News Digest: Attackers said they will harm my daughter: Sori

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Tuesday, February 23, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Attackers said they will harm my daughter: Sori Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member and tribal activist Soni Sori has expressed concern over the safety of her children days after three men on a bike smeared her face with a chemical in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur on Saturday night. CM to declare Rs 70 lakh watch as asset now To end the controversy over his Rs 70-lakh watch, chief minister Siddaramaiah has decided to declare it as an asset before the Income Tax department and the Lokayukta, sources said. High sin tax boosts illegal cigarettes The balance 89% is consumed in other forms of tobacco and illegal cigarettes. However, legal cigarettes contribute 87% of the excise revenue from tobacco despite their very small share of total tobacco consumption in the country. More India News»

		Business
		Govt eyes Rs 5k cr from NTPC selloff The government will sell another 5% stake in the country's largest power producer NTPC on Tuesday in a bid to mop up over Rs 5,000 crore and try to reduce the massive shortfall in the disinvestment target. Nissan slaps notice to end Leyland JV The beleaguered joint venture (JV) for small trucks between Japanese auto major Nissan and Hinduja group flagship Ashok Leyland hit a nadir with Nissan issuing a termination of licence notice to one of their three JV companies, effectively sounding a death knell to the idea of growing the business together. Looking for change? Try your co's job platform When employees need career advice, they usually turn to the HR manager or the immediate line manager. More Business News»

		Environment
		Green norms relaxation in naxal areas till 2018 To expedite creation of public infrastructure in Left Wing Extremism affected areas by government departments, the Centre on Sunday extended the relaxation of green norms for these projects till December 2018. Ventilation "paths" to tackle smog in Beijing Peacock off proposed vermin list in Goa BJP, which is the ruling party in Goa, said peacock has been removed from the proposed list of vermins while a decision on including Indian Bison is still under consideration. A recent report mentioned that peacock and Indian Bison were among animals proposed to be listed as vermins, making them easier to cull. More Environment News»

		World
		Syria ceasefire set for Saturday: US, Russia The United States and Russia announced Monday that a landmark "cessation of hostilities" in war-torn Syria will take effect on February 27. British PM warns on Brexit risks as sterling plunges Prime Minister David Cameron warned Monday that a vote to leave the EU would risk Britain's economic and national security, as uncertainty over the outcome of the June referendum sent the pound plunging. Pentagon due to submit Guantanamo closure plan Military officials are poised to submit to Congress a much-anticipated report on how to close the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, a spokesman said Monday. More World News»

		Entertainment
		'Pyaar ka punch...' for Kartik Aaryan It’s not uncommon for actors to be hounded by fans wherever they go. 7 roles that Priyanka Chopra will rock Priyanka Chopra: Mind over muscle Well, doing action scenes on screen is not just about looking tough. But also about being a toughie — physically, and mentally. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		Apollo 10 astronauts heard odd 'music' on far side of moon Apollo 10 astronauts heard an “eerie” and “outer spacey” music as they passed around the dark side of the Moon, it has been revealed in an audio, declassified by Nasa. Coming, a `smart' window that turns into a TV screen Imagine a window in your living room that could double as a giant thermostat or a big TV screen. A new glass technology may make it possible. You can soon download films on mobiles in 5 sec On the outskirts of this sleepy commuter town just south o London, plans are underway to build the fastest cellphone network in the world. More Science News»

		Sports
		Asia Cup: Parthiv Patel to join Team India as Dhoni's back-up India ODI and T20I captain MS Dhoni suffered a muscle spasm in the back during a training session on Monday in Dhaka. The selection committee has named Parthiv Patel as the back-up wicketkeeper for the upcoming Asia Cup. Justice Mudgal to oversee DDCA's World T20 matches: HC DDCA will hold matches of the upcoming ICC World T20 under the supervision of Justice Mukul Mudgal (retd) whose intervention has helped resolving several contentious issues between the cricket body and others, Delhi high court said on Monday. India should keep winning habit going, says Shastri India are currently on a roll in Twenty20 cricket having routed Australia 3-0 and then registering a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Sri Lanka at home. More Sports News»

		Technology
		Reliance Jio ready to cover 80% India in second half of 2016: Mukesh Ambani Reliance Industries (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has said that the telecom unit is “ready” to roll out its fourth-generation (4G) services. Comparison: LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6S Korean smartphone giants LG and Samsung have announced their new flagship smartphones -- G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7. Make in India costs more than made in China: Aakash tablet maker Questioning the feasibility of Freedom 251, Datawind CEO trashed the explanation given by Noida-based Ringing Bells that domestic manufacturing have allowed them to offer the world’s cheapest smartphone for just Rs 251. More Technology News»

		Education
		Maharashtra varsities lag behind in research, says scientist Central universities are favoured over state varsities and this has led to quality of knowledge and research going down at the latter, said noted scientist GD Yadav on Saturday as he called for doing away with traditional style of classroom teaching. UGC tells universities to celebrate Matribhasha Diwas on March 3 In a letter written to vice-chancellors, University Grants Commission has said that since February 21, which is celebrated as the Mother Languages Day falls on a Sunday, it has been decided to celebrate 'Matribhasha Diwas' on March 3. Homi Bhabha National Institute gets HRD ministry's nod to start its off-campus centre The HRD ministry has given approval to Mumbai-based Homi Bhabha National Institute to start an off-campus centre at Bhubaneswar in the name of National Institute of Science Education and Research. The ministry said it has issued a notification in this regard on the advice of the UGC. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		Schools with less than 20 pupils on radar The state education department is gathering data on the number of schools with less than 20 students on the roll. Fresh CCTV plan for Pune E-way The MSRDC has made a fresh attempt to have a CCTV surveillance system in place for the 95-km Mumbai-Pune expressway. 'Builder Parmar had business connections with politicians' Deceased realtor Suraj Parmar shared business interests with political functionaries in Thane, and was misusing his connections to usurp public plots for personal gain, lawyers arguing for bail of the three arrested corporators said in the district sessions court on Monday. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		1,841 more beds at AIIMS trauma centre The Union health ministry has approved a Rs 2,700-crore expansion plan for the AIIMS trauma centre here that includes adding 1,841 beds to the existing facility. Attacks by lawyers were one-sided, says judge A judge who witnessed the twin assaults at Patiala House Courts complex last week -on JNU teachers, students and journalists on February 15 and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on February 17 - has written to the seniormost judge of the complex, saying the attackers were all "apparently lawyers" and sought action against them, sources said on Monday. Full water supply only after 2 weeks as Jat stir cripples capital's lifeline Water supply in the city is likely to take two weeks to be fully restored as Jat protesters have extensively damaged the Munak canal, Delhi's lifeline, which accounts for close to 45% of the supply, at several places. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Govt not for changing land-use to let ArcelorMittal set up a solar park The Karnataka government faces a serious dilemma: whether to take back 7,500 acres allotted to ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker, and Miglani family-owned Uttam Galva Steel in Ballari district to set up steel plants or allow them to use the land for alternative purposes. Karnataka govt to impose scheduled power cuts In the wake of a severe power crisis, energy minister D K Shivakumar will be meeting senior officials of his department shortly to decide on the steps to be taken to tide over the situation, which may also include scheduled power cuts. Rs 2-cr STP to revive Kundalahalli Lake in Whitefield residents of Whitefield Rising community along with local corporators and representatives of the state government came together to lay foundation to set up a sewage treatment plant (STP). More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		P3Ps gather at a designer label launch P3Ps gather at a designer label launch Tabs for medical students in AP Promising to provide best infrastructure in the government medical colleges, health minister Kamineni Srinivas has said that the government has recently released Rs.30 crore to each college exclusively to set up digital class rooms and library. YSRCP legislators approaching TDP: Pullarao Agriculture minister Prattipati Pullarao has asked opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy to wait till March, 5 to find out how many of his legislators are switching sides to TDP. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		College students protest against 'unfair' fines Students of Hindustan University in Padur staged a protest on Monday against the fee and additional fines being collected by the varsity on "unfair grounds." Lake ruined by waste, sewageand grease, its fish decimated Puzhuthivakkam Lake, once an expanse of blue water so clean that one could drink handfuls of cool water straight from its banks, is today a highly polluted 16-acre body with as much effluent as water, near its eponymous neighbourhood west of Velachery. RBI offers concessions for those in flood-hit areas More than three months after parts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts drowned in an unprecedented deluge, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with a spate of loan sops for people who had availed themselves of home and vehicle loans. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Gujarat village bans mobile phone for school girls City woman lands in US, finds her jewellery missing City-based Kavita Jain had a horrific journey to the US after she found that her jewellery worth Rs 1.5 lakh was missing from her bag Jat agitation: 15 trains from city cancelled till Tuesday As many as 15 trains running from or via Ahmedabad to northern parts of India have been cancelled due to Jat agitation and consequent disruptions in various sections of Delhi division of Northern Railway . More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Kalpwasis return with sweet memories For lakhs of kalpwasis, it was like leaving home with heavy heart since they started leaving Magh Mela campus after performing month long kalpwas. 35 lakh devotees take holy dip on Maghi Purnima Amid tight security arrangement, more than 35 lakh devotees, pilgrims and seers, on Monday, took a holy dip in the Sangam - the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati - on the occasion of Maghi Purnima, virtually the last snan of the Magh Mela. Rahul Gandhi speaking Hafiz Saeed's language: Giriraj Singh Minister of state in ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises, Giriraj Singh has termed the language, being spoken by AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, on the issue of JNU, synchronizing with that spoken by Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Odisha urges Centre to declare city airport as embarkation point for Haj pilgrims Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urged the Centre to declare Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar, as the embarkation point for the Haj pilgrims of Odisha from the current year. Garden with plants used for Lord Jagannath rituals opens Jagannath Vatika, a special garden with a collection of over 125 varieties of plant species used in different rituals of Lord Jagannath, inaugurated in the premises Botanical Gardens of Regional Plant Resource Centre (RPRC) here on Monday. The garden spread over an area of five acres aimed at creating awareness about conservation of plants through Jagannath culture. Father, son arrested for killing two migratory birds More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Govt apathy forcing consumers to shell out more for LPG refill in MP More than one crore people of Madhya Pradesh are forced to cough up additional Rs 20 to 25 every month on their LPG cylinders due to the indifferent approach of the state government which is sitting over the instructions of Union government to reduce taxation issued two years ago. Accident claims another life: NLIU student dies A week after sustaining serious injuries in his head during an accident, third year student of National Law Institute University (NLIU) Mohit Desai died on Monday. His batch-mate Siddharth Khare was died on the spot in the accident when a car carrying five students towards Kerwa dam rammed a tree near Mendora village on city outskirts on February 15. Family in MP denied access to water after dispute over cop's hen A family has allegedly been barred from access to potable water in the entire neighbourhood by a police constable following a dispute with the family after constable's hen injured the eye of 4 year old child in Jabalpur town of Madhya Pradesh. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Dera Ballan's chief stopped at Ravidass Varanasi shrine Sant Niranjan Dass, who heads the Jalandhar-based influential Ravidassia Dera Sachkhand Ballan, was allegedly stopped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security personnel from entering the main hall of Seer Gowardhanpur shrine in Varanasi, the birthplace of Guru Ravidass. 449 roads, railway tracks still blocked in Haryana Even as blockades by Jat protesters have been lifted at several places, there are 449 roads and railway tracks still lying blocked in Haryana.The state cabinet was informed about it during a meeting on Monday. Martyr gets military, civil honour A tearful farewell was on Monday given to 23-year-old Capt Pawan Kumar, who died fighting militants in Kashmir's Pulwama district, with his last rites performed at his native village Bhadhana in Jind district with full military honours. More Chandigarh News»

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