1.

China celebrated the 120th anniversary of Mao

Zedong's birth Thursday, with top leaders paying a
ceremonial visit to Mao's mausoleum and praising
the achievements of the man who founded the
People's Republic of China.
2. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan reshuffled his
cabinet after three members quit over a corruption
scandal that has posed an unprecedented
challenge to his 11-year rule.
3. Israel likely will announce new plans for
construction in Jewish settlements next week, a move
that is likely to trigger an international uproar and
threaten peace talks with the Palestinians.
4. Thailand's embattled government today rejected
the Election Commission's plea to postpone the
February 2 snap polls after fresh street violence left a
policeman dead and nearly 100 others injured.
5. 14th death anniversary of 9th President of India Dr.
Shankar Dayal Sharma observed today.
6. The Centre today waded into the controversy over
the snooping allegedly involving Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi by deciding to set up a
Judicial Commission of Inquiry to go into charges of
spying on a young woman in 2009.
7. Amid demands by jurists and BJP, government on
Thursday gave the go ahead to grant constitutional
status to a proposed commission for appointment
and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary to
ensure that its composition cannot be altered

through an ordinary legislation.

8. The cabinet committee on economic affairs
(CCEA) has approved central sector scheme national scheme of welfare of fishermen during the
12th Plan.
9. Concerned over illicit use of drug among youths,
Rajasthan government is going to run a special drive
across the state to curb the menace.
10. The Home Ministry will soon inspect the books of
accounts of Aam Aadmi Party in connection with
alleged illegal foreign funding to it.
11. The Jammu Festival, aimed at showcasing rich
culture, heritage and traditions of the city, began
today with a scintillating recital on the santoor,
enthralling many a visitors.
12. In a stern perform or perish message, Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday stripped
Partha Chatterjee of his Commerce and Industry
portfolio in a Cabinet reshuffle, giving the key
department to Finance Minister Amit Mitra to give a
boost to industrialisation in the state.
13. Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh will begin
the first phase of the winter sojourn to lower areas of
the state on Saturday.
14. GJM supremo Bimal Gurung took oath as the new
Chief Executive of Gorkhaland Territorial
Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling today.

15. ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas arm of

state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC),
on Thursday said it has temporarily shutdown oilfields
in South Sudan following escalation of violence in the
worlds youngest nation.
16. Government today approved modalities for the
beleaguered sugar industry to avail interest-free
loans to the tune of Rs 6,600 crore from banks for
effecting timely payment to cane growers.
17. Air India can now go ahead with the sale of its
five long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft to Etihad Airways,
with the government giving its nod to the deal today.
18. Govt approves increase in foreign investment limit
in Axis Bank to 62% from the existing 49%.
19. The Cabinet today approved a pension proposal
for 43,000 MTNL employees, who joined the public
sector company from Department of Telecom, that
would cost the government an estimated Rs 500
crore annually.
20. Country's largest power producing firm NTPC has
lined up new projects of 19,000 MW capacity, nearly
half of that would be commissioned by 2017.
21. Government today reduced minimum export
price (MEP) of onion to USD 150 a tonne from USD 350
to boost shipments and check sharp fall in domestic
prices that has led to farmers protest in producing
states.
22. The MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) Board on
Thursday asked its promoter FTIL to cut stake in the

bourse from 26 percent to 2 percent within a month.

23. Microsoft India today said it is introducing
Guardian, a new safety application (app), available
exclusively for Windows phone users in India.