June 2013 News 22 POLICE VACCINE DEVELOPER KOPROWSKI DIES

POLICE VACCINE DEVELOPER KOPROWSKI DIES

Dr. Hilary Koprowski, the Polish-born researcher who developed the first successful oral vaccination for polio, died in the second week of April 2013 at his Philadelphia (U.S.A) home.
He was 96. Although not as well known as fellow researchers Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, his 1950 clinical trial was the first to show that it was possible to vaccinate against polio.

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June 2013 News 21 A THIN VICTORY FOR MADURO IN VENEZUELAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

A THIN VICTORY FOR MADURO IN VENEZUELAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

In the Venezuelan Presidential election held on April 14, 2013, the former President Hugo Chavez's hand picked successor won by a stunning narrow margin indicating rising discontent over problems ranging from crime to power blackouts.
Maduro won with    50.66% votes according to official tally. Maduro beat opposition challenger Henrique Capriles by a margin of less than two percentage  points (a difference of less than
3,00,000 votes), said National Electoral Council's President I ibisay Lucena.

The 50-year-old former foreign minister declared he secured a fair, legal, constitutional victory. But he said he was open to an audit of the close vote tally. Maduro's slim victory provides an inauspicious start for the Chavismo, movement's transition to a post-Chavez era and raises the possibility that he could face challenges from rivals within the disparate leftist coalition.

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June 2013 News 20 US HIKES PAK AID BY 40%, IN 2014 BUDGET

US HIKES PAK AID BY 40%, IN 2014 BUDGET

US President on April 10 proposed a 40% increase in American aid to Pakistan, amounting to $1.4 billion, as part of his $ 3.77 trillion budget that focusses on job creation and economic growth.
Obama among other things proposed to increase the US aid to Pakistan under overseas contingency operations to $ 1.4 million for the financial year beginning October 1, 2013, an increase of
40% than the $ 1 billion that he had proposed in the last year's budget for the fiscal 2013.
Obama also proposed to reduce the deficit by another $ 1.8 trillion.

State Department’s Budget
According to Obama's budget proposals, the state department's $ 47.8 billion budget includes $ 6.8 billion for the frontline States of Iraq ($ 2-1 billion), Afghanistan ($ 3.4 billion) and Pakistan ($ 1.4 billion). The proposals included $ 3 billion in base funding and $ 3.8 billion in overseas contingency operations funding. In view of the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in Libya last year, the budget provides over $ 4 billion to secure overseas
personnel.

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June 2013 News 19 NORTH KOREAS NUCLEAR GRAPH

NORTH KOREAS NUCLEAR GRAPH

US Defence Agency Cautions that Weapon's  reliability will be low

(1) What do we know of North's Nuclear Capability ?
                                              ---Not a great deal.
•   North Korea has conducted 3 nuclear tests 2006, 2009 and 2013.
•   This year's underground test was by far the most powerful.
•   Experts believe it may have been a uranium bomb, rather than a plutonium device as used in the previous two tests.
•   North Korea has only successfully tested one medium range ballistic missile, the Rodong-1, with a range of     1,300 km.

(2) What does North Korea Claim ?
                                              ---A great deal.

• The North Korean military says it already has an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capability and can deliver a nuclear warhead to targets as far away as the continental US.
• Pyongyang said the February test was of a miniaturised 'device and added that it now had a diversified weapons capability - suggesting both uranium and plutonium bombs.


(3) What is the Expert Consensus ?
                                              ---Mixed
• Experts agree that, despite the Unha-3 launch, North Korea is years from developing a genuine ICBM capability.
• A few experts believe Pyongyang may have mastered this technique, but the majority believe it would require at least one more nuclear test to develop a working warhead that could fit on a missile.
• At the mid-range level, the North's ballistic missile record is extremely shaky.

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June 2013 News 18 PAKISTAN TEST-FIRES N-CAPABLE HATF-IV MISSILE

PAKISTAN TEST-FIRES N-CAPABLE HATF-IV MISSILE

Pakistan on April 10, 2013 successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Hatf-IV ballistic missile with a range of 900 km that can hit targets in India. 
Officials said that launch of the Hatf-IV also known as the Shaheen-I would strengthen the country's deterrence capabilities manifold. The launch was described by the military as
successful. "The missile incorporates a series of improvements in range and technical parameters of the existing missile," the military said in a statement.
The Hatf-IV missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 900 km. The 'impact point' of the launch was at sea, the statement said.
The launch was witnessed by Strategic Plans Division Chief Lt. Gen. (retired) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, who said the improved version of the Hatf-IV "has consolidated and strengthened
Pakistan's deterrence abilities manifold".
Since last year, Pakistan has tested a wide array of missiles, from the Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60. km to the hatf-V ballistic missile with a reach of 1,300 Km.

Pakistan’s nuclear Tests at a glance

• Nation tested six missiles under two code names, in May 1998.
• From 1983 to 1994, at least 24 nuclear cold tests were carried out; these remained unannounced and classified
• March 11, 1983    Kirana-I
• May 28, 1998   Chagai-I
• May 30, 1998 Chagas II

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June 2013 News 17 S.KOREA, U.S. RAISE ALERT OVER NORTH T-TEST THREAT

S.KOREA, U.S. RAISE ALERT OVER NORTH T-TEST THREAT

South Korea and US forces raised their alert status to 'vital threat' on April 10, 2013 ahead of an expected North Korean missile test. The South Korea, US Combined Forces Command raised
its 'Wotchcon' status from 3 to 2 to reflect indications of a 'vital threat'. It was also learnt that the US could intercept a ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

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June 2013 News 16 JAPAN DEPLOYES PAC-3 BATTERIES

JAPAN DEPLOYES PAC-3 BATTERIES

Japan's defence ministry deployed Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile air defence units to three self-defence forces installations, in Tokyo and Chiba, to defend against possible North Korean missile strikes, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the PAC-3 units were deployed to the ministry's headquarters in Ichigaya.

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June 2013 News 15 SITUATION IN KOREAN PENINSULA HOTS UP

SITUATION IN KOREAN PENINSULA HOTS UP

• North Korea tells foreigners in South Korea to evacuate
• The scenario inching towards thermo-nuclear war in Korean peninsula
• Japan deploys PAC-3 batteries

North Korea said on April 9, 2013 that the Korean peninsula was headed for a 'Thermo-nuclear' war and advised foreigners in South Korea to consider evacuation, in the latest in a series of
apocalyptic threats.
It followed a similar warning issued earlier to foreign embassies in its capital Pyongyang to consider evacuation by April 10, saying it could not ensure the safety of their personnel if a conflict broke out.
"The situation on the Korean peninsula is inching close to a thermo nuclear war", the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee said in a statement carried b the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

Saying it did not want to see foreigners in South Korea fall victim, the statement requested all foreign institutions, enterprises and tourists "to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety."
The Committee blamed the heightened war risk on the 'war-mongering US', and its South Korean puppets, who were intent on invading the North.

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June 2013 News 14 FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER PASSES AWAY

FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER PASSES AWAY

[Britain's towering figure was loved and loathed in equal measure]
 
Britain's first woman Prime Minister, known as the Iron Lady, passed away on April 8, 2013 in London following a stroke. She was 87. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher
announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke", Lord Bell, her spokes person said.
Thatcher was Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Thatcher, born as Margaret Roberts became the Conservative MP for Finchley, north London in 1959, retiring from the Commons in 1992.

Having  been  education  secretary,  she  successfully challenged former PM Edward Heath for her party's leadership in 1975. She won general elections in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
During her tenure, Britain went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982, which Britain won and resulted in her re-election in 1983. Major world events took place when she was
in office, including the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Cold War.

SNIPPETS FROM A LIFE LIFE IN POLITICS

Born on October 13, 1925 to parents who owned grocery shops in Lincolnshire, Thatcher was an Oxford graduate Margaret Thatcher joined the Conservative Party in 1948 and later on went on to
become Secretary of State in 1970, when the party came into power.
In 1971 she introduced legislation to abolish free milk for primary schoolchildren, earning her the moniker 'Margaret Thatcher, the milk snatcher'.
In 1976 she gave a speech in response to a withering attack on the Soviet Union, after which Russian defence ministry dubbed her the 'Iron Lady'. In 1979 Thatcher became UK's first ever
female Prime Minister after winning the general election. She attacked the opposition party's record on the economy and promised radical reforms to control inflation and curb the power of
the trade unions. Many worshipped her for her economic reforms, while some accused her of entrenching divide between rich and poor. In 1990 the Iron Lady decided she wont contest again.
Replaced by John Major as the party head in 1992 entered House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher.

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June 2013 News 13 MALALA, DAUGHTER OF UNITED NATION

MALALA, DAUGHTER OF UNITED NATION

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called Pakistani education activist Malala Yousufzai 'a daughter of the United Nations' when he spoke to her to mark the 1,000 day
milestone in the run-up to a Millennium Development Goal to reduce poverty by the end of 2015.
In a Skype conversation from Madrid, where the Secretary-General was on a visit in April 2013 he described the 15-year-old who was attacked by the Taliban for opposing restrictions on going
to school asia symbol of hope, a daughter of the United Nations', according to a video of the talk released at UN Headquarters in New York, reported the Nation.
Later, Ban formally kicked off the campaign tagged 'MDG Momentum 1,000 Days of Action', urging countries to ramp up efforts to meet the anti-poverty targets set in 2000. Ban told Malala that the UN will always support her and people like her. Malala told Ban that it was an honour for her to be associated with the UN.

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June 2013 News 12 WORLD POWERS AND IRAN FAIL TO BREAK DEADLOCK ON NUCLEAR TALKS

WORLD POWERS AND IRAN FAIL TO BREAK DEADLOCK ON NUCLEAR TALKS

Six world powers failed to come to an agreement with Iran on an approach to reducing fears that Tehran might use its nuclear technology to make weapons, according to European Union's (EU)
foreign policy Chief. Declaring that the two sides were far apart on substance, EU's head of foreign policy Catherine Ashton said that although there were expectations that the negotiations were making progress, the two sides had failed to make enough headway to qualify the meeting as a success at the end of two-day talks.
It may be recalled that Iran and world powers met on April 6, 2013 for the second and final day of new talks aimed at breaking a decade-old deadlock over Tehran's nuclear drive, with the clock again ticking down on efforts to find a solution.
The two sides held an indecisive first day of negotiations in the Kazakh city of Almaty on April 5, 2013 that ended with only an agreement to meet again and Western officials admitting the positions were still far apart.
They most notably failed to resolve the main issue on the table-whether Iran will accept some demands concerning its nuclear programme in return for relief on the sanctions that have been
imposed on the Islamic republic and hurt its economy in the past two years.
EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton started the day on April 5 by meeting Chief Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili.

The Issue of International Recognition

The two sides also exchanged views on ways to progress along the path of negotiations. Iran resolutely insists on international recognition of its right to enrich uranium and wants that
condition be a part of any deal. The world powers on the other hand say that the onus is on Iran to take the first step. They insist on it ending enrichment to high levels and shuttering the Fordo mountain bunker where such activity takes place before any recognition for Iran's nuclear rights is granted.
The talks concluded on April 6, 2013 after two plenary sessions lasting a combined six hours with Iran answering a series of questions about its list of demands. A Western official said
the two sides still had strongly differing visions of ways to solve the dispute. "We had a long and substantial discussion on the issues, but we remain a long way apart on the substance," the
Western official said after April 6's talks.

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June 2013 News 11 CHINA OFFERS TOURS TO DISPUTED ISLANDS

CHINA OFFERS TOURS TO DISPUTED ISLANDS

Adding further uneasiness to its neighbours China has announced plans to launch cruises for tourists to a chain of disputed islands in the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
It also expressed concerns over North Korea's rhetoric about waging war with the neighbouring South Korea.
The disputed Paracels islands in the South China Sea, called Xisha in China has been under Chinese control since a short war with the then South Vietnam in 1974.But Vietnam still regards it as its own territory while China has made claims over other islands in Vietnamese control.
Chinese    tourists taking the cruise would live on board ships, as the largest island has only one hotel and no fresh water, the official Xinhua news agency said. It quoted the Haihang Group Ship company as saying that a 47,000-tonne ship capable of accommodating nearly 2,000 passengers was ready to sail and that another was being built. China has been expressing concerns over the US expanding its military presence in the Asia Pacific and supplying arms to Vietnam.

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June 2013 News 10 KURIEN ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF ASIAN FORAM OF PARLIAMENTARIANS

KURIEN  ELECTED  CHAIRMAN  OF ASIAN  FORAM  OF PARLIAMENTARIANS

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P. J. Kurien was on April 11, 2013 day unanimously elected the Chairman of the prestigious Asian  Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development
(AFPPD) in Bangkok. A statement released said during the 73rd Executive Committee Meeting of AFPPD, Kurien was elected as the Chairman taking over from Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan. The AFPPD is a regional NGO which serves as a coordinating body of 25 National Committees of Parliamentarians on Population and Development.

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June 2013 News 9 INDO CHINA BORDER TIFF INDIA ASKS CHINA TO REVERT TO STATUS QUO

INDO-CHINA BORDER TIFF : INDIA ASKS CHINA TO REVERT TO STATUS QUO

• Ministry of External Affairs sees it as a face-to face situation
• China seeks to play down tensions
• It says both countries need to work on improving bilateral ties

India on April 23, 2013 asked China to restore status quo at the Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh where troops of both countries came 'face-to-face' after Chinese troops intruded 10 km inside Indian territory on April 15, 2013.
"We have asked the Chinese side to maintain the status quo in this sector (of the western border). By this I mean the status quo prior to this incident", external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
"We see this as a face-to-face situation between border personnel of two sides due to
differences on the alignment of Line of Actual Control (LAC)".
The term 'face-to-face' is not something that India has 'conjured up', it is something that is referred to in 2005 Protocol  for    implementation of  confidence-building measures in military
field in the LAC in India-China border areas, he said. More than 200 incursions (the government refers to them as transgressions) are reported every year in the Ladakh sector, Arunachal
Pradesh and Sikkim along the disputed border.

In Beijing, a day after denying its People's Liberation Army had intruded into India, China seemingly toned down the rhetoric.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said both countries needed to "create good conditions for the sound development of bilateral relations." Hua, who had described reports of the intrusion as media speculation, evaded direct questions.
Asked about the external affairs ministry summoning Chinese ambassador to New Delhi Wei Wei to stress the need for resolving the issue, Hua said she was not aware of the development.

600 INCURSIONS BY CHINA ALONG LAC SINCE 2010

China's 'deeper' troop incursions into Ladakh have set the alarm bells clanging in the Indian security establishment, even as Defence Minister A. K. Antony on April 22 asserted that all necessary steps would be taken "to protect the country's interests" in the continuing face-off between rival soldiers in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector. India has recorded well over 600 'transgressions'-the government's euphemism for cross-border intrusions-all along the unresolved 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) by the People's Liberation Army over the last three years. While the sheer number of the incidents itself is disquieting, the Indian establislunent is
more worried about the 'brazen military assertiveness' being shown by the PLA in all the three sectors of the LAC-western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim,
Arunachal)-in recent times. "Ladakh in particular-in DBO and Nyoma sectors as well as Trig Heights and Pangong Tso lake-is being targeted. Though Chinese troops usually go back after
marking their presence, they are increasingly coming deeper and deeper into our territory with the aim to stake claim to disputed areas," said an official.

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June 2013 News 8 INDO-SWISS BODY TO WORK FOR RECOGNITION FOR AYURVEDA

INDO-SWISS BODY TO WORK FOR RECOGNITION FOR AYURVEDA

In an effort aimed at taking Ayurveda to the world by helping it get recognition as a full-fledged medical system promoting research, clinical practice and teaching, institutions in Switzerland and India have set up the Indo-Swiss Ayurveda Foundation (ISA).
According to Simone Hunziker, founding President, ISA, the recognition of Ayurveda as a discipline within the new professions of complementary therapist and medical practitioner' in Switzerland provided the ideal opportunity to make it again the status of a medical system.
With that aim, ISA would promote research, document studies, facilitate dialogues among the International Ayurvedic Community, establish a network, work with law-makers, publish major, modern reference books, enable dialogue between Indian government and the International Ayurveda representatives and do much more.

The ISA would have two Indian Ayurveda establishments as partners in this endeavour, she said and identified the Ayurveda College and Hospital in Nadiad, Gujarat, and the Arya Vaidya
Pharmacy as the two institutions.
Switzerland was the ideal place to start the ISA because it had passed the enabling legislation that recognised Ayurveda doctors as 'complementary therapist' and 'medical practitioner'. The ISA would work with law makers, allopathic doctors and others there to ensure that the Swiss Government soon recognised Ayurveda as an alternative medical system. Once that was done, it would be easy for ISA to work with other governments in the European Union, the United States and West Asia.
Dr. Hunziker said that former Indian Ambassador to Switzerland Swashpawan Singh was the Vice-President of ISA, and Anne Keiser the Administrative Director. The advisory board comprised
P. R. Krishnakumar, Managing Director, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Anita Das, a former Secretary, Department of AYUSH, Philippe Welti, a former Swiss Ambassador to India, Shive Nzarain Gupta,
Medical Superintendent, P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital, Nadiad, and U. Indulal, Deputy Director, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy.
Mr. Swashpawan Singh said that Ayurveda was a soft power that India could leverage while interacting with other nations. Plus, it was a gift that India had to offer to the world. One of the objectives of ISA would help people understand that the promotion of the Indian system of medicine was not to project it as a competitor but complementing factor to other systems of medicine.

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June 2013 News 7 INDIA-AFRICA TIES GETTING STRONGER WITH YOUTH PARTICIPATION

INDIA-AFRICA TIES GETTING STRONGER WITH YOUTH PARTICIPATION

[The two-day India-Africa collaborative workshop saw 72 students (36 Indians and 36, Africans) participating in New Delhi in the first week of April]

The government's efforts in forging closer ties with Africa by engaging the youth of both the regions in a big way and helping them harvest their ideas for business and social ventures is becoming a success story.
Sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a two-day India-Africa collaborative workshop which concluded early in April 2013 saw 72 students (36 Indians and 36 Africans from across multiple disciplines) debating and pitching their views on
challenges and opportunities in areas like energy, environment, healthcare, education, culture, creative exchanges, tourism, governance, food and nutrition in their respective regions at the Young India Fellowship Campus.
The initiative 'India-Africa :A Shared Future' by the MEA's public diplomacy division saw these 72 students divided into nine teams pitching for greater collaboration in identifying opportunity areas which are mutually beneficial for developing product and service systems through combined efforts to both India and African nations.
India-Africa team members travelled to 16 nations, including Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, DR Congo, Tanzania, Congo, Malawi and Gabon had participated in the programme.
A total of 12 young entrepreneurs, six each from Africa and India were selected as Young Visionaries who earlier went through an intensive six-day entrepreneurship development programme at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad in the last week of March. The aim of the programme was to equip them with skills to scale up their enterprises and successfully replicate their success in other geographies in Africa and/or India; and identify and build on synergies to develop ideas for collaborative business ventures.
The government increasingly views Africa as a fertile land for furthering India's commercial interests there. The leadership of India and African nations have set a bilateral trade target of $ 100 billion by 2015. The UPA government has recently taken
a decision to open dialogue with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa members the largest economic group in Africa.

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June 2013 News 6 NAVY RED FLAGS CHINESE SUBMARINES IN INDIAN OCEAN

NAVY RED FLAGS CHINESE SUBMARINES IN INDIAN OCEAN

A classified defence ministry document has revealed that an increasing number of Chinese submarines venturing into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) pose a danger to India's security and economic interests, as a HT correspondent reports.
It has also warned that the 'implicit focus' of the Chinese navy appears to be undermining the Indian navy's maritime edge 'to control highly sensitive sealines of communication' in a region that the navy views as its area of responsibility.
The IOR stretches from the Horn of Africa to the Malacca Strait and Southwards to the western shores of Australia.

Brewing Tension

(1) China has encircled India with a network of ports and facilities in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Pakistan's Gwadar port, the culmination of the string of pearl' model.
(2) Severe rivalry between the two navies may arise within the next three years as China ramps up its strategic manoeuvres in the IOR.

The Gwadar port, located in southwest Pakistan is operated by China. The study said that the port would "facilitate enormous command and control capability for prospective Chinese presence in the IOR."
The document, titled'Indian Navy'. Perceived Threats to subsurface Deterrent Capability and Preparedness, has been prepared by the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) whose mandate includes advising the government on developing force levels and capabilities.
It predicts intense rivalry between the two navies within the next three years as China ramps up its strategic manoeuvres in the IOR. Chinese navy's "extended patrols may fully overlap with the Indian Navy's area of operation," the document said.
It also cautions against the Chinese navy building up expeditionary maritime capabilities in the form of nuclear powered submarines and area denial weapons in large numbers 'with deployment focus in the IOR'.
Citing subsurface contact data shared by the US forces, the IDS document said at least 22 contacts were recorded with vessels suspected to be Chinese attack submarines on patrol outside Beijing's territorial waters last year. Of these, five contacts have been corroborated by intelligence data shared by Asean countries, a development the navy views as a'grave operational concern.'

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June 2013 News 5 NEW, HARSHER ANTI-RAPE LAW COMES INTO FORCE

NEW, HARSHER ANTI-RAPE LAW COMES INTO FORCE

President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the anti-rape Bill, which provides for life term and even death sentence for rape convicts, besides stringent punishment  for offences such as acid attacks, stalking and voyeurism.
Mukherjee accorded his assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2013 on April 3, brought against the backdrop of the countrywide outrage over the Delhi gangrape, and now it will be
called the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. The law passed by the Lok Sabha on March 19 and by Rajya Sabha on March 21, has replaced on Ordinance promulgated on February 3. It amends various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Evidence Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

DETAILS:

• The new law states that rapists can be sentenced to 20 years jail term but it may also extend to life term with a fine.
• It has provisions for handing out death sentence to offenders who may have been convicted earlier for such crimes.
• The   law,  for   the   first time, defines stalking and voyeurism as non-bailable offenses if repeated for a second time.
• Acid attacks will attract a 10-year jail term. It also defines
acid attack as a crime besides granting a victim the right
to self-defense.
• The law has fixed age for consensual sex at 18 years.

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June 2013 News 4 ISRO GEARS UP FOR ENTRY OF PRIVATE SECTOR

ISRO GEARS UP FOR ENTRY OF PRIVATE SECTOR

The country's premier space research centre is going ahead with its plans to rope in industry in its activities working towards the launch of the first privately-built rocket in the next five years. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has embarked on transferring production of communication satellites and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) to the industry.
"We are now setting up a national committee to work out the modalities on how to go about it. " ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said.
He said the initial steps to tie up with industry were taken at a meeting in Ahmedabad at the start of the year. "My target is five years from now on. Five years from now, the first PSLV will roll out from that entity," Radhakrishnan said. He said that the proposed national committee would look at various steps in this regard, including revenue model, technology transfer etc. The industry participation in development of communication satellites is upto 80%. Wire more involvement, ISRO scientists will be able to
concentrate on research oriented activities.

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June 2013 News 3 INDIA AND THE US HAVE AGREED TO COOPERATE ON MISSIONS

INDIA AND THE US HAVE AGREED TO COOPERATE ON MISSIONS

India and the US have agreed to cooperate on missions to the Moon and Mars after successful collaboration in Chandrayaan-1 mission. "Building on NASA's collaboration in India's highly successful Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission in 2008, NASA and ISRO agreed to explore further cooperative space exploration work, including future missions to the Moon and Mars. To this end the working group agreed to continue discussions in planetary science and Heliophysics to identify areas of potential cooperation," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) said in a joint statement.
"The value of bilateral cooperation was well reflected, for instance, through the inclusion of two NASA instruments on the successful Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, which led to significant discoveries about lunar surface characteristics," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said at the fourth US-India Civil Space Joint Working Group meeting. According to the statement, existing cooperation, in the use of US and Indian earth observation satellite data, has produced information yielding a broad range of societal  benefits  including  improved  weather  and monsoon forecasting, disaster management and response, improved agricultural and natural resource use and better understanding of climate change.

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June 2013 News 2 NUCLEAR-CAPABLE AGNI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY

NUCLEAR-CAPABLE AGNI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY

India on April 7, 2013 successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-II strategic ballistic missile from a military base in Odisha. The test was conducted from Wheeler's Island in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from Bhubaneshwar by army personnel as part of routine user-trials, MVKV Prasad, director of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) said. "The missile successfully hit the target. It was a perfect launch," Prasad said. The medium range missile with a range of 2,000 km has already been inducted into the army, and is part of the strategic forces arsenal for nuclear deterrence.
Agni-II is part of India's Integrated Guided Missile Development  programme.  The two-stage surface-to-surface missile, equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system and guided
by a novel state-of-the-art command and control system, is powered by a solid rocket propellant system. The missile weighs 17 tonne and its range can be increased to 3,000 km by reducing the
payload. It can be fired from both rail and road mobile launchers. It takes only 15 minutes for the missile to be readied for firing. The Defence Research and Development Organisation first tested Agni-Il in 1999. However, the Indian Army's Strategic Forces Command, which operates the missile, could test it only May 17, 2010 after two successive failures in 2009.

The failed tests did not meet the mission's objectives as, on both occasions, the missile lost speed and deviated from its flight path. Since then, it has been successfully tested several times. The latest test again proved its reliability.

(1) Agni-II is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of over 2,000km and has already been inducted into the Army
(2) Two staged missile is equipped with an advanced high-accuracy navigation system 
(3) Guided by, a novel state-of-the-art command and control system and powered by a solid rocket propellant system
(4) Missile Weighs 17 tonnes; range can go up to 3,000km by reducing the payload.
(5) 15 Minutes is what it takes the missile to be readied for firing .

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June 2013 News 1 PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH'S VISIT TO GERMANY

PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH'S VISIT TO GERMANY

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh along with a high level delegation arrived in Berlin on April 10, 2013 on a three-day visit  to Germany. He was accorded a red carpet welcome at the Tegel Military Airport. Germany plays a key role in the global economy and, in particular, in stability and growth in the Eurozone, which has an important bearing on Indian economy.

Germany wants India to Hike Insurance Cap

Germany on April 11, 2013 pressed India to hike the foreign equity cap in the insurance sector and reduce tariff on import of automobiles as a prelude to the much awaited India-EU Free Trade.
Agreement even as the two countries signed six pacts including one under which a German loan of Euro one billion (Rs. 7,000 crore) will be provided for a green energy corridor in India.
After talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that India and the EU have not overcome 'all the difficulties' in reaching an agreement to conclude the FTA.
India   is   pressing Germany,   the   biggest economy  in  Europe,  to provide a 'strong political thrust' for inking of broad based Bilateral Investment and   Trade   Agreement (BITA).
Merkel, who jointly co-chaired the second round of Inter-Govern-mental    Consultations (IGC) with Singh, however, minced no words when she said that the increase in the insurance cap by India was 'undeniably' an important issue apart from resolution of issues such as tariff rate quota on imports of German cars. Merkel suggested that both sides were willing to make compromises,
saying, "we cannot expect every country to eagerly accept all of the wishes Germany might have, " while adding that she also has "the feeling there is a great readiness to be forthcoming on India's part." Regarding wider EU concerns on insurance sector restrictions,  Singh said his Cabinet has proposed raising the permitted foreign shareholdings from 26% to 49%. India and Germany on April 12, 2013 set a target of concluding the long-awaited India-EU Free
Trade Agreement this year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a joint statement in Berlin underlined their strong commitment to a successful outcome to the EU-India negotiations for a broad-based and balanced Free Trade Agreement that will generate jobs and growth in both countries.
Even as Singh was discussing FTA with Merkel, back home, the BJP took exception to his decision to engage in the final phase of negotiations for a 'highly controversial' agreement without taking into account the opposition by experts and stakeholders. The BJP expressed apprehension that the FTA would lead to the flooding of the Indian market with dairy, poultry, sugar, wheat, confectionery, oilseeds, fisheries and plantation products from the EU. Such an agreement would "directly compromise India's agricultural sovereignty and its food security," BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, said in demanding parliamentary scrutiny.

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NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES JUNE 2013

NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES JUNE 2013

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS in JUNE 2013

PEOPLE WHO PASSED AWAY in JUNE 2013

ABBREVIATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS of JUNE 2013

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS of JUNE 2013

NEWS ABOUT INDIAN STATES for JUNE 2013

June 2013 News 1: PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH'S VISIT TO GERMANY.
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June 2013 News 2: NUCLEAR-CAPABLE AGNI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY.
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June 2013 News 3: INDIA AND THE US HAVE AGREED TO COOPERATE ON MISSIONS.
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June 2013 News 4: ISRO GEARS UP FOR ENTRY OF PRIVATE SECTOR.
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June 2013 News 5: NEW, HARSHER ANTI-RAPE LAW COMES INTO FORCE
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June 2013 News: 6 NAVY RED FLAGS CHINESE SUBMARINES IN INDIAN OCEAN
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June 2013 News 7: INDIA-AFRICA TIES GETTING STRONGER WITH YOUTH PARTICIPATION
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June 2013 News 8: INDO-SWISS BODY TO WORK FOR RECOGNITION FOR AYURVEDA
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June 2013 News 9: INDO CHINA BORDER TIFF INDIA ASKS CHINA TO REVERT TO STATUS QUO
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June 2013 News 10: KURIEN ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF ASIAN FORAM OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
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INTER-NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES JUNE 2013

June 2013 News 11: CHINA OFFERS TOURS TO DISPUTED ISLANDS
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June 2013 News 12:WORLD POWERS AND IRAN FAIL TO BREAK DEADLOCK ON NUCLEAR TALKS
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June 2013 News 13:MALALA, DAUGHTER OF UNITED NATION
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June 2013 News 14:FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER PASSES AWAY
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June 2013 News 15:SITUATION IN KOREAN PENINSULA HOTS UP
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June 2013 News 16:JAPAN DEPLOYES PAC-3 BATTERIES
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June 2013 News 17:S.KOREA, U.S. RAISE ALERT OVER NORTH T-TEST THREAT
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June 2013 News 18:PAKISTAN TEST-FIRES N-CAPABLE HATF-IV MISSILE
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June 2013 News 19:NORTH KOREAS NUCLEAR GRAPH
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June 2013 News 20:US HIKES PAK AID BY 40%, IN 2014 BUDGET
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June 2013 News 21:A THIN VICTORY FOR MADURO IN VENEZUELAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
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June 2013 News 22:POLICE VACCINE DEVELOPER KOPROWSKI DIES
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