Indian PSLV successfully launches IRNSS-1A navigation satellite

India have launched their Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday carrying IRNSS-1A, the first satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. Liftoff from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre occurred at 18:11 UTC (23:41 local time).


Source: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/07/indian-pslv-launch-irnss-r1a/

Shashi Kant Sharma appointed as new CAG

Defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma was on Tuesday named as the new Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG), succeeding Vinod Rai who demitted office today after an eventful five-and-a-half years during which the audit body was locked in confrontations with the government.

 The CAG is appointed for a term of six years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Lydia Davis wins the Man Booker International Prize 2013

Lydia Davis, an American author best known for her short stories, has won this year's Man Booker International Prize. Davis, 65, has had six collections of short stories published. She has also translated a number of French classics, including Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and has written one novel. 

The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes one writer for his or her achievement in fiction. It is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language.

Celebrating 100 Years of Indian Cinema

Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian Cinema, released his epochal feature film Raja Harishchandra on 3rd May 1913, it is unlikely that either the exhibitors or the pioneer film maker realized they were unleashing a mass entertainment medium that would hold millions in sway for the next hundred years. The French might have introduced the concept of moving images, but little did anyone know that India would one day become the largest film industry in the world. It's a miracle that Indian cinema has withstood the test of time despite the vast cultural differences in the past 100 years.

Laureus World Sports Awards 2013

• Laureus World Sportsman of the Year- Usain Bolt 
• Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year- Jessica Ennis 
• Laureus World Team of the Year- European Ryder Cup Team 
• Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year- Andy Murray 
• Laureus World Comeback of the Year- Feliz Sanchez 
• Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year- Felix Baumgartner 
• Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability- Daniel Dias