Harmeet K Dhillon

♦ US President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Indian-American lawyer Harmeet K Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for civil rights at the department of justice.

♦ She is the fourth Indian-origin to be nominated in the Trump 2.0 cabinet  after Dr Jay Bhattacharya (National Institutes of Health (NIH)), Vivek Ramaswamy (Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)) and Kashyap 'Kash' Patel (Director of FBI). 

♦ Harmeet was born in Chandigarh, India in 1969, into a Punjabi Sikh family. 

S.M. Krishna

♦ Former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna passed away in Bengaluru on 10 December 2024). He was 92 years old. Krishna was born on 1 May 1932 in Somanahalli, Mandya district.

♦ He held several key positions, including Speaker of the Karnataka assembly, Chief Minister of Karnataka (1999–2004), and Governor of Maharashtra (2004–2008).

♦ From 2009 to 2012, he served as India’s External Affairs Minister under the Congress-led UPA II government.

♦ In 2017, Krishna joined the BJP.

♦ Krishna was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2023.

Sanjay Malhotra

♦ Sanjay Malhotra was appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 9 December 2024. He replaced Shaktikanta Das.

♦ Sanjay is a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Rajasthan cadre. Presently, he is the Secretary (Revenue) in the Ministry of Finance. 

♦ Shaktikanta Das was appointed as the 25th governor of the RBI on 12 December 2018, after the abrupt exit of Urjit Patel. He was granted an extension after completing three-year terms in office. 

Indu Chandhok

♦ Indu Chandhok passed away on 7 December 2024. He was 93. He is the founder-member of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

♦ Chandhok was born in Kolkata on July 22, 1931. He was one of the founder-members of the Madras Motor Sports Club in 1953 and later, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) in 1971.

♦ He went on to become the president of the FMSCI in 1978. He was also an integral part of the Trust that purchased and developed the Madras International Circuit (erstwhile Madras Motor Race Track) at Irungattkottai.

Shammi Silva

♦ Shammi Silva assumed the Presidency of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on 6 December 2024.

♦ He is the President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Silva replaced Jay Shah.

♦ Silva played cricket for the Colombo Cricket Club in 1983-84 and captained the side. He was a member, manager and coach of the Sri Lanka squash national team.

Diya Loka

♦ Diya Loka (17), a passionate environmentalist was honoured with The Diana Award for 2024. It recognizes young people who demonstrate exceptional social action and humanitarian work, and is named in memory of Princess Diana.

♦ Starting at the age of 14, Diya founded E-Cycl, an initiative aimed at raising awareness and collecting electronic waste, particularly in Hyderabad.

♦ She has successfully collected over 10,000 kg of e-waste, mentored over 5,000 individuals, and expanded E-Cycl into a global movement with hundreds of young changemakers involved.

♦ This award was established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better.

Avhilash Rawat

♦ Captain Avhilash Rawat has received the 2024 International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for the “extraordinary courage” shown in a Red Sea rescue mission.

♦ At an awards ceremony at the IMO headquarters in London, Rawat accepted the award on behalf of his crew of the oil tanker Marlin. 

♦ The captain and crew were lauded for the “determination and endurance” they demonstrated while coordinating firefighting and damage control efforts to combat a fire that broke out after an anti-ship ballistic missile struck their vessel back in January 2024.

♦ Captain Rawat and his crew were nominated for the award by the Marshall Islands for their brave efforts on the evening of January 26, when the Marlin Luanda carrying 84,147 tons of Naphtha was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile.

♦ The explosion ignited a cargo tank, creating a significant fire hazard with flames exceeding 5 meters.

Jay Shah

♦ Jay Shah has taken over as the Chairperson of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 1 December 2024.

♦ He replaced New Zealand’s Greg Barclay. He became the youngest, and fifth Indian, to head the global sports body.

♦ Before Shah, businessman late Jagmohan Dalmiya, politician Sharad Pawar, lawyer Shashank Manohar and industrialist N Srinivasan had all headed the world cricket body.

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi

♦ Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has become the second Indian in history to reach the prestigious 2800 Elo rating in classical chess. He became the 16th player in history to achieve this milestone and the second Indian after five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand to do so. 

♦ In the December 2024 FIDE Rating list, his rating stands at 2801, and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world.

♦ FIDE Rating list - December 2024 (Top 10)

1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) - 2831

2. Fabiano Caruana (USA) - 2805

3. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) - 2802

4. Arjun Erigaisi (India) - 2801

5. D Gukesh (India) - 2783

6. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) - 2777

7. Alireza Firouzja (France) - 2763

8. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) - 2755

9. Yi Wei (China) - 2753

10. Viswanathan Anand (India) - 2750