International and Bilateral Issues

Tata bags Swiss award

• Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata has been honoured with ‘Swiss Ambassador's Award for Exceptional Leadership', which recognises individuals who have contributed to the promotion of Indo-Swiss bilateral relations or have stood out for their exceptional role in the society and industry.
• Mr. Tata said the legacy of a true leader was to have made a difference and improved the quality of life of the people whom the person served.

Holland is the socialists' nominee

• With almost 57 per cent of the vote, Francois Holland, a former party General Secretary was declared the French Socialist Party's presidential nominee
• The last time the Socialists won the presidential election was in 1988 when Francois Mitterrand was re-elected for a second seven-year term. Since then, the Socialists have notched up three presidential defeats in a row

Nepal PM to seek Indian support for peace process

• In his visit to India later this week, Nepal's Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai's primary agenda will be to solicit Indian support and goodwill to complete the peace process and write a constitution.
• After two years of a publicly acrimonious relationship, relations between India and the Maoist party are on the mend. The fact that India did not block the Madhesi parties, over which it has substantial influence, from supporting the Maoists is seen as a shift from their earlier ‘hardline policy' of keeping the Maoists out of the power structure.
• India has pressed Nepal to sign the long-pending extradition treaty, the mutual legal assistance treaty, border strip maps, and allow deployment of sky marshals on Indian aircrafts. The Nepal government has conveyed to India that, ‘given the fragile political transition', formalising these agreements would not be possible.
• Nepal will also raise the issue of huge trade imbalance, and seek more economic investment.
• In the backdrop of attacks on certain Indian joint venture companies, the Indian side is keen to sign the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (BIPPA).
• Agreements on import of 200 MW of power from India to meet Nepal's crippling power shortage, and Indian support to infrastructure projects, are expected.

Handle Fazlullah, demands Pakistan

• After asking the U.S. and Afghan forces to “do more'' to check cross-border incursions into Pakistan, Islamabad has now moved on to specifics demanding action against Maulana Fazlullah — a Taliban leader who had established a parallel government in Swat till he was forced to leave in 2009
• We have given locations and information about these groups to the Afghanistan government and the International Security Assistance Force
• According to Maj. Gen. Abbas, the cleric and his supporters have regrouped in Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan, and pose a threat to Pakistan.

Japan's aid diplomacy & India

• The decision by Japan to exempt India from the cuts it has implemented in its overseas aid programmes following the tsunami and the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is an indication that Tokyo, despite its internal political turmoil, is giving its ties with New Delhi high priority.
• India now gives considerable financial assistance to neighbouring countries and to Africa. It is a contributor to the poverty alleviation fund set up by the India-Brazil-South Africa grouping and managed by the United Nations
• But it also continues to receive funding from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, the European Union, the Scandinavian countries and a few others, aside from what these countries channelise through non-governmental organisations.
• Foreign funding can be deployed in the battle to make health, water, and sanitation available to millions of Indians who live without these facilities
• Financial aid from Japan funds the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, a $100-billion infrastructure development that extends over six States.
• The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement the two countries signed last year promises to further trade relations that have stagnated far below their potential.

The emerging innovation capital of Russia

• In the coming years, Tomsk, known for its hydrocarbons and iron ore resources, may emerge as the innovation capital of Russia.
• Russian leaders have announced the goal of transforming the resource-dependent economy into a knowledge-based economy.
• While today oil, gas and minerals account for 80 per cent of Russia's export earnings, by 2020 the share of innovative industry is set to grow from five per cent to 30 per cent.
• What makes Tomsk special is its enormous scientific potential. It is home to Siberia's oldest university, set up in 1888.
• Russia has been traditionally strong in academic research but weak in applications, with the notable exception of defence technologies.
• In recent years, the local government has built a ramified network of business incubators, venture funds and technology transfer centres to facilitate the commercialisation of a vast treasure trove of academic research. The high point of this effort was the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that offers considerable tax breaks, exemption from customs duties and other benefits to companies specialising in nanotechnologies, IT, electronics, biotechnology and medicine.
• The Tomsk tech-town is still in its early stages but its 57 tenants have already come up with some amazing world class innovative products.
• Elecard, a top world manufacturer of video codecs, whose customers include Microsoft and Sony, has developed, jointly with another Tomsk company, Triaxes — a technology to convert 2D films into 3D format and to shoot glasses-free 3D content with stereoscopic cameras used today for filming movies which are seen with glasses on.
• The Tomsk-based firm, Mikran, has teamed up with Nokia Siemens to produce LTE base stations for Russia's first 4G network. The company supplies electronic equipment to India
• A revolutionary nano-filter, AquaVallis, purifies 100 per cent biologically polluted water and does not require any further disinfection.
• Tomsk offers a glimpse of what Russia may look like in 10 or 20 years.
• India is represented by ONGC Videsh Ltd which in 2009 acquired Imperial Energy, an oil company that has production assets in the Tomsk region. However, daunted by harsh climate and challenging terrain conditions, the company has considered pulling out.
• Japanese, Singaporean, Taiwanese, Australian and European companies have settled in the SEZ but Indian companies are conspicuously absent from the region's high tech sector.
• the high-profile presence of China focussed on the rich pool of local talent. There are about 1,500 Chinese students enrolled at Tomsk universities, mostly in engineering faculties.
• Tomsk has similar partnership arrangements with the Japanese, German, French, Australian and other foreign universities. Again, there are no Indian varsities among Tomsk partners.
• Local India fans make their best to compensate for the lack of interest on the part of Indian government and business.
• One of the best known groups, Satvika, has set up a “Bharatanatyam school in Siberia” offering week-long intensive courses to groups and individuals
• In the 1990s, Indian business missed a chance to gain a foothold in the Russian up-and-coming manufacturing industries such as automobile, food and tobacco. Today, it has an opportunity to catch up by joining Russia's innovation push.