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Here’s what you need to know today.



India and Iran signed 12 agreements yesterday. India pledged $500 million to develop the Phase-1 of the Chabahar port, a move aimed at countering China’s investment in Pakistan’s Gwadar port. A trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor was also signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran which will give India access to war-torn Afghanistan and Europe bypassing Pakistan. Other pacts signed between both nations covered areas of economy, trade, transportation, port development, culture, science and academic cooperation.



Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed yesterday that 18 field trials, testing various kinds of genetically modified seeds were underway. He said technology has to be encouraged to give a leg up to India’s lagging agricultural productivity. A panel comprising biotechnologists, ecologists and sociologists, has been set up by the Ministry to take a call on GM Mustard, which is being developed as part of a research collaboration involving scientists at Delhi University.



ISRO successfully test launched the indigenously-built Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 7 am yesterday. It’s a first in many of the tests that will have to be conducted before the real reusable vehicle can be developed. Scientists claim that if this experiment succeeds, the costs of launching satellites will come down by 10 times.



The National Green Tribunal has banned the registration of diesel vehicles of 2000cc or above in Kerala. In six major cities, diesel vehicles older than 10 years have also been ordered to be taken off the roads. It has given a month period to comply with its order after which vehicle users will have to pay a fine of ₹5,000 per violation. The tribunal had earlier banned new registrations for diesel vehicles in New Delhi.



Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalitha started her second term with a bang. Immediately after taking the oath, she signed five files fulfilling five of her poll promises: waiving crop loans up to 31 March 2016 payable to co-operative banks; giving 100 units of free power for domestic consumers; increasing gold allocation from 4 to 8 grams for women beneficiaries under the Thallikku Thangam Scheme; increasing free power to handloom weavers to 200 units and for powerlooms to 750 units; closing 500 state-run TASMAC retail liquor outlets and cutting short working hours of bars.



US President Barack Obama has ended the decades-old arms embargo on Vietnam. Many see this as a move to contain China. However, President Obama told the press that lifting the ban on the sale of arms equipment was not because of China but a necessary step in the lengthy process of normalisation of relations with Vietnam. The US had waged a brutal war against Vietnam during the cold war to stop the spread of communism but got utterly routed and humiliated in the process.



The Supreme Court will hear a plea on 26 May by one of the two Italian marines, accused of killing two fishermen, to return to Italy. One marine is already in Italy after the apex court let him go last year to recover from the heart stroke.



Op-eds You Shouldn’t Miss



Towards A Water Pricing Regime: Several countries including rich ones such as Singapore and poor ones such as Burkina Faso have, within their own constraints, benefited from tying paani to paisa. India needs to do the same.



National Parties That Don’t Federate Will Fail: National parties must talk defence, foreign policy, macroeconomics, monetary policy, and devolution. State parties must talk agriculture, jobs, land, industry, labour laws. Local and urban parties must talk infrastructure, local taxation, etc.



Extending The RBI Governor’s Tenure: One hopes that the government would objectively consider at least five questions before announcing its decision.



Swarajya Special



Explained! Why India Can Do Without NEET : If India needs more and better doctors, NEET is not the way out.



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