NEWS IN BRIEF – NOV 12, 2011
1. 2G trial begins with statements by 2 ADAG execs : New Delhi:
Trial in the 2G mobile spectrum allocation scam — involving top
politicians former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi
and corporate bigwigs — formally started on Friday with a court
recording the statements of top Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group executives who had appeared as prosecution
witnesses. [TOI p1]
2. India gives Pakistan return gift for MFN gesture :
Addu City (Maldives) : India on Thursday asked Pakistan to
put ‘all cards on the table’ during the next round of comprehensive
talks so that both countriescould actually move towards resolving
some of the issues bedeviling theirties.[The Hindu p1]
3. Sibal-Modi face-off over Gujarat’s dropout rate New Delhi:
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that there is a
lacunae in the primary school dropout rate data of his state has
backfired on him, with HRD minister Kapil Sibal pointing out that the
figure was supplied by the state government. [TOI p14]
4. Govt drops bail-out plan in face of opposition: New Delhi: It
may be a really bad time for the government to rescue Kingfisher
Airlines with political parties opposing civil aviation minister Vayalar
Ravi’s bid to organize a financial bailout for the Vijay
Mallyapromoted carrier. [TOI p14]
6. Joshi demands dismissal of Chidambaram : New Delhi :
Upping the ante on the 2G issue, BJP leader Murli Manohar on
Thursday demanded dismissal of home minister P
Chidambaram. He also demanded an enquiry into the home
minister’s alleged role in the spectrum scam. He
said the BJP will raise the issue in the winter session of
Parliament.[HT p13]
8. U. P. political parties wooing Brahmin vote bank : LUCKNOW :
Any thoughts of Ms. Mayawati having abandoned her ”social
engineering” formula (Dalits plus Brahmins) after coming to
power in 2007 can be dispelled now with the Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister scheduled to preside over two functions this weekend
aimed at wooing the Bramins for her electoral cause. [The Hindu
p5]
9. On High Court order, DDA de-seals 12 flats in Games Village :
NEW DELHI : In line with a Delhi High Court order, the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) on Friday de-sealed 12 flats in the
commonwealth Games Village. Of the 12 flats, six are in Tower
Number 5 and six in Tower 15.[IE p3]
10. Saarc nations vow to fight terror, reduce trade barriers : New
Delhi: Addu Atoll (Maldives): A joint commitment to fight all terror
threats, transnational organised crime and illegal drugs was an
important aspect of the declaration adopted by the members of the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) in
Maldives on Friday. [TOI p16]
11. Cong in a spot as Bhanwari probe gathers steam: Jaipur:
Sacked Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna was interrogated for
the second successive day, and joining the sleuths across the table
was Luni MLA Malkhan Singh Bishnoi at the CBI office on Friday.
[TOI p16]
12. Mamata Declares War on Maoists: West Bengal: chief minister
Mamata Banerjee upped the ante in her quasi-political fight with
Maoists of Jangalmahal on Friday. She threatened them with
bullets for bullets. She also reiterated her offer to welcome them
into the mainstream of life, if they so willed. But what was perhaps
very significant was the fact that she made a cross-border
reference: “You are running the government in Nepal and yet have
taken up arms here in Jangalmahal, killing poor people. [ET p2]
13. Ingenuous Indian Diplomacy : It is well known that Indian
politicians are hard-headed while serving personal interests but
faint-hearted while dealing with national interests. India’s Pakistan
policy, for example, remains based on hopes and gushy
expectations, rather than any farsighted strategy. Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh still dreams of open borders with terror-exporting
Pakistan. [ET p2]
14. Govt to face queries from PAC on CWG : NEW DELHI:The
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has sought Delhi Government’s
response on certain alleged irregularities pointed out by CAG in its
report on CWG projects.[HT p9]
16. BJP likely to win 110-135 UP Seats : New Delhi: on the basis
fo a pre-poll survey commissioned by the BJP ahead of next
year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly election the saffron party claims
that it will win 110 to 135 seats in the state. The party has also
zeroed in on corruption and price rise as two beg election issues
as indicted by people in the pre-poll survey.[AA p2]
17. Ex-bureaucrats rally behind CAG Demand That Govt Stop
Witch-Hunt : New Delhi: At a time when the Joint Parliamentary
Committee (JPC) has summoned comptroller and auditor general
Vinod Rai to appear as witness in the 2G scam, a group of retired
bureaucrats have got together to rally behind the apex auditor
demanding that the witch-hunt should stop. [TOI p19]
18. BJP to use woman power in UP: LUCKNOW: in oreder to
reach out to the largely untapped segment of female voters, the
BJP in Uttar Pradesh will now unleash women power in the state
to tap this segment. [AA p2]
19. 2G trial begins with statements by 2 ADAG execs : New Delhi:
Trial in the 2G mobile spectrum allocation scam — involving top
politicians former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi
and corporate bigwigs — formally started on Friday with a court
recording the statements of top Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group executives who had appeared as prosecution witnesses.
[TOI p19]
20. Fresh chargesheet against 2 in CWG scam: NEW DELHI: The
CBI on Friday filed two supplementary chargesheets before a
special CBI court against three people for allegedly trying to evade
arrest and trial in a Commonwealth Games-related corruption
case, relating to award of the Time-Scoring-Result (TSR) system
contract. [TOI p23]
21. Butter in short supply ahead of U. P. Polls: LUCKNOW Butter,
known as “makkhan” in local parlance, is bleaved to be the main
political ingredient during elections. [AA p2]
22. Cong finds balm in Nitish’s Anna New Delhi: Congress on
Friday said Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was correct in
rebuffing Team Anna’s bid to dictate the shape of the state’s
Lokayukta, relieved at the sight of Hazare’s criticism growing
beyond its stable. [TOI p23]
23. Nitish is Right on Team Anna: NEW DELHI : Congress has
seized upon political rival Nitish Kumar’s “don’t-issue-charactercertificates”
retort to Team Anna to drive home its point that the
anti-graft campaigners were crossing their limits. [ET p2]
24. Yeddy Gives BJP Sleepless Nights: BANGALORE : Out on bail,
former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa poses fresh
challenges for BJP’s central leadership. The party will need to
confront the clout of its tallest Karnataka leader but weakest link in
its campaign against the Congress-led central government on
corruption in high places. [ET p3]
25. Maderna May be Arrested Soon: NEW DELHI: Former
Rajasthan water resources minister Mahipal Maderna is likely to
be arrested in the Bhanwari Devi disappearance case soon. CBI
on Friday confronted Maderna with Congress MLA from Luni,
Malkhan Singh, in its attempt to solve the mystery behind
Bhanwari Devi’s disappearance. Maderna has admitted that he
had known health worker Bhanwari Devi for almost two years but
denied any role in her disappearance. [ET p3]
26. Wary Congress to sacrifice Gehlot NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Nurse
Bhanwri Devi’s disappearance case has made chief minister
Ashok Gehlot’s position untenable in Rajasthan. The problem is all
the more complex because Gehlot enjoys a wafer thing majority of
two in the Assembly and he also foces internal dissent. [Pioneer
Daily p1]
27. Maya nixes PM’s pushes own message: LUCKNOW: A letter
from Prime Minister Manmohan to school students has triggered a
political controversy in Uttar Pradesh with Chief Minister Mayawati
preventing it from being read in the State schools. She came out
with her own message to the students. [Pioneer Daily p1]
28. Police on high alert for Advani’s rally : New Delhi: After Baba
Ramdevand Anna Hazare, it is BJP leader LK Advani’s turn to visit
Ramlila Maidan to conclude his Rath Yatra. After the discovery of
a bomb on the route of the yatra in Tamil Nadu, police
have begun reviewing security arrangements to be put in place
in and around the ground.[HT p6]
29. BJP demands CAG probe into oil COS’ deficit claim:
LUCKNOW: Expressing its concern over the increasing price of
petrol and other related products, the BJP doubted the claim of oil
companies about their deficit and demanded CAG probe into it.
Terming Chief Minister Mayawati as fountainhead of corruption,
the BJP has asked her to fulfill her poll promise of sending SP
supreme and the them Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to jail
[Pioneer p6]
30. Delhi Master Plan to be revised next year : New Delhi : Rapid
changes in the city and newer challenges will lead to the revision
of Delhi Master Plan 2021 next year. Union urban development
minister Kamal Nath on Thursday said “ground realities” and the
fact that there are provisions of reviewing the plan every five
years have necessitated the move. Master Plan Delhi 2021 was
implemented in 2007 and will complete the stipulated five years in
2012.[HT p7]
31. Govt should fund polls: Advani :Jaipur: Senior BJP leader L K
Advani on Friday strongly pleaded for State funding of elections as
this would help in checking corruption and black money. [Pioneer
p7]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
32. Pak men in jail for 40 yrs appeals SC Raps Govt For Not
Upholding Right To Life, Seeks Detailed Pak Prisoners List:
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday was shocked to learn
that two Pakistanis have been lodged in a Jammu and Kashmir
prison for over 40 years and declared that it was constitutionally
bound to redress the situation as the upholder of right to life of
every person, whether he was an Indian or a foreigner. [TOI p11]
EDITORIAL/OPINION
33. Anna Takes On Nitish : Team Anna’s criticism of the JD(U)
government in Bihar for what it calls a weak Lokayukta Bill should
counter the notion that it is only targeting the Congress. However,
there is no denying that Nitish Kumar’s regime has adopted some
tough measures to tackle corruption, including confiscating the
assets of corrupt babus. Civil society groups can lobby and
promote awareness, but they can’t dictate legislation to
governments. [TOI p24]
