0815 HRS
17th January , 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• India and Pakistan agree to de-escalate tension along the border.
• Government says, economic engagement with Pakistan can only be enhanced in a peaceful environment.
• Allahabad High Court orders lodging of FIRs against 800 primary school teachers, who secured employment on forged degrees.
• US President Barack Obama proposes ban on assault weapons to check gun assault incidents.
• Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal to clash with Pui Yin Yip of Hong Kongin the pre-quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open Super Series tournament.

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India and Pakistan have agreed to de-escalate the situation along the border.Islamabad has offered to hold talks with New Delhi to address the concerns relating to the Line of Control, LoC and to reinforce a nine-year-old ceasefire.

Earlier, top military commanders of both the countries agreed not to allow escalation of tensions along the LoC, with the Pakistan Army asking its troops to observe ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint. The ways to defuse the tension on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, which was triggered by the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistani Army, were discussed during a telephonic conversation between the Director Generals of Military Operations of the two sides yesterday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in a statement late last evening that any increase in tensions would be counter-productive. She offered to hold talks with her Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid to address the concerns related to the LoC and to reinforce the ceasefire that had been in operation since 2003.

In another development, New Delhi said, economic engagement with Pakistan can only be enhanced in an environment of peace and stability. In a clear message, it said that the current strain could impact trade ties with Pakistan.

The remarks by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tough message to Pakistan that it cannot be business as usual in the aftermath of the beheading of an Indian soldier on the LoC last week.

Mr Sharma's comments came ahead of the Annual Partnership Summit to be held inAgra from January 27th.

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The Parliamentary Standing Committee is likely to submit its report today on the UPA's ambitious food security bill to the Lok Sabha Speaker. The government had introduced the Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha in December 2011. It aims to give legal entitlement on subsidised foodgrain to about two-third of the population, costing more than 1,00,000 crore rupees to the exchequer.

The bill aims to give rice and wheat at three rupees and two rupees per kilo respectively to priority households. General households would get grains at 50 per cent of the minimum support price. Under the proposed law, 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population would be covered.

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Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily has called for auditing of all energy sources, including petroleum products in the country. Inaugurating the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight, 2013 in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Moily said, the energy audit should have an exact and precise process. He also suggested energy budgeting by everyone utilizing energy. The Petroleum Minister said, the government is working on a proposal for 50 per cent reduction in the consumption of petroleum products by 2020.

We are working on a proposal law to ensure that by 2020 fifty per cent of our imports should be reduced. By 2025, seventy five per cent of our imports should be reduced. By 2030 , we should nearly reach out to self sufficient in petroleum products.

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The Allahabad High Court has ordered lodging of FIRs within three weeks against more than 800 primary school teachers across Uttar Pradesh, who were found to have secured employment on the basis of forged degrees or fictitious appointment letters.

It also ordered that the amount, the teachers have been paid so far by way of salaries and other emoluments should be recovered.

A division bench comprising justices Amar Saran and Dinesh Gupta passed the order in the course of hearing on a writ petition on January 11th.

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The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has sought a report from the Delhi Police Commissioner regarding allegations of non-registration of a complaint filed by a teenage trafficking victim. The direction came yesterday after the Commission took suo motu cognizance of a media report that police did not register the complaint of the 15-year-old girl. According to a release issued by the NHRC, the Commission has asked the Police Commissioner to file a report within four weeks. The Commission in its notice has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of the victim.

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US President Barack Obama has proposed sweeping gun control measures, including universal background check and ban on assault weapons. Unveiling plans to introduce tighter gun control, Obama called upon Congress to restore a ban on assault weapons. The President's proposals include a ban on magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition and tougher background checks on people wanting to buy fire arms. He said, no single policy can end gun deaths and prevent massacres like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children last month.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf is unlikely to be arrested soon on graft charges, despite a Supreme Court order. The country's apex court had not set any deadline for his arrest. Pakistani Federal Minister said, the government will act according to the law of the land.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry yesterday directed the National Accountability Bureau, the country's main anti-corruption agency, to initiate action against Ashraf and over 20 other persons for alleged corruption in the setting up of rental power projects.

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Vice President Hamid Ansari will today conclude his four days state visit to Vietnam. He visited the War museum and Vietnam History museum at Ho Chi Minh cityyesterday. Our correspondent reports that Mr Ansari will today visit the historic Cu Chi tunnels near Ho Chi Minh.

The Cu Chi tunnels, one of the most famous historical vestiges of VietnamNational Liberation War, consists of over 200 km of tunnels connected with one another. These tunnels were very helpful for liberation forces in surprise attacks on US forces in 1975. Inside the tunnels there were kitchens and arrangement of storage of food and ammunition and were well equipped with communication facilities. Today Cu Chi has become a place of pilgrimage for the people of Vietnam. After visiting Cu Chi, Mr Ansari will address Indian community residing in Ho Chi Minh. Anurag Vajpeyi, AIR News, Ho chi Minh.

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The government is likely to consider a proposal today that seeks to expand the scope of National Investment Fund, NIF to recapitalise public sector banks and insurance companies.

It is expected that the fund will be brought under the Consolidated Fund of India.

Currently, funds generated from disinvestment of public sector companies go to NIF and are used for financing select social sector schemes and meeting capital investment needs of profitable as well as revivable state firms.

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The first Monorail corridor would become functional in East Delhi in early 2017 at an estimated cost of 2235 crore rupees. Delhi Transport Minister Ramakant Goswami yesterday said, the work on the project is expected to start in couple of months. The 11-kilometer long monorail corridor from Shastri Park Metro station to Trilokpuri will have 12 stations.

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The 300 km long Jammu Srinagar national Highway has been closed for all types of traffic due to heavy snowfall on both sides of Jawahar Tunnel. The weather forcast predicts heavy snowfall in Pirpanjal range particularly in Qazigund and Banihal sector today.

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In Assam, the third Indo-Bhutan Friendship mela will begin today at Subankhata in Baska district. Organised by Indo-Bhutan Friendship Association, the week long mela is an initiative to boost bilateral relations of both the countries. Exhibition, ethnic food and cultural shows are being organised as a part of the friendship mela. Around 90 stalls have been set-up representing various states. The people on either side of the border have been on close terms since ages and it is expected that the mela would further strengthen the ties.

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London Olympics Bronze medalist Saina Nehwal and 4 other Indian shuttlers will play their respective pre-quarterfinal matches of the Malaysia Open Super Series Badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur today.

In the Women's Singles, top seed Saina will take on Pui of Hong Kong. In the Men's Singles, P. Kashyap will clash with sixth seed Jan Jorgensen of Denmark, while Gurusaidutt will meet second seeded Japanese Kenichi Tago.

In the Women's Doubles, the Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Pradnya Gadre will shuttle it out against the sixth seeded Chinese pair of Jin Ma and Jinhua Tang.

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In Australian Open Tennis, India's Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek will play their Men's Doubles opening round match today. The second seeded Indo-Czech pair will take on the South African-Israeli combination of Kevin Andersen and Jonathan Erlich.

Yesterday, the fifth seeded Indo-Canadian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Daniel Nestor and the Indo-American duo of Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram advanced to the second round of the Men's Doubles category.

Today, Swiss Roger Federer, Briton Andy Murray, World Number One Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Serena Williams of the United States will play their Singles second round matches.

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In the ongoing Hockey India League, Punjab Warriors will clash with Uttar Pradesh Wizards at Jalandhar today. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 PM.

In yesterday's results, Ranchi Rhinos defeated Punjab Warriors, 2-1, at Jalandhar, while Delhi Waveriders beat Mumbai Magicians, 2-1, at Delhi.

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Today's Newspapers

The front pages of most papers of the day are splashed with stories related to the heightened tension between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control. Hindustan Times says, 'Under pressure, Pak asks its men to back off'.

In a related story, The Pioneer reports that exposing the white lies of the Pakistani military establishment, Indian Army has released pictures of landmines that were reportedly planted by Pakistani troops inside the Indian territory along the LOC.

After the the BCCI has apprised the International Cricket Council of the situation prevailing in India following the killing of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistani Army, and after the Mumbai Cricket Association made it clear that it would be difficult to host the matches involving a Pakistani team in the city, the ICC may have to announce a new venue for the matches of the upcoming Women's Cricket World Cup, says The Pioneer.

The Statesman writes that one month after the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a Delhi bus, protesters gathered yesterday at Jantar Mantar in remembrance of the braveheart.

'Litigation explosion ahead', under that headline The Pioneer writes that the likelihood of 15 crore cases in the year 2040 warrants speedy judicial reforms as underlined by the National Court Management System of the Supreme Court.

The Indian Express reports that the cabinet meeting is set to consider the Petroleum Ministry's proposals to increase diesel, cooking gas and kerosene prices, a move the government aims to partly offset by raising the ceiling on the number of subsidized LPG cylinders.

'Aussie breakthrough may offer AIDS cure', reads the headline of a Hindustan Times story which writes that modifying a protein in the HIV virus that causes AIDS will stop it from replicating, thereby protecting people against AIDS.

The Times of India says that the international boxing body AIBA has suspended the Indian Boxing Federation on complaints of manipulations in its organisational elections in September last, as a result of which the Indian boxers will not be able to take part in international events.

And finally, The Times of India has written about the exam evaluation mess in DelhiUniversity after the roll out of the semester system saying that many students have got marks that were more than the maximum possible.

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Rehearsals for Republic Day Parade, 2013 will be held from today at Rajpath in the national capital. It will also be held on Friday, Sunday and Monday. The rehearsal will be from Vijay Chowk to India Gate between 9 AM and 12 noon. Delhi Traffic Police has advised people to avoid Rafi Marg, Janpath and Mansingh Road during the rehearsal period.