For many years, I never had chance to hear and read so many good news about the achievements of Indian men and women on a single day. Do you agree with me?

France to honour Amitabh with civilian distinction Amitabh Bachchan received the perfect birthday present as he turned 64 on Wednesday, October 11, when the French government announced it would honour him with its highest civilian award, the Officer of the Legion of Honour. “France has decided to honour Mr Amitabh Bachchan with the honour for his contibution to Indian and international cultural life,” a spokesperson of the French Embassy said.

Kiran Desai wins Booker Prize LONDON: Indian-origin writer Kiran Desai has scooped the 50,000 pound Man Booker Prize with her second novel, The Inheritance of Loss’ , a story rich with sadness about globalisation and with joy at the small surviving intimacies of Indian village life. The 35-year-old author, daughter of well-known Indian novelist Anita Desai — to whom The Inheritance of Loss is dedicated — is the youngest woman to win the award, eclipsing the works of five other short-listed authors.

India’s power puff girls rule Fortune list LONDON: Three Indian women — ICICI Bank Deputy Managing Director Chanda Kochhar, HSBC India CEO Naina Lal Kidwai and Biocon head Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw — have been named among the world’s 50 most powerful businesswomen by the Fortune magazine. The global recognition for the country’s three businesswomen comes close on the heels of Indra Nooyi, the India-born head of global soft drink giant PepsiCo, being named as the most powerful business women in the US by the same magazine. Her name does not figure in this global list of 50 published in the magazine’s latest European edition as she has been named in the American list.

Manmohan dazzles Cambridge CAMBRIDGE: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the man who presides over the destiny of a billion people on Wednesday assumed the form of an obedient pupil as he returned to his alma mater five decades after his graduation to receive an honorary degree with a stirring speech outlining his vision for a more egalitarian world.