FIFA World Cup nears kick off
i. With just over a day left for the start of the football World Cup, 32 teams, divided into 8 groups, will sweat it out for a month for the coveted Gold Cup.
ii. The tournament will begin late tomorrow night in Sao Paulo with an opening ceremony featuring 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, martial arts-style performers and stilt walkers.
iii. The ceremony will be followed by the tournament opener, a Pool-A match between hosts Brazil and Croatia, which will be played at 1:30 am, Indian Time.
iv. Argentina and Germany, and Belgium, the dark horse of this tournament, says Argentina, the team which has players like Maradona and Batistuta, hasn't really fired in World Cups since 1990.
v. Lionel Messi, known for his magical feet, too hasn't been for Argentina what he is for Barcelona. He has scored a single goal in the last two World Cups. This time, Messi and Argentina have a lot prove, and they won't get a better chance.
vi. The known South American soil, and some favourable playing conditions have forced thinkers to believe that this could be Argentina's Cup. Not just Messi, Argentina has Aguero, Di Maria and Higuain, some big names. But the problem lies in their defense. Mascherano will have to lead and shoudler the rest to take the team past the quarters.
vii. Germany, though, plagued by injuries, has been seen as favourites. Schweinsteiger, Neuer and Lahm are not fully fit and a lot will depend on Gotze, Muller, Ozil and Kroos to take them through.
viii. Belgium has emerged as the dark horse this time around. With the likes of Hazard, Lukaku, Kompany and Fellaini, and a comparatively easy Group, Belgium may cause an upset or two in the knock-out round.
Vishal Sikka to be Infosys CEO
i. Infosys on Thursday named former SAP executive board member Vishal Sikka as its new chief executive officer, the first time the nation's second-largest software services exporter will have a non-founder as CEO.
ii. Sikka, 47, will replace S D Shibulal, one of the seven engineers who founded Infosys in 1981, from August 1, Infosys said in a statement.
iii. Also, the firm's Executive Chairman N R Narayana Murthy and Executive Vice Chairman S Gopalakrishnan will step down on June 14.
iv. Murthy will be designated as chairman emeritus from October 11.
v. Sikka, who will also be the company's MD, quit SAP in May. He comes in at a time when Infosys has had four straight years of narrowing margins.
vi. Besides, almost a dozen senior executives have left since last year when co-founder Murthy returned as chairman.
Malnutrition kills over 3 million child a year: UN
i. More than three million children under the age of five die annually of malnutrition, the UN food agency and World Health Organisation said on Thursday, urging governments to tackle the problem.
ii. "Malnutrition is responsible for about half of all child deaths under five years of age, causing over three million deaths every year," the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.
iii. Some 162 million children are left stunted by chronic malnutrition and 99 million children are underweight across the world, it added. Since the first international conference on nutrition in 1992, "important advances in the fight against hunger and malnutrition have been made, but this progress has been insufficient and uneven," FAO head Jose Graziano da Silva said.
iv. Around 160 million children under five are stunted or chronically malnourished, while over two billion people suffer one or more micronutrient deficiencies," they said in a statement.
Lifetime Achievement Award’ for Lord Swraj Paul
i. Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by a UK-based business association for his outstanding contribution to the industry, education and philanthropy.
ii. Lord Paul’s daughter Anjli received the award at the Black Country Asian Business Association’s annual awards dinner last night at Wednesbury in West Midlands as he was on a business trip to the US.
iii. Philanthropist and Labour politician, Lord Paul, is also the chancellor of the University of Westminster.
iv. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1983.
Juan Manuel Santos e-elected Colombia president
i. Juan Manuel Santos has convincingly won re-election after Colombia's tightest presidential contest in years, an endorsement of his 18-month-old peace talks to end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running conflict.
ii. Santos on Sunday defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with 53 per cent-to-47 per cent of valid votes with 99.9 per cent of precincts reporting.
iii. The outcome affirmed Santos' claim to be steering Colombia to a historic crossroads after a half-century of conflict that claimed more than 200,000 lives, mostly civilians.
i. With just over a day left for the start of the football World Cup, 32 teams, divided into 8 groups, will sweat it out for a month for the coveted Gold Cup.
ii. The tournament will begin late tomorrow night in Sao Paulo with an opening ceremony featuring 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, martial arts-style performers and stilt walkers.
iii. The ceremony will be followed by the tournament opener, a Pool-A match between hosts Brazil and Croatia, which will be played at 1:30 am, Indian Time.
iv. Argentina and Germany, and Belgium, the dark horse of this tournament, says Argentina, the team which has players like Maradona and Batistuta, hasn't really fired in World Cups since 1990.
v. Lionel Messi, known for his magical feet, too hasn't been for Argentina what he is for Barcelona. He has scored a single goal in the last two World Cups. This time, Messi and Argentina have a lot prove, and they won't get a better chance.
vi. The known South American soil, and some favourable playing conditions have forced thinkers to believe that this could be Argentina's Cup. Not just Messi, Argentina has Aguero, Di Maria and Higuain, some big names. But the problem lies in their defense. Mascherano will have to lead and shoudler the rest to take the team past the quarters.
vii. Germany, though, plagued by injuries, has been seen as favourites. Schweinsteiger, Neuer and Lahm are not fully fit and a lot will depend on Gotze, Muller, Ozil and Kroos to take them through.
viii. Belgium has emerged as the dark horse this time around. With the likes of Hazard, Lukaku, Kompany and Fellaini, and a comparatively easy Group, Belgium may cause an upset or two in the knock-out round.
Vishal Sikka to be Infosys CEO
i. Infosys on Thursday named former SAP executive board member Vishal Sikka as its new chief executive officer, the first time the nation's second-largest software services exporter will have a non-founder as CEO.
ii. Sikka, 47, will replace S D Shibulal, one of the seven engineers who founded Infosys in 1981, from August 1, Infosys said in a statement.
iii. Also, the firm's Executive Chairman N R Narayana Murthy and Executive Vice Chairman S Gopalakrishnan will step down on June 14.
iv. Murthy will be designated as chairman emeritus from October 11.
v. Sikka, who will also be the company's MD, quit SAP in May. He comes in at a time when Infosys has had four straight years of narrowing margins.
vi. Besides, almost a dozen senior executives have left since last year when co-founder Murthy returned as chairman.
Malnutrition kills over 3 million child a year: UN
i. More than three million children under the age of five die annually of malnutrition, the UN food agency and World Health Organisation said on Thursday, urging governments to tackle the problem.
ii. "Malnutrition is responsible for about half of all child deaths under five years of age, causing over three million deaths every year," the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.
iii. Some 162 million children are left stunted by chronic malnutrition and 99 million children are underweight across the world, it added. Since the first international conference on nutrition in 1992, "important advances in the fight against hunger and malnutrition have been made, but this progress has been insufficient and uneven," FAO head Jose Graziano da Silva said.
iv. Around 160 million children under five are stunted or chronically malnourished, while over two billion people suffer one or more micronutrient deficiencies," they said in a statement.
Lifetime Achievement Award’ for Lord Swraj Paul
i. Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by a UK-based business association for his outstanding contribution to the industry, education and philanthropy.
ii. Lord Paul’s daughter Anjli received the award at the Black Country Asian Business Association’s annual awards dinner last night at Wednesbury in West Midlands as he was on a business trip to the US.
iii. Philanthropist and Labour politician, Lord Paul, is also the chancellor of the University of Westminster.
iv. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1983.
Juan Manuel Santos e-elected Colombia president
i. Juan Manuel Santos has convincingly won re-election after Colombia's tightest presidential contest in years, an endorsement of his 18-month-old peace talks to end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running conflict.
ii. Santos on Sunday defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with 53 per cent-to-47 per cent of valid votes with 99.9 per cent of precincts reporting.
iii. The outcome affirmed Santos' claim to be steering Colombia to a historic crossroads after a half-century of conflict that claimed more than 200,000 lives, mostly civilians.
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