20th SEPTEMBER 2014

The State government is yet to decide whether it would go ahead with Project Tiger in Kudremukh National Park area. The project is being opposed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikmagalur districts because of fears that it would lead to eviction of forest dwellers

Close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the ambitious ‘Clean India’ mission, the Union Tourism Ministry on Friday said it was working on a “cleanliness index’’ for cities in the country to encourage the best performers and, in turn, inspire others to spruce up.

The Carnatic music world is in a state of shock over the untimely death of Mandolin U. Shrinivas here on Friday. He was reportedly being treated for liver failure at the Apollo Hospital here. He had lately received a liver transplant and had recovered, but a lung infection proved fatal.

Robert Downey Jr. and Judi Dench Mark will be honoured at 2014 BAFTA Los Angeles Jaguar Britannia Awards, along with Mark Ruffalo, Emma Watson and Mike Leigh. According to Deadline.com, the awards, which honour the individuals who have devoted their careers to advancing the entertainment arts, would be hosted by Rob Brydon on October 30 at the Beverly

The White House confirmed that U.S. President Barack Obama intends to nominate Richard Rahul Verma to the post of Ambassador to India, said an official statement here on Thursday afternoon. If confirmed, Mr. Verma will be the second Indian-American in a top State Department role directly responsible for Washington’s diplomatic engagement with India, alongside Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan called on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday and discussed a variety of issues such as bilateral economic engagement, culture, youth development, clean energy and yoga. They spoke about the historical links between the two nations and the visits of scholars, traders and historians, more notably of eminent travellers like Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang that laid a deep foundation of people-to-people contact between India and China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for his visit to the U.S. next week and to deliver his first address at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, he expressed confidence that it was possible for the U.S. and India to develop a genuinely strategic alliance.

The second Board of Inquiry (BOI) constituted by the Defence Ministry to probe the feasibility of reusing INS Sindhurakshak has recommended decommissioning of the kilo-class submarine. In its report, the BOI said “the submarine is not seaworthy and hence not fit to sail again,” a senior Navy officer privy to the report said

In a bid to fortify the security of berthed warships, the Navy is set to adopt “force protection measures” involving the deployment of a cluster of high-power underwater sensors, diver detection sensors and high-definition sensors for surveillance — surface and sub-surface — of naval wharfs and jetties.The high-priority Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence Surveillance System (IUHDSS) is currently in various stages of implementation around naval quays in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi and Port Blair.

Kerala will have its All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS)-like institution as soon as the State government identifies land for setting up the institution, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said

Larry Ellison, CEO of tech giant Oracle, has stepped down from his post, handing over the reins of the firm he co-founded in 1977 to executives Safra Catz and Mark Hurd. Mr. Ellison will serve as Executive Chairman of Oracle’s board as well as Chief Technology Officer.

The Hirotec Group has invested Rs.40 crore in a new, integrated design and manufacturing facility here. The Japan-based group makes car doors and exhaust systems.

Financial services firm BNP Paribas, in collaboration with the World Bank, has launched the first equity index-linked green bond that will help raise funds for products seeking to mitigate climate change. The 30-stock equity index, to which the ‘World Bank Green Bond’ is linked, comprises companies selected on the basis of their corporate sustainability ratings. Additionally, the bond could have ‘exposure to the performance of the Ethical Europe Equity Index’. 

Puma India on Friday said that it had appointed Abhishek Ganguly as its new Managing Director, taking over the reins of the brand that recently launched the Forever Faster campaign. Mr. Abhishek previously had been spearheading the sales and retail functions for the brand and had joined Puma right at its inception in 2005 as a founding director, a company release said. Rajiv Mehta, who was previously managing the reins of Puma India as the managing director for nine years, earlier announced his exit from the company. Mr. Rajiv had moved on to pursue his own interests.

Infosys has signed a contract with commercial real estate developer Skanska Property for leasing its office space for 10 years, the biggest such transaction in Poland this year. The expansion comes in the wake of Infosys is planning to expand the workforce at Lodz delivery centre by 500 people. The Bangalore-based firm’s arm Infosys BPO Poland signed the lease agreement with Skanska Property for over 21,000 sq. m in Infosys Green Horizon office complex in Lodz city in the European nation. The agreement covers new lease terms for the area already occupied by Infosys beside an additional 3,800 sq m of office space.