the hindu sep 8 to sep 14
TRANSCRIPT
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Content
A clean-up under scrutiny 1
'Plan to clean Ganga by 2019 impossible' 1
Free lectures in schools, colleges mandatory for scientists 2
'Mandatory for scientists to give lectures in schools' 2
Tamil party threatens agitation 2
Open for talks on 13th Amendment: Rajapaksa 3
'Colombo stonewalling fishermen issue' 3
How not to reinvent the wheel 3
Govt. to reconstitute wildlife board 4
Clearance without compliance 5
'Russia wants to control whole of Ukraine' 6
EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine 6
Germany's great green gamble 6
'J&K floods grim reminder of climate change' 7
U.K. keen on global fund to tackle climate change 8
'New climate treaty should reflect reality' 8
Govt to amend laws to strengthen consumer rights 9
New highways to economic growth 9
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Who takes the credit? 10
The illiteracy of innovation 10
Our businessmen given a raw deal: Pak. 10
'Sharif won't resign' 10
An important milestone 11
Israel, a gift of the Arabs 11
China-India ties poised for an 'orbital jump,' says Doval 12
20 agreements, MoUs to be signed during Xi's India visit 12
NSA Doval in Beijing to prepare ground for Xi India visit 12
Quenching Beijing's thirst may stunt regional growth 13
Textbook theory of volcanoes is wrong: study 13
Govt to replace affidavits with self-attested documents 13
McCain exhorts India to join fight against Islamic State 14
Have authority to sanction action against Islamic State: Obama 14
Obama to outline anti-IS strategy 14
Getting real about jihadi terror 15
Mars Curiosity rover reaches its primary destination 17
NASA to make ISS an Earth-observing platform 17
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Mars spacecraft to be ordered into orbit 17
Loading of commands for Mars orbiter begins 18
Lessons to be learnt 18
Bacteria that may help tackle nuclear waste found 18
Australia banking on uranium pact to gain edge over Eurasian rivals 19
Pension reforms miss the wood for the trees 19
What deters investment in India today? 20
India wins the support of developed nations at WTO 20
India not blocking rule-based global trade: Narendra Modi 21
Towards an equitable policy on Community Radio 21
$100 billion investment expected in renewable energy in 5 years 23
No-frills airports to take flight 23
The CBI's crisis of credibility 23
Koli gets reprieve at the eleventh hour 24
Probe sought into Trinamool-Jamaat link 25
Neither victims nor perpetrators 25
The logical response to an ideological campaign 26
Strategic networking in the Indo-Pacific 26
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Imran Khan extends protests by two weeks 29
Independence of judiciary is dear to me, it is non-negotiable: CJI Lodha 29
A red herring for judicial independence 29
Cyber threats among greatest national security dangers: US 31
Super cyber intelligence body soon, announces IT Minister 31
Counter-terrorism, growth likely to dominate Obama-Modi agenda 31
India inks free trade agreement with ASEAN 32
India has second-highest number of child marriages: Unicef 32
PM seeks people's views on his 'Clean India' mission 33
Strong solar flare making its way towards Earth 33
India's Arctic observatory toaid climate change studies 33
Activists want rabies to be declared notifiable disease 34
NGO accuses Maharashtra govt. of diluting Forest Rights Act 34
The benefits of a multipolar world 35
Listening to moderate voices 36
Centre to fund Swachh Vidyalaya campaign 37
Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere hit new high 37
UN reports largest annual CO2 increase since 1984 37
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Ozone layer showing signs of recovery: UN 37
Arab League chief: confront ISIS 38
NGT seeks clarity on fresh Western Ghats survey 39
Western Ghats: green tribunal asks Ministry to clarify on fresh survey 39
Data glitches stall roll out of Food Security Act 39
With SECC delayed, states lag behind on Food Act implementation 40
Ratan Tata rallies support for protection of high seas 40
Semi high-speed train runs on eight more routes by year-end 40
Peace and prosperity through security and stability 41
A welcome record of failure 42
China's Silk Road to counter Washington's FTA move 43
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A clean-up under scrutiny Wed, Sep 10, 2014environment, Ganga Action Plan, The Hindu, river,
In 2013, estimates by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that from Gangotri
to Diamond Harbour faecal coliform levels were above acceptable levels on all stretches
of the river, except for the upper reaches. Uttar Pradesh, which has a 1,000-km stretch
of the river, has over 600 highly polluting industrial units. The report pointed out that human
activity including industrialisation, urbanisation and deforestation, and a complete lack
of provision along the river for waste water disposal, have reduced the Ganga to its current
condition. The quality of water in the river, once famed for its purity, is abysmal now.
And one of the key areas which need attention is ecological restoration. The National
Mission for Clean Ganga envisions that by 2020, no untreated municipal sewage or industrial
effluent will flow into the Ganga. Hundreds of crores of rupees from foreign funding agencies
and the government has been pledged to clean the river, but as the Supreme Court has
observed, the bureaucratic approach has failed to work. There seems to be no dearth of
reports or expert advice on cleaning the Ganga; only the political will and decisive actionon the ground are lacking. Perhaps the Supreme Court's admonition, along with the government's
new resolve, could act as a catalyst for change.
'Plan to clean Ganga by 2019 impossible' Mon, Sep 8, 2014environment, Ganga Action Plan, The Hindu, river,
However, with a carefully drawn up strategy the river can be cleaned over 10 years, the
former minister said in an interaction on climate change in Kolkata. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi
first tried to clean the 2,500 kilometre river. Later in 2009, Mr Ramesh launched his own
brand of "Ganga Action Plan (GAP)" and now the Prime Minister has vowed to comeup with his plan to clean the river. However, recent studies suggest pollution kept growing
over all these three decades. "75% of the pollutants in the river are untreated municipal
waste, while only 25% is industrial waste," he said. "Perhaps it is possible to control the
industrial effluents, but it is an impossible task to treat the municipality waste flowing
into the river as we do not have sewage treatment facilities in most of these towns and
cities," Mr Ramesh said. However, the former minister also said that if the sewage flowing
in to the river is treated "properly" the project is doable. River Rhine in Europe flows
through six countries, while Ganga moves through only five states. When Rhine could
be cleaned up, so it is doable but we can not underestimate the magnitude of the problem,
According to July 2013 estimates of the Central Pollution Control Board, fecal coliformlevels in the main-stream of the river - some 2,500 km from Gangotri in Uttarakhand to
Diamond Harbour in south Bengal - remain above the acceptable level in all stretches,
other than its upper reaches, the CSE paper said.
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Free lectures in schools, colleges mandatory for scientists Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, kiran, education,
"It will be mandatory for them to deliver 12 hours of lecture every year to Class IX andunder-graduate college students. The scientist will devise a methodology in his or her area
of expertise to make the subject interesting for students,'' he said at a press conference.
At the same time, a special promotion scheme for women scientists, KIRAN (Knowledge
and Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), will allow public sector
institutions to make alternate offers to women who have had a break in their career or have
had a change of residence. "This is for gender parity and to bring forward women in leadership
positions,'' Dr. Singh said. "We will try to have a mobility mechanism for women scientists
who have had a change of residence to enable them to continue in their positions. The
government does not want to lose trained women scientists for such reasons.''
'Mandatory for scientists to give lectures in schools' Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, kiran, education,
For this, departments, particularly publicly-funded national institutes, will enter into an
agreement with schools and colleges. The Ministry of Human Resource Development
will collaborate with departments concerned. "The experiment will help catch young talent,"
he added. The CSIR system and the DST have about 6,000 scientists and researchers on
their rolls. Dr. Singh said the performance of scientists and researchers would be evaluated
every three years. A special promotion scheme for women scientists, KIRAN (Knowledge
and Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), would allow public sector
institutions to make alternate offers to women who have had a break in their career or a
change of residence.
Tamil party threatens agitation Wed, Sep 10, 2014tamil party, Ilankai Tamil Arasu, The Hindu, international, Sri Lanka,
The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance
(TNA), has said it would commence a non-violent struggle in January next year if the Sri
Lankan government "does not change its course before the end of this year." the ITAK
passed a resolution inviting all Tamil, Muslim political parties, formations, and progressive
forces within Sri Lanka to join it in pushing for maximum possible devolution to addressthe ethnic conflict. We also request India, the international community and the people
of Sri Lanka not to permit the Government of Sri Lanka to continue to breach the provisions
of the Indo-Lanka Accord, which is an international bilateral treaty between two sovereign
states
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Open for talks on 13th Amendment: Rajapaksa Thu, Sep 11, 201413th amendment, The Hindu, international, sri lanka,
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is open for a dialogue with the Tamil NationalAlliance (TNA) on the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution,
which devolves more powers to provinces in the island nation. Implementation of the 13th
Amendment was one of India's key demands, and Mr. Modi had told a TNA delegation
that "he was dismayed by reports that the Sri Lankan government proposed to dilute the
13th Amendment," officials said. In the interview, President Rajapaksa said he was grateful
for India's stand on the U.N. Human Rights Council vote, where New Delhi refused to
endorse the demand for an inquiry by an international agency into allegations of "war crimes"
by the Sri Lankan Army against the LTTE in 2009. "Our government is conducting local
investigations, but we won't allow them to internationalise it," Mr. Rajapaksa said. "The
next time it [the UNHRC] will say that there must be an international inquiry into Kashmir.
What would be our position? Whether it is against India or Sri Lanka, we will not allow
an external inquiry." He also rejected concerns in India about the growing Chinese investment
in Sri Lanka, even as he prepares for the visit of President Xi Jinping on September 16,
when the two countries are expected to sign a Free Trade Agreement. "India has nothing
to worry about from China in Sri Lanka," Mr. Rajapaksa said in response to a question
about a contract on Air Force maintenance that was recently awarded to the Chinese company
CATIC. "Until I am here, I can promise that."
'Colombo stonewalling fishermen issue' Fri, Sep 12, 2014
fishermen, The Hindu, international, sri lanka,
Recalling the submission of her memorandum to the Prime Minister in June, she reiterated
that the retrieval of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka and her request for a comprehensive
special package of Rs. 1,520 crore as part of enabling the fishermen to diversify their activities
had to be addressed. the Chief Minister expressed the hope that "given the emphasis you
are placing on resolving issues in the neighbourhood of the country, the plight of Tamil
Nadu fishermen will receive the much needed priority attention that it deserves and the
Government of India will take necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our
fishermen and secure the immediate release of the detained 78 fishermen and 72 boats."
How not to reinvent the wheel Sat, Sep 13, 2014The Hindu, international, sri lanka,
The declaration by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an interview to The Hindu
that he is prepared to talk to Tamil political parties on a meaningful process of devolution
is a welcome step forward. After the Sri Lankan military's defeat of the LTTE, it was
expected that the political aspects of reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and
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the minority Tamils would be easy to settle. A framework for devolution has existed since
1987 under the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. Yet post-war, the political
question has been as difficult to resolve as the human rights issues that have since surfaced.
For one, as reiterated by President Rajapaksa in the interview, the government refuses
to share police powers with the province, even though these are provided for by the Constitution.Powers over land have been another bone of contention, with the Sri Lankan Supreme
Court ruling last year that they are vested in the central government, and not the province.
Tamil parties have understandably felt that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) in
which the ruling coalition has overwhelming representation will end up diluting the 13th
Amendment further. The main Opposition parties have boycotted it. This is why the Tamil
National Alliance, which is the main Tamil political grouping, has stayed away from it.
What it wants as a precondition for joining the PSC is a commitment from the government
that the 13th Amendment will be the starting point for deliberations, which will also take
into account the recommendations of previous government-appointed committees on the
Tamil political question. The issue has been further hobbled by the looming military presence
in the Tamil-dominated North. The Governor of the province, in whom much authority
is vested, is a former Army General, hardly the kind of figure to inspire trust in a post-conflict
situation. As well, the Tamil demand for "maximum devolution" without being specific
on its idea of a lasting solution is problematic, especially as some TNA constituents are
of the view that the 13th Amendment should be scratched as it is too limited in scope.
What is required to break out of the impasse is an honest commitment from both sides
to the possibilities for maximum power-sharing within a united Sri Lanka. What is needed
equally is an unequivocal commitment by the Rajapaksa government that it is prepared
to conduct a fair and credible internal enquiry against those in the military responsible
for the alleged war crimes, including disappearances. An international inquiry will be definitely
intrusive, but thus far the measures taken by the Sri Lankan government seem aimed more
at window-dressing for the international community than at providing the healing touch.
Govt. to reconstitute wildlife board Thu, Sep 11, 2014Wildlife Protection Act, environment, The Hindu, wildlife board,
The government has decided to reconstitute the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) after
the Supreme Court stayed decisions of its newly constituted standing committee in August
for violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. it is understood that the new committee
is in keeping with the legal provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act which prescribes
10 non-official members and five independent NGOs and representatives from 10 Statesor Union Territories.
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Clearance without compliance Tue, Sep 9, 2014environment, The Hindu, national board for wildlife,
While the Board was reconstituted, it did not have the five mandatory NGO representativesor the ten persons to be nominated by the Central government from among eminent conservationist
ecologists and environmentalists, as mandated by Section 5A of the Wildlife Protection
Act. Besides, the notification only referred to the Standing Committee. It was not surprising
therefore that the Supreme Court on August 25 stayed the decisions of the diluted Standing
Committee of the NBWL, after a petition challenged the constitution of the Board. On
July 28, the Ministry issued another office memorandum easing conditions for coal projects
-- all in the interests of ramping up coal production -- which were initiated by the previous
Congress-led regime. Not a day passes by without some proposal coming up to dilute existing
green laws. The Minister is considering granting a general approval for projects near the
China and Pakistan borders where some 6,000 kilometres of roads were pending and there
was need for vital installations and infrastructure. The need for speedy clearances was
addressed in the Ministry's own notification in 2012 which said that in the case of border
roads, proposals of the Ministry of Defence -- a simplified pro forma for simultaneous
clearance under the Forest Conservation Act and wildlife clearance -- was being adopted
under a single-window system. One wonders what happened to that. The Forest (Conservation
Act), 1980 expressly prohibits conversion of forest land to non-forest use without the Centre's
nod but this general approval would ensure that proposals need not go to the Centre at
all. Some senior forest officials said unless the Act was amended, this kind of general approval
could not be granted. However, Mr. Javadekar specified that no amendment was needed
and the decision was in keeping with the law. Environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta told
The Hindu that many dilutions have been in the offing for a long time, but in the case
of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it would be very difficult to recast it as an administrative
or quasi-judicial body as suggested by reports. This lack of transparency can also be seen
in the functioning of the Environment Ministry's Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
(GEAC) which had not met for over a year. This Committee also had over 70 pending
proposals. In July, it cleared some genetically modified crop field trials. Unlike in the past,
neither its agenda nor the minutes of the meeting are posted online. The Environment
Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, is another casualty. As it is, the public hearings
under the Act which are mandatory for projects have been reduced to a farce. A notification
from the Environment Ministry on June 25, 2014, amended the process, exempting certain
categories of projects from the EIA. But the most important change is that earlier projectsthat were within 10 kilometres of Protected Areas would have to be vetted by the NBWL,
but now, that distance has been reduced to five km, says Pushp Jain of the EIA Resource
and Response Centre.
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'Russia wants to control whole of Ukraine' Sat, Sep 13, 2014russia, ukraine, The Hindu, international,
accused Russia of wanting to control the whole of Ukraine, arguing that only NATO couldprovide his country with the protection it needed. Kiev and Western governments have
accused Moscow of deploying Russian troops and tanks into eastern Ukraine in support
of separatist rebels. Meanwhile, more than half of the vehicles forming part of Russia's
second humanitarian aid convoy arrived in Luhansk, according to RIA Novosti . The convoy,
which consists of 200 lorries in total, contains more than a thousand tonnes of humanitarian
aid, including food, sugar, flour and diesel generators.
EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine Fri, Sep 12, 2014russia, The Hindu, Ukraine, international,
The European Union imposed sanctions on Friday against large Russian energy and defence
companies, including a subsidiary of Gazprom and the manufacturer of Kalashnikov rifles.
They hinder access to EU financial markets for energy companies Rosneft, Transneft
and Gazprom Neft, as well as defence manufacturers Opk Oboronprom, Uralvagonzavod
and United Aircraft Corporation. In addition, they prohibit the sale of dual-use goods
-- which can be put to civilian or military use -- to nine defence firms, including Kalashnikov
and Almaz-Antey, manufacturer of the Buk missile system.
Germany's great green gamble Mon, Sep 8, 2014
environment, The Hindu, solar power, green energy, climate change,
Today, already something like 30 per cent of Germany's electricity supply comes from
solar and wind energy and the country is actually exporting power. The goal is to increase
this contribution to 50 per cent by 2030 and a staggering 80 per cent by 2050. At present,
Germany has around 37,000 megawatts of installed solar energy capacity. In addition,
it has another 29,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity. What has given renewables
new momentum is the decision of Chancellor Angela Merkel to completely phase out Germany's
present nuclear power generating capacity of about 12,000 megawatts by the year 2022.
Germany was getting between a fifth and a quarter of electricity supply from its nuclear
power plants. It is the complete decommissioning of all such plants in eight years coupled
with an overriding emphasis on energy efficiency that gives energiewende a unique dimension.It has undergone many changes subsequently, but the anchor remains the concept of a
"feed-in tariff" that depends on the technology being used. Anybody can invest in solar
or wind power, sell surplus power to the grid and get a generous income that covers investment
and running costs, guaranteed for 20 years, regardless of demand. This means that some
6 per cent of Germans are energy producers. This is the nearest equivalent to the mobile
phone revolution. The structure of electricity generation has been thoroughly shaken up
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and the four big private utilities have been consistently losing market share. . The most
contentious issue is whether consumers are paying more now than they were earlier. The
cost of renewables is financed out of a surcharge on the bills of consumers. Of course,
many consumers have themselves turned producers, but that apart, there appear to be two
views. One view is that German household expenditure on electricity has not changedover the past decade and that the latest increase will cost the consumer every month the
equivalent of a pint of beer. But the fact remains that energy prices will continue to increase
since the large-scale use of renewable sources does require extensive grid, storage and
backup infrastructure. The gamble is criticised as being expensive but it cannot be denied
that it is expansive. At present, wind energy capacity is close to 22,000 megawatts and
solar amounts to another 2,650 megawatts or so (nuclear is about 4,800 megawatts). Capacity
wise, wind and solar account for about 13 per cent of total electricity generating capacity,
although contribution to actual energy supply is perhaps no more than six per cent. The
main difference with Germany, of course, is that in 2030, India's energy supply basket
is projected to have an eight per cent contribution from nuclear energy as well. In terms
of capacity, wind energy is recommended to increase to 1,20,000 megawatts and solar
to 1,00,000 megawatts by the same year. These may look like daunting goals at the moment
but they are eminently feasible, especially given the fact that India is more favourably
endowed in solar energy and in some parts, even in wind energy. The energy transition
which will have to be driven by innovations in technology, regulation and financing will
bring multiple benefits. It will, of course, increase energy security and also reduce emissions
of carbon dioxide. It will also have significant positive impacts on public health and also
stimulate development in regions that have remained backward so far. The possibility
of India acquiring strategic leadership in the green technology industry globally in about
a decade's time also is very real -- provided it is linked with a strong indigenous research
and development and engineering capability. If a comprehensive valuation of benefits
is done, as the expert group boldly pointed out, "even with lower GDP, the low carbon
strategy is worth pursuing." In any case, the reduction in the average annual GDP growth
rate by the expert group's own reckoning by the use of low carbon strategies is 0.1-0.15
percentage points. That is, instead of say a 8 per cent growth rate, you will end up having
a 7.85-7.90 per cent growth rate. Surely, this is by no means any kind of disaster, especially
when all the gains of green growth are reckoned and taken into account fully. India is ready
for another 4G revolution -- great green growth gamble.
'J&K floods grim reminder of climate change'Wed, Sep 10, 2014environment, The Hindu, kashmir flood, climate change,
The worst floods in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 60 years and the subsequent devastation
are due to a combination of unprecedented and intense rain, mismanagement, unplanned
urbanisation and a lack of preparedness, Sunita Narain, director-general, Centre for Science
and Environment (CSE), said on Wednesday. n 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) in its fourth assessment report, said extreme rainfall events were
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set to increase over the Indian subcontinent. In its fifth assessment report, the IPCC said
the intensity of rainfall in India would increase. A study by B.N. Goswami of the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology in 2006 had predicted changes in rainfall across India
and especially over the Himalayan range, which would have a high impact in the region,
apart from the west coast and central India. the incidence of heavy and very heavy rainfall(more than 100 mm and 150 mm/ a day) had increased and moderate rainfall decreased.
Jammu and Kashmir does not have a flood forecasting system, not even a separate disaster
management plan, t 55 per cent of wetlands, drainage channels and water bodies had been
encroached upon. Ms Narain said Jammu and Kashmir had an intricate system of water
management. The lake areas had diminished, the holding capacity of many water bodies
had gone down, and houses were built in places they should never have been, she pointed
out.
U.K. keen on global fund to tackle climate change Mon, Sep 8, 2014
environment, The Hindu, green climate fund, climate change,
"The UK is a good player, we have created a fund of 0 .7 per cent of GDP for development
aid and we have been spending that significantly, particularly in least developed countries.
We are keen to demonstrate our willingness on the GCF and we have done this by set up
our own International Climate Fund and we have put PS 3.9 billion, which we have begun
spending on exactly what India is asking for." The main purpose of his visit is to get India
on board a proposal for a Global Apollo Programme to assist in technology transfer to
the developing world. Among its objectives is a future where renewable energy is cheaper
to produce for every country in the world by 2025. A major component of the proposed
research would focus on developing a good technology for large scale energy storage,
be it nuclear, wind or solar power. "Wind and solar are intermittent energy while nuclear
is constant. If you are producing too much energy from nuclear, you can store it and use
it when there is a demand. For all forms of energy, storage is the missing technology. Smart
grid technology also needs to be developed, and money could be invested in renewable
research development and demonstration," he said.
'New climate treaty should reflect reality' Sat, Sep 13, 2014environment, The Hindu, climate treaty,
While accepting Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR), the world should
look to a new climate treaty which is binding but also reflect the ground realities, accordingto Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, European Commission, on Friday.
"The first thing we need is to have a more constructive and "unideological" way of discussing
that," she pointed out. In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate conference, more than
90 countries made their own climate targets. Recent figures show that the world has not
seen such an increase in emissions like it did last year and those who are afraid of binding
treaties should come up with credible alternatives that make the world convinced that when
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countries leave the negotiating table in Paris with stated intentions, they will be delivered
over the years. She said CBDR was a big controversial issue but not the only one at arriving
a global consensus - issues of finance, technology and others would also dominate talks.
CBDR cannot be discussed in a black and white manner and based on the 1992 situation.
Then the divisions were clear that developed countries must commit to cutting emissionsbut now we need to evolve a way where growth development and climate change can go
hand in hand, she said. On September 23, 28 heads of states in the European Union will
adopt new targets for Europe, a 40 per cent cut in emissions domestically by 2030, in addition
to aiming at 27 per cent of all energy consumption from renewables and a 30 per cent energy
efficiency.
Govt to amend laws to strengthen consumer rights Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, economics, consumer rights,
Amendments have been proposed to the Consumer Protection Act as well as the Bureau
of Indian Standards Act, 1986. We have decided to set up a consumer protection authority
with independent powers to frame policies for protecting consumers rights and addressing
their grievances Our Prime Minister has emphasised on 'Make in India and Made in India'.
To implement this in letter and spirit, there is a need to follow best quality standards.
New highways to economic growth Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, international, economics,
On Independence Day, Mr. Modi spoke about the need for the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries to fight poverty together, rather than being
engaged in meaningless conflict. The next day, speaking after the function to lay the foundation
stone of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust special economic zone at Nhava Sheva, he highlighted
the need for State governments to become more active in exports and Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) State governments reaching out to the outside world began in the 1990s, post-liberalisation
of the economy, when Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu reached
out to the U.S., and was able to attract investments from IT giants like Microsoft which
began investing in Hyderabad. The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, also made
an effort to woo foreign investors. The efforts by Mr. Naidu and Mr. Krishna helped in
promoting Hyderabad and Bangalore as investment destinations. While Hyderabad was
on the itinerary of U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Bangalore was on
the schedule of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, in 2001. First, while the Modi governmentmay encourage interactions with countries like Europe and Southeast Asia, it remains to
be seen how Mr. Modi will view the participation of border States like those on the west
(Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat) vis-a-vis Pakistan, and those bordering Myanmar in
the northeast. This would be unfortunate, because over the past few years, some border
States have been willing to play a constructive role in enhancing land connectivity and
strengthening economic connectivity. In this context, Tripura (bordering Bangladesh) and
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Punjab (Pakistan) clearly stand out. Second, Mr. Modi's real success would be to ensure
that States that are not industrialised develop links with the outside world and benefit from
these linkages economically. Currently, it is only a handful of economically developed
States like Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which
have reaped the benefits of economic diplomacy with the outside world. Finally, foreignservice officers should take short sabbaticals where they work closely with State governments;
something along the lines of the Pearson Fellowship introduced in the U.S., where diplomats
actually work in provinces and understand the legislative process in Washington would
be handy in this context. While economic diplomacy in India has been going on for two
decades, Mr. Modi's test is to ensure that the number of States which reach out to the outside
world increases, and that sub-regional linkages within South Asia get strengthened through
political will.
Who takes the credit? Sun, Sep 14, 2014
The Hindu, economics, credit,
The illiteracy of innovation Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, economics, innovation,
Our businessmen given a raw deal: Pak. Mon, Sep 8, 2014
pakistan, Trade, The Hindu, international,
An agreement between Home Secretaries, finalised in January 2013, planned to exempt
businessmen from reporting to the police, but has never been implemented. According
to the TDAP official, some businessmen say they are also facing delays in transporting
their merchandise, with Customs officials holding up shipments at the Wagah border and
Delhi airport.
'Sharif won't resign' Wed, Sep 10, 2014Pakistan, The Hindu, international,
Senior Ministers of Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) partyon Wednesday rallied in Parliament in support of the embattled Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif and dismissed demands for his resignation by protest leaders Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadr
Mr. Dar said in Parliament that the government has already agreed to five demands presented
by the protesting parties but has told them that the sixth point was non-negotiable, referring
to the demand for Mr. Sharif to quit, The News reported.
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An important milestone Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, international, Australia,
Relations between Australia and India crossed an important milestone with last week'ssigning of the Agreement on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. Following the lead
of the United States, Australia was one of the countries that strongly opposed the 1998
Pokhran nuclear tests, joining Western nations in imposing sanctions against India. With
40 per cent of the world's uranium reserves, Australia is pivotal to India's nuclear energy
road map. It was only in 2011 that then Prime Minister Julia Gillard was able to overturn
her Labor party's long-standing opposition on uranium sales to India, paving the way
for the signing of the agreement during Prime Minister Tony Abbott's visit The demand
for uranium fell after the Fukushima disaster, and the push for sale to India came in large
measure from the Australian mining industry, an important sector of that country's economy,
but one that is well past its glory days. Australia is also looking to expand trade with India.
Mr. Abbott, whose delegation included a big group of CEOs, wants to conclude a Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement with New Delhi by 2016. As well as economic ties,
the agreement on selling uranium is certain to improve the strategic relationship. Mr. Abbott
has made no secret of his view that India's partnership is essential to sustaining the U.S-led
push to maintain the strategic balance in East Asia vis-a-vis China.
Israel, a gift of the Arabs Thu, Sep 11, 2014The Hindu, international, Israel,
Islamic terror has become the popular topic of drawing room conversations in the last decade.
The doings of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Taliban and most recently of the Islamic State
have provided much fuel to the fire. There is little reference, however, to the state as the
source of terror of which Israel is currently the prime example. Anti-Semitism has plagued
the Jews for two millennia and is often invoked to justify Israeli impunity. Ironically, the
Arabs have historically not been participants in this history of racial hatred. On the contrary,
it was in Arabia that the Jews sought refuge after they fled Jerusalem following the destruction
of Second Temple. The Palestinians, through sales of their land to migrant Jews actually
made the state of Israel possible on the ground. Israel is, quite literally, as I have argued
in a forthcoming book, a "gift" of the Arabs even as the land transfers occurred without
Palestinians realising that a "Jewish State" was in the making. Tragically, the state of
Israel seems to have learnt more from its persecutors than its benefactors in the calculatedprecision of its targeting and killing. But the problem is not just the most recent round
of the war in Gaza. The deeper problem is that Israel has made impossible any viable statehood
for the Palestinians. There is little doubt that both the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) and Hamas have contributed to the Palestinian predicament. The PLO wrote off
East Jerusalem in the Oslo Agreement in 1993 and compromised on the right to return
of Palestinians in return for its recognition as the official Palestinian authority. The Oslo
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peace process itself enabled the rise of Hamas, since the PLO had lost legitimacy with
many Palestinians. For the West, Hamas was an effective counterbalance to the PLO. Since
then Hamas' own violent politics has gone hand in hand with Israel's metamorphosis
into an expansionist, settler state. What then should be our stand in India? Though India
has become hugely dependent on Israel for small arms and India-Israel relations have strengthenedit must stand for peace and justice in Palestine if it aspires for leadership in global politics.
Fortunately the official Indian statement at a special session of the UN Human Rights
Council criticised the heavy airstrikes in Gaza, the human rights situation in the Occupied
Palestine Territory including East Jerusalem and emphasised the need for a sovereign,
independent, viable and united State of Palestine. Citizens all over the world must press
for stronger action in favour of Palestinian statehood including the resort to economic
boycott of Israel if required. The solution to Hamas lies in a sustainable Palestine and not
in death in Gaza.
China-India ties poised for an 'orbital jump,' says Doval Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, international, China,
20 agreements, MoUs to be signed during Xi's India visit Fri, Sep 12, 2014The Hindu, international, China,
India and China are expected to sign as many as 20 agreements and MoUs in Delhi, on
issues related to infrastructure development, cultural ties among others. Chief amongst
the agreements will be the setting up of two 'industrial cities' near Gandhinagar and Pune
on the lines of the Chinese manufacturing hub Shenzen. The two leaders, who are meeting
for the second time since Mr Modi took office, are expected to discuss the road ahead
in the Sino-Indian border negotiations. However, the two countries are still to appoint
their Special Representatives for the border talks.
NSA Doval in Beijing to prepare ground for Xi India visit Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, international, china,
During his visit to India, Mr. Xi is expected to announce major Chinese investments as
well as hold talks with Modi on border dispute as well as China's plans to revive a number
of Silk Road Projects including the Maritime Silk Road. Mr. Doval's visit comes in theimmediate backdrop of the cancellation of Mr. Xi's visit to Islamabad planned as part
of his first visit to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Besides finalising the schedule, Mr.
Doval's visit is expected to focus on the political aspects of Mr. Xi's tour, including issues
related to the boundary dispute and new routes for Kailash and Manasarovar Yatra.
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Quenching Beijing's thirst may stunt regional growth Thu, Sep 11, 2014The Hindu, international, China, river,
China is about to realise a dream of Communist leader Mao Zedong to redirect the country'sriver flows to benefit Beijing and the dry north, but critics say the resources grab by the
politically powerful capital will harm regional China. The $62 billion South-North Water
Transfer Project is one of the world's biggest infrastructure projects. Starting in October,
stage two will see a massive 9.5 billion cubic meters of water per year pumped through
1,500 kms (932 miles) of canals and pipes from the Danjiangkou reservoir in central Hubei
province to the northern provinces of Henan and Hebei and to Beijing. The water project
will provide more than a third of Beijing's water supply. In February, Qiu Baoxing, the
vice minister of housing and urban-rural development, said the water diversion project
was unsustainable and that the capital would be better off relying on desalination technology
and saving rain water. Pollution of China's waterways, like air pollution in major cities,
is a major environmental crisis born from the country's rapid economic growth. The government
has estimated that more than 70 per cent of the country's rivers and lakes are polluted
-- half of it so badly that it contains water unfit for human touch. Almost 60 per cent of
China's groundwater is also too polluted to use, a consequence of lax environmental regulation
and illegal dumping of industrial waste. The Danjiangkou reservoir gets its water from
the Han River, a tributary of the Yangtze River which feeds several major cities in central
China such as Wuhan, an economic power house in Hubei province sporting a $144 billion
GDP. But the new water supply will come as a huge relief for northern China, one of the
driest regions in the world where water scarcity has been made even worse by widespread
pollution of rivers, lakes and groundwater. Despite the lack of water, the region's economy
relies primarily on water-intensive manufacturing industries and coal-fired power, and
it produces around a third of China's food. The biggest share of the water will be used
for agricultural irrigation in Henan, while the rest will be distributed as drinking water
and for industrial use across the region.
Textbook theory of volcanoes is wrong: study Wed, Sep 10, 2014geography, The Hindu, volcanoes,
Govt to replace affidavits with self-attested documents Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, self attestation, polity,
"There may be a problem when you go to some place and an officer may say he will not
receive a self-attested document. He will say there is no such order. So, the order will be
issued by us. But, till then all stakeholders including the State governments need to work
together for it," said Mr. Singh. He said self-certification of documents is going to be a
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great boon for the unemployed youth. "In certain security-related matters, gazetted certification
might have to be retained, after a dispassionate look," he said. He said the promotion of
self-certification in place of notarised affidavits will be a significant step in making life
easier for the common man and building trust. "As India goes into the 21st century, everyone
would recognise the stakes involved in false attestation," he said.
McCain exhorts India to join fight against Islamic State Tue, Sep 9, 2014isis, The Hindu, international, usa,
U.S. Republican Senator John McCain has urged New Delhi and Washington to extend
bilateral cooperation deeper into counterterrorism operations linked to West Asia, citing
both al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri's announcement of a new terror 'wing' for the
Indian subcontinent, and the growing presence of foreign recruits in the ranks of militant
outfit Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "Our governments are currently negotiating a Bilateral
Investment Treaty, which is worthwhile. But why not aim instead for a Free Trade Agreement?
India and the United States have, or are negotiating, FTAs with every other major global
trading partner, so we are on course to discriminate only against one another." U.S. disengagement
from West Asia has created a vacuum that extremism and terrorism are filling; about perceptions
of U.S. weakness in the face of Russian aggression and Chinese provocation; and by the
American plan to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2017, "which Indians believe will foster
disorder and direct threats to India."
Have authority to sanction action against Islamic State: Obama Wed, Sep 10, 2014isis, The Hindu, international, usa,
Mr. Obama told the leaders that he would welcome action by the Congress that would
aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the U.S. is united in defeating the
threat from ISIS, the statement said. "The Speaker said the spread of radicalised Islam
is a global epidemic and our national objective must be to defeat and destroy ISIS. He
asked the President to define success in those terms when he addresses the nation tomorrow
night," an aide to the Speaker said. The U.S. has said Iraq is facing an "existential threat"
from the Islamic State militants, warning that the failure of the new Iraqi government to
unite the country would threaten the whole nation. "It does threaten American national
security interests for ISIL to be operating in a virtual safe haven along the vanishing border
between Iraq and Syria," he said.
Obama to outline anti-IS strategy Wed, Sep 10, 2014isis, The Hindu, international,
U.S. President Barack Obama was poised to announce his support to both opposition groups
in Syria and the newly formed Iraqi government in their fight against the Islamic State
(IS), the militant group that captured large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months and
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declared a caliphate. The official added that Mr. Obama would outline plans to build a
coalition of allies and partners in the region and in the broader international community
to support U.S. efforts, and will also touch upon how he would coordinate with the U.S.
Congress as a partner in these efforts. Though rumours have been circulating for a while
now about the prospects of the U.S. expanding air strikes into Syria and also cooperatingfurther with Syrian opposition forces, no concrete policies have been outlined by the White
House on either issue thus far.
Getting real about jihadi terror Sat, Sep 13, 2014terrorism, The Hindu, international, jihadi terror,
U.S. President Barack Obama's recent television address, on a strategy to combat the violence
and influence unleashed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) couldn't have come
a day or a moment too soon. What he said may not have been spectacular or path-breaking
in its content, but the categorical announcement of all-out air strikes in the affected areas
reveal a steely resolve to destroy the monster that the terrorist outfit -- a splinter group
from the al-Qaeda -- has become. Outsmarting the parent outfit, al-Qaeda, in just a few
years of its existence, ISIS has shown itself to be even more brutal and acutely driven by
a fundamentalism that ostensibly strives for a Caliphate, whatever such a body means.
With a cadre strength of about 10,000 it seems to have the resources -- control over a few
towns in Syria and Iraq as also some oilfields -- and the determination to hold on to its
gains against the odds. Its achievements have been spectacular and have lured many away
from the al-Qaeda, whose presence in the region could become nominal if the trend continues.
There is now unassailable evidence that ISIS has managed to draw substantial support
from highly motivated youth. What is even more serious is the arrival into Syria and Iraq
of an estimated 1,000 young men from abroad, especially the United States and the United
Kingdom. This is however not something new. We do know of how a large number of
youth from the West became fascinated by the al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and in the days
following 9/11, with many even having received training in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
One sees a revival of the trend after a short lull following the liquidation of bin Laden
in 2011. Only very few countries, including those in Africa and Asia, can be blind to this
sinister development because of its serious implications for their own domestic stability.
There is no news yet of what happened to the other three. This report confirms the existence
of the regular movement of youth from India to the Middle East on religious-cum-terrorist
pursuits. This again should not come as a surprise to our intelligence and law-enforcement
officials. An investigation of the activities of the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) in the past fewyears has shown that some young men, especially from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
and Uttar Pradesh, had been drawn to the cause and were maintaining contacts outside
the country. The IM's role in terrorist adventures, inspired by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is all too well known for us to ignore the
dangerous implications of this on our national security. Challenge before intelligence
It is in this context that we need to know whether there is the possibility of a link between
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the IM and ISIS. This is a real challenge before the IB and State intelligence agencies.
At this stage, this proposition could seem preposterous, but the evolving picture is one
of many such dangerous possibilities. Our intelligence agencies are no doubt sharp and
clued in. The IB, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the State police should
get their act together to monitor the situation and take follow-up action. Unfortunately,the weakest link is the police, especially in the form of police stations. With the exception
of a few States, the priorities and preoccupation of the police have been skewed, with the
accent on perpetuating the fortunes of the ruling dispensation, rather than in taking care
of public security. What is crucial is to keep an eye on all those travelling to the troubled
Middle East region and their purpose of visit. This exercise could lead to some harassment
of those who have genuine business to undertake in the area, but this should be no ground
for lowering our vigil. We have a new National Security Adviser who knows his job well.
His forte is counter-terrorism against religious fundamentalism, and this gives us some
optimism that important happenings will not be missed out. We have had far too many
incidents of terror in our major cities since the 9/11 attack for us to be confident that our
law enforcement agencies will be able to thwart any IM-LeT-ISI-ISIS joint manoeuvre
to disturb peace in India. Memories of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai have not faded away
either and should serve as a reminder to avoid repeating the mistakes that were glaring
then. Also, till a few years ago, the politicisation of the force and a more than sly appeasement
of rival religious groups within and outside the police were rampant. This undermined
professionalism in tackling both conventional crime and terror. Acts such as taking out
processions in defiance of prohibitory orders and inflammatory speeches capable of inciting
religious bigotry in Mumbai shockingly went unpunished in the name of sheer political
expediency. Training in handling new equipment is another grey area. In our view, there
is a need for greater transparency in this area. Every taxpaying citizen is entitled to information
on how his contribution to the government treasury is being utilised towards enhancing
his safety. There is nothing wrong in a government being more forthcoming in sharing
details with the community on the state of our security preparedness. The obsession with
secrecy in this area that we often see is odd. There is at least one report that speaks of
ISIS using the Internet to disseminate pernicious ideology and training material. This is
vividly reminiscent of the days when the al-Qaeda was active. There is only a little that
we can do to prevent the propagation of mischief in cyberspace. What we can certainly
do is to use the same medium to counter false propaganda. all religious groups must sink
their dogmatism and petty differences and take up this momentous challenge at a time
when India faces immense danger from terrorism. We are happy that the Mumbai police
and a few other law enforcement agencies are using social media to disseminate publicsafety information. The same medium can be employed effectively to counter vicious terrorist
propaganda that is unabashedly sectarian. Or else we could face a repeat of 26/11 and all
that emanated from it.
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Mars Curiosity rover reaches its primary destination Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, Mars, space, Mars Curiosity rover,
After more than two years of touching down on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has finallyreached the foothills of Mount Sharp, the primary destination it was designed to explore.
Mount Sharp is a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the centre of the vast Gale Crater and
the rover mission's long-term prime destination. Compared to neighbouring crater-floor
terrain, the rock of the Murray formation is softer and does not preserve impact scars, as
well. As viewed from orbit, it is not as well-layered as other units at the base of Mount
Sharp. Curiosity reached its current location after its route was modified earlier this year
in response to excessive wheel wear. In late 2013, the team realised a region of Martian
terrain littered with sharp, embedded rocks was poking holes in four of the rover's six
wheels. After landing inside Gale Crater in August 2012, Curiosity fulfilled in its first
year of operations its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental
conditions favourable for microbial life.
NASA to make ISS an Earth-observing platform Tue, Sep 9, 2014nasa, The Hindu, ISS, science & tech, space,
In a bid to monitor Earth better, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
is adding a number of Earth-observing instruments to the International Space Station (ISS)
that will increase the leverage of the space station's unique vantage point in space. Scheduled
to be launched this month, the first NASA Earth-observing instrument called ISS-RapidScat
will monitor ocean winds for climate research as well as weather predictions and hurricane
monitoring. The second instrument scheduled for a December launch is the Cloud Aerosol
Transport System (CATS), a laser instrument that will measure clouds and the location
and distribution of airborne particles such as mineral dust and smoke in the atmosphere,
the U.S. space agency said in a statement. ISS-RapidScat and CATS follow the February
launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory, a joint mission with
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the July launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-
Mars spacecraft to be ordered into orbit Fri, Sep 12, 2014mars, The Hindu, science & tech, isro, space,
We are doing a re-start of the 440 Newton engine for four seconds at 2 p.m. on September22. We are doing that re-start to confirm [that the engine will erupt into life on September
24]," he said. The Mars spacecraft and its five scientific instruments are in good health.
On September 11, the spacecraft was just about 35 lakh km away from Mars while it had
already covered more than 64 crore km in its epic voyage.
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Loading of commands for Mars orbiter begins Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, Mars orbiter, ISRO, space,
the primary objective" of India's Mars Orbiter Mission was to put the spacecraft into aMartian orbit, its scientific objective was empirical observation of the planet. The ISRO-built
orbiter carries five instruments to detect methane on Mars, to study its geological activity,
to study the Martian atmosphere and so on. ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle put
the spacecraft into an initial orbit on November 5, 2013.
Lessons to be learnt Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, ebola,
As on September 5, at least 3,967 cases and 2,105 deaths were reported from the four countries.
The number of cases and deaths has spiked over the last fortnight. There was a sudden
spurt of deaths, numbering 400, during the period from August 28 to September 3, and
the month of August alone accounted for over 40 per cent of all Ebola cases found since
December 2013. There is every reason to believe that the count of the number of infected
cases belies the ground reality. What is particularly poignant is that the community's confidence
in health workers continues to remain low, and people are largely unwilling to seek medical
attention. WHO estimates that it may take six to nine months to contain the outbreak,
which is estimated to have infected up to 20,000 people. Unlike the severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) outbreak in February 2003 and H1N1 influenza that was declared a
pandemic in June 2009, the Ebola virus disease spreads only through direct contact with
the body fluids of a diseased person. Its spread could thus be checked easily, but the weak
public health systems in the four countries lack the infrastructure to handle the crisis.
Bacteria that may help tackle nuclear waste found Wed, Sep 10, 2014nuclear, The Hindu, bacteria, science & tech,
The bacteria were found in a highly alkaline industrial site in the Peak district in Britain.
The extremophile - organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions
that are detrimental to most life on the Earth - bacteria can thrive under the alkaline conditions
expected in cement-based radioactive waste, the researchers said. Although bacteria with
waste-eating properties have been discovered in relatively pristine soils before, this is the
first time that microbes that can survive in the very harsh conditions expected in radioactivewaste disposal sites have been found. he organisms are not only superbly adapted to live
in such hostile environments but they can use the ISA as a source of food and energy under
conditions that mimic those expected in and around intermediate level radioactive waste
disposal sites.
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Australia banking on uranium pact to gain edge over Eurasian rivals Thu, Sep 11, 2014nuclear, The Hindu, international, Australia, uranium,
At about 31 per cent of the world total, Australia has the largest known reserves of uranium.Just before concluding the civil nuclear agreement with India, Australia had drawn the
curtain on its uranium trade with Russia, which is one of the largest suppliers of uranium
to India. India is the only non-NPT signatory to which Australia will be supplying uranium.
Besides Russia, India imports most of its uranium from Kazakhstan and France. There
is little domestic demand for uranium in Australia and the focus therefore is on exports,
which are slated to cross 10,000 tonnes by 2017-18.
Pension reforms miss the wood for the trees Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, pension reforms, economics,
The recent passage of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act (PFRDA)
generated a lot of heat about foreign investors being allowed to manage India's retirement
savings. Yet, the basic truth is this: a majority of the workforce today lacks any form of
retirement security. Though India is likely to see its 60-plus population swell from 80 million
to nearly 200 million over the next 15 years, nearly 90 per cent of these people are not
covered by any formal pension scheme. Then there is the fact that even those who are
supposedly covered by formal pension schemes aren't really assured of a reasonable retirement
kitty. Take the over 8 crore subscribers of the EPFO. Though their monthly contributions
to the EPF are well-defined, the returns they can hope to earn from this fund aren't. Over
the long-term, the fund's inability to deliver over inflation can cost its subscribers dear.
They may be left with much lower purchasing power than they expected when they retire.
The usual solution offered to this problem is to let the EPFO invest, say, 10-15 per cent
of its corpus in equities. But investing in equities requires hands-on portfolio management,
a good sense of market timing, and an ability to actively churn the portfolio in tune with
shifting macro indicators. The organisation has so far demonstrated very little ability on
these. Not only are its investments subject to rigid and archaic guidelines but they are also
further moderated by its Board of Trustees. As a result, the EPFO hasn't even explored
triple-A rated corporate bonds or debt mutual funds, which are allowed under its restrictive
mandate. More active management of the debt portfolio is the need of the hour, before
the fund can jump headlong into equities. Two, the decision (since 2008) to appoint private
fund managers to manage the EPFO's Rs.5-lakh crore-plus corpus hasn't generated materialbenefits for its subscribers either. The restrictive investment rules do not allow these managers
to manage the portfolio for the best results. The inexplicable decision to appoint these
fund managers only for three years at a time has also made for low interest as well as accountabilit
from the chosen managers. Subscribers to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) are luckier
than those in the EPFO when it comes to returns. The NPS is the default pension manager
for all government employees since 2003 and is also open to private and informal sector
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workers. Given that this scheme offers a wide menu of asset classes (equities, private and
government bonds and money market instruments) to its managers, most plans have managed
to generate a double-digit or at least inflation-beating return. The scheme also allows the
employee to choose between managers based on their individual return record and freely
switch between them. This has led to better accountability and performance.
What deters investment in India today? Wed, Sep 10, 2014investment climate, The Hindu, economics,
The tendency of Indian corporates to invest a greater proportion of their investment in
the financial sector makes it vital to look at the composition of financial assets. The share
of equities as part of the total financial assets has fallen from 72.5 per cent in 2001 to 63
per cent in 2013, with respective shares of mutual funds (at 18.9 per cent) debt instruments
(6.5 per cent) and other categories like approved securities and preference shares providing
for the rest. Evidently, the ongoing pace of financialisation has played a role in enticing
Indian corporates to seek the high-return short term financial assets. With borrowings
making up a large part of the liabilities, one can observe a pattern where corporates today
are following a 'ponzi scheme' mode, with borrowings used to meet current liabilities
both as interest payments on past loans and as dividends on sales of shares. Physical assets
have hovered at around 35 per cent or less of total assets held by the corporates over the
decade ending 2013 and it is not surprising that a major part of investments by the corporates
is being directed to formation of financial assets rather than physical assets. As for corporates,
'short-termism' reflects itself in shareholder preference for quick profits, bypassing long-term
growth. This 'growth-profit trade-off' in business decisions at the firm level generates
a climate where a long-term 'retain and invest' strategy is replaced by a shareholder-oriented
'downsize and distribute.' In such a scenario, managers often align themselves to shareholder
preferences, with offers of 'market-oriented remuneration schemes,' linking bonuses --
or Employee Stock Ownership Plans -- to the balance-sheet performance of firms where
they are employed. Stagnation in Indian industry today cannot be explained only in terms
of risk-aversion unless one looks at its financial sector, where the rates of returns are far
more attractive. The current strategy of corporate India to get embroiled in the high-profit,
high-risk world of finance may eventually turn out to be a dangerous game for the economy
as a whole.
India wins the support of developed nations at WTOSat, Sep 13, 2014WTO, The Hindu, economics,
India said on Friday it has won the support of major developed countries, including the
U.K. and Germany, as also the European Commission, for its stand at the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) demanding that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement
(TFA) be kept pending unless its apprehensions on the issue of food security are addressed.
Following protracted negotiations, the ASEM agreed to not only drop a reference to non-implemen
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of the TFA but also include the need for implementation of all of the WTO's Bali Ministerial
decisions in its draft communique Many countries like the United Kingdom, Germany,
Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and the European Commission emphasised on the
need for expressing deep concern on non-implementation of TFA without mentioning
India's concern on the issue of food security, India is not opposed to the TFA as it increasesthe ease of doing business but wants its adoption postponed till there is "satisfactory" progress
on finding a permanent protection for its minimum support prices to farmers against the
WTO's agriculture subsidy caps that are benchmarked to food prices of the 1980s. At
the WTO's General Council meeting in Geneva on July 31, India stalled the ratification
of the TFA owing to these concerns. India got a reference to BRICS and disappointment
with poor progress on the IMF quota reforms also included in the ASEM communique.
The communique talks about enhanced cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe
to create sustainable and profitable growth.
India not blocking rule-based global trade: Narendra Modi Tue, Sep 9, 2014WTO, The Hindu, economics,
the country does not stand in the way of rule-based global trade but the interests of its
poor and farmers cannot be sacrificed. India wants active participation of FAO in addressing
the emerging challenges in Indian agriculture and in designing a special campaign targeted
at women in India, which would highlight ways to improve nutritional value and food
habits. The 160 members of WTO had gathered there to adopt a treaty to simplify, standardise
and streamline the rules for shipping goods across borders, having previously agreed to
its terms at a ministerial conference on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last December.
However, India refused to agree to the text because it wanted more attention paid to its
concerns over WTO limits on stockpiling of food which will ultimately hit its subsidised
food distribution programme, the world`s largest, targeted at nearly 850 million people.
He discussed ways and means for the FAO to contribute towards increasing nutritional
value in the mid-day meal scheme for school children, enhancing production and protein
content of pulses, improving production of oilseeds, enhancing milk productivity, and
modernization of fisheries sector in India.
Towards an equitable policy on Community Radio Tue, Sep 9, 2014community radio, The Hindu, social,
India is host to about 170 community radio stations spread across the length and breadthof the country. The movement for community broadcasting had its roots in the late 1990s
when activists and community members worked together to leverage a crucial 1995 Supreme
Court judgment declaring airwaves to be public property. After a decade of sustained advocacy,
the government opened up community broadcasting to educational institutions in 2003-04.
wo years later, on November 16, 2006, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting released
guidelines on community radio - opening up the airwaves to non-profit organizations and
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Krishi Vigyan Kendras, in addition to educational institutions. By 2008, several non-profit
organizations and many more educational institutions were broadcasting under a community
radio license. TRAI has made relatively conservative and unsurprising recommendations,
mostly voicing what the political class has already expressed at various fora since the new
government was formed in May. On the critical issue of news and current affairs, TRAIhas recommended that Community Radio stations should be allowed to re-broadcast news
from All India Radio and also translate the news into local language/dialect without distorting
the content. On the issue of license renewal, TRAI has recommended that incumbent stations
can be given renewal for a period of five years, after which extension would be subject
to self-evaluation reports that could be verified. TRAI has also recommended an e-governance
enabled single window mechanism for applicants since the current process is overly cumbersome
and bureaucratic. Finally, TRAI has recommended that the current advertisement duration
of five minutes per hour of broadcast be continued. However, it has recommended that
the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) should not insist that its rates
for community radio be the lowest or exclusive. Commercial FM and community radio
are the only two sectors in the media that are not allowed news, and incidentally also are
the only two private (i.e. non-State) sectors that are analogue terrestrial service providers.
T TRAI has reasoned that it would be unfair to allow community radio to broadcast news.
TRAI has said that the provision for self-generated news can be reviewed once Ministry
of I& B sets up an operational monitoring system. Firstly, this recommendation betrays
a lack of trust in communities. If communities can be trusted to operate a FM transmitter
and broadcast a wide range of programmes for so many years without any monitoring
system, then it is baffling how the same communities may 'misuse' or provide 'misleading
information in the guise of local news'. It is obvious that any such transgressions would
be subject to the law of the land. Secondly, TRAI is being a bit too optimistic about the
online internet-based monitoring system set up by I&B Ministry. TRAI is referring to
the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre. MIB plans to make it mandatory for every community
radio to have an Internet connection so that the audio broadcast is simultaneously streamed
online There are many community radio stations that are struggling to find a reliable supply
of electricity, let alone broadband internet, to upload audio feed. Finally, these programmes
are being broadcast on a local FM transmitter. By the time someone from EMMC realizes
that there is something objectionable, it would be too late. Thirdly, TRAI has denied community
radio the right to broadcast news, because commercial radio does not have it either. Rather
than recommending that both sectors be allowed to broadcast news (thus creating a level
playing field), TRAI has endorsed the government's position that both be disallowed news.
Not only is this recommendation unfair to community radio it is also unfair to commercialradio. The right to freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right enshrined
under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution. The free flow of opinion, and to express one's
ideas is a universally declared and recognized human right. By denying community radio
stations the right to broadcast news, the government is also effectively denying its citizens
the right to hear news, views and ideas. To deny these rights by anticipating misuse is
to unreasonably exceed the restrictions provided in the Constitution. The Supreme Court
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is currently hearing a PIL filed by Common Cause questioning the restriction on broadcast
of news by commercial and community radio stations. TRAI has concluded correctly,
albeit on limited evidence, that many of the operational community radio stations are not
able to mobilize the five minutes of advertising that they are allowed per hour of broadcast
time. In such a scenario, the regulator said, there is no need for increasing the durationof advertisements. While this recommendation is perfectly logical, it signals the need for
radically rethinking how community radio stations can be sustainable. Even limited evidence
collected by TRAI is indicative that advertising is not generating revenues for community
radio.
$100 billion investment expected in renewable energy in 5 years Thu, Sep 11, 2014environment, The Hindu, renewable energy,
The Minister for power, coal and renewable energy, Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the
government expects an investment of around $100 billion in the renewable energy sector
in the next five years and about $50 billion in transmission and distribution in next four
years. The government is working on a renewable energy policy to attract investments
in the space by providing tax breaks and cheaper loans.
No-frills airports to take flight Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, economics, no frills airport,
Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh; Kishangarh in Rajasthan; Jharsuguda in Odisha; and Hubli
and Belgaum in Karnataka will soon get no-frills airports. The bells and whistles associated
with metro airports -- huge seating areas, food marts, phone-charging kiosks, shopping
areas and so on -- would be absent.The Minister, however, said they should not be called
low-cost airports. Mr. Raju launched a "Know Your Rights" portal of the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation in case of inconvenience to passengers due to delayed flights,
denial of boarding and lost or damaged baggage.
The CBI's crisis of credibility Fri, Sep 12, 2014CBI, The Hindu, polity,
The Supreme Court is currently seized with allegations against the Director of Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Ranjit Sinha for meeting persons linked with the 2G scam
and coal scam at his residence. the court described the allegations as "serious" and askedthe Director to file his version through an affidavit within a week. During the hearing,
the Supreme Court had asked the Centre whether it was contemplating a law to make the
working of the CBI independent and insulate it from extraneous intrusion and interferences.
The Group of Ministers (GoM), set up by the Central government in May 2013, was entrusted
with the task to bring a Cabinet proposal on the law to safeguard the CBI's autonomy.
The report of the GoM was duly submitted to the court. Some others including the CBI
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also submitted their views. The court's orders in this regard are awaited. it needs to be
reiterated that autonomy does not mean complete freedom or unbridled independence.
Autonomy for the CBI or for that matter any investigating agency means the freedom to
investigate crime, while it remains under the administrative control of the government
of the day. Much was made of Section 4(2) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act,which vests superintendence of the establishment in the Central government. This Act
provides legal power to the CBI and under it, the Special Police Establishment (SPE) division
conducts its investigative work. The agency does not function in isolation. It should be
part of governance machinery. In its work, it needs the cooperation of other agencies of
the government, such as the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate.
For investigation abroad, it needs the cooperation of foreign governments, for which it
needs support of the Ministry of External Affairs here. The line between superintendence
and interference in its investigation work is no doubt thin but by no means is it vague.
Under our legal system, the political executive cannot cross that line. Be it the CBI or
the police, they do investigation under the Criminal Procedure Code, and for this work,
they are accountable to law and to law alone. The above judgment has been quoted by
the Supreme Court with approval in scores of cases, including in the 1997 Vineet Narain
case. The Central Vigilance Commission Act of 2003 was a result of this order of the apex
court. But it was an apology of an act. For instance, it brought back the 'Single Directive'
requiring the CBI to obtain prior permission of the government before initiating enquiries
into allegations of corruption against government officers in the rank of Joint Secretaries
and above, which had been quashed by the Supreme Court earlier. The Supreme Court
on May 6, 2014, again quashed Section 6 (A) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment
Act (DSPEA) of 1946 in reiteration of its earlier order dated 18.12.97. The Lokpal Act
goes further and provides for the appointment of the Director of CBI by a collegium comprising
the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. This should meet
the requirement of proper selection. The answer to the court's concerns perhaps lies in
recognising the centrality of the institution of Lokpal. Under this Act, the services of the
CBI would be placed at the disposal of the Lokpal for investigation of cases, which the
latter decides to take up. The CBI will report not to the government of the day, but to the
Lokpal for investigation into such cases, over which the Lokpal will have the power to
oversee and supervise, in the manner the Supreme Court has done in some cases of controversial
nature. Finally, a new CBI Act must substitute the archaic DSPE Act. The role, jurisdiction
and legal powers of the CBI need to be clearly laid down.
Koli gets reprieve at the eleventh hour Mon, Sep 8, 2014death penalty, The Hindu, polity,
On September 3, a Constitution Bench decided that death row convicts seeking judicial
review should be given a public hearing, their counsel should be allowed to argue for 30
minutes and three judges should hear them. Till then, review petitions were usually heard
by Supreme Court judges in their chambers. Relief was rare. The September 3 judgment,
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authored by Justice Rohinton Nariman, argued that the death penalty was irreversible.
Justice should be seen to be done, it said. Justice Nariman upheld the highest principle
of the Constitution - the right of a man to live. "The fundamental right to life and the irreversibility
of the death sentence mandate that oral hearing be given at the review stage in death sentence
cases, as a just, fair and reasonable procedure under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution,"he wrote in his majority judgment for a Bench led by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha, who concurred.
The judgment had come on a batch of petitions filed by eight men on death row who challenged
the practice of Supreme Court judges hearing review petitions of death row convicts in
their chambers and not in the public glare of open courtrooms. Koli became the first condemned
man to reap the reprieve granted by the judgment.
Probe sought into Trinamool-Jamaat link Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, international, Bangladesh, Jamaat, Trinamool Congress,
Amidst reports of the Trinamool Congress's alleged funding of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Bangladesh-ba
extremist group, Members of Parliament from both the ruling Awami League and the Workers
Party have demanded a probe into the allegations. The allegations gained ground as the
Kolkota-based Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika reported on Friday that crores of money
from the Saradha chit fund scam were used to instigate violence in Bangladesh. News
reports in Bangladesh have alleged that the Jamaat, with close contacts with the TMC
leadership, has built a "base" in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. Dhaka has already
communicated its concerns on the issue to New Delhi, newspapers said. The Jamaat, in
a statement, however, brushed aside the allegations, terming it baseless and politically
motivated.
Neither victims nor perpetrators Sat, Sep 13, 2014child abuse, The Hindu, social,
Today's victims are tomorrow's perpetrators; but this state of affairs is not inevitable.
It says the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children is so pervasive because there
is a high level of acceptance around these habitual behaviours. Also, there is that level
of acceptance only because such violence in fact takes place in settings where boys and
girls should normally feel safe Six out of ten children in the 2-14 age group are subjected
to physical punishment by caregivers. Nearly one out of three adolescents has either bullied
their peers or have themselves experienced the humiliation. Nearly a quarter of all girls
in the 15-19 age group report physical violence and one in ten girls under 20 years aresubjected to forced sexual acts. As it is often the case, the report cautions that victims of
extreme violence in their early years, end up as perpetrators themselves. Techniques of
non-violent discipline to promote positive interaction between parents and children and
sharing knowledge about early child development are some of the other proven strategies.