Wednesday, 31 july, 2013

HEADLINES

• Congress declares telengana a reality; To be India's 29^th state
• BCCI probe panel illegal rules court
• No grand prix in india in 2014
• Irish president signs abortion bill in to law

NATIONAL NEWS

• India to restore gas supply to Bhutan
  • India will restore the supply of subsidised gas to Bhutan from August 1, a month after it was halted and became a campaign issue in the Himalayan Kingdom’s second national elections.

• India cautions a reclusive North Korea against further isolating itself
  • An official delegation comprising three MPs on Monday concluded a rare visit to North Korea, which took place amid unusually heightened diplomatic activity between New Delhi and the reclusive Pyongyang.
  • The delegation, led by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, was in Pyongyang to attend the elaborate celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the armistice agreement to end the Korean War — an affair celebrated by both the North and South.
  • Mr. Choe the chairman of the supreme people's assembly expressed thanks for India’s continuing support of food aid to the North, with around $1-million-worth of aid being routed through the World Food Programme
  • The North Korean regime’s focus on its military, coupled with continuing sanctions on account of the country’s controversial nuclear programme, has left the economy crippled — there have been reports of widespread food shortages.
  • Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid held rare talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun in Brunei on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting. Mr. Khurshid said he had, at the meeting, stressed India’s principled stand against nuclear proliferation.

• A project to map exclusion in higher education
  • What makes a low-income student from a migrant community suffer alienation in classrooms in centres of higher education in India and the U.S.? What can be done to correct processes that discriminate against students from marginalised communities in and outside the classroom?
  • These and many more such questions will be taken up in a new partnership between the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of Pune. The research is aimed at mapping experiences of exclusion in higher education through different methodologies to arrive at a richer narrative of disadvantaged students on campuses in the two countries.
  • ‘Inclusive Universities: Linking Diversity, Equity and Excellence for the 21st Century’ is the project proposal selected under the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative and will receive $2,50,000 over three years.

• India's first private DNA forensics lab in Gurgaon
  • Global biotechnology company Life Technologies has launched India’s first private DNA forensics laboratory here, which is expected to accelerate sampling process, thus reducing the burden on existing forensic laboratories
  • Till the beginning of 2013, there was a backlog of 862 crime cases in the DNA division of the Delhi State Forensic Science Laboratory alone, Ohri said, adding that for a country of the size and population of India, the number of labs ideally should be about 400.

• Bhramos air version to be tested before year end
  • The aerial version of BrahMos cruise missile with reduced weight would be fitted with deep fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI to undergo the first flight trial before this year end
  • Dr. Pillai said BrahMos Aerospace was currently having an order book worth Rs. 25,000 crore for Navy, Army and Air Force versions of the missile.
  • Asked about the export of the missile, he said 14 countries had evinced interest and it was for the government to take a decision on it.
  • Referring to public-private industrial consortium established for BrahMos, he said it needed to become a national model for the country to become self-reliant and strong in defence technology

• Kurshid keen on roping in industry to push economic policies abroad
  • The External Affairs Ministry may open up for short-term deputations from industry and trade bodies to supplement its efforts to push the country’s economic and commercial policies abroad.
  • “We are looking at innovative methods by which people will come on deputation. Hopefully, one day we will have more people coming from industry, join us for a few years, spend postings abroad and return to their careers,

OPINION/EDITORIALS

• An article on Telengana and the statehood
• Article on the shelved NPDS bill
• article on low cost migrants to the UK
• Editorial on RBI's monetory policies