India Bans Pak Channels in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 16 : After banning news and current affairs programmes on local cable TV channels, authorities here on Wednesday directed cable operators in Kashmir Valley to take off air all unregistered channels including those from Pakistan.

The order to implement the directive strictly comes close on the heels of the government banning Iran-based private news channel -- Press TV -- after it aired a report about alleged desecration of a holy book in the United States, that led to violent protests leaving 18 dead.

The District Administration said it was only going by the law of the land and the orders of taking off the channels was passed in 2008.

"The order of banning all unregistered channels has been passed in 2008. We have only implemented it," District Magistrate Srinagar Meraj Ahmad Kakroo said.

A representative of the Cable Operators Association said they received directions from the state administration asking them to take off air Pakistani news and entertainment channels.

"We have also been told to stop airing religious channels, irrespective of the faith," President of the association Mohammad Amjad said.

He said the cable operators have abided by the directions of the administration and so far 19 channels have been taken off air.

Amjad also claimed that the optic fibre cable of the operators and power supply to the transmitters were being snapped off. "We fail to understand who is playing mischief by cutting the cables as a strict curfew is in place in Kashmir," he said.

Kakroo said no channel would be allowed to be aired which is not registered with the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry as required by the law.

"It is not only about Pakistani channels ... any channel not registered with the concerned authorities will not be allowed to be aired," he said.

The state government had on Monday asked the operators to stop airing news and current affairs programmes on local cable channels, which had been curtailed to 15 minutes per day after the present unrest began on June 11.

Meanwhile, newspapers in Kashmir failed to hit the stands for the second consecutive day today due to curfew as the movement of the local scribes and technical staff of the dailies was restricted.

Source: Indian Express

Read full history - India Bans Pak Channels in Kashmir

India Bans Pak Channels in Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 16 : After banning news and current affairs programmes on local cable TV channels, authorities here on Wednesday directed cable operators in Kashmir Valley to take off air all unregistered channels including those from Pakistan.

The order to implement the directive strictly comes close on the heels of the government banning Iran-based private news channel -- Press TV -- after it aired a report about alleged desecration of a holy book in the United States, that led to violent protests leaving 18 dead.

The District Administration said it was only going by the law of the land and the orders of taking off the channels was passed in 2008.

"The order of banning all unregistered channels has been passed in 2008. We have only implemented it," District Magistrate Srinagar Meraj Ahmad Kakroo said.

A representative of the Cable Operators Association said they received directions from the state administration asking them to take off air Pakistani news and entertainment channels.

"We have also been told to stop airing religious channels, irrespective of the faith," President of the association Mohammad Amjad said.

He said the cable operators have abided by the directions of the administration and so far 19 channels have been taken off air.

Amjad also claimed that the optic fibre cable of the operators and power supply to the transmitters were being snapped off. "We fail to understand who is playing mischief by cutting the cables as a strict curfew is in place in Kashmir," he said.

Kakroo said no channel would be allowed to be aired which is not registered with the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry as required by the law.

"It is not only about Pakistani channels ... any channel not registered with the concerned authorities will not be allowed to be aired," he said.

The state government had on Monday asked the operators to stop airing news and current affairs programmes on local cable channels, which had been curtailed to 15 minutes per day after the present unrest began on June 11.

Meanwhile, newspapers in Kashmir failed to hit the stands for the second consecutive day today due to curfew as the movement of the local scribes and technical staff of the dailies was restricted.

Source: Indian Express

Read full history - India Bans Pak Channels in Kashmir

Get Rid of illegal Shrines: SC to States

By Bhadra Sinha

New Delhi, Sep 15 : Taking exception to states’ dilly-dallying on the removal of illegal religious structures, the Supreme Court threatened to summon the respective chief secretaries if they failed to comply with directions to remove or relocate places of worship built on public land.

On Tuesday, a bench gave two weeks to the states to file their response, the third instance the SC is giving time to states to comply with its directions.

According to affidavits filed by various states, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of unauthorized places of worship (77,450). Delhi has the least, 52.

The bench lauded Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram for being “civilized” as there are no unauthorized structures there.

The court is hearing the Centre’s appeal against a 2006 Gujarat HC order for removal of unauthorized structures.

On September 27, 2009, the SC had ordered there should be no unauthorized religious structures on roads, pavements or other public places, as they were inconvenience to people.

In its order, the apex court had put the onus on chief secretaries’ to ensure no further construction took place. The court said the states should deal with existing structures on individual basis after hearing the parties concerned.

From the affidavits, it transpired none of the States have taken effective methods to abide by the Supreme Court order.

Huge numbers

77,450 - Tamil Nadu
58,253 - Rajasthan
51,624 - Madhya Pradesh
45,000 - Uttar Pradesh
17,385 - Maharashtra
15,000 - Gujarat
52 -        Delhi

Read full history - Get Rid of illegal Shrines: SC to States

Get Rid of illegal Shrines: SC to States

By Bhadra Sinha

New Delhi, Sep 15 : Taking exception to states’ dilly-dallying on the removal of illegal religious structures, the Supreme Court threatened to summon the respective chief secretaries if they failed to comply with directions to remove or relocate places of worship built on public land.

On Tuesday, a bench gave two weeks to the states to file their response, the third instance the SC is giving time to states to comply with its directions.

According to affidavits filed by various states, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of unauthorized places of worship (77,450). Delhi has the least, 52.

The bench lauded Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram for being “civilized” as there are no unauthorized structures there.

The court is hearing the Centre’s appeal against a 2006 Gujarat HC order for removal of unauthorized structures.

On September 27, 2009, the SC had ordered there should be no unauthorized religious structures on roads, pavements or other public places, as they were inconvenience to people.

In its order, the apex court had put the onus on chief secretaries’ to ensure no further construction took place. The court said the states should deal with existing structures on individual basis after hearing the parties concerned.

From the affidavits, it transpired none of the States have taken effective methods to abide by the Supreme Court order.

Huge numbers

77,450 - Tamil Nadu
58,253 - Rajasthan
51,624 - Madhya Pradesh
45,000 - Uttar Pradesh
17,385 - Maharashtra
15,000 - Gujarat
52 -        Delhi

Read full history - Get Rid of illegal Shrines: SC to States

Indian Dhruv Copter Gets Italian Makeover

New Delhi, Sep 13 : The Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) has been widely regarded as a triumph of indigenous military rotorcraft design and manufacturing.

Scores of Dhruvs already flying in army colours will be joined by another 159, which the military ordered last year from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). And, Ecuador's air force chose the Dhruv ALH in an international tender in 2008 for seven helicopters.

But now it emerges that the Dhruv is struggling with a serious problem. The army, which was to be supplied 20 Dhruvs last year, refused to accept any until HAL fixed a problem that was restricting the Dhruv's cruising speed to 250 kilometers per hour, significantly short of the 270 kmph that HAL specifications promise. Unable to find a cure, HAL has brought in a consultant: Italian aerospace propulsion major, Avio.

India's military sets high store by the Dhruv's engine power; the helicopter must operate from tiny landing grounds at 6,500 meters (about 21,000 feet), which is the altitude of Sonam Post, India's highest helipad on the Siachen Glacier.

But even after paying French engine-maker, Turbomeca, Rs 1,000 crore to design the Shakti engine -- - a superb performer at high altitudes -- - the Dhruv's Integrated Dynamic System, or IDS, which transfers power from the Shakti engines to the helicopter rotors, is not performing optimally. That, say HAL engineers, has reduced speed, high-altitude capability, and the life of the IDS.

The Italian consultants will now scrutinise the Dhruv's IDS to diagnose the problem. Avio will start by building a single HAL-designed IDS in Avio's facilities in Italy, using their own materials and tools.

They will then test-run this for 400-500 hours; if it works perfectly, it would be evident that the flaw lies in HAL's manufacturing, rather than the IDS design. On the other hand, if the Avio-built IDS performs poorly during the test run, there is clearly a design problem. Avio will then redesign the IDS.

A senior HAL official explained to Business Standard: "Avio will review the whole design, on a purely consultancy basis. They will give us a redesign... that will be the first phase. We will have to translate that new design into an engineered product. And, after that, we'll have to do the ground testing and the flight-testing. It will be a long-drawn affair."

Avio, Business Standard has learned, was HAL's second choice. But the first choice consultant, an American company, had so much work on its plate that it had to turn HAL away.

Meanwhile, India's army and air force -- strapped for helicopters -- have no choice but to accept and fly Dhruvs, even though they are performing below par and metal keeps chipping off inside the IDS. HAL has itself implemented six changes inside the IDS and 30 helicopters have been flying with these changes for some 400 hours. So far, there has been no major problem.

"This is not dangerous for the pilots", says a senior HAL official. "Heavy chipping of metal would warn us about an impending failure of the IDS. There is a monitoring system inside the IDS, which checks for the presence of tiny metal chips in the oil. There is no danger of sudden, catastrophic failure in flight."

Top officials in the Ministry of Defence have conveyed strong displeasure to HAL over what they consider a "sloppy" work culture. Talking to Business Standard on condition of anonimity, a MoD official points out, "The Avio consultancy will place HAL's work culture under serious scrutiny.

To identify the fault in the Dhruv's IDS, Avio has insisted on auditing HAL's facilities and practices. This will amount to a full external audit, which will highlight systemic and procedural problems that HAL would never have identified on its own."

But the MoD also accepts that the aerospace establishment, hungry for success, developed the Dhruv in haste and introduced it into operational service without adequate testing.

Illustrating this point, the MoD official says: "The IAF asked for about 75 design changes while HAL was developing the Dhruv. This prevented a coherent and systematic design process. And, thereafter, HAL was too eager to introduce the Dhruv into service. It has now emerged that it was unwise of HAL, and of the IAF, to operationalise the Dhruv before the design was fully stabilised."

This year, the army and the IAF will introduce 31 new HAL-built Dhruv Mark 3 helicopters into service. These are part of an order placed on HAL last year for 159 Dhruv helicopters to be supplied by 2015.

Of these, 83 are utility helicopters called Dhruv Mark 3, used for transporting people. The other 76 are Mark 4 helicopters, which will be fitted with cannons, rockets, missiles and electronic warfare equipment. These are called Dhruv (Weapon Systems Integrated), or Dhruv (WSI).

Source: Business Standard

Read full history - Indian Dhruv Copter Gets Italian Makeover

Indian Dhruv Copter Gets Italian Makeover

New Delhi, Sep 13 : The Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) has been widely regarded as a triumph of indigenous military rotorcraft design and manufacturing.

Scores of Dhruvs already flying in army colours will be joined by another 159, which the military ordered last year from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). And, Ecuador's air force chose the Dhruv ALH in an international tender in 2008 for seven helicopters.

But now it emerges that the Dhruv is struggling with a serious problem. The army, which was to be supplied 20 Dhruvs last year, refused to accept any until HAL fixed a problem that was restricting the Dhruv's cruising speed to 250 kilometers per hour, significantly short of the 270 kmph that HAL specifications promise. Unable to find a cure, HAL has brought in a consultant: Italian aerospace propulsion major, Avio.

India's military sets high store by the Dhruv's engine power; the helicopter must operate from tiny landing grounds at 6,500 meters (about 21,000 feet), which is the altitude of Sonam Post, India's highest helipad on the Siachen Glacier.

But even after paying French engine-maker, Turbomeca, Rs 1,000 crore to design the Shakti engine -- - a superb performer at high altitudes -- - the Dhruv's Integrated Dynamic System, or IDS, which transfers power from the Shakti engines to the helicopter rotors, is not performing optimally. That, say HAL engineers, has reduced speed, high-altitude capability, and the life of the IDS.

The Italian consultants will now scrutinise the Dhruv's IDS to diagnose the problem. Avio will start by building a single HAL-designed IDS in Avio's facilities in Italy, using their own materials and tools.

They will then test-run this for 400-500 hours; if it works perfectly, it would be evident that the flaw lies in HAL's manufacturing, rather than the IDS design. On the other hand, if the Avio-built IDS performs poorly during the test run, there is clearly a design problem. Avio will then redesign the IDS.

A senior HAL official explained to Business Standard: "Avio will review the whole design, on a purely consultancy basis. They will give us a redesign... that will be the first phase. We will have to translate that new design into an engineered product. And, after that, we'll have to do the ground testing and the flight-testing. It will be a long-drawn affair."

Avio, Business Standard has learned, was HAL's second choice. But the first choice consultant, an American company, had so much work on its plate that it had to turn HAL away.

Meanwhile, India's army and air force -- strapped for helicopters -- have no choice but to accept and fly Dhruvs, even though they are performing below par and metal keeps chipping off inside the IDS. HAL has itself implemented six changes inside the IDS and 30 helicopters have been flying with these changes for some 400 hours. So far, there has been no major problem.

"This is not dangerous for the pilots", says a senior HAL official. "Heavy chipping of metal would warn us about an impending failure of the IDS. There is a monitoring system inside the IDS, which checks for the presence of tiny metal chips in the oil. There is no danger of sudden, catastrophic failure in flight."

Top officials in the Ministry of Defence have conveyed strong displeasure to HAL over what they consider a "sloppy" work culture. Talking to Business Standard on condition of anonimity, a MoD official points out, "The Avio consultancy will place HAL's work culture under serious scrutiny.

To identify the fault in the Dhruv's IDS, Avio has insisted on auditing HAL's facilities and practices. This will amount to a full external audit, which will highlight systemic and procedural problems that HAL would never have identified on its own."

But the MoD also accepts that the aerospace establishment, hungry for success, developed the Dhruv in haste and introduced it into operational service without adequate testing.

Illustrating this point, the MoD official says: "The IAF asked for about 75 design changes while HAL was developing the Dhruv. This prevented a coherent and systematic design process. And, thereafter, HAL was too eager to introduce the Dhruv into service. It has now emerged that it was unwise of HAL, and of the IAF, to operationalise the Dhruv before the design was fully stabilised."

This year, the army and the IAF will introduce 31 new HAL-built Dhruv Mark 3 helicopters into service. These are part of an order placed on HAL last year for 159 Dhruv helicopters to be supplied by 2015.

Of these, 83 are utility helicopters called Dhruv Mark 3, used for transporting people. The other 76 are Mark 4 helicopters, which will be fitted with cannons, rockets, missiles and electronic warfare equipment. These are called Dhruv (Weapon Systems Integrated), or Dhruv (WSI).

Source: Business Standard

Read full history - Indian Dhruv Copter Gets Italian Makeover

What God Did Not Do, Delhi TV Crew Did

New Delhi, Sep 11 : "Did you pray to the God here at this temple in the morning to spare you from the Yamuna floods?" thundered the Zee TV reporter, half-submerged in the Pracheen Shiv Mandir complex on the banks of the river in East Delhi.

A TV reporter stands in the Yamuna as people look on from the Old Bridge in Delhi.

Deftly balancing a rainbow umbrella and his camera, the cameraman walked down the steps of the temple to where the reporter was standing, his trousers rolled up to the knees.

The target of the reporter's question was the hapless young priest, Bharat Bhushan, who fumbled and stammered before nodding what looked like a half-yes and a half-no.

But the reporter didn't need an answer, he had one already. "What can God do? The God has drowned," he declared, looking straight into the camera.

The camera moved to the deity who sat in her place with a stone smile on her lips, muddy-brown waterlapping against her feet.

This was just one of the over 20 TV teams that had found perches for themselves and their OB vans along the banks of the Yamuna waiting to record the "catastrophe of sorts", the "10,766-crore-litre deluge", the "moment when cars will start swimming and the city will start drowning".

A young boy splashes water directing it towards passengers of a bus as monsoon rains cause waterlogging on a road of New Delhi. AP

Happy children, with more than enough water to splash around and bathe in, shouted, "Aaj ki Taaza Khabar."

They had all started work early in the morning, primed by some newspaper headlines that the end was near, that it would come around 4 pm.

That the water could cross the 207-m mark, as it did in 1978.

After around 6 lakh cusecs were released into the Yamuna from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana on Wednesday, the river rose to reach 206.03 m by Friday evening -- 1.2 m above the danger mark.

By Saturday morning, it is expected to rise to 206.35 m, and maybe even reach the Ring Road. But the Central Water Commission said it wasn't going to breach the 207-m mark.

A flood-affected resident carries a child as as he wades through floodwater in a slum near the river Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

But those were only facts that came in the way of Friday's lovely TV story.

At 4.03 pm, the deluge didn't come. The reporters looked confused. A reporter from India Live stood valiantly, waist-deep in the river, doing her flood piece.

That was the lowest vantage point. As she stood under the bridge, telling the world that Delhi was about to drown, Pawan Mishra, a slightly puzzled bystander, made an obvious point. "But this is where the Yamuna flows. It is the river's space. Why are they all making it seem as if the river has expanded?" Mishra said.

But Mishra confessed to having played his own part in the tamasha. Somewhat guiltily, he said he had succumbed to the invitation of a young reporter who, speaking in Punjabi, had urged him to roll up his trousers and get into the water. He had done so, but the river had only lapped his ankles.

She had egged him to go farther. But from where they were standing, the river had looked menacing to Mishra. He had chickened out.

Later, he was looking for her.

Commuters travel as it rains heavily in New Delhi. AP

"They are like butterflies," Mishra said. "They skip from one spot to another, stand on the bridge, go down to the river, they do all sorts of things," he said. "I have been watching them for a while. One of them asked me to ask for flood relief on camera. But I don't even live here. I only came to watch the 4 pm deluge." One cameraman said his channel had given him specific instructions to show the water as if it was a threat.

"Of course this is a flood," he said, pointing to a few jhuggis that had been submerged.

"We do what we are asked to do. We will be here late into the night. Yo u never know when the floods will come." In 1978, the river had crossed 207.48 m, affecting over 250,000 people.

But on Friday, when no deluge came, the reporters began to take U-turns. One channel said there was a "Brake on the floods"; one reporter, a cloud over his face, said there was "no hope of floods". His anchor had a ready explanation: a crack in a dam in Panipat was the reason why the flood had got delayed.

A resident wades through rising flood waters as he retrieves his belongings from his room at a Hindu temple on the banks of the River Yamuna, seen through alley right, in New Delhi.

At Boat Club near ISBT, TV crew had hired rickety boats to do their "piece-to-camera" or "walk-through".
Around 74 boats and 68 divers were kept in the standby mode by the Delhi government but at the Boat Club most boatmen made a killing by renting out the boats to TV crew.

A member of a television crew stationed near the Yamuna said the boats could be used for rescue operations with the cameras in them.

The media was doing public service, he said.

In a far corner, Doordarshan reporter Anuj Yadav stood with his team. "We are reporting the truth. There are no floods here. The other media are reporting Delhi will be flooded in 24 hours. This is creating a crisis," he said. "This is Peepli [Live]."

A few steps away from this moral high ground, a young TV reporter climbed on to the roof of a house, adjusted her hair and began to speak. She was out of earshot.

Source: The Indian Express

Read full history - What God Did Not Do, Delhi TV Crew Did

What God Did Not Do, Delhi TV Crew Did

New Delhi, Sep 11 : "Did you pray to the God here at this temple in the morning to spare you from the Yamuna floods?" thundered the Zee TV reporter, half-submerged in the Pracheen Shiv Mandir complex on the banks of the river in East Delhi.

A TV reporter stands in the Yamuna as people look on from the Old Bridge in Delhi.

Deftly balancing a rainbow umbrella and his camera, the cameraman walked down the steps of the temple to where the reporter was standing, his trousers rolled up to the knees.

The target of the reporter's question was the hapless young priest, Bharat Bhushan, who fumbled and stammered before nodding what looked like a half-yes and a half-no.

But the reporter didn't need an answer, he had one already. "What can God do? The God has drowned," he declared, looking straight into the camera.

The camera moved to the deity who sat in her place with a stone smile on her lips, muddy-brown waterlapping against her feet.

This was just one of the over 20 TV teams that had found perches for themselves and their OB vans along the banks of the Yamuna waiting to record the "catastrophe of sorts", the "10,766-crore-litre deluge", the "moment when cars will start swimming and the city will start drowning".

A young boy splashes water directing it towards passengers of a bus as monsoon rains cause waterlogging on a road of New Delhi. AP

Happy children, with more than enough water to splash around and bathe in, shouted, "Aaj ki Taaza Khabar."

They had all started work early in the morning, primed by some newspaper headlines that the end was near, that it would come around 4 pm.

That the water could cross the 207-m mark, as it did in 1978.

After around 6 lakh cusecs were released into the Yamuna from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana on Wednesday, the river rose to reach 206.03 m by Friday evening -- 1.2 m above the danger mark.

By Saturday morning, it is expected to rise to 206.35 m, and maybe even reach the Ring Road. But the Central Water Commission said it wasn't going to breach the 207-m mark.

A flood-affected resident carries a child as as he wades through floodwater in a slum near the river Yamuna in New Delhi. AP

But those were only facts that came in the way of Friday's lovely TV story.

At 4.03 pm, the deluge didn't come. The reporters looked confused. A reporter from India Live stood valiantly, waist-deep in the river, doing her flood piece.

That was the lowest vantage point. As she stood under the bridge, telling the world that Delhi was about to drown, Pawan Mishra, a slightly puzzled bystander, made an obvious point. "But this is where the Yamuna flows. It is the river's space. Why are they all making it seem as if the river has expanded?" Mishra said.

But Mishra confessed to having played his own part in the tamasha. Somewhat guiltily, he said he had succumbed to the invitation of a young reporter who, speaking in Punjabi, had urged him to roll up his trousers and get into the water. He had done so, but the river had only lapped his ankles.

She had egged him to go farther. But from where they were standing, the river had looked menacing to Mishra. He had chickened out.

Later, he was looking for her.

Commuters travel as it rains heavily in New Delhi. AP

"They are like butterflies," Mishra said. "They skip from one spot to another, stand on the bridge, go down to the river, they do all sorts of things," he said. "I have been watching them for a while. One of them asked me to ask for flood relief on camera. But I don't even live here. I only came to watch the 4 pm deluge." One cameraman said his channel had given him specific instructions to show the water as if it was a threat.

"Of course this is a flood," he said, pointing to a few jhuggis that had been submerged.

"We do what we are asked to do. We will be here late into the night. Yo u never know when the floods will come." In 1978, the river had crossed 207.48 m, affecting over 250,000 people.

But on Friday, when no deluge came, the reporters began to take U-turns. One channel said there was a "Brake on the floods"; one reporter, a cloud over his face, said there was "no hope of floods". His anchor had a ready explanation: a crack in a dam in Panipat was the reason why the flood had got delayed.

A resident wades through rising flood waters as he retrieves his belongings from his room at a Hindu temple on the banks of the River Yamuna, seen through alley right, in New Delhi.

At Boat Club near ISBT, TV crew had hired rickety boats to do their "piece-to-camera" or "walk-through".
Around 74 boats and 68 divers were kept in the standby mode by the Delhi government but at the Boat Club most boatmen made a killing by renting out the boats to TV crew.

A member of a television crew stationed near the Yamuna said the boats could be used for rescue operations with the cameras in them.

The media was doing public service, he said.

In a far corner, Doordarshan reporter Anuj Yadav stood with his team. "We are reporting the truth. There are no floods here. The other media are reporting Delhi will be flooded in 24 hours. This is creating a crisis," he said. "This is Peepli [Live]."

A few steps away from this moral high ground, a young TV reporter climbed on to the roof of a house, adjusted her hair and began to speak. She was out of earshot.

Source: The Indian Express

Read full history - What God Did Not Do, Delhi TV Crew Did

India to Extend Crackdown On Online Communication Companies

By Anjana Pasricha

New Delhi, Sep 4 : India says it will extend its electronic security crackdown on Blackberry cellular phones to include all online communication companies like Google and Skype. Security concerns have prompted India to demand access to encrypted data transmitted online.   

The first target of India's demand for access to encrypted data was Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the Blackberry cellular phone.

Although the government did not carry out a threat to block Blackberry messaging services by August 31st, it has said that its concerns must be addressed within two months.   

Customers stand at a mobile phone shop displaying Nokia advertisements in Allahabad, India, 02 Sep 2010

India Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday negotiations are continuing with Research in Motion, or RIM, for access to data transmitted by the Blackberry.  

"RIM has agreed to provide access to some of the communications that are transmitted through the RIM systems, and these have been operationalized with effect from September 1 2010. Discussions on technical solutions for further access are continuing, and the matter will be reviewed within 60 days," said Chidambaram.

Officials say it not just Blackberry's makers who will have to give the government access to their user content, but also other communication services like Google, Skype, MSN Hotmail and Nokia.    

"All people who operate communication services in India should have a server in India, as well as make available access to law enforcement agencies whatever communication passes through the telecommunication network in India and that has been made clear not only to Research and Motion or Blackberry, but also to other companies," said G.K.  Pillai, India's home secretary.  

Placing a server in India allows the government easier access to user content.

India's demands were raised following concerns that terrorist organizations use internet and mobile phone services that security agencies cannot intercept. Security analysts say the terrorists involved in the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai had used mobile and satellite phones to coordinate the raids.

India has been the victim of frequent terror attacks. It is also battling insurgent groups in Kashmir and in the northeast.

India is one of the world's fastest growing telecommunications markets. Blackberry has more than one million users in the country.

Read full history - India to Extend Crackdown On Online Communication Companies

India to Extend Crackdown On Online Communication Companies

By Anjana Pasricha

New Delhi, Sep 4 : India says it will extend its electronic security crackdown on Blackberry cellular phones to include all online communication companies like Google and Skype. Security concerns have prompted India to demand access to encrypted data transmitted online.   

The first target of India's demand for access to encrypted data was Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the Blackberry cellular phone.

Although the government did not carry out a threat to block Blackberry messaging services by August 31st, it has said that its concerns must be addressed within two months.   

Customers stand at a mobile phone shop displaying Nokia advertisements in Allahabad, India, 02 Sep 2010

India Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday negotiations are continuing with Research in Motion, or RIM, for access to data transmitted by the Blackberry.  

"RIM has agreed to provide access to some of the communications that are transmitted through the RIM systems, and these have been operationalized with effect from September 1 2010. Discussions on technical solutions for further access are continuing, and the matter will be reviewed within 60 days," said Chidambaram.

Officials say it not just Blackberry's makers who will have to give the government access to their user content, but also other communication services like Google, Skype, MSN Hotmail and Nokia.    

"All people who operate communication services in India should have a server in India, as well as make available access to law enforcement agencies whatever communication passes through the telecommunication network in India and that has been made clear not only to Research and Motion or Blackberry, but also to other companies," said G.K.  Pillai, India's home secretary.  

Placing a server in India allows the government easier access to user content.

India's demands were raised following concerns that terrorist organizations use internet and mobile phone services that security agencies cannot intercept. Security analysts say the terrorists involved in the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai had used mobile and satellite phones to coordinate the raids.

India has been the victim of frequent terror attacks. It is also battling insurgent groups in Kashmir and in the northeast.

India is one of the world's fastest growing telecommunications markets. Blackberry has more than one million users in the country.

Read full history - India to Extend Crackdown On Online Communication Companies

Indian Govt After Scientists Who Worked on Superbug

New Delhi: The government’s licensing authority for medical drugs has served notices on the Indian scientists involved in the ‘superbug’ study published last month, asking them to explain how they collected samples for the research and transported them abroad.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal published the study on a new 'superbug' identified in several patients who had travelled to India for medical treatment, and said there were virtually no drugs to treat it. An international team of researchers, including eight scientists working in Indian institutions, isolated a gene called 'New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase', or NDM-1, which they said makes bacteria resistant to even the most powerful class of antibiotics called 'carbapenems'.

The study was trashed by the Indian government and members of Parliament, who took offence to the name 'New Delhi', and suggested the study was an attempt by vested interests to hurt medical tourism in India.

Now, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has sent letters to the Indian scientists in the research team, asking for details about the "form and manner adopted in collecting human and biological material from various sites within the country and transferring them or exporting them to another country".

The scientists have been given 15 days to list the rules, regulations and guidelines they followed while carrying out the study.

Dr V M Katoch, chairman of the screening committee under the Health Ministry, said the Indian scientists did not seek the mandatory government permission before collaborating with international scientists.

"The records show that no permission was taken to conduct such study by the scietists," Katoch said.

Karthikeyan K Kumarasamy of the Department of Microbiology, Dr A L M Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (PGIBMS) at the University of Madras, confirmed having received the DCGI notice.

"We are discussing the matter with our superiors and other scientists involved in the study," said Kumarasamy, the lead Indian author of the paper. "Some of the isolates were exported, but we did not know that we were to take any permission. We will sit together and send them a reply soon."

Another scientist who is at the Banaras Hindu University and was involved in the study, said, "The government is asking the wrong questions to the wrong people. Most of the processing was done in laboratories here. We did not export the isolates to any other country."

Scientists based in five Indian cities were involved in the study: University of Madras and Apollo Hospital in Chennai; Pandit B D Sharma P-G Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, Haryana; Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, Kerala; Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata, and BHU, Varanasi.

Source: The Indian Express

Read full history - Indian Govt After Scientists Who Worked on Superbug

Indian Govt After Scientists Who Worked on Superbug

New Delhi: The government’s licensing authority for medical drugs has served notices on the Indian scientists involved in the ‘superbug’ study published last month, asking them to explain how they collected samples for the research and transported them abroad.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases Journal published the study on a new 'superbug' identified in several patients who had travelled to India for medical treatment, and said there were virtually no drugs to treat it. An international team of researchers, including eight scientists working in Indian institutions, isolated a gene called 'New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase', or NDM-1, which they said makes bacteria resistant to even the most powerful class of antibiotics called 'carbapenems'.

The study was trashed by the Indian government and members of Parliament, who took offence to the name 'New Delhi', and suggested the study was an attempt by vested interests to hurt medical tourism in India.

Now, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has sent letters to the Indian scientists in the research team, asking for details about the "form and manner adopted in collecting human and biological material from various sites within the country and transferring them or exporting them to another country".

The scientists have been given 15 days to list the rules, regulations and guidelines they followed while carrying out the study.

Dr V M Katoch, chairman of the screening committee under the Health Ministry, said the Indian scientists did not seek the mandatory government permission before collaborating with international scientists.

"The records show that no permission was taken to conduct such study by the scietists," Katoch said.

Karthikeyan K Kumarasamy of the Department of Microbiology, Dr A L M Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (PGIBMS) at the University of Madras, confirmed having received the DCGI notice.

"We are discussing the matter with our superiors and other scientists involved in the study," said Kumarasamy, the lead Indian author of the paper. "Some of the isolates were exported, but we did not know that we were to take any permission. We will sit together and send them a reply soon."

Another scientist who is at the Banaras Hindu University and was involved in the study, said, "The government is asking the wrong questions to the wrong people. Most of the processing was done in laboratories here. We did not export the isolates to any other country."

Scientists based in five Indian cities were involved in the study: University of Madras and Apollo Hospital in Chennai; Pandit B D Sharma P-G Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, Haryana; Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, Kerala; Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata, and BHU, Varanasi.

Source: The Indian Express

Read full history - Indian Govt After Scientists Who Worked on Superbug

Big B ‘Proud Mumbaikar’

Mumbai: Under attack from political parties for his comments on Mumbai metro, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday said that being a "proud Mumbaikar" he never opposed the development of the city.

The 67-year-old star claimed that his comments on his blog regarding the proposed metro track invading his privacy were misinterpreted by the media.

"Mumbai as a city has given my family and me a place in their hearts besides recognition and respect. My family and I have never, and at no point of time would ever, like to disregard the conveniences of my fellow Mumbaikars and the development being undertaken for a better future for the city and them," Bachchan said in a statement posted on his blog.

He said his post on the matter clearly talks about the "general happiness" that metro will bring to the commuters.

"Indeed I have ended the piece by saying welcome 'fellow passengers'. By fellow passenger I include myself as one," said Bachchan, adding, "I am proud to be a Mumbaikar and I welcome the changes which are being seen in the city."

Bachchan said that he requested everyone visiting his blog to read it in it's entirety rather than pick up words and fabricate stories which create unnecessary sensation.

In the post that created such furore, Bachchan had said: "It is finally happening. The Metro rail being laid over the metropolis called Mumbai, some under the ground, some above over large tracts of cement structures is taking shape.

There is general happiness from the commuters, for, the misery of crowded locals and the uncertainties of the three-wheeler or the yellow-black cab shall hopefully be greatly reduced.

"But here is the killer! it's going to roll over Prateeksha! So bye bye privacy and hello fellow traveller."

But after his comments were published in the media, they drew flak from political parties such as Shiv Sena, Congress and MNS.

Mumbai suburban guardian minister Naseem Khan of Congress said, "His remarks are very unfortunate. He should care for interests of other people also. Why should the convenience of one person take precedence over that of lakhs of commuters."

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said everyone wanted privacy but convenience of the people cannot be ignored.

MNS spokesperson Nitin Sardesai said development projects could not be stopped for the sake of an individual. If Bachchan did not object when the project was approved, then why is he doing so now, he asked.

The Maharashtra Government has decided to build the 32 km long Charkop-Bandra-Maknkurd metro route through MMRDA and 22 lakh passengers will benefit.

"Bachchan is a celebrity. But is it okay to criticise the entire project just because it hampers one's privacy? His bungalow is not being affected. It is just that the route will pass through the area," Khan said.

Source:Agencies

Read full history - Big B ‘Proud Mumbaikar’

Big B ‘Proud Mumbaikar’

Mumbai: Under attack from political parties for his comments on Mumbai metro, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday said that being a "proud Mumbaikar" he never opposed the development of the city.

The 67-year-old star claimed that his comments on his blog regarding the proposed metro track invading his privacy were misinterpreted by the media.

"Mumbai as a city has given my family and me a place in their hearts besides recognition and respect. My family and I have never, and at no point of time would ever, like to disregard the conveniences of my fellow Mumbaikars and the development being undertaken for a better future for the city and them," Bachchan said in a statement posted on his blog.

He said his post on the matter clearly talks about the "general happiness" that metro will bring to the commuters.

"Indeed I have ended the piece by saying welcome 'fellow passengers'. By fellow passenger I include myself as one," said Bachchan, adding, "I am proud to be a Mumbaikar and I welcome the changes which are being seen in the city."

Bachchan said that he requested everyone visiting his blog to read it in it's entirety rather than pick up words and fabricate stories which create unnecessary sensation.

In the post that created such furore, Bachchan had said: "It is finally happening. The Metro rail being laid over the metropolis called Mumbai, some under the ground, some above over large tracts of cement structures is taking shape.

There is general happiness from the commuters, for, the misery of crowded locals and the uncertainties of the three-wheeler or the yellow-black cab shall hopefully be greatly reduced.

"But here is the killer! it's going to roll over Prateeksha! So bye bye privacy and hello fellow traveller."

But after his comments were published in the media, they drew flak from political parties such as Shiv Sena, Congress and MNS.

Mumbai suburban guardian minister Naseem Khan of Congress said, "His remarks are very unfortunate. He should care for interests of other people also. Why should the convenience of one person take precedence over that of lakhs of commuters."

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said everyone wanted privacy but convenience of the people cannot be ignored.

MNS spokesperson Nitin Sardesai said development projects could not be stopped for the sake of an individual. If Bachchan did not object when the project was approved, then why is he doing so now, he asked.

The Maharashtra Government has decided to build the 32 km long Charkop-Bandra-Maknkurd metro route through MMRDA and 22 lakh passengers will benefit.

"Bachchan is a celebrity. But is it okay to criticise the entire project just because it hampers one's privacy? His bungalow is not being affected. It is just that the route will pass through the area," Khan said.

Source:Agencies

Read full history - Big B ‘Proud Mumbaikar’