• NATIONAL NEWS

Bowing to demands by several political parties, government today decided to carry out a caste census next year.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to carry out a caste census. The exercise would be carried out independent of the ongoing census operation next year. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had told the Lok Sabha recently that all political parties had supported the idea of including caste in census and there was no need for any "apprehensions" over the issue. His statement had come after leaders of BJP, JD( U), BSP and Samajwadi Party wanted to know as to what happened to the government's promise to carry out a caste census. The Group of Ministers, which examined the issue, has decided that caste census should be carried out during house enumeration exercise.

Right to Education Act referred to constitutional bench: Private schools lobby protest against the forward thinking Act

 The Supreme Court  referred the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2010 to a constitutional bench saying that its judicial validity needs to be examined in greater detail. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia which included Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar held that since the Constitution has been amended to accomodate the Act, the matter needs to decided by a larger bench.

National Anti Corruption Strategy drafted by CVC

CVC has drafted the National Anti corruption Strategy. It aims to promote transparency by reducing the immunity of babus from prosecution. As of now it has been put in public domain for suggestions until 30.09.2010 .

Monthly release for outward FDI soon

A committee headed by RBI Governor Shyamala Gopinath has suggested a mechanism for disclosing data on outward FDI on a monthly basis. The govt. will release the data in coordination with RBI.

Guidelines for accountability of private institutes

HRD Ministry and Institute of Chartered Accountants of India are in the process of preparing a format for the private higher educational institutions to disclose their income and expenditure in public. It aims at promoting transparency and accountability.

Bangalore Turf Club hearing postponed for next month

Hearing in the land dispute case between Bangalore Turf Club Ltd(BTC) and Karnataka govt. has been postponed for a month. SC has ordered to maintain the status quo util the final hearing is conducted in the matter.

National Broadcasting Authority proposed

Information and broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni revealed  that the govt. plans to constitute a National Broadcasting Authority which will address the concerns of the broadcasting sector. However, no law to regulate the sector has been proposed.

Government orders probe against glass exporters

A probe has been initiated by the Government against glass exporters from china and UAE. The probe is in response to complaints alledging that exporters from these countries were dumping glass used for making lighting fixtures and tables into the country.

India replaces US as 2nd most important FDI destination

The 'World Investment Prospects Survey 2010-2012',a survey conducted by UNCTAD has revealed that India has replaced US as the 2nd most important destination for FDI investment by transnational corporations.

IRDA refuses licence to Willis India

IRDA has refused to renew the broking licence of Willis India Insurance Brokers, an undertaking of Willis, on grounds of violating regulatory provisions.

United State Food and Drug Administration gives green signal to GM Salmond.

US Food and Drug Administration has declared the genetically modified Salmon safe for human consumption and also non hazardous to the environment. The fish has been genetically engineered to grow faster.i.e in 16-18 months instead of 30.

Constitutional bench to scrutinize validity of education Act.

The Right to education Act has been referred for consideration to the constitutional bench. The Act has come under scrutiny because the constitutional validity of the amendment made for passing the law has been challenged.

Pact to share information of banking data signed between India and Switzerland

Switzerland which will make India's access to secret bank accounts much easier. It will amend the double taxation avoidance agreement and help Indian investigators secure information about undisclosed wealth stashed away in swiss bank accounts.

Art works, jewellery and real estate eligible for indexation benefits

The DTC bill has included investments in jewellery, works of art (drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc) and real estate (land, building, or both) as long term investments if sold after a period of one year from the end of financial year.

Committee on piracy suggests amendment of cable TV Act

The committee on piracy, constituted by Ministry of information and broadcasting, suggested amending the Cabe Television Networks act and also suggested licensing for the cable operators. The committee has made many suggestions for combating piracy.

Power of attorney rules relaxed by SEBI

Sebi has relaxed the rules framed earlier on power of attorney in online trading. The regulator has held  that internet based trading shall be exempt from the earlier order on power of attorney from 01.09.2010.

Consensus on caste in census

In tune with the demand put forward by all political parties, the Government has now decided to include caste in the census. The matter shall be taken up for consideration in the next cabinet meeting.

SEBI lifts ban on Barclays bank

The ban was imposed in December on the ground that the bank failed to disclose details of derivatives used by foreign investors to buy Indian equities. The lifting of the ban will allow the bank to issue offshore derivatives instruments.

• INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Former employee wins patent dispute against SONY

In a play station patent dispute between SONY and its former employee, Sony has been ordered by Japan's IP High court to pay a sum of 5.1 million yen to the employee for using a technology invented by him in their play station console.

Sri Lanka's SC permits President to contest for office

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has granted permission to President Mahinda Rajpaksa to contest elections for the post for the 3rd time. The court suggested an amendment in the constitution to facilitate the same.

KBR Only Contractor Granted Legal Immunity From Harming Soldiers And Civilians

A Pentagon deal to grant one of America's largest military contractors immunity from harming soldiers and civilians in Iraq was a unique arrangement, according to Army Secretary John McHugh.

As previously reported in Huffington Post and the Oregonian, taxpayers may be on the hook to compensate more than 150 military veterans who claim that a Halliburton subsidiary knowingly exposed them to cancer-causing chemicals in Iraq.

As part of a lawsuit filed by 26 Oregon National Guard soldiers who claim that they suffered health problems through exposure to hexvalent chromium while patrolling a water treatment plant near Basra in Iraq, it was revealed that contractor Kellogg Brown Root demanded and received legal immunity in return for taking over the $7 billion project in 2003.

Saudi Legal Paradox Deters Investors as disputes go unresolved

Turki AlBallaa wants to bring more foreign investment to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil supplier. The judicial system stands in his way.Saudi Arabia maintains some of the world's strictest civil laws because of its brand of Islam, including sentences of public beheading for drug smugglers and lashings for sexual offenders. When it comes to commercial laws, few are enforced, hampering efforts to foster investment, curb unemployment and reduce dependency on energy revenue. Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2005, the monarchy announced measures to meet international standards of commercial transactions. Today, the legal system is beset by hearing delays, a failure to follow through on court decisions and too few judges with international commercial law training. "A commercial dispute can drag on for years," Mohammed al-Qahtani, an economist working at the Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Riyadh, said in an interview.Unresolved disputes that will need to be enforced or tried by Saudi courts include part of the $15.7 billion in debt owed by Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers Co., a Saudi trading, shipping and banking company, and the Saad Group, owned by Saudi billionaire Maan al-Sanea, to creditors. Judges in the Cayman Islands and New York froze and dismissed in June and July cases concerning al-Sanea and the Algosaibi family.

After losing court fight, state must pay union's legal fees

The bill has come due for the Carcieri administration's losing public-records fight with the largest state employees union, and it comes to $17,805.That's what the state had to pay Council 94, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees recently after a court cleared the way for the union to recoup the legal fees it paid to win its court fight for records about the administration's use of private contractors.The ruling centered on a 2006 law the General Assembly approved amid a lengthy probe into the Republican administration's use of non-unionized "contractors" to conduct state business. In the law, dubbed "the Government Oversight and Fiscal Accountability Review Act," the legislature declared that "using private contractors to provide public services normally provided by public employees does not always promote the public interest. To ensure that citizens of this state receive high quality public services at low costs ... the legislature finds it necessary to ensure that access to public information guaranteed by the access to public records act is not in any way hindered by the fact that public services are provided by private contractors." In mid-June, the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling that the Carcieri administration violated the state Access to Public Records Act by refusing the labor union's request for the information. The decision not only forced the release of the records, it also required the Governor's office to pay the union's legal fees.

Legal sparring over prayer still unsettled

An attorney predicted the long-running legal battle over the National Day of Prayer in the United States will probably end up at U.S. Supreme Court. Jordan Sekulow, an attorney with the Christian advocacy group American Center for Law and Justice, told the Austin American-Statesman the debate about the intention of the day and the right to pray or not is a long way from being settled. Critics say having a special day implies the government wants Americans to get down on their knees and pray in violation of the separation of church and state.

States Join Legal Brief Supporting Ariz. Immigration Law as Donations Roll Into Gov. Brewer's Defense Fund

Nearly a dozen states have filed a legal brief in support of Arizona's controversial immigration law.A "friend of the court" brief filed with the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday argues that a federal judge was wrong to block implementation of key provisions of the law. The brief submitted by Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox argues that the judge used the wrong legal standard to rule on the U.S. Justice Department's request for a preliminary injunction.

Google Antitrust Investigation launches by Texas

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is investigating Goggle (GOOG) for allegedly manipulating search results to hurt its competitors, which could be an antitrust violation. Three small companies, two in the U.S. and one in the U.K., have all complained of Goggle search manipulation. EU regulators are investigating the U.K. company's claim; the U.S. companies sued. The companies, which received assistance in making their claims from Microsoft, insist they are not pawns in the competitive fight between Microsoft and Goggle.