General Awareness : In the News -July, 2014
(General Awareness For Bank's Exams)
In the news
July - 2014
Joko Widodo
- Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, who won the hearts of Indonesians
with his common man image, won Indonesia’s presidential election with 53 per
cent of the vote
- The numbers were released shortly after his opponent, former general
Prabowo Subianto, declared he was withdrawing from the contest, saying there
was massive fraud during the election.
Rajan Vichare
- Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare, who was caught on camera force-feeding a
Muslim employee of Maharashtra Sadan during Ramzan, posted an
uncharacteristic message on Facebook on July 21: Walk away from arguments
that lead you to anger and nowhere.
Tarun Vijay
- A biography of Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled ” Modi—Incredible
emergence of a star” has been published in the Chinese language.
The biography by Tarun Vijay, a BJP MP and a journalist, is published by
Sichuan University’s South Asia Study Centre.
New Governors
- Former Union Minister Ram Naik appointed as Governor of Uttar
Pradesh and veteran Delhi leader O.P. Kohli will move to Gujarat as Governor
- According to the communique, Keshari Nath Tripathi, a former Uttar
Pradesh Speaker will take over the post of Governor in West Bengal.
- Balram Das Tandon, 87, founder member of Jan Sangh in 1951, was
appointed Governor of Chhatisgarh.
- Padmanabha Acharya, was appointed as Governor of Nagaland.
Chandi Prasad Bhatt
- Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt will be awarded the
prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the government in 1995 on the
occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
- This annual award is given to individuals and institutions for
their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation
through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. It carries a plaque,
citation and an amount of Rs. 1 crore.
- The recipients of this award include former Tanzanian President Dr
Julius K Nyerere, founder President of Sarvodaya Sharamadana movement in Sri
Lanka Dr A.T. Ariyaratne, Dr Gerhard Fischer of Rama Krishna Mission in
Germany, Baba Amte, Dr Nelson Mandela etc.
Nadine Gordimer
- Nadine Gordimer, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in
Johannesburg. She was 90 years old.
- Nadine Gordimer was first a writer of fiction and a defender of
creativity and expression, she was also a determined political activist in
the struggle to end white minority rule in her country.
- Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1991 for novels
that explored the complex relationships and human cost of racial conflict in
apartheid-era South Africa.
- Gordimer’s first novel, The Lying Days appeared in 1953, and she
acknowledged that it had autobiographical elements. A New York Times
reviewer compared it to Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country, saying
Gordimer’s work “is the longer, the richer, intellectually the more
exciting.”
- She won the Booker Prize in 1974 for The Conservationist, a novel
about a white South African who loses everything.
Pinky Anand
- Senior Advocate Pinky Anand has been appointed Additional
Solicitor-General in the Supreme Court.
- She is the second woman lawyer to be appointed ASG after senior
advocate Indira Jaising.
Appointment/Transfer
- Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal transferred to Mizoram for the
remainder of her term.
- Vakkom Purushothaman, Governor of Mizoram, was shifted and
appointed as Governor of Nagaland for the rest of his term. However, Mr.
Purushothaman will continue to hold the additional charge of the office of
the Governor of Tripura.
According to the communiqué, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva will discharge
the functions of the Governor of Gujarat, in addition to her own duties,
until regular arrangements are made. Her tenure finishes in August