1. Supertube that’s faster than bullet train
(ii) The trip currently takes up to 12 hours by train and more than six hours by car.
(iii) Hyperloop, the tube transport dream of SpaceX founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, could be ready for passengers in as few as 10 years, the Daily Mail reported.
2. Eight companies add Rs 55,171 crore in m-cap; TCS, ONGC shine
(i) Led by TCS and ONGC, eight of the 10 most valued companies added a combined Rs 55,171 crore in market valuation last week.
(ii) Only two stocks, ITC and SBI, saw a fall in their market capitalisation last week, while TCS, ONGC, RIL, Coal India and four others gained.
(iii) TCS, the nation's biggest software services exporter, added Rs 10,430.23 crore in market capitalisation (m-cap) which was Rs 4,91,435.06 crore at close on Friday last.
3. India to be second largest smartphone market by 2016: eMarketer
(i) India will surpass the US as the second largest market for smartphones globally by 2016, helped by device makers offering affordable handsets, research firm eMarketer said.
(ii) India will exceed 200 million smartphone users, topping the US as the world's second largest smartphone market by 2016," eMarketer said in its latest report.
(iii) According to the report, China will continue to lead the rankings in 2016 with 624.7 million smartphone followed by India (204.1 million), the US (198.5 million), Russia (65.1 million) and Japan (61.2 million).
4. Prakash Mishra takes over as CRPF DG
(i) Senior IPS officer Prakash Mishra on Monday took over as the new chief of country’s largest paramilitary and lead anti-Naxal operations force CRPF.
(ii) Mr. Mishra, an ex-Odisha police DGP and 1977-batch IPS officer, took charge at the Central Reserve Police Force headquarters here after his name was announced for the post by the government last week.
(iii) Mr. Mishra was till now serving as the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry.
(iv) The post of CRPF Director General has been vacant for over a fortnight after incumbent Dilip Trivedi had retired on November 30.
5. Tendulkar named ambassador for 2015 ICC World Cup
(ii) The India maestro will be the Ambassador of ICC’s pinnacle tournament, after he fulfilled the role in the previous event in 2011,” the ICC said in a statement.
(iii) In his role as ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29.
6. 3 experts tipped to join NDMA
(i) In a key move towards strengthening the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) following the experience of dealing with the Jammu and Kashmir floods, the Narendra Modi government has chosen specialists in disaster management as its members.
(ii) Sources say the government is likely to issue in a couple of days the order appointing Kamal Kishore, a disaster management expert with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); D.N. Sharma, Director of the Health Safety and Environment Group at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC); and Lieutenant-General (retired) N.C. Marwah.
(iii) Mr. Kishore is a programme adviser to the Disaster Reduction and Recovery Team of the UNDP.
7. India Inc’s Nov foreign borrowing up 60% at $3.5 billion
(i) Indian Industry raised USD 3.49 billion from overseas markets last month, up 60.2 per cent from a year ago, as per the Reserve Bank data released on Monday.
(ii) The domestic firms had raised USD 2.18 billion overseas in November last year.
(iii) The total borrowings in November 2014, USD 1.52 billion was raised through the approval route, while USD 1.97 billion came through automatic route.
8. Pak govt. fails to challenge Lakhvi’s bail order
(i) Pakistan Government on Monday failed to file a plea challenging the bail to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi even as the key planner of 2008 Mumbai attack filed a petition in the High Court in Islamabad against a court’s decision to make a judicial panel’s record a part of evidence in the 26/11 case.
(ii) The prosecution, which was supposed to challenge Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court’s decision to grant bail to Lakhvi in the High Court, could not do so as it failed to get a copy of the ATC’s order.
9. Indian debt fetches $19 bn in 2014
(ii) Junk bond is colloquially used for a high-yield or non-investment grade bond. These bonds are generally fixed-income instruments that carry a lower rating and are called so because of their higher default risk in comparison to the investment-grade securities.
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