Influence Czar Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, along with US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao has been named among the 100 most influential people of the world by Time magazine. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has written his biographical sketch for the magazine, and says Singh, who finds a place among 22 leaders and revolutionaries, is a man of “deep humanity and breadth of vision who inspires widespread confidence”. Also in the list are Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, NewsCorp chief Rupert Murdoch, the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian leader Mahmood Abbas, among others.

NOKIA : LAST CALL To cash in on the rising demand in India for mobile phones, estimated at 23-25 million currently, Nokia has announced a plant in India . As part of an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government, Nokia plans to invest $150 million in a mobile phone manufacturing facility near Chennai. It will be the company's 10th facility globally, and will be located at a 210-acre site in Sriperumbudur, about 40 km from Chennai. The site will also house Nokia's suppliers, who are expected to invest another $150 million, making a total investment of $300 million. Production is expected to start in the first half of 2006.

Premji: still cash king Wipro's Azim Premji is the richest Indian, with an estimated wealth of Rs 31,198 crore. The chairman of the Bangalore-based software giant is ranked above Mukesh and Anil Ambani of the Reliance Group, who are the second richest with a combined wealth of Rs 24,172 crore. These figures come from Success 2005, a recently launched business magazine. Sunil Mittal, the chairman and managing director of Bharti Tele-Ventures, is third with Rs 12,552 crore. He is followed by Shiv Nadar, chairman, president and CEO of HCL Technologies at Rs 7,929 crore.

Kajol's back The real life couple that's rarely visible together on screen is set to light screens with their companionship. This is the first time that Kajol and Ajay Devgan have come together to endorse a product, with their advertisement of Whirlpool hitting the small screen. And Kajol, after three years of family life is back in the limelight with the commercials and a lead role in Kunal Kohli's new film opposite Aamir Khan. She has also been signed as the brand ambassador by the Diamond Trading Company to endorse the diamond brand Asmi.

Reddy reckoner Dr Prathap C. Reddy, the chairman of the Apollo Hospitals group, has been honoured with the Asia-Pacific BioBusinesss Leadership Award, 2005, for his efforts to revolutionise modern healthcare in South Asia . The award is sponsored by the Global BioBusiness Initiative, a programme of the University of Southern California 's Marshall Centre for Global Business Excellence.