National:

Remove anti-Nadar chapter from CBSE book: Jaya to PM

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has wrote to Prime Minister asking him to instruct the
concerned authorities to remove a chapter from the social studies textbook prescribed for
the IXth standard students under the CBSE syllabus. The chapter Caste Conflict and
Dress Change authored by Janaki Nair of Jawaharlal Nehru University, contains
derogatory and misleading statements about the Nadar community in Tamil Nadu. The
author has mentioned in the article that the Nadars were descendants of Shanars who
migrated to southern Tamil Nadu from Kerala as the farm land workers of the Nair land
lords. Chief Minister said some portions of the Social Studies book published by the
National Council of Educational Research and Training had many derogatory statements
referring to the Nadar community. Contrary to the information given in the text, the Nadars
were original inhabitants of Kanyakumari district and did not belong to a lower caste.

International:
Japan, India sign rare earths pact
India-Japan have signed an agreement which will allow Tokyo to import rare earth minerals
important for Japan's high-tech industry from India. Under the signed agreement, Japan
will import over 4,000 tonnes of rare earth minerals a year from India. This is Japan's
second deal this month to diversify supply from China for the metals used in mobile
phones and hybrid cars to missile guidance systems. Japan is hoping that the deal with
India will help reduce its reliance on China for rare earth minerals at a time when it is
involved in a conflict with Beijing over the Senkaku islands.
Iran-made Fajr-5 missile may have targeted Tel Aviv
The firing of an Iran-made Fajr-5 missile by a Gaza based Palestinian group was
apparently responsible for triggering warning sirens in Tel Aviv, which were last heard
during the first Gulf war 20 years ago. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for firing the
Fajr missile towards Tel Aviv. The group said that it had widened the range of the battle to
reach Tel Aviv and what is coming will be greater. The targeting of Tel Aviv by Palestinian
groups marks a sharp escalation in the fighting between Israel and Gaza based militant
groups, of which Hamas is the most prominent.

Page 1 of 5
17th November 2012

Croat generals conviction overturned

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal overturned the convictions of two Croat generals for
murdering and illegally expelling Serb civilians in a 1995 military blitz. The decision, by a 32 majority in the U.N. courts five-judge appeals chamber, is one of the most significant
reversals in the courts 18-year history and overturns a verdict that dealt a blow to
Croatias self-image as a victim of atrocities, rather than a perpetrator, during the Balkan
wars in the 1990s. Mr. Gotovina and Mr. Markac were sentenced to 24 and 18 years
respectively in 2011 for crimes, including murder and deportation. Judges ruled both men
were part of a criminal conspiracy led by former Croat President Franjo Tudjman to expel
Serbs. Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic called the ruling an important moment for
Croatia.
NRI's energy drink under scanner for 13 deaths in US
A popular energy drink, produced by a company founded by an Indian-American
billionaire, has come under the scanner in the US after reports of 13 deaths possibly linked
to the energy shots. The popular energy drink '5-Hour Energy' is being investigated by the
US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) after 13 deaths over the last four years were
reported, citing the drink as probable cause. 5-Hour Energy has been mentioned in about
90 complaints filed with the FDA, including more than 30 that involved serious or lifethreatening injuries like heart attacks, convulsions and even a spontaneous abortion. CEO
of '5-Hour Energy', Manoj Bhargava dismissed the allegations against his firm as "false"
and "ridiculous".

Technology:
Scientists discover most distant galaxy in Universe
In a breakthough, astronomers have discovered the most distant galaxy ever seen in the
universe. By combining the power of NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and
one of nature's own natural "zoom lenses" in space, astronomers have discovered the
farthest galaxy, which appears as a diminutive blob that is only a tiny fraction of the size of
our Milky Way galaxy. The galaxy offers a peek back into a time when the universe was 3
per cent of its present age of 13.7 billion years. Named MACS0647-JD, the galaxy was
observed 420 million years after the big bang, the theorised beginning of the universe. Its
light has traveled 13.3 billion years to reach Earth. Along the way, 8 billion years into its
journey, light from MACS0647-JD took a detour along multiple paths around the massive
galaxy cluster MACS J0647+7015. Without the cluster's magnification powers,
astronomers would not have seen this remote galaxy.

Page 2 of 5
17th November 2012

Kolkata, Mumbai in top 10 climate change risk cities

Bangladeshi capital Dhaka has topped a global list of cities facing the highest climate
change risks in the coming decades, while Indian metropolis Kolkata is ranked seventh,
Mumbai eighth and Delhi at 20th. Manila, the capital city of The Philippines, was ranked
second in the British risk consultancy Maplecroft's fifth annual 'Climate Change and
Environmental Risk Atlas 2013', while Bangkok, Yangon, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City
came third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Chicago, London, St Petersburg, Paris and
Madrid are the only five cities classified as "low risk". Dhaka came top in the ranking of 50
cities by Maplecroft, specialising in risk analysis, as the changing temperatures and
weather systems are forecast to take hold in the country in the coming decades.
Maplecroft's Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) classifies seven cities as "extreme
risk," out of a list of 50 that were chosen for their current and future importance in global
business, Daily Star newspaper reported

Business & Economy:

Ministry notifies rules on eligibility for LNG terminals
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, has notified the rules on eligibility conditions for
registration of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals with the objective of promoting setting
up of LNG terminals in an environment of equitable access and commercial transparency
so as to foster higher availability of imported LNG in the country. Features of the new rules
include- (i) offer at all times, after registration, 20 per cent of its short term (less than 5year contract) uncommitted re-gasification capacity or 5 lakh tonnes per annum, whichever
is higher, as common carrier capacity; (ii) adhere to the technical standards and
specifications including safety standards in activities relating to petroleum, petroleum
products and natural gas, as prescribed by the Board by regulations, which are in force,
including those prescribed by the Oil Industry Safety Directorate;(iii) furnish a bank
guarantee for an amount equal to one per cent of the estimated project cost of the
liquefied natural gas terminal or Rs.25 crore, whichever is less
CAG hits back at RIL, British Gas
Upset at the failure of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to submit for audit records and
information relating to the Krishna Godavari D6 block, the Comptroller and Auditor-General
has asked the Petroleum Ministry to withhold all approvals to the Mukesh Ambani-owned
company, except in emergency situations. The government auditor has also asked the
Ministry not to clear the plans of British Gas (BG) for exploration projects as it had also
failed to submit information and records relating to the Panna-Mukta-Tapti gasfields. In a
letter to Petroleum Secretary G.C. Chaturvedi on October 26, the CAG said the conditions
were unacceptable, and the CAGs (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971,
gave it unfettered right and would override all conditions sought to be imposed on the audit
process. The CAG said it reserved the right to undertake an independent audit of the entire
process of award of hydrocarbon blocks by the Ministry under Section 16 of the CAGs Act as
profit petroleum is a non-tax revenue credited to the Consolidated Fund of India, and this would
involve examination of all records (including those of the operator) that are relevant to our audit.
Page 3 of 5
17th November 2012

NALCO finalises 300,000 T alumina export contract

India's state-run National Aluminium Co Ltd (NALCO) has finalised a long-term export
contract for 300,000 tonnes of alumina for deliveries in 2013 at 16.56 percent of the LME
aluminium price on a free on board (FOB) basis. NALCO, whose tenders serve as a global
benchmark, sold 330,000 tonnes of alumina for deliveries in 2013 to a Singapore-based
buyer at 16.07 percent of the LME aluminium price on an FOB basis.
Biocon picks BMS as oral insulin partner
Biocon Ltd, said it had signed an option agreement with U.S. drug major Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company to develop and later market its ambitious oral insulin candidate drug.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) would now fund the development of the drug, codenamed IN105, through Phase II trials. Biocon would retain exclusive rights to IN-105 within the
country. Phase II trials may take up to two years. The drug is expected to help diabetics
relieve the pain of their daily insulin injections.
Amul loses TRIX to U.S. giant
The Gujarat High Court has refused to set aside an order which cancelled Amuls
registration of its trademark TRIX, on which a U.S. firm has claimed its right. In July 2012,
the Intellectual Property Appellate Board had directed Registrar of Trademarks to cancel
Amuls registration of TRIX trademark. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar
Bhattacharya and Justice J. B. Pardiwala, in a recent judgment, dismissed the petition filed
by Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd., owner of Amul, seeking
cancellation of trademark TRIX registered in favour of U.S. food giant General Mills. Amul,
35 years after registering the trademark and after General Mills entry into Indian market as
late as in 1995, had questioned the U.S. firms right over TRIX. Gujarat Co-operative Milk
Marketing Federation (GCMMFL), which markets milk and milk products under Amul brand
under a licence from the petitioner, registered TRIX (coined from the word TRICKS from
the concept of appearing and disappearing tricks as in magic show) as a trademark in
1977. However, Amul stopped using TRIX in 1987.
Tata Tele takes Vodafone to TDSAT over SMS dispute
Tata Teleservices has approached telecom tribunal TDSAT against Vodafones notice
threatening to disconnect termination of SMSes on its network over a dispute on certain
fees. Vodafone had issued termination notice to Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) asking it to
pay Rs.188 crore as SMS termination fee by November 17, failing which it would
disconnect the Tata group firm SMSes from its network. Vodafone is demanding
termination fee from TTSL at the rate of 10 paise per SMS from April 2011. Termination
charges are paid by an operator from whose network calls or SMSes originate to the one
on whose network these communications end. These charges impact tariffs.

Page 4 of 5
17th November 2012

Sport:
CAS finds IWFs four-year ban untenable
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has been forced to revert to the two-year
ban for first-time dope offenders following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS) in an appeal related to a four-year suspension of a Chinese weightlifter. The IWF
had brought in the four-year suspension rule for first-time dope offenders in March, 2008
before the Beijing Olympics, apparently in an effort to protect the sports image amidst
mounting numbers of dopers and its eagerness to retain its status as an Olympic sport.
The World Anti Doping Code prescribes a two-year suspension for first-time offenders, with
an extended ban running up to four years for aggravating circumstances. All the
international federations and National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) follow this rule.
The change from the four-year ban to two years that came into effect in September 2011
have benefited more than 100 weightlifters around the world not counting those who cases
could be under hearing process including three Indian lifters. They are: Harbhajan Singh,
Bijiya Devi and Sunita Rani, all of whom were suspended for four years in September
2009 following an IWF swoop on a training camp in Pune and subsequent positive tests
for steroids.
Saina retains third rank
London Olympics bronze medallist, Saina Nehwal has retained her third place in the latest
world badminton rankings announced. P.V. Sindhu retained her 25th position. Among men,
London Olympics quarterfinalist P. Kashyap held on to his 23rd position. Mumbais Ajay
Jayaram also remained on 27th.

Page 5 of 5
17th November 2012