5TH BRICS SUMMIT HELD IN DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
The central area of discussion was under the
overarching theme, BRICS and Africa: Partnership for
Development, Integration and Industrialisation
FOLLOWING ARE THE AGREED POINTS
BRICS and Africa will forge a closer partnership for development integration and
industrialisation.
BRICS countries will actively support infrastructure development and industrialisation on
the African continent in order to contribute to its development and to expand trade
links between Africa and BRICS.
The global economic situation, though improving, continues to remain uncertain with
the Euro-crisis a major concern. The recovery seen in the US and the continued steps
taken by the Euro Zone countries to address the sovereign debt crisis are worth noting.
The task ahead is to build on these developments and BRICS countries remain
committed to the cause of promoting sustainable growth.
Greater economic cooperation amongst BRICS countries is imperative. This can help in
addressing some of the domestic challenges each of us face as well as prove beneficial
for global economic growth.
China and Brazil have agreed to establish a currency swap line worth around 30 billion
dollar in their respective currencies, which they say is designed to protect against future
global financial crises
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF SUMMIT:
The BRICS Nations fully support the efforts of their respective governments at the G20
that has emerged as the premiere forum to address critical global economic and
financial issues. We shall work collectively to carry forward the work agenda set by the
G20 leaders for promoting stronger, sustainable and more equitable growth.
They reiterate that the world economic order is changing and that the process of
developing economic policy agenda at the global level should reflect this. While there is
a realization even amongst the developed countries about the increasing economic
weight of emerging economies, this is not fully reflected in the governance model of
global institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. We shall continue to work alongside
our governments to gradually usher in governance reforms at multi-lateral institutions.
The BRICS nation urges their respective governments to deepen their consultative
engagements on economic policies to bring about stability and certainty in global
financial markets.
The BRICS nations encourage their respective governments to take steps to deepen
economic engagement amongst the BRICS countries. The establishment of the BRICS
Business Council is, therefore, supported as a practical measure that will deepen
economic engagement amongst BRICS countries. Trade and investment are the two
pillars of economic engagement amongst BRICS countries. We should look to continue
enhancing intra-BRICS trade to achieve at least US$ 500 billion by 2015 as per
agreement from previous Business Forum in India. It is essential to improve the quality
of trade by focusing on more value added trade in all the three sectors namely
manufacturing, services and agriculture. Likewise, we should capitalise on opportunities
in sectors such as but not limited to agriculture and agro-processing, energy, sustainable
development, infrastructure, mining beneficiation, pharmaceutical and information and
communication technology. There is agreement that support for industrialisation
projects on the African continent will contribute to the expansion of trade and
investment links between BRICS and Africa.
The Countries are encouraged by the discussions that are taking place amongst our
respective governments towards greater cooperation in the financial sector. The
possibility of setting up of a development bank and investment fund and promoting
trade within this group in local currencies are particularly encouraging and progress in
finalising these.
NEW AREAS OF COOPERATION TO BE EXPLORED
BRICS Public Diplomacy Forum.
BRICS Anti-Corruption Cooperation.
BRICS State Owned Companies / State Owned Enterprises.
National Agencies Responsible for Drug Control.
BRICS virtual secretariat.
BRICS Youth Policy Dialogue
Tourism.
Energy.
Sports and Mega Sporting Events.
BRIEF PROVISIONS OF INDUS WATERS TREATY 1960
i. The Indus system of rivers comprises three Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and their
tributaries) and threes Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and their tributaries).
ii. The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 was signed on 19.09.1960 between India and Pakistan. It is
however effective from 01.04.1960.
iii. Under the Treaty, the waters of Eastern Rivers are allocated to India. India is under
obligation to let flow the waters of the Western Rivers except for the following uses:
(a) Domestic Use
(b) Non-consumptive use
* Agricultural use as specified
(d) Generation of hydro-electric power as specified
ZHUANG ZEDONG, THREE-TIME WORLD TABLE TENNIS CHAMPION DIED
ZHUANG ZEDONG AND PING-PONG DIPLOMACY
Zhuang Zedong remained a crucial figure in pingpong diplomacy of 1971 and is popularly also called the Architect of Ping-Pong Diplomacy. Ping-pong diplomacy means exchange of the table tennis (pingpong) players between China and US. This was done to normalise relations between these two countries.
CZECH REPUBLIC PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2013
Czech Republic: It is a landlocked country in Central Europe
Milos Zeman won and thus became the countrys first elected President
through direct elections. While the Czech presidency is largely ceremonial, the President influences foreign policy, makes central bank appointments and approves judges. Until 2012, the Parliament elected the President for a five-year term. After years of debate on the topic, followed by allegations of corruption in the voting process, the constitution was amended in 2012 to provide for direct Presidential elections.
INDIA-UNITED KINGDOM SUMMIT 2013: AGREEMENTS REACHED
Two-way investment between India and UK since 2010 Summit was also reviewed. It was found
that UK was 3rd largest investor in India now and India, on the other hand, was 5th largest
investor in UK.
It was also additionally found that signature of an Amending Protocol of their Double Taxation
Avoidance Convention (DTAC) in October 2012 provided tax stability to residents of the two
countries. It also led to flow of investment, services as well as technology.
UK extended cooperation
with India for development of a new Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC).
INDIA & UK SIGNED MOU TO CO-OPERATE ON EARTH SCIENCES
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between India and UK to strengthen their
cooperation in Earth Sciences and environmental research, will share information on
meteorology, hydrology and climate variability. identify new opportunities for collaborative
activities as well as co-funding new environmental research
Competitive Populism/ Federal Foreign Policy
The competitive populism in Tamil Nadu over the situation of Tamils in Sri Lanka has generated a great deal of alarm in New Delhi, political issues relating to a State have begun impinging on Indias foreign and security policies.
The general point is that in any country, the people have a right to advocate and push for a particular foreign and security policy. Given our linguistic, ethnic, religious and ideological divisions, these views often come across as those belonging to this or that section. That, too, is legitimate. But at the end of the day, this diverse country must have a single policy and its execution must be the responsibility of its federal government.
BUT there are no constitutional or institutional mechanisms to relay those interests. So, with Union governments taking the form of coalitions, they have become vulnerable to party or sectional pressure which often takes the form of pure blackmail.
Important Cases:
recent events (pulling out/ threatening to pull out of coalition) are only a more extreme manifestation of a trend we have been witnessing recently in India where coalition constituents and States are bringing foreign and security issues to the bargaining table.
Actually, the leader of this pack has been the Indian Left for which the United States is a permanent anathema. This is what led to the crisis in UPA-I in 2008 when the Left pulled out of the coalition because it opposed the India-U.S. civil nuclear deal.
The next instance of this State-first approach occurred when West Bengal Chief Minister and then UPA coalition partner, Mamata Banerjee, opposed the river waters agreement with Bangladesh.
The surprise entrant into this club was Narendra Modi, Sir Creek issue. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Modi said that not only should India not hand over the Creek to Pakistan, it should stop any dialogue with Islamabad on the issue. Any concession by New Delhi would affect Gujarat negatively.
In all four instances, it is possible to argue for a Union of India stand rather than that of the State or party in question.
In Sri Lanka, the Government of India has had to balance its policies to ensure that Colombo does not drift towards Beijing and Islamabad. There also is the question of pushing resolutions on the territorial issues of other countries, having burnt our hands on the Kashmir issue once. Equally, resolutions on human rights in international bodies are a double-edged sword, especially given our own shoddy record in dealing with internal insurgency.
As for the Teesta issue, there were expectations that in exchange for the river waters treaty, Bangladesh would sign an agreement giving India transit rights to its land-locked north-east. Clearly, while West Bengal may have notionally given up something, there was the advantage of the greater good that would accrue, not only for the north-eastern states but West Bengal as well, through the increased commerce that would have resulted from a transit agreement.
In the case of the nuclear deal, too, the net gainer was India. It was the U.S. which had to abandon its sanctions regime against us and agree to allow civil nuclear commerce to resume with India. Given the balance of power in the international system, it was a deal only the U.S. could pilot not France, China or Russia though all of them had to finally put their stamp on it through the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
In Gujarat, the boundary between India and Pakistan on Sir Creek remains disputed and, as a result, the maritime boundary between the two countries has yet to be finalised. In this sense, India and Pakistan are both losers, not only because no one will invest in exploiting the natural resources from a disputed area, but also because they will lose out on the extended exclusive economic zone they can get under the U.N. convention on the laws of the seas.
Argument for federalisation (if its the right term):
Yet, there is a case for institutionalising the process of consultation and involvement of States which are affected by a particular foreign or security policy measure. Barring Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, all Indian States share borders with other countries, or with the international waters of the sea. In that sense, they have interests or issues that may intersect with the foreign and security policies of the country.
In recent times, we have seen how the politics of Kerala has impinged on a foreign affairs issue relating to two Italian marines. There is Jammu and Kashmir which still complains about the short shrift it got on the matter of river waters when the Union government signed the Indus Waters treaty with Pakistan. As for waters, the Chief Ministers of Bihar and Assam too have important issues which impinge on our relations with Nepal and China.
Case of US: upper chamber, the Senate is the lead house on foreign policy issues ratifying international agreements, approving appointments of envoys and so on. The Senate, as is well known, has a membership which is not based on population each State, large and small, populous and otherwise, has the same number of Senators.
It would be difficult to graft something like the U.S. system on to the Indian system. Yet, clearly the time has come when Mizoram and Nagaland also have a say in Indias Myanmar policy, instead of merely having to bear its consequences.
INDIA AND PAKISTAN EXCHANGED NUCLEAR UNITS LIST
India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units lists on 1 January 2013, as it is customary
since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are
exchanged between India and Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents
them from aiming the nuclear installations of each others nations.
INDIA, VIETNAM SIGNED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)
meant for building capacity and developing institutional framework and identifying
thrust areas and opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises in Vietnam
Jorge Bergoglio: He is the 266th Pope (head of the Roman Catholic Church)
chose Francis as his Papal Name
ECONOMY
Three growth directions
The 12th Plan foresees three possible scenarios for Indias growth. The scenarios are described as Muddling Along, Falling Apart, and The Flotilla Advances. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), GDP growth will be eight per cent in the Flotilla Advances scenario, six per cent in Muddling Along, and five per cent in Falling Apart. Clearly, we want the flotilla to advance and produce the best outcomes for all aboard.
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system. It was established after the 2009 G-20 London summit in April 2009 as a successor to the Financial Stability Forum. The Board includes all G-20 major economies, FSF members, and the European Commission. It is based in Basel, Switzerland
* Need to monitor 'shadow banking'* in India: Financial Stability Board
An international body of financial authorities today highlighted the urgent need to monitor the "shadow banking" activities in India, given a sharp annual growth of over 20 per cent in such businesses over the recent years.
The "shadow banking system" refers to credit intermediation involving entities and activities (fully or partially) outside the regular banking system and is estimated to have reached a size of nearly Rs 37 lakh crore in India.(1% of worldwide total) FSB said these activities provide a valuable alternative to bank funding, if appropriately conducted, but past experience has shown large-scale risks for the economy.
FSB was set up to coordinate at the international level the work of national financial authorities and international standard setting bodies and to develop and promote the implementation of effective regulatory, supervisory and other financial sector policies in the interest of financial stability.
*The shadow banking system is the collection of non-bank financial intermediaries that provide services similar to traditional commercial banks. It is sometimes said to include entities such as hedge funds, money market funds and structured investment vehicles (SIV), but the meaning and scope of shadow banking is disputed in the academic literature.
In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices. When used by academics, an arbitrage is a transaction that involves no negative cash flow at any probabilistic or temporal state and a positive cash flow in at least one state; in simple terms, it is the possibility of a risk-free profit at zero cost.
National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) is a national level, institutionalized, electronic, transparent spot market. It is the state-of the-art organized and structured delivery based market place providing facilities for risk free and hassle free purchase and sell of various commodities across the country. The Exchange is poised to transform the commodity market by way of reducing the cost of intermediation and thereby improving marketing efficiency.
Reinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company (the "ceding company" or "cedant" or "cedent" under the arrangement) from one or more other insurance companies (the "reinsurer") as a means of risk management, sometimes in practice including tax mitigation and other reasons. The ceding company and the reinsurer enter into a reinsurance agreement which details the conditions upon which the reinsurer would pay a share of the claims incurred by the ceding company. The reinsurer is paid a "reinsurance premium" by the ceding company, which issues insurance policies to its own policyholders.
Abenomics ( Abe+economics) refers to the economic policies advocated by Shinz Abe, the current Prime Minister of Japan.
Abenomics consists of monetary policy, fiscal policy, and economic growth strategies to encourage private investment. The detailed policies includes inflation targeting at a 2% annual rate, correction of the excessive yen appreciation, setting negative interest rates, radical quantitative easing, expansion of public investment, buying operations of construction bonds by Bank of Japan (BOJ), and revision of the Bank of Japan Act
IMPORT DUTY ON GOLD & PLATINUM RAISED BY 2%
Import duty on Gold and Platinum from 4 percent to 6 percent. To control the import of the precious metals leading a widening gap in the Current Account Deficit. The Government has also linked the Gold ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) along with the Gold Deposit Schemes, so that the supply of the physical gold in the market can be increased. These regulations and increased in the import duty would also show changes on the customs duty as well as the excise duty of gold
ores, refined gold, gold dore bars etc. (also inflation indexed bonds)
PURCHASING MANAGERS' INDEX (PMI) FROM HSBC SURVEY REVEALED
Manufacturing activity of India increased in December 2012 to maximum in six months. This happened because of an increase in the new orders as well as strengthened factory output. The survey provides a peep into the sector of manufacturing ranging from jobs to output. The survey showed that the manufacturing activity increased from 53.7 in November 2012 to 54.7 in December 2012. The parameter for measuring is a figure of 50 points. The sector showing figure more than 50 points displays growth while that below 50 points indicates contraction.
CAPITAL INFUSION IN BANKS
The government is supposed to Provide capital funds to PSBs during the year 2012-13 to the tune of 12000 crore to maintain their Tier-l CRAR (capital to risk-weighted assets ratio) at comfortable level. The need for that is to make the PSU remain obedient with the stricter capital adequacy norms under BASEL-III as well as to support internationally active PSBs for their national and international banking operations undertaken through their subsidiaries and associates.
CCEA APPROVED DEFREEZE IN THE TARIFF VALUE OF EDIBLE OILS January 2013
The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs approved the de-freezing of
the tariff values of the all types of edible oils and notified that the tariffs of these oils would be
decided on the basis of the existing international prices in the market.
Oils that would suffer the effect of this decision are Soyabean Oil Crude Palm Oil - RBD
(Refined Bleached Deoderized), Palm Oil Crude, Palmolein Crude, Palm Oil others and
Palmolein others. The decision would bring an advantage to the domestic refining industry
because of the impact that the imports of the edible oils will do on the collected duty.
BACKGROUND
Under Customs Act 1962 the tariff value is fixed on the edible oils mentioned would be notified fortnightly. The tariff value of the edible oils remained unchanged since 31 July 2006 as a result of fiscal measures to control inflation. This halt in increase in the tariff value have created a great difference between the notified tariff and the computed landed prices following the price of edible oils in the international market. This halt had an adverse impact on the domestic refining industry as well as the revenue collection.
Misc info: Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil is extracted from it and has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.
CCEA GAVE ITS NOD TO PRICE POOLING MECHANISM ON COAL
The mechanism includes cost
blending of the domestic coal with the imported one to
counterbalance price hike.
Imp: MCX-SX, THIRD NATIONAL STOCK EXCHANGE MADE DEBUT IN INDIA
MCX-SX, the third bourse on the equities and equity derivatives trading block debuted in
February 2013. It is the third national stock exchange of India after Bombay Stock Exchange and
the National Stock Exchange. MCX-SX started its trading in shared of 1116 listed companies
against 1665 companies in National Stock Exchange and 5191 companies in Bombay Stock
Exchange.
MCX-SX INDEX
WHAT IS SX40?
SX40 is the free-float based index, which means that the shares are available at any time
for trading. It is an index of 40 large-cap as well as liquid stocks.
SX40 includes those companies which have minimum free float of 10 per cent. These
companies are included within top 100 liquid companies
YEARBOOK/ SOCIAL
Justice D.K. Jain has been appointed as the Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of
India by the Union Government of India. The 20th Law Commission of India was constituted with the Order of the Government of India with effect from 1 September 2012. The functioning of the commission would end on 31 August 2012. The commission would be responsible for identification of obsolete laws and suggest measures suitable for quick grievance handling and redressal of the citizens. It would also be examining the laws that effects poor and suggest measures which would help in harnessing the law and the legal process for the economically weaker and poor section of the society.
Imp: POSTAGE STAMP ON SILK LETTER MOVEMENT RELEASED
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 11 January 2013 released a Commemorative
Postage Stamp on Silk Letter Movement at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
THE SILK LETTER MOVEMENT
The Silk Letter Movement refers to the golden history of Indias freedom struggle in which, the
Deobandi leaders tried to generate a pan-Islamic revolt in British-India against the British
Empire by gaining support of Afghanistan and Turkey Governments. Obaidullah Sindhui and
Maulana Mahmood Hasan were the two main leaders of the movement. In 1916 few letters,
which were written on Silk, were caught by the British.
Salient Features of the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS)
The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) provides plan support for modernization of textiles industry in the form of interest reimbursement and capital subsidy. The sectors benefited under TUFS are Spinning, Weaving, Processing, Technical Textiles, Jute, Silk, Garmenting, Cotton Ginning, Wool and Powerlooms. There is no statewise allocation of funds under TUFS
RASHTRIYA BAL SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM LAUNCHED feb 2013
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, is a part of the National Rural Health Mission of the Union
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
FEATURES OF RASHTRIYA BAL SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM
The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram is aimed at improving overall quality of life of
children through early detection of birth
defects, diseases and deficiencies, which are
among key factors for child mortality.
The new initiative would assure a package of
health services for all children up to 18 years of age.
The programme will also prove economical for poor
and marginalized.
The services will be provided through dedicated mobile health teams placed in every
block. The scheme, which will be implemented in a phased manner, is expected to
benefit approximately 27 crore children across the country.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE BILL APPROVED
Rajya Sabha on 25 February 2013 approved the Sexual
Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Bill. The bill seeks protection for
women in all type of organised, unorganized as well as
Private Sectors, including the sexual harassment of
domestic help as well as agricultural workers.
The bill had made it mandatory for every organization with
10 or more employees to form an internal complaint committee to deal with the complaints of
sexual offences. The committees should be disposed of within 90 days and organizations that
fails to follow the guidelines, would be penalized with 50000 rupees. Organisations that
repeatedly violate the provisions of the bill would be penalized to a greater level and the
offence may lead to the cancellation of the licenses or registration of the business conduct
ARUNACHAL PRADESH BECAME FIRST STATE TO INTRODUCE E-GPF
Arunachal Pradesh in the month of March 2013 became the first state to introduce e-GPF or
electronic GPF
SANTOSH TROPHY
Santosh Trophy is the yearly Indian football tournament that is played among states and
government institutions. This tournament was initiated in 1941. The Santosh Trophy is named
after late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh.
SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY/ PUBLIC HEALTH
Blood brain barrier is responsible for protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from harmful chemicals carried in the bloodstream. The bloodbrain barrier (BBB) is a separation of circulating blood from the brain extracellular fluid (BECF) in the central nervous system (CNS). It occurs along all capillaries and consists of tight junctions around the capillaries that do not exist in normal circulation. Endothelial cells restrict the diffusion of microscopic objects (e.g., bacteria) and large or hydrophilic molecules into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), while allowing the diffusion of small hydrophobic molecules (O2, CO2, hormones). Cells of the barrier actively transport metabolic products such as glucose across the barrier with specific proteins.
Testosterone is a natural steroid hormone available in the body of men and women (dont confuse) with abilities of increasing the muscle mass, speed up the recovery process and boost stamina to a different level.
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles,birds,and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testicles of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.
In men, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as the testis and prostate as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle, bone mass, and the growth of body hair. In addition, testosterone is essential for health and well-being as well as the prevention of osteoporosis.
On average, in adult human males, the plasma concentration of testosterone is about 78 times as great as the concentration in adult human females' plasma,but as the metabolic consumption of testosterone in males is greater, the daily production is about 20 times greater in men. Females also are more sensitive to the hormone
(AIIMS) was set up in 1956, by an Act of Parliament. It was to be a centre of excellence which would foster teaching and research. Unfortunately, it soon became a treating hospital for everything barring, burn cases, dog-bite cases and patients suffering from infectious diseases. no Nobel laureate.
Schfftan process allowed miniature sets to be shown like Godzillas penthouse and made actors look the size of Gremlins in front of them. This removed the need for large sets, and consequently, scores of set designers, art directors and carpenters saw their careers being pulled down.
NFC (Near Field Communications) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually about 4-5cm. Present and anticipated applications include contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup of more complex communications such as Wi-Fi. Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a "tag" . NFC operates at 13.56 Mhz and transfers data at up to 424 Kbits/ second. Because the transmission range is short, the transactions are inherently secure. And then there is always the much cheaper alternative the QR Code that has a much wider reach, because it can be used even in basic handsets. The Quick Response Code is a type of bar code that can be read by any handset which has a basic camera and the application is far more universal QR Codes are found in print too.
Though some enthusiasts would like the world to believe that the technologically superior NFC would spell death for the QR Code, especially in a country like India, the cost-effective QR Code is only now being increasingly adopted.
DDOS, short for Distributed Denial of Service, is a type of DOS attack where multiple compromised systems -- which are usually infected with a Trojan -- are used to target a single system causing a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Victims of a DDoS attack consist of both the end targeted system and all systems maliciously used and controlled by the hacker in the distributed attack.
In a DDoS attack, the incoming traffic flooding the victim originates from many different sources potentially hundreds of thousands or more. This effectively makes it impossible to stop the attack simply by blocking a single IP address; plus, it is very difficult to distinguish legitimate user traffic from attack traffic when spread across so many points of origin.
Hindu article: One of the most recent examples is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) on Spamhaus one of the biggest till date where millions of computers were used to launch an attack that nearly choked the Internet. While this particular method of attack is one of the oldest and not the most sophisticated, its proven to be very effective, time and again. Dating back to the late 1990s, networks of zombie machines have been used to try and knock websites offline, making them unusable, often preventing e-commerce.
So how does DDoS work? DDoS attacks are most commonly executed by botnets*, an extremely sophisticated and popular type of network that not only infects systems, but also gives criminals control of the compromised computers. This begins with the criminal mastermind infecting vulnerable systems around the world with a small piece of malware, either downloaded by clicking on a malicious link, or opening a spam email. This method allow cyber criminals to take control of multiple systems at a time, and turn them into zombie computers, which operate as part of a powerful botnet to spread viruses, generate spam, and carry out large-scale attacks. Networks of zombie computers are flourishing across the world, and India is one of the most-infected countries.
Bots often spread across the Internet by searching for vulnerable, unprotected computers to infect. When they find an exposed computer, they quickly infect the machine and then report back to their master called a command-and-control server. Their goal is then to stay hidden until they are instructed to carry out a specific task.
* *botnet (zombie army)
A botnet (also known as a zombie army) is a number of Internet computers that, although their owners are unaware of it, have been set up to forward transmissions (including spam or viruses) to other computers on the Internet. Any such computer is referred to as a zombie - in effect, a computer "robot" or "bot" that serves the wishes of some master spam or virus originator. Most computers compromised in this way are home-based. According to a report from Russian-based Kaspersky Labs, botnets -- not spam, viruses, or worms -- currently pose the biggest threat to the Internet
Bring your own device (BYOD) (also called bring your own technology (BYOT), bring your own phone (BYOP), and bring your own PC (BYOPC)) means the policy of permitting employees to bring personally owned mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and smart phones) to their workplace, and use those devices to access privileged company information and applications.The term is also used to describe the same practice applied to students using personally owned devices in education settings
INDIA AFFECTED BY CYBER SPYING CAMPAIGN CALLED RED OCTOBER
Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security firm on 14 January 2013 revealed that India is one
among various nations which are hit by the cyber spying which has been targeting
governmental, diplomatic and scientific research organisations for around 5 years. The cyber
spying campaign is termed Red October or Rocra by the Kaspersky Lab.
Rocra significantly affected countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, India, Belgium and Azerbaijan
apart from other countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Soviet republics. Rocra infected
hundreds of the computers across the world in categories such as research institutions,
government, diplomatic/embassies, nuclear/energy research, trade and commerce, aerospace
and military as well as oil and gas companies.
Rocra can also steal the data from various smartphones, catch the files from the
removable disk drives as well as abandon the network equipment configurations. Rocra can
also scan through the local network FTP servers as well as email databases.
Rocra is not like the other highly automatic cyber-spying campaigns such as Gauss and Flame.
The attacks of Rocra are very carefully chosen.
Submarine Communication Cables
....communication services across the country, and many parts of the world, have taken a hit owing to outages in three submarine cables that are part of the undersea cable network that connects India to the global communications system. A majority of voice and data signals are transmitted through these cables; in fact, most communications services companies are entirely dependent on them.
The current outages that affect three of the eight communications cables that connect India to the rest of the world SMW-4 (South-East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-4) , IMEWE(between India and France ) and EIG (Europe India Gateway) are likely to impact services provided by Bharti Airtel, Tata Telecommunications, Reliance Communications and public sector service providers BSNL/MTNL. These cables, which connect land-based transmission terminal stations across continents, are laid for tens of thousands of kilometres along the seabed. These thick optic fibre cables are sometimes disrupted due to natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and extreme turbidity current, or by coming in contact with fishing trawlers or shark bites. Fixing this is a complex procedure that uses advanced reflectometry techniques and may take weeks.
BARC DEVELOPED LARGEST MAGNET OF THE WORLD
would weigh 50000 tons.The magnet is said to be much bigger than the one which
is found at Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva. This magnet will play a crucial role in the Indiabased Neutrino Observatory which will come up almost 4300 feet below the cave in the mountain in Tamil Nadu.
would be the largest in the world in terms of its dimensions. (geneva wale ka weight 4-5k, iska weight 50k)
MEMU trains
Main Line Electric Multiple Unit Trains, popularly known as MEMU trains were first introduced in Indian Railways in the Year 1994-95, as a mode of rapid transit system, to cater to nonsuburban passengers, residing in small towns and villages surrounding urban and industrial centres. MEMU trains have higher passenger carrying capacity and higher average speed as compared to conventional loco hauled passenger trains due to faster acceleration and braking characteristics. These rakes are now being manufactured with toilet facilities to take care of passenger needs. MEMU trains increase the line capacity utilisation, and therefore are more suitable for running on high traffic density routes.
These MEMU trains have gained rapid popularity over the years. Currently, there are about 160 MEMU services running
DEFENCE/SPACE
Which of the following statements related to the exchange of the list of Nuclear Units between India and Pakistan as a part of its customary?
i. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged
between India and Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents
them from aiming the nuclear installations of each others nations
ii. This is a customary action as a part of Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against
Nuclear Installations and Facilities which was signed in December 1988.
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut or cosmonaut outside of a spacecraft beyond the Earth's appreciable atmosphere. The term most commonly applies to a spacewalk made outside a craft orbiting Earth (such as the International Space Station), but also has applied to lunar surface exploration (commonly known as moonwalks) A "Stand-up" EVA (SEVA) is where the astronaut does not fully leave a spacecraft, but is completely reliant on the spacesuit for environmental support. Its name derives from the astronaut "standing up" in the open hatch, usually to film or assist a spacewalking astronaut.
Imp : FIRST SPACE WEATHER READING CENTRE WOULD OPEN BY MID 2013
The centre of excellence which specialises in reading the weather conditions of the space and helps the air traffic on their polar routes is scheduled to come up in Kolkata by the middle of 2013. The space weather reading centre in Kolkata will be first of its kind and is approved by Union HRD Ministry. This centre would be coming up at Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER) campus. centre of excellence in space sciences shall focus on areas of the space weather, primarily the weather conditions in the solar system as well as the gravitational physics. Solar flares and the coronal mass ejections (CME) were the kinds of storms that originated from the Sun and exposed various flights to huge amount of radiations on the Polar Regions. Various commercial flights from North America, Europe and South Asia fly from the Polar Regions to shorten the distance as well as save time.
With the help of this centre, there will be an availability of the prior information about these storms which originate in the space or the solar system. This information can eventually be passed on to the civil aviation department, which in turn can inform the airlines regarding the adverse effects of flying in Polar Regions or high altitudes.
In case the weather in solar system is not up to the mark, it would have an adverse effect on the functioning of the satellites as well, which eventually also affects the mobile networks and the GPS systems. The information about the poor weather conditions in the space can also be communicated to the telecommunication department
MAGNETIC BRAIDS IN SUNS ATMOSPHERE DISCOVERED
The NASAs telescope captured 165 photographs depicting astonishing details, before it came back to the Earth. It was found out that the Suns surface was very hot, as expected. It was almost up to 6125 degrees Celsius. However, it was found that the corona, the outer atmosphere which is way above the surface of the Sun was even hotter, by around a 1000 times more, despite the absence of solar flares. The scientists also discovered that the powerful magnetic waves which rippled from below the surface of the Sun could heat up the corona by 1.5 million degrees Celsius. However, it was made clear that this was not the only reason that accounted for ultra-hot temperatures of the corona.
With the high-resolution images of the corona of the Sun, it is clear that magnetic braids
generated a lot of heat, which is enough to support the fact that the temperature is as high as up to 6 million degrees Celsius.
LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD (LMC)
The nearest galaxy to Milky Way is called Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)
Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the dwarf galaxy which floats in the space around our
galaxy, Milky Way. It floats in a similar trend like that between the Earth and the Moon.
The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy, but not the closest galaxy overall.
ASTRONOMERS DISCOVERED LARGEST COSMIC STRUCTURE
Astronomers discovered the largest known structure in the Universe called Large Quasar Group (LQG) that is powered by super massive black holes clump together. This cluster of galaxies spans across four billion light years.
Quasars are considered to be the nuclei of galaxies of the universe, which undergoes brief
period of extremely high brightness making them visible in the sky from extreme distant
positions.
Significant size of LQG is challenging the Albert Einsteins Principle of Cosmology. The principle states the Universe when viewed at a large scale, it seems to be the same; it doesnt matters that from where it is being observed from.
The Einsteins principle is just an assumption but was never demonstrated after observations so
its beyond reasonable doubts.
The newly, discovered LQG carries a dimension of 500 megaparsecs (Mpc). The elongated
structure makes its longest dimension to a size of 1200 Mpc or 4 billion light years, which is
1600 times larger than the distance between the Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy.
Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest neighbour of the Milky Way Galaxy and is separated from
each-other by about 0.75 Mpc or 2.5 million light years. The modern calculations of astrophysicists states that they cant find any structure larger than 370 Mpc and these calculations are made on the basis of modern theory of cosmology and the principle of cosmology. One will take 4 billion years to cross the LQG if one travels with the speed of light and this is just not because of its huge size but also because it has challenged the accepted principle of cosmology given by Einstein.
ISRO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED SARAL
Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite,
SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket
on 25 February 2013
SATELLITES LAUNCHED BY PSLV-C20 ROCKET
410-kg SARAL with payloads - Argos and Altika
Two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from
Austria
AAUSAT3 from Denmark
Strand from United Kingdom
Micro-satellite (NEOSSat)
Mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada
SARAL will study the sea surface heights and ocean currents.
ARGOS-2 will help in collecting the data, while Altikameter will be responsible for
measuring the height of sea surface.
SARAL will also assist researchers in studying about the climatic developments.
Its practical applications include study of migration of the marine animals, continental
ice studies, protection of biodiversity and coastal erosion.
AADESH, THE FIRST FAST PATROL VESSEL FOR COAST GUARD LAUNCHED
The vessel is the first in a series of 20 numbers fast patrol vessel (FPVs) contracted by CSL for
the Indian Coast Guard
SPECIFICATION OF FAST PATROL VESSEL (FPV)
It has a designed speed of 33 knots with propelled water jets to attain the speed.
Its primary role includes fisheries protection and monitoring, patrol within exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) and coastal patrol, anti smuggling, search and rescue operations
and for anti piracy operations.
The secondary role of vessel is to provide communication link and escort convoys during
hostilities and war time.
Although it is small in size and complex but is technologically very challenging
INDIA TEST-FIRED MANOEUVRABLE VERSION OF BRAHMOS
ABOUT BRAHMOS MISSILE
BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage which
brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The liquid ramjet or the second stage
then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in cruise phase. Stealth technology and guidance
system with advanced embedded software provides the missile with special features.
The BrahMos missile system was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2005 when it began
arming the Rajput-class guided missile destroyers and inducted subsequently in many
warships.
BrahMos is capable of acquiring data not only from the American GPS but also from
Russian GLONASS satellite systems also, which ensures double redundancy.
The missile has identical configuration for land, sea and sub-sea platforms and uses a
Transport Launch Canister (TLC) for transportation, storage and launch.
UNION CABINET APPROVED DRDO FOR DEVELOPING AWACS FOR IAF
Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) for IAF. AWACS allows IAF to keep a close watch on the enemy territory.
NEPAL AND US TO CONDUCT JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES (april 2013)
Will also include other countries such as India. The joint military exercises are called Shanti Prayas-2 or Peace Initiatives.
The Armies of Nepal and the US, apart from other countries announced participating in this
drill, which is said to be the latest in Asia-Pacific region. This drill is designed for promotion of
security as well as regional peace, while also enhancing the peacekeeping capabilities as well as
capacity of the nations which participate in Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). GPOI is
the initiative of G8 nations for increasing the operations for peace support across the
worldwide. The training which will be conducted during the joint military exercises will include vignette based staff training exercise as well as field training exercise
BRICS SUMMIT 2013: SOUTH AFRICA AND RUSSIA SIGNED SPACE AGREEMENT
An agreement, on the RadioAstron space satellite was signed between the South African
National Space Agency (SANSA) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on the
Margins of BRICS Summit on 26 March 2013 in Durban.
The agreement paved the way for the two countries to work together on the development of
science and space technologies. In 2006 the South African and Russian governments signed an
agreement to cooperate on the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes
ABOUT RADIOASTRON
The RadioAstron satellite was launched by Roscosmos on 18 July 2011.
It carries a radio telescope that will obtain images and coordinates of various radioemitting
objects.
The idea is to complement the capability of ground-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) instruments with a space-based VLBI instrument Other partners include the European Space Agency, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (USA), the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (India), and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia).
HOW RADIOASTRON WILL BE USED?
The RadioAstron mission will support and enhance investment in radio astronomy
infrastructure in Africa, contributing to capacity building and socio-economic development on
the continent. RadioAstron will complement other radio astronomy facilities in Africa (like the
Square Kilometre Array),
POLITY
Article 19 (2) of Constitution of India -
Nothing in sub clause (a) of clause ( 1 ) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub clause in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India,
the security of the State,
friendly relations with foreign States,
public order,
decency or
morality or
in relation to contempt of court,
defamation or
incitement to an offence.
Article 19 of the Constitution of India deals with the right of expression and speech and as
fasting is a process of expressing the thoughts against the government thus it can be considered
as a part of Article 19. This right cannot be denied until and unless there exist an illegality in the
process. In fact, none of the Indian Courts till date have banned fasts in India and every
individual have the right to go on fast to protest against the government.
Under IPC 309 her indefinite fasting is regarded as the attempt to commit suicide. IPC 309
Attempt to commit suicide-- Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards
the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which
may extend to one year 1 (or with fine, or with both.)
IMP: NUMBER OF HIGH COURTS WENT UP TO 24 FROM 21
Three new High Courts opened in Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya
Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur on 23 March 2013 got their own High Courts
CHEMICAL CASTRATION FOR REPEATED SEX OFFENDERS: MALAYSIA
Malaysias Bar Council suggested that chemical castration should be the treatment given to
repeated sex offenders as the alternative kind of sentencing. It is important to note here that South Korean Court recently gave the order of first chemical castration of Asia to the pedophile. However, the medical studies on this treatment hinted towards the fact that there could be serious side effects in its usage. There are already certain jurisdictions in the world that have made chemical castration a mandatory law for sex offenders. These nations include certain American states and Czech Republic. Other nations using it for several years are Sweden, Poland, Germany and Denmark.
ABOUT FINANCE COMMISSION
The Finance commission is set up every five years. Article 280 of the Constitution provides for
setting up of a finance commission to recommend how net earnings of taxes are to be divided
between the Union and states and subsequently among the states. The Finance Commission
Act of 1951 states the terms of qualification, appointment and disqualification, the term,
eligibility and powers of the Finance Commission.
FUNCTIONS 14TH FINANCE COMMISSION WILL PERFORM (imp)
Among the new areas of recommendations on public sector units (PSUs), the
commission will suggest how to list these units on the bourses and will also give its
prescriptions on the disinvestment process.
The commission has also been asked to recommend how non-priority PSUs be
relinquished.
The commission will recommend measures for segregating the pricing of public utility
services such as drinking water, irrigation, power and public transport from policy
fluctuations through statutory provisions.
PILOT PROJECT OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL TRACKING SYSTEM LAUNCHED
The pilot launch of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project
would create a nation-wide environment for the real-time sharing of crime and criminal
information and connect approximately 14000 police stations throughout the country apart
from higher offices in police hierarchy.
ABOUT CCTNS
The CCTNS is a mission mode project under the National e-Governance Plan of
Government of India.
It aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency
and effectiveness of policing through adopting the principle of e-Governance
The project also includes the creation of a nationwide networking infrastructure for
evolution of IT-enabled-state-of-the-art tracking system around Investigation of crime
and detection of criminals
MONEY LAUNDERING AND BANKING BILLS 2012 TURNED INTO LAW
The Parliament in its winter session approved the Prevention of Money Laundering
(Amendment) Bill 2012 that needed to enlarge its definition of money laundering offences so
that it can curb the practice of funding the terrorists operations. The Bill sought removal of 5
lakh rupees as fine in existence under the act and proposed a provision of taking away of the
profits of the crime even under situation, where the conviction was not proved but the offence
of money laundering happened and the property in question that is involved in the offence. The
Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha during the winter session on 29 November 2012.Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 would be shaping the way ahead to corporate houses to
enter the field of Banking; this is one of the key reform legislation. The Banking Bill was passed
in the Indian Parliament once the government dropped its clause of controversies that allowed
banks to trade in commodity in future.
To strengthen the provisions of bad debts by the financial institutions and banks the
Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws (Amendment) Bill 2012 was
passed
ITALIAN MARINE CASE
India has the rights to exercise the rights of sovereignty up to 24 nautical miles from the
baseline (the basis on which the width of territorial water is measured) under both its
Domestic Law and the Public International Law. In certain cases, it has its limitations to
exercise the rights within the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Article 370 of Constitution of India grants temporary provisions with respect to the State of
Jammu and Kashmir.
(1) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution,
(a) The provisions of article 238 shall not apply in relation to the State of Jammu and
Kashmir;
(b) The power of Parliament to make laws for the said State shall be limited
GEOGRAPHY
* Japan extracts 'fire ice' energy resource from its seabed in 'world first'
first country to extract methane hydrate "fire ice" from its seabed. It's estimated that 1.1 trillion cubic metres of natural gas are trapped within the methane hydrate off Shikoku island. To separate methane from the icy, solid clathrate that forms under the sea is to release an estimated 11-year's worth of gas supply for Japan.
Methane hydrate was first discovered in the 1800s, and by the 30s it was still known only as that annoying ice that clogs up pipelines in the cold. It was only when the substance was discovered to occur naturally in Siberia that energy scientsits realised it was not something to consider an irritant, but an opportunity. Large deposits have since been found in Alaska, Canada and the Nankai Trough off Japan. organic carbon present in gas hydrates is about twice as much as in all other fossil fuels, and the methane present is 3,000 times as much as is in the atmosphere
INDIA AND BANGLADESH DECIDED TO INCREASE RAIL LINK PROJECTS
India and Bangladesh decided in the third week of January 2013, to speed up its rail link
projects in order to increase the contact among the people of two neighbouring nations. As of
now, there are four ongoing rail link projects and these are Chilahati (Bangladesh)-Haldibari
(India), Birol (Bangladesh)-Radhikapur (India), Akhaura (Bangladesh)-Agartala (India) and
Shahbazpur (Bangladesh)- Mahishashan (India).
The senior railway officials from the two countries decided in the joint meeting to also examine
feasibility of establishment of rail link between Feni (Bangladesh) and Belonia (India). Discussions on reforming inter-country freight train operations,
improving functioning of Maitree Express (Dhaka-Kolkata Express, an International passenger train ), upgrading the infrastructure as well as establishment
of even more rail connectivity points
UN SEA LAW PART II FOR TERRITORIAL SEA AND CONTIGUOUS ZONE
Section 2: Limits of the Territorial Sea
Article 3: Breadth of The Territoria Sea: Every State has the right to establish the breadth of its
territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines
determined in accordance with this Convention.
Article 4: Outer limit of the territorial sea: The outer limit of the territorial sea is the line every
point of which is at a distance from the nearest point of the baseline equal to the breadth of
the territorial sea.
Article 5: Normal baseline: Except where otherwise provided in this Convention, the normal
baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea is the low-water line along the coast as
marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal State.
ASSAM, FIRST INDIAN STATE TO PRODUCE OVER 500 MILLION KG TEA
Assam became the first state in India to produce over 500 million kilogram tea for two years in
a row. Assam produced five hundred 88 million kilogram of tea in 2012, which is 53 percent of
the countrys total tea production. Earlier in 2011, 5 hundred 89 million kilogram tea was
produced in the state.
It may be recalled that around seven lakh workers are engaged in the tea sector. Fifty percent of them are women.
NASA STUDY REVEALED ALARMING LOSS OF WATER IN MIDDLE EAST
The NASA study researched on the data over a time period of seven years since 2003 with the
help of gravity-measuring satellites, which are a part of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate
Experiment or GRACE. Water lost: almost the amount of water in the Dead Sea. GRACE
is providing a global picture of water storage trends and is invaluable when hydrologic
observations are not routinely collected or shared beyond political boundaries.
NEED FOR COORDINATED WATER MANAGEMENT BETWEEN TURKEY, SYRIA &
IRAQ
Tigris and Euphrates headwaters are controlled by Turkey. Also the reservoirs and the
infrastructure of Turkey's Greater Anatolia Project which dictates the quantity of downstream
of water flow into Iraq and Syria are controlled by Turkey.
There is a need for coordinated water management, which at present does not exist among
Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Also, the tensions intensified since the drought of 2007 because Turkey
diverts water to irrigate farmland
WELSPUN COMMISSIONED ASIAS LARGEST SOLAR POWER PROJECT
Welspun Energy, the countrys biggest developer of solar projects on 12 March 2013
commissioned Asias largest Solar Power Project of 50 MW at Jodhpur district in Rajasthan.
The solar power project commissioned is being counted among the largest solar project
developed by Welspun Energy till date and is also the largest photovoltaic (PV) power plant in
India. Well ahead of schedule.Welspun Energy won the 50 MW solar projects through a competitive bid under Batch-2, Phase-1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.
ENVIRONMENT/BIODIVERSITY
GAS THAT CAUSES OZONE DESTRUCTION DISCOVERED BY RESEARCHERS
Most of the ozone-depleting iodine oxide which is observed on the oceans came from earlier unknown marine source. The researchers found out that the source of iodine oxide could be explained by emissions of hypoiodous acid (HOI) together with molecular iodine (I2).
Since 1970s, when the gas called methyl iodide (CH3I) was discovered to be present
everywhere in the ocean, it was understood that the presence of the iodine in atmosphere used to crop up primarily from the emissions of organic compounds from the microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton. The new research is actually linked up with the early study which indicated that reactive iodine and the bromine in atmosphere led to depletion of huge amounts of ozone.
More of ozone meant that there will be a creation of more gaseous halogens which would destroy it. It was basically a self-destruction mechanism.
Ice-albedo feedback (or snow-albedo feedback) is a positive feedback climate process where a change in the area of snow-covered land, ice caps, glaciers or sea ice alters the albedo. This change in albedo acts to reinforce the initial alteration in ice area. Cooling tends to increase ice cover and hence the albedo, reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed and leading to more cooling. Conversely, warming tends to decrease ice cover and hence the albedo, increasing the amount of solar energy absorbed, leading to more warming
Effect also applies on the small scale to snow-covered surfaces. A small amount of snow melt exposes darker ground which absorbs more radiation, leading to more snowmelt.
The effect has mostly been discussed in terms of the recent trend of declining Arctic sea ice.
WORLDS FIRST MERCURY TREATY ADOPTED BY 140 COUNTRIES
An international treaty that legally binds the nation to limit the use of health hazardous
mercury was adopted by 140 nations in the third week of January 2013 at Geneva.
The treaty would be signed in Minamata, Japan, in October 2013 to honour the inhabitants of
town who have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination for decades
Aims of the Treaty
Reduction of global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal or the quick silver
Reduce the production and the use of mercury in industrial processes and product
production
To cut mercury pollution from utility plants, mining, a host of products and industrial
processes, and set enforceable limits as well as to encourage alternatives where
mercury in not used or released
IMPACT OF MERCURY ON HUMAN BEING
The natural element Mercury cannot be created or destroyed, but is released in air, water and
land from different activities like coal powder plants, gold mining activities as well as electrical
goods and other consumer products. Mercury enters the food-chain via fish and poses a threat
to the living being more likely to pregnant women and children. As per the data released by the
World Health Organisation intake of mercury or any of its compounds to any limit is not safe
and it may lead to memory loss, language impairment and kidney damage.
NPCA: National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems
National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and National Wetlands Conservation
Programme (NWCP) to develop a new scheme named National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic
Eco-systems (NPCA). The formation of the NPCA was done with the objective of conserving aquatic
ecosystems (lakes and wetlands) by implementing sustainable conservation plans.
SUPER PREDATOR LIVING ON EARTH, TYRANT SWIMMER DISCOVERED jan 13
Scientists discovered that the oldest known super predator of the world was the marine
crocodile. Predators are the carnivores that are capable of feeding on the prey which is large or
even larger than them.
This recently discovered oldest known super predator of the world, a marine crocodile was a
toothy beast which looked partly like a shark and partly like a threatening dolphin. The scientific
name of this oldest predator of the world is Tyranno.........kos or simply Tyrant
Swimmer.
Tyrant Swimmer basically is known to be from the shallow marine areas across Europe,
primarily Poland, England and France. Around 165 million years ago, a lot of Europe was
completed covered by the shallow sea, which also led to the formation of large to small islands.
It is in this shallow sea that the Tyrant Swimmer lived with various other marine reptiles
VULTURE POPULATION ESTIMATION-2013 CONDUCTED @Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh by the State Government . The Vulture
Population Estimation is undertaken every year in January in the Panna Tiger Reserve since
2010. The population of vultures was less in comparison to the 2012 population and the reason
for their decreasing number is rise in temperatures in this area. (Also, diclofenac consumption by those who feed on livestock. Diclofenac led to deposition of uric acid in the visceral organs of vultures which caused their sudden death.)
Out of the 660 residential vultures, 476 were the Long Billed Vultures, ... were the
White Backed Vultures, ... were the Egyptian Vultures and ... were the Red-headed
Vultures.
There were 160 migratory vultures in the Reserve. Out of these, ...were the European
Griffon, ...were the Himalayan Griffon and .. were the vultures of cinereous species.
OKHLA COMPOST PLANT RECEIVED CARBON CREDITS
The composting plant of South Delhi Municipal Corporation in Okhla, New Delhi became thefirst in India to receive the carbon credits from the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS POPULATION INCREASED IN KAZIRANGA
Kaziranga National Park is the World Heritage Site and houses two-thirds of Great One-horned Rhinoceroses of the world. In terms of wildlife conservation, Kaziranga National Park has achieved great success in comparison to other wildlife protected areas of India. Being situated at edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hub, this Park is a home to varied species.
