News Digest: Moily tried to give Essar oil, gas fields at 1993 prices: AAP

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Thursday, April 17, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Moily tried to give Essar oil, gas fields at 1993 prices: AAP Aam Aadmi Party has now alleged that oil minister Veerappa Moily had tried to benefit the Essar Group by pushing a cabinet note for allotting it oil and gas fields Protests erupt as Omar visits Kulgam district Qaimoh town of Kulgam district in south Kashmir on Wednesday observed a spontaneous strike and the locals pelted stones on the police when they learnt that chief minister Omar Abdullah was to address a public rally in favour of National Conference candidate Mehboob Baig. Mayawati speaks of PM dream in Punjab In her first rally in Punjab during the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday projected herself as the first “Dalit ki beti” who could become prime minister.  More India News»

		Business
		Cadbury India set to get new identity The move is expected to coincide with the company moving out of its iconic headquarters ‘Cadbury House’ at the busy junction in the uppity Peddar Road in Mumbai in June this year, Cadbury India managing director Manu Anand told TOI in an interview. Pune grads' 'FB for science' gets investor vote A bunch of twenty-something grads in Pune has just secured the backing of marquee venture capitalist firm Nexus Venture Partners as they set out to build a social learning network for science enthusiasts. Sahara says Supreme Court bench not even-handed Sahara group chief Subrata Roy on Wednesday said the rigid approach adopted by the Supreme Court bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar as well as market regulator Sebi has made it impossible for him to plead his case. More Business News»

		Environment
		Tiger found dead in Bihar's Valmiki tiger reserve A tiger was found dead near a forest in Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar's West Champaran district Wednesday, an official said. Beijing says one third of its pollution comes from outside the city Decades of unrestrained growth have hit China's environment hard and Beijing's often choking air has become a symbol of the pollution crisis. Asian air pollution affecting Northern Hemisphere's weather patterns Air pollution in China and other Asian countries is generating sweeping impact on weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere, it has been revealed. More Environment News»

		World
		Nato increases military presence in Ukraine Nato is strengthening its military footprint along its eastern border immediately in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the alliance's chief said on Wednesday. Algeria's Bouteflika poised to win re-election Algerians vote on Thursday in an election President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is widely expected to win after 15 years in power even though he has spoken rarely in public since suffering a stroke last year. Taliban refused to extend ceasefire Pakistani Taliban on Wednesday renounced extension of its unilateral ceasefire prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon a high-level meeting on national security on Thursday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Is Kangana Ranaut-starrer 'Queen' copied? Though Kangana Ranaut-starrer 'Queen' has won rave reviews from both the masses as well as critics, there is something that you don't know about the movie. Reports suggest that Vikas Bhal’s 'Queen' is a copy of Abhigyan Jha’s 'Phir Zindagi'. Saif's family continues to bond with Amrita It’s been a while since Saif Ali Khan moved on after his legal separation from Amrita Singh. But his family continues to maintain good ties with her. Hrithik Roshan's health woes continue Bollywood's heartthrob Hrithik Roshan is going through a bad phase in his life. It seems his health woes are back to haunt to him. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		A stealth motorcycle that runs without noise US military has approved funding for the development of a stealth motorcycle that would allow soldiers to drive for long periods of time on rough terrain without emitting engine noise. Full lunar eclipse delights Americas, 1st of year Sky-gazers in North and South America were treated to a full lunar eclipse — at least those fortunate enough to have clear skies. Genetic therapy may repair spinal chord: Study Damage to the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, is currently irreparable. More Science News»

		Sports
		Real beat Barcelona to win Copa del Rey Gareth Bale scored a stunning individual goal five minutes from time to win the Copa del Rey for Real Madrid as they overcame Barcelona 2-1 at Mestalla. Man City's title hopes hit with 2-2 draw Manchester City's Premier League title hopes were dealt a crushing blow as they were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom club Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium. Roger Federer set to miss French Open Roger Federer said on Wednesday the upcoming birth of another child for him and wife Mirka Vavrinec could stop him from playing in French Open next month. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner hacked with ease SRLabs posted a video showing that a Galaxy S5 using fingerprint authentication can be easily broken using a mould that has fingerprint impression of the phone user. TCS Q4 profit rises 48.2% to Rs 5,357.6 crore TCS today reported a 48.2% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 5,357.6 crore for the quarter ended March 31. Photos of iPhone 6's front panel, iOS 8 leaked Two photos of the upcoming iPhone 6’s front panel have leaked online, suggesting that the design will remain same even as screen size increases in the next iPhone model. More Technology News»

		Education
		95.47 pass percentage for SSLC in Kerala A total of 4,42,678 students qualified for the higher studies in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination held in the state for the academic year 2013-14 in March. IIT-Delhi to showcase student innovations at Open House 2014 A waterless urinal, fibre wrapping for earthquake protection of buildings, plastic from potato starch and solar powered refrigeration system, are some of the draws to IIT-Delhi's 'Open House 2014' event this Saturday. Science and maths skills get 'best jobs' in the US, says consultancy report What are the best jobs in the US? And, what are the worst? These interesting evaluations are provided by CareerCast's 2014 Jobs Rated Report, released on 15 April at Carlsbad, California. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Pawar betrayed people, has trust deficit: Uddhav Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, 53, feels there is a Modi wave across the country and says he will not be surprised if the NDA gets a clear majority. Mahayuti hopes to win 22 out of 29 seats Polling today is scheduled to take place in the NCP-controlled Western Maharashtra and Konkan and the Sena-BJP-dominated Marathwada. No women in Palghar contest Of the 15.8 lakh voters in the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, 7.5 lakh are women. And yet, there are no women candidates among the 10 in the fray. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Limited infra for pesticide check: Govt The Delhi government today told the Delhi High Court that it has limited infrastructure in the laboratories for testing pesticides in fruits and vegetables but has chalked out plans to inform the public about its side effects. Delhi HC: Sentencing bench to hear remaining pleas in Katara case The Delhi high court on Wednesday said all subsisting applications filed in the Nitish Katara murder case will be heard by the bench which will hear arguments on the sentence to be awarded to UP politician D P Yadav’s son Vikas and two others. Two jailed for power theft Two persons accused of stealing electricity in separate incidents have been sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment by Special Courts of Electricity. Mohammad Arif, a resident of Sarita Vihar and Radhey Shyam Giri, a factory owner in east Delhi More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Migrants eager to cast votes That the city is home to a large migrant population is well-known. But the good news is that many of them are all set to make their presence felt in the Lok Sabha elections this time around. Half of Karnataka's voters are below the age of 40 The number of voters in Karnataka has increased by 4.5 million since the 2009 Lok Sabha polls when the total electorate was 41.8 million. Since the 2013 assembly elections, the Election Commission has added 2.3 million new voters.  Inscrutable voters keep parties on tenterhooks Will Karnataka live up to its image and vote against the mood of the nation? In the last few elections voters from the state have differed from their counterparts elsewhere in the county and voted differently. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		BJP fields Purandeswari from Rajampet  Ending days of suspense, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday night fielded former Union minister D Purandeswari from Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency.  Hyderabad district has over 39.64 lakh voters  Jubilee Hills assembly constituency has 3,29,520 voters, the highest in Hyderabad district.  Jayaprakash Narayan on a sticky wicket again “Don’t take it too seriously,” is what Malkajigiri’s MP candidate from Lok Satta, Jayaprakash Narayan said, when cornered on one of the points of his manifesto, leaving a vast number of electorate stunned. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Ammonia plant in Manali reopens Five days after it was shut down following an accident, Madras Fertilizers Limited’s ammonia plant in Manali reopened on Wednesday. Seven MFL workers had sustained burn injuries when naphtha leaked from a tube and spilled on them on April 11. Jaya's stand on Modi comes under scrutiny AIADMK's stand on Narendra Modi is increasingly coming under scrutiny as Muslim organizations in Jayalalithaa's front perceive her as a possible post-poll ally of BJP. El Nino may hit cauvery delta with drought Drought may not be an all-India feature of the El Niño weather phenomenon this year. But, Tamil Nadu, especially the Cauvery delta that is already reeling from consecutive failed monsoons, may face drought, weather forecasting agencies say. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Sahara sells prime land in Ahmedabad cheap Sahara Group has sold off its 104 acre land near Shela village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad to HN Safal Group at a throwaway price of Rs 600 crore. Gujarat catches fancy of Bollywood The trend that started with Aamir Khan's 'Lagan' continues with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela'. Accused in Ode riot case traced to Australia One of six absconders in the Ode massacre cases has been traced to Australia by the Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT), which has initiated procedure for his extradition. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		AAP candidates arrive in procession but fail to file nominations Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates from Allahabad and Phulpur constituencies - Adarsh Shastri and Shimla Sri - had a bad day on Wednesday. Bengali new year celebrated The Bengali new year, 1421 Bangabda, was celebrated on Tuesday at 'Muktangan' of Jagat Taran Golden Jubilee School under the aegis of Bengali Social & Cultural Association (BSCA). Contempt notice to basic education secretary The Allahabad High Court has deemed not filing of reply as contempt of court and directed that notices be issued to Secretary, Basic Education, UP.The court has fixed May 9, 2014 as next date of hearing. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		BJP may spring a surprise in Odisha, take sheen off Patnaik As Odisha prepares to vote for the second and final phase of polls on Thursday, there's disquiet in Naveen Patnaik's BJD. For, more and more reports are coming in of an unexpected rise of BJP. No one is saying BJP will upstage BJD.  Over 1.5cr to vote in 11 LS & 77 assembly seats today Stakes will be high for the ruling BJD, involved in a triangular fight with Congress and BJP, as Odisha goes to the polls for the second and final phase on Thursday. BJD camp office set afire in capital Tension gripped Nathapur under Ekamra-Bhubaneswar constituency after unidentified miscreants set ablaze a temporary camp office of BJD in the early hours of Wednesday. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Cops slap notice on SPG for allowing Rahul to sit atop SUV Gwalior police served a notice to the Special Protection Guard (SPG), which accompanied Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during a roadshow in the district on April 10. MP pre-medical test scam: HC rejects petitions seeking CBI probe The high court also asked STF to submit copy of all FIRs related to the MPPEB before it by April 25. Clear stand on marriage gardens in a week: NGT National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slammed the state government for not implementing by-laws pertaining to marriage gardens in the state. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Long-haul learners bag IGNOU certificates Examples of such indefatigable spirit included Sukhjit Kaur, a gold medalist in Master of Science in Dietetics and Food Service Management, who continued to study after getting married and becoming a mother. Voice assessment camp held In recognition of World Voice Day on Wednesday, a voice assessment camp was held at Ankur School, Panjab University, by a team of faculty and students from speech and hearing unit and department of otolaryngology, PGI. Cancer cure on the horizon Cancer 'the emperor of maladies' will remain a dreaded disease for only a few more years to come. With the discovery of genetic molecules in the human body called micro-RNA 2909, a cure for the killer ailment could be on the horizon. More Chandigarh News»

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