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‡ After taking a three-month timeout, Russia's math whizz Grigori Perelman has finally turned down a
$1,000,000 prize he won for having solved a century-old puzzle.

‡ The Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) in March awarded its Millennium Prize of $1 million to
the reclusive mathematician for proving the 106-year-old Poincaré conjecture, a theorem about the nature
of multidimensional space.

‡ The eccentric Russian genius said the decision to give him the prize was unfair, as U.S. mathematician
Richard Hamilton of Columbia University equally contributed to the proof. Dr. Perelman used a
technique developed by Dr. Hamilton, to solve the Poincare conjecture.

‡ In 2006, Dr. Perelman refused to accept the Fields Medal, which is considered equal to the Nobel Prize
.

 

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‡ The Sangeet Natak Akademi has announced the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskars for 2009.

‡ These are awarded to artistes ³who have shown/demonstrated conspicuous talent in the fields of music,
dance and drama.´

  

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Omkar Shrikant Dadarkar ± Hindustani vocal; Murad Ali ± Hindustani instrumental ± sarangi; Sanjeev
Shankar and Ashwani Shankar (joint award) ± Hindustani instrumental ± shehnai; C.S. Sajeev ± Carnatic
vocal; Mysore A. Chandan Kumar ± Carnatic instrumental ± flute; V. Balaji ± Carnatic instrumental ±
mridangam; Anil Srinivasan ± creative and experimental music; and Moirangthem Meina Singh other
major traditions of music ± Nata Sankirtana of Manipur.

+
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Ragini Chander Shekar ± Bharatanatyam; Monisa Nayak ± Kathak; Hanglem Indu Devi ± Manipuri;
Chinta Ravi Balakrishna ± Kuchipudi; Lingaraj Pradhan ± Odissi; Menaka P.P. Bora ± Sattriya; Manjula
B. Murthy ± Mohiniattam; Swamimalai K. Suresh (music for dance) ± Bharatanatyam nattuvangam and
vocal.

,
 *

Abanti Chakraborty and Sukracharya Rabha ± direction; Mukta Vasant Barve, Palani Murugan and
Teekam Chandra Joshi ± acting; Milind Srivastava ± allied theatre arts ± lighting; Juhi Babbar ± allied
theatre arts ± costumes; and S. Gobi ± (major traditions of theatre) ± Bhagavata Mela of Tamil Nadu.



,

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Reshma Musale ± Lavani and Tamasha, Maharashtra; K. Nellai Manikandan ± folk dance, Tamil Nadu;
Zohmingliana ± tribal dance and music, Mizoram; Takhellambam Shyamkanhai Singh ± Wari Leeba,
Manipur; Sooraj Nambiar ± Koodiyattam, Kerala; Shahjan Ahmad Bhagat ± Bhand Pather, Jammu and
Kashmir; Nazia Sayeed ± Odissi music, Orissa; and Lala Bhat ± Kathputli, Rajasthan.



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‡ President Pratibha Patil said the recent phenomenon of µpaid news' could distort news and this interfered
with the concept of a free, fair and objective press.

‡ Speaking after presenting the 4th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, the President
delved into the history and relevance of the Indian media and the challenges it faced in today's constantly
changing world.

‡ The awards were given to 29 categories, comprising political reporting, business, sports, environmental
and entertainment journalism, investigative journalism and on-the-spot reporting.

‡ Siddharth Varadarajan, chief of the Delhi Bureau of TheHindu, was selected for the Journalist
of the Year award in the Print Category for his extensive reportage on the India-U.S. nuclear
deal, the placing of India's civil nuclear reactors under the International Atomic Energy Agency
safeguards and the exemption granted to India by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

‡ Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, was selected for Journalist of the Year in the Broadcast
Category.

‡ Harish Damodaran of The Hindu Business Line won the award for the Best Non-Fiction Book in
English for his work, ³India's New Capitalists.´

‡ Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta announced a new award category for
³Journalism of Courage.´ It was given posthumously to Indian Express correspondent Vijay
Pratap Singh, who died of the injuries he sustained in a bomb blast in Allahabad on July 12.

‡ Tilak award for Sheila Dikshit

‡ This year's Lokmanya Tilak Award will be given to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

‡ This was announced by president of the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust, Deepak Tilak,. The
award is given every year by the trust. It consists of a gold medal, a memento, a citation and Rs.1 lakh.
The ceremony will take place on August 1 at the Tilak Smarak Mandir on the occasion of the 89th death
anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak. The award was established in 1983.

‡ The award is being given to Ms. Dikshit in recognition of her contribution to politics, Mr. Tilak said.


 
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‡ Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presenting the prestigious Jnanpith Award to octogenarian
Konkani litterateur Ravindra Kelekar.
‡ The 42nd Jnanpith Award for 2006 carried a citation, shawl, srifal, a bronze idol of Vagdevi Saraswati
and a cash prize of Rs. 7 lakh
.
‡ Ms. Kumar congratulated Mr. Kelekar and said that his literature reflected culture, principles of
non-violence and Buddha's teachings.



 

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‡ Renowned Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the first prize at the 8th International Sand
Sculpture Championship in Berlin for his sculpture that showcased the effects of global warming.

‡ Pattnaik's sculpture that had a crying tree trunk and three monkeys saying, ³You don't listen, You don't
talk, You don't see, Don't put heads on sand, act now,´ won the maximum votes.


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‡ The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is now a World Heritage Monument. The 34th session of the World
Heritage Committee, presently underway in Brasilia, has inscribed Jantar Mantar in the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's World Heritage List. Thirty-three
countries across the world had submitted 32 sites for consideration this year.

‡ The UNESCO website observes that these structures µdesigned for the observation of
astronomical positions with the naked eye, embody several architectural and instrumental
innovations.
'
‡ Located outside the city palace, this large stone observatory with its many instruments was built
by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the 18th century. It is one of the one of the four existing
astronomical observatories in India. The others are located in Varanasi, Delhi and Ujjain. The
fifth one built in Mathura is not extant. The Samrat Yantra in Jaipur is one of the largest
sundials in the world, with its gnomon raising about 73 feet above its base.

‡ India had also submitted the Matheran Light Railway line for consideration as an extension of the
Mountain Railways of India, which includes the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri railway and
Kalka-Shimla Railway that are already inscribed as heritage sites.

‡ The other international sites added to the list this year include, 11 Australian convict sites, the
palace ensemble at ad-Dir'iyah in Saudi Arabia, Tabriz historic bazaar complex in Iran and the
natural site of the Central Highlands in Sri Lanka
.
‡ So far, about 890 properties are included in the list for their ³outstanding universal value.´ The
committee also oversees the disbursement of about $4 million annually from the World Heritage
Fund.

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‡ The British Museum and the Thiruvananthapuram-based Kerala Council for Historical Research
(KCHR) have been jointly awarded this year's international partnership award by the British
Academy.

‡ The award, which carries a grant of £30,000, is aimed at promoting research collaboration
between two partner-institutions, one Indian and one British.
‡ The research proposal, titled ³Indian Ocean Trade: the Archaeology of Technology,´ by Roberta
Tomber of the British Museum and P.J. Cherian of the KCHR, was based on major
archaeological research work at the Pattanam site in central Kerala carried out over the last four
seasons.

‡ Professor Cherian is the Director of the KCHR and of the Pattanam excavations, while noted
historian K.N. Panikkar is the Chairman of the KCHR. The self-governing and independent
British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social
sciences. Established by Royal Charter in 1902, it has fellowship of over 800 scholars.

5 
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‡ Well-known physicist-turned author, journalist and television producer of Indian origin Simon
Lehna Singh has been selected by the International Mathematical Union for the Leelavathi
Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics.

‡ Named after the immortal mathematical treatise of the great Indian mathematician
Bhaskaracharya, the award carries a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh and a citation.

‡ It will be presented at the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians

(ICM), which will be held in Hyderabad from August 19 to 27.



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‡ In a bid to give regional language films a bigger chance to bag the spotlight at the National Film
Awards, the government has decided to introduce a two-tier selection system.

‡ The decision has been taken on the basis of recommendations submitted by an expert committee
headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

‡ Five regional panels will be constituted to select the best films in their own areas, following
which a central jury will make the final award decision. The northern region will include films
in English, Punjabi, Dogri, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and central Indian languages, while the
western region will consist of films made in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Konkani.

‡ The southern part of the country has been divided into two regions, of which one will include
Tamil and Malayalam films, while another will consist of films made in Kannada, Telegu and
Tulu. Films made in Bengali, Assamese, Oriya and the dialects spoken in the northeastern part
of the country will all be included in the Eastern region.

‡ The central jury will have a chairperson and ten other members, of which half will be the chairs
of the regional juries.

‡ All screenings will be held in Delhi.

7(2(8( 





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‡ An Indian-American professor at the University of Texas, Austin, has won the prestigious Dirac
Medal for his contribution to the understanding of theoretical physics.
‡ Ennackal Chandy George Sudarshan, 78, shares the Dirac 2010 with Italian physicist Nicola
Cabibbo.

‡ Professor Sudarshan's contributions to theoretical physics include the discovery of the V-A
theory of weak interactions, which opened the way for full description of the unified
electroweak theory.

‡ The Dirac Medal of ICTP is awarded by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical
Physics (ICTP) on renowned physicist P.A.M Dirac's birthday ² August 8. It was first awarded
in 1985. The winners also receive a prize of $5,000.

‡ One of the criteria that the recipients must qualify is that they should not have won a Nobel
prize, the Fields Medal or the Wolf Foundation prize till the Dirac Medal was conferred on
them.

‡ Both Professor Cabibbo and Professor Sudarshan were passed over by the Nobel committee
earlier. The Italian physicist in 2008 and Professor Sudarshan in 1979 and 2005.

‡ The ICTP was set up by Pakistani-born physicist in 1964 to foster advanced studies and
research in physics and mathematics, especially in developing countries.

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‡ Major Laishram Jyotin Singh, who sacrificed his life in the February terror attack in Kabul this
year, has been awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award announced ,
the eve of 64th Independence Day.

‡ The Ministry of Defence also announced the Kirti Chakra posthumously to Captain Davinder
Singh Jass and Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey.

‡ It is probably the first time that the Ashok Chakra has been awarded to an officer for an act of
bravery while on a foreign land.

‡ Major Jyotin Singh, 38, from Manipur, was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps in 2003
and selected to serve on deputation to the Indian Medical Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan.

75

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‡ Nagaraja, Senior Technical Assistant of the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, has
been chosen for the Shram Ratna for 2008, the country's highest award given by the Ministry of
Labour and Employment.

‡ The award carries a cash prize of Rs.2 lakh and a ³Sanad´ (citation).

‡ The Ministry also awarded Shram Bhushan to four persons, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana to 17
and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards to 30 persons. The Shram awardees include two women
.
‡ The Prime Minister's Shram Awards is being given to altogether 52 workers employed in the
departmental undertakings and public sector undertakings of the Central/State governments and
private sector units employing 500 or more workers.
‡ The awards are in recognition of their distinguished performances, innovative abilities,
outstanding contributions in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and
presence of mind.



 



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‡ With disruptions in Parliament apparently weighing heavily on her mind, President Pratibha
Patil said its functioning must meet an ³exacting standard´ to set an example for the rest of the
World
.
‡ Ms. Patil was speaking after conferring the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards to the former
Union Minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi; senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh; and
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009
respectively.

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‡ µMad Men,' a dark period drama set in the 60's New York, and comedy series µModern Family,'
a mockumentary about three families, won the top honours at the 62nd Primetime Emmy
Awards
.
‡ µMad Men' won the Emmy for best television drama for the third time in a row, while µModern
Family' took home the trophy for outstanding comedy at the awards presented.\

‡ µTop Chef,' hosted by Indian model Padma Lakshmi, won the Emmy for outstanding reality
series, beating off competition from µThe Amazing Race,' which has been winning in the
category for the past seven years.


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‡ The Hindu and Saregama India will institute µThe Hindu Saregama M.S. Subbulakshmi
Award' at a function titled µRemembering MS Amma'.

‡ The award, in the name of the legendary musician, will be presented annually to a
promising Carnatic vocalist.

9

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‡ Irom Sharmila ² who has been observing a fast-unto-death since November 4, 2000,
demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act ² was given the
Rabindranath Tagore Award-2010

‡ The award, instituted by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), carries
Rs.51 lakh in cash, a gold medal, a citation and a shawl.
    
8 5> 

‡ Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, the tale of an actor who sees the emptiness of his existence
through the eyes of his child, walked away with the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice
film festival.

‡ The jury, headed by director Quentin Tarantino, unanimously chose Ms. Coppola's film as
the best movie at the 11-day annual festival.

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‡ Flamboyant diva Lady Gaga's Bad Romance won best video at the MTV awards, sealing her
reputation as the larger-than-life queen of the pop scene
.
‡ The Video of the Year gong was one of eight MTV Moonmen for Lady Gaga (24) who, true to
form, changed from elaborate dress to elaborate dress throughout the ceremony in Los Angeles.


6
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‡ National honour:A still from µPazhassi Raja,' which fetched the best audiography award
for Resul Pookutty and the best background score award for Ilayaraja.

‡ Kutty Srank, a Malayalam drama starring Mammooty, expressing the different

perspectives of three women about the man in their lives, was the biggest winner at the
National Film Awards for 2009, sweeping the best feature film award as well as four
other categories.

‡ . the best popular film 3 Idiots, the best film on national integration Delhi-6, best film on
social issues Well Done Abba and the best debut film Lahore.

‡ Amitabh Bachchan bagged his third award for best actor, this time for his role as a dying
13-year old in Paa.
\³.
‡ The best actress award went to Ananya Chatterjee for her role in the Bengali film
Abohoman, which also won the best direction prize for Rituparna Ghosh.

‡ The best film award in the non-feature category was shared by The Postman and Bilal.

‡ Malayalam films managed to pick up 10 awards in the feature categories, with Oscar
winner Resul Pookutty winning an award for best audiography in Kerala Varma Pazhassi
Raja. Music director Ilayaraja bagged the best background score award for the same film.
The only Tamil film to capture the spotlight was Pasanga, which bagged awards for its
child actors and screenplay dialogues, as well as in its own language category.

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‡ Young Carnatic vocalists will now have another strong reason to strive for excellence ²
an award in the name of the µqueen of song'. µThe Hindu Saregama M.S. Subbulakshmi
Award', was instituted


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‡ Indian journalist Pallav Bagla has been selected for the David Perlman Award for
Excellence in Science Journalism given annually by the American Geophysical Union
(AGU). This is the first time an Indian has been selected for this honour
.
‡ The recognition is for Mr. Bagla's articles on the impact of climate change on Himalayan
Glaciers

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‡ Sir Mota Singh, the United Kingdom's first Sikh and Asian judge, knighted by Queen
Elizabeth II earlier this year, received the µPride of India Award' 2009, instituted by the
India International Foundation (IIF).

‡ Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie presented the trophy at the 6th annual awards of
the Foundation in the presence of a distinguished gathering, including non-resident Indian
industrialist Lord Swraj Paul.

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‡ A top United States official described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as ³a man of
uncommon decency and grace´ who led the way in building Indo-U.S. partnership, as he
presented the leader the 2010 World Statesman Award.

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‡ Malayalam litterateur O.N.V. Kurup and Urdu poet Akhlaq Khan Shahryar were chosen
for the Jnanpith Award for 2007 and 2008 respectively. The selection board chaired by
Oriya writer and Jnanpith winner Sitakant Mahapatra made the choices for the top
literary awards.

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‡ Peepli Live, the Hindi film produced by actor Aamir Khan, will be India's official entry to
this year's Academy Awards (Oscar) in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

‡ Announcing this by selection committee chairman K.S. Sethumadhavan

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‡ For the first time three women figure in the list of nine scientists chosen for the prestigious Shanti
Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2010.

‡ The awards were announced at a function to mark the foundation day of the Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research.

‡ The award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development 2009 will go to the Indian Oil
Corporation's Research and Development Centre in Faridabad.
‡ CSIR Director-General Samir Brahmachari said the award carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh, a
citation and a plaque and will be presented by the Prime Minister later this year.

‡ The awardees for Biological Sciences are Sanjeev Galande of the National Centre for Cell
Science, Pune and Shubha Tole of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.


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‡ Six eminent personalities were conferred Akademi Fellowships for 2009 and 33 artists
received the Akademi awards.

‡ The highest honour of Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) was conferred on Lalgudi
G. Jayaraman, Shreeram Lagoo, Yamini Krishnamurti, Kamlesh Dutt Tripathi and
Kishori Amonkar. They received Rs. 3 lakh besides a citation and a shawl. The eminent
representatives from the fields of music, dance and theatre honoured with the award
received Rs.1 lakh.

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‡ President Pratibha Patil presented the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for
Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management to Aruna Roy, social
and political activist, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
.
‡ The award carries a prize of Rs. 5 lakh, a plaque and a citation stating that the award was
conferred on Ms. Roy for her ³arduous journey and dedication towards the issue of the
common man.´

‡ It noted that the most significant of Ms. Roy's efforts had been the campaigns for
transparency and the people's right to information, which began in the early 1990s, and,
more recently, the right to work campaign
.
‡ ³These [two] broad-based collective campaigns helped ensure the passage of the Right to
Information law and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act [now the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] by Parliament in 2005.´

‡ Instituted by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management with a view to upholding
the vision of the late Prime Minister, each year the award honours an Indian, residing
either in the country or abroad, who is an exceptionally outstanding and distinguished
business leader, management practitioner, public administrator, education or institution
builder, for his or her sustained individual contributions and achievements of high
professional order and excellence.

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‡ Robert Edwards, the British scientist whose pioneering research with his late colleague
Patrick Steptoe led to the birth of the world's first ³test-tube baby'' in 1978, has won this
year's Nobel Prize for medicine.
‡ The Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, which awarded the prize worth ten
million Swedish Kronor, described his work as ³a milestone of modern medicine.´

‡ ³His work has made possible the treatment of infertility, a medical condition that affects a
large proportion of humanity including more than 10% of couples worldwide,´ it said in a
statement.



' " '
   
 


‡ A day after winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine, two scientists in Britain struck it
³rich´ again at Stockholm when Russian-born Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of
Manchester University were named joint winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Physics
for their ³groundbreaking´ work on experiments with graphene, a new form of carbon
with immense possibilities.

‡ At 36, Professor Novoselov, a British-Russian citizen, has been the youngest physicist
since 1973 to win a Nobel, a committee official said.

‡ Highlighting the significance of their work, the Prize committee said graphene could be
put to a number of practical uses.

‡ ³Since it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene could be used for
producing transparent touchscreens, light panels and maybe even solar cells,´ it said.

‡ The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences hailed graphene for its glittering potential in
computers, home gadgets and transport.

‡ This novel form of carbon comprises a single layer of atoms arranged in a honeycombshaped
lattice. Just one atom thick, it is the world's thinnest and strongest nano-material,
almost transparent and able to conduct electricity and heat.

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‡ American Richard Heck and Japanese researchers Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki won
the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a chemical method that has allowed
scientists to test cancer drugs and make thinner computer screens.

‡ The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the award honors their development of
palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic systems.

‡ The academy called that one of the most sophisticated tools available to chemists today,
and one that is used by researchers worldwide and in commercial production of
pharmaceuticals and molecules used to make electronics.

‡ The awards were established by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel -- the inventor of
dynamite -- and are always handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of his death in 1896.





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‡ Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, located in
Chhattisgarh's Narainpur, have jointly won the 25th Indira Gandhi Award for National
Integration for the year 2009 for their services in promoting and preserving national
Integration
.
‡ The award, which consists of a citation and Rs.2.5 lakh, will be presented by Congress
president Sonia Gandhi at Teen Murti House on October 31, the death anniversary of the
former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

‡ The award was instituted by the Congress in 1985 to recognise distinguished persons for
outstanding contributions to the cause of national integration

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‡ Mario Vargas Llosa (74), celebrated Peruvian-Spanish author and one of the most
renowned novelists of his generation, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature ³for his
cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance,
revolt, and defeat´.

‡ Works: His other profoundly influential novel was The Feast of the Goat (2000). This
major work was again a political thriller and was loosely based on the dictatorship of
Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic between 1930 and 1961. Other well known
works include Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977), The War of the End of the World,
(1981) and, more recently, Death in the Andes (1993).
\
‡ This last novel ² focussing on deaths associated with the militant Shining Path group ²
also reflected some of Mr. Llosa's concern for the plight of the downtrodden. In Death in
the Andes, Mr. Llosa situated violence ³in the context of an older world where life is
brutal and in a society which is on the very fringe of the modern world´.


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‡ Jailed Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo, 54, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, a
decision the Chinese government has criticised as ³a blasphemy.´

‡ The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the award went to Mr. Liu, who is in prison for his
calls for political reform, ³for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human
rights in China.´

‡ ³Prerequisitefor fraternity´

‡ ³The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection
between human rights and peace,´ it said in a statement
.
‡ ³Such rights are a prerequisite for the fraternity between nations of which Alfred Nobel
wrote in his will.´
8 

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‡ The µcold desert' of Leh entered the Guinness Book of World Records after 50,300
saplings were planted at a village in less than an hour by 9,000 volunteers under a drive
supported by Buddhist monks to mark the µgreen' Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

‡ The earlier record was held by Peru, where 40,000 saplings were planted in 60 minutes
by 8,000 volunteers.

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‡ Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen of the United States and British-Cypriot Christopher
Pissarides won the 2010 Nobel Economics Prize for work on why supply and demand do
not always meet in the labour market and elsewhere.

‡ The prize highlights one aspect of a policymaking problem which has bedevilled
governments of advanced countries since the oil shocks of the 1970s: high
unemployment which has risen even higher because of the global economic crisis. The
jury lauded the trio ³for their analysis of markets with search frictions´, which helps
explain how unemployment, job vacancies, and wages are affected by regulation and
economic policy.

‡ According to traditional theory, labour markets should work on their own, with jobseekers
finding available jobs, thus creating balance.

‡ The three Nobel laureates, however, help show with their model ² the Diamond-
Mortensen-Pissarides, or DMP model ² that markets do not always work in this way.

‡ Owing to small glitches, buyers may find it difficult to find sellers and job-seekers may
not find the employers looking to fill a position.

‡ For instance, a small cost faced by employers looking for labour may mean they decide
not to take on workers even though they need them.

‡ The trio's model helps explain why unemployment persists and proves stubbornly
resistant even when economic circumstances improve. It also helps identify areas for
government policy action, pinpointing for instance what governments can do to
improve employment and prevent long-term unemployment through training.

‡ Last year, Elinor Ostrom ² the first woman to ever win such a prize ² and Oliver
Williamson of the United States won the Economics Prize for their work on the
organisation of cooperation in economic governance.

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‡ Exactly 47 years after he left Cambridge University, Mr. Aiyar returned to be made an
Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, his alma mater, in recognition of his contribution to the
³diplomatic and political life of the world's greatest democracy.´

‡ He joins the ranks of figures such as renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.



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‡ British writer and journalist Howard Jacobson's novel The Finkler Question, a semiautobiographical
comic take on Jewish identity, is the surprise winner of this year's Man
Booker Prize.

‡ It was not the unanimous choice of the jury and, in the end, two of the five judges voted
against it.

‡ Manchester-born Mr. Jacobson, who lives in London, beat two of the bookies' favourites
² Tom McCarthy's C and Emma Donoghue's Room ² to win the £50,000 prize.

‡ Mr. Jacobson's previously longlisted novels are Kalooki Nights and Who's Sorry Now?

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‡ The 2010 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize will be awarded to Wei Zhang, a Benjamin Pierce
Instructor at the Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, United States.

‡ According to a release from the Shanmugha Arts, Sciences, Technology, Research

Academy (SASTRA) University, Dr. Zhang was the unanimous choice of the SASTRA
Ramanujan Prize Committee, comprising a panel of international experts, chaired by
University of Florida's Professor Krishnaswami Alladi, for making a profound influence
at the young age of 29 in a wide range of areas in mathematics.

‡ Established in 2005, this annual prize is for outstanding contributions by very young
mathematicians in areas influenced by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The
age limit for the prize has been set at 32 because Ramanujan achieved so much in his
brief life of 32 years.

‡ The $10,000 prize will be awarded at the International Conference on Number Theory
and Automorphic Forms at SASTRA University in Kumbakonam, on December 22,
Ramanujan's birthday. Dr. Wei has made far-reaching contributions by himself, and in
collaboration with others, to a broad range of areas in mathematics, including number
theory, automorphic forms, L-functions, trace formulas, representation theory and
algebraic geometry, the release said.

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‡ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for quickening the pace of developing
scientific knowledge and application relevant to the needs of developing countries,
while cautioning against the development path followed by the industrialised nations.

‡ Inaugurating the 21st general meeting of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing
World (TWAS), he said the challenges that the developing countries faced were similar,
whether in combating tropical diseases or transforming agriculture or tackling natural
disasters. ³These problems of under-development do not receive adequate attention
in the advanced industrialised countries. Nor should we expect others to solve our
problems for us.´

‡ He paid homage to Pakistani Nobel Laureate Prof. Abdus Salam, who was the founder
of the TWAS (renamed now as the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World).
‡ Earlier, Dr. Singh presented the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize, which carries a cash
prize of $1,00,000, to renowned energy expert Jose Goldemberg of Brazil and the
India Science Prize, with a cash award of Rs. 25 lakh, to eminent statistician Prof. C.R.
Rao.


2 





 
 


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‡ President Pratibha Patil presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to D. Ramanaidu at the
57th National Film Awards-2009 ceremony at the Vigyan Bhavan.

‡ Dr. Ramanaidu holds the Guinness Record for producing the highest number of films in
his career spanning over four decades. His repertoire includes 134 films in almost all
major Indian languages and even English. Born in Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Ramanaidu
started as a character actor and made his debut as producer of Ramudu Bheemudu in
1963.

‡ Amid rousing reception, Amitabh Bachchan walked away with the award for the best
actor for his portrayal of a 13-year-old schoolboy in the Hindi film Paa. This is the fourth
national award for Mr. Bachchan, who first bagged it for his role in Saat Hindustani,
followed by one for Agneepath and more recently for Black.

‡ His onscreen father in Paa and son in real life Abhishek Bachchan went up with director
R. Balki to collect the award for the Best Hindi Film Paa.

‡ The Nargis Dutt Award for the best feature film on national integration for Delhi 6 was
collected by director and producer Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

‡ This year's award list included several new categories based on the recommendations of
the expert committee set up under filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

‡ Kutty Srank (Malayalam) won the top honour for the best feature film. It also bagged
award in four other categories ² best cinematography, best screenplay, best costume and
a special jury recognition, which it shared with the Hindi film Kaminey and the
Malayalam film Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja.

‡ In the special jury award category for the best director, Shaji N. Karun was presented the
Swarna Kamal. For the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment, the
Swarna Kamal went to 3 Idiots (Hindi) directed by Raj Kumar Hirani.

‡ A Rajat Kamal, the award for the best film on social issues, was bagged by Well done
Abba (Hindi) directed by Shyam Benegal; in the best children's film category the award
was shared by Putaani Party (Kannada) and Keshu (Malayalam).

‡ The Swarna Kamal for the best direction was given to Rituparno Ghosh for Abohoman
(Bengali), and Ananya Chatterjee won the best actress for the same film.

‡ Farooque Sheikh bagged the Rajat Kamal for the best supporting actor for Lahore, and Paa fetched the
award to Arundhati Naag in the best supporting actress category.
‡ The award for the best child artist went to D.S. Kishore and Sreeraam for their portrayal
as µAnbukkarasu' and µJeeva' in Pasanga (Tamil). The Rajat Kamal for the best Tamil film was won by
Pasanga.

‡ Rupam Islam and Neelanjana Sarkar were presented with the awards for best male and
female playback singers, while cameraperson Anjuli Shukla walked away with the best
cinematography award for Kutty Srank. She is the first woman to win the award in this
category.

‡ A thunderous applause greeted Aasna Alam, a visually challenged girl, for her role in the
Malayalam film Kelkkunnundo. Nikita Bhagat won the special mention for her debut
film Vilay posthumously.

‡ The award for the best music direction (songs) was presented to Amit Trivedi for Dev D
(Hindi) and for the best background score (a new category) to Ilayaraja. The special jury
award was shared by Kaminey, Kutty Srank and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja. In the nonfeature
film category, The Postman directed by M. Manohar, and Bilal by Sourav Sarangi
won the Swarna Kamal.

‡ The Swarna Kamal for the best film critic was presented to C.S. Venkiteswaran
(Malayalam).

9
 
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‡ The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a leading civil liberties
group, will confer the 2010 Pioneer Award on researcher Hari Prasad, who was recently
released on bail after having been jailed for his security work on electronic voting
machines.

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‡ The fall of a chip sets off a cascading effect. As the chips lined up in formations fall, a
wave is created and vibrant colour pattern emerges. It was not a mean task at Microsoft's
Hyderabad Centre. The falling chips made a dazzling display of the logo of Windows 7,
the operating system made available on October 22 last year.

‡ This was the way a team of 22 Microsoft employees celebrated the first anniversary of
the general availability of Windows 7 and the effort enabled Microsoft storm into the
Limca Book of Records for the first ever dominoes display of its kind in India. The
Microsoft Dominoes effect required 7,000 wooden dominoes, each weighting 12 gm and
placed barely 0.2 inches apart sidewise and 0.5 inches lengthwise to create the logo.

3 
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‡ The Infosys Science Foundation, established by Infosys Technologies Ltd., announced

the winners in the five categories of the Infosys Prize 2010.

‡ The prize for excellence in Mathematical Sciences was awarded to Chandrashekhar

Khare, Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He won the prize for his ³fundamental contribution´ to number theory, particularly the
solution he found for the Serre conjecture, stated the citation of the jury, headed by
Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, Professor of Mathematics, and Frank J. Gould, Professor of
Science at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University.

‡ Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Sandip Trivedi, won
the prize in the Physical Sciences category for ³finding an ingenious way´ to solve two of
the most outstanding puzzles of superstring theory ² what is the origin of dark energy
and why there is no mass-less scalar particle ² simultaneously.


 



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‡ President Pratibha Patil presented the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards for 2010 for outstanding
contributions in social development.

‡ Chewang Norphel, a 74-year-old civil engineer from Ladakh, was presented the award
for application of science and technology for rural development. His µartificial glacier'
has helped farmers in the dry and difficult region of Ladakh get water supply in April and
May ² the most crucial period of sowing.

‡ Chunibhai Vaidya, a nonagenarian from Ahmedabad, was given the award for outstanding
contribution in the field of constructive work. The oldest living Gandhian, Mr. Vaidya has
been active in many movements in Gujarat and Rajasthan for betterment of the poor and
the marginalised. He has also authored several books.

‡ The award for development and welfare of women and children was given to Shakuntala
Choudhary, a nonagenarian from Assam.

‡ The award for promoting Gandhian values outside India was given to Lia Diskin from
Brazil. .The winners were chosen from 124 nominations across the world.


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‡ Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has won this year's µFinance Minister of the Year for
Asia' award. This award is based on nominations from public and private sector
economists, analysts, bankers, investors and other experts.

‡ The award is from µEmerging Markets', the daily newspaper of record for the World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

‡ It may be recalled that Mr. Mukherjee was rated one of the best Finance Minister in the
world in 1984 as well, the statement said.





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‡ Super30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar has been selected for the Maulana Abdul
Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar, one of the top awards in Bihar, in recognition of his contribution
to education.

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‡ Washington: Rajesh Shah of Bangalore has been honoured with the prestigious 2010 Intel
Environment Award for his efforts to solve global safe drinking water and sanitation crises.

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‡ The UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)

inscribes three Indian performing-art forms, the Mudiyettu, a ritual theatre of Kerala; the
Chhau dance, a tradition from eastern India; and the Kalbelia folk songs and dances of
Rajasthan in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This annual list, unlike the World Heritage list that focuses on monuments and natural
sites, spotlights performing art forms of outstanding value and are vulnerable due to lack
of support.

‡ The Mudiyettu, the ritual dance drama annually performed after the harvest of summer
crops in Kerala, is more than 250 years old. This art form involves elaborate drawings on
floors, masks made of areca nut fronds and playing of drums. What was once well
patronised, now has only three traditional families of regular performers.

‡ The Chhau dance, known for its crafted masks and mock combat movements, is prevalent
in the tribal parts of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The economic backwardness of
the area, an extensive survey by the Sangeet Natak Akademi reveals, has had a negative
impact on the artists of the Chhau and their art. Similarly, the Kalbeli community of
snake charmers from Rajasthan are also impacted. As a result, their songs and dances,
which are characterised by movements and music that evoke serpents, are affected and
are in need of support.

‡ It makes it obligatory on the various governments (132 of them) who have ratified the
UNESCO's Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and who
nominate heritage elements, to ensure that necessary measures, including legal and
financial, are undertaken to safeguard them. On its part, the UNESCO would facilitate
international cooperation, provide financial assistance and extend support for studies,
provision of experts, training and creation of infrastructure.

‡ This year, the UNESCO received 54 nominations for the Representative List. The
subsidiary body, after reviewing them advised seven nominations to be withdrawn,
rejected one and recommended the rest for the inscription. Six nominations were received
for the Urgent Safeguarding List of which two were withdrawn, one was rejected and
three were recommended for inscription. All the three nominations proposed by India for
the Representative List were recommended.
‡ The Fifth Session of the UNESCO Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, that is under way in Nairobi, accepted this
recommendation. So far, about eight Indian heritage elements, including these three, have
been inscribed in the representative list.

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‡ Weekly magazine Tehelka has been selected for the IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism,
2010, for outstanding journalistic work.

‡ The award, comprising a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a trophy and a citation, will be presented next
month.

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‡ Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia has emphasised the
need for a shift in export from northern hemisphere to southern hemisphere in line with
south-south cooperation. He said that while advanced nations would show an import
growth of around 0.9-1 per cent in future, developing economies would exhibit an import
growth between 4.5 and 5 per cent.

‡ Mr. Scindia was speaking at a function organised by the Federation of Indian Export
Organisations to present the Niryat Shree and the Niryat Bandhu awards 2008-09. The
awards honour outstanding exporters, export promotion councils, commodity boards,
export development authorities, banks and other agencies.

‡ Reliance Industries bagged the highest foreign exchange earner Niryat Shree award
followed by Hyundai Motors India and Bajaj Auto. The Niryat Bandhu gold trophy was
bagged by Bank of India, silver by Canara Bank and bronze by Punjab National Bank.

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‡ Billionaire businessman and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has received the
Global Vision Award instituted by the Asia Society for helping to promote understanding between
Asians and Americans.

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‡ Outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been selected for the Indira
Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010, according to a news
release from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

‡ Mr. Lula was selected for the award by an international jury, chaired by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, mainly for promoting strong ties among the developing countries,
promoting inclusive growth and for his contribution to the cause of India-Brazil
partnership.

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‡ Over 300 movies from 61 countries will be screened over the next 10 days at the 41st International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) 2010, to be inaugurated by Railway MinisterMamata Banerjee .
‡ Producer-director Yash Chopra will be the chief guest and actor Ajay Devgan, the guest
of honour. Film stars from India and abroad will be present at the festival.

‡ From this year, three Indian films will make it to the International competition category.

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‡ Warsaw: Polish Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa offered on Monday to accept this year's
award on behalf of the jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

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‡ Projects as diverse as a textile factory in Turkey, a school built on a bridge in China and a
wetlands project in Saudi Arabia are among the winners of the 2010 Aga Khan Award for
Architecture, according to a statement.

‡ India too figured in this year's list of nominees for the 11th cycle of the Aga Khan Award
for Architecture which were given at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. The
entry from India, µPalmyra House' in Alibag, near Mumbai, owned by industrialist Anand
and Anuradha Mahindra, and designed by Mumbai-based architect Bijoy Jain, is included
in the 19 nominees from across the world.

‡ The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga
Khan, to enhance the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed
through architecture.

‡ The Award is organised on the basis of a three-year cycle and is governed by a Steering
Committee chaired by the Aga Khan. Prizes totaling up to $500,000 ² constituting the
largest architectural award in the world ² are presented every three years to projects.

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‡ Their message of µStop War Start Tennis' fetched Indian Davis Cupper Rohan Bopanna
and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Of The
Year award during the ATP World Tour Finals.

‡ The two players have been playing with the message of µStop War Start Tennis' for quite
some time on the Tour and in Grand Slams.

‡ They rose to prominence by reaching the final of the US Open where they ended runnersup
to the legendary Mike and Bob Bryan.

‡ While Qureshi has received this award in the past as well when he teamed up with Israel's
Amir Hadad in 2002, it's a first for Bopanna.
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‡ Bengali filmmaker Gautam Ghosh's film ³Moner Manush´(The Quest), an Indo-Bangladesh

joint production, bagged the coveted Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film at the 41st
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010.

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‡ The Silver Peacock Award for the Best Director went to Susanne Bier of Denmark for her film
µIn a Better World.' µJust Another Love Story' from India and µThe Boy' from New Zealand
were the joint winners of the Special Jury Award.
‡ The Best Actor Award of Rs.10 lakh went to the Turkish actor Guven Kirac for his role in the
film µThe Crossing' while the Best Actress Award was won by Magdalena Boczarska of Poland
for her role in µLittle Rose.'

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‡ An Indian NGO, Manav Seva Sansthan (MSS), was given a $100,000 award for its work among
disadvantaged communities.

‡ The prize, given by the United Kingdom-based international charity organisation, The STARS
Foundation, specifically recognised the MSS campaign against child-trafficking along the
India-Nepal border.

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‡ NTPChas bagged PSU excellence award 2010. Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD, and A. K. Singhal,
Director (Finance),NTPC, received the award at a summit in New Delhi recently. Vilasrao
Deshmukh, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, presented the award to
NTPC in the Best Financial Performance category.

‡ The PSU Excellence Awards were organised under the aegis of Department of Public
Enterprises, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Deloitte.

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‡ India's Nicole Faria has been crowned Miss Earth Talent 2010 after beating 17 other contestants
at a talent competition in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

‡ Vietnam's representative Luu Thi Diem Huong was voted among the top five contestants with
her performance of folk dances that are inspired by traditional dances in the northern, central
and southern region of the country.

5 

 
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‡ In the centrepiece of a simple, moving ceremony watched by an audience of 1,000 people,

among them Norway¶s king and queen and a clutch of fellow Chinese dissidents, the chairman
of the Nobel committee, Thorbjoern Jagland, placed the citation and medal on a simple, blue
upholstered seat on a small row of chairs to the right of the hall¶s stage.

‡ It is the first time since 1936, when the German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky was
stopped by Nazi authorities from travelling to Oslo, that the peace prize has been awarded in
this way. On three other occasions -- Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991, Lech Walesa in 1983 and
Andrei Sakharov in 1975 -- family members have had to collect the prize instead.

‡ While Liu was jailed for 11 years last year for subversion, his wife remains under house arrest,
meaning no one could collect the award for him.

‡ The decision to award the prize to Liu, a former university academic radicalised by the 1989
Tiananmen Square protest -- Mr. Jagland said the award was ³dedicated to the lost souls of 4
June´.



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‡ The Asian Television award for the Best Current Affairs Presenter was presented to Karan
Thapar of the CNN-IBN at a glittering ceremony in Singapore.

‡ This is the fifth time that Mr. Thapar is winning the Best Current Affairs Presenter Award in the
15-year history of the Asian Television awards. He won the award in 1999, 2003, 2005 and
2007.

8


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‡ The New Crusading Guide, a daily newspaper from Ghana in West Africa, has been named the
winner of Rajasthan Patrika Group's K.C. Kulish International Award for Excellence in Print
Media Journalism 2009. The daily has been chosen on the basis of a series of reports on Ghana's
Madhouse and Chinese sex mafia.

‡ The award, set up in the name of the Patrika founder, carries a cash component of 11,000 US
dollars and a trophy. The theme for this year's award was ³Inclusive development´. Besides the
main award, seven merit awards also have been announced.

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‡ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the chief executives of public sector enterprises
(PSEs) and presented the µSCOPE Awards' for excellence and outstanding contribution to public
sector management and µMOU Awards' for excellence in performance for the year 2008-09.

‡ The SCOPE (Standing Conference of Public Enterprises) excellence award in the individual
category was conferred on NTPC Chairman & Managing Director Arup Roy Choudhury as
outstanding chief executive while Coal India Limited (CIL) Chairman P. S. Bhattacharyya was
presented the µSpecial Award of the Jury'.

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‡ The former Union Minister, M.P. Veerendra Kumar is among the 22 who have won this year's
Sahitya Akademi awards for the best works in literature. Mr. Kumar has won the award for his
travelogue µHaimavathabhuvil' in Malayalam.
‡ The other winners include eight poets, four novelists and three short story writers.

‡ The winning poets are: Arun Sakhardande [Konkani], Vanita [Punjabi], Mithila Prasad Tripathi
[Sanskrit], Sheen Kaaf Nizam [Urdu], Laxman Dubey [Sindhi], Mangat Badal [Rajasthani],
Aurobindo Uzir [Bodo] and Gopi Narayan Pradhan [Nepali].

‡ The novelists are Esther David [English], Bani Basu [Bengali], Dhirendra Mehta [Gujarati] and
M.Borkanya [Manipuri].

‡ Under the category of short stories, Nanjil Nadan [Tamil], Uday Prakash [Hindi] and Manoj
[Dogri] have been chosen for the award.

‡ Among others, Rahamat Tarikere [Kannada], Ashok R.Kelkar [Marathi], Basher Bashir
[Kashmiri] have won the awards for best books of criticism, Pathani Pattnaik [Oriya] under the
category of µautobiographies' and Bhogle Soren [Santali] under µplays.'

‡ Secretary of the Akademi, Agrahara Krishna Murthy, said the winners in Maithili and Telugu
would be declared soon.

‡ The awards are in the form of caskets containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and a
cheque for Rs. One lakh.



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‡ Saikat Dutta of The Outlook magazine and Vinita Kamte, wife of killed Mumbai police officer
Ashok Kamte, are among the seven winners of this year's National RTI Awards, announced by
the Public Cause Research Foundation.

‡ The foundation also organised a ceremony to honour the 10 RTI activists who were killed this
year.

‡ The awards were decided by a jury consisting, among others, of Infosys founder N.R. Narayana
Murthy; the former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma; journalist-editor Madhu Trehan; and the
former Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh.

‡ Mr. Dutta received the Best RTI Journalist Award for using the Right to Information Act to
expose a Rs.2,500-crore scam in the export of rice.

‡ Ms. Kamte used the Act to ferret out information and documents relating to the November 26,
2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which her husband and two other police officers were
killed. Ms. Kamte proved through the documents that her husband died, not because of
³foolishness,´ as suggested in official quarters, but because of the inefficient handling of the
situation by the State government.

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‡ Professor Wei Zhang, a Benjamin Pierce Instructor at the Department of Mathematics, Harvard
University, received the SASTRA-Ramanujan Award, instituted by the Shanmugha Arts Science
Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA) University to encourage path-breaking research
in Ramanujan Mathematics for 2010.
‡ Lakshmi Narayanan, Senior Professor, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, presented the
award, carrying a prize of $10,000 and a citation, at the International Conference on Number
Theory and Automorphic Forms at SASTRA's Srinivasa Ramanujan Centre.

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‡ Sound of Music star Julie Andrews, country singer Dolly Parton and jazz drummer Roy Haynes
will be honoured with lifetime achievement Grammy awards next year for their artistic
contribution to the recording medium.

‡ The artists will receive their golden gramophones at an event in Los Angeles on February 12,
2011 a day before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony.

‡ The 75-year-old Ms. Andrews is best remembered for her roles in 1960s musicals like Sound of
Music and Mary Poppins, for which she won a Grammy award. Ms. Parton (64) is known as the
³Queen of Country Music´ with 25 number-one singles. She has received seven Grammy
Awards and a total of 45 Grammy Award nominations




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‡ Veteran agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan has been conferred the CNN-IBN Indian of
the Year 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for his ³outstanding leadership in the field of
agriculture that has contributed to ensuring food security for millions of Indians.´

‡ Special Achievement awards went to the Shillong Chamber Choir and the Indian Women's
Relay Team of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur.

‡ J. Gopikrishnan, journalist, who was instrumental in exposing the 2G spectrum scam, was
honoured with the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 ± Special Achievement Award.

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‡ C. S. Verma, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), received the µIcon of the year'
award of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI) .R. Bandyopadhyay,
Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, presented the award on the inaugural day of the 52nd
National Convention of ICWAI. The award honours professionals who have been a role model
for the profession by achieving success in the business enterprises that they have been involved
with in the capacity of Chairman and Managing Direc

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‡ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said making education a fundamental right was one of the
special achievements of his government.
‡ Acknowledging the importance of private institutions like the Infosys Science Foundation that
had a large role to play in generating funds to reward excellence, Dr. Singh said: ³The strength
of a nation is no longer determined by the might of its army. It comes from the quality of
collective knowledge, the productivity of its working people, the creativity of its entrepreneurs
and the dedication of its professionals.´

‡ The Infosys Prize 2010 was presented for outstanding achievements in scientific research. The
awards were in five categories ² Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering and
Computer Science, Life Sciences and Social Sciences. The prize in each category comprises a
24-karat gold medallion, a citation expounding the laureate's work and Rs. 50 lakh in cash (tax
free).

‡ The Infosys Science Foundation was set up in February 2009 by the management of Infosys.
The corpus has increased from Rs. 45 crore to Rs. 100 crore with about half the amount coming
from the management of Infosys.

‡ Professor Chandrashekhar Khare of the University of California, Los Angeles, got the award in
the Mathematical Sciences category, in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the
Number Theory particularly his solution of the Serre conjecture.

‡ Professor Sandip Trivedi of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research won the award in the
Physical Sciences category for finding an ingenious way to solve two of the most outstanding
puzzles of Superstring Theory simultaneously: What is the origin of dark energy of the
universe? And why is there no massless scalar particle?

‡ Professor Ashutosh Sharma of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, won the award in the
Engineering and Computer Science category for his fundamental contributions to mechanics,
materials and manufacturing on small scale including self-organisation and instabilities, nanopatterning
and functional multiscale interfaces.

‡ Chetan Chitnis of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology won the
award in the Life Sciences category for his pioneering work in understanding the interactions of
the malaria parasite and its host, leading to the development of a viable vaccine.

‡ The Social Sciences category award was jointly presented to Professor Amita Baviskar of the
Institute of Economic Growth, in recognition of her contributions as an outstanding analyst of
social and environmental movements in modern India, and Professor Nandini Sundar of the
Delhi School of Economics, in recognition of her contributions as an outstanding analyst of
social identities, including tribe and caste, and the politics of knowledge in modern India.



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‡ Agricultural scientist K.V. Raman has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Jyoti Award of the
India International Friendship Society for his contributions to science, technology and
development.

‡ A former Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board under the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research, Dr. Raman was also Director of the B.V. Rao Centre for Sustainable
Food Security at the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation.

‡ The former Election Commissioner, G.V.G. Krishnamurthy, presented the award to Dr. Raman.

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‡ Music composer A.R. Rahman bagged the best original song trophy at the 16th Critics' Choice
Awards for his number ³If I Rise´ in Danny Boyle's film 127 Hours. Written by Rollo
Armstrong and American artiste Dido, the song was performed by Rahman and Dido. Boyle,
who went on to score eight Oscars with his Slumdog Millionaire, collaborated with Rahman
again for 127 Hours, a biopic on the life of mountain climber Aron Ralston.

‡ Rahman, however, lost the best score trophy to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who got it for
their The Social Network.

‡ The movie on the life of the Facebook founder also bagged top honours for the best film, the
best director and the best adapted screenplay.

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‡ The Social Network, a film about Harvard-graduate Mark Zuckerberg's ultra-popular Facebook
website, swept up four awards at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards, even denying Indian musical
maestro A.R. Rahman a second win at the forum.

‡ Other notable winners included The Social Network, for Best Motion Picture; Colin Firth for
best performance by an actor in The King's Speech; Natalie Portman for best performance by an
actress in The Black Swan; The Kids are Alright, for best comedy or musical and Christian Bale
for best actor in a supporting role in The Fighter. Paul Giamatti scooped up the laurel for Best
Actor in a comedy film for his role in Barney's Version.

‡ The Golden Globe Awards are sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to
recognise excellence in film, television both domestic and foreign. However, comedian and
Awards Master of Ceremonies Ricky Gervais caused more than a chuckle when he lampooned
the HFPA numerous times throughout the ceremony, ridiculing it in particular for its obscurity
outside of the Awards.

‡ The annual ceremony and dinner at which the Golden Globes are presented marks the start of
the Hollywood film industry's awards season, and it culminates in the annual Academy Awards,
otherwise known as the Oscars.



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‡ Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the former National Security
Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, Wipro chief Azim Premji, Telugu film celebrity A. Nageswara Rao,
Art historian Kapila Vatsyayan, India's first woman news photographer Homai Vyarawalla and
the former Attorney-General, K. Parasaran, are among this year's 13 Padma Vibhushan
awardees. The Padma Vibhushan, which is India's second highest civilian honour, has been
conferred posthumously on Gandhian and freedom fighter Lakshmi Chand Jain.

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‡ Internationally renowned music composer A.R. Rahman was honoured with the Crystal Award
of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the opening ceremony of its annual meet being
attended by 2,500 global leaders from the fields of business, government, art, culture and
religion.

‡ Mr. Rahman, 44, received the award, given to outstanding artists who use their talent for social
and charitable work.

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‡ Presenting the 43rd Jnanpith Award to poet O.N.V. Kurup Dr. Singh said that ³appreciating
Indian culture should involve the understanding, acknowledgement and recognition of all the
different strands and hues of our composite cultural fabric.´

‡ Accepting the award, Prof. Kurup said though ³any poet who writes in a regional language is
very much an Indian poet since his/her creative contributions merge into the common treasure
stock of Indian poetry, unfortunately, the voice of the Indian bard does not often transcend the
boundaries of his linguistic territory.´



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‡ The International Labour Organisation's Decent Work Research Prize has been awarded to
economist Jayati Ghosh and Professor Eve Landau.

‡ Dr. Ghosh, who teaches at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, is honoured for her major
contributions to the analysis of socio-economic relationships and policy instruments for the
advancement of decent work.

‡ The prize carries a cash reward of $5,000.

‡ Dr. Ghosh has also been invited to make a presentation at a special ceremony to be held during
the ILO's Governing Board session scheduled in Geneva for November.

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‡ Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has awarded the prestigious Pushkin Gold Medal to
Professor Arun Mohanty of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for his contribution to
studies on Russia and promotion of bilateral cultural ties and friendship.

‡ Prof. Mohanty graduated from the famed Moscow State University and spent 30 years of his
life in Russia, teaching at Russian varsities and working at Russian and Indian newspapers.

‡ The Pushkin Gold Medal is the highest honorary award given in recognition of outstanding
contributions to the promotion of the Russian language and culture. More than 10 Indian
scholars and public figures have been awarded the medal since its institution in 1977.


 



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‡ V. Shanta, chairperson of the Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai, has been selected for the Y.
Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2010.

‡ Dr. Shanta has been chosen ³in recognition of her tireless efforts for over five decades towards
bringing solace to lakhs of men, women and children, afflicted with the dreaded disease in the
country,´ P. Vishnu Murthy, founder and managing trustee of the Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial
Trust, said in a release.





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‡ Major Mitali Madhumita became the first woman officer to receive a gallantry award in the
Army. She was honoured along with 21 Army personnel for acts of bravery and distinguished
service at the military station during the South Western Command Investiture Ceremony.

‡ Major Madhumita became the first woman officer to get the Sena Medal (Gallantry).




 

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‡ The former President of India, A.P.J Abdul Kalam, inaugurated a one-day national conference
on µBiotechnology and National Development: achievement and challenges' in Ranchi.

‡ During the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Kalam released a book dedicated to Professor A.B Prasad.

‡ The conference aims at creating a strong platform for research and development to achieve
technological excellence in existing and next-generation devices and communication systems.

‡ After the opening ceremony, students discussed various issues related to infectious diseases,
cancer biology and biotechnology.