News Digest: Haak Ke Saag, kebabs at President dinner for Putin

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, December 12, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Haak Ke Saag, kebabs at President dinner for Putin The dinner spread at the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday ranged from a spinach-based Kashmiri dish to kebabs. Paper leaks force railway exams to go online Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has issued an instruction to this effect for improving the system. He said that the current manual system has failed to inspire confidence among candidates, the public and quite often even among officials associated with the process. UP guv calls for Ram temple construction again Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik on Thursday said crores of Indians wish Ram temple should be constructed in Ayodhya while speaking at the convocation of Faizabad Awadh University. More India News»

		Business
		3G waves may be sold in February auctions Spectrum auctions in February may finally see the sale of 3G airwaves as the defence ministry has agreed to vacate 5 MHz of 3G spectrum that it holds in 17 circles in the 2,100 MHz band. Separate chairmen, MDs for PSU banks Public sector banks are set to have non-executive chairmen and separate managing directors from the current financial year as the government tries to rework the structure on the lines of private banks to improve corporate governance standards. Tata Power inks JV to invest in Russian energy assets Tata Power, which is battling tariff issues at home, has teamed up with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to invest in energy assets in the world’s sixth largest economy, as it looks to rev up growth. More Business News»

		Environment
		US rules out China-like climate deal with India in near future the US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a wide-ranging deal to cut greenhouse gas emission with India on the line of the recent US-China deal. Lima climate summit: Saarc stands up to be counted as one The Saarc bloc has finally emerged as a united force at the ongoing climate talks with ministers and key representatives of all eight member countries formally sealing the existence of south Asia as a common entity here as far as putting across their stand at the UN forum is concerned. UN climate convention: Poor countries gear up to battle the rich Making a strong intervention during a key meeting, Indian environment and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar said, “We are here to enhance the implementation of the convention, certainly not to re-write it”. More Environment News»

		World
		Bush knew about CIA torture, says Cheney President George W Bush was fully aware of and an “integral part” of the CIA's torture of terror suspects, his vice-president Dick Cheney said Wednesday. End of road for democracy? Hong Kong demolishes protest site Hong Kong authorities demolished a protest camp on Thursday at the heart of the city’s two-month pro-democracy movement but scores of activists taken away by police vowed their fight for genuine elections wasn’t over. Ebola vaccine trial halted for checks after joint pains A clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine developed by Merck and NewLink has been halted temporarily as a precautionary measure after four patients complained of joint pains, the University of Geneva Hospital said on Thursday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Will Kareena Kapoor play Sangeeta Bijlani? Heard Kareena Kapoor Khan is a strong contender to play Sangeeta Bijlani in the biopic being made on Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. Exclusive: Arjun Rampal directs Ranbir Kapoor No, Arjun Rampal has not turned director in real life. Jacqueline named 'Woman of the Year' by PETA Jacqueline Fernandez has been named the 'Woman of the Year' by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, for advocating the protection of animals More Entertainment News»

		Science
		What makes champagne bubbly; decoded Researchers have decoded the science behind the formation of bubbles in a glass of champagne. Pill to curb obesity a step closer Scientists have made a significant start towards creating an obesity pill. A team of researchers from Imperial College London have discovered the exact brain mechanism that drives our appetite for foods rich in glucose and could lead to treatments for obesity. Isro to test GSLV Mk-III, crew module on December 18 India's manned space flight programme will move a step forward with the much-awaited launch of the advanced Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MIII) on December 18 between 9am and 12pm from Sriharikota. More Science News»

		Sports
		Champions Trophy: India set up semis clash with Pakistan India produced an inspirational performance with a come-from-behind 4-2 win over Belgium to set-up a semis clash against Pakistan in Champions Trophy. Indian Aces edge past Singapore Slammers in IPTL Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna beat Bruno Soares and Daniela Hantuchova in mixed-doubles match as Indian Aces edged past Singapore Slammers in IPTL. Pakistan stun Holland to reach Champions Trophy semifinals Pakistan notched up their first win over the Netherlands in 16 years, stunning the World Cup and Olympic silver medallist 4-2 to reach the semifinals of Champions Trophy. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Foxconn halts TN ops over Nokia shutdown Foxconn is suspending production at its Sriperumbudur plant due to lack of orders, almost writing off the Rs 850 crore investment it made in India. YouTube app gets offline viewing support in India The feature allows users to temporarily store videos offline to watch later during short periods of low or no internet connectivity. The worst Android 5.0 (Lollipop) bugs and their fixes Android 5.0 Lollipop is here and while you might be rejoicing at all the new features you can take advantage of, you might also be cursing at the state that the new OS has left your device in. More Technology News»

		Education
		CBSE introduces pre-examination activities In order to ensure smooth conduct of annual examinations scheduled in March 2015, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued pre-examination activities for schools. Hope for more research funds after better grade The top ranking awarded to the Shivaji University, Kolhapur has opened new channel for funds to flow for research and development and will make the varsity eligible for various education support schemes of the University Grants Commission (UGC). IIT-Madras launches incubation cell for startups in biotech The research work of G Purushothaman and Kiran Kumar, who were working on technology to change the way doctors test patients for infectious diseases, was promising. But two years after four young researchers started to develop point-of-care testing devices — that would allow a single check for multiple infectious diseases like TB, HIV and Hepatitis B — the team shrunk to two. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		'Cops filing cases must be more gender-sensitive' While 40% complainants of crimes against women said they had to wait for one to four hours to get a case registered at a police station, 43% said there was no action or a negative response from the police after the case was registered. HC acquits three after they spend nearly 10 years in jail in drugs case A couple of months before they were scheduled to complete their 10-year prison terms, the Bombay high court acquitted two Mumbai residents and a Sri Lankan in a 2005 drug bust case. Transport dept to meet private cab aggregators today, set rules The state transport commissioner’s office has called a meeting of all private cab rental aggregators in Mumbai region on Wednesday. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		HC agrees to hear plea for regulating radio cabs in Delhi The Delhi high court today agreed to hear a PIL seeking measures to regulate radio cabs in the national capital, which were allegedly flouting existing norms and guidelines made by the government, days after a 27-year- old woman was raped by an Uber taxi driver. Are you bad at math? Don't be so sure A study has found that about 20 percent of people who claim they are not good at math actually perform well and score in the top half of those taking a math test. Police recover iPhone of rape-accused Uber driver The smartphone was recovered from Mathura by a Delhi Police team which had gone there with accused Shiv Kumar Yadav yesterday in search of the phone. The phone was recovered at his instance. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Over 4,000 services now on your fingertips Citizens can access 632 government-to-citizen services and over 3,500 business-to-consumer services at their fingertips by downloading Karnataka MobileOne app K'taka bucks national trend, out-of-school kids up 67% State’s Rank Declines To 4th In 10 Months | 115% jump in Kerala, Andhra Sees 67% Dip Prez visit cuts short school hours With a fleet of 28 buses, 200 cars and other vehicles, Vidyashilp Academy closed three hours earlier than scheduled. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		'Suicide' drama on Hooghly Police divers and river traffic officials frantically searched for a man seen jumping into the Hooghly around midnight on Tuesday only to realise that the ‘victim’ was standing on the other shore, watching the rescue operation all along. Deaf and dumb woman 'gang-raped' A 20-year-old deaf and dumb woman was allegedly gang raped by four people at Inavolu village of Wardhannapet mandal of Warangal district in the early hours of Thursday. Property tax defaulter faces 'stinking' protest Ramagundam municipal corporation (RMC) workers on Thursday resorted to a rather weird protest over a house-owner’s failure to pay property tax for the past four years. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		TN tells Centre: Keep tobacco out of GST ambit Tamil Nadu continues to oppose implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). At a review meeting of finance and commercial taxes ministers in New Delhi on Thursday, state commercial taxes minister M C Sampath said the Centre should exempt tobacco and tobacco-related products along with fuel and liquor from the ambit of GST so that the states could levy taxes on these items. Grocer who filched milk, sold it in his store busted Peerkankaranai police inspector P Kandavelu thought he’d seen all kinds of criminals in his lengthy career in the force but then along came 31-year-old M Muthu, a resident of Co-optex Colony in Mudichur. Help free TN fishermen, Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam tells PM Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the immediate release of 24 TN fishermen, who were detained by the Bangladesh navy on Tuesday. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Russian defence companies home in on Gujarat Russian defence equipment manufacturing companies are looking at building a base in Gujarat. Accused IPS officer Pandian reinstated IPS officer Rajkumar Pandian, accused in the Sohrabuddin and Tulsi Prajapati encounter cases, was reinstated on Thursday and posted as liaison officer for GIDC in Mumbai. Man thrown off moving train near Ahmedabad loses leg A 25-year-old youth loses a leg after being thrown off a moving train on a railway track near Kalupur. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Trader's Allahabad bandh today Traders’ community has given a call for Allahabad Bandh on Thursday against brutal attack on traders’ leader Banwari Lal Kanchal at Lucknow. 'Shortage of equipment in lab should not hamper innovative instinct of a scientist' Lina Nilsson's aim in life is to see that shortage of basic equipment in various labs of the world does not hamper the innovative instinct of young scientists. Lina is on her visit to the 7th science conclave at IIT-A. High court summons CSJMU VC Taking a serious note of willful disobedience of court’s order, the Allahabad High Court has issued notice to Chhatrapati Sahu Ji Maharaj Kanpur University VC Prof J V Vaishmpayan and directed him to appear before the court on January 21 to explain as to why the order of the court was not complied with. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Youngsters game for international hockey As the youths turn ‘cheerleaders’ for Champions Trophy, the venue, Kalinga Stadium here, has become the new hangout zone. Cops put up complaint boxes in Puri Ahead of Nabakalebara, the Puri police have put in place a new system to receive complaints from people. Government to hold talks with Air Odisha for inter-state operations The state government is likely to take a final call on Wednesday on the proposed compensation of four seats for regional flier Air Odisha, which is keen to fly its small aircraft in five districts of the state . More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Sectarian strike singes Bhopal, 75 critically hurt Sectarian violence erupted in the city with over 60 houses of a minority community torched by a mob on Thursday. Pt. Prabhakar Karekar to be conferred Tansen Samman on December 12 Tansen Samaroh will be held from December 12 to 15 on the premises of Tansen Samadhi, Hajira in Gwalior. The event will commence with Hari Katha Milad at 9.30 am. Workshop on stemming seasonal diseases on December 17 Principal secretary health Praveer Krishna reviewed activities pertaining to stemming of seasonal and infectious diseases as well as precautions to be taken in ensuing months on Thursday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		115 traffic offenders fined In a special drive Panchkula traffic police on Thursday challaned (ticket) as many as 115 drivers.Police nakas were laid at various places, including Majri Chowk, Dolphin Chowk, and Sector 19. Cops arrest youths with five guns His story: Rooted in history Nek Chand Continues To Use Chairs That Date Back To Pre-Partition Days, Owns A Gramophone And A Transistor Gifted To Him By Punjabis In The UsVibhor.Mohan@timesgroup. More Chandigarh News»

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