INTERNATIONAL NEWS 2011 : > Yemens embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh finally agreed to step down amidst

massive public protests. Saleh signed a Gulf co-operation council (GCC) brokered peace Initiative in Riyadh on 22 November 2011 to transfer his power within 30 days to his Vice President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Under the deal, he and his relatives get immunity from prosecution on handing over power to the Vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in 30 days. It will be followed by early presidential elections within 90 days. Yemen has been besieged with violence and protests by the powerful tribals, army dissidents, the opposition and the people who called for the ouster of Saleh on charges of nepotism and corruption. The Gulf mediated Initiative will put an end to a 33-year old reign of one of the longest serving Presidents in the region. > India was elected to the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and returned to this oversight body after a gap of 35 years. Indias five-year term with the body will start from 1 January 2013. > India defeated China to get a place on the JIU. India had served only once on the JIU, 35 years ago from 1968 to 1977.The JIU is an independent external oversight body of the United Nations system, mandated to conduct evaluations, inspections and investigations. It is composed of not more than 11 Inspectors serving for a term of five years. > The US Army conducted the test flight of Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) from the militarys Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai located in Hawaiian archipelago. The new weapon is capable of travelling five times the speed of sound. The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon is part of the militarys programme to develop global strike weapons that would allow the US to strike targets anywhere in the world with conventional weapons in as little as an hour. > A study published in medical journal Lancet mentioned that India has the highest number of flu-related pneumonia deaths among children. Flu-related pneumonia is also responsible for 28000 to 115000 deaths of children around the globe. The University of Edinburgh with support from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and US Centers conducted the study for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). > According to a survey conducted by the City Mayors Foundation, a global think tank on urban affairs, there are 37 Indian cities among the worlds 300 fastest growing urban centres. The Indian city of Ghaziabad is the second fastest growing city in the world. The general parameter used to consider the growth of a city is the rate of its urbanization. According to the report- The Transition to a Predominantly Urban World and its Underpinnings released by International Institute for Environment and Development, eleven cities in India are amongst the 100 fastest growing cities of the world. The 11 cities in the list of 100 fastest growing cities are- Durg Bhilai, Ghaziabad, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Surat, Asansol, Dhanbad, Visakhapatnam, Faridabad. India is second to only China in this growth race. Beihai in China is the fastest growing city in the world, with a population growth rate of 10.58 per cent, says the survey. The five fastest growing cities in the world are- Beihei (China), Ghaziabad (India), Sana (Yemen), Surat (India) and Kabul (Afghanistan). > The Arab League on 16 November 2011 confirmed the suspension of Syria from the organization and decided to impose economic sanctions on the nation in case it refuses to accept an observer mission sent by the former. The league also asked Syria to stop the violence within three-days. The U.N. estimated that more than 3500 people were killed in Syrias 8-month-old uprising. The Arab League officially called the League of Arab States is a regional organization of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and

Southwest Asia (Middle East). It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. > International conference on the threat from cyber security attacks was held in London .A major international conference on the threat from cyber-security attacks was held in London on 1 November 2011. The conference aims to have nations work together to combat international cyber crime. Representatives of 60 nations gathered to discuss how to deal with the rising levels of cyber crime. > The 6th G20 (industrialist and developing countries) summit was held in Cannes, France on November 3 and 4, 2011 to discuss key issues in the global economy. Euro-zone debt crisis dominated the Summit in Cannes. The other issues discussed in the summit were global imbalances, financial transactions tax, tax evasion and reform of the international monetary system. Agreements made in G20 Cannes Summit The G20 leaders affirmed their commitment to work together and took decisions to reinvigorate economic growth. They agreed to create jobs, ensure financial stability, promote social inclusion and make globalization serve the needs of the people. They agreed on an Action plan for Growth and Jobs to address short-term vulnerabilities and strengthen medium-term foundations for growth. An affirmation was made on G20s commitment to move more rapidly toward more market-determined exchange rate systems and enhance exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying economic fundamentals, avoid persistent exchange rate misalignment and refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies. > India pitched for a consensus among G-20 nations on sharing of tax and banking information with retrospective effect. India stressed on the fact that the era of banking secrecy laws was over, and it was vital to build a consensus on sharing of past banking data as it would help in investigation of earlier cases of tax evasion. The G20 leaders finally were unable to agree upon a boost to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help distressed countries. Debt-ridden Italy, was seen as the epicenter of the euro crisis, was forced to put its austerity programme under the funds control. > Palestine won the membership of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) on 31 October 2011 with 107 votes in favour and 14 votes against. Eighty-one votes were required for approval with 173 UNESCO member delegations present. The USA, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia and the Czech Republic voted against. UNESCO is the first UN agency Palestine has joined as a full member. UNESCO protects historic heritage sites and works to improve world literacy and cultural understanding. Its headquarters are located at Place de Fontenoy in Paris, capital of France. In fact, Palestine is seeking full membership in the UN (United Nations), but USA has threatened that it will veto it unless there is a peace deal with Israel. > The 17th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit (the heads of states) held in Hithadhoo, Addu, Maldives on 10 November and 11 November 2011. A 20-point Addu Declaration was adopted on 11 November 2011 to forge effective cooperation among the member states in a host of areas including economy, connectivity, climate change and food security. The theme of the 17th SAARC Summit was Building Bridges. The Summit recognized the importance of bridging differences, creating better understanding and promoting amity and mutually beneficial and comprehensive cooperation in order to promote effective linkages and connectivity for greater movement of people, enhanced investment and trade in the SAARC members region. > World population crossed seven hundred crores on 31 October. Nargis from India is declared as seven billionth child on earth by United Nations. Nargis was born in Lucknow Monday morning at 7:20 AM. Nargis is the first daughter of Vinita (23 years) and Ajay (25 years) from UP. Russia announced that the 7 billionth child was born in the countrys far East in Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky city. The boy named

Alexander, born on the night of Oct 31, was the seven billionth inhabitants on earth. Philippines too declared that a little girl called Danica May Camacho was the worlds 7 billionth baby. NATIONAL NEWS NOV 2011 : > Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP) is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers and implemented by the management during the previous calendar year (Performance year) that result in improvement in quality, productivity and working conditions such as safety, health and environmental conservations in the industrial undertakings where Suggestion Schemes are in operations. The financial savings, due to adopted and implemented suggestions of the winning applications of the VRP in 2009 was 1082.85 crores recurring and 94.83 crores non-recurring in Indian currency and 21.73 crores recurring & 29.59 crores nonrecurring in Foreign Exchange. VRP is awarded in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three classes- Class A 5 winners win Rs. 75000 each, Class B Eight winners win Rs. 50000 each and Class C 15 winners win Rs. 25000. For 2009 performance, 28 puraskars Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar were shared by 117 winners. > National Safety Awards The National Safety Awards is given in recognition of outstanding safety performance of industrial establishments, construction sites, ports and installations under AERB to stimulate and maintain the interests of both the management and the workers in accident prevention programmes. For the performance year 2009, the total number of National Safety Awards were 123 (72 winners and 51 runners-up). NSA are given under twelve schemes, out of which ten are meant for Factories/Construction sites/Installations under AERB and two are for Ports. Under each award, a Shield and a Certificate of Merit is given to each of the Award Winners and Runners-up. The establishments are classified in different schemes on the basis of working of highest man-hours. > The train travelling the longest distance in India, the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express, was flagged off at Dibrugarh by Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Paban Singh Ghatowar on November 19. The new train that connects Assam with the southernmost tip of Tamil Nadu brings with it good tidings for the tourism industry. On its way, it covered 4,286 km in 82.30 hours. Vivek Express replaces Himsagar Express (Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari) as Indias longest train service. > The UNAIDS HIV AIDS report 2011 released on 21 November 2011 revealed a dramatic decrease of 56 per cent between 1996 and 2010 in the number of new HIV infections in India. India overshot treatment targets for 2012 with 4.48 lakh HIV positive patients on the lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy at present, against the target of 3.4 lakh. Worldwide, with 2.7 million new HIV infections in 2010, the number of new infections went down by 21 per cent compared to 1997.According to the new estimates, 47% (6.6 million) of the estimated 14.2 million people eligible for treatment in low- and middle-income countries were accessing ART in 2010, an increase of 1.35 million since 2009.The year 2010 saw 2.7 million new HIV infections while 1.8 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. A massive scale up in access to HIV treatment had a dramatic effect on the lives of people everywhere.

> The Indian government signed a path-breaking tripartite peace agreement with a prominent insurgent group of Assam, United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) on 25 November 2011 after two-year-long peace negotiations. As per the terms of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS), the Karbi Anglong hill will get more power and a Rs 350-crore special financial package spread over five years. The UPDS had spearheaded a violent insurgent movement in Assams Karbi Anglong district since its formation in 1999 till 23 May 2002 when it entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government. > Tamil Nadu government on 24 November 2011 banned the screening of Hollywood film Dam 999 with immediate effect. The movie directed by Sohan Roy is believed to be based on disputed Mullaperiyar Dam between Tamilnadu and Kerala. Tamil Nadu government imposed a ban citing that it may cause animosity between Kerala and TN people as the film was dealing with the subject of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam on the Kerala-TN border. The film centres on a dam and how it collapses and ravages the surrounding areas. The English film, released by Warner Bros was scheduled for release on 25 November. > To commemorate Childrens Day celebrations the Department of Post released two special postage stamps on cloth designed by school children on the theme Save the Tiger on 14 November 2011. The two stamps were priced at Rs 5 and Rs 20, respectively. India Post held design a stamp contest on Save the Tiger theme at Indipex 2011, to spread awareness on tigers; and on 14 November 2011, the stamps were released. This was the first time the Department of Post brought out a stamp on cloth. > 17th Kolkata Film Festival inaugural function was held at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata November 9. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Film stars Sha Rukh Khan and Sharmila Tagore attended the Festival. > The second annual Pushkar international balloon festival was held from 7 to 9 November 2011 in Pushkar near Ajmer, Rajasthan. Participants from ten countries displayed their ballooning skills during the event. Colourful hot air balloons with beautiful motifs presented a spectacular view to tourists and participants. Over five lakh people visited Pushkar, some 15 km from Ajmer to attend the festival. Pushkar Balloon Festival is held in the backdrop of world famous Pushkar Fair. > A UN study ranked India at 134 out of 187 countries in terms of Human Development Index. The study however observed that life expectancy at birth in India has increased by 10.1 per cent a year over the last two decades. In the 2010 Human Development Report, prepared by UNDP, India had been ranked at 119 out of 169 countries. However, according to the new report for 2011, it is misleading to compare values and rankings with those of previously published reports as the underlying data and methods have changed, as well as the number of countries included in the Human Development Index. The report highlighted Indias Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2011 was 0.547 positioning the country in the medium human development category. Between 1980 and 2011, Indias HDI value increased from 0.344 to 0.547, an increase of 59 per cent or an average annual increase of about 1.5 per cent. > The state government of Goa gave its approval to 60 non-operational mines in the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary under the Regional Plan 2021. The sanctuary is located 60 kms from Panaji. The Sanctuary is one of the five sanctuaries, which are located in Goa. It is home to animals like slender loris, deer, Black Panther and leopard. The environmentalists expressed their concern over the state governments decision as the mining activities can have harmful effects on the animals in the sanctuary. > A report on child rights, Indias Child Rights Index, a first-of-its-kind report was released on 9 November 2011 by the HAQ-Centre for Child Rights. Kerala topped the national child rights index, followed by Karnataka. Arunachal Pradesh was found to be the worst performer in protecting the rights of

children. The rankings of few other states are as follows: Maharashtra (3), Tamil Nadu (4) and Andhra Pradesh (5), Gujarat (6), Rajasthan (7). Like the Human Development Index, education index, hunger index and health index now, the Child Rights Index attempts assess how different states and union territories fare in providing child friendly policies and where they stand in terms of securing the rights of children. In the Child Rights Index, the states have been ranked on 10 major indicators- birth registration, sex ratio, early childhood care, child marriage, child labour, education, health, incidence of crime against children, victims of crime against children and crimes by children. The index looked into all aspects of child wellbeing in all sectors and indicators for realisation of child rights as a whole. > Union Rural Development Ministry announced on 4 November 2011 that Comptroller and AuditorGeneral of India (CAG) will audit performance of all schemes under the Ministries of Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation. CAG is to conduct an audit on expenditure incurred over a period spanning the past five years in 12 States. In the first phase, the CAG will audit the expenditures under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). > The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched anti-measles vaccination drive, Measles Catch-up Campaign. The vaccination programme was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) to target children aged up to 10 years, particularly in 14 States where the routine immunisation coverage is less than 80 per cent. More than 13 crore children are expected to be covered under the Measles Catch-up Campaign, irrespective of their previous measles vaccination status. The State Education Departments in the states are to set up a State Steering Committee for implementing the campaign. A nodal officer will collaborate with the principals and guardians of private and government schools for implementing the campaign. They will provide a list of the schools and of students enrolled in these schools. For each school, the vaccination programme will be completed in one day with the least disruption to academic routine. ECONOMIC AFFAIRS NOV 2011 : > The Union cabinet on 24 November 2011 approved 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. The Cabinet also decided to raise the cap on foreign investment in single-brand retailing to 100 per cent from 51 per cent. An estimated Rs 30-lakh-crore retail sector was thus opened to foreign investors by clearing a bill that allows 51 per cent investment in multi-brand retail. India currently allows 51 percent foreign investment in single-brand retailers and 100 percent for wholesale operations but no FDI in multi-brand retail. > The Union Cabinet agreed to partially allow foreign direct investment (FDI) to enter the pension sector to the extent of 26 per cent. The cabinet however refused to mention any sectoral cap in the proposed legislation. In its approval to amendments in the PFRDA Bill, 2011, the Cabinet turned down the Parliamentary Standing Committees suggestion of providing a guarantee on assured returns on pension fund schemes. Though the government is of the view that the FDI cap in the pension (sector) should be at 26 per cent, on a par with the insurance sector, it would like to retain the flexibility of changing the cap of FDI as and when required. > The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 November 2011 announced that transfer of shares between Indians and non-resident Indians (NRIs) would not require its permission in several key areas such as financial services. RBI initiated measures to ease foreign direct investment (FDI) procedures with an objective to woo global investors. The central bank Amended the Foreign Exchange Management Regulations. It mentioned that prior permission would not be necessary where the company whose shares were being transferred was engaged in any financial service. The RBI permission had also been

done away with for transfer of shares between residents and non-residents in cases where the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) had already given its clearances and the SEBI guidelines were met. > Joint study by industry association FICCI and Ernst and Young predicted Indian mobile devices market to reach 350 million a year by 2020. The handset companies currently sell about 150 million mobile phones annually in India. According to this study, rural market will provide the next phase of growth for handset players. The study also stated that about 500 million handsets will be manufactured in India by 2020. However, this will be possible only if the country were to create a manufacturing ecosystem to produce handsets. India is the worlds second-largest telecom market after China, with the total wireless subscriber base crossing 850 million at the end of June, 2011. > Global ratings firm Moodys on 9 November 2011 downgraded the entire Indian banking systems rating outlook from stable to negative indicating a deterioration in asset quality in the months ahead. In September 2011, Standard & Poors (S and P) downgraded the countrys largest lender, the State Bank of India, by one notch. The Moodys decision was announced at a time when the Eurozone financial system is in turmoil and a large number of European banks are in a crisis. The government rejected it claiming that the countrys lending institutions are much healthier than their global counterparts. Indian bankers termed the move unwarranted and premature at this point of time. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NOV 2011 : > Indias most advanced long-range missile, Agni-IV was test fired successfully on 15 November 2011 from a road-mobile launcher from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheelers Island, off the coast of Orissa. The missile covered a range of more than 3,000 km in 20 minutes of fluent flight. The indigenous ring Laser Gyros based high accuracy INS (RINS) and Micro Navigation System (MINGS) was used in the launch for the first time. So far, this was Indias longest-range mission flown by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Agni-IV opened a new era for India in the class of long-range missiles to carry strategic nuclear warheads for the armed forces. It is capable of providing deterrence; strategically Agni-IV is capable of covering the whole area of Indias border with China. Agni-IV is a twostage missile. Agni-IV is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Agni-IV was earlier called Agni-II Prime. The first flight of Agni-II Prime in December 2010 was a failure. > A team of six scientists at the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) developed a new technology to convert plastic into petroleum products. After a decade long experiments, the scientists led by director Madhukar Omkarnath Garg managed to develop a combination of catalysts, which convert the plastic into either gasoline or diesel or aromatics along with LPG as a common byproduct. > Russia successfully launched a manned spacecraft on 14 November in 2011. A Soyuz TMA-22 spaceship with two Russians cosmonauts and a US astronaut blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This launch was the first manned flight to the ISS after the NASA shut down its space shuttle programme, leaving Russia responsible for the maintenance and supply of the space station. 16 nations are investing in the space station that relies solely on Russia to ferry crews. Crews rotate every six months. > Scientists discovered two sunken islands west of Australia, in the Indian Ocean, which once formed part of the last link between India and Australia. The two islands were about the size of Tasmania. They were once part of the super continent Gondwana and more than 1.5 kilometres underwater. The islands, called micro continents, were formed when India moved away from Australia, 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous period (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth).

> Indian scientists succeeded in decoding the genome of the arhar dal, which is also known as pigeon pea. This will help not only in developing new varieties but also in increasing the productivity. Indian Council of Agriculture Research and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) carried out the research. Professor Nagendra Kumar Singh spearheaded the project. In fact, 85 per cent of the worlds arhar dal is produced and consumed in India. Therefore, this discovery will help decrease the inflated cost of pulses in India. > China launched its unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou-8 on 1 November 2011. Long March-2F rocket propelled the unmanned spacecraft into orbit in the next step towards Chinas ambitious plans for a manned space station by 2020. Shenzhou-8 carried an experimental facility developed by German and Chinese scientists. Shenzhou 8 was launched from North Gobi desert in China that entered into the orbit successfully. The mission was considered Chinas most important since its first manned space flight in 2003. In September 2008, the Shenzhou 7, piloted by three astronauts, carried out Chinas first spacewalk. > Australian senate on 8 November 2011 passed legislation that would impose a carbon tax on the nations 500 largest polluters. The government reasoned that it was necessary to control climate change. Australias largest polluters will now pay 23 Australian dollars for every metric ton of carbon gases they produce. Australia is one of the worlds worst greenhouse gas emitters per capita because of its heavy dependence on abundant reserves of coal to generate electricity. AWARDS NOV 2011 : > Former India cricket captain Ajit Wadekar was selected for the Col C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award. The award is to comprise a trophy, citation and cheque for Rs. 15 lakhs. > Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid was selected for the Polly Umrigar Award for Indias best cricketer of 2010-11 season. India womens team captain Jhulan Goswami is also to be honoured at the annual awards. This pacer will be awarded the M A Chidambaram Best Woman Cricketer of 2010-11 trophy for claiming 21 wickets in eight matches. > Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on 23 November 2011 conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) upon General Hou Shusen, deputy chief of general staff of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, at a special investiture ceremony in Islamabad. Pakistan awarded a top Chinese General with Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) for promoting friendship and strengthening bi-lateral ties between the two countries. The Nishani-Imtiaz is one of the state organized civil decorations of State of Pakistan. It is the highest honour along with the highest award Nishan-e-Pakistan given to any civilian in Pakistan. > Leading NRI politician in the UK, Lord Navnit Dholakia, won Garavi Gujarat Hammer Award at the GG2 Leadership Awards 2011 for his outstanding achievements on 23 November 2011. Britains Attorney General Dominic Grieve presented the award to Lord Dholakia. Dholakia is a British Liberal Democrat politician and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. Lord Dholakia is one of the most senior Asian politicians in Britain. > Renowned scientist C N R Rao was conferred with the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize for 2011 for his contribution to materials research. The honour was presented to Rao, who is the Chairman of Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, at a function in Trieste, Italy. The Prize, instituted by the Academy of Sciences of the Developing World, carries a cash component of 100,000 dollars, a medal and a citation. The Trieste Town Council and the Trieste International Foundation for Scientific Progress and Freedom are collaborating in this effort. Rao, 77, is the founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore. He has 1,500 research papers and is an author of 45 books. Rao also received the Firodia Lifetime Achievement Award a few days ago.

> Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru joined the elite club of Singapore christened Friends to our Shore on 20 November 2011. Only four other world personalities are members of the coveted club. The club is in memory of their contribution to shaping the contemporary world history and their strong connection to Singapore. The measure was initiated by the Singapore National Heritage Board. The other four members in the list are- Polish-English writer Joseph Conrad (2004), Father of modern Vietnam Ho Chi Minh (2008), Filipino revolutionary leader Jose Rizal (2008) and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (2010).The statue of Nehru was unveiled on the banks of the Singapore river by the Indian PM Man Mohan Singh who visited Singapore for a bi-lateral discussions. Nehru visited Singapore thrice and the first was in May 1937 as part of his pan-Malayan tour. > Eminent Kannada author S. L. Bhyrappa was presented with 20th Saraswati Samman in literature for 2010 for his epic novel Mandra. The Saraswati Samman is awarded by the K. K. Birla Foundation to a work published in the last 10 years, selected from among works published in 25 Indian languages. The award carries a prize of Rs.7.5 lakh. > The Simhadri super thermal power station in the State has won Swarn Shakti award in the area of productivity (coal project) category. The award was presented by CMD of NTPC Arup Roy at a function in new Delhi on Wednesday. > Vinoba Sewa Ashram founders Ramesh Bhaiya and Vimla Bahan, and social activists Anupam Mishra, Shobhana Ranade and Agus Indra Udayana were awarded 2011 Jamnalal Bajaj Awards on 7 November 2011. Anupam Mishra was chosen for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development, while Ranade was selected for her work in Development and Welfare of Women and Children. Indra Udayana received the award for promoting Gandhian Values outside India and Ramesh Bhaiya and Vimla Bahan were chosen for the Award for Constructive Work. Each award comprised a citation, a trophy and Rs five lakh in cash. The awards were presented by spiritual leader Morari Bapu. > A traditional tribal institution of Meghalaya on 4 November 2011 announced Former South African President Nelson Mandela the winner of Peoples Parliament Global Award. Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya (GCCM) chairman John F. Kharshiing declared that Mandela was chosen for the award because of his sacrifice for the struggle against apartheid. Besides, three journalists Aroon Purie, Rajdeep Sardesai and Arnab Goswami would also be given the Peoples Parliament National Awards for their unbiased, ethical and investigative reporting. These awards, instituted by GCCM, would be conferred at a function to be held at Asananggre near Tura in West Garo Hills District on 14 November 2011.Earlier, former United States Vice-President Al Gore was conferred the Peoples Parliament Global Award for promoting awareness on climate change. > India won two prestigious awards- Best Destination and Best Marketing Campaign as the Worlds Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards 2011 on 8 November 2011. Union Tourism Minister, Subodh Kant Sahai received the awards from Graham Cooke, Chairman, World Travel Awards in London. The awards will boost the government of Indias efforts to brand India as a global tourist destination. India will hold its first Global Travel Mart on 12 December 2012 to reinforce Indias commitment to become a major player in world tourism. SPORTS NOV 2011 : > Karnataka emerged the overall champion of the five-day 65th National aquatics meet that concluded on 20 November 2011 in Ranchi. Karnataka won mens team championship (swimming) and the womens team championship. Karnataka swimmers won a whopping 23 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals. Aaron DSouza and Richa Mishra of Police were crowned the best swimmers of the meet. Both won five

individual gold medals and broke three records. Karnataka emerged the overall champion by collecting 327 points. Maharashtra ended second with 176 points and Railways (143) third. > Hyderabad wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel created a record for the most dismissals in a first-class cricket match during his sides victory over Assam in a Ranji Trophy Plate Group B contest. The 29-yearold Khaleel took seven catches in Assams second innings to finish with 14 victims (11 catches, 3 stumping) in the match. The previous mark of 13 dismissals was set by Zimbabwes Wayne James, who claimed 11 catches and effected two stumpings when playing for Matabeleland against Mashonaland in 1995-96. > India wins the title for both men and women in kabaddi world championship held in Bhatinda. Indian mens team defeated Canada easily by 59-25 while women team beat U.K. The prize money for men was 20 million. The CM Punjab has announced government jobs for Indian women team for winning the trophy. > Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt and Australian hurdler Sally Pearson won Athlete of the Year awards in Monaco. They were named athletes of the year by athletics governing boy, the IAAF. > Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was voted WTAs Player of the Year. In 2011, she claimed her debut grand slam title. In the 2011 season, she steered the Czech Republic to Fed Cup glory. Kvitova also bagged the Most Improved Player award and the fair play prize, while fans voted her the Breakthrough Player of the Year. > Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi won their first ever ATP Masters tournament by beating Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-4 in the final of Paris Masters on 13 November 2011.Bopanna and Qureshi had earlier won the Gerry Weber Open at Halle and the Stockholm Open. > McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at Yas Marina circuit in Abu. The victory at Abu Dhabi marked Hamiltons third win of 2011 and 17th of his career. > Richa Mishra became the first woman to clock the best Indian time in 800m freestyle. On 17 November 2011, she won three gold medals at the 65th National aquatic championships (meet) at the Veer Budhu Bhagat Stadium. She became the first to win three gold medals of the meet and set two senior championship marks (800m and 200m freestyle). > Ace shooter and silver medal winner at Asiad-2010, Gagan Narang, inaugurated the annual sports and games meet of Hyderabad police at Shiv Kumar Lal police stadium. > Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to cross the 15000 run mark in test cricket when he reached 28 during his unbeaten 33 run knock on the third day of the first test match against West Indies at Feroz Shah Kotla. Tendulkar was playing his 300th innings in his 182nd Test match. > Three Pakistan cricketers and an agent were sentenced imprisonment in Britain for their involvement in one of the biggest fixing scandals. Former captain Salman Butt received two and a half years, Mohammad Asif was sentenced to 1 year, while 19-year-old Mohammad Amir will serve six months. Agent Mazhar Majeed was sentenced to 2 years, 8 months. Butt, Asif and Majeed are expected to begin their sentences at Wandsworth prison in south London, Amir is due to be sent to Feltham young offenders institute in west London. The players were found guilty of conspiring with Majeed to bowl deliberate no-balls as part of a betting scam during the test match against England at Lords in August 2010.The scandal is being described as the biggest fixing scandal in cricket since South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was banned for life in 2000 for taking bribes from bookmakers.

> Indias Rohan Bopanna and Pakistans Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi won the Stockholm Open mens doubles title by defeating Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-1, 6-3 on 23 October 2011. The Stockholm Open was top-seeded India-Pakistan pairs second ATP World Tour title of 2011. They had earlier won on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle in June 2011. > Mary Ann Gomes of Airports Authority of India(AAI) emerged winner of the Velammal Educational Trust National Premier womens chess championship on 9 November 2011. Mary became the 17th player to win this event. She received a trophy and Rs.75000 from D.V. Sundar, vice-president, FIDE (World Chess Federation).Eesha Karavade finished second after defeating Padmini Rout. > Malaysian squash superstar Nicol David won a record sixth womens World Open title on 6 November 2011 by defeating Englands Jenny Duncalf at Luxor Theatre, Rotterdam. With this victory, David surpassed Sarah Fitz-geralds record five world titles. She won her first world title in Hong Kong in 2005. > Cricket personality M.S. Dhoni and Shooting personality Abhinav Bindra were commissioned as Honorary Lieutenant Colonels in the Territorial Army on 1 November 2011.The honour was bestowed upon Dhoni and Bindra for their outstanding contribution to sports and their commitment to the Indian Army on various occasions. They were pipped-in by Army chief General V K Singh. Dhoni was chosen to represent the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army while Bindra joined a TA battalion of the Sikh Regiment. PERSONS NOV 2011 : > Sherry Rehman Former Pakistani Information Minister was on 23 November 2011 designated to become Pakistans next Ambassador in the U.S. She succeeded Husain Haqqani who resigned over the Memogate controversy. Analysts perceived her selection for this post as a sign of consensus between the civil and military leadership of the country after a tense week that followed the Memogate controversy. > Aamir Khan was chosen to be the latest celebrity face of UNICEF in India. The actor is to be appointed the national ambassador of the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund on 30 November 2011. UNICEF had earlier appointed Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra as the face of the organisation. Cyrus P. Mistry(43) was on chosen to succeed Tata group chairman Ratan Tata as the groups new chairman in 2012. He has currently been appointed as the Deputy Chairman and will take over when Ratan N Tata formally retires in December 2012 on reaching the age of 75.Youngest son of construction tycoon Pallonji Mistry, Cyrus P. Mistry is currently the Managing Director of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He is also on the board of Tata Sons, the holding company which controls the Tata Group. Pallonji Mistry owns a significant stake in the Tata Group.For the second time a non-Tata is to take over as the groups chairperson. Before Cyrus Sir Nowroji Saklatwala had been the groups chairman between 1932 and 1938. > Sukh Ram A Delhi court on 18 November 2011 held this former telecom minister guilty of misusing his official position when he was a member of the PV Narasimha Rao Cabinet and giving undue favour to a cable supply company. Sukh Ram was awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment for accepting a bribe of Rs. three lakh and showing undue favour to a private firm in 1996. Apart from the five-year jail term, he will also have to pay a fine of Rs. 4 lakh. He was a part of the Congress at the Centre when the scams took place.During his tenure as Telecom Minister in P V Narasimha Raos Cabinet he had given a contract worth Rs. 30 crore to a private firm, Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL), to supply 3.5 Lakh Conductor Kilometers (LCKM) of Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the telecom department.

> Har Gobind Khorana Pioneering Indian American biochemist, who won the 1968 Nobel Prize for medicine, died in Massachusetts on 9 November 2011. Khorana is known to have revolutionised biochemistry with his pioneering work in DNA chemistry. He had won the Nobel Prize in 1968, sharing it with two others, Robert W. Holley of Cornell University and Marshall W. Nirenberg of the National Institutes of Health, for unraveling the nucleotide sequence of RNA and deciphering the genetic code. He was born on 9 January 1922, in Raipur, Punjab (now in Pakistan). > Peter Roebuck- Renowned cricket writer and commentator, committed suicide at a hotel in South Africa on 12 November 2011 after being questioned on allegations of sexual assault by the police. England-born Roebuck was in South Africa to cover the ongoing Test series between South Africa and Australia. He would be best remembered in India for his indictment of Ricky Ponting and the Australian team, whom he called a pack of wild dogs, for their behaviour in the controversial Sydney Test in 2008. > Silvio Berlusconi- Italys Prime Minister, resigned as on 12 November 2011 after he was stripped of a parliament majority due to his unsuccessful handling of the fierce financial crisis. Berlusconis latest popularity rating was at an all-time low of just 22 per cent. Economist Mario Monti will head an emergency Italian government following the departure of Silvio Berlusconi. > A Telugu speaking NRI Upendra J.Chivukula has been elected to the Legislative assembly of New Jersey, US, for he sixth time. Hailing from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Mr.Upendra, a candidate of the Democratic Party. > G.N. Asthana took over as General Manager of the South Central Railway (SCR) on Wednesday. He was the General Manager of west West Central Railway before the new posting. >Nabam Tuki was sworn in as the seventh Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 1 November 2011. He replaced Jarbon Gamlin. Gamlin resigned from office on 31 October 2011.Gamlin had taken over as chief minister on 5 May 2011 following the death of Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu in a helicopter crash. Arunachal Pradesh went through political instability since July 2011 after a group of Congress legislators led by Tuki revolted against Gamlins leadership. . > Otto Perez Molina Retired general and former intelligence director of the Conservative Patriotic Party of Guatemala won the presidential election on 6 November 2011 by defeating tycoon-turnedpolitical populist Manuel Baldizon of the Democratic Freedom Revival party. Perez Molina, is the first former military leader elected president in Guatemala in the 25 years after the end of brutal military rule. Otto Perez Molina succeded lvaro Colom as Guatemalas President. > Lucas Papademos -Senior banker, was appointed prime minister of an interim Greek unity government on 10 November 2011. The interim government seeks to cement a European debt deal and ward off national bankruptcy. He replaced outgoing Prime Minister George Papandreou midway through a four-year term.His appointment came after four days of power-sharing talks. Papademos following his appointment called for unity and promised to seek cross-party co-operation to keep Greece firmly in the 17-nation eurozone. > Bhupen Hazarika-Legendary singer-composer and Padma Bhushan awardee Bhupen Hazarika died in Mumbai on 5 November 2011. Hazarika was a multi-talented personality. He was a poet, music composer, singer, actor, journalist, author and filmmaker.Bhupen Hazarika was born on 8 September 1926, in Sadiya, Assam. He was the chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi from 1999-2004.He was chosen as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from 1967-72.He was awarded the National Award in 1975 for Chameli Memsaab. He also won the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1992. The legendary composer was conferred the Indian Music Director award for best music Internationally for the

film Rudaali at the Asia Pacific International Film Festival 1993 held in Japan.He won Presidents medal for his films Shakuntala (1960), Pratidhwani (1964) and Lotighoti (1967). He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987. > Joe Frazier- the former heavyweight boxing champion died on 7 November 2011 after a battle with liver cancer. Frazier is most famous for defeating bitter rival and another boxing legend Muhammad Ali in the 1971 Fight of the Century. World heavyweight champion, Frazer had started life as a sharecroppers son growing up in South Carolina and punched meat in a Philadelphia slaughterhouse. Known as Smokin Joe, he won 32 fights in all, 27 by knockouts, losing four times twice to Ali in furious bouts and twice to George Foreman. He also recorded one draw. > Asha Bhosle Legendary Bollywood playback singer, on 20 October 2011 entered the Guinness World Records for the most number of single studio recordings. Asha recorded up to 11000 solo, duets and chorus backed songs and several others in over 20 Indian languages since 1947.The 78-year-old was conferred with the Guinness honour at the Asian awards function held in London. > Kamalesh Sharma -Commonwealth Secretary General, was re-appointed to the coveted post on 30 October 2011. The Commonwealth Leaders agreed to re-appoint him at the 21st Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth in Australia. Sharma who served as a veteran Indian diplomat was re-appointed for a four-year term beginning in April 2012.Sharma was first elected to as the Secretary General of Commonwealth during the biennial summit of the 54-nation grouping in Kampala, Uganda, in 2007. > Ivian Sarcos -A human resources graduate from Venezuela, was crowned Miss World 2011 at the 61st Miss World contest at a glittering beauty pageant at Earls Court exhibition Centre in London on 6 November 2011. The runner-up was Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais, and Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Perez, claimed third place.