The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Core industries grow 3.9% in July New Delhi, August 27 Key infrastructure industries registered a sluggish growth of 3.9 per cent in July that experts say may come in the way of double-digit expansion in overall industrial output. The six core industries - crude oil, petroleum refinery products, coal, electricity, cement and finished steel - had registered a 3.6 per cent growth in June this year. The growth rate was 3.2 per cent in July, 2009, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry today said. The growth of the core infrastructure industries has an impact on industrial growth, as they contribute over one- fourth to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The growth of these six industries in July is far less than the 5 per cent and 5.4 per cent growth rate achieved in May and April, respectively. This translates into an average growth of 4.5 per cent during the first four months of this fiscal as against 4 per cent in April-July, 2009-10. While crude oil and petroleum refinery output witnessed high growth in July, production of cement and finished steel dipped, the data showed. Crude oil production grew by 15.8 per cent in July, while refinery output expanded by 13.7 per cent. However, cement production contracted by 0.2 per cent and finished steel output by 0.9 per cent year-on-year. Coal output slowed to 4.5 per cent against a robust growth of 10.5 per cent in July, 2009. Electricity generation grew by 3.8 per cent in July, 2010, the same rate as the corresponding month of the previous year. "This (core sector data) number would have an impact on the IIP of July... I think it would remain at 8-9 per cent," Crisil Principal Economist D K Joshi said. Echoing Joshi's views, Axis Bank economist Saugata Bhattacharya also said the sluggish growth of the core sector would moderate the IIP. Snapping an eight-month trend of double-digit expansion, industrial growth slid to 7.1 per cent in June from 8.3 per cent a year ago. IIP data for July will be released in the second week of September. Bhattacharya said the contraction in cement and steel production is due to sluggish construction activities on account of the ongoing monsoon rains. "Post monsoon, we can expect growth to pick up in both core as well as IIP," he said. During the April-July period, crude oil, petroleum refinery products and cement production registered a growth of 8.4 per cent, 7.3 per cent and 5.2 per cent, respectively. Growth in crude oil and refinery products had contracted in the same period last year, though cement output was up 12.5 per cent. — PTI
	No ‘master key’ to access encrypted data: BlackBerry Toronto, August 27 As India's deadline of August 31 over access to its ultra-encrypted messenger and email services approaches, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) said it has no "master key" or "back door" to accommodate requests for access to encrypted data. In a bid to dispel what it called three "misperceptions" about its smart phone on Thursday, the Canadian company said misperception number one is that "RIM has the keys to decode or decrypt the encrypted data that flows through the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution." However, the company said, "RIM does not possess a 'master key,' nor does any 'back door' exist in the system that would allow RIM or any third party, under any circumstances, to gain access to encrypted corporate information. "In order to provide corporate customers with the necessary confidence that the transmission of their valuable and confidential data is completely secure, the BlackBerry security architecture for enterprise customers was purposely designed to exclude the capability for RIM or any third party to read encrypted information. RIM would simply be unable to accommodate any request for a copy of a customer's encryption key since at no time does RIM, ever possess a copy of the key.'' Referring to another misperception that "locating BlackBerry Infrastructure within India, or within any particular geography, will somehow aid the government's access to encrypted information,'' RIM said, "In fact, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server security architecture was also purposefully designed to perform as a global system independent of geography. The location of infrastructure and the customer's choice of wireless network are irrelevant factors from a security perspective where end-to-end encryption is employed. "The transmission of encrypted data is no more decipherable or less secure based on the location of RIM's BlackBerry Infrastructure or the customer's selection of a wireless network. All data remains encrypted at all times and through all points of transfer between the customer's BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the customer's device (at no point in the transfer is data decrypted and re-encrypted). "Therefore, locating BlackBerry Infrastructure in a particular geography does not in any way aid or offer access to the encrypted information that flows through the BlackBerry Infrastructure.'' About the third misperception that "RIM has offered solutions to certain governments and denied the same to others,'' the wireless giant said, "In fact, while RIM does not disclose confidential regulatory discussions that take place with any government, RIM assures both its customers in India and the Government of India that RIM maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries.'' — IANS
	Electronic information centres bring relief to traders Ruchika M. Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 27 In a move that will bring some relief to the traders in Punjab, the department of Excise and Taxation has started electronic information collection centres (ICC). With this, the entry of goods in the state will now be much faster. With the state having launched electronic ICCs at 36 places on a pilot basis last week, traders are heaving a sigh of relief. Long queues on goods- laden trucks at these ICCs have become a thing of the past as data entry of goods or their physical verification is not required. So has the endless number of complaints about the data entry operators at these e-ICCs. Though manual work at these ICCs has not yet been done away with, a number of bulk consumers like Gati and Blue Dart have already shifted to using this system, thereby saving a lot of time. “So far, we have introduced this system only in the main ICCs, especially those located near Chandigarh and along the border with Ambala. But our target is to have 75 per cent of work done electronically by the end of this year,” said A.Venu Prasad, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab. It is at these ICCs that the goods being brought from outside the state are declared and entry tax (wherever applicable) is paid. The staff at the ICC verifies the challans and bills presented to them, and matches them with stocks in the goods carrier. This generally takes a lot of time. “With the work now being done electronically, the dispatcher of goods just has to log on to the website of Excise and Taxation department, feed the data on the goods that he is bringing in Punjab and generate a form. This form has to be submitted to the Excise Inspector deputed at each ICC, who validates the data and the entry of goods is allowed. The entire process takes 10-15 minutes,” said the ETC. He added that this is just the first step towards creating virtual barriers in the state. “We are in the initial stages of designing a protocol for creating virtual barriers. There would be no personnel manning the ICCs and free flow of goods will be allowed after e-filing of the data,” he said.
	Toyota recalls 1.13 m Corollas New York, August 27 Japanese automaker Toyota announced yesterday the recall of 1.13 million of its popular Corolla vehicles in North America due to an engine defect that could lead the car to stop while driving. Toyota, the world's largest car manufacturer, said the recall was issued for Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles built between 2005 and 2008 "to address some engine control modules (ECM) that may have been improperly manufactured." The recall is a fresh blow to the automaker which recalled some 10 million vehicles across the world earlier this year due to a faulty acceleration system. It said there was a possibility that "a crack may develop at certain solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage" on the ECM's circuit board. The crack can result in the engine not starting or, in some cases, stopping while the vehicle is being driven, it said. — AFP
	Boeing defers delivery of 787 Dreamliner Tokyo, August 27 Aerospace giant Boeing today said it will delay until early 2011 the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner aircraft, originally scheduled for the end of this year. The confirmation of the delay in delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) was made in a statement released in the US and Japan, after the maker warned in July it may have to push the date back into next year. The company today confirmed that it now expects delivery of the first Dreamliner in the middle of the first quarter 2011 as it continues to test the plane. Boeing said the revision follows "an assessment of availability of an engine needed for the final phases" of flight testing this autumn. Rolls-Royce provides the jet engines for the aircraft. "While Boeing works closely with Rolls-Royce to expedite engine availability, flight testing across the test fleet continues as planned," it said. Boeing added that the scheduled revision will not affect the company's financial guidance. The aviation giant is hanging its future on the mid-sized plane — its first new model in more than a decade — which draws on huge advances in aviation technology and can fly long-haul routes using up to 20 per cent less fuel. Boeing launched the Dreamliner programme in April 2004 and initially had planned to deliver the first plane to ANA in the first half of 2008. The plane can seat up to 330 passengers. — AFP
	Tata Steel in pact to sell UK plant New Delhi, August 27 Tata Steel's European arm Corus today entered into a pact with Thailand-based Sahviriya Steel Industries to sell its Teesside Cast Products plant in the UK for about $500 million. "Corus UK Ltd and Sahaviriya Steel Industries Public Company Ltd today signed an MoU which sets out the scope of a potential transaction whereby SSI would acquire from Corus the Teesside Cast Products (TCP) business in a transaction valued at approximately $500 million," Tata Steel said. It said the deal, if successfully concluded, is expected to create a significant number of new jobs at the plant in addition to TCP's existing workforce of over 700 and will provide a considerable boost to the local economy. A sale agreement would also result in Corus and SSI operating Redcar Wharf (TCP's bulk terminal) as a joint venture, giving Corus the flexibility to use Teesside to serve its other steelmaking operations, while also meeting SSI's requirements on Teesside, it added. — PTI
	Mukesh Ambani on WEF Board Mumbai, August 27 Reliance Industries' Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has been elected as Member to the Board of World Economic Forum (WEF). Others elected to the Board are Alcatel-Lucent's CEO, Ben J Verwaayen and Zhu Min, Special Adviser, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a former Deputy Governor, People's Bank of China, a press release issued here today stated. World Economic Forum's founder and executive chairman, Klaus Schwab, said, "We are honoured to have three distinguished new Members of the Foundation Board. Mukesh Ambani will bring an extraordinary level of business acumen and his commitment to the ideals of the Forum. He has played a key role, especially related to the integration of India into all our activities." — PTI