1) Ananda Shankar to address India Conference in Harvard.
- Renowned dancer-choreographer and speaker Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant will address the high-profile India Conference at Harvard in USA.
- Ananda is a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and a motivational speaker with a popular talk at TED. She is a career Indian Railway Services Officer.
- The city-based Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi exponent will talk on February 7 as part of the ‘Inspire’ series of the two-day conference at Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. Padma Shri Ananda Shankar said, ``I am humbled to be part of this exciting event``.
2) ICC suspended Pakistan`s leg-spinner Yasir Shah for doping offence.
- International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Pakistan’s leg-spinner Yasir Shah for three months after he tested positive for a banned substance, chlortalidone.
- The 29-year-old Yasir was suspended from Cricket after he pleaded guilty to breaching the ICC`s Anti-Doping Code that relates to the presence of a banned substance in a player`s sample.
- Chlortalidone, also used to treat high blood pressure, is on WADA`s prohibited list of diuretics and masking agents and is prohibited both in-competition and out-of-competition.
3) Indian Sets New World Record For Most Push-Ups In Minute.
- K.J. Joseph from Kerala has set a new world record for the maximum number of knuckle push-ups in a minute.
- The Karate and Kalari master did 82 push-ups in 60 seconds, that is 1.3 push-ups per second.
- The previous record was held by an American, Ron Cooper who did 79 push-ups in 2015.
- Joseph, who is also an Ayurveda practitioner has already set his eyes on improving his record.
- Joseph also holds another record for breaking iron-bars with bare hands. The pure-vegetarian martial artist says he has never hit a gym to increase his strength.
4) Adele named IFPI Global Recording Artist of 2015.
- The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), international music trade body, named Adele the Global Recording Artist of 2015 across all music formats.
- The singer is the third recipient of the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year award. The award is a unique accolade that reflects an artist’s worldwide popularity across physical formats, downloads and streams.
- IFPI’s Global Recording Artist award and top 10 chart is the first and only ranking to accurately capture the popularity of artists across streaming channels, alongside digital and physical album and singles sales on a global basis.
- Taylor Swift was the recipient of the Global Recording Artist of the Year award for 2014.
5) Facebook India managing director, Kirthiga Reddy Quits.
- Facebook Inc’s India managing director, Kirthiga Reddy, is stepping down and returning to the United States to “explore new opportunities” at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
- Reddy, who joined Facebook in 2010 as its first employee in India, said in a Facebook post she would be relocating in the next 6-12 months.
- Reddy is working closely with William Easton, MD of emerging markets (Asia Pacific), and Dan Neary, vice president of Asia Pacific, to search for her successor.