Quiz on World Current Affairs(December 2011)

Who has been named AIFF Player of the Year?
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Who has been honoured Banker of the Year award 2010-11?
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Name the Former Miss Venezuela who died of breast cancer.
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Name the newly developed Remotely operated vehicle handed over by Defense Research and Development Organisation to the Indian Army.
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Which Finance is set to raise Rs.600 crore through Debenture Issue?
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Name the latest pendrive launched in India by Kingston.
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Who has been awarded Best actor in social role and Entertainer of the year at the Big Star Entertainment Awards recently?
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Which Indian state celebrated its 50th anniversary of liberation from 450 years of Portuguese rule?
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Name Microsoft’s new version of Social Network.
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Who became first Bangladesh cricket player to take 5-wicket haul and score century in the same test?
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Where has facebook moved its headquarters?
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Who has been named Germany’s sportsman of the Year?
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Name the 2 earth sized extra-solar planets discovered recently.
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Name the youngster of Australia who topped high school music exam in Tabla playing.
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Which country has declared national disaster as flash floods have left more than 1,000 dead or missing?
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Which country has announced plans to separate retail and investment banking to prevent a repeat of financial crisis that triggered massive state bailouts?
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Who won gold at the women’s 1500 metre title of the 72nd All-India Inter-Varsity athletics championship?
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International Current Affairs -October 2011

International Current Affairs -October 2011

Unemployement rates down in U.S

• New employees added by the U.S were less than what was expected but the latest data on job employement showed that unemployement rates in the U.S went down which gave U.S President Barack Obama a new boost to fight against un-employement. In Octobar itself payrolls for non-farm organisations were up by 8000, making a jump on the payrolls amount in September.Analysts have said that though the employement rate will evolve rapidly, but the pace at which the growth will depend is still slow to keep pace with the country’s population.

Libyan dictator Gaddafi captured and killed

• Libyan rebels captured toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his home town Sirte after taking control over his home town and consequently killed him in bid to take revenge for all the haunting massacre he performed. Though the initial reports claimed that Col Gaddafi was wounded when he was caught but later reports confirmed that he was killed by bullet shots forged into his head. A video showed that Gaddafi before being killed was severely wounded, beaten and mocked by the rebels and that after he died his body was taken on for display to the nearby locals. Even his son Mo’tassim were killed in crossfire when he was trying to escape and that the bodies of both Col Gaddafi and Mo’tassim were buried on an unknown desert location in order to prevent their graves from converting into a shrine by any remaining follower of the dictator. After the news of Gaddafi’s assassination broke out wild celebrations were performed in the city that is being secured by the NTC forces.

Industrial growth improving

• The industrial production of India expanded but less than what was expected in the August month giving more evidences of Asia’s third largest economy’s industrial development slowdown.Industry expert say that the reason for slowdown is the soaring interest rates and high inflation ratio in the country.The growth lagged by 4.1 percent as compare to the growth in the August month but there was only slight improvement in the growth that was calculated in the month of July.

Delivery of arms to Taiwan by U.S moving at snail’s pace

• Reports say that the transfer of U.S arms to Taiwan is moving at a very slow pace in contrary to what was expected. The chief for the U.S –China ties that slowdown is affecting several major weapons system transfer.The 2011 annual report showed that only 4 out of 60 Hawk helicopters for e.g. were placed in mid October even though the U.S administration informed the makers of the planned sale meant for Taiwan.The lag between the transfer of important and sophisticated weapons to Taiwan may lead to rise of question about the lack of urgency either on the U.S side or Taiwan’s side or for both.

Punjab militancy being revived by ISI

• As suggested by the U.S reports , the Inter- Services Intelligence of Pakistan is continuing its activities to create instability in India. ISI is a spy agency which has close links with the Islamic terrorist organisation, is now focusing on Khalistani extremist groups to train them and to send them to create terrorism in the Punjab province. In the month of October the terrorist group Lashkar- e – Taiba which is being backed by the ISI agency joined hands with the Khalistani extremist groups Babbar Khalsa to make terror strikes in the Indian state Punjab and in its capital city New Delhi. Their previous attempt of attack was foiled by the security personnel when they caught a huge cache of explosive from a car in Ambala city.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke up in a news conference

• Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai spoke during a news conference in Kabul about the so called reality check imposed on him as said by U.S secretary of state Hillary Clinton during her visit to Afghanistan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that as said he will be cooperating with neighbouring country Pakistan on both the topics related to war and economic development. He further said that he considers its neighbouring country Pakistan as his twin brother and that he will be by Pakistan’s side whenever the former needs any sort of assistance.

7.2 Richter scale earthquake hits Turkey

• An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit Turkey killing a number of people on 23 October. As per the reports approximately 93 people died in the Van province and around 45 died in the Erics district. As the rescue operation is going on it is said that the death toll will rise a more bodies will be evacuated from the debris. The earthquake depth was 20 kilometres with its epicentre 16 kilometre away from the Van city’s north east region. Not only this after the massive earthquake the eastern part of Turkey was struck by a series of powerful jolts with their centre in the north of Van that made things more worse than ever. After 7.2 , the Turkish region experienced two more jolts measured 6 and 5.6 on the Richter scale. Scientists say that turkey is prone to earthquakes as it lies in the major geological fault lines.

Vietnam and Indian signed a total of 6 agreements

• Vietnam and India have signed a total of six agreements that included joint oil exploration in South China Sea. The agreement was signed during the Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s visit to India. The agreement included the following things: Friendship pact Oil exploration in South China Sea The Extradition Treaty between the two countries Cooperation in sports and tourism Not only this both the countries also signed a Security Dialogue between their home ministries. And both the countries have decided to increase their trade target by 8 million dollars by the year 2015. The present trade target is around 2.8 million U.S dollars. And both the countries discussed the situation regarding the Oil exploration on the South China Sea.

International Current Affairs 2011-July 2011

International Current Affairs 2011-July 2011

Death toll rises in Syria

· Death toll rises in Syria on the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in the city of Hama. The military tanks pounded the city creating scenes like that of 1982 massacre. Human rights activists said that the assaults killed at least 24 civilians, included 10 in Hama. All this happened when the troops with the help of tanks tried to control the people. This violent attack led to the death of total 134 people throughout Syria in just 3 days. 90 of the people died only in Hama.

· The government said that they have also lost more than 500 soldiers and security officials in the violent revolt. The condition of Hama prompted many Syrians to show and demonstrate solidarity from the start of Ramadan. Syria has been facing international wrath for its harsh measures.

War will continue even if NATO stops bombings-Gaddafi

· Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has said that the war will go on even if the NATO team stops bombing. This has left no room for diplomacy from the Gaddafi’s camp in order to stop the five month long conflict. Do not even think that after all the sacrifices we have made or our sons, brothers have made by sacrificing their lives we will stop fighting. Nothing sort of it will happen said the Libyan leader.

· The rebels and the western forces have continued pressure on the leader even as the holy month of Ramadan began. The NATO has continued its bombings forcing the loyalist of the leader to give up. Also the rebels have seized up half of the country but they continue to loose the ground against the trained Gaddafi forces. Regardless of the fact that whether the NATO stops bombing or not the Gaddafi government will continue its fight till Libya is liberated said the Libyan leader.

Hina Rabbani khar appointed as Pak’s new Foreign Minister

· Hina Rabbani Khar was appointed as Pakistan’s new foreign minister. Khar ,34, is the youngest minister to accept the post. This came as a big surprise for the people. Khar was elected twice to the national assembly during Musharrafs’ reign in 2002 and during Benazir’s stint in the year 2008. She never went public to win campaign. Since she belongs to a political family it is said that for any years the seat was with held by her father Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar and she gives her winning credit to her political father.

· Rabbabi offers hope to a number of women in Pakistan not in terms of their lifestyle but in terms of their way to choose their lives. We have in the past few years the evolvement of women in Pakistan. The list includes the likes of Fatima Jinnah to Benazir Bhutto, Asma Jahangir, Sherry Rehman and now Hina Rabbani Khar. Now women are rejecting the roles that many men try to cast them in. Since her appointment as the foreign minister of Pakistan Khar has been continuously criticised because to is too young to handle foreign affairs of Pakistan and that she holds a degree in hospitality management and she even has a degree in economics. But with a country with young population Khar seems to be making place for herself.

George Best’s ex wife blames phone hacking scandal for his death

· Ex wife of late footballer George Best claimed that the phone hacking scandal lead to Best’s death. During the investigation police found out that Best,59 died from multiple organ failure in 2005 and that his phone was hacked by Glenn Mulcaire who is a private investigator. Alex Best a fomer model and former wife of Best reportedly has said that the phone hacking lead to increased pressure on her former footballer husband which resulted in his death.

· HShe said that Best was an alcoholic and that when a person is subjected to tremendous pressure then they ultimately turn to alcohol for some relief. But Best had so many problems related with alcohol such that with the increasing pressure and alcoholic problem finally lead to his death.

China to launch safety campaign after the severe train crash

· After facing public wrath and outrage China’s rail minister ordered a two month safety campaign and has apologized for the accident which killed around 39 people in the country’s Zhejiang province. This is the deadliest rail accident in the province of China after the year 2008. Beijing sacked three of its rail officials even before the investigation began.

· China’s rail minister has said that the safety campaign will extend till September and that the campaign will focus mainly on the operation involving high speed trains. China’s government is trying hard to calm down the people after the accident by taking various measures as possible.

International Current Affairs -August 2011

International Current Affairs -August 2011

Zardari nods to cooperate with China

• Pakistan will cooperate with China to overcome terrorism and secessionism, cited Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani President. Zardari repeated Pakistan’s pledge to get rid of extremism and he promised China of his nation’s full cooperation in overcoming terrorism and secessionism, reported Associated Press of Pakistan. The Pakistani president landed in China in late August to be present at the first China-Eurasia Expo to be hosted by Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in the first week of September. He alleged Pakistan denounces terrorism in all its types and appearances and will not relax on any attempt to get rid of it. Zardari also talked about his daughters were on board with him on the trip, which is a testimony of the relationships between the two nations existing since generations. He further talked about the upcoming trip of Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to China later on this week to be present at the International Political Conference and assumed it demonstrates Pakistan and China were making efforts to fortify relations and ultimately deep-rooting their international polity.

United States downgraded to AA+

• The United States parted company with its respected AAA credit rating for the first time in seven decades after being downgraded by Standard & Poor's. The country's credit rating was cut to AA+ following S&P alleged the conciliation made by Congress and President Obama in early August to slash expenditure and enhance the liability upper limit "doesn’t meet the level, in our view, would be essential to even out the government's standard-term debt dynamics." The agency was frank in its evaluation. Its statement read: "We downgraded the 70-year long AAA rating of the United States since we think that the protracted storm over increasing the constitutional liability upper limit and the associated monetary policy debate point out that additional upcoming development surrounding the increase in public expenditure, particularly on privileges, or coming to an agreement on generating income is less probable than we formerly understood and will stay put to a arguable and intermittent procedure," the ratings firm believed.

International Current Affairs -June 2011

International Current Affairs -June 2011

Pravakar Sahoo – China leave India trailing

· As compared to India, China is very antagonistic in the Bangladesh market. Except for price competition of Chinese goods, the friendly approach of Chinese sellers and executives at the customs is a reason to smile for traders in Bangladesh. When China comes into this scene Visa has never been a problem; China attracts ventures from Bangladesh to chip in showings for improved data on Chinese goods.

· Chinese sellers are all set to spruce up well-known goods on the demand of Bangladeshi importers to provide to the price responsive local marketplace of their South Asian neighbors. Plus, Chinese industry corporations deal with transportations, trade intricacies, and over and over again take notes on grievances. In a good number of industries, China is prepared for expertise transmit, while our very own Indian industries are yet to be. The country is not only playing with their business connections, but now has only a negligible investment presence in Bangladesh.

Trades between India and Canada to reach $15 Billion:

· EEPC India with a purpose to accomplish considerable increase in trade for manufacturing goods and services prepared a colloquium on being involved in business transactions with Canada. Talking on the colloquium the Joint Secretary Department of Commerce, Shri Arvind Mehta said, “Bearing in mind the fact, that China now has a widespread existence in Canada this episode could share the accomplishments on different added steps employed by the Government of India all through this year”.

· The official further talked about the cut rate and uniqueness of the Indian producers will be of immense assistance to Canada as it is currently counting those countries that are a step ahead of NAFTA for trade development. The Consul General of India, Mrs. Preeti Saran in addition was present at the event. Even as conveying her important lecture she was buoyant that these events can direct to our targeted growth in trade involving the two nations.

· Acting High Commissioner, Mr. Mario-Ste-Marie, and High Commission of Canada in New Delhi was as well in attendance. EEPC INDIA through the backing of Indian High Commission at the Canadian Capital and Canadian High Commission in the Indian Capital are arranging the second season of the famous show in Toronto, “India Show”. “India Show” Toronto, Canada is being prepared at most appropriate time with this year being confirmed as the “Year of India in Canada” by Dr. Manmohan Singh, respected Prime Minister of our country and Mr. Stephen Harper, his Canadian opposite number. This came in the light of Mr. Harper’s visit to India in November 2009

Healthy Rankings for India on Global Stage:

· II, Confederation of Indian Industry and INSEAD examine on ranking countries on innovation, known as GII, Global Innovation Index was revealed in Geneva, Switzerland for the current year. The whole examination is a once a year attempt to evaluate dissimilar enablers for policy makers and added share holders such as trade and foundations to assess their dealings and impacts in comparison with additional countries in order that they can employ valuable measures. Formed about 4 years ago, GII examines they way nations influence their running surroundings to excite improvement outcomes. Five posts make up the innovation effort sub-index and these include foundations, research and development in the human resource department, socio-economic infrastructure, market advancements and trade advancements. The innovation production sub-index is made up of two pillars: creative outputs and scientific outputs.

· In the overall innovation Index, the country has ranked 62 for the year 2011 when evaluated against the position in the year 2010 of 56. Switzerland has been the leader of all these countries, climbing from 3rd in the GII for the year 2010, 2nd and 3rd positions are respectively held by Sweden and Singapore. Six countries from the EU make up the Top 10 list and it also takes in Hong Kong, the United States of America as well as Canada which are 4th, 7th and 8th. The only emerging economy that reached the Top 30 ranks in GII was China at 29.

· Dr. Naushad Forbes, Chair of the CII Innovation Council 2011-12 and Director of Forbes Marshall, said “At present there is some buzz about innovation in the entire world in all types beginning from commerce to government to civilization. Following the current economic decelerate the spotlight has swung evidently towards the budding regions not just with respect to a thriving possible market but also an attractive place for economical innovations.

· Analyzing this swing is vital to identify in what we are moving forward, GII is an initial spot to do that and undeniably on the correct path Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD, Soumitra Dutta, and editor of the examination believes that innovation is dangerous to motivating development in both developed and budding economies, particularly for the period of a time when the worldwide economy is current recovering from past plummets. Except for CII, the year 2011 the added three knowledge allies in Global Innovation Index are the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), Booze & Company and Alcatel-Lucent

International Current Affairs -May 2011

International Current Affairs -May 2011

Most wanted deadly terrorist Osama Bin Laden Dead

• The most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden was finally gunned down by the US troops in alliance with CIA agents. The deadly terrorist was killed in a house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. This city of Pakistan houses at least 5, 00,000 people that includes a Pakistani military base and a military academy. After Osama refused to surrender he was shot dead by the US military troops. News of his death spread like wild fire and the Americans relieved to joy.
• In the light of this news a Pakistani parliamentary training centre was attacked by two suicide bombers which killed 80 people and wounded more than 120 people. All this attack was announced as retaliation for the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
• Following the attacks the Taliban took the responsibility and even condemned the Pakistani government from failing to stop the US military raid.

IMF head arrested for sexual assault:

• IMF (International Monetary Fund) head Dominique Strauss Kahn was arrested for sexually assaulting a maid at a Manhattan Hotel. Dominique who’s also a political figure in France was taken into custody at Kennedy International Airport. His arrest aroused a mixed sense of disbelief, anger and embarrassment among the masses in France. Dominique had a well formed reputation among the political Supremes.
• Dominique was even considered as the next best candidate for presidential seat after the Nicolas Sarkozy. Following his arrest Strauss has resigned as the Managing Director of IMF. On may 19th Strauss was indicted with multiple charges like attempted to rape, sexual abuse amongst others.

Floods leads to massive Evacuations Along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers :

• Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in the regions of Ohio valleys and Mississippi. All the regions like Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri and Arkansas are flooded heavily and have been evacuated leaving people to leave their home and move towards higher planes for shelter. The engineers and disaster control management team have been working on how to lower the river level in order to stop further destruction. As per the sources the flooding water in the river of Mississippi is flowing at a massive speed nearly 17 million gallons a second. And the river level has risen above the danger level that is to 56.3 feet which is 13 feet above the danger level. Flood control department is deciding to open the portion Morganaza Spillway but it has its own danger effect that is it will flood the other areas’.

French nationals to sue sarkozy over crimes in Libya:

• Two French lawyers have said that they are planning to sue French President Nicolas Sarkozy against the Humanity crimes over the military campaign in Libya that was led by NATO. Jacques Verges and Roland Dumas two of the French lawyers have decided to represent the families of the victims during the military campaign. It was said that the military campaign that was initiated as a means to protect the civilians was in fact responsible for their killings. The two lawyers said the military campaign as an inhuman assault against the common man and a sovereign country, and that they have decided to defend the victims of the military campaign.
• It was said that the two lawyers have decided to defend the victims of the NATO bombings because they themselves saw the aftermath consequences of the bombings when they visited Libya.
• Though the western government has denied any civilian casualties caused during the NATO bombings, Verges and Dumas have said that they had seen several such casualties at various such hospitals and there are almost 20,000 such victims.

Pakistan gets Chinese aid against the US raids.

• After the killing of the deadly terrorist Osama Bin Laden, US have accused Pakistan Government for harbouring the deadly terrorist for many years. Now by doubling its military attacks on Pakistan the US wants to enter into the sphere that’s influenced by the Chinese Government. But in retaliation to the Obama Administration the Chinese government has again lend a helping hand towards Pakistan by providing air arsenal and even warned the US government that any sort of attack on Pakistan would considered as an inhuman and unfriendly attack on the Chinese government too.
• The Chinese government has clearly said that any attack on Pakistan will be considered as an attack against China which will not be tolerated. This is the 1st such blunt ultimatum for the US government after the Soviet warning during the crisis in Berlin in the year 1958-1961. This indicates the danger of war between the two countries Pakistan and the US.
• China’s support has been a critically important for the Pakistani government and this relation is not seen as good for the US and the Indian government as it has been said that: “If the US and the Indian government continues to put pressure on the Pakistani government, then Pakistan officials can say that we are not alone our friend China is Behind us. We have a super power nation as our friend”.

Death toll rising at fast pace and the massive unrest continues to grow

• The Syrian protests have entered their tenth week and thousands of protestors came to the streets all over the country after the Friday prayers. In order to keep police and the security forces at bay the protest this time were held during the nights over the weekends. As per the reports at least two people were killed during the army operation in Rastan away from the city of Homs. Even many activists called the day for massive demonstration against the brutal torture and killing of a 13year old boy named as Hamza-al-Khatib.
• As per the reports from the local media 32 soldiers and some police personnel were also injured during the clashes and 3 police men lost their life. Also a policeman’s son was among the ones who were killed during the clashes between the protestors and the forces.
• As the reports around 143 soldiers, police men and security forces have lost their lives from the day the unrest began in the country and more than 1000 people have been killed during the clashes and almost 10,000 arrested.
• In the midst of the clashes the Interior Minister Ibrahim al Shaar has announced that he is going to listen to the complaints of the civilians in person.

Fear grows as EU suspends all aid to Syria

• Almost 100 of people are about to lose their jobs as the EU has decided to cut down on all major aids to the Syrian government. Tishreen newspaper was quoted as saying that though the Syrian government will be affected by the aid cancellation but the common man will suffer the most as they will be on the verge to lose their jobs. It is said that in order to loosen up the stability of the Syrian government the stopping of aid is one such step by the European government.
• Meanwhile the G-8 has announced support of around 40bn for the Arab countries. This support is meant in order to help the Arab countries to move towards a better Democratic government policy. Half of the sum from the 40bn support will be spent for the Tunisian and the Egyptian government reform.
• Russian premier Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying that the Russian government is not going to back EU states and the US at the security council meet.

International Current Affairs -April 2011

International Current Affairs -April 2011

Oscar Nominated Director killed in Libya

• Two veteran journalists including Oscar nominated Director Tim Hetherington were killed in the town of Mistrata on 13/4/2011 while covering the battles between the rebels and the Libyan government forces. Tim (40) was nominated this year for codirecting the Afghanistan war story Restrepo in Best Documentary category. Chris Hondros, a New York-based photographer for Getty Images, was also killed. His work has appeared in many famous magazines and newspapers all around the World and has been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal, which is one of the most prestigious awards for War Photography. Two other journalists Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, who were freelancing for several large publications were also wounded.

Japan Atomic Crisis Reaches Chernobyl Level as Radiation Climbs

• Japan's nuclear safety agency has raised the severity level of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant from level 5 to level 7 which ranks it on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It doesn't mean it's as bad as Chernobyl but it's still a negative development nonetheless. There have been only two level-seven incidents in nuclear history: the Chernobyl catastrophe 25 years ago in the Ukraine and now Fukushima, on the east coast of Japan. The disaster in Ukraine spewed debris as high as 9 kilometers into the air and released radiation 200 times the volume of the combined bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a 2006 report commissioned by Europe's Green Party. The March 11 earthquake, the nation's strongest on record, and tsunami left about 27,500 dead or missing, according to Japan's National Police Agency. Japan was struck by two earthquakes stronger than magnitude 6 again on April that hindered recovering efforts as workers were temporarily evacuated.

Kate marries Prince William

• Prince William second in line to the throne married his long time girlfriend Kate Middleton at a service in London's West Minister Abbey on 29/4/2011. The pair exchanged in the presence of close to two thousand guests while the rest of the World watched it live on television. It was the most eagerly awaited and anticipated wedding since the Charles and Diana wedding. Middleton looked beautiful in her ivory and white satin dress with lace sleeves and shoulders, designed by Sarah Burton of the Alexander McQueen fashion house. The crowds cheered when the newly weds travelled in an open carriage on their way back to the Buckingham Palace from the abbey. Hundreds of thousands of people appeared in front of the palace to witness the kiss between the newly weds from the balcony while street parties where held across the United Kingdom to cheer the royal couple. The wedding was watched by close to two billion people across the globe. The couple will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge following their marriage.

Osama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

• The worlds most dreaded terrorist Osama Bin Laden has been shot dead by American Navy Seals on 2/5/2011 after he was found to be staying in relative luxury in a house just few hundred meters away from a Pakistani military academy in Abbotabad. Bin Laden was shot in the face and chest when the American forces sprung a surprise attack and the whole mission was performed without the consent or the knowledge of Pakistan. Obama, in his address to the nation shortly before midnight, thanked the Americans who have toiled in pursuit of bin Laden and applauded those who carried out the successful mission in Pakistan. "For over two decades, bin Laden has been Al Qaeda's leader and symbol," Obama said. "The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat Al Qaeda." This comes as a real embarrassment to the Pakistani government which has been maintaining for many years now that Osama was not there in Pakistan. And to find him holed up in a facility just yards away from a prestigious military academy which is also just a couple of hours away from Islamabad poses many tough questions regarding Pakistani's commitment to fighting terror. The US government had further declared that they would carry out such operations again in the future if the need arises. The US is already mulling over whether they should sanction further aid to Pakistan unless they come up with satisfactory answers regarding how Osama was found where he was. This is a serious intelligence lapse and does not auger well for the country that is already reeling under various problems that threaten the very fabric of the nation. It remains to be seen how the nation will cope with the allegations.

Syria lifts emergency rule

• Syria's government approved lifting the country's nearly 50-year-old state of emergency on 19/4/2011 in an effort to satisfy the one of the key demands of the anti government protestors. But the government also issued a stern warning to call of the protests against President Bashar Assad's hard line rule. Assad the previous week had told his cabinet to remove the state of emergency – in place since his Baath Party took power in March 1963 – but added that such a move would give protesters no more reason to take to the streets. This could give Assad further pretext to move against any further marches or rallies. The Syrian population how ever shows no signs of letting down after being inspired by the successful revolutions of Tunisia and Egypt. Most of Syria's 23 million people were born or grew up under the strict control of the state of emergency. Assad hard line rule means strict control over the media, allowing eavesdropping on telecommunications and permitting arrests without warrants from judicial authorities.

International Current Affairs - March 2011

International Current Affairs - March 2011

Godhra verdict: 11 get death, 20 get life term

• A Sessions Court in Ahmedabad awarded death sentence to 11 people and life term to twenty others on 1/3/2011. The sentence was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge PR Patel who had earlier convicted them of criminal conspiracy in the Sabarmati Express train burning case on Feb 22nd.

The court had accepted the prosecution's contention that there was a conspiracy behind the incident and convicted 31 under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) like 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B(criminal conspiracy).

They were convicted under IPC section 147, 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 323, 324,325,326 (causing hurt), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on religious grounds), various sections of the Indian Railways Act, Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act and Bombay Police Act.

The court had acquitted 63 others out the total 94 for lack of evidence including the alleged mastermind Maulavi Hussain Umarji. Fifty nine Kar Sevaks traveling in the S6 coach of Sabarmati Express were burnt alive near the Godhra railway station on February 2002. This incident caused wide spread communal riots in the State of Gujarat that resulted in the deaths of over 100 people, most of them Muslims. Justice Patel termed the case as “rarest of rare” and the court has given the accused 90 days to appeal in the High court.

SC strikes down CVC PJ Thomas' appointment

• The Supreme Court on 3/3/2011 struck down on the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commisioner PJ Thomas after a three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia delivered its verdict on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought his removal. The apex court has observed Thomas is a person who is tainted as he was an accused in the palmoline export scam. CVC PJ Thomas soon thereafter submitted his resignation. This has come about as big blow to the UPA government which is already facing several allegations of corruption. Furthermore Thomas is the country's 14th CVC and was selected by a three member panel that included the PM and the Home Minister. The opposition BJP had been highly critical all along and following his resignation demanded even the PM to step down. The PM took responsibility for the incident and cited the reason as error in judgement. An IAS officer of 1973 batch of Kerala cadre, PJ Thomas is the eighth accused in the palmolien case. He served as food secretary in Kerala in the early 90’s during which time he had aggressively campaigned for the import of 1500 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia. Reports later emerged that price paid for the oil- palmolein was unjustifiable high. He has since been fighting allegations of corruption, while the case is still pending in court.

Delhi court accepts CBI's closure report against Quattrocchi

• A Delhi court on 4/3/2011 accepted CBI’s closure report seeking to drop all charges against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the two decade old Bofors case. The CBI was looking at closing all criminal cases against Italian businessman Quattrocchi, who is allegedly one of the recipients of kickbacks in the controversial Bofors gun deal of 1986 which ended up resulting in the fall of the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1989. Many influential figures were accused of receiving payoffs in the deal which involved the purchase of Bofors guns for the Indian army. The agency has been seeking withdrawal of the case against him as he has never appeared before any Indian court to face trial due to lack of evidence, even though a tax tribunal had ruled in Dec 2010 that illegal commissions were indeed paid in the deal. The agency had said that its plea to withdraw the case has been filed with bonafide intention as it has spent a huge amount of money on the investigation but has not been able to arrest the Italian businessman. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav observed: "At this moment we have to end the case therefore I allow the CBI plea to close the case. I think the CBI has moved this application to close this case after applying their minds, therefore there is no need of wasting public money in continuing the investigation." Advocate Ajay Aggarwal, who objected to CBI’s application in the court, said he would challenge the order in the Delhi High Court.

Delhi University student Radhika Tanwar shot outside college

• Radhika Tanwar (21) a student of Ram Lal Anand College (Delhi University) was shot dead by an unidentified man on the Dhaula Kuan foot-over bridge near South Campus at around 10.30 AM on 8/3/2011. Radhika a second year BA student who lives with her family in Naraina locality of West Delhi was shot point blank by the assailant who fled the scene after shooting her in the stomach. Passersby took the girl in an autorickshaw to Safdurjung Hospital where she was declared brought dead. The incident has caused outrage in the Capital which has been witnessing increasing episodes of crimes against women, while the world was celebrating International Womens Day. The assailant has been identified as 25 yr old Ram Singh alias Vijay who hails from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. He was caught a few days later and Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta said “Vijay suffers from psychopathic obsession. He used to follow women. He followed Radhika regularly. The immediate trigger was the snubbing of Radhika when he tried to speak to her”. The police also went on to add Vijay “nurtured deep grudge” against the victim after he got beaten up for harassing her and often told his friends that he would avenge the humiliation whenever he got the opportunity. On 11/3/2011 another student Monica Kirnapure was stabbed by four people in Nagpur while she was on her way to class from her hostel. The twenty two year old girl lay in her pool of blood for ten minutes, a knife sticking out of her back, asking for water. No help came about from the bystanders until Sumedh Wanjaari hired a rickshaw to take her to the hospital where she died en route.

SC dismisses Aruna Shanbaug's euthanasia plea

• Aruna Shanbaug a former nurse at Mumbai’s KEM hospital has been in a vegetative state for the last 38 years after she was assaulted by a ward boy. A Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra rejected on 7/3/2011 the euthanasia plea filed by Aruna’s friend Pinky Virani declaring ‘the petition stands cancelled’. They also added Pinky was not allowed to appeal for the mercy killing of Aruna as she was not the staff of KEM hospital. The bench in its 110-page judgement saw the nursing staff of KEM hospital who have been looking after Aruna for the past 38 years as the real next friend of Aruna and declared the patient didn’t have a single bed sore during the period. The apex court however allows passive euthanasia in appropriate cases which have been permitted by the concerned high courts. They also added there is no law in the country presently in the country on euthanasia and clarified unless the Parliament drafts a law, its stand on active and passive euthanasia will stay enforced. Aruna Shanabug was sexually assaulted on November 27 1973 by Sohanlal Walmiki who used a dog chain to subdue her which ended up cutting the oxygen supply to her brain damaging vital functions like sight, memory and normal movement.

Congress, DMK seat-sharing deadlock ends

• After lot of political drama the DMK and the Congress have come to a mutual seat sharing agreement ahead of the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The DMK party announced on 8/3/20011 that it will contest for 121 seats while the Congress will contest for 63 under the seat sharing deal for the April 13 Assembly polls. The Congress demand of 63 seats marks an increase of 15 seats in allocation of what they got during the 2006 Assembly elections. DMK chief Karunanidhi was initially ready to give 60 seats to the Congress but the Congress unrelenting demand on having 63 made him unhappy and he threatened to pull out his ministers from the government. The Congress refused to blink this time and after quite a few rounds of discussions the DMK finally relented to the Congress demands. The DMK has agreed to allocate 61 seats, up 1 seat from what they previously agreed and another two seats would be allocated to the Congress from the other allied parties of the DMK. Under the seat sharing formula, DMK will contest 121 seats, Congress 63, PMK 30, VCK 10, KMK 7, IUML 2 and MMK 1 for the 234-member assembly.

A.Raja’s close aide Sadiq Batcha found dead

• Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of former telecom minister A.Raja committed suicide and was found hanging at his residence in Chennai on 16/3/2011. Sadiq Batcha (37) who is the Managing Director of Greenhouse Promoters has been under the CBI scanner for his suspected involvement in the 2G spectrum case and was questioned by the agency on February 22nd. Green House Promoters, initially a nondescript company with an equity base of Rs.100,000 in 2004, is said to have grown to over Rs.600 crore revenue company within a very short time frame. Raja’s wife Parameshwari is said to have served as a director in the firm but quit during 2008. Batcha hails from Raja’s constituency Perambalur in Tamil Nadu and initially worked as a sari seller until his friendship with the former telecom minister happened in the early 1990’s.According to the post mortem reports the cause of death has been ascertained as asphyxia while the forensic reports are still awaited. This may come as blow to the CBI in their investigations into the 2G scam.

TN Polls: Parties promise freebies to woo voters

• Ahead of upcoming assembly polls, the political parties of Tamil Nadu have promised a host of freebies to woo the voting public. Top warring parties DMK and ADMK have taken the war of freebies to a new high. While DMK in their manifesto have announced 35 kg of free rice every month for below-poverty line families, AIADMK has promised 20 kg of free rice for all ration-card holders. The ruling DMK party has promised laptops to students in their first year of college while Jayalalitha’s ADMK party promises them one as early as eleventh standard. While the DMK plans to give women free mixes, grinders its rivals have promised additional fans along with mixies and grinders. Furthermore Jayalalitha in her bid to woo female voters has promised 4gms of gold for 'Thali' (mangalsutra) free of cost to poor, besides offering cable TV connections at subsidised rates. Some of the other freebies include four sets of uniform and footwear for students, a hike in scholarship upto Rs 5000 from class 10 onwards, women self help groups get Rs10Lakh with 25 % waiver, 20 litres of mineral water a day to Below Poverty Line families, six months' maternity leave for women and Rs 12,000 as pregnancy allowance and a host of other promises were made. This does came as surprise since Jayalalitha was a staunch critic of populist measures when the DMK party which came in power in 2006, promised to offer free colour TV’s to the public and also kept up on its electoral promise. The partie’s efforts in trying to gain an upper hand over each other by making such steep electoral promises does raise a lot of concerns. It does make one wonder if the State Treasury would be left with any money if such populist measures are left unchecked.

WB polls: Cong, TMC reach seat-sharing deal

• The Congress and the Trinamool Congress reached a seat sharing agreement ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Polls. Mamta Banerjee of Trinamool has agreed to offer 65 seats after her rounds of discussion with the Congress party. She had earlier agreed to give 64 seats against Congress demand of 98. The alliance will fight against CPM led Left Front which has been in power for almost 35 years now.Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said “In West Bengal, Congress will contest 65 seats and TMC will contest 229. We will work in close cooperation to win the election to defeat the Left from the state.”West Bengal will be voting in 6 phases. The first phase voting is on April 18, second phase on April 23, third phase on April 27, fourth phase on May 3, fifth phase on May 7 and sixth phase is on May 10th.

Cash for votes scam creates uproar in Parliament

• With the revelations by Wikileaks about the Congress buying MPs to win the vote-of-confidence over the crucial Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008 came back to haunt party when a united opposition created an uproar in Parliament. On 17/3/2011 they were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in view of the fresh charges that bribe was paid during the trust vote. The government on its part was dismissive questioning the credibility of the leaks. Also FM Pranab Mukherjee said “Each Lok Sabha is sovereign in its time. What happened in the 14th Lok Sabha cannot be decided in the 15th Lok Sabha...Government of the day is accountable to the 15th Lok Sabha and not to the 14th Lok Sabha. Whatever happened in the 14th Lok Sabha has come to an end with the end of the tenure”. On 23/3/2011 Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj made a stinging attack on the Prime Minister and said “It is the habit of the Prime Minister to blame others. If it is price rise then (Agriculture Minister) Sharad Pawar is responsible, if it is 2G then (former Telecom Minister) A Raja is responsible and if it is Commonwealth Games then Suresh Kalmadi is to blame.” The Wikileaks cable suggests that the Congress bought the support of MPs during a vote of confidence during the controversial nuclear deal in 2008. Three BJP MP’s walked into the Lok Sabha with Rs 3 crores in cash and claimed that they had been offered that money to vote for the nuclear deal and that they had planned a sting operation to prove it. Following that a Lok Sabha committee, headed by Congress MP KCS Deo, was set up to examine their allegations in which was found there was no evidence of the allegations made by the BJP MP’s.

Aarushi murder case: Talwars surrender passports

• Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, parents of murdered teen Aarushi Talwar have surrendered their passports to a local court following a direction by the Supreme Court which also stayed their trial in the Noida double murder case. On 19/3/2011 the SC had stayed the CBI court order summoning the Talwars to appear before it on 22/3/2011. The Allahabad High Court on 18/3/2011 dismissed the couples plea seeking quashing of criminal proceedings initiated by the lower court which not only refused the closure report filed by the CBI but also summoned the couple as accused in the case. The HC declared that it could not prohibit the magistrate from taking cognizance of a case if prima facie it appears that there is sufficient evidence against a person. Earlier the CBI had file a closure report pleading closure citing lack of incriminating evidence, however the CBI has pointed a needle of suspicion to the parents and as a result left the option of proceeding against the Talwars with the Trial Court. The couple had challenged the order of the Allahabad High Court which the Supreme Court stayed on 19/3/2011 but asked the Talwars to surrender their passports. Satish Tamta, the counsel for Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, submitted the passports in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate Puspendra Kumar Singh. Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found murdered at her home in Noida on May 16, 2008. A day after, Hemraj's body was found in the same building.

India revokes licenses of 14 'fake pilots'

• Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 23/3/2011 revoked a total of 14 commercial pilot licenses (CPL) which means it brings an end to the flying careers of the those accused of having submitted fake training records from Rajasthan State Flying School to procure their licenses. The discovery of frauds in the issuing of licenses is a worrying development to the safety of air travel for the passengers and the industry. The fake pilot scam began unraveling when female Captain Parminder Gulati landed her airliner on the nose instead of the rear wheels which set the alarms ringing across many quarters. DGCA, the airline regulator stepped in and discovered she had submitted forged mark sheets to procure her license. Since then more pilots have been caught guilty of the same crime. The DGCA admits there was a lapse, and now says as much as 4000 pilot licences are now under fresh scrutiny. On 26/3/2011 a DGCA official Pradeep Kumar(48), pilot Pradeep Tyagi(35) and two of his touts Lalit Jain (34) and Pankaj Jain (23) were arrested by the Delhi Police. Tyagi along with his touts used to forge mark sheets for the fake pilots for huge a fee and also bribed Pradeep Kumar of the DGCA for expediting those files. A person is eligible to fly a commercial aircraft only when he or she secures a CPL, which is given out after a person completes 200 hours of flying during the training.

Hasan Ali Remanded In Judicial Custody

• Hasan Ali is a Pune bases stud farm owner who has been accused of allegedly stashing away 8 billion dollars in Swiss banks. It is speculated that the major portion of the money in offshore accounts belong to some politicians and industrialists and that Ali acts as a conduit for them and allegedly facilitates transfer of black money from India on a commission basis. He has been under the radar of the Income Tax (IT) department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for a few years now while his premises were raided in 2007. According to Hasan Ali’s statements he is scrap dealer with an annual income of Rs 30 Lakh which does not tally with kind of lifestyle Ali is known for. He is known to throw lavish parties, has a penchant for race horses and own quite a few of them and also own an expensive fleet of cars. A little ironic for a man with humble beginnings, whose father worked as an excise officer. Hassan Ali has been declared the highest tax defaulter in the country with dues allegedly over Rs 70,000 crores. Ali was arrested by the ED on 7/3/2011 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. But a Mumbai Court on 11/3/2011 rejected ED’s plea for custodial interrogation of Hasan Ali on the grounds that the agency had not gathered sufficient evidence and Ali was released on bail. The Supreme Court on 17/3/2011 stayed the trial courts order, directed custodial interrogation of Hasan Ali to ED and was also critical of Mumbai Court Judge M L Tahaliyani's order of granting bail to Ali, saying it was "deeply disturbed" as to the manner in which the trial court judge rejected the ED's contention and had given a lengthy order for it. On 21/3/2011 the apex court extended his custody with the ED for an additional three days and when that duration came to a close a session’s court remanded Hasan Ali in judicial custody till April 8, 2011.

Wikileaks: 'Hindutva an opportunistic issue for BJP'

• After the Congress it was the BJP’s turn to be hit by the Wikileaks phenomenon when a US diplomat reported in the cable that senior leader of BJP declared to him that Hindu Nationalism was an ‘opportunistic issue’ for the party. "Pressed on the question of Hindutva, Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism 'will always be a talking point' for the BJP. However, he characterized this as an opportunistic issue," a cable by Robert Blake, the Charge at the US Embassy, to his government, had said after a meeting with Jaitley on May 6, 2005. "Pressed on the question of Hindutva, Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism 'will always be a talking point' for the BJP. However, he characterized this as an opportunistic issue," a cable by Robert Blake, the Charge at the US Embassy, to his government, had said after a meeting with Jaitley on May 6, 2005. Jaitley a senior leader of the BJP and also leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha , whom the cable described as "one of several aspirants to direct the next generation of BJP leadership", said in a statement that the word opportunistic in reference to Hindutva could be the "diplomat's own usage". He said the cable by the diplomat in 2005 makes a reference to his conversation with him. "The cable reflects my views on cross-border terrorism, illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and the unfair denial of US Visa to the Gujarat Chief Minister (Narendra Modi). “However, the use of the word "opportunistic” in reference to nationalism or Hindu nationalism is neither my view nor my language. It could be the diplomat's own usage,” he said. Congress on its part was quick to give it back to the BJP. “Chickens are coming to roost, what goes out wrongly hits back like a boomerang. People living in glass houses are taught in this manner that they were to throw stones at others,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.

PM Manmohan Singh and PM Gilani of Pakistan engage in cricket diplomacy

• The relations between India and Pakistan had soured post Mumbai 26/11 blasts. With the ongoing world cup when India defeated Australia in the quarters it became apparent that it was to face off against Pakistan in the semifinal. The clash between the two countries generated tremendous hype in the media of both countries. The match even took on political turns when PM Manmohan Singh invited his counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari to the cricket match. The invite was accepted by the PM of Pakistan who then along with Dr Manmohan Singh reached the cricket venue on 30/3/2011 where they shook hands with players and also engaged in diplomatic talks which has now leased a fresh breath of air to the relations between the two countries. As per the joint statement released in the capital on 29/3/2011 the Pakistani delegation updated India on the ongoing trial and investigation and agreed to allow an Indian Commission to come to Pakistan to investigate 26/11 attacks. The Pak delegation assured that India's National Investigative Agency (NIA) and Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will cooperate in the 26/11 investigation. India on its part provided Pakistan information with regards to the Samjauta blast case and agreed that they would update them once the charge sheet was filed. According to the joint statement released in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Pakistani delegation updated India on the ongoing trial and investigation and agrees in principle to allow an Indian commission to investigate 26/11 attacks in Pakistan. The two countries have also agreed to hold home secretary-level talks bi-annually.

Census 2011: Indian population increased by 181 million

• India’s population has risen to 1.21 billion in the last ten years, which is an increase of 181 million according to the new census released on 31/3/2011. India’s population is now bigger than population of USA, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh, says the Census report. On the positive side the overall population growth rate is 17.6 in 2011, significantly lower than 2001 when it was 21.15 per cent. Coming to the sex ration India has 623.7 million males and 586.5 million women. A matter of concern is that child sex ratio has slipped to its lowest since India's independence. For every 1000 male infants, there are 914 girls. The most populous state of Indian continues to be Uttar Pradesh with 16.49 per cent share in the total population, followed by Maharashtra with 9.29 per cent, while, the least populous state is Sikkim with 0.05 per cent share in the total population. This is the 15th Census conducted since 1872. It was carried out in two phases, covering 640 districts and 5924 sub-districts.

International Current Affairs - November 2011

International Current Affairs - November 2011

50bps cut on reserve ratio by china


• China's bank –People's Bank of China (PBOC) decreased the reserve ratio for banks by 50bps. This move was taken to support China's economy as economical growths are getting down in other parts of the world.

  Before the announcements on the cuts were made reserve ratio was recorded 21.5%. This is the first such blow on the major monetary loosening by the PBOC since Dec 2008. Not only this the PBOC had earlier raised the RRR 6 times this year and even raised lending limits more than 5 times since the year 2010.The last RRR increase was recorded on June 20th this year.

Unemployment rate drops to 8.6% leading the U.S economy to add 120,000 new jobs


• In the U.S the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6% which lead to the addition of 120000 new jobs all over the country. This percentage was the lowest to be recorded in the last two years as announced by the Department of Labor.

  In October this year the rate was 9%. As the U.S employers added 120000 new jobs this proved to be a significant improvement by the gain of 80000 jobs as compared to last month record.

  Although this is still not a good news because if compared with the past 3 months the economy has added only an average of 114000 net jobs every month which is hardly enough to go by the population growth.

  At present America still have 14 million jobless people, the economy needs to bulk up the job addition by 250,000jobs a month to bring down the unemployment rate substantially.

Ex-Taliban to attend Afghan talks despite US disapproval


• Ex-members of Taliban are going to attend the Bonn conference to be held in Germany for the topic about the future of Afghanistan after the year 2014.

  The Afghan governments list of invitation to the meeting is being viewed as a crucial step to hammer out the country's future but regarding the invitation to the former members of Taliban the U.S officials have backed out of the meeting.

  The organizations former ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef along with other members of the delegation has already reached France to discuss in advance about the agenda of the meeting.

  Regarding the meeting the US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker said that there is no place for the involvement of former Taliban members to attend the meeting in order to decide the future of the troubled country.

British PM weighs in on euro-zone changes

German drive for swift change for the European Union's treaty. This treaty is a sign of the difficulty that the leaders will face while transforming Europe to save the euro. In the meeting both the countries France and Germany are going to decide to reach to a solution of reaching a consensus that states that all euro zone economies are required to be bounded more closely if they want the euro to survive as a single currency. This means that changing the European treaty to give Brussels powers in order to punish spendthrift euro states.

International Current Affairs - February 2011

International Current Affairs - February 2011

Mubarak resigns, Egypt celebrates

• The people of Egypt went wild with celebrations after President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military on 11th February. For eighteen days thousands of people had taken to the streets all over Egypt demanding the ouster of their autocratic President who had been in power for the past thirty years. One of the key reasons for such public outrage has been widespread poverty, inflation and rampant corruption in the government for many years. Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the anti-government protests burst with joy when the announcement was made. This has been a hard fought struggle for the people of Egypt after many episodes of violence having been reported between the public and Mubaraks forces.

China overtakes Japan as world's second-biggest economy

• China has now overtaken Japan as the world's second-biggest economy. Japan's economy was worth $5.474 trillion (£3.414 trillion) at the end of 2010, figures from Tokyo have shown while that of China's economy is closer to $5.8 trillion for the same period. China has been enjoying a manufacturing boom for quite a few years now and it is expected that at its current rate of growth, analysts see China replacing the US as the world's top economy in about a decade. The US economy is currently almost three times the size of the Chinese economy in dollar terms.

New Zealand earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing at least 148 people

• A massive earthquake on 22nd Feb has caused massive destruction in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake was the second in five months for the city and the death toll continues to increase with the police having confirmed 148 deaths with 200 still missing. The damage caused has been said to be much worse than the 7.1-magnitude quake on 4 September, which left two people seriously injured but no fatalities. The city's historic cathedral was one of the many buildings that got significantly damaged, while cars lay in a mangled heap under a pile of rubble and roads cracked open with fissures as a result of the tremors. Dazed, bleeding residents could be seen wandering through streets strewn with debris and piles of concrete.

Libyan people take to the streets in their demand for freedom

• Inspired by the outcomes of Tunisia and Egypt over the past few weeks the people of Libya have also taken out to the streets in their cries for freedom against their autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi. Thousands of people have joined the struggle and there have been continuous reports of frequent clashes with the Muammars loyalists and the protesting public. Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Gaddafi's 40-year rule across the North African nation. With each passing day the leader seems to be losing support from people working in his own government and is also under increasing pressure from International powers to step down.

The Kings Speech Wins Best Picture at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

'The Kings Speech' had a great outing at this years Oscars winning four awards. The film won in the best picture category and its director Tom Hooper received Best Director. Colin Firth received the award for best actor for his central role in Kings Speech while best female actor went to Natalie Portman for Black Swan. 'The Best Supporting Actor' and The Best Supporting Actress' awards were bagged by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for their performances in film, 'The Fighter'. Indian musician AR Rahman missed out on his two nominations for his score in '127 hours.