1. Quizmaster Neil O’Brien dies at 82
Neil O’Brien, a leader of the Anglo-Indian community who is credited with pioneering quizzing in the country, passed away in Kolkata.
The 82-year-old Brien was a former Lok Sabha MP and three-time nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in West Bengal Assembly.
Neil O’Brien was the chairman of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and managing director of Oxford University Press in India.
2. AIIB approves first loans for projects in four countries
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Tajikistan will get the first set of loans totalling US 509 million from China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in which India is a founding member.
The Beijing-based AIIB will disburse US 509 million to finance four projects in the four countries.
The four projects were approved in Board of Directors meeting.
India is the second largest shareholder in the bank after China.
AIIB was officially established late last year with authorised capital of US 100 billion. China is the largest shareholder with 26.6 per cent voting shares. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia with 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.
It includes a US 100 million loan to finance the Shorkot-Khanewal Section of National Motorway M-4 in Pakistan, co-financed with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID).
A US 27.5 million loan for the Dushanbe-Uzbekistan Border Road Improvement Project in Tajikistan, co-financed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was also included in the projects.
3. ADB approves$500m loan for Ganga bridge
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to build a bridge across the Ganga in Bihar.
"The 9.8km road bridge in Bihar will be India's longest river bridge and will provide vital transport link between the northern and southern parts of the state and neighbouring Nepal," ADB said in a statement.
The new bridge will make it easier for people to move between jobs and markets, particularly for poor communities in the north wishing to travel to the state capital Patna, to the south of the river, it added.
According to the statement, the new bridge will span both channels of the Ganga and serve as an alternate route to the existing Ganga bridge, which has begun to deteriorate.
"Along with ADB's loan and $900,000 in technical assistance to improve bridge operation and management, the Bihar government will provide support equivalent to $215 million," the statement said. The project is expected to be completed by December, 2020, it added.
3. India, Switzerland join hands on skill development
India and Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish formal cooperation in the fields of skills development and vocational and professional education and training.
4. Chinese, Russian central banks sign MOU
The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its Russian counterpart.
The two sides promised to strengthen cooperation in information exchanges and personnel training as well as against money laundering.
Under the MOU, Russia's central bank will establish its first overseas representative office in China. It will be the eighth one set up in China by foreign central banks.
The office will help with bilateral economic and financial collaboration between Russia and China, the PBOC said.
6. Jitu Rai wins silver in ISSF World Cup
'Pistol King' Jitu Rai defeated three-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin of Korea to clinch the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
Rai shot 199.5 in the finals to bag the silver medal in men's 10m air pistol.
Brazilian Felipe Almeida Wu won the gold medal with a total of 200.0, while Jongoh, who topped the qualification, totalled 178.8 in the elimination round to be content with the bronze.
Rai qualified sixth after he shot 580 with 22xs. The eventual gold medal winner qualified in seventh position.
It was Rai's sixth World Cup medal and second this year after winning one in Bangkok.
7. India signs MOO kick-starting the process of its accession to SCO
India signed Memorandum of Obligations (MOO), kick starting the process of its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a powerful security grouping increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO.
The document was signed by Secretary (East) Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta at the SCO summit which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India will have to sign around 30 other documents in the course of the year to complete the process for membership. Pakistan is also being inducted into SCO as a full member.
SCO's membership is expected to help India have a greater say in issues relating to security and defence besides combating terrorism.
India, one of the largest energy consuming countries in the world, is expected to get greater access to major gas and oil exploration projects in Central Asia once it becomes a member of the SCO. Many of the SCO countries have huge reserves of oil and natural gas.
The SCO had set the ball rolling to make India a member of the bloc during its summit in Ufa in July last year when administrative hurdles were cleared to grant membership to India, Pakistan and Iran.
SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan were admitted as observers at the 2005 Astana Summit.
Neil O’Brien, a leader of the Anglo-Indian community who is credited with pioneering quizzing in the country, passed away in Kolkata.
The 82-year-old Brien was a former Lok Sabha MP and three-time nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in West Bengal Assembly.
Neil O’Brien was the chairman of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and managing director of Oxford University Press in India.
2. AIIB approves first loans for projects in four countries
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Tajikistan will get the first set of loans totalling US 509 million from China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in which India is a founding member.
The Beijing-based AIIB will disburse US 509 million to finance four projects in the four countries.
The four projects were approved in Board of Directors meeting.
India is the second largest shareholder in the bank after China.
AIIB was officially established late last year with authorised capital of US 100 billion. China is the largest shareholder with 26.6 per cent voting shares. India is the second largest shareholder with 7.5 per cent followed by Russia with 5.93 per cent and Germany with 4.5 per cent.
It includes a US 100 million loan to finance the Shorkot-Khanewal Section of National Motorway M-4 in Pakistan, co-financed with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID).
A US 27.5 million loan for the Dushanbe-Uzbekistan Border Road Improvement Project in Tajikistan, co-financed with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was also included in the projects.
3. ADB approves$500m loan for Ganga bridge
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to build a bridge across the Ganga in Bihar.
"The 9.8km road bridge in Bihar will be India's longest river bridge and will provide vital transport link between the northern and southern parts of the state and neighbouring Nepal," ADB said in a statement.
The new bridge will make it easier for people to move between jobs and markets, particularly for poor communities in the north wishing to travel to the state capital Patna, to the south of the river, it added.
According to the statement, the new bridge will span both channels of the Ganga and serve as an alternate route to the existing Ganga bridge, which has begun to deteriorate.
"Along with ADB's loan and $900,000 in technical assistance to improve bridge operation and management, the Bihar government will provide support equivalent to $215 million," the statement said. The project is expected to be completed by December, 2020, it added.
3. India, Switzerland join hands on skill development
India and Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish formal cooperation in the fields of skills development and vocational and professional education and training.
4. Chinese, Russian central banks sign MOU
The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its Russian counterpart.
The two sides promised to strengthen cooperation in information exchanges and personnel training as well as against money laundering.
Under the MOU, Russia's central bank will establish its first overseas representative office in China. It will be the eighth one set up in China by foreign central banks.
The office will help with bilateral economic and financial collaboration between Russia and China, the PBOC said.
6. Jitu Rai wins silver in ISSF World Cup
'Pistol King' Jitu Rai defeated three-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin of Korea to clinch the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.
Rai shot 199.5 in the finals to bag the silver medal in men's 10m air pistol.
Brazilian Felipe Almeida Wu won the gold medal with a total of 200.0, while Jongoh, who topped the qualification, totalled 178.8 in the elimination round to be content with the bronze.
Rai qualified sixth after he shot 580 with 22xs. The eventual gold medal winner qualified in seventh position.
It was Rai's sixth World Cup medal and second this year after winning one in Bangkok.
7. India signs MOO kick-starting the process of its accession to SCO
India signed Memorandum of Obligations (MOO), kick starting the process of its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a powerful security grouping increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO.
The document was signed by Secretary (East) Ministry of External Affairs Sujata Mehta at the SCO summit which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India will have to sign around 30 other documents in the course of the year to complete the process for membership. Pakistan is also being inducted into SCO as a full member.
SCO's membership is expected to help India have a greater say in issues relating to security and defence besides combating terrorism.
India, one of the largest energy consuming countries in the world, is expected to get greater access to major gas and oil exploration projects in Central Asia once it becomes a member of the SCO. Many of the SCO countries have huge reserves of oil and natural gas.
The SCO had set the ball rolling to make India a member of the bloc during its summit in Ufa in July last year when administrative hurdles were cleared to grant membership to India, Pakistan and Iran.
SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan were admitted as observers at the 2005 Astana Summit.
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