July 2009
The Vice President, Financial and Private Sector Development of the World Bank Group, Ms. Penelope Brook meeting the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Anand Sharma, in New Delhi on July 02, 2009.
British Explorer Hayes' Expedition Blown Back on Track! Navaratna 9 -Ragalayam in Dubai Al Naser Leisureland
Non Resident Keralite Dies of Swine Flue
A 52-year-old NRI, suspected to have contracted swine flu, died shortly after being admitted to a hospital in Kollam district even as the number of swine flu cases in the state rose to six with two children testing postive for the influenza on Thursday. The Press Trust of India reported that Stanley Pelis, who arrived in Kerala two weeks ago from UK, died shortly after he was admitted to a hospital last night. Quoting, K Shylaja, Director, Health Services, New Delhi, the news agency said " his throat swab has been sent to National Institute of Communicable diseases.", said.
If confirmed, he would be the first victim of the flu in the country. Pelis, hailing from Kollam, was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital at Kottiyam in the district with high fever and breathlessness at around 7 pm last night and died at 9 pm, Shylaja is quoted by the agency. She said a seven-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister tested positive for the virus today. Their mother had earlier tested positive for the infuenza. The family, hailing from Kozhikode, had returned from Dubai recently. Besides them, three other patients had also tested positive.Two others, who arrived at Kochi airport from US and Ireland this morning, have been quarantined after they were suspected to be having symptoms of the flu, the report said.
World Health Organization has reported 77,201 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from 120 countries as on 1st July 2009. There have been 332 deaths. Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 22 International airports. 49,073 passengers have been screened on 1.7.2009 of which 35,085 passengers were from affected countries. 224 doctors and 112 paramedics are manning 77 counters at these airports. A cumulative total of 27,30,436 passengers have been screened.
Four new cases are reported today: Gurgaon (1), Bangalore (1), Pune (1) and Cochin (1). The case in Gurgaon is a 6 year old female child who travelled from Houston, USA to Delhi transiting Chicago [American Airlines Flight 292] reaching Delhi on 27th June 2009. She reported to the identified health facility on 1st July 2009 with symptoms of fever, running nose and vomiting.
The case in Bangalore is a 4 year old female child who travelled from USA to Bangalore transiting Singapore by Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 502 reaching Bangalore on 30th June 2009. As she was having symptoms of fever and cough, she was detected at the airport and admitted in the isolation health facility.
The case in Pune, is a 34 year old female passenger who travelled from San Francisco USA transiting Hong Kong reaching Mumbai on 27th June by Cathay Pacific flight CX 709. She reported at the identified health facility on 30th June 2009 with symptoms of fever and cough The case from Cochin is a 68 year old female who travelled from Toronto to Cochin transiting Abu Dhabi by Etihad Airlines Flight EY 280 reaching Cochin on 29th June 2009. She was found having symptoms of fever and cough at the airport and was isolated at the identified health facility.
The indigenous positive case [66 year old female] at Delhi, covered in earlier reports, is stable.
793 persons have been tested so far of which 116 are positive for Influenza A H1N1 [Swine]. 226 out of the 793 persons have been identified through entry screening, twenty seven through contact tracing and the rest were self reported.
Of the 116 positive cases, 80 have been discharged. Rest of them remains admitted to the identified health facility.
The situation is being monitored.
India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
The Cabinet today approved the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with South Korea. India-Korea CEPA comprises of six Agreements viz. Agreement on Trade in goods; Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures; Trade Facilitation and Customs Cooperation; Trade in Services including Specific Commitments;Investment and Dispute Settlement. India-Korea CEPA also contains chapters on “Competition” and IPR.
Trade in Goods : Korea have put additionally 60% of tariff lines, under immediate tariff liberalization for India. Most of the items are of India’s export interest to Korea. This way India is going to benefit most from the tariff negotiation. Due care has been taken to protect the interest of agricultural and textile sectors. India’s exclusion and sensitive list contain mostly agricultural, textiles and auto-sectors items. No product has been offered for complete elimination of duty in this sector. The textiles and automobile sectors have been given sufficient protection and 90% of the auto items have been kept in the exclusion and sensitive list.
Services : India has been able to obtain substantial commitments over the Revised Offer tabled by Korea at WTO (WTO plus). A whole range of services have been opened for India. Limitations have been removed in Architectural, financial and Audio-visual services. Korea also offered commitments under Mode 4 in independent professionals, which it has not offered in any other bilateral agreement or at the WTO.Investment : Salient provisions of the Investment chapter include market access for industries; national treatment; repatriation; safeguards against expropriation; investment protection; and settlement of disputes. Benefit of the Chapter is to be extended only to enterprises established under the law of the State and having substantial operations
in that territory.MoneyGram International and National Commercial Bank Launch Kingdom's Largest Saudi Global Money Transfer Network
Deal makes money transfer available to 6 million expatriates at 1,400 ATMs across the country
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 30, 2009: MoneyGram International (NYSE:MGI), a leading global money transfer company, and National Commercial Bank (NCB), the largest bank in the Middle East, announced today an agreement to offer MoneyGram's international money transfer service at NCB's 1,400 ATM locations, creating one of the largest money transfer networks in Saudi Arabia. The agreement, which significantly expands MoneyGram's presence in this important country, provides consumers in Saudi Arabia with more convenience and greater access to money transfer services through a network more than 10 times larger than any other money transfer network currently available in Saudi Arabia.
A global remittance leader and home to more than 6 million expatriates, Saudi Arabia saw remittances grow to more than $17 billion in 2006, according to the World Bank. In addition to the fact that 27 percent of Saudi Arabia's population is foreign born, the demand for money transfer services is also driven by the growing number of Saudis studying, traveling and working abroad. "Saudi Arabia is the second largest send market in the world behind the United States, and our alliance with a premier financial institution like National Commercial Bank represents a significant opportunity for MoneyGram's expansion plans in the Middle East," said Anthony Ryan, president and CEO of MoneyGram International. Ryan, along with MoneyGram executives John Hempsey, head of MoneyGram International, Limited, Herve Chomel, vice president of International Markets, and Richard Meredith, head of MoneyGram's Dubai office, met today with NCB leaders to announce the expansion and launch the new service throughout the country's major cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Khobar."Together with MoneyGram, we can now claim to offer our customers simply the best way to send their money to loved ones back home, using the largest money transfer network in Saudi Arabia," said Alasharif Khalid Alghalib, senior executive vice president and head of the Individual Banking Sector of NCB. "With our partner, we have removed the inconvenience of standing in line during office hours and are providing expatriate clients a service that is secure and quick; but above all, flexible and tailored to meet their needs."
MoneyGram's Hempsey said: "We are fortunate to work with the Kingdom's leading bank in this dynamic and mutually beneficial venture. The ultimate winners in this scenario are the consumers, who will benefit from the convenience of having money transfer services available at 1,400 ATMs located where they shop or visit." Meredith, regional director for the Middle East and head of MoneyGram's Dubai office, said, "We'll be working closely with NCB at their registration centers and mobile registration events to rapidly register expatriates across Saudi Arabia. As expatriates learn of the convenience of the ATM-based money transfer service, we'll provide MoneyGram's 10-minute delivery to the global network of 180,000 agent locations in 190 countries and territories."
MoneyGram money transfers at NCB will be sent over NCB's Quickpay platform. Initially, only send services will be available.MoneyGram has been operating in Saudi Arabia since 1998 and manages its services to the region from an office in Dubai. The company began offering ATM-based money transfer service last year. MoneyGram ATM money transfer services are available in the U.S. at 7-Eleven locations, in Poland at BillBird's My Money Transfer locations, and now through NCB in Saudi Arabia.
India Approves payment for South Asian University
The Union Cabinet of India approved payment of India’s contribution of US $ 239.930 million to the South Asian University, which is around 79% of the total cost of the full establishment of the University until 2014. As part of India’s asymmetric commitment to SAARC, India is ready to disburse the first tranche of its financial commitment of US $9.464 million to ensure that the University is operational in July-August 2010.
The University will be the first international University to be hosted by India. The objectives of the University are to disseminate and advance knowledge, wisdom and understanding by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit. The South Asian University shall be a non-state, non-profit self governing international educational institution with a regional focus for the purposes set forth in this Agreement and shall have full academic freedom for the attainment of its objectives. The jurisdiction of the University shall extend to whole of India and to campuses and centres established outside India in the SAARC region.
100 acres of land next to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is being acquired by the Ministry of External Affairs from DDA for leasing to the University. At the Thirteenth SAARC Summit held in Dhaka, in November 2005, Prime Minister proposed the establishment of a South Asian University to provide world-class facilities and professional faculty to students and researchers from SAARC member countries. The Inter-governmental Agreement for the Establishment of the South Asian University was signed at the 14th SAARC Summit (April 3-4, 2007). The SAARC Member States also decided that the University would be established in India.
ACS to Provide Contactless Ticketing to Dubai Metro
Dallas, June 30, 2009 Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (NYSE: ACS) announced that it will supply an intelligent ticketing system for the first tram system in the Persian Gulf region, marking the company's first major contract in the Gulf. ACS solidified its commitment to expanding its offering in the gulf region when it opened an office in Dubai in May. The Persian Gulf's first tram line will have 13 stations and will be equipped with a 100 percent contactless ticketing solution compatible with the interoperability standards set by the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) for all public transport in the Emirate, covering buses, metros, trams and waterbuses. The company's division specializing in public transportation, ACS Transportation Solutions Group was selected to provide the ticketing solution by Alstom, which is building the tram system for the RTA.
"This engagement will showcase ACS' transportation solutions in the Gulf and provide the region with an intelligent system that responds to the daily congestion demands while also offering efficient transportation services," said Patrice Vincendeau of ACS. "Our team has implemented intelligent and sophisticated systems around the world and made a difference in the lives of millions of people by helping them move quicker and more efficiently." Under the terms of its contract with Alstom, ACS will supply all the ticketing equipment including validation terminals, control terminals and vending machines capable of issuing and recharging contactless cards and selling single-use contactless tickets. ACS will also develop a central management system that interacts with the RTA system, which assists with disseminating fare-setting rules, monitors customer data, manages restrictive lists and security keys, and distributes revenues.
"We selected ACS to provide a state-of-the-art ticketing system compatible to Dubai UAFC requirements. With high passenger flows expected on the Al Sufouh Light Rail Transit system, this new ticketing technology will play a critical role helping address congestion and traffic flow," said Remy Redeuilh of Alstom. All of the equipment provided by ACS will be Arabic/English bilingual and comply with the accessibility and ergonomics standards defined by the RTA. The network is scheduled to enter commercial service in early 2011.ACS is the largest provider of public transportation technology services worldwide, supporting governments in 30 countries. The company's Transportation Solutions Group provides support ranging from fare collection on various bus and rail routes processing more than a million public transport tickets daily to toll solutions on some of the busiest highways by processing more than three billion tolls every year. ACS enables its clients to address traffic and congestion challenges by deploying end-to-end technology solutions that advance the movement of goods and services as well as millions of people every day.
Global Finance House to Take on Prospero for its International Expansion
Kuwait, June 30, 2009 SAGE, the Swiss IT firm specialized in the development of wealth management systems, announced today that Global Investment House (Global), the leading asset management and investment banking company in the GCC and MENA, has decided to take on Prospero as its new platform for Portfolio Management, Treasury, Fund Administration and CRM. Centering its operation in Kuwait, Global Investment House started implementing Prospero there at the end of 2008 and is very positive in its response to Prospero.
The choice was made after a very detailed selection process and one of the key criteria for the decision was the level of integration of the various modules and the functional richness of the system.Since Global is expanding in Saudi Arabia, it was only right for the firm to extend the installation of Prospero in its new international operation. The same Prospero modules will be used in both sites and both are about to go live. Thanks to the use of a Model Bank-approach, the utilization of the Kuwait functionality for its Saudi operations is maximized, implementation time is significantly reduced at a minimum, and know-how is shared across the entities of Global Investment House.
The deal was signed by Jean-Luc Freymond, CEO of SAGE, and Patrick Rotzetter, COO of SAGE. Under this agreement, SAGE provides the Kuwait and Saudi offices with the full range of Prospero modules from the Front-Office to the Back-Office, offering a fully integrated and seamless solution. As the Chief Information Officer of Global, Mr. Hakam Abu-Zarour, states: "We have selected Prospero after intense scrutiny of all available systems and we all agreed that it can be tailor-made for our expansion plans and will increase our productivity. SAGE doesn't only bring a state-of-the art system, but we will also highly benefit from their Swiss banking expertise."
American Airport Executives Abu Dhabi Airports Company to Establish Training Center
Alexandria, VA, June 30, 2009 The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)/International Association of Airport Executives (IAAE) and the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance aviation and training services, including the establishment of a regional training center in Abu Dhabi, for airport officials in the Middle East and Gulf regions.
The MOU calls for ADAC's Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS) to be the region's exclusive learning center for AAAE/IAAE training programs, including the Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) program. AAAE and ADAC also plan to work together on other initiatives, including aviation business development, conferences, training and research that will benefit the rapidly developing Middle East and Gulf regions. "ADAC is a dynamic organization that is continuously developing and expanding its activities," said ADAC Chairman Khalifa Mohamed Al Mazrouei. "Our policy has been to establish partnerships with the best-regarded aviation- and aerospace-related companies worldwide, as we endeavour to support the growth of Abu Dhabi's economy and achieve excellence by raising the bar for airports everywhere. We are delighted to sign this agreement with AAAE and IAAE and look forward to working together for the benefit of our industry."
"IAAE's goal is to help expand AAAE's reach to the global aviation industry and foster collaboration and information exchange between airport executives worldwide," said IAAE Chair Bonnie Allin, A.A.E., and president/CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority. "We look forward to creating a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with the Abu Dhabi Airports Company." ADAC operates five airports in the Emirate and is developing the Abu Dhabi Airport Logistics Park, which sits adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport, the primary entry point into the Emirate and growing civil aviation hub, and will provide a range of facilities for aviation-related businesses.
AAAE is the world's largest provider of interactive airport training and has spent years developing and refining various delivery methods for both federally mandated and value-added training. Hundreds of U.S. airports rely on AAAE's computer-based, Web-based and instructor-led training to meet federal requirements and conduct advanced training.
