Slumdog Millionaire bags 8 Oscars; India celebrates

It was the day of the Slumdog at the Oscars!

Out of the ten Oscars that it was nominated for, Slumdog Millionaire swept eight Oscars, which included two Oscars for music maestro A R Rahman, Best Director for Danny Boyle and Best Sound Mixing for India’s Resul Pookutty.

Source: NDTV

Slumdog Millionaire gets 2 awards at the Oscars

Slumdog Millionaire has bagged two awards at the Oscars. The movie got the first award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the second for Best Cinematography.

Slumdog Millionaire, the feel good drama about a Mumbai tea boy, which is vying for top honours at the Oscars, has put the Indian film industry on the global entertainment map.

Slumdog puts Bollywood on global map

Slumdog, made in India with a predominant Indian cast and technicians, has increased Bollywood’s ability to attract powerful Hollywood A-listers including Sylvester Stallone to Pierce Brosnan and Mickey Rourke, said a report.

Source: NDTV

Bangalore Air Show Photos

Bangalore air show 2009

Aero india Exhibition
Aero India is an air show that takes place biennially in Bangalore at the Yelahanka Air Force Station.  One of the major aviation exhibitions in India, the show was first held in the year 1996 and has acquired the position of being the fourth largest air show in the world. The Aero India in Bangalore is an illustrious event that brings new exciting opportunities for the aviation and aerospace industry.

Aero India 2009

The 7th Aero India is being organized by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It is managed by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru, India from February 11-15, 2009.

Aero India has already carved a niche for itself globally as a premier aerospace exhibition, with six successful editions organized between 1996 and 2007.The show aims at bringing under one roof, exhibitors from all around the globe to showcase the best in aviation. Aero India includes both flight and static displays of a wide range of civil and military aircrafts from leading manufacturers, vendors and suppliers.

The Organizers of Aero India:

Defense Ministry: Aero India Bangalore is organized by the Defense Ministry of India in association with the Defense Research and Development Organization, the Indian Air Force, the Department of Space, India and the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FICCI): FICCI is one of the main organizers of Aero India.  The largest and oldest apex business organization of Indian business, FICCI organizes a number of events  including the Aero India.

Aero India 2009 – Ticket Details

Ticket Denomination Per Person Per Day	Category	Entry to	Dates	Entry Allowed for
Rs 1500	Business Visitors	All Areas except Chalet	11th-13th February 2009	Only Business Visitors (Children below 14 years are not Allowed at all for Exhibition Area during weekdays)
Rs 800	Business Visitors / General Visitors	All Areas except Chalet	14th -15th February 2009	Business Visitors + Adults + Children
Rs 300	General Visitors	Only Air Show ( ADVA – The Airshow Area )	11th -13th  February 2009	Adults + Children
Rs 400	General Visitors	Only Air Show ( ADVA – The Airshow Area )	14th  -15th February 2009	Adults + Children

Source: Aero India

Click here to see last year Air Show snaps. My friend went last year she enjoyed a lot.

FDA finalizes guidance on reprints

Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers received some guidance on when they can distribute scientifically valid journal articles detailing off-label uses of their products.

The FDA’s Good Reprint Practices for the Distribution of Medical Journal Articles and Medical or Scientific Reference Publications on Unapproved New Uses of Approved Drugs and Approved or Cleared Medical Devices U.S. eases restrictions on the distribution of articles from peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals.

Healthcare professionals can use products in any way they believe will benefit patients; however pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers are not permitted to promote off-label uses.

A scientific or medical journal article that is distributed should:

• Be published by an organization with an editorial board that uses independent experts and has a public policy of full disclosure of any conflict of interest or biases
• Be peer-reviewed and published in accordance with the organization’s peer-review procedures
• Not be in the form of a special supplement or publication funded in whole or in part by the manufacturer
• Be generally available in bookstores or other independent distribution channels

A scientific or medical reference publication that is distributed should not be:

• Written, edited, excerpted, or published specifically for, or at the request of, a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer
• Edited or significantly influenced by a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer or any individuals having a financial relationship with the manufacturer

Source: FDA HcPRO

500,000 jobs lost in 3 months in India

Over 500,000 people were rendered jobless between October to December 2008 due to the recession, according to the latest government study.

The findings are part of a first of its kind survey conducted by the Labour Bureau of ministry of Labour and Employment as part of a study on the effect of economic slowdown on employment in India.

A sample size of 2,581 units covering 20 centres across 11 states was taken up for the survey.

Sectors which are affected most are

1. Textile and garment industry
2. Metals and metal products
3. Information technology and BPO
4. Automobiles
5. Gems & jewellery
6. Transportation
7. Construction and
8. Mining industries

The total employment in all these sectors had come down from 16.2 million in September 2008 to 15.7 million by December

Source: Rediff

HHS/FDA Indian offices Opened

Two new HHS/FDA food and drug safety offices in Dehli and Mumbai, India are the latest outpost of the US regulators.

This is how it is going to impact

HHS/FDA will post 10 experienced officials in India to work closely with industries that ship food and medical products to the United States, to improve safety and quality, which will facilitate the smooth flow of trade.

Along with the Office Director, HHS/FDA will have four inspectors and five senior technical experts who will cover food, medical devices and medicines.

This is what HHS/FDA personnel will provide :

These HHS/FDA personnel will provide technical advice, conduct inspections of facilities that export to the United States, and work with Indian government agencies and the private sector to develop certification programs to allow the efficient flow of safe HHS/FDA-regulated goods between the United States and India.

India is the fourth-largest exporter of drugs and biologics to the US with bilateral trade growing from $13.5bn (€10bn) in 2001 to $32bn in 2006.

Various Training based companies like ComplianceOnline conducts series of seminars regularly in India on topics like:

• Computer System Validation and Part 11 Compliance in Practice
• Applying Lean Principles to Controlled Documents
• Critical Cleaning Validation for Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry
• 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance in Practice and Computer System Validation
• How To Comply With FDA Quality Systems Regulations And Pass FDA Inspections
• Understanding US trends in Pharmaceutical and Building a Successful CMO

Click here to find more about ComplianceOnline seminars/webinars.

Source: Embassy of United States ComplianceOnline