7th Dec- 8th Dec 2014

China launched Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to expand large network of nuclear plants

08-DEC-2014

China on 5 December 2014 launched a Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to expand its large network of nuclear plants. The decision was announced by National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China.
The NDRC also announced plans to develop offshore nuclear power projects. It assured that all projects will comply with the highest international security standards to overcome the problems which are under construction of third generation reactors in China.
Actually, third generation rectors of China which are under construction have problems with pumps and valves as well as with its inflexibility of design. China is on to resolve those problems.
At present, there are 27 nuclear power plants under construction in China along with new 1000 –MW reactors in association with US based Westinghouse. China is about to build 200 nuclear plants.
However, nuclear energy contributes less than 2 percent of the power supply of China which is far below the world average of 15 percent. The initiative is expected to give the nuclear power sector a boost, driving high-end equipment production and optimizing power generation in china.
In 2011, China ceased issuing approvals for nuclear power projects following the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. China signed a MoU with South Africa in the establishment of partnership in nuclear fuel recycling.

Warren buffet became second richest person of World

08-DEC-2014

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Warren buffet became second richest person in the World. He replaced Carlos Slim, business magnate of Mexico. Bill Gates is the world richest person.
Buffet chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has a net worth of 73.7 billion US dollars and his annual business profits recorded 19.5 billion US dollars which is up 13 percent. Berkshire reached 52 week high in intraday trading which is closed at 185750 US dollars.
Slim has net worth of 62.9 billion US dollars. Slim profit has fallen 10.9 billion US dollars since the start of 2014 and his business profits dropped by 14 percent.

Lok Sabha passed the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014

08-DEC-2014

The Lok Sabha on 8 December 2014 passed the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 to repeal obsolete Acts. The Bill passed by voice vote seeks to repeal 90 laws and pass amendment to two laws.
The Bill was introduced by the Union Minister of Law and Justice D V Sadananda Gowda in Lok Sabha on 3 December 2014. It was introduced as a periodic measure for updating the list of laws in force.
Provisions of the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014
• The Bill intends to repeal certain enactments as well as to amend certain other enactments which have either become obsolete or their retention as separate Acts is unnecessary.
• The Bill repeals certain laws that have been listed in the First Schedule of the Bill.
• As many as 90 Acts listed in the First Schedule of the Bill have been proposed to be repealed
• Out of the 90 acts, 88 are being repealed entirely as they are amendment acts and the changes have been incorporated into the principal acts.
• Besides, the Bill also proposes to amend the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Indian Maritime University Act, 2008 to rectify typographical errors
• The Bill proposes amendments to some laws including the Arbitration Act and Motor Vehicles Act to bring down pendency of cases in the courts.

Armed Forces Flag Day observed across the nation

08-DEC-2014

Armed Forces Flag Day was observed across the nation on 7 December 2014. The Day is named as Armed Forces Flag Day because on this day a FUND is collected by issue of special flags.
On this day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Indian Armed Forces and appealed to the citizens for generous donations for the welfare of the Armed forces.
About Armed Forces Flag Day
• The committee of Defence Minister in 1949 decided that Flag Day will be observed on 7th December each year.
• On this day, donations are collected by distributing token and car flags in return of donation for the welfare and rehabilitation of ex-Servicemen, war widows or disabled and their dependents.
• Token flags and car flags in red, deep blue and light blue colours representing the three Services are distributed to the public through Rajya and Zila Sainik Boards throughout the country by the Kendriya Sainik Board in return for donations.

Samsung Electronics appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice President

08-DEC-2014

Samsung on 7 December 2014 appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice-President. He is currently working as the Vice-President of Samsung’s U.S. research unit in the Silicon Valley and heads the Think Tank team of Samsung.
Mistry, aged 33, hailing from Gujarat, India, is the youngest person to be elevated to head the Samsung Electronics in a recent management reshuffle involving about 350 people.
Mistry played a big role in launching Samsung's Galaxy Gear in September 2013, its line of wearable technology products, and invented SixthSense, a technology that enables users to use their hands to interact with digital information about the physical world around them.
Pranav Mistry joined Samsung as the Director of Research in 2012. Earlier, Pranav worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft.
The appointment of Mistry who hails from Gujarat in India comes at a time when Samsung is seeing a decline in profits and is looking to turn around its smartphone business.
He joins the list of several Indian nationals taking global roles in technology companies in the past few years. Earlier this year in 2014, Satya Nadella was named as chief executive of Microsoft Corp., while Google Inc. named Sundar Pichai an Indian as head of its marquee Android products division.
His Awards and achievements
• Young Global Leader 2013 Award, World Economic Forum
• Young Alumnus Award 2012, IIT Bombay
• 50 Most Creative People of the Year 2010, CREATIVITY 50
• Netexplorateurs of the Year 2010 award, Netexplorateurs Grand Prix 2010, France
• TR35 2009 award, Technology Review
• Invention of the Year 2009 award, Popular Science
• Young Indian Innovator 2009 award, Digit Magazine

• Nominee for Forbes India’s Person of the Year 2009

Amos Meindi of Kenya won 29th Pune International full Marathon

08-DEC-2014

Amos Meindi of Kenya won 29th Pune International full Marathon in Men’s category on 7 December 2014. He finished the race by completing 41.175 km in 2 hours 18 minutes and 36 seconds.
Regassa Bezida of Ethiopia and Teresse came at second place and third place respectively.
Women category
Nancy Wambua of Kenya won the half marathon in Women category in 71 minutes and 55 seconds. Herlen Musyoka of Kenya and Timbit of Ethiopia came at second place third place respectively.
The theme of the Pune International full marathon for the year 2014 was World Peace.
Spiritual Dada J P Waswani was awarded for his contribution to the world peace that was instituted from 2014
About Pune International full Marathon
• Pune International Marathon started in 1983
Athletics Federation of India has awarded the status of National Marathon Championship to Pune International Marathon where runner’s across the world participate
• The event has a special theme every year and the event is not only about sports but has a social message with a charity run.

Lok Sabha passed the School of Planning and Architecture Bill 2014

08-DEC-2014

The Lok Sabha on 3 December 2014 passed the School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014. The Bill was passed by a voice vote.
The Bill intends to declare three existing Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA) as institutions of national importance to promote education and research in architectural studies. These institutes are located in New Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada.

The new status will empower the institutes to award degrees as in order to confer degrees, an institute has to be made a deemed university by an act of Parliament.
Provisions of the School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014
• These three institutes will be entitled to grant degrees to the students under the provision of the Bill.
• The Bill also proposes to set up a council for the SPAs similar to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to advise the Centre on policy matters in the field of architecture and planning.
• The reservation policy for admission and others will be applicable in lines with IITs and NITs.

India set Guinness Record for largest human formation of a national flag in world

08-DEC-2014

India on 7 December 2014 set the Guinness Record for largest human formation of a national flag in the world. To set the record around 50000 volunteers from Chennai gathered at YMCA Grounds to form the human Tricolour with Chakra, the National Flag of India.
The previous world record was in the name of Sports Club of Lahore, Pakistan wherein 28957 people were involved in forming the national flag of Pakistan.
Guinness official Syeda Subasi-Gemici, adjudicator of Guinness World Records Ltd., presented the certificate validating the attempt.
The event of forming the human Tricolour was organised by Governor of Rotary 3230 as part of the My Flag My India campaign. The campaign was organised with an aim to infuse patriotism and nationalism in the present generation and next-generation youth.

Kumar Sangakkara became fourth batsman to complete 13000 ODI runs

08-DEC-2014

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 3 December 2014 became the fourth batsman to complete 13000 One-Day Internationals (ODI) runs.
Sangakkara achieved the feat of crossing 13000 run during the third match of ODI series with England. He took 386 matches to complete these many runs.
The all-time list of most-run getters in ODI is led by Sachin Tendulkar of India with 18426 runs from 463 ODIs. He is followed by Ricky Ponting of Australia with 13704 runs from 375 ODIs and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka with 13430 runs from 445 matches.
About Kumar Sangakkara
• Sangakkara made his international debut in 2000.
• He is a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He no longer is wicket-keeper for Sri Lanka at Test level.
• He is just 12 runs short of completing 12000 Test runs. He has so far scored 11988 runs in 128 Tests.
• He dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test batting rankings between 2005 and 2014. As of August 2014, Kumar Sangakkara is placed at number 1 in ICC Test rankings.
• He won the ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2011 and 2013.
• He also won the LG People's Choice Award in 2011 and 2012.
• In 2012, Sangakkara won the prestigious Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Colombo.

CMEC launched mega water supply project in Sri Lanka

08-DEC-2014

The Beijing-based China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) on 6 December 2014 launched the mega water supply project in Sri Lanka to construct a water supply system in Gampaha district.
The project was launched with the foundational laying of pipe by Sri Lankan Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa in the town of Mahara. This 230 million US dollars water supply project is the largest ever project undertaken by the Sri Lankan government.
Once completed, the project will provide clean drinking water to about 600000 people in 42 villages scattered around the region.
Highlights of the project
• CMEC will be responsible for the design, procurement, civil engineering, installation, commissioning and other tasks of the project.
• Exim Bank of China is financing the project with a 20-year 229.5 million US dollars loan.
• The Sri Lankan government is providing an estimated 20 million US dollars for the implementation of the project.
• During the 36-month project, CMEC will build a water treatment plant with a supply capacity of 54000 cubic meters a day and a new water intake volume of 85000 cubic meters per day.
Background
The CMEC in May 2013 entered into a master contract with the National Water Supply & Drainage Board of Sri Lanka for the construction of Gampaha, Attanagalle and Minuwangoda Integrated Water Supply Scheme.
The topographic survey and soil investigation of the water treatment plant was completed in June 2014 and site clearing for the plant was also wrapped up in November2014 allowing the CMEC to begin laying over 1000 km of water pipes.
CMEC has been working in Sri Lanka for nearly a decade on a variety of projects. Its largest venture is the Lakvijaya coal power plant that was built with assistance from the Chinese government at a cost of 1.2 billion US dollars.

Old laptop batteries could power slums in developing countries: IBM India Study

08-DEC-2014

A new IBM India study showed that old laptop batteries could power slums in developing countries like India. The concept was tested in the Indian city Bangalore in 2014.
The findings were published in a paper titled UrJar: A Lighting Solution using Discarded Laptop Batteries in the first week of December 2014.
Using discarded batteries is cheaper than existing power options. It helps deal with the mounting electronic-waste (e-waste) problem.
By carrying put the proper research, the team of researchers proposed a low-cost solution called UrJar to solve the problem of unavailable electrical power in developing regions of the world.
Methodology
• The IBM group, working with a hardware Research and Development firm RadioStudio, opened the discarded laptop battery packaging and extracted individual storage units called cells.
• They tested 35 cells individually to pick out the good ones and recombined them to form refurbished battery packs.
• After adding charging dongles as well as circuitry to prevent overheating, they gave them to five users in Bangalore who lived in slums or operated sidewalk carts.
• After sometime, the users said the battery packs had worked well.
Findings of the Study
• 23 devices were battery-powered wherein batteries were charged by the participants at home using Alternate Current grid power.
• 5 devices required solarbased Direct Current charging and the remaining 7 were powered directly by fossil fuels such as Liquified Petroleum Gas or kerosene oil.
• The researchers found that 70 percent of discarded batteries had enough power to keep an LED light on for more than four hours a day for a year.
UrJar Device

• The IBM team created UrJar- a device that uses lithium-ion cells from the old batteries to power low-energy devices such as a light. UrJar has the capacity to last for a year.
• If the UrJar is made in sufficiently large volume, researchers estimate that the price per unit will be 600 rupees.
• UrJar has the potential to channel e-waste towards the lessening of energy poverty.
• UrJar provides a means to utilize the latent residual capacity in laptop batteries, which would otherwise be wasted.
• UrJar provides a cleaner and potentially cheaper alternative than burning kerosene in order to meet lighting requirements.
Background
E-waste is a major problem particularly in the developing world. IBM's research said 142000 computers are thrown away in the US daily which makes up for around 50 million a year.
India receives a lot of e-waste from other countries. With a booming IT market, India is also generating huge amount of e-waste of its own, around 32 tonnes a day.

Jacques Kallis appointed mentor and batting consultant for IPL team Kolkata Knight Rider

08-DEC-2014

The South African cricketer Jacques Kallis on 5 December 2014 was appointed as the mentor and batting consultant for Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR).
He renewed his association with KKR for mentoring the team from the 2015 season of IPL.
He will become part of the KKR support staff which already has Vijay Dahiya, Wasim Akram and Trevor Bayliss.
Earlier, Kallis spent the last four seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders as a player. During which the franchise won two IPL titles (2012 & 2014) and finished runners-up in the Champions League T20 in 2014.
During his IPL stint, he amassed 424, 409 and 311 runs in the first three seasons with KKR before bringing an end to his international career in August 2014.
Kallis began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the inaugural edition in 2008. He moved to Kolkata in 2011.
About Jacques Henry Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a former South African male cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler, Kallis is regarded as one of the greatest all rounders of cricket.
He is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 11000 runs and take 250 wickets in both one-day and Test match cricket.
Kallis played 166 Test matches and had a batting average of over 55 runs per innings.

ICC suspended Pakistani off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for illegal bowling action

08-DEC-2014

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 7 December 2014 suspended Mohammad Hafeez from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect for illegal bowling action. Hafeez is the Pakistani cricket all-rounder who bowls off-spin.
ICC suspended Hafeez after he failed to pass the bio-mechanic test conducted for his bowling action. The test revealed that all deliveries of Hafeez exceeded permitted 15 degrees level of tolerance (by which the arm is allowed to bend).
The test was done by the Human Movement Specialists team of ICC on 24 November 2014 at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.
The test was done after his bowling action was reported for an illegal action during the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
However, Hafeez can apply for re-assessment after he modifies his bowling action in accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.
Earlier on 9 September 2014, ICC also had suspended other off-spinner of Pakistan Saeed Ajmal for a similar reason.

India defeated Pakistan to win Blind Cricket World Cup for the year 2014

08-DEC-2014

Indian Blind Cricket team on 7 December 2014 won the fourth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup (BCWC) 2014 by defeating defending champions Pakistan. The captain of the Indian team was Shekar Naik.
In the final held at Wally Wilson Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa, Pakistan batting first scored 389 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 40 over. Chasing a tough target, India managed to reach the target in 39.4 over, losing 5 wickets in the process
In the semi-finals, Pakistan had defeated England, while India had ousted Sri Lanka.
The inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup played in 1998 was won by South Africa.
Pakistan won the title in 2002 before successfully defending it in 2006.
The participating countries in the fourth edition of Blind Cricket World Cup were Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, England and hosts South Africa.
Blind Cricket in India
The number of visually challenged cricketers in India is 22000, far more compared to the 4000 in Pakistan and only 200 in South Africa.
The Cricket Association for the Blind in India is run by the Samarthanam trust, a Bangalore-based NGO dedicated to the promotion of sports for the physically disadvantaged. Samarthanam’s Sports Wing also focuses on chess, volleyball, tennis, kabaddi, table tennis and athletics.

Boeing 787 aircraft completed the world's first flight using Aviation Biofuel

08-DEC-2014

A Boeing 787 aircraft on 3 December 2014 completed the world's first flight using green diesel as Aviation Biofuel. Green Diesel is a sustainable biofuel made from vegetable oils, waste cooking oil and animal fats. The airplane performed in the same manner as it does with conventional jet fuel.
The company powered its ecoDemonstrator 787 flight test airplane on 2 December 2014 with a blend of 15 percent green diesel and 85 percent petroleum jet fuel in the left engine.
The flight test was coordinated with the US Federal Aviation Administration, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney.
The company will provide data from several ecoDemonstrator flights to support efforts to approve this fuel for commercial aviation and help meet the industry's environmental goals.
Sustainable Green Diesel
• Sustainable green diesel is widely available and used in ground transportation.
• As discovered by Boeing, green diesel is chemically similar to HEFA (hydro-processed esters and fatty acids) aviation biofuel approved in 2011.
• Green diesel offers a tremendous opportunity to make sustainable aviation biofuel more available and more affordable for the passengers.
• With production capacity of 800 million gallons (3 billion litres) in the US, Europe and Asia, green diesel could rapidly supply as much as 1 percent of global jet fuel demand.
• On a lifecycle basis, sustainably produced green diesel reduces carbon emissions by 50 to 90 percent compared to fossil fuel.

Ritu Mallya appointed as Director of MCF board

08-DEC-2014

Ritu Mallya on 4 December 2014 was appointed as Director of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers (MCF) board. She succeeded Vijay Mallya.
Vijay Mallya had to quit the board of MCF after State Bank of India advised the company that it will be difficult for them to lend money to MCF with a willful defaulter Mallya on the board.
She will continue to be director until the next annual general meeting of the company, where the shareholders’ approval will be sought.
Ritu Mallya is a Bengaluru-based lawyer and was married to late Vittal Mallya, founder of the UB group who died in 1983. Ritu Mallya’s old name was Kailash Advani and ran a garments business at the time of her marriage to Vittal Mallya.
About Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited
Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (MCFL) started in 1966 with Dugal Enterprises Private Limited, New Delhi as its first promoters. The name of the company was changed to its present name in August 1971.
MCFL is the only manufacturer of chemical fertilizers in the state of Karnataka, India.
The company deals with fertilizers like Urea, Diammonium phosphate, granulated fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, soil conditioners, Muriate of potash among others.
The marketing offices of MCF are located in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Indian Communication Satellite GSAT-16 launched successfully

08-DEC-2014

Indian Communication Satellite GSAT-16 was on 7 December 2014 launched successfully from the Kourou space port in French Guiana. It was launched by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle VA221 of Arianespace.
Ariane-5 accurately placed the GSAT-16 into the projected Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after a flight of 32 minutes and 20.4 Seconds duration.
ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the signal from the satellite and the commanding of the satellite was initiated.
The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by 12 December 2014 and subsequently the satellite's communication transponders will be switched on for in-orbit testing.
The satellite launch was originally scheduled for 5 December 2014 but was postponed due to bad weather.

• GSAT-16 will be finally positioned at 55 degrees East longitude in the Geostationary Orbit and will be co-located with GSAT-8, IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B satellites.

Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died

08-DEC-2014

Veteran Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died on 8 December 2014 in Visakhapatnam. He was 87. He was undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
Sangita Kalanidhi Nedanuri Krishnamurthy
• He was born on 10 October 1927 in Kothapalli in the erstwhile Hyderabad State of British India
• He underwent training in Carnatic music (vocal and violin) with Dwaram Narasinga Rao Naidu in Maharaja’s Music College at Vizianagaram in early 1940s
• Later he developed his style of music under guidance of Carnatic vocalist, Sripada Pinakapani
• He was Principal of the Government Music & Dance Colleges in Vijayawada, Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam
• His style was the epitome of elegance with an emphasis on aesthetics and subtle embellishments
• Some of his notable contributions to music include the setting to tune of 108 compositions of the 15th century saint-composer Annamacharya from Andhra Pradesh
He was conferred with several prestigious awards, some of them were
• Sri Tyagaraja Seva Ratnam in 2011
• Sangeetha Kalasikhamani in 2011
• Asthana Vidwan in 2010
• Pratibha Rajiv Puraskar in 2006
• National Eminence Award in 2006
• National Artiste Award in 2004
• Raja Lakshmi Award in 2002
• Teulgu Talli Award in 2000
• Sangeetha Ratnamara, 2000
• Gana Kala Bharathi in 1993
• Sangita Kalanidhi in 1991
• Swar Vilas in 1981
• Sangeetha Choodamani in 1976
Carnatic Music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four Indian states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music and it is one of the main sub-genres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions.
Most of the compositions of the Carnatic are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in singing style.