News Digest: Winds of change in UP: 44% pradhan seats go to women

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, December 15, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Winds of change in UP: 44% pradhan seats go to women In a big surprise, women have won nearly 44% of the pradhan seats in panchayat polls across UP, challenging the myth that elections at the rural level in this state are essentially a male-dominated affair. In India, 80% of women don't have bank accounts: UNDP report As per the report released by the UNDP on Monday, the Human Development Index (HDI) rank of Bangladesh and Pakistan was 142 and 147, respectively. Cremation near Taj to be free of cost from Jan 1 A year from state elections, the Akhilesh Yadav government is not ready to take the slightest chance that could annoy a community, even if it is to relocate a crematorium to save the historic Taj Mahal from the ill-effects of pollution caused by wood-burning pyres. More India News»

		Business
		If too much opening hits farmers, small biz, it will be a dis-service: Nirmala Sitharaman Commerce & industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman has a tough task at the WTO ministerial meeting , which kicks off on Tuesday. Before leaving for Kenya, she spoke to TOI on India’s strategy in an exclusive interview. RBI pulls up banks on bad debt tags Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan on Monday pulled up banks for lack of consistency in recognizing the same bad loan among different lenders. Ex-Amazon fashion head Vikas Purohit joins Paytm Digital payments and commerce player Paytm has appointed Vikas Purohit, who spearheaded fashion at Amazon India, in a leadership role for its yetto-be-launched payments bank business. More Business News»

		Environment
		Negotiators in Paris up all night to clinch deal Negotiators huddled through Wednesday night and most of Thursday, racing against the clock to resolve key differences between the rich and developing nations in an attempt to stitch together an international pact to fight climate by the self-imposed deadline of Friday. Pollution on the rise as temperature dips in Delhi Overcast skies and a distinct layer of smog marked another highly polluted day in Delhi which saw further increase in the level of suspended particulate matter, with the average reading of PM 2.5 touching 204 microgram per cubic metre, keeping the air quality 'very poor'. Global warming could cause fall in oxygen: Study Earth's oxygen could dramatically fall due to change in ocean temperature of just several degrees, which may likely result in the mass mortality of animals and humans, a new study has claimed. More Environment News»

		World
		EU warms to Turkey, Serbia membership bids The European Union revived Turkey's membership bid on Monday and opened accession talks with Serbia, showing how a migration crisis and Russia's presence in the Balkans has prompted the EU to rethink plans to stop expanding. Nigerian Shias say soldiers have killed hundreds Soldiers killed hundreds of Shia Muslims this weekend after their group opened fire on the convoy of Nigeria's army chief, the Shia Islamic Movement and military reports said Monday. No sign of terrorist act in Russian jet crash: Egypt A preliminary investigation into the crash of a Russian passenger plane has found no indication yet of any “illegal or terrorist act,” Egypt’s chief investigator said in a report released on Monday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Blog: Dilwale Music Celebration  Priyanka: I think the world is male-dominated We are both sipping coffee. In different parts of the world, in different time zones. It is 7 am in Montreal; Priyanka is curling her sweeping lashes with mascara, while chatting with me at the other end — all perky and raring to go. Celebrities and their weird demands Let's take a look at some Bollywood celebs with a weird list of demands... More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Created: A material for water-proof surfaces Scientists have created a new low-cost, non-toxic material that mimics the lotus leaf to repel water droplets, an advance that could help create environment-friendly water-proof surfaces. 'No solar farm, it will suck sun's energy' AUS town has rejected a proposal for a solar farm following public concerns. Taking antidepressants while pregnant may double autism risk Women who take certain common antidepressants while pregnant may face almost twice the risk of having a child with autism, a study said on Monday. More Science News»

		Sports
		Dhoni, Rahane, Jadeja up for grabs in IPL draft MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin, among others, will be up for grabs for the two new IPL teams on Tuesday. CL draw: Barcelona face Arsenal, Chelsea face PSG again Chelsea and Paris St Germain will play each other again after the French champions knocked out Jose Mourinho's team at the same stage last season. Indian Aces ace Japan Warriors for seventh win The mixed doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 to set the tone for the match. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Apple launches iPad Pro in India, price starts at Rs 67,900 Apple's iPad Pro is available on all company retail stores starting from Monday. The Wi-Fi-only model (32GB) has been priced at Rs 67,900 while users will have to pay Rs 79,900 for the 128GB model. The tablet's 128GB model with 4G LTE connectivity costs Rs 91,900. 14 ridiculously expensive tech gifts That's certainly the case with the products on this list: The highest cost products worth coveting in the tech world. These items are all real, potentially fun, and certain to induce sticker shock. Apple slashes prices of iPhone 5s to almost half in three months Apple has slashed prices of its Indian bestseller iPhone 5s for the third time in three months, bringing them down to almost half of September levels. In the third price cut in three months, iPhone 5s now starts at Rs 24,999, down from Rs 44,500 in September. More Technology News»

		Education
		Study ill-effects of crackers in college Students of around 400 universities will study the ill-effects of fireworks. The UGC has instructed all universities and colleges to include a module on the ill-effects of firecrackers in the paper on environmental studies, a compulsory subject for all undergraduate students. Calcutta University advanced mathematics department gets advanced telescope The Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Calcutta, installed an advanced 14” Cassegrain Schmidt Telescope at its APC Road campus on Monday. Opportunity for budding entrepreneurs at IIT-K event Entrepreneurship cell of IIT Kharagpur is conducting Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) from January 8-10 at their campus. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		'School is harassing wards over fee hike stir' A group of parents of students from Ryan International School, Chembur, have complained to the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights claiming that the school management has been discriminating against their wards as they are opposing a fee hike. Ugandan security guard held for murder of Indian boss The private security guard who shot dead his Indian boss in Uganda this month has been arrested. Meghalaya man's body found, kin not buying suicide theory The Meghalaya man, Mawramsong Hujon (25), who had gone missing on December 4 was found dead next to the railway tracks some distance from Borivli railway station two days later. Family members of the deceased are not ready to buy the theory of the railway and city police that it is a case of suicide. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Girl died before shack was crushed, father tells cops Two days after a six-month-old girl's death during a demolition drive in west Delhi's Shakurbasti area triggered a political slugfest, police on Monday registered a case of negligence against unknown persons on the basis of a statement by the girl's father. Diesel cars worth Rs 1,000cr pile up with Delhi dealers The National Green Tribunal’s ban on fresh diesel car registrations in Delhi till January 6 has locked car and SUV inventory worth Rs 1,000 crore, virtually crippling operations of companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota, Tata Motors, Ford, Nissan and luxury makers Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. 20% more crimes against women in 2015 Crime against women in the capital has gone up by 20% this year as compared to 2014, and there has also been a 27% increase in registration of rapes cases. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Meet Riyaz Pasha who decks up Lord Krishna & Radha In an obscure bylane abutting the glitzy Commercial Street, Riyaz Pasha is engrossed in some intricate work. 71-year-old woman falls into lift well in Bengaluru, dies A 71-year-old woman was killed after she slipped and hurtled two floors down the well of a lift that had been dismantled for maintenance, in an apartment complex off Ballari Road, in north Bengaluru, on Sunday afternoon. You need cash to win, no limit for council polls Politicians seldom admit in public that they splurge money to fight elections. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is an exception. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		A lavish wedding celebration in Hyderabad A lavish wedding celebration in Hyderabad That silver foil on your sweet may be toxic aluminium With Christmas and New Year festivities around the corner, people are going to indulge their sweet tooth and demand for sweetmeats will be on an all-time high. Telangana decides against sending tableau to RD Parade Taking a hard stand against the Centre’s discriminatory approach, the Telangana government has decided not to send its tableau for the Republic Day Parade in future. The harsh decision comes on the back of the ministry of defence rejecting three models of tableau showcasing Telangana culture and heritage. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Treading the thin line between charity, publicity After the disaster, relief followed. At times, al truism sometimes can have strands of grey . In the relief machinery , while most gave out of largesse, a few used it as a bandwagon for publicity . Rain has stopped but traffic lights remain on the blink The rain has stopped and the roads have dried up but most traffic signals remain on the blink. “Water has entered all junction boxes and seeped into underground cables,“ said a senior traffic police officer. Untreated sewage released into sea at Kottivakkam and Palavakkam beaches What some residents and civic workers did to roads leading to Kottivakkam and Palavakkam beaches as an emergency measure to drain flood waters is turning out to be a potential health hazard. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		2 from West Bengal arrested with fake currency worth 8 lakh The Special Operation Group (SOG) of city crime branch arrested two brothers, Mofizul Shaikh, 20 and Shabudding Shaikh, 25, residents of Murshidabad in West Bengal, with fake currency notes worth Rs 8 lakh. In a span of 10 days this is the second seizure of duplicate currency by SOG. Top cops said that Rs 1.5 crore worth of duplicate notes have been pumped into Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Cops find loose ends in Ravi's story of infighting between accused The Rs1.08-crore cash van robbery saga ended in high drama for the city crime branch on Sunday. Cops intercepted a call made by Ravikumar Chaudhary, the driver of the cash van and main accused in the case, and arrested him from Rakhial early in the morning. DGPs to dine on Gujarati delicacies, discuss ISIS Amid serious brainstorming on cross-border terrorism and the growing influence of ISIS on educated youths in India, the Director Generals of Police, from across the country will have the chance to taste Gujarati cuisine and culture, at the upcoming National DGP and IGP meet to be held in the tent city of Dhordo, Kutch, from December 18 to 20. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Drones and women spotters to safeguard this Magh Mela in Allahabad With an objective to offer foolproof security cover to lakhs of devotees, pilgrims, seers and kalpwasis arriving to take holy dip during the pious moth of Magh at Sangam – the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythological Saraswati -, the Magh Mela police administration has planned to rope in four drones and spotters to ensure an incident-free mela. Magh Mela is starting from next month. Milk for child on train was just a tweet away Satyendra Yadav had no idea how to pacify his 18-month-old baby when he began crying inconsolably after not getting milk for a long time, stuck in a train for hours on Thursday somewhere between Allahabad and Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh. Congress plan to regain Nehru-Gandhi bastion of Phulpur Basking in the glory of its recent electoral success in Bihar assembly polls and Gujrat civic polls, the Congress has embarked upon a mission to regain its lost political glory and stature in UP, with special focus on Allahabad – once known as the cradle of Nehru-Gandhi bastion. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Maoists kill 263 civilians in 25 years in Odisha: Naveen Patnaik Total 263 civilians were killed in Maoist violence in the state since 1990 till December 8, chief minister Naveen Patnaik told the assembly on Monday. LV Prasad Eye Institute opens 3rd secondary centre in Odisha Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sought cooperation from private hospitals for providing quality health services to the poor. Gopalpur port resumes operation after two years More than two years after it was hit by cyclones, Gopalpur Port in Ganjam district of Odisha has resumed operations. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Public prosecutor writes to DGP to ensure statement of whistle blower in court A government pleader in Vyapam scam has urged the director general of police to ensure whistle blower Ashish Chaturvedi records his statement on January 12 or the court may deny him his right to be a witness in the case. Shocker: BCA students get wrong question paper Before appearing in an exam, every student is tense as regards the type of question paper that will receive. However, on Monday, BCA students were in for a shock when they were handed a question paper of another subject during their fifth semester examination. MP farmers will be issued receipts on payment of crop insurance premium Farmers in the state will now be given receipts for premium payments made by them for crop insurance. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Panjab University to get its new slogan All set to get a new slogan, Panjab University (PU) on Monday extended the last date for submitting entries for ‘Slogan of the University’ contest upto December 31. Chandigarh mayor holds meeting over lease deeds Chandigarh Mayor Poonam Sharma on Monday held a meeting with the occupants` of leasehold plots in Milk Colony Maloya regarding issues of decision on lease deeds. Haryana promotes two IPS on the rank of IGP The Haryana government on Monday promoted two IPS officers in the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP) with immediate effect. More Chandigarh News»

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