1. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis and Sachin Tendulkar lay foundation stone of healthcare centre for children.
Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today laid the foundation stone of a healthcare centre for children here.
The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre for Child Health Care and Training in Paediatric Heart Care Skill would be operational in a year`s time in Kharghar, it was announced at the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, Tendulkar said, "It is clearly evident how many lives Baba (Sathya Sai Baba) impacted. To say in millions is an understatement. People from 35 different countries have come here."
"I think whenever I met Baba, it was all about working more and talking less. And it is evident, because I was in Palwal (in Haryana), a few months before and I could actually get time to mix around with those parents, there were a few concern faces, there were many smiley faces because their child had recovered.
"If you are able to make more and more people smile with their children recovering from this terrible (cardiac) disease, then we are looking after the future of our country," the 44-year-old batting legend added.
The Bharat Ratna awardee was referring to the work done by Palwal-based Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani International Centre for Child Heart Care & Research.
"The first surgery (at the Navi Mumbai centre) is one year away from now and I am sure everyone will contribute to make things happen and save more lives," Tendulkar signed off.
2. Nirmala Sitharaman Elected IDSA President.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been elected President of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA).
IDSA was set up in 1965 by the Ministry of Defence as an autonomous think tank, and it is customary to have the Defence Minister as its President. The Minister chairs the Executive Council which governs the Institute.
Sitharaman`s election, held November 23, was unanimous.
The Executive Council includes Prof Charan Dass Wadhwa, Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, G.K. Pillai, Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon, Ambassador Swashpawan Singh, Gulshan Luthra and Vice Admiral Anup Singh.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra, Director General Jayant Prasad and Deputy Director General Maj. Gen. Alok Deb are ex-officio members. The staff representative in the Council is Ashok K. Behuria.
The previous Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, had resigned from the post after shifting to Goa as Chief Minister.
IDSA is funded by the Ministry of Defence and its faculty conducts research in military, foreign and strategic affairs. Significantly, the Government has sought its views before taking major policy initiatives, like conducting nuclear tests, as in 1974 and 1998. IDSA also executes specific assignments from the Ministry of External Affairs.
3. Serene Valtteri Bottas Wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Though Valtteri Bottas prevailed in Abu Dhabi, Sebastian Vettel beat him to second in the drivers` championship.
Valtteri Bottas missed out on second place in the Formula One drivers` championship despite winning the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Having qualified on pole, Bottas needed to triumph at the Yas Maria Circuit and have Ferrari`s Sebastian Vettel finish ninth or lower for him to complete a season one-two for Mercedes alongside title winner Lewis Hamilton.
After preserving his lead despite a strong start from Hamilton, who qualified second, and maintaining his advantage in the round of pit stops, Bottas did his part in a race of little incident.
Unfortunately for the Finn, though, Vettel completed the podium to take third, with his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen fourth after Daniel Ricciardo was forced to retire.
Further down the field, Felipe Massa - who said goodbye to the sport at the same circuit last year only to return to Williams as a replacement for Bottas - bid farewell for a second time as he marked his final race with a points finish.
Massa had to settle for 10th after losing out in a battle with Fernando Alonso, who will look to be fighting further up the field with Renault power as McLaren`s much-troubled relationship with Honda comes to an end.
4. Shaktikanta Das named as Indias G20 Sherpa.
“Finance Track is managed by the Secretary (Economic Affairs), Ministry of Finance, as India’s Deputy to G-20 and the Development Track is coordinated by the Sherpa. The Department of Economic Affairs will provide necessary support to the Sherpa,” the Ministry of Finance added.
Former Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya had suggested to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a full-time Sherpa for G20 talks as India’s role is expanding in the global arena.
Panagariya was appointed India’s Sherpa for the G20 talks in September 2015, replacing the then railway minister Suresh Prabhu.
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Sherpas, who are representatives of leaders of G20 member countries, coordinate on the agenda of the summit.
As per practice, the deputy chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission used to be the Sherpa for G20 talks. During the UPA regime, former deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia was Sherpa for G20 talks.
The G20, a central forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues, accounts for more than four- fifths of gross world product and is home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population.
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