25.12.2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

Politics & the Nation

• Mayawati to go alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections
• Though many of the third front constituents are trying to woo her with making known their acceptance for her Prime Ministerial ambitions, she is reported to be unmoved and prefers to go alone on the Dalit-Brahman card.
• Will she succeed in capturing the imagination of India?  Let's wait and see.
• Traffic congestion tax for metros on the cards?
• The government is reportedly considering imposing a special fee on vehicles entering the central business districts of metropolitan cities as part of steps to cut carbon emissions and reduce traffic congestion. 
  
• The recommendations could include an increase in vehicle registration charges and higher fuel taxes as well as licence renewal fees. The money from the additional charges and levies may be used for a separate fund to finance public transport infrastructure in States. 
  
• Cities such as Singapore and London have strict vehicle ownership rules and levy a congestion charge in some of their busiest zones and use the money to finance investment in public transportation. 
  
• How should India tackle the cross border terrorist threats that it faces from Pakistan?  What are the options it has before it?  What should it and should not do?
• We have deliberated, debated and poured our hearts over this issue ever since the Mumbai carnage happened.  But have you been able to solidify your viewpoint to something like what Arvind Panagariya has been able to put in today's piece?  It is well worth a read.  Here it is.

Finance & Economy

• Mid year review of the Indian Economy 
  
• Ever read such a review?  This was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.  Try your hand at reading it.  After reading it, see whether you conclusions match those of the ET editorial.  Some excerpts:
• One of the main reasons why growth is holding up this year is that the full impact of the global slowdown hit us with a lag. Precisely for this reason, recovery too is likely to follow with a lag; after global demand recovers. What this means is that the slowdown will, in all probability, continue into the next year and will worsen before it gets better. 
  
• India is slowly becoming a favoured destination for medical tourism
• A recent Deloitte study said healthcare is a $60-billion opportunity globally. In India, the market was clocking a healthy growth with medical tourism expected to touch $1.5-2-billion by 2010. Last year, India received 4.5-lakh international patients, a tad higher than Singapore at 4.2-lakh in the same period. 
  
• When did the RBI introduce the system of Banking Ombudsman in India?
• In 1995.  The idea is to provide an ‘expeditious’ and ‘inexpensive’ forum to bank customers for resolution of their complaints relating to banking services. 

International

• A different kind of a coup
• Guinea witnessed a different sort of coup.  Its President Lansana Conte, 74, died on Monday night.  Soon after, renegade soldiers moved to seize power, taking control of state radio and television.
• Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, a junior military officer led the coup and announced himself as the President.
  
• Thousands of Guineans have gone on to the streets of the capital to welcome the leader of a coup that followed the death of the country's president.
  
• But the country's prime minister, Ahmed Tidiane Souare, has insisted the government, protected by loyal troops, is still the legitimate authority.
  
• The US, EU and the African Union have all condemned the coup.

Science & Technology

• A look at ISRO's strengths
• It has established credentials as a provider of low-cost access to space and is in a unique position to get into the business of launching satellites for other countries, apart from developing an array of rocket components and satellite sub-systems for global customers, a $10-billion opportunity globally. 
  
• The W2M satellite, at 3.46 tonnes, is the heaviest built by ISRO so far and the space agency made a profit of $40 million on it.