Daily News Notes

· World wide people welcomed the New Year 2012 with great Happiness. In Dubai, an extravagant pyro-technique display lit up the world's tallest building the Burj Khalifa with fireworks spouting from the top floor. In Mumbai, the Police had stepped up its vigil and patrolled the streets all through last night to ensure safety and law and order. While the traffic police ran an anti drinking and driving campaign last night, anti eve teasing squads were also stationed at sensitive areas.
· The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has expressed that Lokpal is only one part of the solution and there is a need for reforms in systems of governance to tackle corruption. He also identified key challenges as livelihood security, education, food, health and employment security, economic security, energy security, ecological security and national security and urged the people to work together as a nation to address these challenges.
· Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has said, there is need for a Constitutional amendment to give protection to the Election Commissioners so that they are not under any pressure and also favored automatic elevation of the senior-most EC to the post of CEC.
· In J&K, the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch have received focused attention of the Government during the last 3 years. Centrally sponsored scheme of Rajeev Gandhi Grameen Yiduvitikaran Yojana provided electricity and Prime Ministers Gram Sadak Yojana provides all season road connectivity.
· Tihar jail inmates will make their own blankets to cater to the growing demand of blankets in the jail. Under the scheme, the jail will manufacture about 10,000 blankets every year only for the inmates and not for sale.
· Foreign Direct Investment in India, has surged by 36% to 23.68 billion USD during the Jan-Dec, 2011 while it was 17.36 billion USD in 2010. Major sectors that attracted maximum FDI during are financial and non-financial services, telecom, housing, real estate & construction and power. Mauritius, Singapore, US, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Germany and UAE are the major sources of investment in India.
· A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Tokyo and surrounding areas, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury and no tsunami warning.
· Representatives from the two main opposition groups, the Syrian National Council and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change have signed a draft agreement which charts a democratic transition in Syria. In their pact, the two sides reject any military intervention that harms the sovereignty or stability of the country, though Arab League intervention is not considered foreign.
· Pakistan has assumed its seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council today for a two-year term. This will be for the 7th time that Pakistan has assumed this position.