US President Barack Obama will deliver a farewell address to the nation on January 10 from his home city of Chicago, he announced in a statement on Monday.

According to a CNN report, Obama wrote, "In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people. And over the 220 years since, many American presidents have followed his lead."

George W Bush also delivered a farewell address in 2009 from the White House.

"I'm thinking about (the remarks) as a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways we've changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here," Obama wrote.

"Since 2009, we've faced our fair share of challenges, and come through them stronger," Obama said. 

"That's because we have never let go of a belief that has guided us ever since our founding – our conviction that, together, we can change this country for the better," he added.

Obama further said that he won't weigh in on every issue once he is out of the White House and would only consider speaking up about issues that go to "core questions" about American values and ideals.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court decision to sack the top brass of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not complying with the recommendations of the Justice Lodha panel.

The party maintained that political parties and politicians should have no place in sports organisations of the country.

Commenting on the verdict, AAP Delhi convener Dilip Pandey said: "Sports bodies must be freed from political clutches. Let the noble sportsmen run it. Today's (Monday's) Supreme Court decision must be considered a guiding principle."

The AAP had been demanding implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations in all sports organisations and sports federations.

In the past also the AAP has raised the issue of corruption in Delhi and District Cricket Association and demanded investigation.

Pandey said the AAP supports the concept of 'Swaraj' (self rule) in sports so that people who understand different sports and requirements of players can run sports federations.

"Corruption and misrule in sports authorities have destroyed sports talent of our country, whether we talk about cricket or any other sport. There should be a sports legislation in India," Pandey added.

On-loan Real Madrid footballer Jesus Vallejo is hoping his impressive spell at Eintracht Frankfurt will be a gateway for him to represent the capital club.

Vallejo joined Madrid from Real Zaragoza in July 2015. The Spaniard was sent back on loan to the second tier side for the following season.

"On the day, when I signed, they told me that they'll keep an eye on me and it has been so. They came to see me in person, they called me … I'm grateful because it is the recognition for a job well done," Vallejo said in an interview with Spanish daily AS.

The defender, 19, is spending the 2016-17 campaign at German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, where he has made 16 appearances.

"It is a tremendous joy (to know Zinedine Zidane is watching). To be recognised for your work is a joy and helps me to strive even harder."

"I have that dream (to play at Real), I hope the day comes. If I'm honest, that's why I work every day of my life."

"My head is very focused on Frankfurt, but I am realistic and I have that desire. I'm looking forward to that day, playing for Real."

Vallejo has watered down comparisons with Real defenders Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, saying he would like to do it in his own style.

"I appreciate it so much. To be compared to those players is a great pride. But I do not compare myself with anyone, I try to go on in my own way."

"Yes, it is true that I observe a lot the defenders of Real Madrid because they are the best in the world and I try to learn every day from them," he added.

In what appears to be a New Year's gift for Hindus living in Pakistan, the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights unanimously approved the much-awaited Hindu Marriages Bill here on Monday.

Earlier in September, the Natio­nal Assembly passed the Hindu Marriage Bill, 2016, paving the way for the adoption of a comprehensive and widely-acceptable family law for Hindus living in Pakistan.

The bill will enable the Hindu community members to get their marriages registered and to appeal in courts of law in cases of separation, Dawn reported.

There were penalties for violating the provisions of the bill, which allows Hindus to finally have a proof of marriage document called the shadiparat, similar to the nikahnama for the Muslims.

The bill also allows separated Hindu persons to remarry. The bill states that a Hindu widow "shall have the right to re-marry of her own will and consent after the death of her husband provided a period of six months has lapsed after the husband's death".

Minority member in the National Assembly Ramesh Kumar Vankwani called the move a New Year's gift for Hindus living in Pakistan.

"Today, we are proud to be Hindu Pakistanis after the approval of the bill. Hindus will now be able to get registered their marriages and also apply for divorce under family laws," he said.

The output of India's eight infrastructure industries in November 2016 increased by 4.9 per cent, as compared to the same month of 2015, on the back of higher production of coal, oil, steel and electricity, official data showed on Monday.

Reflecting some impact of the government's November 8 demonetisation measure, however, the Index of Eight Core Industries (ECI) growth slowed down sequentially, as compared to the rate of 6.6 per cent logged in October 2016.

NASA has captured a spectacular image of the International Space Station (ISS) making its way in front of the Sun at a speed of about 28,968 kilometres per hour.

Noel Kowsky, a lensman working for NASA captured the photograph of the orbital post just when it was about to make a transit in front of the solar body on December 17.

Kowsky was able to capture several images of the event, 10 of which combined to make a single composite view of the ISS.

The image shows the ISS – considered to be the largest man-made structure ever to be built in space – transiting across the Sun.

Capturing a photo of such solar transits is no small feat since it takes a considerable amount of time to plan and actually pull off, 'Tech Times' reported.

The ISS orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 330 to 435 kilometres that it would be very difficult to see it directly without the help of a high-powered telescope at times.

There is also the challenge of knowing where the space station will be relative to Earth and at what time. Stargazers often use a tracker to find out the location of the ISS. 

Customers dissatisfied with service at any hotel or restaurant can opt to seek that service charge not be levied, as this is optional or discretionary as per the Consumer Protection Act, an official statement said on Monday.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, in a statement, also asked state governments to advise hotels and restaurants to disseminate information, such as through displays, that "the service charges are discretionary or voluntary".

The department said that it received complaints from consumers that many hotels and restaurants charged "service charge in the range of 5-20 per cent, in lieu of tips" and consumers were "forced to pay irrespective of the kind of service provided".

A clarification was sought from the Hotel Association of India, which replied that the "service charge is completely discretionary and should a customer be dissatisfied with the dining experience, they can have it waived off", as per the department.

The department have also asked the state governments to sensitise the companies, hotels and restaurants regarding provisions of the Act.

A court here on Monday sent to judicial custody, till January 16, hawala trader Paras Mal Lodha who was arrested for converting demonetised notes worth Rs.25 crore linked to industrialist J Sekhar Reddy and lawyer Rohit Tandon into new currency.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi sent Lodha to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate told court that he is not required for further custodial interrogation.

Lodha was presented before the court after expiry of his four day ED custody.

Meanwhile, as Lodha's defence counsel Rebecca John moved the bail plea, the court has asked ED to file its reply on the plea and listed the matter for January 6.

The Kolkata-based businessman was arrested on December 21, after hours of questioning by the ED officials and booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Lodha, a leading businessman with interests in real estate and mining, had been intercepted by a team of ED sleuths at the Mumbai airport while he was trying to flee to Malaysia.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had last month arrested Reddy, a former Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Board Member, and two others from Chennai for money-laundering after Income Tax (IT) department recently seized 177 kg of gold, Rs.96 crore in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and Rs.34 crore in new currency from their premises.

Cash amount of Rs.13.65 crore, including Rs.2.60 crore in new currency notes, was seized from the office of Tandon in south Delhi's Greater Kailash-I area during a raid conducted by Delhi Police on December 10.

Sources said that Reddy had executed a lot of work for the Tamil Nadu government.

In connection with the case, IT officials raided 12 locations in the southern state including the house of Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.

ED officials on December 1 raided multiple hawala operators across the country involved in illegal conversion of old currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 to valid legal tender since November 8 demonetisation announcement.

A court here on Monday sent to judicial custody, till January 16, a lawyer and a Kotak Mahindra bank manager arrested on charge of converting Rs.60 crore in demonetised currency into new notes.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi remanded lawyer Rohit Tandon and Kotak Mahindra Bank Manager Ashish Kumar to 14 days judicial custody after Enforcement Directorate did not seek custody for further interrogation.

Meanwhile Tandon has moved his bail application.

The court has sought reply from ED and listed the matter for further hearing on January 4.

The Enforcement Directorate on December 28 arrested Tandon on charge of converting Rs.60 crore in demonetised currency into new notes in connivance with the bank manager.

Tandon was arrested after grilling by ED officials for almost a week and booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Kumar was arrested on Wednesday.

ED sources said Tandon gave Rs.1.5 crore as commission to Ashish Kumar, posted at Kotak Mahindra Bank's Connaught Place branch, for converting his Rs.34.93 crore demonetised high-value currency into new notes.

Cash of Rs.13.65 crore, including Rs.2.6 crore in new notes, was seized from Tandon's office in Greater Kailash-I area of south Delhi during a raid by Delhi Police on December 10.

Tandon's T&T law firm and residence, before this operation, were separately searched by the Income Tax Department, which said he had declared undisclosed income of over Rs.125 crore.

China has launched its first freight train to London, railway officials said.

Departing from Yiwu West Railway Station in eastern Zhejiang province on Sunday, the train will travel for about 18 days and more than 12,000 km before reaching its destination in Britain, according to the China Railway Corporation.

Yiwu is known for producing small commodities, and the train mainly carried such goods, including household items, garments, cloth, bags and suitcases, Xinhua news agency reported. 

It will pass through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France before arriving in London.

London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.

The service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the China Railway Corporation added. 

After being removed from the post of BCCI President by the Supreme Court, Anurag Thakur on Monday maintained that it was not his personal battle with the court and his commitment to cricket will remain the same.

The apex court on Monday removed both Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke for their failure to implement the Justice R.M. Lodha committee recommendations on bringing about structural changes in the running of the cricket board.

In a video message posted on Twitter, Thakur stressed that the BCCI is the best managed sports organisation in India and his battle was for the autonomy of the sport.

"I had the honour of serving Indian cricket. Over the years, Indian cricket saw its very best in terms of administration and development of the game," he said.

"BCCI is the best managed sports organisation in the country with defined procedures. India has the best cricket infrastructure built and maintained by the state associations with the help of BCCI."

"India has more quality players than anywhere in the world. For me, it was not a personal battle. It was a battle for the autonomy of the sports body. I respect Supreme Court as any citizen should," he added.

He further said: "Supreme Court judges feel that BCCI could do better under retired judges, I wish them all the best. I am sure Indian cricket will do well under their guidance."

Reiterating his commitment for the sport, Thakur said: "My commitment to the best of Indian cricket and autonomy of sports will always remain." 

A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in their order said that as an interim arrangement, the senior-most Vice President of the BCCI would act as the President and the Joint Secretary would be the Secretary.

The court asked amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium and eminent lawyer Fali Nariman to suggest the names that would be in the committee to be headed by an administrator to oversee the Board's functioning.

The judges said they would pass a separate order on January 19 for appointing the administrator.

Bandhan Bank on Monday cut its Marginal Cost of funds Based Lending Rate or MCLR by 148 basis points to 10.52 per cent.

"We will continue to pass on the benefit of lower cost of funds to our borrowers," Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, MD and CEO, Bandhan Bank said.

"Our deposit portfolio has risen to Rs.19,000 crore and 27 per cent of this is current and savings accounts (CASA)," he said.

The new rate takes effect from January 3. Following this, Bandhan Bank will now charge its micro borrowers (loan up to Rs.1,00,000) at 18.52 per cent a year down from 19.90 per cent.

With this, the bank has cut its loan rate for small borrowers by almost 4 percentage points since it started operations in August 2015.

Small borrowers account for 95 per cent of the bank's Rs.18,500 crore credit portfolio.

The Kolkata-headquartered bank has two divisions — general banking and micro banking, offering a suite of retail financial solutions, including a variety of savings and loan products.

The bank continues to offer 6 per cent on the savings bank account interest rate for balance above Rs.1 lakh.

Bengaluru Blasters humbled Delhi Acers 4-3 in a keenly-fought Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash between the two sides at the Gachibowli indoor stadium.

Bengaluru's Cheung Ngan Yi pulled off a thrilling 11-9, 6-11, 11-2 win in her women's singles match (the last and deciding match of the tie late on Tuesday) against Delhi's Tanvi Lad to give her side two points as it was the Trump match of Bengaluru Blasters.

Yi, ranked 20th in the world, was expected to sail through easily, but the little-known Lad proved to be a tough nut to crack. Lad, currently ranked 57th, put up a stiff fight in the first set and went on to win the second set.

Lad's win in the second set rekindled hopes for Delhi as it was the deciding game, but Yi brushed aside any possibility of an upset and won the third set 11-2.

Earlier, the tie began with the first men's singles match between Bengaluru's Viktor Axelsen and Delhi's Jan O Jorgensen. It was expected to be a clash of equals and it did turn out to be a closely-fought one.

Jorgensen and Axelsen, both from Denmark and ranked two and three respectively, are familiar with each other's game as they often train together.

In an evenly-poised competition, Jorgensen finally won 11-9, 11-9.

The second match saw Ko Sung-Hyun-Sikki Reddy of Bengaluru and Delhi's Jwala Gutta-Vladimir Ivanov cross swords in mixed doubles.

Though the Gutta-Ivanov duo put up a resistance, it was not enough to prevent the Bengaluru pair from winning the match 11-6 11-6. Bengaluru and Delhi were at par with 1-1 points after the second match.

The third match of second men's singles between Bengaluru's Sourabh Varma and Delhi's Son Wan Ho, which the Delhi side chose as its Trump match, saw a stiff resistance from Varma.

Varma, ranked 45, began his campaign aggressively and made life difficult for the world number fourth Son Wan Ho.

The two were engaged in long rallies, making it enthralling for the viewers, and Son eventually pulled off a hard-fought win. The tie was then in Delhi's favour with a 3-1 lead.

The fourth match of men's doubles was between Sung Hyun Ko-Yeon Seong Yoo (Bengaluru) and Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Suzonov (Delhi).

The reigning All England Champions Ivanov and Suzanov lost the first set 10-12 to the Russians, but the former fought back brilliantly and won the remaining two sets 11-3 and 11-6. Delhi still had an edge of 3-2 over Bengaluru.

However, with Cheung Ngan Yi winning the final and deciding match, Bengaluru got a total of four points (it was Bengaluru's Trump match), while Delhi's campaign stopped at three points. A win in the Trump match of its choice gives a team two points.

Stocks snapped a 4-day winning streak on Monday as banks bore the brunt of heavy selling after they slashed lending rates on home loans as a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to make housing more affordable to the poor. Real Estate stocks surged on hopes that lower interest rates will spur demand for their excessive inventory.

Meanwhile, bulls continued to dominate proceedings on the first trading day of calendar 2017. The Nifty opened lower, but it was able to attract buyers at 8,150 levels as they bought into cement, realty, pharma, media and metals shares. Auto stocks did well in trade despite tepid monthly sales data for December.

Here is the snapshot of the day's play:

* Nifty slips 6 points to close at 8,180 points, recovers from intra-day low of 8,137 points.

* Ambuja Cement, Tata Steel, M&M, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors dropped 3.3-4.1 per cent and were among 28 stocks that rose.

* HDFC, Bank of Baroda, State Bank, IndusInd Bank and Bajaj Auto dropped 1.4-3.7 per cent and were among 23 stocks that fell on the Nifty.

* State Bank, Maruti and Bharat Financials were the top traded shares by value. Indiabulls housing and LIC Housing Finance were the new entrants on this list as well.

* JP Associates, HDIL and State Bank saw hectic volume activity.

* Banks were the worst hit after they collectively cut housing loan costs by 90 basis points. At one time 9 out of top 10 losers on the Nifty were banks. They took all four banking benchmarks lower between 0.8-1.5 per cent.

* The Sensex shed 31 points to 26,595 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Tata Steel was the top gainer and State Bank the top loser. Maruti was heavily traded on the index.

* The Realty index surged 4.4% and its constituents rose between 1.2-8.9 per cent.

* Broader markets inched up even as benchmark indices dropped. The NSE 100, 200 and 500 indices were up 0.2 per cent. Strong buying was witnessed in the mid cap and small cap stocks.

* Bulls had sentiment under their control with 1126 shares rising versus 384 that fell.

Pre-existing depression or anxiety disorders and the use of psychoactive drugs may increase an individual's risk of long-term use of opioid pain medication, a study has found.

"We found that pre-existing psychiatric and behavioural conditions and psychoactive medications were associated with subsequent claims for prescription opioids," said Patrick D. Quinn from Indiana University in Bloomington, US.

The association was stronger for long-term opioid use, especially for patients with a previous history of substance use disorders, the researchers said.

The results showed that harmful outcomes of opioid use — substance use disorders, depression, suicidal or self-injuring behaviour and motor vehicle accidents — were also predictors for long-term opioid drug use.

The study showed that nearly 1.7 per cent of patients with opioid prescriptions become long-term opioid users (six months or longer), but the risk was substantially higher for patients with mental health conditions or psychoactive medication use.

Rates of increase of long-term opioid use ranged from 1.5 times for patients taking medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), three times for previous substance use disorders and nearly 9 times for previous opioid use disorders.

"Our results add to existing evidence that the risk of long-term opioid receipt associated with [pre-existing] psychiatric and behavioural conditions is widespread and relates to multiple diagnoses and psychoactive medications," Quinn said.

"The study supports the idea that clinical practice has deviated from the 'careful selection' under which most clinical trials are conducted and that thorough mental health assessment and intervention should be considered in conjunction with the use of long-term opioid therapy," he added.

For the study, published in the journal PAIN, the team examined 10.3 million patients who filed insurance claims for opioid prescriptions between 2004 and 2013.

Irom Sharmila, who fasted for 16 years to demand the repeal of AFSPA, on Monday formally announced she will take on Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in assembly polls.

Sharmila ended her fast against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA on August 9 last year.

Okram Ibobi Singh has been the chief minister for the last three terms after getting elected from Thoubal constituency.

Sharmila said: "During his 15 years of leadership he has not done anything to repeal AFSPA. Since I realise that no politician shall repeal it, I am planning to contest the election, become the chief minister and repeal it." 

The chief minister accused her of not speaking the truth.

He said AFSPA was lifted from seven assembly segments in the Imphal Municipal Corporation with a promise to lift from other areas if there was a positive response, he said.

Referring to the general impression that she had given up her campaign against AFSPA, Sharmila said: "It is my unshakable objective to repeal it. I have merely changed tactics."

Sharmila has formed the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day annual Indian Science Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University here on Tuesday.

'Science and Technology for National Development' would be the focal theme of the Indian Science Congress, Prof D Narayana Rao, General President of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), said.

The main venue for the Science Congress is the Srinivasa Auditorium in the University where the prime minister would address the gathering of eminent scientists including Nobel laureates, he said.

Six Nobel Prize winners from different countries such as the US, Japan, Israel, France and Bangladesh would also take part in the event besides about 14,000 scientists and scholars from across the country, he said.

The Nobel laureates would also be felicitated with gold medals by the prime minister at the ISC venue, he said.

After his inaugural address, Modi, at a tea ceremony at the varsity, would hold a brief conference with about 50 people, including the Nobel laureates, eminent Indian scientists, other dignitaries and top officials, he said.

It is the second time that Tirupati is hosting the Indian Science Congress, the first being in 1983 when the 70th ISC was held. This is the 104th conference, he said.

Later in the afternoon, Modi would offer worship at the Lord Venkateswara shrine atop Tirumala hills near here, temple sources said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Governor ESL Narasimhan would receive and accompany Modi during his six-hour visit here.

A thick security blanket has been thrown over Tirupati and Tirumala in view of the Prime Minister's visit and the Science Congress.