News Roundup - 7 October 2014

1.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has identified two senior joint-secretary level officials in his office who would be the “go-to“ persons for Japanese and American companies wanting to invest in India. These officials would work through different ministries to facilitate foreign investments and projects.
2.  The Robert Vadra-DLF land deal in Gurgaon has in July given legal sanction by the Congress government in Haryana.
3. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has admitted that files related to ex-chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah's resignation were untraceable.
4. Days after it published an offensive cartoon mocking India’s successful Mars mission, The New York Times on Monday apologized on facebook, saying it was not trying to “impugn” India but was highlighting that space programmes are no longer the exclusive domain of rich, Western countries.
5.  Hewlett-Packard Co said it would split into two listed companies, separating its computer and printer businesses from its faster-growing corporate hardware and services operations.
6. Anbang Insurance Group, A Chinese insurance company has bought Hilton’s landmark New York luxury hotel the Waldorf Astoria for $1.95 billion, the US hotel giant said on Monday.
7. Indian Railways have decided to allow public-private partnership in the establishment and operation of computerised Passenger Reservation System-cum-Unreserved Ticketing System terminals.
8. A Supreme Court-appointed panel has suggested a ban on government advertisements that glorify political personalities or the party in power, particularly on the eve of elections.
9. The iconic Yal Devi Express from Colombo to Jaffna will resume its run on October 13, some 25 years after the link was suspended during the height of the Sri Lankan civil war. 
10. India will have state-of-the-art virology diagnostic laboratories operational in 120 districts by 2015.
11. Confinement with Origin Web Labels” (COWL): A new system that protects Internet users’ privacy & increases the flexibility for web developers to build web applications that combine data from different web sites, dramatically improving the safety of surfing the web.
12. Islamic State (IS) raised its flag on a building on the outskirts of the Syrian frontier town of Kobane on Monday after an assault of almost three weeks, but the town’s Kurdish defenders said its fighters had not reached the city centre.
13. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven announced his intention to recognise a Palestinian state, drawing flak from Israel.
14.  Formula One driver Jules Bianchi was in “serious but stable condition“ on Monday following emergency surgery for a severe head injury after a crash during Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Ex-Formula One driver Andrea De Cesaris was killed in a motorcycle accident in Rome on Sunday after crashing into a concrete barrier
15. Skype to bar calls on mobile, landline within India from November 10.
16. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Monday he will go to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he faces charges of crimes against humanity, becoming the first sitting President to appear.
17. Delhi Eye, the 200 ft giant wheel, thrown open to the public.
18. NIIT appoints Rahul Patwardhan as next CEO.
19. The Centre has released its equity contribution of Rs 250 crore to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for construction work of Phase III projects. This amount shall consist of 25,00,000 shares of face value of Rs 1,000 each. Rs 7883.36 crore has been released earlier as equity to DMRC by the UD ministry. Delhi government had also released its equity contribution of Rs 200 crore to DMRC for work of Phase III projects.
20. Centre asks Delhi Govt to provide non-motorized vehicle lanes on all arterial roads.
21. After US & Canada, Belgium & Netherlands in Europe Set To Okay Chemical Hydrolysis for Disposal Of Bodies. Bio-cremations/ Chemical Hydrolysis is a practice that ensures that the human body is turned into a liquid and not ashes.
22. India along with Japan, the US, China and Canada will start work on the world's biggest telescope on Hawaii Island that will enable to identify an object as small as coin from a distance of 500km. 
23. London has emerged as the most desired place in the world to work beating New York and Paris, according to a report from The Boston Consulting Group that surveyed more than 200,000 people from 188 countries.
24. International efforts to meet targets to stem the loss of wildlife and habitats are failing miserably, according to a United Nations report, The Global Biodiversity Outlook 4. A set of targets were agreed upon in 2010 to mitigate the destruction of species’ habitats, cut pollution and stop overfishing by the end of the decade. Only 5 of the 20 targets, which are broken down into 56 elements, are on track for 2020. 33 show progress albeit at an insufficient rate, 10 show no progress, 5 show deterioration and 3 have not been evaluated.
25. The Brindavan Express turned 50 on Wednesday. For decades, the train was the most viable option for speedy daytime travel between the two State capitals – Madras and Bangalore. When the service first started, it would take less than 8 hours to reach Bangalore from Madras, with Katpadi and Jollarpet being the only halts in between.

Credit: Today's newspapers.