- BioBricks - standardised sequences of DNA, known as BioBricks, and inserted them into E-coli bacteria. Each BioBrick part contains genes selected from a range of existing organisms that allows the bacteria to produce colours like red, yellow, green, blue, brown or purple.
- Even though in the low altitude areas temperature is rapidly zooming, Rohtang pass is witnessing a huge dip in mercury causing the snow to melt down at a slower pace. The area is still laden with snow, which otherwise had almost disappeared last year by now. Scientists say the decrease in carbon emission due to less number of vehicles on the Rohtang route has put a check on the meltdown.
- The draft declaration for the Rio+20 summit, with India's demands of reasserting equity and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) finding place in the text was accepted by the negotiators from more than 180 countries a day ahead of the meeting of the heads of states on Wednesday.
Brazil presented the text to the negotiators of more than 180 countries, with a plea not to reopen it for negotiations with the developing countries - as part of the G77 block - happier about the draft declaration than the European nations and the US.
The countries agreed to sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be developed through an inter-governmental mechanism. Also, they agreed to look into where the funds and technology would come from to achieve these targets. The SDGs would be set up under the existing Rio principles, which the EU and US had tried hard to dilute. But in a victory for the developing world that attempt was blocked.
The Rio summit gains importance as it sets the larger framework of principles from which specific negotiations, such as the climate change talks, draw their conclusions. Any dilution of principles critical to the stance of developing countries would have automatically made their battles in the specific negotiations much more difficult.
The two principles require developed countries, which have the resources and are largely responsible for unsustainable development so far, to have greater obligations under any global compact were agreed upon in the 1992 Rio summit, but now the rich countries, battered by the economic crisis, want to wriggle out of the commitments even as they push for a faster and costlier transition to a 'green economy' by the developing economies
- With major European economies on the brink of collapse, leaders concluding an annual Group of 20 meeting sought Tuesday to reassure the world that they would find a way to put out the debt-fueled economic wildfire that has threatened banks, wiped out jobs and toppled governments across the continent.
The conservative leaders of the United Kingdom, South Korea and Germany came out decisively for austerity, warning that budget cuts were crucial to restoring fiscal order and worldwide confidence. On the other side were left-leaning governments such as those in Argentina, Brazil and France that have denounced the German-imposed austerity plan for struggling countries such as Spain and Greece and pushed for more stimulus spending.
Repeatedly, the G-20 plan stresses shoring up banking systems. It calls for a “more integrated financial architecture, encompassing banking supervision, resolution and recapitalization, and deposit insurance.”
The cost of bailing out Spain’s 1.1 trillion ($1.39 trillion) economy would likely outstrip current global ability, even after the International Monetary Fund announced late Monday that a round of contributions had increased its lending capacity to $456 billion. The countries making the biggest IMF contributions will be Japan, at $60 billion; Germany, at $54.7 billion; and China, at $43 billion. The United States is notably not contributing in the latest round.
- China's space planners made major changes in the programme for its first woman astronaut in the spacecraft Shenzhou-9. - China's first woman astronaut Liu Yang
- Mumbai-based scientist Pushkar Vaidya will lead the Rio+20 India Programme, a part of the three-day conference that begins in Brazil Wednesday. The India edition will consist of a certification programme for schools in India and a workshop for corporate houses
Rio+20 is the popular name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which will be held in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro from June 20 to 22.
The preparations for Rio+20 have highlighted seven areas which need priority attention: decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans, and disaster readiness.
As part of Rio+20 India Programme, Vaidya, through his organisation Indian Astrobiology Research Centre (IARC), will conduct a certification programme for students that will offer international curriculum focused on sustainable development related outlook, lifestyle and career prospects
Rio+20 program facilitator Sunil Churi said: "Rio+20 is about making and delivering commitments. IARC has made an official voluntary commitment to United Nations that it will take Rio+20 goals to one million Indians by December. It is called One Million Rios."
- Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, appears to hang on the planet’s rings like a bead on a necklace. The effect is a result of the line-of-sight viewing position; Titan orbits Saturn at an average distance of 1, 221, 870 km.
The moon is an enigma in itself – cloaked in a thick nitrogen-rich atmosphere, it is the only moon in the Solar System that has a dense atmosphere. Lakes of liquid hydrocarbons pool on its surface, and an active methane cycle plays a similar role to Earth’s water cycle, complete with clouds and methane rain.
Cassini has been in orbit around Saturn since 2004 and is now in its second extended mission phase, the Cassini Solstice Mission, which will continue until 2017.
- Himangi Singh from Indore - Miss Asia pacific - first Indian after 12 years after Sania Mirza
- Risk Allowance increased for Govt employees working in hazardous occupations till 31st December.
- Over three years after it came into being, Force One, the elite police unit set up by the State Government following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, finds itself in a sorry state of affairs.
The officer also pointed out that though Force One was granted land to set up their headquarters at Goregaon, parts of that ground has been inhabited by tribals since 1861, and the elite unit still functions from a makeshift office in Kalina.
- In a setback to both the state government and director general of police (DGP) Dinesh Reddy, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday set aside his appointment as the Head of the Police Force- (HOPF) and directed the state to conduct the selection process afresh and appoint a new DGP within three weeks. The tribunal however allowed Dinesh Reddy to discharge the functions of the DGP (HOPF) till then.
Agreeing with the contentions raised by Gautam Kumar, the CAT bench held that the way the state went ahead in appointing Dinesh to the top post was indeed contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court in the Prakash Singh case which made it mandatory for all states to involve UPSC in the process.
Dinesh Reddy - 1977 IPS officer & Gautam Kumar - 1975 officer
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