News Digest: India, Russia to kick-off Indra joint combat exercise next week

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Wednesday, November 04, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		India, Russia to kick-off Indra joint combat exercise next week Crack infantry troops from India and Russia will kick-off their joint combat exercise "Indra'' at the Mahajan field firing ranges in Rajasthan from next week, with the two armies honing their counter-terrorism skills. SC dismisses Kanimozhi, Balwa plea in 2G scam The Supreme Court on Tuesday modified its earlier order on the 2G spectrum allocation case to allow the accused and CBI to move the Delhi high court against the final verdict while dismissing the plea of DMK leader Kanimozhi and Swan telecom promoter Shahid Balwa for quashing of charges against them in the multi-crore scam. CBI in HC, Madan back in hospital A few hours before CBI moved Calcutta high court challenging Madan Mitra’s bail in the Saradha realty case, the transport minister was admitted to a private hospital with chest pain on Tuesday. The high court will hear the matter on November 5. More India News»

		Business
		Government looks at 3 options to reduce stake in IDBI Bank The government is looking at three options to shed its stake in IDBI Bank and lower it to 49% in the first such exercise in the public sector banking space. SAT sets aside Sebi nod for MF distributor SRO The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) in Mumbai recently set aside an approval granted by market regulator Sebi to Institution for Mutual Fund Intermediaries (IMFI) to set up the Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for mutual fund distributors. Paytm to hive off original wallet biz into separate app In a bold move, the country's largest mobile wallet Paytm will hive off its bread-and-butter payments business as a separate app, with the current app focusing on shopping. More Business News»

		Environment
		NDMC's waste-to-wealth projects hang fire NDMC had announced in its budget speech that a plant based on methanization would be set up in Okhla that would process 100 tonnes waste. The idea behind setting up the plants was to make the NDMC area energy-efficient and reduce expenditure. Bhutan to pave 'green' roads with plastic Bhutan has come up with a new way to pave its roads: waste plastic. Migratory birds keep tryst with Kashmir A riot of colour and cackle has returned to the wetland reserves of Jammu & Kashmir with the first arrivals of thousands of migratory birds from far off lands this year. More Environment News»

		World
		Heart of Romanian queen laid to rest after 77-year journey The heart of British-born queen Marie of Romania was finally laid to rest today after criss-crossing the nation for 77 years. Turkey hits Kurd rebels, cracks down on Erdogan rivals Turkey cracked down on rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday and launched air strikes against Kurdish rebels, clearly signalling a return to hardline tactics after an election that cemented his grip on power. Russia says it doesn't mind if Assad stays or steps down A Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Tuesday that Moscow does not consider it a matter of principle that Syrian President Bashar Assad should stay in power, stepping back from its previous position of strong support for him. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Imtiaz Ali: 'Tamasha' has a happy ending From the time the trailer was launched, producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s Tamasha has been a talking point for several reasons. Deepika: I am selfish as an actor Deepika Padukone has made her way to the top with a lot of hard work. Speaking to IANS, Deepika recently revealed that she is very selfish when it comes to being an actor. Bollywood copying Sonam's dance steps? Who can forget Madhuri Dixit dancing to Didi Tera Dewar Deewana with Salman Khan in Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Economists warn of less sex on a warmer planet Climate change has been blamed for many things over the years. Never, until now, has anyone thought it was possible to see it as a kind of contraceptive. Rich-poor digital divide taking a toll on students Teenagers in lower-income households have fewer desktops, laptops and tablets at home than their higher-income peers, according to a new study. NZ to test first pvt rocket launch pad The next revolution in space, what was long the special preserve of tax-funded giants like Nasa, will be launching next year from a paddock in New Zealand's remote South Island. More Science News»

		Sports
		Virender Sehwag was nightmare, says Dale Steyn The bowler, whose lethal pace is intimidating for most batsmen around the world, said he always found the going tough against an on-song Sehwag. ISL: Super-sub Simao helps NorthEast hold Delhi Delhi walked away with a 1-1 draw to level table-topper Pune City FC with 13 points, and maintain their 2nd spot in the table owing to goal difference. Sachin urges resumption of India-Pakistan cricket ties Asserting that cricketing ties can help improve relations, Sachin Tendulkar has urged the governments of India and Pakistan to resume the bilateral series which has been stalled due to political tension. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Setting up home Wi-Fi? 7 things to remember Wi-Fi has become the new buzzword in today's homes, courtesy tablets, smartphones, laptops and PCs. Google needs to change two major things in its radical reimagining of Android Google is going to consolidate Android, its mobile operating system, with Chrome OS, its operating system for laptops, The Wall Street Journal reported recently. Increasing H-1B visas a big mistake: US presidential hopeful  A Republican presidential aspirant has said he is against increasing H-1B visas -- the most sought-after work visas for IT professionals and companies in the US. More Technology News»

		Education
		ISM faces school students' wrath Students and teachers of Indian School of Learning (ISL) in Jharia blocked the link road to NH-2 for four hours on Monday morning in protest against the Indian School of Mines resorting to “unfair means” to vacate the place.  Ministry of HRD has shrunk budgets of IITs to re-distribute these to create new IITs: Dr VK Saraswat Member of Niti Aayog Dr VK Saraswat during his visit to IIT-Kanpur on Monday evening said that the issue of crisis of funds with IIT-Kanpur due to less allocation by Ministry of HRD does not come under the ambit by Niti Aayog. Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor rejoins office Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Sushanta Duttagupta joined duty on Monday — the quiet “re-entry” triggering more commotion and controversy than his dramatic midnight departure a month ago, after having mailed his resignation letter to President Pranab Mukherjee. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Six Maharashtra law colleges sit on results, under scanner At least six law colleges affiliated to the Mumbai University have come under its scanner for not releasing students’ marks in practicals on time, thereby delaying their results. First time ever, no conservation experts in Mumbai's heritage panel For the first time in two decades, the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) will be without independent urban design specialists and conservation architects, raising doubts about it being able to record dissent against state projects—for instance, the Mumbai coastal road or the Metro III project. Farmers to reap Maha gain from mini water schemes Amid fears of inflation due to possible loss of rabi crops subsequent to poor rainfall this season, comes a ray of hope. Late rainfall has helped place enough water stock in the newly created 1.2 lakh artificial ponds, bunds, and recharged nullahs, enhancing the state’s water storage capacity by 25 TMC, half of Mumbai’s annual supply. And all this has been done by spending just Rs 1,400 crore, much less than the Rs 8,000 crore the state would have required to create larger dams of the same capacity. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		DJB can't spend over Rs 50 cr on Yamuna: NGT The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday restrained Delhi Jal Board from spending in excess of Rs 50 crore on Yamuna till its further orders or directions after it was informed that over Rs 900 crore has been spent for cleaning the river. `50% of slum kids below 6 underweight' Half of the children in the slums of Delhi are underweight, 43% were found to be wasted while 45% children suffer from stunting, according to a survey. Movie hall owners go to court A key issue first red-flagged by the Supreme Court in 2011 while dealing with the Uphaar tragedy case landed in the Delhi high court on Tuesday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		30% of kids in Bengaluru slums underweight: CRY survey The anganwadi at a slum in southeast Bengaluru opens at 10.30am, but a group of barefooted children, clad in old and torn clothes throng the premises by 9am itself. Bengaluru's 198 wards likely to get pure drinking water plants On Tuesday , the narrow lanes of a slum near the Don Bosco Church in Lingarajpuram, east Bengaluru, wore a clean look. Bengaluru policemen hop on the app wagon In a city increasingly driven by apps, policemen are beginning to see the potential of tapping into this technology. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		HC declines stay on power utilities' AEEs recruitment exam The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the ongoing Telangana power utilities’ assistant executive engineers’ exam, but made it clear that the final outcome will depend on the judgment on the writ petitions filed by several aspirants. Widowmaker road: Too little too late More than a month after TOI brought to light how the ‘killer’ bypass road on NH-44 that passes by Peddakunta thanda at Kothur mandal left the hamlet bereft of adult males except one, very little has been done to improve the safety and security of villagers. Telangana may get FRBM relaxation, but with rider The repeated claims of the TRS government as revenue surplus state appear to have come home to roost with the Telangana government may have to pay the price for its claims. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		83-year-old Tamil Nadu woman on 'santhara' end to life Wrapped in a plain white cloth, the frail old woman reclined on wet cement floor in a Jain temple in Thensenthamangalam, a remote village in Tiruvannamalai district. Ambulance strike on eve of Diwali illegal, says govt For the second year in a row, ambulance workers in Tamil Nadu have threatened to strike on Diwali eve, but the Tamil Nadu government told the Madras high court that the strike will be declared illegal. LEDs make Chennai brighter, corpn power bill slimmer While TV advertisements are coaxing all and sun dry to buy LED (light emitting diode) lights this Diwali and get slimmer electricity bills to fund fatter celebrations, the Chennai Corporation has been reaping such benefits for some months now. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Hardik Patel sent to jail after nine-day remand Arrested Patidar leader Hardik Patel was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody by a metropolitan court after the end of his ni ne-day police remand, in connection with charges of sedition and waging war against the state. 33% Patel quota in BJP list With just 17 days left before the acid test of the upcoming civic polls for the Anandi civic polls for the Anandiben Patel government amid the Patidar turmoil, the BJP declared its first list for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections on Tuesday . 31-year-old to be tried as a juvenile Tushar Kantilal Parmar, 31, will be tried as a juvenile before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). This happened because police as well as court failed to point out that he was a minor at the time of incident 14 years ago! More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Rlys accounces special trains for Diwali, Chhath In view of rush of passengers for Diwali and Chhath, railway administration is introducing special trains in various directions. UPPSC to upgrade its website Paying heed to complaints from civil services aspirants about lack off communication, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has decided to revamp its official website. This should help inform aspirants about the status of their complaint. Commission officials said half of the around 3,000 writs pending against UPPSC in courts were due to absence of a transparent mechanism. Varsity holds workshop on export promotion A workshop on export promotion was organized at the Motilal Nehru Research Institute of Business Administration, Allahabad University, on Monday. The workshop was held jointly by the office of joint director general of foreign trade, Kanpur and the college, under the niryat bandhu scheme in collaboration with FIEO Kanpur Chapter on Monday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Political din louder as 3 more farmers die Even as the political blame game over rising farmer suicides escalated, three more peasants ended their lives on Monday and another allegedly attempted suicide due to crop loss and debt burden in different parts of the state. While the opposition alleged that the state government was apathetic towards the farmers, the latter said the farmer suicides were not triggered by crop loss and worry about repayment of loans. Odisha plans land bank for hassle-free land acquisition for investment projects As land acquisition is a major hurdle for big ticket projects in the state, the Odisha government on Monday decided to create a land bank to ensure hassle-free land acquisition for investment projects. 24 kids kept in 'animal shed' rescued from Keonjhar home The district administration rescued 30 people, including 24 children, from a unauthorized childcare centre at Brahmanipal under Daitari police station, about 70km from here, on Saturday evening. They were allegedly being kept in sheds originally meant for domestic animals. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		39 students hospitalized after suspected food poisoning More than 39 students of a government-run middle school in Begamganj tehsil on Tuesday fell ill after consuming food under the mid-day meal scheme. MP CM summons minister who kicked beggar boy As the government faced heat over a video clipping showing Mehdele kicking a beggar boy, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan summoned her for a one-on-one explanation of the incident. But Mehdele, who is still in Panna district, where the misbehaviour incident occurred, could not make it to the state capital. Madhya Pradesh MPs demand better food in Shatabdi Express After passengers now parliamentarians have raised red flags over food served on-board Shatabdi Express. MPs asked railway officials to improve food quality in the train. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Curator in spotlight ahead of Mohali Test Daljit Singh, the 73-year-old pitch curator of Punjab Cricket Association stadium, is the cynosure of all eyes these days. Dial C for mobile woes PGI security to issue smoking fines from next week Shimona.Kanwar@timesgroup.Not only doctors, but even security staff at PGI will be taking care of your health from next week, as those found smoking at patient-movement areas of the health institute will be fined Rs 200. More Chandigarh News»

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