TN Cabinet Reshuffle -May 2011 -

J Jayalalithaa assumed office of the Chief Minister of TN on  May 16,2011 and alongwith her 33 Ministers assumed office

On May 24,2011 Minister Mariam Pitchai died on a Road accident and was replaced by Mohammed John(Ranipet)assumed office on June 29,2011.Also 6 Ministers Portfolios have been changed thereon

On Julu 2,2011 Minister Isakki Subbiah was removed and was replaced by Senthoorpandian(Kadayanallur)
Also 2 Ministers Portfolios have been changed thereon.

On Nov 4,2011 6 Ministers -
Senthamilan,Shanmugavelu,Buddhichandran,Shanmuganathan,Udhayakumar and Sivapathi were removed and was replaced by -
Dhamodharan,Paranjothi,Moorthy,Kamaraj,Rajendra Balaji and Sundararajan

On Dec 9,2011 Minister Paranjothi resigned and Minister Selvi Ramajayam was removed and they were replaced by - M S M Anandan and Valarmathi

On Jan 26,2012 2 Ministers -
Agri Krishnamoorthy and Velumani were removed and was replaced by -
N R Sivapathy and Subramanian

On July 18,2012,Revenue Minister Senkottaiyyan was removed and was replaced by Thoppu Venkatachalam

On Oct 3,2012 Commercial Tax Minister C V Shanmugam was removed and was replaced by P Mohan

On Feb 27,2013,3 Ministers -
Tourism Minister Gokula Indira,School Education Minister N R Sivapathy and Health Minister Dr Vijay were removed and was replaced by -
Vaigaiselvan(Aruppukkottai),T P Poonatchi and K C Veeramani
This is the 8th shuffle after the present government assumed office in May 2011

On June 17,2013,2 Ministers -
This was the 9th shuffle after the present government assumed office in May 2011. 
Two Ministers – S. T. Chellapandian and A. Mohammedjan – were dropped from the Cabinet on Monday June 17,2013 and replaced with S. P. Shanmuganathan, MLA from Srivaikuntam constiuency, and S. Abdul Rahim from Avadi

Re-allocation

The Chief Minister also re-allocated portfolios of 3 Ministers-

• Forests Minister K.T. Pachamal would hereafter handle the subject of Labour. 

• P. Chendur Pandian, who was till now Tourism Minister, would be Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister. 

• The subject of Forests had been given to M.S. M. Anandan, who was hitherto looking after HR&CE. 

Also the TN Govt  appointed 6 functionaries of the AIADMK to head its undertakings.

• J.C. D. Prabhakar, Villivakkam MLA and deputy secretary of the party minorities wing, had been made chairman of the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation

• A. Arunmozhithevan, former Chidambaram MLA and the party’s Cuddalore (west) secretary – Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation

• T.G, Venkatesh Babu, north Chennai secretary – Textile Corporation
• G. Muniasamy, Ramanthapuram district secretary - Warehousing Corporation
• P.R. Senthilnathan, Sivagangai district secretary – Backward Classes Economic Development Corporation a M. Ravichandran, Perambalur district secretary  – State Agricultural Marketing Board

Refugees of the Syrian Civil War

The problem began in April 2011, when the Syrian government used lethal force to crackdown on anti-government protests

More than 2 1/2 years of violence has ravaged Syria. About 40 percent of its people have been displaced, including millions who have fled the country. These refugees - their lives threatened, their livelihoods gone, their homes destroyed - must start anew in a foreign land until it is safe for them to return. But that homecoming is far from certain.

 

The flow of refugees intensified with the military siege of Talkalakh in May  2011and the militarysiege of Jisr al-Shyghour in Idlib Province in June 2011.As a result of these military actions, thousands of Syrian citizens fled across the border to Lebanon and Turkey.

In early 2012, the number of Syrian refugees swelled to some 20,000 UNHCR registered refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan

Jordan has agreed to create camps to house the swelling numbers of refugees and began construction of a 30,000 square meter refugee camp in March 2012.

Turkey has accommodated most of its Syrian refugees in tent cities in Hatay province, which have been constructed since summer 2011

In August 2012, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the number of registered Syrian refugees had reached over 200,000, exceeding the UNHCR estimate of 185,000 for the entire year.

Also according to the United Nations, 6 million people inside Syria needed help and about 4 million Syrians were internally displaced  because of the Syrian civil war


According to UNHCR data, the total number of Syrian refugees reached more than 408,000 registered in December 2012, mostly residing in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq (including Iraqi Kurdistan)

As of 13 February 2013, more than 182,938 Syrian refugees are in Lebanon.As the number of Syrian refugees increases,many fear the country’s sectarian based political system is being undermined

 

UN says Syrian Refugees Number One Million 

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said -

• Half of the refugees were children, most under the age of 11

• largest numbers of refugees were seeking shelter in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

• those who have fled conflict now live in difficult conditions, with poor sanitation and insufficient resources to cope with

• more than 400,000 have became refugees since 1 January 2013

• Turkey, providing a temporary home for some 184,000 refugees, has spent more than $600m (459m euros; £396m) setting up 17 refugee camps, and was building new ones to meet the increasing need

• Some 110,000 of those who have sought shelter in Jordan are living in the desert camp of Zaatari, near its northern border with Syria

Refugee Numbers

 

• Jordan - 324,543
• Lebanon - 329,823
• Turkey - 185,205
• Iraq - 105,326
• Egypt - 43,665
• North Africa - 8,262

A refugee camp is seen in the Syrian territory near the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu. The civil war in Syria has forced over 2 million people out of the country and over 4 million others are displaced within its borders, making Syrians the nation with the largest number of people torn from their homes, U.N. officials said. 

MCX Stock Exchange -India's New Stock Exchange

MCX Stock Exchange Limited (MCX-SX), India’s new stock exchange, commenced operations in the Currency Derivatives (CD) segment on October 7, 2008 (with HQ at Exchange Square, Suren Road, Andheri (East),Mumbai) under the regulatory framework of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The Exchange is recognised by SEBI under Section 4 of Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.

In line with global best practices and regulatory requirements, clearing and settlement is conducted through a separate clearing corporation, MCX-SX Clearing Corporation Ltd. (MCX-SX CCL).

At the end of June 2012, MCX-SX had 750 members and saw participation from 707 towns and cities across India.

The Exchange received permissions to deal in Interest Rate Derivatives, Equity, Futures & Options on Equity and Wholesale Debt Segment, vide SEBI’s letter dated July 10, 2012.

MCX-SX was granted the status of a “recognized stock exchange” by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA),Government of India on December 21, 2012.

 It received “commencement certificate” from market regulator SEBI for trading in new segments such as Equity, Futures and Options on Equity, Interest Rate Derivatives and Wholesale Debt Market on December 19, 2012.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurated the equity trading platform of MCX-Stock Exchange (MCX-SX) on Saturday, February 9, 2013

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/gallery/mcx-sx-india-gets-a-new-stock-exchange/1/8728.html

Mumbai to get India's first Monorail

The Mono Rail project is being implemented in two phases- Chembur to Wadala and Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk.

The 7 stations on the 8.80 km long Phase-I of the Mono Rail corridor are -

•  Chembur
• V.N.Purav/RC Marg Junction
• Fertiliser Township
•  Bharat Petroleum
• Mysore Colony
•  Bhakti Park and
•  Wadala Depot

A monorail travels on its trial run in Mumbai on Saturday, February 16, 2013

UP CM Akhilesh Yadav Transfers 279 Senior Officials - Monday Feb 25,2013

In what may be dubbed as the biggest bureaucratic reshuffle of the decade, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav transferred 279 officers on Monday night.
Akhilesh Yadav has already shifted over 600 IAS, IPS and PCS officers in 11 months of his rule

This includes 51 Indian Administrative Service (IAS), 88 Indian Police Service (IPS), 48 Provincial Civil Service (PCS) and 92 Provincial Police Service (PPS) officers.

The last time there was a transfer of over 500 bureaucrats was between 2004 and 2005 when Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister.

Also Mayawati, had transferred more than 225 officers in a day when she was CM in 1997

Chuck Hagel is confirmed US Secretary of Defense -Tuesday Feb 26,2013

After one of the lengthiest and most bitter confirmation fights in recent history, the Senate on Tuesday Feb 26,2013 voted(58 to 41 vote) to confirm Chuck Hagel as next US Secretary of Defense

Chuck Hagel,Republican former senator from Nebraska and decorated Vietnam veteran will now replace Leon Panetta as Head of the Pentagon.Chuck Hagel is a former infantry soldier who was awarded two Purple Hearts during the conflict in Vietnam

Elba Esther Gordillo,Mexican Union Leader Arrested - Tuesday Feb 26,2013

Elba Esther Gordillo,Mexican SNTE Union Leader, known as Mexico's most powerful woman, has been arrested on corruption charges.

Elba Esther Gordillo, who has led Mexico's high-profile national teachers union for more than two decades, was in federal custody after she was arrested at an airport outside Mexico City on Tuesday, the country's attorney general told reporters.

Investigators from Mexico's treasury found that 2.6 billion pesos (more than $200 million) had been routed from union funds into private bank accounts abroad, including some managed by Gordillo, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said.

Some of the money was used to pay for $17,000 in plastic surgery, more than $2 million in purchases at a Neiman Marcus department store and a house in San Diego, California, prosecutors said.

Elba Esther Gordillo, who runs the 1.5 million-member Mexican teachers' union, is alleged to have embezzled more than $156m from union funds

For more than 20 years she has led the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE)With an estimated 1.5 million members, the SNTE is considered Latin America's most powerful union.Elba Esther Gordillo was expelled from Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2006 and helped found the New Alliance party.

Controversial Union Leader

• Elba Esther Gordillo rose from humble origins in rural Chiapas state
• Leads the SNTE teachers' union, with an estimated 1.5 million members
• Has held post for more than 20 years
• Prosecutors have never brought a charge against her despite numerous fraud allegations
• Expelled from President Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party in 2006 for forming her own party
• Accused by prosecutors in February 2013 of "systematic embezzlement" of union accounts between 2008 and 2012

Japan's Misao Okawa(114)is the World's Oldest Woman -Wednesday Feb 27,2013

Japan's Misao Okawa(114)poses with the certificate of the world's oldest woman, which was presented to her by Guinness World Records Japan Country Manager Erika Ogawa, right, at a nursing home in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.

Pope Benedict XVI's Last Audience -Wednesday Feb 27,2013

Pope Benedict XVI arrives on St Peter's square for his last weekly audience on February 27, 2013 at the Vatican.

 

150th birthday celebrations of Swami Vivekananda in Chennai -Wednesday Feb 27,2013

TN CM J Jayalalithaa giving away a special prize to Sabari Venkat, a physically challenged student, on the occassion of 150th birthday celebrations of Swami Vivekananda in Chennai on Wednesday Feb 27,2013

On the occassion of 150th birthday celebrations of Swami Vivekananda in Chennai TN CM J Jayalalithaa said -

“Swami Vivekananda popularised the pride of Hinduism around the world. He taught self-respect and equality.

Possessing extreme knowledge and will power, he was an example of leadership and charity''

Recalling from the Swami’s life, she said his guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, had shown him that service to people was divine.

Lauding the spiritual service rendered by Sri Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda after his guru’s demise, she said that it was involved in serving the nation, people and God

TN CM J Jayalalithaalaid the foundation stone for a cultural trust founded by Sri Ramakrishna Mission here and announced Rs. two crore for it on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government.

Economic Survey 2012-13 - Wednesday Feb 27,2013

The pre-budget Economic Survey  2012-13, which was tabled in Parliament today Wednesday Feb 27,2013, said India faces stiff competition from several emerging countries in the BPO sector.
Countries like -

• Malaysia, China and the Philippines in Asia
•  Egypt and Morocco in North Africa
•  Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Columbia in Latin America and 
• Poland and Ireland in Europe

 are emerging as attractive destinations for voice contracts, posing a significant threat to Indian firms.According to Nasscom , in the last 5 years, India has lost about 10 per cent market share to the rest of the world in the world BPO space, most of which is in the voice contract segment

According to  Nasscom, in FY13, IT services would account for USD 50 billion, while Business Process Management (BPM or BPO) and Engineering services would contribute USD 20 billion and USD 10 billion, respectively

A flagship annual document of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Economic Survey 2012–13 reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months, summarizes the performance on major development programmes, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term. This document is presented to both houses of Parliament during the Budget Session.

With detailed statistical data covering all aspects of the economy—macro as well as sectoral—the report provides an overview of the following issues:

1. State of the Indian economy
2. Challenges, policy responses, and medium-term outlook
3. Fiscal policy and monetary management
4. Financial intermediation and the role of markets
5. External sector, balance of payments, and trade
6. Agriculture, industrial development and services sector
7. Energy, infrastructure, and communications
8. Human development, climate change and public programmes
9. India and the Global Economy

FC Barcelona Vs Real Madrid -Copa del Rey Semi-final 2nd leg - Tuesday Feb 26,2013

Real Madrid Defeats FC Barcelona 3-1 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 and a spot in the Copa del Rey final.Sevilla meet Atletico on Wednesday Feb 27,2013 in the other semi-final and the winner will meet Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey Finals
Real Madrid 3 Goals - Cristiano Ronaldo 13 &57th minute and Raphael Varane 68th minute
FC Barcelona 1 Goal - Jordi Alba 89th minute

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo put Real Madrid in front by earning a penalty when defender Gerard Pique stretched to try and dispossess him of the ball. Ronaldo dispatched the spot kick into the lower left corner of the net.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo scored the second goal as well driving the ball with his left foot after left Angel Di Maria’s shot rebounded and fell in front of him

 Real Madrid's Raphael Varane then put the result beyond all doubt when he was left all alone to rise up and head Mesut Oezil's corner kick off the underside of the crossbar.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, from Portugal, and Barcelona's goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto challenge for the ball during a Copa del Rey soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013

 Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo was at his indomitable best as he struck twice in Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over FC Barcelona to secure the club's Copa del Rey final berth.


This was Barcelona’s first home loss in any competition since April 2012

Note
The 1st leg semi-final on Jan 30,2013 ended 1-1

Fire in Surya Sen market in Kolkata -Wednesday Feb 27,2013

At least 19 people were killed and 50 people sustained serious burn injuries as a massive fire engulfed Surya Sen market in central Kolkata's Sealdah area today

According to eyewitnesses the fire started on the ground floor, which had several shops stocking Thermocol and jute items and then spread to the first floor and some parts of the second floor.

According to the fire-fighters the fire was detected at 3.50 am at the godown-cum-market complex when the victims were sleeping inside the room. Following which 26 fire-engines rushed to the stop to bring the situation under control

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reaches the accident site at about 11 am and addresses reporters at the site. "After the AMRI fire incident, the government requested all buildings to follow safety norms. No one follows the norms,"
Mamata Banerjee says the State government will give Rs 2 lakh to the kin of those who died. Those injured will be given Rs 50,000
Mamata Banerjee visits Calcutta Medical College where the injured have been admitted. 

“This market complex was constructed during the Left rule. It was unauthorized and illegal and did not follow any fire safety norms. Question is how the then government had allowed it to come up? We will take action against the market authorities for not having any fire safety arrangements,”Fire service minister Javed Kahn said

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Suryakant Mishra says, "No time for blame game. Enquiry has to be done. If not satisfied a higher level enquiry is needed." 

The market has six floors, while the first two floors have godowns, offices and shops the rest of the floors are vacant because of a property dispute among the owners

Pope Benedict leads final public prayer -Sunday Feb 24,2013

Pope Benedict XVI made history by bestowing his final blessing on a cheering crowd of 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. His appearance Sunday from his studio window was his next-to-last public liturgy of his nearly eight-year papacy

Benedict will become the first pointiff to step down in 600 years Thursday. The pope cited his age and diminishing strength as the main reason for his resignation

Benedict went on to thank his tens of thousands of faithful admirers in the square and the church's 1.2 billion members in several languages