NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK
ITS A PROUD MOMENT FOR INDIAN SPORTS AS M.C. MARY KOM HAS BEEN CROWNED THE WORLD’S TOP WOMAN BOXER. THE JOURNEY OF THE ONLY WOMAN PUGILIST WHO WON SIX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEACHES US TO NEVER STOP TRYING.
M.C. MARY KOM
Two months after becoming the first female boxer to win six world championships, M.C. Mary Kom rose to the top of the boxing world rankings on Thursday. The 36-year-old mother-of-three was ranked number one by the International Boxing Association in the Light Fly 45-48 kilogramme category, scoring 1,700 points. At present, Kom is preparing for the 2020 Olympics’ 51 kg category, as her preferred category of 48 kg is not included.
SHAH FAESAL
Shah Faesal, the IAS topper from Kashmir who inspired many young Kashmiris to join the civil services, announced his resignation from the services. He had on Wednesday attributed his decision to the “unabated killings in Kashmir”, the central government’s “lack of sincere” efforts to reach out to the Kashmiris and the “marginalisation of the Muslims”.
SHEILA DIKSHIT
Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has been made the Delhi head of the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The 80-yearold, will have a tough task reviving the Congress in Delhi with just a few months remaining for the LS polls. Dikshit served as Delhi chief minister for a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013. She is popular largely due to the development works she undertook to transform Delhi, including the the Metro.
NAYANTARA SAHGAL
Renowned English writer Nayantara Sahgal who was invited to inaugurate the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan’ in Maharashtra was suddenly cancelled. Sahgal, 91, said, “Political pressure by those who are in power in Maharashtra” could be the reason for cancellation. Sahgal had made headlines in 2015 when she returned her Sahitya Academy award in protest against what she had termed as growing fundamentalism and intolerance in the country under the BJP.
SULTAN MUHAMMAD
Malaysian King Sultan Muhammad V abdicated the throne on Sunday in an unexpected move, after just two years on the throne. The decision marks the first time a king has stepped away from the throne since the country gained independence from the UK in 1957. The palace did not give any reason for the 49-year-old royal’s move. However in November, photographs emerged showing him marrying a former Miss Moscow in Russia.