Route Map to IAS

Companies Bill, 2008

2008-10-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

The much-awaited Companies Bill, 2008 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha. Minister of Corporate Affairs, Shri Prem Chand Gupta introduce the Bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to companies. Two days ago, i.e., on 21.10.2008 Shri Gupta had withdrawn the Companies (Amendment) BIll, 2003 which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 7.5.2003 as the said Bill was not in tune with the present day requirements of corporates in

India

The Companies Bill, 2008 is intended to modernize the structure for corporate regulation in India and represents a major reform statement by the Government to promote the development of the Indian corporate sector through enlightened regulation.

The comprehensive revision of the Companies Act, 1956 was taken up by the Ministry since not only had the number of companies in India expanded from about 30,000 in 1956 to above 7 lakhs today, the Indian corporate sector had also transformed itself in a manner that was unimaginable even a decade ago. Today, Indian companies have expanded and grown into global entities, continuously entering into and bringing new activities into the fold of the Indian economy. In doing so, they are emerging internationally as efficient providers of a wide range of goods and services while increasing employment opportunities at home.

At the same time, there is a requirement to enable corporate regulation in an effective and efficient manner with reasonable costs of compliance so that Indian companies are competitive in attracting investment for growth.

The review and redrafting of the Companies Act, 1956 was taken up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on the basis of a detailed consultative process. A `Concept Paper on new Company Law’ was placed on the website of the Ministry on 4^thAugust, 2004. The inputs received were put to a detailed examination in the Ministry. The Government also constituted an Expert Committee on Company Law under the Chairmanship of Dr. J.J. Irani on 2^nd December 2004 to advise on new Companies Bill. The Committee submitted its report to the Government on 31^st May 2005. Detailed consultations were also taken up with various Ministries, Departments and Regulators. The Bill was thereafter drafted in consultation with the Legislative Department of the Central Government.

The Companies Bill, 2008 seeks to enable the corporate sector in India to operate in a regulatory environment of best international practices that foster entrepreneurship, investment and growth.

The Bill reinforces shareholders democracy, facilitates e-Governance in company processes, recognizes the liability of Boards, directors and senior management personnel of companies, provides for a new scheme for penalties and punishment for non compliance or violation of the law, harmonizes corporate regulation with action by sectoral regulators, incorporates a new framework for mergers and amalgamations of companies and provides an extensive Insolvency Code based on the latest principles recommended by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

Briefly, the Bill provides for :-

(i) The basic principles for all aspects of internal governance of corporate entities and a framework for their regulation, irrespective of their area of operation, from incorporation to liquidation and winding up, in a single, comprehensive, legal framework to be administered by the Central Government. In doing so, the Bill also seeks to harmonise the Company law framework with the sectoral regulation;

(ii) articulation of shareholders democracy with protection of the rights of minority stakeholders, responsible self-regulation with adequate disclosures and accountability. Reduction of Government control over internal corporate processes;

(iii) easy transition of companies operating under the Companies Act, 1956, to the new framework as also from one type of company to another. Freedom with regard to the numbers and layers of subsidiary companies that a company may have, subject to disclosures in respect of their relationship and transactions or dealings between them;

(iv) a new entity in the form of One-Person Company (OPC) while empowering Government to provide a simpler compliance regime for small companies. Retention of the concept of Producer Companies, while providing a more stringent regime for companies with charitable objects to check misuse;

(v) application of the successful e-Governance initiative of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA-21) to all the processes involved in meeting compliance obligations. Company processes may also be carried out through electronic mode;

(vi) speedy incorporation process, with detailed declarations and disclosures about the promoters, directors etc., at the time of incorporation itself. Every company director would be required to acquire a unique Director Identification number (DIN);

(vii) relaxation of restrictions limiting the number of partners in entities such as partnership firms, banking companies etc., to a maximum 100, with no ceiling as to professional associations regulated by Special Acts;

(viii) duties and liabilities of the directors and every company to have at least one director resident in India. The Bill also provides for independent directors to be appointed on the Boards of such companies as may be prescribed, along with attributes determining independence. The requirement to appoint independent directors, where applicable, to listed public companies is a minimum of one-third of the total number of directors. For other public companies, the requirement and number may be prescribed through rules;

(ix) statutory recognition to audit, remuneration and stakeholders relationship committees of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Company Secretary to be as Key Managerial Personnel (KMP);

(x) companies not to be allowed to raise deposits from the public except on the basis of permission available to them through other Special Acts. The Bill prohibits insider trading by company directors or Key Managerial Personnel and declares it as an offence with criminal liability;

(xi) recognition of both accounting and auditing standards. The role, rights and duties of the auditors defined so as to maintain integrity and independence of the audit process. Consolidation of financial statements of subsidiaries with those of holding companies is proposed to be made mandatory;

(xii) a single forum for approval of mergers and acquisitions along with a shorter merger process for holding and wholly owned subsidiary companies or between two or more small companies as well as recognition of cross border mergers. Concept of deemed approval also provided in certain situations;

(xiii) a framework for enabling fair valuations in companies for various purposes. Appointment of valuers is proposed to be made by audit committee or in its absence by the Board of Directors;

(xiv) claim of an investor over a dividend or a benefit from a security not claimed for more than a period of seven years not to be extinguished, and Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) to be administered by a statutory authority;

(xv) shareholders associations or group of shareholders to be enabled to take legal action in case of any fraudulent action on the part of company and to take part in investor protection activities and ‘Class Action Suits’;

(xvi) a revised framework for regulation of insolvency, including rehabilitation, liquidation and winding up of companies and the process to be completed in a time bound manner;

(xvii) consolidation of fora for dealing with rehabilitation of companies, their liquidation and winding up in the single forum of National Company Law Tribunal with appeal to National Company Law Appellate Tribunal with suitable transitional provisions. The nature of the Rehabilitation and Revival Fund proposed in the Companies (Second Amendment) Act, 2002 to be replaced by Rehabilitation and Insolvency Fund with voluntary contributions linked to entitlements to draw money in a situation of insolvency;

(xviii) a more effective regime for inspections and investigations of companies while laying down the maximum as well as minimum quantum of penalty for each offence with suitable deterrence for repeated defaults. Company is identified as a separate entity for imposition of monetary penalties from the officers in default. In case of fraudulent activities, provisions for recovery and disgorgement have been included;

(xix) levy of additional fee in a non-discretionary manner for procedural non-compliance, such as late filing of statutory documents, to be enabled through rules. Defaults of procedural nature to be penalised by levy of monetary penalties by the adjudicating officers not below the level of Registrars. The appeals against orders of adjudicating officers to lie with suitably designated higher authorities;

(xx) Special Courts to deal with offences under the Bill. Company matters such as mergers and amalgamations, reduction of capital, insolvency including rehabilitation, liquidations and winding up are proposed to be dealt with by the National Company Law Tribunal.

Joining of Major Rivers

2008-10-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

The Government has kept a provision of Rs. 182.80 crore during Eleventh Five Year Plan for the preparation of Pre-feasibility / Feasibility / Detailed Project Reports of river links under Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme including that for preparation of Pre-feasibility / Feasibility Reports of Intra-state links by National Water Development Agency (NWDA).

The details of fund allocations are given below:

(Rs. in crore)

	Budget Estimates	Final Estimates	Expenditure incurred
2007-08	26.00	22.00	22.00
2008-09	30.00	To be decided in Jan./ Feb., 2009	11.85 (upto September, 2008)

The details of progress made during the year 2006, 2007 and 2008 are given below:
(i) The work for preparing Feasibility reports of following links was taken up:

* Under Peninsular Component

- Bedti – Varada link

* Under Himalayan Component

- Chunar – Sone barrage link,

- Yamuna – Rajasthan link,

- Farakka – Sunderbans link,

- Ganga (Farakka) – Damodar – Subernarekha link,

- Subernarekha – Mahanadi link,

- Rajasthan – Sabarmati link,

- Sone dam – Southern Tributaries of Ganga link,

- Manas – Sankosh – Tista – Ganga link,

- Kosi – Ghagra link, Gandak – Ganga link,

- Jogighopa – Tista – Farakka link

(ii) The works for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Ken – Betwa link project was taken up in 2006 and is planned to be completed by December, 2008. (iii) During 2008, the Government of Gujarat and Maharashtra have conveyed their concurrence to Union Government on Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for taking up the work of Preparation of Detailed Project Reports of two links namely Par-Tapi-Narmada & Damanganga – Pinjal.

Measures to Control Inflation

2008-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Government is monitoring the price situation on a regular basis and containment of inflation remains high on its agenda. Anti-inflationary policies of the government include strict fiscal discipline, rationalization of duties of essential items, effective supply-demand management of essential commodities through liberal tariff and trade policies, and strengthening the public distribution system. Administrative measures have enabled States to put Stock Limits on wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds/edible oils.

India has maintained a GDP growth of over 9 per cent in each of last three years, i.e. 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. In the current year information of GDP growth is available for only the first quarter. GDP growth of 7.9 per cent in first quarter of 2008-09, though low in terms of the growth record of last three years, is nonetheless impressive in view of the global uncertainties.

There has been some moderation in inflation in recent weeks from its peak of 12.91 per cent as on August 2, 2008 to 11.44 per cent (provisional) as on October 4, 2008. It is expected that the declining trend would continue in the coming months.

Impact of Financial Meltdown in USA

2008-10-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

The global financial crisis which surfaced in August 2007 had its origin in the meltdown of the US housing market. Pursuant to this crisis and news about the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008, Indian stock markets have witnessed a fall. As on October 10, 2008, the Sensex had fallen by 49.6 per cent from its highest level on January 8, 2008. The net equity investment by FIIs during the period from August 17, 2007 to Dec 31, 2007 was USD 7.8 billion approximately. Since January 2008, there has been a net disinvestment in equities to the tune of nearly $10.0 billion.

The fundamentals of the Indian economy have been strong and continue to be strong. Our banking system is stable and sound. RBI has pointed out that Indian banks have very limited exposure to the US mortgage market (directly or through derivatives) or to the failed/stressed financial institutions; hence the impact on their balance sheet will be marginal.

RBI has also informed that India’s real economy would be affected to a lesser degree than USA or Europe since our growth is largely domestically driven and our export markets not concentrated. Moreover, the current boom in the oil economies will be supportive of exports and inward remittances.

As regards the stock markets, it must be noted that the loss or gain arising from market movement is notional. In this context, it may also be mentioned that only a very small portion of our total population, less than two per cent, has any sort of exposure to the stock market.

What we are witnessing today in the Indian markets is an indirect effect of the global financial situation. This is only a reflection of the uncertainty and anxiety in the global financial markets. However, there is no reason for any anxiety or uncertainty in India.

Some of the steps taken by the Government, RBI and SEBI to balance the financial economy in the country are as follows:

1. Hike in interest rates on FCNR(B) deposits to LIBOR/Swap+25 basis points and on NR(E) Rupee deposits to LIBOR/Swap+100 basis points

2. Market Intervention by RBI to augment supply in the domestic foreign exchange market. All the transactions by the RBI will be at prevailing market rates and as per market practice

3. Allowing Scheduled banks to avail additional liquidity support under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)to the extent of up to one per cent of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL)

4. Allowing banks to avail of additional liquidity support exclusively for the purpose of meeting the liquidity requirements of mutual funds to the extent of up to 0.5 per cent of their NDTL

5. The Reserve Bank has decided to conduct the Second LAF on a daily basis with effect from September 17, 2008.

6. Reducing the Cash Reserve Ratio by 250 basis points from 9 per cent to 6.5 per cent of NDTL

7. Under the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, Government has agreed to provide to commercial banks, RRBs and co-operative credit institutions a sum of Rs. 25,000 crore as the first instalment

8. It has been decided to increase the Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) investment limit in corporate bonds from $3 billion to US$6 billion.

9. SEBI has decided that the position of the securities lent by FIIs and their sub-accounts abroad shall be disseminated on a consolidated basis twice a week i.e. on Tuesday and Friday of every week.

10. SEBI has further informed that it has been monitoring the activities of a few large financial institutions in India to ensure that the orderly functioning of the market is not hampered. SEBI is also continuously reviewing the situation in consultation with the stock exchanges and the depositories. RBI – SEBI Technical Committee is also closely monitoring the developments in the global financial markets and its impact on the Indian markets.

Mascots of the Beijing 2008

2008-09-11T00:31:00.000-07:00

Mascots of the Beijing 2008

Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa served as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.

Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.

Beibei

In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.
The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.

Jingjing

Jingjing makes children smile -- and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts -- and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.

Huanhuan

In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport -- and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008 -- and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people -- can be felt. The fiery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals -- with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring.

Yingying

Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing's commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring.

Nini

Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini's figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced "yan" in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among Fuwa, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green Olympic ring.

Emblem for Beijing Olympics

2008-09-11T00:25:00.000-07:00

Emblem for Beijing Olympics

Every emblem of the Olympics tells a story. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" is filled with Beijing's hospitality and hopes, and carries the city's commitment to the world.

Milestone

"Dancing Beijing" is a milestone of the Olympics. It serves as a classic chapter of the Olympic epic inscribed by the spirit of the Chinese nation, calligraphed by the deeper import of the ancient civilization, and molded by the character of Cathay's descendents. It is concise yet deep inside, bringing forth the city's gradual changes and development. It appears dignified yet bears a tune of romance, reflecting the nation's thoughts and emotions.

In the lead up to the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the emblem will attract more and more people from around the world to Beijing and China to join the great celebration with the Chinese people.

Commitment

"Dancing Beijing" is a Chinese Seal. It is engraved with commitment made to the Olympic Movement by a country that has 56 ethnic groups and a population of 1.3 billion. While witnessing the advocacy of the Olympic Spirit by a nation with both ancient civilization and modern culture, it also unfolds a future-oriented city's pursuit of the Olympic Ideal.

It is a symbol of trust and an expression of self confidence, standing for the solemn yet sacred promise that Beijing - the host city of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - has made to the world and to all mankind.

"Complete sincerity can affect even metal and stone (literally meaning sincerity smoothes the way to success)." The inception of our ancestors' wisdom and the image of a seal made of metal and stone allow the emblem to present Chinese people's respect and honesty for the Olympics.

The moment we earnestly imprint the emblem with the "Chinese seal", Beijing is about to show the world a grand picture of "peace, friendship, and progress of mankind" and to strike up the passionate movement of "faster, higher, and stronger" for mankind.

Image

"Dancing Beijing" serves as the city's foremost appearance. It is an image that shows the eastern ways of thinking and the nation's lasting appeal embodied in the Chinese characters. It is an expression that conveys the unique cultural quality and elegance of Chinese civilization.

With inspiration from the traditional Chinese art form - calligraphic art, the character "Jing" (the latter of the city's name) is developed into the form of a dancing human being, reflecting the ideal of a "New Olympics". The words "Beijing 2008" also resembles the vivid shapes of Chinese characters in handwriting, voicing in concise strokes of the countless feelings Chinese people possess towards the Olympics.

As people ponder on the rich connotations and charms of these Chinese characters, a "New Beijing" has thus been brought forward.

Beauty

"Dancing Beijing" is a favorite color of the Chinese people. The color "red" is intensively used in the emblem, hushing the passion up to a new level. It carries Chinese people's longing for luck and happiness and their explanation of life.

Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning. Red is mind at ease, symbol of vitality, and China's blessing and invitation to the world.

Hero

"Dancing Beijing" calls upon heroes. Olympic Games functions as the stage where heroes are made known, miracles created and glories earned, and where every participant constitutes an indispensable part of the occasion.

The powerful and dynamic design of the emblem is a life poem written by all participants with their passion, affections, and enthusiasm. It is an oath every participant takes to contribute power and wisdom to the Olympics.

The emblem cheers for arts and for the Olympic heroes, who pass down the essence of the Olympic Spirit, which well connects sports and cultures.

Spirit

"Dancing Beijing" extends the totem of the Chinese nation. The form of a running human being stands for the beauty and magnificence of life. Its graceful curves are like the body of a wriggling dragon, relating the past and future of one same civilization; they are like rivers, carrying the century-old history and the nation's pride; they are like veins, pulsing with vitality of life.

The intrinsic values of sports - athlete-centered and people-oriented - are well defined and upgraded in an artistic way in "the dance of Beijing." We sing if words fail to explain it all, and we dance if the singing does not explicitly tell the meaning.

Vigorous Beijing is looking forward to the celebration in 2008 and the Olympics wait all mankind to dance together.

Invitation

"Dancing Beijing" is a kind invitation. The open arms in the emblem say that China is opening its arms to welcome the rest of the world to join the Olympics, a celebration of "peace, friendship and progress of mankind."

"Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?" The idiom portraits the feelings of friendly and hospitable Chinese people and expresses the sincerity of the city.

Come to Beijing, take a good look at the historical heritages of China's Capital city, and feel the pulse of the country's modernization;

Come, share every piece of its joy, and experience the vigor of the country;

Come, and let us together weave a peaceful and wonderful dream.

Medals for Beijing 2008

2008-09-11T00:13:00.000-07:00

Medals for Beijing 2008

The medal for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is designed with inspiration coming from "bi", China's ancient jade piece inscribed with dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and are embodiment of traditional Chinese values of ethics and honor, sending forth strong Chinese flavor.

The medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness. On the front side, the medal adopts standard design prescribed by the International Olympic Committee. While on the back, the medal is inlaid with jade with the Beijing Games emblem engraved in the metal centerpiece. The design inspiration of the medal hook derives from jade "huang", a ceremonial jade piece with decoration of double dragon pattern and "Pu", the reed mat pattern.

Noble and elegant, the Beijing Olympic Games medal is a blending of traditional Chinese culture and the Olympism. It gives the winners of the Games great honor and acclamation as recognition of their achievement.

Beijing 2008 - MEDAL STANDING

2008-09-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

		G	S	B	T
1.	China	51	21	28	100
2.	United States	36	38	36	110
3.	Russia	23	21	28	72
4.	Great Britain	19	13	15	47
5.	Germany	16	10	15	41
6.	Australia	14	15	17	46
7.	South Korea	13	10	8	31
8.	Japan	9	6	10	25
9.	Italy	8	10	10	28
10.	France	7	16	17	40
11.	Ukraine	7	5	15	27
12.	Netherlands	7	5	4	16
13.	Jamaica	6	3	2	11
14.	Spain	5	10	3	18
15.	Kenya	5	5	4	14
16.	Belarus	4	5	10	19
17.	Romania	4	1	3	8
18.	Ethiopia	4	1	2	7
19.	Canada	3	9	6	18
20.	Poland	3	6	1	10
21.	Hungary	3	5	2	10
	Norway	3	5	2	10
23.	Brazil	3	4	8	15
24.	Czech Republic	3	3	0	6
25.	Slovakia	3	2	1	6
26.	New Zealand	3	1	5	9
27.	Georgia	3	0	3	6
28.	Cuba	2	11	11	24
29.	Kazakhstan	2	4	7	13
30.	Denmark	2	2	3	7
31.	Mongolia	2	2	0	4
	Thailand	2	2	0	4
33.	North Korea	2	1	3	6
34.	Argentina	2	0	4	6
	Switzerland	2	0	4	6
36.	Mexico	2	0	1	3
37.	Turkey	1	4	3	8
38.	Zimbabwe	1	3	0	4
39.	Azerbaijan	1	2	4	7
40.	Uzbekistan	1	2	3	6
41.	Slovenia	1	2	2	5
42.	Bulgaria	1	1	3	5
	Indonesia	1	1	3	5
44.	Finland	1	1	2	4
45.	Latvia	1	1	1	3
46.	Belgium	1	1	0	2
	Dominican Republic	1	1	0	2
	Estonia	1	1	0	2
	Portugal	1	1	0	2
50.	India	1	0	2	3
51.	Iran	1	0	1	2
52.	Bahrain	1	0	0	1
	Cameroon	1	0	0	1
	Panama	1	0	0	1
	Tunisia	1	0	0	1
56.	Sweden	0	4	1	5
57.	Croatia	0	2	3	5
	Lithuania	0	2	3	5
59.	Greece	0	2	2	4
60.	Trinidad and Tobago	0	2	0	2
61.	Nigeria	0	1	3	4
62.	Austria	0	1	2	3
	Ireland	0	1	2	3
	Serbia	0	1	2	3
65.	Algeria	0	1	1	2
	Bahamas	0	1	1	2
	Colombia	0	1	1	2
	Kirghyzstan	0	1	1	2
	Morocco	0	1	1	2
	Tajikistan	0	1	1	2
71.	Chile	0	1	0	1
	Ecuador	0	1	0	1
	Iceland	0	1	0	1
	Malaysia	0	1	0	1
	South Africa	0	1	0	1
	Singapore	0	1	0	1
	Sudan	0	1	0	1
	Vietnam	0	1	0	1
79.	Armenia	0	0	6	6
80.	Chinese Taipei	0	0	4	4
81.	Afghan	0	0	1	1
	Egypt	0	0	1	1
	Israel	0	0	1	1
	Moldova	0	0	1	1
	Mauritius	0	0	1	1
	Togo	0	0	1	1
	Venezuela	0	0	1	1

2008-09-10T03:18:00.001-07:00

TRIVIA AND FACTS FROM PAST OLYMPICS

At the 1952 Olympic Games, Russian gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya won an overall record seven medals.

Australian swimmer Murray Rose won six Olympic medals and was the first man to swim the 1,500-metre freestyle in less than 18 minutes.

When

Australia

won the right to host the Olympics in 2,000 it forced the homeless and poor out of Sydney, so rich overseas tourists would not have to look on poor people, and to hide from the world

Australias

shocking homeless problem.

Because of the outbreak of major world wars, the modern Olympics did not hold competitions in 1916, 1940, and 1944.

In 1896, only first and second place finishers of the Olympics were awarded medals. The winners received silver medals and crowns of olive branches, while second place finishers received bronze medals.

In 1912 in Stockholm, the first electric timing devices and public address system was used at the Olympics.

In 648 B.C., horses were first introduced into sports with the entrance of riders in the Olympic Games.

In the opening procession of the Olympics, the team representing the host nation always marches last.

Iranian women competed in the Olympics for the first time at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Korea

marched under a single flag at the 27th Olympiad at Sydney,

Australia

, the first time in Olympic history.

London has hosted the Olympic Summer Games twice, 1908 and 1948.

Micronesia

made its Olympic Games debut at Sydney,

Australia

, in September 2000.

Norway

has won more total medals at the Winter Olympic Games than any other nation.

Olympic testing of athletes for anabolic steroids began in 1976

Slovakia

participated as an independent nation at the Olympic Games for the first time in Atlanta in 1996.

The balance beam used in Olympic gymnastic competition is 16 feet, 3 inches long and 4 inches wide.

The bow used by Olympic archers measures a maximum of 6 feet for men, 5¼ feet for women.

The first Olympic games were held in Ancient Greece in 776 B.C.

The first Winter Olympics Games were open in Chamonix,

France

, on 25th January, 1924.

The immediate site of the ancient Olympiads, the Stadium of Olympia, was about 643 feet in length and about 97 feet wide.

The key word "amateur" was eliminated from the Olympic Charter in 1971.

The official Olympic Games flag was introduced in 1920, at the Games played in

Belgium

The Olympic symbol is made up of five interlocking rings, standing for the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa,

Australia

, and North America.

Tug-of-war was an Olympic event from 1900 - 1920.

When the Olympics were held in

France

, in 1900, the winners were given a valuable piece of art instead of a medal.

Dependencies and Territories of the World

2008-03-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

The modern political world includes (58) territories and/or dependencies. All are listed
in alphabetical order with capital city and country of dependency reference.

COUNTRY/CAPITAL CITY/CLAIMED BY

(A)
American Samoa (Pago Pago) usa
Anguilla (The Valley) british
Aruba (Oranjestad) netherlands
Ashmore & Cartier Islands (na) australian

(B)
Baker & Howland Islands (na) usa
Bermuda (Hamilton) british
Bouvet Island (na) norwegian
British Indian Ocean Territory (Diego Garcia) british
British Virgin Is (Road Town) british

(C)
Cayman Islands (George Town) british
Christmas Island (Flying Fish Cove) australian
Cocos Islands (West Island) australian
Cook Islands (Avarua) new zealand
Coral Sea Islands (na) australian

(F)
Faeroe Islands (Torshavn) denmark
Falkland Islands (Stanley) british
French Guiana (Cayenne) french
French Polynesia (Papeete) french

(G)
Gibraltar (Gibraltar) british
Greenland (Nuuk) denmark
Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre) french
Guam (Agana) usa
Guernsey (St. Peter Port) british

(H)
Heard & MacDonald Islands (na) australian
Hong Kong (na) now controlled by China

(I)
Isle of Man (Douglas) british

(J)
Jan Mayen (na) norwegian
Jarvis Island (na) usa
Jersey (St. Helier) british
Johnston Atoll (na) usa

(K)
Kingman Reef (na) usa

(M)
Macao (Macao) now controlled by china
Martinique (Fort-de-France) french
Mayotte (Mamoudzou) french
Midway Islands (na) usa
Montserrat (Plymouth) british

(N)
Navassa Island (na) usa
Netherland Antilles (Willemstad) netherlands
New Caledonia (Noumea) french
Niue (Alofi) new zealand
Norfolk Island (Kingston) australian
Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) usa

(P)
Palmyra Atoll (na) usa
Paracel Islands (Woody Island) disputed by china, taiwan and vietnam
Puerto Rico (San Juan) usa
Peter Island (na) norwegian
Pitcairn Islands (Adamstown) british

(R)
Reunion (Saint-Denis) french

(S)
St. Helena & Dependencies (Jamestown) british
St. Pierre & Miquelon (St. Pierre) french
South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (Grytviken) british
Spratly Islands (na) disputed by china, vietnam, malaysia, and more
Svalbard (Longyearbyen) norwegian

(T)
Tokelau (na) new zealand
Turks & Caicos Islands (Cockburn Town) british

(V)
Virgin Islands (Charlotte Amalie) usa

(W)
Wake Island (na) usa
Wallis & Futuna (Mata Uta) french

Appointments & Resignations for IAS-2008(pre)

2008-03-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Bahubali S Shah elected INS President

Managing Director and Editor of `Gujarat Samachar', Bahubali S Shah was elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society for the year 2007-08 at its 68th Annual General Meeting in Banglore.

He succeeds Hormusji N Cama (Bombay Samachar Weekly, Mumbai).

Paresh Nath (Woman's Era, New Delhi) was elected the Deputy President, T Venkattram Reddy (Deccan Chronicle) Vice-President and Rakesh Sharma (Hindustan Times, Patna) Honorary Treasurer.

Pawan Chopra is the Secretary General of the Society.

Musharraf appoints new ISI chief

Nadeem Taj, on promotion to lieutenant general, is the new ISI head. He has previously served as the military intelligence chief and as Musharraf's military secretary.

This has led to speculation that the replaced ISI chief, Lieutenant-General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, could either succeed Musharraf as army chief when he sheds his uniform later this year, or be made the army's vice chief if the president continues to wear the uniform.

Ashok Rai new joint director of Wildlife Crime Bureau

Ashok Rai, a 1983 IPS official from Uttarakhand, has been appointed as the joint director of the newly-constituted Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Ministry of Environment.

Rai, who was earlier posted with the Cabinet Secretariat at the Centre, will hold the full-time post in the bureau.

The Crime Bureau was set up at the behest of the Prime Minister to develop infrastructure and capacity building for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes, besides assisting state governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crime.

The bureau will have two joint directors -- one from the IFS and another from the IPS rank. They who will be assisted by six regional directors to be posted at Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai having two officials each, and New Delhi and Jabalpur with one official each.

Goel appointed Chairman of Ratnagiri Gas and Power

The board of Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd on Saturday appointed GAIL Director (Finance) R K Goel as the Chairman of the company.

Ratnagiri Gas and Power, jointly promoted by public sector units GAIL and NTPC, was set up to takeover the assets and revive the erstwhile Dabhol Power Project and operate the power plant and LNG terminal at Dabhol in Maharashtra.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is appointed as a general secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC)

Shashank Manohar to be next BCCI chief

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Shashank Manohar is all set to be the next president of the world's richest cricket board since he was the only candidate to file his nomination for the top slot.

BCCI president Sharad Pawar is known to have favoured Manohar, a leading lawyer from Nagpur and son of Maharashtra's former advocate general V.R. Manohar.

Known for his no-nonsense approach and insistence on fitness and performance rather than seniority, the incumbent Vidarbha Cricket Association president is expected to bring more player friendly measures during his tenure.

Ravi Shastri appointed National Cricket Academy (NCA) chairman.

Former India captain Ravi Shastri has been appointed chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA)

Shastri takes over from Ajay Shirke, who was made acting chairman of the Bangalore-based Academy after Kapil Dev was sacked from the post for signing up with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

General Deepak Kapoor is new Chief of Army Staff

* He is taking over from Gen. JJ Singh.

* He is the 23rd Army Chief.

* India’s is the world’s second biggest army.

International Coffee Organization –

ICO has elected India’s GV Krishna Rau (he is the Coffee Board Chairman) as the head of the ICC – International Coffee Council, the general body of the ICO.

Lt General AK Nanda takes over as new Director General of BRO

Lieutenant General A K Nanda has taken over as new Chief of Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

He succeeds Lieutenant General KS Rao, who superannuated on September 30.

Lieutenant General Nanda is an alumnus of National Defence Academy in Pune, Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Army War College in Mhow and National Defence College.

The General Officer was commissioned into Bengal Sappers in December 1969.

In his 38 years of service in the army, he held varied command and staff appointments, including the Command of an Engineer Regiment, an Engineer Brigade and General Officer Commanding 101 Area.

He has held instructional appointments at College of Military Engineering, Pune and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

Before taking over as Director General Border Roads, the General Officer was ADG (Engineer Staff) in E-in-C's Branch.

Dhruv Prashar quits Adidas Group

Dhruv Prashar has stepped down as Head of Retail Development (Asia-Pacific) of the Adidas Group and will start a retail consultancy- DeCube Retail Plus Ltd.

DeCube Retail Plus is a complete retail solutions provider, which offers turnkey service to retailers and brands from concept to commissioning.

Naidu takes over as Indian Army vice chief

Lt. Gen. Milan Lalitkumar Naidu has taken over as the Indian Army's vice chief. He succeeds Gen. Deepak Kapoor, who is now the army chief.

Naidu, till recently, headed the Shimla-based Army Training Command.

Commissioned in the Rajput Regiment in Dec 1967, he has had a long and chequered career having served in all sectors and terrains in India and abroad.

As commanding officer of 5 Rajput, he participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal. He has commanded a brigade in semi-desert terrain, a division in the plains of Punjab during Operation Parakram and a corps in a high-altitude and glaciated region.

Som Mittal is new Nasscom President

Som Mittal, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Asia-Pacific and Japan region head of services business, is the new president of Nasscom. He takes over the post from Kiran Karnik, and will assume office from January 2008.

he was the chairman of the body between 2003-04. Mr Mittal is currently a trustee at Nasscom Foundation, the social development arm of the association.

Dr Jain to be the next WANO President

Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director Dr Shreyans Kumar Jain has become the first Indian to be elected as the President of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).

Dr Jain was elected for the post during WANO's ninth Biennial General Meeting at Chicago last month. He would continue to hold this position till January 2010 when NPCIL would be hosting the next Biennial General Meeting in New Delhi.

WANO is a non-profit and non-governmental world body, which promotes the maximum safety and reliability of the operation of the nuclear power plants by exchanging information and encouraging communication amongst the member nations. India is one of the founder members of this world body.

India's Zeeshan Ali UAE tennis coach

Former Indian Davis Cup player Zeeshan Ali has been appointed the permanent coach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tennis team.

Ali was earlier given a temporary contract after he guided the UAE to the Tier III Davis Cup event.

Ex-PM Fradkov named head of Russia foreign intelligence

Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov will be appointed head of the country's foreign intelligence service

Merrill Lynch appoints Jayanti Bajpai as India head

Global financial service provider Merrill Lynch has appointed Jayanti Bajpai as head of investment banking operations in India.

Bajpai, named as Head of Origination for India, would take over from Patti McLaughlin, who has been leading the investment banking effort over the past year.

Jayanti Bajpai joined Merrill Lynch in 1987 and has worked in New York, Singapore, Hong Kong and London in a number of senior positions.

Bajpai was a key member of Merrill Lynch's Indian Investment banking team in the 1990s

DSP Merrill Lynch Limited (DSPML) is a leading capital markets and advisory company in India. Global investment banker Merrill Lynch holds close to 90 per cent stake in DSP Merrill Lynch.

Dr Paul elected as 'IMAGES' President

Renowned gynaecological endoscopic surgeon and Chairman, Pauls Hospital Dr P G Paul has been elected as the President of the Indian Society of Minimal Access and Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgery (IMAGES), a national body of endoscopic and uro-gynaecological surgeons.

He is the first Indian to be inducted as a Member of the Society of Reproductive Surgeons, American Society of Reproductive Medicines.

Satwinder Rana appointed HPCC (Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee) GENERAL SECRETARY

Sudarshan Agarwal sworn in as new Governor of Sikkim

Mr Sudarshan Agarwal was sworn in as the new Governor of Sikkim in a function at Raj Bhavan.

Mr Agarwal took charge from Mr V Rama Rao.

Mr Agarwal had been the Governor of Uttarakhand since January, 2003.

Possessing a legal background, he had served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission for three years as a Judge of the Supreme Court. From 1981 to 1993, he was Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha.

Uday Shankar elevated to Star India's CEO

The Hong Kong-based Star today announced the elevation of Uday Shankar as Star India's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and of Jagdish Kumar as its Chief Operating Officer (COO), in a move aimed at streamlining the channel's operations in India now witnessing a burgeoning TV market.

Mr Kumar joined Star in 1995 as Star India's CFO, and has held a number of titles, including senior vice president (finance) at the company's HQ in Hong Kong since 2004 and vice president, Digital Platform Group in Mumbai from 2001 to 2004. Prior to joining Star, he spent eight years with conglomerate ITC in a number of roles, including financial controller (International Business- Aqua Group), Chennai.

Australian Siddons accepts job as Bangladesh coach

Australia's Shaun Williams has been in charge of the Bangladesh team on a temporary basis since Sri Lanka-born Australian Dav Whatmore declined to renew his contract in May.

Siddons, a senior coach for Australia since 2005 and most recently the side's assistant coach, appeared in one one-day international for Australia against Pakistan in 1988. A former batsman for Victoria and South Australia, he also played Australian Rules football.

Argentine first lady claims victory in presidential elections

Argentina's glamorous first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, claimed victory in her bid to succeed her husband and become the first woman in her country's history to be elected president.

RBI appoints two new Executive Directors

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed two new Executive Directors -- G Gopalakrishna and H R Khan -- with effect from October 26.

Gopalakrishna has been given charge of the Department of Non-Banking Supervision, Foreign Exchange, Expenditure and Budgetary Control.

Khan will look after the departments of External Investments & Operations, Internal Debt Management and the Department of Government and Bank Accounts.

Pakistan gets new Chief Justice

Shortly after clamping Emergency, Pakistan Prez Musharraf appointed Abdul Hameed Dogar as the country`s new Chief Justice to succeed sacked Iftikhar Mohd Chaudhary, an icon of anti-Musharraf movement.

The Pakistan government also appointed new chief justices for Sindh, Lahore and Balosisthan High Courts.

Justice Abdul Mohammed Somroo has been appointed as new Chief Justice of Sindh High Court while Justice Amanula Yasim Zai will be the new Chief Justice of Balosisthan High Court, the state-run PTV reported.

Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhury has been appointed as new Chief Justice of Lahore High Court.

Three New Additional Judges For Madras HC

The appointment of three Additional Judges of the Madras High Court by President pratibha patil announced.

They are Justices K K Sasidharan, M Venugopal and V Periya Karuppiah, in that order of seniority, the Law and Justice Ministry announced.

Each will have a two year term with effect from the day of assumption of office.

Citigroup announces Robert E Rubin as its next Chairman

Following the resignation of Charles Prince, the bank announced that Robert Rubin, the former US Treasury Secretary will be chairing the beleaguered bank.

S Narayanan appointed MD & CEO of ITGI

IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Compnay Ltd (ITGI) today appointed Mr S Narayanan as company's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mr Narayanan, who has been working with the company as Executive Vice President for the past six years will succeed Ajit Narain. The company also appointed N K Kedia and Yasunobu Fukuda as Director (Marketing) and Director (Operations) respectively.

Masahiro Ogawa would be the new Director (Strategy). ITGI is a joint venture promoted by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO) and its associates and The Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire, the largest insurance company in Japan.

Burundi names new first vice-president

Burundi's parliament voted in legislator Yves Sahinguvu as first vice-president today after his predecessor resigned to break a government logjam with the opposition.

Parliament voted 93 to 15 to approve Sahinguvu, 58-year-old member of the Tutsi-dominated UPRONA party, as vice-president.

An eye doctor by training, Sahinguvu is a businessman with interests in insurance and oil companies.

He replaces Martin Nduwimana.

Sawani named ICC anti-corruption unit's chief investigator

Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joint-director of special crimes, Ravi Sawani, has been appointed the new chief investigator and general manager of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).

Sawani, 57, takes over from Jeff Rees, who is retiring after holding the post since the inception of the ACSU in 2000.

Sawani was part of the CBI team set up in 2000 to inquire into the corruption charges against prominent cricketers.

Yeddyurappa sworn in as CM of Karnataka

A five-member BJP-led coalition ministry headed by B S Yeddyurappa was sworn in on Monday afternoon in Karnataka, bringing to an end the 34-day President's rule imposed on the state in the wake of political turmoil

The taking of oath by Yeddyurappa as the 25th Chief Minister of the state is a historic event for the saffron party as it fulfilled its ambition of installing its first ever government in the South.

New Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad (KCP) President

Senior Janata Dal(S) leader T Prabhakar has been elected as the president of Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad .

He defeated his nearest rival Mohan Dev Alva by 45 votes. Mr Prabhakar polled 73 votes, while Mr Alva secured 28 votes.

Ms Kamalakshi was elected unopposed as General Secretary.

Samir Brahmachari takes over as CSIR head

Dr Samir Brahmachari, a pioneer in functional genomics initiative in India, today took charge as the new Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ending months of uncertainty over the post.

Before this, he was Director, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi.

He is the first to discover how human miRNA can target HIV genes and control virus replication, thus opening up a new vista of antiviral therapeutics, official sources here said.

Dr Brahmachari took over from Science and Technology Secretary T Ramasami, who was looking after the additional charge of CSIR for the past several months since food technologist V Prakash, who was appointed to the post, refused to take office on health grounds.

Dr Prakash, then Director of CSIR's Mysore-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) was to replace Dr R A Mashelkar on January 1, but did not citing health reasons.

The post had been lying vacant for sometime before Dr Ramasami was made acting DG.

A Ph.D in Molecular Biophysics from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Dr Brahmachari became professor at the same institute.

He has successfully led the Indian genome Variation Consortium project and is now coordinating a national network project in â€˜In Silico Biologyâ€™ for drug target development.

He and his co-workers have demonstrated association of two genes to Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and identified several SNPâ€™s and other markers associated with various neurological disorders. He has received several awards, including INSA Young Scientists Award in 1979, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (CSIR) 1990; Millennium Medal (Indian Science Congress) 2000, B R Ambedkar Centenary Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research (ICMR) 2005, and J C Bose Medal (INSA) 2007. He has been a member, expert group on Human Rights and Biotechnology, United Nations and also been included in the Advisory Committee of the X-Prize in Genomics which consists of leading Genomics Scientists of the world. As an advisor to Human Rights High Commission, he has addressed issues of unethical exploitation of genetic resources of the Third World and has championed the concept of rights of patients in benefit-sharing in the development of genomic medicines.

Vedi new ED of Canara Bank

G S Vedi has taken over as Executive Director of the Canara Bank.

According to a Bank release, Mr Vedi had been associated with Punjab and Sind Bank since 1969 and had held various positions in the Bank, including General manager of Investment Management, Foreign Exchange and Computer Planning and Policy.

Three new Supreme Court judges sworn in

Three new Supreme Court judges were sworn in by the Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan .

The new judges are Justices G S Singhvi, Aftab Alam and J M Panchal. The oath of office was administered at 1030 hrs in the Supreme Court.

Till now, there is no women judge in the Supreme Court. The only women judge Rumapal had retired in November last year.

Justice Singhvi is from Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice Aftab Alam is from Jammu and Kashmir High Court, and Justice Panchal is from Rajasthan High Court.

Shantanu Narayen to replace Bruce Chizen as Adobe CEO

Software maker Adobe Systems Inc. CEO Bruce Chizen said he would step down, and President and Chief Operating Officer Shantanu Narayen will replace him on Dec. 1.

Narayen joined Adobe in 1998 as vice president and general manager of engineering. In 1999, he was promoted to senior vice president, and in January 2005 he became president and chief operating officer. Before Adobe, Narayen co-founded Pictra Inc., a digital photo sharing software company. He also served as director of desktop and collaboration products at Silicon Graphics Inc. and was a senior manager at Apple Inc.

Chizen, who has been at Adobe for 14 years, will remain CEO until Nov. 30, then work halftime as a strategic adviser until the end of fiscal 2008. He will also serve on Adobe's board of directors through the spring.

Chizen, 52, who has served as Adobe's CEO for seven years.

Salem Steel Plant gets new ED

BB Singh has assumed charge as Executive Director of Salem Steel Plant on November 10. Mr. Singh joined Steel Authority of India’s Rourkela Steel Plant in 1974.

(Slovenia)Elected President

Longtime Slovenian diplomat Danilo Turk became the third President as Slovenians looked for fresh faces in politics and sent a clear warning to the centre-right government.

Vijay L. Kelkar to head XIIIth Finance Commission

Vijay L. Kelkar, former Union Finance Secretary and adviser to the Finance Minister, has been appointed as Chairman of the XIIIth Finance Commission.

The President constituted the XIIIth Finance Commission under Article 280 (1) of the Constitution.

Other full time members of the Commission are Indira Rajaraman, Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Abusaleh Shariff, Chief Economist, National Council of Applied Economic Research, and Atul Sarma, former Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University.

B.K Chaturvedi, Member of Planning Commission will be a part time member of the Commission. Sumit Bose will be the Secretary of the Commission.

the XIIIth Finance Commission will review the state of finances of the Union and the States keeping in view the operation of the States' Debt Consolidation and Relief Facility 2005-2010(DCRF).

It will also suggest measures for maintaining a stable and sustainable fiscal environment consistent with equitable growth.

The XIIIth Finance Commission will also review the present arrangements as regards financing of Disaster Management with reference to the National Calamity Contingency Fund and the Calamity Relief Fund and the funds envisaged in the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The recommendations of the XIIIth Finance Commission will cover the period of five years from Ist April, 2010 to 31st March 2015.

The Commission is expected to make available its report by 31st October, 2009.

Soomro PM of caretaker government in Pakistan

President Pervez Musharraf named Mohammedmian Soomro, the chairman of the Pakistan Senate, as the Prime Minister of a caretaker government tasked with conducting parliamentary elections in January 2008.

Poland's president swears in govt

Donald Tusk, 50, was sworn in as prime minister at the presidential palace along with his Cabinet.

Poland's President swore in the country's new government _ an internationally team of former anti-communist dissidents committed to pro-business reforms.

Indra Nooyi on USIBC board

Pepsico Chairman Indra K. Nooyi has been appointed to the board of directors of The United States India Business Council (USIBC).

Peter Ronald deSouza new IIMS director

Peter Ronald de Souza is the new Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) Director.

He was a professor in the Political Science department at Goa University for 16 years from 1986 and head of the department from from 1996 to 2002. Besides being a member of the International Political Science Association's Research Committees on Political Philosophy and Political Sociology, he was also a member of the University Grants Commission's expert panel in Political Science from 1997 to 2000.

Professor deSouza was awarded the British Council Visitorship to the UK where he made presentations at LSE, SOAS, Warwick and Sussex University in 1992. In March 2000, he was a Visiting Professor at Birkbeck College, London University, and in May 2001 he was a visiting scholar at the Taubman Centre, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also a member of the Editorial Committee for Indian Council for Social Science Research Survey on trends in Political Science and the Indian Journal of Social Science Review. The Professor was part of the team that did a review of Social Science Research Capacity in South Asia for the Social Science Research Council, New York. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Bank on Rural Decentralisation, to the Ford Foundation on Local government in India, and to the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International-IDEA) in preparing their handbook on Democracy Assessment. Professor dSouza has several books and research articles to his credit and in recent times was examining issues of decentralised democracy in India and has published several articles on Panchayati Raj. Besides, he has just completed a study for the World Bank on 'Dalits, Discrimination and the Struggle for Equal Citizenship'.

China's "Iron Lady" Wu Yi confirms retirement

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, known as China's ''Iron Lady'' for her tenacity in trade negotiations, said today that she would retire from government early next year.

Wu, 69 this month, has been responsible for talks with the United States on contentious trade issues and been called on by Beijing to manage a number of crises, from this year's scandals over product safety to SARS in 2003.

Somalia has new prime minister

Former Somali Red Crescent officer Nor Hassan Hussein has been appointed the new prime minister of Somalia.

Interim President Abdullahi Yusuf announced the appointment , three weeks after the former premier, Ali Gedi, resigned from his post.

Lebanese President leaves office without successor

Lebanon plunged into a political vacuum after a sharply divided Parliament failed to elect a head of state and President Emile Lahoud headed out of office without a successor - pushing a yearlong crisis toward uncharted waters that many fear could bring violence.

Makkar re-elected SGPC chief

Avtar Singh Makkar was on Friday re-elected president of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), considered to be mini-parliament of Sikhs.

Makkar's name was proposed by former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar during the annual general polls of the religious body.

Makkar, who was elected to the coveted post for the third time, was the unanimous choice of the general house of the religious body.

Kamlesh Sharma is New Sec Gen of C' Wealth

With an unanimous decision by Commonwealth leaders in Kampala, India's Kamlesh Sharma has been elected as the New Secretary General of the Common Wealth on Saturday.

Kamalesh Sharma, currently the Indian High Commissioner in London, was a member of the Indian Foreign Service from 1965 to 2002.

He has also served as a permanent representative at the United Nations in Geneva and has also served as Ambassador for Disarmament and Spokesman for developing countries in United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Sharma was Ambassador to Germany and the first Ambassador to the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Ukraine PM resigns as parties jostle for power

Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych submitted his resignation as a new parliament was sworn in and rival parties jostled to form a government after September elections.

Yanukovych formally gave up his powers at an inaugural parliament session in which all 450 new members of parliament were solemnly sworn in.

Australia's new PM

Kevin Rudd become Australia's 26th Prime Minister after his Labor party defeated John Howard's Liberal/National coalition on Saturday. Mr Howard was the Australian PM for 11 years.

Mr Rudd easily secured the 16 seats Labor needed to win in the House of Representatives, recording a nationwide swing of 6.3 percent.

The victory makes Labor's deputy leader Julia Gillard Australia's first female Deputy Prime Minister.

New MD for Lenovo India

Lenovo announced the appointment of R K Amar Babu as Managing Director, Lenovo India.

Mr Babu would be responsible for the overall business and growth for Lenovo in India, according to a company release here.

Mr Babu had more than 17 years of multi-functional experience, of which over ten years have been in leadership roles. He was most recently the Chief Service Delivery Officer of Idea Cellular Ltd., and a member of Idea Cellular's Executive Committee,

Muttam Abdullah appointed as BSP Kerala unit Gen Secretary

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Kerala has appointed Muttam Abdullah as additional General Secretary of the party in the state.

Pakistan's new army chief

General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani took over as Pakistan's new army chief at a ceremony in the country's military nerve centre Rawalpindi.

The 55-year-old general has been in military service since 1971 and enjoys the reputation of being a professional soldier and strictly apolitical. He is also reportedly known to be poker-faced, a man who can keep his cards close to his chest.

The son of an army man, Kayani was born in the Punjab district of Jhelum in 1952. He joined the army in 1971 and, like Musharraf, rose through the army ranks to become a general.

Kayani received his training at a military college and later at the Pakistan Military Academy and was commissioned second lieutenant.

Kayani's father died when Kayani was still a young soldier, so he had to support his family. He managed to educate his three brothers and three sisters. Kayani served as deputy military secretary in the late 1980s under the cabinet of the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Kayani started heading the Inter Services Intelligence in 2004. As a man of principles, he reportedly declined to help a cousin who wanted to contest the election in Rawalpindi. The cousin later decided not to contest the election.

Musharraf sworn-in as civilian President of Pakistan

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who stepped down as army chief on Wednesday, took oath as a civilian leader for a second presidential term later in the day.

Musharraf was sworn in for a five-year term by Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar at a ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr or presidency in Islamabad at 11 am Pakistan time.

The military ruler won the 6th October presidential poll by securing 57 per cent of the votes from an electoral college comprising the parliament and four provincial assemblies.

Rakesh Mehta is new Delhi Chief Secy.

Rakesh Mehta, a 1975-batch IAS officer, appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Delhi.

56-year-old Mehta, who is currently a Principal Secretary in the NCT government and is considered close to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, replaces R Narayanaswamy who retired on Friday.

Mehta has been appointed superseding 11 of his seniors, including MCD Commissioner A K Nigam (1974-batch).

R J M Pillai new Chief Secretary of Bihar

Bihar government appointed R J M Pillai, a 1973 batch IAS officer, as Chief Secretary of the state.

Anuratna Chadha appointed Country Business Manager for CITI Private

Bank

Anuratna Chadha has been appointed as Country Business Manager - India for Citi Private Bank and onshore head of Citi Global Wealth Management businesses in India.

With effect from January 1, 2008, Chadha will manage Citi Private Bank's business in India and will also have additional supervisory responsibility for the Citi Smith Barney business.

Based in Mumbai, he will report to Sanjay Nayar, Chief Executive Officer for Citi India and Ajay Sondhi, Region Head - Global India, Citi Global Wealth Management, Singapore.

Dogra appointed acting AIIMS Director

T D Dogra is next to Venugopal in seniority.

The dismissal of 66-year-old Venugopal came shortly after President Pratibha Patil signed the controversial bill passed by Parliament two days ago fixing the age limit of 65 years for AIIMS Director, seen as a move to ease out the cardiac surgeon.

Dogra is the senior most physician after Venugopal and hence he has been appointed as the acting Director.

Maharashtra CM's principal secy to head Nabard

Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's principal secretary Umeshchandra Sarangi will be the new chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

An IAS officer of the 1977 batch, Sarangi is known for his humble and polite approach. Despite the fact that he held several key assignments, including commissioner for cooperation and secretary, department of cooperation, he has always maintained a low profile.

In Mantralaya, besides the chief minister's secretariat, Sarangi was personally monitoring the implementation of the prime minister's multi-crore project for the Vidarbha region. A few days ago, he had a marathon meeting with all officials of the Vidarbha region on the present status of the PM's package.

Another IAS official, Lokeshchandra has been transferred to New Delhi on deputation to the Union power ministry headed by Sushilkumar Shinde.

Endemol India appoints Deepak Dhar as MD

Endemol India today announced that Deepak Dhar, currently the company's creative director, will be its next Managing Director. Mr Dhar will take charge of office from January, 2008.

He has previously worked with Star TV, as Programming Group Head and MTV as Senior Producer. Mr Dhar has been responsible for big TV productions such as ''Pop Stars'' and ''Laughter Challenge'' on Star TV. For Endemol he has produced, ''Big Brother'', ''Operacin Triunfo'' and ''Mission Ustaad''.

Endemol is a leading company in television and other audio-visual entertainment, and has joint ventures in 25 countries, including UK, US, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, as well as in Latin America, India, South Africa and Australia.

Endemol India Chief Operating Officer Marco Bassetti

Merrill Lynch chairman joins USIBC board

The US-India Business Council (USIBC), a leading advocacy group seeking stronger US-India commercial ties, has appointed James Quigley, chairman of Merrill Lynch International, to its Board of Directors.

Quigley is the fourth high-profile executive to join the board of the group representing 250 of the largest US companies investing in India and two dozen largest Indian global companies in the last three weeks.

Earlier PepsiCo''s chairman and CEO Indra K. Nooyi, Ian Thomas, president of Boeing India, and Sanjay Nayar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Citi India, joined the USIBC board.

Two other influential persons, former US ambassador to India Richard F.

Celeste and former director, Defence Security Cooperation Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey B. Kohler, have joined the business lobby as senior advisors in recent months.

Merrill Lynch is one of the world''s leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 38 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.8 trillion.

In India, Merrill Lynch holds a 90 percent stake in DSP Merrill Lynch, the pre-eminent full service domestic investment bank. DSP Merrill Lynch is a leading underwriter and broker of debt and equity securities and a leading advisor to corporations and Indian government entities.

DSP Merrill Lynch also provides financial advisory services and operates one of the most comprehensive macroeconomic, sector and company research platforms in India.

Indian diplomat becomes SAARC secretary general

India''s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna Sheel Kant Sharma has been appointed the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Sharma''s appointment for two years was approved by the SAARC Council of Ministers , succeeding the incumbent Chenkyab Dorji of Bhutan.

Sharma, a senior diplomat, has been spearheading India''s position at the IAEA, where the country had to take difficult decisions on Iran nuclear issue and also initiate negotiations on a safeguards agreements as part of the India-US civilian nuclear deal.

The last Indian to hold the SAARC Secretary General''s post was Kant Kishore Bhargava from October 1989 to December 1991.

Ronya new Arunachal RJD chief

RJD supremo Lalu Prasad has appointed former minister Lijum Ronya as the chief of party''s Arunachal unit.

N G K Pillai appointed CMFRI director

Dr N G K Pillai has taken charge as the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) Director here.

Dr Pillai, a renowned scientist and educationalist, had been contributing greatly to the Indian marine fisheries sector, especially the pelagic resources.

Based on his research on Indian marine fish in general and tuna fish in particular, Dr Pillai had published over 150 papers in national and international magazines. Dr Pillai, who assumed charge on December seven, was the Principal Scientist and Head of Pelagic Fisheries at CMFRI.

Nagpur native named Citigroup CEO

Vikram Pandit, a 50-year-old senior employee at Citigroup who hails from Maharashtra, has been named the Chief Executive Officer of the worlds largest financial services company.

The announcement, made yesterday, ended weeks of speculation about who would succeed Charles Prince as the CEO at Citigroup, which has a longtime presence in India.

The company has more than 300,000 employees, 200 million consumer accounts in 100 countries and more than 2.4 trillion dollars in assets under management. The announcement would become effective immediately.

Sir Win Bischoff, who has been acting CEO since November 4, 2007, (when Prince quit) will succeed Chairman Robert E Rubin, who will return to his previous duties as a member of the Citigroup Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board.

He has beaten out several candidates, including fellow Indian-American Ajay Banga, who runs Citi's international consumer banking group.

Mr Pandits career includes leading capital and banking markets at Morgan Stanley. The Nagpur native quit Morgan Stanley in April 2005.

After leaving Morgan Stanley, he formed Old Lane Capital, a hedge fund, acquired later by Citigroup in April 2007 for 600 million dollars.

He is the son of medical representative. He arrived in the US as a teenager to study at Columbia University in New York. He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in electrical engineering. But he later switched to finance in which he earned a doctorate.

New Judge to Kerala High Court

Padoor Natuviledom Raveendran was today sworn as an additional judge of the Kerala High Court.

Chief Justice H L Dattu administered the oath of office to him at a function in the Chief Justice court.

DeSouza takes over as new IIAS director
Professor Peter Ronald deSouza, a well known political scientist, will take over as the director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study here tomorrow. He succeeds Professor Bhuvan Chandel who completed her tenure on April 14, 2006.

Professor deSouza, who was a Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi and was coordinating the State of Democracy in South Asia project besides being the Chairman, Goa Knowledge Commission, will be the tenth Director of the Institute.
Prof Niharranjan Ray, Prof V K Gokak, Prof S C Dube, Prof B.B. Lal, Prof Margaret Chatterjee, Prof J S Grewal, Prof Mrinal Miri, Prof V C Srivastava and Prof Bhuvan Chandel have served the institutes earlier.

New Managing Director of SBI

sanjay kumar bhattacharya

Cairn India's CEO to retire in April next year
The chief operating officer (CEO) of oil exploration firm Cairn India Laurie Smyth will retire in April 2008. He will step down as a full time director of the company in January 2008.

Phil Tracy the Engineering and Operations Director of Carin Energy PLC will return to the company to join the Rajasthan Project Management board with immediate effect.

Lee Myung-bak S Korea new president
South Korea's Conservative candidate Lee Myung-bak has been elected as the country's new President despite being hampered by corruption claims.

He was also the former Hyundai CEO Lee Myung-bak, known as "The Bulldozer" for his determination to get things done.

The National Election Commission said Lee had 48.6 per cent of the vote with 98 per cent of ballots counted.

Liberal Chung Dong-young was a distant second with 26.2 per cent.

Derek Sikua elected as Solomon Islands's new premier
Solomon Islands legislators have elected opposition candidate Derek Sikua as the new Prime Minister following last week's ousting of controversial leader Manasseh Sogavare.

Opposition candidate Sikua won the vote 32-15 against the government's nominee, former foreign minister Patteson Oti.

Sogavare had become increasingly controversial due to an increasingly bitter stand-off with Australia and his appointment of his friend Julian Moti as attorney-general.

Moti is wanted in Australia on child sex charges.

Governor-General, Solomon Islands --- Sir Nathaniel Waena

Vikram Verma named new BJP Vice President
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh today named former Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, Vikram Verma, as the party's new vice president.

Verma replaces late Sahib Singh Verma, a former Union Cabinet Minister and Chief Minister of Delhi, who died earlier this year in car accident.

Verma had served as the Sports Minister during the NDA regime (1999-2004).

Naveen Patnaik re-elected BJD President
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was today unanimously re-elected President of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

Dhumal takes oath as Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal was sworn in as the sixteenth Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, two days after the BJP stormed to power in the state cashing in on the wave against the Virbhadra Singh regime.

A three-time MLA who headed the BJP government in Himachal for the first time from 1998 to 2003, Dhumal is the 16th Chief Minister of the state since it was formed in 1971.

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Bhutto's son Bilawal named chairman of PPP
Slain former Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son Bilawal named chairman of the Pakistan Peoples' Party as it decided to fight the coming elections with her long-time loyalist and deputy Makhdoom Amin Fahim as its prime ministerial candidate.

Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, has been named co-chairman of the party.

Bilawal Zardari, born on September 21, 1988, is set to study political science at Oxford University. He graduated from Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, successfully gaining top grades in his GCSE exams.

Like his father, Bilawal enjoys horse riding and like both the Bhutto and the Zardari clan, he has a passion for hunting and target shooting.

Bilawal gives importance to physical fitness and is a black belt in Taekwondo. Bilawal has two younger sisters -- Bakhtawar and Aasifa.

Air Marshal P V Naik is the new Vice Chief of Air Staff
Air Marshal P V Naik took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff .

Born on July 22, 1949, Naik was commissioned in the fighter stream on June 21, 1969.

During his distinguished career of 38 years in Air Force, he has flown all MiG-21 variants and MiG-23-BNs.

Naik has held many important command and staff appointments.

For his distinguished service he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal on January 26, 2003 and appointed Honorary ADC to the President of India with effect from July 25, 2007

Om Mathur appointed Rajasthan BJP chief
Mr Om Mathur has been appointed as the President of the Rajasthan BJP in place of Mr Mahesh Chandra Sharma.

Air Marshal P K Borbora is new chief of Western Air Command

Air Marshal P K Borbora today took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the premier Western Air Command. He is the first officer from the North-East to command the largest operational Air Command of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

He succeeds Air Marshal P S Ahluwalia.

Prior to this, Air Marshal Borbora was AOC-in-C of the Eastern Air Command.

Western Air Command is headquartered in New Delhi and is the most important of the five regional commands. Its area of responsibility extends from north of Jaipur, covers New Delhi and Punjab, and southwards from Jammu and Kashmir to Rajasthan.

During his career, Air Marshal Borbora has had the distinction of being part of the first Jaguar Squadron. He was also part of the team that inducted the Air Combat Simulator into the IAF.

Besides, the Air Marshal has held the post of an Air Attache at Indian Embassy in Moscow.

Rahi resigns as HPBSE chairman
Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) chairman B R Rahi resigned from his post on the first day the new BJP Government took charge. ''Keeping in view the healthy traditions, I hereby tender my resignation as a HPBSE chairman,'' Mr Rahi, a close associate of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, said in his letter to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Mr Rahi, who had joined the Board as its chairman in May 2003 had remained in news because of his proximity to the Congress and Mr Singh. He also circulated an eight page list of his achievements among the mediapersons during his four-and-half-year period as chairman of the Board. His term was to expire in May next year.

The HPBSE chairman claimed that he was successful in curbing the menace of copying in school examinations, made results available within shortest ever time for Plus II and other classes, besides other achievements. Examination policies were changed, examination fees reduced and several steps initiated in the larger interests of the teachers, students and board employees during this period,

Four high courts get new chief justices
President Pratibha Patil y appointed chief justices to the Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan high courts.

Justice K.S. Panicker Radhakrishnan, serving judge of the Kerala High Court, was appointed the chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Justice Anil Ramesh Dave, of the Gujarat High Court, has been appointed the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Justice Rajesh Balia, currently with the Rajasthan High Court, will take over as the chief justice of the Patna High Court, while Justice Narayan Roy, 0judge of the Patna High Court, has been appointed the new chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

Lt Gen Sisodia is new DG of Ordnance Services
Lt General Bharat Singh Sisodia today took over as Director General Ordnance Services at the Army headquarter . He replaced Lt Gen DDS Sandhu, who retired today.

Commissioned in the Army Ordnance Corps on December 20, 1970, he has served in the Military Secretary's Branch at Army Headquarters and as a Brigadier, commanded Central Ordnance Depot here. He had also been been Brigadier Administration at Army War College, Mhow. For his outstanding contribution, he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal while serving at Mhow. As a Major General, he functioned as Additional Director General Ordnance Services (technical stores) and Major General Army Ordnance Corps at Western Command Headquarters before he took over as Commandant, College of Materials Management, Jabalpur.

Air Marshal Bhan appointed AOC-in-C of EAC
Air Marshal Shiv Kumar Bhan would take over as the new Air Officer Commanding in Chief (AOC-in-C) of the Eastern Air Command (EAC)

Air Marshal Bhan would take over the charge of the EAC on promotion, replacing Air Marshal P K Barbora, who would henceforth be taking charge of the country's largest Air Command - the Western Air Command.

Air Marshal Bhan graduated from the National Defence Academy in June 1969 and joined the Indian Air force (IAF) Academy to undergo flying training. He was commissioned in the IAF in December 1970 as a fighter pilot. He has a flying experience of over 3,000 hours on Hunter, Sukhoi-7, Migs and graduated as a Fighter Combat Leader in 1980. The Air Marshal held various staff and field appointments, including Command of a Mig-21 Squadron, Chief Operations Officer of a Wing, Commander of a fighter base, amongst other high profile appointments. Air Marshal Bhan has done a two-year instructional tenure with the Iraqi Air Force. He is an alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies, UK.

PRADEEP KUMAR NEW SECRETARY DEFENCE PRODUCTION
Shri Pradeep Kumar has taken over as Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence. He belongs to 1972 batch of Indian Administrative Service. Shri Kumar who is a Haryana Cadre officer, is a graduate in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and Masters in Economic and Social Studies from the University of Wales, UK.

He has a rich and wide experience in the field of public administration and has held many senior positions in the Government of Haryana and Government of India. He has worked as Director of Industries, Principal Secretary, Power Irrigation, Science and Technology, Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates departments in the Government of Haryana. He has also worked as Joint Secretary in the Department of Heavy Industry, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, Chairman, National Highways Authority of India and Secretary (Disinvestment) in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Shri Pradeep Kumar has served on the Boards of a number of leading companies including Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Maruti Udyog Ltd., Andrew Yule Ltd., Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd., Coal India Ltd. and Nyvelli Lignite Corporation Ltd.

Air Marshal Bhangu new SASO of Western Command
Completing the leadership change at the Western Air Command, ace fighter pilot Air Marshal P S Bhangu took over as Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the frontline command.

He replaces Air Marshal S K Bhan, who has since taken over as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) of the equally prestigious Eastern Air Command, succeeding Air Marshal P K Barbora.

Air Marshal Barbora had moved to the WAC in similar capacity, succeeding Air Marshal P S Ahluwalia, who retired on December 31.

Possessing a wealth of experience in strategic, tactical, flight safety and staff matters, he is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. An A2 category Flying Instructor and Fighter Combat Leader, he has served in a number of fighter squadrons, including a frontline fighter unit, and the prestigious Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE). He has over 4500 hours of combat flying experience. Air Marshal Bhangu also served as Joint Director, Air Defence and Director Flight Safety, and as Air Attach in the Indian Embassy at Moscow. In addition, he also held the appointment of Director General, Air Force Naval Housing Board.

He was decorated with Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 1966 for exceptional devotion to duty.

Former Meghalaya CM J D Rymbai quits Congress
Former Meghalaya Chief Minister J D Rymbai resigned from the primary membership of the Congress in protest against the denial of party ticket for the coming assembly elections in the state.

Before quitting the party, Rymbai formally submitted his resignation from the membership of the assembly in an apparent bid to avoid action against him under the anti-defection law.

The four-time MLA from Congress, a party to which he remained loyal for over two decades now, will now contest the forthcoming elections under the banner of the regional United Democratic Party (UDP).

Rajeev Chandrasekhar wins as FICCI President
Founder of BPL Mobile and Chairman and CEO of financial firm Jupiter Capital Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been elected as the President of industry body FICCI for 2008.

Chandrasekhar, who is also a member of Rajya Sabha will take over from Wockhardt Chief Habil Khorakiwala at the next Annual Session of the chamber in coming weeks

He has been chosen to lead the industry body following Senior Vice-President N Srinivasan of India Cement opting out of the election for personal reasons.

Currently Vice-President of FICCI, Chandrasekhar also has controlling stake in regional television Asianet and media company Indigo.

Master in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, and Graduate in Advanced Management from Harvard University, Boston, he founded BPL Mobile in 1994.

He represents Bangalore in the Upper House of the parliament.

He was a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry from 1999 to 2003 and a member of the Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Information Technology during 1999-2002.

He has also worked as Chairperson of Infrastructure Task Force of government of Karnataka from 1999 to 2002.

Somnath elected CSPOC Chairperson for two yrs
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has been elected Chairperson of the Conference of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) for two years. The election for it was held in London.

The 20th Conference of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth will be held here in 2010.

Justice Balia new Chief Justice of Patna High Court
Justice Rajesh Balia was administered the oath as Patna High Court's Chief Justice by Bihar Governor R S Gavai at Rajbhawan.

Justice Balia was the Judge of Rajasthan High Court and was appointed Chief Justice of Patna High Court by President Pratibha Patil on December 31, 2007.

He is the senior-most judge in all 21 High Courts of the country and is scheduled to retire on March 3 this year

New BSP President in AP
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Ms Mayawati removed party Andhra Pradesh unit President N Surya Prakash from the office and elevated K Dhanaraj, the Vice-President, to the post.

Vinod Rai takes over as new CAG
Mr Vinod Rai took over as the new Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

President Pratibha Patil administered the oath of office to him at a simple ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mr Rai, who before taking over the new post was Secretary (Financial Services) in the Ministry of Finance, has been appointed for a term of six years or till he attain the age of 65 years.

Mr Rai takes over as the CAG from Mr V N Kaul, who moves to the Independent Audit Advisory Committee, a newly established body of the United Nations, as a member.

Mr Rai is an IAS officer of 1972 batch and belongs to the Kerela cadre. A Post Gradute in Economics, Mr Rai has studied Public Policy Management at the Haward University.

He has served in various senior positions in Kerela as well as the Union Government.

Etihad Airways appoints Neerja Bhatia as Country Manager
Abu Dhabi-based national carrier, Etihad Airways has appointed Neerja Bhatia as its new Country Manager for India.

Prior to her present assignment, Ms Bhatia was the Airline''s Acting Manager for India.

Ms Bhatia had joined the Airlines as Sales Manager (Western India) in November 2004, and was later made the Manager (Western and Southern India).

She was instrumental in the launch of Etihad Airways'' flights to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

Ms Bhatia''s appointment is being seen as a step towards the Airline''s plans to expand its network in India.

Adviser to Nagaland Governor appointed
The Centre has appointed S C Tripathy, a 1963 batch IPS officer, belonged to Madhya Pradesh cadre as Adviser to the Governor of Nagaland, which was placed under President's Rule on 3rd January.

Nagaland was brought under President's Rule and the State Assembly kept in suspended animation following the report of the Governor which said the voting pattern on the no-confidence motion in the House on December 13 "clearly demonstrated" that the ruling coalition has "lost majority support" and that the political situation in the state was in a "state of flux".

The President's Rule has been strongly resented by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who said the dismissal of his government was "unconstitutional".

Varadarajan reelected CPM TN secretary
Communist stalwart N Varadarajan has been unanimously reelected as Tamil Nadu unit secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

He was elected at the concluding session of the party's 19th State Conference.

Mr Varadarajan, elected for the third time consecutively now, would be in office for three years.

Pulok Chatterji promoted as secretary in PMO
Pulok Chatterji, a senior officer in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), was promoted to the post of secretary by the appointments committee of the cabinet.

An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1974 batch, Chatterji's responsibility in the PMO included deciding appointments of all civil servants above the rank of joint secretary.

A crucial voice in the PMO, Chatterji earlier had stints in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and as Officer on Special Duty to Congress president Sonia Gandhi when she was the leader of the opposition in 1999.

Chatterji, joined the PMO as joint secretary.
The prime minister's media advisor Sanjaya Baru is the only other officer in the PMO of the rank of secretary.

In another decision, J.S. Sarma, a 1971-batch IAS officer belonging to the Andhra Pradesh cadre, was given the additional charge of the post of secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals, for a period of three months.
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Ramakrishna Pillai elected RSP secretary
V.P. Ramakrishna Pillai, former Minister and Central secretariat member of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), was elected State secretary of the party

Jindal set to take oath as Louisiana Governor
Indian-American Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, a conservative Republican, is all set to become the youngest Governor of once racially segregated US state of Louisiana

He will be the first person of Indian-origin to hold the governor's post, symbolising the growing clout of the Indian American community in the US political arena.

He will also be the first non-White governor in the country since a Reconstruction era figure held the job briefly 130 years ago.

In the elections in October 2007, Jindal, son of Indian immigrants, got 53 per cent votes in his favour.

Jindal, who was born as a Hindu but converted to Catholicism, was the second Indian-American to be elected to the US Congress in 2004 following a failed bid to be governor of Louisiana, a socially conservative state.

Alvaro Colom, Guatemala's first leftist prez in 50 years
Alvaro Colom has been sworn in as Guatemala's first leftist president in more than 50 years, promising to fight poverty in a nation where half the people live on less than USD 1 a day.

Dr Shubhashis Gangopadhayay joins as adviser to FM
Dr Shubhashis Gangopadhyay joined as Adviser to the Finance Minister, filling up the post which fell vacant after the resignation of Dr Parthasarthi Shome. Dr Gangopadhyay is currently working as Director, India Development Foundation.

He completed his Ph D in Economics from Cornell University, US.

Earlier, he was Professor at Indian Statistical Institute and has a distinguished teaching career including at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Rutgers University, US and University of Southern California, US. Dr Gangopadhyay, who is member of internationally renowned professional bodies, has a number of important publications to his credit and has handled prestigious projects at the national and international organisations including at the World Bank.

He has held several distinguished posts including as Bertil Danielsson Guest Professor, Universities of Gothenburg and Stockholm. He is the Chief Editor, Journal of Emerging Market Finance and Associate Editor of Journal of Financial stability besides President, Society for the Promotion of Game Theory and its Applications. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet and will be in the rank and pay of the Secretary to the Government of India.

Kurian nominated to Geojit Board of Directors
Mr P H Kurian, Industries Secretary to Kerala Government was nominated to the Board of Directors of Geojit Financial Services by Kerala State Industrial Development Coporation (KSIDC).

Mr Kurian, who is also the Managing Director of KSIDC, replaces Principal Secretary to Kerala Government Jiji Thomson in the Board.

Peerzada resigns from Ministership, JKPCC chief's post
Jammu and Kashmir Education Minister Peerzada Mohd Sayed has tendered his resignation from both the Cabinet as well as the chief of Pradesh Congress Committee following the corruption charges that rocked the ongoing state Legislative Assembly.

Justice Jagdish Bhalla appointed HC Chief Justice of HP
Justice Jagdish Bhalla was appointed the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

Indian prof elected by University of Cambridge
Honorary President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, C N R Rao has been elected as the Distinguished Research Professor of Materials by the University of Cambridge.

Rao, a National Research professor has also been declared Laureate of the Khwarizmi International Award by the Government of Iran.

Justice Bhalla Elevated As Himachal HC Chief Justice
A Chhattisgarh High Court Judge's Jagdish Bhalla's elevated as the Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice.

Nicholas Burns announces his resignation
US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns, a key policy maker on Iran and India and the number three U.S. diplomat, has decided to retire for personal reasons and announced his resignation effective at the end of March.

Georgia president sworn in as opposition rallies
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was sworn in to lead this strategic Black Sea nation for a second five year term as his opponents rallied for his election win to be overturned.

Uddhav re-elected Shiv Sena executive president
Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray has been re-elected to the post for the second consecutive term at the national executive meeting of the party at the Sena Bhavan.

Jayshree Raghuraman new Secy for Woman & Child Devt, SW
Ms Jayshree Raghuraman today took over as Secretary of the Social Welfare and the newly created Woman and Child Development Department.

She comes in place of Mr Gyanendra Srivastav who has superannuated. Prior to this, Ms Raghuraman, an IAS officer, was holding the charge of Director Social Welfare and additional charge of Woman and Child Development.

She is an IAS officer belonging to the AGMUT Cadre, 1991 Batch.

She has served the Delhi and Goa governments in various posts and has experience in working in field jobs and the Secretariat.

New NASA aeronautics research chief named
The U.S. space agency has named Jaiwon Shin as its associate administrator for aeronautics research.

Shin will be responsible for managing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's aeronautics research portfolio, including research in the fundamental aeronautics of flight, aviation safety and the nation's airspace system. Prior to the appointment, Shin served as NASA's deputy associate administrator for aeronautics.

Shin previously was chief of the aeronautics projects office at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. From 1998-2002, he served as chief of NASA's Aviation Safety Program Office as well being deputy program manager for NASA's Aviation Safety Program and Airspace Systems Program.

Shin received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His bachelor's degree is from Yonsei University in South Korea and his master's degree is in mechanical engineering from the California State University-Long Beach.

Mahatma's grandson resigns from peace institute in New York
Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Arun Gandhi has resigned from a peace institute he founded after condemnation of his reported comments calling Israel and Jews "the biggest players" in a global culture of violence.

J J Singh sworn as Arunachal governor
Former Army Chief General (retd) Joginder Jaswant Singh has been sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh Governor.

Singh's appointment as the Governor, soon after his retirement from the army in September last year is being viewed by observers in Itanagar as the Centre's strong message to streamline administration as the governor has a special power under Article 371-H of the Constitution in this sensitive border state.

The hill-state still remains underdeveloped and neglected.

Different underground outfits including ULFA and both factions of NSCN use Arunachal forests as their hideouts and as a corridor to escape to their bases across the Myanmar border.

Having 1400 km-long international border with China, Bhutan and Myanmar, Arunachal Pradesh is planning to reopen traditional trade routes with the neighbouring countries and a border trade centre has been established at Nampong recently in Changlang district bordering Myanmar.

There has been some tension in the state following former Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi's statement claiming that Arunachal was Chinese territory.

The people are anxiously waiting to hear from the Prime Minister as to what transpired between the two sides on the status of Arunachal particularly Tawang the birth place of the 6th Dalai Lama during his recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

Gauhati High Court chief justice Jasti Chelameswar administered the oath of office and secrecy to him.

Samak Sundaravej chosen as Thai's new Premiere
Samak Sundaravej, an ally of deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has been elected as Thai's new Prime Minister after winning a majority of votes in parliament.

Samak, a right-winger and staunch royalist, won more than the 241 votes needed to become premier, defeating opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party

Samak's People Power Party leads a six-party coalition that controls two thirds of the seats in parliament, after winning the first elections since the September 2006 military-backed coup that ousted Thaksin.

The charismatic but deeply divisive Damak, 72, will become Thailand's 25th prime minister only once King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorses him -- a formality that could take a few days.

Mervyn King reappointed at Bank of England
Mervyn King has been reappointed to a second five-year term as governor of the Bank of England, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced

King had to deal with a series of crisis in 2007, including declines in Britain's housing market, the worldwide credit crisis and problems at Northern Rock bank.

The Treasury is also reportedly planned to disclose a shift in powers among the England's three banking regulating organizations -- the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority, the report said. Under the new guidelines, the chancellor of the Exchequer would make the key decisions in times of crisis.

The current chancellor of the Exchequer is Alistair Darling.

Govt appoints two additional Solicitor Generals
Finance Minister P Chidambaram today announced the names of two additional Solicitor Generals to deal with taxation matters -- one dealing exclusively with direct taxes and another with indirect tax cases in the Supreme Court and High Courts. Mr M Chandrashekharan will be the new ASG for dealing with indirect tax cases, while Parag Tripathi will deal with direct tax cases

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Krishna Sobti chosen for Vyas Samman
Eminent Hindi writer Krishna Sobti has been chosen for the 2007 'Vyas Samman', the prestigious award for literature instituted by the K K Birla Foundation.

Ms Sobti has been given the honour for her novel 'Samay Sargam' which was published in 2000.

Prominent works of Ms Sobti include 'Mitron Marijaani, 'Surajmukhi' Andhere Ke, Yaaron Ke Yaar, Zindaginama, Yeh Ladki' and Mum Hashmat'.

Vyas Samman is given to an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years.

The selection for the Rs 2.50 lakh award, given annually, was made by a committee headed by eminent litterateur Prof Surya Prakash Dixit, head of the Hindi Department of Lucknow University, the KK Birla Foundation

Sukhbir Badal elected president of SAD
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today elected Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, as president of the party.

Mr Sukhbir Badal, an MP from Faridkot, was the working president of the SAD. He was appointed to the post after SAD-BJP coalition came to power in March last year.

The name of Mr Badal was proposed by Rural Development minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and was endorsed by Cooperatives minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh. Senior SAD leader and Sangrur MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa seconded the proposal at the delegates session of the SAD held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall in the Golden Temple complex here.

The Junior Badal was declared elected unanimously as there was no other candidate to oppose him. Mr Sukhbir Badal succeeds his father as party chief.

U N Panjiar appointed Secretary, Water Resources Ministry
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Mr U.N. Panjiar as the Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources.

Mr Panjiar, an IAS officer of Bihar cadre of 1973 batch, is presently working as the Secretary, Border Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr Panjiar would replace Ms Gauri Chatterjee, IAS officer of West Bengal cadre of 1971, who has been repatriated to her cadre.

Mr Surendra Pal Gaur, IAS officer of UP cadre of 1974 batch has been been appointed as the Chairman Inland Waterways Authority of India, Department of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, in the rank and pay of Secretary. Mr Gaur, who is presently Secretary in the Union Public Service Commission would replace Mr S.B. Mathur, IAS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre of 1971 batch is superannuating on January 31, 2008. Mr N S Sisodia, an IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre of 1968 (retired) has bee given an extension of tenure as the Director, Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, for a further period of three years beyond August 16, 2008.

New crown prince in Dubai has been appointed
Vice-President and PM of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has appointed Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum as Crown Prince of Dubai.

Rajiv Gupta new CJ of Chh’garh High Court
Justice Rajiv Gupta took oath as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court

Gupta, who was the Chief Justice of Uttaranchal, replaced Jagdish Bhalla, who has been transferred to Himachal Pradesh.

Hema Malini becomes baseball federation chief patron
Film actress-turned-politician Hema Malini extended her full support to Women Baseball Federation of India(WBFI) and accepted the post of chief patron of the federation.

An Indian Baseball League (IBL) will begin on February 21 next year to promote baseball and Sports Tourism in Chandigarh in which 10 teams are scheduled to compete.

A.P.V.N. Sarma appointed Shipping Secretary
Mr A P V N Sarma, a 1974 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Shipping Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.

Mr Sarma succeeds Mr A K Mohapatra, who retired on January 31.

The appointment of Mr Sarma had already been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He had earlier served in various capacities, including Special Chief Secretary, Social Welfare, Andhra Pradesh; and CMD of Sringaneri Coalfields Ltd.

IPL appoints Sundar Raman as CEO
The Indian Premier League (IPL) announced the appointment of Sundar Raman as the Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
Sundar joins the IPL after having spent over a decade with the WPP group in India. In his last assignment as the Managing Director of MindShare, Sundar was responsible for growing MindShare's business in India

M Chandrasekharan appointed Additional Solicitor General of India
The Union Government has appointed senior advocate M Chandrasekharan, as Additional Solicitor General of India in the Supreme Court with immediate effect for a period of two years.
Chandrasekharan has been in legal practice in India since 1962. He was appointed as Senior Counsel for Central Government in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court in 1985.

He was Additional Solicitor General of India from December 1990-May 1991 and July 1994-May 1996.

Boris Tadic wins the Presidential election in Serbia
* He is described as a western-style politician in this traditionally conservative Balkan country.

Natwar Singh quits Congess
Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, who had to resign from the government in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam, has announced his resignation from Congress but parried questions whether he planned to join the BJP.

Two Bombay HC Judges Appointed
Bombay HC Additional Judges Shrishen Ratanlal Dongaonkar and Vikas Ramchandra Kingaonkar have been appointed HC Judges.

Sudharakar Rao is new Karanataka chief secretary
Sudhakar Rao, a 1973 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and husband of Indian ambassador to China Nirupama Rao, took over as new chief secretary of Karnataka. He replaces P.B. Mahishi who was sent out late Wednesday to a new post by governor Rameshwar Thakur. Rao, a post-graduate in economics and a doctorate in public administration, supersedes four of his seniors.

New SEBI chief
* The tenure of the present Chairman Sri. M. Damodaran is ending .

* Government appears to have finalised the name of Chadrasekhar Bhaskar Bhave as the new SEBI chief.

Damodaran era ends; Bhave takeovers as Chairman of SEBI
Newly-appointed Sebi chief C B Bhave assumed office and is likely to continue with reforms in the financial markets as effected by M Damodaran, whose three-year stint as chairman of the market regulator ended..

Under Damodaran chairmanship, Sebi introduced a number of reforms, including the tightening of mutual funds and IPO norms.

Sebi also approved seven new products in derivatives such as mini contracts, options in futures, longer dated options and currency futures and options.

During the period, Sebi came up with draft guidelines on Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits), with a view to regulate the fund raising activities of such trusts and to make it more transparent.

Worldwide Media appoints Tarun Rai as new CEO

Worldwide Media Pvt, a joint venture of BBC Worldwide and The Times of India Group, has appointed Tarun Rai as its new Chief Executive Officer to spearhead the company. According to a release, Tarun Rai, previously Managing Partner at JWT, Indias largest communications company, will start his new role at Worldwide Media from today. Mr Rai has 18 years of experience in the advertising business, helping to build some of the worlds most reputed brands. His clients at JWT included Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithkline, Pizza Hut, Reebok, DeBeers, Nestle, Kellogg and Merill Lynch.

BBC Magazines Managing Director and Chairman of Worldwide Media, Peter Phippen said, ''Worldwide Media is the magazine gateway to India. This meant, we were looking for an outstanding leader for the CEO post. Mr Rai has a great combination of commercial and creative expertise that will grow the companys position as one of Indias largest magazine publishers in a rapidly expanding marketplace.'' Mr Rai said ''India has a high-growth market and World Wide Media is well positioned to exploit this potential with some of the world's best magazine titles. I am incredibly excited to be working on leading brands such as Filmfare, Femina, Hello and Top Gear, and launching many new titles.''

Manish Tiwari new Congress spokesman
AICC Secretary Manish Tiwari was nominated a spokesperson of the Congress.

The nomination was made by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, AICC General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi .

There are already three AICC spokespersons-- Mr Abhishek Singhvi, Mr Shakeel Ahmed and Mrs Jayanti Natarajan-- with Mr Verrappa Moily as AICC Media Cell Incharge.

IATA appoints Amitabh Khosla as Country Director for India
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Amitabh Khosla as Country Director for India to oversee the association's initiatives in the growing Indian market. Khosla joins IATA from the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), where he served as Executive Director since its formation. Prior to FIA, Khosla was with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), where he held various appointments, including Regional Director for Eastern India and Chief Representative in Singapore.

Additional Solicitor General resigns
Additional Solicitor General of India V T Gopalan has resigned from his post last evening, citing personal reasons. Mr Gopalan was holding the post for the last ten years. According to official sources, Junior Advocate M Raveendran would succeed Mr Gopalan.