June 1-10

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab after a nail-biting finish in the IPL 7 final at M Chinnaswamy

Stadium to emerge champions for the second time in three years. It was the ninth successive win by KKR

which is the most by any team in IPL.

Overtaking global giants like the US and China, India has scored top rankings when it comes to putting in

place necessary regulations to ensure soundness of the financial market infrastructure. The assessment

forms a part of a study by global groupings of capital market and banking regulators from across the

world, which have analysed the necessary regulatory framework put in place in various markets to match

the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructure (PFMIs).

Telangana came into existence as India's 29th state, putting an end to the decades-old struggle in the

region for carving out a separate state from Andhra Pradesh. K Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn-in as first

CM of Telangana with 11 Cabinet ministers.

The fifth Indo-French air exercise 'Garuda-V', in which frontline fighter aircraft of both the countries took

part, started at the Jodhpur airbase.

After seven years of a bitter and at times lethal rivalry between the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah

and Hamas, a historic Palestinian unity government was sworn in, ending years of division. The signing

ceremony, which seems likely to complicate relations with the Palestinian Authority's international aid

donors in Europe and the US and increase tensions with Israel, was broadcast live in Gaza and the West

Bank.

King Juan Carlos of Spain announced his intention to abdicate, after nearly 40 years on the throne. His

son, Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.

Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde died after a road collision in New Delhi, depriving Prime

Minister Narendra Modi of a key ally eight days after coming to office with a mandate to revitalise a stalled

economy. From 1995 to 1999, Munde was deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. He was twice elected to

the Lok Sabha, in 2009 and again last month in the landslide general election victory of the BJP.

In a major decision fraught with financial and political implications, the Jammu and Kashmir government

agreed to enhance the retirement age of its employees to 60 from current 58 years.

President Barack Obama unveiled a $1 billion US security plan for Eastern Europe aimed at allaying fears

over a resurgent Kremlin and the escalating pro-Russian uprising in ex-Soviet Ukraine.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath was sworn-in as the Protem Speaker of the newly constituted Lok

Sabha by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan appointed Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu

as the first Chief Minister of the new state of Andhra Pradesh and invited him to form the government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won a new seven-year term with nearly 90 per cent of a vote in a poll

branded illegitimate by the Opposition and a non-election by the United States.

Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was unanimously elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, becoming

the second woman presiding officer of the lower house after her predecessor Meira Kumar.

SNIPPETS

The first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power plant (KKNPP) attained its maximum capacity of 1000

MW, thus becoming the largest electricity-generating plant of any type in the country. Located in the

Tirunelveli district, the plants commissioning was delayed for over a year because of anti-nuclear

protestors who held up work citing safety concerns over the plant constructed with Russian help. This is

the 21st nuclear power reactor in the country and Indias first pressurised water reactor belonging to light

water reactor category. KKNPP unit 1 will add 1000 MW electricity to the southern grid and increase the

contribution of nuclear power in the country to 5780 MW. Tamil Nadu will have the lions share of power

generated.

Senior Supreme Court advocate Ranjit Kumar was appointed the Solicitor General (SG) of India. He

replaces senior advocate Mohan Parasaran, who had tendered his resignation after the formation of a new

government at the Centre.

Petro Poroshenko was sworn in as Ukraine's president, after which he called for an end to violence in the

countrys east and outlined plans to sign an economic agreement with the European Union during his

inauguration speech.

Maria Sharapova won another French Open title, defeating Simona Halep, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, at Roland Garros.

It was Sharapova's third consecutive French final, and her second victory in three years. Sharapova was

seeded seventh in this year's tournament, and she became the lowest seed to win the women's singles

title since No. 17 Francesca Schiavone won in 2010.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as Egypts President following a landslide election victory almost a year

after he deposed the countrys first freely-elected leader and crushed his Islamist supporters. The ex-

Army Chief became the countrys second elected President since a popular uprising overthrew strongman

Hosni Mubarak in 2011, unleashing more than three years of unrest.

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his ninth French Open title and his fifth consecutive win at the

tennis tournament. Nadal has now won 14 tennis titles, tying him with Pete Sampras for second all-time,

and putting him three titles behind Roger Federer.

In a relief to thousands of migrant workers and employees with transferable jobs, the Reserve Bank of

India said that a bank account can be opened with just one address proof, which can be either permanent

or local. The relief makes the dream of walking into a bank and opening an account with just personal

identification a reality for even the poorest of the citizens.

Iran and the United States began direct talks in Geneva aimed at ending Tehrans stand-off with world

powers over its disputed nuclear program.

Libya's Supreme Court said the election of Ahmed Maiteeq as prime minister was illegal. Last month,

parliament elected Maiteeq as new prime minister in a chaotic vote which was disputed by some

lawmakers and officials who said the quorum had been missed.

Reuven Rivlin, a right-wing legislator opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, was elected Israel's

president to replace the dovish Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post.

June 11-20

PM Narendra Modi unveiled the roadmap for putting agriculture on high-growth trajectory with intensive

use of technology in farming to scale up land productivity. In a bid to illustrate how his government would

implement claims made in Presidents speech to the joint session of the Parliament, Mr Modi suggested

soil health card and lab to land as ways to transform agricultural productivity.

A Southern California motorist drove off the lot of a Hyundai Motor Co dealership in a zero-emissions car

touted by the automaker as marking the commercial debut of mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles

in the United States.

The government has decided to raise the height of the Narmada Dam by 17 metres a longstanding

demand of Gujarat within 20 days of Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister, raising protests from

activist Medha Patkar who drew attention to the resultant displacement of thousands of people. The

Narmada Control Authority (NCA) approved the proposal to raise the dam's height from 121.9 metres to

138.7 metres, making it the second highest dam in the world after Grand Coulee in the US.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi was appointed as the new attorney general (AG) and will have tenure of

three years. The government has already appointed Ranjit Kumar as the solicitor general. Six additional

solicitors general have also been appointed. Rohatgi took over from GE Vahanvati as the 14th AG of the

country.

FIFA World Cup 2014 kicked off in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 12 June.

Aung San Suu Kyis hopes of becoming Myanmars President next year have been dealt a blow when a

parliamentary committee voted not to change a constitutional clause that bars her from the post on

account of her British ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated India's largest warship INS Vikramaditya to the nation. He also

sought to make the country self-reliant in manufacturing defence equipment, shedding dependence on

imports.

Reaching out to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told its leadership

that India will nurture its bilateral ties with it while describing relations as B4B Bharat for Bhutan.

Wholesale price inflation hit a five-month high of 6.01 per cent in May with the rate of rise of food prices

running at 9.5 per cent.

Russia cuts gas supply to Ukraine after talks fail.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won a second term with an election victory that allows him to

continue peace talks with Marxist guerrillas to end a half-century war. Santos beat right-wing challenger

Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with about 50.9 percent support after a bitter campaign that challenged voters to

decide between the incumbent's pursuit of negotiated peace or a likely escalation of combat under his

rival.

Uttar Pradesh governor B L Joshi resigned, even as the Centre nudged nearly half a dozen governors to

step down. The UPA government had approved a second term for Joshi just before the parliamentary

election was announced.

The UK government has rejected the idea of declaring Diwali and Eid as national holidays saying that

adding more public holidays will affect the country's economy.

Egypts Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb was sworn in at the head of a new government that retained key

economic and security ministers but created a new investment post to attract funds to an economy racked

by years of political turmoil. The new Cabinet includes 34 ministers.

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was conferred Russia's highest civilian award for foreign nationals,

"Order of Friendship", for his championing role in fostering ties between the two countries.

Former Norwegian premier Gro Harlem Brundtland was named as the first recipient of the Tang Prize,

touted as Asia's version of the Nobels, for her work as the "godmother" of sustainable development.

The Government has reconstituted six Committees of the Cabinet i.e. Appointments Committee of the

Cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Cabinet

Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and Cabinet Committee on

Security.

Days after an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report alleged that NGOs were stalling Indias economic growth, the

union Home Ministry has asked Reserve Bank of India to ensure prior permission is sought before any

donation is made to NGO Greenpeace by two overseas contributors.

King Felipe VI begins his reign in Spain, vows to clean up scandal-hit monarchy.

The government has increased railway passenger fare by 14.2 per cent and freight charges by 6.5 per

cent.

Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for 2013. He is the

10th Hindi writer to receive the honour and joins the likes of Sumitra Nandan Pant, Ramdhari Singh

Dinkar among others.

Indian-born Booker Prize winning author Salman Rushdie was named the winner of this years prestigious

Pen Pinter prize for his outstanding literary output and support for freedom of expression. The award was

established in 2009 by writers charity English Pen in memory of famous British playwright and Nobel

laureate Harold Pinter.

July 21 onwards

Defying the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Delhi University (DU) refused to scrap the

controversial four-year undergraduate programme, raising fears t hat colle ge admissions could be staring

at a nursery-like mess.

The Government has accepted the report of Mayaram panel related with removing ambiguity in the

definition of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investors (FII). The panel was

constituted last year under the Chairmanship of the Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram after then

Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced in the budget. The Committee, in its report, suggested 10 per

cent or more foreign investment in a listed Indian Company should be treated as FDI while below 10 per

cent to be considered as Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI). FPI combines two categories of foreign investors,

FII and Qualified Foreign Investor (QFI). The panel also said that for an unlisted company even one dollar

worth of foreign investment would be considered as FDI.

A day after Delhi Universitys (DUs) academic council passed a resolution to tweak the Four-Year

Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) to make it compliant with the National Policy on Education (NPE), the

University Grants Commission (UGC) ordered DU to conduct undergraduate admissions only under the

three-year undergraduate programme which was offered prior to the introduction of FYUP.

Governor of Uttarakhand, Dr Aziz Qureshi took the oath of office as additional governor of Uttar Pradesh.

He will replace BL Joshi till the National Democratic Alliance will find some permanent leader for the job.

In a major policy shift, the Union home ministry has decided to scrap any move to give visa-free entry for

Bangladesh nationals. The MHA has red-flagged the ministry of external affairs proposal to grant visa-on-

arrival facility to Bangladeshi nationals and visa- free entry to citizens of that country under the age of 18

and over the age of 65.

Gunmen fighting Iraqi forces seized more territory along the countrys borders with Jordan and Syria, as

President Barack Obama warned that advances by militants could spill over into neighboring countries.

India has evacuated another 17 of its nationals caught in the zone of conflict in northern Iraq that was

overrun by militants earlier this June.

In a massive relief for lakhs of Mumbai's suburban railway commuters, the Modi government announced

a partial rollback of the unprecedented rail fare hike. Besides not hiking second-class daily ticket fares up

to 80km, first-class daily tickets and first- and second-class season tickets will now be increased by a flat

14.2%. The unprecedented hike announced on June 20, ranging between 100% and 187%, had drawn a

barrage of criticism from over 75 lakh Mumbaikars who commute by local trains.

Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar became the third person to resign from the post after the NDA

government sounded out some governors appointed during the UPA regime to do so.

Maharashtra government approved 16 per cent reservation for Marathas and five per cent for Muslims in

government jobs and educational institutions.

Iranian lawmakers approved a bill criminalizing birth-control surgeries amid a drop in the country's

population.

The Centre extended the deadline to roll out the National Food Security Act by another three months.

After Parliament passed the law, states were given time till July 5 to roll out the scheme.

Militants took a town an hour from Baghdad that is home to four natural gas fields, another gain by Sunni

insurgents, who have taken large areas to the north and west of the capital.

In a tactical shift from the UPA governments two-pronged strategy of police action and development

to counter Naxalism, the BJP government outlined to states a four-pronged approach of security,

development, entitlement to social welfare schemes and perception management to wipe out left-wing

extremism. On the cards are new special commando forces like the elite Andhra Greyhounds to be

developed in the four worst-affected states Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa with full

Central assistance.

After a long tug of war with the University Grants Commission (UGC), Delhi University (DU) finally

scrapped the controversial four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP), reverting to the three-year

degree format and paving the way for the commencement of the stalled admission process..

Ukraine's new Western-backed President signed a landmark EU pact whose rejection by his pro-Moscow

predecessor plunged the ex-Soviet country into turmoil and sent East-West relations to their lowest level

since the Cold War. Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko hailed the deal, which pulls Kiev out of Kremlins

orbit, as a turning point for the strategic country sandwiched between Europe and Russia.

Stepping up its efforts to rescue Indians stuck in Iraq, the Indian Navy deployed its warship INS Mysore in

the Persian Gulf.

In a fresh dare, China has published a new map that has unnerved sentiments among governments

ranging from India to those in Southeast Asia. The map shows India's Arunachal Pradesh state as Chinese

territory. Not just that, a large part of Jammu and Kashmir is also shown as part of China.

Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal clinched her second title of the year, by beating Spaniard Carolina

Marin 21-18, 21-11 in the Australian Open Super Series final.

India successfully launched five foreign satellites from four countries on board PSLV-C23 rocket which

placed them in orbit, an achievement described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an 'endorsement' of

the country's space capabilities.

Alexander Imich

Alexander Imich, who was recently declared the oldest living man, died in New York at the age of 111.

Alexander Shulgin

Alexander Sasha Shulgin, the pioneering pharmacologist who introduced MDMA to psychologists in the 1970s,

died at 88. He earned the title, the Godfather of ecstasy, after developing a new synthesis method for MDMA

the purest available form of ecstasy in 1976.

Alexander Stubb

Alexander Stubb is set to become Finland's new prime minister after he won a vote to head the ruling conservative

party. Stubb, 46, currently European and Trade Minister in Finland, will replace Jyrki Katainen. He

defeated Social Affairs Minister Paula Risikko by 500 votes to 349 in the second round of polling by members of

Finland's national coalition.

Carla Laemmle

Silent film actress Carla Laemmle, niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle, died at 104. Laemmle was

considered one of the last surviving performers from Hollywoods silent film years.

Dadi Balsara

Founder of Himalayan natural mineral water brand Dadi Balsara (81) passed away at his home "Taj Mansingh

hotel" in New Delhi. From a salaried professional to becoming one of the wealthiest Indians, Balsara had come a

long way. He started his career as an LIC officer in Nagpur, earning a monthly salary of Rs 600. He later switched

careers and went to the US to study psychiatry on a scholarship. After a few failures, Balsara got it his big break

when a Japanese television channel decided to host his holistic lifestyle programmes. His shows "You & your

destiny" and "Power of the mind" became quite a hit. Balsara later settled in Singapore and started selling

perfumes, earning the title "Perfumes king of Asia". In 1991, he turned his attention to India and set up the

largest natural mineral water plant in Himachal Pradesh with an investment of $20 million. Under the Himalayan

brand manufactured by his Mount Everest Mineral Water Limited, Balsara created a niche in the highly competitive

bottled water segment in the country.

Dhondutai Kulkarni

Dhondutai Kulkarni, a Hindustani classical singer of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, died at 87 in Mumbai. Dhondutai

was known for being a purist and for her repository of rare ragas. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi

Award in 1990.

Gopinath Munde

Union Rural development minister Gopinath Munde died in a road accident in Delhi when he was going towards the

IGI airport. He was a member of Maharashtra's Legislative Assembly (MLA) for five terms during 19801985 and

19902009. He was also the leader of opposition in the Assembly during 19921995. He had held the post of

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 19951999.Munde was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014, and

served as the deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha. He was appointed in Modi's cabinet and took the oath on

26 May 2014.

PEOPLE IN NEWS

Governors who resigned

Uttar Pradesh Governor: B.L.Joshi

Chhattisgarh Governor: Shekhar Dutt

Nagaland Governor: Ashwani Kumar

West Bengal Governor: M.K.Narayanan

Jimmy Scott

Jimmy Scott, the revered jazz vocalist known for his unique vocal phrasings and diminutive stature, died at the

age of 88. His vocals influenced a generation of diverse singers, ranging from Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington

to Marvin Gaye and Madonna.

Juan Manuel

President Juan Manuel Santos vowed to bring peace to Colombia after winning re-election on June 15, telling

rebels his victory shows that voters demand an end to five decades of war.

Santos, a center-rightist who has staked his reputation on securing a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed

Forces of Colombia (FARC), won almost 51 percent support in the runoff election. His right-wing rival Oscar Ivan

Zuluaga trailed with 45 percent. The election divided Colombia between voters who support a deal to end Latin

Americas longest-running insurgency and Zuluagas backers who want to force the militants into a battlefield

surrender.

Kamal Nath

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath was sworn in as the pro tem Speaker of the newly constituted Lok Sabha by

President Pranab Mukherjee. The Protem Speaker performs the duties of the office of the Speaker from the

commencement of the sitting of the Lok Sabha till the election of the Speaker. Kamal Nath is also a former

parliamentary affairs minister and Lok Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara.

Khagen Mahanta

Assam's eminent folk singer Khagen Mahanta died after a prolonged illness. was an exponent in folk and

traditional music of Assam. Khagen Mahanta was a notable person in Assamese folk music and known as the "King

of Bihu". Recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academy award, Mahanta was also awarded the title of Sangeetacharya

along with Film Craft Award and Shrimoy award.

Kushal Bahl

Veteran Congress leader and cabinet minister from Gurdaspur, Punjab who worked under Punjab CMs Giani Zail

Singh, Beant Singh, Harcharan Brar and Capt. Amarinder Singh, died on June 14 in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

Mithun Chakraborty

Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty took oath as a Trinamool Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha. In January,

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced the nomination of the Bollywood actor as her party

candidate for the election to the Rajya Sabha and later he was elected as member of the Upper House.

Moon Chang-Keuk

South Korean President Park Geun-hye nominated a political novice and former journalist, Moon Chang-keuk, as

prime minister, as she reshuffled her cabinet in response to intense criticism over the handling of April's ferry

disaster. Although a noted opinion maker from his time as chief editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper,

he has no political or administrative experience, having given up journalism to take up teaching posts in

universities. He will replace Chung Hong-won who resigned over the Sewol ferry tragedy, which claimed around

300 lives, mostly schoolchildren.

Rajya Sabha Nominations

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was named as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, while Congress veteran

Ghulam Nabi Azad was declared the Leader of the Opposition. Jaitley, 61, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party member

was earlier Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during the United Progressiva Allance government, while

Azad, 65 was Union Health Minister. Both Jaitley and Azad lost elections from Amritsar in Punjab and Udhampur in

Jammu and Kashmir respectively in this Lok Sabha polls but the tenure of their Rajya Sabha membership still

remains.

Reuven Rivlin

Reuven Rivlin, a right-wing legislator opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, was elected Israel's president

to replace the dovish Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post. Rivlin, 74, is a member of Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. He has a reputation for political independence and has had a frosty personal

relationship with the Israeli premier.

S. Mahajan

Eight-time BJP MP from Indore Sumitra Mahajan was on June 6 elected unanimously to the post of Speaker in the

newly constituted 16th Lok Sabha. With her election to the post Ms Mahajan became the second woman to occupy

the prestigious position after her predecessor Meira Kumar.

Sam Pitroda

Sam Pitroda quit as chairman of the National Innovation Council (NIC) following a prod from the Modi government.

Sources said Pitroda, a close associate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, quit following a clear signal from the

Modi government that it would like to reconstitute the NIC.

Tapan Sikdar

BJP leader and former Union minister from West Bengal who served as a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee

government from 1999 to 2004, died on June 2 in New Delhi.

V.K.Rajah

Justice V.K.Rajah, an Indian-origin judge, was on June 24 appointed as the eighth Attorney-General of Singapore.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam also appointed Rajah as a Member of the Presidentail Council for Minority Rights for

a term of three years.

Baileys Prize 2014

The Irish writer Eimear McBride has won the Baileys book prize for her first novel, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing,

beating bookie's favourite Donna Tartt's gigantic third novel, The Goldfinch.

Highest French Honour to SRK

France has decided to honour Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan with Legion of France, its highest distinction -

civilian or military, for his contribution to cinema. The only Bollywood actor to have received the same honour was

Amitabh Bachchan in 2007. The "Legion d'Honneur" (Legion of Honour) is the highest distinction that can be

conferred in France on a French citizen as well as on a foreigner. Lata Mangeshkar and Satyajit Ray are other

notable winners of the honour from India.

Highest Russian Honour to MM Joshi

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was today conferred Russia's highest civilian award for foreign nationals,

"Order of Friendship", for his championing role in fostering ties between the two countries.

Jnanpith Award

Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for 2013. Singh is the 10th

Hindi writer to receive the honour and joins the likes of Sumitra Nandan Pant, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar among

others. He will be the recipient of the 49th Jnanpith award.

Knighthood For Indian Physicist

An Indian-origin physicist, Tejinder Virdee, best known for his work on the Large Hadron Collider experiment, has

been accorded an honorary knighthood by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II for his achievements in science.

Moortidevi Award

The 27th Moortidevi Award for 2013 has gone to 'Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram' written by renowned

scientist-turned-writer C Radhakrishna. The title of the fictional biography in Malayalam translates as "nectar

churned out from the ocean of fire".

NIA Sanchez Crowned Miss USA

Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez, a fourth-degree black belt in the Korean martial art of taekwondo, was crowned Miss

USA 2014. She beat out 50 other contestants from all the states and the District of Columbia for the title of 63rd

Miss USA.

Pen Pinter Prize

Indian-born Booker Prize winning author Salman Rushdie was named the winner of this years prestigious Pen

Pinter prize for his outstanding literary output and support for freedom of expression. The award was established

in 2009 by writers charity English Pen in memory of famous British playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter.

Portugal Honours Indian Historian

Portugal President Anival Cavaco Silva has announced one of its highest civilian honours to Percival Noronha, one

of Goa's foremost historians and chroniclers of its past ranging from the colonial times to the present. Noronha,

90, has been honoured with the title of 'Commander' of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator. The awards are

given to Portuguese diaspora and foreign citizens.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Spelling Bee Championship

Two Indian-Americans Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe have scripted history by becoming co-champions of

the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, the first since 1962. This is the seventh consecutive year that

Indian-Americans have retained the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Tang Prize 2014

Tang Prize Foundation announced the inaugural Tang Prizes on 18 June 2014. Taiwanese Business Magnate,

Samuel Yin founded Tang Prize Foundation in December 2012. The Tang prize is the first international academic

award to be based in Taiwan and commenced its inaugural year in 2014.The Prize will be given in four categories

of Sustainable Development, Sinology, Biopharmaceutical Science and The Rule of Law.

Sustainable Development: Gro Harlem Brundtland former Premier of Norway. She was awarded for her

innovation, leadership and implementation of sustainable development that laid out the scientific and

technical challenges.

Sinology: Chinese American, Historian Yu Ying-shih. He was awarded for his mastery of and insight into

Chinese intellectual, political, and cultural history with an emphasis on his profound research into the

history of public intellectuals in China

Biopharmaceutical Science: James P Allison of US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan. They were awarded for

their discoveries of CTLA-4 and PD-1 as immune inhibitory molecules, revealing ways to harness our

incredibly powerful immune system to fight cancer and marking the beginning of the immunotherapy

revolution.

The Rule of Law: Albie Sachs, former justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He was awarded

for his contributions to human rights and justice around the world. He is a lawyer and human rights

activist who spent his lifetime fighting apartheid, helped write the new Constitution of South Africa.

Tony Awards

Actress Audra McDonald made Broadway history on June 8, winning her sixth Tony as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day

at Emerson's Bar & Grill" and Bryan Cranston and Neil Patrick Harris nabbed the top acting prizes at the 68th

annual Tony Awards. "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder," took home the top musical prize and Jessie Mueller

was named best actress for her starring role in "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical". McDonald, with her best

actress prize in a play, became the only woman to win a Tony in all four acting categories. She also tied with the

late actress Julie Harris, who had six wins, including a special lifetime achievement award. With four awards

including Darko Tresnjak's statuette for best director, the musical satire "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder"

tied with "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with the most Tonys.

World Food Prize

India-born plant scientist Sanjaya Rajaram has been named the winner of the USD 250,000 World Food Prize for

his contribution in increasing global wheat production by more than 200 million tonnes in the years following the

Green Revolution. This year marks the 28th anniversary of the prize, which recognises individuals who have

advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

The country's fourth budget carrier AirAsia India, the domestic arm of Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia

Berhad, finally commenced operations on June 12 with its first flight taking off from Bangalore's

Kempegowda International Airport for Goa. The new entrant had late last month announced the opening

of bookings for the inaugural flight and offered fares as low as Rs 990 for the Bangalore-Goa flight. AirAsia

India has launched its services more than 15 months after it announced a 49:30:21 partnership with salt-

to-software conglomerate Tata group and Arun Bhatia's Telestra Trade Place to set up a budget carrier in

the country, in February 2013.The airline has promised fares that are 30-35% lower than those being

offered by other domestic carriers.

Asia Index, a BSE and S&P Dow Jones Indices joint venture, today launched an index to measure the

performance of 30 leading infrastructure companies ahead of an anticipated investment boom in the

sector as the government kick-starts stalled projects. The new index consists of companies from five

sectors - energy, transportation, non-banking financial institutions, telecommunications and utilities.

Citi India Securities Services has become the first designated depository participant to register as the

country's first foreign portfolio investor (FPI) under the newly-formed Sebi guidelines on this set of

investors. Recently, Sebi clubbed all foreign investments through foreign institutional investors (FIIS),

qualified institutional investors (QFIs) under one umbrella framework called foreign portfolio investors

(FIPs).

For the third year in a row, Indira Gandhi International Airport has been adjudged the second best

airport in the world for its service quality among the airports handling 25-40 million passengers per

annum (MPPA). Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was placed at the fifth position in this

category by the Airport Council International (ACI). ACI is a global body of airports which represents their

interests with governments and international organisations. It covers 1,751 airports in 174 countries.

However, in the global ranking, IGI this year was placed at the sixth position against last year's fourth.

The airport scored 4.84 on the airport service quality scale out of 5 points to get the recognition of the

sixth best airport in the world among 235 participating airports across all categories.

The Centre has extended a ban on the import of milk and milk products from China by a year to June

23, 2015. India, which first banned Chinese dairy products in 2008, had been periodically extending it.

The previous ban expired on June 23, 2014.

The government on June 2 reduced the import tariff value on gold and silver to $408 per 10 grams and

$6.17 per kg respectively amid price of the yellow metal falling in the international market.

Dr. R.K.Malhotra has been entrusted with additional charge as Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

He continues to head India Oils Research and Development Division as Director.

The Indian Railways on June 20 effected the largest-ever hike in recent times by increasing the

passenger fares by 14.2 percent and freight charges by 6.5 percent. The hike took effect from June 25.

The railways hopes to collect Rs. 8000 crore a year with the increase in passenger and freight fares.

During April-December (2013-14), the railways incurred a loss of Rs. 4000/- crore due to lower passenger

fare tariff and an additional loss of Rs. 883 crore in the freight segment. Indian Railways on June 24

modified its decision on the passengers fare hike and said there would be no change in fares for second

class travel upto 80 kms.

Business & Economy

Micromax named former Bharti Airtel India CEO Sanjay Kapoor as the chairman of board. Kapoor had

quit Airtel last year. The country's No. 2 smartphone maker had co-founders Vikas Jain and Sharma at the

helm till former Samsung mobile and IT head Vineet Taneja joined the company as CEO late last month.

Micromax, which is popular for its affordable handsets, holds 15% share in the domestic smartphone

market that is led by Samsung. Micromax sells over 3 million mobile handsets a month, of which about a

third are smartphones.

The government announced Rs 50 per quintal increase in the minimum support price of paddy to Rs

1,360 to encourage farmers to cultivate rice, but said that the decision will not have an impact on

inflation. Minimum support price (MSP) of pulses has been raised by up to Rs 100 per quintal.

The department of public enterprises has granted Navratna status to National Buildings Construction

Corporation Limited (NBCC) and Engineers India Limited (EIL) following fulfillment of prescribed criteria

by the two Central PSUs. NBCC is a CPSE under the ministry of urban development, whereas the EIL is a

PSU under the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. The status came into effect from June 23. NBCC

became the 15th and EIL 16th Navratna Company amongst 250 Central Public Sector Undertakings in the

country.

Indias largest software exporters, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has rewarded its Chief Executive

N Chandrasekaran with a massive 60% hike in salary at Rs. 18.68 crore for the fiscal 2013-14 against Rs.

11.69 crore last year. This makes him the highest paid CEO in the countrys $118-billion IT industry.

India's tea production in 2013-14 increased by 6.19 percent to 1,205.40 million kg. Tea production in

2012-13 was 1,135.07 million kg, according to Tea Board of India data. The combined output of Assam

and West Bengal and other north Indian states rose 7.56 percent to 960.96 million kg in the previous

financial year from 893.38 million kg a year earlier. Assam and West Bengal are the major tea-producing

states, accounting for almost 80 percent of Indias total output. India is the worlds second-largest

producer and biggest consumer of tea.

The highest decision making body in telecom department, Telecom Commission on June 13 gave its in-

principle approval to full mobile number portability which will allow a mobile subscriber to retain his

number even if he moves from one state to another. Currently mobile number portability is restricted

within a service area.