India This Week: 15 June-21 June 2015

15 June 2015
• Union Government launched website to connect employers, job seekers
• Book titled Recasting India written by Hindol Sengupta released
• PM Narendra Modi launched book titled Education of Muslims by Professor JS Rajput
• Indian Railways rechristened Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express
• Union Government launched Augmented Reality Application named Sakaar
• Critically endangered Sangai deer found in Manipur’s Loktak Lake to be translocated
• Kapil Mishra appointed as Chairman of Delhi Jal Board

16 June 2015
• Election Commission of India (ECI) suspended recognition of National People's Party (NPP)
• India’s trade deficit in May 2015 narrowed to 10.4 billion US dollars
• Renowned architect Charles Correa passed away
• Hindi writers Babusha Kohli, Upasana won 10th Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith
• One Rank, One Pension scheme for ex-servicemen
• Las Vegas casino tycoon Kirk Kerkorian died
• Narendra Kumar Yadav took charge as Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL
• Book titled Modi - Incredible emergence of a star in Chinese language written by Tarun Vijay
• AIBA constituted Ad-hoc committee chaired by Kishan Narsi for boxing in India
• Sunil Chhetri became first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals

17 June 2015
• Union Ministry of Finance formed two committees for facilitating implementation of GST
• CCEA approved Minimum Support Prices for Kharif Crops of 2015-16 season
• CCEA approved setting up of 2000 MW of Grid connected Solar PV Power Projects under JNNSM
• Union Government launched Cluster Development Programme for Pharma Sector
• Union Government decided to increase number of work days under MGNREGA in drought hit areas
• Union Cabinet revised target of solar power under JNNSM to 100000 MW by 2022
• NHAI invited bids for Bharat Mala Project
• Malvani hooch tragedy: more than 90 people died
• CCEA approved inclusion of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in National Dairy Plan- I
• Union Cabinet approved transfer of NIL’s land to DRDO for establishing a defence research centre
• Union Cabinet approved Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015
• Union Cabinet approved Housing for All by 2022 Mission
• IAMAI released Social Media in India 2014 report
• G Gurucharan given additional charge as Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards
• Archana Ramasundaram appointed as Director of National Crime Records Bureau
• ASIC launched mobile app ASCIonline for consumer complaint
• Sharad Pawar re-elected as President of Mumbai Cricket Association
• Madras HC made wearing of helmets for two-wheelers compulsory from 1 July 2015

18 June 2015
• Maharashtra topped the list of States and UTs in IPR filing in 2013-14: IBEF report
• India placed at 61st position in terms of foreigners’ money in Swiss banks
• Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India
• Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST
• Book titled Bikhare Khyalat written by Abdul Haq presented to Vice-President
• Indian paddlers won team titles at South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships
• WB State Assembly passed West Bengal Tea Plantation Employees Welfare Fund Bill, 2015

19 June 2015
• Union Ministry of Finance released Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
• Justice Gian Parkash Mittal resigned from the Office of the Judge of Delhi High Court
• New series of Atithi Devo Bhava TV commercials launched
• 350th foundation day of Shri Anandpur Sahib celebrated

20 June 2015
• First-ever indigenously developed VRF ACs launched by Blue Star

21 June 2015
• Sanjay Subrahmanyam selected for Sangitha Kalanidhi award for the year 2015
• International Yoga Day celebration at Rajpath sets two world records
• Former Indian women's hockey captain Shashi Bala died
• Debendranath Sarangi elected as President of Squash Rackets Federation of India

World this Week: 8 June-14 June 2015

8 June 2015
• Manchester United Football Club became World’s most valuable brand with 1.2 billion US dollars
• Illegal trapping of migratory songbird Yellow-Breasted Bunting leading to its extinction: Study
• Documentary on cricket titled Death of Gentleman screened at Sheffield
• World famous Buddhas of Bamiyan resurrected in Afghanistan
• 3800-year-old statuettes of priestess and politicians discovered in Peru
• 41st G7 summit held in Germany
• World Ocean Day observed with theme Healthy oceans, Healthy planet
• Telugu writer Dasaradhi Rangacharya died at 87

9 June 2015 
• Dromedary camels are key source of MERS Virus: Study
• Nepal political parties reached agreement on proposed Constitution framework
• India, Japan and Australia held first ever trilateral dialogue
• Big Band Leader James Last passed away

10 June 2015 
• Forbes released 2015 World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes list
• African leaders signed 26-nation Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement
• NASA scientist developed tool to predict destructive solar storms

11 June 2015 
• Australia applied holding order to Maggi Noodles from India
• England’s cricketer Matt Prior retired from all forms of cricket
• Spain passed law awarding citizenship to descendants of expelled Jews
• Said Djinnit, UN envoy to Burundi crisis, stepped down as mediator
• Dick Costolo resigned as CEO of Twitter Inc

12 June 2015 
• RTA of UAE included four Indian languages into its driving tests
• Moldova's Prime Minister Chiril Gaburuci resigned
• 800-year-old Buddha statue with 1000 hands unveiled by China after 7 years of restoration
• World Day Against Child Labour observed globally

13 June 2015 
• Comet lander Philae woke up after seven months of hibernation

14 June 2015 
• Rafael Nadal won Stuttgart Open
• World Blood Donors Day observed with theme Thank you for saving my life

India This Week: 25 May-31 May 2015

25 May 2015 
• ICICI Bank launched Voice Recognition Service for Biometric Authentication
• Union Government approved 21 FDI proposals worth 281 crore rupees
• CS Santosh presented with 2014 FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year Award
• Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise written by Pradeep Baijal

26 May 2015
• Manabi Bandopadhyay became first transgender principal of Krishnagar Women's College
• High Court allowed Greenpeace India to operate two of its domestic accounts
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Doordarshan's farmer-centric Kisan TV Channel
• Himachal Pradesh set up satellite tracking system to check forest fire
• 48 tigers in non-protected Chandrapur forest areas of Maharashtra: WCT Survey
• Delhi Government approved mandatory GPS in public transport from June 2015
• Union Ministry of Finance constituted Committee on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model
• Nirbhay Sharma sworn in as Governor of Mizoram

27 May 2015
• Tripura withdrew AFSPA from state
• RBI notified FIIs to invest up to 49 percent in Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited
• NCDEX launched Gold Now platform for forward contracts in gold
• Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014
• Five women suspended for anti-doping rule violations named for TOP Scheme
• Union Sports Ministry gave nod for creation of RSFs by recognising federations of indigenous sports
• Ajanmi Beti Ke liye Daud organised for the cause of saving girl child in Himachal Pradesh
• Microsoft announced to open India's first Digital Experience Centre in Gujarat

28 May 2015
• RBI released Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio for Banks
• RBI proposed to introduce PPI for Mass Transit Systems
• Abhinav Bindra became 4th Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics
• Maharashtra CM sets up a high powered task force to develop IFSC
• Increasing number of hamlets responsible for decline of Tigers in Buxa Tiger Reseve: West Bengal
• Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah released
• Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released
• S Christopher appointed as Director General of DRDO 
• Yaduveer of Wodeyar dynasty crowned as 27th Maharaja of Mysuru
• VA Prasanth appointed as the CFO of Indian Bank

29 May 2015 
• State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution
• CSO released Provisional Estimates of National Income for FY 2014-15
• Andhra Pradesh brought 16 Sectors under Swiss Challenge method to develop Infrastructure
• Anand Kumar, Founder of Super 30, honoured in Canada
• Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News
• Pradeep Kumar Sinha appointed as Cabinet Secretary to Union Government
• G Satheesh Reddy appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister

30 May 2015
• Finance Minister inaugurated new Bank Note Paper Line unit in Hoshangabad, MP
• Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo appointed as Chancellor of Nalanda University
• Union Government notified Undisclosed Foreign Income as Assets and imposition of Tax Act, 2015

31 May 2015
• Gurpreet Singh became 5th Indian to get quota place in shooting for 2016 Rio Olympics
• Fourth North East Youth Festival concluded in Jorhat district of Assam
• Mohun Bagan won I-League title of football after 13 years
• Gurpreet Singh became 5th Indian to get quota place in shooting for 2016 Rio Olympics

World This Week: 18 May-24 May 2015

18 May 2015
• Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year 2014-15
• EU approved plan to use Naval Force to combat Smugglers and tackle Migration crisis
• US President Obama banned certain military-style equipment provided to US police
• India, South Korea signed 7 agreements to upgrade relations to special strategic partnership level
• UNCTAD released a report titled Global Investment Trends Monitor
• Indian-American Harkeert Singh Saini won Prestigious Police Award in Texas, US

19 May 2015
• UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects Mid-2015 Update
• Maria Elena South, driest place on earth, discovered in Atacama Desert
• 9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission held in Durban
• Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2015 Man Booker International Prize
• Tamils in Sri Lanka commemorated war dead for the first time at Mullivaikkal village

20 May 2015
• British magazine SportsPro released World’s 50 Most Marketable 2015 report
• NASA’s Spacecraft provided first direct measurement for Type Ia Supernovae caused by white dwarfs
• Environmental Democracy Index 2015 released; India at 24th position
• Ranjit Singh Baxi elected as Head of Bureau of International Recycling
• Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away
• UBS AG Bank of Switzerland agreed to pay 203 million US dollars for manipulating LIBOR
• Huawei launched LiteOS, world’s most lightweight IoT operating system (OS)

21 May 2015
• US Army developed Blast proof wallpaper to protect soldiers from explosions
• Palmyra, an ancient Syrian city, captured by ISIS militants
• Akhil Reed Amar appointed as member of the National Council on Humanities of US

22 May 2015 
• British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away

23 May 2015
• Nobel Awardee mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. died

24 May 2015 
• Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Monaco Grand Prix of Formula One
• Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died
• Cannes Films Festival 2015: French director Jacques Audiard bagged Palme d’Or

India This Week: 18 May-24 May 2015

18 May 2015
• Union Government launched official website of NITI Aayog with blog section
• India Meteorological Department signed MoU with POSOCO Ltd to increase efficiency of power sector
• India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years
• Mumbai KEM Nurse Aruna Shanbaug died after 42-years in coma
• Union Government sanctioned 30 new cold storage projects
• New Catfish Species Glyptothorax Senapatiensis discovered in Manipur
• Draupadi Murmu sworn in as first woman Governor of Jharkhand
• Himachal Pradesh to host Paragliding World Cup 2015
• SS Ahluwalia appointed as Chairman of JPC on Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, 2015
• HDFC Bank launched HDFC Bank Apollo Medical Benefits Card
• Infosys announced to become carbon neutral by 2018
• Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Campaign

19 May 2015
• Union Ministry of Finance released draft outline of Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS)
• ISRO announced to launch ASTROSAT in October 2015
• Blue whales spotted for the 1st time in 100 years off Sindhudurg coast in Maharashtra
• Delhi Government decided to launch Pay & Play Scheme to promote sports
• PM Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South Korea
• Fourth Corvette of Project-28 christened Kavaratti launched

20 May 2015
• Union finance Ministry constituted Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT on FIIs
• SEBI notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 2015
• Ecologists found a new species of fish called Pethia striata in Western Ghats, Karnataka
• World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar
• Tathagata Roy sworn in as Governor of Tripura
• Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple received ISO 9001-2008 certification
• Maharashtra decided to amend Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in night shifts
• TP Senkumar appointed as DGP of Kerala
• US President Barack Obama entered Guinness Book of World Record
• Shanmuganathan sworn in as Meghalaya Governor
• Indigenously developed Astra Missile successfully test fired from ITR Chandipur in Odisha
• Eminent Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away
• President inaugurated 50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965
• Actress Sudha Shivpuri died

21 May 2015
• Union Cabinet approved revised FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs and OCIs
• Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup in Assam
• Shuttler Saina Nehwal of India ranked No.1 in single rankings released by BWF
• Andaman & Nicobar Police proposed to reserve 33% seats for women
• India reached 6th position in terms of scientific publications
• Nelong Valley in Uttarakhand opened first time for tourists after closure in 1962
• IGBC reported India registered 3 billion sq ft green building footprint
• Panneerselvam resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
• Union Cabinet approved PSLV Continuation Programme for launching 15 flights PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50
• Mirage 2000 fighter jet landed on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road runways
• Anti Terrorism Day observed across India

22 May 2015 
• 20th Law Commission submitted report on Guardianship and Custody Laws to the Union Law Ministry
• Expert committee on Health Insurance recommended changes in disclaimer wordings
• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed G Mohan Kumar as Defence Secretary
• UN observed International Day for Biological Diversity
• SAIL and ArcelorMittal signed MoU to set up Automotive Steel Plant in India

23 May 2015
• Indian boxers won three Gold at World Junior Women's boxing Championship
• Indian boxer won four Gold Medals at Doha International Boxing tournament 2015
• Indian Film Masaan won FIPRESCI Award at 68th Cannes film festival
• J Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time

24 May 2015 
• BCCI recommended Contract system for Indian women cricket team
• Mumbai Indians won IPL 2015 title by defeating Chennai Super kings
• Delhi government tied-up with Rotary club to revamp government schools
• Tamil Nadu CM announced welfare schemes worth 1800 crore rupees
• Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Limited

World This Week: 11 May-17 May 2015

11 May 2015
• IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted environmental section of Polar Code
• KV Kamath appointed as first President of New Development Bank of BRICS nations
• Indian-origin Priti Patel appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British Government
• Pop artist Chris Burden passed away
• Picasso's painting Les Femme d’Alger sold for 179.3 million US dollars

12 May 2015
• Indian-American professor Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC’s 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching
• Indian author Neel Mukherjee won 2014 Encore Award for The Lives of Others
• Indian-American Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award
• Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became first Asian woman elected as Mayor in UK
• Peter Gay, Eminent American historian on European Thought passed away

13 May 2015 
• Vatican recognised Palestine as State in the Holy See-Palestine Joint Statement
• World Economic Forum (WEF) released The Human Capital Report 2015
• Indian-American boy Karan Menon won 2015 National Geographic Bee Championship

14 May 2015
• Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called Jahn-Teller-metal
• Riley B. King, the King of Blues, passed away
• UNESCAP released Survey titled Making Growth More Inclusive for Sustainable Development
• Microsoft Sunrise launched Meet Keyboard

15 May 2015
• Palestinians observed 67th Nakba Day
• DD, CCTV signed agreement for exchange of art, culture programmes
• PM Narendra Modi announced e-Visa facility for Chinese Tourists
• India and China Signed 24 Agreements to Enhance Bilateral Co-operation

• Opah, the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species, discovered by researchers

16 May 2015
• Former Army Brigadier David Granger sworn-in as eighth President of Guyana
• ICICI bank opened its first branch in China

17 May 2015 
• Pope Francis Canonizes Two 19th-Century Palestinian Nuns as Saints
• India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to enhance bilateral relations
• Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper retired from ODI cricket
• Novak Djokovic won 4th Rome Masters Tennis title

India This Week: 11 May-17 May 2015

11 May 2015
• Lok Sabha passed Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill 2015
• RBI advised all Public Sector Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman
• Telangana Government signed MoU with Google to build a campus in Hyderabad
• India Post launched Dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New Delhi
• Hyderabad to host Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 in July
• National Technology Day observed in India
• Union Finance Ministry appointed Justice AP Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT on FIIs
• K Satish Reddy appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council (NSC)
• President authorized Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as interim NHRC Chairperson

12 May 2015 
• President of India appointed four Governors and transferred two
• RBI released the report titled State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2014-15
• Moody's released the report Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16
• Lee Alan Johnson named Head Coach of U-19 football team of India
• UP Government launched Samajwadi Shudha Payjal Yojna for UP Roadways bus stations
• Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away

13 May 2015
• Union Cabinet approved Namami Gange programme under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)
• Supreme Court issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements
• Union Cabinet approved amendments to Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012
• Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 introduced in Lok Sabha
• CCEA gave its approval for 5% disinvestment in NTPC and 10% in Indian Oil Corporation
• Rajya Sabha passed The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014
• Lok Sabha approved Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015
• Punjab government launched pan-state programme to monitor the soil health of every farm

14 May 2015 
• Union Government approved Gujarat State Climate Change Action Plan 2015-2020
• Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched USTAAD Scheme for Traditional Artisans
• RBI allowed Tap And Pay without PIN for transactions up to 2000 rupees
• Maharashtra government banned digging of borewells deeper than 200 feet
• MHRD Gave Nod for Setting up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Indian Scientists found a rare plant with anti-cancer properties in Western Ghats
• President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil

15 May 2015 
• Union Government launched Kayakalp Award Scheme to improve cleanliness in Public Health Facilities
• Union Government decided to implement NERS for women in distress
• Union Government launched Road Asset Management System for National Highways
• Bengaluru airport signed a contract with SITA to allow self check-in from June 2015
• Gagan Narang Won Bronze in 50m Rifle Prone Men Event at ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Fort Benning
• ISRO announced to commission MOTR in June 2015
• MJ Joseph appointed as Controller General of Accounts
• Anurradha Prasad conferred with Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism and Social Services
• 6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi

16 May 2015
• Official website of 10th World Hindi Conference launched
• Ravishankar Prasad inaugurated first postal ATM in Bihar

17 May 2015 
• Union government allocated 5000 crore for development of AYUSH

World This Week: 4 May-10 May 2015

4 May 2015
• French magazine Charlie Hebdo presented with Freedom of Expression Courage Award 2015

5 May 2015 
• French Parliament approved Surveillance Law to prevent terrorist attack
• World Asthma Day 2015 observed with theme You Can Control Your Asthma
• Oscar Holderer, the US moon rocket expert, died

6 May 2015 
• Philippines and Japan coast guards held anti-piracy drills in Manila Bay
• India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port
• Forbes released Global 2000 Companies list
• Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015
• Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report

7 May  2015
• Nepal Rastra Bank to provide interest-free loans for rebuilding houses
• 17th Century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd treasure found in Madagascar
• Singapore PM Lee opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little India

8 May 2015 
• North Korea successfully test-fired Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
• India, Russia signed 11 MoIs for Higher Academic Cooperation
• UK General election 2015: Conservative Party won majority by securing 331 seats

9 May 2015
• Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic won the women’s singles title of Madrid Tennis Open
• Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away

10 May 2015 
• Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Spanish Grand Prix of Formula One
• Andy Murray of Britain won the men’s singles title of Madrid Tennis Open
• Rohan Bopanna, Florin Mergea won Men’s Doubles title of Madrid Tennis Open
• President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Namaste Russia festival in Moscow