current affairs

The Hindu/ Indian express/ET
06-13 FEB’10
National// social issues
Turkish President Abdullah Gul visit
Highlights
• Turkey agrees to work closely with India on global terrorism.
• India and Turkey unveiled a joint declaration on terrorism in it, Ankara has agreed to “recognise the need” for the conclusion of the India-initiated Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
• India considers Turkey’s acquiescence on the need for a CCIT as significant because it is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which has “locked up” the pact for over 13 years due to differences in the definition of the scope of application of the convention. Therefore, Turkey’s commitment to the convention is of significance.
• India feels that the CCIT, once finalised and adopted, will be an important contribution against terrorism as it will signal that the international community’s will to fight this problem is “complete and unshakeable.” The OIC has not been willing to accept that the armed forces should be excluded from the convention.
• Both countries also agreed to work towards developing an action plan with timelines and specific measures after taking into account the existing structures of cooperation, such as the Joint Working Group against Terrorism.
• In high-level meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Mr. Gul also discussed the possibility of both sides working towards a free trade agreement by agreeing to examine the report of a study group set up for the purpose.
• On the energy front, India said it was awaiting the technology and feasibility reports from other countries involved in the project.
• India and Turkey also issued a joint declaration in the field of science and technology to explore possibilities of working together in mutually identified projects in areas such as telecommunication, computerisation, information technology, space research, biotechnology and environmental technology.
India, U.K. finalise text of civil nuclear cooperation deal
• India and the U.K. have agreed on the text of a civil nuclear cooperation deal that is likely to be signed soon on a convenient date.
• The agreement came after a meeting between British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and visiting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in London .
• When the deal is signed, it will be the seventh civil nuclear agreement inked by India since its first historic deal with the United States in October 2008.Since then, it has signed deals with France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia.India has already finalised a civil nuclear cooperation deal with Canada, which is expected to be signed next year.
• The U.K. has been one of India’s leading supporters after it sought re-entry into international nuclear trade after the 2005 India-U.S. joint statement.
• One of the contentious issues during the negotiations was the preamble to the draft, in which India objected to the words proposed by the U.K. referring to its position on a fissile material cut-off treaty.
• India has insisted that the agreement should reflect its official position, which calls for a universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable treaty.
Safeguard pact with IAEA comes into force
• The safeguard agreement with regard to civilian nuclear facilities between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has come into force, U.S. President Barack Obama has said.
• He said this in a memorandum issued to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as mandated by the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act regarding the safeguard agreement between India and the IAEA.
• Mr. Obama also certified that India had filed a declaration of facilities that was “not materially inconsistent” with the facilities and schedule described in the Separation Plan presented in Parliament on May 11, 2006, taking into account the later initiation of safeguards than was anticipated in the Separation Plan.
India, New Zealand start FTA talks
• With New Zealand emerging as one of the hot destinations for India’s exports during the recent recessionary period, both countries have started negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to expand further their relationship.
• The decision to start FTA talks was taken at a meeting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had with New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser at the World Economic Forum in Davos recently.
• New Zealand, which exports coal, timber, wool and hides to India, exported goods worth $442 million last year, an increase of 16 per cent, despite declining trade overall.
• Exports are projected to grow at 8 per cent in 2010.
• India is now New Zealand’s 13th largest export destination. New Zealand had FTAs with Singapore, Thailand China and Malaysia.
Pakistan decides to accept India’s offer of talks
• Pakistan appears to have decided to accept New Delhi’s offer of Foreign Secretary talks
• may suggest February 25 as the date, but has not said so yet officially.two dates offered by India for talks — February 18 and 25 — Pakistan favoured the later date.
Some attacks seem racist, admits Australian Foreign Minister
• Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith acknowledged that some of the recent attacks on Indian students and other people of Indian origin in his country appeared to be “racist in nature.”
• Reaffirming that Australia practised a policy of “zero tolerance for racism,” Mr. Smith said: “If any of these attacks have been racist in nature — and it seems clear some of them have — they [the perpetrators] will be punished with the full force of the law.”
China voiced concerns over “intensifying military penetration” in Nepal and Bhutan

• A government-run website quoted analyst Dai Bing as saying that the two countries have become a theatre of conflict for Indian and Chinese military strategists.
• The analyst worried over the Bhutan Air Force deploying defense equipment sourced from India along the border with China.
• He also cited reports that New Delhi was building an air base in Nepal to suggest Beijing should pay more attention to the country in the backdrop of the struggle between pro-India and pro-China forces there.
• The article noted the increasing military cooperation between India and Russia, complaining that New Delhi has encouraged Moscow to provide military helicopters and logistical support to Bhutan.
• In a quest for military advantage along its border with China, India is intensifying its military cooperation with the United States and Russia and stepping up its military penetration of small border states adjoining China and India,” the article said.
• It however noted that despite its arms purchases from the great powers and military penetration of neighboring countries, it remains extremely unlikely that India will embark on an all-out conflict with China. The main reason for this, it said, is that India is focused on fighting terrorism and containing Pakistan. “For the foreseeable future, therefore, while a ‘cold war’ between the two countries is increasingly likely, a hot war is out of the question,” the piece concluded.
• The article comes at a time when Beijing is dangling the lucrative offer before Kathmandu of extending the Tibet railway to the country and – in its wake – a massive rise in the number of Chinese tourists to Nepal. In turn, Beijing wants an assurance that Tibetan separatists would not operate from Nepal.
Jhumpa Lahiri gets Obama's nomination
• Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has been appointed as a member of US President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, along with five others.
• A fiction writer, Ms. Lahiri’s debut collection of stories, ’Interpreter of Maladies’, received the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Addison M Metcalf Award and the New Yorker magazine’s Debut of the Year.
• Her novel, ‘The Namesake’, was a New York Times Notable Book, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment Weekly.
• Her latest story collection, ‘Unaccustomed Earth’, won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Vallombrosa-Gregor von Rezzori Prize.
Two lakh Indians live illegally in U.S.: report
• As many as two lakh Indians are living illegally in the U.S., claimed the latest official report on illegal residents for 2009.
• This is an increase of 40,000 from the 2008 figure.
• The rise in unauthorised Indians living in the U.S. comes at a time when there is a seven per cent decline in the number of total illegal foreign residents.
Can’t wait indefinitely on pipeline project: Iran
• Iran hoped that India would join the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project soon, but pointed out that there should be “some limit” to the time being taken to arrive at a decision.
• At the same time, he pointed out that the discussions on the pipeline had been on for 15 years and Iran’s negotiations with Pakistan were reaching the implementation stage.
India to open discussions with Russia on stealth aircraft
• After favouring the U.S. for its recent purchases of hi-tech military equipment, India has now turned to Russia, its old supplier, for the next generation fighter aircraft.
• PAK FA, Russia’s fifth generation fighter, which boasts of radar evasion characteristics, made its maiden flight only late last month.
• India inked an agreement with Russia for jointly developing this aircraft, but the time taken to complete the paperwork meant that 70 per cent of the plane was already developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Now India has planned to enter the project mid-way.
Bermuda keen on sealing tax-information exchange pact
• Bermuda expects to clinch a significant tax-information exchange agreement with India by this month-end, Bermuda Premier Ewart Frederick Brown.
The second India-Arab Investment Projects Conclave
• India aims to double trade with Arab world from the present $114 billion by 2014.
• Attended by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma ,FICCI President Rajan Bharti Mittal and Ahmed Benhelli, Deputy Secretary General, League of Arab States.
• Mr. Sharma also sought investments from the Arab countries in sectors such as ship building, infrastructure, pharmaceutical, IT, agro-processing and energy. He said returns from investments in India were huge and assured.
• The Arab League has 22 members, including Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Algeria.
Jha takes oath in Nepali and Maithili
• Nepal’s Vice-President Paramananda Jha retook his oath of office and secrecy in two languages, Nepali and Maithili, ending the language row which had kept his post “inactive” for more than five months.
• Mr. Jha had taken his oath in Hindi in July 2008 but his choice of language was widely criticised as Hindi is regarded as a foreign language in Nepal.
• The Supreme Court asked him to retake the oath in the official language, Nepali but Mr. Jha refused to do so.
• In January, Nepal’s interim Constitution was amended allowing Nepal’s President, Vice-President and Prime Minister to take the oath of office in their mother tongues. Mr. Jha also wore the traditional daura suruwal while taking the oath. Earlier, his attire had also sparked criticism as it was seen as “Indian”.
Issues involve in giving reservation to Muslim backward
• What separates affirmative action from discrimination is, sometimes, no more than a thin line.
• While Clause (1) of Article 15 of the Constitution of India bars discrimination “against any citizen on grounds only of religion.
• Clause (4) specifically allows the State to make any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes.
• Large sections of Muslims are no doubt socially and educationally backward, and need the constitutionally-enabled special provision for reservation in education and employment. However, the challenge is to identify these backward sections by adopting a system that does not amount to extending the reservation benefits solely on the ground of religion, which is barred under the Constitution.
• In the case of the majority Hindu community, socially and economically backward castes, subject to some regional variations, have been identified for reservation benefits as socially and economically backward classes.The absence of an easily identifiable and permanent label akin to caste complicates matters for religious minorities.
• But social classes and vocational groups among the minorities whose counterparts in the majority community are regarded as backward should have access to the same reservation benefits.
• However, without a proper assessment of the social and educational conditions of different sections of Muslims, any ad hoc provision made by the State governments will be open to legal challenges.
• In Andhra Pradesh, a four per cent reservation for selected sections of Muslims was made through the Andhra Pradesh Reservation in Favour of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007, on the basis of the report of the A.P. Commission for Backward Classes. However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court found the Act “religion-specific” and the report of the Commission procedurally flawed.
• However, just as reservation benefits cannot be granted on grounds only of religion, they cannot also be held back on grounds of religion. The Scheduled Castes, who have suffered oppression in Hindu society, and the Scheduled Tribes, who have remained outside the social mainstream, fall under a different category of reservations, and the issue of extending the SC status to converts to other religions remains unresolved. However, there is no reason why affirmative action and reservations granted to the backward classes among the Hindus should not be extended to similarly placed sections among Muslims and other religious minorities. Instead of resorting to hasty measures that may not stand judicial scrutiny, the Centre and the States must formulate a comprehensive reservation scheme for the socially and educationally backward classes belonging to all religions including Islam, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission.
A.P. quota for sections of Muslims quashed
• In a significant judgment having national ramifications, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday struck down the four per cent reservation provided by the State government to selected sections of Muslims in education and public employment.
• These sections were categorised as additional “E” group and included among the existing Backward Classes enjoying reservation, first through an ordinance and then legislation.
• Five judges on the Bench allowed the writ petitions challenging this Act 26 of 2007, while two differed with this view. The report of the A.P. Commission for Backward Classes, which was relied upon by the government for extending the reservation, came in for severe criticism by the judges.Declaring the A.P. Reservation in favour of Socially Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007 “unsustainable,” the five judges said the Act “is religion-specific and potentially encourages religious conversions.”
• The majority judgment pronounced by Chief Justice A.R. Dave said the government’s action was based solely upon the findings and recommendations of the report of the Commission, and the procedural error committed by the Commission was fatal to its report and consequent recommendations.
• This is the third time the government is facing an embarrassment over a quota for Muslims. To keep its election promise, the government issued an administrative order in 2004 providing 5 per cent reservation for all Muslims, relying on a report by the A.P. Minorities Finance Corporation. This was struck down by the High Court. The government then constituted a BC commission and, based on its report, brought about the enactment in 2005, which was again rejected by the court.
10% quota for weaker sections among Muslims in West Bengal
• The Left Front government in West Bengal has stolen a march over the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre on the implementation of the Ranganath Mishra Commission’s recommendations by deciding to reserve 10 per cent of government jobs for the economically, educationally and socially backward sections among Muslims.
• Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said those benefiting from the decision would be brought under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category for which seven per cent of jobs were already reserved. “This will bring the total percentage of job reservation in West Bengal for the OBCs to 17.”
• to ensure reservation of jobs for minorities not on the basis of religion but taking into account the economically, educationally and socially backward sections among the Muslims ... A committee will be set up to identify them.
Private member Bill to amend anti-defection law
• Encouraged by party general-secretary Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy of inner-party democracy Congress Member of Parliament Manish Tewari has moved a Private Member’s Bill to amend the anti-defection law — one of the earliest pieces of legislation initiated by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985.
• The amendment seeks to provide freedom of expression to parliamentarians and legislators by freeing them from the fear of loss of membership for toeing a line independent of their respective party positions in all instances other than no-confidence motions, money Bills besides financial matters enumerated in Articles 112 to 117 and Articles 202 to 207.
• This will provide for political and policy expression in Parliament for an individual member is expanded.
• this would enable members to exercise their judgment and articulate their opinion.”
• the law as it exists today completely discourages law-makers from “undertaking any serious research, lateral thinking or the search for best practices” for incorporation in Bills under consideration.As a result, members become disinterested in “constructively contributing to law-making, which is the principal function of Parliament and instead focus their energies on other procedural instrumentalities” like questions, zero-hour mentions and calling attentions.
• Being a Constitution Amendment Bill, it will have to be examined by the Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolution before it can be listed for introduction.
• Previously Rukmini Devi Arundale’s Bill to prevent cruelty against animals was followed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ela Bhatt’s views on sati, which found their way into the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Bill, 1987.
Ashok Cauvan paid news case
• The BJP submitted to the EC 49 identical news stories that praised Mr. Chavan and his government.
• In addition, at the Commission’s prompting, the Collector of Nanded sent 32 articles from local newspapers.
• According to Section 10 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,the EC can disqualify a person for three years if the Commission is satisfied that a person has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required under the Act and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Paid news harming democracy itself, says Press Council
• The sub-committee constituted by the Press Council of India to examine the phenomenon of “paid news” during the recent Lok Sabha elections has expressed concern that some media organisations which are expected to set standards have themselves taken the lead in accepting money for the publication of news.
• “The paid news phenomenon is not only eroding the confidence of the people in the media, but is hurting and harming democracy itself,” sub-committee member Paranjoy Guha Thakurta told journalists.
• The panel had completed hearings in Mumbai and Hyderabad and was expected to take up a similar exercise in Ahmedabad, Mr. Thakurta said. Representations from several States were pouring in, while P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan were among others who deposed before the sub-committee.
Muivah agrees to take part in April talks
• National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has agreed to participate in the next round of peace talks with the Centre in April.
• Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai revealed this while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the 58th meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC).
• The peace talks between the NSCN(I-M) and New Delhi was deadlocked for nearly one year, with the last round of talks held in March 2009.
• On the invitation of the government of India, the NSCN (I-M) leadership has proposed to come to India between April 1 and 10, 2010 to hold talks and carry forward the peace process.
• Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said “One good thing happening is that all the three groups — NSCN(I-M), NSCN(Khaplang) and FGN [Federal Government of Nagaland] — have been meeting under public pressure on the Forum for Naga Reconciliation platform. They have so far held seven summits in Chiangmai (in Thailand) and have signed a covenant in the seventh summit for ceasefire among themselves, the Chief Minister told journalists on the sidelines of the meeting.
• Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar called for increasing the proposed outlay of the North Eastern Council (NEC) for 2010-11 to at least Rs.2,000 crore, of which Rs.1,500 crore should be allocated for new projects for the NEC to achieve its stated targeted goal.
R.S. Pandey interlocutor for Naga talks
• Putting Naga peace talks on the fast forward mode, the government appointed the former Secretary in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, R.S. Pandey, as the new interlocutor for holding dialogue with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah).
• A Nagaland cadre IAS officer of the 1972 batch, Mr. Pandey had served as Chief Secretary in Nagaland.
• He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2007 besides the U.N. Public Service Award in 2008.
KLNLF leaders, cadres hand over arms to Gogoi
• A total of 419 leaders and cadres of the Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) formally handed over 158 weapons to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at an arms decommissioning ceremony in Diphu of central Assam’s Karbi Anglong hill district.
• The KLNLF cadres in battle fatigues, including 22 women, were led by the outfit’s chairman Habe Tokbi and general secretary Thong Teron.
• Each KLNLF member was welcomed to the mainstream with a red rose, a gamocha (traditional Assamese shawl) and a poho (traditional Karbi muffler).
KN Raj
• Dr. Raj — who was the economic adviser to Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to P.V. Narasimha Rao.
• He made significant contribution to the preparation of India's first five year plan.
• Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao counted on him for advice when the country’s liberal economic reform process was launched in July 1991, notably on issues such as devaluation of the rupee, focus on farm sector and decentralised planning.
• He was one of the main forces behind the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He also set up the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Development Studies (CDS).
• An economist, teacher, researcher, pragmatic reformer, a Marxist and a Keynesian, all rolled into one, Raj was conferred the Padma Vibhushan — the second-highest civilian honour — in 2000.

Director General of UNIDO - Kandeh K Yumkella
S.C. Sinha NIA chief
• S.C. Sinha has been appointed Director-General of the National Investigation Agency.
• He succeeds the first chief of the agency, Radha Vinod Raju, whose tenure ended last month.
MoU signed for biotechnology incubator in Goa
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Goa Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC), the Goa University and the Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) for setting up a biotechnology incubator in Goa.
• The incubator facility is to be set up on the campus of Goa University which would provide space, material and technical human resources.
Endangered beauty
• The inclusion of Puntius denisonii, a strikingly beautiful fish found in the Kerala segment of the Western Ghats, in the IUCN Red List is an important step in the struggle to conserve the biodiversity of the hotspot.
• The endemic 15-cm-long shoaling species, known locally as “Miss Kerala” and commonly as the Denison barb, is sought after by aquarium enthusiasts for its attractive colouration. It has a flaming red streak running from its snout across part of the body.
• The deterioration of its habitat, already fragmented and restricted to a few rivers — notably the Cheenkannipuzha (a tributary of the Valapattanam river), Achankovil, and Chaliyar — poses as serious a challenge as the growing demand from the globalised ornamental fish market. For want of a monitoring mechanism, the Denison barbs are being massively harvested even in reserve forest areas. Fortunately, recognising the vulnerability of this fish to extinction in the wild, the Kerala government has initiated some action to curb unrestricted capture and export.
It’s moratorium on Bt brinjal: Jairam
• Bt brinjal will not make it to your dinner table for now. the Environment Ministry announced its decision to impose a moratorium on the release of the transgenic brinjal hybrid developed by Mahyco, a subsidiary of global seed giant Monsanto.
• Mr. Ramesh attributed the decision to several factors: lack of clear consensus among the scientific community; opposition from 10 State governments, especially from the major brinjal-producing States; questions raised about the safety and testing process; lack of an independent biotechnology regulatory authority; negative public sentiment and fears among consumers and lack of a global precedent.
• Bt brinjal, created by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis – hence the Bt – is capable of resisting several insect pests and could reduce the use of pesticide.
Reply to complaints, court tells Raghavan
• The Supreme Court sought the comments of R.K. Raghavan, head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Godhra and post-Godhra communal riot cases in Gujarat, on an application alleging lapses in the probe and seeking reconstitution of SIT.
Golden Gujarat ‘rath yatra’ planned
• In a bid to involve the rural masses in celebrating the golden jubilee of the existence of the State, the Gujarat government has planned an elaborate “Swarnim Gujarat Sankalp Rath Yatra” (Golden Gujarat Resolve Rath Yatra) to cover all the 19,165 villages in the State.
• The separate State of Gujarat was created by bifurcating the erstwhile Bombay State on May 1, 1960.
Indian, Russian films win Golden Conch at MIFF
• At 11th Mumbai International Film Festival of Documentary, Animation and Short Films.
• Russian director Alexander Gutman’s 17 August won the Golden Conch for the Best Documentary.
• The Spell, directed by Umesh Kulkarni was adjudged the best fiction film at the, which concluded here on Tuesday.
Centre to appoint Lok Karmis under MGREGA
• The Centre has set in motion the process to appoint Lok Karmis and Lok Sevaks for the proper implementation of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment guarantee Act (MGREGA).
• In view of disparities in rural social structures and inequalities in functional capabilities of the poor and marginalised sections lacking literacy skill to record their rights in the written form for jobs, the Ministry for Rural Development has taken the decision of appointing a local person to assist and support them in the realisation of their entitlements under the Act.
• In its draft proposal, the ministry noted that the absence of written applications for employment led to a spate of administrative lapses like non-issuance of date receipts, non-payment of unemployment allowances or compensation for delay in wages or in record keeping and, not the least important, it amounted to serve as a wedge between workers’ rights and the Gram Panchayat.
• At the Gram Panchayat level, such a person will be designated as Lok Karmi while a Lok Sevak will be appointed with a territorial jurisdiction not exceeding four blocks.
• While a 12th Standard pass will be preferable but in the absence of availability a candidate having passed 8th standard could be considered.
337-year-old book to be reprinted
• Collectors of rare books will soon be able to lay their hands on a facsimile copy of 17th century book India and Persia by British cartographer John Ogilvie.
• It is being reprinted by the authorities of the Asiatic Society here.
• Published in 1673, the book, which is a part of the Library of the Asiatic Society, is the only known copy in India.
Tribes of Andaman Island
• Boa Sr — the last speaker of the Bo, one of the ten languages of the tribes that populated the Great Andaman archipelago — is recognition that the passing of this grand old lady represents the irreplaceable loss of a part of the world’s heritage, the passage of the remnants of a living culture into memory.
• Only three tribes survive in the Andaman islands: the 250 or so Jarawas, who resisted contact with outsiders until two decades ago and whose way of life is threatened by the ‘friendly contact’ promoted by the Great Andaman Trunk Road that cuts through their forest homeland; the Onges (around 100), who live in a remote pocket in the Little Andaman; and the Sentinelese, who have fiercely resisted outside contact, and whose numbers and language remain unknown.
• The Andamans is celebrated for being a storehouse of faunal and floral diversity but its linguistic and cultural diversity has largely been neglected. The languages or dialects of the Great Andamanese are regarded as one of the five language families in India; if Onge-Jarawa is derived from a separate linguistic ancestor as some believe, then this remarkable region would have contributed to two of six language families.

India’s first paperless court takes off
• The country’s first district level paperless e-court started functioning at the Karkardooma complex with Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg presiding over the seamless proceedings.
Pakistan claims hockey gold
• India put up a shoddy display to lose to Pakistan 5-4 in tie-breaker after 1-1 stalemate at the regulation and extra time in the final of the 11th South Asian Games hockey competition at the Moulana Bhasani Stadium.
Law Ministry releases Gopalaswami’s letter on Chawla to President
• The Law Ministry has released the letter written by the then Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, to the President seeking removal of fellow Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, while the Rashtrapati Bhavan declined to make the document public.
• The appellate authority under the Right to Information Act in the Ministry allowed the request by S.S. Ranawat of Bhilwara in Rajasthan, for information on the unprecedented recommendation made by Mr. Gopalaswami in January last year. The Rashtrapati Bhavan had cited Mr. Chawla’s opposition to the disclosure as a reason for not making it public.
• In his 93-page report, Mr. Gopalaswami cited several instances of “partisan behaviour” on the part of Mr. Chawla.
• In the recommendation to the President, Mr. Gopalaswami said he concluded that “significant facts” and “irresistible conclusions” from the report submitted by him were crucial in judging the suitability of Mr. Chawla as Election Commissioner.
• “My recommendation, therefore, under the powers vested in me under the second proviso to Article 324(5) of the Constitution, is to remove Shri Navin B. Chawla from the post of Election Commissioner,” Mr. Gopalaswami said in his January 16, 2009 letter, months before the general elections during which he demitted office.
AIBA seeks President’s intervention for vice-chairman’s safety
• The All India Bar Association (AIBA) has expressed shock and concern over the ‘life-threatening’ phone call received by its vice-chairman, S. Prabhakaran, and has sought the immediate intervention of President Pratibha Patil and Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, to ensure the advocate’s safety.
IMD declares 2009 warmest year since 1901
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has declared 2009 the warmest year since 1901, the year it started keeping records of temperatures and other weather parameters.
• The average annual mean temperature over the country as a whole for the year was almost one degree Celsius above the average for the entire century — plus 0.913 degrees Celsius to be precise.
10 students killed in hostel fire
• Ten students of a school at Palin in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh were killed in a fire that broke out in a private hostel. Four sustained severe burns.
India has highest number of new leprosy patients
• India continues to record the highest number of new leprosy cases in the world followed by Brazil and Indonesia.
• While globally in 2008, 2.5 lakh new cases of leprosy were recorded, India accounted for 1.37 lakh of those cases followed by 38,914 cases in Brazil and 17,441 in Indonesia. According to WHO’s latest estimate, around 35% of new leprosy cases in India — 48,000 — are women.
Online Gandhigiri
• A middle-aged American got into the Mahatma’s virtual skin, re-enacted the Dandi March and spent nine months in ‘prison’ subsequently. Is Joseph Delappe.
Economy
Core group to be set up for tackling price rise
• The government decided to set up a high-profile Standing Core Group to suggest measures to deal with price rise and propose steps for improving public distribution system, procurement of foodgrains and production of agriculture produce.
• The Group will comprise the Union Finance Minister, the Union Agriculture Minister, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu; Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission and the Chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.
• The Group will suggest measures for increasing agricultural production and productivity including long-term policies for sustained agricultural growth; to reduce the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices and for better implementation of and amendment of the Essential Commodities Act.
Ceiling raised for FIPB clearance
• In a significant move aimed at expediting flow of foreign investment into the country, the Union Cabinet liberalised the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy further by allowing the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to clear proposals from overseas entities worth up to Rs. 1,200 crore, against the existing limit of Rs. 600 crore.
• proposals involving total foreign equity inflow of more than Rs. 1,200 crore would be placed for consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
GDP growth pegged at 7.2 %
• The Government pegged economic growth at 7.2 per cent in 2009-10, which was short of the optimistic projections of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Finance Ministry, although it was higher than 6.7 per cent recorded a year ago.
• Interestingly, according to advance Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation, farm output is estimated to contract by 0.2 per cent and services to record a moderate growth. Manufacturing is estimated to grow by a robust 8.9 per cent this fiscal.
• According to the CSO, farm and allied activities are expected to shrink by 0.2 per cent this fiscal against 1.6 per cent growth a year ago. The estimated growth this fiscal is estimated to be driven by robust expansion of the manufacturing sector against 3.2 per cent in 2008-09.
RBI to introduce new base rate in place of PLR for banks from April 2010
• The RBI is reportedly coming out with guidelines on the concept of 'base rate' for lending by banks. This will be the rate below which a bank will not be permitted to lend.
• At the same time banks are also being given freedom to price loans below Rs. 2 lakhs so that they can compete with MFIs in lending to the financial excluded.
• Some of the highlights of the move include:
 Each bank to set its own base rate which will be linked to cost of funds
 Deposits cost, cost of maintaining CRR and SLR and operating expenses to be factored in for arriving at the base rate
 Banks can now compete with microfinance companies for small loans
 Floating rate loans will automatically come down when cost of funds for a bank declines
 Credit pricing set to become more transparent
Black economy
• Black money has long been regarded the bane of our development process. It results in
1. huge wastage of resources,
2. lowers the rate of growth,
3. leads to criminalization in society
4. breakdown of institutions,
5. undermines the capacity of Indian businesses to face the challenge of globalization,
6. jeopardizes our security,
7. Leads to poor governance.
Divestment figures touch decent figures; government aims high
• The 2009-10 Budget had estimated that disinvestment proceeds would fetch around Rs 1,120 crore.
• The recent follow-on public offer (FPO) of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is expected to bring the government at least Rs 8,300 crore.
• The other two remaining FPOs in the fiscal — Rural Electrification Corporation and NMDC — are likely to bring in another Rs 20,000 crore.
S.R. Mani Ayer passes away
• S.R. Mani Ayer, a veteran in the advertising field, passed away after a brief illness.
Strong criticism about carry trade
• Foreign exchange carry trades — where speculators borrow in a low interest rate currency and then lend or invest in another currency for profit — are increasingly being seen to pose a major risk to international financial stability.
• It is common knowledge that the Yen carry trade and more recently, the dollar carry trade have helped speculators create asset bubbles, especially in the developing world.
On French auctions
• The ongoing NTPC follow on public offering is reportedly being offered on French auction basis to investors.
• In this method, the firm announces a minimum (reserve) price. Investors place sealed bids for quantity and price. When the bids are in, the firm negotiates a minimum and maximum price with the market regulator. Any bid above the maximum price is eliminated as a virtual market order.
• The bidders who bid between the minimum and maximum price are awarded shares on a pro rata basis, each paying the minimum price. In the event that demand for the stock is too high, the IPO may be changed to fixed-price offering.
Parikh panel recommends flat tax on diesel cars
• The Kirit Parikh Committee proposal for imposing a flat tax of Rs. 81,000 on diesel cars, including sedans and gas guzzlers SUVs and MUVs, may be worrying the big names in the industry, but environmentalists who have campaigned against ‘dieselisation’ of personal transport say the plan is too little and too late.
OVL consortium bags 40 per cent stake in Venezuelan block
• ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL)-led consortium announced that it had bagged 40 per cent stake in a $19-billion project to develop a major crude oil block in Venezuela.
• OVL, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) along with Spain’s Repsol YPF SA and Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bdh won rights to develop the Carabobo-1 block in Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt, according to a statement issued here.
GST set to be levied at 16%, goods may cost less
• The long-awaited reform of India’s indirect taxes system is set to get a fillip, with a broad consensus forming within the finance ministry on a rate of 16% for the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) for both Centre and states combined.
• To be levied on all companies and traders with annual turnover of Rs 10 lakh and above, this would provide a tax base of 40-45 lakh assessees and ensure that neither the Centre nor states suffer any revenue loss.
• Sources said rates for both the Centre and states on GST could be 8% each.
Centre wants alcohol, petro products under GST

• The law ministry is believed to have sent a detailed response on the suggestions sought by the department of revenue towards finalisation of draft Constitutional amendment of the indirect tax reforms.
• The proposed GST was initially scheduled to be implemented from April 1, 2010. However, lack of consensus between states and the Centre on a uniform tax structure and their inability to carry out necessary legislative amendments led to its postponement by another six months.
Relook at OVL’s Qatar exit plan’
• The Cabinet Secretariat has sought a fresh round of inter-ministerial consultations for seeking Cabinet approval to have a relook at ONGC Videsh Ltd’s earlier decision to relinquish an offshore acreage in Qatar that the company had won in March 2005.
• ONGC Videsh had in 2008 taken a decision to relinquish the prospect, Najwat Najem, located in the Arabian Gulf.
• The decision was taken after the company found that the reserves in the block were not enough to be commercially viable. The company had also decided to give up the rig it had acquired for drilling in the acreage.
• An empowered committee of secretaries had on June 24, 2009 made its recommendations and cleared the ONGC proposal to give up the acreage. The Cabinet Secretariat, however, has now returned the oil ministry note for seeking Cabinet approval. It has asked the ministry to seek comments from other pertinent ministries before seeking Cabinet's approval on the ground that the secretaries panel did not have authority to decide issues of acquisition or relinquishment.

Pre-consultation paper on 4G spectrum issued
• While the country awaits the auction of spectrum for the full-fledged launch of 3G mobile services, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a pre-consultation paper on 4G (fourth generation) telecom services which will provide ultra-broadband Internet access.
• The new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, at up to 10 times the speed of 3G (third-generation) networks.
• 4G mobile networks have already been commercially launched in Sweden and Norway,Operators in other countries like the U.S., Korea and Japan are gearing up to launch 4G mobile wireless broadband services.
• The 3G services in India are now likely to be available only in 2011...if the auction of 3G spectrum is held in August or September 2010. India will thus be lagging behind a large number of countries in the world.
International
Landmark deal in Northern Ireland
• A landmark deal between Northern Ireland’s two major political parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, removed the last hurdle to granting full autonomy to the province envisaged in the 1998 Good Friday agreement that brought decades of sectarian violence to an end.
• The deal, hailed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as reflecting “a new spirit of mutual cooperation and respect”, paves the way for transferring policing and justice powers from the central government in London to the provincial administration in Belfast.
European Union Crisis
• The southern members of the union are facing some tough times -- economically. Their stock and bond prices are tumbling amid investors' fears that heavily indebted countries in the south of the zone may be unable to cope with the fiscal and monetary demands of membership.
• Facing the most severe economic strains since its birth 11 years ago, the euro zone looks likely to hold together for now but the exit of some of its weaker members cannot be ruled out in the long term.
• Many analysts expect the European Union to intervene with some kind of aid for weak members if that proves necessary to keep the zone intact. But economies are diverging so sharply that even if weak members are bailed out, their problems could hurt growth in the zone for years, and conceivably prompt them to abandon the euro later this decade if the costs of membership seem too high.
• The weaknesses of the euro zone’s southern members were masked in its early years by a benign global environment, cheap credit and housing booms. In the financial crisis of 2007-2009, membership protected countries from the worst market turmoil.
The euro’s darkest hour
• EU leaders gather in Brussels amid rumours that struggling Greece will be bailed out
• The leaders appear determined not to let the Greek debt crisis and the risk to the European single currency hijack their musings on medium-term economic strategy, expected to dominate the agenda.
• Athens and the eurozone enjoyed some respite from the pressure of the markets when the European Central Bank signalled that its head, Jean-Claude Trichet, had cut short a trip to Australia to rush back to Brussels for the summit.
• That triggered speculation in the markets that the 16 eurozone countries may be preparing some form of bailout for Greece, which is teetering on the brink of national insolvency, beset by huge sovereign debt levels and a ballooning budget deficit. The euro recovered some of the ground it has lost recently as hedge funds and speculators have been betting against the single currency over fears of a debt crisis.
EU support sans cash for Greece
• France and Germany, the EU’s two largest economies promising “determined and coordinated action” during a mini EU summit held in Brussels ,Greece averted a humiliating recourse to the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial ruin.
• However, few details were made available how exactly that support would be given and the question of immediate and direct financial aid was completely sidestepped.
• Greece, which represents 2.7 per cent of the bloc’s $13-trillion economy, is the sickest member of the EU’s ailing economies and posted a budget deficit of 12.7 per cent of gross domestic product in 2009, the highest in the euro’s 11-year history and more than four times the EU’s 3 per cent limit.
• The country has fudged its account and systematically lied about the exact nature of its finances for over a decade.
Iran a nuclear state
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses a huge gathering at the Azadi Square in Tehran on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
• Declaring the country to be a “nuclear state,” he said it had produced a “first stock” of 20 per cent enriched uranium for its nuclear programme and was capable of enriching it to 80 per cent, but would not do so.
• The first package of 20 per cent fuel was produced and provided to the scientists," he said, referring to the recently begun process of enriching Iran's uranium stockpile to higher levels.
• Enriching uranium produces fuel for a nuclear power plants but can also be used to create material for atomic weapons. Iran announced it was beginning the process of enriching its uranium stockpile to a higher level.
• The international community has warned Iran against further enrichment activities, threatening new UN sanctions.
Iran begins higher grade enrichment
• Iran set into motion the process of further refining its stocks of lightly enriched uranium at its atomic facility in Natanz, amid divisions among world powers on a suitable response to the move.
• Iran’s atomic energy chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced that a separate section had been earmarked at the Natanz facility, where Iran has so far been producing low enriched uranium refined to a 3.5 per cent level.
• We start enrichment at 20 per cent level in a separate section by injecting the 3.5 per cent nuclear fuel to the enrichment system,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). He said the arrangements had been made in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran needs 20 per cent enriched uranium for its research reactor in Tehran to produce medical isotopes for treating cancer patients.
• Iran took the unilateral decision after the Americans showed their disinclination to discuss the various modifications that Tehran had been seeking to the nuclear exchange proposal drafted by the IAEA in October.
China for diplomacy over Iran
• China has reinforced its call for diplomacy to ease tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme amid reiteration by Tehran that a deal over enriched uranium for its research reactor engaged in producing medical isotopes was now within grasp.
Russian ire over U.S. missile plans
• Russia has demanded an explanation from the United States regarding its plans to deploy missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea that are seen as a threat to Russia’s security.
• Romanian President Traian Basescu announced that the country’s top defence body had backed a U.S. plan to station missile interceptors in Romania by 2015 against “potential attacks with ballistic missiles or medium-range rockets”.
• The U.S. State Department said the proposed deployment of SM-3 medium-range ballistic missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea was part of the revised U.S. missile shield plan approved by President Barack Obama in September. Mr. Obama cancelled his predecessor George W. Bush’s plans to site missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic in favour of other locations in the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
World’s tallest tower closed
• Tourists headed for the observation deck of the world’s tallest tower were left disappointed and confused after the owner of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa unexpectedly cut off public access to the building owing to electrical problems. The observation deck is located on the 124th floor. The precise cause of the $1.5-billion skyscraper’s sudden and indefinite closure remained unclear.
• The city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa, with over 160 floors, would be a major tourist draw.
Probe on into U.S. blast
• About five people remain unaccounted for after a deadly explosion at an under-construction power plant, and a section of the site was too unstable to search.
• blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 30 km south of Hartford, killed at least five people and injured a dozen or more others.
Akram in PCB probe committee
• Former captain and fast bowling great Wasim Akram has been included in an enquiry committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board to probe the team’s disastrous performance in Australia.
Australia tightens visa rules
• Australia announced migration reforms that “will affect some overseas students” who might be “intending to apply for permanent residence.”
• The reforms are designed to ensure the selection of “the best and brightest” foreigner-applicants for skilled jobs.
World first personal carbon credit earns $17
• Invest $58,000 to line the roof of your suburban home with solar panels, and pick up $17.20 in exchange for the reduction in your household carbon emissions.
• Randy and Tami Wilson, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, earned the single credit through a transaction brokered by the My Emissions Exchange website. It aims to certify emissions reductions by home owners or tenants and then sell those credits to companies looking to up their green quotient.
• The website’s existence suggests that while Congress may have given up on creating a national scheme for trading carbon emissions, there are ordinary Americans willing to play the voluntary market. The company says it has signed up 1,800 households since going into business last autumn.
• A company in Middlefield, Ohio, Molten Metal Equipment, bought the Wilsons’ carbon credit, representing a tonne of carbon dioxide, for $21.50. The website earned $4.30 in commission, and the Wilsons took home $17.20.
Uzbek filmmaker convicted of slander
• An Uzbek film director was convicted of slander for making a documentary on wedding rituals in the authoritarian ex-Soviet state, but released on amnesty.
• Ms. Akhmedova’s film, The Burden of Virginity, describes hardships young women face in the mostly Muslim nation during and after the traditional nuptial ceremonies, including the public demonstration of a bloodstained bedsheet after the first night.
• The film has never been shown in Uzbekistan, but is available online.
China’s farms pollute as much as its factories, survey finds
• For every tonne of chemical effluents that factories dump into China’s rivers and lakes, a comparable amount of harmful waste finds its way into this country’s water bodies from green fields and farmhouses.
• A first of its kind pollution survey has found that farms have contributed as much to a growing pollution crisis in China as its famously unclean factories and industries.
• The study, released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests this week, indicated that widespread agricultural pollution caused by the overuse of fertilizers has led to a level of pollution far higher than what has been previously stated in official reports.
• China’s “national pollution census” is the first official attempt to map and assess the scale of the pollution problem, which has progressively worsened along with the unprecedented economic growth unleashed by economic reforms three decades ago. The census, which took two years to complete and involved more than 5,70,000 people, studied 6 million sources of industrial, residential and agricultural waste from all over China.
BAE gets away lightly
• BAE Systems, the British weapons manufacturer, is to pay criminal fines totalling approximately £285 million.
• This deal closes a coordinated eight-year investigation by the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) into longstanding allegations of bribery, slush funds, and unrecorded payments to clients.
• The U.K. levy of £30 million is a national record for a corporate criminal fine.
• The issues date as far back as the firm’s 1985 al-Yamamah deal to supply military equipment to Saudi Arabia, and include more recent contracts with Tanzania, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Hungary.
China jails quake activist
• China on Tuesday sentenced a high-profile activist — who was investigating the deaths of school-children in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake — for five years in prison.
• Tan Zuoren was sentenced on the charges of inciting subversion of state power, in connection with essays he wrote in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Medvedev congratulates Yanukovych
• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Ukraine’s opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych on his victory in the presidential race, even as Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to concede defeat.
• Mr. Medvedev, the first among world leaders, called Mr. Yanukovych on Tuesday to congratulate him on the conclusion of the election campaign.
• The gesture signalled Moscow’s happiness at the victory of a candidate who promised to rebuild close ties with Russia that severely suffered under the outgoing pro-West President Viktor Yushchenko.
Jackson’s doctor pleads not guilty to manslaughter
• Conrad Murray, the personal physician of Michael Jackson, pleaded not guilty before a Los Angeles court after being charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the singer’s death.
• If convicted, Dr. Murray, the last person to have seen the ‘King of Pop’ alive on June 25, faces a possible maximum four years in prison.
Cobra gold 2010
• a joint military exercise by thai navy and American marine
Fonseka detained for ‘military offences’
• Sri Lanka’s former Army Chief and Opposition presidential candidate, General Sarath Fonseka, was detained by a team of investigators for “certain fraudulent acts and military offences” from the ‘safe house’ he had been living in since he lost the January 26 election.
• Three days after the poll outcome, the government accused the commander-turned-politician of plotting a coup to overthrow President Mahinda Rajapaksa and assassinate his family members.
• In what is regarded as one of the biggest shake-ups in the post-independence history of the island nation, the President, in recent days, ordered a reshuffle of the top brass of the military and at least 30 supporters of the retired General have been either detained or taken for questioning.
Malaysian woman in combat role
• At a time when a debate continues in the Indian defence establishment over the induction of women in combat role, Malaysia is showcasing the opportunity the country provided them in its defence services.
• Among a batch of 19 officers on warship KD Perak, is Lieutenant Farah Al Habasi, who is deployed as its Deputy Weapons Electronics Officer, and is taking part in the multi-nation ‘Milan’ exercise organised by the Indian Navy.
“Sinister nexus” abroad: Colombo
• Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Sunday said that a “sinister nexus” seemed to be surfacing between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-United National Party (UNP) alliance and pro-LTTE groups abroad.
• In a statement on protests in London on the nation’s Independence Day, the Minister maintained that such a nexus would be detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
Russia steps up fight against drugs
• Russia has offered to send narcotics police to Afghanistan even as the U.S. agreed to step up the fight against drug production and trafficking in that country.
• The Russian and U.S. anti-narcotics chiefs met in Moscow in the framework of Russian-American drug control group set up last year as part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy of “reset” in relations with Russia.
Russia to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka
• Russia has moved to strengthen defence and economic ties with Sri Lanka, offering to sell military hardware to the island nation and agreeing to help develop its hydrocarbon resources.
• An agreement was signed for $300-million 10-year Russian credit to Sri Lanka to buy Russian helicopters and other defence products.
• Moscow had firmly backed Colombo in its war against LTTE and provided arms to the Sri Lankan armed forces.
NASA cancels solar probe launch due to bad weather
• High winds forced NASA to cancel the planned launch of a solar probe.
• The countdown for the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was called off because the wind load was higher than allowed.
• The SDO is the "crown jewel" of a fleet of NASA satellites planned to collect more details about what's going on underneath and above the surface of the sun.
Has Mandela’s long walk led nowhere?
• Thousands of people are expected to gather near Cape Town in South Africa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release.
• It will be the centrepiece of commemorations to mark the moment that Mr. Mandela emerged after 27 years behind bars, ushering in a transition from apartheid to multi-racial democracy and his rise to become the country’s first President of African origin.
Others-sports, science, environment
India may drop per capita stand
• India may abandon its ‘per capita’ stance in the debate on equity in the global carbon space debate, according to Environment Minister.
• Per capita is one option,India will host an international workshop in May to discuss other options and come up with a formula to ensure fair burden sharing in the reduction of future greenhouse gas emissions.
• Such a formula is essential before India agrees to any legally binding climate change treaty.
• India’s argument is that while the country has the fifth largest annual emissions in the world in gross terms, when divided by the huge population and considered in per capita terms, it falls to the 120th ranking. Thus India has promised to never exceed the per capita emissions figure of developed countries, while reserving the right to increase gross emissions as the economy grows.
Agni-III launch a complete success
• The launch of Agni-III, the missile with the longest range in India’s arsenal, from the Wheeler Island off Orissa was a complete success.
• Lifting off majestically at 10.50 a.m., it travelled its entire range of 3,500 km. and came down accurately on its target in the Bay of Bengal.
• The two-stage, surface-to-surface ballistic missile can carry nuclear warheads.
Flight-testing of cryogenic stage of GSLV in April
• Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said the flight- testing of the indigenous cryogenic stage of the GSLV D3 would be conducted in April.
• The vehicle would carry GAST-4, a communication satellite.
Agni-V to be test-fired within a year
• India on announced it would test Agni-V with a range of 5,000-km within a year, asserting that the country’s capability to develop ballistic missiles remained ahead of China.
• After the recent success of the 3,500-km Agni-III missile, declared ready for deployment the Agni-V programme moved out of the drawing board and material cutting stage to checking of sub-systems.
• Said Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat.
Scientists working on substitutes to silicon in developing solar cells
• Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP)- KOLKATA
• With the relative high cost of silicon and its soaring demand in electronics and other industries, scientists have initiated research to find suitable alternatives in an attempt to make solar energy technology more commercially viable.
DU basketball team forced to throw game at gunpoint
• Basketball teams which went to Varanasi to compete in the All-India Inter-University championship have alleged that they were forced to forfeit their matches against the hosts due to intimidation by armed goons who threatened to kill if they didn’t lose.
• The Delhi University basketball team, North Zone champions and one of the teams expected to win the all-India tourney organized at Banaras Hindu University from January 27 to February 1, quit their semifinal against the hosts after the third quarter, amid threats and unfair play.
Fourth gold for paddler Madhurika Patkar
• Madhurika Patkar, who won four gold medals in the table tennis event at the South Asian Games.
Chandrayaan’s M3 discovers new lunar rock type
• The Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) on Chandrayaan-1, which famously discovered the presence of water and hydroxyl molecules on the lunar surface material last year, has now identified a new lunar rock type on the far side of the moon.
• The M3 is a NASA instrument.
• The rock-type is dominated by a mineral termed as ‘magnesium spinel.’ Spinel is a generic name given to a class of minerals having the chemical formula AB{-2}O{-4} and the usual spinel formations found in lunar rocks is an iron-magnesium admixture of the form (Mg, Fe)(Al, Cr){-2}O{-4}.
• These rocks are usually found along with magnesium-iron silicate (olivine) and calcium-rich aluminium silicate (pyroxene).
New Zealand clinches series
• New Zealand sealed early victory in its three-ODI series against Bangladesh with a five-wicket win in the second ODI here on Monday. Ross Taylor, who hurried New Zealand to its target of 184 with a whirlwind 78 (52 balls, 6 x 4, 5 x 6) was adjudged Man of the Match.
Brilliant Bhullar claims Asian Tour International
• Gaganjeet Bhullar of India produced a brilliant course record eight-under-par 64 to win the season-opening Asian Tour International by one shot.
EU ready to help IPCC in quality control
• The European Union (EU) has offered to help the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) strengthen its quality control system, after the climate science panel was revealed to have made a mistake about the timeline on melting of Himalayan glaciers.
Virdhaval Khade leads Indian swimmers’ dominant display
• Virdhaval Khade had a good day fetching two golds with records in the South Asian Games in Dhaka.
Shining Sansita — little giant-killer
• Four years ago, Sansita Nandakumar won an open tennis tournament for 10-year-olds at the Triangle Tennis Trust courts in Chennai after beating many boys.
• The 14-year-old from Coimbatore created a commotion at the Lotus Trophy AITA all-India ranking tournament here the other day when she packed off the women’s top seed Prarthana Pratap rather comfortably at 6-2, 6-2 in the pre-quarterfinals. She sailed past her other opponents and marched to Friday’s final quite confidently.


The Hindu/ Indian express/ET
06-13 FEB’10
National// social issues
Turkish President Abdullah Gul visit
Highlights
• Turkey agrees to work closely with India on global terrorism.
• India and Turkey unveiled a joint declaration on terrorism in it, Ankara has agreed to “recognise the need” for the conclusion of the India-initiated Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
• India considers Turkey’s acquiescence on the need for a CCIT as significant because it is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which has “locked up” the pact for over 13 years due to differences in the definition of the scope of application of the convention. Therefore, Turkey’s commitment to the convention is of significance.
• India feels that the CCIT, once finalised and adopted, will be an important contribution against terrorism as it will signal that the international community’s will to fight this problem is “complete and unshakeable.” The OIC has not been willing to accept that the armed forces should be excluded from the convention.
• Both countries also agreed to work towards developing an action plan with timelines and specific measures after taking into account the existing structures of cooperation, such as the Joint Working Group against Terrorism.
• In high-level meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Mr. Gul also discussed the possibility of both sides working towards a free trade agreement by agreeing to examine the report of a study group set up for the purpose.
• On the energy front, India said it was awaiting the technology and feasibility reports from other countries involved in the project.
• India and Turkey also issued a joint declaration in the field of science and technology to explore possibilities of working together in mutually identified projects in areas such as telecommunication, computerisation, information technology, space research, biotechnology and environmental technology.
India, U.K. finalise text of civil nuclear cooperation deal
• India and the U.K. have agreed on the text of a civil nuclear cooperation deal that is likely to be signed soon on a convenient date.
• The agreement came after a meeting between British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and visiting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in London .
• When the deal is signed, it will be the seventh civil nuclear agreement inked by India since its first historic deal with the United States in October 2008.Since then, it has signed deals with France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia.India has already finalised a civil nuclear cooperation deal with Canada, which is expected to be signed next year.
• The U.K. has been one of India’s leading supporters after it sought re-entry into international nuclear trade after the 2005 India-U.S. joint statement.
• One of the contentious issues during the negotiations was the preamble to the draft, in which India objected to the words proposed by the U.K. referring to its position on a fissile material cut-off treaty.
• India has insisted that the agreement should reflect its official position, which calls for a universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable treaty.
Safeguard pact with IAEA comes into force
• The safeguard agreement with regard to civilian nuclear facilities between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has come into force, U.S. President Barack Obama has said.
• He said this in a memorandum issued to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as mandated by the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act regarding the safeguard agreement between India and the IAEA.
• Mr. Obama also certified that India had filed a declaration of facilities that was “not materially inconsistent” with the facilities and schedule described in the Separation Plan presented in Parliament on May 11, 2006, taking into account the later initiation of safeguards than was anticipated in the Separation Plan.
India, New Zealand start FTA talks
• With New Zealand emerging as one of the hot destinations for India’s exports during the recent recessionary period, both countries have started negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to expand further their relationship.
• The decision to start FTA talks was taken at a meeting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had with New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser at the World Economic Forum in Davos recently.
• New Zealand, which exports coal, timber, wool and hides to India, exported goods worth $442 million last year, an increase of 16 per cent, despite declining trade overall.
• Exports are projected to grow at 8 per cent in 2010.
• India is now New Zealand’s 13th largest export destination. New Zealand had FTAs with Singapore, Thailand China and Malaysia.
Pakistan decides to accept India’s offer of talks
• Pakistan appears to have decided to accept New Delhi’s offer of Foreign Secretary talks
• may suggest February 25 as the date, but has not said so yet officially.two dates offered by India for talks — February 18 and 25 — Pakistan favoured the later date.
Some attacks seem racist, admits Australian Foreign Minister
• Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith acknowledged that some of the recent attacks on Indian students and other people of Indian origin in his country appeared to be “racist in nature.”
• Reaffirming that Australia practised a policy of “zero tolerance for racism,” Mr. Smith said: “If any of these attacks have been racist in nature — and it seems clear some of them have — they [the perpetrators] will be punished with the full force of the law.”
China voiced concerns over “intensifying military penetration” in Nepal and Bhutan

• A government-run website quoted analyst Dai Bing as saying that the two countries have become a theatre of conflict for Indian and Chinese military strategists.
• The analyst worried over the Bhutan Air Force deploying defense equipment sourced from India along the border with China.
• He also cited reports that New Delhi was building an air base in Nepal to suggest Beijing should pay more attention to the country in the backdrop of the struggle between pro-India and pro-China forces there.
• The article noted the increasing military cooperation between India and Russia, complaining that New Delhi has encouraged Moscow to provide military helicopters and logistical support to Bhutan.
• In a quest for military advantage along its border with China, India is intensifying its military cooperation with the United States and Russia and stepping up its military penetration of small border states adjoining China and India,” the article said.
• It however noted that despite its arms purchases from the great powers and military penetration of neighboring countries, it remains extremely unlikely that India will embark on an all-out conflict with China. The main reason for this, it said, is that India is focused on fighting terrorism and containing Pakistan. “For the foreseeable future, therefore, while a ‘cold war’ between the two countries is increasingly likely, a hot war is out of the question,” the piece concluded.
• The article comes at a time when Beijing is dangling the lucrative offer before Kathmandu of extending the Tibet railway to the country and – in its wake – a massive rise in the number of Chinese tourists to Nepal. In turn, Beijing wants an assurance that Tibetan separatists would not operate from Nepal.
Jhumpa Lahiri gets Obama's nomination
• Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has been appointed as a member of US President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, along with five others.
• A fiction writer, Ms. Lahiri’s debut collection of stories, ’Interpreter of Maladies’, received the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Addison M Metcalf Award and the New Yorker magazine’s Debut of the Year.
• Her novel, ‘The Namesake’, was a New York Times Notable Book, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment Weekly.
• Her latest story collection, ‘Unaccustomed Earth’, won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Vallombrosa-Gregor von Rezzori Prize.
Two lakh Indians live illegally in U.S.: report
• As many as two lakh Indians are living illegally in the U.S., claimed the latest official report on illegal residents for 2009.
• This is an increase of 40,000 from the 2008 figure.
• The rise in unauthorised Indians living in the U.S. comes at a time when there is a seven per cent decline in the number of total illegal foreign residents.
Can’t wait indefinitely on pipeline project: Iran
• Iran hoped that India would join the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project soon, but pointed out that there should be “some limit” to the time being taken to arrive at a decision.
• At the same time, he pointed out that the discussions on the pipeline had been on for 15 years and Iran’s negotiations with Pakistan were reaching the implementation stage.
India to open discussions with Russia on stealth aircraft
• After favouring the U.S. for its recent purchases of hi-tech military equipment, India has now turned to Russia, its old supplier, for the next generation fighter aircraft.
• PAK FA, Russia’s fifth generation fighter, which boasts of radar evasion characteristics, made its maiden flight only late last month.
• India inked an agreement with Russia for jointly developing this aircraft, but the time taken to complete the paperwork meant that 70 per cent of the plane was already developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Now India has planned to enter the project mid-way.
Bermuda keen on sealing tax-information exchange pact
• Bermuda expects to clinch a significant tax-information exchange agreement with India by this month-end, Bermuda Premier Ewart Frederick Brown.
The second India-Arab Investment Projects Conclave
• India aims to double trade with Arab world from the present $114 billion by 2014.
• Attended by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma ,FICCI President Rajan Bharti Mittal and Ahmed Benhelli, Deputy Secretary General, League of Arab States.
• Mr. Sharma also sought investments from the Arab countries in sectors such as ship building, infrastructure, pharmaceutical, IT, agro-processing and energy. He said returns from investments in India were huge and assured.
• The Arab League has 22 members, including Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar and Algeria.
Jha takes oath in Nepali and Maithili
• Nepal’s Vice-President Paramananda Jha retook his oath of office and secrecy in two languages, Nepali and Maithili, ending the language row which had kept his post “inactive” for more than five months.
• Mr. Jha had taken his oath in Hindi in July 2008 but his choice of language was widely criticised as Hindi is regarded as a foreign language in Nepal.
• The Supreme Court asked him to retake the oath in the official language, Nepali but Mr. Jha refused to do so.
• In January, Nepal’s interim Constitution was amended allowing Nepal’s President, Vice-President and Prime Minister to take the oath of office in their mother tongues. Mr. Jha also wore the traditional daura suruwal while taking the oath. Earlier, his attire had also sparked criticism as it was seen as “Indian”.
Issues involve in giving reservation to Muslim backward
• What separates affirmative action from discrimination is, sometimes, no more than a thin line.
• While Clause (1) of Article 15 of the Constitution of India bars discrimination “against any citizen on grounds only of religion.
• Clause (4) specifically allows the State to make any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes.
• Large sections of Muslims are no doubt socially and educationally backward, and need the constitutionally-enabled special provision for reservation in education and employment. However, the challenge is to identify these backward sections by adopting a system that does not amount to extending the reservation benefits solely on the ground of religion, which is barred under the Constitution.
• In the case of the majority Hindu community, socially and economically backward castes, subject to some regional variations, have been identified for reservation benefits as socially and economically backward classes.The absence of an easily identifiable and permanent label akin to caste complicates matters for religious minorities.
• But social classes and vocational groups among the minorities whose counterparts in the majority community are regarded as backward should have access to the same reservation benefits.
• However, without a proper assessment of the social and educational conditions of different sections of Muslims, any ad hoc provision made by the State governments will be open to legal challenges.
• In Andhra Pradesh, a four per cent reservation for selected sections of Muslims was made through the Andhra Pradesh Reservation in Favour of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007, on the basis of the report of the A.P. Commission for Backward Classes. However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court found the Act “religion-specific” and the report of the Commission procedurally flawed.
• However, just as reservation benefits cannot be granted on grounds only of religion, they cannot also be held back on grounds of religion. The Scheduled Castes, who have suffered oppression in Hindu society, and the Scheduled Tribes, who have remained outside the social mainstream, fall under a different category of reservations, and the issue of extending the SC status to converts to other religions remains unresolved. However, there is no reason why affirmative action and reservations granted to the backward classes among the Hindus should not be extended to similarly placed sections among Muslims and other religious minorities. Instead of resorting to hasty measures that may not stand judicial scrutiny, the Centre and the States must formulate a comprehensive reservation scheme for the socially and educationally backward classes belonging to all religions including Islam, taking into consideration the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission.
A.P. quota for sections of Muslims quashed
• In a significant judgment having national ramifications, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday struck down the four per cent reservation provided by the State government to selected sections of Muslims in education and public employment.
• These sections were categorised as additional “E” group and included among the existing Backward Classes enjoying reservation, first through an ordinance and then legislation.
• Five judges on the Bench allowed the writ petitions challenging this Act 26 of 2007, while two differed with this view. The report of the A.P. Commission for Backward Classes, which was relied upon by the government for extending the reservation, came in for severe criticism by the judges.Declaring the A.P. Reservation in favour of Socially Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007 “unsustainable,” the five judges said the Act “is religion-specific and potentially encourages religious conversions.”
• The majority judgment pronounced by Chief Justice A.R. Dave said the government’s action was based solely upon the findings and recommendations of the report of the Commission, and the procedural error committed by the Commission was fatal to its report and consequent recommendations.
• This is the third time the government is facing an embarrassment over a quota for Muslims. To keep its election promise, the government issued an administrative order in 2004 providing 5 per cent reservation for all Muslims, relying on a report by the A.P. Minorities Finance Corporation. This was struck down by the High Court. The government then constituted a BC commission and, based on its report, brought about the enactment in 2005, which was again rejected by the court.
10% quota for weaker sections among Muslims in West Bengal
• The Left Front government in West Bengal has stolen a march over the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre on the implementation of the Ranganath Mishra Commission’s recommendations by deciding to reserve 10 per cent of government jobs for the economically, educationally and socially backward sections among Muslims.
• Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said those benefiting from the decision would be brought under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category for which seven per cent of jobs were already reserved. “This will bring the total percentage of job reservation in West Bengal for the OBCs to 17.”
• to ensure reservation of jobs for minorities not on the basis of religion but taking into account the economically, educationally and socially backward sections among the Muslims ... A committee will be set up to identify them.
Private member Bill to amend anti-defection law
• Encouraged by party general-secretary Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy of inner-party democracy Congress Member of Parliament Manish Tewari has moved a Private Member’s Bill to amend the anti-defection law — one of the earliest pieces of legislation initiated by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985.
• The amendment seeks to provide freedom of expression to parliamentarians and legislators by freeing them from the fear of loss of membership for toeing a line independent of their respective party positions in all instances other than no-confidence motions, money Bills besides financial matters enumerated in Articles 112 to 117 and Articles 202 to 207.
• This will provide for political and policy expression in Parliament for an individual member is expanded.
• this would enable members to exercise their judgment and articulate their opinion.”
• the law as it exists today completely discourages law-makers from “undertaking any serious research, lateral thinking or the search for best practices” for incorporation in Bills under consideration.As a result, members become disinterested in “constructively contributing to law-making, which is the principal function of Parliament and instead focus their energies on other procedural instrumentalities” like questions, zero-hour mentions and calling attentions.
• Being a Constitution Amendment Bill, it will have to be examined by the Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolution before it can be listed for introduction.
• Previously Rukmini Devi Arundale’s Bill to prevent cruelty against animals was followed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ela Bhatt’s views on sati, which found their way into the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Bill, 1987.
Ashok Cauvan paid news case
• The BJP submitted to the EC 49 identical news stories that praised Mr. Chavan and his government.
• In addition, at the Commission’s prompting, the Collector of Nanded sent 32 articles from local newspapers.
• According to Section 10 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,the EC can disqualify a person for three years if the Commission is satisfied that a person has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required under the Act and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Paid news harming democracy itself, says Press Council
• The sub-committee constituted by the Press Council of India to examine the phenomenon of “paid news” during the recent Lok Sabha elections has expressed concern that some media organisations which are expected to set standards have themselves taken the lead in accepting money for the publication of news.
• “The paid news phenomenon is not only eroding the confidence of the people in the media, but is hurting and harming democracy itself,” sub-committee member Paranjoy Guha Thakurta told journalists.
• The panel had completed hearings in Mumbai and Hyderabad and was expected to take up a similar exercise in Ahmedabad, Mr. Thakurta said. Representations from several States were pouring in, while P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan were among others who deposed before the sub-committee.
Muivah agrees to take part in April talks
• National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has agreed to participate in the next round of peace talks with the Centre in April.
• Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai revealed this while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the 58th meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC).
• The peace talks between the NSCN(I-M) and New Delhi was deadlocked for nearly one year, with the last round of talks held in March 2009.
• On the invitation of the government of India, the NSCN (I-M) leadership has proposed to come to India between April 1 and 10, 2010 to hold talks and carry forward the peace process.
• Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said “One good thing happening is that all the three groups — NSCN(I-M), NSCN(Khaplang) and FGN [Federal Government of Nagaland] — have been meeting under public pressure on the Forum for Naga Reconciliation platform. They have so far held seven summits in Chiangmai (in Thailand) and have signed a covenant in the seventh summit for ceasefire among themselves, the Chief Minister told journalists on the sidelines of the meeting.
• Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar called for increasing the proposed outlay of the North Eastern Council (NEC) for 2010-11 to at least Rs.2,000 crore, of which Rs.1,500 crore should be allocated for new projects for the NEC to achieve its stated targeted goal.
R.S. Pandey interlocutor for Naga talks
• Putting Naga peace talks on the fast forward mode, the government appointed the former Secretary in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, R.S. Pandey, as the new interlocutor for holding dialogue with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah).
• A Nagaland cadre IAS officer of the 1972 batch, Mr. Pandey had served as Chief Secretary in Nagaland.
• He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2007 besides the U.N. Public Service Award in 2008.
KLNLF leaders, cadres hand over arms to Gogoi
• A total of 419 leaders and cadres of the Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) formally handed over 158 weapons to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at an arms decommissioning ceremony in Diphu of central Assam’s Karbi Anglong hill district.
• The KLNLF cadres in battle fatigues, including 22 women, were led by the outfit’s chairman Habe Tokbi and general secretary Thong Teron.
• Each KLNLF member was welcomed to the mainstream with a red rose, a gamocha (traditional Assamese shawl) and a poho (traditional Karbi muffler).
KN Raj
• Dr. Raj — who was the economic adviser to Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to P.V. Narasimha Rao.
• He made significant contribution to the preparation of India's first five year plan.
• Former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao counted on him for advice when the country’s liberal economic reform process was launched in July 1991, notably on issues such as devaluation of the rupee, focus on farm sector and decentralised planning.
• He was one of the main forces behind the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He also set up the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Development Studies (CDS).
• An economist, teacher, researcher, pragmatic reformer, a Marxist and a Keynesian, all rolled into one, Raj was conferred the Padma Vibhushan — the second-highest civilian honour — in 2000.

Director General of UNIDO - Kandeh K Yumkella
S.C. Sinha NIA chief
• S.C. Sinha has been appointed Director-General of the National Investigation Agency.
• He succeeds the first chief of the agency, Radha Vinod Raju, whose tenure ended last month.
MoU signed for biotechnology incubator in Goa
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Goa Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC), the Goa University and the Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) for setting up a biotechnology incubator in Goa.
• The incubator facility is to be set up on the campus of Goa University which would provide space, material and technical human resources.
Endangered beauty
• The inclusion of Puntius denisonii, a strikingly beautiful fish found in the Kerala segment of the Western Ghats, in the IUCN Red List is an important step in the struggle to conserve the biodiversity of the hotspot.
• The endemic 15-cm-long shoaling species, known locally as “Miss Kerala” and commonly as the Denison barb, is sought after by aquarium enthusiasts for its attractive colouration. It has a flaming red streak running from its snout across part of the body.
• The deterioration of its habitat, already fragmented and restricted to a few rivers — notably the Cheenkannipuzha (a tributary of the Valapattanam river), Achankovil, and Chaliyar — poses as serious a challenge as the growing demand from the globalised ornamental fish market. For want of a monitoring mechanism, the Denison barbs are being massively harvested even in reserve forest areas. Fortunately, recognising the vulnerability of this fish to extinction in the wild, the Kerala government has initiated some action to curb unrestricted capture and export.
It’s moratorium on Bt brinjal: Jairam
• Bt brinjal will not make it to your dinner table for now. the Environment Ministry announced its decision to impose a moratorium on the release of the transgenic brinjal hybrid developed by Mahyco, a subsidiary of global seed giant Monsanto.
• Mr. Ramesh attributed the decision to several factors: lack of clear consensus among the scientific community; opposition from 10 State governments, especially from the major brinjal-producing States; questions raised about the safety and testing process; lack of an independent biotechnology regulatory authority; negative public sentiment and fears among consumers and lack of a global precedent.
• Bt brinjal, created by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis – hence the Bt – is capable of resisting several insect pests and could reduce the use of pesticide.
Reply to complaints, court tells Raghavan
• The Supreme Court sought the comments of R.K. Raghavan, head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Godhra and post-Godhra communal riot cases in Gujarat, on an application alleging lapses in the probe and seeking reconstitution of SIT.
Golden Gujarat ‘rath yatra’ planned
• In a bid to involve the rural masses in celebrating the golden jubilee of the existence of the State, the Gujarat government has planned an elaborate “Swarnim Gujarat Sankalp Rath Yatra” (Golden Gujarat Resolve Rath Yatra) to cover all the 19,165 villages in the State.
• The separate State of Gujarat was created by bifurcating the erstwhile Bombay State on May 1, 1960.
Indian, Russian films win Golden Conch at MIFF
• At 11th Mumbai International Film Festival of Documentary, Animation and Short Films.
• Russian director Alexander Gutman’s 17 August won the Golden Conch for the Best Documentary.
• The Spell, directed by Umesh Kulkarni was adjudged the best fiction film at the, which concluded here on Tuesday.
Centre to appoint Lok Karmis under MGREGA
• The Centre has set in motion the process to appoint Lok Karmis and Lok Sevaks for the proper implementation of Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment guarantee Act (MGREGA).
• In view of disparities in rural social structures and inequalities in functional capabilities of the poor and marginalised sections lacking literacy skill to record their rights in the written form for jobs, the Ministry for Rural Development has taken the decision of appointing a local person to assist and support them in the realisation of their entitlements under the Act.
• In its draft proposal, the ministry noted that the absence of written applications for employment led to a spate of administrative lapses like non-issuance of date receipts, non-payment of unemployment allowances or compensation for delay in wages or in record keeping and, not the least important, it amounted to serve as a wedge between workers’ rights and the Gram Panchayat.
• At the Gram Panchayat level, such a person will be designated as Lok Karmi while a Lok Sevak will be appointed with a territorial jurisdiction not exceeding four blocks.
• While a 12th Standard pass will be preferable but in the absence of availability a candidate having passed 8th standard could be considered.
337-year-old book to be reprinted
• Collectors of rare books will soon be able to lay their hands on a facsimile copy of 17th century book India and Persia by British cartographer John Ogilvie.
• It is being reprinted by the authorities of the Asiatic Society here.
• Published in 1673, the book, which is a part of the Library of the Asiatic Society, is the only known copy in India.
Tribes of Andaman Island
• Boa Sr — the last speaker of the Bo, one of the ten languages of the tribes that populated the Great Andaman archipelago — is recognition that the passing of this grand old lady represents the irreplaceable loss of a part of the world’s heritage, the passage of the remnants of a living culture into memory.
• Only three tribes survive in the Andaman islands: the 250 or so Jarawas, who resisted contact with outsiders until two decades ago and whose way of life is threatened by the ‘friendly contact’ promoted by the Great Andaman Trunk Road that cuts through their forest homeland; the Onges (around 100), who live in a remote pocket in the Little Andaman; and the Sentinelese, who have fiercely resisted outside contact, and whose numbers and language remain unknown.
• The Andamans is celebrated for being a storehouse of faunal and floral diversity but its linguistic and cultural diversity has largely been neglected. The languages or dialects of the Great Andamanese are regarded as one of the five language families in India; if Onge-Jarawa is derived from a separate linguistic ancestor as some believe, then this remarkable region would have contributed to two of six language families.

India’s first paperless court takes off
• The country’s first district level paperless e-court started functioning at the Karkardooma complex with Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg presiding over the seamless proceedings.
Pakistan claims hockey gold
• India put up a shoddy display to lose to Pakistan 5-4 in tie-breaker after 1-1 stalemate at the regulation and extra time in the final of the 11th South Asian Games hockey competition at the Moulana Bhasani Stadium.
Law Ministry releases Gopalaswami’s letter on Chawla to President
• The Law Ministry has released the letter written by the then Chief Election Commissioner, N. Gopalaswami, to the President seeking removal of fellow Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, while the Rashtrapati Bhavan declined to make the document public.
• The appellate authority under the Right to Information Act in the Ministry allowed the request by S.S. Ranawat of Bhilwara in Rajasthan, for information on the unprecedented recommendation made by Mr. Gopalaswami in January last year. The Rashtrapati Bhavan had cited Mr. Chawla’s opposition to the disclosure as a reason for not making it public.
• In his 93-page report, Mr. Gopalaswami cited several instances of “partisan behaviour” on the part of Mr. Chawla.
• In the recommendation to the President, Mr. Gopalaswami said he concluded that “significant facts” and “irresistible conclusions” from the report submitted by him were crucial in judging the suitability of Mr. Chawla as Election Commissioner.
• “My recommendation, therefore, under the powers vested in me under the second proviso to Article 324(5) of the Constitution, is to remove Shri Navin B. Chawla from the post of Election Commissioner,” Mr. Gopalaswami said in his January 16, 2009 letter, months before the general elections during which he demitted office.
AIBA seeks President’s intervention for vice-chairman’s safety
• The All India Bar Association (AIBA) has expressed shock and concern over the ‘life-threatening’ phone call received by its vice-chairman, S. Prabhakaran, and has sought the immediate intervention of President Pratibha Patil and Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, to ensure the advocate’s safety.
IMD declares 2009 warmest year since 1901
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has declared 2009 the warmest year since 1901, the year it started keeping records of temperatures and other weather parameters.
• The average annual mean temperature over the country as a whole for the year was almost one degree Celsius above the average for the entire century — plus 0.913 degrees Celsius to be precise.
10 students killed in hostel fire
• Ten students of a school at Palin in Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh were killed in a fire that broke out in a private hostel. Four sustained severe burns.
India has highest number of new leprosy patients
• India continues to record the highest number of new leprosy cases in the world followed by Brazil and Indonesia.
• While globally in 2008, 2.5 lakh new cases of leprosy were recorded, India accounted for 1.37 lakh of those cases followed by 38,914 cases in Brazil and 17,441 in Indonesia. According to WHO’s latest estimate, around 35% of new leprosy cases in India — 48,000 — are women.
Online Gandhigiri
• A middle-aged American got into the Mahatma’s virtual skin, re-enacted the Dandi March and spent nine months in ‘prison’ subsequently. Is Joseph Delappe.
Economy
Core group to be set up for tackling price rise
• The government decided to set up a high-profile Standing Core Group to suggest measures to deal with price rise and propose steps for improving public distribution system, procurement of foodgrains and production of agriculture produce.
• The Group will comprise the Union Finance Minister, the Union Agriculture Minister, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu; Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission and the Chairman of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.
• The Group will suggest measures for increasing agricultural production and productivity including long-term policies for sustained agricultural growth; to reduce the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices and for better implementation of and amendment of the Essential Commodities Act.
Ceiling raised for FIPB clearance
• In a significant move aimed at expediting flow of foreign investment into the country, the Union Cabinet liberalised the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy further by allowing the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to clear proposals from overseas entities worth up to Rs. 1,200 crore, against the existing limit of Rs. 600 crore.
• proposals involving total foreign equity inflow of more than Rs. 1,200 crore would be placed for consideration of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
GDP growth pegged at 7.2 %
• The Government pegged economic growth at 7.2 per cent in 2009-10, which was short of the optimistic projections of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Finance Ministry, although it was higher than 6.7 per cent recorded a year ago.
• Interestingly, according to advance Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation, farm output is estimated to contract by 0.2 per cent and services to record a moderate growth. Manufacturing is estimated to grow by a robust 8.9 per cent this fiscal.
• According to the CSO, farm and allied activities are expected to shrink by 0.2 per cent this fiscal against 1.6 per cent growth a year ago. The estimated growth this fiscal is estimated to be driven by robust expansion of the manufacturing sector against 3.2 per cent in 2008-09.
RBI to introduce new base rate in place of PLR for banks from April 2010
• The RBI is reportedly coming out with guidelines on the concept of 'base rate' for lending by banks. This will be the rate below which a bank will not be permitted to lend.
• At the same time banks are also being given freedom to price loans below Rs. 2 lakhs so that they can compete with MFIs in lending to the financial excluded.
• Some of the highlights of the move include:
 Each bank to set its own base rate which will be linked to cost of funds
 Deposits cost, cost of maintaining CRR and SLR and operating expenses to be factored in for arriving at the base rate
 Banks can now compete with microfinance companies for small loans
 Floating rate loans will automatically come down when cost of funds for a bank declines
 Credit pricing set to become more transparent
Black economy
• Black money has long been regarded the bane of our development process. It results in
1. huge wastage of resources,
2. lowers the rate of growth,
3. leads to criminalization in society
4. breakdown of institutions,
5. undermines the capacity of Indian businesses to face the challenge of globalization,
6. jeopardizes our security,
7. Leads to poor governance.
Divestment figures touch decent figures; government aims high
• The 2009-10 Budget had estimated that disinvestment proceeds would fetch around Rs 1,120 crore.
• The recent follow-on public offer (FPO) of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is expected to bring the government at least Rs 8,300 crore.
• The other two remaining FPOs in the fiscal — Rural Electrification Corporation and NMDC — are likely to bring in another Rs 20,000 crore.
S.R. Mani Ayer passes away
• S.R. Mani Ayer, a veteran in the advertising field, passed away after a brief illness.
Strong criticism about carry trade
• Foreign exchange carry trades — where speculators borrow in a low interest rate currency and then lend or invest in another currency for profit — are increasingly being seen to pose a major risk to international financial stability.
• It is common knowledge that the Yen carry trade and more recently, the dollar carry trade have helped speculators create asset bubbles, especially in the developing world.
On French auctions
• The ongoing NTPC follow on public offering is reportedly being offered on French auction basis to investors.
• In this method, the firm announces a minimum (reserve) price. Investors place sealed bids for quantity and price. When the bids are in, the firm negotiates a minimum and maximum price with the market regulator. Any bid above the maximum price is eliminated as a virtual market order.
• The bidders who bid between the minimum and maximum price are awarded shares on a pro rata basis, each paying the minimum price. In the event that demand for the stock is too high, the IPO may be changed to fixed-price offering.
Parikh panel recommends flat tax on diesel cars
• The Kirit Parikh Committee proposal for imposing a flat tax of Rs. 81,000 on diesel cars, including sedans and gas guzzlers SUVs and MUVs, may be worrying the big names in the industry, but environmentalists who have campaigned against ‘dieselisation’ of personal transport say the plan is too little and too late.
OVL consortium bags 40 per cent stake in Venezuelan block
• ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL)-led consortium announced that it had bagged 40 per cent stake in a $19-billion project to develop a major crude oil block in Venezuela.
• OVL, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Oil India Limited (OIL) along with Spain’s Repsol YPF SA and Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Bdh won rights to develop the Carabobo-1 block in Venezuela’s Orinoco Belt, according to a statement issued here.
GST set to be levied at 16%, goods may cost less
• The long-awaited reform of India’s indirect taxes system is set to get a fillip, with a broad consensus forming within the finance ministry on a rate of 16% for the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) for both Centre and states combined.
• To be levied on all companies and traders with annual turnover of Rs 10 lakh and above, this would provide a tax base of 40-45 lakh assessees and ensure that neither the Centre nor states suffer any revenue loss.
• Sources said rates for both the Centre and states on GST could be 8% each.
Centre wants alcohol, petro products under GST

• The law ministry is believed to have sent a detailed response on the suggestions sought by the department of revenue towards finalisation of draft Constitutional amendment of the indirect tax reforms.
• The proposed GST was initially scheduled to be implemented from April 1, 2010. However, lack of consensus between states and the Centre on a uniform tax structure and their inability to carry out necessary legislative amendments led to its postponement by another six months.
Relook at OVL’s Qatar exit plan’
• The Cabinet Secretariat has sought a fresh round of inter-ministerial consultations for seeking Cabinet approval to have a relook at ONGC Videsh Ltd’s earlier decision to relinquish an offshore acreage in Qatar that the company had won in March 2005.
• ONGC Videsh had in 2008 taken a decision to relinquish the prospect, Najwat Najem, located in the Arabian Gulf.
• The decision was taken after the company found that the reserves in the block were not enough to be commercially viable. The company had also decided to give up the rig it had acquired for drilling in the acreage.
• An empowered committee of secretaries had on June 24, 2009 made its recommendations and cleared the ONGC proposal to give up the acreage. The Cabinet Secretariat, however, has now returned the oil ministry note for seeking Cabinet approval. It has asked the ministry to seek comments from other pertinent ministries before seeking Cabinet's approval on the ground that the secretaries panel did not have authority to decide issues of acquisition or relinquishment.

Pre-consultation paper on 4G spectrum issued
• While the country awaits the auction of spectrum for the full-fledged launch of 3G mobile services, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a pre-consultation paper on 4G (fourth generation) telecom services which will provide ultra-broadband Internet access.
• The new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, at up to 10 times the speed of 3G (third-generation) networks.
• 4G mobile networks have already been commercially launched in Sweden and Norway,Operators in other countries like the U.S., Korea and Japan are gearing up to launch 4G mobile wireless broadband services.
• The 3G services in India are now likely to be available only in 2011...if the auction of 3G spectrum is held in August or September 2010. India will thus be lagging behind a large number of countries in the world.
International
Landmark deal in Northern Ireland
• A landmark deal between Northern Ireland’s two major political parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, removed the last hurdle to granting full autonomy to the province envisaged in the 1998 Good Friday agreement that brought decades of sectarian violence to an end.
• The deal, hailed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as reflecting “a new spirit of mutual cooperation and respect”, paves the way for transferring policing and justice powers from the central government in London to the provincial administration in Belfast.
European Union Crisis
• The southern members of the union are facing some tough times -- economically. Their stock and bond prices are tumbling amid investors' fears that heavily indebted countries in the south of the zone may be unable to cope with the fiscal and monetary demands of membership.
• Facing the most severe economic strains since its birth 11 years ago, the euro zone looks likely to hold together for now but the exit of some of its weaker members cannot be ruled out in the long term.
• Many analysts expect the European Union to intervene with some kind of aid for weak members if that proves necessary to keep the zone intact. But economies are diverging so sharply that even if weak members are bailed out, their problems could hurt growth in the zone for years, and conceivably prompt them to abandon the euro later this decade if the costs of membership seem too high.
• The weaknesses of the euro zone’s southern members were masked in its early years by a benign global environment, cheap credit and housing booms. In the financial crisis of 2007-2009, membership protected countries from the worst market turmoil.
The euro’s darkest hour
• EU leaders gather in Brussels amid rumours that struggling Greece will be bailed out
• The leaders appear determined not to let the Greek debt crisis and the risk to the European single currency hijack their musings on medium-term economic strategy, expected to dominate the agenda.
• Athens and the eurozone enjoyed some respite from the pressure of the markets when the European Central Bank signalled that its head, Jean-Claude Trichet, had cut short a trip to Australia to rush back to Brussels for the summit.
• That triggered speculation in the markets that the 16 eurozone countries may be preparing some form of bailout for Greece, which is teetering on the brink of national insolvency, beset by huge sovereign debt levels and a ballooning budget deficit. The euro recovered some of the ground it has lost recently as hedge funds and speculators have been betting against the single currency over fears of a debt crisis.
EU support sans cash for Greece
• France and Germany, the EU’s two largest economies promising “determined and coordinated action” during a mini EU summit held in Brussels ,Greece averted a humiliating recourse to the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial ruin.
• However, few details were made available how exactly that support would be given and the question of immediate and direct financial aid was completely sidestepped.
• Greece, which represents 2.7 per cent of the bloc’s $13-trillion economy, is the sickest member of the EU’s ailing economies and posted a budget deficit of 12.7 per cent of gross domestic product in 2009, the highest in the euro’s 11-year history and more than four times the EU’s 3 per cent limit.
• The country has fudged its account and systematically lied about the exact nature of its finances for over a decade.
Iran a nuclear state
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses a huge gathering at the Azadi Square in Tehran on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
• Declaring the country to be a “nuclear state,” he said it had produced a “first stock” of 20 per cent enriched uranium for its nuclear programme and was capable of enriching it to 80 per cent, but would not do so.
• The first package of 20 per cent fuel was produced and provided to the scientists," he said, referring to the recently begun process of enriching Iran's uranium stockpile to higher levels.
• Enriching uranium produces fuel for a nuclear power plants but can also be used to create material for atomic weapons. Iran announced it was beginning the process of enriching its uranium stockpile to a higher level.
• The international community has warned Iran against further enrichment activities, threatening new UN sanctions.
Iran begins higher grade enrichment
• Iran set into motion the process of further refining its stocks of lightly enriched uranium at its atomic facility in Natanz, amid divisions among world powers on a suitable response to the move.
• Iran’s atomic energy chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced that a separate section had been earmarked at the Natanz facility, where Iran has so far been producing low enriched uranium refined to a 3.5 per cent level.
• We start enrichment at 20 per cent level in a separate section by injecting the 3.5 per cent nuclear fuel to the enrichment system,” the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). He said the arrangements had been made in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran needs 20 per cent enriched uranium for its research reactor in Tehran to produce medical isotopes for treating cancer patients.
• Iran took the unilateral decision after the Americans showed their disinclination to discuss the various modifications that Tehran had been seeking to the nuclear exchange proposal drafted by the IAEA in October.
China for diplomacy over Iran
• China has reinforced its call for diplomacy to ease tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme amid reiteration by Tehran that a deal over enriched uranium for its research reactor engaged in producing medical isotopes was now within grasp.
Russian ire over U.S. missile plans
• Russia has demanded an explanation from the United States regarding its plans to deploy missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea that are seen as a threat to Russia’s security.
• Romanian President Traian Basescu announced that the country’s top defence body had backed a U.S. plan to station missile interceptors in Romania by 2015 against “potential attacks with ballistic missiles or medium-range rockets”.
• The U.S. State Department said the proposed deployment of SM-3 medium-range ballistic missile defences in Romania and the Black Sea was part of the revised U.S. missile shield plan approved by President Barack Obama in September. Mr. Obama cancelled his predecessor George W. Bush’s plans to site missile defences in Poland and the Czech Republic in favour of other locations in the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
World’s tallest tower closed
• Tourists headed for the observation deck of the world’s tallest tower were left disappointed and confused after the owner of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa unexpectedly cut off public access to the building owing to electrical problems. The observation deck is located on the 124th floor. The precise cause of the $1.5-billion skyscraper’s sudden and indefinite closure remained unclear.
• The city-state had hoped the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa, with over 160 floors, would be a major tourist draw.
Probe on into U.S. blast
• About five people remain unaccounted for after a deadly explosion at an under-construction power plant, and a section of the site was too unstable to search.
• blast at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 30 km south of Hartford, killed at least five people and injured a dozen or more others.
Akram in PCB probe committee
• Former captain and fast bowling great Wasim Akram has been included in an enquiry committee constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board to probe the team’s disastrous performance in Australia.
Australia tightens visa rules
• Australia announced migration reforms that “will affect some overseas students” who might be “intending to apply for permanent residence.”
• The reforms are designed to ensure the selection of “the best and brightest” foreigner-applicants for skilled jobs.
World first personal carbon credit earns $17
• Invest $58,000 to line the roof of your suburban home with solar panels, and pick up $17.20 in exchange for the reduction in your household carbon emissions.
• Randy and Tami Wilson, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, earned the single credit through a transaction brokered by the My Emissions Exchange website. It aims to certify emissions reductions by home owners or tenants and then sell those credits to companies looking to up their green quotient.
• The website’s existence suggests that while Congress may have given up on creating a national scheme for trading carbon emissions, there are ordinary Americans willing to play the voluntary market. The company says it has signed up 1,800 households since going into business last autumn.
• A company in Middlefield, Ohio, Molten Metal Equipment, bought the Wilsons’ carbon credit, representing a tonne of carbon dioxide, for $21.50. The website earned $4.30 in commission, and the Wilsons took home $17.20.
Uzbek filmmaker convicted of slander
• An Uzbek film director was convicted of slander for making a documentary on wedding rituals in the authoritarian ex-Soviet state, but released on amnesty.
• Ms. Akhmedova’s film, The Burden of Virginity, describes hardships young women face in the mostly Muslim nation during and after the traditional nuptial ceremonies, including the public demonstration of a bloodstained bedsheet after the first night.
• The film has never been shown in Uzbekistan, but is available online.
China’s farms pollute as much as its factories, survey finds
• For every tonne of chemical effluents that factories dump into China’s rivers and lakes, a comparable amount of harmful waste finds its way into this country’s water bodies from green fields and farmhouses.
• A first of its kind pollution survey has found that farms have contributed as much to a growing pollution crisis in China as its famously unclean factories and industries.
• The study, released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests this week, indicated that widespread agricultural pollution caused by the overuse of fertilizers has led to a level of pollution far higher than what has been previously stated in official reports.
• China’s “national pollution census” is the first official attempt to map and assess the scale of the pollution problem, which has progressively worsened along with the unprecedented economic growth unleashed by economic reforms three decades ago. The census, which took two years to complete and involved more than 5,70,000 people, studied 6 million sources of industrial, residential and agricultural waste from all over China.
BAE gets away lightly
• BAE Systems, the British weapons manufacturer, is to pay criminal fines totalling approximately £285 million.
• This deal closes a coordinated eight-year investigation by the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) into longstanding allegations of bribery, slush funds, and unrecorded payments to clients.
• The U.K. levy of £30 million is a national record for a corporate criminal fine.
• The issues date as far back as the firm’s 1985 al-Yamamah deal to supply military equipment to Saudi Arabia, and include more recent contracts with Tanzania, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Hungary.
China jails quake activist
• China on Tuesday sentenced a high-profile activist — who was investigating the deaths of school-children in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake — for five years in prison.
• Tan Zuoren was sentenced on the charges of inciting subversion of state power, in connection with essays he wrote in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Medvedev congratulates Yanukovych
• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Ukraine’s opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych on his victory in the presidential race, even as Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to concede defeat.
• Mr. Medvedev, the first among world leaders, called Mr. Yanukovych on Tuesday to congratulate him on the conclusion of the election campaign.
• The gesture signalled Moscow’s happiness at the victory of a candidate who promised to rebuild close ties with Russia that severely suffered under the outgoing pro-West President Viktor Yushchenko.
Jackson’s doctor pleads not guilty to manslaughter
• Conrad Murray, the personal physician of Michael Jackson, pleaded not guilty before a Los Angeles court after being charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the singer’s death.
• If convicted, Dr. Murray, the last person to have seen the ‘King of Pop’ alive on June 25, faces a possible maximum four years in prison.
Cobra gold 2010
• a joint military exercise by thai navy and American marine
Fonseka detained for ‘military offences’
• Sri Lanka’s former Army Chief and Opposition presidential candidate, General Sarath Fonseka, was detained by a team of investigators for “certain fraudulent acts and military offences” from the ‘safe house’ he had been living in since he lost the January 26 election.
• Three days after the poll outcome, the government accused the commander-turned-politician of plotting a coup to overthrow President Mahinda Rajapaksa and assassinate his family members.
• In what is regarded as one of the biggest shake-ups in the post-independence history of the island nation, the President, in recent days, ordered a reshuffle of the top brass of the military and at least 30 supporters of the retired General have been either detained or taken for questioning.
Malaysian woman in combat role
• At a time when a debate continues in the Indian defence establishment over the induction of women in combat role, Malaysia is showcasing the opportunity the country provided them in its defence services.
• Among a batch of 19 officers on warship KD Perak, is Lieutenant Farah Al Habasi, who is deployed as its Deputy Weapons Electronics Officer, and is taking part in the multi-nation ‘Milan’ exercise organised by the Indian Navy.
“Sinister nexus” abroad: Colombo
• Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Sunday said that a “sinister nexus” seemed to be surfacing between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-United National Party (UNP) alliance and pro-LTTE groups abroad.
• In a statement on protests in London on the nation’s Independence Day, the Minister maintained that such a nexus would be detrimental to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
Russia steps up fight against drugs
• Russia has offered to send narcotics police to Afghanistan even as the U.S. agreed to step up the fight against drug production and trafficking in that country.
• The Russian and U.S. anti-narcotics chiefs met in Moscow in the framework of Russian-American drug control group set up last year as part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy of “reset” in relations with Russia.
Russia to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka
• Russia has moved to strengthen defence and economic ties with Sri Lanka, offering to sell military hardware to the island nation and agreeing to help develop its hydrocarbon resources.
• An agreement was signed for $300-million 10-year Russian credit to Sri Lanka to buy Russian helicopters and other defence products.
• Moscow had firmly backed Colombo in its war against LTTE and provided arms to the Sri Lankan armed forces.
NASA cancels solar probe launch due to bad weather
• High winds forced NASA to cancel the planned launch of a solar probe.
• The countdown for the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was called off because the wind load was higher than allowed.
• The SDO is the "crown jewel" of a fleet of NASA satellites planned to collect more details about what's going on underneath and above the surface of the sun.
Has Mandela’s long walk led nowhere?
• Thousands of people are expected to gather near Cape Town in South Africa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release.
• It will be the centrepiece of commemorations to mark the moment that Mr. Mandela emerged after 27 years behind bars, ushering in a transition from apartheid to multi-racial democracy and his rise to become the country’s first President of African origin.
Others-sports, science, environment
India may drop per capita stand
• India may abandon its ‘per capita’ stance in the debate on equity in the global carbon space debate, according to Environment Minister.
• Per capita is one option,India will host an international workshop in May to discuss other options and come up with a formula to ensure fair burden sharing in the reduction of future greenhouse gas emissions.
• Such a formula is essential before India agrees to any legally binding climate change treaty.
• India’s argument is that while the country has the fifth largest annual emissions in the world in gross terms, when divided by the huge population and considered in per capita terms, it falls to the 120th ranking. Thus India has promised to never exceed the per capita emissions figure of developed countries, while reserving the right to increase gross emissions as the economy grows.
Agni-III launch a complete success
• The launch of Agni-III, the missile with the longest range in India’s arsenal, from the Wheeler Island off Orissa was a complete success.
• Lifting off majestically at 10.50 a.m., it travelled its entire range of 3,500 km. and came down accurately on its target in the Bay of Bengal.
• The two-stage, surface-to-surface ballistic missile can carry nuclear warheads.
Flight-testing of cryogenic stage of GSLV in April
• Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said the flight- testing of the indigenous cryogenic stage of the GSLV D3 would be conducted in April.
• The vehicle would carry GAST-4, a communication satellite.
Agni-V to be test-fired within a year
• India on announced it would test Agni-V with a range of 5,000-km within a year, asserting that the country’s capability to develop ballistic missiles remained ahead of China.
• After the recent success of the 3,500-km Agni-III missile, declared ready for deployment the Agni-V programme moved out of the drawing board and material cutting stage to checking of sub-systems.
• Said Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat.
Scientists working on substitutes to silicon in developing solar cells
• Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP)- KOLKATA
• With the relative high cost of silicon and its soaring demand in electronics and other industries, scientists have initiated research to find suitable alternatives in an attempt to make solar energy technology more commercially viable.
DU basketball team forced to throw game at gunpoint
• Basketball teams which went to Varanasi to compete in the All-India Inter-University championship have alleged that they were forced to forfeit their matches against the hosts due to intimidation by armed goons who threatened to kill if they didn’t lose.
• The Delhi University basketball team, North Zone champions and one of the teams expected to win the all-India tourney organized at Banaras Hindu University from January 27 to February 1, quit their semifinal against the hosts after the third quarter, amid threats and unfair play.
Fourth gold for paddler Madhurika Patkar
• Madhurika Patkar, who won four gold medals in the table tennis event at the South Asian Games.
Chandrayaan’s M3 discovers new lunar rock type
• The Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) on Chandrayaan-1, which famously discovered the presence of water and hydroxyl molecules on the lunar surface material last year, has now identified a new lunar rock type on the far side of the moon.
• The M3 is a NASA instrument.
• The rock-type is dominated by a mineral termed as ‘magnesium spinel.’ Spinel is a generic name given to a class of minerals having the chemical formula AB{-2}O{-4} and the usual spinel formations found in lunar rocks is an iron-magnesium admixture of the form (Mg, Fe)(Al, Cr){-2}O{-4}.
• These rocks are usually found along with magnesium-iron silicate (olivine) and calcium-rich aluminium silicate (pyroxene).
New Zealand clinches series
• New Zealand sealed early victory in its three-ODI series against Bangladesh with a five-wicket win in the second ODI here on Monday. Ross Taylor, who hurried New Zealand to its target of 184 with a whirlwind 78 (52 balls, 6 x 4, 5 x 6) was adjudged Man of the Match.
Brilliant Bhullar claims Asian Tour International
• Gaganjeet Bhullar of India produced a brilliant course record eight-under-par 64 to win the season-opening Asian Tour International by one shot.
EU ready to help IPCC in quality control
• The European Union (EU) has offered to help the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) strengthen its quality control system, after the climate science panel was revealed to have made a mistake about the timeline on melting of Himalayan glaciers.
Virdhaval Khade leads Indian swimmers’ dominant display
• Virdhaval Khade had a good day fetching two golds with records in the South Asian Games in Dhaka.
Shining Sansita — little giant-killer
• Four years ago, Sansita Nandakumar won an open tennis tournament for 10-year-olds at the Triangle Tennis Trust courts in Chennai after beating many boys.
• The 14-year-old from Coimbatore created a commotion at the Lotus Trophy AITA all-India ranking tournament here the other day when she packed off the women’s top seed Prarthana Pratap rather comfortably at 6-2, 6-2 in the pre-quarterfinals. She sailed past her other opponents and marched to Friday’s final quite confidently.