Gopal Vittal To Be Managing Director At Bharti Airtel

Gopal Vittal, the joint MD and CEO (India) of Bharti Airtel, is being elevated to the position of managing director, cementing his place as the top professional executive of the country's largest telco.

As reported by ET on January 27, Vittal Managing Director , currently India chief executive at Bharti Airtel, will also get charge of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He will be designated managing director and CEO of India and South Asia. That restores the structure that had prevailed earlier under Vittal's predecessor Sanjay Kapoor.
                                                   

“The new structure reflects the next phase of Bharti’s growth journey, which will be led by best-in-class professionals in various segments,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises.

As part of the rejig, DS Rawat, CEO Bharti Infratel, will be appointed as MD and CEO of Bharti Infratel and will be inducted into the board of the company. Meanwhile, Christian de Faria will be appointed by Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV as the managing director and CEO (Africa), and will assume full operational responsibility of the company’s operations across 17 African geographies.

The company said under the new structure, Bharti Corporate Office will be focused on and will deal with matters of governance. Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and three vice-chairmen, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Rajan Bharti Mittal and Akhil Gupta, along with managing director, Manoj Kohli and four Bharti veterans, will form the Bharti Governance Board (BGB), it added.

Women Rule Science Congress!

Pookkodu (Wayanad): The vibrant atmosphere at Kerala Agriculture and Veterinary University (KVASU) campus assures that India has a lot of potential researchers coming up in future. More than 2000 students and research scholars are attending and presenting papers during the four-day Kerala Science Congress which started on Tuesday.

The most interesting part is the presence of a high number of women participants at the congress.  On day one, out of the 1850 students that had registered, 1116 were women.
                                                         

Even among the faculty, scientists and other participants, a considerable number were women rule science congress . “This is a very good sign. More and more girls are coming up as participants and presenting papers, and showing interest in the field of research,” said Centre for Water Resources Development and Management Scientist Dr George Chackacherry.

Shackira AM, a research scholar from Calicut University Life Science Department, said that students were now aware of the scope of science and research. “I have come here not just to present my paper, but to gather knowledge on what is happening in the field of research and to update my knowledge by participating in discussions and interactions with senior scientists,” she added.

“The atmosphere here is very good and the event is well organised. I am sure that I can learn many things from here, which I can later use in my research work,” said Ranjini Krishna, a MSc student from Pulppally Pazhassi Raja College, who wants to present her paper in the next Science Congress.

China And Russia May Hold Joint Naval Drill in The Mediterranean

Russia and China have agreed to conduct a joint naval drill in the Mediterranean Sea, a Russian media report cites the Defense Ministry. The countries’ fleets are currently involved in an intl operation to escort the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile.

The Defense Ministry said on Sunday that group of Russian naval officers deployed onboard a heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great" visited Chinese frigate Yancheng.        

At a press conference held in December last year, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China And Russia will send the Yancheng, a Type 054A frigate, for the escort mission, adding it was important to take part in the UN-backed mission.

After arriving in Syrian waters on Jan. 7, the Yancheng quickly joined with Russian cruiser Peter the Great, Danish combat support ship Snell and Norwegian frigate Engstar to escort the first batch of Syria's chemical weapons.

The statement from the Ministry of Defense said “On board the Chinese patrol ship, Russian sailors discussed with their foreign counterparts the possibility of joint tactical exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. Under the agreement, such exercises can be carried out in the near future in an effort to improve the level of operational compatibility between Russian and Chinese warships during joint operations in the eastern Mediterranean.”The main aim of the joint naval exercise would be to increase the level of operational cooperation between the two navies designed to tackle terrorist threats and improve joint rescue operations at sea, the Ministry explained.

59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bags Seven Awards

59th Idea Filmfare Awards were given away on 24 January 2014. At the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag grabbed seven Black Lady awards.

The award for the Best Actor was given to Farhaan Akhtar  for his performance in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.Deepika Padukone on the other hand was adjudged as the Best Actress for Ramleela.  

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was awarded with the Best Film award, and its director Omprakash Mehra won the Black Lady for the Best Director.

The lifetime achievement award was given away to Tanuja click here for more information about 59th Idea Filmfare Awards .

Rest of the awards was as follows:

Award for Best Debut Director: Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox)

Award for Best Debut (Male): Dhanush (Raanjhanaa)

Award for Best Debut (Female): Vaani Kapoor (Shuddh Desi Romance)

Award for Best Film (Critics): Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox)

Award for Best Actor (Critics): Rajkummar Rao (Shahid)

Award for Best Actress (Critics): Shilpa Shukla (BA Pass)

Award for Best Screenplay: Abhishek Kapoor, Chetan Bhagat, Supratik Sen and Pubali Chaudari (Kai Po Che)

Award for Best Story: Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB)

Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (The Lunchbox)

Congress ‘Copy Cat’ Ad irks BJP

New Delhi: Imitation they say is the highest form of flattery. Congress does not think so. And BJP is seething. A war of words has broken out between the two archrivals over a Congress advertisement, which appeared on Friday.

The poster saying “Main nahin hum” shows Congress icon Rahul Gandhi flanked by common Indians from all strata of society and community. The poster gives a signal that the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi has put Indians, particularly common men from all section of society and communities above everything.
                                         

Saffronites, however, are up in arms. They claimed that the Congress has “brazenly and blatantly” lifted the slogan, which was coined by its Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi.

For BJP nearly two years back Modi had come up with a slogan saying - “main nahin hum” at an annual chintan shivir organised by the Gujarat government. For the BJP, the Congress‘Copy Cat’ which “is devoid policy and strategy” was not being able to even ape in a dignified manner.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, “Nakal ke liye bhi akal  chahiye (you need intelligence even to ape)”. He went on: “Rahul Gandhi can steal a slogan, but he cannot steal Modi’s experience, credibility and performance.”

Sniggering at the Congress Hussain said: “Congress hates Modi but loves his slogans.” 

Auto Drivers’ Strike Against Meter Drive Hits Life in Kochi

Kochi: Autorickshaw drivers resorted to a one-day strike from 6 am to 6 pm on Thursday protesting against the ongoing police drive to enforce the meter on autos.

The strike was called by the CITU-controlled auto drivers union. Leaders of the union claimed that drivers belonging to other unions also joined the strike making it total in the city and suburbs.
                                                             

Women and families had a tough time finding their way to destinations, especially to far flung places, due to the strike. Those who came by trains and had luggage had to depend on taxis.

Most of the bus services, especially during peak hours, were packed and the city witnessed heavy traffic snarls, with a lot more private vehicles descending on the roads to fill the gap.click here for more information about Auto Drivers’ Strike The ongoing Kochi Metro work worsened the situation.

The striking drivers held a march to the office of the City Police Commissioner in the morning demanding that the drive be stopped and placed a charter of demands if they were forced to adhere to the meter. They claimed that nearly 1000 auto drivers participated in the march.

Speaking to DC, Sojan Antony, district vice-president of Ernakulam District Auto Drivers Association (CITU), wanted the authorities to limit the enforcing of the meter to city limits. “We are not against the meter. But the meter rates should be revised whenever the petrol prices are revised.” he said.

Kailash Meghwal Elected As Rajasthan Assembly Speaker

BJP MLA Kailash Meghwal was on Wednesday elected unopposed as Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

Meghwal's motion was proposed by Nand Lal Meena, BJP tribal minister and seconded by Narayan Singh of Congress.
                                           

With Meghwal’s exit, Raje is expected to induct more ministers in her Cabinet, which party sources believe will likely happen before the Parliament elections. Already several senior leaders and many castes have been left unrepresented in the Cabinet. Raje could use the opportunity to ensure balance representation of regions which were left ‘untouched’ in the mini Cabinet. The question is not whether the reshuffle will take place. The question is when will it happen.

Talking to the media, Raje said that the reshuffling would not take place during the Assembly session. On being asked whether the expansion would take place after the Lok Sabha polls, she vaguely said ‘may be.’

Consider this: Not a single woman legislator has been made a minister in the existing Cabinet click here for more information about Kailash Meghwal Elected .

Thus, it is likely that one or two woman MLAs could be included in the next cabinet reshuffle. Kiran Maheshwari and royal family member Diya Kumari emerge as strong contenders. Bharatpur division has 7 districts, but none of the MLAs from this region are in the current Cabinet, so chances are bright for Diya Kumari who won her first elections against tribal leader Kirori Lal Meena.