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Russia on Friday became the third country after the US and France to sign a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with India since this country acquired the waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The agreement was signed in the presence of President Dmitry Medvedev and PM Manmohan Singh.

In the initial stages, Russia will help India build two additional nuclear power plants at Kundakulum. Even before the NSG waiver, Russia was helping India build two 1,000 MW nuclear power plants at the same site. The Russians, however, had to wait for the NSG waiver to India for a more more focused nuclear cooperation. More such power plants of Russian design, according to the two sides, will come up at other places in the country. The location for at least two more nuclear power plants is being finalised.

The modalities of the agreement had been thrashed out in November 2007 during Singh’s visit to Moscow but India refrained from signing it citing the need for a clearance from the NSG.

The two sides also signed agreements in other fields like defence, space, trade and commerce.

Full article here

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Today (Wednesday December 3) at 6pm, there is a protest organised at the Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay against the ineffective politicians and the games they play.   At the same time, protests are being organised at these places

New Delhi – Connaught Place

Bangalore – Cubbon Park

Hyderabad – Tank Bund

Read Suparn Varma’s call for protest.  Be there. Do your bit.

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Hitec City

Hyderabad on Sunday (24th August) became the second largest city in India — in terms of geographical spread — and thus joined the elite league of metropolitan cities. With Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) replacing the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda), the state capital, which earlier enjoyed A1 status with a population of 75 lakhs spread across 725 sq. km of area, has now surpassed four other metros in terms of area: Mumbai (4,272 sq. km); Delhi (1,483 sq. km); Kolkata (1,425 sq. km) and; Chennai (1,167 sq. km).

A rendering of the upcoming Lanco Hills with its Signature tower

With a spread of 7,000 sq. km, Hyderabad is second only to Bengaluru, which is the largest metropolitan in India with an area of 8,000 sq. km. Apart from the 16 mandals of Hyderabad and 22 mandals of Ranga Reddy, 10 of the Medak district, four of Nalgonda and two mandals of the Mahbubnagar district have now come within the HMDA’s purview. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy set the foundation stone for the HMDA central office near Hitex in Hyderabad on Sunday. While addressing the gathering, Dr Rajasekhar Reddy assured the residents of the twin cities that within the next four to five months, they will receive 24-hour piped water supply.

Statue of Buddha standing in the middle of Hussain Sagar lake

Dr Reddy said that the formation of the HMDA — by merging adjacent municipalities and villages with Hyderabad — has paved the way for the state capital’s development as a model metropolis. Several ministers and legislators also participated in the ceremony. The Huda vice-chairman, Mr K.S. Jawahar Reddy, has been appointed as HMDA metro commissioner.

News source: Deccan Chronicle

All pictures courtesy: Wikipedia & Skyscrapercity

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Infosys Technologies said on Monday it had agreed to buy British consultancy Axon Group Plc for £407m (US$753m) as India’s second-biggest software services exporter looks for growth beyond an uncertain U.S. market.

The cash deal values Axon at £6 per share, a 19.4 per cent premium over Friday’s close of £5.025 and 33 per cent over the average price of the last six months, Infosys CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan said.

The offer price included any interim dividend that Axon, which has a market value of almost US$600m, may announce when it releases results on Tuesday, Infosys said. The Axon board has already ”unanimously recommended” the offer, with its large shareholders and some key employees also supporting the deal, Infosys CFO V. Balakrishnan said.

”They wanted to enter Europe in a big way, and probably this is the reason why they have paid a higher premium,” said R. K. Gupta, managing director of Taurus Mutual Fund in New Delhi.

”It’s a positive sign for the company because they were sitting on a huge cash pile, and it was not generating any return.”

Subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, Nasdaq-listed Infosys expects to complete the deal in November. Axon, which provides services to companies using products of German business software maker SAP, would be delisted, Infosys said.

Rest of the news here.

Above picture of Infosys Mysore courtesy: Karthik

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Am sure, you would have received chain mails which propagate myths about the Indian civilization, the number of doctors and scientists working in USA and NASA etc.   Outlook magazine has gone around asking people with authority and knowledge on the subject and debunks almost all the myths that get propagated around by some stupid NRI sitting in some corner of the world.

Claim: India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.

Fact: This is not fully true, as the Cholas conquered Sri Lanka and took its ruler prisoner. In AD 1025 the Chola navy of Rajendrachola I (r.1012-1044) conquered Sri Vijaya in the Malayan archipelago.

-Pius Malekandathil, maritime history specialist at JNU, Delhi

Claim: Taj Mahal predates Shah Jahan’s era, and was a temple dedicated to Shiva, worshipped by Rajputs.

Fact: The Taj was built by Shah Jahan. Every single brick and stone purchased has been documented in the Taj Mahal archives. so is the land deed. Travellers from different periods also saw it being constructed.

- Mushirul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Milia Islamia

Claim: Times Group is owned by Bennett & Coleman. ‘World Christian Council’ does 8- per cent of the funding, and an Englishman and an Italian equally share the balance 20 per cent.

Fact: Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) is largely owned by the Jain family and some subsidiaries, such as ENIL are listed. All details of the holding company, BCCL, are available in ENIL’s prospectus at the time of listing.

- Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, author of The Indian Media Business

Claim: The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5,000 years ago. The very word ‘navigation’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘navgatih’.

Fact: It is absurd. All river-valley civilisations like the ancient Egyptians, the Mesopotamians and the Chinese resorted to riverine navigation and coastal navigation. The English word ‘navigation’ is derived not from Sanskrit ‘navgatih’, but from two Latin words navis (ship) and agere (to drive). It is from them that English and Latin family languages, like Portuguese, got the word.

- Pius Malekandathil, maritime history specialist at JNU, Delhi

With Independence Day round the corner, get ready to receive more such bullshit in your mailbox.  To read more about all the myths, click here and here.

Now, am waiting for some member of the chaddi gang to call me a commie

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