US Anti-Doping Association US Green Building Council UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

US Anti-Doping Association US Green Building Council report 2014

INDIA has been ranked third on the list of top 10 countries in leadership in energy and environmental design outside America, according to the latest US Green Building Council report.

1.     UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reappointed Anthony Lake as head of the Unicef.
2.      US sprint star Tyson Gay has received a one-year doping ban from the US Anti-Doping Association.
3.     Sandeep Kumar finished 23rd with a national record setting performance as Indian athletes produced a creditable show in the 50km event on the first day of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup at Taicang, China.
4.     Microsoft is opening a state-of-the-art training facility in Miami, its first within the United States.
5.     The United States has announced a USD 1.2 million aid package to help support Ukrainian news outlets ahead of presidential elections later this month. 
6.      Jawahar Kaliani has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Application Services Delivery (ASD) at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Department of Treasury.
7.     Indian cueist Kamal Chawla settled for a bronze medal after losing his semifinal match to Chuan Leong Thor of Malaysia in the Asian Snooker Championship being held in Al Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.  
8.     An Indian-origin scientist in the UK has bagged a 1.07 million pounds funding grant to work on a pioneering technology of creating an ultra-flexible tactile skin for robotics and prosthetics. 
9.     One of Pakistan's most well-known hockey Olympians, Anwar Ahmed Khan passed away.

 Incentives-linked plan to detect TB cases

The national strategic plan for TB control for 2012-17 developed by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has raised the bar for tackling the fast- growing TB epidemic in the country. The main goal of the strategic plan is to provide universal access to early diagnosis and effective treatment. According to the draft report of the fifth Joint Monitoring Mission (JMM) of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme , the strategic plan, if implemented in full earnest, would save about 7,50,000 lives over the next five years. The government had very recently made TB a notifiable disease. This will help in maintaining a national record of every patient who is diagnosed with TB by doctors in the private and public sector. In order to achieve maximum co-operation from the doctors, the report has, for the first time, spelled out the need to provide incentives for reporting cases.

Delhi decides to ban gutka

The Delhi Government has decided to impose a complete ban on manufacture, sale, display, transportation and storage of gutka and other related products in the city. Health Minister A. K. Walia said that the decision was taken at a high-level meeting at Delhi Secretariat and a notification to this effect has been issued.

Goa suspends mining operations

The Goa government has suspended the operation of all existing mining leases. This has been done to scrutinise clearances obtained by the leaseholders and not to allow continuation of operations without verification of requisite approvals in the coming mining season. The action comes in the wake of the growing public outcry over the illegalities in the mining sector as brought out by the Justice M. B. Shah Commission of Inquiry in its report, which was tabled in Parliament. Goa has nearly 100 leases and of this, 82 are operative. According to the Commission report, 42 leases were renewed by the State government by condoning the delay without the authority to do so. The Commission, constituted by the Centre to look into illegal mining in various States, pointed out blatant illegalities in the mining sector in Goa and estimated the illegal extraction at Rs. 35,000 crore.

National scheme for free medicines for all sought

The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan called upon the Union Government to extend free medicine supply scheme, presently operational in a few States like Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, all over the country to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of common people on health care. Such a scheme would especially benefit the patients deprived of any kind of treatment due to poverty. Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary P. K. Pradhan said the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan pointed out that most of the States have “very ambiguous” systems of supply of medicines in the Government-run medical institutions, forcing the patients to purchase medicines from chemists and pharmacies at exorbitant prices. Common people in India have to spend huge amounts of money from their pocket to meet health expenses in comparison with most countries of the world and this is the second biggest reason for increasing poverty, according to the Abhiyan. Purchase of medicines constitutes 45 to 80 per cent of the total out-of-pocket medical expenses. The scheme was launched in Rajasthan on October 2, marking Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversaryin 2011.

GSAT–10 to be launched on September 22

India’s communication satellite GSAT-10 will be launched from Kourou spaceport in French Guyana by European space consortium Arianespace on September 22. Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, expressed satisfaction over the successful launch of the PSLVC-21 on September 9, which he termed as a landmark achievement in the country’s space odyssey. “It was heartening that the launch vehicle which carried along with it two foreign satellites SPOT-6 of France and a micro satellite from Japan could, as desired, meticulously inject them into the earth’s orbit,” he said. Page 2 of 4 11th September 2012

Replicas of Tagore’s houseboats for India

Two Indian universities are to receive replicas of houseboats used by Rabindranath Tagore during his stay in East Bengal now Bangladesh. Replicas of the houseboats ‘Padma’ and ‘Chopola’ will be presented by Bangladesh Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad on September 12. He would hand over the ‘Padma’ replica to Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata and the ‘Chopola’ replica to Visva Bharati University in Shantiniketan at separate functions. The Nobel laureate penned many of his significant works while sailing on the Padma river on these houseboats overseeing his family estates in Silaidah, Shahzadpur and Patisar of East Bengal for over a decade from 1890. His famous poetry collection 'Sonar Tori' was written on board the ‘Padma’.

As Brahimi starts mission, shadow of al-Qaeda is seen in Syria

Lakhdar Brahimi, new U.N. and Arab League Envoy, has begun to explore ways to end the conflict in Syria, where intense fighting prevails between government forces and the armed opposition whose ranks are being bolstered by al-Qaeda elements. Mr. Brahimi arrived in Cairo, headquarters of the Arab League. After consultations with member countries, he will head for Syria. Mr. Brahimi is then expected to travel to Iran a close ally of Syria and deeply influential in neighbouring Iraq and Lebanon. Kofi Annan, Mr. Brahimi’s predecessor, had also visited Tehran but western powers led by the U.S. had rejected the former envoy’s advocacy of engaging Iran to impart a sense of realism in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Iran to unveil ‘advanced' cruise missile

A senior Iranian Defence Ministry official announced on Sunday that his Ministry plans to unveil a highly advanced cruise missile. “God willing, Meshkat (Lantern) cruise missile with a range of 2,000 km will be unveiled in the near future,” Deputy Defence Minister and head of the Ministry’s Aerospace Organisation General Mehdi Farahi told. “Meshkat Cruise Missile can be fired from land, air and sea,” Farahi was quoted as saying. Iran’s former cruise missile can travel a distance of no more than 300 km. Hajizadeh said that Iran's missiles could hit the US military bases in neighbouring countries.

Indian-American elected to Royal Society of Canada

Ponisseril Somasundaran, an Indian American member of the faculty of Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been chosen as the sole foreign fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of Canada. The only one from outside Canada to be elected in year 2012, Somasundaran, who has been at Columbia since 1970 will be inducted in a ceremony on Nov 17 at the Ottawa Convention Centre in Ottawa with 70 other fellows. Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Election to its academies is considered one of the highest honours a scholar can achieve in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences. Somasundaran is currently Director of the National Science Foundation Centre for Advanced Studies in Novel Surfactants and Langmuir Centre for Colloids and Interfaces. He was honoured as the only 1989 Distinguished Alumnus and the first Brahm Prakash Chair in 1990 from the Indian Institute of Science. Elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2009, he was awarded Padma Shri civilian honour by the Indian Government in 2010

Nokia Siemens aims to overtake Huawei by 2013

Nokia Siemens Networks expects to jump to second place in the global wireless network equipment market for the full year 2013, ahead of arch-rival Huawei Technologies. Nokia Siemens, a venture of Finland's Nokia Oyj and Germany's Siemens AG, trails Huawei in the global mobile network equipment market, which is led by Ericsson. The venture has had to undertake a massive restructuring this year as it struggled to make a profit due to customer consolidation and aggressive price competition. Huawei took second place from Nokia Siemens in 2010 and has held onto the position ever since, according to Dell'Oro.

Infosys acquires Swiss firm Lodestone for Rs.1,925 crore

Infosys, has announced the acquisition of Zurich-based Lodestone Holding AG, a leading management consultancy firm, for 330 million Swiss francs ($345 million or Rs.1,925 crore), which is expected to strengthen the company’s consulting capabilities.

Russia to auction its largest gold-field

Russia will auction its largest unmined gold deposit in the nearest future despite the prohibitive cost of reaching the remote eastern Siberian field. Sukhoi Log’s estimated reserves of 2,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes (64.3 million to 96.4 million troy ounces) of gold and a smaller amount of silver make it into one of the world’s largest untapped deposits of the precious metal. The government’s own estimates say the project would take 12 years to develop at a cost of 49 billion rubles ($1.5 billion)

Welspun ties up funds for 50 MW solar project

Welspun Energy, said it had secured a long-term project funding of Rs.355 crore for its 50-MW solar power project in Rajasthan. The company said the loan had been secured from a consortium of lenders comprising three public sector banks and one infrastructure finance firm. Welspun had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd., power grading arm of state-owned power producer NTPC. The 50-MW solar project is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2013. The allocation of solar PV projects in Phase-1 of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) was done in two batches over two financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Max India to sell Max Speciality Films

Diversified firm Max India, said it would sell its packaging material-making division, Max Speciality Films, to Germany’s Treofan for Rs.540 crore. The company’s board approved divestment of its profitable biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film division, Max Speciality Films (MSF), to Treofan, a German global technology leader for BOPP film. “Treofan, which develops and sells BOPP films in over 90 countries around the world, has production facilities in Europe and the Americas, and has offered an enterprise value of Rs.540 crore to acquire 100 per cent stake in Max Speciality Films,”

BHP, BG sign PSC for deep-water block in Mumbai basin

International oil and gas major U.K.’s BG Group and BHP Billiton of Australia,has inked a production-sharing contract (PSC) with the Government to bid for the deep-water block in the Mumbai basin won during the 9th round of bidding under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). BG-BHP signed a PSC with the government for deep-water block MB-DWN-2010/1 in the Mumbai basin. BG India and BHP hold 50 per cent interest each in the block. The block, located 350 km offshore from Mumbai, Block MB-DWN- 2010/1, is a large, deep-water block and covers 7,963 sq km in water depths varying from 2,900 m to 3,200 m. “This block represents BG India’s first deep-water-operated exploration licence on the West Coast of India,’’ BG India President and Managing Director Shaleen Sharma said.

Sterlite Copper bags excellence award

Sterlite Copper was awarded the Excellent Energy Efficient Unit Award at the 13th National Award for Excellence in Energy Management by Confederation of Indian Industry – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre.

Delhi boy breaks into Top 100

He may not be a tennis super star yet like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi or Rohan Bopanna, but Delhi boy Divij Sharan has joined the elite doubles players by breaking into the Top 100 of the world rankings. He won a title from five finals in seven Challenger tournaments, expects to be close to 90. He will be the first Indian in the past 20 years, after the top three, to make the Top 100 in the world in doubles. He has competed in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand and China in to make the breakthrough. Page 4 of 4 11th September 2012

Serena clinches fourth US Open title

Serena Williams captured her 15th Grand Slam title and fourth career US Open crown with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. In the first three-set final at the US Open since 1995, American fourth seed Serena joined her sister Venus and Steffi Graf as the only women to win Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open in year 2012. Serena, who turns 31 on September 26, became the second oldest US Open women’s champion in the Open era. Australian Margaret Court was one month past her 31st birthday when she won the 1973 title. Not since Martina Navratilova in 1987 had a woman won the US Open title past her 30th birthday. Serena won prior US Open titles in 1999, 2002 and 2008 and added Grand Slam crowns at the 2002 French Open, the 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010 Australian Opens and Wimbledon in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Rory McIlroy rallies to win

Rory McIlroy fired a five-under par 67 to win the BMW championship, holding off an elite field to win a second straight title in the US PGA Tour’s play-off series. McIlroy, who won the Deutsche Bank championship last week by one stroke, finished with a 20-under par total of 268, two shots in front of Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood. McIlroy, the World No. 1 who claimed the second major title of his career at the PGA Championship, nabbed his fourth US tour title of the season and the sixth of his career. England’s Westwood carded a 3-under 69 at Crooked Stick, while Mickelson posted a 70 for 270. McIlroy became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win in successive weeks on the US tour and he joined Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win at least six PGA Tour events before his 24th birthday.

Andy Murray wins US Open epic, ends 76-year British agony

History-making Andy Murray ended Britain's 76-year wait for a men's Grand Slam champion when he beat 2011 winner Novak Djokovic 7-6 (12/10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in an epic US Open final. Murray became Britain's first major champion since Fred Perry claimed his third American title in 1936, the year the Spanish Civil War started and Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected US president.