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Daily News Notes: 2nd April, 2012

Written By tiwUPSC on Monday, April 2, 2012
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  • ·         Defence Minister A K Antony and Army Chief General V K Singh reviewed procurement projects for the Army. A separate meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, DAC, will also be chaired by the Defence Minister. The meeting was attended by General Singh along with Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne. The DAC, the apex body of the Defence Ministry, will discuss procurement proposals relating to the three Services, DRDO and the Coast Guard. The DAC will also discuss the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) and changes in the offsets policy under the Defence Procurement Procedure. LTIPP will list all the requirements of the armed forces for the next 15 years and will help in enabling the private defence sector players to prepare them to meet the requirements of the armed forces. The offsets policy, which mandates at least 30 per cent worth of defence contracts above 300 crore rupees invested back into the country, will also come up for discussion at the meeting.
  • ·         In Andhra Pradesh, the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams at the famous hill shrine Tirupathi, has recorded its highest ever Hundi Collection on a single day of 5 crore 73 lakh rupees yesterday, on Srirama Navami festival. The record collection did not include silver, gold and other precious offerings. Lord Venkateswara Swami Temple of TTD is considered the richest temple in the world.
  • ·         RISAT-1, India's indigenous radar imaging satellite that can take images of the earth during day and night and in cloudy conditions, is likely to be launched on April 20.
  • ·         The Computer Society of India (CSI) will take up new initiatives in green computing, e-waste management and climate change adaptation. This was announced by society president Satish Babu. He is now director of the International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS), an autonomous institution under the Government of Kerala.
  • ·         N. Saibaba, distinguished scientist, took over as Chief Executive, Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC). He has vast experience in manufacturing zirconium alloy and structures used in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) at Tarapur ( TAPS 1 & 2) and in all Pressurised heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).
  • ·         Those bouts of memory lapse, confusion and mood swings in the elderly may not always be part of the ageing process but could be the signs of the onset of dementia, according to a group of doctors who have recently formed the Dementia Society of India (DSI) here in Chennai. Importantly, unlike in the West where Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of the memory-cognitive disorder, vascular dementias that involve loss of blood flow to the brain are the predominant form in the Indian population. India, with its rapidly ageing population as a result of increased life expectancy, is likely to turn into the dementia capital of the world, said DSI. Vascular factors such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity and arrhythmias are also associated with greater risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. It is possible to reverse vascular dementia, which can be caused by lifestyle triggers such as excessive smoking and alcohol consumption and dietary habits, with appropriate treatment protocols and supportive care, said DSI patron. The key to successful management of vascular dementias is early detection of cognitive impairment or memory dysfunction. Identifying the treatable forms of dementia is also crucial, doctors said.
  • ·         The World Autism Awareness Day is being observed today. It aims to create awareness about autism, especially in children. Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorders affect the way the brain processes information and prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see and hear, resulting in difficulties in communication and behavior. There are around ten million people in India suffering from Autism and 80 per cent of them are boys. "Autism is a developmental disability that remains with a person whole life. The first signs usually appear before a child is three . It is a kind of brain disorder that causes kids to experience the world differently from the way most other kids do. People with autism often have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication and find social interaction difficult. It's difficult, too, for kids with autism to link words with their meanings. Nobody knows for sure what causes autism. Scientists are still trying to understand how and why this happens. Parents should immediately consult the doctor for unusual behavior rather than wait for the child to grow older."
  • ·         India has appointed a special envoy to help promote peace and protect India's interests in African nations. MEA additional secretary Amarendra Khatua is on a visit to both Juba and Khartoum as India's special envoy to make peace between Sudan and South Sudan in the first leg of his visit. India has also upgraded its consulate in these two countries to full fledged embassies.
  • ·         Gulf Arab States have agreed to pay the salaries and other costs of the Free Syrian Army through a multi-million dollar fund to be operated by the opposition, Syrian National Council, the SNC. The decision was announced at a meeting of 83 countries in Istanbul, backing political change in Syria. The conference also recognized the SNC as the legitimate representative of all Syrians. Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that the Syrian regime led by President Bashar al-Assad will not fall and attempts to overthrow it by force, will aggravate the crisis in the region. He said, Iraq is against the interference of some countries in Syria’s internal affairs and any effort to change the regime. His comments were Iraq’s strongest statement yet on the year-long Syrian crisis.
  • ·         North Korean rocket launch, developments in Myanmar and disputes over the South China Sea are expected to dominate Southeast Asia's annual diplomatic summit, ASEAN that begins tomorrow at Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The stated focus of the two day Summit is on turning the 10 nations and their combined population of 600 million into a European Union-like community by 2015. The 10th ASEAN-India Summit will also take place in Phnom Penh. Thee ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit will be held in December this year in New Delhi. The comprehensive Free Trade Area- is currently under negotiation and the trade target of 70 billion US Dollars is likely to be achieved this year.
  • ·         In Nepal, a Parliamentary Committee has directed the government to go ahead with the West Seti Hydro Project. The Committee had formed a probe team three weeks ago to investigate the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Energy and Chinese Company, China Three Gorges International Corporation.
  • ·         The 12 members Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil output rose in March to its highest since October 2008. The higher supply from Iraq and further recovery in Libya’s production helped offset a decline in oil shipments from Iran. After a survey at oil companies, OPEC officials and analysts found that exports from Iran are falling as some buyers stop or scale back purchases because of sanctions. Concern about Iranian supply has helped drive a 15 per cent rally in oil prices this year to 123 dollars a barrel. OPEC is pumping far more than its official production target of 30 million barrels per day. In March, the biggest increase in OPEC supply came from Libya, followed by Iraq. 
  • ·         Joint Press Statement After the Fifth Round of UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue: [1.]  Both sides discussed the importance of developing deep and efficient capital markets to support infrastructure financing in India; [2.] Both sides supported the progress on the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) roadmap for foreign banks in India and UK side welcomed the desire by the Indian side to resolve outstanding issues, including those on tax, of the RBI’s subsidiarisation proposals for foreign banks; [3.] Both sides discussed the steps that are being taken to simplify and harmonise financial services legislation including through the work of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) in India, and the UK’s ongoing implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Banking; [4.] Both sides welcomed the Cannes Action Plan for Growth and Jobs agreed at the November 2011 Cannes Summit and are making progress in implementing these commitments, which remain fully relevant to the shared objectives of strong, sustainable and balanced growth; [5.] Both sides agreed to remain committed to pursuing the financial regulatory reform agenda according to the time table agreed in G-20. This will be monitored by the Financial Stability Board through its Coordination Framework for Implementation Monitoring; [6.] Both sides recognized the need for countries to sign the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and engage in automatic exchange of information where legally required to improve tax compliance and decrease tax evasion; [7.] India and the UK welcomed the 40% year on year increase in the export of goods from the UK to India and the increase by 35.05% of exports from India to UK in 2011; [8.] Both sides agreed to continue to work closely throughout the year to follow through on their commitments and look forward to the next round of talks in 2013.
  • ·         Three Haryana wrestlers, Geeta, Amit and Yogeshwar Dutt have qualified for London Olympics. Yogeshwar Dutt qualified in 60 Kg category, whereas the other two are in the 55 kg category. Geeta has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach Olympics in wrestling.
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