NATIONAL:
BJP, RSS to celebrate Godse death anniversary
The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are going to ‘celebrate’ the death anniversary (Nov. 15) of Nathuram Godse on a grand note, says Smita Pansare. By doing so, they are sending a clear message that they have no regrets for what Godse, a staunch activist of RSS and Hindu Mahasabha, did in furtherance of the RSS’ communal agenda, she said.
Setback for K.M. Mani as Kerala HC upholds decision for further probe
In a stinging observation with grave political implications, the Kerala High Court on Monday said it was quite natural for the common man to entertain a feeling that there could not be a proper investigation into the bar bribery case against Finance Minister K.M. Mani, when the accused against whom fingers were being pointed continued as a Minister.
Justice B. Kemal Pasha made the observation while disposing of a writ petition filed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) challenging the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court directive to conduct further investigation into the bar bribery case.
Agni-IV successfully test-fired
India’s strategic missile, Agni-IV, which has a strike range of 4,000 km, was successfully test-fired from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast on Monday.
The missile was fired from a road mobile launcher by the Army’s Strategic Forces Command, which is tasked with handling of strategic weapon systems, at 9.45 am. After a flight of about 15 minutes, Agni-IV, carrying a dummy payload, splashed down near the pre-designated target point in the Indian Ocean.
Winter session from Nov. 26
Parliament will meet in what is likely to be a stormy winter session from November 26 to December 23.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh decided the dates at a meeting on Monday.
However, it said that the Opposition should not see the Bihar verdict as a “mandate to disrupt Parliament”, an advice that suggests the treasury benches expect a stormy session. The government will reach out to the Opposition for the passage of key pending Bills like the crucial Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST). The Bill is a constitutional amendment Bill that requires a special majority of both Houses and cannot be passed in a joint sitting.
Over 20 unions to observe strike in north Bengal’s tea gardens
Tea garden workers affiliated to more than 20 different trade unions operating in the gardens of north Bengal have decided to go on four-day relay hunger strike beginning November 27 followed by a token strike on December 1.
Various trade unions operating in tea gardens, except the one affiliated to the ruling Trinamool Congress, have called the strike.
“The State government has taken over five tea gardens of the Red Bank but has done nothing to alleviate the misery of the workers there,” Centre of Indian Trade Unions State president Shyamal Chakrabarty said.
OROP: Parrikar rejects veterans’ objections , says core issue addressed
Rejecting objections from ex-servicemen on the implementation of the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said the “core issue” has been addressed and “all demands cannot be met.”
Other issues raised by the veterans will be looked into by the judicial commission to be set up soon.
“This is democracy. Everyone has the right to demand. But the maximum... their main demand for same pension for same rank has been given. Rest is  everything that we had declared [on September 5]. Out of that, the confusion about VRS has been removed,” Mr. Parrikar said after inaugurating the Central Data Centre, Army Cloud and Digi-Locker at the Army Headquarters as part of the Digital Army programme.
INTERNATIONAL:
1,500-year-old Hanging Temple under revamp
An ancient temple in north China known for its perilous perch on a sheer cliff is closed for renovation to protect it from falling rocks.
The 1,500-year-old Hanging Temple on Hengshan Mountain in Shanxi Province is closed to tourists after its roof was damaged by a falling rock in October, its administration said.
Many religions
The temple houses statues of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
Suu Kyi’s party on course for landslide
Myanmar’s ruling party conceded defeat in a general election on Monday as the Opposition led by democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi appeared on course for a landslide victory that could ensure it forms the next government.
“We lost,” Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) acting chairman Htay Oo told Reuters a day after the Southeast Asian country’s first free nationwide election in a quarter of a century.
By late afternoon, vendors outside the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Yangon were selling red T-shirts with Suu Kyi’s face and the words “We won.”
Pakistan invites India for key Afghan meet
Pakistan has invited External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for a crucial regional conference here on Afghanistan, a move that could provide an opportunity for the two neighbours to mend their frosty ties.
The ‘Heart of Asia’ conference will be held on December 7 and 8, where representatives from Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE are expected to attend. Pakistan has also sent an invitation to Ms. Swaraj,
Domestic flights cancelled as Nepal runs out of fuel
Airlines in Nepal have been forced to cancel more than half of their domestic flights because of an ongoing fuel shortage, an official said on Monday.
More than 70 per cent of domestic flights were cancelled on Sunday and about  half were cancelled on Monday, said Utsav Raj Kharel, Kathmandu airport  manager.
International flights were operating on a normal schedule because they are required to fill their tanks before flying to Nepal. Passengers were stranded by the cancelled flights in Kathmandu and other cities. About 2,000 passengers a day normally fly in and out of Kathmandu’s airport on domestic routes.
UNESCO rejects Kosovo’s bid for membership
Members of the U.N. cultural agency have narrowly rejected Kosovo’s bid for membership, in a victory for Serbia and Russia and a blow to Kosovo’s mission for global recognition as a state.
Most nations that participated in Monday’s voting favoured Kosovo’s membership, with 92 “yes” votes and 50 “no” votes and 29 abstentions.
According to UNESCO rules however, the bid needed the support of twoâthirds of those voting, or 94 “yes” votes, said Stanley Mutumba Simataa, the Namibian diplomat presiding over the vote.
BUSINESS:
Maggi noodles is back
Five months after Maggi noodles was taken off shelves, Nestle India on Monday resumed sales of the popular instant noodles brand in India. To start with, Maggi will be available in 100 towns and will be rolled out across the country in a phased manner, for which the company is working with its suppliers and distributors.
Jet Airways confirms order for 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft
Jet Airways confirmed an order for the purchase of 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft at the Dubai Airshow on Monday.The order includes options and purchase rights for an additional 50 aircraft. This is the airline’s largest ever fleet order valued at $8.7 billion at list price.
Apple takes lion’s share of 4G handset market in India
American tech giant Apple has the biggest share of the total 14.8 million 4G-enabled devices active across all important frequencies in the country, says a study by Nokia Networks. Among the top 15 4G models, Apple devices â iPhone and iPad â occupy the top two slots.
iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 devices, which support 4G services in 1800 Mhz band, are the top models with 10.46 per cent and 8.9 per cent shares respectively, as per the study.
Sensex sheds 144 points
The benchmark 30-share Sensex lost almost 610 points during early trading on Monday, a day after the state elections in Bihar saw the Nitish Kumar-led coalition defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies by a wide margin. The benchmark index, however, recovered later in the day to close at 26,121.40, down 144 points. While losses in select frontline stocks led to BSE’s Sensex ending the day in the red, broader market saw the mid-caps and small-caps registering gains.
SPORTS:
Massive win for Australia
Australia crushed New Zealand by 208 runs on the final day of the first Test on Monday.
The Australians claimed the seven remaining wickets during the morning session to go one-up in the three-Test series after dismissing the Black  Caps for 295. New Zealand was chasing a massive 504-run target after two innings declarations from the dominant home side.
Conflict of interest rules adopted in principle, says BCCI chief
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are happy with outsiders being brought into its administration; this was evident when the annual general meeting (AGM) did not accept the proposal to bring in three experts in finance and administration into the IPL Governing Council.
It is understood that Jyotiraditya Scindia (Madhya Pradesh) and P.S. Raman  (Tamil Nadu) expressed serious misgivings about the role to be given to  the Ombudsman (ethics officer) who will deal with conflicts of interest  and also the proposal to name three outsiders in the IPL GC.
Saina, Srikanth look for an encore
Saina Nehwal and K. Srikanth will look to shrug off their recent dip in form when they begin their campaign as defending champions at the $700,000 China Open Super Series Premier starting with the qualifiers here on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Saina had some health issues which affected her performance at Japan, Denmark and France Super Series, where she made early exits.
The top-seeded Indian will take on China’s Sun Yu in the opening round. Even though Saina has a 4-1 record against the Chinese with the only defeat coming in the 2013 China Open in Shanghai, the World No. 11 might prove to be a formidable opponent.
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