News Digest: Ex-Navy chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas writes to President Pranab Mukherjee, slams attacks on minorities

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Monday, October 26, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Ex-Navy chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas writes to President Pranab Mukherjee, slams attacks on minorities Former Navy chief and ex-AAP ombudsman Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas has written an open letter to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning the attacks on minorities and Dalits under the rule of the current government. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah will have to resign after Bihar polls, Lalu Prasad says TOI caught up with Lalu, lounging in Rabri Devi’s Circular Road bungalow, with karyakartas and local netas clad in regulation crumpled white kurta pyjamas seated in a neat semi-circle around him. Why so many stillbirths? Government looks for answer India has for the first time decided to systematically count the exact number of children dying in their mother’s womb. More India News»

		Business
		Amazon plans Diwali e-store in US, UK Around 5000 Indian sellers can now export products around the world on Amazon. RBI rejects plan for 100% FDI in banks Sources said the RBI has not provided a clear reason to turn down the proposal from the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) that deals with FDI policy. Dividend part of process: IndiGo owners  Promoters Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia maintain they have not done anything that is not in line with past payouts. More Business News»

		Environment
		WWF calls for urgent action to protect snow leopards World Wildlife Fund report said that more than a third of snow leopard habitat could be rendered "unsuitable" for the big cats if climate change is not checked. Climate change may lead to severe water shortage in Nepal Climate change, increase in agricultural land use and population growth may lead to severe water shortage in Nepal in the coming decades, according to a new study. Tibet sees receding glaciers, shrinking permafrost The Roof of the World, as Tibet is also known, is also facing desertification. More Environment News»

		World
		Pacific coast area hit by Patricia begins to dig out The town square in El Rebalse is now an island amid Hurricane Patricia's floodwaters, a place for Maria Santana Vazquez and her husband to rest Sunday after wading through water, at times chest deep, trying to return home. UK firms to hire 'name blind', cut discrimination Britain's civil service and several major companies have agreed to recruit university graduates and apprentices without knowing the applicants' names in an effort to eliminate bias against people from ethnic minorities. Foreign military role in Ebola crucial Foreign military personnel played a crucial role in stemming the Ebola outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone, researchers said on Monday, but warned against treating their intervention as a blueprint for future humanitarian crises. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Bollywood celebs: Then and now Read on to know how Bollywood celebrities have evolved over the years... Salman Khan's paintings converted a haveli into a boutique hotel The setting of Salman Khan’s Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is grand as the film has been shot primarily in havelis and rajmahals. Asin denies getting married on November 26 Asin is engaged to be married to Delhi-based entrepreneur Rahul Sharma. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		The S-Files - Matching your diet to your DNA Saleem Mohammed and Abdur Rub map customers' genetic profiles and customise diet plans to suit them. Chocolate, pizza among `most addictive food' A research team from the University of Michigan and Columbia University looked into common addictive food. New clothes carry harmful toxins: Study An initial analysis during a study found thousands of chemicals in the clothes and around a hundred chemicals were preliminary identified. More Science News»

		Sports
		SA crush India by 214 runs to claim 1st ever ODI series win  South Africa equalled the third highest ODI team score posting 438/4 with De Kock Du Plessis and De Villiers scoring centuries. Gambhir dismisses Tiwary's allegations as baseless Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir on Sunday dismissed Manoj Tiwary's allegations that he made racist comments against the Bengali community and Sourav Ganguly. Wankhede pitch "too true" for our bowlers: MS Dhoni South Africa rode on centuries from Quinton de Kock (109), Faf du Plessis 133 (retired hurt) and AB de Villiers 119) to post a mammoth 438 for four while batting first as India were bowled out for 224 in 36 overs. More Sports News»

		Technology
		10 Microsoft products you didn't know about Despite its software success, Microsoft has kept a focus on hardware products as well; its Lumia line of smartphones (acquired from Nokia) and Surface tablet line are familiar names for most people. But they aren't the only products that the company has made in its 40-year history. 6 most widely-used Google products CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced that Play Store has become the sixth Google product to be used by more than a billion people. We take a look at the six Google products with user base of 1 billion... 10 Android smartphones with 4GB RAM You’d be wrong to think there are only a few smartphones with this much of memory in the market, as 4GB RAM can be found across all price bands, from the affordable segment to the ultra-premium bracket. Here’s a look at the 10 Android smartphones with 4GB RAM already in the market. More Technology News»

		Education
		Use a strategy: How to prepare for CLAT CLAT 2015 topper Akash Jain on how he prepared for the test. The legal path ​While civil and criminal law are popular specialisations, a number of fresh law graduates now opt for niche fields. 'Need a strategy for predictive scores' Agnelo Menezes, principal, St Xavier's College, Mumbai, on how the rise of various boards has colleges concerned while granting admission, and more. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		25% student info on govt database not verified yet Even as the deadline for updating student data on SARAL ­ the state government database sofware -concludes on Monday , almost 25% student details are yet to be verified. Extreme land heating leads to thundershowers in city Severe land heating caused thundershowers in several parts of Mumbai and Thane on Sunday. Now, SRA moots FSI bonanza for city bldrs Build transit camps for slumdwellers or rental housing in the suburbs and avail of a huge construction bonanza in the lucrative island city. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Diving into Yamuna for survival, not glory Life by the riverside isn’t much of a future to aspire to and yet, many are doing their best to earn a living even as they save lives in the process. With murals & photos, Delhi Metro gives Munich touch to stations In 1974, Peter Wolf, an American musician, compared the New York subway to an urban jail with “their maze of security gates, iron railings and narrow stairways”. Delhi Metro’s commuters may find this to be an echo of their sentiment, but things are changing. Sweden shows way for smart Delhi The Delhi government is all set to take some lessons from Stockholm city. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Bangalore stands by Supreme Court time limit on crackers The Supreme Court's move to limit the bursting of crackers from 5pm to 10pm, on a petition from three toddlers, has drawn applause from Bengaluru's environmentalists. WOOD ART to change face of Cubborn Park A huge wooden armchair will be installed in the park, where hundreds hold protests against the government, as part of an art installation project. Gangster Ravi Pujari makes threat call to Karnataka minister Minister K Abhayachandra Jain received a death threat call, allegedly from dreaded gangster Ravi Pujari. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Time to hold TSWB elections At last, a separate Wakf Board for Telangana state has been constituted. Telangana government issued orders on 19th October 2015 for the dissolution of the Andhra Pradesh State Wakf Board (APSWB) and for the establishment of Telangana State Wakf Board (TSWB). Rajini hurt in Muharram procession While the proceedings of Muharram passed on peacefully in the Old City, the main attraction of the event, Rajini, the elephant, which carries the Alam along the procession route, sustained injuries. Chain-snatchers traced to Bhopal Chain-snatchers, who took advantage of the tired policemen after the Ganesh immersion bandobust and had committed 12 chain-snatching offences on a day, were tracked to Bhopal a few days ago. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Why Tamil writers don't sync up Constrained by a narrow framework of ideas, they are reluctant to join the nationwide writers' protest. Life on OMR, the road to perdition Lacking infrastructure, water and sewage lines, residents have decided to elect `shadow councillors' Tamil Nadu government eases norms for loans to minorities The ceiling has been increased from 1,03,000 per annum to 1,20,000 per annum. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Workers call off strike at Arvind Ltd plant in Sante The three-day strike by a section of workers at Santej facility of Arvind Limited was called off unconditionally . Viramgam police detain two for rape Officials said that they will soon arrest the duo. Police are uncertain of whether both the teens are adults. Ahmedabad feels nip in the air The change in weather is being attributed to rain and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Boy scripts kidnapping plot to squeeze money from family nspired by a Bollywood movie, a 17-year-old boy concocted his own kidnap story and disappeared from his house on Saturday evening. Youth shot dead, family stages dharna on road A youth was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Mohitsamganj area under Kotwali police station in old city area on Friday night. Varsity holds lecture on consumer protection A lecture on consumer protection was held at LokmanyaTilak Shastrarth Sabhagar on the educations campus of UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University (UPRTOU), Allahabad, on Saturday. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Dal hoarding fears: Raids on godowns Bhubaneswar/ Civil supplies officers on Saturday raided mills and godowns in the state to check the amount of pulses they have stocked. Moving Sardar Rajas medicos faces hurdle More than three weeks after Orissa High Court on October 1 asked the state government and Medical Council of India (MCI) to relocate MBBS students of Sardar Rajas Medical College at Jaring in Kalahandi to other recognized institutions by October 14, the students' fate still hangs in balance. Puja editions of magazines hit the stalls in Bhubaneswar Book lovers across the state are busy collecting puja specials of different Odia literary magazines.As many as 60 such special editions have hit the stalls while about 40 more are yet to come. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Auto driver who tried to abduct girl surrenders Three days after an auto-rickshaw driver kidnapped and sexually harassed a third year engineering student in a posh city area, the driver surrendered in court on Sunday evening. Later, police took him on a remand. Energy-from-waste plant to come up in Satna, MP Madhya Pradesh government has chalked out an action plan has been chalked out to generate energy from waste in Rewa and Satna Municipal Corporations and Nagar Panchayat. Debt-ridden farmer shoots himself in Madhya Pradesh This is the 20th such incident in the state since October 1, where either a farmer has committed suicide, or died of shock or have attempted suicide due to crop loss. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		All 403 cases under SC/ST Act being probed: Police A total of 403 cases have been registered in Haryana under the SC/ST Act this year, police said. Amid sacrilege protests, Badal shunts out Punjab police chief From being one of the most powerful and controversial police officers in Punjab for more than 30 years, state director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini was on Sunday suddenly shifted to an insignificant posting. Another Dalit dies in Haryana, blames cops in suicide note In a suicide note, Badan Singh, who was in his mid-forties and a witness in his cousin Gurbachan Singh’s suicide case, stated that he was being pressurised by cops not to give any statement in the case. More Chandigarh News»

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