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.

VHP leader Giriraj Kishore passes away

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Giriraj Kishore, who was actively associated with the Ram temple agitation, died here this evening following prolonged illness. He was 94.

Germany won FIFA world Cup 2014

Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final to lift the FIFA world Cup 2014.

Mario Goetze scored a superb extra-time winner as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to become the first European team to win a World Cup held in South America on Sunday. 

Germany has now won four World Cups, putting the European powerhouses just one behind Brazil's record tally of five.

FIFA Awards

The adidas Golden Ball was awarded to Argentina captain Lionel Messi for his outstanding displays at Brazil 2014.

The adidas Golden Boot award goes to the top goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup who at Brazil 2014 was Colombia's James Rodriguez. 

The adidas Golden Glove goes to the tournament's most outstanding goalkeeper who at Brazil 2014 was deemed to be Germany's Manuel Neuer.

The Hyundai Young Player award was awarded to France's Paul Pogba for his excellent displays at Brazil 2014.

The FIFA Fair Play Award will go to the team with the tournament’s best disciplinary record.  Only teams that reach the knockout phase are eligible. Colombia won the trophy this time.