News Digest: UN chief honours India's 'forgotten' heroes from World War I

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Friday, August 15, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		UN chief honours India's 'forgotten' heroes from World War I In the centenary year of the Great War, which saw over a million Indians fighting in battles as diverse as Ypres, Somme and Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Singapore, memories of their bravery has dimmed considerably in India. Army mulls tailor-made rations for regiments For the first time, a method of allocating ration on the basis of regiment type is being mooted. So different regiments will have different ration entitlements. Pakistan targets Indian posts in J&K, 3rd time in 24 hours Pakistan troops targeted the forward Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir prompting retaliation More India News»

		Business
		Subrata Roy strikes deal to sell three hotels The court had sent Roy and two Sahara directors to jail for repeated breach of orders to refund Rs 24,000 crore with interest to nearly 3 crore investors through market regulator Sebi. Suresh Prabhu front runner for plan panel deputy chief Former power minister and reformist politician Suresh Prabhu has emerged as the front-runner to be the deputy chairman of the revamped Planning Commission. RBI talks of HR recast, silent on COO decision The RBI on Thursday said that its board has approved the broad contours of an HR restructuring plan to align the central bank with the needs of the domestic economy and changes in the economic environment. More Business News»

		Environment
		Rare vulture found in Purulia after 50 years Foresters in Purulia’s Para range have rescued an injured Egyptian vulture, also called the white scavenger vulture or the Pharaoh’s chicken, from the Burrabazar area.Department officials claimed that the endangered vulture was last seen in the state about 40-50 years ago. 40% of the Indian coast is subjected to coastal erosion Around 40% of the Indian coast is subjected to coastal erosion according to the study conducted by various agencies. Tibet's glaciers at their warmest in 2,000 years: Report The Tibetan plateau, whose glaciers supply water to hundreds of millions of people in Asia, were warmer over the past 50 years than at any stage in the past two millennia, a Chinese newspaper said, citing an academic report. More Environment News»

		World
		Iraq's Nuri al-Maliki steps aside as PM, backs replacement Facing enormous pressure at home and abroad to step aside, Nuri al-Maliki dropped his bid for a third term as prime minister of Iraq on Thursday and pledged support for his replacement, moderate Shia Haider al-Abadi. Sharif blinks; Imran, cleric rally towards heart of Pakistan Faced by the onslaught of protests by thousands of supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Canadian preacher of Pakistani origin Dr Tahirul Qadri, the Nawaz Sharif government blinked on Independence Day and allowed the agitators, who seek fresh elections claiming the 2013 polls were rigged, to march to Islamabad. Israel, Hamas extend Gaza truce by 5 days A five-day extension of a Gaza truce appeared to be holding despite a rocky start on Thursday, fanning cautious optimism of progress in the negotiations underway in Cairo between Israel and major Palestinian factions, including Hamas. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Salman's sister to marry on Republic Day weekend Everyone is aware that Salman Khan’s youngest sister Arpita Khan will tie the knot with businessman Aayush Sharma at a five-star hotel in Hyderabad in January 2015. Mehr and Arjun are like family to me: Sussanne Khan Sussanne and Mehr may have got introduced to each other through their respective husbands ten years back, but eventually, it was they who became best friends. Independence day: Celebs and their fond memories More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Watch that salt: 1.7m deaths globally linked to sodium intake Over 1.65 million people across the world die due to heart problems brought on by excess intake of salt, said a research analyzing populations from 187 countries. 1.7 million deaths due to too much salt in diet: Study Almost 1.65 million people across the world die due to heart problems brought on by excess intake of salt, said a research analyzing populations from 187 countries. 'Beware mothers! Your child is missing out on his daily nutrition' Smita Sinha, 32-year old working mother of Patna , recently got a jolt when her ‘healthy looking’ five-year old daughter’s quarterly school health report revealed an iron deficiency. More Science News»

		Sports
		Blatter calls India football 'market', endorses ISL In a bid to awaken the sleeping giant of world football, Fifa boss Sepp Blatter has called India "another market" for the beautiful game and endorsed the ISL. French FA chief urges Ribery to reconsider retirement Franck Ribery should reconsider his decision to quit international football, French federation president Noel Le Graet said on Thursday. Neuer, Robben, Ronaldo up for UEFA award German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, Netherlands' Arjen Robben and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo are the three contenders to win UEFA's Best Player Award. More Sports News»

		Technology
		New rivalry: It's Amazon Murthy vs Flipkart Premji India's tech titans, Wipro's Azim Premji and Infosys' N R Narayana Murthy, are squaring off in the burgeoning $3-billion e-commerce market space too. Cisco to cut another 6,000 jobs as forecast falls flat Cisco Systems Inc forecast tepid current-quarter results and said it plans to cut another 6,000 jobs, as the network equipment maker works through a transition toward a new cycle of high-end switches and routers. 10 interesting facts about Google Check out the 10 crazy facts about Google that you probably didn't know. More Technology News»

		Education
		Ignou's shut courses leave lakhs in the lurch The Indira Gandhi National Open University, India's primary vehicle for taking higher education to the poorest, is today a case study in chaos. 19 Board toppers join BITS Pilani 19 Board toppers of class XII of 2014 have joined three campuses of BITS Pilani this year. HRD increases student apprentice stipend by 40% In an effort to improve employability, students are provided an opportunity to earn while they train as apprentices. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		CBFC chief booked, 2 held for demanding Rs 70K to release film The CBI on Thursday registered a case against Central Board of Film Certification CEO Rakesh Kumar and also arrested an authorized censor agent and an advisory panel member of the CBFC for demanding a Rs 70,000 bribe on the behalf of the CEO to urgently clear a film from Chhattisgarh. Nagpur boy, Kerala girl in Mars mission design winning team A global team of university students which won a $10,000 international contest to design a mission to Mars has two Indians in it. NGOs, BMC officials meet for clean toilets Members of differents NGOs who have come together to fight for clean and secure public toilet blocks and urinals for women in the city finally see their endeavour making headway. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Intelligence agencies hints at Parliament, US embassy attacks Security agencies have intercepted conversations which indicate that there was a high degree of threat to the twin power centres and Central Secretariat along with its Metro station. Congress MLA returns salary, others not willing to follow suit Congress MLA Devendra Yadav has returned his five-month salary to the chief secretary but other Congress MLAs may not follow suit, saying they were working round the clock since becoming public representatives. East Delhi dumping ground to be turned into a forest The forest department has hit upon a novel solution to the problem of pollution in one of the most congested spots in the capital — plant a forest to act as a pollution sink. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		KPSC flouted all rules to hold interviews Everything was wrong with the way the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruited its 2011 batch of gazetted probationers, a CID inquiry has revealed. Trio's bid to abduct woman in central Bangalore Three knife-wielding men in a car allegedly sexually assaulted a woman jaywalker and made a futile bid to abduct her at Shivananda Circle, Seshadripuram, central Bangalore, late Wednesday night. Trio's bid to abduct woman foiled Three knife-wielding men in a car allegedly molested a woman jaywalker and made a futile bid to abduct her at Shivananda Circle, Seshadripuram, central Bangalore, late Wednesday night. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Cancer patient dies of shock In a tragic incident here on Thursday, a cancer patient died of shock after his mother refused him entry into her house. Andhra Pradesh issues orders for farm loan waiver The AP government on Thursday issued orders to pave the way for the loan waiver that will benefit over 40 lakh agriculture families in the state. GO No 174 issued by the finance department came out with guidelines to implement the loan waiver up to Rs 1.5 lakh for each family, including the loan taken by pledging gold. Why not a Bharat Ratna for me too! f you thought only a few could hope to hop on to the limited league of Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, think again! Dozens of people from all walks of life have often staked their claim for the honour, irrespective of their accomplishments, making way for a list of comical absurdities. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		The country does little for soldiers wounded in battle They have served their country to the best of their ability, laying their life on the line to defend the nation. But wounded heroes from the armed services are consigned to a live in oblivion, their injuries their only war decorations. For these INA members, every day is Independence Day Rathinavelu V (91) wears his patriotism on his sleeve. In fact, the former member of the Indian National Army (INA) keeps it pinned to his chest too. And wrapped tightly around his ring finger. 3 Tamil Nadu medical colleges can't admit students In an order that effectively reduced the number of MBBS seats in Tamil Nadu by 450, the Madras high court on Wednesday refused to direct the Centre and the Medical Council of India (MCI) to renew permission for three medical colleges located near Chennai to admit students this academic year, citing various deficiencies. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat high court scraps engineering merit list The Gujarat high court on Thursday scrapped the engineering merit list of the state by calling the admission process that follows a merit-mark calculation method devised by the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) as unconstitutional. Woman killed in Juna Vadaj; valuables missing A 53-year-old woman was killed at her residence in Juna Vadaj on Thursday afternoon.Police suspect it to be a case of robbery as valuables were found missing from the house. Vatva burn victim dies On Thursday, the city police chief said he had written to the DGP, saying that since the incident allegedly involved some city police personnel the probe should be done by a neutral agency. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Wife, paramour kill man Opposing the extramarital affair of his wife proved fatal for a man. His wife and her paramour allegedly killed him in his room at Maqsoodnagar village in Nanpara Kotwali on Wednesday night. The man’s father lodged a complaint with Nanpara police. A youth electrocuted, villagers block road youth was electrocuted after he came in contact with a high tension wire while planting paddy in field. New guidelines for school buses New guidelines have been issued by Regional Transport Authority for operating school buses in Devipatan division on Wednesday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Xavier University yet to receive building plan approval Over a month after chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated its campus on July 7, Xavier University Bhubaneswar (XUB) is yet to obtain the building plan approval for its campus from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). Meeting the first Indian cosmonaut Nestled in the Nilgiris, is the enchanting town of Coonoor, verily a fairy land with its deep forest, tea plantations, its myriad birds and cheerful songs, flowers of every hue that bloom for the joy of being and render the air sweet with their fragrance. Bandh hits life in Kandhamal Traffic was disrupted and shops remained closed in Phulbani on Wednesday following a dawn-to-dusk bandh, protesting against poor healthcare facilities in Kandhamal district. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		17-year-old MP girl gang-raped, hanged from a tree A week after a 17-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped, gang-raped and hanged from a tree in a village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, with the family claiming the police refusing to lodge an FIR, the ADM ordered cops to probe the case. Burglars target 2 cops' houses in 24 hours, goods worth over Rs 10 lakh stolen Emboldened by striking at will and still not landing in police net, burglars targeted houses of two cops in posh localities in the city in past 24 hours. CISF cop battles for life, kin want CBI probe Family members of CISF woman constable Ritu Kumari, who shot herself with service revolver near the state hangar has demanded a CBI probe. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		2 days after clash, security staff take it easy Barely two days after a brawl at the building housing offices of the SDM, DC and SSP in Mohali, security personnel were conspicuous by their absence. 'Varsities have answers to developmental issues' University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Prof Ved Prakash called upon universities of India to do research to find solutions to problems like power shortage, lack of transportation and sanitation. Doctors' body slams govt stand on community health grads Doctors' associations as well as the Medical Council of India had opposed the course.The government has now said that BSc CH graduates will be called ?health workers', instead of ?doctors'. More Chandigarh News»

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