CA December 12 & 13

INDONESIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS DELEGATION LEVEL TALKS WITH PM MODI

The delegation level talks between Prime Minister NarendraModi and visiting President of Indonesia JokoWidodo was held in New Delhi today.

In the morning, Mr. Widodo and his wife HJ Iriana were welcomed by President Pranab Mukherjee and MrModi during the ceremonial reception at the forecourt of RashtrapatiBhavan.

The visiting dignitary was accorded guard of honour. He also visited Rajghat and offered respects at the memorial of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. In the evening, Mr. Widodo will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari.

Mr. Widodo arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit to India. President Widodo is accompanied by a high level delegation including several cabinet ministers, senior officials and a 22 member business delegation.

MISTRY REMOVED AS TATA INDUSTRIES DIRECTOR

Cyrus Mistry was today removed as director of Tata Industries following shareholders’ vote. Tata Industries is a subsidiary of Tata Sons.

Tata Power has called an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on the coming 26th. He is currently Chairman of Tata Power. Mistry joined the Board of Tata Sons in 2006 and was appointed Chairman of its Board in December 2012.

In a sudden and dramatic turn of events, Cyrus Mistry was on 24th of October this year sacked as Chairman of India’s largest conglomerate Tata Group and replaced by his predecessor Ratan Tata in the interim.

A five-member search committee was named, including Mr. Tata, to choose a successor within four months.

DGAD RECOMMENDS ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON STEEL PIPES FROM CHINA

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties,DGAD has recommended imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of steel tubes and pipes from China.

Earlier this year in May, the government had imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty for six months on these items.In March, the Anti- Dumping body had recommended to the revenue department to impose provisional levy on import of certain types of iron and steel pipes from China used in oil and gas exploration in an attempt to safeguard the domestic industry from cheap imports.

In its notification, the Directorate General said, the product under consideration has been exported to India from China below its normal value, resulting in dumping.

The Anti- Dumping panel conducted an investigation into it and recommended imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain goods from China.

INDIA, INDONESIA SIGN THREE AGREEMENTS TO ENHANCE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

India and Indonesia have signed three agreements in various areas including youth affairs and sports, fishing and standardization to enhance strategic partnership.

The agreements were signed after delegation level talks between between Prime Minister NarendraModi and visiting President of Indonesia JokoWidodo in New Delhi this afternoon.

The two leaders during their talks agreed to build a strong economic and development partnership to strengthen the flow of trade, capital and people between the two countries. In a joint statement, MrModiemphasised that today’s discussions and the agreements will help add new vigor to the strategic engagements.

Prime Minister said, he and MrWidodo have also agreed to prioritize defense and security cooperation to ensure safety and security of sea lanes, disaster response and environmental protection.

MrModi said, the partnership between the two countries will also be increased for combating terrorism, organized crime, drugs and human trafficking.

The two countries agreed for an early implementation of India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in Services and investment, and finalization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The two sides decided to speed up establishment of Chairs of Indian and Indonesian Studies in each other’s universities to encourage research on historical linkages. They also agreed to enhance their scholarship and training programmes.

Indonesian President said his visit will strengthen trade and economic relations between the two countries. He said, to improve direct connectivity Indonesian airlines Garuda is commencing direct flights from Jakarta to Mumbai.

Earlier in the morning, Mr. Widodo was accorded ceremonial reception at the forecourt of RashtrapatiBhavan. He also visited Rajghat and offered respects at the memorial of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

In the evening, Mr. Widodo will meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari.

Mr. Widodo arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit to India last night. President Widodo is accompanied by a high level delegation including several cabinet ministers, senior officials and a 22 member business delegation.

IAF ORGANISES SEMINAR TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT ORGAN DONATION

To increase awareness and promote organ donation among the population, Indian Air Force(IAF), organised a seminar at the Air Force auditorium in New Delhi yesterday.

Defence Ministry in a release said, around 500 air warriors and their families joined hands to strengthen the organ donation movement in the country. Directorate General Medical Services (Air) emphasised the need to increase awareness on organ donation and laid out the blueprint to carry forward the movement.

He reiterated the importance of this organ donation movement and exhorted one and all to pledge their organs and make a difference to mankind. He also said, there is an urgent need to increase awareness in the population on organ donation. Organ transplantation gives a second-life to a terminally ill individual. Every year thousands of peoples die, waiting for a transplant due to lack of organs.

CUSTOMERS MAKING DIGITAL PAYMENT FOR PETROL, DIESEL TO GET 0.75% DISCOUNT

Customers making digital payment for purchase of petrol and diesel will get a discount of 0.75 per cent on the sale price of fuel from today. In a statement, Indian Oil Corporation said, the amount of discount will be credited to customers account by way of cash back within maximum three working days of the transaction.

The 0.75 per cent discount on payments will be available on using credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets or Prepaid Loyalty Cards.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had last week announced various measures including discounts on on-line payments for insurance policies, rail tickets and highway toll charges as the government looked to promote digital cash post demonetisation

NOT INITIATED ANY ACTION TO CANCEL AXIS BANK’S LICENCE FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS OF IRREGULARITIES: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India has said that it has not initiated any action to cancel Axis Bank’s licence following allegations of irregularities at some of its branches after the demonetisation of high value notes.

The clarification comes amid rumours in a segment of the media that the bank was likely to lose its banking licence.

FENGYUN-4 SATELLITE LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY BY CHINA

China launched Fengyun-4 satellite into geostationary orbit successfully

First of its new generation weather satellites

Launched onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province

242nd mission of China’s Long March series of rockets

The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) is the primary user of the satellite

Previously, China had successfully launched 14 weather satellites, of them seven are still in orbit

WORLD’S LONGEST RAIL TUNNEL STARTS REGULAR SERVICE

The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial rail service in Switzerland

GBT is the first flat low-level route through the Alps Mountain

Situated 2.3 km deep under these mountains and 57-kilometer long

The first regular train to use GBT ferried passenger from Zurich to Lugano

It is the world’s longest and deepest railway tunnel

Overtaken Japan’s Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world

UNICEF FOUNDED ON DEC 11 IN 1946

The UN General Assembly on December 11, 1946 voted to establish the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

To bring life-saving aid and protection to children after World War II

UNICEF grew into a vocal advocate of children’s rights during the 1970s and is currently working across 190 countries for child rights

PAOLO GENTILONI TO BE APPOINTED NEW ITALIAN PM

Italian President Sergio Mattarella asked Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to take over as the Prime Minister and form the new government

Gentiloni’s new role will not be official until he chooses his cabinet and secures a vote of confidence in parliament

This comes after former PM Matteo Renzi resigned when his nationwide referendum on constitutional reforms was defeated.

TSUNAMI EARLY WARNING-SYSTEM TO SCS COUNTRIES : INDIA

India desired to provide Tsunami Early Warning-System to South China Sea (SCS) countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Philippines

Developed by the scientists of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)

To estimate an earthquake using mathematical models, in India’s oceanic neighbourhood, will result in a tsunami

India developed its own tsunami-alert system after a deadly tsunami struck Tamil Nadu in 2004

INCOIS is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO)

Established in 1999

EUROPEAN UNION AND MALI SIGNED AGREEMENT TO RETURN MIGRANTS

The European Union signed an agreement with the Malian government  to enable the return of strucked Malian migrants

Aim of the agreement is to fight the root causes of illegal migration and to enable the return from Europe of Malian migrants

Signed on behalf of the EU by Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders

To help young people of Mali in finding work and thus strengthen the country’s security forces

EU SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH CUBA FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION

28 nation European Union and Cuba signed agreement for Political dialogue and Cooperation

The agreement was signed between Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla and EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini

Agreement facilitates EU’s continuous support for economic and political modernisation efforts in Cuba

EU is the largest trading partner for Cuba outside Latin American region

This comes after EU repealed its 1996 policy which stated that Cuba must improve its human rights conditions before normalisation talks with EU

The deal covers issues like trade, human rights and immigration

3 AGREEMENTS SIGNED BETWEEN INDIA AND INDONESIA

India and Indonesia signed three agreements to boost the bilateral relations between two nations

Signed during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo visit to India

3 Agreements include:

1. MoU on youth and sports cooperation
2. MoU on Standardization Cooperation between the Bureau of Indian standards and National Standardisation Agency of Indonesia
3. Joint communique on voluntary International cooperation to combat Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing

NEWZEALAND’S NEW PM: BILL ENGLISH

Bill English has officially become New Zealand’s new Prime Minister

He succeded John Key who resigned from his post last week

English, who earlier served as the Finance Minister and Deputy PM, is a social conservative and has voted against euthanasia, same-sex marriage and abortion

He had led his party to their worst election defeat in the country’s history in 2002

INDIA TO HAVE HIGHEST SALARY INCREASE IN ASIA PACIFIC IN 2017

India and Vietnam will have the highest salary increases next year with a projected rise of 10.8 per cent and 9.2 per cent respectively among Asia Pacific’s emerging economies, according to a report by a global consulting firm.
A report by Mercer has forecast a 10.8 per cent salary increase in India and 9.2 per cent in Vietnam in 2017.
Salary increases in Hong Kong and Singapore, Asia’s financial hubs, are forecast to see a 4.2 per cent and 4.1 per cent increase, respectively, said Mercer, in their report “Compensation Planning for 2017.”

Japan is forecast to receive the lowest increase of 2.2 per cent, followed by New Zealand 2.8 per cent and Australia 2.9 per cent, said the report based on Mercer’s Annual Total Remuneration Survey (TRS), and its bi-annual Market Pulse Surveys

WE’VE ADOPTED ‘BORN IN FRANCE, MADE IN INDIA’ APPROACH: JEAN-MICHEL CASSÉ, ACCORHOTELS INDIA

AccorHotel announced on Monday that it has reached its 45 hotels and resorts milestone network growth across India. The recent openings of Hotel Formule1 in Nashik and Chennai has led to the brand operating in 18 cities with the portfolio ranging from luxury and midscale to in-demand economy brand segments, Accor said. It added that ten of AccorHotels globally acclaimed brands have a presence in India, with ibis Styles making its debut earlier in 2016 with the opening of a 197-rooms hotel in Goa. The company said it will continue to accelerate its pipeline for 2017 which will see an additional ten hotels bringing its network growth to over 55 properties.
The group now has an 8,000 room inventory across its ten brands, which include Fairmont, Sofitel, Pullman, Swissôtel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and Formule1. AccorHotels said its growth strategy in India is led by its focus on the midscale segment with the Novotel brand which celebrated its tenth-year anniversary presence in India this year and the popular in-demand economy brand, ibis. There are currently 28 hotels operating under the Novotel and Ibis brands across vari ..

TATA MOTORS TO HIKE PASSENGER VEHICLE PRICES BY UP TO RS 25,000

Home-grown auto major Tata Motors today said it will hike prices of its passenger vehicles by up to Rs 25,000 from next month in order to offset increased input costs.
The company will be increasing prices of its passenger vehicles starting from Rs 5,000 up to Rs 25,000, depending on the model, Tata Motors said in a statement. The increase is effective January 1.
“The increase in prices of raw material commodities like steel, aluminium, copper and rubber over a period of time has put a lot of pressure on us and as a result, we are forced to hike prices of our passenger vehicles,” Tata Motors President (passenger vehicle business) Mayank Pareek said.

COAL DEMAND TO BURN SLOWER OVER NEXT 5 YEARS: IEA

World demand for coal will slow over the next five years as renewables and energy efficiency gain traction, the International Energy Agency predicted today.
But much of Asia will remain hooked on coal which, while polluting, is also affordable and widely available, the Paris-based body said in a report.
“Because of the implications for air quality and carbon emissions, coal has come under fire in recent years, but it is too early to say that this is the end for coal,” said Keisuke Sadamori, the director of the IEA’s energy markets and security directorate, in a statement.
By 2021, the share of coal in the world’s power generation mix is projected to drop to 36 percent, compared with 41 per cent in 2014.
In 2015, global coal demand declined for the first time this century.

HERITAGE CORRIDOR LAUNCH BY JANUARY END: DMRC CHIEF

The ITO-Kashmere Gate ‘Heritage Corridor’ of Delhi Metro will be launched by the end of January, DMRC chief Mangu Singh has said, ruing the combined effect of construction ban and demonetisation behind the delay.
Singh termed as “setback” the double whammy of ban on construction activities in the wake of alarming pollution levels and the currency ban, saying the two decisions made the task of retaining labourers difficult.
“It suffered a setback in the last one and a half months. Although it would be possible to present the line to the public by January end,” Singh told PTI.

DGAD RECOMMENDS ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON STEEL PIPES FROM CHINA

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of steel tubes and pipes from China.
Earlier this year in May, the government had imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty for six months on seamless tubes and steel pipes, among others, imported from China.
In March, DGAD had recommended to the revenue department to impose provisional levy on import of certain types of iron and steel pipes from China used in oil and gas exploration in a bid to protect the domestic industry from cheap imports.

INDIA’S MRO SECTOR GROWING FAST, REVENUES PEGGED AT $975 MILLION

The domestic industry for maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft is seeing “very fast growth” and successful implementation of national aviation policy can push its revenues up to $975 million, say experts.
The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) space provides significant growth opportunities, more so because there are not many such facilities in India. While national carrier Air India does all these works within the country, most airlines carry them out overseas — at a much higher cost.

Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani today said the MRO sector is “growing very very fast” and that the market is “exploding”.

SUN PHARMA, MOEBIUS MEDICAL TO DEVELOP OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN PRODUCT

Sun PharmaBSE 0.49 % and Israel-based Moebius Medical have entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing deal to further develop MM-II, a novel pharmaceutical candidate for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis, Sun said in a release to the press.
MM-II is an intra-articular bio lubricant injection which is being developed to provide symptomatic relief of mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis pain. The product is based on patent-protected technology licensed by Moebius Medical from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion Israel Institute of Technology and Hadassah Medical Centre.

JAPANESE CITY TAGS ELDERLY DEMENTIA PATIENTS WITH BARCODES

The Japanese city of Iruma has employed a system to keep track of elderly people with dementia by attaching barcode stickers containing personal information to their fingers and toes.

The 1 cm square water-resistant stickers include an address, telephone number and unique identity number.

Notably, Japan has an ageing population, with more than 25% citizens aged at least 65.

INDIAN TWIN SISTERS BAG $100K PRIZES IN SIEMENS SCIENCE COMPETITION

Indian origin identical twin sisters and another teen got $100,000 grand prize scholarships in the 17th annual Siemens Math, Science and Technology Competition with their medical projects.

Adhya and Shriya Beesam shared the grand prize for teams in the competition finals on Tuesday for their project developing a method for early diagnoses of schizophrenia using both brain scans and psychiatric evaluations. Both of them are eleventh grade students in Plano, Texas.

Vineet Edupuganti took the individual grand prize with a biodegradable battery that can be used to power medical devices.

It is for use in devices that can be swallowed to diagnose and track conditions affecting internal organs. He is a final year high school student in Portland in Oregon state.

David Etzwiler, CEO of the Siemens Foundation, said the Beesam twins and Edupuganti “are poised to transform the lives of millions around the globe by helping us advance medical knowledge and technologies designed to diagnose and treat various diseases”.

Three Indian-origin teens took other prizes in the individual category and two others shared a team prize.

In the individual category scholarship awards, high school final year students Manan Shah of Los Altos, California, received $50,000; Prateek Kalakuntla from Plano, Texas, got $30,000, and Pranav Sivakumar, of Tower Lakes, Illinois, picked up $20,000.

CYCLONE VARDAH: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MINISTER HARSHVARDHAN CALLS FOR CAUTION OVER 36 HOURS

Union Science and Technology Minister Harshvardhan on Monday said people have to remain cautious over the next 24 to 36 hours as the government counter the ‘Cyclone Vardha’

“We have to remain cautious and ensure that we are vigilant for the next 24 to 36 hours,” he said adding that the Centre and Tamil Nadu government, besides related agencies, are on alert.
Harshvardhan added that the storm is likely to strike off the Chennai coast and will affect the northern parts of Tamil Nadu (Thiruvellur district), and the southern portion of Andhra Pradesh (Nellore district) with a wind speed of 110 kilometres per hour between 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cyclone Vardah’ is centered over west central and adjoining Southewest Bay of Bengal at about 180 km east north east of Chennai and 250 km east south east of Nellore.

SCIENTISTS SAY REINDEER MAY BE SHRINKING DUE TO WARMING

Reindeer living on the Arctic island of Svalbard are getting smaller — and scientists say climate change may be the cause.

Scientists from Britain and Norway have found that adult Svalbard reindeer born in 2010 weigh 12 percent less on average than those born in 1994.

Ecologist Steve Albon of Scotland’s James Hutton Institute says rising temperatures in the Arctic mean Svalbard is getting more rain, creating a hard ice sheet the island’s reindeer can’t easily break through to reach food.

Reindeer populations are also increasing due to warmer summers, stoking competition.

Albon says researchers think there is a correlation between rising temperatures and reindeer weight. He says more research is needed to confirm the link.

Their findings were presented Monday at a meeting of the British Ecological Society.

MUTATED FISH BECOMES 8,000 TIMES MORE RESISTANT TO TOXIC WASTE

Talk about superpowers! We think of evolution as something that takes centuries or millennia to take place, but sometimes it happens really fast, especially in challenging environments.

The small striped ‘mud minnow’, also known as thekillifish, is commonly found infresh or brackish waters in the Americas, as far south as Argentina and as far north as southern Ontario.

A particular killifish species is known for thriving inpolluted areas where other fish would rarely even venture. In fact, they’re often considered to be ‘marker’ species – indicators for how polluted an environment is, a kind of reverse-canary-in-the-coalmine.

LIGO MAN TO SPREAD ASTRONOMY AWARENESS

He shot into limelight when detection of gravitational waves was announced in USA in February this year. Karan Jani, a Gujarati, was a key member at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) that worked on the detectors for gravitational waves as he made the computer simulations of the collision of black holes.
His team recently received the Special Breakthrough Prize money in San Francisco for the discovery and Karan aims to use the money for encouraging students in India to take up research so that they can play an important role in the LIGO India project.
“I will be visiting more colleges and universities in India to inform students about LIGO-India project. The prize money will be used to visit India and deliver lectures for spreading awareness about science and astronomy in general,” Karan told TOI.

AMERICAN RESEARCHERS KEEN TO DEVELOP NE BIORESOURCES

The Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a National Institute of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Unites States of America, at its Headquarters in Imphal, today, a statement informed.
Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director IBSD, who led the Indian delegation, stressed on the unique bioresources of this region. He said the MoU will focus on joint research and development of science and technology for sustainable utilization of bioresources.
This will be brought about by collaborative research and development (R&D) between IBSD and the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and would also involve exchange of researchers, from scientists to students.
The American delegation, led by Prof Juan A Negron-Berrios, Chancellor, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, found that the unique bioresources of the NE region can be complemented by their state-of-the –art technology, for sustainable utilization to bring about prosperity to the region.
The other member of the American delegation was Prof Alok Arun of the Institute of Sustainable Biotechnology, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, while the Indian delegation included Prof Ira A Levine, University of Southern Maine, USA.

COBRA VENOM CAN HELP SURGEONS SPOT CANCER TUMOURS

What do lethal cobra venom, quantum dots and cancer diagnosis have in common? Nothing – till a team of Russian and Indian scientists put their heads to it and developed an innovative technique to take sharp images of cancer growths.
Researchers from Tezpur University, Assam working with the National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS), Moscow combined highly poisonous chemicals called alpha-neurotoxins found in cobra venom with fluorescent nanoparticles of cadmium selenide known as quantum dots. The new substance was found to effectively mark the boundaries of cancer growths.
Cancer surgeons need to see the exact boundaries of the cancerous growth so that it can be removed: the more precisely the boundary is marked, the more effective the operation will be. The newly made chemical can do this very precisely because of its unique properties.

IAF LINES UP SERIES OF SLEEK ‘ASTRA’ TRIALS FROM MONDAY

Indian Air Force (IAF) is slated to carry out a series of captive trials of indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile ‘Astra’ from a fighter aircraft from Monday.
Defence sources said the missile will be fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft targeting a Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA) at different altitudes from different angles over the Bay of Bengal to reconfirm the killing efficiency of the all-terrain and all-weather weapon system.
The anti-aircraft missile, considered one of the best of its kind in the world, will be tested for three days.

Altogether, three rounds of the missile have reportedly been planned to be test-fired.
The focus is on to achieve success during all the three trials this time as a coordinated air exercise on Wednesday reportedly ended in failure as the missile nose-dived after it was fired from the aircraft and exploded on the sea beach causing enormous noise.

IDN TAKE: ASTRA MISSILE TECHNOLOGIES COME CLOSER TO INDUCTION

Astra is India’s first beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It is intended to engage and destroy aerial targets with high manoeuvrability and supersonic speeds. The missile’s advanced air combat capabilities allow it to engage multiple high-performance targets. The highly agile, accurate and reliable missile features high single-shot kill probability (SSKP) and is capable of operating under all weather conditions.

The Astra is capable of being launched from India’s Sukhoi-30 MKI twin-jet air superiority fighter. The Indian Air Force currently operates roughly 225 total Su-30 MKIs, but plans to eventually operate around 270 by 2019. The Astra is 149 inches in length, making it the most compact missile developed indigenously in India capable of supersonic speeds.

The Economic Times notes that the Astra “was tested to prove the maneuvering capability against a simulated target and also to validate various subsystems.” When fired from an altitude of at least 15,000 meters, the Astra can travel as far as 110 km. At lower altitudes, this range is reduced: it is capable of reaching a range of 44 km when fired from 8,000 meters, and 21 km when fired from sea level. The active homing and tail chasing ability of the Astra is limited to 25 km. Under normal use, the highly maneuverable Astra missile experiences up to 30 g of acceleration force.

ACQUISITION OF TOP-NOTCH U.S. ARMS TECH TO BE SIMPLIFIED FOR INDIA

With U.S. designating India as a Major Defence Partner (MDP), licensing regulations to acquire sensitive military technologies, such as those that go into the F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, will be simplified.

An official said on Friday that the designation “institutionalises” the cooperation achieved so far between the two countries.

This is a unique designation conferred on India, outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries and U.S. treaty allies such as Australia and Japan.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defence Authorisation Act to enhance defence and security cooperation with India. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter agreed on the provisions of the designation in New Delhi on Thursday. President Barack Obama has to sign the Bill into a law.

This comes at a time when India is considering proposals for a new fighter aircraft to be built under the “Make in India” initiative, in significant numbers, with technology transfer. U.S. aerospace majors Boeing and Lockheed have submitted proposals to build their F-18 and F-16 fighter jets. Saab of Sweden has done so for Gripen.

“The MDP eases [the process of] licensing for military and dual-use items. It streamlines the process and reduces India’s licensing requirements,” another official said.

CHINA GAINS NEAR FULL CONTROL OF HAMBANTOTA PORT IN SOUTH SRI LANKA

A Chinese-dominated Sino-Sri Lankan Joint Venture (JV) will be granted comprehensive control of Hambantota port — including its internal security — under a Framework Agreement signed this week between the Sri Lankan Government and China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort), the Colombo-based Sunday Times reports.

The agreement, which was seen by the Sunday Times was entered into between CMPort and the Secretaries of the Ministries of Finance, Port and Shipping, and Development Strategies and International Trade.

The final deal is to be signed in January.

The Framework Agreement provides for the setting up of a JV company between CMPort and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in which the Chinese company will hold 80% of shares and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) 20%. This will entitle the SLPA to a single seat on its board. The term of the lease and concession period is 99 years.

CMPort has not consented to immediate royalty payments to the SLPA.

“It was explained that the Chinese side is in agreement to consider the request of the SLPA on royalty payment, on a revenue sharing basis, once the port utilization reaches a mutually-agreed level of performance,” a joint Cabinet memorandum says.

The Framework Agreement sees the Chinese-led venture gaining authority over pilotage (directing ship movement) service, navigation service, tug service, berthing service, port security service, lighterage (use of lighters in loading, unloading and transporting ships) service, shipping and trans-shipping, warehousing, mooring service, wharfage, supply of water, fuel and electricity, bunkering and inner anchorage service.

PAKISTAN’S ARMY CHIEF GENERAL QAMAR JAVED BAJWA VOWS TO SEVER MILITANTS FROM FACILITATORS

Pakistan’s new army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today vowed to make every effort to delink the militants operating in the remote parts of the country from their facilitators in urban areas.

“Nexus between terrorists in remote areas and their facilitators in urban centres will be severed whatever the amount of effort and time,” he said.

The army chief reviewed the gains of counter-terrorism operations and said focus must remain on indiscriminate, intelligence-based combing operations.

Gen Bajwa was visiting Corps Headquarters in Peshawar, where he was briefed about the operations in Pakistan’s tribal regions and the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

He said the army will stand by the tribal people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) in northwestern Pakistan and work with the government to bring about an equitable development for peace in the entire region.

The chief of army staff also reviewed progress in border management and directed officials to expedite all construction work and capacity-building of Frontier Corps to check illegal cross-border movements.

INDIA OUTGUNS RUSSIA AND SAUDI ARABIA TO BECOME THE WORLD’S FOURTH-LARGEST DEFENCE SPENDER

India is among the world’s top five defence spenders with its military budget at USD 50.7 billion, overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to a new report released today.

The US, China and the UK remain the top three defence spenders while India has the fourth largest military budget, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to the ‘2016 Jane’s Defence Budgets Report’, released by research firm IHS Markit.

India spent USD 50.7 billion this year on defence, up from USD 46.6 billion last year.

The report said that India is set to overtake Britain with the third-largest defence budget by 2018 as a result of its modernisation drive.

The US remained way ahead of the world with a budget of USD 622 billion, followed by China at USD 191.7 billion while the UK spent USD 53.8 billion on defence this year, Saudi Arabia USD 48.68 billion and Russia USD 48.44 billion.

MAJOR DEFENSE PARTNER STATUS COULD SMOOTHEN F-16 DEAL WITH INDIA

India, being designated as a major defense partner (MDP) of the US, could be offered simplified licensing requirements to acquire sensitive military technologies such as those that go into the F-16 and F-18 fighter jets.

The designation “institutionalizes” the cooperation achieved so far between the two countries, an official was quoted as saying by The Hindu Friday.

“The MDP eases the process of licensing for military and dual-use items. It streamlines the process and reduces India’s licensing requirements,” another official said.

Earlier this week, the US Congress passed the National Defence Authorisation Act to enhance defence and security cooperation with India. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter agreed on the provisions of the designation in New Delhi on Thursday. President Barack Obama has to sign the Bill into a law.

A senior official of the Pentagon, with experience in defence acquisition and technology, will be designated to expedite matters for India. However, the status will not help circumvent multilateral control regimes.

Officials said the designation was envisaged as a way to bring India on the same level as the U.S. treaty allies, in the absence of a formal treaty between the two countries.

VJIT GETS SECOND DRDO PROJECT

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), New Delhi, has sanctioned a Rs. 51-lakh research project titled ‘investigation of nano crystalline bismuth ferrite for possible shape memory applications’ to P. Venugopal Reddy, director, Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology.

The VJIT is the first affiliated college under JNTU-Hyderabad to get a second DRDO project. Prof. Reddy had earlier completed another Rs. 50-lakh research project funded by the DRDO, a press release said.

Prof. Reddy said that shape – memory alloy (SMA) is an alloy that “remembers” its original shape and that when deformed returns to its pre-deformed shape after heating. At present, the best material available is nickel-titanium alloy (nitinol). Efforts are on to replace the presently available nitinol with a new material — nano crystalline bismuth ferrite — with higher efficiency.

TWELVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISRAELI F-35 ‘SUPER’ STEALTH FIGHTER

1. The plane built by US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is the most expensive in history.
2. Proponents tout its radar-dodging stealth technology, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparallelled access to information.
3. It includes its own operating system, with data that appears on the visor and is also shared elsewhere. Thermal and night vision as well as 360-degree views are possible with cameras mounted on the plane.
4. Israel is buying its first 33 jets at an average price of about $110 million (103.5 million euros) each. As a comparison, in 2001, Israel agreed to buy 52 additional F-16s from Lockheed Martin at a total cost of $1.3 billion.
5. Israel, which receives more than $3 billion per year in US defence aid, says it will be the first country outside the United States to have an operational F-35 squadron.
6. Israeli components will be integrated into the plane, and its arrival is being welcomed as a major event for the country’s military as it seeks to maintain dominance in the turbulent Middle East.
7. Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems, two Israeli companies, are among firms that have benefitted from contracts linked to the plane’s production.
8. Israel’s military will give the plane the name “Adir,” or “mighty” in Hebrew.
9. It will be receiving the F-35A model for standard take-offs and landings. The B and C models are for short take-offs and aircraft carriers. Israel’s version will be known as the F-35I.
10. Lockheed Martin describes the plane’s stealth capabilities as unprecedented, allowing it to evade the most sophisticated missile systems.
11. The single-pilot jets can travel at a supersonic speed of Mach 1.6, or around 1,200 miles per hour (around 1,900 kilometres per hour). It can carry up to 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) of weaponry, but that amount is reduced in stealth mode.
12. The planes are designed for multiple combat situations. The plane’s ultra hi-tech helmet comes at a cost of some $400,000 each.

INDIA OUTGUNS RUSSIA AND SAUDI ARABIA TO BECOME THE WORLD’S FOURTH-LARGEST DEFENCE SPENDER

India is among the world’s top five defence spenders with its military budget at USD 50.7 billion, overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to a new report released today.

The US, China and the UK remain the top three defence spenders while India has the fourth largest military budget, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to the ‘2016 Jane’s Defence Budgets Report’, released by research firm IHS Markit.

India spent USD 50.7 billion this year on defence, up from USD 46.6 billion last year.

The report said that India is set to overtake Britain with the third-largest defence budget by 2018 as a result of its modernisation drive.

The US remained way ahead of the world with a budget of USD 622 billion, followed by China at USD 191.7 billion while the UK spent USD 53.8 billion on defence this year, Saudi Arabia USD 48.68 billion and Russia USD 48.44 billion.

‘NEAR-HIT’ ASTRA TEST SUCCESSFUL

Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday test fired beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra against an actual target in full operational configuration for the first time over Bay of Bengal paving way for its early induction in the armed forces.

Defence sources said two rounds of the missile from Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft were targeting pilot-less target aircraft (PTA) Banshee.

The mission was termed ‘successful’ considering the missed-distance calculation, though the missile failed to achieve a direct hit.

‘’The missiles were fired both at high and medium altitude. They passed very close to the target and it can be termed near-hit.

The mission was conducted in a war-like scenario and the missile was fired on actual targets. Data collected during the tests are being examined,’’ the sources said.

DRDO officials, however, claimed that the mission was excellent. The tests were conducted to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics of the missile.

It has demonstrated the repeatability, robustness and endurance capability of Astra weapon system, said a senior official.

INDIA PREPARES TO TEST AGNI-V NUCLEAR MISSILE THAT CAN HIT CHINA

India is getting ready to test its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from Wheeler Island off Odisha after two years.

Defence sources said preparations were on in full swing to launch the nuclear-capable Agni-V from its canister on a launcher truck towards December-end or early January . “There were some minor technical snags in Agni-V, which required tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015,” a source said.

But India also conceivably wanted to exercise some strategic restraint while making a bid to join the 48-country Nuclear Suppliers Group, which China thwarted earlier this year. India, however, did manage to join the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime, as also ink a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan recently.

The impending fourth test of Agni-V , capable of striking even the northernmost parts of China, is in itself significant. “This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V , which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials,” the source said. The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to manage India’s nuclear arsenal, will conduct at least two tests before the missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction.

ANOTHER ASTRA TEST-FIRED OVER BAY OF BENGAL

One more round of air-to-air beyond visual range (BVR) missile Astra was test fired from the fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30 MKI on Tuesday. The missile was fired against a simulated live target – an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Bay of Bengal.

Defence sources said the aircraft that took off from Kalaikunda air force base in West Bengal launched the sleek missile at an altitude of 4,000 metres towards Banshee, a British drone.

This was third test of the missile by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the last two days. “Like previous two trials, the missile though was coordinated for a direct hit, achieved near-hit. The trial was conducted to demonstrate the aerodynamic characteristics of the missile at a low altitude,” the sources informed.

The missile, which uses a smokeless propulsion system, is more advanced than the BVR missiles of its class used by the US, France and Russia. It has the capability to kill fast moving highly manoeuvring aerial targets.

The captive trials will establish the compatibility of the missile’s electronics with the Sukhoi-30 MKI avionics. In terms of sheer technology, Astra is more complex than even the nuclear-capable Agni series of strategic ballistic missiles.

INDIAN ARMY WILL SOON GET OVER 2,600 ‘MADE IN INDIA’ INFANTRY COMBAT VEHICLES

The Union Defence Ministry is going to manufacture at least 2,610 future infantry combat vehicles (FICVs) for the Army under the ‘Make in India’ project for which the estimated cost is about Rs 60,000 crore.

According to some sources, two of the five private contenders apart from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) will be selected to design and build prototypes for the FICVs, reports The Times of India.

Around Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore will be funded by the government constituting 80% of the development cost, the report adds.

“The best prototype will then be selected for mass production. The ministry’s integrated project management team (IPMT) is in the final stage of evaluating the EoI (expression of interest) responses submitted by the OFB and five private vendors,” a source informed the newspaper.

The list of private contenders include L&T, Mahindra, Pipavav Defence & Offshore Engineering and two consortiums of Tata Motors-Bharat Forge and Tata Power SED-Titagarh Wagons.

According to a report by Financial Express, the FICV programme was approved in 2009 and the expression of interest (EoI) was first issued in 2010, but was subsequently cancelled after there were faults in the evaluation process in December 2012.

In 2015, the Army re-issued the EoI after a gap of three years to 10 Indian companies and had sought responses by mid-January 2016.

CONFIRMED: PAKISTAN AIR FORCE NOW OPERATES 70 JF-17 FIGHTER JETS

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) operates a total of 70 Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense Production revealed in Islamabad on December 7, according to local media reports.

The PAF now fields about an equal number of JF-17 and U.S.-made F-16 multirole fighter aircraft of all variants. (After U.S. lawmakers stalled financing for an additional eight F-16C/D Block-52 fighter aircraft, Pakistan is now mulling the purchase of eight used F-16s from the Royal Jordanian Air Force.)

The JF-17, first inducted into the PAF in 2011, is a lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft, powered by a Russian-designed-but-Chinese-built Klimov RD-93 (a RD-33 derivative) turbofan, capable of reaching a top speed of Mach 1.6. The aircraft allegedly has an operational range of around 1,200 kilometers (745 miles).

In total, the PAF plans to acquire 150 JF-17s over the next years divided into three production blocks: Block-I, Block II, and Block-III. So far, the PAF has only received Block-I and Block-II variants of the aircraft. 50 out of the 70 JF-17 in service are of the Block-I variant. The PAF last inducted 16 Block-II JF-17s in April.

BOB DYLAN ‘HONOURED’ TO RECEIVE NOBEL FOR LITERATURE DESPITE NO-SHOW

Bob Dylan, winner of the Nobel prize for literature, said in a speech read Saturday on his behalf that he was “honoured” to receive the award — even as he failed to attend the ceremony.

“If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I’d have about the same odds as standing on the moon,” said Dylan’s speech, which was read out by the US ambassador in Sweden, Azita Raji.

“I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but please know that I am most definitely with you in spirit and honoured to be receiving such a prestigious prize,” he said.

Dylan meanwhile thanked the Swedish Academy that awards the prize for enabling him to see his songs as works of literature.

THE HANS INDIA BAGS UNICEF AWARD

‘Our future lies in children’ was the message delivered at the UNICEF Media Awards-2016 held here on Sunday.The focus of the UNICEF Media Awards in Telangana and was children’s issues.

The awards for the print media were introduced for the first time this year. The focus of these awards is to motivate media in both the States to proactively cover issues related to children and their rights.

There were awards for both the print and electronic media in various categories such as Child Protection, Health, Nutrition, Education etc.

The Hans India was given the prestigious “Award for News Report on Child Protection” for its news story – Even SIM Card A Distant Dream for Orphans.

The Hans India Assistant Editor T Bhaskar Rao and senior reporter Naresh Sankepally received the award.

TNIE’S ARTICLE ON BREASTFEEDING RECEIVES UNICEF MEDIA AWARD

The New Indian Express won UNICEF Media Awards 2016 for its reporting on children’s issues in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The eighth edition of UNICEF Media Awards included print media for the first time.

TNIE’s report by senior reporter Rajitha S was adjudged as the best news report on child nutrition category — ‘Breastfeeding in the first hour after delivery low in the state’ for reporting on the importance of breastfeeding.

It was published on August 6, 2016 during the Breastfeeding Week recognised by the World Health Organization.

22ND ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS: LA LA LAND WINS BEST PICTURE WITH 7 OTHER AWARDS; SEE THE COMPLETE LIST

While Christmas is just around the corner, the award season is also fully underway. The 22nd annual Critics’ Choice Awards were presented on Sunday night by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The ceremony was hosted by T.J. Miller, who began the show by uttering, “We’re going to honor the best in television over the last year, and the best in film that’s come out in the last two days.”

Presented by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, the Critics’ Choice Awards, a lot of times, indicates who is going to win at the Oscars.

Lionsgate’ musical La La Land leads the list by bagging seven awards including Best Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Song. Other movies like Hacksaw Ridge, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Jackie surface on the top of the list.

Mel Gibson’s World War II biopic Hacksaw Ridge won the best action movie, while Hacksaw Ridge actor Andrew Garfield grabbed the award of the best actor in an action movie.

SURJEET RAJENDRAN WON THE AWARD FOR PIONEERING A WIDE RANGE OF NEW EXPERIMENTAL PROBES OF FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS.

A young assistant professor of physics at UC Berkeley, Rajendran shared the $100,000 prize with Asimina Arvanitaki (Perimeter Institute, Ontario), and Peter W. Graham (Stanford University). He is one of the ten “early career” researchers consisting of scientists and mathematicians, chosen for the 2017 New Horizons Prize worth $600,000. “Science is terrific – without it, I would not be humble,” he said in his acceptance remarks.

Rajendran has broad interests in theoretical physics with a strong focus on physics beyond the standard model. His website states that he is “interested in inventing new experimental avenues to help answer these questions and discover new physics[…]While the standard model of particle physics has repeatedly withstood many experimental tests, it leaves many questions unanswered.”

He, along with David Kaplan and Peter Graham, published a paper in 2015 hypothesising the hierarchy between gravity and the fundamental forces at the time of explosive birth of the cosmos.

Following his graduation from Caltech in 2004, Surjeet Rajendran went on to complete his PhD in Physics from Stanford University in 2009. He was also the Madansky postdoctoral fellow at John Hopkins University and is currently the Henry Shenker Professor of Physics at UC-Berkeley.

The Breakthrough Foundation founded by Sergey Brin of Google; Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe; Jack Ma of Alibaba and his wife, Cathy Zhang; Yuri Milner, an internet entrepreneur, and his wife, Julia Milner; and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and his wife, Priscilla Chan. It was Yuri Milner’s decision to recognise and acknowledge nine physicists in 2012 for their work and to pay them like a rockstar because they deserved it. The categories were then broadened to include life sciences and mathematics. Each year’s winners are selected by a panel comprising the previous winners.

Rajendran is the fifth Indian-origin scientist to win this prestigious award since its inception in 2012. Previous winners are Saurabh Jha (2015), Shiraz Naval Minwalla (2014) Tejinder Singh Virdee (2013), and Ashoke Sen (2012).

MANUPATRA AWARDED THE ‘BEST ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH TOOL 2016’

Manupatra Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd. the pioneer in online legal research in India, has been awarded the ‘Best Online Legal Research Tool 2016’ at the India Legal Awards 2016. The award was presented at the India Legal Summit and Awards, 2016, in Mumbai, in the presence of eminent jurists, legal luminaries and in-house counsels. This is the first time an award has been presented to an online legal research company. Manupatra’s smart and intuitive tool helps strengthen a lawyer’s practice and enables them to work more efficiently. The tool gives its users the benefit of being able to spend the least amount of time gathering information and more time analyzing it. Deepak Kapoor, CEO of Manupatra, shared, “It’s a great honor to receive the prestigious award of the year and to be recognized for our innovative solutions that improve how lawyers practice law. We are committed to developing unparalleled solutions that significantly improve productivity and efficiency of our clients”.

U.S. INDIA CHAMBER PRESENTS ANNUAL AWARDS DURING DINNER AT WESTIN GALLERIA IN DALLAS

The U.S. India Chamber of Commerce recently hosted its annual awards banquet at the Westin Galleria Dallas. After remarks by chairman-elect Suhas Naik, chamber president Neel Gonuguntla discussed about the strategic importance of U.S.- India relations, a theme of the evening. Another speaker, Dr. Anupam Ray, consul general of India in Houston, credited the U.S.  for helping  the Indian community succeed here, strengthening ties between the two countries.

Awards went to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal, who was honored for outstanding leadership in public service;Dr. Diane McNulty,dean of external affairs at the Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, for outstanding leadership in education; and brothers Dilip and Narendra Pranav for outstanding industry leadership for their work in the hospitality industry.

Prabhu Patil received the award for Entrepreneur of the Year for his work advancing Prolim Global Corporation, a technology company, with offices in India and the U.S., including Plano. And the last award, for outstanding leadership in community service went to the Dallas chapter of Ekal Vidyalaya for its work helping the nonprofit develop schools throughout rural India.

The event also included speeches by chamber chair Mahesh Shetty and founding chair A.K. Mago and a conversation between CBS business news anchor David Johnson and Robert Kaplan, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

OCL INDIA LIMITED AWARDED AS INDIA’S FASTEST GROWING CEMENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY AT CEMENT EXPO 2016

M.H Dalmia, President, OCL India Ltd. and Director, Dalmia Cement Bharat Limitedwas conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award for his pioneering contribution to the growth and development of cement industry in India.

Indian Cement Review Awards and The Cement Conference is supported by Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Ms. Ravneet Kaur, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion attended the award ceremony as Chief Guest.
Mahendra Singhi, Group CEO, Dalmia Bharat Cement imparted his thoughts on “100 year Journey of Cement Industry” as the keynote speaker. About the Company’s performance, he said,“Dalmia Bharat Cement with its 75 years of expertise has been the pillar of strength in creating the blueprint for tomorrow’s growth and prosperity in terms of infrastructural growth. We believe in constant innovation, supported by breakthrough ideas, to achieve market leadership in the fast growing markets in which we are present. We are delighted receive the award of being the fastest growing company. Such appreciations inspire us for better implementation of our ideas and drive our team towards achieving higher goals for a better tomorrow.”
Attending the award ceremony, Amandeep, Whole-time Directorand CEO, OCL India Ltd, said, “OCL India Ltd. continues to be the market leader by setting new benchmarkswith consistent quality, best business practices and service excellence. It has been shaping infrastructurein Odisha since 1950 withstanding the test of time. Our dynamic team coupled with innovative strategy has always helped us stay ahead in the industry.”

BALLON D’OR 2016 LIVE UPDATES AND RANKINGS AS CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS FOR THE FOURTH TIME

The award, now separated from Fifa and back with France Football magazine, is voted by nearly 200 top journalists around the world.

No one else has won the award, in either of its guises, since Kaka in 2007, and it seems unthinkable that anyone else on the 30-man shortlist – which includes Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez and Manchester United’s world-record signing Paul Pogba – will do so tonight.

Currently, Messi is winning this personal battle between the duo – with five awards (including last year’s Fifa Ballon d’Or) to Ronaldo’s three.

But the Portuguese star is many pundits’ favourite this year after steering Portugal to victory at Euro 2016 and has, in fact, won this year’s award, according to a leaked front cover of France Football.

GLOBAL KONKANI MUSIC AWARDS PRESENTED

World’s premier Konkani Cultural Organization, Mandd Sobhann, presented music awards in Konkani — the Global Konkani Music Awards on Sunday.
The 8th Global Konkani Music Awards was held at Kalaangann, Mangaluru. The top three nominees in all six categories were honoured by Ronal S A Castelino, chairman of the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy. The winners of each category were awarded with Rs 25,000 each, a bouquet, title and a trophy. The chief guest, Padmashree Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam presented the awards.

Kavita Krishnamurthy later mesmerized the audience with her soulful voice, singing ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and a Konkani hymn composed by Fr Charles Vas — ‘Zo’yo Jezu Balla’.

While Padmini D Nayak was named best female singer for the song ‘Bhagiyantu Fool Fultana’ from the album Bhas Konkani Rag Tarangini, Robin J P Sequeira was given the Best Singer Male award for the song ‘Moga Tuji Yad’ from the album Moga Savlli.

Kevin Misquith and Stephen Frank shared the Best Music Composer award for the song ‘Az Punni’ from the album Ek Geet, and Pobre Fernandes was named the best lyricist for ‘Mamageli Bo’ylam Gaddi’ from Mannkam Ani Motiam.

The other winners are Roshan D’Souza (Best Music Arranger) for the Dollyank Kazall from Tem Yenvchya Vella and Ajith Peter D’Souza (Best Music Album) for his album Tem Yenvchya Vella.

LEE, MATSUTOMO/TAKAHASHI WIN BWF BEST PLAYER AWARDS

Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi’s spectacular performances this season were honoured with Player of the Year awards at the Players’ Reception and Gala Dinner in Dubai on Tuesday evening.

While Lee’s three World Superseries titles and the Olympic silver medal won him the Male Player of the Year, Matsutomo/Takahashi took home the Female Player of the Year award thanks to their Olympic gold medal and four Superseries titles. The Gala was held at the Armani Hotel in the iconic Burj Khalifa.

Matsutomo/Takahashi were nominated along with Denmark’s Christinna Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara. The awards were presented by BWF Deputy President Gustavo Salazar. Pusarla received her award from HE Dawood Al Hajri, President of UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association.

India’s Pusarla V Sindhu, who has enjoyed a blazing run of form over the last few months, received the Most Improved Player award.China’s rising star Chen Qingchen, winner of Superseries titles in both her categories, won the Eddy Choong Award for Most Promising Player of the Year. The other contenders were her Chinese compatriots He Bingjiao, Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen and Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei.

DUBAI LADIES MASTERS: ADITI ASHOK FINISHES TIED-THIRD, CLAIMS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONOURS

A consistent Aditi Ashok brought home a third successive two-under 70 in the third and final round to sign off Tied-third in the season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on Saturday.The young Indian golfer finished six-under at the Emirates Golf Club alongwith England’s Florentyna Parker and sealed Rookie of the Year honours.”It was pretty solid. I actually didn’t start very well today. I started, I was plus one in the first four holes but in the first four, all four were actually birdie-able with the tailwind,” said Ashok, who finished second on the overall Rankings behind topper Beth Allen.”So I didn’t really make use of that. I made a par on No. 3, which is playing one shot under compared to the field. That was not so good, but it was better after, the back nine, especially.”I shot 2-under on the back nine. I’m happy. I shot 2-under three days in a row. I feel it was consistent but it could have been better. But there’s always something you can do better every week. So it’s fine. I think I’m tied third right now, so I’m happy with that.”Aditi’s chances of an incredible hat-trick of titles were thwarted by a rampant Shanshan Feng, who after starting the day five behind the leader, had six birdies in first 10 holes and sizzled with an eight-under 64 to claim her fourth Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title inside five years as she once again mastered the Majlis Course.This was Aditi’s seventh top-10 finish in eight starts, and it included two wins at Hero Women’s Indian Open and Qatar Ladies in successive weeks for a sensational rookie year, in which she also gained membership to LPGA in US.

MARIN, SINDHU DRAWN IN SAME GROUP AT SUPERSERIES FINALS

Olympic finalists Carolina Marin and Pusarla Venkata Sindhu are set for an early showdown at the season-ending Dubai World Superseries Finals as they find themselves in the same group following the draw which was held today in Dubai.

Olympic champion Marin (Spain) and Sindhu (India) will be joined by second seed Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) and China’s Sun Yu in Groub B. The top two players after the round robin stage will advance to the semifinals.

World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei), who is the top seed at the event, is in Group A with Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon and China’s He Bingjiao.

Tai, who will attempt to regain the title she won here in 2014, said she felt no pressure at coming into the event ranked No.1: “My mindset is the same, irrespective of my ranking,” she said. “I enjoy playing and giving my best on court. I haven’t thought much about being No.1. It matters more to people around me. I feel no pressure at coming here as the top seed.”

RAMKUMAR TRIUMPHS

Top seed Ramkumar Ramanathan beat second seed Sebastian Ofner of Austria 7-5, 6-3 in the final of the $10,000 ITF men’s Futures tennis tournament here on Saturday.The 22-year-old Ramkumar won in an hour and 11 minutes, as he converted four of 10 breakpoints.The 249th ranked Ramkumar got his serve broken twice initially but Ofner could not close it out while serving for the set at 5-4. Ramkumar won seven of the next eight games to gain a stranglehold over the proceedings

PANKAJ ADVANI THROUGH TO SEMIFINALS

Pankaj Advani overcame a battling Dhruv Sitwala to enter the semifinals of the IBSF World billiards (points format) championship at the KSBA here.Advani began with a bang, reeling off an unfinished 150 in the very first frame. The home favourite notched up a 152 in the second, while Sitwala was yet to score a single point. Sitwala got on the scoreboard soon after, but only just.The third frame, which started with a long period of safety exchanges, went 151-5 to Advani. It looked like an early finish was on the cards.With his back to the wall, Sitwala came out fighting. He won a scrappy fourth frame, and unleashed a stellar 151 in the fifth to reduce the deficit to 2-3. Sitwala’s comeback hopes hit a wall at this point, as Advani asserted his might by closing out the best-of-nine frame outing 5-2.“Sitwala played out of his skin, so I had to fight hard. He was a worthy opponent.“He’s my good friend — it is never easy when we have to play against each other,” Advani said.In another quarterfinal fixture, Myanmar’s Aung Htay recorded a facile victory over India’s Alok Kumar. Htay and Alok split the first two frames, before the former raced ahead to post a 5-1 win. Htay will face Advani in the semifinals, which will be held on Monday morning.

SLAMMERS WINS IPTL ’16

Singapore Slammers trounced Indian Aces 30-14, winning every rubber in the final of the Coca Cola-International Premier Tennis League here on Sunday.

In the legends’ match, Carlos Moya epitomised economy of effort against a power-driven Mark Philippoussis. Diagonal drops wrong-footed the Australian time and again. While ‘Scud’ had a treble of aces, Moya had a superior first-serve percentage.

A mere pump of the fist was Moya’s expression of exultation for some extraordinary winners, as the majestic Majorcan went on to win after getting the decisive break in the third game.

Then Kiki Bertens demolished Kirsten Flipkens; Sania Mirza, who stepped up as substitute in the last game, could not avert a 6-3 defeat.

Broken in the fourth, Marcos Baghdatis exacted revenge in the next and never looked back against Feliciano Lopez. If the Cypriot was a tad erratic in the early stages, he more than made up for it with some feather-touch drops that left the Spanish southpaw with nary a chance.

VISWANATHAN ANAND LOSES TO NAKAMURA IN LONDON CLASSIC

It was not the best of birthdays for five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as he went down to Hikaru Nakamura of United States in the third round of London Chess Classic chess tournament in London today.This tournament has not been nice for the birthday boys.Just two days before Nakamura had lost to compatriot Wesley So on his birthday and today the American increased his lead over Anand to 8-2 in personal encounters apart from 13 draws in Classical games.The loss proved costly for Anand as he slipped back to 50 per cent score while Nakamura reached the same score with his first victory in the tournament.With six rounds still remaining in the super tournament, Wesley So continued to lead the tables on 2.5 points after escaping with a draw against Levon Aronian of Armenia.Aronian, Russian Vladimir Kramnik and Fabiano Caruana of United States share the second spot now on two points each while Anand, Nakamura and Anish Giri of Holland share the fifth spot on 1.5 points, a half point ahead of French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.Michael Adams of England and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria share the ninth spot having a half point each.After three decisive games each in round one and two, the day witnessed just one game providing the decisive result.

HARMANPREET GUIDES THUNDER TO FIRST WBBL WIN

India’s Twenty20 International captain Harmanpreet Kaur continued her good form in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) as she starred with both bat and ball to seal the first victory for Sydney Thunder at the Lavington Sports Oval in Albury on Tuesday (December 13).Melbourne Stars, after winning the toss, got off to a decent start, but three wickets in as many overs plugged the momentum forcing a rebuilding phase during middle overs. Katie Mack and Jess Cameron, however, engineered a 57-run stand for the fourth wicket, chiefly rotating the strike more often and punishing the bad balls. Just when they were set to go big, Harmanpreet weaved a match-winning spell of 4 for 27, and put to rest their hopes of setting a competitive total. From 90 for 3, Melbourne Stars imploded to finish with 116 for 9.With momentum tilting towards Thunder at the halfway stage, the target was achieved sans any hiccups. Rachael Haynes and StafanieTaylor compiled a 59-run opening stand before Harmanpreet and Alex Blackwell put the finishing touches. Harmanpreet, in particular, played aggressively, striking three fours and two sixes at a strike-rate in excess of 140 during her 21-ball 30.Sydney, after this victory, moved to fourth while Stars sit right behind them in the points table. Thunder will next face Adelaide Strikers on Friday (December 16), and Stars will lock horns with Sydney Sixers, the table toppers, on Saturday (December 17).