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Dec 2012INTERNATIONAL

Mahama Re-elected as Ghanas PresidentOn 10 December Ghanas incumbent President John Dramani Mahama of the ruling NationalDemocratic Congress (NDC) has won the countrys presidential election.Mahama took 50.70percent 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, Mahamabecomes the fourth president to be elected under the Forth Republic.He had served as Ghanasvice president since 2009.UN, Pakistan Launched Malala FundPakistan joined forces with the United Nations on 10 December 2012 to launch a fund aimed atboosting girls education throughout the world.The fund is named for Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl. Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari also announced a $10-milliondonation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of MalalaYousafzai for campaigning for girls education.Shinzo Abe Elected As Japans New PMThe former Prime Minister and the Leader of LDP Shinzo Abe elected as a Prime Ministerwith 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 Japanvoted in favour of Abe by 328 votes. Opponent Banri Kaieda, the newly chosen leader of DPJreceived merely 57 votes.Jacob Zuma re-elected as South Africas PresidentSouth Africas ruling African National Congress on 18 December 2012 re-elected PresidentJacob Zuma as the party chief with a thumping majority. Mr.Zuma received the support of over75 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 2005Park elected South Korean PresidentPark Guen-hye, the daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee, beat her opponent on19 December 2012 in the South Korean presidential elections. Park is the countrys first woman

President. She is the former head of the ruling Conservative Saenuri Party, had secured thenecessary votes and defeated Moon Jae-in, of the Democratic United Party.Pak Cleared Anti-terror BillOn 20 December Pakistans National Assembly passed a bill that will give intelligence andsecurity agencies sweeping powers to conduct surveillance and collect data from SMSs andemails.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 MuttahidaQaumi Movement, which is part of the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Peoples Party.U.S. House Passed Defense BillOn 20 December US (United States) House of Representatives passed the DefenceAuthorization Act of 2013. The bill authorizing 633.3 billion dollar in defense spending for2013, easing limits on satellite exports and providing more Marines for embassy security.Napolitano Dissolved Italian ParliamentOn 22 December Italian President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved Parliament following theresignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti. Italian Government under the leadership of MarioMonti brought forward a series of austerity reforms backed by EU and business leaders.Morsi signed on Egypts New ConstitutionOn 25 December Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi signed into law a new Islamist-draftedconstitution. He signed a declaration enforcing the charter late after the official announcement ofthe result of a referendum approving the basic law. Two-thirds of the members of the 270-seatcouncil were elected earlier this year in a vote in which only 12 per cent of registered votersparticipated. The remaining 90 were appointed by Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president.Pakistan Recognised the Republic of KosovoOn 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 the98th country among the 193 U.N-member states to recognise Kosovo .Kosovo is a small southeast European state lies between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.

INDIA & WORLDNitish Kumar, Hazare, Malala Among The Top 100 Global Thinkers ListOn 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, AnnaHazare 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 Kyiis ranked first in list.Bangladesh Agreed on Zero Line Fencing along Tripura BorderOn 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 AgreementIndia signed a bilateral swap arrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan to swap their localcurrencies for an amount of $15 billion for a three year period on 4 December 2012.The BSAwill effect from 5 December 2012.India is Among Top Five Terror-Hit NationsThe 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 byterrorism in 2011. In 2011, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas mostimpacted by terrorism. Indias GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraqstood at number1, Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5.Bangalore Best Indian City To LiveBangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata amongst Indian cities inoverall global quality of living index, according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of LivingSurvey.Bangalores overall quality of living rank went up from 141 in 2011 to 139 in 2012 and ishighest amongst other Indian cities.India Ranked 94th Position in CorruptionDenmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for the first place in watchdog TransparencyInternationals 2012 index of the least corrupt countries. India is on 94th position in theCorruption Perceptions Index. Most corrupted nations are Afghanistan, North Korea andSomalia in 174th positions.US Extends Exemptions For India to Iran Oil SanctionsOn 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 fromIranian Sanctions Act mainly because of their significant reduction in oil import from Iran.The 9countries have again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of theNational 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 thatcountries including India has received waiver from US under the Iranian sanctions act.3 Indian Projects among Strategic- Global Infrastructure Projects ListThree Indian projects have placed in the new yorks Global Infrastructure Leadership ForumTop 100 Strategic Global Infrastructure Projects list. GIFT city (Gujarat InternationalFinancial Tech city), Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project (Maharashtra) and theHyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) project (Andhra Pradesh).India, Ukraine Signed on Five AgreementsIndia and Ukraine on 10 December 2012 signed on five agreements in New Delhi to enhancecooperation including in areas of defence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to removebarriers in trade and commerce.Indians Largest Ethnic Minority Group in UKOn 11 December According to the 2011 Britain population census record Indians are the largestethnic minority group in the UK.With 1.5 percent of the Hindu religion became a third-largestreligion in the nations. The Christian population in the country is also a drop in the statistics..The Muslim community population in the countrys fastest growing increased by 3 percent to4.8.India& Pak Signed on New Visa AgreementThe 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 SushilkumarShinde, Home Minister of India and Mr. A. Rehman Malik, Pakistan Interior Minister singed onthe agreement.Cell Phone Connections to exceed the World Population by 2014The International Telecommunications Communication Union (ITU) to be designed and releasedInformation Society 2012 Observe report on 11 December. According to the report number ofcell phone connections exceeding the worlds population by 2014. Now 6 billion (hundreds ofmillions) cell phone connections they will reach 730 Millions by 2014 .Then the worldspopulation is 700 crore.Already in Russia 1.8 times cell phone accounts more than 25 millionpeople.Indians now Live Longer but in Poor Health in Old AgeAccording 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. Anaverage 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 yearslonger than an Indian.World Malaria Report 2012According to the WHO World Malaria Report 2012 India, the country most affected bymalaria in the South East Asian Region, is projected to see a decrease of 50-75 per cent inmalaria case incidence by 2015.In South East Asia Region, Bhutan, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka andThailand have registered decreases of 75 per cent or more in the incidence of microscopicallyconfirmed malaria incidence rates between 2000 and 2011.Hinduism Third Largest Religion of WorldAccording to the Pew research survey report Hinduism is the third largest religion of theworld after Christianity , Islam and 97 per cent of all Hindus live in the worlds three Hindu-majority countries (India, Mauritius and Nepal), and nearly nine-in-ten Christians (87 per cent)are found in the worlds 157 Christian majority countries.In the total world population 2.2 billionChristians (32 per cent of the worlds population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23 per cent) around theworld as of 2010.India & Russia signed Rs 22,000 crore Defence DealsIndia and Russia signed defence deals worth around Rs. 22,000 crore ($4 billion) on 24December. According to this pact Russia will sell India 71 military helicopters for $1.3 billionand technological kits to assemble 42 Sukhoi jet fighters for $1.6 billion.

NATIONALSexual Assault a Gender-Neutral Offence Bill Passed by Lok SabhaThe Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, replacing the word rape by the phrase sexual assaultand seeking to widen the scope of the offence passed by Lok Sabha on 4 December. Both menand women could soon be able to invoke the provisions of a criminal law in case of sexualassault .The amendment bill expands the definition so that cases of sexual assault where victimswere 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 majorexpansion plan of the strategic Karwar naval base Phase II Alpha of the project Seabird inKarnataka is set to become the countrys biggest Naval base by 2025. The Karwar naval base isIndias 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 youthpeople in India are either unemployed or under-employed. The figures were revealed by Labourand Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha.As per results of the latest surveyconducted by NSSO during 2009-10, the number of unemployed or under-employed persons onusual status basis in the country was 95 lakhs and about six crore respectively.Rajya Sabha Passed SC/ST Quota BillA Constitution 117th amendment bill providing for quota for SCs and STs in government jobpromotions was on December 17 passed by Rajya Sabha.Unlawful Activities Amendment Bill Passed by Rajya SabhaOn 20 December Parliament passed a bill that makes economic offences, including circulationof 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 alreadypassed by Lok Sabha.LokSabha Approved Company Bill 2011On 18 December Lok Sabha passed the Companies Bill 2011 paving the way for a new moderncompany law.The Bill is aimed at improving corporate governance. It contains provisions tostrengthen regulations for corporate as well as auditing firms.Banking Bill passed by Lok SabhaThe 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 Nirbhayas CaseA female physiotherapy intern student Nirbhaya beaten and gang raped in Delhi on 16 Decemberand died on 29 December while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brain andgastrointestinal damage from the assault.The government has formed a committee of enquiryunder justice Usha Mehra to reconstruct the events leading to the incident identify lapses bypolice and other agencies and fix responsibility for the crime.Microsoft Launches 14 Innovation Centres in IndiaMicrosoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd had launched 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) inIndia. It has signed agreements with leading academic institutions across four States.As part ofthe global programme, which currently has 75 MICs, Microsoft aims to launch a 100 suchcentres in India in the next two years.

STATESDelhi Government Launched Delhi Annshri YojnaUPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was launched a major food security programme of DelhiGovernment Delhi Annshri Yojna on 15 December 2012.under which a monthly cash subsidyof Rs. 600 will be transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-mostfemale members of two lakh poor families.BJP Won in Gujarat Assembly ElectionsThe BJP registered its fifth consecutive victory in Gujarat on 20 December 2012.This is the thirdvictory under Modi leadership. BJP won the 115 seats. Congress won the 61 seats. Modi wonby a landslide from Maninagar constituency in Gujarat, beating his nearest Congress party rivalShweta Bhatt by a margin of 86,373 votes.Congress has won Himachal Pradesh ElectionsThe Congress returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years, defeating the BharatiyaJanata Party in the Himachal Pradesh State Assembly elections conduced on 4 November2012.The Congress secured 36 seats and the BJP 26 seats. The Congress Leader Virbhadra Singhwon from Shimla (Rural) constituency and defeated the rival from BJP Ishwar Rohal by 19033Votes.Meghalaya Passed Lokayukta Bill 2012On 14 December the Meghalaya Lokayukta Bill, 2012 was passed in the Meghalaya LegislativeAssembly and replaced the existing Lokayukta Act, 2002 amidst opposition from legislators. Thenew act under the lokayukta bill covered the chief minister, governor and all public servants, butallowed the state government through a clause to exclude the complaints by citing publicinterest.Madhya Pradesh Government Set Up a Senior Citizen CommissionOn 21 December the Madhya Pradesh Government has set up a Senior Citizen Commission tolook into problems of the elderly in the State.Assam Government Announced Special Health SchemeOn 12 December Assam government announced that 50 riverine public health centres would beset up in the state soon under the National Rural Health Mission.The public health centres wouldbe 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 stategovernment jobs will be reserved for candidates belonging to rural areas from 2013.

CONFERENCESUN Climate Change Conference (COP 18)The United Nations Climate Change Conference , which is the 18th session of the Conference ofthe Parties (COP 18) and 8th session of the Conference of the Parties (serving as the Meeting ofthe Parties to the Kyoto Protocol ) ends on 8 December in Qatar, Doha. United Nations climatetalks in Doha had agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Poland will host the nextround 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 -14December held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The conference reviewed the currentInternational Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs).The 193 member states of the ambassadorsare attended this conference.While 89 states have signed the UN InternationalTelecommunications agreement and another 55 countries have refused the deal.The newagreement will come into effect in January 2015.ASEAN India Commemorative Summit held in New DelhiIndia is hosted the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from December 20-21 in NewDelhi to mark the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN India dialogue partnership and the 10thanniversary 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 awaitedFree Trade Agreement (FTA) on comprehensive economic cooperation as foundations for theestablishment of an ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Area.

AWARDS & HONOURSKaty Perry Honored With Billboards Woman of the YearPop Singer Katy Perry was honored with Billboards Woman of the Year 2012 (The Star of theWomen) award in New York.Shah Rukh Khan Conferred With Moroccos Medal of Honour

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had given the prestigious Medal of Honour by the Princeof Morocco (Moulay Rachid) on 3 December 2012 in 12th Marrakech International FilmFestival.DRDO Scientist Gets Top AwardBrajnish Sitara scientist from Research Centre Imarat(RCI), a premier laboratory of DRDOsmissile complex was conferred with INAE(Indian National Academy of Engineering)YoungEngineer Award for 2012 at the academys annual conventionheld at Roorkee on 6 December2012.Rajan and Sajan Mishra Conferred National Tansen SammanOn 14 December 2012 noted vocalist duo of Rajan and Sajan Mishra will be awarded prestigiousNational Tansen Samman for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical musicStephen Hawking Won Yuri Milner AwardA Russian billionaires foundation was awarded two special prizes of $3 million each to Britishcosmologist Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes and to seven scientists at the worldsbiggest atom-smasher for their roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to bethe long-sought Higgs boson. Yuri Milners Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation announcedthe awards on 11 December 2012.Hawking is honored for his discovery of Hawking radiationfrom black holes and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of theearly universe.Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Ravi ShankarSitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar will be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime AchievementAward posthumously.He becomes the first Indian to get the prestigious award. The decision tohonour Ravi Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner, was made before his death.Indian Journalists Association Honoured Sir Charles WheelerOn 16 December Indian Journalists Association has conferred its Lifetime Achievement Awardfor 2012 posthumously to former BBC correspondent Sir Charles Wheeler.Scientist Venkatesh Mannar honoured with Order of Canada AwardA Chennai born scientist of Indian origin, M.G Venkatesh Mannar and President, MicronutrientInitiative, Canada was awarded with Canadas Highest Civilian Award the Order of Canada on December .US, was honoured with the award for his forty years long contribution workingtowards 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 theInternational Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) for a Lifetime AchievementAward. IAEWP is a non-governmental organization affiliated to the United Nations and engagedin the promotion of world peace. Besides the individual award he would also receive the GreenState of the Year Award on behalf of the Arunachal Pradesh Government for maintaininggreenery in the state.Top Honour For 7-year-old South African Indian Rhino CampaignerA seven-year-old Indian-origin girl Afeefah Patel won a prestigious a wildlife conservationaward in South Africa for writing a letter to President Jacob Zuma asking for his assistance insaving endangered rhinos. Afeefah Patel, who has just finished Grade One, became the youngestwinner ever of SANParkss Corporate Contribution to Conservation Award in individualcategory at the 8th annual Kudu Awards.P.Chidambaram received Best Administrator AwardOn 20 December Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram received Best Administrator inIndia award instituted by K. Karunakaran Foundation.The award was presented to him by VicePresident of India, M. Hamid Ansari.The award is being offered in the memory of renownedCongress leader as well as the former Kerala Chief minister K.Karunakaran. First KarunakaranFoundation Award was given to Pranab Mukherjee.Archaeologist C.Govindarajanar Received Presidential AwardPresident Pranab Mukherjee on 21 December 2012 conferred the Presidential Awards forClassical Tamil at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. C. Govindarajanar was conferredTolkappiyar Award for outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies.Top U.S. Innovation Award For Indian-AmericanA 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. Henamed the phenomenon Ablative Photo Decomposition (APD). He got this award for thediscovery of APD.Shihab Ghanem the First Arab to receive Indias Tagore Peace PrizeOn 26 December The Asiatic society will award the Tagore Peace Prize to Emirati poet andtranslator Shihab Ghanem .Shihab Ghanem the first Arab to receive Indias Tagore PeacePrize.The peace prize is named after Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali creative talent and Indiasfirst Nobel laureate.Pratibha Ray Won 2011 Jnanpith Award

Leading Oriya novelist and academician Pratibha Ray, who has over 40 novels, travelogues andshort stories to her credit, was named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on 27December 2012.Astronautical Societys Aryabhatta award for Muthunayagam & SaraswatThe former secretary of the Department of Ocean Development, A.E. Muthunayagam, willreceived 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 awardfor 2011.They have been selected for their achievements in rocketry.

SPORTS & GAMESLalith Babu Top in Commonwealth Chess ChampionshipGrandmasters M R Lalith Babu and Sergei Tiviakov scored final round victories to reached thetop of the table with 9.5 points in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Chennai on 01December 2012. Lalith was crowned the Commonwealth Champion 2012 title.Rory McIlroy named PGA Tour Player of the YearOn 2 December The PGA( Professional Golfers Association of America) Tour has announcedRory 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 in1998.Anna Ushenina is World Womens Chess ChampionAnna Ushenina of Ukraine 02 December 2012 won the womens World Championship crown,defeating Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria in the first set of tie-break games.Air India Won Lal Bahadur Shastri TournamentAir India defeated Bharat Petroleum 3-1 to emerge champion in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastrihockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012.Jadeja Created History Hitting 3rd Tripleton in FC CricketRavindra Jadeja became first Indian and only eighth batsman in the First-Class (FC) crickethistory of world to score three triple-centuries in the unbeaten 320 runs against Railways in theRanji Trophy Group A match on 2 December 2012 in Rajkot.International Olympic Committee Suspended India

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Indias national Olympic committee on4 December 2012 because of government interference in its election process.Australia Won 5th Consecutive Champions Trophy HockeyOn 8 December Australia won fifth Consective Champions Trophy Hockey after defeatedNetherlands in Melbourne.The bronze medal was claimed by Pakistan after they beated India on9 december.Indian Wrestlers Won Nine Gold Medals in Copa Brasil TournamentThe Indian wrestling contingent finished with a haul of nine gold and four bronze medals in therecent Copa Brasil-2012 tournament held at Rio in December 2012.Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic TournamentOn 10 December Norways chess ace Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess ClassicTournament in London .Carlsen defeated the World Champion Viswanathan Anand in the finalround and claim the winners trophy.Kramnik is second place , Adams and Hikaru Nakamurashare the third place and Viswanathan Anand fifth place.India Won Blind Cricket T20 World CupIndia won the first T20 world cup for the Blind .In the final on 13 December 2012 India defeatedthe Pakistan by 29-runs.India did well to clinch the first ever blind cricket T20 World Cup onthe home soil.India Won the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament 2012India won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Menscategory and second consecutive time in the Womens category on15 December 2012. Indianmen defeated the Pakistan and India Women defeated the Malaysia in the finals held at the GuruNanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana.Jeev Honoured with Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement AwardIndian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh (in pic) won the Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement awardalong with Jack Nicklaus and Colin Montgomerie on 15 December 2012.China Claimed All Titles at Junior World TT ChampionshipOn 16 December China claimed the all titles at Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table TennisChampionship after it won girls as well as boys trophies. Girls Singles : Zhu Yuling, GirlsDoubles: Gu Yuting and Zhu Yuling, Boys Singles : Fan Zhendong, Boys Doubles : GuRuochen and Lin Gaoyuan, Mixed Doubles : Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang.

Federer & Nicola named Swiss Athletes of the Year 2012Tennis star Roger Federer was named Swiss male athlete of the year at the 2012 Credit SuisseSports Awards on 16 December in Zurich.Federer received the honour for the fifth time. Thefemale Athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, the Olympic triathlon champion of Switzerland.England Won Test SeriesOn 17 December The last test match between India and England of the Tournament EnglandTour to India ended up as a draw and with this India lost the four-test match cricket series againstEngland .With this win England succeeded in ending a 28 year long wait of winning a test serieson 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 CricketOn 23 December Sachin Tendulkar announced retirement from one day cricket. Sachin scored18426 runs in 463 one-day matches and also made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, includinga double hundred which is the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries. He became thefirst cricketer to score a double century in the history of One Day international Cricket againstSouth Africa in February 2010.Tendulkar scored his 100th international century on 16 March2012 against Bangladesh, where he scored 114 runs.Kashyap Won First Grand Prix TitleKashyap Parupalli defeated Thailands Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in a tight three game matchto take his first Grand Prix title at the Shaheed Dr. KL Garg, Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold2012.Apurvi Chandela Won Air Rifle GoldOn 24 December Apurvi Chandela of Rajasthan won Womens Air Rifle Gold in the Sahara 56thNational Shooting Championship.Former champion and National record holder, Pournimaclinched the bronze.Djokovic won World Tennis ChampionshipOn 29 December Spanish tennis player Novak Djokovic won World Tennis Championship finalafter 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 inthe mens rapid fire pistol event at the 56th National Shooting Championship in New Delhi.McGrath inducted into Hall of FameThe ICC announced on 30 December 2012 that McGrath, who took more Test wickets (563) thanany other fast bowler and holds the record for most wickets in World Cups (71), will beinducted as the 68th male player in the International Cricket Councils Hall of Fame.

ECONOMYThe ADB cut Indias Growth Forecast to 5.4 percentThe Asian Development Bank (ADB) cut Indias growth forecast to 5.4 per cent in 2012-13fiscal, barely two months after it had made a projection of 5.6 per cent growth for the Asiasthird largest economy. Indias growth forecast is revised from 5.6 per cent to 5.4 per cent infiscal 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 TrillionAccording to the KFH-Research report said one million wealthy families in the GulfCooperation Council (GCC) countries own investment assets worth about USD 1.2 trillion.Thereport about wealth and funds management said that the worlds population of high net worthindividuals (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 2030US intelligence counsel was released report on 10 December 2012 declared that India wouldstraddle international commerce and will also dominate the economy of the whole world by2030.IOC Retains Top in Fortune 500 India ListGovernment owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is ranked as the largest company in terms ofrevenue, the Fortune 500 list of Indian companies for 2012 . In this list Indian Oil Corporationgot the first place with a full-year revenue of Rs 4,202 billion, Reliance Industries Limited gotthe second place with a full-year revenue of Rs 3,675 billion and Bharat Petroleum Corporationgot the third place with a full -year revenue of Rs 2,148 billionIndias Lost $123 bn in Black MoneyAccording to the report of Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 20012010,released by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) India lost $123 billion in black money during 2001-2010. However Indias 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 ofblack money loses.India Lags Several Nations in Per Capita IncomeIndia is lagging behind several countries in per capita income due to different levels ofdevelopment and various other factors, the central government was informed on 19 December.Indias per capita GDP on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis was $3,403 in 2010 and isestimated at $3,662.69 in 2011 and $3,851.31 in 2012.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYCanadian Scientists Created Artificial BrainSoftware engineers as well as neuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed thatthey have developed a closest model of the functioning human brain, known as Spaun which isadvanced enough for passing the basic IQ tests. This is the virtual brain which functions on thesupercomputer and comprises of a digital eye, which can be used for visual input. It also has therobotic arm which can be used for drawing the response.Voyager 1 Drifts Into Unknown Region of SpaceNASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft has discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientistshadnt 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 fromthe galaxy outside to come in.New Anti-HIV Gel for HIV TransmissionResearchers led by Dereuddre-Bosquet from the European Combined Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Microbicides (CHAARM) Consortium describe the gels key ingredient, which aresmall peptides engineered to present a decoy to bind up the virus and prevent it from enteringand infecting the body cells. Because this is a gel it can be topically applied and could representa powerful preventative agent against sexual transmission of HIV. Bosquet and colleaguesengineered peptides named miniCD4s because they mimic the CD4 receptor used by HIV togain entry into immune cells of the body.NASA to Send New Rover to Mars in 2020NASA 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 solarsystem that could potentially harbour life and researchers from an ambitious project to catalogueall habitable worlds claim.Russia Delivered MiG-29 Fighter Jets to IndiaRussia on 10 December 2012 delivered the first three upgraded MiG-29UPG fighter jets to Indiaunder a USD 900 million contract to modernise the ageing fleet of MiG-29 aircraft with the IAF.Tata Group Developed new Artillery GunOn 11 December In a step towards developing the indigenous private sector defence industry, theTata group has created a new Artillery Gun. The 155mm 52 calibre gun developed by the Tatagroup is likely to have a strike range of 52 kms, which would probably be the longest in theIndian inventory.India Successfully Test Fired Agni-I Ballistic MissileIndia on 12 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capableAgni-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 1000kg and destroy the targets at a distance of 700 km.North Korea Launched Unha-3 RocketOn 12 December North Korea launched a long-range rocket Unha-3 despite internationalopposition and growing tensions in the region successfully delivering a scientific satelliteKwangmyongsong-3 into orbit.Unha-3 is the second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3which is successfully lifted off from the Sohae Space Center by carrier rocket.The US and itsallies view the launch as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology.NASAs Twin Probes Crashed Successfully onto Lunar MountainEbb and Flow, the gravity mapping satellites of NASA ended the successful mission to Moon bycrashing on the rim of crater. Lunar surface on which Ebb and Flow crashed will be given aname after Sally Ride, the first woman of America in the space who died earlier in 2012.Rocket with 3 Astronauts Takes off for ISSA Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts took off atop a towering Russian rocket on 19December 2012, headed for the International Space Station.It launched from Russias manned-space facility in the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan. American Tom Marshburn, Russian RomanRomanenko and Canadian Chris Hadfield are travelled in capsule.Prithvi-II Flight- Tested Successfully

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) successfully flight-tested nuclear weapons-capablePrithvi-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 of350 km.The single-stage, liquid propelled missile can carry a payload of 500 kg.Astra Missile Successfully Test-firedIndia 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.Astrawhich has the capability to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed can befitted into any fighter aircraft. Considered as one of the best of its kind in the world, the 3.8metre long missile which weighs about 160 kg can carry explosive loaded conventionalwarheads up to 15 kg.Scientists Discovered Mini Nile River on Saturns Moon TitanNasa scientists had spotted the longest extraterrestrial river system ever on Saturns moonTitan and it appears to be a miniature version of Earths Nile river.Higgs Boson Tops Journal Sciences 2012 ListThe discovery of the Higgs Boson, an invisible particle that explains the mystery of mass, leads alist of the top 10 scientific advances of 2012 released by the US journal Science on 22 December.America Launched Reusable RocketsUS California based SpaceXs industry successfully launched Grasshopper reusablerockets.The rocket took a giant leap for commercial space flight and when it rose 131 feet andlanded safely back on Earth. Grasshopper rocket rose to a height of 131 feet around ten storeysand hovered before landing safely on its launch pad using closed loop thrust vector and throttlecontrol.Hot Spots For Worlds more Powerful Earthquakes RevealedThe locations of where the worlds largest earthquakes are most likely to take place hadpinpointed with greater accuracy than ever before, by researchers from the University ofSydney.The coasts of Southern Chile and Peru, Indonesias Sumatra Island, and several regionsalong the eastern Eurasian coastline, are some of the regions prone to great earthquakes.

PERSONS IN NEWSa) APPOINTMENTS

Visually-challenged Indian-American in key US postOn 1 December Obama administration was appointed a visually-challenged Indian-AmericanSachin Dev Pavithran as a Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board member.Ajit Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra Deputy CMAjith Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra deputy chief minister on 7 December. After getting theclean chit from the government on corruption in irrigation projects.Chautala Elected as IOA PresidentAbhay Singh Chautala was on December 2012 unanimously elected president of the IndianOlympic Association (IOA) while Lalit Bhanot became the new secretary general.Parthasarathy Shome Appointed Adviser to Finance MinisterThe government of India appointed tax expert Parthasarthi Shome as adviser to Finance MinisterP Chidambaram with minister of state rank, sending a strong signal that tax reforms may top itseconomic agenda in the remainder of the UPA governments second term.Malalas Father Ziauddin Yousufzai Appointed UN Education AdviserZiauddin Yousufzai, the father of 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who wasshot by the Taliban for advocating girls right to education, has been appointed as Special UNAdviser on Global Education on 10 December.Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser in Home MinistryThe Union government had appointed the former Director-General of the Central Reserve PoliceForce, K. Vijay Kumar, as Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry where he will adviseon security and development in the Naxal-affected States.Vinod Rai Re-elected as Chair of UN Auditors PanelComptroller 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 FICCICountry Head of HSBC India, Naina Lal Kidwai, took over as President of FICCI on 15December 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 womanpresident of Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).Subhash Joshi Appointed As New BSF ChiefSubhash Joshi was appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force (BSF) on 18 December2012. Chadha, Special Secretary was appointed as Director General of ITBP(Indo-TibetanBorder Police).Obama Nominates John Kerry to be Secretary of StateThe senior senator John Kerry was nominated as Americas Foreign Minister by PresidentBarack Obama on 21 December 2012.The John Kerry, who is the senior Senator fromMassachusetts, now he became the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee.Smita Singh Appointed as member of Global Development CouncilOn 22 December The Obama administration has appointed Indian-American Smita Singh asmember of the presidents Global Development Council.Virbhadra Singh Sworn in as Himachal Pradeshs Chief MinisterOn 25 December Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh was sworn-in as Himachal Pradeshschief minister for a record sixth term in Shimla. He was Chief Minister five times between 1983and 1985; 1985 and 1990; 1993 and 1998 and 2003 and 2007.Narendra Modi Sworn in Gujarat CM for 4th timeNarendra Modi sworn in as Gujarat chief minister for the fourth consecutive time on 26December 2012. He was sworn in along with seven ministers of Cabinet rank and nine ministersof state.Cyrus Mistry took charge as Tata Group ChairmanCyrus Mistry, the new chairman of the Tata Group, took charge of his office on 31December.Mistry is the sixth chairman of the Tata empire.

b) RESIGNSMali Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra ResignedOn 11 December Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned and dissolved hisgovernment after he was arrested by the army in the West African nation.He was acting PrimeMinister of Mali from April 2012

Singapore Parliament Speaker ResignedSingapores parliament speaker Michael Palmer announced his resignation on 12 December2012 over an extramarital affair with a staff member of the Peoples Association, a statutorybody leading efforts to reach out to members of the public.Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor ResignedIsraeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman formally submitted his resignation on 16 December2012 due to a pending indictment against him for fraud and breach of trust.Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda ResignedOn 16 December Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned from his post to takeresponsibility for his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeat in Lower House Election .He wasformally appointed by the Emperor on 2 September 2011.

c) DEATHSGeophysicist Devendra Lal DiedDevendra 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 conferredwith Padma Shri in 1971. Devendra Lal also won NASA Group Achievement Award.Worlds Oldest Woman and Tallest Woman Both DiedBesse Cooper, the woman listed as the worlds oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 inGeorgia at the age of 116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallestin the world was also died. Mrs Cooper was declared the worlds oldest person in January2011.Chinese woman Yao Defen was listed as the worlds tallest woman by Guinness WorldRecords in 2010.Jazz Pianist & Composer Dave Brubeck DiedOn 5 December Legendary Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck died in Norwalk. He hadalso won various awards during his career which spanned over six decades.The Library ofCongress designated him as the Living Legend.British Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore DiedBritish astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore on 9 December 2012 in Selsey, WestSussex.Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, makinghim 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 Ahmedpassed away on 10 December 2012. Iajuddin Ahmed was the 13th president ofBangladeshserving from Sept. 6, 2002 until Feb. 12, 2009.Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar DiedBharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose mastery over the sitar helped rejuvenate the classicalinstrumental tradition in India and popularise Indian music in the West through concerts andcollaborations with well known artists, died in San Diego, U.S. on 11 December 2012.Former Ranji Cricketer Nimbalkar DiedFormer 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 in1948-49. Yet this is the Indias highest scorer in first-class cricket.First CM of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami Passed AwayThe first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami died at Dehra Dun on 12 December2012.He worked as a first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after dividing it from Uttar Pradesh in2000.Barcode Co-inventor Woodland DiedNorman Joseph Woodland, who co-created the barcode, was died on 9 December 2012 in NewJersey at the age of 91. Woodland was the co-inventor of bar code. He as well as his partnerBernard Silver (who died in 1963) patented this idea of bar code back in 1952.Guinness Worlds Oldest Person Dina Manfredini DiedDina Manfredini (115 Years) the worlds oldest person and a resident of Iowa, has died on 17December in Johnston .Guinness World Records identified Manfredini as the worlds oldestperson on December 5, a day after the death of 116-year-old Besse Cooper of Georgia.Former India Volleyball Captain Tilakam Gopal DiedTilakam Gopal, former India captain died on 18 December 2012. Mr.Gopals achievements wasbeing member of the silver medal winning Indian squad in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games andeven led India in the five-Test series against the visiting Russians in 1966 which later on helpedhim to continue be captain in the Bangkok ASIAD in 1966 where India stood fourth.Hockey Legend Leslie Claudius DiedLegendary hockey player and one of Indias greatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away inKolkata on 20 December 2012. India won the silver medal in the Asian Games in 1978 inBangkok, when he was the team manager.He got the Padma Shree award in 1971.

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

d) VISITORSPalestinian Hamas leader Meshaal Visited GazaThe political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal has visited Gaza on 6 December .He attended acommemoration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and a victory celebration .Hevisited southern Gaza strip through Egypts Rafah border crossing over for the first time in 45years.Ukrainian President Yanukovych Visited IndiaViktor 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 bothnations discussed ways to improve bilateral relations.Pak Minister Rehman Malik Visited IndiaPakistans Interior Minister Rehman Malik visited India from 14th to 16th December .During thevisit he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and both nations signed on new visa agreement.Russian President Putin Visited IndiaRussian President Vladimir Putin visited India on 24 December .During the visit he metManmohan Singh in New Delhi and signed a series of pacts on defense cooperation and reachedconsensus to develop economic and trade relations.Putin last visited India as prime minister in2010.

e) MISCELLANEOUSChina Launched First High Speed Train in Extremely Cold AreasThe worlds first high-speed train in areas with extremely low temperature started operation inChina 01 December 2012.This train move with a speed of 350 Kmph in the areas of minus 40degrees 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. Inthat list AICC President Sonia Gandhi got the 12th place and Prime Minister of India ManMohan Singh got the 20th place. As usually this year also American President Barack Obama got1st place. German chancellor Angela Merkel got the 2nd place. The list also includes RussianPresident Vladimir Putin at number three, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (4), Richest Person inIndia Mukesh Ambani (37).Mumbai Among Worlds Dirtiest CitiesIndias commercial capital, Mumbai, was named among the worlds dirtiest cities, ranking lastin the cleanest streets category, a global survey of 40 key tourist cities has found. According toTripAdvisors Cities Survey, Tokyo grabbed the first place while Mumbai ranked last in the listof cleanest streets.Jiroemon Kimura named Worlds Oldest PersonOn 18 December Jiroemon Kimura (115 years) has been named the worlds oldest person afterthe death of his predecessor, an American woman named Dina Manfredini who died on 17December after receiving the title of oldest person of the world.Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19April 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 LasVegas. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene SofiaEsser Quintero, placed third.Obama is Times Person of the YearPresident Barack Obama had been named Time magazines Person of the Year for 2012 on 19December 2012. Obama also received the honour in 2008.8 Indians Among Worlds Best Performed CEOsEight 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 CEOsfeatured in this list, and cornered the seventh place overall.Former chairman and MD, ONGCSubir Raha (Rank 13).Chairman and CEO, Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani (Rank28).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 (Rank65). 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 (Rank2).China Launched Worlds Longest High-Speed Rail

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

PLACES IN NEWSTyphoon Bopha Killed Hundreds in PhilippinesBopha, 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 JapanThe powerful earthquake had occurred in Japan on 7 December 2012.The magnitude of thisearthquake was recorded as 7.3. This earthquake had occurred in 240 km beyond the Miyagicoast in the Pacific Oceanin a depth of 10m.

ABBREVIATIONSUNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeWCCB Wildlife Crime Control BureauTRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of IndiaSCI Shipping Corporation of IndiaNSC National Security CouncilOIL Oil India LimitedGAAR General Anti Avoidance RulesNCHRH National Council for Human Resources in HealthIOA Indian Olympic AssociationGCC Gulf Cooperation Council

NDAA National Defence Authorisation ActINAE Indian National Academy of EngineeringITSMA Information Technology Services Marketing AssociationGTI Global Terrorism Index

BOOKS IN NEWSThe Peak Book Released on Sachin TendulkarOn 2 December Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was launched Sachin Tendulkars new booknamed The Peak which is a unique photographed story on Tendulkar by photo-journalistSuman Chattopadhyay. The book captures some rare and memorable moments of Tendulkarslife through Chattopadhyays lens and the stories behind them in the masters own wordsPankaj, Bengals Forgotten Hero Book ReleasedOn 3 December Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar and former India captain Sourav Gangulyreleased a book on former India opener Late Pankaj Roy named Pankaj, Bengals ForgottenHero has been written by Bengali sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. Pankaj Roy hadplayed 43 Tests for India in a span of 10 years scoring 2442 runs with five centuries.My Tryst with Justice Book ReleasedOn 12 December President Pranab Mukherjee released a book My Tryst with Justice whichwas written by Former Chief Justice P.N.Bhagwati .The book would be a prized possession forevery 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 LaunchedThe life story of carnatic music legend M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be conferred theBharat Ratna, is now detailed in a graphic illustrated book launched on December. The story ofthe nightingale of carnatic music, fondly known as MS. It is being told through Amar ChitraKathas new title M S Subbulakshmi Queen of Carnatic Music

COMMITTEESUsha Thorat Committee for NBFCs

Indias majority of Non-Banking Finance companies (NBFCs) may be freed from the regulatoryclutches provided Reserve Bank of India (RBI) implements one of the recommendations madeby Usha Thorat Committee. The committee had submitted its recommendations to RBI.Currently, those recommendations are under RBIs consideration.Chandrashekhar Committee to Frame Rules for Foreign InvestorsOn 13 December The market regulator Sebi has appointed a committee under ex-Cabinetsecretary K M Chandrashekhar to frame a single set of guidelines for all types of foreigninvestors.The committee will suggest ways to simplify the investment process for all overseasentities like foreign institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors (FVCIs), qualifiedfinancial, institutional investors (QFIs)

IMPORTANT DAYS & DATESFeb 4 World Cancer DayFeb 20 World Day of Social JusticeFeb 21 International Mother Tongue DayFeb 22 World Scout DayFeb 22 World Thinking DayFeb 23 World Peaces and Understanding DayFeb 24 Central Excise Tax DayFeb 28 National Science Day

NOV 2012

INTERNATIONALBarack Obama re-elected as President of US

Barack Obama re-elected as President of US with a clear victory over Republican challengerMitt Romney on 7th November 2012.Hindu-American elected to US Congress for the first timeTulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu-American elected as the US House of Representative fromHawaii in November 2012 elections.Nepal elected to UN ECOSOC boardNepal elected a board member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)for a three-year term starting in January 2013. Nepal along with 17 other countries were electedboard members of ECOSOC 8th November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.Israel fires into SyriaIsrael was drawn into the fighting in neighboring Syria for the first time on 11th November 2012,firing warning shots across the border after an errant mortar shell landed near an Israeli militaryinstallation in the Golan Heights.Chinas Communist Party selects new leadershipChina elects the new President as Xi Jinping and Prime Minister as Li Keqiang on 14 November2012.Japan to go to polls on 16 December 2012Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved the Lower House of Parliament on 16 November 2012,paving the way for elections in which his ruling party will likely give way to a weak coalitiongovernment divided over how to solve Japans myriad problems. Elections were set for 16December 2012.U.N. approves Palestinian observer state bidThe United Nations General Assembly on 30 November 2012 endorsed an upgraded U.N. statusfor the Palestinian Authority, despite intense opposition from the United States and Israel.Thevote was 138 delegates in favor of the measure including India, nine against including America,Brazil and Canada and 41 abstentions including Britain.

INDIA & WORLDThe Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) lift export ban on some milkproducts

Amid surplus availability of milk powder in the country, the government is likely to decide on1st November 2012 on lifting ban on export of milk products, especially whole milk powder,dairy whitener and infant milk foods.US included as dialogue partner of Indian Ocean countriesThe US was inducted as a sixth dialogue partner in the 20-nation Indian Ocean Rim-Associationfor Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) grouping on 3rd November 2012.The ministers ofcountries which are members of IOR-ARC decided unanimously to give the US the same statusthat they had earlier accorded to the United Kingdom, France, Egypt and Japan.Agreement with World Bank for Assam road projectIndia has signed a 320-million dollar loan agreement with the World Bank for road projects inAssam on 5th November 2012.Canada to allow civil nuclear trade with IndiaIndia and Canada signed an agreement on 6th November 2012 in New Delhi for bilateralCooperation in civil nuclear trade. So, India imports Uranium from canada for civil nuclearreactors.DRDO ties up with York University, CanadaDefence Research and Development Organisation and York University, Canada signed amemorandum of understanding for doing collaborative defence research in the areas of advancedmaterials, nanotechnology, life sciences, bio-informatics, chemical and biological defence,sensors, and others.Indian-origin CEO of Datawind and MIT professor among Forbes top 15 educationinnovators listIndian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of Indias low-cost tablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuliand Massachusettes Institute of Technology professor Anant Agarwal named by Forbesmagazine among the 15 classroom revolutionaries who are using innovative technologies toreinvent education for students and teachers globally.Mahatma Gandhi Grandson elected to Kansas State AssemblyMahatma Gandhi grandson Shanti Gandhi elected to a State Assembly in the United States fromKansass 52nd Assembly District as a Republican Party candidate during the general electionsheld on 6 November 2012.India and Afghanistan signed four agreements

India and Afghanistan signed four agreements to cooperate in areas of social welfare, fertilizer,coal mining and youth affairs on 12th November 2012.Dr Ami Bera is the third Indian-American elected to the US House of RepresentativesAn Indian-American physician from California became only the third person of Indian-origin tobe elected to the US House of Representatives by defeating Republican Dan Lungren with just184 votes lead.Japan signs pact to import rare earths from IndiaIndia and Japan on 16 November 2012 inked a strategic agreement on Tokyo to import rareearth minerals from India.Maldivian Airlines inks pact with Apollo HospitalsMaldivian Airlines on 19 November 2012 had signed a pact with the Chennai-headquarteredApollo Hospitals to give discounts to each others clients. For example, Apollo Hospitals willgive a discount on its service charges for those who fly the airline, and the airline will givesimilar discounts to the hospitals patients on the airfare.India adds 22 items in the list of border trade with MyanmarIndia had notified 22 additional items including agricultural tools, bicycles, coal and garments inthe list of items for border trade with Myanmar.According to a study conducted byConfederation of Indian Industry (CII), bilateral trade between India and Myanmar is expected todouble by 2015 from $1.3 billion, on the back of free trade agreement between New Delhi andASEAN region.India votes against UN resolution on death penalty banIndia was among the 39 countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolutionwhich called for abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the sovereign right todetermine its own legal system.India, China joint economic strategy held at New DelhiThe Second India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 26 November2012. In this meeting China and India discussed several topics including greater cooperation atthe global level, strengthening communication on macroeconomic policies, deepening andexpanding trade and investment and promoting bilateral cooperation in the financial andinfrastructure sectors. The bilateral trade between these two countries enhanced from $74 billionto $100 billion.India- Maldives joint military training exercises held at Belgaum

The fourth joint military training exercises between the Indian Army and the Maldives NationalDefence Force (MNDF) EKUVERIN 2012 was held in Belgaum from 12 to 25 November2012.

NATIONALPresident Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on late RamgopalMaheshwariPresident Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on late RamgopalMaheshwari on 20 November 2012.Arvind Kejriwal launches Aam Admi PartyArvind Kejriwal announced the name for his newly launched party as Aam Admi Party on 24November 2012 in New Delhi.Bangalore among top polluted megacities in the worldIndias silicone valley Bangalore was rated among top polluted megacities in the world, claims anew study, using data collected by NASAs high-tech satellites.Scientists at Tel Aviv Universitytracked pollution trends for 189 megacities, including Mumbai, New York City and Tokyo, byanalysing eight years worth of data from three of NASAs high-tech aerosol monitoringsatellites.

STATES50% reservation for women in Assam Panchayat ElectionsThe Assam State Election Commission has announced 50 per cent reservation of seats forwomen in the forthcoming panchayat polls as stated by State Election Commissioner Biren Duttaon 9th November 2012Chain of static sensors positioned along the coast of Andhra PradeshUnion Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Kumar inaugurated a chain of static sensorspositioned along the coast of Andhra Pradesh at a programme organised at the Coast Guarddistrict headquarters Visakhapatnam on 23 November 2012.This will improve surveillance alongcoast.Ban on plastic bags comes into force in New Delhi

The ban on manufacture, sale and use of most types of plastic bags in the Capital came into forceon on 23 November 2012.

CONFERENCESSAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference held at IslamabadThe sixth conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians held inIslamabad on 4th November 2012.From India, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and DeputyChairman Rajya Sabha Professor P. J. Kurien are participated the conference.In this conferencethey discussed the role of women parliamentarians for social justice and the strengthening ofdemocracy in South Asia.Countries G20 finance ministers and central bankers summit held in MexicoThe G20 countries finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico on 4thNovember 2012.In this summit the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the Indias economyshould grow by 5.5 percent to 6.0 percent in the year 2012 and return to 7 percent growth in2013.E-9 countries review meeting held in New DelhiE-9 countries review meeting held in New Delhi on 9th and 10th November 2012.The E-9countries are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico .Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summitsPrime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November 2012to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.Bangladesh Opted out of D-8 Summit Scheduled to be Held in PakistanBangladesh opted out of the key summit known as D-8 Summit in Pakistan which is scheduled tobe held later in November, 2012. Bangladesh opted out because Pakistan refused to apologise forthe deeds committed during 1971 war which eventually led to Bangladeshs independence.The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorismThe 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism was held on20 November 2012 in New Delhi.

AWARDS & HONOURSAishwarya Rai was honoured with French Civilian AwardBollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachan was honoured with the second highest French civilianaward Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by French government for her contribution inpromoting Indo-French cooperation in Cinema on 1st November 2012.Tata Literature Live! First Book AwardBanker and New York based author Ruchir Sharma was awarded the Tata Literature Live!First Book Award for his Breakout Nations:In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles at theMumbai Lit-fest on 4 November 2012.Durgabai Deshmukh Awards for Womens Development Presented by President of IndiaPresident of India Pranab Mukherjee on 5 November 2012 presented the Durgabai Deshmukhawards for womens development for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 at Rashtrapati Bhavan inNew Delhi.The eighth Award for 2005 was jointly given to two winners, Mizoram Hmeithai(Widows) Association and Peoples Forum, Bhubaneswar. The ninth Award for the year 2006was awarded to Sumangali Seva Ashram of Bangalore.The tenth Award for the year 2007 wasawarded to the Snehalaya of Ahmednagar.Germany honoured the Baba KalyaniThe chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge, Babasaheb N. Kalyani honoured withCross of Order of Merit by Germany. This is the highest honour awarded to individuals fortheir services to the country in Germany.Madhav Chavan wins education Nobel prizeDr Madhav Chavan has won the WISE Prize, which has been likened to a Nobel prize foreducation.The award, announced on 13 November,2012 at the WISE summit in Qatar,recognises his education work in the slums of Mumbai.Bitter Seeds won 18 international awardsBitter Seeds, a documentary film produced by US-based filmmaker Micha Peled on theagrarian crisis of cotton growers and their plight was being shown in Vidarbha region. Every 30minutes, a farmer in the country kills himself in despair because he no longer provide anythingfor his family. The film has won 18 international awards.Urdu Scholar Gopi Chand Narang Awarded Moortidevi Award for 2010

The Vice President of India Hamid Ansari presented the Moortidevi Award for 2010 to eminentUrdu scholar Gopi Chand Narang for his outstanding work on Urdu Ghazal aur HindustaniZehan wa Tehzeeb at a function organized by Bhartiya Jnanpith.Chinese movie `11 Flowers` wins award at Kolkata Film FestChinese movie 11 Flowers, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai has won theprestigious NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award at the 18th KolkataInternational Film festival (KIFF), which ended on 17 November 2012.Liberian President got the Indira Gandhi peace prize for 2012President of the Republic of Liberia Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf got the Indira Gandhi peaceprize for 2012 for her Excellency, Peace,Disarmament and Development.Malala chosen for bravery awardMalala Yousafzai,who became the face of Pakistans struggle against the Taliban was honouredwith bravery award by the Peace and Prosperity Foundation Chairman Prince Ali Khan, at theCholmondeley Room of the House of Lords on 19 November 2012.Gavaskar conferred with CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement awardFormer India captain Sunil Gavaskar was on 21 November 2012 conferred with BCCIsprestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award.Indian Origin Autar Kaw is U.S. Professor of the YearAutar Kaw, an Indian born professor of mechanical engineering at the University of SouthFlorida was received the award of 2012 US Professor of the Year .Indira Gandhi Peace Prize presented to former Brazilian President LulaLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, wasconferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development at a function atRashtrapati Bhavan on 22 November 2012.Punjabi film Andhey Ghorey Da Daan bags Golden Peacock Award 2012 in 43rd IFFIGoaAndhey Ghorey Da Daan a Punjabi film directed by Gurvinder Singh and produced byNational Film Development Cooperation was bagged the Golden Peacock award of theInternational Film Festival of India, IFFI. The award carries a Golden Peacock with a cash prizeof 20 lakhs prize of20 lakh rupeex.

SPORTS & GAMESKimi Raikkonen won Abu Dhabi GPKimi Raikkonen won an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 4th November 2012.Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna win Paris MastersMahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna clinched the Paris Masters, their second title of the year,after scoring a hard-fought win over Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in Paries on4th November 2012.Czech Republic lifted Fed CupThe Czech Republic got the Fed Cup title after beating Serbia in the final on 4 November 2012.National Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel suspendes 11 athletes for two yearsThe National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (NADDP) suspended all the 11 athletes for twoyears, who were tested positive with methyl hexane amine (MHA) in the run-up of the lastCommonwealth Games.The suspended 11 athletes are :Two athletes, Saurabh Vij and AkashAntil; Six wrestlers, all of them internationals, Arjuna awardee Rajeev Tomar, Joginder Singh,Sumit Sehrawat, Rahul Maan, Gursharanpreet Kaur and Khatri; and three swimmers, AmarMuralidharan, Jyotsana Pansare and RichaPakistan won Second Asian Kabaddi Championship 2012Pakistan won the Second Asian Kabaddi Championship 2012 against India on 6th November2012.Gaganjeet Bhullar, Youngest Indian on Elite Golfers LeagueGaganjeet Bhullar, 24, became the youngest Indian to make it to the elite group of the worldstop-100 players in the latest rankings.Hanoi to host 2019 Asian GamesVietnams capital Hanoi will host the 2019 Asian Games.India bags four medals in 14th Asian Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championshipsIndia won four medals on the opening day of the 14th Asian Youth (boys & girls) weightliftingchampionships at Yangon, Myanmar, on 8th November 2012.Santa won a bronze in snatch witha lift of 95 kg before securing a gold each in clean and jerk and total lift with efforts of 126 kg

and 221 kg respectively. The other medal of the day for the Indians was won by ChandrikaTarafdar in youth girls 44 kg category. She won a silver with a total lift of 132 kg.Rahul bags 3 more golds for India in Asian Youth WeightliftingRagala Venkat Rahul won three gold medals to help India increase their medals tally to seven onthe second day of the 14th Asian Youth (Boys & Girls) Weightlifting Championships at Yangon,Myanmar on 9th November 2012.Competing in the 77kg weight category, Rahul secured theyellow metals in snatch, clean and jerk and overall with a total lift of 280 kgs.International news agencies boycott India-England Test seriesInternational news agencies on 15 November 2012 decided to boycott the high-profile Test seriesbetween India and England which began in Ahmedabad to protest against the restrictionsimposed by the BCCI on some photo agencies covering the tour.Saina Nehwal retains 3rd place in Badminton World Federation womens rankingsLondon Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal retained her third place in the BadmintonWorld Federation (BWF) womens rankings released on 16 November,2012.Priyanka is Asian under-10 championAsian under-10 girls chess champion Nuthaki Priyanka bagged the world youth chesschampionship at Maribor, Slovenia on 18 November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11rounds.McLarens Lewis Hamilton won United States Grand Prix 2012McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2012 United States Grand Prix race atCircuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas. It was the first F1 race in United States since 2007.Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix named IAAF world athletes of the yearUsain Bolt won the IAAF(International Amateur Athletic Federation) World male Athlete of theYear award for the fourth time and United States sprinter Allyson Felix won the womens WorldAthlete of the Year award on 24 November 2012.Sebastian Vettel won third Formula One world titleSebastian Vettel became the youngest triple champion in Formula One history on 25 November2012.He stood sixth position in Brazilian Grand Prix with 8 points.But overall he got F1 worldtitle for this season with 281 points. This is the third time consecutively he got the F1 title.India to hold 3rd World cup Kabaddi in December

Punjab would host 3rd World Kabaddi Cup from 1 to 15 December 2012. 23 countries areparticipating in this world cup.The prize money for this world cup is Rs.4.54crores.

ECONOMYRs 6,000-cr fine on Tata Steel for illegal miningThe Odisha government imposed a fine Rs 6,000 crore on Tata Steel for its alleged involvementin illegal and excess mining at its captive mines.India signs loan agreement with World Bank for USD 70 millionIndia signed a 70-million US Dollar loan agreement with World Bank for financing theKarnataka Health Systems Development as well as Reform Project on 22 November 2012.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYIndian diamond fetches 16.9 million euros at auctionA 76-carat flawless diamond from Indias famous Golconda mines broke world record byfetching a whooping 16.9 million euros (Rs 1,18,16,98,700) at an auction in Geneva on 14November 2012.Scientists Created a Paper-thin material that can stop bulletsA team of mechanical engineering and materials scientists from Rice University and MIT hascreated special nanomaterials that were able to stop bullets in the lab. The type of material, calleda structured polymer composite, can actually self-assemble into alternating glassy and rubberylayers.Solar Systems largest planet discoveredA team of astrophysicists had discovered an enormous gaseous planet that is 13 times moremassive than Jupiter, earning the name Super-Jupiter and is the largest planet in our own solarsystem.India successfully test fires supersonic interceptor missileIndia successfully test-fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capableof destroying a hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off the Odisha coast on 23 November2012.

Drug that can halt cancer spreadScientists was developed a new drug called Aflibercept, for stop the cancer cells frommultiplying.Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missilePakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile called Hatf-V(Ghauri) on 28November 2012 that can hit targets up to 1,300 km (807 miles) away.Astronomers Discovered Giant black hole in tiny galaxyAstronomers claim to have discovered the most massive black hole ever known in a small galaxyabout 250 million light-years from Earth, holding a mass equivalent to 17 billion Suns.Thesuper-massive black hole is located inside the galaxy NGC 1277 in the constellation Perseus.Itmakes up about 14 per cent of its host galaxys mass, compared with the 0.1 per cent a normalblack hole would represent, scientists said, adding that it has a mass equivalent to 17 billionSuns.

PERSONS IN NEWSa) AppointmentsRakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on IMF boardFormer RBI Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on the board of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).VK Malhotra re-elected Archery Association PresidentVijay Kumar Malhotra was on 9th November 2012 re-elected as President of the ArcheryAssociation of India after beating Assam unit vice-president BVP Rao in Archery Associationpresidents elections.Obama appoints Indian-American Rajiv Shah to head USAIDIndian-Americans won one of their highest-ever appointments in the US government whenPresident Obama on 13 November 2012 nominated Dr Rajiv Shah as administrator of the UnitedStates Agency for International Development (USAID).Anil Dev Singh appointed new chief of IOA election panel

Anil Dev Singh, retired Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, appointed as the newChairman of The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 19 November 2012.Scott Flemming named Indias basketball coachThe Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had appointed Scott Flemming, who brings along withhim over 30 years of collegiate and professional experience in the United States, as the headcoach of the mens national team on 19 November 2012.BBC appointed Tony Hall as new director generalRoyal Opera House chief executive Tony Hall had appointed as director general of the BBC on22 November 2012,replacing George Entwistle who resigned earlier this month in a burgeoningscandal over the corporations reporting of sexual abuse.Ranjit Sinha appointed new CBI DirectorSenior IPS officer Ranjit Sinha was appointed the Director of the Central Bureau ofInvestigation for two-year term on 22 November 2012.Barbosa sworn in as first non-white President of Brazils Supreme CourtJoaquim Barbosa was sworn-in as Brazils Supreme Courts first non-White President on 23November 2012 at a packed ceremony in the capital Brazilia . Barbosa, became famous in Brazilafter overseeing one of the countrys biggest corruption trials involving key members of theformer President Lula Da Silvas government.Alok Joshi new RAW chiefThe Haryana cadre IPS officer Alok Joshi was appointed head of Indias external intelligencegathering agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) on 27 November 2012. Alok Joshi willtake charge from S.K. Tripathi on December 30, 2012.Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed new Brazil Football team coachBrazilian Football Confederation have appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new coach for BrazilFootball team on 29 November 2012.Mohan re-elected as vice president of IBSFCapt Mohan, the president of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, was re-elected asthe vice president of the IBSF (International Billiard & Snooker Federation). The election tookplace at the Annual General Body meeting of International Billiards and Snooker Federation, atSofia, Bulgaria on 29 November 2012.

b) Resigns

American CIA Director David Petraeus resignedAmerican Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) Director David Petraeus resigned on 10thNovember 2012 due illegal affair with Broadwell that was proved by the FBI in investigation.BJP suspended Ram Jethmalani from party for indisciplineThe BJP on 25 Novemebr 2012 suspended a Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani from theparty for gross indiscipline. He recently attacked the for for criticizing the appointment of thenew CBI chief.Ricky Ponting retired from international cricketFormer Australia captain Ricky Ponting has announced he will retire from international cricket atthe end of the third Test against South Africa.He is the second highest run scorer in Test historybehind Sachin Tendulkar.Ponting has scored 13,366 runs at an average of 52.21 in his career.Yeddyyurappa quits BJP, AssemblyThe former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa quits the BJP and resigned to theLegislative Assembly on 30 November 2012. He started his political career when he was electedas President of the Shikaripura Taluk erstwhile Jana Sangha in 1972. He won his first Assemblyelection in 1983 as BJP candidate. He became the first BJP chief minister in South India.

c) DeathsYerram Naidu senior TDP leader dies in road accidentK. Yerran Naidu, Telugu Desam Partys senior leader and former union minister for ruraldevelopment died in a car accident in Andhra Pradeshs Srikakulam district on 2nd November2012.Cartoonist,T.Samuel passes awayVeteran cartoonist, T Samuel, a pioneer of pocket cartoons in India, passed away on 2November 2012. He worked for the famous newspapers like Times of India ,Indian Express andNav Bharat Times etc.. He became famous as the creator of pocket cartoon Babuji.BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra passes awayVeteran BJP leader and former governor of Gujarat and Rajasthan Kailashpati Mishra died inPatna on 3rd November 2012.Veteran freedom fighter V P Murthy Raju passes away

Freedom fighter and former Andhra Pradesh minister Ch V P Murthy Raju passed away in WestGodavari district on 12th November 2012.Raju had been MLA for six terms and served as aminister when late P V Narasimha Rao was Chief Minister.Ex-Minister KC Pant passes awayIndias former defence minister and Planning Commission deputy chairman Krishna ChandraPant died on 15 November 2012.Pant was Indias defence minister between 1987 and 1989,when the Congress party was in power under then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray diedShiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray died in Mumbai on 17 November 2012.Ajmal Kasab hanged, buried at Punes Yerwada JailMohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks onMumbai, was hanged at Punes Yerwada Jail on 21 November 2012.Two secret codes are usedthe government with respect to Kasab to maintain secrecy 1. Operation X:-Hanging code namedOperation X. X stood for execution 2. C-7096 :-C-7096, the number by which Kasab wasidentified officially.Nobel winner and organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray passes awayDr. Joseph Murray, the surgeon who carried out the first successful kidney transplant and laterwon a Nobel Prize for his work in medicine and physiology, died on 26 November 2012 inBoston.Indias diplomatic politician and former PM IK Gujral passes awayFormer Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral passed away on 30 November 2012 in Gujral. Bornon 4 December, 1919 in Jhelum.IK Gujral started as the Vice President in NDMC in the 1950sand later became a Union Minister. Later He became the Indias Ambassador to the USSR.Gujral, an intellectual who propounded the Gujral Doctrine of five principles for maintaininggood neighbourly relations, left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late-1980s. In the 1989elections, Gujral was elected from Jalandhar parliamentary constituency in Punjab and hebecame Minister for External Affairs, first under V P Singh (in December 1989) and then underDeve Gowda (in June 1996). Later he became the 12th Prime Minister of India in April 1997 forone year.

d) VisitorsWilliam Hague on four day official visit to IndiaThe Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of United Kingdom, Mr. WilliamHague will be on a four day official visit to India from 7th November 2012.During his visit Mr.

Hague will discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with ExternalAffairs Minister, Mr Salman Khurshid in New Delhi.Canadian Prime Minister visited IndiaPrime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, visited the India from November 3rd to 9th, duringhis visit India and Canada signed several agreements including Civil Nuclear Deal, SocialSecurity Agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in InformationTechnology and electronics and an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation in Defense Scienceand Technology.Hamid Karzai arrived to India on four day visitAfghanistan President Hamid Karzai arrived to India on 9th November 2012 on a four-day visit.Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan SinghMyanmars pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh InNew Delhi on 14 November,2012 during her 6 day visit to India.She then visited Shantivan topay tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru.Later in the day, she will deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture onthe occasion of the former PMs birth anniversary.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summitsPrime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November 2012to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.Barack Obama makes first US presidential visit to BurmaBarack Obama became the first American president visited the Myanmar. He visited theMyanmar on 18 November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East AsiaSummits.

e) MiscellaneousSunita Williams embarks on record 7th space walkIndian-American Sunita Williams along with Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide on 1st November2012 ventured out of the International Space Station, adding to her record-setting space walkingsojourns, to find an ammonia leak in the vital radiator system.China invites Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking UniversityChina invited APJ Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking UniversityIrom Sharmila, the Iron Lady of Manipur completed 12 Years of Fast

Iron Lady from Manipur, Irom Sharmila on 5 November 2012 completed 12 years of her fastdemanding for cancellation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA). Sheblames AFPSA as the main cause for violence in the state of Manipur and other parts ofNortheastern India.Life Ban on Mohammad Azharuddin Lifted by Andhra Pradesh High CourtThe Andhra Pradesh High Court on 8 November 2012 lifted the life ban from playing Cricket onMohammad Azharuddin which was imposed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) inYear 2000.Ramanujans genius Proved by US MathematicianRamanujans genius Proved to the world by Ken Ono of Emory University in Atlanta on theoccasion 125th Birth Anniversary of Ramanujan.Ken Ono of Emory University proved theRamanujans formula of outputs for the roots of 1 like the square root 1.Cancer charity drops Armstrong nameLance Armstrongs cancer charity removed the former cycling champion Lance Armstrongsname from its title. The Lance Armstrong Foundation now officially known as the LivestrongFoundation.Burmas Suu Kyi Named New UN AmbassadorThe United Nations announced Myanmars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as anambassador to its program on HIV/AIDS. Suu Kyi accepted the invitation to head the programduring a meeting with UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidib.

PLACES IN NEWSEarthquake in GuatemalaGuatemalans hit by A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 on 8th November 2012.Mumbais Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah bans entry of womenThe management of Mumbais iconic Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah, which is visited by thousandsof devotees every year, has restricted the entry of women.Strong Earthquake strikes MyanmarA strong earthquake with magnitude of 6.8 hit the Myanmar on 11th November 2012 .

North Island New Zealand volcano Mt Tongariro eruptsNew Zealands Mount Tongariro volcano in the central North Island erupted on 21 November2012.

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWSAITA-All India Tennis Association.IOR-ARC Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional CooperationSAARC-South Asian Association For Regional CooperationUSAID-United States Agency for International DevelopmentIAAFInternational Amateur Athletic Federation.

BOOKS IN NEWSVice President Releases Series of Books GranthavaliThe Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari released a collection of writing and works -Granthavali of late Dr Dineshnandini Dalmia in New Delhi on 2nd November 2012.Saina Nehwal autobiography book released by Gagan NarangAce shuttler Saina Nehwal , Ace shooter Gagan Narang and badminton player Parupalli Kashyapreleased book autobiography of Saina Nehwal Playing to win-My life on and off the court inHyderabad on 7 November 2012.Yuvi book on Yuvraj releasedThe book on Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh named Yuvi was released in third week ofNovember 2012. Yuvi, the book on Yuvraj Singh is published by Harper Sport and written byMakarand Waingankar. The book illustrates the brilliance of cricket shown by Yuvraj Singh inhis career as a cricketer and the way he recovered from Cancer.Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne Releases BookChief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne Releases Book titledVICTORY INDIA A Key to Quality Military Leadership on 20 November 2012.The book is

a collection of well written contributory articles by military experts.The book focuses on theprocess of identification, selection and training of our dynamic youth to mould them intoinspiring effective quality military leaders.Amitav Ghosh, Jeet Thayil shortlisted for literature prizeSix books including River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh, Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil and TheWandering by Pakistan-based author Jamil Ahmad, have been shortlisted for the DSC SouthAsian Literature Prize 2013.The finalist will be announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature FestivalJanuary 2013.

COMMITTEESS IN NEWSPope Benedict XVI appoints six non-European cardinals for Pope selection committeePope Benedict XVI has appointed six priests from non-European countries to be cardinals, at aservice in the Vaticans St Peters Basilica.From India Baselios Cleemis Thottumkal, head of theSyro-Malankara Catholic Church was selected as a one of the Cardinal for the pope selectioncommittee.

DAYS & DATESUN declared November 10th as Malala DayUnited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared November 10 as Malala DayCelebration of Water Conservation Day on 19th November 2012National Integration Day is celebrated on 19th November to mark the birth anniversary of lateMrs Indira Gandhi, the 1st woman Prime Minister of India. On this occasion Union Ministry ofWater Resources has decided to celebrate Water Conservation Day on 19th November 2012 tocr