AWARDS AND HONOURS
- France’s Iris Mittenaere wins Miss Universe 2016
A 23-year-old dental student from France has won the Miss Universe crown in the annual pageant held this year in the Philippines. Iris Mittenaere comes from the small town of Lille in northern France.
Miss Haiti, Raquel Pelissier, a 25-year-old survivor of the devastating 2010 earthquake that destroyed her hometown, was named first runner up while Miss Colombia, 23-year-old, Andrea Tovar, was second runner up.
APPOINTMENTS
- SC appoints former CAG chief Vinod Rai as BCCI chief
The Supreme Court has appointed former CAG Vinod Rai to head the four-member Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) administrative committee to look after the day-to-day functioning of the board and ensure the smooth implementation of the Lodha panel’s proposals.
Historian Ramachandra Guha, IDFC MD Vikram Limaye and former women cricket captain Diana Edulji have also been named by the SC as members of the committee.
- AP Singh is interim head of Postal Bank
India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), floated by the postal department, has received Reserve Bank of India’s final nod to commence commercial operations. The Centre has appointed AP Singh, who was earlier Joint Secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, as the interim Managing Director and CEO of IPPB.
- Ex-HC judge Vishwanath Shetty sworn in as Karnataka Lokayukta
Former high court judge Justice P Vishwanath Shetty was sworn in as the Karnataka Lokayukta, a year after the post fell vacant following a bribery scandal that had hit the office of the anti-graft ombudsman. Shetty was administered the oath of office by governor Vajubhai R Vala at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
- Amulya Patnaik appointed new Commissioner of Delhi Police
Amulya Patnaik was appointed the new commissioner of Delhi Police. Patnaik, a 1985 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre, will succeed Alok Kumar Verma. Patnaik, known for his investigating skills, is currently the Special Commissioner of Police (Vigilance). Patnaik is also known for deftly handling law and order situations.
INDIAN AFFAIRS
- India’s largest startup incubator to be built at Hubballi
The Deshpande Foundation, the philanthropy arm of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande, will launch the country’s largest start-up incubation centre here (earlier Hubli), alongside the new campus of information technology giant Infosys.
- The foundation aims to promote entrepreneurship in India’s tier-II and tier-III cities.
- It is investing Rs 30 crore in the centre, to be opened this September and able to seat 1,200 people at any point.
- Nitin Gadkari Announces to Develop 1,253 km road in Assam as National Highways
The Centre will invest Rs 15,000 crores to develop 1,253 kilometres of roads in Assam into National Highways over the next few years. Inaugurating the second road bridge over Brahmaputra here, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister said the Centre has already sanctioned an investment of Rs 15,000 crores for developing the existing roads as NHs.
IMD to Set up Weather Stations in 660 Districts by 2019 Gokaldas Exports to set up manufacturing units in Chittoor district
- Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary
The nation has remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the country in paying homage to the Father of the Nation.
On this day in 1948, Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, who fired three bullets into his chest during a prayer meeting at the Birla House
- First investors’ summit for north-east held in Shillong
Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the 1st North East Investors Summit, organized jointly by the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of DoNER, at the State Convention Centre, in Shillong.
The Summit is being organized exclusively for the North Eastern Region, focusing on manufacturing in textiles and allied sectors; and to showcase the region as a global destination for investment and explore the possibility of convergence of efforts of various central Ministries and North Eastern States in attracting investment into the region.
- Government launches Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign
A nationwide Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign will be launched on January 30, which is also marked as Anti-Leprosy Day. Dr Anil Kumar, Deputy Director General, Central Leprosy Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said as many as 32,000 confirmed hidden cases of leprosy were detected across 163 districts in 20 states during the door-to-door surveys held last year.
- National Immunization Day: 29th January 2017
29 January 2017 is National Immunization Day. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the countrywide programme for 2017 by administering polio drops to children aged below five years at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The programme will cover around 17 crore children aged under five years in an effort to maintain the country’s polio-free status.
- India’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Rises by $ 932.4 million to $ 360.775 billion
Country’s foreign exchange reserves surged for the second consecutive week by USD 932.4 million to USD 360.775 billion in the week to January 20 on account of rise in foreign currency assets. The reserves in the previous week had increased by USD 687.9 million to USD 359.842 billion.
- IndiaPost becomes 03rd entity to receive licence to start payment bank operations
India Post has received payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start rollout of banking operations commercially under the permit. India Post has received payments bank licence. The service will be launched as per schedule. India Post Payments Bank is the third entity to receive payments bank permit after Bharti Airtel and Paytm. Payments banks can accept deposits up to Rs1 lakh per account from individuals and small businesses.
- INSAT-3DR to map farm fires in Haryana, Punjab
Next generation satellite INSAT-3DR has opened new frontiers in India’s weather forecasting and is set to equip the country with the ability to detect farm fires, which intensifies air pollution in the northern region seasonally, leaving Delhi gasping for breath.
A team of the Satellite Meteorology Division of India Meteorological Department (IMD), housed in New Delhi’s Mausam Bhawan, has amassed a huge tranche of data relayed by it over the past few months, at an average rate of a whopping 142 GB per day.
- Inheritance Court for Non-Muslims to be Set up in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, has issued a resolution setting up a Personal Status and Inheritance Court for non-Muslims in Abu Dhabi.
The move is in line with the strategic goals of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the judicial procedures and ensure access to services for all segments of the society.
16. Denmark to appoint world’s first ‘digital ambassador’
Denmark will become the first country in the world to appoint a special “digital ambassador” to work on building ties with the globe’s tech giants, according to the country’s foreign minister. The new appointment will be a tech liaison who reflects a diplomatic power shift between established nations and privately-owned conglomerates.
- Alibaba’s financial arm acquires MoneyGram
Ant Financial, e-commerce giant Alibaba’s financial arm, has reached an agreement to acquire American money-transfer major MoneyGram for $880 million, in a deal that will expand the firm’s business in the US after India and Thailand. The acquisition of MoneyGram is a significant milestone in our mission to bring inclusive financial services to users around the world.
- Abul Hossain Wins 2017 Kolkata Marathon
Siliguri lad Abul Hossain won the Kolkata Marathon as amateur runners from north Bengal and Northeast India dominated the first edition of the meet.
Hossain won the race with a timing of two hours 34 minutes and two seconds to leave Kolkata lad Biswanath Pal second, five minutes behind. Paritosh Roy finished third with a timing of two hours, 52 minutes 48 seconds.
- PV Sindhu wins Syed Modi International badminton tournament
Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu is ecstatic to begin the new season with a victory at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold tournament and will look to get back to her best ahead of the important tournaments such as All England and World Championship. Sindhu had come close to winning the trophy in 2014, but suffered a loss against compatriot and former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal in the finals.
- 2017 Australian Open Winners
| Women’s Singles Champion | Serena Williams |
| Men’s Singles Champion | Roger Federer |
| Women’s Doubles Champions | Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek Sands |
| Men’s Doubles Champions | Henri Kontinen and John Peers |
| Mixed Doubles Champions | Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal |
| Girls’ Singles Champion | Marta Kostyuk |
| Boys’ Singles Champion | Zsombor Piros |
- Hollywood Legend & Harry Porter actor John Hurt dies at 77
Sir John Hurt, who won Oscar nominations for the Elephant Man and captured the hearts of millions for his roles in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, has died. The star, one of Britain’s most treasured actors, died aged 77 at his home in Norfolk after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
- French actress Emmanuelle Riva passes away
Emmaunelle Riva, the French actor whose 60 year career came to a triumphant climax with her Oscar nomination for Michael Haneke’s Amour, has died. Riva, who had cancer, died on Friday night in Paris, but was working until last summer, when she made a film, Alma, in Iceland and performed at the Villa Medici in Rome.
