· India lags behind several developing countries in terms of doing business, but is ahead of China. It is ranked 77th in the Forbes Best Countries for Business list.
· Movie moghul D. Ramanaidu, a veteran producer with 130 films in a dozen languages in five decades, has been conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2009 for rendering outstanding contribution to the world of Indian cinema.
· The Planning Commission has finalised a Rs 13,742-crore Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Naxal-affected districts.The scope of IAP, earlier envisaged to cover 35 Naxal-affected districts, has been widened to cover governance reforms and devolution of power to grassroot institutions in 60 districts over the next three fiscal.
· Former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman and one of the guiding lights behind India's first nuclear test, Homi Nusserwanji Sethna has died.
· The International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary lending arm, has approved a $220 million credit to support rebuilding efforts in areas affected by the 2008 Kosi floods in Bihar. The Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project will finance flood recovery efforts through the reconstruction of about 100,000 houses, 90 bridges and 290 kilometres of rural roads.
· Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete, 22, was crowned Miss Universe 2010, beating off competition from 82 contestants including Miss India.
· Japan approved an $ 11 billion stimulus package to tackle deflation and shore up a recovery threatened by the surging yen, as the government heaped pressure on the central bank to do more.
· After becoming the first state to accord the status of second official language to Sanskrit, Uttarakhand has now finalised a proposal to have signboards of names of places, departments and officials in the language, a move aimed at making it popular among common people.
· Julia Gillard becomes Australia's first female and 27th prime minister prime minister.
· China successfully launched its "SinoSat-6" satellite for live radio and television broadcast from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The satellite was carried on the Long March 3B rocket which took the SinoSat-6 into a geostationary transfer orbit 26 minutes after the launch.
· Japan said it has detected its first case of an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" that surfaced in South Asia and has triggered a global health alert.
· India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was nominated as Uttarakhand's first honorary wildlife warden as part of the hill state's tiger conservation campaign.
· The Punjab government has approved a new media policy providing more facilities to journalists in the state. Under the new policy, 286 accredited journalists will get an insurance cover of Rs five lakh. The state government has also set up Rs 10 crore 'Punjab Chief Minister Relief Fund' for media persons.
· Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has been ranked second in the list of world's 10 biggest 'sustainable value creators' -- companies that have been successful in creating the most shareholder value over the last decade -- prepared by Boston Consulting Group.
· Srilanka defeated India to win the Triangular Series 2010 held in Srilanka.
· Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has been ranked second in the list of world's 10 biggest 'sustainable value creators' -- companies that have been successful in creating the most shareholder value over the last decade -- prepared by Boston Consulting Group.
· The Parliament of Sri Lanka passes the 18th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka which removes the two-term limit on the presidency and allows him to choose the judges and commissioners monitoring elections, human rights, and other affairs.
