CURRENT AFFAIRS
Awards & Honours
1. Sunny Leone to receive PETA’s Person of the Year award
Actress Sunny Leone will receive PETAs person of the year award for her dedication to promoting the rescue of homeless dogs and cats, as well as her compassion for animals abused and killed for their skin. Past recipients of PETAs person of the year award include Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Supreme Court Justice KS Panicker Radhakrishnan, and actors Kapil Sharma, Hema Malini, R Madhavan and Jacqueline Fernandez
2. Jeje wins best footballer of the year award by AIFF
Jeje Lalpekhlua named as the AIFF Player of the Year 2016.The 25 year old forward performance for national team and for the club side was exceptional. The announcement was made by AIFF president Mr.Praful Patel in the annual general body meeting held at AIFF headquarters.
2016 AIFF AWARDS
2016 AIFF Player of the Year: Jeje Lalpekhlua
2016 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year: Sasmita Malik
2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year: Rowllin Borges
2016 AIFF Emerging Woman Footballer of the Year: Sanju
2016 AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme: Punjab Football Association
2016 AIFF Award for long-time contribution to Indian Football: Nike
2016 AIFF Award for Best Referee: Pranjal Banerjee
2016 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee: Joseph Tony
3. Mary Kom given AIBA Legends award by int’l boxing body
Five time world champion MC Mary Kom got the AIBA Legends award while former Asian Games champion Vikas Krishnan received the AIBA Pro Boxing Best Boxer trophy at the International Boxing Federation’s (AIBA) 70th anniversary. Both Indian boxers were present at the ceremony along with Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh.
APPOINTMENTS
4. American Tourister appoints Kohli as its brand ambassador
Luggage maker American Tourister has appointed India Test skipper Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. The signing of this cricketer coincides with the launch of new backpack collection by American Tourister for 2017. The luggage brand has signed the ace cricketer to feature in a new integrated marketing communications campaign, which will be publicised in India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, kick starting in March, 2017.
INDIAN AFFAIRS
5. NGT announces ₹25k fine on bulk waste burning in open areas
The NGT has imposed a complete ban on burning of waste in open places across the country and announced a fine of Rs 25,000 on each incident of bulk waste burning. The green panel also asked the Environment Ministry and all states to pass appropriate directions in relation to the ban on short-life Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and chlorinated plastics within a period of six months.
6. India’s first Beer Mile festival to be held in Bengaluru
Bengaluru will host India’s first ‘Beer Mile Run’, wherein a participant will be required to drink a pint of beer, run a quarter mile, and then repeat the process until a mile is completed. Prizes to fastest runners in different categories will be awarded. The event, which is scheduled for January 15, 2017, will also offer food, music, and games.
7. PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Cancer Centre in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundation stone for a cancer centre and a super speciality hospital besides touring Kabir Nagar area to inspect laying of underground cables, installation of heritage streetlights and lighting of heritage buildings.
8. Government reconstitutes committee helping Krishna River Board
The Union Water Resources Ministry has reconstituted a committee that was tasked with assisting the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). The new committee will be headed by A.K. Bajaj, former chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC). Besides, Gopala Krishnan, R.P. Pandey, Pradeep Kumar Shukla and N.N. Rai will be its members. The committee was reconstituted based on the demand of Telangana government.
9. India suffers from huge gender pay gap: ILO Report
According to Global Wage Report 2016-17 released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India suffers from huge gender pay gap. It shows that India has among the worst levels of gender wage disparity (men earning more than women in similar jobs) with the gap exceeding 30%.
Singapore has among the lowest gender wage disparity at 3%. Among major economies, South Korea only fared worse than India, with a gap of 37%.
10. President promulgates the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Fifth Ordinance, 2016
The President of India has promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Fifth Ordinance, 2016 (8 of 2016) on 22nd December, 2016.
After the Indo-China aggression in 1962, specific properties of Chinese nationals in India were vested in the Custodian in terms of Defence of India Rules, 1962. Subsequently, after the Indo-Pak conflict in 1965 & 1971, the movable / immovable properties of Pakistani nationals automatically got vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India and their vesting was continued in the Custodian by the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
The Government of Pakistan has disposed of all the properties of Indians impounded by them in Pakistan, including in erstwhile East Pakistan.
11. NITI Aayog launches the National Index for Performance on Health Outcomes
A ‘Performance on Health Outcomes’ index, spearheaded by NITI Aayog along with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to nudge States towards transformative action in the Health sector was launched. The index has been developed over several months, with inputs from domestic and international experts, including academicians and development partners, seeking feedback from States through multiple iterations and pre-testing the indicators in two States prior to its finalization.
It is anticipated that this health index will assist in State level monitoring of performance, serve as an input for providing performance based incentives and improvement in health outcomes, thereby also meeting the citizens’ expectations.
12. Northeast gets its second Ayurvedic College in Shillong
AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik has inaugurated the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH) to provide health care to the people of north eastern states. With its inauguration, NEIAH became the second Ayurvedic college in the Northeast with a Homeopathy college, and the Central Academic Institute of Ayush in Assam’s Guwahati.
The primary aim of the Institute is to produce quality human resource in the area of AYUSH in general and particularly in the fields of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy, along with Yoga.
13. Modi features on government of India calendar
The Government of India calendar 2017 that features Prime Minister Narendra Modi on each page draws flak on social media. The calender launched by Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. The theme of the calender is “Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai”.
This is the first time, a central government using the yearly calendar to showcase its achievements. The minister Venkaiah Naidu has also launched digital calendar app, which was firstly introduced in the year of 2014.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
14. World’s first solar road opens in France
France has just opened the first public solar panel road in the world. The road, called the Wattway, was officially opened by French Minister of Ecology Ségolène Royal and Mayor Guy Monhée. The stretch of road is covered in photovoltaic panels, which transform solar energy into electricity.
15. Japan approves record ₹3 lakh crore defence budget for 2017
The cabinet of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a record 5.05 trillion yen ($41.4 billion) defense budget for fiscal year 2016/2017. The rise in the defense budget is primarily driven by a weakened yen, higher personnel costs and an increase in expenses for the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corp’s Futenma air base in Okinawa Prefecture. The MOD will also construct a military radar station on Yonaguni island, the westernmost inhabited island of Japan.
16. China launches satellite to monitor global CO2 emissions
China launched a carbon dioxide monitoring satellite via a Long March-2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert. China is the third country after Japan and the United States to monitor greenhouse gases through its own satellite.
The 620-kg satellite TanSat was sent into a sun synchronous orbit about 700 kilometers above the earth and will monitor the concentration, distribution and flow of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. On a three-year mission, TanSat will thoroughly examine global CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per million).
This was the 243rd mission of the Long March series rockets. Besides TanSat, the rocket also carried a high-resolution micro-nano satellite and two spectrum micro-nano satellites for agricultural and forestry monitoring.
17. France becomes first country to use drones for national mail service
The French postal service is beginning an experimental drone delivery program to deliver parcels on a nine mile route once a week. After the program gets approval from the French aviation regulatory authority, the federal postal service will be the first to ever use drone delivery on a regular route. The drones used in the French postal service experiment have the capacity to fly up to 12 miles carrying about two pounds maximum, going around 19 miles per hour. They are also equipped with parachutes for safe emergency landing. The eventual goal is to reach rural or mountainous regions that are otherwise difficult and expensive to get to using cars.
18. Japan successfully launches solid fuel rocket
Japan’s space agency has successfully launched a solid fuel rocket named Epsilon-2. The rocket is the latest in Tokyo’s effort to stay competitive in an industry that has robust growth potential and strong security implications.
- The Exploration of Energisation and Radiation in Geospace (ERG) mission will be operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), studying Earth’s magnetosphere.
- The Epsilon-2 three-stage rocket is part of a new generation of solid propellant rockets and makes it possible for launch costs to be reduced up to one third, according to JAXA.
19. US imposes more sanctions on Russia
Companies building a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with annexed Crimea, a project close to the heart President Vladimir Putin, were targeted by the United States in an updated sanctions blacklist. The U.S. Department of the Treasury added dozens of people and companies to the list, first introduced after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expanded over its support for separatist rebels in the east of the country.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
20. Google rolls out free Wi-Fi to 100th Indian railway station
Google has announced the roll out of its Railwire high-speed Wi-Fi at Udhagamandalam (Ooty) station, bringing Internet to 100 of the busiest railway stations across India. Google says that over 10 million people who pass through these stations every day, and now get access to fast Internet speed to stream (or download) HD videos. Google claims that Google Railtel has over five million monthly users, and is helping millions of people to discover the benefits of high speed Internet. The company added that 15,000 first time users are connecting to its network every day.
SPORTS
21. Sania to pair up with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Brisbane
Sania Mirza will team up with American former No. 1 doubles player Bethanie Mattek-Sands for the year-opening WTA tournament in Brisbane. The pair have played together in the past, coming together for a short time in 2012. They had some early success, winning their second tournament together – the prestigious Cincinnati Masters in 2007, but fizzled out afterwards.
Playing together in more recent years, Mattek-Sands and Mirza have had wins at Dubai, Brisbane and Sydney – with their pairings in Australia immensely successful.
22. Shiva Keshavan wins gold at Asian Luge Championships in Japan
Veteran Indian star Shiva Keshavan won the gold medal at the Asian Luge Championship. Asian Luge Cup is annual luge competition for Asian countries, which held since 1998. There are men’s and women’s single events and men’s double event.
23. Argentina win FIFA Team of the Year title
FIFA have released the final rankings of 2016, with Argentina reclaiming the team of the year title from Belgium, finishing with 1634 points to top FIFA’s rankings. As for India, the Blue Tigers have also climbed a staggering 31 places from last year, finishing the year ranked 135, their best climb up the table in history.
Brazil finished narrowly behind their rivals in 2nd place. Germany finished in 3rd place. Chile finished in 4th place and Belgium finished in 5th.
24. Ashwin wins Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the year
Ravichandran Ashwin has become the third India player and 12th player overall to win the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016.
Ashwin follows in the footsteps of Rahul Dravid (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar (2010), while other recipients of the Sir Garfield Trophy include Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint-winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Mitchell Johnson (2009 and 2014), Jonathan Trott (2011), Kumar Sangakkara (2012), Michael Clarke (2013) and Steve Smith (2015).
