17 November 2014
National:
IICT scientist Srivari Chandrasekhar wins Infosys Prize 2014
A technologist, who has made
important contributions in potential drug developments, Srivari Chandrasekhar
from CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, has been named the winner of the Infosys Prize 2014
in Physical Sciences. The award carries a purse of Rs. 55 lakh, a 22 carat gold medal and citation. The President
will present the award on January 5 in Kolkata. The prize is awarded annually
by the Infosys Foundation. Chandrasekhar’s latest contribution is to develop a
technology for manufacturing Misoprostal, an abortive drug also used in the
treatment of ulcers. He, along with his team members, had won the CSIR
Technology award-2014 for this achievement. He has also prepared some important
drug molecules such as bedaquiline for multi-drug resistant TB, Galantamine for
Alzheimer's disease, Sertraline for treatment of depression, Nebivolol for
hypertension and marine natural products such as Eribulin, Azumamide, Arenamide
and Bengazole which are scarce to get from nature, with potent biological
activities.
34th IITF to showcase items from world’s different parts
With more
participants the 34th India International Trade Fair IITF is going to showcase
alluring items from different parts of the world. The enthusiasm of foreign
business communities to participate in the International Trade Fair in Delhi is
gaining momentum. In 2014, 25 countries participated in IITF. In 2013 it was
19. To promote Trade during exhibition the organisar also arrange 25 ATM's of
different Bank's to be installed in almost every hall.
Connaught Place is now a Wi-Fi hotspot
Visitors to
Connaught Place can now stay connected to the Internet while they eat, work,
shop or just lounge around Central Park as the entire market is now a Wi-Fi
zone. Member of Parliament from New Delhi constituency Meenakshi Lekhi launched
the service. The project has been taken up by Tata Teleservices Limited as part
of their corporate social responsibility in association with New Delhi
Municipal Council (NDMC).
International:
Indians in Singapore win young entrepreneurs award
Two Indians and an
Indian-origin Singaporean have won an award for young social entrepreneurs for
developing a mobile phone-based English learning solution for elementary school
students from low-income families in India. Pramodh Rai, 27, Ankita Gupta, 23,
and Priya Andleigh, 23, who teamed up to develop this learning solution named
'Jugnu', were chosen from a group of 76 youth representing 12 nations including
Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the
US.
Napoleon Bonaparte's hat fetches £1.5million at auction
Napoleon Bonaparte's two-pointed hat
has fetched £1.5 million at an auction of the French Emperor's belongings by
the Monaco royal family. A South Korean bidder got his hands on the iconic
two-pointed bicorne hat worn by Napoleon 200 years ago which went for a price
far above the expected €400,000 at the sale in Fontainebleau near Paris. Prince
Albert II wrote in the catalogue of the items being sold by French auctioneers
Osena, said that due to necessary rehabilitation of the Palais de Monaco, which
will enhance their cultural heritage. Monaco royal family plans for the
organized the auction plans to use the proceeds to fund the palace
renovations.
Business & Economy:
Govt launches modified DBT for LPG in 54 districts
The Modified Direct
Benefit Transfer for LPG, DBTL, scheme has been launched in 54 districts. In
the modified DBTL scheme, LPG consumers in 54 districts spread over 11 states
can get cash subsidy to buy the cooking fuel at market price. In the first
phase, 54 districts have been targeted to cover 2 crore, 33 lakh households.
The second phase will start January next year to cover all the states. Under
the previous scheme which had been launched in June 2013, it was mandatory for
the customers to have an Aadhar card. But in the modified scheme, government
has done away the necessity of Aadhar number. Kerala is the first state to see
the roll out of DBTL scheme in all its 14 districts where the Aadhaar
penetration is 92 per cent. Kerala will be followed by Goa.
Raghuram Rajan on shortlist for BRICS bank chief post
Reserve Bank
Governor Raghuram Rajan, a Union Cabinet Minister and a well-known banker in
infrastructure finance have figured so far in discussions on possible
candidates for BRICS’ New Development Bank president. This short list is not
final; the Modi government is scouting for more names before it takes a
decision on the nomination. The BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa — had agreed at their sixth Summit in Fortaleza that India
will nominate the first president of the bank and that its headquarters will be
located in China.
JSW Energy to buy 2 hydro projects of JP Power for Rs 9,700
crore
JSW Energy will
acquire two hydro-electric projects of Jaiprakash Power Ventures in Himachal
Pradesh for about Rs 9,700 crore. JSW Energy has agreed to acquire from
Jaiprakash Power Ventures and other shareholders, 100 per cent stake in
Himachal Baspa Power company for a base enterprise value of Rs 9,700 crore. The
board of directors of Jaiprakash Power has approved the transfer of 300 MW of
Baspa II hydro-electric project and 1,091 MW Karcham Wangtoo hydro project into
a separate company — Himachal Baspa Power company.
Government proposes norms for easier exits, revival of MSMEs
The government has
proposed amendments to the MSME Act with the twin objectives of time-bound exit
and revival of loss-making units to help them consolidate their businesses and
re-deploy capital in other greenfield ventures. The proposed amendments include
establishment of revival and exit committee as an adjunct to MSME facilitation
council and establishment of appellate authority.
Sports:
Djokovic wins ATP Finals after Roger Federer pulls out due to
injury
World number one
Novak Djokovic was crowned champion of this year's ATP World Tour finals after
Roger Federer withdrew from the title clash due to a back injury. This was
Djokovic's fourth season ending title and he also became the first man to win
three World Tour Finals titles on the trot since Ivan Lendl in the 1980s.
Ace shuttlers Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth win China open singles
tiltles
In a historic day
for Indian Badminton, top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth have clinched
the women's and men's singles title of the China Open Super Series Premier in
Fuzhou, China. While Olympic bronze-medallist Saina defeated Akane Yamaguchi of
Japan, Srikanth notched up a stunning straight-game victory over two-time
Olympic champion Lin Dan of China to register his maiden Super Series title. In
her sixth appearance in the prestigious tournament, Saina prevailed over the
17-year-old Akane 21-12, 22-20 in the women's singles final. Srikanth beat five
time world champion Lin 21-19, 21-17 in the men's singles final. This was the
first time any Indian male shuttler has won a Super Series Premier event ever
since the Super Series and Premier tournaments were introduced.
Asian Beach Games: Harinder Pal wins gold
Harinder Pal Singh
Sandhu held his own to defeat Hong Kong’s Yip Tsz Fung in an exciting three-game
affair to win gold in the men’s squash event at the Asian Beach Games in
Phuket, Thailand. Apart from Sandhu, India won two bronze medals from Kush
Kumar (men’s singles) and Aparajitha Balamurukan (women’s singles).
Rashid Khan triumphs
India’s Rashid Khan
clung on for a nailbiting one-shot victory at the $750,000 Chiangmai Golf
Classic, after a final nine which saw the leadership see-saw with compatriot
Jyoti Randhawa. Khan’s final-round 68 gave him a four-round 271 and 17 under
for the event, a single shot ahead of Randhawa and overnight leader Thanyakon
Khrongpha, who tied for second with 272.
Russia's Melnikova wins ITF singles title
Russia's Marina
Melnikova, defeated Tadeja Majeric of Slovakia in straight sets to win the
singles title in the 25,000 USD, CCI-ITF Women's tennis tournament in Mumbai.
Third seed Marina carved out a 6-2 7-6 victory over her Slovakian rival in the
final to win the title at the Cricket Club of India. India's challenge in
singles had ended at the quarter-final stage with the elimination of the
country's No. 1 player Ankita Raina. Raina, however, won the doubles in
partnership with China's Jia-Jing Lu.
