December 18 observed
as International Migrants Day
Taking
into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, the day
was appointed by the General Assembly of United Nations on December 4, 2000.
Justice (Retd) Virendra
Singh appointed as new Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh
The
Supreme Court of India (SCI) has appointed Justice (Retd) Virendra Singh as new
Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh, after recording the repeated failure of the state
government to comply with the court’s directives.
Reva Khetrapal takes
oath as Delhi’s Lokayukta
Former
Delhi high court judge justice Reva Khetrapal took oath as the new Lokayukta of
Delhi. Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung administered the oath at a function where Delhi
chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was also present. Khetarpal will serve a
five-year term.
RK Mathur appointed as
Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)
Former
Defence Secretary RK Mathur has been appointed as Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head
from among the serving Information Commissioners. The vacancy arose when former CIC Vijai
Sharma demitted office on December 1. The above appointment has been made for a
term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he
attains the age of sixty five years, whichever is earlier.
Lok Sabha passes
Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015
The
Lok Sabha passed the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by
voice vote for speedy disposal of arbitration cases. The bill seeks to amend
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 to make of commercial disputes more
user-friendly and cost effective.
DAC gives nod to
purchase of Russian S-400 Air Defence Missile Systems
Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the purchase of Russian advance S-400
Trium Air Defence Missile Systems at an estimated cost of 40,000 crore rupees.
Decision in this regard was taken by DAC meeting chaired by Union Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi.
French President
Francois Hollande will be chief guest at 67th Republic Day Parade
President
of France Francois Hollande will be the Chief Guest at the 67th Republic Day
parade of January 26, 2016. It was announced by Union Ministry External Affairs
(MEA) after the French President accepted the invitation to witness Republic
Day celebration as chief guest.
American University
announces APJ Abdul Kalam Fellowship for Indian students
The
University Of South Florida (USF) has announced a postgraduate fellowship in
the name of former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam to support accomplished and
talented Indian students looking to study abroad.
WTO approved
Afghanistan’s membership terms to join as 163rd member
World
Trade Organisation (WTO) unanimously approved Afghanistan’s WTO membership at
the WTO’s Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
With this, Afghanistan will become the 163rd WTO member and the ninth
least-developed country to become a WTO member since the organization was
established in 1995.
Veteran Communist
leader Noorul Huda passed away
Veteran
CPI (M) leader Noorul Huda has passed away due to heart attack at the age of
86. Huda – a Muslim Meitei Manipuri was member of the Central Committee [CC] of
the CPI (M) for nearly three decades.