World's Most Powerful Billionaires

The world has become a wealth wasteland. Like the rest of us, the richest people in the world have endured a financial disaster over the past year. Today there are 793 people on our list of the World's Billionaires, a 30% decline from a year ago.
Of the 1,125 billionaires who made last year's ranking, 373 fell off the list--355 from declining fortunes and 18 who died. There are 38 newcomers, plus three moguls who returned to the list after regaining their 10-figure fortunes. It is the first time since 2003 that the world has had a net loss in the number of billionaires.
The world's richest are also a lot poorer. Their collective net worth is $2.4 trillion, down $2 trillion from a year ago. Their average net worth fell 23% to $3 billion. The last time the average was that low was in 2003. Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world's richest man. Warren Buffett, last year's No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway (nyse: BRK.A - news - people ) fell nearly 50% in 12 months, but he still managed to slip just one spot to No. 2. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú also lost $25 billion and dropped one spot to No. 3.
It was hard to avoid the carnage, whether you were in stocks, commodities, real estate or technology. Even people running profitable businesses were hammered by frozen credit markets, weak consumer spending or declining currencies.
The biggest loser in the world this year, by dollars, was last year's biggest gainer. India's Anil Ambani lost $32 billion--76% of his fortune--as shares of his Reliance Communications, Reliance Power and Reliance Capital all collapsed.
Ambani is one of 24 Indian billionaires, all but one of whom are poorer than a year ago. Another 29 Indians lost their billionaire status entirely as India's stock market tumbled 44% in the past year and the Indian rupee depreciated 18% against the dollar. It is no longer the top spot in Asia for billionaires, ceding that title to China, which has 28.

Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal among 'World's Most Powerful Billionaires'

Washington, Jan 28 (IANS) Two Indians, energy mogul Mukesh Ambani and steel czar Lakshmi Mittal, have made it to the Forbes list of 'World's Most Powerful Billionaires' combining massive fortunes with political clout.

'Through his industrial might, India's richest person, Mukesh Ambani, ranks eighth,' in the US business magazine's annual list topped by Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City. Mittal ranks 13th on the list.
Bloomberg also 'lords over the media, finance and fashion capital of the US - and arguably the world'.
'Ambani controls oil and gas conglomerate Reliance Industries. With a market value of more than $73 billion, the firm is India's biggest independent company.'
Compatriot Lakshmi Mittal - India's second wealthiest with a net worth of $30 billion - heads ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker, and ranks 13th on the list. The steel giant operates in 60 countries and has market value of $65 billion.
Mukesh Ambani, Forbes noted, inherited father Dhirubhai's massive industrial empire with brother Anil in 2002. 'Brothers battled over power, divided assets. Mukesh controls energy entities; Anil leads banking and telecom companies.'
Mittal started in the family steel business in the 1970s, broke out on his own in 1994 and is now planning joint iron venture in Liberia and Guinea with miner BHP Billiton, it noted. 'Bought 12-bedroom mansion in Kensington for more than $100 million in 2004; was London's most expensive home at the time.'
Billionaire Sebastian Pinera who won Chile's presidential election, defeating incumbent Eduardo Frei in a runoff vote is ranked 15th on the list which has two other billionaires currently running countries.
'Media and banking titan Silvio Berlusconi is prime minister of Italy and ranks second on Forbes list. Billionaire industrial heir, Saad Hariri, who was appointed prime minister of Lebanon Iast June, ranks fifth.
Rounding out the top five: Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim and Russian oil magnate Vagit Alekperov.
Apple's Steve Jobs ranks as the 18th most powerful billionaire in the world. Billionaires falling from the ranks this year include Oprah Winfrey, Roman Abramovich and Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud.

List of top 25 Billionairs in the world. 

Rank				Name				Citizenship	Age	Net Worth ($bil)							Residence
1				William Gates III				United States	53	40.0							United States
2				Warren Buffett				United States	78	37.0							United States
3				Carlos Slim Helu & family				Mexico	69	35.0							Mexico
4				Lawrence Ellison				United States	64	22.5							United States
5				Ingvar Kamprad & family				Sweden	83	22.0							Switzerland
6				Karl Albrecht				Germany	89	21.5							Germany
7				Mukesh Ambani				India	51	19.5							India
8				Lakshmi Mittal				India	58	19.3							United Kingdom
9				Theo Albrecht				Germany	87	18.8							Germany
10				Amancio Ortega				Spain	73	18.3							Spain
11				Jim Walton				United States	61	17.8							United States
12				Alice Walton				United States	59	17.6							United States
12				Christy Walton & family				United States	54	17.6							United States
12				S Robson Walton				United States	65	17.6							United States
15				Bernard Arnault				France	60	16.5							France
16				Li Ka-shing				Hong Kong	80	16.2							Hong Kong
17				Michael Bloomberg				United States	67	16.0							United States
18				Stefan Persson				Sweden	61	14.5							Sweden
19				Charles Koch				United States	73	14.0							United States
19				David Koch				United States	68	14.0							United States
21				Liliane Bettencourt				France	86	13.4							France
22				Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud				Saudi Arabia	54	13.3							Saudi Arabia
23				Michael Otto & family				Germany	65	13.2							Germany
24				David Thomson & family				Canada	51	13.0							Canada
25				Michael Dell				United States	44	12.3							United States

Source :  forbes.com

Apple introduces i-pad

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple Inc. will sell the newly unveiled tablet-style iPad starting at $499, a price tag far below the $1,000 that some analysts were expecting.
The iPad, which is larger in size but similar in design to Apple's popular iPhone, was billed by CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday as "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone."
Jobs, 54, a pancreatic cancer survivor who got a liver transplant during a 5 1/2-month medical leave last year, looked thin as he introduced the highly anticipated gadget, though he seemed to have more energy than he did at Apple's last event in September.
The iPad has a 9.7-inch touch screen, is a half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds and comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage. It comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in. Jobs said the device has a battery that lasts 10 hours and can sit for a month on standby without needing a charge.
The basic iPad models will cost $499, $599 and $699, depending on the storage size, when it comes out worldwide in March.

Apple will also sell a version with data plans from AT&T Inc. in the U.S.: $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes of data, or $29.99 for unlimited usage. Neither will require a long-term service contract.
Those 3G iPad models will cost more — $629, $729 and $829, depending on the amount of memory — and will be out in April. International cellular data details have not yet been announced.
Apple had kept its "latest creation" tightly under wraps until Wednesday's unveiling, though many analysts had correctly speculated that it would be a one-piece tablet computer with a big touch screen, larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop.
Raven Zachary, a contributing analyst with mobile researchers The 451 Group, considered the iPad a laptop replacement, especially because Apple is also selling a dock with a built-in keyboard.
But Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he doesn't believe the iPad added enough for consumers to justify buying yet another gadget, or to call this a new category of devices. In an e-mail, he criticized its lack of social features such as ways to share photos and home video and recommend books.
Sitting on stage in a cozy leather chair, Jobs demonstrated how the iPad is used for surfing the Web with Apple's Safari browser. The CEO typed an e-mail using an on-screen keyboard and flipped through photo albums by flicking his finger across the screen. He also showed off a new electronic book store and a book-reading interface that emulates the look of a paper book, putting the iPad in competition with Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle and other e-book readers.
Like iPods and the iPhone, the iPad can sync with Apple's Macintosh and Microsoft's Windows computers. Jobs said the iPad will also be better for playing games and watching video than either a laptop or a smart phone. Software coming with the iPad includes a calendar, maps, a video player and iPod software for playing music. All seem to have been slightly redesigned to take advantage of the iPad's bigger screen.
Tablet computers have existed for a decade, with little success. Jobs acknowledged Apple will have to work to convince consumers who already have smart phones and laptops that they need this gadget.
"In order to really create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks," Jobs said. "We think we've got the goods. We think we've done it."
Applications designed for the iPhone can run on the iPad. Apple is also releasing updated tools for software developers to help them build iPhone and iPad programs.
"We think it's going to be a whole 'nother gold rush for developers as they build applic
programs.
"We think it's going to be a whole 'nother gold rush for developers as they build applications for the iPad," said Scott Forstall, an iPhone software executive.
A new newspaper reader program from The New York Times and a game from Electronic Arts Inc. were also demonstrated during the event. The audience, which included many journalists and bloggers, clapped and even gave Jobs a standing ovation.
Shares in Apple rose $2.04, or 1 percent, to close Wednesday at $207.98. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company's shares have more than doubled over the past year,
, partly on anticipation of the tablet computer. Shares in Amazon


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Haiti earthquake (2010)

Haiti Earthquake Disaster, hopes are still there.
Apart from continue hardship faced by the Haitians for last many years, the sun of 2010 was another hopeful day for the Haitians but Haitians weren’t over with their celebrations and prayers for the year 2010 to bring peace prosperity and economic stability that sun shined in the 12th of January 2010. It was the day Haitians never want to remember but they will never forget the disaster they faced.
This was the day that brought Haiti’s biggest disaster of the history in shape of a strong earthquake. The earthquake not only waken up the Haitians who were sleeping in their houses dreaming for good days to come but the Haiti earthquake disaster made the world to wake up and help the poor people who have been waiting for help and assistance for last many years.
Nature did it by its own by Haiti Earthquake Disaster to bring some help for the Haitians but for that Haitians has to sacrificed significantly and the earthquake did the same; people of Haiti were suffering and suffering hard, like no water to drink, nothing to eat, toddlers didn’t had milk to be fed, no prams, no pampers, no education, no hopes and here arrived the earthquake.
Earthquake reported hitting Haiti and then the damages, no one ever imagine that a country like Haiti having nothing with them could be ruined by the disaster, then its start reporting the damages and loses in infrastructures and lives. The Palaces perished, the

Presidency collapsed and death toll kept on increasing, hundreds, thousands and it was never going to stop and almost after two weeks the death toll reached hundreds of thousands. Millions of people suffered, who were having houses, they lost houses, which don’t have houses, and they lost lives, so everyone sacrificed, from President to a layman. Thousands of people stuck and trapped in the collapsed buildings, first two to three days, there were crying and asking for help beneath the buildings but there was no help, everyone was in need of help and there was no one to help and then it got silence, they died or kept quite to get died.
The rescues around the world start reaching on the third day, it was too late for thousands, it was a ray of hope for Millions but rescue and medications weren’t enough for the people.
World responded in a great way, record donations were collected in a shortest time, goods collected in great numbers but it would only serve who are alive but can’t bring those back who died waiting for someone to appear for their help and they must be having peaceful soul knowing that their relatives, parents, family, friends who manage to remain alive has a hope to live…………

election of sri lanka presidential

The last day of filing of nominations for the 2010 Sri Lanka presidential elections has ended at 12 noon yesterday, December 16, 2009, held at the Election Secretariat auditorium in Rajagiriya. Sri Lanka Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake announced that there will be 23 candidates in the upcoming  presidential election. There were five independent groups while other 18 candidates were represented by their political parties.

Two major candidates are competing for the Sri Lankan Presidency. Despite of some controversies in his administration, the current executive President ofSri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to run for president again. He is the candidate of the United People’s Freedom Alliance. He will face the New Democratic Party’s candidate General Sarath Fonseka. He is former Chief of Defence Staff who is considered a national hero inSri Lanka after having an important role in ending the Sri Lanka Civil war in 2009.

Independent candidates include former SLMC MP for Jaffna District Aithurus M. Illias, former Deputy Minister of Higher Education Meera Mohideen Mohamed Musthaffa,  M. K. Shivajilingam, W.M.U.B. Wijekoon, and W.V. Mahiman Ranjith.

Other 16 candidates who joined the race for Sri Lankan presidency are: leader of the National Development Front Achala Ashoka Suraweera, M.C.M. Ismail representing Democratic United National Front candidate, Adurage Senaratne Silva from Patriotic National Front party, Battaramulle Seelaratne from Jana Setha Peramuna party, C.J. Sugathsiri Gamage from United Democratic Front party, J.A. Peter Nelson Perera fromSri Lanka Progressive Front party, K.G.R.L. Perera from Our National Front party, M.B. Thaminimulla from All Are Citizens All Are Kings Organization party, leader of the Left Front and Nava Sama Samaja Party Vikramabahu Karunaratne, P.D.P.S. Anura Liyanage representingSri Lanka Labour Party, leader of the Ruhunu Janatha Party Oswald Aruna de Soysa, Sanath Pinnaduwa from National Alliance party, Sarath Kongahage representing United National Alternative Front, Sarath Manamendra from New Sinhala Heritage party, leader of the United Socialist Party Siritunga Jayasuriya, and Wije Dias representing Socialist Equality Party.

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resut of PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – 2010

http://www.slelections.gov.lk/presidential2010/province.html

The Republic Day of India

The Republic Day of India marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950.

Although India obtained its independence on August 15, 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead, its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as chairman.

A draft Constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on November 4, 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on January 24, 1950. Two days later, the Constitution of India became the law of all the Indian lands. The Constitution of India came into effect only on January 26, 1950, 10.18 AM IST. Following elections on January 21, 1950, Rajendra Prasad was elected as the president of India. The Indian National Congress and other parties had been celebrating January 26th as a symbol of Independence, even before India actually became independent. Thus, signing the constitution on January 26, to mark and respect January 26 and the freedom struggle and the freedom fighters.

Granville Austin has described the Indian Constitution drafted by Ambedkar as 'first and foremost a social document.' ... 'The majority of India's constitutional provisions are either directly arrived at furthering the aim of social revolution or attempt to foster this revolution by establishing conditions necessary for its achievement.'

The amending mechanism was lauded even at the time of introduction by Ambedkar in the following words: "We can therefore safely say that the Indian federation will not suffer from the faults of rigidity or legalism. Its distinguished feature is that it is a flexible federation.

"The three mechanisms of the system derived by the Assembly, contrary to the predictions, have made the constitution flexible at the same time protected the rights of the states. They have worked better than the amending process in any other country where Federalism and the British Parliamentary system jointly formed the basis of the constitution"

What Sir Anthony Eden, the Prime Minister of Britain (April 1955 to January 1957), said at the time of the emergence of Indian Republic is relevant in this context. He said, ‘Of all the experiments in government, which have been attempted since the beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A vast subcontinent is attempting to apply to its tens and thousands of millions a system of free democracy... It is a brave thing to try to do so. The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for good. Whatever the outcome we must honour those who attempt it. Even more meaningful was the opinion expressed by an American Constitutional authority, Granville Austin, who wrote that what the Indian Constituent Assembly began was ‘perhaps the greatest political venture since that originated in Philadelphia in 1787.’

"During recent years, it has become fashionable among some citizens to disparage the founders and their document. These individuals disappointed by the developments in the country since 1950, have called for changing the constitution explaining that it has not 'worked'. Such thinking, in my view, is misguided. Constitutions do not 'work', they are inert, dependent upon being 'worked' by citizens and elected and appointed leaders"

It is one of the three national holidays in India

Source : wikipedia

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Phir Mile Sur new version of Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara – Song that is considered among the most patriotic song which emphasize the common spirit of unity in diversity. Everybody must have heard it somewhere, as earlier on Doordarshan Channel it was telecastes on a regular basis and which had involved every superstar, sportstar, ministers, singers and all famous personalities of India.

This time a new version of Mile Sur mera Tumhara named Phir Mile Sur was launched today on the eve of Republic Day. Amitabh Bachchan launched this song today and was proud that he was the only one who was common in both the songs.

The older version of Mile Sur Mera Tumhara involved many personalities like Amitabh bachchan, Lata Mangeshkar, Mithun Chakraborty, Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Kamal Haasan, Sharmila Tagore, Tanuja and Waheeda Rehman and so on. This newer version includes stars like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Shankar Mahadevan, Juhi Chawla, Shaan, Shahid kapoor and many more.

But the legacy left by old one is incomparable with new one. New one doesn’t stand anywhere near the old humble and sweet Mile Sur Mera Tumhara.

Phir Mile sur premiers tomorrow on eve of Republic Day of India. You can watch the promo of this video song here on youtube. Lets see whether the newer version of 2009 surpasses the legacy of 1988 version.

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