Daily Current Affairs: 16 January 2015

1) Stephen Constantine appointed Indian men's football head coach: Englishman Stephen Constantine was on 16 January 2015 appointed head coach of Indian men's football team, paving the way for his return at the helm of affairs for the second time. 52-year-old Constantine, who is also be the coach of the India Under-23 national team, is expected to take charge from the first week of next month. Constantine was India coach from 2002 till 2005, during which the national team won the LG Cup in Vietnam and finished runners-up in the Afro Asian Games. He was the head coach of the Rwanda national team before he was offered the India job. He will replace Wim Koevermans who left the job recently after a just over two-year stint. 

2) Leela Samson resigned as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification: Leela Samson has resigned as the censor board chief on 16 January 2015. She resigned after Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) cleared the controversial film 'MSG' Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in lead role. The Censor Board headed by Ms. Samson had earlier denied the clearance certificate to the film saying that the movie depicts Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as a God. Samson has headed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a statutory body under the information and broadcasting ministry, since 2011. It regulates the public exhibition of films under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

3) Kiran Bedi joined BJP: In a development which could turn Delhi polls into a presidential-style face- off, BJP on 15 January 2015 inducted Kiran Bedi amid strong indication that it could project the country's first woman IPS officer as its CM candidate.

4) Petrol price cut by Rs 2.42 per litre, diesel Rs 2.25 per litre: Petrol price was on Friday cut by Rs 2.42 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.25 a litre after an excise duty hike limited the benefit of global crude prices slumping to six-year low. The reduction would have been almost double but for the government also raising excise duty by Rs 2 per litre on both petrol and diesel on 16 Jan 2015.

5) Sania Mirza, Bethanie Mattek-Sands won Sydney doubles title: India's Sania Mirza won her first title of the season and 23rd of her career when she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands shocked top-seeded Americans Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones in the summit clash of the Sydney International on 16 January 2015. It was fifth WTA title for Sania and Bethanie together.

6) Phase III of Radion FM auctions get Cabinet nod: The proposal for auctioning for phase III of FM channels was given a go ahead by the government on 16 Jan 2015. The exchequer stands to add an estimated revenue of over Rs 550 crore from the process. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved migration (renewal) of private FM Radio licenses from Phase-II to Phase-III in 69 existing cities for 135 channels on payment of migration fee according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI’s) recommendations.

7) Controversial book on Sonia Gandhi 'The Red Saree' to be released in India: Spanish writer Javier Moro's 'The Red Sari', controversial, unauthorized biography of Congress President Sonia Gandhi was set to be released by Roli Books in India. The book's English version was not allowed to be released in India in 2010. This was the time when the Congress-led UPA was in power and Sonia Gandhi, the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was considered as one of the world's most powerful private leaders.

8) Shashi Tharoor’s latest book released: Author-politician Shashi Tharoor said it was the Bharatiya Janata Party’s overwhelming victory in last year’s Lok Sabha polls that inspired him to write his latest book, the last in his trilogy on India. ‘India Shastra: Reflections on the Nation in Our Time’, was released on 15 January 2015 at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF), is a portrait of under-transformation contemporary India. It contains 99 essays on various contemporary subjects.

9) HS Brahma took charge as Chief Election Commissioner: Hari Shankar Brahma, took over as the 19th Chief Election Commissioner or CEC on 16 January 2015. Senior-most Election Commissioner HS Brahma was elevated as Chief Election commissioner after V S Sampath demitted office on 15 Jan 2015 on attaining the age of 65 years. Brahma will have a tenure of slightly over three months till April 19.

10) Jammu and Kashmir gets National Award for e-Governance: Jammu and Kashmir has bagged the National Award for e-Governance for the best district-level initiative in the country. The Department of Administrative Reforms, Ministry of Personnel and the PMO have selected Jammu and Kashmir for National Award e-Governance 2014-15 for the best district- level initiative in the country, an official spokesman said.

11) Britain's missing spacecraft found on Mars: Britain's infamous "Beagle 2" spacecraft, once dubbed "a heroic failure" by the nation's Astronomer Royal, has been found on Mars -- 11 years after it went missing searching for extraterrestrial life. Beagle 2, part of the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission, had been due to land on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, but went missing on December 19, 2003. Until now, nothing had been heard from it since then.