Israel deploys Iron Dome
Beersheba (Israel): Israel deployed a cutting-edge rocket defence system on Monday, rolling out the
latest tool in its arsenal to stop a recent spike in attacks from the neighbouring Gaza Strip.
Israel hopes the home-grown Iron Dome system will provide increased security to its citizens, but officials
warned it cannot do the job alone. The system went into operation shortly after an Israeli aircraft struck a
group of militants in Gaza, killing two. Israeli said they were about to fire a rocket.
The Iron Dome system has raised hopes that Israel has finally found a solution to the years of
rocket fire from Gaza. The primitive rockets have evaded Israel's high-tech weaponry, in part because
their short flight path, just a few seconds, makes them hard to track.
The government approved Iron Dome in 2007. Its developers have compared the effort to a high-tech start-
up, working around the clock in small teams to perfect its weapons, radar and software systems. The
developer, local defence contractor Rafael, declared the system ready for use last year.
Iron Dome uses sophisticated cameras and radar to track incoming rockets, determine where they will land,
and intercept and destroy them far from their targets. If the system determines the rocket is headed to an
area where casualties are unlikely, it can allow the weapon to explode on the ground. — AP
Russia slams Western action
MOSCOW: Moscow has accused the Western coalition of interfering in a civil war in Libya in breach of the
United Nations resolution.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said even as Western officials claimed to be protecting
civilians, allied aircraft were reported to be bombing Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi's forces.
“We think that intervention by the coalition in what is essentially a civil war has not been sanctioned by the
U.N. Security Council resolution,” said Mr. Lavrov.
Mr. Lavrov told reporters on Monday that Russia had abstained on Resolution 1973 adopted on March 17
because some of its provisions “allowed for multiple interpretations”.
But he insisted “the resolution set the sole goal of establishing a no-fly zone to protect the civilian
population.”
The Russian Foreign Minister called for verifying reports of civilian deaths caused by allied air strikes.
“We have urged the U.N. Secretary-General to send his special representative to check on this information,”
he said.
Russia's envoy to NATO warned the alliance could be dragged into a full-scale war in Libya.
Bhaskar Pramanik to head Microsoft India
NEW DELHI: Software giant Microsoft on Monday said it had appointed Bhaskar Pramanik as
Chairman for its India operations.
The appointment, effective Monday, comes less than two months after Ravi Venkatesan quit as Microsoft
India's Chairman and Corporate Vice-President.
India, Africa set $70 b trade target
NEW DELHI: India and Africa, seeking to further strengthen the economic engagement, have set a target of
$70 billion by 2015. India also reaffirmed its commitment to provide cheap medicines for the poor
despite strong legal and diplomatic offensive launched by Western pharmaceutical companies. “We have set
for ourselves a target of $70 billion by 2015 and I am sure that we will be able to achieve it. At present, the
trade stands at $45 billion,'' Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said while inaugurating the
seventh conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership, ‘Creating possibilities: delivering value', organised
jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Exim Bank with the support of ministries of
commerce and industry and external affairs.
Global energy giants stay away from NELP IX
Special Correspondent
74 bids received for 33 oil and gas blocks out of 34 on offer
Cambay Basin is the most sought-after block
ONGC, OIL team up to bid for 15 blocks
NEW DELHI: With major global energy giants choosing to stay away from the Ninth Round of New
Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), the Central Government on Monday received 74 bids for 33 oil and gas
exploration blocks out of 34 blocks on offer with state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) bidding
for maximum number of blocks.
ONGC, which had won almost two-thirds of the blocks offered in NELP VIII, bid for as many as 29 areas in
the latest round. Another public sector company, Oil India Ltd (OIL) bid for two areas. State-run GAIL
(India) and upstream subsidiary of state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) bid for four
blocks. Reliance Industries (RIL) bid for six blocks — two deep sea areas in the Andaman Basin in the Bay of
Bengal and four onshore blocks in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Cairn India (CIL) submitted offers for only two
blocks — one onland and one offshore. Interestingly, it has not bid for any two exploration blocks on offer in
Rajasthan. The only other notable bidder was U.K.'s BG Group, which teamed up with BHP Billiton to bid for
a deep-water block in the Mumbai basin, off the West Coast. Essar Oil bid for one onland block in the
Cambay Basin.
“The response to the latest round of NELP has been more than satisfactory. It has been encouraging,”
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters after the close of bidding for the 34 blocks
offered in NELP-IX here. Rejecting arguments that regulatory troubles on the Cairn-Vedanta Resources deal
sent negative signals to investors, Mr. Reddy said “We have not taken a negative view or a positive view.
We have maintained absolute neutrality. The foreign investors did not stay away due to any government
policy.”
“We have put in place a very transparent policy. Full justice is being done to foreign companies. It is not for
want of inviting atmosphere in India that they did not bid. The blocks would be awarded and production
sharing contracts (PSC) will be signed in four months,” he added.
ONGC and OIL teamed up to bid for 15 blocks together, while North East-focussed OIL bid for two blocks on
its own as operator. Of the 33 blocks that got bids, 14 areas received single bid. ONGC and its partners are
the sole bidders in 10 blocks. OIL and its partners are sole bidders for one Mumbai offshore shallow water
block. India had got an investment commitment of $1.1 billion in NELP-VIII.
The most sought-after block was a Cambay Basin onland block in Gujarat, which got six bids, including from
RIL, Essar Oil, ONGC-OIL-HPCL and a GAIL-Bharat PetroResources-EIL-Bharat Forge consortium. Out of the
34 blocks, 19 blocks are totally new areas — seven in deep sea, two in shallow water and 10 onland blocks.
The remaining 15 are recycled blocks
Mozambique PM invites Indian investments
NEW DELHI: Seeking big participation of Indian business houses to boost the economic cooperation and help
in resurgence of Africa, Mozambique Prime Minister Aires Bonifacio Baptista Ali on Monday
extended an open arm warm invitation to Indian companies to grab the opportunity and make
‘big investments' in Africa.
Mr. Baptista Ali said at the 7th CII-EXIM Bank conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership.
Mozambique is the partner country at the summit which is a follow-through for the India-Africa
summit to be held in May in Ethopia and is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. Togo, which has been accorded as the guest country status, is represented by its Prime Minister
Gilbert Houngbo.
The Mozambican Prime Minister said the conclave was taking place at a moment characterised by growing
instability and upheavals in the Middle East and increasing signs of economic and financial instability
worldwide due to increase in oil and food prices. “This represents a challenge and an opportunity for our
countries. We need to devise innovative approaches to promote peace, stability, democracy and well-being
to our citizens and nations,” he said.
Mr. Baptista Ali said India could tap opportunities arising from regional trade agreements in Africa, as well
as preferential trade agreements signed with large Western economies.
He pointed out that six of the world's fastest growing countries were from Africa.
