1.Pakistan SC orders arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf:
SC ordering the arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf for allegedly receiving bribes in power projects…
The Supreme Court's order to arrest Prime Minister comes in a case the court has been hearing for over a year.
i. 62-year-old Ashraf, who became Prime Minister after the exit of Yousuf Raza Gilani in June last year, has been accused of receiving kickbacks and commission in the Rental Power Projects (RPPs) case as federal minister for water and power. Mr Ashraf has denied accepting bribes for approving power generation projects when he was minister for water and power in 2010. ii. It is not clear as to what will be the political fallout of the Supreme Court's order against Ashraf as this is probably the first case of an incumbent Prime Minister being ordered to be arrested in a corruption case. It remains to be seen whether the ruling PPP will elect a new leader to replace Ashraf.
iii. The prime minister's adviser, Fawad Chaudhry, condemned the order, labelling it unconstitutional . Mr. Ashraf is set to lead the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) into general elections due in May.
2.India-Vietnam sign MoUs for co-operation in MSMEs:
i. India and Vietnam today signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of micro,small and medium enterprises.
ii. The MOU was signed by Minister of Planning and Investment of Vietnam MR. Dao Quang Thu and Ambassador of India in Vietnam Mr. Ranjit Rae at Hanoi.
iii. The MOU will focus on building capacity for developing policy and institutional frame work through exchange of experts for the development of medium,micro and small enterprises.
iv. According to MOU India will conduct survey and feasibility studies to identify thrust areas and opportunities for development of these enterprises in Vietnam.
v. Both the countries will organize trade fairs and exchange of business missions to promote partnership projects.India will provide managerial and technical skill training also to Vietnam for better marketing of products.
3. Renowned sculptor Jasuben Shilpi passes away:
i. Renowned sculptor Jasuben Shilpi, popularly known as ‘The Bronze woman of India’, passed away in Gujarat, last night following cardiac arrest.
ii. Winner of many national and international awards, 64-year-old Ms. Shilpi was recognized by Indian as well as international community as a bronze sculpture artist.
iii. Apart from statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Laxmibai and Sardar Vallabbhai Patel in Gujarat, bronze sculptures made by her are installed in the states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttaranchal and Rajasthan,
iv. “Her works like bronze standing figures of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr are installed in Florida University, Jacksonville, Chicago and City of Charlotte, North Carolina,” .
NOTE: i. Ms. Jasu Shilpi made it to the ‘Limca Book of Record’ in 2005 for her statue of Rani Laxmibai riding on a horse.
ii. She had made more than 225 large size statues and 525 bust size statues in bronze.
4. AIFF lifts two-year ban on Mohun Bagan:
In a massive reprieve for Mohun Bagan, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday revoked the two-year ban on the club while imposing a fine of Rs. 2 crore for abandoning its I-League derby against East Bengal midway in December 2012.
The decision was taken during the AIFF’s executive committee meeting, chaired by President Praful Patel.
Patel said that : i. “The executive committee, after due deliberation, Mohun Bagan will be continue to play in the current season, but they will lose all the 12 points they have earned so far in the league. They will start with zero points and will have to pay Rs. 2 crore as compensation,”
ii. “We have also asked them to provide an undertaking that they will never again breach the rules or get involved in an act of indiscipline,”
iii. Among other decisions related to the contentious issue, no official from Mohun Bagan will be allowed to represent the club in AIFF or I-League meetings in the current calendar year.
NOTE: The I-League’s core committee had earlier banned Mohun Bagan from the I-League for two years for breaching of rules.
5. Halimah Yacob Became First Woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament
i. Halimah Yacob (58) became the first woman and the 9th Speaker of the Singapore Parliament on 14 January 2013.
ii. She replaced Michael Palmer, the former People's Action Party MP. Palmer got down from the post of Speaker of the Parliament and as an MP on 12 December 2012. Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong nominated her for the designation of speaker.
iii. Halimah Yacob came down from her post of Minister of State (Social and Family Development) and was elected as the Speaker by Members of Parliament.
iv. In her role, she is expected to play an independent role during all the parliamentary debates, but she stressed the fact that she would remain ahead for the Singaporeans' concerns and would also share the views on various policies.
About Halimah Yacob:
i. Halimah Yacob, 58, is an Indian-origin woman born in Singapore.
ii. She belongs to the People's Action Party.
iii. She has remained the Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports from 21 May 2011 to 31 October 2012.
iv. She has also held office as the Minister of State, Ministry of Social and Family Development from 1 November 2012 to 13 January 2013.
6. India Affected By the Cyber Spying Campaign Called Red October:
Kaspersky Lab, the Russian cyber security firm on 14 January 2013 revealed that India is one among various nations which are hit by the cyber spying which has been targeting governmental, diplomatic and scientific research organisations for around 5 years. The cyber spying campaign is termed Red October or Rocra by the Kaspersky Lab.
ii. Rocra significantly affected countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, India, Belgium and Azerbaijan apart from other countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Soviet republics.
iii. Rocra infected hundreds of the computers across the world in categories such as research institutions, government, diplomatic/embassies, nuclear/energy research, trade and commerce, aerospace and military as well as oil and gas companies.
About Red October:
i. Rocra is the short name given to Red October. Apart from attacking the established computer workstations, Rocra can also steal the data from various smartphones, catch the files from the removable disk drives as well as abandon the network equipment configurations.
ii. Rocra can also scan through the local network FTP servers as well as email databases.
iii. The attacks of Rocra are very carefully chosen. The configuration of the hardware as well as software of the victim’s device is what drive every operation. Apart from the software and the hardware, every habit of document use and the native language also drive the operation.
7.Haryana bags ‘Krishi Karman Award’ for highest wheat production:
i. Haryana State has bagged the ‘Krishi Karman Award’ for Best Performing State in Wheat Category for the year 2011-12.
ii. It is for the consecutive second year that Haryana has been chosen for this Award.
iii. Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda received the ‘Krishi Karman Award’ for the State from the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, at an Award Ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday.
NOTE: The award consists of Rs one crore in cash, a trophy and citation. Haryana has been given this award for highest wheat production of 130.69 lakh tonnes with productivity of 5182 Kg. per hectare during 2011-12.
Two farmers of Haryana have also been given award of one lakh rupees each along with citation for highest production of wheat per hectare.
8. Punjab’s First Shariat Panchayat to be inaugurated in March 2013:
i. The first Shariat panchayat of Punjab scheduled to be inaugurated on 3 March 2013 will be first of its kind in the state.
ii. This will allow the Muslim community to deal with the cases.
iii. The first Shariat panchayat of the state would be inaugurated in Malerkotla, which is the Muslim town in Sangrur district.
NOTE: i. The panchayat would deal with three main types of the disputes and these are inheritance, marriage and divorce.
ii. The Punjab Wakf Board chairman Mohd. Izhar Alam explained that the panchayat would ensure speedy and inexpensive settlement of these kinds of disputes in the Muslim community in Punjab.
iii. In case the litigants were unsatisfied with verdict of the panchayat, they would be free to move to civil court.
iv. Shariat panchayats were already opened in states like Karnataka, Orissa, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
9.Kamal Sharma appointed as Punjab BJP president:
In Punjab, Kamal Sharma, the Political Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has been appointed the president of the Punjab unit of Bhartiya Janata Party.
He has taken over from the incumbent president Ashwani Sharma who completed his three year term. Thirteen office bearers have also been appointed by the party.
10.India records 57 percent drop in fresh HIV cases
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said India has recorded a 57 percent drop in fresh HIV cases and the govt is making all efforts to sensitize people especially the youth of the country.
Asserting that creating awareness is not an easy task, the Minister said, the Red Ribbon Express train, which concluded its third phase yesterday reached one crore 14 lakh people with an awareness message on HIV and AIDS and on other health issues.
11. India levels series with emphatic win:
Man of the Match : Ravindra Jadeja
India finally found their winning touch as they relied on a brilliant all-round display to thrash England by 127 runs in the second cricket one-dayer in Kochi today.
India posted a competitive 285, riding on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 72 and Ravindra Jadeja’s 61, before the bowlers bundled out the visitors for a paltry 158 in just 36 overs to level the five-match series 1-1.
The two teams will now travel to Ranchi for the third ODI to be played on January 19.
12. Badminton: Malaysia Open Super Series begins in Kuala Lumpur today
i. The Malaysia Open Super Series Badminton tournament kicks off in Kuala Lumpur today. All the qualification matches will be played today, while the main draw will begin tomorrow.
ii. India’s shuttle queen and London Olympics Bronze medalist Saina Nehwal has been given a top billing in the Women’s Singles section.
iii. Saina will play her opening match against Juan Gu of Singapore tomorrow.
iv.London Olympics quarterfinalist P. Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram and teenage sensation PV Sindhu are among the other Indian shuttlers, who are participating in the 6-day tournament.
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