News Digest: Ex-IB Gujarat boss to sue Congress, CBI on Ishrat 'frame-up'

		THE TIMES OF INDIA
		Saturday, February 13, 2016
		Today's Headlines

		India
		Ex-IB Gujarat boss to sue Congress, CBI on Ishrat 'frame-up' The political fallout of David Headley's statement that Ishrat Jahan was a Lashkar operative may stretch beyond the war of words between BJP and Congress. Bid to make Aadhaar card must for government benefits In a move to give the Aadhar identity a statutory footing and link it to disbursal of central subsidies and assistance, the NDA government is ready with a new bill intended to accelerate its financial inclusion schemes. Sonia, Rahul must face trial in National Herald case, says SC The Supreme Court on Friday refused to quash criminal proceedings against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, though it ordered expunction of adverse remarks made by the Delhi high court against them and exempted them from personal appearance. More India News»

		Business
		Stressed assets not getting worse: Jayant Sinha Minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha is confident that staterun banks will emerge stronger once the bad loan issues are resolved. Rs 150cr base price on Kingfisher House Lenders have pegged a reserve price of Rs 150 crore for Kingfisher House, which will be auctioned on March 17 to recover part of Rs 6,963-crore loans due from the defunct eponymous airline. Car sales skid after 14 straight months of growth Car sales opened the new year on a nervous note as volumes fell, although marginally, after 14 straight months of growth. More Business News»

		Environment
		Spider kills snake in Australian outback duel A plucky little spider has once again proved that size doesn't matter by taking on -- and beating -- a much larger venomous snake, in a very Australian telling of the story of David and Goliath. China experts called to help pandas mate at Belgian zoo Two Chinese experts have been called in to an animal park in Belgium in a "delicate mission" to help two giant pandas reproduce, the park said in a statement. Zoo keepers had noted a change in the couple's behaviour in recent days, potentially signalling the start of a reproductive period. How climate change could slow transatlantic flights Researchers say global warming is likely to speed up jet stream winds - adding thousands of hours a year to journey times. Researchers from the University of Reading used climate models to simulate how a doubling of atmospheric CO2 would affect atmospheric winds. More Environment News»

		World
		Bashar al-Assad vows to retake all of Syria President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the whole of Syria and keep "fighting terrorism" while also negotiating an end to the war, as international pressure mounts for a ceasefire. Paris attacks suspect's DNA 'not found on suicide belt' No DNA from fugitive Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in November's Paris attacks, has been found on a suicide belt discovered in the French capital, a source close to the inquiry said Friday. Pak foils jailbreak bid to free Daniel Pearl killer Pakistan army on Thursday announced the arrest of nearly 100 militants and foiled an imminent jailbreak attempt to free top alQaida terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, sentenced to death for 2002 murder of Wall Street journalist Daniel Pearl. More World News»

		Entertainment
		HC to appoint arbitrator in the Tusshar v/s 'Mastizaade' producers The legal wrangle between Tusshar and the producers of his adult comedy, 'Mastizaade', may see a closure in the coming weeks. B-town stars who vanished after their hit debut Amaal Mallik begins 2016 on a high note Music is an addiction for Amaal Mallik who believes his life will be full of nasha in 2016. More Entertainment News»

		Science
		New-age drugs can prevent strokes There is evidence to show that popping right dosages of new-age blood thinners can reduce risks of strokes in thousands of Indian patients with irregular heartbeats, said doctors during a discussion at the ongoing heart convention at the India Society of Cardiology in Chennai. Experts stop calling out to comet lander as hope fades European scientists said on Friday that they have stopped sending commands to the Philae space probe, which became the first to touch down on a comet more than a year ago. Now we'll listen to the stars, courtesy gravitational waves The landmark discovery of the first direct evidence of gravitational waves or ripples in space-time, which Albert Einstein predicted a century ago, will enable mankind to listen to the stars, and not just see them, scientists say. More Science News»

		Sports
		2nd T20I: India thrash Sri Lanka by 69 runs to level series Incisive spell of bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin (3/14) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/24), after good batting display by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, guided India to a convincing 69-run victory over Sri Lanka in second T20I in Ranchi. South Asian Games: India lose to Pak in hockey final India produced a disappointing performance to lose to arch-rivals Pakistan 0-1 in a lacklustre summit clash of men's hockey at the 12th South Asian Games on Friday. BCCI or IPL is no authority to ban me: Asad Rauf Tainted Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf hit out at the BCCI for imposing a five-year ban on him for corruption, saying that the Indian Board did not have any evidence to pronounce him guilty. More Sports News»

		Technology
		7 mind-blowing facts about gravitational waves What scientists discovered upon detecting these waves is nothing short of extraordinary. Check out seven mind-boggling facts about these waves: 10 email etiquette rules every professional should know Most of working professionals spend about a quarter of the work week combing through the hundreds of emails we all send and receive every day. But despite the fact that we're glued to our reply buttons, career coach Barbara Pachter says plenty of professionals still don't know how to use email appropriately. Pachter outlined the basics of modern email etiquette in her book "The Essentials Of Business Etiquette." We pulled out the most essential rules you need to know. Whatsapp, Line warned over same-sex emoticons in Indonesia  The government move comes after a social media backlash against the messaging app Line for having stickers, with gay themes in its online store. More Technology News»

		Education
		Enrolments in online courses may see surge from tier-2 cities Online education and skill enhancement is likely to see a significant uptrend this year and high number enrolments are expected from major tier-2 cities, a survey showed. It also identifies media/entertainment and IT/ITES as two industries that will constantly seek skill development in 2016. Applications invited for the 3D Design: Ceramics programme at Staffordshire University The Staffordshire University has invited applications for the 3D Design: Ceramics BA (honours) programme run by the School of Art and Design. A statement issued by the university said that the university has the most extensive ceramic facilities in the United Kingdom. Sikkim to have institute on organic farming The agriculture ministry on Wednesday approved setting up of National Organic Farming Research Institute (NOFRI) in Gangtok, Sikkim, to extend research and technological support to organic farming systems in the country. More Education News»

		Mumbai
		BMC officers liable for illegal hoardings: HC The Bombay High Court on Friday told the BMC that its officers will be liable for illegal hoardings. No trains from CST to Wadala on Feb 20, 21 Harbour line services will not be available between CST and Wadala on February 20 and 21 as the railways will carry out yard remodelling work to accommodate 12-car trains. 51-yr-old held for raping minor in Worli The Worli police on Thursday night arrested a 51-year-old man on charges of raping a nine-year-old girl who resided in his chawl. The accused fled from Worli after he realized the survivor had narrated the incident to her parents. More Mumbai News»

		Delhi
		JNU students' union president arrested for sedition, cops search hostels On a day Union home minister Rajnath Singh instructed Delhi Police not to spare anyone indulging in anti-India activities, cops arrested JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on sedition charges over a pro-Afzal Guru event held on campus earlier this week, prompting fierce protests from students and teachers in the university. HC issues odd-even notice to Delhi, Centre A day after the AAP government announced second phase of the odd-even scheme, the Delhi high court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and the lieutenant governor on a PIL challenging it. Four more held for DU girl's muder Four family members of Naveen Khatri, who had allegedly killed his girlfriend Arzoo Singh and hidden the body in a ventilation shaft of his house, were arrested on Friday evening. More Delhi News»

		Bangalore
		Techie duped of Rs 60,000 Two conmen duped a software engineer in guise of selling I phone 6 and brand new laptop for a unbelievable discount of 60 percent. Trusting them, techie gave Rs 60,000 and walked away with the boxes. When opened them later, he found brick and Tirupati prasadam inside the box. Ola offers paragliding experience on V-Day in Bengaluru Ola is giving an opportunity to experience an adventurous Valentine’s day through its app. The cab aggregator will offer its users to request on the app like booking a cab for paragliding, surfing, zipping under water hockey, para motoring to kayaking in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Day 3 of Times Hindustani Music Festival Pandit Ramesh Narayan and Ronu Majumdar, Taufiq Qureshi, and Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma mesmerized the audience More Bangalore News»

		Hyderabad
		Diversions on Necklace Road due to canal work Due to Kukatpally canal work on Necklace Road (ie from opposite to PV Ghat to Budhabhavan Y Junction), one side of the road will be closed from February 13 to February 22 City police in a press note said that people coming from Khairatabad FlyoverNecklace Rotary intending to go to Nallagutta (Minister's Road) are requested to proceed towards Karbala Maidan. KCR invites PM to Telangana Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the foundation stone laying ceremony of NTPC power plant in Ramagundam to be held in mid-March. Centre gives 25% drought relief fund At a time when the state government has been looking for financial assistance from the Centre for its flagship programmes, the NDA government has released only 25% of the drought relief amount sought by the state. More Hyderabad News»

		Chennai
		Final test for outgoing AIADMK govt: 5m visitors at Mahamaham The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu, on its final lap and just ahead of the assembly election in May , has pulled out all stops to ensure the once-in-12-year pilgrimage of Mahamaham is a resounding success. Little space in crowded Chennai, residents rent out public roads A severe shortage of parking space in the city has allowed some residents to brazenly `rent out' space on public roads to motorists. SC quashes suspension of six DMDK legislators Giving a big political boost to actor-politician Vijayakanth's DMDK ahead of the assembly election, the Supreme Court on Friday quashed a March 31, 2015 order suspending six of his party legislators from the state assembly for `bringing disrepute' to the House. More Chennai News»

		Ahmedabad
		Dandi marcher's letters to Bapu given to Ashram Vinayak Apte 'Tatya' made an unusual 'homecoming' to Sabarmati Ashram on Friday, almost 86 years after taking part in the historic Dandi march in March-April 1930. ATS arrests Ismail from Kantharia in Bharuch Gujarat ATS on Friday arrested Ismail Patel, 38, a resident of Kantharia in Bharuch, in connection with a bomb blast at Nehrunagar crossroads in the posh Satellite area of the city in November 2003. SAC to have giant `clean room' for satellites The Space Application Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) will soon have a unique establishment in the city. More Ahmedabad News»

		Allahabad
		Proposed Allahabad state university to affiliate 460 colleges of four districts The state budget 2016 brought good news for aspirants who wanted to pursue higher education from a state of the art university in the city but could not do so. Allahabad HC seeks report on lawyers' protests Taking a serious note of violent protests of lawyers in Lucknow, a seven-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday took cognizance of the matter and directed the principal secretory (home) of the state to submit his report on the matter on February 18, 2016, the next date fixed by the court for the hearing. Government considering establishing training university for teachers We are considering establishing a training university for teachers, said Minister of State for HRD, Ram Shankar Katheria. This is being thought after a meeting held with top academicians with the government wherein many steps, including the need of setting up such a dedicated training university in different states, were suggested. More Allahabad News»

		Bhubaneswar
		Centre to promote organic farming in country: Union agriculture minister Union minister of state for agriculture Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya here on Friday said the central government is giving emphasis on organic farming in the country. On centenary year, Biju on Naveen's lips With Biju Patnaik's birth centenary this year, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has been peppering his speeches with different facets of Biju's personality. Odisha bars MRs from promoting medicines at govt hospitals Medical representatives (MRs) in the state will no longer be able to promote medicines at the outpatient departments (OPDs) at government-run hospitals. More Bhubaneswar News»

		Bhopal
		Two labourers injured at PM's rally site, Cong slams BJP for bogus claims After row over forcing farmers to cut their unripe crop at the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Sehore, another incident was reported from the rally site on Friday, when two labourers were injured in a freak accident during construction work. 'Bandit queen' arrested, says Phoolan Devi her idol Fourteen days after her gang leader was killed in a police encounter, jeans-top clad bandit, Chanda Gadaria, has been arrested from the jungles of Shivupri in north Madhya Pradesh on Friday. Maihar by-poll on Friday, Gaur calls BJP, Cong candidates 'bikau' A day ahead of polling in Mahiar assembly by-poll, state home minister Babulal Gaur raked up controversy by expressing concern over media reports that both the candidates in the fray are turncoats. More Bhopal News»

		Chandigarh
		Portugal rejects extradition plea, releases Babbar Khalsa terrorist Portuguese authorities on Friday turned down India's request for extraditing former member of banned terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International Paramjeet Singh Pamma and have released him. OBC quota: Jats lay siege on railway tracks in Hisar Launching the fresh stir for OBC quota in Central and state government, the Jat leaders and their followers on Friday laid seize on the railway tracks near Mayyar railway station of Hisar. CII holds workshop on lean manufacturing practices With an objective to develop expertise on lean manufacturing in industries, CII organised a workshop on lean manufacturing practices here on Friday at Chandigarh. More Chandigarh News»

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