India

Nonprofit Aravind Eye Care System Wins $1 Million Prize for Preventing and Curing Blindness in India's Poorest Communities

SEATTLE -- In recognition of its groundbreaking work to prevent debilitating blindness and provide affordable, world-class eye care to the poor, the Aravind Eye Care System, based in Tamil Nadu, India, has won the 2008 Gates Award for Global Health. The $1 million Gates Award—the world's largest prize for international health—honors extraordinary efforts to improve health in developing countries.    » read more »

May 22, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

American Scientific Recalls 87,000 Magnets Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Name of Product: Magnets

Units: About 87,000

Importer: American Scientific LLC, of Columbus, Ohio

Hazard: Surface paint on the magnets can contain high levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.    » read more »

Congratulates Export Achievement Award Winners as State Boosts Overseas Sales

May 13, 2008 -- MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today announced that he will lead a trade mission to India in November at the annual Wisconsin International Trade Conference in Milwaukee, where he presented the Governor’s Export Achievement Awards. Wisconsin’s exports grew 11 percent last year, and have nearly doubled since Governor Doyle took office. Wisconsin’s exports to India have grown by 29 percent in the last year.    » read more »

India, ASEAN Also Need to Push Generals to Accept International Help

New York, May 10, 2008 – China, India, Thailand and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should work to convince Burma’s government to lift restrictions on international assistance so aid can reach survivors of Cyclone Nargis, Human Rights Watch said today.

Residents work with cleanup in aftermath of Cyclone Nargis: Photo by Mohd Nor Azmil Abdul Rahman (CC)    » read more »

Exponential Growth of Mobile Phone Users Intensifies Need for Flash Memory Solutions; SanDisk Increases Existing Presence to Meet Growing Demand

4/1/2008 -- NEW DELHI (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Donald C. Winter, has wrapped up a tour in India with stops in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Winter's first stop on his three-day trip was India's Western Naval Command in the coastal city of Mumbai. The tour of the base gave Winter a detailed view of India's naval operations, including stops at a shipyard and tour of the naval destroyer, INS Delhi (Delhi class DDG). Winter also met with India's commander-in-chief, Vice Adm. Jagjit Singh Bedi.    » read more »

14 March 2008 -- India's Supreme Court has suspended legal proceedings against Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who faced obscenity charges for publicly kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty last year.

Friday, the court indefinitely stayed the arrest warrant issued against Richard Gere and granted him permission to travel to and from India.

Richard Gere embraced and kissed Shilpa Shetty on her cheek at the public AIDS awareness event in New Delhi last year, prompting Hindu hard-liners to allege the pair had offended India's conservative culture.    » read more »

01 March 2008 -- India's government plans to spend nearly $13 million to create a special force to protect the endangered tiger population.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced to parliament Friday that the money will be used to raise, arm and deploy a special tiger protection force.

A recent survey found India's tiger population has declined to just over 1,400 from 3,600 in 2002. Chidambaram said the number should ring an alarm bell and that the tiger is under grave threat.    » read more »

14 February 2008 -- Iron Maiden’s year has got off to a roaring start with the February 4th release of the band’s long-awaited DVD Live After Death smashing straight into the UK music DVD charts at Number One not only outpacing its nearest competitor by three to one, but outselling the rest of the Top 6 combined!    » read more »

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice has entered into an agreement with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (Wabtec) regarding improper payments to government officials in India in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. The agreement requires that Wabtec pay a $300,000 penalty, implement rigorous internal controls, and cooperate fully with the Department.    » read more »

03 February 2008 -- India is set to buy six Hercules transport planes from U.S-based Lockheed Martin. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, this will be India's biggest arms deal with the United States, and a major departure in New Delhi's military purchasing policies.

Defense Ministry officials says India's security cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, recently approved a deal to buy six Hercules transport planes from the United States.

The contract for the C-130J planes is expected to be signed next month. The deal will be worth more than $1 billion.    » read more »

31 January 2008 -- Internet speeds have slowed to a crawl in much of the Middle East and parts of South Asia after two underwater telecommunications cables were damaged Wednesday in the Mediterranean Sea. The problems are also affecting telephone service in some places, and many businesses are struggling to work around the outages.    » read more »

01 February 2008 -- Indian officials are shrugging off fears that a potential slowdown in the United States will put the brakes on the country's runaway economic growth. But businessmen and investors are not so sure that India will remain unscathed if there is a downturn in Western economies.

As worries about a possible slowdown in the United States economy spread across the globe, Indian officials tried to calm fears that the country's strong growth will be hurt.    » read more »

23 January 2008 -- Indian officials are struggling to contain a serious outbreak of bird flu that has spread across nearly half of the eastern state of West Bengal.

India's Farm Minister, Sharad Pawar, said Wednesday the virus has been detected in nine of the state's 19 districts. Neighboring states are being asked to send medical staff to help deal with the outbreak.

West Bengal officials have set a new target of slaughtering 300,000 chickens a day and increased the number of veterinary teams to 600.    » read more »

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 -- From political headlines to interviews with policymakers and economists, musicians and Bollywood royalty, "South Asia NOW" examines the latest in news, politics and culture of South Asia. "South Asia NOW" is America's first network show all about South Asia -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka - that includes reporting from ABC News correspondents based in the region and news and interviews with South Asia's most fascinating people.    » read more »