INTERNATIONAL

01 Cold air and heavy snowstorms envelope most of China, bringing the country’s activities to a grinding halt. The severest weather conditions that the country has seen in 50 years paralyse the transportation and power supply networks. More than 55 people die as their houses collapse under the weight of the snow. As the storms persist for three weeks, endangering the civic system, infrastructure and people, the authorities declare an emergency in all the major cities of China.

14 US President George W. Bush visits Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to encourage active support for the reconciliation process between Palestine and Israel and seek help in maintaining American pressure over Iran. After staying for two nights in the Kingdom, Bush agrees on an arms deal for unknown reasons, envisaging sale of 900 missiles worth 123 million dollars to Riyadh. The hike in oil prices and terrorism in the Middle East are also discussed. The visit to the Kingdom followed trips to Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE and precedes one to Egypt where Bush is denounced by lawyers who protest his arrival.

15 The Kenyan opposition party, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), wins its first battle against the government as their party member, Kenneth Marende, is elected as the country’s parliamentary speaker. Raila Odinga, the head of ODM and the opposition, also casts his vote in the ballot. The exercise has dealt a blow to the attempts of President Mwai Kibaki to reassert his authority following the country’s bloody presidential election last month. The results sparked off nationwide protests by Odinga’s party against what it saw as rigged elections as he lost to a less popular candidate.

21 General (retd) Pervez Musharraf visits Brussels, to address senior European Union and Nato officials about Pakistan. Musharraf explains that while 2007 has been a “turbulent” year, it has not impeded Pakistan’s progress towards democracy and stability. He claims that his country also suffers from “misperceptions, misunderstandings and distortions” in the Western world and pleads for more time to control the prevalent instability. He also reassures the officials that the election on February 18 will be “free, fair, transparent and peaceful.” In his eight-day European tour, Musharraf also meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

23 Tens of thousands of Palestinians pour into Egypt as the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip persists. At dawn,17 bombs and a bulldozer are used to demolish two-thirds of the wall between Egypt and the Gaza strip, allowing Gazans to walk into Egypt and purchase basic food items and fuel. Hamas, which has been in control of Gaza since June 2007, refuses to take responsibility for the destruction of the wall but quickly gains control of the situation by placing guards at the border. Cairo has closed its borders to Gaza ever since Hamas took over, as they fear the infiltration of Hamas militants into Egyptian territory.

25 Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at New Delhi for a two-day trip to be the guest of honour at India’s Republic Day celebrations. Talks between India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sarkozy are over India’s civilian nuclear issue. The two nations come to an understanding which will be finalised once New Delhi concludes an agreement on nuclear safeguards with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Sarkozy also suggests that the G-8 needed to be expanded over time to “G-13 to include India”. He surprises the host country by arriving without his girlfriend Carla Bruni.
 

NATIONAL

10 Some 22 people are killed and 60 others wounded when a suicide bomber strikes outside the Lahore High court. Policemen deployed in the area are the main victims. The attack, which coincided with the eve of Moharram, was believed to be carried out by a suicide bomber in his twenties, who was riding a motorcycle.

10 Fourteen-year-old Mudassar Aslam, a victim of corporal punishment, succumbs to his injury and passes away. Last November, Aslam was beaten by his teacher and then made to do 100 sit-ups with his hands tied. He was denied permission to go home when he started suffering from severe pain. Upon hospitalisation, it was discovered that his intestines had been crushed. Even two surgeries could not save him. So far, no inquiry has been carried out into the incident and no action taken against the perpetrator.

11 The government deports Nicholas Schmidle, an American journalist, for “unspecified reasons”. But it is alleged that the reason is his article “Next Gen Taliban” featured in the New York Times Magazine, for which Schmidle had conducted interviews with Taliban leaders in Quetta. The government on its part declines to specify the reason, let alone admit to the deportation, maintaining that Schmidle did not have a journalist’s visa.

13 In an unsurprising revelation, Scotland Yard says that al-Qaeda was behind Benazir Bhutto’s murder. It put paid to all expectations that an independent investigation would shed more light on the December 27 event. Meanwhile, local law-enforcement agencies arrest a teenager from Dera Ismail Khan, who admits to being part of the conspiracy to kill the former prime minister. The boy was picked up by the intelligence agencies when they intercepted an alleged phone call by Baitullah Mehsud.

18 The flour crisis in the country continues to intensify despite General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s denial of any such problem. Flour remains unavailable at many utility stores, while in retail market it is being sold at up to a hundred rupees above the official price of 130 rupees per 10 kilogrammes. In the Frontier province and Balochistan the situation is far worse, with the commodity unavailable in many small cities. The end of the month brings no relief and people have no option but to buy the commodity at exorbitant prices.

28 Militants take 250 schoolchildren hostage in a primary school in Bannu. After a foiled bid to kidnap a local official, the militants take over the school and threaten to detonate it with bombs if not guaranteed a safe passage. They surrender after negotiations with the government and tribal elders.

Elsewhere in the province and tribal areas, militants pose a threat to national security. On January 16, the military claims killing 40 militants during clashes while on January 23, the insurgents launch a fierce attack in Siplatoi Fort in South Wazristan. The month ends on the same uncertain note that it started on — with each side claiming victory.
 

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

08 The State Bank chalks out a scheme under which small farmers can apply and receive loans without depositing collaterals. It is a group-based lending system in which members provide guarantees for the loans taken by others within the group. All agricultural activities are covered under the scheme. The ceiling has been set at 200,000 rupees. The new system is expected to benefit small farmers, particularly those who are unable to apply for bank loans in the absence of collateral.

22 The federal cabinet approves the Stock Exchange Ordinance, which will ensure “corporatisation, demutualisation and integration of the country’s three stock exchanges.” The changes in the ordinance are to be incorporated within 110 days of the ordinance’s promulgation. The ordinance also ensures that 60 per cent of the board members of any stock exchange are independent members.

24 French bank Societe Generale uncovers a 7.14-billion-dollar fraud by a rogue trader in its employment. Identified as Jerome Kerviel, the fraudster is in his mid-30s and is believed to have acted alone. The fraud came to light in the third week of January as stock markets experienced recession across Europe.
 

SPORTS

04 The International Federation of Tennis slaps a two year ban on former world number one, Martina Hingis, after she tests positive for cocaine. Hingis maintains that she did not take the drug for which she tested positive during Wimbledon last year but the Anti-Doping Tribunal finds her guilty of the offence. The two-year ban is effective from October 1, 2008 but the 27-year-old Hingis has already announced her retirement from the sport. The player has been ordered to repay the prize money. Hingis had returned to the circuit in 2006 after first retiring in 2003.

25 The Pakistan Cricket Board drops fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami from the list of players who receive central contracts. The board cites “fitness and performance issues” for the two’s exclusion. The central contracts, which award the top 17 cricketers of the country fixed monthly salaries between 1,200 and 3,600 dollars, were introduced in 2004. Meanwhile, batsman Misbahul Haq was upgraded to the A category and appointed the team’s vice-captain till end of 2008.

27 Serb Novak Djokovic wins his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open, by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. Djokovic, at the age of 20 years and 250 days, is the fourth youngest men’s winner of the title and is also the first since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to clinch a Grand Slam title from Roger Federer.
 

RETROSPECTIVE

04 Dr Anis Khurshid 1924-2008
A pioneering librarian of Pakistan, Dr Khurshid was also a short-story writer. Dr Khurshid wrote more than 175 research articles, the most prominent being his bibliography of Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He was awarded the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 1994 for his services to library education and librarianship.

11 Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008
A relatively unknown entity, Hillary was 33 years old when he was selected by a British expedition leader to accompany Tenzing Norgay Sherpa to conquer Mount Everest in 1953. But that was not the sole feather in his cap. Hillary also headed other expeditions including one to the South Pole in 1958. This made the four-person-team the first to reach the South Pole by vehicle. In 2003, Hillary was bestowed with honorary Nepalese citizenship in recognition of his services to the country.

22 Heathcliff Andrew Ledger 1979-2008
Ledger rose to fame with his portrayal of Ennis in Brokeback Mountain. The Australian actor’s Hollywood acclaim was a long way from his initial start in the soap Home and Away in his own country. The 28-year-old Oscar-nominated actor’s last film was The Dark Knight, the latest in the Batman series, in which he played the Joker.

26 George Habash 1926-2008
A scion of a Greek Orthodox merchant family, Habash provided a stark contrast to the diplomatic politicking of Yasser Arafat. The founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Habash was known for his radical stance on issues and his aversion to normalisation of ties with Israel. Habash was expelled from Jordan along with his organisation after failed attempts to overthrow the monarchy there. He opposed the 1993 Oslo autonomy deal but was adamant on the rights of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. Habash had graduated as a paediatrician in 1953.
 

360 DEGREES

As Pakistan braces itself for another general elections, the Herald takes a look at seasons past…

October 10, 2002: While a previous October had brought a military coup, this one brought democracy tailored to suit the ruling regime. A large number of turncoats were wooed over to the treasury benches to form a government with a one vote majority.

February 3, 1997: Nawaz Sharif’s ‘huge mandate’ meant that with the lowest general elections turnout in years, the PMLN had merely garnered the approval of about 17 per cent of the registered voters, a fact ignored by the prime minister and his party.

October 6, 1993: The ugly power tussle between prime minister Nawaz Sharif and president Ghulam Ishaq Khan led to the hasty exit of both, allowing Benazir Bhutto to become prime minister for the second time.

October 24, 1990: Another October, another elections and Nawaz Sharif takes over as prime minister. From the finance minister of the Punjab in 1985 to the most powerful executive position in the country, the journey took him 15 years.

November 16, 1988: Winter elections brought the hope of spring after a long time. The unexpected death of General Ziaul Haq in August led to the country’s first relatively free and fair elections after which Benazir Bhutto became prime minister — the first woman in the Muslim world to hold that position.

February 25, 1985: Following in the unoriginal footsteps of military dictators, General Ziaul Haq’s new year’s gift to the nation, or rather himself, was a party-less general elections in the second month of 1985.

March 7, 1977: Spring may have brought general elections but not much else. The opposition to the ruling PPP announced a boycott from the provincial elections, following the National Assembly polls. Chaos ensued. Four months later, martial law was imposed, a mere seven years after the previous one.

December 7, 1970: The fatal general elections that were swept by the Awami League in then East Pakistan (it won 167 out of the 169 seats in the region) and by the Pakistan Peoples Party in West Pakistan (winning 81 of the 138 seats) eventually led to the dismemberment of the country.

April 28, 1962: Held by Pakistan's first military dictator, these 'general' elections to 156 seats were decided by an electoral college of 80,000 basic democrats that represented the 110 million-strong population.
 

ENTERTAINMENT

13 The usually grandiose Golden Globes Awards decline into a press conference as the 10-week writers’ strike persists and causes celebrities to boycott the ceremony. Held at the Beverly Hilton by the show’s organiser, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the conference is only attended by around 600 journalists. The announcement of awards is a quick and solemn affair with no one present to collect them. A few of the award winners include: Cate Blanchett, David Duchovny and Glenn Close, while the winning films include Atonement, Sweeney Todd and Ratatouille.
 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Where the heart is
Scientists at the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair have created a beating rat heart. They initially grew heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeded them with a mixture of live cells. This was done by the process known as decellularisation in which all the cells are extracted from a tissue/organ. The latter is then refilled with cells of the organ recipient by a process called recellularisation. Head of research, Doris Taylor, Ph.D., describes that after four days of reseeding, minute contractions were observed in the heart. Within a week the contractions were visible to the human eye — the heart had started to beat successfully. The experiment can revolutionise the organ donation process as such artificial organs are less likely to be rejected by the recipients.

Spinning dwarfs
Suzaku, a joint Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Nasa X-ray observatory have challenged scientists’ conventional understanding of a type of star known as a white dwarf. Initially believed to be an inert remnant of a dead star, research has now revealed that some white dwarfs also depict behaviour similar to pulsars. The latter is a category of stars that are not inert: in fact they spin at very high speeds and emit pulses of high-energy X-rays. These white dwarfs that mimic pulsars could generate a new classification of celestial bodies yet unknown to scientists. It is now being suggested that along with pulsars, these white dwarfs may also be generating cosmic rays.

Forget-me-not
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) have developed unique polymers (plastics). These can be temporarily stretched or compressed so they become several times larger or smaller than they are to begin with but revert to their original shape once heated. The properties of such polymers seem attractive for biomedical applications: to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain, or engineer a tougher spine, for instance. Developed at the GIT by scientist Ken Gall, the polymers resemble biological tissue and can be compressed and inserted into the body through a stent. Once in place, the body heat allows the polymer to expand to its original shape and fill the cavity it is placed in.

Fathoming microbes
The National Institutes of Health under the US government has launched the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) to generate a greater understanding of microbial cells and their communities that populate human beings. Microbial cells and their effect on the environment are relatively unexplored areas. The number of microbial cells in the human body is 10 times more than blood cells and they are a vital part of our body. But because of their high sensitivity, scientists could not previously replicate them in laboratories. However, with high-precision DNA sequencing technologies and the advent of a new branch of microbiology, it is now possible to analyse microbial bodies. HMP has three broad objectives: determining whether individual microbes share a core human microbiome, understanding whether changes in the human microbiome causes changes in human health and developing new tools needed to support these goals.