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| << March17, 2008 - [India Thinkers Net] Tibet history ,Tobacco conference ,Aurangazeb.. |
March20, 2008 - [India Thinkers Net] Sarabjit's wife,relgious freedom in India etc >> |
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[1] From: "Ram Narayanan" <ramn_one@roadrunner.com Date: Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:14 am Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] **A Very Important Event Dear Ram Prasad: Thanks a lot for your suggestion. I agree that the role of science in rural development, should be very much a part of the agenda. Regards, Ram Narayanan From: "ram prasad" <tnordramprasad@yahoo.co.in Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 12:06 PM Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] **A Very Important Event Dear Mr Ram Narayanan, I am glad to note that a group of Indian American activists for India is coordinating and sponsoring the India Rural Development ACTION Program Conference in Chicago. -------------- [2] From: WebXpurt <webxpurt@yahoo.com Date: Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:22 am Subject: GENOCIDE IN TIBET - http://ultracurrents.blogspot.com http://ultracurrents.blogspot.com/ 'Cultural Genocide Is Taking Place' By AUDRA ANG, AP 3/17/08 BEIJING (March 17) - Tibet's governor promised leniency to anti-Chinese protesters who turned themselves in before the end of Monday — and harsh consequences for those who don't — while troops fanned out to quell sympathy protests that have spread to three neighboring provinces. The Dalai Lama called Sunday for an international probe into China's crackdown on protesters in Tibet. "Whether the (Chinese) government there admits or not, there is a problem. There is an ancient cultural heritage that is facing serious danger," he said. "Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place." Supporters of the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader said that 80 people have been killed in the demonstrations that began last week after the 49th anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Here, Buddhist monks in-exile take part in a protest march Sunday in Dharamsala, India. Hundreds of armed police and soldiers have been deployed to patrol the streets of Tibet's capital city, Lhasa, and in other potential hotspots. Here, riot police block a protest march Friday near the historic Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, China. On Sunday, demonstrations in Tibet spread to neighboring provinces. The protests are the largest public resistance to Bejing's rule in decades. A Tibetan Buddhist monk in-exile tamples Chinese flags during a protest Sunday in Dharamsala, India. International sympathizers have organized rallies in Nepal, New York, Switzerland and Australia. Protestors march in a demonstration Sunday in Dharamsala, India. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/dalai-lama-warns-of-genocide-in-tibet/20080316105109990001? ncid=NWS00010000000001 Tibet Protests @ http://worldmonitor.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/tibet-protests-turn-violent/ -------------- [3] From: "Sukla Sen" <sukla.sen@gmail.com Date: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:24 pm Subject: India, Nuclear Non-Proliferation and the World I/II. Downer denied Indian scientists visas Richard Baker and Sarah Smiles March 17, 2008 TWO Indian nuclear officials were last year barred from Australia on "health and character" grounds and for fear they would learn information to assist "India's weapons of mass destruction program", documents reveal. The documents show that former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer refused visas for the Indian Department of Atomic Energy scientists in April, at the same time that his department was negotiating the sale of uranium to India, which is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In August, the Coalition controversially agreed to export uranium to India although it was not a signatory to the treaty. Then prime minister John Howard argued the uranium was intended only for power generation and would not contribute to nuclear proliferation. The decision has since been overturned by the Rudd Government. The barring of the Indian officials is revealed in documents held by a high-tech Melbourne company involved in a longstanding dispute with the Commonwealth over the export of its equipment, which federal officials claim can be used in nuclear weapons programs. Dandenong-based GBC Scientific has also been banned under the rarely used Weapons of Mass Destruction Act from selling equipment to Iran, and in 2003 one of its Romanian clients was detained overnight by customs officials at Melbourne Airport. Documents show that last April, two officials from the Indian Government's Bahabha Atomic Research Centre were refused short-stay business visas to finalise the purchase of an X-ray machine from GBC's laboratory. The machine is not subject to any export controls. In a letter to GBC, the Immigration Department - which refused to divulge its reasons for denying visas to Indian officials Dipankar Mukherjee and Mohd Afzal - stressed the importance of applicants meeting "Australia's health and character standards". "As part of visa processing, various checks must be undertaken prior to visa grant. This includes mandatory health checks, character and security checking ? for privacy reasons, I am unable to discuss the reasons why Mr Mukherjee and Mr Afzal's visa applications were refused," wrote the department's acting assistant secretary, Michael Clisby. Another letter written on Mr Downer's behalf by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's assistant secretary for arms control and counter proliferation, John Sullivan, argued that the Indian scientists worked for an organisation that played "a leading role in India's nuclear weapons research". "Knowledge the individuals could acquire in Australia could be of assistance to India's WMD program," Mr Sullivan wrote. GBC Scientific founder and managing director Ron Grey told The Age the former government was being hypocritical by barring his Indian customers while it was negotiating to sell uranium to India outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty. High-profile barrister Julian Burnside, QC, who was engaged by GBC last year to challenge the ban on Iran sales, said the visa denials defied logic when Australia was negotiating uranium sales to India. Mr Burnside said it could be argued that Mr Howard's decision to sell uranium to India would assist its nuclear weapons program by allowing uranium that was earmarked for use in power generation to be diverted to weapons development. Mr Grey enlisted Mr Burnside to challenge a June decision by former defence minister, now Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson to ban the export of two analysis instruments known as optical spectrometers to Iran. Spectrometers are specialised analysis instruments that are used to identify elements in a particular substance. Dr Nelson claimed the instruments could assist in the development of nuclear weapons. This story was found at: http://www.theage. com.au/articles/ 2008/03/16/ 1205602195503. html II. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-lvnNCVaOd1RryE3D2_hCJE8Ssg US firm, CEO admit weapon, nuclear-linked export violations 4 days ago WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US company and the Indian head of an international firm have admitted to violating laws on export of weapons technology and nuclear power testing equipment to India, the US Justice Department said Thursday. Decade-long US sanctions over illegal Indian nuclear tests prohibit US-based companies from exporting certain goods and services to India. Parthasarathy Sudarshan, the Indian CEO of Cirrus Electronics with offices in the United States, Singapore and India, pleaded guilty in Washington Thursday to a charge of shipping restricted weapons technology to the Indian government. He admitted exporting controlled microprocessors and electronic components to Indian state entities involved in developing ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles and fighter jets. Among the recipients were the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), an enterprise within the Indian Department of Space; and Bharat Dynamics, Ltd. (BDL), an Indian Defense Ministry enterprise. Both are on the US Department of Commerce's so-called Entity List. Exports of US-origin commodities to these entities are restricted and require prior authorization in the form of a license from the department. "The defendant participated in a clandestine network that circumvented our export laws and put sophisticated technology in the hands of foreign companies that were listed as end-users of concern for proliferation reasons," US Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said. "With this prosecution, the defendant will no longer be able to make a profit at the expense of our national security," he said. In the second case, Minnesota company MTS Systems Corp. was fined 400,000 dollars after it pleaded guilty Wednesday in connection with submitting false US export license applications over proposed shipments to India, the Justice Department said. The company admitted to two misdemeanor counts of "false certification or writing" by omitting critical information linked to test equipment for nuclear-power plants. "In this case, the omission clearly was an attempt to disguise the end-use of testing structural components of nuclear-power plants," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Darryl Jackson. In 1998, the United States imposed economic sanctions on India after it conducted a series of nuclear weapons tests. The sanctions prohibit American companies from exporting certain goods and services to various Indian entities without first obtaining an export license. Washington and New Delhi had signed a pact in 2005 for export of US nuclear technology to India but implementation has been delayed as the two countries work out complex international regulations governing such trade. The 47-year-old Sudarshan faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison, a 250,000-dollar fine and three years of supervised release, a justice official told AFP. He is to be sentenced on June 16. Sudarshan routed the products through his company's Singapore office and then sent the packages on to India to conceal that goods were going to entities on the Entity List, officials said. In addition to supplying VSSC and BDL with components, Sudarshan acquired microprocessors for the Tejas, a fighter jet under development in India. The microprocessors were necessary for the navigation and weapons systems of the Tejas. -------------- [4] From: "EMPOWER INDIA" <ttn_empower@sancharnet.in Date: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:00 pm Subject: India-CCM and Global Fund calls for proposalsfor Round Eight of Funding e THE INDIA-COUNTRY COORDINATING MECHANISM (INDIA CCM) FOR THE GLOBAL FUND TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS & MALARIA (GFATM) CALLS FOR PROPOSALS FOR ROUND EIGHT OF FUNDING The India - Country Coordination Mechanism is calling for proposals from civil society organizations and private sector organizations interested in participating in the preparation of the country proposal to the Global Fund (Round 8). The CCM intends to submit a proposal with three components, one for malaria, one for tuberculosis and one for HIV/AIDS. The details along with the proposal template can be accessed at the India CCM Website: http://www.indiaccm.org/ or at the NGO Gateway: http://www.ngogateway.org: 9080/unaids/handle/1/475 A subcommittee of the CCM held consultations and meetings to finalize the scope of the proposal for each of the three diseases components namely, Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV, which civil society organizations and private sector organizations have to adhere to. Other topics can be considered for the proposal but are not currently included in the priorities identified by the CCM. Malaria The National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP) will prepare a proposal to expand the reach of the malaria control programme. Private sector and civil society organizations wishing to provide support in states with high malaria prevalence in the following issues may submit proposals for inclusion in the malaria component of the comprehensive country proposal: * Advocacy, social mobilization, education, training, and the like, * Supply chain for insecticide impregnated bed nets, re-impregnation kits, social marketing of nets, and so on, * Diagnosis and care for malaria in the field, * Support for monitoring and evaluation, * Innovation in software and data handling Tuberculosis The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has indicated that the government does not require funding from the Global Fund. However, to expand the reach, coverage and success rate of the national programme, the CCM is inviting proposals from civil society and private sector organizations in the following areas: * Advocacy, * Mobilization of decentralized authorities, * Social mobilization, * Stigma reduction * DOTS expansion in under-served states HIV and AIDS The CCM has decided that the HIV or AIDS component of the country proposal would have several sub-components and hence the call for proposals has four components: * Prevention of injecting drug use (IDU) and harm reduction among IDU Proposals are sought from civil society and private sector organizations for the rapid upscale of programmes to prevent injecting drug use and prevent HIV transmission among IDU through effective harm reduction. * Support to males who have sex with males for prevention of HIV transmission Proposals should concentrate on comprehensive services for the MSM community, including social support, mental health, family counselling, safe meeting places, support to community organizations, and the like. Civil society and private sector organizations should not address prevention through targeted interventions, for which Government funds are already available. Proposals addressing the specific needs of the transgender community are welcome. * Prevention of HIV transmission among informal and migrant workers Proposals from civil society and private sector organizations should concentrate on prevention in and around the work place, both in urban and rural settings. Proposals including representatives of workers and corporations will be welcome. * Strengthening health systems in Northern States to improve MCH and STI, HIV services Proposals from private sector organizations, for or not for profit, should address the need for integrated primary care services, including in particular reproductive and sexual health, especially for people living with HIV, as well as mother and child care and HIV services in Northern states where government services only reach a minority of the population. Presentation of proposals The CCM requests concept notes, as per the template provided at http://www.indiaccm.org/Proposal%20template%20round%208.doc for Ms Word format and http://www.indiaccm.org/Proposal%20template%20round%208.pdf for PDF. Proposals from civil society and private sector organizations submitted only as per this template will be taken into consideration. The template aims at providing the CCM with all the information about the submitting organization, including its size, capacity for implementation, areas of work, competence, partnerships and previous performance. The CCM will evaluate all proposals and decide on the overall architecture and partners for each of the three diseases. It will discuss with the selected civil society and private sector organizations for the finalization of India 's comprehensive proposal consisting of the three disease components, including the choice of Principal Recipient(s) for each of the three disease components and their sub-components. The CCM will finalize the Comprehensive Country Proposal of India, with input from all stakeholders and in cooperation with the agreed Principal Recipients and their sub-recipients. Kindly send your proposals by April 20, 2008. The proposals can be sent by email to proposalsround8@indiaccm.org or by mail at the following address: Secretariat of the India-CCM, c/o UNAIDS, A2/35 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110029. Source: http://www.indiaccm.org/ accessed 17 March 2008 Ranjan Dwivedi Technical Advisor, UNAIDS A2/35 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi, India-110029 Tel :+91-11-41354545 Fax :+91-11-41354534 e-mail: <mailto: dwivedir@unaids.org dwivedir@unaids.org Web: <http://www.unaids.org.in/ www.unaids.org.in |
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| << March17, 2008 - [India Thinkers Net] Tibet history ,Tobacco conference ,Aurangazeb.. |
March20, 2008 - [India Thinkers Net] Sarabjit's wife,relgious freedom in India etc >> |
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