23 JANUARY 2015: DSC prize goes to Jhumpa Lahiri!!!

Ø Pakistan says it has followed the U.N.’s ban of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and that the accounts of all such banned groups have been frozen, but has not confirmed if the government has issued a new ban on the JuD and its chief, Hafiz Saeed.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Ø Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri won the $50,000 DSC Prize for Literature, one of South Asia’s top literary awards for her book, The Lowland . The Prize celebrates writing on the South Asian region from writers across the globe and is given to the best novel or translations into English of a work on or about the region. The prize was given by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Vijay Shesadri.

Ø India and U.S. bilateral trade is expected to touch $100 billion this year and the governments are now targeting $500 billion by 2020. However, the trade deficit between them has also ballooned past $25 billion, according to 2013 figures.

Ø Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit, intelligence agencies have warned against possible attempts by “Pakistan-sponsored jihadi elements” to cause large-scale violence before January 28. The disruptions could be in the form of protests turning violent. Among the suspected outfits are the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the Hizbul Mujahideen. According to the intelligence report shared with several States, four groups have been despatched to India for causing large-scale violence. While one of the groups is said to be located in Maharashtra, the second is suspected to have been directed to Uttar Pradesh and the third and fourth groups have supposedly set up base in Rajasthan and Odisha. Some of the suspected terrorists have also been named as part of the input shared with the police. The group in Maharashtra may target Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai and hence, security around it has been stepped up. Likewise, the other three States have also been told to remain on high alert during Mr. Obama’s visit. Areas surrounding the Taj Mahal, where Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to visit on January 27, are being sanitised. Security along the borders and coast has also been stepped up. According to Home Ministry sources, another group of 10 trained militants presently staying in Sialkot (Pakistan) is planning to sneak into India at the instance of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. Intelligence inputs suggest that an ISI Major has been given the task of facilitating the infiltration, said an MHA official. Antecedents of all the personnel who would be a part of the security ring on Republic Day and during Mr. Obama’s visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan and other places in Delhi are being re-examined. As a precautionary measure, all employees of ITC Maurya, where Mr. Obama and his team would stay, would not be allowed to carry mobile phones. Mobile jammers would be activated. A highly trained canine squad, consisting of seven Belgian Shepherds, has already been brought to Delhi to assist the bomb-detection squads in the ongoing anti-sabotage exercises. One such Belgian Malinois was a part of the U.S. Navy SEAL team that had hunted down Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. A 30-member squad of trained Labrador and German Shepherds of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have also been deployed. Canine squads from other paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police have also been engaged in the sanitisation of the Republic Day Parade venue, Rashtrapati Bhavan and other places.

Ø Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar, judge of the Madras High Court, has been elevated as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Justice Vasanthakumar, who is from Marthandam in Kanyakumari district on Tamil Nadu, had been a lawyer for 25 years. He was made an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court on December 10, 2005, and appointed permanent judge on April 20, 2007. He disposed of 92,000 petitions as a judge of the Madras High Court and delivered several landmark judgments.

Ø The Navy commissioned three Immediate Support Vessels (ISVs), capable of patrolling the coastal stations at high speeds. The vessels were part of a project representing the ‘Make in India’ concept promoted by the Centre, the Navy said. The ISVs, commissioned in Mumbai by Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, have been funded by the ONGC. They will be operated by the naval crew, a defence spokesperson said.

Ø Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a special co-host, U.S. President Barack Obama, for the next edition of Mann Ki Baat , his monthly radio address to the nation. the leaders of the world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy will come together for a joint address for the first time in the history of public radio. The duo will take questions from listeners, making it an interactive experience for the millions of listeners tuning in to All India Radio next week.

Ø For presenting a more accurate and realistic price situation, the government will release next month a new series of Consumer Price Index (CPI) with 2012 as base year for computing the retail inflation rate.