Who is heading the committee appointed by the prime minister’s office (PMO) to look into the irregularities in the preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010?

The committee led by former comptroller and auditor general VK Shunglu is racing against time to corroborate and compile all documents related to projects executed by different departments in the run-up to the mega sporting event held in October 2010. The committee, whose tenure expires today, is likely to write to the PMO seeking more time to complete its investigation to ascertain financial and managerial lapses in the conduct of the Games and related projects.

Born on February 4, 1922, at Gadag in Dharwad district of Karnataka, Joshi got a boost to his career during a concert in Pune in January 1946 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of his guru Sawai Gandharva. Joshi is a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. He had been put on life support following old age-related ailments leading to kidney and respiratory failure after his admission to hospital on December 31.

Bhardwaj gave the sanction on petitions from advocates Sirajin Basha and KN Balaraj, who had filed two criminal petitions in a Bangalore court on January 22. Bhardwaj rejected the January 19 state cabinet resolution pleading with him to drop the proceedings on the lawyers' petitions and accorded the sanction. The BJP, which is ruling Karnataka, dubbed his action as constitutionally "improper" and "politically motivated".

The move is part of Michelle’s signature campaign to fight childhood obesity, and Wal-Mart has pledged to slash prices on fruits and veggies and make thousands of its packaged foods lower in fats and sugars. Healthy eating and tackling childhood obesity is the centrepiece of Michelle’s agenda as first lady and it is the first time she has given her approval to the work of a single company.

A political party in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, the AIADMK was founded by film star-turned-politician MG Ramachandran and is now headed by close associate J Jayalalithaa. Headquartered in Royapettah, Chennai, the party was founded in 1972 when Ramachandran was expelled from the DMK by then Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi. The party was originally called the Anna DMK. 'All-India' was added to the party's name during the Emergency. Ramachandran went on to replace Karunanidhi as chief minister of the state in 1977 and ruled the state till his death in 1987.

Operation Paryavaran Suraksha launched by the coast guard to combat the oil spill was expected to take three to four days but was successfully completed by the evening of January 22. PCV Samudra Prahari, commissioned in October 2010, is India's first indigenously built pollution control vessel and the first of its kind in South Asia. Built at a cost of Rs20 crore, the 4,300 tonne 95m-long vessel boasts of 3,000 KW twin diesel engines and twin shaft generators, reaches a peak speed of 21 knots, and can go 6,500 nautical miles at economical speed without refuelling.

CCHF, also known as Congo fever, is a tick-borne viral disease. It spreads from animals to humans either through tick bites or through contact with infected animal tissue during or immediately after slaughter. While the spread from animals to humans is rare, the disease is severe in infected human beings, with a mortality rate of 30%. Symptoms of CCHF include high fever, vomiting and abdominal pain. As the disease progresses, bruising and severe nose bleeds are common. The disease first came to notice in the Crimea in 1944, and was given the name Crimean haemorrhagic fever.

Haley became only the second person from the Indian American community to hold a gubernatorial post in the US. Daughter of Sikh immigrant parents from Punjab, Republican Namrata 'Nikki' Randhawa Haley won the November 3, 2010, election to the governor's post trouncing the Democratic Party of President Barack Obama. Haley displaced Indian-American Bobby Jindal as the youngest current governor in the US. Jindal is the governor of Louisiana.

Shivraj Puri, a relationship manager with Citibank's Gurgaon branch and alleged mastermind of the fraud, is accused of luring high net-worth individuals to invest in bogus schemes by promising unusually high returns, which he falsely substantiated with a forged letter from market regulator SEBI. The police, Reserve Bank of India and SEBI are probing the fraud.

Westminster Abbey has long served as a venue for royal weddings. Clarence House, official residence of the Prince of Wales, announced that Middleton would be driven along the processional route, which includes Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade and The Mall, before finally reaching Westminster Abbey. The couple will return along the same route, but in a carriage procession. They will be received by Queen Elizabeth II once inside Buckingham Palace.