National:: A Fool-Proof, Tamper-Free and Highly Secure System

National:
A fool-proof, tamper-free and highly secure system

The new e-stamping system has a number of technology-enabled features which make it
quite fool-proof and tamper-free. At the time of Delhi becoming the first State in the country
to adopt e-stamping for all denominations, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had said that the
system would provide a secured electronic payment gateway to the Government. The
authenticity of the certificate is easily verifiable as all e-stamp papers have a unique
identification number. The e-stamps carry holograms and security coding. Plus when they
are photo-copied, the word copy appears on the print. e-stamping would also improve
governance issues as in each and every transaction it is mandatory to fill in a number of
details. This data would be preserved at the authorised centres as also in the central
database.
Kuchipudi doyen passes away
Eminent Kuchipudi dancer Guru Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma died following an
illness. He was 77. The Guru, a distinguished male exponent of female roles in the
Kuchipudi dance tradition, was widely known for his acts as Satyabhama and Usha. He
was honoured with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1961, Padma Shri in 1970 and
Kalidas Samman in 1981. For his contribution to enrichment of Kuchipudi art, he was
elected Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1967. He also acted in a few Telugu films
as a dancer.
Chinese film wins award at Kolkata festival
The Chinese film '11 Flowers' , a period film set in the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution,
won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 18th Kolkata
International Film Festival. It won the best film award in the Asian Select category, the only
competitive segment at the festival. Twelve other films were screened in the slot during the
festival, including two by Indians.
Bal Thackeray passes away
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray breathed his last at his residence Matoshree in Mumbai
after days of uncertainty over his health condition. He was 86. He underwent angioplasty
in 2009 and a coronary bypass surgery in 1990. He was suffering from chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and later in July 2012 he was diagnosed with pancreatic
ailments.
Page 1 of 4
18th November 2012
IOA election panel chief resigns

The elections to the Indian Olympic Association, scheduled for November 25, took a
dramatic turn, as the election committee chairman, S.Y. Quraishi, resigned.
NGO renames Marathi literary award in memory of Bal Thackeray
Priyadarshni Academy, a prominent non-governmental organisation (NGO), has decided to
confer its Marathi literary awards in the memory of late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. The
award, given away every year to a prominent personality in the field of Marathi literature,
carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and trophy, academy chairman Nanik Rupani said. The
Marathi literary award is being renamed as 'Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Literary Award'
in the memory of the departed Shiv Sena chief, who had contributed a lot to the spread of
Marathi language and culture. The Priyadarshni Academy also presents literary awards in
other languages also, such as Sindhi and Hindi. The literary awards were instituted by the
Academy in 1984.
International:
U.S. lifts Myanmar import ban ahead of Obama visit
Moving to encourage reform in Myanmar ahead of a landmark trip by President Barack
Obama, the United States has scrapped a nearly decade-old ban on most imports from the
long-isolated nation. The worlds largest economy will open up to products from the
country with the exception of gems, a sector seen as a major driver of corruption and
violence. Mr. Obama will become the first sitting U.S. President to visit Myanmar, making a
trip that would have been considered unthinkable. The U.S. move could bring major
growth to Myanmars garment industry, as the United States was once the main buyer of
clothes made in the low-cost nation. Total U.S. imports from Myanmar hit a high of $470
million in 2001. The Obama administration earlier gave the green light for U.S. companies
to invest in oil and gas in Myanmar. The U.S. steps follow the European Union, Canada
and Australia, which have suspended virtually all sanctions on Myanmar. Japan has
forgiven $3.8 billion of Myanmars debt.
U.N. meet on Congo
The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council met in an emergency session after its attack
helicopters launched missions against rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). Frances U.N. mission announced that it had called for a meeting of the 15-nation
body on the offensive launched by M23 rebels. The U.N. Organisation Stabilisation Mission
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco) said that M23 rebels had launched an
offensive with heavy weapons and that it had put peacekeepers into action as part of its
mandate to protect civilians. The attack helicopters, provided by Ukraine, were put on
standby after M23, former troops who launched a mutiny in March, launched a surprise
attack.
Page 2 of 4
18th November 2012
Qatar building Quranic Garden

A unique biological garden featuring the plants mentioned in the Holy Quran is being built
in Qatar, the host of the upcoming UN climate summit. The 18th session of the Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and the 8th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties
to the Kyoto Protocol will take place from November 26 to December 7,2012. Christened
'Quranic Botanical Garden', it is an ongoing project under the umbrella of the global Qatar
Foundation Green Project. The exotic garden coming up in the 'Education City' in Doha will
serve not only as a place of meditation, but as a research centre for students, apart from
educating people about the rich Islamic heritage. The garden is first of the four
components of the Green Projects programme designed to promote conservation and
further understanding of the country's natural resources. Being first of its kind in Qatar, the
Quranic Garden will comprise all the plant species mentioned in the Quran, and those in
Sunnah (Deeds of the Prophet) and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet).
Business & Economy:

Ministry de-allocates eight coal blocks
The Ministry of Coal has issued de-allocation letters for eight coal blocks after a decision
taken by the Inter-Ministerial Group. Among the companies affected by the de-allocation
were Grasim Industries, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Lafarge, Electrotherm and Kesoram
Industries. Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said the process to de-allocate 13 blocks
was underway. The blocks de-allocated were Bhaskarpara allocated to Electrotherm India
and Grasim Industries. The Durgapur-II/Sariya block was allocated to B. D. Power,
Dahegaon and Makardhokra-IV block was jointly allocated to IST Steel & Power, Gujarat
Ambuja Cement and Lafarge India. The Gondkhari block was allocated for Maharashtra
Seamless, Dhariwal Infra (P) Ltd. and Kersoram Industries. The Marki Mangli II, III and IV
blocks were meant for Virangana Steel and Chinora and Warora (West) for Fieldmining
and Ispat.
India seen 2nd-most competitive economy
India is likely to emerge as the second most competitive economy in the world after China
in terms of manufacturing in the next five years. According to the 2013 Global
Manufacturing Competitiveness Index compiled by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and the US
Council on Competitiveness, five years from now, emerging economies would surge to
occupy the top three spots. China would retain the top spot, while, India and Brazil moving
up to claim second and third rankings respectively. The five developed economy nations
that were ranked in the top 10 today include -- Germany (2nd), the US (3rd), South Korea
(fifth), Canada (seventh) and Japan (tenth), while five emerging economy nations were
also ranked in the top 10 today. China (first), India (fourth), Taiwan (sixth), Brazil (eighth),
and Singapore (ninth).
Page 3 of 4
18th November 2012
$615 mn in loans to Myanmar: Japan

Japan is to provide Myanmar with USD 615 million in government loans, just days after the
United States scrapped a ban on most imports from the long-isolated Southeast Asian
nation. Myanmar nominally ended nearly half a century of military rule in 2011and rapid
changes have sparked a widespread lifting of sanctions and a scramble to tap a potentially
lucrative market. Japan's first low-interest, long-term government loans to Myanmar in
nearly three decades will back up moves by Japanese companies into the country and
hold China in check after it increased its influence in Myanmar. The huge Thilawa project is
led by a consortium of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Corp, Sumitomo Corp
and Marubeni Corp.
Sport:
New IWF rules by year-end
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has decided to fully implement its
amended anti-doping rules by the end of 2012. IWF Legal Counsel, Monika Ungar, stated
that at Kosice, Slovakia, the IWF Executive Board had unanimously decided to apply twoyear suspensions for all first violations to be effective from the date of the meeting (and)
to be implemented by not later than 31st December in compliance with the current WADA
Code. Board has decided to apply the aforementioned reduction of suspension time to all
athletes who are still serving their period of ineligibility longer than two years. The IWF had
changed its rules in March 2008 to impose a four-year ban for all first-time offenders
instead of the standard two-year suspension in testing done at major international
competitions and out-of-competition testing done by international agencies.
Ex-Olympian runner killed in Arizona plane crash
The wife of two-time Olympic distance runner Pat Porter confirmed her husband, her 15year-old son and her son's friend died in a fiery plane crash in Sedona, Arizona. Trish
Porter said that her 53-year-old husband was piloting the plane that crashed. Porter
competed in the 10,000-meter run at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Trish Porter is
also a former Olympian. She met Pat during a pre-Olympic training camp for the 1988
Seoul Olympics.
Page 4 of 4
18th November 2012

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A fool-proof, tamper-free and highly secure system

IOA election panel chief resigns

Qatar building Quranic Garden

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$615 mn in loans to Myanmar: Japan

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