Raghuram Govind Rajan Appointed as the 23rd Governor of RBI

 Raghuram Govind Rajan, chief economic adviser in the finance ministry on 6 August 2013 named the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will take over from D. Subbarao who demits office on September 4. Rajan will also be among the youngest to occupy the high office at Mint Street in Mumbai and has a tenure of three years.

Rajan is also a visiting professor for the World Bank, Federal Reserve Board, and Swedish Parliamentary Commission. He formerly served as the president of the American Finance Association and was the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rajan's previous work with the Indian government includes his helmsmanship of a Planning Commission-appointed committee on financial reforms, and as honorary economic adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

New Exoplanet Spotted with Earth-based Telescope

Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star 57 light years away. The pink planet is around four times more massive than Jupiter and orbits the star GJ 504 as part of the young 160-million-year-old star system The planet, named GJ 504b, is the lowest mass exoplanet ever to be detected using direct, or visible, imaging techniques. Most exoplanets (planets outside our solar system )- are discovered using indirect methods in which the exoplanet’s existence is inferred, but not actually seen It was discovered by direct imaging using 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope of Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii

No Sand mining without approval : Green Tribunal

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 05 August 2013 ordered a nationwide stay on sand mining on river beds without Environment Ministry clearance.

The interim order came on a petition filed by the NGT Bar Association as a reaction to the suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, who had been overseeing a drive against illegal sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh.

National Green Tribunal Act, 2010  is a federal legislation enacted by the Parliament of India, under India's constitutional provision of Article 21, which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment. The tribunal itself is a special fast-track court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues

India claimed their first-ever medal Junior Women Hockey World Cup 2013

The Netherlands win the ERGO Hockey Junior World Cup, Argentina take Silver, India claim Bronze in Mönchengladbach,Germany

The reigning champions from the Netherlands defended their title at the ERGO Hockey Junior World Cup. The Dutch girls won the final against Argentina 4-2 in the shoot-out clinching the trophy for a record third time in women’s Junior World Cup history. India claimed their first-ever medal when winning the Bronze medal match against England.

Hassan Rouhani sworn in as president of Iran

Hassan Rouhani, Iran's seventh president since the 1979 Islamic revolution, formally began his four-year presidential term on 3 August 2013.

In a seperate ceremony Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, endorsed his sensational victory in June's presidential election.

Samantha Power sworn in as new US ambassador to UN

Samantha Power on 2 August 2013 took oath to the office of US ambassador to United Nations. Vice-President, Joe Biden administered her, the oath to the office in a ceremony at the White House. Samantha Power succeeded Susan Rice, now the President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser.

Robert Mugabe declared Winner in Zimbabwe Parliamentary Election 2013.

The incumbent President, Robert Mugabe, was re-elected, whilst his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front party won a two-thirds majority in the House of Assembly.Robert Mugabe won 61 percent of the vote to claim a seventh term as president. Morgan Tsvangirai finished second with 34 percent of the vote. Mugabe's Zanu-PF party also dominated the parliamentary election winning 160 seats. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party won 49 seats