News Digest: Despite Putin's visit, two pacts on military aircraft still in doldrums

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, December 13, 2014
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Despite Putin's visit, two pacts on military aircraft still in doldrums President Vladimir Putin may have come and gone but stalemate largely persists over two key long-pending India-Russian defence projects, the fifth-generation fighter aircraft and military multirole transport aircraft. Saradha scam: Key aide gave away clinching details on Mitra A number of damaging magisterial statements by Madan Mitra's aides -prominent among them Rezaul Karim, alias Bapi --and some Saradha employees armed CBI with “enough evidence“ to arrest the minister. CBI charges former Jharkhand CM, ex-bureaucrats in coal scam case CBI on Friday filed charged against former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, his close aide Vijay Joshi, former coal secretary HC Gupta, ex-chief secretary A K Basu and four others in connection with allocation of coal blocks to Kolkata-based Vini Iron Steel and Udyog Ltd. More India News»

		Business
		Raghuram Rajan sounds caution on 'Make in India' plan With his former boss Manmohan Singh by his side, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan had some words of caution on the government’s “Make in India” initiative, saying the focus should be on domestic demand against the backdrop of slowing global growth. SC dismisses Bayer plea against generic drug In a move which will bring cheer to patients and generic companies pursuing affordable treatments, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed Bayer’s appeal on the compulsory licence (CL) issued on kidney and cancer drug, Nexavar. SRK's loan to wife not sham deal to avoid tax: ITAT Shah Rukh Khan has obtained a clean chit from the Mumbai bench of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), which in its recent order has held that tax avoidance was not the motive behind the actor giving a substantial interest-free loan to wife. More Business News»

		Environment
		Kerry appeals to all to share burden of climate change US secretary of state John Kerry on Friday appealed to the countries at UN climate talks to jointly share the burden of combating climate change and draft their energy policies around renewable sources. US rules out China-like climate deal with India in near future the US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of a wide-ranging deal to cut greenhouse gas emission with India on the line of the recent US-China deal. Lima climate summit: Saarc stands up to be counted as one The Saarc bloc has finally emerged as a united force at the ongoing climate talks with ministers and key representatives of all eight member countries formally sealing the existence of south Asia as a common entity here as far as putting across their stand at the UN forum is concerned. More Environment News»

		World
		Three injured in new US school shooting Three teenagers were shot and injured outside a high school in the northwestern US state of Oregon, in a suspected gang-related incident. Brazil man claims to have killed 40 A man who allegedly confessed to the murders of more than 40 people since 2005 has been arrested in Rio de Janeiro and police are investigating the veracity of his claims. China opens grand canal to divert water to its arid north China’s decades old project of diverting river water from one end to the other saw the light of day on Friday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Sonam Kapoor changed 16 outfits for one scene Sonam Kapoor — who plays a runaway bride in 'Dolly Ki Doli' will be seen in 16 different bridal looks 'I don't like this Delhi vs Mumbai comparison' A lack of respect for women is a cultural issue, not just a ‘Delhi problem’, says Gul Panag, who’s lived in the capital and was once molested in the middle of a marathon here 'Dabangg 3 will definitely happen' Arbaaz Khan, 47, has always taken all major decisions of his life based on his own gut without consulting anyone, be it the decision to debut as a villain at 29, get married to Malaika at 30 or turn director for 'Dabangg 2' at 43 More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Possible dark matter signal spotted Astronomers have detected a possible signal of dark matter, the mysterious and elusive stuff thought to make up most of the material universe. Superbugs to kill 'more than cancer' by 2050 A British review commissioned by prime minister David Cameron on the impact superbugs will have on the world has concluded that drug-resistant infections will cost the world 10 million extra deaths a year and up to $ 100 trillion by 2050, if the global increase is not stopped. Rosetta fuels debate on origin of Earth's oceans In what is a major blow to a theory believed unanimously among scientists, the most anticipated results from the Rosetta space craft has shown that comets did not fill earth with water. More Science News»

		Sports
		Six best India-Pakistan Champions Trophy clashes As India and Pakistan prepare for a mouth-watering clash in the Champions Trophy semifinals on Saturday, we bring to you the six best matches between the two arch-rivals. Indian Aces beat Manila Mavericks 28-23 in IPTL Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna continued their good form as Indian Aces dished out another dominating show, beating Manila Mavericks in UAE leg of IPTL. Champions Trophy: Pakistan to unleash 9-11 attack on India Aiming to outwit India in the Champions Trophy semifinals, the Pakistan hockey team has devised a rather controversially-titled 9-11 strategy which they plan to unleash on Saturday. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra's letter to Indian buyers over sales ban The letter, posted Hugo Barra's Facebook page, acknowledges the sales ban and says that the company is evaluating its legal options. Man orders iPhones, Snapdeal delivers pieces of wood Fortunately for Kabra, he had chosen the ‘Cash on Delivery’ option while ordering the two iPhones, which are collectively worth Rs 40,508. The worst Android 5.0 (Lollipop) bugs and their fixes Android 5.0 Lollipop is here and while you might be rejoicing at all the new features you can take advantage of, you might also be cursing at the state that the new OS has left your device in. More Technology News»

		Education
		TCS, Manipal University signs MoU for new UG programme Department of Commerce, Manipal University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata Consultancy Services to launch a new undergraduate programme specializing in the area of business process servicing. Times Group to set up Bennett University in Greater Noida The Times Group on Thursday announced the setting up of the multi-faculty Bennett University in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. CBSE introduces pre-examination activities In order to ensure smooth conduct of annual examinations scheduled in March 2015, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued pre-examination activities for schools. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		BMC notice for houseboats to get off Powai lake in 2 days Seventeen houseboats that are carrying out “illegal” operations at Powai Lake will have to wind up business within a couple of days. Octogenarians donate two dialysis machines to Shanmukhananda Two of Shanmukhananda Sabha’s oldest members have each donated a dialysis machine to its medical centre. N H Israni, who owns a pharmaceutical company, is 90 years old while S S Rajan, a former insurance consultant, is 86. Water to slums will encourage squatters: BMC Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told Bombay High Court on Friday that directing it to provide water to all illegal slum-dwellers will only increase encroachments on private and public lands. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Man, kin held for double murder Sleuths from the crime branch were in for a surprise when they rounded up a person for questioning while investigating the Kamla Nagar heist. Cops scuttle stir for judicial reform A protest in front of Delhi high court by litigants demanding judicial reforms was scuttled by the Delhi Police at the last moment on Friday. Mercury dips to 5.1°C in Delhi Winter is finally here. In a first for the season, both the maximum and minimum temperatures fell below normal on Friday. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Karnataka assembly bans using mobile phone during proceedings Use of mobile phones in the Karnataka Assembly was banned today, a day after the House was rocked by chaos over a BJP member watching a zoomed in picture of Priyanka Gandhi during proceedings. Rain bounty: Groundwater level goes up The water-starved city has something to cheer about — the groundwater level has shown a marked rise compared to last year. Also, all water bodies are filled to capacity. Ventilator trauma: Boys succumb to head injuries These kids lost precious time, and ended up losing their lives too. Akash, 3, and Anand, 8, who shuttled from one hospital to another in search of ventilators, died on Friday. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		EC's ban on candidates proves futile The delay in elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) seems to have come as a boon in disguise for 411 candidates, who have been debarred from contesting elections for three years for their failure to submit poll campaign expenditure details within the stipulated time. Youth stabs batchmate after online spat An online spat between two students of Deccan College of Engineering and Technology (DCET), Darussalaam, turned violent on Tuesday, with one ending up stabbing the other. New south zone Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation office remains on paper Though a proposal for moving the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s zonal office (south) was cleared more than a year ago, little or no progress has been made. As it turns out the project still finds itself in the tender stage. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Cops turn ticket delivery boys for 'Lingaa' release Chennai police weren’t on their regular beats on Thursday, the day the Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Lingaa’ released in theatres. Laptops go missing on omnibuses, Hyderabad, Bengaluru travellers targeted Laptops are going missing with disturbing regularity on interstate buses, with as many as 12 cases reported to the Koyambedu police in two months. Man gets 10-year RI for raping minor A city court on Friday sentenced a 24-year-old man to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for raping minor. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Cab firm dupes people of lakhs A Bopal resident, along with several others, approached Satellite police on Friday when they realized that they had been cheated by cab company owners who promised them good returns on investment made in the firm. Forest department circular bites snake rescuers More than 100 snake handlers staged a demonstration against the state forest department at Bodakdev Rescue Centre on Friday. ED unearths Rs 100cr illegal remittance scam Ahmedabad zonal unit of Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed Rs 100 crore illegal international remittance scam, carried out through a Mumbai bank. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Board extends last date for exam centre list Madhyamik Siksha Parishad (UP Board) has extended the last date of submission of examination centre list by December 15 after around half-a-dozen divisions failed to submit it within the given deadline of November 30. Traders shut shops in protest against attack on former MP Trader community, on Thursday, closed their business establishments and shops including nursing homes, petrol pumps and chemist shops in protest against the recent assault on their leader and former MP Banwari Lal Kanchal in Lucknow. Work on technology to help paralytics Imagine a device which can help paralysis patients perform simple tasks like eating, switching on electrical appliances or operating a computer. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Separate infra body for MSMEs To provide infrastructure to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in a timebound and transparent manner, the state government has decided to develop a separate entity in line with Idco. The new entity would be known as MSMEIdco, official sources said. Bio-toilets on Puri beach The absence of public toilets in Puri has been a cause of concern for tourists. IT is looking up: Naveen Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said growth rate of information technology (IT) product exports from the state is on the rise. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Radiation tests will be conducted for every mobile tower: MP minister The Madhya Pradesh government has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to test each and every mobile phone tower in the state for radiation Ruckus in MP assembly over death of tribal girls in boarding schools The call attention motion was raised by Congress MLA from Kukshi seat Surendra Singh Baghel who claimed that several unpleasant incidents have occurred in the tribal girls boarding schools in Dhar district after which students are feeling unsafe. Minister Mahdele reviews activities of fisheries federation Fisheries development minister Kusum Mahdele has directed officials to achieve targets of fisheries projects within time-limit. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Conductor stops youth from 'harassing girls', assaulted in Bhiwani A fortnight after the attack on the Sonipat sisters on a moving bus near Rohtak, six students were arrested on Thursday night at Bhiwani for attacking a bus conductor, who later told local TV channels that he was attacked because he stopped the youths from harassing girls. 7 IPS officers transferred The Haryana government on Friday issued posting and transfer orders of seven IPS officers of the state. DGP (Crime) Surjeet Singh Deswal has been posted as DG (Armed Police), Madhuban. Deputy CM in talks with lawyers to skirt NGT stay With the National Green Tribunal ordering a stay on the release of new agriculture pumpset (AP) connections for farmers in Punjab for more than nine months, the state government has decided to consult senior advocates to end the impasse. More Chandigarh News»

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