Frontier India » Brazil

BRICS turn Wall in Durban

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:43:51 +0000

Coined in 2001 by Goldman sachs, the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India & China , began their first huddle in 2009, and South Africa joined the talk shop in 2010 to form BRICS. Since then the 5 emerging economies have rapidly made their presence felt as power players in international relations. Will the BRICKS turn E-BRICKS with Egypt knocking on the doors is to be seen.

The fifth BRICS Summit concluded at Durban on Wednesday announcing the formation of a BRICS Development Bank, aiming to raise 4.5 trillion US Dollar capital in five years to finance development projects. Another $ 100 billion Contingency Reserve fund has been announced to address financial challenges and further strengthen financial stability among member nations.

Multiple agreements were also inked to boost intra-BRICS trade to achieve the ambitious trade target of USD 500 billion by 2015. The formation of the BRICS Business Council was also announced to create an enabling environment for free flow of people and trade between member nations.

It is not just trade, the regional rivals China and India, also sat over a structured bilateral agenda.

The group is not without its major weakness, as the achievement of the trade targets hinge primarily on China, as India – Russia private trade is almost non existent, while intra government deals are unidirectional. Another weakness is the remenant of global financial crisis within BRICS.

Not withstanding the challenges, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh rightly pointed out that “BRICS nations will continue to be key drivers of global economic growth.”

India Leads in Pharmaceutical Innovation among BRICK nations

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:46:12 +0000

Philadelphia: Of all the BRICK nations, India is by far the leader in terms of pharmaceutical patent activity, with approximately twice as much activity as the next closest BRICK country Russia, according to new research published today by the Intellectual Property & Science business of Thomson Reuters. The report, “Building Bricks: Exploring the Global Research Impact of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Korea,” tracks global research publications, R&D spend and patent filings over a 10-year period to gauge benchmarks of economic innovation in the BRICK countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Korea.

In publishing research papers, India has been the ‘sleeping giant.’ But the country has now begun to stir and is probably on a path that will see it matching leading EU countries at around 100,000 papers per year by 2020. India is only second to Brazil in its portfolio structure, with three life science fields in its top five. India is the most diverse when it comes to spreading its specialization across a wider range, reflecting the mature, long-term establishment of its research base.In 2011, India published 235 highly cited papers (0.52% of national output), second only to China which managed 1131 such papers.

In terms of impact, India has a substantial industrial base and much of its recent research has been directed at the support of that base. This has led to the establishment of a major industrial research sector through political requirements rather than scientific competitiveness. Under such circumstances, there has been a proliferation of industrially relevant research activity with low levels of selective peer review, and this research is now being reported but not cited in the wider literature.

In the area of patent filing, India lags not only behind mature economies, but also behind China and South Korea. There is still hope. India moved up a place to 4th in terms of patent filing among BRICK and is poised to overtake Russia. For India, both scientific publications and patent outputs have grown, although patents less quickly. This may indicate some inefficiencies in realizing economic return on the application of basic science in the country. This is evidenced by the dramatic increase in backlog of patent applications awaiting examination at the Indian patent office which rose by 47.3 percent to 123,255 in the 12 months from March 2011 through April 2012.

As per the report, India’s profile is dominated by a spike in pharmaceuticals and organic fine chemistry. India’s relative focus on pharmaceutical, agrochemical and other chemical innovation over the more mechanical and electrical technologies of sections p-x, which accords well with the general economic profile for that country with its strong presence of companies operating in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors.

India also has strengths in agriculture which will likewise be important in global development.

Accommodate India in permanent UNSC says France

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:23:50 +0000

New York: French President Francois Hollande has stated that his country is keenly interested in the expansion of the UN Security Council, noting that India is among the countries that need to be accommodated in the enlarged body. In his first remarks to the world body, the new French president said yesterday that Germany, Brazil and an African nation should also be given permanent seats on the expanded Security Council. “It should be done to better reflect the current status of the world,” Francois Hollande told the 67th UN General Assembly.

India’s bid for permanent member of UNSC is backed by permanent members namely France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States. China, has expressed increased role for India in United Nations, but stopped short of its support for India’s permanent membership. Ironically, it was India which let China take up the UNSC seat, which was initially offered to India after Taiwan vacated it.

51 nations and the African Union have openly supported the Indian candidature to the UN Security Council. The lone opposition comes from Pakistan.

India has been elected seven times to the UN Security Council. currently India has been elected to serve in UNSC from 2011 to 2012 as it received 187 of the 190 total votes. Indian role in UN Peace keeping Force is a factor cited by most countries for their support.

India holds the second largest population, 9th largest economy, third largest in Purchasing Power Parity, 3rd largest armed forces, in the world and is a nuclear weapons state. India is also the world’s biggest democracy. It is a secular country with world’s largest Hindu community and the world’s second-largest Muslim population.

Brazil’s armed forces get initial three EC725s

(FINN) Frontier India News Network — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:49:52 +0000

Eurocopter’s Helicópteros do Brasil (Helibras) subsidiary yesterday delivered the initial three EC725s for Brazil’s armed forces. The contract is to supply 50 of these medium-sized, multi-role helicopters. These first three helicopters were provided in a standard configuration and will undergo final outfitting in Brazil. Eurocopter and Helibras pilots and technicians performed delivery flight tests, which were followed by acceptance evaluations carried out by Brazilian Armed Forces representatives – whose personnel have been in training since May to operate and maintain the EC725s.

While these helicopters were built by Eurocopter in France and finalized in Helibras, Brazilian assembly of EC725 will begin in 2012 at Helibras’ new production facility in Itajubá. Their Brazilian-supplied content will increase to a minimum of 50 per cent through 2016, when the final EC725s from the 50-aircraft order are delivered.

Established in 1978, Helibras currently has 450 employees and a plant area of 14,000 square meters at Itajubá, where it has been located since 1980. By the end of 2011, the Itajubá facility’s surface area is to nearly double, with its workforce increasing to more than 600.

Image: Eurocopter

For the Brazilian Armed Forces’ 50-helicopter contract, a team representing the country’s Army, Navy and Air Force is now present at Helibras’ facility in Itajubá. Called the Group of Monitoring and Control (GAC), it oversees all topics related to the new EC725s, and will be composed of 16 members at the peak of in-country manufacturing for the helicopters. Its responsibilities range from quality control and material inspection to the delivery reception of the EC725s.

The EC725 being acquired by the Brazilian Armed Forces is the latest version of Eurocopter’s Super Puma/Cougar family. This 11-metric-ton medium twin-engine helicopter is equipped with a five-blade rotor and a large capacity fuel tank, providing enhanced performance and a greater flight endurance. It was designed to perform multiple missions, such as combat search and rescue, long-distance tactical airlift, air ambulance transport, logistics support and naval missions.