Special General Awareness for IBPS, Bank Exams (In The News) - 2015

:: In The News ::

Ninad Bedekar

• Noted historian and orator Ninad Bedekar, known for his studies on the Maratha king, Shivaji, and his extensive research on the forts of Maharashtra, passed away aged 65 at a hospital in Pune.

• Mr. Bedekar, a mechanical engineer by training, breathed his last on Sunday. According to relatives, he had been suffering from heart and kidney ailments for the last couple of years.

• A prolific writer in his mother-tongue Marathi, he is credited with popularising the history of Maharashtra.In 2003, Mr. Bedekar, along with the right-wing Shiv Sena, was instrumental in bringing about the ban on American scholar James Laine’s book on Shivaji titled Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India. Mr. Bedekar had written to the Oxford University Press seeking a ban.

Daniel Mookhey

• Daniel Mookhey has become first Indian-origin Member of Parliament (MP) from the Australian state of New South Wales to be sworn in to Australian parliament on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavadgita.Recently, he was chosen by the Australian Labour Party to fill the casual vacancy in the New South Wales upper house. Thus, making him state’s first politician of Indian background.

• Daniel Mookhey was born in Blacktown suburb in New South Wales to Indian parents who had migrated to Australia from Punjab in 1973.

• He holds three university degrees and currently is working as a consultant to unions, charities and community groups.

Suchitra Bhattacharya

• Celebrated writer Suchitra Bhattacharya, many of whose books had been made into cult Bengali films including “Dahan”, passed away. Suchitra penned over 20 novels, including Dahan, Kachher Manush, Hemonter Pakhi, Alik Sukh, most turning into bestsellers in Bengali literature and was popular among the new generation of women as well as others. She had received several literary awards.

Harbhajan Kaur Dheer

• Harbhajan Kaur Dheer an Indian-origin councillor woman has became the first Asian woman elected mayor of Ealing Council in London; she became the Mayor of Ealing Council after succeeding councillor Tej Ram Bagha. Her husband councillor Ranjit Dheer is a former Mayor of Ealing. Born in Punjab in 1953, Harbhajan Kaur came to Britain in 1975. She studied Social Sciences at Kingston University and obtained a degree in 1995. She worked as an Approved Mental Health Professional in Surrey County Council until 2003. She has served the borough as a governor of a number of schools. She is a passionate advocate of rights of children and elderly including those with mental health issues.

Priti Patel

• Indian-origin Member of Parliament (MP) Priti Patel was appointed as Minister of State (MoS) for Employment in the David Cameron led United Kingdom Government. British Prime Minister David Cameron has also promoted her to his Cabinet.

• As the new Minister of State for Employment in the Department of Work and Pensions, she will attend all Cabinet members as the senior-most Indian-origin member. In recently concluded 2015 UK General election, Priti Patel was re-elected from Witham constituency in Essex on Conservative Party ticket. Earlier, she was elected from same constituency in 2010.

Mhairi Black

• Mhairi Black at the age of 20 became the youngest elected Member of Parliament (MP) in United Kingdom in over 300 years. She was elected as MP to House of Commons i.e. lower house of UK Parliament from Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency in Glasgow, Scotland.

• Mhairi Black represents Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP). In this general election she defeated Labour Party’s election chief and a former Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander by over 6000 votes by gaining total 17864 votes.

Ruth Rendell

• Crime writer Ruth Rendell has died aged 85. She wrote more than 60 novels in a career spanning 50 years, her best-known creation being Inspector Wexford, which was turned into a highly successful TV series

• Rendell, one of Britain’s best-selling contemporary authors, also wrote under the pen-name Barbara Vine. Born in Essex, she is credited with bringing a social and psychological dimension to crime fiction. Publisher

• Penguin Random House said Rendell, who suffered a stroke in January, died in London on Saturday morning.

• Penguin Random House chair, Baroness Gail Rebuck, said Rendell was admired throughout publishing for her “brilliant body of work”. Rendell’s first Wexford book, From Doon with Death, was published in 1964, beginning a series of more than 20 starring Inspector Reginald Wexford, played in the TV series by George Baker

• Many of her works were translated into more than 20 languages and adapted for cinema and TV, attracting worldwide sales of 60 million.

Philip S. Goodman

• Philip S. Goodman, a film, television and stage writer and director, passed away at his residence here. Goodman, who wrote episodes of the 1950s and 1960s TV shows such as “Profiles in Courage”, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, and “Johnny Staccato”, died.

• He directed the 1963 feature “We Shall Return”, which centered on anti-Castro Cuban fighters in Miami and starred Cesar Romero. At the Actors’ Studio, where he was a member of the Directors Group,

• Goodman directed workshops of his plays “Love Is a Candy Cane” and “This Notoriety Business”.

• Goodman wrote and directed television documentaries and industrial films for many years. In 1970, he wrote three episodes of National Educational Television’s “Our Vanishing Wilderness”, one of the first series on television to focus on environmental issues.

Maya Plisetskaya

• Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century from Russia passed away in Germany. She was 89. Plisetskaya was born in Moscow on November 20, 1925. Her ballet career spanned for more than five decades.

• She had joined the Bolshoi, a historic theatre in Moscow in 1943. Her performances had captivated audiences around the world. In 1960, she became the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina. Her modern choreography and performances were charged with eroticism flouted Soviet convention. In 1983, she became one of the first Soviet celebrities allowed to work for Western dance companies without having to defect. She was also the artistic director of the Rome Opera Ballet.

Azhar Ali

• Pakistan’s cricket chiefs named batsman Azhar Ali as the national side’s new One-Day International captain, despite the fact that he has not made the 50-over team in more than two years. The 30-year-old replaces Misbah-ul-Haq, who retired from ODIs following Pakistan’s World Cup quarterfinal exit at the hands of eventual champion Australia.

• Ali has played just 14 ODIs, the most recent in January 2013, when he contributed two with the bat as Pakistan beat arch-rival India by 85 runs at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. Ali was also named as vice-captain for the Test side, which Misbah will continue to lead, while big-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi stays on as T20 skipper.

Dr. Nasim Zaidi

• The President has appointed the senior-most Election Commissioner, Dr. Nasim Zaidi as the Chief Election Commissioner in the Election Commission. Dr. Nasim Zaidi has assume the charge of office of the Chief Election Commissioner on 19th April, 2015 vice Shri Harishankar Brahma consequent upon his demitting the office of the Chief Election Commissioner on the 18th April, 2015.

Ronavalli Harika

• Indian chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika on 6 April 2015 won the bronze medal in the World Women’s chess championships along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling. In the semifinal match played at Sochi in Russia, Harika lost to Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk and settled to Bronze medal with US $ 20,000. World Women’s chess championship’s winners are.

Tarique Rahman

• The Interpol has issued a ‘red corner’ notice for the arrest of Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman, who has been in exile in London for more than six years.

• The notice was issued for the arrest of Tarique, senior vice chairman of the party and son of Khaleda Zia, on the charge of murder and explosion of hand grenade in an Awami League rally on August 21, 2004. The Interpol ‘most wanted’ list has carried Tarique’s picture with details, saying Bangladesh is seeking him to stand trial in the case.

Gunter Grass

• Gunter Grass, the Nobel-winning German writer who gave voice to the generation that came of age during the horrors of the Nazi era has died. He was 87. Grass was lauded by Germans for helping to revive their culture in the aftermath of World War II and helping to give voice and support to democratic discourse in the post war nation.

• Yet he provoked the ire of many in 2006 when he revealed in his memoir “Skinning the Onion” that, as a teenager, he had served in the Waffen-SS, the combat arm of Adolf Hitler’s notorious paramilitary organization.

• In 2012, Grass drew sharp criticism at home and was declared persona non grata by Israel after publishing a prose poem, “What Must Be Said,” in which he criticized what he described as Western hypocrisy over Israel’s nuclear program and labelled the country a threat to “already fragile world peace” over its belligerent stance on Iran.

Shamina Singh

• President Barack Obama has nominated Shamina Singh, an Indian American as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service for a term expiring in Oct. 2019.

• Singh currently serves as the Executive Director of the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth. She joined MasterCard in 2013 as the Global Director for Government Services and Solutions, where she expanded MasterCard’s business capabilities to digitize social subsidy programs in over 40 countries, according to the World Economic Forum.

• Prior to joining MasterCard, she has also spent 15 years in the public sector holding senior positions within the Clinton Presidential Administration and the U.S. House of Representatives. Singh was executive director for the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 1999 to 2001.

Baba Ramdev

• The BJP government in Haryana has decided to accord the rank, equal to that of a cabinet minister, to yoga guru Ramdev; he had earlier been named as the state’s brand ambassador with the government then explaining his elevation as an attempt to promote yoga and ayurveda in the state.

Yuki Bhambri

• Yuki Bhambri clinched the ITF Futures tournament with a straight-set win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont and ensured his berth in the French Open qualifying event. The 22-year-old player, seeded second, overcame his Belarusian third seed rival 6-2 6-4 in the final and pocketed 27 ranking points which will take him to a rank between 215 and 220.

Malala Yousafzai

• NASA has reportedly named an asteroid in honour of 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. The asteroid, located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered by Dr Amy Mainzer, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, USA.

Dr. Mohan Kumar

• Union Governmnet has appointed Dr. Mohan Singh Indian Foreign Officer of 1981 batch as the next Ambassador of India to France. Presently Mohan Kumar is Ambassador of India to Bahrain.

Meenakshi Madan Rai

• Mrs. Meenakshi Madan Rai was sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court. Governor of Sikkim Srinivas Patil administered the oath of office to her at Raj Bhavan in Gangtok. After taking oath of office, she took charge as judge. With this Sikkim High Court again got its full strength of three judges after a gap of about one year

Bidyut Chakraborty

• Well-known Assamese filmmaker Bidyut Chakraborty, who had bagged the Indira Gandhi award for Best First Film of a Director in 1996 for his film “Rag-Birag”, passed away in a private hospital. He was 55.

Surya Bahadur Thapa

• Former Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa passed away. Thapa served as Prime Minister of Nepal for five terms, under three different Kings, in a politcal career spanning more than 50 years. Mr. Thapa started his political career by executing “underground student movement” in 1950. In 1958, he was elected to the Assembly and became Chairman of the Advisory Council. In 1959, he was elected to the Upper House.

• In 1966, he was appointed Prime Minister under the modified constitution of Nepal. He was responsible for expanding the coverage of the Constitution of 1962 and promulgated 2nd amendment to make it “people-oriented”.

Stanislav Gross

• Stanislav Gross, former and youngest Prime Minister of Czech Republic has passed away at the age of 45. Gross became premier at the age of 34 in July 2004 and took over as chairman of the leftist Social Democrats. But his career at the top of politics was brief.

D Jayakanthan

• Legendary Tamil writer D Jayakanthan, who charted a new course in Tamil literature with his bold and progressive works, has passed away. He has written around 40 novels and 200 short stories and used his pen effectively against social injustices and economic inequality.

• His popular novel, ‘Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal’, which was later made into a film, won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972. He was also a recipient of the Jnanpith Award in 2002.

EM Hanifa

• Renowned Tamil Muslim devotional singer EM Hanifa passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was well-known for his number of devotional songs and was a leading propagandist of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Party for more than five decades.

Neeraj Kumar

• Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was appointed as chief adviser of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU). Decision in this regard was taken at the Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi,. He will succeed Ravi Sawant as his term ended and will have term of one year.

Venkadarath Saritha

• Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has appointed a 30-year-old woman Venkadarath Saritha from Telangana as its first female driver. The driver, Venkadarath Saritha, will be on day-time duty on regular routes in Central Delhi.

• Ms. Saritha, who moved from Hyderabad to New Delhi four years ago, was selected from among seven women candidates who had applied for the post in response to a DTC advertisement. After completion of formalities, she attended a four-week training programme at the DTC training school.

Ashish Jakhar

• Haryana’s Ashish Jakhar set a national youth record in boys’ hammer throw on the second day of the 12th National Youth Athletics Championships held in Goa.

• Ashish hurled the 5kg ball-and-chain to a new distance of 71.92m on his opening throw and went on to improve it further to 72.04m to stamp his class with fine rotations on the circle to set the first national record of the meet.

• The previous national record had stood in the name of Haryana’s Sukhdev Singh (70.35m) since 2009. Only Chinese thrower Xu Wenjie has a better mark than Ashish in the Asian rankings, with a 72.35m throw, so far this season.

Vivek Priyadarshi

• The apex court of India has appointed CBI Officer Vivek Priyadarshi to head a new investigating team to further probe the IPL-6 spot-fixing and betting scandal.

• Priyadarshi, currently a superintendent of police in the anti-corruption cell of the agency, will replace 1983-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer BB Mishra as the head of the probe team following his retirement.

Jamal Benomar

• United Nation (UN) peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar has resigned, after losing support from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation. His resignation comes after UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen on 14 April 2015. The adopted resolution adopted calls on the Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas they have seized.

Surinder Pal Singh Cheema

• Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema took over the reins of the Western Naval Command as flag officer commanding-in-chief from Vice Admiral Anil Chopra at a ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra. Cheema, while serving in Mumbai earlier, had commanded INS Nishank, INS Trishul and INS Virat, a naval release said, adding Chopra was accorded a send off.

Lee Kuan Yew

• First Prime Minister (PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew passed away on 23 March 2015. He was 91. Mr. Lee is described as the ‘founding father’ and ‘architect’ of modern Singapore. He is also considered as pioneer for transforming the island country from a small port city into a wealthy global hub after its independence from United Kingdom and separation from Malaysia.

KM Mani

• Kerala finance minister KM Mani has been appointed chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers on Goods & Services Tax (GST). The GST, a much-awaited reform to replace multiple indirect taxes with one levy, is proposed to be rolled out from April 2016.

Poonam Mahajan

• For the first time since it came into existence in 1950, BFI got a woman as its president when Poonam Mahajan was unanimously elected as the head of this 65 year old federation the governing and controlling body of basketball in India here today.

• At the Annual General Meeting of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), president of Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA), who is also the BJP national secretary and MP from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha constituency, Poonam was unanimously elected as the new president of BFI for a four-year (2015-2019) term. The 34-year-old Poonam is the youngest president of any national federation in India.

Malli Mastan Babu

• Indian Mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu was an accomplished Indian mountaineer who held number of records and achievements. He had achieved the feat of becoming the fastest seven mountaineers in the world. He was also the first Indian to summit Mt Vinson Massif the tallest peak in Antarctica. He was the first person from Andhra Pradesh to scale Mount Everest.

Meira Kumar

• Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar’s book entitled “Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy – Speaker’s Perspective” has been recenlty released by the present Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

• The book features an account of the parliamentary diplomacy and its role in furthering foreign policy and strengthening international relations.

• Meira Kumar was the first unopposed elected woman Speaker of Lok Sabha and served from 2009 to 2014. Kumar was also 5 time Member of Parliament and was elected to 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th and 15th Lok Sabha.

Venkatraman to head Royal Society of UK

• India-born Nobel laureate Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as president elect of Britain’s prestigious Royal Society.

• Dr. Ramakrishnan is the first India-born scientist to be elected President of the Royal Society. Dr. Ramakrishnan will take over his new appointment on December 1, 2015, replacing the eminent geneticist Sir Paul Nurse.

• Earlier in the year 2009 he won Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the structure and function of the ribosome, the molecular machine that synthesises proteins inside cell; and on the action of antibiotics on the process.

• The Royal Society is a self-governing fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine, set up to support excellence in science, and to encourage its use for the benefit of humanity.

Yusuf kechery

• Veteren Malyalam poet Yusuf Kechery recently died at private hospital. He left a deep impression in Kerala’s cultural realm as a lyricist.

• Kechery known for his mystic lyrics on Hindu Gods, particularly Lord Krishna.

• He dominated Malayalam films along with ONV and P Bhaskaran as a top-notch lyricist, had written hundreds of songs known for their mystic and romantic charm with the semi-classical touch.

• His lyrics in Dhwani, composed by renowned musician Naushad Ali, are considered as one among the best works of him.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become first Indian Cricket team Captain to register the 100 One Day International (ODI) match wins. This acievement came after Indian team defeated Bangladesh in the 2015 ICC World Cup quarter final matchby 108 run in Asutralia.

• He is the only third captain in the history of cricket world who got this title, prior to Dhoni the other two cpatain who achieve this feat are Allan Border (107) and Rickey Ponting (165) both from Australia.

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni assumes Indian captancy in the year 2007 after Rahul Dravid Put off this. Since then under his captaincy, Indian Cricket team has won 2007 World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08, Asia Cup 2010, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, and Champions Trophy 2013.

• It is important to note here that former Indian Captain Mohammad Azharuddin had recorded 90 wins in ODIs, followed by Sourav Ganguly with 76 wins.

Katharine Viner

• Katharine Viner has been appointed the editor-in-chief of the Guardian. She became the first woman to run the newspaper in its 194-year history. Viner will become only the 12th editor since the paper was founded in May 1821.

• Viner, currently deputy editor of the Guardian and editor-in-chief of Guardian US, will take up the role in the summer from incumbent Alan Rusbridger, who is to stand down after 20 years.

• Viner joined the Guardian in 1997 and has been a deputy editor of the title as well as editing the Saturday edition of the newspaper from 2008 ntil 2012. She has held a wide range of roles including editor of G2, deputy women’s editor, and editor of Weekend magazine.

Sohail Aman

• Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed Air Marshal Sohail Aman as new air chief, after promoting him to the rank of air chief marshal.

• Earlier, outgoing Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt called on PM Nawaz in Islamabad. The premier lauded the services of the outgoing chief of air staff for national defense and the role of PAF in the ongoing war against terrorism.

• Air Marshal Sohail Aman, who is an accomplished fighter pilot, was commissioned in the GD (P) Branch of Pakistan Air Force in November, 1980. During his remarkable career in PAF, he has flown various fighter and training aircrafts in PAF’s inventory.

• Aman remained on various important staff appointments including director operations, director plans and assistant chief of the air staff (operations) at Air Headquarters, in addition to air officer commanding, central air command and deputy chief of the air staff (training).

Kavinder Gupta

• Jammu & Kashmir Lagislative Assembly has unanimously elected BJP MLA Kavinder Gupta Speaker of the 12th Assembly.

• Basharat Bukhari, Minister of Law and Parliamentry Affairs moved the motion in the Assembly seeking his election to the post.

• Kavinder Gupta, an MLA from Gandhinagar constituency in Jammu district, was elected with voice vote with no one vote against the motion. Mr. Gupta replaces the Protem Speaker Muhammad Shafi of the regional National Conference.

Narayan Desai

• Vetrent Gandhian of our country Narayan Desai, who known for his rendition of Gandhi Katha — stories on the Mahatma’s life — passed away at a private hospital in Surat.

• He is son of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary and biographer Mahadev Desai.

• In 2004, Desai started a lecture series on Gandhi called ‘Gandhi Katha’, which he took across the world and received much acclaim for it.

• Desai served as the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith from July 23, 2007 to November 2014.

• Desai has won several awards for his work which include the Sahitya Akademi Award for Gujarati in 1993 and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 1999 and the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence in 1998. He was also associated with anti-nuclear activism.

Marry Kom

• Union Government has selected five time world’s Boxing Champion and Olympic medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom as the brand ambassador for north-east India to promote the region in the rest of the country and abroad.

• It was announced by Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh while adressing the 10th North East Business Summit in New Delhi. MC Mary Kom was selected to showcase the potential of the North East region which can offer Rs. 2.4 trillion business opportunities across various sectors.

• Mary, 32, who hails from Manipur is only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six world championships. She recently announced in Imphal that she would quit the sport after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next year.

• The cultural tradition of Manipur is sports-oriented and the state, as a result, has produced many athletes. Mary Kom cemented the north-eastern state’s position as a powerhouse of talent with her 2012 Olympic bronze. Winning medals in many international and national meets, the Hindi film industry made a movie based on her life, starring actor Priyanka Chopra.

Sir Terry Pratchett

• Sir Terry Pratchett creator of the Discovered series and author of more thatn 70 novels has recently passed away in London.

• In his 44 years long career, Pratchett had written more than 70 books which were translated in 37 languages. His debut novel, The Carpet People was published in 1971 and his first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic was published in 1983.

• Pratchett has sold more than 85 million books worldwide was the UK’s best-selling author of the 1990s and later surpassed by Harry Potter author J K Rowling.

• He has won several awards for his distinguish work which includes Knighted by the Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 for his services to literature and in year 2010, he was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In the year 1998 he was appointed as officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Vinod Mehta

• Senior journalist and Outlook Group’s editorial chairman Vinod Mehta passed away at the AIIMS in New Delhi on Sunday.

• He had worked with several publications including Debonair, Sunday Observer, Pioneer and Indian Post.

• Born in Rawalpindi, Mehta has authored a biography of Meena Kumari and Sanjay Gandhi. His much-talked-about memoir, Lucknow Boy, was published in 2011.

• He was conferred with Yash Bharti Samman (2015) by Uttar Pradesh government

Ram Sunder Das

• Former Bihar Chief Minister and senior JDU leader Ram Sundar Das has died, he was 95. He was chief minister of Bihar as the head of the Janata Party government in 1979.

• Earlier in the Lok Sabha election of 2009, he has defeated Ram Vilas Oaswan in the Hajipur, but in the parliamentary polls last year, had lost to the latter.

• Present Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, announced two days of state mourning as a mark of respect for the senior JDU leader.

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