Australian company says it may have found MH370 wreckage

An Australian marine exploration company has claimed ON 29th April, 2014 that it has found the wreckage of the crashed Malaysian plane in the Bay of Bengal, 5,000 km away from the current search location in the Indian Ocean.

Adelaide-based Geo Resonance on Tuesday said it had begun its own search for the missing flight MH370 on March 10 and that it has detected possible wreckage in the Bay of Bengal, 5000 km away from the current search location.

Geo Resonance’s search covered 2,000,000 square kilometres of the possible crash zone, using images obtained from satellites and aircraft, with company scientists focusing their efforts north of plane’s last known location, using over 20 technologies to analyse the data including a nuclear reactor.

The company used technology originally designed to find nuclear warheads and submarines.

They compared their findings with images taken on March 5, three days before MH370 went missing, and did not find what they had detected at the spot.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370- carrying 239 people, including five Indians, an Indo-Canadian and 154 Chinese nationals - had mysteriously vanished on March 8 after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.

The mystery of the missing plane continued to baffle aviation and security authorities who have so far not succeeded in tracking the aircraft despite deploying hi-tech radar and other gadgets.

President presents Padma awards

President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma awards, including one Padma Vibhushan, 11 Padma Bhushan and 44 Padma Shri awards at a Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 26th April, 2014.

Leading Yoga exponent BKS Iyenger was given Padma Vibhushan, while noted author Ruskin Bond and tennis star Leander Paes were among the Padma Bhushan winners.

The other Padma Bhushan winners are: Dr MB Athreya, Prof P Balaram, Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Anita Desai, Dr Madappa Mahadevappa, Dr Koppillil Radhakrishnan, Dr Thirumalachari Ramasami, Dr Vinod Prakash Sharma and Ghulam Mohammaed Sheikh.

Dr Dhirubhai Premshanker Thaker was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously.

Ms Anita Desai (Padma Bhushan) and cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Sushil Das (both Padma Shri) were not present at the award ceremony.

The Padma Shri winners are : Film actor Paresh Rawal, Mohammed Ali Baig, Musafir Ram Bhardwaj, Prof (Dr) Indira Chakravarty, M Chandradathan, Anjum Chopra, Dr Narendra Achyut Dabholkar (Posthumous), Keki N Daruwalla, Sunil Das, Supriya Devi, Love Rai Singh Dharmshaktu, Pandit Vijay Ghate, Prof Jayanta Kumar Ghosh, Mukul Chandra Goswami, Dr (Prof) Rajesh Kumar Grover, Dr Amod Gupta, Prof Ramakrishna Vijatacharya Hosur, Prof (Dr) Thenumgal Paulose Jacob, Manorama Jaffa, Durga Jain, Prof Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah, Dr Lalit Kumar, Prof (Dr) Sangaku Mayeda, Ram Mohan, Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee.

Dr Nitish Naik, Dr S Subhadra Nair, Rani Karnaa Nayak, Dr Narendra Kumar Pandey, Dr Ajay Parida, H Boniface Prabhu, Dr Malapaka Yejneswara Satyanarayan Prasad, Dr Ashok Rajgopal, Dr Anumolu Sriramarao, Dr Kamini A Rao, Prof Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, Mathurbhai Madhabhai Savani, Dr Hasmukh Chimanlal Shah, Dr Brahama Singh, Prof Dinesh Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Santosh Sivan, Mamta Sodha, Mallika Srinivasan, Dr Govindan Sunderajan, Parveen Talha and Prof (Dr) Mahesh Verma are the other Padma Shri winners. 

Full Form of few known companies

1.  SAP :- SAP stands for System Analysis and Program Development. This German software company makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations.

2.  DHL :- DHL provides international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. The company’s name DHL is derived from the last names of the then three budding entrepreneurs, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn who founded the company.

3.  IBM :- IBM’s full company name is International Business Machines Corporation. It is a multinational technology and consulting corporation. The company was founded in 1911 and headquartered in the United States.

4.  TLC :- The specialty cable channel TLC is the initials for The Learning Channel. The company also operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks.

5.  FIAT :- The full company name of FIAT is Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino meaning Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. This company is an Italian automobile manufacturer which was founded in 1899.

6.  HMV :- The British global entertainment retail chain, HMV’s full company name is His Master's Voice. Apart from being listed on the London Stock Exchange, the company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore.

7.  TCS :- TCS stands for Tata Consultancy Services Limited. It is considered to be one of India’s valuable company and a multinational information technology, services, business solutions and outsourcing Services Company.

8.  Amul :- The company is based out of a small town in Gujarat called Anand. It is a daily cooperative which is now and again referred to as Anand Milk Union Limited. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation is India’s largest exporter of dairy products and also the largest food product marketing organization with an annual turnover of $2.5 billion for 2011-2012.

9.  IKEA :- IKEA is a Sweden-based company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture. IKEA is an acronym made out of four letters - Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd. I is for Ingvar, the first name of the founder of IKEA stores. K is for Kamprad, the last name of the founder of IKEA stores. E is for Elmtaryd, the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up. A is for Agunnaryd, the name of the village near Kamprad's boyhood home.

10.              HTC :- The Taiwanese manufacturer of of smartphones and tablets now known as HTC was founded with the name High Tech Computer Corporation. Initially a manufacturer of notebook computers, HTC began designing some of the world's first touch and wireless hand-held devices in 1998.

11.              JBL :- With someone like AR Rahman endorsing the brand in India, it could only be a matter of time that JBL products would find their way into the homes of music -loving Indians. The audio electronics company is owned by Harman International and JBL are the initials of the name of the company’s founder James Bullough Lansing.

12.              3M :- A multinational conglomerate corporation in the United States, 3M was formerly known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, dental products, electronic materials, medical products, car care products, electronic circuits and optical films are some of the products of the company.

13.              H&M :- It is known as one of the world’s popular brands for fast-fashion clothing for men, women, teenagers and children. The name of the Swedish company is Hennes & Mauritz AB but it is popularly known and operates as H&M.

14.              AT&T :- An American multinational telecommunications corporation and the largest provider of both mobile telephony and of fixed telephony in the United States, American Telephone and Telegraph Company is often referred to as AT&T. The company also provides broadband subscription television services.

15.              ING Group :- ING Group is a financial institution which offers banking, asset management, and insurance services. ING is an abbreviation for International Netherlands Group.

16.              BMW :- BMW is an abbreviation for Bayerische Motoren Werke. It is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917 which produces automobiles and motorcycles across all its brands. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

17.              KFC :- Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the world’s largest chain of fried chicken fast food restaurant. It is popularly known by its abbreviation KFC, across the globe. It has over 17,000 outlets in 105 countries.

18.              BPL :- The company commonly referred to as BPL stands for British Physical Laboratories. This Indian electronics company deals with consumer appliances, home entertainment products and health care devices. It was established in 1963, by MT P G Nambiar.

19.              BASF :- BASF is recognized as one of the largest diversified chemical companies in the world. The company offers products to various industries and has customers in over 200 countries. The initials BASF stands for Baden Aniline and Soda Factory.

20.              BEML :- The full and original name of BEML is Bharat Earth Movers Limited. Headquartered in Bangalore, the company is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking and manufactures a variety of heavy equipment, such as that used for earth moving, transport and mining.

21.              BHEL :- BHEL is based in New Delhi and is engaged in the design, engineering, manufacture, construction, testing, commissioning and servicing of a wide range of products and services for the core sectors of the economy. BHEL is an abbreviation for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.

22.              ICICI :-The financial services company, ICICI Bank is headquartered in Mumbai offers retail and corporate customers a wide range of banking products and financial services. Earlier, the bank was known as Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Bank, it later changed its name to the abbreviated ICICI Bank.

23.              HDFC :- India’s largest mortgage company, HDFC was founded in 1977. The financial services company has over 300 outlets and caters to non-resident Indians as well. The full name of HDFC is Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited.

24.              ESPN :- Sports related global television network, ESPN’s name is derived from Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Some of its programs include live and recorded event telecasts, sports talk shows and other original programs.

25.              HCL :- Headquartered in India, HCL is a global technology and IT Enterprise that operates in over 30 countries of the world. The company mainly focuses on the IT hardware market. HCL is the abbreviation for Hindustan Computer Limited.

26.              HSBC :- The full name of the company HSBC is Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. HSBC is a multinational banking and financial services company which operates within business groups such as commercial banking; global banking and markets, retail banking, wealth management and global private banking.

27.              L&T :- L&T is India’s multinational conglomerate corporation which is headquartered in Mumbai. The company’s business includes technology, engineering, construction and manufacturing goods. L&T stands for Larsen & Toubro.

28.              LEGO :- The name LEGO is an abbreviation of the two Danish words ‘leg godt’, meaning play well. The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and the company provides toys, experiences and teaching materials for children in more than 130 countries.

29.              MRF :- India’s major tyre manufacturing company, Madras Rubber Factory is popularly known as MRF. It is considered to be the largest tyre manufacturer in India which makes all types of tyres, from auto to sedan, bias to radial including tubes and conveyor belts.

30.              CEAT :- Mumbai based tyre manufacturing company, CEAT is an abbreviation for Cavi Elettrici e Affini Torino. CEAT tyres were founded in Italy by Virginio Bruni Tedeschi and the company established its manufacturing in India in 1958.

31.              HMT :- HMT was formerly known as Hindustan Machine Tools. Some of the company’s products include watches, tractors, printing machinery and plastic processing machinery among others.

32.              WIPRO :- One of India’s most popular information technology firm, Wipro was formerly known as Western India Products Limited. The company’s operations include IT products and services, consumer care and lighting, healthcare and infrastructure engineering.

33.              ITC :- ITC’s full company name used to be India Tobacco Company. The Indian public conglomerate has diversified business operations in FMCG markets, hotels, paperboards, packaging, agri-business and information technology.

34.              CAT :- Caterpillar Inc is popularly known as CAT. Apart from designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling machinery, this company sells financial products and insurance to customers around the world.

35.              INTEL :- The world’s largest chip maker, Intel’s full name is Integrated Electronics. The company makes motherboard chipsets, network interface controllers and integrated circuits, flash memory, graphic chips, among other products.

36.              CNN :- The Cable News Network is popularly referred to as CNN. This company is a cable news channel whose broadcast is seen by viewers in over 212 countries and territories. The cable network was launched in 1980.

37.              NASA :- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is popularly known as NASA. This United States government agency takes responsibility for space program, aeronautics and aerospace research.

38.              HP :- The full name of one of the most popular information technology corporation, HP is Hewlett-Packard Company. The company provides products, technologies, software, solutions and services to consumers and other enterprises.

39.              GE :- The company GE’s full name is General Electric Company. This corporation is popularly known as GE and operates through segments such as energy, technology infrastructure, capital finance, consumer and industrial.

40.              P&G :- The multinational consumer goods company, P&G’s full name is The Procter & Gamble Company. Over 20 brands of P&G’s brands have more than a billion dollars in net annual sales, according to the 2011 Annual Report.

Missing plane’s search area to be expanded

Australia’s prime minister said on Monday the 28th April, 2014 that the underwater search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet will be expanded.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Canberra that the U.S. Navy’s Bluefin 21 has finished scouring the initial search area far off the Australian west coast and has not yet found anything.

Radar and satellite data show the jet carrying 239 passengers and crew veered far off course on March 8 for unknown reasons during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Analysis indicates it would have run out of fuel in the remote section of ocean where the search has been focused. Not one piece of debris has been recovered since the massive multinational hunt began.

The Bluefin’s original search area was a circle with a 10-kilometer radius, 4.5 kilometres deep around a spot where signals consistent with airplane black boxes were heard on April 8th, 2014.

Australian head of the search effort, Angus Houston, said- “We haven’t found anything anywhere that has any connection to MH370.”

South Korean PM resigns over Govt response to ferry disaster

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong - won announced his resignation on 27th April, 2014 over the government response to the ferry disaster, in which it was first announced that everyone had been rescued, focusing attention on poor regulatory controls.

The Sewol ferry sank on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the traditional holiday island of Jeju on April 16.

More than 300 people, most of them students and teachers on a field trip from the Danwon High School on the outskirts of Seoul, have died or are missing and presumed dead.

The children on board the Sewol were told to stay put in their cabins, where they waited for further orders. The confirmed death toll was 187.

South Korea, Asia’s fourth - largest economy and one of its leading manufacturing and export powerhouses, has developed into one of the world’s most technically advanced countries, but faces criticism that regulatory controls have not kept pace.

As part of the investigation, prosecutors raided two shipping safety watchdogs and a coastguard office. They have also raided two vessel service centres, which act as maritime traffic control.

Chung’s resignation has to be approved by President Park Geun - hye, who has the most power in government.

Chung was booed and someone threw a water bottle at him when he visited grieving parents the day after the disaster.

President Park was also booed by some relatives when she visited a gym where families of the missing were staying.

Justice Lodha takes oath as 41st CJI

Justice RM Lodha took over as 41st Chief Justice of India on 27th April, 2014.

He was administered the oath of office by the president Mr Pranab Mukherji at a swearing - in ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Justice Lodha has taken over from the outgoing CJI justice Sathasivam who retired on 26th April, 2014.

Justice Lodha will have five month tenure and will retire on September 27 this year.

Justice Lodha is monitoring CBI investigation in the coal gate scam case.

The swearing - in ceremony was attended among others by the prime minister Dr Manmohan SIngh, vice - president Mr Hamid Ansari along with Supreme Court judges and lawyers.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization. 188 countries are members of the International Monetary Fund. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., USA. In the 1930s, many countries faced economic problems. Some of such problems were falling standard of living and unemployment by large number of people. Trading between different countries also came down. Some countries reduced the value of their currencies. All such factors combined and an economic depression resulted. By late 1939, the Second World War had started.

After the Second World War was over, most countries found that the international value was not smooth and faced many restrictions. Leaders of many countries thought over these matters and discussed them in meetings. Thus, after the Second World War, many countries felt the need to have an organization to get help in monetary matters between countries. To begin with, 29 countries discussed the matter, and signed an agreement. The agreement was the Articles of Association of the International Monetary Fund. The International Monetary Fund came into being in 29th December 1945.

Any country may apply to become a member of the IMF. When a country applies for membership, the IMF’s Executive Board examines the application. If found suitable, the Executive Board gives its report to IMF’s Board of Governors. After the Board of Governor clears the application, the country may join the IMF. However, before joining, the country should fulfill legal requirements, if any, of its own country. Every member has a different voting right. Likewise, every country has a different right to draw funds. This depends on many factors, including the member country’s first subscription to the IMF.

The IMF does a number of supervisory works relating to financial dealings between different countries. Some of the works done by IMF are :-

Helping in international trade, that is business between countries;

Looking after exchange rates;

Looking after balance of payments;

Helping member countries in economic development;

It also provides a machinery for international consultations.

The World Bank Group

The World Bank Group is a group of five international organizations.

The World Bank Group gives advice and finance to member countries for economic development and reducing poverty. It is a non-profit-making international organization owned by member governments. The Group has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.. It also has offices in 124 other member countries.

The World Bank Group is made of the following five organizations :-

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), established in 1945,

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), established in 1956,

The International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960,

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), established in 1988, and

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), established in 1966.

The World Bank Group originated at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. There many countries decided to establish an international organization to provide finance to member countries. The Bank came into existence on 27th December 1945. Its name was the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Bank’s first loan was to France. The loan was of 250 million US Dollar. The purpose was to help France to again build industry and other important things like roads destroyed during the Second World War.

The activities of the World Bank Group cover many activities. Some of these activities are as follows :-

Development of health and education;

Development of agriculture and rural development;

Reduction of pollution;

Development of infrastructure, for example, development of facilities likes roads and electricity;

Development of system for good government.

The World Bank Group gives loans at low rate of interest to member countries. The member countries use the money received for any one of above or some other similar activity.

In short, the World Bank Group’s main mission is

1) to fight poverty, and

2) to improve the living standards of people in the developing world.

Besides giving direct money and finance, the World Bank Group provides advice and assistance to developing countries on almost every aspect of economic development.

In general, the World Bank Group is part of the United Nations System. But, member countries govern it through a board. The IBRD has 184 countries as its members. Other four organizations of the Group have between 140 to 176 member countries. A Board of 24 Executive Directors controls the activities of the World Bank Group. A President heads the Board.

Trichy fastest growing international airport

Tucked away in a corner of Tamil Nadu, standing on a fraction of the area of Mumbai and Delhi's airports and overlooked by many international carriers, Trichy has in the past few years, become the fastest growing international airport in the country.

Material washed ashore not from Malaysia Airlines MH370 : Australia

The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet continued for 48th day on Thursday the 24th April, 2014 without any fresh lead as an object washed ashore western Australian coast turned out to have no connection with Flight MH370.

Having examined the photographs of the object, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) concluded that the material that was found floating ashore 10 kilometres east of Augusta, "is not a lead" in the missing jet search, stated the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC).

Meanwhile, the underwater search drone continued its 12th mission today on 24th April, 2014 and Bluefin- 21 is said to have covered 90% of the underwater search area, said the JACC. The investigators had planned to start the underwater search in an area of 10 km radius around the second Towed Pinger Locator detection which occurred on 8 April, after the pings could not be traced to any black box. Despite having completed 11 missions underwater, the search drone Bluefin 21 has so far found nothing that could be of any interest to the missing flight. 

Tripura breaks four decades record in temperature

Tripura has experienced severe heat wave across the state for past three days and temperature has already broken all previous record on 23rd April 2014.

According to local meteorological report, the maximum temperature reached 39.4 degree Celsius in a few urban locations.

Tripura did not have any record of high temperature beyond 36 degree Celsius in the month of April over past four decade.

On May 29, 1994 the highest temperature was recorded at 39 degrees.

The heat feeling became irritating because of humidity at 85 per cent, comparatively about 10 per cent less than the normal this time, the mercury reached about 6 degree above the normal.

BMB to open 57 branches in FY15

Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), India’s first women’s bank, is planning to open 57 more branches across the country to take the total number of branches to 80 by the end of this financial year i.e. 2014-2015.

The state- owned bank, which was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, was launched on November 19, 2013.

In this short span of four months, BMB has opened 23 branches across the country.

“Bharatiya Mahila Bank plans to open another 57 branches across the country and take the total number of branches to 80 by March 31, 2015,” Bharatiya Mahila Bank Chairman and MD Usha Ananthasubramanian said.

The bank would also launch its net banking services “shortly”. 

The FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are Italy, with four titles; West Germany, with three titles; Argentina and inaugural winners Uruguay, with two titles each; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

Trophy:-  From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winning team. It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president Jules Rimet who set up the first tournament. In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983, and has never been recovered, apparently melted down by the thieves.

After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven different countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb). The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.

Year	Host / Titles	Number of teams	Titles	Runners-up
1930	Uruguay	13	2 (1930, 1950)
1934	Italy	16
1938	France	15
1950	Brazil	13	5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)	2 (1950, 1998)
1954	Switzerland	16
1958	Sweden	16		1 (1958)
1962	Chile	16
1966	England	16	1 (1966)
1970	Mexico	16
1974	West Germany	16
1978	Argentina	16	2 (1978, 1986)	2 (1930, 1990)
1982	Spain	24	1 (2010)
1986	Mexico	24
1990	Italy	24	4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)	2 (1970, 1994)
1994	United States	24
1998	France	32	1 (1998)	1 (2006)
2002	South Korea &  Japan	32
2006	Germany	32	3 (1954, 1974, 1990)	4 (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002)
2010	South Africa	32
	Netherlands			3 (1974, 1978, 2010
	Czechoslovakia			2 (1934, 1962)
	Hungary			2 (1938, 1954)

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men's association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since 1978 in Argentina, and the fifth time overall.

The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup Finals, the matches will use goal-line technology.

With the host country, all world champion teams since the first World Cup in 1930 (Uruguay, Italy, Germany, England, Argentina, France and Spain) have qualified for this competition. Spain is the defending champion, having defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the 2010 World Cup final to win its first World title. The previous four World Cups staged in South America were all won by South American teams.

Each participating team will receive at least US$8 million. The World Champions will receive $35 million, while the losing finalists will receive $25 million. Teams that lose in the round of 16 will receive $9 million, and the quarter-finalists receive $14 million. The clubs in which the players are playing for at the time of their World Cup departure will receive $70 million as a compensation for insurance costs and expenses, which will be distributed through their national associations. Overall, FIFA will allocate $576 million, a new record, and an increase from the $420 million allocated in South Africa.

India:- India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup finals as a result of the withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. But the governing body AIFF decided against going to the World Cup, being unable to understand the importance of the event at that time. Reason shown by AIFF was that there was the cost of travel, although FIFA agreed to bear a major part of the travel expenses, lack of practice time, team selection issues and valuing Olympics over FIFA World cup.

The India national football team is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for football. In 1954, the AIFF became one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). At the peak of its success during the 1950s and 1960s, the team was automatically advanced to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup (all the other Asian teams withdrew), but they did not go to the tournament in Brazil due to the cost of travel, lack of practice time, team selection issues and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup. They won gold medals at two Asian Games and one silver at the Asian Cup.

Football was introduced to India by British soldiers in the mid-nineteenth century. It spread because of the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhichary. In 1888 the Durand Cup was founded by then India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India. The Durand Cup is the third oldest football competition behind the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. It was initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. 

The History of Indian football is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence for refereed team football games being played in the Indian Army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world and the third world's oldest competition, the Durand Cup.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2018 in Russia.

The finals tournament will involve 32 national teams, including that of the host nation, assuming the current format of the finals is maintained. This will be the first time Russia has hosted the tournament, the first World Cup to have been held in Eastern Europe, and the first to have been held on two continents.