US President Barack Obama’s itinerary includes back-to-back visits to India, South Korea and Japan. He is scheduled to visit Seoul for the G-20 Summit on November 11 and 12. He then travels to Japan for the Apec summit on November 13 and 14.

The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha on Monday said an article written by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on north Indians has brought down the image of parliamentarians in the public eye. However, with Mr Raut expressing regret both orally and in writing, the committee recommended no action against the Shiv Sena leader, who is also the executive editor of Sena mouthpiece Saamna.

At a time when the chief minister Rosaiah is besieged on many fronts namely the rebellion of Jaganmohan Reddy, taunts by detractors from within the party and allegations of being ineffective, he has found support from an unexpected quarter-the governor of the Andhra Pradesh state E.S.L. Narasimhan.

Responding to Ram Jethmalani’s query that India was listed fifth amongst the poisonous gas emitting nations in the world, Union minister of environment Jairam Ramesh admitted that the National Ambient Air Quality Standards had been notified in respect to twelve pollutants. These included gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and ammonia .

The Parliament on Monday passed the Securities and Insurance Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2010 that provides for a mechanism to resolve the regulators’ disputed over jurisdiction of popular Ulip financial products.

Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha members on Monday expressed dismay over reported fare hike by private airlines to ferry people from tragedy struck Leh. Asking the government to immediately intervene in the matter, Rajya Sabha members also sought relaxation of MPLAD rules so that members could donate from MPLAD to those effected in Leh due to flash floods.

The main Opposition BJP is unlikely to oblige the government for a smooth passage of the nuclear liability bill. It has asked the government to clarify whether the draft legislation was India-specific or being enacted to fulfil requirements of international treaties.

Unhappy over not being allowed to raise the Belgaum border dispute issue, Shiv Sena members on Monday staged a walk out from Rajya Sabha.
As soon as the House assembled in the morning, Shiv Sena member Mr Manohar Joshi raised the issue and demanded an immediate discussion on it. But House C

Even as the issue rocked both the Houses of Parliament with the Left parties accusing the Trinamul Congress (TMC) of “having truck with the Maoists,” the Congress on Monday asserted that the party had extended “moral support” to TMC chief and railways minister Mamta Banerjee for holding a rally in Naxal-affected Lalgarh in West Bengal.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday following heated words between the Opposition and the treasury benches over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s demands for suspending question hour for a discussion on railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally at Lalgarh.