Railway worker's son-Spain's self-made mogul Amancio Ortega-becomes the world's richest!

The richest man on earth, Bill Gates, relinquished the coveted position briefly to pave way for a Spanish fashion retailer who avoids press meetings.

According to Forbes' real-time tracker, Spain's self-made mogul Amancio Ortega, who transformed apparel group Inditex from a small family dressmaker into a mammoth, whisked past Bill Gates to become the wealthiest person on the planet, with a fortune of $79.8 billion.

With their personal fortunes linked to the stock price fluctuation, Ortega's wealth touched $80 billion on Friday morning last week making him the most richest. 

This was possible as Ortega's holding company Industria de Diseño Textil (Inditex) reached an all-time high of 33.99 euros per share Friday morning.

However, Gates got back his title during the same day led by 10% gains in Microsoft stock.

The two billionaires are set to swap the coveted tag in the coming days on the Forbes real-time global rich list drawn by the movement of their company's stocks.

In this real-time battle, the fortunes of 79-year-old son of a Spanish railway worker are blossoming as Inditex shares have shot up nearly 40% this year. In the last 10 years, the market value of Inditex has risen by about 570%, helping Ortega climb the ranking ladder, said Business Insider.

He holds a 59.3% share in what is now the world's biggest fashion retailer Zara, ahead of Gap and Hennes & Mauritz.

Ortega's biographer described his memories of a childhood during which his family could not always afford enough food. He left school in his early teens, working his way up from the absolute bottom rung as a messenger boy in a shop, reported Business Insider India.

He is known for selecting designs based on feedback from shop assistants who count on shoppers' reactions.

"If he speaks to a shop assistant and he likes what they had to say, he will pay more attention to that than to any of his managers," a former Inditex director told Reuters.

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Get to the pulse of your pulses!

Pulses are the main source of protein in vegetarian diets. Even those who are supposed to be non-vegetarians, should include pulses in their meals, especially if they are not consuming a non-vegetarian dish with every meal.

Pulses are mainly seeds of a plant and therefore their protein content is high. Even cereals are seeds, but their carbohydrate count is higher and the protein content is lower than that of pulses. The protein quality of cereals is better than that of pulses, while the protein quantity of pulses is higher. A combination of cereal and pulse improves the total protein quality as the amino acid content of both complement each other. If you notice, many of our Indian menus are well balanced, e.g., dhal and rice, dhal and roti, etc. Some dishes are also in good proportion of cereal and pulse, like idli, dosa, adai, pongal and kitchdi.


Some pulses can be consumed in the raw state, like Bengal gram, green gram, red gram, peas and cow pea. But generally they are dried and sold as whole gram or broken and sold as dhals. Whole grams have a higher fibre content due to the outer covering while dhals have this covering removed and hence lose part of the fibre.

Pulses provide B-complex vitamins. They are not too high in mineral content though they can be a reasonable source of iron. They lack vitamins A and C. Sprouts develop vitamin C and can be considered a good source, especially during the first few days of sprouting.

Considering their digestion value, dhals are easier to digest, than whole grams. The easiest to digest is green gram dhal, followed by black gram dhal, toor dhal, Bengal gram dhal and finally the whole grams. Flatulence is also a problem with pulse consumption and increases in the same order as given above for digestion. It is believed that the use of ginger and garlic in these preparations will improve digestion and lower flatulence.

The variety of dishes that can be made from pulses is endless. Starting from roasted pulses, roasted dhal powders like idli podi and parupu podi; the thohayils and pachadis are hot favourites, literally. The plain dhal and pulse sundals, the raw, soaked dhal kosambris, the sambars, the masala dhals, the snacks like adai, pesarattu, chakli, muruku and ompodi are just a few of the common dishes which are popular. They are also used in kheers and halwas. Mysore Pak is an all time favourite. Among soups, pea soup and lentil soup are well known. Salads with sprouted pulses are gaining a prominent place in the present day menu.

Food	Protein, g	Fat ,g	Fibre, g	Carbs, g	Energy, cals	Calcium, mg	Iron, mg
Bengal gram,whole	17.1	5.3	3.9	60.9	360	202	4.6
Bengal gram dhal	20.8	5.6	1.2	59.8	372	56	5.3
Bengal gram,roasted	22.5	5.2	1.0	58.1	369	58	9.5
Black gram dhal	24	1.4	0.9	59.6	347	154	3.8
Cow pea, karamani	24.1	1.0	3.8	5l.5	323	77	8.6
Field bean, mochai	24.9	0.8	1.4	60.1	347	60	2.7
Green gram whole	24.0	1.3	4.1	56.7	334	124	4.4
Green gram dhal	24.5	1.2	0.8	59.9	348	75	3.9
Horse gram, kollu	22.0	0.5	5.3	57.2	321	287	6.7
Lentil, masoor dhal	25.1	0.7	0.7	59.0	343	69	7.58
Moth beans, matki	23.6	1.1	4.5	56.5	330	202	9.5
Peas, green	7.2	0.1	4.0	15.9	93	20	1.5
Peas, dry	19.7	1.1	4.5	56.5	315	75	7.05
Peas,roasted	22.9	1.4	4.4	58.8	340	81	6.4
Rajmah	22.9	1.3	4.8	60.6	346	260	5.1
Red gram dhal	22.3	1.7	1.5	57.6	335	73	2.7
Red gram dhal,tender	9.8	1.0	6.2	16.9	116	57	1.1
Soya bean	43.2	19.5	3.7	20.9	432	240	10.4

From the above table you can see that the protein value of most pulses is ranging from 19g to 25g per 100g of the food.
 
The only exception is soya bean as it has a high protein, high fat, high fibre, high energy, high iron and low carbohydrate content. The fat quality of pulses is of a high standard, providing essential fatty acids. The minimum requirement of dhals and pulses per meal can be 25g (raw weight).

Pulses have a major role in the Indian menu and must be taken seriously by vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

They are a must as the primary protein source in the diets of infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant and lactating women, as well as seniors.

So, do feel the pulse of your pulses.

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Iran announces implementation of nuclear deal!

Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini issued a joint statement, announcing the start of the implementation of the nuclear deal reached between Iran and the six world powers in July, according to Iran's foreign ministry website.

Now, Iran will start implementing its obligations pertaining to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the UN nuclear watchdog will prepare the means to monitor Iran's measures, Xinhua reported, citing the statement issued on Sunday.

According to the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers reached on July 14 in the Austrian capital of Vienna, Iran would improve the transparency of its nuclear plan, downsize its capacity for uranium enrichment and do changes in the structure of its heavy water reactor in exchange for international and Western sanctions relief.

Based on the agreement, the nuclear deal should have gone into effect on October 18, or the so-called the Adoption Day, 90 days for the UN Security Council endorsed the Iranian deal.

Also on Sunday, Iran notified Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that it will provisionally apply the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement when the nuclear deal comes into effect, the IAEA announced in a statement.

In Washington, US President Barack Obama on Sunday ordered his administration to take steps to lift sanctions on Iran, as part of the nuclear agreement.

"I hereby direct you to take all necessary steps to give effect to the US commitments with respect to sanctions" on Iran, Obama said in a memorandum to US secretaries of state, energy, commerce and the treasury.

The steps will take effect upon confirmation by the secretary of state that Iran has met its commitments under the JCPOA, Obama said in the memorandum issued by the White House.

But the sanction on Iran will not be lifted immediately on the Adoption Day, and the US said that no relief from the sanctions will take place until the IAEA verifies that Iran has fully complied with the terms of the agreement.

On July 14, Iran reached the JCPOA with P5+1 over its controversial nuclear programme after more than 18 months of marathon talks.

Under the deal, all of the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be lifted if the Islamic republic is proved to abide by the deal over the next 10 years step-by-step.

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Tips to stay fit during the festive season!

Celebrations call for never-ending sweets and if you want to watch your weight, it becomes difficult. Eat small portions and stay hydrated to avoid weight gain.

Rupali ‘Sim’ Vaid, founder of Be Fitastic Fitness centre, shares how to stay toned:

* Check your total calorie intake. Take a step back when you get closer to your maximum calorie intake value.

* Keep your hydration levels up. Low levels of hydration may encourage you to drink more of sweetened drinks when offered.

* Eat small portions as completely declining sweets or fried food can be difficult. Simply taste the sweets rather than eating to your heart’s content.

* Keep a well thought out short and intense home workout handy for days you don’t get enough physical activity or miss your gym schedule. Include movements such as push-ups, leg lifts, crunches and jumps.