What hogged headlines in January

January 1

» Vidarbha claimed their maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of India's premier domestic tournament. Click here to read more

» Former chief secretary K M Abraham becomes the chairman of the Development and Innovation Strategic Council of Kerala (K-DISC). He is also the CEO of Kerala Infrastructure and Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

January 2

» Rajinder Khanna, a former chief of the country's external intelligence agency RAW, appointed the deputy national security adviser (NSA). Click here to read more

» Professor Dhirendra Pal Singh, director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, has been appointed chairperson of University Grants Commission (UGC).

January 3

» Writer Aymanam John wins Odakkuzhal Award, an award founded by G Sankara Kurup in 1969 and instituted by Guruvayurappan Trust for his anthology Ayamanam Johninte Kathakal.

January 5

» Writer P Valsala bags this year's Sanjayan award instituted by the Tapasya Kalasahityavedhi.

January 8

» 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' won the best motion picture-drama award at the 75th Golden Globes. Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman won the best actor awards in drama while Saoirse Ronan won the best actress award in musical or comedy.

American talk show host Oprah Winfrey was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. Click here to read more

» Dilip Asbe becomes the MD and CEO of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Prior to this, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of NPCI.

January 10

» Kozhikode district lifted its 19th Gold Cup in the 58th Kerala School Kalolsavam. Kozhikode retained the prestigious trophy with 895 points while Palakkad came second with a meager difference of two points. Click here to read more

January 11

» V J Mathew appointed as the chairman of the Kerala Maritime Board constituted by the government for the administration, control, and management of minor ports in the State.

January 12

» India launched its 100th satellite along with 30 others in a single mission, a milestone event in the country's space history. The ISRO launched the 42nd Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), PSLV-C40, the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota that carried India's 100th satellite, a Cartosat-2 series satellite. Click here to read more

January 13

» Film director and playwright Girish Karnad selected for Ammannur Madhava Chakyar award instituted by the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.

January 14

» Dr K Sivan appointed as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Click here to read more

January 15

» Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in India for a six-day visit. Click here to read more

January 18

» Virat Kohli named ICC cricketer, ODI cricketer of the year and winner of Garfield SobersTrophy. Click here to read more

January 19

» Senior IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia has been appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the National Security Guard (NSG).

January 20

» Legendary dancing duo, V P Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan conferred with Nishagandhi Puraskaram 2018 instituted by Kerala Tourism for artistic excellence.

January 21

» Election commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was appointed as the next chief election commissioner succeeding A K Joti. The government also appointed former finance secretary Ashok Lawasa as an election commissioner. Click here to read more

January 22

» ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) director S Somnath appointed as the new director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).

January 23

» International footballer George Weah has been elected president of Liberia. Weah is the first African to win the Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Click here to read more

» Gujarat's first woman chief minister Anandiben Patel appointed as Governor of Madhya Pradesh. Click here to read more

January 24

» Noted academic RVG Menon selected for the Kerala State Akshaya Oorja Award, 2017, for his lifetime contribution for energy conservation.

» Srikumar Menon IFS appointed as the next ambassador of India to Angola.

January 25

» 85 Padma awards announced. Music directors Illaiyaraja, Ghulam Mustafa Khan- Art-Music (Maharashtra) and writer Parameswaran Parameswaran were honored with Padma Vibhushan. Click here for the full list of winners

January 26

» India celebrates its 69th Republic Day in the presence of leaders from all 10 ASEAN nations in a historic first and unprecedented strategic outreach to the powerful bloc. Click to read more

January 27

» Danish player Caroline Wozniacki wins the Australian Open tennis tournament beating Romenian player Simona Halep, clinching her first Grand Slam title. Click to read more

January 28

» Veteran Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the first man to win 20 grand slam titles after beating Marin Cilic in Australian Open. Click to read more

January 29

» Seasoned diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale, considered an expert on China, takes charge as India’s foreign secretary succeeding S Jaishankar. Click to read more

» R&B artist Bruno Mars won the top prize at the Grammy Awards. Mars won six Grammys, including song of the year for his hit single 'That's What I Like', and both record and album of the year for '24K Magic.'

Rapper Kendrick Lamar won five prizes mostly in rap categories for his album 'DAMN' and single 'Humble'. Alessia Cara won the best new artist award. Click here for detailed coverage

January 31

» Senior bureaucrat Neelam Kapoor, who had served as UPA government's spokesperson, was appointed director general of Sports Authority of India (SAI)