NEWS IN BRIEF – NOV 25, 2011
1. Coming soon: Worlds top retailers, Cabinet Clears 51% FDI In Multi-
Brand Stores,100% In Single-Brand :New Delhi: After debating the
issue for more than a decade, the government on Thursday threw open
the multi-brand retail segment to leading foreign chains such as Wal-Mart,
Carrefour and others in a move to attract overseas investment and dispel
doubts about the coalitions ability to push through big-bang reforms. [TOI
p1]
2. FDI in retail will impact food chain, says BJP : New Delhi : The
Bharatiya Janata Party is unambiguous in opposing the government move
to throw open the retail sector to Foreign Direct Investment.[The Hindu
p12]
3. BJP, Left slam govt decision cite job losses in small towns : New
Delhi : The main opposition party as well as the Left have opposed
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, maintaining that the move would
result in job losses. The BJP on Thursday said it would strongly oppose
FDI in retail, saying that it would lead to the creation of monopolies by
international retail players such as Walmart. Responding to the decision of
the Union Cabinet clearing 51 per cent FDI in the retail sector, former
finance minister Yashwant Sinha said the party has been against allowing
foreign players in the retail sector. “We will continue to oppose it,” he
said.[IE p2]
4. Angry youth slaps Sharad Pawar, Harvinder Had Also Attacked Sukh
Ram : New Delhi: Union agriculture minister and NCP chief Sharad
Pawar became the latest politician to be the target of physical assault on
Thursday afternoon when a small-time transporter from northwest Delhi
landed a slap on his face while venting anger at corruption.[TOI p1]
5. Pawar Gets Slapped for Rising Inflation and Corruption, MUMBAI :
Harvinder Singh,a Delhi youth slapped agriculture minister Sharad Pawar
in the face on Thursday, apparently to draw attention to graft and high
prices of food items. Pawar was talking to reporters at a literary event in
the Capitals NDMC Centre when the man attacked him.[ET p3]
6. War of words over Pawar slapping : New Delhi : Political parties have
come together to strongly condemn the assault on Union Minister Sharad
Pawar even as BJP and Congress traded charges on reasons behind the
trend of targeting political leaders.[Pioneer Daily p5]
7. Panel for `constitutional’ Lokpal, rift on PM issue : NEW DELHI:The
parliamentary standing committee finalising the Lokpal Bill will circulate a
draft report to members in a few days despite sharp differences on the
contentious issue of the Prime Minister’s inclusion within its ambit. [AA p1]
8. Earlier statement a mistake: 2G witness : New Delhi: Prosecution
witness in the 2G scam case, Uday Shahasrabuddhe, the Mumbai-based
assistant vice-president of HDFC Bank,on Thursday told the trial court that
his earlier statement to the CBI that some of the authorized signatories of
Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL) and Reliance Communications Ltd (RCL)
were common was a mistake.[TOI p16]
9. Parliament remains paralysed for the third day in a row : New Delhi :
On a day when Parliament seemed set for some serious business with the
government and the Opposition reaching a reasonable under-standing on
the rules to raise the critical issues of inflation and black money, both
Houses were adjourned for the thrid consecutive day without transaction
of any business.[The Tribune p1]
10. Cong Responsible for Disruption of House: Swaraj, Telangana
Cong,TRS force adjournment on a day LS was to debate price rise :
NEW DELHI : The government may have bought peace with the
Opposition by agreeing to debates on price rise and black money, but was
stumped by its own benches when Congress MPs from Telangana, along
with members of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, disrupted Lok Sabha
over their demand for a separate state.[ET p2]
11. Disunited Oppn: Left and BJP Trade Charges, The two sides accuse
each other of playing into the governments hands : NEW DELHI : The
unity displayed by the two main opposition blocs BJP led NDA and the
Left on the floor of the House collapsed on Thursday. The two sides
accused each other of playing into the governments hands.[ET p2]
12. Left leaders allege ‘deal’ between Cong and BJP : New Delhi : The
CPI(M) on Thursday launched a scathing attack against the BJP blaming
the main Opposition party for “repeatedly entering into agreements” with
the ruling Congress for providing an escape route to the Government by
avoiding voting in Parliament on the issue of price rise.[Pioneer Daily p5]
13. Omar offers legal cover to protect army : JAMMU: To allay the army’s
fears on the proposed revocation of the AFSPA, Jammu and Kashmir
chief minister Omar Abdullah has said two provisions of the CrPC -not
applicable in the state now -could be restored to give security forces legal
protection.[HT p13]
14. T-stir, soured BJP-Left deal stall LS on Day 3, Govts Inept Floor
Management On Show Again : New Delhi: Persistent disruptions by
Telangana Rashtra Samiti with a strong supporting cast of Congress MPs,
a Left-BJP-government deal that soured, a mini insurrection by regional
parties and the governments inept floor management put paid to the third
successive day of the winter session.[TOI p17]
15. Maoist leader Kishanji killed in encounter, High-Profile Naxal
Perishes In 2-Hr Battle : Midnapore/Kolkata: Kishanji alias Koteshwar
Rao, the man who controlled Maoist operations in eastern India, was
cornered and killed in a massive security operation after a two-hour gun
battle in dense jungles on the Bengal-Jharkhand border on Thursday.[TOI
p1]
16. Team Anna sends Nitish suggestions : Patna : Team Anna, which
attacked the Bihar Lokayukta Bill draft, provoking Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar to say “he did not need a certificate from anyone”, has put its
suggestions before the state government.[IE p3]
17. Eunuch who took on LK in Guj shot dead : Ahmedabad: The
flamboyant eunuch who fought Lok Sabha elections against L K Advani in
2004 and 2009 was murdered on Thursday. Sonia De was shot four times
by unknown assailants near Roopalee Cinema in the city.[TOI p16]
18. Cong sees state elections in Feb. : NEW DELHI : Uttar Pradesh
Assembly elections are expected to be held in February with Punjab and
Uttarakhand. While the Congress party expects an early elections, the
feedback coming from the state is of a hung Assembly. According to the
highly-placed sources in the Congress, the elections cannot be held in
April-May due to the school examinations.[AA p2]
19. UP polls near, PMO pushes move for OBC Muslim quota : New Delhi
: The Prime Minister’s Office has asked the minority affairs ministry to
bring to the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs a formal proposal on
reservation for Muslims within the OBC category.[IE p1]
20. Pranab claim specious, short on facts : CPI(M) : New Delhi : The
Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday refuted the ‘specious
explanations’ on inflation given by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
saying his statement hid the government’s failure to check price rise.[The
Hindu p6]
21. Lokpal draft to be ready by Wed : New Delhi: The parliamentary panel
looking into the Lokpal bill on Thursday reached a consensus on giving
constitutional status to the proposed anti-corruption ombudsman even as
differences persisted on inclusion of the prime minister within the Lokpals
ambit.[TOI p17]
22. ‘Inept’ cops sit on Jaitley’s plaint : New Delhi : It is just not the ‘aam
admi’ who suffers at the hands of the Delhi Police, but cops even kept an
eminent person like Arun Jaitley waiting. It took almost 50 days for Delhi
Police to take cognisance of a complaint lodged by Jaitley, the Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha.[Pioneer Daily p3]
23. Anti-Nuke Protest Enters 100th Day at Kudankulam : CHENNAI : The
anti-nuclear protest that has stalled the commissioning of the multi-crore
nuclear plant at Kudankulam entered the 100th day on Thursday.The
protestors from Tamil Nadus southern-most districts, Kanyakumari,
Tirunelveli and Tuticorin, held an inter-religious prayer meeting at the plant
site.[ET p3]
24. I-T seizes 100cr from Jkhand contractor : Ranchi: Income Tax sleuths
seized Rs 100 crore deposited in bank accounts of a contractor, his family
members and relatives in Jharkhands coal city Dhanbad, sources said on
Thursday.[TOI p12]
25. Captain Raja wants others out of jail first : New Delhi : Former
Telecom Minister A Raja on Thursday said he was the captain of team 2G
and he would seek bail only after each of his members was out.
Seemingly granting of bail to five co-accused on Wednesday had put Raja
in a jolly mood as he shared friendly moments with scribes on
Thursday.[Pioneer Daily p3]
26. Essar-Loop : CBI to file chargesheet : New Delhi : The CBI has
received the Attorney General’s opinion on Essar-Loop and will file a
chargesheet against the two companies, its promoters and other officials
in the 2G scam case. AG G E Vahanvati is learnt to have agreed with the
CBI findings saying the promoters and officials of the companies were
involved in a conspiracy to obtain telecom licenses by violating
guidelines.[IE p4]
27. BJP for safeguards but consensus eludes House Panel : New Delhi :
There has been no consensus on the inclusion of the Prime Minister within
the ambit of Lokpal in the Parliamentary panel scrutinising the Bill.
However, Team Anna’s suggestion that the Lokpal Bill be used to create
Lokayukta in States could be recommended in the draft, sources
said.[Pioneer Daily p4]
28. No role in processing Kejriwal’s case : PMO : New Delhi : The Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO) in a response (No. RTI/3832/2011) to an
application under the Right to Information Act has denied having ever
called for the file dealing with Additional Commissioner of Income Tax
Arvind Kejriwal. No such file was ever sought from the Finance Ministry,
reads the reply sent to RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal.[The
Tribune p2]
29. Ajit Singh’s Cabinet berth final barrier : New Delhi : The Congress may
have more or less sealed an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for
its ‘Mission UP 2012’ by conceding around 50 seats to Ajit Singh’s party,
but what’s delaying the formal announcement is consensus on an
appropriate ministry for the RLD chief.[The Tribune p2]
30. Plunging onion prices bring down inflation : NEW DELHI: Finally, the
consumer gets respite, with the food inflation rate falling by 1.62% to the
lowest levels in four months -9.01% for the week-ended November 12 –
rekindling hopes that the price monster may be tamed.[HT p1]
31. Rahul Continues Tirade Against Maya,Mulayam, UP government has
failed on all fronts,says Congress general secretary : BALRAMPUR :
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi,who has been targeting chief
minister Mayawati to galvanise the party cadres ahead of the state
polls,has now started taking a swipe at the Samajwadi Party supremo
Mulayam Singh Yadav.[ET p3]
32. Maya gags party workers on UP split : New Delhi: Chief minister
Mayawati has gagged her leaders from speaking on the division of UP,a
surprise decision since she would gain from publicity to the issue on the
national stage ahead of the assembly polls.[TOI p19]
33. BJP Fine-tunes strategy for Bellary bypoll : Bangalore : As the
countdown for battle Bellary has begun, political parties in Karnataka are
gearing up for a showdown in the State. The bypoll on November 30 is
crucial for both the ruling BJP and the major opposition Congress. It has
become a litmus test as many think it is going to decide the political future
of the State, especially for the ruling BJP. It is, of course, important for the
BJP which has won 19 bypolls so far after coming into power.[Pioneer
Daily p6]
34. Sreeramulu vows to ‘wipe out’ BJP : Bellary:A day after coming under
attack from BJP leaders here in the run up the November 30 bypoll for the
Bellary rural seat, rebel leader B. Sreeramulu on Thursday declared he
would “wipe out“ the saffron party base in this district.[AA p2]
35. MCD split: Haze over revenue model, No Mention Of Property Tax In
Corporation Amendment Bill : New Delhi: As chief minister Sheila
Dikshit gears up to seek legislative nod to trifurcate MCD at a two-day
special session of the Assembly on November 30,the broad contours of
the new framework clearly put the city government in the drivers seat.[TOI
p4]
36. Mayor cries foul, says trifurcation not viable : New Delhi: As BJP
suffers a blow after the trifurcation of MCD, the party brass says the move
will lead to chaos. By dividing MCD,Congress has violated the principle of
autonomy of the local bodies provided by the Constitution of India. The
powers of the corporation have been handed over to the state government
and bureaucrats, said Vijender Gupta, president of Delhi BJP unit.[TOI p4]
37. Regularization scam: Sheila puts blame on MCD : New Delhi: Chief
Minister Sheila Dikshit has made it clear that provisional regularization
certificates given by her government to 1,218 unauthorized colonies
should not be seen as a passport to regularization.[TOI p8]
38. East Delhi will suffer most, says mayor : NEW DELHI: Delhi mayor
Rajni Abbi said east Delhi would suffer the most due to the trifurcation of
the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). She added the proposed east
Delhi civic body, comprising Shahdara (north) and (south) zones, would
generate the least income in the form of property tax, thus making it
difficult to sustain on the meagre amount.[HT p4]
39. House meets on Nov 30 to divide MCD : New Delhi : The Delhi
government on Thursday called a special two-day Assembly session next
week to approve a Bill to split the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
into three agencies. The Bill will be tabled in the Assembly on November
30, and be cleared the next day, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said soon
after a Cabinet meeting where the dates were finalised.[IE Newsline p1]
40. Sandalwood worth Rs 60 crore seized, 3 arrested : New Delhi : A
team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested three
persons and recovered a huge consignment of sandalwood from two
godowns in outer Delhi. Acting on a tip-off, raids were conducted at
godowns in Rohini and Samaipur Badli on Thursday.[HT p3]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
41. HC to decide Kanis fate today : New Delhi: The Delhi high court will
hear the bail pleas of DMK MP Kanimozhi and five others accused in the
2G spectrum scam on Friday. Earlier, the hearing was slated for
December 1.All the bail applications would be heard on Friday at 10.30
am, Justice V K Shali said on Thursday.[TOI p14]
42. Sohrabuddin tale gets a new twist , SC Order For CBI Probe Result
Of Conspiracy,Jethmalani Tells Top Court : New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Thursday sought the Centres response to an allegation by
Sohrabuddin fake encounter accused Amit Shahs counsel Ram
Jethmalani that the January 12,2010 order directing CBI probe into the
case was a result of political conspiracy by the ruling party.[TOI p12]
43. Bhanwari dead,key accused tells CBI sleuths : NewDelhi: One of the
main accused in the Bhanwari Devi case has told the CBI that the auxiliary
nurse who is at the centre of the sleazy scam in Rajasthan is dead.[TOI
p12]
44. Reply to Amit Shah plea, SC tells Centre: New Delhi : The Supreme
Court on Thursday asked the Centre to respond to an allegation by former
Gujarat home minister Amit Shah that his implication in the Sohrabuddin
Sheikh fake encounter case is part of a “diabolical political conspiracy”.[IE
p6]
45. CBI seeks govt nod to name HP officials in FIR : Shimla : The Central
Bureau of Investigation has written to the Himachal Pradesh government
seeking its nod to name some state government officials in the second
FIR in the Justice (retd) Nirmal Yadav land case. The CBI wants to probe
the officers’ role in giving permission to Yadav to buy 11.01 bighas in
Solan district.[IE p6]
46. SC fines Haryana govt for land act misuse : NEW DELHI:The Supreme
Court has come down heavily on the Central and state governments for
the misuse of the archaic Land Acquisition Act in the past two decades of
the opening of economy to acquire farmers’ land in name of
development.[AA p2]
EDITORIAL/OPINION
47. Dividing UP into four, Case for a second states reorganisation panel:
Inder Malhotra: UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Mayawati’s proposal to
divide the country’s most populous and politically key state into four units
is both a “masterstroke” and a “pre-poll political gimmick”.[The Tribune
p8]
BUSINESS NEWS
48. Mistry man with a sense of humour: MUMBAI:His affable nature and a
proclivity to shun the limelight, much like Ratan Tata, the man Cyrus
Mistry will replace next year-end, is what seems to have worked for the
43-year-old, say relatives, friends and business associates.[HT p1]
49. SBI, ICICI Bank scrap pre-payment charges on housing loans : New
Delhi : The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), and the
largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank, have abolished pre-payment
penalty on home loans with immediate effect.[IE p1]
