18th March 2016

A.Punjab Government notifies swine flu under Epidemic Disease Act

1.Punjab Government has notified swine flu (H1N1) under the Epidemic Disease Act to prevent the spread of disease in the state. 

2.In the regard, Health and Family Welfare Department of state has issued notification based on recommendations of state advisory committee headed by Dr. D Behera. 

Key highlights of notification 

1.All government and private hospitals in state will have to inform the Health Department about a case of ILI (Influenza like Illness) having chronic diseases. 

2.Such medical cases should be treated as early as possible and proper guidelines of the government should be followed. 

3.All hospitals within state will have to keep suspected as well as confirmed cases (patients) of swine flu in isolation in order to contain the spread of the disease. 

4.It will be mandatory for all hospitals to inform the Health department in case a suspected or confirmed case of swine flu is reported. 

5.For all the patients infected by swine flu, treatment will be provided free of cost as recommended by the Government. 

B.India inks $35 million loan agreement with WB for MP project

1.India has signed loan agreement of 35 million dollars with the World Bank for Madhya Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project. 

2.The loan has been sanctioned by the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm International Development Association (IDA). 

Key facts 

1.The project size is 50 million dollars, of which 35 million dollar will be financed by the World Bank and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget. 

2.The objective of the project is to improve access and quality of public services in the state through implementation of the Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act, 2010. 

3.It is expected to deliver key results in terms of improving access to services and citizen outreach, performance management, simplification of government services and strengthening the capacity of implementing agencies. 

4.The duration of the project is 5 years.

C.Union Government launches FCI’s Depot Online System

1.Union Government has launched Depot Online System of state run Food Corporation of India (FCI) to bring transparency and minimise storage losses of foodgrains. 

2.It was launched by Union Food and public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in New Delhi as part of Digital India initiative of Union Government. 

Key facts 

1.Depot Online System will help real time monitoring of FCI operations and enhance transparency and efficiency. 

2.The project is being implemented in the FCI owned 553 depots and subsequently FCI hired godowns will be also brought under the ambit of the project later. 

3.The system will bring automation of the entire process from entry and exit of foodgrains at FCI depots. 

4.It would eliminate usage of manual registers and would help in better monitoring and supervision as would reduce leakages and losses.

D.IMD deploys Drishti for providing real time visibility information to pilots

1.The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has deployed indigenously developed Drishti, an instrument that will provide real time visibility information to pilots. 

2.The instrument will help pilots in quick decision-making during critical landings and take-offs of aircraft particularly during foggy or rainy days. 

Key facts 

1.Drishti has been developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore . 

2.The system transfer the crucial visibility updates to the pilots in real time who can now use this information that will be updated every minute. 

3.Drishti is a transmissometer that takes in account the real time weather parameters like humidity, wind speed, temperature conditions, etc., along the runway in order to calculate the visibility distance offered at that particular runway. 

4.It is cost-effective mandatory system required at all airports as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). 

5.Generally due to the poor visibility, the aircraft operations would often get disturbed that affects passenger traffic during winter and monsoon seasons especially in Northern India. 

E.Goa Government accords heritage spirit status to country liquor Feni

1.Goa government has classified Feni, country liquor as the heritage spirit of the state. 

2.In this regard, state government has opined not categorise it as country liquor as it is presently defined under the Goa Excise Duty Act, 1964. 

3.State government also has proposed to bring an amendment to the Act to change the status. 

Key facts 

1.Feni is a form of spirit produced exclusively in the coastal state of Goa. It is a distilled brew made from coconut or cashew fruits. 

2.It was accorded Geographical indication (GI) tag in 2000. It was the first liquor product in the country to obtain this status. 

3.It is synonymous with the state ethos and identity and is used in various cultural traditions, cuisines as well as known for its medicinal value also.

F.Former Mossad Director Meir Dagan passes away

1.Former Director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad Meir Dagan passed away due to liver cancer. He was 71. 

2.Dagan had served as Director General of the Mossad from 2002 until his retirement in 2011. 

3.He was widely credited for covertly disrupting Iran’s nuclear program. About Meir Dagan Born on 30 January 1945 in then Soviet Union (USSR) to parents who were Holocaust survivors who had moved to Israel after the founding of the state. 

4.He had started his military career in 1963 after he had joined Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

5.He had played important role at various high-level positions in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War and 1982 Lebanon War. 

6.He retired from the army in 1995. He had served as a counterterrorism adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

G.SC allows pictures of CMs, Governors, Ministers in Government Advertisements

1.The Supreme Court has allowed publication of photographs of Governors, Chief Ministers and the Ministers of the department concerned in government advertisements. 

2.Ruling in this regard was given by a SC bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi on pleas by Union Government and states which had sought review of the Supreme Court judgement. 

3.This ruling of Supreme Court has modified its earlier 2015 order which only had permitted photographs of President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the government advertisements. 

Background 
1.Supreme Court in its May 2015 order had issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements based on recommendations of Prof NR Madhava Menon Committee. 

2.These guidelines had barred publishing photographs of politicians even State Chief Ministers and bureaucrats. 

3.It also mandated that official advertisements should not carry the name of any political party, political symbol, logo or flag. 

H.British astronomers discover largest sample of 9 monster stars

1.British astronomers have discovered largest sample cluster of nine monster stars named as R136 using NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. 

2.The cluster  is the largest group of very massive stars ever identified. The research findings were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 

Key facts 
1.The R136 cluster of monster stars have masses over 100 times and are 30 million times brighter than of our Sun in the star cluster located about 170,000 light-years away. 

2.It is located in the Tarantula Nebula within the Large Magellanic Cloud – a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. The young cluster hosts many extremely massive, hot and luminous stars whose energy is mostly radiated in the ultraviolet (UV). 

I.10th Asian Film Awards

1.The 10th edition of Asian film Awards, one of the Asia’s leading film awards was held in the Venetian Casino and Hotel in Macau, China. 

2.The Assassin has bagged 8 awards in different categories in the 2016 Asian film Awards. 

3.It is a 2015 martial arts film based on story of highly trained female assassin and is directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. 

List of winners 
Best Film: The Assassin. 

Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Assassin) from Taiwan. 

Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun (The Inside Men). 

Best Actress: Shu Qi (The Assassin). 

Best Newcomer: Jessie Li (Port of Call). 

Best Supporting Actor: Tadanobu Asano (Journey to the Shore). 

Best Supporting Actress: Zhou Yun (The Assassin). 

Best Screenplay: Jia Zhangke (Mountains May Depart). 

Best Cinematography: Mark Lee Ping-bing (The Assassin). 

Best Production Design: Hwarng Wern-ying (The Assassin). 

Best Original Music: Lim Giong (The Assassin). 

Best Editing: Chu Ka-yat, William Chang Suk-ping, Liao Ching-sung, Wong Hoi, Philip Yung (Port of Call). 

 Lifetime Achievement Award: Yuen Wo-ping and Kirin Kiki 

About Asian Film Awards (AFA) 
1.It is one of Asia’s leading film awards that celebrate excellence in Asian cinema by bestowing annual awards to the many diverse talents and films of the region. 

2.Inaugurated in 2007. 

3.It was held in Hong Kong for seven years and the 8th moved to one of Asia’s fastest growing entertainment hubs, Macau.

17th March 2016

A.AAHAR 2016 kicked off at New Delhi

1.The largest fair on Food and Hospitality Sector in India, AAHAR 2016 has kicked off at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. 

2.It is the 31st edition in this series of the fair and was inaugurated by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal. 

Key facts 

1.AAHAR is largest show of its kind in South Asia. It is organized by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) under aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

2.It is supported by the different ministries. The main aim of the fair is act as a growth propelling event to promote Brand India on a global platform. 

3.AAHAR 2016 will cover two separate but concurrent exhibitions 

(i) Hospitality India: It will cover Hotel & Restaurant Equipment and Supplies 

(ii) Food India: It will cover Foods, Processed Foods, Food Processing and Beverages.

B.Rajya Sabha passes Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016

1.Rajya Sabha has passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016 without any discussion. 

2.The Bill proposes to amend the some provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 retrospectively with effect from October, 2003. 

Key facts 

1.The amendment bill removes exception given to Sahjdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in the elections to members of the Board and the Committees constituted under the parent Act. 

2.The proposed amendment was carried out by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Notification dating October 2003 that had debarred Sahjdhari Sikhs voting rights. 

3.The notification was issued in exercise of the powers conferred by the Parliament under section 72 of the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966. 

4.The Bill was proposed after the MHA’s notification was quashed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. Since 1949, Sehajdhari Sikhs are continuously exercising their voting rights in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections.

C.Lok Sabha passes The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016

1.Lok Sabha has passed Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states. 

2.The bill seeks to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to include certain communities from Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal in the list. 

3.It also has provisions for exclusion of certain communities from Odisha and removal of area restriction in respect of certain communities. 

Key facts 
Chhattisgarh: 
1.Inclusion of Sais, Sahis, Sarathi, Soot-Sarathi, Thanwar communities in the list. 

Haryana: Inclusion of (i) Aheria, Aheri, Hari, Heri, Thori, Turi and (ii) Rai Sikh communities in the list. 

Kerala: Inclusion of Peruvannan community in the list and Modification in the area of specification of Malayan community. 

West Bengal: Removal of area restriction of Chain community. 
Odisha: Exclusion of Bariki and Kummari communities in the list.

D.India aviation show 2016 begins in Hyderabad

1.The India Aviation 2016, an international exhibition and conference on civil aviation kicked off in Hyderabad, Telangana. 

2.It is the fifth edition in the biennial series of this international exhibition and was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Begumpet Airport (also known as Hyderabad Old Airport). 

Key facts 
1.India Aviation 2016 has been jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on the lines of Make in India. 

2.More than 200 major participants across the globe are going to part and will be displaying latest aircrafts. 

3.Delegations led by Ministers and Senior Government Officials from more than 25 are going to participate in the event. 

4.It will also see the participation of leading Aircraft Manufacturers, helicopter manufacturers and engine manufacturers.

E.PM Narendra Modi named among 30 most influential people on internet list of Time Magazine

1.Time Magazine has named Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the 2016 edition list of 30 most influential people on the internet. He was placed at 15th position. 

2.The list has been topped by the American hip hop artist and entrepreneur Kanye West. 2016 was the second annual edition of list and was compiled based on two primary criteria viz. global impact through social media and overall ability to drive news As per Time magazine PM Narendra Modi has more than 18 million Twitter followers and over 32 million Facebook likes to his official page. 

3.He is as an Internet star who often uses social media to conduct diplomacy. 

Time Magazines 30 Most Influential People on the Internet list Kanye West (US). 
Joy Cho (South Korea). James Corden (UK). Laci Green (US). Josh Holz and Daniel Lara (US). DJ Khaled (US) Johnetta Elzie (US) and DeRay Mckesson (US). J.K. Rowling (UK) Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (Sweden) Donald Trump (US) Lele Pons (US). Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Caitlyn Jenner (US) Essena O’Neill (US) Narendra Modi (India) Elise Andrew (UK) Ken M (US) Lilly Singh (Canada) Matt Drudge (US) Angie Nwandu (US) Andrew Bachelor (Canada) Kayla Itsines (US) Peter Bouckaert Kim Kardashian West (US) Josh Ostrovsky (US) Drake (US) Tess Holliday (US) Helen Van Winkle (US)

F.India ranks 118th on UN’s World Happiness Index 2016

1.India ranked 118th out of 157 countries on the United Nations’ World Happiness Index (WHI) 2016. 

2.It was revealed by the fourth World Happiness Report 2016 published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the UN. 

Key Highlights of Report 

Top 10 countries: Denmark (1st), Switzerland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Norway (4th) and Finland (5th), Canada (6th), Netherlands (7th), New Zealand (8th), Australia (9th) and Sweden (10th). 

5 Least happiest countries: Rwanda (152nd), Benin (153rd), Afghanistan (154th), Togo (155th), Syria (156th) and Burundi (157th). 

Among BRICS: Brazil (17th), Russia (56th), China (83rd), South Africa (116th) and India (118th). India’s Neighbours: Nepal (78th), China (83rd), Bhutan (84th), Pakistan (104th), Bangladesh (110th), Sri Lanka (117th) and Afghanistan (154th). 

G.Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passes away

1.Eminent Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed away following prolonged illness in Kolkatta, West Bengal. 

2.He was 77. He was one of the best-known players of the instrument after the legendary Bismillah Khan. 

3.He hailed from a family of renowned Shehnai exponents from Benaras. 

About Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan 
1.Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan was famously known for his innovative style and mastery over the classical and semi-classical and folk music repertoire. 

2.He had played Shehnai at the inauguration ceremony of Doordarshan television channel in 1973 with Pandit Ravi Shankar and also had rendered its signature tune. 

H.Punjab Government notifies swine flu under Epidemic Disease Act

1.Punjab Government has notified swine flu (H1N1) under the Epidemic Disease Act to prevent the spread of disease in the state. 

2.In the regard, Health and Family Welfare Department of state has issued notification based on recommendations of state advisory committee headed by Dr. D Behera. 

Key highlights of notification 

1.All government and private hospitals in state will have to inform the Health Department about a case of ILI (Influenza like Illness) having chronic diseases. 

2.Such medical cases should be treated as early as possible and proper guidelines of the government should be followed. 

3.All hospitals within state will have to keep suspected as well as confirmed cases (patients) of swine flu in isolation in order to contain the spread of the disease. 

4.It will be mandatory for all hospitals to inform the Health department in case a suspected or confirmed case of swine flu is reported. 

16th March 2016

A.ICICI Bank launches NFC-based contactless mobile payment solution Touch & Pay

1.India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched new contactless mobile payment solution Touch & Pay based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. 

2.The payment solution will enable the bank’s credit and debit customers to make in-store contactless payments by waving their smartphones near an NFC-enabled merchant terminal. 

3.With this, ICICI Bank becomes first financial institution in the country to leverage the Host Card Emulation technique which creates virtual cards for physical debit or credit cards of the bank. 

4.On every payment done using this service at a merchant store, one-use unique token will be generated by the Bank’s server which will be sent via encryption to the merchant in order to ensure security of the card details. 

5.Touch & Pay facility will be available at the end of March 2016 at more than 60000 merchants across the country. It will be also incorporated into the existing Pockets application of the bank. 

About Near Field Communication (NFC) technology 

NFC is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology. It basically is a set of protocols that enable two electronic devices to establish radio data communication with each other by bringing them closer typically, 10 cm (4 inches) from each other.

B.UN suspends Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador after doping allegations

1.The United Nations (UN) has suspended Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as Goodwill Ambassador of the organisation after she was tested positive on doping allegations. 

2.She was suspended by New York based UN Development Programme (UNDP) until the outcome of the investigation into her case is known. 

3.However, UNDP has mentioned that they are grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support to their work, especially around the Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery. 

4.Earlier in March 2016, the five times Grand Slam champion and the highest-paid female athlete Maria Sharapova had announced that she tested positive for a drug called meldonium, at the Australian Open earlier in January 2016. 

What is Meldonium? 

1.Meldonium also known as Mildronate is a medical drug given to patients suffering from heart and circulatory conditions for enhancing their physical capacity and mental function. 

2.Its use mainly leads to production more red blood cells (RBCs) in the body in order to increase oxygen supply to muscles for enhancing endurance. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had added the drug to the Prohibited List of 2016.

C.Union Government imposes anti-dumping duty on Plastic-Processing imports

1.Union Government has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to 44.7 per cent on import of plastic-processing machines from Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam for five years.


2.The anti-dumping duty will be levied on imports of all kinds of plastic-processing or injection-moulding machines, also known as injection presses. 

3.The move is aimed at protecting the domestic industry from cheap in-bound shipments from these 4 countries. 

Background 
The Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) during its investigation had found that the cheap in-bound shipments of ‘Plastic Processing Machines or Injection Moulding Machines’ from these countries at dumped prices are hampering performance of the domestic industries. 

What are Anti-dumping measures? 
1.These are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. 

2.They are not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in cost of products. 

D.Haryana New Secretariat Building gets first Earthquake Warning System in country

1.Haryana’s New Secretariat Building in Chandigarh has become first building in the country to have an early Earthquake Warning and Security system (onsite). 

2.The system was installed by New Delhi based Terra Techcom Private Limited and Secretary Electronics GmbH, Germany. 

Key facts 
1.The system can provide crucial seconds for evacuation in event of an earthquake and is already being used in 26 countries around the world. 

2.It works on the principle of detection of primary and secondary seismic waves of an earthquake. 

3.The primary waves are fastest kind of seismic wave and are the initial vertical movements beneath the earth that do not cause any damage. 

4.They are soon followed by secondary waves that travel beneath the earth horizontally and have the potential to cause damage. They are generally known to us as an earthquake.

15th March 2016

A.15 March: World Consumer Rights Day

1.Every year World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is being observed on 15 March for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement. 

2.Significance of Day: 

It provides 

(i) an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers 

(ii) demand those rights that must be respected and protected and 

(ii) for those  protesting against the market abuses and social injustices. 

2016 Theme: “Antibiotics off the menu”. 

1.The theme is a campaign to stop the sale of meat raised with the use of antibiotics important to human medicine. 

2.It seeks to spread awareness about antibiotic resistance driven by overuse of antibiotics in agriculture to promote faster growth and to prevent diseases rather than treat diseases. 

About World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 

1.WCRD is observed on 15 March to commemorate the historic address given by the then US President John F Kennedy to the US congress in 1962. 

2.In his historic address he had outlined the definition of consumer rights for the first time. 

3.He was the first world leader to formally define ‘consumer rights’. The first WCRD was observed on 15 March 1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. 

B.Renowned British author Anita Brookner passes away

1.Renowned British author and art historian Anita Brookner passed away. She was 87.

2.Brookner had won the Booker in 1984 for her novel Hotel du Lac and was a bestselling author who had written around 25 books. 

About Anita Brookner 

1.Born on 16 July 1928 in London, United Kingdom. She was the first woman to hold the prestigious Slade Professorship of fine art at Cambridge University. 

2.She also taught at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her first novel, A Start in Life was published in 1981 at the age of 53. 

Awards and Honours: 

She was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1990. She also had won James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2010.

C.Indian scholar H Deep Saini appointed VC of Canberra University

1.Noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist H Deep Saini (60) has been appointed as the fifth Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra, Australia. 

2.He will succeed Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker in September 2016 who will step down from the post in July 2016 after over nine years in the service. 

About H Deep Saini 

1.He is internationally experienced university leader and a notable plant physiologist. 

2.He had completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the Ludhiana based Punjab Agricultural University and doctorate (PhD) in plant physiology from the University of Adelaide. 

3.Currently he is serving as the Vice-President of the University of Toronto and Principal of the University of Toronto Mississauga campus in Canada. 

4.He has received a number of awards and honours including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

D.Union Government fixes Maximum Sale Price of Bt Cotton Seed

1.The Union Government has notified maximum sale price (MSP) of Bt cotton seed for the year 2016-17. 

2.It was announced by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh. In this regard, Union Government has issued notification as per the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 under the Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. 

3.As per the notification Price of BG-I version of Bt cotton hybrid has been fixed at 635 rupees. Price of BG-II version of Bt cotton hybrid was fixed at 800 rupees. 

Background 

1.The MSP of Bt cotton seed for the year 2016-17 was notified based on the recommendation of nine-member committee set up by the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry. 

2.It had fixed the MSP taking into consideration the seed value, trade margins licence fees including one-time and recurring royalty (trait value) and other taxes. 

3.The committee was constituted after it was found that multinational companies (MNCs) largely control the Bt cotton seed market in India and they were charging exorbitant prices that consequently was cause of concern for small and marginalized cotton growing farmers. 

E.More than 50 animal species critically endangered in India: Government

1.Union Government has announced that out of 96,000 animal species found in India more than 50 animals have been assessed as critically endangered (CR) and 310 as endangered (EN). 

2.It was announced by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Key Facts

1.The assessment studies were conducted by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and it has recorded 96,000 species of animals from India. 

2.International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 50 animal species as “critically endangered”. 

3.It includes 18 species of amphibians, 14 varieties of fish, 13 birds and 10 mammals. IUCN also has assessed 310 animal species as endangered that includes 69 fish, 38 mammals and 32 amphibians. 

F.ExoMars 2016 spacecraft successfully launched by Europe and Russia

1.An unmanned spacecraft named ExoMars 2016 was successfully launched jointly Europe and Russia to search for biosignatures on Mars (or Martian life) in past or present. 

2.The spacecraft was launched on a Proton-M rocket operated by Russia’s Roscosmos from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. 

3.ExoMars 2016 is the first of a two-phase of ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) program.

About ExoMars program 

ExoMars program is an astrobiology mission of European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). 

Primary Goal: 

1.To address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. 

2.The program comprises two missions: 

ExoMars 2016 and ExoMars 2018. 

ExoMars 2016: It consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. 

3.Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO): Its sole purpose is to search (trace) evidence of methane (CH4) and other atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes on Mars.

G.Htin Kyaw elected as first civilian President of Myanmar

1.Myanmar’s Parliament elected Htin Kyaw (69) as the first civilian (non-military) President of the country after 53 years of military rule. 

2.He was candidate of National League for Democracy (NLD) party and was elected after securing 360 of the total 652 casted votes. 

3.Military-nominated Myint Swe received 213 votes and stood second and was followed by the other NLD candidate, Henry Van Thio at third position who got 79 votes. 

4.They will serve as first vice-president and second vice-president of the country. 

About Htin Kyaw 

1.Htin Kyaw is a close aide and adviser of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who is the leader of NLD party that has majority in the parliament. 

2.He will replace Thein Sein as President who will step down at the end of March 2016 i.e. after end of five years of army-backed rule. 

3.He was born on 20 July 1946 and his father was a legendary writer and early member of the NLD. In a varied career, he had worked as a university teacher and also held positions in the Myanmar’s Ministry of Industry in the late 1970s and 1980s 

H.Mother Teresa to be canonised as Saint

1.Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary will be elevated to Sainthood i.e. will be made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on September 4, 2016. 

2.In this regard, Pope Francis has approved a decree recognising a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa’s intercession with God. 

3.Earlier in 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified by then late Pope John Paul. Beatification requires one miracle and is the last step before sainthood. 

4.The second miracle of Mother Teresa has been attributed to the intercession which is required for canonisation. 

5.It involved the inexplicable healing of a man who was suffering from a deadly brain disease.  

About Mother Teresa 

1.Mother Teresa was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje (Now in Macedonia) then part of the Kosovo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire. 

2.She was the founder of Kolkata based Missionaries of Charity that helps poor on the streets of Kolkata. 

3.Through the charity organisation, she had spent around 45-years serving the poor, sick, orphaned and dying on the streets of Kolkata. She had died at the age of 87 in 1997 in Kolkata. 

Awards and Honours: 

Ramon Magsaysay Award (1962), Padma Shri (1962), Nobel Peace Prize (1979), Bharat Ratna (1980) etc. Canonisation Process T