Current Affairs Jan 2016 - Awards

News 1 - Cancer Research Expert Harpal Singh Kumar honored with Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

01-Jan − Indian-origin cancer research expert, Harpal Singh Kumar was given Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II. He was rewarded for his services to cancer research and being hugely influential in promoting research into the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and cancer care. His name appeared in the annual New Year’s Honors list that includes a few of other Indian-origin individuals −

News 2 - DAVA Project Bags eASIA Award 2015 Under Trade Facilitation Category.

02-Jan − The eAsia Award 2015 was given to the Drug Authentication and Verification Application (DAVA) project of the Department of Commerce under Trade Facilitation category. This award was declared by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation (APCTF) and Tehran based (Iran) Electronic Business. This award is managed by AFACT, which aims to develop and promote the trade facilitation, electronic business policies and activities in the Asia Pacific region. The project DAVA was launched by the Union Government in June 2015.

News 3 - Sanjay Subrahmanyam awarded with 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi.

02-Jan − Sanjay Subrahmanyam, classical south Indian vocalist will receive the esteemed 2015 Sangita Kalanidhi award of The Music Academy this year. The highly regarded award was imparted upon him by renowned mathematician, Manjul Bhargava at the 89th annual conference of the Madras Music Academy in Chennai. He became the seventh artist to be conferred with this award before 50 years of age.

The list of recipients of awards in other various categories are −

News 4 - Kate Atkinson Won Costa Novel Prize 2015.

04-Jan − British writer Kate Atkinson has won the Costa Novel Prize for the second time in three years for her novel A God in Ruins. She won the same award for Life After Life in 2013 and Behind the Scenes at the Museum in 1995. It is the only major UK book prize that is open solely to authors resident in the UK.

Other winners are:

News 5 - Dr.Raghuram Rajan awarded Global and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year.

07-Jan − The Reserve Bank of India Governor, Dr. Raghuram Rajan has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for 2016 by The Banker, a monthly publication of the Financial Times Group focusing on banking. The Central Banker of the Year 2016 awards celebrate the officials that have best managed to stimulate growth and stabilize their economy. In recognition of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) contribution to the Indian economy past year, The Banker has awarded Raghuram Rajan with the title of Global and Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year.

News 6 - Balkrishna Garg receives second Harikrishna Devsare Bal sahitya Award.

08-Jan − Balkrishna Garg, Veteran Hindi poet, received the 2015 Harikrishna Devsare Bal sahitya Award in New Delhi. He was given the award for his Baa Geet, a collection of poems for children. This award consists of a cash prize of 75000 rupees, a shawl and a citation. It is awarded in the memory of late Harikrishna Devsare, who was a renowned Hindi writer known for his work in the field of children literature.

News 7 - The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards announced.

11-Jan − The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced in California. These annual awards are given to honor the best in Motion Pictures and Television series every year. Annual Golden Globe Award ceremony produced by the Dick Clark Productions in association with Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

List of winners of the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards −

MOTION PICTURES

TELEVISION

News 8 - Lionel Messi Conferred with Ballon d'Or Award 2015.

11-Jan − Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or Trophy for the fifth time overall. He received 41.33 percent votes. Cristiano Ronaldo stood second with 27.76 percent votes and Neymar stood third with 7.86 percent votes.

Winners of 2015:

News 9 - Employees Provident Fund Organization bagged the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16.

12-Jan − The National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 was given to The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN). The award was given in the ‘innovative use of technology in e-governance’ category. As a result, EPFO will receive a cash prize of INR 200000.

News 10 - Mohammedan Sporting Club honors Amitabh Bachchan.

12-Jan − Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata bestowed actor Amitabh Bachchan with honorary life membership of the club. Sultan Ahmed, President of this club, handed over the club’s life membership to Mr. Bachchan. This club is one of the oldest and leading football clubs in India.

News 11 - David Beckham awarded with Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award by UNICEF.

12-Jan − UNICEF presented David Beckham with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award. The award was presented at the sixth biennial UNICEF Ball in Los Angeles as an honor for his work to save and improve the lives of children across the globe. Beckham is a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF since 2005. He launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund, in 2015, to raise funds and rally for the change for children. The award is named after Danny Kaye, American actor and singer and the first ambassador-at-large of the UNICEF.

News 12 - Subhashini Vasanth awarded Neerja Bhanot Award.

13-Jan − Subhashini Vasanth was awarded the Neerja Bhanot Award. She is a Bengaluru-based activist and the award was given to her for her efforts to help people in distress and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families throughout the nation. She started Vasantharatna Foundation in the memory of her late husband Col Vasanth V. This Neerja Bhanot Award is given to an Indian woman every year, who has faced social injustice and helps to empower other women in similar conditions. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakhs, a citation and a trophy.

News 13 - Arison Tamfu awarded with the Lorenzo Natali Grand Prize 2015.

14-Jan − Arison Tamfu, editor for the Cameroon Journal, won the Lorenzo Natali Grand Prize. Arison Tamfu was awarded the prize for his critical investigative report related to the UN Climate change negotiations titled Africa’s billions might be buried forever.

News 14 - PM Modi felicitates the recipients of the Times Now Amazing Indians Awards 2016.

14-Jan − Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated the awardees of Times Now Amazing Indians Awards 2016. The awardees were extraordinary achievers, but ordinary people whose work shaped many lives across the globe in different ways.

List of Awardees:

News 15 - Marat Safin inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame.

14-Jan − Former World No.1 tennis player, Marat Safin joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The official ceremony to induct Safin has been scheduled for 16 July 2016. He was the World No 1 player for a total of 9 weeks between November 2000 and April 2001. He is a two time Grand-Slam champion, dual Davis Cup champion and won a total of 15 ATP titles in men’s singles category.

News 16 - The 61st Filmfare Awards 2015 presented in Mumbai.

15-Jan − Bollywood’s most prestigious award, the 61st Filmfare Awards 2015, was presented on 15 January 2016. The hosts for the award show were Shah Rukh Khan and Kapil Sharma.

Recipients of the Awards:

News 17 - Dr. Jancy James awarded with Prof. MV Pylee Award.

15-Jan − Dr. Jancy James has been selected for the Prof. MV Pylee Award. The award is given to individuals, who have excelled in teaching and research, as an acknowledgement of their contribution to academic community. This award carries an amount of 1 lakh rupees along with a citation. Dr Jancy James is the first woman Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Kerala, a recognized author, literary critic, researcher and translator.

News 18 - Anuradha Roy won 2016 DSC Prize for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter.

16-Jan − Anuradha Roy has won the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel, Sleeping on Jupiter, at the Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka. The novel deals with the subject of violence against women. Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the award, which carried a cash award of $50,000 and a trophy to Anuradha Roy. The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an established international literary prize that awards the best work in South Asian fiction writing each year.

News 19 - 21st Critics' Choice Awards presented in California.

17-Jan − The 21st Critics' Choice Awards were handed out in California to honor the best in film and television. The well-known American actor-director, TJ Miller hosted the program. These awards, presented by the The Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association, honor the finest achievements in drama and television filmmaking.

The main recipients of the Critics' Choice Awards 2016 −

DRAMA:

The main recipients of the Critics' Choice Awards 2016:

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News 20 - Writer Ankita Anand Awarded with the Prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize 2015.

18-Jan − Journalist and writer, Ankita Anand was awarded with the prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 in Asia and the Pacific amateur category. She was selected for the award for her article titled Stirrings Beneath the Peepul published in the journal, The Equator Linel. The article was a sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the diktat of Khap Panchayats in Haryana. Lorenzo Natali Media Prize 2015 was launched under the motto Today's stories can change our tomorrow.

News 21 - Rahul Thakkar won an Oscar Award for Technical Achievement.

20-Jan − Rahul Thakkar has been declared as one of the winners of the Scientific and Technical Awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, popularly called Oscar Awards. Mr. Rahul Thakkar was born in UK and brought up in India. He won the award along with Richard Chuang in the category of groundbreaking design of the DreamWorks Animation Media Review System.

News 22 - National e-Governance Awards conferred on the conclusion day of their 19th National e-Governance Conference.

22-Jan − The 19th National e-governance Conference concluded in Nagpur. The title of the conference was Transforming India. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave away the National Awards for e-Governance. The awards were given for exemplary implementation of e-Governance initiatives. There were 18 winners who were awarded in 12 major categories.

List of Major Recipients:

News 23 - National Bravery Awards 2015 presented to 25 Children.

25-Jan − The National Bravery Awards were presented to 25 children (3 girls and 22 boys) by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The main reciepients are:

News 24 - Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards − 2015 Announced.

25-Jan − The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards – 2015 on 50 persons, which include Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 03 persons, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak to 09 people and Jeevan Raksha Padak to 38 persons of which 09 awards are posthumous.

The recipients of Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak are:

• Shri Ullas Unnikrishnan (Posthumous), Kerala.

• Shri Munna alias Ramdars Sisodiya (Posthumous), Madhya Pradesh.

• Shri Ankit Kumar Mishra (Posthumous), Uttar Pradesh.

News 25 - Rod Laver awarded with Companion of the order of Australia.

26-Jan − Rodney George Laver was awarded with the country's highest honor, Companion of the Order of Australia on the occasion of Australia Day. Rod Laver's 200 singles titles are the most in tennis history. He won 11 Grand Slam singles titles, and is the only player to twice achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam—in 1962 and 1969. He also won eight 'Pro Slam' titles.

News 26 - Defence Minister gave Rakshamantri Awards for Excellence for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

27-Jan − The Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence for the years 2012-13 and 2013-14 was presented by the Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi to recognize the exemplary performance of the Ordnance Factories and the nine Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

These awards were given in three major categories −

• Institutional Awards
• Best Performing Division, Factory, Shipyard Awards and
• Group and Individual Awards.

The List of prominent awardees for the year 2013-14 under −

INSTITUTIONAL AWARDS:

• Excellence in performance − BEL
• Best performance in Exports − BEL

DIVISION /FACTORY /SHIPYARD AWARDS:

• Best Performing Division of DPSUs − HAL, Avionics Division, Hyderabad.
• Best Performing Factory of OFB − Ordnance Equipment Factory, Kanpur.
• Best Performing Shipyard − GRSE, Kolkata.

News 27- 2016 William E. Colby Award Presented to Nisid Hajari for Best Military Book.

27-Jan − Nisid Hajari won the 2016 William E. Colby Award for his book, Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition. Now in its 17th year, the Colby prize is awarded annually by Norwich University to a first-time author in recognition of a work of fiction or non-fiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations or international affairs. Midnight’s Furies covers the 1947 partition of India and the violence that surrounded that event. Hajari oversees Asia coverage for Bloomberg View, which is the editorial page of Bloomberg News.

News 28- David Warner won Allan Border Medal 2016.

28-Jan − David Warner won the prestigious Allan Border Medal for 2016. Warner won the medal after he got 240 votes. The 2015 winner and skipper Steve Smith got 219 and fast bowler Mitchell Starc was third with 183 votes.

The recipients of other awards are:

News 29- Indian Human Rights Activist Henri Tiphagne Wins Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2016.

28-Jan − Indian human rights activist, Henri Tiphagne won the 8th Human Rights Award by Amnesty International Germany. He has been awarded for his exceptional commitment to human rights. Henri Tiphagne is the founder of the human rights organization, People’s Watch. The Human Rights Award is presented by Amnesty Germany every two years.