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Current Affairs eBook July 2013 Page 1

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Current Affairs eBook July 2013




Table of Contents

Preface ......................................................................................................................................18

Pick of the Month......................................................................................................................19

Cambodian Election 2013: Ruling Party claimed Victory ....................................................19

Presidential Election in Pakistan ........................................................................................20

Telangana the 29th State of India announced .....................................................................23

Clinical Trials on Humans Require Mandatory Standards ...................................................27

New Prince of Britain, Named George Alexander Louis ......................................................28

Julian Assange launched Political Party in Australia ...........................................................29

India and China focussed on Confidence Building Measures ..............................................30

India, Belarus signed protocol to Enhance Trade Ties ........................................................30

Photo Identity Mandatory for Purchase of Acid .................................................................32

RBI Reduced Realisation Period for Exporters to Nine Months ..........................................33

INSAT-3D, the Advanced Meteorological Satellite of India .................................................34

NASA Released Images of Earth Taken by Distant Spacecraft.............................................35

Dolphins React When Called by Their Name: Research ......................................................36

US dropped Bombs on Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ......................................................37

Veteran actor Pran died due to prolonged Illness ..............................................................38

Andy Murray won Wimbledon Mens Single Trophy ..........................................................38

FIPB Cleared Jet-Etihad Deal; But With Certain Conditions ................................................41

Amar Gopal Bose, the Founder of Bose Corporation Died..................................................42

International | World ................................................................................................................46

President of Ireland signed the Abortion Bill into Law .......................................................46

India and Afghanistan signed MoUs under SDP Scheme ....................................................46

James Comey to be the Next Director of FBI ......................................................................46




Saudi Arabia to Develop Metro Line in Riyadh ...................................................................48

IMF approved 1.7 Billion Euros for Greece's Bailout ..........................................................49

India & Senegal Signed Program for Cultural Cooperation .................................................50

Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian Prisoners .............................................................51

US decided to stop the Delivery of Four F-16 Fighters to Egypt ..........................................51

SC of Pakistan directed EC to hold Presidential Election ....................................................51

14th Meet of Home Secretaries of India and Bangladesh ....................................................52

India and Nigeria signed agreement for Solar Power Plants ...............................................53

EU Listed Military Wing of Hezbollah as a Terrorist Org .....................................................54

Prince Philippe sworn in as the Seventh king of Belgium ...................................................54

Japan's Ruling Coalition won Majority in Upper House ......................................................55

Constitution Amendment Task of Egypt Started by Panel ..................................................56

China lifted Control on Banks ............................................................................................56

Religious Freedom Deteriorating in Pakistan: Report .........................................................56

Bangladesh approved a Labour Law to boost Worker Rights .............................................57

Iran agreed to take all Oil Payments from India in Rupees .................................................58

India became the biggest buyer of Nigerias Crude Oil .......................................................58

PDP won the National Assembly Elections in Bhutan .........................................................59

China cancelled construction of Nuclear processing Plant .................................................59

United Nations asked Myanmar to end attacks on Rohingyas ............................................60

India has Right to Pursue Exploration in South China Sea ..................................................60

France and Switzerland signed New Inheritance Tax Deal..................................................61

President of Portugal approved Reshuffled Government ...................................................62

U.S. Navy landed First Unmanned Aircraft Carrier in Atlantic .............................................62

India agreed to co-operate Mongolia in Renewable Energy ...............................................63

India and Tanzania Agreed on Bilateral Cooperation .........................................................64




External Affairs Minister of India visited Nepal ..................................................................64

Japanese Royal Couple, the Emperor and Empress to visit India ........................................67

Hazem El-Beblawi named as new Prime Minister of Egypt .................................................67

Abdoulaye Bathily appointed Dep. Head of UN Mission to Mali.........................................69

India and Albania signed AGREEMENT on Double Taxation ...............................................71

India and Iraq signed Pact to enhance Co-Operation .........................................................72

Malaysia withdrew Bill on Unilateral Conversion of Child ..................................................73

UN released Millennium Development Goals Report 2013 ................................................73

Chinas Ex-Minister sentenced to death for Power Misuse ................................................78

North & South Korea held Talks to re-open Joint Indst. Zone .............................................79

Venezuela and Nicaragua offered Asylum to Edward Snowden .........................................80

IOR-ARC Nations agreed to Promote Trade .......................................................................80

India and Vietnam set up Joint Panel for ICT Sector ...........................................................82

Irish Lawmakers backed Bill Legalizing Abortion ................................................................82

Kosovo introduced Visa Regime for 87 Countries ..............................................................83

India and Nepal agreed on Cooperation in Tourism ...........................................................83

S.Arabia extended Amnesty Period for Illegal Foreign Workers .........................................83

India-China Trade Deficit Reached 12 Billion US Dollars .....................................................84

Croatia became the 28th Member of the European Union ................................................85

World Dairy ...............................................................................................................................86

National ....................................................................................................................................91

Government Launched Emergency Care Initiatives on NH-8 ..............................................91

Cyber Crime Offenders of Younger Age Group Rising: NCRB ..............................................92

Plan to set-up a New Marine Training Academy at Tuticorin .............................................93

176.98 crore Rupees sanctioned for Kole Land Development ............................................93

Railways to approach UP and Haryana for Recovery of Losses ...........................................94




Poverty Ratio of India declined to 21.9 percent .................................................................94

Central Supervisory Board meet Held on PC & PNDT Act ...................................................96

SC Directed Government to Enforce Tobacco Ad Rules at Shops........................................97

REC extended CSR Support under Super 30 Initiative.........................................................97

Land Rights to Women National Land Reform Policy Draft 2013 ........................................98

Parliament to Ratify Indira-Mujib Pact of 1974 ..................................................................99

Cyber Security Initiative Put on Fast Track by NSA ........................................................... 100

SC: Notice to Uttarakhand for Failure to Implement DMA ............................................... 101

PSC on Finance finalised GST Report ................................................................................ 102

Govt Approved creation of Strike Corps along China Border ............................................ 102

SC refused to reduce the Age of Juvenile from 18 to 16 Years ......................................... 103

Union Cabinet approved amendments to Marriage Law .................................................. 104

Plan Scheme-Development Comm and Info Dissemination .............................................. 104

NTCC Campaign called Tears You Apart Launched ........................................................... 104

SC refused to reduce Juvenile Age from 18 to 16 years .................................................... 105

System for Electronic Transfer of Funds Launched ........................................................... 106

Pranab Mukherjee launched Kisaan Portal ...................................................................... 106

PMs Monitoring Group cleared 4 projects ...................................................................... 107

SC: Ownership of Minerals to be vested with Owner of Land........................................... 108

Union Cabinet of India approved setting up of a NAU ...................................................... 108

Cabinet gave its approval for Repeal of Rent Act in Delhi................................................. 109

Person in Jail or Police Custody cannot Contest Elections: SC .......................................... 110

Govt approved Proposal to replace DGCA with New Regulator........................................ 110

Govt announced disbanding of the three DRDA ............................................................... 111

Union Government hiked sugar import duty to 15 Percent.............................................. 112

Govt announced 20% cut in Haj Quota ............................................................................ 112




Women officers to be inducted in BSF for First Time ....................................................... 113

Pranab Mukherjee signed Ordinance on Food Security.................................................... 114

Law Com Extended date for Suggestions on Electoral Reforms ........................................ 114

Govt to launch MGPSY Scheme for Blue-Collar Indian workers ........................................ 115

SC: VRS Benefit is not Matter of Right.............................................................................. 116

Ordinance to implement Food Security Approved by Cabinet .......................................... 116

Prime Minister Committee held its Second Meeting on NEGP ......................................... 117

SC ordered State Govts to Curb Sale of Adulterated Milk................................................. 119

Government launched National Cyber Security Policy 2013 ............................................. 120

The Madras High Court upheld the Ban on LTTE .............................................................. 121

Haryana Adopted 25 Flood Affected Villages of Uttarakhand .......................................... 122

I&B Ministry cancelled licenses of 61 TV Channels ........................................................... 122

India Dairy ............................................................................................................................... 123

Economy ................................................................................................................................. 130

First Quarter Review of Monetary Policy for 2013-14 ...................................................... 130

India and Saudi Arabia decided to set up SIBN ................................................................. 131

India achieved a Record Production of Pulses .................................................................. 131

RBI imposed Restrictions on Imports of Gold ................................................................... 131

Revived New Bhopal Textile Mills of NTC Inaugurated ..................................................... 132

Securities Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2013................................................................ 133

ICAR and the ICAT Signed more than 60 MoUs ................................................................ 134

Indias Foreign Exchange Reserves increased to 280.19 Billion $ ..................................... 134

India signed agreement with ADB on loan for NKUSIP ..................................................... 135

RBI opened 25000 Crore Rupee Special Liquidity Window for MFs .................................. 136

Government approved Proposal to give SEBI more Powers ............................................. 137

Government raised FDI in Telecom Sector to 100 percent ............................................... 137




Government allocated 1200 Crore as SCA to TSP in 2013-14 ........................................... 139

RBI announced slew of Measures to Curb Rupee Volatility .............................................. 142

RBI fined 22 Banks for violating KYC Norms ..................................................................... 142

FDI increased into India to 2.32 Billion US Dollars in April 2013 ....................................... 143

India's Exports in June 2013 valued at 23785.64 Million $ ............................................... 144

Visa on Arrival Scheme registered 22.9 % Growth in June 2013 ....................................... 145

Government approved MIIUS .......................................................................................... 145

Jewellers decided to suspend Sale of Gold Coins for 6 Months ........................................ 146

CCEA approved Disinvestment of Government Stake in STC ............................................ 147

Direct Tax Collection for June Quarter increased by 11.52% ............................................ 147

CAI estimated Lower Production of Cotton in 2012-13 .................................................... 148

Proposed Investments in India fell to 75% in FY12-13: Assocham .................................... 148

Railway Revenue Earnings increased by 11.93% .............................................................. 149

Chinas Consumer Inflation rose to 2.7% in June 2013 ..................................................... 150

India-Israel Trade grew to 6 billion Dollars in 2012-13 ..................................................... 151

FIPB approved 7 Pharma FDI Proposals ........................................................................... 151

Government Released RTC Form for EPFO ....................................................................... 152

Telecom Commission approved hike in FDI cap to 100 percent ....................................... 153

FII pulled out 5.6 billion Dollars from Debt Market .......................................................... 153

Environment & Ecology ........................................................................................................... 155

Rare Egyptian Vultures Spotted in the Forest Range of Odisha ........................................ 155

Panel Recommended an Indefinite Suspension on GM Crops .......................................... 155

Polluter Pay Principle on the Yamuna River: NGT............................................................. 156

Stick-slip Movements caused Vibrations in Redoubt Volcano .......................................... 157

Deforestation Dropped in Congo Basin Rainforest of Africa ............................................. 158

Earthquake of Magnitude 6.9 struck New Zealand Coast ................................................. 158




New Technology for Successful Greening of Deserts........................................................ 159

Clearance for an International Airport in Kannur ............................................................. 159

Number of Butterflies in UK at Historic Low: Conservationists ......................................... 160

Europe reached an agreement on Fisheries Reform ........................................................ 161

UN Forum to Boost Sustainable Development Efforts...................................................... 162

Bombay Natural History Society get grant of 63-lakh Rupees .......................................... 163

Graduate Course on Disasters, Environment & Risk Reduction ........................................ 164

Science & Technology ............................................................................................................. 166

Scientists decoded Human Brain's ability to Pay Attention .............................................. 166

Scientists created Worlds Fastest Electrical Switch ......................................................... 166

Variation in Structures of Brain Arteries causes Migraine ................................................ 167

Indias First Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Bus Developed ................................................ 168

Software tool to curb Dengue and Malaria developed ..................................................... 169

Biosensor for Measuring Athletes Exhaustion Level ......................................................... 170

Diskagma Buttonii, 2.2 Billion Year Old Fossils, discovered .............................................. 170

Technique to Reverse Blindness in Humans Developed ................................................... 171

ISRO to improve Transponder Allocation Norms .............................................................. 172

Computer Program to Accurately Recognise Wolf Howl .................................................. 173

World's first trip to Moon's South Pole in 2016 ............................................................... 174

Curiosity confirmed that Mars is Composed Mostly of CO2 .............................................. 175

Singing Can Help Learn Foreign Language Better: Research ............................................. 176

New horned Dinosaur Species discovered in Utah Desert ................................................ 176

New Zealand launched Joint US-German Space Project ................................................... 177

Smartphone App to Detect Breast Cancer Early ............................................................... 177

Neptunes 14th moon discovered by Hubble Space Telescope ......................................... 178

Genomes of 201 Microbes Sequenced by the Scientists .................................................. 179




Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant went Critical ............................................................. 179

Charon: largest Moon of Pluto spotted ............................................................................ 180

NASAs Hubble discovered Blue Planet 63 light-years Away ............................................. 181

1st IVF baby born using New Embryo Screening Technique .............................................. 182

Scientists detected Mysterious Bursts of Radio Waves .................................................... 183

Corporate ................................................................................................................................ 185

Yes Bank became the First Lender in India to hike Deposit Rates ..................................... 185

Prasar Bharti and Australian Network signed an Agreement............................................ 185

British Airways to launch Flights from Hyderabad to London ........................................... 186

Omnicom and Publicis Decided to Merge ........................................................................ 186

Educomp and HCL Infosystems partner for lifecycle services ........................................... 187

Free Wikipedia Access on Mobile .................................................................................... 188

SC slapped Contempt Notices on Two Sahara Firms ........................................................ 189

TRAI released Consultation Paper on Spectrum Sale ........................................................ 189

Ford is the First Automaker to Participate in GGR Programme ........................................ 189

Neil Mills, the CEO of SpiceJet Quit from his Post ............................................................ 190

Afcons to set Fabrication Facility in Gujarat ..................................................................... 191

Huawei Technologies to Work on 5G Mobile Technology ................................................ 191

NTPC Subsidiary entered into Agreement with KSEB ....................................................... 192

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts 3rd Hotel in Africa ..................................................................... 192

Penguin Books India Launched New Web Portal .............................................................. 193

Morgan Stanley Ultra Short-Term Fund Launched ........................................................... 193

Drugmakers tied up to Bring Pneumonia Vaccine to India ............................................... 194

NSE at Top among Worlds largest Bourse for Equity Trade ............................................. 194

Sula Vineyard, decided to Enter Market of Sikkim ........................................................... 196

Lanco Australia Got Approval to develop Coal Handling Berth ......................................... 196




Satyam Formally merged with Tech Mahindra ................................................................. 196

LG to UNVEIL SLIMMEST Full HD LCD Panel for Smart phones ......................................... 197

SBI launched State Bank Xpress Money Card ................................................................... 198

DLF sold Wind Mill in Gujarat for 325 Crore Rupees ........................................................ 198

Bharti Airtel bought Majority Stake in Qualcomm's India Unit ......................................... 198

World's 1st Smartphone with Firefox OS Launched .......................................................... 199

Nokia bought Siemens stake in Nokia Siemens Networks ................................................ 199

Sports...................................................................................................................................... 201

Aditya Mehta won Snooker Gold Medal in the World Games .......................................... 201

India defeated Nepal to lift Under-16 SAFF Football Title 2013 ........................................ 201

Schweinsteiger Won Journalists' Player of the Year Award .............................................. 201

India topped in the ICCs ODI Ranking .............................................................................. 202

Tour de France 2013: Chris Froome won 100th Edition of Race ........................................ 202

India's K Jennitha Anto won IPCA World Chess Championship ......................................... 204

Shane Warne, Retired from All Forms of Cricket .............................................................. 204

Devendra won Gold at IPC Athletics World Championships ............................................. 206

Martina Hingis inducted in Tennis Hall of Fame ............................................................... 207

India finished at 4th Position in the Archery World Cup Stage 3 ....................................... 207

Deepika Kumari and two others won Gold Medal in Archery ........................................... 208

India's K Jennitha Anto won IPCA World Chess Championship ......................................... 208

Serena Williams won Swedish Open title ......................................................................... 209

Divij Sharan and Purav Raja won maiden ATP title at Bogota ........................................... 209

Oussama Mellouli won Gold in 5 km Open Water Race ................................................... 210

Shane Warne inducted into ICC Hall of Fame at Lords ..................................................... 210

Santosh Lal the Inventor of Helicopter Shot Died............................................................. 211

Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell found Positive in Doping Test .............................................. 211




Scottish Open 2013: Golfer Phil Mickelson won the title ................................................. 212

Abhijeet Gupta won Commonwealth Chess Championship.............................................. 213

India retained its Top Position in ICC ODI Ranking ........................................................... 214

India won West Indies Tri-Nation Series Final .................................................................. 214

Shane Warne to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame ........................................ 215

Krishan Kaushik appointed coach of Indian Hockey Team ................................................ 216

Lajja Goswami won Silver in shooting World Cup ............................................................ 216

India moved to Second Spot in ICC Test Rankings ............................................................ 217

IOC extended Deadline for Indian Olympic Association ................................................... 217

New Zealand Fast Bowler Chris Martin announced Retirement ....................................... 218

FIFA barred Iraq from holding any Friendly Football Matches .......................................... 219

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Torch to be sent in Space ..................................................... 219

Al Mana Sports Right Activist of Qatar honoured by IOC.................................................. 220

Brazil Won FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 ............................................................. 221

State ....................................................................................................................................... 223

IGL Suraksha Yojana Launched in Delhi ............................................................................ 223

Rail and Road Projects Launched in Haryana ................................................................... 224

Food Security Scheme in Delhi ......................................................................................... 224

First Textile Park inaugurated at Bagru near Jaipur .......................................................... 225

Tax Exemption to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in Maharashtra ................................................... 225

Maharashtra extended Ban on Gutkha and Paan Masala ................................................. 226

TDCCOL Opened Tribal World Outlet at Biju Patnaik Airport ............................................ 226

69200 crore plan for Uttar Pradesh for 2013-14 .............................................................. 227

Goa slashed Entry Toll for Vehicles from Maharashtra..................................................... 228

Kerela approved Tapping Unfermented Sap from Coconut .............................................. 229

Health Ministry launched WIFS Programme in Bangalore ................................................ 229




MP Police Security Scheme to be implemented in State .................................................. 230

Permission to Dance Bars in Maharashtra ....................................................................... 230

Delhi: No Arrest under IT Act without Approval ............................................................... 231

Arab pledged to improve Welfare of Minorities in Karnataka .......................................... 231

Gujarat to introduce a Cruise Liner Service ...................................................................... 232

Punjab Government launched Night Policing Scheme ...................................................... 232

Hemant Soren sworn in as Ninth Chief Minister of Jharkhand ......................................... 233

Pranab Mukherjee revoked President's Rule from Jharkhand .......................................... 234

Committee to oversee reconstruction in Uttarakhand ..................................................... 235

J&K Plan for 2013-14 finalized by Planning Commission of India ...................................... 235

Allahabad High Court put a Ban on Caste-based Rallies in UP .......................................... 237

MNRE sanctioned 20000 Solar Lanterns to Uttarakhand ................................................. 237

Kerala to get Central assistance for Mid-day Meal Scheme .............................................. 238

Government approved 4130 Crore for Bihar under PMGSY ............................................. 239

Conceptual Plan to develop New Chandigarh Approved .................................................. 239

Amethi to be Created as a New District ........................................................................... 240

NDM approved 107 Crore Drought Relief Package for Kerala .......................................... 240

Team to assist in Reconstruction of Houses in Uttarakhand ............................................ 241

Tamil Nadu Govt planned to develop Road Infrastructure ............................................... 241

Delhi to relax Eligibility Criteria under the Annashree Scheme......................................... 241

Himachal is the first Smoke-Free State as per COTPA Act 2003 ........................................ 242

Now Bhiwani, Mahendragarh and Bharatpur are Part of NCR .......................................... 244

Karnataka launched Arogya Vani ..................................................................................... 244

One Liners ............................................................................................................................... 244

News Capsule .......................................................................................................................... 247

Appointments of the Month ................................................................................................ 247




Suresh Chandra Mohanty Elected as the New President of ICAI ...................................... 247

Arvind Sharma Re-Elected as the President of AAAI......................................................... 248

A.R. Rather appointed Chairman of GST Panel ................................................................. 249

BS Bassi appointed as next Commissioner of Delhi Police ................................................ 249

AK Singh sworn in as Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar ............................................ 250

KK Paul took over as the New Governor of Meghalaya .................................................... 250

Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil appointed new Governor of Sikkim ........................................ 251

R. Chandrasekhar appointed President of Nasscom ......................................................... 251

Sunil Soni appointed Director General of BIS ................................................................... 252

Najeeb Jung appointed as new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi .......................................... 253

Anil Chait Took over as Chairman of CISC ........................................................................ 254

Awards in the Month of July ................................................................................................ 254

Amjad Ali Khan to get Rajiv Gandhi Nat. Sadhbhavna Award ........................................... 254

Four Indian Americans won Simons Investigators Awards 2013 ....................................... 255

Ramon Magsaysay Awards 2013...................................................................................... 256

Paradip Port Conferred With Major Port of the Year Award ............................................ 257

OISD Safety Awards 2011-12 ........................................................................................... 258

Real VNC was presented with MacRobert Award............................................................. 260

Bono Honoured With the Commander of the Order ........................................................ 261

Britain placed Blue plaque on the 1st Home of Krishna Menon ........................................ 262

Zubin Mehta named for Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony .......................................... 263

Vidya Balan got the Best Actress Award at IIFA 2013 ....................................................... 264

President conferred National Youth Awards 2011-12 ...................................................... 265

Personality in News.............................................................................................................. 266

Batla House Encounter convict Shahzad got Life Sentence .............................................. 266

Edward Snowden awarded with German Whistleblower Prize ........................................ 266




Salman framed for Culpable Homicide in Hit and Run Case ............................................. 267

Sunetra Guptas Portrait to be exhibited in Britain .......................................................... 268

Nisha Desai nominated Assistant Secretary of State of USA ............................................. 269

M.M. Raju was Conferred the Honorary Fellowship by IETE............................................. 269

Altamas Kabir Retired from the Office of Chief Justice of India ........................................ 271

Justice P. Sathasivam Sworn in as the Chief Justice of India ............................................. 271

ICT sentenced Ali Mohammed Mujaheed to Death.......................................................... 272

SC Stayed trial against Lalu Yadav in Fodder Scam ........................................................... 272

Mohamed ElBaradei named Caretaker PM of Egypt ........................................................ 273

78th Birthday of Dalai Lama celebrated across the World................................................. 273

Kumar Mangalam Birla Resigned from RBIs Central Board .............................................. 274

Adli Mansour Sworn in as the interim President of Egypt ................................................ 274

V Gandhi 1ST Indian Woman to Receive Emirates Woman Award .................................... 275

Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad won AAA President's Election ................................................. 275

Sujata Singh designated as India's next Foreign Secretary ............................................... 276

Person Died ......................................................................................................................... 277

SN Hanumantha Rao, the Former Indian Test Umpire Died ............................................. 277

Jagdish Raj, the Most Type-Cast Actor of Bollywood Died at 85 ....................................... 277

Ilya Segalovich, the Co-Founder of Yandex Died .............................................................. 278

Obaid Siddiqi, Discoverer of Stop Codons in Genetic Code, died ...................................... 279

Arun Nehru, the Former Union Minister Died at 69 ......................................................... 279

IMO Secretary-General Emeritus C.P. Srivastava died in Italy .......................................... 280

Manjula Vijayakumar died at the Age of 59 ..................................................................... 281

L Brojeshori Devi, the Olympian Judo Player Passed Away at 32 ...................................... 282

Former Union Minister Khurshed Alam Khan died ........................................................... 282

Oommen Mathew, Former MLA form Kuttanad, Kerala died ........................................... 283




Veteran Tamil Film lyricist Vaali Died at the Age of 82 ..................................................... 283

Samar Mukherjee, the CPI-M Veteran Leader Passed Away at 100 .................................. 284

N Rangabashyam, the Gastroenterologist died ................................................................ 284

Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi died in Milan .................................................... 285

Dr. H.A.B. Parpia, the renowned Food Scientist died ....................................................... 286

Padma Shree Awardee artist Mahasundari Devi died ...................................................... 287

Douglas Engelbart, Father of the Mouse died at the Age of 88 ........................................ 288

Books/Author ...................................................................................................................... 288

An Agenda for Indias Growth: Essays in Honour, Released ............................................. 288

Jhumpa Lahiri featured for Man Booker Prize 2013 ......................................................... 289

An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions released ............................................... 290

Shahar Sone Chala a Collection of Poems Released ......................................................... 291

Book titled Smritiyan authored by Garima Sanjay Released ............................................. 292

Important Dates ................................................................................................................... 292

World Hepatitis Day 2013 ................................................................................................ 292

Pi Approximation Day Celebrated on 22 July Worldwide ................................................. 293

Nelson Mandela International Day observed on 18 July .................................................. 294

Malala Day observed across the World on 12 July ........................................................... 295

World Population Day observed across the World on 11 July .......................................... 295

Statistics Day Celebrated Across India ............................................................................. 297

Reports and Surveys ............................................................................................................ 298

Odisha, Bihar showed biggest decline in Percentage of Poor ........................................... 298

Global cereal output to reach all time high in 2013: UNFAO ............................................ 299

ITU: 40 Percent of the Global Population is Online .......................................................... 300

Ghaziabad and Allahabad are the Most Air Polluted Cities............................................... 301

Taj Mahal ranked among the Top Three Landmarks ........................................................ 301




Places in News ..................................................................................................................... 302

Incheon was named as World Book Capital for the Year 2015 ......................................... 302

Bengaluru Int. Airport Renamed as Kempegowda Int. Airport ......................................... 302

National Aviation University to be Set up in Rae Bareli, UP .............................................. 303

Chinese troops intruded in Chumar Sector of Ladakh ...................................................... 303

Terms and Abbreviation ....................................................................................................... 304

Typhoon Soulik stuck Taiwan, Killed one and injured 21 .................................................. 304

MERS, a New Respiratory Virus found in Saudi Arabia ..................................................... 304

Airtel Rising Stars, Indias u-16 soccer talent hunt ........................................................... 305

Miscellaneous ...................................................................................................................... 306

Union Government to launch Bharat Mobile Scheme ...................................................... 306

Complementary Feeding Should Begin at the Age of Six Months ..................................... 306

India topped in the Chart of Sri Lankas Foreign Visitors .................................................. 308

India Emerged as the 2nd Largest Investor in city of London ............................................. 308

DTAB recommended lifting Ban on Drug, Pioglitazone .................................................... 309

Puducherry Govt listed Wine as Food Item to Attract Tourists ......................................... 310

WHO asked India to Ban Pesticide that Killed Children in Bihar ....................................... 310

Sri Lanka banned film Flying Fish ..................................................................................... 311

Mass Canine Vaccination Drive in Goa from 1 September 2013 ....................................... 311

CSIR set to launch its Fastest Supercomputer .................................................................. 312

Multiple blasts rocked Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya ................................................ 312

Aircraft de Havilland DHC3 crashed near Soldotna Airport .............................................. 313

A Strong Earthquake ripped through China's Gansu Province .......................................... 313

Union Govt constituted EGoM headed by P Chidambaram .............................................. 313

Urdu Ghazals written by Savarkar in Andaman Jail found ................................................ 314

Archeologists uncovered King David's Palace of Judea ..................................................... 315




Scientists discovered New Treatment for Schizophrenic .................................................. 315

Pre-natal Health Care Facilities to Pregnant Women ....................................................... 316

Union Government approved a Free Trade LPG Scheme ................................................. 316

Judicial Commission on AFSPA highlighted misuse of the Act .......................................... 317

Standing Committee on Finance finalised GST Report ..................................................... 318

Clean India Campaign at world heritage site launched ..................................................... 318

ASI was entrusted with the Restoration of Kedarnath Temple ......................................... 319

Asian Countries sought Ban on Smokeless Forms of Tobacco .......................................... 319

Neurotrauma Conference 2013 to be held in Assam........................................................ 320

National Conference of State Tourism Ministers Held ..................................................... 320

Committee to go into the Quality Aspect of the Mid Day Meal ........................................ 323

IAF's C17s Maiden Flight to Andaman & Nicobar Islands ................................................. 323

Union Defence Ministry launched a website on NCC ....................................................... 324

US Lawmakers proposed National Park on Moon ............................................................ 324

Moons orbiting Pluto Christened as Kerberos and Styx .................................................... 325

India launched its first Navigational Satellite IRNSS-1A .................................................... 325

Legal Battle for Assets of Maharaja of Faridkot................................................................ 327

Angelina Jolie is the Highest Paid Actress of Hollywood ................................................... 328

Questions of the Month .......................................................................................................... 330




PREFACE

The Current Affairs eBook July 2013 is designed to provide latest updates of events that occurred in the month of July 2013. The eBook contains each and every important happening of July that made news and carries any probability of being asked in different types of competitive exams like IAS|PCS, SSC, Banking, LIC, Railway and all other competitive exams.

The happening in the sections like International (bilateral and Indias relation with the world), National, Economy, Science and Technology, Environment and Ecology, Corporate, State, Sports, Important Personalities, Books and Authors, Awards and Honours, Important Dates, Reports and Surveys and more all are covered in complete detail.

Representation of verified facts and figures along with fine-tuned analysis and comment makes the events easy to understand and perceive. The aspirants of competitive exams will definitely be benefitted by the content of the eBook.




PICK OF THE MONTH

CAMBODIAN ELECTION 2013: RULING PARTY CLAIMED VICTORY

The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which is led by Prime Minister Hun Sen won at least 68 seats in the Lower house comparing with the 55 seats for the main opposition. The National Election Committee (NEC) gave a list of results from each polling station but no tally for parliamentary seats. The election in Cambodia was held on 28 July 2013 and the results were also declared on the same day.

It is important here to note that the Prime Minister Hun Sen has been in power in Cambodia for nearly three decades (28 years).

CAMBODIA NATIONAL RESCUE PARTY

The major opponent of CPP in the election was Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which is led by Sam Rainsy, who recently came back to the country from self-imposed exile.

More than nine million people were found eligible to vote. Cambodia is a one party dominant state with the Cambodian Peoples Party in power. Opposition parties do exist, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

CAMBODIA GENERAL ELECTION 2013

As per the National Election Committee (NEC) some 9.67 million Cambodians will be eligible to cast their ballots to elect the 123-seat National Assembly. Incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen is eligible to seek a fourth term.

ELECTION IN CAMBODIA

Cambodia is one party dominant state which elects on national level legislature. Parliament has two chambers. The National Assembly of Cambodia has 123 members, elected for a five-year term by proportional representation. The Senate has 61 members, appointed by the king on recommendation of the parties in the National Assembly.




Three main political parties have dominated Cambodian politics over the last decade: the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), the United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) and, more recently, the Sam Rainsy Party.

As per article 76 paragraph 2 of Cambodian Constitution|: The deputies (i.e. of the National Assembly) shall be elected in a free, universal, equal, direct and secret ballot.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN PAKISTAN

Mamnoon Hussain, the India-born Pakistani businessman was on 30 July 2013 elected as the 12th President of Pakistan. 73-year old Mamnoon Hussain, who belonged to the PML-N Party, will be administered the oath of the office on 9 September 2013.

Mamnoon Hussain succeeded Asif Ali Zardari, who did not go for re-election. The presidential office of Pakistan will be vacated on 9 September 2013 by the incumbent Asif Ali Zardari, as his term of 5 years ended. Mamnoon Hussain became a clear winner, in comparison to ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmed of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Raza Rabbani of Pakistan Peoples Party was withdrawn.

LIFE SKETCH OF MAMNOON HUSSAIN




Mamnoon Hussain was born on 2 March 1940 in Agra, India.

He is the textile businessman as well as politician of Pakistan.

In the year 1999, he briefly served as the Governor of Sindh.

He migrated to Pakistan from India in 1954.

He earned the degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi in 1960s.

Mamnoon Hussain had, at some point of time, also remained the president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

BACKGROUND

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 23 July 2013 ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the Presidential election on 30 July 2013. The decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan was issued following the petition filed by, Raja Zafarul Haq, the PML(N) leader, who pleaded the court that a large number of Parliamentarians, who will cast vote in the election would precede for Umrah and observe Aitakaf, during the last ten days of Ramazan. Earlier, the Presidential election of Pakistan was scheduled to be held on 6 August 2013.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PROCESS OF PAKISTAN

The polling for the Presidential elections in Pakistan started amidst tight security on 30 July 2013. More than 1000 members of Majlis-e-Shoora (the Parliament of Pakistan), as well as four provincial assemblies cast their votes in the Presidential elections.

The unofficial results declared that Mamnoon Hussain had secured 277 votes in all, from Senate and National Assembly.

Mamnoon Hussain required a total of 263 votes for winning. His competitior, Wajihuddin Ahmed, on the other hand got merely 34 votes, while 3 votes were rejected by the polling staff.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly: 110 voted in all for the presidential poll. 69 MLAs voted in favour of Wajihuddin Ahmed and 41 voted for Mamnoon Hussain.

Sindh Assembly: 69 in all, voted for the presidential poll. 64 votes went in favour of Mamnoon Hussain, while 5 votes were polled for Wajihuddin Ahmed.

Balochistan Assembly: 56 voted in all. 55 voted in favour of Mamnoon Hussain and 1 was given to Wajihuddin Ahmed.

Punjab Assembly: 337 voted in all. Mamnoon Hussain secured 313 votes, while Wajihuddin Ahmed won 24 votes.




Overall, Mamnoon Hussain secured 432 votes, while Wajihuddin Ahmed secured just 77 votes.

According to the Part III: Chapter 1: The President- [Article 41] of the Constitution of Pakistan, The President shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule by the members of an electoral college consisting of:

a) The members of both Houses; and

b) The members of the Provincial Assemblies.

Election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office:

Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.

(5) An election to fill a vacancy in the office of President shall be held not later than thirty days from the occurrence of the vacancy:

Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.

(6) The validity of the election of the President shall not be called in question by or before any court or other authority.

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS

Mamnoon Hussain is an India-born resident of Pakistan and was elected as the 12th President of Pakistan.

He was born in historic Agra city and belongs to Urdu-speaking ethnic group which migrated to Pakistan during partition in 1947.

In Pakistan, the office of President is ceremonial. However, the President is still the Constitutional chief of the armed forces. He/she cannot order the deployments.

The President of Pakistan appoints the services chiefs, but after recommendation from the Prime Minister.

So far, Pakistan has had 11 Presidents. Out of these, five have been military generals. Four of these illegally received powers through the coups.

The first President of Pakistan- Major Sikandar Mirza was elected in the year 1956 after adoption of the first constitution.

CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN: PART III: CHAPTER 1: THE PRESIDENT (ARTICLE 41-49)




There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of State and shall represent the unity of the Republic.

A person shall not be qualified for election as President unless he is a Muslim of not less than forty-five years of age and is qualified to be elected as member of the National Assembly.

Article 42: Oath of President

Before entering upon office, the President shall make before the Chief Justice of Pakistan oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule.

Article 44: Term of office of President

Subject to the Constitution, the President shall hold office for a term of five years from the day he enters upon his office: Provided that the President shall, notwithstanding the expiration of his term, continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office.

Subject to the Constitution, a person holding office as President shall be eligible for re-election to that office, but no person shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms.

The President may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, resign his office.

TELANGANA THE 29TH STATE OF INDIA ANNOUNCED

Congress and the UPA unanimously decided to create a separate Telangana State carving out of Andhra Pradesh on 30 July 2013.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body of Congress Party, on 30 July 2013 decided to recommend to the Central Government to form the 29th State which will comprise of 10 districts.

The districts that will be a part of the new State are Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal.

Hyderabad, the central point of the Telangana, will be the common capital of the newly proposed State and the other regions, Rayalaseema and Andhra for a period of 10 years. A new capital for Andhra will be identified in Seemandhra region within this period.




Telangana State will have a geographical area of 10 of the 23 districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Out of 42 Lok Sabha seats and 294 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana is likely to have 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats.

ABOUT TELANGANA REGION

The population of Telangana is 35.19 million (2011 Census). It includes seven million population of Hyderabad, which emerged as a major IT hub during the past two decades.

The region has geographical area of 1.14 lakh sq km.

The districts which are a part of Telangana region are Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal.

Hyderabad and Warangal are the two largest cities in the Telangan region.

Warangal city was declared as a World Heritage City by UNESCO in March 2013.

The two major Rivers Krishna and Godavari flew through the region.

TELANGANA MOVEMENT- A BACKGROUND

1. The Telangana region was a part of erstwhile Hyderabad State which was merged into Indian Union on 17 September 1948.

2. The Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act 1956 and so the united Andhra Pradesh state came into being on 1 November 1956.

3. In 1956 Gentlemens Agreement was signed by Bezawada Gopal Reddy, CM of Andhra State and Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, CM of Hyderabad State for safeguarding Telangana people.

4. The Telangana agitation began in 1969 as people protested the failure of implementation of Gentlemens Agreement and other safeguards.

5. In 1969 Marri Chenna Reddy launched the Telangana Praja Samithi by demanding separate Telangana State.

6. The separate State movement came in to limelight again when a new political party Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was formed by K Chandra Shekhar Rao on 27 April 2001.




7. The UPA Government on 9 December 2009 took the decision of formation of Telangana State, in the backdrop of indefinite fast by TRS leader K Chandrashekhar Rao.

8. This decision had ignited street protests in the non-Telangana regions and opposition from Ministers, MLAs and leaders from within the party that forced the Central Government and the Congress leadership to put the issue on hold.

9. The Centre held rounds of meetings with all the parties from the State and set up a Commission under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge Justice Srikrishna.

SRI KRISHNA COMMISSION

The Government of India constituted a five member Committee headed by Justice Sri Krishna for consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh (CCSAP) on 3 February 2010 to resolve the Telangana issue.

The Sri Krishna Committee submitted its report to the Union Home Ministry on 30 December 2010 and suggested six options.

The six options are

1. Maintain status quo

2. Bifurcation of the State into Seemandhra and Telangana; with Hyderabad as a Union Territory and the two states developing their own capitals in due course.

3. Bifurcation of State into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of RayalaTelangana.

4. Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad Metropolis as a separate Union Territory.

5. Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.

6. Keeping the State united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.

POLITICAL PARTIES STAND ON TELANGANA

In favour

Indian National Congress

Bharatiya Janata Party




Telangana Rastra Samithi

Telugu Desam Party

Communist Party of India (CPI)

Against

All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)

Neutral

YSR Congress

THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROCEDURE FOR CREATION OF NEW STATES

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution vests the power to form new States in Parliament

Article 3 says; Parliament by Law,

a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any State;

b) increase the area of any State;

c) diminish the area of any State;

d) alter the boundaries of any State;

e) Alter name of any states.

No Bill for the purpose shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President.

The President shall, before giving his recommendation, refer the Bill to the Legislature of the State which is going to be affected by the changes proposed in the Bill, for expressing its views on the changes within the period specified by the President. The President is not bound by the views of the State Legislature, so ascertained.

By a simple majority and by the ordinary legislative process Parliament may form new States or alter the boundaries of existing States and there by changes in the political map of India.

HISTORY OF ANDHRA PRADESH STATE

Andhra State, the first state formed on linguistic basis, was created in 1953 from out of the erstwhile Madras Presidency with Kurnool as the capital.




The Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act 1956, so that the united Andhra Pradesh state came into being on 1 November 1956.

Hyderabad was also selected as the capital of the united state of Telugu-speaking people.

SPECIAL CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION FOR ANDHRA PRADESH STATE

Article 371 (D) and (E) were inserted by the Constitution (Thirty-Second Amendment) Act, 1973.

This Act provided the necessary Constitutional authority for giving effect to the provision of equal opportunities to different areas of the State of Andhra Pradesh and for the Constitution of an Administrative Tribunal with jurisdiction to deal with grievances relating to public services. It also empowered Parliament to legislate for the establishment of a Central university in the State.

Under this provision

Direct recruitment to posts in any local cadre under the State Government for candidates of these regions

Regarding admission to any university or other educational institutions, preference will be given to local candidates, who have resided or studied in those regions for a specific period.

ANALYSIS

The decision on Telangana is also to the fulfillment of the announcement made by the then Home Minister P Chidambaram on 9 December 2009 for creation of Telangana. This is the first decision of the UPA to form a new State in the last nine years.

The Congress party however made it clear that no demand for creation of any other State would be considered as it emphasised that this case cannot be compared with any other. This assertion comes against the backdrop of demands for creation of separate States of Vidarbha and Gorkhaland.

While Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS), which has been spearheading the demand for separate State, accepted the decision and supporters of united Andhra Pradesh stepped up protests against division.

CLINICAL TRIALS ON HUMANS REQUIRE MANDATORY STANDARDS

The Supreme Court of India on 27 July 2013 ruled that clinical trials of untested drugs on humans require certain mandatory standards to be followed. The directed the Union government to put in place a mechanism to monitor them.




The apex court directed the Government to convene a meeting of Chief Secretaries or Health Secretaries of all the states to frame a law for regulation of clinical trials of drugs by multinational pharma companies.

A division bench granted four weeks time to the Union government to convene the meeting and for framing rules. In an affidavit, the Union government had admitted that 2 thousand 6 hundred 44 people died during clinical trials of 475 new drugs between 2005 and 2012.

NEW PRINCE OF BRITAIN, NAMED GEORGE ALEXANDER LOUIS

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton gave birth to a baby boy on 22 July 2013 at the London hospital. His Royal Highness, the new Prince of Britain, also called the Royal Baby was named George Alexander Louis on 24 July 2013. This is the first child of the royal couple - Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. The birth of the baby boy was announced through a formal press release, which was issued by the Kensington Palace. It was declared that the third-in-line successor to the throne will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME GEORGE

The meaning of the name George is earth worker or farmer.

It is important to note that the name George was highly speculated because this was also the name of six previous British kings. The queen's father, George VI rallied Britain during the World War II.

George was also the 12th most popular name for boys in England as well as Wales in 2011.

St. George, a 4th-century Christian martyr, is also the patron saint of England.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME- LOUIS

Louis is attributed to Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was the Duke of Edinburgh's uncle as well as the last British Viceroy of India before 1947. It is important to note that Prince Charles, the father of Prince Williams, was closely related with Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was then assassinated by Irish Republican Army in 1979.

It is said that as per the royal standards, the announcement of the name of His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge was too quick. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh had taken one month for naming Prince Charles.




Prince William and Kate Middleton will soon choose a picture for the first official portrait of the baby.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS

The royal baby will be the third one in line to the throne, only after Prince Charles and Prince William. Even if it was a girl, the scenario would have been same for the throne because earlier in 2013, the law changed for giving the female royals same rights of succession like the males.

Officially, the baby will be called His Royal Highness Prince [Name] of Cambridge.

The baby might become the head of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England, and the head of state of 16 countries apart from the head of the Commonwealth, in distant future.

Earlier in 2013, the Queen had issued a royal decree which said, All the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of royal highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honour.

It is important to note that the royal baby moved ahead in line of throne from Prince Harry, who now became fourth in the line of throne.

JULIAN ASSANGE LAUNCHED POLITICAL PARTY IN AUSTRALIA

42 Year old Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on 25 July 2013 officially launched his political party to contest Australian elections this year. As per Assange, his party which he named Wikileaks Party would be fielding seven candidates including Assange for upper house Senate seats in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.

It is important here to note that the two Indian-origin persons are among the seven candidates who will contest elections on a Wikileaks Party ticket in Senate polls in Australia. Indian-origin academician Binoy Kampmark, who was born in Malaysia and has Bengali heritage, will stand for the Upper House election from Victori whereas Suresh Rajan, who is based out of Kerala, will stand for the party in Western Australia.

The idea behind contesting election is to be an independent scrutineer of government activity. Julian Assange, will be contesting elections from Victoria. As per him major issue in the coming




days would be the ruling Labour party's policy on asylum seekers. The foremost action of his party will be to demand full details of the government's asylum seeker arrangement with Papua New Guinea be made public.

The core value of Wikileaks Party's is transparency; accountability and justice is the template against which we will examine any important issues for Australians: tax reform, asylum-seekers, climate change policy and more.

Australia will be going into polls in November 2013, where the ruling Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's Labour party is up against Tony Abbott-led conservatives.

Julian Assange is holed up at Ecuador's embassy in London since June 2012 where he demanded refuge during his legal battle for exile from Britain to Sweden.

INDIA AND CHINA FOCUSSED ON CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES

India and China focussed on additional confidence building measures in the two-day talks between the representatives of the two countries that ended in New Delhi on 24 July 2013. The two nations reviewed the recent developments in the border areas to enhance peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control.

India and China discussed additional confidence building measures between them. They consulted on measures to improve the functioning of the working mechanism and to make it more efficient. Finally the two delegations further discussed the possibility of introducing an additional route for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra.

The meeting on working mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China border affairs was led by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs Gautam Bambawale and senior officials of the Defence and Home Ministries from the Indian side. The Chinese side was represented by a composite delegation of its officials. The next meeting will be held in China at a mutually convenient date and time.

INDIA, BELARUS SIGNED PROTOCOL TO ENHANCE TRADE TIES

India and Belarus signed a protocol on 24 July 2013 to enhance trade ties during the sixth session of the Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation held in New Delhi.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MEETING




The meeting was held in the direction for strengthening trade and economic relations between the two countries.

The Belarusian side recommended India to determine an Indian counterpart deputed to negotiate on the long-term cooperation agreement, take decisions and signing of the agreement for the full volume of the deliveries.

Belarus asked India to recognise Belarus as a market economy country. The Indian side responded that the matter is under active correspondence between the sides. India is considering the issue of grant of market economy status to Belarus within the framework of India's Antidumping Rules.

The Belarusian side flagged the issue related to the introduction and long duration of action of antidumping duties on a number of products of the petrochemical complex: tire cord fabric manufactured by JSC Grodno Azot and acrylics fibers manufactured by the plant Polymir of the OJSC Naftan.

Both the sides also agreed to create a Certification Centre of Belarusian companies and professionals in the field of software at the earliest possible time.

The Belarusian Side will provide a draft concept of the Certification Centre of Belarusian companies and professionals in the field of software to initiate negotiations with the Indian Side.

Belarus advocated for revocation of the antidumping duties on these goods and expressed the intension to maintain the export of the products to India, mostly of interest to Indian consumers.

The Indian side stated that the matter is being examined positively and the official decision would be taken before the next session of the Commission.

Both the Countries also signed a protocol after the Meeting as per which both the sides will take necessary steps to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Textiles, India and the Belarusian State Concern for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom) on Cooperation in the Field of Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Industries.

The Belarusian delegation proposed to hold the 9th meeting of the Business Council "India-Belarus" in 2013 to promote the collaboration of business representatives, as well as agreed to define the dates of the National Exhibition (exposition) of the Republic of India during 2013-2014 in Minsk.

WHERE IS BELARUS?




Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

PHOTO IDENTITY MANDATORY FOR PURCHASE OF ACID

The Union government of India on 16 July 2013 proposed to make production of Photo identity card mandatory for purchase of acid. The government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in which it listed a number of measures to curb the sale of acid in the open market.

The shopkeepers will also require licence to sell the acid. The move comes after Supreme Court asked the government to submit guidelines to check open sale of acid, thereby checking acid attacks on women.

It is estimated that one thousand acid attacks take place in India every year. The apex court order came on a PIL seeking framing of a new law or amendment in the existing laws to deal with acid attack effectively.

Supreme Court Decision: Earlier, the Supreme Court of India on 9 July 2013 directed the Union Government of India to formulate a policy to regulate/ban Retail Sale of Acid across the country. The decision of the Court came in wake-up of the acid attacks in the different parts of the country. Earlier, on 16 April 2013, the Apex Court gave its orders to the Governments at Center, States and Union Territories to come up with an affidavit on the draft scheme, to restrict the retail sale of acid across the country.

The Supreme Court Bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya said to the Additional Solicitor General, Indira Jaising that despite of orders given by the Court to the Governments at Center, State and Union Territories, no affidavit on the scheme to restrict the retail sale of acid has been submitted in past 11 weeks, since 16 April 2013. The Supreme Court also said, that this court may consider the suggestion of counsel for the petitioner *Aparna Bhat] to ban retail sale completely at the next hearing on 16 July 2013.

The Supreme Court identified easy availability of acid at counters across the country as one of the basic reasons behind the attacks (comment of Justice Lodha). For past seven years the issue is lying pending in the Supreme Courts. But none of the Governments from centre/state/UTs was successful in addressing to the issue.

The Court cited the example of Preeti, the girl who recently died in Mumbai due to acid attack. The court has given a weeks time to the Government to come-up with a framework of rules to prevent acid from being sold in retail.

LAW IN EXISTENCE TO CURB ACID ATTACKS




The Criminal Law (Amendment Ordinance 2013) that has received Presidential assent has mentioned acid attack a specific offence, providing a maximum punishment of life sentence, under Sections 326A and 326B of Indian Penal Code.

After section 326 of the Penal Code, the following sections shall be inserted, namely: Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid, etc.

Section 326A - Whoever causes permanent or partial damage or deformity to, or burns or maims or disfigures or disables, any part or parts of the body of a person or causes grievous hurt by throwing acid on or by administering acid to that person, or by using any other means with the intention of causing or with the knowledge that he is likely to cause such injury or hurt, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to imprisonment for life and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees: provided that any fine imposed under this section shall be given to the person on whom acid was thrown or to whom acid was administered.

Section 326B - Whoever throws or attempts to throw acid on any person or attempts to administer acid to any person, or attempts to use any other means, with the intention of causing permanent or partial damage or deformity or burns or maiming or disfigurement or disability or grievous hurt to that person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than five years but which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Comment: Acid violence is the practice of throwing acid on somebody, with an intention of killing or disfiguring the target. The practice is prevalent in most of the countries across the world, but the countries that have been the centre of such attacks are India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Afghanistan.

Acid violence - throwing acid with the intention to maim, disfigure or even kill the target - occurs in many countries but is most common in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India where male domination of social structures persists. Over 1000 acid attacks takes place every year across the world.

RBI REDUCED REALISATION PERIOD FOR EXPORTERS TO NINE MONTHS

The Reserve bank of India on 21 July 2013 brought down the period of realisation and repatriation for exporters of goods and software to nine months from earlier 12 months.

The move to reduce the period of realization was directed towards increasing foreign exchange inflows. Earlier in November 2012 considering the global slowdown; RBI had increased the time limit so that they can bring in export earnings to 12 months, from six months at that time.

But as per the industry experts, RBI brought down the realization period because of the deteriorating current account deficit of the country and the weakening of the rupee against the dollar.




The Reduction of realisation period was taken after consulting with the Government of India to bring down the realisation period from 12 months to nine months from the date of export valid till 30 September 2013.India's exports contracted by 4.6 per cent, for the second consecutive month, to 23.79 billion dollars in June 2013 compared to that in the year-ago period.

INSAT-3D, THE ADVANCED METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE OF INDIA

INSAT-3D, the advanced meteorological satellite of India was launched successfully by the European rocket, Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket, from the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana on 26 July 2013. The satellite will give a push to the weather forecasting as well as help in facilitating disaster warning services.

Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket of European space consortium launched the Alphasat satellites as well as INSAT-3D. Alphasat is the largest-ever telecommunication satellite of Europe. This satellite is the result of large-scale public-private partnership between Inmarsat as well as European Space Agency.

FEATURES OF INSAT-3D

The new satellite, INSAT-3D will be operational for next seven years, i.e., up to 2020.

The aim of the satellite is to make a crucial difference to the disaster warning systems as well as weather forecasting of India.

INSAT-3D will also provide monitoring of the ocean as well as land areas, apart from providing meteorological observation.

INSAT-3D will facilitate new dimension to the weather monitoring because of its atmospheric sounding system. The atmospheric sounding system provides the vertical profiles of integrated ozone, humidity as well as temperature, from top of the atmosphere.

It is important to note that the imaging system and mechanism of INSAT-3D has a lot of improvement in comparison to INSAT-3A as well as KALPANA.




The satellite has the lift-off mass of 2060 kg.

It will facilitate continuity to the previous missions as well as also help in increasing the capability of providing meteorological and search and rescue services.

INSAT-3D carries the newly developed 19 channel sounder, which is the first payload of this kind to be flown to the ISRO satellite mission.

INSAT-3D has the facility of Search and Rescue payload which catches as well as relays the alert signals that originate from distress signal of maritime, aviation and land based users to the Indian Mission Control Centre located at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore.

The primary users of the Satellite Aided Search and Rescue service in India include Directorate General of Shipping, Defence Services, fishermen, Indian Coast Guard as well as Airports Authority of India.

The alert services include a wide area of Indian Ocean region, as well as covers Sri Lanka, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Seychelles, Bhutan and Maldives.

The information of oceanographic, hydrological as well as meteorological data from the uninhabited locations over the coverage area from Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) such as Agro Met Stations, Automatic Rain Gauge and Automatic Weather Station, as well as remote locations will be collected by the Data Relay Transponder (DRT).

The ISRO as well as India Meteorological Department have already established over 1800 DCPs.

NASA RELEASED IMAGES OF EARTH TAKEN BY DISTANT SPACECRAFT

NASA in month of July 2013 has released colour and black-and-white images of Earth and the Moon, as bright guiding light, taken from two interplanetary spacecraft millions of miles away in space.

It was NASA's Cassini spacecraft which has captured the colour images of Earth and the Moon from its perch in the Saturn system nearly 1.5 billion kilometers away. It was also the first time Cassini's highest-resolution camera captured Earth and its Moon as two distinct objects.




NASA's Cassini spacecraft which was named MESSENGER, the first probe to orbit Mercury, took a black-and-white image from a distance of 98 million kilometers as part of a campaign to search for natural satellites of the planet. In the MESSENGER image, Earth and the moon are less than a pixel, but appear very large because they are overexposed.

As per the

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