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Editorial

» Make a Balance in Life and Examination! .....................................................................

03

Featured Articles

»

G20 Summit .................................................................................................................... 04

SECTION - 1: Articles

» India - Sri Lanka Relation ..............................................................................................

10

» India-South Africa Relation ...........................................................................................

17

SECTION - 2: Hot Topics

» Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal ............................................................................

23

» India-Pak Agree To Share Intelligence Report ..............................................................

26

SECTION - 3: Current Affairs .........................................................................................

28

SECTION - 4: World of Sports ........................................................................................

45

SECTION - 5: World of Awards .....................................................................................

51

SECTION - 6: CSE Main 2010 Special:

» Study Package : (Nanotechnology)

........................................................................... 55

INDEX

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Make a Balance in Life and Examination!

What can you do now? Yes I amtalking to those who are going to appear

this year's Civil Services Main Examination. First of all you should be

calm during the preparation of this toughest examination of the Earth.

You can gain nothing while you lose your patience and perseverance.

You will only lose your concentration, capacity and speed. So work hard

in calm. Through hard work you will not miss the target. I have seen

many candidates loose the patience and take pain over the result and

future. Such step are only futile and fruitless. In this mean time you

should work hard. Don't thinks about result. In this way if result of preliminary

is negative then you are in good position for next attempt and if

you have won the first battle then it would be easy for you take on main

battle.

Second and important thing which you must keep inmind is make practices.

It is always good and play very good role in actual examination.

While you practice, you should insure that you should not get yourself

very bookish. Always try towrite in your own style. In this way you can

prove your originality before the examiner. You should develop a rationale

in all important topics. It is now very important when many questions

expect examinee opinion. It plays a big role in General Studies papers.

So at the time of reading, develop a rationale and your original

answer. Originality and rationality doesn'tmean that your personal thinking.

It must be according to logical development of the topic. So here in

civil service examination, originality means a good analysis in balanced

approach.

Third thing is that, you must keep a very good balance in the giving time

to optional and general studies. If you have very good understanding of a

subject, you can do fare in only 600 marks. But if have a balanced approach

in all papers you can do justice for 2000 marks. So do'not make a

loopsided study. Divide the time for all subjects and give the subject its

due importance. Yes it is meaningless to say that you should give extra

time and extra efforts in those portions, in which you feel weak.

In this issue we have provided featured article G20 Summit

with articles

India - Sri Lanka Relation and India-South Africa Relation. In section of

hot topics Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal and India-PakistanAgree

to Share Intelligence Report are given as well as Current Affairs, Sports

World and Awards are available to build your knowledge about current

affairs. Also in this issue included

Special Study Package for Civil Services

Main Examination 2010 on "Nanotechnology".

So dear friends always keep in mind that good balance in your life can

play a good balance in all walks of life including this examination. So

have a balance in life, preparation, writing and so in your result.

Wish you All the Best for upcoming Examination..

Wish You All the Best for upcoming Examination..

Honorary Editor:

Ram Kumar Pandey

Sr. Honorary Advisor:

Sant Prasad Gupta

Honorary Advisors:

Dr. Nageshwar Nath Mishra

Dr. Sachchidanand

Disclaimer:

Editor and Publisher are

not responsible for any

views, data, figures etc.

Expressed in the articles

by the author(s). Maps

are notational.

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VOL : 16

July 2010

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The fourth G20 summit in less than two years has ended at

Toronto on 26-27 June, 2010. The summit ended with global

leaders evolving a consensus of sorts on several issues of

economic importance. India, which was represented in

strength at the summit, says it is happy with the outcome.

The leaders of theworld'smost powerful economies pledged

to slash back spiraling debts on Sunday as they sought to

rebalance a global economy knocked off its axis by a financial

crisis.

The heads of the G20, which groups established world powers and the most dynamic emerging players,

vowed to nurture the still shaky recovery with coordinated

measures to spur growth and ensure financial stability.

But observers quickly noted the agreements were not binding

and the summit statement was filled with caveats and

exemptions, pushing many of the tougher decisions on to

the next G20 summit in Seoul in November.

The leaders' joint statement, released at the end of two days

of talks in Toronto, warned that "failure to implement consolidation

where necessarywould undermine confidence and

hamper growth."

"Reflecting this balance, advanced economies have committed to fiscal plans that will at least halve deficits

by 2013 and stabilize or reduce government debt-to-GDP ratios by 2016," it promised.

Nevertheless, the group exempted Japan and its huge public deficit from the pledge and noted that measures

should be "tailored to national circumstances."

The statement called for "greater exchange rate flexibility in some emergingmarkets" but shied away from

specifically fingering China, which is under pressure to allow the yuan to strengthen to ease trade imbalances.

Amid US fears that global growth may once again become overdependent on American consumers, the

G20 called for "efforts to rebalance global demand to help ensure global growth continues on a sustainable

path."

"I understood that

fiscal consolidation

obviously needed

high priority in

those advanced nations that

were experiencing exceptional

fiscal stress and in those where

sovereign debt was shaky."

G20 Summit

Leaders Agree to Cut Deficits by 2013

By: Ram Kumar Pandey

Featured Article..

European leaders- Germany's Chancellor Angela

Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron -- came

to the talks calling for fiscal restraint and a new

levy on bank profits.

They made some headway on the former, but will

be forced to go it alone on the banking tax, as countries

like Australia, Canada and India that have

experienced no banking failures rejected the proposal

out of hand.

The G8 statement said "We agreed the financial

sector should make a fair and substantial contribution

towards paying for any burdens associated

with government interventions." "We recognized

that there are a range of policy approaches to this

end. Some countries are pursuing a financial levy.

Other countries are pursuing different approaches."

Observers said the degree of divergence in the

countries' policies for dealing with the recovery

showed that, now that the initial shock of recession

has passed, national agendas are once more

crowding out G20 cooperation.

Outcome For India

The first point was the civilian nuclear pact with

Canada. Canada is an important supplier of Uranium

and nuclear technologies. The pact is actually

going to help take India's plans on that front

forward. In fact the bilateral that the India prime

minster had with the Canadian prime minster actually

seems to signal a new beginning in the relationship.

Stephen Harper said that the 70s are over

and in fact this is the first visit by an Indian prime

minister after 1973.

There were several other agreements for mining

and otherMoUs signed. Another key bilateralwas

the India US bilateral, Manmohan Singh meeting

Barack Obama. Much of it was political; noWarrenAnderson

extradition demandwas raised there.

The key thing was that India told the US to take

disclosures by Headley; the 26/11 accused more

seriously and wanted the United States to get Pakistan

to act more on terror.

PM asks rich nations to resist protectionism

Making it clear that each country needed to devise

its own strategy toweather the deepest global

financial crisis in decades, Indian Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh on Sunday asked rich nations to

resist protectionism.

Stating that the India was better placed in handling

the situation with an average growth of 7

per cent in the past two fiscals, the primeminister

said emerging economies must also rely less on

exports and push domestic demand.

As the leaders of the Group of 20 advanced and

emerging economies listened in attention, the

Oxford-educated economist-prime minister said

India on its part will go for medium-term fiscal

consolidation and halve its fiscal deficit by 2013-

14.

Manmohan Singh said he understood that fiscal

consolidation obviously needed high priority in

those advanced nations that were experiencing

exceptional fiscal stress and in those where sovereign

debt was shaky.

"But other advanced countries should opt for a

muchmore caliberated exit fromthe stimulus. We

should adopt a carefully differentiated approach,

reflecting the circumstances of individual countries,"

the prime minister added.

China sets strongest yuan rate in years after G20

pressure:

China set the strongest yuan exchange rate

in years after Beijing came under renewed pressure

at the Group of 20 summit to let the currency

appreciate.

The People's Bank of China said it set the

central parity rate -- the centre point of the

currency's allowed trading band -- at 6.7890 to the

dollar.

Itwas the strongest level policymakers have

set since China unpegged the currency in July 2005

andmoved to a tightlymanaged floating exchange

rate.

Featured Article..

China had effectively pegged the yuan at about

6.8 to the dollar for the past two years to prop up

exporters during the global financial crisis. Critics

say the policy gives Chinese producers an unfair

advantage.

Manmohan meets Obama at G20 summit:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President

Barack Obama held their second substantive

dialogue in two months, during which they are

understood to have discussed terrorism, global

economy and other issues of mutual concern.

Singh and Obama met on the sidelines of the G20

Summit and are believed to have discussed the situation

in the region.

This was the the first meeting between the two

leaders after they met and reviewed bilateral ties

on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in

Washington in April.

During the meeting, the two leaders are also understood

to have discussed about the global economic

recovery and the G20 Summit. At the Summit,

India and the US had cautioned against winding

up of the government funding.

Obama said the two countries would continue to

see how businesses of both countries can get to

work together and then generating recommendations

to "each of us in terms of how we can improve

ties between the United States and India."

What is the G-20

The Group of Twenty (G-20) FinanceMinisters and

Central Bank Governors was established in 1999

to bring together systemically important industrialized

and developing economies to discuss key issues

in the global economy. The inaugural meeting

of the G-20 took place in Berlin, on December

15-16, 1999, hosted by German and Canadian finance

ministers.

Mandate

The G-20 is the premier forum for our international

economic development that promotes open

and constructive discussion between industrial and

emerging-market countries on key issues related

to global economic stability. By contributing to the

strengthening of the international financial architecture

and providing opportunities for dialogue

on national policies, international co-operation, and

international financial institutions, the G-20 helps

to support growth and development across the

globe.

Origins

The G-20 was created as a response both to the

financial crises of the late 1990s and to a growing

recognition that key emerging-market countries

were not adequately included in the core of global

economic discussion and governance. Prior to the

G-20 creation, similar groupings to promote dialogue

and analysis had been established at the initiative

of the G-7.

The G-22 met at Washington D.C. in April and

October 1998. Its aim was to involve non-G-7

countries in the resolution of global aspects of the

financial crisis then affecting emerging-market

countries.

Two subsequent meetings comprising a larger

group of participants (G-33) held in March and

April 1999 discussed reforms of the global economy

and the international financial system.

The proposals made by the G-22 and the G-33 to

reduce the world economy's susceptibility to crises

showed the potential benefits of a regular international

consultative forum embracing the

emerging-market countries. Such a regular dialogue

with a constant set of partners was institutionalized

by the creation of the G-20 in 1999.

Featured Article..

Membership

The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers

and central bank governors of 19 countries:

The European Union, who is represented by the

rotating Council presidency and the European Central

Bank, is the 20th member of the G-20. To ensure

global economic fora and institutions work

together, the Managing Director of the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) and the President of

the World Bank, plus the chairs of the International

Monetary and Financial Committee and

Development Committee of the IMF and World

Bank, also participate in G-20 meetings on an exofficio

basis.

The G-20 thus brings together important industrial

and emerging-market countries from all regions

of the world. Together, member countries

represent around 90 per cent of global gross national

product, 80 per cent of world trade (including

EU intra-trade) as well as two-thirds of the

world's population. The G-20's economic weight

and broad membership gives it a high degree of

legitimacy and influence over the management of

the global economy and financial system.

Achievements

The G-20 has progressed a range of issues since

1999, including agreement about policies for

growth, reducing abuse of the financial system,

dealing with financial crises and combating terrorist

financing. The G-20 also aims to foster the

adoption of internationally recognized standards

through the example set by its members in areas

such as the transparency of fiscal policy and combatingmoney

laundering and the financing of terrorism.

In 2004, G-20 countries committed to new

higher standards of transparency and exchange of

information on tax matters. This aims to combat

abuses of the financial system and illicit activities

including tax evasion. The G-20 has also aimed to

develop a common view among members on issues

related to further development of the global

economic and financial system.

To tackle the financial and economic crisis that

spread across the globe in 2008, the G-20 members

were called upon to further strengthen international

cooperation. Since then, the concerted and

decisive actions of the G-20 helped the world deal

effectivelywith the current financial and economic

crisis. The G-20 has already delivered a number of

significant and concrete outcomes. For examples,

it committed to implement the unprecedented and

most coordinated expansionary macroeconomic

policies, including the fiscal expansion of US$5 trillion

and the unconventional monetary policy instruments;

significantly enhance the financial regulations,

notably by the establishment of the Financial

Stability Board(FSB); and substantially

strengthen the International Financial

Institutions(IFIs), including the expansion of resources

and the improvement of precautionary

lending facilities of the IFIs.

Reflecting on these achievements and recognizing

that more needs to be done to ensure a strong, sustained

and balanced global recovery, the G-20

Leaders at Pittsburgh Summit designated the G-

20 as the premier forumfor international economic

cooperation.

»

Argentina

»

Australia

»

Brazil

»

Canada

»

China

»

France

»

Germany

»

India

»

Indonesia

»

Italy

»

Japan

»

Mexico

»

Russia

»

Saudi Arabia

»

South Africa

»

Republic of Korea

»

Turkey

»

United Kingdom

»

United States of America

Featured Article..

Chair

Unlike international institutions such as the Organization

for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD), IMF or World Bank, the G-20

(like the G-7) has no permanent staff of its own.

The G-20 chair rotates between members, and is

selected froma different regional grouping of countries

each year. In 2010 the G-20 chair is the Republic

of Korea, and in 2011 it will be France. The

chair is part of a revolving three-member management

Troika of past, present and future chairs.

The incumbent chair establishes a temporary secretariat

for the duration of its term, which coordinates

the group's work and organizes its meetings.

The role of the Troika is to ensure continuity in

the G-20'swork andmanagement across host years.

Meetings and activities

It is normal practice for the G-20 finance ministers

and central bank governors tomeet once a year.

The last meeting of ministers and governors was

held in St. Andrews, UK on 6-7 November 2009.

The ministers' and governors' meeting is usually

preceded by two deputies' meetings and extensive

technicalwork. This technical work takes the form

of workshops, reports and case studies on specific

subjects, that aim to provide ministers and governors

with contemporary analysis and insights, to

better inform their consideration of policy challenges

and options.

Interaction With Other International Organi

ations:

The G-20 cooperates closely with various

other major international organizations and fora,

as the potential to develop common positions on

complex issues among G-20 members can add politicalmomentumto

decision-making in other bodies.

The participation of the President of theWorld

Bank, the Managing Director of the IMF and the

chairs of the International Monetary and Financial

Committee and the Development Committee

in the G-20 meetings ensures that the G-20 process

is well integrated with the activities of the

BrettonWoods Institutions. The G-20 also works

with, and encourages, other international groups

and organizations, such as the Financial Stability

Board and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision,

in progressing international and domestic

economic policy reforms. In addition, experts

from private-sector institutions and non-government

organisations are invited to G-20 meetings

on an ad hoc basis in order to exploit synergies in

analyzing selected topics and avoid overlap.

External Communication

The country currently chairing the G-20 posts details

of the group's meetings andwork programon

a dedicatedwebsite. Although participation in the

meetings is reserved for members, the public is

informed about what was discussed and agreed

immediately after the meeting of ministers and

governors has ended. After each meeting of ministers

and governors, the G-20 publishes a

communiqué which records the agreements

reached and measures outlined. Material on the

forward work program is also made public.

Featured Article..

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The President of the Democratic Socialist Republic

of Sri Lanka, Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa came on a

State Visit to India from 8th - 11th June 2010. In

this tour Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa

expressed his determination to create a political

settlement acceptable to all communities that

would act as a catalyst for the necessary conditions

inwhich all the people of Sri Lanka could lead their

lives in an atmosphere of peace, justice and dignity,

consistent with democracy, pluralism, equal

opportunity and respect for human rights.

Towards this end, Rajapaksa expressed his resolve

to continue to implement in particular the relevant

provisions of the Constitution designed to

strengthen national amity and reconciliation

through empowerment.

The PrimeMinister of India expressed India's constructive

support for efforts that build peace and

reconciliation among all communities in Sri Lanka.

This was stated in the Joint Declaration issued on

the second day of a visit by President Rajapaksa to

India atwhich wide ranging discussionswere held

with leaders of India and several agreements of

mutual interest to India and Sri Lankawere signed.

Highlights of the Joint

Declaration

»

A major initiative to undertake a programme of

construction of 50,000 houses for Internally Displaced

Persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The President of Sri Lanka warmly welcomed

the offer of Indian support for this

programme.

India - Sri Lanka Relation

Signed Joint Declaration

»

Both leaders condemned terrorismin all its forms

andmanifestations. They also agreed to strengthen

the security and legal framework of their bilateral

relationship. To this end, the leaderswitnessed the

signing of two Agreements

»

Recognizing the considerable benefits from

greater economic cooperation between the two

countries, the two leaders noted the progress

achieved under the India - Sri Lanka Free Trade

Agreement. They agreed that it would be timely

to build on this achievement through amore comprehensive

framework of economic cooperation,

best suited to the two countries. In this context,

they directed the concerned officials of the two

countries to hold intensive consultations towards

developing a framework for sustainable economic

partnership between the two countries and addressing

outstanding issues.

»

The Prime Minister of India and the President

of Sri Lanka reiterated their mutual commitment

to substantially enhance the range and depth of

the India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship including

through greater economic integration, enhancing

connectivity and other linkages and closer developmental

cooperation.

»

The two leaders also agreed to launch a CEOs

Forum to involve the public and private sectors in

a dialogue to generate ideas to deepen and broaden

the bilateral economic relationship in all its aspects

and to help chart the future course of business and

trade interaction between the two countries.

By: Sant Prasad Gupta

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

»

The two leaders were briefed on the progress in

discussions between the National Thermal Power

Corporation of India and the Ceylon Electricity

Board of Sri Lanka on the establishment of a joint

venture for building a 500 MW coal-fired power

plant at Sampur (Trincomalee), incorporating environmentally

friendly technologies,with the Government

of Sri Lanka providing the requisite infrastructure

support.

»

Recognising the need to speedily restore the traditional

links between the two countries, both leaders

agreed to resume the ferry services between

Colombo and Tuticorin and between Talaimannar

and Rameswaram. They directed their respective

officials to put in place the mechanisms to start

these services at an early date

Text of the Joint

Declaration

The official discussions between the two sideswere

marked by friendship, mutual respect and understanding.

The President of Sri Lanka and the Prime

Minister of India agreed that the shared cultural

and civilizational heritage of India and Sri Lanka

and the extensive people-to-people interaction

provided the foundation to build a vibrant and

multi-faceted partnership. India-Sri Lanka relations

have matured and diversified with the passage of

time, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance,

including trade, services and investment,

development cooperation, science and technology,

culture and education.

In consonance with their vision of the future of

the India-Sri Lanka relations, the two leaders

agreed to further harness the enormous potential

available for consolidating and strengthening the

bilateral partnership by building on shared values

and principles of democracy and pluralism, leveraging

common strategic concerns and interests,

enhancing connectivity between the two countries,

increasing the integration of their economies, and

reinforcing the institutional framework for cooperation.

The PrimeMinister of India, Dr.Manmohan Singh,

congratulated the President of Sri Lanka, Mr.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, on his recent electoral victories

and conveyed that the recent elections, together

with the cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka

in May 2009, provided a historic opportunity for

the country's leaders to address all outstanding issues

in a spirit of understanding and mutual accommodation

and to work towards genuine national

reconciliation. The Prime Minister

emphasised that a meaningful devolution package,

building upon the 13th Amendment, would create

the necessary conditions for a lasting political

settlement.

The President of Sri Lanka reiterated his determination

to evolve a political settlement acceptable

to all communities that would act as a catalyst to

create the necessary conditions in which all the

people of Sri Lanka could lead their lives in an atmosphere

of peace, justice and dignity, consistent

with democracy, pluralism, equal opportunity and

respect for human rights. Towards this end, the

President expressed his resolve to continue to

implement in particular the relevant provisions of

the Constitution designed to strengthen national

amity and reconciliation through empowerment.

In this context, he shared his ideas on conducting

a broader dialogue with all parties involved. The

PrimeMinister of India expressed India's constructive

support for efforts that build peace and reconciliation

among all communities in Sri Lanka.

The President of Sri Lanka expressed appreciation

for India's substantial and generous assistance including

through a grant of Indian Rupees 500 crore

for the humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and resettlement

of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

He noted that the steps taken by India for humanitarian

assistance, including supply of family packs

of food and clothing,medicines, setting up of a field

hospital and an artificial limb fitment camp and

for the resettlement of IDPs, including provision

of shelter material, cement bags and agricultural

implements and deployment of de-mining teams,

were important and timely.

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

The Prime Minister of India was apprised of the

measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka

to bring about a rapid and sustainable resettlement

of the bulk of the IDPs. It was stated that the process

of resettling the limited number still remaining

in the transit facilities would be further expedited.

Both leaders agreed on the urgent need for

the resettlement of the remaining IDPs, alongwith

speedy rehabilitation, reconstruction and development

in the North and the East of Sri Lanka. They

agreed to work closely towards this end. In this

context, India's assistance to rebuild infrastructure,

including railway infrastructure, set up several

Vocational Training Centres, repair and construct

schools, houses, stadiumand recreational facilities,

supply much-needed inputs for agricultural regeneration

and undertake several other projects was

greatly appreciated.

Both leaders announced a major initiative to undertake

a programme of construction of 50,000

houses for Internally Displaced Persons in the

Northern and Eastern Provinces. The President of

Sri Lanka warmly welcomed the offer of Indian

support for this programme.

With regard to the task of reconstruction in northern

Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister of India reiterated

India's support for various infrastructure

projects. In this regard, the two leaders witnessed

the signing of the contract for the reconstruction

of the Madu-Talaimannar railway line by IRCON.

The contract for the Medawachchiya-Madu segment

of the track will be signed shortly. It was

also noted that the contract for the reconstruction

of the Omanthai-Pallai segment of the railway

track by IRCON has already been signed. The two

leaders directed that the contracts for the construction

of a new signalling and tele-communication

network by IRCON, and for the reconstruction of

the Pallai-KKS railway line, which will be undertaken

by the Sri Lanka Railway in collaboration

with IRCON, also be concluded at the earliest.

The work on all these construction projects will

commence latest byOctober 2010. Itwas also noted

that the procurement of rolling stock from India

would take place in a phased manner. The Prime

Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka

directed that a Steering Committee be established

to oversee and facilitate the timely and successful

completion of the contracted work.

The President of Sri Lanka expressed his appreciation

for the generous and concessionary credit facilities

amounting to about US$ 800million offered

by India for the railway projects in Sri Lanka. The

two leaders directed that the relevant agreements

on the lines of credit for requisite amounts be concluded

within two months, so that there is no delay

in the commencement of the projects.

In addition, with a view to restoring physical and

cultural infrastructure and promoting normalcy in

northern Sri Lanka, it was also agreed that India

would extend assistance for the rehabilitation of

Palaly Airport andKankesanthurai Harbour as also

help in renovating the Duraiappah Stadium and

constructing a Cultural Centre in Jaffna.

Both leaders welcomed the involvement of Self

Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in addressing

the issue of rehabilitation of war widows

and witnessed the signing of the MoU on Setting

Up ofWomen's Trade Facilitation Centre and Community

Learning Centre at Batticaloa.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the progress

of work on the Colombo-Matara railway line being

constructedwith Indian assistance, and directed

that the project be completed in a timely manner.

MoU on Small Development

Project Scheme

The Prime Minister of India and the President of

Sri Lanka reiterated their mutual commitment to

substantially enhance the range and depth of the

India-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship including

through greater economic integration, enhancing

connectivity and other linkages and closer developmental

cooperation.

In this context, both leaders agreed to revive the

Joint Commission mechanism and hold the next

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

meeting of the Joint Commission, co-chaired by

the two Ministers of External Affairs, in the second

half of 2010 in order to devise a fuller agenda

of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Both leaders agreed to promote dialogue on security

and defence issues of relevance to their bilateral

relationship, and enhance high-level military

exchanges and training ofmilitary personnel aswell

as impart additional training in Indian institutions

for the newly recruited police personnel. They

agreed to institute an annual defence dialogue between

the two governments.

Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms

andmanifestations. They also agreed to strengthen

the security and legal framework of their bilateral

relationship. To this end, the leaderswitnessed the

signing of the following Agreements:

i. Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal

Matters; and

ii. Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.

Both leaders underlined their desire for closer economic

integration to achieve the shared goals of

alleviating poverty, creating wealth and bringing

about progress and prosperity for the people of the

two countries. In this context, they agreed to cooperate

closely to nurture a favourable environment

to forge closer economic and trade linkages.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction that bilateral

trade, despite the downturn in 2009 as a result of

the global economic slowdown, was already beginning

to show a healthy recovery.

Recognizing the considerable benefits fromgreater

economic cooperation between the two countries,

the two Leaders noted the progress achieved under

the India - Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement.

They agreed that it would be timely to build on

this achievement through a more comprehensive

framework of economic cooperation, best suited

to the two countries. In this context, they directed

the concerned officials of the two countries to hold

intensive consultations towards developing a

framework for sustainable economic partnership

between the two countries and addressing outstanding

issues.

The two leaders also agreed to launch a CEOs Forum

to involve the public and private sectors in a

dialogue to generate ideas to deepen and broaden

the bilateral economic relationship in all its aspects

and to help chart the future course of business and

trade interaction between the two countries.

The Prime Minister of India and the President of

Sri Lanka agreed that there was great potential for

the further and rapid expansion of bilateral agricultural

cooperation and collaboration in livestock

development between the two countries. They

noted that the MoU for Scientific and Technical

cooperation between the Indian Council of Agriculture

Research and the Sri Lanka Council for

Agriculture Research Policy had yielded sound

results, including in human resource development.

They agreed that collaborative research and development

programmes in areas such as livestock,

biotechnology, the design and manufacture of agricultural

and farm machinery and equipment,

hybrid seed development and post harvest processing

of perishable products, fruits and vegetables

would further contribute to agricultural cooperation.

The concerned authorities of the two countries

would also cooperate in the area of weather

forecasting. Towards this end, the two leaders resolved

that the two countries should finalize at the

earliest possible an Agreement providing for comprehensive

cooperation in Agriculture.

The two leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in

the energy sector. In this connection, they welcomed

greater cooperation between the public and

private sector entities and emphasised the need to

cooperate further.

The two leaders were briefed on the progress in

discussions between the National Thermal Power

Corporation of India and the Ceylon Electricity

Board of Sri Lanka on the establishment of a joint

venture for building a 500 MW coal-fired power

plant at Sampur (Trincomalee), incorporating en-

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

vironmentally friendly technologies,with the Government

of Sri Lanka providing the requisite infrastructure

support.

The concerned parties have agreed to complete

their discussions on the Joint Venture Agreement,

the Power Purchase Agreement, the Agreement

with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, the

Implementation Agreement and other relevant

arrangements within three months, so that the

work on the project can commence without delay.

The Sri Lankan side expressed its appreciation

for the further concessionary line of credit of US$

200 million afforded by the Government of India,

to enable the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its

commitments under the Implementation Agreement,

including with regard to the construction

of a jetty at Sampur and of transmission lines from

Sampur to Habarana as also the initial equity of

the Ceylon Electricity Board (under the Joint Venture

Agreement).

An agreement on conducting a feasibility study for

the interconnection of the Indian and Sri Lankan

electricity grids was also signed on this occasion.

The two leaders expressed their confidence that

the agreement wouldmake a significant contribution

to enhancing India-Sri Lanka cooperation in

the energy sector.

Recognising the need to speedily restore the traditional

links between the two countries, both leaders

agreed to resume the ferry services between

Colombo and Tuticorin and between Talaimannar

and Rameswaram. They directed their respective

officials to put in place the mechanisms to start

these services at an early date.

The two leaders agreed on establishing the Consulates

General of India in Jaffna and in Hambantota

to reinforce consular cooperation and friendly links

between the two countries. The PrimeMinister of

India welcomed in this regard Sri Lanka's interest

in establishing a further Post in India, in addition

to those in Chennai and in Mumbai functioning

under the High Commission in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister of India and the President of

Sri Lanka expressed satisfaction that the Joint Statement

on Fishing Arrangements of October 2008,

which sought to put in place practical arrangements

to deal with bonafide fishermen crossing the International

Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), had

led to a decrease in incidents. Both sides agreed to

explore ways to strengthen the safety and security

of fishermen and, in this context, directed their

respective officials to revive the meetings of the

bilateral Joint Working Group on Fishing. It was

also decided to enhance and promote contacts between

the fishermen's associations on both sides.

The President of Sri Lanka proposed discussions

on the matter of establishing a joint information

mechanism on the possibility of oil and gas fields

straddling the India Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary.

The PrimeMinister of India assured the President

of Sri Lanka that this proposal would receive

the Government of India's attention and the matter

could be discussed further between the two

sides.

Recognising that the shared cultural and

civilizational links provided the bedrock of bilateral

relations, the two leaders agreed that the

2600th year of the attainment of enlightenment

by Lord Buddha (Sambuddhatva Jayanthi) will be

commemorated through joint activities. They

notedwith appreciation that an International Buddhist

Conference will be organized in Kandy later

this year with the support of the Indian Council of

Cultural Relations.

Both leaders also welcomed the proposal for the

restoration of Tiruketheeswaramtemple atMannar

to be undertaken with the assistance of the Archaeological

Survey of India and the College of

Architecture and Sculpture, Mamallapuram, with

the involvement of the Department of Archaeology

of Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister of India and the President of

Sri Lanka also witnessed the signature of the

Programme for Cultural Cooperation for the period

2010-2013.

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

Recognising the immense potential that exists in

the two countries to tap knowledge as a key driver

of economic and social advancement, the two leaders

agreed that both countries should enhance links

in the educational sector as a core component of

their bilateral engagement. In this context, the two

leaders announced the launching of an "India-Sri

Lanka Knowledge Initiative".

Under this Initiative, the two leaders welcomed

the proposal of the University of Colombo to establish

a Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies

with the support of the Government of India.

The two leaders further welcomed the recent inauguration

in Kandy of the Sri Lanka-India Centre

for English Language Training (SLICELT) as

part of the President's Initiative on English and

Information Technology. A distance learning network

linking the English and Foreign Language

University, Hyderabad and SLICELT will be established

to enable training of master trainers and

teachers in Sri Lanka and upgrading their skills. It

was agreed to expand SLICELT further by establishing

provincial and regional centres with Indian

assistance.

The other elements of the

Knowledge Initiative

• India announced an expansion of its scholarship

programmes in Sri Lanka, including increasing

their numbers, introducing new scholarship

schemes, addressing special needs of Northern and

Eastern Sri Lanka and upcountry areas and ensuring

wider outreach throughout the country.

»

Both sides agreed to promote linkages between

Indian and Sri Lankan universities and institutions

of higher learning.

»

India responded positively to the request of Sri

Lanka to extend technical assistance to the Ten

Year Presidential Initiative to steer Sri Lanka towards

a Trilingual Society by 2020.

»

Both sides agreed to collaborate in the establishment

of a research institute on agriculture in

the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Both leaders agreed to promote the use of space

technology for a variety of societal services using

Indian satellites. For this purpose, the Indian side

will extend bandwidth to set up satellite-interactive

terminals in Sri Lanka.

Welcoming the growing connectivity between the

two countries, the two leaders called for greater

cooperation in tourism and promotion of peopleto-

people contacts, especially between the youth

of India and Sri Lanka.

The leaders reiterated the importance of continuing

to work together in the regional and international

fora given their increasing convergence of

views on a range of issues.

Recalling the deliberations at the 16th SAARC

Summit in Thimphu, the two leaders agreed to

work towards the full realization of the vision of

the Thimphu Silver Jubilee Declaration.

The two sides also agreed that current global challenges

require the reinvigoration of

multilateralism, including through the strengthening

of the UN system. In this context, Sri Lanka

reiterated its position that the UN Security Council

reform process should facilitate India's legitimate

claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security

Council and reaffirmed her support for the

candidature of India as a permanent member of an

expanded UN Security Council. Sri Lanka's support

to India's candidature for a non-permanent

seat on the UN Security Council for 2011-12 was

also reiterated.

Both leaders expressed their satisfaction at the

outcome of the State Visit by the President of Sri

Lanka to India, which provided further testimony

to the continuing excellent relations between the

two countries. The President of Sri Lanka also invited

the President of India and the Prime Minister

of India to pay early visits to Sri Lanka. The

invitations were accepted with appreciation.

Section -1 Article (India-Sri Lanka Relation)

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South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in

India on Jun 2-4 2010 to three-day state visit, accompanied

by a delegation of 200 prominent businessmen.

This was the first ever visit to India by

Zuma sincehis inauguration as SouthAfrica's president.

This was also his first trip to Asia.

South African President Jacob Zuma said it was

time to take trade ties with India to a higher level

after talks with PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh.

Zuma and Singh said they had discussed reform of

the UN Security Council and closer co-operation

on climate change and the global economy.

Zuma was accompanied by what he described as

the largest South African business delegation to

visit any country. The two countries trade about

six billion euros annually and Zuma said he wanted

that to grow to 8 billion euros by 2012.

Brazil, India and South Africa are pushing for a

more important role in international institutions

such as the International Monetary Fund and the

United Nations.

"We believe we cannot continue to be governed

by rules and regulations drawn up in the early or

mid 1940s," Zuma said. "The world has changed.

We need to change."

Zuma's visit comes amid reports that Indian mobile

phone groupReliance Communications is considering

a possible merger with South Africa's

MTN, Africa's largest cellular firm.

India-South Africa Relation

President Jacob Zuma arrives in India

Joint Declaration

The Prime Minister of India and the President of

South Africa reaffirmed the vitality of the India-

South Africa strategic partnership, based on their

commitment to a global order built upon the principles

of peace, justice and equality, upon the two

countries' shared history of solidarity and partnership

in the struggle against colonialism, imperialism

and apartheid and encouraged by the legacy

and stature of Mahatma Gandhi and former President

Nelson Mandela.

Both leaders underscored the importance of making

the strategic partnership more result oriented

and of greater direct benefit to the peoples of South

Africa and India. They emphasised their commitment

to cooperation towards raising the existing

level of friendship and partnership between South

Africa and India to even higher levels.

The leaders recalled the defining documents of the

South Africa - India relationship, the Red Fort

Declaration of 1996, the Joint Declaration of 2003

and the Tshwane Declaration of 2006, and expressed

satisfaction with the progress that had

taken place. Both leaders welcomed the continued

interaction between India and South Africa at

the highest political levels. Such interactions are

marked by an exceptional degree of cordiality,

understanding, mutual trust and confidence. They

expressed satisfaction at the consolidation of bilat-

By: Avadhesh Kumar Pandey

Section -1 Article (India-South Africa Relation)

eral relations and underscored that the visit of

President Zuma would contribute to consolidating

the practice of regular political-level consultations.

The leaders recognised that South Africa and India

draw their strength and inspiration from the

diverse, multi-cultural societies constituting their

respective nations; and stated that the best assurance

for continued peace and prosperity lies in the

adherence to democratic governance that is rooted

in respect for human dignity and the fundamental

rights of all people in accordance with their respective

Constitutions.

Recognising that since the establishment of bilateral

relations in November 1993, the two countries

had established a framework for cooperation

through bilateral and multilateral agreements and

Memoranda of Understanding. President Zuma and

Prime Minister Singh committed their Governments

to the fullest implementation of thesemilestones

of the bilateral relationship.

They noted with satisfaction the strengthening

of the growing partnership between the two

countries with the signing of the following bilateral

agreements / MoUs during the visit:

»

Air Services Agreement;

»

MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture

and Allied Sectors; and

»

MoU between the Diplomatic Academy of the

Department of International Relations and Cooperation

of South Africa and the Foreign Service

Institute of India.

They expressed satisfaction at increasing cultural

exchanges between the two countries and agreed

to further promote educational exchanges including

through University-to-University linkages.

President Zuma and Prime Minister Singh agreed

that amore extensive and active network of cooperation

in Science and Technology would be promoted

by the concerned Departments, which

would focus on cooperation between designated

agencies and specialised institutions. Towards this

end, the two leaders noted that the MOU for cooperation

in the field of Communications and Information

Technologies has expired in September

2009 and called for an early renewal of the MOU

and ameeting of The JointWorkingGroup to identify

projects for joint cooperation in the ICT sector.

Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of

strengthening relations under the aegis of the India-

South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission

(JMC) which affords both sides an opportunity to

address a range of bilateral, as well as multilateral

political and economic issues. They confirmed that

the 8th Session of the JMC will take place in Delhi

in 2010, allowing both sides to evaluate the implementation

of bilateral agreements and decisions

taken during the State Visit.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction the

progress recorded in developing a multi-faceted

strategic partnership. Theywelcomed the fact that

bilateral trade had grown to the extent that India

was now one of the top ten trading partners of

South Africa. The two leaders noted that there has

been a healthy growth in two-way investment

flows, which have increased substantially during

the past five years. The two leaders welcomed the

reconstitution of the India-South Africa CEOs'

Forum as an institutional mechanism for closer

business interaction with Government support.

They look forward to its first substantive meeting

in South Africa along with an India Show in August

2010.

In the area of economic cooperation, the leaders

underlined the need to utilise their respective

strengths to mutual advantage through greater

cooperation between respective business entities.

In this regard, they agreed that the focus should

be upon sectors such as infrastructure and manufacturing,

energy,mines andminerals, oil and natural

gas, banking and financial services, tourism,

pharmaceuticals, automobiles and auto components,

textiles and garments, fertilisers, information

technology, small andmediumenterprises and

forestry-based produce.

Section -1 Article (India-South Africa Relation)

The leaders urged Indian and South African industry

to work towards raising bilateral trade to

US $ 10 billion by the year 2012. They expressed

satisfaction at the significant increase in investment

flows in both directions, as businesses on both sides

recognised complementarities and benefited from

opportunities. In this context, the leaders

recognised that the vast latent potential in the relationship

was yet to be fully exploited.

In the regional context, President Zuma affirmed

the importance of India as a partner of the African

Union in the consolidation of peace and stability

in the Continent, through its contributions to

peacekeeping, and as a partner in the development

of Africa through its support for the objectives of

the New Partnership for Africa's Development

(NEPAD).

In addressing wider areas beyond the bilateral

realm, and in recognition of the historical and

civilisational links between the African continent

and India, the leaders committed themselves to

strengthening the India-Africa Forum and to the

advancement of the seven pillars of the Action Plan

of the Framework for Cooperation launched in

Delhi in March 2010. The Action Plan will intensify

India-Africa cooperation in various fields including

Commerce, Politics, Social Development

and Capacity Building; Science, Technology, Research

andDevelopment; Tourism; Infrastructure,

Energy and Environment andMedia and Communication.

With this inmind, the leaders undertook

to work even more closely to reinvigorate their

cooperation for Africa's development.

Both leaders acknowledged the increasing contribution

of their countries in Africa towards the

achievement of peace, security, stability, development

and economic prosperity. President Zuma

took special note of India's active participation in

all United Nations sponsored peace missions in

Africa, and the role it continues to play in peace

and security on the Continent. They noted the

progressmade in bilateral defence cooperation, and

underlined the need to expand cooperation in areas

of potentiality, such as military training and

cooperation in UN peacekeeping.

Recognising the importance of the strategic partnership,

the two leaders agreed on the need to expedite

the ongoing negotiations on the India-

Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) Preferential

Trade Agreement so as to provide a significant

incentive to business to exploremutually beneficial

commercial opportunities and contribute to

growing trade and investment relations.

The leaders recognised the importance of the

emerging economies of the South, the structural

changes taking place in the global economy and

the importance of strengthening trade and investment

relations with these new poles of economic

growth. They acknowledged that new economic

relationshipswill be based on the principles of partnership,

complementarity and mutual benefit.

The leaders expressed satisfaction at the outcome

of the 4th IBSA Summit in Brasilia on 15 April

2010. They reaffirmed the importance of IBSA as

an effective instrument for promoting closer cooperation

and coordination on global issues between

the three major and diverse democracies of

Africa, Asia and South America.

Both leaders reiterated their commitment to intensify

consultations and cooperation at multilateral

fora such as NAM, Commonwealth, G77+

China andG20. They share the view that developing

countries, need to have a greater voice and vote

in the international financial institutions. The two

leaders reaffirmed their commitment to increase

the voice, vote and representation of emerging and

developing economies, including those in Africa,

in the decision-making bodies of multilateral institutions.

The two Leaders emphasized the need for the reformof

the United Nations (UN) to render it more

democratic and consistent with the priorities of

the developing world. They emphasised that no

reform of the UN would be complete without the

reform of the UN Security Council, including an

expansion in both permanent and non-permanent

categories of membership, with increased participation

of developing countries in both, for the Security

Council to have the representativeness and

legitimacy it needs to face contemporary chal-

Section -1 Article (India-South Africa Relation)

lenges. The two leaders undertookmutual support

for their candidature for non-permanent Security

Council seats for 2011-2012.

The leaders reaffirmed that people must come first

in the formulation and implementation of public

policies, allowing for fair, equitable and sustainable

development. They considered this issue a

priority in the context of an increasingly globalized

world, in which the economic and financial

crisis, and the need for restructuring of the international

financial architecture directly affect the

welfare of people, particularly of vulnerable groups.

In this regard, they stressed the need to strengthen

social policies and to fight hunger and poverty,

especially in times of global economic crisis. The

leaders also reiterated the need to promote a jobintensive

recovery from the downturn and create

a framework for strong, sustainable and balanced

growth. Sustainable recovery and growth will also

depend on several factors such as enhanced investment

for infrastructure development, stable capital

flows to the developing markets, appropriate

macroeconomic adjustments, and avoiding complacency

in the area of financial sector reforms.

Financial inclusion will be a major determinant of

success.

The leaders stressed the need to reformthe Bretton

Woods Institutions to increase their effectiveness

and to enhance their accountability, credibility and

legitimacy. They underlined the importance for a

greater voice and participation by developing countries

in these institutions.

The two leaders stated that a positive outcome of

the Doha Round of trade talks within the World

Trade Organisation would be instrumental in economic

recovery, particularly in job creation, as international

trade has experienced its sharpest decline

in several decades. A development oriented,

balanced and successful conclusion of the Round

at an early date would bolster the credibility of

the multilateral trading system in the face of increased

protectionist pressures. The Leaders confirmed

their intention to continue to work to

strengthen the alliances of developing members

that have effectively changed the negotiating dynamic

in the World Trade Organisation, placing

developing countries, for the first time in the history

of the global trade system, at the centre of

the negotiations.

The leaders reiterated the unwavering commitment

of South Africa and India to the goal of the

complete elimination of nuclear weapons in a comprehensive,

universal, non-discriminatory and verifiablemanner

and urged immediate efforts towards

the realization of this goal. They reaffirmed the

inalienable right of all States to the peaceful application

of nuclear energy, consistent with their international

legal obligations.

The leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms

and manifestations, committed by whomever,

wherever and for whatever purposes, as it constitutes

one of the most serious threats to international

peace and security. President Zuma condemned

attacks in India that resulted in the loss of

innocent lives. The two leaders agreed on the need

for greater cooperation among States and regional

organizations in this regard. They emphasized the

urgent need to finalize the Comprehensive Convention

on International Terrorism, and called

upon all States to cooperate in resolving outstanding

issueswith the objective of an expeditious conclusion

of negotiations and adoption of this Convention.

They note that the fight against international

terrorism must be done with full respect to

the UN Charter and International Law.

The leaders reiterated the importance of a positive

result for the current climate change negotiations

at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th Conference of the

Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the

Kyoto Protocol, in Mexico. They stressed that the

result should be reached in an inclusive and transparent

manner, and should effectively address the

challenge of climate change, in accordance with

the principles of the UNFCCC, especially the principles

of equity and common but differentiated

responsibilities and respective capabilities. They

urged developed countries to take ambitious action

to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and

to provide adequate international financing and

transfer of technology to support the efforts of

Section -1 Article (India-South Africa Relation)

developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the

impact of climate change.

The leaders agreed towork closely together in the

field of sports cooperation and on sharing experiences

on upcoming events such as the 2010 FIFA

SoccerWorld Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

They expressed confidence that this would form

the foundation for enhanced partnership in their

sporting relations.

The President of South Africa conveyed his deep

gratitude and appreciation to the President and

Prime Minister of India for the warm hospitality

extended to him and the members of his delegation

during the visit.

Bilateral Relations

The bilateral relations between the Republic of

India and the Republic of South Africa have grown

strong since the end of apartheid in South Africa

in 1994. Both nations have since developed close

strategic, cultural and economic ties.

India and South Africa also share an extensive energy

partnership. In 2010, India imported 1.4

tonnes of South African coal making it the largest

purchaser of coal from the country.

There is a major resident Indian community in

South Africa that made a significant contribution

to the struggle for civil rights; Indian leader Mahatma

Gandhi pioneered the non-violent civil disobedience

in the struggle of Indian people for civil

rights in the 1890s and 1900s.

Indians also contributed to the African National

Congress's struggle against the Apartheid regime.

The Indian government was an outspoken critic

of the apartheid-era South African government,

refusing to maintain diplomatic relations. India's

support evoked goodwill in South Africa and other

African countries.

Development of Bilateral

Relations

Both nations established diplomatic relations after

the end of apartheid in 1994. Bilateral trade grew

exponentially from USD 3 million in 1992-93 to

USD 4 billion in 2005-06, and the two governments

have targeted increasing bilateral trade to USD 12

billion by 2010. Gold bullion constitute one-third

of India's imports from South Africa, while India

polishes and processes diamonds from South African

mines. South Africa has promoted signing a

free trade agreement with India and the Southern

Africa Customs Union (SACU), which includes

Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland along

with South Africa. India and South Africa have

also developed military cooperation, trading arms

and joint exercises and programs to train forces.

South African leaderNelsonMandelawas awarded

the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize by the Indian

government. Both nations have also promoted

sporting ties,with the Indian national cricket team

and the South Africa national cricket team frequently

exchanging visits and participating in

cricket tournaments hosted by either nation.

IBSA

On June 6, 2003 India and South Africa signed an

agreement with Brazil, known as the Brasilia Declaration,

establishing "South-South" cooperation,

based on the premise of the three nations being

regional powers of South Asia, SouthernAfrica and

South America. The declaration called for extensive

tripartite cooperation on strategic, commercial

and cultural affairs, development of a tripartite

free trade agreement and a united front in negotiating

withWestern nations in theWorld Trade

Organization (WTO), calling for reformof the U.N.

Security Council and supporting each other's bid

for permanent membership with veto rights.

The IBSA Dialogue Forumwas created to promote

cooperation and consensus on issues of trade, poverty

alleviation, intellectual property rights, social

development, agriculture, climate change, culture,

Section -1 Article (India-South Africa Relation)

defence, education, energy, health-care, information society, science and technology, peaceful nuclear

energy, tourism and transport. The fourth summit was held in Brasilia. The three nations pledged to boost

trilateral trade to USD 15 billion by 2010. The three nations have also expanded military cooperation and

conducted joint naval exercises in 2008.

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Indian Badminton Star

Saina Nehwal

S

aina Nehwal, the poster

girl of Indian badminton,

dazzled at the Djarum Indonesia

Open Super Series, retained

the crown on Jun 27,

2010 and landed her third

title in the last 19 days.

Riding on her splendid form,

the Indian ace downed

Sayaka Sato of Japan 21-19,

13-21, 21-11 in the final to

cap a successful three weeks

which startedwith the Indian

OpenGrand Prix Gold title on

Jun 13, 2010.

The moment she won the championship point, Saina pumped her fist in delight, closed her eyes to quietly

celebrate the moment and slowly walked towards her opponent for the customary handshake.

Saina got off to a brisk start in the first game, securing a 9-4 lead. Sayaka fought back and led Saina at 16-

17. But the Hyderabadi girl won three consecutive points to move to 19-17. Though Sayaka managed to

save a game point, Saina was not to be denied for long.

In the second game, Sayaka looked like a different player. She started hitting the shuttle hard and ran

away to a 14-7 lead. The Japanese girl produced 14winners -most of them smashes - and rattled the Indian

before winning the second game emphatically.

But Saina regrouped quickly and changed tack to unsettle her opponent. The Indian concentrated on

keeping the shuttle in play without giving it much air and induced her opponent to the net. Themove paid

off. Sayaka started committing far toomany errors. Fiveminutes into the third game Saina was up 7-2. She

made it 15-9 and 18-10 before closing out the contest.

Saina has now trained her eyes on the World Championships to be held in Paris from Aug 23 to 29.

Contrary to expectations, this win will not improve her rankings as Saina only defended points she had

won by clinching the title last year.

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal (born March 17, 1990) is an Indian badminton player. Currently ranked number 3 in the

world by BadmintonWorld Federation, Saina is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals

at the Olympics and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships. Saina Nehwal

Section -2 Hot Topics (Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal)

scripted history on June 21, 2009, becoming the first Indian towin a Super Series tournament after clinching

the Indonesia Open with a stunning victory over higher-ranked Chinese Lin Wang in Jakarta. Saina

won her second career super series title by lifting the Singapore Open Super series title on June 20, 2010.

She completed a hat-trick in the same year by winning Indonesian Open on June 27,2010. This win

resulted in her rise to 3rd ranking. This remains her highest career ranking.

She is first Indian woman to win a super series tournament (equivalent to Grand slam in tennis) when she

annexed the 2009 Indonesia Super Series. Previously coached by S.M. Arif, a Dronacharya Awardwinner,

Saina is the reigning Indian national junior champion and is currently coached by Indonesian badminton

legend Atik Jauhari since August 2008, with the former All England champion and national coach Pullela

Gopichand being her mentor. Her professional career is managed by GloboSport.

Saina was born in Hisar, Haryana, India and has spent her entire life in city of Hyderabad, India. Her foray

into the world of badminton was influenced by her father Dr. Harvir Singh, a scientist at the Directorate

of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad and her mother Usha Nehwal, both of whom were former badminton

champions in Haryana.

Career Summary

Saina is the reigning Under-19 national champion. Also a regular in the senior circuit where she lost to

former India number one Aparna Popat, Saina created history by the winning the prestigious Asian Satellite

Badminton tournament (India Chapter) twice, becoming the first player to do so.

In 2006, Saina appeared on the global scene when she became the first Indian woman to win a 4-star

tournament, the Philippines Open. Entering the tournament as the 86th seed, Saina went on to stun

several top seeded players including number seed Huaiwen Xu before defeating Julia Xian Pei Wong of

Malaysia for the title. The same year also saw Saina as runner up at the 2006 BWFWorld Junior Championships,

where she lost a hard fought match against top seed ChineseWang Yihan. She did one better in

the 2008 by becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships by defeating

ninth seeded Japanese Sayaka Sato 21-9, 21-18.

She became the first Indian woman to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games when she upset

world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller. In the quarterfinals

Saina lost a nail biting 3-gamer to world number 16 Maria Kristin Yulianti. In September 2008, she

won the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open 2008 beating Li Ya Lydia Cheah of Malaysia 21-8 21-19. Maria

Yulianti had earlier lost her quarter-final match to Pia Bernadet, Saina's semi-final opponent, thus denying

Saina a rematch.

Saina has been named The Most Promising Player in 2008. She reached the world super series semifinals

in the month of December 2008 India's Saina Nehwal scaled a new high when she shot up three places to

World. No 3 in the latest rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (24th June 2010) Sania

become World No 3.

On 21 June 2009, she became the first Indian towin a BWF Super Series title, themost prominent badminton

series of the world by winning the Indonesia Open. She beat ChineseWang Lin in the final 12-21, 21-

18, 21-9. Saina onwinning the tournament said "I had been longing towin a super series tournament since

my quarter final appearance at the Olympics". Saina is on the par with the likes of Prakash Padukone and

her mentor Pullela Gopichand who both won the all England championships which are of similar status to

the super series.

Section -2 Hot Topics (Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal)

In August 2009 she reached the quarterfinals of

world championship losing to the second seed Lin

Wang. Saina Nehwal was rewarded with Arjuna

award in August, 2009 and her coach Gopichand

was also rewardedwith Dronacharya award at the

same time. Saina has been signed up by Olympic

Gold Quest to support her in fulfilling her dream

ofwinning theOlympic goldmedal. Saina has been

awarded with Padma Shri award in January 2010.

Saina is brand ambassador of Deccan Chargers, an

Indian Premier League team owned by Deccan

chronicle.

Her strategy, at the beginning of 2010, was to ignore

ranking points and focus her energies on premier

tournaments. That seems to be working as

she has won three titles (including two in India),

and has reached the semis of two majors. With

the World Championships, Commonwealth and

Asian Games coming up, her preparation couldn't

have been better.

Points To Be Remember

Saina successfully lead IndianWomen Teamto the

Uber Cup finals, winning all her matches as of

March 5, 2010.

Saina became the first IndianWoman to reach the

semi finals of 2010 All-England Super Series before

losing to eventual champion Tine Rasmussen.

Top seeded Saina reached the semifinals of Yonex

Sunrise Badminton Asia Championships 2010 losing

out to unseeded eventual champion Li Xuerui

of China. Saina's Coach Gopichand advised her not

to take too much pressure due to the home crowd

support.

Saina wins the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold 2010,

beating Mew ChooWong of Malaysia in the final

and thus justifying her billing as top seed in the

tournament. She won a prize money of $8,280 for

winning this BWF Grand prix gold tournament.

Saina Nehwal, again seeded no. 1 in the Singapore

Open Super Series 2010, entered the finals defeatingWorld

champion Lu Lan of China (updated on

06/20/2010)

Saina won the second Super Series title of her career

by beating qualifier Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese

Taipei in the final of the Singapore Open 21-18,

21-15. But the fact that she won the tournament

in the absence of all the top 5 ranked players (who

all happen to be chinese), takes a little sheen away

from her path breaking victory. Saina won a prize

money of $18,750 for winning this BWF Super

Series tournament.

Saina has reached a career high of world no. 3 in

the women's singles badmintonworld rankings on

24 June 2010.

Saina defended her Indonesia Open super series

title in three tough games against Sayako Sato of

Japan, 21-19 / 13-21 / 21-11.This is her third super

series title and her third successive title following

wins at Indian open, Singapore Super series. She

again won the top prizemoney of $18,750 forwinning

this BWF Super Series tournament.

Section -2 Hot Topics (Indian Badminton Star Saina Nehwal)

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(FREE BOOK) INDIA 2010 - Most concise

guide for India General Studies

On a two-day visit to Pakistan to attend the SAARC

summit, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram

held crucial meetings with his Pakistani counterpart

Rehman Malik and Foreign Minister Shah

Mahmood Qureshi.

Coming out of denial, Pakistan said on Jun 26, 2010

that it will act against the Taliban and terror groups

based in its Punjab province. Pakistan Foreign

Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that his

meeting with Indian Home Minister P

Chidambaram was positive.

He said that both sides have agreed to the meeting

between the Intelligence chiefs of the two countries

and that it was a positive development.

Other than that, Qureshi also said that Pakistan

has no problemhanding over voice samples of those

who India accuses of perpetrating the 26/11

Mumbai attacks.

And, although themeeting between Chidambaram

and Malik may have been tough on substance, it

was cordial enough to leave room for speculation

that they could have another bilateral exchange

before he leaves for India.

Bilateral Relations

Indo-Pakistani relations are grounded in the political,

geographic, cultural, and economic links

between the Republic of India and the Islamic

Republic of Pakistan the two largest countries of

India-Pak Agree To

Share Intelligence Report

South Asia. The two countries sharemuch of their

common geographic location, but differ starkly in

religious demographics. India is a secular country

with Hindu majority at about 80% of the total

population andMuslims being the largest religious

minority with about 13% of the population. Pakistan,

on the other hand, is an Islamic country with

97% population being Muslim, and only about

1.8% Hindus. Diplomatic relations between the

two are defined by the history of the violent partition

of British India into these two states, and numerous

military conflicts and territorial disputes

thereafter.

Much of South Asia came under direct control of

Great Britain in the late 18th century. The British

Raj over the Indian subcontinent lasted for almost

150 years. 95% of the people living in South Asia

practised either Hinduism or Islam. The Muslim

League, headed by Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali

Jinnah, proposed the Two Nation Theory in the

early 20th century. According to the theory,Muslims

and others shared little in common, and British

India should be divided into two separate countries,

one for the Muslims and the other for the

Hindu majority, which he feared would suppress

the Muslim minority.

The campaign gained momentum in early 1940s

and by the end of World War II, British India's

partition looked inevitable. The Partition of India

in 1947 created two large countries independent

from Britain: Pakistan as two wings in the East

andWest, separated by India in the middle. Soon

after Independence, India and Pakistan established diplomatic relations. Subsequent years were marked

by bitter periodic conflict, and the nations went to war four times. The war in 1971 ended in defeat and

another partition of Pakistan. The eastern wing split off as a new country named Bangladesh, while the

western wing continued as Pakistan.

There have been some improvements in relations since the mid-2000s. Most notably, Pakistan released an

Indian man accused of being a spy in 2008: he had been detained since 1975. But relations soured slightly

after the 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks by an alleged group partially consisting of Pakistani based militants.

Section -2 Hot Topics (India-Pak Agree To Share Intelligence Report)

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National News

Rohtang Tunnel

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is also heading

the National Advisory Council, on June 28 laid

the foundation of the 8.8-km-long Rohtang tunnel

at Dhundi near the famous tourist resort of

Manali.

The tunnel would provide all-weather connectivity

for the civilians and armed forces personnel and

an alternative link to the residents living on the

border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu

Kashmir.

The idea of the tunnelwas conceived by late Rajiv

Gandhi and even the former PrimeMinister, Atal

Bihari Vajpayee, during his regime, inaugurated

the approach road to the tunnel site fromthe South

Portal.

The idea of constructing a tunnel beneath the

Rohtang Pass at 13,000 feet was envisaged in 1983

and its construction received an impetus after the

Kargil conflict.

It was to bemade as an all-weather alternative strategic

route to Ladakh from Manali in Himachal

Pradesh.

Tunnel History :

On May 26, 2002, after the detailed

feasibility study in 1987, Mr. Vajpayee laid

the foundation of the access road to the tunnel

costing Rs.180 crore and the access road to south

portal tunnel site was completed in 2005.

About 18 avalanche protection structures have

been erected on it.

Current Affairs

The Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the

tunnel project in September 2009 at a cost of about

Rs.1,495 crore.

The tunnelling would be completed in 2015 and

that would reduce the distance between Manali

and Keylong by at least 48 km, said the BRO

sources.

More than six to seven feet of snow is reported

from the high altitude (13,044 ft.) Rohtang Pass

during winter and it remains closed for six to eight

months.

Shinkula Pass tunnel

The BRO is also studying the feasibility of constructing

a tunnel beneath the Shinkula Pass

(15,920 ft.).

It has to conduct a feasibility study for construction

of a tunnel beneath this pass that would reduce

the present distance of 470 km between

Manali and Leh by 100 km.

Maoist Attack

Maoist rebels killed 26 police officers in an ambush

in central India in the latest of a series of

deadly strikes against security forces in month of

june.

The targeted group were returning from a roadopening

ceremony when they were attacked by a

large number of heavily armed militants.

The Maoists, who massacred 76 policemen in

Chhattisgarh in a similar assault in April, numbered

as many as 100 and opened fire with automatic

weapons from a hilltop.

The officers were surrounded in the ambush,

which took place in Dhodai, 300 kilometres (190

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

miles) south of the state capital Raipur, and they

fought back in a gun battle that lasted three hours.

The government launched a major offensive last

year to tackle the worsening left-wing insurgency,

but since then the Maoists have hit back -- triggering

widespread criticism of officials and politicians.

Maoist rebel groups have fought for decades

throughout east and central India against state and

government rule, drawing support from landless

tribal groups and farmers left behind by the

country's economic development.

Jharkhand Under

President's rule

In a move that was widely anticipated, the Centre

imposed President's rule in Jharkhand, after none

of themajor political players could cobble together

the numbers required to form a government. The

assembly had simultaneously been placed under

suspended animation.

This is the second time in two years that the state

has been put under President's rule. On January

19 last year, the Centre had imposed President's

Rule after the resignation of Mr Shibu Soren, who

suffered a humiliating defeat at the Tamar

byelection. Mr Soren was sworn in as the chief

minister for the third time on December 30 last

after the assembly elections. His government was

propped by BJP, AJSU and the JD(U).

Queen's baton for Commonwealth

Games

The Queen's baton for the 2010 Commonwealth

Games arrived in India from Pakistan on June 25

amid high security and a festive mood with singers

from both the countries performing at the

Attari border.

It marked the first big event on Indian soil for the

Games to be held in New Delhi in October.

Suresh Kalmadi, IndianOlympicAssociation (IOA)

president and chairman of organising committee

of Commonwealth Games-2010, other dignitaries

and leading sports personalities, including Delhi

ChiefMinister Sheila Dikshit, were present when

the baton was handed over by Pakistan Olympic

Association officials led by Lt. Gen Arif Hassan.

The Attari border checkpost, about 30 km from

Amritsar in Punjab, wore a colourful and festive

look despite tight security arrangements for the

baton arrival event. Popular song 'Chak de, India'

was played at the checkpost to welcome the baton.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the biggest

sporting extravaganza being hosted by India after

the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi.

Decks Cleared For First

Defence University

More than 40 years after it wasmooted, the Union

Cabinet, on May 13, 2010, gave its approval to set

up the nation's first defence university at Binola,

around 20 km from Gurgaon. It would aim at imparting

education on strategic challenges to armed

forces officials, bureaucrats, academicians, parliamentarians

and trainees at military academies.

To be established at an estimated Rs 300 crore, the

institute would come up on an area of about 200

acres. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked

for land acquisition. The existing defence educational

institutions like the National Defence College,

New Delhi, College of Defence Management,

Secunderabad, National Staff College,Wellington,

and National Defence Academy, Pune, would also

be affiliated to the INDU. At present, these institutions

are attached to various universities across

the country.

The proposed university, which would be fully

autonomous and constituted under an Act of Parliament,

would promote policy-oriented research

on all aspects of national security as part of the

strategic national policy-making. The university

was first mooted in 1967 and the matter was accorded

all seriousness after the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

The government had set up a Kargil Review Committee,

headed by strategic expert K.

Subrahmanyam, which had recommended establishment

of such a university to exclusively deal

with defence and strategicmatters. It will encourage

awareness of national security issues by reaching

out to scholars and an audience beyond the

official machinery.

No Law Practice Without

Clearing Exam

From September 2010, law graduates will have to

clear an entry-level exam to be eligible for legal

practice. In a widely anticipated move, the Bar

Council of India-the regulator for the legal profession-

has decided to implement its decision of

making aspiring lawyers walk the extra mile.

Till now, a law degree from a recognised university

or a law institute was the sole eligibility criterion

for getting registered as a lawyer.

No Lie Detector Tests: SC

In a verdict expected to weaken cases against terrorists,

other dreaded criminals and high-profile

offenders, the Supreme Court has cited "mental

privacy" to rule that police and other prosecuting

agencies cannot forcibly conduct lie detector

tests-narco-analysis, polygraph or brain electrical

activation profile (BEAP, popularly known as

brainmapping)-on accused, suspects orwitnesses.

"Compulsory administration of any of these techniques

is an unjustified intrusion into the mental

privacy of an individual. It would also amount to

cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment with regard

to the language of evolving international human

rights norms," a Bench comprising Chief Justice

K.G. Balakrishnan, R.V. Raveendran and J.M.

Panchal held.

Further, placing reliance on the results gathered

from these techniques would come into conflict

with the right to fair trial. "Invocations of a compelling

public interest cannot justify the dilution

of constitutional rights such as the right against

self-incrimination" guaranteed underArticle 20(3)

of the Constitution, the Bench said in the 251-page

verdict.

The apex court also observed that the scientific

validity of the techniques "has been questioned and

it is argued that their results are not entirely

reliable...empirical studies suggest that the druginduced

revelations need not necessarily be true".

The Bench said that before arriving at the conclusion

it also assessed the "tensions between the desirability

of efficient investigation and the preservation

of individual liberties" and the reasoning

that these techniques "are a softer alternative to

the regrettable and allegedly widespread use of

third degree methods by investigators".

At the end, the apex court made it clear that the

eight-point guidelines issued by the National Human

Rights Commission in 2000 for conducting

narco-analysis tests should be strictly adhered to.

Among the guidelines were: No lie detector tests

should be administered except on the basis of consent

of the accused. If the accused volunteers for a

lie detector test, he should be given access to a lawyer

and the physical, emotional and legal implication

of such a test should be explained to him by

the police and his lawyer. The consent should be

recorded before a judicial magistrate.

Ajmal Kasab Convicted of

26/11 attacks

On May 3, 2010, a Mumbai court found 22-yearold

Pakistani national, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab,

guilty of mass murder and waging war against India,

while acquitting two other accused, Fahim

Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed for want of evidence,

in the November 26, 2008 attacks on the

city. Kasab is the lone surviving gunman from the

attacks that killed 166 people. He has been given

the death sentence.

"It was not a simple act of murder. It was war,"

judge M.L. Tahiliyani said in a summary of the

1,522 page judgement. "This type of preparation is

notmade by ordinary criminals. This type of preparation

is made by those waging war."

The court also held 20 other accused, including

Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder Hafiz Saeed, its operations

chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Abu

Hamza, guilty of conspiracy.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

Economy News

CASA Deposits To Help Fix a

Lower Base Rate

India's largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has

set the benchmark for the banking industry by

pegging the base rate at 7.5%.

That should hardly worry skittish investors looking

at the impact the latest rate setting methodology

could have on the bottomline of lenders.What

should soothe investors is the fact that just 3% of

the bank's loans have been priced at below 7.5% a

clear indication that rejigging the loan book is

hardly a concern.

SBI is well positioned to fix the base rate relatively

low, given its high share of low-cost current and

savings bank account or CASA deposits.

The bank's share of CASA deposits at 47% is second

only to HDFC Bank. Thanks to this large base

of CASA deposits, SBI's cost of deposits aggregated

5.8% in FY10, which was one of the lowest in the

industry.

Few banks in the country can count for 30% of

their deposits being in the CASA category. This

primarily includes smaller banks, which have lower

CASA deposits. These banks have little choice but

to settle for a higher base rate, which is bound to

hobble them when up against competition.

SBI went on an deposit-mobilisation overdrive in

the first half of calendar year 2009. The bank raised

Rs 70,600 crore of deposits from December 2008

to June 2009.

However, it lent only Rs 39,500 crore during that

period. The drive was attributed to the fact that

the bank was hoping to grow its loan book at a

very high rate.

Since then, SBI has shed quite a bit of those high

cost deposits. Some analysts feel that the bank's

experience on the deposits front can actually be

positive in the long run, as it may prompt them to

bemore conservative in raising such resources. So,

approving loan with a negative 'carry' may not be

much of a worry.

The management does not foresee any problems

in maintaining its net interest margin the difference

between interest income and interest expenses

at close to 3%.

It is not yet clear as what impact the base rate will

have on the rates of other loans, such as education

loan, housing loan, vehicle loan and other consumer

loans. Again, the SBI management reckons

that the pricing of these loans may be either 25

basis points off the base rate.

Rs 67,000 Crore 3-G Bonanza

For Government

The bidding frenzy for third generation (3-G) spectrum

came to an end on May 19, 2010, with leading

operators Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications

and Aircel winning licences for 13 circles

each. This was the 34th day of the auction and it

saw the price of a pan-India, or nationwide, licence

touching Rs 16,828 crore, nearly five times its base

price. No single operator could garner enough cash

to win bids for all the 22 circles that went under

the hammer.

The government emerged as the biggest winner.

The sale of wireless airwaves wouldmake it richer

by at least Rs 67,719 crore, the double of what it

had targeted in the Union Budget 2010 and about

1 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

The proceeds from the sale of 3G and BWA spectrum

will together help the government plug its

fiscal deficit, projected at 5.5 per cent of GDP in

the Budget. The winning operators said if the government

allots themspectrumas promised, by September

1, they will be able to roll out 3G services

in four to six months.

Seventy per cent of the revenue for spectrum comes

from only six circles, while locations such asWest

Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Assamand Jammu and

Kashmir saw licences being awarded at virtually

the base price. The surprise package was Bihar

where the bids closed at Rs 203.46 crore, seven

times its base price.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

India Becomes Member of FATF

India has become a full fledged member of the financial

action task force (FATF), an inter-governmental

organisation which creates policies to combat

money laundering and terror financing.

India was granted the membership at the third

plenary meeting of FATF held in Amsterdam, the

Netherlands, from June 23 to 25. India is the 34th

country to join the organisation.

The FATF membership will help India coordinate

its efforts against money laundering and financing

of terrorism at the international level. The membership

is important for India as it seeks to be a

major player in international finance.

India will benefit in securing a more transparent

and stable financial system by ensuring that financial

institutions are not vulnerable to infiltration

or abuse by organized crime groups. India had become

an observer at FATF in 2006.

Ambani Brothers Sign

Gas Sale Pact

The revised deal, however, does not mention the

price, tenure of supply and the quantity of gas.

Meeting the six-week deadline set by the Supreme

Court, Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL), promoted

by Anil Ambani, today signed a revised gas

sale master agreement (GSMA) with Reliance Industries

(RIL), promoted by elder brotherMukesh

Ambani, for supply to the former's proposed power

plant at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, close to Delhi.

The revised GSMA is pursuant to the court's May

7 judgment, turning down RNRL's plea for cheap

gas fromRIL based on an earlier family agreement.

RNRL had sought 28 mscmd of gas for 17 years at

$2.34 permillion British thermal units (mBtu) from

RIL; the latter had declined to do so, citing later

government policy. SC struck down the RNRL

claim, saying the government was the owner of all

natural gas, nomatter who discovered it, andwould

have to approve any pricing and allocation.

At present, RIL is producing 60 million standard

cubic metres of gas per day (mscmd) of gas from

the KG-D6 basin (off Andhra), which has been allocated

according to the official gas utilisation

policy. The plan is to raise production to 80mscmd.

The government has already allotted up to 90

mscmd of gas from the D6 field in the Krishna-

Godavari basin for a period of five years.

RBI Measures To Boost Liquidity

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced

special measures to provide liquidity in the system,

whichmay face a cash crunch because of huge

outgo on third generation (3G) telecom spectrum

licences and payment of advance tax by companies.

On May 27, 2010, RBI allowed banks to avail of

additional support under the liquidity adjustment

facility (LAF). Till July 2, banks have been permitted

to avail of support of up to 0.5 per cent of their

net demand and time liabilities, which will provide

an additional liquidity support of over Rs

20,000 crore.

In addition, RBI said that as an ad hoc measure,

banks can seek a waiver for any shortfall in maintenance

of the prescribed 25 per cent statutory liquidity

ratio (SLR) while availing the temporary

facility.

OECD Warns Inflation Will

Remain High

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) has argued that the Reserve

Bank of India's (RBI's) process of raising policy interest

rates is "still very lowby historical standards".

In a global economic outlook report, the Parisbased

grouping warned: "With inflation remaining

elevated and the recovery appearing to have

taken root, there is a risk that price increases for

inputswill flowthrough to second-round increases

and that inflationary expectations will become

destabilised. To mitigate this risk, sizeable further

monetary tighteningwill be required through 2010

and into 2011."

OECD projected the inflation rate to be 7.7 per

cent in 2010 and 6.1 per cent in 2011. It expected

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

the consumer price index rise to be at 10.2 per cent

in 2010 and still hovering at 6.3 per cent in 2011.

The trade deficit has been projected at $80 billion

(imports of $405 billion) in 2010 and going up to

$101 billion (imports of $478 billion up 13.1 per

cent from 2010) in 2011 and real GDP growth in

2010 at 8.3 per cent and at 8.5 per cent in 2011.

OECD Chief Economist Pier Carlo Padoan said:

"The outlook for inflation remains themain downside

risk, especially if monsoonal rainfall is again

deficient. In that case, food inflation would likely

begin to risk anew.More generally, the strong state

of domestic demand could lead to persistently

higher inflation and an upward drift in inflationary

expectations."

Adding the context of anticipated deficit reduction

being underpinned on "expected revenue

growth, asset sales and somemoremodest taxmeasures",

Padoan added "the expected rebound in

agricultural activity should help limit further increase

in food prices, which have been a major

contributor to high inflation. However, underlying

inflationary pressures are likely to persist given

the strong outlook for demand. Timely policy action

to limit the scope for second-round price increases

is, therefore, required. Monetary policy

normalisation is also important in the light of relatively

modest fiscal consolidation".

National Water Mission Gets

Cabinet Nod

The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change

has approved the National Water Mission, focusing

onmakingwater conservation a peoples'movement

in the country.

PrimeMinisterManmohan Singh,who chaired the

meeting of the Council, highlighted the need to

create a general consciousness of the need to use

water in the most sustainable manner in view of

its scarcity and assess the impact of climate change

on water.

The Council felt that tomake theMission a peoples'

movement it was essential to make available all

data on water in the public domain, to be able to

mobilise citizens, local bodies and State governments

for focused action onwater conservation and

augmentation.

Members felt incentives should be provided for

using water in a sustainable manner and that the

Research and Development requirements of the

mission should be focused upon.

Water Mission is one of the eight missions in the

NationalAction Plan on Climate Change launched

by the PrimeMinister in 2009 to tackle the threats

of global warming.

The government has already launched Energy Efficient

and Solar Mission while a draft of Green

Mission has been prepared for public consultation.

Economic Growth Better Than

Expected

The Indian economy roared past estimates to post

a whopping growth rate of 8.6% in the January-

March quarter of 2010. The quarter's strong showing

also helped India end the fiscal year with 7.4%

growth, beating the earlier estimate of 7.2%.

Manufacturing led the way, with a whopping

16.3% growth in the quarter and 10.8% overall,

while even agriculture, which was expected to

decline, endedwithmarginal growth of 0.2%yearon-

year after growing 0.7% in Q4.

The GDP growth rate had slowed to 6.7% in 2008-

09 following the global economic crisis, after topping

9% in the previous three years.

The first quarter growth in the gross domestic

product (GDP) is better than expected. In February,

the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) had

estimated that the Indian economy would grow at

7.2%in 2009-10,with growth of 7.7%in the fourth

quarter. But the unexpectedly strong performance

in the fourth quarter helped boost the final figure

to 7.4%.

The fourth-quarter showing is particularly commendable

in the light of a sudden dip in the third

quarter to 6.5% from 8.6% in the second quarter

due to the impact of a drought-like situation in

the country.

China is the only large economy with a higher

growth rate at 11.9% in the January-March quar-

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

ter. The rest of the world is witnessing a fragile

recovery, which is now under threat due to the

brewing Euro-zone crisis. The sixteen developed

countries in the Euro-zone expanded by just 0.2%

in the quarter. At the same time, the Organisation

for Economic Cooperation and Development

(OECD)-a grouping of mostly developed countries

including Europe that account for over 60%

of the global economy-grew at only 0.7% in the

quarter, against 0.9% in the previous quarter. US

and Japan grew at 0.8% and 1.2%, respectively.

The 7.4% growth in 2009-10 also showed that

stimulus provided by government yielded results.

Science-Technology

& Environment

First male contraceptive pill

Researchers in Israel have finally been able to create

a oral pill that deactivates sperm before they

reach the womb. And they've developed a version

that means it only needs to be to be taken once

every three months.

The breakthrough pill could be available in as little

as three years, according to the scientist behind

the discovery. Unlike the jab form of the male pill

it doesn't use a combination of the male hormone

testosterone and the female hormone progesterone

to block pregnancy.

The scientist behind the male pill discovery has

developed a tablet that removes a vital protein in

spermthat is required for a woman to conceive. So

while sperm still get through to the uterus they

are unable to fertilise an egg.

Using this approach, researchers believe they have

a pill that is 100 pc effective at stopping pregnancy.

Not only is it long lasting but it also has other

pluses. There are no side effects as suffered by

women who take the contraceptive pill.

India Joins Next Generation

30m Telescope Project on

Mauna Kea

Indian astronomers will join a project to build the

Thirty Meter Telescope Project (TMT) on Mauna

Kea in Hawaii. TMT is the next-generation astronomical

observatory that is scheduled to begin scientific

operations in 2018 on Mauna Kea.

It has completed its 77 million dollar design-development

phase and has entered the early construction

phase after an additional 200million dollar

pledge.

India is well recognized and respected as one of

the top-ranking countries in the field of basic research

and Indiawill be an integral part of the next

generation of astronomical research as a part of

TMT.

The University of California, the California Institute

of Technology and the Association of Canadian

Universities are building the telescope for research

in astronomy.

The core technology of TMT will be a 30-meter

segmented primary mirror which, will give TMT

nine times the collecting area of today's largest

optical telescopes and three times sharper images.

The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

(NAOJ) joined TMT as a Collaborating Institution

in 2008 while its Chinese counterpart joined TMT

as an Observer in 2009.

Emissions Up, But Way Lower

Than US, China

Driven by higher industrial growth, energy production

and transport, an environment ministry

report says the annual GHG(greenhouse gas) emission

of India increased by around 58 per cent from

1994 to 2007, but per capita emissions were still

much less than those of US or China. Greenhouse

gas emissions per unit of the GDP, however, declined

by more than 30 per cent during 1994 and

2007, says the country's updated emission inventory

"India: Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2007".

The country's net GHG emissions in 2007 were

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

1.9 billion tonnes compared to 1.2 billion tonnes

in 1994. However against 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per

capita in 1994, the per capita GHG emission was

estimated to be 1.7 tonnes of CO2 in 2007.

Even though India is ranked fifth in aggregate GHG

emissions afterUS, China, the EuropeanUnion and

Russia in its contribution to globalwarming, emissions

of US and China are almost four times that of

India.

China and the US are the world's top emitters of

greenhouse gases and disagreement between the

two on slashing their carbon dioxide output was a

major cause of the failure of the UN-sponsored climate

change talks in 2009. At the Copenhagen

Summit, India announced its intent to further reduce

the emission intensity of the GDP by 20-25

per cent between 2005 and 2020 even as it pursues

the path of inclusive growth.

Light Combat Helicopter

Takes To Skies

The maiden flight of the indigenously manufactured

Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) on May 22,

2010, heralded India's entry into the select group

of countries capable of developing their own combat

helicopters.

The LCH, manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics

Limited is a dedicated attack helicopter

featuring a narrow fuselage and a tandem seating

for the pilot and co-pilot. Themachine is designed

for low detection (reduced visual, aural, radar and

infra-red signatures) and has crash-worthy landing

gear for better survivability. The hinge-less

rotors and the powerful Shakti engines enable the

easy manoeuvring of LCH even with weapons.

The other interesting feature of the LCH is the

chin-mounted canon along with the helmet

mounted sighting system, which gives the pilot the

capability to look and fire at targets around the

aircraft. An advanced sensor suite consisting of

CCD camera, forward looking infra-red imaging

technology and laser range finder facilitates target

acquisition in all weather conditions.

The helicopter would be fitted with a data link for

network-centric operations facilitating the transfer

of mission data to the other airborne platforms

and ground stations operating in the network, thus

facilitating the force multiplication.

With these features, the LCH is expected to play a

major role in air defence against slowmoving aerial

targets, destruction of enemy air defence operations,

escort to special heli-borne operations, support

of combat search and rescue operations, antitank

role and scout duties.

First Life-Form Made By Man

Scientists have created the world's first synthetic

life form in a landmark experiment that paves the

way for designer organisms that are built rather

than evolved.

The controversial feat, which has occupied 20 scientists

for more than 10 years at an estimated cost

of $40 million, was described by one researcher as

"a defining moment in biology".

Craig Venter, the pioneering US geneticist behind

the experiment, described the converted cell as "the

first self-replicating specieswe've had on the planet

whose parent is a computer." He said the achievement

heralds the dawn of a new era in which new

life ismade to benefit humanity, starting with bacteria

that churn out bio-fuels, soak up carbon dioxide

from the atmosphere and even manufacture

vaccines.

The new organism is based on an existing bacterium

that causes mastitis in goats, but at its core is

an entirely synthetic genome that was constructed

fromchemicals in the laboratory. The single-celled

organism has four "watermarks" written into its

DNA to identify it as synthetic and help trace its

descendants back to their creator, should they go

astray.

The teamnow plans to use the synthetic organism

towork out theminimumnumber of genes needed

for life to exist. From this, new micro-organisms

could be made by bolting on additional genes to

produce useful chemicals, break down pollutants,

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

or produce proteins for use in vaccines.

Most scientists agree Venter has achieved a technical

feat in synthesizing the largest piece of DNA

so far-a million units in length-and in making

it accurate enough to substitute for the cell's own

DNA.

The US President Barack Obama has asked the

White House bio-ethics commission to complete

a study of the issues raised by synthetic biology

within six months and report back to him on its

findings. He said the new development raised

"genuine concerns," though he did not specify

them further.

Indian Discovers New,

More Environmental Friendly

Technique To Extract Rare

Earth Minerals

Fears that China may end up ruling a green world

have been partly rested by a technological breakthrough

by an NRI scientist in the field of rare

earthmetals-key components of technologies that

are set to shape our future.

Bhagalpur-born Animesh Jha, a material sciences

professor at Leeds University and an alumnus of

Roorkee University and Indian Institute of Science,

Bangalore, has isolated significant quantities of rare

earth metals while refining low-grade titanium

dioxide-a common mineral.

In the process, he may have soothed the jangly

nerves of governments andmanufacturers of leading-

edge technologies around theworld-in a state

of uncertainty after China, which produces 95 per

cent of theworld's rare earth declared in 2009 that

it was sharply reducing its exports of the metals.

Rare earths-versatile metals that are really not

so rare-have come to dominate growing areas of

people's day-to-day lives around the world. From

laptop hard disks, iPod headphones and mobile

phone speakers to aerospace, defence, medicine,

laser, super-conductivity and atomic energy, rare

earth metals sparkle with endless promise.

Accelerated global attempts to forge a green future

too are tied to supplies of rare earth metals-

they make the strongest magnets on the planet,

which are then used in motors that drive wind

turbines as well as hybrid cars.

There are only 17 rare earth metals, and it is China

where they are mostly found.

It's not as if there are no substantial rare earth deposits

elsewhere around the world: far fromit. But

existing US mines shut down in the mid-1980s,

unable to compete with cheap Chinese exports,

with the supply chain eventuallymoving to China.

And opening new mines is a long and cumbersome

process.

There are also massive environmental concerns

over theway these metals have been extracted (by

acid leaching) in many of the mines. Inner

Mongolia, home to 75 per cent of China's reserves,

is said to resemble a desolate moonscape.

This is where Jha's breakthrough becomes important:

not only is it a potential alternative to Chinese

supplies, but by removing the need to scar

the earth for high grade titanium dioxide, it also

offers a clean solution that chimes inwith attempts

to combat climate change.

Working with half amillion pounds in the laboratories

of the Institute for Materials Research in

Leeds, Jha and his small team of researchers found

that they could extract rare earthmetals at the very

start of the titanium dioxide refining process.

Leeds University says the newprocess could "eventually

shift the balance of power in global supply,

breaking China's near monopoly."

If Jha succeeds in scaling up his process, it could

become a small but important step toward creating

a sustainable world.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands

For Final Time

On May 26, 2010, Atlantis and its six-man crew

landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center marking

the end of Atlantis' 25 years of service. Only

two shuttlemissions remain, by NASA's two other

spaceships.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

The space agency would like Atlantis to return to

the International Space Station in June 2011. But

that's not in the cards unless the White House

grants a reprieve.

The space station construction mission boosted

Atlantis' mileage to just over 193 million km, accumulated

over 32 flights. The shuttle and its astronauts

left the outpost bigger and more powerful,

adding a new compartment and fresh batteries.

India & World

Visit of President Patil To China

Indian President Pratibha Patil visited Beijing from

May 27, 2010. She is the first Indian Head of State

to visit China in a decade. She had been invited by

her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and her trip coincided

with the 60th anniversary of the establishment

of diplomatic relations between India and

China.

During her visit, Patil inaugurated China's first

Indian-style Buddhist temple in Luoyang city in

Henan province.

Skirting contentious issues, she held discussions

with the top Chinese leadership. Controversial issues

such as Chinese border incursions, stapled visas

for Kashmiris, Indian visas for Chinese telecom

companies and Sino-Pak ties did not figure in the

discussions. Patil sought Chinese support for New

Delhi's permanent membership of the UNSC during

talks. The Chinese leaders supported India's

aspirations for UNSC permanent seat and assured

the Indian leader that Beijing would back India's

bid in 2011's election for a non-permanent membership

of the UNSC.

Pakistan Withdraws Objection

To J-K Power Projects

In a significant development, Pakistan, onMay 30,

2010,withdrewits objection to construction of Uri-

II and Chutak hydel power projects in Jammu and

Kashmir. At the IndusWater Commissioner-level

talks in New Delhi, the Pakistani side said it had

no objection to the designs of the two power

projects after the Indian side provided details of

these.

Pakistan had earlier raised objections over the 240

MW Uri-II project being constructed on Jhelum

river in Kashmir valley and the 44 MW Chutak

plant being built on Suru, a tributary of Indus river

in Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir's Ladakh

province. Pakistan had claimed that the projects

would deprive it of its share of water.

India,Canada Sign Civil

Nuclear Agreement;Pledge

Coop Against Terror

India and Canada on Jun 28 signed the historic Civil

Nuclear Cooperation Agreement and decided to

expedite action on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation

Agreement (CEPA).

The two countries also signed threeMemorandum

of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in mining,

culture and higher education.

A joint statement issued after the talks said the

two countries had identified renewable energy,

clean technology and energy efficiency as other

priority areas of cooperation.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who held talks

with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper

here, said both the countries had reaffirmed the

resolve to achieve the annual bilateral trade target

of 15 billion Dollars within the next five years and

encourage two-way flow of investment.

Annual Bilateral Trade To 15

Billion Dollars By 2015

India and Canada have agreed to achieve an annual

bilateral trade target of 15 billion dollars by

2015 to encourage two-way flow of investments.

Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Stephen

Harper welcomed the submission of the report of

the Joint Study Group to study the feasibility of a

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

(CEPA), saying that it should be seen as an important

step in bringing the two economies closer together.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

Both leaders said that they have directed their officials

to examine the report and expedite the next

steps.

A joint statement issued after the bilateral meeting

said that the two leaders were committed to

expanding a range of activities and institutional

frameworks thatwill contribute to the shared goal

of increasing bilateral trade.

Both leaders also committed themselves through

the joint statement to take the next steps in the

Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Joint

Study Group on CEPA.

Welcoming the conclusions of the report in which

substantial potential economic gains have been

identified, the two leaders noted the recommendations

made and said the two countries would

examine the necessary processes for obtaining approvals

immediately and expressed the hope that

this would be completed by October this year.

Both PrimeMinisters'' also announced their commitment

to go ahead with an annual dialogue on

trade and investment at the commerce ministerial

level and also welcomed the possibility of holding

an India-Canada CEORoundtable later in the year.

Both Dr. Singh and Prime Minister Harper said

that they looked forward to the early signing, ratification

and implementation of the Social Security

Agreement, and also noted that the foreign investment

Promotion and Protection Agreement is under

negotiation and looked forward to its early

conclusion.

They said the signing of these two agreements

would significantly contribute to the commercial

and economic interaction between the two countries.

International

Affairs

Pakistan Censors Google,

YouTube and Yahoo

Pakistan has started to monitor the web for its

blasphemous content. Internet giants like Google,

Yahoo!, Amazon, Bing, Msnm and Hotmail have

come under the scrutiny of Pakistani authorities

for allowing online material that is offensive to

Muslims and the Muslim religion.

Under instructions from the Ministry of Information

Technology, the Authority beganmonitoring

and barring various sites as of 26 June, following a

ruling by a judge in the city of Bahawalpur against

YouTube and eight smaller websites deemed anti-

Islam.

If any particular link with offensive content appears

on these websites, the (link) shall be blocked

immediately without disturbing themainwebsite.

Pakistan claims that it ismonitoring theworldwide

web for national security reasons and that no major

search engine will be censored.

So far, 17 sites deemed anti-Islamand blasphemous

have been blocked, including

IslamExposed.blogspot.com, a blog created through

Google's own Blogger service. The site features

postings with headlines such as 'Islam: The Ultimate

Hypocrisy' and links to anti-Islamonline petitions.

Back in May, a top court put a ban on Facebook

amid anger over a webpage that encouraged users

to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

However, many young Muslim users of the social

networking site reacted negatively to the ban,

which was lifted after two weeks.

The government and the courts of Pakistan base

their decisions on the country's so-called 'Blasphemy

law', introduced 25 years ago by then

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

strongman Zia-ul-Haq. The 'law' imposes respect

for the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.

The Catholic Church has fought against the law

for many years because it victimises Muslims as

well as members of religious minorities.

G-20 Summit Concludes

The G-20 Summit concluded on Jun 28 in Toronto

with a commitment to taking concerted actions to

sustain global economic recovery process, create

jobs and achieve stronger, more sustainable and

balanced growth.

A Declaration issued after the conclusion of the

two-day brain-storming sessions said the actions

would be differentiated and tailored to national

circumstances.

With the global economy recovering but debt crisis

persisting in the Euro Zone, the G-20 countries

also called for striking a balance between stimulus

measures to sustain economic expansion and reduce

fiscal deficit.

The Summit also agreed to take different paths for

cutting budget deficits and making their banking

systems safer under the existing circumstances of

an uneven and fragile economic recovery in many

countries.

The leaders attending the Summit agreed that advanced

economies would aim at halving deficits

by 2013 and cut or stabilise the government debtto-

gross domestic product ratios by 2016.

India Already Has A Roadmap

To Halve The Deficit By 2013

The leaders also discussed ''growth-friendly'' fiscal

consolidation and said measures would have to

be ''tailored'' for individual country's conditions.

While recognising the special ''circumstances of

Japan,'' whose debt-to-GDP ratio is nearly 200

percent, the Summitwelcomed Tokyo's fiscal consolidation

plan and growth strategy.

The G-20 leaders also called for ''greater exchange

rate flexibility in some emerging markets,'' hinting

at their expectations for the Chinese yuan.

Referring to the Doha Round free trade talks, the

Declaration said the G-20 countries would aim at

bringing the talks to ''a balanced and ambitious

conclusion as soon as possible,'' effectively giving

up on their earlier aimto conclude it by the end of

this year.

The G-20 also expressed concern thatwhile on one

hand, growth was returning, the recovery, however,

was uneven and fragile and unemployment

in many countries remained at unacceptable levels.

The Declaration stressed the need for following

through on delivering existing stimulus planswhile

working to create the conditions for robust private

demand.

Asserting that corruption threatened the integrity

of markets, the G-20 agreed to set up a working

group to recommend how to fight corruption.

The G-20 nations also took note of the recent oil

spill in the Gulf of Mexico and called for sharing

best practices to protect the marine environment,

prevent accidents related to offshore exploration.

Hung House in Britain

After 36 Years

On May 7, 2010, Britain woke up to a hung Parliament,

an election outcome that this country last

experienced in 1974 when the then Prime Minister

Edward Heath tried and failed to persuade the

Liberal Party to join him in a coalition.

The Conservatives under David Cameron emerged

as the single largest party with 306 seats in the

650-member House of Commons, while Labour

bagged 258 and Lib Dems 57.

Eight NRIs won elections, four each from the

Labour Party and the Conservatives. Likewise four

Pakistani-origin MPs, Sadik Khan, Khalid

Mahmood, Anas Sarwar and a woman lawyer

Shabana Mahmood, were successful on behalf of

the Labour Party.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

The LibDems play an extremely important role in

the formation of the next government, although

they have not been able to attract asmany votes as

they hoped for. They were expecting to win more

than 100 seats, but they had to be satisfied with

less than 60. However, despite the poor show, they

still hold the trump card and are destined to play

the role of king-makers.

On May 11, Conservative leader David Cameron

(43), who favours a 'new special relationship'with

India, took charge as Britain's youngest PrimeMinister

in nearly 200 years, heading a coalition with

the support of centrist LibDems, and vowed to put

aside party differences and provide a strong and

decisive government. He made Liberal Democrats

leader Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister.

EU Steps To

Halt Economic Crisis

OnMay 10, 2010, European policymakers unveiled

an unprecedented loan package worth almost $1

trillion and a program of bond purchases to stop a

sovereign-debt crisis that threatened to shatter

confidence in the euro. Following the announcement,

stocks surged around the world, the Euro

strengthened and commodities rallied.

The 16 Euro nations agreed in a statement to offer

as much as 750 billion Euro ($962 billion), including

InternationalMonetary Fund backing, to countries

facing instability and the European Central

Bank said it will buy government and private debt.

The rescue package for Europe's sovereign debtors

came little more than a year after the waning of

the last crisis, caused by the US mortgage-market

collapse, which wreaked $1.8 trillion of global

credit losses and write-downs. UnderUS andAsian

pressure to stabilisemarkets, Europe's governments

bet their showof force would prevent a sovereigndebt

collapse andmuffled speculation the 11-yearold

Euro might break apart.

The new war chest would be used for countries

like Portugal or Spain in case their finances buckle.

Deficits are set to reach 8.5 percent of gross domestic

product in Portugal and 9.8 percent in Spain

in 2010, above the Euro region's 3 percent limit.

Both countries pledged "significant" additional

budget cuts in 2010 and 2011.

The vowto push budget shortfalls belowthe Euro's

3 percent limit echoes promises that have been

regularly broken ever since governments in 1999

set a three-year deadline for achieving balanced

budgets. The Euro region's overall deficit is forecast

at 6.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2010

and 6.1 percent in 2011.

Britain, the EU's third-largest economy, won't contribute

to a Euro rescue fund, though it backs efforts

to restore stability.

Now Spain Struggles

Spain's socialist government is seeing its political

power erode as it struggles to chart a path out of

deep financial trouble, failing so far to satisfy conflicting

demands to cut its budget and stimulate

job creation.

The coming months could bring far more problems

as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez

Zapatero reforms the country's labourmarket, risking

national strikes and the loss of support from

trade unions, a core source of his centre-left party's

strength.

Zapatero'sminority government is already running

into serious trouble, although there appears to be

no immediate threat of it falling.

A package of austeritymeasureswas passed by only

one vote in the Parliament's lower chamber onMay

27, 2010. Opposition parties have called for new

elections.

The austerity package aims to cut spending by Euro

15 billion ($18.4 billion) over two years by freezing

pensions and cutting civil servants' wages.

But investors and lenders such as the International

Monetary Fund are demanding that Spain reform

its labour market, overhauling hiring and firing

rules and moving to find jobs for the long-term

unemployed and the young.

Europe's top job creator only two years ago, Spain

nowhas the highest unemployment rate-just over

20 per cent-of the 16 nations that share the Euro

currency.

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

The resulting austerity package, nicknamed the

"scissors action" by Spanish media, was welcomed

by the European Union and the IMF, which said

Spain's "ambitious fiscal consolidation is underway

to reach the three percent GDP deficit target by

2013".

US Asks Pak, China To

Follow NSG Rule

The US administration has said that civil nuclear

cooperation between Pakistan and China must be

in compliance with rules of the Nuclear Suppliers

Group (NSG) if China proceeds with plans to set

up two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan.

China's decision to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan,

which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation

Treaty, is proving to be a litmus test for

President Barack Obama,who has championed the

cause of curbing the spread of nuclear technology.

China has helped Pakistan set up nuclear reactors

since 1991 when China National Nuclear Corporation

(CNNC) entered into a contract with the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) to

build Chashma-1, a 325 MWnuclear power reactor.

When it joined the NSG in 2004, China cited a

Sino-Pakistan framework agreement that committed

it to set up a second reactor, Chashma-2, for

Pakistan.

CNNC and PAEC have also worked out a deal to

set up two separate 650MWreactors-Chashma-

3 and Chashma-4.

Analysts say the Obama administration is reluctant

to press China on the matter in case Beijing

responds by dropping its tentative support for sanctions

on Iran.

NSG rules prohibit the sale of sensitive nuclear

technology and materials to nations that have not

joined the NuclearNon-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

and do not allow internationalmonitoring of their

nuclear activities.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of theArms ControlAssociation,

says the agreement between China

and Pakistan is "deeply troubling because we have

China engaging in civil nuclear trade with a country

that does not meet the requirements of the NSG

for such trade." He said the Obama administration

should insist at the NSG that the Chashma -3 and

-4 projects be discussed and it be determined that

they not be permitted.

Iran Ready For Nuke Fuel Swap

It's being regarded as amajor diplomatic coup that

could spell the beginning of the end of the isolation

of Iran from world affairs. On the sidelines of

the G-15 summit in May 2010, Iran dramatically

announced that it has arrivedwith Brazil and Turkey

a deal that could possibly break the nuclear

stalemate, stave off sanctions being contemplated

by the UN and the US against Iran and bring the

contentious issue back to the negotiating table.

Under the agreement Tehran will ship 1,200 kg of

low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey in exchange

for fuel for a research reactor. Turkey will

keep Iran's LEU and the IAEA and Iran can monitor

the fuel.

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Treaty regime (NPT) which had enabled it to

received nuclear technology for civilian use from

other NPT signatories, including the US in return

for committing that it would not be diverted or

misused for military purposes. In 2002, Iran was

discovered to have clandestinely set up a uranium

enrichment plant and a heavy water unit without

informing the IAEA. Since then major powers led

by the US have got the UN to impose severe sanctions

and refuses to lift them till Tehran's comes

clean and puts an end to all clandestine use.

Apart fromcurbs on banking and trade, heavy sanctions

had been imposed on some key public sector

enterprises of Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary

Guard Council, the striking arm of the current regime.

Currently Iran is estimated to have 1,500 kg of 3.5

per cent (low) enriched uranium. For running research

reactors like the Tehran facility for medical

purposes, the uranium needs to be medium enriched

to 20 per cent. According to a deal, Iran

would swap 1,200 kg of its stockpile of low-en-

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

riched uraniumin exchange for 120 kg of mediumenriched

uranium that is to be supplied by the

Vienna Group.

For making weapons grade material, uranium has

to be enriched to at least 90 per cent. At least 300

kg of this highly enriched uranium is needed to

develop an atom bomb. By keeping Iran's low enriched

uranium stockpiles to around 3,000 kg, the

world hopes that it would prevent it fromcrossing

the threshold of nuclear material needed to make

a bomb. Reacting to the Iran's dealwith Brazil and

Turkey, the US pointed out that Tehran's decision

to continue with some enrichment of nuclear fuel

is a direct violation of UN Security Council and

that the details of the agreementmust be conveyed

to the International Atomic Energy Agency before

it can be considered by the international community.

UK responded by saying that Iran's actions remain

a serious cause for concern. "There is a need for a

continued effort to impose sanctions."

EU responded by saying that "this is a right direction

but it does not answer all the concerns raised

over Iran's nuclear programme.

Tension Between Koreas

Escalates

On May 24, 2010, South Korea announced steps to

tighten the vice on the North's already stumbling

economy in punishment for sinking one of its navy

ships, with both sides stepping up their war-like

rhetoric.

The United States, which backs Seoul, warned that

the situation was "highly precarious". China, the

North's only major ally, urged calm. The mounting

tension followed report by international investigators

accusing the North of torpedoing the

Cheonan corvette in March 2010, killing 46 sailors

in one of the deadliest clashes between the two

since the 1950-53 KoreanWar.

The United States, which has 28,000 troops on the

peninsula, threw its full support behind South

Korea and said it was working hard to stop the

situation from escalating.

Few analysts believe either Korea would dare go

to war. The North's military is no match for the

technically superior South Korean and US forces.

And for the South, conflict would put investors to

flight.

Miscellaneous

First Indian To Sail Solo

Around The World

On May 22, 2010, Commander Dilip Donde of the

Indian Navy became the first Indian ever to circumnavigate

the globe solo on a sail-boat when he

steered into the Mumbai harbour after his arduous

effort spanning a little over nine months.

Commander Dilip Donde, who started the voyage

on August 19 2009 on INSVMhadei, touched base

back in India at the Sunk Rock Light House in

Mumbai. His boat was ceremonially escorted by a

fast attack craft of the Indian Navy, along with

speedboats and two tugs operating theirwater cannons.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, along with

Chief ofNaval Staff Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma

and Donde's family members, who were on board

INS Delhi, anchored at the finish line, witnessed

the historic moment and gave him a rousing reception.

The 56-foot-longMhadei,with 23-tonne displacement,

is the first fibreglass yacht constructed entirely

in India and boasts of state-of-the-art navigation

and communication equipment. The 276-

day voyage was part of the Navy's daunting Sagar

Parikrama project, which aims to revive the old

tradition of sea faring.

The 42-year-old officer covered 21,600 nautical

miles sailing in the seas to achieve the milestone.

He sailed through the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic

Ocean and the Arabian Sea. He also sailed along

the Equator. He made only four halts during the

voyage, at Fremantle-Australia, Christchurch-New

Zealand, Port Stanley-Falkland Islands and Cape

Town-South Africa. Donde had trained for the

expedition with legendary Sir Robin Knox-

Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

round the world in 1968-69.

The world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation

was set in January 2008 by Frenchman

Francis Joyon, at 67 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes

and 6 seconds.

Kapadia, Justice Sarosh Homi

He has been appointed as the 38th Chief Justice of

India. Hailing from a poor family, Justice Kapadia

replaced Justice Balakrishnan.

Born on September 29, 1947, he is the first CJI born

in post independence era. An erudite man with a

keen interest in Economics, Public Finance, Theoretical

Physics and Hindu and Buddhist philosophies,

he would remain at the helm of the judiciary

till September 29, 2012. He started his career

as a class IV employee and possesses integrity as

"the only asset".

Justice Kapadiawas part of the Constitution bench

that in January 2007 declared that laws placed

under the protective umbrella of the Ninth Schedule

of the Constitution were open to judicial review.

BRO Turns 50

Exactly 50 years ago, on May 5, 1960, with war

clouds gathering on the Sino-Indian border,

Jawaharlal Nehru created the Border Roads

Organisation (BRO), an inter-ministerial task force

that has become an Indian exemplar of grit and

fortitude. Thanks to over 48,000 kilometres of BRO

roads, soldiers now drive to far-flung border pickets

that earlier involved days of marching.

Since the time the BRO's first chief, the dashing

Major General KartarNath Dubey, pushed through

the first roads to Tawang and Chushul in the early

1960s, the BRO has become a reassuring presence

on India's borders. Every spring, it cuts through

walls of snow in high-altitude passes to clear 95

roads, like the Srinagar-Kargil highway. The BRO

is over-seeing the 8.8-km long Rohtang tunnel,

which will allow traffic to Lahaul-Spiti to flow

around the year. It has constructed 19 border airfields

and 400 major bridges. It is currently working

on 699 roads, having a total length of 28,000

km.

However, even on the BRO's Golden Jubilee, an

ambitious expansion of India's border road network

remains stymied by archaic laws and a crippling

lack of urgency. The challenge before the BRO-

triggered by China's dramatic expansion of road

and rail links in Tibet-is the Strategic Accelerated

Road Development Programme (SARDP)

planned by the Ministry of Road Transport and

Highways. Under this, the BRO will build doublelane

roads from each State capital in the northeast

to each of that State's district headquarters.

That involves building 38 roads, approximately

2,812 kmlong, within the next five years. In addition,

the government has recently handed the BRO

responsibility for the Arunachal Package, which

involves building another 812 km of roads in the

State that China calls "Southern Tibet".

Section -3 Current Relevant Facts

Badminton

Saina Wins

Indian Open Grand Prix

Top seed Saina Nehwal of India

rallied to beat Malaysian

Mew Choo Wong 20-22, 21-

14, 21-12 and win the Yonex-

Sunrise IndiaOpen Grand Prix

badminton tournament in

Chennai on June 13.

World No.6 Saina came back strongly in the title

clash after losing the first game and stepped up

the gas against the second-seeded Malaysian in the

next two games, with the home crowd cheering

for her.

Saina Clinches Super Series

Singapore Title

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal clinched the

second Super Series title of her career by winning

the Singapore Openwith a straight-game triumph

over qualifier Tzu Ying Tai in the finals in

Singapore on June 20.

Saina took just 33minutes to beat Chinese Taipei's

Tai 21-18 21-15 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The world number six had bagged her maiden Super

Series title in June last year when she claimed

the top honours at the Indonesian Open.

Saina Nehwal Now World No.3

India's Saina Nehwal scaled a new high when she

shot up three places to World. No 3 in the latest

Sports World

rankings released by the Badminton World Federation.

Saina won back-to-back titles India Open Grand

Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series and

marched ahead of three Chinese players in the

women's singles charts for her career-best ranking.

The fiercely competitive 20-year-old, who has

taken on China's domination in the sport, quite

like Prakash Padukone in his heydays, now finds

herself amidst a riot of red Chinense flags. Saina is

the lone non-Chinese player in the top six list.

China's YihanWang tops the list followed by Xin

Wang. Saina pushed behind ShixianWang,Wang

Lin and Jiang Yanjiao, who all went down by one

place.

Saina's previous best was the fifth position she attained

in March after becoming the first Indian

woman to reach the semifinals of All England Super

Series Championships.

Saina is a strong favourite for a third title in three

weeks as she advanced to the quarterfinals of the

IndonesianOpen Super Series in Jakarta going past

Bulgaria's Petya Nedelcheva 21-9, 21-15.

The Indian, who is the top seed and the defending

champion at the IndonesianOpen, hasmany firsts

to her name since making a stellar start to her international

career bywinning the PhilipinnesOpen

in 2006. She is the first Indianwoman to reach the

quarterfinals of the Beijing olympics, besides winning

two Super Series events, and also the first

Indian towin theWorld Junior Badminton Championships

in 2008.

Aditi Mutatkar is the next Indian in the women's

singles rankings, climbing one spot to 32nd place.

Section -4 (SPORTS)

In themen's chart, ChetanAnand is the top-ranked

Idian at 16. Parupalli Kashyap, who made it to the

semifinal of the Singapore Open Super Series, improved

his ranking to 27, jumping five places.

Arvind Bhat went up two places to 28 while

Gurusaidutt moved to 44, jumping eight places.

Super Saina Shines Supreme

Saina Nehwal, the poster girl of Indian badminton,

dazzled at the Djarum Indonesia Open Super

Series, retained the crown on Jun 27, 2010 and

landed her third title in the last 19 days.

Riding on her splendid form, the Indian ace

downed Sayaka Sato of Japan 21-19, 13-21, 21-11

in the final to cap a successful three weeks which

startedwith the Indian OpenGrand Prix Gold title

on the second Sunday of June.

The moment she won the championship point,

Saina pumped her fist in delight, closed her eyes

to quietly celebrate themoment and slowlywalked

towards her opponent for the customary handshake.

Saina has now trained her eyes on the World

Championships to be held in Paris from Aug 23 to

29.

Tennis

Italy's Schiavone Won

French Open

Smiling Francesca Schiavone

made history for Italy as she defeated

Australian Samantha

Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to win the

French Open on June 5.

The 29-year-old from Milan is

the first Italian woman to lift a

Grand Slam trophy and is the first Italian player

overall to play a final at the majors since Adriano

Panatta won Paris in 1976.

Schiavone dominated on the clay against the seventh-

seeded Stosur, who reached the semi-finals a

year ago.

Schiavone, seeded 17th, and now 24-65 in her career

against Top 10 opponents, triumphed on the

first of four match points in the tie-breaker.

The best previous result at Roland Garros by an

Italianwoman was in 1954, when Silvia Lazzarino

lost a semi-final against Maureen Connolly.

The Italian will rise to a No 6 ranking according to

theWTA, taking over as top Italian. Schiavone was

playing the event for the tenth time.

Nadal Clinches Fifth French Title

Rafael Nadal clinched his fifth

French Open title by beating Robin

Soderling of Sweden 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

in the final in Paris on June 6.

The victory avenged the Spaniard's

defeat at Roland Garros last year

when he lost to Soderling in the

fourth round - his only defeat at an event where

he had won his 37 other matches.

Queen's Baton Arrives in India

The Queen's Baton Relay for

the 2010 Commonwealth

Games (CWG) arrived in India

from Pakistan via the

Wagah Border on on June 25.

The baton entered India at 9.30 a.m.

The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee

head, Suresh Kalmadi, received the baton from

his Pakistani counterpart, Lt General Syed Arif

Hassan.

The baton will cover most states and union territories,

travelling a distance of over 20,000 km, before

finally reaching New Delhi on September 30.

TheQueen''s Baton relay is a torch race symbolising

the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth

of nations. It carries a message from the head of

the Commonwealth of Nations, currently Queen

Elizabeth II of the UK.

Section -4 (SPORTS)

The baton has the ability to capture images and

sound as it travels throughout the nations of the

Commonwealth.With Global Positioning System

(GPS) technology, it can be tracked through exact

location.

Archery

India Win Gold

in World Cup Archery

The Indian troika of Rahul Banerjee,Mangal Singh

Champia and Jayanta Talukdar hit their arrows

with precision to ensure a recurve gold medal for

the country in the world cup Archery (stage II) on

June 10 I Antalya (Turkey). The Indians bettered

the United States 218-214 in the final.

The Indian trio proved too good for the Americans

and maintained the lead throughout the final

to win the first gold medal of the series.

India led 54-50 in the first end of six arrows to

take a commanding four point lead. In the second

end of six arrows, however, the Indians surrendered

three points (51-54) to be ahead by only one

point.

In the third end of six arrows, Banrejee and

Champia hit the bull's eye twice as the Indians finished

57-53 to open up an overall five point lead

162-157.

India went down by one point 56-57 in the final

end of six arrows, but won the contest 218-214.

In the PorecWorld Cup inMay, India had to settle

for a silver after going down to Italy.

Boxing

Asian Women's Championship

The AsianWomen's Championships were held in

Astana, Kazakhistan, in May 2010. Kazakhstan

topped the medals tally with eight gold medals.

China won themost medals in total-10, followed

Korea and India amassing eight medals each.

Chess

World Title, 2010

Viswanathan Anand held his nerve and focus better

than his opponent, Veselin Topalov, towin the

12th and final game to retain his World Championships

title.

The 40-year-old Indian beat the local man from

Bulgaria in the closing game with black pieces, to

emerge a 6.5-5.5 winner and seal his place as a

dominant player of his era.

Anand first won the world title in 2000 and held it

till 2002 when the chess world was still split. He

became the undisputed World champion in 2007

and then retained the title in 2008 when he beat

Vladimir Kramnik.

Section -4 (SPORTS)

Commonwealth Championship

Grandmaster R.R. Laxman clinched his career best

win and bagged the gold after beating GM Pablo

Lafuente of Argentina at the Parsvnath Commonwealth

Chess Championship.

In the open category, Grandmaster Maletin Pavel

of Russia signed peace with International Master

Lalith Babu on the top board towin the title. Both

Pavel and Laxman had nine points after 11 rounds,

but the former had the better tie-break record on

Bucholz count. The Russianwas not in contention

in the Commonwealth category.

In the women's category, D. Harika outwitted IM

Tania Sachdev on account of superior tie-break.

Cricket

T20 World Cup, 2010

Chasing a challenging target of 148 runs, England

defeated Australia by seven wickets towin the T20

World Cup. The tournament was held in West

Indies.

Australia's women held their nerves in a low-scoring

final as they beat New Zealand by three runs

to lift the Women's T20 World cup title.

West Indies-South Africa

One-Day series

South Africa defeated West Indies by 67 runs in

the thirdmatch towin the series. Theywent on to

win the fourth match also. South Africa beatWest

Indies by seven wickets.

England-Bangladesh Test series

England beat Bangladesh by five wickets in the

first Test of the series, played at Lords, to be oneup

in the two-Test series.

Football

Premier League

Chelsea has won the title by a single point. They

have swept back the trophy after four years.

Champions League, 2010

A goal in each half by Argentina striker Diego

Militi helped InterMilan overcome BayernMunich

2-0 in the Champions League final.

Hockey

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, 19th

India and South Korea were named joint champions

after the final match was abandoned following

heavy rains in Malaysia. For defending champions

India it was their fifth win, matching Australia,

while for Asian champions South Korea this

was their second title win; they had last won the

cup in 1996.

Section -4 (SPORTS)

Table Tennis

Ovtcharov And Hirano

Win Indian Open

Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Sayako Hirano

of Japan the men's and women's titles in the Indian

Open ITTF Pro Tour table tennis tournament

at the Yamuna Sports Complex in New Delhi

on june 20.

Top seed Ovtcharov, ranked 15, beat Korean Seo

HyunDeok 11-4, 11-9, 11-2, 11-5 in the finalwhile

Hirano got the better of Singaporean Yu Mengyu

11-7, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7.

Earlier, Ovtcharov, beat India's Sharath Kamal 11-

4, 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 in the semifinal.

Korea's Lee Sang Su and Seo Hyun Deok won the

men's doubles title beating Gao Ning and Yang Zi

of Singapore 13-11, 14-12, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-9.

In the women's doubles final, Chinese Cheng IChing

and Huang Yi-Hua defeated Li Jiao and Li

Jie of Netherlands 11-8, 12-14, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4,

11-6.

World Team Championship

Chinese fans were left in shock after their women

paddlers failed towin the gold medal at theWorld

Team Table Tennis Championships for the first

time since 1991.

The Chinese trio of Ding Ning, Liu Shiwen and

Guo Yan fell to their Singaporean counterparts 3-

1 in the final inMoscowas Singapore claimed their

first title in the event.

Wrestling

Sushil, Narshing Win Gold

in Asian Wrestling

Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar lived up

to his reputation as he bagged a gold in men's 66kg

freestyle in the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships

held at New Delhi. Narshing Yadavwon a

gold in the 74kg freestyle category.

Section -4 (SPORTS)

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AWARDS

Limca People of the Year

RahulDravid, Kiran Karnik new

Limca People of the

YearCricketer Rahul Dravid

and

IT czar Kiran Karnik were on a

list of Indian achievers named in

the Limca Books of Records,

2010, unveiled onJune 28 in three

languages.

The achievements covered a wide range of disciplines

ranging from physical feats, sports, creative

arts, environment, business and social interest

projects in 21 chapters with photographs.

The book launched in 1990 has 10,000 feats and

6,000 new records in this edition.

Six eminent Indians -- Anand Mahindra of

Mahindra and Mahindra; Rahul Dravid, former

captain of the Indian cricket team; Kiran Karnik,

former president of NASSCOM; Anjolie Ela

Menon, leading contemporary artist; Justice J.S.

Verma, former chief justice of India; and Lalitha

Regi, human rights activist -- and Shankar

Netralaya, leading non-profit eye care institution,

were declared Limca People of the Year.

The achievers of the year were chosen byMP H.K.

Dua and professor Dipankar Gupta. They were introduced

by host Barry O'Brien.

Bangalore-based scientist Ramesh Babu, the holder

of 39 Limca records since 1991 - the highest so far

- was presented two tickets for the FIFA world

cup final in South Africa to be played July 12.

The feats are amazing. Sample this: 10-year-old

Yash Mukhija, the youngest among three generations

of professional magicians has been performing

complex tricks blindfolded since he was twoand-

half years old.

Yash, who has 25 magic acts in his repertoire, can

cycle, play cricket, assemble toys and pass thread

through the eye of the needle blindfolded.

G. Lele of Pune has collected 40 letters from different

heads of states in a period of two months

betweenMarch and May 2009while formerUnion

minister Arjun Singh's biographer Vihsnu Rajoria

holds the record for the longest biography of the

politician in eight volumes. Such milestones are

galore, each more difficult than the other.

The publisher plans to host Limca Book of Records

Quiz across 100 schools in the country involving

3,500 students to promote knowledge and foster

the spirit of innovation.

National Technology

Award, 2010

A pioneer in processing rice bran oil, A.R. Sharma,

who comes from dusty town of Dhuri in Sangrur

district, has been honoured with the national

award by the Technology Development Board of

the Ministry of Science and Technology. Former

President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presented the

award-Rs 10 lakh and a trophy-to him.

Sharma is the chairman-cum-managing director of

the A.P. Organics (P) Ltd, a part of Rs 500-crore

A.P. Solvex Group of Companies. The group is the

largest producer of refined rice bran oil, a healthfriendly

cooking oil produced fromthe outer brown

layer of rice.

For the past over 50 years, the rice bran oil is being

used as a premium cooking oil in countries like

Section -5 (Awards)

Japan, Korea, China and Thailand. In Japan, it is

popularly known as "Heart Oil" because of its scientifically

proven cholesterol-lowering properties.

India is the second largest producer of paddy in

theworld, having potential to produce over 12 lakh

tonnes per annum of this healthy cooking oil. Unfortunately,

it is used in India more in producing

soaps and detergents than as a nutritious and

healthy cooking oil.

"Lost" Booker Prize

Late author J.G. Farrell

has been

honoured for his novel Troubles,

40 years after it was first published,

in an unusual take on

Britain'smost prestigious literary

award, the Booker Prize.

He scooped The Lost Booker

Prize, an award for books from

1970 which missed out the first

time around because of a rule

change in 1971. Previously the prize, which began

in 1969, was retrospective, meaning the 1970

award went to novels published the previous

year-but the 1971 prize went to those published

in 1971.

DHL and Blue Dart wins

Trusted Brand 2010 Awards

DHL, theworld's leading express and logistics company

and Blue Dart, South Asia's premier number

one express air and integrated transportation, distribution

and logistics Company, have once again

been voted as two of India'smost trusted brands in

the 'Airfreight/Courier Service' category at the

Annual Trusted BrandsAwards 2010 organized by

Reader's Digest. The Brands were recognized in

the midst of a gala ceremony held at Hotel ITC

Grand Central, Mumbai on 29th June, 2010.

DHL and Blue Dart have received the Gold Award

in India in recognition of their market-leading

positions and strong brand appeal. Continuing their

winning streak, this year's winmarks the 4th Gold

for DHL and 5th Gold for Blue Dart consecutively,

in India. DHL has also clinched the overall Gold

Award for Asia for the second year running, along

with six other Asian countries.

IOC issued 2010 Women

and Sport Awards

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued

the 2010 Women and Sport Awards to six

exceptional personalities who havemade a significant

difference to boosting the development, participation

and involvement of women and girls in

sport around the world.

The winners of the 2010 awards -

- five women and one man -- include

formerOlympic medallists,

sports leaders and political decision-

makers.

The IOC World Trophy went to

Erica Terpstra

of the Netherlands,

twice an Olympic medallist

in swimming.

Terpstra went on to serve sport after her athletics

career. As president of the Netherlands Olympic

Committee, she used her influence and position to

involve all members of Dutch society in sport and

to promote a tolerant and equal environment in

sports associations throughout the country.

The five Continental Trophies were won by

Germaine Manguet (Guinea) for Africa, Leslie

McDonald (Canada) for the Americas, Yuko

Arimori (Japan) for Asia, Grete Waitz (Norway)

for Europe and Susan Simcock (New Zealand) for

Oceania respectively.

Sangeet Natak awards for

Meina, Indu and

Shyamkanhai

Moirangthem Meina Singh in Nata Sankirtana,

Hanglem Indu Devi in Manipuri dance and

TakhellambamShyamkanhai Singh inWari Leeba

from Manipur were among 32 young artistes of

India selected for Ustad Bismillah Yuva Puraskar

Section -5 (Awards)

2009 of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National

Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.

Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse

money of Rs 25,000/-. The Ustad Bismillah Khan

Yuva Puraskar, given to artistes below the age of

35 years, was introduced in the year 2006 with

the objective of identifying and encouraging outstanding

young talents in diverse fields of performing

arts and giving them national recognition early

in their life, so that they may work with greater

commitment and dedication in their chosen fields.

Nine artistes includingMoirangthemMeina Singh

were selected in the field of music; eight artistes

including Hanglem Indu Devi in dance, eight in

theatre and seven including Takhellambam

Shyamkanhai Singh in traditional/ folk/tribal

dance/music/theatre and puppetry.

India Business Leader of the

Year award

Rana Kapoor, Founder/Managing

Director & CEO, YES BANK received

the India Business Leader

of the Year award at the Global

Indian BusinessMeeting hosted by

Horasis, an independent international

organization committed to

enacting visions for a sustainable

future and co-hosted by Federation

of Indian Chambers of Commerce

and Industry (FICCI) and the Spanish Government,

held in Madrid, Spain on June 21-22,

2010. The award was conferred in the presence of

Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce & Industry,

Government of India and the Crown Prince of

Spain, HRH Felipe de Borbón y Grecia.

This award has been given to Rana Kapoor for his

contribution to the Indian Banking sector in

architecting YES BANK, as a highly differentiated

institution with a strong development focus on

Sunrise sectors and Sustainability.

Rana Kapoor was recently appointed as the Honorary

Secretary of the Indian Banks' Association

(IBA), the apex Banking Association in India; and

Co-Chair of the IBA Committee on Agri Business

and Financial Inclusion. Also, He is a Member of

the Board of Directors of "Invest India", a joint

venture between the Department of Industrial

Policy & Promotion(DIPP),Ministry of Commerce

& Industry and FICCI. Kapoor has also been appointed

as aMember of the Board of Trade,Ministry

of Commerce.

Section -5 (Awards)

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Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional

systems at the molecular scale. This covers both

currentwork and concepts that aremore advanced.

In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the

projected ability to construct items from the bottom

up, using techniques and tools being developed

today to make complete, high performance

products.

Generally nanotechnology deals with structures

sized between 1 to 100 nanometer in at least one

dimension, and involves developing materials or

devices within that size.

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions

of conventional device physics to completely

new approaches based uponmolecular selfassembly,

from developing new materials with dimensions

on the nanoscale to investigating

whether we can directly control matter on the

atomic scale.

There has been much debate on the future implications

of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has

the potential to create many new materials and

devices with a vast range of applications, such as

in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy

production. On the other hand, nanotechnology

raises many of the same issues as with any introduction

of new technology, including concerns

about the toxicity and environmental impact of

nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global

economics, as well as speculation about various

doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led

to a debate among advocacy groups and governments

on whether special regulation of

nanotechnology is warranted.

Background

The first use of the concepts found in 'nano-technology'

(but pre-dating use of that name) was in

"There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," a talk

Civil Services Main Examination 2010

Special Study Package

(Nanotechnology)

given by physicist Richard Feynman at an American

Physical Society meeting at Caltech on December

29, 1959. Feynman described a process by

which the ability to manipulate individual atoms

and molecules might be developed, using one set

of precise tools to build and operate another proportionally

smaller set, and so on down to the

needed scale.

In the course of this, he noted, scaling issueswould

arise from the changing magnitude of various

physical phenomena: gravity would become less

important, surface tension and van der Waals attraction

would become increasingly more significant,

etc. This basic idea appeared plausible, and

exponential assembly enhances it with parallelism

to produce a useful quantity of end products.

The term"nanotechnology"was defined by Tokyo

Science University Professor Norio Taniguchi in a

1974 paper as follows: "'Nano-technology' mainly

consists of the processing of, separation, consolidation,

and deformation of materials by one atom

or by one molecule." In 2000, the United States

National Nanotechnology Initiative was founded

to coordinate Federal nanotechnology research and

development and is evaluated by the President's

Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Nanotechnology Applications

With nanotechnology, a large set of materials and

improved products rely on a change in the physical

properties when the feature sizes are shrunk.

Nanoparticles, for example, take advantage of their

dramatically increased surface area to volume ratio.

Their optical properties, e.g. fluorescence, become

a function of the particle diameter. When

brought into a bulk material, nanoparticles can

strongly influence themechanical properties of the

material, like stiffness or elasticity.

For example, traditional polymers can be reinforced

by nanoparticles resulting in novelmaterialswhich

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

can be used as lightweight replacements for metals.

Therefore, an increasing societal benefit of such

nanoparticles can be expected.

Such nanotechnologically enhancedmaterialswill

enable a weight reduction accompanied by an increase

in stability and improved functionality.

Practical nanotechnology is essentially the increasing

ability to manipulate (with precision) matter

on previously impossible scales, presenting possibilities

which many could never have imagined -

it therefore seems unsurprising that few areas of

human technology are exempt from the benefits

which nanotechnology could potentially bring.

Medicine

The biological and medical research communities

have exploited the unique properties of

nanomaterials for various applications (e.g., contrast

agents for cell imaging and therapeutics for

treating cancer). Terms such as biomedical

nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and

nanomedicine are used to describe this hybrid field.

Functionalities can be added to nanomaterials by

interfacing them with biological molecules or

structures.

The size of nanomaterials is similar to that ofmost

biological molecules and structures; therefore,

nanomaterials can be useful for both in vivo and

in vitro biomedical research and applications. Thus

far, the integration of nanomaterials with biology

has led to the development of diagnostic devices,

contrast agents, analytical tools, physical therapy

applications, and drug delivery vehicles.

Diagnostics

Nanotechnology-on-a-chip is onemore dimension

of lab-on-a-chip technology. Magnetic

nanoparticles, bound to a suitable antibody, are

used to label specific molecules, structures or microorganisms.

Gold nanoparticles taggedwith short

segments of DNA can be used for detection of genetic

sequence in a sample.Multicolor optical coding

for biological assays has been achieved by embedding

different-sized quantum dots into polymericmicrobeads.

Nanopore technology for analysis

of nucleic acids converts strings of nucleotides

directly into electronic signatures.

Drug Delivery

Nanotechnology has been a boom in medical field

by delivering drugs to specific cells using

nanoparticles. The overall drug consumption and

side-effects can be lowered significantly by depositing

the active agent in the morbid region only

and in no higher dose than needed. This highly

selective approach reduces costs and human suffering.

An example can be found in dendrimers

and nanoporous materials. Another example is to

use block co-polymers, which form micelles for

drug encapsulation. They could hold small drug

molecules transporting them to the desired location.

Another vision is based on small electromechanical

systems; NEMS are being investigated for the

active release of drugs. Some potentially important

applications include cancer treatment with

iron nanoparticles or gold shells. Atargeted or personalized

medicine reduces the drug consumption

and treatment expenses resulting in an overall societal

benefit by reducing the costs to the public

health system.

Nanotechnology is also opening up new opportunities

in implantable delivery systems, which are

often preferable to the use of injectable drugs, because

the latter frequently display first-order kinetics

(the blood concentration goes up rapidly,

but drops exponentially over time). This rapid rise

may cause difficulties with toxicity, and drug efficacy

can diminish as the drug concentration falls

below the targeted range.

Tissue Engineering

Nanotechnology can help to reproduce or to repair

damaged tissue. "Tissue engineering" makes

use of artificially stimulated cell proliferation by

using suitable nanomaterial-based scaffolds and

growth factors. Tissue engineering might replace

today's conventional treatments like organ transplants

or artificial implants. Advanced forms of tissue

engineering may lead to life extension.

For patientswith end-state organ failure, theremay

not be enough healthy cells for expansion and

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

transplantation into the ECM (extracellular matrix).

In this case, pluripotent stemcells are needed.

One potential source for these cells is iPS (induced

Pluripontent Stem cells); these are ordinary cells

fromthe patients own body that are reprogrammed

into a pluripotent state, and has the advantage of

avoiding rejection (and the potentially life-threatening

complications associated with immunosuppressive

treatments).

Another potential source of pluripotent cells is

from embryos, but this has two disadvantages: 1)

It requires that we solve the problem of cloning,

which is technically very difficult (especially preventing

abnormalities). 2) It requires the harvesting

of embryos.Given that each one of us was once

an embryo, this source is claimed by some to be

ethically problematic.

Chemistry And Environment

Chemical catalysis and filtration techniques are two

prominent examples where nanotechnology already

plays a role. The synthesis provides novel

materialswith tailored features and chemical properties:

for example, nanoparticles with a distinct

chemical surrounding (ligands), or specific optical

properties. In this sense, chemistry is indeed a basic

nanoscience. In a short-termperspective, chemistry

will provide novel "nanomaterials" and in the

long run, superior processes such as "self-assembly"

will enable energy and time preserving strategies.

In a sense, all chemical synthesis can be understood

in terms of nanotechnology, because of

its ability tomanufacture certainmolecules. Thus,

chemistry forms a base for nanotechnology providing

tailor-made molecules, polymers, etcetera,

as well as clusters and nanoparticles.

Catalysis

Chemical catalysis benefits especially from

nanoparticles, due to the extremely large surface

to volume ratio. The application potential of

nanoparticles in catalysis ranges from fuel cell to

catalytic converters and photocatalytic devices.

Catalysis is also important for the production of

chemicals.

Platinum nanoparticles are now being considered

in the next generation of automotive catalytic converters

because the very high surface area of

nanoparticles could reduce the amount of platinumrequired.

However, some concerns have been

raised due to experiments demonstrating that they

will spontaneously combust if methane is mixed

with the ambient air. Ongoing research at the Centre

National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

in Francemay resolve their true usefulness for catalytic

applications. Nanofiltration may come to be

an important application, although future research

must be careful to investigate possible toxicity.

Filtration

A strong influence of photochemistry on wastewater

treatment, air purification and energy storage

devices is to be expected.Mechanical or chemicalmethods

can be used for effective filtration techniques.

One class of filtration techniques is based

on the use of membranes with suitable hole sizes,

whereby the liquid is pressed through the membrane.

Nanoporous membranes are suitable for a

mechanical filtration with extremely small pores

smaller than 10 nm ("nanofiltration") and may be

composed of nanotubes. Nanofiltration is mainly

used for the removal of ions or the separation of

different fluids.

On a larger scale, the membrane filtration technique

is named ultrafiltration, which works down

to between 10 and 100 nm. One important field of

application for ultrafiltration is medical purposes

as can be found in renal dialysis. Magnetic

nanoparticles offer an effective and reliablemethod

to remove heavy metal contaminants from waste

water by making use of magnetic separation techniques.

Using nanoscale particles increases the efficiency

to absorb the contaminants and is comparatively

inexpensive compared to traditional precipitation

and filtration methods.

Some water-treatment devices incorporating

nanotechnology are already on the market, with

more in development. Low-cost nanostructured

separation membranes methods have been shown

to be effective in producing potable water in a recent

study.

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

Energy

The most advanced nanotechnology projects related

to energy are: storage, conversion, manufacturing

improvements by reducing materials and

process rates, energy saving (by better thermal insulation

for example), and enhanced renewable

energy sources.

Reduction of Energy

Consumption

A reduction of energy consumption can be reached

by better insulation systems, by the use of more

efficient lighting or combustion systems, and by

use of lighter and stronger materials in the transportation

sector. Currently used light bulbs only

convert approximately 5% of the electrical energy

into light. Nanotechnological approaches like lightemitting

diodes (LEDs) or quantum caged atoms

(QCAs) could lead to a strong reduction of energy

consumption for illumination.

Increasing the Efficiency of

Energy Production

Today's best solar cells have layers of several different

semiconductors stacked together to absorb

light at different energies but they still only manage

to use 40 percent of the Sun's energy. Commercially

available solar cells have much lower

efficiencies (15-20%). Nanotechnology could help

increase the efficiency of light conversion by using

nanostructures with a continuum of bandgaps.

The degree of efficiency of the internal combustion

engine is about 30-40% at the moment.

Nanotechnology could improve combustion by

designing specific catalysts with maximized surface

area. In 2005, scientists at the University of

Toronto developed a spray-on nanoparticle substance

that, when applied to a surface, instantly

transforms it into a solar collector.

More Environmentally Friendly

Energy Systems

An example for an environmentally friendly form

of energy is the use of fuel cells powered by hydrogen,

which is ideally produced by renewable

energies. Probably the most prominent

nanostructuredmaterial in fuel cells is the catalyst

consisting of carbon supported noble metal particles

with diameters of 1-5 nm. Suitablematerials

for hydrogen storage contain a large number of

small nanosized pores.

Therefore many nanostructured materials like

nanotubes, zeolites or alanates are under investigation.

Nanotechnology can contribute to the further

reduction of combustion engine pollutants by

nanoporous filters, which can clean the exhaust

mechanically, by catalytic converters based on

nanoscale noblemetal particles or by catalytic coatings

on cylinder walls and catalytic nanoparticles

as additive for fuels.

Recycling of Batteries

Because of the relatively low energy density of

batteries the operating time is limited and a replacement

or recharging is needed. The huge number

of spent batteries and accumulators represent

a disposal problem. The use of batterieswith higher

energy content or the use of rechargeable batteries

or supercapacitors with higher rate of recharging

using nanomaterials could be helpful for the

battery disposal problem.

Information and

Communication

Current high-technology production processes are

based on traditional top down strategies, where

nanotechnology has already been introduced silently.

The critical length scale of integrated circuits

is already at the nanoscale (50 nm and below)

regarding the gate length of transistors in

CPUs or DRAM devices.

Memory Storage

Electronicmemory designs in the past have largely

relied on the formation of transistors. However,

research into crossbar switch based electronics have

offered an alternative using reconfigurable interconnections

between vertical and horizontal wiring

arrays to create ultra high density memories.

Two leaders in this area are Nantero which has

developed a carbon nanotube based crossbar

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

memory called Nano-RAM and Hewlett-Packard

which has proposed the use of memristormaterial

as a future replacement of Flash memory.

Novel Semiconductor

Devices

An example of such novel devices is based on

spintronics.The dependence of the resistance of a

material (due to the spin of the electrons) on an

external field is called magnetoresistance. This effect

can be significantly amplified (GMR - Giant

Magneto-Resistance) for nanosized objects, for

example when two ferromagnetic layers are separated

by a nonmagnetic layer, which is several

nanometers thick (e.g. Co-Cu-Co).

The GMR effect has led to a strong increase in the

data storage density of hard disks and made the

gigabyte range possible. The so called tunneling

magnetoresistance (TMR) is very similar to GMR

and based on the spin dependent tunneling of electrons

through adjacent ferromagnetic layers. Both

GMR and TMR effects can be used to create a nonvolatile

main memory for computers, such as the

so called magnetic random access memory or

MRAM.

In 1999, the ultimate CMOS transistor developed

at the Laboratory for Electronics and Information

Technology in Grenoble, France, tested the limits

of the principles of the MOSFET transistor with a

diameter of 18 nm(approximately 70 atoms placed

side by side).

Novel Optoelectronic

Devices

In the modern communication technology traditional

analog electrical devices are increasingly

replaced by optical or optoelectronic devices due

to their enormous bandwidth and capacity, respectively.

Two promising examples are photonic crystals

and quantum dots. Photonic crystals are materials

with a periodic variation in the refractive

indexwith a lattice constant that is half the wavelength

of the light used.

They offer a selectable band gap for the propagation

of a certain wavelength, thus they resemble a

semiconductor, but for light or photons instead of

electrons. Quantum dots are nanoscaled objects,

which can be used, among many other things, for

the construction of lasers. The advantage of a quantum

dot laser over the traditional semiconductor

laser is that their emitted wavelength depends on

the diameter of the dot. Quantum dot lasers are

cheaper and offer a higher beamquality than conventional

laser diodes.

Displays

The production of displays with low energy consumption

could be accomplished using carbon

nanotubes (CNT). Carbon nanotubes are electrically

conductive and due to their small diameter

of several nanometers, they can be used as field

emitters with extremely high efficiency for field

emission displays (FED). The principle of operation

resembles that of the cathode ray tube, but

on a much smaller length scale.

Quantum Computers

Entirely newapproaches for computing exploit the

laws of quantum mechanics for novel quantum

computers, which enable the use of fast quantum

algorithms. The Quantum computer has quantum

bit memory space termed "Qubit" for several computations

at the same time. This facility may improve

the performance of the older systems.

Heavy Industry

An inevitable use of nanotechnology will be in

heavy industry.

Aerospace

Lighter and stronger materials will be of immense

use to aircraft manufacturers, leading to increased

performance. Spacecraft will also benefit, where

weight is a major factor. Nanotechnology would

help to reduce the size of equipment and thereby

decrease fuel-consumption required to get it airborne.

Hang glidermjs may be able to halve their weight

while increasing their strength and toughness

through the use of nanotech materials. Nanotech

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

is lowering the mass of supercapacitors that will

increasingly be used to give power to assistive electricalmotors

for launching hang gliders off flatland

to thermal-chasing altitudes.

Construction

Nanotechnology has the potential to make construction

faster, cheaper, safer, and more varied.

Automation of nanotechnology construction can

allow for the creation of structures from advanced

homes to massive skyscrapers much more quickly

and at much lower cost.

Refineries

Using nanotech applications, refineries producing

materials such as steel and aluminium will be able

to remove any impurities in thematerials they create.

Vehicle Manufacturers

Much like aerospace, lighter and stronger materialswill

be useful for creating vehicles that are both

faster and safer. Combustion engines will also benefit

from parts that are more hard-wearing and

more heat-resistant.

Consumer Goods

Nanotechnology is already impacting the field of

consumer goods, providing products with novel

functions ranging from easy-to-clean to scratchresistant.

Modern textiles are wrinkle-resistant and

stain-repellent; in the mid-term clothes will become

"smart", through embedded "wearable electronics".

Already in use are different nanoparticle

improved products. Especially in the field of cosmetics,

such novel products have a promising potential.

Foods

Complex set of engineering and scientific challenges

in the food and bioprocessing industry for

manufacturing high quality and safe food through

efficient and sustainable means can be solved

through nanotechnology. Bacteria identification

and food quality monitoring using biosensors; intelligent,

active, and smart food packaging systems;

nanoencapsulation of bioactive food compounds are

few examples of emerging applications of

nanotechnology for the food industry.

Nanotechnology can be applied in the production,

processing, safety and packaging of food. A

nanocomposite coating process could improve food

packaging by placing anti-microbial agents directly

on the surface of the coated film. Nanocomposites

could increase or decrease gas permeability of different

fillers as is needed for different products.

They can also improve the mechanical and heatresistance

properties and lower the oxygen transmission

rate. Research is being performed to apply

nanotechnology to the detection of chemical and

biological substances for sensanges in foods.

Nano-Foods

Newfoods are among the nanotechnology-created

consumer products coming onto themarket at the

rate of 3 to 4 perweek, according to the Project on

Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), based on an

inventory it has drawn up of 609 known or claimed

nano-products.

On PEN's list are three foods -- a brand of canola

cooking oil called Canola Active Oil, a tea called

Nanotea and a chocolate diet shake called

Nanoceuticals Slim Shake Chocolate.

Household

Themost prominent application of nanotechnology

in the household is self-cleaning or "easy-to-clean"

surfaces on ceramics or glasses. Nanoceramic particles

have improved the smoothness and heat resistance

of common household equipment such as

the flat iron.

Optics

The first sunglasses using protective and anti-reflective

ultrathin polymer coatings are on the market.

For optics, nanotechnology also offers scratch

resistant surface coatings based on nanocomposites.

Nano-optics could allow for an increase in precision

of pupil repair and other types of laser eye

surgery.

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

Textiles

The use of engineered nanofibers already makes clothes water- and stain-repellent or wrinkle-free. Textiles

with a nanotechnological finish can be washed less frequently and at lower temperatures.

Nanotechnology has been used to integrate tiny carbon particles membrane and guarantee full-surface

protection from electrostatic charges for the wearer. Many other applications have been developed by

research institutions such as the Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory at Cornell University

Cosmetics

One field of application is in sunscreens. The traditional chemical UV protection approach suffers from its

poor long-termstability. A sunscreen based onmineral nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide offer several

advantages. Titanium oxide nanoparticles have a comparable UV protection property as the bulk material,

but lose the cosmetically undesirable whitening as the particle size is decreased.

Agriculture

Applications of nanotechnology have the potential to change the entire agriculture sector and food industry

chain from production to conservation, processing, packaging, transportation, and even waste treatment.

NanoScience concepts and Nanotechnology applications have the potential to redesign the production

cycle, restructure the processing and conservation processes and redefine the food habits of the people.

Major Challenges related to agriculture like Low productivity in cultivable areas, Large uncultivable

areas,Shrinkage of cultivable lands, Wastage of inputs like water, fertilizers, pesticides, Wastage of products

and of course Food security for growing numbers can be addressed through various applications of

nanotechnology.

Section -6 (Special Study Package : CSE Mains 2010)

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