NEWS IN BRIEF – NOV 17, 2011
1. New rule give some relief to nuclear suppliers :
New Delhi : The government has finalised rules for the implementation of the country’s new nuclear liability that aim to meet the concern of American nuclear suppliers wary of being exposed to unlimited liability in the event of a Fukushimatype accident involving any of their reactors. [The Hindu p1]
2. East Asia meet to have China tilt : NEW DELHI: China will be the
flavour of the East Asia summit -which the Americans want to see as the
primary political and military establishment in Asia -that is scheduled to
begin in Indonesia later this week.[HT p9]
3. Deter the Dragon: India to enter elite ICBM club in 3 months, 5,000km
Agni-V To Be Tested By February: New Delhi: The countdown has
begun. Within three months, India will gatecrash the super-exclusive ICBM
(inter-continental ballistic missile) club, largely the preserve of countries
like the US, Russia and China that brandish long-range strategic missiles
with strike ranges beyond 5,500km. [TOI p1]
4. Govt servers used to launch cyber attacks, Foreign Entities
Targeting China, Others: New Delhi: Investigators have unearthed a
new and deadly pattern of cyber attacks in which Indian government
servers have been used by foreign entities to target the computer
networks of third countries. [TOI p1]
5. Give names of top defaulters CIC tells RBI : New Delhi : The Central
Information Commission has directed RBI to reveal names and details of
the top 100 industrialists who have defaulted on loans from public sector
banks. The CIC rejected RBI’s argument that it held the information in
fiduciary capacity, and disclosing it would hurt India’s economic
interests.[IE p1]
6. Rs. 1-crore fine proposed for charging capitation fee : New Delhi : In
a bid to prevent educational institutions from demanding capitation fee for
admission, the government wants to double the proposed penalty to Rs. 1
crore.[The Hindu p1]
7. Govt clears decks for pension funds : NEW DELHI : The government is
NEW DELHI: The government is finally going ahead with the 26% foreign
direct investment in pension funds and setting up of a regulator for them.
The decision -too hot to be handled in the past because of the fierce
resistance from the Left -was taken by the cabinet on Wednesday.[HT p1]
8. Target 31 bills, priority lokpal: NEW DELHI: The government on
Wednesday said it was determined to get the highly-publicised anti-graft
lokpal bill during the winter session of parliament beginning on November
22.[HT p9]
9. Petrol Prices to be Revised Every 15 Days, Move to align rates with
global crude prices: NEW DELHI : State-run oil firms will revise petrol
prices every two weeks if domestic prices need to be aligned with
international levels, as they prepare to replace the opaque pricing
mechanism with a transparent and predictable system, top executives
said. [ET p1]
10. Petrol Price Cut Shows Govt in No Position to Take Tough Measures
: NEW DELHI : The decision to slash petrol price has once again
demonstrated the lack of elbow room for the Manmohan Singh
government to take politically tough economic measures. With crucial
state elections round the corner, the government will have to be more
attentive to the political and electoral needs of Congress. [ET p2]
11. US sacks 2 for frisking Kalam inside aircraft : NEW DELHI:US
authorities have sacked two officials of their transport security agency for
“exceeding their brief“ by subjecting former president APJ Abdul Kalam to
humiliation at New York’s JFK airport on September 29.[HT p1]
12. CAG will go ahead with controversial audits: Rai : New Delhi:
Undeterred by the Congress’s allegations of bias and the government’s
complaint that he had overstepped its brief, Comptroller and Auditor
General Vinod Rai on Tuesday signaled his intent to press ahead with
audits of controversial decisions when he told members of the joint
parliamentary committee (JPC) about the ongoing audit of the Ultra Mega
Power Projects (UMPP), S-Band spectrum and Padma awards. [TOI p1]
13. Pranab praises CAG work, gets Joshi’s backing : NEW DELHI:
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee complimented the role of the
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in setting up checks and balances
on the use of public resources and said the government plans to bring in
appropriate changes to give a greater role to the auditor and make it more
“effective.“[HT p8]
14. Joshi Rubbishes Charges over CAG Report on 2G : NEW DELHI :
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on
Wednesday debunked charges that he had attempted to influence the
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the 2G spectrum report and
insisted that he never overstepped his brief. [ET p3]
15. ‘CAG ignored lowest loss figure of 5,388cr’ : New Delhi: Congress
feels lead 2G auditor R P Singh’s reservations on assessing revenue loss
strengthened its argument that the politically incendiary audit report was
“motivated” and opens the federal auditor to the charge of shielding some
corporates. [TOI p16]
16. Cabinet Okays Rs 16k-cr projects for highways : New Delhi : The
Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) on Wednesday approved 15
projects totalling 1,814 km of roads at an estimated cost of Rs 15,680
crore for highway construction. Among these, four are in Uttar Pradesh
alone, including one from Lucknow to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s
Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareilly.[Pioneer Daily p1]
17. Before winter session: All parties to meet today : NEW DELHI: Five
days before Parliament sits for its winter session, Lok Sabha Speaker
Meira Kumar has convened an all party meeting on Thursday. After large
part of two previous sessions (budget and monsoon) was lost due to
disruptions, Kumar aims to secure opposition’s cooperation for smooth
sailing of the upcoming session.[HT p8]
18. Maoists More Dangerous, Than Terrorists: Mamata, Youth Trinamool
to ‘raid’ Maoists dens; Suvendu Adhikary to lead campaign
19. KOLKATA : West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said that
Maoists were more dangerous than any terrorist outfits and held them
responsible for the Gyaneswari Express mishap which took place last
year. [ET p3]
20. No proof that 3 BJP MPs took bribe, says HC : New Delhi: Saying
there was no prima facie evidence to show that the three BJP MPs took
bribe, the Delhi high court on Wednesday granted them bail in the cashfor-
vote scam. It also gave relief to L K Advani’s former aide Sudheendra
Kulkarni, Sohail Hindustani and Sanjeev Saxena, all co-accused. [TOI
p1]
21. Army must have say in AFSPA row : Advani : Jammu : Pointing out
that the Army was being demonised in J-K, senior Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader L K Advani on Wednesday asked the UPA government to
reject any decision taken on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) without consulting the troops.[IE p8]
22. Yatra not an attempt to repackage myself, says Advani : Chandigarh
: Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader
L K Advani said here on Wednesday that the Jan Chetna Yatra
undertaken by him was not an attempt to repackage himself and it had
nothing to do with L K Advani the BJP or the National Democratic Alliance
for that matter.[The Hindu p5]
23. Aruna Roy Not Happy with Redressal Bill : NEW DELHI : A section of
civil society, which includes National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy
and activist Nikhil Dey, has said that the government’s proposed
Grievance Redress Bill dilutes the idea of a single-window facilitation for
citizens. [ET p3]
24. 100 crore fine on Times Now is ‘disproportionate’, says Katju, Press
Council Chief Urges SC And Bombay HC To ‘Reconsider’ Their
Orders: New Delhi : Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju on
Wednesday urged the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court to
“reconsider” their orders that Times Now deposit Rs 100 crore (in cash
and bank guarantees) as a pre-condition for its appeal against a Pune
court’s verdict to be heard. [TOI p10]
25. Objected to way CBI recorded my statement : ADAG official to court :
New Delhi :Prosecution witness and Group president of the Reliance
ADAG A N Sethuraman on Wednesday told the special CBI court hearing
the 2G spectrum case that he was not satisfied with the way CBI had
recorded his statement in March.[IE p3]
26. CBI charges false, bid to destabilise Modi : Shah : New Delhi : Former
Gujarat minister of state for Home Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the
CBI of falsely implicating him in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter
case in a bid to destabilize the Narendra Modi government.[IE p6]
27. BSY GETS BAIL IN 2 MORE CASES : BANGALORE: In what came as
further relief for BJP’s former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, the
Karnataka HC on Wednesday granted a conditional anticipatory bail to
him in two cases of alleged illegal denotification of government land.[HT
p13]
28. BJP leaders clash over seating arrangement on dais : Jammu :
Factionalism in the state unit of the BJP showed its effects on LK Advani’s
Jan Chetna Yatra in Jammu as some senior party leaders publicly
expressed resentment against their humiliation by the local
leadership.[The Tribune p6]
29. Won’t campaign in Bellary till ‘ good sign from BJP : BSY : Bangalore
: Despite virtually clearing all legal hurdles for his return to active politics,
former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa will not lend a hand to
the BJP’s campaign in the crucial bypoll to the Bellary rural
constituency.[IE p4]
30. Hegde defends Lokayukta : BANGALORE: Former Karnataka
Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde on Wednesday lashed out at
politicians who questioned the relevance of the Lokayukta. “BJP
(Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders are campaigning against the Lokayukta
to weaken the impact of the illegal mining report,“ Hedge told media
persons here.[HT p13]
31. Goa Governor returns Lokayukta Bill : Panaji : Goa Governor K
Sankaranarayanan has referred back the Goa Lokayukta Bill, 2011 to the
government, raising some technical issues.[The Hindu p9]
32. Not a poll gimmick, says Mayawati : Lucknow : A day after her Cabinet
approved the division of Uttar Pradesh into four parts, Chief Minister
Mayawati sought on Wednesday to dispel the criticism that the decision
was made with an eye on the Assembly elections.[The Hindu p1]
33. Talks still on, Cong 3rd list keeps off Ajit turf : New Delhi : The
Congress is treading cautiously to avoid upsetting its negotiations with
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, who has expressed unease over
“slow progress in pre-poll tie-up” for the forthcoming Assembly elections in
Uttar Pradesh.[IE p6]
34. Stumped by Maya, Congress Asks Why Talk of UP’s Division Now,
Hopes BJP’s no-trust motion will stop UP assembly from passing
resolution for division of state: NEW DELHI : Faced with Mayawati’s
poll-eve googly to break up Uttar Pradesh into four smaller states,
Congress seems to be banking on the plans of the Samajwadi Party and
BJP to bring a no-confidence motion against the BSP government to
wriggle out of the politically untenable situation. [ET p2]
35. BJP ropes in Vajpayee for Atal Charishma in UP : Azamgarh : Former
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is back in BJP’s campaign. the party
has clearly fallen back on its tallest Brahmin leader, Vajpayee, to take the
fizz out of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s hold back Brahmin
exercise.[Pioneer Daily p7]
36. Criminal Cases Filed Against Jitin, RPN for Phulpur Assault :
LUCKNOW : The UP Police has registered criminal cases against Union
minister of state for surface transport Jitin Prasad and minister of state for
petroleum RPN Singh for assaulting Samajwadi Party workers during
Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Phulpur. [ET p2]
37. Maya hits back : Centre wants to stall UP division :Lucknow :
Rejecting the Congress suggestion for setting up a states reorganisation
panel, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday said the
party wanted to create confusion and stall the division of UP into four
states, like it had done with Telangana.[IE p3]
38. Cabinet clears way for 48 more castes in OBC list : New Delhi : The
Cabinet on Wednesday approved a national panel’s recommendation for
amending the Central list of OBCs, paving the way for inclusion of more
than four dozen more castes in about 20 states and Union Territories.[IE
p3]
39. Mulayam seeks clear majority in UP : Etah (Uttar Pradesh): Making
what could perhaps be his last chief ministerial bid, Mulayam Singh Yadav
sought a farewell gift from his supporters: A clear majority for the
Samajwadi Party in the coming UP polls. [TOI p12]
40. Silent on UP Division, BJP plans no trust motion : Lucknow : Rattled
by UP chief minister Mayawati’s proposal to divide the state into four, the
BJP has decided to move a no-confidence motion against the
government. The BJP move may help it deflect attention from its studied
silence after Mayawati announced her plan on Tuesday. The party is yet
to state the stand it would take when Mayawati decides to table the
proposal in the assembly.[HT p9]
41. Gehlot Takes Care of Caste And Community Equations While
Inducting 6 Ministers : JAIPUR : Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot
has inducted six ministers, dropped five and promoted minister of state for
information and public relations Ashok Bairwa to cabinet rank in a cabinet
reshuffle on Wednesday. [ET p2]
42. BJP jumps into illegal colony row, cries scam : New Delhi: Blaming
the Congress-led Delhi government for handing out provisional
regularisation certificates to unauthorized colonies, the BJP has alleged
that the state has granted such a certificate to Ganga Colony near DND
flyover in south Delhi. [TOI p9]
43. MCD trifurcation awaiting Law Minister’s nod: Sheila : New Delhi :
The process of trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has
moved a step forward with the Union Law Secretary and concerned Joint
Secretary clearing the file and the Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid
expected to go through it anytime soon, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
said here on Wednesday.[The Hindu p4]
44. Circle rate hike applicable from today : NEW DELHI: Registering your
property will soon become a costly affair, with the Delhi government
notifying the hike in the circle rates up to 250%.[HT p3]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
45. Lawyer gets tipsy client to sign 10cr will, Court Orders Criminal
Action: New Delhi: A lawyer, who allegedly got his client to sign a will
bequeathing a 800-square-yard property in Green Park in his name under
the influence of liquor, found himself in the dock for alleged fraud. The
property is worth Rs 10 crore. [TOI p5]
46. 7 accused in Malegaon case freed: Mumbai: Seven persons walked out
of two Mumbai jails on Wednesday evening after having spent five years
in the dark, dingy cells. Free for now, the seven were greeted with hugs,
tears, smiles and sweets, as the wait finally ended for the them as well as
the dozens of people who had lined up to meet them outside the prison
gates. [TOI p12]
SPORT NEWS
47. All teams have fixed games: Ex-ICC cop : London: The former chief of
cricket’s anti-corruption wing, Paul Condon, has opened a Pandora’s box
by claiming that all of the game’s top nations have been involved in match
fixing at some point or the other. [TOI p1]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
48. US does not fear China, says Obama, US Widens Military Ties With
Oz, Beijing Bristles: Canberra: President Barack Obama insisted on
Wednesday that the United States does not fear China, even as he
announced a new security agreement with Australia that is widely viewed
as a response to Beijing’s growing aggressiveness. [TOI p20]
