Important United Nations (UN) Agencies list for all Entrance Exams

The United Nations (UN) Agencies plays a leading role in providing development and humanitarian assistance, including as a first-responder to natural disasters and complex emergencies. Knowing about UN Agencies is immensely important  from CLAT Perspective.

Name of Agency	Estd. In	Headquarters	Purpose
International Labour Organization (ILO)	1919	Geneva	To improve conditions and living standard of workers.
World Health Organization (WHO)	1948	Geneva	Attainment of highest possible level of heath by all people.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)	1946	Paris	To Promote collaboration among nations through education, science and culture.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)	1957	Vienna	To promote peaceful uses of atomic energy.
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)	1946	New York	To promote children's welfare all over the world.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)	1950	Geneva	To provide protection to refugees.
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA)	1967	New York	For formulating population policies.
International Fund for Agricultural Development	1977	Rome	For financing agricultural projects in the world to raise the economic growth.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)	1964	Geneva	Promotes international trade to accelerate economic growth of developing countries.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)	1947	Montreal	Promotes safety of international aviation.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)	1945	Washington D.C.	Promotes international monetary cooperation.
International Finance Corporation (IFC)	1956	Washington D.C.	Promotes economic development by encouraging private enterprise in its member countries.
Universal Postal Union (UPU)	1947	Berne	Improve various postal services in the world.
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)	1972	Nairobi	Promotes international co-operation in human environment.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)	1967	Geneva	Sets international regulations for radio, telegraph, and telephone and space radio communication.
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)	1945	Rome	To improve living condition of rural population.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)	1945	Washington D.C.	Development of economic of members by facilitating investment of capitals by providing loans.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)	1950	Geneva	Promote international exchange of weather reports.
World Trade Organization (WTO)	1995	Geneva	Setting rules for world trade to reduce tariffs.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)		New York	Help developing countries increase the wealth producing capabilities o their natural and human resources.
Inter Government maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO)	1958	London	Promotes co-operation on technical matters of maritime safety, navigation and encourages anti-pollution measures.
International Development Association (IDA)	1960	Washington D.C.	An affiliate of the World Bank, aims to help under-developed countries raise living standards.
International Tele-communication Union (ITU)	1947	Geneva	Sets international regulations for radio telegraph, telephone and space radio communications.
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)	1965	New York	Provides training and research to help facilitate UN objectives of world peace and security and of economic and social progress.
United Nations Relief and Work for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)	1949	New York	Provides basic amenities and education for the victims of Arab-Israel War.
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA)	1967	New York	Studying population dynamics, collecting population data, formulating and evolving population policies, family planning and related programs

ISRO successfully launches 'spy satellite' RISAT-1

The PSLV-C19, the newest in the series of polar satellite launch
vehicles of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), burst off
the launch-pads of Sriharikota in the wee hours of Thursday on its
space mission of placing indigenously developed Radar Imaging
Satellite the RISAT-1 in a polar circular orbit.

After a customarily tense countdown at the ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota, at precisely 5.47 a.m., the launch vehicle's
core stage igniters and set of six strap-on motors ignited within
seconds of each to signal the successful lift-off of the PSLV-C19 with
the RISAT -1 firmly docked inside its metal frames.

The RISAT-1 with a payload of 1858 kg, the heaviest satellite being
launched yet by the PSLV, is a state-of-the-art Active Microwave
Remote Sensing Satellite carrying a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
payload that will operate in the C-band. In simpler terms, the RISAT-1
can beam back imaging of the earth surface features during day and
night and under all imagined weather conditions. The SAR which gives
the RISAT-1 its magic lens also makes it superior to the generation of
optical remote sensing satellites in terms of clearer imaging at all
times and under any condition.

Once the PSLV-C19 successfully completed each of the four stages of
its flight in a span of 18 minutes and reported normal parameters,
congratulatory scenes broke out at the Mission Directorate at
Sriharikota.

Addressing the team of scientists and engineers, ISRO Chairman K.
Radhakrishnan said he was happy to announce that the PSLV-C19 was a
"grand success" and had injected into polar orbit India's first Radar
Imaging Satellite. Prof. Radhakrishnan also laid out the roadmap of
PSLV launches during the year ahead and the stated that the ground
tests of the GSLV driven by indigenous cryogenic technology had been
promising and was scheduled completion in September-October this year.

Prof. Yashpal and Prof. U.R. Rao, two of ISRO's founding fathers were
also present to partake in the celebrations of what they described as
a landmark event.

source:http://www.allcurrentaffairs.tk/2012/04/isro-successfully-launches-spy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AllCurrentAffairs+%28ALL+Current+Affairs%29

State Bank of India has launched a ‘virtual' electronic debit card for e-commerce transactions.

State Bank of India has launched a 'virtual' electronic debit card for
e-commerce transactions.

The 'State Bank Virtual' card can be created by a customer using the
bank's Internet Banking facility with transaction rights.

The product allows the user to create a virtual card for any online
transaction and the customer is not required to share the details of
the principal account on the merchant Web site, said the bank in a
statement.

The new product is a convenient and secure gateway to online payment
for SBI's Internet banking users. Among the features of the virtual
card are: no charges on creation of the card and the customer can
create any number of cards at the same time. The card is created for
each online transaction and is valid for a maximum of 48 hours.

There is no transfer of balance from the principal account inasmuch as
only a lien is marked on the account. The minimum amount with which
the card can be loaded with is Rs 100. There is no upper limit.

source:http://www.allcurrentaffairs.tk/2012/04/sbi-launches-virtual-card-for-online.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AllCurrentAffairs+%28ALL+Current+Affairs%29

Transfer of balance takes place only when the customer does the actual
transaction online

Reasoning Solved paper for forthcomming -2

Directions—(Q. 1-5) In the following each question there are two statements and two conclusions I and II there-after are given. Accept the given statements as true even if they are inconsistent with known facts and ignoring the universally known facts find out which conclusion follows logically from the given statements.
Give answer (A) if only the conclusion I follows.
Give answer (B) if only the conclusion II follows.
Give answer (C) if either the conclusion I or the II follows.
Give answer (D) if neither the conclusion I nor the II follows.
Give answer (E) if the conclusions I and II both follow.

1. Statements: All faxes are alligators.
Some alligators are jackals.
Conclusions:
I. Some faxes are jackals.
II. All faxes are jackals.
Ans : (D)

2. Statements: Some pen are fire-works.
All fire-works are toys.
Conclusions:
I. Some toys are men.
II. Some toys are fire-works.
Ans : (E)

3. Statements: All herons are parrots.
No parrot is swan.
Conclusions:
I. No heron is swan.
II. Some swans are herons.
Ans : (A)

4. Statements: Some bats are cats.
Some cats are dogs.
Conclusions:
I. Some bats are dogs.
II. Some dogs are bats.
Ans : (D)

5. Statements: All writers are novelists.
Some novelists are dramatists.
Conclusions:
I. Some writers are dramatists.
II. Some dramatists are novelists.
Ans : (D)


6. Introducing Priyanka, Saroj says that her mother is the only daughter of my mother. How is Saroj related to Priyanka ?
(A) Mother
(B) Sister
(C) Daughter
(D) Aunt
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

7. Pointing to a picture of a child Narendra says, "The brother of this child's mother, is the only son of my mother's father." How is Narendra related to the mother of the child?
(A) Daughter
(B) Sister
(C) Maternal grand mother
(D) Aunt
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

8. Pointing to a lady in the photograph Kaushal said, "She is the daughter of the daughter of the only son of my grand father." How is the lady related to Kaushal ?
(A) Sister
(B) Maternal aunt
(C) Niece
(D) Cousin
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

9. Pointing to Manju, Gaurav said, "She is the wife of the only son of my father's father." How is Manju related to Gaurav ?
(A) Mother
(B) Sister
(C) Aunt
(D) Sister-in-law
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

10. A lady pointing to a man in photograph says, "The father of his brother is the only son of my maternal grand father." How is the man related to that lady?
(A) Husband
(B) Son
(C) Father
(D) Maternal uncle
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

11. A lady pointing to a man in a photograph says, "The sister of the son of this man is my mother-in-law." How is the husband of the lady related to the man in the photograph?
(A) Maternal grand son
(B) Nephew
(C) Son
(D) Maternal grand father
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

12. Kamini says, "Rajeev's grand father is the only son of my father." How is Kamini related to Rajeev ?
(A) Daughter
(B) Sister
(C) Niece
(D) Grand mother
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

13. Introducing a man, a woman says, "He is the only son of my mother's mother." How is the man related to the woman ?
(A) Uncle
(B) Father
(C) Maternal uncle
(D) Uncle
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

14. Pointing a woman, Mahendra says, "The only son of her mother is my father." How is Mahendra related to the woman ?
(A) Nephew
(B) Brother
(C) Son
(D) Grandson
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

15. Pointing to Kalpna, Arjun says, "She is the only daughter of my father-in-law." How is Kalpna related to Arjun ?
(A) Daughter
(B) Niece
(C) Wife
(D) Daughter-in-law
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

16. Pointing to a man Snehlata says, "He is the only son of my father's father." How is Snehlata related to the man ?
(A) Mother
(B) Grand daughter
(C) Niece
(D) Sister
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

17. Pointing to a lady in photograph, Madhurendra said, "Her mother is the only daughter of my mother's mother." How is Madhurendra related to the lady?
(A) Nephew
(B) Uncle
(C) Maternal uncle
(D) Brother
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

18. If P x Q means— 'P is the brother of Q', P ÷ Q means 'P is the son of Q' and 'P – Q' means 'P is the sister of Q' , then which of the following relations will show that Q is the maternal uncle of P ?
(A) Q x R ÷ P
(B) Q ÷ R – P
(C) P x R – Q
(D) P ÷ R – Q
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)

19. A lady pointing to a woman in a photograph says, "She is the only daughter of my father-in-law." How is the woman related to the lady?
(A) Mother
(B) Sister
(C) Friend
(D) Aunt
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

20. Pointing to a woman in a photograph a man says, "Her mother's mother is the mother of my father." How is the man related to the woman in a photograph?
(A) Uncle
(B) Maternal cousin
(C) Nephew
(D) Grand son
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

21. If x means –, – means x, + means ÷ and ÷ means + then—
13 – 12 ÷ 400 + 20 x 100 = ?
(A) 1/1760
(B) 76
(C) 176
(D) 186
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

22. If – means ÷, ÷ means –, + means x and x means +, then—
12 – 4 x 7 + 8 ÷ 5 = ?
(A) 51
(B) 45
(C) 34
(D) 64
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)

23. If + means x, x means +, – means ÷ and ÷ means –, then—
16 x 2 ÷ 4 + 7 – 8 = ?
(A) 31
(B) 29/2
(C) 43/2
(D) 15
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)

24. If + means ÷, ÷ means –, – means x and x means +, then—
64 + 8 ÷ 6 – 4 x 2 = ?
(A) 34
(B) 16
(C) –14
(D) 24
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

25. If + means –, – means x, x means ÷ and ÷ means +, then—
48 x 4 ÷ 7 + 8 – 2 = ?
(A) 3
(B) –5
(C) 35
(D) 16
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)

Reasoning solved paper for forthcomming exams

1. Piyush is 18th from either end of a row of boys. How many boys are there in that row ?

(A) 26

(B) 32

(C) 24

(D) 35

2. 'Medicine' is related to 'Patient' in the same way as 'Education' is related to—

(A) Teacher

(B) School

(C) Student

(D) Tuition

3. Fill in the missing letter in the following series—

S, V, Y, B, ?

(A) C

(B) D

(C) E

(D) G

4. What should come in the place of question mark in the following series ?

3, 8, 6, 14, ?, 20

(A) 11

(B) 10

(C) 8

(D) 9

5. Select the correct option in place of the question mark—

AOP, CQR, EST, GUV, ?

(A) IYZ

(B) HWX

(C) IWX

(D) JWX

6. What should come in the place of question mark in the following series ?

1, 4, 9, 25, 36, ?

(A) 48

(B) 49

(C) 52

(D) 56

7. In a class of 60 where boys are twice that of girls, Raman ranked 17th from the top. If there are 9 boys ahead of Raman, how many girls are after her in the rank ?

(A) 26

(B) 12

(C) 10

(D) 33

8. If 'BOAT' is written as 'YLZG' in a code language how is 'EGG' to be written in the same language ?

(A) VSS

(B) URR

(C) VTT

(D) UTT

9. In a code language SINGER is written as AIBCED then GINGER will be written in the same code as—

(A) CBIECD

(B) CIBCED

(C) CBICED

(D) CIBECD

10. If BAT is coded as 283, CAT is coded as 383 and ARE is coded as 801, then the code for BETTER is—

(A) 213310

(B) 213301

(C) 123301

(D) 012334

11. If water is called black, black is called tree, tree is called blue, blue is called rain, rain is called pink and pink is called fish in a certain language then what is the colour of sky called in that language ?

(A) Blue

(B) Fish

(C) Rain

(D) Pink

12. A man walks 3 km northwards and then turns left and goes 2 km. He again turns left and goes 3 km. He turns right and walks straight. In which direction he is walking now ?

(A) East

(B) West

(C) North

(D) South

13. One morning after sunrise Vikas and Shanu were standing in a lawn with their back towards each other. Vikas's shadow fell exactly towards left-hand side. Which direction Shanu was facing ?

(A) East

(B) West

(C) North

(D) South

14. Neelam is taller than Paumpi but not as tall as Mihir. Roma is taller than Namarata but not as tall as Paumpi. Who among them is the tallest ?

(A) Mihir

(B) Paumpi

(C) Namarata

(D) Neelam

15. In an examination Raja got more marks than Mohit but not as many as Minal. Minal got more marks than Suresh and Rupali. Suresh got less marks than Mohit but his marks are not the lowest in the group. Who is second in the descending order of marks ?

(A) Minal

(B) Rupali

(C) Raja

(D) None of these

16. Pointing to a photograph of a girl, Raja said "She has no sister or daughter but her mother is the only daughter of my mother''. How is the girl in the photograph related with Raja's mother ?

(A) Sister in law

(B) Grand Daughter

(C) Daughter in law

(D) None of these

17. If Suyash's father is Babloo's father's only son and Babloo has neither a brother nor a daughter. What is the relationship between Suyash and Babloo ?

(A) Uncle–Nephew

(B) Father–Daughter

(C) Father–Son

(D) Grandfather–Grandson

18. An application was received by inward clerk in the afternoon of a weekday. Next day he forwarded it to the table of the senior clerk, who was on leave that day. The senior clerk next day evening put up the application to the desk officer. Desk officer studied the

application and disposed off the matter on the same day, i.e., Friday. Which day the application was received by the inward clerk ?

(A) Tuesday

(B) Earlier week's Saturday

(C) Wednesday

(D) Monday

19. Flight to Mumbai leaves every 5 hours. At the information counter I learnt that the flight took off 25 minutes before. If the time now is 10 : 45 a.m., what is the time for

the next flight ?

(A) 2 : 20 a.m.

(B) 3 : 30 a.m.

(C) 3 : 55 p.m.

(D) 3 : 20 p.m.

20. Babloo ranked 16th from the top and 29th from the bottom among those who passed an examination. 6 boys did not participate in the competition and 5 failed in the examination. How many boys were there in that class ?

(A) 44

(B) 40

(C) 50

(D) 55

21. Indra is 7th from the left and Jaya is 5th from the right. When they interchange their position Jaya becomes 19th from the right. What is Indra's position from the left ?

(A) 21st

(B) 19th

(C) 23rd

(D) 20th

22. If EARTHQUAKE is coded as MOGPENJOSM then EQUATE will be coded as—

(A) MENOPM

(B) MENOMP

(C) NJOGPM

(D) MNJOPM

23. If COUNTRY is coded in certain way as EMWLVPA, ELECTORATE will be coded in the same manner as—

(A) CJCEFQPYWC

(B) CJGERQTYVG

(C) CNCERQPCRG

(D) GJGAVMTYVC

24. 'Air' is to 'Bird' as 'Water' is to…

(A) Drink

(B) Fish

(C) Wash

(D) Swim

25. 'Pencil' is to 'Write' as 'Knife' is to ……….

(A) Injure

(B) Peel

(C) Prick

(D) Attack

Answers with Hints

1. (D)

2. (C) As 'Medicine' is used by a 'Patient' in the same way 'Education' is used by a 'Student'.

3. (C)

4. (D)

5. (C)

6. (B)

7. (B)

8. (C)

9. (B)

10. (A)

11. (C)

12. (A)

13. (D)

14. (A) Mihir > Neelam > Paumpi > Roma > Namrata

= The tallest is Mihir.

15. (C) Minal > Raja > Mohit > Suresh > Rupali

16. (B) The girl in the photograph is the daughter of Raja's sister. Hence the girl is grand daughter of Raja's mother.

17. (C) Suyash is the son of Babloo.

18. (C) The desk officer received the application on Friday. Hence the senior clerk received it on Thursday and the inward clerk received the application on Wednesday.

19. (D) The time for the next flight

= 10·45 – 0·25 + 5·00

= 15·20 = 3 : 20 p.m.

20. (D) Number of boys in the class

= (16 + 29 – 1) + 6 + 5

= 55

21. (A)

22. (D)

23. (D)

24. (B) As 'Bird' flies in 'Air' similarly 'Fish' swims in 'Water'.

25. (D) As 'Pencil' is used to 'Write' similarly 'Knife' is used to 'Attack'.

Reasoning Questions for Bank Exams

Reasoning Questions for Bank Exams – Solved

 

1. If the following alphabets were written in the reverse order, which would be the fourth letter to the right of the fifteenth letter from the left?

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1. G

2. H

3. I

4. S

5. None of these

2. Four of the following five are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which one does not belong to that group?

1. Ears

2. Hands

3. Fingers

4. Eyes

5. Legs

3. How many 4's immediately preceded by 5 but not immediately followed by 7 are there in the following series of numbers?

5 4 8 7 4 9 5 4 7 7 4 5 5 4 6 5 4 7 5 4 7 3 2 4 7

1. 2

2. 3

3. 4

4. 5

5. None of these

4. If the first and second letters in the word 'COMMUNICATIONS' were interchanged, also the third and the fourth letters, the fifth and the sixth letters and so on, which letter would be the tenth letter counting from your right?

1. U

2. A

3. T

4. U

5. None of these

5. Lokesh remembers that his brother Laxman's birthday falls after 20th of August but before 28th of August, while Rita remember that Laxman's birthday falls before 22nd of August but after 12th of August. On what date Laxman's birthday falls?

1. 20th August

2. 21st August

3. 22nd August

4. Cannot be determined

5. None of these

6. Four of the following five are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which one does not belong to that group?

1. 12

2. 13

3. 15

4. 18

5. 26

7. In a certain code 'CALANDER' is written as 'CLANDER'. How is 'CIRCULAR' written in that code?

1. ICCRULURA

2. CRUICUALR

3. CRIUCLRA

4. ICRCLUAR

5. None of these

8. In a certain code '2 5 6' means 'Red Colour Chalk', ' 5 8 9' means 'Green Colour Flower' and ' 2 4 5' means 'White Colour Chalk'. What digit in the code means 'White'?

1. 2

2. 4

3. 5

4. Cannot be determined

5. None of these

9. If the following words were rearranged in alphabetical order as in a dictionary, which will come in the middle?

1. Plane

2. Plain

3. Plenty

4. Player

5. Place

10. Four of the following five are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which one does not belong to that group?

1. Bud

2. Branch

3. Leaf

4. Root

5. Plant

11. 'Needle' is related to 'Clock' as 'Wheel' is related to…?

1. Drive

2. Vehicle

3. Circular

4. Move

5. Road

12. Two letters in the word 'PRESENCE' have as many letters between them in the word as there are between them in the alphabet and in the same order. Which one of the two letters comes earlier in the alphabet?

1. C

2. E

3. R

4. P

5. None of these

13. Rakesh is standing at a point. He walks 20 m towards the East and further 10 m towards the South; then he walks 35 m towards the West; and further 5 m towards the East. What is the straight distance in metres between his starting point and the point where he reached last?

1. 0

2. 5

3. 10

4. Cannot be determined

5. None of these

14. Which of the following pairs of letters should come in the place of question mark(?) in the twin letter series given below?

BY IQ NK QG ?

1. RF

2. TF

3. RE

4. SE

5. None of these

15. If '+' means '/', '/' means '-', '-' means 'x' and 'x' means '+' then

48 + 16 / 4 – 2 x 8 = ?

1. 3

2. 6

3. -28

4. 112

5. None of these

Answers:

1. 2, 2. 3, 3. 1, 4. 1, 5. 2, 6. 2, 7. 2, 8. 2, 9. 1, 10. 5, 11. 2, 12. 4, 13. 2, 14. 3, 15. 1

Important National Days for Entrance Exams

Bank exam question paper had a question on national voter's day.
Know some more important national days.

 National voter's day --- January 25
To encourage more young voters to take part in political process
Government of India has declared this day as national voter's day.
National science day --- February 28
Sir.C.V.Raman discovered Raman's effect on this day. So India
celebrates this day as national science day.

National mathematics day --- December 22
Government of India has decided to celebrate Ramanujam's birth day as
national mathematics day and 2012 as national mathematics year

National youth day – January 12
It is Swamy Vivekananda's birth day

National Teacher's day –September 5
It is the birth day of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, former president
of India

National engineer's day – September 15
It is the birth day of Sri. Visveswariah, an eminent Indian engineer
and states man. He served as chief engineer during construction of
Krishna raja sagar dam.

National Technology day – May 11
On May 11 and May 13, 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests at the
Pokhran test range in Rajasthan, India. First of the five tests were
carried out on May 11, 1998 when three nuclear devices were detonated.
So this day is celebrated as National Technology day.

National Martyr's day – January 30
It is celebrated on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

National Maritime day – April 5
On this day first Indian ship SS loyalty journeyed to United Kingdom
when sea routes were controlled by British.

National law day – November 26
On November 26 1949, the constitution of India was adopted by
constituent Assembly.
National girl child day—January 24

National Education day – November 11
It is the birth anniversary of Moulana Abul Kalam Azad, the great
freedom fighter and eminent educationist.

National postal day – October 10
 This is the extension of world postal day. World postal day is
celebrated on October 9. It was on this day (OCT 9) universal postal
union was founded.

National tourism day – January 25

National integration day – November 19
This day is celebrated in memory of late prime minister Mrs.Indra
Gandhi who fell to the bullets on this day.

National pollution prevention day – December 2
The National pollution prevention day is observed on dec 2   as the
anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy.

world News:Joyce Banda becomes Malawi's first female president

Joyce Banda, who has made history becoming Malawi's first female
president and only the second woman to lead a country in Africa, has a
track record of fighting for women's rights.

She took power over the weekend following the death of 78-year-old
President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in office after heading up the
southern Africa country since 2004.


Mr Mutharika's decision to appoint her as his running mate for the
2009 elections surprised many in Malawi's mainly conservative,
male-dominated society - which had never before had a female
vice-president.

Equally surprising was her decision to publicly stand up to her boss -
by refusing to endorse his plans for his brother, Foreign Affairs
Minister Peter Mutharika, to succeed him as president in 2014 when he
was due to retire.

She was promptly thrown out of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party
- and subjected to daily doses of derision at public rallies and on
Malawi's state airwaves.

A senior ruling party official openly said Malawi was "not ready for a
female president", while First Lady Callista Mutharika said Mrs Banda
was fooling herself that she was a serious politician - saying she was
a mere market woman selling fritters.

"She will never be president, how can a mandasi [fritter] seller be
president?" Mrs Mutharika said.


Mrs Banda took all this in her stride, saying she was glad to be
identified with market women since more than 80% of Malawian women
belong to that category: "Yes, she's right, I'm indeed a mandasi
seller and I'm proud of it because the majority of women in Malawi are
like us, mandasi sellers."

She also resisted calls for her to resign as the country's
vice-president - she was elected not appointed so she could not be
fired by Mr Mutharika - and instead set up her own People's Party.
Charity work
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote

Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages...
because they are not empowered economically, they depend on their
husband"

Joyce Banda

Born in 1950 in the village of Malemia near the southern town of
Zomba, Joyce Hilda Ntila was the eldest in a family of five children.

Her father was the leader of Malawi's police brass band and her
youngest sister, Anjimile, ran pop star Madonna's charity Raising
Malawi until it closed in December.

She left her first husband in 1981, taking her three children with
her, because he was abusive.

"Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say
endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship
because they are not empowered economically, they depend on their
husbands," she told the BBC about her decision.

Eight years later, Mrs Banda founded the National Association of
Business Women, a group that lends start-up cash to small-scale
traders - making her popular among Malawi's many rural poor.

That work also earned her international recognition - in 1997, she was
awarded, along with former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano, the
US-based Hunger Project's Africa Prize for Leadership for the
Sustainable End of Hunger.

She also set up the Joyce Banda Foundation, a charity that assists
Malawian children and orphans through education - she has a degree in
early childhood education.
Sackings

Joyce Banda cut her teeth in politics in 1999 when she won a
parliamentary seat on the ticket of the former ruling United
Democratic Front.

She held a number of cabinet positions under former President Bakili
Muluzi and Mr Mutharika during his first term.


She puts her achievements down to her happy marriage to retired Chief
Justice Richard Banda with whom she has two children.

"My dear husband, Richard, has been the driving force behind my
success and rise to whatever level I am now. My story and legacy is
incomplete without his mention," she said.

Mrs Banda's presidential challenges are huge: Aside from handling
political divisions and possible opposition from Mr Mutharika's
allies, she has to address Malawi's serious economic difficulties.

It is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75%
of the population living on less than $1 (60p) a day.

And former President Mutharika fell out with most of Western donors -
on which the country depends for financial support.

The cutting off of direct aid resulted in the country's worst
shortages of foreign currency, fuel and essential drugs.

But she has immediately made her mark - sacking Malawi's police chief
Peter Mukhito, accused of mishandling anti-government riots last year
in which at least 19 people were shot dead, and Patricia Kaliati as
information minister.

In the wake of Mr Mutharika's death, Ms Kaliati had held a press
conference saying Mrs Banda had no right to take over as president -
despite what the constitution said.

The head of Malawi's state broadcaster has also been replaced.

source:http://www.allcurrentaffairs.tk/2012/04/joyce-banda-becomes-malawis-first.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AllCurrentAffairs+%28ALL+Current+Affairs%29

India successfully test fires Agni-V, takes a giant stride

India on Thursday conducted a successful test-fire of its indigenously
developed nuclear capable Agni-V ballistic missile with a strike range
of over 5,000 km from a test range off Odisha coast.

"The mission was successful. The missile hit the target in Indian
Ocean in a perfect

way," chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO),
VK Saraswat said.

The three stage, solid propellant missile was test-fired from a mobile
launcher from launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in
Wheeler Island near here at about 8:05am, defence sources said,
describing the successful trial as a milestone in India's missile
programme.

After the maiden launch, the Agni-V witnessed a smooth and perfect
vertical lift-off from the launcher and thorough analysis was done to
assess its health parametres after retrieval of data from all a wide
range of sophisticated communication network systems, they said.

Current Affairs:Appointments 2012 for IBPS PO General Awareness Prepration

In the article on IBPS PO Exam Preparation, we are covering the Major Appointments / Selections that had made the headlines in the past six months.In our endeavour, to cover the Current Affairs of Last six months for IBPS PO Exam Preparation, we are posting these articles on General Awareness (Current Affairs and Banking Awareness)

The Appointments covered in this section are from October 2011 to March 2012 (Six months).We will update this page with the latest appointments.So readers are requested to check this page regularly as this page will continually gets updated once new appointments are made.

October 2011

1). Yoshihiko Noda: He has been appointed as the Prime Minister of Japan.

2). Tony Tan: President of Singapore.

3). Dr. Baburam Bhattarai: New Prime Minister of Nepal.

4). M.C Joshi: Appointed as new chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

5). Admiral Nirmal Verma: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma took over as the Chairman of       COSC (Chief of Staff Committee)

6). T.K.A Nair: New Adviser to Prime Minister.

7). Pulok Chaterjee: New Principal-Secretary to Prime Minister.

8). Sadanand Gowda: New CM of Karnataka. .He succeeded Y.S Yeddurappa.

9) Ms Mamata Sharma: Appointed Chairperson of National Commission for Women.

10) Almazbek Atamabayez: New president of Kyrgyzstan

11). Micheal D. Higins: 9th President of Ireland.

12). Ashok chawla: Appointed Chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI).

13) Justice (Retd.) Markenday Katju: Appointed as Chairman of Press Council of India.

November 2011

1). Mr Vinod Rai: The CAG of India Mr Vinod Rai has been appointed as external auditor of Two major UN organizations ; the Vienna based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Geneva based World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

2). Ms. Helle Thorning Schmidt: New Prime Minister of Denmark

3). Mr V Krishnamurthy: Chairman of Newly constituted NMCC (National Manufacturing competitiveness Council)

4). Mr Mariono Rajoy: New Prime Minister of Spain.

5). Mario Monty: Prime Minister of Italy.

6). Lucas Papademos: Prime Minister of Greece

7) Nabam Tuki: Chief-Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.

8) Seven Directors for RBI Board Appointed: The Central Govt reconstituted the RBI Board and appointed the following directors:

• Mr G.M Rao: Head of GMR Group.
• Anil Kakodkar: Former Atomic Energy Commission, Chairman
• Dipankar Gupta: Former JNU Professor.
• Mr Najeeb Jung: Chancellor of Jamai Millia Islamia
• Ms Ela Bhatt: Founder and General-Secretary of SEWA
• Ms Indira Rajaraman: Professor Emertius at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
• Mr Kiran Karnik: Former NASSCOM, Chairman.

December 2011

1). Cristina F. Kirchner : Re-Elected as President of Argentina.

2). Mr Sudhir Vasudeva: Appointed as New Chairman of ONGC

3). Mr Arvinder Singh Bakshi: New Chairperson Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

4). Kim Jong Un : He become the Supreme Leader of Norty-Korea's Ruling

5) Nancy Powell: US Ambassador to India

January 2012: 

1). Mr John Key: Re-elected for 2nd term as New Zea-land Prime Minister

2). Mr Martin Schultz: President of European Union.

3) Ramesh Sippy: Appointed as chairman of National Film Development Corporation

February 2012: 

1) Mr Joseph Kabila: President of Democratic Republic of Congo.

2). Joachim Gauck: Appointed as President of Germany.

3) Abed Rabbo Mansour: Elected as president of Yemen

4) Rahul Khullar: India's Ambassador to Belgium

March 2012: 

1) Mr Ma Ying -Jeou : Re-elected a Taiwan President.

2). Mr Vikramjit Singh Sahney: Mr Vikramjit Singh Sahney, corporate president of Sun Group had taken over as the president of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

3). Mr M Rafeeque : Appointed as the president of Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO)

4). Vice-Admiral M. P Murlidharan: Director-General of Indian-Coast Guard.

April 2012: 

1) Mr Jawahar Sircar: New CEO of Prasar Bharti

2). Dr Mohammed Waheed Hassan: He Succeeded Mr Nasheed as the President of Maldives

3). Mr Sauli Niinsto : New president of Finland.

4). Lt General Birkram Singh: India's New Chief of Army Staff. He will assume office on 31st May, 2012 after the retirement of Mr V.k Singh

MIT tech summit starts in Bangalore

MIT Technology Review's Emerging Technologies conference EmTech 2012
commenced in Bangalore with academicians and technology enthusiasts
from over the world.

The keynote speaker was Research Scientist, MIT (Massachusetts
Institute of Technology) Center for Digital Business, George Westerman
who spoke on –'Digital Transformation: A Manifesto for Business and
Technology Leaders'. He had some nuggets for enterprises keen on
achieving digital transformation based on the findings of a study of
CEOs 175 global companies.

Explaining digital transformation, Westerman said it is the use of
technology to radically improve performance and reach of the
enterprises.

"Innovations are not the preserve of the large global firms, but of
technology-focused companies," said Westerman.

The summit also had a session by MIT Research Scientist, Marie-Jose
Montpetit. She spoke on how the age of the seamless video consumption
and highlighted how the rise of smart phones and tablet computers has
changed the way we live.

She highlighted an emerging trend in Social televisions (televisions
that support social interactions) and a mesh of access networks and
end devices has replaced the linear delivery-chain of the recent past.
Other notable speakers were JC Bose National Fellow, TIFR, Mumbai, RK
Shyamasundar and Practice Director, HCL Technologies, Sudeendra
Koushik.

source;http://www.allcurrentaffairs.tk/2012/03/mit-tech-summit-starts-in-bangalore.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AllCurrentAffairs+%28ALL+Current+Affairs%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Top ten highlights of the BRICS Summit

Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa met in New
Delhi at the BRICS grouping today. These nations comprise nearly half
the world's population and a growing share of global GDP.

Here are the ten key outcomes of the Fourth BRICS Summit today:

1) Declaration after the summit cautions the West against allowing the
Iranian situation to escalate into conflict. It backs dialogue to
resolve the Iranian nuclear impasse. The declaration said the crisis
over Iran's nuclear programme should be resolved diplomatically and
should not be allowed to escalate. It also recognised the right of
Iran to pursue peaceful nuclear energy. "We agreed that lasting
solution to the problems in Syria and Iran can only be found through
dialogue," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.

2) The declaration also backs a Syria-led democratic transition. BRICS
voices "deep concern" over Syria and calls for "an immediate end to
all violence and violations of human rights" and backs a Syrian-led
political process.

3) Leaders agree to explore the setting up of a BRICS-led South-South
Development Bank in the mold of the World Bank. It will promote mutual
investment and will help fund infrastructure and act as alternative
lender to the World Bank and other finance bodies

4) The BRICS leaders also accused rich countries of destabilising the
world economy five years into the global financial crisis. "It is
critical for advanced economies to adopt responsible macroeconomic and
financial policies, avoid creating excessive global liquidity and
undertake structural reforms to lift growth that create jobs," they
said in a joint declaration.

5) IMF quota reforms: Pitch for greater representation of developing
countries and emerging economies in the IMF by speeding up quota
reforms. Promised changes to voting rights at the IMF have yet to be
ratified by the United States, adding to frustration over reform of
the G7 and the U.N. Security Council, where India and Brazil have been
angling for years for permanent seats

6) Countries back a "merit-based selection-process" for the heads of
the IMF and the World Bank, posts reserved customarily for a European
and an American respectively.

7) BRICS leaders pitch for reform of global governance institutions,
including the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World
Bank.

8) The five BRICS nations, which collectively account for nearly half
the world's population and a fifth of its economic output, signed an
agreement to extend credit facilities in their local currencies, a
step aimed at reducing the role of the dollar in trade between them.

9) Adopted an all-encompassing action plan that includes, among other
things, meetings of foreign ministers on sidelines of the UN and
meetings of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors on sidelines
of G20 meetings/other multilateral meetings.

10) Other moves to bring their economies closer together include the
launch on Friday of benchmark equity index derivatives allowing
investors in one BRICS country to bet on the performance of stock
markets in the other four members without currency risk. The indexes
will be cross-listed on their stock exchanges from Friday.

source:http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AllCurrentAffairs/~3/oICCx3Q4jck/top-ten-highlights-of-brics-summit.html