1. Sri Lanka begins process of formulating a new constitution
(i) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe recently proposed that the nation’s Parliament be converted into a constituent assembly that will discuss and draft the new constitution, the process for which has begun.
(ii) According to President Maithripala Sirisena, since Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain in 1948, the nation has not focused on unifying different ethnic communities. Further, opposition from majority ethnic Sinhala community to power sharing deals with the minority Tamils in the early years led to terrorism and war.
(iv) According to a United Nations report, at least 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in just the final months of the civil war.
2. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebrated on January 9
(i) January 9 is annually celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to mark the contributions of the overseas Indian community in India’s development.
(ii) It was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the nation’s future for the good.
(iii) Since 2003, the Indian government celebrated this day to provide the overseas Indian community the chance to engage with the government.
3. 24th World Book Fair inaugurated in New Delhi
(i)
the Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated
the 24th edition of the World Book Fair in New Delhi.
(ii)
The nine-day fair, considered to be one of
Asia’s largest book fair, is hosting 30 countries and has programmes like panel
discussions, dramas, classical and folk dances, workshops, discussions,
authors’ meets, conferences, seminars and cultural programmes.
(iii) India has invited China as the guest country in
order to deepen ties through cooperation in publishing.
4. Indian Overseas Bank to shut 10 regional offices
i) Public sector lender Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) announced
that it will reduce the number of its regional offices by 10 in order to
improve overall efficiency.
(ii) This brings down the total number of offices to 49.
(ii) The closure is aimed at optimising use of
resources and to curtail administrative costs.
5. A K Aatre panel to submit report by mid-January
(i)
the Defence Ministry appointed former DRDO chief
V K Aatre to head a panel that will recommend guidelines for selecting domestic
private firms for strategic partnership in critical segments like submarines,
aircraft and missiles.
(ii)
Aatre has informed that the report focuses on
the procedures to be adhered to while selecting a strategic partner and the
kind of contracts that can be signed.
(iii)
The recommendations, if accepted, will become a
part of the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). The panel will submit the report to
the ministry on January 15, 2016.
6. Srinivas Murthy quits as Snapdeal’s senior vice-president of Marketing
(i)
Snapdeal’s senior vice-president of marketing
Srinivas Murthy quit the firm in order to begin his own venture.
(ii) This is the second major exit in Snapdeal after
Ranjan Kant, the head of strategy, quit to join online apparel store Jabong as
its chief marketplace officer.
7. Binny Bansal to take charge as Flipkart CEO
i) E-commerce major Flipkart announced that Sachin
Bansal, CEO and co-founder of the firm, will take over as the Executive
Chairman and Binny Bansal is set to be the CEO.
(ii)
Binny Bansal will be responsible for overall operations
and the company’s performance. All the business areas – Commerce, Ekart and
Myntra – will now report to Binny along with corporate heads including human resources,
finance, legal, corporate communications and corporate development.
(iii)
Mukesh Bansal will continue to head the Commerce
Platform, Flipkart’s core business, and will have additional responsibility of
the advertisement business. He will also keep his role as the Chairman of
Myntra.
8. Reliance Group signs a pact with Andhra Pradesh government
(i)
Anil Ambani announced that the Reliance Group has
signed a pact with the Andhra Pradesh government to set up a new defence
manufacturing facility in the state with an initial investment of Rs.5000 crore.
(ii)
He has stated that the deal represents the
single-largest investment at one location anywhere in Andhra Pradesh.
(iii)
The facility will be established in Rambilli,
south of Visakhapatnam.
9. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis clinch the women’s doubles title at the Brisbane International
(i)
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis kicked off 2016 by
clinching the women’s doubles title in the recently concluded Brisbane
International.
(ii)
The top-seeded duo defeated Angelique Kerber and
Andrea Petkovic 7-5, 6-1 in a match that lasted around an hour and 10 minutes.
(iii)
The Indo-Swiss pair have won 26 titles so far,
the longest winning feat since the 1994 season, which was achieved by American-Belarusian
duo Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva by their 28-match winning streak.
10. First female F1 racer Maria Teresa de Fillips passes away
(i) On January 8, Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first female
Formula One racer, passed away in Italy, aged 89.
(ii)
De Filippis was the first woman ever to have
competed in a world championship Formula One grand prix.
(iii)
She began three grand prix races for the
Maserati team in 1958, finishing a best place of 10th at Spa in Belgium.
(iv) She retired from the sport at the age of 23 after
the death of her team owner Jean Behra.
(v) Though she is not known for exceptional
accomplishments in her racing career, De Filippis was recognised as a pioneer
in Formula One racing for woman at a time when the sport was dominated by men.
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