CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 2019

NEWS NOTES

Sheikh Hasina  

·   Bangladesh 's ruling alliance won almost all the seats in the parliament in the country's general election, giving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina  a third term.

·   The coalition led by Hasina's Awami League won 288 out of 300 seats -96%- in polls. The National Unity Front the opposition alliance led by lawyer kamal Hossain won only 7 seats .

 

Patrick Shanahan

·     US President Donald Trump on 23rd December announced that he would replace Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with his deputy Patrick Shanahan as acting Pentagon chief from 1^st January 2019.

 

Charles Michel

·         Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel resigned amidst pressure on his government over his support for the 'Global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration 'signed in Marrakesh .

Ranil Wickremesinghe

·     Mr. Ranil  Wickremesinghe on 16^th December, 2018  was reinstated as PM of Sri Lanka, almost two months after he was sacked by President Maithripala  Sirisena . Thus, ending the seizure and restoring democracy to its place.

Catriona Gray

·   Ms. Catriona Gray was named Miss Universe 2018, in a pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand on 17^th December, 2018; becoming the fourth woman from Philippines to win the title.

·   Ms. Tamaryn Green from South Africa was named the first runner –up, while Ms. Venezuela Sthefany Gutierrez stood third at the pageant. India was represented by Ms. Nehal Chudasama.

 

 

Ashok Amritraj

·                    Producer Ashok Amritraj was honoured on 14^th December, 2018 with the French Knight of the National Order of Merit.

·                    He was the former CEO of national Geographic films and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

Shree Saini

·                   Indian –American student and antibullying activist Shree Saini has been crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018 at a pageant held on 14^th December,2018 in the Fords city of New Jersey.

Heather Nauert

·                 US President Donald Trump has nominated State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, who will replace Nikki Haley.

·                 Nauert is currently the State Department spokesperson and was also named as the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs in April, 2018.

Luka Modric

·                 Real Madrid and Croatia midifielder Luka Modric was awarded with 2018 men's Ballon d'Or on 3^rd December, 2018 in Paris.

·                 The 33-years old Croatian was also awarded the FIFA's World Cup 2018 MVP ( Most Valuable Player), UEFA's Player of the Year 2018, Best FIFA Footballer of the Year and the number one player by International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

 

 

Jon Ridgeon

·                  The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on 3^rd December, 2018 announced the appointment of former British hurdler Jon Ridgeon as its new CEO.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

·                  Leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador aka AMLO has been sworn in as the 58^th President of Maxico on 1^st December, 2018.

Sudhir Bhargava

·                 The government has appointed Sudhir Bhargava as the Chief Information Commissioner. He will take charge on 1^st January, 2019.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla

·               The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has appointed seasoned diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla as the Ambassador of India to the United States of America.

·               At, present, he is serving as Indian High Commissioner at Bangladesh.

Pranab K Das

·         Senior bureaucrat Pranab Kumar Das has been appointed as chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the apex policy –making body for indirect taxes.

·         At present, Mr. Das is serving as the special secretary and member (customs) at CBIC, where he will succeed S Ramesh.

kamal Nath

·         Kamal Nath , a 9-time – MP from Chhindwara has been appointed as the 18^th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 17^th December,2018.

K Chandrasekher Rao

·         Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekher Rao has been sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangaan, for the second time.

 

 

Rajiv Mehrishi

·         Comptroller Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi has become the Vice- Chair of the UN Panel of Auditors on 8^th December, 2018.

·         The United Nations Panel of Auditors (from 11 countries) consists of External Auditors of the United Nations and its agencies.

Shaktikanta Das

·      The government has appointed former economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das at the new 25^th RBI governor for a term of three years.

·      Prior to this, he was a former economic affairs secretary from 2015-2017, he also had the experience   in preparing several budgets as Joint Secretary in charge of Budget division. He is currently a member of the 15^th FCI, and the G-20 Sherpa on behalf of India.

Krishnamurthy Subramanian

·   The government on 8^th December, 2018 appointed Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian as the new Chief Economic Advisor for three – year tenure.

Skoch CM of the Year

·   West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been conferred the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year for her contribution in the overall development of the state and emerging as the best CM in the country.

54^th Jnanpith Award

·   Eminent novelist Amitav Ghosh has been chosen for Jnanipth Award for 2018, the Bharatiya  Jnanpith announced this on 14^th December, 2018.

Miss World 2018

·   Vanessa Ponce de Leon of Maxico on 8^th December, 2018 was crowned Miss World 2018 crown at an event held in the coastal city of Sanya, China.

PETA' Hero to Animals' Award

·   Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain was awarded by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for banning the Chinese Manja, or the glass – coated kite strings, throughout National Capital Territory of Delhi.

COP24: UN Climate Change Conference 2018

·         The COP24 (Conference of the Parties): UN Climate Change Conference 2018 was held in Katowice, Poland with the goal of finalizing the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

·         As part of the Paris Climate Agreement, India has targeted to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions up to 35% by 2030.

G-20 Summit 2018

·         The 13^th G-20 summit 2018 was held from 30^th November to 1^st December, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

·         The theme of the summit was "Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development".

·         Chinese Premier Xi Jinping met US President Trump and agreed to a truce to mitigate the ongoing frictions between the two economies.

Asia Pacific Summit 2018

·         The Asia Pacific Summit -2018 began on 1^st December in Kathmandu, Nepal.

·         The theme of two –day Summit Was Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Independence, Mutual Prosperity, and Universal value.

Odisha CM announces KALIA Scheme for Farmers

·         Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on 21^st December, 2018 announced Rs. 10,000 crore scheme for the overall development of farmers in the state.

·         The Odisha state cabinet has approved the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation where an amount of Rs. 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs. 5,000 each for kharif and Rabi seasons shall be provided as financial assistance.

Dwijing Festival begins in Assam

·         Dwijing festival is a 12 days festival which was opened on 27^th December, 2018 and will continue till 7^th January, 2019 in lower Assam's Chirang district.

Andhra Pradesh gets new High Court in Amaravati

·         The new Andhra Pradesh High Court has stared functioning from 1^st January, 2019. The ministry of Law and Justice on 26^th  December, 2018 notified the constitution of the High Court in Amaravati.

·         Andhra Pradesh High Court is the 25^th High Court in the country.

·         Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, current Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court will head the new High Court as per Law Ministry.

MP declared Kuno as National Park

·         OM 14 December, 2018 Madhya Pradesh Forest Department had declared Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary as a National Park. It is spread over 750 sq km area.

·         The move is expected to pave way for translocation of lions from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno, MP.

J&K brings Law against 'Sextrotion'

·         The state Administrative Council (SAC) headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik approved the Prevention of corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Jammu and Kashmir Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

·         J&K on 14^th December, 2018 became the first state to have a law explicitly banning sexual exploitation of woman by those in positions of authority, having a fiduciary relationship or by a public servant, under Section 354E of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).

Kannur International Airport in Kerala begins Operations

·         The Kannur international Airport KIAL in Kerala began its operations on 9^th December, 2018.

·         The first flight from the Airport to Abu Dhabi was flagged off.

·         With this, Kerala is the only state in our country with 4 international airports.

19^th Hornbill Festival begins in Nagaland

·         The 19^th Hornbill Festival 2018 began with the inaugurating ceremony       done by union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 01^st December, 2018.

Smriti Mandhana named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year

·         Smriti Mandhana was named as the Women's Cricketer of the Year on 31^st December, 2018 by International Cricketer Council.

·         She also won the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award. The Mumbai cricketer was the third highest scorer in the world T-20 with 178 runs.

PV Sindhu becomes 1^st Indian to win BWF World Tour Finals

·         Pusarla v Sindhu became the first Indian to win the BWF World Tour Finals which concluded on 16^th December, 2018 in Guangzhou, China.

·         This was her career's 14^th title but the year's first. Prior to this in 2018, she has won sliver at the World Championships,   Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Thailand Open and India open.

WV Raman appointed India Women's Cricket Team Coach

·      WV Raman has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Indian women's cricket team on 20^th December, 2018.

Mary Kom honoured with the title "Meethoileima"

·         Manipur Government on 11^th December, 2018 honored AIBA World Women Boxing Gold medalist MC Mary Kom with the title. "Meethoileima" (par excellent queen) at a function in Imphal, Manipur.