Haryana becomes first state to launch Mahila Police Volunteer initiative
- Haryana became the first state in the country to launch Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) initiative for safety of women.
- It was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
- Mahila Police Volunteer is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs
PV Sindhu wins Most Improved Player of the Year award
- Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu was honoured with the Most Improved Player of the Year award by Badminton World Federation on Monday.
- In 2016, Sindhu won her maiden Superseries title and also qualified for the World Superseries Finals for the first time.
- Sindhu started 2016 as 12th ranked and achieved her career-best rank of 7 in December.
Larry Page named world’s most powerful CEO by
- Google’s parent company Alphabet’s CEO Larry Page has been named the world’s most powerful CEO by Forbes, with his company having a market capitalisation of over $550 billion.
- Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have been ranked second and third respectively.
- Tesla’s Elon Musk and Walmart’s Doug McMillon have also featured on the list.
Vladimir Putin named World’s Most Powerful Person by Forbes
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named as the World’s Most Powerful Person by Forbes, for the fourth consecutive year.
- “From the motherland to Syria to the US presidential elections, Russia’s leader continues to get what he wants,” the magazine said.
- US President-elect Donald Trump bagged the second spot.
PM Modi in top 10 of Forbes’ Most Powerful People list
- PM Narendra Modi was ranked 9th on Forbes’ list of World’s Most Powerful People.
- Taking note of PM Modi’s efforts to curb corruption and his demonetisation move, Forbes wrote, “Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years.”
- He has emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, Forbes added.
India tops Asia in innovation chart
- India has topped Asia in innovation and has emerged as the third biggest country worldwide in terms of new innovation centres, according to research by consulting firm Capgemini.
- Bengaluru, where 3 new innovation centres opened between March and October, was ranked fifth among top innovation hubs globally.
- This is partly due to government policies and other initiatives, the report added.
Rahman’s soundtrack for Pele biopic in Oscars’ 1st shortlist
- Music composer AR Rahman’s soundtrack for footballer Pele’s biopic ‘Pele: Birth of a Legend’ has been selected in the first shortlist for ‘Best Original Score’ by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Oscars 2017.
- Rahman’s song ‘Ginga’ is also in the running for Best Original Song. Earlier, Rahman won two Oscars in these categories in 2009.
IIT Bombay’s Techfest 2016 to begin from December 16
- The 20th edition of Asia’s largest science and technology festival, Techfest organised by IIT Bombay is scheduled from December 16-18.
- Techfest will host personalities like Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, with exhibitions like mind-controlled drones and bionic arms.
- All events at the Techfest will be free, including performances by TVF and other international artists.
Mumbai teacher nominated for Global Teacher Prize 2017 in UK
- An Indian physics teacher has made it to the list of top 50 contenders from around the world for The Global Teacher Prize 2017 by Varkey Foundation for her experiential method of teaching physics.
- The Principal of Mumbai’s MET Rishikul Vidyalaya was shortlisted from over 20,000 nomination
Mumbai firm’s study on sex trafficking wins European award
- A study conducted by Mumbai-based consultancy company Final Mile on the trafficking of sex workers from West Bengal to Mumbai has won the ESOMAR excellence award for the best paper.
- The study found that most of the girls are sent to the city by their fathers, who are misled into believing that their daughters will get employment or get married.
Shahid, Sonam named PETA’s hottest vegetarians of 2016
- Actors Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor have been named the hottest vegetarians of 2016 by animal rights organisation PETA India.
- The winners were decided via a poll wherein people cast their votes on PETA India’s website.
- Shahid and Sonam beat other celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Kangana Ranaut and Sunny Leone to emerge as the winners.
Saina named Integrity Ambassador by Badminton World Fed
- Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has been named an ‘Integrity Ambassador’ by the Badminton World Federation to promote “clean, fair and honourable sport.”
- BWF chose five players as ambassadors, who were announced before the Dubai World Superseries Finals on Tuesday.
- The players, part of BWF’s ‘i am badminton’ campaign, will act as “role models through their conduct on and off court.”