'Mangalyaan Completes Last orbit Raising Manoeuvre'

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan completed a fifth and last repositioning to take it almost two lakh km from Earth successfully on Saturday morning, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said.                                            

         
Now, the spacecraft will brace itself for the next critical event on December 1 when it has to move out of the Earth's sphere of influence and move towards Mars.
                                                     
India’s newly launched Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan, on Nov. 11 underperformed during the fourth of a planned six orbit-raising maneuvers necessary to boost the spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and on its way to the red planet by Dec. 1, according to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Isro officials said the fifth-orbit raising manoeuvre started at 1:27 am, with a burn time of 243 seconds and an incremental velocity of 101.55 m/s. In the process, the 440N liquid engine raised the apogee from 118,642 km to 192,000 km.

The supplementary manoeuvre, which was completed by 5.10 am, added a velocity of 124.9 m/s to the spacecraft, it said.

During the orbit-raising operations conducted since November 7, Isro has been testing and exercising autonomy functions that are essential for Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) and Mars Orbit Insertion.

ISRO's PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350-kg Mangalyaan Orbiter (Mars craft) into orbit around Earth some 44 minutes after a textbook launch at 2:38 PM from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Tuesday last, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 450-crore mission.

Dubai Chosen to Host 2020 World Expo

Dubai has been chosen to host the World Expo trade convention in 2020 - beating off rival bids from Brazil, Turkey and Russia.

Fireworks exploded from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, following the announcement in Paris.

Dubai will be the first Middle Eastern city to hold the Expo, which takes place every five years.
                                       

                                     
The expo sees hundreds of countries show off the latest in architecture and technology.

Cultures and creativity

The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has promised to astonish the world with the event.

The Gulf city beat Russia's Yekaterinburg in the final round of voting in Paris. The other contenders were Sao Paulo in Brazil and Izmir in Turkey.

"We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020," said Sheikh al-Maktoum after the win.

"Dubai Expo 2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity."

Dubai authorities say the Expo 2020 will bring in around $23bn (£14bn, 17bn euros). They say financing for the six-month event will cost a total of $8.4bn (£5.2bn, 6.2bn euros), with the government spending around $6.5bn (£4bn, 4.8bn euros) on infrastructure projects.

A huge exhibition centre will be built to host the event, plus new hotels and an extension to Dubai's metro line.

The 2015 Expo takes place in Milan.

Nepali Congress Emerged As Single Largest Party in Nepal Constituent Assembly Elections

Nepali Congress (NC) emerged as single largest Party in the second Constituent Assembly elections which are held on 19 November 2013

The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) stood a close second position and the UCPN (Maoist) party is in a distant third position.
                                               

         
Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held under two categories — first-past-the-post and proportional representation. A total of 240 seats were allocated in the first category and 365 seats in the proportional representation category. The remaining 26 seats in the 601-member will be nominated by the Cabinet laterclick here for more information about Nepal Constituent Assembly Elections .

A total of 301 seats are needed for majority and to form a government.

Nepali Congress Party wins 105 of the 240 directly elected seats followed by Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) with 91 and the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) with 26.

The NC has also emerged a clear front-runner in both the electoral formats. It won 105 seats under the direct election of candidates and has so far bagged 26 per cent under the PR system. The CPN (UML) is a close second with 91 seats and 25 per cent, respectively. The largest party in the last assembly- the UCPN (Maoist) is in a distant third position. 

RBI Widens Infrastructure Sector Lending Sub-Category

Mumbai: Reserve Bank today widened the definition of infrastructure lending including hotels with project costing more than Rs. 200 crore as well as convention centres with project worth Rs. 300 crore.
                               
"The government has further updated the harmonised master list...the new sub-sectors have been added in the list. Hotels with project cost of more than Rs. 200 crore each in any place in India and of any star rating. Convention centres with project cost of more than Rs. 300 crore each," RBI said in a notification.
                                       

         
RBI said that the new sub-sectors will get classified as 'infrastructure' for the purpose of lending by banks and select All India Term-Lending and Refinancing Institutions from the date of this circular.

Various sub-sectors under the categories such as Transport, Energy, Water & Sanitation, Communication, Social and Commercial RBI Widens Infrastructure come under infrastructure lending.

Hotel and convention centre come under 'Social and Commercial Infrastructure' category for this kind of lending.

The Finance Ministry has favoured relaxation of lending rules for infrastructure projects in order to expedite them.

Also, it has written to the RBI suggesting changes in the rules for infrastructure financing, including the treatment of non-performing loans to the sector.

In January, the government set up the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) to accord fast track clearances to large projects. Till September, the CCI had cleared 209 projects worth Rs. 3.84 lakh crore.

Further the Prime Minister's Project Monitoring Group (PMG), set up to track stalled large investment projects, has cleared 128 projects worth over Rs. 4.30 lakh crore so far.

Iran And P5+1 Group of Nations Clinched Nuclear Deal

Iran and P5+1 group of Nations reached a breakthrough deal on 24 November 2013 to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.
                                                     
An agreement to this effect was signed at UN Headquarters in Geneva on 24 November 2013 between the Chief negotiator for the six nations, Catherine Marie Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarief.                                              

The interim deal for six months is intended to give time and space to the international community to work towards a comprehensive agreement. After four days of negotiations, representatives of P5+1 group of nations - the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - reached an agreement with Iran.

Salient feature of the Deal

• Iran will stop enriching uranium beyond 5 percent, the level at which it can be used for weapons research, and reduce its stockpile of uranium enriched beyond this point.

• Iran will give greater access to inspectors including daily access at Natanz and Fordo nuclear sites.

• In return, there will be no new nuclear-related sanctions for six months.

• Iran will also receive sanctions relief worth about 7bn Dollars (£4.3bn) on sectors including precious metals.

Prof CNR Rao Elected to Chinese Academy of Sciences

Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna Awardee Prof CNR Rao was on 4 November 2013 elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS).

He is first Indian to be elected to this prestigious Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) which comprises of many Nobel laureates and eminent scientist across the world.
                                                 

 
CNR Rao has been elected to almost all scientific academies of the world including The Royal Society-London, National Academy of Science-USA, Pontifical Academy of Science, Japan Academy and Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, among others.

About Prof CNR Rao

Prof. Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (CNR Rao) was born on 30 June 1934, Bangalore, India. He is an eminent scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry.

He has published over 1400 research papers and 45 books. Prof. CNR Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards, including Padma Vibhushan.

Prof. CNR Rao was founder and Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India. Prof, CNR Rao is presently serving as the head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.

The Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister is the uppermost body that deliberates on various policy issues, pertaining to Science & Technology and also on the role it can play in the upliftment of the Indian economy.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Launches Lung Cancer Drug

AHMEDABAD: Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based drug maker has launched a lung cancer treatment drug - Mycidac-C.

The company claims that the drug Mycidac-C is for the first time in the world an affordable, unique and innovative drug for the treatment of lung cancer. As per the company's statement, Mycidac-C is an innovative research product for the patients suffering from Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The drug has been approved for launch in India by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It targets Desmocolin-3, a novel target.
                                               

   
Dr Rajiv I Modi, Chairman and Managing Director of Cadila Pharmaceuticals said, "We expect it to be available in the Indian market by December 2013. Thereafter, we will introduce it in other regions like SAARC countries and European markets over the next five years."

This is a first in the class active immunotherapy as well as drug targeting Desmocollin-3. It is a breakthrough in the management of squamous cell NSCLC. There has been no significant innovation in management of squamous NSCLC since the introduction of platinum containing doublet in 1983. Besides affordability and other advantages, Mycidac-C has no systemic side effects during the treatment. Mycidac-C is to be used with platinum containing doublet therapy.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, approximately 1.25 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year worldwide. Around 30% of them suffer from squamous NSCLC. Lung Cancer kills more people than the three next commonest cancers combined.

ISRO Performed Last Orbit Raising Manoeuvre on its Mars Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 16 November 2013 performed the last of the five orbit-raising manoeuvre on its Mars Orbiter, raising the apogee (farthest point from Earth) of the spacecraft to over 1.92 lakh km.
                                                         

In the series of five orbit raising manoeuvre with a supplementary operation after the fourth one, the space agency had raised the apogee of the spacecraft to over 1.92 lakh km.

After the successful completion of these operations, the Mars Orbiter mission is expected to take on the crucial event of the trans-Mars injection around 12.42am on 1st December 2013. It will reach the orbit of the red planet by 24th September, 2014 after taking on a voyage of over 10 months.

ISRO's PSLV C 25 on 5 November 2013 successfully injected the 1350-kg 'Mangalyaan' Orbiter (Mars craft) into the orbit around the earth, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pra 

Mangalore University Presented With Indira Gandhi NSS Best University Award 2012-13

President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 19 November 2013 presented Indira Gandhi National Service Scheme Best University Award 2012-13 to Mangalore University of Karnataka.
                                                 

Mangalore University Indira Gandhi NSS is fourth in the row of universities winning Indira Gandhi NSS Award in Karnataka. Prior to this university, RGUHS, Bangalore University, and UAS Dharwad had received this award.

The award comprises a memento and a citation along with a cash prize of 2 lakh Rupees.

President of India also gave NSS Best Plus 2 Council Award for 2012-13 to Directorate of Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthpuram while Upcoming University Award was presented to Kumaun University, Nainital. The awards are given to educational institutions, faculty and students for their contribution in various beneficial and voluntary activities.

The awards were presented on the occasion of National Integration Day (19 November 2013) at a function in Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. National Integration Day is the Birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister of the India, Indira Gandhi.

National Integration Day Observed on 18 November

18 November: National Integration Day (Birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi) 

National Integration Day is observed on 19 November 2013 all over India. It is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister of the India, Indira Gandhi.

The National Integration day is celebrated to enhance the love and unity among people all across the India.                                                                

                                     
National Integration Day is celebrated every year in India by conducting variety of programmes and activities like Inter State Youth Exchange Programme (ISYEP), National Integration Camp (NIC), National Youth Festival, National Youth Award and etc.
                               
Symposia, seminars, cultural activities are organized to deal with issues related to the national integration. Research activities and publications are held in the camp. Variety of community services are done by youths of different social backgrounds, regions, faiths and religions.

About Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi, the first woman Prime Minister of India, was born at 19th of November in the year 1917 in Allahabad. She was the daughter of the first Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. She got her higher education from the Vishwa Bharati University and Oxford.

She got married to the Feroze Gandhi in 1942 and got an opportunity to become Congress Working Committee member in the 1955.

Indira Gandhi was a great political leader and thus selected as President in the year 1959. She also became a Cabinet member of the Lal Bahadur Shastri as the Minister for Information. After the sudden death of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji in 1966 at Taskant, Russia, she was selected as the Prime Minister of India.

She played a major role in strengthening the Indian democratic structure and tradition. She handled the war of 1971 against Pakistan and won it. Signing of the Shimla Pact with Pakistani Premier Z.A. Bhutto, Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation was done under her leadership.

Under her leadership the first nuclear tests at Pokhran took place. First Asian Games in the New Delhi, first Astronaut Squadron Leader, Rakesh Sharma had went to the Space and the growth of the Indian Space Research and Peaceful Nuclear development gone under her proficient guidance.

She was very much interested in the music, literature and fine arts. She was awarded with the great Indian award, Bharat Ratna in 1971.

She has proved to be a fascinating leader of the modern India who has left an impression on the world affairs and the Non-alignment Movement. She was died on 31st of October in 1984 by the bullets of assassin at her residence.

Waheeda Rehman to Receive First Centenary Film Award At IFFI

Waheeda Rehman, the veteran actress of Bollywood will be conferred with the inaugural Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2013 at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on 20 November 2013. The award will be given to her in recognition of her contributions to the film industry. She has been selected unanimously by the team of five member jury.

                                                           

                                                   
The award has been instituted by the Government of India to mark the 100 years of Indian Cinema. It includes a prize amount of 10 lakh rupees and a citation Waheeda Rehman to receive first Centenary.

About Waheeda Rehman

• Born in 1936, Waheeda Rehman is known for her performance in films Kaagaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1961), Guide and more.

• She is the winner of several awards, which includes the Padma Shri in 1972 and Padma Bhushan in 2011.

• She started her career in film industry with a Telgu film named Jayasimha in 1955 and her debut in the Hindi films started in 1956 with CID

The 100 years of Indian cinema was celebrated on 3 May 2013 on the day of release of the first film of India by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913, namely Raja Harishchandra. 

Fifth Session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission Held in New Delhi

The fifth session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation held in New Delhi on 13 November 2013. The Commission was chaired by E. Ahamed, the Minister of State for External Affairs.
                                                               

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Ihor Mykolayovych Prasolov, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.Fifth Session of India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental He was accompanied by a 15 member official and 12 member business delegations from Ukraine.
                                                     
During the session current status and future prospects of cooperation in trade and investment, heavy/light industry, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, mining and metallurgy, science and technology, energy (coal, nuclear), transportation, agriculture and food processing, education, culture and tourism were reviewed.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, and the State Administration of Ukraine on Medicinal Products signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Joint Ventures and Research and Development in Pharmaceuticals and Bio-pharmaceuticals.

The Ukrainian Business Delegation held an interactive session with Indian business community organized by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Ukrainian side agreed to address the concerns of Indian pharmaceutical companies operating in Ukraine. Both sides also agreed to work on an agreement on simplification of visa procedures to ease movement of business people and tourists. The bulk of India’s exports of pharmaceuticals to Ukraine amount to about 375 million US dollars per annum.

India and Ukraine also agreed to increase trade beyond the existing level of 3.2 billion US dollars.

The fourth session was held in Kyiv in June 2012 and the sixth session of the Commission will take place in 2014 at Kyiv.

Yogesh Agarwal,The Chairman of PFRDA Resigned; Anup Wadhawan Took Over

The Chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Yogesh Agarwal resigned from the post of Chairman on 13 November 2013. He resigned because of the Government’s decision to not allow him to be a part of the selection panel for members of the regulator.

In the meanwhile, Joint Secretary Anup Wadhawan was appointed as the new Yogesh Agarwal Chairman of PFRDA by the Finance Ministry. It is important to note that Yogesh Agarwal had one and half years more as his tenure of the Chairman.                                                              

                                 

Inclusion of Chairman in the Selection Panel as Per the PFRDA Act 2013 

The selection panel members include Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru, Department of Personnel and Training Secretary Syamal Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), TS Vijayan, former LIC Chairman S B Mathur. According to the PFRDA Act 2013, the body should include the Chairperson and not more than six members (out of which three should be the full-time members), to be appointed by the Union Government of India.

Term of the Chairman of PFRDA

The Chairman as well as every full-time member of PFRDA holds the office for the term of five years. Also, the Chairman and members are eligible for reappointment. The age limit for a Chairman of PFRDA is 65 years and that of the full-time members is 62 years. Part-time members, in the meanwhile, can hold the office for the term not exceeding five years from the date of joining the office. 

Usha Ananthasubramanian Appointed As CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank

The Union Government on 12 November 2013 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), the first women’s bank.

                                                 

           
Before joining BMB, she was an Executive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Usha Ananthasubramanian Appointed started her career in the actuarial department with LIC and banking career in February 1982 with Bank of Baroda. She holds a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in ancient Indian culture from University of Mumbai.

During her tenure at Punjab National Bank, she was part of the panel formed for examination of the blueprint and other issues for setting up of the women’s bank. The panel’s report paved the way for India’s first public sector women’s bank.

UN Court Ruled For Cambodia in Thailand Border Row

The UN’s International Court of Justice ruled on 11 November 2013 that the area around a flashpoint ancient temple on the Thai border belongs to Cambodia.

The International Court of Justice interpreted a 1962 ruling saying that “Cambodia had sovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory of

Preah Vihear temple”.                         

                       

In 2012, the ICJ ruled that both countries should withdraw forces from around the ancient Khmer temple, which is perched on a clifftop in Cambodia but is more easily accessed from the Thai side. Thailand does not dispute Cambodia’s ownership of the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but both sides laid claim to an adjacent 4.6-square-km piece of land Cambodia in Thailand Border Row.

At least 28 people have been killed in outbreaks of violence since 2011 over the ownership of the patch of land next to the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

About Preah Vihear Temple

The Preah Vihear Temple is a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk Mountains of Cambodia. The temple complex runs 800m along a north-south axis. It was built mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries during the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I (and Suryavarman II).

Ownership of the temple by Cambodia has been under dispute from neighbouring Thailand. In 1962 the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia.

The Preah Vihear temple was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 

Novak Djokovic Won Barclays ATP World Tour Final After Defeating Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic on 11 November 2013 retained the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title after defeating the number one, Rafael Nadal. The world number two Djokovic, won 6-3, 6-4 at the O2 Arena in London. The ATP world tour took place from 4 to 11 November 2013.

He earned 1923000 US dollar as prize money and 1500 Emirates ATP Rankings points, while Nadal earned 1013000 US dollar and 1000 points as he dropped to a 10-4 record in finals in 2013.
                                                       

Earlier, Djokovic won the same title in the year 2008 and 2012. World Tour Final After Defeating Rafael Nadal This is the fifth time, when number 1 versus number 2 in the final in 44 years. They were:

2013:  Number 2 Djokovic defeated Number 1 Nadal

2012:  Number 1 Djokovic defeated Number 2 Federer

2010:  Number 2 Federer defeated Number 1 Nadal

1986:  Number 1 Lendl defeated Number 2 Becker

1983:  Number 2 McEnroe defeated Number 1 Lendl

Djokovic extended his unbeaten run to 22 matches as he claimed the season-ending title for the third time. With this win, he became the seventh player to win the year-end championship at least three times namely Roger Federer (six titles), Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras (five each), Ilie Nastase (four), and Boris Becker and John McEnroe (three each).

Heena Sidhu Became Third Indian Shooter to Win Gold at Rifle/Pistol World Cup Finals

Heena Sidhu became a part of the history by becoming the third Indian pistol shooter to win Gold at the World Cup Final on 10 November 2013 in Munich. In the Women's 10-metre Air Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup final, the 24-year-old shooter defeated World Champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia to bag her first Gold.

Prior to her, Anjali Bhagwat (2003) and Gagan Narang (2008) have won Gold at the rifle/pistol event in World Cup finals.

Final Results                           

                   
The overall results in the Women’s event were as follows:

• 10m air pistol: 1. Heena Sidhu 203.8 (384); 2. Zorana Arunovic (Srb) 198.6 (382); 3. Viktoria Chaika (Blr) 176.8 (381).

• 50m rifle 3-position: 1. Petra Zublasing (Ita) 462.7 (585); 2. Andrea Arsovic (Srb) 457.9 (587); 3. Wu Liuxi (Chn) 446.4 (585); 4. Lajja Gauswami 435.5 (581).

About Heena Sidhu

• Heena Sidhu was born in Ludhiana, Punjab.

• She is an Indian shooter heena sidhu became third indian shooter.

• Heena Sidhu along with Annu Raj Singh won the gold medal in women's Pairs 10 metre air pistol at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as well.

• She also won a silver medal in the singles event in the Commonwealth Games.

• In the 2009 Beijing ISSF World Cup tournament, in 10 metre air pistol event, Heena Sidhu won the Silver medal.

• In 2010 Guangzhou Women's 10m Air Pistol Team event, she won Silver medal in the Asian Games. 

Martha Dodray Won UN Award

Martha Dodray, a health worker from Bihar on 6 November 2013 won the global UN Award for her commitment and dedication to eradicate Polio in India. United Nation has conferred the UN Frontline Workers Global Leadership Award to Martha Dodray.

The award was given in recognition of the roles to individuals, organizations, and corporations played in supporting the work of the United Nations’ to advance global peace, justice, and prosperity. The United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) honored recipients of the 2013 Global Leadership Awards at the annual Global Leadership Dinner in New York City.

About Martha Dodray                     

• Martha Dodray UN Award is an Auxiliary Nurse & Midwife (ANM) from Darbhanga district of Bihar

• She represented the worldwide polio frontline workers. Her contribution cause was recognized by United Nations Foundation in 2013 and awarded

The other honorees recognized were

• Malala Yousafzai, honored for her role as a global activist on behalf of educating and empowering girls worldwide

• The Documentary Group and 10x10 for Girl Rising, honored for its efforts to ensure all girls receive an education

• GE Africa honored for its commitment to the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Every Women Every Child initiative and for building partnerships across Africa to advance country-owned solutions, innovation and development in health care

• Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was presented the Leo Nevas Human Rights Award for her enduring commitment to the global advancement of human rights and a strong U.S.-UN relationship

• Senator Timothy E. Wirth, former UN Foundation President, and current Board Vice Chair, recipient of the Champion for Global Change, was honored for his leadership in advancing women’s rights, sustainable development, and climate security throughout his career, including his 15-year legacy as President of the UN Foundation

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals.

About UNA-USA

The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a membership organization dedicated to informing, inspiring, and mobilizing the American people to support the ideals and vital work of the United Nations. For 70 years, UNA-USA has worked to accomplish its mission through its national network of Chapters, youth engagement, advocacy efforts, education programs, and public events. UNA-USA is a program of the United Nations Foundation. UNA-USA and its sister organization the Better World Campaign represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world.

New Delhi to Host 12th Edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014

The 12th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas will be held in New Delhi from 7th to 9th of January 2014. This was announced by Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs on 5 Novemeber 2013 in New Delhi.

The theme of the convention is -Engaging Diaspora - Connecting across Generations- with a special focus on the younger generation.

                                                                   
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the convention and President Pranab Mukherjee will give his valedictory address. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman will also be bestowed on 15 persons during the convention.

The PBD Convention provides a unique platform for overseas Indians to interact among themselves and with the Government of India and the Governments of various Indian States. It is a forum where the Government of India showcases investment opportunities in India and its potential in various sectors. The 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held at Kochi, Kerala from 7th to 9th of January 2013 12th Edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014.

About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.

PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.

During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.

Shakuntala Devi's 84th Birthday Celebrated With A Doodle

Shakuntala Devi's 84th Birthday Celebrated With A Doodle

When she was only three, Devi began showing great affinity with numbers. By the time she was five, she became an expert in solving complex mental arithmetic.

NEW DELHI: Google, on Monday, celebrated mathematics wizard Shakuntala Devi's 84th birthday with a doodle.

She is dubbed as the world's fastest 'human computer' who made complex mental calculations.

Born on November 4, 1929, in Bangalore, to an orthodox priestly Brahmin family Devi had no access to proper schooling and food in her early years.                  
                                                                                                           
Credited with solving some frightfully complicated arithmetic problems with apparent ease and astonishing speed, Shakuntala Devi's calculating skills stunned the world throughout the 1970s and 80s. Her sharpness often made sophisticated digital devices seem inadequate.

Shakuntala Devi figured in the Guiness Book of World Record for her outstanding ability and wrote numerous books like 'Fun with Numbers', 'Astrology for You', 'Puzzles to Puzzle You', and 'Mathablit'.

At the age of six, she demonstrated her calculation skills in her first major public performance at the University of Mysore and two years later, she again proved herself successful as a child prodigy at Annamalai University.

In 1977, Shakuntala Devi extracted the 23rd root of a 201-digit number mentally. In the same year in Dallas, she competed with a computer to see who gives the cube root of 188138517 faster and she won.

Rated as one in 58 million for her stupendous mathematical feats by one of the fastest super-computers ever invented, the Univac-1108, Devi believed in using grey cells to silicon chips.

On June 18, 1980 she demonstrated the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 x 2,465,099,745,779 picked at random by the Computer Department of Imperial College, London. She answered the question in 28 seconds flat. This event is mentioned in the 1995 Guinness Book of Records.

Shakuntala Devi died at Bangalore Hospital at 8:15am on April 21, 2013 at the age of 83. She was admitted to the hospital with respiratory difficulty, following which she acquired heart problems and endured a heart attack which proved fatal.

Today Google pays tribute to the mathematics wizard with a doodle.