ENGLISH NEWS - 9/10.12.16

GA UPDATE - 10.12.2016

1. India, Vietnam sign N-pact, three other agreements

In a significant development, India and influential East Asian nation Vietnam signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that it will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The two countries also signed three other agreements -- to enhance aviation links, to jointly work in the area of energy efficiency and promotion of parliamentary cooperation.

The four pacts, aimed at boosting the relations, were signed here in presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and visiting President of Vietnam's National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan after their talks on enhancing the ties.

2. Virat Kohli retains second spot in ICC ODI batsmen rankings

India's Virat Kohli retained his second spot in the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen but Australian opener David Warner was breathing down his neck with just two points behind in the chart issued.

Warner cut Kohli's earlier 62 point lead to just two following a stellar performance in the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand, which concluded in Melbourne on Friday with Australia winning 3-0.

Warner finished as the leading run-getter with 299 runs in three matches to consolidate his number three ranking. South Africa's AB de Villiers is still the number one ranked batsman with 13 points ahead of Kohli.

The fight for the No.1 ranking will resume next month when Kohli is expected to feature in the three-match series against England (January 15-23), Warner will take the field against Pakistan in the five-match series (January 13-26) and de Villiers is set to lead South Africa in the five-ODI series against Sri Lanka (January 28 to February 10).

Meanwhile, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill and Australia's trio of Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazelwood have all achieved career-high rankings.

Guptill has been rewarded for his 193 runs in the series with a rise of two places, which has put him in sixth position, Smith has jumped six places to 10th following series contribution of 236 runs, Marsh has gained three places to rise to 22nd position, while Hazlewood has vaulted 12 places to join Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi in 11th position following six wickets in the series.

GA UPDATE - 9.12.2016

1. Tenzin Dorjee appointed as Commissioner of USCIRF 

Tenzin Dorjee, a well-known Tibetan writer, has been appointed as Commissioner to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal body that monitors religious freedom internationally. 

The appointment of Dorjee to the USCIRF was made on recommendation of the House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, who is well known for her support to Tibetan cause. 

Dorjee is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Communication Studies, California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). 

His primary teaching and research interests include intergroup, intercultural, intergenerational communication, identity issues, peace building, and conflict resolution. 

Dorjee has also authored and co-authored peer-reviewed articles and chapters on Tibetan culture, identity and communication, non-violence and middle way approaches to Sino-Tibetan conflict. 

Earlier in 2013, he volunteered for over two months at the office of Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, and has been part of various educational programmes in the country. 

A former Member-At-Large in the Executive Council of the Western States Communication Association (WSCA), he was also the President of the Tibetan Association of Southern California. 

2. Former senator, astronaut John Glenn dies at 95 

Former US Senator and astronaut John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit the earth, has died in Ohio. He was 95. 

Glenn, who circled the earth three times, was the the third US astronaut in space. He was the first to get into orbit. 

Known for his small-town decency and calm heroics, Glenn was the last survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts 

He later served for nine years as a Democratic senator from Ohio. 

On February 20, 1962, when Glenn rocketed into space, it was momentous and nerve-racking. Space travel was in its infancy. Every launch and mission captivated the imagination of America 

He made history a second time in 1998, when he returned to space decades later at the age of 77 only to become the oldest person sent into space. 

Glenn was a highly-decorated Marine who flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific during World War II. During the Korean War, he flew 90 combat missions, using different models of new jet fighters. 

In 1974, he was elected to represent Ohio in the US Senate. Two years later, Glenn's name was among those running mate for Democratic presidential nominee Jimmy Carter, but Carter ended up picking Sen Walter Mondale of Minnesota. 

He also campaigned in the Democratic primary for the 1984 presidential election, but ended up losing to Mondale. 

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honour, in 2012, by President Barack Obama. 

3. Nepal Telecom, China Telecom Global sign internet service deal 

Aiming to reduce Nepal’s dependence on India for its internet connectivity, a leading Chinese company and Nepal's state-owned Nepal Telecom have signed an agreement on providing cross-border internet protocol service between the two countries. 

The agreement signed in Hong Kong between China Telecom Global and Nepal Telecom (NT) comes after the two countries were connected with optical fibre through the Geelong (Keyrong) -Rasuwagadhi border point in June, ending Nepal’s sole dependence on India for connecting it with global telecom and internet services. 

Geelong Port (Kerung) of China will be used as the route for providing the internet service, Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting a statement from Nepal Telecom. 

4. Vistaar appoints ex-Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-exec Chairman 

Vistaar Financial Services, an MSME-focused financing firm, has appointed former Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-executive Chairman and Independent Director. 

Bhave was the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for a period of three years during 2008-11, prior to which he was the Chairman and Managing Director of National Securities Depositories Ltd (NSDL). 

Vistaar Finance has a loan portfolio size of Rs 1,000 crore and currently has 198 branches primarily in rural and semi-urban areas spread across 135 districts and 12 states.