A group of Indian Publishers have moved to Newyork district Court against Google Book Settlement’s (GBS 2.0) and filed allegation of copyright violation against Internet Gaint.

Siddharth Arya, the legal counsel for IRRO(The Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation ) said ” Google has scanned millions of books of Indian authors without taking any kind of permission from the author which is a clearattempt to turn copyright law on its head,”

The IRRO is an organisation owned by authors and publishers which include Star Publications Pvt. Ltd., Abhinav Publications, Daya Publication House and Pustak Mahal.

This is the first group of India Publishers who moved to court against Google Book project. Although, many author unions all over the world are raising their voices against Google Project.

Google has scanned millions on books till now Under the initiative, known as the Google Library Project. According to this project if a person is silent, he is deemed to have consented to an agreement.

Angered by Google’s action, the Authors’ Guild (AG) and the Association of American Publishers (AAP) slapped Google with a suit alleging copyright infringement.

China has completed surpassed India in the recent comparisons economists and businessmen make between Asia’s two rising giants. Studies showed that the Chinese government policies of implements new strategies with blinking speed is making India’s fractured political system appear sluggish and chaotic.

The sagging infrastructure of New Delhi and Mumbai stands nowhere when compared with shining airports and wide roads of Beijing.

Though India still can’t compete on top-line economic growth — the World Bank projects India’s gross domestic product (GDP) will increase 6.4% in calendar 2009, far short of the 8.7% rate China announced in mid-January – India’s economy looks to be rebounding from the downturn in better shape than China’s. India doesn’t appear to be facing the same degree of potential dangers and downside risks as China, which means policymakers in New Delhi might have a much easier task maintaining the economy’s momentum than their Chinese counterparts. “The way I see it is that the growth in India is much more sustainable” than in China, says Jim Walker, economist at Hong Kong-based research firm Asianomics.

India’s edge is due to the different stimulus programs adopted by the two countries to support growth during the downturn. China implemented what Walker calls “the biggest stimulus program in global history.” On top of government outlays for new infrastructure and tax breaks, Beijing most significantly counted on massive credit growth to spur on the economy. The amount of new loans made in 2009 nearly doubled from the year before to $1.4 trillion – representing almost 30% of GDP. The stimulus plan worked wonders, holding up growth even as China’s exports dropped by 16% in 2009.

The Indian economy is not immune to risks. The government has to contend with a yawning budget deficit, and last year’s weak monsoon rains will likely undercut agricultural production and soften rural consumer spending. But rapid growth is expected to continue. The World Bank forecasts India’s economy will surge 7.6% in calendar 2010 and 8% in 2011, not far behind the 9% rate it predicts for China for each of those years. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when speaking about his country’s more plodding pace of economic policymaking, has said that “slow and steady will win the race.” The Great Recession appears to have proved him right.

SMS GupShup which claims to be the Indian Largest Social Networking Site raises $12 Million in latest round of Funding on Wednesday. The latest round of funding was led by by Globespan Capital Partners with existing investors Charles River Ventures and Helion Venture Partners.

SMS GupShup was founded in April 2007 and has its headquarters in Cupertino, USA.

The company CEO and Co-founder Beerud Sheth said ” The revenues and user base of the company has increases substantially over the last year. Currently company serves more than 26 million users and seeing interests from mobile carriers worldwide. ”

The funds raised would be used to accelerate the growth of the company globally and to make products useful to each of the the 4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide. SMS GupShup is bringing social messaging to the mobile masses and raised a total os $37 million of funding till now and have a headcount of 130 employees.

Devdutt Yellurkar of Charles River Ventures said ” Since we last invested, SMS GupShup has shown huge growth in number of users and revenues. We’re excited to re-invest again to help the business realize its global potential as the social messaging solution for the masses.”

Google India Internet Bus has reached Jaipur today. The Google Internet Bus Project is to educate the people in villages and far flung areas about the Internet and how they can use it to make their lives easier.

The Bus has covered villages of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, before starting its journey in Rajasthan yesterday. The bus would remain in Rajasthan for 30 days and would cover 10 cities in Rajasthan – Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Beawer, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Pali, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Sikar.

The bus is equipped with High Plasma monitors and 24 hours internet connectivity and have informative content in both English and Hindi for users.

“The year 2009 has been a great journey for the Google Internet Bus. Having covered five states we touched the lives of over 460,000 people and showcased the benefit of internet and how it can revolutionize daily lives,” said Prasad Ram, head ,Google R&D, India.

HRD Ministry on Monday told Supreme Court that 44 Universities can lose its Deemed status because they are not meeting up the required standards. Most of these 44 universities are in Tamil Nadu. Out of which one university Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai was founded by Union Minister S. Jagathrakshakan

According to Report, 34 out these 44 universities got the deemed status in the tenure of former education minister Mr.Arjun Singh. These Universities are run by private corporate houses and became one of the profitable business for them. Report also says that the number of students enrolled in these universities are beyond their intake capacity.

HRD Ministry also said that out of total 130 deemed universities in India, Only 38 universities are up to standards. Another 44 were found to be deficient in some aspects. They have been given three years to improve their functioning. The remaining 44 have “neither on past performance nor on their promise for the future have the attributes to retain their status as deemed to be universities”.

Here is the List of 44 Universities which can lose their Deemed status

Nava Nalanda Mahavira in Bihar
Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Tamil Nadu
St. Peter’s Engineering College, Avadi
Noorul Islam College of Engineering, Kumaracoil, Thuckalay
Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, and other institutions run by this university
Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Padur
Chettinad College of Nursing
Saveetha Dental College and Hospital
Saveetha Medical College and Hospital and other institutions
Arulmigu Kalasalingam College of Engineering, Virudhunagar
Periyar Maniammai College of Technology, Thanjavur
Academy of Maritime Education and Research, Chennai
Vel’s Institute of Science
Technology and Advanced Studies, Chennai
Vel Tech Engineering College
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Pollachi
Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Salem
Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry.
National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology, New Delhi.

Google allegations of Chinese Government trying hacking the email accounts of Chinese activists and its threat to leave China have created an intense debate. But a media report, which reveals that hackers from China have targeted computers in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have fueled the issue further.

According to Report Chinese hackers aimed email accounts of National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan, Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekhar, PM’s Special Envoy Shyam Saran and Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt and 26 others.

The spyware was in the form of PDF file which contains a trojan horse programmed to download files, access email accounts and passwords of desktop from a remote location.

The PMO office has denied reports of security breaches in PMO official emails and called these allegations rumors

Moving one step closer to its first global buyout, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) Government owned Telecom operator company have entered in to the second round of bidding to acquire a majority stake in Zambia’s leading telecom company Zamtel.

BSNL is one of the four bidders who are selected for the next round of bidding, which is scheduled to start next week. The winning bidder would get 75% stake in the company as confirmed by the Zambia Development Agency.

Apart from BSNL, Angola’s Unitel, Libya’s LAP Green Networks and Russia’s Altimo had submitted bids in December to get a 75% stake in the company.

BSNL chairman and MD Kuldeep Goyal said ” We had participate in the bid in December for 75% stake and are now selected for the Second round. We will see.. what would happen next.”

Zamtel is Zambia’s only licenced fixed-line provider of voice and data communications with revenue of $100 million. Details of bid are still confidential.

Due to tough competition in Mobile and Telecommunication sectors, Companies are exploring their options to expand themselves in the overseas market. If BSNL gets the deal , it would become the second India Telecom Company after Bharti Airtel to invest in foreign markets. Bharti Airtel is going to invest $300 million in Bangladesh’s Telecom Company Warid to buy its 70% Stake

India is going to talk with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s on the controversial issue of Sharing water of Teesta River. Bangladesh Prime minsiter Sheikh Hasina is on her three day visit to India from Jan 10.

The controversy is over the Tipaimukh dam which would help India to tackle floods and also produce hydel electricity. According to report, India has approved the plans of producing 1,500-megawatt of Hydel Electricity from this dam in northeastern Manipur state on the Barak River, which flows through Bangladesh before reaching Bay of Bengal. It was also Proposed by India Government to sell some power generated by dam at cheap prices to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is against this dam, because of the warnings from experts according to which this dam will affect the life of 20 million Bangladeshis living in the northeastern region and would also dry up the two rivers in Bangladesh the Surma and Kushiara.

The main opposition in Bangladesh is by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who have threatened Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to launch a massive protest if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would agree to building of Dam by India.

According to Officials, BNP is opposing the issue for political gains in Bangladesh by provoking the anti-India sentiments. Hasina’s government says it is trying to address nagging power shortages that have slowed industries and kept investors away. Hasina is also likely to discuss buying electricity while in New Delhi.

Bangladesh and India already have a water sharing agreement on Ganges

According to an official Report, China had grabbed a substantial amount of Indian land over the last two decades along the line of Actual Control . The report was released in recent meeting at Leh, which was attended by officials from the Jammu and Kashmir government, Ministry of Home Affairs and Army.

It was agreed in meeting, that there is difference of area in maps of various agencies and a proper and adequate mapping of area is needed. Everybody agreed on the fact that, We are going back from the actual LAC and our area shrunk a lot in the period of twenty years. Although the Process is very slow, But we lost a substantial area during this period.

The main agenda of meeting was to ensure proper protection of normadic people in the area who move with their cattle to Dokbug area of Nyoma sector during the winter months every year. In December 2008, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had damaged their tents and threatened them to vacate the land.

According to Report filed by Sub Divisional Magistrate (Nyoma) Tsering Norboo ” Chinese threatened the nomadic people who had been using Dokbug area (in Ladakh sector) area for grazing since decades long, in a way to snatch our land in inches. A Chinese proverb is famous in the world – better do in inches than in yards”

Bangladesh’s telecom regulator has finally Approved the Bharti Airtel proposal to invest $300 million in Abu Dhabi Group’s Bangladesh telecommunications asset, Warid Telecom International Ltd which is the Fourth largest mobile company in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission(BTRC) Chairman Zia Ahmed said “We have approved the Bharti Airtel plan to buy 70 perecent stake of Warid. We have asked Bharti Airtel to submit the detailed plan of the investment to BTRC in 30 days.”

Mr.Zia also added “We hope that the total investment of Airtel in Bangladesh would cross $1 Billion in few years.” Whatever amount Bharti Airtel would pay to warid for the deal, 5.5% of it would go to BRTC according to the Bangladesh Law.

After the Approval by BRTC, Bharti Airtel has become the first Indian Telecom operator to enter the Bangladesh mobile Market. Currently , Bharti Airtel is one of the leading telecom operators in Asia with more than 113,439,670 customers as of Sep 30, according to the company website and Providing Services in India and Srilanka.

Because of the Tough Competition from Reliance and Vodafone in Indian Mobile Market, Bharti Airtel is looking for its scope in overseas markets with great potential. After failure of its talks with South African firm MTN over dual listing issues, Bharti was desperately looking for an overseas acquisition where growth potentials are huge which it found on Warid.

According to the Report, Both companies, Bharti Airtel and Warid are working on the final MoU which would be signed next week, on the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India. This deal would give strong signals of strengthening bilateral investments between both the countries and will be signed on Jan 12, in a joint session of the three chambers -Assocham, Ficci and CII- where Hasina is expected to address