Kerry-Swaraj joint Press address

- There is growing global partnership to the relationship, says Sushma Swaraj.

-India and US are indispensable partners in 21st century. There are incredible possibilities in our relationship: John Kerry.

-In weeks to come, we will take series of steps to pave the way for PM Narendra Modi's visit to US in September: John Kerry.

- We raised the issue of snooping and conveyed that such spying was not acceptable, says Sushma Swaraj.

- We are encouraging India to reach a compromise formula on WTO deal, says John Kerry.

Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag takes over as new Army Chief

Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag took over as the head of the 1.3 million strong force succeeding Gen Bikram Singh.

Gen Suhag assumed charge after his predecessor handed over to him the Chief of Army Staff baton in his South Block office in New Delhi.

The new Chief takes over at a time when the force is facing challenges of modernsation in its artillery, infantry and air defence arms and is also preparing itself for facing a possible multi-front war.

Committee submits report on civil services exams

A committee formed to look into the possibilities of bringing changes in pattern of civil services examination among others submitted its report to the government on 31-07-2014

The three-member committee under the chairmanship of former Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Arvind Varma was formed in March this year to look into demands of students for changes in the pattern of civil services examination.

The report will be examined by the government before taking a final view, official sources said, adding a decision whether to postpone the August 24 civil services preliminary examination will be taken after perusing it. The students have been demanding that the pattern of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) be changed to give level-playing field to those coming from rural areas.

There are two compulsory papers of 200 marks each in the preliminary examination. These papers are also known as CSAT I and CSAT II.

The CSAT-II paper carries questions on comprehension, interpersonal skills including communication skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making and problem- solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension skills (of Class X level).

Students have been objecting to the level of aptitude and English language questions being asked in the examination claiming they are much above the standard prescribed for the examination.

The civil services examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in three stages--preliminary, main, and interview--to choose candidates for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

Source : ddinews.gov.in
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Abhinav Bindra bagged the 10m Air Rifle gold medal

India`s only individual Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra made the country once again proud as he bagged maiden singles gold medal in Men`s 10m Air Rifle event on Day 2 of Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The young schoolgirl Malaika Goel turning out to be surprise package winning silver in the 10m air pistol event.

Congress not eligible for Leader of Opposition post in LS

The Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has opined that it is not eligible and there is no precedent since the days of the first Lok Sabha to grant the post to a party which does not have the minimum required MPs.

Mr. Rohatgi has conveyed this to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who had sought his opinion in view of the dilemma she is facing over the issue.

India is the largest consumer of antibiotics in the world

India has emerged as the world's largest consumer of antibiotics followed by China and the US, according to a new study which quantifies the growing alarm surrounding antibiotic-resistance.

Global use of antibiotics is surging, according to Princeton University researchers who have conducted a broad assessment of antibiotic consumption around the world.

The study, "Global Trends in Antibiotic Consumption, 2000-2010," found that worldwide antibiotic use has risen a staggering 36 per cent over those 10 years, with five countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) - responsible for more than three-quarters of that surge.

Among the 16 groups of antibiotics studied, cephalosporins, broad-spectrum penicillins and fluoroquinolones accounted for more than half of that increase, with consumption rising 55 per cent from 2000 to 2010.

Ukraine's PM resigns

Ukraine's prime minister has resigned after his governing coalition collapsed, plunging the former Soviet state into political limbo as it struggles to quell a deadly rebellion in the east.

The shock announcement made yesterday added to an already chaotic situation in the rebel-controlled east, where international experts are carrying out a complex investigation into last week's downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that left 298 dead.

Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat wins by-poll

Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat wins by-poll from Dharchula assembly seat by a margin of over 19000 votes on Friday.

Rawat defeated BJP's BD Joshi in a direct fight between the Congress and BJP. Rawat polled over 30,000 votes.

Sukhen Dey and K Sanjita Chanu won gold medals in the 20th Commonwealth Games

Sukhen Dey and K Sanjita Chanu stole the limelight by clinching a gold each in weightlifting, as India launched their campaign in the 20th Commonwealth Games with a flourish, winning seven medals in all on the opening day of the competitions in Glasgow.

Judokas Navjot Chana and Shushila Likmabam had to be contend with a silver medal each after they failed to clear the final hurdle in the men's 60kg and women's 48kg events, respectively.

There was a bronze for for another judoka, Kalpana Thoudam.

In weightlifting, there was a silver medal for S Mirabai Chanu, while Ganaesh Mali bagged a bronze.

UPSC to go ahead with prelims exam

NEW DELHI: Even as the government is yet to decide on the grievances of civil services aspirants against the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), which they claim is loaded against students opting for Hindi medium, the UPSC has started issuing admit cards for the preliminary examination scheduled for August 24.

A link on the UPSC website, available from Thursday, directs students to download e-admit cards for the prelims exam.

According to sources in the government, though a committee headed by former secretary (personnel) Arvind Verma is looking into the grievances against CSAT pattern and was recently asked to submit its report at the earliest possible, there is a slim chance of any postponement of the prelims exam. This is because the prelims this year are already behind the normal schedule. In 2013, prelims exam were held on May 26.

Malasiyan Flight shot down

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17  en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, is shot down in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Next BRICS Summit to be held in Russia

The next year's BRICS Summit will be held in the Russian city of Ufa after the grouping's successful meeting in Brazil that saw an agreement being reached on establishing a development bank and a contingency reserve arrangement.

Prime Minister meets Russian President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured broadening of the strategic partnership with Russia in nuclear, defence and energy sectors and invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Kudankulam atomic power project during his trip in December for his annual summit.

The two leaders met for 40 minutes on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Fortaleza late on 15-07-2014 night after their Monday meeting was deferred because of Putin's engagements in capital Brasilia

BRICS summit to start a new development bank

The BRICS Summit on 15-07-2014 decided to establish the new development bank with an initial authorised capital of USD 100 billion for which the initial subscribed capital will be equally shared by the founding members, a point New Delhi emphasised to prevent by domination by anyone of the members.

A currency reserved pool mechanism has also been agreed upon.

 

Dilip Kumar's ancestral home in Pak declared national heritage

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar's ancestral home has been declared as a national heritage and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered authorities to acquire the dilapidated property, a move he hopes would bring Pakistan and India closer.

Rajya Sabha passes TRAI Bill

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, passed in Lok Sabha on 14-07-2014 (Monday), was approved in Rajya Sabha on 15-07-2014 (Tuesday) by voice vote.
 
Thus cleared a Bill to remove legal hurdles that were coming in the way of appointing former TRAI chief Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister amid strong opposition by Congress.

Moving the Bill in Upper House, Law and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was aimed at removing "a palpable anomaly" as existing law allows a former TRAI Chairman to take up private job two years after retirement but bars the person from taking up a government job ever in life.

Other regulatory bodies like Competition Commission, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority and SEBI do not have such provision, he said, adding the government decided to amend the law to bring parity among all regulatory bodies.

WTO panel faults US duties on Indian steel

World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel, said that Washington had "acted inconsistently" with regulations set down for the international body's 160 member economies.

India filed its complaint at the WTO in 2012, after Washington imposed duties of nearly 300 per cent on imports of products including steel pipes.

The United States applied the duties because it felt Indian steel manufacturers were benefitting from unfair subsidies.

WTO members are allowed to impose so-called countervailing duties -- a special import tax -- if they believe that their domestic manufacturers are being hurt by subsidies granted by a trade partner to its companies.

The WTO regulations require the importing country to first conduct a detailed investigation that shows properly that domestic industry is hurt.
 

President of India to present Gandhi peace prize 2013

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2013 to Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt tomorrow (July 15, 2013) at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This annual award is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. Previous recipients of the award include Dr. Julius K. Nyerere, former President of Tanzania; Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, Founder President of Sarvodaya Sharamadana Movement, Sri Lanka; Dr. Gerhard Fischer of Germany; Rama Krishna Mission; Baba Amte; Dr. Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh (jointly); Dr. John Hume, Ireland; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan; Mr. Vaclav Havel, former President of Czechoslovakia and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa. It carries a plaque, citation and an amount of Rs. one crore.

PM arrives in Fortaleza for the Sixth BRICS Summit

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, arrived in Fortaleza, Brazil this afternoon for the Sixth BRICS Summit. He was received by Ambassador, Shri Ashok Tomar, and the Chief BRICS Coordinator in the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Luis Lopes.

President appoints Governors

The President has been pleased to appoint the following as Governors:-

1. Shri Ram Naik as the Governor of Uttar Pradesh;

2. Shri Balramji Dass Tandon as the Governor of Chhattisgarh;

3. Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi as the Governor of West Bengal;

4. Shri Om Prakash Kohli as the Governor of Gujarat.

The above appointments will take effect from the dates the incumbents assume charge of their respective offices.