Last Six months Current affairs 2012-13 for sbi po exam

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.