Artists to thank MPs for Copyright Act Eminent musicians, writers and composers will come together to present a concert as a “thanksgiving” (‘shukrana’) to parliamentarians for passing the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2012. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on the last day of the budget session. The artistes include Lata Mangeshkar, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, A.R. Rahman, Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. will conduct. This Bill amends the Copyright Act, 1957 and seeks to make the provisions of the law in conformity with relevant international treaties. It expands the definition of “copyright” and introduces a system of statutory licensing to protect the owners of literary or musical works. Song writers, artistes and performers can claim royalty for their works, as amendments to the Copyright Act entitles artistes to lifelong royalty.

Sonia is sixth in Forbes list of 100 most powerful women The Forbes magazine ranked United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson the sixth most powerful woman in the world, in its list of 100 women. German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list for the second year in a row; Ms. Gandhi is placed ahead of the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.Ms. Gandhi (65) is among the five Indian women, who have been named in the ‘World’s 100 Most Powerful Women’ list released by the magazine on Wednesday. She was ranked 7th last year. Giving Ms. Gandhi company is Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi, who was ranked 12th, followed by Cisco Systems Chief Technology and Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior at 58th, ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar at 59th and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw at 80th rank.

Tamil Nadu student wins U.K. MBA scholarship Sruthi Vijayachandran, a postgraduate student from Tamil Nadu, has been awarded a scholarship to study MBA at the London School of Business Finance after being awarded the First Prize in the final of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition held at Robinson College, University of Cambridge. Ms. Vijayachandran, was among nine young English language students from across Asia flown to Britain to take part in the competition that involved giving two presentations with a business theme and answering a series of questions put to them by an expert panel. She also recently passed Cambridge English: Business Vantage (BEC) – a high level business English qualification developed by Cambridge ESOL.

Engine factory clocks 25 years The Indian Army’s battle tanks the Ajeya, Bhishma and Sarath may differ in their speed, agility and firepower, but they share a common umbilical cord. The engines that power these armoured vehicle variants hail from the Engine Factory, Avadi (EFA) that celebrates its silver jubilee. Uniquely placed as the sole supplier of diesel engines for various battle tank versions in the Indian Army, the EFA is now embarking on a major plan to double its installed capacity and scale up its technical workforce in tune with the expanding needs of the country’s defence establishment. The three main variants of diesel engines are the V 46-6 for use in the Ajeya (T-72), V92S2 that powers Bhishma tanks and the UTD-20 for Sarath infantry combat-cum-armoured personnel carrier. The engine variants also have multi-fuel options.

Manmohan to watch ISRO’s 100th mission Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is in-charge of Space and Atomic Energy, will be at Sriharikota on September 9 to watch the launch of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) that will put French remote- sensing satellite SPOT-6 and Japanese micro-satellite PROITERES in orbit. The launch will be the 100th mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). According to ISRO, if a satellite built by it is put in orbit by another country’s launch vehicle, it is counted as one mission. If India’s or other countries’ satellites are put in orbit by an ISRO-built rocket such as SLV-3 or PSLV from Sriharikota, it is counted as two missions. The four stages of the PSLV have been assembled in the first launch pad on the seafront of the spindle-shaped island. The launch vehicle, weighing 230 tonnes and 44 metres tall, will be a core-alone version without strap-on booster motors. SPOT-6, weighing about 716 kg, is built by Astrium SAS, a subsidiary of EADS, France. PROITERES that weighs 16-kg “is basically a technology demonstrator for earth observation” and has a high-resolution camera. A team of students and faculty of the Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT) developed PROITERES, which stands for Project of OIT Electric Rocket Engine Onboard Small Space Ship. India’s space journey began when satellite Aryabhatta lifted off from the Volgograd launch station at Kapustin-Yar (now in Russia) on April 19, 1975. ISRO’s first indigenous mission took place on August 10, 1979, when it tried to put satellite Rohini in orbit with the help of a SLV-3. But the satellite could not be placed in orbit. However, the launch was a success when attempted on July 18, 1980. Page 1 of 4 23rd August 2012

Fresh water on ocean surface raises cyclone intensity: study A new study by a team of scientists in the United States has revealed that tropical cyclones become intense when they pass over freshwater plumes on the ocean surface. The study was published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ in USA. Dr. Karthik Balaguru , who hails from Andhra Pradesh and completed his B. Tech and M. Tech from IIT, Madras, explaining the implications of the study, said the heat energy supplied by oceans was the fuel for cyclones. Oceans receive heat from the sun. The warmer the ocean surface temperature, the greater would the chance of the cyclone to get intense. “Cyclones intensify when ocean supplies heat”. When tropical cyclone passes over an ocean, its winds travelling at high speed get mixed up with the surface water and in the process the cold sea water would move up to the surface. This would affect the intensity of the cyclones which gather their energy from the ocean surface temperature. But in certain regions lot of freshwater is ‘dumped” on the ocean surface. This freshwater would stay at the top of ocean as it would be lighter than the salty sea water. Because of this layer, when the cyclones pass over the ocean the strong winds do not mix as much as during the absence of freshwater. As a result, more heat would be ‘pumped” into cyclone leading to its intensification. Such freshwater plumes could be found in large river systems as Ganga-Brahmaputra-Irawati in the Indian Ocean and Amazon-Orinoco in Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Karthik said the intensity of cyclone could be predicted by knowing the distribution of freshwater plumes on ocean surface, depending on the path it would traverse.

SIDBI allowed to access ECB window for on-lending to MSME sector As part of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s mission mode exercise to boost investment in various sectors of the economy to revert to the high growth track, the government has decided to permit Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) as an eligible borrower for external commercial borrowings (ECB) for on- lending to the MSME (micro small and medium enterprise) sector. According to a Finance Ministry statement here, the decision taken by the High-Level Committee on External Commercial Borrowings (HLCECB) to include the SIDBI in the list of eligible borrowers will be subject to certain conditions to be finalised in consultation with the Reserve bank of India. In the housing sector, while the utilisation of the ECBs is already permitted for low-cost housing projects, it has now been decided that entities such as the National Housing Bank (NHB) and HFCs (housing finance companies) will be included as eligible borrowers for financing such low-cost housing projects.

Annasree cash transfer scheme to be integrated with Aadhaar scheme The Delhi Government is working towards integrating the Annasree scheme of providing cash transfer of Rs.600 per month to nearly two lakh poor families for purchase of foodgrains by linking it to the UIDAI Aadhaar scheme to exclude bogus ration card holders. Delhi Food & Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf said that the Annasree scheme, which will be launched in November, will cover people not holding Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards. The UIDAI is the most authentic identification and it will help in weeding out bogus card holders.

CBI files charge-sheet in Queen’s Baton Relay case The award of contracts pertaining to the Queen’s Baton Relay held in London prior to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to two London-based companies at exorbitant rates resulted in a loss of £1.19 lakh to the Exchequer, the Central Bureau of Intelligence has alleged in charge-sheets filed against three former senior CWG Organising Committee (OC) functionaries, the firms and their director. Those charge-sheeted in the two cases are former OC Joint Director-General T.S. Darbari, former Deputy Director-General Sanjay Mohindroo and Joint Director-General (Finance and Account) M. Jayachandran, besides London-based Ashish Patel and two companies AM Car and Van Hire Limited and AM Films, of which he was the director.

Sweden unlikely to extradite Assange to US: Australia WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was unlikely to be extradited from Sweden to the United States if there was a risk of the death penalty or a military court. British authorities won their case to extradite Assange to Sweden to face sex assault allegations, but because he sought asylum in Ecuador’s Embassy in London they have so far been unable to send him there. Supporters of the 41-year-old Australian believe that if sent to Sweden, Assange could be extradited to the United States to face charges of espionage over WikiLeaks’ publication of a vast horde of sensitive US papers. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Australia could not get involved in cases outside its jurisdiction but that Stockholm had indicated the former hacker was unlikely to be sent to the United States. WikiLeaks has urged Sweden to guarantee it will not extradite Assange to the US, where he fears being pursued over the organisation’s release of thousands of sensitive Page 2 of 4 23rd August 2012

files, including on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Solo mission: PLA women fighter pilots make history The first batch of five Chinese air force women fighter pilots have recently made their first solo flights in the country's most advanced J-10 combat aircraft, the PLA Daily reported. They flew the aircraft from an unnamed airfield in northern China in July end. The J-10, also called the "Vigorous Dragon", is a multirole combat aircraft capable of air-to-air combat and ground-attack missions. China's air force began recruiting female fighter pilots after it became a global trend in 2005. The five pilots were among the 16 officers, who were selected after graduating from colleges in 2009. One of them, He Xiaoli, joined male colleagues to fly over Tiananmen Square during the National Day Parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China that year. The five completed their solo flight after Chinese female astronaut Liu Yang soared into space on Shenzhou-9 spacecraft in June. Flying a fighter jet is a very demanding job. Fifteen countries, including the US, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Pakistan have female fighter pilots.

48 killed in Kenya ethnic clashes At least 48 people, including 11 children, were killed in a clash involving two communities in Kenya. The clash between the Pokomo and Orma communities took place overnight in the Tana river region of southeast Kenya. The Pokomos are farmers and the Ormas are pastoralists, and have been fighting over pastureland for some time now. The Ormas' cattle had strayed into farmlands owned by the Pokomos, and in the process destroyed crops. This prompted the Pokomos to attack the Orma herdsmen

Floating rate deposit scheme from IDBI Bank IDBI Bank, became the first lender to come out with a floating rate deposit product after the Reserve Bank of India nudged banks to switch to such mode of deposits in July 2012. This is not the first time that any bank has launched such a product. Country’s largest lender State Bank of India had, in fact, experimented with such a product, only to be met with a poor response in the past and then scrapped it. RBI Governor D. Subbarao had discussed the possibility of launching such a product with bank chiefs at the customary post- policy meeting on July 31. The IDBI product entails a minimum deposit of Rs.10,000 or in multiples of Rs.1,000 up to a maximum of Rs.1 crore. The interest rate on the deposit will move in tandem with a reference rate to be readjusted on a quarterly basis.

Himadri Chem drops plans to acquire German firm The Kolkata-based Himadri Chemicals & Industries Ltd. has dropped its plans to acquire German company Rutgers. Like Himadri, the Düsseldorf-based Rutgers also makes coal tar pitch (CTP) distillates, and has been in this business for about 160 years. Rutgers is the world’s second largest company in CTP, with units in Europe and Canada, besides an office in China. This was Himadri’s second attempt at acquiring the company. It had backed out of a bid made in 2007, when the government-controlled company was being divested. Himadri was among the two finalists. However, it withdrew in January 2008, following reservations about the company’s valuation. The Rs.1,123-crore turnover company has eight plants in India. These are in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat.

Mahindra Reva’s new plant in Bangalore goes on stream Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles , which was acquired by the Mahindra Group in 2010, inaugurated its new “green” manufacturing facility in Bangalore. Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra Group, said the “dramatic advancements” in automobile technologies were being primarily driven by the greater use of electronics and IT solutions in the industry. The plant, which has an initial capacity to manufacture 6,000 units per year, can be scaled up to 30,000 units per annum. The company has invested Rs. 100 crore in the new facility.

Amazon Kindle(s) interest in India World’s biggest online retailer Amazon has finally decided to enter the Indian market, with the launch of its India Kindle store and a partnership with electronics retailer Croma, a Tata outfit, to sell its trademark Kindle e-book reader. The company began testing the waters earlier in 2012, when it launched Junglee.com – its comparison shopping website. The India Kindle Store offers over one million books, conveniently priced in rupees. This is a step its competitor, Penguin Books India, has still not taken. The Kindle will be available across all Croma retail outlets at a price of Rs. 6,999.

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Russia joins WTO after 18 years of talks After 18 years of negotiation, Russia, entered the World Trade Organization (WTO), which restricts import duties and subsidies in an attempt to create a level-playing field for international trade Russia is one of the last major global economies to enter the group, which has long included other developing nations such as China. Russians often complain about the burdensome cost of Western-imported consumer products, which range from refrigerators to jeans. With its entry into the WTO, the country will cut its average import tariff by 5.9 per cent, making those imports cheaper. M. Video, one of Russia’s largest electronics retailers whose shelves are packed with foreign-made CD players and American movies, said Russia’s entry into the WTO would bring more customers into their stores.

Anand Prahlad is MD of McAfee in India Software security solutions firm McAfee, has announced the appointment of Anand Prahlad as Managing Director (Operations) for its India business. Beginning October 1, Mr. Prahlad, at present Vice-President of Engineering for Endpoint Security, will assume the role of India Managing Director (Operations). Mr. Prahlad joined McAfee twoyears ago from CommVault, where he worked for 16 years in product development. He replaces Sridhar Jayanthi, who has led the research and development operations at McAfee India for the past 10 years. Jayanthi, who is taking a six-month leave of absence, will return to McAfee in 2013, and will be based in the U.S. in a new role.

Arvind Saxena to head Volkswagen in India German auto major Volkswagen said it had appointed ex-Hyundai Motor India marketing and sales head Arvind Saxena as its Managing Director of passenger cars business in India. Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. President and Managing Director Gerry Dorizas said Saxena’s experience in the automotive sector would contribute to the growth of the brand.

London prepares to welcome the world again The world’s top athletes with a disability, including “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, converge on London for what organisers say will be the biggest and most high-profile Paralympics in the Games’ 52-year history. A record 4,200 athletes from 166 countries will be in the British capital, with the 11-day Games a near sell-out and expected to be watched by an estimated global television audience of four billion people. Britain is considered the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, after World War II veterans with spinal injuries competed in archery events at Stoke Mandeville in southern England in 1948, 12 years before the first official Games in Rome. China held the last Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 and did much to raise the Games’ profile. The previous hosts won 211 medals, including 89 gold.

Cash bonanza for top 12 finish at London Games All those who missed an Olympic medal but finished within 12 places in the final classification of their respective events, will have the consolation of getting Rs. 10 lakh from the Union Sports Ministry. Shooter Joydeep Karmakar, fourth in rifle prone event, double trap marksman Ronjan Sodhi (11th), women's air pistol shooter Heena Sidhu (12th), discus throwers Krishna Poonia (seventh) and Vikas Gowda (eighth), walker K.T. Irfan (tenth), Tintu Luka (11th in women’s 800m), badminton player P. Kashyap (quarterfinalist), boxing quarterfinalists Devendro Singh (light flyweight) and Vijender Singh (middleweight), wrestler Amit Kumar (10th,) in men's freestyle 55kg category and weightlifter Soniya Chanu (7th) in women's 48 kg section made the ‘cut’ for the extended cash award.

Roger Federer seeded No.1 World No. 1 Roger Federer was confirmed as the top men’s seed at the US Open, the last Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year which starts at Flushing Meadows. Defending champion Novak Djokovic is seeded second and World No. 4 Andy Murray of Britain, who won Olympic gold at Wimbledon, is seeded third because of the absence of World No.3 Rafael Nadal. Spain’s David Ferrer is seeded fourth. The singles draw for the tournament, which runs from August 27 to September 9.

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