News Digest: Jaswant Singh home from hospital after 4 months

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, December 31, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Jaswant Singh home from hospital after 4 months Former BJP vet eran Jaswant Singh was discharged from Army Research and Referral (R&R) hospital on Tuesday . Hospital sources said the 76-year-old, who went into coma after suffering severe head injury four months ago following a fall at his house, has recovered significantly . Tsunami 10 years later: How the Nicobarese survived the killer waves The coconut was the only source of food and water to those stranded. It was the self-belief of the indigenous people that enabled their survival and recovery. 9% rise in number of board exam-takers Some 1.53 lakh more students than the number last year, will take their class X and class XII examinations, which begin on March 12. More India News»

		Business
		AAI tells SpiceJet to pay Rs 200 crore A question mark is hanging on whether SpiceJet will be able to fly in New Year or not. Have not commented on RBI, governor: Jaitley Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said he had not commented on the Reserve Bank of India or governor Raghuram Rajan during his speech at the Make in India workshop on Monday. Two-wheeler lending gathers pace Six years after auto financiers - both banks and NBFCs - burnt their fingers in the two-wheeler business, loans for motorcycles and scooters are once again picking up speed. More Business News»

		Environment
		Tehran air pollution puts nearly 400 in hospital Almost 400 people have been hospitalized with heart and respiratory problems caused by heavy air pollution in Tehran, with nearly 1,500 others requiring treatment, an official said today. Bengal's new target: Tourism hubs with eco-friendly practices West Bengal, in its bid to prioritise sustainable development and eco-friendly practices, has got the ball rolling to promote eco-tourism on a large scale in the state. Pachauri: IPCC future not tied to Paris climate deal The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading UN body for the assessment of climate change, will continue its work, no matter whether countries arrive at a global climate deal next year in Paris or not. More Environment News»

		World
		Palestinian draft resolution fails in UN council, US votes against The UN Security Council on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories by late 2017. Obama golf game bumps Army couple's wedding spot President Barack Obama's passion for golf forced two US army officers to relocate their sun-kissed Hawaiian wedding at the last minute. Pakistan offsets Lakhvi detention suspension, arrests him for abduction Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and 26/11 plotter Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on Tuesday in an unrelated case a day after a local court suspended his preventive detention. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Alia and Saif spoof themselves This year can be safely called the year of social media proliferation, when micro-blogging sites became more than just an active audience engagement platform. Amongst the multiple trends witnessed in 2014, we list the popular ones. PK: Twitterattis mock Subramanian Swamy BJP functionary Subramanian Swamy drew attention on Twitter once again after he questioned the source of investment in Aamir Khan's latest flick, PK, earning him incredulous reactions and dismissive retorts from the Twitterati. Celebs who have abused their fans More Entertainment News»

		Science
		New graphene-like particle discovered In a breakthrough, researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist have discovered half-light, half-matter particles in atomically thin semiconductors made of a 2D layer of atoms. UK students aim to grow lettuce on Mars by 2018 A student team in the United Kingdom plans to grow lettuce on Mars by 2018 using the atmosphere and sunlight on the Red Planet. 'Your year of birth tied to risk of obesity' Scientists have found that the impact of a gene associated with obesity largely depends on the birth year of an individual. More Science News»

		Sports
		Indian Super League was watched by 429 million on TV An aggregate of 429 million viewers watched the inaugural Indian Super League live on TV, making it the 2nd most-watched sport in India after cricket. Mahendra Singh Dhoni retires from Test cricket Mahendra Singh Dhoni surprised the cricket world with his sudden announcement of immediate retirement from Test cricket, making way for Virat Kohli to don the mantle of captaincy. Gareth Bale not for sale at any price: Real Madrid Real Madrid have made it clear to Manchester United and other possible suitors for his signature that Gareth Bale is not for sale at any price. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Online startup boom: What made the year 2014 special Consumer internet companies raised over $4 billion this year amid an unprecedented global appetite for India's digital pie. Over 1,250 new ventures sprouted, with the number of mobile-first startups growing fastest 5 biggest milestones for Indian e-commerce industry in 2014 Consumer internet companies raised over $4 billion this year amid an unprecedented appetite for India’s digital pie. 2014: The year that was in tech More Technology News»

		Education
		FYUP closed book, nursery a page-turner The year 2014 witnessed many controversies on the education front. It began with the demand for scrapping of the four-year-undergraduate programme introduced by Delhi University. Delhi schools told to put up nursery admission criteria on website The Delhi government's directorate of education (DoE) today directed private schools to upload the criteria adopted for nursery admission for the academic year 2015-16, offering some relief to the parents. Super30 among top3 pioneering educational initiatives : Japanese group A Japanese media group has selected Mathematician Anand Kumar's Super 30 among three pioneering initiatives in the field of education. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Young city designer dies at Goa dance fest Young city designer dies at Goa dance fest Chembur pool revamp to be floated before civic panel in Mumbai A proposal to repair and reconstruct an Olympic-size swimming pool in Chembur is finally expected to come up before the civic standing committee on Friday. Centre, private companies to fund smart police stations After announcing the smart city initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now drafted a plan to set up citizen-friendly smart police stations in each state. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Few new lots but parking rates raised Without upgrading infrastructure, civic agencies have increased parking rates in the city. World heritage tag proving elusive The year 2014 was significant on the heritage front as well. The proposal for nomination of Delhi as a world heritage city seemed to have hit a hurdle at the eleventh hour with the Centre questioning the implications of this Unesco inscription. Metro saw more footfall From launching a new interchange station at Mandi House to adding more coaches to pushing phase-II work, Delhi Metro had a busy year. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Cops seek to mine info from terror suspects in jail With clues from ground zero not providing enough leads, city police have got down to brass tacks to unravel the labyrinthine network of terror groups they suspect was involved in Sunday's subversive act on Church Street. Drones to keep eye on Bengaluru revellers New Year revelry will not be the same in Bengaluru this time around as police will put in place unprecedented crowd-management and surveillance techniques. No entry at Nandi Hills this New Year's eve Authorities have decided to ban entry of public and vehicles into the hill station between 4pm on December 31 and 6am on January 1. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Maoists 'kidnap' 13 tribals near Hyderabad Maoists have allegedly abducted 13 tribals from Pega village in Chintoor mandal on Saturday night. No arrests in banana fields' fire case in Guntur Police have failed to identify those responsible for burning the banana nurseries and drip irrigation equipment in six villages identified for location of state capital. Fake IMEI number racket busted; 3 held in Hyderabad Task Force sleuths busted a fake IMEI number generating racket and arrested three persons on Tuesday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Widow to get pension after 26-year legal battle Ending a widow's 26-year court battle, the Madras high court has said she was eligible for family pension even though her husband had died within a year after joining the government service. Teen arrested for theft forced to perform sex acts, says mom A 19-year-old youth arrested for a bike theft was recently admitted to a government hospital in Chennai with severe infection and injuries to his private parts after policemen allegedly forced him to have oral and anal sex with three others in custody over two days. Tamil Nadu govt announces DA to transport workers In what could be seen as a conciliatory move, the state government on Tuesday announced enhancement of dearness allowance to the employees of state transport corporations from 100% to 107%. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Nigerian drug dealer's bail plea rejected A ‘homesick’ Nigerian citizen, who is serving a jail sentence in a drug peddling case, sought a month’s bail from Gujarat high court so that he could celebrate Christmas and New Year with his family in Africa. New Zealand MP, UK liquor baron among key speakers at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Gujrat The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2015 will see an interesting array of NRI speakers — from historians, doctors and businessmen to liquor baron, member of parliament, and chief ministers from various states. 16 properties in Ahmedabad get home stay licences In a move that will enable foreign visitors experience the grandeur of Gujarat’s rich heritage and culture, the state government on Tuesday issued 16 licences under the home stay policy to house owners across Ahmedabad. At least one of these properties is a heritage house. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		26 fair price shops set up in Mela campus Expecting several lakhs of kalpwasis and seers in the month-long annual Magh Mela, at least 26 fair price shops and three liquid petroleum gas cylinder agencies along with wholesale and retail vegetable shops have been set up in 1,550 bighas of the mela campus to ensure availability of eatables at an economical price Puspmitra's 'save flower' mantra to echo in Magh Mela too As lakhs of devotees and kalpwasis are headed towards Sangam for the month-long Magh Mela, florists and flower sellers are hoping for doing a brisk business. However, there is one person – Pushpmitra Jiwacharya – who is worried. For the last 25 years, the 50-year-old crusader from Rishikesh is striving hard to minimize usage of flowers in various rituals for “flowers look beautiful on plants than being plucked.” CCTVs at 37 spots to check crime in Sangam City With the installation of CCTVs at 37 major locations, the police claimed on Tuesday that it would help in keeping an eye on mischievous elements and help in regulating traffic. 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
		MP Cong suspicious of EC's working before civic body polls On Monday, the Election Commission announced the elections for nine urban civic poll bodies including the Bhopal and Indore Municipal Corporations to be held on January 31 Sarod maestro's charges no music to babus Bureaucrats in Madhya Pradesh have strongly reacted to allegations by Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan that he and his family members were being ignored for years by their home state. Bhopal, Indore civic polls on Jan 31 Polls in nine civic bodies including Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Chhindwara municipal corporations, will be held on January 31, Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission (MPSEC) announced on Monday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Dhindsa cautions SAD on anti-BSF protests Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) secretary general and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Tuesday disagreed with the party’s decision to protest against the Border Security Force (BSF). Cops to be present in full force today No policeman in Panchkula will be allowed to go on leave on Wednesday as all hands will be needed to maintain law and order during New Year celebrations. Convent schools upload lists on websites With winter vacations on in most schools across the city, parents who went looking for their children's names in eligibility lists at convent schools had to return disappointed. More Chandigarh News»

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