Rupee drops to 2-yr low against $

The rupee weakened by more than 19 paise against the dollar on Friday to close at a two-yearlow of 66.76 as the greenback gained against major currencies. The dollar has been gaining ground in recent days on expectations that the US Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates soon.

Foreign exchange dealers said the rupee could breach the 67 level. “After breaching the 66.5 resistance level, the next resistance is at 67.2. Given the overall dollar strength, it could go to 67.5,“ said Hariprasad MP , headtreasury at Centrum Direct .

Source :- Times Of India,28-Nov-2015

Paris sees role for the Syrian regime in anti-IS battle

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday he could envisage(contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event) Syrian regime troops taking part in the fight to crush the Islamic State (IS) group.

However, Mr. Fabius later clarified his comments, saying he meant that Syrian government troops could take part in the fight against IS only after a change of regime.

In order to fight IS, “there must be two measures: bombings... and ground troops who cannot be ours, but who should be of the [opposition] Free Syrian Army, Sunni Arab forces, and, why not, regime forces too,” Mr. Fabius said in an interview with RTL radio. But he told AFP shortly afterwards he meant that regime forces could take part “within the context of a political transition – and only in this context”.

The principal target of military efforts remains Raqqa, the Syrian city that is the stronghold of IS, said Mr. Fabius. Russian and French jets have targeted the town in recent days.

“For us, it is one of the main military targets, even the main one, because it is the nerve-centre of Daesh, and the attacks against France were planned from there,” Mr. Fabius said, using another name for IS. — AFP

 Data that may be helpful:-

• envisage:- contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event

Source :- The Hindu, 28-Nov-2015

Anti-blockade protests in Nepal

Tens of thousands of students held hands, waved banners and chanted slogans in Nepal’s capital on Friday to protest against a border blockade that has caused severe shortages of fuel and an increase in food prices.

The students lined the Ring Road which circles Kathmandu to demand an immediate lifting of the blockade. “Stop the blockade. Education is our right,” chanted the students.

Some held banners as they held hands in a human chain organised by various groups representing schools in Kathmandu.

For weeks, members of the Madhesi ethnic community protesting Nepal’s new Constitution have blocked the main southern border point with India, preventing fuel and other essential items from entering the country.

Nepal is facing acute shortages of fuel, cooking gas, medicines and other supplies because of a two-month long blockade of the main border crossings with India by people demanding greater representation in the Himalayan nation’s new constitution.

Source  :-The Hindu,28-Nov-2015

France vows to destroy the ‘army of fanatics’

Subdued France paid homage on Friday to those killed two weeks ago in the attacks that gripped Paris in fear and mourning, honouring each of the 130 dead by name as the President pledged to destroy the army of fanatics who claimed so many young lives.

With each name and age read aloud inside the Invalides national monument, the toll gained new force. Most, as French President Francois Hollande noted, were under the age of 35, killed while enjoying a mild Friday night of music, food, drinks or sports. The youngest was 17, the oldest 68.

Throughout Paris, French flags fluttered in windows and on buses in uncharacteristic displays of patriotism in response to Paris’s second deadly terror attack this year. But the mood was grim, and the locked-down ceremony at the Invalides national monument lacked the defiance of January, when a million people poured through the streets to honour those killed by Islamist extremist gunmen.

The night of November 13, three teams of suicide bombers and gunmen struck across Paris, beginning at the national stadium where Mr. Hollande was among the spectators and ending in the storming of the Bataclan concert venue. In all, 130 people died and hundreds were injured. The crowd at the stadium shakily sang French national anthem as they filed outside that night; a military band played the Marseillaise again on Friday.

Mournful celero

The courtyard went silent after the reading of the names finished, broken finally by a mournful cello. Mr. Hollande stared straight ahead, before finally rising to speak.

“To all of you, I solemnly promise that France will do everything to destroy the army of fanatics who committed these crimes,” Mr. Hollande said.

The speech was dedicated above all to the dead and the youth of France. “The ordeal has scarred us all, but it will make us stronger. I have confidence in the generation to come. Generations before have also had their identity forged in the flower of youth. The attack of November 13 will remain in the memory of today’s youth as a terrible initiation in the hardness of the world. But also as an invitation to combat it by creating a new commitment,” he said.

“It was this harmony that they wanted to break, shatter. Well, they will not stop it. We will multiply the songs, the concerts, the shows. We will keep going to the stadiums. We will participate in sports gatherings great and small. And we will commune in the best of emotions, without being troubled by our differences, our origins, our colours, our convictions, our beliefs, our religions. Because we are a single and unified nation, with the same values,” said the President. — AP

Data that may be helpful:-

• French President Francois Hollande
• Marseillaise  is the national anthem of France
• fanatics :- a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause. 

Source :- The Hindu, 28-Nov-2015 

PoK part of Pak.: Farooq

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah raked up a controversy on Friday, describing the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) “a part of Pakistan”.

“The PoK is in Pakistan and will remain so. Jammu and Kashmir is in India and will remain so. How long have we been saying the PoK is part of India, did we get it? Even [the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari] Vajpayee wanted to have a dialogue with Pakistan and give that part to it.”

“War is not the solution, only lives are lost. Dialogue is the only option,” he told journalists in Jammu, on the sidelines of a function to pay tributes to Congress leader and former J&K Finance Minister Lt. Girdhari Lal Dogra on his death anniversary.

Defending Aamir Khan, whose remarks on rising intolerance in the country have raised a storm, Dr. Abdullah said the actor was a target of a “concerted propaganda.” “When did he say he wants to leave the country? I was myself sitting there. It is a wrong propaganda against him. He said ‘India is my country. I am born in this soil and I will die in this soil’.”

Taking exception to Dr. Abdullah’s comments, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said: “There are Parliament resolutions that call the PoK part of India. That part of Kashmir has been taken by Pakistan illegally. We still believe that we need to retrieve that part.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Dr. Abdullah’s remarks as a “U-turn on its previous stand.”

“If, in the past, Dr. Abdullah advocated war with Pakistan, why this sudden statement after 60 years? The NC needs to clear its stand on Kashmir. Abdullah is displaying political opportunism,” PDP youth wing leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra said.

PDP lost mandate: Omar

The former Chief Minister and NC working president, Omar Abdullah, has said the ruling PDP-BJP coalition has lost the people’s mandate “owing to its vision-less policies, misgovernance and leadership deficit.”

“If elections were held now, the NC would form the government on its own,” he said at a rally in Ramban.

In an indirect reference to the change of guard in the State, he said: “Uncertainty over leadership has demoralised the administration, which is in a dilemma over who is in command. On the one hand, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is seen working as the Chief Minister in Jammu and on the other, Mehbooba Mufti is reviewing the functioning of the government in Srinagar as de facto chief executive.”

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Srinagar rally, Mr. Omar Abdullah said: “The anti-climax of his [Mr. Sayeed’s] political discourse was the virtual snub hurled by Mr. Modi, who minced no words in saying he needed no advice on Kashmir.”

Source :- The Hindu, 28-Nov-2015

‘Protein from camel can fight infections’

Eminent scientist T. P. Singh on Friday said that the anti-bacterial properties in protein obtained from camel and pork loin can be used in the treatment of human infections.

Prof. Singh, biotechnology research professor from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, said the potent anti-bacterial properties of proteins from the “innate immune system” of animal species like camel can be used for therapeutic use in humans.

In his centenary lecture on the topic “Antibiotics and infectious diseases: A never ending war between bacteria and humans - Current perspectives on new weapons against bacteria” on the occasion of National Education Day at the University of Mysore, Prof. Singh said no new antibiotics had been developed in the recent decades and there was a need to develop effective antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Encroachment of water bodies led to flooding: HC

In a stinging observation, the Madras High Court on Friday said that the loss due to the recent floods at various places in the State was because of the maladministration in preserving water bodies, waterways and canals.

The First Bench made the observation while dismissing a PIL petition filed by Shanmugam, North Chennai secretary of CPI, for a direction to issue pattas to the families who had encroached upon dried up or unused lakes and water bodies at Kolathur in Chennai and its neighbourhood, for decades.

Responding strongly to this plea, the court said authorities in power cannot destroy the water bodies or water courses, which had formed naturally, for the benefit of mankind forever. Besides, it is beyond the power of the State to alienate or re-classify them for some other purposes.

“Lakes and water bodies are gifts of the nature. There is no possibility of getting further gifts of such nature,” the Bench said.

The judges added that the loss was due to the practice of the authorities allowing water bodies and water courses to be encroached upon. The authorities have permitted construction of houses in the water bodies resulting in inundation and submerging of houses.

Source : The Hindu, 28-Nov-2015

SHAR set to launch 2 satellites in March 2016

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre, ISRO’s rocket launching centre at Sriharikota, is set for a landmark event in March 2016 when two satellites will be launched in one month for the first time.

The last two of the seven-satellite constellation, comprising the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), were scheduled to be launched from the SHAR by PSLV rockets in March, VSSC Director K. Sivan said here on Friday. The fifth satellite would be placed in orbit in January, he said.

Once all the seven satellites are in place, the constellation will be subjected to orbit tests before being released for public use.

With a long line-up of launches ahead, 2016 promises to be the busiest year at the SHAR.

Source :- The Hindu, 28-Nov-2015

33% quota for women in forces

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Thursday that the government was considering 33 per cent reservation for women in the paramilitary forces.

The announcement comes despite the forces struggling to fill even the five per cent quota decided during the UPA government’s tenure.

According to the data available with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), women comprise only 2.04 per cent of the paramilitary forces. Forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles together constitute a 9.8 lakh-strong force. Of these, only 19,575 are women.

The CRPF, which is the largest paramilitary force deployed in the country for law and order duties as well as in the Left-wing extremism-hit areas, has only 6,234 women in its fold.

Mr. Singh told Parliament, “Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar advocated social security for women and in this regard, the government has taken an important step, which is related to the Ministry of Home Affairs. We have decided that there should be 33 per cent reservation for women in all the police and paramilitary forces. We have already sent an advisory in this regard to all the States.”

Many hurdles

This is not the first time that Mr.Singh has made such an announcement. Officials said it was the implementation which was the biggest hurdle. First, the State governments may or may not agree with the Centre over this and the Ministry of Home Affairs will have no control over it. Secondly, there are practical difficulties in employing women in paramilitary forces as there are few takers for jobs in difficult terrain and border areas, said an official.

“In most forces, they don’t get meatier assignments,” said the official.

During the UPA government’s tenure, the MHA had sent an advisory to all the paramilitary forces to achieve the target of 5 per cent women personnel.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Anti-submarine corvette handed over to the Navy

Kadmatt , the second of the four indigenously built stealth Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) corvette, was formally handed over to the Navy here on Thursday by city based shipyards Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE)

The Corvette which is named after an island in the Lakshwadeep archipelago, has advanced stealth features is likely to be commissioned with the Navy in January.

Indigenously developed with special grade high-tensile, the hull of the ship has bulk of sensors and weapon system. It can accommodate 17 officers, 106 sailors and can carry a helicopter onboard.

The first ship of the series INS Kamorta was inducted into the Navy in August 2014.

Two remaining corvettes of the series Kiltan and Kavaratti will be delivered to the Navy in 2016 and 2017 respectively. GRSE chairman and managing director, Rear Admiral A.K. Verma said. Mr. Verma said that the shipyard has attracted interest from nearly a dozen of countries.

“We have received interest from at least a dozen countries including Philippines, Cyprus, Vietnam, Algeria and Egypt for building warships… Countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America have shown a keen interest in our ship-building capabilities,” chairman and managing director of GRSE he said.

Earlier this year, the shipyard delivered an offshore patrol vessel, CGS Barracuda to the National Coast Guard of Mauritius.

Important Points:-

• Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines.

Source  :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Arjun impressed the selectors by scoring a century and picking four wickets in Payyade Trophy

Arjun Tendulkar, son of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, has been selected for the Mumbai Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy team following an all-round showing in the Mumbai Cricket Association's Under-16 Payyade Trophy.

After scoring a century and taking four wickets in the trial tournament, Arjun was on Thursday named in the 15-strong  squad.

   IMAGE: Arjun Tendulkar bowls during England's nets session. Photograph: Philip Brown /Reuters

Arjun, who represented Mumbai's Under-14 side in the West Zone leg matches of the BCCI tournament, smashed an impressive century (106 off 156 balls) for his side, Sunil Gavaskar XI.

On Day Two, the promising all-rounder shone with his left-arm medium pace and took four wickets for 73 runs against Rohit Sharma XI.

He then went on to score 40 runs in the second innings.

The Payyade Trophy serves as a selection trial for Under-16 cricketers in Mumbai.

With no less than super dad available to give batting tips, Arjun has received bowling advice from Pakistan great Wasim Akram.

He was also seen in the nets with the England national side.

Source : Rediff

Coincidence: First-ever day-night ODI, Test played on same date - November 27

Adelaide, Nov 27: It's a sheer coincidence that both first-ever day-night One Day International and maiden Test under floodlights happened on November 27. All you need to know about day-night Test; Scorecard of day-night Test Today (November 27 Friday), history was made at the Adelaide Oval as Australia and New Zealand played the first-ever day-night Test. (Indian part of historic Test)

In 138 years of Test cricket there was never a five-day game played in day-night format. But it changed today. Pink balls are being used, going away from the tradition of red ball for Tests. In what has turned out to be a coincidence, the first-ever ODI under lights was also played on the same date - November 27. That historic match took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 1979. 

Australia and West Indies were involved in that contest. Australia have become part of history on both occasions. They have now featured in both maiden day-night ODI and 

Test matches and hosted too. In the first-ever day-night ODI, Australia won by 5 wickets. Australian skipper Greg Chappell hit the first-ever half century in a floodlight ODI game. West Indies was led by Clive Lloyd in that landmark match. 

Today's day-night Test saw, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum winning the toss and opting to bat first.


Source : One India

The United Kingdom Visit - Highlights of Prime Minister's Visit to United Kingdom

Opening the Door to a Special Relationship"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tour to the United Kingdom from November 12-14 was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in almost a decade. Prime Minister Modi's visit to UK aimed at consolidating ties and outlining a roadmap towards advancing partnership and deepening cooperation between the two countries.
The Royal Air Force marked the moment of Prime Minister Modi's arrival with a flypast in the Indian tri-colours, making India the first foreign country to have its flag colours flown in a British flypast. During the three day visit, Prime Minister Modi held talks with British Prime Minister, David Cameron, paid homage to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square, addressed a distinguished group of parliamentarians and eminent persons at the iconic Royal Gallery in the British Parliament, becoming the first head of Indian government to do so; addressed the City of London at the symbolic Guidhall, interacted with the CEOs at the India-UK CEOs Forum, called on Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled the statue of Lord Basaveshwara, inaugurated the Ambedkar Memorial at the house where Dr B R Ambedkar lived while studying at LSE (London School of Economics) and visited Tata Jaguar Land Rover vehicle manufacturing unit in Solihull. In another first, the UK government offered to reinstate the law degree of the Indian freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Verma who was debarred from practicing law at the Inner Temple for actively campaigning for India's independence from UK.

With a focus on the 3 Ds - Democracy, Demography and Demand and its movement towards E-entrepreneurship, the visit also saw commercial deals worth £9.3 bn being sealed and the two sides releasing a vision document that captured the essence of shared history and a natural partnership, poised to take giant strides forward.

The United Kingdom reaffirmed its continued support for India's permanent membership of an expanded UNSC and India's enhanced role in other international bodies and membership of International Export Control Regimes.

Joint Statement - India-UK Summit 2015A Sustaining Partnership

Celebrating the growing strength, breadth and depth of the relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Cameron emphasised that the enduring connect between the UK and India plays a vital role in safeguarding and promoting the security and prosperity of both the nations.

The two leaders endorsed a Vision Statement that outlined their ambitious and transformative vision for upgrading the unique India-UK relationship to a leading global partnership for sustainable progress, prosperity and security. The leaders resolved to agree on a new Defence and International Security Partnership which will intensify cooperation on defence and security, including cyber-security, counter-terrorism and maritime security.

The two sides agreed that climate change and promoting secure, affordable and sustainable supplies of energy were shared strategic priorities for India and the UK, and endorsed a Joint Statement on Energy and Climate Change.

They also agreed to scale up bilateral cooperation to a global partnership for development through a "Statement of Intent on Partnership for Cooperation in Third Countries". which will facilitate working together to benefit third country partners by assisting them in addressing their development challenges in a wholly demand driven manner.  

Vision Statement - India-UK Summit 2015

The two Prime Ministers noted that in an increasingly complex and interconnected world, deepening the already close partnership on global issues would be vital for safeguarding and promoting prosperity and security.

The substantive outcomes of the visit reflected in the five documents issued by the two leaders, are as follows :

Vision Statement

Towards consolidating the already robust ties between the world's oldest and largest democracies a vision of a special partnership was endorsed which would be further cemented by contribution of 1.5 million strong Indian Diaspora in Britain and Britain's participation in India's economic progress. The vision document released by the two sides encompassed the aspirations of two economies. It highlighted the uniqueness of ties that would continue to guide all the future engagements. While India seeks to take its 1.25 billion on the path of progress, the UK can sustain its economic rebalance and global leadership by contributing in the process. 

Defence and International Security Partnership

The two sides agreed on forward-looking steps with the corresponding dialogue mechanisms to deepen collaboration in combating global threats and strengthening the rules-based international systems by enhancing defence collaboration, transfer of strategic capabilities, joint R & D in new areas and indigenous defence projects under Make in India, UK's strong advocacy of UN reforms and continued support for India's permanent membership of UNSC, joint effort to finalise CCIT(Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism),disrupt financial and tactical support for terrorist networks, strengthen cooperation in cyber and maritime security.

 

Partnership for Cooperation in Third Countries

It was announced to leverage the competencies of India and UK in a trilateral framework to assist developing countries in addressing their development challenges by capacity building in a range of sectors.

India-UK Joint Statement on Energy and Climate Change

This joint statement outlined collaborative initiatives to address the shared strategic challenges of climate change and access to sustainable energy for economic growth.

India-UK Joint Statement 2015

This comprehensive document outlines specific initiatives being taken to further deepen the partnership in a range of sectors such as Finance, Infrastructure, Science and Technology and Health, Education and Training as well as Culture. 

Source :- http://www.mea.gov.in/

Global warming to progress faster than expected: Study

London, Nov 27: Global warming will progress faster than previously believed because greenhouse gas emissions that arise naturally are also affected by increased temperatures, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have warned. Researchers examined the emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from three lakes. The effects were clear and the methane emissions increased exponentially with temperature.

Their measurements show that a temperature increase from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius almost doubled the methane level. "Everything indicates that global warming caused by humans leads to increased natural greenhouse gas emissions. Our detailed measurements reveal a clear pattern of greater methane emissions from lakes at higher temperatures," said Sivakiruthika Natchimuthu, doctoral student at Linkoping University in Sweden and lead author of the study. Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels lead to higher temperatures, which in turn lead to increased natural emissions and further warming. "We are not talking about hypotheses anymore. The evidence is growing and the results of the detailed studies are surprisingly clear," said David Bastviken, professor at Tema Environmental Change, Linkoping University. "The question is no longer if the natural emissions will increase but rather how much they will increase with warming," said Bastviken. This means that warming will be faster than expected from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions alone, researchers said. Any reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse emissions is a double victory, by both reducing the direct effect on warming, but also by preventing the feedback with increased natural emissions, they said. The study was published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography.


PTI

Source : One India

‘Fuzzy logic’ to optimise water use

Should water be saved for power generation or should it be released for agriculture?

This is the dilemma the Karnataka government finds itself up against at the end of a season of failed monsoons. It’s much like the situation in the State a month ago, when crops had started to wither as reservoirs held back water.

However, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) have devised an algorithm that could possible ease the situation. The complex number crunching was tested out at the 71.50-TMC storage Lakkavalli gravity dam across the Bhadra in Shivamogga district that irrigates 1.68 lakh hectares across Chitradurga, Shivamoga, Chikkamagalur, Davangere, and Ballari taluk.

“In India, about 75 per cent of water is used in agriculture. But, the efficiency in use of water is very low, at just around 40 per cent,” says Pradeep Mujumdar, Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, one of the authors of the recently-published paper, who believes that calculating the amount and times for release of water can go a long way in conserving large amounts of water.

For the Lakkavalli dam, his team placed data gathering equipment in 15 locations in the command area of the reservoir that monitored four major crops of the region — paddy, citrus, sugarcane and maize.

Soil moisture content for each of the crops was calculated, and based on the rainfall received at these stations, the researchers could calculate — through a mathematical tool called ‘Fuzzy logic’ — the amount of water that needed to be released.

The study notes that the irregular release of water currently results in days where there is very deficit water for the crops, while the real-time model ensures adequate water for the crops at most times. For instance, in paddy, the current policy results in at least four days of severely-deficient water in the developmental stage that can push it to wilt.

In the reservoir side of things, the models show that on an average, even during a dry year, more than 16 million cubic meters can be saved, while 19 million cubic meters less can be released.

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points:-

• A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by utilizing the weight of the material alone to resist the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is stable, independent of any other dam section
• The Bhadra Dam,which has created the Bhadra Reservoir, is located on the Bhadra River a tributary of Tungabhadra River in Chikkamagaluru district in Tarikere Taluk, in the western part of Karnataka in India
• Fuzzy logic is an approach to computing based on "degrees of truth" rather than the usual "true or false" (1 or 0) Boolean logic on which the modern computer is based.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Kerala scientists develop saltwater-tolerant paddy

Scientists at the Rice Research Station of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) at Vyttila have developed a new variety of paddy tolerant to saline intrusion, a major challenge faced by farmers in the lowlands.

The landmark achievement in rice research was made possible by the introduction of genes tolerant to salinity and iron toxicity into Jyothi, Kerala’s most popular rice variety. The project which began in 2008 involved the incorporation of the SalTol gene present in Pokkali, the most saline tolerant rice variety in the world, into Jyothi.

Thus Jyothi, known for its superior grain quality, yet restricted by the lack of saline tolerance, has become suitable for Pokkali fields, Kuttanad and kolelands as well, according to the researchers.

The scientists used the introgressive(Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the movement of a gene (gene flow) from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species) hybridization technique to move the SalTol gene from Pokkali to the gene pool of Jyothi. The project was part of a long-term program initiated by KAU for the development of stress-tolerant rice varieties for less favourable environments. The SalTol gene is the donor for salinity-tolerant rice breeding programs all over the world.

“The attempt to introduce SalTol into Jyothi has borne fruit after seven years of research. The introgressed Jyothi lines have recorded a very high yield of 6.2 tonnes per hectare,” said P. Rajendran, KAU Vice-Chancellor.

V. Sreekumar, Professor and Head, RRS, Vyttila, said the introgressed Jyothi variety was suitable for cultivation in the eastern and western coastal areas of the Indian Peninsula. The research team is now working on the introduction of a submergent tolerant gene (Sabl) into Jyothi, to make the rice variety resistant to flash floods up to two weeks.

The work is in the final stage, he said. Submergence is another major challenge faced by farmers in the lowlands.

Shylaraj, who piloted the research work, said that introgressing the saline tolerant gene into Jyothi was achieved through the Marker Assisted Backcross Breeding (MABB) technique.

Data that may be helpful:

Meanings:-

• Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the movement of a gene (gene flow) from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

New drug gives hope to skin cancer patients

Scientists have developed a drug that shows promise for treating deadly forms of skin cancer, such as melanoma, which are resistant to existing therapies.

The new compound, SBI-756, targets a specific molecular machine known as the translation initiation complex.

These structures are in every cell and play the critical role of translating messenger RNA (mRNA) into proteins. In cancer cells, the complex is impaired, producing extra protein and providing a growth advantage to tumours.

SBI-756 causes the translation complex to dissociate and inhibit melanoma cell growth.

“A major issue limiting the effectiveness of current melanoma therapies is that tumours become resistant to treatment,” said Ze’ev Ronai from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in the U.S. “Combining drugs that come at a melanoma from different angles may help overcome the problem of drug resistance.”

About 50 per cent of melanomas are caused by mutations in a specific gene called BRAF. Patients with these tumours are commonly prescribed vemurafenib, a BRAF inhibitor that shrinks tumours. However, many patients experience a relapse within weeks, months or years because tumours evolve and become resistant to the drug.

A similar phenomenon is seen in mice, where treatment of BRAF melanomas results in an initial response, but the tumours return in three or four weeks.

The team found that if SBI-756 is co-administered with vemurafenib, the tumours disappeared and did not reoccur. Even in mice with advanced or late-stage BRAF-driven cancer, the reappearance of resistant tumours was slowed by including SBI-756.

These data suggest that SBI-756 provides a significant advantage in overcoming tumour resistance.

Reduce tumour load

In other forms of melanoma, caused by mutations in the genes NRAS and NF1, which are known as unresponsive to BRAF drugs, administering SBI-756 alone significantly lessened the tumour load, the scientists found.

The team is now testing whether combining SBI-756 with existing drugs used for treating these types of melanomas can make the tumours disappear.

“The finding of SBI-756 is also exciting for the possible treatment of diseases other than cancer, such as neurodegenerative diseases, where the activity of the translation initiation complex is reported to be higher,” said Nahum Sonenberg of McGill University.

The study was published in the journal Cancer Research . — PTI

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points:-

• Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, is a type of cancer that develops from the pigment-containing cells known as melanocytes.
• Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a large family of RNA molecules that convey genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where they specify the amino acid sequence of the protein products of gene expression.
• BRAF is a human gene that makes a protein called B-Raf. The gene is also referred to as proto-oncogene B-Raf and v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B, while the protein is more formally known as serine/threonine-protein kinase B-Raf.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Turkeys ‘Honest’ and ‘Abe’ thank their stars

U.S. President Barack Obama spared two turkeys named for one of the nation’s most admired presidents, continuing a White House tradition that provides a sense of amusement and cheer no matter how troubled the times.

Obama pardoned “Abe”, the 2015 national Thanksgiving turkey, during a ceremony on Wednesday in the Rose Garden. Abe gobbled right on cue as Obama finished his absolution.

Don’t fret for “Honest”, though, the second bird which was nearby. Both turkeys will spend their remaining days living it up on a Virginia farm. They were named for Abraham Lincoln, often nicknamed “Honest Abe”.

The birds hail from California, are 18 weeks old and weigh in at about 19 kilograms each. The names of the turkeys were chosen from submissions entered by school children in California.

American families traditionally gather each year for turkey feasts on the last Thursday of November, a holiday commonly traced to a 1621 celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the first American colonists, the Pilgrims, invited Native Americans to join them in a feast.

Source :- The Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Arachnid species named after LOTR character

An eyeless, cave-dwelling arachnid species recently discovered by Brazilian scientists has been named “Smeagol” in honour of a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings , the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation said.

Iandumoema smeagol belongs to the opiliones (harvestmen) order of the arachnid class, distant relatives of spiders but different from them due to the lack of narrow waists and poison glands.

Smeagol is the third species of Iandumoema found in the world and is different from the two others, also cave dwellers, because of the absence of eyes, said the foundation, which funded the research.

Scientist is Tolkien fan

The new opilione species was officially described in an article published by the scientific journal ZooKeys and authored by biologists Ricardo Pinto da Rocha, Rafael Fonseca Ferreira and Maria Elina Bichuette, of Sao Carlos Federal University and the University of Sao Paulo. “I love The Lord of the Rings . I read the novel before watching the movies. I always wanted to give an animal the name of one of the saga’s characters,” Bichuette said in a statement.

In the Tolkien saga, Smeagol is the hobbit who finds the world’s most powerful ring and under the object’s spell hides for years in a cave, developing big eyes to see in the dark and becoming known as Gollum. — IANS

Source :- THe Hindu, 27-Nov-2015

Celebrating the legacy of Verghese Kurien

True development is not the development of land, or of cows; it is the development of men and women. – Verghese Kurien

“Father of the White Revolution”, Verghese Kurien made India the world’s largest milk producer in 1998. Born on November 26, 1921 at Calicut, Verghese Kurien graduated in Physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1940 and then went on to College of Engineering, Guindy where he obtained his Bachelors in Mechanical engineering.


He founded 30 institutions and as the founding chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), he created Amul brand of dairy products and made them a huge success. He died on September 9, 2012 at the age of 90.

Operation Flood, launched in 1970 by Kurien, was the world’s biggest dairy development program that made India, from a milk-deficient nation to the world’s largest milk producer. It was launched to help farmers direct their own development, placing control of the resources they create in their own hands.

Here’s how the world is remembering him:

Google celebrated the birth anniversary of Verghese Kurien by creating a doodle. It shows Verghese Kurien with a milk can in his hand, next to a buffalo with a looped rope on the ground spelling ‘Google’.

Source :- Time Of India, 26-Nov-2015

Indian hackers 'pay back' Pakistan for 26/11

A group of Indian hackers, calling themselves the Indian Black Hats have launched a symbolic cyber attack against Pakistan for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, by hacking into two government sites and around 10 non-government domains on Thursday, the fourth anniversary of the terror attacks.

According to one of the hackers, the attack which began in the wee hours of Thursday was led by 'team Indian Black Hats', a group of like-minded hackers from across the country. The same team was in cyber space from 2011 to 2013 under the name Indian Cyber Devils, and after a brief lull with members continuing to be active with various other hackers’ groups, had revived itself from January 2015.

The websites that the Indian Black Hats hacked till evening on Thursday were www.csd.gov.pk and www.mona.gov.pk, while a variety of non-government domains, including www.metroshoes.com.pk, as well were hacked by the Black Hats. The "attack" was launched as a tribute to the martyrs of 26/11, they said, adding that the “payback” was still on.

Incidentally, a similar group, Mallu Cyber Soldiers, had earlier hacked several Pakistani government websites in retaliation to an attack by Pakistani hackers on the Kerala government's website in September apart from mounting a cyber war of sorts against websites that allegedly were part of online prostitution rackets.

Source :- The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

Tunisia declares state of emergency

Tunisia’s President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a nationwide state of emergency and a curfew in the capital after a bomb attack on a presidential guard bus killed at least 12 people on Tuesday.

A security source at the site said “most of the agents who were on the bus are dead” after the attack in Tunis, which has become a target of jihadist violence since the 2011 revolution. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which a ministry official said also wounded 20 people.

Two attacks this year claimed by the Islamic State group targeted foreigners — at the National Bardo Museum in March, killing 21 tourists and a policeman, and at a resort hotel in Sousse in June, killing 38 tourists.

On Sunday, a jihadist group claimed the beheading of a young Tunisian shepherd on behalf of IS. — AFP

Data that may be helpful:
Important Points:-

• On the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia is a North African country whose culture dates to antiquity. Capital is Tunis

Source :- The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

Sri Lanka may have new Constitution by mid-2016, PMO puts up text of draft pact

The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka may well become a thing of the past by the middle of next year if the present plan fructifies.

As of now, it has been proposed to convert the existing 225-member-strong Parliament into Constitutional Assembly, whose primary responsibility will be to produce a fresh Constitution.

The text of a draft resolution, meant for adoption by Parliament, has been hosted on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office. An official at the Parliament Secretariat says that so far there has been no official communication on the draft resolution.

However, it is only a matter of time for Parliament to pass such a resolution.

A source who is privy to discussions on the matter said that after the Constitutional Assembly has been put in place, the idea is to complete the exercise by June or July next year.

1972 Consitution

In the case of the 1972 Constitution, the process took nearly two years for completion. The process lasted hardly a year during the drafting of the 1978 Constitution.

Billed as the country’s first republican Constitution, the 1972 document was adopted when the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led United Front was in power and Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister.

The 1978 Constitution, which ushered in the system of executive presidency, was made when the United National Party (UNP) was in power and J.R. Jayawardene at the helm of affairs.

Nineteen amendments were made in the last 37 years and they would be incorporated into the proposed Constitution, the source said.

Smooth affair

With all the political formations, as represented in Parliament, having supported the idea of drafting a new Constitution, the process is likely to be a smooth affair. The two principal parties — the UNP and the SLFP — are sharing power at the Centre.

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points:-

• Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.

Source :The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

India Gate wears orange, to end violence against women

As part of a global ‘Orange the World’ campaign, the iconic India Gate on Wednesday lit up in the colour orange celebrating the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women.

The event was organised by UN Women Indian, along with UNFPA India, UNDP and UN in India, as part of the United Nations’ global campaign that is set to continue till December 10, designated as the UN’s Human Rights Day.

Inaugurating the event, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, “Addressing the issue of women empowerment should be the topmost priority right now. During my tenure as a Minister, we celebrated women empowerment day every year. “Violence against women is condemned worldwide. Ending discrimination against women and empowering them should be given importance in India,” she said.

Frederika Meijer, Representative UN Population Fund, India and country director UNFPA, said that the United Nations aims to eliminate all kinds of violence against women and gender discrimination and seeks to end it by 2030.

Film-maker and classical dancer Aishwarya Dhanush, who was present at the event, said, “The awareness regarding the discrimination and violence against women should start from home. Raising hands must only be for raising doubts, and nothing else.”

“We are born in a chauvinistic society and men should help in changing the mindset,” she further said.

According to the UN, the colour orange is symbolic of “a united fight to end violence against women.”

The campaign, which began in 1991 witnessed participation across 17 countries with landmarks such as the Sphinx in Egypt and the Empire State Building in New York lit up in orange in solidarity.

The event addressed issues like eve-teasing, dowry, acid attacks, child marriage, compulsory education for girl child and physical violence among others. The women leaders called for the participation of men and boys towards the progress of women in the world.

‘Onus on society’

Chairperson of National Commission of Women (NCW) Lalita Kumaramangalam said, “I feel that every family must join hands with the administration to eliminate violence and discrimination against women. Then only it will be eliminated from its root cause.”

Stating that discrimination and violence against women often starts even before their birth Preeti Sudan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development said, “Government initiatives like ‘Beti Bachao’ campaign has brought the issue in the public forum. The factor of fear among women needs to be addressed equally and the Indian government is with the UN’s cause to instill a sense of security in them.” -- PTI

Source :- The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

CD is a document under law, says SC

The Supreme Court has held that a compact disc (CD) is to be treated as a document under the law and litigants should be allowed to prove the authenticity of such electronic evidence in legal proceedings.

The court was passing a judgment in a case of child sex abuse in which the accused wanted to place on record a CD of taped telephone conversations to prove his “innocence”.

A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and P.C. Pant set aside a Punjab and Haryana High Court order agreeing with the trial court’s decision to deny the accused’s plea to produce recorded telephonic conversation between his wife and son and the girl’s father to prove his point that there was a property dispute between the two families.

The apex court did not go into the authenticity of the taped conversations or the CD, but asked the trial court to allow the accused to place it on record.

“Without expressing any opinion as to the final merits of the case, this appeal is allowed and the orders passed by the trial court and the HC are set aside. The application [for placing on record the compact disc and getting it examined by forensic laboratory] shall stand allowed,” it said.

“We are of the view that the courts below have erred in law in not allowing the application of the defence to play the compact disc relating to the conversation between the father of the victim and son and wife of the appellant [accused] regarding alleged property dispute,” the court held.

Source :-The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

Wildlife Conservation Society favours fresh approach to relocation of leopards

 

A recent study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India Program on human-leopard interactions in India calls for a shift in management focus, from current reactive practices such as removal and translocation of leopards, to proactive measures that ensure safety of human lives, livelihoods, their property, enhance people’s acceptance of wildlife outside protected areas, and expand potential habitat for threatened species.

The study published in Plos One , the peer-reviewed open access scientific journal, on November 10 was conducted by Vidya Athreya, Arjun Srivathsa, Mahi Puri, Krithi K. Karant, N. Samba Kumar, and K. Ullas Karanth.

Sample study area

The Western Ghats forests of Karnataka were chosen as the sample study area. “While the role of protected areas is critical, these cats despite their preference for intact forest habitats can thrive outside protected areas, given adequate prey and cover conditions,” the study says.

According to the study, additional cover and prey base available in unprotected forests, agro-forests, plantations and orchards and rocky escarpments do play a crucial role in supporting a large leopard population outside the designated reserves.

India’s countryside, in some regions, supports high densities of feral, semi-feral, free-ranging, and domestic dogs. The findings suggest that dogs (as prey), rather than livestock, are more important in explaining leopard presence outside forests. Dogs constitute around 40 per cent of the biomass in leopard diet in a human-use landscape.

In contrast, other felids like Asiatic lions and tigers prey substantially on livestock in human-use areas. Although smaller livestock species like goat and sheep do contribute to leopard diet it is likely that they are better protected by their owners, as compared to domestic or free-ranging dogs.

“Translocation of leopards merely after a sighting appears to be lowering people’s traditional socio-cultural tolerance of leopard presence, in the absence of any attacks. In the long run, such lowering of acceptance of wildlife in shared spaces would lead to a decline in potential leopard habitats and population recovery of a threatened species that has suffered massive contraction of its global range,” the study says.

The study suggests that livestock losses could be mitigated with measures that focus on assisting farmers in better husbandry practices, issuing prompt and just compensation for losses, and awareness on the distribution patterns of leopards in human-use landscapes.

Source :- The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015

Mars to lose a moon, wear ring like Saturn

Mars’ largest moon Phobos is slowly falling towards the planet and is likely to be shredded into pieces that will be strewn about the red planet in a ring like those encircling Saturn and Jupiter, scientists say.

Though inevitable, the demise of Phobos is not happening anytime soon. It will probably happen in 20-40 million years, leaving a ring that will persist for anywhere from one million to 100 million years, say scientists at the University of California, Berkeley.

UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow Benjamin Black and graduate student Tushar Mittal estimate the cohesiveness of Phobos and conclude that it is insufficient to resist the tidal forces that will pull it apart when it gets closer to Mars.

Just as Earth’s moon pulls on the planet in different directions, raising tides in the oceans, for example, so too Mars tugs differently on different parts of Phobos. As Phobos gets closer to the planet, the tugs are enough to actually pull the moon apart, the scientists say.

This is because Phobos is highly fractured, with lots of pores and rubble. Dismembering it is analogous to pulling apart a granola bar, Mr. Black said, scattering crumbs and chunks everywhere.

The resulting rubble from Phobos — rocks of various sizes and a lot of dust — would continue to orbit Mars and quickly distribute themselves around the planet in a ring. While the largest chunks would eventually spiral into the planet and collide at a grazing angle to produce egg-shaped craters, the majority of the debris would circle the planet for millions of years until these pieces drop onto the planet .

The research appears in the journal Nature Geoscience . — PTI

Data that may be helpful:

Important Points:-

• Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System, after Mercury. Named after the Roman god of war, it is often referred to as the "Red Planet" because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance.
• The moons of Mars are Phobos and Deimos.

Source :The Hindu, 26-Nov-2015