News Digest: Not right to 'target' Vadra, Ambika Soni says

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, November 04, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Not right to 'target' Vadra, Ambika Soni says Uttarakhand AICC in charge Ambika Soni defended party chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra by saying that he is being “unnecessarily targeted” over the land deal issue. Hizb commander organized attacks from jail: NIA Exposing lacunae in prison security in Jammu & Kashmir, NIA has claimed that a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander was able to engineer terror attacks in the valley and collect funds while being in jail. Government appoints Hasmukh Adhia as new financial services secretary The government on Monday appointed Hasmukh Adhia, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer who was principal secretary to Narendra Modi during his stint as chief minister, as secretary, department of financial services. More India News»

		Business
		PSB deposit rates cut by up to 100 bps Leading public sector banks have lowered some of their term deposit rates by up to 100 basis points as credit growth remains sluggish and liquidity in money markets has improved (100 basis points = 1 percentage point). Amul products to hit US market soon Americans and the Indian diaspora there will finally get the ‘Taste of India’. Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union popularly known as Amul Dairy has started production of three dairy products at its US plant located at Waterloo village in upstate New York. Maruti unveils India's cheapest automatic car Automatic cars will get a major push in India as Maruti Suzuki on Monday drove in the Alto automatic at Rs 3.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), making it the cheapest version in the country. More Business News»

		Environment
		UN climate report offers stark warnings, hope Climate change is happening, it's almost entirely man's fault and limiting its impacts may require reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero this century, the UN's panel on climate science said Sunday. Sex-hungry, meat-loving reptiles die early A research suggests that meat eating reptiles who engage in sex early in their lives are at a higher risk of early death. Soon, 'toxic' Li-ion batteries may be turned into eco-friendly ones A new research has revealed that most of the electrolytes that are superhalogens in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries contain toxic halogens. More Environment News»

		World
		Suicide bomber kills 32 in northeast Nigeria A suicide bomber killed himself and 32 civilians on Monday when he detonated explosives on the edge of a religious procession by the moderate Muslim Brotherhood in northeast Nigeria, a hospital official and witnesses said. Egypt, Gulf Arab allies eye anti-militant alliance Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are discussing the creation of a military pact to take on Islamic militants, with the possibility of a joint force to intervene around the Middle East, The Associated Press has learned. Unicef doubles staff to fight Ebola in West Africa Unicef says it is doubling its staff to fight Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and in Sierra Leone, where children make up 20 per cent of all cases of the deadly virus. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Saif had an altercation with Ranvir Saif Ali Khan rarely loses his cool on set. However, during the initial days of the US outdoor of his forthcoming romcom, 'Happy Ending', the actor-producer ‘had a friction’ with his co-actor Ranvir Shorey 'I have experienced racial discrimination in Delhi' Assamese singer, composer and producer Angaraag Mahanta, popularly known as Papon, talks about the melodious northeast, Bollywood music, and his days in Delhi. Top 5: Kareena Kapoor's BFFs in Bollywood More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Weight loss surgery cuts diabetes risk Weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass or gastric banding, could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around 80% in obese people, compared with standard care, a new research has found. Human intelligence increases by three IQ points a decade Human intelligence is increasing by about three IQ points each decade due to improved health, education and nutrition, a new UK study has found. Key function of crashed Virgin Galactic spacecraft deployed early: Investigators Virgin Galactic is the fledgling space tourism company of billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. More Science News»

		Sports
		ISL: Pune beat NorthEast with a last-gasp goal John Goossens struck a last-gasp goal to help FC Pune City beat NorthEast United FC 1-0 in a hard-fought Indian Super League encounter in Pune. Murray avoids Djokovic at World Tour Finals draw British number one Andy Murray was on Monday drawn with Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic in the World Tour finals group stages. Double gold for Seema at Asian Shotgun Championship It was double delight for Seema Tomar as she won individual gold in woman trap event and also combined with two others to claim team yellow metal at the Asian Shotgun Championship. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Big-screen battle: Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 In our detailed comparison of the two giant screen phones, we pitted them against each other. Here are the results… Amazon says it faces unique risks in India Amazon feels India’s laws and regulations are a risk for the company. Nokia's 5 most iconic phones ever For a long time, Nokia made smartphones that ruled the world. The Symbian smartphone platform became synonymous with Nokia and even as recently as 2010, Symbian devices formed close to 50% of the total global smartphone market. More Technology News»

		Education
		Indians put in 1-4 hours a week for GRE, Chinese 20 Most Indian students preparing for GRE study for one to four hours a week, when their Chinese counterparts put in over 20 hours. Rajasthan university vice chancellor quits Vice chancellor of Rajasthan University, Dev Swaroop, on Monday resigned from the post citing difficulties in functioning and 'non-cooperation' from the state govt. Purdue University president Mitch Daniels to visit India The move is seen as an attempt by one of the leading universities in the world to strengthen ties with India. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		22-year-old dies of dengue, third fatality in a week The city witnessed its third dengue death in a week when a 22-year-old from Elphinstone Road, Shubham Tiwari, succumbed to the disease on Sunday. BJP likely to defer berths for Sena There is a hardening of stance in the state BJP, reports Prafulla Marpakwar. Mumbai's November temperature hits 37-degrees celsius, only 3rd time in 63 years The city on Monday recorded its third hottest November day since 1951, with the maximum temperature in Santa Cruz touching 37-degrees celsius. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		NCR sees 54% decline in new realty projects   The slowdown in India’s real estate sector continues with the number of new construction projects declining sharply in the three biggest realty markets in the third quarter of this year, global real estate consultancy firm Cushman and Wakefield has said in a yet-to-be-released report. Shias backed BJP but feel let down by government Though work at Jor Bagh’s Karbala, the burial place for all taziyas in Delhi and the rest of NCR, was in full swing on Monday and members of the principal Shia body, Anjuman-e-Haideri, were making special arrangements, there is a growing disenchantment with the BJP in the community. Trilokpuri is tense, hopes peace holds Trilokpuri is returning to normalcy but there is apprehension about Muharram tomorrow. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Woman sells her newborn for Rs 50,000 The police have rescued the baby and arrested four persons, including two middlemen and the couple who bought the boy. He is now being taken care at a Sadhara Kendra. Thirthahalli protests delay in arresting suspects Three days after the incident came to light, Thirthahalli police are yet to register an FIR against four persons named by parents of a 14-year-old girl who died after being allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Madras Eye stares at Bengaluru Sharp rise in conjunctivitis More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		In expansionist mode, BJP gives TDP the jitters in Andhra Pradesh They may be allies at this juncture, but the concerted moves being made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to become a formidable force in Andhra Pradesh is giving sleepless nights to its partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Jawan quizzed over boy's death shoots himself A 32-year-old Army lance naik, who was questioned in connection with 11-year-old boy Mustafa's murder at Mehdipatnam Garrison here, shot himself dead in the early hours of Monday. Rs 100cr worth red sanders recovered Police seized red sanders worth nearly Rs 100 crore on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Monday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Startups bring healthcare to doorstep Ananth Kumar, 32, a businessman from Chennai, was at a loss when his mother went into a coma. Snakes! Forest department rescues 67 of them from houses after rain Monsoon showers bring cheer to some, fear to others.Residents of several neighbourhoods in the city and suburbs are shrieking as snakes make their way out of their burrows and into homes. Chennai lab to help set up Botswana leather park Several African countries have been taking advantage of India's expertise in the leather sector and the latest to join the bandwagon is Botswana. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		75 active SIM cards found in a plastic bag at Ahmedabad airport Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at the city airport on Friday found a plastic bag containing 75 active SIM cards. Woman flier held with bullion worth Rs 15.9 lakh The air intelligence unit of customs department on Monday arrested a woman in her late twenties at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport for smuggling gold worth Rs 15.9 lakh. Speed Post letters stagnant at station Welcome back to the age of the snail mail. Rajesh Patel, a resident of Satellite, had sent a speed post to Chennai on October 9, but the mail has not yet reached the recipient. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Group D of RRC exam to be held from Nov 3 Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC) will be conducting the group D examination in the city on Sunday. This examination is going to be organized in five phases every Sunday starting from November 3 and finally ending on November 30. Extra coaches have also been attached in the trains to bring the candidates. Hindu family performs Azadari for 65 years It is a unique example of camaraderie and Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. A devout Hindu family performs Azadari to mourn the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. Hyena, not wolf creating terror in Gonda: Forest dept The animal thought to be wolf and creating terror in the past few days at Gonda district, turns out to be hyena. On Saturday, the team of forest department claimed it on the basis of pug marks. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Similipal opens to 112 footfalls in peak season The Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) witnessed a footfall of 112 tourists on the first day of re-opening for tourists on Sunday.The reserve was shut to tourists since July due to the rains. Forester murder triggers demand for police powers The recent murder of a forester while on duty by timber mafia in Bargarh district has brought into focus the issue of providing forest staffers with powers similar to policemen. CBI to quiz Tripathy aides CBI will zero in on the close associates of arrested BJD MLA Pravat Tripathy to unearth unknown facts about Artha Tatwa (AT) Group and possible involvement of other politicians in the chit fund scam. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		20 thefts and burglaries in 90 days, city cops fail to crack even one If you think Bhopal is a safe city to live in, here's a shocker.At least 20 incidents of thefts and burglaries have been reported in past three months in the city, but cops could not crack a single case. 'One in four children suffers emotional difficulties' "Intervention by emotional vaccination can be started at birth.Child will not have preventable problems which are scientifically possible currently," he added. NHRC directs DGP to probe govt role in influencing MPPEB cases A whistleblower in MPPEB scam, Ashish Chaturvedi, 24, has informed NHRC there was a threat to his life from those involved in the scam. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Mandi will have Salman Khan's sister as 'bahu' soon Mandi town of Himachal Pradesh is going to have Salman Khan's younger sister as its "bahu' with senior Congress leader Sukh Ram's grandson Ayush Sharma entering into wedlock with Arpita on November 18 at Hyderabad. On the run for 16 years, murder convict nabbed from Pushkar A proclaimed offender, who was on the run for 16 years after jumping parole following his conviction in a murder case, was nabbed on Sunday in Rajasthan, district police said. HC seeks reply from Joshi on submitting 'false information' to EC Taking cognizance of a petition alleging "number of election-related frauds" committed by Punjab local bodies minister Anil Joshi, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday issued a notice seeking his reply on the issue. More Chandigarh News»

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