PERSONS IN NEWS
A). APPOINTMENTS
Justice Sinha Sworn In new CJ of Rajasthan HC
Justice Navin Sinha was on 14 May sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Governor Kalyan Singh administered the oath to the new Chief Justice. Sinha was earlier the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh high court.
Anil Kumble Re-appointed ICC Cricket Committee Chairman
Former India captain Anil Kumble was on 13 May re-appointed ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket Committee chairman for a second term of three years. Earlier he was appointed as the chairman for his first term in 2012 and now he will continue to head the
panel until 2018.
Sunil Lanba Appointed as Chief of the Naval Staff
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Western Naval Command, has been appointed as the new Chief of Naval Staff on 5 May 2016. He will be 23rd chief of Indian Navy and 21st as an Indian. He will assume the charge on 31 May 2016 and shall have full three-year-term in office till 31 May 2019. He will succeed present Navy Chief Admiral Robin K. Dhowan, who will superannuate from the post on 31 May 2016.
President Approves Name of Four Judges For Supreme Court
President Pranab Mukherjee on 11 May signed the warrant for the appointment of four judges to the Supreme Court. These include three chief justices of high court and one senior advocate. These names were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur on 4 May 2016. These four will be sworn in as Supreme Court judges on 13 May 2016, the last working day before the summer vacation. With this sworn-in event, the judicial strength of the Supreme Court will move up to 28. They are the first appointments to the Supreme Court since the collegium system of judicial appointments was restored after the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act was struck down by a Supreme Court bench on 16 October 2015.
Surender Kumar Bhagat Appointed as DG of RPF
Senior IPS officer Surender Kumar Bhagat was appointed as the Director General (DG) of Railways Protection Force (RPF).
B). RESIGNS
Shashank Manohar Resigns as BCCI president
Shashank Vyankatesh Manohar on 10 May resigned as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).He also has resigned as the representative of BCCI on the International Cricket Council (ICC) and also from the Asian Cricket Council.He had succeeded Jagmohan Dalmiya as the cricket body’s president after the former’s demise in October 2015. This was Shashank Manohar’s second stint as the head of the Indian cricketing body. Earlier he had served as President from 2008 to 2011. Now he will contest for the post of ICC Chairman. The ICC rules mentions that Chairman should be of independent nature and can’t act in dual role keeping his position as his country’s cricketing chief.
C). DEATHS
India’s Oldest Test Cricketer Shodhan Died
Former Test cricketer Deepak Shodhan, the first Indian to score a memorable ton in his debut innings, died on 16 May 2016. He was 87. India’s oldest living Test cricketer died due to cardiac arrest after a brief battle with lung cancer at his residence in Ahmedabad. He was left-handed batsman and could bowl medium pace. He played just three Tests in all averaging 60-plus. He rescued India from dire straits by scoring 110 not out in his debut innings against Pakistan in the fifth and final drawn Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 1952-53.
Kerala Cartoonist V T Thomas Died
Kerala cartoonist V T Thomas, popularly known as Toms, passed away on 27 April at in Kottayam, Kerela. He was 86. Toms created the legendary cartoon characters Boban and Molly (Bobanum Moliyum). He was born on June 6, 1929 in Kuttanad in Alappuzha district. During the World War II he had served in the British Army for a brief period. Initially Boban and Molly characters appeared in a cartoon column Sathya-deepam weekly in 1950. Later on these characters became part of Malayala Manorama weekly in 1957. He resigned from Malayala Manorama in 1987 and began his own publication.
Music Legend Prince Rogers Nelson Died
Pop music superstar Prince Rogers Nelson, popularly known as Prince, died on 21 April in Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minneapolis. He was 57. Prince was widely known for his flamboyant stage presence and wide vocal range. He was the pioneer of famous song the Minneapolis sound and was renowned as an innovator for his eclectic work. In a career that lasted from the late 1970s until his solo Piano & a Microphone tour in 2016, he was acclaimed as a musical prodigy and an artist who shaped his career his way. Through his career, Prince recorded more than 30 albums and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations.
D). VISITORS
Sri Lankan President Visited India
Sri Lankan President Maitripala Sirisena visited India on 13-14 May 2016. During the visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Sri Lankan President Maitrh-ripala Sirisena released ‘Simhastha Declaration’ at Ninora village in Ujjain. Both leaders addressed the concluding session of the 3 day International Vichar Mahakumbi for the month-long Simhastha Mela.
President Pranab Mukherjee Visited New Zealand
President Pranab Mukherjee visited New Zealand from April 30 to May 2, 2016. During the visit, India and New Zealand signed an Air Services Agreement paving the way for introduction of direct flights between the two countries. The agreement was signed in the presence of the President Pranab Mukherjee and the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.The agreement will lead to easier connectivity that has inhibited both business travel and people-to-people contact in the past.
E). MISCELLANEOUS
Indian Scientist Bags SGD 3 million Grant From Singapore’s NRF
Dr Manvendra K Singh, a scientist from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur city, was awarded a grant of SGD 3 million (about 14.7 crore rupees) by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF).Dr. Singh in the first week of May 2016 announced that he is among the seven young scientists from across the world to be endowed with the Singapore NRF fellowship.The scientist has been awarded the fellowship to pursue research in the field of congenital and adult cardiovascular diseases.
IISc Professor Ramaswamy Among Royal Society Fellows
Physicist Sriram Ramaswamy, Director of TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, was elected as the Fellow of The Royal Society, as announced on 29 April 2016. His name appeared on the list of 50 new fellows and 10 new Foreign Members announced by the Royal Society. Besides, biochemist Ramanujan Hegde, MRC Laboratory of Microbiology, U.K. and applied mathematician Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, Harvard University, are the other two Indian names who were also elected as the fellows of the premier scientific academy of the U.K. and the Commonwealth.