HEADLINES

• Mayawati cabinet clears plan for splitting UP into 4 smaller states; splits UP poll scene wide open;
• Petrol to cost Rs.2.22/- less owing to decline in global oil prices; hike aviation fuel
• Vijay Mallya says Kingfisher did not seek a bailout.

NATIONAL NEWS

• Australia may sell Uranium to India at last
  • Australia has given indications of reversing the ban on selling uranium to India in return for greater strategic proximity between the 2 countries. Australian PM said this in a newspaper;
  • There are voices of dissent in Australia as India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the NSG. India welcomed the move by Australia. However, Australia is likely that they will insist for inspections similar to their pact with China.
• Agni-IV test-flight a 'stupendous success'
  • The test-flight of Agni IV, India's most advanced long-range missile was a success with the missile covering a range of more than 3000 km in twenty minutes of flight;
  • This is the longest range mission flown by the DRDO so far. Agni IV is capable of carrying nulcear warheads and was earlier called Agni-II Prime. It was launched from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. The first flight in December 2010 was a failure;
  • The two-stage Agni-IV which weights 17 tonnes and is 20 metres long, carried an 800 kg payload of conventional explosives. It is designed to carry 1000 kg payload.
• Fear of Bakerwali Dog doing extinct
  • The Gujjar and Bakerwal communities in J & K have demanded that the Bakerwali Shepherd Dog be enlisted as “endangered species” as they have apprehensions that the dog may disappear completely. However the Govt says there is no major threat to the species and that a conservation plan is being drawn out;
  • The Bakerwali dog is different because it is vegetation and fees on milk and bread made of maze. Therefore these dogs are a favourite as they do not attack the flock of the Shepherd;
  • However, the birth rate of these dogs is very very low. Further, with the decrease of the normadic ways of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities this dog is also impacted.
• Cross-discipline programmes via meta-varsity
  • A student enrolled in a college or a university will soon be able to pursue cross-discipline programmes simultaneously as the centre plans to set up a 'meta-university';
  • The announcement was made by the PM when releasing the report of the National Innovation Council which is under Sam Pitroda. This means for example, that a student of IIT can enroll for a course of ancient History in JNU, etc. Tests will be there for the courses.
• Milestone for Scorpene Submarine Construction
  • The construction of 6 submarines for the Indian navy under the Scorpene project between Mazagon Dock Limited and DCNS, a french firm has a history of delays. However, finally they have achieved a milestone in the construction and are expecting to move fast now;
  • The initial schedule was to deliver the first submarine by 2012 and the last one by 2017. This schedule was pushed to delivery first one by 2015 and last one by 2018;
  • At present the navy only has 14 conventional submarines of which 9 are only operational at a time. Mazagon Dock is building another workshop to speed up the construction.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Kosovo Serbs seek security under Russian Umbrella
  • More than 20000 Kosovo serbs have sought Russian citizenship in order to get protection from the Kosovar authorities. These Serbs have sent a petition address to the president, PM and parliament to the Russian embassy in Serbia;
  • Russia which is a traditional serb ally condemned the NATO-orchestrated secession of Kosovo from Serbia and blocked a UN security council resolution in support of Kosovo independence. More than 200,000 serbs have fled Kosovo since it was put under UN control in 1999 and the remaining 100,000 Serbs have refused to recognise the new state.

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Here is a good article on the critical need to secure a legally binding approach or climate change at the upcoming Durban summit
• Read this editorial about the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath Committee in relation to the National Small Savings Fund
• Read this article on revitalising the look east policy
• Give this editorial about Md. Ali and Joe Frazier a quick read

ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

• Full normalisation of India – Pakistan trade by 2012
  • The commerce secretaries of India and Pakistan have decided to ensure full normalisation of trade by end of 2012. In the first stage Pakistan will move from the Positive list approach to the negative list approach. A revised negative list will be finalised soon which means that apart from items on the negative list everything will be freely importable from India to Pak;
  • In the second stage the negative list will be phased out.