1) Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi released from Adiala jail.
- Mumbai attacks mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has been released from Paksitan`s Adiala jail.
- Lakhvi was released from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, a day after Lahore high court (LHC) suspended his detention and ordered his immediate release.
- India had strongly reacted to the court`s decision, saying it "eroded" the value of assurances repeatedly conveyed to it by Pakistan on cross-border terrorism.
About Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi:
- He has directed military actions in Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq and South-east Asia and is referred to as Chachu, or Uncle, by the young trainees.
- Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi also written as Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhavi born c. 1960, is a top leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba and currently serves as Supreme Commander of operations in Kashmir and as a member of LeT`s General Council.
- He is listed on the NIA Most Wanted list.
- On December 3, 2008 Indian officials named him as one of four possible major planners behind the November 2008 Mumbai Attacks.
2) Satyam Founder Ramalinga Raju, 9 Others Convicted of Multi-Crore Accounting Fraud.
- Satyam founder B. Ramalinga Raju and nine others have been found guilty in one of the country`s biggest accounting frauds by a special CBI court.
- The court sentenced Raju to seven years of imprisonment, television channels reported. He was also asked to pay a fine of Rs. 5 crore (Rs. 50 million).
- The scam surfaced in January, 2009, after Mr Raju, the firm`s then Chairman, allegedly confessed to manipulating his company`s account books and inflating profits over many years.
- Around 3,000 documents were marked and 226 witnesses examined during the trial that began nearly six years ago.
- Ramalinga Raju was born on 16 September 1954 and he was the former chairman of Satyam Computer Services from 1987 and till 7 January 2009.
3) President Pranab Mukherjee Inaugurates Northeast Festival in Delhi.
- The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the first ever event titled ‘Songs & Dances of Northeast’ organized by North-Eastern Council (NEC) and Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER).
- The Union Minister of State of the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma and other Governors and Chief Ministers of the eight North-Eastern States were present on the occasion.
- This event will be held by rotation in different parts of the country in collaboration with one of the eight States of the region.
- The President said the economic development taking place in the region will benefit not only the people of the area but also the entire country. Locational advantage and rich resource endowment of the North East makes it an ideal hub for dealing with India’s eastern neighbours.
4) Bangladesh executes Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
- Bangladesh has executed Islamist opposition leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman for war crimes committed during the 1971 war to break away from Pakistan.
- Kamaruzzaman was convicted of abduction, torture and mass murder as one of the leaders of a pro-Pakistan militia that killed thousands of people during Bangladesh`s bloody independence struggle.
- Hundreds of secular supporters burst into cheers and made victory signs as news of the hanging was announced at Shabagh square in central Dhaka where they gathered to celebrate the death of a man they called a "war butcher".
- Abdul Quader Molla, the fourth-highest ranked leader of the party, was hanged in December 2013.
- Kamaruzzaman is the second Islamist to be hanged for atrocities during the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
5) North Korea`s Foreign Minister Makes Rare Visit to India.
- North Korea’s top diplomat, Ri Su-yong, arrived in India on a rare visit.
- Ri became the first North Korean foreign minister to visit India in at least 25 years (although Kim Yong-il, the North Korean vice foreign minister, visited India in 2007 and 2009).
- Ri met with his counterpart, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
- Ri Su-Yong and Sushmaswaraj discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and regional security issues, including the stability of the Korean peninsula.
- In addition to Swaraj, Ri met with Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari.
- Ri’s trip to India comes ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Seoul, South Korea, which is expected in May.
- In 2011, India provided $1 million in emergency aid through the World Food Program.
- India and North Korea maintain normal diplomatic relations, and bilateral trade between the two countries totals around $500 million annually.
About North Korea:
- North Korea officially the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
- It is a country in East Asia.
- Capital: PyongYang.
- Currency: North Korean Won.
6) Narendra Modi gifted painting titled Tree of Life to French President Francois Hollande.
- A painting titled Tree of Life was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to French President Francois Hollande during his visit to France from 9th April to 12th April 2015.
- The painting shows traditional societal respect for nature in India and tree as a divine gift central to human life is a recurring element in Indian artistic practice.
- The Tree of Life, with various branches and roots like a banyan tree, is a idea for a tree’s goodwill, fruit, seeds, shelter, healing, procreation and regeneration faculties that sustain life and clean the environment.
- Bhaskar Mahapatra is the man behind the painting. He is an Odisha artist and the art form is tint on silk which he has been practicing for last thirty years.
7) Hillary Clinton to run for President post in USA in 2016.
- Putting to rest months of speculation and rumours, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday announced that she would be running for the office of U.S. president in 2016.
- A video announcement on Ms. Clinton’s official website confirmed the announcement, with the presidential candidate saying, ``I’m hitting the road to earn your vote``.
About Hillary Clinton:
- Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 and she is an American attorney, politician and member of the Democratic Party.
- As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.
- From 2009 to 2013, she was the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving under President Barack Obama. Clinton formally announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in the 2016 election on April 12, 2015.
8) Russian President Putin is most influential person in the World: Time.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged the winner of this year`s Time 100 readers` poll of most influential people in the world.
- He edged out rapper-singer CL (of the South Korean girl-group 2NE1) to claim the number one spot with 6.95 per cent of the votes in the final tally.
- Pop stars Lady Gaga (2.6 per cent), Rihanna (1.9 per cent) and Taylor Swift (1.8 per cent) rounded out the top five.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal named also included in the list of 100 most influential people in the world.
- Narendra Modi however garnered just 0.6 per cent of the votes cast, with only 34 per cent of the people voting in his favour and 66 per cent against. Kejriwal got 0.5 per cent, with 71 per cent voters saying he should not be in the list.
- Other winners of the online poll include US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, the Dalai Lama, Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, Nobel peace prize winner.
- Malala Yousafzai, Pope Francis, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
About Putin:
- Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on 7 October 1952 and has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012. Putin previously served as President from 2000 to 2008.
- In 2014, Russia was temporarily suspended from the G8 group as a result of its annexation of Crimea.
- Because of constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term in 2008.