News Digest: Enter the wedding packers

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, December 28, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Enter the wedding packers Outsource the wrapping to professional gift-wrapping services that cover everything from takeaways to trousseaus. India asks Pak to hand over Dawood India today asked Pakistan to hand over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim saying enough evidence have been given to it on the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. The difficulty of being Indian in 2015 The request to write this piece — on being Indian in 2015 — made me smile at the irony. I thought: if 2014 is anything to go by, 2015 is going to be less about being Indian than it is going to be about not being Indian enough. More India News»

		Business
		Insurance ordinance to help companies raise funds: Finance ministry The finance ministry on Saturday said the ordinance for insurance sector reform will help companies raise capital through new and innovative instruments, besides promoting economic growth and job creation. Government invites bids for 24 coal mines In the first tranche of coal block auction, government on Saturday invited bids for 24 mines, including seven in Chhattisgarh. Audi to step up investments on models, plants Volkswagen's flagship Audi division is to increase spending on new models, plants and technology through 2019 to push its goal of surpassing German rival BMW as the world's largest luxury-car manufacturer. More Business News»

		Environment
		Govt's save-dolphin plan starts with census The Mamata Banerjee government has submitted a Dolphin Action Plan for the state to the Centre, proposing to have a dolphin census done in the Ganga and conduct an awareness campaign to prevent the endangered species, which was declared the National Aquatic Animal in 2010, from going into extinction. Himachal to add more green pockets in Shimla The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to add a few more green pockets in Shimla town to the existing 17 pockets to expand its green cover, said town and country planning minister Sudhir Sharma on Saturday. Kerala seeks Centre's support to tackle sea erosion The Kerala government has urged the Centre to make suitable amendments to rules to bring sea erosion under disaster management, a state minister said Friday. More Environment News»

		World
		'Kill infidels or they'll rape your mother' Before war convulsed his hometown in Syria, Usaid Barho played soccer, loved Jackie Chan movies and adored the beautiful Lebanese pop singer Nancy Ajram. He dreamed of attending college and becoming a doctor. Under jihadi rule, people don't even have water, medicine ISIS's vaunted exercise in state-building appears to be crumbling, as living conditions deteriorate across the territories under its control, exposing shortcomings of a group that devotes most of its energies to fighting battles and enforcing strict rules. Snow delays flights, brings roads to standstill across UK Heavy snowfall and winter storms have swept parts of the UK, resulting in flight delays and closing of roads leaving dozens of passengers stranded. More World News»

		Entertainment
		BCCC asks Sony for apology scroll The BCCC has asked Sony to run an apology scroll on December 30 between 8.30pm and 9.30pm for ‘disseminating wrong stats’ in one of the episodes of Kaun Banega Crorepati. Arjun Kapoor: There is no comfort zone It’s been a good year for Arjun Kapoor, with all his films doing well at the box office. And the year 2015 will open with yet another ‘tevar’ full of Arjun doing what he does best. The young actor, who was in Ahmedabad recently to promote his film Tevar talked at length about being an actor, connecting with fans and more during a relaxed chat. Biopics coming up in 2015 The next year will see larger-than-life stories of those who made a mark, from musicians to sportsmen to war heroes More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Taking notes kills your memory Most of us take notes be cause we think doing so will help us remember what we're learning. Old PS3 for new computing This spring, Gaurav Khanna noticed that the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth physics department was more crowded than usual. Why, he wondered, were so many students suddenly so interested in science? New worry: Resistance to 'last antibiotic' surfaces in India For now, colistin is the only cannon left in the medical armoury to treat bacterial infections, mainly those acquired in the hospital that no drug can treat. The number of cases resistant to colistin is still rare, but worrisome, say doctors. More Science News»

		Sports
		Sunil Chhetri named 2014 AIFF Player of the Year Sunil Chhetri was declared 'AIFF Player of the Year' for the third time in four years while Bala Devi has been declared the 'Woman Player of the Year'. Constantine to take charge as India football team's coach Stephen Constantine will return as Indian football team's chief coach for the second time as his name has been cleared by the AIFF's Technical Committee. Indian football team drops to worst-ever FIFA ranking of 171 In a year when cash-rich ISL created waves, Indian national team slumped to its worst-ever FIFA rankings dropping to 171st in the 209-nation chart. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Lava Iris Fuel 60 review: Budget phone with big battery Domestic handset maker Lava has introduced Iris Fuel 60, a large capacity battery-equipped Android smartphone that comes with decent hardware specifications, on paper. COAI complains to Trai about net telephony, WhatsApp The fight between mobile operators and over-the-top (OTT) players such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber is intensifying. 10 things to do with your old smartphone Bought a shiny new smartphone? Don't give your old one away for a pittance. We show you different ways you can put that old smartphone to work around the home, office or while you're on the move. More Technology News»

		Education
		CAT results website crashes, students fume Confusion prevailed after the results of CAT– the test for entry into the IIMs – were announced on Saturday. CAT results out, but students can't log on to site The Common Admission Test (CAT) results announced on Saturday brought more worry than cheer as several could not log on to the website. IIT Delhi director RK Shevgaonkar quits over demand for Sachin's academy, Subramanian Swamy's dues Subramanian Swamy had been seeking his "salary dues" between 1972 and 1991 but IIT Delhi director R K Shevgaonkar was against an out-of-court settlement. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Have a great Sunday with mix of fitness and fun Equal Streets is back tomorrow. Last Sunday saw between 45-50,000 people swarming the 6.5km Bandra-Santacruz stretch that’s closed to motorized vehicles from 7 to 11am. Cops clueless about why youth scaled highrise The police investigating the death of the 23-year-old who fell off the 11th floor of a Borivli highrise while scaling the building’s pipe are baffled. Dance, music & debate rock IIT-B fest's Day 2 Day two of IIT-Bombay’s annual cultural extravaganza, Mood Indigo, saw over 34,000 students from colleges across the country engage in various events and competitions. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Close shave as new car catches fire, brakes fail A woman employed with an MNC had a close shave when her few months old Volkswagen Vento car, which was serviced last Monday, caught fire near Bhikaji Cama Place on Saturday. 19-year-old boy stabbed in Saket A 19-year-old boy was stabbed by his own friends near Saket City Mall on Friday. The boy, identified as Roshan, was rushed to Max Hospital. Congress may repeat its 2013 winners, runners-up All of Congress' eight MLAs in the last assembly are likely to get tickets to contest the February 2015 elections as the party tries to regain lost ground after being reduced to a distant third place in December 2013. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		How Bengaluru gave hope to this tsunami-hit girl The tsunami had devastated the Tamil Nadu coast, including their Sandy Ade village in Kanyakumari, on December 26, 2004. Sheeba's father Chinnappa, who had left home in the morning to sell sea shells on the beaches of Kanyakumari, never came back. Guv may seek legal view on CM's names for KPSC The controversial proposals come in the wake of the KPSC’s reputation taking a beating with allegations of corruption and favoritism in selection of candidates to various services. B-school on wheels chugs in to learn from Narayana Murthy Some of the coaches make for hostels for boys and girls, two AC coaches make for conference rooms, one pantry car and two more washing coaches. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Administrative Staff College of India finds 7,200 illegal water connections Nearly 7,200 water connections were found to be illegal in a sample survey of 25,000 connections in three municipal circles (Kukatpally, Alwal and Malkajgiri) by the city-based Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). Denied meeting KCR, TRS worker attempts suicide Denied permission to meet chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao by security personnel, a TRS activist attempted suicide at the CM’s camp office at Somajiguda on Saturday. HC stays Telangana, AP notices on computerisation of retail liquor shops Stating that it is unfair to insist retailers to be tech-savvy without computerising the distilleries first, the Hyderabad high court has stayed notices issued by the AP and Telangana governments to retail wine shop dealers directing them to install computers, printers and scanners in their shops. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		2 more Sun Network officials booked for harassment Police are now looking for the P Kannan, vice-president (HR) in Sun Network, and Saju David, channel head for Surya TV. Sources in the Sun Network said Kannan and Saju suddenly went on leave just a day before Christmas after allegedly received a tip about the arrest of Praveen. Fog in Delhi puts train users in a fix, most late by a day Travelling from Chennai to Delhi by train continues to be a hassle as fog in the northern parts of the country has derailed schedules. Brain drain from IITs down For decades, IITians have been faulted for leaving the country in search of greener pastures.But now, contrary to public perception, the brain drain from the premier technical institutions to foreign shores is declining. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Ahmedabad cops can't call from landlines! Even as a terror threat looms large over the city just days ahead of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Vibrant Gujarat meet in January 2015, alarm bells are ringing in Ahmedabad’s police stations. Employee fudged accounts over five years, alleges car dealer A car dealing firm based on SG Road has charged an employee with siphoning off Rs81.83 lakh over five years. Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India to help ventures survive longer Businesses that start must survive and grow.Internationally, close to 40% businesses fail within the first 1,000 days.Of those that survive the 1,000-day syndrome, a significant number fail to grow and make a mark. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Alumni to teach success mantras to IIIT-A students/ to budding engineers of IIIT-A An alumni of Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A) has decided to return to the campus and share secret ‘mantras’ of success with the current crop of budding engineers Drones, spotters to ensure peaceful Magh Mela Following terror alert issued by the Centre across the nation, the Magh Mela administration has roped in drones and spotters to ensure an incident-free mela. AU a hit among foreign students Allahabad University’s fame as a ‘seat of learning’ has crossed the international borders and is encouraging students from foreign locations to seek admission. The trend that started with the arrival of students from African countries like Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria and Mozambique has now spilled on to middle east, east Asian and south east Asian countries too. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		80 tribals "converted" to Christianity in Odisha At least 80 tribals were allegedly converted to Christianity in Balisuda village in Sundargarh district of Odisha, officials said on Saturday. Elderly man beheaded for sorcery in Odisha An elderly man was beheaded in Odisha for allegedly practicing sorcery, police said on Thursday. UGC team visits Khallikote College A University Grants Commission (UGC) team on Tuesday visited government-run Khallikote College here to assess the infrastructure facilities for restoration of its autonomous status. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		First verdict of MPPEB scam, two get 3 yrs imprisonment In the first verdict of Madhya Pradesh Professional Board (MPPEB) recruitment scam, special court in Bhopal sentenced two accused with 3 years imprisonment for fraud in constables’ recruitment scam, on Saturday. Madhya Pradesh STF tampered evidences of MPPEB scam: Digvijaya to SIT AICC general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh appeared before Justice Chandresh Bushan-led Special investigation team (SIT), constituted by high court to monitor STF investigations into Madhya Pradesh professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam on Saturday and submitted a report claiming the most crucial electronic evidence in the case – Nitin Mohindra’s excel sheet – was tempered by investigating officers and they should be behind the bars. Power company passes off burden on consumers Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company that sought a 24% hike in power tariff in the state, is apparently trying to pass the burden of its ‘mismanagement’ on consumers. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Rebellion in Himachal Pradesh Congress over bus conductor scam An ordinary written test to recruit bus conductors in Himachal Pradesh has created a major political crisis in the hill state. Nineteen MLAs have approached chief minister Virbhadra Singh alleging a scam in the recruitment process and signed a petition demanding the cancellation of the test and interviews. 2 youths try to abduct young woman bank employee in Hisar Two unidentified youths tried to kidnap a girl in her car in Sector 13 of Hisar on Friday.She raised an alarm and both youngsters fled from the spot. Sikh bodies to lobby for UN resolution after Rajnath terms 1984 riots as genocide Union home minister Rajnath Singh's terming of the November 1984 violence against Sikhs as "genocide" has given fresh ammunition to Sikh groups trying to internationalize the issue. More Chandigarh News»

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