October 2012 Current Affairs February, 2013 - TalentSprint · PDF fileThe single-seat Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) is the latest design produced by Iran's military since it launched

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October 2012 Current Affairs

1st February, 2013

Supreme Court stays the arrest of Sociologist Ashis Nandy for his alleged anti-dalit

statement.

Petroleum minister M Veerappa Moily

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Union Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi on 1 February, met the Secretary General of United

Nation World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai in Madrid, Spain, and discussed issues

relating to tourism cooperation.

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The government on 1st February, granted Maharatna status to BHEL and GAIL, a

development which will provide them greater financial and functional autonomy and also

ensure better valuation for shares of the two PSUs.

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2nd February, 2013

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act brings momentum in the

financial inclusion of the country's rural population, says Prime Minister.

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Iran has unveiled a new home-made combat aircraft, which Iran officials say it can evade

radar. The single-seat Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) is the latest design produced by Iran's

military since it launched the Azarakhsh (Lightning), in 2007. President Mahmoud

Ahmedinejad said it had "almost all the positive features" of the world's most sophisticated

jets.

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Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio wooed

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Mani Majra a small town within the Union Territory of Chandigarh was known mainly for

being a prosperous suburb. After the release of the international film ―Zero Dark Thirty,‖

which was shot in Mani Majra, it has acquired the potential to attract international tourists

keen to see where the film was shot. The film has received Five Oscar nominations.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin will lead tributes to mark the 70th anniversary of the end

of the Battle of Stalingrad. The city of Stalingrad, which was renamed Volgograd in 1961,

will regain its wartime name for the event, following a Council decision.

Around one million people are said to have died in the battle, as Soviet troops defeated the

Germans. It is considered one of the major turning points of World War II.

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The UN Special envoy on Syria , Lakhdar Brahimi has called for a Security Council

resolution to end the 22 month long conflict in Syria.

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The United Nations anti-genocide envoy Adama Dieng said in a statement that he is deeply

disturbed by reports of reprisal attacks by Malian troops as they retake control of the north.

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3rd February, 2013

Government to soon provide banking services to seven lakh villages in the country.

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Bharat Heavy Electricals gets Maharatna status.

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Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell gets the highest one million dollar bid in the IPL

auction at Chennai.

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Targeting highly skilled talents from India and China, the US lawmakers have introduced a

new bill in the Congress on 15 February, to create more than 125,000 new visas to attract

global talents to America.

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China on 3 February, has given a political role to Mo Yan, the 2012 winner of Nobel prize

for literature and movie star Jackie Chan by selecting them as members of one of the

houses of parliament, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

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The Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, BHEL has got the "Maharatna" status from the central

government. This will help the PSU to attain the target of one lakh crore rupees turnover

by 2016-17. BHEL which is now manufacturing power equipment can now pursue in the

sectors of transportation, renewable energy, and transmission.

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Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth

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India and the United States inaugurated the first triangular ―India-US-Africa partnership‖ in

agricultural training at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management

(MANAGE), Hyderabad.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID),

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Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has unveiled a new domestically produced fighter

jet at a ceremony in Tehran, to mark the 34th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The

futuristic aircraft, known as the Qaher F-313 or Conqueror resembles a stealth fighter.

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United States Vice President Joe Biden has said that Washington is ready to hold direct

talks with Teheran in the standoff over its nuclear ambitions. Addressing an International

Security Conference in Munich, Biden insisted that Tehran must show it is serious and

Washington won't engage in such talks just for the exercise.

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India and Bangladesh on 29 January, signed two landmark agreements to extradite

criminals and terrorists and liberalise the visa regime. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde

and his Bangladesh counterpart, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir,

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Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

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4th February, 2013

Rohinton F Nariman resigns as Solicitor General of India.

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World Cancer Day is being observed

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Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New & Renewable Energy

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In Odisha, land acquisition for the 52,000-crore Posco steel plant project is on for the

amidst tight security at Gobindpur in Jagatsinghpur district.

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Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles has been awarded the Kirti Chakra on this

Republic Day for the exhibition of exceptional valor in counter- terrorist operations in

Jammu and Kashmir. Manjali is the only soldier to be awarded the second- highest

peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra on this Republic Day. Major Abup J Manjali of the

Rashtriya Rifles was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary bravery

efforts in counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Manjali will be

awarded on 26 January 2013. Shaurya Chakra, on the other hand, is being given away to

Major Sandeep Kumar of 13 Sikh Regiment for his bravery act in Northeast area.

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The World Book Fair opened at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi

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Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, Capital is

Port Louis.

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5th February, 2013

India and Austria on 5 February 2013 inked a social security pact at Vienna, under which

the Indian professionals working in Austria would be exempted from paying the social

security contribution of the country, if such payments are already made in India.

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Chief Justice Altamas Kabir

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International Cricket Council, ICC rankings for test cricket was released on 4 February 2013

in Dubai. South Africa emerged as the world number one team in the category and is

followed by England, Australia, Pakistan and India.

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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became on 5 February, the first Iranian head of state

since the 1979 revolution to pay an official visit to Egypt , a step which could become a

game changer in defining the region‘s power hierarchy.

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Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari backed the all girls music band

"Pragaash", saying it is the will of all the political spectrum in Jammu & Kashmir that

freedom of speech should be allowed to flourish without any curbs.

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Union Defence Minister A K Antony

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6th February, 2013

Government gives approval to DRDO to develop an indigenous Airborne Early Warning and

Control System for IAF.

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India‘s overall food grain production in the 2012-13 crop marketing year that would end in

June 2013 was expected to be around 250 million tones, nine million tones less than last

year‘s revised record output of almost 259 million tones

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that the economic growth rate of India in

2013 would be 5.9 percent.

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The Government has given approval to the DRDO to develop an indigenous Airborne Early

Warning and Control System ,AWACS

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C-DAC unveils India‘s fastest supercomputer

Precise weather forecasting, faster tapping of natural resources in the sea and designing of

customised drugs for individuals will now be possible using Param Yuva II, India's fastest

supercomputer. Developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-

DAC), Param Yuva II was inaugurated by J Satyanarayana, secretary, department of

electronics and information technology, in Pune on 8 February. The supercomputer has

been upgraded to 524 teraflops, about 10 times faster than the present facility. With an

investment of Rs 16 crore, it was developed in a record three months. Param Yuva II will

also give a boost to research in space and bioinformatics, among others. Developing

research-based applications will take lesser time than before and complex problems will be

solved in a simpler way. For instance, if it takes about 18 to 20 years to discover a new

drug now — from designing to testing — Param Yuva II will help reduce this time to 15

years. The supercomputer would also help in reducing the time-frame in weather

predictions. If researchers currently collect satellite data to predict the conditions for a six-

km region, the supercomputer could help cover a wider region, may be up to 10 km. About

300 people from the C-DAC team were involved in the making of the supercomputer, which





also promises to be energy efficient with 35% reduction in energy consumption as

compared to the earlier facility. C-DAC director general Rajat Moona said, "Although we

initiated the project in June 2012, we only intended that it would upgrade the facility.

However, we later realised that it could be upgraded to half-a-petaflop (524 teraflop) and

we achieved this within three months." Moona said, "The list of top 500 supercomputers in

the world is released twice in a year, in June and November. Had we launched Param Yuva

II in November, it would have been in the 62nd position."

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Lalji Singh, scientist and Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University, has been selected for

the prestigious Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2012 for his outstanding

contribution to life sciences, particularly in establishing DNA fingerprinting as a tool of both

fundamental research and crime detection, and for trying to unravel the puzzle of human

evolution in relation to the Andaman-Nicobar tribes.

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Asia‘s biggest, biennial air show and aviation exhibition, Aero India-2013, got off to a flying

start in Bangalore

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Human Resources Development minister M.M. Pallam Raju

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IMF: World Economic Growth Rate would be 3.5 percent in 2013

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7th February, 2013

Government increases minimum support price of Copra by 150 rupees per quintal; Also

approves raising authorised capital of NABARD to 20,000 crore rupees from 5,000 crore

rupees.

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The Union Cabinet gave its approval for formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV for

the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India,TAPIPipeline Project and to permit GAIL India

Ltd. to join the SPV.

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Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

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Union Government of India increased Import Duty on Gold and Platinum by 2 Percent

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs , approved the disinvestment of 10 percent

paid up equity in Engineers India Ltd. (EIL) out of its equity capital holding of 80.40 percent

through a prospectus based Further Public Offering (FPO), in the domestic market as per

SEBI Rules and Regulations.

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8th February, 2013

India is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile, capable of

carrying multiple warheads, says DRDO Chief.

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Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley,

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India, it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that will carry

multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time. DRDO

Chief V K Saraswat said in Bangalore that Agni-V is major strategic defence weapon and

Agni-VI would be a force multiplier.

Refusing to divulge the range of the new under- development missile, he said, the force

multiplier capability of the missile would be because of its Multiple Independently

Targetable Re-entry Vehicle, MIRV capability. The Agni-V ballistic missile, which was test-

fired in April last year, has a range of up to 5,500 kilometers and it is believed that the

Agni-VI would have a range longer than its predecessor.

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Weaponised Advanced Light Helicopter ‗Rudra‘ was handed over to the Army at Aero India

show in Bangalore. The anti-tank guided missile Helina will become part of its inventory in

the coming days.

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Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Rajratan, the fifth of a series of eight Inshore Patrol Vessels

(IPVs) was commissioned by Director General Indian Coast Guard, Vice Admiral MP

Muralidharan in Kolkata on 11 February.

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Golden Globe Awards 2013: Argo Won Best Picture and Best Director Awards.

List of Golden Globe Awards 2013 Winners:

◦ Best Motion Picture-Drama: Argo

◦ Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy: Les Miserables

◦ Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

◦ Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – Drama: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark

Thirty)

◦ Best performance by an actor in a motion picture- Musical or Comedy: Hugh Jackman (Les

Misérables)

◦ Best performance by an actress in a motion picture- Musical or Comedy: Jennifer

Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

◦ Best Director: Ben Affleck (Argo)

◦ Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

◦ Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway

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9th February, 2013

Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru hanged and buried in Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

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A major snow storm hits North East in the United States and Canada; Emergency declared

in New York.

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Parle-G in February 2013 became the first Indian FMCG brand that crossed 5000 crore

Rupees mark in terms of retail sales in one year.

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Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.

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American Airlines and US Airways have agreed to merge in an $11 billion deal to create the

world's biggest airline. The combined carrier will be called American Airlines but run by US

Airways CEO Doug Parker.

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The Central Statistics Office (CSO)

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58th Idea Filmfare Awards were given away on 20 January 2013 at YRF Studio, Andheri..

The other awards are:

◦ Critics‘ Award for Best Actor: Irrfan Khan for Paan Singh Tomar (Director: Tigmanshu

Dhulia)

◦ Critics‘ Award for Best Film: Gangs of Wasseypur (Director: Anurag Singh Kashyap )

◦ Critics‘ Award for Best Actor (Female): Richa Chadda for Gangs of Wasseypur

◦ Best Lyricist: Gulzar for Challa (Jab Tak Hai Jaan: Director Yash Chopra)

◦ Best Music Director: Pritam for Barfi!

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Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM)

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10th February, 2013

River Ran on the Mars 3.5 Billion Years Ago: European Space Agency

The European Space Agency released surprising pictures of the remains of huge river which

ran across the Red Planet, Mars at some point of time, on 17 January 2013.

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Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai

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Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque

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11th February, 2013

Government provides 100 crore rupees during 12th Five-year plan for development of

community radio in the country.

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Uttar Pradesh Minister and Incharge of Kumbh Mela, Azam Khan

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Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and National Technical

Research Organisation (NTRO) Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

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Key Economic Indicators :

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in real terms (at 2004-05 prices) during 2012-13 is likely to attain a

level of Rs.39,143 as compared to the First Revised Estimate for the year 2011-12 of Rs.

38,037. The growth rate in per capita income is estimated at 2.9 per cent during 2012-13,

as against the previous year's estimate of 4.7 per cent.

Gross Domestic Product

GDP at factor cost at current prices in the year 2012-13 is likely to attain a level of Rs.

94,61,979 crore, showing a growth rate of 13.3 per cent over the First Revised Estimate of

GDP for the year 2011-12 of Rs. 83,53,495 crore.

Per Capita Income

The per capita income at current prices during 2012-13 is estimated to be Rs. 68,747 as

compared to Rs. 61,564 during 2011-12, showing a rise of 11.7 per cent.





Researchers have identified the world's largest prime number yet, beating the previous

record by over four million digits. The number has now shot up to 2 multiplied by itself

57,885,161 times minus 1, breaking a four-year dry spell in the search for new, ever-larger

primes. Curtis Cooper from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg made the

finding as part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a distributed

computing project designed to hunt for a particular kind of prime number first identified in

the 17th century, the 'New Scientist' reported.

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A two-day conference of Governors has begun in Rashtrapati Bhavan. President, Mr. Pranab

Mukherjee presided over the conference, which is expected to focus on issues of security,

development and human resource development, especially education.

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The 16th National Conference on E-Governance will begin in Jaipur

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The MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) benchmark index SX40 went live with its equity trading

platform on both equities and equity derivatives.

12th February, 2013

K.K. Goel appointed CBI prosecutor in 2G telecom scam case.

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UN strongly condemns North Korea's underground nuclear test as a grave violation of

Security Council's resolutions.

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Indian Coast Guard Ship ‗ICGS-Rajkamal‘, the fourth in the series of eight Inshore Patrol

Vessels (IPVs) designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata,

was commissioned at Chennai by the Minister of State for Defence Shri Jitendra Singh on 8

January.

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Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

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The Health Ministers of India and Bangladesh signed an MoU on Health in New Delhi on 12

February. While GhulamNabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare signed on

behalf of Government of India, Dr. A. F. M. RuhalHaque, Health Minister signed on behalf of

Government of Bangladesh. The salient features of the MoU between India and Bangladesh

are as follows:

The main areas of cooperation between the two Governments will include the following:

1.Exchange of medical doctors, other health professionals and experts:

2.Development of human resources.

3.Exchange of information on health.

4.Medical and health research development.

5.Regulations of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics.

6.Health promotion and disease prevention.

7.Fostering cooperation for the development of culturally sensitive and effective public and

professional awareness campaign including clinical are practices and best practices

guidelines for healthcare providers and caretakers to benefit individuals and families

touched by Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities

8.Any other area of cooperation as may be mutually decided upon.

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The Visa on Arrival (VOA)

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Iran announced that it had successfully sent into space a monkey. While declaring the

sending of a monkey into space, Iran also declared that it was yet another step towards the

space flight goal of Tehran.

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The UN strongly condemned North Korea's underground nuclear test as deplorable, saying

it was a clear and grave violation of the Security Council resolutions.

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13th February, 2013

Defence Minister A K Antony says, serious action including cancellation of the deal could be

taken if allegations of bribery in the VVIP helicopter deal are proved.

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Defence Minister A K Antony said that nobody found guilty of bribery, will be spared, in the

chopper deal with Italian firm Finmeccanica.

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External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid

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First Complete Bionic Man of the World Unveiled at London's Science Museum

First bionic man of the world called Rex was unveiled on 7 February 2013 at London's

Science Museum. The bionic man was created using 1 million US dollar limbs as well as

organs.

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U S President Barack Obama has focused on reviving the economy and building a stronger

America. In his first State of the Union address since his re-election, Mr Obama promised to

re-ignite, what he called, the true engine of the country's economic growth - a rising and

thriving middle class.

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2nd World Radio Day, A report;

"The day was proclaimed on the 3rd November 2011 by the UNESCO 36th General

Conference, originally proposed by Spain. On the occasion of World Radio Day, UN-

Secretary General, Ban-Ki-Moon said that the power of radio connects people and promotes

democratic expression."

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14th February, 2013

One lakh twenty thousand crore rupees to be spent as subsidy on Food Security, says

Union Food Minister.

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India and France on 14 February 2013 agreed to strengthen counter terrorism and

intelligence cooperation between the two countries during the visit of French President

Francois Holllande to India. Both nations exchanged views on a number of bi-lateral,

regional and multilateral issues. India and France also reviewed progress on the Jaitapur

Nuclear Power Project and reiterated our commitment to its early implementation as soon

as the commercial and technical negotiations, which have made good progress, are

completed.

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Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)

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French President Francois Hollande, who is on a two-day visit to India, was given

ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Later he visited Rajghat in New Delhi and paid

floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

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The European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Marie Ashton has said thatIran should

show flexibility for a substantial progress in the upcoming nuclear talks.

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Pakistan successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-II ballistic missile, also known as

Abdali on 15 February 2013.

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15th February, 2013

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has said that his government will guarantee the correct

governance of state-controlled defence firm, Finmeccanica, following arrest of its chief

executive on corruption charges in the 3,600 crore rupee VVIP helicopter deal with India.

Monti had earlier promised to do whatever necessary to clean up Finmeccanica. He also

gave an assurance that the prosecution would do its duty in the cases of Finmeccanica's

jailed ex-chief executive officer Giuseppe Orsi. Meanwhile, Finmeccanica, Italy's biggest

defence contractor, appointed Alessandro Pansa as the new CEO to succeed Orsi.

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Construction of the world‘s largest optical telescope by a five-nation consortium including

India is expected to start next year with Indian scientists making a significant contribution

in developing its key components. The Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT), dubbed as the world‘s

most advanced ground-based observatory, will be built at the summit of Mauna Kea

volcano in Hawaii at a cost of $1.2 billion.

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India has decided to go it alone in its second lunar mission, the Chandrayaan-2, which was

originally proposed as an Indo-Russian venture.

Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad,

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Financial ministers from the G20 Countries are meeting in the Russian capital Moscow at

the start of two days of meetings.

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The 27th edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela which covered fifteen days of

fun, frolic and a kaleidoscopic view of India's rich cultural heritage is concluding.

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Karnataka, the theme state of the 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela has been

chosen after a gap of 18 years.

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Manipur has decided to ban tobacco products in the state with immediate effect.

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Pope Benedict XVI announced on 11 February 2013 that he would resign at the end of the

month. He reasoned that he was too infirm to carry on. He is the first pontiff to do so in

nearly 600 years. The decision set the stage for the election of a new Pope before the end

of March 2013.Pope Benedict XVI is 85 years old. He had become the Pope in 2005. The

last Pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who took this step in 1415 to put an end to the

Great Western Split among competing papal claimants.

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16th February, 2013

Serena Williams is the new World Number one women's Tennis player;

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The government is not averse to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, JPC, probe in the Italian

VVIP helicopter deal following allegations of 362 crore rupees kickbacks.

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The Government has initiated action to scrap the deal for purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters

from Italian firm Agusta Westland.

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Mexico will slaughter about half a million chicken over bird flu after an outbreak of H7N3

influenza in the central state of Guanajuato.

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Serena Williams has been crowned as the new World number one women‘s tennis player .

The 31 year old American beat Czech Republic‘s Petra Kvitova 6-3,3-6,7-5 to reach the

Semifinals of Qatar Open Tennis Championship in Doha on her way to regain the number

one spot after a gap of two and a half years.

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17th February, 2013

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team is set to leave for Italy tomorrow to

investigate the 3600 crore rupee VVIP chopper deal.

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Prime Minister of United Kingdom David Cameron is arriving on a 3 day state visit to India.

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18th February, 2013

Renowned social worker and grass-root level entrepreneur, Ela Ramesh Bhatt conferred

2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development.

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A Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI team is leaving for Italy today to investigate the

3,600 crore rupee VVIP chopper deal. The team will also investigate whether firms were

floated in India just to route kickbacks in the deal with Italian defence company Agusta

Westland.

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Attorney General G E Vahanvati

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President Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,

Disarmament and Development to renowned Women social worker, Mrs. Ela Ramesh Bhatt

at a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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In Cricket:

Five-time champions Australia will lock horns with the West Indies, in the title clash of the

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

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NASA scientists say, the meteor that streaked across the Russian skies on Friday, injuring

around 1,200 people, exploded with a force 30 times greater than the Hiroshima nuclear

bomb.

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20th February, 2013

British Prime Minister David Cameron calls 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre shameful.

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The visiting British Prime Minister, David Cameron has said that what happened at

Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 is a deeply shameful act in British history. The premier, who laid a

wreath at Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, after paying obeisance at the Golden

Temple, wrote this in the visitors book.

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21th February, 2013

International Olympic Academy President urges the IOC, not to remove wrestling from the

2020 Olympics.

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International Olympic Academy, IOA President Isidoros Kouvelos has urged the

International Olympic Committee, IOC, not to remove wrestling from the Olympics, starting

in the 2020 edition. In a letter sent to IOC President Jacques Rogge, he said, Wrestling

remains inseparable from the concept of the Olympics, which would be inconceivable

without this historic sport in its programme. Kouvelos said, he was saddened by the

decision of the 15-strong IOC Executive Board last week, to recommend to the wider IOC

membership, the removal of wrestling from the Olympic Games.

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22th February, 2013

A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said that the accused marines, Massimiliano

Lattore and Salvatore Girone, would travel to Italy under the control and custody of the

Ambassador of Italy in India.

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BCCI general secretary Rajiv Shukla.

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23rd February, 2013

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said there is need to move towards a technology

driven tax administration. He stressed on the need to bring each one of the 28 lakh tax

deductees under Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) . The tax amount will be credited to the

government and refund would be credited to the deductee.

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The 59-hour countdown for the February 25 launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

commenced at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the spaceport of Sriharikota, about 90

kms from Chennai. Indian Space Research Organisation sources said, PSLV-C20, the 23rd

PSLV Mission of ISRO, would put the 400 kg Indo-French satellite and six others into orbit.

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In the United States, at least six tanks containing radioactive waste at the Hanford site,

which first produced fuel for nuclear bombs in World War II, are leaking. The Governor of

Washington state, Jay Inslee said that the extent of the leaks at the site was disturbing.

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India made a major stride towards completing its nuclear triad capability by successfully

test firing a nuclear-capable ballistic missile K-5, from an underwater platform in Bay of

Bengal. Completion of the nuclear triad will give India the ability to fire nuclear-tipped

missiles from land, air and sea. This is the first missile in the underwater category to have

been fully developed by India and can be launched from a submarine.





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Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt has said that he will return his bronze medal won in the

Olympics, if wrestling was not re-included in the Olympics 2020. He said that wrestling and

kabaddi are our traditional games and the decision of excluding wrestling from Olympics is

unfortunate and a big loss to India.

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25th February, 2013

PSLV C20 to be launched this evening from Sriharikota to inject SARAL and six other

satellites into the space.

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Park Geun-hye sworn-in as the first woman President of South Korea.

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Ang Lee's Life of Pi bags 4 Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards.

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National Centre for Counter Terrorism (NCTC)

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India is expected to start building the world's largest solar telescope on the icy heights of

Ladakh to study the sun's atmosphere and understand the formation of sunspots and their

decay process.

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Ang Lee's Life of Pi today bagged 4 Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards in Los Angeles,

United States. Ang Lee beat master Directors like Steven Spielberg and Michael Haneke to

take home the best director Oscar for "Life of Pi", his visually stunning 3D tale of an Indian

boy adrift in the ocean for months with a Bengal tiger.

"Ang Lee's 'Life of Pi', about a shipwrecked Indian boy got the four trophies for best

direction, best cinematography, best visual effects and best original score. Ang Lee won the





second Oscar for directing the film while Claudio Miranda won the best cinematography

award for his stunning camera work in the 3D movie. In the film, the protagonist, Piscine

Molitor Pi Patel, from Puducherry, survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a

boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

The Oscar for Best actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis for 'Lincoln'.

22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence defeated the oldest and youngest Oscar nominees to clinch

the Best Actress Oscar for her role in David O Russell's 'Silver Linings Playbook'.

'Argo' won the Oscar for the Best Picture.

Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role of a German bounty

hunter in Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'.

Anne Hathaway took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Tom Hooper's

musical, 'Les Miserables'.

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Ms Park Geun-hye was today sworn-in as the first womAn President of South Korea.

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About 1200 people were injured when a meteorite shot across the sky in central Russia on

15 February, sending fireballs crashing to Earth, smashing windows and setting off car

alarms. Residents on their way to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an

explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a media

correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow. The meteorite

raced across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as

200 km (125 miles) away in Yekaterinburg.

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26th February, 2013

Arunachal Pradesh included in Indian Rail Network for the first time; Need based border

connectivity top priority.

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27th February, 2013

Former Republican senator Chuck Hagel is the new Defence Secretary of United States.

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The Indian economy is likely to grow between 6.1 to 6.7 percent in 2013-14, as the

downturn is more or less over and the economy is looking up.

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India‘s Mars exploration mission by Oct

India‘s tryst with Mars will begin in October to explore the red planet‘s atmosphere and

search for life-sustaining elements, a top space official said on 4 January. ―We are trying

very hard and by mid-October we are expecting to launch the Mars mission,‖ said J.N.

Goswami, in-charge of the exploration mission.

“The Indian space agency plans to use a high-end rocket (PSLV-XL) to launch the 1.4-

tonne Martian spacecraft from its Sriharikota spaceport, about 80 km northeast of Chennai,

with five instruments to study various aspects of the red planet.

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28th February, 2013

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presents Union Budget 2013-2014 with focus to fast track

Higher growth with inclusive development

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No revision in tax slabs; 2000 rupees tax benefit to 2-5 lakh rupee income group;

Surcharge of 5-10 per cent on companies with taxable income exceeding 10 crore rupees;

10 per cent additional surcharge for persons having taxable income of more than one crore

rupees.

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80,194 crore rupees allocation for rural development schemes including MGNREGA, PMGSY,

INDIRA AWAS YOJANA; Rashtriya Bima Swastiya Yojana to be extended to rickshaw

pullers, rag pickers and mine workers, 27,049 crore rupees allocated to Agriculture

Ministry.

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Defence allocation increased to over two lakh crore rupees.

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A special Nirbhaya fund with 1000 crore rupees to be set up for Women's safety; India's

first all women's bank to be set up by October this year; Education and Health Sector given

priority; Leather products, precious stones to cost less and Raw silk, set top boxes, luxury

motor vehicles and mobile phones to cost more.

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The Union Budget for 2013-14 proposes no change in Income Tax rates or slabs. 2000

rupees tax benefit has been given to those drawing income up to 5 lakhs rupees.

The other highlights are:-

Rich to pay more and 10 percent surcharge proposed for income over one crore rupees.

Excise and peak customs duty remain the same; Voluntary Compliance Scheme for

Service Tax payers.

One thousand crore rupees "Nirbhaya Fund" to boost safety of women; First women‘s

Public Sector Bank to be set up.

10 thousand crore rupees more for National Food Security.

Cheaper loans to farmers to continue; 22 percent hike for allocation to Agriculture.

Leather products, precious stones to cost less.





Raw silk, Set Top Boxes, luxury motor vehicles and goods to cost more.

Duty free gold import by passengers increased. Silver to cost more.

Excise duty exemption to handmade carpets, textile flooring of coir and jute; Cheaper

loan to Handloom sector.

Sports Utility Vehicles, Mobile phones, marble become dearer.

Smokers to pay more.

Higher allocation to social sector; Rural Development to get a whopping 46 percent

hike; 17 percent increase for education.

Two new major ports to come up in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Duty exemption

to Ship Building Industry.

15 percent allowance to new investments by companies.

Concessions to new home buyers.

Rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, sanitation workers, rag pickers and mine workers

included in health insurance.

Higher allocation to Defence.

Private FM Radio services to all cities with over one lakh population.

One thousand crore rupees for youth skill development; Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme

to cover the entire country in a year.

And fiscal deficit pegged at 4.8 percent for for 2013-14.

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that the budget will focus on fast track higher

growth with inclusive development. He said there is no case to revise the income tax slabs

or the rates but he is inclined to give 2000 rupees as a relief to the tax payers in the first

bracket of 2 lakh rupees to 5 lakhs. This will work out to an increase in the exemption to

them from 2 lakh rupees to 2 lakh 20 thousand. About 1.8 crore tax payers are to benefit.

||<><><>||

The budget also proposes to set up India‘s first Women‘s Bank as a public sector bank and

allocates one thousand crore rupees as initial capital for the project.

||<><><>||

Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme to be liberalized. Additional deduction of interest upto

one lakh rupees for those taking the first home loan upto 25 lakhs rupees proposed.

Instruments protecting savings from inflation are to be introduced in consultation with the

RBI.

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River Ran on the Mars 3.5 Billion Years Ago: European Space Agency

The European Space Agency released surprising pictures of the remains of huge river which

ran across the Red Planet, Mars at some point of time.

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President has approved the conferment of 108 Padma Awards. These comprise 4 Padma

Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri Awards. 24 of the awardees are women

and the list also includes 11 persons in the category of Foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and

Posthumous awardees. Padma Awards, the country‘s highest civilian awards, are conferred

in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The

awards are announced on Republic Day every year. The awards are conferred by the

President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan sometime around March/ April.

Padma Vibhushan

Sl No. Name Discipline State/ Domicile

1. Shri Raghunath Mohapatra Art Orissa

2. Shri S. Haider Raza Art Delhi





3. Prof. Yash Pal Science and Engineering Uttar Pradesh

4. Prof. Roddam Narasimha Science and Engineering Karnataka

Padma Bhushan

Sl No. Name Discipline State/ Domicile

1. Dr. Ramanaidu Daggubati Art Andhra Pradesh

2. Smt. Sreeramamurthy Janaki Art Tamil Nadu

3. Dr. (Smt.) Kanak Rele Art Maharashtra

4. Smt. Sharmila Tagore Art Delhi

5. Dr. (Smt.) Saroja Vaidyanathan Art Delhi

6. Shri Abdul Rashid Khan Art West Bengal

7. Late Rajesh Khanna Art Maharashtra

8. Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti Art Punjab

9. Shri Shivajirao Girdhar Patil Public Affairs Maharashtra

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Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar legend was honoured with the posthumous Lifetime

Achievement Grammy award. His daughter sitarist Anoushka Shankar accepted the award

on his behalf on 9 February 2013 ahead of the Grammy‘s show that took place in Los

Angeles on 10 February 2013. Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones attended the pre-

Grammy ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre for accepting the honour which was given

to their deceased father.

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South African ―Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius appeared in court on 15 February, charged

with the murder of his girlfriend an incident that has stunned the country. Reeva

Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV show participant, was shot and killed at

Pistorius' upmarket home in an eastern suburb of the South African capital in the predawn

hours of 12 February, sending the country reeling.

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Michael Clarke, the Australian cricket captain won the fourth Allan Border Medal in

Melbourne .

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Pankaj Advani made history at the BetVictor Welsh Open on 14 February, as a 4-1 victory

over Graeme Dott saw him become the first Indian player to reach the quarter-finals of a

world ranking event. Advani, 8-time world billiards champion playing as a newcomer on the

main snooker tour this season, went 2-0 up in the second-round match in Newport with

breaks of 63 and 73.The 27-year-old from Pune has now defeated two former world

champions at this tournament.

Documents

October 2012 Current Affairs February, 2013 - TalentSprint · PDF fileThe single-seat Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) is the latest design produced by Iran's military since it launched