DAILY G.A UPDATE : 15-12-2016
1. Nobel-winning economist Thomas Schelling dies at 95
Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas Schelling, who used game theory to explain nuclear strategy, has passed away.
Longtime friend and colleague Richard Zeckhauser says Schelling at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. The former Harvard University and University of Maryland professor was 95.
Schelling was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 2005 along with Robert Aumann. The Nobel committee said the economists' work "enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis".
Schelling's work explaining nuclear brinksmanship was part of what inspired director Stanley Kubrick to write his satirical masterpiece "Dr. Strangelove".
Schelling also used game theory to explain why white homeowners fled mixed-race cities for the suburbs. Game theory is the mathematical study of strategies used in competitive situations.
2. Pak successfully test-fires cruise missile
Pakistan Army successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile that can hit targets at 700 kms with all kinds of warheads, bringing many Indian cities within its range.
Called Babur after Mughal invader and founder of the dynasty of same name, the missile is part of Babur Weapon System version- 2 because it is enhanced version of earlier missile.
Army said in a statement that it incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy.
The missile is equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC), which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Strategic Forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organizations were present at the launch.
The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.
3. Shobhana Bhartia conferred Frances top civilian honour
Chairperson and Editorial Director of Hindustan Times, Shobhana Bhartia was conferred Frances top civilian honour - Officier de la Legion dHonneur.
Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler presented the award to Bhartia at an event organised at the French embassy here.
Bhartia, a former Rajya Sabha member, said the award is a matter of privilege for her and an opportunity to add to the "strong ties" shared by India and France.
A self-confessed Francophile and an admirer of the country's "sense of aesthetics", Bhartia said that one of the first interviews she gave was to French newspaper Le Figaro, which, she said, inspired her towards experimenting in the Sunday newspaper segment.
Bhartia also hailed the resilience shown by the French people in the face of repeated acts of terrorism.
The low-key event was attended by Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and R P N Singh, among others.
Ziegler introduced Bhartia as someone who would "compare newspaper articles and send suggestions" at a very young age and who got involved in reforming HT media right from the early 90s.
Bhartia also featured in the list of 100 most powerful woman published by Forbes magazine this year.
4. Forbes ranks Modi 9th among world's 10 most powerful people
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes in a list that has been topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a fourth straight year and had US President-elect Donald Trump in the second place.
Modi ranks 9th on the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People.
Forbes said India's populist prime minister remains hugely popular in his country of 1.3 billion people.
"Modi has raised his profile as a global leader in recent years during official visits with Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. He has also emerged as a key figure in the international effort to tackle climate change, as planetary warming will deeply affect millions of his country's rural and most vulnerable citizens," Forbes said.
It also took note of the unexpected decision made by Modi last month to demonetise India's two high value currency notes in a bid to reduce money laundering and corruption, creating a nationwide frenzy to quickly swap out the bills.
The list has been topped by Putin, who retains the title of the world's most powerful person for four years running. US President Obama comes in on the 48th spot.
The list includes Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 38the spot. Forbes said the 59-year-old oil and gas tycoon sparked a price war in India's hyper competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio at the annual shareholder meeting of his Reliance Industries in September.
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