The Latest: Top stories of the day
1. Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border, claiming it had strayed into Turkey's airspace, prompting an angry reaction from Moscow.
2. The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised actor Aamir Khan for declaring that his family felt threatened in India, with leaders saying he was being alarmist.
3. The United States and France have agreed to work even closer with each other in an effort to destroy the Islamic State.
4. The third test between India and South Africa begins in Nagpur today.

The Big Story: Floor Test
After the least productive session in Indian Parliamentary history, the government is desperate to actually transact some business in the Winter Session set to begin on November 26. The Bharatiya Janata Party has spent the last few days meeting internally, as well as reaching out to the Opposition to figure a way forward for the much-delayed Goods and Services Tax, which would help turn India into one common market and presumably spur growth. The BJP had spent years preventing a Congress-led government from passing the Bill, only to see the Congress do the same to it in the last two Parliamentary sessions.

Now there appear to be genuine discussions as the government realises it needs to have some major reform to show both at home and abroad, while also acknowledging the loss of its preeminent position in the aftermath of the Bihar elections. There are murmurs now of the Centre willing to even incorporate a few of the Congress' demands on amending the proposed law, to ensure that the Bill is passed.

But before that it will have to get through an intolerance debate. The government dedicated the first two days of the session to celebrating BR Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, through a discussion on the Constitution. But the Congress has decided it will use that time to discuss intolerance and a breakdown in law and order.

The BJP believes that it can smoothly defend itself on these issues, having drawn up a list of speakers to do so, but these things rarely go as planned. And because that speedbump comes first, there is no guarantee that what follows, including the GST Bill, will have smooth passage.   

The Big Scroll
Here's the complete guide to understanding India’s biggest tax reform – the GST.

Politicking & Policying
1. Election Watch: The BJP lost its Lok Sabha bypoll in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh to the Congress, while the Telangana Rashtra Samiti the Warangal seat by a huge margin.
2. Election Watch: Despite its parliamentary setback, the BJP also managed to debut in the Manipur assembly, winning two bypoll seats.
3. Low-profile External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was actually in charge of the government over the last three days while both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister were abroad. No coup attempts were reported.

Punditry
1. AK Bhattacharyya in the Business Standard explains why the government cannot rely on the Pay Commission alone to spur growth.
2. The Delhi High Court's decision to crack down on the capital's cricket administration is a much-needed move, writes Kirti Azad in the Indian Express.
3. SL Rao in the Telegraph points out that any communal provocation in this day and age is to risk retaliation from forces like IS.