24 February 2016 Current Affairs
Rajendra Singh is Coast Guard DG
The government on 24 February 2016 appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director General (DG) of Coast Guard, the country’s coastal protection force. This is the first time an officer from within has been promoted as its Chief which was traditionally headed by a three-star Naval officer. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Singh as the DG. Mr. Singh joined the Coast Guard in 1980 and is currently the Additional Director General. He will replace Vice Admiral HCS Bisht who has been promoted as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command. He was awarded the Tatrakshak Medal (TM) by the President on August 15, 1990. In recognition of his distinguished service, he was awarded President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) on Aug 15, 2002.
Former Union Minister P K Thungon convicted in 1993-94 graft case
Former union minister P K Thungon, who is in jail in a graft case, was convicted by a Delhi court for his alleged role in a scam relating to allotment of government shops in New Delhi during 1993-94 on 24 February 2016. Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal, however, acquitted two other accused in the case — Lhakpa Tsering and Krishna, who were facing trial in this case along with Thungon, then Urban Affairs and Employment Minister Sheila Kaul, and one Tulsi Balodi. Thungon was, in July 2015, awarded a four-and-a-half year jail term in a 1998 graft case relating to misappropriation of central funds. A case was registered by the CBI in 1996 against Kaul, Thungon, Tsering, Krishna and Balodi for allegedly hatching a conspiracy in allotting shops and stalls in 1994.
Beijing overtakes New York City as ‘Billionaire Capital’
Beijing is the new “Billionaire Capital of the World”. According to the latest research more billionaires now live in the Chinese capital of Beijing than previous titleholder New York City.There are now 100 billionaires living in Beijing according to Hurun, a Shanghai-based company that releases yearly data on the world’s rich and their spending habits. By comparison there are now “only” 95 billionaires living in New York. Beijing took the title from New York after minting 32 new billionaires last year, while New York gained four. Moscow came in third place, with 66 billionaires, while Hong Kong and Shanghai came in fourth and fifth with 64 and 50, respectively.
Indian delegation to visit Colombo
A delegation of officials from India will visit Colombo on March 4 to hold talks with Sri Lankan officials regarding the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA). During the discussion, the two countries would exchange their draft. The new pact would cover areas such as financial services, promotion of trade and investment, e-commerce and tourism.
India adds 27 new billionaires
India added 27 new billionaires with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries (RIL), emerging at the top with a personal wealth of $26 billion, according to Hurun Global Rich List 2016.Cumulative Indian billionaires’ wealth stood at $308 billion, registering a 25 per cent growth over last year. Mr. Ambani, who is ranked 21st globally, was followed by Sun Pharma promoter, Dilip Shanghvi, with personal wealth of $18 billion.India is home to 111 billionaires and most of them are from Mumbai. India’s e-commerce leaders, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal of Flipkart, with wealth of $1.4 billion, were ranked amongst the 69 billionaires under the age of 40. Globally, 99 new billionaires were added to the list in 2016 to take the total billionaire rich list to a record of 2,188, 50 per cent more than 2013.
Maheshwari sworn-in as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court
Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was sworn-in as the chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court on 24 February 2016.Governor V Shanmuganathan administered the oath of office to the Chief Justice at a ceremony in Raj Bhavan. Maheshwari replaces former chief Justice Uma Nath Singh who retired on January 14. Maheswari was earlier a senior Judge of the Allahabad High Court. After Justice Singh’s retirement, Justice T N K Singh took over as acting chief justice till his retirement last month. Since then, the Meghalaya High Court has been functioning with only one Judge, Justice S R Sen who was also serving as the acting Chief of the high court.
Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis enter quarters in Qatar
Indo-Swiss top tennis pair Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis entered into the Qatar quarterfinal.This is their 41st successive win. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis defeated unseeded Chinese pair Yi-Fan Xu and Saisai Zheng with 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on 23 February 2016. Sania and Martina, who got a first round bye, have not lost a single match this year, having won four tournaments earlier in Sydney, Brisbane, St. Petersburg and the Australian Open in Melbourne.