Saturday, November 17, 2012

HEADLINES

• The Centre has asked the Assam State government to crack down on troublemongers and beef up security in areas where ethnic violence has erupted again
• After an Indian woman died in Ireland due to not being granted an abortion, the Ministry of External Affairs has summoned the Irish envoy in India

NATIONAL NEWS

• Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) hits back at Reliance Industries and British Gas
  • Upset at the repeated failure of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to submit for audit records and information relating to the Krishna Godavari D6 block, the CAG has asked the Petroleum Ministry to withhold all approvals to RIL, except in emergency situations;
  • The government auditor has also asked the Ministry not to clear the plans of British Gas (BG) for exploration projects as it had also failed to submit information and records relating to the Panna-Mukta-Tapti gasfields;
  • The CAG, in its communication, has pointed out that every effort was being made to thwart the the CAG audit, and one after another obstacle was created in the conduct of a smooth audit till 2011-12. Both RIL and BG are shying away from providing information and have adopted an ‘indifferent’ attitude to the CAG, resulting in the audit coming to a standstill;
  • The CAG asked the Petroleum Ministry to immediately direct RIL to submit all records pertaining to the KG D6 block for audit up to 2012, as any increase in capital expenditure would have an adverse impact on the government’s interest;
  • The CAG said it reserved the right to undertake an independent audit of the entire process of award of hydrocarbon blocks by the Ministry under Section 16 of the CAG’s Act “as profit petroleum is a non-tax revenue credited to the Consolidated Fund of India, and this would involve examination of all records (including those of the operator) that are relevant to our audit. This Section… gives us an unfettered right and will override all conditions sought to be imposed on our audit process.”
• Geographical Indication (GI) registration for ‘Payyannur Pavithra’ ring set aside
  • The Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) here has set aside the grant of GI registration to the ‘Payyannur Pavithra’ ring in the name of a society. The Board said: “The main object of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act is to protect those persons who are directly engaged in creating or making or manufacturing the goods.  When these creators or makers complain that the application has been made behind their back, we cannot allow the registration to remain”;
  • A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g. a town, region, or country). The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin;
  • the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. The legislation is administered through the Geographical Indications Registry under the overall charge of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks. This Act, along with the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Rules,2002 came into force on September 15,2003. Geographical Indication Rights have already been obtained for 'Darjeeling Tea', 'Paithani Sarees', Kota Doria;
  • Payyanur Pavithra Mothiram, a uniquely crafted ring, is made of gold and silver by the artisans in Payyannur, Kannur district, Kerala. Dismissing an objection filed against it, the Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, granted its tag in 2009 to the significant ring in the name of society — Payyannur Pavitra Ring Artisans and Development Society, which claimed to be a registered association of the producers and traders of the ring;
  • While removing the mark in the name of the society from the register, the Board sent it back to the GI Registrar and told to him decide the case after sending notice to all parties. He was directed to take a decision within six months.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Global treaty needed to check trade in fake drugs, say experts
  • A paper submitted by a group of leading experts says that substandard and fake medicines harm and kill patients and there is an urgent need to tackle this scandal. A global treaty is needed to combat this deadly trade;
  • The experts have urged the World Health Organisation to help governments across the world bring in policies that will “avoid unnecessary controversy and can better enable them, companies, advocates, and the health professions to protect the public’s health”;
  • The paper also points out that other global treaties “have helped governments strengthen their laws and cooperate internationally to clamp down on the havens”;
  • This appeal comes days before WHO member-States will hold their first meeting to discuss the problem and we hope that this meeting will lead to some concrete action;
  • In poor countries, WHO estimates that over 10 per cent of medicines may be “counterfeit” and although medicine safety is better in rich countries, fake drugs still cause thousands of adverse reactions and some deaths;
  • The lethal meningitis outbreak in the US due to contaminated steroid injections had highlighted the serious consequences of this global problem. Other recent examples include a heart medicine containing a toxic overdose of a malaria drug which led to 125 deaths in Pakistan, and a fake cancer medicine containing starch and acetone trafficked to Canada and the US. The extent of harm is still unknown, the paper said.

EMINENT PERSONS IN THE NEWS

• Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, reowned Kuchipudi dancer passes away
  • The icon of Kuchipudi dance form, Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, passed away in Vijayawada on Friday after a prolonged ailment. He was 77 and is survived by wife, a son and two daughters;
  • He was so well-dressed for the heroine roles in Kuchupudi dance dramas that if any male, who goes into the green room in search of Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma, would found a charming Satyabhama. His demise has left the traditional Kuchipudi families, artistes and his admirers in deep sorrow;
  • Satyanarayana Sarma was born in 1935 and took to dance right in his fifth year, initiated by Vedantam Prahlada Sarma. He was a child prodigy. He began playing the role of Prahlada in dramas staged during Navaratri celebrations. He then shifted to portraying female roles. As he grew up, he struck to portrayal of heroine and earned name for Mugdha Nayiaka roles;
  • He soon became famous for the roles of Satyabhama, Usha, Devadevi and Viswa Mohini. He was the first recipient of ‘Sangeetha Nataka Academy’ award and ‘Padmasri’.
• Tycho Brahe
  • Tycho Brahe (14 December 1546 – 24 October 1601), was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. He was born in Scania, then part of Denmark, now part of modern-day Sweden. Tycho was well known in his lifetime as an astronomer and alchemist;
  • He studied astronomy at the University of Copenhagen and in Germany. He worked at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II at a time when Prague was an imperial city;
  • In 1572, Brahe detected a new star in the constellation Cassiopeia. At the time the heavens were thought to be unchanging, so his discovery was startling. The next year, he became the first astronomer to describe a supernova, or exploding stars;
  • He was assisted by Johannes Kepler who later used Tycho's astronomical data to develop Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Read this editorial on the UN report which discusses its own shortfalls in the Sri Lankan conflict
• Read this article on the pragmatic choice made by Aung San Suu Kyi to achieve democracy in Myanmar

ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Indian Bird Conservation Network: Govt should ensure safe passage for Amur Falcon
  • The Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) has demanded the Central Government to take measures to stop the slaughter of the migratory Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis) by communities that look to bird hunting for a livelihood;
  • The IBCN said that the Amur Falcon breeds in South-eastern Siberia and Northern China wintered in Southern Africa. The birds which feed mainly on insects and termites fly on an average 22,000 k.m. in a year. India lies right in the middle of the route birds take from the breeding area to the wintering area. Between 12,000 and 14,000 Falcons were being hunted everyday during the peak migratory season (October and November);
  • According to estimates made by independent conservation groups 1.2 lakh falcons were being slaughtered in Nagaland for consumption and also for commercial sale. This must be the largest slaughter of any species of birds in the world. The migratory birds were trapped using fishing nets that were put up in places where they were known to rest. The birds that get entangled in the nets are sold live to customers;
  • IBCN has asked the Govt to initiate steps to rehabilitate the communities that traditionally depend on bird hunting for a livelihood.