5 THINGS FIRST Men's Hockey World Cup opening ceremony in Bhubaneswar; PM Modi's poll rallies in Telangana; RBI governor to appear before a parliamentary panel; SC to hear Tarun Tejpal rape case; Afghan peace conference in Geneva

1. Will India, Pakistan get talking again? Faith & talks: India and Pakistan have agreed to open a six-km route from Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab to Kartarpur in Pakistan's Punjab by developing their respective stretches. That will allow pilgrims from India to visit the Kartarpur shrine (the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev) by November 2019, to mark the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak. Two Indian ministers will also travel to Pakistan tomorrow in a sign of thaw (though strong words on 26/11 anniversary injected a dose of realism) in the troubled relations between the two countries. Pakistan has called it a 'victory of peace'. Bad to good: Just two months ago, India wasn't so sure. It had called off the planned meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. That was over two 'deeply disturbing" developments - killing of three J&K policemen and release of postal stamps glorifying militant Burhan Wani. Why it matters: No bilateral talks have taken place between the two countries in almost three years. While this is not the 'formal' start of talks between the two countries, it marks an important first step as no Indian minister has visited Pakistan since home minister Rajnath Singh's visit in 2016 for the SAARC summit. Relations nosedived after the Uri attacks (January 2016) when India announced that it will not engage in talks with Pakistan as 'terror and talks cannot go hand-in-hand'. New PM, new start? If the two countries indeed head to talks it will mark a full circle in their relations in PM Narendra Modi's tenure. On May 27, 2014, the PMs of India and Pakistan held talks in New Delhi hoping to 'begin a new era of bilateral relations'. The latest move comes when Pakistan has a new PM in Imran Khan and PM Modi's tenure is coming to a close. Read more here

2. If 18-year-olds can vote, why can't they get voted? The plea: Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking reduction of the minimum age requirement for contesting elections in India from 25 years to 18 years. The petitioner had argued that a person who can choose his representative could legitimately aspire to become a representative. The argument: Broadly the same that Parliament had cited to lower voting age from 21 to 18 years three decades ago. The 61st Constitutional amendment Bill for lowering the age of voting had stated: "Present-day youth are literate and enlightened and lowering of the voting age would provide to the unrepresented youth of the country an opportunity to give vent to their feelings and help them become a part of the political process. The present-day youth are very much politically conscious. It is, therefore, proposed to reduce the voting age from 21 years to 18 years." Plus, it is people's fundamental right to choose a profession and politics has become one. The rejection: The PIL also cited CEC O P Rawat's statement that a debate must begin to lower the age of MPs and MLAs. But the SC said this debate must be in Parliament and not in SC. A similar petition in 2010 that sought to reduce the age limit to 21 from 25 years was rejected by SC. The court had then said the move would require amendments to several articles of the constitution and the court doesn't have the powers to do that. It also told the petitioner ""What is the hurry? Why not have some experience of politics before entering the fray?" The hope: There has been a debate about lowering the age across various countries and some have successfully done it. The UK Electoral Commission had initiated a consultation in 2003 on age of candidacy for parliamentary elections which led to a change in the law in 2006 when the candidacy age dropped from 21 to 18. In US too there is a campaign going on for reducing the minimum age to contest elections to 18 years and standardise it across all states. Countries which already have 18 years as age of candidacy include Australia, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada and Belgium. In Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia and Iran it is 21 years. In France, age of candidacy for lower House of Parliament is 18 years but for senate it is 24 years.

3. Your budget airline costs more than a full service one IndiGo's modified statement, following a public backlash against its announcement of charging for web check-in, that "some seats will be available for free, depending on the market dynamics" seems to be a desperate attempt by a cash strapped airline — that has seen its profits not just drop but also incurred a loss — to earn even the proverbial pennies on a dollar. Which is not surprising considering that the fig leaf of budget airline tag on IndiGo turns translucent on careful scrutiny. Pricier tickets: A comparison on the basis of the sectors or flights, along with the timings, reveals that IndiGo's ticket prices are either in the vicinity of or expensive than a full service airline such as Vistara or Jet Airways — even without the add-ons like the recently proposed web check-in fee. Extra toppings: IndiGo also charges for seat selection at the time of booking, which ranges between Rs 100 to Rs 850, plus Rs 250-Rs 300 for a meal, depending on whether you choose vegetarian or a non-vegetarian option, along with Rs 450 as convenience fee for booking — all of which could add anywhere between Rs 800-1,600 to the cost of the ticket. While Vistara includes meals and doesn't charge for seat selection, Jet Airways charges Rs 450 as convenience fee. Attracting attention: IndiGo's decision for charging its passengers for web check-in has attracted the attention of the Ministry of Civil Aviation which has decided to examine if they are part of the unbundled pricing framework — the concern being that passengers, in order to avoid paying for web check-in, will be queuing up at the airport counters for the free check-in, which could add substantially to the check-in time.

4. Relief from bag-breaking burden and homework? No spillover: Students of Class 1 and 2 will now be able to enjoy some more play time when they return home after school, following the HRD Ministry's directive to states and UTs that primary school students be exempt from any homework. Sack that bag: The HRD Ministry has also issued instructions for strict adherence to the weight limit for school bags across classes — ranging between 1.5 kg to 5 kg, depending on the class. Damaging effect: Carrying a heavy school bag is damaging to a child's growth. Studies say a school bag should not weigh more than 10% of a student's body weight as heavier bags tend to cause musculoskeletal discomfort that can result in pain in the back and neck, apart from stunting a child's growth. In fact, the Yash Pal Committee, in its report 'Learning Without Burden', had suggested as far back as 1993 that textbooks be kept in schools so that students needn't carry them daily, and thus reduce the bag's weight. According to an Assocham study, 68% of the students below the age of 13 carry school bags that weigh up to 45% of their body weight. Read more here

NEWS IN CLUES 5. Who's the only Italian to win the Best Director Oscar? Clue 1: The son of a well-known poet and writer, he himself became an award-winning poet at 21, then decided to become a filmmaker. Clue 2: He lost his civil rights for 5 years and couldn't vote and received a four-month suspended sentence, for one of his movies. Clue 3: He also directed the first feature film ever authorised by the government of the People's Republic of China to film in the Forbidden City. Scroll below for answer

X-PLAINED 6. The Single Directive What: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine the validity of an amendment to Prevention of Corruption Act that barred the CBI from investigating corruption charges against any government officials without the Centre's prior permission and sought the government's response to a PIL challenging the newly introduced provision. Why: The PIL alleges that the introduction of Section 17A in PC Act by NDA government mandating prior permission to investigate corruption cases against bureaucrats was nothing but resurrection of earlier 6A of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, infamously known as 'Single Directive' which mandated the CBI to take prior sanction of the Centre for probing joint secretary and above level officers. How: SC had, in the Vineet Narain case in 1998, struck down Section 6A of DSPE Act, which was introduced by an executive order. The NDA government in 2003 enacted the Central Vigilance Commission Act and again re-introduced 'single directive' clause through Section 26 of the Act. When that was challenged in SC, the court in 2014 had again quashed it saying classification of bureaucrats into two categories for the purpose of investigation into corruption charges against them was arbitrary and unreasonable. So what: The PIL alleges that the present attempt to resurrect the 'single directive' in a much wider form would result in the complete negation of CBI's powers to investigate any corruption case against anyone. Full story here

7. Russia-Ukraine tension is bad news for everyone The latest: Russian coast guard ships fired at Ukrainian navy and seized three ships and arrested the sailors on board near the Kerch Strait that separates the Crimean territory from the Russian mainland. Ukrainian navy said six of its seamen were wounded. The narrow strait is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and thus a crucial pathway to Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Background: Tension between Ukraine and Russia has been high ever since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 — on the pretext of protecting Russian speakers there — and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. The annexation was the first time since World War II that a European country seized territory from another, and attracted widespread criticism and US sanctionson Russia. Russia now considers Crimea its territory, though much of the world disagrees; India stays neutral on it. In 2014, fears were if the Russia-Ukraine dispute will suck in other nations and result in an extended war. That, however, did not happen; though rebel forces in Ukraine took control of swathes of territory. The worry now is more economical. Russia says Ukraine coordinated with the US and the EU in a "planned provocation" aimed at securing further sanctions against Moscow. But Ukrainian ships do have the right to the passage under international laws, a point highlighted by NATO even as it called for restraint from Ukraine. Nevertheless, sanctions on Russia, at this point in time, would hurt the world economy. Among the reasons for the fall of crude oil price is the high production output from Russia, the US and Saudi Arabia. And, of course, the exemptions the US granted to countries such as India and China on the purchase of Iranian oil. A broad sanction on Russia could hurt its ability to sell oil and thus limit the supply in the world market. Indian stand: To New Delhi, Russian-Ukrainian tension pose another challenge. Its stand on Crimea has been neutral — both Russia and Ukraine had oddly thanked India for its stand — as both are allies. Russia continues to be India's largest defence supplier. Ukraine too is a supplier, albeit at a smaller scale — Reliance Defence recently announced a joint venture with Ukraine's Antonov, the makers of AN 32 aircraft. The JV comes at a time when India is in the process of upgrading the 105-strong fleet of AN 32, the country's primary transport aircraft. Thus an escalation of tension between the two defence suppliers could test India's balancing act.

8. The world may have its first gene-edited baby Editing mankind: A Chinese researcher claims that he helped make the world’s first genetically edited babies — twin girls born this month whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the blueprint of life. He Jiankui of Shenzhen said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. The goal, he said, was to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have — an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus. The claim has not been independently verified. Too risky: Morals and ethics aside, this kind of gene-editing on humans is considered too risky by most scientist and is banned in most countries, including the US. Experts say DNA changes could harm other genes and can pass onto the future generations. But China is an outlier in gene research and encourages its scientists to break conventional norms. Early this year, China had cloned macaque monkeys, taking another step closer to cloning humans — China says it is not in favour of experiments of human cloning but argues"therapeutic cloning should be differentiated from reproductive cloning". How: The science of gene editing took a huge leap forward with the emergence of technology called CRISPR-cas9, which makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable the one that's causing problems. CRISPR-edited mosquitoes are thought to be a solution to malaria in India. CRISPR has also been used to cure certain diseases in humans — last November, scientists in California tried editing a gene inside the body of a 44-year-old man suffering from a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome. But editing genes in an embryo (as in pic) is a step too far for many outside China. The claim: The Chinese researcher said he had practised editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years. He said he chose embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.

YOU SHARE YOUR B'DAY WITH... Source: IMDB

9. What's it with Sri Lanka & whitewashes? Sri Lanka needs some desperate soul-searching. And now. Going down to England by 42 runs in the third Test at the SSC in Colombo, meant they had handed a clean sweep of the Test series yet again. The big worry? Till 2016, in a series of three Tests or more, Sri Lanka had been whitewashed only four times in their history. But now, in the last two years, they have been blanked three times already. 0-3 v SA (away) in 2016-17 0-3 v India (home) in 2017 0-3 v England (home) in 2018 In fact, it makes for dismal reading. In the last two years, only Pakistan has suffered a whitewash in a series of three Tests or more — 0-3 away to Australia in 2017. The latest Test series loss to England was also the third occasion in which Sri Lanka lost all three Tests in a home series, having done so previously to the great Australia team in 2004, and against India last year. Sure, the Lankans have been on the other side of whitewashes as well, since 2016. They beat Australia 3-0 (2016) and South Africa 2-0 (2018), both at home. But being on the losing end of clean sweeps (numbering more in this case) is bound to hurt more.

10. A football match too dangerous to hold The match: Copa Libertadores final. Teams: Boca Juniors and River Plate — Argentina's biggest clubs and bitter rivals competing in the final of the South American version of Champions League for the first time in the 58-year history of the continental tournament. That is Boca, the alma mater of icons Diego Maradona, Riquelme, Carlos Tevez; River Plate of Alfredo di Stefano, Ortega, Batistuta and Crespo. The problem: Think of Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Inter Milan vs AC Milan or Lazio vs Roma and double (or triple?) the intensity of the rivalry and you get Boca vs River Plate. The two clubs are based in Rio de Janeiro, just about 12 kilometres apart. But fans from the two clubs are not allowed to visit each other's stadia — it is simply too dangerous. Three years ago, a last-16 Copa tie between River and Boca was abandoned at half-time after Boca fans attacked the River players with pepper spray; Boca was kicked out and River was given a bye into the quarter-finals. Now think of Boca vs River Plate match in the final of the biggest continental tournament. What happened: The finals of Copa Libertadores, unlike UEFA Champions League's, are of two legs. The first leg was scheduled on November 10 at Boca's home stadium but rain delayed the match by a day, and when it did kick off — with no away fans in stands, mind you — River came back twice to draw the match 2-2. That means the second leg was a do-or-die — the final of the finals. It was scheduled for this Saturday (November 24) but was postponed by a day after River fans attacked Boca players' bus and riot police was forced to fire tear gas. Then, ahead of the rescheduled match, River fans warned of a pepper spray attack — by singing about it. The organisers did not take a risk and postponed the match yet again. Suggested read: Superclasico: Inside the Ultimate Derby, a book on Boca Juniors vs River Plate by Joel Richards.

PLUS The richest communist unveiled It's official now — China's richest capitalist is officially a Communist, according to a report in the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, the People's Daily. Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, was outed as a Communist Party member in an honour roll published by the party's newspaper, of people who have contributed to the country's economic development. While there have been speculations earlier about Ma's political leanings — who can now lay claim to being the richest Commie capitalist, with a net worth of $38.2 billion, regardless of oxymorons — this is the first time there’s been an official statement, which is being interpreted as a sign by the party to exert its influence in the economic arena.

KEEPING TRACK Criminal pollution: As Delhi's air quality index (AQI) again dipped to 320, into the very poor band, the Supreme Court has asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to initiate prosecution proceedings against 250 government officials who have not acted on the complaints of pollution received on the CPCB's social media accounts. Dial P for... the prosecution of P Chidambaram, former union minister in the UPA government, as the CBI informed a special court that the Centre had sanctioned action against the minister in the Aircel Maxis case — Chidambaram and his son Karti, who's a co-accused, having been given anticipatory bail which expires on December 18.

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Answer To NEWS IN CLUES Bernardo Bertolucci. The director has died, aged 77. The son of Roman poet Attilio Bertolucci, he hailed from the northern Italian town of Parma and was battling cancer. If the controversial Last Tango in Paris made him internationally renowned (and notorious), it was The Last Emperor—filmed in the Forbidden City—which won all nine Oscars for which it was nominated for, in 1998, including Best Picture and Best Director.