10 FEBRUARY 2014

Ø  To overturn the ban imposed on it, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) amended its constitution and conducted elections to key posts at its annual general meeting here on Sunday. The amended constitution brings clarity on barring ‘charge-framed’ officials from being its members. Squash Rackets Federation of India president N. Ramachandran was elected president and Kho Kho Federation of India president Rajeev Mehta secretary-general of the IOA. Anil Khanna, All India Tennis Association president, was elected treasurer.  The International Olympic Committee’s Robin Mitchell and two other representatives were election observers. The IOC will study their report and decide on lifting the ban imposed in December 2012. The IOC team, due to fly directly to Russia, will discuss the report at the ongoing Winter Olympics in Sochi. The team suggested that India could get back into the Olympic fold soon.

Ø  Reconciling differences over power-sharing, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML on Sunday signed a seven-point agreement, paving the way for Sushil Koirala to become Nepal’s Prime Minister.

Ø  The ninth and the largest edition of the Milan series of naval engagements, which saw the participation of 16 foreign navies, drew to a close here on Sunday with the Commander-in-Chief of the joint services Andaman and Nicobar Command, Air Marshal P.K. Roy, taking the salute from aboard the naval offshore patrol vessel, INS Saryu . Fourteen ships, including nine foreign naval vessels, steamed past in a passage exercise.  Indian naval sources said the work-up would be followed by a coordinated patrol of the international maritime boundary line near the Coco Islands by Indian and Myanmar naval ships. In all, six ships of the Indian Navy took part in PASSEX.