National: International
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National: Justice D K Jain to be new Law Commission chief Justice D K Jain, a Supreme Court judge who is due to retire on January 24, is likely to become the next chairman of the Law Commission. The 20th Law Commission was constituted by the Union Cabinet for a three-year term in October, and will have four full-time members, besides the chairman. The law secretary and the legislative department secretary are the Commission's ex-officio members. Justice Jain, before being appointed to the apex court, was the chief justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court. Intelligence Bureau, RAW get new chiefs India's two elite intelligence agencies - Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) - had their new chiefs with Syed Asif Ibrahim and Alok Joshi, respectively, taking over the mantle for a fixed tenure of two years. Ibrahim (59) is the first Muslim to lead the IB, the internal intelligence agency of the country. He took over from Nehchal Sandhu. Joshi, who took over as RAW (country's external intelligence agency) chief. He had served as special secretary in the agency. Gutka ban comes into force in Uttarakhand The ban on sale of gutka and tobacco-based pan masala came into effect in Uttarakhand. The decision to ban sale, purchase and storage of these products from January 1 was taken by the Cabinet. Time was given to traders dealing in such products to exhaust the stock by December 31,2012. A circular had been sent to all departments concerned to strictly enforce the ban. Ramakrishnan takes over as VSSC Director Three top-level appointments have taken place in the Indian Space Research Organisation for the posts of Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) and the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. S. Ramakrishnan, an accomplished engineer in rocketry and architect of the ISRO’s highly successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), took over as VSSC Director on December 31, 2012 from P.S. Veeraraghavan, who retired that day. M.C. Dathan, took over as LPSC Director and M.Y.S. Prasad, a suave electronics and communication engineer, has become Director of the SDSC. J&K dedicates 2013 to daughters The Jammu & Kashmir Government has decided to dedicate the year 2013 to daughters and observe it as ‘Save the Girl Child Year’. Odisha announces total ban on gutkha, chewing tobacco The Odisha government announced ban on manufacture, sale and distribution of gutkha and chewing tobacco in the State. Nicotine-added gutkha is injurious to health often leading to oral cancer. India has more number of people suffering from oral, throat and intestinal cancers than any other country in the world. The State has invoked Section 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (prohibition and restriction on sales) Regulation 2011 for imposing the ban. The ban on gutkha is in force in other 16 States of the cuntry. Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhatishgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and the Union Territories of Delhi, Chandigarh and Goa had earlier imposed ban on gutkha. While Madhya Pradesh was the first State to go for complete ban, Odisha became the 17th State. International: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama top Gallup’s most admired people’s list of 2012 President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been named as the world’s most admired man and woman in a poll. Obama topped Gallup’s ‘most admired men’ poll with 30 percent of the vote, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won 21 percent votes in the ‘most admired women’ survey. Clinton has been the most admired woman for the 11th time, while Obama has been the most admired man for five years in a row. First Lady Michelle Obama gained the second place with five percent. They were followed by Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice, Sarah Palin, teen Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, Burmese opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi and Kate Middleton. Gallup has been asking Americans to name the man and woman they most admire almost every year since 1948. Page 1 of 3 2nd January 2012 Business & Economy: SEBI eases debt allocation mechanism for FIIs Relaxing the debt allocation norms for foreign institutional investors (FII), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has allowed those overseas entities having acquired debt investment limits in the past one year to re-invest up to half of their maximum debt security holdings during 2013. The FIIs need to acquire investment limits in debt securities by bidding in a period auction conducted by SEBI. ArcelorMittal to sell $1.1 bn stake in Canada iron ore unit to POSCO group ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, will sell a $1.1 billion stake in a Canadian iron ore mine operator to a consortium that includes South Korean steelmaker POSCO and Taiwan-listed China Steel Corp. ArcelorMittal, formed in 2006 when India-born Lakshmi Mittal's steel business bought European peer Arcelor for $33 billion, is battling sluggish steel demand and is looking to offload assets to cut debt. Credit growth to industry slows Credit to industry increased at a slower pace at 17.7 per cent to Rs 20,85,300 crore in November, 2012 as compared with the increase of 20.9 per cent to Rs 17,71,200 crore in November 2011, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said. Credit to medium-sized units showed just 3 per cent growth in November 2012 as against 28.7 per cent in November 2011. Godrej subsidiary acquires Colgate-Palmolive brand in UK Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) has said its UK- based subsidiary has acquired Colgate-Palmolive's Soft & Gentle brand for an undisclosed amount. Keyline Brands Ltd, the company's UK-based unit, has acquired the Soft & Gentle brand from Colgate-Palmolive. Soft & Gentl e, which is the UK's fourth largest female deodorant brand by market share, had posted sales of 21 million pounds in 2011. Flying permit of Kingfisher expired Flying permit of Kingfisher Airlines, which has been suspended by aviation regulator DGCA, expired, but rules allow that it can be renewed the Scheduled Operator’s Permit (SOP) within two years. Technology: Cosmic radiation can cause Alzheimer's in astronauts Space travel may harm the brain in astronauts as exposure to galactic cosmic radiation could trigger Alzheimer's, a new study has claimed. The race for space tourism may be hotting up, but the practicalities of intergalactic travel have hit a new obstacle as research for the first time showed that radiation exposure in space can lead to cognitive problems. The Earth's magnetic field generally protects the planet and people in low earth orbit from these cosmic radiation, but once astronauts leave orbit they are exposed to constant shower of various radioactive particles. Tests on mice with models of Alzheimer's showed that after they were exposed to various doses of radiation, including levels comparable to what astronauts would be experience during a mission to Mars. Sport: HIL signs sponsorship deal with Hero The upcoming Hockey India League (HIL) has signed a multi -year deal with Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, for the title sponsorship of the event. Now, the tournament will be known as ‘Hero Hockey India League’. The inaugural Hero Hockey India League will be held from January 14 to February 10 involving 120 leading players showcasing their skills in 34 matches. Five teams- Delhi Waveriders, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Mumbai Magicians and Ranchi Rhinos will compete in the inaugural season in five venues- Delhi, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi. Page 2 of 3 2nd January 2012 ICC to honour former Australian pacer during Sydney Test Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath will be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka starting January 4 in Sydney. McGrath will join Enid Bakewell and Brian Lara to become third inductee of 2012-13. McGrath becomes the 68th male member of the Hall of Fame and joins fellow 2012-13 inductees West Indian Brian Lara and England’s Enid Bakewell in being recognized by the ICC and the living members of the Hall of Fame. McGrath represented Australia in 124 Test matches between 1993 and 2007 and claimed 563 Test wickets at an average of 21.64. He took more Test wickets than any other seam bowler currently in the game or retired. Page 3 of 3 2nd January 2012 .