1) Atul Khare named head of United Nations Department of Field Support.
- Senior Indian diplomat Atul Khare has been named by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as the head of the U.N. department.
- Mr. Khare will succeed Bangladesh’s Ameerah Haq as the Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Department of Field Support (DFS).
- Currently providing charitable medical advice in India, Mr. Khare has had a long senior career with the United Nations.
2) Gopalkrishna Gandhi declined Pravasi Bharatiya Divas invitation.
- The government had invited the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Gopalkrishna Gandhi for the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar.
- He is the former Governor of West Bengal.
3) Google`s Larry Page The most ambitious CEO in the universe.
- Google`s Larry Page has emerged as the `business person of the year` for 2014.
- Page, who is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Google, came on top in the 20 global corporate leaders` list compiled on the basis of various factors including company`s performance.
- Apart from Zuckerberg, others in the race are Apple`s Tim Cook, Fast food chain Chipotle co-CEOs Montgomery Moran and Steve Ells, Fedex chairman & CEO Fred Smith.
4) UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon inaugurates Gujarat`s first 10 MW Solar Power Plant.
- UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon inaugurates Gujarat`s first 10 MW solar power plant on Narmada river canal.
- The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SNNL), an agency created by the Gujarat government for the construction of the ambitious Sardar Sarovar project on Narmada at Kevadiya near had taken up the task of building this solar power plant about 10 months ago.
5) Ban Ki-moon visits Sabarmati Ashram.
- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited the Sabarmati Ashram ahead of Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahmedabad.
About Sabarmati Ashram:
- Sabarmati Ashram is located in the Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
- This was one of the residences of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, generally called Mahatma Gandhi, who lived there for about twelve years along with his wife, Kasturba Gandhi.
- Gandhi led the Dandi march also known as the Salt Satyagraha on 12 March 1930. In recognition of the significant influence that this march had on the Indian independence movement the Indian government has established the ashram as a national monument.
6) DRDO Chief and Architect of Agni Missiles Avinash Chander Sacked.
- The government removed the chief of the Defence Research and Development Organization Avinash Chander, 15 months before his contract was to end.
- The Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi "approved the termination" of the contract of Avinash Chander with effect from January 31.
About Avinash Chander:
- Mr. Chander who was Secretary, Defence Research and Development cum Director General, DRDO and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister.
- Mr. Chander joined the DRDO in 1972 after completing his graduation in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
- He is considered to be the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic missile systems.
7) Infosys CEO meets Modi and dedicates $250 million to innovate in India.
- Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and disclosed that his company will spend USD 250 million (over Rs. 1,500 crore) to fund innovations in software and services in India.
- Infosys will develop software for managing the kumbh mela scheduled in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) in 2016.
8) V.S. Sampath to demit office due to completion of his tenure.
- V.S. Sampath, Chief Election Commissioner, demits office capping less than six years of an eventful tenure.
- Stepping in as a Commissioner in March, 2009 at the end of first of five-phased Lok Sabha polls, he lays down office as CEC after completing the general elections in last May and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.