Yearly Review of Person in News 2018 – Current Affairs Capsule in PDF
January 2018
Prakash won Lifetime Achievement Award
o Vice President Venkaiah Naidu conferred Badminton Association of India Lifetime Achievement Award to 1983 World Championship medallist Prakash Padukone.
o Naidu termed Padukone a "grand legend of a great game", who inspired the nation through his "sheer passion, grit and determination".
o The Mysuru-born had won gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games & the All England Championships in 1980.
Jazz musician Coco Schumann dead
o German Jewish guitarist Coco Schumann, died at the age of 93.
o He was also a member of “Ghetto Swingers band”, and was forced to perform concerts at the camp.
o He had a seven-decade-long career in swing and jazz music and survived Nazi concentration camps.
Dharmasena Pathiraja died
o Renowned Sri Lankan filmmaker Dharmasena Pathiraja, passed away.
o Hailing from Kandy in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, the filmmaker is credited with making a critical intervention in Sinhala cinema, with
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themes that served as social commentaries on the prevailing socio- economic and political realities.
o He also taught film studies in various Sri Lankan universities.
Ingvar Kamprad died
o Ingvar Kamprad, the Founder of Swedish furniture giant Ikea, died at the age of 91 at his home.
o Kamprad was the world's eighth-richest person with a net worth of $58.7 billion.
o He had founded Ikea at the age of 17, building it into the world's largest furniture retailer.
Vijay takes charge as Foreign Secretary
o Vijay Keshav Gokhale assumed charge as the new foreign secretary for a two-year term.
o He succeeded former foreign secretary S Jaishankar who completed his term of three-years, including one extended year, this month.
o Gokhale, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981, played a major role in resolving the 73-day-long Doklam standoff between India and China last year.
'Beetle Bailey’ cartoonist Walker died
o Comic strip artist Mort Walker who tickled millions of newspaper readers with the antics of the lazy private “Beetle Bailey,” died.
o Walker began publishing cartoons at age 11.
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o But he found his greatest success drawing slacker Beetle, his hot-tempered sergeant and the rest of the gang at fictional Camp Swampy for nearly 70 years.
Mazumdar-Shaw, Rajiv Lall joins USIBC
o Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairman and managing director of Biocon Ltd, IDFC Bank founder Rajiv Lall have been appointed to the board of US India Business Council for 2018.
o The board is comprised of industry leaders from the US and India.
o The US India Business Council will work to advance the US-India strategic and economic relationship by advocating for policy changes
Actor Supriya Choudhury passes away
o Eminent actor of Bengali film and television, Supriya Choudhury passed away after prolonged illness. She was 83.
o Ms. Choudhury was one of the most prolific actors of her time and was active till recently.
o She is often remembered for her performance in foremost Bengali film maker Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara, on the impact of Partition on lower income Bengali household.
Rachel chosen for Cinematography Oscar
o Rachel Morrison, became the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for cinematography.
o She was nominated for her work on Dee Rees’ Mudbound for Netflix.
o This year, she’s nominated for the Academy Award in a competitive field that also includes Roger Deakins for Blade Runner 2049, Bruno Delbonnel
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for Darkest Hour, Hoyte Van Hoytema for Dunkirk and Dan Laustsen for The Shape of Water.
Priyanka to be ambassador of Harman Int.
o Harman International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., announced that actor Priyanka Chopra will be its global brand ambassador.
o The company, said that the actor will be the face of the company for JBL and Harman Kardon audio brands.
o Harman International deals with connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets.
Rajesh will be next Ambassador to Niger
o Shri Rajesh Agarwal, presently Counsellor, High Commission of India, Port Moresby has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Niger.
o He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
o Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa named after the Niger River. The capital city is Niamey.
o President - Mahamadou Issoufou, Prime Minister - Brigi Rafini.
Chief Guests of 69th Republic Day
o Heads of ten ASEAN countries are chief guests.
o Hassanal Bolkiah-Sultan of Brunei, Hun Sen- PM of Cambodia, Rodrigo- Pres. of Philippines, Joko Widodo- Pres. of Indonesia, Najib Razak- PM of Malaysia, Nguyen Xuan- PM of Vietnam, Halima Yacob- Pres. of Singapore, Htin Kyaw- Pres. of Myanmar, Suu Kyi- state counsellor of
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Myanmar, Prayuth Chan- PM of Thailand & Thongloun Sisoulith- PM of Laos.
Narayanan takes over as LPSC Director
o Senior ISRO scientist Dr V Narayanan has assumed charge as Director of the space agency's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), at nearby Valiamala.
o He succeeds S Somanath who has been appointed Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
o Narayanan, who is a rocket propulsion expert, joined ISRO in 1984 and functioned in various capacities, a press release said.
Trade unionist Yashwant Chavan dead
o Veteran Communist leader and noted trade unionist Yashwant Chavan died at a private hospital in Pune on Tuesday following a brief illness.
o Born in 1920, Chavan was one of the last Marxist luminaries to be active in the Indian Communist Party in its heyday in late 1930s and 40s.
o Firebrands leaders such as S.K. Limaye and Shripad Amrut Dange served as his ideological mentors.
Actor Krishna Kumari passes away
o Actor Krishna Kumari (84), who has acted in over 200 Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films and dominated the south Indian film industry for more than two decades, died at her Bengaluru residence.
o Her Kannada films included Jaladurga, Asha Sundari, Bhakta Kanakadasa, Dashavatara, Shrishaila Mahatme.
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o Born in 1933, Krishna Kumari made her debut through Navvithe Navaratnalu, a Telugu movie.
Menon to be next Ambassador of Angola
o Shri Srikumar Menon, presently Ambassador of India to South Sudan has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Angola.
o He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
o Angola officially the Republic of Angola is a country in Southern Africa. It's capital is Luanda.
CPI(M) plans impeachment against CJI
o CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the party was trying to build a consensus on moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra.
o On January 12, four senior-most Supreme Court judges held a press conference raising questions on “selective” allocation of cases to certain Benches.
o In A.124(4), the guidelines for the Impeachment of Judges are given.
Hugh Masekela, Passes Away
o Trumpeter, composer and singer Hugh Masekela, affectionately known as the 'father of South African jazz', has died after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 78.
o In a career spanning more than five decades, Masekela gained international recognition with his distinctive Afro-Jazz sound.
o He opened the 2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Concert and performed at the event's opening ceremony.
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FICCI Appoints Dilip Chenoy as DG
o Industry Chamber Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) has appointed Dilip Chenoy as its Director General.
o Prior to this, he was Chairman of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology and Member, Board of Advisors, IILM.
o He was awarded the Game Changer Award in 2015 and the Rashtriya Media Ratan Award in 2013.
Sarabhai Space Centre's new director
o ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) director S Somnath has taken charge as the new director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
o He says the focus is on two upcoming launches next month.
o Somnath told that his priorities will be on technology upgradation of launch vehicle design and to focus on immediate launches including GSLV-Mark (MK) II and PSLV-C41 in Feb.
Journalist Anindya Sengupta passes away
o Journalist Anindya Sengupta died at a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 52.
o Sengupta started his career with Bengali newspaper ‘Bartaman’, and then worked with English dailies ‘The Statesman’ and ‘The Telegraph’.
o He had served as the secretary of Kolkata Press Club for six terms, and was presently the secretary of the Indian Journalists Association (IJA).
CPI(M) veteran Khagen Das passes away
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o Khagen Das, CPI(M) veteran and chairman of the Left Front Committee of Tripura, died in Kolkata on Sunday.
o Mr. Das, 81, died within minutes of his admission to a hospital for chest pain.
o He was in Kolkata to attend the party’s central committee meeting.
o Mr. Das served as a Minister and member of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
Om Prakash Rawat Appointed New CEC
o Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was appointed as the next chief election commissioner (CEC) of India. Mr Rawat is the 22nd CEC of India.
o He succeeded Achal Kumar Joti. The government also appointed former finance secretary Ashok Lawasa as an Election Commissioner.
o Mr Rawat will take over the office from 23rd January 2018 onwards. Sunil Arora is the other Election Commissioner.
Anandiben to be next Governor of MP
o Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel has been named the next Madhya Pradesh Governor.
o She replaces Om Prakash Kohli, who has additional charge of the office of MP Governor along with the office of Gujarat Governor.
o In 2016, she resigned as CM on the ground that she was completing 75 years so decided to step down in keeping with the party’s tradition of age criterion.
S Selvakumar Appointed CMD Of SPMCIL
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o The government appointed senior IAS officer S Selvakumar as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL).
o Selvakumar has replaced Anurag Agarwal.
o The state-owned SPMCIL produces banknotes, coins, postage stamps, non-judicial stamps and other official documents.
Goldberg to be in WWE Hall of Fame
o WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) announced that Goldberg will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class at a ceremony in 6th April 2018, in New Orleans
o Goldberg retired from in-ring competition in 2017. He is the first to be listed in the WWE’s 2018 Hall of Fame class. He is 51 years old.
o He made his debut in WWE in 2003. Earlier, he was associated with the World Championship Wrestling.
Veteran journalist NK Trikha passes away
o Veteran journalist NK Trikha passed away this afternoon at All India Institute of Medical Sciences here after a prolonged illness.
o Trikha had worked at the Times of India Group's Hindi newspaper 'Navbharat Times' for a long time and was also the editor of its Lucknow edition.
o He also served as a member of the PCIe and he was twice president of the National Union of Journalists.
BJP leader Pharande passes away
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o Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former chairman of the state legislative council N S Pharande passed away. He was 78.
o Pharande suffered intracranial haemorrhage, a bleeding in the skull, which caused paralysis on January 4.
o Pharande was a patient of hypertension.
Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta passes away
o On 15th January 2018, Sarod maestro Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta passed away following a cardiac arrest at his home in south Kolkata.
o Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta was 84 years old. He had been suffering from respiratory problems for a brief period of time.
o He is a recipient of Padma Bhushan award. He was also awarded Sangeet Mahasamman and Bangabibhusan awards.
Actress Charu Rohatgi Passes Away
o TV actress Charu Rohatgi, known for her roles in serials like 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?' and 'Uttaran', passed away.
o She reportedly passed away after a cardiac arrest.
o While Charu had played Parineeti Chopra's mother in the film 'Ishaqzaade', she had also starred in films like '1920: London'.
HP woman featured in WHO's 2018 calendar
o A health worker from Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, Verma has featured in the World Health Organization (WHO) calendar for the year 2018.
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o Verma has found mention in the WHO calender for her efforts to ensure hundred per cent coverage of her area of operation under the measles and rubella programme.
o Verma works to immunise the children of shepherds and the Gujjars community in the area.
Twitter of Indian envoy to UN hacked
o Twitter account of India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin was hacked recently by a group of Pakistani hackers.
o Two photographs of Pakistan's flag and the neighbour country's President Mamnoon Hussain were posted from the twitter account.
o The account was later restored along with the blue tick and the questionable tweets were also removed.
Tribute to Mahasweta Devi with a Doodle
o Google celebrated the 92nd birthday of eminent Bengali littérateur and social activist Mahasweta Devi with a doodle on 14th January, 2018.
o Hailing from a family of prolific playwrights and writers, Mahasweta Devi wielded the power of the pen to bring to light the plight of “suffering spectators”.
o Her first book, Jhansir Rani was a biography of the Rani of Jhansi.
Harjinder Singh to be 'Chef de Mission'
o The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) appointed Harjinder Singh as the Chef De Mission for the 23rd Winter Olympic Games.
o Games will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018.
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o Harjinder Singh is at present the General Secretary in the Ice Hockey Association of India.
Dhingra to head new SIT on 1984 riots
o Supreme Court appointed the former Delhi High Court judge, Justice S.N. Dhingra, as chairman of its Special Investigation Team (SIT), to further investigate 186 cases in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
o The court decided to independently investigate these cases.
o The three-member SIT would also have Abhishek Dular, a 2006 IPS batch officer, and Rajdeep Singh, a retired IPS officer.
Wrestler Sukhchain dies in road accident
o Renowned wrestler and coach Sukhchain Singh Cheema, a Dronacharya awardee, died in a road accident at Patiala bypass.
o Sukhchain Singh Cheema was son of Rustum-e-Hind Olympian Wrestler Kesar Singh Cheema and father of Rustum-e-Hind Olympian Palwinder Singh Cheema, also an Arjuna Awardee.
o Sukhchain Singh Cheema won Bronze medal in 1974 Tehran Asian Games.
BCCI bans all-rounder Yusuf Pathan
o Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan handed a five-month retrospective suspension for failing a dope test.
o The 35-year-old Pathan had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI's anti-doping testing program during a domestic T20 match between his team Baroda and Tamil Nadu on March 16 last year.
o His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline.
SP Mardi new Himachal DGP 12 | P a g e
o BJP government appointed S P Mardi, a 1986-batch IPS as New Director General of police in Himachal Pradesh.
o Incumbent DGP Somesh Goyal, who is a 1984-batch IPS officer and was holding additional charge of the Prisons and Correctional services, will retain his charge of Prisons.
o He earlier had held the posts of Additional DGP (CID).
Jeff Bezos Becomes Richest Person
o Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon has become the richest man in the history, overtaking Bill Gates, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
o The Index showed that Bezos' net worth had hit USD 105.1 billion.
o Index mentions Mukesh Ambani as the richest Indian and the 20th richest person in the world.
Dr Sivan K Appointed New ISRO Chairman
o The government appointed renowned scientist Sivan K as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation.
o Sivan, at present Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, will succeed Kumar, who was appointed on January 12, 2015.
o He was graduated from Madras Institute of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering in 1980.
o ISRO was established in 1969.
Peter Sutherland passes away
o Peter Sutherland, first WTO Director-General, passes away in Dublin.
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o He was 71. Mr. Sutherland took the helm of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1993 at a time when the outcome of the broad and complex Uruguay Round of global trade talks was very much in question.
o He left the WTO in 1995.
Rahman becomes Sikkim’s Brand Ambassador
o Music maestro AR Rahman was named the official Brand Ambassador of Sikkim.
o Mr. Chamling felicitated the legendary music composer during the inauguration of the 11-day Sikkim Red Panda Winter Carnival at Palzor Stadium in Gangtok.
o Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling made the announcement.
Aanchal Thakur bags Bronze in Skiing
o Aanchal Thakur made history as she won India's first ever international medal in skiing.
o The 21-year-old Manali resident clinched bronze in the coveted Alpine Ejder 3200 Cup.
o The Championship was organised by the Federation Internationale de Ski (skiing's international governing body) in Erzurum, Turkey.
o She won the medal in the slalom race category.
Saksham Yadav killed in Road Accident
o Five men, including powerlifting world champion Saksham Yadav, died and one other person was injured after their car met with an accident.
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o Saksham Yadav, who was admitted in an 'extremely critical' condition at the AIIMS Trauma Centre in Delhi, succumbed to his injuries in the evening.
o Yadav had won a gold medal for the country in the 2017 Powerlifting Championship in Moscow.
Shrivallabh Vyas passes away
o Shrivallabh Vyas, known for his work in films like Lagaan and Sarfarosh, passed away on January 7 in Jaipur.
o Shrivallabh Vyas had appeared in over 60 Hindi films, with occasional stints in regional cinema, television and theatre.
o Some of Shrivallabh's popular films are Sarfarosh, Abhay, Aan: Men at Work, Shool, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero and Sankat City.
Akshay to promote the Swachh Survekshan
o After Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) urged Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to partner it to promote the Swachh Survekshan 2018 campaign, the actor promptly agreed.
o He will be an integral part of the team to promote its cleanliness campaign in Mumbai.
o The Swachh Survekshan 2018 will be carried out between January 4 to March 10, 2018, by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Actor and comedian Jerry Van Dyke dies
o Actor and comedian Jerry Van Dyke, who won four Emmy nominations for his role in the US sitcom Coach, has died at 86.
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o Van Dyke was the younger brother of actor Dick Van Dyke, known for the musical films Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
o He appeared in The Judy Garland Show.
John Young, Astronaut dies at 87`
o John Young, a legendary US astronaut who went into space six times, orbited the moon and then walked on its craggy surface, has died, NASA has announced.
o Young was a man of many firsts: the only astronaut to fly in the Gemini Apollo and space shuttle programmes.
o While in the navy, Young set world records for the fastest ascension from a standing start in an F-4 Phantom II jet.
Radha Vishwanathan passes away
o Carnatic vocalist Radha Vishwanathan, daughter of legendary classical singer M S Subbulakshmi, passed away.
o Vishwanathan, 83, developed breathing-related complications following which she was admitted to the Fortis Hospital yesterday morning.
o She had accompanied her mother Subbulakshmi, a Bharat Ratna award winner, during her concerts, including overseas events, for decades.
Menon Named Best Central Bank Governor
o The managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ravi Menon, has been named the best central bank governor in Asia- Pacific for 2018 by UK-based magazine, The Banker.
o Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was also given this award in 2011 when he was then MAS's managing director.
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o Over the last three years, the award went to the central bankers of Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.
AB Mathur appointed as interlocutor
o The Centre announced the appointment of AB Mathur as the interlocutor on their behalf to hold talks with the United Liberation Front of Assam.
o A 1975-batch IPS officer, Mathur served as the former special secretary of the Research and Analysis Wing.
o ULFA is a separatist outfit operating in Assam for the indigenous Assamese and seeks to establish a sovereign Assam.
Salman appointed as ambassador of Emami
o Emami Group said it has roped in Bollywood star Salman Khan as the brand ambassador for its edible oil business, which is a part of Emami Agrotech Ltd.
o Emami brands are endorsed by celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor and Sania Mirza, among others.
o Emami Group's Director is Manish Goenka.
Bellucci to come back from 5-month ban
o Brazilian tennis player Thomaz Bellucci was given a five-month suspension for doping.
o The 30-year-old Bellucci was tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.
o Bellucci said the positive test was the result of a contaminated vitamin supplement.
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A. Sivanandan passes away
o Sri Lanka-born British writer Ambalavaner Sivanandan, theorist of state racism and Black liberation politics and founding editor of Race & Class journal, passed away in London. He was 94.
o He is best known for his political essays and his novel When Memory Dies.
o Mr. Sivanandan was a writer who focussed on ‘racism that kills’ as opposed to ‘racism that discriminates’.
Rajinder Appointed Deputy NSA
o Rajinder Khanna was appointed the deputy National Security Adviser (NSA).
o He was the former chief of the country’s external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
o He headed the RAW for a fixed two-year period. Mr. Khanna is at present an officer on special duty (Neighbourhood Studies) in the National Security Council Secretariat.
Poet Anwar Jalalpuri passes away aged 71
o Famous Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri died. He was 71.
o He is best known for translating Bhagwad Geeta into Urdu in Shayari format.
o Anwar Jalalpuri was a Yash Bharti Award recipient. He was born in Jabalpur.
India’s Highest-Ranked Player:G Sathiyan
o G Sathiyan has become India’s highest- ranked player in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings. 18 | P a g e
o He surpasses his compatriot the legendary Sharath Kamal.
o As for the women, Manika Batra is topping the world chart among Indians at 62, while Mouma Das is ranked 74th and Madhurika Patkar is ranked 81th.
Vijay Gokhale Appointed Foreign Sec.
o Former ambassador to China and current secretary (economic relations), Vijay Keshav Gokhale, has been named as India's next foreign secretary.
o He will succeed S Jaishankar whose extended tenure will end on January 28.
o He is at present secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Pankaj Jain becomes IIFCL MD
o Pankaj Jain, Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS), has assumed charge as the Managing Director of India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL).
o He will be holding additional charge of IIFCL along with his present position as Joint Secretary at DFS.
o IIFCL is a state-owned company focused on infrastructure financing and development.
M.V. Pylee passes away
o Professor M. V. Pylee, educationist, passed away in Kochi. He was 95.
o Pylee, a brilliant academic, was Vice Chancellor of the Cochin university from 1977 to 1981 and was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2006.
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o The emeritus Professor was a well-known authority on the Constitution of India, a pioneer in management education, a distinguished academician, and an eminent administrator.
February 2018
Baichung Bhutia quits TMC
o Former Indian football team captain Baichung Bhutia has announced his resignation from Trinamool Congress.
o The former striker quit professional football in 2011 and joined the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC in 2013 to give politics a shot.
o In recent times, he went against the party stand on Gorkhaland and has expressed his support for a separate statehood for the region.
Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian Dies
o TSR Subramanian, former Cabinet Secretary of the Union government passed away due to prolonged illness.
o Subramanian, a 1961 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, was the cabinet secretary from August 1, 1996, to March 31, 1998.
o He also headed several government committees, including those on education and environment.
Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein arrives in India
o King of Jordan Abdullah-II bin Al-Hussein has arrived in India on a 3 day visit.
o This will be his second visit to India after his visit along with Queen Rania in 2006.
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o The two sides are expected to sign a number of memorandums of understanding and agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation.
o India is Jordan’s fourth largest trading partner with bilateral trade worth $1.35 billion.
Strandja Memorial Tournament
o Amit Panghal claimed his second consecutive international gold but MC Mary Kom settled for silver in the 69th Strandja Memorial boxing tournament for men and women in Sofia, Bulgaria.
o Amit (49kg), who fetched the top honours at last month's India Open, defeated Morocco's Said Mordaji.
o Seema Poonia (+81kg) also claimed silver by defeating Russia's Anna Ivanova.
Nilekani to develop IT infra for ‘Modicare’
o Nandan Nilekani will assist the government in developing IT infrastructure for the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), which seeks to cover 10-crore families.
o The IT infrastructure for the healthcare scheme will be of a huge scale as was required for Aadhar.
o Former UIDAI chairman Nilekani, the brain behind the Aadhaar is also a member of the GST return simplification committee.
Chopra quits as ambassador for Nirav's brand
o Actress Priyanka Chopra's spokesperson has confirmed that she has quit as the global ambassador of jewellery designer Nirav Modi's brand following allegations of money laundering against him.
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o The actress had earlier accused him of non-payment of dues for several advertisement campaigns.
o Nirav Modi is the prime accused in the $1.77 billion (₹ 11,400 crore) scam involving Punjab National Bank.
Kunwar Bai passes away
o Kunwar Bai, Chattisgarh’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan mascot, passed away after suffering from a long time illness. She was 106 years old.
o She was felicitated by PM Modi for her work to make her village open defecation free in 2016.
o She sold her goats for Rs 22,000 and built a toilet at her home with that money.
o Kunwarbai was made Swachhta Doot by Chattisgarh state government.
Former Indore mayor Suresh Seth passes away
o Senior Congress leader and former Indore Mayor, Suresh Seth, breathed his last following an illness at a local hospital. He was 87.
o Seth, known for his charismatic and robust personality, was also called as a ‘Lion of Indore’.
o He aggressively took up people’s issues and cut across party lines to deliver benefit to the common man.
CBI arrests Rotomac owner Vikram Kothari
o The CBI arrested Rotomac Pens' owner Vikram Kothari and his son Rahul for allegedly defrauding banks of ₹ 3,700 crore.
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o Earlier, authorities had notified all land, sea, and air ports to prevent Kothari and his family members from leaving India.
Billy Graham died
o Billy Graham died at the age of 99.
o He preached millions in stadium events, called crusades, become a pastor to presidents and was best-known as Christian evangelist for more than 60 years.
o Mr. Graham spread his influence across the country and around the world through a combination of religious conviction, commanding stage presence and shrewd use of radio.
Kamal Haasan launches political party
o Actor Kamal Haasan launched his political party 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' and hoisted a flag carrying the party's symbol in Tamil Nadu's Madurai.
o Haasan, who has embarked on a statewide tour, visited former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's residence and addressed three public meetings earlier in the day.
o He said that he was no longer a cinema star.
1st Indian woman to fly fighter aircraft solo
o Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo.
o She flew a MiG-21 bison in her first solo sortie from IAF's Jamnagar base in Gujarat.
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o She is one of the three in the first batch of female pilots, besides Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh, who were inducted in Indian Air Force fighter squadron in 2016.
Spiritual leader Aga Khan to arrive in India
o Spiritual leader, Shah Karim Al Hussaini, the Aga Khan, will arrive in India on an 11-day visit.
o Aga Khan is the founder & chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network and is the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.
o He is visiting India on an invitation of the vice president as this year marks the Diamond Jubilee of Aga Khan leadership.
RB Pandit takes over as Commandant of INA
o Vice Admiral RB Pandit, Flag-Officer-Commanding, Western Fleet at Mumbai, took over as the Commandant of Indian Naval Academy.
o He replaces Vice Admiral SV Bhokare who handed over responsibilities to Vice Admiral Pandit after a tenure of over 15 months.
o He has also been the Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India at Islamabad, Pakistan.
Paytm appoints Pallavi Shroff as board member
o Paytm has appointed Pallavi Shroff, managing partner of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas law firm to its board of directors.
o Her appointment will drive the growth of financial services business such as lending, insurance & wealth management.
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o She joins as an independent director & is the 7th appointee to Paytm’s board.
o Shroff is presently on the board of firms like Maruti Suzuki & Apollo Tyres.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Arrives in India
o Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is on a 7 day visit to India to further strengthen strategic ties with a focus on defence and counter- terrorism besides expanding trade and investment ties.
o Both sides are also expected to deliberate on enhancing cooperation in a civil nuclear sector.
o His visit comes three years after PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to Canada.
Japan reappoints Kuroda as BOJ chief
o Japan's govt has reappointed Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda to serve another 5 yr term.
o It comes amid heightened anxiety in Japanese & global markets on speculation major central banks will soon wind down their crisis-era policies
o It would make Kuroda the longest-serving BOJ head in half a century, a sign of Abe’s confidence in Kuroda ability to pull Japan’s economy out of stagnation
Cyril Ramaphosa elected as SA’s new president
o Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected as South Africa’s new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.
o Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election in the parliament after two opposition parties said they would not participate.
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o Ramaphosa is South Africa’s fifth president since majority rule started after the end of apartheid in 1994.
Ethiopia PM Hailemariam Desalegn Resigns
o Ethiopia’s PM has submitted his resignation in a surprise move that comes amid protracted anti-govt protest.
o He said his resignation was vital to carry out reforms that would lead to sustainable peace & democracy.
o Hailemariam, who has led the country since 2012, also stepped down as chairman of the ruling coalition.
o He took office following the death of Meles Zenawi who had ruled since 1991
K P Sharma Oli becomes Nepal PM
o The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Chairman KP Sharma Oli has become new Prime Minister of Nepal.
o This is the second time Mr. Oli has become the prime minister. He had served as prime minister from October 2015 to August 2016.
o The formation of new government after historic elections is expected to begin a new era of political stability in the Himalayan nation.
Ronaldo 1st player with 100 goals for 1 club
o Real Madrid frontman Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in UEFA Champions League history to score 100 goals for a single club.
o His overall tally in the tournament has gone up to 116 goals, 19 more than Lionel Messi.
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o Further, Ronaldo has scored 10+ UCL goals for the seventh straight season, no other player has done so in three.
PBNS shortlists Siddharth for top edit job
o A high-level committee has identified Siddharth Zarabi for Head of TV News in DD News and Abhijit Majumder for the position of Chief Editor, Prasar Bharati News Service (PBNS).
o Zarabi with 20 years of work experience is currently Executive Editor of Business TV India while Majumder is Managing Editor of Mail Today newspaper.
o The Prasar Bharati board is slated to meet February 15.
Ashok Das appointed Indian envoy to Brazil
o Ashok Das, a 1987 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was named India’s new Ambassador to Brazil.
o Das, presently additional secretary in the external affairs ministry, is expected to take up his assignment shortly, according to a ministry statement.
o Both India and Brazil are members of the BRICS economic grouping that also includes China, Russia and South Africa.
Kambar to head Sahitya Akademi
o Kannada litterateur Chandrashekar Kambar has been elected as president of the Sahitya Akademi in the election held for the post.
o Hindi poet Madhav Koushik has been elected as vice-president.
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o Prof. Kambar is the third Kannada writer to head the country’s premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993).
Parbati Ghose passes away
o Parbati Ghose, Odisha’s first female filmmaker, passed away following a prolonged illness here on Sunday night. She was 85.
o Born in Cuttack district in 1933, Parbati started as a child artiste in AIR and soon moved to the silver screen, also as a child artiste, playing Nila Madhava in Shri Jagannath.
o In 'Bhai Bhai', one of the biggest Odia hits, Parbati played the lead female protagonist.
Johann Johannsson Passes Away
o Acclaimed Icelandic musician and Oscar-nominated composer Johann Johannsson has passed away aged 48.
o In 2014, he was nominated for BAFTA, Grammy and Oscar awards for his score for ‘Theory of Everything,’ and won the Golden Globe award.
o Johannsson also recorded several albums of his own, including “Fordlandia” and “Orphee.”
Pakistani Activist Asma Jahangir Passes Away
o Asma Jahangir, Pakistan’s renowned human rights lawyer, social activist and an outspoken critic of the country’s powerful military establishment, passed away of cardiac arrest.
o She was the first woman to serve as the president of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan.
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o Born in January 1952 in Lahore, Asma co-founded and chaired the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Rohan More Swam Across Ocean Seven
o Pune-based swimmer, Rohan More became the first Asian as well as the first Indian to swim across the Ocean Seven. He is the youngest to complete it.
o He swam across the Cook Strait between North and South Islands of New Zealand in 8 hours and 37 minutes.
o With this, More becomes only the ninth person in the world to complete it. He has received the Tenzing Norgay Award.
Muthoot Group ropes in Amitabh Bachchan
o The Muthoot Group, a leading business conglomerate has engaged Amitabh Bachchan as their Brand Ambassador.
o Amitabh Bachchan will hereafter be representing The Muthoot Group across all their national campaigns.
o The Muthoot group has interests in Financial Services, IT, Media, Healthcare, Education, Power Generation and operates in 29 states in India.
Rakesh Singh to be the private banking head
o HDFC Bank has announced the appointment of Rakesh Singh as the private banking head.
o He will continue to head the bank's investment banking, capital markets and financial institutions businesses.
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o Private banking is wealth management service of the bank catering to High Net Worth & Ultra-HNW individuals, families who aim to successfully manage and grow their wealth.
Tushar Mehta to be the new SPP for 2G case
o The Central government has appointed Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the Special Public Prosecutor for cases related to the 2G scam.
o However, the status of current SPP Anand Grover appointed by the Supreme Court remains unclear.
o On December 21 last year, a special CBI court acquitted all the accused in the 2G scam, including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi.
Biswamohan As NPCI's Non-Executive Chairman
o National Payments Corporation of India appointed Biswamohan Mahapatra as non-executive chairman for two years with immediate effect.
o He succeeds B Sambamurthy who was the interim chairman.
o National Payments Corporation of India is the umbrella organisation for all retail payment systems in India, which aims to allow all Indian citizens to have unrestricted access to e-payment services.
Indra Nooyi Becomes ICC's 1st Female Director
o PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi has been appointed as the International Cricket Council's (ICC) first-ever independent female director.
o Nooyi will join the cricket body in June 2018 for a 2-year term.
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o The introduction of an Independent Director, who must be female, was approved by the ICC in June 2017, aimed at improving the global governance of the sport.
Former Bangladesh PM sentenced for 5 years
o Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was jailed for five years.
o She was found guilty in a corruption case by a Special Judge’s Court in Dhaka.
o She was charged with misappropriating Tk 21 million in foreign donations received by the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’.
John Mahoney of 'Frasier' fame dies at 77
o John Mahoney, a veteran character actor best known for playing the curmudgeonly dog-loving father of the title character in TV's "Frasier," has died. He was 77 years old.
o Mahoney was born in Blackpool, England, according to his biography on the online Broadway database Playbill.
o He worked as a college professor and a medical orderly also.
Akshay Kumar to be ambassador for road safety
o Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said he has requested actor Akshay Kumar to become the brand ambassador for the government's road safety awareness campaign.
o Adding that the actor promised full cooperation, Gadkari said celebrity ambassadors "will have a positive impact on the new generation".
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o Earlier, Kumar was appointed ambassador for UP government's cleanliness campaign.
Madavoor Vasudevan Nair Passes Away
o Kathakali maestro Madavoor Vasudevan Nair collapsed on stage and died while performing at Agasthyacodu Mahadeva Temple, Kerala.
o A recipient of several awards, including Padma Bhushan, he was the follower of the Kaplingattu School, the particular style of south Kerala.
o Madvoor had also worked as a faculty in the Thekkan Kalari of Kerala Kalamandalam.
Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant gets extension
o Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant given an extension till June 30 next year, according to an official order.
o He was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the government think tank on February 17, 2016 for a two-year term.
o The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension of Kant's tenure till June 30, 2019, the order issued by the personnel ministry said.
Bhumi features in Forbes '30 under 30' list
o Bollywood actors Bhumi Pednekar, Mithila and Vicky Kaushal have been named as part of Forbes India’s 30 under 30 list.
o Bhumi and Vicky have already carved a niche for themselves in Bollywood, while Mithila, will soon debut in a feature film opposite Irrfan Khan.
o Bumrah, Harmanpreet are also named in Forbes India 30 Under 30 list.
Odisha appoints Naba Kumar Nayak as State EC 32 | P a g e
o Retired bureaucrat Naba Kumar Nayak is appointed as the State Election Commissioner (SEC).
o A retired IAS officer, Nayak, has long administrative experience including election management.
o He served the state government in various capacities including district collector, Puri (2012-13) and Mayurbhanj (2012) and deputy relief commissioner.
Saurav Becomes Highest-Ranked Squash Player
o India’s leading squash player, Saurav Ghosal jumped five places to No. 14 to become the highest ranked Indian in the latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings.
o Ghosal beat Joshna Chinappa who slipped three places to No. 17 while Dipika Pallikal Karthik remained on 20.
o Former Indian national champion Harinder Pal Sandhu was placed at 49th.
Neelam Kapur Appointed DG Of SAI
o Senior-most Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Neelam Kapur was appointed Director-General of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
o She is at present the Principal Director General of the Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP).
o It is for the first time that an IIS officer has been appointed as SAI chief. The post is usually held by an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
March 2018
Chandra Bhushan appointed Deputy EC 33 | P a g e
o Chandra Bhushan Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner.
o Bhushan is a 1995 batch IAS officer of union territories cadre.
o He has been appointed to the post for five years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Vineet Joshi appointed as DG of NTA
o Vineet Joshi was appointed the first Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) on 30th March.
o NTA is an independent body dedicated to conducting entrance tests for higher education in India.
o NTA, which was approved by the Union cabinet last October, will conduct entrance tests entrusted to it by any department or ministry.
India's first female doctor's birthday
o Google celebrated the 153rd birth anniversary of Anandi Gopal Joshi, India’s first female doctor on 31st March.
o Anandi Joshi was born on this day in Maharashtra in 1865.
o There is a crater on Venus named after her.
Shekhar to head National Film Awards jury
o Veteran director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed the chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards.
o The central panel comprises a chairperson and 10 other members, including five regional chairpersons who head the respective regional panels.
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o The 11-member committee reportedly includes lyricist Mehboob, actress Gautami Tadimalla and director Rahul Rawail.
Promila Gupta to take over as DGHS
o Dr Promila Gupta will take over as the Directorate General of Health Services.
o She will succeed Dr B D Athani, currently in charge of the DGHS office.
o Dr Promila Gupta is now currently the Additional Director of Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Win Myint elected new Myanmar president
o Myanmar's parliament has elected Win Myint as the country's next President.
o Win Myint has been a speaker in the lower house since 2012.
o Myanmar’s President is elected by a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament from among the country’s three Vice- Presidents, representing respectively the Lower House, the Upper House and the military.
SC appoints acting head for NGT
o The Supreme Court appointed Justice Jawad Rahim, judicial member of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), as its acting chairperson.
o The new acting chairperson will discharge his duties until a regular appointment is made and will take part in the selection process of other members of the NGT.
o Justice Rahim was the judge of the Karnataka High Court from 2006 to 2014.
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Indu Bhushan is the CEO of Ayushman Bharat
o Indu Bhushan was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Centres ambitious Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM).
o He is the Director General of East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines.
o The ABNHPM has the benefit cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
Pakistan gets first woman opposition leader
o Pakistani lawmaker Sherry Rehman made history by becoming the first woman Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
o Rehman of Pakistan Peoples Party was declared as the Leader of the Opposition after she secured support of majority 34 opposition senators in the house of 104.
o She has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US from 2011 to 2013 and was elected to the Senate in 2015.
Rakesh Bhatnagar appointed BHU V-C
o JNU professor Rakesh Bhatnagar has been appointed as the vice- chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University.
o He will take charge from BHU Registrar Neeraj Tripathi, who had been holding the additional charge of the top post since October last year.
o He is a JC Bose National Fellow and has won the ICMR award for developing a recombinant vaccine against anthrax.
Vizcarra sworn in as Peru's new president
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o Martin Vizcarra was sworn in as Peru's new president after his predecessor Pedro Pablo Kuczynski abruptly resigned over a corruption scandal.
o He had earlier served as Peru's first vice president and his country's ambassador to Canada.
o Vizcarra, while taking oath, has vowed to eliminate economic corruption from the country.
Google Doodle honours Japanese geochemist
o Google on 21st March honoured Japanese geochemist "Katsuko Saruhashi" on her birth anniversary with a doodle.
o She was one of the 1st to study and measure the levels of carbon dioxide in seawater.
o She also measured the spread and fallout from nuclear testing.
o She established the Saruhashi Prize, given each year to a Japanese woman who has made contributions to the field of natural sciences.
German President arrived in New Delhi
o German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in New Delhi on 22nd March for a five-day visit to India.
o This is his first visit to India as the President of Germany.
o Germany is India's largest trading partner in Europe and the sixth largest trading partner in the world. India was ranked 24th in Germany's global trade.
o Germany is the 7th largest foreign direct investor in India.
Nanda Bahadur Pun is the new VP of Nepal
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o Nanda Bahadur Pun has been re-elected as the Vice-President of Nepal for the second term.
o President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to her deputy, Vice-President Pun.
o Bidhya Devi Bhandari was elected as First President of Federal Nepal.
Vivo signs Aamir Khan as brand ambassador
o Chinese smartphone maker Vivo announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador for India.
o Aamir has been signed for future brand and product communication initiatives of Vivo India.
o Vivo is also associated with popular sports platforms such as Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pro-Kabaddi League in the country.
o Vivo entered India in late 2014.
Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh passes away
o Eminent Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh passed away here on 20th March following a prolonged illness.
o A Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awardee, Kedarnath Singh was known for his simple style of writing.
o Some of his best-known works include the award-winning poetry collection "Akaal Mein Saras", "Bagh", "Abhi Bilkul Abhi", "Zameen pak Rahi Hai", "Yahan se Dekho", "Tolstoy aur cycle".
Yi Gang is Governor of People's Bank of China
o China appointed American-trained economist Yi Gang as Governor of People's Bank of China. 38 | P a g e
o Yi is currently serving as Deputy to incumbent central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan.
o China's central bank does not operate independently of the government, and so Mr Yi will report to President Xi Jinping.
Wang Yi promoted as State Councillor
o China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been elevated to the post of State Councillor.
o The State Councillor, attached to the State Council, China’s cabinet, is of a higher rank than Foreign Minister.
o Mr Wang will continue to retain the post of Foreign Minister.
Li Keqiang re-elected as Prime Minister
o Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was on March 18, 2018, re-elected for his second five-year term by the members of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC).
o Li Keqiang received 2964 votes in favour and two in against.
o Traditionally, the Chinese Prime Minister is regarded as the top economic official of the country.
Sony India appoints Sunil Nayyar as MD
o Sony India on 19th March announced the appointment of Sunil Nayyar as its Managing Director (MD) in place of Kenichiro Hibi.
o Hibi, who was MD of Sony India from 2012 till 2018, has now been appointed as President of Sony Brazil.
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o Nayyar is the first Indian to be appointed as Managing Director for Sony India.
Vladimir Putin wins 4th term as President
o Vladimir Putin will lead Russia for another six years, after securing victory in the presidential elections held on 18th March.
o Putin, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, won more than 75% of the vote.
o He was well ahead of his nearest rival Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin.
Deepa Malik becomes Asian Rank 1
o Indian para-athlete Deepa Malik has won the gold in the F53/54 Javelin event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
o With this, she became the Asian rank one in the F-53 category.
o She has also qualified for the 2018 Asian Para Games to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
o Deepa Malik is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics.
Kudlow to be Trump's new economic advisor
o Larry Kudlow, a well-known conservative media pundit, would be the new chief economic advisor of the US President Donald Trump.
o Kudlow would replace Cohen, who quit the post after his differences with Trump on imposing a 25% tariff on import of steel & 10% on aluminum.
o Kudlow, who served as Trump's informal economic adviser during the 2016 campaign, is a well-known conservative voice.
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Kevin Pietersen announced retirement
o Former England batsman, Kevin Pietersen has officially announced his retirement from all forms of the game.
o Pietersen has been away from the biggest stage since his England exile started in 2014 following the team’s Ashes whitewash Down Under.
o A prolific scorer in all forms of the game, Pietersen has 8,181 runs in 104 tests, 4,440 runs in 136 ODIs & 1,176 runs in 37 Twenty20 Internationals.
N.Chandrasekaran elected as IISc President
o Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran has been elected as the President of the court of the Indian Institute of Science for three years.
o He has been elected as the 8th President of the Institute for the period 2018-21 and took over from K. Kasturirangan.
o Located in Bangalore, IISc is a primary institute for advanced scientific and technological research and education in the country.
Mauritius president Ameenah Fakim resigned
o The president of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, resigned from her position amid accusations of financial impropriety.
o It has been alleged that Gurib-Fakim made personal purchases worth thousands of dollars with a credit card provided by an NGO.
o Gurib-Fakim took the honorary position of president in 2015, becoming the first woman to do so in Mauritian history.
Second Indian woman fighter pilot to go solo
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o Flying Officer Bhawana Kanth became the 2nd woman pilot of IAF to fly solo in a fighter aircraft.
o She flew in a MiG-21 Bison aircraft from Ambala Air Force Station.
o In Feb, flying officer Avani Chaturvedi made history by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo.
o Only selected countries, such as Britain, US, Israel & Pak have allowed women in the role of fighter pilots.
Slovenian PM Cerar resigns
o Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar tendered his resignation after a court annulled the result of a government referendum.
o The move comes less then three months ahead of general election which was expected in June.
o The constitutional court found that the government had not acted with due impartiality as it spent public money to back a yes vote for the scheme.
Tata group Chief Ethics Officer Rajan quits
o Tata Son's Chief Ethics Officer Mukund Rajan will leave the group to evaluate entrepreneurial pursuits in the coming months.
o Rajan, who was the former MD of Tata Teleservices, was appointed as the group spokesperson and brand custodian in Feb 2013.
o Rajan who is also the brother of ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was the youngest director to be appointed on the boards of major Tata companies.
Lebanese author Emily Nasrallah passed away
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o Acclaimed Lebanese author and feminist Emily Nasrallah, who articulated women’s experiences in her writing about Lebanon’s civil war, has died at the age of 87.
o Nasrallah began her career as a journalist and published her first book, “Birds of September,” in 1962.
o She was the author of several books for adults and children and was awarded regional and international prizes for her work.
Stephen Hawking passed away
o Stephen Hawking, the British Physicist and the black hole theorist have died on 14th March.
o Hawkings redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate.
o He is also the author of the best selling book, "A Brief History of Time".
Begum Hamida pioneer in women empowerment dies
o Begum Hamida Habibullah, a former Rajya Sabha member and a pioneer in women empowerment died on 13th March.
o Ms Habibullah was known for working on women issues. She was the founder of "Self Employed Women’s Association", which promoted self- employment for women and the art of Lucknow's famous "Chikankari".
o She joined politics in 1965 and went on to become an MLA from UP's Barabanki District.
John Sulston human genome pioneer passed away
o British genome pioneer Sir John Sulston has died aged 75.
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o Sir John won a Nobel Prize in 2002 for his work on the development of cells within a humble worm, which paved the way for innovations in cancer research.
o He was known as a passionate believer in pushing the boundaries of science and in making data on the human genome available to all.
PM Modi's rakhi sister passed away
o Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rakhi sister Sharbati Devi passed away in Dhanbad at the age of 103.
o She had hit the headlines last year when she met Prime Minister Modi at his official residence in Lok Kalyan Marg on Raksha Bandhan.
o The 103-year-old, who had lost her brother 50-years-ago, had a desire to celebrate the festival with the prime minister because she missed her deceased brother.
Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi re-elected
o Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi has been re-elected as general secretary of RSS for a 4th term.
o Joshi, who has been holding the post since 2009, will now continue in the position till 2021.
o He will be the 2nd Sarkaryawah of RSS to serve such a long stint after Seshadri who had held the post from 1987 to 2000.
o Sangh's general secretary is its executive head who looks after day-to-day affairs.
Senior editor Ranjan Roy passed away
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o Senior journalist Ranjan Roy passed away after battling cancer for several years.
o Roy was the chief of the Times News Network (TNN) and a member of the paper’s national editorial board.
o An alumnus of Delhi's St. Stephen's College and Princeton University, US, Roy started his journalistic career in the Press Trust of India in New Delhi as a trainee in 1982.
Parag Agrawal appointed as Twitter's CTO
o Twitter has appointed Parag Agrawal as its chief technology officer.
o Agrawal, an alumnus of IIT-Bombay and a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University, succeeds Adam Messinger.
o His contributions at Twitter include leading efforts to increase the relevance of tweets in Twitter users' timelines using Artificial Intelligence.
Prabhu given charge of Aviation Ministry
o Commerce and Industries Minister Suresh Prabhu given additional charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
o The President, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed that Suresh Prabhu, Cabinet Minister, shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in addition to his existing portfolio.
o Suresh Prabhu was the former Minister of Railways.
Uber ropes in Virat Kohli as Ambassador
o Cab hailing platform Uber has roped in Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador in India.
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o This is the first time the company has announced a brand ambassador in the Asia Pacific region.
o In February it had named footballer Mohamed Salah as the brand ambassador for the Egypt market.
Mauritius President to resign
o The Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim will resign next week.
o She is internationally renowned and is feted on the world stage, and is the recipient of the L'Oréal-UNESCO award for women in science.
o Gurib-Fakim was appointed to The Planet Earth Institute board in 2015.
o The Planet Earth Institute is accredited by the United Nations Environmental Program.
Sanjeev Gupta appointed as Ambassador
o Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been appointed by Britain's Prince Charles as an official ambassador for the Industrial Cadets programme designed to nurture manufacturing skills.
o Mr Gupta was appointed to the flagship programme to give young people a direct structured experience of the industry.
o The Industrial programme was set up at the behest of the Prince of Wales.
First woman as combat officer in ITBP
o In another first for women, 25-year-old Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer in the border guarding force, ITBP.
o The ITBP force is the last of the CAPFs to induct women officers in combat roles after the government first allowed it to enroll them in 2016.
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o ITBP guards the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
Sufi singer Pyarelal Wadali passed away
o The Sufi singing pair of Wadali Brothers was broken as Pyarelal Wadali, the younger brother, passed away at the age of 65 in Amritsar.
o Besides Sufi kalaam and qawwali, the brothers sang the bhajan, ghazal and kaafi forms.
o The brothers got Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992, Tulsi Award in 1998, and Punjabi Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003.
TDP ministers resigned from Union Cabinet
o Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S.Chowdary of the Telugu Desam Party submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
o BJP Ministers Kamineni Srinivas (Health) and Pydikondala Manikyala Rao (Endowments) resigned from the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet.
o Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor accepted the resignations.
Veteran Actor Shammi Passes Away
o Veteran Bollywood actor, who was fondly called 'Shammi aunty' by many in the film fraternity passed away at the age of 89.
o Born as Nargis Rabadi she has appeared in over 100 films.
o She was well-known for her work in television series like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, and Shriman Shrimati.
o She made her debut in Bollywood at the age of 18 with Ustad Pedro.
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Biplab Deb to be Tripura's Chief Minister
o The Bharatiya Janata Party has named the party' State president Biplab Kumar Deb as the chief ministerial candidate for Tripura.
o Jishnu Devvarma, a member of the royal family there, has been named for Deputy Chief Minister.
o Mr. Deb will soon meet Governor Tathagata Roy to stake claim. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held on March 8.
Ivory became oldest person to win an Oscar
o James Ivory became the oldest person to win an Oscar with his award win for best adapted screenplay for the film 'Call Me By Your Name' at the 90th Academy Awards.
o The 89-year-old director and screenwriter had previously been nominated thrice in the best director category for 'A Room with a View', 'Howards End' and 'The Remains of the Day'.
Tribute paid to late actress Sridevi: Oscars
o Late actress Sridevi was among those mentioned in the 'In Memoriam' section at Oscars 2018 as a tribute to personalities in the film industry who passed away.
o Shashi Kapoor, who passed away in December, 2017, featured in the tribute montage.
o Late actor Roger Moore, known for his role as James Bond, filmmakers Jonathan Demme and George Romero were also mentioned.
Dhoni becomes brand ambassador
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o Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has become a brand ambassador of gaming platform Dream11.
o Dhoni will be the new face of the gaming platform's multi-channel marketing campaigns and brand engagement activities.
o Currently the gaming platform has an user base of 2 crore sports fans playing "fantasy cricket, football, kabaddi and NBA.
Javed Abidi passes away
o Noted disability rights activist Javed Abidi passed away this afternoon due to chest infection.
o Abidi was the Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People and also the Global Chair of Disabled People International.
o He was involved in several consultations with the government on policies for creating a barrier free environment for all, including the disabled
Conrad Sangma to be next CM of Meghalaya
o National People's Party (NPP) President Conrad Sangma will be the new chief minister of Meghalaya.
o NPP came out as the second largest party with 19 seats in the recently held elections which threw a hung verdict.
o Sarma has informed that there will be no deputy chief minister in the new government.
o He will replace congress leader Mukul Sangma.
Hindu woman elected to Pakistan's senate
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o Krishna Kumari Kohli from Pakistan's Sindh province has become the 1st ever Hindu Dalit woman Senator.
o She is a member of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People's Party.
o Her election represents a major milestone for women & minority rights in Pakistan.
o She has actively participated & worked for the rights of downtrodden people of marginalised communities living in Thar & other areas.
Shatrughan won lifetime achievement award
o Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of arts and politics.
o He was awarded at a ceremony in the UK's Parliament complex in London.
o The annual 'Political and Public Life Awards', now in its 12th year, recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on public life or made a difference in their local communities.
99-year-old swims 50m in 56.12 sec
o A 99-year-old Australian swimmer broke the world record for the 100-104 age category in the 50m freestyle.
o George Corones, who turns 100 in April, completed the 50m freestyle in 56.12 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 1:16.92 set by the late Canadian swimmer Jaring Timmerman in 2009.
o Corones took up swimming "seriously" when he turned 80.
Vinay Kumar is envoy to Afghanistan
o Senior diplomat Vinay Kumar has been appointed as India’s ambassador to Afghanistan, succeeding incumbent Manpreet Vohra. 50 | P a g e
o Mr. Kumar, a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the headquarters of the External Affairs Ministry here.
o He has served in various positions and has worked in India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.
Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi Passes Away
o Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the senior seer of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt situated in Tamil Nadu, passed away. He was 82-years-old.
o The junior pontiff, Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi will be the 70th Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
o Sri Jayendra Saraswathi came to wield enormous say in matters affecting the Hindu religion in the country, including the Ayodhya issue.
PNB appoints Pradhan as Chief Risk Officer
o Hit by nearly Rs 12,700 cr fraud, PNB appointed its general manager A K Pradhan as the Group Chief Risk Officer.
o PNB said that the amount of fraud in he Nirav Modi case can go up to Rs 12,700 cr as against the earlier estimate of 11,400 cr.
o On February 14, PNB had detected the fraud wherein billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi & associates allegedly cheated the bank by acquiring fraudulent LoUs.
April 2018
Google celebrates Dadasaheb Phalke's birthday
o Google dedicated a Doodle to 'Father of Indian Cinema' Dadasaheb Phalke on his 148th birth anniversary. 51 | P a g e
o Phalke made his directorial debut in 1913 with "Raja Harishchandra", India's first full-length feature.
o In 1969, the Government paid homage to this visionary filmmaker by dedicating an award in his name, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which recognises lifetime contributions to Indian cinema.
Kavinder Gupta is new deputy CM of J&K
o Former Jammu and Kashmir speaker Kavinder Gupta took oath as a minister in the Mehbooba Mufti government.
o Gupta took oath as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, replacing BJP's Nirmal Singh, who will now become the assembly speaker.
o Kavinder Gupta is a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Gandhinagar constituency in Jammu district.
Pompeo sworn in as new US secretary of state
o Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo has been sworn in as the 70th US secretary of state after the Senate voted to confirm him, 57-42.
o Mike Pompeo replaces President Donald Trump's first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
o His confirmation creates a vacancy atop the CIA that will be filled, at least for now, by Gina Haspel, the intelligence agency’s No. 2 official.
Saudi Aramco appoints first woman to the board
o Saudi Arabia’s Aramco, the world's top oil company has appointed its first female board member among five new members to its board of directors.
o Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, the former chairwoman, president and CEO of U.S. oil refiner Sunoco is the first female board member of Aramco.
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o Elsenhans was named by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful women in 2008.
India’s longest serving chief minister
o Pawan Chamling has created history by surpassing the record of former communist ruler of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu, as the longest serving chief minister in the country.
o Chamling became the chief minister of Sikkim on December 12, 1994, and has ruled the tiny Himalayan state ever since.
o Chamling joined politics in 1973, and was elected to the Sikkim assembly for the first time in 1985.
Alfie dies after court rejects appeal
o Alfie Evans, the 23-month-old British toddler whose grave illness drew international attention, has died.
o Alfie had been in a semi-vegetative state for more than a year.
o A British court rejected an appeal by the parents on Wednesday to take their son to Italy.
o The case has provoked strong feelings over whether judges, doctors or parents have the right to decide on a child’s life.
Indu Malhotra sworn in as SC Judge
o Senior lawyer Indu Malhotra was sworn in on 27th April as Supreme Court Judge.
o Justice Malhotra is the 7th woman Judge of the top court. Justice M. Fatima Beevi was the first woman judge of the SC. She was followed by
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Justice Sujata V. Manohar, Justice Ruma Pal, Justice Misra, Justice Desai and Justice Banumathi.
o She is the 1st woman lawyer from the Supreme Court bar to be directly elevated.
Mahadevi Varma Is Today's Google Doodle
o Mahadevi Varma, celebrated Hindi poet, freedom fighter, women's rights activist and educationist, was honoured by Google with a Doodle.
o In 1982, Mahadevi Varma received the Jnanpith Award for her outstanding contributions to Indian literature on April 27.
o She was also honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1956, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, and Padma Vibhushan in 1988.
Gauri became Brand Ambassador for Haryana
o The Haryana government has appointed shooter Gauri Sheoran as the Brand Ambassador for its Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign & Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
o Under the MR campaign, about 80 lakh children aged between 9 months and 15 would be vaccinated.
o RBSK is an initiative aimed at covering defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases, and disability.
Ex-foreign secretary Jaishankar to join Tata
o Tata Sons has announced appointment of S Jaishankar as the Tata Group’s President, Global Corporate Affairs.
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o Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977 holding key roles during his career including stints as High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador to China and US.
o Jaishankar will work with Tata Companies to help them strengthen their business presence in their respective geographies globally.
Mario Benitez elected as Paraguay's president
o Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected as the president of Paraguay.
o Benitez garnered 46.44% of the vote, compared with 42.74% for his main rival Efrain Alegre.
o He is the son of the late private secretary of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay for 35 years.
Yechury gets 2nd term as CPM general secretary
o The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) has re-elected senior party leader Sitaram Yechury for his second term as general secretary.
o Yechury had taken over as general secretary of the CPI(M) from Prakash Karat in the 21st party congress.
o The CPI-M’s constitution allows an individual to be elected for a maximum of three terms, each consisting of three years.
Verne Troyer passed away
o Verne Troyer, the actor best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Power films and one of the shortest men in the world, has died.
o He also played the banker goblin Griphook in 2001′s "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and appeared on dozens of TV shows.
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o Troyer was born in 1969 with achondroplasia, a genetic condition that kept him less than 3 feet tall.
Indian airports got its 1st woman firefighter
o Airports Authority of India (AAI) has appointed its first woman firefighter, Taniya Sanyal.
o Taniya is currently undergoing training in Delhi and will be appointed for AAI’s eastern region airports.
o Considered a profession only for men, AAI till recently did not have recruitment norms for women firefighters.
o AAI is facing a shortage of firefighters due to expansion & new airports coming up.
World's oldest person Nabi Tajima died
o The world's oldest person Nabi Tajima has died in Japan at the age of 117.
o Tajima was born on August 4, 1900, and had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren.
o She became the world's oldest person seven months ago after the death in September of Violet Brown in Jamaica.
Prince Charles to be next head of Commonwealth
o Prince Charles will be the next head of the Commonwealth, succeeding, his mother Queen Elizabeth.
o The Queen has been head of the Commonwealth since coming to the throne in 1952, but the position is not automatically held by the British monarch.
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o As the Queen no longer goes abroad, the current summit in London in all likelihood will be her last.
Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager
o Arsene Wenger is all set to step down as a manager of Arsenal at the end of this season, thus ending his illustrious 22-year tenure.
o Wenger, who is the longest serving manager in the English Premier League, had led Arsenal to 3 league title in 1998, 2002, and 2004.
o Hired by Arsenal in Sept of 1996, he introduced new styles & standards to a sport & a league that had become set in their ways.
Swedish DJ, Musician Avicii Found Dead
o Swedish DJ & record producer Avicii, one of the biggest stars of electronic dance music was found dead in Oman.
o Avicii, known for international hits like Wake Me Up & Hey Brother, announced in 2016 that he was retiring from touring
o Avicii won a number of American & Billboard music awards for his EDM work.
o He was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for best dance recording in 2012 & 2013.
Kyrgyzstan's parliament names new PM
o Kyrgyzstan's Parliament has named Mukhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev as the new Prime Minister.
o Abylgaziyev, previously chief of staff in President Sooronbai Jeenbekov's office, replaced Sapar Isakov whose cabinet lost a no-confidence vote.
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o The govt reshuffle completes a series of moves taken by Jeenbekov since he came to power to remove the appointees of his predecessor, Almazbek Atambayev.
Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA chief
o US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump-nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine to serve as NASA's 13th administrator.
o His confirmation following a vote in the Senate ends the longest span of time that NASA has operated without a permanent leader.
o Bridenstine, a pilot in US Navy Reserve currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee & Science, Space & Technology Committee.
Syria returned prestigious Legion d'honneur
o Syria has returned to France the prestigious Legion d'honneur presented to President Bashar al-Assad.
o President Assad was decorated with the highest class of the award, the Grand Croix, in 2001 after he took power following the death of his father.
o France recently joined the US and Britain in bombing Syrian targets over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Tata Sons appoints new Group Chief HR Officer
o Tata Sons has appointed long-time group employee Nupur Mallick as its new Group Chief Human Resource Officer.
o Currently, Mallick is director, Human Resources for Tata Consultancy Services in the UK and Ireland.
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o She will take over from S. Padmanabhan who will continue to be executive chairman of Tata Business Excellence Group and head, Sustainability Group.
Cuba gets its first non-Castro President
o Cuba has selected First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba.
o Miguel is the first leader outside the Castro dynasty to lead the country since the 1959 revolution.
o Raul Castro will remain head of the Communist party, designated by the constitution as “the superior guiding force of society and the state".
Spielberg becomes 1st director to gross $10b
o Three-time Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has become the first director to gross more than $10 billion at the box office.
o Spielberg's latest film 'Ready Player One' has helped him achieve this milestone.
o Spielberg is unlikely to lose the top spot any time soon as his closest rivals - Peter Jackson, Michael Bay and James Cameron all are currently around the $6 billion figure.
Indian animation expert Bhimsain passed away
o Indian animation pioneer and multiple National Award winner Bhimsain Khurana has passed away.
o It was his pioneering work in animation and films like Dooriyan (1979) and Gharaonda (1977) that came to define him.
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o He is credited for the first Indian computer-generated animation series Lok Gatha (1992) that alone won him three national awards.
Karan Johar to get a statue at Madame Tussauds
o Karan Johar has become the first Indian filmmaker to have his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds museum in London.
o His wax figure will not just be launched in one city but will simultaneously head out on tour across Asia.
o Since his debut as a director in 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', Karan has managed a career that goes well beyond just filmmaking.
Dilip Chenoy new Secretary General of FICCI
o Director General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Dilip Chenoy, has been appointed as the Secretary General of the industry body.
o The decision came after incumbent Secretary General, Sanjaya Baru decided to step down from his position.
o A media advisor to former PM Manmohan Singh, Baru was appointed as the Secretary General of FICCI in September last year.
Lt Gen PP Malhotra takes over as DG NCC
o Lieutenant General PP Malhotra has assumed the charge as Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organization in the world.
o Prior to assuming his present appointment, he was the Chief Engineer of the Army’s premier Northern Command.
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o Lt Gen Malhotra’s distinguished professional career includes various regimental, staff and command appointments.
Former US First Lady Barbara Bush died
o Barbara Bush, the former US first lady and literacy campaigner, died at the age of 92.
o She was the matriarchal figure of a political dynasty that included two presidents - her husband George HW Bush and son George W Bush.
o As the first lady, from 1989 to 1993, she embraced the cause of universal literacy and founded a foundation for family literacy.
Noted journalist S Nihal Singh passed away
o Noted journalist and former Chief Editor of The Statesman and The Indian Express, Surendra Nihal Singh passed away on 16th April.
o He was the founding editor of The Indian Post in 1987.
o He was awarded the prestigious International Editor of the Year Award in New York for opposing the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Swimmer Shelar created world record
o Pune-based 17-year-old swimmer Sampanna Ramesh Shelar became the first person in the world to double cross Bangla Channel.
o Shelar became the first person to swim to and fro from Saint Martin's Island Jetty to Teknaf in Bangladesh also known as the Bangla Channel.
o Sampanna started swimming at about 5 am on 13th April and completed the journey of 32.2 kilometers in 9 hours and 10 minutes.
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Bhanu appointed Banks Board Bureau chairman
o The government appointed Bhanu Pratap Sharma as the new Chairman of Banks Board Bureau, which primarily recommends senior executive appointments in state-run banks.
o Sharma will replace former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, whose term ended on March 31.
o Notably, Sharma is the former Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Balram Bhargava to be new ICMR chief
o Balram Bhargava has been appointed the new Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research and Secretary of the Department of Health Research notification by the appointments committee of the cabinet.
o Balram Bhargava is currently a senior consultant cardiologist at the AIIMS and will carry out this role until 2021.
o He will succeed former ICMR DG Soumya Swaminathan.
Rakesh Bharti Mittal new CII President
o Bharti Enterprises Vice-Chairman Rakesh Bharti Mittal assumed the office of the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2018-19.
o Uday Kotak, Founder and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank took over as President-Designate of CII for 2018-19.
o Vikram Kirloskar is the new Vice-President of CII for the current fiscal.
Rishad Premji appointed NASSCOM Chairman 62 | P a g e
o IT industry body NASSCOM had appointed Wipro Chief Strategy Officer and board member Rishad Premji as its Chairman for 2018-19.
o NASSCOM has appointed WNS Group CEO Keshav Murugesh as the Vice Chairman.
o Rishad Premji has been a member of Nasscom’s executive council and was the vice chairman for 2017-18.
o NASSCOM is a trade association of Indian IT and Business Process Outsourcing industry.
Google marks birth anniversary of KL Saigal
o Google is marking the 114th birth anniversary of actor - singer Kundan Lal Saigal with a doodle of the late maestro.
o Saigal was Bollywood's first legitimate 'superstar', and appeared in 36 films made in three languages, and sang 185 songs in his 15 - plus - year career.
o Saigal got his big break in 1932 when he was cast in three films by a film studio called New Theatres.
Rajesh Ranjan appointed DG CISF
o Rajesh Ranjan, a 1984 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
o He is at present Special Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF).
o The CISF provides security to various government installations including the airports of the country.
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Sanjeev Nautiyal is the MD & CEO of SBI Life
o SBI Life Insurance Company Limited appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as its new MD and CEO.
o Sanjeev Nautiyal started his career with State Bank of India in 1985 as a probationary officer in bank's Lucknow circle.
o In the immediately preceding assignment, he was the Chief General Manager of the bank's Ahmedabad circle.
o He is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (C.A.I.I.B).
Subrata will be Ambassador of India to Serbia
o Subrata Bhattacharjee has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Serbia.
o Subrata Bhattacharjee is a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
o He is currently the Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs.
Himanta Sarma elected as President of BAI
o Himanta Biswa Sarma has been elected as the President of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for the next 4 years.
o He is a Cabinet ranked Minister and convener of the North East Democratic Alliance.
o He had taken over as the interim President of BAI last year after the demise of former president Akhilesh Das Gupta.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index released
o Mukesh Ambani is Asia’s third-richest man and is ranked 19 in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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o Apart from Ambani, there are 23 Indians in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index top 500 lists.
o Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates still hold on to the top two spots.
Natgeo award for physical therapy app
o Dr. Asha, a neurophysical therapist from Andhra Pradesh has won the 'National Geographic Chasing Genius Challenge' in the U.S. for designing Therax, a web/mobile application.
o 'Therax' helps patients with home exercise programmes in their native language.
o The NatGeo challenge is part of a marketing strategy to popularise a television series.
Protem Chairman of LKA appointed
o On the recommendation of the Minister of Culture, the President has appointed M L Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Akademies), Ministry of Culture as Protem Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA).
o He will continue to hold the office till a regular chairman is appointed.
o He will replace CS Krishna Setty whose term has come to an end.
Google celebrates birthday of Kamaladevi
o On 3rd April, Google celebrated the 115th birth anniversary of the multi- faceted freedom fighter, activist and promoter of the arts, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, with a doodle.
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o She was an active participant in the freedom movement, championed women's rights & founded the All-India Womens Conference.
o She also worked for the development of the performing arts in India.
Debjani Ghosh is the new Nasscom President
o Debjani Ghosh, former managing director of Intel South Asia, is the new president of Nasscom.
o She replaced R.Chandrashekhar whose term has completed.
o Ms.Ghosh was the first woman to lead Intel India and Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology.
o NASSCOM is a trade association of Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry.
Ex-Manipur CM R K Dorendra Singh passed away
o Former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh passed away in Imphal.
o Dorendra Singh had been Chief Minister of the state four times between 1974 to 1993.
o Before becoming the Chief Minister, he was the Speaker of Manipur Assembly.
Veteran director CV Rajendran passed away
o Veteran director CV Rajendran passed away in Chennai after a prolonged illness.
o Rajendran had worked with some of the big names in the industry that included Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
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o He has also made films in other languages like Dulhan (Hindi), Thrimurthy (Kannada), and Chiranjeevi (Telugu).
o He brought together Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa and introduced Prabhu.
MoS VK Singh to leave for Iraq
o Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh will leave for Iraq to bring back mortal remains of the 39 Indians killed by Islamic State terrorists in the war-torn country.
o As many as 40 Indians were abducted by terror group from Mosul in Iraq in June 2014, but one of them escaped posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh.
o The remaining 39 Indians were taken to Badoosh and killed.
New head of BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit
o BCCI has appointed former Rajasthan Director General of Police Ajit Singh as the head of its Anti-Corruption Unit.
o He will replace former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar.
o He will take charge of the office ahead of IPL and will be based out of BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
o He has served Indian Police Service for 36 years & has headed the anti- corruption bureau of Rajasthan for 4 years.
May 2018
Krishna Murari as CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC
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o The Union Law Ministry has cleared the appointment of Justice Krishna Murari of the Allahabad High Court as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
o Justice Murari will succeed former chief justice S J Vazifdar, who retired on May 3.
o Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for Haryana, Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda retires
o Top Indian discus thrower Vikas Gowda has retired after competing at the highest level for more than 15 years.
o Gowda, who holds the national record of 66.28m, is one of the most decorated Indian athlete, having won a gold in the 2013 and 2015 Asian Championships.
o Awarded the Padma Shri in 2017, Gowda became the second Indian in 56 years to win an athletics gold at the CWG.
New Northern Army Commander
o Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has been appointed as the new Northern Army commander.
o Lt Gen Singh succeeds Lt Gen Anbu who has been appointed as the Vice- Chief of the Indian Army.
o Lt Gen Ranbir Singh was the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) when India carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
'Santokbaa Humanitarian' award
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o Child rights activist and Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and space scientist A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), were given 'Santokbaa Humanitarian Award'.
o The award was presented by the President of India.
o The award is instituted by Shree Ramkrishna Knowledge Foundaton (SRKKF).
MD Mallya appointed as independent director
o ICICI Bank has appointed MD Mallya as an additional independent director on the board.
o Mallya in the past has served as the managing director & chairman of Bank of Baroda.
o Mallya's tenure is for a period of 5 years, it is subjected to the approval of shareholders.
o Mallya was also engaged extensively with the government as Indian Banks’ Association chairman.
Pankaj Saran appointed Deputy NSA
o India's envoy to Russia Pankaj Saran has been appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor.
o He served twice in the Prime Minister's Office - First as Deputy Secretary during 1995 and 1999, and then as the Joint Secretary between 2007 and 2012.
o He had held various positions in India & abroad including country's High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
o Ajit Doval is the National Security Adviser
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R K Agrawal appointed NCDRC president
o Justice R K Agrawal has been appointed as the next President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
o Justice Agrawal will take over from Justice DK Jain who retires on May 31, 2018.
o The NCDRC, which deals with consumer rights and addresses their disputes and grievances, is a quasi-judicial commission set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
Google celebrates the founder of the pH scale
o Google honoured Danish biochemist, Soren Peder Lauritz Sorensen, for his revolutionary work in the concept of the pH scale.
o The pH scale is a concept that is used to measure acidity and alkalinity of substances.
o The significance of pH is that it measures the concentration of the hydrogen ion and 'ranks' them on a scale of numbers between 0 and 14.
Yuvraj awarded the icon of the year award
o Indian star cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been awarded the 'most inspiring icon of the year for Social Welfare".
o The award was given by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival for his exemplary contribution in the field of social welfare.
o Yuvraj opened his foundation 'YouWeCan' that focuses on creating cancer awareness.
Defence Secretary to be the DRDO chief
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o The government has asked Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra to hold additional charge of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
o This comes after Eminent scientist S Christopher completed his term as the Chief of DRDO.
o Christopher was appointed as the Director General of the DRDO for a two- year term in May 2015 and was given a one-year extension in May 2017.
Nasir Ul Mulk to be the interim Prime Minister
o Pakistan has appointed former Chief Justice Nasir Ul Mulk as interim Prime Minister until general elections are held on July 25, 2018.
o Mulk has also served as the interim chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
o The interim administration usually does not make any major decisions until the new government is elected.
Queen Maxima of Netherlands arrives India
o Queen Maxima of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who is also the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.
o Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India.
o During Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to India, the former became an official partner of the International Solar Alliance.
Akshay launches ad campaign for Swachh Bharat
o Akshay Kumar launched an advertisement campaign for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
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o The campaign was launched at a Collectors Convention for Toilet Technology.
o The campaign focuses on promoting the twin pit toilet technology in rural India.
o The advertisement campaign launched is an effort, supported by the World Bank.
RBI appoints Sudha as its first CFO
o National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) executive Sudha Balakrishnan has been appointed as the first chief financial officer (CFO) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
o Balakrishnan, a chartered accountant, was until recently a vice-president at the NSDL, India’s first and largest depository.
o She will be the 12th executive director at RBI, and will serve a three-year term.
Oldest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest
o Sangeeta Bahl, at the age of 53 has become the oldest Indian woman to scale the Mount Everest.
o She scaled the peak on May 19, 2018, with the help of 2 Sherpas and was felicitated at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu.
o She carried a banner to the peak advocating early detection of breast cancer in women & funding for the same.
o She has already conquered 6 out of the 7 highest peaks of the world.
India’s highest decorated general passed away
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o India's most decorated General, Lt Gen Zorawar Chand Bakshi, also known as Zoru Bakshi passed away.
o Decorated with Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Param Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, Bakshi was instrumental in the historic capture of strategic Haji Pir pass from Pakistan army.
o He also took part in the World War II in the Burma in which he earned a Mention-in-Despatches.
Hariri wins third term as Prime Minister
o Lebanon's Saad Hariri has won a new term as Prime Minister after he won the backing of the majority of parliamentarians.
o It will be 3rd term for Hariri, who has held the position since December 2016 and was also Prime Minister between 2009 and 2011.
o Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, Prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, Speaker a Shia Muslim & President a Maronite Christian.
Astronaut and Moonwalker Alan Bean dead
o Former US astronaut Alan Bean, who was the 4th man to walk on the Moon, has died in Texas, U.S.
o Bean went into space twice, the first time in November 1969 as the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 12 moon-landing mission.
o Bean spent a total of 69 days in space, including 31 hours on the moon.
o In 1973 he was commander of the second crewed flight to Skylab - America's first space station.
President appoints Odisha, Mizoram governors
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o President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed new Governors of two states - Odisha and Mizoram.
o President Kovind appointed Professor Ganeshi Lal as the Governor of Odisha while Kummanam Rajasekharan has been appointed as the Governor of Mizoram.
o Rajasekharan will replace incumbent Lt Gen Nirbhay Sharma.
Sushil Chandra gets another one-year extension
o Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman Sushil Chandra has got a one-year extension up to May 31, 2019.
o He took over as chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in 2016.
o This is the second extension that he has got.
o CBDT has six members, apart from the chairman, and is responsible for framing policy related to direct taxes and the Income Tax Department.
Govt appoints non-executive chairpersons
o Finance ministry has appointed non-executive chairpersons at Punjab & Sindh Bank, Dena Bank & Central Bank of India, as part of its agenda to reform public sector banks.
o Charan Singh, Anjali Bansal & Tapan Ray were appointed as non executive chairperson of Punjab & Sind Bank, Dena Bank & Central Bank of India, respectively.
o These banks have been plagued by mounting bad loans & massive losses
Chandramauli appointed as Chairman of PCI
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o Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, who was the former Supreme Court Judge has been appointed as the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) for the second time.
o The decision was taken by a committee of three members, headed by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
o Justice Prasad had taken over from Justice Markanday Katju in November, 2014.
New Vice Chief of Army Staff
o Lt. Gen. Devraj Anbu has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).
o He is presently GOC-in-C (General Officer Commanding-in-Chief) Northern Command.
o He will replace Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand who retires on May 31.
o Lt. Gen. Anbu is expected to be replaced by Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh who was the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) at the time of surgical strikes.
Niti Aayog ropes in Sushant Singh Rajput
o Actor Sushant Singh Rajput will promote 2 major initiatives of NITI Aayog - BHIM app & the Women Entrepreneurship Platform.
o BHIM is a payment app that lets users make simple and quick transactions using Unified Payments Interface.
o Women Entrepreneurship Platform is a unified access portal which brings together women from different parts of India to realize their entrepreneurial aspirations.
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Anubrata Biswas appointed as MD & CEO
o Airtel Payments Bank has announced the appointment of Anubrata Biswas as its Managing Director & CEO.
o Anubrata will be responsible for driving Airtel Payments Bank's mission of taking convenient and innovative digital banking services to the doorstep of every Indian.
o Airtel Payments Bank was the first payments bank to start operations in India.
H D Kumaraswamy sworn in as Karnataka CM
o JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy has been sworn in as Karnataka's 24th chief minister.
o This will be Kumarawamy's second term as the chief minister of Karnataka since 2007, when he last held the post for 20 months.
o G Parameshwara, the state Congress chief and the party's Dalit face, was sworn in as the deputy chief minister.
De Villiers retires from international cricket
o Former South Africa Test captain AB de Villiers has announced his retirement from international cricket.
o De Villiers made his international debut in Test series against England in 2004.
o He scored 8,765 Test runs and has a batting average of over 50 in both Test & ODI cricket.
o AB de Villiers holds the records for scoring the fastest fifty, hundred and 150 in ODIs.
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Olga Wins Man Booker International Prize
o “Flights”, a philosophical rumination on modern-day travel by the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk, won the Man Booker International Prize for works of translated fiction.
o The Man Booker International Prize is awarded by the same organization that gives the Man Booker Prize for fiction.
o It is for a single work of fiction that has been translated into English and published in the United Kingdom.
Pravin Agrawal appointed BHEL director
o Power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has appointed Pravin L Agrawal as the part-time official director on its board.
o An Indian Forest Service officer, Agrawal is presently joint secretary in the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
o Established in 1964, BHEL is India's largest power generation equipment manufacturer.
IAF Chief Dhanoa began 4-day visit to Israel
o Chief of Air Staff BS Dhanoa has begun a 4-day visit to Israel with an aim to enhance cooperation between air forces of the two countries.
o He will attend a conference themed 'Air superiority as a bridge to regional stability' which is being organized as part of 70th-anniversary celebrations of Israel Air Force.
o Air forces of both the countries have been enhancing cooperation over the years.
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NYSE to have its first female leader
o The New York Stock Exchange has appointed Chief Operating Officer Stacey Cunningham as its first female president.
o Cunningham will replace Tom Farley as the head of NYSE.
o Cunningham became NYSE's chief operating officer in June 2015.
o NYSE’s move means two of the top three US stock exchange operators are led by women.
Malaysia gets its first Sikh minister
o Gobind Singh Deo, an Indian-origin Sikh politician in Malaysia, has become a cabinet minister.
o He is the first member of the minority community in Malaysia's history to be appointed as a minister.
o He has been given the communications and multimedia portfolio.
o He is among the two politicians of Indian descent that have been included in the Pakatan Harapan coalition’s Cabinet.
Discussion on governance, data privacy
o Justice B N Srikrishna, who heads the committee on framing new data protection norms for India, will chair a panel discussion on governance to be held in New Delhi.
o The event is hosted by India International Centre (IIC) in collaboration with NITI Aayog and Centre for Policy Research (CPR).
o The discussion on 'Future of Governance' will focus on various aspects related to data privacy.
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First person to be put on no-fly list
o Birju Salla, who created a hijack scare onboard a Jet Airways flight in 2017, has become the 1st person to be put on the "National No Fly List".
o He has been banned from flying under highest level of onboard unruly behaviour that entails grounding from 2 years to lifetime.
o A person put on the no-fly list can't fly by any flight of that airline, international or domestic, for grounded period.
Pawan Singh named RTS Jury chief
o India's former shooter & national coach Pawan Singh has been appointed as the Chairman of Result Timing Score Jury by the International Shooting Sports Federation for the ISSF World Cup in Munich.
o With this appointment, Singh became the first Indian to chair the RTS Jury at a senior World Cup.
o He would be responsible to resolve any score related issue and provide an accurate result on time.
Venezuela's Maduro won presidential vote
o Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro won a new six-year term in what is being seen as a controversial vote.
o Country's main opposition coalition, Democratic Unity Roundtable, had boycotted the election.
o The two most popular opposition leaders, Henrique Capriles and Leopoldo Lopez, were barred from running in the vote.
o Several democratic countries have rejected to recognize the vote.
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Prominent historian Lewis dead
o Bernard Lewis, a preeminent scholar of Middle Eastern history whose work profoundly shaped Western views of the region has passed away.
o He was a Cold War hawk, a strong pro-Israel Jew, and influential among White House and Pentagon planners of the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.
o His prolific scholarship, including more than 30 books traced fault lines that define the modern Middle East.
Netherlands PM to visit India
o Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte will visit India on May 24 & 25 with an aim to boost the economic and political cooperation between the 2 countries.
o It will be Rutte's second visit to India since June 2015 but the first after being re-elected as Prime Minister in 2017.
o Netherlands is the 5th largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of $23 billion from 2000 to Dec 2017.
Anil Kumar Jha appointed CMD of Coal India Ltd
o Anil Kumar Jha has been appointed as the Chairman-Cum-Managing director (CMD) of Coal India Limited.
o Anil Kumar is at present the CMD of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.
o Anil Kumar will replace acting chairman Suresh Kumar, an IAS officer, who has been holding the post of additional secretary at the ministry of coal.
o CIL is a state-owned coal mining company headquartered in Kolkata.
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o Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B B Vyas has been given one year extension in service, beyond May 31, 2018.
o The move came days after the Centre amended a rule to provide a longer tenure to the Chief Secretary.
o With regard to others states, a Chief Secretary may get an extension in service, beyond the superannuating age, for a period not exceeding six months.
Yeddyurappa resigns as Karnataka CM
o The Karnataka government led by B.S. Yeddyurappa resigned before facing a crucial trust vote in the assembly.
o The floor test was to be conducted after Congress-JD (S) alliance claimed the right to form the government on the basis of the 117 seats it had.
o BJP with 104 seats, was eight short of the majority-mark of 111.
Rajinder Singh named Hockey India president
o Rajinder Singh has been named the president of Hockey India, following Mariamma Koshy's resignation from the post.
o He is currently the Senior Vice President of Hockey India.
o Koshy was appointed as the President of Hockey India in November 2016 following Narinder Batras decision to step down after being elected as the President of International Hockey Federation.
Amit Khare appointed as new I&B secretary
o Senior bureaucrat Amit Khare has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
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o Khare, a 1985-batch IAS officer, is at present serving in his cadre state Jharkhand.
o He had in June 1996 reportedly exposed the multi-crore fodder scam, involving the then Chief Minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad.
o He will take over the charge from incumbent NK Sinha.
Ramalingam appointed as Chief Justice
o Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was sworn-in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Manipur.
o The acting Governor of Manipur Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of office to Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar.
o Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was appointed as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court by the President of India.
Himanta elected Vice-President of BAC
o The President of Badminton Association of India (BAI), Himanta Biswa Sarma was elected as the Vice-President of Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC).
o The election took place during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the continental body in Bangkok, Thailand.
o Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma became president of the Badminton Association of India in April 2018.
Lalit Kala Akademi gets new Chairman
o Artist and sculptor Uttam Pacharne has been appointed as the chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
o Currently, he is a member of the advisory committee, Kala Academy, Goa. 82 | P a g e
o He is the recipient of National Lalit Kala Award and Maharashtra Gaurav Puraska from Government of Maharashtra.
o The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's national academy of fine arts.
First South Asian to be elected in Oregon
o Indian American Susheela Jayapal has been elected as a member of the Board of Commissioners of Multnomah County in Oregon, USA.
o With this Susheela becomes first South Asian to be elected in Oregon.
o Susheela, a political newcomer, will represent North and Northeast Portland commissioner's seat.
Youngest woman to scale Mt. Everest
o Shivangi Pathak from Haryana has become youngest women of the country to scale Mt Everest.
o 16-year-old Shivangi climbed the Mt Everest to spread the message that women could overcome any obstacle to achieve their goals.
o In 2014, 13-year-old Malavath Poorna from India had climbed Mt Everest from Tibet side and became the youngest girl in the world to the summit at Everest.
CIA's first female director
o US Senate has approved Veteran spy Gina Haspel as CIA's first female director.
o She replaces former CIA chief Mike Pompeo who was recently made Secretary of State.
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o Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian foreign intelligence service of US federal government that analyses national security information from around the world.
Yudhvir Malik got extra charge of NHAI chief
o Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Secretary of Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways, has been given additional charge of the post of NHAI chairman.
o Deepak Kumar, the chairman of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), was sent back to his cadre state Bihar before completion of his tenure.
o Kumar, a 1984 IAS officer of Bihar cadre, had taken over as the NHAI chief on June 28 last year.
Gujarat Governor given additional charge of MP
o Gujarat Governor Om Prakash Kohli was given the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh while the state's Governor Anandiben Patel is on leave.
o Patel was appointed Madhya Pradesh Governor in January after she resigned as Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2016 citing her 75-year age.
o She had replaced Kohli who had been handling the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh from August 2016.
Ambika Sharma to head USIBC India office
o The US-India Business Council (USIBC), a premier business advocacy organisation, named Ambika Sharma as its India head.
o Ms. Sharma was Director General for International at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
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o Formed in 1975, USIBC is the premier business advocacy organization, comprised of top-tier US and Indian companies advancing US-India commercial ties.
Mukul Rohatgi appointed as eminent jurist
o Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi has been appointed as an eminent jurist in the selection committee for appointment of the Lokpal.
o The post of eminent jurist in the Lokpal selection panel was lying vacant since the death of senior advocate P P Rao.
o Rohatgi was appointed as Attorney General of India after the Narendra Modi government assumed power in May 2014.
Shashank Manohar to serve as ICC chairman
o Former BCCI president Shashank Manohar will serve a second term as the independent chairman of the International Cricket Council.
o Manohar, who became the first independent ICC chairman in 2016, will continue for a second two-year term following his unopposed election.
o During the last two years, Manohar has led to significant reform in the sport.
Read to succeed Colao as Vodafone Group CEO
o Vodafone Group has announced that Nick Read will be the next CEO of the company, succeeding Vittorio Colao.
o Colao steps down after just over 10 yrs in the job, during which he transformed Vodafone from a pure mobile player into a converged operator owning multiple cable & fibre networks.
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o Vodafone owns & operates networks in 26 countries & has partner networks in over 50 additional countries.
Physicist EC George Sudarshan passed away
o Famous theoretical physicist EC George Sudarshan passed away in Texas, USA.
o He worked in the subjects of quantum Zeno effect, optical coherence, open quantum system, non-variance groups among others.
o In 2007, the Kerala-born scientist was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award.
Lt Gen Sukhdeep takes over as DGAR
o Lieutenant General Sukhdeep Sangwan has taken over the charge as the Director General of Assam Rifles.
o Lt Gen Sanwagn has taken over as the 20th Director General of the Force which is popularly called as Sentinels of the North East.
o Lt Gen Sangwan has also participated in Operation Blue Star, Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram.
Rathore gets independent charge of MIB
o Govt has assigned Information & Broadcasting portfolio to Rajyavardhan Rathore in place of Smriti Irani.
o He has been given the independent charge of the Ministry. Earlier, he was the MoS of I&B Ministry.
o Smriti Irani will now only hold the portfolio of Minister of Textiles.
o I&B Ministry was at the center of a controversy over 50 recipients of National Film Awards skipping the award ceremony 86 | P a g e
Action for removal of Allahabad Bank CEO
o Govt has initiated action for removal of Allahabad Bank CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian & 2 executive directors of Punjab National Bank following CBI's first charge sheet in the $2 billion fraud at PNB.
o The Allahabad Bank board has also been asked to divest Ananthasubramanian of all powers and initiate further action.
o Ananthasubramanian was the MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank from 2015 to 2017.
Film-theatre actor Kalasala Babu passes away
o Noted Malayalam film-theatre actor Kalasala Babu, known for a number of villainous and character roles, passed in Kochi.
o A multi-faceted actor, Babu had tried his hand in all three major formats of acting- theatre, movies and television serials, in his career spanning over three decades.
o Babu had started a troupe, 'Kalasala,' and came to be known in the industry as Kalasala Babu.
Noted lyricist, poet Balkavi Bairagi died
o Noted Hindi film lyricist, Nandram Das Bairagi, popularly known as Balkavi Bairagi is dead.
o Bairagi was a Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP.
o He wrote several Hindi poems, among which, Jhar gaye paat, bisar gayi tehni is considered a gem by many Hindi poets.
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o He was given the name Balkavi as he wrote some classic poems in his childhood.
UN’s top nuclear inspector resigns suddenly
o UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency has informed that its top inspector, Tero Varjoranta, has quit with immediate effect.
o Varjoranta, who was in the role for almost 5 yrs, will be replaced by Massimo Aparo, an Italian nuclear engineer.
o The move comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.
Mrinalini Sarabhai’s 100th birth anniversary
o Google Doodle on 11th May celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Mrinalini Sarabhai, the renowned Indian classical dancer.
o Mrinalini married notable physicist Vikram Sarabhai who is considered to be the Father of the Indian Space Program.
o Mrinalini was awarded the Padma Shri in 1965 and Padma Bhushan in 1992.
o She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship New Delhi in 1994.
Nirmal Singh elected JK Assembly speaker
o BJP legislator & former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh has been elected as the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
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o Singh, who is an MLA from Billawar constituency in Jammu region, was elected as the Speaker by a voice vote in a one-day special session of the J&K Assembly.
o Singh defeated Congress MLA from Bandipora, Usman Majeed.
Green Ambassador of Sikkim
o The Sikkim Government has nominated Bollywood singer Mohit Chauhan as the Green Ambassador of the state.
o Chauhan has been nominated as the Green Ambassador for promoting Sikkim as a Green Destination, nationally and internationally, on a voluntary basis.
o Sikkim is known for its rich biodiversity and abundant natural resources due to environment-friendly policies.
Mahathir Mohamad sworn in as Malaysia's PM
o Mahathir Mohamad has been sworn in as the Prime Minister of Malaysia again after a shock election victory.
o Mahathir's coalition defeated the governing Barisan Nasional coalition, led by PM Najib Razak, which has been in power for more than 60 yrs.
o The victory capped a dramatic comeback for Mahathir, who ruled the country for 22 yrs.
o 92 year old, Mahathir becomes the oldest PM in the world.
President Kovind visits Siachen base camp
o President Ram Nath Kovind has become the second president to visit the Siachen base camp of the Indian Army in Ladakh.
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o Siachen is considered to be the highest battlefield in the world.
o In 2004 APJ Abdul Kalam became the first Indian President to visit the Siachen glacier.
o The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, is under the administration of India since 1984.
Pawan Agarwal gets extension as CEO of FSSAI
o Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been given three months extension as the Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
o Pawan Kumar Agarwal is a 1985-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre and has served as Joint Secretary of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
o He was appointed as the CEO of the FSSAI in December 2015.
Modi among the top 10 most powerful people
o PM Modi has been ranked 9th among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes.
o The list is topped for the first time ever by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, who dethroned Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most influential person on the planet.
o Forbes said that Modi has emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change.
SCO Secretary-General arrived in India
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o Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary General Rashid Alimov has arrived in India to hold talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj & other Union ministers.
o India became a full member of SCO in 2017, at the summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
o SCO is an intergovernmental international organisation aimed at strengthening mutual trust & neighbourliness among the member states.
Eminent Odia lyricist passes away
o Eminent Odia lyricist Gurukrushna Goswami passed away in Odisha.
o Goswami was associated with the Odia music industry for over six decades. He was a scriptwriter, a lyricist and a music director.
o Goswami had received the Best Lyricist award in 1996, Bhakta Kabi Salabeg award and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi (OSNA) Award in the year 2000.
Renowned Marathi singer Arun Date dies
o Veteran Marathi singer Arun Date, known for his popular song Shukratara has passed away.
o Date, famous for non-film 'bhavgeet' (lyrical poetry) songs, had crooned numbers like Shukratara & Ya Janmavar, which became very popular among people.
o He contributed to the Marathi music industry for more than 50 yrs.
o Date was the first recipient of the state government's 'Gajananrav Vatave Puraskar'.
Venkaiah Naidu leaves to South America
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o Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has left for a five-day visit to South America's Guatemala, Peru and Panama.
o This will be Vice President's first overseas visit after assuming the office.
o A range of bilateral issues including the strengthening of institutional mechanisms for political interactions, multilateral matters, trade & investments are expected to be discussed during the visit.
Kidambi Srikanth became Deputy Collector in AP
o Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth formally took charge as the Deputy Collector of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, his native town.
o In June 2017, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu had offered Srikanth a Group 1 officer post after he won the Indonesian and Australian Open titles.
o Recently, Srikanth bagged his maiden singles' silver medal at Commonwealth Games.
Mary named ambassador for TCS World marathon
o Former tennis star Mary Pierce has been named the International Event Ambassador for TCS World 10K 2018 Marathon.
o The marathon, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru for May 27.
o Mary Pierce reached her career high ranking of World No. 3 in 1995, post her first Grand Slam Singles title - that of the Australian Open in January 1995.
Freedom fighter Keyur Bhushan passed away
o Well-known Gandhian, freedom fighter & writer Keyur Bhushan passed away.
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o Bhushan took part in the 1942 Quit India movement as a student in Raipur and was incarcerated.
o He penned novels, collections of short stories and poems. He also edited `Sapthahik Chhattisgarh' and `Antyoday'.
o During the 1980s, when terrorism ragged in Punjab, he undertook a foot march to promote peace.
Subhash Chandra appointed as IRDAI Chairman
o Former IAS Officer Subhash Chandra Khuntia was appointed as the new Chairman of Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) for three-years.
o Khuntia will succeed T S Vijayan, who completed his five-year term in February.
o His appointment was approved by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
o IRDAI regulates Insurance sector of the country.
Economist & WB Finance Min Ashok Mitra died
o Noted scholar and former Finance Minister in the Left Front government in West Bengal Ashok Mitra passed away on 1st May.
o Mr. Mitra was also an eminent economist and penned several newspaper columns on social and economic issues.
o He was the Chief Economic Adviser to the Central Government from 1970 to 1972.
o In the mid-1990s he became a member of Rajya Sabha.
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WhatsApp boss and co-founder Jan Koum to quit
o The chief executive and co-founder of WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging app, is leaving the company over disagreements about privacy and encryption.
o Jan Koum will also step down from Facebook’s board of directors.
o WhatsApp, with 1.5 billion monthly users, is the largest messaging service in the world.
Uday Kotak redesignated as MD & CEO
o The board of directors of Kotak Mahindra Bank has redesignated Uday Kotak as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 May, 2018.
o Mr. Kotak was earlier executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director.
o Mr. Kotak was the only official among private banks to have a Vice Chairman designation.
June 2018
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw elected to MIT board
o India’s biotech queen Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has been elected as a full- term member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
o Shaw is also ranked among the world’s most influential people in bio- pharma by Forbes magazine.
o Shaw was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 2006.
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ICICI Bank gets new part-time chairman
o ICICI Bank has appointed former bureaucrat Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as its non-executive part-time chairman.
o Chaturvedi is a 1977-batch IAS officer, who retired as the Oil Secretary in January 2013.
o The term of M K Sharma, the current chairman of ICICI Bank, ends on June 30.
Doodle celebrates Mahalanobis' 125th birthday
o Google has dedicated a doodle to celebrates statistician and scientist Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis' 125th birth anniversary.
o He was born on 29 June 1893 in West Bengal, Mahalanobis is known for his pioneering work in statistics.
o He remembered by the "Mahalanobis distance", a way of measurement used in population studies and was one of the members of the 1st Planning Commission of India.
B Sriram resigns as SBI MD
o SBI managing director B. Sriram has resigned from his post after being appointed as the chief executive of IDBI Bank.
o The news assumes significance amid reports that Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is weighing acquiring a majority stake in the debt-ridden IDBI Bank.
o Sriram is the longest-serving public sector bank MD and has wide experience, including in stressed assets management.
National Statistics Day on 29th June
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o Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will attend the closing ceremony of the 125th birth anniversary of Professor P. C. Mahalanobis on Statistics Day on 29th June.
o The theme of 2018 is - Quality Assurance in Official Statistics.
o The objective of the celebration is to create public awareness about statistics in socio-economic planning, to acknowledge the contribution of Prof. Mahalanobis.
S Ramesh appointed as Chairman of CBIC
o S Ramesh has been appointed as Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the apex policy-making body for indirect taxes.
o Ramesh, an officer of the Indian Revenue Service had mandated with the responsibility of implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
o The CBIC, which works under the Finance Ministry, is headed by a Chairman and can has 6 members.
US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley visits India
o US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley is on a 2-day visit to India.
o Haley will meet with senior Indian government officials, NGO leaders, and the interfaith community to underscore the United States’ shared values and a strong alliance with the people of India.
o She is the first Indian-American to serve in a Cabinet-level position in any US presidential administration.
Doodle celebrates Gauhar Jaan's birthday
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o Google doodle features legendary musician and dancer Gauhar Jaan, the first Indian recording artist.
o Gauhar Jaan was born Angelina Yeoward to an Armenian Christian father and an Indian Jewish mother. She was born on 26 June 1873.
o She has over 200 records to her credit.
o ‘My Name Is Gauhar Jaan! The Life and Times of A Musician' is a biography written by Vikram Sampath.
Sanjay Kumar quits Indigo
o IndiGo's Chief Commercial Officer Sanjay Kumar resigns from the office.
o S. Kumar has been associated with the organisation from past 12 years.
o His resignation would be effective from July 15. Willam Boulter, the current Chief Strategy Officer, would be taking over from him.
o Interglobe Aviation is the parent company of Indigo.
Sunil Mittal becomes honorary chairman of ICC
o Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, will step down as the Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce.
o He will now function as the Honorary Chairman of ICC commencing July 1, 2018.
o He will be succeeded by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, as ICC Chairman.
o Mittal was only the 3rd Indian to have been appointed the chairman of the ICC since it was constituted in 1919.
Ramdev to get wax statue at Madame Tussauds
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o Baba Ramdev will soon have a wax replica at the Madame Tussauds museum of London.
o Baba Ramdev will be the second saint to be depicted at the notable wax museum after Swami Vivekanand.
o Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London, displaying the waxworks of famous and historic people and also popular film characters.
Second Youngest Chess Grandmaster
o R Praggnanandhaa made history by becoming the 2nd youngest chess grandmaster in the world by earning his 3rd GM norm during Gredine Open.
o Praggnanandhaa who is just 12 years, 10 months and 14 days old is also the youngest Indian Grandmaster.
o Ukraine's Serget Karjakin remains the youngest ever Grandmaster.
o Viswanathan Anand, India's first ever GM, was 18 years old when he earned his 3rd norm
Jean-Pierre Lacroix to visit India
o UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will visit India and 3 other nations to thank the troop-contributing countries for their service.
o Lacroix will visit Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Pakistan.
o India is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions with 6,712 Indian personnel currently deployed in 9 peacekeeping missions.
Arjit Basu: New MD of State Bank of India
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o The appointments committee of the cabinet has appointed Arijit Basu as the new Managing Director of State Bank of India till October 31, 2020.
o Prior to this, Basu was heading the corporate accounts group as the Deputy MD.
o SBI's Managing Director B. Sriram will take charge as the MD and CEO of IDBI Bank after existing Chief MK Jain got recently appointed as the RBI Deputy Governor.
Chief Economic Advisor Subramanian resigned
o The Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) of India, Arvind Subramanian had resigned from the post and will return to the US because of "pressing family commitments".
o The announcement was made by Mr Arun Jaitley.
o Subramanian was appointed as CEA to the finance ministry in October 2014, for the period of three years.
o In 2017 his term was extended for a year.
M. Scorsese to receive Lifetime Achievement
o Veteran director Martin Scorsese will be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rome Film Festival 2018.
o Martin Scorsese is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film historian. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinematic history.
o The 13th edition of the famed Rome film festival will run from October 18- 28 2018.
Sikkim appoints AR Rahman as Brand Ambassador
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o Music composer AR Rahman has been appointed as the Brand Ambassador of the Sikkim government, an official notification issued by Chief Secretary AK Srivastava stated.
o Rahman will promote and project Sikkim's achievements nationally and globally.
o Earlier this year, he was made the state's Brand Ambassador of tourism and business.
Anukreethy Vas crowned Miss India 2018
o Tamil Nadu's Anukreethy Vas was named Miss India at the 55th Femina Miss India 2018.
o Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who won the title last year, crowned Anukreethy, who will go on to represent India at Miss World.
o Haryana's Meenakshi Chaudhary stood second while Andhra Pradesh's Shreya Rao Kamavarapu ranked third.
o Malaika Arora and Irfan Pathan were among the judges.
ICICI Bank Names Sandeep Bakhshi As COO
o The ICICI Bank board has appointed ICICI Prudential Life Insurance CEO Sandeep Bakhshi as whole-time director and chief operating officer (COO).
o It is a new top position at India’s second largest private bank, to steer all its businesses.
o Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank’s managing director and CEO will remain on leave until a committee investigating allegations of impropriety completes its work.
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Jeff Bezos becomes richest man in the world
o Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos becomes the richest man in the world with a net worth of USD 141.9 billion according to the Forbes world's billionaire list.
o Bezos beat the principal founder of Microsoft Corp. Bill Gates, who is the second richest man with a total wealth of USD 92.9 billion.
o Bezos' company Amazon has now become the second most valuable company in the world after Apple.
Ivan Duque became Colombia's President
o Colombia has chosen Ivan Duque to be its next president after a long and divisive campaign that often centred on a controversial peace process with leftist rebels the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
o Duque, who will turn 42 just before taking office will be Colombia's youngest ever President.
o Bogota is the capital of Colombia.
Yoga Day celebrated with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
o Sri Sri Ravi Shankar inaugurated International Day of Yoga in the Netherlands.
o It was held at Museumplein or museum square which was organised by the Embassy of India.
o He was joined by Dutch Minister of Infrastructure Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and Ambassador of India to the Netherlands Venu Rajamon.
Smriti Mandhana's maiden Kia Super League
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o Indian T20I vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is set to become the first Indian to play in the Kia Super League (KSL), England’s domestic women’s T20 competition.
o Mandhana was selected by the "Western Storm" as their second overseas player.
o In 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur was picked by the Surrey Stars.
Veteran journalist Adiraju passes away
o Senior journalist and writer Adiraju Venkateswara Rao passed away in Hyderabad.
o He worked for several Telugu and English dailies and news agencies including Andhra Jyothi, Udayam, Deccan Chronicle, Indian Express, Himachal Times and Hindustan Samachar at Hyderabad and Delhi.
o He played an active role in the separate Telangana agitation in 1969.
Omar Al-Razzaz sworn in as Jordan PM
o Former World Bank Economist Omar al-Razzaz was sworn in as Jordan's Prime Minister after King Abdullah issued a decree approving the new government.
o The 58-year-old, who studied at Harvard University, was tasked with reviewing the country's disputed tax system.
o Omar succeeded Hani al-Mulki who resigned following mass protests over price hikes and other government economic policies.
Inder Jit Singh became Secretary, Min of Coal
o Dr. Inder Jit Singh, assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Coal at Shastri Bhawan office, New Delhi.
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o Dr. Jit Singh took over the charge of Secretary which fell vacant after superannuation of Shri Susheel Kumar on April 30 this year.
o Dr. Jit Singh was posted as Secretary (Coordination) in Cabinet Secretariat, he is a Ph.D in Economics from Punjab University.
Dhivya: 1st Female CFO at General Motors
o Dhivya Suryadevara has been named the chief financial officer of the United States’ largest automaker, General Motors.
o Dhivya will report to chief executive officer (CEO) Mary Barra who is also the first woman in the auto industry.
o Suryadevara earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in commerce from the University of Madras in Chennai, India.
U.S. extradites Panama ex-President Martinelli
o Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli returned home to face political espionage and embezzlement charges after being extradited from the United States.
o He had been jailed in Miami since his arrest at his home in June 2017.
o The 66-year-old Martinelli, who was Panama’s president from 2009 to 2014, is accused of embezzlement and illegally monitoring phone calls and other communications
Saxena appointed acting UPSC chief
o UPSC member Arvind Saxena has been appointed as the acting Chairman of the commission from June 20.
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o Saxena, a 1978-batch Indian Postal Service officer, will take over the charge from incumbent Vinay Mittal who completes his term at the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on June 19.
o Saxena joined the UPSC in May, 2015 after he completed his stint in the Aviation Research Centre (ARC).
Vettel claims 50th win
o Sebastian Vettel claimed the 50th win of his career and reclaimed the lead of this year's world championship at the Canadian Grand Prix.
o It was also Vettel's second win in Canada where he won in 2013 for Red Bull.
o Vettel's third victory this season lifted him to 121 points ahead of Hamilton on 120 after seven races.
Sharad Kumar appointed vigilance commissioner
o Former NIA chief Sharad Kumar was on June 10 appointed vigilance commissioner in the probity watchdog Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
o Mr. Kumar has been appointed vigilance commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission for a term of four years or till he attains the age of 65.
o The Commission comprises of a Central Vigilance Commissioner and two vigilance commissioners.
Theatre personality Sukracharya passes away
o Noted Assamese theatre personality Sukracharya Rabha, famed for his open-air theatre festival, died on 9th May.
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o Rabha founded ‘Badungduppa’, a rural-based theatre centre at his village Rampur.
o Rabha promoted the Rabha culture and the language using theatre as a medium.
Brazilian tennis great Maria Bueno dies
o Brazilian tennis great Maria Bueno passed away after a battle with mouth cancer, according to a statement by the hospital. She was 78.
o Bueno was a former top-ranked player who spent most of her career on the court before the professional era.
o She won 19 Grand Slam titles overall, seven in singles, 11 in doubles and one in mixed doubles, between 1959 and 1966.
Shantaram Naik passes away in Goa
o Former Congress MP Shantaram Naik passed away in Goa, after suffering a heart attack while being shifted to Trimurti hospital.
o The 73-year-old was a one-time North Goa Lok Sabha MP and a two-time Rajya Sabha MP.
o He successfully contested the North Goa Lok Sabha seat in 1984 and was instrumental in the passage of the Statehood Bill that consequently granted statehood to Goa on May 30, 1987.
WB Governor given additional charge of Tripura
o President Ram Nath Kovind gave West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi the additional charge of Tripura Governor till Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy is on leave.
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o Notably, Tripathi had also been given the additional charge of Bihar governor in November 2014 after then Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind resigned when the BJP selected him as a presidential candidate.
Virat Kohli among highest-paid athletes
o India cricket captain Virat Kohli is among the world's highest-paid athletes, according to a Forbes' report.
o Kohli, the only sportsperson from India to be featured in the list, is ranked 83rd with earnings of USD 24 million.
o The 'World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2018' list is topped by 41-year-old Mayweather, with USD 285 million earnings.
Mahesh Kumar appointed as Dy Governor of RBI
o Mahesh Kumar Jain has been appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a term of three years.
o Presently, he is the Managing Director and CEO of IDBI Bank.
o Before his role in IDBI, Jain was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indian Bank.
o As per the RBI Act, the central bank should have four deputy governors.
Bengali litterateur Indramitra passes away
o Noted Bengali litterateur Arabinda Guha, who is also known by his pseudonym Indramitra, passed away.
o The author was a recipient of Rabindra Purashkar, instituted by the West Bengal Government, twice for his books 'Karunasagar Vidyasagar' and 'Dekha Sakkhat', a collection of poems.
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o His first book of poems was 'Dakkhin Nayak' and the last one, 'Prasthan Samay Upasthit' was published in 2014.
Lamar Gets His Pulitzer Prize for 'DAMN'
o Kendrick Lamar received the Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album "DAMN".
o Lamar became the first nonclassical or jazz musician to win a Pulitzer for music.
o Lamar had also notched four Grammys including best rap album this year for "DAMN".
Giuseppe Conte sworn in as Italian PM
o Giuseppe Conte was sworn in as prime minister of Italy’s new populist government.
o Conte will head a government of ministers from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the far-right League Party.
o The first populist coalition in a founding EU member has raised concerns in some European quarters.
Padma Shri award given to Tommy Koh
o Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the Padma Shri award, one of India’s highest civilian awards, to former Singaporean diplomat Tommy Koh in Singapore.
o Koh was among 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) receipts of the prestigious award.
o Koh has served as Singapore’s ambassador to the US and the UN.
Kerala cartoonist wins international award
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o Kerala cartoonist Thomas Antony has won an international award, in the best caricature category.
o Antony, currently working as Executive Artist of Malayalam daily 'Metro Vaartha', is among the nine winners at the 13th edition of the World Press Cartoon awards.
o The awards are given to the best works published in 2017 in newspapers and magazines from around the world.
July 2018
Baker breaks 100m backstroke world record
o Kathleen Baker has set a world record in winning the 100-metres backstroke at the US national swimming championships.
o Baker, silver medalist in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, improved on the world record of 58.10 set by Canadian Kylie Masse.
o Baker's performance was more remarkable because she has long had to deal with Crohn's disease.
Venkaiah Naidu to be Chancellor
o Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Pondicherry Central University.
o The appointment was notified by the President, Ram Nath Kovind, in his capacity as Visitor of the university.
o The tenure of the Chancellor will be five years.
First non-Muslim to win National Assembly seat
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o Mahesh Malani of Pakistan Peoples Party's has become the first Hindu candidate to win a National Assembly seat.
o Malani contested & won the National Assembly (NA-222) Tharparkar-II seat in southern Sindh province, after defeating 14 candidates.
o Non-Muslims got the right to vote & contest on general seats in 2002 after the then president Gen Pervez Musharraf made amendments in the Constitution
Cherkallam Abdullah passes away
o Senior IUML leader and former Kerala Minister, Cherkallam Abdullah, passed away after a prolonged illness.
o He was 76 and was undergoing treatment for heart ailment.
o He was a prominent leader of the Opposition Congress-led UDF in north Kerala and is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.
o He entered the parliamentary politics in 1987.
Shivangi scales Mount Kilimanjaro
o Shivangi Pathak has scaled the Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro in 3 days.
o Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro measures 5,895 meters in height.
o She is from Haryana and is also the youngest Indian woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest.
Dwayne Johnson is highest paid actor
o Dwayne Johnson, with earnings of Rs. 850 Crore has been named the highest-paid actor by Forbes.
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o It is also the highest-ever total for acting earnings in the 20-year history of Forbes' Celebrity 100 list.
o He ranked fifth on the overall list of Forbes highest entertainer list.
o Dwayne earned double the earnings total of $65 million he posted in 2017's list.
Goldman Sachs names David Solomon as CEO
o Goldman Sachs Group Inc named David Solomon as its next chief executive officer.
o Solomon to succeed CEO Lloyd Blankfein, who was the CEO since June 2006 and will be retiring on 1st October.
o The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City.
o Solomon previously worked for Irving Trust and Drexel Burnham.
Nelson Mandela International Day 2018
o Nelson Mandela International Day is an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s 1st black president which is celebrated each year on 18 July.
o The day was 1st celebrated as UN Mandela Day on 18 July 2010 and 2018 marks the 100th birth anniversary.
o Mandela is remembered for his anti-apartheid activities and fight against poverty and promoting justice for all.
Google celebrated Georges Lemaitre's birthday
o Google celebrated the 124th birth anniversary of Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaitre with a doodle on 17 July 2018. 110 | P a g e
o Lemaitre is credited with the Big Bang Theory, which says that the universe originated from a single atom called 'Cosmic Egg'.
o In 1934, Lemaître received the Francqui Prize, the highest Belgian scientific distinction.
Assam’s first transgender judge Swati Baruah
o The court in Guwahati has got the first transgender judge of Assam.
o Swati Bidhan Baruah has been appointed as a judge to mediate cases in Lok Adalat.
o She is the third transgender judge in the country and will mediate in pre- litigation cases related to finance companies.
o Joyita Mondal of West Bengal is India’s first transgender judge.
Mukesh Ambani becomes Asia's richest person
o Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani has surpassed Alibaba Group's Jack Ma to become Asia's richest person.
o According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ambani's wealth rose to $44.3 billion while Jack Ma's wealth stood at $44 billion.
o He is the 18th wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes.
o Reliance is India's largest payer of GST and Income Tax in the private sector.
Arothe resigns as India women’s cricket coach
o Indian Women’s Cricket Team Coach Tushar Arothe has stepped down from the role citing personal reasons.
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o A former batting allrounder, Arothe took over as head coach in April 2017 after the removal of Purnima Rau from the job.
o Having previously been part of the Indian women's coaching staff between 2008 and 2012, Arothe had been initially appointed until the 2017 World Cup.
Modi third most followed world leader
o According to a study conducted by Burson Cohn & Wolfe, PM Modi is the 3rd most followed world leader on Twitter with 42 million followers.
o Modi is just behind US President Donald Trump & Pope Francis.
o With over 11 million followers, India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is not only the most followed female world leader & but is also the most followed foreign minister in the world.
UK's Brexit minister resigns
o Britain's Brexit minister David Davis has resigned from the Cabinet stating policy differences over PM Theresa May's exit plan from the European Union.
o It is a blow to May as she seeks to win over Eurosceptic MPs to her proposed Brexit vision, which would form the basis of UK's position in ongoing talks with EU.
o Junior minister for housing Dominic Raab will be Britain's new Brexit minister.
Siddhanta scales world's highest volcano
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o Satyarup Siddhanta has become the 2nd Indian mountaineer after Malli Mastan Babu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world.
o Ojos del Salado is a stratovolcano in the Andes on the Argentina-Chile border and the highest active volcano in the world at 6,893 metres.
o Satyarup is also set to be the first Indian to climb Mt Sidley, the highest volcano of Antarctica.
PM to inaugurate statue of unity
o PM Modi will inaugurate the Statue of Unity on 31st October 2018, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
o The construction of the tallest statue in the world that began in December 2015, is nearly complete.
o World's tallest statue dedicated to country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabbhai Patel is being built with 5,700 Metric tonne structural steel and 1,900 MT of bronze.
Ram Vilas Paswan to attend UNCTAD meet
o Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan will attend the UNCTAD meeting of a third inter-governmental group of experts on consumer protection on July 9-10 in Geneva.
o The group has been set up under the revised UN Guidelines on Consumer Protection.
o The session will also deliberate on measures on protection of vulnerable & disadvantaged consumers.
o UNCTAD is the UN body looking after consumer issues.
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South Korean President to arrive in India
o South Korean President, Moon Jae-in is on a four-day visit to India.
o During his visit, he will hold talks with PM Modi on several issues, including the situation on the Korean peninsula & ways to boost bilateral trade and defence cooperation.
o Moon’s visit to India comes nearly a month after the historic summit between US President Donald Trump & North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.
Ambani gets another 5 years as chairman
o Shareholders of Reliance Industries have approved giving Mukesh Ambani another five years as the chairman and managing director of the company.
o Ambani has been on the board of RIL since 1977 and was elevated as chairman of the company after the death of his father Dhirubhai Ambani in July 2002.
o Reliance Industries is India's second most valued firm after Tata Consultancy Services.
Nawaz Sharif sentenced to 10 years in jail
o The former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption.
o The court ruled that Sharif and his family laundered money in the 1990s to pay for 4 luxury apartments in London.
o The court also sentenced Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, to seven years’ imprisonment, fined the family £10m and ordered the seizure of the Avenfield properties.
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Anju Khosla completed Ironman Triathlon
o Anju Khosla, aged 52 became the oldest Indian woman to complete an Ironman Triathlon, which is one of the toughest one-day sporting events.
o She completed the event in Carinthia, Austria in 15 hours, 54 minutes and 54 seconds.
o The event comprised 3.86 km of swimming leg, 180.25 km bike leg, and a 42.2km marathon to be completed
President to visit Goa
o The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Goa on July 7 and 8, 2018. This will be his first visit to Goa as the President of India.
o The President will visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Old Goa, and Shri Mangueshi Temple in Mardol, before returning to Delhi.
o The President will also address the 30th annual convocation of the Goa University.
Zuckerberg becomes 3rd richest person
o Mark Zuckerberg has leapfrogged Warren Buffett to become the third richest person in the world.
o Zuckerberg is now worth $81.6 billion, about $373 million more than Buffett, the chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
o Zuckerberg trails only Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates.
SAIL appointed new CMD
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o Saraswati Prasad has been appointed as the new CMD of the Steel Authority of India.
o Saraswati Prasad has also taken over the additional charge of the post of managing director and chairman of SAIL on July 1, 2018.
o The appointment was made after the retirement of former CMD P.K. Singh.
60.5 Lakh shares to be sold by Dena Bank
o Dena Bank would be selling 60.5 lakh shares in three entities, which also includes SIDBI.
o It would be requesting for quotation for purchase of equity shares in three public sectors.
o The bank will sell 1.563% of the total paid-up equity capital in NSDL E- Governance.
Rajat Sharma becomes DDCA president
o Renowned journalist Rajat Sharma has been elected as the President of Delhi & District Cricket Association.
o Sharma surpassed former World Cup winning Indian cricketer Madan Lal by 517 votes to register his win.
o Sharma is currently the Chairman and Editor in Chief of India TV and has been awarded Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 2015 in the field of Literature and Education.
Bhutan PM to visit India
o Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay would be arriving in Delhi for a 3-day visit to India.
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o Both the nations would be discussing about host issues such as security ties and economic cooperation.
o This visit is expected to advance the ‘exemplary ties of friendship’ between both the nations.
o Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan.
First woman DGP assumes office
o The first woman Directorate General of Police of Puducherry, S. Sundari Nanda assumed office on Monday.
o She is replaced by outgoing DGP S.K Gautam, who is transferred to New Delhi.
o Ms.Nanda has earlier served as the Special Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), Delhi Police.
Andres Manuel elected as Mexico's President
o Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been elected as Mexico's President with over 53% of the vote, according to the country's electoral commission.
o Obrador, who has won the presidency at the third attempt, promised to tackle violence and wipe out corruption.
o The 64-year-old former Mexico City mayor will formally take power on December 1.
Golden Globe Race 2018
o Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy will be participating in the prestigious Golden Globe Race that commences from Les Sables d’Olonne harbour in France on 1st July.
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o The uniqueness of the race is that use of GPS, satellite communication, navigational aids, etc is forbidden.
o Cdr Tomy will be sailing in sailing vessel ‘Thuriya’ has been built by M/s Aquarius Shipyard Ltd at Goa.
Recommendations for the post of MD in PSB
o Bank Boards Bureau has recommended names of 15 officials for the posts of MD and CEO in several public sector banks.
o The bureau has recommended Anshula Kant, the current deputy managing director of SBI for the post of MD in the bank.
o The post was vacant following the resignation of B. Sriram as the MD of the bank.
o The other 14 names recommended include 6 current DMDs of SBI.
Vitorino to be the head of UN migration agency
o Portugal’s Antonio Manuel de Carvalho Ferreira Vitorino has been elected as the new head of the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM).
o Vitorino succeeds William Lacy Swing, who is leaving the IOM after serving two five-year terms as director general.
o Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration.
August 2018
India's next High Commissioner to UK
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o Senior diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam has been appointed as India's next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
o Ghanashyam is a 1982 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and is currently Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
o She succeeds Y K Sinha who had assumed the charge in December 2016.
Anil Ambani resigns as Director of RNAVAL
o Anil D Ambani has resigned as the Director of Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd (RNAVAL).
o Ambani resigned in compliance with provisions of Section 165 of the Companies Act, 2013, prescribing the limit on directorships to only 10 public companies.
o Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited operates the country's largest integrated shipbuilding facility.
Google honours Ismat Chughtai with doodle
o Google on 21st August celebrated the 107th birth anniversary of Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai with a Doodle.
o Ismat Khanum Chughtai is considered one of the pioneers of Urdu literature.
o Ismat Chughtai or Ismat Apa as she was known, was considered by some as a crusader for the rights of oppressed women.
o She was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1976.
Infosys CFO MD Ranganath resigns
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o IT major Infosys said its Chief Financial Officer M D Ranganath has resigned from the company.
o Ranganath will continue in his current position till November 16, 2018.
o Ranganath had taken over the said role after the then CFO Rajiv Bansal had quit in 2015.
o Ranganath has worked at Infosys for 18 years.
Google honours Ebenezer Cobb Morley
o Google celebrated the birth anniversary of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, referred to as the father of modern football, with a doodle on 16th August 2018.
o Ebenezer Cobb Morley was a founding member and the first secretary of the Football Association or FA in 1863.
o FA is the oldest football body of the world and is credited with creating the rules and shaping modern football.
Ang Lee to be honoured by DGA
o Oscar-winning director Ang Lee will be one of the recipients of the annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) honours at its ceremony.
o The DGA Honours recognises individuals and institutions that have made distinguished contributions to American culture through the world of film and television.
o Ang Lee received the Oscar award for 'Life of Pi' in 2013.
N Raghuram elected Chair of INI
o Indian scientist-academician, N Raghuram, has been elected Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI), a global policy making initiative.
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o Raghuram is the first Indian and Asian to be elected to the Chair.
o Raghuram specialises in the biological determinants of nitrogen use efficiency in crops.
o He has been the President of the Indian Nitrogen Group.
Govt dismisses Usha Ananthasubramanian
o The government has dismissed Usha Ananthasubramanian, former managing director of scam-hit Punjab National Bank and Allahabad Bank, from service.
o Usha, who completed her one year as the CEO & MD of Allahabad Bank on May 6 2018.
o She also served as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Punjab National Bank from August 2015 to May 2017.
Tahilramani sworn-in CJ of Madras HC
o Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani was sworn-in as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Sunday.
o The new Chief Justice, along with Justice M. Duraiswamy would hear from August 13.
o She was born in 1958 and started practice in the Bombay High Court as well as City Civil and Sessions courts in Mumbai in 1982.
Lionel Messi named Barcelona's captain
o Lionel Messi will replace Andrés Iniesta as Barcelona's captain for the new season, after the latter ended his 22-year stint at the Spanish club.
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o Messi, who already wears the armband for Argentina, has previously led Barça in Iniesta's absence.
o Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Barcelona and the Argentine national team.
Marie Curie tops BBC poll
o Polish-born scientist Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, has topped a BBC History magazine poll, which listed "100 women who changed the world".
o Albanian-Indian Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa was placed 20th on the list while former PM Indira Gandhi was ranked 49th.
o Other notable names included former UK PM Margaret Thatcher and Indian poet Sarojini Naidu.
Indra Nooyi will step down as CEO
o Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi will step down as the CEO of PepsiCo after 12 years in the position.
o Under her, PepsiCo began focussing on products that include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and gave an emphasis on less sugar and fat.
o Ramon Laguarta will succeed Ms. Nooyi as CEO.
o Ms. Nooyi will step down as CEO on October 3, but will remain Chairman until early 2019.
September 2018
Mukesh Ambani tops Barclays Rich List
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o Mukesh Ambani has topped the 'Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018' for the seventh consecutive year.
o Barclays Hurun India Rich List 2018 is a compilation of the individuals in India having a net worth of ₹ 1,000 crore or more.
o The list was compiled on the basis of the net worth of living Indians as on July 31, 2018.
o Mukesh Ambani is followed by S.P. Hinduja and L.N. Mittal.
Naval officer Commander Abhilash Tomy rescued
o Naval officer Commander Abhilash Tomy who is representing India in Golden Globe Race 2018 was rescued by French vessel Osiri.
o Tomy in his sailing vessel 'Thuriya', was dismasted and had suffered a back injury in extreme weather and sea condition in the Indian Ocean.
o The GGR is a race to sail around the globe. Tommy is the only Indian to circumnavigate the globe non-stop on INSV Mhadei.
Eliud Kipchoge sets new marathon world record
o Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge has set a new world record, winning the Berlin marathon in 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds.
o The Olympic champion broke the record set by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 by 1 minute and 18 seconds.
o Acclaimed as the greatest marathon runner of the modern era, Kipchoge has dominated marathon racing since making his debut in Hamburg in 2013.
Important persons in news (17-21 Sept 2018)
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o Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission (SIM).
o India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra died on 17 Sept 2018.
o Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua created history by climbing Asia's highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.
Varun and Anushka signed as ambassadors of SIM
o Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma have been signed on to promote and endorse the Skill India Mission (SIM), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
o Skill India Mission is led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and aims to standardise vocational training.
o The two actors will dedicate time to promote the skilled talent in the country.
Satyarup climbed Mount Damavand in Iran
o Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua created history by climbing Asia's highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran.
o Mount Damavand is the highest peak and also a potentially active volcano.
o Mountain Damavand is known for its Sulphur discharge near its peak which can cause irreparable damage if exposed for a longer duration.
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'Sarala Puraskar' for poet Satrughna Pandav
o Odia poet Satrughna Pandav will be honored with the prestigious 'Sarala Puraskar' for his poetry collection 'Misra Dhrupad'.
o The annual Sarala Puraskar, recognized as one of the foremost literary awards.
o The 'Sarala Puraskar' - instituted by eminent Odia industrialist late Dr Bansidhar Panda and late Ila Panda in 1979 and awarded by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust(IMPaCT)
October 2018
Bolsonaro won Brazilian Presidency
o Former army captain Jair Bolsonaro was elected President of Brazil on 28 October 2018.
o He defeated leftist opponent Fernando Haddad.
o Bolsonaro was declared the winner by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal after 94% of the votes were counted.
o Bolsonaro will take office on 1st January 2019.
Michael Higgins re-elected as Irish President
o Michael D Higgins has been re-elected as Irish President after receiving 56% of the country's electoral vote.
o Businessman Peter Casey came second with 23.1% votes.
o The President is Ireland's 'first citizen', but has limited power - the role is mainly symbolic and he or she cannot get involved in daily politics.
Person in News-2 (22-27 Oct 2018)
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o Ethiopia's parliament has appointed the country's first female President, Sahle-Work Zewde.
o India cricket captain Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to reach 10,000 one-day international runs.
o Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, passed away on 24 October 2018.
Person in News-1 (22-27 Oct 2018)
o Maruti Suzuki India announced Bollywood Superstar Varun Dhawan as the brand ambassador for Maruti Suzuki ARENA channel.
o India's Meenakshi Chaudhary has been crowned the first runner-up of Miss Grand International 2018 at the sixth edition of the pageant held in Myanmar.
o Former President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the new Prime minister of Sri Lanka.
Meenakshi Chaudhary won 1st runner-up title
o India's Meenakshi Chaudhary has been crowned the first runner-up of Miss Grand International 2018 at the sixth edition of the pageant held in Myanmar.
o Chaudhary was narrowly edged out by Paraguay's Clara Sosa for the top honour.
o Sosa succeeds Miss Grand International 2017 Maria Jose Lora of Peru.
o She has been the winner of fbb Colors Femina Miss Grand India 2018 title earlier.
Varun became ambassador of ARENA Channel
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o Maruti Suzuki India announced Bollywood Superstar Varun Dhawan as the brand ambassador for Maruti Suzuki ARENA channel.
o The youth icon will be the face of Maruti Suzuki’s new marketing campaign ‘A destination called you. A feeling called Maruti Suzuki ARENA.’
o The Car Maker is working on the transformation of its retail network across India.
Mahinda Rajapaksa became new PM of Sri Lanka
o Former President Mahinda Rajapakse was sworn in as the new Prime minister of Sri Lanka.
o He replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe.
o Mr. Rajapaksa was administered the oath by the President Maithripala Sirisena at his office in Colombo.
Nobel chemistry laureate Shimomura passed away
o Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, has died.
o Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein that later contributed to cancer studies.
o In 1962, Shimomura isolated green fluorescent protein from jellyfish.
Arshdeep won 2018 Wildlife Photographer award
o Arshdeep Singh is among the winners of the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in the 10-years-and-under category.
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o He won the award for his ‘Pipe Owls’ photograph.
o The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is organised by the Britain’s Natural History Museum.
o Arshdeep recently won the Junior Asian Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.
US Army gets first woman chief
o Lieutenant General Laura J. Richardson has become the first woman Commanding General of the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).
o FORSCOM is based out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, USA.
o Richardson has been serving the US forces since 1986.
o She will succeed General Robert B. Abrams, who will be moving on to command U.S. Forces Korea.
Nokia appoints Alia Bhatt as brand ambassador
o Alia Bhatt has been appointed as the new brand ambassador for Nokia phones in India.
o In early 2018 Nokia had appointed Parineeti Chopra as the face of its mobile phones.
o As part of the partnership, a print campaign with Alia Bhatt has been initiated already to mark the festive season.
o HMD Global designs and sells phones under the Nokia brand.
PM Modi to visit Japan for India-Japan Summit
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o Modi will visit Japan on 28-29 of this month for the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit.
o This will be the fifth Annual Summit meeting between Modi and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and their twelfth meeting overall since 2014.
o Prime Minister’s visit will reaffirm the traditional bonds of friendship between the two countries and strengthen their multifaceted cooperation in diverse fields
Mukesh Ambani named a richest Indian
o Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani was named India's wealthiest according to Forbes’ annual India's Richest 2018 list.
o He was named for the 11th consecutive year with a net worth of $47.3 billion.
o Wipro’s Azim Premji came second with a net worth of $21 billion.
o Paytm’s founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma was among the notable gainer this year.
Chanda Kochhar quits as ICICI Bank CEO
o ICICI Bank managing director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chanda Kochhar on 4 October 2018 quit the bank.
o Kochhar was reappointed as a director on the board of bank's broking arm ICICI Securities in August 2018.
o Ms Kochhar will also relinquish office from the Board of Directors of the Bank's subsidiaries.
N. Ravi elected as PTI chairman
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o N. Ravi, Publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, was unanimously elected Chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI).
o Mr. Ravi succeeds Viveck Goenka, chairman and managing director of the Express Group.
o Also, Vijay Kumar Chopra, Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers, was elected as Vice-Chairman.
Barham Salih as new president of Iraq
o Iraq's Parliament has elected a veteran Kurdish Politician Barham Salih as the country's new President.
o Salih is a former prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
o He has named Shiite Adel Abdul Mahdi as Prime Minister of the country.
o The move will pave the way to form a new government, nearly five months after national elections.
Thangvellu- flag-bearer for Asian Para Games
o Rio Paralympic gold medallist Thangvellu Mariyappan is named as flag- bearer of the Indian contingent for the 3rd Paralympic Asian games.
o India will field its biggest ever contingent of 302 members for the games.
o 3rd Asian Para Games will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 6- 13.
o The official mascot of the Games is a Bondol eagle named Momo.
November 2018
Georgia elects its first woman President
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o Salome Zurabishvili has won Georgia's presidential election on 29 November 2018.
o She became the first woman President of Georgia.
o She was the former French Diplomat.
o She was the former Foreign Minister of Georgia.
o The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi and its currency is Georgian Lari.
Slovenia appoints first female army chief
o Slovenia has become the only NATO country to appoint a woman as head of its army.
o Maj Gen Alenka Ermenc took up the post of Chief of Staff of the Slovenian army on 28 November 2018.
o Maj Gen Ermenc is currently serving as the army's Deputy-Chief of Staff.
o She began her military career in 1991 when the country won its independence from the former Yugoslavia.
'Asian of The Year' award 2018 announced
o Indian Navy Commander Vijay Varma and Captain P Rajkumar won the 'Asian of The Year' Award on 28 November 2018.
o They were awarded for their selfless service and bravery in rescue operations during the devastating floods in Kerala.
o The awards have been constituted by the English language newspaper 'The Straits Times' and it is based in Singapore.
Prof Punyasloke got Swarnajayanti Fellowship
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o Prof Punyasloke Bhaduri of the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research Kolkata was awarded the prestigious 'Swarnajayanti Fellowship' by the government of India for 2017-18.
o Under this fellowship, scientists are provided with generous support to pursue research in the frontier areas of science and technology.
o It is awarded for a period of 5 years.
Premji to be conferred French civilian award
o Azim Premji will be conferred with the 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur' (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
o Alexandre, Ambassador of France to India will confer the award to Premji.
o The award comes in recognition of his outstanding contribution in developing the information technology industry in India, his economic outreach in France, and his contribution to society as a philanthropist.
Person in news (19 - 24 Nov 2018)
o Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, known as the hero of the Battle of Longewala during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, died on 17 November 2018.
o Uber Eats has appointed actor Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador in India on 22 November 2018.
o Tyre maker, Apollo Tyres has appointed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as its new brand ambassador on 22 November 2018.
Sachin is the brand ambassador of Apollo Tyres
o Tyre maker, Apollo Tyres has appointed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as its new brand ambassador on 22 November 2018.
o He will be the ambassador of Apollo Tyres for a period of five years. 132 | P a g e
o Apart from Apollo Tyres, he is also the brand Ambassador for BMW in India.
o Sachin Tendulkar was the former brand ambassador of MRF Tyres.
Joyce to head the UN Environment Programme
o On 22 November 2018, Tanzanian microbiologist Joyce Msuya has been appointed as acting head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) following the resignation of Erik Solheim.
o Erik Solheim was the Executive Director of UNEP.
o Prior to joining UN, served as Adviser to the World Bank Vice President.
o She also served in the Republic of Korea, as the inaugural World Bank Special Representative.
UNICEF appoints 'Youth Advocate' for Northeast
o On 23 November 2018,singer Nahid Afrin of Assam has been appointed as the first 'Youth Advocate' of the Northeastern region by the UNICEF to fight for child rights.
o The UNICEF engages 'Youth Advocates' to act as agents of change in society.
o She made her playback debut in the 2016 Bollywood film 'Akira'.
o She received the best female playback singer award at the Assam state Film Award 2018.
Alia Bhatt appointed as brand ambassador
o Uber Eats has appointed actor Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador in India on 22 November 2018.
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o India is the first country for Uber Eats globally where the company has appointed a brand ambassador.
o Uber Eats is the food delivery arm of Uber and was launched in India in May 2017.
o The food delivery service is available across 37 cities in India.
Vimal Chandra won the Young Scientist award
o IIT Roorkee Professor Vimal Chandra Srivastava has won the 'NASI- Scopus Young Scientist Award 2018' in 'Environmentally Sound Sustainable Development' category.
o He has been given the award for his work on Industrial Wastewater Treatment, Clean Liquid Fuels, and Multi-component Adsorption.
o The Award was instituted by Elsevier in the year 2006.
Youngest-ever goodwill ambassador appointed
o British actress Millie Bobby Brown was named the newest United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador on 21 November 2018.
o She is the youngest person ever to be appointed as the UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador.
o As a Goodwil Ambassador, she will use her global platform to raise awareness of children’s rights and issues affecting young people.
Renault keeps Carlos Ghosn as CEO
o Renault has appointed its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Thierry Bollore as deputy CEO to ensure day-to-day management of the company.
o His appointment was made after the arrest of its CEO Carlos Ghosn but he will remain as its CEO. 134 | P a g e
o Renault's move to appoint a temporary leader was in line with a demand by the French government, which owns a 15% stake in the automaker.
Kim Jong Yang elected as Interpol President
o Kim Jong Yang of South Korea has been elected Interpol President.
o Kim will serve as president for the remainder of the current mandate, until 2020.
o The decision was taken at the 87th General Assembly of the Agency in Dubai.
o He was previously the Chief of police in South Korea’s most populous province.
Dr Dixit appointed as Brand Ambassador
o The Maharashtra government has appointed Dr Jagannath Dixit as the Brand Ambassador of its anti-obesity campaign.
o Dr Dixit has been appointed due to his experience and knowledge in the field.
o Dr Dixit is attached to the Government Medical College, Latur as a Professor.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan given a lifetime award
o Sarod master, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was presented the 'Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement' on 17 November 2018.
o He was awarded for his immense contribution to the enrichment and promotion of the Indian classical music.
o The award was presented to him by former diplomat Lalit Mansingh.
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o He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
Brigadier Kuldip Singh passed away
o Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, known as the hero of the Battle of Longewala during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, died on 17 November 2018.
o Brig Chandpuri was a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra, the country’s second-highest gallantry award, for his role at Longewala, an outpost in the Thar desert of Rajasthan.
o Brig Chandpuri was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment in 1963.
Ad-filmmaker Alyque Padamsee passed away
o Prominent ad filmmaker and actor Alyque Padamsee passed away on 17 November 2018 in Mumbai.
o As a film actor, he was known for his role in Richard Attenborough’s film Gandhi where he played Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
o He was known as the Father of modern Indian advertising.
o He was conferred with Padmashri Award in 2000 and he also received Sangeet Natak Akademi Tagore Ratna in 2012.
President Kovind to visit Vietnam & Australia
o President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Vietnam and Australia from 18 to 24 November 2018 with an aim to strengthen ties with the Indo-Pacific nations.
o He will be in Vietnam in the first leg of his trip.
o The President's second leg of the visit will be in Australia from 21 to 24 November 2018. 136 | P a g e
o This is the first visit by an Indian President to Australia.
Yes Bank chairman Ashok Chawla resigned
o Ashok Chawla has resigned as the Non-Executive (Independent) Chairman of Yes Bank on 14 November 2018.
o He has also been serving as the Chairman of National Stock Exchange, a quasi-regulator under the SEBI Act, since 2016.
o Former finance secretary Ashok Chawla had also worked as the Chairman of CCI or Competition Commission of India.
Hima Das appointed as Youth Ambassador
o Hima Das has been appointed as UNICEF India’s Youth Ambassador.
o She will work towards supporting various initiatives by UNICEF.
o She will also work towards raising awareness about the rights and needs of the children.
o She won the gold medal in Women's 4 x 400 m Relay event at the 2018 Asian Games.
Neomi Rao to replace Kavanaugh on DC Circuit
o U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Neomi Rao to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
o The powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is considered next to the U.S. Supreme Court.
o Ms. Rao is currently the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).
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Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal quits
o Flipkart co-founder, Binny Bansal resigned as the company’s Group CEO on 13 November 2018 following an independent investigation into allegations of serious personal misconduct.
o Kalyan Krishnamurthy will continue to be the CEO of Flipkart.
o Ananth Narayanan will continue as CEO of Flipkart’s fashion arms Myntra and Jabong. He will report to Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
Award given to Aung San Suu Kyi revoked
o Amnesty International revoked the 'Ambassador of Conscience Award' given to Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 13 November 2018.
o She received the award in 2009 when she was living under house arrest.
o The award was revoked because of her failure to speak out for the Rohingya minority.
o She was also stripped of her honourary Canadian citizenship in October 2018.
Mountaineer Satyarup climbed Mt Giluwe
o Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe on 11 November 2018.
o The summit of the mountain is at an elevation of 4,367 metres.
o He had successfully climbed the Mt Everest in June 2016.
o Mt Giluwe is the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea.
o Mt Wilhelm is the highest mountain of Papua New Guinea.
Peter inducted into Agricultural Hall of Fame 138 | P a g e
o Peter Dhillon, a Canadian Sikh farmer, has been inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.
o He has joined the company of great Canadians who have made their mark in agriculture and agro-food business.
o He is also the current Chairman of Ocean Spray, a marketing cooperative of cranberry farmers in the U.S. and Canada.
Bajrang becomes number one in world
o On 10 November 2018, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia achieved the number one rank in the world in the 65kg category.
o He was placed atop the ranking table with 96 points in the United World Wrestling (UWW) list.
o Alejandro Enrique from Cuba is at number two with 66 points.
o Russia's Akhmed Chakaev is at number three and Takuto Otoguro from Japan is at number four.
Arunima got Honorary Doctorate in UK
o On 6 November 2018, Arunima Sinha has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom for her inspirational achievements.
o On 21 May 2013, Arunima Sinha became the world's first female amputee to climb the Mount Everest.
o In 2015, she was presented with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.
VP embarked on three-day visit to France
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o Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has embarked on a three-day visit to France on 9 November 2018.
o He will attend the Paris Peace Forum being held to commemorate the centenary of the end to the First World War.
o The aim of the Paris Peace Forum is to establish a global platform to reaffirm the importance of multilateralism, international cooperation and reform of global governance institutions.
Tesla names new chair to replace Elon Musk
o Electric carmaker Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm as the Chairman of the company's board of directors, replacing Elon Musk.
o She will also be leaving her role as CFO and Head of Strategy at Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company.
o She has been on the Tesla board as an independent director since 2014.
o Elon Musk will remain the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla.
Samay won the 'Breakthrough Junior Challenge'
o Samay Godika won the 2018 'Breakthrough Junior Challenge' for his video submitted in the life sciences category on circadian rhythms.
o He will receive a $250,000 college scholarship.
o 'Breakthrough Junior Challenge' is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.
Miscellaneous News (29 Oct - 3 Nov 2018)
o Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) have designed India's first microprocessor, 'Shakti'. 140 | P a g e
o The ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ is observed on 2 November every year.
o Boxer Mary Kom was named as the brand ambassador of the 10th edition of the Women's World Boxing Championship.
Rahul Dravid inducted in ICC Hall of Fame
o Rahul Dravid became the fifth Indian to be inducted in the 'ICC Hall of Fame' on 1 November 2018.
o Rahul Dravid, along with Ricky Ponting and England women wicketkeeper Claire Taylor, were announced as the new inductees in the Hall of Fame.
o Dravid has scored 23, 208 international runs for India across formats.
o He has scored the runs at an average of 45.41.
Mary Kom is the brand ambassador
o Boxer Mary Kom was named as the brand ambassador of the 10th edition of the Women's World Boxing Championship on 31 October 2018.
o India is hosting the 10th edition of the Women's World Boxing Championship from 15 November 2018.
o Since the inception of the Women’s World Championship in 2001, India had hosted the tournament once in 2006.
December 2018
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's memorial inaugurated
o 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was inaugurated in Delhi on 25 December 2018.
o He passed away on 16 August 2018 after a prolonged illness.
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o The memorial project was funded by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society.
o 'Sadaiv Atal' memorial will be managed by a trust headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Vedangi: Fastest Asian to cycle the globe
o Indian woman Vedangi Kulkarni has become the fastest Asian to cycle the globe.
o She completed the 29,000 kilometers' distance required to qualify as bicycling across the globe.
o She spent 159 days peddling up to 300 kilometers a day in 14 countries.
o British adventurer Jenny Graham is the fastest woman to have cycled the globe in 124 days in 2018.
Person in News (17-22 Dec 2018)
o The Philippines’ Catriona Gray was named 'Miss Universe 2018' in the pageant competition held in Bangkok.
o Indian-American Shree Saini won the 'Miss India Worldwide 2018' title at the 27th annual global pageant competition held in New Jersey.
o Assamese singer Dipali Barthakur, known as the 'Nightingale of Assam', passed away in Assam on 21 December 2018.
Anup Kumar announces his retirement
o Kabaddi player Anup Kumar announced his retirement on 19 December 2018.
o He began his international career in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka. 142 | P a g e
o He led India to victory at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
o It was during his tenure that the Indian team won 2 gold medals at Asian Games in 2014.
o In season 2 of the Pro Kabaddi League, Anup captained U Mumba and led the team to victory.
Sonam named PETA India's 'person of the year'
o Sonam Kapoor was named PETA India's 'Person of the year' for 2018 for her animal advocacy efforts.
o People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organisation based in Virginia, USA.
o Past recipients of PETA India's Person of the Year Award include Anushka Sharma, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Hema Malini, and others.
Shree Saini crowned 'Miss India Worldwide'
o Indian-American Shree Saini won the 'Miss India Worldwide 2018' title at the 27th annual global pageant competition held in New Jersey on 15 December 2018.
o Sakshi Sinha from Australia and Anusha Sareen from United Kingdom were respectively declared first and second runner-ups.
o The competition was organised by the New York-based India Festival Committee.
Catriona won the 'Miss Universe 2018' title
o The Philippines’ Catriona Gray was named 'Miss Universe 2018' in the pageant competition concluding in Bangkok on 17 December 2018.
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o She is the fourth person from the Philippines who has won the international beauty pageant.
o The first runner-up was Tamaryn Green of South Africa and the second runner-up was Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela.
Persons in News (10-15 Dec 2018)
o Mexico’s Vanessa Ponce de Leon won the coveted ‘Miss World 2018’ crown.
o Goa’s Prathamesh Maulingkar has become the first Asian/Indian to win ‘Mister Supranational 2018’ title.
o Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been named Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’.
Chiefs of IB and RAW gets six months extension
o The Chiefs of Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing Rajiv Jain and Anil K Dhasmana respectively got extensions of six months each on 14 December 2018.
o The decision to extend the tenure of the two intelligence chiefs by six months was taken due to the forthcoming general elections.
o Rajiv Jain, 1980-batch IPS officer from Jharkhand, was appointed IB Director on December 30, 2016.
Shri Bharat Bhushan became member of UPSC
o Shri Bharat Bhushan Vyas, IAS (J&K 1986) (Retd.) took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
o The Oath was administered by Shri Arvind Saxena, Chairman, UPSC. He was born on 15/11/1957.
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o He has done B.Sc. (Botany).
o He joined Indian Administrative Service in 1986.
Arunima Sinha to climb Mt. Vinson, Antarctica
o The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi handed over the tricolour flag to Arunima Sinha, marking the beginning of her expedition to Mount Vinson, Antarctica.
o Ms. Arunima Sinha is the first female Divyang to climb Mount Everest.
o Arunima Sinha had earlier conquered the highest peaks in five continents, becoming the first female Divyang to achieve the feat.
Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' announced
o Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' on 11 December 2018.
o This is the first time that a 'Person of the Year' is a deceased person.
o Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in October 2018.
o The magazine has also honoured Philippine journalist Maria Ressa and Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo who are currently imprisoned in Myanmar.
Indian Air Force Chief on a visit to Japan
o Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff is on a visit to Japan from 10-14 December 2018.
o The visit is intended to further strengthen the existing defence cooperation between the Air Forces of the two countries.
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o The main focus would be to share ideas, enhance bilateral defence cooperation and mutual ties.
Prathamesh won 'Mister Supranational 2018'
o Goa's Prathamesh Maulingkar has become the first Asian/Indian to win 'Mister Supranational 2018' title on 9 December 2018.
o Mister Supranational Poland was adjudged first runner-up and Mister Supranational Brazil was adjudged the second runner-up.
o The third edition of 'Mister Supranational 2018' pageant took place in Poland.
Vanessa Leon won 'Miss World 2018' crown
o Mexico's Vanessa Ponce de Leon won the coveted 'Miss World 2018' crown on 8 December 2018.
o She is a volunteer for 'Migrantes en el Camino' and is on the board of directors of a rehab centre for girls.
o Thailand's Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan was declared the runner-up.
o Miss Belarus Maria Vasilevich, Miss Jamaica Kadijah Robinson, and Miss Uganda Quiin Abenakyo were also among the final five.
Swapna Barman appointed as Brand Ambassador
o State Bank of India (SBI) has appointed Swapna Barman as Brand Ambassador for its digital app 'YONO' on 3 December 2018.
o YONO, the bank's digital platform that makes both lifestyle and banking available through a single app, was launched in 2017.
o Swapna Barman won the gold medal in Heptathlon in Jakarta Asian Games 2018.
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Prez Kovind to be on 5-day visit to Myanmar
o President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a 5-day visit to Myanmar from 10 December 2018.
o A Joint Statement will be adopted during the President's visit, along with the signing of several agreements.
o The capital of Myanmar is Naypyidaw and is currency is Burmese kyat.
o U Win Myint is the President of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi is the State Counsellor.
Pawan Singh elected in ISSF's judges committee
o Pawan Singh has become the first Indian to be elected one of seven member's of the Judges Committee of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF).
o He also holds the post of the Joint Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
o ISSF is the governing body of the Olympic Shooting events in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun disciplines.
President Ramaphosa will be the Chief guest
o South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations on 26 January 2019.
o The celebrations are held every year before the President of India.
o In 2018, the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations were the 10 heads of state from ASEAN countries.
o The Chief guest at India's first Republic Day on 26 January 1950 was the President of Indonesia.
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Andres Manuel sworn in as Mexico President
o Leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sworn in as the new Mexican President on 1 December 2018.
o He won the Presidential election on 1 July 2018.
o Prior to becoming President, he was the Mayor of Mexico City.
o The capital of Mexico is Mexico City and its currency is Mexican Peso.
Suu Kyi stripped Of 'Freedom Of Paris' Award
o Paris city stripped Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary 'Freedom of Paris' award over her failure to speak out against a crackdown on Rohingya minority.
o Aung San Suu Kyi is the first person to lose the 'Freedom of Paris', a symbolic award.
o She has already been stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship and her Amnesty International's 'Ambassador of Conscience Award'.
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