News for Dec 2012

• Pakistan successfully conducted a test of its mid-range nuclear capable Hatf-V Ghauri ballistic missile.
• Hatf-V Ghauri missile:
• Liquid-fuelled ballistic missile
• Capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear payload
• Range: 1,300km.
• Astronomers have discovered most massive black hole ever known in a small galaxy NGC-1277 in the constellation of Perseus which about 250 million light-years from Earth. The black hole has a mass equivalent to 17 billion Suns
• The black hole bears around 14% mass of its host galaxy, compared with the 0.1 % a normal black hole.
• Project A119, also known as “A Study of Lunar Research Flights”.
• A top-secret plan developed in 1958 by the US Air Force revealed in 2000
• To detonate nuclear bomb at moon.
• The Union government of India issued new guidelines to stop misuse of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
• What are the new guidelines?
• As per the new guidelines, the cases dealing with spreading messages of reported hatred by electronic medium will be decided by a senior police officer not below the rank of DCP in rural and urban areas. In metropolitan cities, approval from an IGP rank officer will be required for registration of cases relating to Section 66(a) of IT Act.

• “INDRA”: India, Russia joint naval exercise

• To enhance interoperability, will be helpful in tackling threats like the pirates in the Gulf of Aden

• Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA):
• Passed in 1999
• Objective: To replace FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulations Act), 1973 which had become incompatible after economic reforms and pro-liberalization policies of the Government of India. 
• Seeks to make offenses related to foreign exchange civil offenses.
• Allows only the authorized people to deal with foreign security or foreign exchange.

• Egyptian parliament passes draft constitution

•  Indian IT major Infosys will shift its American Depositary Shares (ADS) from the NASDAQ to NYSE Euronext. The step is being taken to provide European investors better access to its stock.
• ABS : It refers to US dollar denominated share of any foreign company trading on an American stock exchange.
• 5 Principles of “Gujral Doctrine”
• With neighbors like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity, but gives and accommodates what it can in good faith and trust.
• No South Asian country should allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region.
• No country should interfere in the internal affairs of another.
• All South Asian countries must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
• They should settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations.
• Slogan for the Direct Cash Transfer scheme from Govt: Aapka Paisa, Aapke Haath (your money in your hands)
• The electronic cash transfers will be based on Aadhaar platform
• By January 1, 2013, 51 districts with high Aadhar penetration will be covered.
• By December 2013, the entire nation will be covered
• The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) launched, country’s first carbon based thematic index, BSE Carbonex, which will provide a strategic perspective of organizational commitment to climate change mitigation.
• Will encourage awareness
• will enable investors to gauge the performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100 index regarding their commitment to greenhouse gases emission reduction.
• will encourage people to invest in companies performing well on the index thus promoting low carbon growth.
• Index has been developed with the help of expertise from U.K.
• NASA’s Mercury-orbiting probe, Messenger, has confirmed a vast amount of ice at the north pole on Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
• Dr. Joseph Murray who performed first kidney transplant passed away
• Murray along with his team carried out the first human organ transplant in 1954, taking a kidney from one identical twin and giving it to his twin brother.
• He became a co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1990.

• Sri Lanka’s first satellite launched by China's private firm SupremeSAT which has an agreement with state run 

  Great Wall Industry Corporation (GWIC).
• In 2012, the GWIC launched Pakistan’s first communications satellite PAKSAT-1R satellite.

• “Passport Seva” Project: winner of CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Award

• Priya Village Roadshow (PVR) Cinemas 

• Began as a joint venture agreement b/w Priya Exhibitors Private Limited and Village Roadshow Limited in 1995 with 60:40 ratio

• PVR Anupam in Saket, South Delhi, was India’s first multiplex in 1997

• Introduced multiplex concept in India

• The British Army’s first Sikh soldier Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar.
• Army has approved the setting up of a permanent cadre for the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) by the end of 2012, which will operate light observation and attack helicopters in the short-term and medium-lift choppers and even fixed-wing aircraft in the long-term.
• Nations such as the US, China and Pakistan have a dedicated aviation wing within their armies.
• Currently, the AAC operates around 250 light helicopters like Druv, Cheetah and Chetak, while attack and medium-lift choppers have always been with IAF. The Army has demanded one attack helicopter squadron (10-12 choppers) for the establishment of its three "strike" formations –
• Corps (Mathura)
• Corps (Ambala)
• Corps (Bhopal)
• “Life of Pi” :: Yann Martel author of the book.
• Film Directed by: Ang Lee
• Shreya Singhal filed public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court calling Section 66(A) of the Information Technology (IT) Act unconstitutional.
• Obama named a visually impaired Indian-American  Sachin Dev Pavithran to head an independent US agency devoted to people with disabilities.
• Employee’s Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) launched its e-Passbook service which will enable its subscribers to access their accounts online. 
• Andhra Pradesh has become the first State in the country to adopt the law according legal status to the Sub-Plans for SCs and STs  
• What would this legislation do?
• The legislation would convert the Sub-Plans a right of the SCs and STs, mandatory to successive Chief Ministers.
• There was no constitutional provision to prevent lapsing of SC/ST funds, as the Assembly was empowered to adopt annual budget merely for one year.
• Cheque Truncation System (CTS-2010) : new checque system
• The features which are new:
• Bank logo printed with invisible ink (ultra voilet)
• VOID pantograph
• Chequer printer details/CTS-2010
• New Rupee symbol
• Signature space indicator
• In World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from December 3-14, 2012 it was decided by UN not to control internet freedom 
• Criminal proceedings in case of Cheque signature mismatch: SC
•  before initiation of criminal proceedings, the account holder must be given a notice and an chance to make the payments
• “CHAMP”(Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project): A Missile which can shut down electronics as it surge the voltage of electronic device leaving them useless.It carries an Electromagnetic pulse canon.
• Etheostoma obama, or the spangled darter, is a newly discovered species of relatively skinny orange and blue speckled freshwater fish named after Barack Obama.
• Scientists have discovered 5 new species of freshwater fish called Darters (belongs to perch family) in river drainages in eastern North America and named after four US presidents (Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Teddy Roosevelt and Jimmy Carter) and a vice-president (Al Gore)
• Hainan province (which administers the South China Sea for China) to allow for interception of ships in South China Sea.
• Anna Ushenina of Ukraine defeated Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria to claim the women’s World Championship in Chess.
• Scientists in Canada have claimed to have developed world’s most sophisticated, large-scale model simulation of human brain named ‘Spaun’ which can pass the basic elements of IQ test. SPAUN is Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Network.
• Sir Creek issue / Baan ganga
• Menon first to visits China after changes in Communist Party of China
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) said that life insurance companies are not allowed to take part in repo transactions
• Apple launched its software-based online digital media store iTunes in India apart from Russia, Turkey, South Africa and 52 additional countries.
• Section 13A of IT Act 1961 exempts political parties from tax on their income. However, they have to maintain a book of account for donations or income above Rs. 20,000.  
• Ricky Thomas Ponting (Australia)declared retirement from Test cricket.
• Ravindra Jadeja becomes first Indian to hit 3 first-class triple centuries
• Lok Sabha gave the approval to FDI in multi-brand as the opposition motion seeking immediate back down of the decision was rejected convincingly as BSP and SP walked out.
• Government to pour in Rs 4,000-cr capital into SBI.This will enhance bank’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) to over 13%.
• CAR is a key indicator of a bank’s financial strength expressed as a ratio of capital to risk-weighted assets.
• International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended India’s membership from Olympics. IOC has taken this strict step to stop tainted individual from contesting for top positions of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
• Forbes 20 most powerful person : 
• Barack Obama
• Angela Merkel
• Vladimir Putin
• Bill Gates
• Xi Jinping
• Sonia Gandhi
• Manmohan Singh
• Apple unveils iPad mini in India
•  The RBI has for the first time established the ‘Supervisory College’ for cross border supervision of State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank.
• The main role of the supervisory college, comprising local and international regulators, is to keep lenders aware of the latest global regulations and to evaluate their worthiness for global operations
• suggested by Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS) October 2010
• Central banks of India and Japan (The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) respectively) signed a 3-year Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA).
• Help in addressing short-term liquidity problems
• Aid in ensuring financial market stability
• This agreement will enable both the countries to swap their local currencies (i.e., either Japanese yen or Indian rupee) against US dollar for an amount up to $15 billion. Previously, the agreement b/w the two nations was limited to $3 billion for a period of three years from June 2008 to June 2011.
• Hyderabad Batteries Limited (HBL), have developed a new safety device to prevent train collision. The device called Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) 
• The device puts into use a combination of railway signaling data with radio communications, global position, radio frequency identification devices, software and logic. The system will automatically bring trains to a halt when collision-like situations arise or when the red signal is violated. 
• Typhoon Bopha hits Philippines severely
• Transparency International has ranked India at 94^th place in its Corruption Perception Index 2012 (CPI) which enlisted 176 countries.India's Point = 36
• Denmark, Finland and Switzerland topped the index with a score of 90 followed by Sweden with a score of 88.
• Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia scored just 8 to be ranked lowest on the index.
• Australia won Champions Trophy 2012 in Hockey by defeating the Netherlands in the finals held in Melbourne, Australia. India lost the chance to capture bronze as it was defeated by Pakistan. 
• Australia has won Champions trophy for a maximum 13 times.
• Index prepared by the Australia-based Institute for Economics & Peace, India stands among one of the top 5 nations most- hit by terrorism in 2011.
• Iraq
• Pakistan
• Afghanistan
• India
• Yemen
• SC orders Karnataka to release 10,000 cusecs
• Final decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal
• Tamil Nadu’s share to be released by Karnataka at the Billigundulu gauging station is 192 tmcft.
• From this 192 tmcft, Tamil Nadu will release 7 tmcft to Puducherry
• Why not implemented : To implement the award it is required to be notified in Gazette of India which has not yet been done. Once this is done, it will come into effect within 90 days of its notification by the Centre. 
• United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced two-month amnesty to illegal residents to either leave the country without penalty or regularize their visas. The amnesty will end on February 3.It will affect around 45,000 indians
• The first unit of 2,000-MW Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu was given clearance by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
• Built with Russian collaboration
• Consists of two units of 1,000 MW each
• Uses light water both as coolant and moderator.
• The Uttar Pradesh govt will issue Golden Card to to industrialists and industrial associations for easy access to its offices.
• A Golden Card will be like an identity (ID) card with the holder’s photo. It will allow entry of industrialists to the state secretariat and government departments on priority basis without hurdles.
• The cards will be issued to national presidents, state presidents and general secretaries of national-level industrial associations such as the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI), Indian Industries Association (IIA), Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
• Esteemed investors, who intend to invest more than Rs.200 crore in Uttar Pradesh, will also be issued the cards. Promoters of such projects or their nominated representative will be able to access this facility.
• A maximum of two cards will be allowed per association while state-level industrial associations will be allowed one card each.
• Cyber Monday is a marketing term to persuade people for online shopping for the Monday after Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving in USA.

• Google India collaborates with e-Commerce companies to bring in Cyber Monday

• In India IP addresses will be assigned by Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN). IPv6 addresses will be many times cheaper than that of IPv4
• SARAL's two payloads : 
• Altika : Altika will  be the first spaceborne altimeter(measurement of altitude) to operate at Ka band, operating at 35.75.
• High-frequency waves in the Ka band are extremely sensitive to rain, even drizzle. So, statistically, it is expected that there will be a 10% loss of data.
• Operating at higher frequencies (Ka) gives higher  accuracy
• Argos : Argos is a satellite-based system which collects, processes and disseminates environmental data from fixed and mobile platforms worldwide. What makes Argos unique is the ability to geographically locate the source of the data anywhere on the Earth utilizing the Doppler effect.
• DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite): It will enable precise determination of the orbit.
• The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) asked the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry for complete exemption from following the National Offset Policy (NOP) saying such a policy would have a direct impact on company’s operations and performance
• NOP : As per the policy, indigenous industries will get a share of the contracts the global players secure from India, requiring them to compulsorily use the Indian supplies as a percentage of the deal. Offsets will require any foreign seller of products and services in India to buy part of the material at a pre-determined percentage of the sale value from the Indian manufacturers and suppliers.
• Apple joins hands with Google to bid for over $500 million Kodak patents
•  India plans to ink Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with four countries namely Oman, Azerbaijan, Israel and Nepal to pursue criminal investigation and confiscation of money or property
• MLAT is an agreement b/w two nations for the aim of collecting and exchanging information in an attempt to implement public laws or criminal laws.
• India already has this treaty with 32 countries
• Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Lab, have developed a device named “Tarangini” which can fathom underwater depth and can also measure the hardness of the bottom surface.
• Wipro’s Sunflower Vanaspati brand sold to Cargill India
• The acquisition is expected to make Cargill, (that processes 4,000 tonne per day) the largest vanaspati player, with Rath, Gemini and Nature Fresh Purita brands in its portfolio.
• Sunflower Vanaspati is made out of edible vegetable oil and soya oil. The consumption of vanaspati oil is declining as people are choosing refined oil over it because of health concerns.
• The Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar Gas Pipeline Project, which has been recently approved, is scheduled to be completed by July 2014. It will enable J&K to draw gas from Gujarat.
• The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeiTy) has made it mandatory for all electronics goods manufacturer in the country to get standard compliant certificate from the BIS.
• Applicable for electronic products imported or manufactured after April 2013.
• List include laptops, tablets, LCD, LED televisions, optical disc players, microwave ovens, printers, scanners, wireless keyboards, video monitors, telephone answering machines, amplifiers, musical systems, electronic clocks and set top boxes among others. 
• Kochi is hosting India’s first biennale, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, an international exhibition which showcases artworks
• The Sports Ministry de-recognized the Archery Association of India (AAI) with immediate effect for violation of Sports Code during its election of President
• The ministry also decided to suspend recognition to Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) after the International Boxing Association provisionally suspended the Indian federation for "possible manipulation" in its recent elections.
• AAI did not follow the Sports Code and thus violated the age and tenure guidelines while electing Vijay Kumar Malhotra as its President who served for more than 3 consecutive years and is above 70
• ICICI Bank opened 101 gramin branches across six states namely across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu which will provide basic banking services
• It also launched the Saral Money Prepaid Card along with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• The card can be used to deposit or withdraw money from various customer service points using finger print authentication.
• NASA has honored Sally Ride, the first woman in space who died  earlier this year, by naming a crash site of a pair of spacecrafts Ebb and Flow. Both were deliberately crashed into a mountain near the moon’s north pole.
• The First woman to travel into in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova in June 1963.
• Sally Ride (61), the first US woman to travel into space passed away. In June 1983, at the age of 32, she blasted off in the US space shuttle Challenger. 
• Ebb and Flow : They were launched in September, 2011 with a focus to measure moon’s lumpy gravity field
• Rajya Sabha passed a Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012, providing for quota for SCs and STs in government job promotions with an overwhelming vote of 206 in the 245-member House.
• The Bill provides for amendments to Article 16(4) of the Constitution that will allow states to reserve seats in promotion for SCs and STs without collecting data to show the backwardness of class and inadequacy of that class in public appointments.
• NASA’s Cassini mission have revealed the existence of the longest extraterrestrial river system ever – on Saturn’s moon Titan
• more than 400 kilometres which flows into Kraken Mare
• Titan possesses vast seas and it is only other body in the solar system, apart from Earth, to possess a cycle of liquids on its surface. But it has a frigid atmosphere which doesn’t allow liquid water to flow. It is for this reason the liquids on Titan are composed of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane.
• NIB renamed as Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) to fast-track decisions on infrastructure and manufacturing projects over Rs. 1,000 crore.
• It will be headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and include administrative Ministries as members.
• It will set time limits for decisions on approvals and clearances and will then monitor the process to ensure that those deadlines are met.
• In the new version, CCI’s primary role will be to urge nodal ministries to fast-track clearances.
• Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill : Some changes have been made to make the bill fit to Article 14 (which seeks equality before law). The amended clause debars judges from making unwarranted comments against conduct of any “constitutional body and other persons.” The clause is part of restatement of values for judges.
• Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) has been honored with the prestigious Web Ratna 2012, ‘Golden Icon Award for Innovative use of Technology’.
• Union Cabinet cleared the controversial Land Acquisition Bill which makes it mandatory to get the consent of 80% of people whose land is taken for private projects
• In the case of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, consent of 70 % of the people possessing the land will be required. The bill has a provision for return of the unutilized land.
• Head of HSBC India, Naina Lal Kidawai took charge as the first woman President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared new urea investment policy, which is likely to incentivize fertilizer companies to establish new plants and enhance existing capacity.
• Marks & Spencer incorporates anti-bribery clause in Indian contracts
• Guidelines for NBFC based on Usha Thorat Committee
• mandatory for all deposit-taking NBFCs to obtain credit rating
• Appointment of CEOs of NBFCs with asset size of Rs.1,000 crore and above would require the RBI approval.
• All registered NBFCs should get clearance from the RBI in case of change in control and increase of shareholding to the extent of 25% by individuals or groups, directly or indirectly.
• Recent directive from RBI 
• Issue debit cards if demanded to customers having Savings Bank and Current Accounts but not to cash credit or loan account holders.
• LS approves Company Bill 2011
• Infotel Broadband, has developed VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) which will enable voice call services on its wireless broadband network. But currently the quantity of mobile devices models supporting VoLTE is extremely small. LTE phones and tablets mainly support only data transmission over an LTE modem, while voice and video are going via 2G/3G network.
• The Coast Guard which is the central coordinating agency for oil spill response in India, demonstrated its preparedness and capability to tackle marine oil spills at the national-level pollution response exercise, Clean Sea-IV, held off the Kochi coast.
• The exercise also exhibited the use of a Sevac heliskimmer to churn oil slick before recovery.  
• India’s Bharat Biotech has developed world’s first vaccine against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) using an Indian strain of the virus.
• It used JE virus collected from Kolar in Karnataka to develop the vaccine which will provide protection agains wider strains of the virus such as the Nakayama strain – the original strain from Japan, and the Biken strain that circulates in other Asian countries.
• Currently, India imports the vaccine (SA14) from China’s National Biotech Group. Even though the Chinese vaccine SA 14 was developed in 1990, scientists are concerned about its safe us
• Norman Woodland (91), co-inventor of the bar code, passed way.
• A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data relating to the object to which it is attached. Initially barcodes systematically represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or one-dimensional (1D). Later they evolved into rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns in two dimensions (2D). Barcodes originally were scanned by special optical scanners called barcode readers; later, scanners and interpretive software became available on devices including desktop printers and smartphones.
• The very first scanning of the now omnipresent Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode was carried out in 1974.
• Google collaborated with an Israel museum to put 5000 images of the Dead Sea Scrolls which contains ancient biblical artifacts on online library
• The digital library contains the Book of Deuteronomy, which includes the second listing of the Ten Commandments, and a portion of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, dated to the first century B.C.
• American plane maker Boeing delivered the first of the eight P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft to the Navy.
• December 18 was celebrated as Minority Rights Day by the National Commission for Minorities which is headed by Justice Mohammed Shamim.
• On this day in 1992 that the United nations adopted the declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic National or and Linguistic Minorities
• WHO (World Health Organization) has approved that India’s national  regulatory authority — Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) — and its affiliated institutions meet the prescribed international benchmarks
• Every second child in the world is vaccinated for measles using a vaccine produced in India.
• WHO pre-qualification is a guarantee that a specific vaccine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy
• Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant in the UK has developed a new kind of anti-ballistic steel named Super Bainite which could transform safety of soldiers and security forces fighting terrorists and extremists.
• Super Bainite is lightweight, super-strength anti-ballistic steel which can be used to armour-plate troop carriers and tanks.
• “Freedom of the Press Foundation”: WikiLeaks devises new way to raise funds
• Lok Sabha approved the Constitution (118th Amendment) Bill, 2012 which seeks to provide special status to six backward districts in the Hyderabad Karnataka region, with provision for reservation in education and jobs for local people.
• The Bill introduces a new Article 371-J to provide special recognition for the six backward districts in north Karnataka: Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal and Bellary
• The Bill provides for creation of a separate development board and equitable allocation of funds for development of the region
• The captain of Indian Hockey team, Sardar Singh commanded the best price of $78,000 from the Delhi franchisee at the Hockey India League auction
• Organized by Hockey India
• Teams to have players from India and around the world.
• Teams : 
• Delhi Wave Riders
• Jaypee Punjab Warriors
• Mumbai Magicians
• Ranchi Rhinos
• Uttar Pradesh Wizards
• Marquee players : attract more crowd.LImited to 5.
• Sardar Singh (from India) chosen by Delhi
• Moritz Fuertse (from Germany) went to Ranchi
• Teun de Nooijer (from the Netherlands) selected by Uttar Pradesh
• Jamie Dwyer (from Australia) taken by Punjab
• Sandeep Singh (India) taken by Mumbai
• China has named Infosys in the list of 100 main liaison service outsourcing firms
• Gunpowder which is also called black powder was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid-1800s.
• Mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter)
• Sulfur and Charcoal act as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer.

• BlackBerry appoints Ranbir Kapoor as its brand ambassador.

• Scientists have discovered a new Mosasaur species of aquatic lizard  which is 84 million-year old, 20 feet long. These were the biggest and most dangerous predators in European rivers.

• Barack Obama : Times Person of the year 2012

• Atlanta based exchange, IntercontinentalExchange Inc., is buying,  more than 200 years old, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for about $8 billion.

• Indian American Rangaswamy Srinivasan, has been nominated by President Barack Obama for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

• Srinivasan, in 1981 made a significant discovery that an ultraviolet excimer laser could be used to etch a living tissue without causing any thermal damage to surrounding areas.

• He named the phenomenon Ablative Photodecomposition (APD). He collaborated with an ophthalmic surgeon to use a 193nm pulsed laser to reshape the cornea. These excimer lasers led to the development of now famous lasik lasers used in eye and dental surgery.

• Justice Swatanter Kumar has become the first Supreme Court judge to  be the chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which was, till now, functioning without a full-time chairperson.
• Government has exempted services of life insurance business provided  under Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) and Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY)from service tax.
• The only Hindu temple in Russia- the Iskcon Krishna temple in Moscow is facing the threat of demolition by the Russian authorities.
• As per Russian authorities, the temporary Iskcon temple violates the urban building code and has no legal grounds for existence. Indian embassy has sought an extension to the temple which is set to expire on December 31, 2012, until they complete the construction of a Vedic cultural centre.
• In 2011, Russia had sought to ban Bhagavad Gita. The move caused furore in Lok Sabha  and the Parliament had unanimously asked Russia to prevent the ban. 
• FDI ceiling in ARC increased to 74% from 49%
• Here, ‘Foreign investment’ implies that the limit of 74% would be a combined limit of FDI and FII (foreign institutional investors)
• The shareholding of an FII shall not exceed 10% of the total paid-up capital.
• Asset Reconstruction Companies (ACRs) which is also known as Asset Management Companies in foreign countries are centralized agencies that deal with the problem of bad loans of banks
• The ARCs were supposed to not only concern with the realization of bad loans but to also do “reconstruction” i.e. to try to revive the bad loans into good ones.
•  Poet and translator Dr Shihab Ghanem has become the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize
• Instituted by the Indian government to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore
• The Asiatic Society, which was founded in 1784, gives the international award every two years in memory
• China unveiled service on the world’s longest high-speed railway with trains scheduled to run 2,298 kilometres between Beijing and Guangzhou in about 8 hours. Bullet trains running on the route will travel at an average speed of 300km/hr and would save more than 20 hours of travel-time by conventional trains.
• Iran will carry out 6-day naval exercise codenamed "Vilayat-91" in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to showcase its military capabilities. The strait is an important gas and oil shipping route.
•  The central government has decided to establish five-year project for strengthening the overall cyber security structure of critical sectors of India.
• It will be realized by National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIPC) under the guidance of National Technical Research Organization (NTRO). 
• NCIPC will set up sectoral Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and will also install sensors on critical systems for getting real-time information regarding cyber attack
• Sectors whose cyber security falls under NCIPC are:
• Energy (natural gas, coal, oil and power)
• Finance and Banking
• Transportation
• Space
• Law enforcement
• Security
• Telecom
• Defense

• Commission headed by “

  Justice Usha Mehra

  ” to opine measures to make Delhi safe for women

• Justice J S Verma will also be in member panel
• The committee will recommend amendments in law to provide for speedier trial and rigorous punishment in “aggravated sexual assault” cases amid demands for death penalty.