Current affairs, is the mainstay of the civil service examination, what with one portion of the exam

dedicated to general studies. The current affairs of india and international current event affairs, are an
important part of the general studies paper, both in the mains and the prelims. At the interview current
affairs news rules and decides the rank of the candidate and even whether s/he will get through or not.
In such a scenario the coverage of current affairs in india as well as current world affairs, becomes an
important part of your preprations.
For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we are
covering the 2010 current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science current
affairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current affairs.
Only studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to cover
international events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in the field
of science and sports.
International Current Affairs 2010

 Belgium became the Europe’s first country to ban burqa.

 Pakistan’s National assembly passed a bill that takes away the President’s power to dissolve
parliament, dismiss a elected government and appoint the three services Chiefs. Pakistan’s
parliament passes 18th amendment which was later signed by Presient cutting President’s
powers.
 USA and Russia signed Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty(START) that allowed a maximum of
1550 deployed overheads, about 30% lower than a limit set in 2002. The treaty was signed in the
Progue Castle.
 Emergency was imposed in Thailand.
 Nuclear Security Summit held at Washington.It was a 47 nation summit wherein P.M. announced
setting up of a global nuclear energy centre for conducting research & development of design
systems that are secure, proliferation resistant & sustainable.
 PM visit USA & Brazil, a two nation tour. He attended Nuclear Security Summit in USA & India-
Brazil-S.Africa(IBSA) and Brazil-Russia-India-China(BRIC) summit in Brasilia (Brazil).
 16th SAARC Summit held in Bhutan in 28-29 April. The summit was held in Bhutan for the first
time. It is the silver jubilee summit as SAARC has completed 25 years. The summit central theme
was ‘Climate Change’. The summit recommended to declare 2010-2020 as the “Decade of Intra-
regional Connectivity in SAARC”. The 17th SAARC summit will be held in Maldives in 2011.

National Current Affairs 2010

 Naxals killed about 75 CRPF personal at Chintalnar-Tarmetla village in Dantewada distt

,Chhattisgarh. Government appoint E.N. Rammohan, to probe the incident.
 Uninque Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) now known as Aadhaar. It’s Chairman is Nandan
Nilekani. It will assign 16 digit identification number to all residents in India.
 NTRO- National Technical Research Organisation. The organization came to limelight after
allegation of phone tapping of politicians.
 Indian navy commissioned India’s first indigenously built stealth warship ‘ INS Shivalik’. The other
stealth warship to be built are named as ‘INS Sahyadri’ and INS Satpura’.
 Right To Education Act is notified and will become a legally enforceable from 1 April 2010. Key
features of RTE Act are : All children in 6-14 age group must get free and compulsory eduction;
No child shall be held back,expelled or required to pass a board examination till Class VIII; There
must be 25 % reservation for poor children even in private & minority schools; There must be one
teacher for every 30 students; A child rights commission will look into violations of the RTE law.
  Govt start Census 2011. It is the 15th Census. It is in two phase. The first phase is called –House
listing & Housing Census and the second phase is called decadal headcount which will be held in
Feb 2011. The Registrar General of India is C Chandramouli.

Sports Current Affairs 2010

 IPL3 season won by Chennai Super Kings defeating Mumbai Indians.

 Youth Olympics Games 2010 to be held in Singapore in Aug 2010.
 World Youth Championship was held at Baku, Azerbaijan.
 Lawn tennis legend Martina Navratilova diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
 ‘Jumbo’ chosen as 2011 World Cricket Cup Mascot.
 World Kabbadi Cup 2010- India defeated Pakistan to won World Cup Kabbadi 2010 held at
Ludhiana.
 Pankaj Advani won the Asian Billiards Championship defeating Singapore’s Peter Gilchrist for the
consecutive third time.
 Badminton Asia Championship, Delhi :
o Men’s singles – Lin Dan defeated Wang Zhenguing
o Women’s singles-Li Xiurei defeated Liu Xin.

Awards Current Affairs 2010

 19Th Bihari Puraskar 2009 has been awarded to Hemant Shesh for his collection of poetry
‘Jagah Jaisi Jagah’.
 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize for the best first Book was awarded to Glenda Guest for the
novel ‘Siddon Rock’. Rana Dasgupta won Commonwealth Writers Prize for best Book 2010 for
book ‘Solo’.
 Carl Zeiss wildlife conservation award was won by Joydip Kundu.
 Amitav Ghosh won the Dan David Prize alongwith Margaret Atwood for ‘Rendition of the 2oth
century’.

Economics & Commerce

 India became the 7th largest shareholder in World Bank. India’s voting rights has gone up to 2.91
%. The USA has highest voting rights of 15.85 % followed by Japan with 6.84 % and Germany
with 4 %.
 Govt proposed that concept of GGDP – Green Gross Domestic Product to be introduced in the
country by 2015. In 2012 India will host the Rio+20 conference on biological diversity.
 Government approved disinvestment of 20% of share in SAIL in this financial year.
 India’s total external debt as on December 2009 is 251 billion.
 India’s Gems & Jewellery export grow by 16% to $28.41 billion in 2009-2010.
 RBI announced the credit policy. The CRR has been raised from 5.75 % to 6 %. The Repo rate
has been raised from 5 % to 5.25 %. The reverse repo rate has been raised from 3.5 % to 3.75
%.

Persons in News 2010

  Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra was sworn in as Judge of Supreme Court of India. She became the
4th women judge to be elevated to the Supreme Court of India.
 Justice S H Kapadia will be next Chief Justice of India.
 Mukul Sangma shown in as Meghalaya Chief Minister.
 Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski died in a air crash at Moscow.
 Juan Antonia Samaranch, Former President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) died.

Misc Issues

 ‘Decision Points’ memoir of former US President George W Bush.

 A variety of mango has been named after Sachin Tendulkar.
 Scientist create element 117 from calcium & Berkelium.
 International congress of Mathematicians will be hosted by India for the first time in August 2010
at Hyderabad. The congress has been held once every four years since 1897except the breaks
during two world wars.
 Government will opened four new campuses for the IIMC(Indian Institute of Mass
Communication) at Nagpur, Kochi, Jammu and Aizawl.
 Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Derjeeling become first zoo in the country to install
infrared night vision cameras in the enclosures housing endangered snow leopard.
 ‘Hindutva, Sex & Adventure’ written by Mark Tully.
 Gorumara National Park, Jalpaigudi has been declared the best among the 235 national parks &
sanctuaries in the country by the MOEF.
 ‘Gandhi-Naked Ambition’ written by Jad Adams.
 India ranks 5th in the World’s cybercrime ranking for 2009 after US, China, Brazil & Germany.
 India lauched GSLV from Sriharikota on 15 April 2010. However the launch was failed in the third
stage. The launch was important as GSLV-D3 was the third developmental mission of India’s
GSLV during which ISRO’s indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage (CUS) was to be flight
tested. This is the 6th flight of GSLV, but the first one to test Indian made cryogenic upper stage.
GSLV-D3 was to launch the GSAT-4 satellite into an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
The total flight of the vehicle was planned to be 1022 seconds.
 India likely to complete building its first strategic crude oil storage by Oct 2011. India is building
underground storage at Visakhapatnam in AP and Padur in Karnataka to store about 5.33 million
tones of crude oil which is enough to meet nation’s oil requirement for 13-14 days. India will join
nations like the US, Japan & China that have strategic reserves.

People in the News

 Shashi Tharoor (born 9 March 1956) is a member of the Indian Parliament from the
Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala. A prolific author, columnist, journalist and human
rights advocate, he has previously served as the United Nations Under-Secretary General for
Communications and Public Information and the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs.

Lalit Modi (born 29 November, 1963 Delhi, India) is an Indian cricket administrator and businessman.
He is best known for his stint as the Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League and
the Chairman of the Champions League from 2008 to 2010. He is also the Vice President of the Board
of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) since 2005 and Vice President of the Punjab Cricket Association.
For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we are
covering the 2010 March current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science
current affairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current
affairs. Only studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to
cover international events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in
the field of science and sports.
International Current Affairs [March 2010]

 China will launch in 2011 unmammed space mode ‘ Tiangong I’ for its future space laboratory.
 US internet giant Google close its business in China.
 India’s largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel buy Zain’s Africa operations for an enterprise
value of $ 10.7 billion (Rs 49000 crore). Currently Bharti’s non-India operations include Sri Lanka
& Bangladesh.
 Russia abolished two of its eleven time Zones.

National Current Affairs [March 2010]

 Govt launched National Mission for Empowerment of Women aimed at inter-sectoral

convergence of all pro- women programmes.
 Constitution 108th Amendment Bill 2008 commonly known as women’s reservation bill was
passed by Rajya Sabha by 186 in favour 1 against 39 abstained (Current strength of Rajya
Sabha is 233). The bill seeks to reserve a third of the seats on the Lok Sabha and state
assemblies for 15 years on a rotational basis. It was first introduced in 1996. Sharad Joshi, an
independent MP is the only MP which cast vote against the bill. In the present Lok Sabha, there
are 59 women MPs out of 543 MPs. Total MLAs in 29 state assemblies in India are 4093.
 Yamunanagar (Haryana) and Vishakhapatnam (AP) are choosen for a pilot project on saving
household energy by replacing incandescent lamps with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps).
 Earth Hour 2010 has been celebrated on 27 March organized by World Wide Fund for Nature,
India. Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru are official Earth Hour Cities among 15 Indian cities.
 Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Russia visit India in March 2010.
 Supreme Court allowed religion based 4 % reservations in Govt jobs & educational institutes in
Andhra Pradesh. It extended the benefit to 14 OBC in muslims in the state. The matter is further
referred to Constitutional bench of Supreme Court.
 ’Bold Kurushetra’ a joint armour exercise between India and Singapore was held at Jhansi(UP).
 Prohibition of unfair practices in technical, medical educational institutions & universities Bill is
passed by Govt. It provided for 3 year imprisonment and a fine of upto Rs 50 lakh for higher
education providers guilty of misleading students.
 Govt approved Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry & Operation) Bill 2010. It
provides foreign universities to set up campuses in India.
 Govt amends Anti Hijacking Act 1982. It now provides for death sentence to the hijackers.
 Govt starts the scheme for creation of the National Population Register (NPR) of Indian residents.
The project will cover an estimated 1.2 billion people and total cost of the project will be Rs.
3539.24 crore.
 India became 1st country in the world to have a ‘manoeuvrable’ supersonic cruise missile, when it
successfully test fired 290 km range Brahmos missile.
 Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu visit India in March 2010.

Sports Current Affairs [March 2010]

 Tamil Nadu defeated West Bengal to won Vijay Harare Cricket Trophy.
 Australia won World Hockey Cup 2010 defeating Germany. India ranked at 8th place.
 India won six gold medal in the Commonwealth Boxing Championship held at Delhi.
 Two new IPL teams, Kochi was auctioned for Rs 1533 crore and Pune was auctioned for Rs 1702
crore. Kochi was auctioned to Rendezvous Adventure Sports Ltd. Pune was auctioned to Sahara
Adventure Sports Ltd.
Persons in News [March 2010]

 Rajan Bharti Mittal appointed President FICCI.

 Major Dimple Singla became first women army officer in the country who has been sentenced to
imprisonment for corruption.
 Bhubneshwar Kalita has been choosen as the Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent at
Commonwealth Games 2010.
 Cricketer Kapil Dev has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
 Former Supreme Court judge P V Reddy appointed as Chairman, Law Commission of India.
 Lt Gen V K Singh appointed as new Army Chief.
 Sonia Gandhi appointed head of National Advisory Council. NAC advice the govt on policy
matters, monitor flagship programmes and prepare the ground for other pro-poor legislatures.
 Lyricist Javed Akhtar, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Dr Ram Dayal Munda, Dr Balchandra Mungekar and
Kannada Actress B Jayashree are among other persons nominated to Rajya Sabha.
 Austrian base jumper Felix Baumgartnar will became the first person to leaps from the edge of
space at a height of 37 km above earth’s surface. He become the first man to break the speed of
sound hitting a top speed of about 11000km/hr. He will jump on 11 April 2010.
 Katie Spotz became the youngest person to complete a solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
 Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepal Ex Prime Minister died. He was 5th time Nepal PM.

Awards Current Affairs 2010 [March 2010]

 Oscar Awards 2010

o Best Director- Kathryn Bigelow for The Heart Locker. She became first women to win the
Oscar for best director.
o Best Film- The Heart Locker.
o Best Actor- Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart.
o Best Actress- Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side.
o Best Supporting Actor –Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds.
o Best Supporting Actress –Mo’Nique for Precious.
o Best foreign language film- The Secret in their Eyes, from Argentina.
 Amitabh Bachchhan honoured with lifetime achievement award at 34th Hong Kong International
Film Festival.
 Surjit Pater has been awarded with 19th Saraswati Samman 2009 for ‘Lafzan Di Dargah’.
 Moortidevi Award was given to the Law Minister M Veerappa Moily for his work Shri Ramayan
Mahanveshanam.
 Vyas Samman 2009 was awarded to Amar Kant for his work ‘Inhin Hathiyaron Se’.

Misc Issues [March 2010]

 Brahan Natyanjali 2010 festival was organized to celebrate 1000 years of Tanjavur temple in
Tamil Nadu which was built by Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola in 1010 AD.
 192 year old Presidency College of Kolkatta (India’s oldest college) converted into Presidency
University. It became 18th state university in West Bengal.
 Railways started ‘Maharajas Express’ from Kolkatta to Delhi. It is a tourist train having stoppage
at Gaya, Varanasi, Bandhavgarh, Gwalior, Khajuraho and Agra.
 The book ‘Way to go’ written by Upamanyu Chatterjee.
 The book ‘Wide Angle’ written by cricketer Anil Kumble.
 The book ‘El Sari Rojo’ written by Javier Moro, is on the life of Sonia Gandhi.
 World TB Day celebrated on 24 March.
 Constitution 112th Amendment Bill 2009 seeks to amend following clauses of Article 243T of the
Constitution that provides for reservation of seats for SC & ST and also for women in Urban Local
 bodies : a) In clause (2) for the word ‘one third’, the word ‘one half’ shall be substituted, b) In
clause (3) the word ‘one third’ , the word ‘one half shall be substituted.

For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we are
covering the 2010 February current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science
current affairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current
affairs. Only studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to
cover international events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in
the field of science and sports.

International Current Affairs [February 2010]

 NATO forces carried out Marjah operation (dubbed Moshtarak) against Taliban forces in
Afghanistan.
 European Union summit was held in Brussels. EU & IMF decided to giving support to Greece in
its struggle to bring its ballooning budget deficit under control. EU President is Herman Van
Rompuy.
 Iran’s President Mahmood Ahmedinejad declared that Iran had produced first batch of 20 %
enriched uranium and now Iran became a nuclear state.
 Iran launched ‘Kavoshger -3 rocket’ capable of carrying a satellite. It carried a mouse, worms &
two turtles.

National Current Affairs [February 2010]

 Kirit Parikh committee , set up to review petro pricing regime, submit its recommendation. Its
major recommendation are to deregulate the prices of petrol & diesel as per market prices,
reduce the subsidy on LPG.
 India signed a Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with the UK, which became the 8th country
to enter into such a pact, since the lifting of atomic trade embargo in 2008.
 Govt set up a panel under the Chairmanship of former Justice B N Srikrishna which would
consider the demand for splitting Andhra Pradesh.
 India and Denmark signed a social security pact which will relieve their workers from double
taxation and provide for cooperation in areas of labour market expansion and orderly migration.
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits Saudi Arabia in Feb 2010. He was the first Indian PM in
28 years to visit the gulf country. Saudi Arabia is India’s largest supplier of crude oil ( 23 %)
followed by Iran ( 17 %) and Nigeria ( 11 %). India is offering upto 10 % equity to Saudi petroleum
firm Saudi Aramco in a refinery being built in Orissa. PM addressed the Shoura council of Saudi
Arabia.
 Constitution 111th Amendment – Proposes to incorporate a new Part ( Part IX B) in the
Constitution so as to provide for legal framework to regulate the functioning of cooperative
societies. A new Article ( Article 43 B) is also proposed to be inserted in Part IV of the
Constitution (Directive Principles of State Policy) for the States to promote voluntary formation,
autonomous functioning of cooperative societies.
 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2009 commonly known as Nuclear Liability Bill will be
introduced by Govt in Parliament in Winter session 2010. The draft bill aims at limiting the liability
of a nuclear plant operator to Rs. 300 crore in the eventuality of an accident. The bill provides for
the penalty to be paid by the operator and not the supplier companies which would mainly be
American in this case. India has entered into civil nuclear cooperation agreement with eight
countries so far.

Sports Current Affairs [February 2010]

  11th South Asian Games 2010 : Held at Dhaka, Bangladesh from 29 Jan to 8 Feb. Originally
scheduled to take place in 2009, but due to general elections in Bangladesh, the games were
held in 2010. This was the third time that the Dhaka hosted the Games, thus becoming the first
city to hold the games three times. 8 countries participated in the games in 23 different sports,
including T20 cricket, which was introduced for the first time in SAG. The 8 countries included are
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. 1The logo of the
games was ‘Kutumb’, a flying doel , which is the national bird of Bangladesh. The mascot of the
games featured a magpie robin, which was holding the torch to begin the games. The final medal
tally include : India - 1st place with 90 G 55 S 29 B Total 174, Pakistan- 2nd place with 19 G 25 S
36 B Total 80, Bangladesh- 3rd place with 18 G 23 S 56 B Total 97.
 West Zone won Duleep Trophy ( 2009-10) defeating South Zone.
 India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Asian Tour International Trophy 2010. It is his 2nd consecutive
title.
 Euro 2012 to be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
 2010 Winter Olympic Games were held at Vancouver, Canada. Mascot of the game was MIGA (a
sea bear), QUATCHI( a sasquatch) and SUMI (animal guardian spirit). The logo of the games
was Ilnaaq meaning Friend in Inuktut. There were 86 events in 7 sports. The games were held
from 12 Feb to 28 Feb. Final medal tally. Canada- 14 G 7 S 5 B, Germany- 10 G 13 S 7 B, USA-
9 G 15 S 13 B.
 IOC (International Olympic Committee ) has approved ICC (International Cricket Council) bid to
join the Olympic games 2020. The first time cricket was included in the Olympic games was in
Paris Olympic 1900.
 11th World Hockey Cup 2010- To be held in Delhi, India. This is 2nd WHC which India is hosting.
India also hosted the WHC in 1982 at Mumbai. 12 countries participated in the tournament. WHC
is held in the years between two summer Olympics. First WHC was held at Barcelona in 1971.
Pakistan has won the cup four times, Netherland three times, Germany two times, India &
Australia once each. India won the WHC in 1975.
 Sachin Tendulkar became first player in the world to score a double century in ODI (One day
International). He scored 200 (Not out) against South Africa.
 Commonwealth Shooting Championship was held in New Delhi in Feb 2010. India stood at first
place with 35 Gold 25 Silver and 14 Bronze. England stood at 2nd place with 4 gold and Wales
stood at 3rd place.

Science and Technology Current Affairs [February 2010]

 USA Space agency NASA launched Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to discover the causes
of extreme solar activity such as sun spots and solar winds & flares.
 ‘GANGES’- Global Advisory Network Group on environmental sciences. It was created by Govt
for environment research work.
 Agni-III ballistic missile with a range of 3500 Km was successfully launched from Wheeler Island,
Orissa.
 Ht Cotton – Herbicide Tolerant Cotton. The variety of Ht Cotton in MON 1445. The variety can
withstand herbicides (weed killers) for better productivity and is under trail.
 Cervical cancer is caused by HPV- Human Papilloma Virus.
 South Korea has world’s highest average connection speed at 14.6 Mbpd in Internet links. Japan
has 2nd highest average speed.
 Scientist deciphered the genetic blueprint of South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Titu.

Persons in News [February 2010]

 Horst Kochler , Germany President visit India in Feb 2010.

 Abdullah Gul, Turkey President visit India in Feb 2010.
 Economist Kokkadan Nandanath Raj, who made a significant contribution in the preparation of
first Five Year Plan(1951-56) died.
  Sharad Chandra Sinha is appointed as Director General of National Investigation Agency(NIA).
 Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President visit India in Feb 2010.
 Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob of Malaysia appointed Chairman, International Atomic Energy
Agency.
 Govt appointed R S Pandey as its mediator for talk with NSCN(IM) in Nagaland to carry forward
the peace process.
 Former Justice P V Reddy will be appointed as Chairman, Law Commission of India.
 Ram Baran Yadav, Nepal President visit India in Feb 2010. It was the first visit by Yadav to any
foreign country after taking over as Nepal’s President. Yadav is the first President of Nepal since
monarchy ended in 2008. India extended $ 250 million soft line of credit to Nepal.
 Rajinder Singh became first non-white and also first Asian member of the right wing British
National Party, after it amended its constitution to allow black and Asian to be its member.
 Amitabh Bachan became the brand ambassador of Gujarat state.
 Amnesty International, the global human right organization has appointed Salid Shetty as its next
Secy General from June 2010. He will be the first Indian to head the organization.
 Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol become the first Indian bollywood actors to ring the opening bell of the
world’s biggest stock exchange’ NASDAQ’.
 Rajiv Satav appointed President, Indian Youth Congress.
 Katrina Kaif awarded with 2009 Excellence in Performing Arts Award established by
ASSOCHAM.
 M H Hussain, famous painter accepted citizenship of Qatar.

Economics [February 2010]

 Planning Commission grant special category status to the Bundelkhand region comprising 9 distt
of Uttar Pradesh and 15 distt of Madhya Pradesh for the irrigation projects. Under special
category status, state govt can seek 90 % grant assistance from the centre and 10 % as loan.
 Govt revises base year for the calculation of National Income from 1999-2000 to 2004-2005. The
GDP for 2009-10 will be Rs. 55,74,449 crore and the fiscal deficit for the corresponding period will
be 6.4 %.
 Capital Control – Foreign capital inflows in the form of loans and equity that are allowed in a
restricted form are said to be controlled. The capital inflows include foreign borrowings by Indian
corporate and businesses, NRI deposits and portfolio flow from institutional investors into the
stock market. Loans to Govt and short term trade credit are also included. India had control on
both capital account transactions as well as on current account with the local currency fixed by
the Central Bank. In 1991, rupee was first made convertible on the current account. In 1994, Govt
allows foreign portfolio investments.
 Govt will replace Benchmark Prime Lending System (BPLR) with Base rate system from 1 April
2010 to make bank lending more transparent. It provided for minimum rate for all types of loans
for banks.

Misc Issues [February 2010]

 Milan 2010, a biennial meeting of navies of Asia Pacific countries held at Port Blair in Feb 2010.
12 countries of Asia Pacific Region participated in it. It is the 7th edition of Milan exercises. It is a
biennial exercise of Asia Pacific maritime navies, hosted by the Indian Navy. First Milan exercise
was held in 1995.
 ‘Vayu-Shakti’ name given to IAF exercise conducted at Pokhran range in the Thar desert in Feb
2010. IAF is the 4th largest air force in the world after USA, Russia and China.
 ‘Bo’ language of Andaman become extinct. Its last speaker died.
 As per Indian Meteorological deptt, 2009 was the warmest year since 1990. The annual mean
temperature for 2009 was 25.55 degree celcius for the country s as a whole.
 Uttarakhand became first state in the country to ban the cultivation of Bt Brinjal ( Country’s first
Genetically Modified food crop). Bt Brijnal is a genetically modified crop which has a special
 gene- Cry1AC, inserted to make it poisonous to pests. GM Crops resists pests and give better
yields as well as nutrition. Bt Brinjal is developed in India by Mahyco company. GM foods are
derived from organisms whose DNA has been modified through genetic engineering.
 China ranked 1st in the wind power capacity in the world. India is at 5th place with 10925 MW
capacity. The five top nations in the order of wind power capacity are China, US, Spain, Germany
& India.
 Eurozone is a economic and monetary union of 16 EU member states which have adopted the
euro currency as their sole legal tender. PIIGS countries include Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece &
Spain.
 17 army jawans killed in a avalanche at High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) at Khilanmarg,
J&K.
 West Bengal govt reserved 10 % of govt jobs in the state for poor muslims.
 China will celebrate 2010 as Year of Tiger.
 India has a road network of 33 lakh km and is second largest in the world. It included 200 km of
expressway, 70548 km of national highways, 131899 km of state highways, 467763 km of major
district roads and 26.5 lakh km of rural & other roads. The Golden Quadrilateral joining four metro
cities of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkatta, has a length of 5846 km.
 Taj Mahotsav organized by UP govt in Feb 2010 with the theme ‘Ek Utsav Prem Ka’.
 Vancouver city, Canada named as the World’s most livable city as per survey conducted by
Economics Intelligence Unit. Delhi is ranked at 113th place and Mumbai at 117th place.
 16th Conference of Parties (COP) will be held in Dec 2010 at Mexico. The 15th COP was held in
Copenhagen in Dec 2009.
 Hyderabad International Airport has been named amongst the world’s five top airports. Other four
airports are Seol, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.
 ’1000 faces for 1000 tigers’ campaign was launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The campaign
aims to help double the number of wild tigers in Malaysia by 2022.
 Sachin Tendulkar features in BMC’s ‘Save Water Campaign’.
 Indian Navy inducted Russian built MiG 29 K fighters planes.
 Basic Capabilities Index 2009- India received 68 points. The index was published by Social
Watch’s. The highest BCI points was given to Iran having 97 points and lowest points 44 was
given to Chad.
 K R Sridhar, an US based Indian scientist invented Bloom Box- which convert air and virtually any
other fuel source into clean electricity. The box uses solid oxide fuel cells and can generate 100
KW of power.
 Present life expectancy of life at birth in India is 63.4 yrs. The highest expectancy of life is in
Australia of 81.4 yrs, 81 yrs for France and 79.3 yrs for England.
 World Cancer Day – 04 Feb
 International Condom Day – 14 Feb

For the very purpose of getting you ready for the challenge that is Current Affairs In India, we are
covering the 2010 january current affairs including politics current affair, current affair news, science
current affairs, general knowledge current affair, current government affair and international current
affairs. Only studying India's current affairs or political current affairs is not sufficient as you have to
cover international events and current affairs along with the Indian current affairs, as well as those in
the field of science and sports.

International Current Affairs [January 2010]

 Gilgit Baltistan region elected its first Chief Minister Mehdi Shah on the basis of Gilgit Baltistan
Empowerment & Self Governance Order 2009. The new appointed CM declare the Gilgit
Baltistan region as 5th province of Pakistan. The Indian Govt has, however, of the view that the
region was part of J & K, and thus objected to the remarks of CM.
  Venezuela devalued it currency ‘Bolivar’.
 A massive earthquake strike Haiti, the Carribbean nation. Capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince.
 Mahinda Rajapaksa won a second term as Sri Lanka’s President. He belongs to Sri Lanka
Freedom Party.

National Current Affairs [January 2010]

 Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visit India in Jan 2010. She belongs to Awami League
Party. The two countries signed five agreements – on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters,
on transfer of sentenced persons and on combating international terrorism, organized crime &
illicit drug trafficking besides MOU on cooperation in the power sector and on cultural exchanges.
India give Bangladesh a $ 1 billion line of credit, the biggest it has given to any country so far.
 South Korea President Lee Myung Bak visit India in Jan 2010. The two countries decided to
double the bilateral trade to $ 30 billion by 2014. Four facts were signed between two countries –
cooperation in peaceful use of outer space, IT, science & technology for the year 2010-12 and
transfer of sentenced persons. South Korean President was also the chief guest at 2010 Republic
Day Parade.
 Gujarat Local Authorities Law (amendment) Bill 2009- The Bill makes it the duty of a qualified
voter to vote during elections to local bodies. Voting is compulsory, but the Bill allows voters to
cast their vote in favour of none of the candidates. Election officers will declare those who fail to
vote defaulter, and serve them a notice.
 India and China has decided to start joint military exercise from 2011.
 Najib Razak, Malaysia Prime Minister visit India in Jan 2010.
 Govt launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Key highlights of the mission are :
o To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 20,000 MW of solar power
by 2020.
o To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability for indigenous
production and market leadership.
o To promote programmes for off grid applications, reaching 1000 MW by 2017 and 2000
MW by 2022.
o To achieve 15 million sq. meters solar thermal collector area by 2017 and 20 million by
2022.
o To deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.
 New Governors appointed : a) M K Narayanan – West Bengal, b)Shivraj Patil – Punjab, c)
Mohsina Kidwai – Jharkhand, d) Shekhar Dutt – Chhattisgarh, e) E S L Narasimhan – Andhra
Pradesh.
 Govt plans to create a National Gas Highway Development Authority. The present Gas Pipeline
Density in India is 3.29 Km per 1000 Sq.Km.
 Govt plans to set up a National Green Tribunal to control Carbon Emissions and pollution. It will
be responsible for implementing the low carbon roadmap to be set forth in the 12th Five Year
Plan.

Sports Current Affairs [January 2010]

 U-19 World Cup 2010 held in New Zealand from 15 – 30 Jan 2010. Javagal Srinath from India
appointed as one of the match referee for the tournament.
 Australia won the U-19 World Cup for the third time defeating Pakistan. India is placed at 6th
rank. Australia won the cup for the third time.
 Rafael Nadal won the Capitala World Tennis Championsip, held at Abu Dhabi defeating Robin
Soderling.
 Magnus Carlsen becomes the youngest World No.1 chess player at the age of 19 years breaking
the Garry Kasparov’s record when he became the world’s top ranked chess player at the age of
22 years in 1985. Magnus Carlsen is the 5th player after Kasparov, Kramnik, Topalov and
 V.Anand (India) to cross the 2800 ELO rating. In the Jan 2010 FIDE ranking, Carlsen stood at 1st
place, Topalov at 2nd place and V Anand at 3rd place.
 Marin Cilic defeated Staniglas Wawrinka to won Men’s singles title of Aircel Chennai Open.
 Pakistan’s cricketer Shahid Afridi was banned for two T20 internationals after he was found guilty
of ball tempering in a ODI against Australia.
 Corus Chess Grandmaster Tournament won by Magnus Carlsen. V.Anand of India ranked at 4th
place. Hopman Cup 2010- Spain defeated Great Britain.
 Australian Open 2010 : Women’s Single- Serena William defeated Justin Henin. It is Serena’s
5th Australian Open title. It is also Serena’s 12th Grand Slam title equaling the record of Billie
Jean King.
 Men’s Single- Roger Federer(Swiss) defeated Andy Murray(Britain). It is Federer’s 4th Australian
Open title. It is Federer’s 16th Grand Slam title.
 Men’s Double- Mike Bryan & Bob Bryan defeated Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic.
 Women’s Double – Serena Williams & Venus Williams defeated Cara Black & L Huber.
 Mixed Double – Laender Paes (India) & Cara Black (Zimbabwe) defeated Ekterina Makasova &
Jaroslav Levinsky. It is Paes’s 11th Grand Slam title.

Science and Technology Current Affairs [January 2010]

 97th Indian Science Congress held at Tiruvananthapuram in Jan 2010. The theme of this year
congress was ‘ Science & Technology of 21st Century- National Perspective’.
 The longest annular solar eclipse on the third millennium occur on 15 Jan 2010. The next annular
solar eclipse will be visible in year 3043. Annular eclipse is occurred when the sun is visible like a
ring of fire, with the moon darkening its centre. The last annular solar eclipse visible from India
was occurred in 1976. In July 2010 also, a total solar eclipse will be occurred.
 There are three strains of wild Polio virus namely P1, P2 & P3. Type 2 wild Polio virus (P2) was
eliminated from the world in 1999.
 First public hearing on the introduction of Bt Brinjal (First Genetically Modified Food Crop in India)
was held in Kolkatta. Seven such public hearing are being organized by Centre for Environment
Education, for opinion of public in respect of introduction of Bt Brinjal. 2nd hearing was held at
Hyderabad.
 50th anniversary of creation of LASER is being celebrated in 2010. Theodore Maiman
constructed the first LASER in May 1960. LASER stands for Light Amplification for Stimulated
Emission of Radiation. Charles H Townes was father of MASER.

Persons in News [January 2010]

 Billy Arjan Singh, wildlife conservationist and Padma Shri awardee died.
 P D Dinakaran, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court faces impeachement motion. The process
was initiated in the Parliament. He is the first High Court Chief Justice against whom
impeachment motion have been initiated. Justice V Ramaswami is the only judge to have faced
impeachment proceedings in parliament.
 Justice V S Sirpurkar appointed to head a three member panel to look into allegation of land grab
and misconduct against Chief Justice P D Dinakaran in the wake of impeachment motion initiated
against him in Parliament.
 Fahmida Mirza is the first woman Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly.
 Ricky Ponting, Australian cricket team captain, has been named as ESPN Cricinfo Player of the
Decade for 2000.
 Jyoti Basu, former West Bengal Chief Minister, died.
 Mrinal Pande, appointed as Chairman, Prasar Bharti Board.
 Lee Myung Bak, South Korea President was the Chief Guest at 2010 Republic Day Parade.
 Shiv Shankar Menon is appointed as National Security Advisor.
 Vikram Srivastava appointed as Director General of CRPF(Central Reserve Police Force).
  Ranjit Kumar Bhatia appointed as Director General of ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police).

Books & their Authors [January 2010]

 ‘All that you can’t leave behind’ written by Soumya Bhattacharya.

 ‘We Must Have No Price’ written by Arun Sourie.
 ‘Train to India- Memories of another Bengal’ written by Maloy kumar Dhar.
 ‘Not by Reason alone : The Politics of Change’ written by N K Singh.
 ‘Five Point Someone’ written by Chetan Bhagat.
 ‘Nehru : The invention of India’ written by Shashi Tharoor.
 ‘The Museum of Innocence’ written by Orhan Panuk.
 ‘Thoughts on Linguistic States’ written by B R Ambedkar.

General Studies Notes on 2009

International Affairs 2009

Fiji’s president Ratu Josefa Iloilo repealed the country’s constitution and appointed himself head of the
State and set a 2014 election deadline.
Switzerland expanded its border upto 150 meters into Italian territory because of melting glaciers in the
high Alps.
Venezuela’s Stefania Fernandez become Miss Universe 2009. This is the 2nd consecutive year Miss
Venezuela has won the title. Venezuela has so far won the title for the record six times. Miss Ada de la
Cruz (Dominican Republic) is 1st runner up. Miss Marigona Dragusha is the 2nd runner up. Miss
Universe 2009 contest was held in Bahamas.
Patent Cooperation Treaty(PCT) is an agreement that binds 141 countries in a pact that facilitates the
process of seeking protection for an invention in multiple countries. The PCT which is administered by
WIPO ( World Intellectual Property Organization) is particularly valuable option for any company
operating internationally. It is a procedural treaty first launched in 1978. Recently PCT is in news
because it is under modification/ reformation which India is opposing.
Pakistan govt clears construction of the $ 8.5 billion Diamer-Bhasha power project of 4500 MW
capacity on the Indus river in the Gilgit region in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Under the Indus water
treaty signed with India, Pakistan is free to build dams anywhere on the Indus river. The treaty gives
India first right over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers and Pakistan the same privileges
over the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.
70th anniversary of the beginning of World War II ( 1 Sep 1939) celebrated on 1 Sep. OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) parliamentary assembly recently grouped
Germany and Soviet Union, pronouncing them to be equally responsible for World War II. Yukio
Hatoyama is appointed as next Prime Minister of Japan. He is nicknamed ‘the alien’. For the first time
since last 54 years, LDP(Liberal democratic party) ousted from forming Govt in Japan. Hatoyama
belongs to Democratic Party.
USA Commission on International Religious Freedom placed India on its ‘watch list’ for 2009 because
it found the Indian govt had failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities.
The summit of Dushanbe Four was held in 2009. It includes Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. The official objective to the summit was to discuss supply of electricity from Tajikistan to
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Nepal Vice President Parmananda Jha who took oath in Hindi last year, has been asked by the Nepal
Supreme Court to retake the oath in Nepali language or resign from the post.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth after it failed to meet a deadline to make progress
towards establishing democracy. India’s Reena Kaushal Dharamshaktu will be part of an eight member
team that will ski to the South Pole to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Commonwealth. The
expedition is headed by Felicity Aston and to be flagged off in Nov 2009.
China intrudes Ladakh region on 31 July 2009.
Sri Lanka expels James Elder, Communication chief with UNICEF(United Nations Children’s Fund).
Farah Pandith an Indian American, has been sworn in as the first US Special Representative to muslim
communities in USA.
As per report of UN World Food Programme (WFP), the number of hungry people will pass one billion
this year for the first time. In the Food Security Risk Index 2009, India ranked at 25th place. The US is
least at risk followed by France, Canada. The index rank the nations on the basis of risk of food
shortage faced by the countries.
Communal violence erupted in China’s North West Xinjiang province capital ‘ Urumgi’ in July 09.
START ( Strategic arms reduction treaty) between USA & Russia started on 31 July 1991 came to end
on 5 Dec 2009. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) met at Yekaterinburg on June 2009. The
SCO comprises of Russia, China, Kazakhtan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgzstan. India, Pakistan,
Mongolia and Iran have observer status. Afghanistan’s president attended the summit as a special
guest. Sri Lanka had been granted the status of dialogue partner. Google was shut down in China.
The first ever summit of BRIC countries was held at Yekaterinburg in Russia in June 09. BRIC
countries include Brazil, Russia, India and China.
India signed a $ 400 million agreement with Ukraine to upgrade its fleet of transport aircraft AN-32
aimed at extending its life and improving avionics.
Tipaimukh dam project issue between India and Bangladesh.
Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Network (TAR) entered into force on June 11, 2009
after China ratified the treaty. The other parties to the agreement are Combodia, India, Mongolia,
Korea, Russia, Tajikistan and Thailand.
Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE was elected as headquarter of the International Renewal Energy Agency
(IRENA), a grouping of 129 countries. Mini Pravasi Indian Day was held at Hague (Netherland) in Sep
2009.
France President has recently remarked that ‘ the burqa is a sign of female subservience’.
Lord Swaraj Paul became the first India born Briton to be appointed a Privy Councillor in Britain.
Milan has been named as the world’s top fashion city. Mumbai is placed at 16th place and Delhi at
17th place.
Japan’s finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa resigned after he was accused to attending the G 7
summit in Rome in drinking condition.
China became world’s largest green house gas emitter in 2007. USA at 2nd position. Russia at 3rd
position. India at 4th position with one tone of Carbon Dioxide per person per year emission.
Nuclear armed submarines from Britain and France collided in the Atlantic Ocean.
USA govt approved $ 787 billion economic stimulus package initiated by Barack Obama.
Venezuala’a President Hugo Chavez won a referendum vote that lets him stay in power as long as he
keeps winning elections.
From 1 April 2009 NATO membership was enlarged to 28 with the entrance of Albania and Croatia.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) also called the North Atlantic Alliance is a military alliance
established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. 16th SAARC Summit was held
in Maldives in 2009.
EUMA ( End User Monitoring Agreement)- India has signed EUMA with USA which allows US
inspectors to verify the end use of US sourced high technology equipment to dual use. EUMA is
designed to facilitate high end dual use technology transfer to India.
World’s first commercial passenger flight powered by natural Gas operated between London and Qatar
in Oct 09. Shell company developed and produced the 50-50 blend of synthetic Gas to Liquid (GTL)
kerosene and conventional oil based kerosene fuel. Qatar will become the world’s leading producer of
GTL kerosene by 2012.
Turkey and Armenia signed a landmark accord to restore ties and open their shared border after a
century of hostility stemming from World War I.
‘Operation Rah E Nijat or Path to Salvation’- It is the name of operation conducted by Pakistan army
against strongholds of Tehreek-e- Taliban (also called Pakistan Taliban) soldiers.
USA has declared national emergency in view of increasing number of death due to Swine flu.
Bangladesh decided to advance its time an hour to GMT + 7. Every 15 degree means an hour. France
have 12 time zones, Russia have 11 times zones, USA has nine time zones. India has one time zone
based on its 82*30’ East near Allahabad.
India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal . Canada became the 8th country with which
India has reached a civil nuclear agreement.
Commonwealth has admitted Rwanda, central African country, as its 54th member.
Nepal cabinet meet at Kala Patthar, situated at 17,192 ft above sea level in Nov 09 and the base camp
of Mount Everest. It adopted Mt Everest declaration which allow setting up of Gauri Shankar
Conservation Area near Mt Everest.
COP15, the official term for the Copenhagen meeting, the 15th conference of parties to negotiate a
new global climate treaty to replace or extend the 1997 Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 in Dec 2009.
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark.
India and Russia sign civil nuclear agreement in Dec 2009.

National Affairs 2009

Union govt cleared a constitutional amendment to increase the reservation for woman in Panchayat to
50 % from present 33 %. The Panchayati Raj Ministry amend Art 243 D of the Constitution of India
accordingly. The proposed amendment will increase reservations for woman to 50 % in Zila Parishads,
Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats at District, Block and Village level respectively. India has
about 28.18 lakh elected representatives in panchayats. Four states- Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal
Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh already have 50 % reservation for woman in Panchayat. Kerala also
announced 50 % reservation for woman in Panchayat. Bihar was the first state to give 50 %
reservations to woman in Panchayat in 2005.
Govt clear setting up of National Mission Against Corruption Authority (NMAC). The aim of the
authority will be to ensure better coordination among the CBI and State/UT anti corruption vigilance
bureaus.
Govt has declared 272 districts out of 616 districts as drought stricken in 2009 due to rainfall shortage.
Draft of National Food Security Act to be presented in parliament in winter session (Jan 2010). As per
the proposed Act, every family living below the poverty line in rural and urban areas will be entitled for
25 Kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs. 3 per Kg.
Govt plans to built 321 feet Shivaji statue in Mumbai. It is 16 feet taller that New York’s Statue of
Liberty and on completion, it became the tallest statue in the world.
Jaswant Singh book’ Jinnah-India partition Independence was banned in Gujarat state. The ban
however ,was lifted after the High court judgment. The book is a biography of Jinnah. Jaswant Singh
also earlier write ‘ A Call to Honour’.
State Assembly Election was held in Oct 2009 in three states namely Haryana (seats -90),
Maharashtra (seats -288) and Arunachal Pradesh (seats -60).
Govt has decided that NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) will now provide
employment for 200 days instead of 100 days. Parliament adopted the Constitution 109th amendment
Bill 09 providing reservation of seats for SC & ST in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies of the
states for another 10 years.
Namibia president Hifikepunye Pohambe visit India in Sep 209.
Russia provides nuclear submarine’ Nerpa’ to India in 2009. It is Akula-2 submarine series.
Women’s will be exempted from paying any fees for UPSC/SSC etc examination.
SAF university to be set up in Delhi. It will be started from 2010-11 academic session. India bear 79 %
of its expenditure.
In the seven natural Wonders list, India’s only entry is that of Sunderban. It is a joint entry from India
and Bangladesh.
Vision-2015 For Consumer Satisfaction and Beyond – The paper is published by Oil & Petroleum
ministry in which it is proposed to provide CNG in 200 cities by 2015.
Mongolia president Tsakhiagiin Elbagdorj visited India in Sep 2009. India and Mongolia signed a Civil
Nuclear pact. India already has civil nuclear agreement with USA, Russia, Kazakhstan and France.
Indian National Congress party will completes 125 years on Dec 2009. Congress was formed on Dec
1885.
India’s first non-stop super fast passenger train ‘Duronto Train’ inaugurated from Sealdah station to
Delhi. Total of 14 such trains will be launched this year.
Yashpal Committee was set up to give recommendation on Higher education sector.
Under Kisan Abhiman Scheme. Kerala Govt has granted Rs 300 per month as pension to farmers
above 60 years of age.
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank appointed as fifth Chief Minister of Uttrakhand.
Railway ministry has appointed Amit Mitra to prepare Vision -2020 document for the railways.
B Sudershan Reddy appointed as chairman of panel to look into the impeachment proceeding against
Justice Soumitra Sen. India is funding Palaly project in Sri Lanka.
Areva, French Company and Nuclear power corporation of India Ltd sign an agreement to set up two
1650 MW nuclear plants in Maharastra state. Govt launched ‘Rajiv Awas Yojna’ under which govt
plans to formulate for slum dwellers and the urban poor in an effort to promote a slum free India in next
five years.
Ramalingam Chandrashekeram appointed as head of parliamentary special committee that look into
the matter of granting citizenship and other facilities for Sri Lankans in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.
Indian Railway proposed a South Asian Regional Train service linking Dhaka, New Delhi and Lahore.
Justice Liberhan Commission which probed the sequence of events that led to the Babri Masjid
demolition in Ayodhya on Dec 1992, submitted its report. It has 399 sittings and 48 extensions.
Govt increases minimum support price (MSP) for sugarcane to Rs. 107.76 for 2009-10. The MSP for
the paddy crop for current year is Rs.950. Rajasthan will host the World Tiger Summit in Ranthambore
in 2010.
Appointment of new Governors – D N Dwivedi ( Gujarat), Margarat Alwa (Uttarakhand), Jagannath
Pahadia (Haryana). Tata’s first Nano car was given to Ashok Vichare of Mumbai.
Dilip Donde will try to circumnavigate the world solo ( on his own) in boat ‘Mhadei’ under Project Sagar
Parikrama from 19 Aug 2009. Rajasthan became the first state in the country to sign a tripartite
agreement with Central Govt promising accountability and adequate utilization of funds in the two tiger
reserve of Sariska at Alwar and Ranthambore at Sawai Madho pur in Rajasthan.
Jawahar lal Nehru Urban renewal mission (JNNURM) a centrally govt funded urban renewal mission is
implemented in 63 cities out of a total of 5161 cities, towns and urban agglomerations in India.
Right to Education Bill passed by the Parliament. Parliament made the right to education a
fundamental right through the 93rd Constitution amendment. The bill earmarks 25 % seats to weaker
sections in schools, seeks to do away with the practice of schools taking capitation fees before
admission, subjecting the child or parents to a screening procedure and giving powers to child rights
panels to look into grievances of parents against schools.
Govt approved renaming of state of Orissa as ‘Odisha’ and the Oriya language as ‘Odia’.
Assembly election was held in Jharkhand which is under President Rule since Jan 2009 in Dec 09.
Total number of seats are 81.
RIC ( Russia, India & China). It is a group of three nations. Second meeting of RIC is held at Bangalore
in Oct 09.
President Pratibha Patil visit Britain in Oct 09 to invite Queen Elizabeth to inaugurate 2010
Commonwealth Games to be held next year. This is the first state visit by an Indian President to Britain
after S Radakrishnan and R Venkataraman in 1963 & 1990 respectively.
Separation plan – India has notified its separation plan to International Atomic Energy Ageny. India will
place 14 reactors under ISSA ( India Specific Safeguards Agreement) of the International nuclear
watchdog by 2014. Under the plan, India has decided to permanently shut down the CIRUS research
reactor located inside BARC, countries strategic laboratory in 2010.
Govt has announced five new sites for setting up of light water reactors. The plants will come up at
Jaitapur (Maharastra), Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Haripur (West Bengal), Chhayamithi Virdi (Gujarat)
and Kovvada (Andhra Pradesh).
Indian President Pratibha Patil visits Cyprus (Capital- Nicosia) in Nov 2009.
Govt started ‘Operation Green Hunt’ to tackle the Maoists in five Indian states.
Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangehuck visit India on a 5 day visit in Dec 09. He is the 5th
king of Bhutan.
NATGRID- National Intelligence Grid to be established by May 2011. The grid will provide real time
access into 21 categories of databases such as credit card transaction, driving license, telephone,
internet, passport, PAN details, bank A/c details etc.
Impeachement motion has been initiated against Justice P D Dinakaran in the parliament on charges
of amassing disproportionate assets and land grab.

Sports Affairs 2009

Shooting champion of India, Samresh Jung is known as ‘Gold finger’.
Heinrich Haussler won Tour de France 2009 tournament.
Ranji Trophy celebrated Platinum Jubilee after completing 75 years in 2009. Ranji trophy will also be
started in Ireland.
38th Ranji Trophy was won by Mumbai defeating UP in Jan 2009.
Pullela Gopichand (Badminton champion) is the only person to have been awarded with Arjuna award,
Dronacharya award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
Binish K Shahji of India won silver medal in World School Athletics in Estonia held in June 2009.
Wimbledon 2009

 Men’s Single – Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick. Federer break the record of Pete
Sampras record of 14 grand slams.
 Women’s Single – Serena William defeated Venus William. She claimed third Wimbledon title.
 Women’s doubles –Serena and Venus William defeated Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur.
 Mixed Doubles- Mark Knowles and Anna Lena Groenefeld defeated Laender Paes(India) and
Cara Black.
 Men’s Doubles- Danial Nestor & Nened Jimonjic defeated Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan.

French Open 2009

 Men’s single – Roger Federer defeated Robin Soderling.

 Men’s double – Laender Paes and Lukas Dlouhy defeated Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman.
 Women’s single – Svetlana Kuzenletsova defeated Dinara Safina.

Australian Open 2009

 Mixed Double - Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza defeated Nathalic Dechy and Andy Ram. Sania
Mirza became the first Indian women to won a Grand slam title.
 Men’s singles- Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer. He became the first Spaniard to won the
title.
 Women’s singles- Serena William defeated Dinara Safina.
 India’s Yuki Bhambri won Junior Australian Open Single title 2009 defeating A F Georgoudes.

US Open 2009

 Women’s singles – Kim Clijsters(Belgium) defeated Caroline Wozniacki.

 Men’s singles- Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro defeated Roger Federer.
 Men’s Doubles- Laender Paes (India) and Lukas Dlouhy defeated Mahesh Bhupathi & Mark
Knowles. This is Paes 10th Grand Slam title.
 Women’s Doubles – Venus Williams & Serena Williams defeated Cara Black & Ticzel Huber.
 Mixed double – Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott defeated Cara Black & Laender Paes(India).

Science & Technology Affairs 2009

2009 is celebrated as International Year of Astronomy. 2009 is also celebrated as 400th anniversary of
the first recorded astronomical observations with the telescope used by the Italian physicist. 2009 is
also celebrated as : Natural Fibre Year by UN, International Gurilla Year by conservationists &
environmentalists, International Year of Reconciliation.
Longest total solar eclipse of 21st century occurred on 22nd July 2009. It lasted 6 min 44 sec at
Taregana in Bihar.
GM( Genetically Modified) crops are those in which the genetic material(DNA) is altered so that there
is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer. Bt Cotton (Bacillius Thuringeinsis) is
only commercially approved biotech crop in India. Govt plans to introduce GM foods particularly
Tomatoes, Brinjals and Cauliflower to held meet food production target in three years time. Till date,
India has only allowed the use of GM Cotton, a non food crop. India is world’s second largest cotton
producer. India’s own Bt cotton variety : Bikaner Narma. Deep Space Network Facility is located at
Byalalu, Karnataka.
Chandrayan II a lander rover mission of ISRO is scheduled to be launched in 2012. ISRO plans to
hoist a capsule with two Indians on board to the Moon by 2015. Subsquently, an Indian will be
launched to set foot on the Moon in 2020.
‘Aditya’ satellite will be sent by India to carry out studies on the Sun in 2012. SOHO stands for Solar
and Heliospheric Observatory. Probe Plus of NASA to study Sun System will be launched in 2018.
India’s first nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine’Arihant’ was launced on 26 July 2009. It will be
commissioned by 2011. It was built with the help of Russian consultants. With the launch, India join
elite club of five nations USA, Russia, China, Britain and France having nuclear powered submarine
capability.
Blue Brain project in Switzerland is under progress under which scientist attempt to ‘Reverse engineer’
the mammalian brain. Novo-G, world’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer became operational.
Novo-G got the first part of its name from the Latin term to ‘make anew, change, alter’ and the second
word G from ‘Genesis’.
World Forestry Day celebrated on 21 March. Theme for 2009 was ‘Sustainable Forest Management’.
India currently has 23.39 % of forest area against 33 % required. India presently has 37 Tiger
reserves, 99 national parks and 515 wildlife sanctuaries.
Earth Hour 2009 is a global event every year which will see landmarks around the world to go dark for
an hour. Earth Day celebrated on 22 April.
Eight Millenium Development Goals (MDG) were set in Millenium Summit 2000. It has a deadline of
2015. Kerala has already achieve the targets in 2008.
India launched a Israel developed spy satellite ‘RISAT 2’ providing all weather 24 hour surveillance.
Also launched experimental communication micro satellite’ ANUSAT’ built by Chennai based Anna
University.
International Space Development Conference was held at Orlando in May 2009.
Scientist have discovered 47 million year old primate fossil named ‘Ida’ (Scientific name-Darwinius
masillae) which forms a crucial missing link between our evolutionary branch of life and rest of animal
kingdom.
Per capita consumption of electricity is 630 Units in India in 2009.
NDRI Karnal cloned world’s 2nd cloned buffalo ‘Garima’. It also produced world’s 1st cloned buffalo
calf in Feb 2009 but it could not survive. El Nino- is a shift in ocean temperatures and atmospheric
conditions in the tropical pacific. It is a periodic warming of the Pacific oceans that leads to extremes of
weather.
La Nino- It follows an El Nino. It is also called the Little Girl. It is anti El-Nino or simply a cold event. It is
the cooling of water in the Pacific Ocean.
SOI ( Southern Oscillation Index) is a major indicator of El Nino, measures the pressure difference
between the Pacific islands of Tahiti and Darwin in Australia. A consistently negative SOI indicates to a
developing El Nino. An El Nino is formally declared when above normal temp -0-5 degree celcius or
higher are recorded over eastern Pacific surface for three straight months.
Definition of poverty as per Planning Commission- Average per capita spending below Rs. 356 per
month in rural areas and Rs. 539 per month in urban areas.
38th World Environment Day was celebrated on 5th June 2009. Theme for 2009 chosen by UNDP is
‘Your Planet Needs You’. World Environment Day was established by UN General Assembly in 1972
to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the human environment. 0.8 degree celcius rise
in average temperature around the world since 1880. India is the 5th largest emitter of Greenhouse
Gases. 2 of the 12 biodiversity hotspots of the world are in India i.e. Northeastern region and Western
Ghats.
US Space Agency’s Themis Mission – to study the colourful display of high latitude skies.
Phoenix Mars Lander found Perchlorate substance on Mars surface.
Carbon Credits : It provide a way to reduce green house emissions on industrial scale by capping total
annual emissions and allowing the market to assign a monetary value to any shortfall through trading.
India has earned 4,64,45,282 carbon credits, second only to China in the world. Per capita carbon
dioxide emission for India is 1.02 metric tones, while USA stood at first place with 20.01 metric tones.
Super Earth : It is a large extrasolar terrestrial planet, which is atleast twice the mass of earth but less
than ten earth masses. European researcher found three super earths recently.
Asia’s first and world’s second DNA bank is opened in Lucknow.
Pluto, the 9th planet of solar system, was demoted from planet status in 2006 is now called’ Plutoids’.
Jason-2, a French- USA satellite was launched in 2009. It will monitor rising sea levels and current
movement. ‘Gegeneiphis Seshachari’ first viviparous ( those that do not lay eggs) was discovered in
western Ghat. It is the first viviparous creature to be found in Asia.
International Lunar Network, is a initiative that provide new insights into the Moon’s surface and its
interior composition- critical inputs for the future colonialist. India has signed for the mission to put
together a network of robotic science stations on the Moon. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Korea, UK, USA and India have joined hands for six to eight stations of the Lunar Network. USA
places first two Lunar Network Landers on the lunar surface in 2013-14. India has also scheduled to
launched Chardrayaan-II in collaboration with Russia in 2012-13.
LHC Project : Large Hadron Collidor Project is operated by European Organisation for Nuclear
Research (CERN) at Geneva on 10 Sep, 2008, at Franco- Swiss border. In actual CERN stand for
Conseil European pour la Recharche Nucleaire, in French language. CERN was founded in 1954.
Under this experiment, scientist recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang to understand the
creation and workings of the Universe. It is the most expansive scientific experiment to date, it cost $
3.8 billion or Rs.16,340 crore. . CERN has 20 nations as member. India, Japan, Russia and US are the
observer countries.
Hadron : A particle with mass made up of smaller units called quarks that are bound together. Protons
and Electrons are types of hadron. Higgs Boson : A theoretical particle which is thought to give matter
its mass, known as the ‘God Particle’. First proposed by Peter Higgs in 1964. The particle was named
after an Indian physicists S.N.Bose. The LHC experiment should confirm whether it exists or not.
Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) operates the 17 reactors in six states, to produce 4120 MW of
electricity.
Brain Fingerprinting : It is an electronic test of a specific kind of brain wave that can identify
incriminating information despite an individual’s attempt to conceal the knowledge. It is a type of signal
in the brain kwown as P300 wave, so called because it is an involuntary response to a recognized
object or piece of information that happens within 300 milliseconds.
Carbon Footprint : It is a measure of the impact human activites have on the environment in terms of
the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of Carbon Dioxide.
Global Positioning System Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) : It is a satellite based process
developed jointly by the ISRO and the Airport Authority of India. Govt recently approved the system
that will help airlines to choose the best and most fuel saving routes. GAGAN would be in place by
2011 and make flying much safer.
Govt set a ten year deadline for the blending of petrol and diesel with 20 % bio-fuel. Govt approved the
implementation of National Biofuel Policy that has set an indicative target of blending 20 % ethanol in
petrol and non-edible oil from plants like Jatropha in diesel by 2017. At present, 5% ethanol blending in
petrol is mandatory across the country except J&K, NE states. India is the world’s second largest
producer of sugar after Brazil. Ethanol is produced from molasses, a sugar by product.
10th planet discovered called ‘Xena’ or 2003 UB 313.
A new ozone hole discovered over Tibet.
Anoushah Ansari is the first woman space tourist in the world.
Namira Salim, first Pakistani women astronaut, sent in space by NASA in 2008.
Agni 5 missile is in design stage. It has a maximum range of 5000 Km as an ICBM ( Inter Continental
Ballistic Missile). Range of Agni I -700 Km, Agni-II- 2500 Km, Agni-III- 3500Km
Virgin Mothership ‘Eve’ is designed to reach an altitude of 50000 feet and release space Ship Two,
which will transport passengers to space.
S-500 – Russia is developing a fifth generation surface to air rocket which is cabable of engaging
ballistic hypersonic targets flying at a speed of 5 Km per second.
ISRO unveil ‘Bhuvan’, its version of Google Earth. It is a 3 D mapping tool.
Google unveiled a new version of its search engine called ‘ Caffeine’.
‘Weblog’ first coined by Jorn Barger in 1997. The contracted name ‘blog’ was coined in 1999 by Peter
Merholz.
TERI launched campaign ‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ which is based on the use of solar laterns specially
designed and manufactured on a decentralized basis.
Govt approved National Solar Mission which aimed at Solar generation target of 20,000 MW by 2020.
At present solar generation capacity of India is 500 MW. National Solar Mission envisages an
investment of Rs.91,684 crore over the next 30 years. It proposes to add 20,000MW of power by 2020
and 1,00,000 MW by 2030. It aims to achieve parity with coal based thermal power generation by
2030.
According to latest findings, Malaria was first transmitted to humans by Chimpanzees.
H1N1 a new influenza virus caused Swine flu. It is a genetic code consists of 8 segments. The virus
gets its name from a combination of two proteins – hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Swine flu was
first detected in 1987. Just like humans, pigs get flu too, hence the name Swine flu. A disease that
spreads throughout the world is called Pandemic. Swine flu is termed as pandemic disease.
Govt formulate a technology mission – War for Water ( Winning, Augmentation and Renovation for
Water). It solve problem of water scarcity. CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) is a global
mechanism where green projects can be registered to earn carbon credits for trading in the
international market. India has maximum number of CDM projects in the world followed by China. One
Carbon Credit is equal to a tone of carbon saved from emission.
UN Convention on Climate Change, the global body for certifying clean projects was held at Bonn, in
Aug 2009.
UMPP (Ultra Mega Power Projects) are large sized coal based power projects having a capacity of
4000 MW involving an estimated investment of about $ 4 billion. Four UMPP has been awarded so far
in India. These are Mundra UMPP, Gujarat, Sasan UMPP, Madhya Pradesh, Krishnapatnam UMPP,
Andhra Pradesh and Tilaiya UMPP at Jharkhand.
Antares DLR-H2 motor glider is the first manned aircraft to be powered exclusively with a hydrogen
fuel system.
IMD (Indian Meteorological Deparment) official definition of a drought year is when more than 20 % of
the country faces a deficit of atleast 25 % of normal rainfall.
Wind power generation in India as on March 2009 is 10243 MW.
SPASER- It is the world’s smallest laser which amplifies surface plasmons- tiny oscillations in the
density of free electrons on the surface of metals which in turn produce light waves. LASER amplifies
light using a mirrored cavity to intensify it.
IIST- Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology set up at Valiamala, Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala is
the only space university in the world offering courses at the undergruate, graduate, doctoral and post
doctoral level in space technology.
The Amino acid ‘Glycine’ a fundamental building block of proteins has been found for the first time in a
comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft ‘Stardust’ sent in 2004. Comet Wild 2 was named after
astronomer Paul Wild.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) launched first Swiss satellite built by students of Ecole
Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne to study the upper atmosphere.
‘Tobacco Atlas’ published by American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation, ranks India at
No.3 in the top 20 female smoking population across the globe. First and second place is held by USA
and China.
Former DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) scientist K Santhanam claimed that
1998 Hydrogen bomb test at Pokhran (Rajasthan) has failed to deliver the desired result.
ISRO looses contact with Chandrayan I on 29 Aug 2009. It was launched on 22 Oct 2008 and was
designed for a two year mission in space. India has terminated the 400 crore moon mission
Chandrayan I on 30 Aug 2009. NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper placed abroad Chandrayan I
recorded presence of water molecules on Moon.
India’s first national medical research park is being set up in the Sricity SEZ on the Tamil Nadu-AP
border.
World’s first cloned wolf named ‘Snuwolf’ died in South Korea.
Ridge A in the Antarctic plateau is the world’s coldest, driest and calmest place discovered so far.
China proposed base in Antarctica is known as ‘Kunlun’ located at Dome A.
A new technique called array Comparative Genomic Hybridization(CGH) makes it possible to ensure
eggs have a normal number of chromosomes boosting the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. Baby
Oliver became the first baby in the world using this egg screening technique in London.
China overtake USA in the internet user population. Internet users in 2009 : China - 298 million, USA –
227 million, Japan – 94 million ,India -81 million.
International Ozone Day is celebrated on 16 September every year. Theme of 2009 is ‘Universal
Participation-Ozone protection unifies the world’. Ozone layer is a deep layer in the stratosphere ,
encircling the earth that has large amounts of ozone in it. The ozone layer protects all life on land on
the surface of the ocean. Ozone molecules absorb the harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun. This
protects us from radiation that can cause skin cancer and other severe skin disorders.
Scientist discovered first rocky extrasolar planet named ‘Corot-7b’.
ISRO launch Oceansat-2 satellite on 23 September 2009, which would help identify fishing zones and
help in coastal studies. The 970 Kg spacecraft is launched by C 14 PSLV from Sriharikota. Six other
nano satellites from European countries were also launched alongwith it.
‘Copernicium’ is included in the Periodic table as a new chemical element in July 09. It’s name was
done after the famous astronomer Nicolus Copernicus.
Google is testing a new service ‘ Fast Flip’ that allows users to view news articles from dozens of major
publishers and flip through them as quickly as they would the pages of a magazine.
Planet Saturn’s 61st satellite discovered.
Scientist confirmed for the first time that Australia was once home to a dinosaur, after discovery of
‘Australovenator Wintonensis alias Banjo’.
A new class of black hole was discovered by astronomers in 2009. A black hole is a ramnant of the
collapsed star with such a powerful gravitational field that it absorbs all the light that passes near it and
reflects nothing.
Mocrobiologists in Maharastra’s Lonar lake found magnetic bacteria therein formed due to meteorite
impact.
Present day Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere have touched the highest mark in the past 2.1 million
years.
World’s first zero waste city is under construction in Abu Dhabi called Masdar City. It is to be
completed by 2016 and will be world’s first carbon neutral, zero waste city completely powered by
renewable energy.
CMERI has developed a solar electric rickshaw called ‘ Soleckshaw’ which is pollution free.
Gyroscopes are used to maintain orientation and provide stability in boats, aircrafts and space crafts.
Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning harbour wave. A massive tsunami was unleased by a
earthquake in the pacific islands of Samoa on 30 Sep,2009. The capital of Samoa is Apia.
Light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ successfully completes its 1000th flight in Jan 09.
Indigenously built ‘Astra’ air to air missile was successfully tested at Chandipur Range, Orissa in May
09.
China’s Chang’e-1 mission successfully landed on Moon surface in March 09. It is China’s first moon
probe.
‘Princess Elizabeth’ is the name of research station established by Belgium in Antartica in Feb 09. It is
the first research station which does not emit any pollutant i.e. it is pollution free station.
China successfully conducted Artificial Snowfall.
LCROSS – Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. NASA’s LCROSS crashed two
spacecrafts into a lunar crater on 9 Oct 2009, hoping to splash ice and find out possibility of water on
Moon.
IOTWS (Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning & Mitigation System)- It was tested in 18 Indian ocean nations
on 14 Oct 2009.
‘2 Pallas’is the name of one of the largest asteroid in the solar system.
James Dyson has developed a ‘Dyson Air Multiple Fan’, a desktop cooling device with no blades.
Scientists have identified a gene ‘TMPRSS6’ which is responsible for causing anaemia.
Neutrinos are elementary particles key to understanding how the universe evolved. Govt proposed to
set up Rs.900 crore Neutrino observatory at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve at Masinagudi in Tamil Nadu.
Epi -genome are the pattern of chemical switches in 200 types of human cell. A team led by Joseph
Ecker produce the first complete map of the human epi- genome.
NASA launched Ares 1-X rocket. It is first flight test of NASA’s next generation space craft and launch
vehicle system which will replace shuttle system.
There are 61 greenhouse gases that are together called Carbon Dioxide equivalent.
ICAR scientist discovered a new sub species of the ‘mite’ variety of insect and named it ‘Mangalaus’.
International Antartic Treaty Expedition 2009 was made from 15 to 30 Nov 2009. It started from
Ushuaia. The expedition was run by Robert Swan Obe ( only man to travel to both North & South
Poles). Drake passage is a thin body of water that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Indian scientist at Institute for Genomics & Integrative Biology sequenced the entire genome of human.
The human genome contains 3.1 billions base pairs. India is the 8th country in the world to sequence
the human genome.
Astronomers discovered a planet GJ 1214 b in the constellation called ‘ Ophiuehus’. The planet is
almost entirely made of water. ‘Ardi’ which roamed African forests 4.4 million years ago, has been
named as the ‘Scientific breakthrough of 2009’.
Imprints of 2009 on The Year 2010
As usual, the year will be full of events and happenings, and expectations like any other year. 2010 will be
different from the year 2009 in many ways, but the opinions, ideas, and decisions of 2009 would certainly
impact and shape the course of 2010. In the present year, we would closely follow some important
developments of 2009 that would conclude or could transform in this year.

In 2010, recovery of the world economy from global economic recession will be tracked all along the
year. It is a big question for all us whether we would be able to overcome the global meltdown
completely or just survive it with counter actions and gain marginal growth, or as some analysts predict
face future crisis.
The global slowdown continued in the whole of 2009 with signs of recovery in economic indicators of
many Nations, positive economic growth for some and negative in others. According to World Bank
and other predictions, world economy in 2010 will have sluggish growth with a growth rate of 2%. But,
the recovery rate of economies will vary across the globe. Emerging economies are expected to
recover faster compared to USA, Germany, France and other developed Nations. Asian economies
like China, India and Indonesia will play a big role in reversing the crisis. It is viewed that US economy
will have a limited and uneven growth; the unemployment rate could go down. While many economies
in 2010, including developed ones predictably will continue to suffer.
The progress of global economy will depend much on new and revised regulations for stable financial
system, balanced growth between social and private sectors, liquidity rates and government spending.
Long-term effective solutions, continuation of stimulus packages and a unified approach to solve the
crisis will be very essential for global recovery.
The Indian economy registered a good 7.9% growth in the third quarter of 2009, which was mostly
powered by the private sector. In 2010, India is expected to have a strong performance making it to
bounce back from the recession. The economy is predicted to post a growth of 7-8% in 2010. On the
other hand, fiscal deficit, high inflation and future threats can challenge the growth rate.
Year 2009 saw increased foreign institutional investments in India, resulting in Rupee appreciation
against a weakening Dollar. With high liquidity rate this scenario could continue in 2010. For Indian
stock markets, 2009 was a good year as it attracted large FIIs. If FII inflow continues in 2010, stock
markets are expected to do well. The Industrial growth raised by 11.7% in November 2009 because of
increase in demand and production, and a boost given by consumer durables sector. Future of this
sector in 2010 will largely depend on electricity production. In 2009, export markets suffered due to
Rupee appreciation and decrease in demands. To tackle this situation, the commerce ministry will
announce financial aids to certain export sectors this year.
In the previous year, agriculture productivity was hit by poor monsoon. Owing to deficient monsoon,
market constraints and other financial factors the year witnessed high food inflation rates. Analysts
predict this condition is expected to prevail in 2010.
Moving from economy to environment, 2009 observed discussions and debates on global warming and
climate change. 15th Conference of the Parties was held in Copenhagen in December this year, to
sign a global climate agreement on legally binding emission reducing targets. The meeting ended
without signing an agreement. Although, the summit did not adopt the Copenhagen accord, it is seen
as a first step towards legally binding emission cuts. In December 2010, the 16th Conference of the
Parties will be held in Mexico City.
2010 will carry important National news and events which would be linked to 2009. National Counter
Terrorism Centre will be set by the end of this year. Central Government will design a mechanism and
roadmap to resolve the present crisis in Andhra Pradesh. The verdict in 26/11 Mumbai attack case is
expected this year. 2010 could see some action on the bifurcation of Home ministry. Low-cost
indigenously developed A (H1N1) Influenza vaccines and testing tools will be available in India. ISRO
will make progress in Chandrayaan-II mission. The proposed Goods and Services Tax would come
into effect. Auction for 3G mobile services will take place this year. New Delhi will be gearing up to host
the nineteenth Commonwealth games scheduled from 3-14 October 2010.
Current affairs, is the mainstay of the civil service examination, what with one portion of the exam
dedicated to general studies. The current affairs of india and international current event affairs, are an
important part of the general studies paper, both in the mains and the prelims. At the interview current
affairs news rules and decides the rank of the candidate and even whether s/he will get through or not.
In such a scenario the coverage of current affairs in india as well as current world affairs, becomes an
important part of your preprations.
People in the News
Discuss Current Affairs
Current Affairs Quiz - new
International Current Affairs 2009
Climate Conference in Copenhagen 6 to 18 December 2009 (16th Dec 2009)
In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate changes and global warming runs out. To keep the
process on the line there is an urgent need for a new climate protocol. At the conference in
Copenhagen 2009 the parties of the UNFCCC meet for the last time on government level before the
climate agreement need to be renewed. Therefore the Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential
for the worlds climate and the Danish government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in making the
meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming
and climate changes.
Karzai sworn in for second term afghan president (19th Nov 2009)
Afghan leader Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president pledging to fight graft and take control of his
country’s security before his five-year term ends, after a fraud-marred election left his image in ruins.
Karzai said he hoped Afghanistan’s own security forces could take responsibility for the entire country
within five years, and take the lead in unstable areas within three. It is a goal he will share with his
Western backers, who are seeking an exit strategy from the 8-year-old war.
GCC population seen growing to 53 million by 2020 (16th Nov 2009)
The population explosion in the Gulf region is predicted to continue with a new report seeing it rising by
a third in the next decade. Latest research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said the GCC's
population was likely to hit 53 million by 2020, with the vast majority of people under 25 years old. The
rapid growth and the relative youth of the population present serious challenges as well as major
opportunities faced by GCC.
7.7 quakes shake north Chile (15th Nov 2009)
Thousands of Chileans may have to sleep in the streets after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the
north part of the country, killing at least two people, injuring dozens and destroying hundreds of homes.
Chile has been the scene of hundreds of strong earthquakes throughout history, including the largest
one of the 20th century on May 22, 1960.
Sri Lanka military chief 'quits' (12th Nov 2009)
Sri Lanka's armed forces chief Sarath Fonseka, who helped secure the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels in
May, has resigned, opposition politicians say.Gen Fonseka is reportedly considering challenging
President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election to be held before April. He is due to make a speech
shortly. The resignation was swiftly accepted by the president Mahindra Rajapaksa.
GSK Donates 50 Million H1N1 Doses to WHO (11th Nov 2009)
GlaxoSmithKline signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to donate 50 million doses
of adjuvant H1N1 flu vaccine to developing countries around the world. The drug will be available to 95
developing countries despite industry-wide shortfalls affecting the ability of developed nations to
inoculate their own citizens. Twenty percent of production from GSK’s Canadian vaccine production
facility has been allocated to developing countries.
Germany marks anniversary of anti-Semitic program (9th November 2009)
As Germany celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall more subdued tributes were
held to mark the 71st anniversary of the Nazi's Kristallnacht anti-Semitic pogrom. On Kristallnacht —
the Night of Broken Glass — at least 91 German Jews were killed, more than 200 synagogues were
destroyed, and thousands of Jewish businesses vandalized and looted in state sanctioned, riots. In the
capital, a special service was being held at a memorial outside the Jewish Community of Berlin's
building. The event was also to pay tribute to Anne Frank, whose poignant diary has inspired countless
people.
Earthquake rocks southern Iran (4th November 2009)
A 4.9-magnitude earthquake Rattled southern Iran injuring about 700 people, officials said. Iran lies
along seismic fault lines and has been rocked strong earthquakes, notably in December 2003 when a
6.6-magnitude quake devastated the ancient city of Bam, killing at least 30,000 people.
ASEAN Summit 2009 (25th October 2009)
Leaders of ASEAN countries has decided to increase cooperation in education at the 14th ASEAN
Summit held in Hua Hin, Thailand, on October 23-25, 2009.The cooperation agreement signed by the
leaders of the ten ASEAN member countries at the summit’s closing ceremony on Sunday. The
ASEAN community in 2015 will be based on three pillars, security of the political community, economic
community, and socio-cultural community. Therefore, ASEAN leaders had been urged to step up
educational competency in their respective countries. All these efforts may serve as a common
reference for ASEAN to a better quality education.The member country had also expressed readiness
to establish a research convention on education. The result will serve as a basic framework for new
cooperation in the sector. The summit also announced a plan to observe ASEAN`s founding
anniversary every August 8, and introduce the history of the regional organization as well as its latest
developments to the students.
Global population to reach seven billion by 2011 (23rd October 2009)
The global population is expected to reach seven billion in 2011 and the increase would happen in just
12 years after reaching six billion in 1999, says the World Population Data Sheet prepared by the
Population Reference Bureau (PRB).In a statement issued by the Information Services
Department,growth of the world's youth population was shifting to the poorest countries' especially Asia
and Africa, and latter's population of one billion was growing by about 24 million per year, and would
double by 2050.The bulk of today's 1.2 billion youth are in developing countries with 8 out of 10 living
in Africa and Asia.
Obama Wins Nobel peace prize 2009 (9th October 2009) The chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize
committee cited President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world and his push for Israeli-Arab peace
in explaining its decision to award him the prize.“One of the first things he did was to go to Cairo to try
to reach out to the Muslim world, then to restart the Mideast negotiations and then he reached out to
the rest of the world through international institutions," Thorbjorn Jagland said in Oslo last Friday after
announcing that Obama had won the prize. The formal citation notes Obama's "extraordinary efforts to
strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" and his "vision of and work for a
world without nuclear weapons." Obama will receive the $1.4 million prize in Oslo on Dec. 10.
Kabul's Indian Embassy attacked (8th October 2009)
A vehicle packed with explosives drove into the sidewall of the Indian Embassy in Kabul. A huge blast
followed. Seven Afghan civilians were killed and 45 more were wounded in a blast outside the Indian
embassy in the Afghan capital on Thursday, police sources said. The Taliban has claimed
responsibility for the suicide attack. On its website, it said it intended to target the Embassy. There was
some speculation whether the real targets were other government buildings nearby.
Al-Qaida calls for holy war against China (7th October 2009)
In a video message, a senior Al-Qaida leader has urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Chinese
"invaders" in response to the "massacre" of Uighurs in western China. "The atheist criminals have long
used the most despicable, cruel and brutal means against Muslims in Turkistan," said Abu Yayha al-
Libi, who is sometimes identified as the commander in Afghanistan of the international terrorist network
Al-Qaida.
China celebrates its 60th anniversary (1st October 2009)
A confident China on Thursday marked 60 years of Communist rule as it unveiled its military might
parading new generation battle tanks and long-range cruise missiles, with President Hu Jintao
asserting that only socialism can save the country.
Afghan Presidential election (18th September 2009)
President Hamid Karzai won an absolute majority in Afghanistan's presidential election, according to a
final preliminary result released by the election commission. Incumbent Karzai won 54.6% of the vote
in the Aug 20 poll, nearly double the 27.8% of his nearest rival, former foreign minister Abdullah, the
commission said. Voter turnout was 38%, which accounts for more than 5.5 million votes cast on the
election day. Of that percentage, 42% were men and 38% were women, Daoud Ali Najafi, chief
electoral officer said.
US largest supplier of arms in 2008 (7th September 2009)
Defying the trends of global recession, the United States has emerged as the largest supplier of arms,
accounting for more than two-third of the USD 55.2 billion of arms sales in the year 2008. The United
States has not only supplied arms and weapons to its traditional market, but also begun creating a pie
for itself in the traditional Russian supplier markets like that of India, says a latest Congressional
report. The increase in American weapons sales around the world was attributable not only to major
new orders from clients in the Near East and in Asia, but also to the continuation of significant
equipment and support services contracts with a broad-based number of US clients globally.
Powerful earthquake kills 57 in Indonesia (3rd September)
At least 57 killed, another 400 injured, says disaster agencyTsunami watch quickly expires, Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center says Older buildings damaged in Tasikmalaya in Indonesian island of Java,
witness says Series of quakes hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island three weeks ago. Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Cianjur, and vowed to free up nearly $500,000 (5 billion rupiahs)
for emergency response efforts.
Angry student throws acid on professor in Vietnam (25th August 2009)
A college professor and 13 students were hurt, when a former student upset over an English test
splashed him with acid in Vietnam. Dang Huu Dung, a professor at the Agriculture and Forestry
University, received acid burns to a third of his body. The police arrested Tran Xuan Thanh, 28-year-
old who finished his four-year course in 2006 but did not graduate because he failed the English test
on mechanics. The former student wants to apply for another English test but the professor refused.
The student got angry and thrown acid on professor thinking Mr Dung was not fulfilling his
responsibilities towards his students.
Miss Venezuala win Miss Universe 2009 title (24th August 2009)
Impressing 12 judges and beating 84 contestants Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez crowned the
Miss Universe 2009 from Dayana Mendoza. 18-year-old Stefania is the sixth Venezuelan to win the
crown.
Michael Jackson is Dead (25th June 2009)
Michael Jackson, the King of pop died because of cardiac arrest at the age of 50 at Los Angeles. The
only man who neither needs any introduction nor any eulogy died leaving millions of fans grieving.
Keeping aside the controversies he stirred in the last few years, Michael Jackson was definitely an
extraordinary artist, musician and a performer. Jackson left behind some heart touching songs like
'Earth Song'.
 Racial attack in Australia (15th June 2009)
So far there have been 14 attacks encountered by Indian students in Australia. Indian students are
continuing their street protest against the racially motivated attacks. The Indian community leaders in
Australia have asked the Indian students to stop violent protests in Harris Park in Melbourne. There
have also been some stray incidents of Indian students retaliating.
Air France 447 jet Crash (2nd June 2009)
The Air France 447 jet with 228 people on a flight to Paris vanished over the Atlantic Ocean after flying
into towering thunderstorms and sending 24 automated messages that the electrical system had failed.
Massive operations were taken to locate the, but all 228 passengers seem to have died. The hunt for
the black boxes and plane parts still continues. The total bodies recovered were only 50. The bodies
found were sent to perform DNA tests to the Legal Medical Institute in Brasilia. The United States of
America has also joined in the efforts.
LTTE chief Prabhakaran's body found (18th May 2009)
The Tigers of Tamil Eelam “Velupillai Prabhakaran” has been shot dead and his body has also been
found by the Lankan army. His son “Charles Antony” has also been shot dead. Prabhakaran’s top
aides came out of their last hiding place in a small convoy of van and an ambulance and tried to drive
out of the war zone, but were gunned down. The Tiger chief was killed with two others, who are
believed to be his closest associates - LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tigers' chief
Soosoi. The deaths of the top LTTE leaders came a day after Tamil Tigers conceded defeat saying the
decades-old battle has reached its "bitter end" and they have decided to "silence" their guns.
Escaped Bali Terror Suspect Is Caught in Malaysia (8th May 2009)
A suspected terrorist leader who embarrassed Singapore last year by disappearing through a
bathroom window in a high-security prison has been caught in Malaysia. Mas Selamat bin Kastari, 47,
was arrested early last month, after Singapore Police failed to capture him. The Singapore government
has described Mr. Mas Selamat as the local leader of the regional Islamist terrorist group Jemaah
Islamiyah, which carried out the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia. He was captured in southern
Malaysia, just across the Johor Strait from Singapore. An official investigation found that by letting the
water run in the bathroom and hanging a pair of pants over a ledge above the door, Mr. Mas Selamat
gave himself 11 minutes to make his getaway, even as a guard waited just outside the door. The
prisoner squeezed through the window, shinnied down a drainpipe onto a cushion of rolls of toilet
paper, climbed a fence and disappeared. He had asked for privacy in a bathroom as he changed.
Obama gets a 'B+ grade' for his presidency (29th April 2009)
Barack Obama celebrated his successful completion of 100 days (called as ‘hallmark holiday’) as US
president. Obama's first 100 days was fighting against global terror, an economic crisis worse than the
great depression of the 1930s and a pandemic, swine flu. He has made milestone changes in foreign
relations with Cuba and Iraq along with policy shifts towards China and Mexico. To improve economic
status, he has provided for 787-billion-dollar stimulus bill, along with environmental and health care
reforms on the launch. Robert Gibbs gave Obama a grade of "B plus," observing that 'there's always
room for improvement'. A survey on Obama's leadership showed positive reactions of the people and
63% approving his presidency.
Over 150 people died due to Swine flu in Mexico (29th April 2009)
The death toll has risen to 159 people in Mexico due to Swine flu disease. Out of a total of around
2,500 suspected cases of the virus, more than 1,300 people are reported to be in hospitals, some of
them 'seriously' ill. Most of the deaths occurred in Mexico City. Other affected states, such as
Aguascalientes and Veracruz have only seen a handful of deaths. The victims include all age groups
ranging from children, adults, and middle-aged people
6 killed in murder-suicide bid in US (31st March 2009)
 In a shocking incident 6 people, including 3 children, were shot dead and one critically injured
reportedly in a murder-suicide bid in Santa Clara, a city in the Silicon Valley. Media reports suggest
that an 'Indian passport' was found inside the house where the incident occurred.
The body of suspected shooter was found inside the house. Police also recovered two handguns used
in the killings. The killer was a man in his 40s. Mike Sellers, the Santa Clara Police Captain said, "It
does appear as though they (the victims) were related."
Titanic museum to open in UK (31st March 2009)
A new museum charting the story of the Titanic could be built in Britain ahead of the 100th anniversary
of the ill-fated liner's sinking.
The 28 million pound museum in Southampton, from where the liner set sail in 1912 on her maiden
voyage, is set to feature a climb-aboard replica of the doomed ship, which hit an iceberg causing the
loss of 1523 lives.
BUSH GETS ATTACKED BY SHOES IN IRAQ
An Iraqi TV reporter threw his shoes at President Bush during a news conference. Muntadhar al-Zaidi,
a reporter for the TV channel Al-Baghdadia, faced testing for alcohol and drugs to determine his state
of mind, said a government official.
At Sunday's news conference, the journalist whipped off his shoes and hurled them at Bush during the
president's unannounced stop in Baghdad. The reporter called his shoe-throwing, a traditional insult in
Arab culture, a "farewell kiss" to a "dog" who launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq
"This is the farewell kiss, you dog," the man shouted in Arabic. After the incident Bush apparently said
that he was ok and dismissed the incident as an example of a healthy democracy and an example of
free speech. LTTE LOSES MULLAITHIVU
The Sri Lankan military on Sunday announced the capture of Mullaithivu town, the last major
settlement of the LTTE in the only remaining district under its control. With this the Tigers are now
confined to Puthukkudiyiruppu and Vishwamadu areas in the same district.
The fall of Mullaithivu came three weeks after the military marched into Kilinochchi — the
administrative and political headquarters of the Tigers. After Kilinochchi, the Tigers lost control of their
strategic base at Elephant Pass at the mouth of the Jaffna peninsula and the government gained total
control of the A 9 highway for the first time since the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force
(IPKF) in 1990.
The rapid advance of the military into Mullaithivu town caught the political and diplomatic circles by
surprise. The manoeuvre was expected to take time in view of the large number of civilians in the war
zone, besides thick jungles and lagoons en route, not to mention the added threat of a possible attack
by the Tigers to defend their last citadel.
Mullaithivu town is situated in a narrow stretch of land between Nanthikandal lagoon and the Indian
Ocean. It has been under the control of the Tigers since 1996 and was considered their main military
base. ISRAEL ATTACKS GAZA
Israeli warplanes killed 10 Palestinians on Tuesday in attacks that targeted Hamas government
buildings and other symbols of the Islamist group on the fourth day of the fiercest air offensive in Gaza
in decades. Israeli missiles flattened five ministerial buildings and a structure belonging to the Islamic
University in Gaza City, witnesses said.
The death toll from the attacks on Gaza continues to rise, reaching 345 dead with more than 1,400
injured. Hamas has retaliated against Israel is with a deadly barrage of rockets that reached deep into
Israel. With this evidence that airstrikes alone have not been able to stop all Hamas rocket launches,
Israel is hinting that it will broaden its assault with a ground invasion:
Israel hinted it was ready to broaden its assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip with a ground
operation after three days of air raids failed to bring an end to cross-border rocket attacks.
National Current Affairs 2009
Sheikh Hasina chosen for Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (19th Nov 2009) Bangladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina has been chosen for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development this year for her "outstanding contribution to the promotion of democracy and pluralism".
After her re-election in December last year, Hasina embarked on her "Vision 2021", aimed at
transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, by eliminating poverty and inequity,
the Trust said. The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh and a citation, would be presented
to her at a function to be held at a later date.
India retains 84th position among the world’s most corrupt nations (17th Nov 2009)
Transparency International has released their annual corruption index, and has ranked China as 79th
and India 84th out of 180 countries. The evaluation of the extent of corruption is based on opinion from
country experts – resident and non-residents – and business leaders. The corruption index measures
perceived levels of public sector corruption in a country. New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden
and Switzerland are the top five least corrupt nations.
India second worst terror-hit country, says NGO (14th Nov 2009) India is the second worst
terrorism-afflicted country - behind only war-ravaged Iraq - facing eight terror attacks in 2008 alone and
losing over 3,500 lives in the last few years. Quoting a recent United States (US) report, city-based
NGO "Bombay First", said India follows Iraq in the number of lives lost in terror attacks last year.
K.R. Narayanan Award for the Hindu Chief Editor N. Ram (13th Nov 2009) N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief
of Hindu has been chosen for this year’s K.R. Narayanan Award for his outstanding contribution to
journalism in India. Instituted by the K.R. Narayanan Foundation in memory of the late President, the
award is to honor individuals who have excelled in various fields. It carries a statuette, citation and a
‘ponnada.’
Madhu Koda discharged, summoned by ED (9th November 2009)
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was discharged from a hospital and will be questioned
by the Income Tax department in a money laundering case on Nov 10 while the Enforcement
Directorate summoned him to appear before Nov 13 who is in the Rs 2,000 crore alleged Hawala and
illegal investments case.
India, Sweden to sign MOU on environment (5th November 2009)
India and Sweden are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on environment as
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld visits India on Thursday for the 10th India-EU summit.The
MoU will cover climate change, clean technology, clean development mechanisms, environmental
protection, environmental governance and air-water quality.
Brave Rukhsana appointed as special cop (2nd November 2009)
Rukhsana, the valiant and determined Jammu and Kashmir girl, who took on Lashkar-e-Toiba
terrorists who barged into her house in September, has been appointed special police officer (SPO), a
temporary job which will fetch her Rs 3,000 a month. Rukhsana is currently in Delhi. Her brother, Aijaz,
too has been appointed SPO
Radhakrishnan takes over as new ISRO chief (31st October 2009)
Radhakrishnan, one of the key persons behind India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission, on Saturday took over
as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Dr Radhakrishnan, also director of
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, succeeds Dr G Madhavan Nair. Dr K Radhakrishnan is an
accomplished technocrat with a distinguished career of more than 38 years in the fields of space
technology, applications and space programme management.
Dorjee Khandu became new chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh (25th October 2009)
Dorjee Khandu, who led the Congress to a two-thirds majority in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly
elections, was sworn in as the fifth Chief Minister of the state. All the newly-elected MLAs were present
at the oath-taking ceremony. Khandu, a former army intelligence officer rewarded for his exploits
during the Bangladesh war, had turned a social activist before joining politics in 1980.
A.R.Rahman wins Ghent Award (23rd October 2009)
Oscar winner musician A. R. Rahman's 'Jai ho' has again won laurels at prestigious World Soundtrack
Academy awards in Ghent (Belgium).This song from SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE won "best original
song written for film" category at the ninth World Soundtrack Awards announced at Ghent.
Test fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile(12th October 27, 2009)
India successfully test fired the nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile twice from a test
range in Orissa, officials said. The missiles were fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at
Chandipur in Balasore district, some 230 km from state capital Bhubaneswar first at 10.28 a.m. and
then again five minutes later at 10.33 a.m.
The tests were described as part of a "user trial”. Two naval ships tracked and monitored both the
missiles hitting the targets accurately. All the radars and other sensors along the east coast monitored
the missiles' trajectory parameters. The missiles have a striking range of about 350 km.Prithvi is India's
first indigenously built ballistic missile. It is one of five missiles being developed under India's
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).Two versions of the missiles have
already been deployed with the Army and the Air Force. According to defense officials in the national
capital, Prithvi missile has the capability to carry 500-kg of warhead.
India can hold 2010 Games: CWG Officials (10th October 2009)
The Commonwealth Games Federation officials have expressed buoyancy over India's capability to
host the 2010 event, after completing the second day of inspection.
Visiting shooting range in Tughlaqabad, Jamia Milia complex, the Rugby 7s facility in Delhi University
and Siri Fort Complex where the badminton event is scheduled to take place, the delegates were
convinced that the country could hold 'great' Games in 2010. In the press release released by the
committee, Australia's Don Stockins has been quoted as saying "So far it's good. The block that we
visited in the Games Village was good; if all end up like that it will be great. Delhi will be a great host
and it is a very pretty city." Jamaican Olympic Association Vice-President Donald Anderson has also
expressed confidence in India's facility to host the games next year.
US announce $100,000 aid for India's flood victims (8th October 2009)
Heavy rain and floods have inundated many parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra
killing over 200 people and leaving millions homeless. The US announced $100,000 aid for the victims
of recent floods in parts of southern and western India.'The heart-breaking personal loss, the
destruction of homes and property, and the loss of cattle and crops have been devastating,' US
ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said while announcing the aid.
Dolphin is national aquatic animal (5th October 2009)
Dolphin is now India’s national aquatic animal. The decision was taken following a suggestion by Bihar
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at a meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA),
chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the new status
for the dolphin would help save the rare freshwater species from disappearing from the country’s aqua
map.
Major Floods in Andhra and Karnataka (4th October 2009)
Five days of torrential rain have left at least 205 people dead and 750,000 displaced in southern India,
authorities said. Floods submerged villages, severed transport and communication links and raised
fears of disease spreading in relief camps. Large parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states –
which weeks ago were suffering a severe drought – have been inundated. Air force helicopters
dropped food and drinking water packages to hundreds of cut-off villages. The flooding worsened after
authorities released water from rain-swollen reservoirs to prevent them from bursting their banks.
Air India Strike (29th September 2009)
Air India cancels over 20 flights, pilots agitation continues. With the agitation by Air India Executive
pilots entering the fourth day, the airlines cancelled over 20 flights, including 15 from the national
capital, and suspended bookings for the next 15 days.
Talks between the management and the striking Executive pilots failed to break the deadlock over the
issue of cut in perks. The agitation by the pilots, who are protesting against the cut in the Productivity
Linked Incentives (PIL), is likely to intensify as the executive pilots working with the airlines before its
merger also joined them.
Chandrayaan-1 Not A Failure, Finds Water on Moon (24th September 2009)
India's first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 has found evidence of large quantities of water on the lunar
surface, before the project was terminated by ISRO. This discovery is credited to the Moon Mineralogy
Mapper (developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). NASA's Moon Mineralogy
Mapper (M3), an imaging spectrometer, was one of the 11 instruments on board Chandrayaan-I. M3
was aimed at providing the first mineral map of the entire lunar surface. Lunar scientist’s debate for
possibility of water repositories came to an end. Chandrayaan-1 was India's first unmanned lunar
probe which was launched by ISRO on 22 October 2008. After suffering from several technical issues
including failure of the star sensors and poor thermal shielding, Chandrayaan stopped sending radio
signals on 29 August 2009 shortly after which, the ISRO officially declared the mission over.
Chandrayaan operated for 312 days as opposed to the intended two years but the mission achieved
95 per cent of its planned objectives.
Six European satellites launched by India (23th September 2009)
India successfully launched a cluster of six European micro-satellites into low-earth orbit after
deploying its 960 kg remote sensing satellite Oceansat-2 in the polar sun-synchronous orbit. Of the six
micro-satellites, four are from Germany and one each from Switzerland and Turkey, with a combined
weight of 20 kg. The first four tiny spacecraft, named Cubsats, are educational satellites from
European universities weighing around 1 kg and developed to perform technology demonstration in
space. The other two spacecrafts are named Rubin-9.1 and Rubin-9.2 weighing 8 kg each, are
primarily used for the automatic identification system for maritime applications.
Earthquake in North Eastern Region of India (21th September 2009)
An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale felt by people in parts of Assam, other north-eastern
states of India, West Bengal and neighboring Bhutan Monday afternoon causing damage to various
properties in both the countries. The duration of this earthquake was around 5 seconds. The epicenter
was plotted in Munggar in Bhutan. Munggar, is located along the India-Bhutan border, 125 km
northwest of Guwahati where the abnormal movement of earthquake was observed.
Problems in BJP party (4th September 2009)
The BJP seems to be in the docks after the Lok Sabha defeat. BJP has expelled Jaswant Singh,
Sudheendra Kulkarni, Khanduri from the party. Also BJP has decided to break ties with the Indian
National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana. BJP president Rajnath Singh also asked senior Rajasthan leader
Vasundhara Raje to resign as leader of opposition. In the party meet it has been decided that Advani
will resign as party opposition leader and will not be primeministerial candidate for the next election.
Seems like a lot of “Manthan” or churning within the party.
Andhra CM YSR died in a chopper crash (3rd September 2009)
The Dynamic Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is no more. Mr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy was on his
way to Chittoor from Hyderabad in a Helicopter. After sometime in flight, the chopper went missing in
the dense forest area of Nallamalalla hill range. A massive hunt for the missing aircraft was launched.
Three Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters from Bangalore were involved in finding about the helicopter
and the missing YSR. After a day, the missing chopper was found in a mangled state along with five
burnt bodies. About 100 people died of shock after hearing the news of YSR’s death.
Almost all the state ministers, about 22 MPs and several Congress legislators have pitched for
Jaganmohan Reddy, son of Late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to be the next CM of Andhra Pradesh. The
Congress meanwhile is waiting for the euphoria to settle before deciding.
Mumbai TV actress arrested for abusing minor (22th August 2009)
A Mumbai actress has been arrested for allegedly abusing her 10-year-old maid. The TV actress,
Urvashi Dhaanorkar who reportedly brought the minor girl to Mumbai in the pretext of adoption and
education and kept her captive and tortured her. She had received burns and injuries. The girl told
reporters that she was roughed up by the actresses. The case came to light when one of the
neighbours found the girl in a bad condition and decided to go to the police. The police who rescued
the girl from the Raheja Classic Society in Andheri arrested the actress under the Child Abuse Act.
Indian Navy jet crashes, pilot feared dead (21th August 2009)
An Indian Navy fighter jet crashed into the Arabian Sea and the pilot is presumed dead. The jet, a
British-made Sea Harrier, plummeted into the sea 15 kilometers off Goa's coast. The cause of the
crash was not immediately known.
Bhindra honored with Rajiv Gandhi Award (20th August 2009)
India's first Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, Bollywood actors Shahid Kapoor and Katrina Kaif
and other young achievers were felicitated with prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Award.
Businessman buys Gandhi's home, plans for museum (30th July 2009)
Mahatma Gandhi's Johannesburg house, has been bought by a Bandra businessman, Pradeep
Bhavnani for about Rs 2.25 crore on July 30. Mahatma Gandhi lived in this house from 1908 for three
years while he fought against the racial discrimination in South Africa as a lawyer. The house that was
designed by artist Hermann Kallenbach is called 'The Kraal'. Pradeep Bhavnani, who is senior BJP
leader L K Advani’s nephew and a self-professed Gandhian is planning to turn it into a museum. After
buying the house, he intends to buy 34 souvenirs and photographs from the Aditya Birla Group to
install them in the museum. After inaugurating the museum on Oct 2, Gandhi’s birth anniversary, it will
be handed over to Government of India on the same day.
Rajmata Gayatri Devi laid to rest (28th July 2009)
Rajmata Gayatri Devi passed away after a prolonged illness at the age of 90. The people of the city
gave their daily routines a miss to catch a glimpse of the Queen's last journey. They grieved the fact
that the only person who really cared about their grievances had passed away. The Queen was
cremated with State Honours and the event was graced by the presence of the Rajasthan Governor
Shailendra Kumar Singh and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, along with several members of the State
Cabinet.
Class X girl selected for NASA training (26th July 2009)
Palak Agarwal, is one of the two school girls selected from India for NASA training in space shuttle
designing. She is a student of 10th class in a school in remote Karnal dist. She was selected under a
student programme under which a few students across the globe get an opportunity to get training in
NASA.
PM launches India's first nuclear submarine (26th July 2009)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur launched the country's first nuclear powered
attack submarine, INS Arihant in Vishakhapatnam. The INS Arihant will be commissioned in the Indian
Navy after extensive outfitting and sea trials. It is the first of three such vessels to be built in the
country. Its length is 112-metre-long. India has achieved a 'historic milestone in the country's defence
preparedness' with the launch of the submarine.
Bill Gates to receive Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (23th July 2009)
Bill Gates has received the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on behalf of
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2003, the foundation launched Avahan, a 10-year initiative to
support India's efforts to reduce the spread of HIV.
India's first sea bridge (30th June 2009)
The Congress president Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Bandra Worli sea link in Mumbai. The 5.6
kilometers long cable-stayed bridge has been designed to allow for speedy road travel between
Bandra and Worli. It costs Rs. 50 to take a trip on the link, and will cost Rs. 75 for a round trip. It would
be nothing compared to the Rs 100 crore per year that the link will save in the vehicle operating cost
alone. The link is equipped for traffic monitoring, emergency support and an automated toll system.
The construction of the sea link would save people's time.
Union minister threatens HC judge to grant bail (30th June 2009)
R Regupathi, a Madras High Court judge has threatened to write to the central government and the
prime minister about a Union Minister seeking to influence him to release a medical student petitioner
and his father, a doctor on anticipatory bail. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked both
of them in connection with a forged mark sheet case.
Government to make class X examination optional (25th June 2009)
Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) has suggested that the
government may make class X examination optional for students. He said that the examination system
would be reformed in accordance with the National Curriculum framework-2005. This will permit
students to continue in the same school. Schools may take an internal assessment test instead. This
he says, will be done in 100 days.
Air Force AN-32 aircraft Crash (10th June 2009)
Indian Air Force, Army and paramilitary forces made a search for missing Air Force AN-32 aircraft
which crashed over Arunachal Pradesh. The IAF began aerial reconnaissance to trace the transport
aircraft while Army and paramilitary forces too have been pressed into the search operation. There
were 13 people on board including six IAF officers and seven Army personnel and all of them are
feared dead. The aircraft had taken off from Machuka in Arunachal Pradesh on a supply sortie and
was on its way to Mohanbari in Assam when it went off radar due to bad weather and crashed. The
last radio contact with the missing aircraft was 35 miles from Machuka. Top-level sources in IAF say
that the flying crew of the AN-32 was highly experienced and bad weather is suspected to be the
reason for the crash.
Family donates their dead son's organs to 7 people (9th June 2009)
A family in Andhra Pradesh mourning the loss of their 19-year-old member Ganpati in a road accident
has ensured his legacy by donating his organs and transforming the lives of seven people. Johnson, a
six-year-old boy, was suffering from the dangerous blue baby syndrome but now a critical heart
surgery has ensured he would live healthily. It's not just Johnson but six other people, too, who have
received vital organs including the kidneys and liver donated from Ganapati’s body. Ganapati had met
with an accident and was brought to hospital brain dead. Doctors counselled with the family. Though it
wasn't an easy decision for Ganapati's family to donate his organs, Ganapati's elder brother Pradeep
went ahead, believing that his brother will live on by this deed. Ganapati's family is unaware of the
identities of any of the seven people who have benefited from his organs. But they do find solace in the
thought that Ganapati continues to live on.
Dream Houses / Mumbai Flats on rent for Rs. 800/- (3rd June 2009)
The common people of Mumbai may now dream of affordable homes. An ambitious low-cost housing
programme promises to provide flats on rent for as less as Rs 800. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA) announced that they are going to construct 133,000 flats near the
city. The MMRDA, in collaboration with real estate giant HDIL, will construct the flats on 525 acres in
Virar suburb in Thane district north of Mumbai. The project aims to house around 2 lakh people in the
flats. The rent for the flats will range from Rs 800 to Rs 1,500 per month. Each flat measures 160 sq ft
and will be given on lease for a period of five years. The Metropolitan Commissioner told that 90,000
(flats) are made for free-sale components and 43,000 are purely rental housing tenements of 160 sq
feet each. Only people with a minimum monthly income of Rs 5,000 will be eligible to apply for houses.
Applicants should preferably be residing in Maharashtra but it isn't a compulsory requirement. The
MMRDA also announced eight other low-cost housing projects in the city to house 5 lakh families in
the next few years. The authority will earn Rs 5,000 crore in rent and builders will benefit as they would
be allowed to construct taller buildings with more flats.
Oz Racial attack: AP student battling for life ( 28th May 2009)
Shravan Kumar, a 25-year-old student was attacked by teenagers in Australia is battling for life after he
and three of his friends from Andhra Pradesh were attacked on May 26. Doctors are not 'very
optimistic' about chances of his recovery. Shravan was critically injured after one of the boys attacked
him with a screwdriver. The other three identified as A Krian, Subhash and Sandip escaped with minor
injuries. The attackers abused the Indian students and asked them to leave Australia. While Shravan is
still in hospital, the other three moved out of the house. This is the second attack on Indian students in
a week. Meanwhile there are reports that the house where Shravan and his friends were staying is
apparently robbed by some miscreants.
Congress' victory, credit to Sonia's inner voice ( 18th May 2009)
The amazing victory of the Congress Party and the pathetic defeat of the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls
2009 has come as a surprise. Nobody expected that the Congress will bag over 200 seats on its own
and cross 260 with its allies. All political Pundits and Sephologists were predicting highly fractured
result on 16 May 2009, the day of counting. But May 16 became a 'black Saturday' for the Bharatiya
Janata Party with an astonishing victory for the Congress. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi once again
made it clear that she is not in race for the PM post of India. Ms Gandhi had made her point clear that
Manmohan Singh is the Prime Ministerial candidate of Congress. This cleared a long standing doubt in
the minds of many Indians who are not happy to see a foreigner as India's Prime Minister. This worked
and converted into votes.
UPSC results: Women on top, 791 succeeded (5th May 2009)
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam results for the year 2008 were announced. A
higher number of women have topped these numbers. The top three ranks have been grabbed by
women for the first time. The Rank 1 holder, 30-year-old Shubhra Saxena from Ghaziabad has
become the talk of the country. She told the media that the risk of quitting her job to serve the rural
masses was worth it.
River Ganga still reels under Pollution (4th May 2009)
The river Ganga remains highly polluted even after being declared the 'National River' by the Central
Government. Filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even the remains of human and animal
corpses, it poses major health risks to around 400 million people living by its side and all others who
benefit from it. The Ganga also suffers from another major problem called silting which results into
chocking of its flow.
People believe that constructing dams on the Ganga could be the cause of low water level in the river.
The residents say no steps have been taken to improve the condition of the Ganga. The condition of
the Ganga is deteriorating by the day. There is more sand in it. Though it is declared a 'National River',
no efforts are being made to clean it. If water is released from the dam, then only the water level will
increase in the river. Efforts have always made to clean up the Ganga since a long time but none have
been proved successful.
Satyam bidding Completed: Tech Mahindra wins bidding (13th April 2009)
In the Satyam Computers bidding process, three huge companies namely Tech Mahindra, Engineering
L&T, and Wilbur Ross had participated. Tech Mahindra has won in the Satyam bid by paying Rs. 1757
crore and now has 31% stake in Satyam. Tech Mahindra will pay Rs 58 per share; L&T had offered to
pay of 49 Rs per share and so lost out.
Girl dies due to asthma in Delhi School (22nd April 2009)
Aakriti Bhatia of class 12 student of the Modern School in Vasant Vihar of Delhi died due to an asthma
attack. Her parent’s alleged negligence by the school resulting in her death. It seems while taking
Aakriti to hospital the school authorities removed the oxygen provided to her, also instead of calling an
ambulance they waited for Akriti's father's car to take her to hospital, which could have lead to the
death. However the school claims that they did everything possible to save her. Other parents and
people are demonstrating against the school.
Parents protest fee hike in schools (April 2009)
Hundreds of parents opposing the fee hike in schools protested at various places in Delhi and
demanded its immediate rollback. The parents association of Guru Nanak Public School staged a
demonstration and criticized the school authorities over the fee hike. All India Parents Association
(AIPA) also extended its support to the demonstration. The children also shouted slogans from the
classrooms. The matter of fee hike has been challenged in the Delhi High Court. The court would hear
the case on April 29.
Tata Nano The People's Car Launched (23rd March 2009)
People's car 'Nano' launched amidst much waiting and expectation.
Tata Motor's 'Nano' was commercially launched in Mumbai on 23/3/09 promising to meet the
expectations of people under some circumstances which is likely to bring about a change in the auto
market in the nation
Modi minister held in post-Godhra riot case (March 2009)
As prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and chief minister Narendra Modi on 27/3/09 launched the
BJP’s campaign at the Kankaria lakefront, a few kilometres away, in Gandhinagar, Maya Kodnani, a
minister in Modi’s cabinet, was arrested in one of the post-Godhra riot cases of 2002.
Minister of state for women and child welfare and higher education, Kodnani was arrested after the
Gujarat high court cancelled her anticipatory bail on Friday in the Naroda Patia and Naroda Gam riots
case. A trained gynaecologist, she resigned from the ministry and surrendered before the SC-
appointed Special Investigation Team in Gandhinagar with VHP leader Jaideep Patel.
Varun guilty; EC asks BJP not to field Varun (March 2009)
The Election Commission has found the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Varun Gandhi guilty of
making remarks against Muslims in an election rally in Pilibit and in the wake, violating polls laws. The
EC has also declared that the CD was not doctored and said that it will initiate criminal proceedings
against him.
The EC has also asked BJP not to give a ticket to contest polls in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.
"The commission considered the speeches as a grave violation of the model code of conduct, apart
from amounting to promoting feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes on the ground of
religion, outraging the religious feeling of a particular community, and promoting hatred and ill-will
between two classes of citizens and provoking a section of the citizens to indulge in violence."
"Any sponsorship of his candidature by the BJP, or any other political party at this election, would be
perceived as endorsing his unpardonable acts of inciting violence and creating feelings of enmity and
hatred between different classes of citizens of India, destroying the social, democratic and plural fabric
of the country," it said. SATYAM FRAUD
The fraud at Satyam may well turn out to be the biggest of all scams unearthed from corporate India.
Through multiple routes involving a large number of related companies and myriad transactions, the
promoters of Satyam Computer Services, led by the company's Chairman Ramalinga Raju, are alleged
to have siphoned out a huge quantity of money from the firm. To cover that up, the accounts were
manipulated and documents were forged to declare nonexistent cash reserves and understate
liabilities.
The money that was taken out may have been used, among other things, to acquire large quantities of
land in what seems to be a set of speculative real estate ventures that could enrich the family. The
Maytas companies that had titles that spelt Satyam in reverse were important conduits in this process,
but there were clearly many more. According to reports, the Registrar of Companies has found that
''Satyam's annual report reveals several transactions with subsidiaries and other group companies by
way of investments, purchase of assets and other receivables'' that point to the concealed transfer of
funds out of the company.
Shockingly, one of the allegations made by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra
Pradesh is that the company had only 40,000 employees on its rolls as compared with the 53,000
claimed by it and the remaining 13,000 were mere fake salary accounts through which as much as Rs.
20 crore a month were taken out of the company over a period of five years. If true, this involves
descent to a level of manipulation and fraud that could spell the end for Satyam. MANGALORE PUB
ATTACK
Activists of a self-styled pro-Hindu moral brigade called Sri Rama Sene barged into a pub in the
coastal city of Mangalore in january and bashed up a few young girls for 'violating traditional Indian
norms'.
At least two girls were punched and their hair pulled by the activists 4 p.m. Saturday at the pub
Amnesia - The Lounge in Mangalore, about 350 km from Bangalore. The young men accompanying
the girls to the pub on the busy Balmatta Road were also assaulted when they tried to protect their
friends.
Following this shocking incident, at least 10 of the activists have been arrested by Mangalore police.
From the accounts given by the eyewitnesses, who did not want to be identified, the girls were the
target of attack. About 40 men forcibly entered the pub claiming unethical activities were on inside and
pushed their way inside. They began assaulting the young men and women who ran for safety. At least
two of the girls started screaming for help and managed to flee from the attackers.
The ugly incident has a murky dimension also with leaders of Sri Rama Sene and Bajrang Dal, another
pro-Hindu organisation fighting to take credit for the attack in the name of punishing those going
against 'traditional Indian norms'. RAILWAY BUDGET 2009
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav Friday presented his sixth rail budget in February.He is the first
Railway Minister to introduce the low fare air-conditioned trains known as "Garib Rath". Fifteen such
trains are already running and five more are expected to start in the near future.
The Railways minister cut rail fares across ticket categories by 2% and announced plans for 43 new
trains on Friday.
The fare cut will bring down rail fares on air-conditioned travel the most, mounting further pressure on
low-cost airlines, while fares for second-class, second-class sleeper, and general compartments will
also go down for tickets worth more than Rs 50 per passenger. Suburban commuters who use express
or mail trains will also see their ticket costs get Rs 1 cheaper.
The fare cuts, announced in the government’s interim railway budget for 2009-10, are expected to set
the Indian Railways back by only around Rs 700 crore but will make little difference to its cash pile of
Rs 90,000 crore. In any case, Mr Prasad said a cut in fares would not necessarily lead to a loss of
revenues. The Railways has cut fares four times in as many years, lowering AC first class and AC two-
tier rates by 28% and 20%, respectively and taking the competition straight to the doors of the low-cost
airline sector.
The Minister also proposed starting 43 new trains during 2009-10, and said the Railways would extend
services of 14 existing trains. The frequency of various Rajdhani and other express trains will also be
increased taking into account the rise in the number of passengers. DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST
VALENTINE'S DAY
Activists of the Hindu fundamentalist political party Shiv Sena on Wednesday staged a token protest at
Central Delhis Jantar Mantar against St.Valentines Day celebrations in the capital. The activists said
that they viewed celebrations of St.Valentines Day contrary to Indian ethos and a proof of the growing
influence of western culture on rest of the world. Besides, the protestors said that the St.Valentines
Day was corrupting the Indian youth, as most of the youth on this day take advantage of the occasion
and indulge in immoral behaviour at public places.
Such protest were undertaken at quite a few places in India like Bhopal, Bangalore etc. In Uttar
Pradesh, Right-wing Hindu activists beat up young couples during Valentine's Day protests across the
country. Shiv Sena said it was holding protests across the country against Valentine's Day celebrations
which were against Indian culture and had a "corrupting influence" on Indian youth.
Protests by Hindu and Muslim groups were reported from the national capital Delhi, central Bhopal and
southern Hyderabad cities.Fifty activists of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing
attacked a shop selling Valentine's Day gifts in Hyderabad and set fire to the greeting cards. They
carried saffron flags and chanted slogans such as "Save Culture" and "Death to Valentine's Day."
Muslim groups also campaigned against Valentine's Day and displayed posters at public places asking
youth to refrain from celebrating the day.
In central Bhopal city, another Hindu right-wing group the Bajrang Dal held protests threatening to
marry off lovers found "misbehaving" in public places. Other Hindu religious organizations held protests
in the western Gujarat state distributing handbills to college students asking them to shun western
culture.
Valentine's Day has become popular in India over the past decade with shops selling romantic cards,
heart-shaped balloons, cuddly toys and other gifts. But the day has also seen regular protests by
Hindu and Muslim hardliners who claim the celebrations threaten Indian culture and social norms.
Sports 2009
Maradona fined and banned for foul-mouthed tirade (16th Nov 2009) FIFA's disciplinary body has
dished out a two month ban to Argentina's coach Diego Maradona, punishing him for the tirade after
this team grabbed a spot in the 2010 finals in South Africa.Apart from the ban effective from Nov 15 to
Jan 15, 2010, the body also slapped a fine of 25,000 Swiss francs ($24,600) on the football legend.
Novak Djokovic wins Paris Masters (15th Nov 2009) Third-seeded Novak Djokovic scrambled to a 6-
2, 5-7, 7-6 (3) victory over local favorite Gael Monfils to win the Paris Masters for the first time.The
victory gave Djokovic back-to-back ATP Tour titles after his win over top-ranked Roger Federer in the
Swiss Indoors final .The third-ranked Djokovic also beat World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in
Paris and will be a strong favorite when he’ll try to defend his title at the eight-man ATP World Tour
Finals from Nov. 22-29 in London.
Bhupati and Paes exit Paris Masters in 2nd round (13th Nov 2009) Leander Paes and Mahesh
Bhupathi ended their campaign early in Paris Masters by making an exit in the second round with their
partners. Fourth seeded Paes and Lukas Dlouhy of Czech Republic were beaten 7-6(5), 4-6, 5-10 by
American Travis Parrott and Australian Jordan Kerr.
Golden whistle for Indian Hockey umpire (10th Nov 2009) Satinder Kumar has become the first
Indian umpire to get the golden whistle from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for officiating in
100 matches. Satinder is the 29th international umpire to get the honor, Hockey India said in a
statement. Satinder umpired in his 100th match at the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers in Invercargill,
New Zealand yesterday.
American swimmer Peter Marshall beats own 50 backstroke world record at short-course meet
(11th Nov 2009)
Peter Marshall of the United States has broken his own world record in the men’s 50-meter backstroke
at a short-course World Cup meet. Marshall won the race in 22.73 seconds, beating his previous
record of 22.75 set in October in Durban, South Africa. It was the sixth world record set at the meet in
Stockholm. Earlier American teammate Jessica Hardy broke her own world record in the women’s 50
breaststroke, finishing in 28.96.
Australia win series against India (11th Nov 2009)
Australia won the One-day International series against India 4-2 after the seventh and inconsequential
final match at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai was washed out due to cyclonic storm that hit the
western coast. The possibility of the match being played was remote due to heavy downpour in the
city.
Murray beats Youzhny to win Valencia Open tennis (8th Nov 2009)
Andy Murray won his sixth title of the season in his first tournament back from a wrist injury, beating
Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-3, 6-2 in the Valencia Open final. Murray won 26 of 29 first-serve points
as he improved his indoor record to 12-0 this season. Having saved two of three break points in the
first set, Murray jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second by dictating play from the baseline. He closed
out the victory with an ace.
Pankaj Advani wins bronze in Asian Indoor Games (7th Nov 2009)
Pankaj Advani capped his Asian Indoor Games campaign by winning a bronze medal in the English
Billiards singles' category. Advani blanked Myanmar's Kyaw 3-0 in the third place play off.
Indoor Asian Games: India win 2 gold on final day, end at 7th place (7th Nov 2009)
India claimed four medals, including 2 gold, on the final day of the competition to end the third Asian
Indoor Games on a high. India ended the continental event on seventh position with 40 medals- six
gold, nine silver and 25 bronze. M.C Mary Kom and Kavita Goyat won gold for India in the Asian
Indoor Games on Wednesday. The other Indians in the final, Sarita Devi and N. Usha lost their
respective bouts and had to contend with silver medals.
Schiavone wins women's Kremlin Cup final (26th October 2009)
Francesca Schiavone trounced Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-0 Sunday to capture the women's final at the
Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow. The Italian, the event's eighth seed, lost just 11 points the
entire match, capping a week of avoiding the losses suffered by higher seeds in her second straight
final.
Davydenko beats Nadal to win Shanghai Masters (20th October 2009)
Shanghai Nikolay Davydenko upset top-seeded Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Sunday to win the
Shanghai Masters for his fourth title of the year. The sixth-seeded Davydenko broke decisively in the
sixth game of the second set to collect his 18th career title. His flat ground strokes and angled winners
denied the Spaniard a sixth title for this year and his first since the Rome Masters in May.Nadal had
reached the semifinals at Beijing last week on his return to the tour. The winner of six Grand Slam
tournament titles also was sidelined after the French Open for two months with tendinitis in both knees.
Australia wins Champions Trophy 2009 (6th October 2009)
Australia claimed their second successive Champions Trophy title in beating New Zealand by six
wickets in the final at Super Sport Park in Centurion, South Africa. Australia had a huge fight on their
hands at 2-6 against some inspired bowling, but Shane Watson again kept a cool head with his second
successive unbeaten century to steer Australia (4-206) side past New Zealand's 9-200.
India wins Compaq Cup 2009 (14th September 2009)
India wins the Compaq Cup tri-series after defeating Sri Lanka in a nail biting encounter. Chasing a
mammoth total, Sri Lankan showed brave face and reduced the defeat margin. After showing good
batting performance, Indian was poor at fielding and bowling. They dropped couple of easy catches
and missed run out chances. Finally managed to win by 46 runs.
Clisters Wins over Serena Williams in U.S Open (13th September 2009)
On match point in the U.S. Open semifinals, defending champion Williams was penalized a point for
unsportsmanlike conduct — a bizarre, ugly finish that gave a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory to Kim Clisters. The
match featured plenty of powerful ground strokes and lengthy exchanges.
England Win the Ashes Series 2009 (23th August 2009)
England has regained the Ashes. Australia’s defiance ended with England completing a 197 run victory
to spark loud scenes of celebration and jubilation at The Oval. Mike Hussey scored a dogged 121 as
Australia lived up to their promise of having a “crack” at their history making target of 546 to win. But in
the end they ran out of batsmen and England cut through the tension in south London to regain the urn
surrendered in the whirl of an Ashes whitewash two years ago.
Sania Mirza clinches Lexington Challenger title (27th July 2009)
Sania Mirza defeated top-seed Frenchwoman Julie Coin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to lift the International Tennis
Federation (ITF) Lexington Challenger title. With this win, she climbed up three places in the latest
WTA singles rankings. She stands in the 80th place now. After the 2003 tournament, this was only the
second Challenger title for her.
Roger Federer and wife are proud parents of twins (24th July 2009)
Federer's wife, Mirka gave birth to twin girls Myla Rose and Charlene Riva. The children are healthy
along with their mother.
Sania & Sohrab exchange rings amid tight security (10th July 2009)
The Tennis star Sania Mirza exchanged rings with her childhood friend, Sohrab Mirza. The 22-year-old
Hyderabad girl wore the ring that signified her engagement with 23 year old MBA Student Sohrab
Mirza. The ceremony was graced by biggies like badminton player P Gopichand, Union Minister of
State for Human Resource D Purandareswari, her husband and legislator D Venkateshawara Rao,
Telugu film actor Vishnu and industrialist G V K Reddy. There was a tight security provided for the
event nearly 50 policemen surrounded the Taj hotel.
Federer Wins a record 15th Grand Slam Title (5th July 2009)
Roger Federer, the world no 1, has won the Wimbledon title in the men’s single event for the sixth time
and crossed the record of 14 Grand Slam titles set by Pete Sampras. Federer defeated Andy Roddick
in one of the most interesting finals in the Wimbledon in London. The five setter final was won by
Federer 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6 and 16-14.
Sushil Kumar wins gold medal in wrestling (28th June 2009)
Sushil Kumar won the gold medal in style, after emerging the champion in the 66 kg freestyle category.
India won two gold, one silver and two bronze medals, accounting for a total of five medals. Rahul
Balasaheb secured the gold medal in the 55 kg freestyle category. In 120 Kg freestyle category, Rajiv
Tomar secured the silver medal, Ravinder Singh and Ramesh Kumar won the bronze in the 60 kg
Greco Roman in 74 kg freestyle categories respectively.
Pakistan wins Twenty20 World Cup (22nd June 2009)
The Pakistan Team had scored a sensational victory against Sri Lanka and won the T20 World cup.
Pakistan achieved a139-run target for the loss of two wickets with eight balls to spare. This win is the
first major trophy since 1992, when Imran Khan led them to victory in the 50-over World Cup in
Australia. As Pakistan scored the winning run with Shahid Afridi, people danced with joy, fired up
crackers and celebrated by distributing sweets at Lahore.
India knocked out of World T20 (15th June 2009)
Defending champion India was knocked out of the World Twenty20 title race after a three-run defeat at
the hands of an inspired England in the Super Eight match. Chasing a modest victory target of 154,
India's batting order crumbled when it mattered most and the defending champions could manage only
150 for five.
Federer won French Open (7th June 2009)
Roger Federer has won the French Open title by defeating Robin Soderling. The scores were 6-1, 7-6
(1), 6-4. The 14th major title won by Federer breaks the Pete Sampras record. He has now become
the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam championships. Federer won his 14th Grand Slam
championship at the age of 27. He will now try for the 15th Grand Slam title beginning in two weeks at
Wimbledon, which he has won five times already. He has also won the US Open for the past five
years, and he has three Australian Open titles with him.
Anand wins Chess Oscar for sixth time ( 8th May 2009)
The World Champion Viswanathan Anand continued to dominate supreme bagging the Chess Oscar
for the sixth time and becoming the first non-Russian to do so. He received the award from
International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov being contested between teams
of Azerbaijan and FIDE World, in Baku. The Indian ace has earlier won the honour in 1997, 1998,
2003, 2004 and 2007 while Russia's Garry Kasparov has claimed it 11 times and Bobby Fischer of
America has taken it home thrice. The Chess Oscar is awarded by Russian chess magazine '64 -
Chess Review' on the basis of a poll carried out among chess journalists and experts. The Oscar
comes in the form of a statuette also called the "Fascinated Wanderer".
Brasa appointed Indian men's hockey coach ( 1st May 2009)
Spain's master coach Jose Brasa has been appointed as the new chief coach of the Indian men's
hockey team. Pravir Krishna, the Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Sports said “Brasa will soon join
the Indian men's hockey team as the chief coach". He also informed that Brasa was handed a two-year
contract, but didn't rule out the chances of his agreement being extended till the 2012 London
Olympics. The Spaniard put forth a list of demands, including a free hand in running the team, the
need for technology and a good physiotherapist, and a support staff of 14 people, including two from
Spain. The Sports Ministry accepted his demands. The official also informed that Brasa would be
coming to India early next week to formally take charge of his duties.
BCCI nominates Gambhir, Jhulan for Arjuna award (30th April 2009)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has recommended batman Gautam Gambhir and women's
team captain Jhulan Gosawmi for the esteemed sports award, the Arjuna Award.Gambhir, opener has
scored 1,579 test runs at an average of 75.19, and 1,494 runs at 46.38 in ODIs. Jhulan won the ICC
Women Cricketer of the Year Award in 2007.
Book on Tendulkar released (24th April 2009)
A book, titled 'If Cricket Is a Religion, Sachin is God' was released on Sachin’s 36th birthday. The
authors of the book are Vijay Santhanam and Shyam Balasubramaniam who are graduates of IIM
(Ahmedabad). They believe that Tendulkar is one of the greatest sportspersons of our times and surely
the finest cricketer of our times. The most remarkable thing about Tendulkar is the way he has handled
himself and his fame right from his early teens, they feel.
India seals historic win in NZ after 41yrs (7th April 2009)
Though rain stopped India from winning the third and final test against New Zealand at Basin Reserve
in Wellington, it sealed the historic 1-0 series victory on Apr 7 after 41 years. The last time India won a
series in New Zealand was under the captaincy of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in 1967-68. India had won
the first Test in Hamilton by 10 wickets and drew the second Test in Napier.
India win Hamilton Test, a win in NZ after 33 years (21st March 2009)
Dominant India defeated New Zealand by 10 wickets in the 1st Test to take 1-0 lead. This is India's first
Test win in New Zealand since 1976.
India wrapped up New Zealand's second innings on 279 with the hosts giving a 38-run lead in the 1st
Test. Harbhajan Singh took six wickets for his side.
India thrash New Zealand to seal ODI series (Feb 2009)
India won the One day series against new zeland soil at first time.
Science and Technology 2009
NASA signs agreement with ISRO for use of Indian satellite oceansat-2 (19th Nov 2009) US
space agency NASA has signed an agreement with ISRO to use data from Indian satellite Oceansat-2,
for various American agencies for research activities, including weather forecasting. Launched on
September 23, 2009 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota, Oceansat-2 is designed
to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on
Oceansat-1.
Scientists Create Bacteria that Light Up Around Landmines (16th Nov 2009) A stunning 87
countries around the world are still littered with undetonated landmines, and their impact is
devastating. Thousands of people are killed or injured by mines every year, and they pose a grave
threat to ecosystems and wildlife. But an unexpected solution may be on the way--scientists have
developed a special kind of bacteria that actually begins to glow in the presence of landmines.
Scientists produced the bacteria using a new technique called BioBricking, which manipulates
packages of DNA. The bacteria are then mixed into a colorless solution, which forms green patches
when sprayed onto ground where mines are buried. The bacterial stew can also be dropped via
airplane in extremely sensitive areas. Then, only a few hours after it's sprayed or dropped, the bacteria
begins to glow green if it's next to an undetonated explosive. This, of course, would be an invaluable
asset in the ongoing quest to rid nations like Somalia, Bosnia, and Cambodia of their atrocious, deadly
minefields. Scientists are especially optimistic about the bacteria because the solution is cheap and
easy to mass produce.
"Significant" Moon Water Released by NASA Crashes (13th Nov 2009) In October, NASA crashed
a two-ton rocket and the SUV-size LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) into the
permanently shadowed crater Cabeus on the moon's South Pole. The crashes were part of an effort to
kick up evidence of moon water. The LCROSS team took the known near-infrared light signature of
water and compared it to the impact spectra LCROSS near-infrared recorded after the probe had sent
its spent rocket crashing into the moon. They have good fits with each other. Additional support for
moon water came from LCROSS's ultraviolet spectrometer, which detected energy signatures
associated with hydroxyl, a byproduct of the breakup of water by sunlight.
New ocean forming in African desert (5th Nov 2009)
Geologists have confirmed that the African continent is being torn in two, forming a new ocean. An
international collaboration has shown that a 35 mile long rift in the Afar region of the Ethiopian desert,
which opened in 2005, is likely to be the beginning of a new sea. The recent study, published in the
journal Geophysical Research Letters, brings together seismic data from the formation of the rift,
showing that it is driven by similar processes to those at the bottom of oceans.
Snow on Mt. Kilimanjaro to melt in twenty years (3rd Nov 2009)
Scientists at the Ohio University predicted that the ice sheets of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest
mountain peak, will melt in the next twenty years due to global warming. The ice that was present in
1912 gradually decreased by 85% by 2000, and by 2007 another 26% of the amount in 2000. This was
the first time that the volume of the ice in Kilimanjaro was measured. The tests were conducted by
Lonnie Thompson, a professor at Ohio University.
Scientists report discovery of 32 new exoplanets (20th Oct 2009)
With help from the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), scientists have reported
the discovery of 32 new exoplanets. The latest batch of exoplanets announced comprises not less than
32 new discoveries. Including these new results, data from HARPS have led to the discovery of more
than 75 exoplanets in 30 different planetary systems.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry to India-born scientist (October 7 2009)
Three Americans won 2009 Nobel Prize and one among them is India-born. They are Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath. Ramakrishnan is India-born American and Ada
Yonath is Israeli. They were awarded with Nobel Prize in chemistry for mapping ribosomes. It is the
protein-producing factories within body cells, at the atomic level.
NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn (October 7 2009)
The Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered the biggest but never-before-seen ring around the planet
Saturn, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced. The thin array of ice and dust particles lies at
the far reaches of the Saturnian system and its orbit is tilted 27 degrees from the planet's main ring
plane, the laboratory said. Although the ring dust is very cold — minus 316 degrees Fahrenheit — it
shines with thermal radiation.
13-year-old Indian to address UN climate change summit (September 21 2009)
A 13-year-old Indian girl from Lucknow, Yugratna Srivastava has won the honour to address US
President Barack Obama, President Hu Jintao of China and other world leaders on behalf of the
world's three billion youth and children. The UN summit that Yugratna would address is part of the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's campaign to bring about a fair and ratifiable green house gas
reduction agreement at this year's Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. "World leaders must
recognise the energy and potential which lies in children and youth. This age group is just like flowing
rivers and they make their own way in the direction in which they march," said Yugratna, a lively,
committed and very passionate teenager.
Largest ever telescope launched from French Guiana ( May 15 2009)
Ariane 5 rocket, the world's largest telescope was launched on May 15 from the Kourou spaceport in
French Guiana to investigate the origins of the universe. The Herschel telescope was developed by the
European Space Agency (ESA) at a cost of 1.1 billion euros ($1.49 billion). The main objective of the
telescope is to determine how the stars and galaxies are formed in the universe. The Physicist
Albrecht Poglitsch, of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, worked on the development
of Herschel's instruments. The stars are comprised of gas and dust, a mix that makes it impossible to
see into the star itself with light. Herschel's strength is to enable a look into the gas-dust clouds. The
primary mirror of the Herschel telescope is 3.5 meters in diameter, more than four times larger than
those of previous infrared space telescopes and almost one and a half times larger than the Hubble
space telescope. Herschel will tap into previously unexplored wavelengths and examine phenomena
that had been out of reach for other observatories. The telescope will begin to carry out its three-and-a-
half-year mission in about a month.
First face transplant patient in US shows face ( 6th May 2009)
Five years ago, Connie Culp, 46-year-old woman in a shotgun blast left a ghastly hole in the middle of
her face. Five months ago, she received a new face from a dead woman. She stepped forward to show
off the results of the nation's first face transplant, and her new look was a far cry from the puckered,
noseless sight that made children run away in horror. Culp's expressions are still a bit wooden, but she
can talk, smile, smell and taste her food again. Her speech is at times a little tough to understand. Her
face is bloated and squarish, and her skin droops in big folds that doctors plan to pare away as her
circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating her new muscles.
UK scientists to develop Swine Flu vaccine (4th May 2009)
As the world is getting ready to fight against Swine Flu (H1N1 virus), researchers from all over the
world have stepped up to build a vaccine to fight the scary disease.
A team from National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) in Hertfordshire had
started their work for developing a vaccine against the H1N1 virus. The researchers aim to drill a hole
in hen's egg, considered for growing up flu viruses. The process involves injecting a small amount of
virus into each egg. The scientists are using two different techniques for the process.
The first one is 'reverse genetics', where scientists take the H and the N surface proteins from the
H1N1 virus and mix them with a laboratory virus known as PR8. This leads to a creation of a harmless
hybrid virus, which can be used for the vaccine.
The second technique involves injecting both the H1N1 and PR8 viruses into eggs and allowing the
hybrid strain to be created through a natural re-assortment of their genes. The vaccine will work by
dodging the immune system into it has been infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus so that it creates
antibodies against it. The researchers hope that the first seed strain of H1N1 swine flu vaccine will be
ready in three to four weeks. It will then take another four or five months for vaccine manufacturers to
produce the vaccine in bulk.
PET bottles potential health hazard (29th April 2009)
Wagner, a lead researcher stated, “Drinking water from PET plastic bottles is harmful to human
health”. It has a higher probability of drinking estrogenic compounds (which affects reproductive
hormones) through water. He analysed 20 samples of mineral water. Nine samples came out of glass
bottles, nine were bottled in PET plastic and two were in cardboard. The specialised yeast, which
change colour in the presence of estrogen like compounds, revealed estrogenic activity in seven of the
nine plastic bottles (and both cardboard samples), and compared with just three of the nine glass ones.
The levels of these compounds in the water were surprisingly high.
ISRO launches RISAT-2 (20th April 2009)
The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched a revolutionary spy satellite RISAT-2.
It is designed by the Israeli Aerospace Industries. It can take images through the thickest cloud cover,
rain and snow or fog conditions during night and day or even of the hundreds of winding mountain
valleys. It will be used extensively for purposes like mapping, managing natural disasters and
surveying the seas, it can also see through camouflage like cloth or foliage used to conceal camps or
vehicles. It will enable India to keep a watch on terror camps, military installations across boundaries,
missile sites and suchlike. It should also help keep track of ships at sea that could pose a threat. The
RISAT will reduce India's dependence on foreign suppliers like Ikonos for satellite imagery.
March
Discovery Crew Returns Home From ISS
The Discovery space shuttle crew returned home to the Johnson Space Center in Houston on
Sunday(29/3/09) after completing a 12-day mission.
Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:14 p.m. Saturday(28/3/09), after
traveling more than 5.3 million miles. Its crew delivered solar arrays to help power the International
Space Station and science experiments taking place there. The astronauts completed three space
walks, lasting more than six hours each, to install, repair, and maintain equipment for the station.
The STS-119 flight marked the first trip to space and the first spacewalks for former science teachers
Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold. Both are now NASA astronauts. The flight was Discovery's 36th trip
to space. It marked the 125th space shuttle mission and the 28th shuttle trip to the space station.
Internet Crime Up 33 Percent, FBI Reports
Internet-based crime increased by 33 percent last year, making 2008 the biggest year ever for reported
cybercrime incidents, according to an Internet Crime Complaint Center annual report.
The ICCC, a nonprofit organization run by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center
dedicated to monitoring online fraud, issued a report Monday showing that fraud losses incurred from
cybercrime reached a total of $264.6 million in 2008, compared to $239.1 million the previous year,
Reuters reports. Losses in recent years pose a sharp contrast to cybercrime losses of $18 million in
2001.
"2009 is shaping up to be a very busy year in terms of cybercrime," said John Kane, director of the
National White Collar Crime Center based in Richmond, Va., and the report's author, to Reuters.
Adobe, Facebook partner to create Flash developer tools
Adobe has partnered with one of the most popular social networking Web sites, Facebook, to give
developers a new set of tools to create applications.
The applications will use Adobe's Flash platform and the new ActionScript 3 Client Library for
Facebook the two companies developed together. The client library is a free open source programming
language that supports Facebook application programming interfaces (APIs) including Facebook
Connect.
Microsoft to discontinue Encarta
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) is to exit its Encarta encyclopedia business later this year after losing
ground over the years to freely available reference material on the Internet on web sites like Wikipedia.
"People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past," the
software maker said in a notice posted on its MSN website.
Microsoft, which axed 5,000 jobs earlier this year to cut costs and warned profit and revenue would fall
over the next two quarters, said it would stop selling Encarta software products by June. Encarta
websites worldwide, except Encarta Japan, would be discontinued on October 31 and Encarta Japan
will cease after December 31, the company said.
Obama to restore stem cell research funding
US President Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order reversing Bush administration
restrictions on Federal funding for stem cell research. He said that he would ensure that all research
on stem cells would be conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.
This move would be in line with Mr Obama's campaign vow to restore funding to embryonic stem cell
research.This development impressed scientists who have long campaigned for the Bush policy to be
overturned, but will likely be condemned by conservative right-to-life groups.
Mr Bush barred Federal funding from supporting work on new lines of stem cells derived from human
embryos in 2001, allowing research only on a small number of embryonic stem-cell lines which existed
at that time.He argued that using human embryos for scientific research - which often involves their
destruction - crossed a moral barrier and urged scientists to consider other alternatives. Embryonic
stem cells are primitive cells from early-stage embryos capable of developing into almost every tissue
of the body.
India To Send Sun Mission Aditya In 2012
After the successful launch of the moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) is now gearing up for a mission to the sun. The proposed sun mission christened as "Mission
Aditya", is aimed at unraveling the secrets of the sun. G Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Indian space
agency ISRO, announced that, the agency is ready with its new space programme to explore the
corona of the Sun in 2012.
"Mission Aditya" will find out answers for how and why solar flares and solar winds disturb the
communication network and play havoc with electronics on the earth. It will also uncover the mysteries
surrounding the sun's corona that create geomagnetic field disturbances on the earth and often
damage man-made satellites and spacecraft moving in the sky under intense sunlight.
Though the sun mission of ISRO has been on the cards for quite some time now, it got a boost after
the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1. The success of the Aditya Mission will provide vital clues to
ISRO to protect its satellites and spaceware from being damaged by hot winds and flares ejected out
of the sun's corona.
Indian-American Scientist Vivek Pai Creates Top Web Technology
The researchers' team led by Indian American scientist Vivek Pai has developed a revolutionary way to
expand internet access around the world. The team of Princeton University computer science
researchers created a new efficient data storage system called HashCache which got listed as one of
the top emerging technologies of the year in scientific magazine, Technology Review. The scientific
magazine is being published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
HashCache claims to store information more efficiently than current methods. The newly created data-
caching system is expected to expand web use in developing regions around the world by making
internet access more affordable. The new data storage system increases the possibilities of expanding
internet facility across the poorer regions as it is very affordable. Compared to RAM, HashCache is
capable of storing more information from frequently visited web sites on a local hard drive thereby
enabling direct data access. Vivek Pai explained that by increasing the efficiency of internet data
transfer, HashCache can reduce the cost of maintaining a hard drive.
February
Indian Scientists To Clone Pashmina Goat
A team of scientists from Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana is working on a project to clone the
famous pashmina goat. A success in this direction is expected to give boost to the dwindling trade in
pashmina wool. The project is under a World Bank aided project known as National Agriculture
Innovation Project.
The project 'Value Chain on Zone Free Cloned Embryos Production and Development of Elite Germ
Plasma Pashmina' hopes to change the pashmina production scenario in the state. A six-member
team will use somatic cells of the goat to clone the cell to produce new pashmina goat. Scientists will
use a hand-guided cloning technique and the four-phased project will run for next three years.
NASA's Kepler Mission To Begin Quest To Find Planets Hosting Life
NASA's Kepler spacecraft is all set to begin its maiden journey in search for worlds that could
potentially host life. The spacecraft is scheduled to blast-off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in
Florida aboard a Delta II rocket on March 5, 2009. Kepler is the first mission with the ability to find
planets like Earth. The mission will study rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where
liquid water could be maintained on the surface that is believed to be essential for the formation of life.
The mission will spend three-and-a-half years in the space. It will survey more than 100,000 sun-like
stars in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way galaxy. It is expected to find hundreds of planets of
the size of earth and larger, at various distances from their stars.
ISRO To Use Home-Grown Cryogenic Engine For GSLV Launch
The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will use an indigenously developed cryogenic engine
to launch the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). Reports say that IRSO will undertake
the launch operation in July this year. The use of home-grown cryogenic engine to put GSAT-4 into
orbit will end India's dependency on Russia. India has been importing the cryogenic engines from
Russia since 1991. So far, India has launched five GSLV rockets. But now ISRO has developed its
own cryogenic engines and all the tests have been completed successfully, the source added.
The launch of GSAT-4 communication satellite using an indigenously developed cryogenic engine will
provide internet connectivity in remote villages. The ISRO is also considering to use the GSLV for the
Chandrayaan-II mission scheduled for 2012. Earlier, ISRO used PSLV to launch Chandrayaan-I.
January
1.World's First Internet Car Radio Unveiled
The Australian researchers have developed a new internet car radio for the first time which enables the
users to access 30,000 stations including online broadcasts and AM and FM stations from all round the
globe. The internet car radio developed by Melbourne-based online radio aggregator miRoamer was
launched in prototype form at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. miRoamer has
signed a deal with German-based Blaupunkt which is one of the largest producers of car radios in the
world.
Under the new deal, Blaupunkt will produce internet radios which will be fitted in latest models by car
manufacturers such as Ford, Holden, Mercedes, BMW and Audi. The internet radio will also be sold
separately for those who want to install it in their cars. It is very imperative that radio lovers will prefer
internet car radio to traditional broadcasters as it offers a huge number of stations from all over the
world. The new product is expected to be launched in the US and Europe in the second half of 2009. In
more ways than one, the internet car radio is going to revolutionise the way people listen to radio.
2.Motorola Unveils Cellphone Made From Recycled Water Bottles
Motorola has unveiled a new kind of mobile phone called MOTO W233 Renew which is made from
recycled plastic water bottles. According to the handset manufacturing company, MOTO W233 Renew
is also a carbon neutral phone. The company is said to have collaborated with Carbonfund.org to
manufacture the new mobile phone. Interestingly the container that holds the phone is also made from
recycled material.
In order to uplift its recycling program for mobile phones and accessories, Motorola has also entrusted
another postage-paid box with the MOTO W233 Renew which can be used by customers to mail their
old phones back to the company for recycling. The postage-paid box is also made from recycled
paper, claimed Motorola.
The new MOTO W233 Renew offers nine hours of talk time with ChrystalTalk technology and has
messaging capabilities. The new mobile handset from Motorola is expected to be launched at the 2009
International CES in Las Vegas. The phone will be available in the market by the first quarter of 2009.
MOTO W233 Renew has been designed for eco-conscious consumers as well as for those who loves
to make phone calls. The recycling program of Motorola is ready to accept any mobile phone or
accessory for recycling which it feels will help to recover valuable materials for reuse that will reduce
environmental impact.
3.UK Doctors Deliver Cancer-Proof Baby
The first British baby genetically selected to be free of a breast cancer gene has been born. She grew
from an embryo screened to ensure it did not contain the faulty BRCA1 gene, which passes the risk of
breast cancer down generations.
According to the sources of University College Hospital in London the mother, a 27-year-old Londoner,
and her little girl were in very good condition. Women in three generations of the father's family have
been diagnosed with the disease in their 20s, including his mother, grandmother, sister and cousin.
A girl born with the altered BRCA1 gene have a 50-80% chance of developing breast cancer - but
screening can prevent this. The technique used is known as Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD),
which involves taking a cell from an embryo at the eight-cell stage of development, when it is around
three-days old, and testing it.
The treatment follows the green-signal given by Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority
in 2006, which said doctors could test for 'susceptibility genes' such as BRCA1. A properly functioning
BRCA1 protein helps stop cancer before it starts but faulty genes greatly increase the risk of cancer.
BRCA1 and a related version of another gene, BRCA2, account for around 5% of breast cancer.
Sony To Launch World's Lightest 8-Inch Notebook PC
In a bid to capture the rapidly growing market for ultra-portable personal computers, Sony Corp of
Japan decided to launch 8-inch notebook PC which is considered to be one of the lightest laptops in
the world. The new Sony Vaio PC will have Microsoft Corp's Windows Vista operating system.
Windows Vista operating system incorporated in Sony laptops will support all the software programs
found in full-sized notebooks.
While revealing the plan, Sony said that the new notebook weighs only 1.4 pounds and it is as thin as
a mobile phone. The notebooks will available for pre-orders and were released in the market in the first
week of February 2009. the Sony notebook is priced at about $900, setting itself apart from Netbooks.
The Red Planet Of Mars May Have Life On It
NASA, the space agency of USA, may be ready to announce alien microbes living below the Martian
soil are the cause of a methane haze surrounding the Red Planet of Mars.
Researchers from around the world have shown a greater interest in the Red Planet, as possible
traces of water and ice dust have raised hopes of discovering signs of life on or underneath the
planet's surface. Even though methane is created on Earth by volcanoes, scientists haven't found any
active volcanoes on the Red Planet.
In addition, it seems NASA researchers found high levels of methane in the same regions as water
vapor clouds, which are absolutely necessary for life. The study was conducted during a seven year
examination of the planet.
Indian Scientists Conduct Anti-Warming Experiment In Antarctic Ocean
A group of scientists from India and Germany jointly conducted an anti-warming experiment in
Antarctic Ocean. It is believed that the experiment may find out a possible solution to on-going global
warming crisis. The scientists began their experiment by scattering iron powder on hundreds of square
 kilometres of the Antarctic Ocean. The iron powder will fertilize the growth of phytoplankton which will
eventually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and take it deep under the ocean surface.
The technology of iron fertilization is likely to stop global warming at a very little cost. About six tonnes
of iron are to be scattered on 300 sq km of sea. The group of scientists which left Cape Town on board
the Polarstern on January 7 includes thirty Indian and 18 from other nations. The tiny organism called
phytoplankton can eliminate carbon dioxide which is the main greenhouse gas contributing to global
warming. The technology used by the Indian and German scientists can be path-breaking one in
curbing global warming which stands out to be a major threat to mankind.

Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

Hillary Clinton nominated as Secretary of State in Obama cabinet 1st Dect 2008
Hillary Clinton has been nominated as the Secretary of State in the Obama Cabinet. President Clinton
expressed his deep pride for his wife being chosen for this job.
Army Chiefs call for polls rejected by Somchari Nov 27 2008
Political uncertainty continues to loom over Thailand with protestors continuing three siege at Bangkok
international airport. This goes on despite the Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejecting Army chief
Anupong Paochinda's Proposal of getting over the crises by holding general elections. Flights have
been gravely affected leaving passengers stranded at airport being unable to board the flight.
ID card scheme in UK for non European foreign nationals Nov 26, 2008
The british government has put forward as scheme of biometric identity cards.This would be for non-
European foreign nationals starting with students and foreign spouses of British citizens. The required
people must be in possession of it within 3 years.
One hundred and one Indian prisoners have been released by Pakistan Nov 26, 2008
As a good will gesture Pakistan has released one hundred and one Indian prisoners mostly fishermen.
With the talks of home secretary Madhukar Gupta and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Kamal Shah
lead to this decision by the Pakistan government.
President elect Barack Obama faces a economic challenges: Nov 26, 2008
Barack Obama the president elect of US introduced his economic team recently.Timothy F. Geithner
has been nominated as Treasury Secretary and Lawrence H.Summers to head the White House
economic concil. Obama’s economic policy would be focused for middle class families and financial
markets. Christina Romer is nominated for White House Council of Economic Advisers chair, Timothy
Geithner as Treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers as head of the National Economic Council .
Neel Kashkari-an Indian American to look over the financial crises of Wall Street. (7th October
2008)
The finanacial catastrophe in the Wall street leading to global turmoil will be looked upon.Sure will it
be, but that by an Indian American.Neel Kashkari the guy is set to prove his mettle and expert
tackling.Just 35,he is the Assistant Secretary for International Affairs in the Department of Treasury,as
the interim head for its new office of financial stability,which includes the troubled Asset Relief
Program.It is seeing over this $700 billion problematic situation, threatening the US economy.
He has served in the Bush administration at Tier Two cabinet levels.If his appointment is confirmed he
would be looking over the Treasurury's effort to buy sick areas and deal with them amicably,buying bad
loans, and other upset securities.
Kashkari has bachelor's degree in engineering from University of Illinios at Urbana-Champaign.He has
masters in aeorospace engineering .Having worked in R&D Principal investor at the company TRW in
Redondo Beach,California,he has worked upon a technology for NASA on James Webb Space
Telescope,to be replaced for Hubble.It is scheduled to be launched in 2013.
Hillary Clinton a possible official as Secretary of State (22nd Nov September 2008)
Global market heads towards recovery (19th September 2008)
Global markets are recovering now.European stocks opened with considerable margin following a day
profiatable trading on Wall Street.The stock market in asia showed considerable recovery.
All this happened after the news spread of the package of up to $247 billion to be invested at money
markets from the U.S federal reserve,European Central Bank,the Swiss National Bank,the Bank of
England,the Bank of Canada and the Bank of Japan.The swelling upto $180 billion in fund availability
is for getting away with the financial crises and ensure profitable business.
The bankruptcy of prominent U.S brokerage Lehman Brothers,a Bank of America, Merrill Lynch,AIG
has dampened of their confidence by the investors.
Serious financial crises and the world economy (18th September 2008)
The most reputed and stable financial institutions of America have collapsed.Because of this, it has
effected economy globally.Merrill Lynch,Lehman Brothers,American International Group AIG have
gone in financial crises.This happened because of bad mortgage finance and real estate
investments.Both Lehman and Merrill Lynch ventured into real estate with great risk and got caught up
in financial problem.
With Lehman's stock tumbling sharply,other firms backed off from doing business with it.This is a
serious financial crises and desperate measures are being taken to get out of it.Lehman has decided
to curb its trading and filed for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch has agreed to sell itself on Sunday to Bank of
America for roughly $50 Billion.Lehman Brothers a securities firm, filed for bankruptcy and tried to
liquify its assets, because of no buyer.It has decided to curb its trading operations and so on. As
concerned to AIG (American International Group), its problem arose with its one unit dealing in
complex debt securities and derivatives.That unit is a cause of loss which is more, than the profit
margin from its other units functioning profitably.It's credit scores were lowered by credit rating
agencies, making it to seek multibillion dollar investment in order to survive.American International
Group AIG had to take help from federal Reserve.
According to the associated Press,this is reported to be the biggest collapse of an investment bank
after Drexel Burnham Lambert 18 years ago. The whole question is of its after effects on the American
economy and global economy like in Asian market and elsewhere.
The desperate need of these tumbling financial giants for buyers,series of deals and grouping and
regrouping of other companies to counter financial worsening still does not give much respite from the
situation. In India,people rushed to pull their shares of favourable price fearing they may lose more in
collapsing sectors.This affected in loss in already wobbly situation.Realty and metal stocks have
suffered big loss.Below 3761 is a danger sign.The major losers were Ranbaxy Laboratories (-5.44%),
Satyam Computer (-4.52%), DLF (-4.21%), Jaiprakash Associates (-4.11%), Bharti Airtel (-3.82%) and
ICICI Bank (-3.59%).Only Tata motors (1.24%) and State Bank of India (0.19%) made profit.
In other asian countires like Japan,Hong Kong, and South Korea stock market dipped more than 5
percent in morning trade.
As for now, the financial situation is very grave and has deteriorated because bulk of the investors
have pulled their money all of a sudden and have invested in other places like treasury bills.Cost of
borrowing has increased and federal bank is trying to relax its rules to avert the situation to the
possible extend. The effect of all this would be more unemployment due to job cuts,less salary,high
lending rates affecting the already weak housing market and so on.
Zardari becomes President of Pakistan (9th September 2008)
Asif Ali Zardari is the new Pakistani president after Pervez Musharraf.The widower of Benazir Bhutto
and son in law of Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is the co-chairman of Pakistan's People Party (PPP).He was
elected with big majority. The leader of the House in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani hailed his election
and talked about the balance of president's power and the Judiciary.The leader also mentioned of the
government's agenda in strengthening of law and order and restoration of Judges.
Georgia snaps diplomatic ties with Russia (30th August 2008)
Georgia has snapped its diplomatic ties with Russia. It moved for new propagation for EU and support
from United States to pressurize Moscow to withdraw its troops. With the shutting off the diplomatic ties
with the Russian federation, the Russian diplomats would have to leave Georgia. This was said by
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze.
For the hundreds of thousands of Georgians living in Russia, consular relations nevertheless would be
maintained as decided. The Human Rights Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg mentioned of
emptiness and large scale damaging situation of the ethnic Georgian villages in the region. The new
satellite images give a different picture of havoc and ethnic cleansing against the Georgian population
of South Ossetia which are denied by Russia.
Barack Obama, McCain and the American elections. (30th August 2008)
Barack Obama has been nominated for the American President post against McCain.McCain is the
nominee from the Republican side.The vice presidential candidate of Obama is Joe Biden who is a
senior senator from Delware.
The vice presidential candidate of McCain is Sarah Palin who is the governer of Alaska.Her sudden
emergence into the limelight for vice presidential nomination has surprised many. Both sides claim of
having the best mind on their side and best strategist for steering America into new course for a better
future.
Beijing Olympics close with a dazzling show (25 August 2008)
With new records and new histories, the Beijing Olympics ended with a grand spectacle. Magnificent
fireworks were displayed with nearly 90,000 people in the stadium in the form of Bird’s nest.
A delegation from London including the flamboyant soccer star David Beckham, was present. Gordon
Brown the Prime Minister of Britain and London' mayor too were present. The Olympic flag was
handed over to the London mayor by Beijing Mayor Go Jinlong.
The economic power of China was displayed as it had invested more than $40 billion in hosting
Olympics. China got most of the gold medals and United States lead overall tally of medals.
There were some serious untoward incidents as the attack on Beijing tourist site when U.S volleyball
coach Hugh McCutcheon’s father-in-law was fatally stabbed by a Chinese man who committed suicide
after. China had taken measures to bring air pollution under control and media too did not display vivid
widespread health concerns as foreigners had been attending the games. The menus of the
restaurants had been modified keeping in view of tourists and as a whole the communist nation had
shown smooth handling of logistics throughout the Olympics.
What is Russian Georgian Conflict basically? (23 August 2008)
Russia claims to have complied by ceasefire agreements but they are accused of still being present at
some checkpoints.
The conflict of Georgia Russia is an anecdote of ethnics, regionalism and economic dominance. The
issue has come under global limelight again due to the war but the hostilities are since long back. The
issue has been cooking up since much before.
But in short, before the fall of the former USSR, South Ossetia was actually a part of Georgia which
came under USSR.After the collapse of communism and Russia broke, these became independent
countries.
The tension is due to the exertion of political dominance by Georgia over South Ossetia which South
Ossetia does not like.Another region Abkhazia which too has the same tension with Georgia too is the
cause of this Russia Georgia war.
On Nov 10 1989, the South Ossetia applied for autonomy to the Georgian Supreme Soviet.It had also
been granted, but later what irked Ossetia was that the Georgian Supreme Soviet adopted a law
barring regional parties in summer 1990.Ossetia took it as move against its concerns and repudiated
Georgia’s official status over it by proclaiming South Ossetia a Soviet Democratic Republic. Ossetians
also boycotted subsequent Georgian parliamentary elections and held their own contest in December.
In turn, Georgia declared this election illegitimate and abolished South Ossetia’s autonomous
completely in 11th December 1990. The fresh waves of hostility swept due to this between South
Ossetia and Georgia.
Territorial tensions upon migration by natives. One event in turn lead to another, heightening hostility
and bloodshed and large scale violence.Due to this violence, Georgians and Ossetians began
migrating to other places for safety.This further created tension over territorial areas when Ossetians
moved to settle in North Ossetia.This was objected by Ingush as the place had been their former
territory before being expelled from there by Stalin. So the arrival of Ossetians at their former place
infuriated the Ingush.
In the midst of all this hullabaloo, Georgia signed cease fire with Russia to avoid further escalation of
situation.It also confirmed of not imposing of any sanctions against South Ossetia. Howerer the spark
remained as Georgia still has control over much regions of South Ossetia including important town of
Akhalgori.
To keep the matter from getting uneven, a peacekeeping force of Russians, Ossetians and Georgians
was established.
The Incidents leading to attack by Georgia on Ossetia and Russia’s backlash.
In spite of ceasefire deal on August 13 2008, incidents like smuggling hostage takings,shootouts and
bombing occassionally deteriorated the stability as claimed by Georgia and this one of the basic
reason of its immediate attack on South Ossetia on 7th of August 2008 which has made headlines
worldwide. Incidents such as passing resolution in support of South Ossetian secessionists by Russia,
closure of important market hampering Russia’s trade by Georgia’s side, closure of highway in
retaliation between Russia and Georgia by South Ossetians to hamper Georgia, all this made more
reason for Russia to take a plunge into the war against Georgia.
Russia’s and Georgia’s Blame on each other.
Also Russia blamed Georgia of killing Russian peacekeepers and doing “ethnic cleansing” of natives in
South Ossetia.Since many of the 70,000 people in South Ossetia speak Russian and have Russian
passports.Russia thinks it needs to reassert its influence over its immediate borders here that is
Georgia and South Ossetia and set things right. Georgia accuses Russia in toppling the government
and causing to get regime change.
As of now the cease fire has taken place and Russian troops have withdrawn after the intervention of
France in particular to negotiate. Russian military action was also condemned by the United States and
other NATO countries to which Georgia has affinity inspite of not being NATO member.
Though all these are apparent reasons for war but the actual and internal motives still linger around
economic superiority, proposed long term economic and business plans which either country would
like to take advantage of.
Safeguards pact endorsed by IAEA chief (1 August 2008)
The primary inspection plan for India met safeguards standards.Talks have begun on a mode of
extended checks,prospects for enhancing Indo-US nuclear deal.
A condition set for the Indo-Us nuclear deal to be carried forward was the approval of the inspection
plans based on his recommendations. When the International Atomic Energy Agency governers gave
a consent on this,India would now seek a waiver from 45 nuclear supplier nations to allow trading with
a non NPt countries.After this US Congress would consent to finalise the final deal. Futher pros and
cons are underway for full fledged implementations.
Pakistan demands nuclear status (31 July 2008)
After the Indo-US nuclear deal in formation, Pakistan also exerted its right to be granted nuclear status.
Mohammed Sadiq,spokesperson for Pakistan Foreign Office showed concern for the national security
and expressed that the government of Pakistan would do all within its ability to secure it.
In the context, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has shown Pakistan new proofs of the links
between country's spy service and some militant groups.The violence in Afganistan is linked to this
factor.
Iraq Ban lifted by IOC (30 July 2008)
International Olympic Committee has relented and permitted Iraq to take part in the Olympics. IOC has
lifted the ban on Iraqi atheletes for the beijing olympics. After the IOC had meeting with the Iraqi
officials in Switzerland,the IOC revised their decision and now the athletes will be able to take part in
the Olympics in Beijing next month.
“Bush a total failure” says Pelosi (18 July 2008)
The first woman speaker of the United States Nancy Pelosi has been a sharp critic of the American
President. With her timely outpour of complete dissatisfaction over his policies in various interviews,
she, yet again, came out with a highly frustrated tone. It was a backlash after two days to the
President’s criticism in which he talked having just 26 legislative days in hand in the fiscal year. Bush
said that Congress would require every other day to get its work done in this span of time. It wasn’t a
matter of pride Bush commented.

In the interview, the Nancy Pelosi ruled out the President’s validity on such comments citing reason of
him that of having no ideas. She also remarked that he was in no position to criticize the Congress.
Meanwhile Pelosi’s comments came when Congress approval was all time low in 30 years. Pelosi
linked the cause of this to Congress’ failure in ending the Iraq war. She highly disapproved of
congress’ working in ceasing the war.

Again opposed to the President’s favoring for offshore drilling for oil and opening up areas like Artic
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil exploration, Pelosi has strongly taken a stand against it. In
retrospect to this, 73 percent of poll has shown favor in this regard. The bottom line of her disapproval
is due to the apparent non exhaustion of federal areas leased beforehand for approval in drilling. That
should be in focus rather than venturing for new avenues for oil exploration, she meant.
Iran test fires more missiles (10th July 2008)
In continuation of the previous exercises,Iran test fired further missiles on Thursday,prompting United
States to take steps to build anti missile defence setup.
G-8 leaders mention of countering global warming (9rd July 2008)
G-8 leaders of the world’s major economies pledged to combat climate change without highlighting
specific steps in that regard. The leaders unanimously agreed to cut the greenhouse gas emissions by
half by 2050.
The G-8 countries which make up Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Russia and
the United States and the other countries that are South Korea, Mexico European Union, India, South
Africa Australia, Brazil, China, and Indonesia.

Betancourt and 14 others get freedom (3rd July 2008)

After being in captivity for more than 6 years, the former Columbian presidential candidate Ingrid
Betancourt along with three US contractors and 11 others got freedom.The rescue operation took on
Wednesday by Colombian military force. This was reported by Juan Manuel Santos the defence
minister.
The revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) kidnapped Ingrid Betancourt on February 23rd
2002. She is reported to be in fine health. Also when the plane carrying the three contractors Thomas
Howes,Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves crashed in southern Columbia, the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Columbia kidnapped them and were held hostage .The three hostages were under the
contract with the US Department of Defence and were working against anti-drug tasks in Columbia.
FARC had plans to exchange Betancourt ,the three US citizens as scores of military and police
personnel for FARC rebels in prison. The FARC have been outwitted and have lost three of their
members including their Boss in recent time.
UN Condemns Zimbabwean government. (24, June 2008)
 United Nations has condemned the Zimbabwean government because of its inefficiency in controlling
the violence in the election campaign. The UN raised its doubts on smooth facilitation of such elections
in such circumstances. But inspite of that Mugabe’s governenment which is incumbent, is confident of
holding elections on 27th.
No immediate solution of high oil prices. (24, June 2008)
The United States has expressed hopelessness in lessening of the oil prices in short time. In the white
house release statement, the government has expressed possibility in the increase of the oil
production within that country. Though the statement also mentioned of the efforts in bringing down the
fuel demand in taking control of other measures, still, there is a lookout for ways to increase domestic
production in United States. in the same time Saudi Government has plans to increase its oil output.
Saudi Arabia will increase its oil production.(16th June 2008)
Saudi Arabia has decided to increase its oil production by 200,000 barrels per day from next
month.This was told by Kingdom's oil minister to U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon according to Ban's
spokesman. On meeting with Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi U.N. chief was disclosed of this decision.
Rise in Oil Prices (6, June 2008)
Oil price have caught the headlines recently due their increased prices. Analysts reason out the
increase in prices due to various factors. Some reasons are due to political tensions circulation around
middle east countries. The deteriorating condition of Iraq, terror attack in Saudi Arabia, all make
impact. The change in supply limit due to speculations on the demand for oil too pave way for a price
change. OPEC decided to reduce its production limit, though not causing scarcity, but nevertheless it
did cause tension in developed countries and effected price. As the price of Oil is above $120 a barrel,
the price of gas, kerosene, petrol and other petroleum products too has been effected. Due to
unavoidable circumstances Oil companies were forced to sell at a loss of millions of pounds a day.
Countries too have responded with respect to the global scenario like Malaysia which is a net exporter
of Oil has raised fuel prices by 41 percent .It has also dropped subsidies.
The price rise of petrol diesel kerosene all has effected a common man in India and there is a heavy
pressure on the democracy to come up with a respite in some way or the other.
2008- International Year of Sanitation (4, Jan 2008)
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Terror attacks in Mumbai Nov 27 2008
Major terror attacks took place in Mumbai on Wednesday .Explosion and firing from various parts of
the city took place.Twenty people are reported to have been dead and 348 injuredUnofficial reports
give death toll as 60. Maharashtra Director General of Police A.N. Roy said that seven attacks took
place three of them encounters. A.K. Sharma reported that 2 and 3 persons carrying AK.47 rifles and
grenades entered the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminu8s with AK 47 rifles at 8.35 and indiscrimately
opened fire. Outside the Trident Hotel two low intensity explosions and firing was reported. In Colaba
firing took place too. Police has been on high alert and people were rushed to hte hospitals. Centre
has rushed NSG commandos to Mumbai.
Heavy Rains in Chennai Nov 27 2008
Cyclone name "Nisha"is siad to be the cause of heavy rains wand winds in several parts of chennai.
Due to incessant rain nearly 20 flights were affected. In many places road were flooded.Local
Administration Ministrator Stalin inspected relief measures in North Chennai. 1500 food packets were
distributed. Local helpline number-1913 was put to look after complaints of water stagnation and such
flood relief measures.
Turkish consulate to be opened n Mumbai soon Nov 27 2008
Ravi Chaudhary representative of the investment support and promotion Agency of Turkey(ISPAT)
said that Turkey will have consulate in Mumbai in next Three months.By 2010-2011 new consulate
would be established in either Chennai and Bangalore.
Fuel prices likely to lower after elections Nov 26, 2008
Murli Deora linked over the roll back of petroleum prices after the assembly elections. This will take
place in six states. Reasoning that of the international crude oil prices having gone down this decision
would take place after polls. The prices of petrol had climbed by Rs 5/- diesel by 3/- a litre and
domestic LPG by Rs 50 per cylinder when the international crude oil rate was record high. In July 2008
India’s crude basket was $45.54 per barrel just recently on Monday when international price had
reached $147 in July.
Legendary Goal Keeper Peter Thangaraj is no more. Nov 26, 2008
Peter Thangaraj the goal keeper of Indian football team has passed away. In 1962 Indian team won
the gold in Jakarta Asian Games of which he was the goal keeper. He is survived by his wife, one son
and three daughters. He was voted as Asia’s finest goal keeper in 1958. He has played for India
between 1954, 1968. He played for India in four Asiads in 1954,1958,1962 and 1966. He was an
Arjuna Awardee.
Nano roll out decided from Gujarat. (7th October 2008)
The proposed site for the manufacture of nano car has been decided in Gujarat.The site near
Sanand,25 kms from the western side of Ahmedabad has been selected.The formalities for the
allotment of 1000 acres of land to the Tatas is all cleared.The land is located in 2200 acre campus
which was owned by the Anand Agriculture University before its being given back to the
governement.It is used as a cattle and seed farm.After much looking for other places after the Singur's
drop out,many state governments have been inviting tata to invest in their state.
Assam Violence (7th October 2008)
Violence in Assam has been going on between Bodo rebels and Bangladeshi migrants. First clashes
broke out in Assam’s Udalguri and Darrang districts. Five hundred houses have been set ablaze till the
update of this news,over one lakh people are sheltering in relief camps. Four companies of BSF were
deployed and more have to come.
State government spokes man Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused the National Democratic Front if
Bodoland (NDFB) of being involved in ethnic-cleansing in the Bodoland Territorial Administered
Districts (BTAD).The government threatens to look again over the ceasefire agreements. The media is
said to have potrayed the ongoing clash as ethnic cleansing and not communal as said by Sarma who
is the health Misnister after visiting troubled Udalguri and Darrang Districts.
Police is using Helicopters for patrolling in Assam to stops attacks over the Bangladeshi migrants.
Clashes in the past have killed thousands of mainly Bangladeshi migrants.
Attack on Christians (7th October 2008)
The recent attack on Christians in Orrisa,has caught headlines everywhere.This air is already tense
due to the active work of christian missionaries there which is strongly despised by the hindu
fundametalists.Since the work also leads to lot of conversions into christianity,occassionally christian
missionaries become target of attack due to this.Recently the leader of Bajrang Dal(a radical section of
the Hindu nationalist organisation RSS, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh),Swami Lakshmananda
Saraswati was murdered.It is percieved to be done by Christians, as the Bajrang Dal leader was sharp
opponent of the missionary work particularly of conversions.His murder lead to severe backlash with
mass murders,burning of churches,etc.
Though the Maoist group ownes up the killing of the leader but Bajrang Dal activists and their other
well wishers deny it.They say his murder does not serve the interests of the maoist group so they don't
see enimity with Maoists in his murder.Attacks have also spread to Mangalore in Karnataka state.Both
in Orrisa and Karnataka BJP is in power and Karnataka CM is also reported to have asked for
cessation of forcible conversions by the christians.In reality no one can forcibly convert into chrisitianity
as it is a matter of faith and belief and that is what is the main thing in conversion. Superior General of
christian missionary Sister Nirmala has written letter to the Orrisa CM for provision of proper security
for the christians under attack.The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Willams,has expressed deep
anguish over the attack and destruction on christian interests and has hoped for rebuilding and good
future.
US India Business Council cancels visit to Kolkata (19th Sept 2008)
US India Business Council (USIBC) delegation has cancelled its visit to Kolkata. The backup of TATA
in nano small car manufacturing from Singur in West Bengal is said to be the reason.
USIBC president Ron Somers disclosed of the cancellation due to the political turmoil created due to
Singur controversy. Because of this hope of new investment thereby opportunities for new jobs have
dwindled for now. It was however mentioned that the go ahead may be possible in future if the
circumstances become more favourable.
USIBC delegates however would visit Hyderabad and Delhi for opening up of more business
opportunities in agriculture, retail, real estate and supply chain management. The reason cited for the
cancellation by the US consulate in Kolkata was because of time pressure.
Blasts in Delhi kill around thirty and wound hundreds (13th Sept 2008)
India bled on Saturday. The evil head of terrorism raised its ugly head again this time in Delhi, killing
the innocents and wounding many. The death toll has reached nearly 30 and hundred others wounded.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil has called upon all security personnel to review the security arrangements
across the country. Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told of streamlining the security measures in
various ways and the home ministry has listed of precautionary measures to aware the citizens with
do’s and don’ts.
Five blasts took place within 40 minutes beginning at around 6:15 pm (1245 GMT), in the city’s
crowded Ghaffar Market, Connaught Place and Greater Kailash leaving complete havoc and chaos. At
least 4 bombs were defused also. Delhi police has assured of cracking the case soon and bringing the
culprits to justice.
British Justice Minister Jack Straw who was in Delhi for a three day visit expressed his anguish and
cited urgency for UK and India to jointly work in countering this menace. He conveyed of the British PM
Gordon Brown’s worry over this issue. Messages from across the world have been pouring with
condemnation over the blasts.
The former president and Missile Man A.P.J Abdul Kalam, has given points in countering terrorism with
more effectiveness that is, by implementation for strong anti terror law, stringent punishment and faster
justice, effective participation of people for effective gathering of intelligence in all levels. He also called
for National citizen identity card to be issued for keeping tab on individuals.
Violence in Srinagar (13th Sept 2008)
It was the second day of continued violence in Srinagar.The clash between security forces and
agitators continued since the second day on Saturday in Maisuma area of the city.The situation got
sparked off over the killing of two persons in police firing.It had all off a sudden when in a normal day
the clashes broke out forcing the closing of shops and other establishments.
Satyam Computer Services Decides of Pull Back from West Bengal (13th Sept 2008)
Satyam Computer Services,which is the fouth largest software exporter of India,has decided to pull out
its operations from Kolkata.The company decided not go ahead with its proposed software
development center at Salt lake's Sector V, Kolkata's IT hub.This was decided in the meeting last
week.The disclosion has not been given formally to the Bengal government.
The reasons cited for pull back are,that the piece of proposed land for setup is low lying and prone to
water logging particularly in monsoons.
TATA's nano car factory setup in Singur will be pulled out (4th Sept 2008)
TATA have decided that the factory which was setup in Singur in West Bengal will not operate.The
infrastructure will be removed
Flood in Assam (2nd Sept 2008)
The flood has created havoc in Assam. One million people have been displaced and 15 people have
died. 16 districts have been hit by the floods. Army soldiers were deployed for relief and rescue
missions. It is reported that flood affected 1346 villages. affecting a land area of about2.69 609
hectares. These data are from the first wave of floods that began on May 28.
The Singur dilemma and the TATA’s dream project. (28nd August 2008)
The TATA brought a dream and along with it a controversy. It’s a debate over the industrialization over
the farming land depicted with an anguished face of a hapless farmer.
The question is all about 400 acres of land. The Bengal government gave 400 acres of land to the
TATA’s at Singur in West Bengal for setting up their manufacturing unit of car ‘nano’ and that’s when
the hell broke loose. Mamta Banerjee the “Saviour” of farmers jumped into the fray to keep the TATA’s
at bay. Mamta Banerjee says that the land has been snatched away from the farmers and is leading
agitation against this. A prominent activist Medha Patkar and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar
Singh, former congress leader Soumen Mitra,Krishijami Jiban Jibika Raksha Committee (Save
Farmland Committee), convenor Purnendu Bose and other political and social activists have joined
hands in the protest.
The Bengal government says that it cannot retreat on this issue as the land in question is segregated
and not one whole piece, giving back of it is not feasible. Besides the uprooting of infrastructure too is
very problematic but the TATA has nevertheless threatened to pull out if the tension continues.
As of now the work in the factory has been halted due to the security concerns.
PM allots 1000 crore for flood hit Bihar (28nd August 2008)
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the flood in Bihar as national calamity. Rs 1000
crore have been allotted for the relief and remedial operation with immediate effect. The Prime Minister
was accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in aerial survey of the four most effected districts
of Bihar. The flood due to the breakage of Kosi river from its destined route continues to spell doom.
Personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Special Auxiliary Police (SAP), Sashastra
Seema Bal (SSB),state police and the army were engaged in the flood-hit areas to provide help. As per
the statical records, more than 20 lakh people and their houses, towns 242 panchyats and 671 villages
have been inundated due to the river flow through them.
Kosi River creates Havoc in Bihar (26nd August 2008)
In north Bihar the mighty Kosi River broke its embankment and began to flow on different route
causing submerging of towns, many villages. Many people have lost homes and many have died. Near
the Bhimnagar barrage, which is close to the Nepal border, it broke its bank and is directed towards
the Ganga, over almost 100km south.
The great fear looms further as what is startling is that 3km wide breach is growing by 200 meters
every day. Since the Bhimnagar barrage is just 12km away if the breach reaches barrage, huge
inhabited areas of Supaul, Aharsa, Araria, Madhepura ,Katihar and Purnea districts would be drowned
causing catastrophe on ever bigger scale.
To solve this, repair work need to be done in Nepal. Upon the arrival of Indian team there, violent
protest turned them back. It is seen that full fledged involvement of Center is needed to tackle this in
understanding with Nepal government
The Amarnath crises remains in deadlock (22nd August 2008)
Amaranth is a cave in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is held significant on basis of Hindu
mythology and more people go in large numbers annually in specific period there out of devotion. For
the convenience of huge mass coming there and making the trip to the cave, the government of India
and the state government of Jammu and Kashmir officially got the 100 acres of forest land transferred
to Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board(SASB) which is a body involved in Amarnath issue.
The transferring of the land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) sparked off protest for reversal
of the land allotment and the issue got into imbroglio. The government did revoke its order of land
transfer under pressure and this in turn created backlash by the devotees against revoking. Timely the
curfew were imposed and then lifted but the situation remained tense.
Many people have died in police firing and both the parties stick to their stance, one insisting on not
allotting the forest land to the Shrine Board and another insisting upon the allotment of the forest land
as before revoking.
In early August 2008, the members of the Amaranth Shrine Board resigned in demand for land
allotment. Few of the devotees even went upto commiting suicide to instigate the masses. In the same
month Army had been deployed since then to take control of the situation. In midst of the controversy,
the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned.
In August 22 the Hurriyat began Idgah rally against the land allotment and the government is keen to
bring down the matter to the negotiating table. As of now the situation remains in a deadlock.
Longest runway in Asia at IGI Airport. (21st August 2008)
Indra Gandhi International airport will have a new runway which will be the longest one in Asia. The
runway would be 4430 meters long and would have advanced runway lighting system.Facility of CAT-
3B technology would be deployed for landing assistance in foggy conditions.
The new runway would capable to accommodate landing of very big planes such as A-380, AB-225
and so on.
Flights effected due to AAI strike. (20th August 2008)
In the wake for demand of privatisation of government owned airports and salaries, airport authority of
India (AAI) went on a 12 hour strike. The nation wide general strike by the the Central Public Sector
Trade Unions (CPSTU) has been supported in this respect.
Passengers faced inconvenience in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kokata and other cities. All airport
employees had gone on strike under the the airport Authority Employees' Union (AAEU) which
demanded cessation of further privatisation or leasing out of other AAI airports in the country. Delhi
International Airport Ltd had taken up preparatory measures to minimise the effect of the strike in
airport functioning.
Resignation by all the members of Amarnath Shrine Board (6th August 2008)
All ten members of the Amarnath land row tendered their resignation in the amidst of the controversy
of land revocation from the Shrine board. The resignations have been submitted to J&K Governor NN
Vohra. The board is firm on its stance for over ruling the previous decision and allotting back the land
to the shrine board.
India to get new undersea cruise missiles (4nd August 2008)
India will get the upgraded Kiloclass submarine INS Sindhuvijay.It has dangerous Kub-S-Cruise
missiles.It will be bought from Russia and delivery is scheduled in one week.
Curfew imposed in Jammu, Army deployed(2nd August 2008)
Curfew has been imposed and army deployed to check with the menace of violence in the region. Due
to firing on the protesters which were against the transfer of forest land to Shri Anmarnathji Shrine
Board (SASB),the situation got serious. The situation got tense after the announcement of of Governer
NN Vohra that the shrine board would be assigned back the responsibility of annual yatra. In Samba
Army was deployed and Jammu and Samba were under the curfew. The representatives of Shri
Amarnathji yatra have ruled out of any talks with Governere Vohra over the Amarmanth land scuffle.
Train mishap- Fire engulfs the coaches (2nd August 2008)
Eight people were injured, and 32 died, when fire broke out in the Secunderabad-Kakinada Gouthami
Express train. This happened in the wee hours in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
About 200 kms from Hyderabad, fire broke out in the speeding train probably due to short circuit.
CPM leader Harkishan Surjeet is no more(1st August 2008)
CPM leader Harkishan Surjeet has passed away due to cardiac arrest on this day. He was 92 and was
hospitalized for some time. CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat disclosed of the news. His
conditioned had worsened since last week.
He had played a vital role in keeping BJP out of power in 1996 and facilitated in the formation of
coalition government by the congress at the centre eight years later.
Blasts in Gujarat (29th July 2008)
The death toll of 45 has been officially declared with 160 people wounded.The bombs of ammonium
nitrate were were strapped to bicycles and motorbikes and under the seats of crowded public
buses.They were detonated with timers.Around 30 people have been taken for interrogation. Three
more live bombs have been defused after that in Surat. People have shown concern in maintenance of
communal harmony and depicted and understanding that the terror victimizes anyone irrespective of
religion or caste and has to be jointly combated in unison by all the citizens living.
Seven Blasts have taken place in Bangalore (25th July 2008)
Seven blasts took place in Bangalore in places namely Midwala bus depot, Mysore road, Adugudi,
Koramangla, Vittal Mallaya road, Langford Town and Richmond Town.These blasts took place within
one hour. The blasts were timed which was told by Bangalore Commissioner of Police, Shankar Bidari.
Some companies shut off their workplaces, as well as some schools, colleges, malls and cinemas. The
intensity of explosions are classified as comparatively lower and were of crude explosives. The
investigations are on.
Curfew lifted in Jammu (25th July 2008) The curfew was lifted in Jammu on Friday and nearby areas
after sensing favourable environment in that respect.Twelve policemen and other 27 were wounded in
the violent confrontation with agitators.
Jammu Deputy Commissioner Mandeep K Bandari of Jammu told that patrol by the cops and CRPF is
intesified and if necessary the curfew will be reimposed according to sources.
Curfew imposed in Jammu (24th July 2008)
The cancellation of land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) still caused repercussion
with latest being the suicide of a man in anger. Divisional Commissioner of Jammu Sudhanshu Pandey
disclosed the decision of imposing indefinite curfew in precaution. The dead man Kuldip Kumar Dogra
came up with a new idea to instigate the masses by committing suicide in front of them as he
consumed poison after a speech thus creating a live scene.
It did cause turmoil in people and the situation got violent.
UPA Cabinet Expansion Likely in August (24th July 2008)
The after effects of winning the trust vote by UPA will eventually make significant headlines as of now
when PM is planning expansion of ministerial berths. Its likely that that the cabinet maybe expanded in
August. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has ruled out any kind of deal under the tables in allotment of
ministerial berth in return for vote.
Meanwhile the United States expressed its happiness over the win of UPA government.
BJP expels its 8 MPs (23th July 2008)
BJP leashed out its fury by expelling its 8 MPs after it had to take a big jolt as six of its MP’s voted in
favor of UPA while some remained absent. The high command expressed it rage by the number of
MPs which voted against its directives and has called the voting as tainted. With the conspiracies of
bribery creeping up in this episode, Advani demanded investigation in this regard. The retaliatory
comments from the various leaders are now from various sides. As in case of the comment by
Mayawati, the BSP chief who pointed at NDA for supporting government in order to shield the PM chair
from her due to her being a dalit lest it may lead to her accession on it due to her being a Dalit. The
allegation was refuted by the sources.
Lok Sabha speaker shown the exit door of the party (23rd July 2008)
The Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was expelled form the Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPM) for refusing to resign on his own. After the withdrawl of support to the UPA by the four left
parties he was pestered to submit his resignation.The politburo of the CPM held meeting which
comprises of 14 members to took decision to expel Chatterjee for being inconsitent to the party's
concerns.
UPA wins confidence vote, set to move on with Nuclear deal (23rd July 2008)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the seventh Prime Minister to win the trust vote.Having won the
confidence vote after a heated debate on the Nuclear deal, the Nuclear deal will set to be forwarded to
next levels.

The major moves set for now is that the technical details of the India specific safeguards agreements
will be briefed to the IAEA’s 144 members.
August 1st is scheduled for endorsement of it by the IAEA board of governors. After this the German
Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to convene plenary meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers country’s
representatives which are 45 in number. It is hoped that NSG exemption will be through by around 1st
week of September.
Following that, the US congress is expected to be presented with all the agreements along with the
123 pact by the US presidential determination for ratification with an up down vote.
India is anxious about the US draft and has specifically conveyed in setting its eyes on it before its
being circulated.
MPs for Sale (21th July 2008)
There have emerged news about the MP's being offered upto whopping 50 crores to vote in favour of
UPA. Shiv Sena had recently clarified its stand as opposed to UPA in nuclear deal.It is now of concern
that some of its MP's might 'give way' and vote in favour of UPA as against the party's unanimous
decision.The news leaked that at least three its MP's had been seduced with the offering by
Congress,NCP and bookies.In the midst of this drama, K Krishnan,chairman of Venus Detectives told
TOI of their service being asked for, for prying on the MP's by their respective parties.
Nine soldiers die in a Blast in J& K (19th July 2008)
Nine soldiers are confirmed to be killed and many others wounded in a Blast in Jammu and Kashmir.
The attack is believed to be carried by militant group.
When the army convoy neared Narbal which is 15 Km from Srinagar,an IED exploded on Srinagar
Baramulla Highway leading to the calamity.
India's draft to IAEA,with clauses (10th July 2008)
The Associated Press obtained a confidential document in which India has placed conditions to be
scrutinized by IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). The document is meant to pave way for
business with 45 nations which will export coveted nuclear fuel and technical knowhow.
The 35 board members were availed of its content for the approval.The 23 page document is along
with other safeguard agreements.The document also carries clauses for mending measures by India in
any eventuality of cessation of foreign fuel supplies.Though this appears to be controversial as it might
facilitate ending of IAEA conditions of some facilities.The facilities which India consents to put under
the watch of IAEA are yet undefined. However India's reconciliatory steps should be distinctly outlined
in course of cessation of fuel and technology.This concern was expressed by Daryl Kimball,executive
director of the Arms Control Association in Washington. IAEA safe guarding is important for India's
business with nuclear supplying nations. Still some protocols have to take their some months time for
India's full fledged involvement as per the agreement.
Left formally withdraws support (9th July 2008)
The left parties led by CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat, met the President Pratibha Patil,
handing over the letters for withdrawal of support to the UPA government. The four Parties of the left
have number of 59 in Lok Sabha.
US stresses on importance of N-deal (9th July 2008)
In duration of the political waywardness developing in India over the issue of N-deal, US President
applauded the Prime Minister’s leadership in sticking with the stance. He stressed the importance for
the deal as beneficial for both countries. Singh mentioned about the relationship being in best shape
than ever with US. As the meeting went for 50 minutes, both the leaders showed importance for
continuation of better relationships between the two countries.
Sensex plunges 444 points in early trade (9th July 2008)
Due heavy selling by funds, in heavy stocks led by Reliance Industries, Infosys Technologies among
others ,the sensex lost 444 points in early trade today. The National Stock Exchange index’s Nifty went
down by 133.95 points below the 3900 level at 3,896.05. The major companies which were hit were
most were were Rcom, Infosys Technologies, Reliance Industries, State Bank of India, Bharti Airtel
Reliance Infra, Larsen and Toubro, Maruti, Tata Steel, ICICI Bank, Grasim Industries,HDFC Bank
ONGC HDFC Ltd.
SP leaders in favour of Nuclear Deal (9th July 2008)
With the latest development in following, the Samajwadi Party wants a go ahead in Nuclear Deal. Its
leaders talk regarding this with the former President APJ Abdul Kalam who favors the nuclear deal. SP
has 39 members in the Lok Sabha. Left allies have 59.Yadav and general party secretary met PM on
this issue of its support. Yadav, emphasized his party’s stand in prioritizing of national interest above
mere politics by supporting the Indo-US deal. The talks are on in this regard and further steps are
being taken.
The inflation rises beyond to 11.63 % (4th July 2008)
The inflation rose to a new peak of 11.63 % till June 21, 2008. Inflation had already soared to a 13 year
high of 11.42% by the end of 14th June this year. Though there is no solution immediately in sight, the
common man has to bear the brunt of high inflation for now. In measures for checking inflation the RBI
raised the cash reserve ratio to 8.75 % and the lending rate to other banks to 8.5 per cent for checking
inflation.
Congress gears up for next elections.
Having been stuck on their stance in nuclear deal, the untimely elections seem likely. The Manmohan
Singh government did what it thought best- An uncompromising attitude. This has lead to the
withdrawal of support paving way for early elections. Sonia Gandhi has asked its party to prepare itself
and strengthen itself in the states. She inspected the progression of tasks assigned to the senior
leaders and reviewed them in AICC (All India Congress Committee) meeting. The leaders have been
asked to jot down preparatory steps for presentation in the next meeting for the elections. This was
conveyed to the press by the party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi.
Science and Technology News
Chandrayaan mission Sends images of moon’s surface. Nov 26, 2008
Nine out of eleven scientific instruments on board Chandrayaan have become on. Chandrayaan-1 the
satellite successfully launched by the ISRO for getting more data on lunar surface.
The Big Bang Experiment (27 August 2008)
How did the universe begin? That question has always perplexed. The viewing of the celestial bodies
by highly advanced telescopes showed red light being emitted. As it was known that the red spectrum
in the band of the whole light spectrum is at extreme end this concluded that the bodies are moving
further away. In other words the universe is expanding.
After this inference, the after thought emerged about beginning of the universe by conversely viewing
the situation of the expanding universe that is of the time when universe was relatively shrunked. That
is if the bodies are moving away from each other, then at some time they were close and further going
back they would have originated from one point.
The Famous Big Bang theory says just this.That the universe was formed from one big explosion
nicknamed as “Big Bang” which the big bang theory states and from that, the celestial bodies emerged
and began moving away thus resulting in expansion of the universe.
With this background in mind, people have been witnessing the most expensive scientific experiment
ever on the formation of universe which has caught headlines world wide.
The basic aim of the experiment is to find out about the formation of the universe and why is it so.
What were the conditions just microseconds after the big bang happened which lead to the formation
of the universe. The knowledge out of this question would help to understand better on the forces
acting between the celestial bodies. More information on tiny particles quarks and gluons which were
just a close cluster just after the big bang would be obtained. Reason for quarks being heavier when
confined in larger particles like protons may be known.
For this purpose the scientists have tried to recreate the conditions like at that instant of time by a
standard model to see what happens. For this, they have tried colliding atoms successfully to see what
happens just microseconds after and watch other effects.
This has been done by using the world’s most powerful accelerator Large Hadron Collider, which is
inside 17 mile tunnel lying 328 feel below the ground. It designed to generate nearly one billion
collisions between protons per second at energy of 14 trillion electron volts. Also will it be able to
create collisions between lead ions at energy of 1,150 TeV.
Mars Exploration by NASA complete (27 August 2008)
NASA's Mars Exploration is complete.The wheeling explorer had descended into the giant crater of
Mars and had been there for nearly a year for examining the rocks layers.
Next is the inspection of losse cobbles on the plains.The vehicle named 'Opportunity' has six wheels
and moves on the rought terrain of Mars analysing the samples from the surface for inspection.
India’s Prospective Space mission (21 August 2008)
Chandrayan-1 is the prospective unmanned mission to moon between October and December. This is
planned to be undertaken in collaboration with seven other nations tying up with NASA.
ISRO spokesperson S Satish disclosed of this and a key pact was signed at the conference of
International Lunar Users’ Group at Nasa’s Ames Research Center. In this regard, Devi Prasad Karnik
represented India who is a space counselor linked to the Indian Embassy in Washington.
The other seven countries which have come into the fold of this mission are Canada, Germany, Italy,
Japan, South Korea, France and Britain. This is obviously to pave way for new breakthroughs in this
arena and send robotic expedition for a manned mission to the moon.
NASA will be extra benefited with indulgence of these countries apart from India which are keen for
manned missions in course for future.
Finger Prints can diclose what chemical substance handled (11 August 2008)
Scientific advancement in criminology has a recent new breakthrough.Finger prints will further reveal
the type of chemical substances handled by the suspect.By scrutinizing the impressions of the
fingerprint by latest scientific means,detection of chemical traces of handled substances can be
done.The traces are left on the ridges of the finger print pattern which are 5 parts per million of
chemicals like cocaine,explosives or poisons etc. This has generated a wave in crimonolgy as apart
from identity of the person still further handling of substances by him will be detectable giving a further
feasibility in investigation process.
The different layers of fingerprints can be individually segregated too as the distribution of compounds
found in each fingerprint can be unique.So one fingerprint can be "pulled" from beneath the other
fingerprints individually identifying it with the identity of the suspect, and verifying the substances
handled by him or her.
Bullet velocity regulated guns now (24 July 2008)
 Early 19 century saw development of gun for delivering multiple loads in a single barrel in quick
succession in the form of revolver. Now here's another turning point in this era-The development of
gun for delivering multiple speed loads in a single barrel.
The project is in development stage and the US army is funding into its development.The gun is in
development for delivering a velocity regulated shot either enough to just wound a subject or kill him
depending upon the gun's setting.

The weapon is called Variable Velocity Weapon System and would be equipped by soldiers for riot
controls and such duties.
The basic mechanism is that the mixture of liquid or gaseous fuel with air in a combustion chamber
would cause the bullet to propel.The explosive capability would depend on the mixture choosed
depending upon the setting for lethal or non lethal shot.
It makes one to think of the legal complications which can arise with it if there happens to be any sort
of malfunction.With no bargain for margin of error in such cases, but possible involvement of laws of
probability like in everywhere, its legal aspects have to be clealy defined.Among various other
factors,the deciding factor for a velocity setting to be a non lethal one especially for a particular target
subject in certain health, built and gender is a matter of debate. Lately with the news of the death of
one by tazer gun used by police in US further causes us to reflect just how complicated legal
formalities may have to be before the implementation of this Variable Velocity Weapon System
commences in actuality.
Petrol shortage? Here’s seems an alternative. (29 June 2008)
Lately lot of media interest has aroused over the use of water powered car. As the name sounds, the car
is purely powered by water. Surprising as it sounds but real, the basic idea employed is the electrolysis of
water. Electrolysis which is basically passing of current through a solution, as here, water, breaks it into
two elements that is oxygen and hydrogen. So oxygen and hydrogen become substitute for gasoline and
there you are. Though still it is in preliminary stage of experimentation, there are lot of factors which have
to be further enhanced most importantly the speed and power thrust. Though it still runs cool at about 80
kilometers in some models. Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Indian Boxer Vijender gets bronze (22th August 2008)
Indian boxer Vijender got bronze as he lost in the semi final bout. His opponent did some good
footwork and reach. Vijender did however fought gallantly to carry the fight till the fourth round. Emilio,
a two-time Pan-American Champion from Cuba had taken an edge over India’s Vijender in the third
round.
The Phelp's Midas touch-eight gold medals but with grit. (21th August 2008)
Eight gold medals in single Olympics- Michael Phelps has surpassed the record of Olympic legend
Mark Spitz who won seven gold medals in 1970 Olympics and eight is now a new bench mark. A
swimmer whose feat will be engraved in history with time has been the talk of the town, no...planet.
With Olympic craze across the globe, the American Swimmer was in his best form and had won the
seventh gold by hundredths of a second against Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic who was sided with
silver.
Wrestler Sushil Kumar gets bronze for India (20th August 2008)
In wrestling, India has something to cheer about as wrestler Sushil Kumar won bronze. He defeated
Kazkhastan’s Spiridonav in 66 Kg freestyle wrestling at the Beijing Olympics.
Before this India had won bronze in 1952 when wrestler Khashabha Jadhav won that year.
In the Athens Games Sushil stood14th and he was ranked seventh in the 2007 World Championship.
This is for the first time India has won two medals in the same Olympics.
Olympics creating new waves of History (18th August 2008)
Eighth gold medal went to Phelps in Beijing Olympics.China got another eight in total for a Games-
leading total of 35 which is seen as best in history.China eight golds in 37 medal events on sunday the
17th was at its best.
As of now, Americans have 31 medals with 12 golds.In total U.S team has 19 total golds and holds a
65-61 lead over China. In rowing China bagged first gold ever in the category of women's quadruple
sculls and added victories in men's gymnastics,women's wrestling,table tennis,diving and badminton.
Britian got two golds in sailing,one in rowing and one is cycling having a total of 11.
Rafael Nadal bagged gold for spain making it a second one for the country when he defeated
Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the men's singles tennis final.
In women's doubles,Venus and Serena Williams won the women's doubles title for the US and Elena
Dementieva got gold .Russian bagged all medals in singles category in women section.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica won the men's 100 meters in a world record time of 9.69 seconds while in
women Shelly-Ann Fraser won in the 100 for Jamaica.Sherone Simpson and Kerron Steward shared
silver.
The oldest olympic champion at the age of 38 was Constantina Tomescu of Romania won the
women's marathon.
In Hammer throw, Primoz Kozmus won in men's for Slovenia,Francoise Mbango Etone won for
Cameroon defending her title successfully.
Russia's Fulnara Galkina Samitova bettered her world record winning the women's 3000 steeplechase
and kenenisa Bekele led an Ethiopian 1-2 finish in the men's 10.000 meters.
Britta Steffen won 50-meter freestyle edging Torres by .01 second preventing the 41 year old American
from becoming the oldest swimmer to win an olympic gold medal.
Oussama Mellouli of Tunis won in 1500 freestyle.
Indian Boxer Akhil Reaches quarter final in Olympics. (16th August 2008)
Can India add another medal in its stride? The undiminishing hope to last always,yet again got
rekindled when Akhil Kumar of India won to reach the quarter final in 54 Kg category in a boxing
bout.The boxer from Haryana, needs to win quarter final encounter to win olympic medal.
Akhil boxed aggressively to cover his lag to 7-8 and then to 9-9 in the last round due to some
pounches which earned him points.
Coach GS Sandhu expressed confidence in him and hoped that he would be able to make another
cheer for India after Abhinav Bindra who won gold in shooting.
Abhinav Bindra bags first ever individual gold for India in Beijing Olympics (11th August 2008)
Abhinav Bindra has claimed first ever individual gold medal for India in shooting. A composed Bindra
was in all cheers after receiving the medal. Bindra is 25 and has won gold in the 10m air rifle event at
the Beijing Games on Monday. He is a Khel Ratna awardee and had earlier won the gold medal in
2002 Commonwealth Games in the pairs event and silver in the individual event.
The Indian Olympic association has hailed at this moment of pride and the President and the Prime
Minister have conveyed their congratulatory messages on his winning the gold in this Olympics.
Monika Devi fails Dope test (6th August 2008)
Weightlifter from India had to backtrack on her participation in the Olympics on account for failing in
dope test. Monika was categorized in 69 Kg category in this year's Olympics. It is scheduled to start
from 8th August to 24th of this month.She had won silver medal for the country by winning silver and
two bronze at the Asian Championship in Japan.
Anand wins Mainz chess title for record 11th time (4th August 2008)
Viswanathan Anand exhibited his prowess yet again when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in the final of
the 13th Grenkeleasing Rapid World Championship.Anand won the first two games of the four-game
final.This was Anand's 11th win in Mainz. In the opening Anand won in 50 moves and so did he in the
second game. In the third Anand again got the game into Sicilian and drew in 56 moves to complete
the title.The fourth game was only 11 moves from Catalan and Anand won 3-1.
Vijay Singh wins the WGC Bridegestone invitation (4th August 2008)
Vijay Singh of Fiji, won the WGC Bridgestone invitational by one shot at Firestone country Club on
Sunday. This is his first world victory in the World Golf Championship event.
Sharapova will not be in the Beijing Olympics (1st August 2008)
Shoulder injury has forced tennis player Maria Sharapova of Russia to pull out of Beijing Olympics.She
injured herself when playing against Marta Domachowska of Poland during WTA tournament,the
match in which she won. She confirmed of her non participation in the Beijing Olympics to the reporters
and expressed anguish over it.
Asif disqualified for Champions trophy amid doping scandal (14th July 2008)
Pakistani cricket player Asif, got into fresh doping scandal in which he tested positive for banned
substance.PCB's chief operation officer expressed his disgust in the turn out of the event. Asif however
has claimed his innocence over the issue. His probability of inclusion into the Champions Trophy is
ruled out.The IPL did comparasion of result from the WADA approved laboratory of Switzerland with
the information obtained by IDTM and result was positive. Upon verification it was revealed that Asif
had not intimidated and applied for exemption for banned medications, that is for Therapeutic Use
Exemption (TUE).This has complicated his legal status.

With the extra twist of events with this,the disclosure of Asif's name in doping charge has caused
annoyance to the Pakistan Sports Medicine Association.They called it a violation as per WADA rules
because player should not be named on doping charges without the analysis of his 'B' sample in his
presence or his legal and medical representative.This was stated by Danish Zaheer the head of the
Pakistan Medicine Association.
In response to this accusation, IPL has denounced any kind of violation saying that it was done in
order for the player to stand out for consenting to further verification, in his presence, of his B
sample.This might give him a chance to disprove of the doping allegations if they come out negative at
next instance.
Rafael Nadal adorns the Wimbledon crown (9rd July 2008)
On Sunday a Wimbleldon history got a silver streak for Spain,when the spaniard Rafael Nadal won the
wimbledon championship against Roger Federer.Nadal snatched the matched by 6-4,6-4,6-7(5),6-
7(8),9-7.
What is unusual of this match is that it happens to be the longest one ever as per the records.
Nadal is the only spaniard to win the wimbledon title after Manuel Santana who won in 1966.
Bjorn Borg of Sweden is the only one to win both french and wimbledon titles in the same year before
Nadal in 1980.
Venus William defeats Serena Williams to lift wimbledon title (9rd July 2008)
Venus Williams defeated sister Serena Williams to become the wimbledon champion.
Recognizing the impact of Sanitation on Public Health, poverty reduction, economic and social
development and the environment United Nations launched 2008 as the International Year of
Sanitation to accelerate progress for 2.6 billion people worldwide who are without proper sanitation
facililites. India is a signatory to this resolution. The central objective of the International Year of
Sanitation is to put the global community on track to achieve the sanitation MDG.India is committed to
achieve this objective on a time bound manner and has set out its own goals. As against the UN target
to halve the proportion of people without success to basic sanitation by 2015 as defined in the
Johannesburg Plan of Action India is committed to increase the sanitation cover from present 50% to
cent percent by 2012 AD.

Current Events 2007

International Events:
India and China team Up to tackle West on Climate Pact (8, Dec 2007)
India and China along with other G-77 countries begun a strong campaign against the pressure
mounted at Bali by the industrialized countries to trash the existing global climate change treaty called
the UN Framework Convention on Climate change.If the industrialized countries have their way it could
see India taking on green house gas emissions which it contends would slow down the country's
economic growth. India is demanding that the process of reviewing the industrialized country's failure
to reduce their emissions despite existing binding commitments be carried on separately than the
discussion on the long term future commitments. But the industrialized countries have been pushing
hard for a merger of both the issues.
India,China may win battle for Climate fund (6, Dec 2007)
India and China are close to bringing an international fund to help developing and poor countries adapt
to climate changes revived.The two emerging economies along with other developing and poor nations
have forced the agenda onto the table at the UN global meet on climate change in Bali. The move
hopes to revive fund which has been defunct for almost a decade.The fund at present made out of a
2%cess on the carbon trade is meant to help non industralized countries adapt to emerging threats
from climate change such as protecting coasts against rising sea level.But the kitty for the poor
countries has gathered a mere $67 million in the past decade.
World headed for ecological disaster-HDR (28, Nov 2007)
The warning against carbon emissions just got more urgent.The UN Human Development Report said
on Tuesday that unless the global community agrees to cut emissions by half by 2050 the world will
face huge economic setbacks and ecological catastrope.The poor nations would be hit the hardest as
they are the least equipped to face nature's fury manifest in devastating storms and droughts.
Fidel Castro in grave condition (17, Jan 2007)
Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in very grave condition after three failed operations and
complications from intestinal infection. Cuba has released little information on Castro's condition since
he temporarily ceded power in July 2006 to his brother, Defence Minister Raul Castro. This prompted
much speculation in the country and around the world.
Emergency declared in Bangladesh (12, Jan 2007)
A state of emergency was declared in Bangladesh prior to general elections on January 22. President
Iajuddin Ahmed stepped down as head of Bangladesh's interim government due to pressure from the
Awami League led alliance. Night curfew was imposed in the country fearing violence in the wake of
the decision of the alliance led by Awami League chief to stay away from the elections, pressing for the
removal of Ahmed as head of the interim government to ensure free and fair polls.
Clashes in Bangladesh (8, Jan 2007)
There were renewed clashes in Bangladesh between police and political activists two weeks before
parliamentary elections. At least 50 people were injured and 30 detained on the second day of a
transport blockade called by former Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's multi party alliance, which is
boycotting the January 22 polls. As the violence spread, caretaker President Iajuddin Ahmed
summoned army chief Lieutenant General Moiuddin U.Khan to review the situation.
National Events:
Expulsion must for ragging- SC (11,Dec 2007)
Concerned over the tardy implementation of its previous orders ,Supreme Court directed educational
institutions to adopt a zero tolerance policy to ragging and expel students found guilty of maltreating
freshers.Laying down explusion of offenders in ragging cases as the minimum punishment the court
said that this was needed to end the menace that could lead to extreme torture and harrassment and
even loss of life.
Forest Rights Act to be enforced from Jan 1 (8,Dec 2007)
The UPA Government decided to operationalize the controversial Forest Rights Act by January 1 .The
environment ministry issued guidelines to demarcate critical wildlife habitats as provided in the Forest
Rights Act in order to ensure rights of people in the existing tiger reserves,national parks and wildlife
sanctuaries.
Child Marriages in Ajmer in single day (8,Dec 2007)
Despite India banning child marriages in 1929 the practice still continue without any check.Rajasthan
which witnesses many such marriages on Akha Teej every year witnessed the marriages of 25 child
couples in a mass ceremony in Ajmer district.It was attended by thousands of people and overlooked
by government machinery.
No more funds for Ganga Cleaning (6,Dec 2007)
The Supreme Court took a serious view of the level of pollution in the Ganga despite the ambitious
Ganga Action Plan spending Rs 1000 crore and directed the Centre not to release more funds without
the states showing utilization certificates for the earlier grants.
Tobacco lobby blocks move on gory warnings (30,Nov 2007)
The govenment move to have pictures of cancerous tumours on cigarette packs and other products to
scare people away from smoking has been scuttled by powerful tobacco lobby.The group of ministers
headed by Mr Pranab mukarjee has decided to relook at the pictoral warnings.
Lakhs of Cases Pending in Indian Courts (30,Nov 2007)
As many as 37.1 lakh cases were pending in India's 21 high courts as of June 30,2007. On the same
day 2.5 crore cases were pending in lower courts. Of the 792 posts of judges sanctioned for high
courts 206 are vacant.Of the sanctioned strength of 15,399 judges in lower courts,3,031 are vacant.
Indian judicial system is facing severe problems of lack of infrastructure,abnormally low salaries for the
judges and unfilled lower court posts with corruption at all levels.The government is not focussing on
how to pull the judiciary out of the current mess.Each passing year parliament and state assemblies
pass more and more laws yet no-one in the government appears to give thought to the fact that
number of judges should be increased to cope with increased number of litigants and that retraining of
judges in new laws is necessary.
India's political map is set to be redrawn (29,Nov 2007)
The country's electoral landscape may change soon with a significant fallout for some of the leading
players.With the gazette notification of delimitation of 25 states placed in Parliament and nine chief
ministers having already written to PM demanding its implementation,the stage is set for a complete
alteration of many parliamentary and assembly constitutencies nursed as family boroughs by
politicians. What is delimitation? Delimitation is the process of fixing the boundaries of
constituencies.The boundaries are redefined from time to time by the Delimitation Commission to
reflect new population patterns. How will it affect politics this time? While the total number of LS and
assembly seats remains the same in each state,new states will come up and boundaries of old ones
redrawn. There will be more urban constituencies ,fewer rural ones. Reserved seats to go up from 116
to 126
280 die in Indian road accidents every day (27,Nov 2007)
Indian roads are lethal as it is evident with official figures revealing that nearly 280 people die in road
accidents every day.Among the metros Delhi tops the chart with 1,717 persons dying on its roads in
2005. Among cities,Chennai is second behind Delhi with 1,055 dead,followed by
Bangalore,Mumbai,Kanpur,Hyderabad,Jaipur and Kolkata.In Delhi nearly 1/4th of the victims were
pedestrians a testimony to the city's culture of reckless driving as well as poor road etiquette.
Amethi gets an ordinance factory (27,Nov 2007)
The UPA government has sanctioned an ordinance factory for Rahul Gandhi's Amethi
constituency.This comes after a new NIFT was sanctioned for the Rae bareli constituency of his
mother,Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi.
Indian wins Commonwealth top Job (25,Nov 2007)
Career diplomat Kamlesh Sharma was unanimously chosen as the new commonwealth secretary
general after a close race to emerge as the first Indian to hold the coveted post of the 53-member
grouping.Currently India's high commissioner to the UK 66 -year old Sharma was chosen after an
intense campaign.
Indo- US Nuclear Deal ( 23, July 2007)
The Indian and US officials finalized the draft 123 agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. This is has
been referred to the respective government for review. The draft would come up before the Cabinet
Committee on National Security for approval in India and it would go to the president in the US. It has
taken two years and two days from July 18, 2005 –the date of the joint statement of Prime Minister
Man Mohan Singh and President George W Bush on enhancement of Indo-US cooperation including
civil nuclear cooperation at the White House to finalize the draft. This is the fastest negotiation on such
civil nuclear cooperation.
India to get reduced aid from US ( 23, July 2007)
India is now transforming country not a developing country according to USAID.The change in
nomenclature rids India of decades old label.USAID has decided to reduce the already marginal US
assistance to India and eventually eliminate it because of India’s thriving economy. India will be one of
the biggest losers under secretary of state Condoleezza Rice’s new aid plan that is tilted towards strife
–torn countries such as Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistan. US aid to India is slated to be cut to $ 81 million
in 2008.
Dadua, North’s Veerappan gunned down ( 23, July 2007)
Bringing to an end a three decade long reign of terror, the Special Task Force on Sunday gunned
down dacoit Shiv Kumar Patel alias Dadua dreaded as the Veerappan of North. Five of his associates
were also killed in the late night encounter in the Jhalwal forests in Chitrakoot district. He had a cash
reward of Rs 5 lakhs on his head.
Pratibha Patil becomes India’s first woman president ( 23, July 2007)
Pratibha Patil is India’s first female president elect. She was also the first woman Governor of
Rajasthan. She won the election by defeating her nearest rival ,Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by over
3,00,000 votes. She will be sworn in on July 25.
India’s own space university ( 23, July 2007)
India’s first space university is all set to start in August for country’s satellite and rocket
programme.ISRO is setting up Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology that is expected to
meet the high technology requirements of ISRO.It would initially operate from the campus of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of ISRO which will create a full-fledged infrastructure for IIST near
Kerala state capital in about 2 years.
Actress Shilpa Shetty faces racist abuse (17, Jan 2007)
Actress Shilpa Shetty has been facing severe racist abuse on a British reality show Celebrity Big
Brother. Fellow participants literally drove the actress to tears calling her all sorts of offensive names.
These unwarranted for racist attacks have triggered outrage at the highest levels of government in
both countries. The Indian government has taken up the issue with Britain though Shilpa continues to
face insults on the show.
Navjot Singh Sidhu behind bars (12, Jan 2007)
Former cricketer and BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu surrendered at a court in Chandigarh in a road
rage case of 1988 which led to the death of one person. Sidhu was sentenced to a three year prison
term by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He is being kept at the Patiala jail in the MP ward but
according to the jail officials, no special facilities would be provided to him.
International affairs:

1. India and Ireland sign 3 agreements between PM Manmohan Singh and Bertie Ahern
 2. "Delhi Declaration" signed between Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud and Dr.
Manmohan Singh
3. India and France sign 9 agreements upon French President Jacques Chirac's visit. Issues
declaration on development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
4. March 2 declaration on Indo-US nuclear deal George Bush-Manmohan Singh talks.
5. India and Australia sign six agreements on Prime Minister John Howard's visit.
6. India and Chile enter preferential Trade Agreement. The Indian and Chinese Defence Ministries
sign the first ever MoU on military ties.
7. India and China inaugurate trade through Nathula pass linking Tibet and Sikkim.
8. India and Germany launch major science and technology initiatives.
9. Visit of Chinese president Hu Jintao to India, joint declaration promoting trade issued.
10. New Delhi and Manila sign defence accord.
11. India and South Korea agree to conclude economic agreement by 200
12. India and Myanmar sign MoU on alternative route through Mizoram for proposed oil pipeline.
13. 7 agreements signed with Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov.
14. India and Japan agree upon bilateral peace partnership.
15. India and Brazil speaks of strategic partnership.
16. India and Pakistan agree to form an Anti-Terrorism Mechanism.
17. India and South Africa sign 25-point joint Tshwane Declaration promoting strategic partnership.
18. US President George Bush signs the Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy
Cooperation Act, 200

Happenings at the UN:

1. India elected to newly created Human Rights Council of the UN

2. India signs the Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism at the UN headquarters.
3. The UN General Assembly adopts the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism Strategy.
4. South Korean Foreign Minister is nominated the new Secretary General. Shashi Tharoor of India
lost the race for the coveted post.
5. UN imposes financial and military sanctions on North Korea for conducting nuclear test.
6. The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran.

Meets:

1. 22nd Asian Parliamentarian's Meet on Population and Development- New Delhi

2. Asian Mayors' Conference in Dehra Dun
3. G8 summit in St.Petersburg- Focus on "Global Energy Security"
4. 16th International AIDS conference-Toronto
5. 14th NAM summit, Cuba

Indian Polity:

1. India specific Special Economic Zone Act

2. Contempt of Courts (Amendment) bill passed
3. National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill
4. Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill 2006 -Office of Profit bill
5. Actuaries Bill, 2005 passed
6. Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill
7. Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2006
8. Bill to rename Pondicherry to Puducherry
9. Bill to rename Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand
10. Bill to accord central university status to Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages,
Hyderabad
11. Quota Bill- 27 % reservations for OBC in Central higher educational institutions
12. Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill, 2006
 13. Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2006

Defence:

1. Indian Navy's first UAV squadron commissioned at Kochi

2. IAF decommissions MIG-25
3. Agni III launch from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast fails
4. Vice-Admiral Sureesh Mehta appointed next chief of Naval Staff
5. Vice-Admiral Rustom Faramroze Contractor appointed as Director General of Coast Guard

Miscellaneous:

1. Indian Iron and Steel Company merge with SAIL

2. BARC Golden Jubilee celebration at Kalpakkam
3. N. Gopalaswami appointed new Chief Election Commissioner
4. GSLV-FO2 launch from Sriharikota fails
5. 39th Jnanpith Award- Vinda Karandikar
6. LIC completes 50 years
7. Pluto looses it planetary status at assembly in International Astronomical Union in Prague.
8. Arvind Kejriwal is winner of 2006 Ramon Magsaysay award
9. Commonwealth suspends Fiji
10. Anousheh Ansari- first woman space tourist
11. SAFTA becomes operational
12. Margaret Chan- new WHO Director General

Sports:

1. French Open- Justine Henin Hardine (Women's), Rafel Nadal (Men's)

2. Wimbledon Singles, US Open, tennis Masters Cup- Roger Federer
3. World Cup Hockey- Germany
4. Unified world Chess Championship- Vlaimir Kramnik
5. Casio World Open, Nippon Series JT Cup (Golf)- Jeev Milkhs Singh
6. Asian Hopman Cup- Sania Mirza
7. Davis Cup- both singles and doubles titles go to Russia
8. FIFA footballer of the year- Fabio Cannavaro
9. FIFA women's player of the year- Marta, Brazil
10. Durand Cup- Dempo (Goa)
11. India International Badminton championship- Saina Nehwal
12. Champions Trophy, Hockey- Netherlands
13. Rajiv Gandhi Khal Ratna Award- Pankaj Advani
14. India finishes 8th in Doha Asian Games

Current Events 2006

International Events:
Is US ready for a black President?(16, Dec 2006)
In a country where race is still a powerful force, there is speculation that Barack Obama, the senator
for Illinois since 2005 might run for President in the next elections. The 45 year old senator graduated
from Harvard Law School in 1991 and became the first African - American president of the Harvard
Law Review. Enjoying mass adulation, he has been profiled by magazines like Time, Newsweek and
Harper's thanks to his best selling book Audacity of Hope. The question of will he or won't he stand for
president has become the talking point for Democrats. Though Obama has not commented on the
issue, he thinks that people judge you based on your merits and not by your race. Whether U.S is
prepared to have a black president or not remains to be seen.
Somalia and Ethiopia brace for war(16, Dec 2006)
The inevitability of war hangs over Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city. Unlike the internal anarchy that
has affected the country for the past 15 years, the battle is now with Ethiopia which is threatening to de
stabilize the country.
In the past week, the increasingly militant Islamists in control of Mogadishu and much of the rest of the
country have begun a food drive and a money drive and have sent doctors and nurses, along with
countless young soldiers to the frontlines. Analysts are of the opinion that a full scale conflict between
the Islamists and Ethiopia, a country with a strong Christian identity would be disastrous for Somalia,
which is already suffering from severe flooding and years of neglect. India, Russia Desire Iran Issue
Solved Through Talks(18, November 2006)
India and Russia agreed that the Iranian nuclear issue should be resolved through negotiations, before
the United Nations Security Council

 In a joint press interaction in Delhi, with the visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Iran had the right to pursue its nuclear
programme for peaceful, civilian use. As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty,
Tehran must fulfill its obligations and ensure that its nuclear programme was for peaceful
purposes.
 According to Mr. Lavrov, the Security Council's job must be to help and not replace the
International Atomic Energy Agency when it came to dealing with Iran.

APEC Summit: Bush Arrives In Vietnam (17, Nov 2006)

US President George W. Bush arrived in Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit. APEC's 21 member countries and territories were to meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, where North
Korea's nuclear dispute and world trade were expected to dominate discussions.

 US-pushed regional free-trade proposal will be the top agenda item for Bush. Bush is the fourth
US president to visit Vietnam
 All are partners with the United States in talks aimed at persuading a defiant North Korea to
abandon its nuclear weapons.
 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is about to join the summit by the week end.

Bangladesh Elections Likely By Jan 25

Bangladesh Parliamentary elections may take place by January 25. The poll schedule is likely to be
announced by the end of November 2006.

 The elections must be conducted during the 90-day tenure of the caretaker government under
President Iajuddin Ahmed that took office on October 30.
 There are to be no prior consultations with political parties.

Pak test-fired Ghauri V missile(16, Nov 2006)

Pakistan test-fired its 1,300 km range nuclear-capable ballistic missile Hatf V which is also known as
Ghauri, is capable of targeting several Indian cities, a day after it reached an agreement with India on
nuclear risk reduction.

 The launch of the medium-range missile was carried out by troops of the Army Strategic Forces
Command, ASFC at the culmination phase of a training exercise held to test the operation
readiness of a Strategic Missile Group equipped with Ghauri missile.
  The test came a day after the two countries instigated the agreement in New Delhi on reducing
the risk from accidents relating to nuclear weapons.

Blair warns over Iran threat to West Asia(15, Nov 2006)

British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed US panel that any solution in Iraq must be part of a
broader West Asia strategy, while warning that Iran poses a "strategic threat to the region".

 Blair mentioned that the Israel-Palestine conflict was the top priority in the region, because
extremists were exploiting it to radicalise moderate Muslims.
 The British leader called for a change of strategy and pressed Iran to support Western efforts to
quell the relentless bloodshed.

National Events:
Jessica Lal Murder Case: Manu Sharma convicted(19, Dec 2006)
The Delhi High court convicted Manu Sharma, son of former Haryana minister and congress leader
Vinod Sharma for the murder of Jessica Lal. After he was pronounced guilty, Manu Sharma was
immediately sent to Tihar Jail. Jessica Lal was shot dead at South Delhi's restaurant Tamarind Court in
1999. Like in the Priyadarshini Mattoo case, the acquittal of all raised a huge public outcry. The
sentence for Manu Sharma is due on 20dec.
Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi acquitted(19, Dec 2006)
RJD chief and Railway minister Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi were acquitted in the 7 year old
disproportionate asset (DA) case. Lalu Yadav was accused by BI of amassing property worth over 46
lakh beyond his known source of income when he was the CM of Bihar between1990-1997. His wife
Rabri Devi was made a co-accused in the case. The DA case was an offshoot of the fodder scam of
1998 and the duo had to surrender in court and Yadav even had to go to jail. With their acquittal, it was
celebration time at the official residence of Rabri Devi in Patna.
Senate Clears Bush Administration's Indo - US Nuclear Deal (17, Nov 2006)
By a vote of 85-12, the US Senate voted to support a Bush administration's nuclear plan to sell nuclear
technology and fuel to India, which was the most important strategic diplomatic initiative undertaken by
President Bush.

 In exchange, India is supposed to open some of its plants to international inspections to prove
that the fuel won't be diverted for weapons.
 With this, the US aim to expand strategic ties with India, the fastest-growing major economy after
China.

Investment Protection Agreement With China (16, Nov 2006)

India approved signing an Investment Protection Agreement with Beijing, before Chinese President Hu
Jintao's visit to India i.e. on November 20, 2006 This will increase the investment between China and
India and would be in force for 10 years, according to the Information & Broadcasting Minister
Priyaranjan Dasmunsi.

 Trade between the two countries is expected to touch 20 billion dollars this fiscal, against 18.7
billion dollars last year.
 India has similar bilateral protection agreements with Britain, Russia, Germany, South Korea, Sri
Lanka, Spain and Thailand.

Jessica Lal Murder Case: False Evidence, Said Ram Jethmalani (15, Nov 2006)
In the enduring Jessica Lal murder case, on behalf of the prime accused Manu Sharma, lawyer Ram
Jethmalani told the Delhi High Court Division Bench, comprising Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin
that much of the two thirds of the evidence produced by the prosecution are false and fabricated, which
have created doubts.

 Ram Jethmalani contented to reject the testimonies of socialite Bina Ramani, her husband
George Mailhot and their daughter fashion designer Malini Ramani as their statements
contradicted one another.
 The Bench rejected Mr. Jethmalani's plea for a direction to the Delhi police to hand over to him
copies of three reports made by the Special Investigation Team about lapses in investigation so
that he could defend his client better.

Joint Panel With Pakistan Discussed Anti-Terror Mechanism

Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan,
in a joint panel held positive discussions in New Delhi on setting up an anti-terrorism mechanism.

 The discussion included "complete achievement" of Jammu & Kashmir related confidence-
building measures agreed to in the past.
 The discussion incorporated that the two countries will sign agreement on measures to reduce
the risk of nuclear war, in the impending future.

Centre To Lay Norms For Regulating Ads Soon

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Y. K. Sabharwal has asked the government to lay
the guidelines for regulating the advertisements containing political content issued by various
government departments.

 The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has convened meetings of states and various
departments in December to come out with guidelines on the issue.

Indian Navy To Induct US-Made Helicopters

Indian Navy, for the first time would induct US-made helicopter with the government giving the go-
ahead for purchase of six Sikorsky-Seaking Helicopters.

 The six helicopters are part of the package deal for the purchase of the Landing ship tank USS
Trenton, from which the choppers operate. While, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had
cleared the purchase of Trenton at a cost of Rs.200 crores, the sale of helicopters was being
negotiated.

Muslims Lagging Behind Other Groups, Says Sachar Committee

The seven-member committee headed by Rajinder Sachar, a former chief justice of the Delhi High
Court, that was set up to go into the social, economic and educational status of Muslims, submitted its
report to the Prime Minister, which said the community was "lagging behind" other religious groups in
development indicators and asked the government to frame appropriate programmes to address its
educational and economic backwardness.

 In its report, it said the community was "relatively poor, more illiterate, has lower access to
education, lower representation in public and private sector jobs and lower availability of bank
credit for self-employment".

This paper was reintroduced in the scheme of examination in 1993, it has played a crucial role in
determining the rank of the student. Most of the top rankers have scored above 55% in this paper.
Some candidates have also scored around 60% which has helped them secure a position in the top
ten ranks.
Correct choice of topic and the appropriate method of writing are important. It is advisable to choose
the factual topics which are non-controversial in nature.

Method of Writing:
After deciding the topic
1. Start brain stroming
2. Write down all the ideas that you about the topic.
3. Do not classify or systematise your points at this stage.
4. Put them on paper randomly as they flow in.
5. Later, arrange the ideas in a logical and sequential manner.
6. Having arrived at the sequence, start writing, giving due care to the introduction, the body and finally
the conclusion.
7. Ensure that you have enough time for revision.
8. Remember it is a General Essay Paper and you should not be highly technical.

Here are some help tools for tackling Essay in the UPSC exams, ranging from the syllabus to reading
list and other tips. These resources on Essay also includes IAS Question Papers of Essay. We wish
you to adopt the best strategy and become successful. We try our best to provide as many resources
for your prepration as possible, but if you can add to this list please feel free to send us links or matter.

 Mains Syllabus of Essay

 Question Papers of Essay
 Suggested Strategy for Essay
 Suggested Readings for Essay
 Essay Contest

Sample Essays

1. If Youth knew if Age could

2. The Game of Politics
3. Secularism in India

Essay Topics: May - 2010 (last date: May 31)

1. Global Warming: A Deadly Threat for Human Life

2. Effects on Children When Both Parents are Employed
3. Violence in Society
4. The Internet: How it Works and How it Affects the World

Contest Essays for May - 2010

 1. Global Warming: A Deadly Threat for Human Life - Pushpanjali Bagoria

Contest Essays for April - 2010

1. Should gay marriage be allowed in India - Aditya Victory

2. Right To Education- Sangeeta S Godbole

3. Will Women’s Reservation Bill make any difference? - Sangeeta S Godbole

4. Rights To Education -Deepak Kumar Ajmera

5. Should gay marriage be allowed in India - Sharad Vashistha

6. Are Friends better than Relatives? - Shilpi Mittal

7. Will Women’s Reservation Bill make any difference? - Rohit Jain

8. Will Women’s Reservation Bill make any difference? - Sangeeta S Godbole

9. Rights To Education - Abhishek Jha

Contest Essays for March - 2010

1. Will the relationship between india and pakistan will ever improve? - Akshay Garg

2. Union budget 2010 – is the fuel price rise is the budget concern? - Rishabh Singh

3. Will the relationship between india and pakistan will ever improve? - Rachel

4. Will the relationship between india and pakistan will ever improve? - Vikas Kumar
Ronzia

5. Should Sachin Tendulkar given Bharat Ratna Award ? - Priya Juneja

Contest Essays for February - 2010

1. The Padma Awards - are they any good? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha

2. The Padma Awards - are they any good? - Chaithanya Vardelly

3. The Padma Awards - are they any good? - Shubham Jain

4. The Padma Awards - are they any good? - Maitreyee Roy

5. The Padma Awards - are they any good? - Hindu Balakrishnan

Contest Essays for January - 2010

1. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Rohan Patil

 2. 2009 A Year that showcased India’s Economic Strength - Ch.Naga Chaitanya

3. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha

4. Why are pilots not trained to land in foggy conditions, even though Delhi airport
has the required lights and equipment? - Aishwarya Kasinathan
Contest Essays for December - 2009

1. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Manoj Kumar Srirangam

2. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Preethi Kamesh

3. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Steffi Sam

4. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Rohan Patil

5. 2009 A Year that showcased India’s Economic Strength - Ch.Naga Chaitanya

6. Are we becoming less human and more robotic? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha

7. Why are pilots not trained to land in foggy conditions, even though Delhi airport
has the required lights and equipment? - Aishwarya Kasinathan
Contest Essays for November - 2009

1. Women In Indian Politics - Jagdeep S More

2. Women In Indian Politics - Archana Parashar

3. Women In Indian Politics - Vipul Pandey

4. Women In Indian Politics - Sowmiya. R

5. India And The Emerging Non-Proliferation Order - Nikhil N

Contest Essays for October - 2009

1. 50 Years of Indian Television - Karthik H M

2. 50 Years of Indian Television - Jagdeep S More

3. 50 Years of Indian Television - Nisha Daniel

4. 50 Years of Indian Television - Manik Saikia

5. Public Libraries as a Foundation of Knowledge Economy - Nisha Daniel

6. Public Libraries as a Foundation of Knowledge Economy - Jayalaxmi Reddy

 7. Reservations Are only a Part of Affirmative Action - Prathibha Amand

Contest Essays for September - 2009

1. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Jagdeep S More

2. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Lakshmi.J

3. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Nalin Sharma

4. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha

5. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Deepak Gupta

6. Should Class X Exams Become Optional? - Ankur Verma

7. Why is the Indian Economy still affected by Floods and Droughts?

- Rishi Mandal

8. Why is the Indian Economy still affected by Floods and Droughts?

- Deepak Gupta

9. Why is the Indian Economy still affected by Floods and Droughts?

- Suhasini N

10. Why is the Indian Economy still affected by Floods and Droughts?

- Sarath Babu S

11. Is Beauty only skin deep? - Romila Chitturi

12. Is Beauty only skin deep? - Daizy Jassal

Contest Essays for August - 2009

1. Independence Day – What it means to India youth today?

- Mithila Bagai

2. Independence Day – What it means to India youth today?

- Manas Ranjan Dash

3. Do you think India and Delhi are ready for the Commonwealth Games
- Nalin Sharma
 4. Do you think India and Delhi are ready for the Commonwealth Games - k .Jui

5. Do you think India and Delhi are ready for the Commonwealth Games
- Jagdeep S

6. Is Internet Banking catching up in India? - S Sarath Babu

7. Independence Day – What it means to India youth today?

- Narasanjee Polavarapu

8. Do you think India and Delhi are ready for the Commonwealth Games?

- Suryatapa Ghosh

9. Independence Day – What it means to India’s youth today?

- Suryatapa Ghosh

10. Is Internet Banking catching up in India? - Romila Chitturi

Contest Essays for July - 2009

1. Are we ready for gay rights? - Swati Shubhangam.

2. What should be done with film stars and politicians found guilty of
rape/murder/terrorism? - Ravi Kiran R

3. Are we ready for gay rights? - Laxank Purohit

4. Are we ready for gay rights? - Jagdeep S More

5. What should be done with film stars and politicians found guilty of
rape/murder/terrorism? - Saurabh Tiwari

6. Are we ready for gay rights? - Suhasini

7. Are we ready for gay rights? - Mithila Bagai

8. Are we ready for gay rights? - Sovna Mohanty

9. The new economic policy - its impact on the common man? - S.SarathBabu

10. Are we ready for gay rights? - Tushar Dutt

11. Are we ready for gay rights? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha

Contest Essays for June - 2009

 1. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Mithila Bagai

2. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Swathi Shubhangam

3. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Rohan Sunil Ghate

4. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Jagdeep S More

5. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Suryatapa Ghosh

6. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed? - Gayathri

7. Is the IPL hurting the chances of fit players defending India in the T20 World
Cup?

- Pankaj Kumar Sinha

8. Is India being targeted for its progress as discrimination & violence against Indian
students grow in the US and Australia? - Jui K

9. Is the IPL hurting the chances of fit players defending India in the T20 World
Cup?

- Bhupender Kumar Singh

10. Will the young face of Parliament change how India is governed?

- Aparajita Banerjee

11. Is India being targeted for its progress as discrimination & violence against Indian
students grow in the US and Australia? - S Sarath Babu

Contest Essays for May - 2009

1. Should India interfere in the Srilankan offensive against the LTTE?

 - Ashvini Radhakrishnareddy

2. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Jitender Kumar

3. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Aparajita Banerjee

4. Should India interfere in the Srilankan offensive against the LTTE? - Swathi

5. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Garima Mishra

6. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Pankaj Kumar Sinha

7. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Ashvini Radhakrishna Reddy

8. Can Pakistan survive the Taliban? - Jagdeep S More

9. Can Pakistan survive the Taliban? - S Sarth Babu

10. The youth today - are they more impatient than a few decades ago.

- Romila Chitturi

Contest Essays for April - 2009

1. Varun Gandhi, the prodigal grandson? - Rohit M

2. The IPL Cricket matches goes South Africa - Nalin Sharma
3. Varun Gandhi, the prodigal grandson? - Pankaj Kumar Sinha
4. The IPL Cricket matches goes South Africa - S.SarathBabu
5. Women's Reservation Bill, a Forgotten Issue - Romila Chitturi
6. The IPL Cricket matches goes South Africa - Jagdeep S More

Contest Essays for March - 2009

1. Films, Politics, and Criminals - Cinthya Anand

2. Elections in India, is it a waste of money? - Rohit Malpani
3. Elections in India, is it a waste of money? - Jagdeep Singh More
Contest Essays for February - 2009

1. Obama Means Change - Sumit Kumar Singh

2. Obama Means Change - Jagdeep S More
3. Film like Slum Dog Millionaire - Do they damage India's Image?

- Priyanka Gupta

Contest Essays for January - 2009

1. India's growing influence around the Globe     - VAIBHAV JINDAL

2. Communal Politics & Caste Politics, Its Impact on the voter?

- Bhadra Bharadwaj

3. India's growing influence around the Globe     - Animesh Choudhury

4. Communal Politics & Caste Politics, Its Impact on the voter?

- Jagdeep S More

5. India's growing influence around the Globe     - S Sarath Babu

 The New Child Labour Law
“The child is father of the man”- William Wordsworth

Child is a bundle of joys a flower incarnate in person. A flickering smile of the

child pleases everyone. The brightness and future welfare of the society is closely
interwoven with the brightness of the child and its careful upbringing. Childhood is
the most important period of life, as it shapes adulthood. The very initiation of life-
making starts at childhood. The early lesson of the child starts from the cradle.
Parents adopt different methods to rear up the child in different ages, to make it a
happy man or woman later. The mother being closer, has a greater responsibility
to train up the child well from the very infancy.
If one desires to know a nation, he should look for it into its children. Child is not
only the future of the nation and its aspirations but also, and mainly, its strength in
reserve. The future of nation is best insured if its children are healthy and active,
educated and informed, disciplined and trained, as well as free from social
prejudices, having a scientific outlook. It is, therefore a duty cast on the society at
large to protest this crop of nation from the damaging effects of excessive
exposure to vagaries of climate, as well as, from social oppression and injustice.
Talking all the aspects as a whole, the childhood is the most significant period of
one’s life. It is considered, and rightly so, to be the very foundation of life on which
depends the entire structure the whole personality as such child the father of man
– is the natural future leader of the nation in every walk of life, may it be industry,
education, politics, social services, administration defence, civil services or
anything else. It is during this formative period of moulding that the life begins to
acquire shape and substance, and the attitudes, behaviours, manners and
emotions do get developed.
Concept of Child Labour
The term ‘Child Labour‘ is, at times, used as a synonym for ‘employed child’ or
‘working child’. In this sense it is co-extensive with any work done by a child for
profit or reward. But more commonly than not, the term ‘child labour’ is used in a
derogatory sense. It suggests something which is hateful and exploitative.
Thus, child labour is recognized by the sociologists, development workers,
educationists and medical professionals as hazardous and injurious to the child,
both physically and mentally.
According to Shri. V.V.Giri, former president of India, has thus distinguished the
two concepts of the ‘child labour’s: the term ‘child labour’ is commonly interpreted
in two different ways: first, as an economic practice and secondly, as a social evil.
In the first context it signifies employed of the children in gainful occupations with
a view to adding to the labour income of the family. It is in the second context that
the term child labour is now more generally used. In assessing the nature and
extent of the social evil, it is necessary to take into account the character of the
jobs on which the children are engaged, the dangers to which they are exposed
and the opportunities of development which they have been denied.”
The term ‘child labour’ applies to children engaged in all types of activities
whether these be industrial or non-industrial but which are determined to their
physical, mental, moral and social well being and development. The brain of a
child develops anatomically till the age of ten, the lungs till the age of fourteen and
the muscles till the age of seventeen. Anything which obstructs the natural growth
of any or all of these vital organs should be considered as determinate to natural
physical growth, or even hazardous.
Some Historical Aspect on Child Labour in India
In ancient India it was the duty of the king to educate every girl and boy and
parents could be punished for not sending their children to school called ashrams,
which were really residential schools under a guru (a learned sage). Child labour
existed only in the form of child slaves children, sometimes even less than 8
years of age, were purchased, to do so-called low and dishonorable work.
Kautilya (4th century B.C) considered it degrading to make children work on such
jobs and hence prohibited the purchase and sale of slave children below 8 years.
Children, however, helped their parents in household activities and family crafts.
They learnt the skills by observing and participating in such activities. A
predominantly rural society is inevitably characterized by small and marginal
economic units. India, through its medieval period, was no exception. Increasing
pressure on land led to fragmentation of holdings. Growing families had to look
beyond personal cultivation for subsistence. A class of landless labourers came
into existence, often bonded to the large landowners. These labourers used their
children to help in their economic activities. The rural artism rarely worked alone.
Infact the entire family was a work unit with the ‘pater familia’ being the master
craftsman. Occupations were determined largely on the basis of heredity, and
children were introduced to their traditional craft at a young age.
Nature of Child Work
From time immemorial it has been the practice that children were to engage
themselves in some sort of work or the other, both in home and in the field. In
olden days, children of tender age performed even toilsome work alongwith adult
agricultural and other workers. In the medieval period, children used to be
engaged as trainees under the guidance of their parents to learn traditional crafts
of the family.
In agriculture, children are employed not on agricultural operations but in non-
agricultural operations also. They are employed in such diverse agricultural
operations as ploughing, sowing, transplanting, weeding, harvesting threshing
and guarding the crops, etc.
In plantations, child labour is a part of family labour. They assist their parents in
plucking of leaves and coffee berries, or collecting of latex, or they do some
secondary jobs, such as, weeding, spreading of fertilizers, the care of nurseries,
digging of drains, etc. they are also employed to pick out stalks and coarse leaves
of tea spread over the green leaves in the shadow.
There is also an increasing concern about the accident and disease incident
among child agricultural workers, controls on hazardous insecticides and
pesticides are deficient and neither the children nor their parents receive any
instruction as how to use them safely. The same is true of mechanical operations.
Children in cities perform much larger varieties of activities than those in villages
because of the extensively diversified structure of urban economics. Often,
children are employed for packing, labeling, etc., in the factories. Other industries
in which children are engaged are match factories, bidi manufacturing, mica
cutting, wood and cork, furniture and fixture, printing, publishing and allied trades,
leather products, rubber and rubber products, machinery, transport equipment,
lock factories, gem cutting and polishing, potteries, glass bangle industries, brass
work, carpet industries and personal services like laundaries, deying and
cleaning.
Millions of small boys and girls are engaged in the unorganized sector,
comprising hotels, restaurants, canteens, wayside ‘dhabas’, shops, repair
workshop, and establishments of various types. They also work as hawkers,
coolies, shoe-shine boys and venders. In big cities, children can be seen cleaning
and washing automobiles just for a trip. The bigger the city, the higher is the
persistent demand for teenagers to work as domestic servants and it is there that
they are often subjected to worst types of exploitation without any means of
protections-legal or social on the kitchen floor and are, as a rule, not permitted to
attend school. Sexual abuse is also reported to be frequent.
In a good number of occupations child worker is invariably exposed to risks of
various nature because of his tender age. For instance, he is likely to suffer burn
injuries while working round about big ovens, or while carrying hot beverages; the
newspaper hawkers and shoe-shine boys are exposed to the risk of road
accident; rag-pickers may get cut injuries from glass pieces or broken tin cans; or
the child working on construction sites alongwith his parents may sustain injuries
while carrying brick or stone loads.
Interestingly, children are sometimes also employed as performing artists. They
are given roles in films, and in circus they perform acrobatic feats, Magicians and
jugglers use them as ‘Jamura’ (the helping boy) and they are also used by them
for arousing public sympathy at wayside shows for alms.
Some writers and social workers are of the view that begging is a major field of
operations where children are put to work. Mrs. Sengupta has observed.:
“Our seething millions where child employment is rife and has become a various
form of exploitation ….. begging is becoming a real profession and there are
scaring rumours that gangsters and syndicates of inhuman beings trade in human
babies and children. Certainly the mother clad in a rag and clutching a baby in her
arms is a sight that is shameful. Children are drugged or even, one hears,
tortured. To see pavement dwellers in all their horrors living in filth, children
picking up rejected and popping food mixed with filth into their mouths makes one
feel desperate: but no one seem to do prevent from flaunting drugged babies or
little tots on the road and to use them for employment purposes.”
Curiously, some well to do urban families, having connections in the country-side,
take in some child of a poor relative, ostensibly, for supporting the child out of
sympathy for the for the poor relatives, but he or she eds up as a domestic
servant with no opportunity for education.
It has been also discovered that a sizable number of children ranging between 5
to 12 years of age had actually been kidnapped from different places to weave
carpets and were forced to work for as long as 22 hours a day. These children
treated like virtual slaves, were found to bear scar marks of torture. They were,
reportedly, severely beaten even with iron rods, if they were deficient in work or
committed errors in weaving.
The most nefarious rather barbarian form of child exploitation is the practice of
bonded labour. The child is handed over by the loaner as security or collateral
security against small sums of loan obtained at an exorbitant rate of interest. The
bonded child usually gets only a handful of coarse grain for his subsistence. He
has to toil very hard and exists at the mercy of his lord for the whole of life without
the least hope of redemption. The mortgagee is usually some big landlord, money
–lender or the village businessman and the mortgager is the poor landless
labourer. Through this practice is prevalent in many parts of rural India, it is
predominant in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu but with a distinguishing feature that
there the bonded child is allowed to stay with his parents on the condition that he
must present him self at work daily at 8 a.m. The practice of bounded labour is
still prevalent dispite stringent laws against it which provide for imprisonment of,
and imprisonment of, and imposition of fine on, the guilty.
Causes Of Child Labour
Child labour is a socio-economic phenomenon. It is generally concerned that
illiteracy, ignorance, low wages, unemployment, poor standard of living, stark
poverty, deep social prejudices and appalling backwardness of the country-side
are all, severally and collectively, the root causes of child labour. Mr Madan,
Deputy Director, Ministry of Labour, is of the view that “the children are
required to seek employment either to augment the income of their families or to
have a gainful occupation in the absence of availability of school going facilities at
various places.”
It has been officially stated that, “child labour is no longer a medium of economic
exploitation but is necessitated by economic necessity of the parents and in many
cases that of the child himself.” Prof. Gangrade believes that child labour is a
product of such factors as customs, traditional attitude, lack of school or
reluctance of parents to send their children to school, urbanization,
industrialization, migration and so on.
Age Limit
The Indian constitution in its article 24 lays down that, “No child below the age of
14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any
other hazardous employment.” The abuse of the tender age can be stopped by
bringing these vast unorganized sectors under legislative control. We see that
children employed in different occupations and different states are subject to
different set of regulations and treatment. But our primary interest is to save the
tender aged children from health risks, hazardous and other forms of exploitation.
The complex socio-economic conditions in different social milieu may not
advocate the uniform age limit. But this should not rule out the possibility of
acceptance of age uniformity, though child labour (Prohibitions and Regulation)
Act has brought about much needed uniformity in certain cases. Not only in our
country, but also in almost all other countries of the world the non-uniformity of
age regulation is still in existence. The most widely covered and most strictly
regulated sector is industry. Fifty-four of the member countries for which such
information is available, have fixed the minimum age for industrial employment at
14. A higher age – 15 or 16 is the general rule in another forty-five and a lower
one -12 or 13 – in just over a dozen. In case of non-industrial employment
national laws and regulations are naturally extremely diverse. The majority of
countries have, in principle, a uniform minimum age of 14, 15 or 16 years for all
employment (disregarding agriculture for the moment).
But in our country where dire poverty is manifest in every walk of life what will be
the minimum age for child labour? The International Labour Organization in its
Convention No. 138 (1973), in Article 3 had clearly stated, “The minimum age for
admission to any type of employment or work which by its nature or the
circumstances in which it is carried out is likely to jeopardise the health, safety or
morals of young persons shall not be less than 18 years.” If India ratifies this
convention, millions of children will be thrown out of employment. In the present
socio-economic condition in the country it is difficult to prescribe the minimum
age. It will make the problem of unemployment and poverty more acute. But for
the sake of uplifting the future standards of employment as well as to protect the
children from such abuse of their tender age, at least we can appeal to our
government to provide free and compulsory education to every child up to the age
of 14 years. The law –makers must keep in mind the recommendation of the
Convention No. 138. age limits should be gradually raised to a level consistent
with the fullest physical and mental growth and development of child workers as
recommended by the International Labour Organization to save the children from
the clutches of social injustice and deprivation and to ensure for them a happy
normal growth in the national interest of every country.
Hours of Work
The health and efficiency of the workers depend mostly on the hours of work.
Long hours of work are harmful not only for moral and physical development, but
also retard efficiency. Considering our climate and geophysical conditions the
hours of work should be lowered. The long working days minimize the working
life. So it is less productive in the long run. Shorter working days are also less
productive, but it provides more employment. The socio-economic conditions of
India demands shorter working hours. The tender age of the working children
should be protected from the onslaught of rigorous working hours. The
environment of the working places, such as, hotels, restaurants, tea-stalls, and
sweet-shops is most uncongenial to the development of the child. But the working
children devote 16 to 20 hours daily to serve the clients.
According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, no child
shall be permitted to work more than a period of 6 hours inclusive one hours rest
in one day. Moreover short working hours, with rest intervals would enable the
child workers to perform their duties efficiently and happily. The most surprising
thing is that the employer hardly takes any care to make a difference between the
child and the adult worker. Naturally working children become the victim of
exploitation. Working hour should be restricted in such a way that they may be
permitted to part time education. The most striking thing is that no special
provision have been made regarding the condition of work, conservancy services
whole- some drinking water, medical facilities, accident benefits, rest, etc., for the
child workers. They should enjoy the same facilities like the adult workers.
Implementation of Schemes
Our constitution provides, as a fundamental right, that no child below the age of
fourteen years shall be employed in any factory, or mine, or be engaged in any
other hazardous occupation. Once Dr. Rajendra Prasad had remarked, “We might
search our hearts and ask ourselves whether we have done everything possible
to implement this directive.”
According to the report of the National Commission on Labour, the employment of
children in factories, mines, plantations or in other organized sectors has been
decreasing. However, this report adds that it continues to persist in varying
degrees in the unorganized sector, such as, small plantations, restaurants, hotels,
cotton ginning and weaving, carpet weaving, stone breaking, brick kiln,
handicrafts and road building, etc. Employment of children, who are below the
prescribed age, was also reported to be continuing at far off places and in rural
areas where enforcement of statutory provisions was all the more difficult.
The real enforcement lies in the implementation. The positive side of
implementation is that law should have and validity. The greedy employers do not
care the existing laws. Like all other countries several industrial activities such as
manufacturing, mines, construction and various kind of transport are dealt with by
separate laws and regulations. On the other hand the immature children are in the
dark about legal protection. Like all laws should be properly administered. The
essential feature of the administration of labour law is inspection. A peculiar
feature is that the employer always tries to draw a screen before the inspector.
Inspector hardly gets any opportunity to identify the child for verify his age and the
other working conditions. Children do not come openly to the inspector to report
 about their grievances.
International Labour Organization and Child Labour
The basic aim of the ILO to abolish Child Labour altogether is yet a distant goal in
view of the present economic setup of the World. It has taken measures to protect
the working children and to ameliorate their working and living conditions and to
impart job-based education. The United Nations declaration of the rights of the
child says:
“The child shall enjoy special protection and shall be given opportunities
and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him to develop
physically, mentally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner
and in conditions of freedom and dignity. In the enactment of laws for this
purpose the best interests of the child shall be the paramount
consideration.”
It further states that: “the child shall be protected against all forms of neglect,
cruelty and exploitation. He shall not be the subject of traffic, in any form.
The child shall not be admitted to employment before an appropriate
minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted to be engaged in
any occupations or employment which would prejudice his health or
education, or interfere with his physical, mental or moral development.”
Best blessings on those
Little, innocent lives
Bloomed on earth,
Who have brought the message
Of joy from heavenly garden
- Rabindra Nath Tagore
It is the bounded duty of the country to provide for atleast free primary education for all
children. One must remember that the industrialization can wait but youth does not last
long. This right to primary education must be for all the present time, and not a dubious or
ambiguous must be for the present for some defined future. The basic guarantees of our
Constitutional must be fulfilled here and now.

Therefore, so far as the projects for development of human resources are concerned, the
programme for welfare of children must be given top priority. It is only in this way that
children can be trained to be good future citizen, mentally alert and prosperous. We
should aim at providing proper and equal opportunities for development to all children in
the light of the above mentioned constitutional directives. It is only then that we can fulfill
our aspirations and achieve our objectives of social justice and equality enshrined in our
constitution.

White collar crimes are wide spread in society

White-collar crime and its consequences are recognized from centuries which categorize number of
crimes. Mostly business and government professionals are involved in series of frauds termed as
white-collar crime because these are lucrative, comparatively risk-free, and nearly socially up to
standard. Due to high occurrence of these crimes, security officials plan modern technique to fight
back through prevention, investigation, and prosecution. When the term white-collar crime is
conversed, people are encouraged to think decisively about the nature of crime, law, and criminal
justice. In the criminal justice system, the focal point of the investigative efforts on the crimes of the
poor. If it is viewed from same legal eye of the state, the crimes of the powerful are hidden. White-
collar crime is defined as "those illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or
violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or
violence.
Individuals and organizations commit these acts to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the
payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage. Generally the
white collar criminals commit range of frauds to get personal financial gain. White collar crimes do not
show any vicious activity, but the extent of these crimes are intense and it can bring about great
economic loss for companies, investors. Computer fraud is characterized as the crime committed to
perform a plan or illegal activity and the targeting of a computer with the intention to modify, damage,
or put out of action the data of computer system. There are many examples of crimes which include
offering missing goods to a buyer, stealing someone's funds by hacking into his bank or credit card
account. Hackers find passwords and delete information, create programs to steal passwords, or even
rummage through company garbage to find secret information. Embezzlement is another type of white
collar crime, termed as the misuse of items with which a person has been assigned. Charges of
embezzlement can even be levied if the embezzler intended to return the property later. Employee
theft is most common example of embezzlement. Company employees can have access to company
property so they can easily misuse the property. Numerous examples can be quoted such as theft of
retail items, discounted sale of retail items, and theft from cash registers.
Health care frauds are a stereotypical white collar crime in which highly qualified medical practitioners
and health supervisory abuse their posts and professional skills through misleading nonviolent tactics
such as fake bills just for individual financial gain. Environmental crimes are the infringement of laws
which are made to protect the environment and human health. Littering, Improper waste disposal, Oil
spills, Destruction of wetlands are some of the Environmental crimes. Perpetrator of Environmental law
violation is fined, put on experimentation, sent to jail. Financial crimes are major white collar crimes.
These are any non-violent felony that is committed by or against an individual or corporation and lead
to great fiscal loss. These frauds include tax evasion, cheating of company funds, and the sale of
fictitious insurance plans.
Another category of serious white collar crime is government fraud, which is an unlawful act that
deliberately rid the government of funds through trickery. When the government gets fiddled, taxpayers
pay the price. Procurement and contractor fraud are examples of costliest government fraud. In Identity
theft the criminal use the personal information of another in order to commit fraud. Crooks of this type
of crime have to face heavy penalties if trapped. Insurance fraud is very common in which offender
forged claims to an insurance company, personal injury and property damage claims that are
overstated in order to collect extra reimbursements. Mail fraud is committed by using Postal Service or
any private or commercial interstate mail carrier, such as Mailboxes, etc. Money laundering is a felony
in which lawbreakers hide the resource and objective of illegitimately acquired funds. Public corruption
is an act of violating the public official's duty of faith towards his or her society. Anyone who is elected,
appointed, hired, or employee of a constituency of citizens commits crime on the state, or local level
when an official takes favorable decision in exchange of offered some value. Securities fraud is
committed by white collar criminal such as corporations, broker-dealers, analysts, and private investors
when the executor intentionally deceives investors for financial profits. The culprit of tax evasion
deliberately and illegally avoids paying mandatory taxes to the government. Telemarketing fraud fall
under white collar criminal in which wrongdoer make some plan that uses telephone contact to
fraudulently rid its victims of funds or assets. The most regular type of telemarketing frauds are prize
offers and sweepstakes, magazine sales, credit card sales.
In today's hi-tech world, white collar crimes are creating a serious trouble for government. People who
commit white-collar crimes are sometimes the same kind of people who are in a position to see to it
that their crimes are not defined too detrimental. While the impact of white-collar criminals leave an
immense impact on the nation but the cost to each individual is petite. Practically it is observed that no
effort from police department goes into skirmishing white-collar crime.
Our social system is corrupted by number of white collar crime and it is a great challenge for us to
discover suitable resolution to the increasing menace of white-collar crime. These crimes are directly
affecting the economy of the nation and the public's confidence, therefore corrective action must be
taken immediately for preventing, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting economic crimes in order to
minimize their outcome. Main blockade to get to the bottom of the white-collar crime hazard is that the
public is not aware of its seriousness. It is more important to create wakefulness and businesses, and
the nation's lawmakers must be convinced with its significance in identifying that such high-tech and
economic crimes have an undesirable effect on society. Mostly people are innocent and they are not
aware of the degree to which their lives, financial status, businesses, families, or privacy might be
pretentious by electronic crime. A rock-hard inspection or accounting background is obliging to detect
white-collar crime because swindlers are very clever and they can manipulate the situation very well.

Deforestation: Major environmental problem

Deforestation is a main environmental concern in the world. Deforestation includes the cutting down,
burning, and destructing of forests. Numerous researches suggests that deforestation may be the first
link in a chain of environment degradation that includes erosion, climatic changes, loss of biodiversity
and genetic endowment, air pollution, decline in watershed functions, and the apparent loss of
hardwood, fuel wood, and aesthetic stocks.
Population explosion is major basis for decline of the rain forests. These forests are being cut down at
a petrifying rate to supply man with lumber, pasture land, and farm land. The outcome of such human
activities is deforestation; the world's most valuable environment is being ruined. Plants and animals
life is gradually diminishing as the natural habitats are bested. Deforestation occurs because people
need land for agricultural. Large companies clear vast amounts of land, often for cattle pastures to fill
the beef market. They also use the land for large plantations and use pesticides and irrigation systems
that are very harmful to the land. The chemicals which are used to destroy pests also kill other animals
and cause a lot of damage to surrounding areas. The rain washes the chemicals into the water system
killing the aquatic life. The use of Land in such a way affects negatively the surrounding areas. It also
can take centuries to re-grow.
There is solid cause of deforestation which is mainly related to a competitive global economy. It forces
countries to utilize their only resource for funds. This process takes place at local and national level.
Locally, people use land for farming to generate income because of poverty and population growth.
Nationally, governments sell logging concessions to cover debts and develop industries. People are
using their rainforests only for a short-term solution and could not assess the long term effects of their
distractive activities. It is predicted that half the rain in tropical countries comes from evaporation of
moisture from the covering of the trees. As trees and plants are destroyed, the moist awning of the
tropical rain forest rapidly reduces. Evaporation and Evapotranspiration processes from the trees and
plants return large quantities of water to the local atmosphere, promoting the formation of clouds and
precipitation. Due to less evaporation, more of the Sun's energy is able to warm the surface and the air
above which leads to increase in temperatures and the drying of land. Today, it is novel policies and
program of development; rapid industrialization, urbanization and growing consumerism that have
resulted in the large scale destruction of the forests. Due to the difficulty of deforestation, a major
environmental issue, many clashes have arisen between environmental activist groups and those
concerned in deforestation activities. The solutions to crisis of deforestation lie in dealing with the root
cause. To resolve the issue, experts have to consider the economic problems that lie at the heart of
the situation. Many proposals have been offered such as sustainable wood sources. If deforestation
continues at its current rate then in just 100 years, there will be no more rainforests left at all and
people will be the most sufferers.
Governments and environmentalists are facing major challenge- what steps must be taken to stop
deforestation so that current environmental conditions would not get poorer. Scarcity and over
population are main causes which alarms to governments. Policies must be made to overcome such
problems so that we can save our forest and animals. Environmentalists and forestry supporters have
been telling people and governments to instantly act on the problem regarding continued deforestation
practices all around the world. Deforestation could be gradually stopped if people would be more
environmentally mindful. That means, to speed up efforts in stopping deforestation. We must start
participating in recycling programs. Governments should also implement legislations that would
successfully prevent the deforestation process. Government must encourage reforestation which is the
sought-after healing process
Everyone must understand that rainforest are splendid, exceptional gift of nature on our valuable
Earth. If preventive measures are not taken immediately to stop the effects of deforestation, humans
will be under grip of severe crisis. They may lose animals, plants, and there are great possibilities for
dreaded diseases that are killing off our own race. All people must join their hands to work out a plan
that is appropriate for businesses, governments, and most importantly the environment. Another
important threat to human is that deforestation leads not only to species annihilation but also to loss of
the genetic diversity that could help certain species adjust to a changing world. People are well familiar
with the environmental crisis which can happen due to deforestation. Still they are destroying speedily.
The effects of deforestation can be devastating. It can lose the land of its natural aesthetic. In coming
years, dangerous consequences will be visible. Deforestation can damage to the environment, usually
stemming from its ability to cause land erosion. When an area is cleared, the soil under the surface is
essentially stripped of the roots that provided it structural integrity and support. Without this support,
the force of water, gravity, or both can cause the land to move, either as one piece, or more commonly,
steadily and incrementally. Soil erosion due to deforestation is the main cause of Costa Rica's
environmental calamity such as flooding, desertification and sedimentation in rivers, long-term
hydroelectric shortages, loss of wildlife diversity, and the obvious depletion of the wood resources.
Such a severe climate change can be arrested through reducing tropical deforestation. Deforestation
bans and moratoria can effectively work if implemented properly.
Deforestation of is a severe environmental destruction which can not be revived if damaged at current
rate. People cut down trees to meet out their own need without considering future outcome. They do
not recognize about the damage they are doing. The deforestation affects the plant life. People have
general impression that if trees are cuts down, it will grow back in a few years. Plants will ultimately
grow back, but the forest will be changed into a secondary forest and may never be the same.
-