National:

President rejects Ajmal Kasabs mercy plea

President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected the mercy petition filed by Ajmal Kasab, the
Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist sentenced to death for his role in the November 26, 2008 terror
attack on Mumbai. A bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad had confirmed his
death sentence on August 29, 2012. The apex court had held that the 26/11 carnage was
an attack on India and Indians which deserved the rarest of rare punishment. Kasab was
one of 10 Pakistani terrorists who came to Mumbai by boat from Karachi and attacked
targets across the heart of the financial capital, killing 165 people and wounding scores.
Before launching the attacks, they also killed the Indian captain of the boat they had
hijacked off the coast of Gujarat.
Expert panel favours phasing out endosulfan
The Joint Expert Committee has informed the Supreme Court that to exhaust the available
stocks of the raw material, manufacture and use of endosulfan pesticide (which has now
been banned) may be permitted for a period of two years. Bench of Justices Swatanter
Kumar and Madan B Lokur the Committee said India is a signatory to the Stockholm
Convention and Rotterdam Convention and is committed to discontinue the use of
endosulfan over the next five years. The Committee noted that almost all the countries
which have banned endosulfan have a phase out plan by its use in agriculture over a
period of two to six years. Such phasing out plan has ensured that all the stocks available
in the country are utilised and exhausted completely in a desirable time frame.
Husband should pay maintenance even if he is jobless: HC
A man, though jobless, should pay maintenance to his wife as ordered by court in divorce
case, Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ruled. Justice G Rajasuriya said the
husband cannot claim that he was poor, in order to dodge his responsibility of providing
monthly maintenance to his wife.
No passport for eve-teasers
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said those who indulge in eveteasing will not get driving licence, passport and other government facilities. A database of
offenders would be prepared and action would be taken against them.

Delhi High Court launches e-court fee system

Delhi High Court has added another feather to its cap by launching the e-court fee system
at its premises to cut off the difficulty and delay in filing cases. This has been made
possible by the Delhi Government and the Computer Committee of the High Court headed
by Justice B. D. Ahmed. The Committee had in 2008 launched a project in cooperation
with the State Government to make the High Court an electronic court to reduce the use of
paper and thereby making filing and disposal of cases easy. Delhi High Court Chief Justice
D. Murugesan said the system is fully secure as it could not be tampered with or
counterfeited. Further, litigants or lawyers can make payment for court fees in cash or
through cheque or pay order or draft. They could also use RTGS facility to make payment
once the system goes online.
Travel bar on HIV patients affecting global economy: UNAIDS
Nearly 25 years after HIV was detected in India, travel restrictions continue to bar patients
from free movement through nations. HIV-related travel restrictions at present exist in 45
countries.
The Global AIDS Epidemic 2012 report, released by UNAIDS, says that the effects of such
restrictions are severe for migrant workers, who play an increasingly prominent role in the
global economy. There is a blanket ban on entry of people living with HIV in five countries
Brunei Darussalam, Oman, Sudan, the UAE and Yemen. Five other countries Egypt,
Singapore, Iraq, Qatar and Turks and Caicos Islands require individuals wishing to stay
for short periods (10-90 days) to prove that they are HIV-negative. Laws in 20 countries,
including Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Jordan and Kuwait, deport individuals discovered
to be living with HIV. The number of international migrants rose from 191 million to 214
million between 2005 and 2010. On September 17, 2010, the ministry of external affairs
(MEA) clarified that there are no travel or residency restrictions for People Living with HIV
(PLHIV) coming to India.

International:
Chinese envoys confirm Indias sovereignty over Sikkim
For the first time, a high-level team of Chinese diplomats are in Sikkim in connection
with consular issues, a reconfirmation of Beijings stance of accepting the State
as part of India. The three-member team from the Chinese embassy, led by Minister
Counsellor Fan Fei, is in the Sikkim. China had questioned Sikkims accession to India and
refused to grant visas on this ground to people from the state, even if they were listed as
part of an Indian government delegation. Sikkim, with Tibetan plateau in the North, was a
British protectorate from 1886 until Indias independence in 1947. In 1950, a treaty signed
between India and Sikkim ratified the status of Sikkim as an Indian protectorate with the
Chogyal as the monarch. But differences between the Chogyal and those seeking a union
with India finally led to the total collapse of the administration, and the government that
came in subsequently decided to become the 22nd state of India on May 16, 1975.

Case against Pak girl Rimsha Masih accused of blasphemy dismissed

The case filed against a young Pakistani Christian girl, who was detained for falsely
accused of blasphemy by an Islamic cleric, was dismissed by a court, amid global
condemnation. Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman of the Islamabad High Court, who
had reserved his judgement on 14-year-old Rimsha Masih'
s petition seeking the dismissal
of the FIR against her, directed police to drop the complaint. The judge observed that this
was a "highly sensitive matter" and people must be very careful while levelling such
accusations against anyone. Fake allegations should not be levelled against any Muslim or
non-Muslim,
Florida city names Nov 17 as Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day
A Florida city has declared November 17 as the '
Kashmiri Hindu Heritage Day'
, in
recognition of the resilience of Kashmiri Hindus who were displaced from their homeland
two decades back. The proclamation in this regard was issued by Andre Pierre, Mayor of
the City of North Miami- one of the largest cities in South Florida. The proclamation noted
that 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus were dislodged by acts of terrorism and many of them
migrated to the USA.
France ends combat mission in Afghanistan
French troops has ended their last combat mission in Afghanistan by withdrawing from
Kapisa province as part of an accelerated departure from the war-torn country. The last
400 soldiers deployed to the volatile province started to leave Nijrab, the French base in
Kapisa. Of the 2,200 French soldiers still left in Afghanistan, about 700 would return to
France by the end of the year. Around 50 trainers will remain based in Wardak province,
west of Kabul, and 1,500 would stay in the Afghan capital, where most will be tasked with
organising the final departure of French troops by the summer of 2013.
India to receive $70 bn remittances: WB
India will receive record $70 billion remittances in the year 2012, topping the list of
developing countries which are expected to receive a total of USD 406 billion this year, the
World Bank (WB) has said. After India, China will stand second with USD 66 billion,
followed by Mexico and the Philippines with USD 24 billion each. Other large recipients are
Nigeria (USD 21 billion), Egypt (USD 18 billion), USD 14 billion each for Pakistan and
Bangladesh, followed by Vietnam (USD 9 billion) and Lebanon (USD 7 billion). Worldwide
remittances, including those to high-income countries, are projected to grow to USD 685
billion in 2015.
India votes against UNGA resolution banning death penalty
India was among the 39 countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft
resolution which called for abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the
"sovereign right" to determine its own legal system. The non-binding resolution called for a
moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. It was adopted at
the General Assembly'
s Third Committee, which deals with social and humanitarian
issues, after 110 nations voted in favour of the resolution while 36 abstained. Among the

nations voting against the resolution were Bangladesh, China, Korea, Iran, Iraq, Japan,
Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan and the US.
Super-Jupiter discovery dwarfs solar systems largest planet
Astronomers have discovered a new super-Jupiter planet, 13 times bigger than
Jupiter, the largest planet in our own solar system. The planet orbits a star called
Kappa Andromedae that is 2.5 times the mass of the Sun and is located 170 light-years
away from Earth. As the giant planet is larger than Jupiter, it has classified as a superJupiter. Astrophysicists at the University of Toronto say the object, which could represent
the first new observed exoplanet system in almost four years, has a mass at least 13 times
that of Jupiter and an orbit somewhat larger than Neptunes. The host star around which
the planet orbits has a mass 2.5 times that of the Sun, making it the highest mass star to
ever host a directly observed planet.
Indonesia readies new food law
Indonesia has drafted a food law to speed self-sufficiency efforts by creating a new super
body that could lead to greater curbs on imports and exports of staples, hinder muchneeded overseas investment and eventually push up prices. As Indonesia struggles to
meet rising demand from an increasingly affluent population of 240 million, it is now the
world'
s top importer of sugar, Asia'
s largest buyer of wheat, and imports about 2 million
tonnes of rice and corn each year. Draft, which is due to be signed off by the president by
the end of 2012, shows that it covers areas such as food safety and the stocks, trade,
purchase, prices, distribution and consumption of unspecified staples.

Business & Economy:

FIPB clears IKEAs Rs.10,500-crore proposal
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has cleared Swedish furniture major
IKEAs Rs.10,500-crore project, the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand
retail so far. The FIPB has approved the proposal of IKEA, Economic Affairs Secretary
Arvind Mayaram said. The IKEA Group, which manufactures and sells home and office
furnishing products, proposes to invest in single-brand retail trading in India through a 100
per cent subsidiary.
RBI revises definition of infra lending
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the definition of infrastructure lending, which
would make sectors and sub-sectors eligible for infrastructure lending by banks and
financial institutions with immediate effect. The exposure of banks to projects under subsectors which were included under the RBIs previous definition of infrastructure as per the
circular of November 30, 2007, but not included under the revised definition, will continue
to get the benefits under infrastructure lending till the completion of the projects. However,
any fresh lending to those sub-sectors from the date of this circular will not qualify as
infrastructure lending, the RBI said.

Japan to fund multi-billion dollar CBIC project soon

Japan has said it will soon announce funding for the multi-billion dollar Chennai-Bangalore
Industrial Corridor (CBIC), the third mega project that will be quarter-backed by Tokyo. The
other two projects that Japan is backing are the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)
and the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC). The announcement of the CBIC project has led
to considerable enthusiasm among most south Indian states with Andhra Pradesh wanting
its extension to Krishnapatnam port and Karnataka asking for the inclusion of Chitradurga
with the State government planning to set up a manufacturing hub between Chitradurga
and Tumkur. Kerala is the only south Indian State which has so far not expressed a desire
to be included in the project.
India adds 22 items in the list of border trade with Myanmar
India has notified 22 additional items including agricultural tools, bicycles, coal and
garments in the list of items for border trade with Myanmar. Directorate General of Foreign
Trade (DGFT) said the existing arrangements for import/export of items under IndoMyanmar Border have been revised and 22 new items have been added to the existing list
of 40 tradable items taking the number of total tradable items to 62 for border trade. The
other new items include edible oil, electrical appliances, steel products, medicines, tea,
beverages, motor cycles and spare parts, semi precious stone, sewing machines and
three wheelers/cars below 100cc.

Sport:
Yuvi, tale of a fighter
Veteran cricket writer Makarand Waingankar has written a book '
Yuvi'on Yuvraj Singh'
s
life, which was released in Mumbai at the hands of former India captain Kapil Dev. Yuvi'
talks about the cricketer'
s life in three equal parts beginning from his birth in Chandigarh
and the formative years, to his debut in international cricket and the unending potential,
and finally the return after fighting a rare germ-cell illness.