1.Balkrishna Garg conferred with 2015
Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award
Veteran
hindi poet Balkrishna Garg was on 8 January 2016 conferred with the 2015
Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award in New Delhi. He received the award for
his Baa Geet, which is a collection of poems for children.
The award was presented by
Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust
(NBT) Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma.
It was the second award to be
conferred since its inception in 2014 and consists of a cash prize of 75000
rupees, a shawl and a citation.
The award was instituted in the
memory of Harikrishna Devsare, a renowned Hindi writer known for his work in
the field of children’s literature, who passed away in 2013.
2.Milos
Raonic won 2016 Brisbane International Tennis men’s singles trophy
Milos
Raonic of Canada on 10 December 2015 won the 2016 Brisbane International Tennis
men’s singles trophy.
To win the title, the 14th world
ranking player defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-4 6-4 in the final match
held at Brisbane in Australia. At present, Roger Federer is at the third
position in the world singles ranking.
For Raonic, it was the 8th World
ATP tour title in his career and the first title in the 2016 season.
Winners
in other categories
• Women’s Singles: Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
• Men’s Doubles: Henri Kontinen (Finland) & John
Peers (Australia)
• Women’s Doubles: Sania Mirza (India) &
Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
3.Rene
Holten Poulsen named Denmark's sportsperson of 2015
Danish
kayaker Rene Holten Poulsen on 9 January 2016 was named the Denmark’s
sportsperson of the year 2015.
The Sports Confederation of
Denmark and Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper voted to award Poulsen the prize,
which is known as Sports Name of the Year and is among the country's top sports
prizes.
About
Rene Holten Poulsen
• Rene Holten Poulsen is a professional kayaker
and medallist at the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships.
• He won a silver medal in the men's K-2 1000
metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
• He had won a total of six medals in
international championships in 2015, including two World Cup medals, three
European Championship medals and one European Games bronze medal.
• For his 2015 achievements, Poulsen has also
been nominated for the World Paddler Awards 2015.
4.President
inaugurated 88th Annual Conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan
The
President Pranab Mukherjee on 10 January 2016 inaugurated the three day long
88th annual conference of Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
In this conference, delegates
from all over the country attend to hold thematic discussions, meet Bengali
authors, novelists, and poets, attend literary sessions, exchange thoughts with
scholars of the other languages.
All participants of the
conference would also be encouraged to contribute towards Indian literature
continously.
About
Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan
• Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya
Sammelan is an annual convention of Bengali literary personages of India.
• Under the great Bengali
literary personalities like Atul
Prasad Sen, Kazi Nazrul Islam and
others, the Sammelan prospered to have branches every major city and town of
India.
•It serves Bengali literature and
Bengali culture in almost all the states of India. The central office of the
organization is located at New Delhi.
• It was initially known as Prabasi Banga-Sahitya Sammelan and was held annually.
• The first annual conference was
held in Benares in 1922 and presided over by Kobiguru Rabindranath Thakur. And
in 1923 its Varanasi session was patronized by Rabindra Nath Tagore.
• Between 1922 and 1980 the
conference travelled all over India, from major cities like Delhi, Calcutta,
Bombay, Madras, Lucknow, and Hyderabad, to small cities like Srinagar and
Guwahati.
• After Independence, in 1953 the
coinage 'Prabasi' was dropped and 'Nikhil
Bharat' (All
India) was adopted in the context of the free nation.
• The organization publishes a
regular Bengali journal called 'Sammelani' and various
other books related to Bengali literature and culture.
5.Process
to formulate new constitution began in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
on 9 January 2016 began the process to formulate new constitution. In this
regard, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presented a
resolution in the Parliament to set up a Constitutional Assembly.
The primary objective behind
framing the new constitution is to replace the current executive president
headed constitution adopted in 1978.
The present constitution,
especially the powerful nature of the Presidency, has become controversial due
to the growing authoritarian tendencies in a single office.
Details
related to constitution making process
• The proposed Constitutional
Assembly (CA) will consist of incumbent members of parliament as its members.
• The CA will evolve a Constitution Bill, as per the Article 75 of the Constitution, after the completion of deliberations and collecting views and advice from the people.
• The CA will evolve a Constitution Bill, as per the Article 75 of the Constitution, after the completion of deliberations and collecting views and advice from the people.
• The
Speaker of Parliament will be the Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly and
there will be seven Deputy Chairmen of the Constitutional Assembly, who shall
be elected by the Constitutional Assembly.
•
However, the primary responsibility of drafting the constitution will rest on a
steering committee of 17 members.
• To come
into effect, the draft Constitution Bill should be approved the Parliament with
a special majority followed by a referendum.
6.Book
titled MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT authoured by Jain Acharya Maharaj released
MARU
BHARAT SARU BHARAT: Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
10 January 2016 released a book titled “MARU BHARAT SARU BHARAT “(My India
Noble India) written by Jain Acharya Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj.
This is the 300th book of Ratnasundersuriswarji Maharaj.
The book release function was organized by Sahitya Satkar Samiti of Ratnatrayee
Trust in Mumbai.
The book, My India, Nobel India,
will be available in four languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.
The author through his book has
highlighted various social evils, deficiencies prevailing at individual level,
and also expressed his anger about those evils.
7.14th
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in New Delhi
The 14th
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) was held on 9 January 2016 in New Delhi. The
event was inaugurated by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
attended by Priti Patel, MoS for Employment, United Kingdom.
Apart from the main event in New
Delhi, the day was celebrated by the MEA, across the world, through its
missions/posts abroad.
On this occasion, Sushma Swaraj
announced that the government is considering Aadhaar
cards to non-resident Indians (NRIs) and allowing women workers to Gulf countries only through the government agencies
to ensure they were not duped by recruiting agents or firms.
The 14th
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was unique for two reasons-
1) It was the first limited edition of the PBD. The government, in 2015, took a
decision to limit the PBD conference as a biannual event and extend the PBD
across the world and throughout the year. In effect, the next PBD conference
will be held in 2017.
2) It was
organised for the first time by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after
the government’s decision to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA)
with it. Earlier it used to celebrated by the MOIA.
About
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas
• It is being held annually since
2003 to bring the Indian Diaspora on a single platform and leverage their
resources in nation building activities.
• The day
is held annually on 9 January 2015 to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from
South Africa to India.
• Apart
from the PBD, regional PBDs were also held across the world. The most recent,
9th RPBD was held in November 2015, in Los Angeles, the USA.
• The
13th PBD was held in Gujarat marked the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return
to India from South Africa.
8.Nepal
elected as UNICEF’s executive board member for 2016-2018
Nepal on
9 January 2016 was elected to the UNICEF executive board, representing the
group of Asia-Pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.
Nepal's Permanent Representative
to the United Nations (UN), Durga Prasad Bhattarai, was also unanimously
elected vice-president to the Bureau of the Executive Board of the UNICEF for
2016.
Nepal recently completed its
terms as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for 2013-2015
and as vice-president from Asia-Pacific region at the executive board of United
Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations
Office for Project Services for the year 2015.
Nepal had contributed to the
UNICEF by remaining in the executive board in different times including 1982 to
1985, 1992 to 1995 and 2002 to 2004.
About
United Nations Children's Fund
• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
is a United Nations program that provides long-term humanitarian and
developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.
• It is one of the members of the United
Nations Development Group and its Executive Committee.
• UNICEF was created by the United Nations
General Assembly on 11 December 1946 to provide emergency food and healthcare
to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II.
• Maurice Pate, American humanitarian and
businessman, co-founded the United Nations Children's Fund with Herbert Hoover
in 1947.
• In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of
the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United
Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. However, it has continued to
be known by the popular acronym based on this previous title.
9.International
Kite festival started in Ahmedabad
Gujarat
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 10 January 2016 inaugurated the 28th edition
of International Kite Festival at Sabarmati River front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The Kite festival of Gujarat
marks Uttarayan, the day when winter begins to turn into summer, according to
the Indian calendar.
While inaugurating the festival, Chief Minister Patel claimed that the festival
has boosted the kite-making industry along with attracting foreign tourists in
Gujarat. She also said that in last one decade the business of kite making has
grown from 100 crore rupees to 700 crore rupees.
The international kite festival is simultaneously organized in other cities of
the state including Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Porbandar, Mandvi, Botad,
Surendranagar, and Modhera.
About
Uttarayan
Uttarayan is the sign for farmers that the sun is back and that harvest season is approaching which is called Makara Sankranti. This day is considered to be one of the most important harvest days in India.
Uttarayan is the sign for farmers that the sun is back and that harvest season is approaching which is called Makara Sankranti. This day is considered to be one of the most important harvest days in India.
10. 11th
World Hindi Day observed on 10 January
10
January: World Hindi Day
The 11th World Hindi Day was
celebrated on 10 January 2016. To mark the occasion, Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) through its missions/posts abroad and the Department of Official
Language (Rajbhasha) conducted special events to spread the greatness of the
language.
The day was first observed on 10
January 2006. And, it is in addition to the National Hindi Divas that is being
celebrated annually on 14 September.
National Hindi Divas is
celebrated to mark the day, 14
September 1949, on which the Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as
the Official Language of
the Union.
While the focus of the World
Hindi Day is the promotion of the at the global stage, the National Hindi Divas
is held across the country.
About
Hindi
• Hindi as a language is the
fourth most spoken language of the world.
• In India, Hindi is used as a mother tongue by around 258 million people.
• It is a native language for most people living in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• Outside Asia, Hindi is an official language in Fiji. The Constitution of Fiji states 3 official languages, namely English, Fijian, and Hindi. The dialect of Hindi spoken there is known as Fiji Baat or Fiji Hindi.
• At present Hindi as a language is spoken in more than 20 countries around the world and is being taught in 150 Universities of the world.
• In India, Hindi is used as a mother tongue by around 258 million people.
• It is a native language for most people living in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• Outside Asia, Hindi is an official language in Fiji. The Constitution of Fiji states 3 official languages, namely English, Fijian, and Hindi. The dialect of Hindi spoken there is known as Fiji Baat or Fiji Hindi.
• At present Hindi as a language is spoken in more than 20 countries around the world and is being taught in 150 Universities of the world.
Constitutional
Provision for Hindi language
Official Language policy of the
Union has been explained in detail under Article 120 (Part-V), Article 210
(Part-VI) and, especially
in Part XVII, Article 343, 344 and from 348 to 351.
11.Noted
Hindi writer Ravindra Kalia passed away
Noted
Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away on 9 January 2016 in New
Delhi. He was 78.
Kalia had been suffering from
liver cirrhosis.
The writer is known for his works
like Nau Saal Chotti Patni andGhalib Chutti Sharab.
The former Bharatiya Jnanpith
director, Kalia was also the editor of several literary magazines, including Naya Gyanodaya.
Born on 11 November 1938 in
Jalandhar, Punjab, Kalia was mainly famous for writing stories, novels, memoirs
and satires.
The writer had been honoured with
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Premchand Memorail Award, UP Sahitya Bhushan Award, UP Lohia
Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani award and Pdumlal Bakshi Award of Madhya
Pradesh Government.
12. 73rd
Annual Golden Globe Awards announced in California
The 73rd Annual Golden
Globe Awards were announced on 11 January 2015 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in
Beverly Hills, California, the US. These annual awards honour the best in
Motion Pictures and Television for the year 2015.
The Revenant won the
Best Motion Picture – Drama while best Actor and best Director Awards were
conferred to Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro Inarritu for the same movie. Brie
Larson won the best actress award for ‘The Martian’ Movie.
List of winners of the
73rd annual Golden Globe Awards:
MOTION PICTURES
|
Category
|
Film
|
Name
|
|
Picture, Drama
|
The Revenant
|
|
|
Picture, Musical or
Comedy
|
The Martian
|
|
|
Actor, Drama:
|
The Revenant
|
Leonardo DiCaprio,
|
|
Actress, Drama:
|
Room
|
Brie Larson,
|
|
Director
|
The Revenant
|
Alejandro Inarritu,
|
|
Actor, Musical or
Comedy
|
The Martian
|
Matt Damon
|
|
Actress, Musical or
Comedy
|
Joy
|
Jennifer Lawrence
|
|
Supporting Actor
|
Creed
|
Sylvester Stallone,
|
|
Supporting Actress,
|
Steve Jobs
|
Kate Winslet
|
|
Foreign Language
|
Son of Saul
|
|
|
Animated Film
|
Inside Out
|
|
|
Screenplay:
|
Steve Jobs
|
Aaron Sorkin,
|
|
Original Score
|
The Hateful Eight
|
Ennio Morricone
|
|
Original
Song
"Writing's
on the Wall"
music and lyrics
|
Spectre
|
Sam Smith, Jimmy Napes
|
TELEVISION
|
Category
|
Film
|
Name
|
|
Series, Drama
|
Mr.
Robot
|
|
|
Actor, Drama:
|
Mad Men
|
Jon Hamm
|
|
Actress, Drama:
|
Empire
|
Taraji P. Henson
|
|
Series, Comedy
|
Mozart in the Jungle
|
|
|
Actor, Musical or
Comedy
|
Mozart in the Jungle
|
Gael Garcia Bernal
|
|
Actress, Musical or
Comedy
|
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
|
Rachel Bloom,
|
|
Movie or Limited
Series:
|
Wolf Hall
|
|
|
Actor, Limited Series
Movie
|
Show Me a Hero
|
Oscar Isaacor TV
|
|
Actress, Movie or
Limited Series
|
American Horror Story:
Hotel
|
Lady Gaga
|
|
Supporting Actor,
, Limited Series or TV Movie
|
Mr. Robot
|
Christian
Slater
|
|
Supporting Actress,
Limited Series or TV Movie:
|
The Affair
|
Maura Tierney
|
|
Cecil B. DeMille
Award:
|
|
Denzel
Washington
|
13.DRDO
successfully test fired New Tank Ammunition for Arjun MBT
Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 6 January 2016 successfully
test fired the new Penetration-Cum Blast (PCB) and Thermobaric (TB) Ammunition
tank at Chandipur, Odisha. This was specially designed for Arjun Main
Battle Tank (MBT).
The trials were conducted jointly
with Army and were aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the ammunitions on
derelict tank fitted with instrumentation to measure the shocks, blast pressure
and temperature at various locations and on advanced imaging systems.
The
trials were very effective and the damage was devastated with the firing of
ammunition successfully destroying the target tank and severely damaging its
turret, barrel, tracks, ammunition bin, various sights, antennas etc.
The
trials were unique as for the first time such evaluation was carried out in
India which gave a quantum jump in the fire-power of Arjun tanks.
About The New Ammunition Tank:
• The
ammunitions was developed by Pune based DRDO laboratories Armament Research and
Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory
(HEMRL).
• An innovative chemical composition was developed by HEMRL after extensive research for the TB ammunition.
• During the development phase, these ammunitions were evaluated against different simulated targets which are armour plates, concrete structures and fortifications.
• An innovative chemical composition was developed by HEMRL after extensive research for the TB ammunition.
• During the development phase, these ammunitions were evaluated against different simulated targets which are armour plates, concrete structures and fortifications.
About
Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT)
A
state-of-the-art weapon and ammunition system was developed by the DRDO for the
Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) by adopting novel design concepts and latest
technological advancement at par with the industrially advanced countries.
The
system is capable of destroying modern heavy targets up to a range of 5000
metres.
All aspects leading to ergonomics, product reliability, maintenance, ease of operation, and futuristic performance enhancement have been incorporated in the design of the system.
The following indigenous technologies have been developed and established during the course of the system development.
All aspects leading to ergonomics, product reliability, maintenance, ease of operation, and futuristic performance enhancement have been incorporated in the design of the system.
The following indigenous technologies have been developed and established during the course of the system development.
• Electro
slag refined (ESR) steel for gun barrels
• Partial
length autofrettaging of gun barrels
• High
pressure packing rings for recoil system
•
Tungsten alloy penetrators
• Fin
stabilised kinetic energy shot
• Special
alloy steel obturating cups for cartridge cases
•
Semi-combustible cartridge case and primer.
14. Stanislas
Wawrinka won third consecutive Chennai Open title
Stanislas
Wawrinka on 10 January 2016 won his Chennai Open title. In the summit clash at
the Nungambakkam tennis stadium of Chennai, he defeated Croatian Borna Coric
6-3, 7-5.
This is
the fourth Chennai Open title for the Swiss player and the third consecutive
win, who first won it in 2011.
With this
win, Wawrinka lifted the cup and got the award money of 75700 US dollars and
got away with 250 ATP ranking points.
He
extended his run of dominance in Chennai to a 12-match win streak, including 24
consecutive sets won. The Swiss completed the first three-peat in tournament
history, becoming the ninth different active player to do so at an ATP World
Tour event. The 30 year old notched his 12th tour-level crown overall and
eighth on hard courts.
15. Maria
Teresa de Filippis, first female Formula One driver, died
Maria
Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to compete in a world championship Formula
One grand prix, passed away on 8 January 2016 in Italy. She was 89.
De Filippis participated in five
World Championship Grands Prix; however, she scored no championship points.
Although she remained largely unsuccessful in her Formula One racing career,
she is remembered as a pioneer in motor racing, a sport dominated by men.
About
Maria Teresa de Filippis
• Born on 11 November 1926 in Naples, Italy, de
Filippis began her racing career at the age of 22.
• She won her first race, driving a Fiat 500 on
a 10 km drive between Salerno and Cava de' Tirreni.
• She took part in various motor racing events,
including hill climbing and endurance racing, before being given the chance to
drive in Formula One.
• She finished second in a sportscar race
supporting the 1956 Naples Grand Prix, driving a Maserati 200S.
• On 18 May 1958, she was given the opportunity
to enter the Monaco Grand Prix, the second round of the 1958 Formula One
season, in one of the 250Fs.
16.Rhythm
and blues singer Otis Clay passed away
Otis
Clay, American R&B and soul singer and Blues Hall of Fame inductee, died on
8 January 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. He was 73.
Clay, the one-time Grammy
nominee, passed away following a heart attack.
About
Otis Clay
• Born on 11 February 1942, Clay started his
singing career with local gospel group, the Voices
of Hope.
• In 1965, he signed with One-derful! Records in Chicago to make secular
recordings.
• After releasing a series of gospel-tinged
soul records, his first hit came in 1967 with That's
How It Is (When You're In Love), which reached to Number 34 on
the US Billboard R&B chart.
• In 1968, his contract was bought by Atlantic
Records, who launched their subsidiary Cotillion label with Clay's version of
the Sir Douglas Quintet hit, She's
About A Mover. The record became Clay's biggest pop hit,
reaching Number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• His biggest hit came in late 1972 with Trying To Live My Life Without You.
• His last national hit single was All Because Of Your Love.
• He was a nominee for a Grammy for Best
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
• He was one of the 2013 inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame.
17. Sania
Mirza-Martina Hingis won Brisbane Tennis trophy
Sania
Mirza and Martina Hingis on 9 January 2016 won the WTA Brisbane Tennis trophy.
In the final at Brisbane, the top seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated German
Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5, 6-1.
They also
stitched a 26-match winning streak together, which has brought them six titles
in a row at the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, WTA Finals and now at
Brisbane.
It is the
longest winning streak since Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci's 25 in a
row in 2012. They won five titles in a row, at Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, the
French Open and 's-Hertogenbosch.
The last
doubles team to win more than 25 consecutive matches was Gigi Fernandez and
Natasha Zvereva who had notched up 28 straight victories in 1994.
