IN THE NEWS- August, 2013

APPOINTED

Roberto Azevedo

Roberto Azevedo from Brazil on 8 May 2013 was named as the head of the World Trade Organisation. His appointment to the office came up at the time when the organization is struggling to identify ways to revive the talks on freeing global commerce and to help poorer nations in development. He will take charge of his office from Pascal Lamy of France in the Geneva-based Body in September 2013. Azevedo is the first Latin American to be appointed as the head of the WTO since it was created in 1995. The process of electing the WTO Head took a period of about six months. A total of nine people were competing for the post. After being into the office, his journey will start with the 9th ministerial in Bali, Indonesia from 3 to 6 December 2013.

Shashi Kant Sharma

The President of Indian Union, Pranab Mukherjee on 21 May 2013 appointed Shashi Kant Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. Shashi Kant Sharma will succeed Vinod Rai who superannuates on 21 May 2013 after completing tenure of five and a half years as the Head of the Constitutional Financial body. His appointment to the post of CAG by the President was made on basis of Article 148 (1) of the Constitution of India. He will assume the charge to the office of CAG on 23 May 2013 after administering the oath of the office by the President of India.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is appointed for a maximum term of six years or till he attends the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. Earlier, during the tenure of Vinod Rai, CAG came under sharp attacks from the Union Government of India for its assessment reports of 1.76 lakh crore rupees loss in Allocation of 2G Spectrum and Public Exchequer’s Loss at 1.86 Lakh Crore in Coal Blocks Allocation. Tenure of Vinod Rai to the office of CAG was accused for going beyond its ambit of auditing and analyzing the policy decisions.

Abdul Hamid

Parliamentary Speaker Abdul Hamid was on 24 April 2013 sworn in as Bangladesh President to replace Zillur Rahman, who died in March 2013. Abdul Hamid is the 20th President of Bangladesh. He will hold the ceremonial position for a five-year term.

Hamid was the acting President since 14 March 2013 when Rahman went for medical treatment to Singapore. He is a former lawyer. He was elected to Parliament seven times from the Kishoreganj Constituency. He is a member of the Awami League.

Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Indian National Congress on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the 22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka. 64 years old Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR Bhardwaj at Sree Kanteerva stadium.

It is important here to note that Siddaramaiah led the Congress in Karnataka which won 121 seats in the 225-member assembly for which election was held on 5 May 2013 and voted counted on 8 May. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004. For nearly two years in 2004-2006, it headed a coalition with Janata Dal-Secular.

Dr. Christopher Briggs

Dr. Christopher Briggs was announced the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention in third week of April 2013. His appointment to the post was declared by the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands during 46th meeting held in Gland, Switzerland from 8-12 April 2013. He is the successor of Tiéga Anada, who served the convention for six years.

Ramsar Convention

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) — called the Ramsar Convention — is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the wise use, or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.

Takehiko Nakao

Takehiko Nakao on 27 April 2013 was appointed as the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) by the Board of Governors at New Delhi. His appointment to the post was unanimously accepted ahead of the annual meet of the bank. He succeeded Haruhiko Kuroda, who resigned from his office in March 2013 to take up an assignment as the Governor of the Bank of Japan. The 57 years old Nakao is the former Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs of Japan. He will be the ninth President and will assume the charge of his office on 28 April 2013. He is appointed to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor that is supposed to end in November 2016.

Laxman Singh Rathore

Laxman Singh Rathore, the Director General of Meteorology & Permanent Representative of India with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was elected as the Member of Executive Council of WMO during the 65th Executive Council of WMO meeting which is ongoing at Geneva. He had served a term as the Vice President of Commission of Agriculture Meteorology of WMO and was also elected to serve the Executive Council in an individual capacity. The council includes 37 Heads/directors/Director Generals of National Meteorological Services and also the President and three Vice-Presidents who are elected by Congress. Apart from this, the presidents of the six regional associations are also a part of this council.

Executive Council of WMO?

The Executive Council of WMO is an executive body of this organisation. The council meets yearly to implement the decisions of Congress, coordinate the programmes, examine the utilization of budgetary resources, consider and take action on recommendations of Regional Associations and Technical Commissions and guide their work programme, provide technical information, counsel and assistance in the fields of activity of the Organization and study and take actions on matters affecting international meteorology and related activities.

Narasimhan Ravi

Narasimhan Ravi, the director of Kasturi and Sons Limited as well as the former Editor of The Hindu was unanimously elected as the president of Editors Guild of India on 23 April 2013 at the annual general meeting of the Guild in New Delhi. He succeeded T.N. Ninan, the chairman and editorial director of Business Standard. He will be serving two-year term as the President of the Guild.

Editors Guild of India is the organisation of the editors of various magazines and newspapers of India. Apart from the election of the President of the Guild, the annual general meeting took certain issues such as consultation paper on the cross-media ownership which was issued by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Another issue that was discussed at the general meeting was media regulation.

Nirbhay Sharma

Nirbhay Sharma on 16 May 2013 appointed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh as the term of present incumbent Gen (retd) J J Singh ended in January 2013.

The tenure of 65 year old Nirbha Shrama will come into effect from the day he assumes charge of his office, a Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Anil Goswami

Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 26 April 2013 appointed Anil Goswami, a Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS officer as Union Home Secretary. Government on 26 April 20134 appointed him as the officer on special duty in the ministry with immediate effect till 30 June 2013. He will take charge from incumbent R.K Singh. His appointment to the office was made by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His tenure is fixed for a period of two years, till June 2015. This is the first time in the history that announcement of the name of the next Home Secretary was made two months earlier from the actual date of assuming the office. Generally, the successor of the post is appointed a month in advance.

DEATH

Shamshad Begum

Legendary singer Shamshad Begum died on 23 April 2013 in Mumbai due to illness. She was 94 years of age. She was one of the first few playback singers of the Hindi film industry. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law.

About Shamshad Begum

• Shamshad Begum was born on 14 April 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab.

• Her debut was in Lahore on the Peshawar Radio on 16 December 1947.

• Some of her popular Hindi songs include Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar, Kajra Mohabbat Wala and Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon.

• Her hit tracks included Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re, Chod Babul Ka Ghar, Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar, Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana and Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re.

• Shamshad Begum started her singing career in early thirties.

• She sang under the contract with Jenophone Record Company, for which she received 12.50 Rupees per song in 30s. She recorded around 200 songs for this company under baton of Ghulam Haider. Her songs were broadcasted on radio but not on gramophone.

• Before she made her debut in Hindi films, she sang in Punjabi film of Dalsukh Pancholi called Yamla Jat with the music given by Ghulam Haider.

• The first Hindi film of Dalsukh Pancholi was Khazanchi in which there were nine songs, all of which were recorded in Shamshad Begum’s voice.

• She was among the most sought-after female playback singers of 40s.

• She sang in various languages such as Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali apart from Hindi in multi-lingual song Ye Duniya Roop Ki Chor.

• Shamshad Begum also sang for All India Radio (AIR) through the musical group called The Crown Imperial Theatrical Company of Performing Arts.

• She was conferred with the O P Nayyar award for contribution to Hindi film music, in the year 2009.

• In 2009 again, she was conferred with the third-highest civilian honour of India, Padma Bhushan.

Jiah Khan

Jiah Khan, the 25-year old Bollywood actress died on 3 June 2013 at her Juhu residence in Mumbai. She allegedly committed suicide. Jiah Khan’s real name was Nafisa Khan. She was born on 20 February 1988 in Chelsea, London. She debuted in Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, opposite veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan in the year 2007. She also got the Filmfare Best Debutant Nomination for Nishabd. Jiah Khan also appeared with Aamir Khan in A R Murugadoss’s Ghajini. She also starred in Sajid Khan’s comedy film Housefull in 2010. Housefull was her last film. Jiah was raised in England and later moved to Mumbai to make a mark in Bollywood industry.

Penne Hackforth-Jones

Penne Hackforth-Jones, one of Australia’s most recognisable actors died at the age of 64 after battling lung cancer. Born in 1949 in the US state of Connecticut, she was brought up in Australia. Her first credited role was in the 1969 TV series Riptide. Hackforth-Jones appeared in many well-known Australian television series, including A Country Practice, All Saints and Mother and Son. She also featured in a number of movies, including Mao’s Last Dancer in 2009 and Muriel’s Wedding in 1994. Her last appearance was in The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin, the renowned face of Hollywood in 1930s and early 40s died on 20 April 2013 in the village outside Paris. She was 91 years of age. Deanna Durbin was among the highest paid stars in US in 1947. She retired at the age of just 27 years. She debuted in 1936 MGM short Every Sunday. She appeared with Judy Garland. Deanna Durbin’s first movie was Three Smart Girls for the Universal studios. This movie was also nominated for best picture Oscar in 1937. In 1939, she won Juvenile Academy Awards for her significant contribution to screen, along with her fellow teen stars. Her most notable achievement was that her films’ success saved the Universal Studios from Bankruptcy in late 1930s. It was estimated that her films accounted for 17 percent of overall revenue of the Universal Studios during that decade.
In 1946, Deanna Durbin’s salary was 323477 US dollar, which made her the second highest-paid woman in America, behind Bette Davis. She retired from the films at the peak of her career in 1949 and moved to a village in France.

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (1932-2013), the dhrupad vocalist passed away on 8 May 2013 following brief illness at his Gurukul near Panvel. He was 80 years of age. Drupad is the oldest existing north Indian classical music form.

About Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

• Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 15 June 1932.

• He was also the court musician of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur.

• He played a prominent role in reviving the dhrupad tradition in the 20th century along with his brother late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, the legendary rudra veena player.

• He was the master of srutis. He was renowned for his drupad vocal in not just India, but also across the world.

• He gave performances in various popular festivals in India and abroad.

• He won various prestigious honours and awards such as Tagore Ratna Award, Tansen Samman and Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship.

• He was also conferred upon with the Padma Shri- India’s fourth highest civilian honor in 2012, but he turned it down.

• He also remained a distinguished guest faculty at the Dhrupad Sansar of IIT Bombay for 5 years.

Rituparno Ghosh

Rituparno Ghosh, the renowned Bengali film maker died on 30 May 2013 of cardiac arrest at his south Kolkata residence. 49 Years old Rituparno Ghosh is the winner of 12 national and some of the international awards.

Ghosh came into limelight by his direction of a children’s film Hirer Angti in year 1994. His film Unishe April won national award winner in 1995. Some of his famous films include Dahan, Asukh, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Bariwali, Antarmahal and Noukadubi.

A brief Insight into Ghosh’s Career

• Rituparno started his career as a advertising Professional and his directional debut was Hirer Angti (The diamond ring).

• He won the National film award for Best Director for his Bengali film Abohoman starring Jishu Sengupta, Ananya Chatterjee, Dipankar Dey and Mamata Shankar.

• He made his first screen presence in an Oriya film Katha Deithilli Ma Ku which is directed by Himanshu Parija and released in 2003.

• He hosted two celebrity chat shows, namely Ebong Rituporno on ETV Bangla and Ghosh and co. on Star Jalsha.

• He was also the scriptwriter of Gaaner Opa.

Sailendra Nath Roy

Sailendra Nath Roy, an Indian Guinness World Record holder who on 28 April 2013 attempted to cross a river called Teesta suspended from a zip wire attached to his ponytail has died during the stunt. He was trying to cross the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta river near Siliguri town suspended from a zip wire 600ft (180m) long at a height of 70ft (20m).

In March 2011, Sailendra was named a Guinness World Record holder for travelling the farthest distance on a zip wire using hair. In 2008, Sailendra pulled the Darjeeling toy train with his ponytail. And in 2007, his ponytail tied to a rope, he flew from one building to another in front of television cameras.

Surendra Tiwari

Hindi story writer and playwright Surendra Tiwari died due to brain haemorrhage on 7 May 2013. He was 64 years of age. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

About Surendra Tiwari

• Surendra Tiwari wrote and edited 25 books in all.

• He also edited 51 stories of Nobel Prize winners as well as 10 volumes of stories of 251 female storytellers.

• He wrote various plays during his career, which included Deewarein, Ek Aur Raja and Chabutra.

• In 1974, his first story collection called Doosra Footpath, was published.

• In the year 1975, his play called Deewarein was published.

• His renowned novels included Agniparv and Antatah.

• He also served in the Indian Information Service.

• He served in AIR Publications Department as well as Registrar’s Office of the newspapers.

• He was born on 8 October 1948 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.

Sarabjit Singh

Sarabjit Singh, the Indian national and a death row prisoner in the Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail died on 2 May 2013 at the Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan. He was on the life-support system since 26 April 2013 after being attacked by the inmates in the jail.

49 years old Sarabjit Singh is an Indian national who was born in Bhikhiwind Province of Punjab and had spent 23 years in Pakistani jail, after being convicted of involvement in the serial bomb blasts of 1990 in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people. He was arrested from Kasur Border for illegal crossing the border in Pakistan in August 1990. In May 2012, his fifth mercy petition was dismissed.

Sanaullah Ranjay

Sanaullah Ranjay, the Pakistani prisoner who was attacked by a jail inmate in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu died due to multi-organ failure at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh on 9 May 2013.
Sanaullah was attacked by a fellow inmate on 3 May 2013 after the death of Sarabjit Singh an Indian Prisoner in Jinnah Hospital Lahore after he was assaulted and attacked by his jail inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan. Sanaullah was in prison for the past 17 years on militancy related charges.

He was attacked by a former Indian army soldier. Sanuallah was a resident of Sialkot, Pakistan and was serving a life term in India after being convicted under the TADA provisions. He was arrested in 1999.

Asghar Ali Engineer

Asghar Ali Engineer, a noted Islamic scholar died on 14 May 2013 after a prolonged illness in Suburban Santa Cruz, Mumbai. The 73 year old Asghar is survived by his son and a daughter.

About Asghar Ali Engineer

• For communal harmony, he received Dalmia Award in 1990

• He was honoured with three doctorate degrees

• He was the Chairman of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) founded in 1993 after the 1992 Babri Mosque destruction

• He edited Indian Journal of Secularism

• He also edited a monthly paper named Islam and Modern Age and published Secular Perspective, a fortnight paper

• He received the National Communal Harmony Award in 1997

• He won the USA Award from the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia in 2003

ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY

Steve Miller

Steven Miller, the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service on 15 May 2013 had resigned amid the criticism over the tax agency’s handling of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. The Scandal came into highlight when it was found that officials studying tax exempt status applications singled out groups with names including phrases like Tea Party or Patriots, which could thus be expected to be fiercely opposed to US President Barack Obama. Steven Miller, said in a message to colleagues there was a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation’s tax agency. The scandal has been one of several to enervate the White House in recent days. Analysing the situation President Barack Obama asserted that had reviewed the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) report on the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups and found the misconduct uncovered was inexcusable.

Queen Beatrix

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated the throne in favour of her son Prince Willem-Alexander. She was the queen for the last 33 years. At present, she is 75 years old. Willem-Alexander has now become Netherland’s first king since 1890. Queen Beatrix had announced her decision in January 2013 to step down stating that her son was ready to reign.

Pervez Musharraf

The High Court in the northwestern city of Peshawar on 30 April 2013 imposed a lifetime ban on former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting elections. It was the first time a court in Pakistan had declared a citizen ineligible from contesting elections for life. Musharraf returned in March 2013 after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest May 11 general election. The court observed that Musharraf abrogated the Constitution twice.

The first was when he carried out a coup to oust a democratically elected government.The second time when he declared emergency in 2007 and detained 60 judges. Musharraf had filed nominations from four constituencies namely Chitral, Karachi, Kasur and Islamabad.

PK Bansal and Ashwani Kumar

Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Union Law Minister of India Ashwani Kumar submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 10 May 2013. Railway Minister PK Bansal resigned from his office after a week’s time since his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested for his alleged involvement of bribery of 90 lakh rupees from the Railway Board Member, with a promise of promotion.
Ashwani Kumar the Union Law Minister submitted his resignation after being into attack by the opposition and the CBI affidavit submitted to Supreme Court for vetting up the CBI report in the Coal Block allocation scam.

Raja parvez Ashraf

The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf on 13 May 2013 was barred from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), of Pakistan from leaving the country over allegation of corruption in setting up the Rental Power Projects. His name has been placed on the Exit Control List.

The immigration authorities and airports of the country were ordered by FIA to ensure that none of the accused in the Power Project Scam case including Raja Parvez Ashraf leaves Pakistan. Earlier, the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan (anti-corruption agency) has decided to file a case over the Rental Power Projects after the 11 May 2013 polls. The charges against Ashraf dates back to his tenure as the Power Minister of Pakistan.

BOOKS

Understanding Bhagat Singh

Understanding Bhagat Singh a book by Prof. Chamanlal was released in the on 3 May 2013. Professor Randhir Singh, Eminent Thinker released the book at School of Social Sciences (SSS- I) Auditorium, JNU in New Delhi. There exist more than 400 votes on the martyr, Bhagat Singh who lived for just 23 years on this earth. The book Understanding Bhagat Singh has tried to explain the soul or spirit of Bhagat Singh like his principle of achieving objectives with dignity, honesty and fearlessness. Chamanlal is an Indian author and scholar, who is a professor in Hindi translation at centre of Indian languages of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. S. K. Sopory and Sheila Bhallan, JNU economics professor were the Guest of honor on the occasion of the book release.

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia was released in April 2013. The book is written by a Pakistani writer, Mohsin Hamid. His other books include Moth Smoke (2000) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007). The book is a tale of the man who takes his journey from a poor rural boy to the corporate magnate. The book takes the outline from the self-help business books which are read by youth all across the rising Asia. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a tale of contemporary life amidst crushing upheaval. The book brings out characters that develop a sense of intimacy amidst shattering changes. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia in published in various languages in different countries. These languages include Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Malayalam, Marathi, Russian, Spanish and many more. Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke reached to the final stage of PEN/Hemingway Award, which is given to best first novel in the US. His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, became an international bestseller and was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize. This book won various awards which included Anisfield-Wolf Book Award as well as the Asian American Literary Award.

An Ardent Patriot

Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India on 30 April 2013 released a book titled An Ardent Patriot – Dinesh Goswami, compiled and edited by Kumar Deepak Das, Member of Parliament. The book is compilation of Parliamentary Speeches of veteran parliamentarian from Assam- Dinesh Goswami. The book comprises of the Parliamentary speeches made by him in the Parliament during his tenure of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha from 1971 to 1990. Dinesh Goswami was an eminent political leader from Assam who was a distinguished parliamentarian. Apart from this, he was also a reputed legal luminary, a skilled orator and an ardent champion of public service. His work includes that as the Chairman of the Committee on Electoral reforms in 1990, popularly called the Dinesh Goswami Committee. The Dinesh Goswami Committee played a key role in relevant recommendations on reforms of our electoral system which remain valid even today.

Inferno

Inferno a novel written by Dan Brown in the third week of May 2013 came into attack by the Philippines authorities for its portrayal of Manila as - the gates of hell. In the novel Inferno, Brown has included a character a doctor, who describes Manila as a city of horrible traffic jams, poverty, child sex-trade and crime.

In Inferno, the character described by Dan Brown states I’ve run through the gates of hell about her experiences in Manila. Francis Tolentino, the Chairperson of the metropolitan Manila wrote a letter to Dan Brown and its publishers showcasing his disappointment regarding the inaccurate portrayal of the capital city and defining it for the terrible description of poverty and pollution. Dan Brown is the writer of the famous novel, Da Vinci Code, the book, whose film adaptation was banned from screening in Manila City in 2006 by stating it as an offensive act against Catholic Church.

About Dan Brown

Dan Brown is the author of number one bestselling novels like Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. Da vinci Code was a novel that created a huge debate among the readers and scholars and renewed the interest of people in Leonardo da Vinci and the early history of Christianity. His novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print. In 2005, Time Magazine named him among one of the top 100 most influential people in the world.

Fida-e-Lucknow

The Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari released a book entitled Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the city and its people on 1 May 2013. The book is authored by Parveen Talha, former Member UPSC. It is important to note that a lot of authors as well as poets have also penned down about Lucknow and its culture. Cultural civilization grew in the city because of its rich tradition and specialty.
Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the city and its people is the collection of 22 short stories. It peeps into the flavours and textures of life in Lucknow. The book takes its readers through the history of its Ganga-Jamuni culture and the changes which came over the city and its people in the post-Independence period. The book also describes about the story of Lucknow’s women.

A Leaf Turns Yellow: the Sufis of Awadh

Hamid Ansari, the Vice-President of India on 26 April 2013 released a book entitled A Leaf turns Yellow: the Sufis of Awadh edited by filmmaker and social worker Muzaffar Ali in New Delhi. The book depicts the cultural history of the Awadh in totality and highlights the rural culture of Noth India especially the Awadh in its composite form. The book is researched well and is a thorough account of the Sufism in (erstwhile) Awadh. It has introduced the history, traditions, sub-cultures, poetry and institutions of Awadh. Every Chapter of the Book is in the form of essay and revolves round the expressive traditions and socials backgrounds that are responsible for the way of living and unique thinking in the people of the region.

VARIOUS

National Testing Agency (NTA)

The HRD Ministry on 31 May 2013 decided to set up a seven member Task Force under the Chairmanship of Sanjay Dhande. It will have the representatives from CBSE, UGC, NCERT, AICTE and from the Ministry. It will prepare a blue print for creating a special purpose vehicle to take the concept of National Testing Agency (NTA) forward. The rationale for setting up the NTA lies in ensuring that multiplicity of entrance examination leading to stress on the students is addressed in a comprehensive manner by formulating a uniform entrance examination for admissions in different branches of higher learning. The decision for setting up the National Testing Agency was taken in the meeting of Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE) which was held on 2nd April 2013. In the meeting it was decided that the proposal to set up National Testing Agency shall be taken forward in consultation with all stakeholders.

Bichitra Tagore Variorum Website

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee launched the Bichitra Tagore Variorum Website on 5 May 2013 at a function at Jadhavpur University, Kolkata. Bichitra would convey the message of Tagore’s art and thought across the world.

In fact, Tagore’s works are a treasure which speaks of humanity’s eternal message. By making Tagore‘s works available to all Bichitra will remind us the high moral standards he set for us. Let us reset our moral compass.
US Senate confirmed Srinivasan as top US Court Judge to the District of Columbia Circuit

The US Senate on 23 May 2013 approved Srikanth Srinivasan was as the most senior US Judge of the South Asian descent to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The unanimous approval of Srinivasan gave birth to speculations that one day he may be tapped for the Supreme Court. Srinivasan born in Chandigarh, India and raised in Kansas is the first justice who has been confirmed to the Washington court since 2006 a year after Chief Justice John Roberts’ elevation created a vacancy. The senate confirmed his name to fill the vacancy created seven years ago by 97 votes in his favour.

About Srikanth Srinivasan

• He is the Principle Deputy Solicitor General and defends the policies of US President Barack Obama before the Supreme Court

• Earlier he has also worked under the former President, George W. Bush

• He is a proud recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003

• He also won Office of the Secretary of Defence Award for Excellence in 2005

• He is described as a trailblazer by the US President, Obama

• He is the first India-American to be appointed to the top American Court

• His nomination to the post for the first time was made by President, Barack Obama in June 2012, which was returned back to him on 2 January 2013 due to sine die adjournment of the senate. Obama re-nominated Srinivasan for the same position on 3 January 2013

• In 1989, he received his BA with honours from Stanford University and in 1995 received his Juris Doctor (JD) in 1995 from Stanford Law School. He was elected to Order of the Coif and further served as the editor of the Stanford Law Review

GoM to consider Functional Autonomy of CBI

The Union Cabinet of India on 14 May 2013 approved constitution of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to consider the matter relating to an appropriate law being made to provide for the independence of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and its functional autonomy. It has also been decided, with the approval of the Prime Minister that the composition of the GoM will be as under:

• P Chidambaram, Minister of Finance;

• Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs;

• Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Minister of Law and Justice;

• Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs; and

• V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The GoM will prepare the draft law and the draft affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court in the context of the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 120 of 2012, within three weeks. The GoM will be serviced by the Department of Personnel and Training.

Pilatus PC 7 MKII

The IAF’s premier Academy located at Dundigal, Hyderabad on 31 May 2013 inducted basic trainer aircraft Pilatus PC 7 MKII. The PC 7 MK II aircraft would be used for Basic Training of all pilots of the Indian Air Force, in addition to the pilots of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. Till now this role was performed by the reliable but ageing workhorse, the HJT-16 Kiran aircraft. A total of 75 aircraft have been contracted from Pilatus, Switzerland. The procurement of PC 7 MkII was approved by the government in May 2012 and the first batch of PC-7 Mk II arrived at the Academy in February this year as a part of accelerated induction plan.

The first batch of Flight Cadets would start their training on PC-7 MK II from July onwards.

Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission

The Union Cabinet of India on 16 May 2013 approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission. The objective behind this approval is to conserve and restore the heritage sites associated with the Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.

Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission will be assigned with the identification, collation and assessment of the information on Gandhi Heritage material, its management and deployment.

The mission will also be responsible for identifying the conservation methodology as well as the priorities for documents and objects, with its point of view of archival storage and museology and for physical structures and sites, as also guidelines for their subsequent maintenance.

The mission will disseminate the information that is based on relevant material for identification, collation and assessment and conservation would be through a web based portal, audio/visual (like digital prints and CDs), publications. It will also communicate through core sites and specify the function, use and significance of the site, wherever necessary.

The mission will also preserve the 2000 important sites identified by the panel that was chaired by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex-Governor of West Bengal along with the other 39 core sites.

Moska Najib

Afghan Women, Moska Najib is among the 25 shortlisted for one of the best jobs of the world – in the Australia’s ‘Best Job in the World competition. The 29 year old Moska Najib is a documentary film maker and photographer by profession.

The Delhi based Moska is the only Afghan to beat 6 lakh applicants in the race and if she wins the race by gaining the job, she will earn 100000 Australian dollars in six months.

Yuichiro Miura

Yuichiro Miura, the 80-year old mountaineer from Japan reached Mount Everest’s summit on 23 May 2013. With this, he became the oldest man to climb the highest mountain peak of the world. Yuichiro Miura climbed the Everest at the age of 70 and 75 as well. As the oldest man to climb Mount Everest, he replaced Nepal’s Min Bahadur Sherchan who climbed the Everest at the age of 76 years in 2008. It is important to note that Min Bahadur Sherchan will again attempt climbing Mount Everest in the last week of May 2013, at the age of 81 years. Yuichiro Miura reached the height of 29035 foot (8850-meter). He climbed the Everest with three more Japanese climbers, which included his son and six Nepalis Sherpas.

Thanjavur

Defence Ministry on 27 May 2013 inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base at Thanjavur in southern India. Su-30MKI combat aircraft will be stationed here.Thanjavur airbase can be another strategically important airbase of the Indian Air Force. IAF can protect vast area of interests by stationing frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi at Thanjavur. The setting up of the premier fighter base is important because of current geo-political scenario and threat perception in the Indian peninsula and in the Indian Ocean.

Rashtriya Smriti

The Union Cabinet gave approval for setting up Rashtriya Smriti to perform the last rites of the departed national leaders. The Union Cabinet of India, on 16 May 2013 gave approval for setting up Rashtriya Smriti at the Samadhis Complex near Ekta Sthal in New Delhi.

The Rashtriya Smriti is established to perform the last rites of the departed national leaders. The national leaders include Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers and such other leaders which will be decided by the Cabinet. It is important to note that previously, separate memorials for the national leaders were created near the Rajghat which consumed a lot of space. Therefore, the Cabinet decided that no new Samadhi would be developed for departed national leaders anymore and that the Rashtriya Smriti would be used for performance of last rites of these leaders. The Smriti area will also provide for the space for last rites apart from space for the public gathering.

New Delhi

At the number 2 position was Singapore. Pattaya was at number fourth position while Hong Kong followed it with 5th rank. Phuket was at the 7th position and Kuala Lumper remained at 9th position. New York and Las Vegas were at 8th and 10th positions respectively. London remained at 6th position and Dubai grabbed the 3rd position.

Hotel Price Index (HPI) report of 2012 by Hotels.com revealed that the metro cities of India remain at the top most positions in the list of top 10 favourite Indian destinations for the international travellers. The national capital of India, New Delhi ranked first followed by Mumbai.

The third most favourite destination for the international travellers was the beach capital of India, Goa. Other favourite destinations included south Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai which ranked fourth and fifth respectively. At the sixth position was Pink City of Jaipur.

In terms of Indians planning the trips abroad, the destination that dominated the top 10 favourite spots in the list were South East Asian destinations. The most preferred destination for the Indian travellers was Bangkok because of great value rates.

Zhongxing-11

China, on 2 May 2013, successfully launched a communications satellite called Zhongxing-11 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan province. The satellite was launched into its present orbit from Long March-3B rocket. This marked the 176th launch of Long March series of rockets of China.

About Zhongxing-11

• Zhongxing-11 has the lift-off mass of approximately 5000 kg as well as mmedia for clients, Direct-to-Home as well as data transmission for the Asia-Pacific region.

A New Variety of Mango, Nirbhaya

A new variety of mango, harvested at Uttar Pradesh’s famous mango centre Malihabad, was named Nirbhaya after the 23-year-old Delhi girl who was brutally gang-raped on 16 December 2012 and died of her injuries two weeks later. The new variety is a way of honouring the bravery and spirit of the young physiotherapist, whose rape and death galvanized the entire nation.

Arunima Sinha

Arunima Sinha, became the first Indian amputee to conquer Mount Everest on 21 may 2013. 25-year-old Arunima Sinha is former national level volleyball player and had lost one of her legs after being thrown off a moving train of Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by some criminals, when she was travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on 12 April 2011. She scaled the 8848 metre-high summit of the world’s highest peak at 10.55 a.m. as IST on 21 May 2013.

About Arunima Sinha

• She was hospitalised with serious leg and pelvic injuries and in a proposition to save her life, doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee.

• Arunima successfully scaled the 6622-metre-high Mount Chhamser Kangri of Ladakh in year 2012 .

• Arunima started training at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) camp in Uttarkashi last year under the guidance of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to conquer Mt Everest.

BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

India on 22 May 2013 successfully test fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Navy’s latest guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the coast of Goa. The missile performed the high-level ‘C’ manoeuvre in the pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target. Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg. India is readying several different versions of the missile which includes land attack, anti-ship and submarine- launched versions.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City suburbs, US: 91 people, including 20 children were killed because of huge tornado that went through Oklahoma City suburbs in US on 20 May 2013. The worst affected area was Moore, situated towards the south of Oklahoma. The tornado travelled with the speed of 200 mph or 320 kmph.

Apart from 91 killed, 120 are seriously injured. The President of US, Barack Obama declared the Oklahoma tornado as the major disaster. Tornadoes, high winds as well as hail storms hit Kansas as well.

What is a Tornado?

Tornado is the rotating column of air which is in contact with the earth as well as cumulonimbus cloud, at the same time. They are also called cyclones or twisters. The tornado is encircled by the cloud of dust and debris. Most of the tornadoes travel with a speed of less than 110 miles per hour and are around 250 feet across. Before dissipating, they travel to several kilometres.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan and Himalayan National Park

Rajasthan and Great Himalayan National Park: India nominated cluster of six hill forts in Rajasthan as well as Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh for World Heritage Sites for 2013. The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee will be held in Phnom Penh in Cambodia in June 2013 and conferring the status of World Heritage Sites on these places will be decided in this meeting.

Hill forts of Rajasthan

Hill forts at six places Amber, Chittorgarh, Gagron, Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore are showcase of the military architecture of Rajput, which are seen in memorials, temples as well as palaces. These forts were built between 13th and 19th century and they are absolutely unique in the region.

The Great Himalayan National Park

The Great Himalayan National Park is spread over 75400 hectares and is situated in western part of the Himalayan Mountains in Kullu District. This rich in biodiversity site is one of the most scenic places of India. It nests 25 forest types and supports 805 different varieties of plants.

It also hosts 31 mammal species and 209 kinds of birds. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) evaluates cultural properties for UNESCO. These sites were inspected by ICOMOS in 2012 and final recommendation will be given by 17 May 2013. Overall, India has 29 World Heritage Sites; out of which 23 are cultural 6 are natural properties.

3-Man Probe Panel to probe IPL Betting

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 29 May 2013 constituted a three-man inquiry commission to probe the allegations against Gurunath Meiyappan and the three Rajasthan Royals players, who were arrested on charges of betting in the IPL-6 matches.

The Commission will be initiating the adjudication proceedings at the earliest. The committee consisting of Former Judge of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu High Courts Justice T. Jayaram Chouta, Former Judge of the Tamil Nadu High Court Justice R Balasubramanian, and Secretary of BCCI Sanjay Jagdale. They will probe charges against M Gurunath, former Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings, as well as the three Rajasthan Royals cricketers who were arrested for alleged spot-fixing. The committee will also probe India Cements Ltd. the owner of the Chennai Super Kings Franchise and Jaipur IPL Pvt. Ltd. the owner of the Rajasthan Royals Franchise.

Abhinav

ochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on 28 May 2013 launched its third Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) which is built for the Indian Coast Guard. The vessel was launched by Nina Paul Antony, the Chairman of Cochin Port Trust.

This vessel was named Abhinav.

About the Fast Patrol Vessel

• The Fast Patrol Vessel was named Abhinav.

• The Fast Patrol Vessel weighs 120 tons and was placed on the specially designed cradles at the dock head which was hoisted by the gantry crane.

• This vessel is third in series of 20 numbers FPVs contracted by CSL.

• The primary objective of the vessel is monitoring, fisheries protection as well as patrolling within within exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Also, the objective of this vessel is coastal patrolling and involvement in patrolling for anti smuggling, search and rescue operations and for anti piracy operations.

• The secondary role of the vessel is to provide communication link as well as escort convoys during the war time as well as hostilities.

• The three Fast Patrol Vessels are small in size but they are technologically challenged and complex.

• These ships are propelled by water jets in order to achieve the speed of 33 knots.

• Cochin Shipyard developed certain special techniques in order to make sure of the high quality welding as well as fabrication of Aluminium structures.

At present, the Cochin Shipyard has 25 ships on the order which consists of 20 Fast Patrol Vessels, 3 Offshore Support ships for Indian and foreign owners, one Prestigious Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy as well as 1 Buoy Tender vessel for the Department of Lighthouses and Lightships.

Nunshi and Tashi Malik

Nunshi and Tashi Malik, two 21-year old Indians from Dehrahdun became first twins to scale Mount Everest on 19 May 2013. They were among 135 other people, who reached the top of the Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain of the world at 8848 meter above sea level. It is interesting to note that these twins reached the top of Mount Everest with two sherpas, who were also twins. Both these twin sisters were staying on mountains in that region in order to get acquainted with the atmosphere. Along with them, 11-member joint Indian and Nepal army expedition reached that summit too. In 2012, 62 Indians had attempted to scale Mount Everest, with 45 being successful.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, Japan: International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) approved Japan’s Mount Fuji to be declared as the UNESCO World Heritage site. Mount Fuji is the snow-topped volcano in Japan. Formal decision would be taken about its declaration as the world heritage site when the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO will meet in Cambodia in June 2013.

Japan’s Mount Fuji is located at 12460 feet and is the highest mountain of Japan. The volcano that erupted around a little more than 300 years ago is situated to south-west of Tokyo. It is visible from Tokyo easily. Mount Fuji is also featured in the historic art work of Japan, which also includes wood blocks prints. It is also said to be a part of traditional Three Holy Mountains, apart from Mount Haku and Mount Tate, both of which lie in Central Japan.

International Council on Monuments and Sites

• International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) approved Mount Fuji an appropriate site for registration.

• ICOMOS evaluates the cultural properties which are nominated to World Heritage List. It is also responsible for submission of the recommendation to UNESCO’s annual meetings.

At present, there are 16 World Heritage listed Sites in Japan, out of which 12 are cultural and four natural. Recent additions to this list were Buddhism-linked gardens and temples of Hiraizumi, which were recognised as World Heritage Site in 2011.

National Defence University

The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 23 May 2013 laid the foundation stone of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola, Gurgaon. The university is going to be an autonomous institution of national importance.

The Defence University came up following the recommendation of the Review Committee constituted after the Kargil Conflict by the Government for the establishment of a University that deals exclusively with defence and strategic matters. The review committee was headed by eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam.

Aim of INDU

• INDU aims to provide knowledge based higher education for management of the defence of India to the military leadership and other concerned civilian officials. It will also keep them abreast of the emerging security challenges via scholarly Research and Training

• It will develop and propagate higher education in Defence Studies like Defence Management, Defence Science and Technology. It will also promote the policy with its orientation towards, research related to National Defence.

• It will prepare officers for high level leadership as well as staff and policy responsibilities

• The think tanks of the University will be responsible for providing inputs for Policy Formulations

• It will focus on higher education in defence studies, defence management and defence science and technology

• The university will offer post graduate studies and doctoral / post doctoral research

Constituent Colleges and Institutions of INDU

• National College of Defence Studies (NCDS)

• Indian Institute of Defence Technology (IIDT)

• Indian Institute of Defence Management (IIDM)

• Defence Institute of Distance and Open Learning (DIDOL)

Institutes and Colleges of Indian armed forces that will be affiliated through INDU

• National Defe nce College (NDC) New Delhi

• Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) Wellington

• College of Defence Management (CDM) Secunderabad

• National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla

The University will be instituted by the Act of the Parliament and President of Indian Union will be a visitor to it and Defence Minister will be the Chancellor. INDU will be governed as per its own norms and will be responsible to promote coordination and interaction between Institutions of Armed Forces or establishments of the country. It will give opportunity of higher studies through distance learning to both military and civilian personnel. It will also give affiliation to defence training institutions to award degrees. The Institute will be headed by its President (who will be a three star serving General / equivalent officer with C-in-C status on appointment) and the Vice-President will be a civilian. The University is being planned on the lines of IIT/IIMs.The students of the University will constitute 66 percent students from armed forces and remaining 33 percent would be drawn from other government agencies, police and civilian. The teaching faculty will comprise of both military personnel and civilians in the ratio of 1:1.

Samina Baig

Samina Baig on 19 May 2013 became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest. She did this along with Nunshi and Tashi Malik, the first Indian twin sisters to scale the Everest. After reaching to the top of Everest, all three women hoisted Indian and Pakistani flags along side, depicting a message of collaborative action, friendship and peace. The Nepal Mountaineering Department officials confirmed the feat, while at the same time, also explaining that 35 foreigners along with 29 Nepalese Sherpa guides scaled the Everest after climbing from highest camp on South Col, which is the pass between Mt. Everest and another neighbouring mountain.

Seljuk Minaret

Seljuk minaret in The Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria: Seljuk minaret in The Great Mosque of Aleppo, which was constructed in 1090, was destroyed in Syrian protests on 24 April 2013. The Great Mosque of Aleppo, also known as Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo is largest and also one of the oldest mosques of Aleppo, Syria. This mosque is located in al-Jalloum district of Ancient Aleppo and has also been declared as the World Heritage Site. This mosque was constructed in 8th century but the present building dates back to 13th century apart from the destroyed minaret that was constructed in 1090. It is believed that the mosque is home of remains of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

The activists of President Bashar al-Assad regime and the anti-government activists blamed each other for the destruction of the minaret. It is important to note that this was the second in one week that historic mosque has been damaged seriously.

In the protests ongoing in Syria, five out of six World Heritage sites of Syria have already been damaged, according to the UNESCO. Earlier, the protestors broke into the best-preserved Crac des Chevaliers, ruins in the ancient city of Palmyra and Crusader castles of the world. Antique furnishings as well as intricate sculpted colonnades were burnt. Apart from this, the Islamic relics were also ransacked. Also, the looters took away the box that is said to encompass the strand of Prophet Muhammad’s hair. The cultural agency of the United Nations- UNESCO warned Syria that civil war was posing threat to rich cultural heritage of the country.