CORRUPTION...!

India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss banks (approximately USD 1.4 trillion) in the form of black money. According to the data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006), India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. Indian-owned Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt.
“The recent scams involving unimaginably big amounts of money, such as the 2G spectrum scam, are well known. It is estimated that more than trillion dollars are stashed away in foreign havens, while 80% of Indians earn less than 2$ per day and every second child is malnourished. It seems as if only the honest people are poor in India and want to get rid of their poverty by education, emigration to cities, and immigration, whereas all the corrupt ones, are getting rich through scams and crime. It seems as if India is a rich country filled with poor people, the organisers of Dandi March II in the United States said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India said, “As on March 31, 2010, unutilised committed external assistance was of the order of Rs.1,05,339 crore.”

F1 Race - Vettel eases to inaugural Indian victory...!

F1 AIRTEL GRAND PRIX OF INDIA WINNER - SEBASTIAN VETTEL

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, but it might as well have been a replay of his victory in Korea a fortnight ago as he simply ran away and hid and left McLaren’s Jenson Button to chase him from a distance.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber were even further behind while yet another clash with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa left a bitterly disappointed Lewis Hamilton to a seventh-place finish in the McLaren behind the Mercedes duo of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

All three top finishers paid their respects to IndyCar’s Dan Wheldon and MotoGP’s Marco Simoncelli, for whom there had been a minute’s silence on the grid, and said they had been racing for them on a day of mixed emotions.

Vettel sprinted into the lead at the start and worked very hard to build a cushion, which he then controlled as he led every lap. At times Button got the gap down to less than three seconds, but Vettel was always in command and the result was never in doubt.

Alonso jumped Webber after his second pit stop on Lap 39, and withstood the Australian’s counter-attack in the closing laps to complete the podium finishers.

Hamilton seemed to lack pace from the start, running in sixth behind Vettel, Button, Webber, Alonso and Massa, but had all but completed a move on the Brazilian in Turn Five on the 24th lap when Massa turned in and they collided.

The Ferrari driver continued as the Englishman pitted for a new front wing, but Massa was later given a drive-through penalty and his next tyre stop finally dropped him behind the McLaren. To complete a bad day for him, he then broke his Ferrari’s left front suspension after clobbering a kerb in Turn 12 on the 33rd lap.

Mercedes benefitted from Hamilton’s misfortunes and a long run by Schumacher left him clear of team mate Rosberg as Hamilton struggled with his car’s handling for the rest of the race and posed no threat.

Jaime Alguersuari drove another excellent race for Toro Rosso to take eighth and the team should have had ninth too, but Sebastien Buemi’s STR06 dropped out with mechanical problems after they had caught and passed Adrian Sutil’s Force India. The German thus took ninth after a race-long fight with Sergio Perez’s Sauber and Vitaly Petrov’s Renault, while Bruno Senna was 12th after a late tyre stop ahead of Force India’s Paul di Resta, who was delayed after being in the fight with Perez and Petrov.

Heikki Kovalainen ran as high as 10th during all the pit stops but had to be content with 14th for Lotus, well ahead of Rubens Barrichello who had to fight back from a start-line collision with Williams team mate Pastor Maldonado, then first-corner clashes with Virgin’s Timo Glock and Sauber’s Kamui Koboyashi. The latter was out there and then, Glock made it back to the pits before retiring and Maldonado later stopped with mechanical woes.

Jerome D’Ambrosio was 16th for Virgin ahead of HRT’s Narain Karthikeyan, who had a race-long duel with team mate Daniel Ricciardo, who was closing fast at the end before having to make a late tyre stop. They were 17th and 18th ahead of Lotus’s Jarno Trulli, who was spun by one of them on the opening lap and was never able to make up lost ground after a long pit stop.

Vettel’s dominant win brings the world champion’s points tally to 374 from Button on 240, Alonso on 227, Webber on 221 and Hamilton on 202. In the constructors’ stakes, Red Bull have 595 points to McLaren’s 442 and Ferrari’s 325, which means the British team have secured second place in the standings ahead of the Italians. Further back, Force India hang on to sixth place with 51 points, but Sauber and Toro Rosso are now equal on 41.

Vettel also set the fastest lap of the race - on the very last lap - for the third time this season. It means he could catch team mate Webber, who is still the clear leader in the 2011 DHL Fastest Lap Award standings on five, followed by Hamilton and Button on three apiece.






Race Time:    1:30`35.002
Fastest Lap:   1`27.249

Car:                 Red Bull RB7

Engine:          Renault RS27-2011

Indian sports fraternity welcomes F1 race...!

Formula One fever is fast gripping the national capital as the countdown begins for the first ever Indian Grand Prix, and the country's sports fraternity has welcomed the grand spectacle with open arms. After the Commonwealth Games, this is the biggest sporting extravaganza to come to India. It's big event and good for the sports fan in country. They have seen cricket, hockey, football and lawn tennis and it is a good opportunity to experience a new sport. The popularity graph will improve and youngsters may choose a different sports career. India will get its inaugural Formula 1 race on October 30, 2011.

Race Date:           30 Oct 2011.

Circuit Name:      Buddh International Circuit.

Number of Laps:  60

Circuit Length:     5.14 km

Race Length:        308.4 km

 

The Grand Prix of India will be a Formula One race held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. The first event is scheduled to take place on October 30, 2011 as the 17th race of the 2011 Formula one season. The new race track was officially homologated on September 1, 2011 by Charlie Whiting. It is the second fastest circuit in the world with top speed of about 318 km/h.

On 18 August, 2011, Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel's CEO Sunil Mittal announced that Airtel would be the title sponsor of the Indian Grand Prix, and also unveiled the official logo of the Airtel Grand Prix of India.

Barra Airport: Flights use beach as the runway.

Barra Airport has been featured in many documentaries and films over the years and boasts being one of the only airports in the world where you can still land on the beach. Barra Airport or Barra Eoligarry Airport is a short-runway airport situated in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhor at the north tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use beach as Airport & water as its runway. The airport is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which owns most of the regional airports in mainland Scotland and the outlying islands.

Guinness World Record: Akshat Saxena Has The Most Fingers and Toes...!

A young baby Akshat Saxena from U.P. set new guinness record because of having the highest number of fingers and toes with a total of 34. Akshat was born with seven fingers on each of her hands and ten toes on each of her feet. "I was so happy to see my baby as it was our first child." her mother Amrita Saxenae shared, "But later, when I saw his fingers, I was shocked and surprised." Furthermore, the baby was born without any thumbs; however, doctors planned to create a pair of thumbs for her to use. However, she is referred in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most fingers and toes. The record was previously held by a Chinese 6-year-old boy who had 15 fingers and 16 toes. Polydactyly or “extra toes or fingers” is a genetic disease but the boy's parents are completely normal

14 fingers on her hands & 20 fingers on her feet.

Ten toes on each foot.

India's first smoke-free tourist spot...!

India's First Smoke-Free Tourist Spot Ernakulam

Ernakulam, the business hub of Kerala, has become India's first smoking-free tourist destination. District panchayat president Eldhose Kunnappillil released "smoke-free Ernakulam" balloons on the occasion. This was the result of 18-months of efforts made by the district administration, Health Department, Cochin Corporation and district panchayat under "Smoke-Free" Ernakulam project. It was aimed at controlling smoking in public places and effective implementation of the Indian Tobacco Control Act.
                          The project was launched by putting warning signs against public smoking and the people's right to smoke-free air in prominent public places. The city achieved the fete 12 years after high court banned smoking in public places throughout Kerala for the first time in the country. The smoking ban came on a petition filed by a house wife. Monamma Kokkad, a retired English professor at BCM college, Kottayam, moved the court after she was exposed to passive smoking while commuting by train between Cochin and Kottayam.
                           The police implemented the ban in the initial days by booking people at bus stops and railway stations and penalising them with fines ranging from Rs.200 to Rs.500.

Current Affairs...!

CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. What is Jal Hans that was launched recently ?

A.  India's first floating Hospital.

B.  India's first sea cargo service.

C.  India's first floating bank.

D.  India's first seaplane service.

E.  India's first submarine service. 

The seaplane which has been part of several Hollywood memorables has finally come to India as a delightful treat for flying enthusiasts. The first Seaplane service in the country named 'Jal Hans' was launched at the Juhu aerodrome in Mumbai on December 27, 2010 by the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Praful Patel. The service will run on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. A joint venture has been formed between Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) and the Island administration on an equal profit-sharing basis.The Cessna 208A seaplane, which has a seating capacity of eight passengers and two pilots, is Canada-made, six years old and costs around Rs. 8 crore. It can travel up to 250 km an hour and can land on most calm waters. It can also land using the wheels configuration.

2. Which two cities have decided to sign on sharing the waters of common rivers Teesta and Feni ?

A.  New Delhi & Dhaka.

B.  New Delhi & Hyderabad.

C.  Calcutta & Dhaka.

D.  France & Bangladesh.

E.  New Delhi & Rangpur.

New Delhi & Dhaka have agreed to sign a 15-year interim accord on sharing the waters of common rivers Teesta and Feni. This was decided at a Secretary-level meeting of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC)  in Dhaka on January 10, 2011. The proposed accord included formulation of a working plan on the sharing of the five other common rivers - Dharla, Dudhkumar, Manu, Kowal, Gumti and Muhuri. This would be the second major accord after the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty signed during the erstwhile Awami League government. The first visit of the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, to Bangladesh evoked enthusiasm but its results turned out to be disappointing to the Bangladesh government because the Indian authorities backed out from signing a much-anticipated deal for equitable sharing of water of the Teesta and Feni rivers. As reported in the media (Sep 5 2011) the Indian decision to back out was prompted by the opposition of the Paschim Banga chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, who seems to believe the clauses in the agreement will deprive her state of its due share of Teesta water.

3. With which Asian country have India's armed forces conducted the 
     "Nomadic Elephant" exercies ?

A.  Vietnam

B.  Thailand

C.  Mongolia

D.  South Korea

E.  Japan

  

India and Mongolia held two-week long military exercises, called Nomadic Elephant, which ended on 19 December 2010 in Belgaum, Karnataka. India- Mongolia joint military exercises were held with the objective of dealing with the problems of terrorism and insurgency. Army personnel of both India and Mongolia participated in the military exercise. India and Mongolia had held their first joint military exercise in 2004.


4. Consider the following statements:

          1. Justice V. Rama Swamy was the first judge of Supreme Court to be impeached by
              Lok Sabha.
          2. Justice Soumitra Sen is the first judge of High Court to be impeached by Rajya Sabha.

Which among the above staments is/are correct?

A.  Only 1
B.  Only 2

C.  Both 1 & 2 

D.  Neither 1 nor 2

V. Ramaswami was the Justice of the Supreme Court of India and the first judge ever against whom impeachment proceedings were initiated in independent India. A scandal surfaced in the middle of year 1990 when several media outlets reported about his ostentatious expenditure on his official residence during his tenure as a Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana. In a serious turn of events, on 1 February 1991, Supreme Court Bar Association passed a resolution calling for his impeachment and requesting Chief justice not assign him any further legal work. BJP and Left parties submitted a notice of motion to the Indian Parliament seeking his removal from office. Accepting the motion on 12 March 1991, Speaker Rabi Ray constituted a committee composed of Justice P B Sawant of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice P D Desai of the Bombay High Court and Justice O Chinnappa Reddy, retired judge of the Supreme Court to investigate the affair. The committee found Ramaswami guilty of 11 out of 14 charges.The impeachment motion was placed in the assembly for debate and voting on 10 May 1993. Of 401 members present in the assemby that day, there were 196 votes for impeachment and no votes against and 205 abstentions by ruling Congress and its allies. The motion which required not less than two third majority of the total number of members present in both houses of the Parliament and an absolute majority of its total membership thus failed to pass.

In a historic first, the Rajya Sabha voted in favour of impeaching Calcutta High Court judge Justice Soumitra Sen, finding him guilty of misappropriating funds as a judge and of misrepresenting facts. 


5. Ursula Burns was recently listed in the World's 30 most powerful businesswomen
    by Forbes 500. Which among the following company does she head ?

A.  Sony
B.  HTC

C.  Xerox

D.  Dupont


Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) serves as chairwoman and CEO of Xerox. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She is also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company. In 2009, Forbes rated her the 14th most powerful woman in the world.

Wallpapers...!

Rebel Star...!