Hindi writer Krishna Sobti has been chosen for this years Jnanpith Award for her contribution to Indian Literature. This is 53rd Jnanpith Award for India.
The Opium Wars were two wars in the mid-19th century involving Anglo-Chinese disputes over British trade in China and China’s sovereignty. The disputes included the First Opium War (1839–1842) and the Second Opium War (1856–1860).
During the recent Venus transit (June 2012), the planet appeared as a tiny black circle moving on the Sun. The black colour on the sun is because the planet :