Current affairs august 2013

INTERNATIONAL

1) Which country blocked the import of milk powder from New Zealand in the month of August 2013 after it discovered bacteria that can lead to botulism in some of its dairy products ?
Ans:- China

2) On 20 August 2013 the US has imposed sanctions on a Pakistani —————  being used for training bomb makers and suicide attackers for the LeT and Al-Qaeda, the first time such action has been taken against a seminary ?
Ans:- Madrassa

3) Which country court  has disqualified the country’s largest Islamic party from taking part in the next general election ?
Ans:- Bangladesh

4) Who was declared open the new International Container Terminal of the Colombo harbour on 5 August 2013 ?
Ans:- Sri Lanka’s President, Mahinda Rajapakse

5) In the month of August which country  released the world’s first zinc-enriched rice variety capable of fighting diarrhoea and pneumonia-induced childhood deaths and stunted growth ?
Ans:- Bangladesh

6) Which country on 26 August 2013 rejected the proposal of Japan to hold talks on disputed Sekaku and Diaoyu islands ?
Ans:- China

7) The Chinese and Pakistani air forces on 28 August 2013 decided to hold a joint-drill in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) .What is the code name assigned to this joint drill?
Ans:-  Shaheen -II

8) UN Security Council failed to reach an agreement on a resolution that could authorise the use of military force against ——— ?
Ans:- Syria

9) It was recently reported in some sections of media that a 1,750 MW nuclear power plant is being established, which will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world till date. This plant is reportedly being established in which country?
Ans:-  China

10) The population of which BRICS nation crossed 200 million mark recently?
Ans:-  Brazil

INDIA & WORLD

1) India and Pakistan exchanged fire at which area of Poonch Sector of Jammu and Kashmir on 6 August 2013 killing five Indian Soldiers?
Ans:- Chakan Da Bagh

2) In the recently released Academic Ranking of 500 World Universities (ARWU) for 2013 only one Indian institute features in the list. Which institute is this?
Ans:-  Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore

3) 1) An avian flu emergency was declared in the capital of which neighbouring country of India on 17 August, 2013 after fresh cases emerged from different areas of the capital?
Ans:- Nepal

4) Name the country which India surpassed to become world’s third largest Internet user?
Ans:- Japan

5) Which country has suggested Myanmar to set-up a Joint Border Working Group to address the issues of demarcation of border between the two countries ?
Ans:- India

NATIONAL

1) Which union territory of the country celebrated its 60th Liberation Day on 2 August 2013?
Ans:- Dadra and Nagar Haveli

2) Union Cabinet on 9 August 2013 approved the proposal for establishment of which new Wing in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting?
Ans:- Media Wing

3) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology inaugurated Data portal of India in New Delhi on 8 August 2013. Name the URL of the website?
Ans:- www.data.gov.in

4) Which house of Parliament passed the historic companies Bill 2012 on 8 August 2013?
Ans:- Rajya Sabha

5) Janata Party led by Subramanian Swamy has merged with which party on on 11 August 2013?
Ans:- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

6) Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister K.V. Thomas on 7 August 2013 introduced National Food Security Bill 2013 in Lok Sabha. This will replace which ordinance?
Ans:-  National Food Security Ordinance, 2013

7) Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on 16 August 2013 unveiled the National Skill Certification and Monetary Reward Scheme. What is the objective of the scheme?
Ans:- To motivate the youth for acquiring vocational skills

STATES

1) For the first time a pilot-project for use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be undertaken during an upcoming assembly by-election to be held in an Indian state. Which state is this?
Ans:- Nagaland

2) In the month of August 2013 Which State Government has decided to revoke the suspension order of mining leases in the state ?
Ans:- Goa

3) In the month of August 2013 ADB and Union government signed an agreement for 300 million US dollars in additional loan to upgrade highways in ——  ?
Ans:- Bihar

4) Which state on 20 August, 2013 became the first to launch the food security scheme for its citizens?
Ans:-  Delhi

5) Which state Government’s Department of Town and Country Planning on 20 August 2012 notified an affordable housing policy, 2013 ?
Ans:- Haryana

6) Which state became the only state of India to have increased its forest cover in the past two decades, as announced recently by the state govt.?
Ans:-  Sikkim

7) Which state government has recently decided to introduce 11 different coloured strips for the three-wheelers based on the zones ?
Ans:- Delhi

8) State Government of Rajasthan on 21 August 2013 laid the foundation stone for world’s biggest solar park at which place?
Ans:-  Bhadla of Jodhpur District

9) Which state government on 22 August 2013 laid the foundation store of Bio 360, a Life Sciences Park ?
Ans:- Kerala

10) During 2011-12, which state replaced Maharashtra to become the state with the largest number of HIV patients in India?
Ans:-Andhra Pradesh

CONFERENCES

1) The 2nd ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus was concluded in ———– on 29 August 2013 ?
Ans:-  Brunei

AWARDS & HONOURS

1) Who is the Malayalam poetess was awarded 22nd Saraswati Samman of K.K. Birla Foundation ?
Ans:- Sugathakumari C)Shibani Bathija D)Urvashi Butalia

2) Which former US President was one among the 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the year 2013, which were announced on 8 August 2013?
Ans:- Bill Clinton

3) Who was conferred the Gujar Mal Modi Award for Science and Technology for year 2013 on 9 August, 2013?
Ans:- Vinod Prakash Sharma

4) Subrata Kumar was nominated for the Prime Minister’s Shram Ratna Award for year 2012 as announced by the union govt. on 14 August, 2013 on the eve of the Independence Day. He is associated with which company?
Ans:- Tata Steel Limited

5) Who is the Professor of economics, conservationist and mountaineer was selected on 12 August 2013 to receive the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal ?
Ans:- Harshwanti Bisht

SPORTS & GAMES

1) Indian Police Wrestlers won five gold medals on 5 August 2013 (the fifth day) in the World Police and Fire Games. At which place the games were held?
Ans:- Belfast, England

2) Name the Wimbledon 2013 Women’s Singles winner who announced her retirement from Lawn Tennis on 14 August 2013?
Ans:-  Marion Bartoli

3) Who won Men’s Singles Title in Rogers Cup 2013?
Ans:- Rafael Nadal

4) India won six medals at the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championships which concluded on 13 August 2013. Where was the Championship held?
Ans:- Manila, Philippines

5) Which Indian player has won 10000 dollar the Internalional Tennis Federation (ITF) Women’s Tennis Tournament on 11 August 2013?
Ans:-  Sowjanya Bavisetti

6) Who won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championships held at Guangzhou?
Ans:- Lin Dan of China

7) Who won the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix on 25 August, 2013?
Ans:- Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull

8) India won Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC’s) Emerging Team under-23 title in the final held on 25 August, 2013 at Singapore. India defeated which team in the finals?
Ans:-  Pakistan

9) Who equaled the world record of highest golds after winning the 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships on 18 August 2013 at Moscow, Russia?
Ans:- Usain Bolt

10) Which franchisee team became the winner of the 1st edition of Indian Badminton League (IBL), final of which was played on 31 August, 2013?
Ans:-  Hyderabad Hotshots

ECONOMY

1) Central Government on 13 August 2013 raised customs duty on gold, silver and platinum to ———- percent in a bid to curb the surging imports and burgeoning Current Account Deficit.
Ans:- 10%

2) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently transferred its surplus profit to the government for the year ended June 2013, which is the highest amount to be transferred by the RBI to the government, except year 2007. How much amount was transferred as surplus profit to the govt.?
Ans:-  Rs. 33,010 crore

3) Reserve Bank of India (RBI

) on 8 August 2013 announced its decision to sell govt. bonds on a week day with an objective of controlling the volatility in the foreign exchange market. Which day of the week was chosen for proposed weekly sale of govt. bonds?
Ans:- Monday

4) What is the name of a proposed commission that will look into removing ambiguity and establishing a stable and non-adversarial tax administration in the country and establishment of which was approved by the union govt. recently?
Ans:-  Tax Administration Reform Commission – TARC

5) The new Petronet LNG terminal near Kochi in Kerala received its first cargo vessel carrying liquified gas on 20 August, 2013. This new LNG terminal, which has been built at a cost of Rs 4,200 crore, is situated at  ——- ?
Ans:- Puthuvype

6) Cheraman Financial Services Limited (CFSL), which became the first Islamic financial services company to be launched in India, started its operations in which Indian state recently?
Ans:-  Kerala

7) On 24 August, 2013 the Union Govt. approved the initiative for free supply of essential medicines to the patients availing treatments. How much budget outlay has been made available under this initiative, which comes under the 12th Five Year Plan?
Ans:- Rs. 16,000 crore

8)  The Indian Rupee fell sharply on 28 August, 2013 to hit a record low of 68.80 to the dollar. This was its biggest single-day percentage fall since how many years?
Ans:-  18 years

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1) Name the indigenously developed rockets which were successfully test-fired by India on 7 August 2013from a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) from a base at Chandipur-on-sea near Balasore, off the Odisha coast?
Ans:- Pinaka rockets

2) NASA is all set to launch its next mission to Mars in November 2013 from Florida. What will be the project called?
Ans:- Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN)

3) Name the first ever indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier launched by India on 12 August 2013?
Ans:- INS Vikrant

4) Name the indigenously-developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile successfully test-fired by India on 12 August 2013?
Ans:- Prithvi-II

5)  ISRO called off GSLV-D5 launch with just an hour to go before the launch as a “leak” had been detected in fuel tank on 19 August 2013. GSLV-D5 was supposed to carry which satellite?
Ans:- GSAT-14

PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

1) Who was appointed as 11th Director of the IIM A (Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad) on 13 August 2013?
Ans:- Ashish Nanda

2) Who was appointed as the new Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on 17 August, 2013?
Ans:-  Dilip Trivedi

3) Who recently took over as the new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the UN Conference on Disarmament at Geneva?
Ans:-  D. Bala Venkatesh Varma

4) Who was appointed as the new Chairperson of the National School of Drama (NSD) Society on 19 August, 2013?
Ans:- Ratan Thiyam

5) For the first time an Uttarakhand High Court judge has been made the Chief Justice of a High Court of the country. Who is this judge?
Ans:-  Justice P.C. Pant

6) Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the President of Zimbabwe on 22 August, 2013.Mugabe won a landslide victory in the 31 July elections with 61% of the presidential votes.What is the name of his political party?
Ans:-  Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)

7) How many Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) were appointed in the Supreme Court on 26 August, 2013?
Ans:-  Three

8) Who was appointed Head of Atomic Energy Organisation in Iran on 16 August 2013?
Ans:- Ali Akbar Salehi

B)RESIGNS

1) Who is the Iran’s representative to the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2005, announced his resignation on 22 August 2013 ?
Ans:- Ali Asghar Soltanieh

C) DEATHS
1) A Dronacharya Award winner and the coach of former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev passed away on 16 August, 2013 at Mohali. What was the name of this famous cricket coach?
Ans:- Desh Prem Azad

2) Leading anti-superstition activist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar was shot down on 20 August, 2013 in Pune. He was founder of which organisation which was engaged in spreading the movement against anti-superstition in Maharashtra?
Ans:- Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti

 D) VISITORS

1) Who is the Afghanistan vice president visited India from 20 – 22 August 2013 ?
Ans:- Mohammad Karim Khalili

 E) MISCELLANEOUS

 1) Which tennis player topped the Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes for the ninth straight year?
Ans:- Maria Sharapova

2) A Street in Winnipeg city of which country has been named after Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of India’s 67th Independence Day?
Ans:- Canada

3) Name the oldest penguin of the world which turned 36 years old on 12 August 2013 ?
Ans:- King Penguin Missy

4) What is the name of a dreaded terrorist from the 1980s who was arrested on 16 August, 2013 and who was allegedly involved in a series of blasts including the 1993 Mumbai train blasts?
Ans:-  Abdul Karim Tunda

5) Indian-American Trio won top honours at the 11th National Geographic World Championship. Where was it held?
Ans:- Russia’s St. Petersburg city

 PLACES IN NEWS

 1) Which country was hit by earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 on 16 August 2013?
Ans: New Zealand

ABBREVIATIONS IN NEWS

 1) What is the fullform of ‘ NABARD ‘ ?
Ans:- National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development

 BOOKS IN NEWS

 1) Gitanjali, the collection of poems (song offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore was released in 14 different languages at Kolkata. Who hasa released it?
Ans:- . Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal

2) “My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions”, which was published recently by Rupa, is a new book written by ——– ?
Ans:- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

COMMITTEES IN NEWS

1) A committee constituted by the Corporate Affairs Ministry to look into ways to improve the country’s overall business climate is ready to submit its report to the Union Govt. Who is heading this 25-member committee?
Ans:- M. Damodaran, Former SEBI Chairman

DAYS & DATES

1) World Youth Day is observed on ——- ?

Ans:- 12th August

Fore more update and books please see this link.....BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!!!!!!!!

General Awareness Updates – April, 2013

30th April:

• Delhi court acquitted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
• Pakistani court imposed a lifetime ban on former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting elections in Pakistan.
• Joao Havelange has resigned as honorary president of the world governing body after being named in a report as having received bribes.
• Additional Solicitor General Haren Raval resigned from the post over his controversy by telling the Supreme Court that CBI status report on Coalgate was not shared with the government.

29th April:

• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sends nomination of Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar for Arjuna Award and Dhyanchand Award respectively to Sports Ministry.
• Syrian PM Wael al-Halqi survives bomb attack in capital Damascus.
• Goa launched a digital Krishi Card for farmers to avail benefits like subsidies and loans given by the state government.

28th April:

• Saturn positioned itself directly opposite the Sun and visible with the naked eye.
• Enrico Letta sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy.

27th April:

• President Pranab Mukherjee reappointed Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra for second term in the state.
• Sarabjit Singh continues to be in deep coma and on ventilator support at a hospital in Lahore after being brutally attacked by a group of prisoners.

26th April:

• Anil Goswami will replace RK Singh as new Home Secratary. He is the first bureaucrat from the J&K cadre to be appointed home secretary.
• Yash Chopra, Rajesh Khanna and Asha Bhosale will be honored with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Academy Award.

25th April:

• A new keyboard layout named as KALQ Keyboard developed at University of St Andrews, USA for touch screen devices.
• World Malaria Day is observed.

24th April:

• Legendary Playback Singer Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence at the age of 94.
• Liverpool's Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the English Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during EPL match at Anfield.
• A block housing garment factories and shops collapsed in Bangladesh, killing nearly 300 people and injuring more than a thousand.

23rd April:

• Chris Gayle set a new record for the fastest century in professional cricket by reaching 100 off 30 balls in IPL match against Pune Warrior in Bangalore. He also records the highest Twenty20 score of 175 not out.
• Manchester United won its record 20th English Premier League title.
• Police detained Sudipto Sen, the chairman of Saradha group in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly defrauded thousands of depositors.

22nd April:

• Earth Day is observed to create awareness among the masses on environmental issues.
• Budget Session of Parliament resumes.
• Horacio Cartes has been elected as President in Paraguay.
• Union Home ministry approved 'Z' category security protection for Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.
• Abdul Hamid, the speaker of Bangladesh's parliament has been elected as President of Bangladesh.
• Former chief justice and head of anti-rape law panel JS Verma has died in Delhi, aged 80.

21st April:

• National Civil Services Day was observed across India.
• Mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi, known world’s fastest ‘human computer’ died at a hospital in Bangalore following respiratory problems. She was 83.

20th April:

• At least 150 people and over seven thousands have died in a 6.6 magnitude earthquake which hit southwestern China's Sichuan province.
• Assam State Government implemented the Assam Right to Public Service Act 2012 in the state.
• Sachin Tendulkar's wax statue unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
• Australian all-rounder cricketer Shane Watson stepped down from the position of Vice-Captain of the Australian test Cricket team.

19th April:

• Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX) started its operations and became the country’s sixth commodity exchange to launch futures trading.
• Time magazine included Amir Khan in the list of 100 Most Influential People in the world for 2013. He is also one of the seven who were selected for a cover of their own in the prestigious magazine.

18th April:

• Islamabad High Court has ordered the arrest of Gen Pervez Musharraf over his attempt to impose house arrest on judges in March 2007.
• The main accused of German Bakery blast, Himayat Ali Baig has been given death sentence. The blasts left 17 dead and 64 wounded at the German Bakery on February 13, 2010.
• Blast at a fertilizer plant in central Texas killed 15 people, wounded more than 160 in America.
• Aruna M. Bahuguna appointed as Special Director General of the CRPF. She is the first woman to be appointed for that position.

17th April:

• A blast near the BJP office in Malleshwaram, Bangalore left 16 people injured including eight policemen.
• Telugu writer Dr Ravuri Bharadwaja selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2012.

16th April:

• Two bomb explosions around 2.45pm killing three people and injuring over 140 in popular Boston Marathon.
• A massive 7.9 Richter scale earthquake struck southeast Iran near the border with Pakistan, which killed at least 40 people in Iran and 35 in Pakistan.
• Gold price in India hit the lowest level in more than 18 months reaching 25,270 rupees per 10 gram.

15th April:

• President on a three day visit to North-East India.
• India celebrates Bihu, Pongal and Vaisakhi in different parts of the country.
• Adam Johnson announced as the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his book “The Orphan Master’s Son”.
• Nicolas Maduro was elected as the new President of Venezuela

14th April:

• Famous Industrialist, Known as the country's 'takeover specialist' Rama Prasad Goenka passed away in Kolkata. He was the Chairman Emeritus of the RPG Group, a multi-sector Indian industrial conglomerate.
• Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on week long visit to USA and Canada, working on a series of steps to attract at least $20 billion in new investment in India.

12th April:

• The Supreme Court reject a plea for commutation of death sentence to life imprisonment for Delhi bomb blast accused terrorist Deviderpal Singh Bhullar. President of India already reject the plea.
• Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, 92 has been honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. The award consists of the Swara Kamal medal, a shawl and a cash prize.

11th April:

• Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, PJ Kurien elected as the Chairman of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD)on the 73rd Executive Committee Meeting of AFPPD at Bangkok.

10th April:

• Sahara group chief Subrata Roy appeared before SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), which had summoned Sahara in refund case of an estimated Rs 24,000 crore.
• Delhi court ordered to re-investigated 1984 anti-Sikh riots against Congress leader and former Union minister Jagdish Tytler for his role, dismissing CBI closure report of 2009 that had given a clean chit to Tytler.

9th April:

• A magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed at least 37 and injured hundreds more in southern Iran.
• Five U.N. peacekeepers from India working for the U.N. mission in South Sudan were killed in an ambush by attackers in the state of Jonglei.

8th April:

• Britain's 'Iron Lady' and only woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher died following a stroke at the age of 87. She led her Conservative Party for 11 years and held office from May 1979 to November 1990.

7th April:

• India test fired Nuke-capable ballistic missile Agni-II successfully from a defence base off the Odisha coast.

6th April:

• Arvind Kejriwal breaks 15-day-long fast on the issue of water and electricity in Delhi.
• Annamalai University VC M. Ramanathan suspended for financial irregularities.
• Suicide attack in a Iraqi city of Baqouba kills 25 in a political rally.

5th April:

• Executive Co-Chairman of Infosys S Gopalakrishnan has been elected as the President of the industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma Awards to 108 personalities. Cricketer Rahul Dravid, woman boxer MC Mary Kom and late Bollywood actor Rajesh Khanna was conferred the Padma Bhushan Award in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

4th April:

• 72 dead and over 36 injured as under-construction building collapse in Thane, Mumbai.

3rd April:

• President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the anti-rape bill. This law has the provision of life term and death sentence for rape convicts.

2nd April:

• The Lokayukta  Aayog Bill, 2013 passed in the Gujarat assembly.
• IPL6 opening ceremony held at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium. This time 9 teams will participate.

1st April:

• Supreme Court denied an India patent request by Novartis AG cancer drug.
• Sports Ministry asks NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) to test Vijender for the reported use of the recreational drug heroin.
• G. V. Prasad appointment as new Chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Satish Reddy as Vice-Chairman.

General Awareness Updates – February, 2013

February, 2013

28th February

• National Science Day was observed.

27th February

• Chuck Hagel appointed as the new Secretary of Defense of the United States.

26th February

• Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal presented the Railway Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament.
• Delhi becomes the first state in the country to impose complete ban on manual scavenging.
• Microsoft introduces Internet Explorer 10.
• Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni equaled record of Sourav Ganguly with 21st test cricket win after defeating Australia by 8 wickets.

25th February

• Park Geun-hye sworn in as the first woman President of South Korea.
•  Maghi Purnima Snan in of Mahakumbh 2013 at Allahabad.

24th February

• Jelena Jankovic, the former world no. 1 won the WTA Copa Claro Colsanitas Cup 2013.
• 85th Academy Awards for Oscar,2013 ceremony took place
• Assam became the first state in India to produce over 500 million kilogram tea for two years in a row.
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score double-century in a test match while scoring unbeaten 206 runs against Australia.

23rd February

22th February

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 February 2013 issued final guidelines for issuing licenses for opening new banks
• Harbhajan Singh played his 100th test while playing against Australia in M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

21st February

• The Union Cabinet approved merger of Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).
• Ratan Tata is awarded the life time achievement award 2012 by Ernst & Young.
• Two bombs exploded in Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad kill 14 people.

20th February

• Virat Kohli appointed as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL, 2013.
• Boiko Borisov announced resignation as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

19th February

•  Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari appointed as Chairman of the Sahitya Academy.

18th February

• Vishwanathan Anand wins the Grenke Classic Chess tournament.
• Social Worker Ela Bhatt awarded with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace for 2011. She is the founder of SEWA.

17th February

• Rafael Nadal defeated David Nalbandian in to win the Brazil Open.
• Australia wins ICC Women’s World Cup Trophy. In the final, they defeat defeated West Indies by 114 runs.
• The Romanian film “Child's Pose(Pozitia Copilului)” bagged the Golden Bear prize for best film at the 63rd Berlin film festival.

16th February

• Serena Williams became the new World number one women’s tennis player after reaching Semifinals of Qatar Open Tennis Championship in Doha.

15th February

• In Chelyabinsk, Russia hit by a huge meteor shower, this injured at least 750 people.

14th February

• Y Bhaskar Rao, the former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, sworn in as the Lokayukta.
• US Airways and American Airlines merge to become the World’s biggest airline service.

13th February

• Asoke Kumar Mukerji is appointed as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.
• Mohan Parasaran is appointed as the new Solicitor General of India.

12th February

• North Korea conducted its third Nuclear Test at North Hamgyeong Province.
• Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty appointed as the chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi.
• International Olympics Committee (IOC) announced its decision to drop wrestling from the list of core sports in Olympics.

11th February

• Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would resign at the end of the month.

10th February

• 36 people died as stampede took place at the Allahabad railway.
• Ranchi Rhinos beat Delhi Waveriders 2-1 to win theHockey India League (HIL).
• Chinese new year celebrated.
• Rest of India team win Irani Trophy.

9th February

• Parliament Attack Convict, Afzal Guru hanged at Tihar Jail.
• Pandit Ravi Shankar honoured with the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy award.
• MCX-SX, new stock exchange of India inaugurated by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

8th February

• Sachin Tendulkar scored his 81st century in first class cricket and equaled the record of Sunil Gavaskar.

7th February

• The Supreme Court of India ordered Karnataka to release 2.44 thousand million cubic feet of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

6th February

• Sally Jewell is appointed as new Interior Secretary of USA.

5th February

• ICICI Bank partnered with Aircel, launch of their mobile banking service called Mobile Money.
• Malda, West Bengal becomes India’s first all-women judicial magistrate’s court (JMC).

4th February

• Michael Clarke wins Allan Border Medal.
• World cancer day was observed raise awareness about cancer.

3rd February

• India lost the Davis Cup Asia Oceania (Group-1) tie to South Korea.

2nd February

• John Kerry replaced Hillary Clinton as United States’ new Secretary of State.

1st February

• Graeme Smith, South Africa becomes the first player in test cricket history to lead in 100 test matches.