Current Affairs for the year of 2024 - 2023

Luke Aikins, a skydiver with 18000 jumps, on 30 July 2016 jumped from 25000 feet (7620 meters) without a parachute or a wingsuit. With this he became the first man in the world history to dive from mid-tropospheric altitude and land safely without a parachute or a wing suit or anything else that might...

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, on 22 July 2016 launched the Solar Power Tree in New Delhi. The Solar Power Tree has been developed by the CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI), a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific...

FIFA acting Secretary General Markus Kattner was dismissed from his position with immediate effect on 23 May 2016. He was removed after FIFA’s internal investigation uncovered breaches of his fiduciary responsibilities in connection with his employment contract. He was accused of paying himself...

The Indian mixed recurve team of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das on 19 June 2016 won silver at the Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. In the final clash at Konyaalti Beach Park, the Indian team lost to South Korea 1-5. Indian team trailed 0-2 in the first set against the top-seed Korean pair of Choi...

India and the United States (US) on 2 June 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on energy security, clean energy and climate change. The MoU will provide framework to work more closely not only for betterment of people but also for creating a positive environment for...

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on 7 June 2016 announced that men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 will be played in the Indian city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 will be played between 8 December and 18 December 2016. The event will feature...

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 22 May 2016 launched the PEHAL programme for the district of Shimla. The objective of the programme is to identify certain thrust areas that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people in the district. Under the PEHAL, 5 focus areas were identified...

The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in the last week of July 2016 announced that India Meteorological Department (IMD) will use supercomputer to forecast India’s annual summer monsoon. The forecast made by a supercomputer will be based on a dynamical monsoon model. It will be operational...

Six Indian World War I (WW-I) heroes on 20 June 2016 became part of Britain’s new digital archive. The archive was launched as part of UK government’s centenary celebrations of WW-I and aims to tell the inspiring stories of war heroes. The new Digital Archive was launched by Foreign and...

Indian boxer Sonia Lather on 27 May 2016 won the silver medal at the AIBA Women's World Championships in Astana. Though she reached the finals in the 57kg category, she was defeated by the gold medalist Mesiano Alessia of Italy 2-1. India's last gold at the bi-annual event came in 2010 when MC Mary...

The Lok Sabha on 9 May 2016 passed the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014. The Bill seeks to repeal The Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982. It gives effect to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, 1970 and it’s Protocol Supplementary, signed on 10 September 2010. The Bill provides...

Himachal Pradesh fisheries department in the third week of May 2016 launched an artificial propagation programme for rehabilitation and conservation of Golden Mahseer fish. A hatchery with an outlay of 6 crore rupees has been set up at Machhial near Joginder Nagar town in Mandi district to rear the...

World Health Organization (WHO) on 8 June 2016 recognised Thailand, Armenia, Belarus and Moldova for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis. The announcement was made in New York on the eve of the United Nations General-Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS. On this occasion,...

Norway in the first week of June 2016 became the first country to prohibit deforestation. On 26 May 2016, the Norwegian Parliament had pledged to make government’s public procurement policy deforestation-free. The step was taken after a committee of MPs recommended imposing regulations to ensure...

Garbine Muguruza of Spain on 4 June 2016 won the French Open Women’s Singles tennis title at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. For the 22-year-old Muguruza, this was her first Grand Slam title. With this win, she also became the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam title since Sanchez-Vicario...

P Sreeramakrishnan was on 3 June 2016 elected as the Speaker of the 14th legislative assembly of Kerala. He was the candidate of ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and a two-time legislator from Ponnani constituency. In the voting held, he secured 92 votes against UDF's V.P. Sajeendran from Kunnathunadu...

The State Bank of India (SBI) was on 16 June 2016 named in the Hall of Shame list of 158 banking institutions that have invested billions of dollars in companies making cluster bombs. The list was prepared by Dutch campaign group PAX Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions report. State Bank of India...

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was observed globally on 15 June 2016. The day is observed to voice against abuse and suffering inflicted on older people. On this day, number of events is held across the globe to raise awareness of elder abuse and highlight ways to challenge such abuse. About Global...

Nico Rosberg of Germany on 19 June 2016 won the European Grand Prix Formula 1 championship in Baku, Azerbaijan. To win the title, the Mercedes driver overcame Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany in the final race. In this championship, Rosberg completed second career Grand Slam. Prior to him,...

Guwahati on 6 June 2016 became first city in the country to have its own ‘city animal’ with Kamrup metropolitan district administration declaring Gangetic River Dolphin as its mascot. Gangetic River Dolphin is locally known as ‘Sihu’ and fewer than 2000 such animals remain...

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which forms part of the National Command Authority (NCA), was on 30 July 2016 added to the Second Schedule of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. In this regard, Union Government issued a notification mentioning SFC has been brought under sub-section (2) of...

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 29 May 2016 presented the Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar for the year 2016 at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The award was conferred upon 15 teachers from Punjab for their rare contribution in the field of education. The awardees were facilitated with 1...

Translator and artist Anita Gopalan on 25 July 2016 was awarded the 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants for her English translation of Hindi novel Simsim by Geet Chaturvedi. Gopalan is the second Indian translator to be selected for the grant. Simsim, the lyrical, award-winning novella was first published...

Public sector aerospace Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 17 June 2016 unveiled indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) HTT-40 in Bengaluru. The aircraft made its maiden flight at HAL Airport in Bengaluru and was flown by Group Captain C Subramaniam and Group Captain Venugopal for about 10 to 15...

The Union Government on 26 July 2016 approved nearly 1600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative 'Himayat'. The allocated fund will be invested in training 1.24 lakh local youths in vocational courses. As per Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan,...

British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake on 22 May 2016 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. It was Loach's second award for best picture at the festival after 2006's The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Who is Ken Loach? • Loach is an English film and television director. •...

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was on 22 May 2016 conferred with the Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The prestigious literary prize was bestowed upon him for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India. The prize was presented on the...

CEAT Cricket Awards 2016 were conferred on the players in a function of 20th edition of CEAT awards at Mumbai on 30 May 2016. Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award. England batsman Joe Root was named as the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year and...

Mohun Bagan on 15 June 2016 announced that it will honour country’s only Dronacharya football coach Syed Nayeemuddin with the Mohun Bagan Ratna. Nayeemuddin was chosen for the prestigious award for his overall contribution to the club and the country both as a player and as a coach. Who is Syed...

Congress Legislature Party leader V Narayanasamy was sworn-in as Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry on 6 June 2016. Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi administered his oath of office and secrecy along with five ministers at Gandhi Thidal in Beach Road. Five Congress legislators who were...