India

This release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of Novartis India Ltd.

May 28, 2009 -- Basel, Switzerland, May 28, 2009 - Novartis announced today an increase in the offer price for Novartis India Ltd. to Rs 450 per share, from Rs 351 initially proposed.

The revised offer represents a premium of 63% to the closing share price of Rs 275.6 of Novartis India Ltd. on March 24, which was the last trading day before announcement of the offer.

This proposal represents Novartis' only and final price revision to this offer, as May 28 is the last day on which the price can be revised.

Source: Novartis

May 28, 2009 -- Tata Motors today unveiled its new range of world standard trucks. In their power, speed, carrying capacity, operating economy and trims, they will introduce new benchmarks in India and match the best in the world in performance at a lower life cycle cost.

The range comprises multi-axle trucks, tractor-trailers, tippers, mixers, and special application vehicles. Besides India, they will also gradually be introduced in South Korea, South Africa, the SAARC countries and the Middle East.    » read more »

May 23, 2009 -- Today, President Obama called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India to congratulate him on being sworn-in for a second term as prime minister.

He also congratulated India on successfully completing the largest democratic exercise that the world has ever seen, calling it a testament to the strength of India’s democracy.

The two leaders recalled their warm meeting in London on April 2 and discussed their mutual desire to strengthen U.S.-India relations and work together to address common global challenges, such as the economic downturn, climate change, and counterterrorism.

President Obama also invited the Prime Minister to visit Washington.

Source: White House

May 27, 2009 -- In a certification audit conducted at Mithapur, Babrala and Haldia, the auditors expressed satisfaction on Tata Chemicals' management commitment and the social accountability management system (SAMS) put in place. TCL has been certified under SA 8000:2001 standard for the Mithapur, Babrala and Haldia sites by RINA India. TCL will be one of the few global organisations to have been SA 8000 certified.    » read more »

PITTSBURGH, May 18, 2009 – Architects say durability is the most important attribute for a “green” building product, according to a new industry survey commissioned by PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG). It was followed by ENERGY STAR compliance, life-cycle assessment, no- or low-volatile organic compound (VOC) content and the ability to source products regionally.

Durability also is the most important attribute among building products in general, ranking slightly ahead of price. Product warranties, features and technical support also were named by approximately two in five architects.    » read more »

Co-branded internet homepage launched in India

May 25, 2009 -- Bangalore -- Tata Teleservices, the pan-India telecom service provider, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Yahoo! India, the internet company. The strategic partnership will provide a compelling web experience and a unique user interface to all Tata Indicom customers. As part of this partnership, a co-branded Yahoo! India homepage will serve as the default across all Tata Indicom internet access devices.    » read more »

Agreement with Larsen & Toubro Strengthens GEH’s Local Supplier Network for Future, Multi-Unit Reactor Project to Help Meet Energy and Climate Goals

WILMINGTON, N.C.--19 May 2009-- GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) today announced it has signed a nuclear power plant development agreement with India's top engineering and construction company, Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T).    » read more »

Consumer Confidence Weak but Optimism Exists

New York, NY, April 22, 2009 -- Global declines in consumer activity appear to be moderating or bottoming out, according to this month’s Nielsen Economic Current scorecard of consumer behavior, a regular report from The Nielsen Company. The report found that out of 11 major GDP countries, only one country – Germany – changed positions on the Nielsen scorecard, showing an uptick in consumer behavior during the month of February.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today said that he will attend the Group of Eight (G8) Agricultural Ministerial in Treviso, Italy, April 18-20.

"Hunger and malnutrition afflict more than one billion people around the world, causing human suffering, political instability and economic stagnation," said Vilsack. "This ministerial affirms our strong commitment to global food security and provides a unique opportunity to work with other agriculture ministers in developing a shared strategy to deal with food security issues."    » read more »

New Lab Space Set to Open In Bangalore, India; Adds to Expansions in United States, Germany and China

BANGALORE, India & FAIRFIELD, Conn.--11 March 2009-- GE Global Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced the opening of its newest research space, a 350,000 sq. ft. building at its technology campus in Bangalore, India. The new environmentally designed building, which is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certified, will house nearly 2,000 researchers.    » read more »

25 August 2008 -- Tens of thousands of people have protested outside the Indian factory set to produce the world's cheapest car, to demand the auto company return the land to local farmers.

Authorities in West Bengal state deployed nearly 3,000 police to protect the Tata Motors factory site Sunday as more than 40,000 protesters lined the highway leading to the factory.

Farmers say Tata Motors did not properly compensate them for the land used for the factory site. They have vowed to continue protesting until the 160 hectares of disputed land are returned.

Tata Motors said Friday the protests may force it to relocate the factory.

The factory is set to roll out the first $2,500 "Nano" cars by October. Tata Motors plans to manufacture a quarter-million of the cars each year.    » read more »

New Delhi -- 3 August 2008 -- Up to 150 Hindu pilgrims attending an annual festival have been killed in a stampede in Northern India. Many of the victims are women and children.

Officials say the tragedy occurred when a metal railing along a narrow mountain path leading to Naina Devi temple in Himahcal Pradesh state collapsed under the weight of tens of thousands of devotees who had come to attend a religious festival on Sunday.

The temple is situated on a hilltop in the state's Bilaspur district.

Officials say the collapse of the railing triggered panic among pilgrims, and a stampede ensued as people tried to flee to safety. There are many women and children among the victims, who fell down and were trampled.    » read more »

June 24 – July 6 Tournament Includes National Cricket Teams from India, Pakistan, UAE, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka

June 23, 2008 -- ESPN has reached an agreement to provide exclusive, live coverage of the 2008 Asia Cup Cricket Tournament on ESPN360.com in the U.S. and its territories. The six-team, 13-match biennial tournament features several of the world’s powerhouse national teams – including one of cricket’s fiercest international rivalries, India and Pakistan - and will be played June 24 through July 6 in Pakistan.    » read more »

Mumbai, India, June 02, 2008 -- Warner Bros. Pictures India enters into the animation genre with an untitled film directed by Jyotin Goel and produced by Geol Screencraft.

"This is a story of love and adventure, full of color, music, drama and comedy," says Jyotin Goel. "The film is not based on the human kingdom but portrays the melodious world of birds and attempts to explore their lives from an unusual standpoint. It is a journey into the lives of birds as they soar over dense jungles and teeming cities, giving them a point of view of the world that is hilariously different from ours."    » read more »

31 May 2008 -- India's economy grew by nine percent last year making it the world's fastest-growing major economy after China.

But the news is not all good. There are worries that high crude oil prices and runaway inflation will slow down growth.

A busy street in Bangalore, India: Photo by Matthew Logelin (CC)

India has pegged economic growth in the last fiscal year at a higher-than expected nine per cent. It is the third successive year that the economy has grown at this pace.    » read more »