News Digest: Pathankot attack: Commonwealth gold medalist Fateh Singh martyred

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Sunday, January 03, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Pathankot attack: Commonwealth gold medalist Fateh Singh martyred The shooting fraternity on Saturday mourned the death of former shooter and mentor Subedar Fateh Singh, who was martyred while fighting terrorists in Pathankot. CPM's organizational ability needs to improve dramatically: Sitaram Yechury CPM held its Plenum in Kolkata to hone the party’s organisation keeping in mind the big battles that lie ahead this year- assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala. Party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury speaks to TOI on the outcome of the just-concluded Plenum and possibility of aligning with Congress in West Bengal. Attack on Punjab airbase foiled, five Jaish men killed in 17-hour gunfight Just a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dramatic touchdown in Lahore, Pakistani terrorists attacked the strategically vital air force base here on Saturday morning, highlighting the challenge and costs involved in the attempt to restore normalcy with the hostile neighbour. More India News»

		Business
		Maharashtra to waive road tax for electric vehicles To reduce pollution and work towards cleaner environment, the Maharashtra government would waive value added tax, road tax and registration charges for electric vehicles, Union power minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. Telangana begins e-Motor Insurance policies The Telangana government today started the recognition of 'e-Motor Insurance policies' in the state, in collaboration with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India and the Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB). Tata Steel's workers in Scotland get new package A number of key employees at Indian steel giant Tata Steel's two Scottish plants on the verge of closure will be retained on a 60 per cent salary as part of a new 195,000-pounds government support package, the Scottish government announced on Saturday. More Business News»

		Environment
		US condor that helped save species returns to wild Banking into the wind and then gliding out of sight, a male California condor flew back into the wild after a captive breeding program that helped save North America's largest species of land bird. 'Banning phosphate in detergents can be looked into' Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar today said the government will surely think of banning use of phosphate in detergents when there was an alternative to do so. Javadekar said he would see what best practices could be put to use in making phosphate-free detergents. Norway to help India manage construction waste India will sign an MoU with Norway for training of human resource to handle construction and demolition waste, in tune with the Clean India Campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. More Environment News»

		World
		Saudi execution of Shia leader stokes tensions Saudi Arabia's execution Saturday of 47 prisoners, including an influential Shia cleric, has prompted a wave of condemnation from Shiite leaders around the region and threatens to further damage Sunni-Shia relations across the Middle East. Italy confirms higher cancer, death rates from mob dumping An Italian parliament-mandated health survey has confirmed higher-than-normal incidents of death and cancer among residents in and around Naples, thanks to decades of toxic waste dumping by the local Camorra mob. Iran defies US, vows to flex missile muscles A series of Iranian officials vowed on Friday to expand Tehran’s missile capabilities, a challenge to the United States which has threatened to impose new sanctions even as the vast bulk of its measures against Iran are due to be lifted under a nuclear deal. More World News»

		Entertainment
		PIC: Ranbir-Katrina's 'Jagga Jasoos' look Here's the astounding look from their upcoming awaited flick Jagga Jasoos... 'Ki And Ka' first look: Arjun-Kareena's sizzle Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor's unusual pairing in R Balki's ‘Ki And Ka’ raised many eyebrows. But the recently unveiled first look of the movie has taken the audience by surprise. Nenu..Sailaja... a heartwarming tale: Sravanthi Ravi Kishore Nenu..Sailaja… a heartwarming tale: Sravanthi Ravi Kishore More Entertainment News»

		Science
		New way to measure gravity can spot alien life In a bid to determine whether distant stars with planets orbiting them can harbour life, a global team of astronomers has discovered a new way to measure the pull of gravity at the surface of distant stars. Lara Croft now has company In 1987 the video game Metroid was released in the US. It featured a masked and armoured space adventurer named Samus Aran navigating an alien planet, and it was one of the first games to blend exploration, action and puzzle-solving in a way that has become common. At the end of the game Samus Aran is revealed to be a woman. Scientists sequence first ancient Irish human genomes A team of scientists in Ireland has sequenced the first genomes from ancient Irish humans, which is now being used to answer pivotal questions about the origins of the country's people and their culture. More Science News»

		Sports
		Sehwag fails, TN hammer Haryana by 9 wkts in Mushtaq Ali opener Pacer Antony Dhas and leg-spinner M Ashwin shared seven wickets between them as Tamil Nadu thrashed Haryana by nine wickets in their opening group A match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament. Rooney's gem gives Van Gaal new year cheer Rooney eased pressure on Louis van Gaal as Man United captain's superb backheeled strike secured a hard-fought 2-1 win over Swansea City. Mumbai down Saina-less Awadhe Warriors in PBL opener Mumbai Rockets took full advantage of the injury-forced absence of Saina Nehwal to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Awadhe Warriors in the opening Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash on Saturday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		9 most popular apps of the year 2015 Whether it was photo-editing, news, live video streaming, or messengers, the year 2015 saw many apps that instantly appealed to the masses and rose to popularity after they got launched. 6 ways Indian smartphone industry will change in 2016 The upcoming internet explosion will predominantly be catered to by smartphones to give a boost to mobile apps and value-added services backed by 4G/LTE network technology, with local manufacturing a big focus area. Gadgets are getting smarter, but are we ready for that? Technological advances typically offer immediate, tangible benefits that, once you've put enough of them together, can indeed revolutionize daily life. But the risks tend to be diffuse, abstract and often difficult to ascertain even if you're paying attention -- and most people won't. More Technology News»

		Education
		CBSE announces timetable for 2016 examinations The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the dates for the class X and XII board examination 2016. IIM-Kozhikode to host the 52nd annual TIES conference from January 4 Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode will host the 52nd Annual Conference of The Indian Econometric Society for three days from January 4 at its campus near here. Varsities to face cut in research funds by UGC Already reeling under a financial crunch, the state universities in Telangana may have to suffer further as the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to disburse funds based on the research work undertaken. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Tweet for help on police page may become FIR A 32-year-old man’s plea for help on the Mumbai Police Twitter page might become the first such tweet to be converted into an FIR. Juhu residents angry over elevated metro Juhu residents are upset with the MMRDA for proposing the elevated mode via Link Road for the Metro-II corridor, whose Phase 2B will originate from D N Nagar onwards to Bandra via Gulmohar Road and SV Road. Field visits must for top secys: Govt In a significant twist to the functioning of bureaucracy in the state, the Devendra Fadnavis government has made two three-day field visits in a month mandatory for the top secretaries in various departments. These bureaucrats will work as guardian secretaries for districts across the state. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Odd-even: Delhi falls in line, autos won't There is one section of people in Delhi that seems to be working overtime to undermine the odd-even campaign of the Arvind Kejriwal government. These are the 85,000 autowallahs, who, like Delhi’s polluted air, seem to be resistant to any change Kid hostage, mom forced to part with cash in Karol Bagh A woman was robbed of cash and jewellery worth lakhs after her three-year-old daughter was held hostage by four unidentified armed men in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area on Friday evening Masked men rob trader of Rs 1.35 crore in Sadar Bazaar An Ahmedabad-based businessman was robbed of valuables worth Rs 1.35 crore at Sadar Bazaar in north Delhi on Saturday morning More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Saumendu Mukherjee takes over as new Belagavi police chief Saumendu Mukherjee, a 1988 Karnataka cadre IPS officer took charge as Belagavi city police commissioner on Saturday, following incumbent commissioner S Ravi has transferred with promotion as Inspector General of Police of Karnataka Reserve Police. Vinay Navalagatti's appointment as district Congress chief upsets senior leaders Most of the Congress leaders in the district including district in-charge minister Satish Jarkiholi are upset with the appointment of Vinay Navalagatti as a new district (rural) president by the party high command without consulting local leaders. Division of Belagavi district on the anvil again The division of Belagavi, the largest district of the state, has come to the fore again. Ramdurg MLA and Assembly chief whip Ashok Pattan on Saturday told mediapersons that he would carry delegation to the CM in the fortnight, along with other leaders of the district demanding division of the district. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		AP lets off 120 corrupt officials More than 120 officials were let off by the Andhra Pradesh government despite corruption charges framed against them by the vigilance and enforcement department.Yielding to political pressures, the AP government has dropped action against the officials charged with corruption, irregularities, diversion of funds and violation of rules. In the last18 months, the TDP government has either overruled or dropped several vigilance reports and recommendations against the tainted officials. Good time to write peaceful future for India, Pakistan Ghalib once said, Dekhiye paate haiN ushshaaq bu tauN se kya faiz Ek birhaman ne kaha hai ke yeh saal achcha hai. It loosely translates into: Let's see what lovers gain from the deities a Brahmin has forecaste the year to be good. Manuu to invite PM Modi for convocation The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (Manuu) is all set to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the next varsity convocation, chancellor Zafar Sareshwala said here on Saturday . More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Electric cars not to be taxed in Maharashtra Electric cars sold in Maharashtra will not be taxed henceforth. A formal announcement to this effect will be made soon, said Union power minister Piyush Goyal. AIADMK on the decline, says Karuna AIADMK general secretary and chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s assertion that she would take a right decision on alliances for the assembly polls based on the emerging situation was the first sign of the ruling party’s declining popularity, DMK chief M Karunanidhi said. 400kw bio-CNG plant outside city uses food waste Tamil Nadu, the leader in energy production using biomass fuel, now houses a unique 400kw plant on a quarter-acre spread at Mahindra World City that runs on food waste. While most of the biomass plants, which contribute 200 MW to TN, use sugar molasses as fuel, the bio-CNG plant can process 10 tonnes of food waste every day. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat HC: Pay pension to refugee, take Pak service into account The Gujarat high court has ordered the state government to pay family pension to Ranomal Adepal's kin taking his 13-year government service (1959-1972) in Pakistan into account as well. Chained man freed after five years On Friday afternoon mentally ill Ajmalji Thakor, 55, was finally freed from the chains that had bound him to a neem tree for the last five years in his own house compound. Hazardous waste dump proposal sparks protest in Gujarat The recent announcement of developing a hazardous waste dumping and effluent treatment facility spread over 1.62 lakh square metres in Simliya in Bayad taluka in Mahisagar district has invited severe protests from 42 villages. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Air Marshal Sinha to be CAC chief Air Marshal SBP Sinha would take over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command (CAC) on Thursday. He would take charge from the outgoing AOC-in-C Air Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill, who retired on Thursday. MNNIT to devote proposed research centre to Kalam Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) has decided to set up a state-of-the-art centre for interdisciplinary research and projects in specified fields. It would undertake studies in the fields of climate change, energy, environment and disaster management. Coming soon, English classes for government teachers Come January and the government teachers would hone their skills in speaking English so as to improve the standard of teaching. State government's designated institute would conduct special workshops for such teachers from the new year so that they can, in turn, help students learn basic English. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		BJP won't repeat historic blunder of alliance with BJD: Jual Oram Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram, whose Friday remarks of CBI going slow on its probe into chit-fund scam in Odisha had kicked off a political controversy in the state, on Saturday said he was only referring to people’s perception about the ongoing inquiry. Your suggestions will count in Odisha budget For the first time, the Odisha government has decided to seek people’s views before preparing the annual budget for the 2016-17 fiscal. The move is aimed at making the annual budget people oriented. Anti-dacoity unit to patrol capital fringes To improve policing on the outskirts of the city and check burglary, dacoity and robbery at night, the commissionerate of police has decided to start an anti-dacoity patrolling unit. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Woman allegedly raped in Ola vehicle, accused cab driver arrested An Ola cab driver allegedly raped a woman passenger, a mother of two children in the vehicle in state capital. It is the first incident in state capital in which a rape was committed in an app-based cab service. In MP, 1 officer caught everyday for taking bribe In what is a shocking reminder on rampant corruption among babus in Madhya Pradesh, the official figures of special police establishment (SPE), lokayukta, reveals that at least one official was caught taking bribe every day in the year 2015. Nomination for MP BJP chief election on Monday An electoral college of 260 including chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Thavar Chand Gehlot will elect the next Madhya Pradesh BJP president. Ten district presidents whose names have not been finalised will not part of the electoral process, the state BJP office said on Saturday. The Madhya Pradesh unit of the party has 56 districts and elections of 46 district presidents are complete. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		AAP's Sanjay Singh criticises Centre, state govt's for Pathankot attack AAP leader and incharge of Punjab affairs Sanjay Singh on Saturday alleged that the Centre and Punjab Government have not learnt any lesson even after the brutal terrorist attack in Dinanagar which happened due to complete intelligence failure. 12-year-old boy burnt in random acid attack by bike-borne men In a shocking incident, a 12-year-old boy suffered burn injuries on face in an acid attack in Musahab Sahib village of Sirsa district on Saturday morning. Haryana bends 68-yearold rule to enable self-certification by employees, employers The Haryana government on Saturday scripted a ‘Self-Certification Scheme’ to effectively protect the interests of the workers, employers and entrepreneurs, create a friendly and safe industrial environment, and foster a healthy relationship between employers and the employees across the state. More Chandigarh News»

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