4th SEPTEMBER 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday appointed former Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam Governor of Kerala. He will be sworn in on Friday.

                            

Bangladesh has agreed to hand over United Liberation Front of Asom leader Anup Chetia to India, which will send back Nur Hossain, prime accused in a case of seven murders in Narayanganj.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is expected to make the much-awaited announcement on capital in the Assembly on Thursday as also the plans of the government to develop each district in the State. The State government has already announced that Vijayawada and its surrounding areas would form the capital region.

Superintendent of Police D. Prakash has said that to avoid communal tension in Bijapur district, the ban on a controversial song, “Banayenge Mandir”, would continue even during the on-going Ganesh idol processions and immersion. Mr. Prakash made it clear that criminal cases would be booked against those who violate this order. — Staff Correspondent

President Pranab Mukherjee has cleared the appointment of Justice H.L. Dattu, the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, as the 42nd Chief Justice of India. Justice Dattu could become the last Chief Justice of India to be appointed under the collegium system of judicial appointments. Justice Dattu will become the Chief Justice of India after the retirement of CJI R.M. Lodha on September 27, 2014. He will hold the post for a little over a year until his retirement on December 2, 2015.

The Department of Personnel and Training has notified amendments giving autonomy to the Lokpal Search Committee to shortlist and recommend names independently for selection of Chairman and members of the anti-corruption body. The former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas, who resigned as Chairman of the committee citing lack of freedom, said  the amendments were a “progressive departure” and a “step in the right direction” from the earlier version

Union Minister for Rural Development Nitin Gadkari has “ordered sweeping changes” in the MGNREGA(Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), mandating that 50 per cent of all the works that are taken up at the district-level under the scheme should only be for water conservation other changes  include focussing the Centre’s efforts only on the 2,500 backward districts identified by the Planning Commission,  also instructed the officials to reverse a 2011 decision of the UPA government which allowed States to seek funds from the MGNREGA allocations for constructing Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) under the guidelines of the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

Call it coincidence or design, Krishna river is set to gain back some of its some historical significance. Andhras built Amaravati on its banks as capital city way back in 3rd Century BC and now with the report on Sivaramakrishnan Committee on capital being out, the government has sent enough feelers that the Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri (VGTM) region will be a suitable location for capital. However, historians opine that selection of VGTM for capital is more of the political convenience than a historical significance. “Historically Andhras or Telugu people had many capitals under several dynasties. The region near Amaravati is just a political decision and no historical perspective to it.

Mumbai’s Esplanade House, once the residence of Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata empire, and the Shri Sakhargad Nivasini Devi Temple Complex in Satara are among the 14 projects from 10 countries that bagged the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards that were announced in Bangkok on Tuesday. The awards recognise efforts of private individuals and organisations in restoring and conserving heritage structures and buildings.

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has rejected donations by Reddit users.  (Reddit, stylized as reddit, is an entertainment, social networking service and news website where registered community members can submit content, such as text posts or direct links)

Tata Consultancy Services has reappointed N Chandrasekaran as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for a five year term. The appointment is effective from October 6, 2014. Chandrasekaran was earlier appointed as CEO and MD for a period of five years from October 06, 2009 to October 05, 2014, the company said in a BSE filing.

India and Bangladesh have reached a decision on ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and ensure zero border killings. The agreement signed in 1972 was not ratified by India under various domestic compulsions. Bangladesh ratified it in 1974.

China will set up two industrial parks in India, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra, and the two countries are expected to sign agreements for this soon. Chinese Consul-General in Mumbai, Liu Youfa, told presspersons here on Tuesday that a park would come up near Pune on about 5 sq. km and another near Ahmedabad on about 10 sq. km. The park in Maharashtra will be focussed on automobile sector and that in Gujarat on the power sector. The Pune park will be completed in about 12 years in three stages and is likely to see total investment of $5 billion. The first phase will be completed in three years.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe named five woman Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday. One of those who won a ministerial portfolio was Yuko Obuchi (40, in picture) the daughter of former Premier Keizo Obuchi. She became the first woman to assume the powerful post of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on both Ukrainian rebels and government forces to cease fire and agree to the broad terms of a truce ending their four-month war. Mr. Putin’s first direct appeal on the insurgents to lay down their weapons came hours after the beleaguered Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, said he and Mr. Putin had agreed on a ceasefire deal.