INFOLINES – INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

The European country which ordered shutdown of its seven (total seventeen) oldest nuclear power plants pending safety review after nuclear accidents in the Japan is	Germany
The first country to have fired first foreign shots in Libya after UN mandated No Fly Zone is	France
The major party of Ireland which has to face crushing defeat in recent elections for the manner in which it handled the economic crisis is	Fianna Fail
The country in which the Human Rights Protection Party led by incumbent PM Tuilaepa Aiona Sailele Malielegaoi won the recent elections is	Samoa
New Foreign Minister of Japan after the resignation of Seiji Maehara amidst political donations scandals is	Takeaki Matsumoto
Country which has recently introduced Yoga for the 1st time for physical fitness for its army personnel is	USA
Western nation whose Public Relations firms were criticized for advising some of controversial regimes (including Libya’s Gaddafi) following unrest in countries of North African nations	UK
The director of London School of Economics who resigned after allegations of liasioning with Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi	Howard Davies
Popular name of Secret Intelligence Service of UK (currently in news in context of Libyan crisis) is	MI6
The Acting President of Tunisia who called for elections on July 24th 2011 to rewrite constitution is	Fouad Mebazza
Gulf country conducted a successful test of its first domestically developed radar-evading aircraft	Iran
The first major world leader to visit Egypt after the ouster of its President, Hosni Mubarak	D Cameroon, PM, UK
The new name given by Obama Administration to the war in Iraq to reflect the reduced role to be played by US troops in securing the country (now only 50,000 US troops in Iraq) is	Operation New Dawn
In early March, there have been protests in Sarajevo after arrest of former Bosnian General following international warrants by	Serbia
China has made a substantial increase of 13% in its military budget, now it stands at	$92 billion
The countries to which natural gas supplies were suspended after an explosion in Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt’s North Sinai region are	Israel and Jordan
The name of diplomatic effort consisting of four entities – US, UN, EU and Russia established in 2002 to mediate the peace process in the Israel-Palestinian conflict	Middle East (Madrid) Quartet
India-EU summit was held in December 2010 in	Brussels (Belgium)
The 10th RIC (Russia, India and China) meeting was held I n November, 2010 in	Wuhan (China)
BRIC may soon become BRICS, the country which is likely to be extended a formal invitation during the scheduled meeting in April-May 2010 in China is	South Africa
Two day meeting of BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) was held in January 2011 in	Kunming, China
In the largest $24 billion nuclear agreement, six European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) each of 1650 MW, will be set up by French firm Areva in	Jaitapur (Maharashtra)
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) ‘Global Investment Trends Monitor report’, FDI attracted by developing and emerging nations as %age of total global during 2010 is	$1,122 billion
Country to cede 1000 sq km of land to China to settle a 130 year old territorial dispute is	Tajikistan
The country with which India signed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CEPA) to give more market access to on reciprocal basis is	Japan
NATO is US led security umbrella organization, mainly of Western nations. Its 2010 summit was held in Lisbon (Portugal) in November 2010. The number of member nations in NATO is	28
A new cabinet of Egypt is sworn by Chairman of Supreme Council of Armed Forces	Hussain Tantawi
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is regional organization of six nations – Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have been given the status of observers. Its meeting was held in November 2010 in	Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Secretary-General of Interpol who was re-elected to the post for a 3rd five-year term is	Ronald Noble
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is the 21 member forum to discuss economic issues. Its meeting was held on November 14, 2010 in	Yokohama (Japan)
India concluded its first-ever Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with	Bermuda
An Intergovernmental regional organization, Economic Cooperation Organization was set up by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1985. In 1992, 7 nations including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined it. Its 11th summit was held in December 2010 in	Istanbul (Turkey)
The world’s biggest ever nuclear submarine (launched by Britain) which can fire guided missiles to pulverize target more than 1600 km away. It does not need refueling, can circumnavigate globe without any need of surfacing and able to make oxygen and fresh water from sea water. Its name is	HMS Ambush
G20 comprises of 19 member countries and EU. EU is represented by two governing bodies – European Council and European Commission. It was for the first time that G20 meeting was hosted by a non-G8 nation, (2010 G20 meeting to discuss post crisis world) was held  in November 2010 in	Seoul (South Korea)
The person of Indian-origin and also Deputy Speaker of Britain’s House of Lords who resigned from his position after his four month suspension from House over parliamentary expenses claim is	Lord Swaraj Paul
The former top aide to Saddam Hussein who has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for crimes against members of rival Shia political parties is	Tariq Aziz
The G20 for the year 2011 summit will be held in	Cannes, France
The G20 for the year 2012 will be held in	Mexico
A ten member regional association consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is	Association of South East Asian Nations
The year in which US opened diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China is	1979
President of Italy who is currently facing corruption charges is	Silvio Berlusconi
The group which accounts for 90% of world’s GNP and two third of world’s population is	G20
A rare original King James Bible has been found in a church in	Wiltshare (UK)
President of Ivory Coast (capital Abdijan) who recently nationalized its biggest Coffee and Cocoa industries is	Laurent Gobago
Eight national group consisting of USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia is	G8
The current head of Middle East (or Madrid) Quartet’s who is also (ex-British PM), is	Tony Blair
Stealth fighters can’t be detected by radars. Nighthawks were the world’s first stealth fighters by USA and F-22 Raptor is the successor of Nighthawk. China also developed this technology and its inaugural flight took place in January, 2011. The name of stealth fighter developed by China is	Chengdu J-20
China allegedly developed stealth technology by applying reverse engineering from a F-117 Nighthawk which was shot down during Serbian war in	1999
G7 originally consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and USA was set up in the year	1976
Recently India signed Preliminary Design Contract with Russia to jointly develop Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) which is	Sukhoi T 50
Pablo Picasso’s the most expensive painting ever sold which  has recently gone for public exhibition at Tate Gallery in London is	Nude, Green Leaves and Bust
New PM elected by Parliament of Nepal, thus ending seven months of political deadlock, is	Jhala Nath Khanal
In a significant development, Prime Minister who has been named as President of Myanmar following the 2010 general elections is	Thein Sein
The youngest son of Kim Jong II, who will succeed his father as the next leader of North Korea is	Kim Yong – Un
In an apparent case of cyber war, a mysterious worm targeted Iran’s nuclear programme and destroyed up to a fifth of centrifuges at the country’s nuclear facility in Natanz. Its name is	Stuxnet
In Operation “Dawn of Gulf of Aden”, South Korean Navy rescued the crew of hijacked chemical carrier (ship) killing eight Somali pirates. The name of ship is	Samho Jewelry
European Capital of Culture (ECC) is a city designated by EU for a period of one calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events. Athens (Greece) as First ECC (1985). Cities designated as ECC’s for 2011 are Turku and Tallinn which are in	Finland and Estonia
The name of islands which is a disputed territory between North Korea and South Korea, is	Yeonpyeong
Name of Joint Naval exercises of India and Russia which are being conducted since 2003, is	INDRA
The Islands which are bone of contention between Russia and Japan is	Kuril
Group of more than 750 small islands predominantly coral reef structures in South China sea which are bone of contention between Vietnam, Philippines, China, Malaysia and Brunei	Spratly Islands
Year 2011 has been officially designated by the UN as the International Year of	Chemistry
An UN organization which has dropped references to J&K and Arunachal Pradesh as ‘independent entities’ in its 2010 report also initiated a review of system for designating countries/territories is	Food and Agricultural  Organization
Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by US Govt. with three goals – providing technical assistance, helping outside people to understand US culture and helping US citizens understand cultures of other nations. Its founder Director who died recently is	Sargent Shriver
Orinoco Belt in a South American country consists of 297 billion barrel oil reserves, one of the largest in the world and claims to overtake Saudi Arabia as world leader in proven oil reserves is	Venezuela
Ex-chairman of Federal Reserve who was the brain behind legislation relating to proprietary trading and branded hedge funds and who resigned as the head of US President’s advisory panel – Economic Recovery Advisory Board is	Paul Volcker
India and UK formed a task force relating to	Corporate Governance
An environmental documentary about the effects of shale gas extraction, which was nominated for a “best documentary” Oscar. Its name is	Gasland
Following merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, critics apprehend greater media consolidation in US, thus hurting consumers. The size of deal is	$28 billion
Year 2011 has also been officially designated as International Year of	Forests
International organization which criticized British government for spending nearly £1 billion on 30 Watchkeeper WK450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which Israel’s military allegedly “field-tested on Palestinians” during the Gaza War is	Amnesty International
The first ever Russian President to pay a visit to West Bank in Palestine is	Dmitry Medvedev
African nation whose Parliament approved a new constitution to abolish direct President elections is	Angola
The name of former Swiss banker who passed on files detailing tax evasion attempts by hundreds of politicians, celebrities and business leaders to Wikileaks is	Julius Baer
The autonomous region of Somalia that says that it is ‘breaking away’ from the federation until a legitimate government is put in place	Puntland
Latin American country against whom many travel and other restrictions were eased by US is	Cuba
The country which is laying undersea optical cable of 1,500 kms length to Cuba so as to provide it high speed internet connectivity is	Venezuela
The country has the highest wind power capacity after adding 16 GW in 2010, bringing its total to 41.8 GW, pushing US to the 2nd place (with 40.2 GW with installed capacity) is	China
The leader of Israeli Labour Party is Ehud Barak and four other Labour Party MPs announced their resignation from party and announced the formation of a new ‘centrist Zionist and democratic’ faction called	Independence
The former President of Haiti who was arrested amidst corruption and theft charges	Jean-Claude Duvalier
President of Armenia has accused Turkey of ‘destroying’ a bid to normalize relations between two countries, which are currently locked in a dispute over mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during	World War I
Country which sought an arrest warrant against Israeli Opposition leader, Tzipi Livni (of Kadima Party) for war crimes committed when she was Foreign Minister during 2008-09 Gaza War is	South Africa
While Rotterdam (Netherlands) enjoyed the status of being the busiest container airport in Europe, the world’s busiest container port in 2010 after replacing Singapore port is	Port of Shanghai
As Arctic ice is melting, Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark and USA are laying claims over maritime borders. Their main motive is to exploit its mineral wealth of Arctic. As per UN Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS), the limit up to which a coastal nation can claim exclusive economic rights to natural resources or beneath the sea floor is	200 Nautical miles (370 km)
Foued Mebazaa, speaker of parliament, took over as interim President (after its President fled the country after riots) and called for the formation of National Unity Government under PM Mohammed Ghannouchi. The country is	Tunisia
The most industrialized Asian country where PM has effected cabinet reshuffle with motive of fiscal consolidation and trade liberalization is	Japan
Eurozone has 17members as on January 17, 2011. The country to join Eurozone in 2011 is	Estonia
Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is	Antony Lake
Country known as Sick Man of Europe, active supporter of Iran’s Nuclear Programme and candidate for inclusion into European Union is	Turkey
The oil rich country in Africa where large scale riots took place in 2010 and elections are scheduled to be held on April 9th 2011 is	Nigeria
Member of Democratic Party and 3rd woman in Arizona’s history to be elected to serve in the US Congress, who was shot at among 12 people in Tucson in Arizona, USA	Gabrielle Giffords
India signed the Nuclear Liability Treaty under the aegis of IAEA. The number of countries which have signed the treaty so far is	14
Ex-Brazilian President who was selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010 that is	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
One of the world’s most volatile and dangerous volcanoes started erupting on November 23, 2010 is	Mt. Merapi (Indonesia)
Under the 1994 Bogor (Indonesia) Goals, year 2010 was the deadline for APEC’s industrialized nations to issue a report on their progress in liberalizing trade and facilitating investment. But during its annual session in November 2010, it accepted its failure to achieve the objectives. The session was held in	Yokohama, Japan
India ranked 119th among 169 countries in the latest edition of the Human Development Index (HDI). UN agency which annually releases HDI is	UNDP
South Asian Nation which has been chosen to head IAEA, despite its refusal to accept NPT and its dubious record in supplying nuclear parts and technology to Iran and North Korea is	Pakistan
The top country in contributing to space debris is	China
During Indo-Pak water talks although many pending issues were resolved but differences persisted over the construction of	Baglihar dam
South East Asian nation with which India recently signed a Social Security Agreement to enhance the movement of professions between the two nations and strengthen bilateral trade and investment is	South Korea
CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture is	Sivathanu Pillai
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the country which has been replaced as the second most desired place of FDIs is	USA
The Asian country with which EU agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is	South Korea
The number of nuclear reactors in India operating under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards are	7
Country with which India signed a major pact to expand exchanges in education sector is	Australia
China is building a new airport near Mount Everest, which has been named as	Peace Airport
The ousted PM of Thailand who took up the Montenegrin citizenship is	Thaksin Shinawatra
The first country to sign a civil nuclear accord with India was	France
The region in Sudan which is a hotbed of revolutionary activities and fighting among warlords	Darfur
With expected trade of $12 billion, the India’s largest trading partner in Africa is	Nigeria
Republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which have been recognized by Russia basically belong to	Georgia
The name of US space shuttle was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral (Florida) for a 13-day trip to the International Space Station is	Endeavour
International Space Station (ISS) remains in the earth’s atmosphere at an average height of	300-350 km
India’s rank in World Uranium Production as per the latest data of World Nuclear Association is	13th
India, Brazil and Russia have found place in the Top 10 ranks of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the first time. Presently, the number of members in IMF is	187
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest buyer country of warplanes (out of the total 995 warplanes sold) during 2005-09 is	India
Country hosting of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games is	Brazil
International Energy Agency reported that global oil demand is expected to reach 87.3 million barrels per day by 2011. China and India alone are expected to consume almost a third of world’s energy by	2030
The country producing 90% of opium in the world is	Afghanistan
The memoir of former US President George W Bush, highlight the major decisions Bush made in his personal life as well as during his presidency	Decision Points
In a significant gesture, US has allowed a waiver on restrictions on export of C-130 cargo aircraft to	China
Offshore Southeast Asia Exhibition (OSEA 2010) was held during first week of December, 2010 as a platform to explore oil and gas business avenues, expand market share and penetrate emerging markets. It was held in	Singapore
The Phase I of the new port was constructed by Chinese Company, at a cost of $360 million in a South Asian Country. It is	Hambantota, Sri Lanka
The country with which Russia has recently ended a 40 year dispute over their maritime borders in Arctic region and signed a treaty that will allow it to explore new oil and gas in the area is	Norway
Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) includes Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The 16th SAARC summit was held in Thimphu in April 2010. The 17th summit will be held in November 2011 in	Male (Maldives)
National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship is a political pressure group in Thailand. The popular name for the group is	Red Shirts
According to “Doing Business Report” by UN, the best country in the world to do business with is	World Bank
Indian Business conglomerate to give a whopping $50 million to Harvard Business School the largest gift received by it from an international donor in its 102-year old history) is	Tata Group
The only European country to have a female President and PM is	Finland (in 2003)
The country which sells oil to Bangladesh at a subsidized price and also employs over 2 million of its people is	Saudi Arabia
The country which successfully launched Plano Real in 1994 to contain inflation was	Brazil
The country where four New York Times journalists were captured and released later	Tunisia
The country with which USA announced its largest ever arms deal worth $60-70 billion to sell aircraft, helicopters and other weapons is	Saudi Arabia
According to US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), the largest circulated newspaper in US is	The Wall Street Journal
The US state to approve $6 billion Blythe solar power project (the world’s largest solar plant that would save one million tons of carbon dioxide annually) is	California
The central American country that is looking to spark India’s interest in a joint venture in carbon-neutral agriculture as well as adaptation of its technology from India aerospace industry	Costa Rica
India along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, has signed the gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA) for trans-national pipeline project, will transport gas from Turkmenistan to all these countries. International organization which is likely to fund project, fully or partially, is	Asian Development Bank
According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food prices rose to their highest level in two years due to a sharp rise in wheat prices. FAO is headquartered in	Rome
As per the latest World Economic Outlook Database, European country having the highest GDP is	Germany
The African country with which India signed an MoU to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a urea plant with an annual capacity of at least one million tonnes is	Ghana
The right to develop huge Trebs and Titov deposits in oil-rich Timan-Pechora province in Russia has been won by Bashneft oil company in December, 2010. Russian subsidiary of ONGC which applied for participation in the bidding process was	Nord Imperial
Latin American country to have signed 18 agreements with China covering infrastructure, energy and railway projects is	Argentina
The country with which Russia has signed an agreement to jointly develop a five million tonnes capacity LNG plant in city Vladivostok is	Thailand
African country conducted nation’s first democratic election since independence in 1958	Guinea
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a three-year partnership with an auto company through which the company will become a global partner with a major presence at all ICC events. The auto company in question is	Hero Honda
The Indian-origin man was given the Order of the Baobab in Silver, one of South Africa’s highest honours	Imtiaz Sooliman
India’s biggest trade partner in EU is	Germany
According to a recent report, both India and China buy their maximum defence equipments from	Russia
The Chairman of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is the world’s largest regional security club is	Kazakhstan
USA and China lead the list of Top 10 countries with the highest military expenditure. The country stands at number three spot is	France
A mechanism developed for energy efficiency by India which is to cover production units accounting for more than 50% of the fossil fuel consumption in India and help reduce CO2 emissions by 25 million tonnes per annum by 2014-15 is	Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)
USA is the biggest arms supplier in the world, accounting for nearly 30 percent of weapons exports. It has entered into agreement to supply weapons worth $60 billion to	Saudi Arabia
According to UNIDO’s ‘Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2010’, India’s rank in the world’s top ten countries in industrial production is	Ninth
Aditya Birla Group announced the acquisition of Compass BPO which belongs to	United Kingdom
The two countries in Latin America, which does not enjoy common border with Brazil are	Chile, Ecuador
Public Sector oil exploration company which has emerged as the world’s top oil and gas exploration and production company, overtaking China National Offshore Oil Corporation	ONGC
President of Iraq which formally asked the PM Nouri al-Maliki, to form a new government thus ending the eight nations of deadlock that plunged the country into uncertainty. President of Iraq is	Jalal Talabani
India is currently the world’s fifth largest importer of oil and likely to become the 3rd largest one after USA and China by 2025 (or even earlier). According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, India’s primary energy consumption in 2009 was 469 million tonnes of oil equivalent that is	4.2% of global consumption
Yamal-Nenets, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s natural gas production is located in	Russia (North West Siberia)
The country which hosted a four day summit of the global wildlife experts and politicians from 13 countries to discuss plan to revive the world’s tiger population	Russia
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the Chief Guest on the Republic Day of January 26, 2011. He is the President of	Indonesia
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is headquartered in	Montreal, Canada
The country which declared end of 6 year conflict with Houthi fighters in the country’s north is	Yemen
Indian-American chosen by World Economic Forum for its 2010 class of Young Global Leaders is	Sanjay Gupta
The largest export market for Australia is	China
The island country which is the only country in the world to be a simultaneously member of African Union, Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Arab League and Indian Ocean Commission is	Comoros
The EU was established in 1957 with  headquarters at	Brussels, Belgium
The three largest creditors to US Government are China (mainland), Japan and UK with respective debts of (in billions $)	906.8; 877.4; and 477.6
Goodluck Jonathan is the President of	Nigeria
Nestor Kirchner was elected as the first Secretary General of South American Nations (UNASUR). He was the former President of	Argentina
French-American mathematician, who explored a new class of mathematical shapes known as ‘fractals’ and died recently is	Benoit Mandelbrot
Iran and Pakistan have signed the natural gas pipeline deal. The project was first conceptualized and proposed by	Rajiv Gandhi
The Asia’s largest residential university is	BHU, Allahabad
As per commitment on nuclear deal with US, India signed the “Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage” at IAEA Headquarters in	Vienna
The African country whose President Bingu Wa Mutharika on a state visit to India was conferred an honorary degree by Delhi University for his stupendous works  in the African Union is	Malawi
The four countries which doled out higher food subsidies in 2008 that what they had committed (as per WTO subsidy norms) and which was protested by USA and India are	Costa Rica, Poland, Israel and Norway
The total number of Landlocked developing countries in the world is	33
The Indian business leader who has been included in a 19 member group of notables that will assist the UK government in preparing business strategies and highlight priorities for the British economy	Ratan Tata
The person who is known as George Washington of South America is	Simon Bolivar
The annual bilateral ‘SIMBEX’ exercise is conducted between the navies of India and	Singapore
Jose Ramos Horta, the Nobel Prize winner was the President of	East Timor
African country where Mango Cooperative Program is being implemented in collaboration with UN Development Programme is	Mali
International Centre for Agriculture in Dry Areas (ICARDA) was visited by our President during her visit to Gulf countries in 2010. It is located in	Aleppo city (Syria)
World record holder from Ethiopia who recently announced his retirement, to drop out of the New York City Marathon, is	Haile Gebrselassie
In January 2011, the country ready to buy 4 to 5 billion euros (around $6.6 billion) of Portuguese sovereign debt to help the country ward off pressure in debt markets, is	China
UN General Assembly adopted a resolution appealing nations to impose a moratorium on the use of death penalty, 3rd such step by world body against capital punishment since 2007. The number of countries which have abolished the death penalty in law or practice are	136 (out of 192 UN members)
The name of Turkish humanitarian aid ship that was the scene of bloodshed during an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, 2010 and welcomed by thousands of pro-Palestinian activists when it sailed into Istanbul’s Sarayburnu port after repairs at a port on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is	Mavi Marmara
The promoter of Red Cross in 1864 was	Jean Henri Durant
The Organization that considered that right activist Binayak Sen is the prisoner of conscience and the life sentence handed down to him violates international standards of fair trail and has warned that it is likely to ‘inflame’ tension in the conflict-affected area, is	Amnesty International
The oil tycoon and once richest person of Russia who is serving a eight year prison term and now found guilty of stealing oil from his own company in second trail, is	Khodorkovsky
The first western country to declare caste discrimination unlawful by organization it as a form of racial prejudice (subject to acceptance of study commissioned to help it take a decision)	Britain
The WTO which replaced the earlier GATT, was set up in the year	1995
The country whose satellite namely X-Sat is to be placed into orbit by Indian Space Research Organization through Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16), is	Singapore
Temasek is the investment arm of	Singapore
The Britain longest MP of Indian origin is	Keith Vaz
The world’s 3rd largest transmission utility, has decided to diversify in telecommunication is	Power Grid Corporation
The country gave Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi honorary citizenship in 2007, not its PM invited her to visit the country and personally accept the honorary citizenship is	Canada
The Indian who has been elected to Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), which controls the purse strings of UN and has an annual budget of $22 billion is	Namgya Khampa
New UN agency to promote equality for women and India has also been elected as its member is	UN Women
The former President of Argentina, who served as president from 2003 to 2007 and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011 has died recently is	Nestor Kirchner
The chairman of UN’s Foundation and the founder of Cable News Network (CNN) who has donated $1 billion towards the eradication of polio in Nigeria is	Ted Turner
While the common name of People’s Republic of China is China, the Republic of China is known as	Taiwan

Highlight of Civil Services Exam, 2011 Results

Following are the important highlights of the Civil Services Examination, 2011, for which final result has been declared today.

Ø      The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2011 was conducted on 12^th June, 2011.  A record number of 4,72,290 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 2,43,003 candidates have actually appeared.

Ø      11984 candidates were declared qualified for the Main written examination held in October-November, 2011 out of which 2417 candidates were selected for the Personality Test conducted in March-April, 2012.  Finally, 910 candidates (715 male & 195 female) have been recommended for appointment to the IAS, IFS, IPS and other Central Services against 1001 reported vacancies.  Vacancies unfilled presently are on account of 91 reserved community candidates qualifying on general standards.  Depending on the options exercised by them finally, these vacancies will be filled by candidates recommended for the Reserve List that is maintained by the Commission.

Ø      The First two positions have been taken by female candidates.  The top 25 candidates include 19 male (including 01 visually challenged candidate) and 06 female candidates. In the top 100 candidates, there are 21 female candidates.

Ø      Ms. Shena Aggarwal (Roll No. 233541) has topped the Examination.  She has done MBBS from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.  This is her 3^rd attempt.

Ø      The 2^nd ranker is Ms. Rukmani Riar (Roll No. 27895).  She has done Master of Arts (Social Entrepreneurship) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.  The is her 1^st attempt.

Ø      The 3^rd position is bagged by Shri Prince Dhawan (Roll No. 1804).  He has done M. Tech (Elect. Engg.) from IIT, Delhi.  This is his 1^st attempt.

Ø      The result also showcases the pan-Indian distribution of successful candidates of this Examination. Amongst the top 25 candidates, there are candidates claiming domicile from as many as 16 States, i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh.

Ø      The top 25 candidates include alumni from some of the premier educational institutions of the country including AIIMS, IIM and IITs.  An alumnus of London School of Economics also figures in the top 25.

Ø      The family background of top 25 candidates show diverse representation from all walks of the life which include farmer, teacher, businessman, army personnel, low and middle level govt. servants, doctors, advocate, professor & civil servants.

Ø      Amongst top 25 candidates, 6 have made to the merit lift in their 1^st attempt; 07 in 2^nd attempt; 09 in 3^rd attempt; and 01 each in 4^th, 5^th & 6^th attempts.  As many as 12 have already been recommended to services other than IAS on the basis of Civil Services Examinations of previous years.

Ø      Of the top 25 candidates – 13 appeared from Delhi; 3 from Jaipur, 2 each from Mumbai & Chandigarh; and 1 each from Hyderabad, Chennai, Dispur, Patna & Jammu Centres.

Vidya Balan appointed Brand Ambassador for promoting Sanitation in India

Noted Bollywood actor Vidya Balan was roped in by the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation as brand ambassador to spread awareness about sanitation and cleanliness in the country. Talking to the media after meeting Balan here, Union Rural Development Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh said she will appear in ad campaigns to propagate construction and use of toilets. The Minister informed that Balan is the first brand ambassador of the Ministry. According to UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Programme Report 2010, nearly 60 per cent of India`s 1.1 billion people still practice open defecation and close to 58% of all open defecations in the World is in India. Shri Ramesh said that Vidya’s involvement will make the campaign to end open defecation a national obsession. The key areas of intervention on sanitation that may be focused upon are- propogating construction and use of toilets by all, habits of hand washing, personal hygiene and managing waste.

Talking to reporters, Vidya Balan said that this role will work a lot because they are working on a national movement. She said that it is a matter of great honour for her to become the brand ambassador of sanitation campaign and added that it needs to become a national obsession. She has agreed to give her time for the campaign for two years and will be fully involved in the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan--the restructured version of the Total Sanitation Campaign. It may be recalled that India loses 54 billion US dollars that is about 24,000 crore rupees a year due to poor sanitation and hygiene.

KPSC ASSISTANT GEOLOGIST EXAM SOLVED PAPER

Mpsc Engg. Service Exam (Civil Engineering) Preliminary 2012

'Solar' India

World's production and use of energy over the past two decades have shown striking changes.  Use of electricity has risen phenomenally resulting in a remarkable difference in the pattern of energy consumption. The initial options that we had for switching fuel resource presented larger challenges in terms of global warming coupled with almost dwindling fossil fuel resources.

When we look at the world's energy resources, oil, natural gas and coal seem to be still riding the crest and the contribution of renewable seems marginal at this juncture.

         Solar energy seems to enjoy a better edge over the others at this juncture due to vigorous pursuit to transform it into an attractive and economic option. Power consumption in India has been increasing fast due to population growth and economic development. India has tremendous energy needs and faces an uphill task in meeting these requirements through traditional means of power generation.

The Indian economy faces increasing challenges because energy supply is struggling to keep pace with demand, and there are energy shortages of 10-13% daily almost everywhere in the country. Because India has so many black-outs, many factories and households use emergency generators and inverters as back-ups. This back-up power could be supplied by solar energy.

Solar has the potential to transform the Indian economy in the same way as the Information Technology (IT). India is in a unique position to introduce clean energy solutions on an enormous scale to provide affordable energy for everyone – especially the poor. From an energy security perspective, solar is the most secure of all sources, since it is abundantly available. Theoretically, a small fraction of the total incident solar energy (if captured effectively) can meet the entire country’s power requirements. It is also clear that given the large proportion of poor and energy un-served population in the country, every effort needs to be made to exploit the relatively abundant sources of energy available to the country. The National Solar Mission has targeted to deploy 20 million solar lighting systems for rural areas by 2022.

India is blessed with about an estimated 5000 TWh of solar radiation. This vast resource can be tapped to meet the growing energy demand. Even if a tenth of this potential is utilised, it could solve the country’s power problems. India could lead the world by embracing solar power, if favourable policies and business models are evolved and implemented nationwide.

India should take full advantage of this golden opportunity because solar energy has particular relevance in remote and rural areas, where around 289 million people live without access to electricity. Solar energy is the most cost-effective option for India to reduce energy poverty without having to extend national grid services to provide power for individual homes and buildings. Solar energy to power computers to assist learning in schools and hostels, Management Information System (MIS) to assist better management of forests, powering milk chilling plants, empowering women Self Help Groups (SHGs) involved in tussar silk  reeling, cold chain management for Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are some examples of new areas, being tried successfully in the country.

A State/UT wise list of grid solar power projects commissioned so far is as follows:

S.No.	State / UT	Capacity (kWp)
1	Andhra Pradesh	100
2	Arunanchal Pradesh	25
3	Gujarat	5000
4	Karnataka	6000
5	Kerala	25
6	Madhya Pradesh	100
7	Maharashtra	1000
8	Punjab	2325
9	Rajasthan	4950
10	Tamil Nadu	5050
11	Uttar Pradesh	375
12	Uttarakhand	50
13	West Bengal	1150
14	Andaman & Nicobar	100
15	Delhi	2142
16	Lakshadweep	750
17	Puducherry	25
18	Others	790
	Total	29957

Launching the National Action Plan on Climate Change on June 30, 2008, the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said “our vision is to make India’s economic development energy-efficient. Over a period of time, we must pioneer a graduated shift from economic activity based on fossil fuels to one based on non-fossil fuels and from reliance on non-renewable and depleting sources of energy to renewable sources of energy. In this strategy, the sun occupies centre-stage, as it should, being literally the original source of all energy. We will pool our scientific, technical and managerial talents, with sufficient financial resources, to develop solar energy as a source of abundant energy to power our economy and to transform the lives of our people. Our success in this endeavour will change the face of India. It would also enable India to help change the destinies of people around the world.”

The National Solar Mission is a major initiative of the Government of India and State Governments to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India’s energy security challenge.  It will also constitute a major contribution by India to the global effort to meet the challenges of climate change. The National Action Plan on Climate Change also points out:  “India is a tropical country, where sunshine is available for longer hours per day and in great intensity.  Solar energy, therefore, has great potential as future energy source.  It also has the advantage of permitting the decentralized distribution of energy, thereby empowering people at the grassroots level”. 

Solar is currently high on absolute costs compared to other sources of power such as coal.  The objective of the Solar Mission is to create conditions, through rapid scale-up of capacity and technological innovation to drive down costs towards grid parity. The Mission has set an ambitious target to create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of  20,000 MW of solar power by 2022 and to ramp up capacity of grid-connected solar power generation to 1000 MW. The Solar Mission has set a target of 1000 MW by 2017, which may appear small, but its reach will add up to bringing changes in millions of households .For the first phase,a target has been fixed to set up 1,100 MW of grid connected solar power plants by March, 2013.

         Asia’s first and largest Solar Park has been set up at Charanka in Gujarat. The 3000 acre state of the art park has generation capacity of 500 MW with training facilities as well. Incidentally, Gujarat has taken the lead in solar power generation and has  been contributing 2/3rds of total 900 MW solar power  generated in the country. The state government is also working on a solar energy policy, which is likely to be launched soon.

India is endowed with vast solar energy potential. About 5,000 trillion kWh per year energy is incident over India’s land area with most parts receiving 4-7 kWh per sq. m per day. Hence both technology routes for conversion of solar radiation into heat and electricity, namely, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic, can effectively be harnessed providing huge scalability for solar in India.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) industry has demonstrated unprecedented growth over the recent past, with increased demand for solar power attracting more and more players into the market. The price of solar panels has come down considerably. This has made solar technology more competitive. The Government may consider favourable tax structures as well as provide financial resources for community solar farms as part of the energy development programmes.

Solar irradiance, economic installation costs, Government support and financing conditions in all probability, are likely to drive the growth of the solar photo-voltaic technology. The falling generation cost is another encouraging factor for the technology to emerge as the largest and most stable demand segment. Power cannot be produced at night or cloudy days is history as concentrated solar power plants and Nano-antennas are being developed to capture residual heat to overcome this limitation. Remote communities could eventually make their own solar cells using waste vegetation, thanks to a design developed by researchers in Switzerland and the United States. The technology is inspired by photosynthesis

Most of the solar installations are supported by incentives. However, until the efficiency of solar cell improves and the cost of generation competes with that of conventional energy, solar energy can only have a limited role.

Solar energy is a win-win for India and the environment, and India should make it a mainstream component of its energy diversification. There is really no better economical choice for the country. Renewable energy is also an attractive investment opportunity because it will provide long-term economic growth for the country. A favourable renewable energy policy could create millions of jobs.

As American economist and author Jeremy Rifkin  rightly said, India can usher in a third industrial revolution by properly utilising its renewable energy resources. In fact, progress on renewable energy front could determine the future road map for human sustainability.

Solar Energy has the potential to re-energise India’s economy by creating millions of new jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce the trade deficit and propel the nation forward as a ‘green nation’. In short, solar power offers too many benefits for India to ignore or delay its development.