Monday, February 6, 2012

HEADLINES

• Report to Govt hints at ‘collusive behaviour' in Antrix-Devas deal
• Rahul not focussed on becoming PM, says Priyanka
• Gorkha Janamukti Morcha says that it will wait no longer than March 27 for the formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the autonomous body that has been proposed for the region, and agreed by the Govt last year

NATIONAL NEWS

• New breeding ground for black necked stock
  • A new breeding site for the rare Black-necked Storks has been observed near Udaipur in Rajasthan at a wetland near the Dhabok airport;
  • It is said to be the second known breeding ground for the Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) in Rajasthan after the celebrated wetland, Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur;
  • The population of Black-necked Stork, though not listed as endangered by the IUCN, is estimated to be slim with their combined presence in South and South East Asia recording a low 1,000 birds. In India, the species is spotted in the west, in the central highlands and the Northern Gangetic plains extending up to the Assam valley. The birds are found in sizeable numbers in Australia;
  • Black-necked Storks are traditionally referred to as “Loha Sarang” in Bihar and the Mir Shikars, the traditional bird hunting community there maintained a tradition of insisting on a young man wanting to get married to catch a Black-necked Stork before getting the bride. This practice was stopped in 1920 after one of the aspirants was killed by the bird, which can get violent when challenged.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Plants can talk
  • Scientists have found that plants have their own way of communicating. A cabbage was “heard'' warning its neighbours of trouble ahead after it had a leaf snipped with scissors. They said they were able to detect the process by modifying a cabbage gene which triggers the production of a gas that is emitted when a plant's surface is cut or pierced;
  • Two nearby cabbage plants, which had not been touched, received the message they should protect themselves. They did this by producing toxic chemicals on the leaves to fend off predators such as caterpillars.
• Fidel Castro comes out with Memoirs
  • Cuban leader Castro presented two volumes of his memoir entitled “Time Guerrilla” in a ceremony that marked his first public appearance since last April. He gave copies of his 2-volume memoirs to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during her visit to Cuba this week.
• West moves to form group of friends on Syria; India votes against Syria
  • After the veto on the vote in the UNSC on Syria by Russia and China, US and France have started a campaign to find nations to support the Arab League's plan for Syria;
  • Russia on its part said that it still called for Syria to get rid of extremist elements but said that it voted against the UNSC resolution because it was unbalanced;
  • India voted against Syria and expressed its displeasure with the fact that President Assad and not implemented the political package of the Arab League over a long time. However India did not discuss the resolution in detail and just agreed with it on the vote.

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Read this article on the the Pakistan MFN for India issue