Important Current Relevant Facts For CSE Pre Exam 2009 The violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, whose majestic

c bowing widened the circle of rasikas for Carnatic music, passed away in 2008 after a brief illness. He was 73 year old. Vaidyanathan, who had a long association with All India Radio, won several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri, Sangeeth Natak Academy award, Sangeetha Mamani and the Carnataka Isaignani award. Mahendra Kapoor who was the veteran playback singer, died after a heart attack in 2008. He was 74 year old.In recent past the Maharashtra government selected him for the Lata Mangeshkar Award for his lifetime contribution in the field of playback music. Mr. Kapoor was born in Amritsar on January 9, 1934, but moved to Mumbai. He was inspired by Mohammed Rafi and won an all-India singing competition early in his career. Mr. Kapoor received the national award for best male playback singing for "Mere Desh Ki Dharti..." in Upkar. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri. "Chalo Ek Bar Phirse... in Gumrah won him his first Filmfare Award in 1963. For "Neele Gagan Ke Taley..." (Humraaz) in 1967 and "Nahi Nahi Bus Aur Nahi..." (Roti Kapda aur Makan) he won the Filmfare Award once again in 1974. Eminent industrialist K.K. Birla (90) passed away in august,2008 at his Birla Park residence after a brief illness, patiently borne.he was Born at Pilani in Rajasthan in 1918.he was Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament for 18 years. . He was the chairman of a number of Birla companies, including Chambal Fertilizers, Zuari Industries, Texmaco, Oudh Sugar and Hindustan Times. He founded the K.K. Birla Foundation, which gives awards for excellence in arts, philosophy, literature, scientific research and sports. His K.K. Birla Academy of Scientific, Historical and Cultural Research is planning a scientific museum. Nobel prize-winning Russian author and thinker Alexander Solzhenitsyn died in august,2008, ending a bitter and illustrious life journey that reflected Russias tumultuous history through the 20th century at age was Age 89 in the Moscow. Solzhenitsyn became famous overnight after his story, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, was published in 1962. For millions of Russians it became an eye-opener about the horrors of Joseph Stalins Gulag labour camps. The story recounted the writers own experiences of spending eight years in Gulag for criticising Stalin in a letter to a friend in 1945 after having served in the army throughout the Second World War. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1970, but none of his novels The Gulag Archipelago, The First Circle, Cancer Ward and others, which exposed the cruelty of the Communist regime was published in the Soviet Union. In 1974 he was arrested on charges of "anti-Soviet activities", deported from the country and stripped of Soviet citizenship. Poornam Viswanathan noted theatre person and character artiste passed away in chennai after a brief illness. He was 87.He was known for his remarkable performances in Tamil theatre and films. In every role he played, he paid great attention to dialogue delivery and body language Mr.Viswanathan started performing on stage when he was 18. He later moved to New Delhi for a few years, where he was part of the South Indian Troupe, with renowned critic Subbudu. Mr.Viswanathan, who worked as news reader at All India Radio there, deemed it a matter of great pride to have announced the news of India obtaining independence in the first news bulletin broadcast on August 15, 1947.Mr. Viswanathans performance in films such as Varusham 16, Keladi Kanmani, Aasai, Mahanadi and Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu are unforgettable. He was at ease in both comedy and melodrama. Michael Crichton,who was 66 year old, best known author of science fiction novels Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, The Andromeda Strain and creator of TV hit ER, died in Los Angeles (America) by critical cancer in November,2008. Eminent film-maker Baldev Raj Chopra, who made immortal classics highlighting socially relevant issues and produced the popular Hindi TV serial Mahabharat, died in November,2008 at Mumbai following prolonged illness.he was 94 year old. Mr. B.R. Chopra was known for making films based on powerful off-beat themes such as Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Waqt (1965), Naya Daur (1957), Kanoon (1958), Humraz (1967), Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980) and Nikah (1982). In july,2008 Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra was conferred the Officer of The Legion of Honour by the French Government In the month of September ,2008 Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan has recommended to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court be removed for misappropriating temporarily Rs. 33 lakh deposited in the court by one of the parties to a dispute. Responding to the Chief Justices letter, which was forwarded to the Law Ministry. The Chief Justice said in his letter that Justice Sen rejected the advice to resign or seek voluntary retirement after he had been found guilty of the misconduct in an in-house inquiry. American Serena Williams defeated second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the womens U.S. Open final in September,2008 for her ninth career Grand Slam title and the World No. 1 ranking. There was plenty at stake as fourth-seeded Williams received the WTA top ranking, a spot she previously held for 57 weeks beginning in 2002. Williams, playing in her first U.S. Open final in six years, also picked up $1.5 million in first-place prize money and moved into third on the all-time money list. Williams won her 32nd career singles title and wiped away some of the disappointment of losing to sister Venus in the Wimbledon final earlier 2008. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research announced the winners of its prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2008. The winners are: Biological sciences G.P.S. Raghava, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh; and L.S.Shashidara, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Chemical sciences Pradeep Thalappil, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; and

Jarugu Narasimha Moorthy, IIT, Kanpur. Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences P.N.Vinayachandran, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Engineering Sciences Ranjan Kumar Mallik, IIT, Delhi. Mathematical Sciences Jaikumar Radhakrishnan, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Medical Sciences Ravinder Goswami, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Physical Sciences Raghunathan Srianand, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; and Srikanth Sastry, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Bangalore. The prize comprises a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research also announced the winner of the CSIR award for S&T innovations for rural development. It has been won jointly by the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that some 50 developing countries will remain at risk of being affected through 2009 as a result of hikes in food and fuel prices. IMFs updated assessment shows that the impact of food and fuel price increases on developing countries, far from diminishing, has continued to mount since its previous report appeared in June,2008As a result, the IMF has projected that net fuel-importing low-income countries are facing an increase in their fuel bill equivalent to 3.2 per cent of their GDP (gross domestic product), or $60 billion. For the 43 net food-importing countries, the rise in their food bill is 0.8 per cent of GDP, or $7.2 billion. . The updated assessment shows that in 24 countries, the combined fiscal cost from rising food and fuel subsidies is expected to exceed two per cent of GDP. The report also points out that these subsidies are almost always poorly targeted in terms of reaching those people most in need. IMF study points to two priorities for the affected countries: First, to bring inflation back under control. This will require a robust monetary policy stance tightening where necessary and the avoidance of unsustainable wage increase. Second, a shift to better-targeted social safety net programmes to protect the poor in a more cost-effective manner. The Nanavati-Mehta judicial commission has concluded that the fire aboard coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express at the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, was a "pre-planned conspiracy" by local Muslims.The report of the commission, appointed by the Gujarat government, is totally at variance with the conclusions of the U.C. Banerjee Committee, appointed by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, which said the fire was "purely accidental." The report gave a clean chit to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the members of his then Council of Ministers and police officers. It also ruled out the involvement of any religious or political organisation in the fire. It also rejected the allegations that they ailed to comply with the recommendations and directions given by the National Human Rights Commission. Lakshya, the indigenously developed micro-light pilotless target aircraft, was successfully test flown at Balasore (Orissa) to check the validity of its engine and duration enhancement in 2008. The 5th World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world, concluded in Istanbul (Turkey) in 22 march,2009, or the World Water Day, with firm commitments of tackling global water challenges jointly in the context of sustainable development. The forum, organized every three years by World Water Council ( WWC) and the host country, was attended by a record of 25,000 participants from all over the world, including a number of heads of state, more than 90 ministers, 63 mayors, 156 delegations and 148 parliamentarians. During the seven-day World Water Forum forum, the attendees agreed that water is an increasingly vital resource in the 21st century, when world is challenged by overpopulation, climate change, ecosystem collapse, urbanization, consumption pattern change and financial crisis. According to statistics of the World Water Forum forum, only 2.5 percent of all the water on Earth is freshwater, two-thirds of which is in glaciers and polar ice caps. Therefore, available freshwater represents less than 1 percent of the worlds total water stock. Furthermore, a study released at the forum showed that 85 percent of the worlds population live on the droughty land of the Earth. More than 1 billion people living in arid and semiarid parts of the world have little access to renewable water sources. According to the 3rd UN World Water Development Report released by UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization during the forum, more than 900 million people still have no access to drinking water and 2.5 billion people are still deprived of sanitation. Meanwhile, the worlds population, currently estimated at 6.6 billion, is growing by about 80 million each year, which means demand for freshwater is increasing by 64 billion cubic meters a year. The U.S. governments controversial restriction on companies from hiring skilled foreign workers with nonimmigrant H-1B visas will continue for only two years. As part of a stimulus package passed in October,2008 for revival of the economy, President Barack Obama signed a new law, named "Employ American Workers Act", which makes it difficult for the companies having received government bailout funds to hire H-1B foreign workers. However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a circular issued with its invitation of H1-B applications for the next fiscal, has now made it clear that the EAWA requirements are not permanent and would "sunset two years from the date of enactment." EAWA, which prevents a company from displacing U.S. workers when hiring H-1B specialty occupation workers if the company received stimulus funds, took effect on February 17, 2009 and it applies to any "hire" taking place before February 17, 2011.The Act defines "hire" as an employer permitting a new employee to commence a period of employment; that is, the introduction of a new employee to the employers U.S. workforce.

 The Indian Space Research Organisations (ISROs) in its fourteenth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota in October 22, 2008 by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, successfully launched the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft into a transfer orbit with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 255 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 22,860 km, inclined at an angle of 17.9 deg to the equator. PSLV is a four stage launch vehicle employing both solid and liquid propulsion stages. PSLV is the trusted workhorse launch Vehicle of ISRO. During 1993-2008 period, PSLV had fourteen launches of which thirteen are consecutively successful. PSLV has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by launching 30 spacecraft (14 Indian and 16 for international customers) into a variety of orbits so far. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, designed and developed PSLV. ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram developed the inertial systems. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), also at Thiruvananthapuram, developed the liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as reaction control systems. SDSC SHAR processed the solid propellant motors and carried out launch operations. ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) provided telemetry, tracking and command support. Chandrayaan-1 is Indias first spacecraft mission beyond Earths orbit. It aims to further expand our knowledge about Earths.The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-1 are to place an unmanned spacecraft in an orbit around the moon, to conduct mineralogical and chemical mapping of the lunar surface and to upgrade the technological base in the country Chandrayaan-1 aims to achieve these well-defined objectives through high-resolution remote sensing of moon in the visible, near infrared, microwave and X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. With this, preparation of a 3-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface and chemical and mineralogical mapping of entire lunar surface is envisaged. There are 11 payloads (scientific instruments) through which Chandrayaan-1 intends to achieve its scientific objectives. They include five instruments designed and developed in India, three instruments from European Space Agency (one of which is developed jointly with India and the other with Indian contribution), one from Bulgaria and two from the United States. The Indian payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), a CCD camera that maps the topography of the moon, which helps in better understanding of the lunar evolution process, Hyperspectral Imager (HySI), another CCD camera, is designed for mapping of the minerals on the lunar surface as well as for understanding the mineralogical composition of Moons interior, Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI) provides necessary data for accurately determining the height of lunar surface features. High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX) is designed to help explore the possibility of identifying Polar Regions covered by thick water-ice deposits as well as in identifying regions of high Uranium and Thorium concentrations. Moon Impact Probe (MIP) demonstrates the technologies required for landing a probe at the desired location on the moon. It is also intended to qualify some of the technologies related to future soft landing missions. The six international payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are Chandrayaan-1 Imaging X ray Spectrometer (C1XS), an ESA payload and jointly developed by Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of England and ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, intends is to carry out high quality mapping of the moon using X-ray fluorescence technique for finding the presnce of Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Iron and Titanium distributed over the surface of the Moon. Smart Near Infrared Spectrometer (SIR-2), another ESA payload, developed by Max Plank Institute of Germany, aims to study the lunar surface to explore the mineral resources and the formation of its surface features. Sub kiloelectronvolt Atom Reflecting Analyser (SAR), the third payload from ESA, is built by Swedish Institute of Space Physics and Space Physics Laboratory of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Tiruvananthapuram. The aim of this instrument is to study the surface composition of the moon and the magnetic anomalies associated with the surface of the moon. Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM), a payload developed by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, aims to characterise the radiation environment in a region of space surrounding the moon. Mini Synthetic Aperture Radar (MiniSAR) is one of the two scientific instruments from the USA and is from Johns Hopkins Universitys Applied Physics Laboratory and Naval Air Warfare Centre, USA through NASA. MiniSAR is mainly intended for detecting water ice in the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles up to a depth of a few meters. Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) is an imaging spectrometer from Brown University and Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the US through NASA, is intended to assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial and spectral resolution. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russias Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) have signed an Agreement on joint lunar research and exploration. Mr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO, and Mr A Perminov, Director, Roskosmos, signed the Agreement in Moscow on November 12, 2007 during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Russia. This cooperation envisages Chandrayaan-2, a joint lunar mission involving a lunar orbiting spacecraft and a Lander/Rover on the Moons surface. ISRO will have the prime responsibility for the Orbiter and Roskosmos will be responsible for the Lander/Rover. A few scientific instruments from other space agencies may also be accommodated on these systems. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched on Indias Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) around 2011-12 time frame. This agreement is a major milestone in the long-standing cooperation between India and Russia in the area of outer space. The Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand became the world chess champion again when he won the 12-game world chess championship match against Vladimir Kramnik of Russia 6.5-4.5 with one game to

sparein in October,2008. Playing with white, Anand drew the 11th game at the Art and Exhibition Hall at Bonn (Germeny)to retain his title.In 2000, Indias first Grandmaster was the last man standing in the 128player knockout format. In 2007, Anand won an eight-player double round-robin field that included Kramnik to regain the crown The Indian Weightlifting Federation has imposed a life ban on weightlifter Satish Rai. Nineteen months after he tested positive for a second time in his career. Rai had first tested positive for stimulant strychnine at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and then for a second time at the National Games in Guwahati in February 2007, this time for steroid stanozolol. Rai, a Karnataka lifter and an Arjuna awardee, had represented Andhra Pradesh in the last National Games. Thailands Constitutional Court in December, 2008 unseated politically beleaguered Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat by ordering that his Peoples Power Party be disbanded for electoral fraud. Mr. Somchai stands disqualified for elective office for five years. With this, the Court in Bangkok has disqualified both leaders to become Prime Minister since the "restoration of democracy" earlier this year under a Constitution that was crafted by coup masters and approved in a "referendum." The Army had toppled Thaksin Shinawatra, a twice-elected leader, in September,2006. Russias Ksenya Sukhinova was in December,2008 crowned Miss World 2008 after beating scores of international beauties, including Indias Parvathy Omanakuttan who finished first runners up, at a glittering African extravaganza held at Johannesburg (South Africa). More than 100 international beauties participated in this years Miss World. South Africa. who hosted the event for the sixth time, became the country that has held more Miss World pageants than any other. The event was broadcast to millions of viewers in 187 countries. Beauties from 109 countries were whittled own to 15 semi-finalists with India, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Angola and South Africa named the five finalists. The Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal inaugurated Himadri the Indian research station at the Arctic at N.y-Alyund in Norway in the month of july,2008. The India Arab Cultural Centre at Jamia Millia Islamia organised a function to pay homage to the legendary Palestinian freedom fighter and revolutionary poet Mahmoud Darwish who was died in august, ,2008. Apart from Vice-Chancellor Mushirul Hasan, Palestinian Ambassador Osama Musa and Chief Representative of the Arab League Ahmad Salem El-Wahishi were also present at the function. Bernie Mac, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor and comedian who worked his way to ollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicagos South Side, died in august,2008 at age 50. The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the bodys organs He started his comedy career at 8, with a stand-up performance at a church dinner. In 1977, at 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in Chicago. His film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans movie "Mo Money" in 1992. Mr. Mac went on to star in the "Oceans Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney and his turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005s "Guess Who?" a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 1967 classic "Guess Whos Coming to Dinner?" topped the box office. Goa Governor S.C. Jamir was appointed Governor and Prabha Rau named Himachal Pradesh Governor.in 2008. On 10th july,2008 Governors rule is imposed and the State Assembly dissolved in Jammu and Kashmir. Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley arrives in New Delhi in year 2008 and signed on a treaty that will taken place the treaty of 1949. India successfully hosted the PATA Travel Mart 2008 in Hyderabad from September 16 to 19, 2008. Approximately 1,089 trade delegates, comprising 374 global buyers from 324 organizations and 715 Asia Pacific seller delegates from 301 organizations participated in the Travel Mart. India accounted for the largest contingent of sellers, representing about 28% of the exhibitors at the Travel Mart, with the remaining 72% being international exhibitors from the Asia Pacific Region. As host destination, India provided the largest single-source market buyer contingent, with strong growth coming from China (PRC), which will host next years Mart in Hangzhou Veteran Bengali film director Tapan Sinha is selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2006. The United Progressive Alliance government wins the trust vote in the Lok Sabha by a margin of 19 votes after a two-day debate on 22 july,2008. The Union Cabinet approves merger of the State Bank of Saurashtra with the State Bank of India in 2008. In 2008Three private players HSBC, ICCI Prudential and Reliance Capital to manage EPFO funds along with SBI. 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 injuly,2008. Himachal Pradesh Director-General of Police Ashwani Kumar has been appointed CBI director in place of Vijay Shankar, who retired in july,2008. One hundred and fortysix people are killed and over 230 injured in a stampede near the hilltop Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh in august 2008. India announced the allocation of an additional $450 million in assistance to the war-torn nation Afghanistan. The announcement came after discussions with visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. The additional aid, coming on top of the existing commitments totalling $750 million, will push the quantum

of New Delhis assistance to Kabul above $1 billion, a sign of the importance India attaches to peace and stability in the newest member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi of Tamilnadu on august,2008 inaugurated the Tuticorin Corporation and laid the foundation stone for 24 development projects to be executed at a cost of Rs.67.42 crore. For this government would provide a grant of Rs.5 crore for implementing 10 projects proposed by the civic body with an outlay of Rs.16.49 crore. Major works planned included improvement of water supply, construction of building for the Corporation office, beautification of 16 notified parks, desilting of the Buckle Canal and modernisation of two bus stands. Ahead of the release of Indias economic outlook projections by the Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (EAC), its chairman C. Rangarajan in august,2008 stepped down from the post. He has nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Dr. Rangarajan is to be succeeded by EAC member Suresh Tendulkar. The President has approved 124 gallantry awards to the security forces, including two Ashok Chakra to police personnel and Kirti Chakra to all the four Indians who died in the Kabul Embassy suicide bombing.The Ashok Chakra, the countrys highest award for gallantry during peacetime, has been conferred posthumously on Pramod Kumar Satapathy of Orissa police and R.P. Diendoh of Meghalaya police.Assistant Commandant Satapathy had rushed with his men to Nayagarh in Orissa on being informed of an attack by over 500 Maoists in areas close to the State capital of Bhubaneshwar in February2008. Besides the four Indians killed in the Kabul attack, five more Kirti Chakra were awarded. In addition, the President approved 18 Shaurya Chakras, one Bar to Sena Medal, 87 Sena Medals, six Nao Sena Medals and one Vayu Sena Medal. The President also approved one Presidents Tatrakshak Medal, two Presidents Tatrakshak Medals and two Tatrakshak Medals to Coast Guard personnel. In a major liberalisation move, the Union Government in 2008 notified significant changes in the investment pattern for non-government provident funds, superannuation and gratuity funds to provide the trustees of these funds with greater flexibility, autonomy and discretionary powers in terms of investment. According to the notification issued by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the Finance Ministry, the wideranging changes by way of revision in investment norms are being effected based on the developments in the financial market and the current economic scenario. The revised investment pattern has to come in to force from April 1, 2009. Under the new investment pattern, the Government has decided to permit merger of Central government securities, State government securities and units of gilt mutual funds into a single category while allowing investment up to 55 per cent of the investible funds. From fiscal year 2009-10, trustees of these funds will have the option of a flexible ceiling for various categories of instruments instead of the fixed investment ceiling now. Alongside, the revised investment pattern will provide a new category of instruments such as rupee bonds of multilateral funding agencies and money market instruments. The Union Cabinet clears the policy guidelines for the commercial rollout of Internet Protocol TV services in Aug. 21,2008. The Nations first poly-silicon solar project is launched in Kolkata. Telugu matinee idol Chiranjeevi launched Praja Rajyam at the temple town of Tirupati in 2008. The National Stock Exchange kicked off exchange-traded currency futures for the first time in the country in august,2008. The Union Finance Secretary Duvvuri Subba Rao was appointed the RBI Governor in year of 2008. Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2006 is presented to Tapan Sinha in absentia. Soumitra Chatterjee bags best actor award and Priyamani gets best actress award. V. Vaithilingam taked over as the 17th Chief Minister of Puducherry in September,2008. In the year of 2008 India signed a historic agreement with Colombia for cooperation in the entire spectrum of hydrocarbon sector, in New Delhi. The countrys first frozen egg baby was born in a Chennai hospital. Singer Bhupen Hazarika was conferred the Asom Ratna. Astra, the indigenous air-to-air anti-aircraft missile was successfully test fired at the Chandipur-on-sea after the Orissa coast in sept,2008. Nepal and India agreed to set up a three-tier joint water management mechanism as well as to review 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship. Reliance Industries began crude oil production from the nations first deep sea oil field in the Krishna Godavari basin in sept,2008. Arun Ramanathan was appointed Union Finance Secretary in sept,2008. India, Russia extend tenure of joint panel on military, technical cooperation by 10 years in year 2008. The nationwide ban on smoking in public places came into force on 2nd October,2008 Tata Motors announced decision to shift the Nano car project out of Singur in West Bengals Hooghly district.and established it (Rs. 2000 crore Nano car project) to Sanand in Gujarats Ahmedabad district. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a $20 million grant in budgetary support to the Palestinian National Authority. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flaged off the first ever train in the Kashmir valley at the Nowgam station on the outskirts of Srinagar in 2008. The much-awaited cross-LoC trade the first since 1947 began with the flagging off of 13 trucks carrying goods on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

 Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11) put Chandrayaan-1, the nations first spacecraft to the Moon, in its initial orbit after liftoff from the Sriharikota space centre. The Lok Sabha passed two bills to declare water stretches in five states, including Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, as national waterways. India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement on fishing arrangements that will help put an end to firing on Tamil Nadu fishermen for inadvertently crossing the maritime boundary line in oct.2008. The centre granted classical language status to Telugu, Kannada. Eminent Hindustani vocalist of the Khirana Gharana Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was chosen for the Bharat Ratna Award The Government has decided to declare Ganga a national river and set up a high-power Ganga River Basin Authority to stop its pollution. Kashmiri poet Abdul Rahman Rahi was presented the 40th Jnanpith Award by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi in year 2008. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave nod for the first rail link to Sikkim. Integrated checkposts to come up on borders. A rare cardiac surgery to repair an aneurysm is done for the first time in the nation at a Kochi-based hospital. In nov, 2008 Shourya, a new surface-to-surface missile was successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Orissa. The second summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation BIMSTEC in New Delhi agreed on a pact on combating terrorism. The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was conferred the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding for 1995. The International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei was chosen for the Indira Gandhi prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2008. The 39th International Film Festival of India get under way in the Goa capital Panaji. Ravindra Rajaram Kelekar eminent Goan writer in Konkani was declared the joint winner of the 42nd Jnanpith award for 2006. SBI to enter general insurance business. Formed joint venture with Insurance Australia Group of Australia. Anti-terrorism squad chief Hemant Karkare died while seeking to assist in an anti terrorist operation .Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Ashok Kamte and inspector Vijay Salaskar also laid down their lives. Fiftysix persons are killed and 98 injured in the terrorist rampage at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. At least 172 persons including 21 foreigners lose their lives in the Mumbai terror attacks. Nine terrorists was killed in the 60-hour gun battle with security forces dubbed Operation. Kazakh film director Sergei Dvortsevoys Tulpan bags the Golden Peacock at the 39th IFFI. Dvortsevoy also gets the Best Directors award. Historian Romila Thapar was chosen for the 2008 Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Humanity. India and Russia clinch a mega uranium deal in New Delhi following a summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Dmitry Medvedev. Four more nuclear power plants for Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. "Hand in Hand 2008", the Sino-Indian joint military exercise get under way in Belgaum, Karnataka. in dec. 2008. The Government unveiled a stimulus package to shore up economy. Four per cent cut in Cenvat, Rs.20,000 crore set apart for industry, export sectors for the current fiscal. Ashok Chavan was sworn in Maharashtras 24th Chief Minister. Chhagan Bhujbal takes office as Deputy Chief Minister. Rajiv Mathur to be new Intelligence Bureau Director announced in dec.,2008. Lalthanhawla is sworn in Mizoram Chief Minister and is the first to be elected to head the state for a fourth term. Shivraj Singh Chauhan is sworn in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister. Raman Singh takes office as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. Ashok Gehlot is sworn in Rajasthan Chief Minister The government introduced in the Lok Sabha a bill on setting up a National Investigation Agency and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2008. A postage stamp on Field Marshal Manekshaw was released at a function in New Delhi.in dec 2008. Usha Chammar of Gujarat is crowned Princess of Sanitation Workers at the U.N.in july,2008. The G8 summit in Toyako, Japan affirmed to stick to the goal of cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050. Salman Rushdie won the Best of Booker prize for his pathbreaking novel Midnights Children after a global vote by readers Lebanese President Michel Sleiman named Fouad Siniora as the head of a new unity government. in july,2008. Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza (22) is crowned Miss Universe 2008 in a contest in the Vietnamese city of Nha Trang.

 Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysias de facto opposition leader is arrested in Kuala Lumpur on charge of sexually assaulting his male aide and freed on bail. In july,2008 Russia and China end decades-old boundary dispute and gave up some of their territorial claims. Nepali Congress leader Ram Baran Yadav is elected Nepals first President. . Paramananda Jha takes oath as Vice-President. Indian-origin ICC judge Navanetham Pillay is appointed the United Nations new Human Rights Commissioner. A German medical team performed the worlds first transplant of two full arms on a farmer who lost both his limbs in an accident six years ago. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was tradited from Serbia to stand trial for war crimes at The Hague. A group of Russian scientists reached the bottom of Lake Baikal, the worlds deepest fresh water lake in Russias far east, for the first time ever in month of july,2008. Doctor couple Prakash Amte and Mandakini Amte of India, Grace Padaca, a woman Philippines provincial Governor among the 2008 Ramon Magsaysay awardees. The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting in Vienna approves the safeguards agreement with India in aug.2008. Terrorism "single biggest threat" to stability and progress, said the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the inaugural of the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo. Nod for SAARC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty .The SAARC Summit adopted the Colombo Declaration titled "Partnership for growth of our people." Leaders resolve to jointly fight terror and trans-national organized crime. Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom signed and adopts a Constitution that allows multi-party elections. Georgia launched a full-scale military assault against South Ossetia and reduces to ruins the capital Tskhinvali. Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy maked history by flying across the English Channel from France using a jetpowered wing.and The ninth India-Euruopean Union summit in Marseille, France welcome Indias emergence out of the nuclear denial regime. India and France signed a framework agreement for civil nuclear cooperation, after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris. Sarvodaya couple Krishnammal Jagannathan and Sankaralingam Jagannathan share the Right Livelihood Award or "alternative Nobel." An American Journalist, a Swiss-born doctor and an activist from Somalia are the other winners in 2008. For the fighting to recession, the U.S. Senate approved a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry in 2008. Germanys Harald Zur Hausen and French researchers Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier shared the 2008 Nobel Prize for medicine. Two Japanese scientists, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa and a Tokyo-born American citizen Yoichiro Nambu shared the 2008 Nobel Physics Prize for discoveries in sub-atomic particles. Osamu Shimomura of Japan and Americans Martin Chalfie and Roger Tsien won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for a fluorescent protein derived from a jellyfish. French writer Marie Gustave Le Clezio is awarded the Nobel Literature Prize. The U.S. President George W. Bush signed the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act in Washington.in October,2008. Finlands former President Martti Ahtisaari has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for a long career of peacemaking around the world from Namibia to Kosovo. India and the US on 10th October,2008 operationalised the "path-breaking" bilateral nuclear deal as they signed the 123 Agreement insisting that the accord is "legally-binding" on both sides. Pope Benedict XVI canonised four Catholic figured, among them Sister Alphonsa, an Indian nun who became the countrys first woman saint. she was Born in 1910 as Anna Muttathupandathu, and known as Alphonsa dellImmacolata Concezione U.S. Economist Paul Krugman is awarded the Nobel Economics Prize for his trade analysis theory. Arvind Adiga, the Chennai-born author won the 50,000 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel The White Tiger. On 22nd October,India and Japan signed a declaration on security cooperation after talks between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Taro Aso in Tokyo. Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed won the Maldivian presidential run-off unseating the incumbent Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the helm for the past 30 years. Rupiah Banda has elected as Zambian President in year 2008. Russia and Libya were poised to embark on large-scale projects in the defence and energy spheres in the wake of Libyan leader Muamar Qadhafis visit to Moscow on October 31 to November 2 in the recent past year.

 Democrat Senator from Illinois Barack Obama an African-American won the U.S. presidential polls defeating Republican John McCain. Barack Obamas runaway victory in the 2008 presidential election begins a new political era in the United States. India signed a "landmark" defence agreement with Qatar, besides pact on security and law enforcement in 2008. In nov.,2008 Iraq and the U.S. signed troop pullout pact requiring America to withdraw its soldiers by 2011. The Malaysian State of Malacca presented Datuk title to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, making him the first foreign actor to get the honour. The long awaited dream of the people of the Kshmir Valley was finally fulfilled when the Prime Minister flagged off the first train service in Kashmir Valley on 11th October 2008. The prestigious project was launched in the year 1998. The DMU train service covers a distance of 66 kilometres and There are nine stations in its entire journey. The stations are at Budgam, Srinagar, Pampore, Kakapora, Awantipora, Panjgam, Bijbehara, Rajwansher and Anantnag. In a bid to make Indian Railways the worlds No. 1 Railway network, the Committee on Infrastructure under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister has approved the proposal to develop New Delhi Railway Station as a world class station. The Ministry of Railways has decided to constitute a Core Group for monitoring of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects related to development of 26 World Class Railway Stations across the country including New Delhi Railway Station. The Government has decided to establish Indian Maritime University (IMU) in Chennai by an Act of Parliament in November, 2008 with campuses at Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. Formation of IMU will facilitate and promote maritime studies, research and extension work. As there are a sizeable number of private institutions imparting maritime education and training, the University will standardize the quality of such education and training through affiliation and academic supervision. The existing seven maritime training and research institutes (Government and Government aided) will be merged with the IMU. In 2008,the Government approved Cruise Shipping Policy which is expected to carve a prominent space in world tourism and it would showcase India as a major source and destination of world tourism. The Cruise Shipping Policy was circulated to all the concerned Ministries, stakeholders, Major Port Trusts and Maritime Boards in September, 2008 for taking further necessary steps in implementing the policy. The Government conferred the much coveted "Navratna" status on the Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. (SCI) making it the 17th Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) in the country to join the elite club of Navratna PSUs. Earlier the SCI was "Mini Ratna" Category-I PSU with effect from 24.02.2000. The Company has an ambitious ship acquisition programme of ordering/ acquiring 62 new building ships during the 11th Five Year Plan, which forms part of the National Maritime Development Programme. Presently the Company has total 29 ships on order at various reputed shipyards. During the year 2008, the SCI has taken delivery of 3 new building ships which have been named as follows: "SCI Chennai" "SCI Mumbai" and "M.T. Desh Viraat". A.Raja, Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology announced the detailed guidelines for 3G and BWA services laying down the road map for rolling out these services in the country on 1 August 2008. With the introduction of these services, the quality of voice telephony will be improved as 3G spectrum would enable service providers to provide good quality services to a larger number of subscribers. Further, additional value added services will become widely available to the public. BWA services will ensure quick roll out and enhanced penetration of broadband especially in rural areas, where there is problem of last mile connectivity. It will facilitate availability of e-governance services like tele-medicine, e-medicine, e-ticketing, e-education etc, through broadband to the large section of rural population. Auctioning of 3G and Broadband spectrum will be done through e- auctioning by a specialized agency separately. New players would also be able to bid thus leading to technology innovation, more competition, faster roll out and ultimately greater choice for customers at competitive tariffs. The Law Commission of India has submitted to the Government of India, its 216th Report on "Nonfeasibility of introduction of Hindi as compulsory language in the Supreme Court of India". The Honble Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Justice AR. Lakshmanan, former Supreme Court Judge, forwarded the said report to the Honble Union Law Minister, Dr. H.R.Bhardwaj, on 17th December, 2008. Committee envisage that Article 348 of the Constitution may be amended to enable the Legislative Department to undertake original drafting in Hindi. After the amendment of Article 348 of the Constitution, High Courts/Supreme Court should be asked to start delivering their judgments and decrees etc. in Hindi so that large number of Government Departments, who are carrying out judicial/ quasi-judicial functions, could be able to deliver orders in Hindi. At present, these departments are unable to pass orders in Hindi, because the appeal against their orders in High Courts/Supreme Court would have to be conducted in English. The Union Cabinet on 26 Dec 2008 gave its approval to the Integrated Energy Policy for the country. It also decided to set up a Monitoring Committee under the Chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary for reviewing the progress of implementation of the policy. The Integrated Energy Policy envisions a roadmap for sustainable growth with energy security over a reasonable period of time. India needs to sustain an economic growth of at least 9 percent over the next 25 years if it is to eradicate poverty and meet its larger human development goals.

 Meeting the energy requirements of this growth in a sustainable manner presents a difficult challenge and one that has become more formidable following the steep rise in international energy prices since 2006. It is necessary in this backdrop to evolve an integrated energy policy that provides a coherent framework of policy covering different energy sources in a consistent manner. The Union Cabinet in dec,2008 gave its approval to the Scheme of repair, renovation and restoration of wide variety of water bodies all over the country with an approximate cost of Rs. 6,000 crore during XI Plan period. The scheme will cover about 23000 water bodies across the country with a Culturable Command Area of 16.8 lakh hectares. When completed, the project will create an additional irrigation potential of 7.5 lakh hectares. The scheme envisages that the States will prepare projects with a sub-basin approach with regard to public water bodies on Government land/ Gram Panchayat / Municipalities / Corporations, Registered Societies in Agriculture and Allied sectors as well as Public Trusts, etc. The objective is comprehensive improvement of selected tank systems including restoration, improvement of catchment area of tank commands, increase in storage capacity of water bodies, improvement in agriculture / horticulture productivity, increase in recharge of ground water in downstream areas of water bodies, development of tourism, cultural activities, increased availability of drinking water, etc. Under the scheme, it will copver about 23000 water bodies having Culturable Command Area of about 16.8 lakh hec. After the completion of the scheme about 7.5 lakh hec. Of additional irrigation potential would be created. The Cabinet gave its approval for establishment of "National Meat & Poultry Processing Board" with its Headquarters at Delhi in dec,2008. The total funds allocated over a period of three years are Rs. 14.64 crores for the establishment of the Board. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention ended successfully at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai on 7-9 January 2009. it was organised by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India in partnership with the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry. The theme of PBD-2009 was Engaging the Diaspora The way forward. Ever since its inception in 2003, this annual convention has been the biggest platform for NRIs/PIOs to engage with the Government and people of India in matters of mutual interest and for networking. These Conventions enable the Government of India to better understand the expectations of the Overseas Indians from the land of their ancestors and to acknowledge their role in Indias all-round development. A new scheme of urban transport planning has been launched in August, 2008 for providing Central financial assistance up to 80% for taking up traffic and transportation studies and preparation of Detailed Project Reports (limited up to 50% in case of DPR). The scheme covers the wide gamut of urban transport matters for promoting comprehensive and integrated urban transport planning, studies, integrated land use and transport planning, comprehensive mobility plans, preparation of DPR, clean development mechanism (CDM) studies, Intelligent Transport System (ITS) studies, launching of awareness campaign in line with the NUTP, 2006. NATIONAL PERSONALITIES Rare paintings by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore will go under the hammer at leading auction house Sothebys in London on June 15, 2010. Judicial, Political and Administrative: Commander Dilip Donde became the first Indian to circumnavigate the world solo, covering about 21,600 nautical miles (38,880 km) under sail, as he steered his boat INSV (Indian Naval Sailing Vessel) Mhadei to a rousing reception into the Mumbai harbour. The boat should go round the three great capes Cape Leeuwin (Australia), Cape Horn (South America) and the Cape of Good Hope (Africa). Mhadei has met all these requirements. A.M.P. Jamaludeen, joint secretary, Legislative Assembly Secretariat, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD), in connection with the formation of the Legislative Council in the State of Tamil Nadu. Ratan Kumar Sinha, who is closely associated with the design and development of the country's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, took over as the new director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Additional Sessions Judge V K Goyal recused himself from hearing a 1984 anti-Sikh riots allegedly involving senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, citing personal reasons. Shashi Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar to get engaged on June 26. Hemant Bage, a local Congress leader was shot dead by the CPI(Maoists) in Lumbatoli village while an exCongress MLA Neol Tirkey of Tamra village was threatened in Simdega district. The CBI registered a disproportionate assets case against Ketan Desai, the former chief of the now dissolved Medical Council of India who has been arrested on corruption charges, and his family members. The fresh court of inquiry against Lt-Gen Avadesh Prakash, former military secretary in the Sukna land scam has indicted him, and has recommended disciplinary proceedings against him. CBI director Ashwani Kumar said that the agency would complete investigations into fresh cases registered against former Haryana DGP S. P. S. Rathore in a Ruchika molestation case by June 30. More than a month after the massacre of 75 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force by Maoists in Chhattisgarh, the Centre shunted out CRPF DIG in Dantewada Nalin Prabhat, Commandant of the 62nd battalion V.K. Bisht and inspector Sanjeev Bagree.

Business & Corporate: Hari S Bhartia, newly-elected President of industry chamber Confederation of Indian Industry, has said that India Inc needs to do more to employ from the underprivileged and socially-backward sections in order to effect an inclusive growth. Bhartia, took over as CII President from TVS group's Venu Srinivasan. Venu Srinivasan has laid down his office as Chairman and Member of the Board of Wabco-TVS from May 19. Rajiv Dube - one of the main architects of Tata Motors' passenger vehicle business - has resigned. Socio-Cultural: Dr Narayana Jayarama, of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, will represent India and be one the keynote speakers at the G8 University Summit in Vancouver next month. After adopting two children, former Miss Universe and actor Sushmita Sen now wants to give birth to a child. Others: Arjun Vajpai, 16-year-old schoolboy from NOIDA in the National Capital Region, became the youngest Indian to successfully climb the world's highest peak, 8,848-metre-high Mount Everest, via the traditional South Col route in Nepal. Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death in the Mumbai terror attacks case, was given a copy of the judgment by jail authorities in Mumbai. He can appeal against the judgment within two months. A week before Ajmal Kasab was awarded death penalty for 26/11, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reportedly sent a letter to the Delhi government asking them to speed up filing a reply on Afzal Guru's long pending mercy petition. Dismissing reports on the arrest of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua in Bangladesh, Union home secretary G K Pillai said the government has no information about it. Naval war room leak: Former Navy chief Arun Prakash's relative arrested. Ravi Shankaran, against whom an Interpol Red Corner notice was issued in 2006, is accused of passing on vital information to certain arms dealers for procurement for Indian Navy. Ravi Kapoor, key accused in the murder of journalist Soumya, shocked everyone in a trial court by pulling a knife out of his pocket. Kapoor also alleged that the cops had given him the knife to attack undertrials in Tihar Jail. Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA from Harda constituency Kamal Patel has been arrested by the CBI here in connection with destroying evidence related to a murder case in which his son's name has figured. On March 5, 2008, Patel's son Sudeep had gone with his friends to a farm house belonging to Congress leader, Rajendra Patel at Deotalao where an altercation took place, killing one Durgesh Jaat. Vijay Thopte, a convict in trade union leader Datta Samant's murder case who had jumped parole, and three other members of Guru Satam gang were today arrested from nearby Navi Mumbai.

Date 16-06-10 SPORTS WORLD England ambushed Australia by seven wickets to win its first title in an ICC World Twenty20 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Juan Monaco and Horacio Zeballos won singles matches as Argentina beat the United States to win the World Tennis Team Cup for a fourth time. Diego Milito scored both goals as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu. Russia's Pavel Maletin won the Commonwealth chess title while R.R. Laxman was the runner-up. The women's title went to D. Harika. Outgoing ICC Anti-Corruption chief Paul Condon said he had no evidence to suggest there had been any corruption in the third edition of the IPL. FIFA asked its ethics committee to investigate claims by former English FA chairman David Triesman that Spain is trying to bribe referees at the World Cup. The world golf ranking does not have Vijay Singh (Fijian of Indian origin) among the top 50 for the first time in nearly 18 years. Vijay Singh slipped to No. 51 in the latest world golf ranking after he failed to qualify for the final 36 holes at the rain-hit Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia has been given an honorary lifetime membership by the Portugal football players' association. Olympic and World Championship bronze medal winning boxer Vijender Singh (75kg) continued his reign at the top in the latest AIBA rankings. Somdev Devvarman became the first Indian in 13 years to qualify for the men's singles event of French Open after scoring a 6-4, 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino. 17th seeded India's Saurav Ghosal defeated 16th seeded Malaysia's Mohd. Azlan Iskandar to earn a place in the pre-quarterfinals of the Sky Open squash championship. Ghosal now goes on to tackle the event's biggest name, top seed and World No. 1 Ramy Ashour MARKS BOOSTER

MAGNETIC POLES The Earth's North Magnetic Pole is the point on the Earth's surface at which the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downwards (i.e., the "dip" is 90). This point moves gradually over time. In 2001, the North Magnetic Pole was determined by the Geological Survey of Canada to lie near Ellesmere Island in northern Canada at 81.3N 110.8W (Magnetic North Pole 2001). It was estimated to be 82.7N 114.4W (Magnetic North Pole 2005 est) in 2005. In 2009, it was moving toward Russia at almost 40 miles (64 km) per year due to magnetic changes in the Earth's core. The Earth's South Magnetic Pole is the wandering point on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field lines are directed vertically upwards. The South Magnetic Pole is constantly shifting due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. As of 2005 it was calculated to lie at 643148S 1375136E just off the coast of Wilkes Land, Antarctica. That point lies outside the Antarctic Circle. Due to polar drift, the pole is moving north west by about 10 to 15 kilometers per year. South Magnetic Pole: (1998) 64.6S 138.5E; (2004 est) 63.5S 138.0E Because the Earth's magnetic field is not exactly symmetrical, the North and South Magnetic Poles are not antipodal: a line drawn from one to the other does not pass through the centre of the Earth; it actually misses by about 530 km (329.3 mi). The Earth's North and South Magnetic Poles are also known as Magnetic Dip Poles, with reference to the vertical "dip" of the magnetic field lines at those points. GEOMAGNETIC POLES The Earth's geomagnetic field can be approximated by a tilted dipole (like a bar magnet) placed at the center of the Earth. Like the North Magnetic Pole, the North Geomagnetic Pole attracts the north pole of a bar magnet and so is in a physical sense actually a south magnetic pole. It is the centre of the region of the magnetosphere in which the Aurora Borealis can be seen. As of 2005 it was located at approximately 79.74N 71.78W (Geomagnetic North Pole 2005 est), off the northwest coast of Greenland, but it is now drifting away from North America and toward Siberia. Earths South Geomagnetic Pole is the point where the axis of this best-fitting tilted dipole intersects the Earth's surface in the southern hemisphere. As of 2005 it was calculated to be located at 79.74S 108.22E, near the Vostok Station. Because the field is not an exact dipole, the South Geomagnetic Pole does not coincide with the South Magnetic Pole. Furthermore, the South Geomagnetic Pole is wandering for the same reason its northern magnetic counterpart wanders. The North and South Geomagnetic Poles are the antipodal points where the axis of this theoretical dipole intersects the Earth's surface. If the Earth's magnetic field were a perfect dipole then the field lines would be vertical at the Geomagnetic Poles, and they would therefore coincide with the Magnetic Poles. However, the approximation is in fact very imperfect, so in reality the Magnetic and Geomagnetic Poles lie some distance apart. NRI & PIO NEWS Trinidad and Tobago swore in its first female Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar completing a new chapter for this energy rich Caribbean nation. President Obama announced his intention to nominate Indian-American engineering scholar Subra Suresh as Director of the U.S National Science Foundation (NSF) even as his administration cranked up its engagement with India on the science, technology, and education front. Indian-American Kshemendra Paul has been has appointed to a key IT position by Obama administration , making him head of an agency that facilitates the sharing and access of terrorismrelated information within various wings of the US government. Rajat Gupta, a former director at Goldman Sachs, quit the supervisory board at Sberbank, Russia's biggest lender, but remains a strategic adviser to the board. Two Indians among Malaysia's 40 richest. Indian origin Ananda Krishnan with a net worth of $8.1 billion retained his second place after Malaysian Chinese Robert Kuok. Self-made building contractor A K Nathan, 54, is placed 24th with a net worth of $250 million. Nikki Haley, the Indian-American woman running for South Carolina's governor seat, was attacked with racial slur by Republican state Senator Jake Knotts , who called her a "raghead". Indian-origin aid worker on ship attacked by Israel. Hours before the troops moved in Ismail Adam Patel, an optician based in Leicester, posted a video on YouTube describing how they were surrounded by Israeli navy forces. Former model and celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi has publicly confessed her feelings for US billionaire Teddy Forstmann after declaring him "the person that I love." Murat Kilinc, 22, an Australian, who viciously assaulted an Indian taxi driver because he hated Indians, was sentenced to a prison term by a court in Melbourne. P Chitrakala, an ethnic Indian woman executive, who has been charged with cheating more than Rs four crore, has said she will defend herself in court over her passport tussle with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

A two-year-long custody battle between an estranged NRI couple has ended with the father wrestling control of the boy and taking him to the US after the CBI tracked down the mother and the child to an art school in Chennai, the CBI informed the Supreme Court of India. V Ravichandran, had accused his estranged wife Vijayshree Voora of kidnapping seven-year-old Aditya from the US and bringing him to India in breach of US court orders. V Reddy Kancharla, president of Testwell Laboratories, an Indian-American, convicted of faking important construction tests on hundreds of city buildings, has been sentenced to seven to 21 years in prison and ordered to pay $225,000 in reparations by the Manhattan Supreme Court. Silinder Singh Sidhu, 46, an Indian-origin Briton has been jailed for three years for his role in a contract rigging ring involving training and skills education through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in Shropshire, north-west England. 31-05-10 NATIONAL PERSONALITIES Judicial, Political and Administrative: Union communications minister A Raja has said he was ready to face any investigation into the alleged scandal in allocation of 2G spectrum. Vivek Sahai took over as Chairman of the Railway Board following the superannuation of S.S. Khurana. S. Ramakrishnan, Director (Projects), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, has been appointed Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). IX 812 pilot was rapped for hard landing. The commander of the ill-fated Air India Express flight, Capt Zlatco Glusica, had been called for a counselling session and admonished by the airline's air safety department in March for a hard landing in Thiruvananthapuram. Socio-Cultural: Noted Malayalam novelist Kovilan died at a private hospital at Kunnamkulam. C.V. Krishnamurthy, 89, retired Railway official and noted journalist, died after a prolonged illness in Bangalore. 'We'll expose irregularities in NREGA for better implementation of law': Paulomee Mistry, general secretary of NREGWUG. Various ways and means of checking irregularities in the implementation of rural employment guarantee scheme have been discussed. One suggestion is that workers employed under this scheme ought to be organised. The first step in this direction was the formation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Workers' Union - Gujarat , which was followed by other similar efforts in Rajasthan, parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. Noted writer and Naxal sympathiser Arundhati Roy clarified that she never termed Maoists as 'Gandhians with guns'. Others: Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a cash award of Rs 21 lakh for mountaineer Mamta Sodha who had scaled the Mount Everest recently. Anjan Daimary, the terror mastermind and leader of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), was sent to 14 days in police remand by a court for a bomb blast that killed halfa-dozen security personnel 15 years ago. The file on the mercy petition of Afzal Guru the Parliament attack case convict who was sentenced to death has been sent back by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna to the Union Home Ministry. Man arrested for supplying explosives to Maoists in UP. Ashok Kumar was arrested from Langdra area with several detonators, gelatin rods and widely used commercial explosive ammonium nitrate. WORLD NEWS India has demanded that the UN prevent any green protectionism by developed countries and include an explicit statement in the opening charter of any new deal to block carbon-based taxes being imposed on exports from developing countries such as India. 'Sulabh toilets can help reduce global warming'. Bindeshwar Pathak, an Indian innovator who plans to promote cheap toilet technology in 50 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East region says his technologies could also help developed nations reduce global warming. Oxfam warns of climate debt for poor nations : Climate activists say poor countries must receive grants instead of loans from industrialized nations to help curb global warming. Oil giant BP pledged up to 500 million dollars (405 million euros) to study the impact of the Deepwater Horizon rig spill on the Gulf of Mexico environment. US approves new Gulf of Mexico oil well. Federal regulators approved the first new Gulf of Mexico oil well since Barack Obama lifted a brief ban on drilling in shallow water, even while deepwater projects remain frozen after the massive BP spill. The Minerals Management Service granted a

new drilling permit sought by Bandon Oil and Gas for a site about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the coast of Louisiana and 115 feet (35 meters) below the ocean's surface. It is south of Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge and Game Preserve, far to the west of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that triggered the BP spill. A trial for an anti-whaling activist opened at a Tokyo court over his alleged attacks on a Japanese whaling vessel, as Japan strikes back at conservationists' escalating disruptions on its Antarctic whale hunts. New Zealander Peter Bethune is an activist with the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd group, which sets out to disrupt Japan's whale hunts each year, accusing it of conducting banned commercial whaling under the guise of scientific research. Japan accuses the conservationists of endangering lives of whalers and is also seeking to arrest Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson over his role in the Bethune case. Scientists have claimed that a huge carbon "burp" from deep ocean kick-started global warming at end of the last Ice Age some 18,000 years ago. According to the scientists, the carbon dioxide was actually locked away in the deep ocean "repository" and as the Earth warmed, it was released into the atmosphere causing the global warming and ending the last Ice Age. Head of Russia's 54th Antarctic expedition Viktor Venderovich told Itar-Tass that allegations about global warming processes in the Antarctic have nothing to do with real facts. Central America reeled after the first eastern Pacific tropical storm of the season, Agatha, hammered the region with heavy rains that killed 179 people and washed away thousands of homes. The hardest hit was Guatemala. Guatemala City's response, meanwhile, was hampered by a separate emergency: the eruption of the nearby Pacaya volcano, whose ash has closed the capital's Aurora international airport. The World Bank said it was finalising with Guatemala an $85million loan to help it cope with the two disasters. The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has rattled the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea. Cyclone Phet churns Arabian Sea, to move towards Gujarat, Karachi. INDIA NEWS The hold-outs against the Jairam Ramesh line on climate change have been dropped from the team of climate negotiators decided for the UN negotiations in Bonn. Jairam Ramesh wanted dilution in Indias stand.The team for Bonn was led by environment secretary Vijai Sharma. According to WHO estimates, roughly 0.1 million premature deaths annually can be attributed to air pollution. Exposure to air pollution causes both short-term and long-term health effects, from eye irritation and headaches to reduced lung capacity and lung cancer, with vehicular pollution being particularly harmful. The poor are the worst off, facing higher exposure and being unable to afford high healthcare costs. A 2005 World Bank report estimated that 13,000 lives and $1279 million were saved annually between 1993 and 2002 in five cities Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad as a result of measures taken to improve air quality. Clean Ganga by 2020, says Prime Minister. Under Mission Clean Ganga', it would be ensured that by 2020 no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents flow into the Ganga. The Prime Minister said an empowered steering committee has been constituted for appraisal and sanction of projects on a fast track basis. Projects for approximately Rs. 1,390 crore have been approved so far. The Centre had recently set up a Ganga River Basin Authority to monitor the implementation of the clean-up project and other development schemes. Dr. Singh said discussions had been initiated for long-term support of the World Bank and a project preparation facility from the international body has been approved. For the first time, 7 IITs will prepare a comprehensive river basin management plan for Ganga. The plan will outline measures for restoration of the Ganga, with regard to the issue of competing water uses in the basin. The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change approved the National Water Mission focusing on making water conservation a peoples' movement in the country. More than half of 130 Indian cities being monitored for air pollution are at critically polluted levels. Air pollution in Indian cities has been proved to be reversible, with improvements in public transport or changing over to greener fuels, reducing pollution levels. With industries being relocated to the peripheries of cities, growing urbanization and poor scrutiny outside big cities, small towns are emerging as Indias pollution hotspots. A look at data for 2008 recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows that Indian cities are choked. Of the 130 cities monitored, 70 have hit levels defined as critical for the presence of PM10, tiny particles of less than 10 microns in size regarded as the most dangerous pollutant as they can go deep into the lungs. However, the top five cities are Ludhiana, Khanna (both in Punjab), Ghaziabad, Khurja and Firozabad (all in UP). Delhi, the city where judicial activism for cleaner air has led to the ejection of polluting industries, comes in at sixth place. In 1998, only five cities exceeded the national standards for presence of NO2. In 2008, 15 cities showed violations, most of them in eastern India: Howrah, Asansol, Durgapur and

Kolkata have Indias highest NO2 levels. Increasing numbers of diesel cars, particularly in Delhi, is also a major cause of rising NO2 levels, according to the CSE. Left-wing extremism and insurgency are being cited as the major reason for rising number of tiger deaths reported across various reserves in the country. An assessment made by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a nodal body set up by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), reveals that tiger density has decreased in as many as six reserves struggling with insurgency problems. According to the NTCA report, tiger density has fallen in reserves such as Palamu (Jharkhand), Valmiki (Bihar), Simlipal (Orissa), Nagarjunsagar (Andhra Pradesh), Indaravati (Chattisgarh) and Nampdapha (Arunachal Pradesh). A first: Wetlands watchdog soon. The Centre is planning to set up a legally enforceable regulatory mechanism for the conservation of these ecologically sensitive areas as called for in the National Environmental Policy of 2006. Addressing a national seminar on International Biodiversity Day in New Delhi, Jairam Ramesh said, "We need to bring about convergence between biodiversity and climate change as each affects the other; it's a two-way relationship." Vapi: Caught in a toxic chokehold. Vapi in south Gujarat is considered a hellhole. A thick layer of black is permanently settled on the road shoulders near industrial estates, the air is thick with coal dust and a pungent bitter-almond smell. Recently, environment minister Jairam Ramesh called Vapi the most polluted town in the country. Forbes and Time magazines have listed it among the 10 most polluted towns in the world. Its three life streams Damanganga, Kolak and Balitha no longer resemble a water body. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has in fact categorized both the Damanganga and Kolak rivers unfit to support life. The pollution has affected 71,000 residents living in 12 villages. The birth of four cubs in Madhya Pradesh's Panna National Park under the government's tiger revival project has brought the Sariska sanctuary in Rajasthan in focus where "sibling factor" is said to have hit the breeding programme initiated two years ago. An elephant and its one-year-old calf were rescued from a 20-foot deep well in an Estate at Kothagiri in Nilgiris district. WORLD AND INDIAN ECONOMY WORLD NEWS The OECD said that the global economy is heading for 4.75% growth this year and next, thanks largely to emerging markets, and beating growth rates before the global downturn. India more attractive now as FDI market: E&Y. According to global consultancy firm Ernst & Young's 2010 European Attractiveness Survey, China (39%) edged past Western Europe (38%) as the most attractive foreign direct investment destination for this year. These two top FDI magnets are followed by Central and Eastern Europe (24%) at third place, while India shares fourth position with North America (22% each), the survey of 814 leading global investors showed. Going forward, E&Y sees a clear shift in the world's economic weight eastwards, as they rank China (66%), India (61%) and Central & Eastern Europe (59%) as the most attractive regions for FDI projects in the next three years. US sees 78 bank failures in 2010: With five more US banks biting the dust this week, a whopping 78 entities have folded up their businesses so far this year. US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner played down the talk of differences with Europe on spending cuts but stressed that US consumers could no longer support the global economy alone. Britain's entire wireless network has been mapped by Google's street view car fitted with radio aerials in order to use the database for commercial purposes through its internet search engine. China warned that Europe's struggle to contain ballooning debt posed a risk to global economic growth, raising the spectre of a double-dip recession. BP shares plunge as US opens criminal probe on spill: Faced a grim future as its failure to stop a Gulf of Mexico oil spill prompted a plunge in the energy giant's shares and the Obama administration opened a criminal investigation. The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart has solicited support from the US government for entering the multi-billion dollar Indian retail market, where foreign investment norms are posing hurdles to its entry. Prudential Plc's bid for rival AIG's Asian unit was close to collapse after the British insurer failed to secure a price cut, triggering talk it might itself become a takeover target. IBM is buying AT&Ts Sterling Commerce unit, which makes software that helps businesses buy and sell to each other, for $1.4 billion .The deal would be IBMs largest acquisition since it bought business software maker Cognos in 2008. Ford and Mazda are recalling more than 230,000 vehicles made by their China joint venture to fix a software problem blamed for bouts of engine failure.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffet says few could have predicted the depth of the housing crisis and that CEOs of rating agencies shouldn't be fired for missing the warning signs. NATIONAL AFFAIRS LEGISLATIONS, POLICIES & EXECUTIVE ORDERS Foreigners or NRIs coming to India to rent a womb will soon have to submit two documents one confirming that their country of residence recognizes surrogacy as legal and secondly that it will give citizenship to the child born through agreement from an Indian mother. In a landmark decision, the UPA government has resolved to amend the Constitution to enable states to have the same powers as the Centre in administering the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST). Noting that it was committed to extending social security cover to all sections, the Government said it had decided to set up a National Social Security Fund for workers in the unorganised sector. The National Social Security Fund for workers in the unorganised sector would cover weavers, toddy tappers, rickshaw pullers and bidi workers with an initial allocation of Rs. 1000 crore. UPA government's Report to the People 2009-10 released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the Plantations Labour Act, 1951 had been amended for providing safety and occupational health care to plantation workers. Workmen Compensation Act, 1923 amendment has also enhanced the benefits to the workers. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 had also been amended to raise the limit of maximum gratuity payable from Rs. 3.5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh. The benefit will not attract any interest rate. The report card said comprehensive amendments had also been made in the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 to improve the quality of delivery of health care and other benefits provided to the insured persons in the organised sector. The amendment would also enable ESI infrastructure to be used to provide health care to workers in the unorganised sector. As the industrial training institutes across the country were being upgraded to train more than five crore people within the next five years. The 15-point programme for ensuring targeted development to minorities and the government's thrust on improving their education status find mention in the UPA government's Report to the People 2009-10. The report listed wakf reforms and special development plans for the 90 minority concentrated districts (MCDs) as major steps in this regard. It also referred to opening of schools and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in blocks and districts having a substantial minority population. Dr. Manmohan Singh said 17.29 lakh scholarships were given to children belonging to the minority communities for their pre-matriculation studies; 48 per cent of these are pre-matric scholarships on which an amount of Rs. 202.94 crore was spent. Under the post-matric scholarship scheme, 3.88 lakh scholarships were awarded at a cost of Rs. 148.74 crore. Minorities were provided over Rs. 96,000 crore of bank credit, while 502 public sector bank branches were opened in districts with a substantial minority population. The report card said 60 ITIs, located in minority concentration districts would be upgraded as part of the Prime Minister's New 15-point programme. To overcome the shortage of qualified doctors, the Central government has increased the ceiling on MBBS seats in a government medical college from 150 to 250, provided the hospital has a bed capacity of 1,000 or more. Intake in 37 colleges will go up by 3,700 seats a year. Private colleges can increase the seats in next academic session. Draft bill puts sexual assault on a par with rape. Drastic changes proposed to strengthen rape and sexual assault laws, so that women have more protection, will almost blur the difference between the two crimes. Under the draft bill, if a man forcibly even puts his finger into a woman's mouth or lets his tongue enter her mouth during a kiss he could end up in jail for sexual assault with the sentence being no less than the punishment for rape, which is seven years to life. The draft bill also seeks a stricter age of consent, raising it from 16 to 18. Presently, any sexual misdemeanour less than rape, or forced sexual intercourse, is dealt with under the lesser category of molestation and the guilty face a maximum term of two years. Legal experts have complained for years that Indian laws on sexual assault are extremely weak. The Union government then set up a high-powered committee to review existing rape and sexual assault laws. In March 2010, the committee finalised a draft bill for the complete overhaul of Sections 375 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which presently deal with rape. The ministry invited comments from the general public on the draft bill till May 15. The bill mainly replaces the term rape' with sexual assault', which means that the current penalty for rape seven years would apply to a broader category of sexual offences. Bringing sexual assault and rape under a single umbrella, the draft bill describes sexual assault as an act in which a man "penetrates" the vagina, anus, urethra or mouth of a woman with "any part of his body" or "any object manipulated by him". The draft bill excludes penetrations by objects carried out for hygienic or medical reasons. Draft bill proposes only 2 yrs jail for molestation, 7 for eve-teasing. While the maximum sentence for eve-teasing under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code ("insulting the modesty of a woman") is sought to be enhanced from one year to seven years, the corresponding punishment for molestation under Section 354 IPC ("outraging the modesty of a woman") remains two years.

Admitting to "leakages" in funds meant for various development programmes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government was working to rectify the problems. Torture bill gives cops scope to get off hook. Under the guise of making its law conform to the UN convention against torture, India has actually increased scope for impunity by imposing a special six-month limit on the time that can be taken to complain against a public servant for committing such an offence. We will fight terror root and branch': Manmohan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised the nation that his government would not flinch from frontally battling Maoist violence, communalism and terrorism. Government plans high-level panel on security. The government is contemplating setting up under PMO a coordination committee on all matters concerning security and intelligence. Sources disclosed this committee will initially comprise the NSA, Cabinet secretary and the Union home secretary. According to sources, the initial idea behind the proposal for setting up such a committee was to have a viable stop-gap arrangement till the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) comes up by the end of this year. In fact, the NCTC deadline is likely to get delayed purely because of the enormity of the task. It took the US more than three years to set up its own NCTC after 9/11. Till the time NCTC comes up, this committee, which will function under the PMO, will be responsible for proper coordination among all national intelligence and security agencies. It will also look after the coordination work among agencies involved in dealing with Naxal violence. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ruled out curbs on civil society outfits supporting Maoists so long as they did not propagate violence. The government has declared the Indian Mujahideen (IM), suspected to be a shadow outfit of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist outfit. The IM is allegedly involved in the serial bomb blasts in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore and Mumbai. It has been added to the list of terror groups under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The IM came to light after the February 23, 2005 blast in Varanasi. The government is veering around to expanding the role of the armed forces in the ongoing antiNaxal operations, with a hard look even being taken at whether they should be "directly deployed" in the fight against the Maoists. Concerned over Naxals getting their hands on explosives for the second time in recent months, the government has decided to take stringent action against the transport company transporting ammonium nitrate. SPORTS WORLD For the first time in 44 years, Queen Elizabeth II will miss the Commonwealth Games, leaving it to Prince Charles to represent the British Royal family in Delhi. Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal's impressive form helped Indian men register their second successive victory, while the dismal performance of the Indian women continued in the World Team table tennis championships in Moscow. Jeev Milkha Singh remained the highest-ranked Indian golfer in the world but the seasoned professional has slipped to 99th ranking. MC Mary Kom notched up her third Asian title while L Sarita Devi clinched her fourth, as Indian boxers finished fourth in the event in Astana, Kazakhstan. Shahid Afridi was named Pakistan skipper for next month's Asia Cup and a following tour of England, uniting the team under one captain for all formats of the game. NATIONAL PERSONALITIES Judicial, Political and Administrative: Actor-politician Jaya Bachchan has turned down the Rajya Sabha nomination offered to her by the Samajwadi Party, party leaders Congress president Sonia Gandhi has succeeded in persuading Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief Chiranjeevi to support her party in the coming Rajya Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh. Others:With Mangalore resident Abdul Samad Bawa now being questioned by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism police who suspect his involvement in February's bombing of a caf in Pune, investigators say they now hope to establish whether he was one of at least three individuals who were recorded by a separate closed-circuit camera system, located in a hotel adjoining the caf, who met on the street minutes before the bombings. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it recovered over Rs.1 crore in cash from a general manager of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after a case was registered against him and his superior for allegedly favouring a construction company for various contracts. The CBI registered a case against NHAI chief general manager S.K. Nirmal, general manager Nitin Jain, managing director of Oriental Structure Private Limited K.S. Bakshi and one of his employees S.K. Dikshit.

ENVIRONMENT WORLD NEWS Europe weighs new tracks to cut carbon as cap and trade falls short of its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Two disparate groups, one representing businesses and one regulators, plan to propose new steps to revive Europe's carbon-trading market, a system that even supporters admit has fallen short of its goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Indias Environment Secretary Vijai Sharma told a global deforestation conference at Oslo that Indian government is considering the establishment of a National REDD+ Coordinating Agency. Delegates from more than 50 countries and international organisations agreed in Oslo to launch an interim partnership to support developing countries' efforts to fight deforestation and reduce emissions. INDIA NEWS The Green India Mission, part of India's plan to fight climate change, proposed to double the area being taken up for afforestation and eco-restoration over the next decade. The first draft of the Mission projects an ambitious target of 20 million hectares by 2020, at a cost of Rs. 44,000 crore. Public consultations will be undertaken across the country from June 11, following which the draft will be finalised. Earlier, the Prime Minister had spoken of undertaking afforestation in 6 million hectares of degraded forest land as part of the Mission, which is one of the eight Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. (About 10 million hectares would anyway be treated by the Forest department and others without the Mission's interventions). The draft envisages that new and restored forest areas will act as a carbon sink. They are expected to absorb an additional 43 million tonnes of green house gases every year. This means that India's forests will be able to absorb 6.35 per cent of the country's annual emissions by 2020. The draft is rather vague on the source of funding, merely saying that the resources will be mobilised as additionality from the Planning Commission. It adds that the deficit, if any, will be taken care of by developing projects for seeking assistance from international funding agencies, UN organisation, etc. LEGISLATIONS, POLICIES & EXECUTIVE ORDERS The United Progressive Alliance government decided to set up a Group of Ministers (GOM) on the issue of caste enumeration in Census 2011, amidst shrinking opposition to the idea within the Union Cabinet. The whistleblower scheme' of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare seems attracting only fictitious cases, with a majority of complaints investigated so far turning out to be fake. The scheme was launched on October 14, 2009 to encourage vigilant public participation in the detection of spurious and counterfeit drugs. The scheme ensures identity of informer kept confidential. 20 % of cost of seized consignment will be paid to whistleblower. Most of the 27 cases reported so far have proved to be fictitious. Under criticism from his Cabinet colleagues, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal sought to clarify that the final decision on the proposed National Commission on Higher Education and Research (NCHER) remained with the government at the highest level and that the decision would be acceptable to the Ministry. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the Bar Council of India oppose the idea of transferring medical and legal education to the Human Resource Development Ministry, which is piloting the legislation and which has set up the task force on the draft NCHER bill. The task force decided to set up an informal' committee of four eminent persons. It will study the drafts of the NCHER and National Council for Human Resource in Health (NCHRH) bills to ensure there was no overlap. The committee will comprise Srinath Reddy and Ranjit Roy Choudhary (both members of the HCHRH task force) and M.K. Bhan and Syeda Hamid, both members of the NCHER task force. Mr. Sibal said the inputs received at the consultation would be taken into account while finalising the draft NCHER bill before it was placed before the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) next month. After the CABE approved it, the draft Bill would be sent to the government. Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has come under criticism from his own colleagues in the Congress for his proposal of transferring medical education from the Health Ministry to the proposed National Commission on Higher Education and Research (NCHER). The task force which is finalising the regulatory commission has been constituted by the HRD Ministry. Mr. Sibal wants to create a new national body to control and supervise the departments of higher and technical education. Vijay Khaira, AICC member and national convener of the AICC (doctors' cell) has said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the HRD Ministry's proposal is baseless as it cannot run the health care system, which is an integral part of the Health Ministry and without which medical education is incomplete. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that Medical education is an integral part of the Health Ministry and a separate subject along with hospital management. He rejected any suggestion of bringing medical education under the purview of the proposed National Commission for Higher education and Research (NCHER), an overarching regulatory body. The

Ayush Council, the Medical Council of India, the Dental Council, the Pharmacy Council and the Nursing Council are all regulatory bodies under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. COMMISSIONS & COMMITTEES At a time when agriculture growth is projected at 5 per cent for 2010-11 based on predictions of a normal monsoon, Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen says that unless the sector delivers incomes to farmers, the growth will not be inclusive. India and The World North America: The Obama Administration has identified India as a major strategic partner in the new international order as it unveiled its new National Security Strategy. India and the U.S. firmed up the agenda, including bilateral and regional issues, for the first Strategic Dialogue to be held in Washington on June 3. On the eve of the United States-India strategic dialogue it has become clear that the U.S. is poised to push India towards nuclear liability legislation that will be consistent with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation; and if such legislation were passed it would provide a very important legal protection and open the way for billions of dollars in American reactor exports and thousands of jobs , according to Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. The United States will not limit any effort by India to offer direct training to the Afghan army, according to Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. Canada has denied visas to a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, three Brigadiers, a retired Lt. General and a former official of the Intelligence Bureau on the grounds that their organisations are engaged in violence. Canada has regretted the use of the language that cast false impressions in the denial of visa to former or serving members of the Indian armed forces and security institutions and assured India that it is reviewing the admissibility policy set forth in the legislation on visa policy. Offended by the issuance of a different category of visa, than the normal one, to an intelligence officer and member of the Prime Minister's advance party for the G-20 Ottawa summit, the Home Ministry had threatened to apply similar criteria for Canadian armed forces and intelligence officers bound for the war on terror in Afghanistan. Europe: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) accused the United Progressive Alliance government of secretly negotiating an India-European Union Free Trade Agreement, and asked it not proceed to in the matter without taking Parliament and State governments into confidence. India's complaint against the European Union on the unjust seizure of cheap generic drug consignments meant for Latin America and African nations has received a boost, with the World Health Organisation terming such action misuse of rules against counterfeit medicines. India, along with Brazil, protested against these seizures and made known to the EU its strong displeasure against the move through trade and diplomatic channels, terming it a violation of international rules. India and Brazil have asked the EU and the Netherlands to enter into dispute settlement consultations over the alleged violation of global rules. Britain's new government said it would seek an enhanced partnership with New Delhi as a recognition of India's status as an emerging global power, and the two countries shared interests in open democracy and liberal economics. Three Italians were detained in New Delhi after ammunition and two empty magazines were found in a five-star hotel room. Two of them, Giovani Cecconello and Donato Dngello, were detained in Pune and Giulio Pometto was held by immigration officials at the Mumbai airport. In February, two British nationals were caught in the same hotel for aircraft spotting. They were booked under different sections of the Telegraph Act, but let off later. Africa: Indian soldier killed in Congo. Hussein Lal and his platoon, deployed on the United Nations peacekeeping duty in the mineral-rich Kivu province, rushed to help the Congolese Armed Forces, which had come under attack by the rebels. Hussein Lal is the 31st blue helmet in the 11-year history of MONUC to die in enemy fire. UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Beret because of their light blue berets or helmets) can include soldiers, civilian police officers, and other civilian personnel. The United Nations Charter gives the United Nations Security Council the power and responsibility to take collective action to maintain international peace and security. For this reason, the international community usually looks to the Security Council to authorize peacekeeping operations. New Delhi (India) and Pretoria (South Africa) will discuss permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council, closer defence ties and expansion of the Brazil-Russia-India-China grouping during Jacob Zuma's first visit to New Delhi after taking over as President of South Africa. Pretoria (South Africa) was hampered by the Treaty of Pelindaba, which prohibits African nations from nuclear commerce with countries that have not signed the NPT.

The Lakshadweep police took three persons, believed to be of Somalian origin, into custody after the boat in which they were travelling developed a snag and drifted towards Minicoy, the southern most of the archipelago. The Navy handed over eight Somali nationals captured by it off the Kavaratti coast of Lakshadweep to the Harbour police of Kochi. The Navy's offshore patrol vessel INS Sujata spotted the Somalis on a boat and took them into custody about 100 km south of Kavaratti during a combing and sanitising operation. The Harbour police identified the arrested as Abdullahi, 22, Saeed, 25, Mahad, 23, Abdi, 29, Gurey, 25, Endu, 31, Abbas, 35, and Farhan, 21. They were taken to General Hospital, Ernakulam, for a detailed medical examination. West Asia: Indians overstaying in Oman were asked to complete the finger-printing formalities by May 31. East Asia: India has opened talks on civil nuclear energy with Japan and both sides have decided to set up a working group to examine the possibility of cooperation. Japan is the most reluctant among countries with either uranium reserves or nuclear reactors to enter into cooperation with countries reluctant to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Japan has expertise in advanced uranium mining techniques, which it now shares with Kazakhstan that has emerged as the world's biggest supplier of uranium. Central Asia: India and Turkmenistan discussed energy cooperation and signed several agreements signalling the desire of both countries to strengthen bilateral ties. In a sign of continuing interest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, New Delhi has offered to host a technical meeting of experts under the aegis of the Asian Development Bank. India has shown interest in the possibility of Turkmenistan exporting some of the gas to northern Iran. It could then be swapped with gas from Iran's southern seaboard into an under-sea pipeline, obviating the need for a surface Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. The SAGE (South Asia Gas Enterprise Pvt. Ltd.) project envisages a Middle-East natural gas gathering system connecting gas sources to the coast of the Arabian peninsula. From there, the SAGE family of pipelines plans to follow a route surveyed 15 years back and declared unviable as techniques of deepwater pipelaying and manufacturing had not matured. But technology has now made this feasible. Indias Neighbour: Top Chinese leaders told visiting President Pratibha Patil that they were ready for a new starting point to improve relations between the two countries, after six decades of ups and downs. Chinese officials sought a reiteration of India's position that it recognised Tibet as a part of China and did not permit anti-China activities by any Tibetans resident on the Indian soil. President Pratibha Patil dedicated an Indian-style temple in the town of Luoyang to the friendship between the people of India and the people of China. Later she said it was an Indian gift to the people of China. Luoyang, which falls in the province of Henan, and where the famous White Horse temple is located, is widely regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilisation. The idea of an Indianstyle temple in China first came up when Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, on a tour of the country in 1993, visited the White Horse temple, and marvelled at the civilisational links between the ancient lands of India and China. A decade later, the idea assumed concrete shape when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee paid a visit to the same complex. In April 2005, when Premier Wen Jiabo visited India, a bilateral MoU on constructing the temple was signed. It was decided that the Indian government would assist with the funding besides providing the architectural design and construction material. The Chinese leadership, which had decided in principle to erect a series of multi-national Buddhist temples in the White Horse temple complex, agreed to allot the largest slice of land to India. The Indian government set up an advisory committee under the chairperson of Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, who recommended a blend of ancient and modern design, encompassing traditional Buddhist architectural symbols and meta geometry. The advisory committee recommended a structure patterned on the Sanchi stupa, with the Buddha statue in Chunar sandstone designed as a replica of the one in Sarnath. The Pakistan Supreme Court upheld the Lahore High Court's decision to release Jama'at-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed from house arrest. Citing lack of evidence, the court dismissed petitions filed by the Pakistan government and the Punjab government challenging the release of Saeed. Good ties with Pakistan vital to realise development potential: Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh and Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani had agreed on the need to address the trust deficit. Indian government wants to work on two fronts 10% growth and peace in the neighbourhood World News MULTILATERAL In a departure from tradition of not singling out countries by name, the United Nations has asked India, Pakistan and Israel to join NPT and CTBT without further delay and pre-conditions. The U.N.'s call to the three countries to join nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) came at the end of the month-long 2010 NPT review conference in New York. The conference also decided on scheduling a meeting in 2012 to discuss the creation of a Middle East (West Asia) Nuclear Free Zone. The NPT Review Conference is held every five years

to assess the progress in reaching the goals set out in the 1970 treaty to disarm and stop the spread of nuclear weapons. India, Pakistan and Israel did not attend the conference. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has approved draft rules for admitting new members into the six-member regional security grouping. The new rules lifted the moratorium on the admission of new members and were endorsed by the SCO Foreign Ministers at their meeting in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. The rules are expected to be finally approved by the Heads of State of the SCO at a summit meeting next month in Tashkent. The SCO was established in 2001 and it comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The nations which have observer status India Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan would be prime candidates for full membership. Iran will not immediately be able to enrol as the rules lock out nations that are under U.N. Security Council sanction. Iran has officially notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the May 17 nuclear fuel swap deal that it had signed with Turkey and Brazil in Tehran. The notification was made in the form of a letter that was presented to the IAEA head Yukiya Amano. Russia has reiterated its strong support for the Iran uranium swap agreement negotiated by Brazil and Turkey and vowed to do its best to see the deal through, even as the U.S. decried it as a propaganda ploy.