INFOLINES – INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

The European country which ordered shutdown of its seven (total seventeen) oldest nuclear power plants pending safety review after nuclear accidents in the Japan is	Germany
The first country to have fired first foreign shots in Libya after UN mandated No Fly Zone is	France
The major party of Ireland which has to face crushing defeat in recent elections for the manner in which it handled the economic crisis is	Fianna Fail
The country in which the Human Rights Protection Party led by incumbent PM Tuilaepa Aiona Sailele Malielegaoi won the recent elections is	Samoa
New Foreign Minister of Japan after the resignation of Seiji Maehara amidst political donations scandals is	Takeaki Matsumoto
Country which has recently introduced Yoga for the 1st time for physical fitness for its army personnel is	USA
Western nation whose Public Relations firms were criticized for advising some of controversial regimes (including Libya’s Gaddafi) following unrest in countries of North African nations	UK
The director of London School of Economics who resigned after allegations of liasioning with Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi	Howard Davies
Popular name of Secret Intelligence Service of UK (currently in news in context of Libyan crisis) is	MI6
The Acting President of Tunisia who called for elections on July 24th 2011 to rewrite constitution is	Fouad Mebazza
Gulf country conducted a successful test of its first domestically developed radar-evading aircraft	Iran
The first major world leader to visit Egypt after the ouster of its President, Hosni Mubarak	D Cameroon, PM, UK
The new name given by Obama Administration to the war in Iraq to reflect the reduced role to be played by US troops in securing the country (now only 50,000 US troops in Iraq) is	Operation New Dawn
In early March, there have been protests in Sarajevo after arrest of former Bosnian General following international warrants by	Serbia
China has made a substantial increase of 13% in its military budget, now it stands at	$92 billion
The countries to which natural gas supplies were suspended after an explosion in Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt’s North Sinai region are	Israel and Jordan
The name of diplomatic effort consisting of four entities – US, UN, EU and Russia established in 2002 to mediate the peace process in the Israel-Palestinian conflict	Middle East (Madrid) Quartet
India-EU summit was held in December 2010 in	Brussels (Belgium)
The 10th RIC (Russia, India and China) meeting was held I n November, 2010 in	Wuhan (China)
BRIC may soon become BRICS, the country which is likely to be extended a formal invitation during the scheduled meeting in April-May 2010 in China is	South Africa
Two day meeting of BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) was held in January 2011 in	Kunming, China
In the largest $24 billion nuclear agreement, six European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) each of 1650 MW, will be set up by French firm Areva in	Jaitapur (Maharashtra)
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) ‘Global Investment Trends Monitor report’, FDI attracted by developing and emerging nations as %age of total global during 2010 is	$1,122 billion
Country to cede 1000 sq km of land to China to settle a 130 year old territorial dispute is	Tajikistan
The country with which India signed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CEPA) to give more market access to on reciprocal basis is	Japan
NATO is US led security umbrella organization, mainly of Western nations. Its 2010 summit was held in Lisbon (Portugal) in November 2010. The number of member nations in NATO is	28
A new cabinet of Egypt is sworn by Chairman of Supreme Council of Armed Forces	Hussain Tantawi
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is regional organization of six nations – Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have been given the status of observers. Its meeting was held in November 2010 in	Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Secretary-General of Interpol who was re-elected to the post for a 3rd five-year term is	Ronald Noble
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is the 21 member forum to discuss economic issues. Its meeting was held on November 14, 2010 in	Yokohama (Japan)
India concluded its first-ever Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with	Bermuda
An Intergovernmental regional organization, Economic Cooperation Organization was set up by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1985. In 1992, 7 nations including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined it. Its 11th summit was held in December 2010 in	Istanbul (Turkey)
The world’s biggest ever nuclear submarine (launched by Britain) which can fire guided missiles to pulverize target more than 1600 km away. It does not need refueling, can circumnavigate globe without any need of surfacing and able to make oxygen and fresh water from sea water. Its name is	HMS Ambush
G20 comprises of 19 member countries and EU. EU is represented by two governing bodies – European Council and European Commission. It was for the first time that G20 meeting was hosted by a non-G8 nation, (2010 G20 meeting to discuss post crisis world) was held  in November 2010 in	Seoul (South Korea)
The person of Indian-origin and also Deputy Speaker of Britain’s House of Lords who resigned from his position after his four month suspension from House over parliamentary expenses claim is	Lord Swaraj Paul
The former top aide to Saddam Hussein who has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for crimes against members of rival Shia political parties is	Tariq Aziz
The G20 for the year 2011 summit will be held in	Cannes, France
The G20 for the year 2012 will be held in	Mexico
A ten member regional association consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is	Association of South East Asian Nations
The year in which US opened diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China is	1979
President of Italy who is currently facing corruption charges is	Silvio Berlusconi
The group which accounts for 90% of world’s GNP and two third of world’s population is	G20
A rare original King James Bible has been found in a church in	Wiltshare (UK)
President of Ivory Coast (capital Abdijan) who recently nationalized its biggest Coffee and Cocoa industries is	Laurent Gobago
Eight national group consisting of USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia is	G8
The current head of Middle East (or Madrid) Quartet’s who is also (ex-British PM), is	Tony Blair
Stealth fighters can’t be detected by radars. Nighthawks were the world’s first stealth fighters by USA and F-22 Raptor is the successor of Nighthawk. China also developed this technology and its inaugural flight took place in January, 2011. The name of stealth fighter developed by China is	Chengdu J-20
China allegedly developed stealth technology by applying reverse engineering from a F-117 Nighthawk which was shot down during Serbian war in	1999
G7 originally consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and USA was set up in the year	1976
Recently India signed Preliminary Design Contract with Russia to jointly develop Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) which is	Sukhoi T 50
Pablo Picasso’s the most expensive painting ever sold which  has recently gone for public exhibition at Tate Gallery in London is	Nude, Green Leaves and Bust
New PM elected by Parliament of Nepal, thus ending seven months of political deadlock, is	Jhala Nath Khanal
In a significant development, Prime Minister who has been named as President of Myanmar following the 2010 general elections is	Thein Sein
The youngest son of Kim Jong II, who will succeed his father as the next leader of North Korea is	Kim Yong – Un
In an apparent case of cyber war, a mysterious worm targeted Iran’s nuclear programme and destroyed up to a fifth of centrifuges at the country’s nuclear facility in Natanz. Its name is	Stuxnet
In Operation “Dawn of Gulf of Aden”, South Korean Navy rescued the crew of hijacked chemical carrier (ship) killing eight Somali pirates. The name of ship is	Samho Jewelry
European Capital of Culture (ECC) is a city designated by EU for a period of one calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events. Athens (Greece) as First ECC (1985). Cities designated as ECC’s for 2011 are Turku and Tallinn which are in	Finland and Estonia
The name of islands which is a disputed territory between North Korea and South Korea, is	Yeonpyeong
Name of Joint Naval exercises of India and Russia which are being conducted since 2003, is	INDRA
The Islands which are bone of contention between Russia and Japan is	Kuril
Group of more than 750 small islands predominantly coral reef structures in South China sea which are bone of contention between Vietnam, Philippines, China, Malaysia and Brunei	Spratly Islands
Year 2011 has been officially designated by the UN as the International Year of	Chemistry
An UN organization which has dropped references to J&K and Arunachal Pradesh as ‘independent entities’ in its 2010 report also initiated a review of system for designating countries/territories is	Food and Agricultural  Organization
Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by US Govt. with three goals – providing technical assistance, helping outside people to understand US culture and helping US citizens understand cultures of other nations. Its founder Director who died recently is	Sargent Shriver
Orinoco Belt in a South American country consists of 297 billion barrel oil reserves, one of the largest in the world and claims to overtake Saudi Arabia as world leader in proven oil reserves is	Venezuela
Ex-chairman of Federal Reserve who was the brain behind legislation relating to proprietary trading and branded hedge funds and who resigned as the head of US President’s advisory panel – Economic Recovery Advisory Board is	Paul Volcker
India and UK formed a task force relating to	Corporate Governance
An environmental documentary about the effects of shale gas extraction, which was nominated for a “best documentary” Oscar. Its name is	Gasland
Following merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, critics apprehend greater media consolidation in US, thus hurting consumers. The size of deal is	$28 billion
Year 2011 has also been officially designated as International Year of	Forests
International organization which criticized British government for spending nearly £1 billion on 30 Watchkeeper WK450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which Israel’s military allegedly “field-tested on Palestinians” during the Gaza War is	Amnesty International
The first ever Russian President to pay a visit to West Bank in Palestine is	Dmitry Medvedev
African nation whose Parliament approved a new constitution to abolish direct President elections is	Angola
The name of former Swiss banker who passed on files detailing tax evasion attempts by hundreds of politicians, celebrities and business leaders to Wikileaks is	Julius Baer
The autonomous region of Somalia that says that it is ‘breaking away’ from the federation until a legitimate government is put in place	Puntland
Latin American country against whom many travel and other restrictions were eased by US is	Cuba
The country which is laying undersea optical cable of 1,500 kms length to Cuba so as to provide it high speed internet connectivity is	Venezuela
The country has the highest wind power capacity after adding 16 GW in 2010, bringing its total to 41.8 GW, pushing US to the 2nd place (with 40.2 GW with installed capacity) is	China
The leader of Israeli Labour Party is Ehud Barak and four other Labour Party MPs announced their resignation from party and announced the formation of a new ‘centrist Zionist and democratic’ faction called	Independence
The former President of Haiti who was arrested amidst corruption and theft charges	Jean-Claude Duvalier
President of Armenia has accused Turkey of ‘destroying’ a bid to normalize relations between two countries, which are currently locked in a dispute over mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during	World War I
Country which sought an arrest warrant against Israeli Opposition leader, Tzipi Livni (of Kadima Party) for war crimes committed when she was Foreign Minister during 2008-09 Gaza War is	South Africa
While Rotterdam (Netherlands) enjoyed the status of being the busiest container airport in Europe, the world’s busiest container port in 2010 after replacing Singapore port is	Port of Shanghai
As Arctic ice is melting, Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark and USA are laying claims over maritime borders. Their main motive is to exploit its mineral wealth of Arctic. As per UN Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS), the limit up to which a coastal nation can claim exclusive economic rights to natural resources or beneath the sea floor is	200 Nautical miles (370 km)
Foued Mebazaa, speaker of parliament, took over as interim President (after its President fled the country after riots) and called for the formation of National Unity Government under PM Mohammed Ghannouchi. The country is	Tunisia
The most industrialized Asian country where PM has effected cabinet reshuffle with motive of fiscal consolidation and trade liberalization is	Japan
Eurozone has 17members as on January 17, 2011. The country to join Eurozone in 2011 is	Estonia
Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is	Antony Lake
Country known as Sick Man of Europe, active supporter of Iran’s Nuclear Programme and candidate for inclusion into European Union is	Turkey
The oil rich country in Africa where large scale riots took place in 2010 and elections are scheduled to be held on April 9th 2011 is	Nigeria
Member of Democratic Party and 3rd woman in Arizona’s history to be elected to serve in the US Congress, who was shot at among 12 people in Tucson in Arizona, USA	Gabrielle Giffords
India signed the Nuclear Liability Treaty under the aegis of IAEA. The number of countries which have signed the treaty so far is	14
Ex-Brazilian President who was selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010 that is	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
One of the world’s most volatile and dangerous volcanoes started erupting on November 23, 2010 is	Mt. Merapi (Indonesia)
Under the 1994 Bogor (Indonesia) Goals, year 2010 was the deadline for APEC’s industrialized nations to issue a report on their progress in liberalizing trade and facilitating investment. But during its annual session in November 2010, it accepted its failure to achieve the objectives. The session was held in	Yokohama, Japan
India ranked 119th among 169 countries in the latest edition of the Human Development Index (HDI). UN agency which annually releases HDI is	UNDP
South Asian Nation which has been chosen to head IAEA, despite its refusal to accept NPT and its dubious record in supplying nuclear parts and technology to Iran and North Korea is	Pakistan
The top country in contributing to space debris is	China
During Indo-Pak water talks although many pending issues were resolved but differences persisted over the construction of	Baglihar dam
South East Asian nation with which India recently signed a Social Security Agreement to enhance the movement of professions between the two nations and strengthen bilateral trade and investment is	South Korea
CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture is	Sivathanu Pillai
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the country which has been replaced as the second most desired place of FDIs is	USA
The Asian country with which EU agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is	South Korea
The number of nuclear reactors in India operating under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards are	7
Country with which India signed a major pact to expand exchanges in education sector is	Australia
China is building a new airport near Mount Everest, which has been named as	Peace Airport
The ousted PM of Thailand who took up the Montenegrin citizenship is	Thaksin Shinawatra
The first country to sign a civil nuclear accord with India was	France
The region in Sudan which is a hotbed of revolutionary activities and fighting among warlords	Darfur
With expected trade of $12 billion, the India’s largest trading partner in Africa is	Nigeria
Republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which have been recognized by Russia basically belong to	Georgia
The name of US space shuttle was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral (Florida) for a 13-day trip to the International Space Station is	Endeavour
International Space Station (ISS) remains in the earth’s atmosphere at an average height of	300-350 km
India’s rank in World Uranium Production as per the latest data of World Nuclear Association is	13th
India, Brazil and Russia have found place in the Top 10 ranks of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the first time. Presently, the number of members in IMF is	187
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest buyer country of warplanes (out of the total 995 warplanes sold) during 2005-09 is	India
Country hosting of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games is	Brazil
International Energy Agency reported that global oil demand is expected to reach 87.3 million barrels per day by 2011. China and India alone are expected to consume almost a third of world’s energy by	2030
The country producing 90% of opium in the world is	Afghanistan
The memoir of former US President George W Bush, highlight the major decisions Bush made in his personal life as well as during his presidency	Decision Points
In a significant gesture, US has allowed a waiver on restrictions on export of C-130 cargo aircraft to	China
Offshore Southeast Asia Exhibition (OSEA 2010) was held during first week of December, 2010 as a platform to explore oil and gas business avenues, expand market share and penetrate emerging markets. It was held in	Singapore
The Phase I of the new port was constructed by Chinese Company, at a cost of $360 million in a South Asian Country. It is	Hambantota, Sri Lanka
The country with which Russia has recently ended a 40 year dispute over their maritime borders in Arctic region and signed a treaty that will allow it to explore new oil and gas in the area is	Norway
Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) includes Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The 16th SAARC summit was held in Thimphu in April 2010. The 17th summit will be held in November 2011 in	Male (Maldives)
National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship is a political pressure group in Thailand. The popular name for the group is	Red Shirts
According to “Doing Business Report” by UN, the best country in the world to do business with is	World Bank
Indian Business conglomerate to give a whopping $50 million to Harvard Business School the largest gift received by it from an international donor in its 102-year old history) is	Tata Group
The only European country to have a female President and PM is	Finland (in 2003)
The country which sells oil to Bangladesh at a subsidized price and also employs over 2 million of its people is	Saudi Arabia
The country which successfully launched Plano Real in 1994 to contain inflation was	Brazil
The country where four New York Times journalists were captured and released later	Tunisia
The country with which USA announced its largest ever arms deal worth $60-70 billion to sell aircraft, helicopters and other weapons is	Saudi Arabia
According to US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), the largest circulated newspaper in US is	The Wall Street Journal
The US state to approve $6 billion Blythe solar power project (the world’s largest solar plant that would save one million tons of carbon dioxide annually) is	California
The central American country that is looking to spark India’s interest in a joint venture in carbon-neutral agriculture as well as adaptation of its technology from India aerospace industry	Costa Rica
India along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, has signed the gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA) for trans-national pipeline project, will transport gas from Turkmenistan to all these countries. International organization which is likely to fund project, fully or partially, is	Asian Development Bank
According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food prices rose to their highest level in two years due to a sharp rise in wheat prices. FAO is headquartered in	Rome
As per the latest World Economic Outlook Database, European country having the highest GDP is	Germany
The African country with which India signed an MoU to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a urea plant with an annual capacity of at least one million tonnes is	Ghana
The right to develop huge Trebs and Titov deposits in oil-rich Timan-Pechora province in Russia has been won by Bashneft oil company in December, 2010. Russian subsidiary of ONGC which applied for participation in the bidding process was	Nord Imperial
Latin American country to have signed 18 agreements with China covering infrastructure, energy and railway projects is	Argentina
The country with which Russia has signed an agreement to jointly develop a five million tonnes capacity LNG plant in city Vladivostok is	Thailand
African country conducted nation’s first democratic election since independence in 1958	Guinea
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a three-year partnership with an auto company through which the company will become a global partner with a major presence at all ICC events. The auto company in question is	Hero Honda
The Indian-origin man was given the Order of the Baobab in Silver, one of South Africa’s highest honours	Imtiaz Sooliman
India’s biggest trade partner in EU is	Germany
According to a recent report, both India and China buy their maximum defence equipments from	Russia
The Chairman of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is the world’s largest regional security club is	Kazakhstan
USA and China lead the list of Top 10 countries with the highest military expenditure. The country stands at number three spot is	France
A mechanism developed for energy efficiency by India which is to cover production units accounting for more than 50% of the fossil fuel consumption in India and help reduce CO2 emissions by 25 million tonnes per annum by 2014-15 is	Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)
USA is the biggest arms supplier in the world, accounting for nearly 30 percent of weapons exports. It has entered into agreement to supply weapons worth $60 billion to	Saudi Arabia
According to UNIDO’s ‘Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2010’, India’s rank in the world’s top ten countries in industrial production is	Ninth
Aditya Birla Group announced the acquisition of Compass BPO which belongs to	United Kingdom
The two countries in Latin America, which does not enjoy common border with Brazil are	Chile, Ecuador
Public Sector oil exploration company which has emerged as the world’s top oil and gas exploration and production company, overtaking China National Offshore Oil Corporation	ONGC
President of Iraq which formally asked the PM Nouri al-Maliki, to form a new government thus ending the eight nations of deadlock that plunged the country into uncertainty. President of Iraq is	Jalal Talabani
India is currently the world’s fifth largest importer of oil and likely to become the 3rd largest one after USA and China by 2025 (or even earlier). According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, India’s primary energy consumption in 2009 was 469 million tonnes of oil equivalent that is	4.2% of global consumption
Yamal-Nenets, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s natural gas production is located in	Russia (North West Siberia)
The country which hosted a four day summit of the global wildlife experts and politicians from 13 countries to discuss plan to revive the world’s tiger population	Russia
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the Chief Guest on the Republic Day of January 26, 2011. He is the President of	Indonesia
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is headquartered in	Montreal, Canada
The country which declared end of 6 year conflict with Houthi fighters in the country’s north is	Yemen
Indian-American chosen by World Economic Forum for its 2010 class of Young Global Leaders is	Sanjay Gupta
The largest export market for Australia is	China
The island country which is the only country in the world to be a simultaneously member of African Union, Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Arab League and Indian Ocean Commission is	Comoros
The EU was established in 1957 with  headquarters at	Brussels, Belgium
The three largest creditors to US Government are China (mainland), Japan and UK with respective debts of (in billions $)	906.8; 877.4; and 477.6
Goodluck Jonathan is the President of	Nigeria
Nestor Kirchner was elected as the first Secretary General of South American Nations (UNASUR). He was the former President of	Argentina
French-American mathematician, who explored a new class of mathematical shapes known as ‘fractals’ and died recently is	Benoit Mandelbrot
Iran and Pakistan have signed the natural gas pipeline deal. The project was first conceptualized and proposed by	Rajiv Gandhi
The Asia’s largest residential university is	BHU, Allahabad
As per commitment on nuclear deal with US, India signed the “Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage” at IAEA Headquarters in	Vienna
The African country whose President Bingu Wa Mutharika on a state visit to India was conferred an honorary degree by Delhi University for his stupendous works  in the African Union is	Malawi
The four countries which doled out higher food subsidies in 2008 that what they had committed (as per WTO subsidy norms) and which was protested by USA and India are	Costa Rica, Poland, Israel and Norway
The total number of Landlocked developing countries in the world is	33
The Indian business leader who has been included in a 19 member group of notables that will assist the UK government in preparing business strategies and highlight priorities for the British economy	Ratan Tata
The person who is known as George Washington of South America is	Simon Bolivar
The annual bilateral ‘SIMBEX’ exercise is conducted between the navies of India and	Singapore
Jose Ramos Horta, the Nobel Prize winner was the President of	East Timor
African country where Mango Cooperative Program is being implemented in collaboration with UN Development Programme is	Mali
International Centre for Agriculture in Dry Areas (ICARDA) was visited by our President during her visit to Gulf countries in 2010. It is located in	Aleppo city (Syria)
World record holder from Ethiopia who recently announced his retirement, to drop out of the New York City Marathon, is	Haile Gebrselassie
In January 2011, the country ready to buy 4 to 5 billion euros (around $6.6 billion) of Portuguese sovereign debt to help the country ward off pressure in debt markets, is	China
UN General Assembly adopted a resolution appealing nations to impose a moratorium on the use of death penalty, 3rd such step by world body against capital punishment since 2007. The number of countries which have abolished the death penalty in law or practice are	136 (out of 192 UN members)
The name of Turkish humanitarian aid ship that was the scene of bloodshed during an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, 2010 and welcomed by thousands of pro-Palestinian activists when it sailed into Istanbul’s Sarayburnu port after repairs at a port on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is	Mavi Marmara
The promoter of Red Cross in 1864 was	Jean Henri Durant
The Organization that considered that right activist Binayak Sen is the prisoner of conscience and the life sentence handed down to him violates international standards of fair trail and has warned that it is likely to ‘inflame’ tension in the conflict-affected area, is	Amnesty International
The oil tycoon and once richest person of Russia who is serving a eight year prison term and now found guilty of stealing oil from his own company in second trail, is	Khodorkovsky
The first western country to declare caste discrimination unlawful by organization it as a form of racial prejudice (subject to acceptance of study commissioned to help it take a decision)	Britain
The WTO which replaced the earlier GATT, was set up in the year	1995
The country whose satellite namely X-Sat is to be placed into orbit by Indian Space Research Organization through Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16), is	Singapore
Temasek is the investment arm of	Singapore
The Britain longest MP of Indian origin is	Keith Vaz
The world’s 3rd largest transmission utility, has decided to diversify in telecommunication is	Power Grid Corporation
The country gave Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi honorary citizenship in 2007, not its PM invited her to visit the country and personally accept the honorary citizenship is	Canada
The Indian who has been elected to Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), which controls the purse strings of UN and has an annual budget of $22 billion is	Namgya Khampa
New UN agency to promote equality for women and India has also been elected as its member is	UN Women
The former President of Argentina, who served as president from 2003 to 2007 and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011 has died recently is	Nestor Kirchner
The chairman of UN’s Foundation and the founder of Cable News Network (CNN) who has donated $1 billion towards the eradication of polio in Nigeria is	Ted Turner
While the common name of People’s Republic of China is China, the Republic of China is known as	Taiwan

Supreme Court of India held Farmers entitled to the Highest Market Value as Compensation

The Supreme Court of India on 27 April 2012 held that Farmers whose land is acquired for a public purpose are entitled to the highest market value as compensation. The Supreme Court’s ruling came following a case of land acquisition in Punjab’s Faridkot district where the land owner was awarded a compensation of 1 lakh rupees per acre despite the land was located in commercially important area.
The Supreme Court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J. Chelameswar held that in the case When the land is being compulsorily acquired, the owner is entitled to the highest value which similar land in the locality is shown to have fetched in a bona fide transaction entered into between a willing purchaser and a willing seller near about the time of the acquisition.

Land Acquisition

Land acquisition has always been an issue of contention between the governments and the land owners. With the dawn of industrial economy in the country post economic reforms, the problem has got even worsened as the farmers in most of the cases were forced to sacrifice their land at lower price. Recent years have witnessed a string of cases when farmers have raised their voice against the forced acquisition of their land.
The land acquisition muddle of present India has its origin in  an old bill, the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 where prices per-acre of land has been fairly low. The law was made by british colonial rulers to facilitate the land acquisition from the farmers at the cheapest price.Post independence, the political parties in the country enjoyed a wider control over the land acquisition process in India. The bill is under the consideration of the parliament to bring out required amendments into it.

Indian-American Vikram Singh appointed to the Senior Executive Service of Pentagon

Indian-American Vikram Singh, an expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan and a close aide of late diplomat Richard Holbrooke, was appointed to an important position of deputy assistant secretary of defence for South and South East Asia at the Pentagon. He replaced Robert Scher who has been assigned as deputy assistant secretary of defence for plans.
Vikram J Singh was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and is assigned as deputy assistant secretary of defence for south and Southeast Asia. Prior to his current assignment Singh served as special assistant, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy).
Before joining Holbrooke's staff, he was senior director for counter-insurgency policy at the Pentagon and a member of the Department of Defence team for the White House Strategy Review for Afghanistan and Pakistan. From 1999 through 2001, Vikram managed a five-country Ford Foundation project on minority rights and security in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo.

Mithun Chakravarti received the PC Chandra Lifetime Achievement Award

Bollywood actor Mithun Chakravarti received the PC Chandra lifetime achievement award in Kolkata on 29 April 2102. West Bengal Governor MK Narayan conferred the award upon the iconic Bengali actor. The award  was comprised a memento, citation and five lakh rupees cash.
Mithun has bagged the national award thrice - for Mrigaya (1976), Tahader Katha (1996) and Swami Vivekananda (1998). PC Chandra group has also felicitated stalwarts like the late Ustad Bismillah Khan, Sunil Gavaskar and P T Usha in the past.

Cooperative Credit System

The Interest Subvention Scheme is being implemented by the Government of India since 2006-07 to make short term crop loans upto Rs. 3 lakh for a period of one year available to farmers at the interest rate of 7% per annum. Interest Subvention is provided to Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks to meet the difference between the cost of their own funds and the lending rates on such loans. The Government has released Rs.1356.64 crore to cooperative banks through NABARD towards Interest Subvention between 2006-07 and 2010-11.

New Interventions for Population Stabilization

For focused attention to districts having weak health indicators pertaining to maternal health, child health and family planning, 264 High Focus Districts have been identified across the country for supportive supervision and higher allocation of funds to bridge critical gaps especially in infrastructure and human resources. Some of the key new interventions that have been added to ongoing measures for population stabilisation are as follows:

1. A new scheme has been launched to utilize the services of ASHA to deliver contraceptives at the doorstep of beneficiaries. The scheme is being implemented in 233 districts of 17 states. ASHA is charging a nominal amount from beneficiaries for her effort to deliver contraceptives at doorstep i.e Re 1 for a pack of 3 condoms, Re 1 for a cycle of Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) and Rs.2 for a pack of one tablet of Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECP).

2. Copper Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (Cu IUCD) 375(5 years effectivity) has been introduced under the National Family Planning programme. Training of state level trainers has already been completed and process is underway to train service providers upto the sub-center level.

3. A new method of IUCD insertion namely Post- Partum IUCD (PPIUCD) has been introduced. 276 district hospitals in high focus states have been identified for strengthening PPIUCD services.

4. Post-partum Family Planning Services at district hospitals is promoted by providing for dedicated Family Planning Counsellors and training of personnel.

More than 61 Lakhs Screened under NPCDCS

Government of India launched a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010 to cover 100 districts in 21 States during 2010 to 2012. Opportunistic screening of population aged 30 years and above and all pregnant mothers for early detection of suspected cases of diabetes and hypertension is also part of the programme. So far, 61.16 lakhs people have been screened for diabetes and hypertension out of which 4,58,469 people are suspected to be diabetic and 3,71,004 people are suspected to be suffering from hypertension.

The targets set during the last two years of the 11th Five Year Plan under NPCDCS were to establish State and District NCD Cells for implementation and monitoring the programme and to upgrade/set up two to four bedded Cardiac Care Units (CCU) and NCD Clinics at District Hospitals. Financial assistance is provided for engagement of State Programme Manager, District Programme Manager and other logistics support at State and District level and also for hiring manpower consisting of a Physician (Endocrinologist/Cardiologist), Physiotherapist, Nurses and logistic support to run the District NCD Clinic. Similarly, support is also given for NCD Clinics at Community Health Centres.

Under Cancer component of NPCDCS, strengthening of district hospitals in these 100 districts are permitted by hiring additional manpower such as Medical Oncologist, Cyto-pathologist, Cyto-pathology Technician, Nurses and Counsellor for early diagnosis of cancer and creating facilities for chemotherapy and supportive care to cancer patients. Early cancer detection are to be done at district level through opportunistic screening mainly for Oral, Breast and Cervical Cancer. Funds for equipment such as Colposcope is provided for screening of Cancer Cervix. Financial assistance up to Rs.1.00 lakh per patient is available for chemotherapy drugs to treat 100 Cancer patients per district. The programme also envisages strengthening of Government Medical College Hospitals including erstwhile Regional Cancer Centres (RCC) across the country as Tertiary Cancer Centre (TCC) for providing comprehensive Cancer care services. Sanction can be made up to Rs.6.00 crore (Rs.4.80 crore by Government of India and Rs.1.20 crore by State Government) for the purpose.

Extension of the programme to cover all the Districts in a phased manner and strengthen the Tertiary Cancer Care Facilities are envisaged during 12th Five Year Plan.

Funds are provided to the programme States based on the number of Districts taken under the programme. Funds are released to States through the state Health Societies.

Vidya Balan appointed Brand Ambassador for promoting Sanitation in India

Noted Bollywood actor Vidya Balan was roped in by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation as brand ambassador to spread awareness about sanitation and cleanliness in the country. Talking to the media after meeting Balan here, Union Rural Development Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh said she will appear in ad campaigns to propagate construction and use of toilets. The Minister informed that Balan is the first brand ambassador of the Ministry. According to UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Programme Report 2010, nearly 60 per cent of India`s 1.1 billion people still practice open defecation and close to 58% of all open defecations in the World is in India. Shri Ramesh said that Vidya’s involvement will make the campaign to end open defecation a national obsession. The key areas of intervention on sanitation that may be focused upon are- propogating construction and use of toilets by all, habits of hand washing, personal hygiene and managing waste.

Talking to reporters, Vidya Balan said that this role will work a lot because they are working on a national movement. She said that it is a matter of great honour for her to become the brand ambassador of sanitation campaign and added that it needs to become a national obsession. She has agreed to give her time for the campaign for two years and will be fully involved in the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan--the restructured version of the Total Sanitation Campaign. It may be recalled that India loses 54 billion US dollars that is about 24,000 crore rupees a year due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana

The Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana (RGUMY) Scheme, launched in 2008, is aimed at providing financial assistance to the selected lead agencies i.e. Udyami Mitras for rendering assistance and handholding support to the potential first generation entrepreneurs. Till date 650 Udyami Mitras have been empanelled in 28 States and 3 Union Territories. The Udyami Mitras have so far registered 19920 beneficiaries for rendering handholding support. Through an ‘Udyami Helpline’ (a Toll free Call Centre for MSMEs on 1800-180-6763), support, guidance and assistance to first generation entrepreneurs as well as other existing entrepreneurs is also provided to guide them regarding various promotional schemes of the Government, procedural formalities required for setting up and running of the enterprise and help them in accessing Bank credit etc.

The Ministry of MSME does not provide any financial assistance to entrepreneurs under Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana. However, organizations empanelled as Udyami Mitra by the Ministry provide handholding support to first generation entrepreneurs and in return are paid handholding charges under the scheme.

As per one of the roles & responsibilities defined in the Scheme guidelines, the selected lead agencies i.e. Udyami Mitras are expected to render assistance and handholding support for services such as arranging tie-up with raw material suppliers, preparation and implementation of marketing strategy for the product/service and market development.

According to the information available, in 1569 cases the Udyami Mitras indicated having provided marketing tie-up. The Ministry has so far empanelled 650 Udyami Mitras, who in turn, have registered 19920 potential entrepreneurs (beneficiaries) under the Scheme.

Amendments Proposed by NCW to The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has proposed recommendations to amend the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 in 2009. The major recommendations include:-

1. Amendment to definition of dowry.

2. Provision for registration of lists of gifts received at the time of marriage.

3. Provision for separate penalties for giving and taking of dowry.

4. Penalties for non-maintenance of lists of gifts received at the time of the marriage.

5. Insertion of a new clause providing an opportunity to the woman to file a case at the place where the offence was committed or where she permanently/temporarily

resides. 6. Protection officers appointed under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 to carry out the duties of the Dowry Prohibition Officers.

The recommendations made by the NCW were discussed in an Inter-Ministerial meeting and the Dowry Prohibition (Amendment) Bill 2010 was drafted in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice. As a number of representations were received against the proposed amendments, the NCW held further consultation at the request of the Ministry and provided the minutes of the same. Thereafter, the Ministry held a Regional Consultation on 17 November, 2011 and a National Consultation on 12 January, 2012 with the representatives of State Governments, police, Legal Services Authorities etc., to discuss the issues in implementation of the Act and share best practices. The Ministry is currently examining the proposed amendments in the light of the deliberations made in these Consultations.

‘SABLA’ Scheme Expected to Benefit about 100 Lakh Adolescent Girls Every Year

As many as 100 lakh adolescent girls per annum are expected to be benefitted under the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)–‘Sabla’ scheme- of the Government. The centrally-sponsored scheme was introduced in 2010-11 on a pilot basis in 200 districts in all States and UTs.

Against the allocation of Rs. 340 crore for the year 2010-11, a sum of Rs. 330 crore (approx.) were released to States/UTs. The year 2011-12 was the first complete year of implementation of the scheme, against the allocation of Rs. 750 crore in 2011-12, Rs. 561.11 crore have been released to States/UTs for implementation of the scheme. As reported by States/UTs, coverage for nutrition under Sabla in 2011-12 was 84.82 lakh adolescent girls. An allocation of Rs. 750 crore is made for the scheme for 2012-13.

Distribution of Water by Private Companies

The revised draft National Water Policy (2012) inter-alia recommends that the “Service Provider” role of the State has to be gradually shifted to that of a regulator of services and facilitator for strengthening the institutions responsible for planning, implementation and management of water resources.   The water related services should be managed with community participation or brought under appropriate “Public Private Partnership” model under close superintendence of the regulatory authorities including the stakeholders.

            The Draft National Water Policy (2012) has been prepared after a series of consultation meeting with different stakeholders.  Details of the Consultation Meetings for review of National Water Policy held in this regard are given below:-  

·         A consultation meeting with  Members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, Members of the Consultative Committee for Ministry of Water Resources and  Members of the Parliamentary Forum on Water Conservation and Management was held on 28.07.2010.

·         A Brainstorming Session with Academia, Professionals and Experts was held on 26^th October, 2010 regarding review of National Water Policy.

·         Consultation meeting with Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) was held on 11-12 January 2011.

·         Consultation meeting with Corporate Sector for Review of National Water Policy was held on   21^st March 2011.

·         Consultation meeting held with Panchayati Raj Institutions from

Southern States at Hyderabad:                       16^th June 2011,

North Eastern States at Shillong :                  30^th June 2011,

Northern States at Jaipur :                               14^th July 2011, and

Western States at Pune :                                  2^nd November, 2011