Your News Digest from Times of India

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, February 18, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Copyright office, permanent copyright board to come up A separate copyright office and a permanent copyright Board are being set up to provide better services to authors, performers and creators of various works, HRD minister MM Pallam Raju said . Panel rules out frisking of MPs The demands for frisking of MPs while entering Parliament, triggered after the pepper spray attack by one of them last week, fizzled out on Monday with a parliamentary committee deciding against making such a recommendation AAP to 'pursue' BJP, Congress candidates Congress and BJP candidates have no respite with AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal announcing that his party candidates will "pursue" contestants from the two parties. More India News»

		Business
		Sensex crawls in auto mode High on an unexpected excise duty cut boost, automobile stocks drove the sensex up 97 points – a rise of a decent 0.5% – although there was not much to cheer for Dalal Street investors in the Interim Budget proposals. No conflict with RBI on growth: Chidambaram Finance minister P Chidambaram dismissed arguments that there was a contradiction between the stance of the government and the Reserve Bank of India on the growth versus price stability issue but asserted that an elected government has the responsibility of charting out the pace of growth. Ruias offer £912m to buy out Essar Energy The Ruias of Essar shocked UK investors on Valentine’s Day as they offered to buy the outstanding shares of the Londonlisted Essar Energy at 70 pence a share, or a sixth of its listing price four years ago. More Business News»

		Environment
		Calf refuses to leave sick jumbo Rupesh Khan The injured villager Gunamoy Kundu (50) has been admitted to Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital. 'Proper implementation of agroforestry policy a big challenge' The maiden policy comes following the World Congress on Agroforestry held in New Delhi from February 10-14. Environmentalists criticise FM for making diesel-guzzler SUVs cheaper that while passenger cars sales had declined by 6.69%, the sales of. More Environment News»

		World
		Talks called off as Taliban kill 23 Pak soldiers The talks between the Pakistan government and Taliban negotiators scheduled for Monday were called off after the terrorist group claimed to have executed 23 soldiers who were in its custody since their abduction in June 2010. Mystery packages found in UK, threat level put at 'substantial' A series of suspect packages left all over London has forced Britain to put in place a threat level termed as “substantial” from international terrorism. Study: Ganges teeming with deadly superbugs The Ganges is teeming with multi-drug resistant superbugs, including the deadly NDM-1 virus, and their levels peak during the annual pilgrimage season, says a new study. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Is Kamaal Khan getting threatened by a gangster? Though KRK isn’t sure if the alleged gangster is from Gurgaon or Rajasthan or Chandigarh, he says he isn’t bothered by such calls, since he has no friends in the industry and such things happen. 'I have no desire to be a part of Bigg Boss again' Actor Mahek Chahal wants to get married to someone outside the Bollywood film industry. Virat Kohli furious over Anushka Sharma's lip job rumours? The cricketer has not taken kindly to all the flak his alleged girlfriend Anushka Sharma has got due to her changed appearance. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Peter Higgs finds Nobel fame 'a bit of a nuisance' Peter Higgs has described his new found fame after receiving the Nobel “a bit of a nuisance”. The 84-year-old reclusive physicist has for the first time opened up about his life and revealed that his quest for the God Particle wrecked his marriage in 1970s. Addiction to video game can make you smart First it was Doodle Jump. Then Dots. And now, Flappy Bird. So many of the games that we download on our smartphones are a waste of time, but we can’t seem to stop playing them. Loneliness, not obesity, biggest killer of elderly Loneliness is a major health risk for the elderly and it can increase the risk of premature death by 14%, warns a new research. A meta-analysis showed loneliness has twice the impact on early death as obesity. More Science News»

		Sports
		India in tatters as Southee scalps Pujara Tim Southee worked his magic to pick up his second wicket when he dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara on fifth day of second Test at Basin Reserve in Wellington. Pique eager for Barca to restore lustre Gerard Pique thinks that Barca's Champions League last 16 tie with City represents an opportunity to restore their reputation as one of world's leading clubs. McCullum first Kiwi player to score 300 Brendon McCullum became the first New Zealand batsman to score a Test triple-century during the fifth day of the second Test against India in Wellington. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Acer Iconia W4 review: First usable Windows mini-tab Is Acer Iconia W4 the first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet worth buying? We find out. Mobile phone tariffs likely to go up: Vodafone Telecom operators have been cutting back on freebies and discounted minutes to maintain profitability. 6% excise duty on all mobile phones: Chidambaram The government said the excise duties on mobile handsets will be restructured to 6% for all categories. More Technology News»

		Education
		Global job offers double for IIM Bangalore graduates It's a windfall for the class of 2012-14 at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore. Bucking negative trends, 388 students received 425 job offers from 150 companies during the final placement season. Confusion over student loan moratorium Finance minister P Chidambaram's move to exempt interest for education loans taken prior to March 31, 2009, has created confusion, say those in the banking and education business. President to inaugurate Aligarh Muslim University's off-campus centre in Murshidabad on Feb 20 The centre will initially offer degree courses in law, business management and education. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		HC tells Cidco to inspect destruction of mangroves The Bombay high court took a serious view of allegations in a PIL regarding rampant destruction of mangroves in Navi Mumbai and directed Cidco to inspect the site to verify the grievances. Petitioners can seek clarification in Welukar row Two PILs were filed by Nitin Deshpande and V G Patil and a petition by A D Sawant, a contender. Probe alleged threat by cop to lawyer in court: Bombay high court The Bombay high court has directed an inquiry against an assistant inspector from Thane's Economic Offences Wing for allegedly threatening an advocate in a courtroom. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Solar fridge for vaccines could play key role in aid efforts Delivering life-saving vaccines to remote areas of developing countries could soon be possible with new solar-powered fridges. Engineers have developed a prototype system that could keep vaccines cool until treatment. People have emotional tie with us but there may be intellectual disconnect: Arvind Kejriwal His government's gone, his future is uncertain. And he doesn't have a house beyond six months. But that hasn't affected Arvind Kejriwal's spunkiness. No new policies in Delhi till President's rule lasts With simultaneous Lok Sabha and Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections ruled out, the city is likely to be run by lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung for quite some time. However, with the current assembly kept in suspended animation, all 70 of the city’s MLAs will retain their “powers, privileges and immunities, including salaries and access to MLA funds”. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		9 sitting Congress MPs, Nandan Nilekani get the nod The Congress Election Committee (CEC), headed by AICC president Sonia Gandhi, has renominated all the nine sitting MPs from Karnataka, besides finalizing the name of Nandan Nilekani for Bangalore South. Global job offers double for IIM Bangalore graduates It's a windfall for the class of 2012-14 at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore. Bucking negative trends, 388 students received 425 job offers from 150 companies during the final placement season. Eminent Carnatic vocalist R K Srikantan passes away Eminent Carnatic vocalist R K Srikantan passed away in a private hospital in Seshadripuram on Monday night. He was 94. Srikantan had been hospitalized on Friday with lung congestion. His blood pressure dipped, worsening his condition , son R K Kumar said. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Women cabbies to make Hyderabad roads safe again On a day when Union finance minister P Chidambaram announced the allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for empowerment of women in the country, Hyderabad is already on its way to reclaim the safety of its roads and make them more women-friendly. Man pushes friend to death A 46-year-old housewife was mowed down by a truck after she was pushed onto the road by a fellow villager following an altercation at Maheswaram on Sunday evening. Hyderabad culture wows Pakistan group A group of artistes from Pakistan, who enthralled denizens with their dance and drama performances over the last few days, said they are in awe of Hyderabad' s cosmopolitan culture. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Travel agency cancels ticket on its own, fined Rs 57,000 Cancelling of an international flight ticket on it own has cost online travel agency Make My Trip India Rs 57,000. Man jumps off Kathipara flyover A 30-year-old man from Ambattur, who jumped from the lower end of the Kathipara flyover early on Monday after his bid to open an eatery suffered a setback, is recovering in hospital. Beats of samba soccer lure Chennai tourists to South America Chennaiites who are known to prefer Southeast Asian countries for a vacation are now exploring exotic far-off lands, and South America with its salsa parties, breathtaking coastlines and street parties ahead of the FIFA world cup seems to be on top of the list this year. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		'Textbook terrorists' booked Ten days after The Times of India launched the ‘Error Terror’ campaign highlighting the horrifying texts children read in the Gujarat board schools, the state government has suspended panelists involved in content preparation and announced that all flawed content from the textbooks would be withdrawn. Pics of Afghanistan to speak a thousand words The situation in war torn Afghanistan will reach the art aficionados of the city in the form of strong, even heart-wrenching photographs and documentary movies this week. National summit on financial services at GIFT City The aim of the national summit is to facilitate the process of putting together pragmatic rules, procedures and facilities which would expedite the development of the envisaged 'Global Financial Hub' in India. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Jr engrs to go on 'satyagraha' from Feb 18 To protest against non-acceptance of their demands, junior engineers of the power department from across the state will observe an indefinite 'satyagraha' from February 18. BJP's PM pick unwanted in US, says Beni Union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma laid the foundation of steel processing unit at Jarwal on Sunday.The unit will be constructed on an investment of Rs 22 crores.About 500 persons will get employed. AU's former guards protest The gherao continued till evening and ended only after the proctor Prof RK Upadhayay assured the agitated guards that their demands are being considered by the varsity authorities. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Banks asked to step up loan disbursal The state-level bankers' committee (SLBC) on Monday fixed the target for priority sector finance under annual credit plan (ACP) for Odisha in 2014-15 at Rs 40,000 crore, a media release said. Utkal University students lock exam section A section of Utkal University students on Monday locked the varsity's examination section for over four hours, pressing for removal of registrar Banani Mohanty. Scientist aims to break own world record City-based scientist Pothula Srinivas Brahmanand, who created world record in September 2012 by delivering the longest speech for 33 hours 46 minutes, will attempt to break his own feat here on Tuesday. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		20 days on, cops catch up with MLA's son A much hunted “unidentified young man” has been tracked down by police and identified as Golu Singh, son of BJP MLA from Bargi, Pratibha Singh, who has more than a dozen criminal cases, including that of a murder of police official pending against him 5 get life term for murdering Russian woman during train loot A local court in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh sentenced five people to life imprisonment on Monday, for murder of a Russian woman during a train robbery in 2007. Tough time for private students to take admit cards in Hamidia College Non-regular students enrolled with Barkatullah University, Bhopal faced a tough time in getting their admit cards at Hamidia Arts and Commerce College on Monday. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Haryana sees more revenue from higher vehicle sales following excise cut Haryana leads in car and two-wheeler production, being home to Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp, leading manufacturers in these two segments.The two companies support a vast ecosystem of ancillary makers in Gurgaon area. Ex-servicemen hail one-rank one-pension decision Union finance minister P Chidambaram's acceptance of the much-awaited one-rank one-pension demand of ex-servicemen has brought cheer to lakhs of retired defence personnel in the region. Unions slam agriculture summit sans small farmers The summit would have been a milestone if chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced interest-free agriculture credit, he said. More Chandigarh News»

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