Weekly Top 20 Current Affairs(16 Nov.-22 Nov)

1. ‘Bitter Seeds’, a documentary film produced by US-based filmmaker Micha Peled on the agrarian crisis of cotton growers and their plight, is being shown in Vidarbha region. “Every 30 minutes, a farmer in the country kills himself in despair because he no longer can provide for his family. The film has won 18 international awards.
2. An Indian-American physician from California became only the third person of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representatives by defeating Republican Dan Lungren with just 184 votes lead.
3. The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari presented the Moortidevi Award for 2010 to eminent Urdu scholar Gopi Chand Narang for his outstanding work on Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehan wa Tehzeeb at a function organized by Bhartiya Jnanpith.
4. London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal retained her third place in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s rankings released on 16 November,2012.
5. Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray died in Mumbai on 17 November 2012.
6. Chinese movie ‘11 Flowers’, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai has won the prestigious NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award at the 18th Kolkata International Film festival (KIFF), which ended on 17 November 2012.
7. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November 2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
8. Barack Obama became the first American president visited the Myanmar. He visited the Myanmar on 18 November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
9. Asian under-10 girls chess champion Nuthaki Priyanka bagged the world youth chess championship at Maribor, Slovenia on 18 November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11 rounds.
10. President of the Republic of Liberia Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf got the Indira Gandhi peace prize for 2012 for her Excellency, Peace,Disarmament and Development.
11. Malala Yousafzai,who became the face of Pakistan’s struggle against the Taliban was honoured with bravery award by the Peace and Prosperity Foundation Chairman Prince Ali Khan, at the Cholmondeley Room of the House of Lords on 19 November 2012.
12. Anil Dev Singh, retired Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, appointed as the new Chairman of The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 19 November 2012.
13. President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on late Ramgopal Maheshwari on 20 November 2012.
14. The book on Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh named Yuvi was released in third week of November 2012.Yuvi, the book on Yuvraj Singh is published by Harper Sport and written by Makarand Waingankar. The book illustrates the brilliance of cricket shown by Yuvraj Singh in his career as a cricketer and the way he recovered from Cancer.
15. A team of astrophysicists had discovered an enormous gaseous planet that is 13 times more massive than Jupiter, earning the name “Super-Jupiter “ and is the largest planet in our own solar system.
16. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was on 21 November 2012 conferred with BCCI’s prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award and virat kohli with Poly Umrigar Award.
17. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Jail on 21 November 2012.
18. Six books including “River of Smoke” by Amitav Ghosh, “Narcopolis” by Jeet Thayil and “The Wandering” by Pakistan-based author Jamil Ahmad, have been shortlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Prize 2013.The finalist will be announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival January 2013.
19. Senior IPS officer Ranjit Sinha was appointed the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two-year term on 22 November 2012.
20. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, was conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 November 2012.
21. Autar Kaw, an Indian born professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida was received the award of ” 2012 US Professor of the Year “.