Current affairs 02

• International day of peace also called as World peace day was celebrated worldwide on 21 September 2012.
• Surendranatha Thilakan, the Malayalam film actor and winner of National Award died
• New Nuclear Safety Agency launched in Japan
• Richard Gasquet won his first tournament title of the year , he beat Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-1 in an all-French final of the Thailand Open.
• Eric Hobsbawm, a lifelong socialist and one of Britain’s most eminent historians, has died at the age of 95

R Lakshmipathy elected as chairman of the Press Trust of India
R Lakshmipathy, publisher of Tamil daily Dinamalar, was elected Chairman of theBoard of Directors of Press Trust of India (PTI).Lakshmipathy has served as PTI Chairman twice earlier, succeeds M P Veerendrakumar, Chairman and Managing Director of Mathrubhoomi group of newspapers.
Ramesh Abhishek appointed as FMC chairman

The government has appointed Ramesh Abhishek, an IAS officer of 1982 Bihar cadre, as chairman of Forward Markets Commission (FMC).Abhishek is presently a member of the FMC
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Resigned
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar resigned on 25 September 2012 after the alleged corruption charges on him in awarding irrigation projects when he was state’s water resource minister. It was alleged that there were discrepancy committed in granting administrative approvals to projects involving several crore of rupees during his tenure as an Irrigation Minister between 1999 and 2009.

Alleagation claim that Ajit Pawar had approved 38 projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 without clearance of governing council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).

Armadillo is 2014 WC mascot

Brazil have chosen an endangered armadillo as the mascot for the 2014 World Cup. Fifa’s mascot is yellow with green eyes and a blue shell, the colours of the Brazilian flag, and will be holding aloft a football.
RBI cuts CRR by 0.25 per cent
Reserve Bank cut CRR by 0.25 per cent ( CRR is the percentage of deposits banks keep with central bank ) but refrained from reducing lending rates in view high inflation.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points to 4.50 per cent in its monetary policy review. The decision will infuse Rs 17,000 crore into the banking system. The liquidity infusion, would ensure adequate flow of credit to productive sectors of the economy.
Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable Babur missile
Pakistan successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable Babur cruise missile with a range of 700 km that could hit targets deep inside India.
Tech Mahindra buys 51% stake in Comviva for Rs 260 cr
Tech Mahindra has acquired 51 per cent stake in Gurgaon-based mobile application firm Comviva from Bharti Group and other shareholders for Rs 260 crore.
Ramachandran re-elected world squash chief
N. Ramachandran was re-elected by acclaim as the World Squash Federation (WSF) president for another four-year term at the 42nd WSF annual general meeting (AGM) in Stockholm.
Government increases fees for Passport and related services
Government has decided to increase the Passport and related services fees from Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 under the normal category and from Rs 2500 to Rs 3500 under Tatkal scheme.
Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi Scheme launched in Arunachal Pradesh
The State Health Ministry of Arunachal Pradesh launched Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi scheme in Itanagar on 14 September 2012. The scheme which is under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, provides financial assistance upto 1.5 lakh rupees to BPL patients suffering from life threatening diseases in the form of a one time grant.
Indian Women won SAF Football Championship 2012
Indian Women registered a thumping win over Nepal in the final of SAF Football Championship in Colombo. India defeated Nepal by 3-1. India had defeated Bhutan and Sri Lanka in the league stage .