India stopped $25 million aid to Maldives over GMR tangle
India now stopped the $25 million aid to Maldives due to displeasure of India over the termination of the $500 million GMR project by Maldives.
Bangalore best Indian city to live
Bangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata amongst Indian cities in overall global quality of living index, according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.Bangalore’s overall quality of living rank went up from 141 in 2011 to 139 in 2012 and is highest amongst other Indian cities. While New Delhi ranks (143), Mumbai (146), Chennai (150), and Kolkata (151) in overall Quality of living.
Denmark, Finland, New Zealand at top in corruption ranking; India 94th
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for the first place in watchdog Transparency International‘s 2012 index of the least corrupt countries.India is on 94th position in the Corruption Perceptions Index. (Least corrupt nations)
1. Denmark 90
1. Finland 90
1. New Zealand 90
4. Sweden 88
5. Singapore 87
94. India 36 (Most corrupt nations)
174. Afghanistan 8
174. North Korea 8
174. Somalia 8
RBI signs currency swap agreement with Bank of Japan
The Reserve Bank of India signed a bilateral swap arrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan to swap their local currencies for an amount of $15 billion for a three year period on 4 December 2012.The BSA will effect from 5 December 2012.The arrangement aims at addressing short-term liquidity difficulties and supplementing the existing international financial arrangements, as one of the efforts in strengthening mutual cooperation between Japan and India.
International Olympic Committee suspends India
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India’s national Olympic committee on 4 December 2012 because of government interference in its election process.The IOC had repeatedly told the Indian body to adhere to its own constitution and the Olympic Charter and not follow the government’s sports code for this week’s elections. The IOC will not recognize the results if the elections are held under government rules.Suspension means the Indian body will stop receiving IOC funding and its officials will be banned from attending Olympic meetings and events. India’s athletes will be barred from competing in Olympic events under their national flag, although the IOC could allow them to do so under the Olympic flag.
Voyager 1 Drifts Into Unknown Region of Space
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadn’t known was there, researchers announced on 4 December 2012.Voyager 1 and its sister probe Voyager 2 have been traveling through space since 1977, and are close to becoming the first manmade objects to leave the solar system.Voyager 1, in particular, has entered a new region of the heliosphere that scientists are calling a “magnetic highway,” which allows charged particles from inside the heliosphere to flow outward, and particles from the galaxy outside to come in.
India is among top five terror-hit nations
The Australian think tank released The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) on 4 December 2012 ,according to this GTI ,India, Pakistan and Afghanistan were among the nations most impacted by terrorism in 2011.In 2011, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas most impacted by terrorism. India’s GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at number 1, Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5.
Air India won Lal Bahadur Shastri tournament
Air India beat Bharat Petroleum 3-1 to emerge champion in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012.
US drone captured by Iran: US rejects claims
On 4 December 2012 Iran claimed that it had aptured a small US drone that penetrated its airspace over Gulf waters, but the American navy in the region denied any of its unmanned spy planes were missing.
World’s oldest woman and tallest woman both pass away
Besse Cooper, the woman listed as the world’s oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 in a Georgia nursing home at the age of 116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallest in the world was also died.
NASA to send new rover to Mars in 2020
After Successful working of Curiosity landed in Gale Crater, Mars on 6 August 2012,NASA was announced plans to send a new robotic explorer to the the Red Planet, Mars in 2020. The announcement comes a day after Nasa released the results of the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of compounds like water and oxygen that are necessary for life