2010 GK - 1

The Nepal government on Kathmandu, May 17, 2010 tabled a key amendment to the Interim Constitution to extend the Constituent Assembly's tenure by a year amid its failure to promulgate a new statute by the deadline of May 28, 2010. The government tabled a bill in the 601-member Constituent Assembly to amend the Interim Constitution to extend the Assembly's tenure by a year.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on May 19, 2010 announced full control of the situation after crushing a two-month protest and imposing an overnight curfew in the capital, Bangkok, and over 20 provinces. The protest movement is led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) which is a group of loyalists (Red Shirts) of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a military coup in 2006 and is now living in self-imposed exile. The Red Shirt protesters have been demanding immediate dissolution of the House of Representatives and a new general election.

Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority Affairs and Corporate Affairs, represented India at the 6th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), organised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from May 18-20, 2010. Themed 'Building Bridges Through Business', the WIFE was dedicated to building bridges through business between the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

Space shuttle Atlantis on May 14, 2010 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral in Florida on its last scheduled mission to the International Space Station (ISS), signalling the beginning of the end of the three-decade American programme. The Obama administration has decided to wind up the space shuttle programme. By November 2010, the last of the two shuttles, Discovery and Endeavor will carry payloads to the ISS and will then be phased out.

Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Trade Meet' organized in New Delhi on May 18, 2010, as a part of the Aman Ki Asha campaign, being run by the Times of India Group and the Jang Group to energize the process of mutual cooperation between India and Pakistan.

US President Barack Obama's Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair, resigned on May 21, 2010. Blair is a retired US Navy admiral who took over as the third director of national intelligence in January 2009. The position was created after the 11 September 2001 attacks to try to unify and strengthen America's many intelligence agencies, and to force them to   share information.

Anglo-Irish writer, J.G. Farrell, was on May 19, 2010 posthumously awarded a special one-off lost Booker prize for his novel Troubles', published in 1970. The prize, which carries no cash award, was created to recognise books of 1970 which missed out because of a change in rules that meant that the 1971 Booker was given to novels published that year, rather than retrospectively, as had been the practice until then.

World Nurses Day - the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, was observed on May 19, 2010.

Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari inaugurated the diamond jubilee celebrations of the National Academy of Audit and Accounts (NAAA) in Shimla on May 18, 2010. The NAAA is the training institution of the Indian Audit & Accounts Department under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. A commemorative stamp was also released on the occasion.

The Nirmal   Ganga-Sparsh Ganga campaign launched in Uttarakhand: Senior BJP leader L. K. Advani inaugurated the Nirmal Ganga-Sparsh Ganga campaign aimed at de-polluting the river at Gangotri on May 17, 2010.

A Japanese rocket blasted off on May 21, 2010 and successfully launched a Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter named 'Akatsuki' and a kite-shaped space yacht called 'Ikaros'.   The   Orbiter   is   expected   to   reach   Venus   in December 2010.

The Gujarat government and State Election Commission have decided to introduce e-voting in the next local body elections becoming the first state in the country to enable citizens to cast their franchise online. This will be for the first time in the country that in any official election the method of online voting via Internet will be used, beginning with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation polls scheduled in October 2010.

Pakistan sent a note verbale to India on May 17, 2010 on the disputed Kishanganga project which is being built on a tributary of river Jhelum, in Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir. The note verbale indicates Pakistan's intention to set up a Court of Arbitration as provided in the dispute settlement mechanism under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India till date has not responded to Pakistan's first note verbale in which Islamabad has asked New Delhi to decide on its two negotiators for the arbitration process and also inform the World Bank about the need to appoint a neutral expert as the two countries have been unable to resolve differences within the Permanent Indus Waters Commission.

Creation of Swami Vivekananda chairs in universities across the country and preservation of some of the important sites visited by him are among the key recommendations made by a committee set up to plan his 150th birth anniversary celebrations. The high-level committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in May 2010 prepared a 12-point plan to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary which falls in 2012. The committee suggested the idea of establishing a Vivekananda Chair at the Chicago University, where Swami Vivekananda gave his famous speech on Hinduism at the Parliament of World's Religions on September 11, 1893.

The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India related issues (CC-UIDAI) on May 18, 2010 approved in principle the adoption of the approach outlined by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for collection of biometric attributes of residents (face, all ten fingerprints and iris) for the UID project. The UIDAI decided to collect face, all ten fingerprints and iris attributes of the residents for ensuring uniqueness of the identities.

Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen of Costa Rice was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 17 May 2010, succeeding Yvo de Boer. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system.

The Ganges River Dolphin was formally notified as   the   National   Aquatic   Animal   by   the   Ministry   of Environment and Forests on May 18, 2010. It is estimated that no more than 2,000 of these dolphins exist today. Distinguished by a thin long snout and large flippers, Ganges River dolphins are also referred to as blind dolphins as their eyes lack a lens.  They have been listed as 'highly endangered' in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

President Pratibha Patil on May 22, 2010 signed an ordinance empowering the government to dissolve the Medical Council of India, a regulatory body responsible for maintaining standards of medical education. With the promulgation of the ordinance, the government created a seven-member Board of Governors that took over the functioning of the 30-member executive council, the highest decision-making body of the MCI that stands dissolved. The government announced six members including the chairperson. The Board of Governors will be chaired by Dr. S.K. Sarin. The MCI suffered a crisis after its president Ketan Desai was arrested by the CBI on charges of corruption. However, the government had no powers to intervene and restore the credibility of the institution before the ordinance was promulgated.

The 70th annual session of the Indian History Congress (IHC) held was organised at the Delhi University on 15-17 May 2010.

Professor R. Champakalakshmi was the General President of the session.

The Professor Barpujaree Award was conferred on the veteran historian, Professor Satish Chandra, on his extensive researches in medieval India as summed up in his book Medieval India.

The Hira Lal Gupta Prize for a book published by a woman historian went to Dr. Rochelle Pinto for her book Between Empires - Print and Politics in Goa.

The IHC elected Professor Aniruddha Ray as the next General President of the Indian History Congress.

Ratan Kumar Sinha took over as Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, on May 19, 2010 from Srikumar Banerjee, also Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Sinha is closely associated with the design and development of the country's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor.

The former Vice-President (August 2002-July 2007) and three-time former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat passed away on May 22, 2010 at the age of 86. He headed the first non-Congress government in Rajasthan in 1977. In July 2007, Shekhawat fought the Presidential election as an independent candidate backed by National Democratic Alliance but lost to the United Progressive Alliance-Left backed candidate Pratibha Patil.

Social networking site Facebook had a page that invited people to draw images of the Prophet Muhammad. It sparked outrage in many countries including Pakistan, where a court ordered Facebook to be blocked. On May 20, 2010 the video-sharing website YouTube was also blocked in Pakistan.

42-year-old naval officer Dilip Donde returned to Mumbai on May 22, 2010 after 277 days round the world solo sailing trip 'Sagar Parikrama'. Dhonde had left Mumbai on August 19, 2009 on a specially designed, state-of-the-art 56-foot sailboat, INSV (Indian Naval Sailing Vessel) Mhadei built by Aquarius ship builders based in Goa. He became the first Indian to achieve this milestone travelling over 21,600 nautical miles. Dhonde had trained with the legendary Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo and non-stop round the world in 1968-69. The world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation was set in January 2008 by Frenchman Francis Joyon at 67 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 6 seconds.

Tata Group Chairman Ratan N. Tata received the 2010 GIF Chanchlani Global Indian Award on May 22, 2010 for his outstanding global leadership, vision and professional excellence. The award, carrying $225000 (Rs. 1 crore) cash prize and a citation, was presented at the Annual Award Gala of the Canada India Foundation held in Vancouver.

Scientists   in   the   US   in   May   2010   have succeeded in developing the first synthetic living cell. The team was led by Dr Craig Venter of the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in Maryland and California. The researchers constructed a bacterium's    genetic    software and transplanted it into a host cell.  The researchers hope eventually   to   design bacterial   cells   that   will   produce medicines and fuels and even absorb greenhouse gases.

Obama signs US media freedom law: President Barack Obama in May 2010 signed a law that requires the US state department to compile a public list of foreign governments that violate press freedom. The law named the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act is named after US journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by militants in Pakistan in 2002. He was working on a Wall Street Journal story about radical Islamist groups. Pearl was 38 when he was' abducted in January 2002 in Karachi and later decapitated.

The Supreme Court has directed all States to implement     the     Justice     Padmanabhan     Committee recommendations on revised pay scales for judicial officers with effect from January 1, 2006.

The Union Cabinet on May 19, 2010 decided to set up a Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) in Arunachal Pradesh. Proposed to be set up as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, the institute will be located at Dahung in West Kameng district and will be built at a cost of Rs 9 crore.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Sinha put in his papers on May 18, 2010 seeking premature retirement more than a year ahead of his superannuation

NTPC tagline Transforming Lives' unveiled: P. Uma Shankar, Secretary, Power, unveiled the NTPC tagline Transforming Lives in New Delhi on May 17, 2010.

: India-born Scot John Shepherd-Barron, inventor of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), passed away at the age of 84 on May 21, 2010. The first ATM was installed at a London bank in 1967. Reg Varney became the first person to withdraw cash. The first ATM was operated by inserting a special cheque that was matched against a Personal Identification Number.

The Union government on May 21, 2010 formally conferred the coveted maharatna status on four state-run companies  - Steel Authority of  India  Limited  (SAIL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC),  Indian Oil Corporation  (IOC) and Oil and  Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) - granting them a higher level of financial and managerial autonomy. The status empowers them to make foreign investments of up to Rs 5,000 crore on their own. The Maharatna status is granted to listed navaratna central public sector companies with an average annual turnover of more than Rs 25,000 crore, net profit after tax of Rs 5,000 crore and net worth of Rs 15,000 crore during the past three years. Company Coal India Ltd was also a contender for the Maharatna status, but could not make it for not being listed on the stock exchange.

Bank of Rajasthan (BoR), one of the oldest private sector banks in the country, on May 18, 2010 announced that it would merge with the largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank. P K Tayal is the main promoter of BoR. BoR under Tayals has been under regulatory scanner for a while. In February, RBI slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh on the bank following violations related to know-your customer (KYC) guidelines.

Jaypee Infratech, which came out with an IPO recently, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange on May 21, 2010. The company which is a subsidiary of the diversified business group Jaiprakash Associates, plans to utilise Rs 1,500 crore for developing the Yamuna Expressway.

UK   based    multinational   bank   Standard Chartered PLC raised Rs 2700 crore through its Indian Depository Receipts (IDR) issue in May 2010. The bank that has presence in 70 countries across the world has had operations in India for the last 152 years with its first branch in Kolkata in 1858.  India accounted for 20 per cent of Standard Chartered's profits in 2009 calender year.

The Hinduja group has acquired the Brussels-based KBC group's dedicated private banking subsidiary, KBL European Private Bankers (KBL epb), for $1.69 billion. The Hinduja group already owns Hinduja Bank Switzerland, a private bank active across Europe, the Middle East and India. In India, the Hinduja group is the promoter of Induslnd Bank, conceived by SP Hinduja, the Chairman.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the former chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary took over as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption and security  unit  (ACSU) with  the  retirement  of Lord  Paul Condon in June 2010.

Defending Champion India and South Korea were declared joint champions in the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournament at Ipoh, Malaysia on May 16, 2010 after the final was abandoned due to rains. Sultan Azlan Shah is the President of the Asian Hockey Federation. Australia won the bronze medal defeating Malaysia. Final placings: 1. India and Korea, 3. Australia, 4. Malaysia, 5. Pakistan, 6.China, 7. Egypt. Special awards: Top-scorer: Nam Hyun Woo (Korea) (nine   goals);    Best goalkeeper:    Kumar   Subramaniam (Malaysia); Player of the Tournament: Sardar Singh (India). Fair Play Trophy: Egypt

China beat Indonesia 3-0 to win a fourth consecutive Thomas Cup title at Putra Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 16, 2010. China had won the semifinal against hosts Malaysia 3-0 while Indonesia had entered the final by defeating Japan 3-1 in the second semifinal on May 14, 2010. India had lost to Indonesia 3-0 in the quarter-final played on May 12, 2010. The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship is conducted every two years.

Dawood, Bin Laden figure in Forbes' Most Wanted list: Underworld don and India's most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim, mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai bombings, figures third on the Forbes' Most Wanted list which has been topped by AI-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. The list, released in the May 2010 edition of the Forbes magazine, also has Mexico's most powerful drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman in no.2.

The British government has rebuffed Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's proposal in May 2010 to discuss the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Argentina has long laid claim to the islands in the South Atlantic which they call Las Malvinas. The two countries went to war in 1982 after Argentina invaded the islands, with British forces retaking them after a short conflict.

Samsung will sponsor the Indian contingent for the Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China, from November    12 to 27,  2010. A 'memorandum of understanding'   (MoU) was signed between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Samsung India on May 17, 2010. As per the agreement, Samsung will support 10 prominent sports persons in the run up to the Asian Games, as was done through the Olympic Ratna programme for the Athens and Beijing Olympics.

Australia emerged as the Women's World Twenty20 champions after defeating New Zealand by three runs in the final played at Bridgetown, Barbados on May 17, 2010.

Two ultra-modern one-eyed creatures have been unveiled as the mascots. Wenlock for the 2012 London Olympics and Mandeville for the Paralympics Answer 00: Two ultra-modern one-eyed creatures have been unveiled as the mascots in May 2010. Wenlock for the 2012 London Olympics and Mandeville for the Paralympics.

The Golden Globes are given out by some 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to film and television actors, directors and others. Here is a list of major winners in Film category announced on January 17, 2010:

Best film drama: Avatar
Best Actor in a drama: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress in a drama: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best comedy or musical: The Hangover
Best Actor in a comedy or musical: Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes
Best Actress in a comedy or musical: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Best Animated film: Up
Best Foreign Language film: The White Ribbon, Germany
Best Director: James Cameron, Avatar
Best Screenwriter: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up In the Air
Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino, Up
Best Original Song: T. Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham, The Weary Kind, from Crazy Heart

Australia captain Ricky Ponting was on January 14, 2010 chosen as the ESPN Cricinfo Player of the Decade for the 2000s by a 38-strong panel of experts, including current and former players. Over the past decade, Ponting has scored more runs and centuries in both forms of the game than any other batsman and is the only player to go past the 9000-mark in both forms. Ponting is followed by South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Australian Adam Gilchrist. Sachin Tendulkar is placed sixth in the list.

Ranjit Kumar Bhatia, an IPS officer of 1974 batch from UP cadre, was appointed Director General of ITBP in January 2010. ITBP was conceived on 24 Oct, 1962. Presently ITBP is deployed on Border Guarding Duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Diphu La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 km of India-China Border. 'Valour - Steadfastness and Commitment' is the motto of ITBP.

Force India drivers are Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Indian Karun Chandhok driver for US team Hispania

Somdev Devvarman is ranked 109 while Vishnu Vardhan and Yuki Bhambri are ranked 362 and 404 respectively in the latest ATP singles ranking list issued on May 17, 2010. There was no change in the doubles rankings of Leander Paes (6) and Mahesh Bhupathi (7). Devvarman on May 21, 2010 became the first Indian in 13 years to qualify for the men's singles event of the French Open after scoring a win in the qualifying rounds.

The Delhi High Court on May 21, 2010 quashed the decisions of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Union Sports Ministry disaffiliating and de-recognising the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). The IOA had, in April, 2008 suspended the governing  council of the  IHF and appointed in its place an ad hoc body to take care of the affairs of hockey in the country, following a 'sting' operation conducted  by  a  private  television  channel  on  the  IHF Secretary, K. Jothikumaran. The IHF, which had former IPS officer K. P. S. Gill as its President, had challenged the decisions of the IOA and the Government on the ground that it was not given an opportunity to defend itself.