10.08.2007

• As I was busy with quite a few things on my plate, I preferred to answer some of your shout-box queries in Discover It today. Take a look at them here.
• A rare honour for our Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan
• He is elected to the Bench of the Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London.
• He is the third Indian to be conferred with this honour. The other two before him were Justice Sujata Manohar, a former Supreme Court judge and Attorney-General Milon K. Banerjee.
• In this context it is very interesting to know something about Lincoln’s Inn. It is one four Inns of Court. The other three are Inner Temple, Middle Temple and Gray’s Inn. The Inns of Court are unincorporated bodies of lawyers which have the power to call to the Bar their members who have qualified for the rank or degree of barrister-at-law. The Lincoln’s Inn is the oldest of the Inns. Its formal records date back to 1422.
• US sub-prime fears grip global markets
• Banks in Europe are reported to be refusing to lend to each other and the world’s biggest monetary authorities viz., the Federal Reserve (US) and the European Central Bank infused billions of dollars amid a sudden demand for cash from banks hit by the sub-prime mortgage collapse.
• The biggest uncertainty in the market is that no one has a clue how deep the sub-prime mess is.
• Attack on Taslima Nusreen in Hyderabad
• The noted novelist from Bangladesh who is living in India was roughed up by a mob led by 3 MLAs from the MIM party. She was in Hyderabad to release the Telugu translation of her latest novel Shodh.
• Police reached the spot and arrested the MLAs.
• Centre likely to come out with a barge policy
• A committee headed by the Chairman of the Kokata Port Trust has made a number of recommendations to improve inland water transport.
• As a result, the Centre is likely to come out with a barge policy for the first time, to ensure hassle free movement of barges deeper into the sea and offer a number of incentives to inland water transport.
• Ever heard of the phrase “Policy muddle”?
• Take a look at today’s article by Rajrishi Singhal in today’s ET here.
• You cannot get a better piece which lists out a number of examples of confusion in our economic policies. A good read.
• Non-violence day
• Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday is being observed as Non-Violence Day by UN.
• Ms. Sonia Gandhi will be addressing the UN Assembly on this occasion.
• Some statistic about education worth remembering
• According to the 2001 census data, of the total number of educationally qualified people (matriculation and above) of about 500 mn, only about 38 mn were university degree holders. The rest had diplomas and different levels of school qualifications.
• Telecom tower business in India
• It is expected to be a very big business opportunity.
• At present the country has about 1,10,000 towers. By 2012, this figure is expected to touch three times this number.
• But the flip side is that even to establish a tower, about 40 clearances are required.
• What is didaskaleinophobia?
• It is the fear of going to school.
• It is also used to refer to social anxiety disorder (SAD), which is a common form of anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to experience intense anxiety in some or all of the social interactions and public events of everyday life. For instance, some sufferers have difficulty attending parties or meetings, making a phone call, walking into a shop to purchase goods, or asking for help from authority figures.
• Awards for Sportspersons
• Jaspal Rana is the Sportsperson of the Year. He was the triple gold medalist in 2006 Doha Asian Games in shooting.
• Life Time Achievement Award: MM Somaya. He was a member of Indian Hockey Team that played in 1980 Moscow Olympics.