DMRC to Construct Pachalam overbridge, Says Chief Minister

The inaugural function of the newly reconstructed North road overbridge turned out to be an impromptu meeting over the proposed overbridge at Pachalam and by the end of it Chief Minister Oommen Chandy declared that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) would be entrusted with its construction.

DMRC plans to keep ROB's width limited to 10 metres, thereby subsequently reducing the land that needs to be acquired from nine acre to one acre. The project mooted more than a decade ago had raised controversies, especially on land acquisition.
                                       

         
The Chief Minister wondered whether there was any further need for a meeting, scheduled for January 4, to take a decision on the issue. The only question was whether DMRC was willing to take up the work and E. Sreedharan, Principal Advisor to DMRC, confirmed it, Mr. Chandy said.

Earlier, the ministers and people’s representatives who spoke at the function had requested the Chief Minister to take a positive decision on giving the Pachalam overbridge work to DMRC.

He said the project will be executed by the DMRC under the leadership of its principal advisor E Sreedharan.

According to Sreedharan, the bridge can be constructed within six months with minimal land acquisition.

“State government proposes to handover the construction of Kochi Pachalam ROB to DMRC. They have expressed interest in the project.

DMRC Principal Advisor E. Sreedharan had offered to complete the construction work of the railway over bridge at Pachalam within six months, if given a chance.

India, Pakistan DGMOs Meet For First Time Since Kargil War

Wagah-Attari Border, Dec.24 (ANI): Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan met on the Pakistan side of the Wagah Border on Tuesday to discuss ways to reduce tension along the Line of Control (LoC) that separates the two countries.

It was the first time since the 1999 Kargil War, that a senior Indian military commander crossed over to Pakistan.
                                           

         
The meeting of the Director Generals of Military Operations India, Pakis (DGMOs) was proposed by Pakistan last week and India accepted it, three months after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart Nawaz Sharif proposed this meeting to defuse tension.

At the meeting, the Indian side will be represented by DGMO Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia while Pakistan will be represented by his counterpart Maj Gen Amir Riaz.

During the meeting, the Indian side is expected to take up for discussion the cross-border raids by Pakistani troops in this year in which over 7 Indian troops have been killed.

High tension prevailed during the two incidents in January and August this year and the Indian Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh had later stated that the Indian side reserved the right to retaliate at the time and place of its choosing.

AIIMS Cancer Institute Will Move to Jhajjar

The 200-bed Institute of Rotary Cancer Hospital (IRCH) in AIIMS will shift to the institute's outreach campus in Jhajjar in the next few years. The hospital will be renamed National Cancer Research Institute and will come up in an area of 50 acres on the 300-acre campus.

To be established at a cost of Rs. 2,035 crore, the Institute will come up on the campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS Cancer Institute.
                                                 

                 
The project is estimated to be completed in 45 months, and will help reduce the deficit of tertiary cancer care in the Northern region

Cancer is emerging as a major public health concern in India, where 11 lakh new cases are diagnosed every year and the mortality rate is 5.5 lakh per year.

Cancer treatment facilities in India are lagging behind when compared to WHO standards that requires a radiotherapy machine per million population. India at present has 0.41 machines per million population and the setting up of this institute will herald a new chapter in the initiative against cancer.

The Institute will have 710 beds for different facilities like surgical oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, anaesthesia and palliative care and nuclear medicine. It will also have the first of its kind Tissue Repository in India.


HSCC (India) Ltd, a public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the Health & Family Welfare Ministry has been appointed as Project Consultant for it by AIIMS Delhi.

Mahouts oppose Shifting of Elephant Camp to Tiger Reserve

Bangalore: When the Tiger Reserves across the country are vacating the residential facilities within the Reserves the state forest department is planning to move more than 24 families in the core area of Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

The department is planning to reestablish the elephant camp in Rampura Range of the Reserve and planning to shift the mahouts and their family members in the camp. Renovation work on the quarters is underway at Rampura area and the camp will house about 23 elephants including five calves.
                                                 

The new guidelines from the Supreme Court clearly states that the guest house facilities must be moved outside the in-violate areas of Tiger Reserves. Along with this, there has been long pending demand form the wildlife experts that the elephant camps inside the tiger areas must be removed, especially when the forest department is working to move out tribesmen giving them compensations.

Meanwhile, the mahouts who looking after the camp elephants inside the Bandipur Tiger Reserve have opposed shifting of their residential quarters inside the Tiger Reserve. They have written to the higher authorities that the education and health of their children will be at risk if they shift with families inside the forests.

“We cannot send our children to school neither we can commute outside the forest in case of an emergency. The nearest market place is Maddur located about 11 km from the Proposed quarters,”said a mahout from the Bandipur Reserve.

But the forest department feels that any elephant camp requires large amount of green fodder and water, hence Rampura range is the suitable place for the camp and mahouts. H C Kantharaj, Director of Bandipur Reserve said that the elephants requires large amount of green fodder and only thick forests such as tiger reserves can provide that kind of food.

“Majority of tiger reserves house elephant camps due to availability of water and fodder. Each elephant requires about 250 kg of grass per day and we are talking about keeping 23 elephants in Rampura camp.

AK-47 Inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov is Dead at 94

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the iconic AK-47, has died at the age of 94. The announcement was made today on Russian state television, reports the BBC. According to RT, Kalashnikov had long suffered from heart-related problems, and was staying in intensive care at a facility in Izhevsk, Udmurtia, not far from the Izhmash plant where his rifles are designed to this day.
                                               

             
Kalashnikov, born on November 10th, 1919, will be best remembered for his contribution to assault rifle manufacture, with his Avtomat Kalashnikova is dead at 94 model 1947 becoming one of the most widely recognized — and used — rifles in history. While serving as a tank commander in World War II, RT reports, he discovered an aptitude for designing small arms after recuperating from an injury. By 1949, the Soviet Armed Forces had adopted the AK-47 based on its ease of use, reasonable accuracy, and durability.

Use of the weapon first spread along ideological lines, proliferating among armies and militias that had common cause with the Soviet Union. It sprung up in Vietnam in the 1960s and made its way to insurgencies in Africa and Latin America. The flag of Mozambique — an ensign adopted after the successful struggle of leftist guerrillas against Portuguese colonial rule — still features an AK-47 armed with a bayonet.

In 2011, Izhmash, the Russian manufacturer of the AK-47 family of weapons, said it was abandoning the design in favor of a new one for its next-generation assault rifles.

Kalashnikov's 90th birthday, in November 2009, was celebrated in Russia nearly like a national holiday. In a televised Kremlin ceremony, then-President Dmitry Medvedev decorated him with the country's highest order, the Hero of Russia.

Former Home Secretary VK Duggal Appointed Manipur Governor

New Delhi, Dec 24 (ANI): Former Home Secretary Vinod Kumar Duggal was appointed as governor of Manipur.

"The President of India has been pleased to appoint Vinod Kumar Duggal to be the governor of Manipur with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office," a Rashtrapati Bhawan statement said here.
                                                     

Being the first IAS officer from Union Territory cadre, 68-year-old Duggal of 1968 batch was Home Secretary from March 2005 to April one, 2007.

A 1968-batch IAS officer, Duggal has never been without a job, managing to bag one post-retirement assignment after another. He is presently member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). He had retired in 2007 as Former Home Secretary and was appointed as a member of the commission on Centre-State Relations immediately after.

At the time of his appointment as the Governor of Manipur, VK Duggal was serving as a Member of the National Disaster Management Authority in the rank and status of Union Minister of State, Duggal was in charge of relief operations after the natural disaster that had struck Uttrakhand and Orissa rece

During his active service of over 47 years in Government of India, he had his posting in the North East as an Army officer, District Magistrate in Mizoram, Secretary to the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Advisor to Governor of Punjab/Administrator U.T. Chandigarh, Municipal Commissioner of Delhi from 1996 to 2000, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Department of Drinking Water Supply and Union Home Secretary.  

Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan Resigns

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has resigned, said an official statement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan Saturday.

President Pranab Mukherjee "as advised by the prime minister has accepted the resignation of Jayanthi Natarajan, minister of state (independent charge) for Environment and Forests, from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect", the statement said.
                                 

                               
"The President has directed minister of petroleum and natural gas M Veerappa Moily shall be given additional charge of the work of the ministry of environment and forests," added the statement.

According to TV reports, more ministers are expected to quit the government for party work.

Sources said Natarajan, who has, of late, been more visible on television channels defending the party, may be drafted for organisation work.

Sources said there could be some more ministers who could resign to be brought to party organisation in preparation for the elections.

Natarajan, a senior member of Rajya Sabha for the third term, hails from Tamil Nadu and was brought in the ministry two years ago. 

Chouhan May Retain Budhni, Resign From Vidisha Seat

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who won the just concluded Assembly polls from Vidisha and Budhni, is likely to retain the latter, which is his traditional seat.

As per the rules, a legislator winning from two seats has to relinquish one of them within 14 days of the constitution of the new Assembly.
                                 

                       
The new State Assembly was constituted last week. Accordingly, Chouhan will have to resign from either Vidisha or Budhni by December 23. Chouhan won from Budhni  is likely to resign from Vidisha and retain Budhni, his traditional seat in Sehore district, state BJP sources told.

In run up to the November 25 Assembly polls, the BJP leader had announced that he will retain the seat which gets him the highest victory margin.

The victory of the 54-year-old saffron stalwart, who was sworn-in as Chief Minister for a third time on December 14, was never in doubt from both seats.

Chouhan won from Budhni by 84,805 votes, the second highest margin in MP, by defeating Congress candidate Mahendra Singh Chouhan. However, in Vidisha he faced a tough fight from Congress’ Shashank Bhargava and won by only 16,996 vote gap.

Puneet Kumar New Secretary General of AEPC

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Puneet Kumar, a Kerala cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as secretary general of AEPC, the country's apex body for apparel exporters.

The post had been lying vacant since April 2012 and the last Secretary General of AEP Cwas Amarendra Sahoo.
                                                             

Kumar, a 1993 batch officer, is a graduate in mechanical engineering, having worked in various capacities in departments like revenue, technical education, excise and agriculture in Kerala, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said in a statement.

He brings with him vast amount of experience in handling complex administrative, financial project management and e-governments issues,” it said.

AEPC provides assistance to exporters as well as importers who choose the country as their preferred sourcing destination for garments.

The country’s apparel exports are likely to increase to $17 billion this fiscal from $13 billion last financial year on the back of recovery in demand in the US and European markets.

During April-October 2013, the shipments grew 15.5 per cent to $8.2 billion.

Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) BILL,2013

TERMS USED IN THE ARTICLE

⇒ SC: Supreme Court of India

⇒ HC: High Court of India

⇒ CJI: Chief Justice of India

⇒ CJ: Chief Justice of a High Court                    

                                   

PROBLEMS OF JAC

⇒ There will be no more independent judiciary

⇒ Will endanger Rule of Law.

⇒ JAC will only work properly if the above mentioned problems are taken care off.

⇒ The bill was never introduced to the Bar for robust debate.

⇒ The bill is being cleared in hurry & without consultation click here for more information about Judicial Appointments Commission .

⇒ JAC can be amended by a simple majority & hence other member can also be the head of the JAC instead of CJI.

JAC’S DEFECTS

⇒ Doesn’t specify the qualities necessary to be a judge of the higher courts in India

⇒ Also not clear about two important areas of its work: the conduct of meetings, quorum and decision rules and the process of inviting applications, short-listing of candidates, interviews. Both processes should be transparent, open to the public and geared to achieve the goals of the appointment process.

SC ON RULE OF LAW

⇒ It is the Basic feature of the constitution.

⇒ It is an integral part of the constitutional structure.

⇒ Independence of judiciary is an essential attribute of the Rule of Law.

⇒ Judiciary can’t be separated from the appointment & shouldn’t be done by executive as it amounts to politicizing the issue.

⇒ Doctrine of Separation, cannot be used to the level of making judicial appointment only at the will of executive. 

Japan Focuses on East China Sea, Hikes Defense Spending By 5%

TOKYO - Japan's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a national security strategy and revised defense plans that increase defense spending 5 percent over the next five years and call for a larger role in maintaining international stability.

The program for 2014-2019 includes acquisition of surveillance drones, anti-missile destroyers and other equipment as Japan's defense priority shifts from its northern reaches to the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in a territorial spat over some uninhabited islands.
                                           

                   
JAPAN, led by hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will raise its defense spending over the next five years by about 5 per cent to 24.6 trillion yen (US$239 billion) to respond to China's growing military budget, the Nikkei financial daily reported.

Japan’s plan to spend more on defense comes as tensions with China have risen over tiny islands in the East China Sea - known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

Japan is also buying the tilt-rotor Osprey surveillance aircraft, built by Boeing Co and Textron Inc’s Bell Helicopter unit, and drones including Northrop Grumman Corp’s Global Hawk.

Japan's plan to spend more on defense comes as tensions with China have risen over tiny islands in the East China Sea - known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

Oxford’s New Anti-Malaria Vaccine

As per the figures circulated by WHO malaria caused 660,000 deaths each year from among 219 million cases of illness. Given the high fatality of this mosquito-borne disease the vaccine against the deadly malady is an area of intensive research and the Jenner Institute of Oxford University may turn the tide for millions of sick people across the globe. A research led by Professor Adrian Hill in collaboration with the biotechnology form Okairos, at the University, has shown promising outcomes in the Phase II of the clinical trial.
                                               

               
About the Vaccine and Immunity Providing Cells:

Generally, any vaccine generates immunity via two ways, one by generating antibodies and two by generating immunity response using T cells. The anti-malaria vaccine uses the latter approach to prevent occurrence or delay onset of malaria in human beings. The vaccine was able to generate high immune response in human body through the use of CD8 T cells. Affirmative results have been observed in several studies in mice. These CD8(+) T cells (killer cells) are known to contribute to resistance against intracellular infections with certain viral, protozoan, and bacterial pathogens. They develop a wide range of effector mechanisms against deadly infections.

About the Trial:

During the Phase IIa of the clinical trial 36 persons were subjected to two separate virus-based vaccine with the common malaria antigen at eight weeks gap. Out of those 14, the infection from the bite of malaria-infected mosquitoes was prevented in 3 people and the onset of infection was delayed in other 5. The researchers concluded that the immunity generated by the induced vaccine virus was able to successfully combat 90 per cent of the malaria parasites in infected bodies while the requirement is atleast 75 per cent.

WHO’s Malaria Vaccine Technology Roadmap:

Apart from having given the above figure of death tolls by malaria the world over, WHO also mentions that there has been a 26% reduction in this number over the last decade owing to the organisation’s recommended malaria control mechanisms. WHO lists 27 vaccine candidates which are undergoing clinical trials but are in early stages. Yet, there is an unfilled spot for an effective vaccine against this liver affecting parasitic disease. Even the most advanced candidate RTS,S/AS01 can only claim this spot after 2015 since by then more data will be available post the final trial of the drug vaccine. More would depend on the review by the European Medicines Agency which would most likely influence WHO’s recommendations for drug usage and distribution. 

Vasundhara Raje Sworn in As Chief Minister of Rajastha

BJP leader Vasundhara Raje was on 13 December 2013 sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for the second time.
                                                     

   
Vasundhara Raje Sworn was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Margaret Alva during a grand swearing-in ceremony inside the Assembly building premises in Jaipur.
                                             
In 2013 Rajasthan Assembly elections Baratiya Jananta Party has won 162 out of 199 seats. Vasundhara Raje is elected from Jhalrapatan (Jhalawar) constituency.

About Vasundhara Raje

• Vasundhara Raje was born on 8 March 1953 in Mumbai, Maharastra, She is daughter of Vijayaraje Scindia and Jivajirao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior, members of the prominent Scindia royal Maratha family.

• She graduated with Economics and Political Science degrees (Hons.) from Sophia College, affiliated to Mumbai University, Mumbai.

• She has been elected to the Rajasthan state assembly thrice and five times to Lok Sabha.

• She is the first woman chief minister of Rajasthan state in 2003. In her first term as chief minister she served from 8 December 2003 to 13 December 2008.

• She is the 22nd Chief Minister of Rajasthan state.

About Rajasthan

Rajasthan, the largest state of India is located in the north-western part of the subcontinent. It is bounded to the north and north-east by the states of Punjab and Haryana, to the east and south-east by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, to the south-west by the state of Gujarat, and to the west and north-west by Pakistan. The southern part of the state is about 225km from the Gulf of Kutch and about 400 km from the Arabian Sea. Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan.

India Defeat New Zealand to Win The Women's Kabaddi World Cup 2013

India clinched the women's Kabaddi World Cup championship for the third time in a row, defeating debutant New Zealand 49-21 in the summit clash played at Guru Gobind Singh sports complex on Thursday.

The Indian eves led their New Zealand counterparts for most part of the match and held out a strong challenge by the visitors in the second half, on course to a resounding win.
                                       

   
Jalandhar, Dec 13: The Indian ladies led the New Zealand players for most part of the match and were very strong especially in the second half, on course to a loud win. The Indian women’s team took home a first-place prize money of Rs. one crore.

Anu Rani was declared the best stopper while Ram Bateri was announced the best raider. Both the ladies were very proud, as they took the cash prize and Maruti Alto cars along with them.

Women’s category:

Final match:

India vs NewZealand

India won the women’s title by 49-21 points

Third place match:

Denmark vs Pakistan

Denmark took the third place by 34-33 points, while Pakistan took the fourth place.

The third place match was a neck to neck match, when both the teams were leading the match now and then.

Men’s category:

Third place match:

England vs United States

United States bagged the third place by scoring 62-27 points. From the start of the match, United States remained in a solid lead.]

Final match:

The men’s finals for the Kabaddi World Cup 2013 will be played between India and Pakistan on 14 December, 20.30 hrs at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana.

Supreme Court Judge Justice GS Singhvi Retired

New Delhi: Justice GS Singhvi, known as a bold and pro-active Supreme Court judge who kept government on tenterhooks on public issues including 2G spectrum scam, retired on Wednesday after delivering his last judgement upholding gay sex as a criminal offence.

The seniormost judge of the Supreme court retired on Wednesday, with the judgment in the Naz Foundation case related to criminalisation of homosexual acts as his swan song. The judge refused to comment on the case in response to the media's questions, and focused in his speech on thanking his seniors, brother judges and family for supporting him in his work.
                                         

           
Justice Singhvi, who completed his law in 1971 from the Rajasthan University joined the Bar on July 28, 1971 and initially practised under Marudhar Mridul. He was elevated to the Bench of Rajasthan High Court on July 20, 1990 and was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1994 and thereafter to the Gujarat High Court in 2005. He was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on November 11, 2005.

Justice Singhvi, who is due to retire on the 12th of December’ 13, has made a place for himself for his consistent, honest and bold  position taken in  2G case, Niira Radia Tape issue, and land acquisition matters.He does not proclaim any established political ideology, but the poor and weakest were always safe in his courts. In his own words, “Litigative exercise is to tire out those who genuinely espouse the cause of the weak and poor”(Quoted from CPIL v. Union of India, popularly known as the 2G scam case).

He punished the establishment mercilessly by imposing huge costs for harassing citizens and in all such matters, he directed to recover the cost from the concerned officer who defaulted. The idea was that the public exchequer should not suffer due to its erring members.

Justice Singhvi openly advocated for bonafide Public Interest Litigations (PILs). In one of his rulings he mentioned, “Superior courts will be failing in their constitutional duty if they decline to entertain petitions filed by genuine social groups, NGOs and social workers for espousing the cause of those who are deprived of the basic rights available to every human being, what to say of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution”.

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ET Awards 2013: Azim Premji's Three Important Lessons in Philanthropy

NEW DELHI: Wipro's Founder Chairman Azim Premji on Saturday said that it is much more difficult to give money than make it. Addressing top leaders of the corporate world at the Economic Times Awards the IT tycoon said, "The responsibility of philanthropy rests with us.
                           

                                                                   
He shared three very important lessons in philanthropy, "There are three lessons in philanthropy - one, involve the family, especially the spouse. She can be a remarkable driver of your initiative. Two, you need to build an institution and you need to scale it up. Choose a leader for philanthropy whom you trust. Three, philanthropy needs patience, tenacity and time."

"There are millions of homeless people. There are three million children who will sleep on the streets today, without adequate food. We need to ask a very basic question - can we go to sleep knowing this scenario exists? You cannot mandate philanthropy. It has to come from within, and when it does, it is deeply satisfying."

Premji said philanthropy is the means to make a difference and wealthier one is, the more he is in a position to make a change. He said that his biggest regret was to have waited so long to be deeply involved.

Praising people who have taken part in his philanthropy he said, "We run courses for government school teachers on Sundays. These teachers pay for their own food and stay, the kind of commitment you find in these people is remarkable."

Sudan's VP Ali Osman Taha Resigns: Bashir

Khartoum: Sudan's Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, a key figure behind the Islamist-backed coup 24 years ago, has resigned to pave the way for a new government, President Omar al-Bashir said.

"Ali Osman will voluntarily step down", as he did in 2005 following the signing of a peace agreement that ended 22 years of civil war, Bashir was quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying yesterday.
                                                     

Sudan's state media has reported the resignation of the country's First Vice President, Ali Osman Taha. The announcement comes amid reports that President Omar Hassan Al Bashir is now preparing to form a new government.

Sudan presidency spokesperson Imad Seed Ahmed dismissed reports indicating that Taha has been ousted.
Mr Ahmed further confirmed in a press release on Friday that there are no disputes over the stepping down of Mr Taha and all the other official figures.

“Taha has stepped down voluntarily because he supported the change and to open more opportunities to the new generations,” he explained.

Media reports revealed that there are disputes among the government after President Bashir ousted his first vice president Ali Osman Taha, vice president Alhaj Adam and the senior assistant of the president Nafia Ali Nafia.

The reports have also confirmed the resignation of all the 18 governors of the states. President Bashir dissolved the cabinet earlier this week.

'Eastern Partnership' Vilnius Summit 2013

The 3rd biennial 'Eastern Partnership' Summit in Vilnius -capital and the largest city of Lithuania- concluded with little success to show for.

What its all about:                      

     

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) offers an institutionalised forum for discussing visa agreements, free trade deals, and strategic partnership agreements between the EU and strategically vital six post-soviets states namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The region is considered to be of great "strategic importance" due to its natural resources and geopolitics. 'EaP' does not have its own secretariat and is controlled directly by the European Commission.

Core Values:

• Promotion of democratic values, human rights and rule of law.
• principles of market economy, sustainable development and good governance.

History:

• The Eastern Partnership (EaP) was launched in 2009 in the wake of the 2008 Georgian-Russian War to accelerate political association and to deepen economic integration between the EU and these six countries.  

• The EU, in exchange for compliance of member countries to its stated principals, offers them a "Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area" that involves the gradual elimination of tariffs and trade quotas, visa liberalization, and support in various policy fields such as improving energy efficiency. 

Achievements of 2013 summit:

• Georgia and Moldova agreed to sign the association agreements with the EU sometime in 2014 . 

• Ukraine and Armenia rejected an Association Agreement.

• The agreements will include Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (a free trade area covering both goods and services (comprehensive FTA), and involving a high degree of regulatory approximation (deep FTA).

• A Visa Facilitation Agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union was signed.

• The Re-admission Agreement and the Mobility Partnership will be signed at a later time. 

• The agreement makes it easier and cheaper for citizens of Azerbaijan to acquire short-stay visas allowing them to travel to and freely throughout the EU.

• A framework agreement on Georgia's participation in EU crisis management missions was signed.

• An aviation agreement with Ukraine has been initialled.

• Belarus declares its willingness to start negotiations on a Visa Facilitation Agreement.

deliton.net

Brazuca Unveiled Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2014

The official match ball for the FIFA 2014 World Cup -- the brazuca -- was unveiled in the iconic Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

Adidas created the brazuca -- which means 'Brazilian' and refers to the Brazilian way of life. Adidas says the ball is the most tested in history, enduring a two-and-a-half-year period where it was tested by the likes of Iker Casillas, Dani Alves and Lionel Messi, and was used in in a selection of international matches, albeit with a different design.
                                                         

                                                 
The brazuca has a new structural innovation, with a unique symmetry of six identical panels alongside a different surface structure that will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics.

And the new colour scheme -- a distinct and vibrant ribbon design -- symbolises the traditional multi-coloured wish bracelets worn in Brazil.

"The brazuca unveiled ahead has a stunning design that feels inspired by Brazil,” Casillas told FIFA.com. “Now the ball has been launched, the tournament feels a lot closer. I'm looking forward to playing in Brazil with a great ball.”

Meanwhile, Messi told The Guardian: "I’ve had the opportunity to test brazuca and it’s great."

Football fans can even follow the brazuca on social media with a Twitter page dedicated to the new ball already attracting over 8,000 fans.

deliton.net

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Won ICC People’s Choice Award 2013

India Cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 3 December 2013 won the LG International Cricket Council (ICC) People’s Choice Award for the year 2013.

Dhoni also became the second Indian cricketer after SachinTendulkar to get this award.

Srilanka cricketer Kumar Sangarkara won this award for two times in 2011 and 2012.
                                                       

                                                                                                       
Other nominees for this year’s LG People’s Choice Award were Michael Clarke, Alastair Cook, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers

The International Cricket Council (ICC) People’s Choice award introduced in the year 2010 and Sachin Tendulkar won Inaugural Award.

About LG People’s choice award selection

The LG People's Choice Award allows cricket fans the unique chance to vote for international stars who have produced outstanding performances in the past year.

Fans vote on a short list nominated by a panel of cricket experts using criteria set out by LG and the ICC.

The nominees will have displayed some of the attributes regarded by LG that reflect their brand and their qualities. Such as innovation, dynamism, strength in decision-making, performing well under pressure and executing a plan to distinction.

Current Account Deficit Falls to $5.2 Billion in Jul-Sep quarter

India's current account gap narrowed sharply to $5.2 billion, or 1.2 per cent of GDP, in the July-September quarter of 2013-14 on the back of turnaround in exports and decline in gold imports.

The current account deficit, the difference between outflow and inflow of foreign exchange, was $21 billion, or 5 per cent of the GDP, in the second quarter of last fiscal.
                                           

                                       
"Contraction in the trade deficit coupled with a rise in net invisibles receipts resulted in a reduction of the current account deficit CAD to $26.9 billion (3.1 per cent of GDP) in H1 of 2013-14 from $37.9 billion (4.5 per cent of GDP) in H1 of 2012-13," Reserve Bank of India said in a statement.
               
Notwithstanding a lower CAD during April-September of 2013-14, there was a drawdown of foreign exchange reserve to the tune of $10.7 billion as against an accretion of $400 million in same period last fiscal mainly due to a decline in net capital inflows under the financial account, it added.

Both the government and RBI are expecting the CAD to be below $56 billion in the current fiscal compared to the record high of $88.2 billion, or 4.8 per cent of the GDP last fiscal.

Besides, pick up in exports, the steps taken by the Reserve Bank and the government have resulted in a sharp decline in gold imports, which was one of the main contributors to high CAD last year.

The government has taken several steps, including hike in gold import duty to 10 per cent and restrictions on import of gold bars and medallions, to restrict CAD.

It has also taken measures to boost exports, taking advantage of depreciating rupee.

India Rejects 'WTO Peace Clause' Proposal

TERMS USED IN THE ARTICLE

G-33 (Industrialized Country):

The Group of 33 was an international grouping that existed briefly in 1999, comprising the thirty-three leading national economies of the world. It superseded the Group of 22 in early 1999, and was itself superseded by the present Group of 20 later that year. A number of G33 meetings on the international financial system were held at the initiative of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7. The first meeting was held in Bonn, Germany in 1999.
                                                     

                           
G-33 (Developing Country):

The G33 is a group of developing countries that coordinate on trade and economic issues. It was created in order to help a group of countries that were all facing similar problems. The G33 has proposed special rules for developing countries at WTO Peace Clause negotiations, like allowing them to continue to restrict access to their agricultural markets.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PEACE CLAUSE ?

WTO in its Uruguay round (from 1986 to 1994) had agreed that any WTO member country can provide subsidies in agriculture to the maximum of 10% of the total production. If any member country exceeds that 10% limit then it will be penalized.

The original Peace clause (old one) was added as a part of Article 13 of the WTO agreement. According to this Peace clause, to the time this clause is in effect till that time, no WTO member country can seek penalties on the other WTO member country who has exceeded the 10% limit given for subsidies. In short during this peace clause period any country could provide subsidy for more than 10% of the total production. And no other country could go to WTO & complaint for this breach.

OLD PEACE CLAUSE IN THE EXACT WORDS OF WTO

Peace Clause:-

Provision in Article 13 of the Agriculture Agreement saying agricultural subsidies committed under the agreement cannot be challenged under other WTO agreements, in particular the Subsidies Agreement and GATT. Expired at the end of 2003.

Indian-American, Neeraj Sahai, Appointed President of S&P

A top Indian-American executive at Citigroup has been appointed president of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services , the world's largest ratings firm.

Neeraj Sahai, 56, will assume his new role at S&P from January 6, 2014, financial intelligence company McGraw Hill Financial said in a statement in New York.

                                                           

While leading SFS since 2005, Mr. Sahai significantly grew the business, which offers securities services to investors, issuers and intermediaries with an on-the-ground presence in more than 95 countries. From 2002 to 2005 he was chief financial officer of Citi's Global Transaction Services. Before that, Mr. Sahai was head of audit and risk review for Citi's Capital Markets and Banking businesses. He has served in a range of other roles with Citi in the U.S. and early in his career he held a number of positions of increasing responsibility with Citi in India. Mr. Sahai began his career at Citi in 1984, managing relationships with and serving as credit officer for clients in the Corporate Bank and Financial Institutions group click here for more information about Sahai, Appointed President of S&P .


Mr. Sahai holds a bachelor's degree in economics with honors and a master's degree in economics from the University of Delhi, an M.B.A. from Clarkson University and completed the Wharton Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Further evincing his excitement to assume the responsibility Sahai was quoted saying "I am eager to get started, to work alongside S&P's deeply talented employees and to build on the progress Doug and the management team have achieved".

Sahai has "significant experience serving global capital markets. His insights, leadership and background in driving growth, as well as in risk, control and governance will be enormously valuable to Standard & Poor's Rating Services, to market participants and to credit markets", Peterson said.

Raheel Sharif Appointed As New Army Chief of Pakistan

Lt General Raheel Sharif, Pakistan’s newly appointed chief of army staff, will take charge on Friday and is considered as a soldier’s soldier by some for his family background and as a thinking soldier by others because of his emphasis on training and operational thought. He is said to be the man behind the doctrinal response of the Pakistan Army to the Indian Army cold start doctrine.                                                    

         
He will be the country’s fifteenth army chief and comes from a decorated army family which includes an elder brother, Major Shabbir Sharif who was awarded a Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military award for valour against Indian forces. Shabbir Sharif was earlier given the Sitara-e-Jurrat and that makes him Pakistan’s highly decorated military officer. General Raheel’s uncle was Major Aziz Bhatti, another receipant of the Nishan-e-Haider.

Born in Quetta, Raheel Sharif Appointed is the son of Major Sharif, an army officer who at the time was serving at the Command and Staff college there. While the Sharif family is originally from Gujrat city in Punjab, it traces its roots to Kashmir. But for most part of his education, General Raheel sharif spent time in Lahore.

He attended the Government College Lahore, the alma mater of PM Sharif. Prior to his appointment as COAS,  Lt Gen Sharif was working as the Principal Staff Officer to General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani as well as the Inspector General Training and Evaluation.

Talking about PM’s new choice, Professor Shaun Gregory, Chair in International Security, School of Government and International Affairs of University of Durham said, “I think the choice of COAS is not unexpected, but it does indicate Nawaz Sharif reaching beyond the seniority order of succession to the younger man, as he did before with Musharraf (let’s hope that is not a precedent!). Indeed I understand the new COAS was a Musharraf protege at one point.” “His roles in leading education and training in the Pak Army have also kept him out of the more difficult theatres (FATA/KPK/AFG, Kashmir, etc) but may suggest some creative thinking by Nawaz Sharif about the future evolution of the Pakistan Army,” Gregory added.

Pakistan Launches operation Near Afghan Border

Backed by helicopter gunships, the Pakistani military launched a new operation in a strategic tribal area that juts into Afghanistan and has become an important militant sanctuary, officials said Tuesday.

The operation in Kurram follows reports that one of the most feared militant groups fighting in Afghanistan, the Haqqani network, had reached a truce with local militants to use the area as transit point to launch attacks against NATO forces across the border.
                                                                 

But the military is more likely focused on Pakistani Taliban militants who have declared war against the state and have staged attacks against Pakistani security forces. Many analysts believe Pakistan Launches operation is hesitant to target the Haqqani network – as demanded by the US – because of historical ties to the group.

"A military operation in Kurram Agency has been launched to clear the area of terrorists involved in all kinds of terrorist activities, including kidnapping and killing of locals, suicide attacks and blocking the road connecting Lower with upper Kurram,'' said Pakistani army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.

The military has used helicopters to clear three areas of Kurram, but has not received much resistance or suffered any casualties, said Javed Ullah, one of the top government officials in Kurram.

"Today is the third day of this operation, which was launched on Sunday,'' said Ullah.

At least 400 families in central Kurram, where the operation is focused, have fled the area and registered with a government-run camp in lower Kurram, said Ullah. He estimated that thousands of families may have left the region, but many of them opted to stay with relatives rather than go to the camp.

The road through Kurram that the military is trying to clear is the only one connecting the remote tribal area to the main city in Pakistan's northwest, Peshawar. It has been blocked by rival Sunni Muslim militant groups.

India, Malaysia Sign MoU to Boost Co-operation

India and Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to strengthen co-operation in public administration and governance as part of the efforts to enhance their strategic partnership.

The MoU covers eight areas of co-operation including human resource management, e-governance, public delivery system, accountability and transparency, skills and capacity building and quality results.
                                           

                     
The MoU was signed by Malaysia's Public Service Department Director-General Mohamad Zabidi Zainal and the Secretary of India's Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Sanjay Kothari.

Zabidi said the MoU was a strategic cooperation and collaboration to strengthen ties between the two countries. He added that apart from that it could also assist in socio-economic development through an efficient, accessible, transparent and accountable civil service.

The MoU envisages cooperation via tours, workshops and conferences, sharing of public administration and governance information and expertise, common project implementation mechanisms and exchange of publications, state-run news agency Bernama said. 

Delhi Government Issued Guidelines to Rely Only on ELISA Test For Dengue Confirmation

The Government of Delhi on 23 Sept 2013 advised all the city hospitals to rely only on the ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immune Sorbent Assay) Test for confirmation of dengue, in order to put an end on any kind of confusion. The doctors explained that any person arriving in the hospital within 5-6 days of seeing dengue symptoms, should be tested for antigens’ presence for confirmation of dengue. In case a person arrives after a week, then there should be the test of presence of the antibodies against the virus. In both the cases, ELISA test should be performed.
                                                     

                                               
Without the proper guidelines, various city hospitals in Delhi conducted the cheaper Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RDKs). However, Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RDKs) gave improper and false results. As per the guidelines of the Delhi Government, the tests carried out by RDKs will remain invalid. The cost of ELISA Test is 2000-2500 Rupees in comparison to 1000-1500 Rupees for RDKs.

The Municipal Authorities in Delhi explained that the antibody test reports will remain valid only if they have been done using the ELISA Test. According to the World Health Organization’s guidelines, IgG and IgM are the two antibodies which are produced against virus and these two should be considered as test for checking the dengue virus. The municipal health officer of the South Corporation, Dr N K Yadav explained that only ELISA-based tests will be considered valid and will be accepted.

About the ELISA Test

• ELISA stands for enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay.

• Dengue is detectable by isolation of the virus through serological tests or molecular methods.

• Diagnosis of the on-going or recent dengue infection can be confirmed by checking the serum samples during first 5 days or early convalescent phase (i.e., more than 5 days) of dengue symptoms.

• IgM antibody capture ELISA (MAC-ELISA) format is widely used in various diagnostic laboratories as well as diagnostic kits. Apart from this, IgG ELISA, which is used for detection of past dengue infection makes use of same viral antigens like the MAC ELISA.

Nisha Desai Biswal Sworn in As US Asst. Secretary of State For South And Central Asia

Nisha Desai Biswal was on 21 November 2013 sworn in as the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

United States Secretary of State John K Kerry administered the oath to Nisha Desai Biswal as she was sworn in as the US Assistant Secretary of State at the George Marshall East Auditorium of the White Hous
                                         

 
Nisha Desai Biswal took over charge from Robert Blake, who moved recently to Indonesia as ambassador.Before her appointment to this position, Biswal was assistant administrator for Asia at the US Agency for International Development.

Nisha Desai Biswal will oversee the US Foreign Policy and relations at the State Department for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This is the first time an Indian-American is heading the South Asia Bureau, a new milestone for the Indian community.

About Nisha Desai Biswal

• Nisha Desai Biswal worked at the American Red Cross from 1993 to 1995 in the Washington headquarters, and as an overseas delegate in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

• From 1999 to 2002, she worked as a Hill staffer with the US House of Representatives International Relations Committee.

• From 2005 to 2010, Biswal was the Majority Clerk for the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the Committee on Appropriations in the House of Representatives.

• Nisha Desai Biswal held the post of assistant administrator for Asia at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), since September 2010.

ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Sent First Pictures of Earth

CHENNAI: The severe cyclonic storm "Helen" hurtling towards Andhra Pradesh coast has been captured by India's Mars orbiter in the first image of the country beamed back in its maiden mission to the red planet. " Mangalyaan" has beamed back the first set of pictures of Earth, capturing the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa, Isro said here on Thursday.
                                                             

             
The storm, captured on Tuesday, is expected to hit the southern Andhra coast tomorrow. "We are checking the equipment on board the spacecraft. This picture is from Mars Color Camera, fitted on ISRO’s Mars orbiter spacecraft taken on Tuesday at 1.50pm from over 67,975km altitude with a resolution of 3.53km," Isro sources told.

Asked whether the picture was planned since the mission is to Mars, the sources said this was part of checking the equipment on board the spacecraft. Though the national space agency has received more than one picture, it has released only one on its official website.

The picture has captured the Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa, especially Cyclone Helen, hovering off the Andhra Pradesh coast. This is the first time after launch that an instrument on board has been checked for its operation. The India Meteorological Department(IMD) said "Helen" will cross the AP coast on Friday and bring very heavy rainfall under its influence.

Earlier, Isro had performed all five orbit raising manoeuvres planned on the Mars orbiter and raised the apogee of the spacecraft to over 192,000km. After the successful completion of these operations, the Mars Orbiter Mission is expected to take on the "crucial event" of the trans-Mars injection around 12.42am on December 1.

It will reach the red planet's orbit by September 24, 2014 after an over 10 month voyage. Isro's PSLV C 25 successfully injected the 1,350kg "Mangalyaan" orbiter (Mars craft) into the orbit around the earth some 44 minutes after a text book launch at 2.38pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on November 5, marking the successful completion of the first stage of the Rs 450 crore mission.

First All-women 'Bharatiya Mahila Bank' Inaugurated in Mumbai

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated India's first all-women "Bharatiya Mahila Bank" (BMB) in Mumbai's Nariman point. The initiative was announced in the Budget 2013-14 with the aim of taking banking facilities to women and empower through it.

• an initial corpus of Rs 1,000 cr was allocated in the budget to start up

• Due to biasedness at individual as well as institutional level only 26% of women in India have bank accounts ; no bank accounts no loans and therefore per capita credit for women is currently 80% lower than that for men -: Finance Ministry                                                                                  

                                                                 
Board Members of the BMB

• are all women : first all women bharatiya mahila Bank board of a PSU bank in country

• CMD : Usha Ananthasubramanian

• eight board of Directors : Priya Kumar (government nominee) ; Chhavi Rajawat (a sarpanch from Rajasthan); Nupur Mitra (former CMD ,Dena bank) ; Tanya Dubash (Executive Director and President (Marketing), Godrej group) ; Renuka Ramnath (of Multiples Alternate Asset Management); Kalpana Saroj (CEO: Kamani Tubes).

Though primarily meant to serve women from all parts of the country it will function as a universal bank (for everyone). However the focus would remain the 'women' from all walks of life (high net worth individuals to lower middle class women to rural women, self help groups) and would try to make available all regular banking products as well as specially designed products tailor made to needs of these women.

Headquartered in New Delhi

• Mumbai branch is first of its proposed seven branches for now.

• The other branches are scheduled to come up at : Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Guwahati.

• Additional branches in Delhi and Indore would be inaugurated in December 2013 following elections in these states (so as not to violate "model code of conduct").

• By April 2013 it aims to establish 25 branches, atleast one in every state capital.

• Later it aims to expand to Tier II and III cities through a network of 770 branches by 2020, covering even rural areas and unbanked areas.

• plans are even to reach offshore markets later

• target by 2020 : Rs. 60,000 cr total business (deposits plus advances) .

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Launched By Prime Minister of India

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi Jointly inaugurated India’s first all-women bank, Bharatiya Mahila Bank in Mumbai on 19 November 2013,marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The main objectives of the bank will be to focus on the banking needs of women and to promote their economic empowerment. The India’s first all-women bank will commence operations with an initial capital of one thousand crore rupees.
                                                       

The Union Government on 12 November 2013 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the first chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB).

About Bharatiya Mahila Bank

1.The Mahila bank aims to service women and women-run businesses, support women’s self-help groups and their livelihoods and promote further financial inclusion.

2.An only-for-women bank first time in India.

3.Bhartiya Mahila Bank will be a universal bank and will provide every banking service and facility that is provided by comparable Public and Private sector banks. It will establish branches all over the country and, in due course, some branches in abroad.

4.The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for setting up of all-women bank on August 2013.

5.The Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June 2013 and the banking company was set up.

6.The Union government approved 1000 crore Rupees seed capital for the women-focused public sector bank, announced by Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in his 2013-14 budget speech.