Indian scientists discover three bacterial clusters

Three clusters of bacteria which have no phylogenetic relationship to any other bacteria have been discovered serendipitously by Indian scientists. The discovery happened during LOHAFEX (Loha means iron in Hindi while Fex is an acronym for fertilisation) experiment in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica, which was aimed at increasing CO sequestration through ocean iron fertilisation as part of studies on global warming mitigation. Though a group of German scientists were also part of the experiment, the discovery was made by Indian scientists, according to one of the investigators and former Scientist of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). Director of National Institute of Oceanography, S.W.A. Naqvi was the principal investigator of the experiment, the results of which were published a few months ago in an open access journal, Frontiers in Microbiology. In the article, the authors pointed out that oceans are a major source and sink for carbon with the marine phytoplankton fixing up to 40 per cent CO. “Thus factors that hinder CO fixation by marine phytoplankton would impact global climate due to increase in the levels of CO in the atmosphere. Both biotic (grazing of phytoplankton by microzooplankton) and abiotic factors (deficiency in the micronutrient iron) could decrease the levels of CO sequestered. Therefore, the assumption is that if iron deficiency is overcome by exogenous addition of iron, it would facilitate a phytoplankton bloom and thus lead to CO sequestration. In order to get a better insight into bacteria-phytoplankton relationship in the context of iron fertilisation, the experiment looked at the effect of iron addition on bacterial community structure in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica.

Bihar debacle may weigh on economic policy

After the BJP’s debacle in Bihar and the setback to the reforms in Parliament, the Union government is set to tweak its economic policy. The Union Budget 2016, to be presented in February, will focus on farmers and unorganised workers, traditionally not the BJP’s constituencies. A highly placed  that the budget-makers are finalising a social security net for India’s 400 million unorganised workers who will access the scheme through smart cards, something that has been in the works for long. There are also plans to enhance funds for irrigation and to roll out a new improved crop insurance scheme — unlike last year’s Budget that focussed on public investments in roads and highways and railways. With two successive years of drought, rural distress, especially in the farm sector, will have to be addressed. The unorganised sector workers, too, have to be brought under the social security net as part of the universal security net that the government is working on…,” the official said. He said this expenditure would help to counter the economic slowdown by creating demand. Another official source, however, said the decision to focus on farmers and unorganised workers was based on the political feedback after the BJP’s rout in Bihar. “The government wants to show that it is pro-farmer and pro-poor, too,… not just working to improve the ease of doing business… and wants to move as far away as possible from the ‘suit-boot-ki-sarkar’ perception,” the source said. The 2015 Budget belied expectations of big-ticket reforms because of the anti-reforms voices within the BJP and the government after the BJP’s loss to the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi Assembly elections. In fact, after the Delhi debacle, the government withheld its plans for even those reforms that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced in his maiden Budget in July 2014. These measures, including decontrol of urea prices and withdrawal of kerosene from the PDS, are still on the back burner.

Amitabh Kant the additional Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog

In a significant secretary-level reshuffle at the Centre, the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has transferred Disinvestment Secretary Aradhana Johri and given Industry Secretary Amitabh Kant the additional responsibility of being Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog. Ms. Johri has been appointed as the chairperson of the National Authority for Chemical Weapons, a statutory body under the Cabinet secretariat, while the role of steering the government’s ambitious disinvestment agenda has now been entrusted to Neeraj Kumar Gupta, an Uttar Pradesh cadre officer of 1982 batch. Mr. Gupta is presently serving as the Special Secretary in the Department of Public Enterprises. West Bengal Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra has been appointed the new Secretary for road transport and highways ministry and will take charge following the incumbent Vijay Chhibber’s super-annuation on December 31. Similarly, Special Secretary in the revenue department Rashmi Verma has been appointed the next Textiles Secretary in place of Sanjay Kumar Panda who retires this month. With NITI Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar’s extended tenure coming to an end this month, the appointments panel has assigned the additional charge of this role to Kerala cadre officer Mr. Kant who is presently, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and is expected to retire in March 2016.

China's first counter-terrorism law

China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the top organ of China’s parliament has adopted the country’s first counter-terrorism law. The legislation was approved with large majority at the end of a week-long bimonthly session China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee. Key facts The law expanded the definition of the term terrorism and is the latest attempt of China to address terrorism at home and help maintain world security. The law grants overarching powers to security agencies and also allows the military to venture overseas on counter-terror operations. Under the new law a separate clause makes terrorism a crime including fabricating it and disseminating information on fabricated terrorist incidents. The law allows news media only to report on the personal details of on-scene workers, hostages or authorities’ response to terrorist activities and it will require approval from counter-terrorism authorities. It is mandatory for technology firms to give sensitive data like encryption keys to the government when asked for under this law.

Tamil People’s Council

The Tamil People’s Council (TPC) will impress upon the Sri Lanka government to ensure that enough safeguards for Tamils are provided in the proposed Constitution, the TPC’s chairperson and Chief Minister of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran. Contending that the Tamils had been experiencing “adverse effects” of the 1972 Constitution, which was not accepted by the Tamil leadership, the Chief Minister pointed out the Constitution did not have a provision equivalent to Section 29 (2) of the Soulbury Constitution of 1948 on the issue of protection of minorities’ rights.

Calling upon all Tamil political leaders to join the Council, he also stated that “Just because some hold views different to ours, we do not regard them as enemies. We seek cooperation of everyone as the Council is a movement of the Tamil people. We are not prepared to leave out or ignore anyone. P. Lakshman, co-chair of the TPC, told The Hindu that the Council’s main task was to adopt a bottom up approach in obtaining inputs from the people and this was why it should not be viewed as a challenger to the Tamil National Alliance.

16th India-Russia annual summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow a red-carpet welcome on his first bilateral visit to Russia during which both countries are set to seal a raft of deals in key sectors such as defence, nuclear energy and hydrocarbons to boost their robust and close partnership. The Prime Minister was accorded a guard of honour at the Vnukova-II airport.

“Reached Moscow. A series of programmes await in this short but very important visit,” Mr. Modi tweeted in English and Russian. Stepping up economic engagement and further expanding ties in strategic areas are likely to be the centrepiece of the 16th India-Russia annual summit talks between Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

The two leaders are set to deliberate on various global issues such as the situation in Syria and tackling the threat of terrorism as well. It is expected that a number of major pacts including to ramp up cooperation in defence and nuclear energy sectors will be finalised. Russia has been India’s biggest supplier of arms though New Delhi has started buying more military hardware from the U.S. in the last few years. Last week, India’s DefenceMinistry’s top acquisition council had cleared the purchase of Russian S-400Triumf air defence missile systems at an estimated cost of Rs. 40,000 crore and there may be an announcement of the deal on Thursday besides a few others. In the nuclear energy sector, India is expected to offer a site in Andhra Pradesh to set up units five and six of Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The new plants will be in sync with broad principles of ‘Make in India’ initiative and a decision in this regard is likely to be finalised  Setting the tone for the visit, the Prime Minister, before his departure for Moscow, said Russia remained one of India’s “most valued” friends in the world and that he was “very optimistic” about outcomes of the talks with Mr. Putin. “Our relation with Russia is unique, covering almost every field of human endeavour,

‘पंचम द्विमासिक मौद्रिक नीति, 2015-16

भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक ने ‘पंचम द्विमासिक मौद्रिक नीति में नीति दरों, आरक्षित नकदी निधि अनुपात एवं निवल मांग एवं मियादी देयताओं को अपरिवर्तित रखा। पंचम द्विमासिक मौट्रिक नीति वक्तव्य में ‘चल-निधि समायोजन सुविधा (LAF: Liquidity Facility) के अंतर्गत रिपो दर में कोई परिवर्तन किए बिना इसे 6.75 प्रतिशत पर रखा गया है। 29 सितंबर, 2015 को भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक द्वारा ‘चतुर्थ द्विमासिक मौद्रिक नीति, 2015-16 में रिपो दर 7.25 प्रतिशत से 50 आधार अंक घटाकर 6.75 प्रतिशत करने की घोषणा की थी। नीलामियों के माध्यम से बैंक-वार निवल मांग और मियादी देयताओं के 0.25 प्रतिशत पर ओवर नाइट रेपो के अंतर्गत चलनिधि उपलब्ध करना तथा बैंकिंग प्रणाली की निवल मांग और मियादी देयताओं के 0.75 प्रतिशत तक 14 दिवसीय मियादी रेपों के साथ- साथ दीर्घावधिक रेपो के अंतर्गत चलनिधि उपलब्ध करना जारी रखा जाए। चलनिधि की सुलभता के लिए दैनिक परिवर्तनीय दर मियादी रेपो और प्रतिवर्ती रेपो जारी रखें जाए। अनुसूचित वाणिज्यि बैंकों के ‘सांविधिक चलनिधि अनुपात’ (SLR: Statutary Liquidity Ratio) को अपरिवर्तित रखते हुए 21.5 प्रतिशत पर रखा गया है। इसके परिणामस्वरूप चलनिधि समायोजन सुविधा के अंतर्गत ‘प्रतिवर्ती रेपो दर’ (Reverse Repo Rate) 5.75 प्रतिशत तथा ‘सीमांत स्थायी सुविधा दर (Marginal Standing Facility Rate) और बैंक दर 7 7.5 प्रतिशत रहेगी। भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक द्वारा वर्ष 7.4 प्रतिशत रहने का अनुमान लगाया है। द्विमासिक मौद्रिक नीति, 2015-16 में वित्त वर्ष 2015-16 दौरान विकास दर 7.4 प्रतिशत रहने का अनुमान लगाया गया।

Juvenile Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2015

The Rajya Sabha cleared the Juvenile Justice (Amendment) Bill, 2015, lowering the age of a legally defined juvenile from 18 to 16 in the case of heinous crimes. Despite the fact that many parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and, till last week, the Congress favoured sending it to a select committee for consideration, neither Shantaram Naik of the Congress nor Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress moved a motion as had been decided by their parties earlier. The CPI(M) walked out once voting started. The presence of Nirbhaya’s parents in the visitors’ gallery and their protest in the last week or so seemed to have had an effect. Minister for Womenand Child Development Maneka Gandhi said: “We may not be able to do anything about the juvenile convict in the Nirbhaya case but we can deter many other boys from doing so.” “I do not want to tell you what to do, but please remember India is watching us and decide if you want to bring in a nuanced Bill which protects children. The Minister said no juvenile would be sent to jail directly. “If juveniles are sentenced to jail, they will be sent to a borstal until they are 21 years old, after which there will be a review.

Major changes in the syllabus of primary and secondary schools

After introducing major changes in the syllabus of primary and secondary schools in Rajasthan, State Education Minister Vasudev Devnani  said the Bhagawad Gita would now be made available in the libraries of Government Higher Secondary schools. Speaking at a function in Ajmer on ‘Gita Jayanti’ — annual celebration marking the birth of the Bhagawad Gita — Mr. Devnani said the Gita was the foundation of human life. “Gita means life’s philosophy and success is possible only for those who live by the philosophy of the Gita,”  Emphasising that every individual must read the Gita, Mr. Devnani declared that copies of the Gita would be made available in the 13,500 government higher secondary schools in Rajasthan.

Digital India mission

The Prime Minister’s Office has set an ambitious target to shift at least 90% of all government transactions that involve payments or receipts from citizens and businesses to electronic or paperless mode by the end of 2016, replacing the use of cash, demand drafts, cheques and challans in government offices. To move towards that goal, all government departments and ministries have been asked to provide electronic options for all payments and receipts by March 31, 2016.

Reforms in the International Monetary Fund

The United States (US) Senate has ratified reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost the representation of emerging economies as part of a budget bill. The reforms ratified in the legislation are in line with the proposed 2010 Quota Reforms and now it will go to President Barack Obama for assent. These proposed reforms are the biggest change in the governance of the Fund since it was established after World War Two in 1945 after the Bretton Woods Conference. Proposed reforms in the Bill Put four emerging markets Brazil, China, India and Russia among the IMF’s top 10 shareholders and give emerging markets more influence at the global lender. Gives emerging markets more voting power and double the Fund’s resources. China’s vote at the IMF would increase to 6 per cent from 3.8 per cent. It would make it the third-largest shareholder from its previous sixth position. The voting power and quota shares of the IMF’s poorest member countries will be protected. IMF’s Board will entirely consist of elected Executive Directors. It will end the current category of appointment of Executive Directors by five largest quotas holders. Quotas of all 188 members will increase as the Fund’s quota resources rise to about 477 billion special drawing rights (SDR) from 238.5 billion.

CBSE books and learning material will be available online for free

CBSE books and learning material will be made available online for free as part of the Centre’s good governance efforts,  At a function organised at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in east Delhi, she also said that initiatives would be undertaken to ensure holistic nurturing and improve learning outcomes at these schools. “We made NCERT books available online forfree through e-books and mobile applications a month-and-a-half ago. We are similarly going to make CBSE books available online along with additional learning material and videos as part of our good governance efforts. She also reiterated that the Centre will launch Shaala Darpan and Saransh services (for Class I to Class XII students) in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the next academic year. The Shaala Darpan service is aimed at using SMSes to keep parents informed about their wards’ attendance, time table and marks in exams while Saransh will help parents compare the subject-wise learning outcomes of their children, with others at the district, State and national levels.Earlier, addressing the function, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia stressed on the role of education in the lives of children. “You need to check whether you are doing better than yesterday. Are we behaving better than yesterday? The focus should be that if a child gets out of educational institutes 20 years later, he/she should pass out as a sensible person.

Waterman of India- Rajendra Singh

Magsaysay Award winner and water conservationist Rajendra Singh says the landmark agreement on climate change reached in Paris earlier in December could harm India’s interests. “The Paris agreement is a defeat for India, and it is a sign that our country has let developed countries like America take the upper hand,”  Mr. Singh (56), who is known as the “Waterman of India,” has been awarded the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize for outstanding achievement in water conservation. “I was anguished to read the official statements of the government,” he said. “India's knowledge system prioritises love and respect for nature. We are leaders in this field, but with the Paris agreement we have given a clear path for commercialisation of nature. This is completely against our tradition.” The Paris agreement, Mr. Singh feels, absolves the United States of its liability for causing climate change in the first place, and goes against the spirit of the Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen and Kyoto summits which imposed financial damages on it. “This means America has won and it means that the world's environment has been put in danger,” Mr Singh said. “Everyone was looking to the Paris summit to make the U.S. pay damages, but now it has succeeded in bringing itself on the same playing field as developing countries in terms of liability, even though everyone acknowledges that America is the major culprit.” Mr. Singh was in Paris during the negotiations, and he alleges that much of the process was a discussion on business interests rather than environmental concerns. “COP 21(Conference of Parties) became a playground for business and economic interests of developed countries, and they forced everyone to accept their terms. They are happy now,” he said. There were close to 40,000 attendees, but the real decision makers made up a “blue zone” of not more than 400. “They called the shots,”  It was because of this, he said, he organised an alternative COP forum along with likeminded activists who decided to talk about “climate and not business,” Mr. Singh said, “We were campaigning for conservation of water and soil, and we demanded that the damages that countries like America have to pay should be invested in the conservation of both. “If they were really discussing the environment, they would be discussing water and greenery. Instead they only ended up talking about the sale and purchase of technology and how different consultancies could be engaged to help one another.” Globally, Mr. Singh explained, the production of electricity through coal is considered damaging, with countries pushing for greater clean energy use.

Russian S-400 Trium Air Defence Missile Systems

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the purchase of Russian advance S-400 Trium Air Defence Missile Systems at an estimated cost of 40,000 crore rupees. Decision in this regard was taken by DAC meeting chaired by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi. DAC approval for defence deal comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia later in December 2015. India would buy 5 units of the S-400 Trium air defence missile systems that are capable of destroying incoming hostile missiles, aircraft and even drones within a range of up to 400 km. This purchase will give a major boost to the national air defence capacity and make India only the second buyer of the missile system after China. The S-400 System is also capable of taking out ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets. DAC also gave approval for Indian Army’s proposal for the purchase of 6 regiments of the Pinaka rocket system under the ‘Make in India’ category for 14,600 crore rupees. Each regiment of the Pinaka rocket system comes with 18 launchers and every launcher has the capability of firing 12 rockets at the same time. Indian Army’s demand for 571 light bullet-proof vehicles to be used in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. It was cleared at a cost of 310 crore rupees. Purchase of 120 trawls to be used on Russia-origin T-72 and T-90 tanks under Buy Global category for 450 crore rupees. It should be noted that DAC is the apex body of Union Defence Ministry for clearing defence procurement proposals forwarded by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

South Berubari Pratiraksha Committe

Bangladesh and India have started demarcating the land in “adversepossessions” (AP) and raising pillars on the international border in Jalpaiguri district of north Bengal. The Survey of India officers have reached the disputed South Berubari gram panchayat in the district and demarcating the boundary. The officials are raising the pillars “immediately” while marking the border in order to avoid future disputes. The process will put an end to a humanitarian crisis triggered in 1947 following the erroneous omission of a police station in Jalpaiguri district by British lawyer Cyril John Radcliffe, while dividing the country. In June, Bangladesh and India agreed to put an end to the dispute on the basis of 2011 Protocol. The Protocol identified the disputed areas and the 2015 agreement agreed to complete the “ground demarcation” of the boundary in 2016. As per the agreement, the process to demarcate the villages under South Berubari started last week. The Survey of India officers, headed by senior officer Biswanath Chakravarty, reached the village with border guards of both countries and initiated the process. Official sources told The Hindu that “110 subsidiary pillars and 10 main pillars” will be constructed on the Berubari border. The officials, with the help of the district administration, completed the tender and commissioned local builders to raise the pillars. Pillars will be raised in five villages under South Berubari gram panchayat and in another adjacent Panchayat, Nagar [City] Berubari, on the international border. The process of demarcation, by raising pillars, will be completed as per Article III of 2011 Protocol by drawing fixed boundaries “for territories held in AP” in four eastern States — West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. The 2015 Agreement says that all the demarcation will be completed by June 30, 2016. However, the nature of the problem is different in Assam or Tripura. While in Bengal the residents of AP-land are Indian citizens residing on Bangladeshi [erstwhile East Pakistan] land, in Assam or Tripura Bangladeshi citizens are living on Indian land. “I do hope that the problem of all the States will be resolved by June 2016 as agreed,” said Sardaprasad Das, president of the South Berubari Pratiraksha Committee.

Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.

The Supreme Court has appointed Justice (Retd) Virendra Singh as new Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh. In the first of its kind order, the SC has invoked its constitutional power and appointed retired HC judge as UP Lokayukta after state machinery failed to appoint it. The Supreme Court observed that The failure of constitutional functionaries to comply with the orders of the apex court of the country is deeply regretted and astonishing. Expressed displeasure that Chief Minister, leader of opposition and Chief Justice of High Court failed to comply with its order. Justice (Retd) Virendra Singh is a native of western Uttar Pradesh. He has served as Judge of Allahabad High Court from 2009 to 2011 and had superannuated in 2011. Background The Supreme Court’s order came after State Selection Panel of Lokayukta comprising Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, leader of Opposition (LoP) Swami Prasad Maurya and Chief Justice of Allahabad high court Justice DY Chandrachud could not reach on any consensus.

Business community in SAARC countries

Taking forward its bonhomie with Pakistan, India is all set to launch an “India Business Card” for the business community in SAARC countries. The stumbling block so far for issuance of this card had been Pakistan, but the decks have now been cleared with renewed ties with Pakistan, a senior government official said. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi all set to visit Pakistan to attend the SAARC summit in late 2016, the government wants to deliver on the announcements he made during the summit in Nepal. In the past two weeks, India and Pakistan have had two meetings at the level of National Security Adviser (NSA) and foreign ministers. Earlier in July, India relaxed business visa norms for Pakistan, which is valid for three years now, up from one year earlier, and businessmen would be able to visit up to 15 places. Intelligence agencies had expressed apprehension over easing visa restrictions on businessmen from Pakistan, but the government prevailed over their concerns saying it was required to bring in normality in the region. “The India Business Card will have a special logo and will be only given to businessmen of high repute. It is being done with an aim of ease of business and gels with the ‘Make in India’ policy of the government,” said a senior Home Ministry official. It was not clear whether Pakistan businessmen would be allowed in the manufacturing sector and given a green signal to open factories here.

Human Development Index Report 2015

India has been placed at 130th position in the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries. It was unveiled in the recently released Human Development Report 2015 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Key facts India has been placed at 130th position with 0.609 score in the medium human development category. In 2014 report country’s rank was 135 with 0.586 score. Improvement in India’s 2015 HDI from previous year has been attributed to rise in life expectancy and per capita income. India’s Life expectancy at birth: It has increased to 68 years in 2014 from 67.6 in the previous year and 53.9 in 1980. Gross National Income (GNI) per capita: It has increased to $5,497 in 2014 from $5,180 in 2013 and $1,255 in 1980. India’s GNI per capita increased by about 338 per cent between 1980 and 2014. Access to knowledge: Expected years of schooling have remained stagnant at 11.7 since 2011. The mean years of schooling at 5.4 has not changed since 2010. Gender Development Index (GDI): GDI value of India is 0.795 in 2014. The female HDI value for India is 0.525 in contrast with 0.660 for males. Gender Inequality Index (GII): India rank at 130th position with value of 0.563 out of 155 countries in the 2014. India’s HDI value increased from 0.362 to 0.609 between 1980 and 2014. It indicates an increase of 68.1 per cent or an average annual increase of about 1.54 per cent. India’s life expectancy at birth increased by 14.1 years between 1980 and 2014. The mean years of schooling has increased by 3.5 years and expected years of schooling increased by 5.3 years in the same period. Top Three Countries: Norway (1st rank), Australia (2nd) and Switzerland (3rd). India’s Neighbours: Sri Lanka (73 rank), China (90), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (142), Nepal (145), Pakistan (147) and Afghanistan (171). BRICS Nations: Russia (50 rank), Brazil (75), China (90), South Africa (116) and India (130). About Human Development Index The HDI is an average measure of basic human development achievements in a country measured by UNDP. It is an average of long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development viz. a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Producing atomic energy

The Lok Sabha has unanimously passed the Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill,2015 by voice vote. The bill seeks to amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 to facilitate and fast track setting up of new nuclear projects in the country. Key provisions of the Bill Redefines paid-up share capital: Expands the definition of paid-up share capital in parent Act to include joint ventures (JV) of public sector undertakings (PSUs). Paid-up share capital is the capital received by a company from the issue of shares. Government company is one in which at least 51% of the paid-up share capital is held by the central government. The whole of the paid up share capital would be held by one or more PSUs and empowers the Union government to constitute its Board of Directors for such JV. Licenses: Henceforth it will only be granted to entities such as a government company or a department of Union Government. Under the parent Act, license is required for acquisition, production, use, export and import of any plant designed for the production and development of atomic energy or research. License granted will be cancelled if it ceases to be a government company for (i) acquiring and using substances or minerals from which atomic energy can be obtained (ii) producing atomic energy etc.

AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal

Interpol has issued an international alert on arrest warrants against two alleged middlemen wanted by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with money laundering investigations into bribery allegations in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. The first alert, an Interpol Red Corner Notice, seeks the arrest of 69-year-old Carlo Gerosa, who holds Italian and Swiss nationalities. His alleged accomplice, 64-year-old Guido Ralph Haschke, is also wanted by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Haschke is an American by birth and also an Italian citizen. Based on the warrants, the Indian government can now seek extradition of the two accused from Italy — an Interpol member — to face trial in the case. On the Central Bureau of Investigation’s request, the Interpol had recently issued a Red Corner Notice against the third alleged British middleman Christian Michel James, who is suspected to be currently operating from Dubai. The agencies have alleged that AgustaWestland-UK and its parent Italian firm Finmeccanica spent about €58 million through the middlemen to influence Indian nationals.

China, Russia, Venezuela and Arab states support Paris Agreement

China, the top emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, accounting for about 25 per cent of emissions, welcomed the Paris Agreement on Saturday night.

Xie Zhenhua, the Chinese climate envoy, addressing the Plenary at the Climate Conference, CoP21, said the pact may not be perfect, and some areas needed improvement. “But it does not prevent us from marching forward in historic steps. The agreement is fair, just, comprehensive and balanced, with legally binding force”.

He called for enhancing the ambition among developed countries on pre-2020 action to cut emissions and increase finance contributions, besides the period beyond 2020. The Agreement reflects the balance struck between the world's interest and that of different countries. Developed countries need to honour their commitments on capital, technology, and capacity building support to developing countries going into the future, he emphasised.

China would undertake its international obligations, and take steps to meet goals before 2020, actively implementing its national pledge to peak its greenhouse gases as soon as possible. It would work with all countries.

Throughout the Plenary, the role of the G77+China bloc of countries came in for repeated praise.

Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state

Myanmar has launched the country’s first United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state. With this launch Myanmar opens a new chapter in its commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system conservation. In June 2015, the lake was officially designated as Myanmar’s first biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Bioshpere (MAB) programme. About Inle Lake Inle Lake is located in Taunggyi district in Myanmar’s eastern Shan state. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 116 km2. The wetland ecosystem of this freshwater Inle Lake is home to diverse flora and fauna. It is home to 267 species of birds, out of which 82 are wetland birds. The Inle Lake is nesting place for globally endangered Sarus crane. It also has 43 species of freshwater fishes of which 9 species of fish are found nowhere else in the world. Apart from its ecological importance, Inle Lake is also has unique for the way the local inhabitants have adapted their life style to their environment. Presently, the lake gets funding from the government of Norway for conservation purpose under the framework of the Inle Lake Conservation and Rehabilitation project.

Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty on stainless steel

Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty on import of cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel for 5 years from 7 countries. The government’s decision comes on the recommendation of Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) in the wake of rising incidence of dumping. It was hampering the performance of domestic industry and with steel prices on a decline. These countries are China, South Korea, United States, South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan and the European Union. The highest duty has been imposed on steel imports from China at 57.39 per cent, followed by EU at 52.56 per cent. Imports from Thailand will have the least duty imposed at 4.58 per cent. Earlier in September 2015 Government had imposed 20 per cent provisional safeguard duty on a specific hot-rolled imported steel product. Anti-dumping duty: It is counter import measure used by a country under the multilateral World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime to protect its domestic producers and market from below-cost/cheap imports. It varies from product to product and from country to country.

Mailer Prize 2015 for Lifetime Achievement

India-born author Salman Rushdie has been awarded the prestigious 2015 Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement. He has been bestowed with this award for fully exercising his freedom of creativity and thrived on dialogue and debate. He was presented with this award by Laurie Anderson at a ceremony held at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York City. About Salman Rushdie Mr Rushdie was born on 19 June 1947 in then Bombay Presidency (now Mumbai). He has authored 12 novels including the Booker Prize winner novel Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses. His most recent novel is Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, published in September 2015. He is a Fellow of the British Royal Society of Literature, Britain’s senior literary organisation. Awards and Honours: Whitbread Prize for Best Novel (twice), Writers’ Guild Award, European Union’s Aristeion Prize for Literature, London International Writers’ Award and US National Arts Award. He holds honorary doctorates and fellowships at six European and six American universities. He is also an Honorary Professor in the Humanities at MIT and University Distinguished Professor at Emory University. About Mailer Prize Mailer Prize is an American literary award established in 2009 by The Norman Mailer Center. The prize is named after renowned American writer Norman Mailer who is considered among the most influential writers of the second half of the 20th century. It is awarded to writer whose work over the years has challenged readers’ perspectives on the world around them.

Tamil Nadu flood as a Calamity of Severe Nature

The Union Government has declared the recent Tamil Nadu flood as a Calamity of Severe Nature. Central Government’s announcement came after Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa had made a plea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking that the floods be declared as National Disaster. Under this declaration Parliamentarians are advised to pend up to 1 crore rupees under their MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the in flood-affected districts. In this regard, MPs can send approval letters to the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Background The 2015 South Indian floods was a severe natural calamity caused by heavy rainfall on 15–16 November during the annual northeast monsoon seson. The worst affected areas were are located on the Coromandel Coast region of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the union territory of Puducherry. Chennai, capital city of Tamil Nadu was particularly hard-hit. The floods had killed nearly 600 people and displaced over 1.8 million people. The flooding was attributed to the strong El Niño phenomenon during the El Niño year of 2015.

Israel has successfully tested Arrow ballistic missile Weapon System

Israel has successfully tested Arrow ballistic missile Weapon System as part of its defence upgradation measures in the face of regional threats. The missile system has been jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the US aviation giant Boeing. Key facts Arrow 3 is the top-tier system in Israel’s missile shield arsenal. It is more powerful compared to country’s lowest-tier defence is the short-range Iron Dome interceptor. It provides exo-atmospheric interception of ballistic missiles i.e. designed to shoot down missiles above the atmosphere. It can hit targets in space that are meant to simulate a nuclear or chemical weapon that could be launched from Iran, Syria or Hezbollah. The Arrow ballistic missile project was first launched in 1988 by US as part of the then Star Wars programme and was abandoned in 1993.

‘Heart of Asia’ conference,

The fifth edition of ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other countries commenced in Islamabad Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated the ministerial-level meeting. Key facts Theme of the meeting: ‘Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region.’ Focus of the two day conference: To increase cooperation for countering security threats and promotion of connectivity in the region. It is jointly hosted by Pakistan and Afghanistan and would be attended by the high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12 international and regional organisations. From India, the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is attending the meeting. Six key areas: The 14 participating states are pursuing confidence-building measures in 6 key areas including counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, disaster management, education, trade and investment and regional infrastructure. About Heart of Asia conference Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was established 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. Seeks to provide a platform to deal common regional issues particularly encouraging security along with political and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbours facing problems of terrorism, extremism and poverty. 14 Member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and UAE.

Person of the Year 2015

Time magazine has named German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Person of the Year 2015. She was named for her role in Europe’s crises over migration and Greek debt as she had provided steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply. With this, Merkel became only the 4th woman since 1927 to be named winner and the first women to feature in 29 years. The other women three women to win are Wallis Simpson (1936), Queen Elizabeth II (1952) and Corazon Aquino (1986). Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named runner-up and US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump was placed . About Angela Merkel Angela Merkel (full name- Angela Dorothea Kasner) was born on 17 July 1954 in Hamburg, West Germany. She is trained as a physicist and had entered politics after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2005 national elections, Merkel became Germany’s first female chancellor, and one of the leading figures of the European Union. Prior to entering into politics, she was working as research scientist. She was elected as first women Chancellor of Germany in 2005 and since then is in office.

Pune and Rajkot have become the new Indian Premier League

Pune and Rajkot have become the new interim franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) through the reverse bidding process. They will replace the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a period of two years. The Pune franchise was bought by Kolkata-based company New Rising owned by business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka, while Intex Mobiles won the bid for the Rajkot franchise. Mr. Goenka will shell out 10 crore rupees per year to the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) for the Pune franchise, while Intex Mobiles will pay 16 crore rupees for the two-year. Reverse bidding process Both new interim franchises were picked through the reverse bidding process for which the base price was set at 40 crore rupees. The bidders were to quote an amount less than that and the lowest bidders were given the franchises. Now, players from CSK and RR franchises will be divided between two teams of capped and uncapped draft system. The two new teams will have a minimum of 40 crore rupees and a maximum of  66 crore rupees to buy their players. Background Earlier, the Supreme Court-appointed Justice (Retd) R.M. Lodha committee had suspended CSK and RR after it was found the involvement some of their officials and co-owners in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. The committee has suspended both teams for 2 years term and have been allowed back in the league after serving out their suspension term.

Parliament passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015

Parliament passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It was first passed by Lok Sabha in August 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha in December 2015. The bill seeks to amend The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque). Key features of Bill Adds provision to specify the territorial jurisdiction of the courts in cases related to bouncing of cheques which was not present in the parent Act. It says that cases in this regard need to be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee lies. It also adds provision related to more than one case is filed against the same person before different courts for bouncing of cheques. In this matter, the case will be transferred to the court that has appropriate jurisdiction. The bill also amends the definition of cheque. Redefines cheque in the electronic form which is signed in a secure system with a digital signature or using electronic system and drawn in electronic medium using any computer resource.

International festival on Birds

Uttar Pradesh Government has launched International festival on Birds in a bid to promote state as an international bird-watching destination. The first-of-its-kind festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS). It has been jointly organised by the State Forest department in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The three-day international festival (from 4 to 6 December 2015) on birds will be held the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) in Agra. Over 80 Indian ornithlogists and around 25 top international bird experts and are participating in the first-of-its-kind festival. About National Chambal Sanctuary NCS was set up in 1979 as a riverine sanctuary along the Chambal River. It is managed by the Wildlife wing of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and its head-quartered are located at Agra. The sanctuary is the main area for the Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), a fresh water crocodile species reintroduction programmme in the Chambal River. The river supports the largest population of the Gharial in the wild in the country. It also supports more than 320 resident and migrant birds.