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Events; Appointments; Etc - August 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. Hassan Rowhani: He has been elected as the President of Iran. : Chief Economic Adviser to UPA government, he has been appointed as the Governor of Reserve Bank Of (RBI). Dilip Trivedi: Senior IPS officer, he has been appointed as the Chief of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS G.L. Peiris: External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka. He came to invite Prime Minister for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet in Colombo in November. Prime Minister Singh, during his talk with Mr Peiris, asked Sri Lanka to stand by its commitment not to dilute the 13th Amendment on devolution of powers to the provinces and sought an early repatriation of Indian fishermen presently in the custody of the Lankan authorities. Mohammad Karim Khalili: Vice President o Afghanistan. During his three-day visit security issues and trade and other bilateral issues were discussed. Nuri al-Maliki: Prime Minister of Iraq. The visit was the first high-level bilateral trip in 38 years. Indian Prime Minister had visited Iraq in 1975. Maliki’s trip saw India and Iraq sign an agreement on energy cooperation. Tshering Tobgay: Prime Minister of Bhutan. This was his first overseas visit after assuming office in July 2013. He briefed on the talks between his country and China over their boundary dispute, which has strategic implications for India’s security.

DIED Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi: Eminent Indian classical singer and music director from Odisha, better known as a noted vocalist of Jayadeva’s ‘Gita Govind’, he died on 25 August 2013. He was 80.

EVENTS AUGUST 3—Iran’s new President, Hassan Rowhani, assumes office and pledges to work to lift the international sanctions imposed on Tehran over its controversial nuclear drive. 14—In its worst peace time disaster, Indian Navy loses top submarine, INS Sindhurakshak, with 18 men on board. The submarine sinks in the naval dockyard in following an explosion. 14—Egypt declares emergency after more than 500 persons are killed in a bloodbath that ensued when security forces, backed by bulldozers and armoured vehicles, stormed two camps occupied by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Mursi. 20—A court in formally indicts former military dictator Pervez Musharraf with the murder of former premier Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007. 22—Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Africa’s oldest leader at 89, is sworn in for a new five- year term in the face of criticism from opponents and the West that his re-election in a July vote was not credible. 30—India’s first exclusive defence satellite, Rukmini (GSAT-7), is successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket, from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - July 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. King Philippe: He has ascended the throne of Belgium after the emotional abdication of his father Albert II, vowing to strive for unity in a nation divided by language and tradition. The new sovereign has become the seventh "King of The Belgians”. Mamnoon Hussain: He has been elected as the 12th President of Pakistan for a five-year term starting in September 2013. Born in Agra (India) on 23 December 1940, Mamnoon has been associated with PML-N since 1993 and served as Governor of Sindh for a brief period of six months in 1999. He lost the post after the then Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf toppled the PML-N government in a military coup in October 1999. He owns a textile business in Karachi and has contracts with wealthy industrialists and entrepreneurs. Tshering Tobgay: Leader of People’s Democratic Party, he has been elected as the Prime Minister of Bhutan. Virendra Kataria: He has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. K.K. Paul: Former Police Commissioner of Delhi, he has been named the Governor of Meghalaya. Najeeb Jung: He has been appointed as the Lt Governor of Delhi. He was earlier Jamia Milia Vice Chancellor. Lt Gen A.K. Singh (Retd): He has been appointed as the Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Island. Hemant Soren: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, he has been appointed as the ninth Chief Minister of Jharkhand. R. Chandrashekhar: Former telecom secretary, he has been appointed as the President of the IT software services industry body NASSCOM. He will take over after present President Som Mittal’s tenure ends in January 2014. T.C.A. Raghavan: He has been appointed as the High Commissioner of India to Pakistan. Abdul Rahim Rather: Jammu & Kashmir Finance Minister, he has been elected Chairman of the empowered committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST).

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Pham Binh Minh: Vietnam Foreign Minister. Joe Biden: Vice President of USA. His visit helped to lay ground work for the US visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September-October. Jean-Yves Le Drian: Defence Minister of France.

DIED Douglas Engelbart: Tech visionary, he invented the computer mouse. He died on 4 July 2013 at the age of 88. The first computer mouse was a wooden shell with metal wheels. He developed it in the 1960s and patented it in 1970. The idea was way ahead of its time. The mouse didn’t become commercially available until 1984, with the release of Apple’s then-revolutionary Macintosh computer. Engelbart conceived the mouse so early in the evolution of computers that he and his colleagues didn’t profit much from it. The technology passed into the public domain in 1987, preventing him from collecting royalties on the mouse when it was in its widest use. At least 1 billion have been sold since the mid-1980s. : Legendary Hindi film actor, he died on 12 july 2013. He was 93. The actor, who had a six- decade-long career that saw him performing in over 400 films, was conferred the India’s highest cinema honour—Dada Saheb Phalke award—in April 2013. Pran left his imprint as a villain with powerful roles in films like Kashmir ki Kali, Khandaan, Aurat, Bari Behen, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai’', Half Ticket, Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, Don, Victoria No. 403, Karz, Amar-Akbar- Anthony and Naseeb. Amar Bose: Acoustics pioneer and founder and chairman of the audio technology company Bose Corp, known for the rich sound of its small tabletop radios and its noise-cancelling headphones popular among frequent fliers, died on 13 July 2013, at age 83. Arun Nehru: Former Union Minister and a powerful figure during the tenure of former , he died on 26 July 2013 at age 69. Obaid Siddiqi: ne of India’s foremost biologists and former director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), , he passed away on 26 July 2013. He was 81. Jagdish Raj: Hindi film actor who holds the record of playing a cop in 144 films passed away on 30 July 2013. He was 85. Some of his popular movies include Deewar, Don, Shakti, , Imaan Dharam, Gopichand Jasoos, Silsila, Aaina and Besharam.

EVENTS JULY 1—India’s first dedicated navigational satellite IRNSS-1A is successfully launched by PSLV-C22. 4—Egypt’s first democratically elected President is overthrown by the military after just one year in office. The armed forces also suspend the Islamist-drafted constitution, and call for new elections. Adli Mansour is sworn-in as interim President. 7—Nine serial explosions rock the Mahabodhi Temple complex in Bodh Gaya, leaving at least five people injured. 6—Solar Impulse, a solar-powered aircraft completes the final leg of a history-making cross-country flight, gliding to a smooth stop at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport. The final leg of the cross-continental journey had started in California in early May. 11—President’s rule in Jharkhand is revoked. JMM leader Hemant Soren is elected as the Chief Minister. President's rule was imposed on18 January 2013, following the fall of the -led Arjun Munda government after the JMM withdrew from the ruling coalition. 13—First unit at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) and India’s 21st reactor, begins the nuclear fission process (also called as attaining criticality). 13—Bhutan’s main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) storms to power, getting two-thirds majority in the second parliamentary elections in the country. 26—India’s advanced meteorological satellite INSAT-3D is successfully launched by an European rocket from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana.

MILESTONES Parveez Rasool: He created history by becoming the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be named in the Indian team. Surjit Hans: 82-year-old Indian professor, who translated all works of William Shakespeare into Punjabi, has been honoured with a bust of the 18th century Bard of Avon at Ealing Mayor’s parlour in London.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - June 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED Etc. Hasan Rowhani: Moderate cleric, he has been elected as President of Iran. He won the elections after gaining support among many reform- minded Iranians, looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns. The powerful showing by the former nuclear negotiator allowed him to avoid a two-person runoff and demonstrated the strength of opposition sentiment even in a system that is gamed against it. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani: He has taken-over as the new Emir of Qatar. Kevin Rudd: He was sworn in as Australian Prime Minister for the second time on 27 June 2013, a day after toppling Julia Gillard and three months ahead of elections in which opinion polls show the ruling Labour Party faces a devastating defeat. Rudd’s return as Prime Minister follows three years of squabbling within the Labour leadership and as the world’s 12th largest economy faces challenges stemming from a slowdown in top trade partner China. Rami Hamdallah: He has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Palestine. Before this appointment he was president of a large West Bank university. Nawaz Sharif: On 5 June 2013, Pakistan’s National Assembly formally selected Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister, capping a celebratory and historic transfer of a power in a country besieged by decades of turmoil and facing immediate, dire economic challenges. Justice P. Sathasivam: He has been appointed as the 40th Chief Justice of India (CJI). He is the first judge from to become the CJI. He will have tenure till 26 April 2014. : He has been appointed as Union Minister, Railways. : He has been appointed as Union Minister, Roads. : He has been appointed as Union Labour Minister. : She has been appointed as Union Minister, Housing, Urban Development and Poverty alleviation. K.S. Rao: He has been appointed as Union Minister, Textiles. E.M.S. Natchiyappan: He has been appointed as Union Minister of State, Commerce and Industry. J.D. Seelam: He has been appointed as Union Minister of State, Finance. Manikrao Gavit: He has been appointed as Union Minister of State, Social Justice and Empowerment. Santosh Chowdhury: He has been appointed as Union Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare. T.C.A. Raghavan: Veteran diplomat, he has been appointed as India’s High Commissioner in Islamabad, Pakistan. Rentala Chandrasekhar: An IAS officer of 1975 batch of cadre, who retired as telecom secretary on 31 March 2013, he had been appointed as the Chairman of National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), India’s top intelligence and surveillance agency. NTRO’s road map was drawn up by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, during his tenure as scientific advisor to the government in 2001. It is mainly tasked to prevent cyber threat and also provide and analyze technical intelligence. In 2004, it was tasked to be a highly specialised technical intelligence-gathering agency whose expertise would be used by other intelligence agencies like IB, RAW and Military Intelligence. Sujata Singh: She has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary of India. Anil Goswami: A seasoned hand on Jammu and Kashmir affairs, he has taken-over as the Union Home Secretary.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Murray McCully: External Affairs Minister of New Zealand. After wide ranging talks with External Affairs Minister , both countries decided to speed up negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). John Kerry: US Secretary of State. He visited India to participate in the fourth round of the India-US strategic dialogue.

DIED Atul Chitnis: World-famous Indian origin technologist and an advocate of open source software, who spent much of his life in making open source software accessible to everyone. Chitnis was the founder of FOSS.in, one of the largest conferences on free and open software. He was 51 years old. V.C. Shukla: Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister, who was grievously injured in a Maoist attack in Chattisgarh in May 2013, died on 11 June 2013. He was 84. He was the main architect of media censorship during regime of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Jiroemon Kimura: The world’s oldest person. He was 116 year old. Kimura lived in Kyotango near Kyoto in western Japan. He became the world’s oldest person on 17 December 2012, after the former title holder, a 115-year-old woman from Iowa died. Kimura was born in 1897, the same year as aviator Amelia Earhart and the year Queen Victoria marked her Diamond Jubilee. He worked as a postal employee and as a farmer at his home. Dicky Rutnagur: One of the reputed sports journalists and commentator, he passed away in London on 21 June 2013. He was 82. Rutnagur was associated with the "Hindustan Times” between 1958 and 1966 as a cricket correspondent and moved to London in mid-60s where he not only covered county cricket but also wrote about squash and badminton for "Daily Telegraph”. He also wrote two books—Test Commentary (India vs England 1976-77) and Khans Unlimited (the history of squash in Pakistan).

EVENTS JUNE 2—India’s first commercial sea plane service is inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in Kollam. 4—The Central Information Commission (CIC), in response to RTI applications filed by Subash Chandra Agarwal and Anil Bairwal, rules that political parties should be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. 4—More than 65 countries sign the landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade, giving a strong kickoff to the first major international campaign to stem the illicit trade in weapons that fuel conflicts and extremists. Signatures are the first step towards ratification, and the treaty will only take effect after 50 countries ratify it. 16—The 17-year-old chapter of JD(U)-BJP alliance under the banner of NDA ends with JD(U) announcing to break ties. Chief Minister of , Nitish recommends removal of 11 BJP Ministers including Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, while JD(U) President announces his resignation as convener of the NDA. 18—The famous Kedarnath Temple is virtually submerged in mud and slush in the unprecedented flash floods that claim more than thousand lives in Uttarakhand. Over 70,000 pilgrims are left stranded. 18—The US-led NATO coalition launches the final phase of the 12-year war with the last round of security transfers to Afghan forces. Dubbed "milestone 2013” by NATO, the handover will culminate in the departure of all NATO troops serving in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) force at the end of 2014. Afghan security forces have been rapidly built up by the international coalition, from about 40,000 in 2009 to 352,000 in February 2013. 19—Afghan President Hamid Karzai breaks off crucial security talks with the United States, angry over the name given to a new Taliban office in Qatar that is meant to facilitate peace negotiations.

MILESTONES Bilal Habib: He has been named as one of the six winners of UNESCO’s Young Scientist Awards for 2013. He won the award for designing and developing an Ecological Monitoring Programme involving local communities in the in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in Uttarakhand. Raghav Joneja: At 15 years and seven months, he has become the youngest Indian to scale Mount Everest, climbing the peak with five teenage mates from Lawrence School, Sanawar, which became the first school in the world to send a team to the highest peak. Bindeshwar Pathak: Founder of the famed Sulabh project that provides basic and affordable toilet access to India’s poor, he has been presented with the "Legend of Planet” award in Paris. Pathak is known for his wide- ranging work in the field of sanitation to improve public health, advance social progress and improve human rights in India and around the world. Edward Snowden: US contractor who leaked information on the US government’s monitoring of Internet use and phone records. Russia offered to grant him asylum. Lieutenant Ganeve Lalji: A young intelligence officer, she has created history by becoming the first woman to be appointed as a key aide to an Army Commander. She has been appointed as the aide-de-camps (ADC) of Central Army Commander Lt Gen Rajan Bakshi. ADCs are officers who serve as a personal assistant of top officers, including the Army Chief and Army Commanders.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - May 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED etc. K. : He has been elected as the Chief Minister of . Roberto Azevedo: A Brazilian trade diplomat, he has been named as the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He will succeed France’s Pascal Lamy in September 2013. Gulshan Rai: Current head of CERT.IN, he has been appointed as the cyber security chief by . Shashi Kant Sharma: He has been appointed as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. Radha Krishna Mathur: He has been appointed as the Defence Secretary of India. Dr Avinash Chander: Missile scientist, he has been appointed as the chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)and scientific adviser to the Defence Minister.

RESIGNED : Chief Minister of Karnataka. Ashwani Kumar: Union Law Minister. Pawan Kumar Bansal: Union Railway Minister. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Hamid Karzai: President of Afghanistan. During his meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President , he briefed the Indian leadership on the situation evolving in Afghanistan as foreign troops prepare to leave his nation within a year from now, and asked India to expand its role in ensuring the security of his embattled nation by providing lethal weapons to his forces. Li Keqiang: Prime Minister of China. Gen Eiji Kimizuka: Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self-Defence Force.

DIED Asghar Ali Engineer: Renowned Islamic scholar, progressive thinker, author and Dawoodi Bohra reformist leader, he passed away on 14 May 2013. He was 74. Shanti Tigga: Indian Army’s first woman jawan. Joseph Farman: British researcher whose single-minded study of atmosphere changes in Antarctica established the existence of hole in the ozone layer—one of the most important environmental discoveries in the 20th century. He died on 11 May 2013 at age 82. Rituparno Ghosh: Noted filmmaker and national award winner, he died on 30 May 2013. He was 49. He made 19 films and won 12 National Awards. He began his film career with Hirer Angti (The diamond ring) in 1994. He made Unishe April in the same year that went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. His other critically acclaimed and National award-winning films were: Dahan, Utsab, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Dosor, The Last Lear, Shob Charitro Kalponik and Abohoman.

EVENTS MAY 2013 5—Over 63 percent of the 43.6 million voters cast their ballots to elect the 14th Karnataka Assembly. 5—Malaysia’s governing coalition wins a tight national election to extend its 56-year rule, fending off an opposition alliance that had pledged to clean up politics and end race-based policies in South-east Asia’s third-largest economy. 6—The Supreme Court gives its green signal to the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, terming the operationalisation of the nuclear power plant as necessary for the country’s growth. 11—General Elections are held in Pakistan, marking the first time one elected government was to replace another in a country vulnerable to military takeovers. Over 60 percent of the electorate exercise the right to vote. Polling is marred by a string of bomb blasts in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar that killed at least 24 persons. 25—Mahendra Karma, founder of anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum, and former legislator Uday Mudaliar are among 27 killed in an ambush of their convoy by Naxalites in Darbha Ghati Valley, about 35 km from Sukma district headquarters, Chattisgarh. Former Union Minister is critically injured. 28—The European Union (EU), following its Foreign Affairs Council meeting, decides to lift arms embargo on to support the opposition forces in the country.

MILESTONES Alex Ferguson: Britain’s longest-serving and most decorated football manager. He retired at the end of the season after more than 26 years and nearly 1,500 matches at the helm of Manchester United. Chris Hadfield: Canadian astronaut, he has become a global superstar using his time spent on International Space Station (ISS) to raise awareness and reignite enthusiasm for space travel, posting many pictures and amassing more than 770,000 followers on Twitter. On 12 May 2013 night, on the eve of his saying goodbye to ISS, he posted a cover version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, recorded 370 km above the earth. The video, complete with him strumming an acoustic guitar on the space station, was his parting act. In a tweet, he wrote: "With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here’s Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World.” Space Oddity is not his only venture into music/space station recordings: in December 2012 he became the first to record a song in space, his own work Jewel in the Night, backed by an acoustic guitar. He is also the first (and only) Canadian to ever board Mir, the old Russian space station. He is also the first Canadian ever to do a spacewalk. Dayamani Barla: Tribal rights activist, she has been awarded the Ellen L Lutz indigenous rights award, instituted by Cultural Survival, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organisation which supports the rights of indigenous people. She has been at the forefront of several mass movements, including the campaign against Arcelor Mittal’s steel plant in Jharkhand. Barla’s life story is one of extraordinary determination and achievement in the face of crushing poverty. Barla, who belongs to the Munda tribe in Jharkhand, saved on her small income as a housemaid to complete a Master’s degree. She later entered journalism, becoming the first Adivasi woman journalist from Jharkhand. For her writing, she won the Counter Media Award for rural journalism in 2000. Raha Moharrak: A 25-year-old university graduate, she has become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to climb Mt Everest. She also became the youngest Arab to reach the summit. Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba: A class 11 student, he has become the youngest person from the North East India to conquer Mt Everest. So far, the youngest person to climb Mt Everest is 13-year-old American Jordan Romero, who achieved the feat on 22 May 2010, while the youngest Indian to do it is 16-year-old Delhi school boy Arjun Bajpayee. Chingkheinganba achieved the feat along with Ansu Jamsepa from Arunachal Pradesh, David Zohmangaiha from Mizoram, Tarun Saikia from Assam, Wangsuk Myrthong from Meghalaya and Kazi Sherpa from Sikkim, who made their States proud by becoming the first from their respective States to scale the Everest. Ansu Jamsepa: She has created history by becoming the first woman, who is also a mother, to scale the Mt. Everest thrice. She is from Arunachal Pradesh. Susen Mahato: A rural youth from Jharkhand, he climbed the Mt Everest on 19 May 2013 to become the fourth person from the State to conquer the highest peak in the world. Mahato’s success coincided with the 60th anniversary of the first climb of the peak by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Arunima Sinha: On 21 May 2013, she created history by becoming the first differently-abled Indian to achieve the feat. 26-year-old Arunima was a national-level volleyball player who had lost one of her legs after being thrown off a moving train by hooligans in 2011. In October 2011, 61-year- old US woman Rhonda Graham, a left-leg amputee, had become the world’s first differently-abled woman to climbed Mount Everest. Samina Baig: She has become the first Pakistani woman to set foot on the summit of Mt Everest. She was accompanied by her brother, Mirza Ali, who became only the third Pakistani to climb the world’s highest peak. Twin sisters from India, Nunshi and Tashi Malik , also accompanied Samina and Mirza. Together, the siblings placed the flags of India and Pakistan side by side, making a statement of peace. Nunshi and Tashi Malik: 21-year-old twin sisters from , Uttarkhand, they have became the first twins to climb the Mount Everest. They were assisted by two sherpas who are also twins, Gyanendra and Shrestha. Sudarshan Gautam: A Nepali-born Canadian he has become the first double amputee to climb the world’s highest mountain without the help of prosthetic limbs. Gautam, 30, had lost both his hands at the age of 14 in an accident. He was on a mission to spread the message that "disability is not inability.” Yuichiro Miura: 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber who has had four heart surgeries, he reached the top of Mount Everest on 22 May 2013, becoming the oldest person to conquer the world’s highest mountain. Miura, who first climbed Everest in 2003 and repeated the feat five years later, takes the oldest climber record from Nepal’s Min Bahadur Sherchan, who reached the summit at the age of 76 in 2008. Sudarsan Patnaik: Indian sand artist, he has won the Danish ‘grand prize’ at the 2nd Copenhagen International Sand sculpture festival 2013 for his 15- foot coloured sand sculpture created on the "Go green, Save Earth” theme. Eesha Khare: An 18-year-old Indian-American girl from Saratoga, California, she has invented a super-capacitor device that could potentially charge a cellphone in less than 20 seconds. She has been awarded the Young Scientist Award by the Intel Foundation for the invention. Srikanth Srinivasan: Indian-American, he scripted history after he was confirmed as the first South Asian judge to America’s second highest court. Arvind Mahankali: A 13-year-old boy Indian-American from Bayside Hills, New York, he won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "knaidel”, a kind of dumpling.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - April 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. Willem-Alexander: He has become the king of Netherlands. He is the first King of the Netherlands in over 120 years. Nicolas Maduro: He has been elected as the President of Venezuela. He won 50.7 percent of the votes, compared to 49.1 percent for his young rival Henrique Capriles. Late Hugo Chavez, who ruled for 14 years, had anointed Maduro as his political heir in his last speech to the country before succumbing to cancer on 5 March 2013. Abdul Hamid: Veteran politician and Parliamentary Speaker, he has been elected unopposed as the President of . Enrico Letta: He has taken-over as the Prime Minister of Italy. Moderate deputy head of the Democratic Party (PD), his appointment ended two months of political stalemate in the country. The new coalition will bring his party together with their centre-right arch rivals, the People of Freedom Party, which counts former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as a prominent member. Mr Letta, 46, is promising to focus on improving the economy and unemployment rates, and restoring faith in Italy's discredited political institutions. Anil Goswami: He has been appointed as the Home Secretary of India. Takehiko Nakao: He has been unanimously elected as the ninth President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is Japan’s former Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs. Kris Gopalakrishnan: Co-founder and executive co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, he has been elected as President of CII for 2013-14.

RESIGNED Queen Beatrix: of the Netherlands abdicated on 29 April 2013, handing over the throne to her eldest son. Salam Fayyad: Prime Minister of Palestine.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Olafur Ragnar Grimsson: President of Iceland. During his visit, India apprised him of India’s abiding interest in the ongoing scientific research in the Arctic region. Iceland is the world’s oldest functioning democracy. The Iceland President was conferred Award for International Understanding, 2007. Gen Necdet Ozel: Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces. Fikrat Mammadov: Justice Minister of Azerbaijan. India and Azerbaijan signed an extradition treaty and agreements for mutual legal assistance in criminal and civil matters to combat terrorism during his visit. Mohamed Nazim: Defence Minister of Maldives.

DIED Ruth Prawer Jhabvala: German-born screenwriter and novelist, she is the only person to win both an Oscar and a Booker prize. She was 85. Married to Indian Parsi architect Cyrus H. Jhabvala, she had lived in Delhi for 25 years. She had a long association with Merchant Ivory Productions which yielded her two Academy Awards for her work on the films A Room with a View and Howards End, both adapted from Edwardian-era novels by E. M. Forster. India was the inspiration for many of her stories, including her novel Heat and Dust, which won her the Booker in 1975. She wrote 19 novels and short-story collections that reflected the cultures she absorbed on three continents during her half-century career. Her last short-story collection, A Lovesong for India, was published in 2011, and her last story for The New Yorker appeared in its March 25, 2013, issue. Margaret Thatcher: Former British Prime Minister, she died on April 8, 2013. Known as the "Iron Lady”, she was the first woman Prime Minister of England and also its longest serving, ruling from 1979-1990. She was 87. Robert Edwards: British Nobel Laureate who pioneered the development of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) that led to the birth of the world’s first "test tube baby” died on April 10, 2013. He was 87. Rama Prasad Goenka: Chairman emeritus of RPG Enterprises and the newly formed RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, he died on April 14, 2013. He was 83. Dr Hilary Koprowski: A pioneering scientist who developed a polio vaccine used two years before Jonas Salk’s injectable version, died on April 14, 2013. He was 96. Koprowski developed an oral vaccine using the live polio virus that was first used on humans in 1950. His vaccine was the first to show clinical success. Salk famously developed an injectable version later, while Dr Albert Sabin was the first to have an oral vaccine licensed in the US. Kalaimamani P.B. Sreenivas: Legendary playback singer, he died on April 14, 2013, at the age of 82. He began his career in 1952 with the Hindi movieMr.Sampath, and had rendered thousands of songs in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam. He sang most songs for Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Kannada actor Rajkumar. Shakuntala Devi: Known for her mathematical prowess and the ability to compute complex equations mentally, she died on 21 April 2013, at the age of 80. Credited with solving some frightfully complicated arithmetic problems with apparent ease and astonishing speed, Devi’s calculating skills stunned the world throughout the 1970s and 80s. Her sharpness often made sophisticated digital devices seem inadequate. She held a Guinness World Record for her lightning-speed calculations. Among her distinctions was her ability to, given a date in the last century, mentally ascertain the day. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman: Violin maestro, whose chiseled rendering elevated Carnatic music to new heights, died on 22 April 2013. He was 82. Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma: Former Chief Justice of India and architect of a report that became instrumental in shaping a new, stronger anti-rape law in the country, he died on 22 April 2013. He also served as the chief of the National Human Rights Commission and was the first head of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority. Shamshad Begum: Legendary singer, she was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry and voice behind hit songs like Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar and Kajra Mohabbat Wala. She was 94.

EVENTS APRIL 2—Indian Railways launches first Wi-Fi internet facility in Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express. 2—A dazzling -style opening ceremony kicks off the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Kolkata, with American rapper Pitbull and superstar Shah Rukh Khan stealing the limelight. 12—Supreme Court rejects death-row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s plea for saving him from the gallows, holding that terrorists had no right to seek mercy citing official delays and other reasons. A trial court in Delhi had sentenced Bhullar to death in August 2001 for his role in the 1993 bomb attack on Youth Congress president M.S. Bitta in which nine security personnel were killed and 17 injured, including Bitta. 15—In a major terror strike on the United States of America, two explosions rock the Boston Marathon, killing at least three people and injuring over 144 others. Over 15 people are critically injured. The bombs exploded in the crowded streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. 16—Hundreds of people are killed as a massive earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale rocks Iran. The quake had its epicentre on the Iran- Pakistan border, at a depth of 15.2 kilometres. It was located 86 kilometres east-southeast of the Iranian city of Khash. 18—The Supreme Court of India decides to continue the ban on bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha that are considered sacred by residents and has asked the State High Court to investigate if digging would disrupt the environment or people living there. The Odisha mining project was planned to supply up to 150 million tonnes of bauxite to Vedanta Aluminium, a unit of London-listed Vedanta Resources Plc and India's largest producer of the metal, for a 1-million-tonne a year plant shut since December for lack of the raw material. 18—A Pune court awards death sentence to Indian Mujahideen operative Himayat Baig, who was convicted for his involvement in the German Bakery blast. The attack had left 17 people dead and 64 injured. 19—Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is arrested from his farmhouse, where he had been holed up after Islamabad High Court had ordered his arrest following cancellation of his bail in a case related to the dismissal of judges when he was Pakistan’s President. 24—More than 300 people are killed in the collapse of a building on the outskirts of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, housing factories that made low- cost garments for Western brands.

MILESTONES Srikanth Sri Srinivasan: Indian-American, he has become the first South Asian circuit court judge in the history of the United States. The 94 US judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. A court of appeals hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies. In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims. Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy: He is the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe, solo and non-stop, over a 150-day voyage. P.J. Kurien: Deputy Chairman, he has been unanimously elected the Chairman of the prestigious Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) in Bangkok. Dr Ananda Hota: Astronomer from UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in the Basic Sciences, Mumbai, along with his Taiwanese colleague, Dr Youichi Ohyama from Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica or ASIAA, Taiwan, has discovered a blue super-giant star located in the constellation Virgo, far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, located about 55 million light years from Earth, in the constellation Virgo. It is an ideal laboratory to study the fate of gas stripped from the main body of galaxies falling into the intra-cluster medium. Rabi Lamichhane: A former TV journalist from Nepal turned manager of a fast food restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, returned to his homeland to talk, on air, non-stop for 62 hours and 12 minutes, a feat certified by the Guinness World Records as the longest marathon talk show. Jirouemon Kimura: Japan celebrated the 116th birthday of the world’s oldest living person on 19 April 2013. He was born on April 19, 1897 and became the oldest living person in the world in December 2012. He has a good appetite and eats three meals a day. He has five living children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 14 great-great-grandchildren. He worked at a local post office for 38 years. He turned to farming after his retirement and continued until the age of 90. Gwyneth Paltrow: The 40-year-old actress has been crowned world’s most beautiful woman in People magazine’s annual list, with actress Kerry Washington coming in second place and Les Miserables star Amanda Seyfried coming third.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - March 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED Etc. Xi Jinping: He has been elected as the President of China. Li Keqiang: He has been elected as the Prime Minister of China. Uhuru Kenyatta: He has been elected as the President of Kenya. Milos Zeman: Czech Republic’s first directly elected President. Nicolas Maduro: He has taken over as acting President of Venezuela, following the death of President Hugo Chavez. Mir Hazar Khan Khoso: A retired judge with a strong reputation for honesty, he has been chosen as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan to conduct the May 11, 2013 general elections. 84-year-old Khoso was appointed by the Election Commission after the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and a bipartisan parliamentary committee were unable to choose a caretaker Premier after six days of deliberations. Jorge Mario Bergoglio: of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he has been elected as the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church. Both an insider and an outsider, he is the first pontiff from and the first Jesuit. He will be known as Pope Francis. Ashwani Kumar: He has been appointed as the Governor of Nagaland. Nikhil Kumar: He has been appointed as the Governor of Kerala. Devanand Konwar: He has been appointed as the Governor of Tripura. D.Y. Patil: He has been appointed as the Governor of Bihar. S.C. Jamir: He has been appointed as the Governor of Odisha. Manik Sarkar: He has been elected as Chief Minister of Tripura for a historic fourth successive term. Neiphu Rio: He has been elected as the Chief Mister of Nagaland for third consecutive term. : Union Minister of State Petroleum and Natural Gas, she has been given additional charge as Minister of State for Textiles.

RESIGNED M.K. Alagiri: Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers. S.S. Palanimanickam: Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance. D. Napoleon: Union Minister of State in Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. S. Jagathrakshakan: Union Minister of State in Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. S. Gandhiselvan: Union Minister of State in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas: Foreign Minister of Portugal.

DIED President Hugo Chavez: President of Venezuela. He was one of Latin America’s highest-profile leaders since he swept into office in 1998, had been struggling with cancer for almost two years and had recently undergone surgery in Cuba. He was 58. Zillur Rahman: President of Bangladesh. A veteran ruling party politician, he was named to the largely ceremonial post in 2009. He was 84. Ganesh Pyne: Legendary painter. He was 76. Chinua Achebe: Nigerian novelist and poet, widely seen as a grandfather of modern African literature, who was a moral and literary model for countless Africans and a profound influence on such American writers as Morrison, Ha Jin and Junot Diaz. He was 82.

EVENTS MARCH 5—China’s old guard led by President Hu Jintao bows out of power after highlighting the communist giant’s rise as a world power during their decade long rule, paving the way for new leader Xi Jinping to assume charge of the world’s second largest economy. 7—The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution against the recent North Korean nuclear tests, co-sponsored by the United States and China, imposing new financial sanctions to block financial transactions in support of illicit North Korean activity, crackdown on bulk cash transfers, and further restrict ties to North Korea’s financial sector. 11—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari inaugurate the much-delayed section of a $7.5 billion gas pipeline with groundbreaking ceremony for the Pakistani section of the pipeline, in the Iranian city of Chabahar, near the Pakistan-Iran border, despite the US threat of possible sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme. The 11—North Korea declares the 1953 Korean War armistice nullified, following through on a longstanding threat amid rising tensions with South Korea. The move came as the United States and South Korea were in the midst of two months of joint military drills, which started on March 1. 17—Breaking a jinx, Pakistani politics achieves a major milestone with the National Assembly completing its full term for the first time. 17—The new Chinese leadership takes over power, promising to strive for "great renaissance” to achieve the "Chinese dream” by making the country militarily and economically strong without seeking "hegemony”. 15—Firmly rejecting the resolution passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly on March 14, on Afzal Guru’s hanging, Parliament unanimously adopts a resolution, asserting that Jammu and Kashmir, including territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, was and shall always be an integral part of India. 17— ISRO celebrates the silver jubilee of the launching of the first made-in- India fully operational remote sensing satellite into the space. 19—The DMK, a key constituent of the ruling UPA at the Centre, decides to pull out of the Union government and the UPA alliance over the Sri Lanka issue. "The Government of India did not even consider the amendments (to the US resolution in the UNHRC) proposed by the DMK. So, a situation has arisen where the alliance will not benefit Eelam Tamils in any way. Despite this, if the DMK continues in the Union government, it will be a grave injustice. So, the DMK has decided to pull out of the government and the UPA,” says the official statement. 20—India successfully carries out the maiden test-firing of the over 290 km- range submarine-launched version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in the Bay of Bengal, becoming the first country in the world to have this capability. 21—The Supreme Court upholds the death sentence of Yakub Abdul Razak Memon in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, as also the conviction of Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act. The court, however, reduces Dutt’s six year jail term given by TADA court to five years. 21—India votes in favour of the US-sponsored resolution for promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. It, however, failed to get its amendments incorporated in the text of the document. 24—Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf returns home after more than four years in exile, defying a Taliban death threat to contest historic general elections. 29—Iran, North Korea and Syria block the adoption of a UN arms treaty to regulate the USD 70 billion conventional arms trade around the world, saying it fails to ban sales of weapons to groups that commit "acts of aggression.” The text of the first international treaty on arms trade needed support from all 193 UN member States for its approval. India and others complained that the treaty favours the arms exporting nations and remains silent on the illicit trafficking of such weapons to non-State actors.

MILESTONES Aaryan Balaji: Seven-year-old Aaryan has become the youngest mountaineer in the world to climb Africa’s highest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro (5895 m). Navneet Kaur Dhillon: Chandigarh girl, she won the 2013 contest in a glittering grand finale of the 50th edition of the . Sobhita Dhulipala became the first runner up, while Zoya Afroz was adjudged the second runner up. Nick D’Aloisio: 17-year-old high school student in Britain, he is a programming whiz who has sold his news-reading app, Summly, to Yahoo! For a sum said to be in tens of millions of dollars. Yahoo! Said it would incorporate his algorithmic invention which takes long-form stories and shortens them for reading using smartphones. Nick has also been employed by Yahoo!. Julia Pierson: She is the first women to be appointed as the Director of US Secret Service. Prof U.R Rao: Renowned space scientist, he has been inducted into the highly coveted "Satellite Hall of Fame”, Washington, by the Society of Satellite Professionals International.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - February 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. Mukul Sangma: He has been re-elected as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya. Manik Sarkar: He has been re-elected as the Chief Minister of Tripura. Neiphiu Rio: He has been re-elected as Chief Minister of Nagaland. Mohan Parasaran: He has been appointed as the Solicitor-General of India. Ashok Kumar Mukerji: He has been appointed as Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, replacing Hardeep Singh Puri. T.S. Vijayan: He has been appointed as the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA).

RESIGNED Rohinton F. Nariman: Solicitor General of India. Pope Benedict: Highest religious leader of the catholic Christians, he shocked the world on February 11, 2013 by saying he no longer had the mental and physical strength to cope with his ministry. He is the first pontiff to step down since the Middle Ages. The last Pope to resign willingly was Celestine V in 1294, after reigning for only five months; his resignation was known as "the great refusal” and was condemned by the poet Dante in the "Divine Comedy”. Gregory XII had reluctantly abdicated in 1415 to end a dispute with a rival claimant to the papacy. Boiko Borisov: Prime Minister of , after nationwide protests against high electricity prices and austerity measures.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Francois Hollande: President of France. During his two-day visit, he held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders on ways of enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries. Jigmi Y. Thinley: Prime Minister of Bhutan. The visit led to strengthening, expanding and reinforcing the canvas of economic cooperation and bilateral engagement with Bhutan. David Cameron: Prime Minister of Britain. Ali Larijani: Speaker of Parliament (Majlis) of Iran. DIED Ronald Dworkin: One of America’s most liberal philosophers and constitutional law experts, celebrated for his belief in the idea of moral integrity. He was 81.

EVENTS FEBRUARY 1—The Union Cabinet decides to bring an ordinance to amend the criminal law with focus on crime against women, providing punishment up to the entire life of a convict in case of rape whose terminology has been expanded to ‘sexual assault’. There is provision for 20 year imprisonment for rape, and there will be provision sentence up to the convict’s natural life in case of rape or gang-rape with grievous hurt. Among other amendments is the one making acid attack as a separate offence, carrying minimum punishment of 10 years which may go up to life. For use of force to outrage a woman’s modesty, the punishment has been enhanced from two to five years and for indecent gesture, punishment has been enhanced from one to three years. Rape that leads to death of the victim or leaving her in a vegetative will attract death penalty under the ordinance. 3—President Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to promulgating the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance bringing into force a new law to check crime against women. 9—Afzal Guru, the main accused in the Parliament attack case of December 13, 2001 is hanged in Delhi’s Tihar jail. Guru’s arrest came soon after the attack and he was charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) with waging war against the State being among other charges related to terrorism. 9—MCX-SX, India’s new stock exchange, is inaugurated by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in Mumbai. It had commenced operations in the Currency Derivatives (CD) segment on October 7, 2008. 10—36 people are killed in the Railway station stampede in Allahabad. 11—MCX Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) begins live trading in equities and equity derivatives with its 40-stock index named SX40. MCX-SX is the third full-fledged equity bourse after BSE and NSE. The index is designed to measure the economic performance with better representation of various industries and sectors based on the ICB (industry classification benchmark), a global classification from the FTSE of the London bourse. The index allows fast entry for companies with better free float, market cap and liquidity. SX40 includes companies that have a minimum free float of 10 percent and is within the top 100 liquid companies. 12—North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test. North Korea, which had been threatening a third nuclear test, had informed Beijing and Washington a day earlier of plans to undertake a test. The isolated State is banned under UN Security Council resolutions from developing nuclear and missile technology. 14—Tripura witnesses a massive turnout of 93 per cent in peaceful polling for the 60-member State Assembly. 15—A meteor burns up in a blinding fireball in parts of the Chelyabinsk region, 1,500 kilometers east of Russian capital Moscow, creating a shock- wave that blows out windows and collapses some walls, leaving about 1,000 people injured. The space rock, weighing nearly 10 tons, streaks at 18 kilometres per second across a clear morning. The shock-wave rattles buildings, damages roofs and shatters windows, as super-heated fragments rain down. 15— An asteroid half the size of a football pitch, named 2012 DA14, makes the closest pass ever observed from Earth, some 28,000 kilometres above Indonesia. The asteroid was large enough to potentially devastate a large city if it struck Earth. 18—The International Court of Arbitration at The Hague upholds India’s right to divert water from the Kishanganga hydroelectric project. Pakistan had been objecting to the construction of the hydroelectric project on the Kishanganga River in Kashmir, which is called Neelum upon entering Pakistan. The Kishanganga power plant, in Bandipora district of north Kashmir, is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the River basin. 21—More than 15 people are killed in a series of explosions in Dilsukh Nagar bus stand area of Hyderabad. 23—Meghalaya’s electorate defies a shutdown call to enthusiastically turn up in large numbers at polling booths in the Assembly elections. Nagaland also sees brisk balloting to elect its 60-member Assembly. More than 80 percent voting is recorded in both States. 28—Violence breaks out in Bangladesh after 73-year-old Delwar Hossain Sayedee, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), is sentenced to death by International Crimes Tribunal.

MILESTONES Serena Williams: She climbed back to the top of the world rankings in February 2013, becoming the oldest female player to hold the coveted position at 31. Azim Premji: Chairman of Wipro, he has become the first Indian to dedicate a majority of his wealth to philanthropy by signing up for the Giving Pledge. The billionaire founder of the IT company is scaling up efforts to improve the quality of the education system in India through the Azim Premji Foundation. The Giving Pledge was formed in 2010 to encourage the wealthiest in the US to give a part of their wealth towards philanthropic activities and is now widening the group’s function outside the US to India and China. He has transferred 295.5 million equity shares, representing 12% of the total shares of Wipro Ltd, held by certain entities controlled by him, to an irrevocable trust. With this transfer (valued at about Rs 12,300 crore based on current market price), the trust’s shareholding in Wipro will go up to about 19.93%. This trust will utilize the endowment to fund social, not-for- profit initiatives of the Azim Premji Foundation.

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Events; Appointments; Etc - January 2013

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APPOINTED; ELECTED, Etc. Jeroen Dijsselbloem: Dutch Finance Minister, he has taken over as the Chairman of the key euro-zone Finance Ministers forum. John Kerry: He has been appointed as the Secretary of State of USA. He took over from Hillary Clinton. Y.V. Reddy: Former RBI governor, he has been appointed Chairman of 14th . Justice D.K. Jain: He has been appointed as the Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India, with a three-year term ending on August 31, 2015. The Law Commission gives advice to the government on complex legal issues. Urjit Patel: He has been appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a three-year term ending January 2016. Rajnath Singh: He has been appointed as the President of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

RESIGNED Arjun Munda: Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck: King of Bhutan. He was the Chief Guest at the 2013 Republic Day parade. Rajkeswur Purryag: President of Mauritius. He was the Chief Guest at the 11th Parvasi Bharti Divas (PBD), held at Cochin. Bob Carr: Foreign Minister of Australia. During his visit, wide-ranging talks were held on bilateral issues as well as global developments. India and Australia also announced that they would launch negotiations on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in New Delhi in March, which will facilitate the export of uranium to India to meet its growing energy needs. G.L. Peiris: Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka. During bilateral talks India impressed upon Sri Lanka the need to do more to rehabilitate the Tamils displaced due to the prolonged conflict in the island nation. The two countries also signed accords on combating international terrorism and drug trafficking and avoidance of double taxation.

DIED Aaron Swartz: Internet activist and computer prodigy, who helped create an early version of the Web feed system RSS. He was facing federal criminal charges in a controversial fraud case. He committed suicide at age 26.

EVENTS January 8—Jharkhand’s ruling coalition partner JMM withdraws support to the Arjun Munda-led BJP government. Chief Minister Munda recommends dissolution of the Legislative Assembly. 10—At least 101 people are killed in bombings in two cities in Pakistan, with most casualties caused by sectarian attacks in the city of Quetta. 11—The Election Commission announces Assembly elections to three north- eastern States. Polls in Tripura will be held on February 14 while Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls on February 23. 12—French aircraft pound Islamist rebels in Mali for a second day and neighbouring West African States speed up their plans to deploy troops in an international campaign to prevent groups linked to al Qaeda expanding their power base. France warns that the control of northern Mali by the militants posed a security threat to Europe, as heavily armed Islamist fighters swept southwards towards Mali’s capital Bamako. 12—US President Barack Obama and Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai agree to end "most” combat operations of US troops in Afghanistan by April 2013. The two leaders also back the holding of talks between the Afghan government and Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar. The transition of US troops to a support role by would be several months earlier than the mid-2013 deadline agreed at a NATO summit in Chicago in 2012. 14—The world’s largest gathering of people, the 55-day Kumbh congregation, begins in Allahabad, with tens of thousands of devotees, led by ash-smeared Naga ascetics, taking a dip at the Sangam—the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. 15—Pakistan plunges into a fresh political crisis with the Supreme Court ordering the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for allegedly receiving bribes in power projects. 62-year-old Ashraf, who became Prime Minister after the exit of Yousuf Raza Gilani in June 2012, has been accused of receiving kickbacks and commission in the rental power projects (RPPs) case, as federal minister for water and power. 22—In a major blow to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), a CBI court sentences its chief Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala to 10- year imprisonment for corruption, cheating and forgery in the recruitment of 3,032 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in in 1999-2000 when Chautala was the Chief Minister. 24—David Coleman Headley is sentenced by a US court to 35 years in jail for plotting the . 27—India successfully test-fires the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code- named B05), off the Visakhapatnam coast, marking an end to a series of developmental trials. India is only the fifth country to have such a missile— the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China. 30—South Korea succeeds in its third attempt to put a satellite into orbit in a high-stakes test of national pride after arch-rival North Korea got there first with a rocket launch in December 2012. The 140-tonne Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-I) blasted off from the Naro Space Centre on the south coast, reaching its target altitude nine minutes later and deploying its payload satellite. A positive outcome after successive failures in 2009 and 2010 was critical to ensuring the future of South Korea’s launch programme and realising its ambition of joining an elite global space club.

MILESTONES C.N.R. Rao: Eminent scientist and head of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, he has been awarded a top Chinese science award for his contribution to scientific cooperation between the two countries. Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award with Herbert Jaeckle of Germany’s Max Planck Society and Russian space physicist G.A. Zherebtsov. Shah Rukh Khan: Hindi film industry star, he has topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. Actor Salman Khan is at the second spot while India’s cricket captain M.S. Dhoni is third in the list. Among the top 10 in the list are Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareen Kapoor, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Katrina Kaif.

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Events; Appointments Etc - Dec 12

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. Shinzo Abe: He has been elected as the Prime Minister of Japan. Park Geun Hye: Daughter of a former general who led a military coup in South Korea, she has become the first female President of the country. She defeated Moon Jae In, a lawmaker once jailed in the 1970s for opposing her father’s dictatorial regime. She replaces President Lee Myung Bak, a member of her conservative party. Virbhadra Singh: He has been elected as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Narinder Modi: He has been re-elected as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Ajay Chadha: He has been appointed as the Director General of the Indo- Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP). Arvind Ranjan: He has been appointed as the Director General of the National Security Guard (NSG). Subhash Joshi: He has been appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force (BSF).

RESIGNED Cheick Modibo Diarra: Prime Minister of Mali, hours after he was arrested at home by soldiers acting on the orders of former coup leader Amadou Sanogo. The resignation, on December 11, 2012, plunged further into chaos a country already effectively split in two after armed Islamists linked to al- Qaeda took over the north. Yoshihiko Noda: Prime Minister of Japan.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Vladimir Putin: President of Russia. This was his first trip to India since he started a new Kremlin six-year term in May 2012. Viktor Yanukovych: Ukraine President. Agreements in defence, nuclear and science and technology fields were signed during his visit. Rehman Malik: Pakistan’s Interior Minister.

DIED Pandit Ravi Shankar: Sitar maestro who is credited with popularising Indian classical music far beyond its borders. He was 92. A musician as much at ease with his own genre of music as with others, Shankar’s collaborations with legends in other genres of music and his own contributions to Indian classical music are perhaps unparalleled. His long association with George Harrison of the Beatles led to his performances in legendary concerts like Woodstock and Concert for Bangladesh. Apart from concerts, he composed memorable scores for films like Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi and Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy. He received numerous acknowledgements for his contributions to the world of music, including the , Padma Vibhushan, the Music Council UNESCO award, and the Magsaysay Award. He had also won two Grammy awards. Satguru Jagjit Singh: Spiritual head of the Namdhari sect. He was 92. Tony Greig: Former England captain and celebrated commentator. He was 66.

EVENTS DECEMBER 2012 5—FDI in multi-brand retail gets the approval of the as the Opposition motion seeking immediate withdrawal of the decision is rejected convincingly after walkout by BSP and SP. 218 vote in favour of the Opposition motion, while 253 vote against it in the House where 471 members participated in the voting. The total strength of the House is 545. The House also rejects the motion seeking amendment to the rules notified by the Reserve Bank under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to enable FDI in multi-brand retail. 5—The Supreme Court upholds the election of Pranab Mukherjee as President and dismisses former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader P.A. Sangma’s petition against him. The verdict is delivered by a five-judge constitution bench and goes 3:2 in favour of Mr Mukherjee. Mr Sangma had argued in his petition that Mr Mukherjee held offices of profit on the date of filing of nomination for the election. The petition said Mr Mukherjee was chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata as well as leader of the House in the Lok Sabha when he entered the presidential race. Mr Mukherjee had denied the allegations. 9—After weeks of intense protests and street conflicts over controversial edicts granting Egyptian President sweeping powers, Mohammed Mursi finally rescinds November 22 decrees, but remains firm on his stance on referendum to be held in second week of December. The decrees had armed him with almost unrestricted powers, barring judiciary from challenging his decisions. 13—Union Cabinet clears the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, making it mandatory to seek the consent of 80 per cent of affected landowners in case their land is acquired by private players. 15—Egyptians queue to vote on a Constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis. The opponents, however, reject it as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world’s biggest nation. 23—Egyptian Islamists led by President Mohamed Mursi claim a resounding victory in the two-round referendum on a highly controversial draft constitution as unofficial results show that around 64 per cent of people voted in favour of the new charter. 26—Egyptian President Muhamed Mursi signs into law a new Islamist- drafted Constitution which he says will help end political turmoil and allow him to focus on fixing the fragile economy. 28—Russian President Vladimir Putin signs into law the controversial Parliamentary legislation banning the adoption of Russian children by American families. The law—retaliation for a US law punishing Russian officials implicated in the 2009 prison death of the whistle-blowing attorney Sergei Magnitsky—will come into force on January 1, 2013. 28—Myanmar government decides to allow private daily newspapers, starting in April 1, 2013, for the first time since 1964, in the latest step toward allowing freedom of expression in the long-repressed nation. 30—Twenty one Pakistani security personnel—kidnapped by the Taliban from check posts near Peshawar—are gunned down by the militants.

MILESTONES Olivia Culpo: 20-year-old beauty queen who plays the cello and is a breast cancer advocate, she has been crowned 2012, the eighth time an American has won the pageant. Miss Philippines, 23-year-old Janine Tugonon, was the runner-up and , Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, came third. Miss , Laura Godoy, was chosen Miss Congeniality. Jiroemon Kimura: 115-year-old resident of Kyoto Prefecture’s Kyotango city in Japan, he has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in the world. He became the world's longest-living man as he reached the age of 115 years and 253 days to surpass the previous record holder.

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Events; Appointments Etc - Nov 12

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc Barack Obama: He has been re-elected as the President of the United States of America. Xi Jinping: He has been appointed as the new head of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and President of China. He will take-over in March 2013. Li Keqiang: He has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of China. He will take-over in March 2013. Gulshan Rai: He has been named as the first National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC). Ranjit Sinha: He has been appointed as the Director of Central Bureau of investigation (CBI). Alok Joshi: He has been appointed as the new chief of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), an organisation entrusted with the task of gathering external intelligence. Syed Asif Ibrahim: He has been appointed as the Director of Intelligence Bureau. He is the first Muslim to head the Intelligence Bureau.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Hamid Karazai: President of Afghanistan. Begum Matia Chowdhry: Agriculture Minister of Bangladesh. Aung San Suu Kyi: Nobel Peace laureate and Myanmar’s Opposition leader and pro-democracy icon. Kim Kwan-jin: Defence Minister of South Korea.

DIED : Former Prime Minister of India. He was 92. He became the 12th Prime Minister of India in April 1997. A suave and sober politician, he belonged to that genre of intellectuals who made a mark in the country’s foreign policy and a slice of luck catapulted him to the Prime Minister's office, though briefly. Twice a Foreign Minister, Gujral authored a foreign policy doctrine called the "Gujral Doctrine” (a set of principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India’s immediate neighbours), which was widely acclaimed not only in India but also outside. Born on December 4, 1919 in Jhelum town, now in Pakistan, Gujral belonged to a family of freedom fighters and had actively participated in the freedom struggle at a young age and was jailed in 1942 during the . K.C. Pant: Former Union Minister. He was 81. Bal Keshav Thackeray: Shiv Sena supremo. The 86-year-old cartoonist turned politician was known for his strong views and speaking his mind, sometimes bordering on the offensive.

EVENTS NOVEMBER 4—More than 75 per cent voting is reported in State elections in Himachal Pradesh. 7— US President Barack Obama sweeps to re-election, creating history again by defying the undertow of a slow economic recovery and high unemployment to beat Republican foe Mitt Romney. Obama becomes only the second Democrat to win a second four-year White House term since World War II. 8—A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Guatemala; more than 50 people are reported dead. It is the strongest earthquake to hit Guatemala since a 1976 temblor that killed 23,000. 13— The Union government’s plan to rake in Rs 40,000 crore from the sale of spectrum for 2G mobile services suffers a major blow, with the sale generating a disappointing Rs 9,400 crore with no takers for key circles, including Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and . 14—Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao bow out of the top leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China after a 10-year stint in power, as the party’s key Congress wraps up its meeting after electing a new set of younger leaders. 16—Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolves the Lower House of Parliament for an election in December 2012. 17—Israeli aircraft bomb Hamas government buildings in Gaza, including the Prime Minister’s office; Israel’s cabinet authorises the mobilisation of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion. 19—Indian-American Sunita Williams and her two co-astronauts Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide land on Earth after spending four months in orbit. The three astronauts touched down in the dark, chilly expanses of central , onboard a Soyuz capsule, after a 125-day stay at the International Space Station. 20— India is among the 39 countries that vote against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called for abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the "sovereign right” to determine its own legal system. Among the countries opposing the non-binding resolution were: Bangladesh, China, Korea, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan and the US. 21—Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Ajmal Kasab, convicted for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, is hanged at the Yerawada Jail in Pune. 21—Israel and Palestinian group Hamas agree on a ceasefire brokered by Egypt to end a week-long conflict in the Gaza Strip that claimed at least 150 lives. 23—India successfully test-fires an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying a hostile ballistic missile. 28—India’s push to digitally empower millions of its poor students with low- cost , government-subsidized , internet-enabled tablets, Aakash-II, wins UN endorsement despite raging controversy and misgivings on the provenance and pricing of the device. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon personally approves the Indian effort at the UN Headquarters. Makers (British- Canadian-Indian company Datawind) and chief patron (government of India) of Aakash-II say it will revolutionize education and commerce.

MILESTONES Lieutenant Commander Abhilash Tomy: He is the first Indian to attempt a solo non-stop circumnavigation. He was flagged-off from Mumbai on November 1, 2012. He is sailing in an indigenously made ship Mhadei, which was used three years ago for circumnavigation by another naval officer. That voyage, however, had four stops. : Former deputy governor of RBI, he has taken over as Executive Director on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition to India, he will represent Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan on the board. Ami Bera: An Indian-American physician from California, he has become only the third person of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representative. Dalip Singh Saund, who was a mathematician with farming interests, and Bobby Jindal, who is a health policy expert and currently governor of Louisiana, were the other two. Krzystof Zanussi: Polish filmmaker, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the India International Film Festival of India, Goa.

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Events; Appointments Etc - Oct 12

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc Hugo Chavez: He has been elected as the President of Venezuela for the third consecutive term.

UNION CABINET RESHUFFLE Cabinet Ministers – Overseas Indian Affairs – Communications & Information Technology CP Joshi – Road Transport & Highways Kumari Selja – Social Justice & Empowerment Pawan Kumar Bansal – Railways Salman Khursheed – External Affairs – Rural Development M. – Petroleum & Natural Gas S. – Science & Technology and Earth Sciences – Urban Development & Parliamentary Affairs K. Rahman Khan- Minority Affairs Dinsha J. Patel – Mines Ajay Maken – Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation MM Pallam Raju – Human Resource Development Ashwani Kumar – Law & Justice – Water Resources – Culture

Ministers of State with Independent Charge – Information & Broadcasting Dr. K. – Tourism Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia – Power K.H. Muniappa – Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki – Drinking Water & Sanitation – Corporate Affairs Jitendra Singh – Youth Affairs & Sports

Ministers of State Dr. – Human Resource Development – Labour & Employment – Agriculture & Food Processing Industries KJ Surya Prakash Reddy – Railways – Tribal Affairs – Railways AH Khan Choudhury – Health & Family Welfare Sarvey Sathyanarayana – Road Transport & Highways – Minority Affairs – Urban Development Porika – Social Justice & Empowerment Dr.(Smt.) Kruparani Killi – Communications & Information Technology – Rural Development E. Ahamed – External Affairs D. Purandeswari – Commerce & Industry – Defence & Human Resource Development Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan – New & Renewable Energy R.P.N. Singh – Home K.C. Venugopal – Civil Aviation – Parliamentary Affairs & Planning.

RESIGNED S.M. Krishna: Foreign Minister of India.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Julia Gillard: Australian Prime Minister. The visit was aimed to strengthen ties and increase civil nuclear cooperation. Begum Khaleda Zia: Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. India played host to Zia as part of its ongoing engagement with a democratic and multi- party polity in Bangladesh. With its decision to invite Zia, India tried to dispel the impression that its diplomatic engagement and comfort level was limited to the -led government in Bangladesh. Juan Carlos: King of Spain. He began his three-day State visit to India from October 24, 2012. Economic and investment ties were the focus of his visit. The areas of interest for the two countries include infrastructure, transport and energy. Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at about $5 billion. Timothy Geithner: US Treasury Secretary. Anatoly Serdyukov: Defence Minister of Russia.

DIED Jaspal Bhatti: Punjabi filmmaker and satirist. He was 57. : Eminent Bengali litterateur and Sahitya Akademi President.He was 78. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985 for his historical novelSei Samoy. Yash Raj Chopra: Legendry Hindi film director who was known as the ‘king of romance’. He was 80. He debuted as a director with Dhool ke phool on 1959. Four of his films—Waqt (1965), Ittefaq (1969), Daag (1973) and Deewar (1975 won him Filmfare best director awards. He was awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2005. Antisa Khvichava: A Georgian woman who claimed to be the world’s oldest person. She was 132. She held Soviet-era documents which said she was born on July 8, 1880, but her age was contested and never proven.

EVENTS OCTOBER 9—A 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who spoke out against the atrocities of militants in their former stronghold of Swat, is shot in the head during an assassination attempt by the Taliban. 20—Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launches the nation-wide Aadhaar- based payment system for subsidies and entitlements from Jaipur. 20—50th Anniversary of the India-China war of 1962 is observed by paying tributes to the war heroes.

MILESTONES Felix Baumgartner: Austrian daredevil, he leaped into the stratosphere from a balloon 37 km above Earth. He broke as many as three world records, including the highest skydive ever. Baumgartner jumped from a skateboard sized shelf outside a capsule carried by an enormous balloon. His body pierced the atmosphere at speeds topping 1342 km per hour, becoming the first skydiver to break the speed of sound. Flt Lt Alka Shukla & Flt Lt M P Shumathi: Indian Air Force is preparing the two women helicopter pilots to become the first IAF women pilots in combat roles. Manda Banerji: She is leader a team of Cambridge University researchers who have discovered a zoo of monster black holes lying billions of kilometres beyond the constellation Virgo. Fiercely swirling giant clouds of thick dust had surrounded the black hole zoo till Banerji’s team penetrated it with a cutting-edge infrared telescope. Malala Yousafzai: 14-year-old girl from swat region of Pakistan who stood up to the might of the Taliban and started a crusade for education of girls all over Pakistan. She was almost killed by the Taliban but survived the gruesome attack. She was ultimately saved by transferring her to a hospital in Birmingham and the world community providing her with best medical aid. Anil Kumble: Former India cricket team captain, he has been appointed as chairman of ICC’s cricket committee. Monisha Kaltenborn: She has become the first woman to head a F-1 team. The 41-year-old India born is the team principal of Peter Sauber’s racing team. Sachin Tendulkar: He has been awarded the ‘Membership of Order of Australia’, making him only the fourth non-Australian cricketer to be so honoured.

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Events; Appointments Etc - Sept 12

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APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. Justice Altamas Kabir: He has been appointed as the next Chief Justice of India. He will be the 39th Chief Justice of India and the fourth Muslim to hold the top post in India’s history. He began his legal career as layer in the Calcutta High Court in 1973 and was appointed as a permanent judge of the Court in 1990. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2005. He will hold the post for little over nine months, until he retires on July 19, 2013.

RESIGNED Mukul Roy: Union Minister, Railways. Sultan Ahmed: Union Minister of State, Tourism Sandeep Bandopadhyay: Union Minister of State, Health. Shishir Adhikari: Minister of State, Rural Development. Chaudhary Mohan Jatua: Union Minister of State, Information & Broadcasting. Prof Saugata Roy: Union Minister of State, Urban Development.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS Gen Liang Guanglie: China’s Defence Minister. his visit was part of stepped up diplomacy with neighbouring countries by Chinese military to reduce suspicion, enhance mutual trust and minimise miscalculations over territorial disputes. He is the first Chinese Defence Minister to visit India in eight years. Emomali Rahmon: President of . Strengthening defence ties with Tajikistan was top on agenda of the visit. Seeking to push its "Connect Central Asia policy”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held wide-ranging talks with Rahmon, who has been at the helm of affairs in hydrocarbon-rich Tajikistan for 20 years. Discussions on Indian assistance for upgrading the Ayni airbase and setting up a military hospital in Tajikistan were also held. This was the Tajik leader’s fifth visit to India and it coincided with the 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

DIED Verghese Kurien: Father of White Revolution in India and the founder of Amul. He was 90. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, he was the master-brain behind making India the largest milk producer in the world. He was also the recipient of the World Food Prize and the Magsaysay Award. Kurien was the architect of Operation Flood–the largest dairy development program in the world. He also helped modernise the Anand model of cooperative dairy development. K.S. Sudarshan: Former RSS chief, who headed the outfit from 2000 to 2009. He was 81. Eric Hobsbawm: The most influential historian of his time. He was 95. His works on the 20th century were read by generations of students, despite his allegiance to the Communist Party. Brajesh Mishra: India’s first national security adviser, who was also principal secretary to the then Prime minister A.B. Vajpayee.

EVENTS SEPTEMBER 9—India’s space odyssey crosses a historic landmark its 100th mission since launch of its first satellite Aryabhata in 1975. A Polar Satellite Launch vehicle (PSLV-C21) successfully puts into orbit two satellites—Spot 6, a French earth observation satellite, and Poiteres, a Japanese micro-satellite. 12—Germany’s Constitutional Court gives a green light for the country to ratify Europe’s new bailout fund with a rider that the German Parliament be given a veto right over any increase in Berlin’s contribution to the 700 billion euro European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The decision boosts the hopes that the single currency bloc is finally putting in place the tools to reolve its three-year-old debt crisis. 12—US Ambassador to Libya and three other diplomats are killed in a furious attack on their consulate and a safe house in the eastern city of Benghazi, by gunmen blaming USA for a film they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad. 29—India’s heaviest ever advanced communication satellite, GSAT-10, is launched successfully from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.

MILESTONES : The World Bank has appointed him as its chief economist and senior vice-president. He had been the Chief Economic Adviser to government of India till July 2012. Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda: He won India’s first medal—a silver—at the London Paralympic Games. He is India’s 8th Paralympic medal winner and first in high jump. He is also the third Indian to win a silver. Jeet Thyali: Poet-turned-novelist, his debit novel, ‘Narcopolis’ has been shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize for fiction. Arunima Sinha: A national level volleyball player who lost her leg after being thrown out of a moving train in April 2011, she has become an inspiration for differently-able people. On September 3, 2012, she climbed the 21,110 Chamser Kangri mountain in Ladakh after training with Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to conquer Mt Everest. Sunita Williams: She has become the second woman in history to take over as the commander of the International Space Station (ISS). She took- over as the commander on September 17, 2012. The first woman was Peggy Whitson in 2007-08. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: The United Nations has appointed her as a goodwill ambassador, with a mission to help stop new HIV infections in children and promote increased access to anti-retro-viral treatment.

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