(Current Affairs) Person in News | November: 2013

Person in News

APPOINTED:

DEATH:

ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY:

BOOKS/AUTHORS:

VARIOUS:

APPOINTED:

Ranjib Biswal

NCA Chairman Ranjib Biswal was on 29 September 2013 appointed as chairman of the IPL during the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at Chennai. Prior to this appointment Ranjib Biswal was manager of the Indian Cricket team during the ICC World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

He is also the head of Orissa Cricket Association. Ranjib Biswal was replaced Rajeev Shukla as chairman of Indian Premier League (IPL). Rajiv Shukla, who resigned at the end of his tenure.

Deepak Sandhu

Deepak Sandhu became the first woman Chief Information Commissioner on 5 September 2013. She was administered the oath of the office by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. Deepak Sandhu took over the office from Satyananda Mishra. Mishra served the 5 year term in the office.

Life Sketch of Deepak Sandhu

  • Deepak Sandhu, 64, is the former Indian Information Service officer of 1971 batch.
  • She was born on 19 December 1948.
  • She served at various crucial positions such as Principal Director General (media and communications); Press Information Bureau; Director General, DD News; Director General (news), All India Radio.
  • Thereafter, she took over as the Information Commissioner in the year 2009.
  • She also represented India at the international Film Festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Tokyo, International Conference on Terrorism and Electronic Mass Media at Glendzhik (Russia) and Cyprus besides Heads of News Meetings at Atlanta, USA and Beijing.

The Central Information Commission (CIC)

  • The Central Information Commission was established under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
  • CIC was established under the Government of India for acting on complaints of the people.

DEATH:

Hiroshi Yamauchi

Hiroshi Yamauchi, the third president of Nintendo, died on 19 September 2013 in Japan. He was 85 years old and died because of pneumonia. He is the mastermind behind the most popular Nintendo game, Super Mario. Nintendo is a maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games along with Wii U home console. Nintendo was formed in the year 1889. He is survived by Katsuhito Yamauchi, his eldest son.

Life History of Hiroshi Yamauchi

  • Hiroshi Yamauchi was born in Kyoto on 7 November 1927.
  • He ran Nintendo for over 50 years. During his link with Nintendo, he transitioned the Japanese company from traditional playing-card maker to video game giant.
  • He owned the Seattle Mariners, the major league baseball club. He later sold it the US unit of Nintendo in the year 2004.
  • Hiroshi Yamauchi remained the President of Nintendo from 1949 to 2002.
  • He developed Game Boy portables as well as Family Computer consoles.
  • Hiroshi Yamauchi is one of the richest men in Japan. As of April 2013, according to the Forbes, his net worth was 2.1 Billion US Dollar. He was the 491st richest man of the world.
  • He is the man behind creating some of the most popular Nintendo characters such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong.

A.K.Kutty

Renowned athletic coach A. K. Kutty, who trained some of country’s leading track-and-field stars like M. D. Valsamma, died on 25 September 2013 in Palakkad, Kerala. A. K. Kutty (75) had been keeping indifferent
health for quite some time. He was the coach of Asiad silver medal winning long jumper Mercy Kuttan. He had also served as trainer for the Railways.

A.K. Kutty was conferred the Dronacharya Award in 2010. Kutty showed splendid skills in spotting talent and training them in a systematic manner to extract the best from his wards.

A.K. Kutty served in the Indian Air Force, where he left a mark as an athlete. On retirement from service, he joined the Kerala sports council as a trainer.

ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY:

Charles Taylor

A UN-backed special court in The Hague upheld war crimes convictions of Liberian President Charles Taylor.

It ruled that his convictions had been proved beyond doubt. He was sentenced in May 2012 for helping rebels who committed atrocities in Sierra Leone during its civil war. His lawyers argued that there were legal
errors during his trial.

Taylor was accused of supplying weapons to the Revolutionary United Front rebels in lieu for a constant flow of so-called blood diamonds. He was found guilty at his trial of 11 crimes which includes terrorism, rape,
murder and the use of child soldiers by rebel groups in neighbouring Sierra Leone during the civil war of 1991-2002. Charles Taylor became the first former head of state convicted by an international war crimes court since World War II.

Yogendra Yadav

The Union Government on 18 September 2013 removed social scientist Yogendra Yadav from the membership of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for joining the Aam Admi Party. The Government stated his association with the apex body of higher education may give a scope for its future politicisation. Earlier, Yogendra Yadav was served a show cause notice on 4 September 2013 by the Union HRD Ministry citing conflict of interest as his antecedents and credentials at the time of his appointment in July 2011 and now stand substantially altered. In its order, the Union HRD Ministry stated, the Government in pursuance of powers vested under Rule 6 of UGC (Disqualification, Retirement and Conditions of Service of the Members) Rules 1992 hereby retires Yogendra Yadav from the post of member UGC with immediate effect. The order also stated, Yogendra Yadav, an officer bearer of AAP and his association with UGC as a member, having created a conflict of interest, may not only set a dangerous precedent, it may even scope for future politicisation of UGC and its academic decision making.

BOOKS/AUTHORS:

Gandhi Before India

Historian and author Ramchandra Guha wrote a book on early years of Mahatma Gandhi. The book titled with Gandhi Before India. The Penguin’s publishers told on 25 September 2013 that the book will be available in the market on 1 October 2013. In this book Ramachandra Guha outlined the life of Mahatma Gandhi from his birth on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar, Gujarat to till his return to India from South Africa in 1915.

About Ramchandra Guha

  • He is a historian and Author.

  • He was appointed the Philippe Roman Chair of International Affairs and History at the London School of Economics for 2011–12.

  • He also wrote books titled Patriots and Partisans, Makers of Modern India and India after Gandhi.

  • He received Padma Bhushan in 2009.

  • He received the Sahitya Akademi award for India After Gandhi in 2011.

  • He is also a columnist in the newspapers The Telegraph and Hindustan Times and also pens for the magazines The Caravan and Outlook.

VARIOUS:

Siddiqa Parveen

An Indian woman from south Dinajpur in West Bengal was declared the world’s tallest woman. Siddiqa Parveen received the title from the Guinness World Records. This was announced in the new record book launched in the second week of 2013 in London. The entry said, the tallest woman living is Siddiqa Parveen, who was measured to be at least 7 feet 3.5 inches. The doctor estimates her standing height to be at 7 ft 8 inches. India already holds the record for being home to the world’s shortest woman. Standing at 24.7 inches, Jyoti Amge has held the Guinness world record title for Shortest Living Woman since her 18th birthday on 16 December 2011.

<< Go Back To Person In News Main Page

Person In News
Current Affairs
Civil Services EXAM
Civil Services Preliminary
Civil Services Mains
UPSC