CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR PRE 2009

JULY 2008

Manmohan unveils action plan on climate change
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said climate change was a challenge that could be overcome only through global, collaborative and cooperative efforts.
He was releasing the ‘National Action Plan on Climate Change’, ahead of the G-8 Summit to be held in Japan next week.
Key components
 The National Action Plan encompasses a broad and extensive range of measures, and focusses on eight missions, which will be pursued as key components of the strategy for sustainable development.
 These include missions on solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, conserving water, sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, creating a “Green India,” sustainable agriculture and, finally, establishing a strategic knowledge platform for climate change.
 The mission for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem will include measures for sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan glacier and mountain ecosystem as it is the source of key perennial rivers.
 The Green India mission will enhance ecosystem services including carbon sinks, to be called Green India.
 The sustainable agriculture mission intends making agriculture more resilient to climate change by identifying and developing new varieties of crops that are thermal-resistant and capable of withstanding extreme weather.
 The mission on strategic knowledge will identify challenges and develop responses to climate change.
 The solar mission will be launched to significantly increase the share of solar power in the total energy mix while recognising the need for expanding the scope of other renewable and non-fossil options such as nuclear energy, wind energy and biomass.
 Under the national mission for enhanced energy efficiency, four new initiatives including a market-based mechanism to improve the cost-effectiveness of improvements will be put in place.
 With solid waste proving a major challenge, the action plan stresses recycling material and urban waste management, and developing technology to produce power from waste.
 The mission on sustainable habitats will include a major research and development programme, focussing on biochemical conversion, waste water use, sewage utilisation and recycling options wherever possible.
 The water mission will develop a framework to optimise water use through regulatory mechanisms.
Three apex tribal research institutes to be set up
 The Union Tribal Affairs Ministry has decided to set up three apex tribal research institutes for undertaking research on ground and to suggest application-oriented projects for tribal development.
 The institutes, to be set up in Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, will also suggest action plans for the promotion of culture and language of tribal communities.
Protecting an archipelago
 The Norwegian government said that it would restrict travel to Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean, to protect the vulnerable natural environment there.
 Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, between Norway and the North Pole. Cruise traffic to the islands has increased ten-fold in just a few years and this summer over 30,000 tourists will visit there.
New Indian research station at the Arctic
 India now has its own research station at the Arctic ‘Himadri’. The station is at Ny-Alesund in Norway, which is the northern-most permanent human settlement, 1,200 km from the North Pole. Ny-Alesund is the playground for scientists interested in Arctic research.
 With Himadri, India has become the 11th country to have established a full-fledged research station here. The others are Britain, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, South Korea, The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.
 India began its Arctic research programme in August 2007 with five scientists. The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research(Goa), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, will manage Himadri. NCAOR has been coordinating India’s polar research.
 The facility has been set up under a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre. It is meant as a safety net against any loss of seed diversity in traditional gene banks due to accidents, equipment failures, natural disasters, mismanagement or funding cuts
Clemenceau to be broken up in the U.K.
 The asbestos-contaminated obsolete French aircraft carrier Clemenceau which was in controversy for dismantling in india will be finally broken up in the U.K.
B.C. Roy awards for 55 doctors
 President Pratibha Patil presented the B.C. Roy National Awards for Medicine to eminent doctors. The doctors were felicitated for their contribution to medical research, teaching and development of specialities in various branches of medicine.
 The awards for 2005, 2006 and 2007 were given to 55 doctors for their contribution to various medical disciplines, including psychiatry, gastroenterology, oncology, urology and cardiology.
 Some of the eminent doctors who received the awards include cardiologists Naresh Trehan and K.K. Agrawal, gastroenterologist Ajay Kumar of Apollo hospital, AIIMS endocrinologist Anoop Misra and oncologist Lalit Kumar.
 Dr. S.M. Balaji, the maxillofacial surgeon from Chennai, was among the recipients.
 Dr. Rayapu Ramesh Babu, Dr. P. K. Bilwani and Dr. Prakash B. Behere were honoured with the award for their contribution to socio-medical relief. For their contribution to medical research, Prof. P. Varalakshmi, Dr. R.K. Dhiman and Dr. S.R. Mittal were awarded.
 Dr. Anupam Sachdeva received it for his research in medicine and allied sciences.
 Dr. Alka Kriplani, Dr. A.K. Mahapatra, Dr. Drupad Nautamlal Chhatrapati and Dr. Ganesh Gopalakrishnan were honoured with the award for medical teaching.
Raise creamy layer ceiling, says BC panel
 The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has recommended that the income ceiling for the creamy layer among the Other Backward Classes be increased to Rs. 4.5 lakh from Rs. 2.5 lakh a year for employment and admissions to higher education institutions.
 If accepted by the government, the recommendation will mean excluding a larger number of people from the ‘socially advanced classes (creamy layer)’ among the OBCs. This, in turn, will benefit more people in the 27 per cent reservation category in getting posts and joining services in the government and in admissions to higher education institutions under the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.
Afghanistan seeks NGO’s help on local governance
 The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development have requested the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, a Doon-based non-government organisation, to frame and draft a policy paper as well as an Act for Local Governance in Afghanistan.
 The organisation has also been asked to train the officials and elected representatives of Afghanistan in local self-governance, according to Kendra chairperson Avdhash Kaushal.
 The request is a sequel to a memorandum of understanding signed between India and Afghanistan on April 10, 2006.
Liberhan panel gets another extension

Even as it was expected that the justice M.S. Liberhan Commission, set up to inquire into circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya, would submit its report, the Ministry of Home Affairs today has granted yet another extension to the commission.
 It is the 46th extension for the commission and it will be for three months till September 30. The term of the commission, had ended yesterday.
 The panel was appointed within a fortnight of the demolition of the structure at the disputed site on December 6, 1992, to inquire into the circumstances that led to the incident.
Jr Asia Cup: Gurbaz to lead

Midfielder Gurbaz Singh of Punjab will lead an 18-member Indian team for the sixth Junior Men's Asia Cup Hockey Tournament to be held at the Gacchibowlis stadium in Hyderabad from July 11 to 18. Eight teams will feature in the tournament.
All northeast capitals will be linked by rail: Manmohan
 All capitals of the northeastern States will be linked by rail, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
 Infrastructure deficiency in the region remained a major concern. So infrastructure projects there were given the status of “national projects” with a special funding pattern.
 “Airports are being modernised and new ones are being built. An ambitious programme of road building has been taken up under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme and Rs. 31,000 crore is being invested in roads in the 11th Five Year Plan period. There are relaxed guidelines for rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana so that even the farthest hamlets on the border are linked by road.”
 The Prime Minister was releasing a document, “North Eastern Region Vision 2020,” which has been approved by the Northeastern Council. It envisages a slew of development schemes.
 Along with infrastructure development, focus should be on agricultural and rural development in the northeast, which “requires a second Green Revolution specific to the region.”
DRDO tests multi-functional displays

 Multi functional displays (MFD) in combat jets will now be indigenously manufactured. Defence Research Development Organisation and Samtel, an Indian company in avionics, had got clearance for flight testing of indigenously manufactured MFD from RCMA (Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness), and has subsequently tested the equipment.
 MFD is a device that puts all aircraft systems monitoring and flight planning functions at the pilot's fingertips. MFD paints a composite view of the aircraft’s environment, providing the pilot with all necessary information to make safe decisions during every phase of the flight. Engine performance and situational data such as location, terrain, traffic, weather and airport information are all digitally depicted and can be quickly interpreted at a glance on the large format display.
4-day emergency in Mongolia
 Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared a four-day state of emergency as protesters went on the rampage in the capital claiming that weekend elections were rigged.
 Public gatherings and independent media broadcasts were also banned.
 The action came after thousands of people took to the streets of the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator yesterday to voice their outrage at weekend elections they claim were rigged.
RMoney makes debut in Saudi Arabia
 Anil Dhirubhai Ambani-owned Reliance Money announced its debut in Saudi Arabia launching a new company — Riyada Reliance Money (RRM) — in collaboration with Bahrain-based Riyada Consulting, a leading management consultancy and advisory company in the region.
 With this, Reliance Money becomes the first Indian corporate to start operations and offer financial services in Saudi Arabia termed as the largest financial market in the Gulf and also having the largest population of NRIs (non-resident Indians).
Panel moots special schedule for nomadic tribes
The National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes urged the government to act fast in the interest of neglected tribes in India, saying, "further delay of their rights would go against the interest of the nation."
 In a two-volume report on the condition of tribes in India, submitted to the government, the commission recommended the creation of a separate schedule to accommodate tribes, which number over 10 crore in India.
 For this, a constitutional amendment will be required, states the report further recommending the extension of Prevention of Atrocities Act (applicable to SCs/STs) to tribes as well.
 The report argues for 10 per cent reservation for tribes under the Constitution because the tribes comprised 10 per cent of India's population and needed to be compensated for years of neglect.
 Chairperson of the commission Balakrishna Renake
 The most significant recommendation of the commission is the creation of a separate schedule and a separate department/ministry at the Centre to handle the issues of tribes.
 Commision recommended state and district-level advisory committees to look into the problems being faced by tribes and a separate state-level ministry. The committees must be headed by the Chief Minister at the state level and the district collector at the district level adding that tribes may be called scheduled communities on the lines of SCs and STs, and granted constitutional safeguards.
 The government had set up the commission two years ago to review the condition of tribes notified and denotified, and suggest welfare measures to improve their lot.
India to get Russian nuclear submarine
 India will get its first Akula class Russian nuclear submarine (christened INS Chakra) next year, equipping its Navy with the quietest and lethal underwater war machine after a gap of 17 years to enhance its water capabilities.
 it would be delivered by September 2009.
 According to experts, Chakra would help India fill the void caused by the delays in the Advanced Technology Vessel project to build a nuclear powered, guided missile attack submarine.
 Akula (Shark) is the quietest Russian attack submarine and Chakra has been christened after its predecessor leased by the Indian Navy in 1988, from the erstwhile USSR.
 In January 1988, ex-USSR had leased K-43 nuclear submarine of project 670 (NATO codename Charlie) which was with the Indian Navy as INS Chakra till March 1991, when under the intense US pressure beleaguered Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had refused to extend the lease.
Lloyd to succeed Gavaskar
Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd will succeed Sunil Gavaskar as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee after Pakistan withdrew the nomination of Majid Khan for the high-profile post.
G-8: world economy will be in focus
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold talks with heads of government on the sidelines of the G-8 summit in Hokkaido, Japan. He will hold discussions with leaders from China, Russia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia.
 Many of the G-8 countries and the special invitees (Outreach 5) are Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) members. In case India finalises a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the next step will be to get unanimous exemption from the 45-country NSG.
 The five special invitees — Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa — have been seeing a more fulfilling role for themselves at these meetings ever since last year’s G-8 summit decided to involve them more intimately in their deliberations.
 G-8 will also interact with Outreach 5 on launching a dialogue involving four issues — research, investment, energy and development. Developing countries found the draft report one-sided and got their viewpoint included in the interim report to be taken up July 9. The mandate is to complete the process by the next G-8 summit in Italy .
SAARC action plan on climate change
 Members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have adopted a three-year action plan on climate change.
 The plan was adopted at the SAARC ministerial meeting on climate change, which was held in Dhaka on July 1-2. The delegates released a declaration - Dhaka Declaration - on climate change. The draft declaration urged the international community for partnership development in this regard by providing additional financial resources, as already agreed upon

 The action plan, covering 2009-2011, focuses on seven thematic areas - from adaptation of climate change to regional stance for international negotiations. It emphasises on policies and action for climate change mitigation, technology transfer, financing and investment mechanism, education, training and awareness, monitoring, assessment and management of impact and risks due to climate change.
India, US sign education accord

 India and the US signed an agreement for financing certain education exchange programmes to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of education.
 The agreement was signed by foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and US Ambassador David C. Mulford.
 The agreement supersedes the Fulbright Agreement revised in 1963 (after it was first signed in 1950 between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then US Ambassador to India Loy Henderson).
 Under the new agreement, India and the US shall henceforth implement the scholarship programme as full partners and increase by 100 per cent the total scholarship amount awarded annually to $5 million.
 At present about 100 Indian students/ researchers visit the US from India and a 100 US awardees visit India each year under the Fulbright Programme.
Wimbledon 2008
THE RESULTS
Women’s singles: Final: 7-Venus Williams (USA) bt 6-Serena Williams (USA)
Men’s doubles: Final: 2-Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic bt 8-Jonas Bjorkman .
Mixed doubles: Semifinals: Bob Bryan (USA) & Samantha Stosur (Aus) bt 12-Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Liezel Huber (RSA)
French honour for Yash Chopra


Filmmaker Yash Chopra (right) toasts the crowd after being conferred the Officier de la Legion d’Honneur during a function at the French Embassy in New Delhi. Looking on is French Ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont.
Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra was decorated with the prestigious Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) by the French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont.
Instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the highest French distinction was conferredon Mr. Chopra in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema.
Award presented to Sunita Williams
 Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams received the Padma Bhushan here from Indian Consul-General S.M. Gavai.
Wimbledon 2008

Grass court gladiators: Roger Federer staged one of the most astonishing comebacks in Wimbledon history on Sunday. The five-time champion came back from two sets down against Rafael Nadal to win a pair of tiebreaks and tie the final at two sets apiece in the 122nd championships. The Swiss maestro fought off two championship points to take the fourth set tiebreak. The players were locked 2-2 in the deciding fifth set when rain interrupted play for a second time.Nadal won the first two sets and Federer took the following two.
IAF team to leave for U.S. today
 A 247-strong contingent of the Indian Air Force will leave for the U.S. to participate in the 15-day multinational air exercise “Red Flag 08,” scheduled to be held at the Nellis Air Force Base from August 9.
 The IAF will involve eight SU-30 MK-Is, two IL-78 air-to-air refuellers and one IL-76 transport aircraft. The contigent comprises 156 personnel below the officers rank and 91 officers (including 10 members of ‘Garud’ — IAF’s special force).
 The “Red Flag” exercise, conceived in 1975, is held thrice every year at the Nellis Air Force Base. Besides the USAF, this exercise will see the participation of the South Korean Air Force and the French Air Force.
Mizo Jews may migrate to Israel
 Mizo Jews, who call themselves Bnei Menashe and claim descent from the tribe of Mannasseh, one of the 10 tribes exiled from Israel by the Assyrians 2,700 years ago, may soon leave for the 'Promised Land'
 The United Messianic Youth Council (UMYC), India, the apex body of the Messianic in the country headquartered in Imphal (Manipur) also recently announced that in April 2008 the Supreme Court of Israel allowed 'Indian Jews' to secure Israeli citizenship.

 The Israeli Supreme Court on April 16 this year overturned its previous ruling and ruled that Mizo Jews could get the Israeli citizenship according to the 'Law of Return' as per a petition filed by the US-based United Messianic Jews Congregation.
 The Israeli law defines a Jew as 'a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has converted to Judaism'.
 A Mikvah or spiritual bath of the Jews was erected at Hnamte's bamboo industry premises at the Zuangtui locality near here, where they were formally converted in 2006 to Judaism by the rabbis.
 People like Hnamte claim that there was a sizeable population in the North-Eastern region, particularly among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities following the Jewish faith who have been migrating to Israel.
Tendulkar best Asian ODI batsman
 Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was named the best Asian one-day batsman at the inaugural Asian Cricket Council (ACC) awards ceremony in Karachi .
 Tendulkar, who is recovering from a groin injury, could not make it to the ceremony and India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni collected the award on his behalf.
 Three Sri Lankans walked away with top awards with wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara receiving the best Asian Test batsman award while country-mates Muttiah Muralitharan and Farveez Maharoof named the best Asian Test and ODI bowlers respectively.
 Former India and Pakistan captains Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan were also honoured with special awards named "legendary cricketers" of both countries.
 The ACC also gave away a special award of "best administrator" to Colonel (retd) Nur Khan, former President of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who played a significant role in forming the ACC.
Special notes to mark Olympics
 The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is to issue a commemorative bank note with a face value of 10 yuan ($1.46) from to mark the Beijing Olympic Games.
 The PBOC said it would issue a total of 6 million such notes, which would be circulated in the market with the same denomination as the ordinary 10-yuan notes.
 Above the picture is the emblem of the Beijing Games, “Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing.” The picture of national stadium and the emblem are both set against the backdrop of the Temple of Heaven, one of the country’s best-known landmarks.
Indian woman in Olympic torch relay on Chinese soil
 Meena Barot, 36, a businesswoman, became the only Indian to run in the relay on Chinese soil when she held up the Olympic torch for the about 60-metre trot on Monday morning. The run was part of the relay in the northwestern city of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province.
 Joining Ms. Barot were two women expatriates from the United States and Venezuela, as well as five men from the Philippines, Germany, Japan, Colombia and Russia.
ISRO, French space agency ink pact
 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French Space Agency Centre, National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), have recently signed an agreement on the policy for distribution of data received from Megha Tropiques, an Indo-French collaborative satellite for tropical weather monitoring scheduled for launch during 2009.
 This policy enables the global scientific community to have free access to the satellite data for weather and climate change studies.
 Megha Tropiques carries four payloads — a microwave radiometer, a humidity sounder, a radiation measuring instrument and a radio occultation sounder for atmospheric studies. This data is expected to enhance understanding of the tropical weather phenomena including the monsoon.
Small satellite mission
 The meeting, held on July 5 and 6, also reviewed the status of SARAL, a small satellite mission with payloads from CNES to study the ocean. The satellite carries a Ka band altimeter and a payload for reception of ARGO floats deployed all over the world oceans.
 The altimeter data will provide support in coastal environment studies and tsunami-preparedness.
 Scientists from ISRO and CNES also exchanged ideas for cooperation in conceiving space-based systems and methodologies, to understand tropical weather and climate better.
Negi finishes joint first
 India’s Parimarjan Negi finished joint first with Slovakian GM Lubomir Ftacnik, and East European GMs Alex Moiseenko and Evgeny Najer at the end of the ninth and final round of the Open section of the 36th World Open chess tournament.
Wimbeldon 2008

Bob Bryan (left) of the USA and Australia's Samantha Stosur hold their trophies aloft after wining the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon.
Differences persist on response to climate change
 At their summit meeting leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations, the G8, affirmed that they would stick to the goal of reducing global emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, but insisted that “this global challenge can only be met by a global response, in particular, by the contributions from all major economies.”
 That meant “all major economies will need to commit to meaningful mitigation actions to be bound in the international agreement to be negotiated by the end of 2009.”
 Ahead of their meeting with the G8 leaders on Wednesday, the leaders of the five Outreach countries, the G5, which includes India, were clear that the developed countries must take the lead in achieving the reduction in emissions as quantified in the Kyoto Protocol, that is at least 25-40 per cent reduction by 2020 and between 80 and 95 per cent reduction by 2050.
 The Indian position was articulated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he said that while India would not accept targeted reductions in emissions, he could ensure that per capita carbon emissions, which today were 1.2 tonnes against 20 tonnes in the United States, would be no higher than the average of the developed world.
 They proposed to hold an energy forum that would contribute to a dialogue between producers and consumers as well as training the focus on energy efficiency and new technologies.
 On the negotiations to secure agreement in the Doha round of talks at the World Trade Organisation, the G8 leaders said they were determined to work urgently to conclude negotiations and asked all WTO members to make “substantial contributions” so that the modalities for agriculture and non-agriculture market access are established.
Paris to give honorary citizenship to Taslima
 Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen will become an honorary citizen of Paris, as soon as the city council approves a proposal.
New Governors for Goa,Maharashtra, Manipur & H.P
 Goa Governor S.C. Jamir has been appointed the new Governor of Maharashtra.
 Manipur Governor Shivinder Singh Sidhu appointed in the place of Mr. Jamir for the remainder of his termas governor of Goa.
 Mr. Gurbachan Jagat will replace Mr. Sidhu in Manipur.
 Prabha Rau has been appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
Barge-mounted sea water desalination plant commissioned
 The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has commissioned a barge-mounted sea water desalination plant for technology demonstration.
 The 50,000-litre-a-day capacity plant will be parked by the Indian Rare Earth (IRE) in one of its units either in Kerala or Orissa, said P.K. Tiwari, Head, desalination division of BARC.
 The plant uses reverse osmosis technology. BARC had developed the technology for water purification of brackish water but was still working on the technology for sea water.
 BARC has recently set up 1.8 million-litres-a-day capacity desalination plant at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and is about to complete another type Multi-Stage-Flash with a capacity of 4.5 million tonnes a day in Kalpakkam.
 Several desalination plants had been set up by BARC in rural Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, producing 30,000 litres a day. The technology had been licensed to seven industries.
Ensure food, energy security: G-5 nations
 Leaders of China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa — also known as the G-5 —called for a shared responsibility to address the world’s food security and an overall cooperation by the international community to boost energy development and utilization on the sidelines of the Group of Eight (G-8) Summit.
 They stressed the “imperative of creating an enabling international environment for agro-produce related trade, establishing a just and reasonable international trade regime for agricultural products and concluding the Doha Round with meaningful commitments to agricultural subsidies reductions.”
 On biofuels, they said: “It is essential to address the challenges and opportunities posed by biofuels”. Biofuels, if developed sustainably, “can effectively contribute to generating opportunities and achieving food and energy security altogether. “To this purpose, it is important that public policies for production of biofuels contribute to sustainable development and the well-being of the most vulnerable people and do not threaten food security,” they concluded.
 On energy security, which “is essential to ensure the steady growth of the global economy,” the leaders said the world should emphasise on renewable energy and energy efficiency and give “adequate consideration to solar, wind and hydro-electrical power, and biofuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel without adversely affecting food security.”
RIL, GAIL apply for city gas
 Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and leading gas distribution company Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) have sought licences for city gas distribution (CGD) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) projects in 58 cities across the country.
 Both RIL and GAIL, through their wholly-owned subsidiaries, Reliance Gas Corporation and GAIL Gas, have submitted expression of interest (EoI) to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board for major cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jhansi and Sonepat.
 Both RIL and GAIL had last year entered into an agreement for setting up of CGD projects and taking up other oil and gas related activities.
 According to the regulations for city gas distribution approved by the regulatory board in March this year, licences for all the 60 cities will now be put up for bidding. The successful bidder will eventually get the right to lay pipeline networks and retail gas to households and vehicles in that particular city. This has ensured success for Reliance Gas Corporation and GAIL as both of them have natural gas supply mechanism in place.
Kalka-Shimla Railway is now world heritage site

 Describing the Kalka-Shimla railway line as “one of the most authentic mountain railways in the world,” UNESCO yesterday recognised it as a World Heritage Site.
 The decision to add the historic Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge railway to the coveted list was taken at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Quebec City, Canada, yesterday. The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by secretary, Railway Board, ministry of railways, Mathew John.
 With this decision, the Indian Railways has secured world heritage status for their fourth line. The other three in the list are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway near Ooty in Tamil Nadu and the Chhatarpati Shivaji Terminal (erstwhile Bombay Victoria Terminal) in Mumbai.
 The Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) line was opened to traffic on November 9, 1903. During its six-hour journey on the 96 km narrow gauge route from Kalka to Shimla, the line runs through 103 tunnels, several arched bridges and picturesque stations like Dharampur, Barog and Solan.
 It was on this railway that the earliest version of petrol driven cars, resembling the Royal Char-a-banc carriages, became commercially successful and also witnessed a plethora of technology changes with steam, petrol and diesel power for trains running on its hilly terrain.
UNESCO adds three new heritage sites to its list
 UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has added three new sites to its heritage list, including a former slave hideout in Mauritius, the Nabataean archaeological site in Saudi Arabia, and China’s Fujian Tulou earthen houses.
 The archaeological site of Al-Hijr, the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan, is the first World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia.
 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation also chose the Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain jutting into the Indian Ocean in southwestern Mauritius that was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries.
 Also making the heritage list were the Fujian Tulou property of 46 houses built between the 12th and 20th centuries as homes to entire clans in southwest of Fujian province, inland from the Taiwan Strait.
 The three new entries bring UNESCO’s World Heritage List to 854 sites in more than 140 countries around the world.
 Canada is presiding at this year’s meeting as Quebec City celebrates its 400th anniversary.
Peru, India Cos in pact for oil & gas exploration
 Reliance Industries (RIL) has signed an agreement with Peru’s Perupetro to jointly explore for oil and gas in the Andean country.
 The two firms are likely to bid in the Peruvian government auction of 22 blocks with hydrocarbon potential, he said, adding that the auction was scheduled to open in September.
 Earlier this year, Reliance acquired 90 per cent stake in an oil block in the Andean region of Puno in Peru from Irisn company Pan Andean Resources.
Iran test fires Shahab-3
 Iran has test-fired the 2,000-km-range Shahab-3 missile near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
 Iran’s Press TV said nine highly-advanced missiles were tested during the Prophet-III exercise. The Zelzal and Fateh missiles, with a range of 170-400 km, were also fired during the exercise.
 The Shahab-3 variant that has been tested can carry a 1-tonne warhead and can target Israel, U.S. bases in the Gulf, and has the range to reach parts of Europe. Iran had in November 2006 test-fired a 2,000-km-range Shahab-3 variant, equipped with a cluster bomb warhead.
 The exercise was conducted after more that 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighter jets participated in military manoeuvres in June. The planes flew more than 1,440 km, which is roughly the distance between Israel and Iran’s Natanz nuclear plant.
Defence purchase policy revised
 The Centre revised the defence procurement policy to ensure speedier purchases.The new policy will govern purchases worth nearly $100 billion over the next decade.
 The Defence Acquisition Council headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony cleared the new policy which includes provisions for increasing transparency. But the biggest change is inclusion of the new concept of banking in the offset clause which makes it mandatory for foreign companies selling equipment over Rs.300 crore to source part of their requirement from the country.
 The new policy marks a significant departure from the existing process by including the concept of banking of offsets — a company executing an order will be able to transfer the value of the work done in India to fulfil the offset requirements of another order. All foreign companies had made this demand though the validity of the banking period sought by them was different.
 The government has now fixed it at two years. If a company has sourced some value of one project from India, it can indicate this amount as offsets in another request for proposals (RFP) if it comes within two years of the earlier work.
 The purchase policy also promises a greater push to indigenisation. This would be done by promoting wider representation on panels doing technical evaluation of indigenously designed military platforms.
Governor’s rule imposed in J&K
 Jammu and Kashmir was brought under Governor’s rule and the State Assembly dissolved late on Thursday, three days after Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned in the wake of the Amarnath land transfer row.
Iran test-fires more missiles
 Iran has test-fired more missiles in the Gulf during a tri-service exercise to deter Israel and the U.S. from attacking its nuclear installations.
 The Iranians followed up Wednesday’s test of the 2000-km range Shahab-3 missile with another test of the same weapon at night. This was the first occasion when the missile was tested at night.
 The Iranians also fired an anti-submarine torpedo called Hoot, on the third day of the exercise codenamed Great Prophet III.
 These included shore to sea, surface to surface and sea to air rockets.
BIMSTEC to focus on poverty alleviation
 Members of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectorial Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) have reached a consensus to devise an action plan for poverty alleviation and commitment to establish a food bank in the region.
 They also agreed that each member would organise seminars and conferences based on the Millennium Development Goals to evolve recommendations. The countries would also examine and share their experiences to find the best means for poverty alleviation.
 "Considering the current global scenario, the meeting has renewed our commitment to poverty alleviation and recognised the need for regional cooperation.
 Inaugurated by the head of Bangladesh's caretaker government, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed
 BIMSTEC was formed in 1997 and held its first summit in Bangkok in July 2004.
 BIMSTEC's seven members - Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal

 The ministerial meeting decided that their second meeting would be held in Kathmandu in 2009.

Junior Asia Hockey Cup in Hydrabad
 The stage is set for the sixth edition of the eight-nation junior Asia Cup hockey championship for men at the Gachibowli Complex at Hydrabad.
 The groupings: Pool A: India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.
 Pool B: Bangladesh, Korea, Oman and Pakistan.
73rd ILA’s conference
 Law Commission chariman Justice A.R. Lakshmanan has decided not to attend the 73rd International Law Association’s (ILA) biennial conference to be held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, from August 17 to 21.
 According to a Commission release, the president of the Brazilian branch of the ILA had invited Mr. Justice Lakshmanan to participate in the conference.
Unity government in Lebanon

 After a prolonged period of bitter political wrangling and internal conflict, Lebanon has a national unity government.

 President Michel Sleiman issued two decrees on Friday.The first recorded the resignation of the government headed by Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The second announced the name of Mr. Siniora as the head of the new government.

 While the western supported parliamentary block has a numerical edge, the opposition, backed by the Shia movement Hizbollah and Amal has enough support to veto legislation that it does not approve. The opposition has 11 out of 30 Cabinet births. The deal was the result of talks in May which resulted on account of mediation by Qatar.

 Analysts point out that the new Cabinet line-up represents a major victory for Hizbollah, which is now beginning to translate its military capability into concrete political achievement.

Cosmonauts remove explosive bolt

 Two cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) took a daring six-hour spacewalk to cut into their Soyuz capsule to remove an explosive bolt to ensure their safe return to Earth.
 During the ‘outing’ by Sergei Volkov, the station’s commander, and Oleg Kononenk, lead flight engineer, they managed to safely disconnect the bolt from the capsule, which is currently docked at the space station.

 The spacewalkers also installed devices to eliminate static electricity. The bolt has an explosive blast about equivalent to an M-80 firework. During the Soyuz’s descent on two occasions in April and October 2007, the failure of the two sections to separate properly had subjected the crews to far higher gravity forces than normal. Explosive bolts have been safely used for decades on the space shuttle and other space vehicles, as well as on military aircraft.
 With the NASA space shuttles due to retire in 2010, the Russian-built Soyuz capsules will be the sole means of human space transportation until 2015.
Thinley’s India visit
 Bhutan’s first democratically elected Prime Minister, Jigmi Y. Thinley, will arrive here on Monday on a four-day visit. This is his first trip abroad after assuming office in April.
 Mr. Thinley will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Ugyen Tshering, Economic Affairs Minister Khandu Wangchuk and Finance Minister Wangdi Norbu. They will meet their Indian counterparts.
 His visit was preceded by official level talks on developing mega hydropower projects in light of Bhutan’s new policy. He will also touch on the possibility of a rail link between Phuentsholing in Bhutan and Hashimara in West Bengal. The issue came up during Dr. Singh’s recent visit to the Himalayan nation.
A heart surgeon and an enterprising innovator

Michael DeBakey, the cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, has died. He was 99.
 “Dr. DeBakey’s reputation brought many people into this institution, and he treated them all: heads of state, entertainers, businessmen and presidents, as well as people with no titles and no means,” said the president of The Methodist Hospital System. He said the surgeon “has improved the human condition and touched the lives of generations to come.”
 he invented the roller pump, which became the major component of the heart-lung machine, beginning the era of open-heart surgery. The machine takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery.
 He was a pioneer in the effort to develop artificial hearts and heart pumps to assist patients waiting for transplants, and helped create more than 70 surgical instruments.
 DeBakey was the first to perform replacement of arterial aneurysms and obstructive lesions in the mid-1950s. He later developed bypass pumps and connections to replace excised segments of diseased arteries.
Manmohan, sixth PM to seek trust vote
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the sixth head of government to seek a vote of confidence from the Lok Sabha when he formally moves the trust motion on July 21-22.
Here is a look at how Dr. Singh’s predecessors fared on the trust vote.
 Since the sixth Lok Sabha, three governments have fallen for lack of confidence while two Prime Ministers have resigned even before moving the motion.
 Let down at the last minute by the Congress, Charan Singh resigned as Prime Minister on August 20, 1979 without moving the motion. The same fate befell Atal Bihari Vajpayee on May 28, 1996.
 V.P. Singh moved a motion of confidence after the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew support to his government on November 7, 1990.
 However, with the Congress, the breakaway Chandrasekhar group and the BJP joining hands, he lost the vote. The score: For-152; Against- 356. H. D. Deve Gowda lost the confidence vote on April 11, 1997 – after the Congress withdrew support to the United Front Government led by him. The score: For –190; Against –338.
 The Lok Sabha record also shows a total of 26 no-confidence motions moved against incumbent regimes since 1952. Barring one instance on July 15, 1979 when Morarji Desai resigned after an inconclusive debate, all others were decisively defeated. The first of these was moved against Jawaharlal Nehru in August 1963. The motion, moved by J.B. Kripalani, was defeated by a thumping majority of 347 votes. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister faced as many as 15 no-trust motions(maximum), 12 between 1966 and 1975 and three between 1981 and 1982. She sailed through all of them.
Syria will gain from Paris summit
 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be the main guest of the summit of European and Mediterranean leaders from 43 countries in Paris on July 13.
 The Mediterranean Union — or Union for the Mediterranean — proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, may be one more clumsy bureaucratic structure because its functions will overlap with the Euro-Mediterranean (Euro-Med) Partnership, or Barcelona Process, which was launched by Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers in November 1995 to deepen relations between the European Union and its southern neighbours.
 The Barcelona Process embraces 25 European and 10 south Mediterranean countries and is the only integration structure involving both Israel and Arab countries. Its goal is to foster Mediterranean cooperation in fighting terrorism, encouraging regional economic cooperation, addressing illegal migration, protecting the environment, and encouraging a dialogue between different cultures.
 The Mediterranean Union will have very similar goals, and expects to get funds from the same source, the E.U. The only difference between them is that the new structure will have two co-chairs, one representing the E.U. and the other the south Mediterranean countries, and its secretariat is to have two co-directors.
 Many Arab countries, in particular Algeria, do not like the idea of joint projects with Israel while the West Asia peace process is marking time. Also, the lack of peace in the region is one of the reasons for the slow progress of the Barcelona Process.
 Libya is the only country that has refused the invitation to the Paris summit because Mr. Gaddafi described Mr. Sarkozy’s project as an “international minefield” that may provoke radical groups’ terrorist attacks.
Usha Mittal and Tina Ambani in Forbes ‘Wives of Billionaire’ list
 Usha Mittal and Tina Ambani — making a cut in the latest ‘Wives of Billionaires’ list compiled by the U.S. business magazine Forbes.
 Usha Mittal is the wife of the world’s fourth richest person and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. Tina Ambani is married to sixth wealthiest person Anil Ambani.
 Hollywood celebrity director Steven Spielberg’s wife Kate Capshaw, Larry Ellison’s spouse Melanie Craft, Susan Dell, wife of Michael Dell, media baron Rupert Murdoch’s spouse Wendi Deng, Kenneth Griffin’s wife Anne Dias Griffin, Lucy Southworth who is married to search engine giant Google co-founder Larry Page and Barry Diller’s wife Diane Von Furstenburg are part of the list.
 In March, Forbes had ranked legendary investor Warren Buffet the richest person with a fortune of $62 billion. He was followed by Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu with a net worth of $60 billion, while Bill Gates with $58 billion slipped to the third spot from the previous year’s top ranking.
 Anil Ambani’s elder sibling Mukesh Ambani was ranked fifth richest in the world with a net worth of $43 billion.
 Another Indian, K.P. Singh, the man behind realty major DLF, with a personal wealth of $30 billion, was ranked eighth.
 Other members in the top ten league are retailer Ikea’s Ingvar Kampard at the seventh spot ($31 billion), Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska ($28 billion) at the ninth and Germany’s Karl Albrecht at the tenth ($27 billion).
India-Pakistan talks on CBMs on July 18
 India and Pakistan are expected to give a push to the cross-LoC confidence-building measures , including the launch of a truck service, when officials meet in Islamabad on July 18 for Joint Secretary-level talks.
S. Prabhakaran made ICJ director
 In a rare honour, the International Council of Jurists (ICJ) appointed S. Prabhakaran, vice-chairman of the All India Bar Association, as one of its directors at a meeting in Washington on July 10. He was among candidates from 80 countries.
 From India, a panel of 21 lawyers was recommended for the post. Three were short-listed and finally Mr. Prabhakaran was selected.
 The ICJ now has three directors — two from the U.K. and one from Australia. It has offices in London, New York and Washington and its members include serving and retired judges and eminent lawyers from many nations.
 The ICJ is dedicated to promoting a co-operative environment for people from legal fields all over the world. It acts as a common stage to meet and interact, to promote common interest and social justice. The main objective is to uphold the honour, dignity and the independence of the Bar and the Bench, jurists, teachers and students of law and members of the press.
Jharkhand gets woman Chief Justice
 Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra became the first woman to take over as the new Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
 She was administered the oath by Governor Syed Sibtey Razi.
 Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra, who first became a judge of Patna High Court in 1994, was a judge in the Rajasthan High Court for 13 years.
Arjun tank gets black box

 The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has installed a black box-like instrument in the indigenous main battle tank (MBT) Arjun, under development for nearly 36 years, following attempts to “sabotage” its engine. The instrument was installed after the Army termed the winter trial of the Arjun tank a “failure”.
 “The German company Renk AG is supplying engines for the Arjun tank.
 Fourteen Arjun tanks were handed over to the Army for user trials last year but were returned to the manufacturer - the combat vehicles development establishment - with a list of defects. These included a deficient fire control system, inaccuracy of its guns, low speeds in tactical areas - principally the desert - and the tank’s inability to operate in temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius.
 The Army had laid down its qualitative requirement (QR) for Arjun in 1972. In 1982, it was announced that the prototype was ready for field trials. However, the tank was publicly unveiled for the first time only in 1995.
 The tank was to supplement and eventually replace the Soviet-era T-72 MBT that was first inducted in the early 1980s. However, delays in the Arjun project and Pakistan’s decision to purchase the T-80 from Ukraine prompted India to order 310 T-90s, an upgraded version of the T-72, in 2001.
India to add 371 m by 2026

 Large size of population in the reproductive age, higher fertility due to non-use of contraceptive methods and high-intended fertility due to high infant mortality rate are fuelling the current high growth rate of population in India.
 India still accounts for 16.87 per cent of the world population.While the current total fertility rate in the country is 2.8 per cent, it must be brought down to 2.1 per cent by 2010 if India has to stabilise its population by 2045.
 Population related data suggests that India will add 371 million to its population by 2026 and a whopping 22.2 per cent of this will be contributed by Uttar Pradesh alone.
 The other northern states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh - will account for another 27 per cent in the total share.
 While 15 states and UTs, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Delhi, which constituted 44 per cent of the population in 2001, have already achieved TFR of 2.1 per cent, 10 states, including Bihar, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura, which make 42 per cent of India’s population, may not be able to achieve the replacement level by 2010.
 As per the 2001 Census, the population of India was 1,029 million in March 2001, with 533 million males and 496 million females. Health ministry officials say India is now following the demographic transition pattern of the developing countries from initial levels of high birth rate and high death rate to the intermediate transition stage of high birth rate and low death rate. The final stage of this transition will be low birth rate and low death rate.
Why High Fertility?-As for contributors to population, 58 per cent of it comes from the population in the reproductive age group. Higher fertility contributes 18 per cent to the population. High-intended fertility due to prevailing high infant mortality rate (IMR) contributes 24 per cent.
Among other factors causing concern are anaemia among pregnant women, low levels of immunisation among infants, low coverage of prenatal and antenatal care.
Heritage site status eludes Majuli

 The Brahmaputra river island, Majuli, the seat of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite culture and a storehouse of rich cultural heritage, has again failed to make it to Unesco’s World Heritage Site Status.
 The just-concluded 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee of Unesco in Canada decided not to accord the coveted status to the river island on the Brahmaputra.
 The island and the Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) from India were among the 13 natural and 34 cultural sites submitted before the Unesco committee for the heritage tag.
Ambassador to Surinam
 K.J.S. Sodhi has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Suriname.
 He is presently joint secretary at the external affairs ministry.
Miss Universe 2008 from Venezuela
 NHA TRANG: Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza was crowned Miss Universe 2008 in a contest in a Vietnamese city.

AI Boeing on display at international air show
 The Boeing 777-300ER on display at the Farnborough International Air Show. This was the tenth 777 delivered to Air India and named “Jammu and Kashmir” in keeping with an AI practice.
Former CJI Chandrachud dead
 The former Chief Justice of India, Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud, who was in the majority bench that decided in favour of the Indira Gandhi government in a landmark habeas corpus case during the Emergency, died after a prolonged illness.
 Justice Chandrachud (88) was the country’s longest-serving Chief Justice, having served in that office between 1978 and 1985.
 In one of the most notable cases in Indian Constitutional history, he was in the Bench comprising five most senior judges that heard the famous case. It related to whether the right to habeas corpus (Article 21 of the Constitution) could be suspended during periods of national emergency after petitions were moved by scores of MISA detenus.
 Despite widespread High Court support for habeas corpus, Justice Chandrachud went along with Justices A.N. Ray, P.N. Bhagwati and M.H. Beg in a 4-1 verdict to reject the petitions on April 28,1976. The judges held that no person had any locus to move any writ petition under Article 226 before a High Court for habeas corpus or any other writ to challenge the legality of an order of detention.
India placed 41st in competitiveness
 India trails behind 40 other countries, including Thailand, Malta and Malaysia, in the field of industrial competitiveness, according to a report by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
 In its industrial development scoreboard, UNIDO has ranked India 41st out of 100 economies in terms of industrial competitiveness globally in a liberalising world. Topping the list is Singapore, followed by Ireland, Switzerland, Japan, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Korea, Taiwan Province of China, France, the U.S., Hong Kong, Austria and Slovenia to make up the top 15.
 India, however, has fared better than its immediate neighbours such as Pakistan which is placed in the 55th position, followed by Bangladesh at 67 and Sri Lanka in the 75th slot. Some of the other rankings among the 100 are: the U.K. (16), the Netherlands (17), Malaysia (18), Canada (22), Malta (23), China (26), Mexico (30), Brazil (39) and Russia (66).
 Methodology: Explaining the basis of the rankings, UNIDO said: “The scoreboard is based on two sets of components, namely, industrial development indicators and competitive industrial performance index, the latter benchmarking competitive industrial activity of countries against the backdrop of liberalisation and globalisation.”
 It also took into account export quality, reflecting the role of manufacturing in a country’s export activity as well as the ability to make more advanced products, thereby moving into more dynamic areas of export growth, UNIDO said.
HPCL, Chhattisgarh Govt. to set up JV
 Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chhattisgarh Government and the Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) for the formation of a joint venture company to undertake Jatropha plantation on 15,000 plus hectares in the State. HPCL will hold equity of 74 per cent and the balance by CREDA.
Ambassador visits Czech nationals
 Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek visited the two Czech nationals incarcerated in Darjeeling on charges of collecting insects from the Singalila National Park without authorisation last month.
 The two Czech nationals — Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera — have been charged with violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 for collecting beetles, moths and butterflies, some of which are rare species, from the National Park without permission.
Japan for peaceful end to islets row
 Japan expressed willingness to peacefully resolve its dispute with South Korea regarding sovereignty over the Takeshima Islets, which the Koreans call Dokdo.
 This was outlined by Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura in Tokyo in the context of South Korea’s decision to “recall” its Ambassador to Japan in protest over its inclusion of Dokdo in a new teaching manual. The islets are considered important for their untapped marine and mineral resources. ("islet", is a landform composed of rock, lying offshore, having no or minimal vegetation, and uninhabite)
 Japan had often cited its “exercise of sovereignty” over these islets. On the other hand, South Korea, which has controlled Dokdo since 1954, regards its status as a settled issue “beyond dispute.”
 South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
 Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in
ONGC set to buy Imperial Energy
 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is set to acquire 100 per cent shares of Imperial Energy, a British oil company operating in West Siberia and Kazakhstan, Kommersant daily reported quoting a banking source. The deal has been under negotiations since January and only last month received approval from the board of directors of Imperial Energy.
Justice Thakur to be new Chief Justice

 Justice Tirath Singh Thakur of the Delhi High Court is all set to be the new Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A formal appointment is likely to be made by the President Pratibha Patil in the coming days.
 Justice Thakur, will take over once Justice Vijender Jain, the present Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
 Article 217 if the constitution deals with the appoint of judges of High court.
Controversy over temple land hots up
 Cambodian officials said more Thai troops crossed into their country’s territory in the second day of alleged incursions amid tensions over disputed border land near a historic temple.
 Thai officials have denied any incursion, saying the troops are deploying on what was clearly Thai territory to protect its sovereignty.
 The confrontation came after UNESCO declared Preah Vihear, which is at the centre of a long-standing border quarrel between the neighbours, a World Heritage site last week. Both countries claim 4.6 square km of land around the temple, and Thai anti-government activists have recently revived nationalist sentiment. The activists and some government officials fear the temple’s new status will jeopardise their country’s claims to land adjacent to the site.
 In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear and the land it occupies to Cambodia, a decision that still rankles many Thais even though the temple is culturally Cambodian, sharing the Hindu-influenced style of the more famous Angkor complex in Cambodia.
India and Bangladesh discuss water issue
 India and Bangladesh made some progress during the Foreign Secretary-level talks in Delhi on the water issue that has often vitiated public opinion on both sides of the border. They also discussed the Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA) that could be a precursor to normal economic ties between the two countries.
 Both sides have decided to set up a technical committee to decide the issue of embankment protection of rivers flowing through both countries. These rivers often overflow causing distress to people living alongside them.
 There are 53 common rivers but progress of any kind, including a water sharing treaty, has been very slow, affecting people in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins.
 They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in agriculture and science and technology.
 The Chief of the Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, will visit Bangladesh soon, so also Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta.
8 new IITs approved

 The Cabinet approved the creation of eight new IITs during the current academic session at an estimated cost of Rs.6,080 crore, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said.
 They will come up in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and at Indore in M.P.


Airport to be named after Charan Singh

 The Union Cabinet approved the renaming of Lucknow airport as Chaudhury Charan Singh Airport by way of paying tributes to the former Prime Minister.

 Mr. Chidambaram said it was a long-pending demand of the people of Uttar Pradesh and the decision was to honour their sentiments. “Over the past several years, governments in Uttar Pradesh have raised the demand for naming the airport after the late Prime Minister many times.”

GSLV Launch
 The Cabinet gave its nod for funding six more operational flights of the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The six flights (F11 to F16) were expected to be realised during 2010-12. This was in addition to seven flights (F4 to F10) approved in December 2006.

Upgrading highways
 The Cabinet also approved upgrading of 5,000 km of single/intermediate/two-lane national highways into two lanes with paved shoulders under the National Highways Development Project Phase IVA on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis and at a cost of Rs. 6,950 crore.


Krishnapatnam port dedicated to the nation

 United Progressive Alliance Chairperson and All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Sonia Gandh dedicated the Krishnapatnam port to the nation.

 The Krishnapatnam port is being developed as a modern deep water and high productivity port to sustain the demand of growing international trade. It is scheduled to be completed by 2011 by which time the port will become the biggest container terminal in India.

 The port is expected to move around two lakh containers in its first year of operation and some 4.50 lakh containers in the second year. The location of the port offers logistical advantage for trade in domestic as well as Asia-Pacific and Far-Eastern regions. The phase-I allows the logistics of iron ore handling of 14 million tonnes, coal handling of seven million tonnes and general cargo of two million tonnes annually by the maximum ship size of 65,000 dwr (depth -13.2m C.D).



Official mascots of Beijing Olympic Games

Fuwa — five little children — will serve as the official mascots of Beijing Olympic Games.
Each member of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name. Beibei is the fish, Jingjing is the panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic flame, Yingying is the Tibetan antelope and Nini is the swallow.
When you put their names together — Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni — they say “Welcome to Beijing”.

6th Junior Asia hockey cup
 India lift the crown in the sixth junior Asia Cup hockey championship at Hydrabad.
 India’s chief coach A. K. Bansal
The results:
Final: India 3 (Diwakar Ram 2, S.V. Sunil) bt Korea 2 (Nam Hyun Woo 2).
Third place match: Pakistan 7 bt Bangladesh 2.
Special awards:
 Top-scorers: Nam Hyun Woo (Kor) and Diwakar Ram (Ind), 9 goals each;
 Player of the tournament: Woo;
 Best goalkeeper: Sreejesh P. Raveendran (Ind);
 Most promising player: Muhammad Sairulnizam Rahmat (Sin);
 Fairplay Trophy: Singapore.
Energy scenario bleak as country faces sharp decline in power generation


 The lesser inflow of water into rivers and the declining levels in dams and reservoirs across the southern, western and north-eastern regions of the country have led to a sharp decline in power generation, particularly hydro-power. The gas-based stations have also been under-performing due to shortage of fuel, leading to outages, power cuts and blackouts in many parts of the country.
 The power crisis has hit both domestic consumers and industrial units.
 Poor monsoon and lack of water in the dams and reservoirs in South and Northeast India has further aggravated the situation with the Central sector hydro stations also coming under pressure due to this phenomenon. This has led to shortage of around 300 million units during the April-June 2008 in the Central sector alone.
 Karnataka seems to be the worst hit with a poor monsoon badly derailing the power sector. The State now faces a shortage of about 700 MW, a situation that threatens to go out of hand if rains fail.
India makes foray into Nepal’s power sector
 The Power Trading Corporation (PTC) and Australian company Snowy Mountain Corporation have initialled a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the Asian Development Bank-promoted 750 MW West Seti Hydroelectric Power Project in Nepal.
 While the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) project has been bagged by a Chinese company, 90 per cent of the power would be bought by India under the agreement’s terms and conditions.
 This is India’s first major entry into Nepal’s power sector. When the project begins production, it would give a revenue of $60 million per annum to the Nepal government.
 In India, the likely beneficiaries of the project would be Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. The best part of this hydro venture is that the project would be able to generate high amounts of power even during winter months.
 A total of 135 km of transmission line from the project site up to the Indo-Nepal border would be laid from the Nepal side and another 100 km to Atamanda, near Bareilly on the Indian side.
Tidal turbine on stream
 An underwater turbine that generates electricity from tidal streams was plugged into the U.K. national grid. It marked the first time a commercial-scale underwater turbine fed power into the network and the start of a new source of renewable energy .
 Tidal streams are viewed as a plentiful, predictable supply of clean energy. The most conservative estimates suggest there is at least 5 gigawatts of power in tidal streams around a country like Britain, but there could be as much as 15 GW.
 The latest trial with the turbine SeaGen, at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, generated power at 150 kW.
 SeaGen was designed and built by the U.K.-based company Marine Current Turbines (MCT), which also installed the test device at Strangford in May.
London school fellowship for RBI Governor
 Reserve Bank of India Governor Y.V. Reddy was awarded an honorary fellowship by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in recognition of his commitment to the underprivileged. His is one of five new honorary fellowships awarded by the LSE this year.
 Dr. Reddy, who has been Reserve Bank Governor since 2003, is a visiting professor at several Indian universities and has served as executive director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
India will grow at 8 pc: IMF
 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's growth forecast from 9.3 per cent in 2007 to 8 per cent in 2008-09 as it predicted the world economy now "in a tough spot" would grow by 4.1 per cent this year.
 The global economy has weathered the impact of the credit crunch better than first feared, the IMF said as it issued a downbeat forecast for the second half of 2008, amid concerns about inflation, particularly in emerging markets.
Parties issue whip as countdown starts
 The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the CPI, the Samajwadi Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) issued whips to their Lok Sabha members, asking them to vote as per the party decision during the trust vote on July 22.
Q. What is a political party’s whip?
A whip is the instruction issued by political parties to vote according to the party line in a legislature. Violation of the party whip could lead to expulsion under the Anti Defection Act.
Sometimes political parties decide on a particular course of action, but may not issue a whip to enforce it, as in the present instance where the Shiromani Akali Dal has taken a decision to vote against the United Progressive Alliance government but has not issued a whip to its members.
In such a case, the members of Parliament are free to vote as per their choice.But usually, in case of an important vote, a whip is issued
A whip is of three kinds.
1. A one-line whip is non-binding, and merely serves to inform the members of the vote.
2. A two-line whip seeks attendance in the legislature during the vote.
3. A three-line whip is a clear-cut directive, to be present in the legislature during the vote and cast vote according to the party line. Violation of the whip could lead to the member's expulsion from the House.
In India, under the anti-defection law, a three-line whip can be violated only by more than one-third of a party's strength in the legislature.

Nepal elects its first vice-president

 Nepal’s Constituent Assembly (CA) elected Parmananda Jha of the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) as the first vice-president of the country. But the CA failed to elect the president as none of the candidates bagged majority votes in the election.

 Meanwhile, the CA meeting that is going to take place on Saturday is expected to fix a new date for the presidential post run-off.

 Jha, a former judge and an Indian origin Nepali citizen from Madhes, has secured 312 votes whereas his nearest rival from the CPN-Maoist Shanta Shrestha received 243 votes.

 Out of 594 voters, 578 exerted their franchises to elect the country’s president and vice-president whereas 16 others, including four CA members from Rastriya Prajatnatra Party-Nepal, were absent.

 Immediately after being elected, Jha said he would discharge his responsibilities in a free and fair manner while formulating new Constitution and maintain national sovereignty, integrity and unity.

Phalke award for Tapan Sinha

 Veteran Bengali film director Tapan Sinha was selected for the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for the year 2006.

 The award carries a Swarna Kamal, a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh and a shawl .

 Mr. Sinha has directed well-known films such as ‘Kabuliwala,’ ‘Khudito Pashaan,’ ‘Atithi,’ ‘Upahar,’ ‘Haatey Bazarey,’ ‘Sagina Mahato,’ ‘Hansuli Baker Upakatha,’ ‘Adalat O Ekti Meye,’ ‘Ek Doctor Ki Maut,’ ‘Bancharamer Bagan’ and ‘Shatabdir Kanya,’ among others.


Indian-origin Yadav Nepal’s first Prez

 Nepali Congress general secretary Dr Ram Baran Yadav, a doctor-turned-politician, was elected the first President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

 Dr Yadav, an Indian-origin Nepali citizen from Janakpurdham, the birth place of Sita in the Ramayana, in Dhanusha district, was elected to the country’s coveted post of “Head of the State” by securing 308 votes out of a total of 590 votes.

China, Russia end border dispute

China, the world’s second largest consumer of oil and Russia, the world’s second largest oil exporter, put a formal end to their decades-old boundary dispute .

 An agreement signed by visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart in Beijing spelled out the details of the handover by Russia of two border islands, bringing to completion the final border delineation process agreed to in a landmark 2004 deal.

 China and Russia share a 4,300 km-long boundary, the world’s longest land frontier. The border tug-of-war reaches back centuries to the competition for territory as imperial China and Czarist Russia expanded towards each other.

 The agreement lays down the procedure for the Russian handover of the Tarabarov/Yinlong Island and half of the Bolshoi Ussuriysky/Heixiazi Island.

 The islands are located at the confluence of the Heilongjiang/Amur and Wusulijiang/Ussuri rivers, an area that has see-sawed between Russian and Chinese control over the last three centuries. It became part of the Chinese sphere under the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk, slipped back to the Russians in the disputed 1858 Treaty of Aigun and was ultimately occupied by the Soviet Union in 1929.

 The current agreement sees both sides giving up some of their territorial claims. While Russia has ceded 174 sq km of territory to China, Beijing has given up around half of its claims on Russian-controlled land. The actual handover of the islands will take place in August.

Major power projects line up for J&K

The power ministry,has moved a Cabinet note to seek approval for implementation of major power projects in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, with a total capacity of 1,470 MW,which are as follow:

 330 MW Kishen Ganga project on Jhelum.

 450 MW Baglihar project

 690 MW Rattle power project

The Jammu and Kashmir Government and the NHPC are also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for implementation of another set of 2,000 MW of hydropower projects in the state.

Manmohan 2nd Cong PM to seek and win trust of House
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today became the second ever Congress Prime Minister to move a motion of confidence - the Lok Sabha has seen 12 confidence motions till date - and win it too.
 Earlier, P.V. Narsimha Rao had sought trust of the House and won it on July 15, 1991. Manmohan Singh, however, could not near the record of Rao, whose trust vote was won with the widest ever margin of 131 votes.
 The first such motion of confidence was moved in the sixth Lok Sabha in 1979 by the then Prime Minister Charan Singh. It was not voted as Singh tendered his resignation, and the House was adjourned sine die.
So far, the Lok Sabha has seen 12 confidence motions (including today’s) by eight prime ministers.
 The highest - three notices - for trust vote were moved by Vajpayee. Two motions of confidence each were given by V.P. Singh in the ninth Lok Sabha and H.D. Deve Gowda in the 11th Lok Sabha. PMs Chandra Shekhar, Narsimha Rao and I.K. Gujral moved one motion each, while Charan Singh’s August 1979 motion was not voted as he had resigned.
History indicates that most trust votes survived.
 Out of 12 sought so far, only five led to the fall of governments in cases of PMs Charan Singh (in August 1979), V.P. Singh (in November 1990), Vajpayee (first in May 1996 and then again in April 1999) and H.D. Dewe Gowda (in April 1997).
 Margin-wise, the confidence motion moved by V.P. Singh in November 1990 was defeated with the widest ever margin of 204 votes; rest of the confidence motions were adopted by the House and the governments, like today, survived.
27 one-horned rhinos in Dudhwa
 The population of one-horned rhinoceros in the Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur-Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh has increased five-fold in the last 25 years.
 Five rhinos, including three females, were relocated from the Kaziranga National Park in Assam in 1984 under the Rhino Rehabilitation Project. Two of them later died.
 Compared to this, only three to four rhinos are left in the Shukla Phanta National Park in Nepal.
East Asia Summit explores free trade area prospects
 The East Asia Summit (EAS), a “leaders-driven forum” with India, as also China and Japan in its fold, “is studying the feasibility of a free trade area among its 16 countries.”
 This was indicated by an official spokesman for the Summit after the Foreign Ministers of the member-countries met in Singapore under the auspices of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). India was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma.
 The EAS, which did not discuss the possibility of inviting the United States to join the forum.However, the economic linkages between the U.S. and East Asia had already ensured that Washington “is very much a part of this region.”
 The ASEAN-Plus-Three covers China, Japan, and South Korea, besides all the 10 members of the Southeast Asian grouping.
 The ASEAN-Plus-Three Foreign Ministers also agreed to set up a “Cooperation Fund” for these 13 countries, with a seed amount of $3 million. The Fund would help implement “concrete” economic projects of value to at least two or more countries.
 An “Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia” had now started functioning “to pave the way for future development.”
Survival of Ganga, Dead Sea at risk
Because of climate change, not only the mighty Ganga’s survival is at stake but even the Dead Sea - one of the world's first health resorts - is dying. It is feared that the Dead Sea, which is 1,378 ft below sea level, may disappear by 2050.
 The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and and the West Bank and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the earth on dry land.
 The Washington-based Lester R. Brown,(known the world over as “environment guru”) has warned that the Ganga is facing a major threat and may become a ‘seasonal river’ that will flow only during the rainy season. The Ganga’s future is at risk because of the fast melting Gangotri glacier that feeds it.
 The 67-km-long and 18-km-wide Dead Sea is shrinking even faster than the Sea of Galilee. Over the past 40 years, its water level has dropped by some 25 metres (nearly 80 feet). “It may disappear entirely by 2050,” says Brown.
 According to Brown, the climate change has put at risk not only Ganga and many mighty rivers in China, and the Dead Sea, but also lakes the world over. “As river flows are reduced or even eliminated entirely and as water tables fall from over pumping,” said Brown, “lakes are shrinking and in some cases disappearing because of excessive diversion of water from rivers.”
 The waterbodies that are disappearing are some of the world’s best known such as Lake Chad in Central Africa, the Aral Sea in Central Asia, and the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias).
 The Dead Sea is 1,083 ft deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also the world's second saltiest body of water, after Lake Asal in Djibouti.
 The disappearance of lakes is perhaps the most pronounced in China. In western China’s Qinhai province, through which the Yellow River’s main stream flows, there were once 4,077 lakes. Over the last 20 years, more than 2,000 have disappeared. The situation is far worse in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing. Hebei has lost 969 of its 1,052 lakes.
Kuwait plans new metropolis as ‘Silk City’
 Oil prices have so swollen Kuwait’s national coffers that the petroleum-rich state is to invest $132 billion on its ambitious “Silk City” at the head of the Gulf.
 The extraordinary scale of the metropolis — a 1,001-metre skyscraper, wildlife reserves, and homes for 700,000 people — is matched by a plan to also build an international rail network linking it to Damascus, Baghdad, Iran and China.
 Inspired by Dubai’s spectacular growth, the Madinat al-Hareer, or Silk City, is intended to create a trading future and a diversified economy at a city which would become a crossroads of the Arab world.
 The London-based architects Eric R Kuhne & Associates have drawn up designs for the city. The firm is awaiting Kuwaiti government approval to start construction, due to finish by 2023.
 The name “City of Silk” evokes the prosperity of the medieval trade route that linked Europe to China via West Asia. Kuwait wants to link its city by rail to Damascus, to Baghdad, to Iran and all the way beyond.
Hurricane Dolly
 Hurricane Dolly moved inland after tearing into the South Texas coast with 95 mph (150 kph) winds, pouring torrential rain on the U.S.-Mexico border area before being downgraded to a tropical storm.
 Dolly, the second hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, dropped up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain in the first few hours after coming ashore at the barrier island of South Padre Island.
 South of Port Isabel in the border town of Brownsville, the storm knocked down power lines, uprooted trees and dumped rain on flat-lying marshland, raising concerns about potential flooding.
SAARC forestry centre inaugurated in Bhutan
 Bhutan's pristine forest and mountain ecology sectors can look forward for a major boost with the establishment of a SAARC forestry centre in Bhutan.
 The centre will conduct research into mountain ecology, explore new ways of managing forest resources and other related fields, and gather research data from member states to serve as a nodal point of information on forest and related topics, besides providing policy inputs to member states.
 The centre was inaugurated last week by SAARC secretary general Sheel Kant Sharma and Bhutan's Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho.
 plans are afoot to set other reserves to ensure that Bhutan continues to remain a biological hotspot. About 26 per cent of the country is protected area.
Thirty years of IVF since Louise Brown

 This day (July 25), thirty years ago, little Louise Brown created history. She was the first baby to be born through in vitro fertilization (IVF), a technique where eggs and sperms taken out from the human body are fertilized in a laboratory.

 The science of meddling with eggs and sperms outside the body has not only matured, but has grown to offer possibilities that were unimaginable earlier. Surrogate mothers; using donated sperms or eggs by couples or single women to have babies; storing eggs or sperms for use at a later date or by those about to undergo radiation therapy for cancer… the list goes on. And almost every development faced some resistance and opposition by sections of society.

Cloning

 The big turning point in reproductive technology came in 1996 when Dolly the sheep was born. It marked a major step as it allowed scientists to create life by using any adult cell and not depends on sperm to fertilize eggs. In Dolly’s case, a cell from the mammary gland was used.

 If it could be used to create a mammal, the day was not far when humans could be created the same way. It opened up the possibility of creating identical individuals.

 Though the possibility, even if remote, of creating human clones exists, the technique has till date not been used for any such purpose. But it opened up the possibility of either using surplus embryos or creating new ones specifically to extract stem cells — the primary cells from which specialised cells, such as heart muscle cells or liver cells, are produced.

 This opened new avenues to treat or cure diseases. When an adult cell from a diseased person is used to create an embryo, the stem cells extracted from it can be used to treat his or her disease. Unlike reproductive cloning, therapeutic cloning has not met with much resistance.

 Alternatively, embryonic stem cells can be used to study the way diseases in a particular organ occur or progress. This will help produce better drugs. These are still at the research level, though.

 While scientists around the world have voluntarily agreed not to use the technique for reproductive purposes, cloning for therapeutic purposes appears to be a promising field. Reproductive technology that was started solely to address infertility has expanded to finding cures for certain diseases.

 Therapeutic cloning has been opposed on ethical grounds. Many human eggs are required to produce one embryo, as the technique is not yet perfected. But scientists soon found an alternative where human eggs would not be required. They came up with the idea of producing hybrid embryos — using animal eggs in place of human eggs.

IOC bans Iraq

 Iraq has been banned from taking part in the Beijing Olympics because of a government decision to disband the Iraqi Olympic Committee. Iraq’s government had disbanded the country’s Olympic committee in May because of a dispute over how it had been assembled.

 Iraq had planned to send a small team despite violence that has killed more than 100 athletes in the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Hypersonic interceptor missile to be tested
 As part of the plan to build a robust two-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, DRDO scientists are preparing for the launch of a hypersonic interceptor missile in a month. The missile will engage and destroy an incoming target missile at high altitudes in the “exo-atmosphere.”
 On November 27, 2006, the DRDO successfully launched an interceptor missile to hit an incoming long-range ballistic missile in the exo-atmosphere at an altitude of 48 km.
 This was followed by another ‘direct hit’ of a target missile in the more difficult ‘endo-atmosphere’ at an altitude of 15 km on December 6, 2007, thus demonstrating the capability for establishing a sophisticated missile defence shield and catapulting India into an elite club of nations which possesses the technology. At the next launch, the interceptor missile will seek to destroy an incoming target missile at an altitude of 60-70 km.
 While the target missile, a modified Dhanush, will take off from a ship in the Bay of Bengal, the interceptor, PAD-02 (a differently configured Prithvi surface-to-air missile) will be launched from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur.
Indian-origin judge to head rights panel
Navanethem Pillay, nominated as High Commissioner for Human Rights.
 Indian-origin ICC judge Navanethem Pillay has been named the United Nations’ new human rights chief, despite some initial opposition from the U.S.
 Ms. Pillay (67), who is from South Africa, will succeed Louise Arbour of Canada who completed her term on June 30.
 The 192-member General Assembly is expected to confirm Ms. Pillay’s appointment for a four-year term.
 she became the first woman to start law practice in South Africa’s Natal Province in 1968 and defended several anti-apartheid activists and successfully fought for the right of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, to have access to lawyers.
 A Harvard alumna, Ms. Pillai is serving as a judge on the International Criminal Court in The Hague since 2003.
Kabul to get panchayati raj lessons from India

To counter Taliban and warlords’ control, Afghanistan wants to empower its people at the grass-root level. To achieve this, Kabul is keen to adopt the Indian Panchayati Raj system for local self-governance.
 An Indian NGO, the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), enjoying the United Nations’ special consultative status, has been identified to assist Afghanistan to implement the local governance model.
 All over Afghanistan, the warlords and tribal chiefs exert local control. More traditional elements of political authority such as Sufi networks, royal lineage, clan strength and age-based wisdom also play a role in the Afghan society.
 The tribal system is potent in political terms. Local government is the face of government for most Afghans, yet reforms at the local level have been slow and difficult. Large parts of Afghanistan still suffer from weak, ineffective and, in some places, corrupt and jihadi governance.
 Now, the attention of the government, policymakers and donors is focusing with increasing urgency on governance structures and processes outside Kabul.
 The Dehra Dun-based RLEK has been identified to help Afghanistan to frame and draft the policy paper as well as an Act for the local governance.
 An all-women body of the RLEK, the Panchayati Rule and Gender Awareness Training Institute (PRAGATI) is in the process of preparing a three-member team to be deployed in Afghanistan for this purpose.
Mobile user base reaches 286 million

 As per the latest figures released by telecom regulator TRAI, mobile operators added as many as 8.94 million wireless subscribers in June this year as against 8.62 million in May.
 It pushed the figure of the total mobile user base to 286.86 million in the country, with Bharti Airtel remaining the largest telecom operator with a 69.38 million mobile phone user base.
 The total wireless subscribers - GSM, CDMA and WLL (F) - base stood at 286.86 million in June, making India the second largest wireless market globally after China.
 The total number of telephone connections reached 325.78 million in June from 316.97 million in May 2008, TRAI said.
 The overall teledensity was 28.33 per cent in June as against 27.59 per cent in May.
Indian Hotels enters China
 Corporate leader Tatas today announced its entry into Chinese hospitality sector through the group company Taj International Hong Kong.
 The Taj International Hong Kong, a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Hotels Company Ltd, has signed a management contract with Cuiting Hotspring Management Company, Tatas said in a statement barely weeks before the Olympic Games in China.
 Under the agreement, Taj would operate the latest Temple of Heaven Park property in Beijing and the Hainan Hotel project.
Deo panel to look into MPs’ charge
 Speaker Somnath Chatterjee constituted a seven-member panel of MPs to inquire into the allegations of three BJP MPs that they were given currency notes totalling Rs 1 crore as bribe to cross vote for the government, during the vote of confidence.
 Four-time Congress MP and chairman of the Privileges Committee V. Kishore Chandra Deo will chair it.
 The other member of this panel:- member Mohammad Salim(CPM), Ram Gopal Yadav, Devendra Prasad Yadav(RJD),C. Kuppusami(DMK),Rajesh Verma(BSP).
 The Speaker’s communication asked the panel to submit its report by August 11 and authorised it to decide its own procedure.
Ancient burial site found
 An ancient burial site dating to the 15th century has been discovered at the Malacca Fort, in the historic Malaysian city of Malacca, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 Malacca was a strategic trading post for South-East Asia in the 15th and 16th century. The burial site is pre-Portuguese and could hold clues to the history of the region.
 Researchers from the Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, with staff from the Department of National Heritage, carried out the removal, conservation and analysis of the remains.
Emergency in Italy over immigration
 The Italian government announced a nationwide state of emergency in reaction to a phenomenal increase in illegal immigration to the country's south. The Silvio Berlusconi government's move is to provide local authorities with greater means to deal with the rising tide of illegals arriving by boat.
 According to the interior ministry, nearly 11,000 people illegally migrated to Italy in the first half of 2008, twice as many that came in the same period in 2007.
9,000 Punjabis in a tizzy
 Thousands of illegal immigrants from India, particularly from Punjab, are in a quandary as the Italian government has declared a “national state of emergency over illegal immigration”.
China’s panda population up
 In a rarity in the breeding history of one of the most endangered animals in the world, four giant panda cubs were born at a breeding base in southwest China.
 Nine-year-old Qiyuan, meaning ‘magic luck’ in Chinese, gave birth to a pair of twin female cubs at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre in Sichuan province.
 The centre has 71 pandas in captivity, the largest of its kind in the world.Only about 1,590 pandas live in the wild in China, mostly in bamboo-covered mountainous regions in Sichuan and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Hun Sen set to retain power
 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, the longest-serving leader(for 23 years) in Southeast Asia, appeared set to retain power, as the election to the National Assembly passed off “smoothly”.
 While the National Election Committee would announce preliminary results on Monday, the CPP expected to win a two-thirds majority in the 123-member National Assembly.
U.K. law to check forced marriages
 Allegations of forced marriages among immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, especially those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, have prompted the government to bar teenage brides and bridegrooms from entering the country, and to raise the minimum age for marriage visa from 18 to 21.
 A British citizen going abroad with the intention of marrying would be required to declare it before leaving the U.K. The new rules, which would affect only immigrants from outside the E.U., are expected to come into force by the year-end.
 In a major concession, the government dropped a plan to force prospective immigrants to pass an English-language test before being given a visa. Instead, they would now be required to sign an agreement to learn English as soon as they arrived.
Delhi to host first-ever India Art Summit
 Bringing the country's art fraternity under one roof, the national capital will play host to the first-ever India Art Summit next month (22nd August), showcasing works of prominent artists and providing a platform to discuss issues related to the development and business of art.
 Aimed at encouraging both international and regional involvement with Indian art and providing a place for various stakeholders to interact with each other, the summit will bring together galleries, auction houses and art insurance companies from India and abroad.
Ghazni’s gurdwara renovated with international aid
 A gurdwara in Afghanistan’s Ghazni city has been renovated with international assistance worth $ 1.5 lakh as the war-torn country struggles to revive the inter-religious harmony of the pre-Taliban days.
 Ghazni governor Muhammad Usman Usmani inaugurated the Sikh temple completed by the assistance from the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
 Dilip Singh, MP of the Sikhs in Ghazni province, said problems in offering their religious ceremonies and parties was solved with this new gurdwara.
 He said the gurdwara could house 3,000 people and urged the government to focus on the religious minorities in the province to protect their rights.
SAARC discusses expansion
 As senior officials of the SAARC wound up the two-day programming committee meeting in preparation for the August 2 and 3 summits, the regional grouping is believed to be engaged in an informal debate on the pros and cons of expanding the membership.
 The SAARC was created in 1985 as a seven-member organization with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the founding members. In 2007, Afghanistan was inducted as the eight members.
 The Association in 2005 created a category of countries with observer status. China, the E.U., Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius and the U.S. are the observers.
 The representations from Australia and Myanmar would be considered at the summit.
Trains to have eco-friendly AC system

Responding to the growing concerns over global warming, the Northern Railway is now going to contribute its bit to environment by introducing an ozone-friendly air conditioning system in trains.
 After using harmful gases for years as refrigerant in AC coaches, the Northern Railway will now be using new refrigerants called R-134A and MO-49.
 The 150-year-old organisation has been using refrigerant based on dichlorodiflouro methane gas, which is harmful to the ozone layer and causes its depletion.
 “The dichlorodiflouro methane (R-12) is not environment friendly. If it leaks during breakdowns or accidents, it will deplete the ozone layer around the stratosphere.
NAM Summit
15th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) begins at Tehran.
WTO talks collapse
 The nine-day laborious WTO talks to salvage the Doha Trade Round collapsed today after the US was locked in a deadlock with India and China over import rules for farm products.
 WTO chief Pascal Lamy said the core group of seven nations, including India, the US, EU, China and Brazil, failed to reach a convergence over special safeguard mechanism sought by developing countries against agriculture imports.
 The seven-year-old trade talks, launched in 2001, got bogged down this time around as India and China demanded lower trigger point for imposing higher duties in case of import surge.
Why the talks failed?
* The main issues seemed to be the level of US trade-distorting farm subsidies and the scope of exceptions for developing countries on industrial tariff cuts.
* The talks focused on farm and industry subsidy and tariff cuts, leaving most other areas until later.
* The US made an early offer to cut its farm subsidies to $15 billion, and accepted a further cut to $14.5 billion in a compromise proposal last week.
* The new figure is less than one third of the current ceiling, but twice-current outlays, so developing countries said it was not enough.
* Rich countries such as the US and EU members remained at odds with emerging nations such as China and India over proposals to shield developing countries' infant industries from the full force of industrial tariff cuts.
Nooyi highest-paid female CEO in US: Forbes
 Forbes has named PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi as the top-paid female CEO in the US with a $12.7 million pay packet.
 Nooyi, who has been named as the fifth most powerful women in the world, is ranked 139th in terms of CEO pay for the 500 top companies in the US, as per Forbes.
 Nooyi's total compensation was just one-fourteenth that of the highest-paid man on the list, Oracle's Larry Ellison, who took home a modest $1 million in salary.
Pachauri to head six-member experts committee
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has constituted a six-member experts committee headed by Rajendra K. Pachauri, director-general, Tata Energy Research Institute, to look at an alternative alignment, avoiding the Ramar Sethu stretch, for implementing the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project.
 The members are T. Chakrabarti, acting Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur; S.R. Shetye, Director, National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa; S. Kathiroli, Director, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Velachery, Chennai; Rear Admiral B.R. Rao, Chief Hydrographer to the Government of India, and P.M. Tajale, Director-General, Geological Survey of India, Kolkata.
In the Sethusamudram case, Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan had suggested that the Centre consider Alignment 4 with a little deviation from the Dhanuskodi point to avoid Adams Bridge (Ramar Sethu) for petitioners are objecting to the demolition of Ramar Sethu.
Earlier, Alignment 4 was given up as it will cut through the Rameswaram island, resulting in demolition of a large portion of landmass and structures, including the Kothandaramaswami temple.
At present, the project is being implemented via Alignment 6, which will cut across Ramar Sethu.
Police varsities in Punjab, Gujarat soon

 Punjab and Gujarat are among the two states that have decided to set up police universities which will offer courses on policing and law enforcement.
 The steps come close on the heels of Union government’s decision to set up a national police university in the national capital.
 Gujarat has decided to set up a state-level police university and similar steps have also been taken by Punjab to set up a state-level university. All such police training institutes will be affiliated to the universities within the respective states.
 For the national police university, the Union Cabinet has already given its nod and the land for the university has been identified.
 The National Police Academy, the CRPF Academy, the BSF Academy, the Internal Security Academy are likely to be brought under the ambit of the proposed national university. The police universities will offer courses on various aspects of the policing and the security at the graduate, post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.