May 2019 Persons in News

Sakshi Education

Priyanka Mohite scaled Mount Makalu
Priyanka Mohite, a mountaineer from Satara, Maharashtra became the first Indian woman to successfully scale Mount Makalu.

Mount Makalu is the fifth-highest mountain in the world at 8,481 metres.

In 2013, Mohite had become the youngest girl from her state to have conquered the 8,848m Mount Everest — the highest peak in the world— becoming only the third-youngest Indian to do so.
Pune Scientist Ankur Patwardhan wins German chemistry prize
Ankur Patwardhan from Pune has bagged the second prize of €25,000 for a project at the ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’.

His project named ‘Butterfly attractant for pollination and ecosystem health’ is about the relationship between chemistry and ecosystem.

He is also the president of a committee on Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Eco-Sensitive Zone.
Papua New Guinea PM Peter O’Neill resigns
Papua New Guinea’s embattled Prime minister stepped down capping a months-long political crisis and calling a multi-billion-dollar French and US-backed gas deal into question.

Apart Facing a string of cabinet resignations and a vote of no confidence he looked sure to lose, veteran leader

Peter O’Neill told parliament he had handed his letter of resignation to the country’s governor general.
Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar of India appointed to head UN peacekeeping operation in South Sudan
The commandant of the Indian Army Infantry School, Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, aged 57appointed as the new force commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

He will succeed Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda.

He will command over 1 6,000 peacekeepers which include nearly 2,400 from India.

He has an experience with the Indian Armed Forces for more than 34 years. In 1 983, he graduated from the Indian Military Academy.

He obtained a Master of Philosophy degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras.

He served the UN Angola Verification Mission Ill from 1996 to 1997 and UN Mission in Sudan from 2008 to 2009.
James Marape appointed as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
Guinea elected James Marape as its 8th prime minister.

He belongs to Pangu Party.

He succeeded Peter O Neill of People's National Congress party, who was pressured to resign by a series of political defections in recent days, and tensions over a multi-billion-dollar gas project signed this year with French company Total and the US firm ExxonMobil.

Marape earlier served as the finance minister of Papua New Guinea while he was a member of the People's National Congress party and he resigned on April 2019.
Brazilian Bishop resigned
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a Brazilian bishop who is under investigation by local authorities.

The Vatican announced the resignation of Bishop Vilson Dias de Oliveira and named Archbishop Orlando Brandes of Aparecida as a temporary replacement.

de Oliveira is being investigated for extortion, illicit enrichment and the coverup of alleged cases of sexual harassment.
Joko Widodo elected President of Indonesia for second term
Indonesia's Joko Widodo has been re-elected as president of the country, beating rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general.

Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma'ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5 percent to 44.5 percent margin over Subianto and Sandiaga Uno.

The commission was expected to announce the official results of the April 17 poll tomorrow.

But amid fears about unrest and street demonstrations in response to the final count, the final tally was released early with little advance notice.

57-year-old Widodo, had been widely predicted to win according to unofficial results. His challenger 67-year-old Subianto, has vowed to challenge any victory for Widodo, alleging widespread voter fraud, and warned that it could spark street protests across the country.
Oman author Jokha al-Harthi wins Booker International Prize
An author from Oman has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for "Celestial Bodies", the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world.

Jokha Alharthi, the first Arabic-language writer to take the prize, will split the 50,000 pounds or 64,000 US dollar purse with her UK-based translator, Marilyn Booth.

The winning novel was "a book to win over the head and the heart in equal measure.

"Celestial Bodies" beat five other finalists from Europe and South America, including last year's winner, Poland's Olga Tokarczuk.

The prize is a counterpart to the Man Booker Prize for English-language novels and is open to books in any language that has been translated into English.
South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as president
South African lawmakers have re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the president of the country. Members of Parliament from the African National Congress have chosen the head of state in the parliament's first post-election sitting.

The party won 230 out of 400 seats in the election on May 8. The African National Congress party won the ballot with 57.5 per cent of the vote, its thinnest majority since the end of apartheid.

Ramaphosa will be sworn in on Saturday and name a deputy president and cabinet at the weekend.
Saray: 1st black woman to climb Monut Everest
Saray Khumalo became the first black African women to conquer Mt. Everest in her fourth attempt.

She has also conquered Mount Kilimanjaro inAfrica, Aconcagua in Argentina and Mount Elbrus in Russia.

She is on a hunt to conquer the highest peaks on each continent.
1st Kashmiri woman to summit Everest
Nahida Manzoor created history by becoming the first Kashmiri woman to successfully summit the World’s highest peak, Mount Everest.

Nahida Manzoor went with her Sherpa Guide Nima Kancha.

On March 4, 2019, she had started crowdfunding to support her dream journey as she required Rs 30 lakh for the adventure.
Flight Lieutenant Bhawana: 1st woman to fly fighter jets
Bhawana Kanth became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to qualify to undertake combat missions on a fighter jet.

She has completed operational syllabus for carrying out combat missions on Mig-21 Bison aircraft during day time.

Bhawana joined the fighter squadron in November 2017 and flew the first solo on MiG-21 Bison in March 2018.
Remya Haridas: Kerala's only Dalit woman MP
Remya Haridas has created history by becoming the only woman to have elected to parliamentfrom Kerala.

She is also the second ever Dalit woman MP to have elected from Kerala.

She was one of the toppers of Gandhi's 'Talent Hunt' in search for upcoming leaders held in 2010.

She has won against nearly insurmountable odds from Alathur, Kerala.
Nitin Chugh appointed as MD and CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank appointed Nitin Chugh as its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

He has been appointed for a period of 3 years from December 1, 2019.
Radha Venkataraman appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of Eswatini
Ms. Radha Venkataraman, presently Director in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Virat Kohli and batsman Rishabh Pant have been appointed as new official brand ambassadors of the country's leading wellness firm, the Himalaya Drug Company.
Pakistan appoints Mueenul Haq as High Commissioner to India
Pakistan has appointed career diplomat Mueenul Haq as the High Commissioner to India.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on 20 May, 2019 approved appointments of over two dozen ambassadors in various countries including India, China and Japan.

Haq, the current ambassador to France, has previously served as chief of protocol at the Foreign Office.

The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan's new foreign secretary.
Ajay Mehta: New Maharashtra Chief Secretary
Mumbai municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has been appointed as Maharashtra's new Chief Secretary.

Ajoy Mehta succeeds UPS Madan who has been named as the special advisor to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
KS Radhakrishnan appointed as member of CSAT
K S Radhakrishnan, former Supreme Court Judge, has been appointed as a member of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal, London.

He will render his services as a member of the Tribunal for a period of four years from 1st of June, 2019 to 31st of May, 2023.

He served as the Chief Justice of the Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir High Courts before his term in Supreme Court from 2009-2014.
Muhammad-Bande appointed as President of UNGA
TIJJANI Muhammad-Bande, a professor and former vice chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has been appointed the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

He was the permanent representative of Nigeria at the UN.

When he assumes the role, the professor will become the second Nigerian to be president of the UN General Assembly.
Dinesh Pangtey appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LIC Mutual Fund
LIC Mutual Fund appointed Dinesh Pangtey as the company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He joined LIC as a direct recruit officer in 1984.

ITC Ltd named managing director Sanjiv Puri as its chairman. He will take over the legacy of Y.C. Deveshwar, the company’s longest serving chairman who died on 11 May 2019.
Rama Subramaniam Gandhi appointed as additional director on Yes Bank board
RBI has appointed former deputy governor Rama Subramaniam Gandhi as an additional director on the board of Yes Bank for two years, from 14 May 2019 to 13 May 2021.

Former Supreme Court judge A K Sikri has been appointed as the chairperson of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Croatian World Cupper Igor Stimac appointed Indian football team coach
Croatian World Cupper Igor Stimac has been appointed Indian football team head coach for a two-year term.

The national team has been without a coach since the departure of Stephen Constantine in January, following the creditable show at the AFC Asian Cup.

The appointment was made by the All India Football Federation's Executive Committee. The 51-year-old Stimac, who was part of Croatia's 1998 World Cup squad that finished third in France, has over 18 years of coaching experience.
Jet Airways CFO and deputy CEO Amit Agarwal has resigned
Jet Airways (India) Ltd's CFO and deputy CEO Amit Agarwal has resigned from his positions at the airline.

Amit Agarwal, who joined the airline in December 2015, is a chartered accountant with over two-and-a-half decades of experience.

Considered close to founder Naresh Goyal, Agarwal was responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the company’s business.
Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as South African President
African National Congress (ANC) won South African elections with 57.51% votes and Cyril Ramaphosa elected as South African President.

Last year in February 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as South African President after President Jacob Zuma resigned from the post.
Kami Rita scaled Mount Everest for 23rd time
A Nepalese Sherpa climber Kami Rita has scaled Mount Everest for 23rd time.

He broke his own record for the most successful ascents of the world's highest peak.

Rita is a native of Thame village located in the shadow of Mount Everest.
Gregor appointed global ambassador
Gregor Robertson has accepted an ambassador role with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.

The Global Covenant of Mayors is a coalition of over 9,000 cities and is the largest global alliance for climate leadership.

In his role as ambassador, the former mayor will be taking his knowledge of urban climate change strategies to organizations around the world.
Ilapuram Raja has been appointed as member for RTI Commission
Ilapuram Raja has been appointed as member for RTI Commission.

India's Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for another term, posting the highest number of votes at 44.
Esha and Akull won silver in the Shooting
India’s Esha Singh and Akull Kumar won silver in junior mixed air pistol event in the International Shooting Competition at Hannover, Germany.

They secured 5.4 points and defeated by the German pair of Jan Luca Karstedt and Vanessa Seeger.

It was the second mixed medal for Esha, after the one she won recently with Anmol Jain in Plzen, Czech Republic.
Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka appointed as Karnataka Chief Justice
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka of the Bombay High Court as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.

The President of India has appointed Kerala High Court Judge Justice P.R. Ramachandra Menon as Chief Justice Of Chhattisgarh High Court.

President Maithripala Sirisena appointed a former Army commander General S.H.S Kottegoda to thepost of Defence Secretary.

Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, has formally ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, replacing his father, Akihito, who had abdicated a day earlier.
IAS officer Dilip Kumar appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in office of Lokpal
Senior IAS officer Dilip Kumar was appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the office of Lokpal.

He has been appointed for a period of six months on additional charge basis or till a new incumbent joins the post.

Viacom18 has appointed Gourav Rakshit as the chief operating officer (COO) for the Viacom18 Digital Ventures vertical.

Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff on 1 May 2019.

Air Marshal SK Ghotia VSM took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Training Command on 1 May 2019.