February 10, 2012 by anilrajput

EU Green Tax: Global Airlines Warn Of ‘Retaliatory Action’

‘Retaliatory Action’

With European Union facing global flak over imposition of a green tax on all aircraft flying in its skies, world airlines’ body IATA has warned European airlines of “retaliatory action” by non-EU nations if a global solution was not arrived at soo

“Time is not on our side. Airlines from Europe may face some retaliatory action. And some non-European airlines may have to choose whether to obey the law of their land or that of Europe ?- two more unintended consequences which should convince all states that the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) is the way forward,” IATA chief Tony Tyler said.
He called for a global solution through the ICAO, a UN-body, to break the impasse on Europe’s plans to “unilaterally” include global aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS).
India, Russia, the US, China and several other countries would meet in Moscow later this month to decide on whether to take retaliatory measures against the EU on its “unilateral” decision to impose carbon tax on air travel.
The EU imposed the tax from January, but about 30 countries, including India, Russia, China and the US, opposed the move, saying it was “inconsistent with the international legal regimes”.
In a speech to the European Aviation Club in Brussels yesterday, Tyler said the consequences of the “unilateral and extra-territorial approach go beyond market distortions to states seeing this as an attack on their sovereignty.”
“I am sensing a growing recognition that a global scheme developed through the ICAO would provide a superior solution both for managing aviation’s emissions and to resolving the political problems caused by extending the scheme beyond Europe’s borders,” the IATA Director General and CEO said, adding, “We will do all that we can to promote a pragmatic solution.”
Source: PTI

February 7, 2012 by anilrajput

Hyped medical tourism lacks substance

Updated: Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:50:26 GMT | By Maneesh Pandey, Mail Today

Hyped medical tourism lacks substance

The absence of niche health products for medical tourists from targeted regions coupled with a lopsided pricing strategy almost makes it a flop show.

The hype over medical tourism in the country is not backed by substance.

In fact, the tourism ministry’s annual report points to gaps and glitches posing as roadblocks in making the sector a money-spinner for the travel industry.
For instance, the absence of niche health products for medical tourists from targeted regions coupled with a lopsided pricing strategy have made the “much hyped medical tourism a near flop show”, ministry officials said.
African and West Asian countries are potential clients. They could contribute 80 per cent of the total targeted medical tourists in the country. But they were not tapped to its full potential.
“The handicap begins at the first stage. The prospective medical tourists from Africa and West Asia are mostly non-English-speaking people. The nonmedical staff employed to target these groups are not able to communicate properly. Using interpreters is neither comfortable nor efficient. The tourists have complained about the competence of the medical and paramedical staff, which includes documentation, and most have been disappointed with the available boarding facilities,” the ministry’s annual report says.
These tourists can change India’s prospects because most of them were not covered by the social security and health insurance that people in the US and the UK enjoy.
Major markets include Oman and UAE in West Asia and Nigeria, Tanzania, Mauritius, Kenya and Gambia in Africa.
Tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai has been pressing for medical tourism to boost foreign arrivals.
Most tourists “are concerned on settlement of bills and lack of clear instructions and post procedure monitoring,” a ministry official said. The price consciousness is such that a lot of South Asians register in India as “domestic patients” because they come on tourist, not medical visas. The ministry suggests that the government must reassess the medical visa policy. A medical visa allows three entries per year and there should be a gap of two months in between two entries. A medical tourist, who travels for consultation with doctors, has to wait two months for treatment. “India is losing a big chunk of potential medical tourists to Thailand due to the cumbersome visa regulations,” the report says.
Source: www.indiatoday.in

February 4, 2012 by anilrajput

New US visa norms to benefit Indian professionals

Amidst pending comprehensive immigration reform, the United States has proposed several steps – including changes in the F-1 and H-1B visas – to attract foreign skilled workforce, a move likely to benefit professionals from countries like India

Prominent among these reforms include providing work authorisation for spouses of certain H-1B visa holders, 17-month extension of optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 international students to include students with a prior degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and allow outstanding professors and researchers to present a broader scope of evidence of academic achievement.
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that on February 22, it would launch its ‘Entrepreneurs in Residence’ initiative with an Information Summit in Silicon Valley.
This will bring together high-level representatives from the entrepreneurial community, academia and federal government agencies to discuss how to maximize current immigration laws’ potential to attract foreign entrepreneurial talent.
These moves are in support of President Barack Obama’s, efforts to meet 21st century national security and economic needs, the Department of Homeland Security said, adding that he is deeply committed to fixing our broken immigration system so that it meets national security and economic needs.
According to a post made by a friend, who’s a caseworker with local marriage based green card services, as a part of comprehensive immigration reform, Obama supports legislative measures that would attract and retain immigrants who create jobs and boost competitiveness in the US, including creating a ” Startup Visa,” strengthening the H-1B programme, and “stapling” green cards to the diplomas of certain foreign-born graduates in science, technology, engineering and math ( STEM) fields.
Source: PTI