Current Affairs - July - Guide4BankExams

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Pakistan decides to reopen NATO supply lines Pakistan decided to reopen the NATO supply lines running through its territory into Afghanistan after U.S (on 3rd July). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was ''sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistan military'' in the Salala attack of November 26. This announcement was made by Ms. Clinton from Washington on Tuesday night (Pakistan time) even as the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) was in session to discuss reopening the supply lines. She said Pakistan would continue to allow transit facilities to NATO supplies free of cost. Pakistan made the announcement well over an hour after the State Department released details of a telephonic conversation that Ms. Clinton had with her Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar. Briefing journalists, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the decision nailed the canard that was being spread of
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British Government bans Indian Mjuahideen (IM) The British government banned the Indian Mujahideen (IM) describing it as a threat to national security and citing its alleged involvement in several terror attacks, including the Mumbai bombings (on 5th July 2012). The ban, which followed a unanimous vote in the House of Commons, came as five men and a woman were arrested in London in a counter-terror swoop ahead of the Olympic Games. Police said the arrests though ''significant'' were not linked to any imminent attack. Those arrested - three brothers and a married couple - were aged between 18 and 30. The BBC said some were British nationals. Announcing the ban, Home Office Minister James Brokenshire said that there was evidence that the IM had been ''engaged in indiscriminate mass casualty attacks in India.''
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UNHRC's Resolution on Online Human Rights United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Geneva based human rights wing of UN, adopted a first ever resolution to protect the online human rights of global citizens (5th July 2012). The resolution adopted by consensus, stated that citizens of the world are as much entitled to the human rights online as they are offline. The resolution noted that there can be no double standard with regard to people's right of fundamental freedom and since internet makes a major part of present world's communication process, all governments must endeavour to protect the online rights of its citizens. The landmark resolution was sponsored by Sweden and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, that includes United States, Brazil, Turkey, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
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InternatIonal EvEnts

Pakistan holding out on the issue primarily to get a big fee from NATO for using the Ground Lines of Communication (supply lines).
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U.S. imposes more sanctions on Iran The United States unleashed a fresh wave of sanctions against Iran, ratcheting up pressure on Tehran to take seriously concerns about its suspected nuclear weapons programme (on 12th July 2012). The actions impose additional sanctions on Iran's ''nuclear and ballistic missile proliferation networks'' and identifies Iranian ''front companies and banks,'' the Treasury
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Asean summit ends in failure Days of heated diplomacy ended in failure as splits over territorial disputes with China prevented Southeast Asian nations from issuing their customary joint statement at a summit on 13th July. Foreign Ministers from the 10-member Asean bloc have this week tried to hammer out a final communique in Cambodia, which has held up progress on a draft code of conduct aimed at soothing tension in the flashpoint South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the resource-rich sea, which is home to vital shipping lanes, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, among others, have competing claims in the area.
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United Nations Millenium Development Goal 2012 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon released United Nations Millenium Development Goal 2012. Report on 2 July 2012. The report noted that three important targets on poverty, slums and water have already been met three years ahead of 2015, the target year. On the front of poverty, the report stated that for the first time since poverty trends began to be monitored, both the number of people living in extreme poverty and the poverty rates have fallen in every developing regionincluding sub-Saharan Africa, where rates are highest. Preliminary estimates indicate that in 2010, the share of people living on less than a 1.25 dollar a day dropped to less than half of its 1990 value. The target of providing clean drinking water to a substantial population of the world also saw a considerable achievement as the proportion of people using improved water sources rose from 76 per cent in 1990 to 89 per cent in 2010, which means more than two billion people across the world today have the access to sources of clean drinking water. In developing world the share of urban population living in slums came down to 33 per cent in 2000 from 39 per cent in 2000. The millennium development goal asserted that the developing countries have also marked considerable achievements in education as many more of the world's children are enrolled in school at the primary level, especially since 2000. Girls have benefited the most. On the front of AIDS control, the developing countries have achieved tremendous fate as at the end of 2012 nearly 6.5 million people in the developing countries were receiving the antiretroviral therapy for HIV AIDS.
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Department said.''The Treasury and State Department actions target more than 50 entities tied to Iran's procurement, petroleum, and shipping networks,'' said the Treasury.David Cohen, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the moves take ''direct aim at disrupting Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs as well as its deceptive efforts to use front companies to sell and move its oil'' The increasing pressure is designed ''to convince Iran to engage seriously and address the international community's concerns about its nuclear programme.''
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Tokyo's 16 Billion Dollar Aid to Afghanistan Tokyo Conference pledged to provide 16 Billion Dollar Aid to Afghanistan Hoping to stabilise Afghanistan's future after the foreign troops' exit, international donors on 8 July met in Tokyo and pledged to shell out USD 16 billion in Afghan aid. Informal sources said, the money will come with conditions to ensure it doesn't fall victim to rampant Afghan corruption and mismanagement.The Tokyo donors conference to discuss aid for Afghanistan beyond 2014, was attended by representatives from about 80 countries and international aid organizations, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. A follow-up meeting is to be held in Britain in 2014. Though the US didn't mention any exact moneatry figure for their expected aid, but an American official traveling with Hillary Rodham Clinton had spoken ahead of the event, on condition of anonymity, and said USD 4 billion per year would be promised from 2012 through 2015. Japan, the second-largest donor, says it will provide up to USD 3 billion through 2016. Germany has announced it will keep its contribution to rebuilding and development at its current level of USD 536 million a year, at least until 2016. The Asian Development Bank announced it is providing USD 1.2 billion through 2016.
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14 Years Imprisonment to Thomas Lubanga International Criminal Court (ICC), located at The Hague has awarded Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord, 14-year imprisonment on 10 July 2012. Judges at the ICC found Thomas Lubanga guilty of recruiting and using children in his Union of Congolese Patriots militia. Lubanga had led the Union of Congolese Patriots, an ethnic militia in the violent struggle in the Ituri region and its main town of Bunia. The conflict, which began in 1999, claimed the life of about 60000 people in the country.Lubanga, who had used children as the soldiers during the violent struggle in Congo's eastern Ituri region in 20022003 was convicted for war crime. He is the first person to be convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since it was established in 2002. He was arrested by UN peacekeepers, in March 2005.
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New HIV infections declined among children UNAIDS Report 2012 released on 18 July 2012, states that, new HIV infections among children are declining at a steady rate. The report noted that about 330000 children were newly infected in 2011, which indicated a 24 percent drop in the new HIV case among children since 2009. Report asserted that nearly 60 percent of the 1.5 million pregnant women living with HIV in poor countries received effective anti-AIDS medications last year, which lowered the chances of passing on the virus to their babies. As per the report about 34.2 million people worldwide were living with the AIDS virus at the end of 2011. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is an innovative partnership that leads and inspires the world in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. UNAIDS came into existence in 1994, has its headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland. Michel Sidibe is the Executive Chairman of UNAIDS. India bans US-sanctioned Iranian ships to enter its water India has prohibited US-sanctioned Iranian ships from entering its water as it is hampering crude oil imports from Iran. In early July, the government had allowed crude oil import from Iran in ships arranged by Tehran after European sanctions evaporated insurance cover to domestic shippers. However, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and other state refiners are allowed to import oil from Iran on cost, insurance and freight (CIF ) basis -- wherein Tehran was to arrange for ships and insurance. We were to import four tankers or cargoes of about 90,000 tonne each from Iran in July. But we could only get one as the CIF approval was withdrawn, MRPL Managing Director PP Upadhya. US has sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Co and its 58 vessels -- some of which have been reflagged in other nations to put off international sanctions.
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Egypt's New Prime Minister Egypts President Mohamed Morsi elected fifty year old Hisham Kandil as the countrys Prime Minister. Mohamed Morsi who became the fifth President of the Republic of Egypt on 24 June 2012, is the first to have been freely elected in the country.
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Suu Kyi's first parliament speech Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi used her first speech in Parliament on 25th July, to call for laws protecting the rights of the country's ethnic minorities. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy crusader won her first seat in Myanmar's Parliament in a historic April by-election that was seen as a key step in the country's transformation from military rule to fledgling democracy. Suu Kyi stood from her seat toward the back of Myanmar's Parliament to call for an end to discrimination against ethnic minorities as part of the "emergence of a genuine democratic country." "Based on the spirit of equality, mutual respect and understanding," she said, "I would like to urge all lawmakers to enact necessary laws or amend laws to protect the rights of ethnic nationalities." Suu Kyi's comments came in support of a motion by a ruling-party lawmaker from the ethnic Shan state on upholding ethnic minority rights. She referred to soaring poverty rates in Chin, Kachin, Shan and Rakhine states, noting that protecting minority rights required more than just maintaining ethnic languages and cultures. "The high poverty rates in ethnic states clearly indicate that development in ethnic regions is not satisfactory - and ethnic conflicts in these regions have not ceased," she said during her brief speech. Suu Kyi did not mention last month's communal violence in western Myanmar between Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas that left at least 78 people dead and prompted a government crackdown in the region. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has faced rare criticism from rights groups for not offering stronger support for the Rohingya, who are considered by most in Myanmar to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are not one of the recognised ethnic groups of Myanmar. 19th International AIDS Conference in US US hosts 19th International AIDS Conference: The world's largest meeting on HIV/AIDS opened on 22nd July in Washington with calls to speed up the global response to the three-decade-long epidemic that killed 1.5 million people last year. The 19th International AIDS Conference drew around 25,000 people, including politicians, scientists and activists, as well as some of the estimated 34 million people living with HIV who will tell their stories. Among them is the only man who has achieved a functional cure of HIV though a bone marrow transplant, American Timothy Brown, who is scheduled to appeal for a fresh push toward a cure during the six-day conference that runs until July 27. Other high-profile appearances include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former president Bill Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush, singer Elton John, philanthropist Bill Gates and actress Whoopi Goldberg.
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Revolt in Madagascar A group of mutinous soldiers in Madagascar took over a military camp near the Indian Ocean Islands main airport on 22 July, and shot an army officer sent in to negotiate their surrender, the Defence Ministry said. Government soldiers surrounded the base and launched an attack on the mutineers by Sunday afternoon after attempts to negotiate failed, the military said. It was not immediately clear how many mutinous soldiers were holed up inside the base. The Defence Ministry said the mutiny is led by a bodyguard of former Defence Minister Noel Rakotonandrasana, who was jailed after taking part in a 2010 mutiny.
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China's 20 Billion Dollar Loan to Africa In a move aimed at strengthening its economic ties with the African continent, China pledged to give 20 billion dollar loan to African countries over the next three years. The announcement about the credit line was made by the Chinese President Hu Jin Tao at the opening session of the fifth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing on 19 July 2012. China had pledged 10 billion dollar loans at the previous China-Africa summit in 2009. Chinese President while addressing the conference announced to increase Chinese assistance to Africa by building agricultural technology demonstration centres, training 30000 personnel and offering 18000 scholarships. To provide better medical amenities in the continent, China will also send 1500 medical staffs to the continent. Heads of state and representatives from 50 African countries attended the conference.
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Super rich have 20 trillion dollars in tax havens A news report by tax researchers estimates the amount of black money deposited by a 'global super-rich elite' in offshore accounts is as much as 13 trillion pounds (nearly 20 trillion dollars) equivalent of the combined GDP of the US and Japan. The report by Tax Justice Network released to The Observer is said to be the 'most detailed estimates yet of the size of the offshore economy'.
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Cidambaram is the New Charman of the EGOM on spectrum
Supreme Court quashes the FIR on Mayathi
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Supreme Court banns all commercial and tourism activities near the Jarawa habitat The Supreme Court of India on 3 July 2012 declared the area within a five-kilometre radius around the Jarawa Tribal Reserve in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as no go zone. The Apex Court banned all commercial and
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In a major relief to the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, the Supreme Court on 6th July, quashed a First Information Report registered against Mayawati by the CBI, alleging that she acquired assets disproportionate to the known sources of her income. A Bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and Dipak Misra said ''The impugned FIR is without jurisdiction and any investigation pursuant thereto is illegal. After reading all the orders of this Court, we are satisfied that this court, being the ultimate custodian of fundamental rights, did not issue any direction to the CBI to conduct a roving inquiry into the assets of the petitioner commencing from 1995 to 2003 even though the Taj Heritage Corridor Project was conceived only in July, 2002 and an amount of Rs. 17 crore was released in August/September 2002.'' Writing the judgment, Justice Sathasivam said: ''The method adopted by the CBI is unwarranted and without jurisdiction. We are also satisfied that the CBI has proceeded without a proper understanding of various orders passed by this court. We are also satisfied that there was no such direction relating to second FIR (relating to disproportionate assets), dated 05.10.2003.''
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The Union government on 6th July, appointed Home Minister P. Chidambaram the chairman of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on spectrum, which has a daunting task to accomplish in a matter of days. With this, Mr. Chidambaram has become the third chairman of the EGoM, replacing Sharad Pawar, who took the place of Pranab Mukherjee The most important part of the EGOMs work is to fix the reserve price for spectrum in the 2G auctions scheduled for August. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended a reserve price of Rs.18, 348 crore for 4.4 MHz of pan-India spectrum a quantum leap from Rs.1,658 crore at which the former Telecom Minister, A. Raja, allocated pan-India licences in 2008.
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NatioNal EvENts

tourism activities near the Jarawa habitat.The court's verdict came following a news report which showed some tourists throwing money, food and bananas at the tribal people. The news report had forced the government to order an inquiry.Jarawas are one of the oldest living indigenous people in the world. The tribe has their home in the forests of the Andaman Islands in India. The present number of Jarawa tribe is estimated to be about 250-400. Jarawas have been living in the forests of the Andaman Islands for past thousands of years.
Central Vigilance Commission of India has been chosen to lead a global task force In a first, the Central Vigilance Commission of India has been chosen to lead a global task force to promote international cooperation in enforcement and prevention of corruption offences. The objectives of the task force is to facilitate exchange of information about anticorruption organisations, systems, procedures and practices. It will also promote international cooperation in enforcement and prevention, define best practices and develop benchmarks and new approaches to tackle corruption in its various manifestations and assist in capacity building of anti-corruption authorities (ACAs). The decision to assign the role of heading the task force to CVC was taken recently by the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), an independent, non-political anti-corruption organisation. Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar had in April proposed creation of the task force and expressed interest in leading it during an executive committee meeting of IAACA in Tanzania which was attended by chiefs of anti-corruption watchdogs from various nations including India. Pranab Mukherjee, resigns as the Union Finance Minister
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Vetaran congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, resigned as the Union Finance Minister on 26 June 2012 as he is going to contest in the presidential elections.. He was appointed as the Union Finance Minister on 24 January 2009, during the UPA I government. Mukherjee was first appointed as the Finance minister of India during the Indira Gandhi government in 1982
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The Union Government of India on 4 July 2012 announced the 5.4 billion dollar free drug policy, which will benefit the country's 120 crore population .Under the new policy, every citizen of the country will be provided free medicines in all public health centres spreaded across the country. As the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare kept branded drugs out of this policy, the patients will be given only generic drugs. The policy which will remain effective over the next five years will provide a much needed support to nearly 40 percent people of the country, which spends 1.25 dollar or less a day on health.Now, india spends only about 1.2 percent of its annual GDP on health, making it a country with least spending on public health services.
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Government Announces 5.4 billion dollar free drug policy
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and he got his maiden annual budget presented in the Parliament in 1982-83.His first instance as the Union Minister started in 1973, when he was appointed the Union Deputy Minister for Industrial Development in the Indira Gandhi government. He was first elected to the Loksabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, in 2004 from Jangipur constituency in West Bengal and was made the leader of the house by the ruling coalition. Mukherjee served in various capacities under three different Prime Ministers including Indira Gandhi, PV Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.In a Parliamentary career spanning more than four decades, Mukherjee held various key positions such as the Union Minister of External Affairs and Union Minister of Defence in various Congress governments. As the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission during PV Narsimha Rao government from 24 June 1991 to 15 May 1996, he was instrumental in the growth of Indian economy in the post economic reform era.A key figure of the Congress led UPA government, Mukherjee was heading nearly a dozen Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on various crucial issues such as telecom, divestment, food security, water issues, gas pricing and large power projects, among others. His candidature for the Presidential Elections also made him to quit as the head of numerous EGoM.
India is the third most desirable destination for FDI As per the report from UNCTADWorld Investment Report 2012 released on 5 July , India is the third most desirable destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) .The report said, the two large emerging economies, China and India, saw inflows rise by nearly 8 per cent and by 31 per cent, respectively. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD) is an inter-governmental body that seeks to maximize trade, investment and development in developing nations. The UNCTAD report said that,in South Asia, FDI inflows have turned around after a slide in 20092010, reaching $39 billion, mainly as a result of rising inflows in India, which accounted for more than four fifths of the regions FDI. FDI outflows from India rose by 12 per cent to $15 billion in 2011. The UNCTAD report, however, shows that FDI inflows by multionational companies was third-highest in India, only behind China and the US. It also found that India remains the third highest prospective host economy for FDI by multionational companies from 2012-2014, only behind China and the US. Last year, the coalition United Progressive Alliance government approved 49 per cent FDI in retail but had to quickly dial back the development after political parties, including allies, protested.
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World Population Day was celebrated on 11 July 2012. It aims to make aware people about the increasing population in the country. The main theme of the year 2012 was Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services. Since 1987, the population day is being celebrated world wide.
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World Population Day
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Jagadish Shettar is the new CM of Karnataka Fifty-six year-old Lingayat leader from north Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar, was sworn-in as chief minister on 12th July, along with a full-fledged team of 33 ministers. This included two deputy chief ministers - Party State President K. S. Eshwarappa and former Home Minister R. Ashok. Mr. Shettar is the third chief minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party that came to power in 2008. He will have a short tenure of only about 10 months as the State Assembly's term ends in May 2013. While all the 21 ministers who were part of the previous dispensation have been continued in the new government, 12 new ministers have also been included. With this, the ministry has reached the maximum size of 34 members including the chief minister that has been allowed for Karnataka considering the numerical strength of its Assembly. This is the first time since the formation of the BJP government that all the ministerial berths have been filled up. Also, this is the first time that the state is having two deputy chief ministers though five other previous governments had single deputy chief ministers. The members of the Shettar ministry are: K. S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashok (Deputy Chief Ministers), Govind Karjol, Umesh Katti, C. M. Udasi, Suresh Kumar, Visveshwara Hegde Kageri, Shobha Karandlaje, Murugesh Nirani, B. N. Bachche Gowda, C. P. Yogeshwar, V. Somanna, M. P. Renukacharya, S. A. Ravindranath, S. A. Ramdas, Balachandra Jharkiholi, Anand Asnotikar, A. Narayanaswamy, Revunayak Belamagi, Varthur Prakash, Raju Gowda (who were part of the earlier dispensation); S. K. Bellubbi, C. T. Ravi, D. N. Jeevaraj, Sogadhu Shivanna, Arvind Limbavali, B. J. Puttaswamy, Appachchu Ranjan, Anand Singh, Kalakappa Bandi, Kota Srinivas Poojary and Sunil Valyapure. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Glass House in Raj Bhavan. Supreme Court upholds life term for Bihar ex-MP The Supreme Court on 10th July, upheld the conviction and life imprisonment of ex-MP Anand Mohan Singh in the 1994 murder case of Gopalganj District Magistrate G. Krishnaiah. A bench headed by Justice A.K. Patnaik dismissed the plea of Singh, a gangster-turned-politician from Bihar, who had approached the Supreme Court against his conviction and life imprisonment in the murder case. Singh, who was the leader of the then Bihar People's Party (BPP), was accused of inciting a mob accompanying the cortege of a BPP leader to lynch Krishnaiah on December 5, 1994. The BPP is now defunct.The officer was pulled out of a car, beaten up mercilessly and then shot dead. Singh, a former MP from Sheohar, was awarded death sentence under Sections 302 (murder) and 109 (abetment of offence) of the Indian Penal Code by Additional District and Sessions Judge R.S. Rai on October 3, 2007. However, the Patna High Court in its December 2008 verdict had commuted Singh's death penalty to life sentence, against which he had moved the Supreme Court.
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Pranab Mukherjee is the 13th President of India : Pranab Mukherjee was elected as the 13th President of India on 22 July 2012, by defeating his nearest rival PA Sangma with a huge margin as he secured nearly 69 percent of total valid votes. In an electoral college of 10.5 lakh, Pranab Mukherjee secured a vote value of 713763, while, PA Sangma managed to get only a vote value 315987. Returning Officer announced the victory of Pranab Mukherjee for the Presidential election VK Agnihotri. Pranab Mukherjee will be sworn in as the thirteenth President of India on 25 July 2012. The election is held through the system of proportional representation by means of the single - transferable vote by secret ballot. The 1971 census is currently under consideration. The candidate who gets 50 percent of votes is considered elected. Supreme Court looks into all disputes related to Presidential election. V V Giri is the only person who was elected as the President of the country as an independent candidate in 1969. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy was the only person to be elected to the office of President of India unopposed, as no other candidate filed nomination for the post of the President. He was elected to the office of President in July 1977. India recorded 3.8 Percent Unemployment Rate : According to the findings of unemployment survey conducted by the Labour Bureau of the Government of India, the country recorded 3.8 % unemployment rate in the year 2010-11. The earlier figure (2009-10) was 9.4 %. The survey was conducted in all 28 states and 7 Union Territories. The findings of the survey were released on 9 July 2012. As per the survey report, the official unemployment rate of the country was 3.8 %, with urban unemployment and rural unemployment stood at 5.1% and 3.5 % respectively. Women unemployment at 6.7 % stood significantly ahead of men unemployment rate at 2.8 %. The report stated that of those with a livelihood, the majority were self-employed or casual labour. While 48.6 % were self-employed, 31% were casual labor. Based on social stratum the rates of employment for the SC, ST, and OBC groups stood at 55.9 per cent, 59.7 %, and 53.3 % respectively, as compared to 48.5 % for the general category. The unemployment rate was found maximum in states such as Goa (16 %), Kerala (9 %) , while Gujarat (1 %) had the lowest number of unemployment rate. Cabinet OKs Bill to make laws on sexual assault more stringent: The Union Cabinet on 19th July, has approved introduction of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012, in Parliament seeking to widen the scope of sexual offence and replace the word 'rape' by the words 'sexual assault' to make the offence gender neutral. According to official spokesperson, the highlights of the Bill include substituting sections 375, 376, 376A and 376B by replacing the existing sections 375, 376, 376A, 376B, 376C and 376D of the Indian Penal Code,1860, replacing the word 'rape' wherever it occurs by the words 'sexual assault' to make the offence of sexual assault gender neutral. Cabinet extends tenure of M B Shah Commission of Inquiry : The Union Cabinet on 20th July, approved extension of the tenure by a year till July 16 2013 of Justice M B Shah Commission of Inquiry which was set up to look into cases of illegal mining. An additional expenditure of Rs.50 lakh will be incurred because of the extension. It
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will cover Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. The Justice M.B.Shah Commission of Inquiry was set up on November 22, 2011. It is based in Ahmadabad and was required to submit its report by July 16. Anti-Ragging Web Portal inaugurated
Ministry of Women and Child Development drafted the National Policy for Children 2012 The Ministry of Women and Child Development on 26 July 2012 drafted the National Policy for Children 2012. The revised draft policy reaffirms the government's commitment towards children and addresses new challenges, seeking to realize the full potential of childrens rights throughout the country. It defines a child as a person below eighteen years of age, and acknowledges the inalienable and inherent rights of the child and aims to realize the full range of child rights for all children in the country. The draft has stated that every child has a right to be safeguarded against hunger, deprivation and malnutrition. According to the draft policy, the state is bound to secure the rights and entitlement of children in difficult circumstances such as migration, displacement, disasters and communal violence. The first National Policy on Children was formulated in 1974. The first policy of 1974 described children as a supremely important asset and made the state responsible for providing equal opportunities for growth and development of all children. The policy primarily focused on health and education of the children. Supreme Court Modified Order on Rehabilitation of Sex Workers
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The Supreme Court of India on 26 July 2012 modified one of its order on welfare and rehabilitation of sex workers. A special bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and Gyan Sudha Misra modified its earlier order, saying, "the modification shall not be construed that by this order any encouragement is being given to prostitution." Modifying its earlier order, the bench clarified that it would only examine the conditions conducive for sex workers to work with dignity in
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Kapil Sibal, the Union Human Resource Minister inaugurated the Anti- Ragging Web Portal on 26 July 2012. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed the portal in collaboration with Ed.CIL (India) Ltd. and Planet E-Com Solutions. Rajendra Kachroo, father of Aman who lost his life to ragging at a medical college in Himachal Pradesh in 2009 has also contributed in the UGC managed portal. Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 8 May, 2009 ordered implementation of a ragging prevention programme comprising, setting up toll-free anti-ragging helpline /call centre, database of institutions/students, engaging an independent non-government agency.All calls that would be received by the Anti-ragging Helpline (18001805522) will be managed and followed up in a structured software system. Moreover, students can see the progress of their complaint any time on www.antiragging.in .
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accordance with provisions of Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The bench added that it was keen that sex workers should be given an opportunity to avail rehabilitation measures of the government and other agencies for them. While adjudicating a petition for rehabilitation of former sex workers, the Supreme Court had on July 19, 2011 had framed three terms of reference. Article 21 in the Constitution of India states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law
No tourism in core areas of tiger reserves
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Pranab Mukherjee elected 13th President of India: Pranab Mukherjee was elected as the 13th President of India on 22 July 2012. Pranab Mukherjee defeated his rival PA Sangma with a huge margin as he secured nearly 69 percent of total valid votes. In an electoral college of 10.5 lakh, Pranab Mukherjee secured a vote value of 713763, while, PA Sangma managed to get only a vote value 315987. Out of the total 748 MPs, Pranab got the support of 527 while his rival, PA Sangma got 206 votes in his favour. Fifteen votes including that of Samjwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were invalid. Of these, nine were to be in favour of Mukherjee while six
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SC Stepping in to conserve the Tiger, the Supreme Court today directed that there should be no tourism activity in any of the core zones of tiger reserves across the country. A bench of justices Swatanter Kumar and Ibrahim Kalifulla also warned of contempt proceedings and imposition of exemplary costs on states which failed to notify the buffer zones in their respective tiger reserves. The apex court was also furious that several states despite its earlier directions of April 4 and July 10 had failed to notify the buffer zones in their respective reserves and warned that if they failed to comply within three weeks the defaulting states shall be saddled with a cost of Rs 50,000 each, recoverable from the Principal Secretary, Forest of the state concerned. The apex court also imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 each on Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra and Jharkhand for not complying with its directions.
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Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director General Indian Coast Guard at Karaikal on 25 July 2012, commissioned Coast Guard Station Karaikal. Karaikal is the fifth coast guard station on the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu coastline. The station is part of ongoing efforts by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal security along the Indian coastline. The station at Karaikal will help augment patrolling along the east coast and prevent illicit activities such as infiltration, smuggling and illegal fishing. Coast Guard Station Karaikal will function under the administrative and operational control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (East) through the Commander Coast Guard District Headquarter- 5 located at Chennai. Commandant PR Lochen was appointed as the Commanding Officer of the station.
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Coast Guard Station Karaikal Commissioned on the Puducherry - Tamil Nadu Coastline
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for Sangma. Each MP has a vote value of 708. There are a total of 776 voters in both the Houses of Parliament. The Electoral College also consisted of 4120 MLAs in the states. Elections were held on 19 July 2012.
SBI waives minimum balance for savings accounts State Bank of India (SBI), to attract new customers, has done away with the minimum balance criteria for saving banks account. The bank will not levy any charge for breaching the minimum balance criteria. The facility is available to existing customers also, SBI said in an advertisement. For the normal SBI savings account with cheque book facility, a customer had to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.1,000 in his or her account failing which it attracts penalty. There are certain saving account products of the bank where the minimum monthly balance is as low as Rs.50. Depending on the features and facility, the minimum average monthly balance varies. The waiver would help the bank in improving the customer base, an official said, adding that it would also help the bank in generating low cost deposits as the savings bank account earned interest rate of just 4 per cent.
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According to the World Investment Report 2012 released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 5 July 2012, India emerged as the third most preferred Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination in the world. The first position was occupied by China followed by US. The report noted that FDI inflows to India had increased by 33 percent in 2011 to 31.6 billion dollar vis- -vis 24.2 billion dollar in 2010. The FDI, however, continue to be much less than that received by China (123.9 billion dollar). The report further observed that foreign investment in India escalated for the first time in three years in 2011, as global business majors reinstated their faith in Indias resilient economy and rapidly expanding middle-class. After receiving 43.4 billion dollar FDI inflows in 2008, which was also the highest received by India in a year the FDI inflow slipped to 35.5 billion dollar in 2009 and 24.2 billion dollar in 2010. Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, UK, Germany, Russia and Thailand were the other countries who made it to the list of top ten investment destinations in the world. The report, was released by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) chief economist Nagesh Kumar. UNCTAD conducted a survey of 179 top global business houses, where they were asked about their favourite destination for business investment.
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A new service tax regime, based on a negative list of exempted services, will come into effect all over the country on Ist July. With this, all services - except the 38 activities put on the negative list - will come under the tax at the increased rate of 12 per cent, as announced in the Union Budget. As of now, service tax is being levied on 119 services based on a positive list. The switch-over to a negative list-based approach is aimed at aligning the indirect taxation system to the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, which is sought to be introduced to unify the levies of the Centre and the States into a composite system. With the services sector now accounting for 60 per cent of the gross domestic product, the Finance Ministry has set a target of Rs.1.24 lakh crore for service tax collection during 2012-13. This is significantly higher than the Rs.97,000 crore mopped up during the previous fiscal.As per the negative list-based approach, services such as metered taxis, auto-rickshaws, betting, gambling, lottery, entry to amusement parks, transport of goods or passengers and transmission and distribution of electricity by distribution companies will not come under the service tax net. Other important services exempted from the levy are solemn activities such as funeral, burial, mutate services and transport of deceased. In the education sector, school and university courses, as also approved vocational studies, have been exempted. Likewise, auxiliary educational services and renting of immovable property by educational institutions in respect of education will not be taxed. However, coaching classes and training institutions will be taxed. Among the other services included in the negative list are those provided to government, local authorities or a government authority for repair and maintenance of an aircraft. Likewise, services provided by advocates to other advocates and business entities up to a turnover of Rs. 10 lakh in the preceding financial year will be exempt from the tax. Services provided by way of public convenience, such as bathroom, washroom, urinals or toilets, are included in the negative list, just as services relating to work contracts for a scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Rural Urban Renewal Mission or the Rajiv Awas Yojana.
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Euro finance ministers agree on Spain bank bailout . As part of the agreement with Spain, finance ministers from all 27 European Union countries are expected to approve a one-year extension, until 2014, of Spains deadline for achieving a budget deficit of 3 per cent. There will be specific conditions for specific banks, and the supervision of the financial sector overall will be strengthened, Mr. Juncker said. ''We are
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No Service Tax on remittences from abroad: Setting at rest concerns expressed in various quarters, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), on 10th July,, clarified that remittances from abroad would not attract service tax.
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convinced that this conditionality will succeed in addressing the remaining weakness in the Spanish banking sector''he said. Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said the agreement should be finalised soon. ''We have a tentative deal on the bailout conditions for a bailout of Spanish banks,'' Mr. de Jager said. ''The total will likely be 100 billion. Some countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Finland need to get parliamentary approval. We hope this can be wrapped up within a week.'' The exact amount of the bailout will likely not be known until September, when individual examinations of different Spanish banks have been completed. Mr. de Jager said Madrid's partners agree that ''financial sector reforms in Spain must be ruthlessly implemented. These reforms include, notably, a cap on salaries of bank executives and a ban on bonuses.'' ''There are still differences over this,'' he said. ''The details will be worked out by the end of the year.'' As part of the agreement with Spain, finance ministers from all 27 European Union countries are expected to approve a one-year extension, until 2014, of Spains deadline for achieving a budget deficit of 3 per cent.
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2G: EGoM recommends lower price for auction . The empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on telecommunications, headed by union home minister P Chidambaram , recommended to reduce the base price for 2G spectrum airwaves by 4000 crore rupees. The EGoM recommended the base price for 2G spectrum at 14000-16000 crore rupees against 18000 crore rupees suggested by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved 10.82 Per Cent Disinvestment in SAIL: The divestment will help the government to raise about 4000 crore rupees. The government holds 85.82 per cent stake in SAIL. In its annual budget 2012-13 the govt. has set the disinvestment target at 30000 crore rupees (300 billion rupees). On the issue of ownership, it made clear that at least 51 per cent ownership and management control of Central Public Sector Enterprises would remain with the Government.
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MCX-SX is now full-fledged Stock Exchange . The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) granted permission to MCX-SX to operate as a full-fledged stock exchange on 10 july, a development that will bring in more competition in markets.MCX Stock Exchange (MCXSX) was first granted recognition by SEBI in September 2008, but it was allowed to conduct trading only in the currency derivatives segment.With the approval, MCX-SX would be able to offer additional asset classes such as equity and equity F&O (Futures and Options), interest rate futures and wholesale debt segments.At present, Sebi has granted permanent recognition to eight stock exchanges in the country, but only two of them BSE and NSE are operating as active nationallevel bourses across the segments.MCX-SX and USE (United Stock Exchange) are present in the currency derivatives trade only.With Sebi's latest decision, MCX-SX is likely to become the third major national-level fullfledged stock exchange.
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(TRAI). The EGoM announced a cut in spectrum usage charges (which will be part of the operators revenues towards spectrum fee) from 8-10 percent recommended by Trai to between 3 percent and 6 percent. The EGoMs recommendations will now be sent to the Union Cabinet for its approval. The EGoM also approved the department of telecommunications (DoT) suggestion to defer the mode of payment for auction winners. Giving in to demand of telecom operators the DoT had suggested the EGoM that the auction winners should be allowed to pay 25-30 percent of the spectrum fee upfront and rest amount divided in 10 equal installments annually. 14 foreign FDI proposals approved: The finance ministry declared on 24 July 2012 that the government based on the recommendation of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board approved 14 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs 1584.11 crore. The FDI proposal which received government approval included 225-crore investment in the Indian operations of Asian equity research firm CLSA. Maharashtra based Abhijeet Powers proposal to invest Rs 674 crore for induction of foreign equity in an investing company to make downstream investment also received approval. The government also cleared the proposal of Pune-based Bajaj Finserv, which sought a nod for issue of equity shares to carry out NBFC activities directly and through subsidiaries. It proposed to bring in FDI worth Rs 100 crore.
SEBI tightened Eligibility & Exit Criteria for Stocks in Derivatives Segment The market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 23 July 2012 tightened eligibility and exit criteria for stocks in the derivatives segment by increasing the benchmark liquidity level for any scrip to be eligible for trading in the derivatives segments. By doing away with illiquid stocks, SEBI aims to check manipulation. According to the circular issued by SEBI, scrips with a minimum trading volume value of Rs 10 lakh and market wide position limit (MWPL) or market capitalisation of Rs 300 crore cannot be eligible for entry into the Future and Options (F&O) segment. Over 220 scrips trade in the F&O segment on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at present. Of these 220 scrips only 100 scrips will possibly meet the new eligibility
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Indias leading four-wheeler manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced to close down its factory at Manesar,located in Haryana on 21 July 2012. The companys move came after a scuffle between the workers and senior management of the company broke out at the factory site on 18 July 2012.The scuffle, which left many of the companys executivesinjured, broke out after the workers' demand of pay-parity was not accepted by the company.The plant had witnessed 5 workers strike in year 2011 itself. In October 2011 the company had witnessed a 14-day-long strike that ended on 21 October 2011, after the company gave in to the workers' demand to register a trade union.
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Maruti Suzuki India Ltd announced closing
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criteria set by the market regulator. The minimum Median Quarter Sigma Order Size, which indicates liquidity/order size in scrip, a requirement for introduction in derivatives segment was revised to Rs 10 lakh, from Rs 5 lakh at present. The MWPL, indicating the size of the company was also raised to Rs 300 crore, from Rs 100 crore. Scrips that fail to maintain a minimum MWPL requirement of Rs 200 crore would cease to be in the F&O segment. The earlier limit was set at Rs 60 crore. SEBI also tightened the minimum conditions for a stock to continue trading in the derivatives segment. As per the circular, a stock's MQSOS over the last six months ought to be more than Rs 5 lakh against Rs 2 lakh earlier for the stock to continue trading.
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UNESCO, the science and cultural body of UN, listed India's 1600-km long Western Ghats mountain in the world heritage sites on 1 June 2012. The Western Ghats mountain chain is globally renowned for its enormous biological diversity. The mountain's chain, which are older than the Himalaya, are widely responsible for the Indian monsoon weather pattern.The Western Ghats are also considered to be one of the world's eight hottest hotspots of biological diversity. A Soyuz space capsule carrying a three-man multinational crew touched down safely on the southern steppes of Kazakhstan on 30th June, bringing an end to their 193-day mission to the International Space Station. Around a dozen recovery helicopters zeroed into the vast
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Iran on 3 July 2012, test-fired a medium range ballistic missile Shahab-3. The Shahab-3 has a range of up to 2000 kilometres. The Shahab-1 and Shahab-2, the two short-range missiles, with ranges of 300 to 500 kilometres, were also launched.The missile launch was the part of Iran's Great Prophet 7 exercise. Great Prophet 7 exercise was announced by Iran on 1 July 2012 in the wake of latest European Union sanctions on Iran. The exercise, which involved test of dozens of missiles and domestically-built drones came following European Union's decision to ban the purchase of Iranian crude oil. The EU's decision is the clear repurcussion of failed dialogue held between Iran and world powers on Iran's ambitious nuclear programme.
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Scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, on 4 July 2012,discovered a new sub-atomic particle called Higgs Boson or God's Particle. The new discovery is being considered as a gateway to a new era in understanding the universe's great mysteries including dark matter.Scientists had predicted the existence of Higgs Boson, which is also referred to as God's Particle, in 1964. The particle was named Higgs Boson after Peter Higgs and Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose. The term God particle was first used by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman.
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Scienceand Technology
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uncultivated land mass, where NASA astronaut Donald Pettit, Russia's Oleg Kononenko and Dutchman Andre Kuipers landed in the Russian-made capsule. Russian space officials quickly surrounded the craft, which performed a perfect upright textbook landing, and erected ladders to begin the process of pulling out the astronauts. Sunita Williams begins her second space odyssey
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NASA's claim of 'arsenic life' disproved The claim by NASA scientists that they have discovered a new form of bacteria which thrive on arsenic has been disapproved by two new studies, which say the bugs can't substitute arsenic for phosphorus to survive. Two scientific papers, published in the journal Science, refuted the 2010 NASA finding that bacterium called GFAJ-1 not only tolerates arsenic but actually incorporates the poison into its DNA, swapping out phosphorus. "Contrary to an original report, the new research clearly shows that the bacterium, GFAJ-1, cannot substitute arsenic for phosphorus to survive," the journal said.
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Nuclear capable Agni-I test-fired India successfully tested domestically built nuclear capable surface-to-surface Agni-I ballistic missile on 13 July. The missile was launched from a test range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. The missile was launched by the strategic force command of Indian Army. With a specialised navigation system, the Agni-I can hit the target with accuracy and precision. The 15-metre-long Agni-I, can carry payload up to 1000 kg.Agni-I was developed under the joint work of advanced systems laboratory, the missile development laboratory of the DRDO, Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat, while it was integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
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Indian-American record-setting astronaut Sunita Williams, along with her two colleagues, took off for her second space odyssey on a Russian Soyuz rocket, which blasted off successfully from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on15th July. Forty-six-year-old NASA astronaut Ms. Williams, Russian Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency flight engineer Akihiko Hoshide started their twoday voyage at 08:10 a.m. IST for a four-month mission on the International Space Station (ISS). Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos announced that the spacecraft had departed successfully from the carrier rocket and reached intermediate orbit. Born in Euclid in Ohio and raised in Massachusetts, Ms. Williams, who had earlier lived and worked aboard the ISS for six months in 2006-07, will further extend the record for the longest stay in space for a woman astronaut.
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Scientists identified First Radio Waves from Middleweight Black Hole HLX-1: A team of scientists at the University of Sydney on 10 July 2012 discovered the first radio emissions from the middleweightblack hole HLX-1, that lies in a galaxy about 300 million light-years away. The research team had used Compact Array radio telescope from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). HLX-1 (hyperluminous X-ray source 1), lies in a galaxy called ESO 243-49 about 300 million light-years away. As per the new study, the size of HLX-1 is around 20000 times the mass of our sun which makes it an intermediate mass black hole.
Pearls can now be of help in treating cancer : Pearls rich in essential minerals can help treat killer diseases like cancer, a leading scientist has claimed. In a series of experiments by Ajai Kumar Sonkar at the Pearl Aquaculture Research Foundation in Port Blair, pearls produced through special culture technique have been found to contain traces of several metals and minerals, which are known to have major health benefits. Drug for HIV infection Truvada A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts recommended Gilead Sciences Inc's Truvada as a treatment for preventing HIV infection among people at risk for contracting AIDS, including homosexual and bisexual men. In a move that could lead to a new milestone for treatment in the evolution of the worldwide AIDS epidemic, the FDA advisory committee voted 19-3 to endorse the drug's use for controlling HIV infection among the highest risk group -- men who have sex with men.
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Sunita Williams reached ISS: Record-setting Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams along with two other cosmonauts on 17th July, successfully docked their Soyuz spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) for a four-month long stay during which they will conduct over 30 scientific missions. The 46-year-old NASA astronaut Williams, Russian Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency flight engineer Akihiko Hoshide arrived at the ISS after two days in orbit. The crew took off to the ISS successfully from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 15th July, for a four-month long mission to the space station.This is the second space mission for Williams. She also holds the record of the longest spaceflight -- 195 days -- for woman space travellers. The crew, which will return home in midNovember, is expected to conduct over 30 scientific missions during their stay aboard the ISS
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Stealth warship 'INS Sahyadri' commissioned: Indigenously built stealth warship ÌNS Sahyadri' was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 21 July, adding firepower to its antisubmarine warfare capabilities. The frigate, last in the series of stealth warships after ÌNS Shivalik' and ÌNS Satpura', was commissioned by Defence Minister A K Antony at the Naval dockyard here in presence of Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and senior Naval officials. INS Sahyadri is the last warship of `Project-17' undertaken by the Navy.
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Russias Soyuz-FG Carrier rocket set Five Satellites into Orbit: Russia's Soyuz-FG carrier rocket set off from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on 22 July 2012. The rocket will put the Russian satellites Canopus-B and MKA-PN1, a Belarusian BKA satellite, the Canadian ADS-1B and German TET-1 into orbit. The Canopus-B satellite, developed by the All-Russia Research Institute of Electromechanics, is designed for remote sensing of the Earth. It weighs about 400 kg and will work on a circular orbit at a height of 510 km. The MKA-PN1 satellite, developed by Russia's NPO Lavochkin aerospace company, will collect data to help meteorologists build models of ocean circulation - particularly in Arctic waters along Russian shores - and climate dynamics. The German TET-1 satellite, a part of the German Aerospace Center's On-Orbit Verification Program, will conduct a test on new space technologies. The ADS-1B satellite, built by the Com Dev aerospace company, will form part of a shipidentification satellite system.
AwArds And Honors

Manipal University has bagged the Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for 2012. Karan Singh conferred the award at the 14th World Congress on environment management in Delhi on 8 july. Dr Ramdas M Pai, chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group earlier had received Golden Peacock Lifetime Achievement Award for 2011 in recognition of his contribution in fields of education and healthcare on January 22, 2012.A jury chaired by Justice PN Bhagwati, former CJI and member, UN Human Rights Commission selected Manipal University for the award. Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik won double Gold medal at Spain: Indian Sand ArtistSudarshan Pattnaik(Orissa) won People's Choice Gold Medal Award in Moscow on 18 July 2012. It was the Second World Sand Sculpture Championship. He sculpted the copy of the face of The Showman of the Millennium Raj Kapoor, while the theme of the competition was WORLD CINEMA. Sudarshan Pattnaik had also won Berlin World Championship 2008. He had also won his first Prize in Copenhagen Sand Sculpture Championship in Denmark. He also won two gold medals and a trophy in Solo International Sand Sculpture contest 2012. Sridevi Vedula Sarma gets US Prez award
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US President Barack Obama has named four Indian-American scientists among 96 researchers as recipients of the prestigious presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers on 23, July. The awards bestowed on Sridevi Vedula Sarma, Pawan Sinha, Parag A. Pathak and Biju Parekkadan is the highest honour given by
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Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation in New york on 27 june for innovation in philanthropy.Tata was honored by the foundation for incorporating public good into the business model of the Tata Group.
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the US Government to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Established in 1996, the awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach Magasaysay award for TN activist Kulandei Francis
Vandana Shiva to receive Fukuoka Prize in Japan this year The Government of Japan on 23 July 2012 decided to honour renowned Indian Environmentalist Vandana Shiva with Fukuoka Prize 2012. She enlightens people about the ideas for the love of nature. She is the director of The Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. Dr. Shiva is the founder of Navdanya, an NGO which was established in the year 1991. She commenced her work in the field of conservation of traditionally used seeds, organic farming and fair trade. In 1993, she had received Right Livelihood Award that is known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. Fukuoka Prize is the prestigious award and given to those people who contribute to the academy, arts and culture in Asia. Earlier, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Padma Subrahmanyam, Romila Thapar and Ashis Nandy were the famous personalities who were honoured by this award. She penned several books including, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace, The Violence of the Green Revolution, Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology, and Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Survival in India. She also set up an international college for sustainable living in the year 2001.
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Indian social activist Kulandei Francis, who gave up being a priest to devote himself entirely to social work in Tamil Nadu, is among the six individuals from across Asia who has been chosen for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards for 2012. Kulandei Francis is being recognised for "his visionary zeal, his profound faith in community energies, and his sustained programmes in pursuing the holistic economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural India. The others chosen for the prizes, announced by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) in Manila today, are Ms Chen Shu-Chu from Taiwan, Mr Romulo Davide from the Phillipines, Ms Syeda Rizwana Hasan of Bangladesh, Mr Yang Saing Koma of Cambodia and Mr Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto from Indonesia. Established in 1957, the Award is Asia's highest honor and is widely regarded as the region's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine President, and is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader.
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Sharad Pawar's resign as the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ended on 28 june as New Zealander Alan Isaac took charge from him for a two-year term at the ICC Annual Conference in kaulalampur.The 60-year-old Isaac, a former New Zealand Cricket chief, became the eighth president of the ICC, while former South Africa wicket-keeper David Richardson was confirmed as the new chief executive of the world body, taking over from countryman Haroon Lorgat. Indo-Pak cricket ties breakthrough, BCCI agrees to ODI series: Indo-Pak cricketing ties are set for revival with the BCCI today (16th July) agreeing to a three-match ODI series between the
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Spain won European football chapionship 2012 by beating Italy 4-0 in the final, at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, on 1 July 2012. Spain which had earlier defeated Germany 1-0 in 2008 Euro Cup not only defended the title but also created a record by becoming the first team to claim two consecutive titles in tournament's 52-year long history. Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta of Spain was declared the man of the match given his match winning performance, while Fernando Torres was given the Golden Boot as he scored three goals in the Spain's title winning campaign.
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Swiss tennis player Roger Federer beat British player Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to win the Wimbledon Open Championship 2012 in London on 8 July 2012. Federer, with this victory also reclaimed the world No. 1 rank. The Wimbledon Open marked 17th career Grand Slam for Federer, who had earlier claimed six Wimbeldon titles from 2003 to 2007 and again in 2009. Only William Renshaw's and Pete Sampras have got the distinction of winning the coveted Wimbledon singles title on seven occasions.Serena Williams of US beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland to claim Ladies' singles title. The mixed pair of Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymonddefeated Leander Paes and Elena Vesnina to win the mixed doubled final. The men's doubles final was won by Jonathan Marray and Frederick Nielson who defeated Robert Lindstedt. In Ladies' Doubles final the pair of Serena Williams and Venus Williams emerged victorious as they defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.Wimbledon, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting events in the world, has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. Played on a grass court, Wimbledon is one of the four major grand slam tournaments in the world.
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SportS

two arch-rivals, who have not played each other in a bilateral series for close to five years. The decision to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan was taken by the Board's powerful Working Committee, which met here today, much to the delight of cricket fans on both sides of the border.
PV Sindhu of Andhra Pradesh created history by becoming the first Indian to win the girls' singles title in the Asian Youth Under-19 Championships at Gimcheon, Korea.In the finals on 7 july, Sindhu rallied to beat Okuhara Nozomi of Japan 18-21, 21-17, 22-20. She is the reigning national women's champion. China won the junior women hockey championship by defeating India,The tournaments final was held in Bangkok on 7 july. Australian Mark Webber of Red bull won the British Grand Prix Formula one titleheld in London on 8 july.However ,Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished at second. Australian fast bowler Brett Lee(35) announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on 12 July 2012. However,he will continue to play in the IPL. He had already announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2010.In his 13 year career,he played 76 Tests, 221 One Day Internationals and 25 T20 internationals. He took over 700 international wickets (310 in Tests, 380 in ODIs and 28 in T20s). He has taken 10 five-wicket hauls in Tests and 9 five-wicket hauls in ODIs. He is also the first bowler to take a hat-trick in T20 cricket.
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South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher on 10 July 2012 announced his retirement from International Cricket due to eye injury.He suffered the eye injury on the opening day of South Africas tour match against Somerset at Taunton on 9 July 2012. Mark Boucher had played 147 Test matches with a world record of 555 dismissals which include 532 catches and 23 stumping. He also played 295 ODIs in which he made 425 dismissals with 403 catches.
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Sushil to be India's flag-bearer at Olympics : The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 15th July, announced that wrestler Sushil Kumar, a bronze medallist at the Beijing Games, will be the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent at the upcoming London Olympics. The names of top boxer Vijender Singh, tennis legend Leander Paes and ace shooter Abhinav Bindra were also doing the rounds for the honour. Vijender, Sushil and Bindra had all returned with medals from the last edition of the Games in Beijing in 2008. IOA acting president V.K. Malhotra announced that Sushil will be India's flag-bearer.mBindra was reportedly the preferred candidate of the IOA but since his 10m air rifle event is scheduled three days after the opening ceremony on July 30, the shooter wanted to focus on his preparations. Similarly, Vijender's weigh-in is scheduled for July 28 so it was tough for him to do the honours. Paes had led the contingent in 2000 Sydney Games and IOA decided Sushil should do the honours this time.
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Indo-Pak cricket revived : Indo-Pak cricketing ties are set for revival with the BCCI today (16th July) agreeing to a three-match ODI series between the two arch-rivals, who have not played each other in a bilateral series for close to five years. The decision to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan was taken by the Board's powerful Working Committee much to the delight of cricket fans on both sides of the border.
Egypt won the world junior squash championship by beating Pakisthan on 19 July held in Doha, Qatar. While India beat England to get the Bronze medal. Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari won this year's Formula One German Grand Prix championship on 21 July that was held in Hockenheim, Germany. While, Redbulls driver Webber took the second position.
PeoPle in news
Anup Sankar Bhattacharya was appointed as the Director of the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) on 2 July 2012. M Balachandran was the former director of Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. After the abolition of Banking Services Recruitment Board, IBPS plays a vital role for candidates who are interested in Bank Jobs. Approximately, 15 million applications applied in the year 2011-12. In 2011, all the nationalized banks authorized Institute of Banking Personnel Selection to conduct a common written test to get admission in the government banks. IBPS conducts separate test for SBI (State Bank of India) and its associate banks. Anup Sankar Bhattacharya was the part of Advisory Board of Central Vigilance Commission for three months. He was responsible for security issues at IBPS. Anup Sankar Bhattacharya spent thirty seven years in United Bank of India, Kolkata. He was the executive director of Indian Bank in the year 2004. In addition, he was the part of Bank of Maharashtra in 2010 for 16 month time.
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Hashim Amla became the first South African to hit a triple century against England on 21 July at Oval. He surpassed teammate AB de Villiers' 278 not out - the previous highest Test innings for a South African.
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Ernie Els of Britain won the British Open golf championship on 21 July held in Lytham, England. Els captured his fourth major title after the 1994 and 1997 US Opens and the 2002 British Open.
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6th Leiden International Chess Tournament: David Howel of England won the 6th Leiden International Chess tournament on 15 July 2012, which was held in Leiden, Netherland .The Indian grand master Parimarjan Negi took the second position. While the third place of the Leiden tournament was shared by two Indian Grandmasters S Arun Prasad and M.R. Lalith at 6.5 points.
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The Union Law Ministry on 5th July, re-appointed six Additional Solicitors General to the Supreme Court for a period of two years with effect from July 5.They are: Mohan Parasaran; P.P. Malhotra, Indira Jaising, Mohan Jain, Gourab Banerjee and Harin P. Raval. The tenure of M. Ravindran, Additional Solicitor General for south, based in Madras High Court has come to an end and few names are considered for appointment. The post of Assistant Solicitor General in the Madras High Court is also vacant for over a year.
Jawahar Thakur, a 1979 batch officer of Indian Civil Accounts Service, takes charge as the Controller-General of Accounts (CGA) in the Union Finance Ministry with effect from July 1.Before taking over as the CGA from C.R. Sundaramurti, Mr. Thakur was the Principal Chief Controller of Accounts in the Central Board of Direct Taxes under the Department of Revenue in the Finance Ministry. Enrique Pena Nieto- The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) leader, was elected as the new President of Mexico on 2 July 2012. The Institutional Revolutionary Party had ruled Mexico for nearly 71 years, before being voted out of power in 2000 presidential elections.Under the Mexican Constitution, the president is the head of both the state and the government. He is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces. Mohamed Morsy was sworn in as Egypt's first elected President on 30th June, a day after he announced at Cairo's Tahrir square that he drew his legitimacy not from the country's military junta but from the people who had already demonstrated their power by toppling former strongman Hosni Mubarak. In his first address on Saturday after his inauguration at Cairo University, Mr. Morsy said the Egyptian revolution
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B. Surender Mohan was appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) on 1 July 2012. A R Ansari was the former Managing Director of Neyveli Lignite Corporation. Neyveli Lignite Corporation is the government organization and the leading company in mining, thermal power plants and innovative researches. B. Surender Mohan is 56 years old. He served as the Mines Director in his earlier stage of life. He started his career from Rourkela Steel Plant and he was the Deputy General Manager at Rashtriya Ispat Nigam in the year 1998.
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Popular and celebrated Assamese poet and winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award and several honours Hiren Bhattacharyya passed away at a private hospital om Guwahati on 4th July.. He was 80. He leaves behind his wife and a daughter. Popularly known as Hiru-da, Bhattacharyya was widely known for using simple words in his poems, through which he could establish direct communication with his readers. He possessed a large vocabulary of simple Assamese words, which is very rare in contemporary Assamese literature. He had to his name 10 anthologies of poems apart from two collection of rhymes for children.
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Assamese poet Hiren Bhattacharyya is dead
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was irreversible. ''Egypt will not go backwards,'' he told an elite audience, which included Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (SCAF), a powerful body made up of Egypt's top generals. Mr. Morsy praised the ''free and fair'' elections to Parliament - remarks that could be interpreted as a veiled criticism of SCAF, which had dissolved the Peopless Assembly following a Supreme Court ruling that elections to one-third of the seats were unconstitutional.
Nasir Ali as the new Joint Managing Director of Air India Civil aviation Ministry on 11 July, appointed Nasir Ali as the new joint managing director. Prior to his promotion, he was dealing with human resource issue related to the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines. He is the second managerial executive posted in airline by civil aviation ministry after Rohit Nandan who was appointed as the chairperson and managing director of the airline in 2011. Previously, Nasir Ali worked as the director with the civil aviation ministry. He was appointed as an officer on special duty (OSD) in the Air India Airline. He was the head of four-member committee to apply
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African Union (AU) on 15 July 2012 elected South Africa's home affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its new head, making her the first female head of the union. In a closely fought contest Dlamini-Zuma beat incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon 37-17. Dlamini-Zuma, wife of the former South African President Jacob Zuma, was declared winner following a third round of voting. In election held in January 2012, neither of the two candidates got the two-thirds majority, which was required to be elected as the organization head. Consequently, Ping got an extension of another six months in the office. African Union, the successor to Organisation of African Unity, came into existence in 2002 at Durban summit in South Africa. The Union is headquartered at Addis Ababa Ethiopia. A panAfrican organization, AU aims at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations. The association also strives to spread democracy and good governance in the continent. At present the African Union has a total of 54 members. Morocco is the only African country which is not the part of the Union.
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Dharmadhikari Committee proposal on amalgamation of Air India and Indian Airlines in the year 2008.
Ernest Borgnine(95)-Oscar award winner, passed away in Los Angels. He was best known for Academy award-winning role of a butcher in the movie 'Marty'(1955). He was presented Lifetime achievement Award at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award 2011. Dara Singh(84)- renouned wresler from India, passed away on 12 July 2012 in Mumbai. Born on 19 November 1928 in Dharmoochak village of Amritsar in Punjab, Dara Singh earned fame around the globe as a Professional Wrestler. He announced his retirement from active wrestling in 1983. In 1996 he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.Dara Singh, got the popular recognition as an actor when he portrayed the character of Lord Hanuman in the Ramanand Sagars Ramayan television series. Dara Singh was also the member of Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to August 2009. He was conferred the title Rustam-E-Punjab in 1966 and Rustam-E-Hind in 1978.
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Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, who was part of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army, died on 23rd July in Knapur, following a brief illness. Sehgal (97), breathed her last at a private hospital at 11.20am, her daughter and noted CPM leader Subhashini Ali said. Sehgal, who was ill for some time, was admitted to the hospital on July 19 after she suffered a heart attack at her residence in Civil Lines area here. She was kept on life
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Captain Lakshmi Sahgal passes away
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Derek o Brian: Derek o Brian, the Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal became the first Anglo Indian to vote in Presidential Elections in India. Brian, a Trinamool Congress MP, cast his vote in Kolkata on 19 July 2012. O'Brien voted , as he is not a nominated member and has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal . As per the constitution of India an MP who has been nominated by the President to either of the house of the Indian Parliament is not eligible for casting vote in Presidential election. In Rajya Sabha, there are twelve members, who are nominated by the President and can not vote in Presidential election.
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Dawoud Rajiha Syrian Defence Minister Dawoud Rajiha, was killed in a bomb blast in Damascus, capital of Syria ,on 18 july,2012.The bomb strike was carried out by a suicide bomber, who was apparently a part of the security team that was posted to guard Syrian President Bashar Al Assads inner group. This incident took place after four days of violence in Damascus, which started soon after the opposition launched a new offensive codenamed Operation Damascus Volcano, which focused on high visibility targets. As of now, a Syrian rebel Islamist group is claiming up for the strike.
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E.K. Bharath Bhushan- In a sudden move, the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) head was on 10 july stripped off from his post by the governmet, with immediate effect.There has been speculation that his recent warnings to Air India and Kingfisher Airlines to pay dues to their employees may have gone against him.
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support system. She was very active during the Independence movement and had commanded the 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the INA formed by Bose. A doctor by profession, Sehgal was working as a medical practitioner and a social worker. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1998. Rajkeshwur Purryag is Mauritius fifth President
Renowned Economist P.N.Dhar passes away P.N.DHAR(94) - Professor of Economics and the first principal secretary of Indira Gandhi passed away on 19 July 2012 in New Delhi. He was the professor of Economics in the University of Delhi. He was the first Principal Secretary of Indira Gadhi in 1970. He was the only person who had joined Prime Ministers Office in the year 1970.He was the team member which was accompanied by Indira Gandhi when she had signed Simla Agreement with Pakistan after the War of Bangladesh in the year 1971. Dhar was one of the founders of Delhi School of Economics. He worked as the Assistant Secretary General in United Nations, Research and Policy Analysis in New York in the year 1976-78.
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Renowned Art Expert Sumahendra passed away: SUMAHENDRA(69) - Renowned Art Expert, passed away on 19 July 2012. He was the director of Visual Art in Jawahar Kala Kendra, Rajasthan. He was also the retired Principal of Rajasthan School of Art. He was known as the expert in Rajasthani miniature paintings and frescos. His work included the World Famous frescos in Bundi fort in the National Museum which is located at Delhi. In addition, He was the author of numerous books which are based on painting. Varnamala is one of his famous book. .
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RSS Ideologue Bal Apte passes away: BAL APTE(73)- Top Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Ideologue and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bal Apte died in Mumbai on 17 July 2012. He was 73. Bal Apte was twice elected to the Rajya Sabha (in 2000 and 2006), where he represented the state of Maharashtra. He was the vice president of BJP during 2002-2010 .
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Rajkeshwur Purryag became the fifth president of Mauritius on 21st July. His predecessor Anerood Jugnauth resigned in March following open conflict with Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam. The row erupted when the leader of the opposition Paul Berenger announced the creation of an opposition alliance headed by Mr. Jugnauth.Mr. Ramgoolam asked Mr. Jugnauth to either deny the statement by the opposition, or in the case of confirmation to resign, arguing that his new role was incompatible with a position as head of state.
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Rajesh Khanna Passes away RAJESH KHANNA(69)-Yesteryear Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna passed away at his Mumbai residence Ashirwad on 18 July 2012. He was 69. He was severely ill over the past few months. Rajesh Khanna is considered to be the first superstar of Indian cinema. Rajesh Khanna is survived by his wife Dimple Kapadia and two daughters Twinkle Khanna and Rinkie Khanna. His elder daughter Twinkle Khanna is married to Hindi film actor Akshay Kumar.Rajesh Khannas real name was Jatin Khanna, was born on 29 December 1942, in Amritsar, Punjab. Aradhna, Anand, Kati Patang, Dushman, Bawarchi, Amar Prem are few of his movies which earned him both the praise of critics and commercial success at the same time. He was conferred the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.Rajesh Khanna was also the member of Lok Sabha from 1992 to 1996. He was elected to the lower house on the Congress Party ticket from the New Delhi constituency.
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Stephen Covey, '7 Habits' author, dies at 79: Stephen R Covey,the well-know motivational speaker and author of the best selling ''The Seven Habits of Highly Effective people'', which sold more than 20 million copies in 38 languages, died on 16th July at a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho, due to complications from a bicycle accident in April, according to his family. Covey also was the author of several other best sellers, including ' First Things First,' ''Principle-Centered Leadership'', ''The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families,'' and ''The 8th Habit: From
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Veteran socialist Mrinal Gore passes away: Veteran socialist leader Mrinal Gore, who earned the sobriquet 'Paniwali Bai' for her efforts in bringing drinking water supply to Goregaon, a Mumbai suburb, passed away on 17 July, after a brief illness. A pioneer and visionary, Gore was one of the last of the Socialist pillars in Maharashtra. Gore was elected to Parliament on a Janata Party ticket in 1977. Gore belonged to that special set of women who took to politics in a period when it was virtually unthinkable for women to be involved in public work. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's Quit India exhortation as a youngster, Mrinal chucked a promising career in medicine to devote herself to organizing the poor and the disenfranchised
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Arun Mishra as Chief of DGCA: GOVT. has decided on 16 July 2012 to appoint ArunMishra as the Chief of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He will replace E. K. Bharat Bhusan. Arun Mishra was the former IAS officer at West Bengal cadre. He was the joint Secretary of Civil Aviation in the year 2009.DGCA comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. DGCA is the regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation that deals with the safety issues.
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Deepak Parekh: Deepak parekh- HDFC chairman, the govt. has appointed him on 16 July as the new chairman of the High Level Committee on Financing Infrastructure.He would function in an honorary capacity with the rank of minister of state. The committee is authorized to re-examine existing policies and advice necessary changes to present in the investment for the infrastructure sector. It will work under 12th Five- Year project investments plan from 2012 to 2017 of 4099240 crore rupees. The committee was first set up by Rakesh Mohan, former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2012.
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Effectiveness to Greatness''. Covey was the co-founder of Utah-based professional services company Franklin Covey. He lived with his wife in Provo, and has nine children and 52 grandchildren. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Hesham Kandil Named Egypt's New Prime Minister Egypts President Mohamed Morsi elected fifty-year-old Hisham Kandil as the countrys Prime Minister on 26 July. Morsi ordered the countrys former minister of water resources and irrigation, Kandil to form a new government. Kandil, holds an engineering degree from Cairo University in the year 1984 and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in the year 1993. Kandil will be the first Egyptian prime minister to wear a beard, which is a sure sign of change in the country. A number of more experienced names were suggested for the prestigious role, but Morsi chose Kandil, a relatively lesserknown face as the Prime Minister of the country, this could be because he wanted someone unlikely to threaten or overshadow him. Mohamed Morsi who became the fifth President of the Republic of Egypt on 24 June 2012, is the first to have been freely elected in the country. The next government will be technocratic in nature, and the ruling Islamist Freedom and Justice Party is expected to head eight to ten ministries of the new cabinet.
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African Union (AU) on 15 July 2012 elected South Africa's home affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its new head, making her the first female head of the union. In a closely fought contest Dlamini-Zuma beat incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon 37-17. Dlamini-Zuma, wife of the former South African President Jacob Zuma, was declared winner following a third round of voting. In election held in January 2012, neither of the two candidates got the two-thirds majority, which was required to be elected as the organization head. Consequently, Ping got an extension of another six months in the office. African Union, the successor to Organisation of African Unity, came into existence in 2002 at Durban summit in South Africa. The Union is headquartered at Addis Ababa Ethiopia. A pan-African organization, AU aims at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations. The association also strives to spread democracy and good governance in the continent. At present the African Union has a total of 54 members. Morocco is the only African country which is not the part of the Union.
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Omita Paul appointed as the Secretary of the President Appointment Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) appointed Omita Paul as the Secretary of the President on 24 July 2012. Her tenure as Secretary to the President is for contract basis. Omita is 63 years old. She replaced Christy L Fernandez. Omita Paul was appointed as the information commissioner in the central Information Commission in the year 2009 for the short duration of time at the end of the UPA-I governments tenure. In addition, she had resigned to join as the Advisor in Finance Ministry from 2004 to 2009. Omita is a retired officer from Indian Information Service (IIS) from 1973 batch. Omita Paul is the wife of KK Paul. KK Paul was the former Delhi Police Commissioner. He is working as the member of the Union Public Service Commission. Rupert Murdoch Resigned as the Director of the NI Group
Sally Ride, First US Woman to travel into Space, passed away Sally Ride, the first US woman to travel into space died in La Jolla, California on 23 July 2012. She was 61. She was suffering from pancreatic cancer. Ride fired the imagination of millions of women across the world when she set off for space in the US space shuttle Challenger in June 1983. Sally Ride was, however, not the first woman to travel into space, as Valentina Tereshkova of erstwhile USSR had visited space in June 1963. Born on 26 May 1951 at Los Angeles, California, Ride received her Masters degree in Physics from Stanford University. Subsequently, she joined NASA in 1978. Ride went on her first space shuttle mission on board the Challenger in 1983. She was only 32 when she first travelled into space, making her the youngest person in America at the time to go into space. Her second space visit occurred in 1984, also aboard the Challenger. She spent a total of more than 343 hours in space. Captain Lakshmi Sahgal passes away Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, who was part of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army, died on 23rd July in Knapur, following a brief illness. Sehgal (97), breathed her last at a private
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Rupert Murdoch an eighty one year old founder of the News Corporation, resigned. He resigned from his directorship from a string of companies, namely the director of the NI Group, the Times Newspaper Holdings, and Newscorp Investments in Britain. He is a known name in the industry of media and known as the media mogul. After more than a year of scandal in his own British news paper empire, the sustained criminality led to an influential parliamentary committee in May 2012 to describe Murdoch as unfit to run a major company, resulting finally into his resignation. Murdoch has now moved to the United States of America.
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hospital at 11.20am, her daughter and noted CPM leader Subhashini Ali said. Sehgal, who was ill for some time, was admitted to the hospital on July 19 after she suffered a heart attack at her residence in Civil Lines area here. She was kept on life support system. She was very active during the Independence movement and had commanded the 'Rani of Jhansi Regiment' of the INA formed by Bose. A doctor by profession, Sehgal was working as a medical practitioner and a social worker. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1998.
Rajkeshwur Purryag is Mauritius fifth President
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Rajkeshwur Purryag became the fifth president of Mauritius on 21 July. His predecessor Anerood Jugnauth resigned in March following open conflict with Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam. The row erupted when the leader of the opposition Paul Berenger announced the creation of an opposition alliance headed by Mr. Jugnauth.Mr. Ramgoolam asked Mr. Jugnauth to either deny the statement by the opposition, or in the case of confirmation to resign, arguing that his new role was incompatible with a position as head of state.
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Johan Atta Mills passes away: JOHN ATTA MILLS(68)-President of Ghana, died on 24 July 2012. He won international praise for a stable model democracy in Africa. He reputed for his economic policies and good governance. However, John Dramani Mahama (53) succeeded John Atta Mills
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Cidambaram is the New Charman of the EGOM on spectrum

Supreme Court quashes the FIR on Mayathi

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Government Announces 5.4 billion dollar free drug policy

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World Population Day

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No tourism in core areas of tiger reserves

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Maruti Suzuki India Ltd announced closing

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AwArds And Honors

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