Daily News Notes

· India and Vietnam (Maritime neighbors) have decided to strengthen cooperation to ensure safety and security of vital sea lanes between the two countries as both face common security challenges from terrorism, piracy and natural disasters. Indian companies are investing in Vietnam to strengthen business ties and India also invites Vietnamese businessmen to invest in India and bilateral trade had reached $2.7 billion last year while the target is set to increase it to $7 billion by 2015. Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang said that the two countries have agreed to work towards an early finalization of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in services and investment. Earlier the two countries signed an extradition treaty and five more pacts were also inked on the areas of Oil and Natural Gas, Agriculture and Culture.
· India has ruled out increasing its naval presence in the South China Sea, but just concerned about uninterrupted and safe passage of its ships for trade and will keep visiting these waters for naval exercises. On Chinese Army's presence in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Pok, India is aware of the fact and has conveyed its concern to China also. Defence Minister added that the country will receive the refitted Gorshkov warship next year.
· The scientists at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota burst into an applause at the successful launch of the PSLV C18 four stage rocket (The Indo-french joint Satellite to monitor climate Megha-Tropiques along with three other nano Satellites). It took 22 minutes and 33 seconds for the vehicle to be injected into space. The 1,000-kg Megha Tropiques satellite has four scientific payloads. The Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures, built by ISRO and the National Centre for Space Studies of France, CNES, will provide an estimation of rainfall, water vapors, liquid water, ice and surface wind. The Scanner for Radiative Budget, SCARAB, will study the radiation received and reflected by the earth. The third instrument called SAPHIR will investigate the humidity present in the tropical atmosphere. The CNES has built the SCARAB and the SAPHIR. The Global Positioning System- Radio Occultation System from Italy will study the temperature and humidity at different altitudes.
· The Government has circulated the Draft Food Security Bill to all the Chief Ministers for their comments, which will provide legal entitlement for subsidized food grains to 75 per cent of rural population and 50 per cent of urban population.
· The three member panel(noted journalist Dileep Padgaonka, central Information Commissioner M M Ansari and academic Prof Radha Kumar) appointed by the Centre on Nov,2010 to address the aspirations of the three regions (Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Kargil, Rajouri) of J&K, has submitted its report to Home Minister.
· The Esplanade court in Mumbai has issued a letter rogatory to the Chicago court in the US requesting permission to collect evidence in connection with 26/11 case. The Chicago court has heard Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headly, who was involved in conspiracy of the 26/11 attack. A letter rogatory is a formal request from a court to a foreign court for judicial assistance, such as seeking evidence. The letter rogatory will be sent through Home Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs.
· The Supreme Court today granted bail to four former Satyam Computers employees and an official of the Price Waterhouse Coopers, PWC, accused in the Satyam fraud case. The four former officials of Satyam Compuer Services along with its former owner Ramalinga Raju and his brother are facing prosecution for fudging the company accounts and showing inflated profits.
· Government is considering to give Constitutional status to Lokpal while waiting for the recomendations of the standing committee on the issue. Constitutional amendment Bill is to be introduced for this purpose in the Winter session of Parliament starting next month. The Law Minister also said that the proposal was to have an 11-member body, at least 50 per cent of whom would have judicial background, such as former judges of Supreme Court and High Courts.
· Israel and Hamas have reached a prisoner exchange deal that will secure the release of abducted Israel soldier Gilad Shalit.
· The US Senate has approved a legislation aimed at punishing China for keeping the value of its currency artificially low which will impose extra duties on imports from countries which subsidized exports by undervaluing their currencies. In a statement, China said that the Bill could disrupt joint efforts to promote a global economic recovery.
· US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said that the United States is waging war in Pakistan against militants.
· Dragged down by poor performance of the manufacturing sector, and a decline in mining output, the country's industrial growth(measured by the Index of Industrial Production) slowed to 4.1% (4.5% last yrs) in August, this year. Output of the manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, grew by 4.5%, Mining output declined 3.4% frm 5.9%.
· National Polio Surveillance Project revealed that no polio case has been reported in the country for over 200 days. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has said that Pakistan is still reeling under a polio outbreak due to rapid transmission of the polio virus thus New Delhi has intensified the surveillance at the Indo-Pak border.
· A three daylong conference focusing on the challenges in fuel management and the regulatory reforms over the shortage of coal, fuel and natural gas in power sector began in New Delhi today.
· The Indian Community Welfare Committee, ICWC, which runs under the patronage of the Consulate General of India in Dubai, has launched a new project aimed at welfare of women and children.
· In Mexico, emergency staff and the navy are on a maximum alert since yesterday as Hurricane Jova was bearing down on the country's seven Pacific coastal states and threatening to make a landfall in Colima.