Daily News Notes

· Relief operations in cyclone affected areas in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are in full swing. Over 20 thousand people have been housed in the 16 cyclone centres and one and a half lakh people have been supplied with food packets. TN Chief Minister sanctioned a sum of 150 crore rupees towards immediate relief work including putting back in shape the infrastructure which was badly hit by the devastating cyclone.
· The Government will spend about 4000 crore INR for computerization of the Public Distribution system to ensure strict implementation of the proposed National Food Security Bill. National Informatics Centre will work as a nodal agency. It will establish a three-tier grievance redressal system and there will be panchayat-level vigilance committees to monitor the food distribution.
· In J&K, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire yet again, and fired at a BSF patrol party on the International Border. This is the fourth ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the LoC.
· The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh the 10th Guru of Sikhs, is being celebrated across the country today with religious fervour and gaiety. He was born on this day at Patna in Bihar in 1699.
· In Assam, National Rural Health Mission has launched Iron Sucrose Injection programme to reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio (State with highest decline rate in the country). Anemia is considered as one of the main cause of maternal death. Around 69 % married women aged 15 to 49 years found to have anemia. The Iron Sucrose injection is used across the world in treatment of iron deficiency anemia.
· Russia has handed over the much-awaited nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India on a 10-year lease at a cost of 920 million USD. The submarine, capable of remaining underwater for months, will be rechristened as 'INS Chakra’. India will be the sixth operator of nuclear submarines in the world.
· The World Health Organisation has expressed deep concern about the way the recent research is being carried out into the H5N1 virus (a form of Bird Flu), and said such works carried significant risks and must be tightly controlled.
· The Indian Government has said to the Norwegian authorities that it should take into account the Indian social and cultural traditions in the case in which a Norwegian court had ordered to keep the Indian children in foster care charging the parents of being negligent in their caring.
· An Iranian warship fired a missile the 7th day of major naval drills in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on the Sea of Oman with naval forces performing “Special Heli Borne Operations”.
· The year 2011 saw a lot of social and political upheavals and the regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen were changed. However the violence continues in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other countries. Thus this year is considered as the “Year of Arab Spring” in the region. Also, Iraq saw the departure of the last US Soldier on its soil after nine years of invasion. The Palestinians got a shot in arm with the full membership of UNESCO. However, the tensions in the gulf between US and Iran over the threats to close the vital oil supply route and Iran’s nuclear ambitions have raised concerns. Arab League is working day and night to solve the regional tension.
· The United States and the United Arab Emirates have signed a deal for a Missile Defense System (along with support equipment such as radar, launchers and interceptors) in the Persian Gulf nation. This was in the wake of Iran's expanding ballistic missile arsenal.
· Novak Djokovic ended 2011 in the same vein in which he started the year, beating David Ferrer in straight sets to claim victory on his debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal avenged his thrashing at the hands of Roger Federer last month as he closed out 2011 with a victory.