14 December 2014
National:
Dineshwar Sharma
appointed new Intelligence Bureau chief
Dineshwar Sharma,
special director in the Intelligence Bureau, was appointed as the agency's new
chief and will take charge on January 1 succeeding Syed Asif Ibrahim. A
1979 batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre, Sharma, who has been working with the
agency for the past 23 years, will have a two-year tenure. Sharma has served at
various desks in IB since he was posted in the organization in 1991 which
includes Kashmir, northeast besides stints in Lucknow. Ibrahim, a 1977-batch
Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer, had taken charge as IB director on January 1,
2013. His tenure is up to December 31. Ibrahim, the first Muslim to hold the
top post in IB, had taken over from Nehchal Sandhu.
International:
India,
China support trilateral dialogue with US
India and China have
supported the idea of a trilateral dialogue involving them and the US to deal
with major global challenges and ensure better mutual ties. The conference on
"Shaping the 21st Century: India, the US and China" was organized by
Bengaluru-based media group Deccan Herald. The combined contribution of India,
US and China to the global GDP is between 40 and 45 per cent and their
population is estimated at 40 per cent of the world. Currently, China accounts
for about 29 per cent of green house gas emissions while it is 16 per cent by
the US and 6 per cent by India.
Mugabe’s ‘heir’ sworn in
as VP
Zimbabwe’s Justice
Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time ally of President Robert Mugabe, was
sworn in as Vice-President, putting him firmly in line to succeed the veteran
ruler. Mr. Mugabe named Mr. Mnangagwa as his deputy this week replacing former
vice-president and presidential hopeful Joice Mujuru who was accused of
plotting against the 90-year-old ruler. Mr. Mujuru was the target of a sustained
campaign of attacks by Mr. Mugabe’s wife Grace, who accused Mr. Mujuru of
corruption and incompetence.
Business & Economy:
US Senate passes 1.1
trillion dollar spending Bill
The U.S. Senate has
passed a 1.1 trillion dollar spending Bill which narrowly cleared the House of
Representatives and survived a series of procedural hurdles to pass the Senate
56 votes to 40. It averts a federal government shutdown and funds the government
through the fiscal year in September 2015. The Bill will now be sent to the
White House where President Barack Obama has said he will sign it into law. Mr.
Obama has said the Bill includes provisions he does not like, but that there
are other parts that ensure progress would continue on health insurance,
climate change, early childhood education and job growth.
Ruble hits another
record low as investors continued to sell Ruble amid dropping crude oil prices
The Russian currency hit
another record low as investors continued to sell the Ruble amid dropping crude
oil prices. The exchange rate declined to 58 Rubles to the dollar, down more
than two Rubles from the previous day. The Ruble also fell by nearly three
Rubles to the 72 Ruble level against the Euro. The central bank has decided to
raise the interest rate from 9.5 percent to 10.5 percent to try to stem the
continuing fall of the Ruble. But this has not stopped investors from selling
the currency. Consumer prices are rising as imported goods are becoming more
expensive due to the falling currency and international sanctions imposed
following the Ukrainian crisis. Russians are facing inflation higher than nine
percent.
Sports:
De Gea stars in United's
sixth successive win
The difference in fortunes since Liverpool won 3-0
away to Manchester United in March was illustrated when Louis Van Gaal's team
reversed that scoreline. Nine months ago the Merseysiders were challenging
strongly for the Premier League title and United, having their worst season for
many years, would shortly sack manager David Moyes. After a slow start to the
campaign United appear to have been revitalised by Van Gaal and goals from
Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie sealed a sixth consecutive league
win to keep them in third place. Liverpool are languishing in mid-table,
dropping to 10th after Tottenham Hotspur climbed above them with a 2-1 victory
at Swansea City in the day's other fixture.
FIH suspends 2 Pak
players from playing in Champions Trophy final
The International Hockey
Federation, FIH has suspended two Pakistani players Amjad Ali and Mohammad
Tousiq from playing in the Champions Trophy final. The action came after the
two players were found guilty of making obscene gestures towards spectators following
their semi-final win against India in Bhubaneswar. According to the release
issued by International Hockey Federation, a third Pakistani player Shafaqt
Rasool, got away with official reprimand. All the three players have accepted
their guilt.
