Current Affair
30th October-5th November (2012)
[Secondary and Senior Secondary]
[Students need not memorise figures and statistics. It is given only for information]
Bikers sans helmet won't get petrol: Uttar Pradesh
transport minister
In order to effectively implement orders on wearing helmets, Uttar Pradesh government today asked
officials concerned to see that riders without helmets are not provided petrol at the pumps. “Police
and transport department officials should ensure, with the help of petrol pump owners, that petrol is
not given to those who are without helmets,” an official release quoting Transport Minister
Mahendra Aridaman Singh said.
World's longest married couple is from
Punjab
Karam Chand and his wife Katari, who have eight children and 28 grandchildren, have been married for
87 years, making them the world's longest married couple. The pair say that the key to success is looking
after each other in every way possible: "My trick is to make Katari laugh. I like to tell jokes and make her
smile. Being funny is my way of being romantic," says 107-year-old Karam.
Superstorm Sandy causes 'major damage' to
UN complex
The United Nations headquarters overlooking the East River here suffered "major damage" as
the megastorm Sandy caused heavy flooding in the world body's complex, the UN security chief
has said. The expansive UN building in the heart of Manhattan reopened after three days closure in
the wake of the storm, which crippled life along the US east coast and resulted in deaths of over 80
people as well as significant economic damage.
Indian scientists devise unique radiationdecontamination wipes
They look like the facial wipes available in the market, but what makes them different is that
they are meant to clean off radioactive material from the body during a nuclear disaster.
Developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the unique
decontamination wipe is catching the attention of vendors who cater to NATO forces. Scientists
working on it claim the wipe, developed at the DRDO Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied
Sciences (INMAS) here, can remove over 95 percent of the contamination. At Rs.10 (20 cents),
the 5cm x 5cm wipe - the size of a face wipe - is easy to use and dispose of. According to the
scientists, these decontamination wipes will be useful for people working in nuclear plants and
those living around them, as also during any nuclear disaster like what happened at Fukushima in
Japan.
The Bookwallah: A unique train journey for
Australian and Indian authors
"The Bookwallah, the first roving writers' festival in India, is an exciting initiative which will see
Australian and Indian authors travel 2000 km across west and south India by train" said Mr Peter
Varghese, Australian High Commissioner to India."Literature builds strong cross cultural understanding
between people from different backgrounds," added Mr Varghese."As they travel across a wide swath
of India, these five talented writers will engage with different audiences, from students to writers,
learning about each other and the audiences they interact with" said Mr Varghese.
Hacker wins USD 60,000 from Google after
finding major security flaw in Chrome
browser
A hacker has won a 60,000 dollar prize from Google for finding a major security flaw in the Internet
search giant's Chrome browser. The anonymous teen techie, who goes by the name Pinkie Pie, cracked
the problem in Chrome and won the cash prize during a hacker conference on Wednesday in Kuala
Lumpur. According to the New York Daily News, this is the second successful hack for Pinkie Pie this
year, after he took home his first 60,000-dollar prize in March. Google engineer Chris Evans praised the
teen's work, and said that Chrome was able to fix the bugs in less than ten hours after they were
discovered.
Barack Obama re-elected as US president
Barack Obama has been elected to a second term as President of the United States. Republican
candidate Mitt Romney has conceded the race, and wished Obama a successful term in his concession
speech.“We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you,” the
president wrote on Twitter shortly after the projection was reported. In his acceptance speech, Obama
praised the American spirit that helped the country unify and overcome its darkest hours, and said he
would work with Republicans to move on and achieve their common goals.
Google honours Doodle 4 Google India 2012
winner on Children's Day
On Children's Day, Google has displayed a colourful and creative Doodle 4 Google India 2012 on its homepage
created by Arun Kumar Yadav, a student of class 9 Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandigarh.
Arun Kumar Yadav is the winner of Doodle 4 Google India 2012 contest that invites young and talented students in
grades K-12 to design doodles using their creativity and imagination considering Google's homepage as the canvas.
This year, the search engine giant was seeking for captivating and symbolic doodles that signify India's " Unity in
Diversity" and best reflect the diverse cultures and uniqueness of India.