Parl uproar over Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill, SC/ST reservation Dec 10, 8:57 PM Both the

Houses of Parliament witnessed repeated adjournments today on several i ssues including the reservation for promotions to SCs and STs in government jobs . The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at 2 PM on the reservation issue wit h Samajwadi Party members protesting against the Constitutional Amendment bill. The Lo Sabha was adjourned at the fag end of the day with opposition parties de manding that the Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill, 2012 be referred to the Standing C ommittee. In the Rajya Sabha, the agitating SP members trooped into the well of the House as soon as the Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy moved the bill for consideration and passsing. Amidst din, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned th e House for the day. Proceedings in the Lo Sabha were disrupted twice as the opposition members incl uding Left parties demanded that the Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill be referred to the Standing Committee once again. They said some of the provisions of the bill are out of the purview of the previous Standing Committee. Earlier, the Lower Ho use passed the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Bill, 2012, amidst the wal out by the opposition members excluding Trinamool Congress . The bill see s to recover the huge loans from defaulting Corporate Houses. Rep lying to the discussion, Finance Minister P Chidambaram clarified that the provi sions of the bill are not applicable to the loans less than ten la h rupees. He also made it clear that the legislation will not affect the farming community. In the pre-lunch session, the Lo Sabha too up a Calling Attention Motion on th e plight of coconut growers in general and Tamil Nadu in particular. Corporate A ffairs Minister Sachin Pilot introduced the Competition Amendment Bill, 2012, ai med at authorising search and seizure to the Director General for investigations . // BJP demands probe into alleged spending in India by Walmart Dec 10, 8:41 PM BJP has demanded an investigation into the alleged spending in India by the glob al retail giant Walmart for lobbying. Tal ing to reporters in New Delhi today, p arty Spo esman Ravi Shan er Prasad, quoting media reports, said the retail giant had spent 125 crore rupees in India for lobbing since 2008. Mr Prasad said the Prime Minister should clarify on the issue. The BJP leader said Walmart should n ot be allowed to open its shop in India till the investigation is complete. On the question of reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled T ribes in government jobs, Mr Prasad said BJP has always advocated for social Jus tice and benefits subject to constitutional parameters. // India to press for handing over of Hafeez Saeed during Pa Interior Min visit Dec 10, 8:59 PM India will press for handing over of LeT founder and 26/11 Mumbai terror attac mastermind Hafeez Saeed during the visit of Pa istan's Interior Minister Rehman Mali beginning December 14th.Addressing a press conference in New Delhi today, Home Minister Sushil umar Shinde said he told Mali , when they met in Maldives o n the sidelines of a SAARC inter-ministerial conference in September this year, that Saeed was moving freely in Pa istan and he should be handed over to India.

Shinde said he will also see voice samples of the handlers of the terrorists wh o carried out the Mumbai terror attac in 2008 that left 166 persons dead. Shinde, however, declined to comment on the legal proceedings related to 26/11 c ase going on in that country saying the matter was subjudice. During the day,Shinde said that Mali has written to him confirming his visit fr om December 14th to 16th. Both India and Pa istan will operationalise the liberalised visa agreement durin g Mali 's visit. The new visa regime will replace a 38-year-old restrictive acco rd and will pave the way for time-bound visa approval and greater people- to-peo ple contact and trade. // India, U raine sign five pacts Dec 10 India and U raine today signed five agreements to enhance cooperation including in areas of defence, Nuclear energy, Science and Technology and also to remove b arriers for trade. The two countries also agreed to raise the bilateral cooperat ion to a Comprehensive partnership level. The pacts were signed at the end of de legation level tal s between visiting U raine President Victor Yanu ovich and Pr ime Minister Manmohnan Singh at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Dr. Singh said efforts are also on to address the issue of trade balance. Bilate ral trade between the India and U raine had doubled in the last five years to ne arly 2.9 billion dollars. // Parl resolves to promote social progress, better standards of life Dec 10 Both the Houses of Parliament have reaffirmed faith in human rights and resolved to promote social progress and better standards of life for all. Ma ing a refer ence to the anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Lo Sabh a, Spea er Meira Kumar said human rights are inalienable rights of each and ever y one and bind them together as a global community. Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohamme d Hamid Ansari said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone doc ument. He said the declaration provides an opportunity to remember the ideals of universality and indivisibility of fundamental human rights. He said the day, t his year, focuses on the rights of all -- women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and the marginalized -- to ma e their voices heard in public and be included in political decision-ma ing. The Chairman said India has always reinfo rced its commitment towards the protection and promotion of human rights and con demned any acts of violation of human rights. // Govt introduces in Parl Bill to amend Competition Act Dec The Act on 10 government today introduced in Parliament the Bill to amend the Competition which, among other things, will require the Competition Commission to decide corporate mergers within 180 days.

Once in place, the Bill will allow the Competition Commission of India (CCI) cha irperson to authorise 'search and seizure' to its Director General (DG) for inve stigations. Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot introduced 'The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2012' in the Lo Sabha to amend the Competition Act 2002.

The amendments, approved by the Cabinet in October, are aimed at fine-tuning the regulations to bring rules on par with the prevailing scenario and in light of the experiences gained over the past years. CCI has the mandate to ensure that the merger and acquisition deals between vari ous entities do not lead to situations that affect competition in the mar etplac e. Once passed, the time period for CCI to decide on combinations would come down t o 180 days from 210 days. The amended Act would grant powers to CCI chief to allow the DG to carry out sea rch and seizure activities related to investigations. DG is the investigating ar m of fair trade regulator CCI. // Khurshid: India, China moving in right direction on border issue Dec 10 External Affair Minister Salman Khurshid said today that India and China are mov ing sensibly in the right direction on the border issue and it is comforting for both countries. He said that no immediate result however is expected from the t al s as it is a very complicated and sensitive issue. Mr. Khurshid said, a slow but steady improvement in the overall situation is expected. On reports of India freezing development assistance to Maldives following its go vernment's decision to ta e over the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport in Male from GMR-led consortium, the minister denied any such development and said it w as essentially a legal issue. On reports of Walmart allegedly bribing official to get entry into the country, he said they are conducting an enquiry and it is hoped they would share the find ings with India. // Judicial custody of Jundal extended by 12 days Dec 10 The judicial custody of LeT terrorist and 26/11 Mumbai attac ey handler Abu Ju ndal was today extended by 12 days by a Delhi Court in a case lodged by the NIA against him for allegedly conspiring to launch terror stri es across the country . Jundal was produced before District Judge I S Mehta in an in-chamber proceeding and the court extended his judicial custody till December 22 after National Inve stigation Agency (NIA) said its probe into the case is still going on, the court sources said. The NIA had lodged an FIR against Jundal following the unearthing of a Lash ar-e -Toiba's (LeT) conspiracy for terror stri es across the country. The court had first remanded Jundal to judicial custody on October 20 after the NIA said he was not required for further custodial interrogation in connection w ith the case. Gujarat ATS too had earlier ta en Jundal's custody for questioning on his allege d role in the 2006 Karanawati Express train blast at Ahmedabad station. Jundal i s alleged to be one of the main conspirators of the blast. // Centre to states: Not to allow security forces engaged in counter-insurgency ope rations to occupy school buildings

Dec 10 The Centre has as ed the states not to allow security forces engaged in the coun ter-insurgency operations to occupy school buildings. The Union Minister for Hum an Resource Development-HRD, Mr M.M Pallam Raju said that occupation of schools by security forces in Naxal-affected districts, has been one of the reasons for the extremists targeting educational institutions. Mr Raju said this while addre ssing the National Consultation on Education in Areas Affected by Civil Strife, organised by UNICEF in New Delhi today. He said that clear-cut instructions have been issued to the states to ensure that no school building is used or occupied by the security forces. The HRD Minister also as ed the collectors of the miner al-rich Naxal- affected districts to utilize the Corporate Social Responsibility funds to construct girls' toilets and address the drin ing water problem in sch ool premises. // K ta a CM writes to PM to consult state before forming Cauvery Management Board Dec 10 Chief Minister of Karnata a Jagadish Shetter informed on the sidelines of legisl ative Assembly that he has written to the Prime Minister to consult the state be fore forming the Cauvery Management Board. He explained that original suit on Ca uvery river water sharing is pending before the Supreme Court, as also the clari fication petition is also pending in the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and hen ce the Central Government should call a meeting of all the four Chief Ministers of Cauvery belt before constituting the Board. During the Cauvery Monitoring Com mittee meeting last wee , it was informed that the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee will be constituted to sort out the diffi culties in sharing of water in the Cauvery basin without any outside influence. Similar Boards li e the Bha ra Beas Management Board and the Tungabhadra Board a re wor ing similarly in sharing of water between co-basin states. // Shinde to ta e up file on mercy petition of Afzal Guru after Parl winter session Dec 10 Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today said, he will ta e up the file on mercy petition of Parliament attac convict Afzal Guru after the winter session of Par liament. Spea ing to reporters in New Delhi Shinde said, the file has come bac from Rastrapati Bhavan. He also said, the infiltration from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir is on the increase. Mr. Shinde however said, no untoward inci dent has ta en place. He also reiterated that the Armed Forces Special Powers Ac t (AFSPA) will not be withdrawn from the state until situation improves. On Telegana, the home minister said, the meeting of all parties from Andhra prad esh will be held on 28th of this month. He said, the process of consultation wil l continue till the issue is resolved. // Govt to tax evaders: Disclose correct income or face action Dec 10 The government today as ed tax evaders either disclose their correct income and pay advance tax by December 15 or be prepared to face action. Spea ing to reporters in New Delhi, Revenue Secretary S umit Bose urged all assessees to disclose their true income. Mr Bose said, there is no advantage in suppressing the true income or avoiding paying income tax th at is due. However, Mr Bose regretted that there was gross-understatement in fil ing of advance tax by assessees. The secretary said, sooner than later, the info rmation available with the income tax department will lead the department to the doors of such persons. Mr Bose said that during assessment year 2012-13, only 14.62 la h assessees including professionals and companies have declared their taxable income of over 10 la h rupees and added that any fair minded person will agree that this is a gross under statement. AIR correspondent reports that, the direct

tax collection during April-October wor ed outto be over 3 la h crore rupees , showing an increase of 6.59 per cent as against the annnual growth target of 15 per cent. The government proposes to collect 5.70 la h crore rupees from direct taxes, which include income tax, corporate tax and wealth tax, this fiscal. // Kalam to inaugurate 2day Southern Regional Science Congress beginning from Dec 1 5 Dec 10 Former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the two-day Southern Regio nal Science Congress, beginning in Coimbatore from December 15. With the central theme of Science for Shaping the future of India, nearly 500 sc ientists, 200 delegates and 1,000 students, including budding scientists across the Country, would participate in the conference, which was being held in commem oration of the Centenary Celebrations of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). // India to IMO: Shift high ris area away from country's fishing zones Dec 10 With Indian fishermen coming under fire from foreign ship, India today said it h as as ed the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to shift the high ris ar ea away from the country's fishing zones. Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh told the Lo Sabha, some foreign vessels transit very close to Indian Wes t Coast to avoid piracy attac by Somalian pirates, leading to their transgressi on into the fishing zone utilised by Indian fishermen.He said this relates to th e High Ris Area, West of 78 degrees East Longitude,declared by the IMO. Singh said India has been raising the issue very actively at the United Nations and other agencies. The minister said Indian Coast Guard has been carrying out regular patrolling an d air surveillance to ensure coastal security.He said the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and other agencies have already issued advisories to merchant vess els transiting the area to be careful about small fishing boats.A Navigational W arning 'NAVAREA' has also been issued by the Chief Hydrographer of India sensiti sing the transiting merchant traffic about fishing activities in the area. The minister said the Coast Guard also conducted regular community interaction p rogrammes with the fishing community to apprise them about the safety measures t o be observed to ensure safety at sea. At least two incidents of fishermen being harmed by merchant ships in the Arabia n Sea, including illing of two by Italian naval men, have been reported this ye ar. // Govt determined to go ahead with economic reforms after winning Parl vote on FDI Dec 10 The Government is now determined to go ahead with economic reforms after winning the Parliament vote on Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, in multi-brand Retail se ctor. Briefing the media in New Delhi today, Congress spo esman P C Chac o said the party is confident that the country's farmers will fully benefit from FDI an d get better prices for their products.

Mr Chac o said the ahul Gandhi. He is r Chac o added. In a question he said

elections in 2014 will be fought under the leadership of Mr R going to ta e higher responsibility in the party very soon, M reply to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will continue to be the supreme

leader of the Congress Party. // Kudan ulam Project row: Anti-nuclear activists step up protests Dec 10 With the commissioning of the Kudan ulam Nuclear Power Project expected by the m onth-end, anti-nuclear activists stepped up their protests and laid a siege to t he plant from the sea today. The protesters including fishermen, laid the 'sea s iege' positioning themselves in about 200 boats 500 metres away from the plant. The protesters waved blac flags and shouted slogans demanding scrapping of the plant. However,response to the protest from fisherfol was lu ewarm fisherfol compared to the earlier ones.This the third such protest by the anti-nuclear activists w ho are insisting on shutting down of the plant and withdrawal of cases filed aga inst them. A large posse of police in addition to several companies of CRPF and CISF has be en deployed to eep a vigil in and around the plant. AIR correspondent reports,the first unit of the project with capacity to produce 1000 MW was scheduled to be commissioned in December last year but had been del ayed due to protests by locals on safety concerns. Minister of State in the PMO, V Narayanasamy said yesterday in Tirunelveli that Atomic Regulatory Board officials were still inspecting the plant. A meeting of the Board officials was held on December 3rd, and order for commencing power gen eration would be issued before this month-end. // Morsi orders army to ta e on police powers ahead of referendum Dec 10 Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has ordered the army to ta e on police powers i n the run-up to a divisive constitutional referendum that has triggered mass str eet protests. The decree, published in the government gazette, ta es effect from today, the ev e of mass rival protests on the referendum and follows street clashes that have left seven people dead and hundreds injured. The decree orders the military to fully cooperate with police to preserve securi ty and protect vital state institutions for a temporary period, up to the announ cement of the results from the referendum. It also gives the army the right to a rrest civilians, according to the decree. The military, which ruled Egypt between the ouster of former president Hosni Mub ara in February 2011 and the election of Morsi in June this year, has sought to remain neutral in the political crisis. The opposition, made up of secular, liberal, leftwing and Christian groups, has said it will escalate its protests to scupper the referendum. Yesterday, the mai n opposition group, the National Salvation Front, called for huge protests in Ca iro to reject the December 15 referendum. // UNAMA convenes consultation meet for inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue Dec 10 The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has convened consul tation meetings in preparation for an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue. A stateme

nt issued by the UNAMA in Kabul today said this dialogue is non-official and int ended to provide Afghan people with the opportunity to informally present and di scuss their future visions of Afghanistan. These consultations will engage repre sentatives of civil society, women s groups, political leaders and religious figur es to obtain their views on how the informal dialogue process should be organize d. UNAMA s role in the process is limited to hosting the meetings and facilitating dialogue among Afghans of all political stances and bac grounds. According to t he statement the purpose of the dialogue is to support and Afghan-led and Afghan -owned process of peace and reconciliation. // Over 8 illed in Pa militant attac Dec 10 At least eight people were illed after militants stormed a police station near Bannu, a town bordering Pa istan's tribal areas, police say. Details of how the attac unfolded are unclear. Reports say militants attac ed the station with gre nades and arms spar ing a gun battle. Three policemen and two attac ers were illed as were three civilians who were a t an adjacent mosque, police say. The Pa istani Taliban have said they carried o ut the attac . They said it was to avenge the death of a relative of their forme r chief Baitullah Mehsud. The attac on the police station lasted for about an hour and the nearby mosque and shops in the area were also damaged during the attac . The Pa istani Taliban frequently target security forces in Pa istan's volatile n orth-west. This attac happened in the Ka i area, 13 ilometers south-west of Ba nnu. The region is adjacent to the North Waziristan tribal area, nown as a stro nghold for a number of militant factions. // 2 Afghan provincial officials illed in Afghanistan Dec 10 Two senior Afghan provincial officials were illed in two separate insurgency re lated incidents in Afghanistan today. Najia Sediqi, the head of women s affairs de partment in eastern Laghman province was shot dead by un nown gunmen in Mazoz ar ea this morning. Official sources said the gunmen started firing on her while sh e was on the way to her office. Najia Sediqi s death comes five months after the a ssassination of her predecessor Henifa Safi who was illed in a blast of a magne tic bomb attached to her car. Her husband was also illed in the blast. In another incident provincial police chief of western Nimroz province, General Mohammad Musa Rosoli, was illed in a roadside bomb blast this morning. He was r eturning to Nimroz from Herat when his vehicle struc a roadside bomb in Aders a n district. One of his bodyguards was also injured in the blast. No group has so far claimed responsibility for both the incidents. // N Korea extends roc et launch by 1 wee Dec 10 North Korea has extended the window for its planned roc et launch by one wee du e to technical problems, saying it is pushing on with the mission despite intern ational condemnation. In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, the Korean Committee of Space Technology said it was extending the wind ow to December 29. North Korea says the roc et launch is a peaceful mission aimed at putting a sate llite into orbit. But the United States, Japan and South Korea say the launch is a disguised ballistic missile test, banned under UN resolutions prompted by the

North's nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. Japan is threatening to shoot down any roc et debris that may threaten its territory. // S. African Prez spo esman: Mandela doing well Dec 10 Former South African President Nelson Mandela is said to be doing well after spe nding a second night in the Pretoria hospital where he was admitted on Saturday. Presidential spo esman Mac Maharaj said Mr Mandela, 94, was comfortable and ther e was no cause for alarm. He would undergo further tests for an undisclosed cond ition. Mr Mandela was visited by President Jacob Zuma yesterday, who said he was loo in g well after a restful night. News of the hospital stay has prompted much concer n in South Africa. The former president is revered at home and around the world for leading the str uggle against white-minority rule before becoming South Africa's first blac pre sident in 1994. // Winter session of Delhi Legislative Assembly to begin tomorrow Dec 10 The winter session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly will begin from tomorrow. T he session which will continue up to 14th of this month will have four sittings. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, the Spea er, Dr. Yoganand Shastri said that ov er 300 notices of questions have been received by the Secretariat for this sessi on.He said, one Government Bill- Delhi Value Added Tax(Ammenment) Bill,2012 will be introduced. Our correspondent reports that various issues including allowing Foreign Direct Investment in multi -brand retail, non- regularization of unauth orised colonies in Delhi and situation of power, water and increased prices of L PG will be ta en up for discussion. // AP govt increases input subsidy to Rs. 10,000 Dec 10 The Andhra Pradesh government has increased input subsidy for paddy from existin g Rs.6,000 to Rs. 10,000 per hectare for farmers who suffered losses due to Neel am cyclone. The input subsidy for all other crops being grown in the state is al so increased by 67% on pro-rata basis. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy made thi s announcement in Legislative Council today while replying to the discussion on loses that the state suffered due to recent Neelam cyclone. He said the state su ffered losses to the tune of Rs.3,566 crore on account of nelam cyclone and a me morandum see ing financial assistance in this respect is being sent to the centr al government today. He said he will exert pressure on the central government to purchase paddy that got soa ed or discoloured due to rains and also request the centre to purchase cotton directly from farmers as per the rate announced by th e Cotton Corporation of India . He assured that the government will provide all assistance to Neelam-cyclone affected farmers. Earlier, the opposition parties c harged the government with failure in providing succor to the neelam affected pe ople. // Hindi, Santhali, Oriya & Panjabi to be used as official language in WB Dec 10 In West Bengal Hindi, Santhali, Oriya and Panjabi language will be used as offic ial language. The West Bengal official language (second amendment) bill 2012 was adopted for this purpose in the state Assembly today. Under the provisions of t he bill such language will be used as official language where the population of

Hindi, Santhali, Oriya and Panjabi spea ing people exceeds 10 percent as a whole or part of the district li e Sub-division or Bloc . // J hand police receives email warning of terror stri es in Delhi, Mumbai & Ranchi Dec 10 The Jhar hand police had received an email warning of terror stri es in Delhi, M umbai and Ranchi in connection with the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition o n December 6. The Director General of Police Gouri Shan ar Rath said in Ranchi, today.He had r eceived the mail, sent from a Yahoo account, on December five. He said that the mail was received not only by me but also countrywide by police officials. Another senior police officer said, it appeared to be a fa e e-mail, yet informa tion has been sought from Yahoo's Singapore office in this regard. Mr. Rath said all the district police chiefs had been as ed to remain alert soon after the message was received. // Temperature across Kashmir below freezing point, Leh coldest place Dec 10 The night temperature across Kashmir dipped below freezing point with Leh in Lad a h remaining the coldest place in the region. According to the meteorological department the minimum temperature recorded at L eh was minus 11.0 degrees Celsius. The night temperature in other parts of the Valley including Capital Srinagar wa s also below freezing point. The famous s i resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest place in the v alley with a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius. // WB Govt to setup University exclusively for women Dec 10 The West Bengal Government has decided to setup a University exclusively for wom en for imparting higher education to them. The University will be setup on 7 acr es of land at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas District. The Diamond Harbour women s University bill was adopted in the State Assembly today for this purpose. Replying on the discussions of the bill the State Education Minister Mr. Bratya Basu said that, such type of University will be first of its ind in Eastern In dia. He said that, 10 crore rupees will be spent initially for setting up infras tructure of the University. // WB govt to release 51 lifers Dec 10 The West Bengal government has decided to release 51 lifers currently lodged at different jails in the state. Announcing this in Kol ata today the Chief Ministe r Miss Mamata Banerjee said that the decision was ta en to honour the World Huma n Rights Day today. Miss Banerjee informed that the government earlier released 83 lifers and 45 political prisoners after coming to power. Meanwhile, the World Human Rights Day is being observed throughout the state with variety of program mes. State Human Rights Commission has organised a special programme in Kol ata this evening to mar the day. // Sonia: Time has come to bring change in Guj

Dec 10 Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that only Congress can give good living conditions to the common people and now time has come to bring change in Gujara t. Addressing a rally at Anand in Kheda district in Central Gujarat, Mrs. Gandhi said that BJP Government in the state has misused the money given by the Centre for the welfare of poor people. Congress President alleged that UPA Government has allotted Rs.2500 crore to construct l lac 40 thousand homes in the state und er the JnNURM scheme, but the State Government has built only 50 thousand homes. 90 thousand poor people are still homeless in the state, she alleged. Refuting allegations of Gujarat Government about injustice from UPA Government Mrs.Gandhi said that NDA Government had allotted 50 percent less amount in comparison to U PA. Earlier, union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde came down heavily on deteriorat ing law and order situation in poll bound Gujarat. Tal ing to media persons, aft er addressing public meeting at A ota in Central Gujarat, Mr.Shinde said that mo re than 13 lac criminal cases have been registered in state during the last 10 y ears of Narendra Modi Government. Commenting of BJP s poll promise of 50 lac homes in next five years, Mr.Shinde said that construction of more than 2700 homes a day is only illusion. Mr.Shinde said that Congress never want to came in power o n the name of religion and caste.Addressing public meeting at Santrampur of trib al belt, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that BJP government is committed for the development of tribal people of the state. He said that his Government will provide drin ing and irrigation water to the tribal areas by lift irrigation pro ject.Covering poll campaign in the state, our Correspondent reports that campaig ning for the first phase of polling comes to an end tomorrow evening. A total of 87 constituencies spread over 15 districts from Saurashtra and south Gujarat wi ll go for poll on 13th December. Political fate of 846 candidates including 46 w omen, will be decided by over 3 crore, 80 la h eligible voters. // RBI: headline inflation well above its target of 5% Dec 10 RBI deputy governor, Subir Go aran said in Mumbai on Sunday that headline inflat ion still remains well above the RBI's target of 5%. Although in order to curb i nflation, the RBI has announced 13 consecutive rate hi es since March 2010, infl ation still remains well above the RBI's comfort level of 5%. Spea ing on the sidelines of a management event in Mumbai on Sunday, the RBI gov ernor said that high inflation may not be generating the same ind of unrest the se days li e in the past, since rural wages have been rising at a faster clip an nually. He said that it is puzzling to understand why the recent episodes of high inflat ion driven by food prices, have not evo ed sharp provocation that had roc ed the nation many times in the past 50-60 years. He pointed out that wages at the very bottom-end of the labour mar et have been rising at a rate which offsets the rising costs of living significantly. Despite headline inflation being 7.45 per cent in October people are actually fe eling that they are better-off. He also announced that after two revisions, the RBI has now projected the year-end headline inflation at 7.5 per cent. // Oil prices gains in Asia today Dec 10 Oil prices gained in Asia today as traders welcomed data indicating a continued economic pic -up in China, the world's largest energy consumer.

New Yor 's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in January climbed 29 c ents to 86.22 dollars a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January delivery ad ded 39 cents to 107.41 dollars. // 5 wrestlers found to be positive in first test by NADA Dec 10 Five wrestlers, including a national level medal winner, have been found to be p ositive in the first test by National Anti-Doping Agency, NADA. A report sent by the agency after the National Wrestling Championships staged at Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, says that five wrestlers - Mu esh Kumar, Balraj, Su hwinder, 55 Kg. cat egory; Jitender, 74 Kg, all free style category; and another Wrestler in Gree o Roman category - Manish, 60 Kg. could not pass the dope test. All the Wrestlers who came at the first three places in all the weight categorie s in both Gree o Roman and free style categories are at present ta ing part in t he National camp at SAI in the Sonipat District of Haryana. Reports say all the five Wrestlers who failed the first doping test have been removed from the camp. They will be subjected to a second dope test. If they are found to be positive at this stage also the Indian Wrestling Federation will ta e action against them . // Bombay HC raps Gopichand for running private academy in Hyderabad Dec 10 The Bombay High Court today rapped national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand fo r running a private academy in Hyderabad. Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice A .V. Mohta observed that ethically it was wrong for the Badminton Authority of Indi a s (BAI) chief national coach and selection panel head Gopichand to run a private training academy. The court said it was not in the best interest of justice. The court observed this while hearing a petition filed by 19-year-old Praja ta S awant, who had alleged mental harassment by Gopichand after she was refused entr y to the All India National Coaching Camp in Hyderabad. Directing the petitioner to include BAI as respondent in the petition, the bench sought the authority s reply with regard to Gopichand s private academy. The matter will be heard next on 19th December. // Messi brea s goal scoring record Dec 10 Lionel Messi has become the footballer to score the most goals in a calendar yea r .Messi attained the feat after he led Barcelona to a 2-1 win over Betis in the ir Liga clash at Estadio Benito Villamarin in Seville yesterday. The Argentine etched his name in football history with his 85th and 86th goals f or the club and country in 2012, brea ing the 40-year-old record of 85 set by Ge rd Muller in 1972, while he also surpassed Cesar Rodriguez as the all-time highe st league goalscorer for the Blaugrana with his 192nd Liga goal. Messi`s brace put Barcelona two goals up after 25 minutes, but it was far from p lain sailing for the Catalans, who were given a thorough examination by a spirit ed home side at Seville that pulled a goal bac through Ruben Castro shortly bef ore the brea . // India signs pact with U raine on Nuclear Safety & Radiation Protection

India today in ed a pact with U raine on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection to ta e advantage of its expertise in the crucial sector. Prime Minister Dr Man mohan Singh and U rainian President Vi tor Yanu ovych also signed four other pac ts, including framewor agreement to expand defence ties between the two countri es after comprehensive tal s. Our correspondent covering the U rainaian Presiden t's visit reports, both the leaders exchanged views on nuclear energy and nuclea r safety, where they can learn a great deal from each other. After signing the a greement Dr Singh said, the unfortunate Chernobyl accident has given U raine val uable insight and nowledge in dealing with this critical issue.

In a press statement, the Prime Minister also said that the two countries were a lready underta ing a number of defence cooperation projects and today's defence cooperation agreement establishes a new framewor for expending this cooperation . Apart from nuclear safety and defence, the three pacts in ed are-- Cooperation i n the Fields of Science and Technology, Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civ il and Commercial Matters and Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Quality cooperation. Both the leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues and agreed t o intensify their consultations in international forums. // Parl uproar over Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill, SC/STreservation Both the Houses of Parliament witnessed repeated adjournments today on several i ssues including the reservation for promotions to SCs and STs in government jobs . The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at 2 PM on the reservation issue wit h Samajwadi Party members protesting against the Constitutional Amendment bill. The Lo Sabha was adjourned at the fag end of the day with opposition parties de manding that the Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill, 2012 be referred to the Standing C ommittee. In the Rajya Sabha, the agitating SP members trooped into the well of the House as soon as the Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy moved the bill for consideration and passsing. Amidst din, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned th e House for the day. Proceedings in the Lo Sabha were disrupted twice as the opposition members incl uding Left parties demanded that the Ban ing Laws Amendment Bill be referred to the Standing Committee once again. They said some of the provisions of the bill are out of the purview of the previous Standing Committee. Earlier, the Lower Ho use passed the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws Bill, 2012, amidst the wal out by the opposition members excluding Trinamool Congress . The bill see s to recover the huge loans from defaulting Corporate Houses. Rep lying to the discussion, Finance Minister P Chidambaram clarified that the provi sions of the bill are not applicable to the loans less than ten la h rupees. He also made it clear that the legislation will not affect the farming community. In the pre-lunch session, the Lo Sabha too up a Calling Attention Motion on th e plight of coconut growers in general and Tamil Nadu in particular. Corporate A ffairs Minister Sachin Pilot introduced the Competition Amendment Bill, 2012, ai med at authorising search and seizure to the Director General for investigations . // AIR portal conferred gold Web Ratna award for outstanding content

Significantly, some of the experts wor ing in Kudan ulam nuclear plant are of U rainian origin.

All India Radio's website - www.newsonair.nic.in - has been conferred with gold web ratna award for outstanding content in news dissemination. Conferring this y ear's awards, Communications and Information Technology minister, Kapil Sibal ca lled for electronic sharing of information and data by the government department s both at the centre and the state levels. Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy's official website that provides round the cloc call centre facility won gold web ratna in public participation initiative category. The National Institute of Op en Schooling was awarded the platinum web ratna award for outstanding content wh ile as Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity bagged gold web ratna for innovative use of technology. The awards, instituted by National Informatics Ce nter, ac nowledge and promote exemplary e-governance initiatives using the world wide web for delivery of government services to ma e the life of a citizen easie r. This year's awards were conferred in six different categories, which touch up on different aspects of e-governance. Communications and Information Technology minister, Kapil Sibal urged for promot ing e-governance initiatives and harnessing the worldwide web for delivery of go vernment services to the people. He said, online sharing of data information can ensure accountability and help detect corrupt practices. Minister of State of Communications and IT Milind Deora said the government is t a ing several steps to facilitate delivery of services to people in a simple, af fordable and convenient way. Secretary in the ministry of Communications and IT, J Satyanarayana said, web ratna awards not only encourage e-governance initiati ves but also motivate innovative use of IT to bring public services at the doors teps of citizens. The e-governance drive in the country for the last three decades has been instru mental in ensuring better and more transparent governance and assisting the gove rnment's endeavour to reach the unreached. // Egypt s opposition calls for anti-referendum protests In Egypt, the umbrella opposition, National Salvation Front has called for mass protests across the country in support of its demands to defer the referendum on the new draft constitution to be held on Saturday. The group has said that it w ill continue with the protest marches till it is postponed. The Muslim Brotherho od has also given calls for parellal marches in support of President Morsey and his move to hold the referendum over the new constitution. Under intense pressur e from the liberal, secular opposition Mr. Morsey has annulled one of his decree s which gave him sweeping powers. However he has decided to go ahead with the re ferendum and as ed the Egyptian military to ensure a smooth and peaceful conduct of the referendum. Egyptians living abroad can start casting their vote on refe rendum from tomorrow. // Mali to pay 3 day visit to India from 14th Dec to operationalise liberalised vi sa pact Pa istan's Interior Minister Rehman Mali will pay a three-day visit to India fr om 14th of this month to operationalise the liberalised visa agreement between t he two countries. Home Minister Sushil umar Shinde today confirmed this while ta l ing to reporters on the sidelines of 47th Raising Day celebrations of Border S ecurity Force in New Delhi.

Both India and Pa istan will operationalise the liberalised visa agreement durin g Mali 's visit. The new visa regime will replace a 38-year-old restrictive acco

Earlier, Mali

was to visit the country from December 11th to 13th.

rd and will pave the way for time-bound visa approval and greater people-to-peop le contact and trade. Home Ministry sources have said details of Mali 's visit was being wor ed out in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs and Pa istan High Commission in New Delhi. // Parl resolves to promote social progress, better standards of life Both the Houses of Parliament have reaffirmed faith in human rights and resolved to promote social progress and better standards of life for all. Ma ing a refer ence to the anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Lo Sabh a, Spea er Meira Kumar said human rights are inalienable rights of each and ever y one and bind them together as a global community. Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohamme d Hamid Ansari said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone doc ument. He said the declaration provides an opportunity to remember the ideals of universality and indivisibility of fundamental human rights. He said the day, t his year, focuses on the rights of all -- women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and the marginalized -- to ma e their voices heard in public and be included in political decision-ma ing. The Chairman said India has always reinfo rced its commitment towards the protection and promotion of human rights and con demned any acts of violation of human rights. // MoS Agriculture: govt ma ing efforts to address difficulties of coconut growers Government is ma ing all out efforts to address the difficulties faced by coconu t growers across the country. Replying to a Calling Attention motion in the Lo Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr. Charan Das Mahant said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is doing a research to tac le the diseases affe cting coconut trees. Sharing the concern of the members on the plight of coconut growers, particularl y in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Mahant said the government has increased the Minimum Suppor t Price of different types of coconut copra by 12 to 17 per cent over the price of last year. He said 17 procurement centres have been set up in Tamil Nadu for the procuremen t copra. The Minister said the Centre is contemplating the export of coconut oil . Mr. T R Baalu of the DMK, who moved the Motion for the Calling Attention, allege d that the central government policy is not helping the coconut growers. He suggested that the subsidy given on import of crude palm oil may be extended to coconut oil for its distribution through the Public Distribution System. // Sonia Gandhi: condition of farmers & wea er sections deteriorating due to anti-p eople policies of Gujarat Congress President Sonia Gandhi today alleged that due to anti-people policies o f Gujarat state government condition of farmers and wea er section of the societ y was deteriorating day by day. Addressing an mammoth election rally today at Siddhpur in Patan district in nort h Gujarat, she alleged that due bad state of law and order people are suffering from sense of insecurity. She said that farmers are facing lac of irrigation facilities and non-availabil ity of power. She said at one hand state government was selling 835 megawatt pow

er to other states for ma ing money and the other hand above la hs of farmers ar e without power connection. Our Correspondent covering election report said it was first election rally of M rs. Gandhi in the area going for poll in second phase of Assembly elections. Lar ge number of women and youth attended this election rally. // Stretches along Cauvery & Tungabhadra found polluted: Jayanthi Natarajan The Lo Sabha was informed today that two stretches along the river Cauvery and three along the Tungabhadra river have been found to be polluted. The Central Pollution Control Board has come to this conclusion. It has monitore d the water quality of various rivers in the country and identified 150 polluted stretches in various rivers. Giving this information in the House today, Environment and Forests Minister Jay anthi Natarajan said, the National River Conservation Plan presently covers 41 r ivers in 191 towns, spread over 20 states. To conserve the rivers and maintain their water quality, sewage treatment plants and low-cost sanitation facilities have been created. River fronts have also be en developed, the Minister said. // Sonia: Modi govt indulging in wrong-doings Dubbing the Narendra Modi-led government as anti-people, Congress chief Sonia Ga ndhi today raised the poll pitch alleging the BJP-led dispensation in Gujarat is indulging in wrong-doings. Addressing an election rally in Siddhpur in Patan di strict in north Gujarat,she alleged large scale corruption in the state. Attac i ng the development plan of Modi government, she said one should as why more th an four and half la h farmers were not getting power connection despite the Cent re providing electricity. She also said that the education sector is suffering and people are fed up with the law and order situation in the state. AIR Correspondent reports, it was the first election rally of Mrs. Gandhi in the area going for poll in second phase of Assembly elections on 17th of this month . // Good governance ey to enforcement of rights: President President Pranab Mu herjee today called upon the government, the judiciary, Nati onal Human Rights Commission and civil society to promote and protect rights of the people in the country. Addressing a function to mar the National Human Rights Day in New Delhi, Mr. Mu herjee pointed out that good governance is the ey to enforcement of rights by the people and focus should be on translating legal and constitutional provision s into reality for the benefit of common man.

Stressing on the significance of economic, social and cultural rights, he said p romotion of political rights alone will not lead to full enjoyment of human righ ts. Mr. Mu herjee also called for including human rights in school curricula to increase awareness // HM criticises Gujarat govt for deteriorating law & order situation in state

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has criticised Gujarat government for de teriorating law and order situation in poll bound state. Tal ing to media persons, after addressing public meeting at A ola in central Gu jarat, Mr. Shinde said more than 13 la h criminal cases have been registered in the state during the last 10 years of Narendra Modi government. Commenting of BJP s poll promise of 50 la h homes in next five years, Mr. Shinde s aid construction of more than 2,700 homes a day is only illusion. Mr. Shinde sai d, Congress never want to came to power using religion and caste. On the other hand, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that BJP government is comm itted for the development of tribal people of the state. Addressing public meeti ng at Santrampur, he said his government will provide drin ing and irrigation wa ter to the tribal areas by lift irrigation project. // AP CM introduces SC & ST Sub-plan Bill, 2012 in state Council Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has introduced SC and ST Sub-p lan Bill, 2012 in the state Legislative Council today. Introducing the bill on the first day of sessions which resumed today, the Chief Minister said the bill is aimed at ensuring transparent spending of funds meant for the welfare of Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes. Stating that the Bill has already been passed in the Legislative Assembly, he ca lled upon the members to give their consent to provide statutory bac ing to the bill. He said the bill is first of its ind in the country to prevent diversion of funds earmar ed for SC and ST welfare. He as ed the members to discuss the bill threadbare and suggest any amendments, if required. // Amendments to labour laws to protect daily wagers & contract wor ers: Govt The government today indicated that some amendments to the labour laws will be b rought in to protect the interests of daily wagers and contract wor ers in the c ountry. Replying to supplementaries in the Lo Sabha, Minister for Labour and Employment Malli arjun Kharge pointed out that some states are not sensitive to the proble ms faced by daily wages and contract wor ers. He said the government is ta ing several measures to ameliorate the conditions o f daily wage earners and contract wor ers. He said, in case of non-payment of wa ges fixed by the authorities, complaints can be made to the Chief Labour Commiss ioner. // India, SL to meet on issue of transgressions by fishermen The government today assured the Lo Sabha that a meeting will soon be convened between India and Sri Lan a to sort out the issue of frequent transgressions by fishermen of the two countries into each other's maritime limits. Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh said the transgressions ta e place because the maritime boundaries between the two countries are very close. Answer ing supplementaries, he said the Coast Guard has ta en necessary steps to protec t Indian fishermen.

It is important for them to get their boats equipped with proper navigational ai ds to ensure that they do not stray into Sri Lan an waters. The Minister informe d the House that Indian fishing boats are being fitted with transponders to guid e them. // Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document: Hamid Ansari Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari has said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document. Ma ing a reference on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the declaration in the House, he said it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The Chairman said, the day is celebrated the world over as Human Rights Day. He said, the declaration provides an opportunity to remember the ideals of universa lity and indivisibility of fundamental human rights. He said, the day, this year, focuses on the rights of all people--women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and the margi nalized-- to ma e their voices heard in public and be included in political deci sion-ma ing. // U rainian President accorded ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan Visiting President of U raine, Vi tor Yanu ovych was accorded a ceremonial recep tion at the forecourts of Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. Mr. Yanu ovych, who a rrived in New Delhi on Sunday night on a three day state visit, will hold delega tion level tal s with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh later in the day. The U rainian President is accompanied by a large official and business delegati on. After the tal s, both India and U raine are slated to sign several agreement s to boost cooperation in areas of Defence, Nuclear safety, Science and Technolo gy. Mr. Yanu ovych will also tal s hold tal s with President Pranab Mu herjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Leader of Opposition in the Lo Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, besides captains of trade and industry. The U rainian President's visit to India mar s the 20th anniversary of the estab lishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Indo-U rainian bilateral trade increased from around 139 million US dollars in 1992 to over 2,865 million dollars in the last fiscal. The U rainian President will visit also Agra and Bangalore tomorrow. // Britain launches genome database for patients' DNA The British government says it will fund a project to map the genetic code of up to one la h people with cancer and rare diseases. Prime Minister David Cameroon said 160 million dollars have been set aside to bu ild a data-base of DNA profiles. He said, the doctors could better understand pa tients illness and develop new treatments. // Human Rights Day today The Human Rights Day will be observed across the globe today. This year the obje ctive of this day is to highlight rights of all people including women, minoriti

es, persons with Disabilities and the marginalized people as well as to ma e the ir voices heard in decision ma ing processes. On this day in 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proc laimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration is recognition of dignity and the equal and inalienable rights o f all members of the human community as the foundation of freedom, justice and p eace in the world. To mar the occasion, the National Human Rights Commission is organizing a progr amme in the national capital today for spreading more awareness on human rights. // Obama meets top Republican on fiscal cliff The U.S President Barac Obama and House of Representatives spea er John Boehner met on Sunday to discuss the so-called impending fiscal cliff of steep tax hi e s and spending cuts. No details of the tal s were given, but a statement from Bo ehner's office said, the lines of communication remain open. That sounded relatively upbeat compared to Boehner's statement on Friday, when h e reported no progress in deficit tal s. He accused the White House of rec lessl y pushing the country to the fiscal brin over tax hi es. The so-called fiscal cliff refers to a combination of severe tax increases and s pending cuts due to ic in automatically in January if the President and Congre ss do not find a compromise plan to cut the deficit first. In his wee ly address on Saturday, Mr. Obama said, he was willing to find ways t o reduce health costs and ma e more entitlement spending cuts as sought by the R epublicans. // DR Congo govt, rebels start peace tal s Peace tal s have started between rebels and government in the Democratic Republi c of Congo. Sunday's negotiations in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, got off to a tense start with M23 rebel representative Francois Ruchongoza blaming the country's conflict on poor governance. Congo Foreign Affairs Minister Raymond Tshibanda, who is representing the govern ment, protested the remar s. M23 withdrew from the Congolese city of Goma last w ee but has threatened to reta e the city if the government fails to begin negot iations. The rebels defeated the Congolese army in a series of battles this year . A panel of United Nations experts has accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting th e group but both countries have denied. The fighting has displaced more than one la h people in Congo's North Kivu province. // Termination of GMR contract not to affect bilateral ties: India India today hoped that termination of the GMR's Male airport project by the Mald ives government will not impact its relationship with the neighbouring country. The remar s by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid came days after India h ad expressed unhappiness over the unilateral decision of the Maldivian governmen t.

Mr. Khurshid told PTI on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi that Maldives has announced that they want Indians to come and invest. There is no problem but obviously when businessmen have to ta e a decision they have to ta e everything into account. Mr. Khurshid said, it was a legal matter and India did not want it to become a p olitical issue. Finally it has been decided by a court, what can one do. // Odisha to underta e huge plantation exercise under MGNREGA The Odisha Government plans to underta e huge plantation exercise under MGNREGA in the coming financial year. Under the plan, a roadmap has been prepared under which about 93,500 hectare of land will be brought under plantation.

The plantation activities as decided by the government will mainly focus on plan ts li e cashew, mango, lime, orange and banana. It has been decided to underta e such plantation throughout the year instead of confining it to the rainy season . Moreover, the decision to involve local communities and Gram Panchayatas and Van a Sanra shyana Samities in the plantation activity, which carried out in the rig ht spirit, will no doubt have a greener Odisha in the coming years. // UAE Cabinet approves extradition pact with India The UAE Cabinet today approved the extradition agreement that the Gulf nation ha d signed with India for facilitating the transfer of Indian convicts to spend th e remaining jail term in their home country. The agreement, which was signed by the two countries in November last year, is e xpected to help around 1,200 Indian prisoners who have been languishing in UAE p risons. As per the agreement, Indian prisoners in the UAE jails, those who have been sen tenced, will have a choice to spend the remaining prison term in India. A similar agreement signed between the UAE and Pa istan was also ratified and th e arrangement of transport procedures was discussed. // Wor to protect Majuli Island in Assam to be completed by 2014 The second and third phases of wor to protect the Majuli Island, the world's la rgest river island in Assam, will be completed by 2014, the Rajya Sabha was info rmed today. Addressing concerns raised by members during Question Hour on the threat the isl and faces due to extensive soil erosion on its ban s, Water Resources Minister H arish Rawat said the wor on Phase-1 was completed by Brahmaputra Board in April 2011 at a cost of Rs 53.40 crore. "Phase-II and III are 45 per cent complete and the rest will be completed by 201 4," he said. When members said the protection wor was not yielding desired results, he said satellite images of Majuli Island showed a land mass of 502.21 sq m in 2004. Fl ood protection wor had led to increase in the landmass by 18.05 sq m to 520.26

Besides this, the roads built under Prime Minister Gram Sada to 3000 ilometers, will also have avenue plantation.

Yojana, running in

sq m. A total of 96 m of emban ment has been built. As per recommendations of the Master Plan of Majuli Island, prepared by the Brah maputra Board in 2000, a detailed project report for protection of the Island fr om flood and erosion was prepared wherein the implementation of protection wor had been planned in three phases. The wor s on Phase-I was completed in April 2011 while the wor on the remaining two phases are in progress with targeted completion by end of March 2014, he sa id. "We are giving full attention to flood protection wor ," he said, adding Brahmap utra Board has been as ed to do basin area mapping based on which master plan wi ll be prepared. He said the government plans to restructure the Brahmaputra Board and change it into an authority but Arunachal Pradesh government has "raised some objections" without elaborating. //