69. World’s First Global Renewable Energy Atlas Launched : On 13 January Abu Dhabibased
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the world’s first clean
energy atlas at IRENA’S General Assembly , currently offers open-access information on
solar and wind power throughout the world and the creators plan to expand to other
renewable energy resources over the next two years.The atlas includes information on
clean energy resources in 37 countries, including those which have no diplomatic relations
with the United Arab Emirates.The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is
working in partnership with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
(REN21) to build a qualitative and quantitative data framework for renewable energy in
developing countries.
70. Ancient River Found on Mars : On 17 January The European Space Agency scientists
have revealed a 1500 km long and 7 kilometre wide river that once ran across Mars.The
images which were captured by the ESA’s Mars Express showed Reull Vallis, the river-like
structure, which is believed to have formed when water ran from the surface of Mars in
distant past. The structure which surprised the astronomers stretches for around 900 miles
or 1500 km across the Martian surface and also shows various tributaries. These
structures, it is believed, were formed somewhere around 3.5 billion years ago.
71. India Increased Rafale Fighter Jets’ Order : India could buy up to 189 of the Rafale
fighter jets currently being used by France to bomb Islamist militants in Mali, sources close
to negotiations on the multi-billion dollar deal .The possibility of an additional 63 jets being
added to an expected order for 126 was raised by India .The Indian press has estimated
the value of the deal for 126 Rafales at $12 billion (nine billion euros).A 50 per cent
increase in the number of planes ordered would take it to around $18 billion, in a huge
boost for the French defence industry.
72. ‘Japan to replace Fukushima plant with world’s largest wind farm’ : In the wake of
the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had decided to build the world’s largest
offshore wind farm to replace the crippled nuke plant.The country plans to build a total of
143 wind turbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima by 2020, which is
home to the stricken Daiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when it
was damaged by a severe earthquake and tsunami.The wind farm will generate 1 gigawatt
of power once completed, and is part of a national plan to increase renewable energy
resources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the country’s 54 nuclear reactors.The
wind farm will surpass the 504 megawatts generated by the 140 turbines at the Greater
Gabbard farm off the coast of Suffolk, UK – currently the world’s largest farm.
73. India, US finalise Rs 3,000 crore deal for jet engines : India and the US have
finalised a Rs 3000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in the indigenous
Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ being developed by the DRDO.Around two years ago, India
had selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000
for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15.The deal worth Rs
3,000 crore has been finalised with the US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA Tejas
MkII.As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have the
option of ordering another 100 engines in the future.
74. INS Saryu Inducted into Indian Navy : On 21 January Air Marshal PK Roy,
Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command, commissioned INS Saryu into the
Indian Navy at Goa .INS Saryu is the lead ship of the indigenous Naval Offshore Patrol
Vessel (NOPV) Project designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship aptly
demonstrates the immense potential of the country’s indigenous designing and ship
building capabilities.Capable of carrying a helicopter (ALH) onboard, the ship’s weapon and
sensor outfit includes a SRGM 76.2 mm gun with an electro-optic fire control system, two
30mm guns as close in weapon systems, latest navigational and early warning radars,
chaff launchers for self protection and an integrated ESM system to undertake all assigned
missions.
75. MIT researchers Created Moisture – Powered Polymer : MIT ( Massachusetts
Institute of Technology ) researchers have created a new polymer film that can generate
electricity by drawing on a ubiquitous source: water vapor.The new material changes its
shape after absorbing tiny amounts of evaporated water, allowing it to repeatedly curl up
and down. Harnessing this continuous motion could drive robotic limbs or generate enough
electricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices, such as environmental sensors.
76. India Sucessfully Test Fired K-5 Ballistic Missile : On 27 January India successfully
test fired medium range K-5 ballistic missile ,with a strike range of around 1500
kilometres, from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal.K-5 is part of the family of
underwater missiles being developed by Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) for the Indian strategic forces’ underwater platforms.
77. Iran ‘successfully sent monkey into space’ : Iran on 28 January 2013 announced that
it had successfully send a monkey to the space.It also declared that the monkey come
back to the Earth successfully.The rocket called Pishgam (meaning Pioneer) reached at a
height of 120 km (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight before “returning its shipment intact”.
The first country to launch the primate into space was US
PERSONS IN NEWS
1. Sushil Kumar Shinde as the new Leader in house of Lok Sabha : Sushile Kumar
Shinde has been appointed as the new Leader in the House of Lok Sabha taking the place
of Pranab Mukherjee who has now become the President on 3 August 2012.
2. Hyderabadi Advocate becomes a Vice-Chairman of ABA : Hyderabad based lawyer
Mr.JLN Murthy has been appointed to the Vice-Chairman of the AmericanBar Association
Section of International Law, Europe Committee, for the year 2012-13.The main aim of
this association is to focus on several international legal issues.
3. Nasim Ahmad Zaidi is new election commissioner : Former civil aviation secretary
Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi was 7 August 2012, appointed an election commissioner by
President Pranab Mukherjee.The former EC V.S. Sampath took charge as CEC(Chief
Election Commissioner.
4. Dimple Yadav and M. Raja Mohan Reddy takes oath as Lok Sabha member :
Dimple Yadav, the wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, 8 August 2012 took
oath as a Lok Sabha member from Kannauj. She had won the by-election, caused by her
husband’s resignation, unopposed in June.Along with Yadav,
M. Raja Mohan Reddy, the newly-elected MP from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, also took
5. .Raghuram Rajan is chief economic advisor : The government has issued formal
orders to appoint Raghuram Rajan, former International Monetary Fund chief economist,
as the chief economic advisor in the finance ministry. The economist, who is currently a
professor at Chicago University’s Booth School of Business, is not expected to take charge
for the next few weeks due to academic commitments. Rajan will take over at a time when
the government is trying to combat a hostile economic climate.
6. Cabinet nod for Customs’ first-ever woman chief : The Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet has given its nod for Praveen Mahajan to be a full-fledged Chairperson of the
Central Board of Excise and Customs(CBEC). She is the first lady ever to head the highest
policy-making body on indirect
taxes.Prior to this elevation, she was Member (Personnel and Vigilance) in the CBEC from
August 2011.
7. Ansari takes oath for second term : Hamid Ansari became the second Vice-President of
India to take oath of office for second consecutive terms in New Delhi on 11 August 2012
Ansari, a former diplomat, followed Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who served two successive
terms as Vice-President.
8. Indian origin Sanjay Reddy, appointed as the director of new York University’s
Centre
: New York’s leading University, the new school, has named an Indian-origin academician
as director of its center of trans-regional study, which is focused on research on the
relations between India, china and U.S. He associate ‘Professor of Economics,has been
named academic director of the new school’s India, China Institute(ICI) along with Mark
Frazier, Professor of Politics on 16 August 2012.
9. New Envoy to Syria is Lakhdar Brahimi : The United Nations on 17 August, 2012
confirmed that Veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will replace the former UN
Secretary general Kofi Annan as the International mediator on Syria as the 17 month old
conflict slides deeper into civil war. Brahimi, who served as Algeria’s foreign minister from
1991 to 1993 and joined UN in 1994 and
served various high profile positions until he retired in 2005.
10. P.J. Kurien is Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman : P.J. Kurien is unanimously elected as
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha on 21 August 2012.
11. Poonam Kishore Saxena appointed as Chairman of CBDT : The government
appointed Dr.Poonam Kishore Saxena,a 1975 batch IRS officer as the Chairman of Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 22nd August 2012.
12. P. M. Nair Appointed as Director General,NDRF & CD : Shri P. M. Nair, IPS has been
appointed as Director General, National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence (NDRF &
CD), Ministry of Home Affairs.Shri Nair is presently working as Special Director General,
Central Reserve Police Force.
13. Admiral D K Joshi takes charge as new Navy chief : Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi
took over as the new Indian Navy chief on 31st August 2012.Admiral Joshi is the 21st
Chief of Naval Staff of independent India and the 19th Indian to command the Indian
Navy.
14. New President Of Libya is Mohammad Magarief : National Assembly of Libya elected
their former Opposition leader Mohammed Magarief as its New President. Mr.Magarief seen
as a Moderate Islamist, will head the 200-member congress. The 72-year-old Magarief
who is the head of National
front party. An economist and former Libyan ambassador to India who had lived in exile
since the 1980s, Magarief was a leading figure in Libya’s oldest movement opposition
movement. Magarief won 113 votes versus independent Alli zindan who secured 85 votes.
15. New Jammu Varsity Chancellor is Vohra : Jammu & Kashmir governor N.N.Vohra has
been appointed the first chancellor of the Central University of Jammu. Pranab Mukharjee
on his visit to that University appointed Mr. Vohra the chancellor if the University for a
period of five years.
16. Gopal Goyal Kand Home Minster of Haryana Quits : Haryana Minster of state for
home, Goyal Kanda resigned on 5 August 2012 night after a 23-year – old farmer air
hosters named him in a suicide note before hanging herself.
17. Kofi A.Annan Resigns as Syria Peace Envoy : FreeJobAlert.com Current Affairs 20 Kofi
A.Annan resigned as the UN Peace envoy to Syria on 2 August 2012 by complaining the
international community had not done enough to support his bid to persuade Bashar al-
Assad to
accept a peace plan. His term as UN peace interlocutor was set to expire on 31 August
2012. Annan was appointed the UN-Arab League Peace envoy to Syria in February 2012.
18. Indo American Fareed Zakaria resigned from Yale Government Board : After a long
association with Yale University the noted Indo American Writer and and journalist Fareed
Zakaria has resigned from its governing body to focus on journalistic career.Zakaria, who
received his bachelor’s degree from the university, was associated with the Yale
Corporation for past six years. The decision of Zakaria to shed some of his
non-journalistic responsibilities has come close on the heels of accusations of plagiarism
against him.
19. Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi Quit as Iraq communication Minister : Iraqi
Communications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi quit his post in 27 Aug accusing Prime
Minister Nuri – Maliki of “Political Interference” in his ministry. Allawi’s resignation is the
first by a cabinet member since Iraq’s national unity government was formed in December
2010.
20. Contrarian Author Gore Vidal Dies : “Writer Gore Vidal, who filler his novels and essays
with acerbic observation on politics,sex and American culture. While carrying on feuds with
bigname literary rivals,died on 1 August 2012 at home in Los angels of complications from
pneumonia,age 86. His historical novels was ‘Burr’, ’18762 .’Lincoln’,’The Golden Age’.
21. Vilasrao Deshmukh passes away : The Union Minister for science and Technology and
Ex. chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh ,who was suffering from sclerosis of
the liver, passed away at a chennai hospital on 2012 August 14th.
22. Hindi cinematographer Ashok Mehta Passed away : The ace cinematograoher Ashok
Mehta, who lost the battle with lung cancer at a mumbai hospital on 15 August 2012.The
man who worked with best in the business, raging from the highly accomplished shyam
benegal, Girish Karnad and shekhar Kapur, hugely populared Sunhash Ghai. He did films
like Utsav, Mandi,36 chowsinghee Lane.
23. Science Friction Writer Harry Harrison Passed Away : American Author Harry
Harrison has died in Britain on 16 august 2012 at 87. He was best known for his”The
Stainless Steel rat” series. His 1966, “Make room! Make Room!- a Science Friction take on
the horrors of over population. The Other works included anthologies, collections and
children’s stories-including one particularity goofs tale about an Intergalactic force of
Mutant pigs.
24. Philippine Minister Jesse Robredo died in Plane Crash : The most powerful minister
of Philippine died in plane crash on 19 August 2012. The Interior secretary Jesse Robredo.
This crash was held at the central island of Masbate.
25. Prime Minister of Ethipio Meles Zenavi passed away : Meles Zenavi, the Ethiopian
Prime Minister, passed away on 20 August 2012 following prolonged illness. He was 57
Ethiopio’s foreign minister will assume the change as the acting P.M. of the country.
26. US Astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong passed away : US Astronaut , Armstrong, as the
commander of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first human to land on the moon on 20
July 1969,passed away on 25th August 2012.
27. Veteran actor Hangal Passed away : Actor A.K.Hangal, who had the rare ability to
imbue the smallest and the most ordinary of roles with quality and dignity, passed away
on 26 Aug at Mumbai followed Health complications caused by a recent hip fracture.
28. Fijian President calls on Pranab : Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikaw called on his
Indian counter part Pranab Mukherjiee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 August
2012 and discussed the scope for expanding trade and bilateral ties.Mr. Mukherjiee also
granted Fiji for
joining the Non-Alignment movement.
29. Chinese defence minister to visit India : India and China are expected to discuss ways
of strengthening defence ties during the three-day visit of Chinese defence minister
General Liang Guanglie starting September 2 in Mumbai.
30. Miss China Crowned Miss World : Chaina’s Wen Xia Yu was on 18 August 2012 crowned
Miss world-2012 the competitions are conducted in China at Innar Mangolia Erina. Wales
Sophie Moulds was first runner up and the second runner up position to Jessica. Kahawaty
of Australia. Indian beauty Vanya Mishra on the 6th position by winning two awards in
miss world competition. The
multimedia award and social networking skin & beauty.
31. Student Prafull Sharma Discovers SOHO : A Delhi boy has discovered a new comet
using data from NASA and European Space Agency;s Space Craft-based observatory SOHO
that studies the sun. Prafull sharma, is a XII class student of Ahlcon public school, the
new comet SOHO-2333 is a fragment believed to have separated from a relatively larger
comet Machholz when it last came close to the sun in 2007. sharma, who has been
associated with Delhi-based NGO science. Popularization Association of Communicators
and educators (SPACE), ia apart of a world wide team os comet hunters. Who scour
through images of the sun transmitted back to earth by Solar and Heliosphere
Observatory(SOHO).
32. Zakaria suspended by CNN/TIME Magazine : Indo – American Journalist and author
Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by his employers and Time Magazine because he
copied some Portions of an article he wrote on “ Gun Control for Time”, from the New
Yorker Magazine. He suspended for one month.
33. Ex-Prez Pratibha Patil spent 140Cr on air Travel : ccording to RIT report India’s ex-
President visited 18 Countries in 10 trips from November 2008 to October 2011.India’s
former president Pratibha Patil sets a new record by spending 140 Cr travel expenses
alone. Patil was the most frequent flyer using IAF planes 255 times as compared to PM
ManMohan(108) abd Vice President Ansari(106).
As A.P.J.Abdul Kalam visited 17 Countries in 7 trips and K.R.Narayana covered 10
Countries in 6 trips. S.D.Shrama covered 16 Nations in 4 trips.
34. Himachal Hotel Gets Heritage Status : The Castel Magar, Himachal Pradesh Tourism
Development Corporation’s prime hotel in the picturesque, Kullu Valley was notified under
the heritage status by the Union tourism ministry on 23 August 2012. Maggar was the
capital of the erst
while kullu state for about 1460 years. The Castle was built by Raja Sidhi Singh in the 16th
century.
35. Amir Khan on the Cover Page of Time Magazine : The most successful Tv show
Satyamev Jayate made Amir Khan features in the cover page of the Time Magazine.Aamir
Khan is featured on the cover of Time with the caption ‘Khan’s Quest’. Bollywood actors
who have featured before on Time cover are Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan
and Parveen Babi. Parveen Babi became the cover girl of Time’s July 1976 issue, after
acting in super hit flick Deewar. The cover story was titled ‘Asia’s Frenetic Film Scene’.On
one of 2003 issues, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was called ‘New Face Of Film’. The magazine
mentioned: ‘Aishwarya Rai leads the invasion as Bollywood goes global and becomes hip.’
36. 9 IAF personnel killed in mid-air copter collision : Nine IAF personnel, including five
officers, were killed when two Mi-17 medium-lift utility helicopters collided in mid-air while
on a “live firing exercise” at the Sarmat field range near the Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat
on 30 August 20112.
37. Obama appoints IIT graduate to admin post : U.S. President Barack Obama has
announced to appoint eminent Indian-American, Romesh Wadhwani, to a key
administration post by making him board of trustees of the prestigious John F Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts.
38. Browne is new chairman of chiefs of staff : IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne,
who has become the senior most among the three Service chiefs after Admiral Nirmal
Verma retired on 31st August 2012, has taken over as the new chairman of the chiefs of
staff committee (CoSC) on 1st September 2012.
39. Chief Justice of India names Justice Kabir as his successo : Chief Justice of India S
H Kapadia, who retires 28th September 2012, has recommended the name of seniormost
Supreme Court judge Justice Altamas Kabir as his successor, setting in motion the process
of change of guard in the apex court.
40. Deveshwar appointed on RBI board : The government has appointed ITC chairman
Y.C. Deveshwar as a director on the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank of
India.
41. Kaushik Basu World Bank chief economist : Kaushik Basu appointed as chief
economist and Senior Vice President of World Bank by World Bank Group President Jim
Yong Kim on 05th September 2012.He take charges from 1st October 2012.
42. Sachin Pilot commissioned as Territorial Army officer : Sachin Pilot 06th September
2012 became the first Union minister to be commissioned as a regular officer in the
Territorial Army, fulfilling his desire to follow his father’s footsteps to be in the armed
forces.
43. Indian-American elected to Royal Society of Canada : Ponisseril Somasundaran, an
Indian American member of the faculty of Columbia University School of Engineering and
Applied Science, has been chosen as the sole foreign fellow of the prestigious Royal
Society of Canada.
44. K N Tilak Kumar elected president of INS : K N Tilak Kumar of Deccan Herald and
Prajavani was on 13th September 2012 elected president of The Indian Newspaper Society
(INS) for 2012-13 at its 73rd annual general meeting held at Bangalore. He succeeds
Ashish Bagga of India Today.
45. BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur becomes member of Asian Cricket Council :
BCCI joint secretary and Hamirpur BJP MP, Anurag Thakur has been inducted as member
of executive board of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).BCCI chief N Srinivasan is also the
president of ACC.
46. Mary Kom brand ambassador of Raj Kundra’s SFL : Actress Shilpa Shetty Monday
named Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Mary Kom as the brand ambassador of Super
Fight League (SFL).Shilpa’s husband, Britain-based businessman Raj Kundra, has
collaborated with actor Sanjay Dutt for SFL, India’s first professional Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA) event.
47. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador. : The
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Bollywood actress
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as its International Goodwill Ambassador.She will raise global
awareness on protecting children from HIV infection and increasing access to antiretroviral
treatment.
48. Ramesh Abhishek is FMC chairman : Ramesh Abhishek, an IAS officer of 1982 Bihar
cadre, appointed as chairman of Forward Markets Commission (FMC) on 24th September
2012
49. Woman of Pakistani origin becomes minister in Norway : Norwegian Prime Minister
Jens Stoltenberg has appointed a Pakistani Muslim woman, Hadia Tajik as Norway’s culture
minister. :
50. Sandeep Patil appointed as the Chief for BCCI Senior Selection Committee :
Former Cricketer and all-rounder, Sandeep Patil was appointed as the Chairman of the five
member senior selection committee of BCCI on 27 September 2012. The other four
members of the committee include Saba Karim, Roger Binny, Vikram Rathour and Rajinder
Singh Hans.
51. Altamas Kabir sworn in as new Chief Justice of India : Justice Altamas Kabir,
seniormost Judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India on
29th September 2012.
52. Australian Cricketer, Matthew Hayden retired from all formats of the game :
Former Australia Test opener Matthew Hayden has decided to retire from all forms of
cricket, adding the Twenty20 version of the game to the Test and international one-day
formats he stopped playing in 2010.Hayden played 103 Tests for Australia, hitting 30
centuries with a top score of 380 and an average of 50.73.
53. Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister : Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on 25th
September 2012 due the allegations of an irrigation scam when he was the state’s water
resource minister.
54. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired. : The Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired on 28th September 2012.
55. Dr. Verghese Kurien, father of India’s White Revolution passes away : Dr.
Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, passed away on 9th September 2012
after a brief illness. Dr. Kurien was the architect of India’s White Revolution, which helped
India emerge as the largest milk producer in the world.
56. Iraq vice president sentenced to death : A Baghdad court sentenced in absentia Iraq’s
vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, to death on hanging for the murder of a woman lawyer
and terrorism charges .
57. U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in mob attack : The ambassador of the United States
to Libya, Christopher Stevens, has been killed during an armed mob attack in Benghazi on
the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.Mr. Stevens is the second U.S. ambassador to be
killed during an outstation posting since the death of Adolph Dubs in 1979 during his
tenure in Afghanistan
58. .Ex-CJI Ranganath Misra passes away : Former Chief Justice of India Ranganath
Mishra died at a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar on 13th September 2012.Misra, served
as the Chief Justice from September 25, 1990, till November 24, 1991. He was also the
first chairman of the NHRC.
59. Veteran actor-director Dinesh Thakur passes away : Veteran theatre actor-director
Dinesh Thakur, known for his character roles in Hindi films of the 70s, passed awayin
Mumbai on 20th September 2012 after prolonged illness.
60. Freedom fighter, Telangana leader Bapuji dies : Eminent freedom fighter and a wellknown
figure in the Telangana movement, Konda Lakshman Bapuji died in Hyderabad on
21st September 2012. He earned the nickname Bapuji for his participation in the Quit
India Movement.
61. Popular Malayalam film actor Thilakan passes away : Thilakan, who had acted in
around 200 films and had won the national award for the best actor in a supporting role,
died in Thiruvananthapuram on 24th September 2012.
62. Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra dead : Brajesh Mishra, the
country’s first National Security Adviser who played a key role in foreign policy matters
and pushed for deeper engagement with the US, died in New Delhi on 28th September
2012 following a heart ailment.
63. India, Tajikistan upgrade ties, sign four pacts : India and Tajikistan, the energy-rich
Central Asian nation, 03rd September 2012 decided to upgrade their ties to the level of
strategic partnership and signed four pacts in areas of education, health, sports and
culture.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon
on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues and decided to upgrade their
growing ties to the level of a strategic partnership.
64. Antony opens army hospital in Male : Defence Minister A.K. Antony, on a three-day
visit to the Maldives, on 16th September 2012 opened ‘SENAHIYA,’ a Maldives National
Defence Force (MNDF) hospital, established in Male with Indian assistance.Maldives
Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim thanked India for its assistance to his country in all
areas of development and said the enduring friendship between the two countries would
improve and expand, irrespective of political changes.
65. Washington Post calls PM a ‘tragic figure’ : Soon after Time magazine labelled Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh an ‘Underachiever’, the noted American news daily, Washington
Post, has referred to him as a “tragic figure”.The Washington Post said Singh’s image is of
a “dithering ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government”.
66. Sunita Williams takes over command at International Space Station : Indian-
American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over command of the International Space
Station (ISS), yet another feather in her cap as she already holds three records for female
space travellers including a new record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female
astronaut.
67. Space Triathlon Completed By Sunita Williams : Williams became the first person in
history to complete a triathlon in space.Williams, who is currently aboard the International
Space Station finished her half mile swim, 18 mile bike ride, and four mile run in one hour,
48 minutes, and 33 seconds.
68. Pakistani Government Relents in Judicial Standoff Over Zardari Corruption Case :
Pakistan’s government relented on 18th September 2012 to judicial demands that it agree
to write a letter to the authorities in Switzerland regarding corruption charges against
President Asif Ali Zardari.
69. Nivedita Bhasin becomes first woman B-787 Dreamliner pilot : Senior Air India pilot
Capt Nivedita Bhasin has become the first woman to command the new Boeing 787
Dreamliner.She is presently the only women pilot for the B-787′s commercial flight in the
world.
70. $1,00,000 cash reward for the death of an anti-Islam film producer : A Pakistani
government Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has offered a $100,000 (£61,616)
reward for the death of the maker of an anti-Islam film produced in the US.
71. Congress selects Raja, Suresh Kalmadi and Kanimozhi as members of standing
committee : The congress on 3 October 2012 nominated the former Union Minister, A.
Raja, Kanimozhi and Suresh Kalmadi as the members of the Parliamentary Standing
Committees on Energy, Home Affairs and External Affairs respectively.Raja was arrested in
the 2G scam case on February 2 last year and is on bail since 15 May 2012. Suresh
Kalmadi, who was accused in the Commonwealth Games scam case, spent about nine
months in jail and was released on bail on 19 January 2012. DMK MP Kanimozhi, also an
accused in some cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation, was nominated to the
Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
72. Ajit Saran Appointed as Secretary in National Commission for Women : Senior IAS
officer Ajit M Sharan was appointed as Member Secretary in National Commission for
Women (NCW). Ajit Sharan is a 1979 batch officer of Haryana cadre.
73. Vivek Rae appointed new MSME secretary : On 5th October 2012 the government
appointed Vivek Rae as secretary, ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises. Rae, a
1978 batch IAS officer of the UT cadre, is currently director general, acquisition, defence
ministry. He will take over from RK Mathur.
74. Anil Kumble appointed chairman of ICC Cricket Committee : Former India captain
Anil Kumble was unanimously appointed chairman of ICC`s Cricket Committee by the
game`s governing body, replacing West Indies great Clive Lloyd on 11th October 2012.
75. Jaspal Rana appointed junior pistol chief coach : Multiple Asian Games gold medallist,
Jaspal Rana, has been appointed chief coach for junior pistol shooters by the National Rifle
Association of India (NRAI) on 16th October 2012.
76. Ashok Kumar appointed India’s ambassador to Brazil : Mr. Ashok Tomar has been
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Brazil on 31st October 2012.
77. Michael Schumacher announces retirement from Formula One : Michael
Schumacher has announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the
season.Schumacher’s announcement follows news last week that he will be replaced at
Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton in 2013.
78. UP revenue minister resigns due involved in CMO abduction : UP revenue minister
Vinod Singh was forced to resign on 12th October 2012 for his alleged involvement in the
abduction of Gonda chief medical officer (CMO) SP Singh.
79. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna resigned : External Affairs Minister SM Krishna
has resigned from his post ahead of on 28th October 2012 cabinet reshuffle.
80. Badminton Player Peter Gade Retired From International Career : Danish legend
Baminton Player, Peter Gade on 30 October 2012 retired from international badminton
81. Historian Eric Hobsbawm dies, aged 95 : Eric Hobsbawm, one of Britain’s most
eminent historians, has died at the age of 95, on 1st October 2012 at the Royal Free
Hospital in London .Mr Hobsbawm, a historian in the Marxist tradition, wrote more than 30
books.He published his final book, “How to Change the World”, in 2011.
82. Freedom fighter, ex-Governor Satyanarayana is dead : Freedom fighter and former
governor of Uttar Pradesh B Satyanarayana Reddy died at a hospital in Hyderabad on 6th
October 2012.
83. Zimbabwe cricket coach Kevin Curran passes away : Kevin Curran, the former
Zimbabwean all rounder and coach, has died in Mutare on 10th Ocober 2012.
84. Cambodia ex-king Sihanouk dies : Cambodia’s former king Norodom Sihanouk died on
15th October 2012 in China at Beijing.
85. Bandya Kakade dead : Bandya Kakade, former India football goalkeeper, passed away
here on 18th October 2012 evening. Kakade and Kuppuswami Sampath (MEG, Bangalore)
were the two goalkeepers of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 1970
Bangkok Asian Games. Kakade was also part of the Indian team
86. Yash Chopra, the ‘King of Romance’ passes away : Yash Chopra, one of Bollywood’s
most well-known filmmakers, died of dengue fever on 21st October 2012
87. Eminent litterateur Sunil Gangopadhyay passes away : Eminent litterateur and
Sahitya Akademi President Sunil Gangopadhyay died at his South Kolkata residence on
23rd October 2012 following a massive heart attack.
1. U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner to visit India on Oct. 9 : U.S. Treasury Secretary
Tim Geithner visit India on 9th October 2012 to participate in the third annual meeting of
the U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.
2. Australia PM Julia Gillard begins India visit : Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
has begun a three-day visit to India.The two countries are expected to announce
negotiations on civil nuclear co-operation during Ms Gillard’s visit.
3. Suu Kyi to visit India next month : After 40 years, Myanmar’s Opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi will travel to India on November 13. She will deliver the prestigious
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on November 14.
4. Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, New Zealand visited India : Hon.
Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, New Zealand visited
the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi on 18th October 2012.
5. Ex-Bangladeshi PM Khaleda Zia to meet PM Manmohan Singh : Bangladesh’s former
prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Begum Khaleda Zia, who
is on a week-long trip to India, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singhin New Delhi on
28th October 2012.
6. Pakistan spinner Rehman hit with ban after failed drug test : Pakistan’s Abdur
Rehman has been banned from cricket for 12 weeks after testing positive for cannabis
during his recent stint with Somerset.
7. Mukesh Ambani richest Indian : The China-based research firm Hurun releases a report
on 10th October 2012 declared Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the
richest person in India.
8. Hyderabad’s last Nizam named all-time richest Indian : Osman Ali Khan, the last
Nizam (or ruler) of Hyderabad is India’s all-time richest person.According to a new
inflation-adjusted list of the world’s richest people of all time, the Nizam, who ruled
Hyderabad between 1886-1967, was ranked sixth with $ 236 billion.
9. Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes India rich list : Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh
Ambani is the richest Indian for the fifth year in a row with a net worth of $21 billion,
according to the Forbes India rich list.
10. Manju Seth appointed as next Ambassador of India to Madagascar : Ms Manju Seth
has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Madagascar.She is presently
Consul General of India in Reunion Island, which is a French-administered territory in the
Indian Ocean between Mauritius and Madagaskar
11. Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on IMF board : Former RBI Deputy
Governor Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on the board of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
12. VK Malhotra re-elected Archery Association President : Vijay Kumar Malhotra was on
9th November 2012 re-elected as President of the Archery Association of India after
beating Assam unit vice-president BVP Rao in Archery Association presidents elections.
13. Obama appoints Indian-American Rajiv Shah to head USAID : Indian-Americans
won one of their highest-ever appointments in the US government when President Obama
on 13 November 2012 nominated Dr Rajiv Shah as administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID).
14. Anil Dev Singh appointed new chief of IOA election panel : Anil Dev Singh, retired
Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, appointed as the new Chairman of The Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) on 19 November 2012.
15. Scott Flemming named India’s basketball coach : The Basketball Federation of India
(BFI) had appointed Scott Flemming, who brings along with him over 30 years of collegiate
and professional experience in the United States, as the head coach of the men’s national
team on 19 November 2012.
16. BBC appointed Tony Hall as new director general : Royal Opera House chief executive
Tony Hall had appointed as director general of the BBC on 22 November 2012,replacing
George Entwistle who resigned earlier this month in a burgeoning scandal over the
corporations’ reporting of sexual abuse.
17. Ranjit Sinha appointed new CBI Director : Senior IPS officer Ranjit Sinha was
appointed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two-year term on 22
November 2012.
18. Barbosa sworn in as first non-white President of Brazil’s Supreme Court : Joaquim
Barbosa was sworn-in as Brazil’s Supreme Court’s first non-White President on 23
November 2012 at a packed ceremony in the capital Brazilia . Barbosa, became famous in
Brazil after overseeing one of the country’s biggest corruption trials involving key members
of the former President Lula Da Silva’s government.
19. Alok Joshi new RAW chief : The Haryana cadre IPS officer Alok Joshi was appointed
head of India’s external intelligence gathering agency – Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
on 27 November 2012. Alok Joshi will take charge from S.K. Tripathi on December 30,
2012.
20. Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed new Brazil Football team coach : Brazilian Football
Confederation have appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new coach for Brazil Football team
on 29 November 2012.
21. Mohan re-elected as vice president of IBSF : Capt Mohan, the president of the
Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, was re-elected as the vice president of the IBSF
(International Billiard & Snooker Federation). The election took place at the Annual General
Body meeting of International Billiards and Snooker Federation, at Sofia, Bulgaria on 29
November 2012.
22. American CIA Director David Petraeus resigned : American Central Intelligence
Agency(CIA) Director David Petraeus resigned on 10th November 2012 due illegal affair
with Broadwell that was proved by the FBI in investigation.
23. BJP suspended Ram Jethmalani from party for ‘indiscipline’ : The BJP on 25
Novemebr 2012 suspended a Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani from the party for
”gross indiscipline”. He recently attacked the for for criticizing the appointment of the new
CBI chief.
24. Ricky Ponting retired from international cricket : Former Australia captain Ricky
Ponting has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the third Test
against South Africa.He is the second highest run scorer in Test history behind Sachin
Tendulkar.Ponting has scored 13,366 runs at an average of 52.21 in his career.
25. Yeddyyurappa quits BJP, Assembly : The former Karnataka Chief Minister
B.S.Yeddyurappa quits the BJP and resigned to the Legislative Assembly on 30 November
2012. He started his political career when he was elected as President of the Shikaripura
Taluk erstwhile Jana Sangha in 1972. He won his first Assembly election in 1983 as BJP
candidate. He became the first BJP chief minister in South India.
26. Yerram Naidu senior TDP leader dies in road accident : K. Yerran Naidu, Telugu
Desam Party’s senior leader and former union minister for rural development died in a car
accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on 2nd November 2012.
27. Cartoonist,T.Samuel passes away : Veteran cartoonist, T Samuel, a pioneer of pocket
cartoons in India, passed away on 2 November 2012. He worked for the famous
newspapers like Times of India ,Indian Express and Nav Bharat Times etc.. He became
famous as the creator of pocket cartoon “Babuji”.
28. BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra passes away : Veteran BJP leader and former governor
of Gujarat and Rajasthan Kailashpati Mishra died in Patna on 3rd November 2012.
29. Veteran freedom fighter V P Murthy Raju passes away : Freedom fighter and former
Andhra Pradesh minister Ch V P Murthy Raju passed away in West Godavari district on
12th November 2012.Raju had been MLA for six terms and served as a minister when late
P V Narasimha Rao was Chief Minister.
30. Ex-Minister KC Pant passes away : India’s former defence minister and Planning
Commission deputy chairman Krishna Chandra Pant died on 15 November 2012.Pant was
India’s defence minister between 1987 and 1989, when the Congress party was in power
under then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
31. Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray died : Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray died
in Mumbai on 17 November 2012
32. Ajmal Kasab hanged, buried at Pune’s Yerwada Jail : Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,
the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, was hanged at Pune’s
Yerwada Jail on 21 November 2012.Two secret codes are used the government with
respect to Kasab to maintain secrecy 1. Operation X:-Hanging code named Operation X. X
stood for execution 2. C-7096 :-C-7096, the number by which Kasab was identified
officially.
33. Nobel winner and organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray passes away : Dr.
Joseph Murray, the surgeon who carried out the first successful kidney transplant and later
won a Nobel Prize for his work in medicine and physiology, died on 26 November 2012 in
Boston.
34. India’s diplomatic politician and former PM IK Gujral passes away : “Former Prime
Minister Inder Kumar Gujral passed away on 30 November 2012 in Gujral. Born on 4
December, 1919 in Jhelum.IK Gujral started as the Vice President in NDMC in the 1950s
and later became a Union Minister. Later He became the India’s Ambassador to the
USSR. Gujral, an intellectual who propounded the ‘Gujral Doctrine’ of five principles for
maintaining good neighbourly relations, left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late-
1980s. In the 1989 elections, Gujral was elected from Jalandhar parliamentary
constituency in Punjab and he became Minister for External Affairs, first under V P Singh
(in December 1989) and then under Deve Gowda (in June 1996). Later he became the
12th Prime Minister of India in April 1997 for one year. “
35. William Hague on four day official visit to India : The Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs of United Kingdom, Mr. William Hague 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 External Affairs Minister,
Mr Salman Khurshid in New Delhi.
36. Canadian Prime Minister visited India : Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,
visited the India from November 3rd to 9th, during his visit India and Canada signed
several agreements including Civil Nuclear Deal, Social Security Agreement, a
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Information Technology and electronics
and an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation in Defense Science and Technology.
37. Hamid Karzai arrived to India on four day visit: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
arrived to India on 9th November 2012 on a four-day visit.
38. Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh : Myanmar’s pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh In New Delhi on 14
November,2012 during her 6 day visit to India.She then visited Shantivan to pay tribute to
Jawaharlal Nehru.Later in the day, she will deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture on the
occasion of the former PM’s birth anniversary.
39. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November
2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
40. Barack Obama makes first US presidential visit to Burma : Barack Obama became
the first American president visited the Myanmar. He visited the Myanmar on 18
November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
41. Sunita Williams embarks on record 7th space walk : Indian-American Sunita Williams
along with Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide on 1st November 2012 ventured out of the
International Space Station, adding to her record-setting space walking sojourns, to find
an ammonia leak in the vital radiator system.
42. China invites Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking University : China invited APJ Abdul
Kalam to teach at Peking University
43. Irom 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 fast
demanding for cancellation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA). She
blames AFPSA as the main cause for violence in the state of Manipur and other parts of
Northeastern India.
44. Life Ban on Mohammad Azharuddin Lifted by Andhra Pradesh High Court : The
Andhra Pradesh High Court on 8 November 2012 lifted the life ban from playing Cricket on
Mohammad Azharuddin which was imposed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
in Year 2000.
45. Ramanujan’s genius Proved by US Mathematician : Ramanujan’s genius Proved to
the world by Ken Ono of Emory University in Atlanta on the occasion 125th Birth
Anniversary of Ramanujan.Ken Ono of Emory University proved the Ramanujan’s formula
of outputs for the roots of 1 like the square root —1.
46. Cancer charity drops Armstrong name : Lance Armstrong’s cancer charity removed the
former cycling champion Lance Armstrong’s name from its title. The Lance Armstrong
Foundation now officially known as the Livestrong Foundation.
47. Burma’s Suu Kyi Named New UN Ambassador : The United Nations announced
Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as an ambassador to its program on
HIV/AIDS. Suu Kyi accepted the invitation to head the program during a meeting with
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé.
48. Visually-challenged Indian-American in key US post : On 1 December Obama
administration was appointed a visually-challenged Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithran
as a Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board member.
49. Ajit Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra Deputy CM : Ajith Pawar sworn-in as
Maharashtra deputy chief minister on 7 December. After getting the clean chit from the
government on corruption in irrigation projects.
50. Chautala Elected as IOA President : Abhay Singh Chautala was on December 2012
unanimously elected president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) while Lalit Bhanot
became the new secretary general.
51.
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