India Post has inked a pact with Deutsche Post WorldNet Express, one of the leading international logistics group to provide international express delivery service to Indian businesses. The international express industry in India is valued at Rs 1,600 crore and is growing at 20% annually, informed a senior department official.
India Post is currently offering economical and international express mail service (EMS) to 97 countries. With the tie-up with Deutsche Post, the service would be extended to 220 countries. The official said the tie-up would enable them to make deliveries within four days and reliable logistics services to Indian businesses.
30.11.08
Prime coverage for 26/11
26/11, the multiple attacks and torturously long terror strikes in Mumbai will now be firmly entrenched in the global psyche as a sequel to 9/11 and 7/7, thanks to the international media coverage along with the magnitude and nature of the terror strike. Whether it was the International Herald Tribune,or its sister publication The New York Times, Financial Times, The Economist, The Sun or The Guardian,TheWall Street Journal orThe Moscow Times,the Mumbai terror strike flashed as the lead story on the front pages on Friday even as events around Mumbai were still unfolding.
Even the electronic media globally devoted substantial hours of coverage to the Mumbai terror strikes with the BBC World sourcing feeds from Star Majha, the Marathi channel offering from the Star Group apart from NDTV, while CNN relied on footage of CNN IBN apart from creating direct interface with social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook.CNN got in touch with eyewitnesses who had shared their experiences and photographs on social networking sites and interviewed them telephonically to broadcast a first hand account.
Partly the international media spotlight was stronger primarily because the intended targets were westerners this time, point out analysts and the direction of coverage proves them correct to some extent. The International Herald Tribune decided to postpone its annual luxury conference, scheduled for first week of December to be held at New Delhi. “Following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, we felt it was inappropriate to hold the conference at such a difficult time for India,” said Stephen Dunbar Johnson, publisher of the IHT on their website.
“We plan to be back as soon as the situation is stabilised,” he added, noting also the sensitivity to safety concerns for all participants. IHT flashed “Commandos storm Jewish centre in Mumbai” on Friday along with other stories on how India’s suspicion of Pakistan will cloud US strategy on this part of the world among others. The Wall Street Journal’s front page said, “Terrorists paralyse India’s business capital of Mumbai” with the strapline-Death toll mounts as westerners are targeted. The other issues it focussed on included “hotel safety in question”, “Distressed markets expected to fall”;referring to the BombayStock Exchange,a setback to Mumbai’s financial ambitions to rise to higher global prominence.
The Sun flashed “Horror of India’s 7/7”with obvious reference to London attacks and reported about how the European tycoon was among the dead victims after his last call to BBC. Financial Times carried “India points fingers at Pakistan” alongside mulling on how Mumbai attacks will affect investments in India. This is exclusive of the regular updates and loads of video uploads that the websites kept posting throughout Friday.
Even the electronic media globally devoted substantial hours of coverage to the Mumbai terror strikes with the BBC World sourcing feeds from Star Majha, the Marathi channel offering from the Star Group apart from NDTV, while CNN relied on footage of CNN IBN apart from creating direct interface with social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook.CNN got in touch with eyewitnesses who had shared their experiences and photographs on social networking sites and interviewed them telephonically to broadcast a first hand account.
Partly the international media spotlight was stronger primarily because the intended targets were westerners this time, point out analysts and the direction of coverage proves them correct to some extent. The International Herald Tribune decided to postpone its annual luxury conference, scheduled for first week of December to be held at New Delhi. “Following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai, we felt it was inappropriate to hold the conference at such a difficult time for India,” said Stephen Dunbar Johnson, publisher of the IHT on their website.
“We plan to be back as soon as the situation is stabilised,” he added, noting also the sensitivity to safety concerns for all participants. IHT flashed “Commandos storm Jewish centre in Mumbai” on Friday along with other stories on how India’s suspicion of Pakistan will cloud US strategy on this part of the world among others. The Wall Street Journal’s front page said, “Terrorists paralyse India’s business capital of Mumbai” with the strapline-Death toll mounts as westerners are targeted. The other issues it focussed on included “hotel safety in question”, “Distressed markets expected to fall”;referring to the BombayStock Exchange,a setback to Mumbai’s financial ambitions to rise to higher global prominence.
The Sun flashed “Horror of India’s 7/7”with obvious reference to London attacks and reported about how the European tycoon was among the dead victims after his last call to BBC. Financial Times carried “India points fingers at Pakistan” alongside mulling on how Mumbai attacks will affect investments in India. This is exclusive of the regular updates and loads of video uploads that the websites kept posting throughout Friday.
BJP, Cong milk tragedy
The "united front" forged by the BJP and Congress in the interest of India's war on terror lasted precisely 24 hours. The crisis in Mumbai was far from over when the country's two biggest parties went back at each other's throats, unleashing vicious attacks that reduced their pious avowals of keeping "the issue of terrorism above politics" into a joke.The BJP put out large ads in newspapers centred around the Mumbai attacks, and the Congress reciprocating with ads invoking instances of terrorism in the time of the NDA government: the Kandahar hijack and the Parliament and Red Fort attacks.The Congress's M Veerappa Moily questioned the BJPs' "patriotism", and Kapil Sibal their "national commitment". The party cited "nonpayment of compensation to Gujarat police jawans during the 2002 Akshardham attack" to undermine Narendra Modi's commitment to "national security".The BJP's L K Advani said the recent "pre-occupation" of intelligence agencies with "so-called Hindu terror" had allowed the terrorist plot to go undetected in Mumbai. The Congress said Advani had declined the PM's invitation to accompany him to Mumbai to send out a message of unity — a charge that the BJP rubbished. "I was told that we would be informed about the venue of a meeting (with the PM) in Mumbai, but I received no word," Advani said.Sibal countered that the PM and Sonia Gandhi had avoided the site of attacks because it could hamper rescue operations". He reminded the BJP that "Akshradham was just 200 metres from the CM's residence, but Modi had taken 12 hours to reach there". The BJP ad said, against a red-blood background: "Brutal Terror Strikes At Will. Weak Government. Unwilling and Incapable. Fight Terror. Vote BJP." A second ad, released in the name of AB Vajpayee, began with "terror striking Mumbai", and ended with an "appeal to vote for the BJP". Asked why the BJP had issued the ad at a time when a grim encounter was still on, party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "I have nothing to say on this". Delhi CM candidate V K Malhotra said: "We have only said that there's been an all-round failure on the intelligence front." General Secretary Arun Jaitley argued: "We are a thriving democracy and the debate must therefore continue. How can there be a gag order on debate in a democracy?" The Congress ad, set to appear on Saturday in Delhi, reads: "Kandhar ka kaand, Sansad par hamla, Lal Quila par hamla, aur ab Mumbai mein aatank… yeh rashtra ka prashna hai, rajneeti ka khel nahin"
The Election Commission said it could not take suo motu notice of print ads, and nobody had complained so far.
The Election Commission said it could not take suo motu notice of print ads, and nobody had complained so far.
29.11.08
Birdflu outbreak in Assam
About 30,000 chicken and ducks will be culled in Assam during the next four days as an outbreak of bird flu in poultry has been reported in the state, an official said. “The entire culling process is expected to be completed in three to four days as our teams are visiting each and every household in the area. We estimate there could be some 30,000 poultry birds in the area where culling is currently underway," said Manoranjan Choudhury, deputy director of the Assam veterinary department. The Indian health ministry on Thursday confirmed the outbreak of bird flu after laboratory tests confirmed strains of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza. Sale and purchase of poultry has been banned in the state. Choudhury said about 30,000 chicken and ducks would be slaughtered in about 40 villages of Thakurichuba village. The veterinary personnel involved in the culling process were being administered the antiviral drug Tamiflu as a precautionary measure. “The process of culling has already started, involving about 20 Rapid Response Teams with seven members in each group led by a veterinarian," he said. More than 300 birds died in the past one week in the state. Assam's veterinary and animal husbandry department sounded an alert and is maintaining a strict surveillance on farms in the state.
India feels Mumbai's pain
Snapshotz from across the country with people expressing solidarity with Mumbai...prayer meetings, candlelight vigils, anti-terror demonstrations....
On the Delhi Campaign trail
The poll campaign of the Congress and the BJP in the print media.Delhi goes to the polls today.
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