Only import of book prohibited, say legal experts Legal experts and government officials have told that

there is no ban on reading, possessing or downloading copies of eminent author Salman Rushdie's controversial book, The Satanic Verses . The book was only barred from being imported to India under Section 11 the Customs Act of 1962, which among other things allows the government to prohibit imports to protect the maintenance of the security of India and the maintenance of public order. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's government used its powers under the Customs Act to prohibit imports nine days after the book was published in September, 1988, in the United Kingdom. Four authors who read passages from The Satanic Verses at the Jaipur Literary Festival have been

threatened with prosecution, and several complaints seeking police action against them have been filed across Rajasthan. The State government could prosecute the authors under Section 153B of the Indian Penal Code, which bans hate-speech. It would have to prove, however, that the passages read out might inflame communal passions. Section 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedure allows for State governments to demand that copies of books which violate Section 153B of the IPC be forfeited.

WHO meet adopts mental health resolution The World Health Organisation (WHO) has adopted a resolution that focuses on the global burden of mental disorders and the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level. United States of America and Switzerland supported the resolution moved by India at the justconcluded 130th executive board meeting of the WHO. This marks the first time in over a decade that the WHO has, at its highest levels, taken note of this very major public health concern. Mental disorders account for 13 per cent of the global burden of the diseases and, in keeping with the latest thinking, the resolution recognises the importance of early identification, care and recovery, the problems of stigma, poverty and homelessness and the need for community-based intervention including deinstitutionalised care. India had played a key role in getting mental disorders included in the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) list at the first Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control in Moscow last year. Pleading for its case, India had argued that like all non-communicable diseases, mental disorders required long term treatment and affected the quality of life. India is already working towards framing a mental health policy based on internationally accepted guidelines.

Page 1 of 5 24th January 2012

Martial law no longer acceptable in Bangladesh Bangladeshi novelist Tahmima Anam, who won worldwide acclaim for her 2007 novel A Golden Age , said the strong feminist movement in her country would strengthen democracy and ensure defeat of extremist elements trying hard for Islamisation. The recent failed coup was an indication that martial law and Army rule are no longer acceptable in Bangladesh. Ms. Anam threw light on the transition of people who took part in the 1971 war of liberation from being revolutionaries to being citizens of the new nation, which forms the subject of her latest novel, The Good Muslim , at a session devoted to her writings on the fourth day of Jaipur Literature Festival. A Golden Age was the best first book winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize. 'The Good Muslim' , which was out last year, is an epic story about a family having fought the liberation war facing the challenges of peace. Set in Bangladesh at a time when religious extremism is stated to be on the rise, the novel deals with the family, its faith and values and the long shadow of war.

India, EU join hands for anti-piracy military operations India and the European Union (EU) have joined hands for launching joint military operations in the Indian Ocean against piracy activities. EU has deployed four warships and supporting military ships of EU membercountries and is engaged with the Indian Navy in developing synergy in the region. We have launched a concrete collaboration with India since December 2011 on anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean. We have put in place one of the biggest military operations Operation Atlanta against piracy in the Indian Ocean. We are developing a synergy with the Indian Navy in dealing with such situations, Joao Cravinho, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to India, told. Mr. Cravinho said EU has put in place a military effort to deal with the situation and make it secure. Anytime, four warships and support ships of EU membercountries remain deployed in the Indian Ocean under this military operation. We will be working very closely with the Indian authorities and especially the Indian Navy on this issue.

Page 2 of 5 24th January 2012

White tigers get a new home in Bokaro White tigers Satpuda and Ganga have got a new home now at the Jawaharlal Nehru Biological (JNB) Park in Bokaro district of Jharkhand. Satpuda and Ganga were brought in by the Central Zoo Authority in exchange for a pair of parakeets, emus and peacocks from Maitri Bagh at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. The tigers journeyed for about 40 hours to reach Bokaro. In year 2011, the park lost white tiger Ram to fibro sarcoma, a form of cancer. The 11-year-old tiger, also brought from the Bhilai Zoo, died in May 2010. Satpuda and Ganga are in good condition despite the long journey. We are making all arrangements for the tigers to breed. Earlier, we had a plan to receive white tigers from Nandankanan in Bhubaneswar. But the cubs died and thus we had to ask the Bhilai zoo, said the zoo in-charge, Mr. Chakravarty.

EU adopts embargo on Iranian oil With an eye on the dependence of recession-hit economies of Greece, Italy and Spain on Iranian oil, Foreign Ministers of the EU countries decided to shift the ban on oil imports on Iran to July 1. The decision by the 27nation bloc not to impose an immediate energy import ban will allow the three EU countries Greece, Italy and Spain, which consume 68 per cent of the bloc's total import of Iranian oil to find alternative suppliers, analysts said. Iran's daily production of oil in December stood at 3.58 million barrels, Bloomberg estimated. In case Iran was prevented from exporting its oil, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the OPEC countries would manage to ramp up their existing daily production by 2.85 million barrels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Iran has threatened to block flows through the Strait of Hormuz through which the bulk of the region's oil passes. In case Iran obstructs the transit route through Hormuz, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which use this route, would find it hard to ship most of their oil and gas to the international markets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov swiftly rejected the EU move, saying that embargoes against Iran would be unhelpful.

Page 3 of 5 24th January 2012

Syria rejects plan to end crisis Syria has rejected the Arab League's wide-ranging plan to end the country's 10-month crisis, saying the League's call for a national unity government in two months is a clear violation of Syrian sovereignty. Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in a suburb outside Damascus, to mourn 11 residents who were either shot dead by security forces or killed in clashes between army defectors and troops a day earlier. The crowd in Douma which one activist said was 60,000-strong was under the protection of dozens of defectors who are in control of the area after regime forces pulled out.

ITC plans to set up luxury hotel in Sri Lanka ITC is planning to go overseas with its hotel business and is planning to set up a premium, green, luxury property in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. Confirming the development, an ITC spokesman said At the moment, it is ITC's first proposed overseas foray to build and manage a hotel. The company said that Sri Lanka was strategically important to the company's investment plans for hotels, given the vibrant tourism potential that the country offers. The hotel is likely to come up on around six to eight acres in and around the capital city. It is believed that talks on the project were initiated around mid-2011.

GAIL opposes margin control on imported gas Joining the chorus of the private sector player Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), GAIL (India) has opposed the attempts by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to regulate marketing margin charged on the sale of imported LNG. Chairman and Managing Director B. C. Tripathi said.

Rajasthan holds on to the Ranji Trophy The scenes of jubilation at Chepauk in Chennai reflected the hard work and commitment behind the triumph. Rajasthan's back-to-back Ranji Trophy title wins meant its incredible flight upwards from the Plate division last season continues. The visitor clinched the final against Tamil Nadu on the basis of its mammoth 326-run lead in the first innings. Rajasthan declared its second innings at 204 for five at tea on the fifth day. The home side was eight for two at the start of the last hour when play was called off.

Page 4 of 5 24th January 2012

Makarova has the measure of Serena U.S. tennis queen Serena Williams crashed to one of the worst defeats of her glittering Grand Slam career, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray moved safely into the Australian Open quarterfinals. Serena, winner of 13 major titles including five in Melbourne, fell to the lowliest of opponents on the sun-baked centre court in Russia's Ekaterina Makarova, the world No. 56 coming off a five-month losing streak.

Double for Kerala Kerala completed a double, beating Punjab in both the finals, in the National senior softball championship held at Anantpur in Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala. The men won 9-3 while the women scored a 7-4 win.

Page 5 of 5 24th January 2012