By Sushma Arora

NEW DELHI, March 4: The beautiful lawns of the French Embassy were unsually lit up recently, in the most unique manner when ‘Firefly’ – Ritu Beri’s book – the fairytale of her life, was launched following a fashion show with the similar name. To this the charmingly popular French Ambassador, Mr Dominique Girard, remarked – “My modest house has been transformed to a fairy dream by Ritu, even if for an evening!”

The evening had the glamour and the unmistakable style of India’s unofficial fashion ambassador to style capitals of the world, Ritu Beri. The evening began with a special book reading of ‘Firefly’, brought alive through Ritu Beri’s latest collection. Every outfit depicted the concept of Firefly, perfect for any red carpet. The collection was dramatic, the clothes - a fusion of an Indian spirit, Spanish drama and western silhouette, made to make any woman look and feel sensational.

Firefly was formally released to the world by the Union Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, and the street kids of The Kalakar Trust, a non-governmental organization working with underprivileged artists living in Delhi’s slums. Priced at Rs 1 Lakh, a limited edition book with only a 100 copies, Firefly is a collector’s item!

The inaugurated book was auctioned and sold for Rs 1.4 lakhs bought by Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Persuasively goading the audience to bid higher was the unshakeable Siddharth Basu, who just loves adding zeroes to any figure! The book will be sold worldwide in the likes of showrooms of Louis Vuitton.

Published by Ritu Beri, Firefly is the story of her life. “The world I captured through my voyage I present through Firefly. I believe God sent me into this world with a promise. It is his promise I trust. I try to explain all this and more through my Firefly.” Says Ritu Beri.

With the launch of the book, Ritu, who has wowed the fashion circles of Paris and dressing Hollywood stars like Nicole Kidman,turned into a writer. I can't be presumptuous enough to write an autobiography but this book looks at the 15 long years I have spent in the fashion industry. It is about my years in Paris, where I come from and my personal life," said Ritu.

The evening got bigger as yet another feather was added to this multifaceted designer’s cap. The International Association for Young Creators (IAYC), which awards a fashion creator every year for their talent and for making a remarkable international impact, chose Ritu Beri for this years ‘Les Trois Fileuses Dor’ award for her outstanding contribution to Indian fashion in the international fashion arena. The award was presented to Ritu Beri by former super model, Anne De Champigneul, the founder president of the IAYC, who especially flew down from Paris to be present at the event.

"Firefly - A Fairy Tale" combines various pieces written over the past three years by the designer on diverse aspects of her life, glossy pictures and paintings and humorous anecdotes."The book is in four parts - my inspirations, my years in Paris, my travels - because I think we grow with every journey we make - and my personal life," said Beri.

Asked about the book's title, Ritu said: "Fireflies have their own glow. Like a firefly, I want to illuminate the world with my own light. And my life has been a fairy tale, every experience is a fairy tale for me."

Iran has right to civil nuclear power: Chirac

PARIS, March 1: Iran has the right to civil nuclear power as long as it respects its commitments to the cause of non-proliferation, French President Jacques Chirac said.

"France believes in the need for the demands of non-proliferation to be respected, but believes this does not in any way prejudice Iran's right to civil nuclear energy within such a framework," Chirac was quoted as saying by his spokesman.

He made the remarks in conversation with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a few days ahead of a crucial meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which must rule whether to refer Iran to the Security Council over its nuclear programme.

India, France ink Nuclear, defence pacts

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Feb 20: To give a further boost to their strategic ties, India and France on Monday signed a joint declaration on civil nuclear cooperation and a defence pact to coincide with the visit of the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac.

The two countries also resolved to double bilateral trade in five years to nearly $10 billion. The two sides also inked seven other bilateral documents spanning cooperation in diverse fields like space, tourism, education, culture and civil aviation at a specially created stage on the lawns of Hyderabad House here.

The strategic partnership that was forged between the two countries during President Jacques Chirac's last visit to India in 1998 had “gone from strength to strength” and opened “new pathways of cooperation”, said Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, at a joint press interaction with Mr Chirac. The declaration on civil nuclear cooperation was the new face of this strategic synergy between the two democracies.

Supporting India's civilian nuclear energy programme, Mr Chirac, who arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit, said the production of nuclear power by India was “necessary” for the country's economic development and to ensure a clean environment. The visiting President, however, refused to dwell on difficulties that came in the way of signing a formal pact on nuclear energy cooperation which was agreed on by the two sides during Dr Singh's visit to Paris last year.

Mr Chirac underlined an increasing “convergence” between the two countries and offered France's support to civilian nuclear energy cooperation with India on “moral and environmental grounds”. He said “we examined various points of view on the question of India's access to civilian nuclear technology. This is necessary for driving the country's economic development without polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse emissions.”

In an oblique reference to the ongoing debate about New Delhi's separation of its civilian and military nuclear facilities, the President said “we appreciate various constraints faced by India, including economic ones and the ones relating to security and national independence.”

The Prime Minister thanked Mr Chirac for “France's support for the ongoing effort to enable full civilian energy cooperation between India and the international community.” Dr Singh reiterated India's “commitment to honour the letter and spirit” of the agreement signed between him and the US President, Mr George Bush, in Washington on July 18, 2005.

Responding to a question, the Prime Minister said “all facilities provided by India through international cooperation for civilian nuclear energy will be subject to safeguards under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”

A joint statement issued at the end of the talks between Mr Chirac and Dr Singh called the joint declaration on cooperation in civil nuclear energy “an important step forward in the realisation of that objective”.

Though the contours of civil nuclear cooperation topped the agenda, the ongoing controversy surrounding India-born steel magnate Laxmi Mittal's bid on European steel major Arcelor also figured in the discussions between the two leaders.

Responding to questions on the controversy, Mr Chirac defended European “concerns” over what he called “a hostile takeover bid” without presenting any concrete plan or explanation for such a move. The President said “a hostile bid has been made with no prior explanation or reasons. We will act in accordance with our principles and values.”
Dr Singh said: “It is my hope that a fair decision taking into account all the stakeholders will be taken in this matter.”

The pact on defence cooperation includes “building upon and expanding cooperation in the defence and military fields, defence industry, production, procurement, research and development of defence material, joint exercises, professional exchange and training.”

An agreement for production of satellites for third countries was also signed between Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and European Aeronautic Defence and Space's Astrium.

Another agreement between Indian Airlines, India's state-run domestic carrier, and Airbus SAS of France was signed for the purchase of 43 aircraft. In September, the Indian government had approved the purchase valued at $2.2 billion.

Three memorandums of understanding on promotion of tourism, energy efficiency and management education were also inked between the two sides. The two countries further fine-tuned their convergence on major global issues and agreed to work together for an early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Mr Chirac repeated France's “firm support” for India's candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Earlier in the day, Chirac was given an inter-services guard of honour in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Declaring Chirac “a statesman and true friend of India”, the Prime Minister said: “India and France share a close and strategic relationship and the ties have grown from strength to strength due to the personal endeavour of President Jacques Chirac.”

India, France to ink nuke declaration

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Feb 17: India and France will ink a declaration on nuclear cooperation for peaceful purposes and an agreement on defence cooperation during President Jacques Chirac's two-day visit here beginning February 19.

Speaking to this correspondent, the French Ambassador, Mr Dominique Girard, said that several agreements and memoranda of understanding were slated to be signed during the visit. "The most significant will be a declaration on civil nuclear energy which will enumerate the cooperation perspective showing the stepping of the relationship between the two countries," said Mr Girard. He said the defence framework agreement would reconfirm the long lasting and reliable four-decade-old ties and give an additional impetus to the relationship.

The Ambassador said the State visit by President Chirac eight years after the official visit made in 1998 is opening up a new phase in the development of relations between India and France. "The year 1998 marked a founding date in terms of awareness at the highest levels of the French State that India was now a major emerging power. Eight years later, the outline of a genuine partnership between our two nations, proud of their position in the world and aware of the responsibilities that this entails, is to be confirmed."

At a separate briefing a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Navtej Sarna, said the two countries would also sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the tourism sector.

Mr Girard said the significant of the visit can be gauged from the fact that as many as five French Ministers, parliamentarians and 40 CEOs of the leading French companies would be accompanying the President. The delegation would include the French Foreign Minister, Mr Philippe Douste-Blazy, the Defence Minister, Mrs Michele Alliot-Marie, the Economics, Finance and Industry Minister, Mr Thierry Breton, the Tourism Minister, Mr Leon Bertrand, and the Trade Minister, Mrs Christine Legarde.

The President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, will ceremonially receive Mr Chirac in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday and in the evening will host a banquet in his honour. "There will be delegation level talks with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and there will be calls on by the National Advisory Council Chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and the Leader of Opposition, Mr L.K. Advani," said Mr Sarna.

In the evening President Chirac will deliver a keynote address at Vigyan Bhavan on India-France Economic Partnership and there will be interaction between the accompanying business delegation and their Indian counterparts. "President Chirac's visit follows Dr Manmohan Singh's to France in September 2005 and is a strong reflection of the commitment of the two countries to vigorously pursue their strategic partnership by intensifying bilateral relations and cooperation in various areas of their engagement, including political and economic," said Mr Sarna.

"Trade forms an important part of our relationship and we feel there is scope to double this from the current 3.5 billion euros. French FDI in India is currently $760 million," he added. This will be Chirac's third visit to India in three decades. He was here in 1976 as the prime minister and in 1998 as the president. On both occasions, he was the chief gust at the January 26 Republic Day parade.

IFFI Goa to commemorate the magic of French cinema

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI: The magic of French cinema would be unveiled at the prestigious 36th annual International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be staged in Goa from November 24.

Speaking to this correspondent, Sanjit Rodrigues, CEO of IFFI and Entertainment Society of Goa, said that it would be for the first time ever that an entire day would be dedicated to celebrate the magic of any country.

"We will honour the French cinema by celebrating a special French Day during the festival. This will be a very important occasion for the people of Goa and for the Indian film industry as we hope to strengthen Indo-French ties in the field of film and entertainment, a very big part of both our cultures. On French Day (December 2) we will be paying tribute to a very famous French actor Isabelle Huppert for her incredible contribution to world cinema," said Rodrigues.

Jean-luc Levaud, Cultural Counsellor at the French Embassy, said, "I am delighted that the French participation at this year's IFFI will be more important that it has ever been. Thanks to our teams' joint efforts and the French Embassy, a dozen of French productions will be showcased at this 36th edition of IFFI and more than ten delegates will be coming from France to attend the festival in Goa."

French Ambassador Dominique Girard, who would lead his countries delegation, is expected to make a special announcement regarding Indo-French Initiatives in Cinema.

Sanjit Rodrigues said the French film called L'enfant (The Child) directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne and winner of the Palme d'Or (the Golden Palm) at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival will be the closing film at the IFFI in Goa.

Also present at the conference was producer and actress Pooja Bhatt, presenting her new movie, "Holiday" filmed in picturesque Goa. The lead stars of "Holiday" Onjolee Nair and Dino Morea will perform at the opening ceremony of the film festival.

Commenting on the occasion, Rajat Mukarji, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Idea Cellular said, "Innovation is the essence of Brand Idea. Mobile telephony is emerging as a platform for cinema and entertainment. For us an association with IFFI is a perfect brand fit. Not only is it a privilege to be associated with an event of this stature but also there is an equally high sense of belonging and intimacy with the soul of the event. We at Idea believe that this is convergence of a different kind."

The delegation from France will include internationally renowned Directors like Alain Corneau and two time Academy Award winner Regis Wargnier, Veronique Cayla, Director General of the National Centre of Cinema (a government body which handles the entertainment policy for the French Government), Jerome Paillard, Executive Director of the Cannes Market and a host of other film professionals.

Adding glamour to the occasion will be Supermodel, actress and one of the L'Oreal Professional Dream Team faces Noemie Lenoir and actor- director Alain Chabat. They would be given a red carpet welcome at the India premiere of "Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra."

Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft, said the IFFI Goa would also have a host of other exciting events this year. "For the first time IFFI will showcase a host of special events like the Goa Music Day, Namaste India music concert and street animation among others."

Joseph said "these have been planned to spice up the festivities during the entire duration of the Festival and are a part of the 'Idea Celebrating IFFI Goa 2005' initiative sponsored by Idea Cellular."

This event has been planned and executed by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd on behalf of Entertainment Society of Goa.
Sabbas Joseph said the last day of the 'Idea Celebrating IFFI Goa 2005' festival would see the Goa Music Day, celebrating the song and melody of Goa and its people.

"Through the day, the local Goan musicians will perform at 101 significant places to bring out the true spirit of Goa and every nook and corner will be alive with the sound of celebration."

This special day culminate into the preview of the movie 'Dubai Return' that will be attended by the stars of the film- Irfan Khan, Divya Dutta, Ritu Shivpuri, director Aditya Bhattacharya and producer Manya Patil. To top it all will be the breath taking performances by singers Sudesh Bhosale and Oliver Sean. The will be joined by Sagarika, Shivani Kashyap, Australian singer Ayesha London's Bandish Project and DJ Platinum and Band of Boys - the artists who came together to bring you the fantastic soundtrack to 'Dubai Return'.

Rhone-Alpes beckons India

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Oct 31: Rhone-Alpes, the second largest region in France, is all set to woo India. Recently, the region's President (equivalent to Chief Minister), Jean-Jack Queyranne, along with a 30-member high-level delegation, toured New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai for five days to strengthen economic, higher education and research as well as tourism ties with India.

To prove that the State means serious business, President Queyranne, who is also a Member of Parliament, inaugurated the Delhi office of the Enterprise Rhone-Alpes International (ERAI), to promote regional investments and partnerships in both the countries. The Rhone-Alpes investment promotion agency would soon set up another office in Bangalore. The organisation plans to develop and train a sales force for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) willing to develop their businesses in the subcontinent.

Queyranne said "the objective of the mission was the mobilization of socio-economic operators from the Rhône-Alps headed towards India, introduction of the Rhône-Alps region in India and ensuring the continuity of the exchanges with this country in the framework of a decentralized co-operation with Karnataka."

"Our trade offices will explore Indian commercial partners for firms in Rhone-Alpes. We also plan to help about 100 SMEs in the region to export their products and invest in India as well as to set up shop," said the President.

The decision to promote trade and investments comes in the wake of the Indo-French agreement on doubling bilateral trade, signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the French President Jacque Chirac during his visit to Paris in September last.

"ERAI will also help Indian firms invest in the Rhone-Alpes region by providing its expertise to select the right partner, location and capital for marketing and exporting their products," said Pascal Weber, Managing Director, ERAI, India.

"We intend to boost economic cooperation in diverse sectors such as infrastructure, IT, pharma, food processing, automotive and aeronautics," Queyaranne said.

The high-level delegation included Jean-Louis Gagnaire, Vice-President, in-charge of Economic Development; Roger Fougeres, Vice-President, in-charge of Higher Education and Research; Hervé Saulignac, Second Councillor in-charge of Power, Information Technology and Communication and President of the Regional Committee of Tourism, Rhône-Alpes.

President of Rhone-Alpes Tourism Herve Saulignac admitted that this was the first time the region was making a foray into India. "We have been going to various countries for tourism promotion within Europe and outside Europe including the US, Japan and China."

Why India? "In the recent past India has been playing a significant role on a global front as a result of opening of its economy and more significantly broad basing its outlook," he said.

Marc Bechet, Director-General of Rhone-Alpes Tourism, said Rhone-Alpes is an all-season ideal romantic destination for Indians. "We will rope in tour operators, Bollywood, Internet and newspapers and magazines to promote our region in India."

He said of one lakh Indians who visit France every year, only 10,000 visit Rhone-Alpes region. "We plan to increase this to 50,000 visitors from India in three years, Bechet added.

With its capital at Lyon, Rhone-Alpes region is a seat of high-tech industries, an internationally focused higher education system and is one of France's top two regions for investors. It has 30 global networks and NGOs, some of the world's largest service sector companies and is a popular venue for numerous international biennial cultural festivals and cinema.

Besides being Europe's leading center for micro and nano technologies, technological synergies and research and development, Rhone-Alpes scores top marks for leisure and quality of life. It is for this reason it is nicknamed as world's five-star capital of tourism, gastronomy and heritage.

India, France ink Scorpene deal

NEW DELHI, Oct 6: France has inked USD 3 billion (Rs 13,000 crore) deal for India's acquisition of six Scorpene submarines.

The French delegation, which included officials and members of the Dcn-International, the manufacturers of Scorpene, held talks with the officials of the Defence Ministry and Navy to finalise the final delivery schedule of the subs and to further strengthen strategic ties between the two countries.

Under the announcement made jointly by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Jacques Chirac in Paris on September 12, the six Scorpene Submarines are to be manufactured at Mazagoan Docks in Mumbai under full technology transfer.

Scorpene, billed as the world's most silent underwater killer machine, would be manufactured under technology transfer by the state-owned Mazagoan Docks in Mumbai and delivered between 2010 and 2015.

As part of the deal, the submarines will be armed with EADS SM39 Exocet sub-harpoon anti-ship missiles. The other powerful weapons payload on the subs include Black Shark and other advanced torpedoes.

With the capability to strike targets underwater, on surface and on land, Scorpene has a radical new design with reduced sound emissions which enables the submarines to strike at long distances without detection. The submarines have an operational cycle of 240 days a year and endurance to carry 50 days patrol to ensure maximum utilisation.

They also offer advanced capabilities for mine warfare, intelligence gathering and special operations. Their acquisition would enable India to reopen its submarine building assembly lines.

India smart card base to touch 400 m in 3 years

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 19: Living up to its IT super power status, India is switching over to smart card technology in a big way covering mundane activities like driving licence to health care. Already 70 million Indian are proud owners of the new microprocessor based chip card. And in another four years the smart card base would touch 400 million to the envy of advanced G-5 nations.

The usage of smart cards, which are capable of storing up to 8 MB data, would range from driving licence to vehicle registration, National ID card to access control, retail, loyalty, banking and finance to healthcare and toll collections.

"Smart card base in India is estimated at about 70 million now. This is projected to cross 400 million numbers in next three years," Mr Vijay Parthasarthy, Managing Director, Gemplus India Ltd, told this correspondent on the sidelines of a seminar entitled "French Smart Card Technology".

The Union Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Mr Shaqeel Ahmad, inaugurated the seminar jointly with the Chargé d'affaires of French embassy, Mr François Goldblatt. The seminar was organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Lauding the pioneer role of French companies in this area, Mr Ahmad said a pilot project on national ID cards would be launched soon. The Registrar General of India (RGI) is going to float a tender for 2.8 million citizens cards for 20 districts in India. Based on the pilot project's success, RGI would come out with citizens card nationwide by 2006-end, said the Minister.

Mr Goldblatt said with more than 50 million mobile telecom subscribers and an average of 2 million new mobile subscribers, subscriber identity module (SIM) in the mobile industry currently is the key mass-market application that empowers the expansion of the Indian smart card market. He said it was also interesting to note that Smart Cards are now also proliferating into new application areas in India, which would in the near future fuel growth of the business.

"Both governmental and security applications include National ID card, driving licence and vehicle registration, access control, retail, loyalty, banking and finance, healthcare, toll collections, among others. The undertaking of these various pilot projects clearly shows that though Indian smart card market is still at a nascent stage, it is clearly the future hub of activities and Indo French partnership for many cutting edge technology and know-how developed in France," added Mr Goldblatt.

A Frenchman, Roland Moreno, invented the smart card in the early seventies. As of today, companies such as Gemplus, Oberthur, Schlumberger, Sagem, Axalto, Atmel, Bull and Ingenico are among the major world players in smart cards, readers, payment terminals and secure transaction systems.

Mr Vijay Parthasarthy said the Indian subsidiary of France-based Gemplus said it is eyeing a large chunk of growing business of sim cards in mobile telecom market and sim cards in other areas of activity, including the proposed national citizens cards.

As the business grows in India, the company would increase the size of its technical development and support centre in Bangloare, which employs just 20 people at present. He said the company is likely to capture 25 to 30 per cent of expected 400 million sim cards in mobile telecom segment in India in the next two-three years.

Worldwide, Gemplus has sold 300 million sim cards in the total one billion-sim card market. He said Gemplus would bid for the national citizens cards. He said a card would cost between US $1 to 2 and would be less expensive when every citizen of more than 15 years of age is given the card because of volume. The company is also eyeing a big share of business in credit and debit cards when they are changed to smart card from the present magnetic stripe cards.

At the seminar, Dr. S.K Sinha, Director National Informatics Center, Ministry of Communications & IT, made a presentation on the "Role of Government in Smart Card Security Infrastructure".

A smart card is a card that is embedded with either a microprocessor and a memory chip or only a memory chip with non-programmable logic. The microprocessor card can add, delete, and otherwise manipulate information on the card, while a memory-chip card like the pre-paid phone cards Indians are familiar with undertake a pre-defined operation.

Smart cards, unlike magnetic stripe cards, can carry all necessary functions and information on the card. Therefore, they do not require access to remote databases at the time of the transaction.

France promises India nuclear energy help

PARIS, Sept 12: France has joined the United States and Britain in backing India's atomic energy programme and promised to do all it could to help the country get access to civilian nuclear technology and equipment.

In a dramatic policy shift in July, the United States promised India full cooperation in developing its civilian nuclear energy programme. Britain gave its backing last week. French President Jacques Chirac and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they would work towards conclusion of a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement.

"France acknowledges the need for full international civilian nuclear cooperation with India and will work towards this objective by working with other countries and the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) and deepening bilateral cooperation," according to a joint statement issued soon after Manmohan-Chirac talks. Manmohan stopped off in France on his way to the United Nations in New York.

France, which has the highest number of nuclear reactors after the United States, is a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG), an informal group seeking to control nuclear-technology exports. Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told newsmen that France would work with the group to try and get restrictions on supply of equipment and technology lifted.

Washington had barred providing atomic technology to India because of New Delhi's status as a nuclear power that has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was designed to halt the spread of nuclear weapons. India caused international outrage in 1998 by testing a nuclear weapon. Its old foe, neighbouring Pakistan, carried out five nuclear tests soon afterwards in a tit-for-tat response.

But the United States changed policy in return for New Delhi's commitment to adhere to international non-proliferation regimes. Monday's statement said France noted "India's strong commitment to preventing weapons of mass destruction proliferation and the ongoing steps it is taking in this regard."

It was also announced that President Chirac would visit India for two days from February 20 at the invitation of the Prime Minister. The statement noted that the Governments of the two countries accorded high priority to the exchange high level visits for the further intensification of the bilateral ties.

Manmohan Singh described India's ties with France as "privileged and strategic". The French President welcomed the Prime Minister at the Elysee Palace where a ceremonial guard of honour was given to him. The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council and trade and economic cooperation.

"For France, India is a major partner in the world today. And this is the reason why France has always supported India's positions, in particular her legitimate aspiration for a seat at the UN Security Council as a permanent member," said Chirac.

The Prime Minister reiterated that India and France were strategic partners. "We had a very rewarding defence cooperation and we're going to build on that. India has had a very strategic partnership with EU of which France is a very important member and can play an important role," said Singh. "We have to strengthen economic alliances and trade. Trade and investment between India and France is still below potential," he added.

India also decided to acquire six highly advanced French Scorpene submarines worth $3 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore). The move comes just days after placing an order for 43 Airbus aircraft at a cost of about $2.4 billion (nearly Rs 9,800 crore) from an European consortium that includes France.

France to help enhance India's N-status

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Sept 12: France would do all to enhance India's nuclear status in the comity of nations and work towards New Delhi's aspirations to acquire civilian nuclear energy.

This is expected to be the highlight of Prime Minister Mammohan Singh parleys with French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on Monday. The talks between the Prime Minister and the French leadership are expected to cover bilateral cooperation in economic, defence and nuclear fields.

The Prime Minister would also be meeting with leading French captains of industry and would be seeking their support for India's economic advancement. The Prime Minister arrived on a three-day visit to Paris on Sunday. He is en route to New York to attend the 60th UN General Assembly. External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh is accompanying the Prime Minister.

Foreign Secetary Shyam Saran has termed the visit as a landmark one as it was taking place after a gap of seven years. France has been an important European strategic partner in India's quest for an increased role in global affairs and a ready friend for giving access to high technology in various sectors including nuclear cooperation.

Describing Indo-French ties as strategic in nature, Saran said the partnership had resulted in Paris co-sponsoring the G-4 resolution and supporting New Delhi's candidature for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

As far as trade cooperation is concerned, Saran said that France has always been forthcoming in the fields of electronics, avionics, nuclear energy, and even since the 1960s, it has helped India to become an important trading partner. In numerical terms, Saran said that there has been a 25 per cent increase in trade since 2004 and India had attracted 760 million dollars in foreign direct investment.

The current trade between the two countries stood at Euro 2.9 billion with Indian exports accounting for Euro 1.6 billion and imports at Euro 1.36 billion. The long negotiated two billion dollar deal for acquiring six Scorpene submarines, already believed to have been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security, is expected to be wrapped up during the visit.

As part of the high-level exchanges, President Chirac will visit India early next year. When asked whether the Prime Minister would be taking up the controversy surrounding the ban on turbans, the foreign secretary said that Paris had taken note of New Delhi's demarche on the issue, and "something has been done".

In Paris, a spokeswoman for foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he would fly to Cyprus to greet Aubenas, a writer for the center-left daily Liberation who was captured in Baghdad in January. "They have been freed," spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said in Paris, adding that Aubenas was expected to arrive at a military airbase outside the French capital later in the day.

Aubenas's newspaper said the pair were released on Saturday, but Hanun was not seen on Sunday at his house in northern Baghdad, and it was not known if he too would fly to France. Aubenas, a 44-year-old reporter who has covered many of the world's hot spots in her 18 years at Liberation, "is in good health", editor Antoine de Gaudemar said.

The pair were abducted after leaving her hotel in Baghdad on January 5, triggering a massive public campaign in France and elsewhere in Europe for their release. On her latest assignment to Iraq, Aubenas was reporting on the fate of Iraqis driven out of their homes after the US military assault on the city of Falluja.

New centres for getting French visa

NEW DELHI, June 12: The French Embassy has opened three new visa application centres in New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai for the benefit of students, businessmen and tourists keen to visit France. The centres will remain open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The French visa procedure requires candidates to submit their applications after making a prior appointment at the centres.

Those applying for the short-term Schengen Visa can make the appointment by dialling 011-5113111 for Delhi, 044-52638000 for Chennai, and 022-56314000 for Mumbai. Those with Internet access can also log on to the French Embassy website: www.vfs-france.co.in.

Chirac names De Villepin Prime Minister

PARIS, June 1: President Jacques Chirac, shaken by the defeat of the European Union constitution, appointed Dominique de Villepin, a loyalist who jetted around the globe galvanizing international opposition to the Iraq war, as prime minister to lead a new government Tuesday.

Villepin, 51, moves from the Interior Ministry to replace Jean-Pierre Raffarin, dumped after voters Sunday roundly rejected Chirac's call to ratify a European Union constitution, humiliating the 72-year-old president — a leading proponent of the charter.

Chirac asked Villepin to form a new government — the makeup of which was not expected to be announced until at least Wednesday.

In Villepin, Chirac opted for a trusted pair of hands, rather than a radical change in direction for France. The senator's son, a former foreign minister and writer who speaks excellent English, has long been close to Chirac. He was Chirac's voice at the U.N. Security Council in the crisis over Iraq in 2003, arguing that war should be a last resort.

There was speculation the ambitious and popular Nicolas Sarkozy, a two-time minister who heads Chirac's governing center-right party, will be brought back into the new government.

Such a decision would be remarkable because of the sometimes open rivalry between Chirac and Sarkozy, who makes no secret of his presidential ambitions. Before Sunday's referendum, Sarkozy delivered what was interpreted as a veiled warning against making Villepin prime minister, saying only people who have held elected office — which Villepin never has — "have the right to speak in the name of France."

Lawmaker Yves Jego, who is close to Sarkozy, told France-Info radio he was being brought back as interior minister, a post he held in 2002-2004. He claimed Sarkozy also would be allowed to remain as head of the center-right UMP party, even though Chirac previously has said that job is incompatible with holding a government post.

Keeping control of the UMP would give Sarkozy the electoral machine he will need if he runs for the presidency in 2007.

There was no confirmation from Chirac's office of a post for Sarkozy. The silver-haired Villepin arrived at the presidential Elysee Palace just minutes after Chirac bid farewell to Raffarin with a handshake on the palace steps. Chirac then spent more than an hour with his new prime minister.

Villepin takes over at a difficult time. Unemployment is running at 10 percent and the French political establishment is reeling from the referendum vote that was as much a repudiation of Chirac's economic and social policies as it was a refusal of the EU treaty.

The outcome was not even close — the referendum on approving the proposed EU constitution was defeated by 55 percent to 45 percent.

Villepin's aristocratic air and the fact that he has never been tested in an election also could be drawbacks as the government tries to reconnect with the people.

Opposition Socialists dismissed Chirac's choice as a mere shuffling of personalities, not a radical change in direction. Senior Socialist lawmaker Jean-Marc Ayrault called Villepin's appointment the "ultimate attempt to save an administration in agony."

"The new prime minister will have no economic, financial or social room for maneuver," he said. "You can't heal a crisis with a poultice."

Philippe Moreau Defarges, a researcher at the French Institute for International Relations, called the appointment "a real catastrophe."

"People will come out on the streets to show their anger," he said. "It's a man who has never been elected, who doesn't represent the people at all. The crisis is not over yet."

For Chirac, Villepin was a known quantity — having been his closest adviser from 1995 to 2002. But Villepin also carries the blemish of being among those who counseled Chirac to dissolve the legislature in April 1997, a political disaster that led to victory for the left and saddled the president with a Socialist prime minister for the next five years.

Chirac may be hoping to groom Villepin as his eventual successor, perhaps at the next elections in 2007. But if Villepin's stewardship goes poorly, it also could ruin his chances of taking over as head of state.

Raffarin, in a short address after the president accepted his resignation, said Villepin's government would work to bring a significant drop in unemployment in the last two years of Chirac's second term — which could be his last. "I confirm this commitment, even if the drop in the dollar and the rise in oil prices delay it for a few months," he said.

Raffarin defended his three-year record as prime minister, saying he acted to protect the future of the pension system and state health care, among other programs.

"I have always been aware that what is healthy for the nation does not go unblamed by public opinion," Raffarin said, referring to polls showing him to be one of the most unpopular prime ministers of the Fifth Republic founded in 1958.

French voters reject first EU Charter

PARIS, May 30: French voters soundly rejected the European Union's first constitution Sunday, a stinging repudiation of President Jacques Chirac's leadership and the ambitious, decades-long effort to further unite the continent.

Chirac, who had urged voters to approve the charter in the bitterly contested referendum, announced the result in a brief, televised address. He said the process of ratifying the treaty would continue in other EU countries. "It is your sovereign decision, and I take note," Chirac said. "Make no mistake, France's decision inevitably creates a difficult context for the defense of our interests in Europe."

With votes counted in all of France and its overseas territories, the "no" camp had 54.87 percent, with only 45.13 percent voting "yes," the Interior Ministry said. Turnout was close to 70 percent - testifying to the passions that the treaty and the debate surrounding it aroused.

The treaty's rejection in France - the architect of the European project - could set the continent's plans back by years and amounts to a personal humiliation for the veteran French leader. Although Chirac argued that the constitution would streamline EU decision-making and make the bloc more accessible to its 450 million citizens, opponents feared it would strip France of its sovereignty and generous social system and trigger an influx of cheap labor.

"I think that the constitution will destroy our political structure. It's just about economic interests," said Anne Le Moel, a "no" voter and 42-year-old professor of philosophy, repeating what had become a battle cry among the charter's opponents.

All 25 EU members must ratify the text for it to take effect as planned by November 1, 2006. Nine already have done so: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

Treaty opponents chanting "We won!" gathered at Paris' Place de la Bastille, a symbol of rebellion where angry crowds in 1789 stormed the prison and sparked the French Revolution. Cars blared their horns and "no" campaigners thrust their arms into the air. "This is a great victory," said Fabrice Savel, 38, from the working-class suburb of Aubervilliers. He was distributing posters that read: "No to a free-market Europe."

EU leaders in Brussels, Belgium, vowed to continue their effort to have the constitution approved. "I am not a doctor, but the treaty is not dead," said Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. "This ratification process will continue."

The Dutch vote Wednesday, with polls showing opposition to the constitution there running at about 60 percent. On Friday, the constitution's main architect, former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, said countries that reject the treaty will be asked to vote again. France was the first "no" - even though it was a founder member of what over 50 years has grown into the EU.

India, France forge cooperation in infrastructure, tourism

NEW DELHI, April 24: The French Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Spatial Planning, Tourism and the Sea, Mr Gilles de Robien, will be on an official visit here on Monday to forge new areas of cooperation in the infrastructure and tourism sectors. The visit is expected to take Indo-French trade ties to a new high.

The French Minister will be accompanied by a high-level 25-member delegation consisting of senior French government officials, Maison de la France (French Tourism Office) and CEOs of over a dozen French companies belonging to the rail, road and air transport sectors such as Aéroport de Paris, Alstom, Lafarge, Sagem, SNCF International and SYSTRA.

During his stay here, the French Minister would hold talks with the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Praful Patel, the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, the Urban Development Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, and the Minister for Rural Development, Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Mr de Robien will co-inaugurate with Mr T R Balu, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, the "Indo-French Day on Roads: Showcase of French technical know-how". Topics to be discussed include road surface and soil treatment, road equipment and road engineering. Several high level meetings between officials from Tourism Ministry and senior members of the French Tourism Office (Maison de la France) will be held during this visit to explore means of providing further impetus to the booming tourism industries of the two countries.

Baba Anand's works to be displayed at Galeries Lafayette windows

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, March 12: An Indian has done it again. This time at the art and culture capital of the world Paris. Renowned Indian artist, Baba Anand, has been invited to showcase his elaborate artworks in the giant windows of the renowned Departmental Store Galeries Lafayette in Paris. This is the first time in the history of Galeries Lafayette that this deluxe and highly prestigious establishment has invited any internationSal artist to visualize and conceptualize their peerless windows for them. Baba Anand has complete artistic license for this project.

Baba Anand has unique style of collage that portrays a rejuvenating freshness and originality. His religious pieces utilize traditional images of Krsna and other Hindu deities, which he decorates with materials such as sequins, crystals, and gold dust. These images are then displayed in colorful, highly decorative mattes, using flowers and other unusual objects.

Presently, within the framework of the "Artists-In-Residence" programme of the French Embassy in India, Baba Anand is working on a special project that will be displayed in the 30 giant windows of Galeries Lafayette. To introduce the Paris Project of Baba Anand, the French Ambassador to India, Mr Dominique Girard, presented a collection of Baba's artworks, at his residence.

Galeries Lafayette, boasting of 10 floors, balconies and a beautiful glass and steel dome inspired by a Byzantine style, was inaugurated with great pomp in October 1912. The high-fashion displays and grand architecture of Paris' resolutely old-world Galeries Lafayette is the main attraction for visitors to this famous store.

The vitrines (windows) of Galeries Lafayette are famous the world over for their creative scenographie especially for Christmas and during their special promotions. Galeries Lafayette also has an Art Nouveau staircase built in 1912 by the architect Cahnautin. The store is classified as an historic monument.

Baba Anand, who first discovered France in 2002 and has mounted 5 shows since in collaboration with the French Embassy in India, has been invited to showcase his elaborate artworks in the windows of Galeries Lafayette, at the initiative of the Cultural Section of the French Embassy in India. Baba Anand is also creating the visual concept for the windows for the India promotion that opens on the evening of April 26.

Baba Anand creates a kitsch charm that is a stylistic hiatus from established genres. The clever use of kitsch in his work has also been seen as an attempt to lighten up the dark mood of art so prevalent in his native region. These richly textured works, so vibrant and dramatic, represent a creative vision, which crosses boundaries and challenges assumptions.

Baba Anand is also in love with the world of Indian cinema and has used Bollywood as the inspiration for many of his mixed-media three-dimensional paintings. The artist transforms Hindi film posters from the 40's to the 70's, embellishing them with crystals, sequins and the like, and adding elements such as artificial roses and tiger-striped mattes. These powerful works of art are at once seductive and playful, challenging stereotypes and celebrating the power of kitsch.

Baba has traveled extensively with these pieces, having mounted shows in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Hyderabad, London, Cannes and New York. His works have been featured in many International Publications such as British Vogue, Vanity Fair, Nice Matin, Elle, New York Magazine and India Abroad to name a few.

Baba is the only artist who paints on old Bollywood movie posters and is consciously and consistently trying to use the lost beauty and glamour of yesteryear Bollywood. "My art arises from past associations with the glamour of the world ...My work is a tribute to the more flamboyant entertainers and movies that have become immortal over the years." The posters that he has worked upon are retro from the 1950's through to the 1970's.

In September 2004, Baba designed the CD cover for French singer " Pascal of Bollywood". The album was released in November in Paris and is hugely successful in Europe.

Mantras and French nuptials: a perfect Valentine's day

By Sushma Arora

Pix: Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Feb 14: Smiles lit up the faces of Sophie Henon and Regis Mendola as the French Ambassador, Mr. Dominique Girard pronounced them man and wife on Valentines Day, on the sprawling lawns of his Nyaya Marg Residence. Dressed in a white silken dress and a multi-hued coat designed by Sanskar's Sonam Dubal, Sophie Henon, currently serving as the Press Attache, French Embassy had chosen Valentine's day to tie the knot with ex-colleague Regis Mendola, hailing from the picturesque town of Nice.

"Having met in India, and having our daughter Océane in Delhi, it would have been out of place to marry somewhere else…after all the Ambassador and the Embassy have been the privileged witnesses of our Indian love affair! " said Sophie.

Once the civil marriage ceremony was solemnised by the French Consul, the mix of Indian and French gathering were escorted to the flower decked Hindu mandap where the French couple exchanged garlands and tied the mangal sutra, now admist chantings of Hindu mantras and conch shells. It was a unique experience both for the audience and the couple as the colourful Indian wedding rituals blended with the formal Western marriage ceremony.

Ustad Bismillah Khan's shenhnai and Richard Wargner's Lohengrin- the Nuptial March made a perfect musical setting for the event. The Indo-French touch had percolated down to the food too - you could choose between tangri kebabs and the traditional French cake called 'Pièce montée' - (reserved for marriages and baptisation ceremonies). For the French couple who both grew up on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea the choice of Trivandrum and Maldives' sun bathed beaches as a honeymoon destination is of course natural.

French vertical gardens now in India

By Sonia Sarkar

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Indoor gardens abound in today's urban homes but vertical gardens growing on the walls of your home is a novel concept - mastered and perfected after years of research by Patrick Blanc, a French botanist. Blanc's vegetal walls adorn the Pershing Hall, Hotel in Paris, the French Ministry of Culture and the Musée du quai Branly, a few steps away from the Eiffel Tower. A project to cover a 70 floor skyscraper in Tokyo with vertical gardens is now being studied by him! He has even given a green touch to parking lots and shopping malls usually known for their austere concrete settings.

In India, during his stay as an 'artist in residence', Blanc created eight columns of such 'vertical gardens' inside the French Embassy hall, New Delhi. He has used more than hundred species of plants- all of the tropical variety and procured locally (including a Banyan!). Says Philippe Gaudin, maintenance in-charge of this unique garden over the last two years, "I trim the stalks, regularly remove dead leaves which fall in the water basin below and spray insecticides once a month- and that's it! " So perfect is Blanc's indoor creation, that a couple of sparrows have even chosen to make it their home.

The infrastructure needed for such a garden is simple- an aluminium armature fitted on a stone/brick column, covered by panels of PVC foam and polyamide felt. Various plants are then stapled on to the felt layer while the roots are inserted into the film. Patrick Blanca researcher at the main French research institute CNRS, sticks to a general pattern while weaving the plants into the film, focussing on the individual requirements of light and moisture for each variety and of course their ability to co-exist.

Wondering how the plants survive indoors without soil ? Each such vertical garden is fed by a system of electrovanes and calibrated pumps. Minerals are mixed in water which is sucked in by the pumps and sprayed at regular intervals to the plants through the felt layer.

While in Malaysia, Blanc noticed that, several plant varieties grew on rocks, tree trunks or slopes often surviving on a thin humus layer. It was this observation which led to his concept of creating a vegetal wall. Opposing the Darwinian theory of the "survival of the fittest", Blanc insists "the art of co-existence in undergrowth plants is remarkable - in their struggle for light, the plants continuously learn to live together." A fact to ponder in the context of human ethnology and behaviour!

France honours Pascal Vincelot

NEW DELHI, Jan 7: The Government of France has conferred the prestigious award of the 'Chevalier dans l'Ordre national du mérite' (Knight of the National Order of Merit) on Dr. Pascal Vincelot, Managing Director, BioMérieux. Mr Alain Mérieux, Head of Biomérieux, France who is in India presented Mr Vincelot with this award at the Residence of the French Ambassador on Friday evening.

BioMérieux is a global clinical diagnostics company with operations in 130 countries. A world leader in bacteriology, food and environmental microbiological controls, it specialises in the manufacture and sale of diagnostic equipment for tuberculosis detection in India.

Beginning his career as a pathologist in Senegal, Dr Pascal Vincelot headed the Brazilian BioMérieux subsidiary and later was the Marketing Europe Director at BioMerieux, France. Since the inception of its India operations in 1998, Dr Vincelot has built strong partnerships with the medical community in India, focussing on finding healthcare solutions between emerging countries and creating synergies between emerging economies --namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, where he has participated in setting up subsidiaries. Dr Vincelot is an active member of the European Business Group and the CII Medial Equipment Division.

The French Ambassador, Mr Dominique Girard, told this correspondent that the conferring of this distinction is a well deserved recognition of his constant engagement in advancing Indo-French co-operation in the fields of medicine and the fight against infectious diseases.

Created in 1963, the National Order of Merit recognises distinguished qualities which have been acquired during a civil or military career, or in private enterprise. It is one of the most prestigious awards given by the French Government.

French Minister hails India's decision

PARIS, Jan 5: The French Defence Minister, Michelle Alliot-Marie, on Wednesday attributed criticism of India's decision to refuse international aid to "a lack of knowledge about India and the country's economic, technological and financial capabilities." She said India's decision was a gesture of solidarity towards countries that needed it most.

Mrs. Alliot-Marie paid a condolence visit on behalf of her Government and the European Union to the Indian embassy here during which a three-minute silence was observed in memory of the tsunami victims. Her visit was part of a gesture of solidarity undertaken by the E.U. Governments, marked by silent tributes across Europe in memory of those who perished.

French newspapers, radio and television stations have tended to deride India's efforts to go it alone, saying the country was determined to prove its worth as a regional power. On Wednesday morning the national French radio carried reports f