Mahendra Singh Dhoni won ICC People’s Choice Award 2013

India Cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 3 December 2013 won the LG International Cricket Council (ICC) People’s Choice Award for the year 2013.

Dhoni also became the second Indian cricketer after SachinTendulkar to get this award.

Srilanka cricketer Kumar Sangarkara won this award for two times in 2011 and 2012.

Other nominees for this year’s LG People’s Choice Award were Michael Clarke, Alastair Cook, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers
The International Cricket Council (ICC) People’s Choice award introduced in the year 2010 and Sachin Tendulkar won Inaugural Award

Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa died at 95

Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid revolutionary of South Africa died on 5 November 2013. He was of 95 years old. He died in his house at Johannesburg following a long illness. He was also known as Madiba in South Africa. He was receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.

His death was announced by the South African President, Jacob Zuma. He announced that Mandela will receive a full state funeral and the flags would be flown at half-mast until the state funeral. Nelson Mandela was one of the world's most revered statesman for preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was the first black South African to hold the office of President from 1994 to 1999, and the first elected in a fully representative multiracial election. 

About Nelson Mandela
• He was born on 1918 in Eastern Cape
• He joined the African National Congress in 1943
• In 1962, he was arrested and was convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years in prison
• In 1964, he was charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
• He was freed from the prison in 1990 
• In 1999, he stepped down as leader
• In 2001, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer

Awards received by Nelson Mandela
Mandela has received more than two hundred and fifty awards over four decades, some of the awards are:
• He was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
• He was the recipient of Bharat Ratna and Mahatma Gandhi peace award
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 18 July, Mandela's birthday, as Mandela Day, for his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle
• In 1973 a nuclear particle discovered by scientists at the University of Leeds was named Mandela nelson
• In 1979 he became the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations New Delhi, India
• In 1981, a panel of International Judges, Vienna, Austria, chose him for the Bruno Kreisky Award for merit in the field of human rights

Politically an African nationalist and democratic socialist, he served as the President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997. Internationally, Mandela was the Secretary General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999.

Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. 

Mandela published his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom and opened negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory. As South Africa's first black President Mandela formed a Government of National Unity in an attempt to defuse racial tension. He also promulgated a new constitution and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Continuing the former government's liberal economic policy, his administration introduced measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty, and expand healthcare services. Internationally, he acted as mediator between Libya and the United Kingdom in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, and oversaw military intervention in Lesotho. He declined to run for a second term, and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela subsequently became an elder statesman, focusing on charitable work in combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Order of Canada he was the first living person to be made an honorary Canadian citizen. The last recipient of the Soviet Union's Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union, in 1992 received Pakistan's Nishan-e-Pakistan. In 1992 he was awarded the Atatürk Peace Award by Turkey which he accepted in 1999. Elizabeth II awarded him the Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St. John and the Order of Merit.

Prof. CNR Rao and Sachin Tendulkar Selected for Bharat Ratna Award

The Government of India on 16 November 2013 decided to confer, the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award on eminent scientist Prof CNR Rao and cricket player Sachin Tendulkar.

Sachin Tendulkar is the first sport person to win the Bharat Ratna Award.

The Bharat Ratna award so far, given only to eminent personalities from the field of dance, music, art, literature and the social sector. In the year 2011, the Government of India modified the eligibility criteria for Bharat Ratna Award - to enable eminent Sports-persons to receive the Nation’s highest civilian award.

About Prof. CNR Rao

Prof. Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (CNR Rao) was born on 30 June 1934, Bangalore, India. He is an eminent scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry.

He has published over 1400 research papers and 45 books. Prof. CNR Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards, including Padma Vibhushan.

Prof. CNR Rao is Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.

About Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian Batsman who is considered one of the greatest batsmen of the cricket world.

Sachin Tendulkar who belongs to Mumbai Maharashtra made his appearance in six world cups for India and was the member of the 2011 World Cup winning squad of the nation.

Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut against arch-rival Pakistan at Karachi in 1989. He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in 1989 in Gujranwala. He currently holds the record for most hundreds in both Tests and One Day Internationals. 

In 198 Test matches, Sachin Tendulkar scored over Fifteen Thousand Eight hundred runs at an average of 53.86. He slammed 51 Test centuries and an unbeaten 248 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2004 was his best ever. 

He made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries.

In 2012, Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score 100 international centuries.

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from Test cricket after playing his landmark 200th Test match against the West Indies on 15 November 2013. Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar announced retirement form one day cricket on 23 December 2012 and from Twenty20 cricket format on 26 May 2013.

About Bharat Ratna award

• Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian Award of the country was instituted in the year 1954.
• It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. 
• The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister himself to the President. 
• The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.
• The last recipient of Bharat Ratna award is Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in 2008.
• The first ever Indian to receive this award was the famous scientist, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman.

Nelson Mandela Honoured with Humanitarian Achievement Award

Former South African President Nelson Mandela on 22 September 2013 presented with a humanitarian achievement award for his contribution to South-South cooperation and sustainable development.

The award was presented at South- south awards ceremony at New York, US. The award was received by Zindzi Mandela and Josina Machel on behalf of their father Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela, 95, has been suffering from a recurring lung infection. He is under intensive care at his Johannesburg home.

The theme of the annual event was Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development. 

The South-South awards seek to highlight the achievements of countries in the Global South, and recognise public and private sector leaders who have contributed significantly to South-South cooperation and sustainable development. Among this year’s public sector award recipients were Costa Rica, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Fiji.

The South-South Awards 2013 is co-organised by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN), the South-South Steering Committee for Sustainable Development (SS-SCSD), the International Organisation for South-South Cooperation (IOSSC) and South-South News.

Shahrukh Khan honoured with BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia

Shah Rukh Khan on 13 December 2012 awarded with the prestigious BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia.

The award was given by the Malaysia-based Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for his contributions to the Bollywood film industry and as India's foremost brand ambassador.

The BrandLaureate Legendary Award had been earlier given to well known personality like those to Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate recipient Mohammad Yunus, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Schumacher and more.

Earlier in 2008 Shah Rukh was conferred with the prestigious Malaysian title of Datuk  by the governor of Malaysia's southern state of Malacca for promoting tourism through his movies in that region.

Malaysian title of Datuk is equivalent of the British Knighthood, the highest awards given to an individual in the UK.

Shah Rukh Khan went to Malaysia to attend Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad's birthday.
The BrandLaureate  award is the sobriquet for the APBF Brand Excellence Awards.

Ruchira Kamboj appointed the Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO

Ruchira Kamboj appointed the Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO

Bunker Roy and Malala Yousafzai selected for Clinton Global Citizens Awards.

 Bunker Roy and Malala Yousafzai selected for Clinton Global Citizens Awards.

i. India environmentalist Bunker Roy and Pakistan's teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai were declared winners of this year's of the prestigious 'Clinton Global Citizens Awards'. 

ii. Roy is the founder of the Barefoot College, which has been providing solutions to problems in rural communities for more than 40 years. 

iii. As a result of Barefoot's work, one million litres of rainwater have been harvested to provide clean drinking water to over 239,000 school children in more than 1,300 communities worldwide. 

iv. Roy has been named one of the 50 environmentalists who could save the planet by the Guardian and one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. 

v. The awards will be presented in a special ceremony tomorrow during the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York City, where more than 1,000 top business, government, and civil society leaders will convene to address some of the world's most pressing challenges.

vi. The Clinton Global Citizen Awards were launched in 2007 to honour outstanding individuals for their visionary leadership, demonstrated impact, and sustainable and scalable work in solving global issues.

About Malala Yousafzai
Sixteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who, after being shot by the Taliban for her outspoken support for girls' education, has co-founded the Malala Fund to continue advocating for universal access to education. 

The Clinton Global Citizen Awards were launched in 2007 to honour outstanding individuals for their visionary leadership, demonstrated impact, and sustainable and scalable work in solving global issues.

Rafiq Kathwari, an Indian-American Poet Won Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award 2013

Rafiq Kathwari, an Indian-American poet on 29 September 2013 selected for 2013 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for the collection of his debut poems.

Rafiq Kathwari is the first non-Irish person to win the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Rafiq Kathwari's collection of 20 unpublished poems In Another Country was selected for the coveted award amidst 112 contestants from across the world.

About Rafiq Kathwari

• Rafiq Kathwari, a Kashmiri by descent has become the first non-Irish to have won the award and will recieve 1000 euros as the prize money.
• He has translated selected Urdu poems of Alama Iqbal, creating his own version. His poems are mostly inspired by loss of innocence in Kashmir and from his mother's long time illness.
• Rafiq Kathwari graduated from the University of Kashmir in 1969 before studying at the New York University and Columbia University.
• Most of his working life has been spent with Ethan Allen, a large manufacturer and retailer of home furnishings based in the United States.
• Many of his works have been in print and online in the US, Ireland and Asia.

About Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award

• The award was founded by the Patrick Kavanagh Society in 1971 to commemorate the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh.
• The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award meant for a first unpublished collection of poems in English is open to poets, born in the island of Ireland, or of Irish nationality, or long term resident in Ireland.
• The award is now in its 41st year. Previous winners include Eileán Ni Chuilleanáin, Paul Durcan, Thomas McCarthy, Peter Sirr, Sinead Morrissey, Conor O’Callaghan, Celia de Freine and Joseph Woods.

Yingluck Shinawatra poised to become Thailand’s First Female Prime Minister

Thailand's Prime Minister-elect, Yingluck Shinawatra, on 4 July 2011 formed a coalition consisting of five parties under the wings of her own Pheu Thai Party following her landslide victory in parliamentary elections in Thailand. The grouping of five constituent parties would have 299 seats in the 500 member new house. Her Pheu Thai Party bagged 265 seats in the final tally and stood in no compulsion to form a coalition. With her landslide victory she is poised to become Thailand’s first female prime minister.

Angela Merkel Won Third Term in German Elections

Chancellor Angela Merkel won a third term by a landslide victory in German elections on 22 September 2013.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Union bloc - the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) won 41.5 percent of vote, but finished just short of an absolute majority.

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won 25.7 percent of votes and the ecologist Greens won 8.4 percent votes.

Final results gave the CDU/CSU 311 seats, the Social Democrats 192, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) 64 seats and the ecologist Greens 63 seats.

Navneet Kaur Dhillon won the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013

Pond's Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon on 27 September 2013 won the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013 in Indonesia. India won this award for the second time in a row. The award was first introduced by the Miss World Organization in 2012 and India's Vanya Mishra was its first winner.

Megan Young was crowned as Miss World 2013 in Bali, Indonesia,

Megan Lynne Young (born 27 February 1990) is a Filipino American beauty queen, actress and model. She won the Miss World Philippines title and was later crowned as Miss World 2013 in Bali, Indonesia.She is the first woman from the Philippines to win the title of Miss World. Young is currently a member of ABS-CBN's Star Magic. She is the elder sister of actress Lauren Young.

India won bronze medal in the 8th Women’s Asia Cup 2013

India won bronze medal in the 8th Women’s Asia Cup 2013 as they defeated China 3-2 via penalty shootout in the 3rd/4th place play-off played at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 27 September 2013. 

The two teams had ended 2-2 in the regulation time. Ritu Rani captained Indian side in the tournment, whereas Weilin Mao captained the China team.

India had to win this tournament to qualify for the 2014 World Cup at The Hague, Holland. However, it came at the third place.

Meanwhile, Japan stunned defending champions Korea 2-1 in the final to win the Asia Cup and secure a place in next year's World Cup. 

The 8th Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2013 Held at Kualalumpur (Malaysia) from 21 to 27 September 2013.

Sudha Singh of Railways won Gold in Women's 3000m Steeplechase

Sudha Singh of Railways won gold medal in women’s 3000m steeplechase on the third and penultimate day of the 53rd National Open Athletics Championship on 9 September 2013. She doubled her achievement by improving her own meet mark. Significantly, she is National record holder besides  being  a silver medallist at Asian Championship. Sudha, clocked 10 minutes 9.04 secs to better her own old meet record of 10:09.56 set in 2010.

Her Railways teammate Lalita Babar was second 10:33.40 whereas Kiran Tiwari of Haryana was third in 10:52.75. The championship was held at Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, Ranchi.

Who: Sudha Singh of Railways

Where: Ranchi

What: won gold medal in women's 3000m steeplechase

When: 9 September 2013