Weekly Current Affairs Update 21st - 27th Jan 2013

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Weekly Current Affairs (21 Jan to 27th

Jan, 2013)

NATIONAL

1. India and Pakistan army hold flag meeting on LoC in Poonch

The commanders of the armies of Indian and Pakistan held a flag meeting at Chakan da Baghin Poonch

district along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

Where is Chakan da Bagh?Chakan da Baghis a crossing point located in Poonch district along the LoC in Kashmir.

2. Pranab Mukherjee imposed Presidents rule on Jharkhand

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 18 January 2013 imposed Presidents Rule in Jharkhand. The

decision came as a follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of India on 17 January 2013

and fall of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January 2013 after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha

the supporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its support from it.

The President imposed the Rule on the state following the provisions of imposition of Presidents Rule on a

state mentioned under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution of India, after the failure of ConstitutionalMachinery in the state.

3. Indian researcher to receive Alzheimers drug discovery awardMahaveer Golechha, a London-based Indian researcher will be honored with Alzheimers Drug Discovery

Foundations Young Investigator Scholarship Award at the 7th Annual Drug Discovery for

Neurodegeneration Conference San Francisco.

Why this award?The award is being given to him to recognize his outstanding research on Naringin,a bioflavonoid found

in grape fruits and citrus fruits. He has discovered thatnaringin bears significant "anti-Alzheimer

activity"and will form the basis of further research to develop as a cure for the degenerative disease relatedto old age, which worsens as its progresses and eventually leads to death.

It is estimated that by 2025 at least 34 million people worldwide will be affected by the disease.

4. Election Commission of India nominated Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom as the National Icons

The Election Commission (EC) of India on 22 January 2013 announced Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom as the

National Icons to help promote, voter participation in India. Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom, both are OlympicBronze Medalists in the London Olympics 2012, in Badminton and Boxing respectively.

Apart from these two, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Captain of the Indian National Cricket Team and former

President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam are the existing National Icons of the Board and they will continue to

be at the position.

5. India and Sri Lanka signed two agreements on Terrorism and Human Trafficking

India and Sri Lanka on 22 January 2013 signed two agreements that include Combating International

Terrorism and Illegal Drug and Human Trafficking.

An agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion was also signed by G L

Peiris, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and his Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid at New Delhi. The

agreements were signed after the 8th round meet of the Joint India-Sri Lanka commission. The commission

reviewed the bilateral relationship between the two countries on all the fronts and also inked the agreed

minutes of joint commission meeting.During the meet, both the parties also decided setting up of the Special Economic Zone at Trincomali and a

textile and pharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka. They also agreed on offering human treatment to the

fishermen of both the countries as well as the rehabilitation issues of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

6. Bhutan King to be the Chief Guest at Indias Republic Day for the Year 2013

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade for the

year 2013. The Bhutan King is also to be the chief guest at the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership

Summit-2013 to be held at Agra from 27th to 29 January 2013.

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Bhutan King's visit will contribute to further strengthening and expanding the close bilateral relations

between India and Bhutan. The unique and special relations between the two neighbouring countries are

characterized by everlasting friendship, deep understanding and mutual trust.

7. PM inaugurates Ghat Ki Guni tunnel

PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Ghat Ki Guni tunnel project.About Ghat Ki Guni:

Ghat Ki Guni is a 2.8km long tunnel located at east Jaipur and connects MI Road and NH-11 passing

through Jhalana Hills. The passage, built at the cost of Rs 150 crore, will alleviate the congestion due to

traffic by providing alternative route to Jaipur-Agra Road.

8. Supreme Court: A non-member can also move Speaker for disqualification of defectors

As per the latest ruling of the apex court, not only an MLA but any interested person has the right to inform

the Speaker of the fact that a member has incurred disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the

Constitution (anti-defection law) and the presiding officer is bound to take action on the complaint.

9. General Anti Avoidance Rules

Seeking to set at rest the concerns expressed by worried investors at home and abroad, the government on

Monday announced the postponement of the implementation of the controversial GAAR (General Anti

Avoidance Rules) by two years to April 1, 2016. The postponement and other modifications in GAAR

provisions marks the acceptance of the recommendations of the Parthasarathi Shome Committee, which was

set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh following concerns expressed by investors on the Budget

provision in this regard and the subsequent withdrawal of portfolio investment by foreign investors.

10. The Union Government on Monday hiked the import duty on gold and platinum from 4% to 6% with

immediate effect in an urgent bid to curb imports of the precious metals and contain the widening currentaccount deficit(CAD). Government also announced its decision to link the Gold ETFs (Exchange Traded

Funds) with Gold Deposit schemes as a measure to increase the supply of physical gold in the market without

resorting to imports.

11. Cochin International Airport is set to become the first airport in the country to use solar power forrunning its utility grid system. A Kolkata-based solar module manufacturing company, Vikram Solar, would

be installing a 100 kWp solar power facility at the airport. The proposed energy production would be at anestimated 148 MWh per year with a capacity of 100 kilowatts-peak (kWp). The energy capacity of each PV

module would reach up to 240-250 Wp. The company is also installing a 30 KW solar power facility at the

famous Jagannath temple in Puri in Odisha.

12. India committed to implementing TAPI Project by 2017

India has said that it is fully committed to implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India

(TAPI) Project by August 2017. It was reiterated by President Pranab Mukherjee when he was interacting

with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at Rashtrapati

Bhavan.

13. India is part of Worlds largest optical telescope projectIndian scientists will render significant contribution in developing key components of the worlds largest

optical telescope to be set up by a 5-nation consortium including India.

There are five nations collaborating in the project:

1. India2. China3. Japan4. Canada5. United States

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INTERNATIONAL

1. India among major victims of Red October

What is RED OCTOBER :- Red October (or Rocra for short) = A Cyber spying campaign (a cyber-

espionage network) launched in 2007 by unidentified criminals that have been secretly stealing importantdata from many computer systems used by government agencies, military, nuclear, gas and oil industries,

aerospace, private companies, etc. in many countries since 2007.

2. Mohan Peiris is the new Chief Justice of Sri Lanka

Former attorney general of Sri Lanka, Mohan Peiris, has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of Sri

Lanka after the dismissal of former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake following her impeachment.

3. Indian-origin politician to be First Woman Speaker of Singapore Parliament

Halimah Yacob, a politician of Indian-origin, will be the first woman Speaker of Singapores Parliament

when she replaces Michael Palmer, who was forced to resign over his extra-marital affair.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong would nominate Halimah as the next Speaker.

Halimah (58) is an Indian-origin Muslim, is a former labour lawyer and a Member of Parliament from the

ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP).

4. Wei Wei is new Chinese Ambassador to India

China has appointed Wei Wei (57) as new ambassador to India, succeeding Zhang Yan. The appointment

was made by President Hu Jintao in accordance with a decision made by the Standing Committee of the

National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature

5. Zhao Jiang is Chinas first Tamil author

Zhao Jiang or Kalaimakal has become first Chinese author to write a book in Tamil. She has authored a book

titled Chinas Travel Attractionswhich introduces the reader with the history and culture of Beijing,Shanghai and Tibet. Currently, Jiang is the director of the government-run China Radio Internationals (CRI)

Tamil station, which commands an significant number of audience in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore

and Europe.

6. Obama takes oath for another term as US president

Barack Obama has been officially sworn in for a second consecutive term as US President. Obama delivered

the oath in the Blue Room of the White House with First Lady Michelle.

7. Iran allows IAEA only partial access to Parchin

Iran gave only partial access to IAEA delegation which visited countrys military facility in Parchin. It is

suspected by the IAEA that that Parchin facility may have been used for high explosives testing that can be

used to trigger a nuclear explosion, based on satellite imagery of the base. Iran has put across that it would

allow complete inspection of the military complex only after striking a political deal based on dialogue with

the six global powers, which comprise the five Security Council members and Germany (P5+1). The meeting

b/w Iran and P5+1 is slated to be held at the end of Jan 2013.

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What is Parchin?

Parchin is an Iranian military complex, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Tehran. It is

suspected that Iran is advancing with its nuclear enrichment program for making nuclear weapons. Iran is not

allowed to do so as it is a signatory to Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

8. British PM pledges referendum on EU membership if re-elected

British people may have a choice of opting out of European Union or staying with it, as promised by British

Prime Minister David Cameron. He has pledged to hold a referendum on Britains membership of the

European Union if his party is re-elected in the next general election by 2017.

The move was made to pacify the Eurosceptic crescendos within his own Conservative Party and outside,

with a promise to offer the British public a simple choice b/w staying in or leaving the European Union.

ECONOMY

1. RBI introduces Dollar- Rupee swap facility

Objective:To increase the flow of credit to the export sectorto support incremental Pre-shipment export

Credit in Foreign Currency (PCFC)by banks.

2. BRICS identify areas of tax policy and administration for mutual cooperation

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) substantiated their commitment to encourage

closer coordination and identified seven areas of tax policy and administration for broadening mutual

cooperation.

Key areas identified for cooperation:

Development of global standards on International taxation and transfer pricing Strengthening of the enforcement processes Sharing of best practices and capacity building Sharing of anti-avoidance and non-compliance practices Promotion of effective exchange of information Capacity building, improvement of systems Sharing of resources, knowledge and best practices

PERSONS

1. Marathi writer Jyotsna Deodhar passed awayAcclaimed Marathi writer Jyotsna Deodhar (86) passed away. She also worked as an All India Radio (AIR)

programme producer, Deodhar authored over 40 books which included novels and short stories that won her

critical applaud. Her novels include Ghar Gangechya Kathi, Udhvasta, Padzad.She became famous

in Maharashtra with her radio programme in Marathi titled Gruhinithat highlighted womens issues.

2. S.S. Mundra appointed as the new CMD of BoB

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S.S. Mundrahas been appointed by the Government of India as the Chairman and Managing Director

(CMD) of Indias second largest lender- Bank of Baroda.He is the former Executive Director of Union

bank of India.

3. Major Abup J Manjali Selected For Second- Highest Peacetime Gallantry Award Kirti Chakra

Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinarybravery efforts in counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Manjali will be awarded on

26Major Abup J Manjali belongs to the Bihar Regiment and at present is deputed to Rashtriya Rifles. It is

important to note that the Kirti Chakra can be given away to military personnel as well as the civilians. This

award is the peacetime gallantry award which is equivalent to Mahavir Chakra. January 2013.

4. Indian author U.R.Ananthamurthy in race for the International Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013

Indian Kannada author U.R.Ananthamurthy (80) is one among the ten authors shortlisted for the prestigious

International Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013. Ananthamurthy became famous with his novel

Samskara launched in 1966.

The International Man Booker Prizeis presented by UK to a living author of any nationality for a body of

work published in English or generally available in English translation. It is a biennial event which awards anauthor for his lifetime work.

AWARDS

1. Krishi Karman Award to states with record foodgrain production

President Pranab Mukherjee honored 8 states with Krishi Karman Awards in recognition to their

special achievements in foodgrain production in 2011-12.

The Awardees with their respective achievement category:

Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland awarded for their special contribution to totalfoodgrains production.

Biharreceived the award for contribution to production and productivity of rice. Haryana awarded for wheat. Jharkhandfor pulses. Uttar Pradeshfor coarse cereals.SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. ISRO to launch SARAL on February 14, GSLV in April

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch SARAL (Satellite with Argos and

Altika) on February 14, 2013. The launch, which was planned for 12-12-12, was deferred due to some

technical issues and to carry out additional to improve reliability. Along with Indo-French SARAL, the PolarSatellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will put into orbit six small experimental satellites built by western

universities for a fee. SARAL would be similar to ISROs Oceansat-2, but with an altimeter to measure

heights. In October 2012, NASA depended upon Oceansat-2 to get details of Hurricane Sandy that brought

huge devastation on the eastern U.S.

Forthcoming Launches of ISRO:

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In April 2013, ISRO expects to resume flying the GSLV rocket. The GSLV-D5 will lift thecommunications satellite GSAT-14 into orbit. GSLV programme was put on hold after it suffered

two successive failures in April and December 2010.

In May 2013, the first of the national navigational satellites or navsats the IRNSS-1 isexpected to be launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. IRNSS or the Indian Regional

Navigation Satellite System with its seven satellites will be Indias own regional GlobalPositioning System.

GSAT-7, a satellite dedicated for the Navy, will be launched around May on a European Arianerocket.

INSAT-3D and GSAT-10, will be launched in the second half of this year.2. Scientists discover Billion Year Old River on Mars

Scientists from the European Space agency have discovered a river like structure on Mars by analyzing the

3D images of the Mars Express stereo camera. As per them, the region Reull Vallis bears a river-likestructure which is believed to be formed when running water flowed in the distant martian past, cutting a

steep-sided channel through the Promethei Terra Highlandsbefore running on towards the floor of the vast

Hellas basin.The length of the river bed is around1500 kilometer which runs across the martian landscape.

These structures are thought to be formed by the passage of loose debris and ice during the Amazonian

period(which continues to this day) due to glacial flow along the channel.

The structures were originally carved by liquid water during the Hesperian period,which ended b/w 3.5billion and 1.8 billion years ago.

3. Astronomers measured the Process how Universe cooled on lines of Big Bang Theory

Astronomers in the fourth week of January 2013 revealed that they have made the most precise measurement

of the fact that how the Universe has cooled down in a period of 13.77 billion years history following the

prediction made in the Big Bang Theory.

To find out the fact and to carry on the study, the astronomers studied molecules in the gas cloud at a

distance of 7.2 billion light years from us somewhere in the universe a distance so far that the light emittedfrom it took half the age of the Universe to reach us. A team of Astronomers from France, Germany, Sweden

and Australia used the Australian Telescope Compact Array to measure the heat of Universe at the time

when it was half of its current age.

A statement released from the CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science described that the study has been ableto find out the most precise measurement to identify the fact that how the Universe has cooled over a time of

13.77 billion years.

The scientists looked back halfway across the Universe to look back halfway into the Universe history and

the basic reason to do so is to identify the time, when the light left the galaxies. Astronomers studied gas at adistance of 7.2 billion light years away in an unnamed galaxy and identified that the cosmic background

radiation was the only thing that kept it warm left over by the big bang. Behind this unnamed galaxy PKS

1830-211 quasar is also in existence.

SPORTS

1. Simon Taufel to be first umpire to deliver Cowdrey Lecture

Retired umpire Simon Taufel of Australia will become the first umpire to deliver the esteemed MCC Spirit of

Cricket Cowdrey Lecture.

The lecture was introduced in 2001 in remembrance to former Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) presidentColin Cowdrey,who played a major role in the Spirit of Cricket being enshrined in the preamble of the

Code of the Laws of Cricket in 2000.

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Taufel, who was the International Cricket Councils (ICC) Umpire of the year b/w 2004 and 2008, will

become the third non-player to deliver the lecture.

The first one was late British cricket journalist Christopher Martin-Jenkinswas the first non-player who

gave the lecture 6 years ago, followed by former Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu who received the honor in

2008.

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Weekly Current Affairs Update 21st - 27th Jan 2013