General Awareness Updates – December 2009

Miscellaneous-1

The Dalai Lama visits Tawang, raises China’s hackles

Thousands of Buddhist monks and supporters welcomed the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district. China has repeatedly raised objection to the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang area.

The Dalai Lama arrived in a helicopter in this remote Buddhist enclave nestled in the icy folds of the Himalayas, which he had passed through after fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said his visit is merely a spiritual tour and China’s objection over such a tour was unwanted. He said his visit was non-political and China which did not pursue him and other Tibetans when they escaped to India, were now voicing different views on his visit to Tawang.

“The Chinese protest…. That’s quite usual, wherever I go... It’s totally baseless,” said the Nobel Peace Laureate in Tawang. “My visit here is non-political… [I] want to tell you two facts. 1959, when we came across... no Chinese followed us, no Chinese pursued us and then not only me, several thousand Tibetans crossed this border. So as soon as they reached here, they felt safe. This is number one fact. Number two fact, 1962, liberation army occupied Tawang and I think reached nearly Bomdila. but then the Chinese government unilaterally declared ceasefire and withdrew… But now Chinese have different views. That’s something I don’t know. So I’m also a bit surprised. So now you must seek truth from these two facts.”

The Dalai Lama held discourses in the three centuries old Tawang monastery and at nearby Dirang at Bomdila before leaving for Itanagar. To China’s objection over the Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang, India has stated that the Tibetan leader was free to travel to any part of India, but he was not allowed to indulge in political activities.

Recently, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh after meeting his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in Hua Hin city of Thailand, had stated that the Dalai Lama was an honoured guest of India and was free to travel anywhere he wished to. India has maintained that the Tibetans are not allowed to indulge in political activities on Indian soil.

India & U.S. launch Cope India-09 military exercise

Exercise ‘Cope India-09’, a five-day joint air exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) got underway at Air Force Station, Agra - a major transport airbase and one of the largest airbases in southeast Asia. The exercise will give impetus to the existing Indo-U.S. defence cooperation that has already seen the two nations organising and participating in five such air exercises since 2003.

Those present at the opening ceremony included U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer. The Directors for the exercise Group Captain Mathews Mammen of IAF and Colonel Raymond La Marche from the U.S. Air Force were also present at the opening ceremony.

“Strategic and defence cooperation is one of the key pillars of our growing and robust strategic partnership,” said the U.S. Ambassador. “This exercise is a perfect example of how the U.S. Air Force and the Indian Air Force are working together – sharing information, training and expertise to develop as professional forces.”

The exercise will train and expose IAF air warriors to a variety of missions in joint operations in a simulated hostile scenario. The objectives for the exercise include learning about each other’s operational aspects; validate procedures for operations towards internal security, airborne assault operations and NVG (night vision goggles) aided tactical operations.

“One of the major exercises also includes exposure to modern air delivery techniques and management of mass casualties at base and medical evaluation of critical patients by air,” informed Gp Capt Mammen, the IAF Exercise Director. “Rapid insertion of troops and combat search and rescue are among the other major exercises that will be practiced,” said the USAF Exercise Director Col La Marche explaining how a downed pilot is sometimes rescued from enemy or hostile territory.

Aussie PM in India, calls for deeper strategic relationship

In an effort to impart dynamism to their ties, India and Australia have decided to take their relationship to the strategic partnership level as they agreed to work closely on security matters by creating a comprehensive framework in this field.

During the talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd, the two sides decided to enhance cooperation in combating terrorism through agency-level cooperation and boost trade by expediting efforts to put in place a free trade agreement.

The two countries also decided to cooperate closely on other matters like energy, climate change, sports, water and science and technology. Both the countries issued a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation entailing collaboration in areas like counter-terrorism, defence, disarmament, maritime security and non-proliferation.

“To give expression to the expansion and dynamism of our bilateral ties, we have agreed to take the relationship to the level of a strategic partnership,” a Joint Statement issued said.

Affirming that the strategic partnership between India and Australia is based on a shared desire to promote regional and global security, the Declaration underlined the common commitment of the two sides to fight terrorism and other transnational and organised crimes.

Himalayan glaciers’ retreat slowing down

A new report by India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests has suggested that the Himalayan glaciers are not wasting away due to global warming. The report goes on to claim that the retreat of many glaciers in the Himalayas has in fact slowed down, with some glaciers even expanding. Similar paradoxical reports are also emerging from all over the Karakoram.

The report, which puts a question mark on the doomsday findings forecast by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), does not mean that the climate is probably not changing, but just the fact Himalayan glaciers are defying the odds and surviving is little understood.

It could be a controversy of Himalayan proportions. The Government of India has already debunked the UN climate change report, saying its doomsday prediction on glaciers is wrong. The 2007 IPCC report had said, “The Himalayan glaciers are receding faster than in any other part of the world and at the current rate of global warming, they may disappear altogether by the year 2035, or even earlier”.

Now, the government report contradicts that with a warning not to be alarmist. “We don’t need to be alarmist like the IPCC was, we don’t need to write the epitaph for glaciers, but we need a concentrated scientific and policy focus on the Himalayan ecosystem. I think the truth is incredibly complex,” said Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh.

The government report is based on a study of a dozen or so glaciers, although there are close to ten thousand glaciers in the Himalayas. The report says: “Till 6 years ago, the 30-kilometre long Gangotri glacier that feeds the Ganga was retreating annually at the rate of 22 metres. But a study by the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora, found that in 2004 and 2005 the annual retreat slowed to nearly 12 metres.” And the Environment ministry report says that between 2007 and June 2009, the glacier has stood still.

The government report goes on to cite the examples of the Siachen glacier, which it says has not retreated much in the last 50 years. The same holds true for the Machoi glacier and the Zemu glacier on the Kanchenjunga in Sikkim. The 17-kilometre long Dokriani glacier, the most studied in India, continues to retreat steadily, not faster, as the UN predicted. These claims are backed by a NASA study that suggests Himalayan glaciers are located at much higher altitudes and have not felt the impacts of global warming.

But the author of the original IPCC report stands firm. “I’ve sent my comments to the ministry. In my view, glaciers are definitely retreating but their response time is different in different climatic settings,” says Seyed I. Hasnain, Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.

According to the Environment ministry, the Gangotri glacier, and other glaciers in the Himalayas will not waste away anytime soon as was forecast by the IPCC. These counter-intuitive findings will most certainly echo at the Copenhagen Summit, when delegates from 192 countries will gather to thrash out a new global treaty on climate change.

Turkey and Armenia signed historic accord

Turkey and Armenia signed an accord to establish diplomatic relations after a century of enmity, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton helped the two sides clear a last-minute snag. The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed the agreement in the Swiss city of Zurich after a dispute over the final statements they would make.

The accord is expected to win ratification from both nations’ parliaments and could lead to a reopening of their border, which has been closed for 16 years.

In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was showing “goodwill” to restore ties with Armenia. But he said Turkey was keen on seeing Armenian troops withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-occupied enclave in Azerbaijan that has been a center of regional tensions.

“We are trying to boost our relations with Armenia in a way that will cause no hard feelings for Azerbaijan,” Mr.Erdogan said.

‘Responsible decisions’

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian said his country was taking “responsible decisions” in normalising relations with Turkey, despite what he called the unhealable wounds of genocide.

The agreement calls for a panel to discuss “the historical dimension” of the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. The discussion is to include “an impartial scientific examination of the historical records and archives to define existing problems and formulate recommendations.”

That clause is viewed as a concession to Turkey, which denies genocide, contending the toll is inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war. “There is no alternative to the establishment of the relations with Turkey without any precondition,” said Mr. Sarkisian. “It is the dictate of the time.”

Better ties between Turkey, a regional heavyweight, and poor, landlocked Armenia are a priority for U.S. President Barack Obama. They could help reduce tensions in the troubled Caucasus region and facilitate its growing role as a corridor for energy supplies bound for the West.

On the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Turks have close cultural and linguistic ties with Azerbaijan, which is pressing Turkey for help in recovering its land. Turkey shut its border with Armenia to protest the Armenian invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1993.

The Government approved enhancing of reservation for women in urban local bodies from 33 per cent to 50 per cent. This provision will apply to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election, offices of chairpersons and seats and offices of chairpersons reserved for SCs and STs.

Increased representation of women is likely to yield significant benefits in terms of higher priority to women’s issues in critical areas of urban governance and service delivery such as water supply, sanitation. The Ministry of Urban Development will move a Bill for amendment to an article of the Constitution to this effect in the next session of Parliament. The proposed amendment will cover all states and Union Territories.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet had approved a proposal to increase reservation for women to 50 per cent in Panchayats. To this effect, a Constitutional amendment would be brought in to provide 50 per cent quota for women in Panchayats and urban local bodies. Since women suffer multiple deprivations of class, caste and gender, enhancing reservation in Panchayats and urban local bodies would lead to more women entering the public sphere.

The world’s largest cruise liner Oasis of the Seas has begun her maiden voyage after leaving Finland. The 1,200 feet ship is worth nearly $1.5 billion. The vessel has 16 decks and 2,700 cabins. It started its journey in the Finnish port of Turku. The ship took over two years to build at a shipyard in Turku by STX Finland Cruise Oy and will first visit the British port of Southampton.

The Oasis of the Seas, which is nearly 40 per cent larger than any other cruise ship in the world, can accommodate 6,300 passengers and a crew of 2,100. It also has an ice rink and a small golf course, several swimming pools, other sport venues and parks, as well as a theatre.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment will jointly set up the National Institute for Climate and Environmental Sciences (NICE) in Bangalore with an initial investment of Rs.40 crore. NICE will study the impact of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions on the environment.

Asterix and Obelix, two famous characters created for a comic strip by writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo, turned 50 in October 2009. They first appeared in serial form on October 29, 1959. Fifty years later, 34 comic albums have been published in 107 languages. The comic albums sold 325 million copies. The series has spawned 11 films, eight of them animated (the first satellite sent into space of France in 1965 was named as Asterix).