News Digest: PM Modi hosts Iranian, Israeli leaders together

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, January 12, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		PM Modi hosts Iranian, Israeli leaders together PM Narendra Modi pulled off another coup of sorts when he had Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's adviser‎ Akbar Torkan and Israeli agriculture minister Yair Shamir attend his tea party together. Who am I to say if Manjhi will stay CM: Nitish JD(U) strongman Nitish Kumar on Sunday said he couldn’t guarantee whether Jitan Ram Manjhi would remain Bihar chief minister until the assembly elections due later this year. Asked whether he thought Manjhi would continue as CM until the November polls, Kumar remained non-committal saying, “Who am I (to comment on that)?” Make Priyanka Congress chief: Banner in Allahabad A banner has come up at the busy Subhash Chowk here urging the Congress High Command to shun general secretary Digvijaya Singh and appoint Priyanka Vadra Gandhi as the party president on her birthday on Monday. More India News»

		Business
		Have promises to keep: Modi to CEOs About 200 top CEOs descended at Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU) in the state capital on Sunday evening for the first-ever global CEO conclave addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Aadhaar, mobiles can cut delivery costs: Bimal Jalan In an interview to TOI, chairman of the panel Bimal Jalan says tackling food subsidies is tough and backs the idea of using technology to reduce cost of delivering government services. Excerpts: Alibaba eyes $550m stake in Paytm owner One97 China’s Alibaba Group Holding and its unit Alipay are in advanced talks to buy a stake for about $550 million in India’s One97 Communications, which owns an online payment platform, sources directly involved in the transaction said. More Business News»

		Environment
		Orangutan returns to Indonesian wild, but abandons son A once-blind female orangutan who regained her sight with surgery has returned to the rain forests of Indonesia's Sumatra island, but with only one of her young twins, an environment group said. More birds visit Chilika Lake The number of feathered guests to the famous Chilika lake in Odisha, the biggest waterfowl habitat in the country, increased this winter. Karnataka sets up panel to declare eco-zones near national parks The cabinet set up a committee to identify and declare by January 31 eco-sensitive zones around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. More Environment News»

		World
		Two suspected child suicide bombers hit north Nigeria town Two suspected child suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market in northeast Nigeria on Sunday, witnesses said, killing three people in the second apparent attack in two days using young girls strapped with explosives. Croatian opposition wins presidency, sets sights on government Croatia's conservative opposition won a narrow presidential victory on Sunday, capitalising on popular discontent over economic decline and setting down a marker for parliamentary elections later in the year. Pak courts offer army the power it used to seize After Taliban gunmen massacred dozens of schoolchildren in Peshawar last month, Pakistan’s two most powerful men convened an emergency meeting at army headquarters. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Farah Khan's b'day: Gauri Khan embarrassed Gauri Khan's bandage dress caused her some embarrassment at Farah Khan's party. Bollywood sequels to look forward to in 2015 Here are some other sequels that seem promising. Bigg Boss 8: Upen Patel gets a second chance Upen Pagtel is all set to return to the show after the makers have agreed to give him another chance. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		China pushes plan for Earth-moon round trip China's bold plan to land an unmanned spaceship on the moon before returning to Earth %has moved another step forward with a test craft shifting into lunar orbit to conduct further tests, state media reported on Sunday. Kepler's planet finds now past 1,000: Nasa Nasa's venerable Kepler space telescope's count of exoplanets has passed the magic 1,000 mark, including eight new planets and 544 candidate planets. Optimistic people have healthier hearts: Study Optimistic people have significantly better cardiovascular health than pessimistic peers, a study of over 5,000 adults has found. More Science News»

		Sports
		Federer notches 1,000th match win, claims Brisbane title Federer notched his 1,000th career victory and collected his 83rd title with a seesawing 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win over Raonic in the Brisbane International final. West Indies beat South Africa in world record chase Chris Gayle powered the West Indies to the highest score by a team batting second in Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, sealing a 2-0 series win in South Africa. EPL: Alexis Sanchez boosts Arsenal's top-four bid Alexis Sanchez delivered a majestic display as Arsenal closed the gap in the race for a top four finish in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Stoke. More Sports News»

		Technology
		First impressions: Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 For phones that are targeted at stylish consumers, Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 seem to check all the boxes. Old is the new cool in tech Whosoever said that old is gold knew what he was talking about. The latest fad among the tech-savvy lot, across the world, is going retro... 10 unique gadgets unveiled this week The 2015 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was dominated by fitness and wearable gadgets from small startups, some of which raised money via crowd-funding campaign. While most gadgets were me-too, there were few who stood out from the crowd More Technology News»

		Education
		Times NIE Market mantra - hiring continues Sangeeta Gupta, senior VP, Nasscom speaks to Sarah Zia about the IT job market Only 10% MBA graduates employable, say experts India produces about three lakh management graduates every year, but hardly 35,000 of them are employable, said experts who gathered here for a conference of B-school heads. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Police on alert in Dharavi after comunal tension Exactly a week after the Mumbai police prevented a mini riot, similar incident was reported in slum pocket of Dharavi area on late Sunday evening. Boy with rare blood group gets new life The UP toddler with the rare Bombay Blood group, who underwent a life-saving heart surgery with help from Pune and Mumbai donors, was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi last week Kunte outguns IAS rivals, stays on as BMC chief Several high-profile bureaucrats lost a crucial battle to Mumbai civic chief S J Kunte. Ever since he assumed office in May 2012, a lobby of builders had approached the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to get his appointment stayed, but the CM declined to oblige them More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		3 new cases of swine flu Three new cases of swine flu were reported in the capital on Sunday, taking the total to 43 so far this year. Raahgiri Day takes a break, next event in February Those looking forward to Raahgiri in Dwarka will have to wait till February for the next event, as it has suspended for the next four weeks. 4 die after U'khand bus falls into gorge Four persons, including a woman and a child, were killed and 40 others were injured when the bus they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Ranikhet in Almora district early on Sunday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		World Bank to offer specialised course in Bengaluru institute The World Bank has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Materials Management (IIMM) to offer a specialized course in public procurement, Professional Diploma in Public Procurement (PDPP). Students paint BBMP office wall To create awareness about social issues, a group of first-year BCom students of Christ University have started using painting as a tool. Power trips Sunday plans of many north Bengalureans Large swathes of north Bengaluru plunged into darkness on Sunday afternoon due to a major snag at Nelamangala power station. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Cops mull slapping criminal charges against speed freaks Speed demons are in for trouble as Hyderabad traffic police are mulling to register criminal cases for violations and produce them in court. 8-year-old falls from cycle, crushed by jeep An eight-year-old boy was mowed down by a jeep trailer at Rahimpura in Dhoolpet on Sunday morning. The victim, Vishal Baradi, was a class II student from Rahimpura. KCR threatens to 'kill' those who pay bribes “Do not bribe anyone. If you bribe officials, I will kill you. If some official demands bribe, please dial 040-23454071 and I will take action against the person concerned,” warned CM K Chandrasekhar Rao at a meeting here on Sunday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		WCC centenary to be marked with stained glass tree Amidst its lush green canopy of rare and exotic trees that stands testimony to its 100-year history, the Women’s Christian College will have one decorative tree, this year, in honour of its alumnae and faculty members. Police camp in Maharashtra to solve Chennai cases A police team is camping in Ambivali and Bhiwandi in Maharashtra’s Thane district to bust a gang whose members come to Chennai once in six months, distract and rob people in public places and return to their hometown with a large amount of booty. Cormoration road cutting demo blocks traffic, vexes locals Lack of proper planning by the civic body before executing a work once again came to the forefront as the four hour work dragged on for more than nine hours. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Protest in Bopal over boy's death After the death of an eight-year-old child at a residential scheme in Bopal on Saturday, local residents staged an agitation and warned builders that they would stall construction work if they didn’t change the route for transport trucks immediately. 2 held with fake currency notes The Special Operation Group (SOG) officials nabbed two brothers —Mohammed Mantu Alam Ansari (30) and Mohammed Nasim Ansari (35) — on Sunday from Lal Darwaza with fake Indian currency notes worth Rs 1.04 lakh. Both the accused are residents of Bihar. Clarity is tone of perfection One of the severest tests that defeat aspiring rasikas is that of comprehension. When maestros sing, the art manifests itself as a lovely blur of sound and syllables stretched into sentiments. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Kalpwasis demand ration cards A group of kalpwais on Saturday raised voice against mela authorities for not providing ration cards and other basic facilities. Extension of TGT exam date demanded Scores of students preparing for competitive examinations handed over a memorandum to chairman of UP Secondary Education Service Selection Board (UPSESSB) Parshuram Pal demanding extension of the date of TGT exams. 'Adhere to law to provide benefit to society at large' We should develop the culture of adhering to law in order to provide benefit to the society at large, said Justice (ret) DS Sinha, former chief justice of Gujarat High Court here on Saturday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Hukitola to feature on state's tourism map Hukitola, a 148-year-old monument on an island in the Bay of Bengal in Kendrapada district, will soon feature on the tourism map. Treat for the senses at new rose garden Flower lovers can enjoy over 1,084 varieties of roses at the Rose Centre inaugurated at Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC) here on Saturday. Utkal students clean up picnic spots, inspire others to follow suit Utkal University students have taken Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship ‘Swachh Bharat’ initiative to picnic spots. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Honor killing: Dalit youth burnt alive, four held A 23-year-old Dalit man and his two friends were allegedly burnt alive in a case of honour-killing at the border of Balaghat and Seoni districts here, police said today. Madhya Pradesh Greenpeace activist on way to London offloaded at Delhi airport A Greenpeace India employee who had business visa to visit London, to address British Parliamentarians on January 14 on the rights of forest communities being infringed for coal mining in India, especially Madhya Pradesh was stopped at the New Delhi airport on Sunday morning by the immigration office. Only 1.6% vehicles penalized in one year in Bhopal More than 10 lakh vehicles zip through state capital roads and majority are illegally parked sparking gridlocks, but only 1.6% errant drivers were penalised in 2014. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Your help enables teen to hit cancer for a six “You can try any ball, I will hit a boundary,” boasts a confident Sahil. What makes the 13-year-old appear different from his team mates is his resilience in the face of adversity. Railways probe nails 3 for coaches derailment A railways investigation report has held three officials guilty of negligence for the accident of 12 stationary coaches rolling on their own and two of them derailing at the Chandigarh railway station on December 28. Brawl calls rang loudest in 2014 Drunken brawls, assaults and noise pollution caused maximum nuisance in 2014. A study of the Chandigarh police control in 2014 showed that about 85,052 emergency calls were received in the last 12 months. More Chandigarh News»

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