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Panel formed to suggest full commission for women in Army Seen as the first serious effort to give women officers on short service commission (SSC) their due, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that a high-powered committee chaired by Lieutenant General Jitendra Singh had been formed to examine the areas where permanent commission could be offered to women, particularly in non-combat areas. The Committee, which is still in the process of collecting responses from all nine commands under the Ministry, is expected to submit its report to the Chief of Staffs Committee (COSC) within a week or two, said Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Parag Tripathi, appearing for the Centre. He sought eight weeks to present the Committees conclusions to the Court. 2. One more chance to 44 deemed varsities to mend defects An opportunity will be given to the 44 deemed universities, facing de-recognition, to respond to the deficiencies pointed out by the Tandon committee and to rectify them, the Centre told the Supreme Court. AttorneyGeneral G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the government through the Human Resource Development Ministry, made this submission before a Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma, after the court wanted it to consider giving them one more opportunity. The Bench, while recording the submissions, directed that status quo in respect of these institutions granted earlier would continue. 3. Broadcasters must pay to expand TRP system: Report Broadcasters and advertisers have to shell out Rs. 660 crore over the next five years to enable expansion of the sample size of the Television Rating Points (TRP) system used to measure the popularity of television programmes, according to a report submitted to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni. This was needed to expand the sample size from 8,000 homes, at present, to 30,000 homes, said the report, which provided a roadmap for the future of TRPs. It also emphasised that the survey sample be made more representative by including households in rural areas, the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir, which are currently excluded from the system used by the two private rating agencies that determine much of the content of Indian television. 4. Expand ICDS, says NAC The National Advisory Council has suggested amendments to the Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, and to the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules. It is also awaiting the comments of the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) to its suggestions on the new Right to Information Rules. Finally, in a bid to strengthen the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), as part of its food security scheme, the NAC feels it should be expanded. 5. J&K schools to have grading system The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to introduce grading system to assess performance of students in State-run schools, in order to make the tests stress-free and reduce the rate of depression among children. In order to bring reforms in education system and do away with trend of demoralisation due to percentage pattern, the Education Ministry has decided to introduce grading system in schools, State Minister for Education Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed told. 6. EC may use paper ballot with EVM In a bid to improve and ensure voting foolproof, the Election Commission (EC) is examining the possibility of using the simultaneous print-out device and the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM), said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi. 7. India, Bangladesh finalise deal on Teesta, Feni river waters In what is seen as a major development in India-Bangladesh relations, New Delhi and Dhaka have agreed to sign a 15-year interim accord on sharing the waters of common rivers Teesta and Feni. This was decided at a Secretary-level meeting of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC). The agreement is expected to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka this year, said Sheikh Wahid-uz-Zaman, Bangladesh Water Resources Secretary, who led the talks with the Indian delegation headed by his counterpart, Dhruv Vijai Singh. Page 1 of 2 th 12 January 2011

8. Russia, U.S. enact nuclear pact Russia and the United States have enacted a historic nuclear cooperation pact that will enable the two countries to collaborate in atomic technologies for the first time in the history of their relations. The agreement entered into force after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Ambassador John Beyrle exchanged respective diplomatic notes in Moscow. This key bilateral agreement provides the legal framework necessary for developing full-fledged and effective cooperation in civilian nuclear power generation, said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement. 9. Prison term for Thomas DeLay Thomas DeLay, former United States House Majority Leader known as The Hammer, was sentenced by a Texas judge to three years in prison on money laundering charges. In November 2010, he was found guilty of funnelling corporate contributions to state legislature candidates. While DeLay was taken into custody by bailiffs following his conviction, he was released the same day after his lawyers posted bail for $10,000. 10. $15 b target set for India-South Africa bilateral trade Buoyed by the massive growth recorded in trade between India and South Africa, and the huge potential it holds for the future, the two countries have decided to set a target of achieving $15 billion bilateral trade by 2015. The two countries are also set to breach the $10 billion two-way trade target by next month, 23 months ahead of schedule. Mr. Sharma was speaking in Johannesburg during the inauguration of the first branch office of state-run commodity trading enterprise MMTC. Mr. Sharma, who met the South African President, Jacob Zuma, on Monday, will also have a bilateral meeting with South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies. 11. New Google India head Google said Rajan Anandan, the former Managing Director of Microsoft, has joined the company as Vice-President (Sales and Operations) and Head of India region. 12. Moser Baer Power ties up funds for 2,520 MW thermal project in M.P. Moser Baer Power Projects announced that it had tied up for funds with Macquarie SBI Infrastructure for funding the first phase of its 2,520 MW thermal power project at Anuppur in Madhya Pradesh by offering the latter minority stake in the project. 13. L&T-MHI dedicates Hazira facilities to nation The joint venture of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) inaugurated the country's first private sector facilities for the manufacture of supercritical boilers and turbine generators at Hazira in Surat. Supercritical technology for coal-fired power plants is globally recognised as one of the most eco-friendly solutions to power generation. The technology ensures higher fuel efficiency leading to higher plant efficiency. Carbon emissions are reduced by as much as 5 per cent. The L&T-MHI facilities are among the largest of their kind in the world, with a present annual capacity of manufacturing 5,000 MW of equipment, to be expanded to 6,000 MW by 2012. 14. Scientists inch closer to artificial blood, mimic RBCs In a possible breakthrough in developing artificial blood, scientists have created jelly-like synthetic particles which they claim mimic some of the key properties of red blood cells. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who made the discovery believe this could also lead to more effective treatments for life-threatening medical conditions such as cancer. 15. Messi is Player of the Year; Mourinho best coach Lionel Messis mesmerising performances for Barcelona outweighed a disappointing World Cup, ensuring the Argentina forward was named the worlds best player of 2010. Messi won the FIFA award for a second straight year, finishing ahead of Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.

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