India Celebrates 67th Republic Day

Motor bike riders of Border Security Force

The French Army marching contingents passes through the Rajpath

Five planes in arrow formation

NEW DELHI : India's military prowess and achievements in different fields, state-of-the-art defence, diverse cultural and social traditions and the government's emphasis on self-reliance dominated the showcase at New Delhi's Rajpath on the country's 67th Republic Day.

For the first time in the history of Republic Day parades, a 123-member French Army contingent marched on Rajpath and present a ceremonial salute to the President Pranab Mukherjee, as guest of honor Francois Hollande watched and clapped seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Poland likely to scrap $3 billion Airbus helicopter deal: report

WARSAW : Poland's $3 billion (2 billion pounds) army helicopter deal with Airbus (AIR.PA) is "very likely" to be canceled, the deputy defense minister said on Tuesday, signaling one of Warsaw's key military programs, speeded up in response to the Ukraine crisis, may face delays.
Poland's previous centrist government, beaten by the Eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party in a parliamentary election in October, agreed a provisional deal with Airbus for 50 EC-725 Caracal multi-purpose helicopters, turning down offers from Sikorsky (LMT.N) and AgustaWestland (SIFI.MI).
The contract, negotiated by the economy ministry, has yet to be signed and PiS has repeatedly said it would rather see the deal awarded to a producer manufacturing locally. Both Sikorsky and AgustaWestland have facilities in Poland.
"I can't say that the final assessment of the (industrial) offset negotiations will be negative, but considering how big the differences are, it is very likely that an agreement will not be reached," Bartosz Kownacki told the Rzeczpospolita daily.

"We are not allergic to the French, but to not utilizing the capacity of the Polish (defense) industry," Kownacki said. "We'd have to get really as much as possible from the French side to make this contract profitable for us," he said.
Poland may be better off scrapping the deal and paying a potential fine, which may reach hundreds of millions of zlotys, than accepting the losses the contract would impose on the Polish defense industry, Kownacki was quoted as saying.

The negotiations are supposed to conclude by Feb. 10, the daily said.

"Talks on industrial compensation are under way. Let's wait until they are concluded," a spokesman for Airbus Helicopters said.

(Reporting by Wiktor Szary; Additional reporting by Cyril Altmeyer; Editing by Mark Potter)

Germany has not approved Airbus defence electronics unit sale to KKR -sources

Jan 26 Two German government sources on Tuesday denied a report in the Handelsblatt newspaper that Berlin had given its consent to sell Airbus Group's defence electronics unit to two U.S. buyout groups.
One source in the coalition government said the report in the business newspaper was "not accurate."
Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday that Airbus was close to sealing a deal with KKR and Carlyle and that the German government had given a green light for the sale. It quoted sources close to the negotiations.
A spokeswoman for the economics ministry on Tuesday said Airbus had informed German authorities about an intention to sell part of its defence unit, while declining to comment further.

"We will carefully follow this process together with the defence ministry and conduct talks with Airbus and potential investors," one government source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
German authorities want to assess what impact a deal could have on jobs and to assess whether key security technologies and competencies would remain in Germany.

The sale is part of a plan by Airbus to dispose of assets with combined revenues of around 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion), following a strategic decision to focus on civil and military aeronautical and space assets in the face of low defence spending in Europe.

Airbus lacks the scale of rivals in defence electronics and hopes to fetch more than 1 billion euros from the sale, sources have said. The company said this month it was making good progress in the sale of its defence electronics unit.
Airbus Group short-listed Carlyle and KKR for the defence electronics unit, after they put up significantly higher offers than rivals, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters last month.
France and Germany own 11 percent each of Airbus Group and Spain controls 4.1 percent. ($1 = 0.9244 euros) (Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

International Solar Alliance will be the First International and Inter-Governmental Organisation of 121 Countries to have Headquarters in India with United Nations as Strategic Partner

The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi, and the President of France Mr François Hollande, today jointly laid the foundation stone of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Headquarters and inaugurated the interim Secretariat of the ISA in National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.

Government of India has dedicated 5 acre land in NISE campus for the ISA Headquarters and also has contributed Rs 175 crore for ISA corpus fund and also for meeting expenditure for initial five years.

ISA is part of Prime Minister’s vision to bring clean and affordable energy within the reach of all and create a sustainable world. It will be a new beginning for accelerating development and deployment of solar energy for achieving universal energy access and energy security of the present and future generations.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated that ISA will be India’s first international and inter-governmental organization headquartered in India.ISA will be dedicated to promotion of solar energy for making solar energy a valuable source of affordable and reliable green and clean energy in 121 member countries. He thanked the President of France for his continued help and support in shaping ISA.

Appreciating India, President of France, Mr. Francois Hollande said that at Paris Conference, India showed that it was ready to fully commit to energy transition and the fight against climate change. Thanks to India’s commitment, we were able to secure an ambitious, fair and dynamic agreement in Paris, which is binding for all of humanity, Mr Hollande added. He also said that India’s role will be just as essential in implementing the Paris Agreement and the commitments which have been made. Mr. Hollande reaffirmed his commitment by saying that France want to build the post-Paris Agreement world with India and ISA paves the way for this. The Alliance has France’s full support. He announced that the French Development Agency will allocate €300 million to developing solar energy over the next five years in order to finance the initial projects. He stressed on the fact that contributing to the success of the Alliance also means launching French-Indian projects.

Welcoming the dignitaries , Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy informed that an Interim Administrative Cell (IAC) has been made functional for facilitating transition of ISA from de facto to a de jure entity. He also stated that in addition to contribution for creating ISA corpus fund, Government of India has offered training support for ISA member countries at NISE and also support for demonstration projects for solar home lighting, solar pumps for farmers and for other solar applications. Shri Goyal further informed that the interim ISA Secretariat has started functioning from the Surya Bhawan of NISE. He mentioned that locating ISA in NISE campus is a great value addition and both the institutions will immensely benefit from each other’s presence and establish vibrant linkages.

On this occasion, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) announced contribution of US $ 1 million each to the ISA corpus fund.

ISA has been envisioned as a specialized platform and will contribute towards the common goal of increasing utilization and promotion of solar energy and solar applications in its member countries. The Paris declaration on International Solar Alliance states that the countries share the collective ambition to undertake innovative and concerted efforts for reducing the cost of finance and cost of technology for immediate deployment of competitive solar generation, financial instruments to mobilise more than 1000 Billion US Dollars of investments needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of affordable solar energy and to pave the way for future solar generation, storage and good technologies for countries’ individual needs.

Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki, Governor, Haryana; Shri Manohar Lal, Chief Minister Haryana; Ministers from the Government of France, and Government of UAE also graced the occasion. Representative from over 60 resident Diplomatic Missions in New Delhi; large number of representatives from International Organizations, Indian Industry & Businesses, Media; and Farmers from Haryana were present in the event.

India, France sign Rafale fighter plane accord

NEW DELHI India signed an inter-governmental pact on Monday to buy 36 French-built Rafale fighter planes, but the leaders of both countries said there was still work to do to finalise financial terms after months of talks.

President of India’s message on the eve of National Day of Australia

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has extended his greetings and felicitations to the Government and people of Australia on the eve of their National Day (January 26, 2016).

In his message to H.E. Gen. the Hon’ble Sir Peter Cosgrove AK-MC (Retd.), the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the President has said, “On behalf of the Government, the people of India and on my own behalf, I extend warm greetings and felicitations to Your Excellency and to the people of Australia on the occasion of your National Day.

It is a matter of satisfaction that India’s ties with Australia have grown in strength over recent years in a wide range of areas of our common interest. We look forward to sustaining this momentum to the mutual benefit of our peoples.

Please accept, Excellency, my best wishes for your good health and happiness. I take this opportunity to convey, through you, my best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the people of Australia”.

India-France Business Summit in Chandigarh

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the President of France, Mr. Francois Hollande, at the India-France Business Summit, in Chandigarh on January 24, 2016.

U.S. urges African leaders to sway Burundi on peacekeepers

ADDIS ABABA | By Michelle Nichols : The United States on Saturday urged African leaders to "work behind the scenes" before their annual summit next weekend to convince Burundi to accept a deployment of international troops in the tiny African state amid festering political violence.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said members of the African Union Peace and Security Council expected leaders to endorse its proposed deployment of 5,000 troops to protect civilians, despite a rejection of the force by Burundi.
"I didn't get a sense from the African countries gathered in the room that they're going to take that as a final answer," Power told reporters after a meeting between the U.N. Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa.
"As well as the AU meeting (next weekend) to endorse it, we will need leaders to work behind the scenes to get the Burundi government to change its position," she said.
Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza says the plan to send peacekeepers would constitute "an invading force". Nkurunziza's re-election for a third term last year sparked the crisis, which has raised fears of an ethnic conflict in a region where memories of neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide remain fresh.

The U.N. Security Council traveled to Burundi on Thursday for one night, it's second visit to the country in less than 10 months. The United Nations estimates the death toll at 439 people but says it could be higher. More than 240,000 people have fled abroad and the country's economy is in crisis.
The African Union plans to seek U.N. Security Council backing for any deployment of troops. France will draft a resolution, Deputy U.N. Ambassador Alexis Lamek said, adding that an initial priority was to send some 100 AU human rights and military observers to Burundi.
Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Petr Iliichev said the situation in Burundi appeared to be improving, but not to the point where "we can say we should put it on the back burner."

"For us it will be very difficult to oppose any resolution from the African Union because we always say that there should be African solutions to African problems," he said of any request for U.N. authorization to deploy troops. Russia is a council veto power.
"There are no signs of genocide, but there is potential for genocide ... but there is no imminent threat," he said. Iliichev said on Friday that Burundi did not need peacekeepers and instead needed help increasing its police capacity.

During a meeting with the U.N. Security Council on Friday, Nkurunziza accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting rebels by training and arming Burundian refugees recruited on Rwandan soil. Rwanda has previously dismissed the allegations.
"It is in the interests of the Burundian government to consent to having an enhanced African presence in Burundi to monitor the border, to disarm those elements outside the traditional security forces and to help stabilize the situation," Power said.
Burundi and Rwanda have the same ethnic mix - about 85 percent Hutus and 15 percent Tutsis. A 12-year civil war in Burundi, which ended in 2005, pitted a Tutsi-led army against Hutu rebel groups.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Grant McCool)

Australia shares hit 10-day top, New Zealand shares edge high

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, SYDNEY : Jan 25 Australian shares rose more than 1 percent on Monday as a rally in oil markets pushed the index to a 10-day high.
The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 1.24 percent or 60.8 points to 4,986.7 by 0140 GMT, near the session high of 4,986.7 points - the highest since January 15.
Energy shares underpinned gains. Origin Energy Ltd rose nearly 4 percent to hit a 10-day high of $4.13 a share, while Woodside Petroleum Ltd rose 3.3 percent to hit a one-week top of $26.38 a share after oil rose more than 10 percent on Friday.
"The latest rebound in oil, combined with European and Japan central bank's hinting at further stimulus, has provided a short-term reprieve for what so far this year, can be described as a nervous and punishing market," said Gary Huxtable, client adviser at Atlantic Pacific Securities.

Mining stocks edged lower, with BHP Billiton down 0.2 percent, while Rio Tinto shed 1.2 percent after hitting weakest since 2009 last week.
Financial stocks firmed, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia , ANZ Banking Group and National Australia Bank all up more than 2 percent.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index was trading slightly higher early Monday after Wall Street fared better and on stronger oil prices. The index was up 0.4 percent or 22 points at 6.143.97 in early trading.

Macquarie Equities Investment Advisor Brad Gordon said the Kiwi market might drift higher over the rest of the session, in particular as the Australian market looked set for a strong open.
Trade, however, is light with the capital city of Wellington on holiday. Gordon said investors are also treading water ahead of the reporting season due to kick off mid-February.
The biggest gainers were A2 Milk, up 4 percent while Nuplex was up 3.5 percent. In the other direction, Trade Me was down 1.7 percent while Port of Tauranga was down 0.8 percent.

PM addresses India-France Business Summit in Chandigarh. 16 Agreements exchanged

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the India-France Business Summit in Chandigarh today.

The Prime Minister appreciated France for the manner in which it coordinated the CoP 21 negotiations. He recalled that President Hollande had spoken to him over phone and had shared the outline of the proposed agreement, shortly before it was announced.

The Prime Minister recalled the deadly terror attack in Paris a few days before the CoP-21 meeting, and said France has shown the way to combat terrorism without deviating from its core principles. He said India will stand shoulder to shoulder with France in the fight against terrorism.

The Prime Minister spoke at length about the complementarities between India and France, and said both countries are in fact made for each other. Speaking about the security and defence sector, the Prime Minister said Indian talent and French manufacturing capability can together make the world a more secure place. In this context, he mentioned cyber-security as well.

The Prime Minister said French companies are well invested in India. He asserted that retrospective tax was a thing of the past, and a closed chapter. He mentioned the initiatives of Mission Innovation, involving India, US and France, and the International Solar Alliance.

16 MoUs and Agreements were exchanged at the Summit.