Current Affairs December 2012

Current Affairs- December 2012

Current Affairs December 2012 -First Week

Parliament clears FDI in retail

The UPA government on 7 December 2012 won the approval of Parliament to its controversial decision of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail with a motion against it being defeated convincingly in Rajya Sabha, as BSP voted in favour of UPA. 123 members voted against the motion while 109 voted in favour after a two-day animated debate during which the Opposition attacked the proposal to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, while the government strongly justified it saying it was in the best interest of the country.

Earlier on 6 December 2012, 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. The House also rejected the motion seeking amendment to the rules notified by the Reserve Bank under Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) to enable FDI in multi-brand retail. Members of SP and BSP, strength 22 and 21 respectively, did not participate in the voting as they walked out alleging that interests of farmers and small retailers had been ignored.

Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi on the List of Top 20 Most Powerful People of the World

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi have been named among the top 20 most powerful persons in the world by Forbes magazine in its annual power rankings declared on 5 December 2012 which placed US President Barack Obama as number one for a second year in a row.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was ranked at number 19 while Sonia Gandhi dropped one place from the rankings of 2011 to number 12 in 2012. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, the richest business tycoon of India as well as Arcelor Mittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal also appeared in this list.

Criterion of ranking by Forbes magazine:

In order to create these rankings, Forbes editors grade the candidates on the basis of four main criteria for the power. These are:

•Power over a lot of people

•Power in various arenas and spheres

•Active use of the power

•Control of a person over the financial as well as valuable resources

Cheque books only in new format will be valid from January 1

Old cheque books will be of no use from January 1, 2013 with the implementation of the new Cheque Truncation System (CTS-2010), which will eliminate physical movement of cheques for clearing. Instead, only their electronic images, along with key information, will be captured and transmitted. It will make the clearing process more efficient, secure and quicker.

What changes have been made in new cheques?

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

IOA suspended by IOC; India facing ban from Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the India Olympic Association (IOA) on 4 December 2012 and eventually this might also lead to IOA ban from Olympic movement.

IOA ban from Olympic would result in consequences such as:

·        No funding from IOC

·        No officials from India would be invited by IOC to any events such as Paralympics and Olympics

·        No India athlete would be allowed competing under India’s flag; but could be permitted competing under IOC flag

IOC suspended IOA because India was following the Sports Code of government in the IOA elections, which is against the Olympic Charter. IOC declared that following of Sports Code of government is actually the interference of the government in the Olympic Movement.

Dr. Joseph Murray who performed first kidney transplant passed away

American plastic surgeon Dr Joseph Murray, the surgeon who operated the first successful kidney transplant and later won a Nobel Prize for his work, has died at 93. 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.

England Cricket Captain Alastair Cook became the youngest  Batsman to score 7000 Runs

England Cricket team captain Alastair Cook on 6 December 2012 claimed his place among the cricketing greats when he set an England record for the most Test centuries and became the youngest player in the long history of the game to pass 7000 runs. The century against Indian at Eden Gardens on 6 December was his 23^rd Test Hundred.

Parthasarathi Shome appointed adviser to Finance Minister

The Union government of India appointed Parthasarathi Shome, the tax expert, as the adviser to finance minister P Chidambaram. Shome was appointed with a rank of minister of state, co-terminus with the period of office of the Finance Minister. Shome was also the adviser to P Chidambaram during the UPA-I.

Union Government cleared Decks for Ambedkar Memorial at Mumbai

Union Government of India on 5 December 2012 cleared the decks for transferring the prime India 12.5 acre United Mill land in Mumbai to the Maharashtra government for for constructing a memorial to BR Ambedkar. The Maharashtra State government is going to bear the entire cost of the memorial project and will henceforth take care of the land. The Union Cabinet will take further decisions on the process.

Oldest Person of the World, Besse Cooper Died At 116

Besse Cooper, the woman listed as the oldest person of the world died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia nursing home at 116 years of age. Besse Cooper had died peacefully in Monroe. Besse was recently taken ill with the stomach virus.  Besse Cooper was declared as the oldest person of the world in January 2011 by the Guinness World Records.

Who is the world’s oldest person now?

After the death of Besse Cooper, the title of oldest person of the world now goes to Dina Manfredini of Johnston who is aged 115 years of age.

Oldest known person of all times

Jeanne Calment, the French woman is the oldest known person till now. She was aged 122 when she died in 1997.

Nokia Agreed Selling Headquarter Building for 222 Million US Dollar for improving Business

Nokia, one of the giant mobile makers agreed to sell the head quarter building in Espoo, Finland for 222 million US dollar or 170 million Euros on 4 December 2012 for improving its profit. The headquarter building is to be bought by Exilion, the Finnish real estate company. Nokia would be leasing it back on the long-term basis.Nokia is continuously trying improvisation of its finances through certain measures such as job-cuts and it declared that it planned exiting certain other non-core assets as well. 

S.A. Ibrahim to be new Director of Intelligence Bureau

S A Ibrahim, an Indian Police Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was on 03 December 2012 appointed director of the Intelligence Bureau.

“The competent authority has approved the appointment of S.A. Ibrahim, IPS, presently Special Director, Intelligence Bureau, as Officer on Special Duty in the Intelligence Bureau with effect from Dec 1, 2012, and as Director, Intelligence Bureau for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier, vice Shri Nehchal Sandhu, retiring on Dec 31, 2012,” an official release said.

Ravindra Jadeja Became Only Indian to Score Three Triple Tons in First-Class Cricket

Ravindra Jadeja became first Indian and only eighth batsman in the first-class cricket history of world to score three triple-centuries in the unbeaten 320 runs against Railways in the Ranji Trophy Group A match on 2 December 2012 in Rajkot.

There are five other Indian batsmen who have scored two triple centuries in their first-class cricket and these are VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Vijay Hazare and Raman Lamba. With his triple century, Jadeja has joined the league of seven other non-Indians who have reached this landmark and these are Mike Hussey, WG Grace, Graeme Hick, Sir Don Bradman, Wally Hammond, Bill Ponsford and Brian Lara.

Anna Ushenina of Ukraine won the Women’s World Championship Crown of Chess

Anna Ushenina of Ukraine on 1 December 2012 defeated Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria to claim the women’s World Championship in Chess at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.  Anna won the title along with 60000 US dollar for the efforts made by her to win the Chess championship.

Prepared by: currentaffairs4examz.blogspot.com

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