Harvinder Singh slapped Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after a public event in New Delhi, shouting slogans against corruption and price rise. The Delhi High Court will hear bail pleas of DMK MP Kanimozhi and five other accused in the 2G case tomorrow. The suspected killing of CPI(Maoist) Politburo member Koteshwara Rao alias Kishenji in an encounter in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district is considered a major blow to the Maoist movement in India.

1. Current Awareness Services
UPDATES FOR 25.11.2011
By

2. N
A
T SHARAD PAWAR SLAPPED
I
O
N  Breaking into a group of officials and journalists, a youth on Thursday attacked Agriculture
Minister Sharad Pawar after a public event in New Delhi shouting slogans against corruption
A and price rise, an action that was roundly condemned by political parties.
L  The 71-year-old Mr. Pawar, who went to a literary function at a public auditorium on Parliament
Street, was caught unawares when he was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a local transporter in his
thirties who had assaulted former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram outside a court on Saturday after
N he was sentenced in a corruption case.
E  Private security guards immediately overpowered the youth who was shouting “he is corrupt”
and an official landed some blows on Mr. Singh.
W  “I came planned to the event to slap the Minister,” Mr. Singh told reporters who had gone to
S cover the literary function. “All of them are corrupt,” he shouted when he was removed from
security and policemen.
 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Mr. Pawar after the incident and condemned the
attack. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also said that the attack on Mr. Pawar was “totally
condemnable”.
 Mr. Pawar termed the incident stupid and that he did not make much out of it.
 When asked whether he would press charges against the attacker, he said it was for police to
deal with the matter.
 Mr. Pawar said he saw the youth standing in the midst of a group of journalists and could have
taken advantage of the fact that he has very little security.

3. N
A COURT TO HEAR BAIL PLEAS OF KANIMOZHI,
T
I 5 OTHERS TOMORROW
O
N  The Delhi High Court will hear on Friday bail pleas of DMK MP
A Kanimozhi and five other accused in the 2G case, advancing the
L hearing of their petitions from December one.
 “All the bail applications would be heard tomorrow at 10.30 am,”
N Justice V K Shali said on Thursday.
E  Former Telecom Minister A Raja, who was among the first to be
W arrested in the case along with his Private Secretary R K
S Chandolia and former Telecom Secretary Behura on February 2, is
yet to move any court for bail.
 Two others, Chandolia and Shahid Usman Balwa, are yet to
approach the high court against the trial court‟s November 3
order, rejecting their bail pleas along with those of Ms. Kanimozhi
and five others, who have challenged the decision.

4. N
A KISHENJI BELIEVED KILLED IN ENCOUNTER
T
I
O
N  Communist Party of India (Maoist) Polit Bureau member Koteshwara Rao alias
Kishenji, who has been spearheading Maoist operations in West Bengal's
A Jangalmahal region, is suspected to have been killed in an encounter in the Burisole
L forest area in Paschim Medinipur district on Thursday.
 “A body was found with an AK-47 and a hearing aid beside. We suspect that the AK-
N 47 was probably used by Kishenji, but cannot comment until the identification is
E complete,” said Director-General of Police Naparajit Mukherjee.
W  Joint security forces, led by Superintendent of Police Praveen Tripathi, had launched
massive combing operations in the Kushbani forest area bordering Jharkhand over
S the last couple of days.
 According to the police, there was a “heavy exchange of fire” in the forest area
between 4.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. after the police noticed the movement of a Maoist
squad there. At the end of the encounter, a body was found.
 In New Delhi, Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh told journalists that Maoists had
suffered a huge setback, pointing out that the police were “99 per cent” sure of the
death of Kishenji. The Ministry had sent his latest photograph to the State. Some
time before the encounter, the security forces raided a house at nearby Gosaibandh,
where a bag containing a laptop, believed to be Kishenji's, was seized, among other
items.

5. N KISHENJI'S DEATH A SERIOUS BLOW TO MAOIST
A
T MOVEMENT
I
O
N  Maoist movement in the country has suffered a massive blow with the killing of
Mallojula Koteshwara Rao, popularly known as Kishenji, in West Bengal.
A
 The biggest credit for this 57-year-old Maoist leader is the building of Lalgarh
L movement in West Bengal, which is now billed as the second Naxalbari in India. One
of the first generation founding leaders of erstwhile CPI-ML People's War (PW) in
N Andhra Pradesh, Kishenji left an indelible imprint in building the revolutionary
E movement not just in West Bengal, but also in Andhra Pradesh and Dandakaranya
(part of which is Chhattisgarh).
W
 While most of the leaders of the ultra left movement in India were either strong on
S an ideological plane or had only had sound military capabilities, Kishenji belonged to
the rare class of being an able ideologue and also the best in military field craft.
Perhaps, it was this rare capability that help the Lalgarh movement reach new scales
on the revolutionary arena.
 According to a written reply given to Rajya Sabha on Wednesday by Union Minister of
State for Home Jitendra Singh, there were 1,468 violent incidents up to November
2011 in nine States, while the figure stood at 1,925 for the corresponding period in
2010. Maoists killed 49 persons this year, while 207 were killed in 2010.

6. CABINET APPROVES 51 PER CENT FDI IN MULTI-
BRAND RETAIL
 In a bid to remove the impression that UPA II was suffering from “decision making
paralysis” and kicking off the second generation reforms, the Union Cabinet on
N Thursday gave its approval to allowing 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in
A multi-brand retail and 100 per cent FDI in single brand retail.
T  The decision is likely to clear the decks for the entry of foreign retail giants such as
Teso, WalMart and Carrefour who have been waiting in the wings for long to get a
I taste of the $450 billion worth of retail Indian market. The announcement invoked
O strong criticism from Opposition parties, including the BJP and the Left, but was
N welcomed wholeheartedly by corporate India. The opposition from one of the UPA
A allies, Trinamool Congress, to the proposals did not deter the government from
taking the decision.
L
 As for the back end investment, the Cabinet note clearly states that investment
made towards processing, manufacturing, distribution, design improvement, quality
N control, cold chain, warehouses and packaging, amongst others, will constitute back
E end. The retail chains will be allowed only in cities with a population of more than 10
W lakh as per the 2011 census. There are 51 cities with a population of more than one
million, based on the 2011 census.
S
 Some of the key conditions for allowing 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail
include products sold under the same brand name internationally; product retailing
will cover only those products that are branded during manufacturing and the foreign
investor should be the owner of the brand.

7. DEAL FAILS TO SATISFY YEMENI PROTESTERS
 Street protests and violence continue to rock Yemen despite President Ali Abdullah Saleh
W committing to a deal that will end his 33-year rule.
O On Thursday, it appeared that the deal — brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council
R (GCC) — which obliges Mr. Saleh to step down in 30 days, was not enough to calm protesters,
L who have been seeking a fundamental change in their impoverished country
D
Sri Lanka promises action if complaints against military have proof
N A senior Sri Lankan defence official has made it clear that if there was any
E evidence on crimes committed by military personnel, then, the government
W would not hesitate to take action.
S

8. CARTOONIST THACKERAY CALLS ON COMMON
MAN
 Two friends, who have known each other for more than 50 years, met, reliving old
times and shedding a tear or two on the memories.
M  Nothing unusual except that the two are legendary cartoonists R.K. Laxman and Shiv
E Sena chief Bal Thackeray. Mr. Thackeray (85) visited Mr. Laxman (90) in his Pune
E residence on Thursday evening to enquire about his health.
T  “When he saw me, the poor chap started crying,” Mr. Thackeray, who is a cartoonist
I himself, told journalists.
N  The two first met in 1945 when Mr. Laxman joined The Free Press Journal, where Mr.
Thackeray was already working as cartoonist.
G  “We worked together till 1950 after which he joined The Times of India,” he said. He
S was accompanied by his son Uddhav Thackeray and grandson Aditya.
 “Today, only I was speaking, as Laxman cannot talk. The very hand that sketched
politicians is shaking today,” Mr Thackeray said. Mr. Laxman, who suffered a stroke
in 2010, cannot talk, and uses his hands much.
 In spite of that, he drew his favourite character, the Common Man, for his old friend,
which Mr. Thackeray proudly displayed to reporters.
 “The standard of caricaturists has gone down today. In our times, one cartoon was
equal to a hundred editorials. Today's cartoons lack that fun element,” Mr Thackeray
said.
 Speaking to The Hindu earlier in the day, Mr. Laxman's wife Kamala said, “We have
known him for very long. Laxman is very fond of him. He is visiting us in Pune for the
first time.”

9. S BATSMEN CONTINUE TO DOMINATE AT
P
O WANKHEDE
R
T
 The queues lengthened outside the gates and inside the
N Wankhede Stadium, the „Sachin, Sachin' chorus proved to be
E the favourite on Thursday morning. The fine print of a match
W being in the balance was seemingly lost as fans waited for
S that singular „I-was-there' moment as and when Sachin
Tendulkar notched up his 100th international hundred.
 Finally when bad light curtailed day three of the third Test
between India and the West Indies, Tendulkar (67 batting)
was at the crease, yet to register the milestone but as always
he continued to be the carrier of dreams.
 West Indies —; Total (in 184.1 overs): 590.
 India — 1st innings: Total (for three wkts. in 80 overs): 281.

10. PONTING VOWS TO FIGHT FOR HIS
PLACE IN AUSTRALIAN TEAM
S  Under pressure to retire following his prolonged lean patch, veteran
P batsman Ricky Ponting has vowed to fight for his place in the
O Australian Test team ahead of the upcoming series against New
R Zealand.
T  Ponting is coming off a lean 24 months with the bat, averaging just
14 in his 13 innings before scoring a crucial 62 against South Africa
N in Johannesburg this week.
E  “Of course (I want to keep playing). I really enjoy it and always have,”
W Ponting said after arriving home from South Africa.
S
 “It‟s a great team to be a part of at the moment. I want to be around
and hopefully be able to have some sort of impact on the way the
team plays. If I keep doing my job, then hopefully I will keep getting
picked,” he added.

11. S
P Ferrer brings Djokovic back to earth
O  World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was beaten for only the fifth time this year as
R Spain's David Ferrer booked his place in the semifinals of the ATP World
T Tour Finals with a 6-3, 6-1 victory on Wednesday.
van Persie puts Arsenal in last 16
N  Arsenal reached the Champions League football knockout phase with
E victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, but Chelsea was made to
W wait after a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen.
S Goal-line technology possible by 2012: FA
 Goal-line technology could be used in the English Premier League as
early as next season, Football Association (FA) general secretary Alex
Horne said on Thursday.
 “It's possible we could see (goal-line technology) in the Premier League
as early as 2012-13,” Horne told the BBC.
Chouhan suggests London Olympics boycott over Dow sponsorship
 The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has asked
the federal government to lodge a strong protest against Dow Chemical
Company‟s sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics, and suggested a
boycott if the sponsorship continues, news reports said Thursday.
Sports at glance