12.03.2007

• Bharti, Vodafone pool resources for network
• The present regulations do not allow Indian telecom companies to share active infrastructure. But they allow passive infrastructure to be shared.
• Active infrastructure includes: optic and feeder fibre cables, radio links, network elements, backhaul, antenna and transmission equipment.
• Passive infrastructure includes: towers, repeaters, shelters and generators.
• TRAI is likely to come up with its recommendations allowing sharing of active infrastructure among players. Such sharing enables telecom companies to share over 50% in both capex and opex spendings.
• Deepak Parekh committee’s interim recommendations
• This committee on infrastructure financing has recommended in its interim report:
• Exemption from withholding tax for FIIs investing in existing debt schemes.
• Allowing infrastructure holding companies to raise FDI under the automatic route; and
• Permitting refinancing of rupee loans through the ECB (External Commercial Borrowings) route.
• Coir Board
• Chairman is AC Jose
• It is holding the India International Coir Fair at Alappuzha from October 19 to 21.
• India Japan to sign CEPA
• Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
• Expected to be signed in a year, it will enhance regional and trade integration.
• IIDCA
• India International Development Cooperation Agency
• The government keeps aside about $1 bn ($100 crores) every year as development assistance to other countries.
• This usually goes to South Africa and neighboring countries such as Bangladesh and Bhutan.
• More than 85% of this is ‘tied aid’; meaning that a significant amount of equipment for the projects has to be imported from India, so that the aid given benefits Indian exporters.
• Cricket World Cup
• The official anthem for this IX World Cup is a song on “The game of love & unity” by a Barbados singer called Rupee.
• Columbus Day
• The day to mark the discovery of America by Columbus is celebrated on October 14^th.
• WTO and NGO participation
• NGOs started participating in the WTO deliberations from 1996 conference in Singapore.
• In 1996, the ICTSD International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development was established in Geneva. It was a joint initiative of Northern and Southern NGOs. Its main mandate was to inform the larger civil society on what was happening at Geneva with regard to the WTO.
• Signs of macroeconomic overheating
• Accelerating inflation
• Widening trade deficit
• Euphoric rise in property prices
• Stretched banking sector balance sheet
• A government’s supply side response to taming inflation includes
• Investments in infrastructure
• Implementing labour reforms
• Improving the management of government finances; and
• Strengthening the administrative framework.
• Global warming and Al Gore’s contribution to containing it
• The former Vice President of US has come out with a film titled “An Inconvenient Truth” to help increase awareness about the necessity to fight global warming.
• T. Muktha passes away
• One of the well-known Carnatic vocal duo Brinda-Muktha, passed away at her Chennai residence.
• Brinda passed away in 1996.
• Anand wins Morelia-Linares Super Grandmaster chess title
• After drawing in the final with Ukraine’s Vassily Ivanchuk, he emerged with 8.5 points as the top most scorer and won the title.
• World Number 1 in chess rankings is Veselin Topalov.
• Asian cross country championships
• Monika Raut won India’s first ever individual gold medal in this championship by claiming the junior 6 km title in the IX edition of this biennial meet in Amman, Jordan.