PERSONS OCTOBER 2014

PERSONS OCTOBER 2014

• Sundar Pichai: Google Inc chief executive officer (CEO) Larry Page has put Sundar Pichai, one of his key lieutenants, in charge of the internet company's products. The India-born executive will have oversight over products like search, maps, Google+, commerce, advertising and infrastructure, according to a Google. Six executives who previously reported to Page, including the heads of research, social media and search, will now report to Pichai, according to Re/code, which first reported the change on Friday, citing an internal memo.
  
  The move puts Pichai, in charge of many of Google's main services, including its core search and advertising units, which generate the bulk of the company's revenue.
  
  Pichai, who has risen rapidly through the ranks since joining Google in 2004, is viewed by many industry insiders as potential CEO material. In addition to his duties overseeing the various products, Pichai will continue to lead Google's Android and Chrome software operating systems as well as Google's Apps business.
  
  Now Indians, are leading many international big giants, they are….
  • INDRA NOOYI: Chairperson & CEO of PepsiCo
  • AJAY BANGA: President & CEO of MasterCard
  • SATYA NADELLA: CEO of Microsoft
  • SHANTANU NARAYEN: CEO of Adobe
  • RAJEEV SURI: CEO of Nokia Solutions & Networks
  • RAKESH KAPOOR: CEO of Reckitt Benckiser
  • ANSHU JAIN: Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank
  • BHASKAR GHOSH: Group chief executive (technology delivery) at Accenture
  • PADMASREE WARRIOR:Chief technology & strategy officer at Cisco Systems
  • THOMAS KURIAN: Executive vice-president (product development) at Oracle
  • KRISHNA MIKKILINENI:Senior vice-president (engineering, operations and IT) at Honeywell
  
  
• Alan Eustace: Google executive Alan Eustace broke the sound barrier and set several skydiving records over the southern New Mexico desert early on 24th October after taking a big leap from the edge of space. Eustace’s supersonic jump was part of a project by Paragon Space Development Corp. and its Stratospheric Explorer team
  
  The technology that has gone into developing the balloon, the spacesuit and the other systems that were used in Friday’s launch will be used to advance commercial space flight, namely efforts by Arizona-based World View Enterprises to take paying tourists up in a high-altitude balloon and luxury capsule starting in late 2016.
  
• Khattar: Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on 26th October administered the oath of office and secrecy to Manohar Lal Khattar who became the tenth Chief Minister of Haryana. He leads the first-ever BJP government in Haryana. He is a first-time legislator, who won the Karnal seat. He is the first non-Jat Chief Minister in almost two decades and the first Punjabi to hold the post.
  
• Jairam: The former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh has been designated to chair a global research platform panel on sustainable development —‘Future Earth Engagement Committee’— instituted by an alliance of organisations including the UNEP, the UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
  
  The Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability has announced that “Future Earth” will be a global research platform offering knowledge and support to accelerate the transformations to a sustainable world.
  
  The Engagement Committee is a strategic advisory group of thought-leaders from stakeholder groups, including business, policy and civil society, representing the diversity of societal partners needed to address the challenges of global environmental change.
  
  Mr. Ramesh was a member of the U.N. Secretary General’s High-Level Global Sustainability Panel between 2011 and 2012 and played a key role in the U.N. Climate Change Conferences at Copenhagen (2009) and Cancun (2010)
  
• Michael Sata: Zambian President Michael Sata, who was nicknamed "King Cobra" for his fiery comebacks and larger-than-life personality, has died
  
• Mayaram: Arvind Mayaram has been transferred; now, he will join Ministry of Minority Affairs and not Tourism. The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has decided to cancel its previous order dated October 15 for shifting Mayaram to Tourism Ministry from the Finance Ministry.
  
• Blaise Compaore: Burkina Faso's embattled President Blaise Compaore announced on 31st October that he was stepping down to make way for elections after a violent uprising against his 27-year rule. His resignation came as tens of thousands of protesters demanded that he quit immediately after a day of unrest that saw mass demonstrations, with protesters storming and setting fire to Parliament.
  
  Observers have drawn a parallel between the protests and the Arab Spring, while the situation is being closely watched across Africa, where at least four heads-of-state are pushing constitutional change to cling to power.
  
  Army chief Navere Honore Traore said he would take power "in line with constitutional measures", a move which will prove hugely unpopular with the protesters, who see him as a close ally of Campaore. The EU called for the people of Burkina Faso to have the final say in who rules their country.
  
  Burkina Faso, also known by its short-form name Burkina, is a landlocked country in West Africa. Its capital is Ouagadougou. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes. Today it is a semi-presidential republic. Blaise Compaoré was the most recent President and has ruled the country since a coup brought him to power in 1987 until his resignation on 31 October 2014
  
• Nita Ambani: Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, has been invited to join the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre. She will be the first Indian and the second Asian to join the institution’s board.
  
  The MD Anderson Cancer Centre is widely acclaimed as a premier cancer centre, with a commitment to rapidly translate scientific knowledge into better cancer therapies and prevention strategies, resulting in an improved quality of life for patients.
  
• Warren Anderson: Former Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson died. He was the Chairman of Union Carbide, when Bhopal gas tragedy happened in 1984
  
  Events chronology
  Dec 2-3, 1984: Poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. In three days, over 3,000 people die, thousands suffer disabilities
  Dec 7, 1984: Union Carbide Chairman Warren Anderson among nine arrested during a visit to the factory. After being released on bail, he escaped from the country. Union Carbide named as accused in the criminal case charging culpable homicide. Anderson declared fugitive after he fails to appear in criminal proceedings in India
  1985: India filed claim for $3.3 billion from Union Carbide in a US court
  1986: Union Carbide succeeded in persuading the court to send case back to Indian courts
  Feb 1989: The Indian government and Union Carbide strike an out-of-court settlement. Compensation amount brought down to $470 million
  Nov 1999: Several victims of the tragedy filee class action suit against Union Carbide and Anderson in the US, charging Carbide with violating international human rights law, environmental law, and international criminal law.
  Feb 2001: Union Carbide & Dow chemicals merge to form the largest chemical company in the world.
  Jul 19, 2002: It is revealed the Indian government planed to drop charges against Anderson
  Aug 28, 2002: Charges of culpable homicide reaffirmed against Anderson in a Bhopal court. Court demanded his immediate extradition
  Sep 29, 2014: Anderson died in Florida, US
  
• Rajani sankaran: Senior IAAS officer Rajani Sankaran on November 1st took over as Chairman and Managing Director of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI).
  
  A 1989 batch IAAS officer, Ms.Sankaran had a Fellowship in International Auditing from the General Accountability Office, USA. She was earlier Accountant General (Commercial and Receipt Audit), Tamil Nadu, Principal Director of Audit (South Central Railway) and Southern Railway.
  
• Lokesh Chandra: Lokesh Chandra was appointed as chairman of India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on 27 October 2014. He was appointed by the President Pranab Mukherjee for a term of three years. Chandra replaced Congress leader Karan Singh who resigned from office on 18 August 2014. Before this appointment, he was the Honorary Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, a premier research institution for Asian cultures. The India Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded in 1950.
  
• Guy Scott: Vice President of Zambia Guy Scott on 29 October 2014 was appointed as acting President by the Zambia government. Guy Scott, thus, became the first white leader of a sub-Saharan nation since F W de Klerk’s became the President of South Africa in May 1994. He was appointed after the incumbent President Michael Sata died in London on 28 October 2014.
  
  However, his appointment was shrouded in controversy because according to some official sources Guy Scott was ineligible for election of President of Zambia as his parents were not born in Zambia.
  
• Jawhar Sircar: Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar on 28 October 2014 was elected Vice-President (VP) of Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in Macau. He was elected unopposed. While, the representative from South Korean broadcaster KBS was chosen president. Jawhar Sircar is the Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, India's national public service broadcaster, with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
  
• Surya Prakash: Surya Prakash on 28 October 2014 was appointed as the Chairman of Prasar Bharti Board for a term of three years. He succeeded Mrinal Pande whose term ended on April 2014.
  
• Masayoshi Son: Masayoshi, the richest man of Japan announced the biggest ever investment in the India. He announced to invest 10 billion US dollar in the coming years in the IT sector. He started with the announcement to invest 627 million US dollar in the Snapdeal. With the investment, the snapdeal will become the largest shareholder in the online marketplace major. Masayoshi Son is a Korean-Japanese businessman. He is the founder and current chief executive officer (CEO) of SoftBank, the chief executive officer of SoftBank Mobile, and current chairman of Sprint Corporation. He is the richest man in Japan despite having the distinction of losing the most money in history. He lost approximately 70 billion US dollar during the dot com crash of 2000.
  
• Noyonita Lodh: Noyonita Lodh from Bangalore, who was crowned Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe 2014, will compete in Miami for Miss Universe on January 25, 2015.
  
  Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta announced the winners on the grand finale, which was judged by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, former Miss India and actress Esha Gupta and designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil.
  
  Delhi's Alankrita Sahai was crowned as Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe 2014 first runner-up and Bangalore's Asha Bhat as Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva Universe 2014 second runner-up. Each winner will get a fund worth Rs.10 lakh for their respective international pageant.The grand finale saw the contestants in outfits designed by Shantanu and Nikhil, and hair and make-up by Dessange Paris.
  
• Jokowi: Joko Widodo was sworn as the President of Indonesia, he is the former Jakarta governor and he is the first president not to have come from the military or political elite. Elected in July, the former furniture exporter and son of a carpenter now lead the world's third-largest democracy, with a population of about 250 million people.
  
• Kohli: Virat Kohli moved up to the second spot in the batting chart while Bhuvaneshwar Kumar earned his maiden entry into the top 10 bowler’s list in the latest ICC rankings
  
• Ram naik: He is the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. He released a report on 20th October on his activities during the three months in office. The book titled, ‘Raj Bhawan mein Ram Naik’, primarily contains print media reports about Raj Bhawan and the governor. This is probably the first instance in the history of India, when a serving governor has released such a dossier for public and media consumption
  
• Pistorius: Star athlete Oscar Pistorius was given a five-year sentence jail for killing his girlfriend. He is a Blade Runner. He killed his girl friend model Reeva Steenkamp last year February 14th. Judge Thokozile Masipa ordered Pistorius to serve a maximum five years in prison for culpable homicide
  
  Pistorious is the first double amputee Paralympian to compete against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, inspiring millions.
  
• MM Sharma: The Medals and Prizes committee of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK has decided to name its career achievement medal after MM Sharma, FRS, the former director of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. The medal will recognize the achievements in chemical engineering research. It will be presented to an individual, who across his or her career, has made a significant contribution to the field
  
• Gopalaswami: N. Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner is the new chairman of the Chennai-based ‘Kalakshetra,’ the institution founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale to nurture India’s artistic traditions.
  
• Kaushal Srivastava: Kaushal Srivastava is set to become the new Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC), the apex policy making body of indirect taxes. Srivastava, a 1978 batch Indian Revenue Service officer and senior-most in the board after the present chairperson, is at present Member (budget) with additional charge of computerisation and vigilance. He will replace JM Shanti Sundharam, who is retiring on October 31. Srivastava will remain at the top post till July next year when he turns 60, the official age of retirement.
  
• Murali Lanka: Wal-Mart India has appointed Murali Lanka as its new Chief Operating Officer effective from December 1. Lanka will report to Wal-Mart India CEO & President Krish Iyer.
  
• Sundar pichai: Google Inc chief executive officer (CEO) Larry Page has put Sundar Pichai, one of his key lieutenants, in charge of the internet company's products. The India-born executive will have oversight over products like search, maps, Google+, commerce, advertising and infrastructure, according to a Google. Six executives who previously reported to Page, including the heads of research, social media and search, will now report to Pichai, according to Re/code, which first reported the change on Friday, citing an internal memo.
  
• Ramesh Abhishek: Ramesh Abhishek’s term as chairman of the Forward Markets Commission (FMV) has been extended. Abhishek, a 1982 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Officer (Bihar cadre), was appointed the FMC’s interim chairman after B C Khatua’s tenure came to an end in 2011. On September 24, 2012, Abhishek was appointed chairman.
  
• Gautham Roy: Gautham Roy has been appointed as the Managing Director of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL)
  
• Dilip Pendse: Dilip S Pendse, former Managing Director of Tata Finance, has been banned from accessing the capital market for two years with immediate effect, for executing illegal transactions in the past. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) found that Pendse had executed illegal transactions through Inshallah Investments (in which Niskalp Investment, an arm of Tata Finance, had a vital financial interest) in the scrips of HFCL, Telco, Infosys and SSI.
  
• Malala: Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Her memoir I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban, is being translated into four Indian languages — Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi. The book later turned into a bestseller, fuelled by Malala’s address at the United Nations, dubbed as ‘Malala Day.
  
• AAMIR KHAN: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, has been appointed as UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asian region. The Regional Director of UNICEF South Asia, Karin Hulshof, announced the 49-year-old actor as the Goodwill Ambassador
  
• SUBRAMANIAN: US-based economist Arvind Subramanian took charge on 16th October as chief economic advisor (CEA) in the finance ministry. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet quietly approved his appointment earlier. There had been speculation that the government wanted to consider more candidates for the post.
  
  The post has been vacant for more than a year. The earlier government didn’t appoint a successor to Rajan when he became RBI chief in September last year.
  
  Subramanian has written on India, growth, trade, development, institutions, aid, climate change, oil, intellectual property, the WTO, China, and Africa. As CEA, his job will be to monitor macroeconomic trends and policy issues, and give his prescription on various issues from growth to inflation.
  
  Subramanian has served as a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and at the Center for Global Development, US. He has worked at the research department of the IMF (1992-2013) and GATT (1988-1992) and taught at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
  
• ARVIND MAYARAM: In a surprise development, Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram has been shunted out of the Finance Ministry and shifted to the tourism ministry. Rajasthan chief secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will replace Mayaram as the economic affairs secretary. Mehrishi, an IAS of the 1978 batch, was earlier appointed as the chief secretary of Rajasthan after the BJP government came to power in the state. During his stint, the state has initiated major labour reforms.Meanwhile, Anil Swarup has been posted to the coal ministry in a newly created post of officer on special duty.
  
  Swarup, who headed the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) in the Cabinet Secretariat, has been appointed the coal Secretary. The appointment comes at a time when the coal ministry is in the process of implementing the Supreme Court order on coal block deallocation.
  
  Swarup, of the UP cadre, was instrumental in clearing stalled projects as the head of PMG, created by the previous government to revive investments in the key sectors.
  
  Presently, Ratan P Watal, a 1978 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh is Expenditure Secretary while 1980-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre Gurdial Singh Sandhu is the Financial Services Secretary. Shaktikanta Das, an IAS officer of 1980 batch from Tamil Nadu cadre, is Revenue Secretary.
  
  According to the tradition, the senior most secretary becomes the finance secretary. However, both expenditure secretary Ratan Watal and Mehirishi are of the 1978 batch.
  
• Vanita Gupta: Vanita Gupta (39), an Indian-American attorney has been appointed by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to a senior role in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division.
  
• Jayalalitha: After 20 days of incarceration, J Jayalalithaa finally got bail on 17th October with the Supreme Court ordering her release. The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had been convicted by a trial court in the Rs 66.65-crore disproportionate assets case and was sentenced to four years simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100 crore.
  
• Ron klain: President Barack Obama appointed a former White House adviser Ron Klain as U.S. Ebola "czar" on 17th October as the global death toll from the disease that has ravaged three West African countries rose to more than 4,500.
  
• Kenyatta: The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, will temporarily step down as president while attending a hearing at the international criminal court this week, he said in a national address on 6th October.Kenyatta faces charges of crimes against humanity at the ICC, which is based at The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations that he helped instigate violence that followed Kenya’s December 2007 presidential election, when more than 1,000 people were killed.
  
  The court ordered him to attend a status hearing on 9th October, denying his request that he participate by video. The hearing will be the first time a sitting president has attended an ICC session, a milestone Kenyatta’s political supporters have urged him to avoid.The short-term abdication is Kenyatta’s way of fulfilling the court order while insisting that he is attending the hearing as a private citizen.
  
  Kenyatta, Ruto and Joshua arap Sang, a Kenyan radio presenter all face charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC for inciting massive violence following the 2007 election. That violence – often ethnically motivated – killed more than 1,000 people and uprooted 600,000 from their homes. Kenyatta has appeared before the court before but was not president at the time .Kenyatta and Ruto, who were on opposing sides of the 2007-08 conflict, formed a political alliance that won the presidency and a majority in parliament after they were indicted for the crimes against humanity. They used the ICC charges as a rallying cry of us v the world.
  
• Pratima Dharm: America's prestigious Georgetown University has appointed its first Hindu priest to serve the religious needs of its Hindu students, whose number has increased in recent years. Pratima Dharm, who recently retired as the first Hindu chaplain in the US Army, has been appointed as the first Hindu chaplain at the Georgetown University
  
• MV Kamath: Former Chairman of India’s Prasar Bharati (All India Radio) and veteran journalist Madhav Vittal Kamath died at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal on 9th October. He was the honorary director of School of Communication, Manipal University since its inception in 1997.
  
• Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has said that India is more than just a big market. It is a test-bed where he hopes to develop tools and ideas that can be used by the world. At present India, along with PM, Ministers he will meet Indian big business personalities.
  
  To make this happen, Zuckerberg announced a million-dollar fund to start an innovation challenge in India. The fund will be made available to developers of applications, websites and online services that improve the lives of women, students, farmers and migrant workers. This will allow people to browse select health, employment and local information websites without data charges.
  
  About face book:
  Facebook (formerly [thefacebook]) is an online social networking service headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Facebook was founded on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes
  
• Leela Samson: Renowned Bharatnatyam danseuse Leela Samson has resigned as chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi. Ms. Samson, who was earlier Director of Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, continues as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification although she has completed the three-year term. In 2012, the order of reinstatement of Ms. Samson as Kalakshetra Foundation Director was set aside by the Madras High Court.