7-8 june 2015
8 june
Stanislas Wawrinka won Men's single title of French Open
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland on 7 June 2015 won his first French Open title of Tennis. In the final clash played at Roland Garros in Paris, Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
The victory makes him only the second Swiss to win at Roland Garros after Roger Federer, the man he beat in the quarter-finals. This was second grand slam title for Wawrinka after Australian Open 2014. He also brought an end to Djokovic's 28-match winning streak.
Besides, Serena Williams of US on 6 June 2015 defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia 6-3 6-7 (2) 6-2 to win the women's title of French Open. This was her third French Open title and 20th Grand Slam title.
Rahul Dravid named coach of India ‘A’, U-19 cricket teams
Former Captain of Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid on 6 June 2015 was named as coach of India ‘A’ and Under-19 cricket teams. Rahul Dravid’s name for coaching India’s junior team was confirmed by BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur in his press conference in Kolkata.
The decision to appoint Dravid as coach was taken at the first meeting of BCCI’s Advisory Committee in Kolkata. The advisory committee includes Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman as its member.
The 42-year-old Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests (13288 runs) and 344 ODIs (10889 runs), is presently working with the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals as mentor.
Hailed as The Wall, Dravid is the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis, and is only the second Indian cricketer, after Tendulkar to score 10000 runs both in Tests and in ODIs.
As a coach, Dravids first assignment would be to prepare the U-19 team for 2016 Under-19 World Cup to be held in Bangladesh.
India and Bangladesh signed 22 bilateral documents
India and Bangladesh on 6 June 2015 inked signed, exchanged, adopted and handed 22 bilateral documents in Dhaka.
These documents were inked during the two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh from 6 June to 7 June 2015.
The documents include
• Exchange of Instruments of Ratification of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol
• Exchange of letters on Modalities for implementation of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol
• Renewal of Bilateral Trade Agreement
• Agreement on Coastal Shipping between Bangladesh and India
• Renewal of Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade
• Bilateral Cooperation Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Standardization was inked between Bangladesh Standards & Testing Institution (BSTI) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• Agreement on Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati Bus Service and its Protocol
• Agreement on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala Bus Service and its Protocol
• Memorandum of Understanding between Coast Guards
• Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Human Trafficking
• Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Smuggling and Circulation Fake Currency Notes
• Memorandum of Understanding between Bangladesh and India and for Extending a New Line of Credit (LoC) of 2 billion US dollars by Government of India to Government of Bangladesh
• Memorandum of Understanding on Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean
• Memorandum of Understanding on Use of Chittagong and Mongla Ports
• Memorandum of Understanding for a Project under IECC (India Endowment for Climate Change) of SAARC
• Memorandum of Understanding on Indian Economic Zone
• Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 2015-17
• Statement of Intent on Bangladesh-India Education Cooperation (adoption)
• Agreement between Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for leasing of international bandwidth for internet at Akhaura
• Memorandum of Understanding between University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India for Joint Research on Oceanography of the Bay of Bengal
• Memorandum of Understanding between University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh and University of Jamia Milia Islamia, India
• Handing over of Consent Letter by Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), Bangladesh to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), India to start operations in Bangladesh
Besides, during this visit of Prime Minister Modi to Bangladesh, its government conferred Award of Liberation Wa Honour on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Vajpayee was awarded for his outstanding support for the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971 when he was a Lok Sabha member.
Anshu Jain, Juergen Fitschen resigned as Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank
Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen on 7 June 2015 resigned as Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Germany’s biggest bank Deutsche Bank following criticism from investors.
John Cryan was named as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Deutsche Bank. He will take the responsibilities of the bank from 30 June 2015. He will be sole CEO.
He is the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at UBS Group AG. He is also a member of Deutsche Bank’s supervisory board.
He and Fitschen have replaced Josef Ackermann in 2012. The bank was fined 2.5 billion US dollar in April 2015 by regulators in the US and the UK for manipulating interest-rate benchmarks LIBOR.
Anshuman Jain is an Indian business executive. He took over as Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank to succeed Management Board Chairman Josef Ackermann. He belongs to Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
India, Bangladesh signed Land Boundary Agreement of 1974
India and Bangladesh on 6 June 2015 signed the historical 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) which would settle the 4096-kilometre-long border (India’s longest border with neighbour country) dispute between the two countries.
According to the agreement, Bangladesh took over 111 enclaves (17160 acres of land) from India’s possession and India received 51 enclaves (7110 acres of land) from Bangladesh. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that each country has within the borders of the other nation. The enclaves in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya come under the bill’s ambit.
The protocol and instruments of ratification to make the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) operational was signed by the foreign secretaries of the two nations in presence of Narendra Modi, the visiting Prime Minister and his Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Effects of the Land Boundary Agreement
• It will allow over 50000 stateless people living in these enclaves to gain a national identity after four decades of stateless limbo, as now they will be allowed to live in India or Bangladesh with the option of being granted citizenship in the newly designated territories
• The enclaves would cease to exist
• It will help India to fence its borders with Bangladesh
• It will change the physical map of India and Bangladesh
Comment
This LBA between India and Bangladesh may be helpful in improving India’s border disputes with neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China.
It may also help in solving the dispute of water sharing from Teesta and Feni Rivers which flow through both nations, which was not resolved during this visit of Modi to Bangladesh.
Background
Earlier on 28 May 2015, the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) Bill, 2013 between India and Bangladesh received the assent of President Pranab Mukherjee. The bill also known as the 119th Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was passed by both houses of Parliament in May 2015.
After President’s assent the bill entered in to the statue book as Constitution 100th Amendment Act 2015.
The first pillar of this bill was put by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 6 September 2011, the year when the two countries inked a historic protocol on land boundary agreement following the talks between Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to Bangladesh from 6 June to 7 June 2015.
During his first-ever visit to Bangladesh since becoming the Prime Minister, Modi was received at the Shahjalal International airport by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He also received a 21-gun salute and a joint services guard of Honour in a red carpet reception.
Events that happened during the visit include
• The two nations signed, exchanged, adopted and handed 22 bilateral documents in Dhaka, including historical 1974 Land Boundary Agreement which would settle the 4096-kilometre-long border dispute
• Modi along with her Bangladeshi Counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off the Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati and Kolkata-Dhaka-Tripura bus services
• Modi received the Award of Liberation of War Honour on behalf of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who emphasized on strong ties with the neighboring country.
• The Prime Minister Modi paid homage to martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan at the National Martyrs War Memorial in Savar, about 20 kms from Dhaka, where he planted a sapling.
• He visited the Father of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Memorial Museum in Dhanmudi, the site of the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family in 1975
• He offered floral tributes at the Memorial Museum on behalf of people of India
• He visited famous Dhakeshwari Kali temple in Lalbagh, Dhaka. The Dhakeshwari temple was built in the 12th century by Ballal Sen, a King of Sena dynasty. Dhakeshwari means Goddess of Dhaka and it was given the status of national temple in 1996.
• He also visited the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM)
Flood of fire written by Amitav Ghosh
Flood of fire: Amitav Ghosh
Booker Prize awardee Amitav Ghosh on 7 June 2015 released his new novel Flood of fire. With the novel, he has concluded the Ibis trilogy, his fictional recreation of the events leading up to the first opium war of 1839-42.
The Ibis trilogy is a work of historical fiction by Amitav Ghosh. It comprises Sea of Poppies (2008), River of Smoke (2011), and Flood of Fire (2015). The story is set in the first half of the 19th century. It deals with the trade of opium between India and China run by the East India Company and the trafficking of coolies to Mauritius.
It is 1839 and China has embargoed the trade of opium, yet too much is at stake in the lucrative business and the British Foreign Secretary has ordered the colonial government in India to assemble an expeditionary force for an attack to reinstate the trade. Among those consigned is Kesri Singh, a soldier in the army of the East India Company. He makes his way eastward on the Hind, a transport ship that will carry him from Bengal to Hong Kong.
With all the verve of the first two novels in the trilogy, Flood of Fire completes Ghosh's unprecedented reenvisioning of the nineteenth-century war on drugs. With remarkable historic vision and a vibrant cast of characters, Ghosh brings the Opium Wars to bear on the contemporary moment with the storytelling that has charmed readers around the world.
Eleven Indo-Canadians honoured with ICCC Annual Awards 2015
Eleven Indo-Canadians on 6 June 2015 were honoured with ICCC Annual Awards 2015 for strengthening bilateral ties and their business achievements besides contributions to the economy. Each award carried a trophy and citation.
The award was presented by Toronto Mayor John Tory and President of the Indo-Canada Chambers of Commerce (ICCC) DP Jain at the annual gala award ceremony held at Toronto.
The list of awardees includes Avinash Mehra, Nisha Agnihotri, Prashant Pathak, Neeru Gupta, Manjul Bhargava, Hargurdeep Singh, Avish Sood, Rajiv Manucha, Asim Ghosh, Jag Parmar and Venkatesh Mannar.
They were congratulated for strengthening the ties between the two countries by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor General David Johnston, Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne and India's High Commissioner to Canada Vishnu Prakash.
Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham received the President's Award 2015 for his outstanding contributions in promoting bilateral trade and investment between India and Canada.
ICCC was founded in 1977. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation dedicated to promote bilateral, social, cultural and economic ties between the two countries.