Author Archives: Arun Kumar N

About Arun Kumar N

Arun has been associated with India International Times since 2018 and he has been a key reporter in covering science and space related stories. He can be reached at arunKnn@indiainternationaltimes.com.

Watch Shriya Making Debut as Heroine Now

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Shriya Sharma Grown up to play lead heroine roles now

The little girl Sneha in “Kasautii Zindagi Kay” is now a grown up beautiful lady ready to don the lead heroine roles and her latest picture on Instagram have already rocked many in the film industry.

Playing the role of Sneha, daughter of of Prerna (Shweta Tiwari) and Anurag Basu’s daughter in the famous television show ‘Kasautii Zindagi Kay’, Shriya Sharma is not new to Telugu film indsutry.

She has acted in Telugu film Jai Chiranjeeva’ as the little girl Lavanya and later she played in Hindi films including, ‘Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic’, ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’, ‘Knock Out’ and ‘Chillar Party’. In fact, her role in ‘Chillar Party’ won her the national award too.

Born in 1997 in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, she started acting at the age of 3 years and has completed 16 years in the film industry, with her latest film in Telugu “Nirmala Convent” bringing her back to the stardom.

A brilliant student, she has scored 95% in ICSE 10th standard and 91% in Central Board of Secondary Education, 12th standard. She is now studying Law at Mumbai University.

Here is her filmography:

Filmography

Year Movie Role Language
2005 Jai Chiranjeeva Lavanya Telugu
2006 Benaam Ajay Devgn’s daughter Hindi
2006 Sillunu Oru Kaadhal Aishwarya ‘Aishu’ Gautham Tamil
2007 Soundarya Sanjana Kannada
2007 Laaga Chunari Mein Daag Hindi
2008 Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic Aditi Walia Hindi
2010 Prem Kaa Game Pinky Hindi
2010 Enthiran papa Tamil
2010 Knock Out Sweety Hindi
2011 Chillar Party Toothpaste Hindi
2011 Dookudu Sushanti Telugu
2012 Racha Chaitra’s sister Telugu
2013 Tuneega Tuneega Young Nidhi Telugu
2012 Neethane En Ponvasantham Kavya Tamil
2012 Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu Kavya Telugu
2014 Gayakudu Akshara Telugu
2015 Billu Gamer Hindi animated
2016 Nirmala Convent Shanti Telugu

TV

  • Kanhaiya
  • Kasautii Zindagii Kay as Sneha (2001-2007)
  • Jhoot Bole Kawya Katte as Shriya
  • Carryy on Shekhar
  • Galaxy of Stars
  • Gumrah: End of Innocence Season 3 Episode 3
  • Confessions of an Indian Teenager
  • Pogo (TV channel) Awards (2006 and 2007)
  • Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? as Herself with Shah Rukh Khan (2008)
  • Boogie Woogie as Jury member (2008)
  • LIL STAR Awards (2008)

Awards

  • Star Parivaar Awards, 2004 – Favourite Chhotta Bachha (Kasautii Zindagii Kay)
  • Indian Television Academy Awards 2004 – Best Female Child Artist (Kasautii Zindagii Kay)
  • Indian Telly Award
  • National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 2011 (Chillar Party)

Defence Minister Parrikar Arrives in Mauritius on a Two Day Visit

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Union Minister for Defence, Manohar Parrikar and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth at the Commissioning of CGS Victory the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WFAC) of the Coast Guard of Mauritius, the vessel has been manufactured by the Goa Shipyard Limited, on December 10, 2016.(PIB)

Indian defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, arrived in Mauritius on Saturday, on a two day visit, the first ever visit by a Defence Minister of India to Mauritius. He is accompanied by senior officers of the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Ministry of Defence.

Parrikar called on the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth and was the Special Guest of Honour at the Commissioning Ceremony of CGS Victory and two Chetak Helicopters.

During the meeting with Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth, both sides expressed their deep satisfaction over the close and growing defence and security cooperation and collaboration between India and Mauritius. Emphasizing their mutual security interests, Parrikar said that the Government of India would continue to extend its full support to Mauritius for training and capacity building, as well as supply and maintenance of defence equipment.

CGS Victory, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WFAC), was manufactured by the Goa Shipyard Limited and funded by a Government of India Line of Credit. CGS Valiant, another WFAC also being manufactured by Goa Shipyard Limited for the Government of Mauritius, is due for delivery in mid 2017.

With the induction of the CGS Victory, the National Coast Guard of Mauritius will be able to widen its Outer Island support activities and conduct in-depth surveillance in the Mauritian EEZ for tackling transnational crimes such as drug and human trafficking, piracy, smuggling and terrorism.

The two Chetak helicopters from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), were gifted by Government of India to the Police Helicopter Squadron (PHS) of the Mauritius Police Force. These two helicopters have an operational life of 15 years and would enhance and supplement the existing capabilities of the Mauritius PHS for Search and Rescue operations, emergency evacuations and Anti-Cannabis cultivation operations in Mauritius.

Parrikar will call on the President of Mauritius, Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim tomorrow. He will interact with senior Cabinet Ministers of the Government of Mauritius, including the Vice Prime Minister, Showkutally Soodhun and Finance Minister Pravind Jugnauth.  He will attend a Deck Reception on-board the Indian Survey Ship INS Darshak, which is on a month-long deployment to Mauritius for conducting hydrographic surveys. Mauritian dignitaries and prominent members of the Indian community will attend the Deck Reception.

India has a long history of cooperation with Mauritius in the defence and maritime security sector. With this visit, both India and Mauritius reaffirmed their strong commitment to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the Indian Ocean region.

TN Cabinet Seeks Bharat Ratna for Jayalalithaa, Bronze Statue in Parliament

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Jayalalithaa

The Tamil Nadu cabinet on Saturday decided to recommend J. Jayalalithaa’s name for India’s highest civilian honour, the ‘Bharat Ratna’ and installation of her life-size bronze statue in Parliament complex.

“A resolution was adopted in the Cabinet to recommend to the Centre to award Bharat Ratna to honourable Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa,” said an official statement after the cabinet meeting today. It said a memorial building will be built for both MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J. Jayalalithaa.

Meanwhile, opposition to her aide Sasikala Natarajan’s continuation in the Veda Nilayam residence of Poes Garden in Chennai is emerging from different quarters though the party, AIADMK, has kept silence on the issue of Jayalalithaa’s properties amounting to about Rs.113 crore,  including movable assets of Rs. 41.63 crore and immovable assets of Rs. 72.09 crore.

The question over Sasikala inheriting the property has sent out mixed reaction. She came into Jayalalithaa’s life as an aide and caretaker in 1991 when she was about 34 years. Since then, all that one knew about her was that she was a close associate and caregiver.

Except for her brief expulsions twice, she had been with Jayalalithaa both at home, in election campaigns, tours, temple visits and vacations, including the jail term in Bangalore over Disproportionate Assets case. The AIADMK party cadre and leaders knew that Jayalalithaa had always kept Sashikala in high esteem as her sister in the last 35 years.

She was expelled from the house twice but it did not last for more than 100 days. Sasikala had even abandoned her husband and son to be with Jayalalithaa, a fact that the party may consider to keep her the de facto heir to Jayalalithaa.

 

 

 

Bangladesh Coast Guard Visits India

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The Indian Coast Guard welcomed a four member delegation led by Director General, Bangladesh Coast Guard Rear Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury who are on a three day visit to India.
In addition to meeting senior officials in the Ministry of Defence, the delegation will also be discussing issues of mutual cooperation in the field of maritime law enforcement, maritime Search & Rescue and marine pollution response with an Indian Coast Guard delegation headed by Director General Indian Coast Guard Shri Rajendra Singh.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard delegation will also travel to Mumbai and Kolkata for visiting ICG facilities and conducting discussions on operational issues with Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) and Commander Coast Guard Region (North East), respectively.

4G Rivalry Heats Up as Airtel Slashes Prices to Match Jio

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Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Thursday unveiled unlimited voice calls and more 4G data under a new plan, while keeping the old subscribers to 4G unhappy as it costs Rs.200 per GB on these devices currently.

On the contrary, Reliance Jio has been providing 1GB per day free on its 4G devices and the freebeis have been extended up to March 31, 2017 by the parent company Reliance Industries.

Under the new plan, for Rs.345, Bharti Airtel will allow users to make unlimited calls to any network and consume 1 GB 4G data for 28 days. This is still far behind Jio offer of the same at no cost until March 31, 2017.

Airtel also offered another plan for Rs.145 where users will 300 MB of 4G data and unlimited calls within Airtel network for 28 days, it said. However, none of these offers actually compete with Reliance Jio at least not until March 2017.

Even after the freebies, Reliance is offering free calls, no roaming charges and plus 1GB to 10GB dataplan for 4G devices at Rs.149.

Trump Nominates Gen ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as Pentagon Chief Against Rule Book

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US President-elect Donald Trump is likely to nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as his selection for secretary of defense during his latest “thank you” tour in North Carolina tonight, said reports.

Trump earlier stated in a Twitter message:”General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, who is being considered for Secretary of Defense, was very impressive yesterday. A true General’s General!”

Gen James N Mattis

James “Mad Dog” Mattis in the Pentagon has similar views as Trump and is expected to be his mouth piece in security matters, besides towing the party line. He retired in 2013 but the rule book says a defense secretary must have been out of the armed services for at least seven years.

Here is a full list of the cabinet positions that have been filled so far:
Appointed Cabinet Positions:
Department of Defense: James N. Mattis
Department of Treasury: Steven Mnuchin
Department of Transportation: Elaine L. Chao
Department of Health and Human Services: Tom Price
Department of Commerce: Wilbur Ross
Department of Education: Betsy DeVos
United Nations Ambassador: Nikki Haley
Department of Housing and Urban Development: Dr. Ben Carson
Central Intelligence Agency: Mike Pompeo
Attorney General: Jeff Sessions
National Security Adviser: Michael T. Flynn
Chief of Staff: Reince Priebus
Chief Strategist: Stephen K. Bannon
Unfilled Cabinet Positions:
Secretary of State
Director of National Intelligence
Department of the Interior
Department of Agriculture
Department of Labor
Department of Energy

Yearender: Fidel Castro or Jayalalithaa? Real Crusaders World Lost in 2016?

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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa resembles the talented, educated and mature leader of masses while Fidel castro resembles the age-old image of a crusader for his people to lead a revolution and life-long respect in turn.

Unfortunate but Fidel Castro lived up to see his promise for a revolution dwindle once his health deteriorated a decade ago but Jayalalithaa remained steadfast in her pitch for making the poor and middle class women happier.

Fidel castro of Cuba

Fidel Castro not only challenged the US hegemony in Americas but remained the sole leader dreaded by any US President even to shake a hand until Bill Clinton accidentally did. He was behind the Cuban revolution that threw balance of power in Americas off guard and kept Washington on its toes always. He was even accused of masterminding JFK killing though it never stood the test of time or reason.

Fidel Castro was an eloquent speaker who could address his people for over 10 hours at a stretch, yet commanded their audience. His people braced poverty but never belied their leader. He remained an epoch in an era when socialism triumphed and capitalism remained in the periphery in world politics. A friend of Indira Gandhi, he had apparently warned of her of a plot to assassinate her about six months before it happenned. Though a non-alignment player, his presence in NAM Meetings during the Cold War had distanced many seen as US allies. Finally, it was his brother who succeeded him to the reins of power to make Cuba see the reason and adjust to the realities of capitalism as it is the most-acknowledged reality now.

On the other side of the globe, Jayalalithaa too mesmerized millions with her glamourous roles and sought to be a leader throughout. From filmdom to politics, her journey remained as cushioned as her films were. With MG Ramachandran (MGR) on her side, she saw no reason why she should not aspire for the top post. So did she when MGR died and resisted insults and insinuations for over two years to ramp home with a united party behind her charisma.

When cadre-based DMK party threatened her safety and self-respect with physical assaults in the Assembly, she swore to return as chief minister and teach her opponents a lesson and she did clinch the victory, thanks to her alliance tactics with the Congress at the apt time. Soon, she had groomed her own ilk in the state and her chosen target group of women always proved her right in her outreach strategy.

Jayalalithaa

Finally, notwithstanding the corruption charges and the jail term, she used all her adversities into accomplishments as proved by her second-straight victory in Assembly elections. If Fidel Castro was excellent in his charisma-centric speeches, Jayalalithaa was equally adored for her tactful and matured personality among the most-hated politicians in Tamil Nadu.

Her speeches lacked triumphant exhortations but her deeds stood before the voters glaringly to decide during the hustings. She knew her fans are far more important than her rivals and she proved them right again and again with her women-centric freebies. She never groomed any greater-than-thou personality within the party but tolerated even adhoc impurities. Whether her aide Shashikalaa or her trusted man Panneerselvam, she showed them who the boss would be but relented their mistakes to make them realise her mastery over inter-personal relations.

finally, both of them died within one week gap but both will remain the most-cherished personalities in the annals of history. Both will be missed by their followers forever. Both will be leaving behind void that cannot be filled by anyone else so easily.

Pearl Harbor Visit by Japan PM Abe to Bury Hatchet or History?

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In a reciprocal gesture to US President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on May 27, cementing the leftover feelings of animosity, if any, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced that he would visit Pearl Harbor NOT on December 7 but 20 days later.

Pearl harbor was a US Naval base in Hawaii that Japan attacked on December 7 (in US Time zone), 1941 killing thousands of sailors in an “unannounced” attack that forced the US to plunge into World War Two.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit would be the first ever by a sitting Japanese leader “to pay tribute” to military personnel who died in the war. The visit also coincides with his final summit with outgoing US President Obama.

The stunning declaration came just two days ahead of the 75th anniversary of the attack that propelled the U.S. into World War II.

Photograph of Battleship Row taken from a Japanese plane at the beginning of the attack. The explosion in the center is a torpedo strike on USS West Virginia. Two attacking Japanese planes can be seen: one over USS Neosho and one over the Naval Yard.

“We must never repeat the tragedy of the war,” he said. “I would like to send this commitment. At the same time, I would like to send a message of reconciliation between Japan and the US.”

However, Abe is not expected to express remorse or an expllicit apology for the Pearl Harbor attack. As Obama did not include any apology for the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, so will Abe refrain from an apology to what America long argued as treacherous attack unannounced.

The irony goes back to the first week of December in 1941 when Japanese ambassador who was entrusted with the task of war declaration to be handed over to Washington failed to do so on time and the attacks preceded the declaration. US blamed Japan for unilateral attack without proper Declaration of War, an allegation that many Japan historians dislike to be reiterated.

When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, unprepared American soldiers became the worst victims of an aerial attack on Dec. 7, 1941 — a date that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said would “live in infamy.” More than 2,400 US servicemen were killed in the attacks.

Hopefully the visit by Abe should end the stamp of illegal attack of Pearl Harbor from Japan’s history pages and bury the hatchet of World War Two though neither side may apologize for their wartime attacks.

Heart of Asia Conference Tomorrow: What’s the Focus?

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and other 12 represntatives from Asian countries at the much coveted Heart of Asia Conference being held in Amritsar tomorrow to highlight terrorism, trade and cooperation takes place.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will address the conference as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is ill. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and other representatives will meet on the sidelines of the inaugural conference symbolic to bring in stakeholders of Asia for more trade. The 14-member conference is likely to bring forth a loose alliance of like-minded actors to take the regional cooperation to the next level.

Pakistan is being represented by Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz while other ministers from Iran, Russia and China will make it broader in terms of trade-centric talks and India may raise the issue of terrorism since the venue near the border owing to infiltrations is visibly to offset Islamabad’s mindset.

India is likely to announce military aid to Afghanistan including 7 helicopters and receive assurance from Russia on supplying spares and conducting repairs on other aircraft in Afghanistan.

India is keen to focus on the Chabahar port in Iran for trade to Afghanistan, the overall agenda will centre around developing trade routes to Afghanistan, as China and Pakistan are focusing on the development of the Gwadar Port.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javed Zarif is expected to make a presentation on the benefits of Chabahar to Afghanistan, while India will try to rope in others to develop the port project.

“We are already working with the governments of Afghanistan and Iran to do an event in Chabahar itself, sometime in the near future which involves not merely the governments and experts but also brings together industry and also showcases Chabahar for other countries which can benefit from the enhanced connectivity through Chabahar,” MEA official Gopal Baglay said.

Recently, Russia, Turkmenistan and Qatar have indicated an interest in the port, while Iran, that refers to Gwadar and Chabahar as “sister ports,” is keen to use the port for trade and gas supplies. China has already inaugurated its Yiwu-Mazar e Sharief rail line, under the One Belt One Road (OBOR) plan through Afghanistan to the CPEC route to Gwadar.

The Heart of Asia conference is the 7th in the series after the Istanbul Process was established in 2011 to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors. The United States and over 20 other nations and organizations are “supporting nations” in the dialogue.

Past Ministerial Conferences of Heart of Asia Dialogue:
1st: 2 November 2011,
Istanbul, Turkey
2nd: 14 June 2012,
Kabul, Afghanistan
3rd: 26 April 2013,
Almaty, Kazakhstan
4th: 31 October 2014,
Beijing, China
5th: 9 December 2015,
Islamabad, Pakistan
6th: 26 April 2016,
New Delhi, India
7th: 4th December 2016,
Amritsar, India

MEMBER Countries:
Afghanistan
Azerbaijan
China
India
Iran
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Pakistan
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates

SUPPORTING COUNTRIES

Australia
Canada
Denmark
Egypt
European Union
France
Finland
Germany
Iraq
Italy
Japan
Norway
Poland
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States

10 Years of Ban ki Moon as UN Chief: Receives France Civilian Award

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As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demits office, it is time to recollect his accomplishments with some historic achievements uch as adoption of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change in December 2015 and setting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Speaking to the press in Paris, Mr. Ban thanked France for its support for the UN in combating violent extremism and expressed his condolences to the victims and their families of such violence. He also noted France’s support to the UN in its work in the Central African Republic, Mali and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

He further noted that while France draws down its military operation – Operation Sangaris – in the Central African Republic, it was welcoming that France’s continued to take interest in the situation in the African country and called for an open and genuine dialogue to resolve the tensions there.

Mr. Ban also welcomed the commitment of France to the situation in the Middle East and in particular to hold an international conference on the issue.

The UN chief further emphasized that the international community’s support in Lebanon is equally important, particularly given the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Ban expressed confidence that the Government and people of France would continue to support his successor, António Guterres, who assumes office at the start of next year, and the UN in its mission in building a better world for all.

On Friday, Secretary-General Ban was presented the insignia of the Grand Officier de la Légion d’honneur(the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour) by the President François Hollande of France.

Receiving the honour, Mr. Ban said that it was the UN that was being honoured and expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Organization.

Created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour) is the highest French award. For two centuries, it has been presented, in the name of the French Head of State, to acknowledge the contribution of an individual in all fields.

Shops, Hotels to Remain Open 24/7 Soon: Minister Venkaiah Naidu

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Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu said the Union Cabinet has approved the Model Shops and Establishment Act, facilitating round-the-clock working hours aimed at generating employment prospects by allowing cinema halls, restaurants, shops, banks and other such workplaces to remain open 24/7.

Speaking to the representatives of the Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector, he said all their concerns would be resolved by the Government in a time bound manner. Considering the growth prospects of the Indian M&E industry for the economy, he assured that the concerns of the industry regarding new tax rates in the GST structure would be conveyed to the Finance Minister.

Addressing the CEOs Round Table Meeting organized by FICCI, the minister said a comprehensive review of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 including Copyright and IPR Protection issues, was under consideration in the light of the reports submitted by Mukul Mudgal and Shyam Benegal. It was imperative to believe in “responsible creativity” where in the censor rules and regulations could be weaved into social norms which affected the social fabric of the nation.

On the issue of Improving Screen Density in India, the Minister said that the reach of cinema was limited to a small segment and thus provided an immense opportunity for the film industry to tap the regional markets and cater to the needs of consumers by developing content in local and regional languages.

He assured that the issue has been taken up with the Multiplex Association of India to formulate Model Rules for building and operating cinema halls which once received would be shared and discussed with all the State Governments in the coming State Information Minister’s Conference scheduled in December. The State Governments would be requested to look into the matter and ease out the process in order to increase screen density throughout the country.

On the issue of grant of permissions to TV Channels, the Minister said that the Ministry had taken the initiative to streamline the processes and procedures in the broadcasting sector. He also mentioned about the E-Auction of the Second Batch of Private FM Radio Phase III Channels commenced a week ago. 266 FM Channels in 92 cities comprising 227 channels in 69 fresh cities and 39 unsold channels from 23 cities of batch I of Ph-III had been put on auction in the second batch.

The Minister said plans are afoot to set up a National Centre of Excellence for Media, to provide training to the industry professionals. The Ministry was also in the process to setup a Film Promotion Fund to support movies, including Bollywood and Regional films, for participation in foreign film festivals.

The audio-visual co-production agreements signed by the Government would help film industry to explore more resources and share best practices. He mentioned that the Cabinet has recently given approval to the agreement between India and Republic of Korea.

UK Relaxes Visa for Businessmen, Modi Pitches for Students Too

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Post-Brexit, United Kingdom is opening up to Indian businessmen announcing for the first time a very easy process visa under its "Registered Traveller Scheme" but she chose to remain silent on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to provide "greater mobility" for students and researchers.

Speaking at the India-UK Tech Summit organised by CII, Theresa May, who was instrumental in tightening the visa regime earlier, said: "Indian nationals who frequently come to the UK and to fuel growth in both our countries, the entry process will become significantly easier." It means the businesses will have to fill fewer forms now to enter the EU-EEA (European Economic Area) passport regime and swifter passage through British airports.

"In short, more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business… It is crucial that those who do need to travel between our countries for business can do so, that is the reason why when I was Home Secretary, I made visa process for Indians much easier," May said.

She pointed out that India now has best visa services and the same-day visa delivery system. She said that the UK government is listening to the pleas made by Indian businessmen. "Listening to the fact that there are many people from India who are to bring their skill, ideas, businesses to Britain for the good of your economy and ours," she added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the India-UK Tech Summit 2016, recalled his visit to the UK last November when it ws decided to commemorate 2016 the ‘India-UK Year of Education, Research and Innovation’ and asked for more visas to Indian students and scholars.

"Even though the quantum of bilateral trade has remained at the same level for the past five years our investments in both directions have been robust. India is the 3rd largest investor in UK, and UK is the largest G20 investor in India. Both countries support large numbers of jobs in each other’s economies," he noted.

As India will soon have over a billion phone connections, an urban tele-density of around 154%, 350 million internet users, nearly 1 lakh Internet-Connected villages, the growth story offers an excellent success story, he said.

Suu Kyi Calls on President Mukherjee

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The State Counsellor of Myanmar, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi calling on President Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of the Republic of Myanmar called on President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, (October 18, 2016).

Welcoming Aung San Suu Kyi on her first State Visit to India, the President said that India and Myanmar are close neighbours and have a good long standing relationship with each other. During the visit of the President of Myanmar in August this year, fruitful discussions were held and four important agreements were signed between the two countries.

The President congratulated Aung San Suu Kyi on her landmark victory in the General Elections held in November, 2015. The President said that India appreciates the spirit with which the people of Myanmar have responded in the General Elections and the manner in which the whole process of elections has been steered. He said that he was happy that the process of democratization was being strengthened in Myanmar.

India will extend all help to Myanmar in this phase of transition in order to set up democratic institutions for ensuring stability in the country. He wished Myanmar all success in establishing a strong democracy. He stated that Myanmar’s transition to full democracy will take time to achieve and India stands by Myanmar in this process.

The President said that India will soon commence work on restoring two old temples and inscriptions of King Mindon and Bay Gyi Daw in Bodh Gaya as requested by the Government of Myanmar. He said that this task will be undertaken by the Archeological Survey of India with financial support from Government of India.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reciprocated the President’s sentiments and said that India and Myanmar have much in common. She stated that change does not happen easily and Myanmar has to go about the process of transition in a cautious manner. Myanmar seeks the cooperation and support of India as its people look forward to progress and change for the betterment of their lives.

Cabinet Approves MoU between India, EU on Water

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The Union Cabinet under PM Narendra Modi has given its approval for the signing of MoU between India and European Union in the field of water resources.

The MoU envisages strengthening the technological, scientific and management capabilities of India and the European Union in the field of water management on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. It provides technical exchange on water issues, including on integrated water resource management plans within river basins and through study visits.

The MoU aims to identify key environmental issues and approaches to sustainable development where exchange of experiences and cooperation could be mutually beneficial to strengthen and further develop cooperation between India and the European Union in the field of water management.

The pact envisions a more sustainable management of water resources in India with an objective of tackling the challenges posed by water management in the context of growing population, competing water demands and a changing climate. A Joint Working Group shall be formed to monitor the activities to be carried out in fulfillment of the MoU.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has been envisaging bilateral cooperation with other countries in water resources development and management through sharing of policy and technical expertise, conducting of training courses, workshops, scientific and technical symposia, exchange of experts and study tours.

Keeping in view the success of the European Union in distribution of water resources, water pricing, water use efficiency by encouraging the changes in agricultural practices necessary to protect water resources and quality, such as switching to less water-demanding crops, etc., it has been decided to have an agreement with Israel to benefit from their experience and expertise.

The EU States have adopted water pricing policies to provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently thereby contributing to environmental objectives.

Cabinet Okays MoU with African Asian Rural Development Organization

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The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) for capacity building programmes in the field of rural development.

The MoU for the triennium 2015 – 2017 is being signed under which capacity building programmes for AARDO member countries will be organized every year during the triennium at various Institutions of Excellence in India such as National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR), institutions governed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and others. The duration of each training programme shall be of two to three weeks. The Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development Management Course at NIRD & PR under this scheme is for one year.

The AARDO, which has its headquarters in New Delhi, is an autonomous, inter-Governmental organization established in 1962 with the objective of promoting cooperation among the countries of the African – Asian Region in the direction of eradicating thirst, hunger, illiteracy, disease and poverty in the region.

India is one of the Founder Members of the Organization and is the largest contributor in terms of membership contribution of US$ 141,100 apart from contributing by way of providing 70 fully paid training scholarships for Human Resource Development Programme under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) to the Organization.

India has also provided a building for housing the AARDO Secretariat in Delhi and considerable financial assistance is given to AARDO for maintenance of the building. AARDO currently has 31 countries of the African – Asian Region under its fold.

Since the year 2009, India is continuing to provide an Additional Contribution of US$ 600,000 to AARDO for each triennium 2009-2011 to expand its scale and scope of the Capacity Building Programmes of AARDO for the benefit of Member Countries.

Rio Olympics 2016: Opening Tomorrow with Swim Events

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Australia and USA teams with their biggest names in swimming have arrived in Rio as the competition for swimming events kicks off on Thursday, ahead of the official opening on Friday.

The two big teams have been sizing each other up before the serious action kicks off, starting with men’s 400m individual medley heats.

"I briefly saw them this morning, they were warming up as I was swimming and by the time I was hopping out they were hopping in," said Australia’s double gold medalist Emily Seebohm.

Team-mate Cameron McEvoy, Australia’s big hope of a first 100 freestyle men’s gold since 1968, said both sides are familiar with each other. "A lot of us are really, really good friends with the Americans," he said. "It was exciting to see them coming. They are a powerhouse team and you can definitely feel their presence in the pool.”

But for Japan’s Yuka Sato, a triathlete, this is her first Olympic games and owes much to some inspiration from her mother. “My mother heard about the sport of triathlon and that’s what got me interested in it, from the age of nine” she says. “Luckily enough, I won the gold medal in my first appearance at the junior national championships. I had good friends in my triathlon club who were a little older than me, and enjoyed training hard in an effort to catch those more senior kids up. My strength naturally improved and I built from there.”

Sato finished third in April’s Asian Triathlon Championships but has been less satisfied with other recent results; now, it is all about peaking at the right time in August. Here, she has a fair idea of who her biggest rival will be in Rio. Flora Duffy, the Bermudan triathlete who has won two World Championships.

“She is a strong swimmer; her style is to come out of the swim along and with a big lead, keeping the advantage throughout the remainder of the race until the finish,” Sato says. “Therefore, how close I can be to Duffy after finishing the swim will be key for me in Rio.”

At 24 years of age, Sato says, “I’m hoping to reach my peak in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympic Games."
[ TAGS RIO 2016 , IOC NEWS , YOGA , TRIATHLON, sato, swimming events, USA< australia, thursday events]

BREXIT Fall Out: PM Cameron to Quit in October

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Now that the UK has done what was expected in the last one decade, exiting from the European Union, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to quit from the office in October as the referendum went against his wish to continue in the Union.

In India, the government’s reaction is on expected lines that the economy has enough "firepower" to deal with the situation, and that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been "working" on possible eventualities and the Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das was upbeat on fundamentals. But let us face it — grim future ahead and perhaps another prolonged period of uncertainty and recession.

The BSE Sensex lost 1,050 points and investors have lost Rs.4 lakh crore in one day. The rupee touched the 68-mark, down by nealry one rupee in one day, indicating its weakness in a globally turbulent economy. "You know the pound sterling have been depreciating so all currencies have been depreciating," defended Das. With $360 billion in foreign exchange reserves with RBI, he said India’s position "is very sound and solid."

While the knee-jerk reaction is likely to cool in a coule of weeks, for Britain the changes will not be overwhelming as it had always played an outsider role within the European Union. Unlike other members, it had kept its currency, the pound sterling in tact and never joined the Schengen zone of passport-free travel in Europe. Its contribution to EU budget is also relatively less than others.

The pound sterling may see downward movement for sometime and so is India’s rupee but for the reality of entirely breaking away from the European Union may take about two years, if the current David cameroon’s government gives its consent and goes ahead with the referendum’s outcome to exit from EU. So, these two years will be sufficient for India to move closer to the UK both in terms of trade treaty and negotiate more opportunites.

While the immigration was a major cause of worry for Indians in Britain, they can breathe easy now with the exit plan putting a cap on 100,000 immigrants per annum taking concrete shape as no more EU immigrants can enter Britain so easily now. With the immigrants stopped from elsewhere, India may leverage the opportunity for a more favourable immigration policy with the UK.

Finally, the oil prices will fall following Brexit and it will squarely put in more reserves in RBI kitty. "So when oil prices decline, Indian economy benefits," said another Indian Finance Ministry official.

UK PM David Cameron to Resign in October.

Mozart’s Music Reduces Hypertension (BP), Says Study

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A study from the University Bochum in Germany showed in its recent comparative research of the classical music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II vis-a-vis Abba of the 1980s that the hepertension comes down when you listen to Mozart or Strauss but not ABBA.

They corraborated how Mozart’s music can reduce blood lipid concentration, blood pressure and heart rate, some of the benefits observed in people. “It’s been known for centuries that music has an effect on human beings,” said authors in a study published in the German journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. “In antiquity, music was used to improve performance in athletes during the Olympic Games.”

The researchers have divided 120 person in two groups and recorded their cortisol concentration, blood pressure and heart rate before listening to the music, after listening to the music. One group was given to listen to Mozart or J. Strauss Jr. and ABBA.

The other 60 people in the second group were not asked to listen to any music but to read silently. Those who listened to the music of Mozart and Strauss showed a considerable decrease in their blood pressure and heart rate. Those who listened to ABBA had more or same blood pressure at the end.

In another comparison of those who spent reading in silence and those who listened to Mozart or Strauss, the gap is relatively visible as those who read book recorded slightly lower BP but hose in the other music group recorded a higher decrease in their BP, said the researchers. In all, clasical music leads to a lower blood cortisol level, said researchers.

In terms of women listeners to the music, the decrease in their blood pressure is relatively less than men who listened to the same music. Music provides greater health benefits than silence, asserted researchers in their conclusion.

The Mozart family c. 1780. The portrait on the wall is of Mozart’s mother. (Wikipedia)

Foreign University Collaboration to be Cheaper Now: HRD Ministry

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HRD Ministry has announced new UGC conditions which will apply to any Indian institutue seeking foreign academic collaboration and award of joint degrees.

Indian Universities and Colleges need to approach the University Grants Commission (UGC) for starting twinning and collaborative arrangement with quality Foreign Educational Institutions (FEIs) in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to the award of a degree.

The degree will be awarded by the Indian Educational Institutions (IEIs) alone; joint degrees are not permitted though the name of the collaborating FEI can be indicated on the degree, the logo and primacy should be of the Indian institution, said the ministry. Credits from collaborating FEI when jointly signed by the IEI shall form part of the transcript and FEI may also sign the transcript/credit issued by the IEI.

The step has been taken by the UGC in order to promote foreign collaborations with a view to increasing synergy between Indian and foreign academic institutions, to offer students additional choices, improve curriculum and the delivery of knowledge and educational content, said the ministry.

The UGC’s earlier regulations issued in 2012 will be amended now. For students seeking to study abroad, new measures mean lower cost to achieve that as the new provision will offer academic mobility through acquiring of credits and study at reputed institution abroad, said the statement. The dedicated UGC portal to receive applications and convey approvals will be launched shortly by the UGC.

However, the new norms will not be applicable to technical institutions, for which AICTE will leverage and bring out similar methodology and facilitative regulations. Universities/institutions that are recognized by UGC and FEIs intending to collaborate will be benefitted from this measure now.

The Regulations stipulate that only IEIs with ‘A’ grade or threshold accreditation should have experience of 6 years or at least 2 batches passed out and similarly ‘A’ grade or threshold level accreditation if the IEIs in their own country will be eligible for collaboration. A bench mark for quality has therefore been set for the collaborations. To maintain academic credibility and seriousness, a minimum duration of collaboration has been specified under one semester for postgraduate degree and 2 semesters for undergraduate degree.

"The UGC will examine complaints relating to academic collaborations being run in violation of these regulations and if prima-facie evidence of fraud is found, it will inform Central and State authorities for appropriate action under the framework of the law, including penal action, said the ministry that regulates and controls UGC.