NEWS IN BRIEF – NOV 19, 2011
1. Back off on South Sea: PM to China, ‘Indian Interests Commercial
And Legitimate’: Bali: India firmly rejected China’s objections to its
presence in the South China Sea, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
telling Chinese leader Wen Jiabao that Indian interests were “purely
commercial” and sovereignty claims must be settled according to
international law. [TOI p1]
2. Assertive India takes on China, US in global game : BALI: India told
China it would continue its oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea,
an issue that has triggered strong words between the two countries in the
past few months.[HT p1]
3. ‘US firms must work within our N-liability law’ : Bali: Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh told US president Barack Obama that American
companies would have to operate within the “four corners” of Indian law
on civil liability for nuclear damage, indicating the law cannot be tweaked
to make it more US-friendly. [TOI p1]
4. Decide if you want to stay in alliance, Didi tells Cong, ‘We Don’t Need
Parties Having Covert Relations With CPM’: Kolkata: “Decide whether
you want to stay with us or not” — was a fresh ultimatum served to the
Congress party by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief
minister Mamata Banerjee Friday after a protest rally by Youth Congress
against alleged attacks on party workers by Trinamool activists. [TOI p21]
5. Congress rally irks Mamata, says Trinamool can go alone : Kolkata
:Less than two weeks after the West Bengal chief minister’s standoff with
the UPA government over the hike in petrol prices was sorted out, cracks
in the Congress Trinamool alliance have started to show again.[HT p12]
6. Peace talks : Interlocutors, Mamata to meet today : Kolkata
:Responding promptly to interlocutors’ request to relieve them of their
duties to hold peace talks with Maoists, West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee has called for a meeting with them on Saturday. The
six-member team of interlocutors on Thursday, in a letter to the CM, had
expressed their desire to be relieved of their responsibilities.[IE p2]
7. IB warns Maoists are plotting to kill Mamata : NEW DELHI: The
intelligence agencies have come across credible information that Maoist
outfits operating in West Bengal are planning to target chief minister
Mamata Banerjee. But she is not the only one: there are at least eight
other senior Trinamul Congress leaders on the Naxalites’ hit list.[AA p1]
8. Pranab puts infra projects on fast track : New Delhi : The government
on Friday cleared infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 25,500 crore.
It sent clear instructions to various departments to clear all procedural
hurdles for these projects, covering the highways, urban metro and power
sectors.[HT p1]
9. 15 years on, CBI court finds Sukhram guilty : New Delhi: Fifteen years
after the then telecom minister Sukhram misused his official position to
award a contract worth Rs 30 crores for supplying cables to a private
telecom firm after receiving bribe of Rs 3 lakh, a special CBI court has
convicted him in the telecom scam. [TOI p13]
10. Centre, J&K to prepare new draft of AFSPA : Jammu : The Centre has
asked Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and the army to
put an end to the public spat over the revocation of the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from certain areas of the state.[HT p12]
11. Kulkarni to join LK on Janchetna yatra : NEW DELHI: Senior BJP
leader L.K.Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, who along with
party’s two former MPs got bail in the cash-for-vote scam, is likely to join
Mr Advani during the last leg of his Janchetna yatra. Sources disclosed Mr
Advani called up Mr Kulkarni after the latter walked out of Tihar Jail on
Thursday evening. BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, it was learnt, also spoke to Mr
Kulkarni and party leaders on Thursday.[AA p2]
12. PM, Sonia must say sorry for political conspiracy : Gadkari :
Bhopal:BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Friday said Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should apologise to
the nation for the ‘political conspiracy’ under which BJP whistle-blowers
were jailed in the cash-for-vote scam.[Pioneer Daily p4]
13. Leak of Lokpal Bill tapes has govt worried : New Delhi: The tapes of
proceedings of the parliamentary committee discussing Lokpal Bill have
reportedly found their way out into the public domain, triggering sharp
concern in the government. [TOI p18]
14. ‘People came on streets for Lokpal, not Jokepal’ : New Delhi: There
appears to be very little ground for reconciliation between the government
and Team Anna with the activists demanding on Friday that the CBI’s anticorruption
wing be brought under the purview of Lokpal. [TOI p18]
15. Team Anna, Roy back govt on sports bill : NEW DELHI: Sports
Minister Ajay Maken has got support of Team Anna and Aruna Roy’s
National Campaign for People’s Right To Information (NCPRI) for his draft
national sports development bill even though the both groups had
vehemently opposed the government’s Lokpal Bill.[HT p15]
16. More protests if Lokpal Bill not passed: Bedi: Allahabad: Team Anna
member Kiran Bedi on Friday warned of more “Ramlila Maidan-like
protests” if the Congress-led UPA government does not pass the Lokpal
bill in the winter session of parliament beginning Tuesday. [TOI p18]
17. Unverified UID data may risk security: PC : New Delhi: Amid reports of
‘unverified’ data being collected by the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) in order to issue ‘Aadhaar’ numbers, the Union home
minister P Chidambaram has expressed concern over such an exercise
saying there is real chance of inclusion of non usual residents and
creation of false profile in the project which may compromise internal
security. [TOI p13]
18. Cash for votes : BJP to felicitate Kulkarni, former MPs : Bhopal :
Within hours of the release of the three accused in the ‘cash-for-vote’
scam from Tihar jail, the BJP on Friday announced that they will be
felicitated in New Delhi on Saturday.[IE p8]
19. J&K : Six BJP MLAs disqualified : Jammu : Nearly six months after
expelling its veteran leader and sitting MLA Prof Chaman Lal Gupta for six
years from the organisation on charges of anti-party activities, the
Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday disqualified from membership of the
Legislative Assembly six other legislators who along with him had crossvoted
in favour of the ruling National Conference and Congress nominees
during the Legislative Council polls in April this year.[IE p2]
20. Cong for second SRC on division: New Delhi : Questioning BSP chief
Mayawati’s proposal to split Uttar Pradesh into four states, the Congress
on Friday said it favoured constitution of the second States Reorganisation
Commission (SRC) to address similar demands from other parts of the
country.[HT p12]
21. People’s love, support more than PM’s post : Advani : Haridwar
:Overwhelmed by the support received by the crowd in Rishikul ground
here, former Deputy Prime Minister and veteran BJP leader, Lal Krishan
Advani on Friday said that the support that he has got from the people
during his 60-year-long political career, is much more than the power he
would have enjoyed as the Prime Minister of the country.[Pioneer Daily
p4]
22. A room for Ms Bharti, and two campaigns : Lucknow : A day after BJP
president Nitin Gadkari announced that she would lead the party’s “UP
Bachao-BJP Lao” campaign beginning December 1, a room was reserved
at the state party headquarters here to set up an office for Uma Bharti,
moving out party general secretary Rakesh Kumar who earlier occupied
the room. Her nameplate was also put on the entrance door of the
office.[IE p8]
23. Congress close to deal with Ajit for western UP : NEW DELHI:Hard
bargaining is on between the Congress and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal
ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, as leaders of the
two parties met Thursday night to iron out differences and strike a
deal.[AA p1]
24. Ajit okay with 60 seats, but wants 2 cabinet berths : NEW
DELHI:Wary of the possibility of Chaudhary Ajit Singh drifting to the BJP,
the Congress on Friday swung into action to stitch up a poll tie-up with the
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).[HT p12]
25. UP poll vault: Rahul seeks 3,000cr sop for weavers : New Delhi:
Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, the government is set to announce a
package for handloom sector in a bid to boost credit availability, subsidize
freight and yarn prices following a prod from Rahul Gandhi. [TOI p13]
26. Maya `4 states’ plan moves few : LUCKNOW:UP chief minister
Mayawati’s proposal to split Uttar Pradesh into four states may have
sparked off a tedious debate in the media and in political circles but it has
evoked absolutely no interest in the four regions.[AA p2]
27. Opp banks on BSP rebels to upset Maya applecart : Lucknow : At the
fag end of the BSP Government’s tenure, the Opposition is all set to
exploit the chinks in Mayawati’s armour by bringing a no-confidence
motion against her Government, and is pinning its hopes on ruling party’s
rebels.[Pioneer Daily p1]
28. BJP to support JMM in Mandu bypoll : Ranchi : It’s going to be a toolittle-
too-late story. The State BJP on Friday announced its decision to
support JMM candidate Jai Prakash Patel in the Mandu Assembly bypoll.
It leaves a bad taste in the mouth of JD(U) candidate Khiru Mahto, who
had lobbied for electoral support from its NDA ally.[Pioneer Daily p4]
29. Bhatta-Parsaul: FIR against 30 cops for rape : Noida: In another
setback to the UP police, a city court on Friday ordered registration of FIR
against five senior police officers and 25 constables on charges of raping
and robbing a woman in Bhatta village during the anti-land acquisition
agitation there in May this year, as well as for refusing to register a
complaint against the alleged rapists. [TOI p1]
30. SC clarifies : SPO ruling only for Chhattisgarh : New Delhi : The
Supreme Court today ruled that its July 5 judgment banning the counter-
Naxal special police officers (SPOs) would apply only to Chhattisgarh, and
not other parts of the country.[IE p1]
31. BJP plans welcome for Advani : Elephants, horses, camels : New
Delhi : Councillors and party workers of Delhi BJP are preparing a grand
welcome for veteran leader L K Advani, who will be concluding his Jan
Chetna Yatra at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. With the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi (MCD) going to polls next year, MLAs and party
workers are going all out to put up a show.[IE p5]
32. BJP councillors in rath yatra mode, MCD business hit : New Delhi:
With BJP leader LK Advani’s rath yatra now just a day away from the
Capital, the party’s municipal councillors are caught up in preparations for
his reception at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, leaving the MCD’s affairs in
disarray, sources say. [TOI p9]
33. Abbi will lead MCD delegation to PC, protest division : New Delhi : To
Register its protest against the trifurcation of the Municipal Corporation of
Delhi (MCD), a delegation led by Mayor Rajni Abbi will meet Home
Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday.[IE p4]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
34. Pragya now moves MACOCA court for bail : Mumbai : Two months
after the Supreme Court rejected her bail plea, Sadhvi Pragya Thakur-one
of the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case- filed a fresh bail
application in the special MCOCA court.[IE p13]
BUSINESS NEWS
35. Kingfisher needs 2k cr to survive, Requires 600Cr Working Capital,
400Cr Guarantees, Plans To Raise $250m: Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines
plans to raise Rs 2,000 crore to stay afloat. Of this, the airline requires
around Rs 600 crore immediately towards working capital, Rs 400 crore
through guarantees and approximately Rs 1,000 crore through a
combination of fund infusion by promoters and a rights issue. [TOI p27]
36. Slipping on oil, airlines may hike fares by 20-25% in December :
MUMBAI: If you have travel plans for December, be prepared to shell out
more for your air tickets. Hoping to make the most of the holiday rush,
cash-strapped airlines are said to be planning to hike fares by 20-25% in
the Christmas-New Year period.[HT p1]
SPORT NEWS
37. Azhar, others slam Kambli’s fixing claim, ‘Why Was He Silent For 15
Years?’: New Delhi: A day after former India batsman Vinod Kambli aired
his “suspicion” that India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the 1996 cricket World Cup
semifinal was a result of match-fixing, his former teammates ridiculed the
claim, with then-skipper Mohammad Azharuddin questioning Kambli’s
credibility and character. [TOI p1]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
38. ‘Zardari offered 26/11 suspects’, Feared Army Coup After Op Osama,
Says Secret Memo: Washington: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari was
so scared of a military coup after Osama bin Laden’s death that he was
ready to create a “new security team” favourable to Americans and
promised the US to hand over Pakistan-based 26/ 11 perpetrators
including those from its intelligence agency to India. [TOI p1]
39. Memogate rattles Pakistan envoy to U.s. resigns : Islamabad
:Pakistan’s civilian government is said to have offered to act against the
perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks and hand over the guilty to
Indian security services in an assurance given to the United States.[The
Hindu p1]
