Serena sinks Azarenka to win US Open

 Serena Williams rallied as Victoria Azarenka served for victory, with the American winning her 15th Grand Slam title and fourth at the US Open on Sunday 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

The struggle gave the 30-year-old Williams a New York trophy 13 years after winning her first.

Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, was denied a second major this season but will remain atop the rankings.

Azarenka was broken while serving for victory leading 5-4 in the final set. Williams fell on her back on the court when she clinched the win on her first match point as her Belarus opponent put a return long.

The final was the first on the women’s side to stretch to three sets since 1995.

Azarenka had not won a set against Williams in more than two-and-a-half years. Williams lost the New York final in 2011 against Samantha Stosur.

The 16th NAM Summit was held in Tehran

The 16th NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) summit was held at Tehran, Iran on 30-31 August 2012.The theme of the summit was Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance. At the Tehran Summit , the Chairmanship of NAM was passed on from Egypt to Iran in accordance with the NAM’s practice of regional rotation.The NAM meeting in Tehran was held in three phases: preparatory senior officials meeting on 26-27 August, ministerial level meeting on 28-29 August, and the summit on 30-31 August. Heads of the government from over 100 countries participated in the Tehran Summit to discuss the new global challenges.

At the end of the summit, the outcome documents were adopted which put emphasis on peace. Participants called for fundamental changes in global governance and collective management of the world as the precondition of establishing peace, and all of them expressed the call for avoiding conflicts in the world.

Venezuela was selected the host for the 17th NAM Summit in 2015 and two  nations, namely Azerbaijan Republic and Fiji, were accepted as the new members of the organization.The NAM was founded in the former Yugoslavia in 1961. It represents almost two-thirds of the UN members and about 55 percent of the world population.
India's stance at Tehran Summit
India expressed support for popular aspirations for a democratic order in Syria while cautioning against external intervention. India urged NAM to take a clear stand on Syria.

Appointments in India 2012

..
..
Dear Reader

This is the list of appointments in year 2012. this list is very useful for all upcoming exams. so read this carefully to prepare batter.

• Parvin Sinclair appointed as  Director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Jan 2, 2012.
• Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar  appointed as President, Indian Economic Association.
• Samir K. Brahmachari reappointed as Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He got extension for a period of two years.
• Arvind Gupta appointed as Director General, Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA).
• Vice Admiral M.P. Muralidharan  appointed as Director General, Indian Coast Guard in Jan 2012. Earlier served as the first Commandant fo the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala.
• M. Rafeeque Ahmed  appointed as  President, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) in Jan 2012, he is chairman of the Farida Group; was FIEO President from 2002 to 2004
• Imtaiyazur Rahman   appointed as   CEO, UTI Mutual Fund (UTIMF) in Jan 2012.
• Nesar Ahmad  appointed as President, Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). ICSI is the only recognized professional body in India to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries in India.
• R.V. Kanoria  appointed as  President, FICCI he is presently CMD of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Ltd.
• Sidharth Birla appointed as Vice President, FICCI, he is Chairman of Xpro India Ltd.
• Padam Vir Singh reappointed as Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. He got extension for two years.
• Balan Nambiar appointed as acting Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi.  
• Prof SS Mantha appointed as Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
• A K Garg appointed as CMD, MTNL  Jan 27, 2012.  He took over from Kuldip Singh, who was given additional charge of CMD since Jan 2010 after the resignation of former CMD RSP Sinha.
• Narendra Singh appointed as CMD, Bank of Maharashtra   Feb 1, 2012    
• D.K. Mittal  appointed as Director, RBI's Central Board on Feb 7, 2012. Now RBI's central board has 18 directors. Mittal's nomination follows the recent amendment to the RBI Act, 1934, allowing the Central Government to nominate two Government officials to the central board instead of one.
• Jaydeep Narendra appointed as President, Institute of Chartered Accountant on Feb 12, 2012  
• Subodh Kumar Agarwal appointed as  Vice President, Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA)    Feb 12, 2012  
• Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali appointed as Deputy Chief (Information System and Training), Indian Army in Feb 13, 2012.
• Sushobhan Sarkar  appointed as MD, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on Feb 17, 2012   
• Jawhar Sircar  appointed as  Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati on Feb 22, 2012.  The post was vacant for over a year since B.S. Lalli was suspended due to a CBI probe into alleged financial irregularities.
• Prakash Mishra  appointed as DG, National Disaster Response Force on Mar 6, 2012.
• Gopalkrishna Gandhi appointed as Chairman, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS). He was former West Bengal governor
• Sunil Prabhu elected as Mayor, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). MCGM is country's richest municipal corporation.
• Vijay Bahuguna appointed as Chief Minister, Uttarakhand, he is seventh CM of Uttarakhand; former judge of the Allahabad High Court
• Okram Ibobi Sigh   elected as Chief Minister, Manipur on Mar 14, 2012, he became Chief Minister for the third consecutive term
• Parkash Singh Badal  elected as Chief Minister, Punjab on Mar 14, 2012 , he was elected as CM for record 5^th time
• Sukhbir Singh Badal  appointed as Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab on Mar 14, 2012.
• Akhilesh Yadav  was sworn in as Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh on Mar 15, 2012. He is the youngest CM of the state
• Mukul Roy is appointed as Railway Minister of India on Mar 20, 2012, he replaced Dinesh Trivedi
•  
• Harsh Pati Singhania appointed as President, International Chamber of Commerce, India (ICC, India) Mar 23, 2012.
• Justice Fakir Muhammad Ibrahim Kalifulla  appointed as  Judge, Supreme Court  he served as former chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
• Debabrata Sarkar appointed as CMD, Union Bank of India.
• Ashok Kumar Roy appointed as CMD, General Insurance Corporation of India.
• Justice Virendra Singh appointed as Chief Justice, Jammu and Kashmir High Court he succeeded Justice Ibrahim Kalifullah.
• Manan Kumar Mishra appointed as  Chairman, Bar Council of India (BCI). The Bar Council of India is a statutory body to regulate and represent the Indian bar.
• Zafar Ahmed Khan appointed as Vice Chairman, bar Council of India (BCI).   Apr 15, 2012   The Bar Council of India sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to universities where degrees in law serve as qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
• Adi Godrej appointed as President, Confederation of India on Apr 19, 2012.
• S Narsing Rao appointed as CMD, Coal India (CIL).
• B.V. Wanchoo appointed as Governor, Goa.
• K. Sankaranarayanan  appointed as Governor, Maharashtra 
• Margaret Alva  appointed as Governor, Rajasthan.
• Ratan Kumar Sinha appointed as Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission.
• Goolam E. Vahanvati appointed as Attorney-General of India. He is re-appointed for two more years; previously was appointed in 2009
• Ajay Banga appointed as Chairman, US-India Business Council (USIBC).
• Subash Joshi appointed as Director General, National Security Guards (NSG).
• Sunil Kumar Srivastava appointed as CMD, Oil India Ltd (OIL).
• Rajeev Dubey appointed as President, Employees' Federation of India (EFI) an association of autonomous industry organizations, is one of the bodies representing India at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva.
• Vidya Balan appointed as Brand Ambassador, Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• E.S.I. Narasimhan appointed as Governor, Andhra Pradesh.
• S.K. Mittal appointed asDG, Central Public Works Department May 4, 2012  
• Rahul Khullar appointed as  Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
• Film actress Rekha appointed as Member, Rajya Sabha
• P. Chidambaram appointed as Chairman, Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council 
• Justice V.S. Sirpurkar appointed as Chairman, Competition Appellate Tribunal of India
• K. Saleem Ali appointed as  Special Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)   
• General Bikram Singh appointed as Chief, Indian Army    May 31, 2012  Succeeded General V.K. Singh
• DK Mehrotra appointed as  Chairman, Life Insurance Corporation of India
• Shikha Sharma appointed as MD, Axis Bank, she is reappointed for a further period of 3 years
• Air Marshal Arup Raha appointed as Chief, Western Air Command
• Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur appointed as Judge, Supreme Court.   
• Sachin Tendulkar  appointed as member, Rajya Sabha 
• Rajiv Nayan Choubey appointed as Head, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH).
• Vice Admiral DK Joshi appointed as Chief, Indian Navy 
• Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath appointed as  Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
• Sekhar Basu appointed as Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).  
• Som Mittal reappointed as President, NASSCOM.
• Kailash Chandra Purohit appointed as Chairman and Managing Director, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
• Niranjan Hiranandani appointed as President, Indian Merchants Chamber 
• K Parasaran and Prof. Mrinal Miri appointed as members, Rajya Sabha.
• Dr Ashok K Lahiri appointed as Executive Director, Asian Development.

Admiral DK Joshi takes charge as new Navy chief

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (DK Joshi) took over as the new Indian Navy chief on 31 August 2012. He is the 21st Chief of Naval Staff of Independent India and the 19th Indian to command the Indian Navy. He succeeded Admiral Nirmal Verma.

DK Joshi has commanded several naval ships which includes aircraft carrier INS Virat. He was also the chief of Eastern Fleet. He specializes in anti-submarine warfare.


During his tenure, the Navy will start 13000 crore rupees phase II expansion of Project Seabird, the naval harbour under construction near Goa.

India ranked to be 59th in the report released by World Economic Forum

India slipped down with 3 ranks to 59th position from its previous year ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013 released on 5 September 2012 by the World Economic Forum. The identified reason for this downfall is India’s disappointing performance in satisfying competitiveness for the basic factors.

Previously, India was far ahead to the nations like South Africa and Brazil has trailed down by 10 ranks and is 30 ranks behind the China. As per the details released by the forum, India still is strong in term of competitiveness on many other sections of comparison.


Switzerland managed to be on top of the list for consecutive four years followed by Singapore that ranked second and Finland was placed at third position. Among the members of BRICKS Nations, Russ

Anna Hazare announces new action plan; not to form party

Mumbai: Following Team Anna’s dissolution, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday announced a new action plan, which includes appealing people to vote for the “right” candidates, instead of forming a political party.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Hazare also appealed the youth to ensure a 90-plus per cent voting in the elections.

In the appeal, aimed mainly at anti-corruption activists in Maharashtra, Hazare said, “There is no need to form any party or to contest elections, but to provide an alternative to the people.


“Only the people have the power to transform and we have to undertake the work of awakening them,” Hazare said, adding that voters should elect right candidates in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Around 4,000 activists from all over the country have come forward for this task, and from Maharashtra, activists with “national and social perspective” are needed, he said.

“One thing that is being felt strongly is if the anti-corruption agitation continues in a limited manner of perusal of complaints and a few people getting justice, then there will be no difference between this movement and a complaint redressal centre,” he said.

Hazare proposed action on six points: Voting for “clean” candidates, to press for right to reject, seek more powers for gram sabha, citizens charter, removing delays in official work and bringing police under “the control” of lokpal/lokayukta.

Grand Science Slam to open German House For Research and Innovation in New Delhi

GRAND SCIENCE SLAM TO OPEN GERMAN HOUSE FOR RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN NEW DELHI

Winners will be awarded a fully paid learning opportunity to work in an eminent researcher’s group in Germany

The German Government has embarked to set up a German House for Research and Innovation in New Delhi (DWIH New Delhi). The DWIH will serve as a ‘one-stop shop’ for interested students, researchers and potential partner institutions, and disseminate information about higher education in Germany, research landscape and funding sources. New Delhi is one of the five focal points for enhanced German academic and research cooperation, along with Sao Paolo (Brazil), Moscow (Russia), New York (USA) and Tokyo (Japan).

Marking the inauguration of the DWIH in India, the German Embassy New Delhi and the German Research Foundation (DFG) will be organizing a Grand Science Slam on Saturday, 27th October 2012 at one of the highlights of the “German Year in India 2011/2012”, the Indo-German Urban Mela in New Delhi: A great platform for researchers, the Grand Science Slam will include topics from all fields of science including humanities and social sciences. Young scientists and science enthusiasts can showcase their best and most interesting scientific projects to eminent researchers and the general public. Slammers can choose from medicine/physiology, “green” life sciences, physics/mathematics, geo sciences, chemistry and process engineering/engineering, informatics and social sciences.

                       

On that occasion, the German Ambassador to India, Michael Steiner, states: “Indo-German cooperation in science and technology is a defining pillar of our bilateral relationship. India and Germany maintain a highly dynamic academic exchange and a vast array of bilateral research projects to jointly develop the technologies of the future. The new German House for Research and Innovation will be a scientific hub for young talents and a landmark for innovation which benefits India as well as Germany.”

Elaborating on the concept of the Grand Science Slam, Dr. Torsten Fischer, Director, German Research Foundation (DFG), the official coordinator of DWIH New Delhi, says, “The Grand Science Slam is a great opportunity for Indian researchers to showcase their knowledge of science in the presence of a distinguished gathering of very senior researchers. The shortlisted participants from each of the six streams will be required to publicly display complex scientific concepts in a very simple form in a Science Slam. Each participant gets only ten minutes to prove his or her knowledge of science using any format of choice, ranging from a conventional talk to a stage play or even a musical performance, using any source or object to make their presentation more interesting. The winner will be decided by award-winning jury members collectively with the audience, so the presentation must be easy to comprehend.”

The ten minute research presentation by young participating scientists will be followed by a 5 minutes question and answer session with the jury and audience. Two of the brilliant finalists will be chosen as winners of the Grand Science Slam, among which one of the awards will be decided by the Jury and the other by the general public sitting in audience. Each of the winners will be awarded a fully paid learning opportunity to work in the research group of an eminent researcher in Germany. All participating finalists will receive a citation and a gift hamper. The event will be attended by Heads of DWIH member organisations, and will feature ‘Leibniz Lectures’ by two German speakers and scientific talks by two Indian scientists.

The deadline for submission of applications is Sunday, 9th September 2012. Application form and submission details are available for download here.

For more details, please contact:

Ruchika Christ

Public Relations

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft  (DFG)

German Research Foundation

Tel. +91.49224905, Ruchika.Christ@dfg.de

Dr. Niklas Wagner

Press and Comumication Department

German Embassy New Delhi

Tel: +91.1144199247, niklas.wagner@diplo.de