Kohli becomes second Indian to score 500 in a Test series in Australia

Virat Kohli on Thursday became the second Indian batsman to score 500 runs in a Test series in Australia during the fourth and final match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Kohli, who came into the match with 499 runs from the three earlier matches of the series, reached the landmark by hitting a four of the bowling of off-spinner Nathan Lyon during the morning session in the 44th over of India’s first innings.

The 26-year-old Kohli, who was playing in his 33rd Test and seventh innings in this series, followed in the footsteps of batting legend Rahul Dravid who accumulated 619 runs from eight innings in the 2003-04 Australia tour.

Kohli has already hit three centuries in the series.

Quikr launches instant messaging for users

In a move to enable seamless transactions between its users, online classifieds company Quikr has launched a new product, Quikr Nxt. The new product, the company claims, is the world’s first instant messenger by a classifieds company, and allows users to chat using the website or mobile app. The messenger has been integrated into Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and website.

While launching the product on Wednesday, Quikr CEO and founder Pranay Chulet said Quikr Nxt could revolutionise the domestic digital classifieds industry.

It allows buyers and sellers to immediately get in touch through chat, using Quikr’s mobile app, mobile site and even its desktop site. “The benefits of Quikr Nxt are that buyers/sellers do not need to share their contact number or e-mail address and the only point of reference is the Quikr ID. This prevents bombarding by multiple e-mails and phone calls and safeguards the user’s privacy,” Mr. Chulet said. “E-mails are not real-time and phone calls are invasive while chats are most convenient.”

The new feature has been undergoing trials in the last few months, and was being tested in about a dozen cities. Quikr has more than 30 million active users, and Nxt is the latest in a line of product innovations by Quikr, including Maximum Selling Price (MSP), the Missed Call service and the like.

Quikr operates in over 13 categories and 170 sub-categories including mobile phones, household goods, cars, real estate, jobs, services and education. Mr. Chulet said real estate was the largest category given the size of transactions.

Close to 80 per cent of traffic was from mobile phone users, and this could go to 90-95 per cent in a year, he said. “Quikr is a mass market platform, and we are five times the size we were a year ago. We are fully funded for now and do not require additional funds,”

Quikr raised over Rs.900 crore in 2014 from investors, including Tiger Global Management, Kinnevik, Matrix Partners, eBay Inc, Warburg Pincus among others.

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 193 runs to win Test series 2-0

New Zealand completed a fine comeback to beat Sri Lanka by 193 runs and win the two-Test series 2-0.

Kane Williamson and BJ Watling's Test record sixth-wicket partnership on day four hauled the Kiwis back into the match, having trailed by 135 on first innings in Wellington.
Mark Craig took 4-53 as the hosts bowled out Sri Lanka for 196.
"The last little while we've played some outstanding cricket," said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.
New Zealand have not lost a Test series since being beaten in England in May 2013.
Since then, the Black Caps have beaten West Indies home and away, overcome India and Sri Lanka at home, and drawn away series with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Resuming on 45-1 in pursuit of an improbable 390 for victory, Sri Lanka slipped to 110-5 by lunch, and New Zealand wrapped up victory with a session to spare.
McCullum added: "To be able to fight our way out of an incredibly precarious position and not just save the Test, but to go on and win it in the manner that we did is testament to the work these guys do off the field."
The sides start a seven-match one-day series on 11 January in Christchurch.

India to host 2015 World Bridge Championship

Chennai: The biggest event of card games comes to India as the country will host the next World Bridge Championship for Bermuda Bowl (men) and Venice Cup (women) in October 2015.
Bridge Federation of India (BFI) President N R Kirubakara Moorthy on Sunday informed that the World Bridge Federation (WBF) has alloted the 2015 World Championship to India and "BFI are now in the process of finalising the event".
Moorthy said that WBF President Gianrrigo Rona of Italy along with technical committee members and other WBF officials would be arriving in Chennai tonight to finalise the venue.
He said that two cities, Chennai and Panaji in Goa, have been shortlisted to host the world meet.
Rona and other officials, during their four-day stay in the country, will inspect here the various facilities including hotel accommodation and convention centres to hold the tournament then go to Goa before finalising the city to host the big event.
This would be the first time that India would be hosting the biggest event of the card games.
The WBF conducts the World Bridge Team Championships every two years.
This is the premier tournament in international bridge and sees the top teams from each geographic region competing against one another for the Bermuda Bowl trophy.
Additionally, there are separate trophies for the top women`s team as well as the top senior team (D`Orsi Trophy) globally.
About 550 players from 66 countries are expected to be seen in action in this world meet.
Moorthy, who has been working hard to bring these Championships to India said, "Two locations have been shortlisted - Chennai and Goa. Both of these have large convention spaces capable of hosting the tournament and a number of top hotels which can accommodate the over-thousand participants who will attend the tournament over a two-week period. This is the first time the tournament is being held in India and we want to put up a good show."
Hosting a tournament of this scale is expected to provide a big boost to the popularity of the game in India, and aid the BFI in its efforts to attract newer players, Moorthy said.

Charlie Hebdo: Gun attack on French magazine kills 12

Four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists, including its editor, were among those killed, as well as two police officers.
A major police operation is under way to find three gunmen who fled by car.
President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack "of exceptional barbarity".
It is believed to be the deadliest attack in France since 1961, when right-wingers who wanted to keep Algeria French bombed a train, killing 28 people.
The masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car. They later abandoned the car in Rue de Meaux, northern Paris, where they hijacked a second car.
Witnesses said they heard the gunmen shouting "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad" and "God is Great" in Arabic ("Allahu Akbar").
The number of attackers was initially reported to be two, but French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later said security services were hunting three "criminals". He said that Paris had been placed on the highest alert.

Whole plant therapy may help beat malaria

Washington: A new study has revealed that whole plant therapy shows promise to beat malaria parasites' drug resistance.
University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist Stephen Rich and his research team said that the new treatment is based on a use of the whole plant (WP) Artemesia annua, from which the current pharmaceutical drug artemisinin (AN) is extracted.
The researchers found that the whole plant treatment withstands the evolution of resistance and remains effective for up to three times longer than the pure drug and also found the whole plant therapy effective in killing rodent parasites that have previously evolved resistance to pure AN.
Rich said that this is especially important given the recent reports of resistance to artemisinin in malaria -endemic regions of the world and drug longevity is crucial since new drugs are costly to develop, not only in dollars but in the cost of lives lost.
The authors point out that consuming the whole plant may be more effective than the single purified drug because the whole plant "may constitute a naturally occurring combination therapy that augments artemisinin delivery and synergizes the drug's activity."
The study was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

NASA's Kepler Space Telescope finds 1,000th alien planet

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has discovered its 1,000th alien planet, further cementing the prolific exoplanet-hunting mission's status as a space-science legend.
Kepler reached the milestone today (Jan. 6) with the announcement of eight newly confirmed exoplanets, bringing the mission's current alien world tally to 1,004. Kepler has found more than half of all known exoplanets to date, and the numbers will keep rolling in: The telescope has also spotted 3,200 additional planet candidates, and about 90 percent of them should end up being confirmed, mission scientists say.
Furthermore, a number of these future finds are likely to be small, rocky worlds with temperate, relatively hospitable surface conditions — in other worlds, planets a lot like Earth. (In fact, at least two of the newly confirmed eight Kepler planets — which were announced in Seattle today during the annual winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society — appear to meet that description, mission team members said.)

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"Kepler was designed to find these Earth analogues, and we always knew that the most interesting results would come at the end," Kepler mission scientist Natalie Batalha, of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, told Space.com last month.

"So we're just kind of ramping up toward those most interesting results," she added. "There's still a lot of good science to come out of Kepler."

Punjab bans sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco

Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
State government had banned the sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco under Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA Act, 2003).
Section 7 of COTPA bans sale of these products if they are traded, supplied or distributed without specified warning including pictorial warning on it.
State government notification in this regard clearly mentions that loose cigarettes and tobacco products do not carry a pictorial or a written warning so they are banned.
Earlier state government had banned sale of  nicotine in the form of e-cigarette.
About COTPA Act, 2003
It was enacted by Parliament in 2003. It prohibits advertisement and regulates tobacco business in India.
This Act has put restriction on tobacco products which includes cigarettes, gutka, panmasala (containing tobacco), cigar, cheroot, Beedi, Snuff, chewing tobacco, hookah, tooth powder containing tobacco.

Amitabh Bachchan appointed as Brand Ambassador of Andhra Pradesh health sector

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is appointed as the brand ambassador for health sector in Andhra Pradesh.
His name was announced by the Andhra Pradesh state Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas.
As a brand ambassador actor Amitabh Bachchan will participate in various health-related campaigns to be taken up by the state government without taking any remuneration for the services.
Implication: It will help bifurcated state to boost and improve its health sector as it worst hit due to bifurcation. At present, state does not have proper health sector facilities due major corporate hospitals and medical and health institutions are located in then capital of undivided state Hyderabad (now capital of Telangana).
Some facts
It should be also noted that, actor Amitabh Bachchan is also brand ambassador  of Gujarat Tourism since 1 February 2010.
While in 2002, he was brand ambassador for the Polio Eradication Campaign.

ICICI Bank launches India’s first contactless credit and debit cards

India’s largest private sector bank Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched country’s first ‘contactless’ debit and credit cards.
These cards will provide its customers to make electronic payments by waving the cards near the merchant terminal instead of dipping or swiping.
Facts about ICICI Bank’s contactless cards

• These cards are based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and powered by MasterCard contactless and Visa payWave technologies.
• It provide customers with the improved convenience of speed as these cards require significantly less time than traditional cards to complete a transaction.
• It also enhances security features for the customer.

Presently, bank has introduced these cards in cities like Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Mumbai. ICICI Bank also has provided with over 1200 Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machines that are capable of accepting contactless payments in these cities.

Dinesh Oraon elected as Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Dinesh Oraon was unanimously elected as the Speaker of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.
It was announced by the Protem Speaker Stephen Marandi. His name for the post was proposed by the Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
He is the 10th Speaker of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly since the state was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar on 15 November 2000.
About Dinesh Oraon
He is a member of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly from Sisai constituency of Gumla district. He has represented this constituency twice, first time in 2000 and for second time in 2014.  He has studied M A. and was lecturer in Ranchi University.

Pakistan enacts new law to create constitutional military courts to try terrorists

Pakistan government has enacted new law, to create constitutional military courts to try and punish terrorists.
This new law came into effect after it was signed by Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain.
Earlier, Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and 21st Constitution Amendment Bill, 2015 was passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly and the Senate.
Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2015 aims to set up Constitutionally protected military courts to try and punish terrorists.
While, 21^st Constitution Amendment Bill, 2015 provides constitutional cover for the establishment of military courts in Pakistan.
Background
For past few years, Pakistan is struggling to come up with an adequate response to deal with the increasing menace of militancy.
Pakistan’s ruling government was under pressure after Peshawar School attack that had killed around 150 people including 132 children. So there was need of strict law to deal with the militants.
Summary 
The law will give a tough message to militants who often are wriggled out of ordinary courts.  Thus it will help to curb and eliminate militancy in Pakistan. Presently, Pakistan has already lifted moratorium on death penalty and hanged seven convicted militants.

Indian diplomat Atul Khare named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support

Indian diplomat Atul Khare is named as UN Under Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS). It was announced by Secretary-General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon.
He will succeed Bangladesh’s Ameerah Haq. This appointment makes him as one of the highest ranking Indian officials in UN.

UN Department of Field Support (DFS)

This department provides dedicated support to peacekeeping field missions and political field missions around the world.
It also provides support in the areas of finance, logistics, Information, communication and technology (ICT), human resources and general administration to help missions promote peace and security.
His appointment to this position will bring strategic management and innovative reform expertise in both headquarters and field perspective of UN’s DFS.

About Atul Khare

He belongs to 1984 cadre of Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
Diplomat career: As Indian diplomat, he has served in Indian Missions in Paris, Dakar, Port Louis and London as well as the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York.
He is Former Director of The Nehru Centre and Minister (Culture), High Commission of India in London (2005-2006).
United Nations career: Previously, he was Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at the level of Under Secretary-General (2006-2009).
Earlier he also has worked as Chief of Staff and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).
He also has served as Assistant Secretary-General leading the Change Management Team (2011-2012) and Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Deputy Head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York (2010-2011).

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s Prize for Display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum

Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize has been put up for display at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
It was put for display, after Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi dedicated his prize to the nation. He presented his medal to President Pranab Mukherjee in a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Now, visitors to Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be able to get a glimpse of the Nobel Peace Prize received by him.
The medal made up of 18 carats gold and weighing 196 grams will be kept at Rashtrapati Bhavan museum for display.
Rashtrapati Bhavan museum: It was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee in July 2014. This museum provides public an inside view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with its art, architecture and lives of past presidents.
About Kailash Satyarthi
He is the eighth Nobel laureate to have been born in India. He is an adherent of Gandhian philosophy. He has upheld Mahatma Gandhi’s practice of engaging and conducting peaceful protests against the exploitation of children for financial gain. He is the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Through his NGO, he campaigns for protection of child rights and to abolish illegal human trafficking.

otak Mahindra-ING Vysya merger gets shareholders nod

Private sector Kotak Mahindra Bank has received its shareholders nod for merger of Bengalaru-headquartered  ING Vysya Bank with itself.
It was approved by the 99.30 per cent in number representing 99.93 per cent in value of the shareholders present.
This approval is considered as important step for merging of two banks to form new entity. Now this merger is subject to the final approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Competition Commission of India (CCI) and such other approvals.
Background
In November 2014, Kotak Mahindra Bank had announced that it is acquiring ING Vysya Bank in an all-stock deal.
This merger will make Kotak the fourth-largest private bank in India in terms of total business. The biggest three private banks are ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank.
The management of these banks are expecting that the new merged entity will be operational by April 1, 2015.
The acquisition will help Kotak Mahindra Bank to widen its reach in South Indian market and also help in acquiring SME customers as ING Vysya Bank was having stronghold in SME customers.
After merger the combined banking entity will have a widespread network of 1,214 branches across pan India.

President signs ordinance to pave way for e-rickshaws on Delhi roads

President Pranab Mukherjee has signed an ordinance to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 as per Article 123 of Constitution. This ordinance will pave the way for plying of e-rickshaws on roads of Delhi.
Earlier, in December 2014 Union Cabinet had approved promulgation of the ordinance as a bill in this regard was not able to pass in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament due to logjam in Upper House (Rajya Sabha).
Background
Previously in July 2014, Delhi High Court had banned E-rickshaws or battery-operated three-wheeler vehicles on safety concerns.
Union government had brought Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill, 2014 to amend to parent Act in order to legalize E-rickshaws. It was passed by the Lok Sabha.
Article 123 of Constitution: It gives legislative power to President. He can issue ordinances when Parliament is in recess i.e. not in session if there is urgent need to have a law on some urgent public matter.  The ordinance has similar effect to an act of parliament.
However, every ordinance must be laid and approved by both houses of the parliament within 6 weeks from the reassembling.  If not placed and approved by both houses of the parliament after reassembling it becomes invalid.

19th National Youth Festival begins in Guwahati, Assam

The 19th National Youth Festival has begun in Guwahati, Assam. This festival coincides with the 152nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Theme of this edition of youth festival is Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India. It aims to spread to spread national integration and harmony.
Events: It is 5 day event, which will provide platform to the young talents to perform their level best in music and cultural events.
During this festival, different competitions, exhibitions, cultural programs, and seminars will be held.
In this festival sports persons including Virender Sehwag, Sushil Kumar and Mary Kom along with several young MPs are participating to motivate the young minds towards nation building.  This youth festival is also likely to give a boost to the tourism industry of the state.
It will showcase various shades of youth talent through Yuva Kriti, Food Festival, Young Artist Camp, Youth Convention, Suvichar and Adventure activities.
Besides these there will be other competitive and non-competitive events between youths of different states.
Opening ceremony: It was attended by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Home state Kiren Rijiju at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.
About National Youth Festival
It is an annual gathering of youth during National Youth Week i.e. from 12 to 16 January. It is celebrated to mark birth anniversary of youth icon Swami Vivekananda.
It is organized by Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with one of the State Governments.

Ishpreet Singh Chadha won National Sub-Junior Snooker title 2015

Ishpreet Singh Chadha of Maharashtra on 6th Jan 2015 won his 1^st  National Sub-Junior Snooker title 2015 at the BRC Gloster National billiards and  Snooker Championship 2015. He defeated Shobhit Sethi of Punjab by 3-0 in a final match.
Ishpreet reached the finals by defeating Mandeep Singh of Uttar Pradesh (UP) whereas Shobhit Sethi reached the finals by beating Rohan Sahani of Maharashtra.
In the Quarterfinals, Shobhit defeated Johnson Narsidani of Gujarat by 59-0, 71-41 and Ishpreet defeated Hritik Jain of Madhya Pradesh by 62-29, 58-37.
Ishpreet Singh Chadha  was trained under former Asian champion Yasin merchant.

Rare plant species found in Palakkad

Scientists at the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research, Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal, have reported the discovery of a rare plant species from the Dhoni hills in Palakkad district.

It was during an expedition to study the floristic diversity of the high mountains in the southern regions of the Western Ghats that the researchers led by scientist K.M. Prabhu Kumar and director Indira Balachandran came across the new species in the grasslands of the Palamala hills in the Dhoni mountain range.

The plant belonging to the genus Chlorophytum of the Asparagaceae family was later reported from the Elival hills of Muthikulam in Palakkad by a team comprising scientists from the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi.

Named Chlorophytum palghatense, after the place of discovery, the plant is a perennial herb endemic to the grassland ecosystem of the Dhoni and Muthikulam forests at a height above 6,000 feet. It flowers and fruits from September to November. The finding has been published in ‘Phytotaxa’, an international journal on botanical taxonomy.

Distributed throughout Africa and India, the Chlorophytum genus is represented by 17 species in India, of which 15 occur in the Western Ghats.

Detailed taxonomic studies carried out at Shivaji University, Kolhapur, revealed that the new species was distinct from C.sharmae endemic to Munnar. Mr. Kumar said C.Palghatense was named thus to highlight the rich biodiversity of Palakkad district, especially as a reservoir of rare plants endemic to the Western Ghats.

A study has been taken up to assess the medicinal properties of the new species, a pressnote quoting Ms. Indira Balachandran said. C.Palghtense has been found to be similar to safed musli (C.borivilianum), a medicinal herb also widely marketed as an aphrodisiac.

V.S. Hareesh and K.P. Vimal from the Department of Botany, Calicut University, and S.R.Yadav and Avinash Asraji Adsul from Shivaji University were part of the research team that reported the discovery of the new plant.

Indian weight lifters end campaign with 14 medals

Indian weightlifters ended their campaign on a high by bagging a total of 14 medals, including six gold in the 17th Asian Youth (boys & girls), 22nd Junior Women and 29th Junior Men Asian Weightlifting Championships at Doha, Qatar.

Even those six lifters, who failed to make it to the podium, finished within the top six positions in their respective body weight categories.

India won a silver on the last day of the competition on Monday as Swapna Priya Baruah ended second in the Junior Women 69kg division.

Ragala Venkat Rahul on Sunday clinched a gold in Junior Men 85kg with a total lift of 324kg -143kg in snatch and 181kg clean & jerk.

Two Junior Women lifters - S Thasana Chanu (58kg) and Punam Yadav (63kg) - settled for a bronze each, while Kh Nungshiton also claimed the third spot in Youth Girls 58kg.

India won maximum number of gold in Youth Boys division; bagging the yellow metal in all three categories the lifters took part.

The other three gold came each in Youth Girls, Junior Men and Junior Women sections.

Nilesh Shah quits Axis Capital, to join Kotak AMC as MD, CEO

Nilesh Shah, the MD and CEO of Axis Capital, has put in his papers. Shah will be joining Kotak Asset Management Company as its new MD and CEO. Shah could not be immediately reached for comments.
Shah has over 20 years of experience in capital markets and was leading Axis Bank's initiatives in investment banking space. Prior to joining Axis, he was the deputy-MD at the nation's third-biggest mutual fund ICICI Prudential Asset Management. At ICICI he quit after serving for seven years when assets more than quadrupled.

State-run Hindustan Copper Ltd today said its Director (Mining) Avijit Ghosh has ceased to be a Director in the company following his appointment as the CMD of another PSU Heavy Engineering Corporation.

"Avijit Ghosh ceased to Director (Mining) of the company at the close of working hours on December 31, 2014 consequent upon his appointment as Chairman & Managing Director of Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd," the Kolkata-based copper maker said in a BSE filing.

Ghosh has  ..

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/45776340.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

State-run Hindustan Copper Ltd today said its Director (Mining) Avijit Ghosh has ceased to be a Director in the company following his appointment as the CMD of another PSU Heavy Engineering Corporation.

"Avijit Ghosh ceased to Director (Mining) of the company at the close of working hours on December 31, 2014 consequent upon his appointment as Chairman & Managing Director of Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd," the Kolkata-based copper maker said in a BSE filing.

Ghosh has  ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/45776340.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Google's Larry Page named as business person of the year for 2014

Google's Larry Page has emerged as the 'business person of the year' for 2014, edging past the likes of Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, according to Fortune magazine.

Page, who is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Google, came on top in the 20 global corporate leaders' list compiled on the basis of various factors including company's performance, leadership style and total shareholder returns, the magazine said while bringing out its list.

Apart from Jack Ma and Zuckerberg, others in the race included Apple's Tim Cook and fast food chain Chipotle co-CEOs -- Montgomery Moran and Steve Ells-- and Fedex chairman & CEO Fred Smith.

Besides, five women have made the cut to the top 20 list. Interestingly, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who led Fortune list in 2012, failed to make in to the top 20 list.

As Google's core business continues to thrive, Page, who topped the list, is making "huge bets on new technology -ingestible nanoparticles, balloons that beam down broadband- that could define the future," the magazine noted.

Page and his company have packed a lot of evolution into just over 15 years of existence, it added.

The women contenders were Ultra Beauty CEO Mary Dillon, ITT CEO and President Denise Ramos, TJX Cos CEO Carol Meyrotwiz, Theranos Founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes and Williams-Sonoma President and CEO Laura Alber.

The list is based on various parameters like financial results of the company including 12-month and three year growth in profits and revenues, company's stock performance and total shareholder returns over the same periods.

Besides, several non-financial elements like business influence, leadership style, strategic initiatives played a part in evaluation.

Polish motorcyclist dies in Dakar Rally

Polish motorcyclist Michal Hernik (KTM) died of unknown causes during the Dakar Rally the organisers said.

Hernik, 39, was found lying dead near the third stage route between the Argentinean cities of San Juan and Chilecito. He showed no signs of an accident, reports Xinhuaon Tuesday.

A helicopter search party found his body 206 km of Cuesta de Miranda, in La Rioja province, around 4 p.m. local time.

It was the first time Hernik participated in the race. His death is the first in this year’s Dakar rally and the fifth since the rally was moved to South America over security concerns in the Sahara desert in 2009.

That year, France’s Thierry Pascal died, followed by Argentine Jorge Martinez Boero in 2012, France’s Thomas Bourgin in 2013 and Belgium’s Eric Palante in 2014. All were riding motorbikes.

Overall, 24 deaths have been recorded since the inaugural race in 1979.

Keywords: Michal Hernik, Polish motorcyclist, Death, Dakar Rally

8 new planets found in ‘Goldilocks zone’

Astronomers with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) have discovered eight new planets within the so-called Goldilocks — or habitable — zone of their stars.

To be considered habitable, exoplanets must orbit within a distance of their stars in which liquid water can exist on the planet’s surface, receiving about as much sunlight as Earth.

“Most of these planets have a good chance of being rocky, like Earth,” lead author Guillermo Torres of the CfA said in a release.

The discoveries of Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b are the latest in several advancements scientists have made to find signs of possible life in the universe.

At a panel held last summer at NASA headquarters in Washington, astronomers said they were “very close in terms of technology and science to actually finding the other Earth.”

That’s due in part to the Kepler Space Telescope. The planet-hunting Kepler probe, launched in 2009, finds planets by looking for dips in the brightness of a star as a planet transits, or crosses, in front of that star.

Christine Pulliam of CfA said the team of scientists monitored data from more than 160,000 stars, which led them to the eight new planets.

The couple most like Earth, Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b, both orbit red dwarf stars, which are cooler and smaller than the Earth’s sun.

Kepler—438b’s diameter is 12 per cent bigger than Earth and has a 70 per cent chance of being rocky, which means the surface of the planet appears to be like Earth’s.

Kepler—442b is about one-third larger than Earth with a 60 per cent chance of being rocky. Scientists give it a 97 per cent chance of being in the habitable zone, but caution that the estimations aren’t certain.

“We don’t know for sure whether any of the planets in our sample are truly habitable,” second author David Kipping of the CfA said in a release.

“All we can say is that they’re promising candidates.”

Tulsi Gabbard and Ami Bera take oath for their second term

Tulsi Gabbard and Dr. Ami Bera have been sworn in for their second consecutive term in US House of Representatives.
Both of them belong to Democratic Party. They were sworn in after the 114th session of the US Congress began.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu lawmaker in US to take her oath on Bhagavad-Gita. She was administered the oath of office by re-elected Speaker of US House of Representatives John Boehner.
She is representing Hawaii’s second congressional district since 2013. In 2013, she also had taken her oath on Gita.
While Dr. Ami Bera, is only serving Indian-American in the current Congress. He has been elected as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans which is the largest country- specific caucus in the House of Representatives.
He is representing, California’s 7th congressional district since 2013 and is third Indian-American elected to the House of Representatives after Dalip Singh Thind and Bobby Jindal.
Some facts
In 114th session of the US Congress, Republicans have formally taken control of both chambers the House of Representative and Senate for the first time since the 109th Congress (2005-2006).

BCCI announces India’s squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
It was announced by the BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, after the meeting of the selection committee of BCCI.
Indian squad for the ICC CWC – 2015
MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicket Keeper), Virat Kohli (Vice Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.
ICC Cricket world cup 2015
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be the 11th edition and in total 49 matches will be played across 14 venues.
It will start on 14th February 2015 in Christchurch and co-host New Zealand team will play against Sri Lanka.
On the same day in Melbourne, Australia will play against England.

Punjab bans sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco

Punjab has become first state in India, to completely ban the sale of loose cigarettes (even as single sticks) and loose tobacco.
State government had banned the sale of loose cigarettes and tobacco under Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA Act, 2003).
Section 7 of COTPA bans sale of these products if they are traded, supplied or distributed without specified warning including pictorial warning on it.
State government notification in this regard clearly mentions that loose cigarettes and tobacco products do not carry a pictorial or a written warning so they are banned.
Earlier state government had banned sale of  nicotine in the form of e-cigarette.
About COTPA Act, 2003
It was enacted by Parliament in 2003. It prohibits advertisement and regulates tobacco business in India.
This Act has put restriction on tobacco products which includes cigarettes, gutka, panmasala (containing tobacco), cigar, cheroot, Beedi, Snuff, chewing tobacco, hookah, tooth powder containing tobacco.

PM releases commemorative coins to honour late industrialist Jamsetji Tata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commemorative coins to honour Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.
PM released coins in the denomination of 100 and five rupee to mark Jamsetji Tata’s 175th birth anniversary.
Thus, Jamsetji will be the first industrialist in India to be felicitated by the government in such a manner.
He was chosen by the government because he is a legendary figure and the government wants to encourage Indian businesses through this initiative.
So far government has minted coins in honour of artists, freedom fighters, scientists, institutions and organisations.
Earlier, government had honoured Jamsetji twice by releasing his postal stamps one in 1958 and another in 1965.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
He was pioneer industrialist who had founded Tata Group- India’s biggest conglomerate company. He is regarded as Father of Indian Industry.
He was born on 3 March 1839 in Navsari then part of the princely state of Baroda (Now in Gujarat).
His successors’ work led to achieve:

• Tata Steel: formerly known as Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO ) is Asia’s first and India’s largest steel company. It is also world’s fifth largest steel company.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc): Located in Bengaluru, it is pre-eminent Indian institution for research and education in Science and Engineering.
• Tata Hydroelectric Power Supply Company: later it was renamed Tata Power Company Limited, currently India’s largest private electricity company.

It should be also noted that present Jamshedpur district in Jharkhand is named after him. Earlier it was known as Sakchi.

President signs ordinance amending Citizenship Act, 1955

President Pranab Mukherjee has signed the ordinance that amend’s Citizenship Act, 1955.
Earlier, union government had promulgated this ordinance in order to merge Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes. Thus, providing life-long Indian visa facility to PIOs.
It was signed on the eve of the opening of the three-days meet of Indian diaspora i.e. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015 held in Gujarat.
Key amendments

• Citizenship Act amendments will benefit PIO and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit etc.
• It will also change the clause of parent Act which says that foreigners who marry Indians must continuously stay in the country for a period of one year before they get an Indian citizenship. In this regards they will get relief of 30 days in a year when they can travel outside the country.
• The amendment also clears the way for relaxed visa norms for minor children of OCI cardholders.

Government gives nod to Neutrino project in Tamil Nadu

Union cabinet meeting has approved setting up of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project in Bodi West Hills, Tamil Nadu.  This cabinet meeting was headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Key facts about India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project

• It is an underground project, jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• It will comprise a complex of caverns – the main cavern, which will house detector which is 130 metres long, 26 metres wide and 30 metre high.
• Along with main cavern, there will be two smaller caverns that will be used for setting up experiments for neutrino double detector and dark matters.
• This underground complex will be approached by a 2-kms long tunnel.
• It will host experiments such as the neutrino-less double beta decay and the search for dark matter.
• It also involves Inter-Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics (IICHEP) and Iron Calorimeter Detector (ICAL).

Along with project, government has also approved the construction of a 50,000 tonne magnetised iron calorimeter detector (ICAL). It will study the properties of the neutrino, in particular the mass hierarchy among different types of neutrino.

Neutrino

It is an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle with half-integer spin. It belongs to the lepton family.
There are three types of neutrinos: electron neutrinos, muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos.

Government launches subsidised 5 kg LPG Cylinder scheme for BPL families

Central government has launched the sale of subsidised 5-kg LPG cylinders scheme for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and others.
It was launched by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Bhubaneswar, Odhisa.
This scheme was launched as part of the oil companies’ Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to cover BPL population in urban areas.
Under this pilot scheme, a BPL family would be provided with LPG connection. In this case customers not need to pay security deposit and cost of pressure regulator.
Government by launching this scheme is aiming to promote LPG as it a cleaner fuel which will help in creating better and smoke less cooking environment and help in improvement of women’s health.
Petroleum Minister also launched the sale of 5-kg cylinders under Free Trade LPG scheme in Bhubaneswar, Odhisa.
Free Trade LPG scheme: It will cater the LPG requirement of all sections of the society including the economically weaker section, student, migrant labourers who do not have proof of address due to their short stay in a particular place.
This scheme is aims at increasing the usage of LPG by providing customers with more affordable facilities.

PM launches National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting for energy conservation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting in New Delhi for energy conservation by reducing energy consumption.
Along with this programme, PM launched scheme for Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulb distribution under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) and a web-based system to enable consumers in Delhi to register requests for procuring LED bulbs under DELP.
National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting

• It aims to install LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities across India by March 2016.
• Under this programme, LED bulbs will be distributed in a phased manner from March 2015 onwards.
• The initiative is part of the Government’s efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country.
• LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times that of CFLs, and therefore provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term.
• It will help in saving of energy around 24 crore units every year.

R Koteeswaran takes over as new Indian Overseas Bank CMD

R Koteeswaran has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of public sector Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).
Prior to this, Koteeswaran was serving Bank of India as its Executive Director, the Chennai-based IOB said in a statement today.
Koteeswaran began his career in 1976 in Bank of Baroda and later joined Bank of India as its Executive Director.

Sutirtha Bhattacharya takes charge as Coal India Limited’s full-time CMD

Sutirtha Bhattacharya took charge as full-time Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL).
He is a 1985 batch IAS officer and for this post his name was cleared by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet after it was recommended by the Public Enterprises Services Board (PESB).
Prior to this appointment, he was the CMD of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company.
Background
The post of full time CMD was vacant for past six months after then full-time CMD S Narsing Rao had resigned from the post in May, 2014 to join Telangana government.
Till this vacant time, Additional Secretary Coal A K Dubey was given the additional charge as CMD of CIL from June 26, 2014.

About Coal India Limited (CIL)

It is a state-controlled coal mining company. It is headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.
It is the largest coal producer company in the world and contributes around 81% of the coal production in India.
Union Government of India owns 90% of the shares in CIL and controls the operations of CIL through Ministry of Coal.
In April 2011, CIL was conferred the Maharatna status by Government of India. It is India’s 5th most valuable company in terms of market value.

Over 40 Indians in Forbes annual list of global prodigies

Over 40 Indians and people of Indian-origin, including technology wizards, inventors and policymakers, have been named by Forbes in its annual list of “young game changers, movers and makers” under the age of 30 from around the globe.
The fourth annual compilation by Forbes includes 600 millennial in 20 fields, including consumer technology, retail, entertainment, science, finance, media, social entrepreneurs, law and policy and enterprise technology.
The list includes big names like Harry Potter actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, actor Zac Efron, basketball player James Harden and NBA star Chris Paul.
There are 44 Indians and people of Indian-origin in the list, who are doing exemplary work like inventing an inexpensive method of purifying water, working on international food security initiatives and developing crutches that don’t hurt armpits.
In the venture capital category is Nitesh Banta, 28, who cofoundeded Rough Draft Ventures that helps student entrepreneurs receive up to USD 25,000 to start a company.
In the consumer technology category is Ankur Jain, 24, who cofounded ‘Humin’, an app that organises contacts, social networks and calendars into a neat, searchable interface.
Avinash Gandhi, 26, is making waves in Hollywood as an agent for talent agency William Morris Endeavour.
Partha Unnava, 22, is the CEO of Better Walk which develop a better set of crutches that don’t hurt people’s armpits.
The retail category features Aman Advani, 26, who cofounded ‘Ministry of Supply’, a men’s fashion company that has developed shirts that use NASA-developed technology to manage heat and moisture.
In the sports category, 29-year-old Ishveen Anand founded OpenSponsorship, which is the first online platform to facilitate sponsorship agreements by connecting brands with pro-sports rights holders like leagues and teams. The group currently includes Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni and F1 team Force India.
Vijay Chudasama, 28, is working in one of the hottest areas for new biotechnology drugs of combining antibodies with other medicines.
Vinith Misra, 27 is working on the Chef Watson machine, which applies artificial intelligence to create new recipes.
Vivek Ravisankar, 27, cofounded HackerRank, a service company that can use coding challenges to find new engineering talent. Its paying customers include Facebook, Amazon, Zynga, Walmart, and the White House.
Deepika Kurup, 16, has invented an inexpensive method of purifying water that utilises sunlight and a photo-catalytic composite of titanium dioxide and silver nitrate.
Others in the list are Assistant professor at MIT 28-year- old Nikhil Agarwal, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Vikrum Aiyer, Ohio state representative Niraj Antani, and 23-year-old Rahul Rekhi, who is currently working to develop a UN-level treaty on antibiotic resistance policy.

Former state PWD minister Ram Prasad Kamal passes away

Former Minister of State for Public Works Department Ram Prasad Kamal passed away after a brief illness in Allahabad.

The 84-year old veteran parliamentarian breathed his last at his son's residence in Allahabad yesterday. He was brought to his ancestral home in Mathura late last night where his last rites will be performed at Dhruv Ghat this afternoon.
Kamal served as the Minister of State for PWD for BJP government from 1997-2004.
According to younger son Bhuvan Bhushan, Kamal was a batchmate of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee while studying law at DAV College, Kanpur.
Kamal was inducted into the BJP by Vajpayee in 1980 following which he was elected for two consecutive terms as member of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad from 1992.
Earlier, he had been twice elected as a member of the Mathura Nagar Palika as an independent candidate.
Kamal had also served as the president of BSA College's law department and as the dean of Agra University's law department.
He is survived by his wife Rameshwari Devi and nine children. 

P Krishnamurthy appointed private secretary to defence minister

NEW DELHI: IAS officer P Krishnamurthy was appointed as private secretary to defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday.

Krishnamurthy, a 1997 batch IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union territories cadre, is presently working as resident commissioner at Goa Sadan and state's finance secretary.

He has been appointed for a five-year period or on co-terminus basis with the minister's tenure, an order issued by the department of personnel and training said. He has also worked as secretary to Parrikar when the latter was Goa chief minister. Senior Goa bureaucrats Parimal Rai and Pawan Kumar Sain are likely to be posted in the defence ministry, sources said. The three were the main officers in the Parrikar administration in Goa.

Indian Constitution

Borrowed Features in Indian Constitution

1. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Fundamental Rights ?
Answer: America (USA)

2. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Supreme Court ?
Answer: America (USA)

3. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Preamble ?
Answer: America (USA)

4. From Which country India Borrowed Written Constitution ?
Answer: America (USA)
 
5. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Fundamental Duties ?
Answer: Russia (USSR)
 
6. From Which country India Borrowed Five year Plan ?
Answer: Russia (USSR)

7. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Speaker in Lok Sabha ?
Answer: Britain (UK)
 
8. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Parliamentary Election ?
Answer: Britain (UK)
 
9. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Election Commission ?
Answer: Britain (UK)
 
10. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed 'Suspension of Fundamental Rights during the Emergency' ?
Answer: Germany

11. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Concurrent list ?
Answer: Australia
 
12. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Federal System ?
Answer: Canada

13. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Union - State List ?
Answer: Canada

14. From Which country Indian Constitution Borrowed Amendment of the Constitution ?
Answer: South Africa




  Constitution Amendments


1. Which amendment is known as Mini constitution ?
Answer: 42 ^nd amendment (1976)


2. In which amendment did the Preamble amended ?
 Answer: 42 ^nd amendment


3. In which amendment did Right to property is removed from the Fundamental Rights ?
Answer: 44 ^th amendment (1978)


4. In which amendment did the voting age is lowered form 21 to 18 ?
Answer: 61 ^st amendment (1989)


5.which amendment created the National Capital Territory of Delhi ?
Answer: 69 ^st amendment (1991)


6. Which amendment lead to the creation of Panchayat Raj ?
Answer: 73 ^st amendment (1992)




  Constitution Articles


1. Which article is known as Heart and Soul of the Constitution ?
Answer: Article 32


2. Which article is known as Necessary Evil ?
Answer: Article 22


3. Article 17 of the Indian Constitution provides for ?
Answer: Abolition of Untouchability


4. Fundamental Right are granted to citizens under which Article ?
Answer: Article 12 to 35


5. 'Right to Equality' is guaranteed to the citizens of India under Article ?
Answer: Article 14


6. Which article has banned employment of children below the of 14 in hazardous industries and factories ?
Answer: Article 24


7. Which article deals with the free and compulsory education to all children below 14 years of age ?
Answer:  Article 45


8. Which article deals with Right to elementary Education ?
Answer: Article 21 A


8. Which is the Article that provides special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir ?
Answer: Article 370


9. Which Article relates to the establishment of Finance Commission ?
Answer: Article 280


10. Which Article deals with the Fundamental Duties ?
Answer: Article 51 A