News Digest: Newest arrow in Rahul's quiver: Forest Rights Act

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, January 30, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Newest arrow in Rahul's quiver: Forest Rights Act Congress is set to launch an year-long campaign over the Forest Rights Act, accusing the Modi government of diluting the norms granting land rights to tribals in forest areas. Morari Bapu discourse on Gandhi death anniversary Sources said the discourse will bring out how the Mahatma had emerged as “Maryada Purushottam” of present times, which Lord Ram is known for. Govt looks at Roma people to expand diaspora footprint The Centre is reviving a somewhat tenuous romance with the Roma people as the forgotten children of this country. More India News»

		Business
		Sticking to fiscal road map must for credibility: Rajan Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan on Friday made a strong pitch for sticking to the road map for fiscal deficit and inflation targets as a way to gain credibility and cautioned against pursuing loose policies to stimulate growth. Sebi changes comex rules for safer trades Market regulator Sebi on Friday reduced position limits in the agri commodities derivatives trading segment which, market players said, would make the segment safer and reduce volatility. But the move may also hit all those participants who want to hedge their risks through commodity exchanges (comexes). US economic growth slows sharply The US economy's growth slowed sharply in the final three months of 2015 to a 0.7 per cent annual rate. Consumers slowed spending, businesses cut back on investment and global problems trimmed exports. However, most economists expect growth to rebound in the current January-March quarter. More Business News»

		Environment
		Mali's desert elephants face extinction in three years Mali's elephants, one of just two remaining desert herds in the world, will be gone in three years unless the government does more to protect them, a conservation group said on Thursday. Russia's goat-tiger odd friendship may be over A romance that enchanted Russia may be over: Timur the goat and Amur the tiger have had a fight and aren't together anymore. Timur started pushing Amur, constantly annoying and butting the tiger. Finally, the tiger couldn't hold back, grabbed the goat by the withers and tossed him. Snow leopards mapped with camera traps: WWF A pilot project of installing camera traps to map endangered snow leopards has yielded "positive" results in North Sikkim as photos of the elusive animal has been spotted at four places, WWF-India said. The snow leopard is a Schedule I animal under Wildlife Protection Act of India. More Environment News»

		World
		Iran flies unarmed military drone over US aircraft carrier Iran flew a surveillance drone over a US aircraft carrier and published video of the encounter Friday, the latest in a series of edgy naval incidents between the two countries in the Persian Gulf after the recent nuclear deal. Syrian opposition to go to Geneva as peace talks open Syria's main opposition group agreed to travel to Geneva, where the United Nations on Friday opened peace talks to end the country's five-year-old war, but said it wanted to discuss humanitarian issues before engaging in political negotiations. 4 dead, 18 injured in Saudi mosque bombing: Report Four people were killed and 18 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Shia-populated eastern Saudi Arabia. Officials said security personnel prevented two bombers from getting inside the Al-Rida mosque in the Mahasen neighbourhood of Al-Ahsa city. More World News»

		Entertainment
		Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol take No.1 position in Times Celebex Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol take the top positions in Times Celebex powered by zoom for the month of December 2015 Out now: Sonam Kapoor and Beyonce in 'Coldplay' music video Just when we wanted more Indians to feature in international work after Priyanka Chopra bagging ‘Quantico’ and Deepika Padukone being signed for Vin Diesel's 'XXX' series, Sonam Kapoor enters the global stage by featuring in the latest 'Coldplay' single that stars Beyonce in the lead. Divya Khosla terms Yami-Pulkit relationship as 'real life affair' Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam's alleged affair has been making headlines for quite some time now. Although the duo has neither denied nor accepted their relationship in public, they've managed to evade the question rather well. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Not just kids, doctors urge adults to take vaccines too Vaccines are not just for children. For long, doctors, particularly in the private sector, have recommend that adults get a dose of a wide range of shots including those for flu, typhoid, hepatitis, and pneumonia. Male mice without Y chromosome can father offsprings Scientists have created male mice without a Y chromosome - a symbol of maleness - that are still able to sire offspring with assisted reproduction. Seen: How a cell becomes cancerous It was just a tiny speck, a single cell that researchers had marked with a fluorescent green dye. But it was the very first cell of what would grow to be a melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Never before had researchers captured a cancer so early. More Science News»

		Sports
		2nd T20I: India beat Australia by 27 runs to seal series in Melbourne India defeated Australia in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to win the series with a game remaining. Riding on Virat Kohli's unbeaten 59 and Rohit Sharma's 60, India produced another good all-round performance to record a 27-run win in the match. Chasing 185 to win, Australia slumped after a brilliant start as they were restricted to 157/8 in 20 overs. I had no idea Smith had mic on: Virat Kohli Kohli had exchanged words with Smith after taking a catch to dismiss the Australian during the first T20 international at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis win Australian Open doubles title India's Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis beat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6, 6-3 to win Australian Open women's doubles title. More Sports News»

		Technology
		7 hidden tricks for your Android smartphone You don't always find everything you need to know in the user manual ¬ plus, who reads that thing anyway?If you want to find out more about some hidden tips and tricks for your Android smartphone/tablet device, read this non-exhaustive list. BlackBerry Priv Android phone first impressions  The Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry finally launched its much awaited Android handset called BlackBerry Priv with a hefty price tag of Rs 62,990. Canon EOS M10 mirrorless camera review: The handy DSLR for photography enthusiasts Canon EOS M10 is a mirrorless compact DSLR camera by Canon that is priced at Rs 39,095. More Technology News»

		Education
		Colgate launches its 2016 scholarship offer Oral-care company Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited has announced the commencement of its national scholarship initiative from January 29 to serve as a platform to provide impetus to children with potential. JNU VC: IIT professor Kumar picked over Irani's choice IIT professor Jagdeesh Kumar was appointed as JNU vice-chancellor by President Pranab Mukherjee after he was selected from a panel of four names that also included scientist VS Chauhan, who was reported to be HRD minister Smriti Irani's preferred choice to lead the prestigious institute. English teenagers 'are most illiterate in the developed world', report reveals English teenagers are among some of the least educated in the developed world, a report reveals. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		BJP MP Hema to pay 70,000 for 2,000 sq m plot in Mumbai The price of the 2,000 sq m plot in Andheri, which has been allotted to BJP MP Hema Malini by the state government, has been pegged at Rs 70,000. 'Haji Ali curbs on women a recent move, not tradition' The Shani Shingnapur temple entry row has given fresh ammo to a group of Muslim women opposing the ban on women’s entry to the sanctum sanctorum of Mumbai’s iconic Haji Ali Dargah. Thackeray says politics muscled out Dino's gyms Actor Dino Morea has removed two open-air gyms he had installed on Mumbai’s Marine Drive promenade. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		'Manas Rajghat Katha' to mark Bapu's anniversary In a change from the past, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Saturday will see his resting place Rajghat host a nine-day long discourse titled “Manas Rajghat Katha” by the Ramcharitmanas fame Morari Bapu. Civic staff goes on indefinite stir, doctors and engineers to join The agitation by municipal employees is snowballing into a crisis for the city, with staff of the north and east corporations deciding to turn their three-day strike into an indefinite one on Friday. Delhi's Pragati Maidan set for Rs 2,000 crore revamp; work to start this year In the next few months, many buildings in the 115-acre exhibition ground are likely to be razed to make way for new structures such as a convention hall five times larger than Vigyan Bhawan, underground parking, new access roads and exhibition halls. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Missing bear found in eucalyptus grove A round 6am Friday, Anklappa Gowda and Vijay Kumar, residents of Begihalli, Anekal, were walking to their fields when An klappa thought he saw something big and black moving in a ragi field, and alerted Vijay Kumar. Suspect got explosives in city, learnt to make bomb from handler Mohammed Rafeeq alias Jaweed, alias Alam Jeb Afridi has confessed that the original plan was to plant the bomb inside Coconut Grove bar and restaurant, the NIA has claimed. After decades of service, state pharmacists still uncared for NKumar (name changed) has dedicated 34 years of his life to a primary health centre in Kolar district. The senior pharmacist's work involves procuring and distributing medicines and everything in between. More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Daily water supply a pipe dream? Aware that it is a promise they would not be able to keep, all political parties contesting the GHMC elections have steered away from assuring the electorate of providing daily drinking water supply . ED files chargesheet against 2 pharma companies The Enforcement Directorate (ED) that is investigating into the disproportionate assets case pertaining to YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday filed its prosecution complaint (equivalent to a chargesheet) in Aurobindo and Hetero pharma companies case in the designated ED court in Hyderabad. 'Make futuristic sensors for defence needs' Scientific advisor to raksha mantri G Satheesh Reddy, has said smart miniaturised sensor technologies would be the backbone for futuristic defence and aerospace systems. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Tamil Nadu continues to produce unemployable engineers Tamil Nadu may be known for its massive number of engineering colleges, but the graduates they produce are clearly not on top in employability. Robin Mayne gets 7-year jail term, fined Rs 1.8 crore for bank fraud More than three decades after the sensational 'Robin Mayne bank fraud case' shook Tamil Nadu, a special court for CBI cases here found kingpin Mayne and four others guilty of forgery and conspiracy on Friday . DMDK begins poll talk with BJP, NDA likely to be revived in Tamil Nadu The DMDK has begun pre-poll talks with the BJP which has offered 113 seats to the party to be a part of the NDA for the assembly election in Tamil Nadu. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Scientific Awareness and Outreach workshop for Ashram Shala students concludes The three-day scientific awareness and outreach activity workshop for students and teachers of state-based Ashram Shala got concluded at Science City on Friday. Dang herbal healers get online platform Swadeshi Gyan Abhiyan, a joint initiative of Bhagat Mandli consisting of traditional her bal healers of Dangs, was for mally launched by IAS officer S K Nanda here on Thursday. German artists in city to feel Le Corbusier's ATMA Six decades after Le Corbusier shaped his architectural marvel, the Ahmedabad Textile Mill Owners' Association building, popularly called ATMA House, five German artists are in the city to relive his work through multiple mediums. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		IED found in Mahanagri Exp, tragedy averted A major tragedy was averted when a bomb defusing squad (BDS) from Allahabad defused an improvised explosive device (IED) near Manikpur Railway Station in Chitrakoot district during the wee hours of Friday. HC directs district judge to inspect Banda jail The Allahabad High Court on Friday directed the district judge (DJ), Banda to make an inspection of the Banda jail and submit a report before the court by next date. Transformer down, Ghausnagar in dark for 5 days Residents of Ghausnagar in Kareli have been living in dark for about five days now just because the transformer broke down and hasn't been replaced yet. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		34 Schedule II coal mines to start production by March 31: Coal secy The Centre has set a target to resume production in all 34 Schedule II coal mines by March 31, coal secretary Anil Swarup said here on Friday. Five arrested for burning houses in city slum The Commissionerate Police on Friday arrested five persons on charges of burning three thatched houses at a slum beside the national highway-5 near Satsang Vihar in Bhubaneswar. Wanted brothers held, crores in cash seized Sushil Dhal Samant and Sushant Dhal Samant-two most wanted brothers in several murder, extortion and tender fixing cases in Odisha and outside-were on Friday arrested from a rented house in Bhubaneswar. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Women should offer prayers at home: MP minister Home minister of Madhya Pradesh, Babulal Gaur, has stirred a hornet's nest yet again with a controversial remark. This time, the octogenarian former chief minister of the state said that women should offer prayers only at home. Shivraj strict on corruption, to transfer revenue powers to villages from April Madhya Pradesh, which shed the Bimaru (laggard) tag during BJP's twelve-year regime, is now fighting a bigger menace, corruption in leading departments. Girl student dies, 10 injured in accident on Mhow- Pithampur road A girl student died while nine other passengers were seriously injured when a Pithampur- Mhow passenger overturned on Mhow- Pithampur road on Friday morning. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		PU to host workshop on research methodology in social sciences With participation of research scholars and faculty members of social sciences from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh, a two-week orientation programme on “Research Methodology in Social Sciences” will be conducted from February 1 to 13 at Panjab University (PU). PU professors talk harmony of inner self As a part of the celebrations of the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, a panel discussion on ‘Inner Space, Outer Space: Quest for Harmony’ was held at Panjab University (PU) on Thursday. Rejuvenation package for PGI doctors soon Soon, PGI doctors will let their hair down after a taxing work day by singing, playing musical instruments and dancing. More Chandigarh News»

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