16 July 2017 Current Affairs
Muguruza defeated Venus to clinch Maiden Wimbledon
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza won her maiden Wimbledon title with a straight-set win over five-time champion Venus Williams. It was 23-year-old, the 14th seed Muruguza’s first Wimbledon title. Also Muruguza’s 2nd Grand Slam title – the first was in French Open 2016 defeated Sarena Williams. Muruguza, playing her 4th Wimbledon Tournament, reached the final two years ago as nearly unknown player and was stricken in straight sets by Venus’ sister Serena. She saved two set points and won the last nine games in a 7-5, 6-0 victory under the Centre court roof.
Govt launches GST Training Programme
The government has launched a GST training programme to skill around two lakh youths in six months to handle tax compliance issues like invoice making. The people would be trained under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). The new training course would cater to the need of GST trained professionals to help businesses in areas such as registration and calculation of tax liability under the new tax regime. It will be implemented in 14 states.
Lilly Singh appointed UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador
UNICEF appointed Indian- origin Canadian YouTube star Lilly Singh as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador at a special event in New Delhi. Lilly was in the capital to support UNICEF’s Youth4Change initiative, a programme for youth that brings them together to support their peers and communities in taking action on issues such as health, hygiene, child labour and gender equality. As the UNICEF ambassador Lilly, who has 11.9 around million subscribers on the video sharing website, will use her channel to showcase the organisation’s work and urge millions of her followers to work for children’s rights.
Matunga becomes India’s first railway station with All-Women Staff
Central Railway has taken a step towards women empowerment by appointing an all-female work staff at the suburban Matunga station. Matunga station has now become the first such ladies special station. According to the official, women have been manning this station, which falls on the Central Railway, since the past two weeks. A total of 30 women staffers, including 11 booking clerks, five RPF personnel, seven ticket checkers are working under the supervision of station manager Mamta Kulkarni since last two weeks. This is not the first time the Central Railway is taking the lead in empowering women. In 1992, its staffer Mamta Kulkarni became the Mumbai’s first woman station master. Kulkarni was posted in Kurla. Currently, the all-women staff at Matunga Railway Station has been handling overall operations of the railway station round the clock. Matunga railway station, which is located in central Mumbai, gets a huge number of student population as a lot of colleges are located in the area.
Former Sikkim CM Nar Bahadur Bhandari passes away
Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the former Chief Minister of Sikkim who served the state from 1979 to 1994, died at a Delhi hospital. He was 77. Born on 5 October 1940 at Malbasey in Sikkim, Bhandari was serving a givernment school as a teacher before joining the active politics. He became the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the first time in 1979 on a Sikkim Janata Parishad ticket, a party founded by him in 1977. In 1984, he dissolved the Sikkim Janata Parishad and formed a new party known as Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP). In 1985 and 1989, he became Chief Minister of the state. He was also a former president of Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee. Bhandari was the first Gorkha to ever hold the office of the Chief Minister in the history of Indian polity. He remained the President of SSP until his death.
IIFA Awards 2017: Shahid-Alia win Best Actor and Actress, Neerja wins Best Film
The 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards was held in New York. Sonam Kapoor’s film Neerja won the best film award. Actor Shahid Kapoor earned the Best Actor award for his role in Udta Punjab, while Alia Bhatt won the Best Actor (Female) award for the same film.
Here is the list of winners of the IIFA Awards 2017:
- Best Actor: Shahid Kapoor (Udta Punjab)
- Best Actress: Alia Bhatt (Udta Punjab)
- Best Film: Neerja
- Best Actor in a Comic Role: Varun Dhawan (Dishoom)
- Best Actor in a Negative Role: Jim Sarbh (Neerja)
- Style Icon of The Year: Alia Bhatt
- Best Debutante: Disha Patani (M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story)
- Best Debutant: Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab)
- Woman of The Year: Taapsee Pannu
- Special Contribution to Indian Cinema: AR Rahman
- Best Supporting Actress: Shabana Azmi (Neerja)
- Best Supporting Actor: Anupam Kher (M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story)
- Best Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (Pink)
- Best Story – Shakun Batra and Ayesha DeVitre Dhillon (Kapoor & Sons)
- Best Music Director: Pritam (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
- Best Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
- Best Singer Male: Amit Mishra (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
- Best Singer Female- Tulsi Kumar (Airlift) and Kanika Kapoor (Udta Punjab)