{Current Affairs} Daily News Notes: 21st to 28th Dec, 2013

· Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was sworn in as seventh Chief Minister of Delhi today. Besides Kejriwal, six other cabinet ministers of the new government were also sworn in at the historic Ramlila Maidan. Interestingly, from 26-year-old Birla to 41-year-old Sisodia, the Cabinet is not just the youngest ever but the first in which all members, including the Chief Minister, are debutante MLAs. The AAP has set a tough deadline for itself as it plans to implement or at least initiate implementation of each of its 18 radical promises — including passage of Jan Lokpal Bill, free water supply of 700 litres per day per family, 50% reduction in electricity tariffs and stripping symbols of VIP culture — in its manifesto within the first two months of coming to power. It hopes to pass the Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill before January 26. Earlier, former Delhi Chief Minister and Senior Congress leader, Sheila Dikshit has welcomed AAP's decision to form government and clarified that Congress' support to AAP is not unconditional but will be for their policies. The BJP said, AAP move to form government with Congress support is compromise of its principles and betrayal of people's verdict. However, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said: “It could be a one-day government or a 5-year government. The day we are not allowed to fulfill even one of our promises we will walk out.”
· At least 26 people including two children were charred to death and 15 injured when a fire broke out in an Air-Conditioned coach of the Bengalore-Nanded express train during wee hours today.
· The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal for setting up of a National Cancer Institute at the Jhajjar campus of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, located in Haryana.
· National Police Academy, the Hyderabad-based alma mater for IPS officers in the country, could soon get a woman chief for the first time in its history. Aruna Bahuguna, a 1979-batch IPS officer, is tipped to be appointed as the new director of the 65-year-old institution, also known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), which is tasked with the training of police leaders. The post of NPA Director fell vacant after incumbent Subhas Goswami was last month appointed as the DG of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Reputed police officers like Sankar Sen, Trinath Mishra and K Vijay Kumar have earlier headed the NPA. The high-level board of the NPA comprises senior civil servants, police officers and eminent educationists as its members and is headed by the Union Home Secretary.
· Important decisions and initiatives taken by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution during the year were follows: [1.] National Food Security Act enacted: As passed by the Parliament, the Government notified the National Food Security Act, 2013 on 10th September, 2013 with the objective to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. The Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population. Persons belonging to eligible households will be entitled to receive 5 Kilograms of foodgrains per person per month at subsidized prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains, provided that existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month. The Act also has a special focus on the nutritional support to women and children. Besides meal to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, such women will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000. Children upto 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals or take home rations as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance. The Act also contains provisions for setting up of grievance redressal mechanism at the District and State levels. Implementation of the Act has started in 4 States viz. Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh and allocation of foodgrains under TPDS under the Act has also been made to them; [2.] Deregulation and Decontrol of Sugar Sector: Acting on the recommendations of Dr. C. Rangarajan Committee, which was constituted to look into the deregulation issues of sugar sector, the government took landmark decisions to dismantle the major regulatory controls on sugar. In tune with the efforts of liberalization, the sugar exports are virtually free now, except for prior registration with DGFT, while the sugar imports entail a reasonable duty of 15%.
· The ‘Mobile Seva’ (the national mobile-governance initiative of DeitY) was dedicated to the citizens. Mobile Seva aims to provide government services to the people through mobile phones and tablets. Mobile Seva enables the integration of the mobile platform with the common e-Governance infrastructure consisting of State Data Centers (SDCs), State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), State and National Service Delivery Gateways (SSDGs/NSDG). It enables a government department to integrate both web and mobile based services seamlessly and enhances the access to electronic services tremendously leveraging the very high penetration of mobile phones, especially in rural areas. Availability of government‐wide shared infrastructure and services enables rapid development and reduced costs for the departments in rolling out mobile based services. Citizens can now directly interact with Government Departments through SMS. As on date, 254 public services have been made available to the citizens.
· At a time when the government talks about inclusive growth, more than 66 years after Independence almost 60 percent of people staying in rural India do not have access to latrine facilities, official data released showed. Data released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) showed "59.4 percent and 8.8 percent households in rural India and urban India, respectively, had no latrine facilities". "Among the households having latrine facilities, 31.9 percent and 63.9 percent households in rural India and urban India, respectively, had access to its exclusive use. About 38.8 percent and 89.6 percent households in rural and urban India, respectively, had access to 'improved' type of latrine," the survey said. The survey collected information about sanitation facilities like availability of bathroom, and availability of latrine and its type, among others.
· The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the key indicators of urban slums in India, generated from the data collected in its 69th round survey during July 2012 to December 2012. Slums are part of urban environment and they are identified by the presence of features of living conditions that are undesirable viz. overcrowding, lack of hygiene and sanitation, inadequacy of drinking water, and poor construction, etc. Both notified slums i.e. areas notified as slums by the concerned municipalities, corporations, local bodies or development authorities and other slums were covered in the survey. Some of the salient findings of the survey are as follows: [1.] NUMBER OF SLUMS: A total of 33,510 slums were estimated to be present in the urban areas of India. About 41% of these were notified and 59% non-notified. Maharashtra accounted for about 23% of all slums in urban India, followed by Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 13.5%, and West Bengal, which had a share of about 12%; [2.] NUMBER OF SLUM HOUSEHOLDS: An estimated 8.8 million households lived in urban slums, about 5.6 million in notified and 3.2 million in non-notified slums; [3.] AVERAGE SLUM SIZE: At the all-India level the average slum size was estimated at 263 households. The average notified slum had 404 households and the average non-notified slum had only 165.; [4.] CHARACTERISTICS OF SLUMS: At all-India level 44% of slums were located on private land. In about 60% of all slums, the majority of houses had pucca structures. 71% of all slums had tap as major source of drinking water. The phenomenon of absence of electricity in slums appeared to be largely confined to non-notified slums. At all-India level only 6.5% of all slums had no electricity. In about 66% of all slums, the road within the slum used by the dwellers as main thoroughfare was a pucca road. About 31% of slums had no latrine facility and had no drainage facility. 27% of all slums had no garbage disposal arrangement. In an estimated 32% of all slums, the approach road to the slum usually remained waterlogged due to rainfall. At the all-India level 24% of slums benefited from welfare schemes such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), or any other scheme run by the Central Government or State Government or any local body.
· State civil servants will now be required to clear a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) written examination and interview to earn a promotion to the three all India services — IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service. Until now, state services officers were being selected for IAS, IPS and IFoS on the basis of their seniority and annual confidential reports (ACRs). The new norms require a state civil service officer to face the written examination comprising two papers — Paper I on aptitude test and Paper II on General Studies and state-specific/service-specific questions to test the knowledge and application of the officers in the critical areas of public administration and development-related issues. There will be a third written paper on essay, comprehension and precis type only for non-state civil services officers, in addition to the two papers. There will also be an interview and assessment of ACR by a board for such officers. An officer should have eight years of a 'Group A' service in a state for all categories (IAS, IPS and IFoS) and must be less than 54 years of age to qualify for the selection process. This maximum age may eventually be brought down.
· All foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) who buy shares in India and do not hold more than 10% in a company will be treated on a par with foreign institutional investors (FIIs) by the income tax authority, which may allow them to pay lower taxes in the country. Market regulator SEBI said that the government has allowed this equitable tax treatment for all entities that qualify as FPIs which, other than FIIs, also include their sub-accounts and also qualified foreign investors (QFIs) like foreign central banks and sovereign wealth funds. Among several benefits, FPIs will not have to adhere to tax deducted as source (TDS) rules and will pay advance tax. Further, Sebi also made ratings of IPOs voluntary. Since May 2007, ratings of all IPOs was mandatory but empirical evidence showed that stock performance of companies going public and their ratings did not have a strong positive correlation. The change is now aligned with the principles laid down by Financial Stability Board (FSB) on reducing the reliance on credit rating agencies, the release said.
· Odisha’s well-known sand artiste, Sudarsan Pattnaik, has created yet another wonder erecting a 35 feet by 75 feet sand idol of Lord Jesus. Pilgrims who are in the temple town during the ongoing festive season are thronging the beach everyday for a glimpse of the marvellous structure. Mr Pattnaik had already created seven world records registered with the Limca Book of Records.
· Within nine days of the Supreme Court judgment upholding Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, according to which homosexuality or unnatural sex between two consenting adults is illegal and an offence, the Centre moved the apex court seeking a review of its ruling. In its review petition on Friday, the Centre said: “The IPC, when enacted in 1860, was justified; but with the passage of time it became arbitrary and unreasonable. Section 377 IPC, insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts in private, falls foul of the principles of equality and liberty enshrined in our Constitution (Articles 14, 15 and 21). Further, Section 377 which criminalises intercourse ‘against the order of nature’ is a reflection of outdated sodomy laws of the United Kingdom which were transplanted into India in 1860.”
· The Environment Ministry on Friday took another step towards implementing the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats, kick-starting the process of a draft notification for the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) in six States (TN, KA, KL, GA, MH, GJ).The High Level working group headed by Planning Commission member K. Kasturirangan had declaring 37% of the area of Western Ghats ESA. Under Act, only activities explicitly mentioned in the formal notification of the ESA are banned, while others are permitted by default. But, keeping protests in Kerala in mind, it made explicitly clear that plantations, agriculture and other routine activities in the ESA, declared under the Environment Protection Act, 1972, would not be restricted or impacted.
· An anti-Naxal operation involving close to 40,000 security personnel has been launched in all affected states with an aim to strike at the root of Maoist formations and cadres. The four-day operations, led by the Central Reserve Police Force, CRPF, started early yesterday in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Officials said, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are also part of this maiden offensive being undertaken against Maoist groups. This is the first time that both central and state forces have launched a coordinated operation to flush out Naxals from their interior hotbeds. CRPF Chief Dilip Trivedi said, the idea is to scramble all the forces at one time so that Naxals cannot flee into neighbouring territories if they feel pressures by the security forces in one area. The operation is being coordinated by the CRPF with other forces like ITBP, BSF, SSB and various state police forces.
· The socio-economic caste census (SECC) undertaken by the Government of India in 2011 to gather information on the condition of people across the country is still far from complete. So far, Haryana, Nagaland and Daman & Diu have published the Draft List. The SECC has seven deprivation indicators to rank households on a scale of 0 to 7. Households with the highest deprivation score will have the highest priority for inclusion in the list of BPL households. Additionally, households without shelter, destitutes, manual scavengers, tribal groups and legally released bonded labourers will have the ‘highest priority’ for inclusion in the BPL list. The census is aimed at identifying BPL households that can benefit from Centre’s welfare schemes.
· The Income Tax Department will now accept Aadhaar Card as a proof of identity and address for issuance of Permanent Account Number (PAN), which is a 10-digit alphanumeric number. Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on behalf of the Government of India. The UIDAI has issued about 51 crore Aadhaar numbers so far with about 11 lakh of such numbers generated every day. Other documents for identify accepted by the Income Tax Department include elector's photo identity card, ration card having photograph of the applicant, passport, driving licence, arms license and photo identity card issued by government or a public sector undertaking. Documents for address proof include, electricity bill, landline telephone or broadband connection bill, consumer gas connection card or book or piped gas bill, bank account statement, passport of applicant or even spouse, among others. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India had also notified that Aadhaar Card is a valid proof for opening of a bank account under the Know Your Customer (KYC) scheme.
· The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its nod for conferring constitutional status on the proposed Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary. The government earlier accepted the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which recommended that the structure and functions of the JAC to replace the present collegium system be governed by a constitutional provision. The JAC Bill seeks to set up a six-member body under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of India for recommending names to the President of individuals with outstanding legal acumen and impeccable integrity and credibility for judgeship in the Supreme Court and the High Courts. The Constitution (120th Amendment) Bill, 2013, provides for the setting up of a Judicial Appointments Commission by inserting Article 124 (A) in the Constitution and amending Articles 124(2), 217(1) and 222(1).
· Heeding to states' plea for simplification of green clearance process, the Union environment and forests ministry has come out with detailed guidelines giving more powers to states by exempting certain category of industries, constructions and mining of minor minerals — including river sand mining projects in medium size lease area — from going through cumbersome and time-consuming procedures. Besides the mining of 'brick earth' (mined for making brick), which was put in the fast-track category earlier, the others that will now have to go through simple green clearance process include setting up of manmade fibre manufacturing units producing fibres from granules or chips and aerial ropeway projects.
· In order to save power while providing efficient lighting on the roads, Rajkot Urban Development Authority (RUDA) has decided to install (light emitting diodes) LEDs in 54 villages under its jurisdiction. Also, the intelligence street light controller will save energy as it will function in accordance with sun rise and sun set automatically. By executing this project, RUDA aims to save on its electricity bill in a big way. In all it will install total 2,000 LEDs at a cost of Rs 7.80 crore.
· The road transport and highways ministry cleared “quadricycle” as a new category of vehicle. Battery-powered or electric four-wheelers will be brought under this category. Quadricycles are seen as safer than three-wheelers as they will have four wheels with fully enclosed body structure with a hard top and doors. These will be allowed to ply only on city roads as transport and not personal vehicles. Quadricycles can carry a maximum of four passengers and goods vehicles can carry 500 kg.
· The Cabinet has allowed Reliance Industries to charge the new gas price for all its fields against a bank guarantee to be encashed if the company is found guilty of hoarding gas, potentially ending a rocky phase in the government’s relationship with India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approved the new formula five months ago, which would double domestic prices to an estimated $8.4 per unit next April. But the decision was not formally notified. The finance ministry had raised concerns about the ongoing arbitration between Reliance and the government, which has accused the company of deliberately cutting gas production by not drilling the agreed number of wells.
· Mr. Sidharth Birla, Chairman of Xpro India Limited took the charge as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on December 21, 2013. He succeeded the HSBC India Country Head Naina Lal Kidwai. FICCI (est. 1927, hq at New Delhi) is the largest and oldest apex business organization in India. ( a non-government, not-for-profit organization)
· The Government of India launched e-inclusion project to make people e-literate. It’s the initiative under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for creating a transparent and accountable governance model for enabling service delivery at the doorstep of citizens. Beneath the project, economically weaker sections of the society including rural SC, ST and women will receive IT training. It will make at least one individual in every household e-literate. The project will improve the quality of life of people, especially those living in rural India and will allow them to actively participate in knowledge based activities and also access financial, social and government services by using Internet.
· The latest round of Annual Health Survey (AHS) has shown only marginal improvement in health indicators in the worst performing districts of the country. Bihar continues to have the highest percentage of girls marrying before completing 18. The mean age of marriage for women has gone up by a few months across the nine States surveyed but varies from 20.1 years in Bihar to 22.4 years in Odisha. The replacement level of Total Fertility Rate (TFR) — average number of children born to a woman during her entire reproductive span — of 2.1 has been achieved in only 29 of the 284 AHS districts whereas in baseline it was 20 districts. Eight districts have recorded increase in TFR – Indore, (MP) Baghpat, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Gonda, Lalitpur, Pilibhit and Rampur – all in U.P. An equal number of districts have recorded maximum decrease in TFR – Sehore (MP), Basti, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, and Siddharthnagar – all in U.P. Further, Madhya Pradesh has shown a marked improvement in institutional deliveries as the percentage has touched 80 as against 76 in the baseline study, but in Chhattisgarh only 40 per cent women deliver in healthcare facilities.
· India is likely to overtake Japan in 2028 to become the third largest economy in the world after China and United States, according to London-based economic consultancy Cebr. As per Cebr's World Economic League table report for 2013, India has lost a place in the league table in 2013 to Canada and is now the 11th largest economy in the world. In the 2013 league table, India is at the 11th place with a GDP of $1,758 (RPT 1,758) billion, and by 2018 the country is likely to be at the 9th place with a GDP of $2,481 billion, and by 2023 it would be at 4th place, with GDP size of $4,124 billion, and it will claim 3rd spot with GDP of $6,560 billion by 2028, it said. By 2023, India and Brazil would be "on the march" and are likely to claim the 4th and 5th place, respectively. By the year 2028, the league table will be reordered. China will move to the number one place, followed by the United States (2nd), India (3rd), Mexico (9th) and Canada (10th). The report further said China's GDP in dollar terms is likely to overtake the US in 2028 - much later than most previous predictions. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom would overtake Germany to become the largest Western European economy 'around 2030', it added.
· At least six Goans (people of Goa) on an average are changing their nationality daily to become Portuguese since the last five years, according to the records available with the Election Commission of India (ECI) at Panaji. A total of 11,500 Goans have surrendered their Indian passport to obtain Portuguese passport between January 31, 2008 to January 31, 2013. Goa, a Portuguese colony, was liberated from colonial rule in 1961 but the former rulers have relaxed certain norms for those Goans who want to get citizenship of that country. By the year 2018, the emerging economies will be "on the move". Russia would be at the 6th place; India 9th, Mexico 12th, Korea 13th and Turkey 17th, it said.
· India is poised again for a more active role in Syria, after having been involved in unsuccessful attempts to resolve the conflict when it was a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for two years. India has been informed about its invitation to Geneva II, the U.N.-sponsored international conference on Syria, scheduled for next month. The first meeting resulted in the Geneva communiqué that supported a political transition without insisting on President Bashar-al Assad’s exit and a transition plan. India was also an Observer in Friends of Syria, a grouping that tried to push through regime change. Simultaneously, India is likely to join international efforts to destroy Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons. New Delhi is exchanging documents with the Organisation for the Protection of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for finalising the details. India was an early supporter of Russia’s proposal for keeping Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons in safe custody, even while opposing military intervention and moving toward a political settlement, possibly with Geneva-II.
· Conceding a long-standing Nepali demand, India has allowed the land-locked Himalayan nation to import bulk cargo from third countries through two more customs points as against the present single-point only. The meeting also allowed Nepal to import agriculture and livestock-related products from India frequently. According to the agreement, Nepal has been allowed to import hybrid cows from India to fulfill its daily dairy requirement. India also agreed to allow plying from Indian ports to Nepal of vehicles imported from third countries. Till now, Nepali traders had to bring such imports only using containers or wagons. This provision only permits vehicles imported via third countries at Haldia port in Kolkata. Further, India also remains Nepal's largest source of foreign investment and Indian accounts for 40 percent of the total foreign investments in Nepal. Further, the two sides agreed to step up efforts to check unauthorised trade and control trade in fake Indian currency, according to officials. They also agreed on a 14-point agenda to enhance trade, promote cooperation and address concerns of the private sector of both sides, according to an official statement. Nepal agreed to adjust the 5 per cent agriculture reforms charge it has been charging on Indian exports. India agreed to resolve difficulties related to export of Nepali books and newspapers.
· In a major relief for India, The Hague-based International Court of Arbitration has rejected Pakistan's objections by upholding New Delhi's right to divert water from the Kishenganga/Neelum river below the Kishenganga hydro-electric project (KHEP) for power generation in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has claimed that the project would rob it of 15 per cent of its share of river waters. It also accused India of trying to divert the river to harm Pakistan's Neelum-Jhelum hydro-electric project (NJHEP). Further, the court, in its final award, also decided that both India and Pakistan may seek "reconsideration" of its decision through the Permanent Indus Commission and the mechanisms of the Indus Waters Treaty after a period of seven years from the first diversion of water from the Kishenganga river." The Indus Waters Treaty is an international agreement signed by India and Pakistan in 1960 that regulates the use waters of the Indus system of rivers by the two neighbours. The KHEP is designed to generate power by diverting water from a dam site on the Kishenganga to the Bonar Nallah, another tributary of the Jhelum, through a system of tunnels, with the water powering turbines having a capacity of 330 mw.
· India's strong concerns over the security and mandate of its peacekeepers in South Sudan have found support from several UN Security Council members (including Russia) and troop contributing countries like Pakistan and Guatemala. The Council unanimously passed a resolution that directly addresses the situation faced by Indian soldiers. India, which lost seven of its soldiers this year, highlighted issues related to the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan, UNMISS, especially the difficult conditions in which the Indian peacekeepers work, standing in the frontline of violence. Tensions within South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011 after seceding from Sudan, burst out into open conflict on December 15 when the government led by President Salva Kiir said soldiers loyal to former deputy president Riek Machar, dismissed in July, launched an attempted coup.
· China's top legislative committee has expressed support for the abolition of re-education through labour camps introduced more than half a century ago, saying they had served their purpose. The standing committee of the parliament, the National People's Congress, also backed the easing of another unpopular decades-old policy, the one-child limit.
· Egypt’s Prime Minister (Hazem El) Beblawi has declared Muslim Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation”, hours after a car bomb targeted a police building that left at least 14 people dead and over 100 injured. The condemnation of the Muslim Brotherhood – considered the largest and best-organised political force in Egypt, came weeks ahead of a referendum on a new constitution that is described as a major step toward returning to democracy since the military removed President Mohammad Mursi in July.
· China on Monday indicated it will continue providing support for civilian nuclear energy projects in Pakistan, despite concerns voiced by some countries that recent agreements have violated international guidelines governing nuclear trade. Last month, Pakistan formally inaugurated two 1,100 MW projects at the second and third phases of the Karachi nuclear power project. The deals follow Chinese support to the nuclear complex at Chashma, where two reactors have been constructed with Beijing’s assistance. The agreements for third and fourth reactors in Chashma, signed in 2009, triggered controversy as they were the first deals signed by China following its joining of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The nuclear trade body forbids members from transferring technology to countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India obtained a waiver from the body only after undertaking various commitments.
· Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the fabled AK-47 automatic rifle, died on Monday. AK-47’s name stands for “Kalashnikov’s Automatic” and the year it was designed, 1947. Kalashnikov designed a weapon that became synonymous with killing on a sometimes indiscriminate scale but was seen in the Soviet Union as a national hero and symbol of Moscow’s proud military past.
· In one of the research it was found that the Indians consume about 4 grams per day of sodium (about 9.5 grams per day of salt). This is nearly twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Chinese consume 4.8 grams of sodium (12 g salt) per day. Many countries in Central Asia are taking sodium through salt in excess of 5 grams per day. The global average salt intake in 2010 was around 10 grams per person per day, corresponding to 4 grams per day of sodium, according to the study. In 181 of 187 countries (corresponding to 99.2% of the world adult population) studied by researchers led by the University of Cambridge and Harvard School of Public Health, national intakes exceeded the WHO recommended intake of 2 grams per day of sodium (about 5 grams per day of salt). High or low salt diets are both harmful, earlier studies have found. The risk of heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, and death from heart disease increased significantly when people consume more than 7 grams or less than 3 grams of sodium a day. As lower sodium levels decrease, triglyceride levels increase, which leads to increased insulin resistance and thus increased risk of heart disease.
· Chinese Scientists have developed a safe, accurate and low-cost method to select genetically normal embryos for the IVF procedure, increasing a couple's chance of producing a healthy child. The In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) procedure involves joining a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory dish and then transferring embryos into the woman's womb. Various procedures are currently available to detect genetic defects in embryos prior to implantation, but these approaches are often invasive, requiring the removal of cells from the growing embryo, and do not simultaneously detect both chromosomal abnormalities and DNA sequence variations associated with genetic disorders.
· The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report said the month of November was the hottest experienced on Earth since record-keeping began in 1880. "The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for November 2013 was record highest for the 134-year period of record, at 0.78 degrees celsius above the 20th century average of 12.9 degrees celsius," the report said. According to the report, this is the 37th consecutive November that has had higher-than-usual temperature when compared with the 20th century average. "The last below-average November global temperature was November 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for any month was February 1985," NOAA said.
· The SASTRA-Ramanujan Award 2013 was presented to Peter Scholze from Mathematics Institute, University of Bonn, Germany, at a function held at Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre of the Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA) University, at Kumbakonam. He gave a new proof of the Local Langlands Conjecture for p-adic local fields that was published in two papers. The prize was aimed at recognising exceptional talent in mathematics.
· 24th December is observed as “National Consumer Rights Day” in India, since on this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted. The Consumer Protection Act provides for effective safeguards to consumers against various types of exploitations and unfair dealings, relying mainly on compensatory rather than a disciplinary or preventive approach. With a large consumer base of 1.27 billion ( 52% males and 48% females) constituting nearly 17.31% of the world’s population, the demography of Indian consumer shows an interesting pattern pointing towards a young consumer base which believes in market mechanism. The Constitution of India provides for protection of rights of an individual and also enjoins the State to adhere to the Directive Principles.
· Kisan Diwas or Farmers' Day was observed on 23rd Dec across the country to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
· Attorney Nandita Berry has been appointed the Secretary of State for Texas, making her the first Indian-American to occupy the post in the southern US state. The Secretary of State’s Office serves as the formal repository for official and business records, publishes government rules and regulations, keeps the state seal and attests to the governor’s signature on official documents. “Arriving from India at the age of 21 with nothing but USD 200 to her name, she worked diligently to earn her law degree and has since become one of the most accomplished attorneys in the state.”
· India, as the declared host of the under-17 World Cup football in 2017, savoured the feeling of hosting the symbol of ultimate supremacy in the sport – the FIFA World Cup Trophy – which made a stop in Kolkata on Sunday as part of its 88-country trip. The glittering trophy carved out of 4927gm of pure gold was received by Sachin Tendulkar.
· Tennis champions Rafael Nadal and SerenaWilliams have been named as sportsman and sportswoman of the year by French sports dailyL’Equipe . Nadal returned from seven months on the sidelines to win the French Open, US Open and five Masters series titles as he returned to the world no. 1 spot. Williams produced one of the finest years of her career at 32, winning her second French Open as well as the US Open to take her haul of Grand Slam titles to 17.