Pd --(Feburary) News and Event- -( Feburary) Magazine-3--( Feburary) Magazine-4--( Feburary) Weekly Gk -- ( 1 -28 Feburary )
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
These Notes Include PD --(FEBURARY) NEWS AND EVENT- -( FEBURARY) MAGAZINE-3--( FEBURARY) MAGAZINE-4--( FEBURARY) WEEKLY GK -- ( 1 -28 FEBURARY ) PD: FEBRUARY - 2014 NATIONAL WTO INKS LANDMARK PACT: After five days of hard negotiations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) reached a historic deal designed to ease movement of goods across countries and allow developing nations more options to feed their poor as India successfully lobbied in favour of state-funded welfare schemes. The first ever reform deal: This is the first ever trade reform deal agreed upon on the 159 member countries of the WTO after it was set up in 1995. A study by the Washington DC-based Peterson Institute of International Economics estimated that the agreement would inject $ 960 billion into the global economy and create 21 million jobs- 18 million of them in developing countries. SUPREME COURT REINSTATES BAN ON GAY SEX: The Supreme Court rein stated a colonial-era ban on gay sex that enables that jailing of homosexuals in a major setback for rights campaigners in the country. HAMID KARZAI VISITED INDIA: Afghanistan President ,Hamid Karzai paid a three day visit to India in the second week of December. India has poured $ 2 billion in reconstruction aid into Afghanistan, and Karzai is understood to have pleaded for further support, including military assistance in his meetings. UNION MINISTER SIS RAM OLA PASSES AWAY: Union Labour and Employment Minister Sis Ram Ola passed away at a Gurgaon hospital. A recipient of the the Padma Shri award in 1968, Ola started girls education in a remote area in rural Rajasthan with three girls in the school known as Indira Gandhi Balika Niketan Ardawata in 1952. PARLIAMENT PASSES THE LOKPAL BILL: After eight unsuccessful attempts over the last five decades, Indian Parliament took the historic step of passing the Lokpal Bill by which an anti-corruption watchdog would be established that will have in its purview even the office of the Prime minister. AGNI-III TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY BY SFC PERSONNEL: In the fifth consecutive success of its flight trial, nuclear weapons capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile was test-fired for its full range of a little over 3000 km from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast. 1 CABINET CLEARS CONSTITTUTIONAL STATUS FOR JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION (JAC): The Union Cabinet gave its nod for conferring constitutional status to the proposed Judicial appointments Commission (JAC) for appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary. The JAC Bill seeks to set up a six-member body under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of India for recommending names to the President of individuals with outstanding legal acumen and impeccable integrity and credibility for judgeship in the Supreme Court and the High Courts. It would also recommend transfer of judges of one High Court to another. WORLD CHILE’S SOCIALIST PARTY SWEEPS POLLS: MICHELLE BACHELET WINS PRESIDENTIAL RUN OFF ELECTION: Socialist Michelle Bachelet easily trounced her conservative rival was swept back into Chile’s presidency on a platform of narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor. NELSON MANDELA IS NO MORE: Nelson Mandela, the towering figure of Africa’s freedom struggle and a hero to millions around the world, passed away on December 6, 2013.He was 95. The two shared the Peace Nobel prize in 1993. India conferred the Bharat Ratan on Mandela in 1990 in recognition of his contribution to humanity. He was last seen in public at the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg , a tournament he helped bring to South Africa for the first time. URUGUAY BECOMES THE FIRST COUNTRY TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA TRADE: Uruguay has approved pioneering legislation legalising marijuana, becoming the first country in the world to oversee the production and sale of the drug. IRAN SENDS SECOND MONKEY INTO SPACE: Iran said that it had successfully sent a monkey into space for a second time, part of an ambitious programme aimed at manned space flight. Iran’s state TV said that the launch of the rocket dubbed Pajohesh, or research in Persian, was first use of liquid fuel and reached height of 120 km. It said that the monkey, named Fargam or Auspicious, was returned to earth safely. EUROPE LAUNCHES SATELLITE TO MAP 1 BILLION STARS: The European Space Agency launched its star- surveying satellite Gaia into space hoping to produce the most accurate three dimensional map of the Milky way and to better understand the evolution of our galaxy. PAKISTAN SHARIAT COURT GETS FIRST WOMAN JUDGE: Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan administered the oath of office to Justice Ashraf Jehan, the first woman judge. ACRONYMS AAP : Aam Admi Party ANC: African National Congress EDI: Education Development Index HPCL : Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. RTE: Right to Education PERSON IN NEWS URSULA VON DER LEYEN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel named Ursula von der Leyen as her new defence minister. SUSHMA SINGH: Sushma Singh , the senior most information commissioner, will be the next chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of India. She will succeed Deepak Sandhu, who completes her term in December 2013. ABDUL BASIT: Pakistan government has appointed career diplomat Abdul Basit as the new high commissioner to India. 2 RANJAN MATHAI: Ranjan Mathai, former foreign secretary of India, has taken over as the country’s next high commissioner to the UK. Mathai succeeds Jaimini Bhagwati , who retired recently. POPE FRANCIS: Time Magazine named Pope Francis its person of the year, saying that in 9 months the head of the catholic Church had become a new voice of conscience. RONNIE BIGGS: Britain’s most notorious criminal known as ‘The Great Train Robber ’ dies in London. MIKHAIL KALSHNIKOV: Mikhail Kalshnikov , the designer of the assault rifle that has killed more people than any other firearm in the world died . ECONOMY CAD DECLINES TO 1.2% OF GDP, LOWEST SINCE 2010: On Current Account Deficit (CAD) front India got a relief as CAD narrows down the level which is the lowest since 2010. CAD for the quarter ended September 2013 narrowed sharply to $ 5.2 billion , or 1.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), from $ 21 billion (5 % of GDP) in the year ago period, mainly due to curbs on imports of non-essential items like gold and a pick-up in exports. RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INTRODUCED IN EXPORT SECTOR: Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurates the IT based Risk Management System (RMS) for the customs clearance of export goods. Government has introduced RMS to enhance trade facilitation in export sector and to check smuggling of drugs , weapons and other illegal substances harmful to the country. FIRST ROBOTIC DAIRY PLANT OPENED BY AMUL: India’s first robotic dairy plant has been opened in Virar, in suburban Mumbai by Amul Dairy, the largest food brand in India for milk and milk products. MAHARAJAS EXPRESS WINS WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS FOR 2ND TIME: World Travel Awards celebrated its 20th Anniversary announced the winners for World Travel Awards 2013. At this ceremony Maharajas Express become World’s Leading Luxury Train for the 2nd consecutive year. INDIA AND UAE SIGN BIPPA: India and UAE have signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection agreement (BIPPA) that seeks to accelerate fresh capital inflows from the emirates and provide a thrust to stalled projects. The deal was signed between Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, UAE’s minister of state for financial affairs, and Union Minister of State for finance Namo Narain Meena. BLACK MONEY OUTFLOW FROM INDIA AT RS 21 LAKH CRORE IN DURING 2002-11: Total black money outflow from India was nearly $ 343 billion (nearly Rs 21 lakh crore @ Rs 62/ US $) during 2002- 2011, says a report ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries : 2002-2011’. This puts India as the fifty largest exporter of illicit money, the report adds. The report said six of the top 15 exporters of illicit capital in 2011 are from Asia (China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines). Over the past decade, illicit outflows from developing countries increased by 10.2 % each year in real terms significantly outpacing GDP growth. AWARD ANDY MURRAY CROWNED BBC SPORTS PESONALITY OF THE YEAR 2013: Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray has been crowned the 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the year. The 26 year old scot player Murray who became the first Briton in 77 years to clinch the Wimbledon men’s singles title with victory over Novak Djokovic in the summer of 2013, received this award from Martina Navratilova in Miami. KAPIL DEV CHOSEN FOR COL. C.K. NAYUDU AWARD: India’s one of the greatest cricker Kapil Dev Nikhanj has been selected for the prestigious Col. C.K.Nayudu lifetime achievement award for the year 2013 for his remarkable and unparallel contribution to cricket in India. 3 M.S.DHONI WINS ICC’S LG PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: Mahendra Singh Dhoni , the captain and wicketkeeper batsman of the Indian Cricket team has bagged the ICC’s LG People’s Choice Player of the year Award for the year 2013. FRANCK RIBERY IS FRENCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Franck Ribery, the Bayern Munich Winger was named French player of the year by France Football Magazine. PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR GETS GRAMMY NOMINATION POSTHUMOUSLY: b Legendary music maestro Panidt Ravi Shankar got a posthumous nomination at 56th Grammy Awards with his album ‘The Living Room Sessions Part-2’ in the world music section. STENSON NAMED EUROPEAN TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sweden’s star golfer Henrik stenson was named the Ruropean Tour’s Golfer of the year for 2013. AUNIL CHHETRI NAMED AIFF PLAYER OF 2013: The All India Football Federation awards for the year 2013 were announced by the AIFF President Praful Patel at the Annual General Meeting of AIFF.