Wednesday 14 November 2012

CURRENT AFFAIRS KEY POINTS



  1. Punjab Government has announced to launch biggest ever door-to-door campaign for early detection of Cancer.
  2. Canara Bank has been recently awarded gold trophy of Niryat Bandhu Award followed by Bank of India (silver) and Punjab National Bank (bronze). The award was presented by the President of India.
  3. Sanofi Indi pharmaceutical company has launched its first indigenously manufactured re-usable insulin pen ‘AllStar’ .
  4. Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivia country’s first democratically elected President has been issued an arrest warrant by the Maldiavian court beacuse he has challenged the legality of a criminal trial against him.
  5. Varsha Bhosle, daughter of the veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle, commited suicide at their peddar road residence on 8 october. She was suffering from depression and had attempted suicide on two previous occasions.
  6. Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit has stepped down making way for Michael Corbat. Pandit’s recent rifts and disaggrements with the board especially chairman Michael O’Neill has been termed as the reason for his sudden and abrupt departure.
  7. Satirist Jaspal Bhatti died in a road accident on 25 October 2012 near Punjab’s Nakodar town 40 km from Jalandhar. He was on his way to Jalandhar from Bathinda for Promotion of his upcoming Film Power Cut.
  8. The City of Hyderabad was named as World Third best city to visit in 2013 by Travel guide book Lonely Planet published on 22 October 2012. Hyderabad the capital city of Andhra Pradesh was described as “elegant and blossoming” by the Lonely Planet.
  9. London Olympic Shooter and silver medalist Vijay Kumar was honoured with the Services Best Sportsman award for 2012 at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi. He was also awarded with Arjuna Award in 2007 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2011-12 by the Government of India.
  10. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched much awaited Aadhar-enabled service system. The launch, marking the second anniversary of Aadhaar project, is aimed at checking corruption and pilferage in schemes and to bring transparency in implementation.
  11. Recently World Food Day has been celebrated across the globe in honour of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It is celebrated every year on October 16.
  12. The Union Cabinet recently gave its nod for setting up of the National Automotive Board (NAB). The body will be responsible for promoting the research and development activities of the industry and act as a facilitator in between the industry and the government. NAB would also be responsible as a specialized body to promote sustainable development of the Nation’s Auto Sector along with skill development for the automobile sector.
  13. The Folded Earth written by Anuradha Roy and A Free Man by Aman Sethi won the 11th Economist Crossword Book Award. The Folded Earth was successful in securing its position in the English Indian Fiction Category, whereas, A Free Man by Aman Sethi was successful in the category of Indian Non-Fiction books
  14. Recently, Newsweek magazines has announced that it would shut down its print operations completely and go all-digital.
  15. Recently, Tata Starbucks, a joint venture between Tata Global Beverages (TGBL) and Starbucks Coffee Company, opened its first store in India at Mumbai.
  16. The Chief Minister of Kerela, Oommen Chandy declared that Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) would execute the Kochi Metro Rail Project in association with E. Sreedharan in next three years.
  17. Indian Railways launched RailRadar to find out the location of 6500 trains on real-time basis on Google Map.
  18. Smt Tessy Thomas has been conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2012.
19) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed its 100th Mission:ISRO launched its 100th satellite named PSLV-C21 on Septmeber 7, 2012 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, 80 kms north of Chennai.

20) Kaushik Basu has been appointed as the chief economist and senior vice president of The World Bank whose term begin on October 1,2012. He succeeded Mr Justin Lin of China.

21) Raghuram Ranjan former IMF chief economist, took charge as the chief economic advisor (CEA) in Finance Ministry in New Delhi. He succeeded Kaushik Basu. Mr Ranjan will be a key official of finance minister P. Chidambaram’s team.

22) Sachin Pilot who is Minister of state for Communications and Information technology and also a young politician has recently been commissioned as Lieutenant in the territorial army.

23) New York became the first city in US to ban the sale of large sodas and sugary beverages in restaurants. This step is taken to curb Obesity.

24) End of IPL road for Deccan Charges- A Hyderabad based franchise: The BCCI terminated the IPL contract of debt-ridden Deccan Chargers stating that the  only reason to take this decision is  due to the absolute inability of the franchise to effectively run the team.

25) Andy Roddick’s Announced his retirement from Tennis: Andy Roddick’s US tennis star and former No. 1-ranked player has announced to leave the game he loves following the U.S. Open. He announced his planned retirement during a news conferences during his 30th birthday.

26) Salman Rushdie released his new book named “Joseph Anton” : Salman Rushdie’s new book reveals his life, at the time when he was issued an Iranian fatwa that ordered his death for the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988. In the book, Salman Rushdie has characterized himself as Joseph Anton and the name is the combination of the first names of his favourite writers Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov.

27) Bank of Baroda one of the nationalised bank has recently opened its first branch in South Africa.

28) Aditya-1′ is India’s first Solar Satellite. It may help satellites dodge solar radiation.

29)  Vijay Kumar is World No. 2: London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar (with 2871 points) has added another feather to his cap as he achieved the World No. 2 ranking in the latest list issued by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).

30) Girisha bags first Paralympic medal for India: Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda gave India its first medal at the Paralympic Games after bagging a silver in the Men’s High Jump F42 event. Iliesa Delana of Fiji won the gold, while Lukasz Mamczarz of Poland settled for bronze.

31) Air India gets its first Dreamliner aircraft named Boeing 787. The 787 aircraft will allow Air India to open new routes in a dynamic marketplace and provide the best in-flight experience for the passengers.

32) Milk man of India is no more: Verghese Kurien, father of “White Revolution” and founder of the cooperative dairy movement in the country, died, aged 90.From one milk project to a larger one, the “Milkman of India” saw India emerge from a milk-deficient country into the largest milk producer in the world, overtaking even the once milk-abundant Netherlands. It is because of Dr. Kurien that India today contributes about 17 per cent of the total milk production in the world.

33)  India falls 3 places to 59th in WEF’s global competitiveness index: India’s ranking declined by three places to 59th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index 2012-2013, due mainly to ”disappointing performance” in the basic factors underpinning competitiveness.Switzerland, for the fourth consecutive year, tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, released today by the World Economic Forum. Singapore remains in second position and Finland in third position.

34) Andy Murray first Britisher to win Grand Slam men’s singles title in 76 years: Andy Murray has overpowered Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in five gruelling sets in a classic US Open final to become the first Britisher to win a Grand Slam men’s singles title in 76 years.

35) 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.

36) Aditi Mukherjee, a Delhi based scientist, won the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award in Field Research and Application. Mukherjee was picked for the award for her work in transforming access to water for thousands of farmers in West Bengal. The award carries 10000 dollar cash prize. The Borlaug Award is restricted to scientists under 40.

37) The Xenon pickup cab has been launched by Tata Motors.

38) 16th NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) summit was held at TEHRAN.The theme of the summit was Lasting Peace  through Joint Global Governance. Venezuela was selected the host for the 17th NAM Summit in 2015.

39) Vice president of India M. Hamid Ansari released a book “Muslim in Indian cities”. The book speaks about Muslim life in India. Numbering more than 150 million, Muslims constitute the largest minority in India, yet they suffer the most politically and socioeconomically.

40)  Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Kendras (PSSKs) under the ‘Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Yojana’ scheme are opened at the Gram Panchayat Headquarters which is without Post Offices to provide basic postal facilities at Gram Panchayat Headquarters.

41) PM congratulates Vijay Kumar, Mary Kom and Saina NehwalPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has congratulated Mary Kom on her winning the bronze medal in women’s boxing at London Olympics-2012. Following is the text of PM’s message: ‘I join the nation in congratulating boxer Mary Kom for winning the Olympic bronze medal in the 51 kg women`s boxing event.

42) India’s Ranking in Most Attractive Destination for Retail Investment According to US-based global management consulting firm, A.T. Keamey’s Report on 2012 Global Retail Development Index, India has been ranked the fifth most attractive destination for retail investment among 30 developing countries.

43) DR. Zaidi took Over as New Election Commissioner -- Dr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi has assumed the charge as Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. He fills the vacancy in the Election Commission caused by the assumption of charge by Sh. V.S. Sampath as the 18th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) succeeding Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.

44) India is the Second-Largest Mobile Phone user in World 

45) Second term for Hamid Ansari History repeated after five decades when United Progressive Alliance nominee Hamid Ansari was re-elected as Vice President to get a second consecutive term after s. Radhakrishnan.who enjoyed two terms from 1952 to 1962. Mr. Ansari Won with a thumping majority against Jaswant Singh.

46) India and Belgium Sign MOU for Modernization of Railway A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the visiting Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders and the Union Minister of Railways of India Shri Mukul Roy on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries.

47) The 31st edition of Summer Olympics will be held in Reo de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. 

48) India Signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement with MonacoGovernment of India and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA).

49) Union Cabinet Approved Three New Extension Lines in Delhi Metro
11) China signed Economic Agreements with North Korea which includes the Development of SEZs.

50) The Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Didier Reynders visited India from 1-5 August and 8-12 August 2012.

51) Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences died of multiple organ failure at the Global Health City Hospital in Chennai on 14 August 2012.

52) India’s exports for the month of July 2012 stood at 22.4 billion dollar registering a decline of – 14.8 percent as compared to 26.3 billion dollar during the same month of 2011.

53) London Olympics 2012 concluded as US topped the Medal Tally
• US topped the medal tally with a total of 104 medals (46 Gold+29 Silver+ 29 Silver) followed by China, which bagged a total of 88 medals (38 Gold+27 Silver+23 Bronze).
• Great Britain with 65 medals (29 Gold+17 Silver+19 Bronze),
• Russia with 82 medals (24 Gold+26 Silver+32 Bronze) and
• South Korea with 27 medals (13 Gold+8 Silver+6 Bronze) finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.
• India with a total of 6 medals (2 Silver+4Bronze) finished 55th on the medal tally.
54) Major Medal winning Performances at London Olympics 2012
• Michael Phelps bagged 6 medals (4 Gold+2 Silver) in swimming, becoming the most decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals.
• Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt clinched three gold in three separate events (100 meter race, 200 meter race and 4X100 meter relay team race). He won the 100 metres gold medal with a time of 9.63 seconds, setting a new Olympic record for that distance. He took 19.32 seconds to clinch 200 meters gold. With a storming victory in both 100 and 200 meters race he became the only sprinter in the history to defend both Olympic titles.
• Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 to win men’s hockey gold.
• Mexico beat Brazil 2-1 to win Soccer gold
• United States defeated Spain to win men’s Basketball gold
• Andy Murray of Great Britain beat Roger Federer of Switzerland to win tennis men’s singles gold
• Russia defeated Brazil to win men’s volleyball gold
• Dan Lin of China beat Malaysian Chong Wei Lee to clinch Badminton men’s singles gold
55) Mascots have been a part of Olympic Games since Munich 1972, when Waldi, a dachshund, was the symbol of the Munich games. The mascots of London Games were Wenlock and Mandeville.

56) Olympic Torch is the symbol of Olympic Games which is lit in Olympia (modern day Greece).

57) There were 4700 medals (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) up for grab at the London Olympics 2012. On every medal there is the image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory.

58) Rory Mcllroy won the US PGA Golf Championship at Kaiwah island on 12 August 2012, claiming his second major title with a record-setting eight-shot victory.

59) Moody’s Analytics cut India’s growth forecast to 5.5 percent for the fiscal year 2012-13

60) Sushil Kumar, the star Indian grappler, won India its sixth medal on the very last day in London Olympics 2012. The wrestler bagged the silver after his Japanese opponent Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu overpowered him 3-1 in the gold medal bout in the 66-kg freestyle category on 12 August 2012.

61) Raghuram Rajan, former chief economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry.

62) The Union government allocated 150 crore rupees as interim relief for the flood affected people of Uttarakhand CM “Vijay Bahuguna”.

63) Keshub Mahindra stepped down as the Chairman of 15.4 billion dollar business conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra on 8 August 2012.

64) Mary Kom bagged Bronze in Women Flyweight Boxing at London Olympics 2012

65) India successfully test-fired Medium Range Ballistic Missile Agni – II

66) Pakistan’s Supreme Court on 8 August 2012 ordered the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to appear before judges for he failed to write Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against the president Asif Ali Zardari.

67) Jet Airways Tied Up with HDFC Bank and Launched Credit Cards

68) Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, a 1976 batch IAS officer of UP cadre, was appointed as an Election Commissioner on 7 August 2012. His appointment was approved by President Pranab Mukherjee. Zaidi had retired as Civil Aviation Secretary on 31 July 2012.

69) Fitch Ratings revised the Indian Retail Sector Outlook for the second half 2012-13 to Negative

70) RBI permitted Banks to lend to Telecom Companies for the Upcoming Auction for Spectrum

71) The US space agency NASA landed Curiosity, a huge new robot rover on Mars on 5 August 2012.

72) Saina Nehwal clinched Bronze in Women’s Singles Badminton Event at London Olympics 2012

73) RBI directed NBFCs to maintain Net-owned Funds (NOF) at Rs 3 crore by 31 March 2013

74) Vijay Kumar bagged Silver in Olympics 25 Metre Rapid Fire Pistol Event

75) Hero MotoCorp invested 20 million dollar in US based Erik Buell for R&D

76) Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 2 August 2012 stepped down as the UN special envoy to Syria.

77) Kaushik Basu Ended Tenure as the Chief Economic Advisor in New Delhi

78) Government of Japan decided to honour Vandana Shiva with Fukuoka Prize 2012 on 23 July 2012. She will be honoured by this award in the ceremony which will be held by the Government of Japan in Fukuoka city in September 2012.

79) The Supreme Court of India on 23 July 2012 allowed Tamil Nadu government to carry out repair and maintenance works on the Mullaperiyar dam.

80) Bradley Wiggins of Britain became the first cyclist of the country, to win the coveted Tour de France Cycling race on 22 July 2012.

81) Pranab Mukherjee was elected as the 13th President (in person) of India on 22 July 2012. Pranab Mukherjee defeated his rival PA Sangma with a huge margin as he secured nearly 69 percent of total valid votes.

82)The ousted Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed is charged with illegally ordering the arrest of criminal court Chief Justice, Abdulla Mohamed. The charge was made on 15 July 2012.

83) Marissa Mayer appointed as the New President and CEO of Yahoo

84) EGoM recommended CDMA Airwaves in the 800 MHz band at 1.3 times the Base Price for GSM Airwaves.

85) Sally Ride, First US Woman to travel into Space, passed away.

86) SEBI permitted MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) to operate as a Full-fledged Stock Exchange.

87) Spain beat Italy 4-0 to win UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Euro 2012.

88) The World Bank in its report named Global Economic Prospects released on 12 June 2012, projected Indian economy to grow by 6.9% in the financial year 2012-13.

89) The Beijing summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) concluded on 7 June 2012.

90)The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 28 May 2012 invalidated the 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities carved out of the 27 per cent.

91) Gambian lawyer Fatou Bensouda was sworn in on 15 June 2012 as the International Criminal Court’s new chief prosecutor.

92) Raja Parvez Ashraf, the senior Pakistan People’s Party leader, was appointed the 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan on 22 June 2012.

93) Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), on 24 June 2012 was declared victorious in Egypt’s historical presidential election.

94) Swiss Tennis maestro Roger Federer beat British player Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon Open Championship Gentlemen’s Singles Final 2012.

95) International donors meeting were held in Tokyo, on 8 July 2012.

96) Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma was signed as the Brand Ambassador of Unicharm’s Sofy.

97) Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced to close down its Factory at Manesar.

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