11-12 October 2015
Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis won women's doubles title of China Open
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis on 10 October 2015 won women's doubles title of the China Tennis Open. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated Chinese Taipean pair of Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan 6-7 (9), 6-1, 10-8.
This was eighth title of the season as a team for Sania-Hingis and fourth title in a row.
With this win, the Indo-Swiss pair won their eighth WTA doubles titles together in the year 2015. The other seven titles are Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou and Wuhan
KP Sharma Oli elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal
Veteran communist (Unified Marxist Leninist) leader KP Sharma Oli on 12 October 2015 was elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal. He is the country’s first Prime Minister under the newly introduced constitutional system.
He defeated incumbent Prime Minister Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress.
In the voting held for the Nepal’s Parliament (a house of 597 members), Oli secured 338 votes, 39 more than the 299 that he needed to be elected as the prime minister. On the other hand, Nepali Congress president Koirala could only secure 249 votes.
Oli, a Naxalite who was arrested in 1972, and tried and convicted in sedition charge, was backed by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists and the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, respectively.
The Nepali Congress led by Koirala, the largest party in the House, will be sitting in the opposition.
Oli, who spent 14 years in prison, was elected to parliament first in 1991 when the country adopted multi-party democracy. He subsequently became home minister, and then elevated to the rank of a deputy prime minister.
Jioji Konrote elected as Fiji's President
Fiji’s Parliament on 12 October 2015 elected the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jioji Konrote, as the country’s next President.
Konrote, who was nominated by the ruling FijiFirst party, fetched 31 votes in the presidential election held in the parliament. On the other hand, the opposition SODELPA party’s candidate Ratu Epeli Ganilau received 14 votes.
According to the constitution of Fiji, the prime minister and leader of the opposition each submit a presidential candidate to the speaker of parliament, who then announces the nominees to MPs before parliament decides on the country's next president with a majority vote.
Konrote, popularly known as George Konrote, is a retired major general who joined the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in 1966.
Spaniard Garbine Muguruza won women’s singles title of China Open
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza on 11 October 2015 captured the China Open women's singles title by defeating Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky. Muguruza emerged out victorious by a perfect 3-0 record against the Swiss rival.
The win had Muguruza achieve her career-high singles ranking of world no. 4.
The China Open was Muguruza’s second WTA title, after she won her first at Hobart International in 2014. She had also reached the final of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships and made consecutive quarterfinal appearances at the 2014 and 2015 French Open.
Six feet tall Garbine Muguruza was born on 8 October 1993 in Caracas, Venezuela. She turned pro on 2 March 2012.
India won four-match Men’s Hockey Test series against New Zealand by 2-1 margin
India on 11 October 2015 won the four-match Men's Hockey Test series against New Zealand 2-1. In the final test played at Christchurch, India through its brilliant play held the hosts to a 1-1 draw.
After witnessing no goals in the first half, one each goal was scored from both the sides. From New Zealand, Nick Ross scored the first goal in the 41st minute which was matched by SV Sunil of India in the 43rd minute of the match.
After losing the first match of the series in Nelson against the hosts, India came back strongly to register back-to-back wins in the last two games.
India, Jordon inked six MoUs to enhance cooperation
India and Jordon on 11 October 2015 inked six Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) in various fields in Amman. The MoUs were signed as part of the President Pranab Mukherjee's state visit to Jordan.
Mukherjee was on a three-day visit to Jordan from 10-12 October 2015. He visited the country on the invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah-II Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
During the visit, Mukherjee was accompanied by Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Members of Parliament and the learned members of the academic community, apart from official delegation and media representatives.
List of agreements/MoUs signed during the visit of President to Jordan
• Agreement on Maritime Transport:Aimed at establishment of effective co-operation on the basis of shared commitment, and convinced on strengthening and development of relations in merchant shipping and maritime transport.
• MoU on exchange of information on structure and content of training programmes for diplomats:This will include identification of experts in mutually agreed areas, promotion of contacts and exchange of trainees, students, faculty members and experts.
• MoU on Cooperation in the field of IT & Electronics: This seeks to examine ways and means to promote and strengthen bilateral cooperation and will seek to implement institutional and capacity building cooperation programme.
• Cultural Exchange Programme for 2015-17: Recalling the Cultural Agreement signed on 15 February 1976, it seeks to further develop and promote cultural, scientific and technical relation. It also looks forward on the agreement on the Executive Programme in the fields of Art & culture, Mass media etc.
• MoU for Cooperation in the fields of Standardization and Conformity Assessment: The MoU between the Bureau of Indian Standards [BIS] and the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization [JSMO] seeks to enhance and strengthen technical co-operation in the fields of standardization, and conformity assessment with the aim of exchanging necessary information and expertise between the Parties.
• Cooperation Agreement between Jordan News Agency [Petra] and Press Trust of India [PTI]: It seeks to establish regular exchange of content on the developments; promotion of mutual cooperation and professional interaction, agreement on exchange of news through the internet; accepting the right to use the said news for distribution to their subscribers.
Earlier during the visit, President Mukherjee inaugurated a street named after Mahatma Gandhi in Amman and planted an Olive tree in peace park. The Indian President held a meeting with the Jordan Prime Minister Dr Abdulla Ensour.
Both leaders agreed that terrorism must be fought on multiple fronts and it is not enough to talk only in terms of some actors. The two leaders discussed various regional and international issues including Syria and Palestine.
Fourth International Day of the Girl Child observed across the world
October 11: International Day of the Girl Child
The Fourth International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) was observed across the world on 11 October 2015 with the theme The Power of Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.
To mark the occasion campaigns, meetings and workshops were held to across the world to raise awareness about importance of girl child and steps to promote gender equality.
The theme was selected in recognition of the importance of investing in adolescent girls’ empowerment and rights, both today and in the future.
In September 2015, the UN General Assembly reviewed the progress of girl child development under Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and approved of continuing the momentum in the form Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the period between 2016 and 2030.
The Goal 5 of SDG has special relevance for the girl child as it directs the member nations to undertake special efforts to empower girls.
About International Day of the Girl Child
• It was created by the United Nations through a resolution in 2011.
• Its objective is to promote the rights of girls and address the unique challenges they face.
• It was held for the first time on 11 October 2012.
• List of IDGC themes
2012: Ending Child Marriage
2013: Innovating for Girl’s Education
2014:Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence
2015:The Power of Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.
Mission Abaas launched in Odisha to provide affordable houses to urban poor
The Odisha Government on 11 October 2015 launched Mission Abaas, state’s urban housing mission, to provide affordable houses to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low Income Groups (LIG) and slum dwellers.
The scheme aims at fulfilling the promise of protection and welfare of slum dwellers by providing affordable housing along with basic amenities such as piped water supply, electricity, concrete roads, drainage and community centre.
As notified in August 2015, Abaas will be the nodal agency to execute the Policy for Housing for All in Urban areas.
Components of the mission
• Slum redevelopment
• Affordable housing through interest subvention
• Rental housing for migrants
• Housing for urban destitute and homeless
Key points of the mission
• 10000 houses for EWS and Low Income Groups will be constructed in Bhubaneswar.
• Free land will be provided by the government for affordable housing projects in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode to developers.
• Land on the city outskirts will be renewed into urban land by developing and expanding infrastructure.
• Pre-cast and pre-fabrication technology will be used under the mission.
• Mission Directorate will be set by the government for implementation of the policy.
Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram won 2015 Dutch Open Men’s Singles title
Ajay Jayaram of India on 11 October 2015 defended the 2015 Dutch Open Men’s Singles badminton title.
In the summit clash held at Almere in Netheralnds, the World Number 26 ranker defeated Estonia’s Raul Must by 21-12 21-18.
While Jayaram won his maiden title in 2014, it was the fourth overall title for India. The other two titles were won by Prakash Padukone and Chetan Anand in 1982 and 2009 respectively.
Dutch Open is a Grand Prix category tournament that is held annually since 1932 in Netherlands. It is currently organized by Nederlandse Badminton Bond (NBB) and is a part of the European Badminton Circuit.
Article 370 is beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation: J&K High Court
Jammu and Kashmir High Court on 11 October 2015 ruled that the provisions under Article 370 are beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation. It said that granting special status to the state has assumed place of permanence in the Constitution.
Court also said that Article 35A gives protection to existing laws in force in the State.
The division bench of Justice Hasnain Masoodi and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal ruled in a 60-page judgement that the Article 370 though titled as Temporary Provision and included in Para XXI titled Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions has assumed place of permanence in the Constitution.
The bench said that the Article is beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation as the Constituent Assembly of the state before its dissolution did not recommended its Amendment or repeal.
The bench further ruled that Article 370(1) empowers President to extend any provisions of the Constitution to the State with such exceptions and modifications as may be deemed fit.
The powers conferred on the President would include amending or altering the provisions applied, deleting or omitting part of it, or make additions to provisions proposed to be applied to the State. Such power would extend even in case of provisions of the Constitution already applied.
However, such powers will be subject to “consultation with the State government in case the provisions are akin to subjects delineated in Instrument of Accession” or “to the concurrence of the State government in case provisions are not akin to the Instrument of Accession.”
Moreover, in the circumstances, the court said, the provisions added to the existing Constitutional provisions through various Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) orders on their application to the State like Provision to Clause (2) Article 368, fall within four corners of Article 370(1).
The Court said Jammu and Kashmir, while acceding to Dominion of India, retained limited sovereignty and it continues to enjoy special status to the extent of limited sovereignty under Article 370.
The only other Constitutional provision made applicable by Article 370 of the Constitution to the State is Article 1.
Article 370 of the Constitution of India - It provides special autonomous status to state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is drafted in Part XXXI of the Constitution, which relates to Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.
Article 35A of the Constitution of India- References to the commencement of the Constitution shall be construed as references to the commencement of the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954 with effect from 14 May 1954.
Veteran Tamil actress Manorama died
Legendary Tamil actress Gopishantha, popularly known by her stage name Manorama, died on 10 October 2015 due to multiple organ failure in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She was 78.
Manorama acted in over 1500 movies in her career spanning almost six decades. She was also a brilliant comedian, singer and a stage artiste.
Her first film was Malayitta Mangai, which released in 1958. She sang her first song in Ratha Thilagam in 1963. She also sang a song composed by A R Rahman for the film May Madham in 1994
She was affectionately called as Aachi Manorama for her popular grandmother roles in TV serials, which she played in the later part of her career.
She also fetched a Guinness World Record for acting in more than 1000 number of films. The Tamil Nadu Government awarded her with theKalaimamaniaward and she was also honoured by the Government of India with Padma Shri in 2002. She also received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Pudhiya Pathai in 1989.
Manorama was born on 26 May 1937 in Mannargudi, Madras.
NASA released Plan outlining Next Steps in the Journey to Mars with an aim to establish colonies by 2030s
NASA on 9 October 2015 released a report titled NASA’s Journey to Mars: Pioneering Next Steps in Space Exploration.The document contains plan for establishing permanent settlements and creating deep-space habitation facilities on the red planet Mars by 2030s.
The plan under which, Humans will be living and working on Mars in colonies entirely independent of Earth by the 2030s, will act as stepping stones to Mars.
Three stages of Journey to Mars
The journey to Mars will cross three thresholds as identified by NASA, each threshold will have its own challenge. The challenges will increase as humans will move farther from the Earth and closer to Mars.
To manage these challenges, NASA is developing and demonstrating capabilities in incremental steps and they are:
• Earth Reliant exploration: It is focused on research aboard the International Space Station. From this world-class microgravity laboratory, NASA is testing technologies and advancing human health and performance research that will enable deep space, long duration missions.
• Proving Ground: In this, NASA will learn to conduct complex operations in a deep space environment that allows crews to return to Earth in a matter of days. Primarily operating in cislunar space—the volume of space around the moon featuring multiple possible stable staging orbits for future deep space missions—NASA will advance and validate capabilities required for humans to live and work at distances much farther away from our home planet, such as at Mars.
•Earth Independent activities: It will build on what NASA learn on the space station and in deep space to enable human missions to the Mars vicinity, possibly to low-Mars orbit or one of the Martian moons, and eventually the Martian surface. Future Mars missions will represent a collaborative effort between NASA and its partners to seek the potential for sustainable life beyond Earth.
Technological and Operational Challenges
NASA has identified three technological and operational challenges in the report. These are:
• Transportation, sending humans and cargo through space efficiently, safely, and reliably;
• Working in space, enabling productive operations for crew and robotic systems; and
• Staying healthy, developing habitation systems that provide safe, healthy, and sustainable human exploration.
The report concludes. “Was Mars home to microbial life? Is it today? Could it be a safe home for humans one day? What can it teach us about life elsewhere in the cosmos or how life began on Earth? What can it teach us about Earth’s past, present and future?”
Former British Finance Minister Geoffrey Howe died
Geoffrey Howe, Britain’s former treasury chief, died on 9 October 2015 due to a suspected cardiac arrest in Idlicote, England. He was 88.
Howe, who administered Britain's recovery from recession in the 1980s, was a champion of closer European unity.
He was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1979 to 1983, Foreign Secretary from 1983 to 1989, Leader of the House of Commons from 1989 to 1990 and Deputy Prime Minister from 1989 to 1990.
He hailed as one of the great leaders of the Conservative party and emerged out as a quiet heroof the Thatcher years.
Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe was born on 20 December 1926 in Port Talbot, Wales. He obtained his early education from Bridgend Preparatory School in Bryntirion, Abberley Hall School in Worcestershire and Winchester College in Hampshire. Later, he studied law from Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to win 2015 China Open Men’s Singles title
Novak Djokovic on 11 October 2015 won the China Open Men’s Singles title by defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain.
In the summit clash held at the National Tennis Centre in Beijing, the top seeded Serbian overpowered Nadal by 6-2 6-2.
For Djokovic, it was the fourth consequent win in Beijing since 2012.
Overall, he is the only player to have won the title six times. His other two titles were in 2009 and 2010.
In early 2015, Djokovic joined Roger Federer and Rod Laver as the only men in the Open era to reach all four major finals. His only defeat came in the final of the French Open against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Apart from the Grand slam titles in Australia, the UK (Wimbledon) and the USA, he won eight titles in the 2015 season that include Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Italian Open and China Open.
5th Meeting of the India-Maldives Joint Commission held in Maldives
The 5th meeting of the India-Maldives Joint Commission was held on 11 October 2015 in Male, the capital of Maldives.
The meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Maldivian foreign minister Dunya Maumoon.
It reviewed entire gamut of the bilateral relationship including economic, security, administrative and cultural aspects and agreed to expand the scope of cooperation to sectors like information technology, tourism, fisheries, education, etc.
Further, the meeting also show cased growing policy alignment between both the countries that is evident from India’s Neighbours Firstand Maldives’ India Firstpolicies.
Important outcomes of the meeting
• It was agreed to set up a working group to monitor the implementation of the MoU signed in 2014 to augment collaboration in the health sector.
• It was agreed to strengthen tele-medicine linkages between the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Maldives and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.
• It was agreed to expand the number of speciality hospitals in India available to Maldivian nationals under the AASANDHA scheme.
• Both countries agreed to sign agreements at the earliest on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Information Exchange.
• The next meeting of the commission would be held in 2017 in India.
Besides the above decisions, the meeting considered the following proposals.
• To establish a Joint Business Forum and a separate investment oriented forum in 2016 to accelerate business and trade relations.
• Maldivian side reiterated their interest in engaging with private investors in India for iHavan and Hulhulmale Youth City projects.
About India-Maldives Joint Commission
It was under the 1986 Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation and first met in Male in 1990. The Framework Agreement for Cooperation, signed in November 2011, mandated the Joint Commission to broaden its cross sectoral emphasise to include defence and security related issues.
Comment
The present meeting of the commission is a significant event in the arena of bilateral cooperation. It had both symbolic and substantial utility as it was held after a gap of 15 years to mark 50 years of bilateral relations.
It was also the first meeting after the 2011 Framework Agreement that expanded the scope of the commission to defence and security issues.
The bilateral security cooperation is of prime importance as both the countries face common threats in the form of terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, etc in the Indian Ocean region.
Punjab National Bank won Beighton Cup of Hockey
Punjab National Bank (PNB) on 11 October 2015 claimed the Beighton Cup hockey tournament at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) ground in Kolkata. PNB defeated Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) by 5-3 in penalties.
At the end of regulation time, both teams were locked at 1-1. Satpal Gulia of PNB had put the team in front in the 30th minute via a penalty corner. Three minutes after the half-time, Deepak Thakur of IOC went for a field goal.
However, Naveen Antil of PNB struck the decisive goal in the end to kick off the celebration for the team.
PNB goalkeeper Jasbir Singh was awarded with the Best Player award, whereas, the Fairplay Trophy was given to Army XI.
About Beighton Cup
• Beighton Cup, one of the oldest field hockey tournaments, was instituted in 1895.
• It is organised by Bengal Hockey Association and is held on Astro Turf (artificial grass) at Sports Authority of India in Kolkata.
• The game was initially used to be held on natural grass at the Mohun Bagan ground in Kolkata.
• The cup is named after T.D. Beighton, Legal Remembrancer of the Government of Bengal.
• Beighton Cup was initially run by the Indian Football Association.
Microeconomist Angus Deaton won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics
Microeconomist born in Edinburgh Angus Deaton on 12 October 2015 won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics. He was awarded for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare.
The key to his work is measuring how public behaviour changes if, say, the government raises the VAT rate on food.
According to Nobel Committee, “by linking detailed individual choices and aggregate outcomes, his research has helped transform the fields of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and development economics.”
Deaton, aged 69, is based at Princeton, where he researches health, wellbeing, and economic development. He is the Dwight D Eisenhower professor of economics and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
The Nobel Prize in Economics is officially known as Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It was established in 1968 and was not part of the original group of five awards established by the will of the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel in 1895.
French economist Jean Tirole won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Economics. He was awarded for his analysis of market power and regulation.
Elinor Ostrom, in 2009 was the first and only woman (so far) to win the Nobel Prize for economics. She shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Oliver E. Williamson for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons.
2015 Annual meetings of World Bank Group and IMF held in Peru
Annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund were held between 9 October and 11 October 2015 in the Peruvian capital Lima.
The meetings saw the attendance of central bankers, finance ministers and development and private senior executives and academics from the member countries of both the World Bank Group and the IMF.
The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his capacity as India's Governor on Board of Governors of IMF and the World Bank led the Indian delegation that included RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian among others.
Key issues of discussions during the Fund-Bank meeting were
• The Role of World Bank and the IMF to support the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Shareholding review of the World Bank and changes in the financing structure of International Development Agency (IDA)
• The stalemate in the implementation of the 2010 IMF quota and governance reforms
About annual Fund-Bank meetings
• It is primarily the meeting of the Boards of Governors of the IMF and the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group.
• Its objective is to review the working of the institutions in the previous year and evolve strategies to address the current problems.
• They generally take place in September/October in Washington every year; however, they will be held in another member country in the third year.
• So far, India hosted the meetings only once. They were held in 1958 in New Delhi.
• The meetings were held in Tokyo (Japan) in 2012.
List of Nobel Prize Winners 2015: In Pictures
Nobel Prizes 2015 was announced by the Nobel Assembly from 5 October to 12 October 2015. The prizes were announced in different sections, namely Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Literature, Peace and Economics.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2015
Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet
"for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of Jasmine revolution of 2011"-Read More
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015
Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus)
" for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time"-Read More
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2015
Arthur B McDonald (USA) and Takaaki Kajita (Japan)
" for their discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass"-Read More
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015
William C Campbell (Ireland), Satoshi Omura (Japan) and Youyou Tu (China)
"Campbell and Omura for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and Youyou Tu for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria "-Read More
The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2015
Angus Deaton (UK)
" for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare "-Read More
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015
Tomas Lindahl (UK), Paul Modrich (USA) and Aziz Sancar (USA)
" for having mapped how cells repair damaged DNA and safeguard the genetic information at a molecular level"-Read More