May, 2012 International Events: Aung San Suu Kyi took the oath of office to become an official member

r of Myanmars parliament On 2 May 2012. Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy leader of Myanmar for the first time has held public office since launching her struggle against authoritarian rule nearly a quarter century ago. Jordan's parliament on 9 May 2012 passed a law to encourage a multiparty political system in the country. The move is one of the major reform measures announced by Jordan King Abdullah II, as the country goes to elections before the end of 2012. The new law allows for state funding of election but bans foreign aid to the parties. Pakistan successfully test-fired Hatf III Ghaznavi missile on10 May 2012. The missile has a range of 290 km and it can hit its target in India. The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande defeated the incumbent president Nicholas Sarkozy to become the 24th French President in the presidential elections held on 6 May 2012. Hollande is the second socialist president of France. The Socialist Party first won power in 1981, as Franois Mitterrand was elected President of France. The Union Cabinet on 17 May approved the 7.6 billion dollar TAPI (Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India) gas pipeline project. The TAPI gas pipeline project originates from the central Asian nation Turkmenistan and reaches India via Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is also referred to as the peace pipeline. The TAPI gas project will have a total length of 1680km. Of the total length 144km will be in Turkmenistan, 735km in Afghanistan, and 800km in Pakistan, bringing it to the India border. The pipeline will be entirely functional in 2018 and supply gas over the next thirty years. The pipeline would produce 90 million standard cubic meters of gas per day (mscmd). Of the total gas pumped through it, India and Pakistan will get 38mscmd each and Afghanistan the remaining 14 mscmd. Pakistan on 29 May 2012 successfully test-fired a short-range Hatf IX (Nasr) missile. The missile has a range of 60 kilometers and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. An Egyptian court awarded former President Hosni Mubarak with life imprisonment on 2 June 2012. The former autocrat was convicted given his involvement in the murder of protesters during the uprising which dethroned him in 2011. The trial against Mubarak began in August 2011.

National Event: The Union Government of India on 1 June 2012 announced to constitute an implementation panel to look into the ways of implementing the Dharmadhikari committee report on Air India and Indian Airlines merger. The implementation panel will also suggest the issues including pay, allowances and career progression structure. The four-member Dharmadhikari committee constituted in January 2012, on integration of nearly29000 employees of Air India and Indian Airlines. The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 28 May 2012 quashed the 4.5 percent sub-quota for minorities carved out of the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs by the Union government. A high court division bench of Chief Justice Madan Lokur and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar observed that the Union governments move was based on religious lines and not any other consideration. The court was hearing to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by backward classs leader R Krishnaiah against the sub-quota. The Union Government will move to the Supreme Court against the high court verdict. India and Bahrain, on 31 May 2012 made a Tax Information Exchange Agreement to promote economic cooperation and joint investment between the two countries. The agreement is aimed at increasing bilateral trade that stands at1.7 billion dollar. The agreement with its provision for effective exchange of information between the two countries will help in reducing tax evasion and tax avoidance. The agreement was signed by Indian Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena and Bahrains Minister of Transportation and Acting Chief Executive of Economic Development Board Kamal Ahmed in New Delhi. The two countries also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make the ties on technological front more effective. Under the newly signed MoU India will provide technical assistance to Bahrain and help it to develop its own IT sector in Bahrain. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned 29 may after a three-day visit to Myanmar during which the two countries agreed to expand trade, improve connectivity and bring peace in border areas and emphasized on closer ties to boost energy security. The two countries inked a dozen agreements, including a $500million credit line, on areas like border area development And air services. Manmohan Singh, who held wide-ranging talks with President Thein Sein, also met Myanmar's iconic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who said she was "very happy at the prospect of closer ties with India".

E-Challan & Receipt (ECR) Facility Launched Union Minister of Labor & Employment Mallikarjun Kharge inaugurated the E-Challan and receipt (ECR) facility on 1 May 2012 to bring transparency and accessibility for employers in depositing monthly employees Provident Fund or EPF contributions of their workers. Employees under the ECR service would have to register their organizations online and generate challans for making monthly deposits. They can use these challan for either electronically or physically depositing the provident fund or PF contribution to the bank. Union Government decided to include chit funds, an informal pooling of funds from individuals for lending under the chit fund Act of 1982 in six states including Gujarat and Kerala. The decision was meant to help people access the dispute settlement mechanism. Nagaland, Haryana Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh are the other states to come under the Act, providing a cushion for small savers who are at the mercy of local operations of the six states brought under the central ruling, only Kerala operated under the Kerala chit Act of 1975. The other five states had no laws to regulate chit fund operations. .