28 Sep
IPCI Info

India 39th most competitive economy in the world: WEF

India has climbed 16 places to the 39th rank on the Global Competitiveness Index prepared by the World Economic Forum as improved business sophistication and goods market efficiency pushed its ranking higher.

For the eighth straight time, the list is topped by Switzerland as the most competitive economy. Singapore and the US are at the second and third positions, respectively. The jump of 16 places for India from last year’s 55th place is the highest for any economy this year. India is also the second-most competitive among BRICS nations behind neighbouring China, which is ranked at the 28th position.

On the index, India has a score of 4.52 while that of Switzerland is 5.81.

At the fourth spot is Netherlands, followed by Germany (5), Sweden (6) and the UK (7), Japan (8), Hong Kong SAR (9) and Finland (10).

India’s “competitiveness has improved across the board, in particular in goods market efficiency, business sophistication, and innovation”.

19 Sep
IPCI Info

68th Primetime Emmy Awards announced

The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was announced on 18 September 2016 at the Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Game of Thrones won best drama series at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards, while Veep took home the top comedy award.

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story also earned several awards, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her fifth consecutive Emmy in the lead comedy actress category.

Complete list of the winners

Award

Winner
Outstanding Comedy Series Veep
Outstanding Drama Series Game of Thrones
Outstanding Variety Talk Series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Key & Peele
Outstanding Limited Series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Outstanding Television Movie Sherlock: “The Abominable Bride”
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program The Voice
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman on Transparent
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer on Veep
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson on Mr. Robot
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Beth Childs, Rachel Duncan, and MK on Orphan Black
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets on Baskets
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Rayburn on Bloodline
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden on The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Regina King as Terri LaCroix on American Crime
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Transparent (Episode: “Man on the Land”), Directed by Jill Soloway
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Game of Thrones (Episode: “Battle of the Bastards”), Directed by Miguel Sapochnik
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski for Grease: Live
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special The Night Manager, Directed by Susanne Bier
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Master of None (Episode: “Parents”), Written by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Game of Thrones (Episode: “Battle of the Bastards”), Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping, Written by Patton Oswalt
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (Episode: “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”), Written by D. V. DeVincentis
19 Sep
IPCI Info

Alka Sirohi appointed UPSC chairman

Alka Sirohi Appointed Public Service Commission ChairmanIAS officer Alka Sirohi has been appointed as chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), in place of Deepak Gupta who demits office on Tuesday. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Sirohi to perform the duties of the post of the chairman, UPSC, with effect from September 21, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. She is presently member in the Commission.
The appointment is till further orders or till completion of her term as member on January 3, 2017, whichever is earlier, it said.
The post of chairman, UPSC, will fall vacant on Tuesday, consequent upon demitting of office by Gupta on attaining 65 years of age of superannuation, the order said.
Incidentally, the Centre had in November 2014 appointed Gupta as the UPSC chief, breaking away from the tradition of appointing the chief from the serving members of the commission.

17 Sep
IPCI Info

16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

Image result for International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2016 observed across the worldLayer is observed every year on September 16 for the preservation of the Ozone Layer. Significance of the Day: The day is commemoration of the date in 1987 on which the Montreal Protocol was signed on substances that deplete the ozone layer. 2016 theme: “Ozone and climate: Restored by a world united”. The theme recognizes the collective efforts of the parties to the Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention towards the restoration of the ozone layer over the past three decades and the global commitment to combat climate change.

10 Sep
IPCI Info

ASEAN Summit 2016 concludes in Vientiane, Laos

On 8th September 2016 the 28th and the 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit concluded at Vientiane, Laos.  However, the main theme for the 2016 summit was Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community.

The Chairperson of the summit was H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR.

ASEAN Summit, china, China south sea, south sea china, south sea china dispute, world news

India-ASEAN Highlights
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi had represented India at the ASEAN summit at the 14th ASEAN-India summit.
  • ASEAN-India adopted a document aiming at politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible and people oriented people centered ASEAN-India Community.
  • The document recognizes the vital importance of the planned review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods (AITIG) Agreement.
  • It seeks to ensure that the agreement is trade-facilitative and remains relevant to the current global trading practices.
  • The document also emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability, unimpeded commerce, freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea.

Mr. Modi, who was addressing the 14th ASEAN-India summit here, noted that growing radicalism through the ideology of hatred and spread of extreme violence were the other security threats.

“Export of terror, growing radicalisation and spread of extreme violence are common security threats to our societies,” he said in his second attack on Pakistan in two days amid escalating war of words between New Delhi and Islamabad. Laos Premier Thongloun Sisoulith complimented India’s Act East policy and its contribution to ASEAN, and hoped the summit will provide the future direction.

06 Sep
IPCI Info

2016 G20 Summit concludes in Hangzhou, China

g20

The 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held on 4–5 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou. It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second Asian country after 2010 G20 Seoul summit was hosted in South Korea.

It is noted that Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the ratification of the Paris Agreement of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference by their countries. After they did it, it is 26 countries which have ratified the agreement so far; the United States and China represent respectively 18 percent and 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

G20 countries score poorly in climate goals report

The theme of 2016 G20 Summit was Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.

It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second Asian country to host the Summit. Before China, Seoul, South Korea, hosted the 2010 G20 Summit.

It was the 11th summit since the inception of G20 in 1999.The summit was attended by all the leaders of the G20 including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The chair of the summit was Xi Jinping, President of China.

Key highlights of the summit

• On 3 September 2016, Barack Obama and Xi Jinping announced the ratification of the Paris Agreement of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference by their countries. The United States and China represent respectively 18 percent and 20 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.

• The world leaders endorsed free trade and a crowded agenda that included the Koreas, Syria and refugees.

The main themes final communiqué of the summit are:

• Fight against tax evasion
• Favour international trade and investments and opposition to protectionism
• Fiscal stimulus and innovation to boost economic growth
• Combating populist attacks against globalisation
• Strengthen support for refugee

The guest invitees in the summit were: Egypt, Kazakhstan, Laos, Senegal, Spain, Singapore and Thailand.

The 2017 G20 Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, under the leadership of Angela Merkel.

G20 Members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and European Union.

04 Sep
IPCI Info

First BRICS Film Festival begins in New Delhi

First BRICS film festival begins in New Delhi

he first BRICS Film Festival will kick started on 2 September 2016 at the Sirifort Auditorium Complex, New Delhi. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurated the festival.

The five-day festival aims at providing a platform for people of the film industry of member countries to explore areas of cooperation in the domain of cinema, culture and cuisine.

Key highlights of the BRICS Film Festival

• The idea of BRICS film festival has been conceived to build bridges and bring harmony amongst the BRICS countries, i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

• The opening film for the festival will be the world premiere of the Malayalam movie, Veeram.

• The closing film will be the Chinese movie, Skiptrace, starring Jackie Chan directed by Renny Harlin.

• In the course of 5 days of the event, 20 movies will be screened in the competition section, 4 from each of the countries.

• The festival that kick started on 2 September 2016 will conclude on 6 September 2016.

01 Sep
IPCI Info

Magsaysay award for Wilson, T.M. Krishna

Magsaysay Award winners Bezwada Wilson (left) and T.M. Krishna. Photo: Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation

Mr. Krishna will receive the award for “social inclusiveness in culture,” while Wilson was named as an awardee for “asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity.”

Bezwada Wilson, a renowned campaigner against manual scavenging, and Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna from Chennai were named for the prestigious Magsaysay Award on Wednesday.

31 Aug
IPCI Info

National Sports Awards 2016 announced

It was a celebration of woman power in sports as Olympic stars PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar were today conferred India’s highest sporting honour — the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — along with shooter Jitu Rai in a gleaming awards ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan

       


Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Four sports person from different discipline of sports were chosen for the award and they are P.V. Sindhu for Badminton, Dipa Karmakar for Gymnastics, Jitu Rai for Shooting and Sakshi Malik for Wrestling.
The award is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.

Dronacharya Awards

Six sports coaches will be honoured with Dronacharya Awards and they are Nagapuri Ramesh for Athletics, Sagar Mal Dhayal for Boxing, Raj Kumar Sharma for Cricket, Bishweshwar Nandi for Gymnastics, S Pradeep Kumar for Swimming (Lifetime) and Mahabir Singh for Wrestling (Lifetime).
Dipa Karmakar’s coach Bishweshwar Nandi will receive the award for Gymnastics.
The award is conferred on coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events.

Arjuna Awards

15 sports person from different discipline of sports were selected for the award and they are Rajat Chauhan for Archery, Lalita Babar for Athletics, Sourav Kothari for Billiards & Snooker, Shiva Thapa for Boxing, Ajinkya Rahane for Cricket, Subrata Paul for Football, Rani for Hockey, Raghunath VR for Hockey, Gurpreet Singh for Shooting, Apurvi Chandela for Shooting, Soumyajit Ghosh for Table Tennis, Vinesh for Wrestling, Amit Kumar for Wrestling, Sandeep Singh Mann for Para-Athletics and Virender Singh for Wrestling (Deaf).
The award is given for consistently outstanding performance for four years.

Dhyan Chand Award 2015

Three sports person were selected for the awards and they are Athlete Satti Geetha, hockey player Sylvanus Dung Dung and Rower Rajendra Pralhad Shelke.
The award is conferred for life time contribution to sports development.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar

Seven organisations were selected for Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar, 2016 and they are Reserve Bank of India (Employment to sportspersons and other welfare measures), India Infrastructure Finance Corporate Limited (Encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility), and Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (Sports for Development). Four organisation who were chosen for the award for identification and nurturing of budding and young talent includes Hockey Citizen Group, Dadar Parsee Zorostrian cricket club, Usha School of Athletics and STAIRS.
The award is given to the corporate entities (both in private and public sector) and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Punjabi University, Patiala.

The trophy is given to the overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
The awardees will receive their awards from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29 August 2016, which is celebrated as the National Sports Day.
Apart from a medal and a citation, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee will receive a cash prize of 7.5 lakh rupees.
Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and cash prize of five lakh rupees each. Recipients of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar will be given Trophies and certificates. Award money of ten lakh rupees and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy will be given to Punjabi University, Patiala for overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
Selection Committee for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards was headed by Justice SK Agarwal, Retired Delhi High Court Judge.
Selection Committee for Dronacharya Awards and Dhyan Chand Awards was headed by MC Mary Kom.
Selection Committee for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar was headed by Rajiv Yadav, Secretary (Sports).

31 Aug
IPCI Info

Padma Sachdev gets Saraswati Samman for year 2015

Padma SachdevJammu-born poet and novelist Padma Sachdev has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 for her autobiography written in Dogri language. The 76-year-old writer’s autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’, published in 2007, was selected from 22 works in as many languages published between the years 2005-2014. The award is given every year for an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language by an Indian citizen and published during last 10 years. It carries award money of Rs 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque.Sachdev, who writes in Hindi and native Dogri, has 60 books to her credit.

She has been a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award in 1971 for her book of poetry ‘Meri Kavita Mere Geet’. In her 662-page autobiography, Sachdev has included some historic photographs with dignitaries from her state, nation and the world.