INTERNATIONAL
Palestinian Authority to be Named ‘State of Palestine’
On 7 January Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree changing the name of the Palestinian Authority to the “”State of Palestine,”” according to the organization’s official news agency.
Pakistani Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister
On 15 January 2013 Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.This is the first in the history of Pakistan to arrest a Prime Minister. The orders of the Court came following the allegations in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, done during his office of the Water and Power Minister.
Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety
On 16 January President Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions on gun control laws, making them stricter,which would come into effect immediately after his signatures. One of these measures include requiring the target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-style assault weapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the background check mandatory.Obama announced that this was his attempt to keep children safe, keeping in view the massacre of Newtown where 20 first grade children along with six adults were killed.
140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits
On 19 January , More than 140 nations have agreed on the first legally binding treaty to curb mercury pollution.Delegates at UN discussed in Geneva approved measures to control the use of the highly toxic metal, which is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limit mercury emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export and import of a range of products containing mercury by 2020.The treaty has been discussed for four years, but it is only now that the negotiators agreed over the final version of the document. The treaty, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, provides controls and reductions across a range of products and processes where mercury is used, released and emitted.
Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President
On 25 January A leftist candidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic’s first presidential election decided by direct vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens’ Rights Party, won with 54.8% of the vote.He defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreign minister with the TOP09 party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, who must step down after serving the maximum of two terms.
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