News Digest: 9 MLAs who joined BJP lose Assam House membership

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, December 22, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		9 MLAs who joined BJP lose Assam House membership In a major blow to nine legislators who joined BJP recently, Assam speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi on Monday disqualified them from assembly membership with immediate effect. 70 years on, West Pakistan refugees denied basic rights in J&K Braving the bloodbath of partition, they migrated from Pakistan’s Sialkot to villages in Jammu hoping for a better future but after 70 years, they are knocking at the Supreme Court’s door protesting denial of permanent resident status, right to education, employment and voting in Jammu and Kashmir. Sushma to help Indians forced to live in Dubai bus External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday took note of a TOI story and directed Indian embassy in Dubai to help workers from Uttar Pradesh forced to live inside a bus there after a placement agency duped them. More India News»

		Business
		Biggies under USFDA lens, Indian drug cos under scanner Domestic drug companies will face increased scrutiny from global regulatory agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), with the top two companies Sun Pharma and Dr Reddy's now under regulatory glare. SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya in race for Sebi top job State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has turned out to be a dark horse for the top job at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Neemuchwala may become Wipro CEO Wipro is abuzz with speculation that chief operating officer Abid Ali Neemuchwala will succeed T K Kurien as CEO early next year and that Kurien will be elevated to the position of vice-chairman. More Business News»

		Environment
		Fuel adulteration: NGT orders inspection of petrol pumps An engineer on Monday moved the National Green Tribunal against alleged adulteration of petrol and diesel at fuel stations prompting the green panel to direct inspection of petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR and seek a response from the Centre on the issue. US enacts protections for lions after Cecil furore Amid the furore over the killing of a well-known lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe earlier this year, the Obama administration is expected to extend Endangered Species Act protections for two breeds of lions. 124 turtles recovered from Mainpuri district; 1 arrested Making a breakthrough in checking smuggling of turtles from UP to South East Asian countries, a team of forest officials recovered 124 turtles from Mainpuri district and arrested a gang member involved in the racket. More Environment News»

		World
		115 PKK rebels killed in recent Turkish operations Turkish military operations in the southeast have killed 115 Kurdish rebels since December 15, a state-run news agency has reported. Black box from Russian jet downed by Turkey damaged The Russian military says aviation experts so far have failed to retrieve information from a flight data recorder from a Russian warplane downed by Turkey last month. Turkey had shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber at the border with Syria. 85 missing from China landslide; residents blame govt Rescuers searched on Monday for 85 missing people a day after the collapse of a mountain of excavated soil and construction waste that had been piled up over two years in China's manufacturing center of Shenzhen. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Salman Khan ditches the car for a rickshaw ride Remember how Salman Khan cycled his way to a shoot in Goregaon a few months back? Well, the whimsical bhaijaan stuck again. Sunny to Rekha: Celebs in revealing sarees Sunny Leone showed off her curves in a rather controversial saree photo shoot. SRK films that are epic love triangles Let's have a look at some triangular love stories of SRK. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Rapid test for deadly diseases developed A new technology for quickly identifying deadly bacterial strains of infectious disease has been developed by researchers at McMaster University in Canada. Astronauts aim to fix jammed rail car during spacewalk Two Americans floated outside the International Space Station to start a spacewalk with the primary goal of freeing a rail car that was jammed outside the orbiting lab. What happens to your body after you give up sugar Giving up sugar for just nine days can dramatically improve people’s health, a new study claims. More Science News»

		Sports
		Yuvraj disappointed by ODI omission for Australia series Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who was recalled to the Twenty20 squad for the series against Australia, has expressed his disappointment for not being included for the ODIs. Blatter, Platini banned by FIFA for eight years Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter and European soccer boss Michel Platini were both banned for eight years on Monday by FIFA's Ethics Committee. Nagpur pitch receives official warning from ICC The ICC has launched an official warning against the pitch used at the VCA Stadium for the third Test between India and South Africa. More Sports News»

		Technology
		10 cheapest 4G smartphones you can buy in India 4G has been the must-have feature for smartphone buyers this year, so much so that every smartphone brand in the country re-tooled its strategy to offer high-speed internet even on budget models. Apple cuts prices of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in India The average difference in prices of all iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices between launch time and now is about 15%, a executive at a national retailer said. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium review: World's first smartphone with 4K screen While Samsung, Google, LG etc have graduated their top smartphones' screens from Full HD (1080x1920p) to 2K (1440x2560p) panels, Sony has skipped right to 4K (2160x3840p) displays with the launch of its Xperia Z5 Premium. More Technology News»

		Education
		More Indians now opting for higher studies: Survey There has been a substantial increase in the overall enrolment in higher education, from 27.5 million in 2010-11 to 33.3 million in 2014-15. Geeta made compulsory for Rajasthan school libraries In yet another move aimed at saffronising education in government schools in Rajasthan, state education minister Vasudev Devnani on Monday said all upper primary schools will be required to keep the Geeta in their libraries from the next academic session. Ancient gyaan is new edu policy? RSS’ pet theme of teaching ancient Indian knowledge in science, mathematics, peace, values and environmental education and integrating it with the present system has made its way into the NCERT’s consultation documents that were discu- ssed at the regional level for evolving the New Education Policy. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Unique IDs to track FYJC admissions To curb malpractices in admissions, all students applying for First Year Junior College (FYJC) in 2016 may have to register online to get a unique number. The number will help in tracking students through the admission process. Restore Naiks' security: NCP The security provided to Sanjeev Naik, a former MP and the son of former Thane guardian minister Ganesh Naik, former Navi Mumbai mayor Sagar Naik and former corporator Dnyaneshwar Naik has been withdrawn from December 2015. But security for Ganesh Naik has been retained. 'Student count in BMC schools dips by 7,000 in a year' For yet another year, the state of municipal education in the city looks grim as the total student count has dropped by over 7,000 in the past one year. Fresh enrolments, except in the English medium, have also seen a dip, revealed Praja Foundation’s annual report on municipal education. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		`How many more criminals before new law?' She broke down as soon as the news flashed on the television screen on which her eyes had been fixed through the morning. The mother of the girl known as Nirbhaya had been hoping that the Supreme Court would have a “favourable“ decision for the family while hearing the petition against the release of the young man convicted of raping her daughter, but the writ filed by the Delhi Commission for Women was rejected by the highest court of the land. First aid training for drivers of heavy vehicles to become mandatory From next July drivers of heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses won’t be able to get their licenses renewed until they undergo enhanced first aid training to help a road crash victim. The road transport ministry will also formulate norms making first aid training as an essential part of drivers’ training. Gang war over Rs 1.5 lakh leaves 2 dead in Delhi A dispute over money snowballed into a bloody gang war in west Delhi’s Najafgarh, triggering two shootings within three hours that left two men dead and two women battling for life with critical injuries late Sunday night. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		College girl sets self on fire A college student committed suicide by setting herself on fire using kerosene at Raibag town on Monday. The reason for the suicide is yet to be determined by the police. Former Karnataka HC CJ Vikramjit Sen to be government's candidate for Lokayukta The State government is likely to propose the name of former Karnataka High Court chief justice and present Supreme court judge Justice Vikramjit Sen as the next Karnataka Lokayukta. Unseasonal rains leave vineyards high and dry Grapes have turned sour for growers, thanks to heavy rain and steep fall in temperature in October and November. Over 80-85% crop lost in southern Karnataka. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		CM begins rituals for Chandi yagam Rituals for Ayutha Chandi Yagam got off to a smooth start on Monday with CM K Chandrasekhar Rao performing preliminary prayers to ward off obstacles for the five-day mega event starting Wednesday. YSRCP boycotts Assembly session The YSR Congress Party on Monday announced its decision to boycott the Assembly session. Over 1.5L devotees throng Tirumala on Ekadasi About 1.5 lakh devotees converged at the temple shrine of Tirumala on the auspicious occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadasi on Monday. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Auto fares need no change, low fuel prices matter little: TN govt The Tamil Nadu government has been unwilling to crack down on auto drivers flouting with impunity the fare structure fixed by it. Man stabs wife, 23, to death in Tambaram police station A 26-year-old man stabbed his wife to death with a screwdriver, to the horror of policemen and others, in the Tambaram all-woman police station on Monday evening. HC blames officials for standoff over lake The brimming Thiruninravur lake, about 30km from city limits, has led to a standoff between farmers hoping to cultivate a few hundred acres of land and local residents who want the water to be released to save houses built on the water body. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		e-Tourist visa: Ahmedabad airport records 241% growth in 3 months The onset of winter, marriage season, festivals and several national level seminars and conclaves in the last few weeks ensured a steady flow of foreign tourists in the city. Sanjay Joshi attends wedding of Togadia's son n the wake of his posters popping up in chief minister Anandiben Patel’s constituency Ghatlodia, and national BJP president Amit Shah’s constituency Naranpura-Thaltej, senior RSS and former BJP general secretary, Sanjay Joshi, arrived in city to attend the marriage of Pravin Togadia’s son, in Nikol Cold wave sweeps across Gujarat; city records 8°C There has been no respite from the icy chills as cold wave prevailed across the state again on Sunday and minimum temperatures continued to plummet at various places. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		New dacoit gang emerges, kills tourist The incident has kept UP and MP police on its toes. Special teams have been constituted to keep an eye on villages located on border area. Cops in plainclothes have been given specific assignment to compile inputs. 3 sisters get mysterious fever, die; docs baffled Health authorities in Bareilly are flummoxed by a mysterious illness that has claimed three minor girls, all sisters. The girls, aged seven, five and four years, died in Meergunj tehsil in the span of just a few hours. 'Kung Fu Nuns' say no to pollution Jigme Yudron Chamo, Jigme Konchok Chamo, Jigme Yeshe Chamo and Jigme Tenzin Chamo are no ordinary women.They are part of 250-strong team of cycle enthusiasts, ‘Kung Fu Nuns’, who arrived in the city on Saturday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Odisha bureaucrat breaks free, comes out as transgender A 32-year-old Odisha bureaucrat has revealed her transgender identity over a year after the Supreme Court recognized transgenders as third gender. House panel seeks appt with PM on Polavaram The assembly panel on Polavaram, which lost seven members last week, sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to submit a memorandum opposing the controversial project. The panel, headed by speaker Niranjan Pujari, requested to meet the Prime Minister in the first week of January, sources in the secretariat of the assembly said. Red presence deters Sunabeda from activating VHF towers The Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary authorities are worried about activating very high frequency (VHF) towers for communication in the forest, which has turned into a Maoist hotbed. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Vyapam: Laxmikant points out STF's role, Cong demands to expose big names BJP leaders are surprised over the grand welcome accorded to former minister Laxmikant Sharma who was arrested for his alleged involvement in Vyapam scam in June 2014. Madhya Pradesh ready to ban ploythene in New Year 2016 New Year 2016 will move ahead with an environment friendly resolution in Madhya Pradesh where government has decided to impose ban on use of polythene. Ex-minister steps out of jail, breaks down seeing elder brother It turned out to be an emotional moment for former higher education minister Laxmikant Sharma who walked out of the jail on Sunday, after spending 18 months in prison in connection with irregularities in examinations and recruitments by MP Professional Examination Board aka Vyapam. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Haryana CM announces bonanza for sports development in state While giving a bonanza to the sports persons in the state, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday made a number of announcements which included construction of Khel Suvidha Kendra in all sports stadiums at District Headquarters, setting of 100 gymnasiums in the parks falling under the jurisdiction of municipalities in the State, setting up of Sports and Physical Fitness Institute and Renovation of Cricket Stadium, Panchkula. Guwahati civic body delegates visit Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh A delegation of Guwahati Municipal Corporation led by Nimita, chairperson of water committee and Debojit Saha, secretary along-with delegation of 16 members of councillors from Guwahati Municipal Corporation visited Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on Monday. Now, penniless father waits to take his son back to West Bengal After the mother from Jharkhand, this time a father from West Bengal is unable to take his son back from Snehalaya, Chandigarh’s shelter home, thanks to the procedural delay by UT Child Protection Society in issuing funds for their travel. More Chandigarh News»

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