NEWS IN BRIEF – JAN 09, 2012
1. 183 finally return home from Pak : Attari (Wagah border): A little after
sunset on Sunday, 183 weary men trooped across the Wagah-Attari
border and into India, carrying their belongings over their shoulders. [TOI
p11]
2. Now, Cong faces Pawar problem over civic polls, NCP Demands 65
Seats, Gives 24-Hr Deadline: Mumbai: At a time when it is already
struggling to cope with a truculent ally in the Trinamool Congress, the
Congress is faced with a fresh headache. Nationalist Congress Party
president and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday issued an
ultimatum in the row over an alliance for the crucial Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation polls, forcing chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to
rush to Delhi for deliberations with his party’s high command. [TOI p1]
3. Don’t take NCP for granted: Pawar : Mumbai: NCP boss Sharad Pawar
on Sunday warned its alliance partner Congress that his party should not
be taken for granted.[TOI p11]
4. NRIs can vote in Indian elections: Manmohan : Jaipur: Reminding
non-resident Indians of the constitutional provision that allows them to
vote in Indian elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday told
a gathering of the diaspora from 60 countries that the government had
issued notification for registration of overseas voters. In other words, NRIs
can vote in the upcoming assembly elections in five states. [TOI p1]
5. Life cover fund for Indians abroad: PM : Jaipur: Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Sunday announced Overseas Indian Card for foreign
spouses of such card holders. “In the last session of Parliament, we
introduced a bill intended to merge and streamline People of Indian Origin
and Overseas Citizens of India schemes by amending the Citizenship
Act,” he said at the annual diaspora meet at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.
6. [TOI p8]
7. CVC to finalise draft on benami property rules by January-end : New
Delhi : The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is going to finalise its
draft anti-graft strategy aimed at checking flow of black money and benami
properties, among others, by the month-end. The CVC has also favoured
blacklisting of private firms and punishment for private parties through
suitable amendments in the existing laws.[Pioneer Daily p5]
8. CVC to finalise its draft anti-graft strategy soon : NEW DELHI: The
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is likely to finalise its draft anti graft
strategy aimed at checking flow of black money and benami properties,
among others, by the end of this month.[AA p3]
9. Sushma, Ahluwalia make a match of it! : New Delhi : Apart from the
fact that both are senior BJP leaders, what else is common between
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Deputy Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha SS Ahluwalia? It’s as interesting as it gets: The
colour of Swaraj’s sari and Ahluwalia’s turban is similar on six days of the
week. And their colour code change with the change in days.[Pioneer
Daily p1]
10. 2G : Unitech MD moves HC for quashing of of charges : New Delhi :
Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra, an accused in the 2G scam case, has
moved the Delhi high court seeking quashing of the charges framed
against him, saying the order by the trial court was passed in a “casual
and perfunctory manner“.[HT p11]
11. IAC ‘100% RSS front: Long-time aides tell Anna to correct course
:New Delhi : Anna Hazare refused to answer questions on the anticorruption
movement today as he left hospital after an eight-day stay.
However, many of his long-time associates said they used the time in
hospital to advise him to make a course correction, particularly as regards
India Against Corruption and its “100 per cent RSS leanings”.[IE p1]
12. Anna trust accused of diverting funds : New Delhi: Council for
Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (Capart) had
given a grant of Rs 1 lakh to Anna Hazare-led Hind Swaraj Trust (HST) for
watershed development in three villages in 1999-2001 but more than 90%
of the money was spent on honorarium, travelling, printing and stationery,
the Supreme Court was told. [TOI p8]
13. My fight against corruption will continue : Anna Hazare : Pune : Amid
talk of the Jan Lokpal movement being directionless, anti-corruption
activist Anna Hazare on Sunday said he would not be undertaking the tour
to campaign against the Congress in the five poll-bound States because of
his poor health.[The Hindu p5]
14. Anna gives his lokpal fight a health break : PUNE: Anna Hazare says
he has been fighting corruption for the last 25 years, but the next one
month will be dedicated to his health. The 74-year-old activist, who doesn’t
see eye to eye with the government on the lokpal bill, is all ears to doctors’
advice and intends to rest for a month.[HT p1]
15. Sukhram back in Hospital : SC to take up bail plea today : Former
Union minister Sukhram has been moved to ICU of a city hospital again as
doctors said his condition deteriorated soon after he moved to Tihar Jail
on Saturday to serve a three-year sentence in the 1993 telecom scam
case.[HT p1]
16. Gadkari blames Congress for nation’s ills : Mumbai : Bharatiya Janata
Party national president Nitin Gadkari on Sunday criticised the Congress’
historical rule since Independence and blamed the party for the “poor”
state of affairs in the country.[The Hindu p11]
17. CEC: `Money power’ a problem in Punjab, UP : NEW DELHI: The
Election Commission said Sunday that the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh
Assembly election would not be held on February 4 as scheduled as the
“Barawafat” festival (marking Prophet Mohammed’s birthday) was likely to
fall that day.[AA p1]
18. BJP Defers Entry for Kushwaha, BSP oustee won’t be part of party
till his name is cleared in NRHM scam: Hussain: NEW DELHI : A
desperate BJP on Sunday attempted to stamp out the flames of
Kushwaha fire by putting the BSP oustee’s membership under
suspension. BJP’s central leadership choreographed an elaborate
exercise for providing a face saver to both party president Nitin Gadkari,
the man behind the induction proposal, as well as neo-convert Babu Singh
Kushwaha.[ET p1]
19. Munde : CBI action on Kushwaha is a conspiracy : Mumbai : Senior
BJP leader Gopinath Munde on Sunday said that CBI action against Babu
Singh Kushwaha was a conspiracy by the BSP and Congress. He said
that no action had been taken against the former UP minister when he
was inducted in BJP. However, the CBI raided his house only a day after
his induction in BJP.[AA p2]
20. Kushwaha may now face money-laundering probe : New Delhi :
Former Uttar Pradesh minister Babu Singh Kushwaha is now under the
Enforcement Directorate radar. The ED may register a money laundering
case against Kushwaha after the CBI recently registered a case against
him for alleged irregularities in funds allocated to the National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM).[HT p1]
21. To rope in OBCs, BJP uses Kushwaha : NEW DELHI: Even as he
preferred to stay out of the BJP till he proved his “innocence“ in a health
scam, former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha has pledged support to
the saffron party in UP to buttress the OBC quota.[HT p9]
22. Gogoi’s son gets a pat from ULFA for focusing on Assam economy :
Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son Gaurav Gogoi, who
has just announced his entry into public life by launching a forum called
Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFFP), on Friday got his first
congratulatory message from none other than the outlawed United
Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).[IE p7]
23. EC defers UP first phase to Feb 8 due to Barawafat : Lucknow: The
Election Commission on Sunday announced a change in the election date
in UP — instead of beginning on February 4 as previously announced, the
polls will start on February 8. The change was made as the date of the
first phase, February 4, was coinciding with Barawafat, the Prophet’s birth
anniversary. [TOI p10]
24. Sparring scions: Akhilesh connects, Rahul inspires: Lucknow: In
distinctly different styles — their similar attire notwithstanding — the two
flag-bearers of dynastic politics, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and SP’s
Akhilesh Yadav, have hit the campaign trail talking the same language of
development and promise of change.[TOI p10]
25. RLD’s Two Top Leaders Become Samajwadis, Anuradha Chowdhury,
Shahid Siddiqui not happy with Ajit Singh’s decision to tie up with
Congress : LUCKNOW : In a setback to the Rashtriya Lok Dal, its Rajya
Sabha MP Shahid Siddiqui and Anuradha Chowdhury, the party’s national
general secretary, on Sunday joined the Samajwadi Party ahead of the UP
Assembly polls. [ET p3]
26. Mulayam Promises Free Education, Water if Elected : LUCKNOW :
Come election time, it’s the turn of political parties to turn into Santas.
Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday played the
populism card by promising to provide free water supply to farmers,
medical care and education to the poor if voted to power in Uttar Pradesh.
[ET p3]
27. No sign of ‘pride’ in UP election campaign : NEW DELHI: “Uttar
Pradesh Pride“ is missing from the election campaign theme with the key
political parties focusing more on castes, corruption and governance this
time in the electoral battle they are fighting with the spirit of “now or
never“.[AA p2]
28. BSP defector finds place in 5th Congress UP list : NEW DELHI:
Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, who defected from the BSP last week, figures in
the fifth list of 62 candidates announced by the Congress on Sunday for
the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The party has replaced eight
candidates. The party has given prominence to Muslims and backward
castes candidates in the state witnessing multi-cornered contests.[AA p2]
29. Parties Differ on EC’s Decision to Cover Statues of Mayawati : NEW
DELHI : As statues of BSP supremo Mayawati and her party symbol were
being draped in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission order unleashed
a torrent of reactions from political parties — some castigating and others
lauding it. [ET p3]
30. BJP running ‘most corrupt’ governments in States: Rahul :
Gorakhpur : Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress general
secretary Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said, the Opposition party was taking
corrupt Ministers sacked by others and was running the “most corrupt”
governments in States ruled by it.[The Hindu p10]
31. Cong Reaches Out to Mamata, Need for better communication
between Cong and TMC, says Khurshid: NEW DELHI : The Congress
on Sunday acknowledged that there was need for better communication
between it and the ally Trinamool Congress. The statement comes in the
wake of the confrontation between the two parties in West Bengal and
chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s assertion that the Congress was free to
walk out of the alliance. [ET p3]
32. 3 days, 100 statues, 10 parks, and multiplied : Lucknow : By
Wednesday 5 pm, the Election Commission wants “each and every statue
of elephant” and “each and every statue of Ms Mayawati”, built in Uttar
Pradesh, with public money, in public places, “suitably covered”.[IE p1]
33. BJP slams Rahul’s remark on Ram : Lucknow : Reacting to Congress
general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s statement that the BJP had sold the
name of Lord Ram, the BJP today said that Rahul Gandhi did not know
Lord Ram’s legacy.[IE p4]
34. No rift with Mamata: Khurshid : New Delhi : The Congress on Sunday
dismissed reports about cracks in the ruling United Progressive Alliance
saying “too much” should not be read into the angry outburst of West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.[The Hindu p5]
35. Punjabi Non-Resident Indians Cool to Poll-Time Overtures :
CHANDIGARH : Punjab polls have failed to enthuse non-resident Indians
despite the attempts of all major political parties of the state to reach out to
them ever since Manpreet Singh Badal addressed a sizeable gathering
during his visit to Canada. [ET p3]
36. Manpreet plays safe, picks Maur as second seat : BATHINDA:
People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) president Manpreet Singh Badal on
Sunday decided to contest from the Maur seat of Bathinda, apart with
Gidderbaha, seeking to gain from the in-fighting in other parties.[HT p9]
37. CBI bats for whistleblower, Says Multi-Crore Haryana Scam Fit For
Independent Probe: New Delhi: The CBI has said that the multi-crore
forestry scam in Haryana, which was exposed by whistleblower Sanjiv
Chaturvedi, a young forest official, is a fit case for it to investigate
independently. [TOI p8]
38. Another Tiwari loyalist gets a poll ticket : New Delhi: Congress has
given ticket to N D Tiwari loyalist Arendra Sharma for the Uttarakhand
elections, triggering speculation about the state of equations between the
party leadership and the veteran politician who quit as Andhra Pradesh
governor in controversial circumstances. [TOI p10]
39. Another Karnataka BJP MLA facing land scam charges : BELLARY:
One more ruling BJP legislator on Sunday joined the list of party leaders
facing land scam charges in Karnataka following a private complaint being
filed against Somalingappa with Bellary Incharge Deputy Commissioner
Kashinath Pawar. [HT p8]
40. Maderna offered to quash cases against accused: CBI : NEW DELHI:
The CBI probe into the murder of Jodhpur nurse Bhanwari Devi has
revealed that former Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna, who has been
accused in the case, promised co-accused Bishnaram Bishnoi to get
around 40 criminal cases lodged by the state police against him
quashed.[HT p11]
41. In Manipur, Congress well placed for a hat-trick : Imphal : The
advancing of the date for the Assembly elections in Manipur to January 28
has caught political parties unawares. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh,
on an inauguration spree of several new government facilities — only last
month did he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cut the ribbon for four
new building complexes in Imphal — had several more openings lined up
but now finds himself restrained by the model code of conduct. [The
Hindu p10]
42. MP Congress set for jail bharo today : BHOPAL: The daggers are
drawn in Madhya Pradesh between the main Opposition Congress and
the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and there would be a major showdown
between the two arch rivals as the Congress is ready to go ahead with its
state-wide “jail bharo” (court arrest) agitation against the Shivraj Singh
Chouhan-led state government on Monday.[AA p2]
43. MP Lokayukta : Guv tells govt to look into complaint : Bhopal :
Taking cognizance of a complaint alleging that the Lokayukta was
appointed in violation of procedures, Governor Ramnaresh Yadav has
asked the Madhya Pradesh government to take necessary action in this
regard.[IE p2]
44. Winter session begins today, Thorny Issues Not On List: New Delhi:
The winter session of the Delhi Assembly, the last one before the
municipal polls, is expected to be politically stormy. While Sheila Dikshit’s
government is preparing to highlight its achievements in the run-up to the
April polls, the BJP is gearing up to focus on the failures of the Congress
regime. [TOI p6]
45. BJP demands FIR in illegal colonies scam case : New Delhi : Former
Union Minister Vijay Goel on Friday led a delegation of BJP leaders to
meet Delhi Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin and demanded that the two
people who signed the fraud provisional certificates provided to the
unauthorised colonies- which existed only in name should be booked.[The
Hindu p4]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
46. Rajesh Talwar’s bail plea in SC today : New Delhi: The Supreme Court
will hear the bail petition of Dr Rajesh Talwar on Monday, two days after
he was asked by the apex court to face trial along with his wife Nupur for
the murder of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj.
[TOI p1]
BUSINESS NEWS
47. Foreign Investors Set to Lose Special Rights, RBI refuses to allow
FDI with options despite commerce ministry approving the practice:
MUMBAI : The dilemma among policymakers over allowing special rights
to foreign investors acquiring strategic stakes in local companies has once
again turned up like the proverbial bad penny. Even after the government
clarified that such rights, in the form of inbuilt options in foreign direct
investment (FDI), are permissible, the Reserve Bank of India is unwilling
to approve the practice. [ET p1]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
48. China will ‘make efforts’ to improve relations with India: top official :
Beijing : A top Chinese diplomat said on Sunday that China would “make
concerted efforts” to improve relations with India in 2012, in comments
seen as an attempt to draw a line over recent differences that have
strained ties between the neighbours.[The Hindu p1]
49. Resignation? But why? Nobody has sought it: Zardari : Islamabad:
Amidst continuing tensions between Pakistan’s government and the army
over the memo scandal, president Asif Ali Zardari has said that no one
had sought his resignation to defuse the political crisis, making light of
suggestions that the military had offered him an “escape” route. [TOI p14]
