Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Stop illegal oil smuggling by ISIS

 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi accused its neighbor of being a hub for the “majority” of illegal oil smuggling operations by ISIS terrorists.
During a meeting  with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Abadi stressed the importance of stopping oil smuggling from jihadi-controlled parts of Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi prime minister also called for international support to help his country fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
“Turkey is a country neighboring Iraq, and a country that should be friendly with Iraq, they promised us that they would stop the entry of terrorists, however we need more action in order to stop the pumping of terrorists from Turkey into Syria and into Iraq. Also the stopping of the smuggling of petrol from Syria and Iraq and the financing of Daesh [the Arabic name for IS] in a general sense through this illegal trade,” Abadi said.Media reports the latest estimate more than 43 percent of Islamic State revenue comes from the illegal oil trade. Russian Ministry of Defense reconnaissance data gathered as part of the military operation in the Syrian skies shows that most of the illegal smuggling is done through Turkey.
The Iraqi PM said that the Turkish side was aware of the issue which they promised to resolve under UN Security Council resolution adopted last month that had urged all nations to combat the ISIS threat.
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G20 total international merchandise trade continues to fall in Q3 2015
The G20 total international merchandise trade, seasonally adjusted and expressed in current US dollars, continued to contract in the third quarter of 2015, albeit at a slower pace than in previous quarters.
Exports fell for the fifth straight quarter (by 0.9% compared to 1.3%, and 7.3% in the previous two quarters) while imports fell for the sixth straight quarter (by 0.8%, compared to 1.1% and 8.5% in the previous two quarters).
The United States recorded a decline in both exports (by 1.0%) and imports, although the fall in imports was marginal. In other NAFTA economies, exports picked up in Canada (by 0.8%) while imports contracted (by 3.7%), whereas in Mexico both imports and exports grew (by 0.9%).
Exports also grew (by 1.3%) in China , for the first time in a year, but imports continued their recent downward trend, falling (by 1.2%) to the lowest levels since early 2011. In other parts of Asia, exports continued to trend downwards although only marginally in Japan (by 0.5%) and at a higher pace in Korea (by 1.6%). In Indonesia imports and exports fell by more than 7%, while exports also fell significantly in India (by 3.9%).
Exports and imports by the European Union (EU28) fell for a fifth consecutive quarter, although only marginally (by 0.4% and 0.3% respectively). Exports fell strongly however in the United Kingdom (by 5.0%), offsetting the strong gains made in the previous quarter, while in Germany exports and imports grew for the first time since the second quarter of 2014.
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This is not acceptable rhetoric.
Naresh —
Donald Trump is leading in every national poll to be the Republican nominee for president.
And earlier today, he released his latest policy proposal: to ban all Muslims from entering our country.
I’m a proud Muslim — but you don’t have to share my faith to share my disgust.
Trump wants to literally write racism into our law books. His Islamophobia doesn’t reflect our nation’s values — it goes far enough to damage our country’s reputation and could even threaten our national security.
Unfortunately, Trump is leaning into the kind of fear of progress that very well could help him win the nomination. We have to be ready to stop him.
Add your name to stand with Hillary and build a stronger, fairer, more inclusive country together:
Add my name
Thank you,
Huma
Huma Abedin
Vice Chair
Hillary for America
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Asian Economic Integration Report 2015

SEZs in an economy is positively related to overall export performance in Asia and attract significantly more FDI: Asian Economic Integration Report 2015
The Asian Economic Integration Report 2015, examines current trends in trade, finance, migration, remittances and other economic activities in the region, with a special focus on the role of special economic zones.
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) report, Special economic zones (SEZs) can be a driving force for increased trade, investment, and economic reform in Asia at a time the region is experiencing a slowdown in trade, provided the right business environments and policies are put in place.
The report shows that the expansion in the number of SEZs from about 500 in 1995 to over 4,300 in 2015 shows the strong and rising interest to this form of policy experiment, though the success record is somewhat mixed. The report also suggested that if designed right, SEZs can become drivers for increased trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and better economic policymaking and reforms. Moreover, as countries develop, areas with SEZs can be transformed from mere manufacturing sites to hubs for innovation and modern services.
The report highlights that the number of SEZs in an economy is positively related to overall export performance in Asia . The report also finds that in developing Asia , countries with SEZs attract significantly more FDI, with the existence of SEZs corresponding to 82% greater FDI levels.
The report also provides analysis on Asia ’s trade. The data in the report show that Asia’s income elasticity of trade declined from 2.69 before the global financial crisis to 1.30 afterwards and the value of Asia ’s intermediate goods trade, almost 60% of total trade contracted 2.6% in 2014.
The report also outlines how Asia has become an important source of outbound investment, with FDI outflows outstripping inflows, growing over 45% between 2010 and 2014. Increased investment was led by traditional investors including Japan , Hong Kong , China and Singapore and also emerging Asian investors such as the PRC, India , Malaysia , and Thailand . Asia remains the world’s largest source of international migrants, accounting for a third of the global total in 2013, and the region also accounted for nearly 50% of global remittances in 2014, highlighted the report.
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Analysis of Donations Received by National Political Parties – FY 2014-15


This report, prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), focuses on donations received by the National Political Parties, above Rs 20,000, during the Financial Year 2014-15, as submitted by the parties to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The National Parties include Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M).

Executive Summary

The executive summary below lists the key observations drawn from the report:
  1. Donations above Rs 20,000 to National Parties from all over India (FY 2014-15)
  2. The total amount of donations above Rs 20,000 received by National Political Parties during FY 2014-15 is calculated from the donations report submitted to the Election Commission annually.
  3. The total amount of donations above Rs 20,000 declared by the National Parties was Rs. 622.38 crores, from1695 donations.
  4. With 1234 donations from individuals and corporates, BJP tops the list and has declared a total of Rs 437.35 crores as received via voluntary contributions above Rs 20,000. The donations declared by BJP is more than twice the aggregate declared by the INC, NCP, CPI and CPM for the same period.
  5. BSP declared that the party did not receive any donations above Rs 20,000during FY 2014-15, as it has been declaring for the past 10 years.


  1.                 Comparison of donations received by National Parties during FY 2013-14 and FY 2014-15
  2. The total donations of the National Parties during FY 2014-15 increased by Rs 374.61 crores, an increase of 151%, from the previous financial year, 2013-14.
  3. NCP declared the highest increase of 177%, from Rs 14.02 crores in FY 2013-14 to Rs 38.82 crores in FY 2014-15 while donations to BJP increased from Rs 170.86 crores during FY 2013-14 to Rs 437.35 crores during FY 2014-15 (156% increase).
III.            Incomplete disclosure of information in the donations report
  1. Rs 83.915 lakhs was declared as received by BJP from 20 such donors whosePAN details, Address and Mode of contribution (together) were unavailable. Thus, only names of such donors and the contributed amount was declared by the party73% of such funds came from corporates and 27% from individual donors.
  2. In the report submitted by INC, the column for declaring mode of contributiondoes not contain the Cheque/DD numbers, for 192 donations amounting to Rs 138.98 crores. This forms 98% of total donations above Rs 20,000 to the party.Without the complete cheque/DD details, it would be a time consuming processto link the donors against their donations and hence trace the money trail.
  3. INC received a total of Rs 55.88 lakhs as donations by cash but PAN details of 11 such donors are unavailable. Similarly, CPI collected a total of Rs 4.49 lakhs as donations by cash from 8 donors whose PAN details are unavailable.
  4. CPI has not provided the names and PAN number of 27 state secretaries of the party though their contributions amount to Rs 76.81 lakhs.
  5.               Top donors to National Parties, FY 2014-15

  1. Bharti Group’s Satya Electoral Trust donated a total of Rs 132 crores to BJP, INC and NCP and is one of the top 2 donors to the two parties. The Trust donated Rs 107.25 crores to BJP (25% of total funds received by the party), Rs 18.75 croresto INC (13% of total funds received by the party) and Rs 6 crores to NCP.
  2. General Electoral Trust had not made any donations to the National Parties during FY 2013-14 but has contributed a total of Rs 117.30 crores to BJP and INC. BJP received Rs 63.2 crores (14% of total funds received by the party) andINC received Rs 54.10 crores (38% of total funds received by the party) from the Trustduring FY 2014-15. PAN details of the Trust were not available in the report submitted by INC and only once (for its donation of Rs 20 lakhs) in the report filed by BJP.
  3. Donations to CPI were by means of collection, levy and membership fees. Maximum amount was fromSecretary, Kerala State Council (Rs 20 lakhs) followed by Sudhakar Reddy (Rs 17.88 lakhs).

  1. Donors from Corporates/ business sectors Vs. Individual donors
  2. 968 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 576.37 crores(92.61% of total donations) were made to the National Parties while 699 individual donors donated Rs 45.23 crores (7.27% of total donations) to the parties during FY 2014-15.
  3. 794 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 409.94 croreswere made to BJP while 440 individual donors donated Rs 27.41 crores to the party during FY 2014-15.
  4. 121 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 127.96 croreswere made to INC while159 individual donors donated Rs 13.5 crores to the party.



  1. State-wise donations to National Parties
  2. Segregation of donations according to State was made by ADR/NEW based on the address provided by the parties in their donations report to the ECI.
  3. A total of Rs 260.01 crores was donated to the National Parties fromMaharashtra by both corporates and individuals together, followed by Rs 24.76 crores from Gujarat and Rs 15.34 crores from Delhi.
  4. A total of Rs 305.97 crores, (49% of total donations received by the National parties, FY 2014-15), could not be attributed to any State/ Union Territory due to incomplete information provided by the parties.

Recommendations of ADR

  1. There is ambiguity in details of donations declared by the National Parties.  In the report submitted by INC, the column for declaring mode of contributiondoes not contain the Cheque/DD numbers, for 192 donations amounting to Rs 138.98 crores. This forms 98% of total donations above Rs 20,000 to the party.Without the complete cheque/DD details, it would be a time consuming processto link the donors against their donations and hence trace the money trail.
  2. Rs 83.915 lakhs was declared as received by BJP from 20 such donors whosePAN details, Address and Mode of contribution (together) were unavailable. Thus, only names of such donors and the contributed amount was declared by the party73% of such funds came from corporates and 27% from individual donors. Such blatant disregard for rules by the political parties should be curbed and donations with incomplete details should not be entitled to the benefit of 100% tax exemptions of the defaulting parties.
  3. Full details of all donors should be made available for public scrutiny under the RTI. Some countries where this is done include Bhutan, Nepal, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, the US and Japan. In none of these countries is it possible for 75% of the source of funds to be unknown, but at present it is so in India.
For complete report including multiple donations by top donors and details of preferred mode of payment by the contributors, kindly refer to http://goo.gl/7zaYRw.

Regards,
Maj Gen Anil Verma (Retd.)
Head

National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms

+91 8826479910
anilverma@adrindia.org

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar
IIM Ahmedabad (Retd)
Founder Member National Election Watch, Association for Democratic
Reforms
+919999620944
jchhokar@gmail.com

Prof Trilochan Sastry
IIM Bangalore
Founder Member,
National Election Watch,
Association for Democratic Reforms
+919448353285,
trilochans@iimb.ernet.in

Association for Democratic Reforms
T-95A, C.L. House, 1st Floor,
(Near Gulmohar Commercial Complex)
Gautam Nagar
New Delhi-110 049
M: +91 8010394248
T: +91 11 41654200
F: 011 4609 4248
Web:
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http://trainee-pc/gbonewsletter/newsletter/images/gbo_header_left_2015.pngGBO Newsletterhttp://trainee-pc/gbonewsletter/newsletter/images/gbo_header_right_2015.png
08 December 2015    |   Edition:219
  
Greetings

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A fresh Tuesday edition of our Newsletter is here for you. After power-packed two days of engaging talks and exciting group exercises, we have officially wrapped up Publishers Training Program for Young Professionals 2015. Catch up on the highlights below.
There is also a list of selected books from Germany which we think will be exciting to consider for rights exchanges.
Enjoy the edition
Best wishes,
The German Book Office Team
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Post Event Press Release: Publishers Training Programme for Young Professionals 2015

PUBLISHERS TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
  A unique training initiative by German Book Office:
December 4 and 5, 2015 at India International Centre
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German Book Office, New Delhi launched a programme for Young Professionals in publishing that showed what one needs to know in order to stay abreast with the requisite skills in the age of digital publishing and transmedia! The same was held on December 4 and 5, 2015 at India International Centre.
The Indian publishing industry is experiencing a rise in the engagement of young professionals who are making a significant contribution to the strategy of the future. The face of publishing is also changing very competitively and there is a dearth of training opportunity on the new age topic. The world of digital content creation can be a complicated one with so many different forms of technology to use. In India, there is currently another shortfall in the area of short term hands-on training modules. This program was aimed at young professionals who are already working in the industry and wish to acquire expertise in new techniques in publishing.
As per Prashasti Rastogi, Director, German Book Office, “The GBO New Delhi wishes to attract young talent through this program and during this edition has provided knowledge on new developments in international markets. The 2 days training programme helped take the mystery out of the topics such as digital publishing, multi-platform strategy and rights management for cross media. The participants learnt, from international experts and other star practitioners from India, the know-how for conducting business. This interface not only took a look at German and international publishing industry but also addressed a major need felt by the young professionals”.
The Programme Leaders were the doyens from the trade itself. Nationally and internationally renowned subject experts with extensive experience made this training programme a distinct one adding to exclusivity of the course itself. The following were the main topics discussed at the programme:-
From Idea to Ink – Commissioning & Pitching in Genre Specific WorldLed by Mr.  Karthika VK [Harper Collins India], Arpita Das [Authors UpFront] dwelled on the tricks and tips informing the process of contemplating and communicating an effective book proposal to exploring the commissioning landscape, finding genre gaps in the market and preparing a potentially market-ready book idea, this session was held by noted publishers from MNC and Indie publishing houses offering a no-holds barred session. Karthika VK also said, “When you commission for digital only, then you have to think of the material differently as well”.
Building from the Spine Upwards – Book Design Workshop
Led by – Stefanie Schelleis [Carl Hanser Verlag, Germany], Sunandini Banerjee [Seagull Books]
 where they guided on how to integrate text, imagery and illustration with the eventual goal of building the architecture of a book starting from the font, the page, the palette. There was also a practical component allowing participants to get their hands on to designing a unique book concept from scratch.
Trading Rights and Negotiating CopyrightsLed by – Dahlia Sen Oberoi [Sen-Oberoi, Attorneys-at-Law], Priya Kapoor [Roli Books] offerred a practical guide to rights selling, dealing with its nuances and complexities, this session was led by an experienced publisher and a sought-after copyright expert, it had focused on the way-to-go and best practices of rights exchange in international arena, legalities of content copyrights, copyright enforcement et al. Priya Kapoor also said,  “The minute a book goes into translations or another territory with rights exchange, it not only pushes their sales and also helps establish the author as a global brand”.
Scoring on some ‘Viral’ Charm – Publicizing your Book Effectively 
Led by – Anurima Roy [Bloomsbury India]
 discussed the nuances of promoting ones books. Book publicity is critical to a book’s success and building its visibility in a busy marketplace is a challenge. Tackling these challenges were the main agenda of this interactive group session which will be an expert-led, hands-on workshop leading to the actual development and presentation of PR plans tailored to varied book genres and audiences.
About German Book Office
German Book Office (GBO), New Delhi is a joint venture of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Besides promoting German books and the activities of the Frankfurt Book Fair, GBO New Delhi serves as a contact point between the book industry in South Asia, Germany as well as the international book and media industries. Since the beginning of operations in India in 2008, GBO has initiated various projects related to content, publishing and exchange. GBO works with partners across the board, ranging from individuals to international agencies in the sphere of publishing, media, education and digital.
http://www.buchmesse.de/en/international/offices_abroad/new_delhi/
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Books from Germany

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Author: Angelika Klüssendorf
English Title:
 April
Original Title: April
Publisher: Kiepenheuer & Witsch
ISBN: 978 3 462 04614 4
Blurb: Her childhood is over, but the girl has hardly escaped it. The girl, whom we now know as April – named for the song by Deep Purple – has survived her time in the home, dropped out of school and taken a job as an office assistant. Caught between old friends and new acquaintances, she tries to make her own path in Leipzig in the late 1970s. Along the way, she’s often confronted with her own limits, yet she overcomes all the barriers that are put in her way with gusto – ultimately even the boundary between the two Germanies.
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Author:  Thomas Melle
English Title: 3000 Euros
Original Title: 3000 Euro
Publisher: Rowohlt.Berlin Verlag
ISBN: 978 3 87134 777 1
Blurb:  Not much is going right in Denise’s life. She works at a discount store and often feels overwhelmed by her young daughter Linda. Her long-awaited trip to New York remains but a dream. Her plans to finally get ahead with money earned for a porn shoot are on hold, as they’re in no hurry to pay her. Anton, a former law student who is down on his luck, in debt and who sleeps in a dormitory, shows up at her till more and more often. Proceeding with caution, the two begin to get closer. But as Anton’s court date for 3000 euros approaches, they must ask themselves how much intimacy they’re really willing to allow into their lives.
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Author: Michael Ziegelwagner
English Title: The Inflatable Kaiser
Original Title: Der aufblasbare Kaiser
Publisher: Rowohlt.Berlin Verlag
ISBN: 978 3 87134 767 2
Blurb: A rainy day in Vienna, in the spring of 2011. Vera Beacher, whose nickname is Beachy, rings the wrong doorbell, mostly by accident. She enters the rooms of a secret society of monarchists. Conveniently for Vera, as it turns out. Because the “Legitimist Club” and its aim of putting the decrepit old Otto von Habsburg on the imperial throne are a distraction. From a catalogue of niggles currently plaguing her life. Or, seen another way, from her all encompassing existential crisis. There’s the annoying ankle injury, the tense atmosphere at the office, an impending hen night and the overly cool detachment of her lover, Robert. Vera develops a sincere liking for the group, their obstinacy and their static, ordered world view. And for the dashing young Herr Blawicz. She soon immerses herself in the circle; inspired by Vera’s presence its members moot more radical ways of re-establishing the old world order. Infused with a gentle irony and evoking a remarkable sense of literary depth, Michael Ziegelwagner’s debut tells of Vera’s struggles, her conversion to the monarchist cause and the understandable yet misplaced yearnings that we all have from time to time.
If you are a Publisher looking to buy rights and translating German titles, do contact Prashasti Rastogi, Director, German Book Office (GBO), New Delhi at rastogi@newdelhi.gbo.org
  
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German Book Office New Delhi
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Why Doesn’t India Produce Inventions? RIL $30b For Trading
December08, 2015 (C) Ravinder Singh ravindersinvent@gmail.com

Three simple reasons ‘Why Doesn’t India Produce Inventions?’ – India has never produced a Commercial Technology [Invention] because –

Ø   India Never Protected Indian Inventions – Slow or No Patents,
Ø   India Never Funded/Supported Indian Inventions,
Ø   India Never Kept ‘Invention Submitted Confidential.’

GoI Never Imported BEST Technology – Never had STABLE Policy to Promote Local INVENTIONS – Supported Weird Ideas
[$100b TAX FOREGONE FOR TRADING > NOTHING FOR INVENTIONS]

$Trillion Inventions are Created in Professional Inventor’s Brain in Seconds & Confirmed in 30 minutes to two hours – But the Process to Bring INVENTIONS to the Market and Make $millions Requires $millions to $Billions of Investment and Years Of Hard Work.

I don’t know who are the Two Indian Corporate David Wittenberg was referring to – RIL & Tata have taken $30b and $40b as Loans from Indian Public Deposits but sell Fruits, Vegetables and Grocery or Simply Trading.

It is Common Knowledge Indian Patent Office is Crippling Slow – Support Provided by the Government Is Barely Say $0.1m When Invention May Require $10-100m To Hit The Market As Commercially Successful & Profitable Product –
At No Stage ‘In Absence of Patents INVENTIONS Are SECURE’.

Even in Pharma Sector Where Substantial R&D Expenditure is Reported – India Failed to Even Copy ‘Patented Drugs’ and is back to 2004 Level. 

Production INDEX 2004-05 = 100
2007-08
2013-14
2014-15
48. Antibiotics +
130.7
116.5
96.5

At an Event I asked RIL R&D Head – ‘RIL Has Rs.100,000 Cr Cash – You Can Support 100,000 Inventions – He Was Exited’ But RIL Invested in Fruit & Vegetables, Retail of Grocery.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

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