News Digest: Maharashtra bars foreigners from organ transplants

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, December 19, 2015
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Maharashtra bars foreigners from organ transplants The state government has amended laws for organ donation and included grandparents and grandchildren in the list of donors. At the same time it has banned extraction of organs of minors and mentally challenged persons. From Sukhois to AWACS, auditor finds strategic holes in India's skies The audit watchdog’s stinging indictment should serve as a much-needed wake-up call for the politico-bureaucratic combine as well as armed forces. Snooping sleuths, police raids worry AQIS chief's hometown Three days after a third al-Qaida suspect, Zafar Masood, was arrested, Deepa Sarai mohalla of Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal is teaming with intelligence sleuths and police raids are being conducted every day. More India News»

		Business
		You won't be ignored for next promotion When the Aditya Birla Group took a call on freezing lateral hiring from a certain level for three years beginning 2016, it was considered a bold move. 97L new GSM users in Nov, total hits 75cr mark Idea Cellular led the growth with 33 lakh new users in November, while Airtel was second with 28 lakh. Vodafone and Telenor gained 24.73 lakh and 7.05 lakh, respectively. HSL bags Navy contract to build 5 fleet support ships Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) appears to have received a major boost with the defence acquisition council (DAC) under the ministry of defence nominating the city-based shipyard to build five fleet support ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy. More Business News»

		Environment
		Concrete steps taken to tackle air pollution: Javadekar With the hazard level because of air pollution plunging into the 'severe' category across Delhi, the Centre has said that it has taken concrete measures, including a ban on burning of wastes, to tackle the pollution in the national capital region. NGT orders inspection of Delhi's waste-to-energy plants Concerned over delay in the operationalizing the waste-to-energy plants in capital, the National Green Tribunal today constituted a "high-powered team" to inspect these plants while directing it to submit a report within three weeks. Climate change warming world's lakes at alarming rate Climate change is warming lakes around the world at an alarming rate, threatening freshwater supplies and ecosystems, says the largest study of its kind led by an Indian-origin researcher. More Environment News»

		World
		Cuba's Castro says US can do more to normalize relations Cuba is willing to keep improving relations with the United States even though Washington has failed to meet its key demands for normalization, Cuban president Raul Castro said on Friday, a day after the anniversary of World Bank approves $1 billion loan to Egypt The World Bank Group has announced a $1 billion loan to Egypt, the first installment of an $8 billion financing plan to help the country carry out key economic reforms. US announces $88 million in food aid to Ethiopia The United States government has announced $88 million to help feed hungry people in drought-stricken areas of Ethiopia, bringing the total amount of humanitarian aid to the country in 2015 to more than $435 million. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Actor Prosenjit's wife goes topless in her Bollywood debut Bengali star Prosenjit’s wife, Arpita Chatterjee, who is making her Bollywood debut with Onir’s next, will go topless in a pivotal scene in the film. Richa Chadha learns French for her beau We know the lengths people can go to for love, in our filmi way we’d say, ‘Saat samundar paar’, and all that stuff. Blighted by the bad luck bug! Many high profile films have had various untoward incidents before and after their release. Read on to find out which films went through a rough patch while filming More Entertainment News»

		Science
		IIT-M develops carbon 'nanotube' that helps kill cancer cells Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology - Madras have developed that a carbon ‘nanotube’ that helps kill cancer cells without affecting the neighbour cells. Curiosity finds silica deposits on Mars Nasa’s Mars Curiosity rover has found high concentrations of silica — a rock-forming chemical commonly seen on Earth as quartz — which could help scientists learn more about the ancient wet environment on the red planet. Better technique to extract uranium from sea in the offing An ultra-high-resolution technique used for the first time to study polymer fibres that trap uranium in seawater may lead to better methods to harvest this potential fuel for nuclear reactors, scientists say. More Science News»

		Sports
		Vijay Hazare Trophy: Consistent Ashwin, low-key Dhoni A look at how the India players featuring for their respective state teams did in the league stage of the 50-overs competition. India drop a place to 7th in latest FIH rankings Only last month, the Indian men's hockey team jumped two places to occupy sixth place in the the FIH rankings. Easy day out for Japan; Federer leads Royals to win in IPTL Japan Warriors did not have to break much sweat in getting past Philippine Marvericks 29-15 but it was a tough day out for UAE Royals, who edged out hosts Singapore Slammers 27-23 in IPTL match. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Review: HP Star Wars Special Edition Notebook 15 is built for the star wars fan in you Here's the review of the new HP Star Wars Special Edition Notebook 15, priced at Rs 69,990, which sports great Star Wars look but lags behind in performance. Facebook Messenger's latest feature: Photo Magic The 'Photo Magic' feature will automatically address a message so it can be sent quickly to Facebook friends identified in a picture. The option relies on the same image-recognition technology that tags people's names to Facebook posts. India tablet shipments up 32% in Q3: CMR Total shipments stood at 1.03 million units in the third quarter of 2014, while the same stood at 1.07 million in the April-June period. More Technology News»

		Education
		Upper-age limit fixed for nursery admissions The directorate of education, Delhi, has now fixed an upper-age limit for entry level classes. The minimum age was fixed in 2007 but upper-age has been debated for several years. Jammu and Kashmir government directs education department to make schools tech-friendly Jammu and Kashmir government today directed the state education department to roll out new technology-driven initiatives in the educational institutions to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Education system needs to comply with present needs: President President Pranab Mukherjee today said there is no dearth of talent in the country but the education system needs to comply with the present requirements. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Non-local MLAs more keen on issues in city Mumbai seems to be trending in the state legislature. An increasing number of MLAs and MLCs, many of them from remote parts of the state, are raising queries about the city’s problems, shows data compiled by TOI. Crush hour at Borivli station kills office-returnee A 40-year-old commuter died after falling on the tracks at Borivli railway station during evening peak hours on Thursday. Woman held with heroin in footwear The anti-narcotic cell (ANC) of the city crime branch on Thursday arrested a middle-aged woman from Rajasthan who had concealed 254 grams of heroin worth Rs 7.65 lakh in a false cavity insider her chappals. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		Honeymoon fight: Man walks off plane, leaves wife behind A Lucknow-based couple went to Goa on honeymoon but on the flight back home, they had such a fight that the husband simply walked off the flight at a stopover. IIT-Delhi placements: 850 get offers, but startups queer pitch The first phase of the placements at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, ended with over 850 students holding offers. No salary, Hindu Rao doctors go on strike Doctors at Hindu Rao Hospital have gone on an indefinite strike over non-payment of salaries. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Challakere nuclear facility fuels villagers' health fears That a nuclear facility is coming up in their midst is no secret to the villagers of Challakere taluk in Chitradurga district, about 200 km from Bengaluru. They have been protesting against the facility for five years on fears that uranium is harmful to the villagers, crops and the environment. Flyers pay through the nose this Xmas Aditi (name changed) got her leave approved at the last minute to go home and celebrate Christmas with her family in Kerala. But the festive season's sheen was lost because she had to pay through her nose to fly: Rs 8,000 one way. MLC poll voters showered with Rado watches, iPhones, tablets Gold ornaments and silk saris seem to be passé. Candidates for the December 27 legislative council polls from the local bodies are wooing their voters with expensive freebies such as Swiss watches and white gold. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		First ride on Hyderabad metro So, how is it like taking a ride on the metro rail in Hyderabad? Hyderabad gets a taste of 'Subramaniam gharana' Hyderabad gets a taste of ‘Subramaniam gharana’ Number crunching begins in TRS ahead of civic polls Much ahead of the announcement of elections for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) council, number crunching has already started in the TRS that is keen on securing the ruling party status in the elected council. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		City lab to read wind speed as TN readies for offshore mills India's efforts to tap offshore wind energy are getting a push from a city-based lab. A pilot experiment for one of the country's first offshore wind energy projects will begin next month when scientists from Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) install a remote sensing equipment for wind resource assessment. 'Untouchables' on mission to raze sites on water bodies The Madras high court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on all constructions on water bodies in the state but, unbeknownst to most, an unlikely squad of IAS officers had more than a month earlier started razing illegal constructions on water bodies in Kancheepuram and on the outskirts of the city to ensure free flow of floodwater. Tamil Nadu Udavikkaram Association to honour differently- abled people The Tamil Nadu Udavikkaram Association for the Welfare of Differently- abled will celebrate the International Day for the Disabled here on Saturday. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Vibrant Gujarat Businesswomen National Conclave kicks off in Ahmedabad The Vibrant Gujarat Businesswomen National Conclave began on Friday with the opening ceremony of the Garima Exhibition inaugurated by actress Raveena Tandon. DRI arrests 2 Jalandhar-based businessmen in fake exports case The Ahmedabad zonal unit of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested two Jalandhar-based businessmen in the Rs 17 crore commercial tax fraud case. DRI sleuths held Amarjeet Singh Jolly and Ashok Goyal, for claiming Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 1.5 crore in duty drawback by using fake bills. Both accused were sent to custody by a local court on Thursday. Gatisheel Gujarat slothful in spending The state government may be marketing itself as `Gatisheel Gujarat' but the fact is that government departments are unable to use the amounts allocated to them in the budget. In fact, they also miss most of the physical targets of development. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		UP Board exams from Feb 18 The high school and intermediate examinations to be conducted by Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad would begin from February 18. Climate Express soon to give info on environment In order to create awareness among the people, particularly students, about environment, Indian Railways has rolled out a special train christened 'Science Express Climate Action Special' (SECAS) which would chug in at the railway station here on Monday. HC seeks govt reply on salary to homeguards The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file its reply on a writ petition filed by some homeguards seeking payment of “equal salary for equal work”. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		50,000 solar lanterns for non-electrified villages Central PSU Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will provide 50,000 solar lanterns to families residing in non-electrified villages of the state, official sources said. CBI files charge sheet against Odisha Ponzi firm CBI, probing the Odisha mega chit fund scam, on Friday filed charge sheet against Real Alliance Estates Private Limited, a Ponzi firm, in the CBI special court here. CBI currently probes scams by 44 companies. BJD MPs seek PM intervention BJD MPs on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and sought his intervention in the controversial Polavaram project. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		'Arabic inscribed security threads were for Algeria, not India' Arabic inscriptions on magnetic security threads in currency notes manufactured at paper printing unit in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh in 2012 triggered a furore over breach of national security and a probe was initiated by CBI. Congress to protest smart city proposals in green belt of Bhopal The Madhya Pradesh Congress has joined the protest with local public against smart city project proposed for Bhopal. Vyapam scam: Former Madhya Pradesh minister Laxmikant Sharma bailed out in all cases Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday granted bail to Former Minister Laxmikant Sharma nearly two years after his arrest by special task force (STF) for his alleged role in Vyapam scam. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Dalit booked for rape 4 hrs after murder by 'SAD man's aides' Bhim Singh Tank, A 25-year-old Dalit found dead at a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member's Abohar farmhouse last week was charged with rape by Punjab Police exactly four hours and fifteen minutes after he was allegedly hacked to death by the politician's henchmen. Rohtak Nirbhaya case: Seven held guilty, quantum of sentence on Monday The special court for the crimes against women on Friday held all the seven accused guilty of rape, brutality and murder of 28-yearold woman who was found murdered in Bahu Akbarpur village of Rohtak in February this year. Pune scientist selected for the Open Innovation Challenge Karthikeyan, a scientist from CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune has been selected for the Open Innovation Challenge More Chandigarh News»

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