,” he said.
4.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: India’s external debt stock, as at the end of September this fiscal, stood at $190.5 billion (Rs. 757,967 crore), showing an increase of about $9.9 billion or 5.5 per cent over the previous quarter ending June 2007.Of this, around $5 billion is explained by valuation change arising out of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the rupee and major international currencies.According to an official statement here on Monday, external debt stock in dollar terms during April-September 2007, rose by $21 billion (12.3 per cent). Of this, $7 billion is accounted for by the depreciation of the U.S. dollar in the international market.In rupee terms, the increase in external debt during the period under review was only about 2.4 per cent which works out to Rs. 17,868 crore. The increase in external debt was essentially brought about by a rise in external commercial borrowings, NRI deposits, multilateral debt and short-term debt, the statement said. Rupee debt remained broadly at the same level of about $2 billion as at the end of the previous quarter. Commercial borrowings accounted for the highest share of 27.2 per cent in total external debt outstanding at end-September 2007, and NRI deposits 22.9 per cent followed by multilateral debt at 19.5 per cent and bilateral debt at 8.7 per cent. Export credit and rupee debt accounted for 4.5 per cent and 1.1 per cent, respectively. While the foreign exchange reserves cover for external debt rose to 130 per cent at end-September this year, debt servicing as a proportion of gross external current receipts (debt-service ratio) declined from 9.9 per cent in 2005-06 to 4.8 per cent in 2006-07 and further to 4.5 per cent during April-September 2007.The major currency of denomination in India’s external debt portfolio continued to be the U.S. dollar, accounting for 52.8 per cent of total external debt till the end of September, the official statement said.
5.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: The South Asia Media Commission has declared 2007 as the bloodiest and most difficult year for journalists in South Asia. The year saw 25 journalists and media workers getting killed in the line of duty. Besides, the media had to face “unprecedented restrictions and forced closures” in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.In its report — released on Monday — the Commission found that barring Bhutan, no member country of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had been free of attacks on the freedom of the press. Of the 25 deaths, Pakistan topped the list with seven journalists being killed. Sri Lanka came a close second with six deaths, Afghanistan third with a death toll of five journalists, and Nepal fourth with a tally of three. Besides, one media worker was killed in Afghanistan and three media workers lost their lives in India.
 6.(01-01-2008)MUMBAI: The year 2007 ended on an optimistic note with the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex closing 80 points higher on good buying support from investors following a firm trend in other Asian markets. The BSE barometer touched an intra-day high of 20484.28 at the outset but later trimmed gains as retail investors booked profits during afternoon trade. The Sensex ended the day at 20286.99, a gain of 80.04 points against the Friday’s close of 20206.95. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were believed to be heavy buyers in front line counters in a bid to push the net asset value of their portfolio at the end of their financial year. The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also advanced by 58.90 points to 6138.60 from 6079.70. FIIs were heavy buyers in key shares at the concluding trading session of the year, while domestic investors continued to build up positions in key counters, market players said.
 7.(01-01-2008) ATTARI: A mob on Monday stoned the India-bound Samjhauta Express at Wagah village in Pakistan. The service resumed after a temporary suspension following protests in that country after Benazir Bhutto’s killing.
8.(01-01-2008) HYDERABAD: Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal has said that India is willing to give all help to Pakistan in the latter’s hour of crisis following the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, “because we are concerned about the unrest in the neighbourhood.” At the same time, the Minister admitted that no country could directly interfere in the internal crisis of Pakistan. It was for Pakistan to manage its affairs. But India was not happy with whatever was happening in that country. India was getting impatient with deteriorating conditions in Pakistan. The situation appeared sensitive. Asked if India was prepared to face the spill-over effect of Pakistan crisis, Mr. Jaiswal said “we are not ruling out stray incidents in our land. We are geared to face any situation. If some country (Pakistan) wants to threaten us, we will not allow ourselves to be threatened.”
 09.(01-01-2008) IMPHAL: The work on erecting a 10 km long border fencing near the Moreh market in Manipur has been suspended following objections raised by some military officers from Myanmar.India and Myanmar have a common border 1,643 km long, of which 398 km is in Manipur . The plan to erect the border fencing was finalised during Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta’s recent visit to Imphal.A military officer from Myanmar had sent a protest note to the Additional District Collector of Moreh, Hopson Chothe . The note pointed out that there were border disputes between the countries. There had been reports of missing boundary pillars and the like.
10.(01-01-2008) SRINAGAR, NEW DELHI: While the number of unsolved cases of militant strikes across the country continue to mount, there is one set of figures that comes as a silver lining on the eve of 2008: the number of civilians killed by militants in Jammu and Kashmir dipped sharply in 2007 — 151 until November 30 — for which latest data is available. This is a 59% fall over last year’s figure of 371 for the corresponding period. Not just this, this year is perhaps the first where the number of those killed in terror attacks — allegedly by Islamist groups — outside J&K is almost the same as in the state. With militant strikes in other parts of the country — Samjhauta, Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad twin blasts, Ajmer and UP serial blasts — leaving over 140 dead, the focus of terrorism, experts say, seems to be shifting out of Jammu and Kashmir. This silver lining carries with it a new cloud, though. “There is no erosion of intentions when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir but Pakistan is under pressure,” explains former Intelligence Bureau chief A K Doval. “With manpower and infrastructure intact at the ground level, Kashmir is instead increasingly becoming a launching pad for attacks in the hinterland,” he feels. The view is that Islamist groups striking outside Jammu and Kashmir cannot be linked directly to Pakistan — there is greater deniability. So the past few months have seen attempts to widen the scope of jehad and activate long-term terror modules established in towns and cities outside J&K. The number of fatalities in Jammu and Kashmir this year is pegged at about 770 till December 30, making 2007 something of a watershed year. “This is the first time since 1990 that fatalities have fallen below 1,000 — the state has moved from a high-intensity conflict to a low-intensity one,” says Ajai Sahni of the South Asia Terrorism Portal. But Doval warns that the level of militancy can go up again. Infiltration has not stopped, incidents have not stopped, only the focus has shifted to the hinterland, he says. According to Sahni, “The decrease in militancy is not due to a change in attitude but changes in capacities and compulsions in Pakistan.” Because of Pakistan’s own war against terrorism in the North-West, for example, militancy could have gone on a “low simmer in the Valley” but the infrastructure im Pakistan is still intact.
 11.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: As smaller countries with a rising economic profile seek to strengthen their military capabilities, India has quietly discovered a new role for itself that can create big stakes for Indian diplomacy in the years ahead. With countries like US, Russia and now China seeking to dominate the traditional military suppliers market, India has broken fresh ground to emerge as an exclusive “defence service provider.” Although nascent, India made some significant forays in the past year or so to link up with smaller countries in South East Asia and West Asia seeking to build partnerships to fulfil the broader strategic objective of gaining more access to ports along the Arabian coast, Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Moving beyond the idea of conducting periodic joint exercises, India shifted gears this year when for the first time it agreed to lease a training base — the Kalaikunda airbase — to Singapore for few months in a year. Similarly, the artillery range in Deolali (Nasik), too, will be made available to Singapore under another agreement. In return, India, of course, will be paid for the facilities. More importantly, there is a pattern to it. India today has placed on offer its high-quality training institutions and infrastructure to several of these small countries which have enough financial resources and are keen to invest in a country that does not politically constrain them. In return, India builds stakes at various levels as more and more India-trained officials occupy key posts and also the fact that the Navy is always looking for access to more ports in these areas. So, as China looks to spread its wings, India is looking to match up, but in a different way. military institutions in past two to three years.
12.(01-01-2008) SRINAGAR: When 19-year-old Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took over as the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) soon after the assassination of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, it evoked an uneasy sense of deja vu for the leader of Kashmir’s largest separatist grouping, Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. For it was exactly at the age of 19 that Mirwaiz also became the head priest and Kashmir’s principal spiritual figure, after the political murder of his father Molvi Farooq. And of course, he would wish Bilawal to toe his mother’s “flexible policy” on Kashmir if not Musharraf’s four point proposals. “Benazir was more flexible than Musharraf. She was a very moderate person, against violence in Kashmir and not averse to new ideas on the settlement of the dispute”. In fact, Mirwaiz said that in the last night telephone call he was told by the PPP’s new prime ministerial candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim that his party would go ahead with “whatever All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) decides for Kashmir”. And Fahim is also among the advisors that Mirwaiz would like Bilawal to turn to, besides Sherry Rehman and Ahtizaz Ahsan, two PPP leaders.
13. (01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: In response to reports that India has halted all arms supplies to Myanmar, South Block on Monday clarified that military sales had not been stopped but were being reviewed on a ‘conditional basis’ depending on the ground situation in the troubled country. Officials confirmed that there had been a ‘go-slow’ on the country and no transfer of arms had taken place since the anti-Government protests in September but insisted that it would be incorrect to say that military supplies had been halted.
14. (01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: A fast globalising India is all set to chart new directions in the maritime world, too, and bolster the country’s fast expanding trade activities. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has given the green signal to the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways (MSRTH) to proceed with the proposal for a shipping line between India, Brazil and South Africa. With this, the Department of Shipping now expects to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South African government to set up shipping services between the two countries in the next couple of months. The shipping line idea flows from plans tabled at the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit held in Pretoria this October, where leaders of the three countries called for easier air and sea links between the nations to support IBSA objectives of bolstering the $4.5-billion trilateral trade.
15. (01-01-2008) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said BrahMos supersonic cruise missile would be inducted in the Air Force also besides Army and Navy.

16.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: The US has won the WTO zeroing dispute against Mexico, which is a setback to India's sustained campaign against the American method of calculating the anti-dumping duties on imports. The WTO panel ruling in favour of the Americans has emboldened USTR Susan Schwab to say that the zeroing method of calculating anti-dumping duties should form the basis for the Doha Round Rules negotiations. "This underscores the US view that WTO members need to address this issue in the Doha Round Rules negotiations and adopt clear, precise rules in the Anti-dumping Agreement expressly permitting the use of zeroing," she said in a statement. India, which is backed by at least 15 other countries, has gone to the extent of saying that "with 'zeroing' there will be no Doha Round agreement". Both Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath and Secretary in his Ministry G K Pillai have put out India's strong resentment over the WTO panel on Rules succumbing to the US pressure. "We are opposed to the process of zeroing and will always oppose it," Nath had recently said.

17.(01-01-2008) MELBOURNE: Australian Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has pressed the new government to proceed with uranium sales to India to help it cut down on greenhouse emissions despite fears of instability in the subcontinent following the killing former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto. India was a major emitter of greenhouse gases with growing energy needs, so "it's important that we proceed" with uranium sales, Nelson said. In August, the John Howard government, which was ousted last month, had made an in-principle agreement to sell uranium to India on the condition that the uranium be used for peaceful purposes and that India sign a civil nuclear co-operation agreement with the United States. However, country's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has vowed not to proceed with uranium sales to India until it becomes a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Despite this, Nelson on Sunday repeated the Liberal Coalition's support for uranium sales to India as a way of combating climate change, The Age reported on Monday. "I don't believe Australia selling or not selling (uranium to India) will make any material difference (to the stability of the subcontinent)," he said.

18.(01-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Punjab National Bank hosted a reception for the visiting finance secretary of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, John C Tsang, who is in India to strengthen economic relationship between the two countries. Speaking on occasion, K C Chakrabarty, CMD of Punjab National Bank, said the visit is a welcome step in strengthening the already excellent relationship with Hong Kong. Chakrabarty said Hong Kong is also a gateway for the increasing economic ties with China being the only financial market where Renminbi transactions are permitted outside mainland China.

20.(02-01-2008) HYDERABAD: President Pratibha Patil said here that the time frame required for development of technology, production and subsequent induction of weapon systems into the armed forces needed to be compacted. “DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) has to carry this burden and I am confident that it has the capability to do so,” the President said during a visit to its missile complex on New Year’s Day which marks the beginning of DRDO’s Golden Jubilee year.  “In today’s world with new threat perceptions, defence and security systems are increasingly moving towards technology intensive options. Our defence forces need to upgrade and modernise their equipment to keep pace with the rapid changes taking place in the world. To ensure that our armed forces are not deprived of timely acquisition of new weapon systems, it is of critical importance that delivery targets are met on schedule.”Giving an overview of the missiles developed under the Integrated Guided Missiles Development Programme (IGMDP), Dr. Saraswat said the recent flight test of Agni-III with long range had changed the strategic balance in the sub-continent and provided the much-needed deterrence to the nation.
21. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan on Tuesday, through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad, simultaneously exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities. These are covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between the two countries. The agreement was signed on December 31, 1988 and came into force on January 27, 1991. Under the agreement, the two countries, on January 1 of every year, are to inform each other of nuclear installations and facilities to be covered by the agreement, an official release said here.
22. (02-01-2008) PENANG (Malaysia): The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) vowed on New Year’s Day to carry forward its campaign against the alleged “marginalisation” of the ethnic Indian minority in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Continuing a programme of protest through prayers, Hindraf on Tuesday organised a mass ceremony of “shaving heads” on the precincts of the Baladandayuthapani temple in Penang. In an “international” campaign, Hindraf is seeking one million signatures to demand the release of the group’s five leaders.
23. (02-01-2008) CHENNAI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday termed as “ridiculous” the appeal of pro-LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Members of Parliament of Sri Lanka to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, not to visit the island-nation. In a statement, Dr. Swamy said the MPs represented only the LTTE leader V. Prabakaran, “who is hiding from the law.”The Janata Party leader also wondered: “Who are the representatives of an internationally banned terrorist organisation to tell the PM not to come?”
24. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: The government has endowed the establishment of the “Jawaharlal Nehru Professorship of Indian Business and Enterprise” at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, U.K. The endowment of India Chair follows the announcement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the visit of British Prime Minister Tony Blair to India in 2005, an official release said here.
25. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday stressed the role India and China could together play for world peace and development and said the two countries could cooperate meaningfully in many areas, especially pertaining to energy security and climate change. Welcoming a 10-member Chinese delegation led by Jia Zhijie, Chairman of the China-India Friendship Group of the National People’s Congress of China, which is currently on a visit to India, Mr. Chatterjee noted that a similar India-China Friendship Group had been formed in Parliament and emphasised the need for greater exchanges and interaction between the two Parliaments. Responding, Mr. Zhijie said that purposive cooperation between India and China could rejuvenate their respective economies, providing a win-win situation. He pointed out that development remained the key challenge for the Chinese leadership and the people and in that context he emphasised the need for sustainable development.
26. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Delhi high court judge Gita Mittal’s advisory to a two-bench court has warned against the construction of residential flats under the guise of the Commonwealth Games Village (CGV). "This amounts to illegal conversion of a natural resource and gift of nature for private ownership and commercial gains," Justice Mittal declared in an exceptionally hard-hitting order.Such construction was in complete violation of all national and international norms, she declared. She cited how India was a signatory to both the Ramsay Convention (1971) and the Stockholm Declaration. It was mandatory for all signatory nations to safeguard their environment, and especially their wetlands, of which the Yamuna flood plain was an integral feature.
 27. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Trying to overcome the event fatigue that has set in among sections of NRIs, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs now wants to reorient the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as a result-driven affair. The concern arose from the fact that the dropping number of participants has got stagnated from the past two events. With the usual speech-laden sessions replete with officialese and the same set of people coming each time, the PBDs are becoming just another official event. According to reports, PBD 2007 attracted barely 1,200 delegates. In contrast, the first PBD in 2003 had a record attendance of about 3,000 delegates. Since then the attendance, instead of going up, has been going down every year.Although PBD is organised as a convention for the NRI/PIO community, the involvement of NRI/PIO communities has been limited to their attendance as paying delegates and listening to the ministerial sermons. A section of NRIs has said the organisation of the annual PBD should have been done with the active involvement and input from the NRI/PIO groups rather than leaving it as a bureaucratic exercise.Gearing up for the sixth edition, PBD 2008, to be held from January 8, the ministry has worked out a set of announcements which can be tracked in the form of outcomes and ensure concrete deliverables.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was launched under the chairmanship of Dr L.M. Singhvi in January 2003 by the NDA government led by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee.The date was chosen to celebrate the return of the great NRI Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915.
28. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: In a joint effort to fight terrorism, India and Israel have decided to share intelligence on a regular basis. This was decided during the meeting of the director-general of the Israeli defence ministry, Brigadier General Pinchas Buchris (Retd) with top Indian defence officials.During his two-day visit, Brig. Gen. Buchris held talks with defence secretary Vijay Singh, Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor, Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Air Force Chief Fali Homi Major. The Israeli defence ministry chief also had a meeting with national security advisor M.K. Narayanan and deputy national security advisor Shekhar Dutt. Both countries have established a mechanism for intelligence sharing and in the meetings it was decided to have this exchange on regular basis, said a defence ministry official.Brig. Gen. Buchris, who headed a six-member high-level Israeli defence team, was in the capital for a meeting of the joint working group of two countries on defence cooperation. During the meetings, the two countries also discussed the issue of joint production of Python quick reaction missile.The Cabinet Committee on Security had recently cleared Rs 10,000-crore deal for joint production of these missiles in India for the Indian Air Force.Israel has also agreed to speed up supply of Tavor deep infiltration weapon system for India’s special forces and light fast moving patrol craft for the Navy. Israel has emerged as India’s second-largest weapon supplier, with arms sales touching almost $5 billion in 2007.
29. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: New Delhi will look to make progress on the $100-million Kaladan multi-modal transport project and cement its bilateral ties with Burma when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister of external affairs Pranab Mukherjee hold talks with visiting Burmese minister of foreign affairs U. Nyan Win on Wednesday.Mr Win arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a five-day visit. His official engagements will include a call on vice-president Hamid Ansari on Wednesday evening.Mr Win’s visit comes three weeks after India and Burma concluded foreign office consultations in New Delhi.
30.(02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday congratulated the Royal Government of Bhutan for the successful conduct of the first ever elections for National Council (Upper House), terming it as a “great moment in Bhutan’s history and an important step in its transition to a new system of governance.”
31.(02-01-2008) ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani film company is rushing into the production of a movie based on the life of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto in collaboration with noted Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Well-known Pakistani writer and poet Aqeel Ahmad Ruby would write the script of the movie that is already in its pre-production phase, Karachi-based Skies Unlimited Films said. The film will be released across the world, it said. The film will be completed in collaboration with Bhatt, Aneela Khan, a producer with the company, told the Daily Times. Khan said the makers had not yet decided who would play the charismatic Bhutto.
32.(02-01-2008) NEW DELHI: BJP’s Prime Ministerial face L K Advani may be of the view that slain Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto favoured peaceful Indo-Pak relations, but RSS begs to differ.  RSS mouthpiece Panchajanya in its latest edition says Bhutto was “never a friend of India” but she used to hog the media limelight in this country. “Her whole family maintained enmity towards India. Her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto used to vow to fight with India for 1000 years and talked about the concept of Islamic bomb to target India,” it said. It said Benazir promoted terrorism against India and herself became a victim of the menace.
33. (02-01-2008) VADODARA: Ever since post-election riots broke out in Kenya, the Gujarati diaspora has been living in fear. The Indian community has also received SMSes asking them to stock up on food for five more days. The SMSes warn of more trouble. However, no fresh riot cases were reported. Swami Purushottam Priyadasji, the acharya of Swaminaryan Gaadi Sansthan at Nairobi, told TOI over phone, "I have been going to the affected areas and telling people that Indians, particularly Gujaratis, have been contributing to the development of Kenya and should not be targeted."  Meanwhile, Indians in Nairobi are on tenterhooks with the Opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party planning a massive rally on Thursday of over 10 lakh supporters. Many fear this could lead to violence. The government has denied ODM the permission for the rally. It has asked people to stay away or be prepared to face the consequences.
34.(02-01-2008)LONDON: Minority ethnic Indians are fighting a "losing battle" for equal rights in Malaysia, and their fledgling protest movement against the government is likely to die soon, an exiled protest leader said. Ultimately, only the government - not the people - can bring about real change by giving concessions to ethnic Indians, said P. Waytha Moorthy, the chairman of the Hindu Rights Action Force group that is leading the Indian movement. Ethnic Indians form about 8 per cent of Malaysia’s 27 million people, and complain that the government denies them opportunities in jobs, education and business.
 35.(02-01-2008) MUMBAI: It was a significant and happening year for environment economy. And this is not only in terms of global acknowledgement with the Nobel Peace Prize for climate change movement. India is signing off the year 2007 with over 21 million certified emission reduction (CERs) credits generated by clean development mechanism (CDM) projects during the year. This is nearly double compared to what was generated in 2006, that is, over 12 million CERs. A significant jump in carbon credits generated over the previous year may project a cleaner image of the country’s polluting industries, however, experts feel we could have done better. "Considering the CDM potential in India, this growth rate should have been even more. The major part of the issued CERs have happened from limited sectors (mostly from renewable energy, waste heat recovery etc) and in the coming years, we expect wider sectoral coverage and more participation leading to a growth of around 80-100%," said Ernst & Young partner (risk advisery services) Sudipta Das.

39. (02-01-2008) NEW DELHI : With the global economy weakening, India's GDP growth could slow further to 8.5 per cent in 2008. However, with the right reforms, the nation could achieve a potential economic growth rate of 10 per cent, predicts a new Lehman Brothers report on the global economic outlook 2008. The bigger macro story, according to the report, is India's rising potential growth rate. India is exhibiting many of the characteristics that Japan, Korea and China did during their economic take-offs: real GDP per capita is accelerating, investment and saving rates are surging, and the economy is rapidly opening up. Still ahead are the powerful trends of demography and urbanisation: half the population is under 25 years and 70 per cent still live in the countryside.

52. (03-01-2008) VADODARA: Tension shifted from Kisumu to the capital Nairobi in Kenya with the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) planning a massive rally of one million supporters on Thursday. Despite the relative calm on Wednesday, many Gujaratis have moved out of riot-hit areas as a precaution. The Indian embassy at Nairobi is also giving emergency visas to people who want to come to India. Indians have been targeted because they are close to president Mwai Kibaki’s ruling Party of National Unity (PNU). Kibaki belongs to the Kikuyu tribe, the main business community of Kenya, which has controlled the country’s politics since 1963. Indians have strong ties with Kikuyus because of the business connection, which has upset ODM, dominated by the other tribe — Luo. There are fears that if violence breaks out after Thursday’s rally, it could easily lead to more ethnic violence. "There are no reports that we have got of any person of Indian origin being subjected to any violence or being physically harmed," the external affairs ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. Though no Indian is reported to have been killed in the upsurge of violence, which has claimed around 300 lives so far, reports of extensive damage to property and shops owned by Indians are filtering through. "Our high commissioner is actively watching the situation. He has been speaking to community leaders in various towns where people of Indian origin are in significant strength like Mombassa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret," said the spokesperson.
 
53. (03-01-2008) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India was keenly watching the developments in Pakistan in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assassination with concern and hope that normalcy is restored in that country at the earliest, Defence Minister A K Antony said on Wednesday. "We have nothing to say about the internal matters of Pakistan at a time when many a problem with them were being resolved through talks," Antony said on the sidelines of a book release function.

54. (03-01-2008) NEW DELHI: There may be a few hiccups, political or otherwise, along the way but India and Israel will now 'further intensify' their already robust defence ties, which saw New Delhi do military business worth over a whopping $7 billion with Tel Aviv since the 1999 Kargil conflict. From man-portable miniature UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and advanced radars to missile systems and electronic warfare suites, the two nations have decided to focus on more and more joint R&D projects rather than just continue with a mere buyer-seller kind of relationship, said sources. This came at the end of the Indo-Israel joint working group (JWG) on defence, co-chaired by defence secretary Vijay Singh and his Israeli counterpart Brigadier-General (retired) Pinchas Buchris, on Monday and Tuesday. India, of course, is already Israel's largest defence customer, with purchases worth $1.5 billion in 2006 alone, displacing even the US to the second spot with $1 billion. The strategic ties with Israel, which even includes regular intelligence-sharing for counter-terrorism, are however kept largely under wraps due to the domestic and international sensitivities involved.

55. (03-01-2008) DUBAI: Aiming to showcase its advanced indigenous technology to the Royal Navy of Oman, two Indian naval warships have arrived in Muscat on a four-day goodwill visit. INS Tabar and INS Brahmaputra, which belong to the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy are part of the continuing "Building Bridges of friendship" mission. While the officers of the Royal Navy of Oman visited the two warships, the Indian Naval officers visited the Omani naval base at Udham. Training the Royal Navy of Oman for years, the Indian Navy is now seeking greater cooperation among other armed forces.
56. (04-01-2008)NEW DELHI: Amid growing unease about the hardening Chinese stance in the long- festering border talks, coupled with stepped up incursions by People's Liberation Army across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be visiting China on his maiden visit from January 13 to 15. Unlike the visits of previous PMs like Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, P V Narasimha Rao in 1993 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, this particular visit is unlikely to yield much in terms of the vexed boundary issue, which has bedevilled bilateral relations for decades. But there will be progress on several other fronts, with both nations well on course to raise their annual bilateral trade to $40 billion or even more by 2010, said officials. The figure touched around $35 billion in 2007, representing a whopping 10-fold jump since 2002. During his three-day visit, the PM will hold talks with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, president Hu Jintao and chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, Wu Bangguo. But the all-important issue of the still unresolved 4,057-km LAC will continue to be a source of irritation between the two countries unless they come up with "one big idea" to propel the almost three-decade-old protracted negotiations to the next level. During Hu Jintao's visit to India last November, Singh had declared that the two had "agreed that an early boundary settlement will advance the basic interests of the two countries and must therefore be pursued as a strategic objective". But there has been little evidence of it till now. India and China did hold their first-ever joint Army exercise, somewhat ambitiously dubbed the "hand-in-hand" military drill, at Kunming last month. But that does not detract from the fact that the Indian security establishment continues to be worried about China's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the LAC. Even defence minister A K Antony was taken aback by the development carried across the border during his recent visit to Nathu La. The strategic implications of the upgradation of the road network by China and Pakistan along the Karakoram highway, which is expected to be completed by 2016, for instance, will be huge for Indian forces. Moreover, over the last two years, there have been around 300 cases of intrusions by Chinese troops across the LAC, right from east Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh to Joshimath in Uttarakhand and Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh. Chinese forces, in fact, have even intruded into Bhutanese territory at the tri-junction with India a couple of times in recent months. Though the UPA government publicly dismisses these intrusions as "nothing serious", experts view these "aggressive" Chinese moves as a deliberate strategy to put pressure on India and strengthen China's claims on disputed areas along the LAC.
57. (04-01-2008)NEW DELHI: Two Indian security personnel were killed and at least six critically injured when a suspected Taliban suicide bomber targeted a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) convoy in Afghanistan. The incident took place in the country’s south western province where India is building the crucial Zaranj-Delaram link road. The two security personnel were part of a 250-strong Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) contingent providing security for BRO workers. Reports said 11 Afghan security personnel were also killed in the attack. “We understand that at least two of our security personnel have been killed and some injured. A number of Afghan security personnel have also been killed,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said. Within hours of the attack, India announced that a special team was being dispatched immediately to review the security arrangements and identify additional safety measures. “India will work with the Government of Afghanistan to strengthen security at project sites and other locations where Indian nationals are working for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. A team to review security arrangements and identify additional measures is visiting Afghanistan immediately,” the MEA spokesperson said. This is the second time that the BRO team has been targeted by militants in Afghanistan. Work on the same road project slowed down in 2005 after the beheading of a BRO driver, M Raman Kutty, by the Taliban.
58. (04-01-2008) RAICHUR: Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh has said terrorism was on the rise and internal security had weakened ever since the United Progressive Alliance came to power at the Centre. The BJP chief said the people had been living under pressure as the UPA Government had failed to control terrorism and strengthen internal security. The situation was under control during the rule of the BJP under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
59.(04-01-2008) CHENNAI: Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) president V. Anandasangaree , speaking on ‘India and the Sri Lanka Peace Process’ at a meeting organised by the Observer Research Foundation, appealed to leaders in Tamil Nadu to persuade the LTTE to liberate the people it had detained. “We have to liberate ourselves from the so-called liberators [LTTE].” He cautioned that some parties in India were indulging in anti-Indian propaganda for personal gain. They were making all kinds of claims. One was that the Sinhalese were chauvinists. If it were so, a spark should have been enough to start a backlash. D. Sitharthan of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), said without India’s role, there could be no peace. New Delhi could bring pressure on both the parties to arrive at a consensus. If the LTTE did not accept the proposal, it would be alienated because Sri Lankan people desired peace. “We want a solution within a united Sri Lanka,” T. Sritharan of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) said. India, the largest democracy in the region, should help Sri Lanka find a solution, he said.
60. (04-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit China from January 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. China on Thursday said it attached high importance to the maiden visit of Dr. Singh and the two sides would discuss a host of issues, including finding a “fair and rational” solution to the boundary problem. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said China hoped the visit would increase friendship between the people of the two nations, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and promote strategic cooperative partnership in the “long term and in a healthy way.” Asked if any agreements would be signed during Dr. Singh’s visit, Ms. Jiang said: “On the specifics, the two sides are still holding discussions and consultations.”On the boundary issue, she said the Special Representatives had three meetings last year and had “good, helpful consultations” on the framework. “We will make joint efforts to find a fair and rational settlement that is acceptable to both countries.” The bilateral relations had kept a “good momentum” in 2007, which saw the “year of friendship through tourism” and strengthening of cooperation in various fields. Both India and China had maintained “smooth coordination” in international and regional affairs. Last year, the bilateral trade increased by 54 per cent year-on-year, Ms. Jiang said. In October 2007, Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited China. She was the first foreign leader to visit Beijing a week after the Communist Party of China’s National Congress where its new leadership was unveiled.
 61. (04-01-2008) JAIPUR: The World Bank has described the outcome of the recently concluded District Primary Education Project (DPEP) in 10 districts of Rajasthan as “unsatisfactory” though it thinks the project succeeded in improving the enrolment at primary school level, reduced the number of dropouts and narrowed down the gender gap among the school going children in the State. The project helped in improving student learning conditions and in equipping teachers for their jobs but its inputs have not actually contributed to improved learning in the classroom, it is pointed out.An implementation completion report (ICR), published in the latest issue of “The World Bank in India”, says that the project, started in 10 districts in June 1999 and closed in December 2005, brought about an expansion of 31.6 per cent in primary school enrolment – from 2.2 million in 1999-2000 to 2.9 million in 2005-06. In the case of gender gap, compared to 42.3 per cent in 1999-2000, the girls accounted for 46.9 per cent of the total enrolment in 2006. Even while acknowledging the narrowing down of the gender gap, the report notes, “the achievements were below target”.
62. (04-01-2008) VISAKHAPATNAM: Emphasising the grave challenges posed by climate change, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday highlighted the role of nuclear energy as an efficient and clean alternative source of energy.Inaugurating the 95th session of the Indian Science Congress here, he identified the development of new technologies for energy conservation and renewable energy sources as “the most important area” for sustainable development. In this regard, he identified nuclear, solar and clean coal technology as the most suitable alternative sources of energy.Without directly mentioning the India-United States nuclear deal, he said, “It is this perspective which has led us to seek the removal of restrictive regimes, which prevent India from participation in international trade in civilian nuclear materials, equipment and technologies.”The speech assumes significance as the Centre is facing stiff opposition from the Left parties in implementing the nuclear deal..
63. (04-01-2008) NEW DELHI: India is in touch with Kenyan authorities to ensure the safety of persons of Indian origin living in the African country currently witnessing large-scale violence over election results. This information was provided to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday in a letter.The Prime Minister wrote to Mr. Modi in response to his December 31, 2007, letter expressing concern about the welfare of the persons of Indian origin living in Kenya — many of whom originally belonged to Gujarat. In his letter, Dr. Singh said the Indian High Commission in Kenya was already in touch with the Indian-origin community there.The External Affairs Ministry on Wednesday clarified that no deaths had been reported from the Indian-origin community. It had also quoted a Hindu Council statement which mentioned that reports appearing in the Indian media about Gujaratis being targeted or an Asian being killed were wrong.
64. (04-01-2008) NEW DELHI: The University of Cambridge on Thursday announced the launch of the “Jawaharlal Nehru Professorship of Indian Business and Enterprise” to honour India’s first Prime Minister. It has been set up with a fund of £3.2-million contributed by India to celebrate the centenary of Nehru’s arrival at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied for a degree in Natural Sciences. The professorship will be assigned to Judge Business School in the university. It has been billed as one of the leading business schools in Europe. “The professorship has been established to help forge closer links between Indian and other international economies and to promote an understanding of India’s interests and its place in the world economy,” Vice-Chancellor Alison Richard told a press conference here. “This professorship reflects the unprecedented world interest and excitement in the new models of business being generated in India. The Chair also affirms and strengthens Cambridge’s rich links with India historically, today and far into the future. The 8 per cent growth rate of India’s national income for three consecutive years is a true indication of its success story,” said Prof. Richard. Later, Prof. Richard launched a collection of essays written by teachers and trainers of India. The book Reflections on Teaching, Today and Tomorrow has been released by the Cambridge University Press. The Vice-Chancellor and her team will be in the country for the next 10 days.
65. (04-01-2008) PERUNDURAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to follow up the first mission to the moon with a second one, which will be around year 2011, said V. Jayaraman, Director, Earth Observation System, ISRO, Bangalore.
66. (04-01-2008) NEW DELHI: Aligarh Muslim University hosted a 58-member delegation from the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad, earlier this week.The delegation comprised faculty and students of the University. “Sharing common cultural heritage, India and Pakistan need to cooperate closely in the field of higher education, science and technology. Cooperation in new academic disciplines such as computer sciences and other emerging sciences is the need of the day,” said AMU Vice-Chancellor Abdul Aziz.
67. (04-01-2008) SALEM: Senior Congress leaders on Thursday claimed that the Centre was closely watching those adopting a pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam stand in the State. Talking to reporters here separately, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president M. Krishnasswamy, Congress Legislature Party leader D. Sudarsanam and Whip S. Peter Alphonse said attempts were on to support the LTTE under the garb of Tamil nationalism. The Congress would not compromise on the issue. These “benign-looking foes, who claim to be closer to the present Tamil Nadu Government, are causing embarrassment to all,” said Mr. Peter Alphonse. He wondered how Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko could say LTTE leader Pirabhakaran was well and safe when the Sri Lankan Government had announced that he was injured in an air strike. The Centre and State must take his claims seriously. Because the party was anti-LTTE, a few vested elements were trying to project the Congress as “anti-Tamils.” It was alive to the sufferings of Tamils in Sri Lanka. He criticised Mr. Vaiko’s demand that the Prime Minister should not to visit Sri Lanka, arguing that this would jeopardise bilateral relations. Mr. Krishnaswamy, however, expressed satisfaction at the steps taken by the State Government against the LTTE. There was no embarrassment in the alliance, which, he claimed, was strong.
68. (04-01-2008) SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir finance minister Tariq Hameed Karra is at the centre of a new controversy after the Kranti Dal and other Jammu-based ultra-nationalist groups publicly censured him for reportedly suggesting a separate currency for the state after the self-rule agenda vociferously pursued by his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is achieved.They accused Mr Karra of spreading anti-national "hysterics" by openly indulging in "anti-national utterances". Meanwhile, Mr Karra emphasised that the PDP’s campaign on opening up of all the traditional cross-LoC routes in Jammu and Kashmir stems from the realisation of the state’s past as a version of today’s free trade zones.
69. (04-01-2008) NEW DELHI: India was mulling her options on Thursday, a day after Sri Lanka decided to terminate the 2002 ceasefire agreement with the LTTE. The ministry of external affairs did not respond to requests for a comment. It was preoccupied with preparations for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China later this month. Even a condemnation of the recent incidents of violence was hard to come by.
 70. (04-01-2008) HYDERABAD: RBI governor Dr Y.V. Reddy on Thursday cautioned against high capital inflows and said that there is a need to assess whether the capital flows are temporary while managing the capital account.Global investors bought a record $19.5 billion of local equities and bonds in 2007, compared with $8.9 billion in 2006 and $9.46 billion in 2005. Foreign direct investments in the eight months ended August totaled $12.9 billion, compared with $11.1 billion for all of 2006, according to the commerce ministry.Indian economy, according to Dr Reddy, is vulnerable to high public debt and global developments but there is no visible immediate threat to financial stability.
71. (04-01-2008) KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court has allowed a joint trial for 54 ethnic Indians who took part in an "illegal" assembly organised by a non-governmental Hindu group in November last year to protest against the alleged marginalisation of the community. Thirty seven of the 54 ethnic Indians turned up in court on Thursday and claimed trial for participating in the unlawful assembly organised by Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
 

74. (05-01-2008)BANGALORE: Mohameed Haneef, the Bangalore doctor who was recently cleared of charges of terror in Australia, will return to that country only if the Australian Government clearly states he and his family will not be harassed any further. Dr. Haneef was charged with providing support to terrorism. The charges were dropped after the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions announced there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
75. (05-01-2008) KUALA LUMPUR: P. Uthayakumar, detained leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force, on Friday filed a defamation suit against Malaysian authorities for having portrayed him as an activist with links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The suit was filed at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur through a law firm, while Hindraf Chairman P. Waytha Moorthy, now camping in London,  vowed to “continue” its “peaceful struggle for the rights of the minority [ethnic] Indians” in Malaysia. He said Hindraf would yet organise “various peaceful protests throughout the country to highlight the plight of the 70 per cent poor underclass Malaysian Indian society”
76. (05-01-2008) BARAMULLA (J&K): Police and soldiers spent much of Wednesday combing the forests around the frontier town in an unsuccessful search of over a dozen terrorists who penetrated India’s Line of Control defences the previous night. It was the largest group to have crossed the LoC in months but far from being the only one. Signs of trouble have been mounting since October, when Pakistan’s new Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate chief Lieutenant-General Nadeem Taj was thought to have met top terror commanders in Muzaffarabad to discuss the future of the Jammu and Kashmir jihad. As the Assembly elections approach, intelligence sources say, jihadi groups are preparing for war. Fund flows to the Hizb ul-Mujahideen, choked off two years ago, have reopened. Groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Pakistan moved to rein in after India and Pakistan almost went to war in 2001-2002, have also begun to replenish their cadre and rebuild their operational capabilities.Pakistan-based Islamist terror groups, which make up the military backbone of the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir, have shown a growing determination to control its political course. In a December 28 statement, for example, four Lashkar-e-Taiba front organisations lashed out at Islamist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani for his condemnation of the assassination of the former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.