Daily News Notes

· The Union Cabinet under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister approved filling up of backlog vacancies in SC and ST categories in central government jobs; a proposal for providing insurance cover and pension benefits to Overseas Indian workers (especially workers in Gulf region); making hall marking of gold jewelry mandatory (as India is the world's biggest consumer of gold); and extension of Ex-servicemen contributory health scheme facilities to Nepal domiciled Gorkhas. It also cleared the deal to procure 490 MICA missiles manufactured by French firm MBDA for €950 million
· In Assam, the construction work of the longest bridge of Asia (29 km long) Dhola -Sadia Road Bridge over Brahmaputra at Tinsukia district is going on a war-footing and is likely to be completed by 2014. The 900 crore bridge at Dhola-Sadia will connect Arunachal Pradesh with Assam by linking NH-37 & 52. The Bridge is likely to foster socio-economic development of both the states. It would also greatly facilitate security agencies to combat any threat in the border areas.
· Kerala Chief Minister has said that the state is willing to accept joint operation by Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Centre if a new dam is constructed in Mullaperiyar. He also added that Kerala is willing to give legal assurance to Tamil Nadu on sustained supply of water and the empowered committee appointed by the Supreme Court has asked to explore the possibility of constructing a new dam and its operation. Meanwhile, SC appointed empowered committee in its report clarifies that the dam is safe and can be sustained.
· The Union Rural Development Ministry has given the permission to construct 6000 'Indira Awas' and check dams in 6 panchayats of Saranda forest range in south west Jharkhand which was in the grip of naxals for years and the security forces had freed it last year through an operation named Anaconda.
· In Jharkhand, 12 people have lost their lives in the last 32 hours due to re-emergence of cold wave in the state.
· Despite global economic slowdown, employment in the country registered a growth of over 3% in the quater ending September, thus decreasing unemployment. IT and BPO sector is heading followed by Textiles including Apparels, Metals, Automobiles, Handloom and Power loom and Gems and Jewelry, while Leather and Transport experienced a marginal fall. More than 23 lakh jobs have been created in the country in the last 3 years and the upward trend in employment has been continuously maintained since July 2009.
· Inaugurating the Children's Science Congress at the 99th Indian Science Congress at Bhubaneswar, the former President and eminent nuclear scientist, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, called upon young students to imbibe unique culture of excellence and bring more glory to the nation. He explained that the culture of excellence is not achieved by accident but through a process in which a nation, an individual and an organization constantly tries to get better. He also said that imagination is the beginning of creation and young students should imagine what they desire.
· The Taliban say they have reached a preliminary agreement to set up a political office, possibly in Qatar, as part of Western plans to end the war. US welcomed the decision but added that reconciliation would only come if the Taliban renounced violence, broke with al-Qaeda and abided by the Afghan constitution.
· In Brazil, more than 2,270 workers were rescued from slave-like conditions in 2011. It is the highest number since officials began compiling the list in 2004. Most of the victims were working on farms and ranches.
· Writing in the PNAS journal, Scientists in America say they have genetically modified silkworms to spin the much stronger silk that spider produce which could lead to new material for medicine and engineering. In weight-for-weight terms, spider silk is stronger than steel. Researchers have been trying to reproduce such silk for decades.
· Quasicrystals, which were once thought to be ‘impossible’ in nature, may have arrived on earth from space, a new study has revealed. Quasicrystals have an atypical structure - in between those of crystals and glasses. Until two years ago, the crystals had only been created in the lab - then geologists discovered them in rocks from Russia’s Koryak mountains