NEWS IN BRIEF – OCT 22, 2011
1. Pvt Sector Bribery may Become Criminal: PM :
Whatever we might do to minimize the opportunities for corruption, the sad reality is that we cannot build a totally foolproof system: Singh :
NEW DELHI : With the corporate sector coming under a cloud for its alleged involvement in big-ticket scams, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday advocated changes in laws to treat private sector bribery a criminal offence. The prime minister is the latest in the growing chorus of voices seeking accountability in the working of the corporates. [ET p1]
2. Visit has built up trust : Nepal Premier :
New Delhi : Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai feels that his ongoing visit to India has been “very productive” and he has succeeded in his key aim of “building trust” between the two countries. This, he says, has created the new basis to take India-Nepal relations forward.[The Hindu0 p1]
3. Pvt sector graft may be made crime too: PM, India May Make It Illegal
To Bribe Abroad : New Delhi: Acknowledging that the agitation for
Lokpal has caused a national “churning” on corruption, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Friday announced that his government was working
on proposals to criminalize private sector bribery and also make illegal
gratification of foreign public officials an offence. [TOI p1]
4. Stop being terror haven : France to Pak : New Delhi : France has
asked Pakistan to stop terrorists from launching strikes from its territory
and has said that the situation in Afghanistan remains dangerous as the
Taliban is still getting ‘unacceptable assistance’ from outside forces.[IE
p7]
5. Key role for CBI no matter what shape Lokpal takes: Manmohan :
New Delhi : As the anti-corruption crusade continues in the country,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday admitted that the agitation for
establishment of a Lokpal has brought the issue of clean governance
“right at the top of the agenda of our national priorities.”[The Hindu p9]
6. Pak wins UNSC seat India votes in favour: Washington: Pakistan
narrowly won a hotly contested seat to the UN Security Council on Friday,
joining India as a two-year non-permanent member on the body. [TOI
p15]
7. Help pass Land Bill, Jairam tells BJP : New Delhi : Is the Congress-led
UPA government running with the hare and hunting with the hounds in
poll-bound Uttar Pradesh? That is the question rankling political circles in
the wake of Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh’s two
initiatives.[The Hindu p12]
8. Naxals kill six Bastar policemen : Raipur : Six policemen were killed
and three injured after Naxals ambushed a police team in Netanar area of
Bastar on Friday. Two constables are reported missing.[IE p1]
9. Charges to be framed against 17 accused in 2G case today : New
Delhi:With a Delhi court likely to frame charges against 17 accused in the
2G spectrum scam on Saturday, one set of accused will be hoping it
enhances their chance of being released on bail. [TOI p20]
10. Judge Calls Advani Aide ‘Guiding Star’ in Cash-for-Votes Scam,
Sudheendra Kulkarni, an accused in the cash-for-votes case, denied
bail by a Delhi court : NEW DELHI : Sudheendra Kulkarni, former aide of
BJP leader L K Advani and an accused in the cash-for-votes case, was on
Friday denied bail by a Delhi court which said he was the “guiding star”
and “facilitator” of the conspiracy aimed at mocking the Republic of
India.[ET p1]
11. No cure to UPA’s multiple organ failure : Kolkata : Led by the “weakest
Prime Minister ever”, the UPA Government was suffering from a “multiple
organ failure” and was showing all symptoms of a “terminal decline”, with
its Ministers fighting in the open and allies distancing themselves from the
regime quickly. [Pioneer Daily p7]
12. Karunanidhi arrives in Delhi, to meet Sonia : New Delhi : DMK
patriarch M Karunanidhi arrived in Delhi on Friday, a day before a city
court pronounces its order on framing of charges against his daughter and
Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum case. Karunanidhi is likely
to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday during which the
issue of Kanimozhi’s continued stay in jail may come up.[IE p7]
13. No harshness in PM remark: LK : Patna :Veteran BJP leader L.K.
Advani on Friday reiterated his earlier stand that Dr Manmohan Singh was
the weakest Prime Minister, ignoring Dr Singh’s request that he should not
use harsh words against him. “The Prime Minister has said that we should
not use harsh words. But I have not used any harsh words. [AA p2]
14. Advani not for right to recall : Kolkata : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) leader L.K. Advani said here on Friday that he was not in favour of
the right to recall elected representatives, as it would lead to “a perpetual
instability” in a huge country like India.[The Hindu p5]
15. Venkaiah for Padma awards to whistleblowers : Panaji : Even as the
police case in the cash-for-vote controversy rages, senior BJP leader M
Venkaiah Naidu, whose party members were arrested for carrying cash
into Parliament, has said that those brave leaders should have been given
Padma awards. [Pioneer Daily p7]
16. Bring back black money, give basic amenities in villages : Advani :
Ranchi : Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Friday recalled the NDA’s role
in the creation of Jharkhand as a separate State and administered on oath
to the public to fight against corruption.[The Hindu p5]
17. ‘Give OBCs, dalits quota in Lokpal’ : New Delhi: The National
Commission for SCs made a strong pitch for reservation for dalits, OBCs
and minorities in the Lokpal set-up, a demand also raised by activists. The
panel chairman P L Punia told the standing committee on law and justice
that reservation for marginalized classes was a must to ensure justice for
these segments in any anti-graft mechanism.[TOI p16]
18. EC heat on Chavan, Koda, Poll Panel To Act Tough On Paid News,
Poll Expense Irregularities : New Delhi: Umlesh Yadav of the Rashtriya
Parivartan Dal may have earned the dubious distinction of being the first
legislator to be disqualified for failing to account for money spent on
advertisements passed as news items but similar action could be taken
against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and former
Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda. [TOI p21]
19. Sonia holds NAC meet after three-month gap : New Delhi : Congress
president Sonia Gandhi chaired a meeting of the National Advisory
Council (NAC) on Friday after a gap of three months-her first after
return last month from surgery abroad for an undisclosed
ailment.[Pioneer Daily 51]
20. HC scraps complaints against Kumaraswamy, says ‘vendetta’ :
Bangalore : A tit-for-tat cycle of political vendetta involving the dirty tricks
departments of former chief ministers B S Yeddyurappa and H D
Kumaraswamy, which has dragged the two leaders’ political parties BJP
and JD(S), their families — wives, sons, daughters, brothers among
others — in a downward spiral hit a speed breaker on Friday.[IE p11]
21. CVC plans to set up 24×7 graft helpline: NEW DELHI: In an attempt to
check harassment of common people by corrupt government officials, the
Central Vigilance Commission plans to set up a 24-hour helpline number
1964 within next two months.[AA p3]
22. Guild against Media under Lokpal ambit: New Delhi : The Editors Guild
of India told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice
and Personnel on Friday that the media should be kept out of the purview
of the proposed Lokpal.[AA p3]
23. I-T’s Rs 9 Lakh Remider to Kejriwal : New Delhi :The income tax (I-T)
department has issued a fresh notice to Arvind Kejriwal, a former Indian
Revenue Service officer and member of social activist Anna Hazare’s
team, asking him to pay Rs 9 lakh in dues to the department by the
month-end.[HT p1]
24. Bedi’s ‘misuse’: Freebies for awardees may be reviewed : New Delhi :
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi’s alleged misuse of concessional airfare
could lead to a review of the rules governing privileges to other gallantry
award winners as well.[HT p10]
25. Muslims, SC/ST/s gained most : HDI report : New Delhi : India’s
Human Development Index (HDI) showed an impressive gain of 21%
between 1999-2000 and 2007-08 with the Muslims and the backwards
catching up with others on socio-economic indicators even though the gap
was still very big. [HT p10]
26. AIADMK Sweeps Local Body Polls, DMDK, which snapped its ties
with the ruling party after assembly poll, fared poorly : CHENNAI :
By the time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa finished answering
questions at a Bangalore trial court in a disproportionate assets case, the
answer to how good her government had performed in the first five
months of its latest tenure was there: An emphatic victory in the local body
elections, despite going it alone. [ET p1]
27. Modi govt slaps one more case on Sanjiv Bhatt : Ahmedabad :
Gujarat police have slapped one more case on suspended IPS officer
Sanjiv Bhatt for allegedly supplying false information for not appearing
before the police on September 30 after being summoned.[HT p13]
28. Co-accused in Sanjiv Bhatt case granted bail : Ahmedabad : The
Ahmedabad sessions court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to advocate
Vijay Kanara, who had drafted an affidavit filed by constable K.D. Panth
before the Supreme-Court-appointed amicus curiae but was later made a
co-accused in the Gujarat cadre IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt case.[The Hindu
p5]
29. CPI brass on fast, want Lokpal bill passed : New Delhi : Having a
penchant for organising bandhs and rallies to register their protest, the
Communists have now discovered the virtues of fasting at a time when
yatras and fasts are being increasingly used for mobilising support.[IE p2]
30. AFSPA to go from some parts of J&K : Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir
chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced revocation of
emergency laws that give sweeping powers to security forces from certain
areas of the state in the next few days. [TOI p17]
31. Congress blames internal sabotage for Hisar defeat : Chandigarh
:The Haryana congress on Friday passed a resolution to write to the
national leadership against ones who reportedly worked against the party
candidate Jai Parkash in the recent Hisar parliamentary bypoll. [HT p14]
32. BJP demands President’s rule in Manipur : New Delhi : The Bharatiya
Janata Party has demanded the immediate dismissal of the Secular
Progressive Front (SPF) government in Manipur and imposition of
President’s rule there, saying the economic as well as law and order
situation in the State had fast deteriorated.[The Hindu p7]
33. SP cycle yatra rolls from Maya park : Noida : On the day the Allahabad
high court cancelled land acquisition in three villages of Greater Noida, the
Samajwadi Party (SP) launched its campaign in western Uttar Pradesh for
the 2012 assembly elections with a cycle rally and Kranti Rath Yatra from
Noida to Agra.[HT p13]
34. SP banks on Salman power punch in UP : NEW DELHI: Ahead of next
year’s Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has
roped in Dabangg Salman Khan to give the party a knockout punch
against rivals.[AA p2]
35. UP’s eco growing as fast as Gujarat, ‘Backward’ State Has Kept Pace
With National Avg In Last 5 Yrs: RBI Survey : New Delhi: That Gujarat
is the flag-bearer of economic growth in recent years and Uttar Pradesh a
laggard, turns out to be a myth. Both the states have more or less
matched the national average over the last five years. [TOI p15]
36. 3 Noida Villages get Back Land, Higher Payment for Rest, Allahabad
HC order ends uncertainty for 2 lakh homebuyers, builders & farmers
in Noida Extn : GREATER NOIDA : The Allahabad High Court has
allowed farmland acquired under controversial circumstances on the
outskirts of Delhi to be used for residential and commercial development,
lifting the cloud of uncertainty that hung over builders, farmers and over
two lakh families. [ET p1]
37. Relief For 50,000 Flat Buyers; 10% Developed Land For Farmers, HC
clears Noida land acquisition, hikes payout, Deal Quashed In 3
Villages, No Flat Owner Affected : Allahabad: In a judgment that
sharply questions the UP government’s land acquisition policy but
showers relief on at least 50,000 home buyers, the Allahabad High Court
on Friday quashed the land acquisition in three villages in Noida but
cleared the acquisition of land in 60 other villages on the condition that
farmers are paid 64.7% more as compensation for the land acquired from
them and given 10% of the developed land (not exceeding 2,500 sq m).
[TOI p1]
38. Government delaying Development Work : MCD : New Delhi : The
MCD on Monday criticised the Delhi government for delaying at least 19
MCD road and 116 road repair projects by not making administrative
approvals on time. Chairman of the Standing Committee, Yogendra
Chandolia, alleged that the government is doing so deliberately to ruin the
image of the BJP-led MCD.[HT p2]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
39. NIA sees Hizb hand behind HC blast, Agency Looks For 3 New
‘Conspirators’, One Of Them Kin Of Accused In Jail: New Delhi:
Stepping up its hunt for key conspirators of the Delhi high court blast, NIA
on Friday disclosed for the first time terror outfit Hizb-ul Mujahideen’s role
in the incident and issued a ‘wanted’ notice for three of its cadre – all
residents of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. Through the notice, it
sought public help to trace them, saying they played a “crucial role” in the
conspiracy. [TOI p8]
40. There is no corrupt judge in SC: Katju, But Says Low Salaries Paid
To Judges Are Making Decent Living Difficult: New Delhi: “Chief
Justice of India S H Kapadia is a thoroughly honest man and there is no
corrupt judge in the Indian Supreme Court today,” Justice Markandey
Katju had said as a sitting judge of the apex court in an address to Indian
diaspora in California, US, in June. [TOI p20]
41. Court moved for deletion of MCOCA against Salem : New Delhi : The
Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to underworld don Abu Salem,
facing prosecution in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and other criminal
cases here in the Capital, on a petition by Delhi Police seeking dropping of
the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) charge against
him.[The Hindu p7]
42. Soumitra Sen’s removal proceedings challenged : New Delhi : A
Kolkata advocate has moved the Supreme Court questioning the
procedure adopted in Parliament for removal of Justice Soumitra Sen of
the Calcutta High Court, and sought a declaration that it was null and void
as it did not conform to the constitutional provisions.[The Hindu p12]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
43. Can’t rear snakes in your backyard to attack others, Hillary warns
Pakistan : Islamabad : As expected, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
on Friday delivered a blunt message and piled more pressure on Pakistan
to act against the Haqqani terror network within “days and weeks” and not
in ‘months and years’.[The Tribune p1]
44. US troops will be out of Iraq by year’s end : Washington : President
Barack Obama said on Friday the United States would fulfill its pledge to
pull troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. “After nearly nine years,
America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Obama told reporters. [HT p1]
