Parthasarathy Shome Appointed Adviser to Finance Minister

India appointed tax expert Parthasarthi Shome as adviser to Finance Minister P

Chidambaram with minister of state rank, sending a strong signal that tax reforms may

top its economic agenda in the remainder of the UPA government’s second term.

52. Malala’s Father Ziauddin Yousufzai Appointed UN Education Adviser : Ziauddin

Yousufzai, the father of 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by

the Taliban for advocating girls’ right to education, has been appointed as Special UN

Adviser on Global Education on 10 December.

government had appointed the former Director-General of the Central Reserve Police

Force, K. Vijay Kumar, as Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry where he will

advise on security and development in the Naxal-affected States.

54. Vinod Rai Re-elected as Chair of UN Auditors Panel : Comptroller and Auditor

General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai was re-elected Chair of the (UN) auditors Panel for the

year 2013, while the CAG of the United Kingdom, Amyas Morse, was re-elected the vicechair

of the Panel.

55. Naina Lal Kidwai Becomes First Woman President of FICCI : Country Head of HSBC

India, Naina Lal Kidwai, took over as President of FICCI on 15 December 2012. She

become the first woman to head the leading industry body.

56. Rita Singh Elected Federation of Indian Associations President : Rita Singh, an

Indian American businesswoman from Bihar was elected the first woman president of

Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).

57. Subhash Joshi Appointed As New BSF Chief : Subhash Joshi was appointed as the

new chief of Border Security Force (BSF) on 18 December 2012. Chadha, Special Secretary

was appointed as Director General of ITBP(Indo-Tibetan Border Police).

58. Obama Nominates John Kerry to be Secretary of State : The senior senator John

Kerry was nominated as America’s Foreign Minister by President Barack Obama on 21

December 2012.The John Kerry, who is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, now he

became the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

59. Smita Singh Appointed as member of Global Development Council : On 22

December The Obama administration has appointed Indian-American Smita Singh as

member of the president’s Global Development Council.

60. Virbhadra Singh Sworn in as Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister : On 25 December

Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh was sworn-in as Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister

for a record sixth term in Shimla. He was Chief Minister five times between 1983 and

1985; 1985 and 1990; 1993 and 1998 and 2003 and 2007.

61. Narendra Modi Sworn in Gujarat CM for 4th time : Narendra Modi sworn in as

Gujarat chief minister for the fourth consecutive time on 26 December 2012. He was

sworn in along with seven ministers of Cabinet rank and nine ministers of state.

62. Cyrus Mistry took charge as Tata Group Chairman : Cyrus Mistry, the new chairman

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

the Tata empire.

63. Mali Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra Resigned : On 11 December Malian Prime

Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned and dissolved his government after he was

arrested by the army in the West African nation.He was acting Prime Minister of Mali from

April 2012

64. Singapore Parliament Speaker Resigned : Singapore’s parliament speaker Michael

Palmer announced his resignation on 12 December 2012 over an extramarital affair with a

staff member of the People’s Association, a statutory body leading efforts to reach out to

members of the public.

65. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Resigned : Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman

formally submitted his resignation on 16 December 2012 due to a pending indictment

against him for fraud and breach of trust.

66. Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Resigned : On 16 December Japanese Prime

Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned from his post to take responsibility for his Democratic

Party of Japan (DPJ) defeat in Lower House Election .He was formally appointed by the

Emperor on 2 September 2011.

67. Geophysicist Devendra Lal Died : Devendra Lal, geophysicist and visiting professor at

the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) of the university of california, has died on 1

December in San Diego.He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1971. Devendra Lal also

won NASA Group Achievement Award.

68. World’s Oldest Woman and Tallest Woman Both Died : Besse Cooper, the woman

listed as the world’s oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia at the age of

116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallest in the world was

also died. Mrs Cooper was declared the world’s oldest person in January 2011.Chinese

woman Yao Defen was listed as the world’s tallest woman by Guinness World Records in

2010.

69. Jazz Pianist & Composer Dave Brubeck Died : On 5 December Legendary Jazz

during his career which spanned over six decades.The Library of Congress designated him

as the Living Legend.

70. British Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore Died : British astronomer and broadcaster Sir

Patrick Moore on 9 December 2012 in Selsey, West Sussex.Sir Patrick presented the BBC

programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of

the same television show ever.

71. Ex-Bangladesh President Ahmed Died : Former Bangladeshi President and

Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) leader Iajuddin Ahmed passed away on 10 December

2012. Iajuddin Ahmed was the 13th president of Bangladeshserving from Sept. 6, 2002

until Feb. 12, 2009.

72. Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar Died : Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose

mastery over the sitar helped rejuvenate the classical instrumental tradition in India and

popularise Indian music in the West through concerts and collaborations with well known

artists, died in San Diego, U.S. on 11 December 2012.

73. Former Ranji Cricketer Nimbalkar Died : Former Ranji cricketer B B Nimbalkar was

passes away on 11 December 2012. BB Nimbalkar, who made an unbeaten 443 runs for

Maharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match in 1948-49. Yet this is the India’s

highest scorer in first-class cricket.

74. First CM of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami Passed Away : The first Chief Minister of

Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami died at Dehra Dun on 12 December 2012.He worked as a

first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after dividing it from Uttar Pradesh in 2000.

75. Barcode Co-inventor Woodland Died : Norman Joseph Woodland, who co-created the

barcode, was died on 9 December 2012 in New Jersey at the age of 91. Woodland was the

co-inventor of bar code. He as well as his partner Bernard Silver (who died in 1963)

patented this idea of bar code back in 1952.

76. Guinness World’s Oldest Person Dina Manfredini Died : Dina Manfredini (115 Years)

the world’s oldest person and a resident of Iowa, has died on 17 December in Johnston

.Guinness World Records identified Manfredini as the world’s oldest person on December 5,

a day after the death of 116-year-old Besse Cooper of Georgia.

77. Former India Volleyball Captain Tilakam Gopal Died : Tilakam Gopal, former India

captain died on 18 December 2012. Mr.Gopal’s achievements was being member of the

silver medal winning Indian squad in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games and even led India in

the five-Test series against the visiting Russians in 1966 which later on helped him to

continue be captain in the Bangkok ASIAD in 1966 where India stood fourth.

78. Hockey Legend Leslie Claudius Died : Legendary hockey player and one of India’s

greatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away in Kolkata on 20 December 2012. India

won the silver medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, when he was the team

manager.He got the Padma Shree award in 1971.

79. Former England Cricket Team Captain Tony Greig Died : Tony Greig, the South

Africa-born cricketer who became England cricket team captain and later continued to

make his mark on the game as a revered commentator in Australia, died on 29 December

2012.He played 58 tests for England and scored 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43 and

took 141 wickets at 32.20.

80. Palestinian Hamas leader Meshaal Visited Gaza : The political leader of Hamas,

Khaled Meshaal has visited Gaza on 6 December .He attended a commemoration of the

25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and a victory celebration .He visited southern

Gaza strip through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing over for the first time in 45 years.

81. Ukrainian President Yanukovych Visited India : Viktor Yanukovych the President of

Ukrainian visited India from 9th to 12th December. During this visit he signed 5

agreements .He met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan and the both nations discussed ways

to improve bilateral relations.

82. Pak Minister Rehman Malik Visited India : Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik

visited India from 14th to 16th December .During the visit he met Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh and both nations signed on new visa agreement.

83. Russian President Putin Visited India : Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India

on 24 December .During the visit he met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and signed a

series of pacts on defense cooperation and reached consensus to develop economic and

trade relations.Putin last visited India as prime minister in 2010.

84. China Launched First High Speed Train in Extremely Cold Areas : The world’s first

high-speed train in areas with extremely low temperature started operation in China 01

December 2012.This train move with a speed of 350 Kmph in the areas of minus 40

degrees temperature. This is the fastest train world in this areas.

85. Forbes 2012 Most Powerful Persons List : On 6 December 2012 Forbes Magazine

released the most powerful persons list in the world. In that list AICC President Sonia

Gandhi got the 12th place and Prime Minister of India Man Mohan Singh got the 20th

place. As usually this year also American President Barack Obama got 1st place. German

chancellor Angela Merkel got the 2nd place. The list also includes Russian President

Vladimir Putin at number three, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (4), Richest Person in India

Mukesh Ambani (37).

86. Mumbai Among World’s ‘Dirtiest’ Cities : India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, was

named among the world’s ‘dirtiest’ cities, ranking last in the “cleanest streets” category, a

global survey of 40 key tourist cities has found. According to TripAdvisor’s Cities Survey,

Tokyo grabbed the first place while Mumbai ranked last in the list of “cleanest streets”.

87. Jiroemon Kimura named ‘ World’s Oldest Person : On 18 December Jiroemon Kimura

(115 years) has been named the world’s oldest person after the death of his predecessor,

an American woman named Dina Manfredini who died on 17 December after receiving the

title of oldest person of the world.Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19 April 1897 and is just

15 days younger than the deceased Dina Manfredini.

88. Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo (USA) : Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss

Universe 2012 on 19 December 2012, on the Las Vegas. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon,

came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.

89. Obama is Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ : President Barack Obama had been named

Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2012 on 19 December 2012. Obama also

received the honour in 2008.

90. 8 Indians Among World’s Best Performed CEOs

Eight Indian CEOs have made it to the list of 100 best performing global chief executives, compiled

by Harvard Business Review (HBR). Deveshwar was first among the Indian CEOs featured in this

list, and cornered the seventh place overall.Former chairman and MD, ONGC Subir Raha (Rank

13).Chairman and CEO, Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani (Rank 28).Chairman and Managing

Director, Larsen & Toubro, AM Naik (Rank 32). Former CMD, Bharat Heavy Electricals, AK Puri

(Rank 38). Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Rank 65). CEO, Jindal Steel & Power,

Naveen Jindal (Rank 87). Former Chairman, SAIL,VS Jain (Rank 89). Former Apple CEO, Steve

Jobs (Rank 1). CEO, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos (Rank 2).

1. China Launched World’s Longest High-Speed Rail

China launched service on the world’s longest high-speed railway on 26 December 2012 with trains

scheduled to run 2,298 kilometres between Beijing and Guangzhou in about eight hours.Travelling

at an average speed of about 300 km per hour, the service would cut the journey time from more

than 20 hours by conventional trains.

1. Asif Ibrahim appointed as chief Intelligence Bureau : Indian Police Service officer

SA Ibrahim appointed as chief of the Intelligence Bureau on 01 January 2013 and he

becoming the first from the country’s main minority community(Muslim Community) to

hold the post. Ibrahim, an IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has taken over as

from Nehchal Sandhu who retired December 31. He will hold the post for two years.

2. Urjit Patel appointed as RBI deputy governor : On 02 January 2013 Urjit Patel, a

consultant at Boston Consulting Group, had been appointed a deputy governor at the

Reserve Bank of India, succeeding Subir Gokarn who was aiding the governor in shaping

the monetary policy.

governor YV Reddy was appointed chairman of the 14th finance commission to suggest

principles of sharing of revenues between the Centre and the states and insulate pricing of

public utilities like electricity, water and public transport from policy fluctuations.

American physician from California, Ami Bera, and the young Iraq war veteran from

Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, created history after being sworn in as new members of the US

House of Representatives.Bera is only the third Indian American have ever been elected

to the House of Representatives.Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to won the

Congressional election.

Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai has been appointed as the education attache at the

Pakistan consulate in Birmingham, England.The job is believed to be for up to three years.

6. Indian American Srinivasan re-nominated as Federal Judge : On 4 January Srikanth

Srinivasan a brilliant Indian American legal mind has been re-nominated by US President

Barack Obama to serve as Federal Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.In June 2012

he was nominated by Obama to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of

Columbia Circuit.

7. Justice D K Jain appointed new Law Commission chief : The Union Cabinet of India

on 7 January 2013 appointed Justice D K Jain as Chairman of 20th Law Commission of

India. He gives advice to the government on complex legal issues. Justice Jain, 64, will

take over as the chief of the law panel on January 24 after retiring from the Supreme

Court on the same day.

8. John Brennan as a CIA director : U.S. President Barack Obama announced on )7

January 2013 John Brennan wasnominated as director of the American Intelligence

Agency(CIA) and Chuck Hagel as a Defense secretary. John Brennan played a key role in

encounter the Osama Bin Laden.

politician Halimah Yacob elected as the first woman Speaker of Singapore’s Parliament on

08 Janauary 2013.She take charges from 14 January 2013.Halimah, a former labour

lawyer, is a member of Parliament from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).

Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill took charge as the new commandant of the National Defence

Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune.The NDA provides three-year training in defence

and academics to its cadets before they move on to their respective officers’ training

academies for another one-year course and get commissioned into the armed forces.

11. R.K. Dubey Took Charge as Canara Bank’s new CMD : On 11 January R.K. Dubey has

assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank .Mr. Dubey was

previously worked as a Punjab National Bank General Manager in 2008 and was appointed

as Executive Director of Central Bank of India in 2010.

Rajkumar Goyal has took charge as Executive Director (ED) of Central Bank of India

(CBI).He was previously with the bank of India as the General Manager of Human

Resources Department

Obama nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to become the next Treasury secretary and

succeed Timothy Geithner.Last year, Lew was named Obama’s chief of staff, and before

that he had served as the White House budget director.

cabinet .He become the first Gujarati taking his place in the UK cabinet .Popat was

appointed minister for business, innovation & skills and transport.

15. Mohan Pieris assumes duties as 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka : On 15 January

2013 ,Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed his cabinet’s legal advisor as the

country’s new Chief Justice to succeed Shirani Bandaranayake. Rajapaksa sworn in new

Chief Justice Mohan Peiris to replace Sri Lanka’s first woman chief justice who was

impeached by the parliament in a controversial move.Peiris, a British qualified solicitor who

retired in 2011 as the Attorney General was serving as the legal advisor to the Cabinet.

University Grants Commission, had been appointed as its chairman on 18 January

2013.The chairman’s post remained vacant ever since S. Thorat retired in February 2011.

Since then Mr. Prakash had been the acting chairman.

Barack Obama Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the country for a second

four-year term.Obama as the 44th president of the United States and also he is the third

consecutive president to win two terms, after Bush and Clinton. Joe Biden sworn-in for

second term as US vice-president.

18. Suchitra Ella, Founding Chairwoman of CII’s women wing : Suchitra K. Ella, Joint

Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International, had been nominated as the Founding

Chairwoman of the Indian Women Network of CII. The network aims to provide a platform

for working women to come together and discuss issues and opportunities and share best

practices. She is currently the Chairperson of CII Andhra Pradesh State Council for 2012-

13. She had earlier been elected to the CII Andhra Pradesh State Council. She has been

awarded the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge award 2007 by the Chamber

of Commerce of Barcelona, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the FLO GR8

Women Achievers Award 2008 for entrepreneurial excellence.

19. Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda resigned : Political uncertainty deepened in Jharkhand on

08 January 2013, with Chief Minister Arjun Munda submitted his resignation to Governor

Syed Ahmed. On 07 January 2013, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced the

withdrawal of its support to the BJP-led government.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka dismissed the first woman chief justice of

the country, Shirani Bandarnayake after endorsing her impeachment by the Parliament

that caught her guilty on the corruption charges.She appointed as a chief Justice on May

2011.

21. Violin maestro MSG passes away : M.S. Gopalakrishnan — legendary violinist known for

his mastery of both the Carnatic and Hindustani systems of classical music — passed away

on 03 January 2013 in Chennai.In his career spanning 75 years, he not only broke new

ground as an accompanist, but also rose to become one of the best solo violinists in the

country, along with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and T.N. Krishnan. The three are considered the

‘violin trinity’ of south Indian classical music.Despite enviable success and accolades that

came in the form of national honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and

innumerable titles, including the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ title awarded by The Music Academy,

Chennai.

22. Pakistani singer Mehnaz Begum is no more : Renowned Pakistani singer Mehnaz

Begum died on 19 January 2013.Mehnaz specialized in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal,

drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya.Mehnaz was the daughter of popular subcontinental

singer Kajjan Begum.She sang over 2,500 songs for radio‚ television and films

in a variety of genres like ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal and drupad.

23. Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag Visited India : Mauritius President

Rajkeswur Purryag visited India from 3 – 10 January .During the visit Purryag met Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee on 4 January in New Delhi. In Bihar , he

visited his ancestral village , Bojeetpore near Patna.President Purryag also the chief guest

of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas .He attended the 3 days event 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

held in Kochi (Kerala).

Vietnam from 14 to 17 January.During the visit Ansari met Vietnam’s Deputy Prime

Minister Vu Van Ninh and discussed the both countries bilateral issues , signed several

agreements .Ansari attended the closing ceremony of the celebrations to mark the 40th

anniversary of the India-Vietnam diplomatic ties.