HEADLINES

• Lokpal Report by the end of the month; Govt to ensure passage of the Lokpal bill in winter session
• TN CM pressures the PM to act against Lanka on the issue of attacks against fishermen
• Catholic nun from Kerala, Valsa John murdered in Jharkhand; hard organised a protest against the functioning of a private coal mine which was affecting and displacing the Santhal tribe

NATIONAL NEWS

• New rules give some relief to nuclear suppliers
  • The Govt has finalised the rules for the implementation of the country's new nuclear liability that aim to meet the ocncern of American nuclear suppliers who are worried of unlimited liability in the even of a Fukushima-type of accident with their reactors;
  • The rules were notified by the Govt on November 11. However, American suppliers may not be satisfied with these changes. The two provisions that American suppliers have a problem with in the Indian Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act are:
    • Section 17(b) which grants Indian operators a right to recourse against nuclear suppliers if an accident results from “supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services”. The new rules however indirectly provide the suppliers with the right to limit such liability to 5 years;
    • Section 46, which allows orfinary citizens to file tort claims for damages which is seen by American suppliers as exposing them to unlimited liability. The rules do not address this issue.
• India Developing Agni-V, Long-range surface-to-air missile : DRDO
  • After the successful launch of Agni-IV (3000km range), the DRDO is now focusing on the inter-continental ballistic missile with a range of 5000km. The missile is likely to be launched in February 2012;
  • China has missiles like Dong Feng-31 which have a range like 11,200km and that is capable of hitting any city in India;
  • The DRDO is also focusing on LRSAMs, missiles with 70 km range which are being jouintly developed by India and Israel for their navies.
• Now, cancer vaccine awaits human clinical trial
  • A therapeutic vaccine against cancer could well be on the way. After sucessully undergoing animal tests it is all set to undergo human clinical trial in a few months;
  • The vaccine, developed by the scientists at the National Institute of Immunology in Delhi, may prove to be a boon to those suffering from breast, ovarian, cervical, thyroid and blood cancer. Anil Suri, who developed the vaccine, said it would be put to clinical trials at the Cancer institute at Chennai and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in the US;
  • The vaccine centres around a new cancer treatment modality called dentiritic cell therapy, in which a patient's own immune cells are used to fight cancer. These cells, which are a kind of immune cells are present in the body in small quantities. The process involves taking the blood cells out of the patient's body and producing large quantities of dentiritic cells in the laboratory. They are then primed with an antigen called SPAG-9 and given back to the patients in the form of a vaccine.
• Judgment obtained by fraud a nullity, rules the Supreme Court
  • A judgment obtained by fraud on court, without disclosing material facts relevant to the adjudication will become a nullity said the Supreme Court.
• Cabinet approves amendments to the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Education Institutions, Medical Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010 to make it more effective. Bill has also been renamed the Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2011

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• US-Australia deal ruffles China
  • China expressed concern over a security agreement between US and Australia saying that such a military alliance may not be in the interest of the region;
  • In Canberra Australia, the US President and Australian PM announced that 250 US Marines will be stationed on rotation at Australian bases and the number would be expanded to 2500 in the future. The agreement is to maintain security in the asia-pacific region.
• Julian Assange to move the UK Supreme Court against extradition to Sweden

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Read this article on development of science in India by Narayana Murthy
• Read this article on the recent developments in forming smaller states
• Here is another debate on the future of India's nuclear power sector and the options

EMINENT PERSONS IN THE NEWS

• Read this article about Tessy Thomas, who was behind the development of Agni-IV

ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

• Cabinet nod for 26% FDI in pension sector
  • The Union Cabinet agredd to open FDI in the pension sector to the extent of 26%, the same as the insurance sector in India. However, the FDI cap was not mentioned in the PFRDA Bill, 2011 and the same will be in an executive order of the Govt;
  • A Standing committee of the Parliament had recommended that the FDI cap be mentioned in the act as well as a minimum guaranteed return be provided. The Govt has however not taken both the recommendations on the PFRDA Bill.
• US eying India's infrastructure opportunities, wants bilateral investment treaty
  • Given that 80% of the infrastructure of 2030 has yet to be built – the US sees a great opportunity to deepen commercial relation in building India's infra. For this US is asking for a bilateral investment treaty with India.