World This Week: 14 December-20 December 2015

14 December 2015
• Typhoon Melor struck the Philippines
• World Bank Group, FIRST Initiative launched Principles for Public Credit Guarantee Schemes
• United Nations Human Development Report 2015 released

15 December 2015
• Rory McIlroy bagged European Tour Golfer of the Year award
• EC adopted proposal for a European Border and Coast Guard to protect Schengen area
• Saudi Arabia launched 34-nation Islamic Military Coalition to counter terrorism   
• 14th Meeting of Heads of Governments of SCO Member States concluded in Zhengzhou, China

16 December 2015
• ILO released Global Estimates on Migrant Workers
• Federal Reserve of US increased interest rate by 0.25% for the first time since 2006
• Indian-origin official Sanjay Pradhan to lead Open Government Partnership

17 December 2015
• UN-brokered Libyan Political Agreement on National Unity Government signed
• WTO approved Afghanistan’s membership terms to join as 163rd member
• UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution to cut-off supply of funds to ISIS group
• China launched DAMPE satellite to shed light on mysterious dark matter
• British Novelist Peter Dickinson passed away

18 December 2015
• World Bank released Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty report
• Husband-wife duo Claude and Norma Alvares awarded with 2015 Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award
• 2nd World Internet Conference concluded in Wuzen, China
• International Migrants Day observed across the world
• World Bank released Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016

19 December 2015
• 10th WTO Ministerial Conference adopted Nairobi Package
• US Senate ratified IMF reforms in budget bill to boost representation of emerging economies
• Famous German conductor Kurt Masur passed away
• Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo crowned Miss World 2015

20 December 2015
• Andy Murray won 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
• OUE Singapore Slammers crowned Champions of IPTL 2015
• FC Barcelona won 2015 FIFA Club World Cup
• Nepal Cabinet decided to amend Constitution to address Madhesis' demands
• Conservative People’s party won Spain election; but falls short of majority
• Miss Iraq beauty pageant held for the first time since 1972
• Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach crowned Miss Universe 2015

India This Week: 7 December-13 December 2015

7 December 2015
• Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 introduced in Lok Sabha
• SC directed State and UT Governments to consider acid-attack victims under Disabled Quota
• Rajya Sabha passed Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015
• ONGC joined World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 Initiative
• General Motors India appointed Kaher Kazem as President and MD
• Ola appointed Joy Bandekar as Corporate President
• Armed Forces Flag Day observed across India
• Indo-Russia bilateral naval exercise Indra Navy-15 began in Visakhapatnam

8 December 2015
• Union Government and NTC signed MoU for establishing a Technology Centre at Kanpur
• MSDE and DHI signed MoU for skill development in manufacturing sector
• Pune, Rajkot became interim IPL franchises to replace CSK, RR
• Yes Bank announced to mobilize 5 billion US dollars for climate action by 2020
• Hetero became first Indian company to receive DGCI’s approval for hepatitis C drug

9 December 2015
• Union Cabinet approved 4000 crore rupees proposal for shipbuilding industry
• Operationalise Organised Crimes Investigation Agency by 1 December 2016: SC
• Lok Sabha passed Indian Trusts (Amendment) Bill, 2015
• Union Cabinet approved amendments in the National Waterways Bill, 2015
• Union Cabinet approved Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015
• Rohit Sharma became co-owner of UP Warriors in Pro Wrestling League
• Naseeruddin Shah honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award at Dubai International Film Festival

10 December 2015
• India Health Report: Nutrition 2015 released
• Union Government slashed Minimum Export Price of onions to 400 dollar per tonne
• NGT gave directions to keep River Ganga Pollution Free
• Supreme Court upheld Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015
• Sharad Pawar’s autobiography Life On My Terms released

11 December 2015
• National Commission for Safai Karamcharis recommended making it a Permanent and Statutory Body
• Quick Estimates of IIP and Use-Based Index for October 2015 released
• DuPont and Dow Chemical Company announced to merge to form DowDuPont
• Wipro won 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award for innovation in IoT
• Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmad Javed appointed as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

12 December 2015
• Government of India signed MoU to establish three IIITs on PPP mode
• Renowned agro-economist and farmer’s leader Sharad Joshi died
• Losar, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Festival, began in Ladakh region

13 December 2015
• Vijay Kumar won gold in the 59th National shooting championship
• Legendary actor Dilip Kumar conferred with Padma Vibhushan

India This Week: 16 November-22 November 2015

16 November 2015
• AMRUT Action Plans for 81 cities approved with total project outlay of 5748 crore rupees
• Draft Fiscal and Contractual Regime for Award of Hydrocarbon Acreages released
• Odisha implemented National Food Security Act, 2013 in 14 districts
• Andhra Pradesh Government decided to waive off 110 crore loans of over 25000 weavers
• Foundation stone of first Mega Food Park of Telangana laid
• Syed Akbaruddin appointed as next Permanent Representative of India to UN
• Senior journalist Hemendra Narain died
• PM Narendra Modi concluded his two-nation tour to UK and Turkey
• Infosys Science Foundation announced winners of Infosys Prize 2015

17 November 2015
• Delhi government-appointed Chetan Sanghi panel recommended suspension of DDCA
• VHP leader Ashok Singhal dead
• Indian Red Cross Society Secretary General SP Agarwal died
• RAW former Chief Sankaran Nair died
• Kiren Rijiju conferred with Disaster Risk Reduction Asia Champion honour by UN
• CCI imposed penalties on 3 Airlines for concerted action in Fixing Fuel Surcharge
• Zarin Daruwala appointed as CEO of StanChart Bank India
• IAMAI released Internet in India 2015 report

18 November 2015
• Union Cabinet approved setting up of National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research
• Indian Resource Panel (InRP) on Resource Efficiency constituted
• CCEA approved implementation of CCTNS and ICJS Project by March 2017 to revamp Criminal Justice System
• CCEA approved disinvestment of 10 percent paid up equity capital in Coal India Limited
• Technology Acquisition & Development Fund under National Manufacturing Policy launched
• Srishti Pandey won Indiana FIDE Rating Chess Tournament
• CCEA approved extension of Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme
• Justice T S Thakur appointed Chief Justice of India
• TCS, Intel launched Centre of Excellence for IoT in Hyderabad

19 November 2015
• 7th Central Pay Commission submitted its report; recommended 23.55% hike

20 November 2015
• Harshavardhan Neotia elected as President of FICCI
• AAI signed MoU with IL&FS to bolster overseas expansion
• Arun Kumar Kapoor appointed CEO of Dish TV

21 November 2015
• New species of tree frog Ghatixalus magnus discovered in Idukki district of Kerala
• Blue Revolution with an outlay of 3000 crore rupees proposed

22 November 2015
• SEBI signed MoU with Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission on bilateral cooperation
• 2nd World Congress on Disaster Management concluded; Visakhapatnam Declaration adopted

World This Week: 28 September-4 October 2015

28 September 2015
• 1st Indo-Africa ICT Expo launched in Nairobi
• DNA sequencing-based blood test to diagnose Ebola and other pathogens developed
• Strong Evidence of Liquid Water on Mars: NASA
• India’s 1st dedicated satellite for astronomy research ASTROSAT launched
• Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping held at the UN headquarters in New York
• Indo-British van driver Dee Patel honoured with Pride of Britain Award
• China’s Didi Kuaidi joined hands with Ola to compete Uber in India

29 September 2015
• First-ever US-India-Japan Trilateral Ministerial dialogue held
• Zenia Bhumgara of India conferred with Merlin Award by International Magicians Association
• Indian-American environmental engineer Kartik Chandran named MacArthur Fellow
• World Heart Day 2015 celebrated with theme creating heart-healthy environments

30 September 2015
• Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif proposed 4-point Peace Initiative with India
• Palestinian flag hoisted at UN headquarters for the first time
• Russian parliament gave green signal to Putin to use troops in Syria
• WHO removed all limitations on eligibility for Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV infected people
• China launched 20th satellite for its BeiDou Navigation System
• Asian Air Gun Championships: Heena Sidhu won gold medal in women's 10 metre air pistol event
• Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 released by World Economic Forum
• WTO released 2015 Annual Report
• International Translation Day observed across the world

1 October 2015
• ICC Women’s Team Rankings launched
• Laureates of 2015 Right Livelihood Awards announced
• Ratan Tata honoured by UK city of Coventry
• World Vegetarian Day observed globally
• International Day of Older Persons observed across the world

2 October 2015 
• India submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to UNFCC
• The Clintons' War on Women authored by Roger Stone and Robert Morrow

3 October 2015 
• China won 2015 FIBA Asian Basketball Championship
• Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis won women's doubles title of Wuhan Tennis Open

4 October 2015
• Islamic State destroyed Arch of Triumph in Palmyra
• Israel barred Palestinians from entering Jerusalem’s Old City
• Ruling Social Democratic Party-led coalition won Portuguese general election
• World Bank released global poverty projections for 2015
• Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone opened to public for 1st time in 12 years
• Malaysia ordered shut down of schools due to choking smog
• Portugal’s Pinto won Asia’s premier Mountain Biking Race

India This Week: 28 September-4 October 2015

28 September 2015
• Can’t force political parties to keep poll promises: SC
• Delhi HC admitted plea challenging validity of Article 370 of Constitution of India
• India signed 123.51 Million US dollar Loan Agreement with Asian Development Bank
• Ministry of Railways launched Indian Railway Knowledge Portal
• NGT issued notice to Union Government on plea seeking stay on Lakhwar HEP
• Maharashtra Government declared 2017 as Visit Maharashtra Year
• Meghalaya Governor Shanmuganathan got additional charge of Governor of Manipur
• Hungry Bengal: War, Famine, Riots and the End of Empire authored by Janam Mukherjee
• Boat with 200 onboard capsized in River Koholi in Kamrup district of Assam
• Mathematician Jacob Tsimerman won 2015 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize
• Reliance signed strategic pact with EDIC to manufacture defence equipment
• Wipro selected as member of Dow Jones Sustainability World Index
• NLC set up its first 10 MW solar power plant

29 September 2015
• Union Government launched National Institutional Ranking Framework along with its Web portal
• 21st meeting of the Western Zonal Council held in Panaji
• NOC Online Application Portal and Processing System for the National Monument Authority launched
• Financial Times released data on FDI in H1 2015; India emerged most-favoured destination
• Piyush Goyal launched Access to Clean Cooking Energy and Electricity - Survey of States Report
• Fourth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2015-16 announced; Repo rate cut by 0.50 percent
• Union Ministry of Road Transport launched Green Highways Policy, 2015
• Uttar Pradesh decided to implement National Food Security Act, 2013 in three phases
• Praveen Dixit appointed as Maharashtra DGP
• Union Government appointed four Brand Ambassadors for Digital India Programme
• Jayant Prasad appointed as Director General of Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

30 September 2015
• Union Government notified Mid-Day Meal Rules, 2015
• Growth of eight core sectors increased by 2.6 percent in August 2015
• Union Government reduced domestic natural gas price by 18 percent to 3.81 US dollars per mmBtu
• Sportzlive appointed as official marketing partner for 2nd Indian Badminton League 2016
• Tamil Nadu Government increased MSP for paddy crops
• Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by Santosh Singh released
• Forbes India Leadership Awards-2015 presented in Mumbai
• Union Government released commemorative postal stamp on Dr BR Ambedkar
• 17th All-India Govt Whips Conference held in Visakhapatnam
• INS Kochi, indigenously built largest warship, dedicated to the nation
• NDTV signed 100 crore rupees deal with Taboola

1 October 2015
• Trichy Corporation won Skoch Award for Effective Solid Waste Management
• Sarat Kumar Acharya assumed office as CMD of Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited
• Dr Anup K Pujari assumed additional charge as CMD of Steel Authority of India Limited

2 October 2015 
• National Anti-Drug Addiction Day observed on 2 October
• International Day of Non-Violence observed across the world

3 October 2015 
• Odisha launched Citizen Portal to launch police complaints
• DRDO inaugurated world’s highest Research Centre in Ladakh
• 26th edition of CORPAT between India and Indonesia began in Andaman Sea

4 October 2015
• UCO Bank registered highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets
• Amo doli programme launched by Odisha government in naxal-affected Rayagada district
• Telangana government announced 50 percent subsidy on purchase of seeds
• Noted Telugu film producer Edida Nageswara Rao died
• Ashish Bahuguna given additional charge of Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI
• Flipkart appointed Sriram Venkataraman as Chief Financial Officer
• Shashank Manohar elected BCCI President
• GAIL to take 10 percent stake in TAPI natural gas pipeline project

India This Week: 14 September-20 September 2015

14 September 2015
• Sports Ministry recognized the Indian Kalarippayattu Federation as Regional Sports Federation
• SC sought Centre's response on States' petition against ban on publication of CM photos in Govt. Ads
• Hindi Divas observed on 14 September across India
• RBI, Nepal Rastra Bank signed MoU for Exchange of Supervisory Information
• Government to provide additional 50 days work to farmers under MGNREGA in drought-hit areas
• Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalitha announced to set up Tamil Nadu Fibernet Corporation
• Nana Patekar established Naam Foundation to fund drought relief for farmers
• Report titled Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms released
• Hormusji N Cama elected as Chairman of Press Trust of India

15 September 2015
• Union Finance Ministry launched NXT DIGITAL-Headend In The Sky platform
• Union Government banned National Socialist Council of Nagaland- Khaplang for 5 years
• Only Marathi-speaking people to get autorickshaw permit in the state: Maharashtra Government
• Delhi government approved Victim Compensation Scheme
• Expert Group on tackling cyber crimes submitted its report to Ministry of Home Affairs
• Shauryanjali Exhibition on 1965 Indo-Pak War inaugurated
• MP government constituted one-member commission to probe Petlawad explosion incident
• Meeting of Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) on Climate Change held in New Delhi

16 September 2015
• Shot putter Manpreet Kaur shattered 18-year-old national record
• India Cements won Moin-ud Dowlah Gold Cup Tournament 2015-16
• Union Cabinet approved Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission for overall development of rural areas
• EPFO increased maximum insurance cover to 6 lakh rupees
• RBI granted In-principle Approval to 10 Applicants for Small Finance Banks
• NGT passed directions to prevent pollution of Yamuna River
• Godavari, Krishna Rivers formally linked at Ibrahimpatnam Ferry village in Andhra Pradesh

17 September 2015
• Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) launched by Union Government
• SC stayed implementation of Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015
• Renowned Marathi cricket commentator and writer Bal Pandit died at the age of 89
• Mahesh Rangarajan resigned as Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
• Union Government presented Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards 2013
• Madhya Pradesh Government launched M-Shiksha-Mitra mobile app for teachers

18 September 2015
• PM Narendra Modi formally launched Integrated Power Development Scheme from Varanasi
• Elattuvalapil Sreedharan to join UN's High Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport
• National Tourism Awards 2013-14 presented
• National Athletic Coach Nikolai Snesarev resigned
• Indian Railways developed prototype of Hybrid Vacuum Toilet
• Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare banned sale of Diclofenac in multidose vial for human use

19 September 2015
• Veteran Leftist Sadhan Gupta died at the age 98
• P Siva Kumar, CVRDE Director, elevated as Distinguished Scientist
• Sania Mirza & Ajinkya Rahane conferred with Cricket Club of India’s honorary life membership
• Three Gulbarga varsity researchers derived soluble melanin from a micro organism
• Jammu and Kashmir government banned sale of Ambuja cement in state

20 September 2015
• Urdu scholar Shamim Hanfi awarded with Jnangarima Manad Alankaran award
• Malayalam playback singer Radhika Thilak died at the age of 45
• BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya passed away at the age of 75
• Ajay Jayaram won Silver Medal in 2015 Korea Open Badminton tournament

World This Week: 25 May-31 May 2015

25 May 2015
• India and Vietnam signed Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation 2015-2020
• UAE launched Strategic Framework for its Space Agency
• Switzerland named two Indians under probe in its official gazette
• Kumar Sangakkara named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2015
• 2000 year old Water supply system unearthed in Umm Tuba quarter of Israel
• NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman created first single-molecule device
• Eminent American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away
• Tornado struck northern city of Ciudad Acuna in Mexico

26 May 2015
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of USA granted work Permit for H-4 visa holders
• NATO launched Arctic Challenge Exercise in the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland
• Forbes released the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2015 list
• Trevor Bayliss appointed as head coach of England Cricket Team
• Abraj Kudai, world’s biggest hotel, set to open in Mecca in 2017

27 May 2015
• UNSC adopted resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones
• US state of Nebraska abolished death penalty
• Seven FIFA Officials arrested on bribery charges in Zurich by Switzerland authorities
• Sevilla FC won Europa League title
• State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report released
• Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned as Special Envoy of the Middle East Quartet
• Indian-origin teacher Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu named for Oxford University award

28 May 2015
• Nigerian Army launched operations to flush out Boko Haram from Sambisa Forest

29 May 2015 
• Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA President
• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observed across the world
• The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy released
• Winner of three Wimbledon titles in a day, Doris Hart, died at 89

30 May 2015
• Yogathon to be hosted in 100 US cities of first International Yoga Day 

31 May 2015
• Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed as Governor of Ukraine's Odessa region
• Barcelona won King's Cup final triumph
• WHO launched campaign against illicit trade of tobacco products on World No Tobacco Day 2015