Current Affairs Dec 2012/WWGK

INTERNATIONAL

Mahama Re-elected as Ghana’s President

On 10 December Ghana’s incumbent President John Dramani Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has won the country’s presidential election.Mahama took 50.70 percent of the total valid votes cast, while his closest challenger,  Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) obtained  47.74 percent.With his re-election, Mahama becomes the fourth president to be elected under the Forth Republic.He had served as Ghana’s vice president since 2009.

UN, Pakistan Launched ‘Malala Fund’

Pakistan joined forces with the United Nations on 10 December 2012 to launch a fund aimed at boosting girls’ education throughout the world.The fund is named for Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl.  Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari also  announced a $10-million donation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai for campaigning for girls’ education.

 Shinzo Abe Elected As Japan’s New PM

The former Prime Minister  and the Leader of LDP  Shinzo Abe elected as  a Prime Minister with a clear victory over the  Prime Minister  and leader of the Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) Yoshihiko Noda in the Parliamentary Elections on 26 December 2012.The lawmakers in Japan voted in favour of Abe by 328 votes. Opponent Banri Kaieda, the newly chosen leader of DPJ received merely 57 votes.

 Jacob Zuma re-elected as South Africa’s President

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress on 18 December 2012 re-elected President Jacob Zuma as the party chief with a thumping majority. Mr.Zuma received the support of over 75 per cent of the total voting delegates at the ANC National Conference held in Bloemfontein. Juma was Deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005

 Park elected South Korean President

Park Guen-hye, the daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee,  beat her opponent on 19 December 2012 in the  South Korean presidential elections. Park is the country’s first woman President. She is the former head of the ruling Conservative Saenuri Party, had secured the necessary votes and defeated Moon Jae-in, of the Democratic United Party.

 Pak  Cleared  Anti-terror Bill

On 20 December Pakistan’s National Assembly  passed a bill that will give intelligence and security agencies sweeping powers to conduct surveillance and collect  data from SMS’s and emails.The National Assembly or lower house of parliament approved the “”Fair Trial Bill 2012 “” after incorporating amendments proposed by the main opposition PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which is part of the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan People’s Party.

 U.S. House Passed Defense Bill

On 20 December  US (United States) House of Representatives passed the Defence Authorization Act of 2013. The bill authorizing 633.3 billion – dollar in defense spending for 2013, easing limits on satellite exports and providing more Marines for embassy security.

 Napolitano Dissolved Italian Parliament

On 22 December  Italian President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved Parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti. Italian Government under the leadership of Mario Monti brought forward a series of austerity reforms backed by EU and business leaders.

 Morsi signed on Egypt’s New Constitution

On 25 December Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi  signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution. He signed a declaration enforcing the charter late after the official announcement of the result of a referendum approving the basic law. Two-thirds of the members of the 270-seat council were elected earlier this year in a vote in which only 12 per cent of registered voters participated. The remaining 90 were appointed by Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president.

 Pakistan Recognised the Republic of Kosovo

On 26 December Pakistan Government officially recognised Kosovo as an independent state, almost five years after it declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. Pakistan is the 98th country among the 193 U.N-member states to recognise Kosovo .Kosovo is a small south east European state lies between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

  INDIA & WORLD

Nitish Kumar, Hazare, Malala Among  “The Top 100 Global Thinkers” List

   On 2 December According to the United States-based  Foreign Policy magazine has released  its list of the “100 Top Global Thinkers” from 2012. The magazine has placed  the Indians in the list include Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who features way below at the 77th place, Anna Hazare who has been placed at the 37th position for his anti-corruption crusade in the country. 15-year-old Pakistani child rights activist Malala Yousafzai at 6th position,  Aung San Suu Kyi  is ranked first in list.

 Bangladesh Agreed on Zero Line Fencing along Tripura Border

   On 2 December Bangladesh had agreed to set up barbed wire fencing along zero line in nine stretches on the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura. According to the MHA communique, fencing along zero line was to be allowed in 9 areas.

 India & Japan Signed Currency Swap Agreement

India signed a bilateral swap arrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan to swap their local currencies for an amount of $15 billion for a three year period on 4 December 2012.The BSA will effect from 5 December 2012.

 India is Among Top Five Terror-Hit Nations

The Australian think tank released The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) on 4 December 2012, according to this GTI, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan were among the nations most impacted by terrorism in 2011. In 2011, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas most impacted by terrorism. India’s GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at number1, Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5.

 Bangalore Best Indian City To Live

Bangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata amongst Indian cities in overall global quality of living index, according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.Bangalore’s overall quality of living rank went up from 141 in 2011 to 139 in 2012 and is highest amongst other Indian cities.

 India Ranked 94th Position in Corruption         

Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for the first place in   watchdog Transparency International’s 2012 index of the least corrupt countries. India is on 94th position in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Most corrupted nations are  Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia in 174th positions.

 US Extends Exemptions For India  to Iran Oil Sanctions

On 8 December the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has extended exemptions to India, China ,South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan  from Iranian Sanctions Act mainly because of their significant reduction in oil import from Iran.The 9 countries have again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, based on additional reductions in the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran.This is for the second time that countries including India has received waiver from US under the Iranian sanctions act.

 3 Indian Projects among Strategic- Global Infrastructure Projects List

Three  Indian projects have placed in the new york’s Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum “Top 100 Strategic Global Infrastructure Projects “ list. GIFT city (Gujarat International Financial Tech city), Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project (Maharashtra) and the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR)  project   (Andhra Pradesh).

 India, Ukraine Signed on Five Agreements

India and Ukraine on 10 December 2012 signed on five agreements in New Delhi to enhance cooperation including in areas of defence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to remove barriers in trade and commerce.

 Indians ‘Largest Ethnic Minority Group in UK

On 11 December According to the 2011 Britain population census record Indians are the largest ethnic minority group in the UK.With 1.5 percent of the Hindu religion became a third-largest religion in the nation’s. The Christian population in the country  is also a drop in the statistics.. The Muslim community population   in the  country’s  fastest growing increased by 3 percent to 4.8.

 India& Pak Signed on New Visa Agreement

The new Visa Agreement between India and Pakistan on 14th December, 2012 at New Delhi.  However, the Visa-on-Arrival will come into effect from 15th January, 2013. Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Home Minister of India and Mr. A. Rehman Malik, Pakistan Interior Minister singed on the agreement.

 Cell Phone Connections to exceed the World Population by 2014

The International Telecommunications Communication Union (ITU) to be designed and released Information Society 2012 – Observe report on 11 December.  According to the report number of cell phone connections exceeding  the world’s population by 2014. Now 6 billion (hundreds of millions) cell phone connections they will reach 730 Millions by 2014 .Then the world’s population is 700 crore.Already in Russia 1.8 times cell phone accounts more than 25 million people.

 Indians now Live Longer but in Poor Health in Old Age

According to the the prestigious British medical journal, ‘The Lancet ‘ report the life expectancy (LE) at birth of an average Indian male has gone up by 15 years between 1970 and 2010.   An average Chinese male is living 10 years longer than an Indian male, while a Chinese woman is living 11.5 years longer than her Indian counterpart. An average American lives nearly 13 years longer than an Indian.

 World Malaria Report 2012

According to the WHO “ World Malaria Report 2012” India, the country most affected by malaria in the South East Asian Region, is projected to see a decrease of 50-75 per cent in malaria case incidence by 2015.In South East Asia Region, Bhutan, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have registered decreases of 75 per cent or more in the incidence of microscopically confirmed malaria incidence rates between 2000 and 2011.

 Hinduism Third Largest Religion of World

According to the ‘ Pew research ‘ survey report  Hinduism is the third largest religion of the world after Christianity ,  Islam and 97 per cent of all Hindus live in  the world’s three Hindu-majority countries (India, Mauritius and Nepal), and nearly nine-in-ten Christians (87 per cent) are found in the world’s 157 Christian majority countries.In the total world population 2.2 billion Christians (32 per cent of the world’s population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23 per cent) around the world as of 2010.

 India & Russia signed Rs 22,000 crore Defence Deals

India and Russia signed defence deals worth around Rs. 22,000 crore ($4 billion) on 24 December. According to this pact Russia will sell India 71 military helicopters for $1.3 billion and technological kits to assemble 42 Sukhoi jet fighters for $1.6 billion.

NATIONAL

Sexual Assault a Gender-Neutral Offence Bill Passed by Lok Sabha

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, replacing the word ‘rape’ by the phrase ‘sexual assault’ and seeking to widen the scope of the offence passed by Lok Sabha on 4 December. Both men and women could soon be able to invoke the provisions of a criminal law in case of sexual assault .The amendment bill expands the definition so that cases of sexual assault where victims were male would fall under the same law along with cases where victims were women.

 Cabinet Approved Naval Base Phase II of Project “Seabird “

On 7 December The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared a Rs 13,500 crore major expansion plan of the strategic Karwar naval base Phase II Alpha of the project “Seabird “in Karnataka is set to become the country’s biggest Naval base by 2025. The Karwar naval base is India’s third major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam on the east coast.

 Over 7 Crore Unemployed Youth in India

According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report  an approximate 7 crore youth people in India are either unemployed or under-employed. The figures were revealed by Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha.”As per results of the latest survey conducted by NSSO during 2009-10, the number of unemployed or under-employed persons on usual status basis in the country was 95 lakhs and about six crore respectively.

 Rajya Sabha Passed SC/ST Quota Bill

A Constitution 117th  amendment bill providing for quota for SCs and STs in government job promotions was on December 17 passed by Rajya Sabha.

 Unlawful Activities Amendment Bill  Passed by Rajya Sabha

On 20 December Parliament  passed a bill that makes economic offences, including circulation of high quality counterfeit currency, a terrorist act.The Rajya Sabha passed Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2012 by voice vote while several parties. The bill was already passed by Lok Sabha.

 LokSabha Approved Company Bill 2011

On 18 December Lok Sabha passed the Companies Bill 2011 paving the way for a new modern company law.The Bill is aimed at improving corporate governance. It contains provisions to strengthen regulations for corporate as well as auditing firms.

 Banking Bill passed by Lok Sabha

The Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011, have been passed in the Lok Sabha on 20 December .The amendments pave the way for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue new bank licences, and also opens door for more foreign investment into the sector.

 Usha Mehra commission for Delhi incident victim Nirbhaya’s Case

A female physiotherapy intern student Nirbhaya beaten and gang raped in Delhi on 16 December and died on 29 December while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brain and gastrointestinal damage from the assault.The government has formed a committee of enquiry under justice Usha Mehra to reconstruct the events leading to the incident identify lapses by police and other agencies and fix responsibility for the crime.

 Microsoft Launches 14 Innovation Centres in India

Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd had launched 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) in India. It has signed agreements with leading academic institutions across four States.As part of the global programme, which currently has 75 MICs, Microsoft aims to launch a 100 such centres in India in the next two years.

STATES

Delhi Government Launched “Delhi Annshri Yojna”

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was launched a major food security programme of Delhi Government “Delhi Annshri Yojna” on 15 December 2012.under which a monthly cash subsidy of Rs. 600 will be transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most female members of two lakh poor families.

 BJP Won in Gujarat Assembly Elections

The BJP registered its fifth consecutive victory in Gujarat on 20 December 2012.This is the third victory under Modi leadership. BJP won the 115 seats.   Congress won the 61 seats.  Modi won by a landslide from Maninagar constituency in Gujarat, beating his nearest Congress party rival Shweta Bhatt by a margin of 86,373 votes.

 Congress has won Himachal Pradesh Elections

The Congress returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party  in the Himachal Pradesh State Assembly elections conduced on 4 November 2012.The Congress secured 36 seats and the BJP 26 seats. The Congress Leader Virbhadra Singh won from Shimla (Rural) constituency and defeated the rival from BJP Ishwar Rohal by 19033 Votes.

 Meghalaya Passed Lokayukta Bill 2012

On 14 December the Meghalaya Lokayukta Bill, 2012 was passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and replaced the existing Lokayukta Act, 2002 amidst opposition from legislators. The new act under the lokayukta bill covered the chief minister, governor and all public servants, but allowed the state government through a clause to exclude the complaints by citing public interest.

 Madhya Pradesh Government Set Up a Senior Citizen Commission

On 21 December the Madhya Pradesh Government  has set up a Senior Citizen Commission to look into problems of the elderly in the State.

 Assam Government Announced Special Health Scheme

On 12 December Assam government announced that 50 riverine public health centres would be set up in the state soon under the National Rural Health Mission.The public health centres would be located primarily in the districts of Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara and Darrang.

 30% Reservation for Rural Candidates in Assam Govt. Jobs

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 26 December 2012 announced that 30 per cent state government jobs will be reserved for candidates belonging to rural areas from 2013.

CONFERENCES

UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18)

The United Nations Climate Change Conference , which is the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) and  8th session of the Conference of the Parties (serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol ) ends on 8 December in Qatar, Doha. United Nations climate talks in Doha had agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Poland will host the next  round of 19th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP)  UN climate talks in 2013.

 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12)

The First ever World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) from 3 -14 December held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The conference  reviewed the current International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs).The 193 member states of the ambassadors are attended this conference.While 89 states have signed the UN International  Telecommunications agreement and another 55 countries have refused the deal.The new agreement will come into effect in January 2015.

 ASEAN – India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi

India is hosted the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from December 20-21 in New Delhi to mark the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN – India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership.The theme of the summit is “ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity”.  ASEAN and India have signed the awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on comprehensive economic cooperation as foundations for the establishment of an ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Area.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Katy Perry Honored With Billboard’s “Woman of the Year”

Pop Singer Katy Perry was honored with Billboard’s “Woman of the Year 2012” (The Star of the Women) award in New York.

 Shah Rukh Khan Conferred With Morocco’s Medal of Honour

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had  given the prestigious Medal of Honour by the Prince of Morocco (Moulay Rachid) on 3 December 2012 in 12th Marrakech International Film Festival.

 DRDO Scientist Gets Top Award

Brajnish Sitara scientist from Research Centre Imarat(RCI), a premier laboratory of DRDO’s missile complex was conferred with INAE(Indian National Academy of Engineering)Young Engineer Award for 2012 at the academy’s annual conventionheld at Roorkee on 6 December 2012.

 Rajan and Sajan Mishra Conferred ‘National Tansen Samman’

On 14 December 2012 noted vocalist duo of Rajan and Sajan Mishra will be awarded prestigious ‘National Tansen Samman’ for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical music

 Stephen Hawking Won Yuri Milner Award

A Russian billionaire’s foundation was awarded two special prizes of $3 million each to British cosmologist Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes and to seven scientists at the world’s biggest atom-smasher for their roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-sought Higgs boson. Yuri Milner’s Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation announced the awards on 11 December 2012.Hawking is honored for his discovery of Hawking radiation from black holes “and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of the early universe.”

 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Ravi Shankar

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar will be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously.He becomes the first Indian to get the prestigious award. The decision to honour Ravi Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner, was made before his death.

 Indian Journalist’s Association Honoured Sir Charles Wheeler

On 16 December Indian Journalists Association has conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012 posthumously to former BBC correspondent Sir Charles Wheeler.

 Scientist Venkatesh Mannar honoured with Order of Canada Award

A Chennai born scientist of Indian origin, M.G Venkatesh Mannar and President, Micronutrient Initiative, Canada was awarded with Canada’s Highest Civilian Award – the “ Order of Canada “ on December .US, was honoured with the award for his forty years long contribution working towards reduction of debilitating micronutrient deficiencies among the worlds most vulnerable.

 Arunachal CM Selected for “IAEWP”  Award

On 18 December Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has been selected by the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) for a Lifetime Achievement Award. IAEWP is a non-governmental organization affiliated to the United Nations and engaged in the promotion of world peace. Besides the individual award he would also receive the ‘Green State of the Year ‘ Award on behalf of the Arunachal Pradesh Government for maintaining greenery in the state.

 Top Honour For 7-year-old South African Indian Rhino Campaigner

A seven-year-old Indian-origin girl Afeefah Patel  won a prestigious a wildlife conservation award in South Africa for writing a letter to President Jacob Zuma asking for his assistance in saving endangered rhinos. Afeefah Patel, who has just finished Grade One, became the youngest winner ever of SANParks’s Corporate Contribution to Conservation Award  in individual category at the 8th annual Kudu Awards.

 P.Chidambaram received “Best Administrator”  Award

On 20 December Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram received “”Best Administrator in India”” award instituted by K. Karunakaran Foundation.The award was presented to him by Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari.The award is being offered in the memory of renowned Congress leader as well as the former Kerala Chief minister K.Karunakaran. First Karunakaran Foundation Award was given to Pranab Mukherjee.

 Archaeologist C.Govindarajanar Received Presidential Award

President Pranab Mukherjee on 21 December 2012  conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. C. Govindarajanar was conferred Tolkappiyar Award for outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies.

 Top U.S. Innovation Award For Indian-American

A renowned Indian-American inventor at IBM, Rangaswamy Srinivasan, was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama for the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation.  He named the phenomenon Ablative Photo Decomposition (APD). He got this award for the discovery of APD.

 Shihab Ghanem the First Arab to receive India’s Tagore Peace Prize

On 26 December The Asiatic society will award the Tagore Peace Prize to Emirati poet and translator Shihab Ghanem .Shihab Ghanem the first Arab to receive India’s Tagore Peace Prize.The peace prize is named after Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali creative talent and India’s first Nobel laureate.

 Pratibha Ray Won 2011 Jnanpith Award

Leading Oriya novelist and academician Pratibha Ray, who has over 40 novels, travelogues and short stories to her credit, was named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on 27 December 2012.

 Astronautical Society’s Aryabhatta award for Muthunayagam & Saraswat

The former secretary of the Department of Ocean Development, A.E. Muthunayagam, will received the prestigious Aryabhatta award, instituted by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), for 2010 and V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, will receive the award for 2011.They have been selected for their achievements in rocketry.

SPORTS & GAMES

Lalith Babu Top in Commonwealth Chess Championship

Grandmasters M R Lalith Babu and Sergei Tiviakov scored final round victories to reached the top of the table with 9.5 points in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Chennai on 01 December 2012. Lalith was crowned the Commonwealth Champion 2012 title.

 Rory McIlroy named PGA “Tour Player of the Year”

On 2 December The PGA( Professional Golfers’ Association of America) Tour has announced Rory McIlroy as  “Tour Player of the Year”  after McIlroy won four times on Tour in 2012. McIlroy, becomes the youngest player to earn Player of the Year honors since Tiger Woods in 1998.

 Anna Ushenina is  World Women’s Chess Champion

Anna Ushenina of Ukraine 02 December 2012 won the women’s World Championship crown, defeating Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria in the first set of tie-break games.

 Air India Won Lal Bahadur Shastri Tournament

Air India defeated Bharat Petroleum 3-1 to emerge champion in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012.

 Jadeja Created History Hitting 3rd Tripleton in FC Cricket

Ravindra Jadeja became first Indian and only eighth batsman in the First-Class (FC) cricket history of world to score three triple-centuries in the unbeaten 320 runs against Railways in the Ranji Trophy Group A match on 2 December 2012 in Rajkot.

 International Olympic Committee Suspended India

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India’s national Olympic committee on 4 December 2012 because of government interference in its election process.

 Australia Won 5th Consecutive Champions Trophy Hockey

On 8 December Australia won fifth Consective Champions Trophy Hockey after defeated Netherlands in Melbourne.The bronze medal was claimed by Pakistan after they beated India on 9 december.

 Indian Wrestlers Won Nine Gold Medals in Copa Brasil Tournament

The Indian wrestling contingent finished with a haul of nine gold and four bronze medals in the recent Copa Brasil-2012 tournament held at Rio in December 2012.

 Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament

On 10 December Norway’s chess ace Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament in London .Carlsen defeated the World Champion Viswanathan Anand in the final round and claim the winner’s trophy.Kramnik is second place , Adams and Hikaru Nakamura share the third place and Viswanathan Anand fifth place.

 India Won  Blind Cricket T20 World Cup

India won the first T20 world cup for the Blind .In the final on 13 December 2012 India defeated the  Pakistan by 29-runs.India did well to clinch the first ever blind cricket T20 World Cup on the home soil.

India Won the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament 2012

India won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Men’s category and second consecutive time in the Women’s category on15 December 2012. Indian men defeated the Pakistan and India Women defeated the Malaysia in the finals held at the Guru Nanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana.

 Jeev Honoured with Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award

Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh (in pic) won the Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement award along with Jack Nicklaus and Colin Montgomerie on 15 December 2012.

 China Claimed All Titles at Junior World TT Championship

On 16 December China claimed the all titles at Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championship after it won girls as well as boys trophies. Girls Singles : Zhu Yuling, Girls Doubles: Gu Yuting and Zhu Yuling, Boys Singles : Fan Zhendong, Boys Doubles :  Gu Ruochen and Lin Gaoyuan, Mixed Doubles : Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang.

 Federer &  Nicola named “ Swiss Athlete’s of the Year 2012

Tennis star Roger Federer was named Swiss male athlete of the year at the 2012 Credit Suisse Sports Awards on 16 December in Zurich.Federer received the honour for the fifth time. The female Athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, the Olympic triathlon champion of Switzerland.

 England Won Test Series

On 17 December The last test match between India and England of the Tournament England Tour to India ended up as a draw and with this India lost the four-test match cricket series against England .With this win England succeeded in ending a 28 year long wait of winning a test series on Indian Soil.

 Syed Rahim Nabi Named “ AIFF  Player of the Year 2012 “

Syed Rahim Nabi has been named the  ‘AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year, 2012′ on 20 December.

 Sachin Retired From One Day Cricket

On 23 December Sachin Tendulkar announced retirement from one day cricket. Sachin scored 18426 runs in 463 one-day matches and also made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries. He became the first cricketer to score a double century in the history of One Day international Cricket against South Africa in February 2010.Tendulkar scored his 100th international century on 16 March 2012 against Bangladesh, where he scored 114 runs.

 Kashyap Won First Grand Prix Title

Kashyap Parupalli defeated Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in a tight three game match to take his first Grand Prix title at the Shaheed Dr.  KL Garg, Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold 2012.

 Apurvi Chandela Won Air Rifle Gold   

On 24 December Apurvi Chandela of Rajasthan won Women’s Air Rifle Gold in the Sahara 56th National Shooting Championship.Former champion and National record holder, Pournima clinched the bronze.

 Djokovic won World Tennis Championship

On 29 December Spanish tennis player Novak Djokovic won World Tennis Championship final after defeated Nicolas Almagro in Abu Dhabi.

Vijay Won Gold in National Shooting Championship

London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar 30 december 2012 clinched the gold medal in the men’s rapid fire pistol event at the 56th National Shooting Championship in New Delhi.

 McGrath inducted into ‘Hall of Fame’

The ICC announced on 30 December 2012 that McGrath, who took more Test wickets (563) than any other fast bowler and holds the record for most wickets in World Cups (71),  will be inducted as the 68th male player in the  International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame.

 ECONOMY

The ADB cut India’s Growth Forecast to 5.4 percent

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) cut India’s growth forecast to 5.4 per cent in 2012-13 fiscal, barely two months after it had made a projection of 5.6 per cent growth for the Asia’s third largest economy. India’s growth forecast is revised from 5.6 per cent to 5.4 per cent in fiscal year 2012 and from 6.7 per cent to 6.5 per cent in FY 2013.

 Rich Gulf Families Own Wealth Worth USD 1.2 Trillion

According to the ‘KFH-Research’ report said one million wealthy families in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries own investment assets worth about USD 1.2 trillion.The report about wealth and funds management said that the world’s population of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) grew by a marginal 0.8 per cent year on year to 11 million in 2011.

 India Economy Would Dominate the Economy of the World by 2030

US intelligence counsel was released report on 10 December 2012 declared that India would straddle international commerce and will also dominate the economy of the whole world by 2030.

 IOC Retains Top in Fortune 500 India List

Government owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is ranked as the largest company in terms of revenue, the Fortune 500 list of Indian companies for 2012 . In this list Indian Oil Corporation got the first place with a full-year revenue of Rs 4,202 billion, Reliance Industries Limited got the second place with a full-year revenue of Rs 3,675 billion and Bharat Petroleum Corporation got the third place with a full -year revenue of Rs 2,148 billion

 India’s Lost $123 bn in Black Money

According to the  report of  ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2001—2010,’ released by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) India lost $123 billion in black money during 2001-2010. However India’s loss is far less than that of China, which according to the report suffered a loss of $ 2.74 trillion during the same period (2001 to 2010). India is the eighth largest victim of black money loses.

 India Lags Several Nations in Per Capita Income

India is lagging behind several countries in per capita income due to different levels of development and various other factors, the central government  was informed on 19 December. India’s per capita GDP on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis was $3,403 in 2010 and is estimated at $3,662.69 in 2011 and $3,851.31 in 2012.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Canadian Scientists Created Artificial Brain

Software engineers as well as neuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed that they have developed a closest model of the functioning human brain, known as Spaun which is advanced enough for passing the basic IQ tests. This is the virtual brain which functions on the supercomputer and comprises of a digital eye, which can be used for visual input. It also has the robotic arm which can be used for drawing the response.

Voyager 1 Drifts Into Unknown Region of Space

NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadn’t known was there, researchers announced on 4 December 2012. Voyager 1, in particular, has entered a new region of the heliosphere that scientists are calling a “magnetic highway,” which allows charged particles from inside the heliosphere to flow outward, and particles from the galaxy outside to come in.

 New Anti-HIV Gel for HIV Transmission

Researchers led by Dereuddre-Bosquet from the European Combined Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Microbicides (CHAARM) Consortium describe the gel’s key ingredient, which are small peptides engineered to present a decoy to bind up the virus and prevent it from entering and infecting the body cells. Because this is a gel it can be topically applied and could represent a powerful preventative agent against sexual transmission of HIV. Bosquet and colleagues engineered peptides named ‘miniCD4s’ because they mimic the CD4 receptor used by HIV to gain entry into immune cells of the body.

 NASA to Send New Rover to Mars in 2020

NASA  was announced plans to send a new robotic explorer to the the Red Planet, Mars in 2020.

7 Planets Discovered In The  Milky Way

New York Scientists have been discovered Seven planets in the Milky Way outside our solar system that could potentially harbour life and researchers from an ambitious project to catalogue all habitable worlds claim.

 Russia Delivered MiG-29 Fighter Jets to India

Russia on 10 December 2012  delivered the first three upgraded MiG-29UPG fighter jets to India under a USD 900 million contract to modernise the ageing fleet of MiG-29 aircraft with the IAF.

Tata Group Developed  new “Artillery Gun”

On 11 December In a step towards developing the indigenous private sector defence industry, the Tata group has created a new Artillery Gun. The 155mm 52 calibre gun developed by the Tata group is likely to have a strike range of 52 kms, which would probably be the longest in the Indian inventory.

 India Successfully Test Fired Agni-I Ballistic Missile

India on 12 December 2012  successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile with a strike range of 700 km from a test range off Odisha coast. Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I, which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg  and destroy the targets at  a distance of 700 km.

 North Korea Launched Unha-3 Rocket

On 12 December North Korea launched a long-range rocket Unha-3 despite international opposition and growing tensions in the region successfully delivering a scientific satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 into orbit.Unha-3 is the second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 which is successfully lifted off from the Sohae Space Center by carrier rocket.The US and its allies view the launch as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology.

 NASA’s Twin Probes Crashed Successfully onto Lunar Mountain

Ebb and Flow, the gravity mapping satellites of NASA ended the successful mission to Moon by crashing on the rim of crater. Lunar surface on which Ebb and Flow crashed will be given a name after Sally Ride, the first woman of America in the space who died earlier in 2012.

 Rocket with 3 Astronauts Takes off for ISS

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts took off atop a towering Russian rocket on 19 December 2012, headed for the International Space Station.It launched from Russia’s manned-space facility in the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan. American Tom Marshburn, Russian Roman Romanenko and Canadian Chris Hadfield are travelled in capsule.

 Prithvi-II Flight- Tested Successfully

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) successfully flight-tested nuclear weapons-capable Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur, off the Odisha coast  on 20 December 2012. The surface-to-surface ballistic missile, was fired from a road mobile launcher and tested for its full range of 350 km.The single-stage, liquid propelled missile can carry a payload of 500 kg.

 Astra Missile Successfully Test-fired

India on December 2012  test launched its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile Astra at the interim test range(ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.Astra which has the capability to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed can be fitted into any fighter aircraft. Considered as one of the best of its kind in the world, the 3.8 metre long missile which weighs about 160 kg can carry explosive loaded conventional warheads up to 15 kg.

 Scientists Discovered Mini Nile River on Saturn’s Moon Titan

Nasa scientists had spotted the longest extraterrestrial river system ever – on Saturn’s moon Titan – and it appears to be a miniature version of Earth’s Nile river.

 Higgs Boson ‘ Tops Journal Science’s 2012 List

The discovery of the Higgs Boson, an invisible particle that explains the mystery of mass, leads a list of the top 10 scientific advances of 2012 released by the US journal Science on 22 December .

 America Launched  Reusable Rockets

US California based SpaceX’s industry successfully launched ‘Grasshopper’ reusable rockets.The  rocket took a giant leap for commercial space flight and when it rose 131 feet and landed safely back on Earth. Grasshopper rocket rose to a height of 131 feet  around ten storeys  and hovered before landing safely on its launch pad using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control.

 Hot Spots For World’s more Powerful Earthquakes Revealed

The locations of where the world’s largest earthquakes are most likely to take place had pinpointed with greater accuracy than ever before, by researchers from the University of Sydney.The coasts of Southern Chile and Peru, Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, and several regions along the eastern Eurasian coastline, are some of the regions prone to great earthquakes.

PERSONS IN NEWS

a) APPOINTMENTS

Visually-challenged Indian-American in key US post

On 1 December Obama administration was  appointed a visually-challenged Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithran as a Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board member.

 Ajit Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra Deputy CM

Ajith Pawar  sworn-in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister on 7 December. After getting the clean chit  from the government  on corruption in irrigation projects.

 Chautala Elected as IOA President

Abhay Singh Chautala was on December 2012 unanimously elected president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) while Lalit Bhanot became the new secretary general.

 Parthasarathy Shome Appointed Adviser to Finance Minister

The government of India  appointed tax expert Parthasarthi Shome as adviser to Finance Minister P Chidambaram with minister of state rank, sending a strong signal that tax reforms may top its economic agenda in the remainder of the UPA government’s second term.

 Malala’s Father Ziauddin Yousufzai Appointed UN Education Adviser

Ziauddin Yousufzai, the father of 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by the Taliban for advocating girls’ right to education, has been appointed as Special UN Adviser on Global Education on 10 December.

 Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser in Home Ministry

The Union government had appointed the former Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force, K. Vijay Kumar, as Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry where he will advise on security and development in the Naxal-affected States.

 Vinod Rai Re-elected as Chair of UN Auditors Panel

 Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India  Vinod Rai was re-elected Chair of the (UN) auditors Panel for the year 2013, while the CAG of the United Kingdom, Amyas Morse, was re-elected the vice-chair of the Panel.

 Naina Lal Kidwai Becomes First Woman President of FICCI

Country Head of HSBC India, Naina Lal Kidwai, took over as President of FICCI on 15 December 2012. She  become  the first woman to head the leading industry body.

 Rita Singh Elected Federation of Indian Associations President

Rita Singh, an Indian American businesswoman from Bihar was elected the first woman president of Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

 Subhash Joshi Appointed As New BSF Chief

Subhash Joshi was appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force (BSF) on 18 December 2012. Chadha, Special Secretary  was appointed as Director General of ITBP(Indo-Tibetan Border Police).

 Obama Nominates John Kerry to be Secretary of State

The senior senator John Kerry was nominated  as America’s Foreign Minister  by President Barack Obama on 21 December 2012.The John Kerry, who is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, now he became the  chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 Smita Singh Appointed as member of Global Development Council

On 22 December The Obama administration has appointed Indian-American Smita Singh as member of the president’s Global Development Council.

Virbhadra Singh Sworn in as Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister

On 25 December Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh was sworn-in as Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister for a record sixth term in Shimla. He was Chief Minister five times between 1983 and 1985; 1985 and 1990; 1993 and 1998 and 2003 and 2007.

 Narendra Modi Sworn in Gujarat CM for 4th time

Narendra Modi sworn in as Gujarat chief minister for the fourth consecutive time on 26 December 2012. He was sworn in along with seven ministers of Cabinet rank and nine ministers of state.

 Cyrus Mistry took charge as Tata Group Chairman

Cyrus Mistry, the new chairman of the Tata Group, took charge of his office on 31 December.Mistry is the sixth chairman of the Tata empire.

 b) RESIGNS

Mali Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra Resigned

On 11 December Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned and dissolved his government after he was arrested by the army in the West African nation.He was acting Prime Minister of Mali from April 2012

 Singapore Parliament Speaker Resigned

Singapore’s parliament speaker Michael Palmer announced his resignation on 12 December 2012  over an extramarital affair with a staff member of the People’s Association, a statutory body leading efforts to reach out to members of the public.

 Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Resigned

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman formally submitted his resignation on 16 December 2012 due to a pending indictment against him for fraud and breach of trust.

 Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Resigned

On 16 December Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned from his post to take responsibility for his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeat in Lower House Election .He was formally appointed by the Emperor on 2 September 2011.

 c) DEATHS

Geophysicist Devendra Lal Died

Devendra Lal, geophysicist and visiting professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) of the university of california,  has died on 1 December   in San Diego.He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1971. Devendra Lal also won NASA Group Achievement Award.

 World’s Oldest Woman and Tallest Woman Both Died

Besse Cooper, the woman listed as the world’s oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia at the  age of 116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallest in the world was also died. Mrs Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January 2011.Chinese woman Yao Defen was listed as the world’s tallest woman by Guinness World Records in 2010.

 Jazz Pianist  & Composer Dave Brubeck  Died

On 5 December Legendary  Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck died in Norwalk. He had also won various awards during his career which spanned over six decades.The Library of Congress designated him as the Living Legend.

 British Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore Died

British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore on 9 December 2012 in Selsey, West Sussex.Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.

 Ex-Bangladesh President Ahmed Died

Former Bangladeshi President and  Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) leader  Iajuddin Ahmed passed away on 10 December 2012. Iajuddin Ahmed  was the 13th president of Bangladeshserving from Sept. 6, 2002 until Feb. 12, 2009.

 Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar Died

Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose mastery over the sitar helped rejuvenate the classical instrumental tradition in India and popularise Indian music in the West through concerts and collaborations with well known artists, died in San Diego, U.S. on 11 December 2012.

 Former Ranji Cricketer Nimbalkar Died

Former Ranji cricketer B B Nimbalkar was passes away on 11 December 2012. BB Nimbalkar, who made an unbeaten 443 runs for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match in 1948-49. Yet  this is the India’s highest scorer in first-class cricket.

 First CM of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami Passed Away

The first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami died at Dehra Dun on 12 December 2012.He worked as a first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after dividing it from Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

 Barcode Co-inventor Woodland Died

Norman Joseph Woodland, who co-created the barcode, was died on 9 December 2012 in New Jersey  at the age of 91. Woodland was the co-inventor of bar code.  He as well as his partner Bernard Silver (who died in 1963) patented this idea of bar code back in 1952.

 Guinness World’s Oldest Person  Dina Manfredini Died

Dina Manfredini (115 Years)  the world’s oldest person and a resident of Iowa, has died on 17 December in Johnston .Guinness World Records identified Manfredini as the world’s oldest person on December 5, a day after the death of 116-year-old Besse Cooper of Georgia.

 Former India Volleyball Captain Tilakam Gopal Died

Tilakam Gopal, former India captain died on 18 December 2012. Mr.Gopal’s achievements was being member of the silver medal winning Indian squad in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games and even led India in the five-Test series against the visiting Russians in 1966 which later on helped him to continue be captain in the Bangkok ASIAD in 1966 where India stood fourth.

 Hockey Legend Leslie Claudius Died

Legendary hockey player and one of India’s greatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away in Kolkata on 20 December 2012. India won the silver medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, when he was the team manager.He got the Padma  Shree award in 1971.

 Former England  Cricket Team Captain Tony Greig Died

Tony Greig, the South Africa-born cricketer who became England cricket team  captain and later continued to make his mark on the game as a revered commentator in Australia, died on 29 December 2012.He played 58 tests for England and scored 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43 and took 141 wickets at 32.20.

 d) VISITORS

Palestinian Hamas leader Meshaal Visited Gaza

The political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal has visited Gaza on 6 December  .He attended a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and a victory celebration .He visited southern Gaza strip through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing over for the first time in 45 years.

 Ukrainian President Yanukovych Visited India

Viktor Yanukovych the President of  Ukrainian visited India from  9th  to 12th  December.  During this visit he signed 5 agreements .He met  Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan and the both nations discussed ways to improve bilateral relations.

 Pak Minister Rehman Malik Visited India

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik visited India from 14th to 16th December .During the visit he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and both nations signed on new visa agreement.

Russian President Putin Visited India

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India on 24 December .During the visit he met  Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and signed a series of pacts on defense cooperation and reached consensus to develop economic and trade relations.Putin last visited India as prime minister in 2010.

 e) MISCELLANEOUS

China Launched First High Speed Train in Extremely Cold Areas

The world’s first high-speed train in areas with extremely low temperature started operation in China 01 December 2012.This train move with a speed of 350 Kmph in the areas of minus 40 degrees temperature. This is the fastest train world in this areas.

 Forbes 2012 Most Powerful Persons List

On 6 December 2012 Forbes Magazine released the most powerful persons list in the world. In that list AICC President Sonia Gandhi got the 12th place and Prime Minister of India Man Mohan Singh got the 20th place. As usually this year also American President Barack Obama got 1st place. German chancellor Angela Merkel got the 2nd place. The list also includes Russian President Vladimir Putin at number three, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (4), Richest Person in India Mukesh Ambani (37).

 Mumbai Among World’s ‘Dirtiest’ Cities

India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, was  named among the world’s ‘dirtiest’ cities, ranking last in the “cleanest streets” category, a global survey of 40 key tourist cities has found. According to TripAdvisor’s Cities Survey, Tokyo grabbed the first place while Mumbai ranked last in the list of “cleanest streets”.

 Jiroemon Kimura named ‘ World’s Oldest Person

On 18 December Jiroemon Kimura (115 years) has been named the world’s oldest person after the death of his predecessor, an American woman named Dina Manfredini who died on 17 December after receiving the title of oldest person of the world.Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19 April 1897 and is just 15 days younger than the deceased Dina Manfredini.

 Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo (USA)

Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe 2012 on 19 December 2012, on the Las Vegas. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.

 Obama is Time’s ‘Person of the Year’

President Barack Obama had been named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2012 on 19 December 2012. Obama also received the honour in 2008.

 8 Indians Among World’s Best Performed CEOs

Eight Indian CEOs have made it to the list of 100 best performing global chief executives, compiled by Harvard Business Review (HBR). Deveshwar was first among the Indian CEOs featured in this list, and cornered the seventh place overall.Former chairman and MD, ONGC Subir Raha (Rank 13).Chairman and CEO, Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani (Rank 28).Chairman and Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, AM Naik (Rank 32).  Former CMD, Bharat Heavy Electricals, AK Puri (Rank 38). Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Rank 65). CEO, Jindal Steel & Power, Naveen Jindal (Rank 87). Former Chairman, SAIL,VS Jain (Rank 89). Former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs (Rank 1). CEO, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos (Rank 2).

 China Launched World’s Longest High-Speed Rail

China launched service on the world’s longest high-speed railway on 26 December 2012 with trains scheduled to run 2,298 kilometres between Beijing and Guangzhou in about eight hours.Travelling at an average speed of about 300 km per hour, the service would cut the journey time from more than 20 hours by conventional trains.

PLACES IN NEWS

Typhoon Bopha Killed Hundreds in Philippines

Bopha, the strongest typhoon hit the  Philippines on 5 December 2012, was left at least 325 died. The typhoon with central winds of 115 kph and gusts of up to 145 kph was moved to west-northwest of the central Philippines on 6 December 2012.

 Powerful Earthquake in  Japan

The powerful earthquake had occurred in Japan on 7 December 2012.The magnitude of this earthquake was recorded as 7.3. This earthquake had occurred in 240 km beyond the Miyagi coast in the Pacific Oceanin a depth of 10m.

ABBREVIATIONS

UNFCCC    - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

WCCB      – Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

TRAI         – Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

SCI            – Shipping Corporation of India

NSC           – National Security Council

OIL            – Oil India Limited

GAAR       – General Anti Avoidance Rules

NCHRH    – National Council for Human Resources in Health

IOA           – Indian Olympic Association

GCC          – Gulf Cooperation Council

NDAA       – National Defence Authorisation Act

INAE         –     Indian National Academy of Engineering

ITSMA      –     Information Technology Services Marketing Association

GTI        – Global Terrorism Index

BOOKS IN NEWS

“The Peak” Book Released on Sachin Tendulkar

On 2 December Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was launched Sachin Tendulkar’s  new book named ‘The Peak’ which is a unique photographed story on Tendulkar by photo-journalist Suman    Chattopadhyay.   The book captures some rare and memorable moments of Tendulkar’s life through Chattopadhyay’s lens and the stories behind them in the master’s own words

 “Pankaj, Bengal’s Forgotten Hero” Book Released

On 3 December Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar and former India captain Sourav Ganguly  released a book on former India opener Late Pankaj Roy named ‘Pankaj, Bengal‘s Forgotten Hero‘ has been written by Bengali sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. Pankaj Roy had played 43 Tests for India in a span of 10 years scoring 2442 runs with five centuries.

 “My Tryst with Justice”  Book Released

On 12 December President Pranab Mukherjee  released a book “My Tryst with Justice” which was written by Former Chief Justice P.N.Bhagwati .The book would be a prized possession for every Indian who wants to make a difference to the world and who aspires for a world more just, he added.

 ’M.S. Subbulakshmi – Queen of Carnatic Music’ Book Launched

The life story of carnatic music legend M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be conferred the Bharat Ratna, is now detailed in a graphic illustrated book launched on December. The story of the nightingale of carnatic music, fondly known as MS. It is being told through Amar Chitra Katha’s new title “M S Subbulakshmi – Queen of Carnatic Music’’

COMMITTEES

Usha Thorat Committee for NBFCs

India’s majority of Non-Banking Finance companies (NBFCs) may be freed from the regulatory clutches provided Reserve Bank of India (RBI) implements one of the recommendations made by Usha Thorat Committee. The committee had submitted its recommendations  to RBI. Currently, those recommendations are under RBI’s consideration.

 Chandrashekhar Committee to Frame Rules for Foreign Investors

On 13 December The market regulator Sebi has appointed a committee under ex-Cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar to frame a single set of guidelines for all types of foreign investors.The committee will suggest ways to simplify the investment process for all overseas entities like foreign institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors (FVCIs), qualified financial, institutional investors (QFIs)

IMPORTANT DAYS & DATES

Feb  4        –       World Cancer Day

Feb  20      –       World Day of Social Justice

Feb  21      –       International Mother Tongue Day

Feb  22      –       World Scout Day

Feb  22      –       World Thinking Day

Feb  23      –       World Peaces and Understanding Day

Feb  24      –       Central Excise Tax Day

Feb  28         –        National Science Day