Daily News Notes (DNN): 1st to 13th Oct, 2012

· The Centre is all set to bring a new legislation on Right to Privacy which is under active consideration of an expert group headed by Justice A P Shah. PM dr. Sing said that there is a fine balance required to be maintained between the Right to information and the right to privacy, which stems out of the Fundamental Right to Life and liberty. The citizens’ right to know should definitely be circumscribed if disclosure of information encroaches upon someone’s personal privacy. Calling it a pointer to success of the RTI that only 4.5 per cent of the applications filed before central government authorities reach the Information Commissions for adjudication, the Prime Minister said that out of twenty thousand appeals and complaints disposed by the Central Information Commission every year on the average, only a couple of hundred cases a year have been challenged in the courts.
· Union Minister for Rural Development Mr. Jairam Ramesh has announced for making legal provisions to provide agricultural land to landless people and land for habitats to homeless people in the country. The Minister said that the government would announce a draft for National Land Reform Policy within six months with the consultation of Ekta Parishad and other organisations. After getting written assurances from the government the Ekta Parishad has announced that March of rural people concludes at Agra and it will not proceed further for New Delhi. The representatives of marchers have reached on an agreement with the government on all 10 points of their demands and a memorandum of understanding has also been signed by the Minister and the leader of the Jan Satyagrah, a noted Gandhiyan Mr. PV Rajgopal. A large group of farmers had started their march on October 3 from Gwalior under Ekta Parishad a non-violent social movement working on land and forest rights. Their demands includes a National Land Reform Policy, Right to Shelter, fast track land tribunals for speedy disposal of the land cases and enhanced land access as well as land rights for the poor, marginalised and deprived landless poor.
· The cabinet committee on economic affairs has approved the first phase of the end-to-end computerization of targeted public distribution system (TPDS). This will kickstart the process of integration of Aadhar into the PDS system, which the government believes will improve targeting of the subsidized grains and reduce leaks. The digitization of records of beneficiaries will help in weeding out bogus ration cards and better targeting of subsidies, the government said in a release after the CCEA meeting. With computerization of the supply-chain, the movement of foodgrains upto fair price shop (FPS) level can be tracked and the problem of leakage and diversion can be addressed. Along the scheme that has already implemented in some states, facilities of SMSs, e-mails, toll free numbers will be used to track movement and availability of the subsidized rations to bring in transparency. Beneficiaries will also be able to register their grievances through toll free numbers and seek resolution.
· The panel on Infrastucture Development, headed by HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, which submitted its report to the government has recommended raising railway passenger fares and electricity tariff among a string of measures needed to fast track infrastructure development. It also called for raising the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the telecommunications sector to 100% from the current 74%, removing regulatory uncertainties related to allocation, pricing and sharing of spectrum allotted in the past and rationalizing mergers and acquisition policies to facilitate consolidation in the sector. The panel had been set up to examine gaps in the infrastructure sector and suggest steps to accelerate financing projects in the key segment vital to boosting growth. The panel, which submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has also recommended that issues related to the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) and delays in environmental clearances and land acquisition be resolved to attract investment in the infrastructure sector. Infrastructure investment in the 12th five year plan (2012-17) is estimated at Rs 51.46 lakh crore at 2011-12 prices and out of this the private sector is expected to contribute about 47% of the total investment against 37% in the 11th Plan. The panel noted the present infrastructure deficit implies large unmet demand and said there is robust interest among domestic and foreign investors. [Click here for Graphics: 1; 2]
· The committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, to look into all the issues relating to the deregulation of the sugar sector has submitted its report to PM. A major recommendation of the committee relates to revising the existing arrangement for the price to be paid to sugarcane farmers, which suffers from problems of accumulation of arrears of cane dues in years of high price and low price for farmers in other years. The committee has also recommended dismantling of the levy obligation for sourcing PDS sugar at a price below the market price. On external trade, the committee has favoured a stable policy regime with modest tariff levels of 5% to 10% ordinarily, and dispensing with outright bans and quantitative restrictions. The committee has also recommended dispensing with the mandatory requirement of jute packaging. In respect of molasses, the committee favours free movement.
· In order to speed up the development of expressways in India, the government plans to set up a new company — National Expressways and Connectivity Corporation (NEXCOR) — under the ministry of road transport and highways. The 11th Five-Year Plan had stated that the government would consider establishing an Expressway Authority of India to formulate and implement a master plan for building 15,600 km of access-controlled expressways for high-density corridors at an estimated cost of Rs.156,000 crore (cost of developing highways/expressways is an estimated Rs.10 crore per km). Progress on the actual implementation of expressways has been extremely poor so far. While under NHDP-VI, feasibility studies were to be completed by 2008, land acquisition was to be done by 2009 and projects were to be awarded by 2010. However, the study has so far been completed only in the case of one project. The proposed company would formulate a framework for development of such expressways in India, said the official.
· The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to continue the sharing pattern of costs between the Central and State/UT Governments in the ratio of 75:25 during the year 2012-13 in respect of State sector component of the Scheme for setting up of 6,000 model schools at block level as benchmark of excellence. As each school will have 560 students, total number of beneficiaries for 3,500 schools will be 19.60 lakh students. Out of 1,587 model schools approved by govt., only 428 model schools have become functional till March, 2012 in 27 States. The Model School Scheme was launched in November, 2008 in pursuance of the announcement of the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech of 2007. The objective of the Scheme is to set up one senior secondary school each in 6,000 blocks as benchmark of excellence. 3,500 of these schools are to be set up under State/UT Governments in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) and the remaining 2,500 schools are to be established under PPP mode in blocks which are not educationally backward. The State Sector component of the scheme is operational since the launch of the scheme in November, 2008.
· The Union Cabinet has approved the constitution of 20th Law Commission for a period for three years from 01.09.2012 to 31.08.2015. The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government of India from time to time. The Commission was originally constituted in 1955 and is reconstituted every three years. The tenure of the Nineteenth Law Commission has ended on 31st August, 2012. The terms of reference of the 20th Law Commission will include : [1.] Identification of laws which are in harmony with the existing climate of economic globalization; [2.] exploring suitable measures for equal redressal of citizens grievances related to the field of law; [3.] examination of laws which affect the poor and carrying out post-audit for socio-economic legislations; [4.] to take measures to harness the law and legal process in the service of the poor; [5.] to eliminate delays, speedy clearance of arrears of cases and reduction in costs; [6.] to examine the impact of globalization on food security and unemployment and recommend measures for the protection of the interests of the marginalized.
· Union Cabinet approves amendments in the "Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986". These amendments seek to ensure that more effective protection is provided against indecent representation of women by covering newer forms of communication like the Internet and multimedia messaging, beyond the print and audio-visual media. Imp. Highlights: [1.] Broaden the scope of the law to cover the audio-visual media and material in electronic form; [2.] Penalties to be enhanced to a maximum of 3 years of imprisonment and fine of b/w Rs.50,000 to Rs.1,00,000 for first conviction, and imprisonment of not less than 2 years, but which may extend to 7 years, and a fine b/w Rs.1,00,000 to Rs.5,00,000 for second conviction; [3.] Police officers not below the rank of Inspectors authorized to carry out search and seizure, in addition to State and Central Government officers authorized by the State or Central Government.
· The 14th National Conference of Water Resources & Irrigation Ministers was held in New Delhi after a long gap of seven years. This Conference is a very important National Forum which offers a splendid opportunity for a meaningful dialogue on the critical issues relating to the water sector and the interventions needed to address them effectively. Following points was highlighted by Union Minister of Water Resources: [1.] Growing demand for water as result of population growth, urbanization and economic growth has resulted in tremendous pressure on water resources to provide clean water for drinking & sanitation, thus making India a water stressed country by international standards; [2.] Injudicious inter-sectoral and intra-sectoral distribution of water amongst various categories of water users, low water use efficiency, unsystematic water resources planning and development, poor maintenance of irrigation systems and poor recovery of water charges are some of the major problems associated with the management of water resources in the country; [3.] Ministry of Water Resources has formulated a draft National Water Policy (2012) as the solutions of these problems; [4.] The Ministry has also launched a National Water Mission as part of PM’s Action Plan on Climate Change which sets a target of 20% improvement in water use efficiency over a period of 5 years. This is particularly critical in the agricultural sector, which uses about three fourths of our water resources and where the water use efficiency is low compared to international standards; [5.] Conserving groundwater has now become an urgent priority because we depend on it for more than two thirds of our water needs. The present legal situation gives every land holder the right to pump unlimited quantities of water from a bore well on his own ground. There is no regulation of ground water extraction and no coordination among competing uses.
· The President of India conferred on Smt. Tessy Thomas, the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management: 2012 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a career spanning over 24 years, Smt. Tessy Thomas has contributed in various fields including Associate Project Director (Mission) for Agni-I, II & III systems. Currently, she is the Project Director of Agni –IV, which is a major project with state of the art technologies. Smt. Tessy is also the Project Director (Mission) for the long range Agni – V System. She, as the Technology Director for Mission Design and System Analysis Group of Advances Systems Laboratory, has significantly contributed in the development of various systems associated with missiles technology. The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, instituted by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management (LBSIM) honours each year an Indian, residing either in India or abroad, who is an exceptionally outstanding and distinguished business leader, management practitioner, public administrator, educator or institution builder for his/her sustained individual contributions and achievements of high professional order and excellence.
· Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Jairam Ramesh said that village industries and particularly Khadi have become more relevant in India in an age of privatization, liberalization and globalization. He said, though MGNREGA is doing a good job in providing livelihood security to the rural poor, but there is also a need for creating permanent assets in the rural areas. Dwelling on the issue of Panchayati Raj, the Minister said the vision of Gandhiji for stronger and self-sufficient panchayats must be fulfilled and there is need for empowering the local bodies with more and more autonomy, particularly independent financial powers to undertake developmental works in a more efficient way. He said, from this year onward, one percent of the Rural Development Ministry’s budget that comes about 1000 crore rupees will be given for strengthening the panchayati raj institutions in the country.
· India’s energy needs can be met entirely by solar and other renewable sources, says a new study by two professors at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. The analysis also overturns the argument that nuclear power is essential for India because the country does not have enough land to exploit the potential of solar energy in India. According to the Professors, 4.1 per cent of the total uncultivable and waste land area in India is enough to meet the projected annual demand of 3,400 terawatt-hour (TWh) by 2070 by solar energy alone (1 terawatt-hour per year equals 114 megawatts). The land area required will be further reduced to 3.1 per cent “if we bring the other potential renewable energy sources of India into picture”, they claim. Convinced that sunlight differs from other energy sources in the way it uses the land, the researchers compared the land-use pattern of three primary energy sources — coal, nuclear and hydro — with solar energy. They then calculated the percentage of India’s land area that would be required to meet the future projected energy demand. Coal power plants not only transform the land around the facility but also require land for mining coal and its upstream processing, the authors note. An average dam displaces 31,340 persons and submerges 8,748 hectares of land. The direct land footprint of a nuclear power plant includes power plant area, buffer zone, waste disposal area and the land that goes into mining uranium. Further, the report said that a three kilowatt rooftop solar panel system on the 425 million households can generate a total energy per year 1900 TWh — half of the projected energy demand by 2070.
· The Supreme Court has directed all States and Union Territories to ensure that basic toilet facilities, in particular to girl students, are provided in all schools within six months. The court had said: “Right to free and compulsory education of children in the age group of six to 14 is part of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21-A. This right cannot be enjoyed unless basic infrastructure is provided by the state…. Experience and empirical survey have revealed that parents are reluctant to send their children, particularly girls, to schools where basic toilet facilities are not available.”
· The government is planning to develop two ‘smart’ cities with a host of modern features like intelligent transport and carbon neutral status in each of the states in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath also said that medium-sized cities like Ujjain or Jabalpur would be considered for the proposal to create smart cities.
· Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment and Minister for Home Affairs conferred “Vayoshrestha Samman 2012 – National Awards for Senior Citizens”. Vayoshreshtha Samman is a humble recognition of the relentless strivings and inspiring achievements of the eminent senior citizens and Institutions who are working for the cause of elderly. On 14th December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated 1st October as International Day of Older Persons. Today, world-wide, there are around 600 million persons aged 60 years and over; this total will double by 2025. In our fast ageing world, older people will increasingly play a critical role - through transmitting experience and knowledge, volunteer work, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the work force. Vayosreshtha Samman 2012 Awards were conferred to the following: [1.] Best Panchayat Award: Pulamanthol Gram Panchayat, Mallapuram, Kerala; [2.] Centenarian Award: Dr. Shanti Giridhar Lal, Mumbai; [3.] Best Mother Award: Smt. Shefali Chaudhary, Kolkata (Posthumously); [4.] Life Time Achievement Award: Shri M. M. Sabharwal, New Delhi; [5.] Creative Art Award: Shri Agni Kumar Acharjee, Agartala, Tripura; [6.] Sportsman Award: Smt. Prakash Tomar, Bagpat, U.P.; Smt. Chandro Tomar, Bagpat, U.P.; [7.] Institution Award for Knowledge: All India Senior Citizens Confederation, Mumbai, Maharashtra; [8.] Institution Award for Services: Yanam old Age Home, Pudducherry; All Manipur Senior Citizens Welfare Association Imphal (Manipur).
· An MoU was signed between CSC SPV (CSC e-Governance Services India Limited) and NIELIT ( National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, formerly DOEACC Society) to offer various services for NIELIT’s Information, Electronics and Communication Technology (IECT) courses through the Common Services Centres (CSCs kiosks). Its implementation would be in a time bound manner, particularly because nearly 1 crore people are targeted to be trained in 2013-14. With the MoU in place, NIELIT will get funds from CSC SPV for automation of its activities related to citizens, specially students. This would give more facilities to students for online registration, online examination form filling, on line accreditation form filling, on line expert registration, on line result certificate printing etc.
· The Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment (Mukul Wasnik) had inaugurated a unique event "Antarchakshu – The Eye Within" on 4th Oct, 2012. 'Antarchakshu' is a mass scale disability sensitization and awareness generating event. The event involves simulation of various disability conditions, more specifically blindness and low vision. According to Census 2001, there were 2.19 crore Persons with Disabilities in India who constitute 2.13 per cent of the total population. This includes persons with visual, hearing, speech, locomotor and mental disabilities. The Visuallly impaired constitute about 49% of the disabled population, with a population of 1.06 crores. This figure is likely to rise with the release of fresh data on disability from Census 2011, in which the enumeration had been carried out disability wise.
· The Supreme Court has declined to entertain a writ petition challenging the powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) to conduct performance audit relating to allocation of coal blocks and other issues under Article 149 of the Constitution and under the CAG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Services) Act, 1971. The court said that “CAG is not a munim [accountant] to go into the balance-sheets. The CAG is a constitutional authority entitled to review and conduct performance audit on revenue allocations relating to the Centre, the States and the Union Territories … and examine matters relating to the economy and how the government uses its resources. The CAG’s function is to carry out examination of efficiency, effectiveness and economy of the expenditures and the use of resources by the government. The performance audit report submitted by the CAG has to be read accordingly. The CAG is a constitutional authority who is under a mandate to place before Parliament or the State legislature concerned its findings. It was for Parliament or the respective legislatures to act upon such reports. It was for Parliament to consider, accept, partially accept or reject the CAG’s findings. Ultimately it was for Parliament to take a call on the CAG’s report and say ‘your [CAG] report is misconceived/misplaced and also reject the opinion.” [Click here for Graphic]
· Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) scientists has fired the motors of GSAT-10 communication satellite to raise its orbit in space a day after it was launched. An ISRO statement said the perigee (nearest point to Earth) of GSAT-10 has been raised from 250km to 16,427 km. Now in an elliptical orbit with its Apogee (farthest point) 35,759km from Earth, the satellite will finally be brought to a geostationary circular orbit of 36,000km above equator, so it can remain above the same place on earth continuously. The satellite with 30 transponders will be fully functional by November, boosting communication, entertainment and navigation facilities. GSAT-10 was launched by Ariane-5 launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana.
· This year 11 eminent personalities have been conferred with Akademi Fellowships and 36 artists have received the Akademi Awards by President of India. The Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) and Akademi Award (Akademi Puraskar) are recognized as the highest national honours conferred on performing artists, gurus and scholars of the performing arts and have come to stay as the most coveted honour which the artistes aspire to. These honours are decided by Akademi’s General Council, the apex body consisting of eminent artistes, scholars and nominees of Government of India and of different States and Union Territories of the country. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, established by the Government of India on 31 May 1952, is the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama. It was created as the apex body in the country for the task of preservation and promotion of the performing art tradition of India. One of the important activities of the Akademi has been to give recognition and honours to artistes for setting standards in performing arts and restoring the art and artists to their rightful place in independent India.
· The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) presented the 2011 Carbon Footprint Report for the Indian Aviation Industry, in line with India’s initiatives to address the climate change challenge. Compiled for the first time, the report was released at the 49th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Asia Pacific Regions being held in New Delhi. According to the report: [1.] The carbon footprint of Indian scheduled airlines for domestic and international operations was 12,704,000 tonnes of CO2; a 6% increase in comparison to 2010; [2.] The carbon footprint of foreign airlines serving international destinations from Indian airports, based on fuel uplift from India, reached 3,623,000 tonnes of CO2; [3.] CO2 emissions from Indian scheduled airline operations as well as from foreign airlines to international destinations represent less than 1% of the country’s total CO2 emissions. This number is significantly lower than the global average contribution of airlines, which represent approximately 2% of global anthropogenic emissions.
· The Union Cabinet approved the XII Plan (2012-17) document focused at attaining annual average economic growth rate of 8.2%, down from 9% targeted earlier. Besides, the XII Plan aims to achieve 4% growth of agriculture sector. The growth target for the manufacturing sector has been set at 10%. The Plan document will now need final approval from the highest decision making body, the National Development Council (NDC).
· After making substantial progress in the first phase of constructing roads in 34 naxal-affected districts in the past two years, the Centre is now planning to build another 5,600 km in these areas. These two-lane roads would cover more interior stretches in eight states, including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. Government had first initiated the Road Requirement Plan (RRP) for improving 5,477 km road connectivity in eight states – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh – in 2009. So far, it has awarded 4,511 km, and construction has been completed in 1,872 km. In some areas, which have been identified as the most difficult regions under the third phase, the progress has been rather poor. [Click here for Graphics]
· The government has asked the public sector banks (PSBs) to review the level of activity in rural accounts which were opened under financial inclusion drive. The finance ministry has asked the state-owned banks to ensure one account per family in the country to facilitate direct transfer of subsidy under 32 central schemes. With an aim at financial inclusion, 'Swabhimaan' campaign was launched in 2010-11 to extend banking facilities in unbanked villages with a population of over 2,000 and over 74,000 such villages were covered. The latest data says, under the campaign, over 3.25 crore bank accounts in rural areas were opened. Banks have also been asked to establish an 'Ultra Small Branch' in each such village with a bank official visiting them at least once a week.
· The proposed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is to replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is to not only pay market-linked salaries to its employees but is also likely to follow a hire and fire policy. Currently, the UPSC recruits personnel for DGCA. Civil Aviation Secretary, K.N. Srivastava said the CAA will be an autonomous body. The new authority will also enjoy administrative and financial freedom so as to meet functional requirements for an effective safety and oversight system, something that the existing DGCA lacks. In addition, it will also have the powers of economic and environmental regulations and consumer protection.
· Observing that affordable access to energy is one of the main challenges which the world faces today, the Government says that India will ensure uninterrupted affordable electricity to all households in the country in the next five years. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said, the goal is to provide electricity to all 600,000 villages of India. Now only a few 1000 villages in country renamed unelectrified. Talking of renewable energy, he said, India targets to install 55 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2017. The Prime Minister said, solar power contributes 12 per cent to country's total electricity installed capacity and expressed hope that around 20 million rural homes will be lighted up by using solar power by 2022. Globally, he said, 1.3 billion people had no access to electricity. Saying that the Government is taking steps to offer cooking gas to all rural households, the Prime Minister said, at present, 12 per cent of 119 million rural households use LPG for cooking.
· The Election Commission has issued stricter guidelines for tackling Paid News complaints asking candidates to reply within 48 hours to notices sent to them in this regard. The Commission has also asked the Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC) at the district and state levels to decide such cases within 48 hours of getting a reply from the candidate. Issuing fresh instructions to Chief Electoral Officers of all states, including the poll-bound states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Commission said in case the candidate did not reply within the specified time, the MCMC decision will be considered final. Returning officers were till now required to send notices within 96 hours of the publication/telecast of the paid news on references from the MCMC. The fresh steps are being take to curb the menace of Paid News and will cover cinema halls, besides TV channels, cable networks and radio including private FM channels.
· Asserting that the court cannot issue directions to the legislature to amend an act or rules and that it is the responsibility of Parliament, the Centre has asked the Supreme Court to review its verdict on amending the RTI Act to ensure “only” serving and retired judges of the apex court and chief justices of high courts could head the central and state information commissions. The review petition, citing the apex court’s verdict, said the only situation in which the court could issue directions was when an act or rule is silent on a subject. “That is not the case here. Section 12(5) and 15(5) of the act clearly lay down the norms relating to qualifications of the chief information commissioner and information commissioners at the Centre and at the state level respectively. Various directions given by this hon’ble court in the impugned judgment are contrary to the provisions of the RTI Act,” the petition said.
· Indian Air Force is celebrating 80 years of glorious existence. On the 80th anniversary of IAF, the 1930s Tiger Moth biplane, the first resurrected aircraft of the vintage squadron of the force, was the only new addition to the flying display team for the event. As soon as the yellow-coloured aircraft, which saw action during World War II, took off, it was welcomed by a thunderous applause from the gathering.
· The Navy has successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from guided missile frigate INS Teg — the Indian Navy’s latest induction from Russia off the coast of Goa. The two remaining warships of the project namely INS Tarkash and INS Trikand will also be armed with the lethal missile in vertical launch mode. The two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant, has already been inducted into the Army and Navy, and the Air Force version and the Submarine version is in final stage of trial.
· A day after the launch of Prithvi-II, India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Dhanush ballistic missile (a naval variant of Prithvi-II) for its full range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha. The single-stage, liquid propelled Dhanush has already been inducted into the armed services and is one of the five missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Dhanush can carry conventional or nuclear payload of 500-1,000 kg and hit both land and sea-based targets.
· The IAF’s premier airbase in Pune will soon get a network-centric all-weather air defence weapon system called ‘Akash’ to protect itself from enemy air strikes. From the ground, the Akash weapon system can shoot down fighter aircraft, choppers, UAVs or cruise missiles up to a range of 30 km. This is an indigenous weapon system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation in partnership with Bharat Electronics and is currently in the induction phase. The first Akash squadron is in the final stages of induction at the IAF’s Gwalior airbase while the second will soon be inducted at AFS, Pune. A few more Akash squadrons will be inducted at IAF airbases in the eastern sector. The Akash weapon system has been developed under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme and comes as a highly sophisticated amalgam of systems that work in concert. “The Akash system uses a mobile ‘Rohini’ radar for detecting an aircraft even from 120-odd km away. A coded electronic interrogator ascertains the identity of the aircraft. The radar then relays an alert to the Akash squadron headquarters, which controls the engagement”.
· Contrary to the official claims of elimination of leprosy in Maharashtra, the state is witnessing a constant increase in the number of fresh cases detected 2007 onwards. It was officially declared in 2005 that leprosy has been eradicated in Maharashtra. The International Leprosy Union (ILU) , which is headquartered in the city, had in its search campaign conducted in 173 blocks in the state last year had detected as many as 2,515 fresh cases. There is a further increase in the number of Multi-Bacilliary cases with child population accounting for 12 per cent of total detected cases. Of the 2,28,474 new leprosy cases detected in the world in 2010, the figure for India stood at 1,26,800, which accounts for 55.5 per cent, the data available with ILU shows. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis, that mainly affects the skin and nerves, and can cause tissue change. Leprosy is transmitted following close personal contact and has a long incubation period (1–30 years). It can now be cured if treated with a combination of drugs. World Leprosy Day is observed internationally on January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease. This day was chosen in commemoration of the death of Gandhi, the leader of India who understood the importance of leprosy.
· In Jammu and Kashmir, an ambitious project of constructing 6.5 kilometre long tunnel across Jojila Pass on Srinagar- Leh highway have begun. The project on its completion will make Srinagar - Leh road an all weather road and fulfill the long pending demand of the people of Laddakh region.
· The Election Commission has identified Sh. Shyam Saran Negi (age 95yrs.) as oldest voter in Himachal Pradesh (HP). Sh. Negi was among the first to cast his vote in independent India’s first Election in October 1951, of H.P. State Legislative Assembly. Interestingly, the world’s highest Polling booth will also be located in H.P. (at Hikkam in Lahaul & Spiti Assembly Constituency) at the height of 15000 ft above sea level.
· The Karnataka Government's decision to stop the release of Cauvery water has raised fears of a constitutional crisis. This decision was taken after the Supreme Court deferred the hearing of the water dispute till the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) takes a call on Karnataka's plea to review its decision of releasing 9,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu every day till Oct 15. As a constitutional crisis looms large, CM of KA expressed hope that the CRA, headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh, would meet immediately to modify its earlier order. [Click here for Graphics]
· In Madhya Pradesh, people of Sarangi village in tribal dominated Jhabua district are now using CCTV cameras to keep vigil against frequent incidents of theft. Sarangi is perhaps the first village of the state to use this new technology for security. Thus, the Sarangi village is the live example of communication boom in India. The villagers collected five lakh rupees through public participation and installed 90 CCTV cameras in the village. They also constructed a recording room. The villagers hope that this will deter thieves to a great extent.
· The Assam government has launched a Green Roads Mission to achieve sustainable development and harness the socio-economic and environment benefits of cold-mix technology for rural and other roads. Cold-mix technology saves precious fossil fuels-approximately one thousand 500 litres of diesel per kilometer, besides avoiding heating. It also promotes Green Jobs culture. Green Job is a very vocal programme of International Labour Organization to help governments in creating safe jobs. Assam has so far constructed 1 thousand 500 kilometers roads using cold mix techonology.
· The Government of Spain has conferred the Great Cross of Civil merit on Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy. This is the highest possible honour accorded by the Spanish Government to somebody who is not Head of State or Government. Dr. Abdullah has been honoured for his efforts to promote sustainable economic development through the promotion of renewable energy. India-Spain economic, trade and investment relations have grown substantially in the last few years and the India-Spain bilateral trade in the year 2011 stood at US$ 5.84 billion. Spain is the 13th largest investor in India with total FDI at US$ 820 million. Spanish investments are in sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, auto components and water desalination/ purification. Spain is the 4th largest producer of wind generated power and is top-ranked worldwide in terms of photovoltaic solar power capacity. The Solar Platform of Almeria (PSA), run under the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is considered one of the largest and best R&D facilities for Concentrating Solar Power Technologies (CSP Technologies).
· India and France signed an Administrative Agreement in the field of Sustainable Urban Development. The Agreement would provide an enabling platform for the officials, professionals, business leaders and local self-governing bodies to meet and share knowledge and best practices in the urban sector.
· UN Women for India and Bhutan has launched South Asia's first virtual knowledge hub in India. The Virtual center for women will work online that will provide a common platform to the women representatives living in rural areas to share their problems and experiences. It will be first of its kind in the world which will function in 9 different languages and empower women through audio visual applications. It will boost up their leadership quality. The centre will also have Interactive mobile technology and community radio. UN Women and India & Norway governments are already running special programmes in 16 districts of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Odhisha, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh to aware elected women representatives and about 65000 women have been motivated to take part in gram sabhas so far. UN Women is a UN organization established in 2010 with the aim to promote for gender parity and women empowerment. Major objectives of UN women are: [1.] To help inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms; [2.] To facilitate member states to hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality, including regular monitoring of system-wide progress; [3.] To assist UN member states implement the required standards, provide suitable technical and financial help to those countries that request it and to build effective partnerships with civil society.
· Sri Lanka’s Economic Development Minister has clarified that Sri Lanka will continue with its policy of training its defence personnel in India or from Pakistan, and despite protests from certain quarters in India, Sri Lanka is not reconsidering any change in the close defence relations that it has with India. Also, the Supreme Court of India has refused to restrain the Centre from training Sri Lankan armed forces. The apex court said, it is a policy matter of the government and it cannot interfere with it.
· Observing that more than 40 percent of the child marriages in the world occur in India, the heads of four UN agencies in India (United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women and UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan) have called upon the government on the issue of child marriage to mark the first International Day of the Girl Child on 11th Oct, 2012. The UN agencies asked the Indian government to pay urgent attention to this and work toward the goal of ending the "harmful practice". The theme this year is “ending child marriage”. The United Nations General Assembly on Dec 19 last year adopted a resolution to declare Oct 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, calling all member countries to recognize the rights of girls.
· National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) is observing International Day for Disaster Reduction on 10th Oct, 2012. Disaster Reduction Day is observed on the second Wednesday of October to raise the awareness about disaster risk reduction. It also encourages people and governments to participate in building resilient communities and nations. This is in line with the United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction which is annually observed to raise public awareness on the issues related to disaster risk reduction. National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), New Delhi, constituted under an Act of Parliament, is an apex National Institute of Government of India with the nodal responsibilities for human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation, public awareness and policy advocacy in disaster management.
· Addressing the Conference on “Responsible Use of Medicine” at Amsterdam, Netherlands, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare has said that India is embarking on an ambitious target of achieving Universal Health Coverage for all during 12th Plan period in which everybody will be entitled for comprehensive health security in the country. It will be obligatory on the part of the State to provide adequate food, appropriate medical care, safe drinking water, proper sanitation, education and health-related information for good health. Further, he said as per WHO's World Health Statistics 2012, almost 60% of total health expenditure in India was paid by the common man from his own pocket in 2009. The Report states that 39 million Indians are pushed to poverty because of ill health every year. Around 30% in rural India did not go for any treatment for financial constraints. About 47% and 31% of hospital admissions in rural and urban India were financed by loans and sale of assets. Also, he informed that India has already enacted the Clinical Establishment Act which will ensure that unnecessary drugs are not prescribed by doctors.
· Addressing the opening session of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CoP-MoP 6) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) from October 1 to 5, Union Minister of Environment and Forest has appealed to countries that have signed the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary Protocol to Cartagena Protocol to “fast track” the ratification. The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol dealt with liability and redress on damage resulting from Living Modified Organisms (LMOs). It was formally declared open by Masamichi Saigo, representative of CoP-MoP 5 that took place in Nagoya in Japan.
· The ongoing International Conference on Biodiversity in Hyderabad, also known as CoP11, has decided to integrate Human Health issues with Convention on Biodiversity. In this regard, a Joint Group will be set up with representatives of the member countries to work out modalities to facilitate joint efforts by Health organizations and the biodiversity conservation organizations. This is the first time that human health related issues have been discussed at the CoP level. CoP11 will encourage Taxonomy scientists for identification and cataloging of living species. A contact Group has been set up to deliberate on methods to integrate Traditional Knowledge with the Biodiversity Convention. CoP also decided to establish a scientific body to discuss ways and means to integrate Traditional Knowledge to serve the objectives of the convention on biodiversity.
· India’s coffee beans planters have reasons to worry as their share in the world production (with 4%) slipped to 7th position in in this coffee year (Oct-Sept, 2011-12) from 6th in 2010-11. New players like Vietnam (second) and Indonesia (fourth) in southeast Asia and smaller countries like Ethiopia (fifth) in Africa have also overtaken India in production, thanks to their geological and climatic advantages and state incentives. Rich volcanic soil, favourable weather conditions through the year, availability of water and lower production costs have enabled these smaller countries remain ahead of India despite 4% increase in our production in 2011-12. Production in India is poised for highest growth ever, thanks to a well-distributed rainfall in 2011, which helped in moisture retention for longer period. The blossom showers (in April/May) across coffee growing zones also helped in posting record growth. Grown mostly in the developing countries and consumed more (about 70%) in developed countries like the US and Europe, coffee is the second largest commodity traded worldwide, with 100 million people engaged in the chain from cherry to cuppa.
· The 8th meeting of Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) was held on Oct 03, 2012 in New Delhi. This is the first ever meeting of the HACGAM in the South Asian Region which is being co-hosted by the Indian Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard under the auspices of Nippon foundation, Japan. HACGAM is an apex level forum facilitating congregation of all the major Coast Guard Agencies of Asian region. This initiative was developed initially in 2004 to discuss cooperation among the member organizations to combat piracy in the region. However, the scope of discussions has been expanded to include law enforcement, maritime security, disaster prevention and relief and capacity building. Presently, there are 21 member organizations from 17 countries that are part of the initiative. These 17 countries includes Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The HACGAM is conducted every year and seven such meetings have been conducted till date. In earlier years, it has been held in places like Tokyo, Putrajaya (Malaysia), Singapore, Manila, Bali, Shanghai and Hanoi.
· India and Pakistan have come together to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at the UN, celebrated as the 'International Day of Non-Violence'. The General Assembly had adopted a resolution in 2007 declaring Gandhi's birthday on October 2 as the 'International Day of Non-Violence'. President of the General Assembly Vuk Jeremic urged the international community to "keep trying to think and act like the Mahatma - and to apply the philosophy of non violence to the decisions we make". Recalling Gandhi message to the United Nations, he called on all members of the UN, especially the five permanent members to "shed their belief in the efficacy of war and its accompanying terrible deception and fraud".
· The MoU on Technology Cooperation in the Shipping and Ports Infrastructure was signed between India and Austria. New technologies for implementation of International Ship & Port Security code, use of radio frequency identification in logistics and transport planning and optical character recognition in terminals to speed up the processing of containers in and out are the areas where Austrian expertise could be utilized in India. Realtime Kinematics (RTK) measurements of tides and currents for facilitations of berth to berth navigation in Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambat could be developed with Austrian expertise. Since more than 300km of Danube river in Austria is used for navigation purpose with a well-developed and regulated inland waterway system their experience and expertise in the field of Inland Water Transport would be beneficial to the development of Inland Water Transport in India.
· Global economy will take a decade to recover from the financial crisis, says Olivier Blanchard, the International Monetary Fund's Chief Economist. Olivier Blanchard said he feared the eurozone crisis, debt problems in Japan and the U.S., and a slowdown in China meant that the world economy would not be in good shape until at least 2018. However, he said that there was no risk of hyperinflation in Europe. Higher inflation in Germany, though, would be beneficial: a somewhat higher inflation rate in Germany should simply be seen as a necessary and desirable relative price adjustment, he said.
· US and British universities continue to dominate in academic excellence but Asia is catching up fast, said an influential education rankings report. The California Institute of Technology kept its top spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2012-2013, which also saw the University of Oxford rising two positions -- ahead of Harvard -- to jointly share second place with Stanford University. The University of Cambridge slipped one place to seventh while the Imperial College London held on to the eight spot. Outside the golden triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, England's world-class universities face a collapse into global mediocrity. The United States retained the overall number one spot with 76 of its universities securing a place in the top 200 institutions, followed by Britain. France has seven institutions in the top 200 compared to five last year. Universities in China, Singapore, Taiwan and especially South Korea witnessed a surge in performance in what was described as evidence of a power shift from the West to the East. [Click here for Graphics]
· Unemployment across the 17 countries that use the euro remained at its record high of 11.4 per cent in August, renewing concerns that efforts to slash debts have sacrificed jobs. In August, 34,000 more people lost their jobs in the eurozone. The unemployment rate the highest since the euro was created in 1999 is the same as July’s 11.3%. Greece and Spain have the highest unemployment rates in the eurozone, around 25 percent for both. Economists note that the very spending cuts that are intended to ease the financial crisis by lowering public debt are what’s pushing unemployment higher and threatening the continent with recession. Some experts urge leaders to instead loosen spending to encourage growth. European countries outside the eurozone are faring slightly better than those inside. For all 27 countries in the EU, the unemployment rate for August held steady at 10.5 percent after the July rate was also revised up slightly.
· The International Monetary Fund will lower its forecasts for global economic growth to 3.3 percent this year and 3.6 percent in 2013 from earlier forecasts of 3.4 percent and 3.9 percent respectively. Chinese growth for 2013 is seen at 8.2 percent, versus a previous IMF estimate of 8.4 percent, Indian growth is seen at 6 percent versus a previous forecast of 6.6 percent and Brazilian growth at 4 percent versus 4.7 percent. [Click here for Graphics: 1, 2]
· The United States has agreed to allow South Korea to possess longer-range missiles that could strike all of North Korea, a development expected to draw an angry response from the North. Under a 2001 accord with Washington, South Korea has been barred from developing and deploying ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and a payload of more than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) because of concerns about a regional arms race. The restriction has made South Korea’s missile capability inferior to that of rival North Korea. The deal also allows South Korea to operate drone aircraft with payloads of up to 2,500 kilograms (1kg = 2.2pounds) with a range of more than 300 kilometers (1km = 0.62miles). Further, North Korea has missiles that can hit South Korea, Japan and the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry. In April, the country conducted a long-range rocket test that Washington, Seoul and others called a cover for a test of long-range missile technology. North Korea says the rocket, which broke apart shortly after liftoff, was meant to launch a satellite. Also, North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, but experts don’t believe it has yet mastered the technology needed to mount a nuclear weapon on a missile. The Korean Peninsula remains officially at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
· Hugo Chavez wins (with ~55% votes) another 6-year term as Venezuela President to pursue his oil-funded socialist revolution. Election experts said the electronic voting system was reliable, but suspicions ran high that whoever lost would not concede defeat. The fate of Chavez, a fierce US critic and the leading voice of Latin America's left, was closely watched by communist ally Cuba, which heavily depends on Venezuela's oil, and other regional partners. The indefatigable Chavez rose to prominence in 1992 when he led a failed coup against then-president Carlos Andres Perez. On leaving prison two years later he embarked on a political career, peppering rousing speeches with Biblical quotes and from Bolivar. Elected Venezuela's youngest president in 1998, at the age of just 44, Chavez set about reforming the constitution and reducing the powers of Congress, easily winning the ensuing 2000 election. If he lasts until the end of this term, Chavez will have served 20 years as Venezuelan leader.
· It's official! Mexico is the most dangerous country in the world – with five of its cities named in a top 10 of deadly global murder capitals. The dubious honour of most violent urban area in the world, however, went to the Honduran metropolis of San Pedro Sula – where 1,143 of its 719,447 citizens were killed in just 12 months. Further, 40 of the 50 most dangerous cities are in Latin America, including 14 in Brazil and a dozen in Mexico. The list of most violent cities for 2011 was topped by San Pedro, Sula Honduras, followed by Juarez, Mexico at 2nd spot and Maceio, Brazil at 3rd place. Acapulco, Mexico and Distrito Central, Honduras stood at 4th and 5th place respectively. Other cities in the top ten are Caracas, Venezuela (6th), Torreon, Mexico (7th), Chihuahua, Mexico (8th), Durango, Mexico (9th) and Belem, Brazil at 10th.
· Australia, Myanmar, New Zealand and Russia, have been admitted to the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting at the first plenary session of the Seventh ASEP which opened in Lao capital Vientiane. With the new members admitted, ASEP has 47 members, among which 16 countries in Asia, 28 in Europe, two in Oceania and the European Parliament, and three observers namely Bangladesh, Norway and Switzerland.
· The Turkish military struck select targets inside Syria. The artillery strikes were in retaliation to mortar fire from Syria into Turkish border in which five civilians were killed. NATO has also condemned Syria for the mortar bombing in Turkey, a NATO member. The Syrian Government has apologized for the incident and said it was investigating the origin of mortar fire.
· In Nepal, a Special Court had convicted a deceased former Minister late Rabindra Nath Sharma on corruption charges. Sharma, who passed away in November 2008 had held the Finance portfolio in 1997, and became Minister earlier also during the panchyati raj regime that fell in 1990. The court has ordered the confiscation of the illegal property which is now with his family members. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a case against the former minister in 2003 which was quashed by the Special Court in June 2007 citing the law of limitations. However, in January 2012 the Supreme Court had ordered the Special Court to reopen the case. According to reports, this is the first time in Nepal's judicial history that a deceased person has been convicted.
· About 30 suspected members of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram have been killed in a gun battle with troops in north-east Nigeria. The killed militants included a senior commander known as one-eyed Bakaka. Boko Haram is fighting to overthrow the government and impose Sharia law across Nigeria. Attacks in central and northern Nigeria attributed to the group have killed an estimated 1400 people since 2010.
· In Egypt, the President Mohammed Morsey has granted amnesty to all those arrested between the beginning of the revolution that led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 till June this year. The announcement comes 100 days after Mohammed Morsey came to power as the first freely elected civilian President of Egypt.
· In Jordan, King Abdullah has appointed Abdullah Nsur as the new Prime Minister in the run up to the parliamentary elections early next year. The appointment comes after Prime minister Fayez Tarawneh and his government resigned ahead of the polls. The election dates will be finalized by the newly established Independent Election Commission. The new Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur is a strong advocate of reforms and crusader against corruption. He takes over the reigns of Jordan at a time when Jordan goes to its first post Arab Spring elections. As per the Jordanian Constitution, the polls are likely to be held within four months of the dissolution of the parliament. However the Islamist opposition led by the Muslim Brotherhood insists that it will boycott the polls. It says the electoral process favours pro Government tribal and rural areas at the cost of heavily populated urban cities which are considered to be the Islamist strongholds.
· The Israeli Air Force had launched air raids in the Gaza strip. The Israeli Military said the targets were a terror activity site in the northern Gaza strip. Palestinian officials in Gaza said a training camp of Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades was attacked and there were no casualties. The Israeli strike came several hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants fired two rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday evening.
· The California-based SpaceX launched its unmanned cargo capsule (Falcon rocket) to the International Space Station. The cargo ship has been loaded with 450 kgs of key science experiments crew supplies -- including ice cream treats and other precious gear. This is the first Dragon launch under a $1.6 billion contract between SpaceX and NASA. The contract calls for 12 resupply missions. This makes Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams happy as she will soon enjoy delicious 'chocolate-vanilla swirl' on board International Space Station (ISS). Blue Bell ice cream has been flown to the space station before.
· Astronomers, including one of Indian origin, have said that a newly-discovered comet could become one of the brightest lights in the sky - even outshining the Moon. It is currently a faint glow streaking between Saturn and Jupiter, but as the Sun’s gravity draws the comet closer, dust and ice will be blasted off, giving it a highly-reflective tail. Depending on how big the tail gets, the three-kilometre wide comet may become more visible for a few months in late 2013 and early 2014. The comet already seems to be following the path of the Great Comet of 1690, which was one of the most stunning ever seen from Earth.
· In a new analysis based on five years of observations using the European Space Agency's Venus Express Satellite, scientists have uncovered a very chilly layer at temperatures of around -175 C in the atmosphere of Venus, indicating carbon dioxide 'snow' on the planet. The curious cold layer is far frostier than any part of Earth's atmosphere, despite Venus being much closer to the Sun. The discovery was made by watching as light from the Sun filtered through the atmosphere to reveal the concentration of carbon dioxide gas molecules at various altitudes along the terminator - the dividing line between day and night sides of the planet.
· In an unexpected finding, astronomers have discovered two dense black holes (10 to 20 times heavier than Sun) inside an ancient global cluster of stars (M22) in the Milky Way. Black holes, so dense that even light can't escape them, are what is left when a massive star reaches the end of its life and collapses in on itself. M22 is about 10,000 light-years from Earth but can be seen clearly with a backyard telescope.
· In another news item it was said that NASA's Swift satellite has found evidence of the presence of a previously unknown stellar-mass black hole in our Milky Way galaxy. Named Swift J1745-26 after the coordinates of its sky position, the nova is located a few degrees from the centre of our galaxy towards the constellation Sagittarius. The satellite detected a rising tide of high-energy X-rays from a source toward the centre of Milky Way and the outburst, produced by a rare X-ray nova, announced the presence of the black hole. An X-ray nova is a short-lived X-ray source that appears suddenly, reaches its emission peak in a few days and then fades out over a period of months. The outburst arises when a torrent of stored gas suddenly rushes toward one of the most compact objects known, either a neutron star or a black hole. The black hole must be a member of a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) system, which includes a normal, Sun-like star.
· Yet, in another news item it was said that an Indian-origin scientist at Cambridge, have discovered a new population of enormous, rapidly growing super-massive black holes (called ULASJ1234+0907) ever seen in the early Universe. The new study that used cutting-edge infrared surveys (by UK Infrared Telescope, UKIRT) of the sky has shown that they are emitting vast amounts of radiation through violent interactions with their host galaxies. This object, located in the direction of the constellation of Virgo, is so far away that the light from it has taken 11 billion years to reach Earth, so we see it as it appeared in the early Universe. Super-massive black holes are now known to reside at the centres of all galaxies. In the most massive galaxies in the Universe, they are predicted to grow through violent collisions with other galaxies, which trigger the formation of stars and provides food for the black holes to devour.
· Russia's Mission Control Center said taht it dropped an earlier plan to move the International Space Station into a different orbit to avoid possible collision with space debris after additional calculations showed that there was no such threat. There are six astronauts, three Russians, two Americans and one from Japan, onboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA estimates that more than 21,000 fragments of orbital debris larger than 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) are stuck in earth's orbit, and experts worry that orbiting junk is becoming a growing problem for the space industry.
· French scientists have discovered that venom (poisonous fluid injected by animal) from one of the world's deadliest snakes, Black Mamba can be used to make a painkiller as powerful as morphine, but without most of the side-effects. The predator uses neurotoxins to paralyse and kill small animals and is one of the fastest and most dangerous snakes in Africa. Morphine acts on the opioid pathway in the brain. It can cut pain, but it is also addictive and causes headaches, difficulty thinking, vomiting and muscle twitching.
· Researchers are harnessing the key attributes of a virus, called M13, to develop the first biological Internet, or ‘Bi-Fi’, by creating a mechanism to send genetic messages from one cell to another. The system greatly increases the complexity and amount of data that can be communicated between cells and could lead to greater control of biological functions within cell communities. It could lead to biosynthetic factories in which huge masses of microbes collaborate to make more complicated fuels, pharmaceuticals and other useful chemicals, including the regeneration of tissue or organs in future.
· A handwritten letter ("God letter", wrote in German) in which Albert Einstein questioned the existence of God is going up for sale online, with bids starting at USD 3 million.
· Australia has unveiled a colossal radio telescope that will allow astronomers to detect distant galaxies and explore the depths of the universe with unprecedented precision. That project will use a forest of antennae, spread across remote terrain, to pick up radio signals from cosmic phenomena that cannot be detected by optical telescopes. It will be 50 times more powerful than current radio telescopes and will explore exploding stars, black holes, dark energy and traces of the universe's origins some 14 billion years ago. The telescope is part of Australia's contribution to the broader US$2.5 billion SKA project, jointly hosted with South Africa and New Zealand, which will have far greater capabilities.
· Ketamine, abused as the party drug "Special K", can provide immediate relief to chronically depressed and treatment-resistant patients, researchers have claimed. Scientists have found evidence that the pediatric anesthetic helps regenerate synaptic connections between brain cells damaged by stress and depression. They said ketamine works on an entirely different type of neurotransmitter system than current antidepressants, which can take months to improve symptoms of depression and do not work at all for one out of every three patients. However, in large doses, ketamine can cause short-term symptoms of psychosis and is abused as the party drug "Special K".
· Male mice can sing like humans, using high-pitched love songs to woo females and even spice up their tunes to overcome any competition, a new study has found. Researchers found the mice have certain brain features, somewhat similar to humans and song-learning birds, which they may use to change their sounds.
· British researcher John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan won this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for the discovery that mature, specialised cells of the body can be reprogrammed into blank slates that can become any kind of cell. The discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shown that specialised cells can turn back the developmental clock under certain circumstances.
· A French-American duo, Frenchman Serge Haroche and American David Wineland, shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for inventing methods to observe the bizarre properties of the quantum particles — research that has led to the construction of extremely precise clocks and helped scientists take the first steps toward building superfast computers. The two researchers use opposite approaches to examine, control and count quantum particles, said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Mr. Wineland traps ions electrically charged atoms and measures them with light, while Mr. Haroche controls and measures photons, or light particles. In an ordinary computer, information is represented in bits, each of which is either a zero or a one. But in a quantum computer, an individual particle can essentially represent a zero and a one at the same time. Making such particles work together, certain kinds of calculations could be done with blazing speed. One example is the factoring, the process of discovering what numbers can be multiplied together to produce a given number. Quantum computers could radically change people’s lives in the way that classical computers did last century, but a full-scale quantum computer is still decades away, the Nobel judges said.
· Americans Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for studies of protein receptors that let body cells sense and respond to outside signals. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the two researchers had made groundbreaking discoveries on an important family of receptors, known as G-protein-coupled receptors. About half of all medications act on these receptors, so learning about them will help scientists to come up with better drugs. The human body has about 1,000 kinds of such receptors, which let it respond to a wide variety of chemical signals, like adrenaline. Some receptors are in the nose, tongue and eyes, and let us sense smells, tastes and vision. The academy said it was long a mystery how cells interact with their environment and adapt to new situations, such as when adrenaline increases blood pressure and makes the heart beat faster. Scientists suspected that cell surfaces had some type of receptor for hormones.
· Mo Yan, a novelist who brought to life the turbulence of the 20th century China in vivid and often graphic works set against the tumult of the Japanese invasion and a struggling countryside, on Thursday became the first writer in China to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The hardships of life in rural China were captured in his breakthrough work Red Sorghum, which brought him nationwide acclaim when made into an award-winning film by renowned director Zhang Yimou in 1987. His sweeping novels often reflected the turmoil of 20th century China, from the Cultural Revolution to the horrors of family planning campaigns, depicted powerfully in his 2009 work Frog, which tells the story of a midwife haunted by the forced abortions she witnesses.
· The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize for fostering peace on a continent ravaged by World War II, yet the Norwegian prize jury warned on Friday that the financial crisis challenging the bloc’s unity could lead to a return to “extremism and nationalism”. The award was hailed at the EU headquarters in Brussels.
· The Nobel week started Monday. The Nobel Prizes were established in the will of 19th century Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. Each award is worth 8 million kronor, or about $1.2 million. The awards are always handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death in 1896. The economics prize, which was not among the original awards, but was established by the Swedish central bank in 1968, will be announced on Oct. 15.
· Sebastin Vettel won the F1 title race of the Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel is a German Formula One racing driver, currently driving for the Austrian racing team Red Bull Racing. He is the current World Champion.
· Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has confirmed he will retire for good at the end of current Formula One season. He initially retired in 2006 but made a comeback with Mercedes in 2010.
· N. Ramachandran was re-elected by acclaim as the World Squash Federation (WSF) president for another four-year term at the 42nd WSF annual general meeting (AGM) in Stockholm. Belgian Hugo Hannes, the current president of the European Squash Federation, was elected the vice-president for the first time, joining re-elected VPs Heather Deayton (Hong Kong) and Mohamed El Menshawy (Egypt).
· Indian judokas bagged two silver and three bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships held in Chinese Taipei. In the Youth Championships, Vijay Kumar Yadav and Besto Rani Devi won a silver each in boys’ 60kg and girls’ 48kg categories respectively. Indian judokas had won one gold, four silver and two bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Lebanon last year.
· Union sports and youth affairs minister has announced that the Centre would soon launch a national level sports programme known as National Physical Fitness Programme (NPFP) on the pattern of Haryana's talent hunt programme 'Sports and Physical Aptitude Test' (SPAT). The Minister futher informed that “Sportspersons from Haryana had won four of the six medals won by the country in last Olympics. If all other states also follow Haryana's model in sports, India can easily rank among top five countries in Olympics.”
· Former India captain Anil Kumble has unanimously appointed chairman of ICC's Cricket Committee (for the two-year term) by the game's governing body, replacing West Indies great Clive Lloyd. Kumble, 41, took 619 wickets in 132 Test and 337 wickets in 271 ODIs wickets during his illustrious 18-year international career.
· West Indies won the ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup after defeating hosts Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 36 runs in the title clash last night. Sri Lanka could not break the jinx of the finals and they have now lost two successive 50-over World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011 and two Twenty-20 World Cup finals in 2009 and 2012.