Today's GK(31-8-13)

Prasad Babu, AP Cop Selected For Ashok Chakra Posthumously

Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds inspector KLVSSNV Prasad Babu was named for the highest peace time gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra, posthumously on 15 August 2013.

It is the first time in Andhra Pradesh police and Greyhounds history that an officer was chosen for this award. Greyhounds is an elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh created to combat left-wing extremists.

Prasad Babu, 33, who was a native of Marturu village in Visakhapatnam district, was killed by Maoists in the forests of Chhattisgarh in April, 2013. Prasad had joined the police department as a sub-inspector in 2004 and was subsequently promoted as an inspector. His father Karanam Venkataramaiah is a retired constable.

Prasad Babu had played a crucial role in gunning down 10 Maoists in the encounter in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh in April 2013.

About Ashok Chakra

The Ashok Chakra is awarded for valor, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. It is the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice other than in the face of the enemy.

Gallantary Awards

The Ashoka Chakra series of gallantry awards are amongst the highest gallantry awards of the country. These awards are given in three categories viz. Ashoka Chakra (awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some act of daring or preeminent valour of self service), Kirti Chakra (awarded for conspicuous gallantry) and Shaurya Chakra (awarded for gallantry).

The awards are announced by the Government of India on the occasion of Republic Day and Independence Day every year.

Besides the Defence personnel, civilian citizens of either sex in all walks of life, and members of Police Forces, Central Para military Forces and Railway Protection Force are also eligible for these awards

Bharti Airtel conducted Field Trials to provide Cost-efficient 3 G Phone Services

Bharti Airtel on 29 August 2013 together with SoftBank Mobile successfully conducted field trials of a technology which provides cost-efficient 3G phone services using a communications satellite as a transmission line. The field trial was conducted in Kenya.

This technology is vital for the development of mobile phone networks in rural areas in Africa and other areas where commercialisation of such operations is tough.

The field trial in Kenya by Bharti Airtel and SoftBank Mobile confirmed technologies and methods for providing communication services using a communications satellite in rural areas at a low cost.

Bayern Munich won Super Cup 2013 after defeating Chelsea

Bayern Munich defeated Chelsea in the final at the Eden stadium in Prague on 30 August 2013 to win UEFA Super Cup 2013. The final was decided through a 5-4 penalty shoot-out which went in the favour of Bayern Munich. The match was evenly poised at 2-2 even after extra time.]

Bayern Munich had lost their 2012 Champions League final to Chelsea. Fernando Torres had given Chelsea the lead before Franck Ribery equalised. Eden Hazard restored Chelsea's lead. Bayern's Javi Martinez scored a dramatic 121st-minute equaliser to take the game to penalties.

David Alaba, Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Franck Ribéry and Xherdan Shaqiri scored penalties on behalf of Bayern Munich. Romelu Lukaku's failed to turn penalty into goal for Chelsea

Justice K.N.Basha Appointed as Chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Tribuna

Justice K.N Basha, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, took charge as the chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Tribunal on 28 August 2013. He was appointed by the Director of the Department of Industrial Policy And Promotion of The Union Ministry of Industry And Commerce.

About Justice K.N Basha

• Justice K.N Basha was born in May 1951 and he studied in Madras Christian College and finished his law degree in Madras Law College.
• He enrolled as advocate in 1976 and joined the office of senior advocate N T Vanamamalai.
• In 1985 he established independent practice as a civil and criminal lawyer.
•Justice K.N. Basha was appointed judge of the Madras high court on 10 December 2005, and he retired on 13 May 2013.

About Intellectual Property Appellate Board

Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) was constituted by the Union Government in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 15 September 2003 to hear appeals against the decisions of the Registrar under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has its headquarters at Chennai and holds sitting benches at Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

Federal Bank Limited Launched Electronic Version of Passbook Called FedBook

Kerala based Federal Bank Limited launched the electronic version of conventional passbook, called FedBook, on 30 August 2013. FedBook allows the customers to download it easily as well as also install this application on the smart devices such as smartphones.

Features of FedBook

• FedBook is easily downloadable.
• It can also be carried on the tablet computers or the smartphones.
• It enables the customers to easily view the transactions in various bank accounts online or offline for 24 hours a day.
• At present, the FedBook is only available on the Android operating system. The Federal Bank Limited unveiled that FedBook will also be available for other platforms.
• The FedBook application is very secure, user friendly as well as enables real-time access to the transactions, thereby freeing the customers from restrictions of the bank holidays or the business hours.
• The application FedBook also has the filter called “Search,” which enables the certain transactions or facility to tag the personalised remarks to their transactions.
• FedBook will enable banking become easier and handier and will also add the new dimension to net banking.

About the Federal Bank Limited

• Federal Bank Limited is the major commercial bank of India in the private sector.
• The headquarters of Federal Bank Limited are based at Aluva, Kochi, Kerala.
• It is the fourth largest commercial bank of India in terms of its capital base.

India and world

INDIA AND USA

India and the US 16 May 2013 decided to expand co-operation in knowledge sector. This was announced during a round table discussion on Advances in US-India Academic Partnership in Washington. It was also stated during the discussion that eight more awards finalized under the Singh-Obama Knowledge Initiative and it will be jointly announced during the forthcoming Indo-US strategic dialogue in New Delhi next month. Eight such awards were announced last year. He said there is a proposal to place young Indian faculty in best of US institutions to enhance their capabilities. Under this plan 126 post doctorals have been selected. India sought US co-operation in promoting skill building through community colleges. Touching upon the possibilities of a wide ranging co-operation in education sector between the two countries, the co-operation should be supportive in the field of ICT, digital world, promoting quality research and innovation and boosting vocational education system. 20 billion dollars of additional resources will be pumped in the state system to ensure access and excellence in tertiary education through National Higher Education Mission (RUSA in vernacular). The round table organised by the International Institute of Education at Washington discussed issues such as collaboration in the field of Community Colleges and promoting massive online courses and Technology Enabled Education. It also discussed students mobility, particularly encouraging US students to visit India. India and USA also discussed issued relating to improvement of school education, teacher educators, assessment of schools and community participation in school education.
USA Cleared Shale Gas Export to India
USA on 18 May 2013 granted conditional authorization to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with it. It opens up the prospects of export of shale gas to India. The decision was announced by Department of Energy in USA. The gas will be exported from Freeport Terminal on Quintana Island in Texas. The companies from nations like Japan, China and Britain have huge stake in the Texas company, Indian chances to benefit immediately from this grant of license are rare. India does not have a free trade agreement with the USA. But Indian companies can seek similar licences for import of the shale gas from the U.S. in large quantities from other terminals. The present federal law generally requires approval of natural gas exports to nations that have an FTA with the U.S. But those nations that do not have an FTA with the U.S., the Natural Gas Act directs the Department of Energy to grant export authorisations provided that the proposed exports will not harm the public interest.

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

India on 4 May 2013 granted consular access on daily basis to Pakistan officials to visit Sanaullah Ranjay, who was injured in a fight with another inmate in Jammu jail and was admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh. It is worth mentioning here that Earlier, a team of Pakistan High Commission officials had met Sanaullah at PGI Chandigarh. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, with the grant of Consular Access, the Pakistan officials can visit Sanaullah once in a day. They will also be briefed twice a day on the condition of the prisoner.
About Sanaullah Ranjay
Sanaullah who is a resident of Sialkot in Pakistan was injured during a brawl with another inmate in Jammu jail where he was serving life term after being convicted under TADA provisions. He was arrested in 1999. Sanaullah without any delay was shifted from high-security Kot Balwal jail to Government Medical College Hospital and later rushed to PGIMR in Chandigarh in an air ambulance after he was found critical. As per the Pakistan government the brawl between Sanaullah and other jail inmates is an obvious retaliation to the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore hospital on 2 May 2013. Sarabjit Singh had been attacked by fellow inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail on 26 April and succumbed to his injuries six days later. It is being said that Sanaullah is a victim of a direct assault coming in the wake of the death of Sarabjit Singh.

INDIA AND CHINA

China’s new premier Li Keqiang’s visited India on his first foreign trip to India from 19-22, May 2013 since taking his office in March 2013. Both the countries are looking for speeding up their efforts to settle a decades-old border dispute and strengthen economic ties. The leaders of both the countries had a thorough exchange of views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common interest in a sincere and cordial atmosphere and reached broad consensus. Here is the list of Documents signed during the State Visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India.
1. Protocol between Indian and China on Indian Official Pilgrimage (the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China
With the signing of Protocol both the countries have agreed to conduct the Yatra every year from May to September. China will make further advancements in the existing facilities on the route of the pilgrims and to maintain even communication. They have also agreed to assist in renting wireless sets and local SIM cards.
2. Agreement on Work Programmes of the Three Working Groups under Joint Economic Group between Ministry of Commerce & Industry of India and China.
The three working groups under the Joint Economic Group are:

·         (i) Services Trade Promotion Working Group

·         (ii) Economic and Trade Planning Cooperation

·         (iii) Trade Statistical Analysis

3. MoU on Buffalo Meat, Fishery Products and Agreement on Feed and Feed Ingredients between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India and China
It is directly aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation in trade and safety of buffalo meat, fishery products and feed and feed ingredients, and to meet the regulatory requirements with respect to safety & hygiene & quarantine and is also supposed to deal with the growing trade deficit between the two countries.
4. MoU between the Ministry of Urban Development of India and National Development and Reform Commission of China on Cooperation in the field of Sewage Treatment The MoU signed by the Urban Development will enhance cooperation in the field of Sewage Treatment and ideas and knowledge sharing in the areas of mutual interest in the urban sectors.
5. MoU between the Ministry of Water Resources of India and The National Development and Reform Commission, of China on Cooperation in the field of Water Efficient Irrigation The MoU dirtectly aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of water efficient technology with applicability in the area of agriculture and exchange of best practices.
6. MoU between the India and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China on Cooperation in Mutual Translation and Publication of Classic and Contemporary Work As per the MoU a Joint Working Group will formed which will coordinate translation and publication of 25 books of Classic and Contemporary Works of each side over a period of 5 years in to Chinese and Indian languages respectively.
7. MoU between the Ministry of Water Resources of the India and the Ministry of Water Resources of China upon Provision of Hydrological Information of the Yaluzangbu/Brahmaputra River in Flood Season by China to India As per the Memorandum of Understanding China is supposed to provide India with information of water level, discharge and rainfall of 8:00 hrs and 20:00 hrs(Beijing Time) twice a day from 1st June to 15 October each year in respect of three hydrological stations on the mainstream Brahmaputra river.
8. Agreement between the Ministry of External Affairs, of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of China to facilitate cooperation and linkages between Indian and Chinese cities & states/provinces As per this said agreement both the sides agreed to identify sister cities and sister states/provinces in India and China with a view to establishing relationships between them in areas of mutual interest for enhancing greater people to people contacts.
Some Important Outcome of the Meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

• Both the Countries agreed to a regular exchange of visits between the Heads of State/ Government of the two countries. The leaders of the two countries will also continue to meet on the sidelines of important multi-lateral forums.
• Both the Countries agreed in further strengthening cooperation in the areas of energy and environmental conservation, new and renewable energy and high-technology. The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the railway sector including heavy haulage and station development.
• India and China showed eagerness to carry out cooperation on establishing industrial zones so that they can provide platforms for cluster-type development of enterprises of the two countries.
• India and China decided to mark the 60thanniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel) in 2014 by designating it as the Year of Friendly Exchanges.
• Both the Country agreed to encourage their cities/provinces to establish twinning relationships in accordance with the Agreement to Facilitate Cooperation and Linkages between Indian and Chinese Cities and States/Provinces.
• Both the Country underlined the need to implement all relevant UN resolutions, in particular UNSC resolutions 1267, 1373, 1540 and 1624.
• Both the Countries agreed to enhance coordination in the follow up process of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development and in discussions on the post 2015 development agenda as well as international negotiations on climate change.
• The two countries sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting multilateral arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. They support the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all nuclear weapons and reaffirm their opposition to the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space.
• Both the countries agreed to work towards simplifying visa procedures.
• In order to pursue mutual benefit and fulfill their international cooperation objectives, both the Countries agreed in considering collaborating on development projects of common interest in third countries.

100-billion targets for Financial Year 2014-15
India and China on 20 May 2013 decided to scale up its two-way trade to 100 billion dollars by 2015 from 67.8 bn Dollars in 2012-13. It is worth mentioning here that bilateral trade between the two countries scaled up from 2.1 bn Dollars in 2001-02 to 75.6 bn Dollars in 2011-12 and suddenly it dropped down to 67.8 bn dollars during 2012-13.
Some important points to remember

·         India’s trade deficit increased from 1.1 bn dollars in 2001-02 to 40.8 bn dollars in 2012-13.

·         In 2012-13, China became India’s fourth largest trading partner from third largest in 2011-2012. Our exports fell from 18.1 bn dollars in 2011-12 to $13.5 bn in 2012-13

·         In year 2010, both countries had set a trade turnover target of 60 bn dolars which was achieved.

·         An India-China CEOs’ Forum has been constituted to deliberate on business issues and make recommendations on expansion of trade and investment cooperation which will be head by Anil Ambani and Chen Yuan from India and China Side respectively.

As per the exporters increasing of market access to China is critical for a shoot in India’s exports as the country efforts to change its export profile from raw materials to finished and value-added products.
MoUs to Address Concerns on Trade Deficit
India and China on 20 May 2013 signed three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on buffalo meat, fisheries and pharmaceuticals and one agreement on feed and feed ingredients during the visit of the Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Li Keqiang to India. The MoUs is supposed to deal with the growing trade deficit between the two countries. It is worth mentioning here that the trade deficit has increased from 1.08 billion US Dollars in 2001-02 to 40.77 billion US Dollars in 2012-13. The resumption of exporting buffalo meat from India to China, will bring a big merchandise trade that will not only be helpful in reducing trade imbalance of India but also in China’s food security by providing quality and hygiene meat products. Earlier the export of buffalo meat is not allowed from India to China due to concerns about Foot & Mouth Disease. It was a long pending issue between two countries. The Other Mou was signed for import and export trade of fishery products which aims to bring cooperation in promoting trade of fishery products and healthy development of trade between India and China.
Another MoU was also signed between Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products (CCCMHPIE) which will facilitate access to the China market in pharmaceuticals. The average imports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products from China during last five years were 4332.37 million US dollars vis-à-vis exports from India of 692.44 million US dollars. An important agreement was signed between Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) and AQSIQ on trade and safety of feed and feed ingredients which is supposed to bring big merchandise trade for feed & feed ingredients after the resumption of trade as China has suspended import of feed and feed ingredients since 1 January 2012. Both the countries also agreed to conduct the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra every year between May and September.
Troops pulled back from Daulat Beg Oldi Sector
India and China on 5 May 2013 pulled back their troops from the stand off point at Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh, where the Chinese forces had intruded nearly three weeks back. A battalion of Chinese troops estimated at about 50 and accompanied by vehicles and dogs had intruded 19 km inside the Indian Territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Daulat Beg Oldi sector on April 15 and set up five tents. The Indian troops had also established tented posts facing the Chinese forces at a distance of 300 metres.
An agreement was reached for both nations to pull back their troops simultaneously from the face off point.

Today's GK(30-8-13)

Govt to roll out LPG subsidy transfer in 269 districts from Jan 1

Following the success of the direct benefit transfer (DBT) cash subsidy payment scheme in 20 districts of the country, the Government has decided to go for a massive roll out of the scheme in 269 more districts of the country from January 1, 2014 in a phased manner to cover LPG consumers.

“Based upon the experience gained in 20 districts, we have decided to rapidly roll out the DBT for the LPG over 269 more districts in a phased manner. By January 1, a huge proportion of LPG beneficiaries will be covered under the DBT system. They will get their subsidy credited one month in advance. Therefore, they can go and get their LPG cylinder for a month following that. It is already successful in 20 districts,’’ Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said, after the approval by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for the extension of the scheme.

Under the scheme, Rs. 435 is credited to the accounts of LPG consumers the moment they book a cooking gas refill or cylinder. The consumer is then supposed to use this to buy a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder at market price, which is almost two times the subsidy. The moment the refill is bought, another Rs. 435 is credited to Aadhaar-linked bank account of LPG consumer. The scheme is aimed at checking subsidised LPG cylinders meant for household use finding way to the black market or being used in commercial establishments.

The government estimates it could end up saving Rs. 9,000 crore annually when the scheme is rolled out all over the country. Under the scheme, consumers will get cash subsidy to buy 9 cylinder refills in a year. Any requirement beyond that would have to be purchased at market price.

Mr. Chidamabaram said the scheme will be rolled out on the first day of each month between September and January. In the first phase, starting with September 1, it would be rolled out in 34 districts, benefiting 1,47,54,303 consumers. On October 1, it would be rolled out in 44 districts; 46 districts in November; 40 districts in December and 105 districts in January, 2014.

“This is an ambitious programme. These lists have already been sent to banks concerned. All the banks have been asked to focus on the districts where the scheme is going to be rolled out in September 1 and October 1,” he remarked.

Mr. Chidambaram said oil marketing companies have also been asked to chip in for opening bank account of the consumers. He said subsidy will be transferred to consumers who have bank accounts seeded with Aadhaar number, but a three-month grace period will be given to consumers to procure the Aadhaar number and opening up of the bank account.

“The scheme has been remarkable success. We think that there will be a saving between 10-12 per cent on subsidy outgo towards the LPG cylinder. Those who have got double connection or false connection are not coming to open bank account and are not coming forward to get their Aadhaar number,” he added.

Sarraf selected for ONGC top job 

Dinesh K. Sarraf, managing director, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Videsh Limited (OVL) has been shortlisted by the Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) to be the next chairman and managing director of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

Mr. Sarraf will replace present incumbent Sudhir Vasudeva whose tenure ends in February next year. Mr. Sarraf was selected from among the four candidates who appeared before it for interviews held on Friday. Now his appointment has to be approved by the Prime Minister headed Cabinet Committee on Appointments.

Originally, PESB had shortlisted seven candidates. Besides Mr. Sarraf, these included state-run GAIL India chairman and managing director B.C. Tripathi, ONGC Director (T&FS) Shashi Shanker, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India head M.S. Rana and Indian Railways Chief Mechanical Engineer, Ashwani Lohani. However, Mr. Tripathi did not attend the interviews.

Mr. Sarraf was Director (Finance), ONGC, before moving to OVL in September 2011. He transformed the company into an aggressive overseas firm, stitching 4 deals worth over $11 billion in the past one year.

Nobel Literature Laureate Seamus Heaney died

Irish writer Seamus Heaney died at the age of 74 on 29 August 2013. He had won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Seamus Heaney was born in Northern Ireland. He published his first collection of poems, Death Of A Naturalist in 1966. He went on to become one of the English language’s leading poets.

Heaney worked as the professor of poetry at Oxford University between 1989 and 1994. He is survived by his wife Marie and three children.
Heaney was known for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which paid tribute to everyday miracles and the living past.

Graphic Biography on Dhyan Chand Launched:Dhyan Chand-The Wizard of Hockey

Dhyan Chand-The Wizard of Hockey: Luis Fernandes

The graphic biography on former Indian Hockey player Dhyan Chand titled Dhyan Chand-The Wizard of Hockey was launched at Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi on 29 August 2013. The biography was launched on the National Sports Day to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of the legend. The graphic biography is the first-of-its-kind book on a sportsman.

The book has been written by Luis Fernandes, who researched extensively on the subject. It is available for 100 rupees at all leading book stores.

The book is being printed by comic-series publication Amar Chitra Katha. The book focussed on Dhyan Chand’s achievements and goal-scoring feats at 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics that got him the title The Wizard.

The book was launched in the presence of Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor. There is also an autobiography of Dhyanchand called Goal.

Foreign Minister of Nicaragua,Samuel Santos Lopez visited India

The Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, Samuel Santos Lopez paid an official visit to India since 19 August to 23 August 2013. Earlier, he had visited India in June 2008 to participate in the India-SICA (Central American Integration System) Foreign Ministers' meeting. Nicaragua is an important member of SICA with which India has an institutionalised dialogue mechanism at the Foreign minister level. During his visit, India and Nicaragua discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

India and Nicaragua enjoy warm and friendly relations and both countries share common perspectives on a wide variety of international issues. Bilateral trade between the two countries for the year 2012-13 was 60.12 million US dollars. Foreign Minister Lopez also interacted with a number of high representatives from business and industry for promoting trade and investment linkages.

Sun Burn Response in Whales Can Give Clues to Anti Ageing in Humans: Research

Researchers from the Newcastle University, UK revealed in the month of August 2013 that the way whales reacted to sunlight explained about the ageing process of humans. Some of the whale species reacted to the sunlight by getting darker in UV exposure, a process which is similar to the way humans tan. Other whales have the capability of protecting themselves from getting tanned by turning their genes on and off.

The research can help in the creation of new anti-ageing treatments in humans. For various years, the marine biologists in Mexico had noticed that a large number of whales in that region had skin which was sun-burnt because of exposure to UV light.

For conducting the research, the researchers took the skin samples from three diverse species of the whales. This was done over three years time period. The samples were collected during the annual spring migration when they had migrated to the sunnier waters of Gulf of California.

Research on the Blue Whales

The researchers found that the different species of whales reacted in a different way to the increase in sunlight. Blue Whales are biggest creatures that have lived on the Earth. They react to the Sun by enhancing quantity of pigment in the skin, in the same way like humans do. Therefore, the blue whales get tanned in a same way like the human beings do. It is this tan that gives them protection from the sun-burnt DNA.

Prof Mark Birch-Machin from Newcastle University explained that after being exposed to the ultra-violet rays of the Sun, not just the skin, but also the DNA in mitochondria can be damaged. The blue whales’ ability to tan when exposed to UV rays, might be connected to the historic migratory patterns because every year they move from high latitudes to lower ones that have higher amount of sunlight.

Research on the Sperm Whales

In yet another kind of species, the Sperm Whales, there is an altogether different kind of behaviour towards the Sun. The sperm whales have the ability to spend around six hours at a stretch on the ocean’s surface and have much higher exposure to the UV light. The sperm whales can thus be compared with the people who go for lobster approach. Therefore, the changes in their pigment do not help them a lot because the UV light becomes overpowering in the system.

Instead of the alterations to the pigment, the Sun can lead to stress response in genes of the sperm whales, which is again like the protective mechanism of humans against the sun damage. It is for the first time that the evidences of genotoxic pathways being activated in whales’ cells have been seen. It is absolutely similar to the damage response which is caused because of free radicals in human skin.

Research on the Fin Whales

The third kind of species is the Fin Whales on which research was conducted. The deeply pigmented animals were more resistant to the sun damage. They had lower prevalence of the sunburn lesions.

Conclusion of the research

The researchers, after conducting study on these three kinds of whale species explained that this could be helpful in finding the changes in genes as well as pigment. The whales can thus shed light on the process of ageing in the human beings.

The sun-burnt DNA in the whales was the same kind of sun-burnt DNA which was found in the humans and this was linked to the process of ageing. The study depicted the interaction of these systems which can be examined even more in the human research. It can thus be used for studying the anti-ageing process as well as skin cancer approaches. The research can prove to be beneficial to the pharmaceutical companies.

The researchers however explained that further work needed to be done in order to see whether sun burn in whales can lead to skin cancer. The researchers also wanted to know whether early warning system for animals can be developed or not.

The Social Security Agreement between India and Canada Approved

The Union Cabinet of India on 29 August 2013 approved the Social Security Agreement between India and Canada. The agreement will benefit 40 thousand Persons of Indian Origin in Quebec province. India has similar agreements with countries including Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malaysia and Belgium.

The Social Security totalization agreement between India and Canada was signed on 6 November 2012. The Social Security Agreement between Canada and India is expected to enter into force in 2014, once both nations have completed their legislative procedures.

Sockalingam Sam Kannappan Elected Zonal Secretary/Treasurer of NCEES

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) elected Sockalingam Sam Kannappan, Chairman of Enforcement Committee of Texas PE Board as its zonal Secretary/treasurer. Sockalingam Sam Kannappan is an Indian-American.

Sockalingam Sam Kannappan was elected as the Secretary and Treasurer of Southern Zone (SZ), which has a total of 18 boards under its control.

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is an American National Professional Engineers (PE) Board which co-ordinates 50 national PE Boards, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. Different engineering organisations from Japan, Mexico, Canada and other nations work along with NCEES.

NCEES has the role of conducting examination for fundamental (FE) and Professional Examination (PE) the four zones.

Who is Sockalingam Sam Kannappan?

• Sockalingam Sam Kannappan is the registered Professional Engineer in Texas.
• He has 25 years of experience in different areas such as software development, analysis and design for pipeline industries, refinery and petrochemical.
• He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• He is a native of Nattarasankottai in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu.

Valley wider than Grand Canyon discovered beneath Ice Sheet in Greenland

Scientists in last week of August 2013 unveiled that they have discovered a vast canyon under the ice sheet of Greenland, which was previously unknown. The latest discovered canyon stretches in an area of over 750 kilometers and it up to 800 meters deep.

The canyon was discovered by the scientists using an air borne radar data, which was collected over a period of several decades to piece together the landscape beneath the ice. The hidden valley is longer than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

The canyon spreads from the centre of Greenland up to the northern coastline. Scientists claim that before formation of the ice sheet it would have contained a river gushing into the Arctic Ocean, which was buried due to encroaching ice about 3.5 million years ago.

The findings were reveled in journal Science.

About Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Although it is a part of the continent of North America, but politically and culturally it has been associated with Europe (specifically Norway and later Denmark) for more than a millennium.

Greenland is a home of one of the Earth’s two major ice sheets, the other one lies in Antarctica. A three-dimensional picture of the bedrock of Greenland was developed by the glaciologists until 2001, but the resolution of the same was quite poor.

About Grand Canyon of Arizona
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the Colorado Plateau of the United States in the State of Arizona. The Grand Canyon is 446 km long and up to 29 km wide and attains a depth of over 1800 meters.

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances Observed Across the World

30 August: International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

30 August was declared as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances by the UN General Assembly expressing its concern by the increase in the number of involuntary or enforced disappearances in different parts of the world. The UN General Assembly declared this day by its resolution 65/209, on 21 December 2010.

The UN General Assembly, by this same resolution also welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The involuntary or enforced disappearances are a result of abduction, detention or arrest or other factors or reasons. Also, there are growing numbers of reports which include ill-treatment, harassment as well as intimidation of the witnesses of these disappearances or of the persons or the relatives who have disappeared.

What is Enforced Disappearance?

Enforced disappearance has been used a lot in order to spread the terror in the societies. This gives the feeling of insecurity within a society. Enforced disappearance not just affects the disappeared person or the relatives and witnesses, but also the cumulative society.

Enforced disappearance is a global-level issue and is not restricted to a few areas of the world. Initially, enforced disappearance was a product of the military dictatorship but now it has also entered into situations of internal conflict, primarily the political repression of the opponents.

Major concerns of enforced disappearance

The major concerns of enforced disappearance include:

• ongoing harassment of the relatives of the victims, legal counsel, witnesses as well as human rights defenders
• use by the States of counter-terrorist activities as excuse of breaching the obligation
• widespread impunity of the enforced disappearances
• target groups include people with disabilities as well as children

What is done on the day?

Every year on 30 August, the organisations like Amnesty International and United Nations play a pivotal role in creating awareness about enforced disappearance. Awareness is raised regarding enforced disappearance as a crime. It is explained to the people that enforced disappearance should not be used as tool for dealing with the situations of conflicts.

On this day, at various places, the activists share the personal stories as well as experiences about enforced disappearance through the public event as well as media. The victims of enforced disappearance are brought out openly to share their stories and experiences.