1) New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills retires from international.

• Kyle Mills of New Zealand retired from all forms of International Cricket. His decision to retire gives an end to his 14-year international career in Cricket.
• The 36-year-old Mills was a member of New Zealand’s 15-man World Cup Squad but didn’t play in any of its nine matches.

• Kyle David Mills is a right-arm pace bowler who can also score runs in the later stages of one day innings. In October 2009, he was ranked number 1 on the International Cricket Council`s (ICC) one-day bowler’s rankings after he took nine wickets in New Zealand’s series against Australia.
• He played his ODI debut match on 15 April 2001 at Sharjah against Pakistan, while his Test debut was against England at Nottingham on 10 June 2004.

1. Test: Batted in 30 innings of 19 matches and had scored 289 runs of which 57 was his highest score. He bowled in 31 innings and took 44 wickets.
2. ODI: Batted in 101 innings of 170 matches and had scored 1047 runs of which 54 was his highest score. He bowled in 169 innings and took 240 wickets.
3. T20Is: Batted in 19 innings of 42 matches and had scored 137 runs of which 33 not out was his highest score. He bowled in 42 innings and took 43 wickets.
4. Mustafa Kamal resigned from the post of President of International Cricket Council.

• New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum was conferred with the Sir Richard Hadlee medal for 2014-15.
• McCullum won the award for his remarkable performance both as a player and the captain during the 2014-15 seasons.
• The highest cricketing honour of New Zealand was presented to him during the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Awards presentation ceremony held in New Zealand’s capital Auckland.

1. Sir Richard Hadlee Medal: Brendon McCullum.
2. International Women’s Player of the Year: Suzie Bates.
3. Redpath Cup (Batting): Kane Williamson.
4. Winsor Cup (Bowling): Trent Boult.
5. ANZ Twenty 20 International Player of the year: Kane Williamson.
6. ANZ ODI Player of the Year: Kane Williamson.
7. Domestic Cricketer of the Year (Men): Andrew Ellis.
8. Domestic Cricketer of the Year (Women): Amy Satterthwaite.
9. Best Sutcliffe Award: Ross Dykes.

• He scored double Test Century against Pakistan in sharjah in 2014 and in the process scored the fastest test century by a New Zealander.
• He was the first New Zealander to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year in the test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch whrere he also scored another captain’s knock of 195. Overall, he scored 1164 runs in the season.
• Under his leadership the team registered the successful test season, claiming five Test wins.
• He scored an ODI century against Sri Lanka in the lead up the ICC Cricket World Cup and was selected as the captain of the ICC tournament team.
• He successfully lead the team to their first ever ICC Cricket World Cup final in March 2015 in which Australia won by 7 wickets.
• Overall McCullum has scored 5451 runs in 89 Tests and 5808 runs in 248 ODI matches.
• Earlier, he was named as the New Zealand sportsman of the year and become the first cricketer to win the title since 1991.

4) Former world champion hurdler Liu Xiang to retire.

• China’s former Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang plans to announcement his retirement next week following years of nagging injuries.
• The 31- year old Liu became one of China’s best known athletes by winning the 110 metre hurdles title at the 2004 Athens Olympics in a then world record time.
• About Liu Xiang:
• Liu is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men`s track and field event for China.
• He is the first Chinese athlete to achieve the "triple crown" of athletics: World Record Holder, World Champion and Olympic Champion. He was the favorite to win another gold in the 110 metre hurdles at the Beijing Olympics.

• Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) provisionally suspended 21 weightlifters after they were tested positive for banned substances. This could be termed as one of the biggest doping scandals in recent years.
• The lifters tested positive across different championships, both out-of-competition and in-competition. Maximum of these offenders were caught at the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, which was held in Yamunangar in January 2015.
• IWF has sent sample B of these 21 lifters for test. In case, the sample tests positive then the first-time offenders could face a ban for four years.
• Earlier on 1 January 2015, the National Anti-Doping Agency has increased the ban period of first time dope offenders to maximum of four years from two.
• Beside this, the IWF rules says that in case of two or more doping violations in a 12-month period in tests conducted by the IWF or NADA, a state federation could be suspended from participating in any activities of the IWF for a period of up to two years.

1. The headquarters of the Indian Weightlifting Federation is in New Delhi.
2. The Federation is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association (Delhi) and is also a member of Asian Weightlifting Federation (Tehran) and International Weightlifting Federation (Budapest).
3. The present General Secretary of Indian Weightlifting Federation is Balbir Singh.

6) Winners of 2015 Miami Open Titles.

• World No.1 and Serbian ace tennis player Novak Djokovic has won the 2015 Miami Open Men’s Singles Title.
• In the final match he defeated Britain’s Andy Murray.
• This was Djokovic’s fifth Miami Open trophy.

• World No.1 and American ace tennis player Serena Williams has won the 2015 Miami Open Women’s Singles Title. In the final match she defeated Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

• American Bob Brayan and Mike Brayan pair has won the 2015 Miami Open Men’s Doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US) pair.

• India’s Sania Mirza and Switzerland’s Martina Hingis pair has won 2015 Miami Open Women’s doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

• Indian chess Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika won the bronze medal in the World Women’s chess championships along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling.
• In the semifinal match played at Sochi in Russia, Harika lost to Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk and settled to Bronze medal with US $20,000.
• World Women’s chess championship’s winners are Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine) - Won Gold medal along with US $60,000 by 2.5 points.
• Natalija Pogonina (Russia) – Won Silver medal along with US $ 30,000 by 1.5 points.

• It is played to determine the women’s world champion in chess. It is administered by World Chess Federation (FIDE).

• Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is set to start his new innings as businessman with YouWeCan Ventures, aiming to support young entrepreneurs by investing in startups across sectors.
• Yuvraj will put about INR 50 crore - mostly his own money - over a period of 3-5 years in the fund, YouWeCan Ventures. The fund is expected to raise around INR 300 crore from other investors during the period.
• YouWeCan Ventures will mainly fund startups in sports products, healthcare, travel and tourism, services and fashion, e-commerce and hospitality. The plan is to offer seed capital ranging from INR 10 lakh to INR 25 lakh.

• Gujarat won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 cricket trophy for the tournament season 2014-15.
• In the final match played at KIIT Stadium, Odisha they defeated Punjab by two wickets.
• Punjab by batting first had scored 117 for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Gujarat by chasing the target had scored 123.
• With this win, Gujarat has won this trophy for second, earlier they won in 2012-13.

1. Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy is a Twenty 20 cricket domestic championship in India named after famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali.
2. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organizes the tournament and played among the teams from Ranji Trophy.
3. Inaugural season of tournament was 2008-09 and was won by Maharashtra cricket team.