Daily News Notes: 24th to 27th May, 2012

· A flight-trial by the Army of the surface-to-air missile Akash failed to hit the target after it was launched from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur (Balasore in Orissa) on Saturday. The missile was successfully test fired on Thursday from the same test range. The Army will conduct three more trials of Akash before May-end. It has a strike range of 25 kilolometers with a warhead of 60 kilograms. Akash, an anti-aircraft defence system can simultaneously engage several targets with 'Rajendra' radar developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment a DRDO laboratory in Bangalore. Rajendra does the surveillance, tracks the target, acquires it and guides the missile towards it. The development of Akash missile took place during 1990s under the country's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and after many trials, it was inducted into the armed forces. An air-force version of the Akash missile has also been developed by the DRDO. Rajendra is 'passive phased array radar'. Similar to the American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system, the Akash is capable of neutralizing aerial targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), fighter jets, cruise missiles.
· Ministry of Power has developed an Integrated rating Methodology to harmonize the rating of State Power Distribution Utilities by Banks/ FI. The objective is to rate all utilities on the basis of their performance and their ability to sustain commercially viable operations in the long run. It would also rank the utilities on the basis of performance (Marks obtained after rating). The parameters for analysis like AT&C losses, financial planning, cost coverage ratio, subsidy received etc. carry maximum weightage (about 60%) as they directly affect commercial viability. ther parameters like timely submission of audited accounts, metering, IT and computerization, timely payments without default to Banks/ FIs, Renewable Energy Purchase Obligation etc. account for remaining 25%. A system of negative marks has also been introduced in the rating methodology. This integrated rating methodology is expected to facilitate realistic assessment by Banks/FIs of the risks associated with lending exposures to various state distribution utilities.
· In Jammu and Kashmir security forces achieved a major success by gunning down a self styled Area Commander of pro-Pak militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. Meanwhile, in yet another major success, security forces busted a militant hideout and recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives (including three Chinese grenades) during a combing operation in the dense jungles of Mahore.
· Concerned over strict regulation of morphine under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and lengthy bureaucratic procedures that discourage its manufacturing in the country and limits its availability at medical institutions that care for cancer patients, the Indian Association of Palliative Care (IAPC) has called for urgent amendments to the NDPS Act. Morphine is a commonly used opioid to treat severe, acute and chronic pain. Oral morphine is traditionally the strong opioid of choice for its established role in cancer pain management. In patients with advanced cancer, there is heavy burden of symptoms and among them pain is the most common.
· The Reserve Bank of India said there was an attempt to hack its website on Thursday, rendering it inaccessible for almost the entire day. It was a DNS (Domain Name System) attack where the hacker tried entering the website from a single Internet protocol address multiple times, jamming its bandwidth.
· The Group of Ministers on corruption headed by the Finance Minister have accepted 69 (out of 81) recommendations of the Ashok Chawla committee to enhance transparency, effectiveness and sustainability in the allocation, pricing and utilisation of natural resources (such as land, coal, petroleum and natural gas) through open, transparent and competitive mechanisms. In its report, submitted to the government in May, 2011, the Committee on Allocation of Natural Resources had recommended, among other things, that all future telecom licenses should be “unified licenses” and spectrum delinked from the license. In the case of government land, it suggested competitive and transparent e-auctions to curtail the discretionary powers of decision makers.
· Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee tabled a White Paper on black money in Lok Sabha, which makes a strong case for setting up Lokpal and Lokayuktas to deal with the menace of Black Money. The minister informed that there was no exact estimation of the black money generated in the country but refuted the reports that Indians held the largest deposits in Swiss banks by providing data. The White Paper suggests some pronged strategy to curb generation of black money which includes: [1.] More incentives for voluntary compliance of tax laws; [2.] Creation of credible deterrence; [3.] Reforms in financial and real estate sectors would help in reducing generation of black money in long term as freeing of gold imports had helped in checking smuggling; [4.] Fast-track courts to seriously deal with financial offences and deterrent punishment for offenders; [5.] More research to get to the reliable estimates of amount of black money and also sought the cooperation of the state governments in tackle the problem; [6.] Provide tax incentives for encouraging use of debit and credit cards as these leave audit trails. Further, the paper states that the black money in the real estate sector accounts for 11% of GDP. In order to curb this it suggests to: [1.] Develop a nationwide data base; [2.] Introduce TDS on sale of property; [3.] Set up electronic payment system. Also, The government has brought 5 bills which are at various stages of consideration by Parliament: [1.] The Lokpal Bill; [2.] The Judicial Accountability Bill; [3.] The Whistle Blowers Bill; [4.] The Grievance Redressal Bill; [5.] The Public Procurement Bill. Further, the expansion of information exchange network at the international level will assist in checking cross-border flow of illegitimate wealth. These measures will prepare the ground for just, transparent and a more effective economy.
· Astronauts aboard the International Space Station reached out and caught SpaceX's Dragon capsule for docking at the orbiting lab on Friday in a historic first for commercial spaceflight. The California-based SpaceX, owned by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, has now reached the climax of its test mission to become the first privately owned craft to reach the space station, restoring US access to the space outpost. The spacecraft was traveling about 402 km above northwest Australia at the time of the grab, NASA said.
· After the controversy triggered by the Tendulkar Committee methodology that people consuming more than Rs 28.65 per daily in cities and Rs 22.42 in rural areas are not poor, the Planning Commission of India constituted an expert group headed by noted Economist C. Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty. Based on Tendulkar Committee methodology poverty has come down from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 29.8 per cent in 2009-10. The group will also suggest ways to link these estimates to eligibility and entitlements for government's social sector schemes and programmes.
· The President Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil presided over the Birth Centenary celebrations of noted Hindi poet Gopal Singh Nepali at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Gopal Singh Nepali who lived from 1911 to 1963 wrote 450 songs for 45 films.
· After Madhya Pradesh, Kerala is the second state to ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of gutkha, pan masala, and their variants in the State. The ban on gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine is imposed under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011.
· On Centre-state relation, the Centre's interlocutors on J&K (Dileep Padgaonkar, Radha Kumar and M M Ansari) have favoured setting up a Constitutional Committee to review all Central Acts and Articles of the Constitution of India to the state extended after 1952. The report by the interlocutors also favoured resumption of the dialogue process between the Centre and Hurriyat Conference at the earliest. The report also says that no more central laws and Articles of the Constitution should be extended to the state by Presidential order. It also suggested that Parliament will make no laws applicable to the state unless it relates country's internal and external security and its vital economic interests, especially in the areas of energy and access to water resources. It also suggested that there should be no change in Article 356 and if the state government is dismissed, elections should be held within three months.
· Keeping in view that access to sports facilities should be the right of every person, Haryana’s CM has ordered to constitute a 5-member committee headed by Chief Secretary to consider various aspects of the Right to Play Bill 2012, before its introduction.
· 2^nd Sustainable Mountain Development Summit begins in Gangtok in Sikkim. The summit will have focus on water, mountain livelihoods and communities & forests with special attention to the Indian Himalayan region including the North East. ‘Sikkim Declaration’ that will highlight key concerns of the Himalayan region will conclude the summit. Following the Summit, The Global Legislators Organization for Balanced Environment may open its State Branch in Sikkim.
· In order to foster, a grass-root bottoms-up approach to innovation and development and to arrive at solutions for local problems which are sustainable and scalable, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has announced a new scheme “One MP – One Idea” under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). Accordingly, based on the innovative ideas received from the local people regarding developmental projects, an ‘One MP – One Idea’ Competition may be held in each Lok Sabha constituency annually to select the three best innovations for cash awards on the specific request of an MP to promote such a scheme in his/her constituency. Under the scheme, the applications will be invited for providing innovative solutions pertaining to social issues, especially in the area of education & skills, health, water & sanitation, housing & infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environment, community and social service etc. These innovative solutions will be evaluated in a transparent manner by a selection committee headed by the DC/DM of the Nodal District and consisting of six members from Engineering, Finance, Health & Sanitation, Academia, Industry and Banking & Financial Institutions.
· Khesari dal, also known as Grass pea, was banned for consumption in 1961 as it was believed that Beta-N-Oxalyl-aminoalanine, a neuro-toxic amino-acid in the legume, caused neurolathyrim or a paralysis of the lower limbs. But now, the Central government will conduct an epidemiological study of the high-protein legume that can be grown in extreme weather conditions. It is cultivated extensively in central and western India for cattle fodder. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal are the only States where the sale for human consumption was not banned. khesari dal is also cheaper than other pulses, whose prices have gone up manifold in the past few years. The withdrawal of the ban will help to solve the shortage of pulses, as it is believed that the harmful effects of khesari dal depends on the amount consumed, its toxin content, the method of cooking and the nutritional status of individuals. Furthermore, the amount of neurotoxin varies from variety to variety and is inversely proportional to the moisture content in the soil, with the toxin content increasing in drought conditions.
· The world famous bird haven Keoladeo National Park (World Heritage site) in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district may finally overcome its nagging water woes with preparations to harvest flood waters (Govardhan Drain Project) this monsoon season reaching the final stages. The park has been under severe strain during the past few years after curtailment of its share from the Panchna dam and lack of rain in the east Rajasthan region. The Govardhan drain, which originates in Haryana, enters Rajasthan and then winds its way to Uttar Pradesh to return to the State near Santrook village.
· Recommending scrapping of two controversial hydro-power projects in Karnataka and Kerala that had run into difficulty due to opposition from environmentalists, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), headed by Madhav Gadgil (IISc), has suggested setting up of a statutory authority to protect the Ghats, cancellation of Karnataka's Gundia and Kerala's Athirapally hydro-projects, and gradual phasing out of mining activities in ecologically highly-sensitive areas of Goa by 2016. Currently, the Ecologically Sensitive Areas are administered with the help of High-Level Monitoring Committees (HLMC), appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. These are hampered by want of regulatory powers, except in the case of the Dahanu Taluka Ecology Authority, established through a judgment of the Supreme Court. They are also hampered by want of financial and human resources, the panel said in its report.
· In the efforts to eradicate the Polio virus forever, WHO may declare Polio a global health emergency. Polio is still endemic to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria because of recent outbreaks in countries once declared polio free. Albeit India has achieved success in stopping active polio virus circulation but the threat of importation is still worrying countries across the world.
· On completing three years in office the UPA Government recently released a ‘Report To The People’ in the field of sustaining the environment: [1.] National Action Plan on Climate Change – It advocates a strategy that promotes, firstly, the adaptation to climate change and secondly, further enhancement of the ecological sustainability of India’s development path. The eight missions under the PM’s Council on Climate Change are the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the National Water Mission, the National Missions on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change, and the National Missions for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, a Green India and Sustainable Agriculture; [2.] Forest Conservation – It provides fund to State Level Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authorities to carry out protection, conservation and regeneration of natural forests in addition to compensatory afforestation; [3.] National Green Tribunal – It was established in October, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property. Delhi, Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the five place of sitting of the NGT; [4.] Mission Clean Ganga – This projects worth nearly Rs. 2,600 crore that have been sanctioned by the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). These include projects for development of sewer networks, sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets and development of river fronts. State River Conservation Authorities have been constituted in the five Ganga basin States to facilitate better coordination and implementation of conservation activities at the State level. Recently, the Central Government has secured World Bank assistance of US$ 1 billion for the NGRBA Programme; [5.] Tiger Conservation – A detailed report on the country level status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India was released in July, 2011. This was the second round of country level snapshot assessment. The earlier estimation made in 2006 indicated that there were 1411 tigers in the country; the current estimates show that this number has increased by about 20% to 1706.
· Plants elongate their stems when grown at high temperature to facilitate the cooling of their leaves, according to new research from the University of Bristol. Insights such as these are crucial in the face of climate change.
· Bats fine-tune their hunting strategy based on information from sensory cues. Eavesdropping bats first listen to their prey, then they assess its size, and finally they taste it.
· A powerful solar telescope billed as the largest in Europe opened recently on Spain's Canary Islands. With a mirror diameter of 1.5 metres, the Gregor telescope will be able to show structures on the sun on scales as small as 70 kilometres. The telescope also features a retractable roof that prevents air turbulence in its optical path, which allows it to deliver “images of a sharpness that up until now no terrestrial solar telescope has ever obtained.”
· A verdict on where to site the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope will be taken soon. The SKA will be built in the southern hemisphere, in South Africa or Australia and New Zealand, where the view of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is best and radio interference least. A radio telescope project will assist answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the universe, and whether it contains life beyond our planet. It will be able to survey the sky more than 10,000 times quicker than any other existent telescope and will be fully operational by 2024. The Project is under Britain-based consortium which includes Canada, China, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom as well as Australia and South Africa with its headquarters in Manchester, UK. The SKA will combine the signals received from thousands of small antennas spread over a distance of more than 3000 km to simulate a single giant radio telescope capable of enormously high sensitivity and angular resolution. The SKA will also have a very large Field-Of-View (FOV) with a goal at frequencies below 1 GHz of 200 square degrees and of more than 1 square degree (about 5 full Moons) at higher frequencies. One innovative development is the use of Focal Plane Arrays using phased-array technology to provide multiple FOVs. This will greatly increase the survey speed of the SKA and enable multiple users to observe different pieces of the sky simultaneously. The combination of a very large FOV with high sensitivity means that the SKA will transform the exploration of the Universe. With receiving stations extending out to distance of at least 3,000 km from a concentrated central core, it will continue radio astronomy's tradition of providing the highest resolution images in all astronomy. However, Radio Quietness and Radio frequency interference are the major obstacles while choosing the site for SKA. Radio Quietness means the place should be free from Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). RFI refers to man-made radio signals - including those signals created by radio and television stations that can surpass the signals astronomers are interested in detecting.
· An artificial heart pump driven by cutting edge technology is proving handy in saving the lives of patients in near-death situations following a massive heart attack. The Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) equipment can put a patient on artificial support for as long as a month by sustaining oxygen supply and blood circulation to the heart and other vital organs such as brain, kidney and liver even when the patient's heart is not beating normally. Thus, the ECMO machine prevented death and provided more time to evaluate options such as angioplasty, heart transplant or implantable artificial heart.
· In one of the question “Do food items kept inside bags become radioactive when exposed to X-rays?”, a scientist that all food stuffs (cereals, fruit, eggs, vegetables, dairy products, fish, meat, minerals etc) are made up of atoms of light elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen and heavier elements such as iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, sodium and potassium etc. He explained that these elements consist of atoms bound together firmly. We can make a non radioactive element radioactive by making changes in the nucleus. Normal X-rays do not have enough energy to make changes in the nucleus. Thus, the Food items kept inside bags will not become radioactive when exposed to x-rays. Further, Food Irradiation is a very useful process employed in preservation of food, control of sprouting of items such as potato and onion and control of food-borne diseases. Irradiation destroys or inactivates organisms that cause spoilage thereby extending shelf life of certain foods. However, one of the reasons for the unpopularity of food irradiation is the mistaken notion that irradiated food is radioactive. Scientist said that the Gamma rays from Cobalt 60 (electron of 10 million electron volts) or X-rays (5 million electron volts) are the only types of radiation approved for use in the Food Irradiation process.
· Scientist have found a deep-sea bacteria on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that don't really need food to survive. Believed to have remained untouched for almost 86 million years — well before dinosaurs went extinct — these microbes consume oxygen in quantities which are too small to be measured, the researchers said.
· Indian-American students, Rahul Nagvekar (14), have swept the prestigious National Geographic Bee, bagging the top four positions of this year's tough national competition, where U.S. President Barack Obama played a quizmaster. The winning question was: “Name the Bavarian city located on the Danube River that was the legislative seat of the Holy Roman Empire from 1663 to 1806?”, which Nagvekar won by correctly answering as Regensburg. President Barack Obama asked one question this year via video – “Which Asian capital city on the Han River hosted a gathering of world leaders in March for a Nuclear Security Summit ?” The answer to which was Seoul. Nagvekar has won a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and a trip for two to the Galapagos on an expedition aboard the National Geographic Endeavour.
· In the latest Asia Pacific office market report by Cushman & Wakefield – that compared the rental values of Central Business Districts (CBD) across Asia Pacific – National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai were ranked the fifth and the tenth most expensive location respectively by the CBD. As has been the trend, expensive office destinations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo continued to hold the top three positions respectively. Among a total of 25 cities across Asia – Bangalore and NCR saw the highest value rise in office market rentals in the first quarter of 2012. With real estate clearly feeling the effects of the softer macro environment in the previous two quarters, the market is now witnessing improved results across several indicators, which could signal the beginning of a turnaround.
· The Convention between the Kingdom of Netherlands and the Republic of India for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital was signed on 30th July, 1988 (DTAC). Both India and Netherlands have concluded a Protocol to amend the Article 26 of the DTAC concerning Exchange of Information to bring it in line with the international standards when they signed the Protocol at The Hague, Netherlands on May, 2012. The Protocol will replace the Article concerning Exchange of Information in the existing DTAC between India and Netherlands and will allow exchange of banking information as well as information without domestic interest. It will, now, allow use of information for non-tax purpose if allowed under the domestic laws of both the countries, after the approval of the supplying state.
· India-Bangladesh celebrate 90th anniversary of Nazrul's 'Bidrohi’ (The Rebel), who was a famous Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works invoking powerful spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. Accomplishing a plethora of highly praised works through his life, Nazrul is officially known as the ‘National poet of Bangladesh’ and celebrated in India. His other famous works includes Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Destruction), Dhumketu (The Comet), Nazrul Geeti (Nazrul songs), Rajbandir Jabanbandi (Deposition of a Political Prisoner)
· Indian farmers will have a chance to learn to optimise crop production from Israeli agriculture experts who will come down to the country to guide them. After two decades of diplomatic goodwill, both the countries have mutually decided to help each other in agriculture and will set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for agriculture in several states of India including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Punjab in Phase 1.
· With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh scheduled to visit Myanmar at the end of this month, the Union Cabinet is likely to clear an MoU that provides for the introduction of a bus service between the two countries. Aiming at establishing regional connectivity between India and Myanmar — which share a 1,640-long land border — for development of road transport, trade, investment, tourism and transit of goods and people across the border, the conveyance service will connect Imphal in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram share a border with Myanmar. India even shares a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal with Myanmar.
· A top Chinese official has ruled out any decision on granting membership status to India and Pakistan when heads of state from the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit meet here on June 6. He said that it was the common view of the organisation that observers — India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia, who have been pushing for membership status for more than three years — still needed to do more by way of preparatory work, while the members — China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — would keep “an open attitude.” Afghanistan is expected to join the SCO as an observer at the summit, while Turkey is set to be granted the status of a dialogue partner. The summit, the twelfth meeting of SCO heads of state and the third to be held in China, will mark the first instance of the organisation admitting a new observer since 2005. Sri Lanka and Belarus were taken in as dialogue partners in 2010. The situation in Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear issue are likely to top the agenda. The summit will also discuss boosting counter-terrorism cooperation, which has been the group's primary focus since its founding in 2001. The heads of member states will adopt a cooperation programme for 2012-14 to tackle terrorism and will announce specific plans “to effectively curb activities of the three forces.” On the economic front, an inter-governmental agreement on road transport will be signed, while discussions on establishing an SCO project to finance a safeguard mechanism and a regional development bank will continue.
· After years of discussions, India and Pakistan are finally set to loosen the restrictions that have long curtailed travel between the two countries, but Kashmiris are unhappy that travel and trade between the two sides of the divided State remain uncertain. Home Secretaries of India and Pakistan meet in Islamabad to discuss and sign some new aggrement in which businessmen may look forward to multiple entry visas valid for a year that will allow them to visit five cities instead of just three. They would also be exempt from reporting their arrival and departure to the police in the cities they visit. The India-Pakistan travel regime will still remain the only one in the world that gives travellers city visas instead of country visas, and that has no provision for tourists, but in the context of India-Pakistan ties, the new agreement is seen as nothing short of revolutionary. The new visa regime is expected to help push up bilateral trade. Pakistan accounts for 0.43 per cent of India's trade, but much more is traded between the two countries through unofficial channels, and third countries such as Dubai.
· India has not done enough to protect human rights either at home or globally, according to Amnesty International's “The State of the World's Human Rights 2012 Report''. Institutional mechanisms to protect human rights “remained weak'' in India and judicial processes were “slow'' in ensuring justice for victims of rights violations, it said. The report said that despite its growing international clout as reflected in its election to the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, India was “reluctant to speak out'' on human rights violations committed during the dramatic changes in the Middle East [West Asia] and North Africa, as well as on those committed by neighbouring Myanmar. Globally, it said the courage shown by pro-democracy protesters in various countries the past 12 months was “matched by a failure of leadership.'' In another statement it pointed out that while average growth rate in India between 2007 and 2011 was 8.2 per cent, poverty declined by only 0.8 per cent, thus India still ranks 134 out of 187 countries on the UN human development index. As pointed out by numerous authoritative and independent sources, if global standards such as those used by the Human Development Report 2011 were used, India's poverty rate would be close to 55 per cent of the population.
· A UN Human Rights Council Review Report says Bahrain has agreed to consider its recommendations for the release of political prisoners, put an end to the torture and join the International Criminal Court. The other recommendations for Bahrain are to consider abolishing the death penalty, commuting death sentences to prison terms and improving laws that protect freedoms of expression and assembly. The recommendation regarding the release of political prisoners is significant in the wake of hunger strike since February by jailed Bahraini activists like Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. He and others have claimed that they suffered abuses and torture and demanded their release.
· Russia has successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of piercing defence systems being developed by the U.S. The dummy warhead reached its target area at the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was the second launch of what is believed to be a deeply modernised Yars missile named Avangard. The first test failed last September when the missile crashed a few kilometres from the launch site. The tested missile used new type of fuel that cuts the climb time, when the missile is vulnerable to missile defence interceptors. Experts also said the new missile would be armed with warheads powered by their own engines to evade missile defences.
· The ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials meeting began in Cambodia, discussing ways to enhance cooperation on disaster relief, maritime security, non- proliferation and disarmament, and anti-terrorism and crimes. The participating countries included the ASEAN member states, China, Japan, India, Russia, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States. The meeting was preparatory for the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial meeting on July 13 in Phnom Penh, Combodia.
· In Pakistan, a US air strike is reported to have killed four people in the tribal region of North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan, the third such attack in as many days. The US seized the area as a centre of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operations against the West. Pakistan's parliament has demanded an end to the drone campaign, saying it is counter-productive.
· A senior Chinese leader has cancelled a planned visit to Britain after Prime Minister David Cameron met the Dalai recently ignoring Beijing's warning that any such meeting would have “serious consequences” for U.K.-China relations. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called on Britain to “stop conniving at and supporting separatist attempts to achieve Tibetan independence”.
· U.N. climate talks (in Bonn, Germany) ran into gridlock on Thursday as a widening rift between rich and poor countries risked undoing some advances made last year in the decades-long effort to control carbon emissions that scientists say are overheating the planet. Developing nations say the industrialised world — responsible for most of the emissions historically — should bear the brunt of the emissions cuts while developed nations want to make sure that fast-growing economies like China and India don't get off too easy. China is now the world's top polluter. The negotiations in Bonn were meant to build on a deal struck in December in Durban, South Africa, to create a new global climate pact by 2015 that would make both rich and poor nations rein in emissions caused by the burning of oil and other fossil fuels. The only existing binding treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, was shunned by the U.S. because it doesn't impose any emissions targets on China, thus leaving out the two biggest carbon emitters on the globe. It was set to expire this year but countries agreed in Durban to extend it, though they haven't agreed on how long. Canada, Japan and Russia have refused to make any new commitments under Kyoto, meaning it only covers about 15 per cent of global emissions.
· The first encyclopaedia of Buddhist philosophy has been brought out in Russia where Buddhism has seen a revival after the collapse of Communism. The encyclopaedia analyses the philosophical aspects of Buddhism in the context of different civilisations, cultures and religions, including Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Buddhism has been on the upsurge in Russia in recent years, along with Christianity and Islam. Buddha's birthday has been made a national holiday in Kalmykia this year and a 15-metre statue of Buddha, the biggest in Russia, is being set up in Tuva.
· United Nations nuclear inspectors in Iran have found trace amounts of uranium enriched (27% enrichment) beyond the highest previously reported levels (20% enrichment). The disclosure came less than a day after Iran and the group of six world powers ended a round of difficult negotiations held in Baghdad on Iran's nuclear programme with no substantive progress, although both sides agreed to meet again in Moscow next month. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty makes no restrictions on how pure a nation can make its enriched uranium, only that it cannot mix the civilian work with military applications.
· Even as Egyptians savour a historic election, the transition to democracy is proving difficult for countries affected by the Arab spring uprisings: [1.] Syria - Despite 14 months of violent pro-reform agitation and an estimated 10,000 deaths, President Bashar al-Assad remains entrenched in Damascus. His regime has been ostracised by fellow Arab states, sanctioned by the West, and chastised by the U.N.. But the army, crucially, has remained loyal, while Russia has offered diplomatic protection and Iran provides arms and advice. Thus, unless the U.S. and the NATO allies, notably Turkey, overcome their aversion to direct military intervention, the regime looks likely to cling on.; [2.] Libya - The overthrow and death of Muammar Qadhafi have been followed not by a new democratic dawn but by continuing political instability exacerbated by the weak performance of a rudderless National Transitional Council, feuding between armed militias, continuing human rights abuses, allegations of fraud and a growing east-west divide. However, there has been progress in restoring oil exports and public services; [3.] Yemen - Months of street protests finally forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh from office after 33 years. But the February “election” of a successor had Mr. Saleh's Vice-President as the only candidate. Mr. Saleh's son and other relatives still control much of the military and government. They are bitterly opposed by rival tribal chiefs and radical Islamists. Teetering on civil war, Yemen is proving a magnet for jihadi s displaced by U.S. military pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas. With al-Qaeda expanding in the south and U.S. drone strikes increasing, the country is the new frontline in Washington's “war on terror”; [4.] Tunisia - The Arab spring began triumphantly in Tunisia, when a popular uprising sparked by the death of a street vendor unseated the country's ruler, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, in January last year. Tunisia's has also been the most successful democratic transition. Elections last October saw the moderate Islamists of Ennahda emerge as the largest party and form a coalition. Further, so far Ennahda's leaders have avoided the pitfalls many foresaw for them, respecting Tunisia's relatively secular social norms and, for example, not attempting to anchor a new Constitution in Sharia law. But fears persist Ennahda could yet prove a stalking horse for Islamist extremists; [5.] Jordan - Street protests have been generally small-scale, but pressure is building on King Abdullah to make good his promises of reform. A slumping economy, frequent political reshuffles, a string of high-level corruption scandals and an influx of refugees from Syria have compounded a sense of growing instability. Further, so far, attention is focused on reform rather than the replacement of the Hashemite monarchy. But this could change if hard times persist and King Abdullah fails to deliver the modernising changes.