CURRENT AFFAIRS 2012-13
FOR IBPS SPECIALIST OFFICER’S AND SBI PO EXAM FOR ALL
COMPETITIVE
EXAMS CURRENT AFFAIRS SECTION
Current Affairs Study Material for Month of
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
Content:
1. International
2. India and World
3. National
4. States
5. Conferences
6. Awards and Honours
7. Sports News
8. Economy
9. Science & Technology
10. Persons in news
11. Places In News
12. Abbreviations
13. Books in news
14. Committees
1. Somalia Assembly Passes the Endorses Draft Constitution :Somalia Constitution on 1 august 2012 endorsed a draft constitution billed a key step to ending the decades of the civil war. The Horn of Africa country’s outgoing government hailed the end of an eight-year interim period. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali expressed happy and announced that Somalia has from now, left the transitional period. The special assembly chosen by traditional elders in a U.N.-backed process took eight days to debate and vote on the new Constitution, as the graft-riddled government approaches the end of its mandate on August 20.
2. Myanmar abolished Direct Media Censorship : Myanmar on 20 august 2012 he latest dramatic reform by its quasi-civilian regime, but journalists face other formidable restrictions including a ban on private daily newspapers and a pervasive culture of self censorship. Under the new acts journalists no longer have to submit reports to state censors before publication, ending a practice strictly enforced during nearly half a century of military rule that ended in March last year. Previously, every song, book, cartoon, news report and planned piece of art required approval by teams of censors rooting out political messages and criticisms of one of Asia’s most repressive governments.
3. China to shut hundreds of coal mines this year : The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) said the country(China) aims to close another 625 small coal mines this year in an attempt to reduce the number of deadly accidents, as the death toll in latest coal mine explosion mounted to 43, raising concerns over safety
4. Pakistan Supreme Court annulled New Law Protecting the Prime Minister: Supreme Court of Pakistan on 3 August 2012 annulled the new law called Contempt of Court Act 2012(COCA 2012). Pakistan’s Supreme Court 3 August 2012 struck down a law designed to protect the new prime minister from being charged with contempt and thrown out of office like his predecessor. The court ousted the previous prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, from office in June by charging him with contempt of court for failing to reopen corruption proceedings against President Asif Zardari.
5. OIC suspended Syria: The Organisation Islamic Cooperation(OIC) suspended Syria on 16th August 2012 saying the Muslim world can no longer accept a government that “massacres its people”,further isolating the embattled regime.
6. Senkaku Islands became the Bone of Contention between China and Japan : Ten Japanese on 23 August 2012, made an unauthorized landing on Uotsuri, which is known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu Islands. The uninhabited islands surrounded by rich fishing grounds are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan.The Senkaku Islands dispute engulfs in itself a territorial dispute on a group of uninhabited islands. Of the ten Japanese people who visited the island, five were apparently conservative local assembly members.The Senkaku Islands are located in the East China Sea between Japan, and the Republic of China. The archipelago contains five uninhabited islands.
7. Smita Shah first Indian-American to serve as DNC parliamentarian : Smita Shah a close supporter of US President Barack Obama, is vice-chair of the Chicago Plan Commission, become the first Indian-American to serve as a Democratic National Convention parliamentarian on 5th September 2012.As per the publically available documents, Smita has been an applauded donor to the campaign of the Democratic Party and Obama.
8. US strikes Nepal Maoists from terror blacklist : On 06th September 2012 US has lifted sanctions and removed the Communist party of Nepal(Maoists) Organization of Nepal from the list of designated terrorist organisation,years after the rebels abandoned their named struggle and entered open politics and signed a peace treaty.
9. U.S. designates Haqqani network a terrorist group : The United States said on 7th September 2012 it is designating the Pakistan-based Haqqani network a terrorist organization, triggering sanctions against a group American officials blame for high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, and which they say has ties to the Pakistani state.
10. Army in Egypt reports 32 deaths in Sinai crackdown : Egyptian armed forces have killed 32 “criminal elements” since launching an operation against Islamist militants in Sinai on 8th September 2012.
11. Canada cuts diplomatic ties with Iran : John Baird,Foreign minister Canada said: “[Iran] is among the world’s worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially supports terrorist groups, requiring the government of Canada to formally list Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.Canada cuts diplomatic ties with Iran.So, Canada has closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from Ottawa, partly because of the country’s backing of the Syrian regime.
12.Somalia gets new president:Somalia’s parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new leader for the African nation on 10th September 2012.
13. Japan to buy disputed East China Sea islands : The uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been a source of friction. Japan and China have competing territorial claims to the islets and surrounding fishing areas and potentially rich gas deposits.The Japanese government will buy the islets for 2.05 billion yen ($26.15 million) and the owners will sign a contract soon.
14. Biggest Fire Accident in Karachi 290 Members Die : At least 290 people have been confirmed dead in a fire that broke out in a garment factory in Karachi on 11th September 2012 night.
15. Bill Gates remains the richest in U.S.: Forbes : Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has retained his position as the richest person in America for the 19th year in a row this year, according to Forbes’ annual ranking of the nation’s 400 super rich people who have a combined net worth of $1.7 trillion.Five Indian-Americans, including Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and founder of IT major Syntel, Bharat Desai (ranked 239),Founder and Chairman of the Symphony Technology Group Romesh Wadhwani(ranked 250),Google board member and shareholder Kavitark Ram Shriram (ranked 298),Founder and CEO of the popular energy drink ‘5-hour energy’ Manoj Bhargava(ranked 311).
16. Zardari, Hillary discuss India-Pak trade ties : Improving trade ties between Pakistan and India, terrorism and violent anti-U.S. protests were among a host of issues that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when they met NewYork on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session on 25th September 2012.
17. Buddhist temples attacked in Bangladesh: Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims set fire to at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes in Ramu town and its adjoining villages — some 350 km from Dhaka in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran on 30th September 2012.
18. 32 killed in blasts across Iraq : A wave of bombings and shootings in Iraq on 30th September 2012 killed at least 32 people and wounded 104 .The violence was centred in Baghdad and the surrounding areas of Taji, Madain and Tarmiyah.
19. Worldwide protests against the film “Innocence of Muslims” : The attacks will be continued on 14th September 2012 also in several countries, including Egypt, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia due the release of the film Innocence of Muslims.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has denounced as “hateful” an anti-Islam movie produced in the United States.
20. Russia to mine super hard diamonds: Russia has declassified a huge deposit of unique super hard diamonds that dwarf the global reserves of the precious stone and can meet the worldwide demand for another 3,000 years.The deposit, located in an asteroid crater 120 km in diameter, has been kept under wraps for nearly 40 decades as the Soviet Union mined enough diamonds elsewhere and also produced synthetic diamonds.
21. Imran Khan on anti-drone ‘peace march’ to tribal belt : Imran Khan on 6th October 2012 set off on a motorcade “peace march” to the terrorists-riddled South Waziristan to protest US drone strikes in the tribal belt.
22. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Re-Elected for fourth term : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected for the third term. Mr Chavez defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Mr Chavez garnered 54.42 per cent of the vote while his rival bagged 44 per cent votes.
23. Pakistani youth support Malala Yousufzai : Pakistani teenaged rights campaigner, Malala Yousafzai, who was on 14th October 2012 shot by the Taliban for publicly opposing them against the girl education.She got the support from all over the world.
24. Ali Zidan elected Libya PM : Libya’s 200-member General National Congress has elected a former congressman and human rights lawyer Ali Zidan as the country’s new Prime Minister on 14th October 2012.
25. Austrian skydiver breaks sound barrier : Austrian national Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from a height of 39 km, became the first skydiver to record the highest ever freefall and also the first human to go faster than the speed of sound.
26. Five New Non-Permanent Member Countries Elected to UN Security Council : UN General Assembly elected five new non-permanent members to the Security Council. The New Members are South Korea, Luxembourg, Argentina, Australia and Rwanda.
27. Iran bans export of 50 basic foods to preserve supplies : Iran has banned the export of around 50 basic goods in order to preserve supplies of essential items in the wake of tightening Western sanctions
28. Barack Obama re-elected as President of US : Barack Obama re-elected as President of US with a clear victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney on 7th November 2012.
29. Hindu-American elected to US Congress for the first time : Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu-American elected as the US House of Representative from Hawaii in November 2012 elections.
30. Nepal elected to UN ECOSOC board : Nepal 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 elected board members of ECOSOC 8th November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.
31. Israel fires into Syria : Israel 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 military installation in the Golan Heights.
32. China’s Communist Party selects new leadership : China elects the new President as Xi Jinping and Prime Minister as Li Keqiang on 14 November 2012.
33. Japan to go to polls on 16 December 2012 : Prime 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 coalition government divided over how to solve Japan’s myriad problems. Elections were set for 16 December 2012.
34. U.N. approves Palestinian ‘observer state’ bid : The United Nations General Assembly on 30 November 2012 endorsed an upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority, despite intense opposition from the United States and Israel.The vote was 138 delegates in favor of the measure including India, nine against including America, Brazil and Canada and 41 abstentions including Britain.
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. 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
39. 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.
40. 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.
41. 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.
42. 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.
43. 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.
44. 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.
45. Palestinian Authority to be Named ‘State of Palestine’ : On 7 January Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree changing the name of the Palestinian Authority to the “”State of Palestine,”" according to the organization’s official news agency.
46. Pakistani Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister : On 15 January 2013 Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.This is the first in the history of Pakistan to arrest a Prime Minister. The orders of the Court came following the allegations in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, done during his office of the Water and Power Minister.
47. Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety : On 16 January President Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions on gun control laws, making them stricter,which would come into effect immediately after his signatures. One of these measures include requiring the target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-style assault weapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the background check mandatory.Obama announced that this was his attempt to keep children safe, keeping in view the massacre of Newtown where 20 first grade children along with six adults were killed.
48. 140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits : On 19 January , More than 140 nations have agreed on the first legally binding treaty to curb mercury pollution.Delegates at UN discussed in Geneva approved measures to control the use of the highly toxic metal, which is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limit mercury emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export and import of a range of products containing mercury by 2020.The treaty has been discussed for four years, but it is only now that the negotiators agreed over the final version of the document. The treaty, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, provides controls and reductions across a range of products and processes where mercury is used, released and emitted.
49. Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President : On 25 January A leftist candidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic’s first presidential election decided by direct vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens’ Rights Party, won with 54.8% of the vote.He defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreign minister with the TOP09 party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, who must step down after serving the maximum of two terms.
INDIA & WORLD
1. EC signs MoU with South Korean counterpart : The Election Commission of India on 01 August 2012 signed an MoU with its South Korean counterpart to help each other in strengthening the electoral processes and political culture. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Chief Election Commissioner of India V S Sampath on behalf of the poll panel and by Justice Nung Hwan Kim of the Republic of Korea at a brief ceremony. This is the 13th MoU signed by ECI with other countries and international election panels.
2. India-Israel Sign MoU on research programme : India and Israel on 02 August 2012 entered into a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for launching a programme that would promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical and information technology to social sciences, humanities and arts. The programme, which will run for five years will provide support up to $1,00,000 a research project for three years .The MoU was signed by Chairman of the Israel science Foundation professor Benjamin Geiger and Chairman of University Grants Commission ved Prakash.
3. India, Monaco ink tax information exchange agreement :Tata Communications’ payment solutions providing arm has bagged an exclusive order to install and manage nearly 14,000 ATMs for all public sector banks in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal,Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands by 2013—14.”Government of India and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on 02.August 2012″.
4. 4. India, Iran & Afghanistan to expand trade,transit through Chabahar port: India, Iran and Afghanistan have moved one step closer to expand their trade and economic ties.At a trilateral meeting in Teheran, they agreed to work for expanding trade, investment and transit cooperation through Chabahar port in Iran. A joint working group consisting of the representatives of the three countries will meet within the next three months in Chabahar to expedite the process.
5. 5.India to help Sri Lanka set up SEZs :India will help Sri Lanka establish a special economic zone to manufacture auto components in Trincomaee, commerce minister Anand Sharma said in colombo on 03 August 2012. The SEZ would promote exports to the production chains in India.
6. Indian Scientist , Amitabh Ghosh in NASA team helped choose Curiosity’s landing site : An Indian scientist, Amitabh Ghosh part of the NASA team which had identified the landing site of the ‘Curiosity’ rover on Mars on 6August 2012 described the Spot as “very exciting and holding “great promise”.
7. Pakistan asked India to register Oil Marketing: Companies (OMCs) with Pakistan State Oil In the wake of New Delhi’s decision to allow pakistani investments, Islamabad has asked India to register its oil marketing companies(OMCs) with Pakistani State Oil to take part in spot tenders for supply of petroleum products such as petrol,diesel, furnace oil and petcoke.
8. India Ranked Second in Search Queries for Education on Google :Indian Ranked second in education queries on Google.After the US, Indian people from IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmadabad were the most searched in their respective categories. India was Ranked 8th in 2008, at present it is behind only to the US.
9. TB screening for Indians seeking UK visa :From August 16, Indians planning to travel to UK for more than six months will be screened for tuberculosis before they are given a visa under a pre-entry TB screening programme extended to India. However, the screening will not be required for those travelling for six months or less.The Home Office announced that all such applicants would be required to submit a certificate from a local clinic approved by the British Government to show that they are “TB-free’’. There will be a fee of Rs 1500 for screening, to be borne by the applicant.
10. India gets first Embraer jet with Indian airborne radar tech : India, with taking the delivery of the first Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) in Brazil on 17 August 2012, moved one more step ahead in aerial security.India and Brazil signed a deal reportedly worth $ 210 million for the supply of three aircraft by 2014. This includes a comprehensive logistic package that entails training, technical support, supply of spare parts and ground support equipment.
11. Government extends ban on import of milk, milk products from China :The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the extension of the ban till June 2013 or until further orders.The banned milk products include chocolate, chocolate products, candies, confectionery, food preparations with milk or milk solids as ingredient.
12. Sonia is Sixth in Forbes list of 100 most powerful Women : The Forbes magazine on 22nd August 2012 ranked united progressive Alliance(UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi the sixth most powerful woman in the world in the list of 100women.Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel got the first place. United States Secretary Hillary Clinton got the second place and Michelle Obama got the 7th Place.
13.Ranking by World Bank : As per the World Bank Report, India has been ranked at 132 amongst the sample 183 Countries.Recognising the need for Reforming the Regulatory Environment for doing business in India, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri. M.Damodaran has been constituted on 23 August 2012 by this ministry to extensively examine different areas of root functioning such as financial reforms, governance reforms, liberalized policy framework,process reforms etc, and to suggest a roadmap for improving business climate in India.
14.Pak hails India’s move to allow FDI : Pakistan 01 August 2012 welcomed India’s decision to allow Pakistani Foreign Direct Investment, saying the move will create goodwill and give a boost to efforts to normalise bilateral relations. Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan welcomed the Indian government’s decision to allow Pakistani investments in all areas except defence, space and atomic energy. Pakistan can explore sectors like cement, textiles and sports for investments in India. Besides, the FDI proposals from Pakistan need to be cleared from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
15.America Court Summons to Parkash Singh Badal : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was served summons by a US court last month in a case of alleged custodial torture and extra judicial killings of Sikhs, has sought dismissal of the motion against him or additional time of 90 days to defend the charges.The US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin had issued Summons against Badal on August 8 when he was in Wisconsin on a private visit to attend a marriage ceremony.
16. No mobile connection for more than 3 months to any foreign tourist: Government : To check misuse of SIM cards, the government has asked Telecom Service Providers not to provide mobile connection for more than three months to any foreign tourist visiting
India.According to the fresh guidelines, which have come into effect recently, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has told the service providers that the proof for ssuance of a mobile connection to any foreigner would be the passport having a valid visa.
17. India, Pakistan to ink 3 pacts to boost economic activity :Hoping that the forthcoming visit of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would lead to a liberal visa regime agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on 04th September 2012, said India and Pakistan would soon ink three agreements in the areas of customs co-operation, mutual recognition of standards and redressal of trade issues to give a fillip to economic activity.
18. India, China to resume joint military exercises : India and China announced on 04th September 2012 they would resume joint military exercises after a four-year gap, a move designed to build trust in the often prickly relationship between the world’s two most populous nations.
19.Five Indian firms in Forbes list of world’s most innovative companies : Five Indian companies including Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and Infosys are anked on Forbes magazine’s list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” topped by four US companies.Larsen & Toubro got the ninth rank,Hindustan Unilever got the 12th rank, Infosys got 19th rank,Tata Consultancy Services got 29th rank and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries got 38th rank.Four US companies- Cloud computing king Salesforce.com, drug major Alexion Pharmaceuticals, internet retail giant Amazon.com and open source software leader Red Hat took the top four places.
20. India, Pakistan ink visa agreement : Pakistan and India have announced on 8th September 2012 that they will ease tough visa restrictions, an important step forward in improving relations between the nuclear armed neighbours.
21.ECIL to supply converters to international science centre : Public sector electronic manufacturing firm, Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), has been selected to supply power converters to the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), an international science centre at Darmstadt near Frankfurt in Germany.ECIL signed a bilateral contract for supply of convertors with Bose Institute, designated nodal agency to coordinate between various departments involved in the project.Accordingly, ECIL would be involved in design, development, manufacturing and supply of around 500 ultra stable power converters that cost around 7.5 million Euros (about Rs. 50 crore) of the total
Indian contribution of around 36 million Euros.
22. Onno Ruhl appointed World Bank country director for India : The World Bank has appointed Onno Ruhl as the country director for India. He will replace Roberto Zagha, who retires in October. Ruhl, a Dutch national, was previously the director for operation services and quality in the South Asia region of the World Bank, the multi-lateral funding agency.
23. Saudi Arabia, India hold talks on defence ties : The first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia joint committee on defence cooperation was held on 10th September 2012 at New Delhi and both sides discussed proposals for exchange of high-level visits, training and functional exchanges in various areas.
24. India pledges $10-million for Palestine : The Prime Minister Manmohan 11th September 2012 announced to an assistance of $10 million to Palestine’s budget for this year to help address its financial requirements.Prime Minister made this announcement after signing three bilateral pacts – the areas of information and communication technology, vocational training and education with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is at present in New Delhi for his three-day long state visit.
25. India, Pakistan trade bodies sign Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) : The Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IWCCI)and the unjab, Haryana and Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on 12th September 2012 signed an MoU to promote trade and investment and improve linkages between business communities of the two countries.
26. Highest under-5 deaths in India : In the Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012 published by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), India was placed at the top position in the chart of 10 countries that topped on the chart. The other countries with their names on the chart are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
27. Delhi, Mumbai among least expensive cities around world : A report released Friday by the Swiss bank UBS, covering 72 cities in 58 countries Capital Delhi and financial hub Mumbai are the least expensive cities and Tokyo is the most expensive city for food in the world.
28. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation won work in Jakarta Metro Rail Project : Delhi Metro has bagged the work of Management Consulting Services for building the Phase- I of Jakarta Mass Rapid System in Indonesia.This is the first time that Delhi Metro has got a project outside the country since its inception in 1997.
29.Afghanistan, US, India hold first trilateral meeting : India, Afghanistan and the US held their first trilateral meeting in New York on 25th September 2012.The major point of discussion was on the situation in Afghanistan along with the issue of terrorism.
30. India ranks lower than China in global food security index : India has been ranked 66, much lower than neighbouring China, in the 2012 Global Food Security Index released by the American chemical company DuPont on 26th September 2012.India is ranked 66 , China (ranked 39) , Sri Lanka (ranked 62),Pakistan (ranked 75) and Bangladesh ( ranked 81) in the list of 105 countries.
31. India, Australia signs MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation : India and Austrlia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 1st October 2012 for strengthening long-term relationship and bilateral Cooperation on Road and Rail Infrastructure.The agreement was signed between the Minister of Railways and Road Transport and Highways, Dr. C.P.Joshi and visiting Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology of Austrlia, Mrs. Doris Burse in New Delhi.
32. India, Austrlia tie up to develop ‘smart cities’ : India tie up with Austrlia to develop two “smart cities” in all states with a host of modern features like intelligent transport and carbon neutral status in each of the states in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal mission.Initially half a million to one million population cities will be developed as smart cities with the help of Austrian Institute of Technology who is expertise in this field.
33. India gets $500 mn World Bank fund for secondary education : World Bank, the multilateral lending agency, and the government of India 5th October signed a Loan agreement of worth $ 500 million for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(RMSA) in the country.
34. India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level :India lags behind neighbouring China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in reducing hunger level, says the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI) released by US-based International Food Policy and Research Institute.India is ranked 65th out of 79 countries in GHI, behind China at 2nd place, Pakistan at 57 and Sri Lanka at 37.
35. IOC signs MoU with Korea Gas : Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on 17th October 2012, entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas) for jointly exploring opportunities in exploration of oil and gas and LNG business.
36.Cabinet clears Rs 8,000cr missile purchase for armed forces : Proposals worth over Rs 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 ‘Invar’ missiles from Russia for the Army’s T- 90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF were cleared on 18th October 2012 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
37. India and Australia Sign Four Agreements of Cooperation : India and Australia agreed to expand cooperation in security and Defence including fight against terrorism.They also agreed to begin negotiations for an agreement on Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation which will precede actual cooperation. Both the countries also signed four agreements in the field of space science technology and education, cooperation in student mobility and welfare, skill development and textiles.
38. Iran to complete gas pipeline work by year-end : Iran has said it was for India and Pakistan to sort out issues related to the proposed Indo-Iran gas pipeline, even as it committed itself to complete its part of 800 km of gas pipeline to India till Irani boundaries by the end of this year.
39. India, New Zealand sign five pacts to cooperate in field of education : India and New Zealand signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the different fields of education on 19th October 2012.
40. India, Switzerland to cooperate in Transport sector : India and Switzerland on 19th October 2012 discussed ways and means for enhancing cooperation in the field of Transport sector including roads and Railways.
41. India & Pakistan may introduce a common currency called “Papee” : After taking into consideration the decade long success of Euro, and due to increasing demands of businessmen of India (and terrorists of Pakistan), both countries’ ruling leaders (i.e. India’s UPA, and Pakistan’s Military) are thinking about introducing a common currency for India and Pakistan.The name with the highest votes , is a word derived by adding “pa”from ‘Pa’kistan and “pee” from Indian Ru’pee’ i.e. “Papee”
42. Hyderabad is world’s 3rd best city to visit in 2013 : Hyderabad has been named as one of the best cities in the world to visit in 2013 by travel guide book Lonely Planet published on 22nd October 2012.The top 10 cities according to Lonely Planet to visit in 2013 are San Francisco , Amsterdam , Hyderabad, Derry/ Londonderry, Beijing, Christchurch, Hobart, Montreal, Addis Ababa and Puerto Iguazu.
43. India, Japan focus on expanding defence cooperation : India and Japan on 22nd October 2012 discussed ways to expand their security and defence cooperation at a meeting of their foreign and defence secretaries in Tokyo.
44.‘Super 30’ ties up with Tokyo University : The ‘Super 30’ programme for training students of the backward sections for the IIT-JEE tied up on 24th October 2012 with the University of Tokyo, which will sponsor study of its students in Japan.This agreement is a follow-up of the Japanese Government Program named Global 30, of engagement with Super 30 for increasing the flow of Indian Students to Japan.
45. 7th SAFF begins in Goa: The Seventh South Asia Film Festival (SAFF)-2012 held at Panaji in Goa from.
46. India-US-Japan trilateral meet : The US’ ‘pivot-to-Asia’ policy, Iran, China-Japan maritime dispute and South China Sea will be among the issues to be discussed during the 3rd round of India-US-Japan Trilateral dialogue in New Delhi on 29th October 2012. The meet will also focus on finding areas of cooperation between the three countries.
47. India to give financial assistance to Nepal’s Palpa District :India is to provide an assistance of four crore and thirty-three lakh Nepali rupees for Palpa District in Western Nepal on 31st October 2012.
48.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) lift export ban on some milk products: Amid surplus availability of milk powder in the country, the government is likely to decide on 1st November 2012 on lifting ban on export of milk products, especially whole milk powder, dairy whitener and infant milk foods.
49. US included as dialogue partner of Indian Ocean countries:The US was inducted as a sixth dialogue partner in the 20-nation Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) grouping on 3rd November 2012.The ministers of countries which are members of IOR-ARC decided unanimously to give the US the same status that they had earlier accorded to the United Kingdom, France, Egypt and Japan.
50.Agreement with World Bank for Assam road project:India has signed a 320-million dollar loan agreement with the World Bank for road projects in Assam on 5th November 2012.
51.Canada to allow civil nuclear trade with India : India and Canada signed an agreement on 6th November 2012 in New Delhi for bilateral Cooperation in civil nuclear trade. So, India imports Uranium from canada for civil nuclear reactors.
52. DRDO ties up with York University, Canada : Defence Research and Development Organisation and York University, Canada signed a memorandum of understanding for doing collaborative defence research in the areas of advanced materials, nanotechnology, life sciences, bio-informatics, chemical and biological defence, sensors, and others.
53. Indian-origin CEO of Datawind and MIT professor among Forbes’ top 15 education innovators list :Indian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of India’s low-cost tablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuli and Massachusettes Institute of Technology professor Anant Agarwal named by Forbes magazine among the 15 “classroom revolutionaries” who are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally.
54.Mahatma Gandhi Grandson elected to Kansas State Assembly : Mahatma Gandhi grandson Shanti Gandhi elected to a State Assembly in the United States from Kansas’s 52nd Assembly District as a Republican Party candidate during the general elections held on 6 November 2012.
55. 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.
56. Dr Ami Bera is the third Indian-American elected to the US House of Representatives : An Indian-American physician from California became only the third person of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representatives by defeating Republican Dan Lungren with just 184 votes lead.
57. Japan signs pact to import rare earths from India : India and Japan on 16 November 2012 inked a strategic agreement on ”Tokyo to import rare earth minerals from India”.
58.Maldivian Airlines inks pact with Apollo Hospitals : Maldivian Airlines on 19 November 2012 had signed a pact with the Chennai-headquartered Apollo Hospitals to give discounts to each others’ clients. For example, Apollo Hospitals will give a discount on its service charges for those who fly the airline, and the airline will give similar discounts to the hospital’s patients on the airfare.
59. India adds 22 items in the list of border trade with Myanmar : India had notified 22 additional items including agricultural tools, bicycles, coal and garments in the list of items for border trade with Myanmar.According to a study conducted by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), bilateral trade between India and Myanmar is expected to double by 2015 from $1.3 billion, on the back of free trade agreement between New Delhi and ASEAN region.
60. India votes against UN resolution on death penalty ban : India was among the 39 countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called for abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the “sovereign right” to determine its own legal system.
61. India, China joint economic strategy held at New Delhi : The Second India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 26 November 2012. In this meeting China and India discussed several topics including greater cooperation at the global level, strengthening communication on macroeconomic policies, deepening and expanding trade and investment and promoting bilateral cooperation in the financial and infrastructure sectors. The bilateral trade between these two countries enhanced from $74 billion to $100 billion.
62. India- Maldives joint military training exercises held at Belgaum : The fourth joint military training exercises between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – EKUVERIN 2012 – was held in Belgaum from 12 to 25 November 2012.
63. 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.
64. 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.
65. 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.
66. 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.
67. 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.
68. 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.
69. 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.
70. 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).
71. 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.
72. 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.
73. 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.
74. 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.
75. 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.
76.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.
77. 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.
78. 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.
79. India – Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Unit’s Lists : On 1 January India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units’ lists , as it is customary since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged between India and Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear installations of each others’ nations.
80.Thousands of illegal Indian Migrants in UK : According to a 2012 UK Home Office report, India has been named along with Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Brazil and Iran as the main sources of illegal immigration to Britain.What the report does not mention is how many of the 863,000 illegal migrants that it says are living in the UK are students. This is a contentious area because critics of the coalition government claim it is counting students among overall immigrants.
81.World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report :According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) report , India ranks lowest among the world’s major economies for its preparedness to tackle global environmental risks and second-lowest for economic risks.Switzerland is best placed among the world’s 10 major economies for adapting to or recovering from global economic and environmental risks.While India is ranked 9th in terms of its ability to tackle global economic risks, it comes last at 10th position for environmental risks.However, India fared relatively better at 6th position in terms of the government’s risk management effectiveness.The US and China were ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
82. Indians Top the List of Working in Dream Jobs : According to survey conducted by networking website LinkedIn,Indians have emerged at the top of the list of people working in their dream job.The dream job league table:1. India – 44 percent 2. Indonesia – 42 percent 3. United Arab Emirates – 35.7 percent 4. Germany – 33 percent 5. Brazil – 32 percent 6. Austria – 31 percent 7. Switzerland – 30 percent 8. USA – 29 percent 9. France, Canada, Sweden, South Africa – 28 percent 13. Singapore, Hong Kong – 27 percent 15. Australia – 26 percent 16. New Zealand – 25 percent 17. UK – 21 percent
83. India – Vietnam Signed on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises : On 15 January India and Vietnam signed an MoU aimed at building capacity for developing institutional framework and identifying thrust areas and opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises in this country.The MoU was signed here between the Ministry of Planning and Investments of Vietnam and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of India .
84. India and Sri Lanka signed Anti-terror, Tax evasion Agreements : On 22nd January India and Sri Lanka signed two separate agreements on combating international terrorism and avoidance of double taxation, eyeing elevation of “robust” bilateral ties to building of a special economic partnership.The two key accords were signed after the 8th India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting held at New Delhi , both countries discussed enhanced cooperation in a range of areas including civil nuclear energy.At the meeting, the Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid while the Lankans were led by his counterpart G.L. Peiris.During the meet, both the parties also decided setting up of the Special Economic Zone at Trincomali and a textile and pharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka.
85. International Tea Producers Forum formed : On 22 January India, along with five other tea producing countries, has formed the International Tea Producers Forum (ITPF) at Colombo.Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D Purandesari signed the joint communique on behalf of India along with representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Rwanda and Malawi in Colombo.The ITPF will initially be an independent body but in future may get affiliated to Food & Agriculture Organisation of United Nations.
86. India , Bangladesh Signed Extradition and Visa Agreements : On 28 January Bangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty and struck a deal to relax business visa restrictions between the neighbouring countries. However, refusal provisions were incorporated into the extradition treaty.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the agreement with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir at the end of their bilateral talks.
87. India Dropped to 140th Rank in Press Freedom : According to the report Reporters Without Borders India has dropped nine places to the 140th rank in the list of 179 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.China (173rd, +1) shows no sign of improving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internet censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access information.As last year, the list is topped by three European countries – Finland, Netherlands and Norway.Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continue to be at the bottom of the list as has been in the last three years
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