{News Notes} Daily News Notes: 23rd & 24th Dec, 2012

• Government has decided to constitute a committee of eminent jurists to look into possible amendments to the criminal law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals, accused of committing sexual assault of extreme nature against women. Justice (Retd) JS Verma, former Chief Justice of India will be the Chairman of the committee. The committee shall submit its report within 30 days. The public in general and particularly the eminent jurists, legal professionals, NGOs, Women’s Groups and civil Society members are requested to share with this Committee their views, knowledge and experience suggesting possible amendments in the criminal laws and other relevant laws to provide for quicker investigation, prosecution and trial as also enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault of extreme nature against women. The suggestions can be sent by e-mail to justice.verma@nic.in or through fax at 011-23092675 by January 05, 2013.
• Indian Coast Guard Station Mayabunder, the first CG Station in the North Andaman Islands was commissioned. The station is a part of ongoing efforts by the Coast Guard to strengthen Maritime and Coastal Security and the assets based at Mayabunder will help augment patrolling along the Northern Group of Islands for safeguarding Indian maritime interests.
• During Mayawati’s reign as CM of UP, her secretary Vijay Singh, an IPS officer, signed on documents with comments that CM approves the matter. Current CM Akhilesh Yadav is also continuing the same practice where his secretary Anita Singh, an IAS officer of 1990 batch, signs on files in his name, alleges 1992 batch IPS officer Amitabh Thakur while challenging the practice of secretaries in chief minister office signing documents on CM’s behalf. The court will now have to take a call whether delegation of work by CM to secretary can also include signatures on one’s behalf. It’s also argued that if such an arrangement is allowed, the secretary at times may misuse the power and sign without actually taking CM’s approval. In yet another issue, Virbhadra Singh who is taking over the reign in Himachal Pradesh has sent out a warning to bureaucracy saying officers on re-employment must quit voluntarily. He was upset by the fact that a few bureaucrats had worked too closely with his predecessor Prem Kumar Dhumal. Here is Virbhadra’s quotable quote: “Bureaucracy is like a horse. If the rider is good, it performs well. If the rider is inexperienced, he falls from the horse.”
• In an initiative that would go a long way in boosting the educational prospects of tribal children living in remote and hilly areas, a major Information Technology company (Cognizant) has begun providing funds to recruit teachers for schools located in these difficult terrain. While the head masters try to get local people, the schools do not have enough funds to pay salaries. As such, funding from private sources would help recruit qualified teachers from the hill areas itself and bring down the vacancies in these schools. [an example of a corporate social responsibility]
• Contending that the new amendments to India’s anti-terror legislation (UAPA) passed by Parliament did not meet international human rights standards and are likely to lead to further violations, Amnesty International has urged President not to give assent to the Amendment Bill. It said that the latest amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 were proposed without wide-ranging consultations with civil society and passed without much debate by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The statement said: “Amnesty International acknowledges that India’s authorities have a duty to take effective measures to ensure the security of the population, including against attacks such as the one which occurred in Mumbai. However, security concerns should never be used to jeopardise people’s human rights as established in international law and standards... Human rights organisations have highlighted instances where the UAPA has sometimes been used, with fabricated evidence and on false charges, to detain and try persons defending the rights of Adivasi and Dalit communities and the poor and those peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association. With the latest amendments, it is likely the UAPA would be further used to curb such dissent.” The UAPA was last amended in December 2008 after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
• Chief Information Commissioner Jannat Hussain has promised that the large pendency of petitions filed under the Right to Information Act will be cleared in three months.
• “Mrs. Indira Gandhi had nationalised banks in 1969 so that banking could reach even the most remote villages of India,” Mr. Chidambaram said. “Just like the fundamental rights, citizens should demand banking services as their right and banks should provide them these services,” he added. He said no child should be denied education just because his/her parents did not have enough money. Similarly, no business, no matter how small, should be allowed to stagnate for want of capital. In order that financial inclusion may become a reality, banks should extend more loans to the poor and not treat them as bad borrowers, he said. “Despite banking experiments like Business Correspondents and ultra small branches, people eventually demand brick and mortar branches,” he said.
• National Consumer Rights' Day is being observed on 24th Dec, 2012. It was on this day in 1986 the Consumer Protection Act was enacted by Parliament. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the architect of the Act which mandates establishment of Consumer Protection Councils and Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies at the Centre, State and District levels to protect consumers from exploitation and speedy and effective solutions to their grievances.
• India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by a robust $1.637 billion to touch $296.63 billion during the week ended December 14 on the back of healthy addition of core currency assets, the Reserve Bank of India said in its weekly statistical supplement.
• A renowned Indian-American inventor at IBM, Rangaswamy Srinivasan, has been nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama for the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI). Along with Mr. Srinivasan, President Obama named 12 eminent researchers as recipients of the National Medal of Science (NMS) and 10 extraordinary inventors for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honours bestowed by the U.S. government upon scientists, engineers, and inventors. In 1981, Mr. Srinivasan discovered that an ultraviolet excimer laser could etch living tissues in a precise manner with no thermal damage to the surrounding area. He named the phenomenon Ablative Photo Decomposition (APD). He discovered that while the green laser produced rough incisions, damaged by charring from the heat, the excimer laser produced clean, neat incisions. In 1983, he collaborated with an ophthalmic surgeon to develop APD to etch the cornea. It resulted in a procedure to correct vision known today as Lasik surgery. NMTI & NMS: The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognises those who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness and quality of life and helped strengthen the nation’s technological workforce. The National Medal of Science was created in 1959 and is administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation.
• Egypt’s draft constitution, which is being voted on in a referendum on Saturday, is made up of an introduction, an 11-part preamble and 236 articles. Critics have raised concerns over issues including Islamic law and women’s rights: [1.] Shariah (Islamic) law: Like a previous constitution, the draft states, "Principles of Islamic Shariah are the principal source of legislation." Both critics and ultraconservative supporters of the charter say that opens the doors for stricter imposition of Islamic law. (Shariah means: the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of Mohammed); [2.] Role of clerics (धार्मिक नेता): The draft gives Islamic clerics unprecedented powers with an article stating, "Al-Azhar senior scholars are to be consulted in matters pertaining to Islamic law," referring to the most respected center of scholarship and rulings in Sunni Islam; [3.] Morals: An article commits "the state and society" to "entrenching and protecting the moral values" of "the authentic Egyptian family." Critics worry the broad phrasing will allow not only the government but also individuals to intervene in personal rights; [4.] Women's rights:  The draft mentions women in the framework of the traditional Muslim family, adding, "The state shall ensure maternal and child health services free of charge and ensure reconciliation between the duties of a woman toward her family and her work." The preamble underlines equality "for all citizens, men and women, without discrimination or nepotism or preferential treatment, in both rights and duties." But opponents charge that the document does not protect women from discrimination; [5.] Civil rights: The draft guarantees freedom of expression, creativity, assembly and other rights. It also has a direct ban on torture and stricter provisions limiting detentions and searches by police. But it says the rights "must be practiced in a manner not conflicting with" principles of Shariah or the morals of the family. There is also a ban on insulting "religious messengers and prophets," opening the door to arrests of bloggers and other activists; [6.] News media: Independent publications closed for a day to protest the lack of an article banning arrest of journalists for what they write. The draft has this: "Freedom of the press, printing, publication and mass media shall be guaranteed. The media shall be free and independent..."; [7.] Religious minorities: The draft guarantees the freedom of Christians and Jews to practice their rites, live by their religions' rule on marriage, inheritance and personal status and establish places of worship. But it hedges those rights on the condition they do not "violate public order" and that they will be "regulated by law." In the past, the building of churches has been limited by law because of claims it disturbs public order. The draft guarantees those rights for "the divine religions," meaning Christianity and Judaism, but not others, raising concerns of persecution of smaller sects; [8.] Military: The charter ensures an independent status for the powerful military. The president is the head of the national security council, but the defense minister is the commander in chief of the armed forces and "appointed from among its officers." Control of the military budget is not mentioned. It also allows civilians to be tried before military courts in some cases.
• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has accused the Syrian regime of firing Scud-style missiles at rebels, amid Russian criticism that the West's "dangerous" stance risks bringing chaos to the country and beyond. "I consider it an act of a desperate regime approaching collapse" the chief said. Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to other countries, in particular third world countries. The Russian names for the missile are the R-11 (the first version), R-17 and R-300 Elbrus (later developments). The name Scud has been widely used to refer to these missiles and the wide variety of derivative variants developed in other countries based on the Soviet design.
• South Korean rapper Psy’s hit song ‘Gangnam Style’ has become the first video to clock up more than one billion views on YouTube. The dance video was posted in late July. It has inspired hundreds of parody clips from members of the British army and Thai navy among others. YouTube’s owner Google said the video had been watched seven million to 10 million times a day on average.
• Afghanistan’s Taliban has called for a new constitution as a pre-condition for it joining the nation’s fledgling peace process, according to a declaration issued by representatives at a landmark meeting in France. “Islamic Emirate, for the welfare of their courageous nation, need a constitution that is based on the principles of the holy religion of Islam, national interest, historical achievements, and social justice,” it read. The talks come against a background of accelerating efforts to draw the Taliban and other opponents of President Hamid Karzai into negotiations on how Afghanistan will be run after Western troops withdraw at the end of 2014. The Taliban, who ruled in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, was ousted from power by a U.S.-led invasion and have since waged an 11-year insurgency to topple the U.S.-supported government of Hamid Karzai.
• In a discovery that raises further concerns about the future contribution of Antarctica to sea level rise, a new study finds that the western part of the ice sheet is experiencing nearly twice as much warming as previously thought. The temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), demonstrates a marked increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in average annual temperature since 1958—that is, three times faster than the average temperature rise around the globe. "Even without generating significant mass loss directly, surface melting on the WAIS could contribute to sea level indirectly, by weakening the West Antarctic ice shelves that restrain the region's natural ice flow into the ocean." Due to its location some 700 miles from the South Pole and near the center of the WAIS, Byrd Station is an important indicator of climate change throughout the region.
• Researchers have created the first ever "atlas" of immune cells in the human body, providing a unique view of the distribution and function of T lymphocytes in healthy individuals. T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a major role in cell-mediated immunity, in which the immune system produces various types of cells to defend the body against pathogens, cancer cells, and foreign substances. According to the researchers, the findings establish a baseline for T-cell immunity in healthy individuals. This knowledge can be used to better understand how various tissues respond to site-specific and systemic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The findings can therefore powerfully inform the development of new vaccine strategies.
• Sachin Tendulkar has retired from ODI cricket. Tendulkar finishes an illustrious career in the 50-over format, having played 463 ODIs, scored 18,426 runs and made 49 centuries, each of them a world record. His last ODI was against Pakistan in Dhaka during the Asia Cup, where he made a half-century in India's victory. Tendulkar made his ODI debut on his first international tour, in 1989, against Pakistan in Gujranwala, where he got a duck. He scored his first half-century in his ninth ODI and made an immediate impact when promoted to open the batting in 1994, in an ODI against New Zealand in Auckland, where he smashed 82 in 49 balls. His first century took 79 
• ODIs to arrive but he kept piling them on with remarkable consistency. [read more]
• Nicol David of Malaysia won her seventh Women’s World Open squash title and fifth in a row after beating first-time finalist Laura Massaro of England.
• Holding his nerves amid mounting pressure, P. Kashyap scripted an enthralling climax to win his maiden international badminton title (Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold championship) in Lucknow. In the final, Kashyap outlasted Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk