current affairs digest 2013-ii

7/27/2019 Current Affairs Digest 2013-II

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Current Affairs Digest

April to June 2013Awards

The eminent Telugu novelist, short story writer, poet and critic who was chosen for the

prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2012 for his contribution to Telugu literature Ravuri

Bhardwaj

The South African social rights activist who was awarded the Templeton Prize 2013 for

"affirming life's spiritual dimension" Desmond Tutu

The veteran actor who was presented the NTR National Film Award for 2011 by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh at the Nandi Awards function Amitabh Bachchan

The veteran actor who was chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2012 by the

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Pran

The veteran actress who was chosen for the Master Deenanath (Vishesh Puraskar) Award, for

her dedicated services to Indian theatre and cinema on the death anniversary of Pandit

Deenanath Mangeshkar Jaya Bachchan

The eminent playback singer who was chosen to be honoured by West Bengal Government

with the Vishes Sangeet Mahasamman award Manna Dey

The veteran Hindi film actress who was presented with Srimant Shankardeva Award (instituted

by the Govt of Assam) for the year 2008 by the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee Sharmila

Tagore

The well-known singer who was chosen to be honoured with the Lata Mangeshkar Award

instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government Hariharan

The veteran journalists who were chosen for Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mumbai Press

Club Mr. N. Ram and Mr. Kuldip Nayar

The Chief Minister of Kerala who was chosen for the United Nation's Public Service Award for

his Mass Contact Programme, which saw him directly engaging with people in the state toaddress their grievances Shri Oommen Chandy

The eminent Japanese Tamil language scholar who was presented the Padma Shri by the

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 28 May 13. (Padma Awards are normally presented by

the President but Mr. Karashima was not present during the ceremony) Noboru Karashima

The Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri Govt. of India, and Director General, Defence Research

And Development Organisation, who was awarded the prestigious Aryabhatta Award of the

Astronautical Society of India Dr. V.K. Saraswat


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The film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche which was awarded the Palm d'Or (Golden Palm)

award at the 66th Cannes Films Festival 2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour

The noted Hindi writer who was chosen for the Vyas Samman award for 2012 for his historicalnovel Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati Dr. Narendra Kohli

The noted Hindi writer who was chosen for the Vyas Samman award for 2011 for his collection

of poems Aam ke Patte Prof Ramdarash Mishra

The American writer who was awarded the Man Booker International Prize 2013. (Man Booker

International Prize is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work

published either originally in English or available in translation in English. It is different from Man

Booker Prize for Fiction which is awarded every year for a specific book.) Lydia Davis

The Indian hornbill conservator who was awarded the Whitley Award also known as the GreenOscar Aparajita Dutta

The former IPS officer who was honoured with $ 10,000 Nomura Award in Singapore for her

humanitarian work Kiran Bedi

The Indian airport which was named the world's second best airport in the 25-40 million

passengers category by the Airport Council International Indira Gandhi International

Airport, New Delhi

Persons

The legendary playback singer of Hindi film industry who passed away on 23 April 2013 Shamshad Begum

The veteran politician and acting President of Bangladesh who was elected unopposed as the

country's 20th President Abdul Hamid

The Chairman of the committee that was set up in December 2012 to suggest changes in law

for dealing more effectively with offences against women, who passed away on 22 Apr 2013

Justice JS Verma

The present President of Italy who has become the first Italian President to be re-elected for a

second term Giorgio Napolitano

Lalgudi Jayaraman who passed away on 22 April was a noted Violinist

The Indian industrialist to whom 'Z' category security was approved by the Home Ministry

Mukesh Ambani

The new President of Venezuela who was elected to succeed Hugo Chavez who died in March

2013 Nicolas Maduro

The first and the only woman to hold the post of Chief Election Commissioner of India who

passed away on 17 April 2013 V.S. Rama Devi


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The author of Booker Prize winning novel Heat and Dust and two time Oscar award winning

screenplay writer who died on 03 April 2013 Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

The British Nobel prize-winning scientist known as the father of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) forpioneering the development of "test tube babies", who died on 09 April 2013 Robert Edwards

The founder of Telugu Desam Party and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh whose statue

was unveiled in the Parliament by the Lok Sabha Speaker Ms Meira Kumar on 07 May 2013

N.T. Rama Rao

The Prime Minister of Malaysia who was sworn in for the second term Najib Razak

The new Chief Minister of Karnataka, who assumed charge following the victory of Congress in

the elections Shri Siddaramaiah

The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister who took additional charge as Union Railway

Minister following the resignation of Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal Shri CP Joshi

The Union Communications and Information Technology Minister who took additional charge of

Union Law Minister replacing Shri Ashwani Kumar Shri Kapil Sibal

The exponent of Hindustani Classical music in its Dhrupad form who passed away on 08 May

2013 Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

The present Defence Secretary who was chosen to succeed Mr. Vinod Rai as the Comptroller

and Auditor General of India Mr. Shashi Kant Sharma

The new Defence Secretary appointed in place of Mr. Shashi Kant Sharma who has taken over

as the new CAG Mr. RK Mathur

The President of Afghanistan who was conferred honorary doctorate by the President Pranab

Mukherjee at the convocation of Lovely Professional University Mr. Hamid Karzai

The King of Thailand, to whom Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presented a sapling

of Holy Bodhi tree from Bodhgaya as a gift King Bhumbol Adulyadej

The new Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Mrs.

Kushal Singh

The Supreme Court Judge who was designated to succeed Justice Altamas Kabir as the next

Chief Justice of India Justice P Sathasivam

The Labor Party leader who has taken over as the new Prime Minister of Australia succeeding

Ms Julia Gillard Mr. Kevin Rudd

The Indian American legal luminary who was sworn in as a judge in the US Court of Appeals for

the DC Circuit, the second most powerful court in the United States after the Supreme Court

Sri Srinivasan


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The former chief of Indian Space Research Organisation in whose honour, an endowed

fellowship was established at the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of

Technology, California, USA Prof. Satish Dhawan

Places - International

The country, which has become the first outside South Asia to pass a legislation including caste

among other forms of discrimination (viz. colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin) United

Kingdom

The country which is implementing its controversial naturalisation law or Nitaqat, forcing over

75,000 Indians to return to India in the next few months (Nitaqat seeks to replace foreigners in

companies with its own people.) Saudi Arabia

The country which has launched same-day visa service for Indians subject to certain conditionsUnited Kingdom

The country which was ranked at Number 1 position in the World Press Freedom Index 2013

released by a non-profit organisation Reporters without Borders Finland

The Asian nation which elected Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury as its first woman speaker,

succeeding Mr. Abdul Hamid who became its President Bangladesh

The country whose reigning Queen Beatrix abdicated her throne in favour of her son, Willem

Alexander, making him the country's first King in 120 years Netherlands

The country which has overtaken the US as the world's biggest market for personal computers,according to a market data report by consultants IHS China

The country which was ranked at the top position (No. 1) for the sixth year in a row in Failed

States Index 2013 released by Fund for Peace, a Washington based organisation and Foreign

Policy magazine Somalia

The sovereign Arab state whose ruler (Emir), Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, abdicated his

powers in favour of his son (Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani) Qatar

The venue of 50th African Union summit, India was represented by the Vice-President Hamid

Ansari Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The US city which was hit by a monster tornado causing extensive damage and loss of lives on

20 May 2013 Oklahoma city

The venue of G-8 summit held from 17 to 18 June 2013 Lough Erne, Northern Ireland

Places - National

The state to which Asiatic lions are to be shifted in limited numbers from Gir forest in Gujarat as

directed by the Supreme Court Madhya Pradesh


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The Indian state which has become second in the country after Tamilnadu to ban the traditional

nomenclature (shwet kusht or kod) for leucoderma to clear misconceptions about the cutaneous

condition Maharashtra

As per a survey by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for Feb 2013, the state which has the

highest

number of mobile subscribers in country is Uttar Pradesh

The place in Haryana at which the Union Power Minister dedicated the Indira Gandhi Super

Thermal Power Project to the nation Jhajjar

The venue of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Conference on sustainable

tourism development held from 12 to 14 April 2013 Hyderabad

The station from which Science Express Biodiversity Special was flagged off by Union Ministerof Railways, Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of Environment & Forests, Smt. Jayanthi

Natarajan and Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi on its journey through 62 stations

across the country to end at Gandhinagar on 28 October 2013 Safdarjung

The group of islands in the Indian Ocean which was declared as a world biosphere reserve by

the UNESCO under its Man and the Biosphere Programme Nicobar Islands

The new venue of 20th Asian Athletics Championships held from July 3, 2013. (The event was

earlier scheduled to be held in Chennai.) Pune

The place at which ISRO Navigation Centre, was unveiled by the Minister of State in Prime

Minister's Office V Narayanaswamy Byalalu, Bangalore

The place in Tamilnadu, where a new Air Force Station was dedicated to the nation by the

Defence Minister Shri A.K. Antony Thanjavur

The six hill forts of Rajasthan which have been included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO

on 21 June 2013 are located at Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar,

Jaipur and Jaisalmer

The place at which the first unit of ONGCs Mega Power project in Tripura was formally

dedicated to the Nation by the Honble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee Palatana

850 MW Ratle Hydro-electric Power Project for which the foundation stone was laid by the PM

Dr. Manmohan Singh at Kishtwar is located on the river Chenab

The venue of 6-day (18 - 23 June) Chinese Film Festival, inaugurated by Indian I & B Minister,

Mr Manish Tiwari and Chinese Information Minister Mr.Cai Fuchao New Delhi

The place in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir at which country's highest Krishi Vigyan Kendra

(KVK) is proposed to be set up at a height of about 14000 feet Nyoma


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The place at which the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee laid the foundation stone for

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University Bhopal

Space

The three PhoneSats (smartphone satellites) launched into orbit on April 21 by NASA aboard

Orbital Sciences Corp's Antares rocket are named Alexander, Graham and Bell

The bio-satellite launched by Russia containing 45 mice, eight Mongolian gerbils, 15 geckos,

snails, fish eggs, micro-organisms and plants, aboard Soyuz 2 from Baikonur cosmodrome is

named BION-M1

European Space Agencys (ESAs) fourth Automated Transfer Vehicle, the heaviest spacecraft

ever launched by Europe, which connected with the International Space Station on 15 June 13

is named Albert Einstein

World Reports

The rank of India among the most powerful nations of the world as per a study conducted by

New Delhi-based Foundation for National Security Research which judged national power by

various indices, including energy security, population, technological capability etc Eighth

The rank of India in the World Press Freedom Index 2013 released by a non-profit organisation

Reporters without Borders 140

The rank of India in the Failed States Index released by 2013 released by Fund for Peace 79

As per State of World Mothers Report released by Save the Children organisation the number of

children who die on the day of birth in India is (India is ranked at the top in the report) 3,09,300

As per the latest report World Population Prospects released by the UN India's population is

expected to surpass China's population by the year 2028

Medicine

The strain of bird flu virus which was reported in China and has affected over 55 people and

killed 11 of them H7N9

The Swiss Pharma Company whose plea for patent on blood cancer drug Glivec was rejected

by Supreme Court of India Novartis A.G.

Rotavac, India's first indigenously developed vaccine against rotavirus diarrhoea was jointly

developed by Department of Biotechnology and Bharat Biotech

The anti-diabetes drug believed to cause heart failure and increase the risk of bladder cancer

which was banned by the Govt (alongwith painkiller Analgin) pioglitazone


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The pain killer drug (an opoid analgesic) which was banned by the Central Govt from being

manufactured and sold under the Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940 Dextropropoxyphene

Companies

The company which was directed to pay a fine of Rs. 100 crores by the Supreme Court for

polluting the environment by its copper smelting plant in Tamilnadu Sterlite Industries

The microblogging platform and social networking website founded by David Carp which was

acquired by Yahoo for $ 1.1 billion Tumblr

The company which has rolled out the first-ever white label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)

network

under the brand Indicash (White Label ATMs are set up by non-banking entities as permitted by

RBI to increase the penetration of ATMs in several areas of the country.) TataCommunications Payment Solutions Ltd

The Chinese company which has launched its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate smartphone in India with a

price tag

of Rs.24,900 Huawei

Miscellaneous

The battle (part of World War II) which was chosen as Britain's greatest battle in a contest

organised by the National Army Museum (U.K.) Battle of Kohima

With effect from 01 May 2013 the advance reservation period was reduced from existing 120

days to 60 days

The train on which Wi-Fi- facility was launched by the Indian Railways as a pilot project to

provide internet access in moving train Howrah Rajdhani Express

The highly toxic substance, Ricin, which was found on a letter addressed to U.S. President

Barack Obama on 17 Apr 2012 is obtained from Castor plant

The world's lightest substance with a density of only one-sixth of air, created by Chinese

scientists at Zhejiang University is carbon aerogel

The container terminal on the coast of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh which was formally

dedicated to the nation on 02 Apr 2013 Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal

The cyclone which hit the coast of Bangladesh on 16 May 2013 leaving at least 18 people dead

was named Mahasen

The New Delhi based institute which was designated as Collaborating Centre in Traditional

Medicine for a period of four years by the World Health Organization Morarji Desai National

Institute of Yoga


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The income criterion of Rs. 4.5 lakh per annum for applying the Creamy Layer restriction, for

excluding

Socially Advanced Persons/Sections (Creamy Layer) from the purview of reservation of Other

Backward

Classes (OBCs) was raised to Rs. 6 lakh p.a.

The MSP (Minimum Support Price) for paddy (common) and paddy (grade A) for the kharif

season of 2013-14 was fixed at Rs. 1310 and Rs. 1345 respectively

The two Nepali manuscripts in the field of Ayurveda and Tantrism which have been added to

UNESCO's Memory of the World Register Susrutasamhita and the Nisvasattatvasamhita

The 48-hour operation launched by Tamil Nadu police and Coast Guard (Eastern Region) to

test their emergency preparedness during unexpected situations, along 13 coastal districts of

the state is named Operation Amla

The Maldivian registered cargo ship which sank in the Arabian Sea and whose crew were

rescued by ICGS Varuna was named M.V. Asian Express

The permanent headquarters of National Commission for Women, whose foundation stone was

laid by the President of India was named Nirbhaya Bhawan

The import duty on gold was hiked in order to curb import of gold which is mainly responsible for

the rise in Current Account Deficit impacting on the country's foreign exchange reserves as well

as the rupee value, from 6% to 8%

The theme of World Environment Day being observed on June 05 Think, Eat, Save - Reduce

our Foodprint

Sports

The Thai badminton player who won the Indian Open Women's Singles title defeating German

Juliane Schenk in the finals Ratchanok Intanon

The Malaysian badminton player who won the Indian Open Men's Singles title defeating Kenichi

Tago of Japan in the finals at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi Lee chong Wei

The BWF trophies whose finals will be held in India in the year 2014 as announced by BWF

Thomas Cup and Uber Cup

The West Indian cricketer, who while playing for Royal Challengers against Pune Warriors

scored the fastest century in the history of cricket (100 off 30 balls) Chris Gayle

The state which declared Malkhamb as a state sport and also launched Mission Olympics 2020

for imparting coaching to talented sportspersons Madhya Pradesh


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The Indian shooter who became the first Indian woman to win a gold in pistol shooting at the

World Cup in Changwon in Korea Rahi Sarnobat

The team which won the finals of the IPL VI defeating Chennai Super Kings in a match playedat Eden Gardens, Kolkata Mumbai Indians

The Indian badminton player who won the Grand Prix Gold at the Malaysian Open Badminton

tournament defeating Juan Gu of Singapore in the finals P.V. Sindhu

The years in which India is to host the World T20 and World Cup ODI (respectively) 2016 and

2023

The year in which India is scheduled to host the World Test Cricket Championship 2021

The year in which the first World Test Cricket Championship is scheduled to be held in England

and Wales 2017

The Indian badminton player who won the Thailand Open Grand Prix tournament defeating

Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the finals K Srikanth

The Spanish tennis star who won the French Open Men's Singles title for a record 8th time

defeating compatriot David Ferrer in the finals Rafael Nadal

The US Tennis star who won the French Open Women's Singles title defeating Maria

Sharapova in the finals Serena Williams

The venue of 53rd National Inter-State Athletic Championships held from Jun 04 to Jun 07,2013 Chennai

Defence

The two-week Nepal-hosted exercise sponsored by the U.S. designed to train military

peacekeepers (from 23 nations) as a part of the Global Peace Operations Initiative held from

Mar 26 to Apr 07 was named Shanti Prayaas-2

The military exercise carried out by the Army's Western Command in Punjab as a part of its

'Integrated Theatre Battle' concept from May 21 to 25 was named Panchjanya

The military operation launched by Brazil against drug smuggling, trafficking in arms andammunition, environmental crimes, illegal immigration etc. ahead of FIFA Confederations Cup

was named Operation Agata 7

The first of eight Boeing P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance and Anti Submarine

Warfare (LRMRASW) aircraft being inducted into the Indian Navy were received on 15 May at

INS Rajali (Arakkonam)

The first MiG 29K supersonic aircraft were commissioned into the Indian Navy by the Defence

Minister in May 2013 at INS Hansa, Goa


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The guided missile stealth frigate which was inducted by the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad in

Russia INS Trikhand

The Indian Air Force base at which the first of the ten Boeing C 17 Globemaster III, orderedfrom the United States, made its touchdown in India (The aircraft is proposed to the based here)

Hindan

The auxilliary craft capable of carrying 400 tonnes of fuel and 100 tonnes of aviation fuel, which

was inducted into the Indian navy is named Pradayak

Mt. Everest Achievers

The Russian daredevil who has claimed the record of highest ever base jump by leaping off the

north face of Mount Everest Valery Rozov

The woman climber from Saudi Arabia who became the first woman from her country to

conquer Mt. Everest Raha Moharrak

Indian students from Dehradun who became the first twins to climb Mt. Everest Nunshi and

Tashi Malik

The school in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh whose students became the youngest team to scale

Mt. Everest Lawrence School

The student of Lawrence School, Sanawar (H.P.) who became the youngest Indian at 15 years

and 7 months to scale Mt. Everest Raghav Juneja

Samina Baig, who became the first woman from her country to conquer Mt. Everest belongs to

Pakistan

The person from Assam who has become the first from his state to scale Mt Everest Tarun

Saikia

The 80 year old Japanese climber who has become the oldest person to climb Mt. Everest

Yuichiro Miura

The former national level volley ball player who has become the first woman amputee in the

world and the first amputee from India to scale Mt. Everest Arunima Sinha

New Sites added to the World Heritage Sites list by UNESCO - June 2013

Cultural Sites

1. Al Zubarah Archaeological Site, Qatar*

2. Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora, Ukraine

3. Bergpark Wilhelmshhe, Germany


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4. Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China

5. Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration, Japan

6. Golestan Palace, Iran

7. Hill Forts of Rajasthan, India

8. Historic Centre of Agadez, Niger

9.Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong, Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea

10. Levuka Historical Port Town, Fiji*

11. Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany, Italy

12. Red Bay Basque Whaling Station, Canada

13. University of Coimbra Alta and Sofia, Portugal

14. Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region, Poland/Ukraine

*The world heritage sites are the first in their respective countries viz. Qatar and Fiji

Natural Sites

15. El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

16. Mt Etna, Italy

17. Namib Sand Sea, Namibia

18. Tajik National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs), Tajikistan

19. Xinjiang Tianshan, China

53rd Inter-State Athletics Championship Chennai - June 2013

New Record Setters

Men's Long Jump Prem Kumar, Tamil Nadu 8.00 m (Meet Record)

Men's Triple Jump Renjith Maheswari, Tamil Nadu 16.98 m (Meet Record)

Womens 3000m Steeplechase Sudha Singh, Uttar Pradesh 9:45.60 (National Record)

Womens Pole Vault Khyathi Vakharia, Karnataka 4.00 m (Meet Record)

Overall championship title at the meet was won by (172.5 points) Kerala

Women's championship title at the meet was won by (112.5 points) Kerala


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Men's championship title at the meet was won by (79 points) Tamilnadu

current affairs digest 2013-ii

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