Analysis of data obtained by the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar (Mini-SAR) onboard Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has provided evidence for the presence of ice deposits near the moon’s North pole. The Mini-SAR instrument found more than 40 small craters (2-15 km in diameter) with sub-surface water ice located at their base. The interior of these craters is in permanent sun shadow.

Manufacture of essential medicines by Indian companies is not just a matter of interest for Indian domestic consumers. India is a key supplier of life saving drugs to many parts of the developing world. 92 per cent of patients on antiretrovirals (for treating HIV-AIDS) in low- and middle-income countries use generic drugs, mostly manufactured in India. 67 per cent of medicines exports from India go to developing countries. Further, approximately 50 per cent of the essential medicines that UNICEF distributes in developing countries come from India.

YEMEN has been on the boil for some time now but it was the failed attempt by a young Nigerian to blow up an American plane in Detroit on Christmas Day that has brought the country into Washington’s direct line of fire. The Nigerian, a 24 year oldLondon based student named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was carrying explosives hidden in his undergarments. He confessed to have received training in Yemen from the al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The Americans, along with their close allies, the British and the French, briefly closed down their embassies in the Yemeni capital San’a citing security concerns. The western governments are now saying that Yemen is the new epicentre of global terrorism.

The profit of Profit making CPSEs went up from Rs.91571 crore in 2007-08 to Rs. 98652 crore in 2008-09. The loss of loss making CPSEs went up from Rs.10257 crore in 2007-08 to Rs. 14424 crore in 2008-09.

Public Enterprises Survey (2008-09), brought out by the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India on the performance of 246 CPSEs was placed in both the Houses of Parliament on 25^th February, 2010.

GENERALLY dubbed as pro-Russian, former prime minister Viktor Fedorovich Yanukovich, has won the race in the second round of presidential elections in Ukraine, held on February 7, trouncing the incumbent prime minister Ms Yulia VolodimirivnaTimoshenko by a margin of 3.48 per cent. Though the golden-braided lady for long refused to concede defeat — she even threatened to move the Supreme Court from which the Orange camp got the necessary backing in 2004 — she had had to finally yield, even while accusing the same Supreme Court of being partial.

Backgrounder

The Central Government, by a notification dated 20.2.2009, as set up ‘National GangaRiver Basin Authority’ (NGRBA)as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga river,in exercise of the powers conferred under the Environment (Protection) Act,1986. The Prime Minister is ex-officio Chairperson of the Authority, and it has as its members, the Union Ministers Concerned and the Chief Ministers of states through which Ganga flows, viz., Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, among others. The objective of the Authority is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as the unit of planning. The functions of the Authority include all measures necessary for planning and execution of programmes for abatement of pollution in the Ganga in keeping with sustainable development  needs.

THE union ministry for human resource development informed the Supreme Court on 18 January this year that of the 126 deemed universities 44 do not deserve their deemed university status because of their abysmal infrastructural facilities. Many of these deemed universities were created in violation of all norms by the UPA government itself favouring private managements. One of the derecognised deemed university was even allowed to open its offshore campus in Thailand.

The Union Budget 2010-11 comes in  a context when entire country is reeling under the impact of a massive price rise and has witnessed a negative growth rate in the agricutlure sector. Urgent steps should have been taken to curb price rise and provide relief to the common people. The budget presented by the government completely betrays these concerns.

The latest budgetary exercise has clearly been an attempt to reconcile two equally pressing considerations—economic growth and financial consolidation. While growth is important to have a larger cake to share, financial consolidation is needed to ensure that the gains do not dissipate as a consequence of inflation.

Fortunately, what the country is witnessing today is food inflation primarily due to supply constraints on account of the worst monsoon in 30 years. But as the Economic Survey report warns there is every danger of this inflation percolating to other sectors, if timely steps are not taken.